Albert Camus The Outsider and Robert Brolts A Man for All Seasons :: essays research papers

What could a deeply religious, devout Christian nobleman and an existential, indifferent common man separated by roughly four hundred years have in common? Furthermore, what could Sir Thomas More, an eventual saintly martyr as portrayed in Robert Bolt’s A Man For All Seasons, and Albert Camus’ Meursault from The Outsider, an apparent murderer who does not believe in God, possibly have in common? For starters, both men have led similar lives in a search for the truth, and have very strong personal belief systems. It is for this that they are persecuted and “who, without any heroic pretensions, agree...to die for the truth'; (The Outsider, Camus, p. 119). Both characters, More and Meursault refuse to compromise their beliefs and as a result society condemns them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite their obvious differences More and Meursault were similar men in many ways. Both men led routine lifestyles. More is a very devout Christian and as such is immersed in repetitious behaviour. Throughout the play More is often found praying, even during the arrival of the King at his home. More enters the scene just in the nick of time wearing a cassock, just as the King is nearly upon him, and knowingly risks disfavour with his liege because his prayer is that important to him. Norfolk is indignant at this behaviour, “What sort of fooling is this? Does the king visit you every day'; (A Man For All Seasons, Robert Bolt, Act One, p. 26). Also, according to his Steward “Sir Thomas rises at six ... and prays for an hour and a half';, “During Lent ... he lived entirely on bread and water'; and “He goes to confession twice a week'; (A Man For All Seasons, Bolt, I, p. 23). It is in this way that More endeavours in a search for truth about l ife, he looks to God for the answers. Meursault is also immersed in routine, but his is a routine of a simple lifestyle. His week is made up of breakfast at Celeste’s and his nine to five day job and he “used to wait for Saturdays to embrace Marie’s body'; (The Outsider, Albert Camus, p. 75). Meursault also had found his truth, but as Camus states in his after word, “This truth is as yet a negative one, a truth born of living and feeling'; (The Outsider, Camus, p. 119). It is this truth that results in Meursault’s very strong beliefs. Albert Camus' The Outsider and Robert Brolt's A Man for All Seasons :: essays research papers What could a deeply religious, devout Christian nobleman and an existential, indifferent common man separated by roughly four hundred years have in common? Furthermore, what could Sir Thomas More, an eventual saintly martyr as portrayed in Robert Bolt’s A Man For All Seasons, and Albert Camus’ Meursault from The Outsider, an apparent murderer who does not believe in God, possibly have in common? For starters, both men have led similar lives in a search for the truth, and have very strong personal belief systems. It is for this that they are persecuted and “who, without any heroic pretensions, agree...to die for the truth'; (The Outsider, Camus, p. 119). Both characters, More and Meursault refuse to compromise their beliefs and as a result society condemns them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite their obvious differences More and Meursault were similar men in many ways. Both men led routine lifestyles. More is a very devout Christian and as such is immersed in repetitious behaviour. Throughout the play More is often found praying, even during the arrival of the King at his home. More enters the scene just in the nick of time wearing a cassock, just as the King is nearly upon him, and knowingly risks disfavour with his liege because his prayer is that important to him. Norfolk is indignant at this behaviour, “What sort of fooling is this? Does the king visit you every day'; (A Man For All Seasons, Robert Bolt, Act One, p. 26). Also, according to his Steward “Sir Thomas rises at six ... and prays for an hour and a half';, “During Lent ... he lived entirely on bread and water'; and “He goes to confession twice a week'; (A Man For All Seasons, Bolt, I, p. 23). It is in this way that More endeavours in a search for truth about l ife, he looks to God for the answers. Meursault is also immersed in routine, but his is a routine of a simple lifestyle. His week is made up of breakfast at Celeste’s and his nine to five day job and he “used to wait for Saturdays to embrace Marie’s body'; (The Outsider, Albert Camus, p. 75). Meursault also had found his truth, but as Camus states in his after word, “This truth is as yet a negative one, a truth born of living and feeling'; (The Outsider, Camus, p. 119). It is this truth that results in Meursault’s very strong beliefs.

