Comparing The Golden Pathway Annual to Blue Remembered Hills Essay Example for Free

Comparing The Golden Pathway Annual to Blue Remembered Hills Essay In the autumn term of 2006 I performed as Enid and The Head in The Golden Pathway Annual, a play by John Harding John Burrows, for my scripted performance. The class was split into groups of three (which was very fitting as in The Golden Pathway Annual most scenes have only three characters, only the odd few scenes had four) and then given different extracts from the play. My group was exceptionally conscious in keeping the props, costumes and especially acting appropriate to the time period, so some brief research was done using the Internet to give us a better understanding of, for example, what statuses the mother and father would have in relation to each other, or what costumes should be worn. Obviously, a reading of the entire play was done prior to any rehearsals, so that the scenes that we would be performing made sense to us. We also read through Blue Remembered Hills, by Dennis Potter, as a class. The Golden Pathway Annual is almost completely non-naturalistic. The same actor plays Michael, the lead role, throughout all his ages from the age of two-and-a-half into his adulthood. Also, two of the four actors play a range of characters, as opposed to one actor playing one character, as they would in a naturalistic play. At first glances, Blue Remembered Hills would seem to be a non-naturalistic play. Firstly, the characters are all children, whereas all the actors are adults, similar to The Golden Pathway Annual, where an adult actor would play the role of the child Michael. However, the scenarios in Blue Remembered Hills are completely naturalistic everything that happens could happen in real life. In contrast, The Golden Pathway Annual has moments, such as the fantasy sequences, where Michael is a dog with members of the Famous Five, which are evidently not naturalistic. The other very naturalistic thing about Blue Remembered Hills is that the play is in real-time one incident after another without the imposition or intervention of memory in the form of flashback in Potters words. The play is set in one day, unlike The Golden Pathway Annual, which spans a time period of more than 20 years there is even an instance in the beginning where the transition between two scenes indicates the change of several years, where a child had been born and raised to the age of two-and-a-half not naturalistic in the slightest. The emotions in Blue Remembered Hills are very naturalistic. This is because the play shows realistic emotions and how the different characters would react, for instance when Donald dies towards the end, all the characters are badly shaken. If the emotions were non-naturalistic, such as in a comic style, the emotions would portray Donalds death as humorous. The Golden Pathway Annual also has very naturalistic, touching moments, such as: Enid: Whats going to happen to us? George: When? Enid: When we die. Enid feels upset and slightly pessimistic now that Michael has left home, a natural reaction for a mother to feel. George, in the following lines, tries to be brave and attempts to convince Enid shes not talking sense an also natural thing for a husband to do. A noticeable difference between the two plays is the themes. The Golden Pathway Annual mainly has the theme of expectations, where Michael is pressured throughout his life, by his parents and by his school. He works hard, however this is only to find that all he worked for amounted to nothing. The main theme of Blue Remembered Hills is, in my opinion, childhood (other people may think differently it depends on a persons interpretation). The play goes through the emotions and activities of children, with an ending showing how all fun and games can end in catastrophe. Basing the two plays on their main themes, it could be said that they are divergent, however the two plays have other themes, which do relate the two of them. Nostalgia seems to be portrayed in both of the plays. A sense of looking back can be seen in both Dennis Potters and Ed Thomasons (the director of the first The Golden Pathway Annual productions) introductions; Every event in the script which had sparked off a personal memory, a moment of recognition for me, would do the same for an audience (Ed Thomason). It is clear that The Golden Pathway Annual was written with the intention of nostalgia and Blue Remembered Hills was written using Potters memories. Both the plays similarly experience the theme of fantasy, however one experiences it naturalistically and the other non-naturalistically. Blue Remembered Hills has times when the children will imagine they are Indians and cowboys, for instance, running through the forest wailing and shooting each other with their