Important similarities and differences between Judaism and Christianity

Judaism and Christianity are both monotheistic religions with a common root in that they share in descent from the patriarch Abraham. Christianity after all was founded by Jews, and even when it first had Gentile converts for a while they followed Jewish practices, such as keeping the food laws, until Peter’s vision a t the home of Cornelius ( Acts 10) They are linked by the search for the Saviour or Messiah foretold in the scriptures that both share e. g, Isaiah 35 – and known by Christians in the New Testament. Goldberg and Rayner begin their book ‘The Jewish People’ :-The history of the Jewish people begins with Abraham, the history of the Jewish religion begins with Moses. Jews take their name from the fourth son of Jacob by his wife Leah. They would have in times past called themselves Israelites. The name Jew comes from the Romans who referred to Idumea, an area south of Israel. The fundamental difference is that Christians believe that Messiah came i n Jesus of Nazareth some 2000 or so years ago, while Jews, unless they claim to be Messianic Jews, a growing group, are still waiting. Another massive difference is that one is born a Jew.As long as your mother was Jewish you are Jewish, whether or not you are in any way religious, whether or not you keep the laws of Judaism and even whether or not you believe in God. Descent is through women, because then, if a foreigner impregnated a Jewish woman, whether by consent or by rape, the child would still be part of the people of God. This applies even when the women of a family have married non Jews for several generations and worship as members of another faith. It is the religion of a race and it is very difficult for anyone to become a Jew in any other way than to be born to it.Christianity on the other hand is a religion open to anyone, but though one can be born into a Christian family and dedicated or christened soon after birth, as a young person or adult each person must decide for themselves to follow Jesus as Saviour. Christians believe in one God, but refer to God as Trinity, three in one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jews prefer to think of God as one. Yet in the Old Testament there are references to God as Father ( Psalm 68 v 5 ‘A Father of the fatherless†¦. is God) and as Spirit, ( Numbers 11 v 17) and also to his sending of a Saviour.( Isaiah 42)Like Christianity Judaism has over the years divided into various groupings, orthodox, liberal and so on, but just as all Christians of whatever denomination relate back to Jesus Christ, so all Jews relate back to the patriarchs. By the time of Christ though Judaism had become a very different religion as far as its every day practice – so much so the writer Ninian Smart in ‘The World’s Religions’ differentiates them into the religion of the Israelites and Judaism. ( pages 202-203). This was a gradual evolution rather than a sudden change.When the Israelites were only a few in number they worshipped together. When they made their Exodus and spent 40 years in the wilderness they worshipped together in the tabernacle Change began at the time of the Exile, when the majority of Jews were separated from temple worship, and synagogues developed. After C. E. 70 when the Romans destroyed the Jerusalem temple and Jews fled from Israel to become part of the Diaspora, non sacrificial synagogue worship became the only type available. The period of temple worship is still looked back to as when at Passover each family makes the pledge ‘Next Year in Jerusalem’.These forced changes also meant that home worship as a family became more important. Judaism is essentially the religion of the group. Judaism has its scholars and mystics, but never took up the solitary or single sex contemplative life, such as that of Julian of Norwich or groups such as the Franciscans, that began in Christianity in the second century with the desert fathers and continues t o some extent to the present day. The position of women in both religions has been problematic and is divided upon denominational lines.In the Chambers Dictionary of Religions and Beliefs, page 271, Rosemary Goring tells us about this in some detail. She explains how Reformed Judaism has tried to redress its traditional exclusion of women from worship as in the introduction of a coming of age ceremony for girls as well as for boys. The first woman became a rabbi in the Reformed tradition in the1970s. Even Conservative Judaism took the same step in 1985, but in Orthodox synagogues women are still separated from men in worship and they are only obliged to keep the negative laws i. e.thou shalt not commit adultery, and not the positive ones at certain times. The claim is that this is a matter of difference rather than a matter of inferiority.The same claim would be made by certain Christians. There have always been women in leadership roles within the church, but, despite verses such a s Galatians 3:28, â€Å"There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, between slaves and free men; between men and women, for you are all one in union with Christ Jesus. † actual ordination has been a long time coming and in certain denominations has either not arrived or again been minimal in its effect.Judaism is a quite legalistic religion. There are rules that cover every area of life, and Orthodox Jews in particular are meticulous in keeping such rules. Christianity on the other hand, although it too has rules, these are more concerned with morals than with such minutiae as the kind of knot that can be used on the Sabbath. Galatians 2 v 16 perhaps sums up the different attitudes to legalism. ‘’We know that a person is put right with God only through faith in Jesus Christ, never by doing what the law requires.†These are of course the words of St Paul, who in his earlier life had been most legalistic -a Hebrew of the Hebrews’ as he describes h imself in Philippians, ‘’As far as keeping the Jewish law is concerned I was a Pharisee’ ( Philippians 3 v 5). Jews consider themselves the chosen people of God. Christians consider themselves to have become, because of their faith in the Savior Christ Jesus , also children of God ‘At one time you were not God’s people’ Peter tells new converts, ‘but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God’s mercy, but now you have received his mercy.’ ( 1 Peter 2 v 10)With regard to the after life there are a range of beliefs. Christians believe that Christ has covered their sins and they will ultimately live for ever with God in heaven. Large parts of the New Testament are concerned with teaching on the subject as in I Thessalonians 4. The after life is rarely mentioned in Jewish scriptures. It concentrates more on one’s actions than one’s beliefs. Both Torah and Talmud concentrate on doing one’s duty to God in this life. The web site ‘Jewish beliefs on the afterlife ‘ says :-Succeeding at this brings reward, failing at it brings punishment. Whether rewards and punishments continue after death, or whether anything at all happens after death, is not as important. Despite this there is some teaching on the subject.. Moed Katan is cited on the same page . â€Å"This world is only like a hotel. The world to come is like a home. † In the early history of the people death is likened to a reunion with family. (Genesis 49 v 29) Jacob tells his sons ‘I am going to join my family in death.’It was important to him that he be buried close to those who had preceded him as is obvious in the careful instructions that follow. This contrasts with the fate of the wicked who are described as being cut off from their people. (see Exodus 31 v 14). There is still a belief among the most Orthodox of Jews in a sort of half life after death in a place called She’ol , a world described in Isaiah 14 v 9 and 10. This was expressed to me by a lady who said ‘As long as someone is alive who remembers me I shall be alive’. Both religions have naturally adjusted to changing situations over time.For instance on page 111 of ‘The Jewish People’ Goldberg and Rayner describe how Jewish law was adjusted to conditions in such places as Cairo and Istanbul. It began as the religion of a nomadic people, but became the religion of a minority group living among people who practiced other faiths. This, and the persecution they suffered, led to such things as the Jewish ghettos of mediaeval times, in part forced on them by the majority population, and in part by the natural inclination of people to live near those like themselves.Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century under the emperor Constantine. In the intervening years since its inception the church grew rapidly in fulfillment of the parable of the mustard seed recorded in Matthew ( 13 v 31 and 32). William Frend describes in ‘The Christian World’ how its organization had developed into something that rivaled the state itself with its various officials in each area, so much so that Diocletian and his court in 302 tried to face up to the significant decision as to whether Christ or the traditional gods of Rome should be considered as the guardians of that city.A Roman mosaic from 5th century Rome, shown in the Christian World , (page 39) would depict Christ emperor. Becoming a state religion had both advantages, the protection of Christians and their practices, and problems such as state interference in matters that might be considered as purely church matters. For example Henry 1st of England intervened so much in church life that he wanted to be the one to give authority to the archbishop Anselm, rather than this coming from Rome. Christianity is a missionary faith.Christians have traveled to all parts of th e world taking the good news with them and seeking to bring other people to join them in faith in Christ. Judaism sees no need for this. Judaism follows the commandment found in Exodus 20 v 4 about the forbidding of making images. This is taken to mean images of God. A modern synagogue will perhaps have stained glass windows depicting important t stories from the scriptures – the giving of the law to Moses for instance or the crossing of the Dead Sea, but because they also accept the words of Genesis 1 v 26 in which God says that he created men in his image, there are no depictions of people.This injunction does not seem to apply to photographs. Christians, believing that they are not bound by Old Testament laws frequently celebrate their faith in pictures, including images of Christ and symbolic pictures of God as Father and Spirit. Conclusion These two faiths have both parallels and common roots as well as shared scriptures and monotheism. There are also major differences i n belief and emphasis and the way that religion affects daily life. In both there are sincere believers as well as those of less than total commitment.

The Hobbit Book Report

This is a story about the adventure of a delightful little hobbit and how he found out who he was and what he really valued. At first, the little hobbit Bilbo was just a normal Baggins (a family name which stands for routineers and homebodies) who lived a peaceful life in a comfortable and quiet hobbit hole full of fine furniture, delicate ornaments and a lot of food. However, everything changed when Gandalf, an old wizard, gave him a visit and held and unexpected party in Bilbo’s hobbit hole with 13 dwarves who Bilbo had never met before. Gandalf invited Bilbo to a journey to the Lonely Mountain and to help the dwarves get back their treasure from the wicked dragon. The more Took part (Bilbo’s mom was a Took) of Bilbo’s characteristic was awaken and he, after a lot of hesitation because of being a Baggins for more than 50 years, decided to go with the dwarves. During the journey, Bilbo gave up all the things that he was used to and took granted for. Everyday, he slept on rocks and ate things like dog food; he rode on horses that was too high for him and tried his best to follow the dwarves’ pastes. At the beginning, the dwarves had many complains about bringing a hobbit with them as Bilbo always slowed down the whole group. However, clear transformations can be seen on Bilbo as time flouted. Even though he, sometimes, still missed his cute little hobbit hole and his afternoon tea, he learned to be an adventurer and to perform his duties as a member of the group. He saved the whole team by shouting to Gandalf and he even escaped from the Goblins by himself. He won the respect from the dwarves and finally fixed in. No one is unchangeable and that’s why we keep on trying new things. During this process of trying, we discover new interests, new goals and new capabilities. In this case, Bilbo transformed from a domestic little hobbit into a clever burglar and a resourceful companion. He found out that what he really valued was friendship, adventures and braveness but not an unchangeable life. Sometimes, we think we are satisfied with what we have right now because all the people around us all live identical lives. Whenever changes occur, we’ll start I believe that in somewhere deep inside us, we all crave for adventures, different lives and a brand new world.

