Politics of Fear Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Politics of Fear - Essay Example Ironically, most democratic governments spend just as much time attempting to handle the impact of stories that have come into the light in a spontaneous manner as they would while carrying out campaigns. The politics of fear have grown in breath and depth as a result of the depiction of personhood as being a very vulnerable entity. We seem to be living in an era of a lack of alternatives and for this reason, we seem not to be in need of someone who will keep on reminding us that we are getting more powerless by the day (Furedi, 2007). As a result of this scenario, a majority of the people have come to interpret and regard events from the perspective of anxiety and fear. Fear politics are a measure of an in-depth cultural mood. Nevertheless, such a situation never came into being on its own. It is worth noting here that fear has time and again been politicized deliberately. All through history, the ruling class has taken upon itself the mandate of using fear as a political tool. Generation after generation of totalitarian governments have adopted the directive that Machiavelli made to rulers; that by being feared, they would be recipients of an even greater form of security, more than they would ever receive from love (Furedi , 2007). Fear could be used to terrorize, coerce, and in the maintenance of public order. Unity and consensus could also be gained by way of infuriating a general response to a supposed threat. Currently, the main aim of politics of fear seems to be not only a gaining of consensus, but also to forge, as an index of oneness around elite that would otherwise appear to be disconnected. Thomas Hobbes, an English philosopher, provides us through his writings with the original systematic endeavor to expand fear politics that could as well be utilized in the implementation of the suggestion that we do not have an alternative in politics. Hobbes opines that through cultivating fear, the main aim is to render any would-be radical argue towards a collective experimentation ineffectual (Rosen, 2002). In order to realize such an objective, Hobbes is of the opinion that it would be in the best interests of both the state and its people if the masses were convinced to dare less (Furedi, 2007). The people that internalized a fear consciousness were less likely to assume a risk, let alone a collective experimentation. Additionally, the promotion of a wide aversion consciousness to the unknown aids in the instilling of fear in the masses that whatever they had not experimented, could as well be harmful to them. Presently, there has been an institutionalization of the fear of the unknown harm, and this seems to strengthen the currently prevailing fear culture (Dickinson, 2006). A lot of the public figures in political offices have to daily grapple with the question of whether they need to reduce fear, or politicize it. The same question also confronted a Former New Labor campaign adviser, Phillip Gould. Through his 1994 publication, 'fighting of the fear factor', Gould argued that there does exists a feeling of anxiety and insecurity that tends to revolve around the present day electorates. It is this sense of mood anxiety over the future that Gould has observed to be the reason behind the use of fear tactics by

In The Heat Of The Night :: essays research papers

In the Heat of the Night Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For my essay I have chosen to write about the topic about Tibbs and Gillespie understanding and respecting each other. In the beginning of this story Gillespie thought of Virgil as he would of thought of any other Negro, but soon he found out he was wrong, Virgil was a very gifted detective with lots of skills. When Tibbs was first taken in to see Gillespie, Gillespie was yelling and screaming at Tibbs for no reason but Virgil did not break down to the harassment and proved Gillespie wrong by showing him his ID card that proved he was a cop. I think that Virgil earned a little respect from Gillespie their by showing him that he was calm and mature. As the story unfolded Gillespie saw more and more of Virgil’s good qualities. Gillespie saw that Virgil was calm, educated, smart, payed attention to detail, and was qualified for his job. Every time that Gillespie would arrest some one Virgil proved them innocent, when Oberst was arrested Virgil proved Gillespie wrong by proving to him that Oberst was not the murderer. When Gillespie arrested Sam Wood Virgil also proved him innocent. Even though Gillespie didn’t like to be proven wrong by anyone (none less a Negro) he respected Virgil for his great detective work. At one point in the novel Gillespie and Tibbs shake hands and I think that was the high point of this mutual respect. Virgil didn’t respect Gillespie that much in the beginning and most of the middle of this story but in the end Virgil respected Gillespie. I think it was good that Virgil did not respect Gillespie because Gillespie was using Virgil for his scapegoat. At the end of this story Gillespie finally showed everyone that he respected Tibbs by telling every one the truth about the murder investigation, and giving most of the credit to Virgil.

