The audience in Act 1 Scene 1 of A Taste of Honey Essay Example for Free

The audience in Act 1 Scene 1 of A Taste of Honey Essay How does Shelagh Delaney establish the relationship of the main characters for the audience in Act 1 Scene 1 of A Taste of Honey? The first scene is probably the most important scene of all, as it tells us about the nature of the characters and their attitudes. The first words of the play that are stage directions play a big part. The quote the stage represents a comfortless flat . . . . . the street outside. Jazz music this tell us about the time in which they lived which was post war Britain from the jazz music. Jazz music is associated with the blues that was music about being down on your luck which was popular at these times. Mentioning that they lived in Manchester also gave a feeling of their surroundings. In Manchester at this time of the play there would have been few people of other ethnic origins as opposed to 1 in 20 British citizens being African, Asian or Caribbean origin in the 1990s. Also in that day and age it was only a tiny minority of the population on which were single parents. This would be the most important scene because it gave us an idea of what Helen and Jo are like. It tells us what there attitudes are and what sort of relationship they have. Helen reacts differently to Helen at the first impressions of the flat. While Helen is making the flat sounding a lot better than it actually is to make her feel a little bit better so she doesnt feel like a failure, Deep down inside she knows she is. Helen about the flat when she says Whats wrong with this place? . . . . . Anyway it will do for us. Jo hates the flat and expresss her feelings when she expresss to her mother I dont like it which are also the first words Jo, says in the play. Also Jo keeps pointing out faults to the flat like the roofs leaking and I bet itll smell trying to persuade Helen that the flat she had taken was a dump. You could say that Jo is pessimist and Helen is an optimist when it comes to attitudes to the flat. The setting of the flat is very depressing and greatly affects the characters of the play and brings them down. From the descriptions of the characters there are all the things people dont want to live near such as the gasworks, the slaughterhouse, tenements and a cemetery. Also when they arrive in the flat its raining which I think reflects how the characters are feeling and how low they are at the time. In the time Jo and Helen moved into the flat it was post war Britain and everything was being spent on buildings that needed restoring from the bombing during the wars. This meant that very little money was being spent to improve the condition of housing. The state of the flat affects Jo and Helen causing tension and most arguments nearly always start from living conditions of their flat. The flat also represents the chain of their life. They move from one run old flat to another that we find out when Jo says, Every place we find is the same which shows they are in a cycle they cannot break. Jo and Helen are mother and daughter, but as a reader its more of a sister relationship. Helen isnt a supportive mother and puts Jo down when she can which we find out when she says The way she bangs about! I tell you, my heads coming off. In the play there is one part where Helen offers to pay for Jo to go to Art School. Even though she says Have you ever . . . youll soon learn I dont think she means it and follow through with promises. They talk to one and other like they have no respect for each other. Jo doesnt show respect to her mother because she sees no reason to, after all, what has Helen ever done for Jo? Helen also doesnt care for Jo, as she never shows any affection to Jo at all when Jo says, Youve certainly never been affectionate with me. If Jo and Helen werent mother and daughter I think they wouldnt want to know each other if they had the choice. Its almost as if they had been forced together. The most likely subject to cause arguments is the state of the flat and how they actually treat each other. Also Shelagh Delaney uses humour, as in the form of sarcasm which relieves the tension of the atmosphere of the play and gives a little bit of light relief which Helen expresses when she says Why, have we run out of cemetery space? . . . When were gone. There is also a lot of jealousy between Jo and Helen. Jo is jealous of Helens men because she always shows affection to them rather than her. Also Jo once said I used to like one of them fancy men which also shows jealousy because Helen was hanging round him and never noticed Jo. Helen is jealous of Jo because she is young. When they first enter the flat Jo is a lot more organised than Helen and takes over the mother role because straight away she looks for sufficient heating God! Its freezing! Isnt their ant sort of fire anywhere, Helen? Also she puts a scarf round the light as a lampshade to make the room feel better with a softer light. To these characters the audience would feel tension as soon as they had walked through the door. But Shelagh Delaney tries to relax the mood with added sarcasm. When Peter enters he is presented as a brash car salesman, cigar in mouth, and from his dialogue we find he is a very selfish self-centred man. He doesnt care about anyones feelings when he says, Why dont you go home to your father? . . . Too bad to Jo that is a very sensitive issue to her, because of the fact she doesnt even know who her father is. He also tries to drag her to the pub knowing full well she that wasnt feeling well. When Peter is present she always she always wants to be there to get her mothers attention as a way of being spiteful to her. Helen acts as if Peter is an unwanted presence and tries to push him away at every advance he makes on her. But in the end she quite likes him as we find out when she says, Well, you certainly liberate something in me. And I dont think its maternal instincts either. The relationships in the first scene are very clear between Jo and Helen as we find out from the first time there is introduced. They fight as soon as they walk through the door of the flat. They both hate each other but in the end they care for each other. The relationship between Helen and Peter isnt that clear as it mentions little history, but from what Helen says hes not very nice person. We do find out that Helen had tried to escape from Peter when she says, How did you find my address. Its also clear that Jo doesnt like Peter as she tries to ruin Helens relationship with Peter. Also we know that Peter isnt interested in Jo and we find this out as Peter doesnt show any consideration to Jos feelings.