Reading Notes on Robert Frost’s Poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

Reading Notes on Robert Frost’s Poem â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay† Robert Frost wrote a number of long narrative poems like â€Å"The Death of the Hired Man,† and most of his best-known poems are medium-length, like his sonnets â€Å"Mowing† and â€Å"Acquainted with the Night,† or his two most famous poems, both written in four stanzas, â€Å"The Road Not Taken† and â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening.† But some of his most beloved poems are famously brief lyrics- like â€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay,† which is condensed into only eight lines of three beats each (iambic trimeter), four little rhyming couplets containing the whole cycle of life, an entire philosophy. Double Entendreâ€Å"Nothing Gold Can Stay† achieves its perfect brevity by making every word count, with a richness of meanings. At first, you think it’s a simple poem about the natural life cycle of a tree: â€Å"Nature’s first green is gold,Her hardest hue to hold.† But the very mention of â€Å"gold† expands beyond the forest to human commerce, to the symbolism of wealth and the philosophy of value. Then the second couplet seems to return to a more conventional poetic statement about the transience of life and beauty: â€Å"Her early leaf’s a flower;But only so an hour.† But immediately after that, we realize that Frost is playing with the multiple meanings of these simple, mostly single syllable words- else why would he repeat â€Å"leaf† like he’s ringing a bell? â€Å"Leaf† echoes with its many meanings- leaves of paper, leafing through a book, the color leaf green, leafing out as an action, as budding forth, time passing as the pages of the calendar turn... â€Å"Then leaf subsides to leaf.† From Naturalist to PhilosopherAs the Friends of Robert Frost at the Robert Frost Stone House Museum in Vermont point out, the description of colors in the first lines of this poem is a literal depiction of the spring budding of willow and maple trees, whose leaf buds appear very briefly as golden-colored before they mature to the green of actual leaves. Yet in the sixth line, Frost makes it explicit that his poem carries the double meaning of allegory: â€Å"So Eden sank to grief,So dawn goes down to day.† He is retelling the history of the world here, how the first sparkle of any new life, the first blush of the birth of mankind, the first golden light of any new day always fades, subsidies, sinks, goes down. â€Å"Nothing gold can stay.† Frost has been describing spring, but by speaking of Eden he brings fall, and the fall of man, to mind without even using the word. That’s why we chose to include this poem in our seasonal collection of poems for autumn rather than spring.

Romeo and Juliet Essays

Romeo and Juliet Essays Romeo and Juliet Essays Romeo and Juliet Essays Romeo and Juliet essays are hard to write because of the wealth of criticism available online. You may think differently. However, you should not forget that wealth of information leaves little space for your own creative writing. It means that you can hardly write something new when everything has already been written.   Read the following sample essay on Romeo and Juliet.   It is well-written and you will definitely get some interesting ideas out of it. If you are looking for individual help with writing, we offer you to try our custom essay writing services. We are never late with essay delivery and we guarantee quick and adequate revisions. Our writers will not let you down because we value your trust and choice of our writing services! You may also take a look at tips on how to write a good college essay or critical literary essay . In addition, review the following article outlining characteristics of great essays! Romeo and Juliet Essay Sample In Romeo and Juliet, remarks an acute analyst of Shakespeare's symbolism, 'the dominating image is light, every form and manifestation of it'. The tapers and torches that burn for Capulet's ball are put to shame by the flood of moonlight that lies beneath his daughter's window, and 'tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops'; Juliet appears in a brightly-lit casement As glorious to this night, being o'er my head,As is a winged messenger of heavenUnto the white-upturned wondering eyesOf mortals that fall back to gaze on himWhen he bestrides the lazy-passing clouds . . . She compares the shock of Romeo's sudden wild declaration to the effect of a glimmering sheet of summer lightning: ... Although I joy in thee,I have no joy of this contract tonight:It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden,Too like the lightning, which doth cease to beEre one can say 'It lightens' . . . The lovers' moment of happiness ends with the dawn, as 'envious streaks' begin to lace the East, and 'Night's candle s' slowly pale and die; and the beauty and brevity of love itselfthat 'brief light', doomed to quick extinction, celebrated in Catullus' famous lyric-are set off by the 'perpetual darkness' of ancient Capulets' sepulchral vault. Yet Shakespeare's play has its sensuous undertones, and is alive with worldly bustling characters. His wit is seen at its boldest and bawdiest. The opening passage, where Sampson and Gregory, servants of the Capulets, decide to pick a quarrel with the retainers of the Montagues, is already rich in sexual jokes; and Mercutio is a fount of genial obscenities, including one reference so abstrusely phrased that it escapes the average modern reader. 1 Shakespeare's bawdy has often puzzled his critics. Robert Bridges believed that it was imposed on him by his disreputable contemporary audience, 'those wretched beings who can never be forgiven their share in preventing the greatest poet and dramatist of the world from being the best artist'; while Bernard Shaw sugg ested that his 'incorrigible addiction to smutty jokes' was fostered by his snobbish anxiety to resemble a member of the upper classes, the aristocrat, according to Shaw, being always particularly lewd in speech. Shakespeare, however, was representative of his period; and, although the Elizabethans' attitude towards love was not uncomplicated by neurotic feelings-with a pagan delight in the flesh went disgust, remorse and guilty fearthey understood that the Heavenly and the Earthly Venus are twin manifestations of the same divinity, and that, if one is to be properly served, the other must be duly honoured. Romeo and Juliet Essay Custom Writing Did you like the above sample essay?   Do you want to get a unique essay about Romeo and Juliet written especially for you?   