Of Mice and Men is a novel about people Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men is a novel about people Essay Of Mice and Men is a novel about people. Are there too many cripples, misfits and unusual characters in the novel to consider Steinbecks portrayal as true life? Steinbecks novel is based on ordinary people during the American Depression. Steinbeck has an understanding of how migrant workers were and how it was as he had his childhood in California near Salinas Valley. During the period in which the novel was wrote was written migrant workers went from ranch to ranch working for money never really having a secure job as new technology in machinery made it cheaper to harvest crops. This introduces the two main characters George and Lennie, migrant workers, who do not fit into 1930s society. The novel based is on characters that represent different walks of life during the period illustrating the American culture. Steinbeck portrays the American culture in a condensed version occurring only on a ranch, showing the grim truces of the society, when the novel was written In Steinbecks novel the character Candy is a man who has gone past his prime of his life. He has a stumped hand and therefore he is too maimed to be working in the fields, he can be seen as a cripple in the novel. The result of this is that he has menial job as a swamper. To represent the fears of time Steinbeck writes about Candy being worried about getting the can as a result of his unimportance on the ranch, and this is shown when Steinbeck wrote I aint much good with ony hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. Thats why they give me a job swampin This suggests that the job was only given to Candy out of sympathy. Furthermore Candy saying I aint much good shows his awareness of his own situation, being worthless to the ranch. Candy represents the aged sector that exists in every society, at the time the novel was written work was very scarce and if people were employed they would have to work hard to say in work. Candy as an aged person is on his last job, because if he loses it no one else will take him on. This is his major fear throughout the novel and Steinbeck portrays the aged migrant worker as a pathetic man with only a dog to keep him company. Steinbeck writes Candy looked a long time at Slim to try and find some reversal The above statement suggests that Candy has no authority with the other workers on the ranch and needs Slim to assist him; this shows Candy, as a cripple, has no respect from the other characters, which is a portrayal of true life during the American Depression. With the dog eat dog world of the period skill, strength, intelligence, age and skin colour affected authority. Candy has a change of attitude after hearing about the dream soon after his dog was shot, Steinbeck choosing to write the dream being heard by Candy at this point in the novel when the character had lost everything that was important, gives the cripple hope for the future as his past (with his dog) is finished. Sadly the dog is a symbol of his possible future, the fate of the aged. In a time of mass unemployment and the fear of loneliness compels Candy to latch himself onto a belief to persevere in the harsh lonely world and this gives Candy the renewed confidence. Steinbeck shows the change of Candys attitude after he hears about the dream, Candy joined the attack with joy Glove fulla Vaseline, he said disgustedly. This quote enhances the change in the character of Candy, as before he did not say anything in general conversation between the workers and at this point he was important. The verb attack shows Candys aggression against Curley, who has a higher status than Candy and is more important to the running of the ranch and is the bosses son, not a cripple and stronger. The adjective disgustedly in the quote shows that Candy is sickened by Curley and Curleys attitude to others and Candy himself. This shows Candy is more than a cripple in the story, but a character who needs an image of a better future for himself with no worries. The dream of getting a ranch of their own is the need for some security can be compared as a pension in a modern view. Once Candy has this security in the dream Steinbeck enhances the character making him bolder, and his character comes out from the shell of an old cripple. In chapter two Steinbeck introduces the reader to the character of Crooks. The name Crooks is not used for him at the start of the novel and it is only later on that he is called Crooks. The names used for him are derogatory labels including stable buck, nigger and Crooks. Throughout the whole novel the reader never finds out the characters real name, which adds to the effectiveness of the character being a misfit. Steinbeck enhances the idea of Crooks being a misfit when he writes They let the nigger come in. Little skinner name of Smitty took after the nigger. Done pretty good, too This depicts that the other characters do not see Crooks a real human being but as an object of entertainment. Steinbeck conveys how a black man fits into the society of the period through racism. Crooks is a misfit in the novel because of his skin colour and his physical appearance, because of this he is segregated from the other workers on the ranch. This can be shown by They let the nigger come in this implies that the others do not want to be around him and that it is an important event when he does. The above quote can also suggest that Crooks wants to be sociable with the others and the word let suggests that the character has tried before. His injury to his back illustrates to the reader that he can be put into a category with