Qing Dynasty Essay

The last dynasty in China, the Qing dynasty, ruled from 1644 to 1911, and there is argument to say that their failures, especially those towards the end of their rule, created the underlying tension and ideologies behind the Communist victory in China and the consequential establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). These failures can be subdivided into military failures, weaknesses of the leadership, financial disarray, political troubles, and the Qing dynasty’s failure to implement lasting, effective reforms. It can easily be argued that the Qing dynasty didn’t recognise the importance of the military until it was too late and they suffered for neglecting it. The dismissal of a key general, Yuan Shikai in 1908 can be seen as a turning point for the military in this period. The dismissal wasn’t for valid reasons, but purely a chance for Regent Prince Chun to assert his authority. However, this had disastrous consequences the Qing dynasty, as th ey had lost their only loyal general, leaving them without military protection, an issue which had already been exacerbated by the Boxer Rising in 1900-1901. The Qing dynasty then made a further mistake in putting too much trust in him when he (reluctantly) returned. This resulted in Yuan Shikai using his unarguable military strength to gain political power. In all, this left the Qing dynasty with little, if any military strength. Their army wasn’t loyal, nor was it organised and there was much internal strife. Therefore the Chinese people were left yearning for a government that was strong enough to command military as well as political power, planting the ideas of revolution in their heads. The Qing dynasty also had a lot of problems with leadership. During the â€Å"100 Days† period of attempted reform, obvious internal power struggles arose which further weakened the dynasty. Here there was the struggle between the reactionaries of the government, those that wanted China to remain traditional and to uphold the ideas of Confucian living, and progressives who were in support of bringing in reform and change to modify China . With hindsight, it can be argued that, perhaps if the progressives had won the debate over reform, there might not have even been a need for a revolution. However, at the time it is important to note that the ideas of Confucian living and social harmony were a core part of Chinese society, and because most of the Chinese public had not known any different, something as radical as what the progressives were suggesting was seen as alien and threatening.  The reactionaries outweighed the progressives in court, and led by Dowager Empress Cixi, they forced themselves into power. For a while, although Cixi was in no way a perfect leader, at least there was a constant leader who was reliable. However in 1908, upon the death of Emperor Guangxu and Dowager Empress Cixi, Pu Yi came to be emperor. However emperor Pu Yi was only a very small child at the time, so Prince Chun acted as regent. He lacked authority, and so 3 further years of inconsistent leadership followed. The Chinese public started looking for someone who was confident to lead them into a revolution and give them what they need in way of reform, opening up and opportunity for a n ew leader to step in. From the end of the Opium Wars, the Qing government had been plunged into a state of bankruptcy, leaving them without enough money to impose an industrial modernisation programme that China so desperately needed. This was made worse by the crippling penalties imposed after the Boxer Rising in 1900-01. The effect of this is most obviously highlighted with the railways crisis from 18958-1911. During this time the railway boom in China meant a great opportunity for provinces to thrive, bringing in trade and new jobs. However, the Qing government chose to nationalise the railway, and to be able to afford to do so, that meant that they had to raise taxes and rely on foreign loans. Naturally, the Chinese people in these provinces weren’t happy with the fact that not only have the government taken away a huge possibility for local investment, but were then imposing taxes on the very people who were missing out. This led to open opposition of the government for the first time in China, as well as a damaged sense of pride because they were relying on foreign investment. The Qing dynasty was widely regarded among the Chinese as old-fashioned and redundant. First of all, this was down to the simple fact that they originated from Manchuria, which wasn’t even part of China, meaning that they were out of touch with the growing popularity of nationalism. Also, their authoritarian tradition made them incapable of responding to the demands of the revolutionaries, who were inspired by Japanese and Western models of democracy. This is because, among the people, there was fear of the punishments associated with â€Å"disrupting the social harmony† (defying the government). Combined with the government’s fear of change, it can be argued that this is why it took until 1949 for China to have a revolution, compared to America or France. Finally, and most importantly, was the Qing dynasty’s  blatant disregard for the crucial need for reforms. The closest that they got to reform was during the â€Å"100 Days† in 1905, when reforms based on western models were proposed but completely ignored in courts and so therefore didn’t go through. Part of this was to do with Dowager Empress Cixi leading a strong opposition against the reform. However, she later went on to introduce some reform, for example she brought an end to tests in Confucianism for government positions and she created provincial assemblies. Many historians have argued, however, that this was just an attempt to win over the revolutionaries who were turning against the idea of an â€Å"establishment† all together. Generally, by the time of the formal abdication of the Qing dynasty in 1912, the revolutionaries within China were ready for change. They were fed up with having a corrupt, inconsistent central government that weren’t in touch with the modern concepts behind revolutionary thoughts. This lay the foundations for the Chinese revolution and the eventual establishment of the PRC in 1949.

