Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and its film version My fair lady Essay Example for Free

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw and its film version My fair lady Essay Pygmalion written by Bernard Shaw, was first performed on stage with Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins. The reception of the audience during the play was of utmost disappointment due to the non romantic ending of the play, even though that was Shaws initial intentions. My fair Lady on the other hand is a musical based on Pygmalion, and the movie was shot in 1964 by director George Cukor. Although there are numerous similarities between musical and play such as the character interactions or how both of them portray social status, especially in the conclusion, the musical displays several contradictions in comparison to the movie. Bernard Shaw wrote the play during an important moment in history, which was when women were starting to gain independence in the beginning of the 20th century. It is produced in 1914 which is when WW1 broke out and war time made it easier for women to find work, and soon after women got their independent vote in 1920. Thus Pygmalion has a strong sense of feminism and independence as one of the leading themes to guide the characters on, especially Eliza. Eliza throughout the play is striving to prove how women should be independent and not rely on men in order to lead a life. Both movie and play shows us that when Higgins turns Eliza into a duchess, he didnt give her just class and status but he took her independence away because she is not fit to sell anything else. What happens now is that if Eliza doesnt marry she has no one to provide for her and Freddy is useless because he has no talent for making money. Thus Higgins indirectly limited Elizas opportunities making her dependent on men. And during the movie when she goes back to Higgins she loses power in her character. Even though it was of her own free will and not on necessity, she still loses the power she had before. Pygmalion comes from a Greek Myth, Ovids narrative where a man called Pygmalion makes a sculpture of a woman called Galatea. Ovids original idea is that Galatea would be a worshipping monument to Pygmalion with a woman who refuses to be bound to a man who says that he has created her. Shaw in a way is flouting with Ovids original purpose due to all the inferences even  in Pygmalion that Higgins maybe has feelings for Eliza, supporting Shaws proposal of a woman within a low rank to dominate and gain the love of a middle class man. However, whether Eliza loves him or not is a different matter. On the other hand, Shaw has an ironic ending of Eliza marrying Freddy. So her independence goes straight into the gutter when she goes from being the subject of one man to another, because that is the only thing an upper class woman is supposed to do in her life, just like when Mr. Doolittle said I was free. He wants to return to the undeserving poverty instead of living as a rich man where everyone wants something from him, including his wife now wants to marry him. What happens is that as a working class woman, Eliza had her own independence and was used to assert her own rights I wont stay here if I dont like and I wont let nobody wallop me!. Now, women in her position cannot sell flowers and she must sell [her]self into marriage, giving up her rights and being dominate by men. As a second theme, Higgins is shown as a dangerous teacher to Eliza due to his mind broadening influence. Similar to the movie Dead poets Society, just like the teacher Mr. Keating, Higgins exerts a subversive influence on Eliza, with an encouragement to such an extent that he fills her heads with dreams that life cant give. His destructive influence although with best intentions at heart, if Higgins had done nothing, Eliza would not have moved classes. But now that he has given her attributes changing her social class, he creates expectations, illusions and taste to a dream which she cannot fulfill. The consequence is that his actions creates these ripples which can disrupt society, because he is going against societys flow, just like Socrates, who was popular among young men, he gave ideas going against cities principles. For any person, not just a fictional character within a play, when someone doesnt have what they want, this creates frustration because there is no structure to support their dreams, and Higgins just like Mr Keating doesnt realize the consequence of his actions. So now Higgins created a situation where Eliza cant do anything else and is now only fit to  sell myself. This theme is also connected to another theme in the play such as social class and language, because Higgins gives Eliza her language, but as shown in the first meeting that Eliza has with Mrs. Higgins, she has a flawless English however lacks a decent background, manners and taste. Thus social class is a combination of all of these and Pickering is the one who gives her the rest of her social class in addition to the language given by Higgins. So language also has an important role as shown in Higgins song why cant the English? where he says that Eliza is condemned by every syllable that she utters. In the year 300 b.c. Aristotle made it clear that a tragedy usually ends in death and a comedy ends in marriage. Throughout the play, Bernard Shaw leads the characters in