The Experiences And Values Of Needy Families Social Work Essay

The Experiences And Values Of Needy Families Social Work Essay When thinking about my own personal values, I think of the customs and beliefs that I have developed through experience and education. Although these values have changed over time, I believe that they are pretty consistent with the NASW code of ethics and values of the social work profession as a whole. The preamble of code of ethics states that The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic needs of all people (NASW, 2006-2009, p.401), and that is exactly what I strive to do. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) While I consider myself currently in a middle class American family, this has not always been the case. Growing up my family instilled in me the importance of working hard to achieve your goals, but despite their hard work my family too faced difficult financial times. I can remember times when my parents couldnt pay their bills, had to work multiple jobs, and struggled to put food on the table. Having gone through these rough financial times, my family instilled in me the importance of giving to other people in need and to this day I consider my father one of the most generous people I know. He would give everything he had to help someone in need, whether he knew them or not. A common bias is that people in need are lazy or incompetent, but this is far from the truth. I have witnessed several families, including my own work very hard to raise their family, yet still struggle to make it. One childhood experience that stands out in my mind is going into the grocery store with one of my best friends mother who was unemployed after losing her job of 12 years due to the store that she worked for closing. My friends mother had told us that she was going to get groceries and that we needed to distract the grocery stores doorman when we were leaving, because she had no money to pay for the groceries. Although I was aware that what she was doing was wrong, I knew she needed to feed her family. My friends mom did not steal lavish items as one would expect if you were stealing, she only took the items she needed to feed her family. During the car ride home, my friends mother apologized to us and explained that she is just too embarrassed to apply for Welfare or go on unemployment and that all of the savings she had prior to being unemployed is now gone. This has been a memory that I have carried with me since that day. Although I felt that there was little I could do at that t ime, I believe that it is not only my duty to help people in need, but societies as a whole. I believe that government and society have an obligation to intervene and help families that are in need. I do not believe that any mother should have to steal food to feed her family. I consider it my duty to promote national standards and policies for the delivery of benefits and programs that serve as a safety net for all people during times of poverty (NASW, 2006-2009, p. 364). I agree with the NASW Code of Ethics that all people are entitled to the basic needs to survive. As a social work student, I feel responsibility to advocate for families in need and to develop programs that educate people on the need for welfare reform. Schneider (1999) spoke of the need to reform welfare and for a shift in policy to focus on establishing universal benefits. I am in agreement with this as well as the need to reject the perspective that views failure to develop wealth as a personal failure without reference to structural inequalities (NASW, 2006-2009, p.363). I believe that it is important to promote education and fight the stereotypes associated with people in need. As a social worker I will provide services and counseling to families struggling to survive and I anticipate facing many challenges due to the regulations and policies that are currently in place. Rights of Legal and Illegal Immigrants Immigrants in the United States have faced a great deal of discrimination, inequality, and poverty throughout history. It is hard for me to understand how people can be treated so poorly just because they were not born an American. When I consider the United States, I believe it is a melting pot nation and that all people deserve the right to have their basic needs met despite their legal status in this country. I agree with the code of ethics that social workers need to be sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice (NASW, 2006-2009, p. 401). Whether immigrants are legal or illegal, they are people too and should be treated with dignity and respect. Legal immigrants have to go through a difficult and extensive process to become a citizen, which I believe is one reason why there are several illegal immigrants living in the United States. I think that instead of developing harsher immigration laws, this country needs to assist illegal immigrants in the process of gaining citizenship, an education, and work. I agree with Padilla (2008) in that immigrant legislation must treat people equally, promote social justice consistently, and recognize the significance of human relationships. NASW (2006-2009) recognizes that policies should promote social justice and avoid racism and discrimination or profiling on the basis of race, religion, country of origin, gender, etc. (p. 227). My views are consistent with NASW and I believe that the recent push for harsher immigration laws is a terrifying setback for this country. It makes me absolutely horrified that the state of Arizona would even try to instill a law that would call for police officers to check for immigration status and require immigrants to provide proof that they are authorized to be in this country. This law directly conflicts with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that recognizes the right to leave ones country as a basic human right (NASW, 2006-2009, p.226). As a social worker I think it is vital to advocate for people who have little or no political voice and who have faced such harsh discrimination throughout history. Being that I am considered a white middle class American, I will need to always be thinking about cultural diversity with my clients. Although I would be obligated to report undocumented citizens, I also feel that it is my ethical responsibility to provide all people with the information and services they need to fulfill their basic survival needs. Emotional Expression of the Client and the Worker I entered this profession because of my compassion to help others. For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to help