We guarantee adequate support and on time delivery of custom written essays. We are ready to write your essay even if your deadline is in less than 12 hours from now! You will be pleasantly surprised with our prices. Is high quality possible at the low price? At our site – yes! Romeo and Juliet Essays Romeo and Juliet Essays Romeo and Juliet Essay Romeo and Juliet Essay Act I Scene i 1 . The Capulet servants Sampson and Gregory start a fight with Balthazar and Abraham. Benvolio tried to break up the feud until Tybalt attacks him. 2. Prince Escalus breaks up the feud by threatening everyone with death. 3. Benvolio realizes that Romeos problem is that he is love and tries to find out who it is. Romeo is too stubborn and will not tell who he is in love with. Act I Scene ii 1. Paris asks Lord Capulet for Juliets hand in marriage. 2. Romeo finds out that Rosaline will attend the mask party. 3. Benvolio challenges Romeo to go to the part and compare Rosaline with other women of Verona. Act I Scene iii 1 . Lady Capulet tries to have a civil conversation about marriage with Juliet but Nurse interrupts he with stories of the when Juliet was a toddler. 2. Lady Capulet explains to Juliet that Paris would like to marry her. 3. Juliet abruptly agrees with her mother to get married because she has to and not because that she wants to. Act I Scene iiii 1 . Mercutio tries to persuade Romeo to dance at the mask party but Romeo says that he has too heavy of a soul. 2. Romeo believes that he should not go to the party because of a dream that he had. 3. Mercutio mocks Romeo by talking about Queen Romeo and Juliet shared an immoderate love which moved too fast, the flaws in their personalities changed it to a dangerous love. They were desperate for intense passion; which leads them to impulsively make irreversible decisions. Friar Lawrence noticed their flaws and spontaneous decisions and gave them a meaningful simile describing their love: ‘These violent delights have violent ends, / And in their triumph die like fire and powder,’ (II. vi. 9-10) Within the day Romeo and Juliet are wedded, Romeo’s best friend Mercutio is slain and Juliet’s cousin Tybalt is murdered by her husband Romeo. After those two events, they completely lose control and as teenagers they do not have the mental capacity to undertake thorough reasoning under constant emotional pressure. At this point in the story, when Romeo is banished and Juliet supposedly dead, their love is on thin ice. Their dangerous love, takes the form of impulse. Romeo along with his irrationalism determined the ending, without the slightest consideration his chose death to escape his misfortune, ‘Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight. ’ (V. i. 34) Love is the source of all power and happiness, but without each other Romeo and Juliet were lost in their own thoughts. Their passion and love help them overcome many obstacles and their feelings are the strongest when they are together, even denying their family name was not a problem: Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if though wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet. But, when they are separated, one cannot live without the other. Romeo and Juliet find death as escape from their fate; however love was able to soften extreme hardships. Their love was a motivation which assists them to break free from the norm in Verona: But passion lends them power, time means, to meet, Temp’ring extremities with extreme sweet. In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare also presents another powerful emotion which juxtapositions with love. Although, love and hate come from different contentions, both these emotions display similar effects on humans. These feelings can provoke humans to lose control, give people unimaginable power and can also blind people from rational judgment. Love not only outshines hate in Romeo and Juliet however, it is also the most complex, powerful and dangerous emotion. Like two sides of a coin, love can be the source of all power and can also be the cause of all misery. Romeo and Juliet Essays Romeo and Juliet Paper Romeo and Juliet Paper Literary/Analytical Essay Romeo and Juliet is a play about two silly, immature teenagers who lack common sense. Therefore, the play expresses the danger of a love in which two people become the whole world to one another. To what extent do you agree or disagree? The story of Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. The two lovers go against their families and against their hate to be together but they dont think about the consequences, which in the end are devastating. Romeo and Juliet engage in a love that they believe is the one true love. They dont even know each other and dont know each others personality so they can only be attracted sexually. Instead of taking things slowly and getting to know each other or on the other hand engage in a type of relationship just to satisfy each others desires they act like they have known each other for a long time and that they cant live one without the other. At the start of the play we see that Romeo is in love with Roseline a nd that he o! nly talks about her but when he meets Juliet at the party he totally forgets Roseline and falls in love with Juliet. Friar Laurence clearly states this to Romeo: Is Rosaline, whom thou didst love so dear, so soon forsaken? Young mens love then lies not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes. This is exactly how Romeo behaves. Juliet on the other hand had to marry Count Paris so her love with Romeo is simply a way to get out of it. She never had a relationship with a man and she didnt like to have herfirst and only relationship with a man her parents arranged for her. She wanted freedom and Romeo was her ticket to it. During the story Romeo and Juliet convince them selves to be in love with each other and they become obsessed, not with the love for each other, but with the fact of being in love with each other. Young people like to do forbidden things it gives them a feeling of exhilaration and freedom a Romeo and Juliet Essays Romeo and Juliet Paper Romeo and Juliet Paper Essay Topic: Thirteen Reasons Why Romeo and Juliet is probably one of Shakespeares most well known stories about two start crossed lovers dying tragically after a series of unfortunate events. There may be many causes to these deaths but I believe that the nurse and friar are two major factors to this story along with the two families dispute over a very old argument that has been happening for hundreds of years, there isnt a blatant