Anton Chekhov - Biography and Profile

Born in 1860, Anton Chekhov grew up in the Russian town of Taganrog. He spent much of his childhood quietly sitting in his fathers fledgling grocery store. He watched the customers and listened to the their gossip, their hopes, and their complaints. Early on, he learned to observe the everyday lives of humans. His ability to listen would become one of his most valuable skills as a storyteller. Chekhovs YouthHis father, Paul Chekhov, grew up in an impoverished family. Antons grandfather was actually a serf in Czarist Russia, but through hard work and thriftiness, he purchased his familys freedom. Young Antons father became a self-employed grocer, but the business never prospered and eventually fell apart. Monetary woes dominated Chekhovs childhood. As a result, financial conflicts are prominent in his plays and fiction. Despite economic hardship, Chekhov was a talented student. In 1879, he left Taganrog to attend medical school in Moscow. At this time, he felt the pressure of being the head of the household. His father was no longer earning a living. Chekhov needed a way to make money without abandoning school. Writing stories provided a solution. He began writing humorous stories for local newspapers and journals. At first the stories paid very little. However, Chekhov was a quick and prolific humorist. By the time he was in his forth year of medical school, he had caught the attention of several editors. By 1883, his stories were earning him not only money but notoriety. Chekhovs Literary PurposeAs a writer, Chekhov did not subscribe to a particular religion or political affiliation. He wanted to satirize not preach. At the time, artists and scholars debated the purpose of literature. Some felt that literature should offer life instructions. Others felt that art should simply exist to please. For the most part, Chekhov agreed with the latter view. The artist must be, not the judge of his characters and of what they say, but merely a dispassionate observer. -- Anton Chekhov Chekhov the PlaywrightBecause of his fondness for dialogue, Chekhov felt drawn to the theatre. His early plays such as Ivanov and The Wood Demon artistically dissatisfied him. In 1895 he began working on a rather original theatrical project: The Seagull. It was a play that defied many of the traditional elements of common stage productions. It lacked plot and it focused on many interesting yet emotionally static characters. In 1896 The Seagull received a disastrous response on opening night. The audience actually booed during the first act. Fortunately, innovative directors Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danechenko believed in Chekhovs work. Their new approach to drama invigorated audiences. The Moscow Art Theatre restaged The Seagull and created a triumphant crowd-pleaser. Soon after, the Moscow Art Theatre, led by Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danechenko, produced the rest of Chekhovs masterpieces: Uncle Vanya (1899) The Three Sisters (1900) The Cherry Orchard (1904) Chekhovs Love LifeThe Russian storyteller played with themes of romance and marriage, but throughout most of his life he did not take love seriously. He had occasional affairs, but he did not fall in love until he met Olga Knipper, an up-and-coming Russian actress. They were very discreetly married in 1901. Olga not only starred in Chekhovs plays, she also deeply understood them. More than anyone in Chekhovs circle, she interpreted the subtle meanings within the plays. For example, Stanislavski thought The Cherry Orchard was a tragedy of Russian life. Olga instead knew that Chekhov intended it to be a gay comedy, one that almost touched upon farce. Olga and Chekhov were kindred spirits, though they did not spend much time together. Their letters indicate that they were very affectionate to one another. Sadly, their marriage would not last very long, due to Chekhovs failing health. Chekhovs Final DaysAt the age of 24, Chekhov began showing signs of tuberculosis. He tried to ignore this condition; however by his early 30s his health had deterorated beyond denial. When The Cherry Orchard opened in 1904, tuberculosis had ravaged his lungs. His body was visibly weakened. Most of his friends and family knew the end was near. Opening night of The Cherry Orchard became a tribute filled with speeches and heartfelt thanks. It was their was of saying goodbye to Russias greatest playwright. On July 14th, 1904, Chekhov stayed up late working on yet another short story. After going to bed, he suddenly awoke and summoned a doctor. The physician could do nothing for him but offer a glass of champagne. Reportedly, his final words were, Its a long time since I drank champagne. Then, after drinking the beverage, he died Chekhovs LegacyDuring and after his lifetime, Anton Chekhov was adored throughout Russia. Aside from his beloved stories and plays, he is also remembered as a humanitarian and a philanthropist. While living in the country, he often attended to the medical needs of the local peasants. Also, he was renowned for sponsoring local writers and medical students. His literary work has been embraced throughout the world. While many playwrights create intense, life-or-death scenarios, Chekhovs plays offer everyday conversations. Readers cherish his extraordinary insight into the lives of the ordinary. ReferencesMalcolm, Janet, Reading Chekhov, a Critical Journey, Granta Publications, 2004 edition.Miles, Patrick (ed), Chekhov on the British Stage, Cambridge University Press, 1993.