Explain :: English Literature

Explain Explain what is happening in each of the following poems and compare and contrast the different ways in which they deal with the theme of sorrow. The first poem ‘Remember’ by Christina Rossetti is a late romantic, early Victorian sonnet, which is about someone who has passed away. ‘The chimney sweeper’ by William Blake, is written in 1740’s and is about a young child chimney sweep and his plight. ‘Remember’ is written in the narrative voice so that it seems as if the person who passed away is speaking. The poem talks about how the deceased person has gone to a calmer, more peaceful place and how you will no longer be able to touch or feel them again. ‘Gone far away†¦ hand.’ The first part of the poem is dark and mournful but because it is a sonnet it allows for a more optimistic and comforting turn after line eight. It tells people that there is a time for grief and a time to move on but that they should not feel any guilt. Christina Rossetti has written the poem so that it flows and sounds rather like a song. The mood of the poem is sombre and she repeats the word ‘remember’ throughout the sonnet. This reminds the reader what the focus of the poem is and gives it structure throughout it. It also emphasises the meaning of the poem. The poem deals with the theme of sorrow in the form of death. However it is not a dark poem and makes death not seem that bad. She uses the sonnet form so that in line 9 there is a shift. This creates a break in the poem. Up to line 9 the poem is about grief and sadness but then it shifts and becomes more philosophical. Christina Rossetti uses euphemistic language such as ‘darkness’ and ‘corruption’ to represent death. This creates depth and makes you think about the poem. She also uses metaphors in her euphemistic language such as ‘silent-land’, which represents Heaven. This poem would be used at funerals because it is written in a way that suggests the deceased person is talking. ‘The chimney sweeper’ is about a young boy who is sold as a chimney sweep. The poem tells of his sad story. William Blake uses narrative voice of a child so that it engages the reader. The rhyming in the poem makes it sound like a child is talking. Blake is trying to show the children as victims by showing how vulnerable and pathetic their cries are. ‘Cry weep, weep, weep’ He uses couplets and verses to

Christian environment Essay

â€Å"Today’s Stock market dropped 5%, unemployment rate reaching 10%, Gross Domestic Products dropped for the sixth month in a row. † This economic crisis happened in South Korea in 1999. For sure it was a big trouble for those who lost the job they thought will be their permanent job, like a government owned financial company which I worked for. I witnessed many employees laid off and they were unable to find a new job for a long time due to the lack of technical skills. This event got me thinking of changing my career. My job as an investment bank teller, was very simple and was being replaced by machine. I quit my banking job and started to study in America in 2000. Everything from language to culture was hard for me to adapt but the dream of finding a meaningful career for the rest of my life was a motivation enough to keep me going. Fortunately, I met a good Christian family who introduced me to nursing and it was so attractive to me. First it is its need to solve common societal issues as caring for aging population and Second I thought nursing always needed human touch. One of the new cultures I have observed while living in America is the stress on personal right. Most of the time I hear how important it is to speak up for your own right or people will intimidate or rip you off. I might be wrong because I am an immigrant as I don’t fully understand American society, but can you imagine I never used to speak up for my own interest in a group of people working together? I had to leave my own interest and think about others and the whole organizations. That is how I was taught at home and school in Korea and I learned that practicing these values, altruism and respecting wholeness, brings more joy than loss to my life. Moral Re Armament; was a name of group activity that I was involved in high school. From this group activity,I found myself volunteering for the community. We learned dancing and songs and performed at elderly care centers and orphanages. We visited them with food, helped them clean and played with them regularly. For me it was heart breaking to see how people could be lonely and living in a poor condition. However, these experiences opened my eyes to the world surrounding me as I had thought that I was the poor and the unfortunate one by not having both parents. I started to appreciate the little things such as living in a home, seeing my family each day and laughing with my friends. Most important of all that I learned was extending my hands to those who need help and knowing that there are people in need of help. The reason I chose Loma Linda University Nursing School is because of its Christian environment. I used to believe there was some power handling world beyond human’ limitation, I learned it was God’s hands. Nine years ago when I arrived in America , I needed help desperately, I went to a Korean church. In there I found God’s existence and saw people living as Christians. For me becoming a nurse wouldn’t be possible if there’s no God’s intervention. I have now decided to step towards new nursing knowledge. I believe a good nurse needs to have humbleness, compassion and caring mind for the sick like what we were taught by Jesus. These Christian perspectives in nursing education at Loma Linda University will play an important role in my career to become a good nurse caring for aging population.