Candy, as a cripple. The connection between the two is deeper than them both have a disability. Steinbeck brings them both together in chapter 4 at the start of the novel when he writes Yeah. Nice fella, too. Candy is shown to have a high regards and respect for him; Steinbeck puts them in the same situation in the novel. Candy and Crooks as cripples both need to belong to something as there is always the threat of getting the can or a similar consequence to of Candys dog. One may think that Steinbeck was trying to portray a bridge across racism in the period with a white man and black man wanting the same dream. As Crooks changes his view in the novel from being a defensive one to felling some hope about the dream too. At first Crooks attitude to little piece of land in his head is an objectionable because society has made him pessimistic and spiteful to any sign of others having some dream of happiness knowing that he can not have any because of race. However when he hears about the money he is more open and suggests he wants to be apart of it, this can be shown when Steinbeck wrote If you guys would want a hand to work for nothing- just his keep This quotes conveys Crooks hope in the dream and he wants to be apart of it to be secure and treated as an equal. The reader learns a valuable lesson from Crooks and Steinbeck portrays it effectively that society is in the wrong not that the characters. Steinbeck illustrates Crooks as being a proud son of a bitch with his tidy room but this does not make just a misfit or a cripple but he has humanity with all other blacks. Thats why a lot of time is devoted to him in the novel, his role is equally important to the social statement made by Steinbeck. The end of this key chapter with Crooks in, chapter 4, unhappily ends how it began with Crooks rubbing medicine into his back, this is a powerful message put across to the audience which may evoke the reader to think that society will not change unless we change society. Crooks had briefly gained some respect from other white males and had hope for the future, but it is when this happens that a women shattered his hopes, this would be terrible to Crooks because women were thought to be lower and weaker than men, so being put down by Curleys wife made him worth nothing, just like during the beginning of this chapter. A character that is, in essence, unusual is Curleys Wife. She is unusual because she is the only female character who speaks in this novel. Steinbecks portrayal of women in this novel is not in a good light, given that the men go to a brothel. Women typically represented as objects of sexual nature not as partners or equals but as. Curleys Wife is unusual in a way that she is the only women on a ranch full of men going around dressed to seduce, this can be shown in She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Steinbeck suggests that she is trouble by all the red in the description, with red bringing up connotations of danger. The red also can connote seduction. Steinbecks character has a habit of looking for her husband which can suggest that she is lonely and is constantly seeking attention from the other men, another reason for dressing up seductively is to conceal her loneliness, Steinbeck includes her in the novel to portray the American housewife, wanting to be something more than a housewife. This was typical during this period of social change with Hollywood and women becoming celebrities, which is exciting compared to a life on the ranch. Steinbeck effectively portrays this in He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. This implies to the reader that she wanted something more to her life than to be stuck on a ranch. This however makes her a misfit on the ranch in the novel because of her wanting a different dream to come true, but during that period people were fascinated about celebrities so the character of Curleys Wife can represent the womens struggle during the American Depression. We learn from the novel that society during that period was male orientated and that women were beginning to have their own dreams other than finding a good man to marry. Throughout the whole novel the reader is aware of Lennie being a misfit in the novel. When the reader is first introduced to this character his physical description suggests that he is misfit large pale eyes can connote the lack of intelligence, giving the sense of subdued expression, the adjective large agrees with the stature of Lennie, though the adjective pale implies the mindlessness of him. The other characters in the novel who are misfits, unusual characters or cripples have a physical or emotional problem but Lennie as one of the lead characters is different with an intelligence problem; this engages the readers sympathy as Lennie is every childlike. Steinbeck writes about the childlike behaviour of Lennie in Lennie was still smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch This quote depicts Lennies lack of social skills, like a child, which gets the character into a trouble that wouldnt have really happened in the novel if the character was not a misfit, such as what happened in Weed where he stroked the womens dress not knowing that he was doing something wrong and ended up being outcast and hunted. Steinbecks 1930s society is not tolerant of Lennie and his disability to handle a difficult social problem. Society when this novel was written is not an understanding one and Steinbeck dramatically portrays this by the fight in the novel. Steinbeck shows the reader during that period people acted too rash and unsympathetic, and Steinbeck with this novel wants people to take notice of society and for it to be