believing that Eliza will end up marrying Higgins or someone with very great richness, when in fact, Shaw does not follow Aristotles rule and he breaks the whole build up of expectations that the audience had while watching the play. In contrast the film ends with Eliza entering Higgins room and his ending line is where the hell are my slippers so the film allows us to believe they dont get married, it only hints it, and that if they do, he will be a dominant person in their relationship. However when Shaw wrote the play, and the movie changes his initial reasons of writing the ending the way he did, Shaw wanted to show that people who dont marry, such as Higgins, arent disintegrated from their parents because they put their parents in high pedestals, which is also known as Oedipus tragedy. Both endings in Pygmalion and My Fair Lady, seem to have an ending which is adapted to the main theme of the story, i.e. the film director and Shaw wanted to make different statements in their work. This leads to the assumption that the ending from Pygmalion is an ending that makes sense when seen that Shaws initial intention of having a play about feminism and independence, and at the same time the ending of My Fair Lady also makes sense because it is a Hollywood movie, like a Cinderella story with a romantic twist, shot in order to attract an audience. Thus although the  movie and play are the same story the focus placed on each one is on different themes which is what causes the alteration of the ending. This means that if My Fair Lady had a different ending, the addition of the songs such as rain in Spain and grown accustomed in the movie, which add a sense of romance, would be completely destroyed if both lovers werent able to conquer all of the issues between both of them. In addition, the film director also placed an emphasis on different characters and evens than Shaw. Whilst Shaws play is on social concern, criticizing the way social classes judge others based on their accent, the films message is of an individuals life that if one tries hard enough a development may be achieved. Or during the film when they say that she needs the services of a dentist so that she can get used to live and speak like a lady, meaning that all that the film was concerned about was Elizas development and her climbing of steps on the social ladder. Not to mention that for the movies ending, an idealized Eliza is portrayed in order to appeal to the public: with a noble posture when dealing under pressure. Whilst in comparison to the play she does not show her sincere feelings as Shaw first wrote it. However, even though when Eliza leaves Higgins in Pygmalions ending, although it follows through with the feminist theme, it is completely understandable why the audience for this play end the play with a feeling of dissatisfaction because after reading a whole play with a character such as Higgins who is hilarious at every speech, and at some point in the play makes you feel compassion for him, it is extremely infuriating when the main character goes off without him after a man who is in the play mainly for tempting Eliza and has no other part in play. All Freddie feels for Eliza is a platonic love and he writes her three pages every day, when Higgins actually shows true feelings for Eliza in his own disguised way. In My fair Lady, when Eliza returns from the ball, she is crying and really afraid of what might happen to her in the future where am I to go, what am I to do which Higgins without any kind of respect throws her options like working in a florists shop or marrying someone. However none of these  options satisfy Eliza. Then on the next day, it seems like it dawns on Higgins because he says where will you go, in Heaven`s name?, giving a sense that he realized that he would miss Eliza as shown in the song grown accustomed. Even though she says quite firmly she would teach phonetics, it is obvious for the audience that teaching phonetics is not what she really wanted. So what the movie shows more clearly is that Eliza does indeed have options and that Higgins is afraid he will be without her. So what makes the ending of this movie such an attraction to the audience is that Eliza comes back to Higgins as a choice of her own and not as a need. Which is in fact exactly what Higgins likes: a person who makes their decisions based on rational thinking and not on weakness. In conclusion the film has added and taken away certain characteristics of the play, but this does not mean that one is better than the other, it only means that the author and the director had different propositions in mind as to what they wanted to show their audience. One could say that the main obvious difference between the play and the movie are the songs. The songs entertain the public and thus they are more appealed because it follows a movies characteristics of those days, in addition it emphasizes Shaws initial ideas of what the characters felt leading to the main themes of the play. For example when Eliza is in the market and she wished for comfort, warmth and chocolate. However the disadvantage is that the main theme of the play which is a criticism to high classes is lost, thus songs lose the main themes and makes the story appear more Hollywood like instead of being based on a book. NOTES TAKEN FROM THE BOOK PYGMALION BY BERNARD SHAW AND FROM THE MOVIE MY FAIR LADY