offender but I will attempt to come to a conclusion of who I think was responsible for these tragedies.The friar is like Romeos father as well as being his best friend, He some how always manages to help Romeo out with his problems and questions about his life, and appears to be a very wise character, although one day when Romeo decides he is in love, the friar has something to say, be plain, good son, and homely in thy drift; Riddling confession finds but riddling shrift. The Friar is a very religious man and he is therefore put high up on the great chain of bein g which is a scale on which we place characters to find out how close they are to heaven and hell, this is therefore the reason for the friar being high up.Although once Romeo finds out about what family Juliet comes from, he is heart broken, he doesnt know what to do and even threatens to commit suicide, this puts the friar in a very difficult position and In the this case you cant help but feel sorry for the friar as he is faced with such a difficult question, and he knows that if whatever he does it wont be a good out come for both of them. Just from reading parts of the friars speech you can immediately tell he is a very intelligent and well spoken man, as he speaks in verse, two kinds in fact, for the part where he will be talking to himself he will be mostly talking in rhyming verse, The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night, Checkring the eastern clouds with streaks of light Which shows he also very poetic in the way he speaks, whereas when he is talking to other people he tends to speak in non rhyming verse Thy love did read by rote that could not spell. But come, young waverer, come go with me.The nurse however is a rather uneducated and unmannered person, as she wants to see Juliet get married for the selfish reason of not wanting to die before she does get married and she doesnt actually seem to care that much about who Juliet marries just so long as she does, Juliet however has a very high opinion of marriage and doesnt believe shes worth the honour of marriage it is an honour I dream not of. Where as the nurse treats it in a completely different way, An honour!Were not I thine only nurse, I would say thou hadst sucked wisdom from thy teat. Which is a rather inappropriate thing to say about a girl aged thirteen, She also seems to treat Juliet like her own daughter instead of her very rich employers daughter, tis since the earthquake now eleven years, and she was weaned-I shall never forget it. The nurse also seems to have a fairly casual view towards sexuality and sexual jokes, as she says once juliets older she will fallst upon thy face? Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age, wilt thou not Jule?The nurse comes across as a very loud, earthly and uneducated women, you can tell shes uneducated as she speaks in prose most of the time Ill lay fourteen of my teeth and yet, to my teen be it spoken, I have but four shes not fourteen. How long is it now to Lammas-tide?We find that the Friar and the Nurse are used well to move the plot of the play forward. They constantly rush everything in the play which adds excitement and curiosity to the play. They also seem to be the two who want everything to move along quickly without hesitations.Shakespeare gives the play a lot of themes, and he explores these themes very well, for example, there is the class theme involved like the difference between the nurse and the friar and yet they have the same sort of relationship and the same sort of friendship with Romeo and Juliet. Another theme that is explored very well is Love as throughout Romeo and Juliet have very strong feelings for each other. There are also the themes of regret, sadness and sorrow as the friar regrets a lot of the decisions hes made about marrying Romeo and Juliet.I would say that the main theme of the play is the rushing of it all, everything that takes place in this play happens over a very short amount of time and this is a very rushed and paced play, as you have the friar wanting to rush it along to see the outcome to whether or not he is found guilty of what he is doing Saint Francis be my speed! How oft tonight have my old feet stumbled at graves! it looks as if he saying that he is tripping up on death. Surely this would mean that he must not rush matters such as these and you can tell that something bad will eventually happen.During this play there are many instances of hard acting, which is scenes that require a lot of thought to get right when being acted out, Theres the fa mous balcony moment between Romeo and Juliet which would also be difficult to act out and perform this scene would be difficult as the two characters are on different platforms and in a play that would be hard to rein act as they would have to make the view point just right in order for it to be done correctly.The scene when theyre in the grave yard, and all of the people rush into the family tomb that would also be hard to act out theyd have to have a wall where you can only see it from front on to show some separation.During the play you do gain lots and lots of conclusions and opinions as to who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. You end up asking yourself many questions as to who you think is responsible. This is a particularly odd play, but at the start it actually tells you what is going to happen although even though you know what is going to happen, it keeps you reading on as you must find out how it happened and what caused it, this is why I believe this is suc h a good book as it is one where you want to find out what happens.If I were asked to put the ones who take the blame in order I would have the families of Romeo and Juliet at number four, as had they not been sworn enemies Romeo and Juliet could have been married and lived in peace, at number three I would blame the Nurse for getting so deeply involved and manipulating the life of Juliet, for example she was so eager to have Juliet married the nurse didnt actually seem to mind that the boy that Juliet wanted to marry was from a family of which they were sworn enemies. At number two I would have placed the friar as I believe that he is one of the main culprits as he Is the one that made the decision of marrying the couple.Although at number one I would have put Romeo and Juliet as they were the ones that should have known that they couldnt have had anything to with each other, but for the reason of love they still got involved with each other, this is why I believe they are the main reason for their deaths because they knew what they were doing was wrong