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Life of John Milton
Life of John Milton
John Milton was born in December 1608 in London. He was brought up at the Bread Street of Cheapside. Other than being a scrivener, his father, Jam Milton Sr. was a real estate investor. The financial affluence of Milton’s family allowed him to achieve education in classical languages initially by private tutors at his home such as called Thomas Young (Duran 218). This was followed by an enrolment into St. Paul’s School in 1620. When Milton joined the school its chief master was Alexander Gill (Duran 218).
In 1625, he joined the Christ College in Cambridge and despite his hardworking nature, he was argumentative and this led into his suspension from the school due to a disagreement he had with his instructor William Chappell (Duran 220). As he was serving suspension, Milton developed an interest in plays which led to his first incursions in poetry. When he went back to college he was assigned a different instructor, Nathaniel Tovey. Despite the change, life in the institution was not comfortable due to the feeling of dislike from fellow students. While at the institution, the students referred to him as The Lady of Christ’s. This was because he concentrated much on his studies withdrawing himself from typical male activities such as sports, and this he refers to in the sixth of his prolusions (Duran 222). Milton had developed a negative attitude towards the curriculum arguing that it was mediocre (Shawcross 60).
When Milton acquired his M.A. at Cambridge, he decided to retire back to his family’s home in London at Horton Hammersmith. While at home he conducted private studies and composed his literary works ranging from poems to prose. One of the reasons why he was reluctant to seek employment was because of the patronage he enjoyed from his father’s investments (Shawcross 61). During this period his poem On Shakespeare was made public with the progression of time, Milton kept developing more literary works and from the time when his first poem was published his L,Allegro and II Penseroso were also published. These companion poems were composed as poetic versions of his prolusions. In 1634, Milton’s first opera Comus, was performed at Ludlow Castle (Lewalski 53-54). The Opera was however published anonymously in 1637 while the background music was famed by the then famous court composer Henry Lawes (Forsyth 67).
Milton’s interest in joining the church as a minister in while in London was negatively influenced by among other factors the sentiments by Archbishop of Canterbury William Laud who by enforcing and establishing ecclesiastical and other religious regulations drew Milton away from the church. One of the best sources on Milton’s perspective on this vocation is Sonnet VII which states reasons for choosing poetry over church ministry (Lewalski 54). The year 1637 can be said to be tragic to Milton since he lost his mother and later his friend, Edward King, through sicknesses and other unpleasant circumstances. His mother dies earlier that year and was buried at Horton. After a few months Milton received news that there was a ship that was wrecked in the seas and his friend King was among the passengers on board who died by drowning. The sad memories of his friend led to the composition of the poem Lycidas which was later published in 1638 as part of a memorial collection in Cambridge (Lewalski 55).
Being a young man with sizeable amount of wealth it was a common thing for Milton and other in the same class as his to occasionally take trips and tours to different countries. Milton made a decision to take a trip around Europe. His tour began in the spring of 1638 when he went to France and met one of the famous scholars of that time Hugo Grotius before proceeding to Italy. Milton’s Italian Journey began in Florentine where he met with the then famous scientist and thinker Galileo who was then under house arrest. As part of his tour, he visited Rome where he became a guest to Cardinal Barberini, who was a relative to the Pope. His friendship with the cardinal enabled him to acquire access to the Vatican library. He also visited Naples where he met Giovani Batista, the famous biographer of Torquato Tasso. In the honour of this great biographer and friend Milton wrote Mansus (Lewalski 55).
When he left Italy he travelled to Switzerland and upon arrival at Geneva, he received news about the demise of one of his friends Charles Diodati back in London. During this period in 1939, there were rumours of looming civil war in England. This made him shorten his tour and he decided to go back to his home in London. As a way of moaning his childhood friend Diodati, he composed a Latin poem Epitaphium Damonis (Duran 222). He then decided to settle in England in late 1939. During this time the civil war was brewing especially under the leadership and the personal rule of Charles 1 (Forsyth 40). By 1940 Milton was leaving poetry to write pamphlets about puritanism as a cause with the right aspects of liberty (Forsyth 41).