Using Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Advertisements Essay -- Advertising M

Using Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Advertisements An advertisement is a form of public writing in which the author uses writing strategies as a way to catch the attention of a reader and to persuade that reader to purchase what he or she is promoting. In order to create an effective advertisement, the author relies on the product’s credibility, uses reasons to convince the reader to buy what he/she is promoting, and attempts to appeal to the reader based on emotion. A way in which this can be achieved is through using three components of writing known as ethos, pathos and logos. As an example to illustrate how these strategies can be used as an effective method of persuasion, I have chosen to analyze an advertisement produced by a travel agency. In the ad, the author’s attempt is to use logos and pathos as his primary means of persuasion but touches on all three components of writing as a method of luring the reader into choosing Texas as the primary choice for a vacation destination. The author’s intent is to rely on this location to represent the travel agency as a source for planning the vacation. Using ethos is a way of appealing to the reader based on the credibility of the source in which the author is trying to promote. Credibility can be accomplished by using tactics to support reliability. First, the author attempts to establish credibility by relying on tradition and value. He accomplishes this in the advertisement by placing major emphasis on a man wearing a belt buckle. He states, "You look more closely. And see a grapefruit-sized rodeo championship belt buckle, dazzling in the sunlight. And you know at that moment, you must be in Texas" (McCALL p. 87). One may argue that the ad establishes the locatio... ...pathos is used as the most persuasive form to support the text of the advertisement. In analyzing the advertisement, it is clear that the author ties all these forms of writing together. In doing so, he hopes to gain the biggest audience by appealing to many different life styles. The author uses persuasion as a tactic, which is used to lure potential vacation hunters in to choosing his place of choice. He presents all forms of writing strategies (ethos, pathos, and logos) in the advertisement with the most concentration on logos and pathos. The author feels that the best way to persuade the audience of choice is to state the facts in the text, and then support those facts by appealing to the emotions, which is accomplished in the picture. In some cases, the author only selects one category of writing, which all depends on what he or she is trying to promote. Using Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Advertisements Essay -- Advertising M Using Ethos, Pathos and Logos in Advertisements An advertisement is a form of public writing in which the author uses writing strategies as a way to catch the attention of a reader and to persuade that reader to purchase what he or she is promoting. In order to create an effective advertisement, the author relies on the product’s credibility, uses reasons to convince the reader to buy what he/she is promoting, and attempts to appeal to the reader based on emotion. A way in which this can be achieved is through using three components of writing known as ethos, pathos and logos. As an example to illustrate how these strategies can be used as an effective method of persuasion, I have chosen to analyze an advertisement produced by a travel agency. In the ad, the author’s attempt is to use logos and pathos as his primary means of persuasion but touches on all three components of writing as a method of luring the reader into choosing Texas as the primary choice for a vacation destination. The author’s intent is to rely on this location to represent the travel agency as a source for planning the vacation. Using ethos is a way of appealing to the reader based on the credibility of the source in which the author is trying to promote. Credibility can be accomplished by using tactics to support reliability. First, the author attempts to establish credibility by relying on tradition and value. He accomplishes this in the advertisement by placing major emphasis on a man wearing a belt buckle. He states, "You look more closely. And see a grapefruit-sized rodeo championship belt buckle, dazzling in the sunlight. And you know at that moment, you must be in Texas" (McCALL p. 87). One may argue that the ad establishes the locatio... ...pathos is used as the most persuasive form to support the text of the advertisement. In analyzing the advertisement, it is clear that the author ties all these forms of writing together. In doing so, he hopes to gain the biggest audience by appealing to many different life styles. The author uses persuasion as a tactic, which is used to lure potential vacation hunters in to choosing his place of choice. He presents all forms of writing strategies (ethos, pathos, and logos) in the advertisement with the most concentration on logos and pathos. The author feels that the best way to persuade the audience of choice is to state the facts in the text, and then support those facts by appealing to the emotions, which is accomplished in the picture. In some cases, the author only selects one category of writing, which all depends on what he or she is trying to promote.

