Aural and spatial elements Essay Example for Free

Aural and spatial elements Essay Wertenbaker uses simple and minimalistic production design and uses her actors as her main resource to convey meaning and character especially as they are playing different gender or changing between convict and officer characters throughout. The few props are used to clarify meaning and are important in their own right along with costumes and set. She uses language and music to communicate with the audience and to create a specific atmosphere. Wertenbaker uses the movement or gestures of a character to emphasise a point or show character’s relationships. An example of this is Sideway in the first rehearsal, the stage direction â€Å"walking sideways, arms held high in a grandiose eighteenth century pose† this reinforces the idea of how uneducated the convicts are, as the audience can see Sideway has never seen a theatre production just has an idea of what it would be like. An example where gesture is used to communicate character’s relationships is in Act 1 scene 7 where Harry and Duckling are rowing, the stage directions for Duckling are â€Å"remains morose† and â€Å"doesn’t turn around† these are hostile actions as Harry is desperately trying to get her attention â€Å" Why don’t you look Duckling. † The audience can see that their relationship is unstable. The way Wertenbaker positions her characters on the stage is important in communicating status and character such as in Act 1 scene 11 when Major Ross and Captain Campbell enter, the convicts â€Å"slink away and sink down. † This shows that the convicts are afraid of the officers and they try and get as far away as possible from Robbie and become inconspicuous. The beginning scene has important use of positing, the convict are â€Å"huddled together in semi-darkness. † This gives an idea of how horrible the conditions were for the convicts during transportation. The officers are on deck above the convicts and in better conditions again showing status. This idea is kept throughout the play but gradually changes as the production of the convict’s play takes effect . Costume is used to communicate character, Governor Arthur Phillip’s costume would be grander and more decorative than the other officers and he has a higher status. The convicts would be wearing similar clothes but all slightly different such as Mary’s which would be covering her and suppressing her femininity because she feels guilty about what happened on the ship â€Å"I would have been less of a whore†. Sideway’s clothes would be over the top to show his flamboyant personality . All the costumes also have to be simple to allow quick costume changes as the actors multi-role. Wertenbaker’s set is very simple with only a few props. This is done to represent the bareness of Australia and how they have to create a new colony but have arrived with hardly anything. The set is also kept simple because there are 22 scenes and a complex set would take too long to change each time and therefore slow down the pace of the piece. Props are used sparsely but are very important in showing character’s situations. Example of this are the whipping equipment need in act 1 scene 1, they are used to clearly show the audience how the convicts were treated on the ships and the punishments. The play book is used throughout the play when the convicts are rehearing or talking about the play as this is one of the main themes of Our Country’s Good , however not many other books are used and this emphasises that the convict are uneducated and many can’t read. Ralph’s dairy and the picture of his wife are important props in showing his character. Ralph idolises his wife as something pure â€Å"I might kiss your picture as usual. † He uses his diary to write his thoughts showing he doesn’t feel he can talk to the other officers and is disturbed with the new land and behaviour of the convicts and officers. Food is mention throughout the play â€Å"if I was rich, I’d eat myself sick† but it is never used as a prop this highlights the lack of food in the colony. Wertenbaker uses gun shot sound effects at the beginning of the play in scene 3 Act 1, as the officers are shooting birds this reminds the audience that they have just arrived on a new land and are already destroying its nature and wildlife. The other sound effect Wertenbaker specifies in the play is drumming which occurs at the end In the last scene as the convicts go on stage, this symbolise a parade that a new colony might give as celebration. It also creates excitement for the play. The triumphant music of Beethoven’s fifth symphony is played at the very end as an introduction to The Recruiting Officer, this makes the audience happy and excited and reflects what the convicts would be feeling at that time. Other music Wertenbaker may want to be used during the play, especially the aboriginal scenes is didgeridoo music as this is a native instrument to Australia. The Language Wertenbaker uses shows character, an example of this is Liz’s monologue in Act 2 scene 2 where she use lots of slang â€Å"born under a ha’penny planet† this shows the audience she is uneducated. In contrast to Liz, Arthur is very educated and we can see this due to the literary and historical reverences he mentions when backing up an argument â€Å"In the Meno, one of Plato’s great dialogues. † This is a way that difference in education shows the split between convicts and officers. Language is also used to show change in characters, for example at the beginning Wisehammer is rough and has no hope for the future â€Å"alone, frightened, nameless in this sinking hole of hell†, however as the play progresses we actually see him as being one of the more educated convicts. â€Å"Abject: a man without hope. † In the last scene we see him thinking of the future and with restored hope â€Å"I’ll write a play about justice. † Our Country’s Good would be more suitable for a proscenium arch stage because it communicates the bareness of the new land as no-one is on the other side unlike a transverse stage. Wertenbaker wanted to use a cyclorama to symbolise Australia and this would need to be upstage and therefore would work best in proscenium as it has a back wall. The third reason is the convicts and officers could easily be separated and shown in their groups and more easily commutate status and power. The lighting is very important in staging the play. The lighting would of be harsh blues and yellows to represent the climate of Australia. This lighting is the most effective way of making the audience aware of the different climate and habitat of Australia and how hard it was for the convicts and officers to adapt to the change. The lighting would also be used to show night and day as some of the scenes are during the night, this would create an atmosphere for the piece. Wertenbaker chose to create an obviously theatrical piece of drama instead of a piece of realism because she wanted the audience to see the social message the play contained, how drama can reform and educate people. A theatrical piece is the most effective way to do this as it allows both the actors and audience to see the story from both sides of the colony due to the multi-rolling actors.

