Priestley
Priestley's output was vast and varied - he wrote over one hundred
novels, plays, and essays, and is best known as the author of the
novel THE GOOD COMPANIONS (1929). A man of versatility, he was a
patriot, cosmopolitan Yorkshire man, professional amateur, cultured
Philistine, reactionary radical, and a common-sense spokesman for the
ordinary man-in-the-street. Priestley refused both knighthood and
peerage,John) Boynton Priestley (1894-1984)
Priestley was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in the north of
England. His father, Jonathan Priestley, was a prosperous
schoolmaster; his mother died when he was an infant. Priestley
attended Bradford Grammar School, but left his studies at the age of
sixteen and worked as a junior clerk in a firm (1910-1914). In
Bradford Priestley began to write poetry for his own pleasure and
contribute articles to local and London papers. During WW I Priestley
served with the Duke of Wellington's and Devon regiments, and survived
the front lines in Flanders. From 1919 he studied literature, history
and political science at Bradford and at Cambridge, receiving his B.A.
in 1921. From 1922 he worked as a journalist in London, starting his
career as an essayist and critic at various newspapers and
periodicals, including the New Statesman. His first collection of
essays, BRIEF DIVERSIONS, appeared in 1922.
Priestley gained international popularity with his novel The Good
Companions, a tale about the adventures of a troop of travelling
players. "To say that these men paid their shillings to watch
twenty-two hirelings kick a ball is merely to say that a violin is
wood and catgut, that Hamlet is so much paper and ink. For a shilling
the Bruddersford United AFC offered you Conflict and Art." (From The
Good Companions) It was followed by ANGEL PAVEMENT (1930), depicting
Priestley has presented Birling as an arrogant, egotistical, right wing or capitalist man. Priestley himself was a socialist. He believes that as a society, we have to look after one another and that the government should give the unemployed people or refugees free health cares and free education. This tells us that Priestley wouldn’t make Mr. Birling look good in this story as capitalists like Mr. Birling only care about wealth. This story was set in 1912 which was before WWI and was written in 1946 which was just after the WWII. This means Priestley had lived through the two great wars, which probably had a huge impact on him. He used dramatic irony especially with regards to Mr. Birling. In the play, Mr. Birling was confident about the theories
Culture has been defined numerous ways throughout history. Throughout chapter three of, You May Ask Yourself, by Dalton Conley, the term “culture” is defined and supported numerous times by various groups of people. One may say that culture can be defined as a set of beliefs (excluding instinctual ones), traditions, and practices; however not all groups of people believe culture has the same set of values.
Every company has what is known as a “signature piece,” that is, a work which expresses something about the artistic direction and the spirit of the company. For the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater that piece is Revelations. Choreographed and set to traditional music, Revelations was first performed at the Ninety-second Street YM-YWHA New York, NY., January 31, 1960. The lead dancers were Joan Derby, Minnie Marhsall, Merle Derby, Dorene Richardson, Jay Fletcher, Nathaniel Horne, and Herman Howell and the soloists were Nancy Redi and Gene Hobgood. The music was performed by the Music Masters Guild Chorus of the Harlem Branch YMCA under the direction of Frank Thomas. The piece as originally performed consisted of danced portions and music interleudes grouped under three broad headings, “Pilgrim of Sorrow,” “That Love My Jesus Gives Me,” and “Move, Members, Move.” The work was revised extensively a month after its first performance and was again given at the Ninety-second Street YM-YWHA. Revelations has been seen in every country that the company has toured and has been universally acclaimed.