Marie Antoinette: Research Paper

Melissa Arias Alma Aguilar Political Science 101 24 September 2012 Marie Antoinette â€Å"Let them eat cake† is probably one of the most recited quotes around the world, which is known to be spoken by the last Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. Although often reffered to as â€Å"The Party Queen† or in other words, the Queen who danced while her people starved. But what many fail to recognize is the fact that Marie Antoinette was the Queen who cared for her people. The only think she cared for more than the welfare of her people, was the welfare of her children.In order for one to understand and have the ability to fully understand the French Revolution, and Monarchy, one must go back and analyze Marie Antoinette's personal background, her political contributions and achievements, and her political influences. Personal Background Marie Antoinette (Archduchess Maria Antonia of Austria) was born in Vienna, Austria on November 2nd, 1755. â€Å"She was the fifteenth child, and eleventh (and last) daughter of the Emperor Francis 1st of Lorraine and Maria Theresa of Austria, at the head of the Habsburg dynasty†(Moore 3).Francis 1st died in August 1765, leaving his wife and his elder son to co-rule his empire. â€Å"To promote diplomatic relationships with France, Marie Antoinette was asked to marry Louis Auguste, the Dauphin of France† (Campan 3). With the conclusion of the Seven Years' War in 1763, an alliance between Austria and France became a priority for Empress Maria Theresa; cementing alliances through matrimonial connections was a common practice among European royal families at the time. In 1765, the son of French Emperor Louis XV, Louis Ferdinand, died, leaving his 11-year-old grandson Louis Auguste heir to the French throne.Within months, Marie Antoinette and Louis Auguste were pledged to marry each other. A child of only 14 years, delicately beautiful with gray-blue eyes and ash-blonde hair, in May 1770, â€Å"Marie Antoinette set out for France to be married, escorted by 57 carriages, 117 footmen and 376 horses. On May 16, 1770, Marie Antoinette and Louis Auguste were married†. (Campan 6) † Louis XV passed away in 1774, and Louis Auguste succeeded him to the French throne as Louis XVI, making Marie Antoinette, at 19 years old, Queen of France†(Barker 9).However, as personalities went Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette could not have been more different. He was introverted, shy and indecisive, a lover of solitary pleasures such as reading and metalwork. She was vivacious,outgoing and bold, a social butterfly who loved gambling, partying and extravagant fashions. Political Influences and Development Though many have argued that Marie Antoinette did not have any political development or influences, due to her social and eccentric ways, Marie always referred to someone in her life as the main source of admiration. Her Mother, Queen Maria Theresa, Marie often spoke of her with profound respect, but she based all her schemes for the education of her children on the essentials which had been neglected in her own†(Barker 9). Maria Theresa, often was inspired awe by her great qualities, taught the Archduchesses to fear and respect rather than to love her. â€Å"The Empress was too much taken up with high political interests to have it in her power to devote herself to maternal attentions. â€Å"(Campan 8) The queen's influence on domestic policy before 1789 has also been exaggerated. Her interference in politics was usually in order to obtain jobs and money for her friends. It is true, however, that she usually opposed the efforts of reforming ministers such as A. R. J. Turgot (1727–1781) and became involved in court scandals against them. â€Å"( Moore 12 ) â€Å"Activities such as the â€Å"diamond necklace affair,† where the queen was accused of having an improper relationship with a wealthy church official in exchange for an expensive necklace, inc reased her unpopularity and led to a stream of pamphlets and articles against her†(Barker 11).The fact that after the birth of her children Marie Antoinette's way of life became more restrained did not alter the popular image of an immoral and extravagant woman. As soon as the arrival of a stranger of rank at Vienna was made known, the Empress brought her family about her, admitted them to her table, and by this concerted meeting induced a belief that she herself presided over the education of her children. Contributions and WrittingsFrom the beginning of the revolution, Marie Antoinette and Louis had hopes for a compromise: in other words, a constitution that would include the monarchy. Trying to re-establish normalcy, Marie Antoinette continued her generous patronage of the poor children of Paris. â€Å"At the fireworks celebrating the marriage of the young prince and princess in May 1774, there was a stampede in which many people were killed. Louis and Antoinette gave all of their private spending money for a year to relieve the