Works cited
Forsyth, Neil. John Milton: A Biography. Oxford: Lion, pp. 40-41, 67-68, 2008. Print.
Duran, Angelica. A Concise Companion to Milton. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, pp, 218,
222, 224, 2007. Internet resource.
Lewalski, Barbara K. The Life of John Milton: A Critical Biography. Malden, MA:
Blackwell, pp. 53-55, 2003. Internet resource
Shawcross, John T. John Milton: The Self and the World. Lexington, Ky: University Press of
Kentucky, pp. 60-61, 2001. Print.
Duran, Angelica. A Concise Companion to Milton. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, 2007. Internet resource.
A Good Man is Hard to Find Analysis
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A Good Man is Hard to Find Analysis
The story like no other has no happy ending since the evil prevails at the end. The author uses various literary techniques to convey the message of the story and the characters’ behavior. The story is a clear depiction of Southern Gothic where we see an unusual turn of events and the outlandish characters. The discussion will focus on the themes and other literary styles that the author has used in the tory to pass the message to the readers.
Firstly, will look at the themes in the story. Family is one theme that the author has reflected on, we see the dysfunction family where the family members get on each other nerves. In the family, they are the two kids who have no respect for their elders, the father who tries to take control of the situation but fails, the mother of the children who hardly shared her opinions and the grandmother who cannot help criticizing everything and everyone. Manipulation is another theme that the author has depicted in the story, throughout the story the grandmother manipulates the rest of the family. The story she gave of the old plantation manipulated the children who insisted that their father take them which led to their death, also at the beginning of the story she tried to manipulate his son Bailey from going to Florida but to Tennessee for her selfish interest (pg 34). To convince him he claims that they might encounter a criminal called Misfit who was an escaped convict, however, this does not change Bailey’s mind.
Religion is another theme that the author has shed light on (pg 42). The grandmother tries to appeal to Misfit by praying hoping that her life will be spared, unfortunately, Misfit has given the religion more thought than the grandmother and even questions whether there is any right or wrong. In regards to religion too both the grandmother and Misfit receive race eventually, in the end, we see Misfit saying that “It’s no real pleasure in life” when Bobby Lee a former convict says that killing the grandmother was fun (pg 46). For the grandmother at the end he receives grace after gaining clarity when she attempts to pray so that his life can be spared, he recognizes Misfit as a fellow human being when he claims that he is one of her babies. Despite the grandmother being shot at the end he turns to religions and for Misfit after the story, he seems to result in changing since he cannot derive pleasure from killing. Additionally, conflict is another theme. In the story they are many instances of conflict, in the beginning, we see the conflict between the grandmother and Bailey when she was trying to convince them they should go to Tennessee and not Florida. The conflict between the grandmother and her grandchildren John and June is evident where they tell her she should stay home if she does not want to travel to Florida, another conflict arises when John claims they should go through to Georgia so that they cannot visit it again (pg 35).
Moreover, have prejudice. The grandmother has a prejudice against the blacks, she called them negro in the first case when they see the small boy who she refers to as a pickaninny and continues to say that he could not afford britches after June points out he had none. Also, when giving the story of the watermelon that was eaten by a nigger because it had the abbreviations E.A.T which were the boy’s initials (pg 35, 36). In addition, Red Sam’s wife’s color description clearly illustrates prejudice when the author claims that her eyes and hair were lighter than her skin (pg 37). Lastly, we have materialism, the grandmother says that he should have married Edgar who brought her watermelons since was a wealthy man after buying Coca-Cola stock, also he claims that the Negro boy could not afford everything and lastly, June when the Red Sam’s wife asks whether she could prefer to be her girl.
Also, similes are another literary style that the author uses. In the beginning, we see the mother’s face is compared to be innocent and broad as cabbage and the grandmothers traveling bag have also been compared to be like the hippopotamus head (pg 34). Imagery is another style that the author has used to ensure the readers can figuratively understand the description. He first describes how the grandmother had dressed on the journey and he goes ahead to say that one can know she is a lady immediately from the dressing, he also describes the mother’s children kerchief on her head (pg 35). Also, the description the grandmother uses to describe the scenery on their way makes one feel as if they are on a journey with them, the imagery is also depicted to explain the layout of the Red Sam’s and even a description of Red Sam as an individual (pg 37). The grandmother’s description of the old plantation reflects the use of imagery too and the road that was supposedly supposed to read them to the place.
