Comparing Rituals in Everyman and Endgame
"Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Make the symbol of the cross--you must be Catholic--I see them doing that all of the time." I was eager to know what my friend's response would be.
"Yeah," she replied, "I am. It's holy, respect for Jesus and Mary. Sometimes we have to do it as penance after confession."
Inquisitively I asked, "I don't get it. So you perform this ritual for different reasons? What are you trying to accomplish when you do it, get into Heaven or just avoid going to Hell? Or could it be that it's just to do the same thing Catholics have always done?"
Rituals, no matter how major or minor they seem, can be found almost everywhere. Some are of a religious context, and some are not. Some are performed for specific reasons, and some are performed simply to avoid change. The presence of rituals and their importance are very evident in the plays Everyman, written by an anonymous writer, and Endgame, written by Samuel Beckett. Everyman tries to prepare for death and attain his ultimate goal of gaining entrance into heaven by changing his life through the ritualized acts of scourging himself and performing the seven blessed sacraments. In Endgame, Clov ritualistically looks out of the window to make sure that nothing has changed and that death, or anything else that may disrupt the character's repetitive cycle of life, is not on the "horizon." Hamm also resists change and attempts to avoid death by having Clov continually make sure that his chair is in the proper location so that death cannot find him in the wrong place and sneak up on him. The rituals are very different, and the major contrast between those performed is that Everyman realizes that the coming of death is inevitable and he wants to do whatever necessary to prepare for it, but the characters in Endgame fear death, and rather than prepare for it, try to avoid it by resisting any change to their daily routines.
Everyman does not resist death and even prepares for it by performing the religious rituals of the seven blessed sacraments and scourging himself. Through the performance of rituals Everyman is trying to attain the ultimate goal of reaching Heaven. He finds that the only character that will accompany him on his journey is Good Deeds, but she is weak. This represents the idea that he has not done enough good during his life and must now do something to change.
In his sufferings, he makes it his duty to fend for all his men by
The information for this report was gathered from several Web sites and the main points of this report are discussed as follows:
In the past thirty years there have been a significant number of studies done to establish a connection between psychological stress and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD refers to the negative change towards the normal process of the heart and blood vessel system (What Is Cardiovascular Disease (Heart Disease)?, online). Psychological stress is defined, but not limited to being a demanding condition in which the normal behavioral conditions are exceeded thus overwhelming the behavioral resources of the organism (Kamarck, 2012). In the world today it has been shown that the impacts of psychological, social, and environmental stressors from daily lives are increasing the physical well being of individuals. Two different types of stressors can attain cardiovascular responses: "acute major life stressors and chronic exposure to continuing stressors" (Dimsdale, 2008). A stressor is any condition which causes stress on an individual. One may be exposed to acute stressors during periods of intense stress that are not regular to one’s lifestyle. Those who are exposed to constant chronic stressors are at an increased risk for hypertension, atherosclerosis, and stroke (Hojt, online). The increased levels of psychological stress present in individuals lives is providing for alarm due to the direct correlation it has with risk for cardiovascular disease.
Everyman The play “Everyman” is about a complacent Everyman who is informed by Death of his approaching end. The play shows the hero’s progression from despair and fear of death to a “Christian resignation that is the prelude to redemption.” Throughout the play Everyman is deserted by things that he thought were of great importance portrayed by characters that take the names of the things they represent. Throughout the play Everyman asks the characters to accompany him on his journey to death. He starts with Fellowship, his friends, who promises to go with him until they are informed of the destination.
After the morbid, post-war anxieties of the 1940s, Samuel Beckett sparked a new generation of expressionism in drama, known today as the Theatre of the Absurd. Distorting reality into a grotesque mixture of emotional grief and physical despair, this genre was accentuated by the way Beckett abused the concept of time. He conveyed characters lost in their melancholy, drawing them through the use of repetitive one-liners and slow neurotic musings. Perhaps the best example of Beckett bending time comes from his 1958 masterpiece Endgame.
Death, to the surrounding people, can often be seen as a horrible and depressing time in one’s life, while the same result may occur in the person going through the time period. One must remember, though, that no matter how the person has lived throughout their life, everyone must die eventually, for it is the circle of life. The playwright, Everyman, notes of the importance of having devotion and loyalty in Jesus Christ, for that is the only way to Heaven. Also, the play and The Sandbox greatly illustrate how a person near death is feeling and his emotions, while also describing the sympathy of others around him and their experiences.
...nsight to address the lack of courage and faith that plagues every human being. “The poem succeeds admirably in registering a mood not merely of disillusionment, but of personal weakness” (Morace 950). Without the faith and courage to face the final judgment, and move on to the afterlife, one will be left to linger in purgatory.