A Struggling Relationship with Power and Jane Eyres Desire to be Free From It - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1525 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/05/18 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Jane Eyre Essay Did you like this example? In Charlotte Brontes, Jane Eyre, the protagonists experiences in alienation result in her ultimate desire for power and her struggle to be free from it. Janes alienation is divided into many sectors but she bases her rebellion on two: her class and her gender. Both things of which were not circumstantial but rather bred, Jane has constant resentment for being a lower class woman. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Struggling Relationship with Power and Jane Eyres Desire to be Free From It" essay for you Create order Using this as the fuel to her rebellion, Jane refuses to be stepped on by others and rather attempts to coexist with her authoritative surroundings. I tired of the routine of eight years in one afternoon. I desired liberty; for liberty I gasped; for liberty I uttered a prayer; it seemed scattered on the wind then faintly blowing. I abandoned it and framed a humbler supplication; for change, stimulus: that petition, too, seemed swept off into vague space: Then, I cried, half desperate, grant me at least a new servitude!( Bronte 102) Janes struggling relationship with power incites her greed for freedom yet ultimately causes her to sacrifice this freedom for love. Growing up an orphan, Jane had a miserable childhood which resulted in her constant feelings of insecurity, vulnerability, and hopelessness (Paris 145) She was planted in an environment in which the people around her excluded her and would enforce this punishment severely. Entirely dependent she lives with a constant dread of being abandoned by a hostile aunt who perpetually criticizes her from family life, and gives her children license to torment her. (Paris 145) Hostility is just the beginning of her household as Mrs.Reeds actions bleed into cousin John Reeds mentality. John abuses Jane both mentally and physically as he feels the moral duty to make her feel unwanted, unworthy, unable. you are a dependent, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not to live here with gentlemens children like us. (Bronte 15) The Reed family portrays a common belief during the Victorian era which is that low social classes were to be kept excluded from societ y and those who are poor should be left vulnerable. Not only does her household deprive her of family life, but it also deprives her at a young age from human contact. The moment Jane finally reacted to her cousin in self-defense, he immediately went to extreme measures by sending her to the red room in which Mr. Reed had died. Jane went through spiritual and physical confinement as she was punished and sent to the untouchable area in Gateshead called the red room. Janes time in this room helped her to ponder on what she had done to deserve this; soon she realized no answer was to be found but the saddening response of being born into dependence and a low race, class, and gender unlike the Reeds. Janes oppression led her to become desperate for freedom, wanting to prove to herself and others that she is not afraid. Upon leaving Gateshead, the novel reverses and Jane is able to prove herself fearless and good in the eyes of others. Despite the trauma of this experience, Jane finds th at the consequences of her rebellion are predominantly positive (Paris 147) Soon after, Mrs. Reed sends Jane to the Lowood Institution, a charity school run by Mr. Brocklehurst. Upon entering the school, Jane spots a solitary girl reading. The girl is Helen Burns, an orphan herself, and she helps Jane learn to endure personal injustice rather than fight it. The time the two spent together was essential in Janes growth throughout the novel, as her personality became much more refined and a sense of religion was brought into her life. After becoming a teacher at Lowood and preaching her beliefs, Jane decided to grow furtherly and with the use of her strong education and experience, she became a governess. This position not only raised her social rank, but it also raised her sense of power, bringing her one step closer to the liberty she deeply desired. I climbed the three staircases, raised the trap-door of the attic, and having reached the leads, looked out afar over sequestered field and hill, and along dim sky- line that then I longed for a power of vision which might overpass that limit; which might reach the busy world, towns, regions full of life I had heard of but never seen that then I desired