imaginary guns. This is naturalistic, as the audience sees the children playing pretend. The Golden Pathway Annual has non-naturalistic fantasy sequences. Michaels fantasies are much more like dreams the audience views a dream where Michael is a dog or is James Bond; it is not Michael pretending he is James Bond. Although Blue Remembered Hills was written for television, a successful stage adaptation has been made of it. A problem posed by this, which is overcome in different ways, depending on the production, is the staging. There is a section towards the end where there are instant transitions between inside a barn and outside a barn. On television, this is easy to do, however on stage this is harder. Therefore, the staging must be unnatural the stage could be split, for instance. This is alike to The Golden Pathway Annual, where the staging is very unnatural such as in a scene I performed a Grannys footsteps scene, where Michaels parents advance on him in the ironic fashion of this childs game. As a group, we decided to stage it abstractly, similarly to the way Blue Remembered Hills would be staged. The Golden Pathway Annual is set during the 1940s and 1960s. Our group established this time period in many ways; one was the way the two parents related. I performed as Enid in a way that allowed George to be the more dominant character, reflecting on the main beliefs of that time, that men still seemed to be the superior gender. The Golden Pathway Annual begins just after the war, whereas Blue Remembered Hills is set during the war. It is interesting to see that just the two years changes the historic period entirely, making the two plays acted very differently. There is a similarity in time periods between the plays, and that is that the time period is a given circumstance it is set, and cannot be changed. The reason Blue Remembered Hills cannot be changed is quite obviously as it is during the war, and the context of the play wouldnt make sense without the time period. The time period in The Golden Pathway Annual is essential to the characters, plot and emotions; without the time period, the nostalgia of the play would be lost. In addition, the production notes stress the time period heavily. One difference I notice about the style of how the two plays are written is the freedom the writers allow for the production, and what given circumstances there are. Blue Remembered Hills seems to be more flexible with how the play can be performed. Potter gives an option of what Willie can be doing in the first scene, whereas Harding Burrows have much more strict given circumstances, where the props, as examples, are much more set the placing of the two chairs (which are the props that create the illusion of many other items in the play) is stated. Society and culture is a significant difference between the two plays. The Peters family in The Golden Pathway Annual is of working class. The family was hard-hit by the war literally; their house was bombed and they lost everything. Society in the times of the beginning of when The Golden Pathway Annual is set had the popular belief that the future would get better, the high hopes due to the recent winning of the war. It was also believed that the young generation should make the best of what they have offered to them, a culture reflected deeply into Enid and Georges parenting, which is shown through all the pressure applied on Michael to do well at school and get good qualifications, so he can succeed in life. However, as the play progresses, we see that cultures change and Michael finds that like the pound, his degree has devalued. The class and culture are both very different in Blue Remembered Hills. The children spit, threaten and fight regularly in the play, something that Michael is never known to have experienced. Michael is always made presentable, as his parents believe that they need to fit in with the society. It is likely that the same case occurs in Blue Remembered Hills, however the culture is different the entire town is likely to be of the lower agricultural class, working on the farms; the way the children behave is normal in the society they are in. It is clear that the upbringing of the children in Blue Remembered Hills is not to get a degree and do well in life and to better themselves, as Michael is in The Golden Pathway Annual; the children are parented in a sort of the present matters mentality, in contrast to The Golden Pathway Annual where Enid and George have firm beliefs that it is the future that matters, and that everything is done for a child to better themselves in the future. In conclusion, I have learnt that although the two plays are very different in where they are set and the way the characters behave, similarities still lie in the themes and some of the styles, such as staging.

