The Song of Roland

The essay is a critical examination of good versus evil in The Song of Roland. This piece of literal work is one of the oldest arts from French literature. There are numerous versions which attest to how popular it was between 12th and 14th centauries. This poem has been seen to be a major example of chanson de geste, which celebrates the life of a hero.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Song of Roland specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Additionally the story is based on the conflict and the warfare between the Christians and the Muslims in Spain. In order to experience good and evil, there must be heroes and villains. War is seen to be a great thing and even glamorous. However the cost associated with it is usually heavy especially for the heroes. On the other hand, the villains deserve no grief or compassion. Good is usually thought to be the will of God and in this case the Franks are deemed to represent good since they are moved by the will of God while the Saracens are seen to be evil. Due to this when they die there souls are taken to hell by the devil. For one to be evil can be as results of lack of knowledge making one to be deceived and to act against the will of God. In The Song of Roland, a proof that lack of knowledge leads to evil is summarized as follows â€Å"o est une gent ki unches ben ne volt. [This is a sort of which has never seen goodness]† (Haidu par. 7). The Christians while fighting with the pagans were of the opinion that they were on the right while the later were in the wrong. To the French, the pagans are evil and criminal individuals who have rejected Christ from whom all those things deemed good come from. For that matter they are to be confronted translating to a war between individuals who were fighting for God and Satan (Dominik 21). Similarly evil is depicted in several occasions in the poem. For instance we are told of the evil planned of King Marsi le who intends to convert into Christianity then become Charlemagne vassal. This is with a clear intention that once the later goes back to France Marsile will break the promise he made. Additionally, the plans Roland’s step father had when he was sent for a diplomatic mission was in itself an evil strategy to get rid of Roland who the formers saw to be a threat in terms of leadership. He thus planned with the Saracens that the rearguard of Charlemagne will be ambushed and this will be a perfect opportunity to get rid of Roland (Dominik 49). According to the poem, the reaction of King Charlemagne to drive the Saracens towards the river so that those who were not chopped would definitely be drowned although to them was good; it was an evil act in my humble opinion.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is worth noting that all that are thought to be good will always thr ive in the end. It is no doubt that the all powerful God will intervene in time to ensure that those fighting for the good emerge as victors in the end. This can be exemplified when Thierry who was less strong than Pinabel managed to fight him in order to decide the case in which Roland step father was to be put to death (Haidu par.5). In my opinion the concept of good versus bad has been clearly brought out in the French oldest literature The Song of Roland. Works Cited Haidu, Peter. The Subject of Violence: The Song of Roland and the Birth of the State. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1993.Print. Dominik, Mark. Holy War in The Song of Roland: The Mythification of History. Viewed on http://surj.stanford.edu/ This essay on The Song of Roland was written and submitted by user TexasTwister to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Profile of Richard Speck, Serial Killer

Profile of Richard Speck, Serial Killer The words Born to Raise Hell were tattooed on the arm of the tall, pocked-faced man with a southern drawl who entered a nursing students dormitory on a warm July night in 1966. Once inside he committed a series of crimes that shocked America and sent Chicago authorities on a massive manhunt for a madman who they soon identified as Richard Speck. This is a profile of the man, his life, and his crimes, both during his life and after his death. Childhood Years Speck was born December 6, 1941, in Kirkwood, Illinois. When he was six, his father died. His mother remarried, and the family moved to Dallas, TX. Before marrying her new husband, she raised the family under strict religious rules including the abstinence of alcohol. After her marriage, her attitude changed. Her new husband had violent drunken episodes, often making young Richard the victim of his abuse. Speck grew up to become a poor student and juvenile delinquent prone to violent behavior. Spousal Rape and Abuse At age 20, Speck married 15-year-old Shirley Malone and fathered a child. Specks violent nature extended into the marriage and he regularly abused his wife and her mother. The abuse included spousal rape at knifepoint, often several times a day. He worked as a part-time garbage man and petty thief but his criminal activity escalated, and in 1965 he held a woman at knifepoint and attempted to rob her. He was caught and sentenced to jail for 15 months. By 1966 his marriage was over. A Walking Time Bomb After prison Speck moved to his sisters home in Chicago to avoid being questioned by authorities for various crimes in which he was suspected of being involved. He tried to find work as a merchant seaman but spent most of his time hanging in bars drinking and bragging about past crimes. He moved in and out of sisters home, opting to rent rooms in sleazy hotels when possible. Speck, tall and unattractive, was a drug addict, alcoholic, and jobless, with a violent streak waiting to be unleashed. Speck Meets the Chicago Police Department On April 13, 1966, Mary Kay Pierce was found dead behind the bar where she worked. Speck was questioned by police about the murder but feigned illness, on promising to return to answer questions on April 19. When he didnt show, the police went to the Christy Hotel where he was living. Speck was gone, but police searched his room and found items from local burglaries including jewelry belonging to 65-year-old Mrs. Virgil Harris, who had been held at knifepoint, robbed, and raped that same month.