Moreover, symbolism is another style that the author has employed. At the end of the grandmother’s life, the sky has no sun or cloud and this symbolizes the clear vision that the grandmother had at the end after receiving grace (pg 44). The old plantation that the grandmother wants to visit and described it to ensure her grandchildren would want to go symbolizes the grandmothers revisiting the past and clinging to it since she believes that in the past the people and everything was great; she even talks of how long it used to take them to visit (pg 38). The reference that the grandmother thought that plantation was in Georgia yet it was in Tennessee symbolizes how with time people tend to forget things and the memory in most cases is usually distorted. The author too has used flashback in the story, the grandmother recalls Misfit from the newspaper she had read the previous day while convincing Bailey on the need to avoid heading to Florida, the memories of the plantations and when she is talking with Red Sam about how some years back it was secure and people were great unlike now. Finally, the author uses flashback, where at the beginning Misfit who eventually kills the family is introduce in the story, the grandmother dressing also id used to depict that one can recognize she is a woman if found dead and the graveyard that the family passed depicts a coming death for the family (pg 36).
The use of literary style in all forms of literature ensures that the author’s message to the readers is understandable. The case is also similar to the story where the styles employed have ensured that the characters of all characters have been depicted well and the reason for some of the believes and memories. Unfortunately, the story has no happy ending but the grace that Misfit receives at the end depicts a possibility of him abandoning his past ways.
Works Cited
Mrdoige.Com, http://mrdoige.com/documents/oconnor_aGoodManIsHardToFind.pdf. Accessed 31 Mar 2020.
BEATLEMANIA PROJECT.
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BEATLEMANIA PROJECT.
All great success stories have similarities and one of the stated similarities is that, for individuals to be successful in their particular fields, then they should dedicate most of their time to practicing and perfecting their craft in order to achieve the returns of excellence and brilliance. Gladwell supports the narrative by further stating that an individual can only become an expert only if they put time and dedication into their practice and the time to be spend is 10,000hours of pure practice and putting in the work. The Tipping Point theory, explains that the success of individual is always being driven by something which in most instances is greater than the individuals. The tipping point theory was used to describe why particular artists ended up receiving stellar recognitions, while others that were as talented as them did not or did not get to the top of their careers. Malcolm Gladwell, further highlighted that the Tipping Theory could be fueled by being in the right place at the right time. It can also be defined as strategically positioning oneself for success as well as grasping opportunities that are going to elevate you to higher heights be it in one’s career or in their art. The paper will analyze The Music of the Beatles using The Tipping Point Theory. In the analysis, there will be a detailed discussion on the Beatlemania project the similarities and the differences that were notable in the years of the fame for the group as well as an elaborate discussion on the evolution of the group/band.
The Liverpool rock group popularly known as the Beatles was formed during the year 1960. It was made up of four members listed as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. When discussing music today and its revolution, The Beatles is mentioned as having had a very influential role to play. However, the early years of their music career was characterized by struggles and difficulties of different dimensions. Some of the challenges they faced included; discouragements when they could not get what they auditioned for as they were starting off. They were rejected by numerous labels, the Decca Records in particular. Where the director discouraged them by stating that they would not amount to anything in the music industry. Despite that top tier rejection, they chose to remain resilient enough and to particularly bounce back from that diversity and to keep practicing and getting better at what they believed they had down on the inside of them. The Beatles kept the hope of becoming better alive and they knew, perfection could only be obtained through practice and trying again. Giving up was therefore not an option for the band. While conducting an analysis on the Tipping Point Theory and how it was evident in the Beatle’s Band, it is safe to say their resilience set them apart. Resilience as an attribute is seen as the ability and a special characteristic that enables individuals to bounce back from adversity and stress and to excel in whatever it is they put their minds to. When The Beatles obtained negative feedback, that did not meet their personal standards the chose to try again and what is clear in trying again is growth mindset, which chose progress over discouragement. It is therefore through such efforts that the Beatles became the best Band and had their tours all over the world and their popularity grew even more.