people in need. During high school, my urge to help grew as I witnessed my fellow students being bullied for how they dressed or what type of house they lived in. Although I was considered a popular girl, I did not like that some people were considered unpopular. I did not think that classifying and judging people to be better then someone else was fair or justified. I was friends with everyone in high school and refused to get involved in the bullying that was happening all around me. It was during my junior year of High School that I took action. I spoke with my high school guidance department and expressed my concern with the targeting of the underprivileged or unpopular students in the school. I told them that I wanted to do something about the problem and begged for their support. I was granted permission to start an Anti-harassment Group, which I successfully did with the assistance of some other recruited students. Together we went out of our way to provide all students with friendships and support. We revised the schools policy on bullying, created anti-bullying contracts, gave presentations to all classes (high school, middle school, and elementary), and spent time with fellow students who were often targeted by others. We as popular students discouraged bullying and worked hard to change the reputation of bullying being cool. I carry this compassion to help others with me in practice and think that it is important for social workers to show emotional expression when working with clients. I feel that it is absolutely appropriate to express ones emotions and show compassion and affection when working in this field. Although I maintain that emotional expression is important, I believe that maintaining therapeutic boundaries with clients is equally important. I also agree with The Code of Ethics that social workers should not engage in any physical contact with clients if there is a possibility that the contact may cause psychological harm (NASW, 2006-2009, p. 407). As the Assistant Program Manager of an Adolescent Community Residence, I ran into issues surrounding therapeutic boundaries and emotional expression of client and workers on multiple occasions. Adolescents remained in the group home for approximately 1 Â ½-2 years. Many of the residents in the group home sought out affection from the staff. When a resident was having a rough time, I felt that it was appropriate to give them a hug and reassure them that staff was there to support them and help them get through their difficult times. I felt that by using the emotional expression of myself helped to develop a trusting and therapeutic relationship. As it is my desire to work with children and adolescents, I imagine that I will have to confront issues of emotional expression of self and therapeutic boundaries in the future. I think that in practice, I will have to be conscious and use my discretion about the amount of emotional support used while working with clients. I also think that it will be important for me to consider a clients race, culture, gender, past experiences, etc. on how comfortable the client may or may not be with emotional expression and physical contact. Religious Beliefs Growing up I had very little exposure to religion; however, I was able to recognize the impact religion and spirituality has on other peoples lives. Religion and spirituality became a reality to me when I studied abroad in Thailand. Religion and spirituality was at the center of their culture, and guided their decisions and attitudes on a daily basis. Although I have limited knowledge in this area, enmeshing myself in Thai culture made me recognize the power spirituality and religion can have on people and society as a whole. I also have witnessed the therapeutic effect religion and spirituality can have people. The NASW Code of Ethics (2006-2009) states that, Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief, religion, and mental or physical disability. Although I do not consider myself a religious person, I think that it is crucial for social workers to understand the religious and spiritual beliefs of their clients. I am in agreement with Dale et al. (2006) that understanding the importance of spirituality, the nature of organized religion, and secular uses of religion is key in understanding the development of human character and social institutions. Without gaining this insight, a social worker may offend or disrespect their client simply because they are not aware of lifestyles and customs based in their spirituality o r religion. As a social worker I will encourage my clients to discuss their spiritual and religious beliefs and how it affects their lives. Based on my limited knowledge about this area, I will have to be extra cautious not to judge or stereotype people because of their religious or spiritual choice. If clients want to discuss religion and spirituality, I will be straight forward with them and let them know that I have limited knowledge in that area but that I am open to listening and learning about their beliefs and experiences with religion and spirituality. Provision and Utilization of Social Services I believe that the concept of social services and providing assistance to people in need is very important to the field of social work. I understand that the goal of social services is to help people financially, provide food assistance, disaster relief, medical services, and employment; however, I believe that the process to obtain these services needs to be streamlined. The lengthy and humiliating process that people/families in need have to endure can cause further emotional distress on the individual and family. Growing up I have witnessed people too embarrassed or humiliated to utilize social services due to the stigma associated with it. I experienced this first hand while helping families at the Community Residence I worked at try to obtain the services they needed. Often times, I would wait in lengthy lines with the families I worked with trying to help them obtain assistance and then be denied do to the paperwork or documentation not being enough for what is needed, or the families to be ineligible for services. I believe that many people/families are being turned down for services based on the many provisions and specific requirements. Although some people/families that are denied services can establish other means to survive, not all can do so. I understand that there needs to be regulations on services; however, I do not believe that anyone should be denied help obtaining the services they need for survival (i.e. food, shelter, medical