Antitheatricalism – Ben Jonson

Antitheatricalism in Light of Ben Jonson's  Volpone Commentary by Joel Culpepper Crossdressing in England was mostly opposed by the Fundamentalist branch of the Protestant Church known as the Puritans. The Puritan dogma, much like the concept of transvestism, was constantly challenged. Puritans found resistance in the religious authorities of the Church of England and the English government. Before 1536, the Roman Catholic Church was unimpeded and always won over Puritan proposals regarding legislation. Without a cooperative political ear, the Puritans resorted to experimental spiritual expression by changing their social behavior and structuring. Due to these changes, a formidable way of attacking the theater's use of crossdressing was developed- public preaching and pamphlets. Other individuals and groups (like the Juvenalians) supported the moral and social reform movement by speaking and writing essays and books on the subject. Due to the nature the actor's role in Ben Jonson's  Volpone, the play was also implicated in this moral battle. The ideology behind the Puritan protest was based on biblical sentiment and the patristic literary tradition of Roman writers like Tertullian and St. Augustine. The Puritan's religious banner for combatting gender transgression was Deuteronomy 22:5- ‘The woman shall not wear that which pertains to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment' (Tiffany 58). In general, pagan myths were also associated with crossdressing. Puritans like William Pryne labeled these actors as â€Å"beastly male monsters† that â€Å"degenerate into women† (Tiffany 59). Further, the Puritans feared that men dressing as women caused the men in the audience to lust for real females and to form homoerotic desires for the male actors (the reverse was also true for women). The Puritan fear also opposed androgynous Renaissance clothing and women's â€Å"male† hairstyles, as documented in Phillip Stubbes' 1583  Anatomy of Abuses. Jonson was more than aware of these Puritan sentiments. In  Volpone, Volpone hopes Celia will submit sexually and â€Å"have [her] in more modern forms†¦ such as a â€Å"Brave Tuscan lady, or proud Spanish beauty† (Campbell 3. 7. 226, 228). Volpone seems to be conveyor of Jonson's acknowledgment of the actor's transformative ability – a part of the playwright's (and the actor's) self concern of the real drama within a play, or metadrama. In Volpone's subsequent proposal to Celia, crossdressing is coupled with androgyny. Male and female spirits are joined in harmony because their lips â€Å"transfuse [their] wandering souls† (Campbell 3. 7. 234). One's point of view might relate this as a matter of homosexual or heterosexual sex. The passage could also (ironically) refer to the Puritan sponsored sacrament of marriage- a holy sacrament. It must also be mentioned thatVolpone's ending also provides an element of punishment for sins- lust, avarice and deception being among them. Jonson's blatant use of classical satire as farce links the feminine male with naivety or aggressiveness that demeans love and advocates the scholarly, independent male identity. The female image in his plays is often masculine- true to the actor's real physicality and the surrounding male chauvinist population. Interestingly, Jonson allows the head male character ,Volpone, to be exceedingly great at his craft of deception while the virtuous Celia adopts an irrational, painful way to keep herself a virgin. Celia vows she will swallow hot coals rather than submit to Volpone's desires. The Puritans' homophobia is also apparent in  Volpone. Volpone makes sure (through explanation) that even though he acted the part of Antonias (a supposed lover of a gay king) for the non-heterosexual King Henry III, he is a ladies' man. Volpone claims that he â€Å"attracted/ The eyes and ears of all the ladies present† (Campbell 3. 7. 164). In another reversal of gender, Lady Would-be notices her husband with someone she believes to be a female prostitute dressed as a young man. After belittling her husband for this by calling him a client of a â€Å"female devil,† she realizes her mistake and apologizes. This situation supports the possibility that Jonson believed the Puritans were making a mistake (like Lady Would-Be) in ignoring permanent, masculine reality and challenging the temporary ,imaginative, and effeminate role of actors for immorality. Morality, the main goal of the Antitheatrical movement in the Renaissance, was both supported and denounced by Jonson in various ways. However, the general perception is that Jonson (unlike Shakespeare) fueled the fires of degradation- implicating women with the weakness, lack of intelligence, and reason they were believed to exude. In the annals of theatrical history, Jonson's metadrama could be said to perpetuate this social stereotype. Nevertheless, Jonson's crossing of the gender line and sexual scenes like Volpone's â€Å"flashing† of Celia were enough to have religious, moral, and social commentators screaming blood murder. Two issues demand prominence in the play. While outwardly a play driven by blatant genderless controversy, the inward thematic, character-driven nature of  Volpone  suggests a conformity and adherence to the intellectual and theological moralism of the time. http://www. english. uga. edu/cdesmet/joel/PURITAN. html

Compare and contrast the poems Anthem for Doomed Youth by...