Over the course of decades, the issue of slavery, a prominent topic that attributed to countless problems and controversies, served as a significant role in the United States by establishing a division of the anti-slavery North and pro-slavery South. Due to these distinct viewpoints and years of simmering tensions between the northern and southern sectors of the United States, the two apprehensive regions collided and conducted the Civil War, the deadliest conflict in American history. The outbreak of the American Civil War comprised of a series of events, but the four most significant events that triggered the rise of the war were the death of Elijah Lovejoy, the supreme court decision of Dred vs. Scott, the Harper’s Ferry takeover, and the
We have all read interesting, touching stories in our lifetime. I have read a few, myself. The one that really sticks out in my mind is, The Unquiet Death of Robert Harris by Michael Kroll. This story left me filled with emotions, opinions, and questions.
In Dalton Conley’s You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist, Conley defines the sociological imagination as “the ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual’s life to seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces (Conley, pg 4). The two readings that contributed the most to the development of my sociological imagination are Robert J. Brym’s, “Six Lessons of Suicide Bombers” and Javier Auyero’s and Debora Swistun’s “Amidst Garbage and Poison: An Essay on Polluted Peoples and Places”.
Landscape painting was extremely important during the middle of the nineteenth century. One of the leading practitioners of landscape painters in America was Thomas Cole. He visited many places seeking the “natural” world to which he might utilize his direct observations to convey the untainted nature by man to his audience. His works resolved to find goodness in American land and to help Americans take pride in their unique geological features created by God. Thomas Cole inspired many with his brilliant works by offering satisfaction to those seeking the “truth” (realism) through the works of others.
Billy Collins: the Poet of Continuity and Change. From controversial events to ordinary life stories, Billy Collins writes about various topics from different perspectives, just like a chameleon, changing its colors to fit with its surroundings. Collins talks in a gentle, yet humorous way; he illustrates a profound understanding through clear observation. His writing style blends humor and solemnity into one entity.
Aaron Copland was the leading pioneer in American music. He was one of the most respected and admired composers of the twentieth century. American composers were viewed as being a spin-off of it’s European counterpart. Aaron Copland was a tremendous influence to help American composers break free from the ‘European’ style of music. Twentieth century Americanism was reflected in the music created by Aaron Copland; consequently, he is perceived as America’s most important composer (sonyclassical.com). This paper will briefly examine Aaron Copland’s life, influences reflected in his music and various musical styles.
Kiki Smith is a feminist artist who is known for using the human body and its substances in ways that no other artist has before. “This work displays often grotesque and uncomfortable themes that would usually only be seen in private, however socially suppressed ideas towards things such as defecation and human fragility are often purposely overlooked today.” (Feminist Blog). Some of the issues she displays through art are abortion, AIDS, gender, race and women. Smith is known for using animals, fairytale icons, and other elements of nature in her artwork.
Atlantic journalist Nicholas Carr confesses that he feels something has been “tinkering with his brain.” The internet, he fears, may be messing with our minds. We have lost the ability to focus on a simple task, and memory retention is steadily declining. He is worried about the effect the internet has on the human brain, and where it may take us in the future. In response to this article, Jamais Cascio, also a journalist for the Atlantic, provides his stance on the issue. He argues that this different way of thinking is an adaptation derived from our environment. Ultimately, he thinks that this staccato way of thinking is simply a natural evolution, one that will help to advance the human race.
Block conveys the messages of how the Mccarthy trials were in “We Now Have New and Important Evidence”, and “It’s okay--We're Hunting Communists” through his symbolic detailing. The audience of “We Now Have New and Important Evidence”, seems either to be listening to the man or quietly disregarding everything that he is saying. Block employs the meaning of how most people thought highly of McCarthyism while others denoted it sometimes leading them into trouble, when their refuse to believe in Communist spies penetrating America. “It’s okay-- We're hunting Communists”, there are two men driving a car labeled “committee on un-american activities” through a street crowded with people even running over some of the citizen’s legs. Miller portrays
John Maloney’s “Good!” A short (14-line) poem encompasses the fast paced events within a Basketball game. The intense play-by-play imagery Maloney gives us displays his knowledge of Basketball and his love of the sport. There
The book I read was Billy Sunday. It consists of 189 pages and was written by William T. Ellis in 1959.