suffering of the victims and their families. (Campan 2)Marie-Antoinette's reputation for sweetness and mercy became even more entrenched in 1774, when as the new Queen she asked that the people be relieved of a tax called â€Å"The Queen's belt,† customary at the beginning of each reign. â€Å"Belts are no longer worn,† she said. She also spent as much time as possible with her own children, particularly the dauphin. â€Å"(Moore, 8). Much of the writings Marie wrote was her diary which is filled with a young girl's feelings about her arranged marriage.She describes a French Court dominated by intricate rules of etiquette and protocol and excessive attention to fashion and grooming. In her last letter, Marie-Antoinette wrote to her sister-in-law Madame Elisabeth: â€Å"‘Happiness is doubled when shared with a friend'†¦. † ( Campan 4 )In those words are contained the value she placed on friends hip to her happiness. The queen had a great capacity for friendship, although she was not always smart in her choice of companions. Conclusion The story of revolution and resistance in 18th-century France is a complicated one, and no two historians tell the story the same way.However, it is clear that for the revolutionaries, Marie Antoinette’s significance was mainly, powerfully symbolic. â€Å"She and the people around her seemed to represent everything that was wrong with the monarchy and the Second Estate: They appeared to be tone-deaf, out of touch, disloyal (along with her allegedly treasonous behavior, writers and pamphleteers frequently accused the queen of adultery) and self-interested†( Moore 17 ). What Marie Antoinette was actually like was beside the point; the image of the queen was far more influential than the woman herself. Marie Antoinette was the Austrian born child bride of the future King Louis XVI of France. It was an arranged marriage designed to (hopefully) create a better relationship between the two countries which was a common practice by the Monarchy to reduce conflicts and warfare between Nations†(Campan 7). The French people resented the Austrian Queen and she was the subject of numerous rumors that she had been planted in France as a spy, was a spendthrift, was cold, cruel, evil, mean and any number of other charges.In truth, she was a well educated woman with excellent regal poise, she was a well qualified linguist, played the Harp with great versatility, was an accomplished equestrian and was considered to be an excellent mother to her four children. † She was put to death during the French Revolution at the age of 37 on 16 October 1793. † (Marie Antoinette Biography 3) Marie Antoinette was a symbol of goodness and of everything that was right with the French monarchy. Also as queen, she made many changes that affected France's system of government and law.Marie had abolished the law of segregated dining spaces, as she felt it was wrong. She had gained popularity with people of France at first with her generosity as she continuosly gave to the poor of Paris. † After the Revolution, Marie faced the women who stormed Versailles and when her family and her were forced to live in Paris as prisoners she never lost hope that she would find a way to get out and hold her family's reputation as well as her political career; Even after the Republic was proclaimed in 1792, and her husband was executed. (Barker 5) Despite the tragic outcome of Marie Antoinette's life, she never blamed her people. She remained a devoted mother and wife, although her life as the Queen of France ended in a moments notice. Although many through time have viewed her as a shallow, weak and a self- indulgent person. But through recent years many historians have concluded the opposite; seen more as a lively, misunderstood, and compassionate character. She was a devoted mother,making sure her children were well educated, and cherished.And even when she knew her life was coming to an end, she made sure her children were in safe hands. And as Queen, she wanted the best for her people, giving generous donations and contributions to the minority. Marie Antoinette as a person and a friend was quite possibly one of her best traits, marked through history. The Political side of her and her family status was the main source of The French Revolution. She was proud to be french, but in the end all the hopes she had for her country demolished right before her eyes. But as terrible as she might be portrayed in your history books.Marie Antoinette will always be the last Queen France ever had. Bibliography Barker, Nancy. â€Å"Let Them Eat Cake: The Mythical Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution. † Historian (Summer 1993): 709-25. Madame Campan. Memoirs of Marie Antoinette. N. p. : Barker, n. d. Memoirs of Marie Antoinette. Web. 01 Sept. 2012. . â€Å"Marie Antoinette Biography. † Marie Antoinette Biography. N. p. , 01 July 2012. Web. 25 Aug. 2012. . Moore, Marianne. â€Å"Marie Antoinette. † New World Encyclopedia. N. p. , 03 Apr. 2007. Web. 01 Sept. 2012. .

