Thursday, January 30, 2020

The Women of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay Example for Free

The Women of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay William Shakespeares plays often pitted men against their women in order to move the action of his plays. Strong women, however, often seemed to move against each other, as well as moving against the their male relatives and the current or future mates. The women in Shakespeares plays were not afraid to compete for knowledge, power, men, or any or all of the three. Both Titanias persistence and the competition between Hermia and Helena are evidence of how the so-called weaker sex is actually the controlling sex in Shakespeares play A Midsummer Nights Dream. It Hermia’s own series of choices that lead to the four lovers being present in the woods. Demetrius, Egeus, and Theseus might believe that they are in control of her future when they sequester themselves to converse, their control over her ends the moment that they leave. The contrast between Hermia and the men is evident, even in that scene; although she is willful, the older men are guided only by laws, Demetrius is arrogant and willing to see her put to death if he defies her, and Lysander is weak-willed. Although his idea is that which is implemented as the resolution to Hermia’s problem, it is he who laments all of the difficulties that come with love, while Hermia is the one who points out that it is necessary to persevere (1.1.132–134). It is also Hermia’s willingness to pass her plan on to her former friend, Helena, that encourages Helena to develop a plan of her own, with Demetrius being none the wiser over being manipulated. The women’s power may extend, at least somewhat, from loyalty. When Hermia and Helena were friends they had a strong union, sharing everything. Shakespeare describes them as unified, Both on one sampler, sitting on one cushion, Both warbling of one song, both in one key, (3.2.205-206). Maturity, however, changes this relationship as sexual politics takes the place of their original loyalty. The bond between dissolves when a man, Demetrius, comes between them. Without this loyalty, the women lose much of their power. When Helena makes plans to manipulate Demetrius without concern over Hermia’s safety it is then that events put into play by Oberon’s machinations, overwhelm them. Similarly, Oberon perceives Tatiana’s strength as coming from the loyalty to a woman, the Indian prince’s mother, who was a worshipper of hers. When she refuses to give Oberon the child to be his knight, Oberon plans to take the child by force. As with Demetrius, Egeus, and Theseus in the beginning, Oberon wishes to seize loyalty through force. Oberon’s decision has far-reaching and chaotic effects, just as Helena’s plan to force affection does. Interestingly, although love moves the action of the play it is manipulation that eventually brings the events to a close. Lysander’s plan to manipulate the law, Helena’s plan to manipulate Demetrius, and Oberon’s plan to manipulate Titania all succeed, while the original bonds of loyalty are lost in the chaos that takes place in Act 3. Ultimately, this play shows that loyalty can shift; however, the individuals are stronger when they are loyal to someone than when they are not. Helena and Hermia, once so close are now completely at odds. Hermia has not only attacked Helena over her loss of Lysander, but she also mocks Helena’s desire to repair their relationship (3.2.317). Because of Oberon’s successful manipulation, Titania’s loyalty to the child is also severed. However, it is only after this destruction that newor renewedbonds of loyalty are forged. The four lovers are successfully paired with their â€Å"correct† mate. Titania is no longer at odds with Oberon. The only thing that remains lost, however, is the loyalty between women. Having lost that bond, all three of the women, strong at the beginning of this play, find themselves under the control of their husbands. Love, loyalty, and feminine strength are apparently only part of a dream, which, as Shakespeare has demonstrated, is not always a pleasant dream.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Philosophy of Teaching Essays -- Teaching Teachers Education Essays

Philosophy of Teaching I have known for a long time now that I want to be a high school Spanish teacher. There were other considerations for a while, but none that lasted very long; they couldn’t supplant what I felt so strongly about. Because of this, I have had a long time to think about exactly what the profession means to me. In my opinion, any teacher should be driven primarily by the desire to share his passion for a subject with others. A Spanish teacher (for example) should love the language and the culture that his class will deal with. Of course, many who love these things love them but are not teachers; I feel that teachers are possessed of a particularly strong passion for their subjects that compels them to educate others. I am certain that, unfortunately, there are teachers who do not feel so strongly about what they will teach, and I am doubly certain that these are not good teachers. In my opinion, such passion is the most important aspect of a successful teacher’s personality. There is a second facet of a good teacher’s personality that is almost as crucial, in my opinion: the ability to relate to his students on a personal level. These teachers recognize that their students are not merely students but also young adults and that they therefore carry with them all the emotional baggage of adolescence. They do not view their students as objectives or sets of characteristics but as people, and they understa...