Educating Rita :: Social Issues Racism Equality Essays

Educating Rita Civilization has a tendency to attempt to divide people into different groups. Our environment weighs and measures us; then places us into a certain company. Frank and Rita are the very example of two persons placed in very different social compartments. Their places in society differ greatly as do their roles as student and teacher. And yet as one examines the script of Educating Rita it seems as though two people, who society has attempted to separate from each other in every possible way, still have the world in common. The first big difference in the two characters' social status is their sex. Rita is a woman, Frank is a man. Though we may try to deny it, there is quite a difference between what is expected from men and women. Age as well plays a large part in terms of theses expectations. Frank is middle-aged whereas Rita is still in her late twenties. Rita is facing masses of peer pressure, it is expected of her that she should now have children and become a housewife. Her being fairly young and married, the thought of her going back to school instead of having babies is unheard of, quite abnormal, and even unacceptable. Frank, in contrast, is a middle-aged man and a divorcà ©. As far as social pressure is concerned, he is now free to do his liking. He has already filled his middle-class duties; he is educated, he has something of a career and he has been married. He now has a girlfriend, which people regard that he is entitled to. Nobody expects him to make a deeper commitment to his girlfriend, due, it seems, to the fact that he has already been married once. These differences lead to a certain lack of empathy on Frank's behalf. Frank doesn't understand Rita's situation, the social pressure put on her is incomprehensible to him. Frank believes that life is a simple matter: don't love your husband anymore, get a divorce; don't want to have children, don't have children. What he does not see, is that Rita is bound by the ways of her society, she's not allowed to differ from her mates, which has a greater impact on her than Frank seems to realise. In a way of thinking, Frank is free and Rita is not. Rita is bound by a lot of expectations to live up to, whereas Frank has leave to simply enjoy the rest of his