​ On the Run Speck, on the run, tried to get work on a barge and was registered at the National Maritime Union Hall. Directly across the street from the union hall was student housing for nursing students working at the South Chicago Community Hospital. On the evening of July 13, 1966, Speck had several drinks at a bar under the rooming house where he was staying. Around 10:30 p.m. he walked the 30-minute walk to the nurses townhouse, entered through a screen door and rounded up the nurses inside. The Crime At first, Speck reassured the young women that all he wanted was money. Then with a gun and a knife, he scared the girls into submission and got them all into one bedroom. He cut strips of bed sheets and bound each of them and began removing one after another to other parts of the townhouse where he murdered them. Two nurses were murdered as they returned home and walked into the mayhem. The girls waiting their turn to die tried to hide under beds but Speck found them all but one. The Victims Pamela Wilkening - Gagged, stabbed through the heart.Gloria Davy - Raped, sexually brutalized, strangled.Suzanne Farris - Stabbed 18 times and strangled.Mary Ann Jordan - Stabbed in the chest, neck, and eye.Nina Schmale - Stabbed in her neck and suffocated.Patricia Matusek - punched resulting in a ruptured liver and strangled.Valentina Paison - Her throat was cut.Merlita Gargullo - Stabbed and strangled. The One Who Survived Corazon Amurao slid under the bed and pushed herself tight against the wall. She heard Speck return to the room. Paralyzed with fear she heard him rape Gloria Davy on the bed above. He then left the room, and Cora knew she was next. She waited hours, fearing his return at any moment. The house was silent. Finally, in the early morning, she pulled herself from underneath the bed and climbed out the window, where she huddled in fear, crying until help came. The Investigation Cora Amurao provided investigators with a description of the killer. They knew he was tall, maybe six feet in height, blond, and had a deep southern accent. Specks appearance and unique accent made it difficult for him to blend into a Chicago crowd. People who encountered him remembered him. This assisted investigators to eventually capturing him. Speck Attempts Suicide Speck found a low-rent hotel that had cell-like rooms for the patrons who were mostly drunks, drug addicts, or insane. When he discovered police knew his identity – his face and name appeared across the front page of the newspapers – he decided to take his life by cutting his wrists and inner elbow with jagged glass. He was found and taken to the hospital. It was there that first-year-resident, Leroy Smith, recognized Speck and called the police. The End of Richard Speck Cora Amurao, dressed as a nurse, entered Specks hospital room and identified him to police as the killer. He was arrested and stood trial for murdering the eight nurses. Speck was found guilty and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court ruled against capital punishment, and his sentence was changed to 50 to 100 years in prison. Speck Dies Speck, age 49, died from a heart attack in prison on December 5, 1991. When he died, he was fat, bloated, with ash-white pockmarked skin and hormone-injected breasts. No family members claimed his remains; he was cremated, and his ashes were thrown in an undisclosed place. Beyond the Grave In May 1996, a videotape sent to news anchor Bill Curtis showed Speck with female-like breasts having sex with a fellow prisoner. He could be seen doing what appeared to be cocaine, and in an interview-like discussion, he answered questions about the murders of the nurses. Speck said he felt nothing about murdering them and that it was just not their night. His old bragging habits returned as he described prison life and added, If they only knew how much fun I was having, theyd turn me loose. Source:The Crime of the Century by Dennis L. Breo and William J. MartinBloodletters and Badmen by Jay Robert Nash

Cellular respiration and fermentation Lab Report

Cellular respiration and fermentation - Lab Report Example The researcher states that studying fermentation and respiration as done in this experiment has implications for industry, as fermentation reactions, for one, impact the way we produce an important industrial product for instance, in this case, ethanol. The nature of the sugar matters too, as the use of particular kinds of sugars in ethanol production, to use the same example, affect a number of products that are produced in such reactions. In the first part, fermentation is measured using gas height as the proxy for carbon dioxide measure and the rate of reaction. In the second part, respiration is measured in terms of carbonic acid production. Â  The key materials used are the following: 10 percent sucrose solution; 10 percent glucose solution; peas; distilled water; phenol red; yeast stock; wax pencil; water bath; hot plate; test tubes of various sizes; beaker; test tube corks and holders; test tube rack. The idea behind the test tubes of varying sizes is to create a respirometer using two sizes of test tubes, for the experiment involving the yeasts. A practice session involves filling the smaller tube, measuring 15 x 125 mm with water, placing that inside a 20x150 mm test tube, and inverting to the point where the air bubble in the smaller test tube is as small as can be made from the process. In the actual experiment, three different test tubes are filled with two-thirds of either ten percent sucrose solution, ten percent glucose solution, or distilled water, and then topped off to the brim with yeast suspension. The inversion method practiced above is utilized to mix the solutions and form the respirometers. The respirometers are allowed to incubate for one hour, while placed in a water bath set at 37 degrees Celsius. The gas bubble heights are measured after the period of incubation. The idea is to be able to undertake a comparison of how the three sources of food in the test tube compare with regard to their suitability as food for yeast. This is the f irst part of the experiment (Experiment 7 n.d., pp. 59-61). In part two of the experiment, 10 peas that were either soaked, not soaked, and soaked and boiled were placed in each of three different test tubes, filled with water up to the two-thirds level, and covered with corks. After an hour and a half, two drops of phenol red were