Beowulf and Grendel Essay - 1654 Words

Beowulf and Grendel Beowulf and Grendel are actually the same stories in the fact that they are based on the same epic Beowulf. Beowulf, that is told of here is translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland, and there are many different translations which makes Beowulf the epic so interchangeable. Although Beowulf and Grendel seem very similar they do have many differences as well. Reading the two stories back to back gives you the impression of how many differences there are. For example, Beowulf is written from an outsiders point of view. Grendel is written from Grendels point of view. This changes the whole perception of the book. Seeing a story written from two different points of views not only helps you to†¦show more content†¦The stories actually differ in ways that make your feelings change about the plot. These two stories were written during the Anglo Saxon period. Anglo Saxon was also the time of Medieval England. Each story gives a good representation of this time. It is necessary to learn about this period in order to get the full impact of these stories. To understand that Medieval England was very different compared to the current time is very important before reading the two stories. In the Anglo Saxon time they had no rights for animals, they would simply slaughter them for all the food they could eat. In todays time there are animal rights. For example, there are animal rights activists. They believe that animals should not be killed for food or sport. Todays societal views would have been laughed at from the point of view of the medieval world. Today we have the luxury of being able to drive down the street, run into the grocery store, and purchase whatever food we need. The Anglo Saxons did not have cars nor were there grocery stores. As for the Anglo Saxons, they had to get their own food whatever way possible. That meant they had to go out and kill animals for their meat, have their own gardens in order to have. The medieval period was on e of wars, fighting, and killing. In that time people were killing other people without the consequences of jail time like there is today. They would have a little trial type situation where theShow MoreRelatedBeowulf and Grendel3405 Words   |  14 PagesBeowulf is a classical epic poem which describes Beowulf’s heroic deeds and his acts towards bringing justice and peace to the Scandinavian society by eradicating Grendel. The original manuscript (700-1000A.D.) and the modern film (2005) reveals significant differences between the characters’ traits and descriptions, an important quotation, descriptions of places, motives, a character’s presence and events that have taken place. Thus, this modern adaptation, Beowulf and Grendel, of an ancient textRead MoreGrendel And Beowulf1838 Words   |  8 Pagespeople in Beowulf are the reason for the heinous acts committed by monsters. 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In many occasions humans try to kill Grendel because he is viewed as evil, until Beowulf accomplishes men’s goalRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf And Grendel1363 Words   |  6 PagesWhen one first encounters the epic poem Beowulf, they are usually taken aback by the differences between the text of the Anglo Saxons at that time and our present culture. This tale of a heroic warrior, Beowulf, defeating his opponent, Grendel, is certainly different from current works of fiction. Differences in diction, context, and characters allow readers to see how different other cultures were, and whether or not these differences carry over into other cultures. It is no secret that things haveRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf And Grendel1363 Words   |  6 PagesWhen one first encounters the epic poem Beowulf, they are usually taken aback by the differences between the text of the Anglo Saxons at that time and our present culture. This tale of a heroic warrior, Beowulf, defeating his opponent, Grendel, is certainly different from current works of fiction. Differences in diction, context, and characters allow readers to see how different other cultures were, and whether or not these differences carry over into other cultures. It is no secret that things haveRead MoreCharacter Of Grendel And Beowulf999 Words   |  4 PagesMost readers find it hard to understand and sympathize with the antagonist of a story. When most think of Grendel, they picture evil and mayhem. However, this is because of the one sided portrayal provided by the novel Beowulf. By having another piece of writing that id entifies the other side to the character that was not addressed, it allows the reader to see a different point of view and connect with the overall story even more; this is especially important in significant parts of the story. BothRead MoreBeowulf And Grendel Analysis729 Words   |  3 PagesIn the books Beowulf and Grendel they discuss the meaning of our world, the power of good and evil. Prince of the welders was portrayed as the hero because this spine chilling â€Å"immortal† monster was to be slain at the hands of this warrior. The reason that â€Å"the slayer† wanted to defeat Grendel was so he could keep the riches and try to fill that void that fuels the greed within him. The creation of Grendel was a sound decision due to the aspect that it shows the ulterior motives of the story. The