BOOK REVIEW ON THE WAY OF ACTING by TADASHI SUZUKI essays

BOOK REVIEW ON THE WAY OF ACTING by TADASHI SUZUKI essays Tadashi Suzuki, one of the foremost figures in contemporary theatre, has long been acclaimed, first in his native Japan, then in Europe and the United States, for the striking beauty, intensity, and communal energy of his theatrical productions. Those who have seen them will quickly surmise that behind the always powerful encounters that Suzuki engineers with his actors and his audience lie both a philosophy of performance and a rigorous discipline that are unique. Those few fortunate enough to have worked with Suzuki in his actor training classes either in Japan or in U.S. know his method firsthand. This collection of essays written between 1980 and 1983, the first to be made available in Western language, makes at least the outline of his ideas somewhat more portable-and accessible, at long last, to a much wider audience. The book reveals the psychology of a thoroughly contemporary artist. Challenged to absorb ideas from a wide variety of sources, the book helps create a powerful synthesis of the dramatic arts that can draw fresh resonance from the accomplishments of Japans greatest theatrical past. Reference to n and kabuki are sprinkled through the book, but Suzukis homage to the classics is both stronger and more heterodox than of any other figure in the postwar Japanese theatre. He has absorbed, then articulated, techniques and attitudes that serve the goals-not merely the superficial traditions-of the whole spectrum of Japanese theatre. In none of the essays does the book provide the readers with much in the way of autobiographical detail, but the outlines of his development emerge clearly. Suzuki is also a shrewd and demanding critic of the contemporary world, and of Japanese culture in particular. His observations and comments reveal a sensibility all too well attuned to the dangers and ambigu ities of the times in which we all live, whatever our nationality or cultural background. The attitude he adopts...