more tolerant to misfits, cripples and in a sense unusual characters. Steinbeck leaves the ending of Lennie at a moderately neutral point of view; this lets one make up ones mind to know that its a tragedy. On one side that it is a tragedy that Steinbecks characters have no acknowledgment of Lennie killing Curleys Wife by accident and that he has no understanding of death and his own strength. On the other side some readers may believe that Lennie should be shot because he killed a human, even with his lack of intelligence it still make him a danger to society. Steinbeck writes his death in the place where Lennie suits best throughout the whole novel, in nature Suddenly Lennie appeared out of the brush, and he came as silently as a creeping bear moves. This quote implies that Lennie suited the environment that he was in, and the metaphor a creeping bear moves is a powerful one. In addition, it conveys the character to be almost part of nature and if he was never meant for society. As a result of this, the reader may think it is less of a tragedy as Lennie dies where he belongs. Steinbeck portrays the purpose of Lennies character of being the character that allows people to have a dream. Lennie is the one to console in and not to put down people, because he has no real understanding of how the world works. Candy and Crooks benefit from having time with Lennie as Candy has someone to talk too furthermore ensuring Candy a no opposition to joining the dream, which may not have occurred if Lennie was not a misfit to society. Crooks has someone to talk to without no prejudice as it because of Lennie being unintelligent, he did not understand the concept of racism. Lastly, Lennie ensured Curleys Wife finally got someone to talk to in the novel. Steinbecks misfit Lennie shows the flaws in society that needs to be exposed in true life. If there were more people like Lennie on the ranch (society) there would be more empathy towards others and their feelings and there wouldnt be feelings of superiority other one another. George and Lennie have a friendship that is not typical of the period in which the novel was set. Two men travelling around together and working together was unheard of, the American Depression saw people distant themselves from each other. With no security, men chose not to trust each other. Steinbeck depicts this effectively throughout the whole novel. This relationship is not typical of the era, Steinbeck shows this when he writes Guys like us, that work on the ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They dont belong no place. This illustrates the stereotype of the migrant worker making this unusual relationship out of place in the novel and Steinbeck wanted to show this by the effects of their relationship upon the characters. The relationship being not of true life has a sense of inevitable doom to it. Steinbeck depicts the relationship to draw other characters to it so that they can belong even though the friendship creates suspicion in; He hooked his thumbs in his belt and squinted one eye nearly closed This expresses to the reader the Boss had never seen it before and that thinks it trouble, with squinted one eye the verb creates suspicion. This clearly emphasis the idea, that the relationship sparks the plot with eventually, Lennie killing Curleys Wife. Perhaps Steinbeck shows this because he is making a social statement on the period where people just can not trust in one another or be emotionally close to each other, with out anything going wrong. George and Lennies relationship shows one how much empathy and understanding one man can have in another. Against everyone being antagonistic to the relationship George stuck by Lennie until he could no more. Steinbecks characters have a friendship that is destroyed by the attitudes in society of the period. In conclusion to this essay, Steinbeck has wrote misfits, unusual characters and cripples in Of Mice and Men to show the faults and prejudices during the 1930s American depression, in which the novel was written. Steinbecks characters portray different aspects to the life in the period. Crooks represents the life of a black man having to struggle through life being worth nothing because of skin colour, whilst Curleys Wife represents how a women struggles in a male dominant society, the male dominant society being the ranch itself. Candy symbolises the aged in the period, being old is being useless and unwanted. Though the novel has misfits, unusual characters and cripples they would not have as much affect if they were not contrast to the more stereotypical characters of the period. Curley and Carlson show the reader the bleak and lonely lives migrant workers had. The contrast has a bigger and more meaningful social statement made by Steinbeck. The writer effectively shows this at the end of the novel. Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin them two guys? This enhances the social statement made by Steinbeck, with Slim consoling George but the other more usual characters, Curley and Carlson, not coming together after the whole plot Steinbeck keeps them apart and socially distant, unaware of the situation George is in. the novel is also concluded within the novel where the image of the water snake an the heron. The whole novel is summarised, with the calmness to the heron snatching the water snake. Steinbeck implies this animal image that humans in a society live like animals and how that we have not evolved to be more tolerable of peoples differences; the consequence of this is Lennies death. Steinbeck conveys marvellously that this will keep transpiring as the heron returns to the pool to catch another water snake.