Beatlemania is described as a term that can be traced back to the 1960’s, and perfectly describes the crazy fan frenzy towards the British pop rock band The Beatles, especially during the earlier years of their success. Beatlemania was particularly evident when the band got to the United States at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York in February 1964, and became common after the Beatles performed in several editions of The Ed Sullivan Show that February. The 1960’s was an important year in the music industry it saw numerous revolutions as well as the success of specific groups like the Beatles. The Beatles were particularly known and loved for their personalities, the beautiful and wonderful musical melodies as well as the overwhelming, heartwarming charisma that graced the airwaves and the crowds could not help it but to love them even more. From the Tipping Point theory’s perspective, it was evident that the Beatles obtained this great support from the crowds they performed to and those that heard them because, they had gone through rigorous training that certainly prepared them to woe the crowds once they got on stage. It is also clear that it was the groups chemistry and the wonderful sense sin their melodies and lyrical contents that made it successful and enabled the band to connect with the population on different levels. 1963 can also be defined as the Year the Beatles found their Voice. During that time the Beatles were growing in popularity in England Particularly. It is the year they also made a debut with the song Please Please Me later followed by their megahit single She Loves You, their second album with the Beatles was released in 1963 and another hit single “I want to Hold Your Hand,”. 1963 can therefore be characterized as the year when it all started. CITATION Col13 l 1033 (Fleming)In 1964, the fanaticism continued and it was when Beatlemania was first notices as the Band arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The arrival of the band and their tour was strategical and the organizers thought it would boost the morale of the citizens since it was after the assassination of President Kennedy earlier that year. Thousands of fans showed up at the airport to welcome the Beatles.
Success did not come easy for the Beatles. They recorded the days they played in Hamburg as their trial by fire. In Hamburg they had their hardest days as well as their hardest nights. Their work schedule was hectic and they could describe it as eight working days in a week. The hardship the band went through while working and playing in Hamburg is what Malcolm Gladwell describes as their Tipping Point. Gladwell’s theory, perfectly revolved around Hamburg particularly during their intense hours of playing and the unmatched effort and the hard work they had to put in in order to become better at their Music. Their living conditions in Hamburg were unbearable but The Beatles stayed the course determined to succeed. They did not have off days and they could work from 8pm to 2am on weeknights, from 7pm to 3am on Saturdays and from 5pm to 1:30am on Sundays. Their work schedule was grueling, but according to the Tipping Point Theory, it is the effort they had at that particular point that put the aside for the success they were to see on the years to come. One of the group’s members confirmed that it was that time at Hamburg that was going to contribute immensely to their success and stardom. John Lennon stated that, the time the Beatles had in Hamburg paid off. John further described how they had to put in their best efforts to achieve the best numbers and to get the best from the gigs they could secure while in Germany. He confirmed that they got better while at Hamburg, their confidence grew and became solid from playing all night long and above all they had to try and to even put their hearts and souls into what they were doing. CITATION Gre18 l 1033 (Williams). All that effort paid off immensely and it is what Gladwell could later use to perfectly elaborate the Tipping Point theory. From their grueling work schedule and not having days off, the only option they had was certainly to become better and better and to also master that art perfectly well which in return they became famous and particularly loved by people and had fans all over the world. Their raise to stardom and moving to play in the United states coined the term Beatlemania.
In my opinion the Beatles music and style went through serious phases of evolution and I strongly believe they had two Tipping Points. That is when they first started off in Hamburg and also during their tour to the United States. The two Tipping Points period were particularly different, as they kept growing in both but it is the efforts of one phase that made it possible for them to shine in the next phase. The band kept on growing and with the coming of technology they took on the innovative approaches and the became sensational and were loved by everybody. I believe music formed their character and their success came from the efforts they put to growing their brand.
Works Cited.
BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Fleming, Colin. “1963: The Year the Beatles Found Their Voice.” The Atlantic (2013).
Williams, Gregg. “How the Beatles Became Really Famous ( The true story You’ve Never Heard).” Your Better Life (2018).