Harriet Beecher Stowe Quotes

Harriet Beecher Stowe Quotes Quotations from Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Toms Cabin and other novels and books. Learn more: Harriet Beecher Stowe Biography   Selected Harriet Beecher Stowe Quotations The past, the present and the future are really one: they are today. If women want any rights they had better take them, and say nothing about it Women are the real architects of society. So long as the law considers all these human beings, with beating hearts and living affections, only as so many things belonging to the master so long as the failure, or misfortune, or imprudence, or death of the kindest owner, may cause them any day to exchange a life of kind protection and indulgence for one of hopeless misery and toil so long it is impossible to make anything beautiful or desirable in the best regulated administration of slavery. I no more thought of style or literary excellence than the mother who rushes into the street and cries for help to save her children from a burning house thinks of the teachings of the rhetorician or the elocutionist I did not write it. God wrote it. I merely did his dictation. When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you till it seems you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. So much has been said and sung of beautiful young girls, why doesnt somebody wake up to the beauty of old women? Common sense is seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be. The truth is the kindest thing we can give folks in the end. Friendships are discovered rather than made. Most mothers are instinctive philosophers. Although mothers bodily presence disappeared from our circle, I think that her memory and example had more influence in molding her family, in deterring from evil and exciting to good, than the living presence of many mothers. It was a memory that met us everywhere; for every person in the town seemed to have been so impressed by her character and life that they constantly reflected some portion of it back upon us. Human nature is above all things lazy. The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. Perhaps it is impossible for a person who does no good to do no harm. Whipping and abuse are like laudanum: you have to double the dose as the sensibilities decline. Any mind that is capable of real sorrow is capable of good. Its a matter of taking the side of the weak against the strong, something the best people have always done. To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization. What makes saintliness in my view, as distinguished from ordinary goodness, is a certain quality of magnanimity and greatness of soul that brings life within the circle of the heroic. One would like to be grand and heroic if one could; but if not, why try at all? One wants to be very something, very great, very heroic; or if not that, then at least very stylish and very fashionable. It is this everlasting mediocrity that bores me. I am speaking now of the highest duty we owe our friends, the noblest, the most sacredthat of keeping their own nobleness, goodness, pure and incorrupt. . . . If we let our friend become cold and selfish and exacting without a remonstrance, we are no true lover, no true friend. A little reflection will enable any person to detect in himself that setness in trifles which is the result of the unwatched instinct of self-will and to establish over himself a jealous guardianship. In all ranks of life, the human heart yearns for the beautiful; and the beautiful things that God makes are his gift to all alike. Everyone confesses in the abstract that exertion which brings out all the powers of body and mind is the best thing for us all, but practically most people do all they can to get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than circumstances drive them to do. A day of grace is yet held out to us. Both North and South have been guilty before God, and the Christian Church has a heavy account to answer. Not by combining together, to protest injustice and cruelty, and making a common capital of sin, is this Union to be saved but by repentance, justice and mercy; for, not surer is the eternal law by which the millstone sinks in the ocean than that stronger law, by which injustice and cruelty shall bring on nations the wrath of Almighty God. Nobody had ever instructed him that a slave-ship, with a procession of expectant sharks in its wake, is a missionary institution, by which closely-packed heathen are brought over to enjoy the light of the Gospel. When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. If it were admitted that the great object is to read and enjoy a language, and the stress of the teaching were placed on the few things absolutely essential to this result, all might in their own way arrive there and rejoice in its flowers. Home is a place not only of strong affections but of entire unreserve; it is lifes undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room, from which we go forth to more careful and guarded intercourse, leaving behind us much debris of cast-off and everyday clothing. A man builds a house in England with the expectation of living in it and leaving it to his children; we shed our houses in America as easily as a snail does his shell. One of the greatest reforms that could be, in these reforming days ... would be to have women architects. The mischief with the houses built to rent is that they are all male contrivances. I would not attack the faith of a heathen without being sure I had a better one to put in its place. No one is so thoroughly superstitious as the godless man. Where painting is weakest, namely, in the expression of the highest moral and spiritual ideas, their music is sublimely strong. The longest day must have its close the gloomiest night will wear on to a morning. An eternal, inexorable lapse of moments is ever hurrying the day of the evil to an eternal night, and the night of the just to an eternal day. From Dorothy Parker:The pure and worthy Mrs. StoweIs one we all are proud to knowAs mother, wife, and authoress Thank God, I am content with less! from the end of Uncle Toms Cabin: On the shores of our free states are emerging the poor, shattered, broken remnants of families,men and women, escaped, by miraculous providences, from the surges of slavery,feeble in knowledge, and, in many cases, infirm in moral constitution, from a system which confounds and confuses every principle of Christianity and morality. They come to seek a refuge among you; they come to seek education, knowledge, Christianity.What do you owe to these poor, unfortunates, O Christians? Does not every American Christian owe to the African race some effort at reparation for the wrongs that the American nation has brought upon them? Shall the doors of churches and school-houses be shut down upon them? Shall states arise and shake them out? Shall the Church of Christ hear in silence the taunt that is thrown at them, and shrink away from the helpless hand that they stretch out, and shrink away from the courage the cruelty that would chase them from our borders? If it must be so, it will be a mour nful spectacle. If it must be so, the country will have reason to tremble, when it remembers that fate of nations is in the hand of the One who is very pitiful, and of tender compassion. More About Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Beecher Stowe ProfileHarriet Beecher Stowe BiographyHarriet Beecher Stowe Links More Womens Quotes: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Explore Womens Voices and Womens History Womens Voices - About Womens QuotesPrimary SourcesBiographiesToday in Womens HistoryWomens History Home About These Quotes Quote collection assembled by Jone Johnson Lewis. Each quotation page in this collection and the entire collection  © Jone Johnson Lewis. This is an informal collection assembled over many years. I regret that I am not able to provide the original source if it is not listed with the quote. Citation information:Jone Johnson Lewis. Harriet Beecher Stowe Quotes. About Womens History. Date accessed: (today). (More on how to cite online sources including this page)

D1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

D1 - Assignment Example But above all, the most important aspect is knowing how to use the code of conducts, since the application of the ethical code of conduct is the ultimate goal, to realize a good and fruitful relationship between children and their administrators (Feeney & Freeman, 2005). The knowledge of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct impacts on how I solve ethical dilemma that may arise between me and the children. While working with children, it is fundamental to understand that some of the most important values upheld by the children may conflict, thus creating an ethical dilemma (Feeney & Freeman, 2005). Nevertheless, with the knowledge of the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct, it becomes easy to negotiate between the values and arrive at a decision that is neither contradictory nor inappropriate to the belief and value system of the child’s family, in the realization of the importance of the bond between a child and family (Feeney & Freeman,

Examine and discuss the philosophical views developed by Epicurus Essay

Examine and discuss the philosophical views developed by Epicurus - Essay Example They  cannot be created or destroyed  though there can be added or subtracted to provide different structure. He  is of the view that atoms exit in different shapes and he states, â€Å"for so many varieties of things as we see could never have arisen out of a recurrence of a definite number of the same shapes. The like atoms of each shape are absolutely infinite, but the variety of shapes†¦not absolutely infinite† (Epicuris.net 12).These atoms are moving all the time as mentioned in Herodotus, â€Å"The atoms are in continual motion through all eternity (Epicuris.net 13)† Furthermore, Epicurus gave reasons that these invisible atoms were of different sizes that provide different sensations and feelings in people as mentioned, â€Å"Again, you should not suppose that the atoms have any and every size, lest you be contradicted by facts; but differences of size must be admitted; for this addition renders the facts of feeling and sensation easier of explanation† (Epicuris.net p.27). Epicurus did not approve of the idea that there was indivisibility of matter as atoms are not divisible. Epicurus believed that cosmos consisted of many worlds that were endless in number, had their point of origination and ends and were in constant movement. It is mentioned in a letter to Herodotus where he clearly stated that these cannot be divided or changed (Epicuris.net p.9). Epicurus had the view that cosmos could be explained by humanistic experiences as humans could remain happy if they became free of supernatural agents like Gods, fear of life after, punishments. Epicurus had the view that it was the nature of human beings that they associate knowledge of cosmos with facts that should be based on empirical data. However, for Epicurus, human beings sensation is the foundations of any investigations of cosmos. According to him, sciences are still inexhaustible which makes the