The Tragic Figures in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Tragic Figures in Antigone      Ã‚   A good working definition of a tragic figure, in the Greek mythological sense, would be a person who, through a character flaw, is brought lower than that flaw would merit. The person with the flaw is usually royal, or at least noble. Greek tragedies were not written about common people.    Antigone may be a tragic figure in the modern, common sense of the word; that is, she was someone who has something bad happen to her. "Oh," someone might say when they discover Antigone's fate, "how tragic." Nevertheless, they do not mean that Antigone is tragic in the classical Greek sense; rather they just mean that Antigone got a bad lot that she didn't deserve. Antigone cannot be a tragic figure in the classical Greek sense because she didn't have any character faults. She was brought low for other reasons -- in this case, she died because she was obedient to the will of the gods. That isn't a fault, it's a virtue. Throughout the play she shows herself to be kind, generous, and giving. Again, those are hardly vices.    This leaves Creon as the only possible tragic figure in Antigone. And he does make an ideal tragic figure in the classical sense! His flaw that brings him low is a sense of narrow-minded pride. Although in some sense he may be justified in what he is doing through his claim that he is doing it for the good of the state, this does not completely excuse or ameliorate his actions in the eyes of the gods.    The fact that Creon persists in his actions despite the warnings of others (Tiresias, Antigone, Haemon, etc.) is part of what makes the tragedy so tragic -- he had chance after chance to back out. Antigone tries her best to persuade him, saying, "Surely, to think yours the only wisdom, / And yours the only word, the only will, / Betrays a shallow spirit, an empty heart," but Creon dismisses this because she is a woman. Haemon tries to tell his father that the people are not in agreement with him, but his father accuses him of being a weakling and arguing only to protect his fiancee. Finally, Tiresias the seer tries to warn Creon that what he is doing is not in accordance with the will of the gods, but Creon accuses him of lying for profit, saying, "Money! Money's the curse of man, none greater. The Tragic Figures in Sophocles' Antigone :: Antigone essays Tragic Figures in Antigone      Ã‚   A good working definition of a tragic figure, in the Greek mythological sense, would be a person who, through a character flaw, is brought lower than that flaw would merit. The person with the flaw is usually royal, or at least noble. Greek tragedies were not written about common people.    Antigone may be a tragic figure in the modern, common sense of the word; that is, she was someone who has something bad happen to her. "Oh," someone might say when they discover Antigone's fate, "how tragic." Nevertheless, they do not mean that Antigone is tragic in the classical Greek sense; rather they just mean that Antigone got a bad lot that she didn't deserve. Antigone cannot be a tragic figure in the classical Greek sense because she didn't have any character faults. She was brought low for other reasons -- in this case, she died because she was obedient to the will of the gods. That isn't a fault, it's a virtue. Throughout the play she shows herself to be kind, generous, and giving. Again, those are hardly vices.    This leaves Creon as the only possible tragic figure in Antigone. And he does make an ideal tragic figure in the classical sense! His flaw that brings him low is a sense of narrow-minded pride. Although in some sense he may be justified in what he is doing through his claim that he is doing it for the good of the state, this does not completely excuse or ameliorate his actions in the eyes of the gods.    The fact that Creon persists in his actions despite the warnings of others (Tiresias, Antigone, Haemon, etc.) is part of what makes the tragedy so tragic -- he had chance after chance to back out. Antigone tries her best to persuade him, saying, "Surely, to think yours the only wisdom, / And yours the only word, the only will, / Betrays a shallow spirit, an empty heart," but Creon dismisses this because she is a woman. Haemon tries to tell his father that the people are not in agreement with him, but his father accuses him of being a weakling and arguing only to protect his fiancee. Finally, Tiresias the seer tries to warn Creon that what he is doing is not in accordance with the will of the gods, but Creon accuses him of lying for profit, saying, "Money! Money's the curse of man, none greater.