placed in each of the three test tubes containing the seeds, more when no color was visible or the color is too vague/thin. The results of the color observations were tabulated. (Experiment 7 n.d., pp. 59-61) Results The first part of the experiment measured the amount of respiration from the fermentation process, involving the yeast solution and the three food sources. Among the three food sources, the glucose solution had the highest change in the gas height at the end of the incubation period, with the gas height changing from the initial 1 mm to 6 mm. The sucrose solution had a lower gas height change, going from 1 mm initially to 4 mm at the end of the observation period. The test tube containing just distilled water showed no change in the gas height, indicating that no respiration took place. In the second part of the experiment, the setup containing the soaked beans had a yellow color, while the setup containing the beans that were both soaked and boiled remained red,

Marketing high street fashions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Marketing high street fashions - Essay Example In the past, high end retailers like those commonly found on High Street in London used to segment their most relevant customers by needs and lifestyle, along with resource availability depending on their social class. However, with rising competition from fast fashion, lower-end retailers acting like high-end fashion retailers, this philosophy has changed. Western models of segmentation such as the VALS2 Network which describes eight different lifestyle and resource tendencies of key markets are not as effective as they once were. This model describes active lifestyles versus more sedentary buyers with traditionalist values, as two examples, in order to help marketers identify with key needs, values and attitudes (Boone & Kurtz 2007). However, the current recession is changing even the buying behaviours of the most elite of customers who are looking for more value in their fashion purchases. Banister & Hogg (2004) identify that self-esteem has been one of the most important motivators for the consumption of symbolic goods, including fashion. Self-esteem, as related to high end fashion merchandise, involves how a consumer feels about the enhancements that fashion clothing adds to their lifestyle or image that directly impacts their final decision to select key branded merchandise. Self-esteem is also comparative to others in society, their own reference groups such as peers and celebrities, that provides the motivation to make high-dollar purchases in order to fit their own mould of what constitutes success and wealth. However, understanding what drives trend-based self-esteem requires a significant investment in primary research, such as the use of questionnaires and surveys, and the information is not beneficial over the long-term due to changing values and social conditions. Companies that are finding themselves with strapped and tight budgets do not have the resource s or the labour investment to conduct complicated psychologically-based primary studies consistently and must find new methods to target and segment their key customers most likely to make purchases and be loyal to the brand. Therefore, segmentation in high-end fashion retailers occurs differently today, amidst a difficult economy with rising competition globally. Geographic segmentation occurs regularly, especially for high-street retailers with a great deal of their support coming from local consumers in the London region with adequate resources to make purchases or those unaffected by the difficult economic conditions plaguing European countries. This is rather straight-forward for many fashion companies as it helps divide catalogue distribution and ensure that the right customers receive this literature to promote products. Today, primarily, marketers use psychographic segmentation strategies to understand buyer behaviour and gain presence in key markets they have

Pornography & violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pornography & violence - Essay Example Based on various studies conducted in both clinical and experimental settings, exposure to media specifically films showing sexually violent acts against women has substantially augmented the likelihood of aggression by men. This may be attributed to the fact that such scenes convey the message that women find force and aggression during sex rather pleasurable. (Donnerstein, 1986) In this regard, these pornographic materials exhibiting violence may exert significant influence in how men perceive and treat women. As the media is deemed to facilitate the â€Å"copy cat† effect, I reckon that male viewers of smut materials become inclined to think that performing violent acts on women is cool or even normal. Thus, they become less restrained in committing aggression towards women. In addition, with the advent of the internet, these explicit materials become easily accessible to billions of people despite the efforts undertaken by censor bodies and concerned citizens. The perception that women are willing participants in sexually violent acts as well as the accessibility of violent pornography are the primary factors that may be expected to bring about the rise in the number of reported cases of violence against women. These place the women in our society at great risk. In view of the above, I believe that the elimination of violent pornography would be a crucial step in reducing violence against women. To address this, cooperation between government bodies and local communities must be sought. For instance, public institutions should strengthen their battle against pornographers, who proliferate sexually violent materials. This may be done not only by focusing administrative efforts on small-time smut producers but more so on the big-time pornographers. These government bodies should aim to effectively implement censorship rules in regulating the media and severely punish those who are found guilty of violating such rules. Moreover, the

Metaphors In Cognitive Linguistics