Compare and contrast the poems Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen and The Soldier by Rupert Brooke. What are the poets attitudes towards war and how do they convey these attitudes? Wilfred Owens Anthem for Doomed Youth and Rupert Brookes The Soldier express opposing views towards war and matters related to it. Owen condemns war as the cause of immense and painful loss of youths, killed like animals. He also attacks the church, generally held to preserve human life and dignity, implying it is powerless and irrelevant in a war situation. Brooke expresses ready acceptance (his view is meant to be the general view) of possible death on his countrys behalf in grateful return to her for having bore, shaped and made†¦show more content†¦If Brooke had mentioned materialistic things like special rights, possession or power then it gives rise to the thought that his gratitude is questionable, because he has enjoyed privileges denied to others. In the second stanza, Brooke whole-heartedly declares that he will return to England what he has been given. In his poem, Brooke doesnt criticise war or religion but emphasises whole-hearted readiness to return to England what he has been given. The spiritual being created and enriched by England is returned gratefully. Brooke doesnt mention anything about the horrors of war. Even death is not presented as something repulsive or of a loss but instead as a repayment to his country. He feels indebted to England and is completely happy to settle his debt. He will return to England what she gave him - his dust and delightful thoughts. Brookes poem has a confident tone of quiet conviction. The whole poem sounds proud and dignified. Much of the time Brooke just praises England and this makes the poem seem cheerful even. The first four lines of his poem are very patriotic If I should die, think only this of me In that rich earth a richer dust concealed. Brooke says these lines in a quiet confident manner. The tone lightens from then, as he describes pleasant things like flowers, love and rivers. The beginning of the second stanza repeats the first line, and continues with a calm statement of returning EnglandsShow MoreRelatedWilfred Owen1266 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is Wilfred Owen’s attitude towards WW1 and how is this shown through his poetry? Wilfred Owen was a soldier during world war one. Many of his poems were published posthumously, and now well renowned. His poems were also heavily influenced by his good friend and fellow soldier Siegfried Sassoon. Wilfred Owen was tragically killed one week before the end of the war. During the war Wilfred Owen had strong feelings towards the use of propaganda and war in general, this was due to the horrors heRead More To compare the ways in which these poems display the horrors of war.1616 Words   |  7 PagesTo compare the ways in which these poems display the horrors of war. I have selected three poems, The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke, Dulce et Decorum Est, and Anthem for Doomed Youth, both written by Wilfred Owen. Compare how these poems show the horrors of World War 1. To compare the ways in which these poems display the horrors of war. I have selected three poems, The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke, Dulce et Decorum Est, and Anthem for Doomed Youth, both written by Wilfred Owen. I choseRead MoreWar Poem Comparison Essay1727 Words   |  7 Pageswords compare and contrast ONE PAIR of the two pairs of poems printed below. Your answer should exhibiy a clear understanding of each poem’s meaning and tone, and you should consider the effect and importance of formal features, such as rhyme scheme, sound patterning, word choice, figurative language and punctuation. Date handed in : 31st January 2011 This essay will compare the poems â€Å"On Passing the New Menin Gate† by Siegfried Sassoon (1927) and â€Å"Anthem For Doomed Youth† by Wilfred OwenRead MoreThe Soldier By Rupert Brooke And Anthem For Doomed Youth By Wilfred Owen1367 Words   |  6 PagesSoldier’ by Rupert