Benvenuto Cellini and the Importance of Individualism, Masculinity, Family and God Essay

Benvenuto Cellini and the Importance of Individualism, Masculinity, Family and God The Renaissance era, to this day, is thought to be the most influential period in human history as it brought about the rebirth of classical forms, interest in humanisms, and the concern for individualism. Renaissance, over many years, has been known as the idea of rebirth, expansion of culture and art, and individualism. There have been many Renaissance before but the most recognized was that of the Italian Renaissance. It led to the rebirth of art, architecture, Latin, religion, law which are just a few of many more. This era gave birth to the Humanist movement, which advocated the importance of individualism and human values. Most importantly, the Renaissance included some the most magnificent minds, which were polymaths and had immense skill and creativity. Over the years these great minds have come to be known as Renaissance men or women, people who are well educated and or excel in a wide variety of fields. Renaissance men like Michelangelo inspired all of Italy and Europe with his architectural designs and sculptures, the father of Humanism, Petrarch changed the concepts of scholastics, while Leonardo da Vinci left his fellow Italians in awe with his magnificent artistic and engineering skills. All of these men advocate the idea of secular ideas, freedom of thinking and individualism. It was during this substantial growth in the arts, sciences and religion that Benvenuto Cellini, one of the greatest Italian Renaissance Man, was born. Benvenuto Cellini was born in Florence on 3rd November 1500 and was professionally an Italian goldsmith, musician, sculptor, soldier and painter. This background of the Renaissance from the fourteenth and fifteenth century and the intellectual and artistic ideas of the sixteenth century are what shaped Benvenuto Cellini and his life to come, and then ultimately led him to write undoubtedly the most famous autobiography and the most important biography from the Italian Renaissance Era. Cellini started writing his autobiography at the age 58, in the year 1558, as he believed that he had lived a significant portion of his life and that he should write so people could learn of his great battles and achievements throughout his lifetime. Cellini mentions, â€Å"All men of whatsoever quality they be, who have done anything of excellence, or which may properly resemble excellence, ought, if they are persons of truth and honesty, to describe their life with their own hand; but they out not to attempt so fine an enterprise till they have passed the age of forty† (section 2, page 4). Although Benvenuto thinks of himself as an uneducated man, his beautifully written sonnets and carefully orchestrated work, says otherwise. Unlike many works of his time, the â€Å"Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini possesses both a historical and cultural significance. Benvenuto Cellini was the son of Maestro Giovanni Cellini and Madonna Elisabetta, who were both Florentine citizens. This fact, with others, act as a driving force in his love for Florence and why he decided to start writing his autobiography when he came back to Florence after several years traveling around Rome, France and many other cities. The reader can obvious conclude that this document can be of great importance in the study of Italian life during the Renaissance, but the tone with which Cellini wrote, remarkably relates to the movements that took place during the latter years of the Renaissance. Benvenuto unquestionably shows fondness toward individualism, humanism and self-development, two of which movements were common around the sixteen century. The term Autobiography is defined as study of oneself, and is obviously an ideal example of individualism. Cellini’s Autobiography surpasses that of his time, autobiographies during the sixteenth century exhibited a narrative of the works of the author. While Cellini expresses a detailed chronicle of his life, the triumphs he faced, the deepest secrets and his feelings towards his actions. No one from his time was able to document a masterpiece like such. Benvenuto shows the importance of individualism, masculinity, family, and God through this detailed account of his life. This style of writing was rare during the sixteenth century as Benvenuto opened his soul put it on a document, everything that he loved or hated, his legal or illegal actions, his friends and enemies. Benvenuto, like many others during the Renaissance era, was a true believer of God and that whatever good happened to him was due to the gift of God. He talks about the great lineage of his family and that he was born into a family with honorable men and states that God is very pleased that he should be born so that he could sustain this great foundation his ancestors laid down. One can see here that he exhibits everything that is of great importance to him. Family, as he talks about the honorable foundation of his family, individualism and masculinity is shown when he boasts about have great qualities to hold the foundation, and finally God, which he believes that it pleased God that he, was born. Even though Benvenuto believes that he is a