Golden Parachute

Often in a stack of current newspapers, the front page topics that will catch your attention are ethical issues behind upper management compensations; in this case, on March 30th 2009, the issue that surfaced was Rick Wagoner’s leave from GM and his retirement package and how his actual/ base compensation doubled in his last year from approximately $7M to $15M. (7) With the current economic crisis, many people outside the business society have become aware of the ridiculously high income difference between top managers and regular working citizens. For instance, terms such as ‘golden parachute’ have been put under the limelight and are scrutinized. Golden parachutes are severance pays to CEOs when they leave their company. The amount of money is usually influenced by the size of the business and the effort they put in. The golden parachute was once used to ethically to compensate CEOs who sacrificed their time and effort for the business; however, this is currently not the only case. Before we get into more detail, it is important to understand that the golden parachute once had a reason for being employed. With many mergers and acquisitions during the second industrial revolution, CEOs were offered compensations proportional to how much their effort was worth. According to the Journal of Business Ethics, this was an ethical standpoint because it was followed by two positive effects. First of all, golden parachutes encouraged mergers and acquisitions as opposed to bankruptcy. For instance, the CEO would choose to merge with a competitor and leave with an enticing amount of money. This minimized unemployment and loss of structural capital which is result of bankruptcy. Another positive effect in using the golden parachute was attracting an effective management team. Great CEOs are essential for the success of businesses, yet great CEOs are low on supply. As a result, golden parachutes can be ‘recruitment tool[s]’ and can bring the business back into an economically stable position. In essence, golden parachutes were and can still be ethical if the CEOs receive compensations proportional to their effort that was put forth to the company. 1) However, although these compensation packages began as an alternative that maximizes the sum of stakeholders’ satisfaction, many CEOs began to abuse this privilege. Highlighted by the principle agent theory, most people would prioritize personal incentives above all else. Therefore, it is understandable for a CEO to pursue personal incentives. However, fiduciary responsibilities to shareholders must be reinforced by boards. It is human nature to prioritize personal needs, but it is unethical to harm the business or shareholders during the process. Therefore, whether or not golden parachutes should or should not be mandatory remains a moral dilemma. The question still stands; is it defendable that CEOs deserve and have rights to collect golden parachutes? In a current issue, Rick Wagoner, CEO of GM, was asked to resign by Obama due to his failure to submit a restructuring plan. As a result, he received a whopping golden parachute of $20 million. If the decision was put in the hands of many tax payers, he would not have left with $20 million due to his track record. According to ABC News, under his leadership, â€Å"GM lost tens of billions of dollars, took billions in taxpayer-financed aid, and cut tens of thousands of jobs, including announced plans to cut 47,000 employees by the end of 2009†. (2) On top of that, he was included in a scandal, late 2008, where he was witnessed to have flown private jets when asking for a government bailout. With such exposure, tax payers are petrified with the fact that their money is going towards a paying a company which failed restructure. Thus, many argue that he did not deserve the money since he neglected his responsibility as the CEO of GM to look in the best interest of the stakeholder. On the other hand, GM and the government had to, by law, give Rick Wagoner the pay since it was already negotiated; thus, he was entitled to retirement funds. As a result, another ethical issue may arise based on whether or not he deserves the pay. Let’s also not forget the fact that he worked in GM for 32 years. 2) On top of that, if a golden parachute was not offered, many capable CEOs will lose incentives and GM’s financial position may not be able to recuperate without an effective leader. In essence, the dilemma a remains in debate regarding whether or not the benefits of golden parachutes override the possible abuse of this privilege. To further analyze this case, this dilemma was applied to the seven step decision procedure. Moral Standards To start off with, the first step to the decision procedure is to identify moral standards. Since each stakeholder’s interests vary, there is a conflict among personal goals, beliefs and values. For instance, CEOs and board members take action to maximize their pay due to personal goals; however, it may not be in the best interest of the company. As a result, by pursuing this goal, CEOs and board members believe in egoism where they look solely in the best interest of themselves and consider it as a means to goodness. They also believe that with a capitalist economy, the government should not intervene and should grant businesses’ their freedom resulting a laissez-faire perspective. Similarly, shareholders also intend to maximize their income and personal incentives. In doing so, they value trust and honesty and expect fiduciary duties to be met. Moral Impacts The second step is to recognize all moral impacts and how they either benefit or harm stakeholders. It is also important to identify any rights that are linked to entitlement and/or duty that may be recognized or violated. The following chart is a cost/ benefit analysis if the government was to allow the practice of golden parachutes.