At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig :: essays research papers

Introduction Through the eyes of a British man Paraguay is pictured as a country of eccentricity and contradiction, of beguilingly individualistic men and women. As this TP was written my points of view was the most important information source, disagreeing with the author in some of his statements. He describes a dirty country, and in my defence it is not like that. In relation to the title, in the cover of the book is the photo of a pink pig. It does not say why, but I suppose that it would be on sale in the market and called his attention. Or perhaps, the Inflatable Pig was a premonition of its book: Great by outside, emptiness on the inside. AT the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig Is a book about Paraguay written by John Gimlette, an English lawyer who has come here in Paraguay for visit. But from its beginning, the book is full of errors and plagued of hatred towards Paraguay. â€Å"Paraguay is not merely isolated, it is almost impenetrable†, why does he said that? Our country is open to travel in and out, for my personal experience, Paraguay is neither isolated nor impenetrable, and I would travel with no problem at all, if I had the means. Commerce in general terms is good here, we import as much as we export. â€Å"It has become a refuge to Nazis, cannibals, strange sixteenth-century Anabaptists, White Russians and fantastic creatures that ought long ago to have been extinct†. â€Å"The Paraguayans describe their landlocked nation as ‘South America’s Switzerland’. In truth, it is its Cinderella†. I do not know anyone who thinks that Paraguay is the ‘South America’s Switzerland’ as he mentioned. â€Å"A by-product of Paraguay’s strong kinship and oral traditions is that no one agrees on anything. History is largely a matter of opinion†, again, he is completely wrong, why he did not ask some of the good, excellent historians that this country has. It describes the life in Paraguay of that time so excellently that it is peculiar that a man so misinformed as Gimlette that writes a book plagued of errors, has called the attention of the â€Å"elite press†, North American. The book was published originally by Hutchinson in London, in 2002. The U.S.A. version just got out. -- This is the second book recently written by an English about Paraguay. In both, the writers did not scrimp poison.

Obama care Essay

â€Å"The Presidential election of the United States of America is behind us (November 2012), and yet US citizens seem to be dealing with the same political debates as last year and the year before. Much of this hinges around ideological, political and intellectual differences over what kinds of policies are right for the American population. The most controversial is the implementation of the Affordability Care Act, popularly known as Obama Care† (see, question). This act was officially signed into law on March 23rd 2010. â€Å"The Affordable Care Act is the result of a joint effort between all sides of the isle, health insurance companies, and law makers and has been in the works for decades. The law itself is based on ‘Romney Care’, The Massachusetts health care insurance reform law, St. 2006, c.58† (www.obamacarefacts.com). Obama Care is useful to the citizens of the United States of America. It regulates the health insurance industry, and helps to increase the quality, affordability, and availability of health insurance. It was projected that Obama Care will enable thirty million uninsured individuals to be able to obtain health insurance. Given the facts I believe that Obama Care is ingenious, thus the thesis of my essay is that Obama Care promotes equality, enables freedom, and creates solidarity in the United States of America. This legislation is needed to make the necessary changes in the United States of America. In order to understand the assertion that Obama Care enables freedom, promotes equality, and creates solidarity, the purpose of the Affordable Care Act has to be understood, the past healthcare system of the United States of America has to be explained, and the scepticism on the Affordable Care Act has to be eradicated. To begin with, Obama Care is also known as the Affordable Care Act, and the Patient Protection Act. It was signed into law on March 23rd 2010. This act affirms the principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to healthcare. The purpose of Obama Care is to create new rules for insurers, and to expand medical security to millions of individuals. This is achieved by implementing a health insurance marketplace, where Americans can buy subsidized and regulated health insurance plans in a competitive private market. This Act expands Medicaid and Medicare to many people. It is beneficial to the vast majority of the American population, but most especially the less privileged. The less you  make, the more the Affordable Care Act is of benefit to you. This Act does not constrain the freedom of individuals. Its target audience are those who do not like their current health insurance plan and those who are making fewer than 400% of the Federal Poverty Level. â€Å"The Federal Poverty Level is another way of referring to the Federal poverty guidelines. It is one measure of poverty within the United States, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issues it annually to determine financial eligibility for certain federal programs and benefits†¦ These include but are not limited to Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, Migrant Health Centers, Community Health Centers, Family and Planning Services, [and now Obama Care]. The