true Christian, his actions are a long way from Christian, they prove otherwise. People during the renaissance were seen to have very unclear value and moral during to different renaissance movement. This effect is seen with some of Benvenuto’s decisions and actions throughout his autobiography. More than half of his conflicts and stories were handled immorally, for instance Benvenuto kills a person he dislikes without even thinking of the consequences or him fathering some illegitimate children. One can see from his tone that Benvenuto does not realize that he has committed a sin according to Christianity. He recognizes that there is a God and cherishes the religious ceremonies but does not live by it when it comes to morality. Here we can see that the idea of individualism and masculinity is of more importance to him. On one occasion Benvenuto he had to pay bail for an argument he had with his competitors. So, he reached out to his cousin for bail money, but the cousin refuses. To many people this does not seem like a big reason to be angered but Benvenuto’s anger causes him to kill around half a dozen of his enemies. Clearly, Christian morals were not thought about when Benvenuto decides to murder those men. Another important Renaissance aspect that was exemplified by Benvenuto in his autobiography was individualism. Individualism is defined by Webster’s as a theory maintaining the political and economic independence of the individual while stressing individual initiative, action, and interests. However, in context of Benvenuto’s work, individualism has a much deeper significance. He describes that his father began to breed him in many trades and hobbies especially music. The idea of individualism is greatly displayed here because even though his father wanted him to be interested in music and playing the flute, he followed his own interest and learned to become a skilled goldsmith. Today this type of action is very common, but as historians know, the profession on men in renaissance Italy depended on the profession of their father or family. The fact that Benvenuto thought was becoming a goldsmith shows that some of the renaissance movements had an affect on Benvenuto’s decisions. Although you also see here, the importance of family, Benvenuto decides to play the flute at times just to please his father, even though he hates playing a musical instrument. This family influence plays an important role in making Benvenuto part of the great list of Renaissance men, a good musician, magnificent goldsmith and many others. At a very young age, he mastered the skill of time management and gave up immature activities. This level of discipline was obviously very crucial because it would stick with him for the rest of his life also for the same reason make him one of the most famous figures in the Italian Renaissance Era. Boasting about oneself was not very common among autobiographies during the time of the Renaissance, which is what makes Benvenuto’s autobiography such a unique and important one. As mentioned earlier about his conflicts, Benvenuto loved to show his masculinity when he wrote about his conquests and his time as a soldier. Normally, the first time any person kills another human being, they do not brag about it but Benvenuto seems not affected by it and boast about how masculine it was. He describes in detail, â€Å"I found them at table; and Gherardo, who had been the cause of the quarrel, flung himself upon me. I stabbed him in the breast, piercing doublet and jerkin through and through to the shirt, without however grazing his flesh or doing him the least harm in the world. When I felt my hand go in, and heard the clothes tear, I thought that I had killed him; and seeing him fall terror-struck to earth, I cried: Traitors, this day is the day on which I mean to murder you all. Father, mother and sisters, thinking the last day had come, threw themselves upon their knees, screaming out for mercy with all their might; but I perceiving that they offered no resistance, and that he was stretch for dead upon the ground, thought it too base a thing to touch them†¦ When I got among them, raging like a mad bull, I flung four or five to the earth, and fell down with them myself, continually aiming my dagger now at one and now at another† (Section 17) Obviously, this detailed episode was meant to show the readers that he was the bravest man in Italy and that no one can bring him down. His masculinity was not all bad because it had a major contribution to his goldsmith profession. When he first got into a fight in Florence along side with is brother, he mentions that even though they were throwing stones at him, he never left his brothers side. He also mentions that the soldiers that rescued them praised and wondered how a young boy had such a valor. But this played to his advantage because due to this fight, he was banished to Siena for six months, during which he took up the goldsmith’s business and mastered his skill. Lastly, he mentions that when someone killed his brother, Benvenuto, in response to this, in an act of revenge, murdered his brother’s killer. After which he fled to Rome. This was the purest form of masculinity because it has to do with power, both physical and mental. Benvenuto embodied his masculinity by