Metaphors In Cognitive Linguistics The nature of metaphor. Are people aware of the existence of metaphors in their everyday lives? Very often we treat them only as stylistic devices, but in fact metaphorical expressions verbally represent the way of human thinking and reasoning. People tend to conceptualise emotions, love being one of them, metaphorically because both emotions and metaphors connected with them are inevitable parts of everyday live. Without our ability to categorize, we would not function at all, either in the physical world or in our social and intellectual lives (1990: 6) explains Lakoff in Women, Fire and Dangerous Things. According to Cognitive Linguistics, language is a very powerful tool as it reflects the way we categorize and conceptualise the world we live in. It is almost impossible to understand a thing without grouping it with other category members that share the same properties. In doing so, we acquire different kinds of concepts and, as a result, build our general knowledge. Cognitive Linguistics allows us to understand that metaphorical thinking is crucial to human cognition. Thus, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in their Metaphors we live by propose a cognitive theory of metaphor, as a process thanks to which one concept is understood using another concept (Lakoff 1980: 5). The best example of this is talking about LOVE in terms of JOURNEYS. As mentioned previously, our ability to categorize allowed us to gather knowledge about journeys that we can depend on in understanding love. Zoltà  n Kà ¶vecses in Metaphor, A Practical Introduction emphasizes that we need to differentiate conceptual metaphor from metaphorical linguistic expressions. He proves that the latter disclose the existence of the former. Let us use a few examples to reveal the relationship between conceptual metaphor ( small capitals) and metaphorical expressions ( italics). LOVE IS A JOURNEY Were at the crossroads. Its been bumpy road. Our marriage is on the rocks. Were stuck. We cant turn back now. ( Kà ¶vecses 2002:6 ) We can conclude that such metaphorical expressions give us insight into the metaphorical nature of the concepts that structure our everyday activities (Kà ¶vecses 2002: 7). How do we conceptualise emotions? Lakoff in Women, Fire and Dangerous Things views emotions as having no conceptual content. However, I believe there must be some, as we are able to describe the intensity of a particular emotion. Although feelings and emotions are extremely difficult to understand, these abstract concepts can be conceptualised with the help of more concrete ones (Lakoff 1980:59), that is why LOVE is conceptualised in terms of FIRE or WAR (e.g. My love is on fire, I do not want to get burned again, This kindled love in his heart). Concrete concepts facilitate the understanding of these complex emotions. There are many examples of metaphors of love ( which I will try to present in the following chapters). They are common in everyday life as they present different aspects of this powerful emotion. Without the notion of metaphor, we would not be able to comprehend such an abstract feeling as love. The intensity plays an essential role in the way we think of love, for instance. The conceptual metaphor LOVE IS FIRE emphasizes the existence of love (on fire), its intensity (flames), duration and shows how love affects people (He was consumed by love) . Due to the existence of metaphor, the most powerful emotions, love being one of them, can be interpreted. 1.2 Source and Target Domains So far, we have managed to explain that metaphor consists of two concepts and that we comprehend one concept in terms of another. These concepts are called domains. According to Kà ¶vecses, conceptual metaphors tend to use abstract concept as a target and more concrete as their source ( 2002:6). LOVE IS A JOURNEY love forms the target domain journey forms the source domain ( a conceptual domain we try ( a conceptual domain we take a to comprehend) conceptual content from) As far as metaphors of love are concerned, many people wonder why some endearments are more popular than others. Why the expression my sweet-heart is more popular then my sweet-leg when talking to the beloved person? Why do we use one and not the other? When we look at the endearments containing fairy-like elements the most common are: prince-charming, my princess, my knight. Why is it like that? The answer is obvious, we choose these fairytale characters because we find some of their charactristics attractive and we want to ascribe them to the person we love. Lakoff and Johnson claim that this kind of tendency is more regular rather than occasional (1980: 67). The previously mentioned characters, are the SOURCE domains whereas the person to be described the TARGET domain. Similarly, from fire (source in LOVE IS FIRE metaphor) love takes its intensity and from an insane person (source in LOVE IS MADNESS metaphor) his/her quite irresponsible and strange behaviour. The examples above show that the source domain provides us with terms necessary to describe the target domain. As Lakoff proposes, in order to describe and understand the target domain, one must have the knowledge of the source domain. Let us take LOVE IS A JOURNEY metaphor. We understand love because we have knowledge about journeys. Each time we think about journeys, we consider travelers, route and destination. In order to understand love in terms of a journey, one must have in mind the idea of lovers as travelers, the course of their romantic relationship as an act of traveling with happy moments as well as obstacles (Its been bumpy road). Our knowledge about different kinds of journeys equips us with a powerful tool that can be used to make the description of love richer and more adequate. 1.3 Mapping So far, we have established that a conceptual metaphor consists of two domains: source and target. We have also found out that we need to take into account both domains to fully understand a conceptual metaphor. However, what does it mean to understand a metaphor? Kà ¶vecses explains that the knowledge of correspondences between these two domains is necessary to comprehend a conceptual metaphor. We refer to these conceptual analogies as MAPPINGS ( Kà ¶vecses 2002: 6). Let us take one example concerning metaphor of love to see how the mapping can function. We cannot turn back now. When we use the expression cannot turn back, we reveal that we are not going to change the direction and destination of our journey. We refers to people involved in a journey. That is how we created three necessary elements of a journey: a destination, travelers and a journey as such. However, when we apply an appropriate context to the sentence, we will get a new meaning of it. We will understand the whole sentence to be about love. Thus, the travelers are lovers who discuss things that are happening in their relationship while cannot turn back can be interpreted as a situation when lovers cannot change the course of events that happened to them. JOURNEY LOVE THE SOURCE DOMAIN THE TARGET DOMAIN We- travelers We-lovers Journey Romantic relationship Destination of a journey Lovers aims or goals Difficulties that travelers encounter Obstacles in the relationship The example above shows that the understanding of a conceptual metaphor goes from more concrete (the journey) to the more abstract concept (events in the relationship) (Kà ¶vecses 2002: 6). Such a rule was called The Principle of Unidirectionality . 