Analysis of Audens The Age of Anxiety :: Auden The Age of Anxiety Essays

Analysis of Auden's The Age of Anxiety    In Auden's lengthy poem, "The Age of Anxiety", he follows the actions and thoughts of four characters who happen to meet in a bar during a war.   Their interactions with one another lead them on an imaginary quest in their minds in which they attempt, without success, to discover themselves.   The themes and ideas that Auden's "The Age of Anxiety" conveys reflect his belief that man's quest for self-actualization is in vain.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   W. H. Auden was born in York, England, in 1907, the third and youngest son of Constance and George Auden (Magill 72).   His poetry in the 1930's reflected the world of his era, a world of depression, Fascism, and war.   His works adopt a prose of a "clinical diagrostician [sic] anatomizing society" and interpret social and spiritual acts as failures of communication (Magill 74).   They also put forth a diagnosis of the industrial English society among economic and moral decay in the 1930's (Magill 72).   Conflicts common in his works are those between war and peace, corruption of modern society, and the "dichotomy between the rich and the poor" (Barrows 317).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   "The Age of Anxiety" is, in general, a quest poem.   Unlike the ideal quest, however, this quest accomplishes nothing.   The characters search for the meaning of self and, in essence, the meaning of life, but because their search is triggered by intoxication due to alchohol, the quest is doomed from the start.   Throughout the quest, the characters believe themselves to be in a form of Purgatory when they are allegorically in Hell.   They fail to realize this due to "the modern human condition which denies possibility but refuses to call it impossible" (Nelson 117).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In "The Age of Anxiety", there are four characters of significance. Quant, the first to be introduced, addresses himself in a mirror, an action typical to a drunken man.   He is an aging homosexual widower who finds refuge in the mirror because it offers him the easiest way of facing himself (Nelson 117-118).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Malin, the most dominant character overall, is a medical intelligence officer on leave from the Canadian Air Force.   His background labels him as the "would-be doctor and leader" in the world of "The Age of Anxiety".   His name is reminiscent, in relation to the war, of a malingerer, and the composition of his personality hints at the evil within him (Nelson 118).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rosetta, the most human of the characters, is a department store buyer, and comes closer to self-actualization than any of the other characters in the poem.   Emble is a young sailor and would-be prince whose