Monday, January 13, 2020

The Matrix

Buddhism: In-Class Essay Assignment Choose one (1) of the following seven (7) options and compose a 5 paragraph in-class essay of approximately 3-4 pages in length. Please double space and use both sides of the page. Option 1: Morpheus and the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar are often viewed as examples of Arhats and Bodhisattvas. Do you think this is an accurate portrayal? Explain your answer using three criteria. Option 2: Individual choices are highlighted throughout the movie and are an example of the Buddhist goal to eliminate ignorance.Choose three characters in the movie and discuss the choices that they were faced with and how these choices illustrate key Buddhist concepts. Option 3: Names are highlighted throughout the film and are used to further explain religious concepts as well as deepen the plot. Choose three names from the movie and explain the religious concepts that they are illustrating. Option 4: While The Matrix borrows heavily from Buddhist philosophy certain elements of the film seem out of place in that they directly contradict Buddhist ideas. Write an essay that highlights three of these elements and explain how they contradict the beliefs of Buddhism.Option 5: Throughout the movie, Neo/Mr. Thomas Anderson is often cast in a saviour role. Explain how Neo/Mr. Thomas Anderson is similar to and/or different from various saviour figures in the religions we have studied (i. e. Siddhartha Guatama, The Buddha, Jesus, Vishnu/Krishna etc. ). Option 6: Which branch of Buddhism (Mahayana, Theravada or Vajrayana) seems to have inspired this film? Explain your answer using three different arguments. Option 7: Create your own question. Write out the question in clear language and have it approved by your teacher before you begin answering. The Matrix Recently, we have discussed how we know. Hilary Putnam, American philosopher, developed a thought experiment which has become so popular that it is the basis of blockbuster film The Matrix. In short, the thought experiment calls one to imagine that your brain and the nerves connecting it to your senses has been severed or disconnected. The brain would actually no longer be in your body it would be placed a vat filled with nutritional fluid to keep your brain alive and functioning. The sensory inputs in your brains are now connected to the outputs of a giant super computer.A man sits at this computer and inputs data, and this data is processed in your brain as if it came from your senses. Consequently, your brain would only know the information which was entered and would not know it was really sitting in a laboratory somewhere. Many philosophers have dealt with the issue of perceiving and knowing reality including Plato and Descartes. A dialogue will now commence in order to compare and contrast The Matrix with the writings of these two well-known philosophers.Additionally, perception versus reality, and is ignorance really bliss will be mentioned as these issues came up in the movie and both writings. There are numerous similarities and differences between The Matrix and the writings of Plato and Descartes. First a brief description of each piece will be discussed and then the similarities and differences. In The Matrix the main character Neo, is a computer hacker who meets a group of rebels lead by Morpheus. The mission of this group is to get the world to realize the human race is lying unconscious in giant machines that are keeping their bodies alive.Just like the Putnam thought experiment, their brains are all connected to a super computer on which a simulation of the world is running. Humans are unconsciously living out virtual lives in this computer simulation and are not aware of anything but the simulation. After joining Morpheus’ group of disse nters Neo realizes not everyone can handle the truth and a member of the group, Cypher betrays his comrades so he can once again live in the computer simulation. In the Plato cave allegory piece, there is a dialogue taking place between Socrates and Plato’s brother Glaucon.Here, Socrates describes a scenario in which men are held captive as prisoners in a cave from childhood. The men have their legs and head fettered so that they can only look straight ahead at the cave wall. For their whole lives they have seen shadows on the wall, objects passing by and all they could do is guess what the objects were. Then, Socrates asks Glaucon to imagine that one of these men was released. Ultimately, they deduce that the freed man would pity the other prisoners because he was able to experience things as they actually were and did not have to imagine what everything was.The reality was far more precious than his imagination. The third writing comes from Meditation I from Meditations on First Philosophy by Rene Descartes who offers some reasons to doubt his senses. In this piece, Descartes has resolved to forget everything he thinks he knows. He reasons that if he can doubt the basic principles upon which his opinions are founded then he can doubt all his previous opinions collectively. Most of the opinions he has believed to be most true came from his senses which are only sometimes reliable.Ultimately he realizes from habit or custom or just laziness that it is almost impossible to change his way of thinking so he just pretends these opinions are false so as to combat his long-held beliefs. There are many similarities between The Matrix and the cave allegory piece by Plato. Most prevalent is the idea of perception versus reality which is illustrated in both works. In The Matrix the perception is that humans are living real lives. Every day they get up, go to work, and come home. They are just normal people living.The reality however is that humans are unconscious , in machines that keep their bodies alive while their brains are all connected to the matrix which is simulating real life. The perception is completely false. Similarly, in the cave allegory the prisoners’ perception of objects passing the cave wall in the form of shadows is false. In reality, they are only guessing the true nature of the shadows and never really know what the objects are until one prisoner is freed and allowed to experience things as they really are.Although the perception is all the prisoners have when they are fettered, the truth is as the freed