1.4 Metaphorical Systematicity: Highlightning and Hiding We have already learnt that there is a systematicity that allows us to understand one concept in terms of another (e.g. interpreting development of love in terms of a journey or the intensity of love in terms of fire) (Lakoff, Johnson 1980:10). However, what does systematicity mean? When we talk about love in terms of a journey, we use vocabulary that is normally applied when discussing travelling e.g. We are at the crossroads. We can see that there is a kind of a pattern we tend to use. Thus, systematicity is a pattern that affects the way we talk about love, allowing us to use words or phrases that previously had been used to refer to different concepts (Lakoff 1980: 7). Kà ¶vecses points out that when a metaphor concentrates on one or more features of a concept, it highlights those features. However, when one aspect of a given concept is highlighted, the other ones will be hidden (2002: 80). Checking which features are highlighted or hidden in the following metaphors of love will give more light to this interesting issue. LOVE IS SUBSTANCE She was filled with love. He poured out his affections on her. She couldnt hold in her love for him any longer. LOVE IS NATURAL FORCE She swept me off my feet. Waves of passion came over him. She was carried away by love. (Lakoff 1980: 49) As we can see conceptual metaphors create and describe the target domain by directing attention at or hiding different angles of it. Thus, in LOVE IS SUBSTANCE metaphor, the aspect of content is highlighted, whereas the possible chance of development of a romantic feeling is concealed. The examples of LOVE IS A NATURAL FORCE metaphor reveal that love cannot be controlled as well as show the intensity of the emotion. However, the aspect of an emotional enrichment, which is also present when people experience such an overwhelming feeling, is hidden. 1.5 Structural metaphors So far we have found out that metaphors are not discussed only as poetic devices but as ways of our thinking and understanding abstract concepts. We can distinguish three kinds of metaphors: structural, ontological and orientational. In ontological metaphors experiences are treated as concrete objects e.g. containers (I put a lot of energy into preparing decorations) . When we deal with them in such a way we can refer to them, categorize them, group them, and quantify them and, by these means, reason about them (Lakoff 1980:25). The group of orientational metaphors is said to be connected with our orientation in space. Concepts are connected with physical orientation, for instance happiness is up (Im feeling up) and sadness is down (Im feeling down) (Lakoff1980:16). Structural metaphor is the most productive type of all conceptual metaphors. Thanks to these metaphors, complex and abstract experiences can be understood in terms of simpler and more concrete ones e.g. LOVE IS A JOURNEY. In Metaphors we live by Lakoff and Johnson state that the conceptual system is metaphorical in nature (1980:4). What does it mean, how can it structure the world we live in and how does it influence our activities? Let us take LOVE IS FIRE metaphor as an example. My heart is on fire. He was consumed by love. I do not want to get burned again. That kindled love in his heart. Thanks to the metaphorical expression That kindled love in his heart, we can conceptualise love as having a beginning and an end just as fire has. When the fire is kindled, the love begins; when it goes out, the love ends. These examples also prove that we not only talk about love in terms of fire. The lover can be consumed by love when he/she is so in love that it is all that he/she thinks about. If the lover does not want to get burned again it may mean he/she does not want to experience the same serious dissapointment after an unsuccessful relationship. Due to the fact that the essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another (Lakoff 1980:5), we can conclude that love is structured and understood (Lakoff 1980:5) in terms of fire. 1.6 Container Metaphors and Personification Another kind of a conceptual metaphor has been called by Lakoff and Johnson the container metaphor. In container metaphors humans are viewed as containers with boundaries and an orientation of inside and outside f.e. She was filled with love (Lakoff 1980:29). As far as non-physical objects are concerned, they can also be comprehended by mentally converting them into physical ones. Let us imagine our world as a container with borders separating the inside from the outside. It is clear when we take into consideration objects that have natural or artificial boundaries, for instance rooms. However, when we talk about our emotional states or conditions e.g. He is in love, the matter is not so obvious. Lakoff and Johnson suggest that we tend to conceptualise our emotions as containers, whereas the way we feel when we experience particular emotions is conceptualised as being inside the container (1980:30). Emotions can be also comprehended in terms of substances e.g. His heart was filled wi th love (Bierwiaczonek 2002:140). As Bierwiaczonek points out heart and eyes are most frequently used as containers for emotions being understood with the help of substances (2002:140). A crucial as well as interesting group of ontological metaphors are those describing something as a person: personifications (Lakoff 1980: 33). This means that we ascribe human features to non-living objects. Looking at metaphors of love, we are overwhelmed with a feeling that love has been personified in many metaphorical expressions. The following are only the most common examples. Love can give you hope. Love can be blind. Love can be tender. What is even more appealing, love can go through the same stages as humans do in the course of life, love comes to life, it lasts and dies. References Lakoff, George. 