more of practical experience than I possessed; more of intercourse with my kind, of acquaintance with variety of character, than was here within my reach. (Bronte 129) Although Jane is one step closer to her desired life, she does not feel satisfied with the life she is condemned to: due to her gender. The labor component in the novel is crucial to the expression of the effect of gender and class in Janes life. In the Lowood school Bronte carefully portrays Brocklehurst as one who sees femininity as a construct afforded by middle-class luxury and working-class androgyny as a necessary , though clearly distinct, part of the hierarchical social order. (Godfrey 857) Yet as Jane advances to her position as a governess, she appears fully aware of her radical potentiality and instability of her new position as she moves from a working-class worl d into the middle class. (Godfrey 858) Jane struggles at first with gender abnormality as her working-class identity overlaps her lower-class gender neutrality. However, she soon realizes this is to her advantage as her relationship with Rochester remains in an extremely compliant manner. Janes imagination is what has kept her restless in her liminal world. Jane lets her imagination run wild and allows gleaming visions to come into her mindshe has recognized this realm as a place where impossibilities become reality, and she revels in the power that she holds there. Her imagination is the driving force for the creation and continuation of her world (Clark 22) This world is in between all the many social spheres, it is separated from the others, it is purposefully outcasted. Rochester notices Janes creativity and finds a way to dig deep into her liminal world as he looks at her paintings. Since the moment he met her, Rochester knew she was otherworldly; he is fascinated with her morals, obedience, quietness yet is in constant awe over her challenging character and intelligence. Rochester highlights Janes different personality as he tells her not three in a thousand raw school girls governesses would have answered me as you have just done (Bronte 115) Edward Rochester falls in love with Jane and makes it his duty to extract her from her liminal world and rather plant her in his world. This is a hardship for Jane as it is the commencement of letting go of her dreams, of letting go of her so dreamed liberty. Jane spends days on an emotionally and physically taxing journey that demands all of her strength and further entrenches her in her otherworldliness. At this moment she is in a liminal place, caught between her pitiful past and her unknown future. (Clark 24) Jane has given up some sense of her power as she results in letting Rochester in her liminal world. Reader I married him (Bronte 382) Jane tells us as she lets go of the gasp she had been holding in for so long, finally letting the reader momentarily into her world through writing. Throughout the novel, Jane is an enigma, a threat to other characters who only want to destroy her and her ideas. Early in the novel, characters describe Jane almost exclusively with derogatory labels (Peters 59) She does not easily fit into the established roles of either gentry or servants, and so society defaults to separating her in order to transform her into something other than human. Her childhood is drowned in negative labeling from all her living family members such as imp, rat, mad cat (Peters 59) Soon, the marginalization she encounters throughout her life reverses to positive labeling as Rochester and others see her as an angel, fairy, dove, and genii. (Peters 62) Janes character and want for power grows strong through these experiences as she becomes distinct in challenging cultural norms concerning class and gender, the two things which fueled her rebellion. Janes greed for freedom, for liberty, for being set free is sacrificed for the love of Rochester. I will be your neighbor, your nurse, your housekeeper. I find you lonely: I will be your companion to read to you, to walk with you, to sit with you, to wait on you, to be eyes and hands to you. Cease to look so melancholy, my dear master; you shall not be left desolate, so long as I live. (Bronte 502) This action can be seen as a form of ultimate love, yet it can also be seen as Jane being drowned by thoughts of past marginalization and in fear, subverting back into the servant she once was, except now to a long-lost lover. I am strangely glad to get back again to you: and wherever you are is my home my only home. (Bronte 283) Perhaps the purpose Jane most desired for her life was not power or liberty but rather belonging, belonging to someone who belonged to her as well.