Philosophy of life Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of life Essay What is the meaning of life? The answer to this question has sought over since mankind became capable of exercising their brain capacity past a level of primal instinct. In general life is rather meaningless, we all simply exist together on this planet. But before one dwells on the pointlessness of human existence, they should think about the purpose of each individual person in our society. We create goals for ourselves; we all have a role to play in our society. In a sense, we choose our future and in doing so, give ourselves a purpose to live. The purpose of human existence in general may be absent, but in our society and through our goals and achievements, I believe each individual creates their own purpose. Through one question I realized this great truth: what do you want to be when you grow up? For the longest time, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. What did it matter to me anyway? I was a kid (well, I suppose I still am) and didn’t like any of the generic jobs they told us about in elementary school. Police force, teachers, fireman, none of them interested me. Then, in middle school, my life changed, a lot. I got completely new friends, after the old ones left me behind. I slowly started to become more and more enclosed, I spent most of my time out of school alone. As I developed into this over-dramatic teenage state, life suddenly became meaningless. I would often find myself sitting bored in my room, mindlessly surfing the internet or playing videogames. I slowly started to hate it; it was like I could feel my brain melting inside my head. I needed to find a more constructive hobby, and so I found myself musical instruments and started creating more and more music every day. Music became my life and from then on, I knew that my goal, the meaning of my life, was to become a musician. I believe that life was meant to be enjoyed; nobody wants to spend their life in a dead end job. After all, just how much meaning is in an unhappy life? Just ask Monty Python’s John Cleese, who states, â€Å"If I had not gone into Monty Python, I probably would have stuck to my original plan to graduate and become a chartered accountant, or perhaps a barrister lawyer, and gotten a nice house in the suburbs with a nice wife and kids, and gotten a country club membership, and then I would have killed myself. † I find this quote strongly inspiring because instead of choosing a highly respectable, well paying job and living a comfortable life, he choose to work with some of most popular men to ever wear woman’s clothing. Comedy is what he finds gives meaning to his life, and although his second choices would have been nice, Cleese didn’t find as much value in them as he did in Monty Python. Perhaps life itself is meaningless, but I believe it doesn’t have to be. I believe that a happy life is a meaningful one. I believe that mankind may not collectively have a reason for existence or a common goal, but each individual certainly does. I believe that each and every person has to create their own reason to live, instead of waiting for that reason to come to them, or they must just find themselves waiting forever.

Peace of God Essay -- Essasys Papers

Peace of God The â€Å"Peace of God† encompasses a wide array of definitions. â€Å"Peace of God† is a gift from God. It is simpler than the peace that we may think. For example, I picked a sample of three gentlemen in my fraternity and asked them what is their first thought that arises with the phrase â€Å"Peace of God.† The responses in order was: . A society without wars . A God that condemns wars . A union of all religions. As interesting as their responses are, my research has found that the peace that God has endowed within his people are, â€Å"peace of mind and heart.† Site http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/ice/peace.html exhibits an interesting viewpoint of â€Å"Peace of God.† It begins by defining peace from the bible, where peace came from a Greek word â€Å"eireinei,† which refers to the â€Å"mental attitude of tranquility based on a relationship with God in the Christian way of life.† The site further analyzes â€Å"peace† in two ways. â€Å"There is a personal peace of God which comes when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior.† â€Å"There is the peace of God which is available on a daily basis as the believer participates in the Christian way of life according to the plan of God.† The site continues further by emphasizing that â€Å"Peace of God is never available apart from Grace.† Essentially through God's Grace, he dissolved the barrier between man and God. So that when â€Å"the unbeliever responds to Grace by faith, the result is peace.† Another site I found interesting in the way they defined â€Å"peace† was http://www.wolfe.net/~bibline/info/peace.html. This site contains diverse definitions of the biblical view of â€Å"peace.† Although this site does not exactly define the phrase â€Å"Peace of God,† the ... ...safety, and calmness†. Although I believe I have concluded my search for the â€Å"Peace of God,† I decided to search one more site. The site that I found is http://www.calvarychapel.com/lakevilla/tracts/peace.htm, which similar to the former site. It begins by defining God's peace in two ways, â€Å"Freedom from worries, troubles, and fears.† â€Å"Peace of mind: a state of friendliness and calm.† These two definitions regarding the peace of God are relevant in the life of a chivalrous knight in that a knight faces adversity many times. One cannot be worried or troubled because it is a waste of energy. For if a knight is constantly worried and afraid, he cannot have enough courage to defeat his enemy. Also without a â€Å"state of friendliness and calmness,† a knight is not being chivalrous if he does not have peace of mind and acts ungentlemanly – like.