1990. Women, Fire and Dangerous Things. What Categories Reveal About the Mind. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson. 1980. Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kà ¶vecses, Zoltà ¡n, 2002. Metaphor, A Practical Introduction. Oxford University Press, Inc. George Lakoff, 1993. Contemporary Theory of Metaphor. In Andrew Ortony, (ed.) Metaphor and Thought, 202-251. New York: Cambridge University Press. McGlone, M.S. 1996. Conceptual Metaphors and Figurative Language Interpretation: Food for Thought? Journal of Memory and Language, 35, 544-565. CHAPTER 2 THE CHARACTERIZATION OF METAPHORS OF LOVE The models of love In the previous chapter we have managed to understand that thanks to metaphor, which is a crucial part of our everyday life, we are able to conceptualise the world we live in. We have admitted that metaphor cannot be treated only as a stylistic device because as Reddy suggests the locus of metaphor is thought, not language (in Lakoff 1980: 204). Such an idea proves that our reasoning as well as our behaviour reflect the way we metaphorically comprehend everything that happens in our lives. Powerful emotions, love being one of them, are inevitable parts of the human existence thus metaphors such as LOVE IS FIRE or LOVE IS A CONTAINER help us to understand this overwhelming feeling. Very often love is seen as a kind of an award we get, something that enables us to do things we are normally afraid to do as it equips us with extra power. According to Kà ¶vecses (in Bierwiaczonek 2002:25) we distinguish two models of love: ideal and typical. Having in mind that only ideal love provides us with the previously mentioned power, it is not difficult to guess what kind of love we look for. In the ideal model of love, lovers see themselves as a unity (e.g. We are one) as they complement each other. They are imbued with the feelings that their love is a true one, that they were created to live together and that their love is immortal. The lovers believe that there is an emotional bond between them, which enables them to live in a perfect harmony. Needless to say, there are certain psychological effects that occur when we are in love: increased body heat, blushing, increased heart rate (2002: 25). There are many categories of love, however five of them are the most common. Bierwiaczonek (2002:28) presents the following kinds of love: FAMILY LOVE: PARENTAL and CHILDS LOVE OF PARENTS, the family love is revealed through the care and attention that parents give their children and vice versa (e.g. Mother muzzled my cheek); FRIENDSHIP, great liking for someone, friendship constitutes an emotional bond between people, it can even complement sexual love, give a new meaning to it and enrich partners realationship; SEXUAL LOVE, sexual passion; AGAPE, Gods admiration, Christian love and LOVE OF THINGS, fondness for material possessions (e.g. His love was money.) Most of the metaphors of love consider sexual love, thus for the purpose of the work we will discuss only these types of metaphors. Metaphors of love 2.2.1 Metaphors of lovers Metaphors of lovers are very intriguing kinds of metaphors since they highlight the aspect of lovers who are involved in a romantic relationship (Bierwiaczonek 2002:112). In the metaphor LOVE IS A UNITY, the metaphorical expression We are one indicates that lovers are parts of a whole. Similarly, the metaphor LOVE IS A JOURNEY shows lovers as travelers, whereas the metaphor LOVE IS WAR presents them as participants in a war or even opponents. LOVERS ARE PARTS OF A WHOLE She is my better half They are unseparable There is a strong bond between them (Bierwiaczonek 2002:113) The examples above prove that we can discuss lovers or think about them as parts of a larger whole. Although metaphors reflecting our emotional states are used spontaneously, not all combinations are possible. The metaphorical expression She is my better half perfectly suits when we consider she as a lover. When we think of she as a family member e.g. My mum is my better half, the whole expression sounds ridiculous (Bierwiaczonek 2002:113). There are also metaphors emphasizing the behaviour of lovers f.g. LOVERS ARE BIRDS (f.e. Look at those two lovebirds on the bench). In LOVE IS MADNESS metaphor, lovers are presented as insane people mainly due to the intensity of love which makes them behave irresponsibly or, in extreme cases, lovers may lose control over themselves (e.g. He has gone mad about her). 2.2.2 Love is a journey metaphor So far, the analysis of conceptual metaphor enabled us to explain that such an abstract feeling as love can only be comprehended with the help of metaphor. Which metaphors of love can facilitate the understanding of contemporary world? How do people conceptualise these metaphors? LOVE IS A JOURNEY Its been a long, bumpy road. Look how far we have come. We are at a crossroads. I do not think this relationship is going anywhere. We are stuck. Our marriage is on the rocks. We have gotten off the track. Well just have to go our separate ways. (Lakoff 1980:45) As mentioned in the first chapter, people use concrete concepts to understand more abstract ones (Kà ¶vecses 2002:6). Such a tendency justifies the fact of using the concept of a journey when trying to comprehend love. Worth mentioning is also the variety of metaphorical expressions concerning different types of journeys. When talking about love, people can refer to train travel (e.g. We have gotten off the track), car travel (e.g. We are at the crossroads) and sea travel (e.g. Our marriage is on the rocks) (Lakoff 1980:45). Such a diversity makes the verbal reflection of our emotions richer and, as a result, the pictures created in mind are more vivid. SOURCE- JOURNEY TARGET- LOVE Love is war metaphor LOVE IS WAR He is known for his many rapid conquests He is slowly gaining ground with her He fought for him but his mistress won out He overpowered her She is besieged by suitors He has to fend them off He made an ally of her father ( Lakoff 1980:49) LOVE IS