Good Fellas Essay

During the years of adolescence, children tend to conjure up ideas of what life will be like as an adult. Some dream of becoming a firefighter, some a teacher, but young Henry Hill is not like most children. He dreams of becoming a mob member and spends his time fantasizing about the cars and women that will come with the title. In the film Good Fellas, Martin Scorsese uses repetitive violence and poor decisions to show Henry Hill that material possessions and status are not of importance when you are reprimanded by the law, and further, how people in society tend to become blind by fortune and do not think about the consequences they could face by their actions. Scorsese creates a strong sense of what life is like for an Italian American, who is involved in the Mafia. Between the mass amount of mob movies and the reality shows available on cable, the stereotypes of Italians are not too keen. Before meeting an Italian American, a person who is over interested in food, tan, loud, hot tempered and obnoxious comes to mind. In some cases even a visual of a mob member. In this movie, Scorsese focuses on the way the mob members dress and eat, which helps create a strong image for the viewer of what is important to these characters. Once Henry started to become involved in the mob’s activities, he started to dress like them, â€Å"You look like a gangster,† his mother was appalled by his appearance. This is the first time the stereotype of how a member of a mob dressed is acknowledged. Henry shows up on the door step of his parent’s house at a young age, wearing a pressed suit and sparkling black dress shoes. He had used his earnings from the restaurant to make what he thought was an everlasting impression and to show his growing status. Shortly after Henry marries Karen, she is invited to a mob wife’s hostess party. She shows up in a designer dress and notices that â€Å"these women appear to be wearing thrown together pants suits and wearing worn makeup,† to her disgust. Later as the movie progresses Karen herself begins to adapt to this look as well. This is scene when appearances become less important and survival according to the demands of the mob is more of a focus. The aspect that never changes is how important a good meal is no matter what is going on around them and focus on the present tense. Even when Henry and Tommy have a man in the trunk, they think nothing of parking the car in a residential driveway to have a hearty meal with Tommy’s mom. Whenever life takes a turn for the worse, all is lost and the men are in prison, they still manage to prepare a five coarse meal. It is the only thing that gives them a sense of home. The members of the mob lived on the code of respect; if this was forgotten then they were forfeiting the safety that comes with being part of the crew. They were to respect the Boss and listen to whatever advice that was given. If a member were to go against him, there were consequences, â€Å"murder was the only way to keep everyone in line, if you got out of line, you got wacked,† there was no room for mistakes. It was seldom that a second chance would be granted. Once a member of the mob worked their way to the top and proved that they were loyal, they were treated extremely well. Not only did people within the mob know their status but onlookers knew as well. Henry enjoyes the amount of respect he received, he was not at the top but still had the power. He â€Å"didn’t have to wait for [his] fresh bread at the bakery, neighbors didn’t park in their driveway anymore, and the kids in the neighborhood would carry [his] mother’s groceries home for her. † This was just the beginning because as Henry grew older, he received this kind of treatment everywhere he went. Life was good. The luxuries Henry had did not come from volunteering within the community or going to college to earn a degree. These men were well known but not for their good doings. Henry explains it as being as an easy job, â€Å"if we wanted something we just took it, if someone complained they got hit so bad they didn’t again,† violence and crime was the only way to go for them. The people within the community feared them and if the police came after them, they would just pay them off or murder them and dispose of the body so it could not be pinned back on any of them. In order to become completely untouchable from the outsiders as well as the members within the mob, although, they needed Pauly. These members would go to Pauly for help, when they could not go to the police. The only problems with this is Pauly is not cheap and they needed to play by his rules. If his help was needed, he was to be paid weekly and no excuse was good enough for not having his cut when it was due. Scorsese uses violence and crime to show there was more to life than the money and fun that came along with it. It takes a bit of dirty work to get high end items if the hard work isn’t done to allow for the high end job. The members of the mob and their wives see life a bit differently than the typical working American. Henry’s wife Karen addresses this by saying â€Å"Our husbands are not Brain Surgeons; they were blue collar guys who go out and cut a few corners. † She did not see anything wrong in what Henry does as long as he comes home and treats her with all the luxuries she has become accustomed to, nothing else mattered. Henry and his accomplices did not think anything was wrong with how they lived. They enjoyed themselves and were aware of the consequences, but did not fret about them, â€Å"no one goes to jail unless they want to,† Pauly offered protection and as long as the rules were followed there was nothing to worry about. In order to get by, Henry would do everything from boot leg cigarettes, steal cargo, deal drugs and would kill anyone who gets in the way. The two that must be followed were, do not kill a Made man, which is a boss, unless you have permission and make sure you pay Pauly. Henry was living a fabulous life until he started making some bad decisions, got careless and broke the rules. Now the consequences that have been threatened have caught up with him and are starting to give him a rude awakening of what life really can be like for the average person, who does not belong to a powerful family, such as his. Henry was living life day by day and getting by doing whatever he pleases. He had the respect, the power and the wealth that he dreamt of as a young boy. But in the end it didn’t add up, he was left with nothing. All due to a few bad decisions, the materialistic rubbish and money caused Henry to be blinded from what truly should be important in life, he had cut off relationships with all of his real family and now had no one to turn to. Pauly had warned him not to get involved in the scandal that his two close accomplices Tommy and Johnny were getting involved in, but after Henry gets put into prison, he runs out of resources and needs money fast. â€Å"When you go away you are on your own,† because Pauly did not help Karen, while Henry was in jail he decides that instead of asking Pauly for help when he gets out he would take care of this misfortune of his own. He doesn’t feel as if he owes Pauly anything because Pauly did not offer help when he needed him the most. Henry locates Tommy and Johnny and creates a multimillion dollar plan. The problem that surfaces is that it will be hard to keep everyone involved quiet and some of the help decided to spend their cut of the money right away which started to draw some unwanted attention. Tommy and Johnny cannot have this become an issue, so â€Å"months after the robbery, they were finding bodies left and right, â€Å"it was obvious that there was something going on and it was starting to catch up with Henry. Pauly eventually caught up with them and had his men kill Tommy. Henry began to notice he was being followed and he thought he had everything under control but he was wrong. The Federal Government caught up with him â€Å"and now it’s all over, I am and average nobody. † In order for Henry to stay out of prison he had to become a victim of the Witness Protection Program and confessed everything, from the beginning, involving everyone and every detail. He no longer had the power or money he once had. None of it mattered anymore and he now regrets the poor decisions he had made that lead him in this direction. If he would have just listened to Pauly, he may still be living the life he once had. The director uses this end result of regret as the main theme of the movie. It holds as a message, a man may be blessed with good fortune but one bad decision can turn it all around. This film was based on a true story. The main character relives the life of the real Henry Hill to show the general public that it is okay to live life day by day and enjoy what comes with it but make sure that the consequences are acknowledged and be prepared for the outcome of the actions taken. All can be lost by a few bad decisions and there is no going back.