The Antacid Rocket Experiment

If your child has tried the Naked Egg Experiment, he has seen how the chemical reaction between calcium carbonate and vinegar can remove an eggshell. If he’s tried The Exploding Sandwich Bag Experiment, then he knows a little bit about acid-base reactions. Now he can harness that reaction create a flying object in this Antacid Rocket Experiment. With some open space outdoors and a little caution your child can send a homemade rocket into the air by the power of a fizzy reaction. Note: The Antacid Rocket Experiment used to be called the Film Canister Rockets, but with digital cameras taking over the market, it’s become harder and harder to find empty film canisters. If you can film canisters, that’s great, but this experiment recommends you use mini MM tubular containers or clean, empty glue stick containers instead. What Your Child Will Learn (or Practice): Scientific inquiryObserving chemical reactionsThe Scientific Method Materials Needed: Mini MMs tube, a clean used-up glue stick container or a film canisterHeavy paper/card stockTapeMarkersScissorsBaking sodaVinegarTissuesAntacid tablets (Alka-Seltzer or a generic brand)Soda (optional) Tissues are not a necessity for this experiment, but using tissue can help to delay the chemical reaction long enough to give your child some time to get out of the way. Make Baking Soda and Vinegar Rockets Have your child sketch out and decorate a small rocket on a piece of heavy paper. Ask her to cut out the rocket and set it to the side.Help your child cut the â€Å"hinge† holding the cover to the MMs tube so it comes on and off. This will be the bottom of the rocket.Give her another piece of heavy paper and have her roll it around the tube, making sure the bottom of the rocket is easily accessible. Then, have her tape it tightly in place. (She may need to cut the paper to make it fit better).Glue the rocket she drew and cut out to the front of the tube to make the whole thing look more like a real rocket.Move outside to a clear, open area and open the containerFill it one-quarter full with vinegar.Wrap 1 teaspoon of baking soda in small piece of tissue.Warning: You must act quickly in this step! Stuff the folded tissue in the tube, snap it shut and stand it up (with the lid down) on the ground. Move away!Watch the rocket pop right up into the air after the tissue dissolves in the vinegar. Make an Antacid Rocket Use the same rocket from the baking soda and vinegar experiment, making sure to clean it thoroughly first.Take off the cover and put an antacid tablet into the tube. You may have to break it into pieces to get it all to fit. You can use generic antacid tablets but Alka-Seltzer works better than generic brands.Add a teaspoon of water to the tube, snap on the cover and put the rocket — lid down — on the ground.Watch what happens once the water dissolves the antacid tablet. What’s Going On Both rockets are working under the same principle. A baking soda and vinegar mixture and the water and antacid combination create an acid-base chemical reaction that releases carbon dioxide gas. The gas fills the tube and the the air pressure builds to a point where it is too great to be contained. That’s when the lid pops off and the rocket flies up into the air. Extend the Learning Experiment with different types of paper and how much baking soda and vinegar you use. It may help make the rocket fly higher, faster, or even be coordinated to a countdown.Ask your child compare how the different rockets worked. Which worked better?Substitute soda for water in the antacid rocket and see if it works differently.