Dementi A Chronic Disorder Of Mental Process Caused By...

Gray 1 INTRO Dementia is a chronic disorder of mental process caused by brain disease or injury. There are seven stages of dementia. In stage one, nobody has dementia. Stage two is when the person starts forgetting names and where familiar objects were left. Stage three, is difficulty concentrating and decreased work performance. By stage four, the ones diagnosed start to lose memory of recent events and have troubles of traveling alone to new locations. Stage five sometimes the victims need help with daily activities, like dressing and eating. Even may also forget their address and phone number. In stage six, they may start to forget names of close family members. Also, have problems counting down from ten. The†¦show more content†¦These medications were developed to treat Alzheimer s disease, but also may be tried in other dementia groups. You also want to stay away from specific medications when you have dementia and Alzheimer’s. They can make you have seizures and muscle spasms, they may also increase behavior problems and impairment. There primary care doctor may refer them to a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer s disease and related dementia. Alzheimer s disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer. In 1906, Dr. Alzheimer noticed changes in the brain tissue of a woman who had died of an unusual mental illness. She had many problems that were signs of Alzheimer’s. As this disease worsens over time, victims of dementia start to get very ill and your brain cells start to fade away. If all their brain cells die and go away, then the victims can get even worse and soon pass on. The ones diagnosed with dementia who have a parent, brother, sister or child with Alzheimer s is more likely to develop the disease. The risk increases if more than one family member has the illness. Some main complications of dementia is the ability to do stuff for yourself, lost the ability to interact with loved ones or anyone else. Gray 3 Alzheimer’s reports that nearly two-thirds of Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s are women. It is important that this does not mean there is a gender-based for the disease, the primary reason forShow MoreRelatedLevel 3 Health and Social Care Unit 365dementia3984 Words   |  16 Pages Understanding the Process and Experience of Dementia. A1 Describe the causes of all the different types of Dementia Alzheimer’s disease: The brain is a very complex organ and it is divided up into different areas that control bodily functions. The brain contains at least 100 billion cells. In dementia some of these cells stop working. The part of the brain this occurs in will affect how that person thinks, remembers and communicates. Alzheimers disease, first described by

Myotome Poem Example For Students

Myotome Poem C1,2 I nod to you -Neck flexion/extension C3 Dont tickle me -Neck lateral flexion C4 Im not sure shoulder elevation C5 Feel alive Shoulder flexion, abduction and lateral rotation C6, 7, 8 Close the gate Shoulder extension, adduction and medial rotation C5,6 Pick up sticks Elbow flexion C7,8 Lay them straight Elbow extension C5, 6 Flick my wrists Forearm supination C7,8 The time is late -forearm pronation C6, 7 Fly up to heaven Wrist flexion and extension C7 Paper finger extension C8 Rock Finger flexion T1 Scissors Finger abduction and adduction L2, 3 Lift my knee Hip flexion L3,4 Kick the door knee extension (and knee jerk reflex) L4,5 Foot points to the sky ankle dorsiflexion L4, 5 Extend my thigh Hip extension L5, S1, (S2) Kick my bum, (run to poo) knee flexion S1,2 Stand on my shoes Ankle plantarflexion (and ankle jerk) (Babinski in L5,S1,S2) L2,3,4 Modestly close the door Hip adduction internal rotation L4- S2 The opposite is true Hip abduction and external/lateral rotation C3,4,5 Keeps diaphragm alive Innervates diaphragm S2,3,4 Keeps shit off the floor innervates bowel, bladder, sex organs, anal sphincter, melvic muscles (anal wink reflex)