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Dialectical Journal

Ciara Young November 5, 2012 B Hour Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Genre: Fiction, Adventure Novel Historical Context: First published in England in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Naturalism (c.1865-1900) A literary movement that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had unavoidable force in shaping human character. Protagonist: Huckleberry Finn was young boy in the late nineteenth century coming of age. He viewed is surroundings practically and logically without judgments. His socially simple-minded self gives the novel a satirical humor. Antagonist: The rules and laws of Society in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn makes Huck think it’s ways of†¦show more content†¦But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back.† (Twain 5) | In this quote from the first page of the book Huck describes what has happened since The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He introduces his opposition of the Widow Douglas â€Å"sivilizing† him. He is a young boy who wants his freedom, which may seem normal for a boy his age, but we soon realize this opposition is based on observations of the society in which he lives. This quote is important because it gives you the basis for Huck’s reason of wanting his freedom and why he wants to leave and be on his own. It also shows why Huck lies throughout the novel. Huck doesn’t agree with the ideas that society views as â€Å"right†, which causes him to decide whether to do the â€Å"wrong† things when he listens to what his conscience says, or do society’s â€Å"right† things. This is important because it influences his decisions he makes on his adventures as he travels down the Mississippi River and encounters many people of the towns along the river banks. This quote is important for the reader because it gives us background information before the story begins to understand what has and is occurring. It also gives the reader insight to Huck’s attitude towards his life and society. | â€Å"Pap he hadn’t been seen for more than a year, and that was comfortable for me; I didn’t want to see him no more. HeShow MoreRelatedDialectical Journal 3 : Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn1599 Words   |  7 PagesRyan Sun Mrs. Penalora AP Language and Composition 26 August 2015 Dialectical Journal 3: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Quote Page #/ ¶ Explanation/Analysis 1. â€Å"And he said that handling a snakeskin was such awful bad luck that maybe we hadn’t got to the end of it yet. He said he druther see the new moon over his left shoulder as much as a thousand times than take up a snakeskin in his hand.† 2. â€Å"What did that poor old woman do to you that you could treat her so mean?...she tried to be good to youRead MoreSummer Reading2774 Words   |  12 Pagesclass: Several grades will be given for the summer reading. ïÆ'Ëœ Dialectical response journals for each book (rubric attached). ïÆ'Ëœ Exams on the assigned novels within the first days of school. ïÆ'Ëœ In class essay questions on each of the novels. 9th Grade Regulars and Honors - Reading Assignment: 1. Fiction novel: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein *12 Dialectical Journal Entries 2. Nonfiction: A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins *12 Dialectical Journal Entries 10th Grade Regular and Honors - Reading Assignment:Read Morewisdom,humor and faith19596 Words   |  79 Pageshumane, Russian democracy, of Russian freedom, of the dignity of the Russian man.†30 In Soviet Russia some of Chekhov’s successors were considered subversives when they dared to poke fun at Soviet society. One was Mikhail Zoshchenko. His story â€Å"Adventures of a Monkey† got him in trouble because Soviet leaders thought this story about a monkey who got free from his zoo cage and roamed a town suggested that life was better in a zoo cage than in Soviet society. A contemporary of Chekhov was Vladimir