but they still did it. Another reason for these two being the main reasons was because throughout at different times they were both very immature about the matter at hand, Romeo for example threatening to commit suicide at the thought of not being able to be with Juliet, all in all I believe these teenagers were very selfish about what they wanted and seemed to have no consideration for what effect these actions would have on others.Overall I found the play very interesting and constantly kept me interested, I would definitely recommend this to people, the only problem I had with the play was it being written in old English which I had trouble to understand, but after a while I did get the hang of it and it began to make more sense, in all a very deep and meaningful play. Romeo and Juliet Essays Romeo and Juliet Paper Romeo and Juliet Paper Widdicome says that in order for a play to be considered a tragedy that it must have certain characteristics. Romeo and Juliet have most of these if not all though some are harder to find in the play. Thefirst one that Widdicome mentions is that is must to multigeneric. Romeo and Juliet is a blend of comedy and tragedy. This is seen in the character of the nurse for the comedy side of the play and the tragedy is the seen in the death of Romeo and Juliet. The next on that Widdicome talks about is that the play has interwoven multiple plots. Two plots that come to mind are the fighting between the Montagues and the Capulet. Another is the love interest of Paris toward Juliet. A third would be the hate between Tybalt and Benvolio which bring us to Romeo killing Tybalt and being exiled.The next is they trace the lives of important people from a state of comfort and security to despair and dissolution. This one is a little harder to see in the play then others but one area would be the fathers and mothers of Romeo and Juliet who go from be happy and having all they want to losing there children. The next one is the struggle between, and full self-realization and the acquiescence to social norms this can be see in the love between Romeo and Juliet because they are form feuding families there love for each other is forbidden. The social norm would be Pariss love for Juliet and that she should marry him to follow the social norms of their society. That next one that appears in Romeo and Juliet is it presents a vision of stoicism in the face of suffering and failure. This is seen in Romeo and Juliet in the prologue were it says a pair of star-crossed lovers take their lives we know that before the play starts that they are going to die. They do their best to endure this fate with the plan that they come up with to run away but still end up dying. Romeo And JUliet Essays Romeo And JUliet Paper Romeo And JUliet Paper Why do Mercutios teasing speeches not bother Romeo? As the notes suggest, ll. 23-30 are a series of sexual puns comparing magic conjuration with sexual intercourse. This is the famous Balcony Scene, one of the most renowned in all of Shakespeare. But because of its romantic associations it is often misunderstood. Romeos passion for Juliet is unambiguously erotic. To Elizabethans sexual desire was not antithetical to romance; it was the essence of romance. In calling for the triumph of the sun over the moon, Romeo is hoping she will not remain a virgin much longer. Women who prolonged their virginity excessively were thought to suffer from green-sickness, a malady which could only be cured by healthy lovemaking. Thus the entire opening to this scene is devoted to Romeos fevered desire that she will make love with him. Despite his passion, he is shy enough, and polite enough, not to simply burst in upon her. It is the tension between his overwhelming desire and his reticence that show s how much he truly loves her. The comparison of a womans eyes to bright stars was a commonplace, but Shakespeare makes it new by elaborating it in a dazzling series of lines dwelling on the luminosity of Juliets beauty. In what way does he say her eyes are brighter than stars? Note the physically intimate image of ll. 24-25. Any poet could call his lady angelic; Shakespeare composes a mini-poem on the theme in ll. 26-32. Pay particular attention to the note on l. 33, which is consistently misinterpreted and even misquoted by people unfamiliar with Elizabethan usage. Note that it is Juliet who is thinking through the consequences of their love more systematically and practically than is Romeo. Does this make her less romantic than he? Explain your answer. Note that it is a series of coincidences which moves this affair along so quickly without Juliet being portrayed as shameless. How does Juliets speech at ll Romeo and Juliet Essays Romeo and Juliet Paper Romeo and Juliet Paper I think the main turning point in this scene is Romeo reading the letter (invitation) from the illiterate servant, Shakespeare makes this scene fit perfectly in the play by getting the party in where Romeo and Juliet first meet. The thing that stimulates Romeo to attend the party is the invitation, which had Rosalines name on it. Earlier Romeo was talking about her with Benvolio and said that he was madly in love with her. Not mad, but bound more then a madman is (Act 1 Scene 2, lines 50 -55).Capulet and Paris are in the middle of a conversation, Capulet says that he and Montague had become old and should stop the ongoing family rivalry. Paris asks for Juliets hand in marriage. Capulet indirectly approves the proposal but asks for two summers (two years) to pass because Juliet is still young. My child is still a stranger to the world, she hath not seen the change of fourteen years (Act 1 Scene 2, lines 5 -10).In lines 32 33 Capulet gives similar advice that Benvolio gave to Romeo, h e asks Paris to look at other lades and compare them with Juliet. Capulet shows that he is a very loving father who is concerned about Juliets future and well being (letting her chose who she marries) but we see a very different approach later in the play. In this scene Capulet express more love for Juliet when he states, Earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she (Act 1 Scene 2, lines 10 -15). This might mean that Capulet had other children that had died.After reading the letter and the strong urge from Benvolio, Romeo decides to go to the party (in the next scene). Different events unfold step by step, some of which are predictable while others come as an extensive surprise. The audience get an ounce of an idea that Romeo is going to meet Juliet at the party.The feeling of risks, guilt and suspense begins to creep in this scene; there was a