Brooke and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen are two World War One era sonnets, both making a comment on what it means to die in war. The two poets show very different views on war, as both had very different experiences in war. Rupert Brooke died before he made it to war, his poem highlights the soldier as a hero and glorifies dying in war, in contrast Wilfred Owen shows a grittier side to death in war, as he experienced war first hand and his poem is real and brutal. The poetsRead MoreWilfred Owen s Poem Anthem For A Doomed Youth And Dulce Et Decorum Est2273 Words   |  10 PagesWilfred Owen’s encapsulates the authentic experiences of the soldiers from war which creates a strong sense of relation between the poems and the responder. The composer expresses their suffering through contradictory interpretations of war’s brutality and the futile sacrifice of youthful soldiers. In the poems ‘Anthem For A Doomed Youth’ and ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ the theme of the brutal reality of the deaths in war, brings the word of Owen’s poems to flesh for the reader. This evokes an emotionalRead More Comparison of Dulce et Decorum Est and Anthem for Doomed Youth1038 Words   |  5 PagesComparison of Dulce et Decorum Est and Anthem for Doomed Youth When I was searching for two poems to compare, I saw these two poems and wanted to explore them to find out how Wifred Owen uses language in different ways to warn future generations of the horror of war. Wilfred Owen fought in the First World War. He enlisted as most young men were doing, so that they could protect Britain. However, in the trenches he realized how horrific the war was and started to make notes about the conditionsRead MoreThe Happy Connotation Of Wilfred Owens Anthem For Doomed Youth893 Words   |  4 PagesAnthem for doomed youth. This is by placing â€Å"Anthem† besides â€Å"doomed youth† which juxtaposes the happy connotations of ‘anthem’ with the negative connotations of ‘doomed youth’. Through this he stresses the pointless of his subject and the pointlessness of war by calling readers to question the patriotic anthems they sing for their soldiers. The octave begins with the rhetorical question â€Å"what passing bells, for these who die as cattle?†, which stresses the pointlessness of sending innocent men toRead MoreWilfred Owen Relationship Between Humanity And Nature1472 Words   |  6 PagesWilfred Owen presents the fractured relationship between humanity and nature in his Anthem for Doomed Youth poetry collection as the main casualty of war. To what extent do you agree? Wilfred Owen explores vividly throughout Anthem for Doomed Youth the relationship between man and nature as well as its development throughout the First World War. In the poems 1914, The show, and Spring offensive Owen emphasises that the negative impact the war has had to the previous harmony between the two is theRead MoreIn this essay I shall compare the ways in which Owen suggests that war is futile, I will be900 Words   |  4 PagesIn this essay I shall compare the ways in which Owen suggests that war is futile, I will be comparing poems Anthem for doomed youth, Futility and Exposure. Owen was a famous British poet born on March 18th; and died on the 4th November; he gave us an insight into hell or otherwise known as world war one. Owen was a young man of 18 years when he enlisted into the army. He was sucked into the propaganda of war perceived as sweet, Owen was shot, a week before the Armistice day, as he was leading hisRead MoreEssay on Wilfred Owen3883 Words   |  16 Pages Wilfred Owen Read and Compare and Contrast the Following Poems by Wilfred Owen: [It Was a Navy Boy], Anthem for Doomed Youth and Dulce et Decorum Est. Wilfred Owen was a poet who was widely regarded as one of the best poets of the World War one period. Wilfred Owen was born on the 18th of March 1893, at Plas Wilmot, Oswestry, on the English Welsh border; he was the son of Tom and Susan Owen. During the winter of 1897-8 Tom Owen, Wilfred’s father was reappointed to Birkenhead, and with