Illusions Realities Ibsen Essay Example for Free

Illusions Realities Ibsen Essay Introduction In Ibsen’s The Wild Duck, illusions and reality are set into a conflict within the story of a son’s personal desire to confront idealism. Throughout much of the play, the son, Greger, argues the value of truth with the reluctant Dr. Relling. Relling insists on the importance of illusions, but fails to discourage Greger’s intentions and a play that begins as a comedy quickly turns into a tragedy because of these conflicts. At the heart of the illusions in this play are the ways that people assume many roles in a family, impersonating multiple ideals as ways for managing their relationships. This theme of impersonation is also developed in Ibsen’s Ghosts, where family relations are slowly undone as the illusions and deceptions are stripped away. In both plays, deceptions are strategic and designed to protect the children from the pains and struggles of their families’ histories. Ultimately, in these plays, families are held together by illusions, yet torn apart by truths that have been concealed to protect the children. Illusions and Realism In The Wild Duck, as Relling continues to discourage Greger from revealing damaging truths about family secrets, Relling insists, If you take away make-believe from the average man, you take away happiness as well (Ibsen, 294). Relling is referring to the ways the Ekdal family is structured on particular deceptions; however, these are designed to protect the innocent as well as the guilty. Hedvig, the fourteen year old daughter, represents one of the innocents, and Greger’s father, Old Werle, represents a part of the guilty side. The key to these dualisms of false and truth, innocent and guilty, illusion and reality, lies in Ibsen’s art of realism, which was a staging of the complicated threads that hold ordinary lives together. Within the ordinary lives of the families in Ghosts and The Wild Duck are tales of infidelity, corruption, greed, lust, disease, and other afflictions that characterize family secrets. For example, in Ghosts, the mother, Mrs. Alving, reveals the ways she has protected her son Oswald from the truths of her unhappy marriage. She tells her friend and priest, Manders, â€Å"†¦Yes, I was always swayed by duty and consideration for others; that was why I lied to my son, year in and year out. Oh, what a coward I have been† (315). Manders responds, â€Å"You have built up a happy illusion in your son’s mind, Mrs. Alving – and that is a thing you certainly ought not to undervalue,† (315) echoing Dr. Relling’s belief that illusions are sometimes more than a question of reality. In both plays, the deeper questions are about whose reality matters, and who may determine another person’s reality. Relling accuses Greger of having a plague of â€Å"†¦integrity-fever; and then whats worse you are always in a delirium of hero-worship; you must always have something to adore, outside yourself,† which Greger agrees to, without considering the consequences of this claim (297). In fact, Greger’s certainty about the dangers of illusions provokes the young Hedvig into an emotional despair, and she kills herself. The issues presented in this play are not about what is true, or false, but about the ways people build their lives on the past. Hedvig’s father, Hialmar, protects his daughter from truths that concern the actions of others, with consequences that have indirectly affected her life. In Ghosts, Mrs. Alving is protecting her son from truths that, in the end, have consequences on Oswald’s life, as he has inherited syphilis from his philandering father. The climaxes of these two stories result in the deaths of Hedvig, and Oswald and both deaths come about as a result of their learning the truths of their pasts. In each of these plays, the reality is what destroys the characters. Once the life illusions are taken away, there is nothing for the individuals to hold onto. As the illusions are shattered, reality becomes impossible to endure. Ultimately, by using realism to portray the value of illusions, Ibsen produces complicated questions about what is real and what is sometimes a necessary illusion. Conclusion Both The Wild Duck, and Ghosts are tragedies that involve what might be understood as â€Å"the sins of the fathers;† however, Ibsen seems to suggest that some truths are better maintained as illusions. In both plays, the truth destroys the lives of those who have been protected from the past and in both cases the past involves relationships that have indirect consequences on the children’s understandings of their lives. In the end, whether it is right or wrong to maintain the illusions is not as significant as the question of who has the right to determine what is real, and what is true for others. Works Cited Henrik Ibsen, â€Å"The Wild Duck,† Four Great Plays by Henrik Ibsen, NY: Bantam Books. Henrik Ibsen, â€Å"Ghosts,† Playreader’s Repertory, M. R. White and F. Whiting, Eds. , London: Foresom and Company.