Responsibilities of an Educated Person

In the world that we live in today, education plays an enormous role in cultivating societies and granting younger generations the tools and mindset required to increase their standards of living and contribute to the greater good. However, the term â€Å"educated† is a rather loose concept which differs from culture to culture. Having grown up in Western society following an international upbringing, I am naturally biased to attribute certain qualities to an â€Å"educated† person that another person from a different culture might not recognize. These various attributes affect the direct but also the suggested responsibilities that an educated person might hold, the latter being implied and not related to any concrete school of thought (utilitarianism for example. ) That being said, the main responsibilities of an educated person are: to contribute to the development of the global society, impart their knowledge on to the next generation, and to achieve personal success in whatever way suits their own personal desire. For the sake of brevity and to provide a context for the question, the term â€Å"educated† will be used acknowledging the following qualities: those who find themselves educated generally have the ability to think critically and provide commentary on the world around them; educated people are literate and have pursued an area of study that they can regularly practice; educated people are aware of the presence of other cultures and are open-minded and tolerant towards the idea of multiculturalism and globalization. These are the main qualities that define an educated person in my opinion. There are other admirable qualities such as pragmatism and leadership-skills that would fit nicely into the equation, but it has been proven throughout history that one does not necessarily need to be educated in order to be a good leader or pragmatic. It should also be noted that one does not necessarily need to be in possession of all these traits in order to be considered educated. Contributing to the development of the global society is, from a utilitarian perspective, quite possibly the most substantial responsibility of an educated person. This is explained in a variety of ways. For one, those who are educated are generally in possession of some type of knowledge or skill that society needs. Whether it be medical knowledge, the ability to fix a toilet, or even the poise required to write a speech, the world requires educated persons to fulfill their niches and at least attempt to make the world a more stable place. Happiness in the utilitarian sense is present when the masses are happy. So if educated persons can assure a better living standard for others, than they should make the effort to do so in consideration for the greater good. It is also essential that the chain of knowledge be imparted from one generation to the next. The demand for specialists and educators would always remain present because of a common acceptance that education leads to a better life. Educated persons generally have some way of proving their worth to society through a degree or a certificate that represents their acquisition of skills related to their topic, but it is often said that once a person can impart their knowledge to another, they've truly grasped the principals of their education. This statement functions as a duality. On one hand, it allows the educated person to obtain a sense of self-satisfaction in that he or she has fully grasped their education, and on the other hand, it spreads knowledge. Articles such as the First Amendment to the United States constitution stress the ability to obtain knowledge freely and the grave importance of knowledge. The fundamental principal of education exists throughout all cultures; the passing of some type of knowledge to the next generation. Undoubtedly the most subjective and arguably selfish responsibility of an educated person is to achieve success in whichever way they desire. This could be the acquisition of wealth, fame, happiness, a family, spiritual enlightenment, et cetera. Due to the subjective nature of this responsibility it is impossible to determine a universally agreeable importance, however, there lies a hint of truth which ties back to the previous responsibilities. One's hopes and dreams are usually reliant on some type of education, and the work spent on getting educated should eventually pay off in a profession or career of some sort. What this implies is that the more one studies, the more their education should pay off. This is reflected in the increasing demand for Master's degrees in most well paying jobs. However, this phenomenon also occurs due to an â€Å"inflation† of education where the presence of bachelor's degrees is so common that it is worth less than when a smaller percentage of people owned bachelor's degrees. In any case however, the main principal of this concept is that one must not waste one's education. When looking at education from a purely objective perspective, it would be hard to say that there are concrete responsibilities that all educated persons must fulfill. Due of the subjective nature of both education and responsibility, one can only offer opinions morally justified by particular instances in history and accepted ways of thinking. Based on the context that this essay has set for the ‘role-model' educated person, the three main responsibilities of an educated person are to contribute to the global society, to ensure that the chain of knowledge continues, and to use their education to guarantee their own success in whichever way they desire, ensuring that their education had not been wasted.