characteristics used to determine poverty thresholds include family size, number of children and whether or not those in 1- or 2-person units are elderly† (www.healthedeals.com). Before the introduction of Obama Care, the primary source of health protection for the American society was Medicaid. â€Å"Medicaid is the largest source of funding for medical and health related services for people with low income in the United States of America. Medicaid is jointly funded by the state and Federal government, and is available to people who not only have low income but also meet other criteria such as; being a citizen of the United States of America, be a Permanent Resident in the U.S.A, and someone with a disability† (see.www.healthcare.gov). However, Medicaid is no longer capable of providing the citizens with their needs and enough coverage. â€Å"The United States of America seeks to close budget gaps, and it was proposed that Medicaid be put into a block grant or capped program, with significantly reduced funding, which would also result in cuts to eligibility and to services that are covered by Medicaid† (www.familiesusa.org). This means that a vast amount of the population would not have health insurance. Unlike Canada, the United States of America does not have free healthcare, thus such legislative action would endanger the lives of many of its citizens. The Affordable Care Act makes many provisions for people. These include people with the grandfathered plans (â€Å"plans that were in existence up until March 23rd 2010and haven’t been changed in ways that substantially cut benefits or increase costs for consumers† (www.dol.gov.com), those who have a legible insurance plan from work, a legible personal insurance plan, and for cultural and religious reasons. Firstly, Obama Care promotes equality in society. Equality is derived from the term equal. â€Å"To be equal is to have the same as† (www.merriam-webster.com). In this sense, citizens should have the same or a relatively equal amount of healthcare protection. It is accurate to state that not everyone in the American society is equal. People are at different hierarchies; they earn different wages, have different jobs with different benefits, and have different educational backgrounds. Regardless of these disparities, the life of each person should be equally valued and protected. Healthcare insurance can be quite expensive to purchase. â€Å"Different factors influence the price of an individual’s healthcare insurance premium. These include; the medical history of an individual, the location in which the individual resides, the level of coverage, the deductible and co-payments† (see, www.sbis.ca). These factors filter a lot of people who wish to purchase health insurance by making their premium unaffordable, or a strain on their way of life. Although, Medicaid is put in place to provide people who cannot afford health insurance with some coverage, Medicaid offers very basic protection and the majority of Americans do not qualify for Medicaid. In the United States of America, â€Å"about 44 million people have no health insurance, and another 38 million have inadequate health insurance. This means that nearly one-third of Americans face each day without the security of knowing that, if and when they need it, medical care is available to them and their families† (www.pbs.org). It is unfair to exclude people from having equal medical protection most especially if it is based on the fact that their income is not low enough, and (or) they have poor medical conditions. Obama Care reduces this disparity, because â€Å"it prohibits health insurers for charging you more, because of pre-existing health conditions. Insurers can only charge an individual based on whether it is an individual coverage or a coverage for multiple people, where the person lives, the age of the person, and if the person uses tobacco† (www.obamacarefacts.com). The implementation of these criterias is projected â€Å"to enable thirty million uninsured people purchase health insurance† (www.obamacarefacts.com). This creates vast more equality in society, with relation to medical care. Thus, it is evident that Obama Care promotes equality in the American society. Secondly, Obama Care enables freedom. Obama Care places health care insurance on a subsidized, and competitive private market. This provides more citizens with the opportunity to compare and select the type of healthcare insurance plan the need, want and will purchase. Obama Care expands and improves Medicaid. â€Å"It provides citizens with the opportunity to keep their current insurance plan ‘if they like it’ and provided that it complies with the terms of the Affordable Care Act, or it has Grandfathered status†(www.obamacarefacts.com). â€Å"Additionally, if you have government based insurance then you are covered† (www.pbs.org). Therefore, Obama Care enables citizens with not just the freedom to purchase sufficient medical coverage, but also the freedom to keep their healthcare insurance if it already provides them with sufficient coverage. Thirdly, Obama Care creates solidarity. Solidarity is a unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group. The implementation of Obama Care means the vast majority of Americans will have medical coverage. Every legal American citizen contributes to Obama Care. New taxes were implemented for the citizens of America because of Obama Care. â€Å"The new tax related provisions in the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) include tax hikes, limits to deductions, tax credits, tax breaks, and other changes† (www.obamacarefacts.com). This is because, â€Å"Obama Care includes