WAR metaphor is an example of a strutural metaphor, the metaphor which facilitates understanding an abstract concept of love using the concept of war. As far as war is concerned, we consider the following issues: two fighting sides, the result of the fight and the fight itself. In LOVE IS WAR metaphor, such components respectively refer to the lovers, the result of the verbal battle and the disagreement between lovers. SOURCE- WAR The above examples clearly emphasize the existence of the fight between the lovers f.e. He overpowered her. However, the fact of cooperation, which is also present during the war, is hidden. The lovers are shown as opponents trying to fight for their rights. According to Lakoff (1980: 61-67), our language is an expression of our thoughts and feelings. Treating them as parts of our personality, we can assume that LOVE IS WAR metaphor shows one aspect of our personality- willingness to fight for what we consider crucial to our well-being. TARGET- LOVE Love is magic metaphor LOVE IS MAGIC She cast her spell over me She had me hypnotized I was entranced by him She is bewitching I was spellbound (Lakoff 1980:49) From the dawn of history people have been intrigued by magic. On one hand they saw impossible things taking place in front of their eyes, on the other hand their common sense forbade them to believe in such miracles. Although, it is not important whether humans belive in magic or not, what is important is the fact that people are not indifferent to it. Magic affects people and fascinates them profoundly. Women especially are said to have the power to seduce men, hypnotize them or even, cast spells on them. As love is treated almost as a magical and inexplicable phenomenon, it is not difficult to understand why LOVE is comprehended in terms of MAGIC. LOVE IS MAGIC metaphor definitely emphasises the existence of an almost magical conncection that bonds lovers, while hiding the aspect of the mortality of partners and their inability to use magic. SOURCE- MAGIC TARGET- LOVE Love is madness metaphor LOVE IS MADNESS Im crazy about her She drives me out of my mind He has gone mad over her Im just wild about Harry He constantly raves about her (Lakoff 1980: 49) In LOVE IS MADNESS metaphor love is presented as a state of insanity. When one is in love, she/he experiences certain kinds of emotions which are, in fact, similar to mental states of madness. Only intensity differentiates these emotions from each other. Each time we go through them, we have symptoms indicating a psychological illness. Very often the object of love is treated as a cause of a particular feeling or illness (e.g. She drives me out of my mind). One in love is shown as an insane person (e.g Im crazy about her) and a feeling of love as an illness itself. LOVE IS MADNESS metaphor directs our attention at the profound effect that love has on people, thus humans tend to compare it to the state of madness. However, the metaphor refuses to highlight the ability to create plans for the partners future and the aspect of a fruitful cooperation which are also present in a romantic relationship SOURCE- MADNESS TARGET- LOVE Love is a patient metaphor LOVE IS A PATIENT This is a sick relationship They are a strong, healthy marriage Their marriage is dead, it cannot be revived We are getting back on our feet Their marriage is on its last legs (Lakoff 1980: 49) We have already mentioned that lovers are treated as a unity (e.g. We are one). The existence of a unity between spouses indicates the belief that they are actually one person. Due to the fact that a person in love can suffer from symptoms of an illness, we can assume that lovers are patients. The patients health state represents the state of the relationship or marriage. Although the physical and mental condition of the relationship is revealed, the possible ways of healing the marriage are concealed. All of us have experienced an illness at least once in our life-time. However each illness, even the smallest one, is treated as something new. As far as love is concerned, each new relationship is worth taking care of because as Hubert H. Humphrey said The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love. Love can make us feel sick, but it is also able to heal our hearts and souls. SOURCE- PATIENT TARGET- LOVE Love is fire metaphor LOVE IS FIRE I dont want to get burned again. My hearts on fire. That kindled love in his heart. She is his latest flame. He was consumed by love. (Lakoff 1980: 49) Humans describe love as a one of the most vivid and powerful feelings we experience, that is why we use so many metaphors in order to describe the aspects of this overwhelming emotion. However, LOVE IS FIRE metaphor is the most significiant as far as the intensity of love is concerned. As we have observed the intensity of the emotion is highlighted, whereas the possibility of a regeneration after an unfortunate relationship is hidden (people, things cannot revive after being utterly damaged by flames). Thanks to this conceptual metaphor, people can connect different phases of fire burning with different stages of being in love. Such a conceptualisation explains that love, as well as fire, has its beginning, duration and the end. The damage caused by the intensity of fire can refer to the lovers psychological damage because of the disappointment in love. SOURCE- FIRE TARGET- LOVE Love is a physical force metaphor LOVE IS A PHYSICAL FORCE He was magnetically drawn to her His whole life revolves around her The atmosphere around them is always charged They gravitated to each other immediately I could feel the electricity between us (Lakoff 1980: 49) Intensity, being one of the most siginficant features of love, enables us to use forces such as magnetism, gravity and electicity while talking about this powerful emotion. LOVE IS A PHYSICAL FORCE metaphor definitely highlights an imperious aspect of love over other emotions that people can feel. In this metaphor, humans conceptualize love as a force majeure, something that they cannot control or have an influence on. If we assume that such a feeling as love cannot be controlled, we have to admit that also lovers cannot be restricted. The existence of magnetism between them signifies the necessity of living together or spending as much time as possible with each other whereas electricity between lovers presents the power