prisoner  experienced much better than any imagined object. When free, the prisoner could look at the sun and feel its warmth on his skin something the other prisoners could not imagine. Reality was so much better than the perception that at the end the free man pitied the other prisoners because of this fact. Neo taking the red pill and the prisoner being freed from the cave are moments that have the same impa ct. For the first time these individuals have the chance to truly experience all that was hidden. The differences between these two pieces were not as pronounced but still apparent.In The Matrix, Neo was given the option of taking the red pill or the blue pill. He had a choice to learn the truth about the world he was living in or to go back to his life in ignorance. Neo decided to live in reality and thus his life was forever changed. In the cave allegory the prisoner did not have a choice. He was imprisoned since childhood and thus forced to live in ignorance. It was only when his captors decided to free him was he able to experience what life really is beyond the perception of the cave. The Matrix and Meditation I by Descartes had a few similarities.The most striking similarity between the two is that both Neo and Descartes did not want to conform their way of thinking with that of the whole. A change happened and they questioned all they knew to be true. In each instance, a choi ce was made and this lead to an enlightenment of sorts. Neo had a feeling that something was not right about his life and chose to live outside of the norm. In the same way, Descartes knew his opinions and beliefs left room for doubt so he questioned the foundation on which he knew what he thought was true.Both men questioned long-held beliefs as a way to determine if what they knew to be true actually was. The major difference between the movie and Descartes’ piece is the permanency of the change that occurred in Neo and Descartes. Neo was changed forever when he decided to live in the true real world. In the movie once Neo discovered who he really was nothing would be the same for anyone, including those living in the matrix. At the end of Meditation I, Descartes was unsure if he would be able to maintain his new way of thinking and would  try to pretend that all his opinions are false.Ultimately, there is a chance he will go back to his old way of thinking but this does not happen in Neo’s situation. There is no chance Neo will go back since his change was more than a change in his thought processes like the change described by Descartes. As a result of these works, questions naturally arise about perception and reality. For example, how do we know the world we are experiencing is real? Can we ever really be sure that we are not living in a matrix right now?Unless someone comes along and shows us different we are geared to believe the things we perceive with our senses are real and the world we live in is real. In the end, we may discover that life is itself a dream and when we die we will wake up to this realization. There is no true way to know if we are living in some sort of matrix unless we are made aware of something else as Neo was. Another question, which is better, the harshness of reality or the â€Å"ignorance is bliss† comes about because of Cypher’s betrayal in The Matrix. Ignorance is defined â€Å"as a lack of k nowledge, understanding, or education,† Merriam-Webster.Merriam-Webster, n. d. Web. Bliss means to be completely happy and thus the saying ‘ignorance is bliss† means if one lacks knowledge they are completely happy. It is much better to escape the cave and live in a world just as it is the good with the perceived bad. If a person is ignorant they do not have the means to make an informed decision and thus are at a disadvantage. It is my position that the harshness of reality is best for the human race as a whole because it gives us all the opportunity to make life what we want it to be and not what some computer imagines for us.Having the option there is no choice to make. I want to live my most authentic life why live if I cannot co-create my own masterpiece. There are people who would like to live in ignorance like Cypher, but then you are choosing to end up just like him dead. In conclusion, these works all generate thought into reality and perception. The ultim ate truth for anyone is that knowing comes from a desire to know. As long as you live you have a choice to make as Neo did to live in ignorance or knowing anything is possible. The Matrix Buddhism: In-Class Essay Assignment Choose one (1) of the following seven (7) options and compose a 5 paragraph in-class essay of approximately 3-4 pages in length. Please double space and use both sides of the page. Option 1: Morpheus and the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar are often viewed as examples of Arhats and Bodhisattvas. Do you think this is an accurate portrayal? Explain your answer using three criteria. Option 2: Individual choices are highlighted throughout the movie and are an example of the Buddhist goal to eliminate ignorance.Choose three characters in the movie and discuss the choices that they were faced with and how these choices illustrate key Buddhist concepts. Option 3: Names are highlighted throughout the film and are used to further explain religious concepts as well as deepen the plot. Choose three names from the movie and explain the religious concepts that they are illustrating. Option 4: While The Matrix borrows heavily from Buddhist philosophy certain elements of the film seem out of place in that they directly contradict Buddhist ideas. Write an essay that highlights three of these elements and explain how they contradict the beliefs of Buddhism.Option 5: Throughout the movie, Neo/Mr. Thomas Anderson is often cast in a saviour role. Explain how Neo/Mr. Thomas Anderson is similar to and/or different from various saviour figures in the religions we have studied (i. e. Siddhartha Guatama, The Buddha, Jesus, Vishnu/Krishna etc. ). Option 6: Which branch of Buddhism (Mahayana, Theravada or Vajrayana) seems to have inspired this film? Explain your answer using three different arguments. Option 7: Create your own question. Write out the question in clear language and have it approved by your teacher before you begin answering.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