...eath, it ends with happiness. Peter being judged at his own funeral is heartbreaking, but there is a bright side. He can no longer hear their hate. He is already long gone by his funeral. He is in heaven. The hate can no longer hurt him. The speaker questions why humans would choose a hard life over an easy afterlife. In his poem, Doty proves that death is an escape from judgment, but he’s not saying death is the answer. He is saying that bigotry is causing these suicides or people hoping for death. Stopping the hate will let more people live free and be individuals. They would not have to conform to society’s mold any longer. When Earth reflects the morals and acceptance of this “heaven” that is mentioned, that is when people can be truly free. Peter is now free to be happy. His new life is a chance to start over and be him without fear of judgment or expectations.
First, when someone is overly exposed to chronic stress, his or her mental health is going to be negatively affected. Deadlines, being on time, producing quotas, generating company profit, and meeting the demands of family, colleagues, and administration are factors that propel prolonged stress. Eventually, prolonged stress contributes to the collapse of the immune system which leads to the failure of thinking and acting logically (Piotrowski). From there, the brain is undermined by the constant state of tension and anxiety, trapping itself in depression. These feelings can feed on each other and can themselves produce physical symptoms, exacerbating the situation. Extreme anxiety can cause giddiness, heart palpitations, headaches or stomach disorders. This cyclic pattern will continue to occur as long as prolonged stress is present. Emotional effects of stress can vary from becoming easily agitated, frustrated, and moody to feeling bad about oneself (low self-esteem), lonely, worthless and depressed. For example, living in the modern world forces one to participate in “competitions” of i...
Since stress can seriously damage individuals’ health and well-being in this paper, the researcher will identify stress, the causes, and treatment.
Stress is more than just worrying about something little. Stress can cause major health problems and even in extreme cases death. Stress is the body’s way of responding to an event in your life. When the body is feeling stressed out it releases chemicals into the blood. These chemicals provide energy to fight or escape a physical event. However, when stressing over things the body can not fight or escape which means the chemicals now have no place to go. This causes your heart to work harder and blood pressure to rise. Stress can cause a big variety of things to happen to your body and mind. Headache, high blood pressure, insomnia, teeth grinding, and weight loss or gain are just few things to happen when the body is stressed. Some people are more at a greater risk than others. Women are at greater risk than men are. Elders, genetic predisposition early separation from parents or childhood neglect may cause more stress. PTSD is a major stress disorder that some doctors have said and done studies on that it could be hereditary. There are different types of stress that can occur on the body (“Stress”).
Chronic stress results in mental and physical negative outcomes like being fatigued, getting irritated easily for no apparent reason and poor concentration. Chronic stress was found to make existing problems worse. For example, it can cause headaches due to negative thoughts. Another effect of chronic stress is that it can cause physiological diseases like high blood pressure. Moreover, it can lead to bad health habits like smoking and drinking. Adults at the age of 21 can use smoking and drinking as a way of coping with stress. When a person is depressed and has minimal social interactions for a prolonged amount of time, he or she can have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular complications. I agree with the findings from the articles as they evaluate and discuss their facts in a more informative
“Stress is a silent disease” (Doctor Hobel). Over the years, stress has played a major rule in a large majority of people’s lives throughout the United States. When thought about, it is said to be extremely surprising as to how many people really have stress in each individual’s life. People do not consider what the reasons are for the feelings and emotions they experience. There are all different types of stress, and stress can do a lot to a person. Each person also handles stress in a different way. Some can handle more than others, because every single person’s body works in a different way. Stress has also been told to cause people to act out of character (Dr. David Posen). They often do not act the way they usually would while under stress as they would if they were not under stress. Often times self control can fail to conquer when individuals are under stress and this can cause people to turn to addiction, abuse, or even have self destructive behavior. Stress is a huge problem in our country; that of which is underestimated.
People are always at risk when it comes to stress because it is something they deal with on daily basis. Stress can be defined as a psychological or a physiological reaction that happens when an individual comes in contact with a stressful event. When people think of stress they tend to think that stress is only bad meanwhile there can be a good reactions when it comes to stress. People need a certain amount of stress to work well and have the energy and willpower to achieve goals that they have set up for themselves. If life was not stressful we would all be bored and we would not give our 100 percent when we worked. Bad stress can lead to complete shot down. Someone being exposed to stressful events on a regular basis can result to having mental health problems. There are many different ways to deal with stress such as hobbies and exercise. Some people are not well educated when it comes to stress disorders. This subject should be more elaborated because if untreated stress can lead into bigger or worst mental health problems. Having poor education on the subject can interfere with getting the proper kind of help someone would need. This research essay will be talking about all the different kind of bad stress that can be harmful to a person. This research essay will also talk about all the information a person would need in order to be educated on the subject. (Allard)
Stressors are both physiological and psychological demands placed on an individual from both internal and external environments that can disturb homeostasis. This disruption requires an action to return the body to a balance. Being able to recognize, understand, and cope with stress is critical to overall health and well being of an individual. The ability to cope with stress productively can alter the outcome of illness and prevent negative health outcomes altogether. Each person experiences and perceives stress differently both physiologically, psychologically, and can portray it differently externally. The way in which each person handles stress can influence the path for care they pursue if illness is present. In the absence of remedial