of love that bonds them. SOURCE- A PHYSICAL FORCE TARGET- LOVE 2.2.9 Love is a rapture metaphor LOVE IS A RAPTURE Im giddy with love Ive been high on love for weeks She is drunk with love He is intoxicated with love (Lakoff 1980:49) The examples above present love as a state of an ecstasy caused by drugs or alcohol. The existence of such a metaphor proves that the behaviour of people who are in love resembles the conduct of those being on a drug- induced high. Although lovers do not usually take any narcotic stimulants, they indeed show symptoms of an addiction. A constant thinking about the object of love, a difficult to understand happiness when spending time with each other or a determination to win the beloveds heart are symptoms which may be misunderstood and the person showing them may be accused of using illegal stimulants. However, in everyday situations humans realize that love has such an impact on those experiencing it that they actually can act irresponsiby. SOURCE RUPTURE TARGET- LOVE There are many different kinds of metaphors of love presenting various aspects of this overwhelming feeling. I have chosen only a few of them, the most fascinating and ambiguous ones. The analysis of the metaphors of love proved that this feeling is difficult to comprehend because of its complexity. By trials and errors I have realized that it is impossible to present all the possible sides of this powerful emotion. Love affects people profoundly and therefore it is very important for them. That is why they try to comprehend this abstract feeling using more concrete concepts such as a journey, war or fire. Thanks to metaphors we create in our minds the breathtaking pictures of an incredible world we live in.

American History X :: Movies Film

Recently we watched a movie called American History X. It touched on a lot of major subjects such as gang violence and racism, which has been passed on from generation to generation. It also asked questions like, what were their racist ideas really based on, how did racism effect the community, can racism be reshaped by actual experiences, and how or why racism to begin with? Racism has been the main topic in the judicial system, police affairs, and racially divided communities for years but it's neither disappearing nor growing to this today. In this movie the main character was a man named Derek. After the death of his father, due to gang violence, he became a racist to all others but white people. He blamed the lack of jobs and poor wages on the blacks and immigrants. In an interview he had after the death of his father he stated that, it's all the blacks fault for all the violence in their neighborhood. He also said that, they brought all the diseases like AIDS and it's their problem and why did they have to bring it to the white people. Before he vandalized a store, owned by a Chinese man, with his other racist friends he told them why they were doing this. He told them that these immigrates come here an instead of looking for the American dream they come and take advantage of it and by firing those who worked there before and hiring Mexicans and blacks, that are willing to work at a low-wage, they make more money. So he and his friends need to show them that they indeed don't belong here and no one wants them her e. After brutally killing two people, in cold blood, Derek was arrested and sentenced to six years in prison. In prison, there were some like him and had the same thoughts but didn't stay true to their beliefs. He wondered why did his fellow skin-heads had confrontations with others outside of the group for product and merchandise and then turned around and sell it to his own. This kind of activity puzzled Derek who later in the movie came to the realization that there is nothing wrong about talking to blacks and others. Slowly, as the months passed, in jail he started developing a new found respect for everyone no matter their color or race, he started talking to his black laundry folding partner, and stopped hanging or talking to his Nazi friends . American History X :: Movies Film Recently we watched a movie called American History X. It touched on a lot of major subjects such as gang violence and racism, which has been passed on from generation to generation. It also asked questions like, what were their racist ideas really based on, how did racism effect the community, can racism be reshaped by actual experiences, and how or why racism to begin with? Racism has been the main topic in the judicial system, police affairs, and racially divided communities for years but it's neither disappearing nor growing to this today. In this movie the main character was a man named Derek. After the death of his father, due to gang violence, he became a racist to all others but white people. He blamed the lack of jobs and poor wages on the blacks and immigrants. In an interview he had after the death of his father he stated that, it's all the blacks fault for all the violence in their neighborhood. He also said that, they brought all the diseases like AIDS and it's their problem and why did they have to bring it to the white people. Before he vandalized a store, owned by a Chinese man, with his other racist friends he told them why they were doing this. He told them that these immigrates come here an instead of looking for the American dream they come and take advantage of it and by firing those who worked there before and hiring Mexicans and blacks, that are willing to work at a low-wage, they make more money. So he and his friends need to show them that they indeed don't belong here and no one wants them her e. After brutally killing two people, in cold blood, Derek was arrested and sentenced to six years in prison. In prison, there were some like him and had the same thoughts but didn't stay true to their beliefs. He wondered why did his fellow skin-heads had confrontations with others outside of the group for product and merchandise and then turned around and sell it to his own. This kind of activity puzzled Derek who later in the movie came to the realization that there is nothing wrong about talking to blacks and others. Slowly, as the months passed, in jail he started developing a new found respect for everyone no matter their color or race, he started talking to his black laundry folding partner, and stopped hanging or talking to his Nazi friends .