TOCFL - Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language

TOCFL stands for Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language, obviously meant to be associated with TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and is the standardized Mandarin proficiency exam in Taiwan. The Mainland Chinese counterpart is the HSK (Hà  nyÇ” ShuÇ pà ­ng KÇŽoshà ¬). TOCFL is arranged by the Ministry of Education and held regularly both in Taiwan and abroad. The exam was previously known as TOP (Test of Proficiency). Six Levels of Proficiency Just like the HSK, TOCFL consists of six levels, although the final level is still under development. What these levels mean exactly depends on whom youre asking, but lets look at a quick overview: TOCFL level TOCFL name CEFR HSK level* 1 A1 3 2 A2 4 3 B1 5 4 B2 6 5 C1 6 C2 *Comparing proficiency exams is notoriously difficult, but this assessment made by  Fachverbands Chinesisch, a German association for teaching and promoting the Chinese language. There is no official HSK to CEFR conversion table (there was, but it was retracted after being criticized as too optimistic). Even though there are six distinct levels, there are actually only three tests (bands): A, B,  and C. That means that you can achieve levels 1 and 2 on the same test (band A), depending on your final score, levels 3 and 4 on the same test (band B), and levels 5 and 6 on the same test (band C). The tests are structured so that they become gradually  more difficult, allowing for a wider span of difficulty for each test. In order to pass a certain level, you not only need to reach a certain total score, you also have to meet certain minimum requirements for each separate parts. Thus, you wont pass if your reading ability is lousy, even if your listening ability is stellar. Resources Official TOCFL website -  This is where you go for basic information about test locations and dates, as well as any other kind of official information. You can also sign up for exams here, both in Taiwan and abroad.TOCFL mock exams - There is one mock exam for listening and one for reading. In comparison with HSK, this isnt much, so if you want more, we suggest you check the resources for HSK and use the table in this article to figure out roughly what level you should aim for.