Inflation Cause, Effects and Remedies - 11309 Words

Inflation It’s causes, effect and remedies. By: Subrat Choudhury Inflation and Deflation I INTRODUCTION Inflation and Deflation, in economics, terms used to describe, respectively, a decline or an increase in the value of money, in relation to the goods and services it will buy. Inflation is the pervasive and sustained rise in the aggregate level of prices measured by an index of the cost of various goods and services. Repetitive price increases erode the purchasing power of money and other financial assets with fixed values, creating serious economic distortions and uncertainty. Inflation results when actual economic pressures and anticipation of future developments cause the demand for goods and services to exceed the supply†¦show more content†¦Economic historians have identified the 16th to early 17th centuries in Europe as a period of long-term inflation, although the average annual rate of 1 to 2 percent was modest by modern standards. Major changes occurred during the American Revolution, when prices in the U.S. rose an average of 8.5 percent per month, and during the F rench Revolution, when prices in France rose at a rate of 10 percent per month. These relatively brief flurries were followed by long periods of alternating international inflations and deflations linked to specific political and economic events. The U.S. reported average annual price changes as follows: 1790 to 1815, up 3.3 percent; 1815 to 1850, down 2.3 percent; 1850 to 1873, up 5.3 percent; 1873 to 1896, down 1.8 percent; 1896 to 1920, up 4.2 percent; and 1920 to 1934, down 3.9 percent. This extended history indicates a recurring sequence of inflations, linked to wartime periods, followed by long periods of price stability or deflation. Consumer prices accelerated during the World War II era, rising at an annual average rate of 7.0 percent from 1940 to 1948, and then stabilized from 1948 to 1965, when the annual increases averaged only 1.6 percent, including a peak of 5.9 percent in 1951 during the Korean War. In the mid-1960s a chronic inflationary trend began in most industria l nations. From 1965 to 1978 American consumer prices increased at an average annual rate of 5.7 percent, including a peak ofShow MoreRelatedInflation Cause, Effects and Remedies11320 Words   |  46 PagesInflation It’s causes, effect and remedies. By: Subrat Choudhury Inflation and Deflation I INTRODUCTION Inflation and Deflation, in economics, terms used to describe, respectively, a decline or an increase in the value of money, in relation to the goods and services it will buy. Inflation is the pervasive and sustained rise in the aggregate level of prices measured by an index of the cost of various goods and services. Repetitive price increases erode the purchasing power of money and other financialRead MoreInflation1301 Words   |  6 PagesInflation, Types, Causes, Impacts and Remedies Inflation In  economics,  inflation  is a rise in the general  level of prices of goods and services in an  economy  over a period of time.  When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. Consequently, inflation also reflects an erosion in the  purchasing power of money – a loss of real value in the internal medium of exchange and unit of account in the economy  A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rateRead MoreThe Keynesian Model Of Economics Essay897 Words   |  4 Pagesreserve, regulating the level of government expenditures, creating private property rights, and setting tax rates.† () A government will implement policies to help control, or in some case, help remedy an economic crisis. 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Smith suggested that minimal intervention should be required regarding government policy as the laws of supply and demand will be self-correcting. John Maynard Keynes was an important figure that worked to apply fi scal policy that would remedy an economic depression. Keynes’s idea of fiscal policy is the means by which government adjusts its spending levels and tax rates to monitor and influence the economy. Further, Keynes is known as the father of â€Å"Mixed Economy†, in which both the privateRead MoreEvaluating Fiscal Policy Alternatives1270 Words   |  6 Pages Fiscal policy is whenever the government changes government spending or taxation as a means of influencing the market economy. This change takes place to stimulate or to restrain inflation. Fiscal policy is the manipulation of trends in the economy by the government. The content of this paper will discuss the effects of the changes in fiscal policy based on the evaluating fiscal policy alternatives simulation. Well Ruled The first part of the simulation for the year 2xx6 showed the decisionRead MoreEconomic Effects of a Budget Deficit754 Words   |  4 PagesThe immediate effect of a budget deficit is the negative perception of the general public, both local and international, on the ability of government to manage its fiscal affairs which seriously impairs its financial and credit rating including its ability to borrow more money to service the country’s foreign debt. Government is unable then to forthwith address the deficit and, as in the Philippines, starts blaming everybody else but itself for its budgetary woes. Still, during times of a budgetRead MoreThe Monetary Policy Is The Rule Of The Interest Rate And Money Supply Of A Country957 Words   |  4 Pagesstability – low inflation – and, subject to that, to support the Government’s economic objectives including those for growth and employment. Price stability is defined by the Government’s inflation target of 2%† (Bank of England). One of the most influential econometrics tools to define monetary policy is the Taylor rule. â€Å"This rule sets the interest rate above or below some ‘neutral’ level to a degree which depends on (i) the difference between current inflation and target inflation, and (ii) theRead MoreThe Effects Of Inflation On The Economy1129 Words   |  5 Pagesago, many economists did not believe that inflation –the escalation of prices that makes the money to be less valuable in the market- (Newnan, Eschenbach, Lavelle, 2014) could rise together with unemployment beca use they stood in the wide belief of a direct relation between economic growth and employment. That is to say that when the nation’s economy is in its healthy moments, the rate of unemployment will decrease, and in the other part the inflation will increase because people have more incomeRead MoreUnemployment Trends around the World1521 Words   |  6 PagesReference Business Economics. Rob Dransfield, 2014, Routledge: London Office for national statistics. Release: regional labour market statistic, 19 march 2014 Structural unemployment in Western Europe: reasons and remedies. Edited by martin Werding. 2006. Massachusetts institute of technology. Unemployment in Europe: Problems and Policies. VALERIE SYMES, 1995, Routledge: London Youth studies, An Introduction. By Andy Foulong, 2013, Routledge: London References Crisis in Australia which way out. Edited