over powering his brother’s killer and taking revenge, really showing that he was a man. Lastly, importance of family and heritage was very common during the Renaissance Era, which meant family always came first. Benvenuto shows a great attachment to his family and was proud of his heritage as he says that his ancestors were men of valor. All throughout the autobiography he mentions his father and you can see that he always seeks for his fathers approval. As we know Giovanni Cellini was a musician and also made his own instruments, he wanted Benvenuto to follow in his footsteps but Benvenuto had no interest. Nevertheless you see on several occasions that Benvenuto plays the flute just to please his father. Giovanni Cellini’s influence is greatly seen in Benvenuto’s life, as he is partly responsible for why Benvenuto chose to become a goldsmith. He mentions in section seven that Giovanni posses a simple vein of poetry, instilled in him by nature, together with a certain touch of prophecy, through which he wrote these four verses under the arms of the Medici crest: These arms, which have so long from sight been laid Beneath the holy cross, that symbol meek, Now lift their glorious glad face, and seek With Peteris sacred cloak to be arrayed. This beautifully written verse inspired Pope Leo X to the extent that Giovanni was invited to Rome to take his place in the palace. Seeing the great influence this one inscription had on the Pope, Benvenuto commenced goldsmith in Rome. The earning he made from this business were also sent to his father because he was always worried about him. Clearly you can see that family was of great importance to him. Benvenuto Cellini’s life story is only one example of the Italian Renaissance Era. Observing all the events that took place in his life, we can now conclude how the Italian Renaissance affected individuals during that time period. But more importantly, the ramifications of the Italian Renaissance can still be seen in today’s modern world. Freedom and individuality is what American was built on and I conclude that many historical events played a role in world freedom, with specific significance on the Italian Renaissance Era. It is significant because it changed the thought process of people. Going back to Cellini and his self-development in terms of multi-mastery in a variety of tasks, art, music, sculpting, goldsmith, etc; now, imagine that every person during that time was improving himself or herself. When a movement like the Renaissance affects a mass population, the influence of it can be sustained and passed on from generation to generation for years. With his autobiography, Benvenuto shows the mastery of narrative and cleverly recites his life story as if the reader was listening to the great Benvenuto Cellini tell us about the great tales of his life. The successful way of incorporating his personality into his saga makes this autobiography a work of art. BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Source Cellini, Benvenuto. The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini. London: Penguin, 1998. Secondary Source Cellini, in Italian Renaissance Reader, 343.

How to Improve the Eduacation System in America - 2457 Words

Student Resources The condition and availability of resources at a school can play a major factor. A number of studies have shown that many school systems, particularly those in urban and high-poverty areas, are plagued by decaying buildings that threaten the health, safety, and learning opportunities of students. Good facilities appear to be an important precondition for student learning, provided that other conditions are present that support a strong academic program in the school. A growing body of research has linked student achievement and behavior to the physical building conditions and overcrowding. Working conditions in urban schools conclude that â€Å"physical conditions have direct positive and negative effects on teacher morale, sense of personal safety, feelings of effectiveness in the classroom, and on the general learning environment† (Taylor 2012). Building renovations in one district led teachers to feel â€Å"a renewed sense of hope, of commitment, a belief that the district cared about what went on that building.† (Corcoran et al) old buildings in another district, the atmosphere was punctuated more by despair and frustration, with teachers reporting that leaking roofs, burned out lights, and broken toilets were the typical backdrop for teaching and learning. If a high school had a combination of old historical buildings and new buildings, it can be inspiring and motivating when students are learning in funded classrooms. The buildings can give the students,Show MoreRelatedThe Sucessful Factors of Toshiba3437 Words   |  14 Pagesthis period, Toshiba brought a lot of â€Å"first† for the world. They manufactured Japan’s first fluorescent lamps in 1940 and completed Japan’s first radars in 1942. Then, Toshiba completed Japan’s first TV broadcast transmitters and microwave relay systems for television in 1952. In 1954, Toshiba developed the digital computer which will be the firt step to take Toshiba ’s involvement in the personal computer industry. Toshiba later brought entertainment to a new level with the introduction of Japan’s