street fight at the beginning of the play, but that was quite ordinary due to the ongoing family feud. This scene changes the whole plot of th e story because if Romeo had never read the invitation then he wouldnt have attended the party. The heart of the drama is the conflict between the two families and the love between Romeo and Juliet.Both Romeo and Juliet have to conquer a mental war; desire versus responsibility. For Romeo who is an adventurous and emotional young man, who is also quite immature at the beginning of the play, his desire overcame his responsibility. He is vastly unpredictable because at the beginning of the play it seems that he is madly in love with Rosaline and he wont give her up, but later we find out that he looses all his feelings towards her when he meets Juliet.I think he was quite irresponsible when he didnt have a second thought towards Juliet, he should have thought about all the complications and the consequence. Later in the play Romeo takes some responsibility when he tried to make peace with Tybalt. He took great risks and truly loved Juliet. He is also quite emotional, and a little bit softhearted looking for the easy way out when he thought he lost Juliet.Likewise Juliet who is very young (less then fourteen years) is a very obedient and conventional upper class daughter and is loyal to the father. When she falls in love with Romeo she dramatically changes. She begins to show a very practical side to her character and proves to be very determined and independent minded. She is intelligent and perceptive, possibly more so then Romeo. She is utterly loyal to Romeo and defies the whole world for him. She easily could have chose Paris was a gentleman but stayed loyal. She is prepared to risk taking a very dangerous drug to fake her death so that she could be with Romeo. She accepts death willingly when fate had turned against both of them at the end.This scene creates the whole plot and storyline in the play. The scene also creates many problems and opens a path for further things to come. For example the indirect approval of Paris offer to marry Juliet creates a mas sive problem for Romeo, Juliet and especially Friar Lawrence. The party hosted by Capulet is where Romeo and Juliet met.In the earlier scene Romeo was expressing his love for Rosaline, which was the sheer reason of him attending the party. In the next scene when he attends the party, he briefly meets Juliet and each of them learn of each others love and identity.Id say there are three main parts in this scene:; The conversation between Capulet and Paris; When the servant is wondering what to do with the letter; When Benvolio and Romeo are talking to each otherHowever it is possible to break these scenes down to smaller parts.At the beginning of the scene Capulet admits that he is willing to keep peace. For men so old as we to keep the peace (Act 1 Scene 2, lines 1-5).Capulet and Paris enter in the middle of a conversation where they were discussing the peace. After some time in the conversation Paris starts to flatter Capulet with his speech and asks for Juliets hand in marriage. Bu t now my lord what do you say to my suit (Act 1 Scene 2, lines 5 -10).Capulet replies by saying that Juliet is too young to get married and still is a stranger to this world; he is also replying Paris for the second time. But saying oer what I have said before (Act 1 Scene 2, lines 10 -15).After getting an indirect acceptance of his proposal from Capulet, Paris still requests that the time is right. Younger then she are happier mothers made (Act 1 Scene 2, lines 5 -10).Capulet still believes that Juliet is too young to get married and renews his thoughts to Paris. Capulet invites Paris to a feast saying that there will be many attractive women and he should compare them to Juliet. Paris is very keen to marry Juliet and on the other hand Juliet is totally against the idea (after meeting Romeo). She is not willing to exchange Romeo for Paris who is a well-respected Gentleman.I think Juliet is too young to even think about getting married. Although in the olden days girls probably used to get married younger; thirteen years is far too young to make the kind of decisions she made. She took many risks and followed her heart. At this age, one would assume she would give up one passion (Romeo) for another (Paris) but she didnt. Before here meeting with Romeo she seemed to be a very obedient daughter, but later all this changed dramatically.Capulet suggests that old men are better to keep the peace than young men and better to keep their tempers then young men. And in act this proves to be largely true. It is young men who lose their tempers and get involved in stupid fights. However it is also true that Capulet and lady Capulet show them selves of keeping their tempers with Juliet.Shakesphire shows the issue of behaving moderately more concerned with old people who can behave responsibly, where as young people are to challengeable and passionate.Friar Lawrence is constantly arguing immoderate passions but without success.In Romeo and Juliet the parents dont come out as responsible people, especially Juliets parents, who are more concerned with social success, prestigious marriage for their daughter, then they are in making them happy. At the beginning of the scene it seems that Capulet is a very carrying and considerate father who will let Juliet decide who she will marry, but we find out differently later in the play. I think Juliet has the right to decide whom she gets married to. Capulet tells Paris that his agreement will only be a part of the decision for Paris to marry Juliet, and that Juliet will have to also agree.Capulet plays a larger role then Montague in the play. He is shown to be very understanding but as a matter of fact is quite aggressive, especially towards Juliet near the end of the play.The characters that participate in this scene are Capulet, an unpredictable father; Paris, a smart gentleman who wants Juliets hand in marriage; Capulets servant who is illiterate and not very cleaver (he muddles his words up); Romeo, an adve ntures young man and Benvolio his friend.I think the impression we got from this scene was misleading because Capulet is shown to be calm and considerate but we learn otherwise and Romeo seem to be very irresponsible and quite straight forward but isnt.The characters that are at the heart of the scene are Capulet, Paris and Romeo. Capulet and Paris do most of the gossip while Romeo shares his feelings with Benvolio. The servant played quite an important role because if Romeo didnt read the invitations then the story could