Battle of Chapultepec in the Mexican-American War

The Battle of Chapultepec was fought September 12-13, 1847, during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). With the start of the war in May 1846, American troops led by Major General Zachary Taylor scored quick victories at the Battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma before crossing the Rio Grande to strike the fortress city of Monterrey. Assaulting Monterrey in September 1846, Taylor captured the city after a costly battle. After the Monterreys capitulation, he annoyed President James K. Polk when he gave the Mexicans an eight-week armistice and permitted Monterreys defeated garrison to go free.   With Taylor and his army holding Monterrey, debate commenced in Washington regarding American strategy moving forward. Following these conversations, it was decided that a campaign against the Mexican capital at Mexico City would be critical to winning the war. As a 500-mile march from Monterrey over difficult terrain was recognized as impractical, the decision was made to land an army on the coast near Veracruz and march inland. This choice made, Polk was next required to select a commander for the campaign. Scotts Army Though popular with his men, Taylor was an ardent Whig who had publicly criticized Polk on several occasions. Polk, a Democrat, would have preferred a member of his own party, but lacking a qualified candidate, he chose Major General Winfield Scott.   A Whig, Scott was seen as posing less of a political threat. To create Scotts army, the bulk of Taylors veteran units were directed to the coast. Left south of Monterrey with a small force, Taylor successfully defeated a much larger Mexican force at the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847. Landing near Veracruz in March 1847, Scott captured the city and began marching inland. Routing the Mexicans at Cerro Gordo the following month, he drove towards Mexico City winning battles at Contreras and Churubusco in the process. Nearing the edge of the city, Scott attacked the Molino del Rey (Kings Mills) on September 8, 1847, believing there to be a cannon foundry there. After hours of heavy fighting, he captured the mills and destroyed the foundry equipment. The battle was one of the bloodiest of conflict with the Americans suffering 780 killed and wounded and the Mexicans 2,200. Next Steps Having taken Molino del Rey, American forces had effectively cleared many of the Mexican defenses on the western side of the city with the exception of Chapultepec Castle. Situated atop a 200-foot hill, the castle was a strong position and served as the Mexican Military Academy. It was garrisoned by fewer than 1,000 men, including the corps of cadets, led by General Nicolà ¡s Bravo. While a formidable position, the castle could be approached via a long slope from Molino del Rey. Debating his course of action, Scott called a council of war to discuss the armys next steps. Meeting with his officers, Scott favored assaulting the castle and moving against the city from the west. This was initially resisted as the majority of those present, including Major Robert E. Lee, desired to attack from the south. In the course of the debate, Captain Pierre G.T. Beauregard offered an eloquent argument in favor of the western approach which swung many of the officers into Scotts camp. The decision made, Scott began planning for the assault on the castle. For the attack, he intended to strike from two directions with one column approaching from the west while the other struck from the southeast. Armies Commanders United States Major General Winfield Scott7,180 men Mexico General Antonio Lopez de Santa AnnaGeneral Nicholas Bravoaround 1,000 men near Chapultepec The Assault At dawn on September 12, American artillery began firing on the castle. Firing through the day, it halted at nightfall only to resume the next morning. At 8:00 AM, Scott ordered the firing to stop and directed the attack to move forward. Advancing east from Molino del Rey, Major General Gideon Pillows division pushed up the slope spearheaded by an advance party led by Captain Samuel Mackenzie. Advancing north from Tacubaya, Major General John Quitmans division moved against Chapultepec with Captain Silas Casey leading the advance party. Pushing up the slope, Pillows advance successfully reached the walls of the castle but soon stalled as Mackenzies men had to wait for the storming ladders to be brought forward. To the southeast, Quitmans division encountered a dug-in Mexican brigade at the intersection with the road leading east into the city. Ordering Major General Persifor Smith to swing his brigade east around the Mexican line, he directed Brigadier General James Shields to take his brigade northwest against Chapultepec. Reaching the base of the walls, Caseys men also had to wait for ladders to arrive. Ladders soon arrived on both fronts in large numbers allowing the Americans to storm over the walls and into the castle. The first over the top was Lieutenant George Pickett. Though his men mounted a spirited defense, Bravo was soon overwhelmed as the enemy attacked on both fronts. Pressing the assault, Shields was severely wounded, but his men succeeded in pulling down the Mexican flag and replacing it with the American flag. Seeing little choice, Bravo ordered his men to retreat back to the city but was captured before he could join them (Map). Exploiting the Success Arriving on the scene, Scott moved to exploit the capture of Chapultepec. Ordering Major General William Worths division forward, Scott directed it and elements of Pillows division to move north along the La Verà ³nica Causeway then east to assault the San Cosmà © Gate. As these men moved out, Quitman re-formed his command and was tasked with moving east down the Belà ©n Causeway to conduct a secondary attack against the Belà ©n Gate. Pursuing the retreating Chapultepec garrison, Quitmans men soon encountered Mexican defenders under General Andrà ©s Terrà ©s. Using a stone aqueduct for cover, Quitmans men slowly drove the Mexicans back to the Belà ©n Gate. Under heavy pressure, the Mexicans began to flee and Quitmans men breached the gate around 1:20 PM. Guided by Lee, Worths men did not reach the intersection of the La Verà ³nica and San Cosmà © Causeways until 4:00 PM. Beating back a counterattack by Mexican cavalry, they pushed towards the San Cosmà © Gate but took heavy losses from the Mexican defenders. Fighting up the causeway, American troops knocked holes in the walls between buildings to advance while avoiding Mexican fire. To cover the advance, Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant hoisted a howitzer to the bell tower of the San Cosmà © church and began firing on the Mexicans. This approach was repeated to the north by US Navy Lieutenant Raphael Semmes. The tide turned when Captain George Terrett and a group of US Marines were able to attack the Mexican defenders from the rear. Pushing forward, Worth secured the gate around 6:00 PM. Aftermath In the course of the fighting at the Battle of Chapultepec, Scott suffered around 860 casualties while Mexican losses are estimated at around 1,800 with an additional 823 captured. With the citys defenses breached, Mexican commander General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna elected to abandon the capital that night. The following morning, American forces entered the city. Though Santa Anna conducted a failed siege of Puebla shortly thereafter, large-scale fighting effectively ended with Mexico Citys fall. Entering into negotiations, the conflict was ended by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in early 1848. The active participation in the fighting by the US Marine Corps led to the opening line of the Marines Hymn, From the Halls of Montezuma...