Cluster Intersections and the Evolution of the Bay Area Bioinformatics Cluster :: essays research papers

Cluster Intersections and the Evolution of the Bay Area Bioinformatics Cluster The recent establishment California-based bioinformatics industry clusters is a logical consequence of the intersection of existing local Biotechnology, Information Technology and Venture Capital clusters. The very definition of Bioinformatics: â€Å"the science of managing and analyzing biological data using advanced computing techniques, 1† helps to illustrate the nature of this intersection. Research and development for Biotech companies generates volumes of biological data and IT companies provide tools that assist in processing this data. It seems only natural that in light of this mutual dependency and given the proximity of existing IT and Biotech clusters a new, specialized Bioinformatics cluster would emerge. In his article, â€Å"Clusters and the New Economics of Competition,† Porter describes the benefits created by the â€Å"direction and pace of innovation 2† sustained by local competitors in their existing products and technologies. For example, given the already lengthy process of bringing a new pharmaceutical to market, Biotech companies must have realized early on that their ability to stay abreast of competitors was highly dependant on the speed at which they could process massive amounts of genetic information to find therapeutic candidates. Clearly, the incorporation of cutting edge information technologies into Biotech research and development processes was itself a critical innovation, but it was also critical to future innovations within the Biotech industry. Porter would probably argue that the competitive pressures of clustered Biotech firms fostered more urgent and rapid incorporation of advanced computing into genetic research. The proximity of the knowledg e and resources in the IT cluster made it easier to both conceive of these innovations and to access the resources that enabled them. Conversely, innovations in the field of Information Technology were stimulated in response to the both the needs of the Biotech cluster, and the urgent clamoring of IT competitors to capitalize on a new market. Porter asserts that â€Å"vibrant† clusters not only stimulate innovation in established companies but that new businesses and new innovations take shape in response to the competitive environment. Start-up firms have a unique opportunity to observe the incumbents in the cluster and conceive of ways to improve existing products or develop complementary offerings. New firms benefit from an existing local customer base but also may be able to more readily recognize and capitalize on a niche market in the midst of many established competitors 3. The Bioinformatics industry appears to have emerged in a similar manner, filling the gap between the IT and Biotech clusters.

Cognitive Organizers Essay

Cognitive Organizers are powerful teaching and learning tools. They encourage active learning, demonstrate that knowledge is interconnected, facilitate group work, accommodate individual learning styles and engage students in higher order thinking. They can be used before, during or following instruction. Using cognitive organizers before instruction is an exciting way of introducing lessons and also cues students about the lessons and activities to come after. It also facilitates discussions among the students, as each person is given the opportunity to share their experience or knowledge on the various concepts. Further, cognitive organizers can be used as prereading and prewriting strategies to activate background knowledge or generate interest among the students. Concurrently, when teachers use cognitive organizers, they help students access prior knowledge and previous experiences, hence giving the students a framework of knowledge upon which to build. It may also serve as a motivation for the students as they are involved and interacting in the formation of the cognitive organizer and using their critical thinking skills. Cognitive organizers involve students in predicting relations and also help them make connections between various concepts. Furthermore, when cognitive organizers are use during instruction, students are able to connect better with the information being received. It also clarifies the relationships of ideas and assists many students with remembering the ideas easier. Moreover, students’ comprehension and recall of the concept or subject matter at hand is improved and developed. Additionally, Shalaway (1997), states that cognitive organizers can be used following instruction, as a way of assessment on the concept or area. Students will indeed enjoy this innovative and exciting way of assessment, hence giving way for better grades. Also, after a lesson or unit, a cognitive organizer can help students assimilate and reflect upon the new knowledge gained.

Analysis Of King Lear By William Shakespeare And Things...

King Lear by William Shakespeare and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe are works of writing that both consist of a hierarchy; an existing order in which way society is determined, which is later damaged. In King Lear by William Shakespeare, King Lear has decided to split up his kingdom and give each of his three daughters their inheritance. The two eldest daughters begin to devise a plot to rid their father’s authority and the existence of his former kingdom. The King is undermined by his own two daughters who plan on altering the existing order, leading to his downfall as father and king. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is an aristocrat of the Ibo village. He has been exiled for seven years from his father’s village of†¦show more content†¦Goneril and Reagan try to convince Lear that he is old and incapable and to lessen the number of knights he has protecting him. Lear refuses and heads out of the castle out anger that both his daughters refus e to provide him shelter unless he follows their orders. It is at this event that Lear has realized the error in his choices. Lear’s distribution of power had left him defenseless and that his daughters – as if they were men, were taking full advantage of his self-inflicted disability. And the hierarchy that reigned for centuries of a king over his daughters was now destroyed. Lear, left to his own devices, is left in a devastating storm and seeks shelter and help from loyal companions. When discovered that there is a plot to execute Lear, he escapes seeking shelter and protection from his third daughter, Cordelia whom he had banished and disowned from all power and authority. Due to Cordelia protecting her father, she was later executed by Goneril’s and Regan’s forces. And Lear, the former king who had brought upon his own ill fate died due to grief at the death of his youngest daughter, who truly loved him. Goneril and Regan had succeeded in their uprising against their father and overthrowing the hierarchy. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo is known in his village for being a strong, ruthless man. He prides himself on his many achievements and titles and feels that a man is nothing without his pride and ego and is seen in the novel as the up keeper