many new benefits, rights, and protections including the requirement for health insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions. It also expands access to affordable health insurance to almost 50 million low-to-middle income men, women, and children across the country by offering reduced premiums via tax credits and expanding Medicaid and CHIP. Expanding the quality, affordability and availability of health insurance (along with other aspects of the law) come at a high cost. Assuming all tax provisions remain in place, the revenue generated from these new taxes help to cover the costs of the program and reduces the deficit. † (www.obamacarefacts.com). This shows that with Obama Care, health insurance is no longer a premium paid based on your age, gender, medical history, and location. This plan ensures that American citizens will be working in unison to make health insurance affordable for one another, and are working together to reduce the deficit and better the American economy. Although the Affordable Care Act appears to be a progressive solution for the United States of America, some people do not agree with the implementation of Obama Care. The most prominent opponent of the Affordable Care Act is the Republican Party of the United States of America. They argue that the implementation of Obama Care will; â€Å"iincrease health care costs, cause insurance premiums to rise, hurts the quality of health care, create nearly $570 billion in tax hikes, and add over $500 billion to the debt† (www.gop.com). Personally, I do not support the argument of the Republican Party. Although Obama Care might cause all of the stated, the benefit is greater than the cost. The change in cost does not seem to be substantial enough to cause great distress to the majority of American citizens, and whatever initial debt Obama Care may cost will be paid off in the long run. Furthermore, this Act is for the benefit of the greater good, and it enables most citizens to live a better lifestyle. In conclusion, the Affordable Care Act promotes equality, enables freedom, and creates solidarity in the United States of America. It is evident that this legislation is democratic, because its founding principles rest on equality, freedom and solidarity. â€Å"No consensus exists on how to define democracy, but equality, freedom and rule of law have been identified as important characteristics since ancient times† (Wikipedia.ca). The United States of America is not only a democratic country, but also one of the superpowers of the world. Such a dignified country should always aim to maximize the comfort and welfare of its citizens. The goal of Obama Care is to maximize the comfort and welfare of American citizens; which is how it should be.

Rise of Industry in the Late 19th Century - 1045 Words

During the 1860’s America was in a period of economic hardship due to the ongoing demand for materials and money to fund the war. In the South, sufficient money and materials were hard to acquire because the southern economy still depended on the labor of slaves to produce their goods and income rather than factories. The Northern economy used numerous factories to produce goods and make profit for the war, but they still did not have technology that was advanced enough to easily produce all the necessary materials and money. After the civil war, America embarked on a journey of economic expansion and unification for the nation. In the late 19th century, government policies, technological advancements and population changes contributed to†¦show more content†¦multiplied enormously the effectiveness of labor† (Chandler 277; George 50). As America was booming from government policies and new technology, population changes also took effect to contribute to the rise of industry. Population was steadily rising due to immigration, migration, and improved conditions of living. Millions of European and Asian immigrants came to America in search of a more promising and successful life. These immigrants created a growing work force that big industries took advantage of by using the minimally paid workers to help produce more for their companies. Along with westward migration in America, â€Å"In the post-civil war period, cities swelled in population as a twin migration of immigrants and rural Americans flocked to the glittering urban environment† (Riis 320). This urbanization solidified the transition of the nation from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. Also in the 19th century, population was at a high compared the past because of improvements in health care, a higher reproduction rate and a better standard of living. These population changes provided America with a large, growing consumer economy that allowed industry and busi ness to thrive. Compared to previous times, America ended the 19th century at an all time high due to new government policies, technological advancements and population changes. With the help of federal encouragement to settle westward and unite the country, industry was able to expand to moreShow MoreRelatedImperialism : The Age Of Imperialism1010 Words   |  5 PagesIndira Yuldasheva C band Expansionism Essay The late 19th century and early 20th century is known as the â€Å"Age of Imperialism†, a period in which major world powers, including the United States, adopted a policy of expansionism. Expansionism is defined as the policy of territorial or economic expansion, which is often achieved through diplomacy or military force. During this time period, the United States notably acquired territory in the Pacific and Latin America. 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