not have proceeded.Although Juliet does not participate in this scene she is greatly the main subject of speech between Capulet and Paris. When we discover that Romeo is going to attend the party we have a suspicion that Romeo will meet Juliet.I think every main character is affected by the events of this scene.Romeo Door opens to meet Juliet, gets banished and commits suicide.Juliet Door opens to meet Romeo, rejects proposal from Paris and commits suicide.Capule t looses loyalty from his daughter, gets aggressive, makes peace with Montague.Montague Looses his son and makes peace with Capulet.Tybalt Fights with Romeo and gets killed.Paris doesnt marry Juliet and gets killed.Friar Lawrence gives drug to Juliet, explained what happened.There are not many arguments in this scene; Paris is flattering Capulet in order to gain approval of his proposal to Juliet. Romeo and Benvolio are talking to each other like normal friends.This scene shows that Romeo is a normal young man who is madly in love, he uses many metaphors in his speech such as, Not mad, but bound more than a madman is (Act 1 Scene 2, lines 50 -55). Romeo is quite adventures and not as hard hearted as most of the characters. Romeo is shown to be a very irresponsible person but that dramatically changes in the play. We learn just how much he loves Rosaline, even though we learn later that his love for Rosaline is very shallow. This can cause a doubt over the extant of Romeos love for Juliet, but I think his love for Juliet is as deep as he claims it to be because he dies for her at the end.Some conflicts can be resolved. When Romeo refused to fight Tybalt he thought he had a solution to the problem, he accepted looking like a coward. However his solution didnt work; instead he later ended up killing Tybalt due to the fact that Tybalt killed his friend Mercutio.An underlying problem, Romeo and Juliet are trying to live in an idealistic way in a society, which is not idealistic at all. They are practicing love in a society, which is full of hate. They are Romantic in a cynical society, which is focused on wealth and sex.We get to know the characters by their speech, especially Paris. Paris is shown to be a smart person who is very intelligent and persuasive. However unlike Paris, Romeo is shown to be a person who is not concerned in worldly matters except love. His metaphors are not connected with each other. Benvolio is a good friend to Romeo who gives him ad vice; he also cares for his well-being.Romeo talks in contradictions, for example when discussing love with Benvolio he says, not mad, but bound more then a madman is: shut up in prison, kept without my food, whipped and tormented. (Act 1 Scene 2, lines 50 -55).The image of stars; Capulet talks about stars walking the earth, what he means is that women walking around as beautiful stars. Shakesphire uses the image of stars quite often. Later, when Romeo is desperate thinking Juliet has died, he defies the stars, but this time the stars mean something quite different. When he is defying the stars, he is defying the heavens, which in those days was thought of as the place where God lived, and so he is really defying God.Capulet uses some figures of speeches, which are rather typical of shakesphires writing when he makes comments about all his other children that are dead and have been buried.In Act 1 Scene 1 the immediate thing that happened leading up to the scene was Romeo and Benvol io talking about Romeos love. This scene (Act 1 Scene 2) sets up the whole storyline in the play and makes other events unfold in due time (e.g. the party).I think Juliets Parents are trying to do what they think is best for her. If there had not been a family conflict then they would possibly have had no problem with Juliet meeting Romeo; except maybe for the issue of age. Juliet is motivated and very determined to follow her inexperienced heart.I conclude by saying that this scene is one of the most important scene in the play. It changes the whole flow of the story changing everything, creating dilemmas and causing characters to take desperate risks.

Debenhams Plcs Competitive Position in Its Various Markets Essay

Debenhams Plcs Competitive Position in Its Various Markets - Essay Example The gross profit margin is at 13.59%, while the net profit margin is at 5.6%. Return on equity and assets also appear favourable at 18.20% and 6.06% respectively (Global Business Browser, 2014). The company has stated that it would expand its global operations by increasing the number of stores to 150 by the end of 5 years from this day. As per reports, the retail sector of UK has seen a rise in revenue by 1% in its 103 businesses that employ over 123,000 people. Before the crisis, the buying patterns were instinctive and the retail industry was booming. After 2008, the economy has somewhat stagnated and hence, has put a dent in sales. High levels of unemployment have led to lower levels of disposable income and lower consumer confidence because of which discretionary purchases have been forced to cut back. It is expected that the retail industry shall post the decline in the forthcoming financial year 2013-14 to the tune of 0.8% (Ibisworld, 2013). The paper aims to bring forth a comprehensive analysis of the company in the market where it operates. The paper shall seek to throw light on the competitive position of the company in relation to the markets within which it operates through Porters Five Forces, PEST, and Porters Generic Strategies. It moves on to discuss various cross-cultural issues that the company has come across in present times and how these were dealt with Hofstede's five dimensions and Trompenaars seven dimensions model. The paper also analyses the company’s CSR attempts with a view of sustainable growth objective for various groups of stakeholders. The paper concludes with a discussion of the present position and standing of the company in relation to its peers and future growth prospects. The paper tries to make a justification regarding the strategies being followed by Debenhams Plc and attempts to draw strategic directions for future market analysis. A study of the external environment and cultural challenges brings forth the trend of challenges faced by Debenhams while the internal study and CSR initiatives highlight the key sustainability attempts towards challenging competition in retail business.  

Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

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Net Cash Flow Task 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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