care, etc.). The NASW Code of Ethics (2006-2009) maintains that Social workers should advocate for living conditions conducive to the fulfillment of basic human needs and should promote social, economic, political, and cultural values and institutions that are compatible with the realization of social justice. As social worker, I believe that it is their ethical responsibility to advocate for people in need and promote a persons right to self-determination. I think that given a chance and the tools needed; people can make positive changes in their lives. Belcher et al. (2004) examined faith-based interventions and the liberal social welfare state and came to the conclusion that although faith-based interventions could provide some basic supports, the driving force for social change should remain with the state. Although I agree that the state should be taking responsibility, I do respect faith-based interventions trying to step-up the plate and fill some gaps. As a social worker I believe that I will often find myself advocating for my clients need for social services. I believe that at times this process can become stressful and draining, as the current social service system is not meeting the needs of the people it is designed to serve. For example, if a family is denied for services because they make a couple dollars above the cutoff for services, I think that the system is being too simplistic and not considering the entirety of the situation. It is my belief that the social services system needs to take a more holistic approach instead of having extensive provisions, requirements, and cutoffs for the services. Pro-life Versus Pro-choice Ever since I can remember, my family instilled in me the belief that abortions were wrong and even considered them murder. As I approached the age of sexual activity, my family was very vocal about practicing safe sex and their views against abortion. My mother informed me that I was not a planned pregnancy and that although she was a teen mother and unprepared for the responsibility; she would have never made the choice to have an abortion. Despite my families strict beliefs regarding abortion, my values are different from my families. I believe that there are situations when abortions should occur or at least be the choice of the mother. The NASW Code of Ethics maintains that it is the social workers responsibility to promote the right of the clients to self-determination (p. 404) and defines that as being without government interference, people can make their own decisions about sexuality and reproduction (p. 147). Although I would not consider an abortion as an option for myself, I understand that to others, it might be the best option for them. Abramovitz (1996) pointed out that throughout history there have been policies and conditions that have forced women to make childbearing decisions based on the conditions of aid or public assistance, and I believe that is an infringement on their constitutional right of reproductive choice. As a social worker, I believe that it is my ethical responsibility to support and provide information so clients can make informed decisions when considering an abortion. I would find myself conflicted if working with a patient who has had multiple abortions, because despite considering myself pro-choice, I also have great value for life and giving life. I believe that all people should have reproductive choice, but should not abuse the decision to abort or use abortion as a form of birth control. Rights of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Transgendered People Growing up, one of my best friends had two mothers, as she would say. Throughout elementary school and middle school, I witnessed how my friend and her family were treated and I quickly understood why she did not want people to know about her mothers sexual orientation. We grew up in a small rural community and were not exposed to people of different sexual orientations or preferences very often. This friend was bullied and ridiculed in school by peers because of her mothers sexual orientation. I myself did not understand why two women would be together or in love; however, after getting to know my friends family, I came to realize that one could not control their feelings or who they fell in love with. Seeing the discrimination and prejudice that my friend and her family went through was very frustrating because after getting to know the family and understanding that it is okay to have different sexual orientations or preferences, I didnt consider them any different from my family or anyone elses. I had a similar experience in high school with one of my friends father being transgender and again witnessed a great deal of discrimination against this family. I dont think a person should be denied the right to love someone else based on sexual identity, preference, or orientation. I do not understand how people can be denied the right of marriage, a union between two people, because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. I agree with the NASW Code of Ethics that same gender and transgender individuals should be afforded the same rights and respect as all people (NASW, 2006-2009, p. 247). I feel that a challenging circumstance that I could face as a social worker will be to address families that have children or other relatives who are LGBT and do not approve of them. As a social worker it would be my ethical responsibility to educate on the right of self-determination and nondiscrimination.

Twelfth Night – Feste’s self

Feste is an observer. He sees through people. Though he's a kind of entertainer, who will only perform for money, what he chooses to sing to people is intentionally relevant and disturbing to them. People find the truth very hard to deal with, for example, ‘Peace, you rogue†¦here comes my lady'. This story shows people avoiding the truth at every level. Especially since they are being called ‘fools' or ‘clowns', and not really taken seriously. For example, the fool in King Lear was constantly being threatened with hangings and beatings, but this was only as he was a ‘witty fool'. Again with Feste in Twelfth Night, who also is threatened with hangings, due to his absence. But Feste does not fear this threat, and in fact makes a joke of it; mocking Maria and using a sexual pun at the same time. This confidence comes from the fact that it wasn't their job to simply provide amusement, but also to make critical comments and provide advice, as Olivia asks him: ‘What's a drunken man like, fool?'. And because he is an ‘allowed fool' he was able to say what he thinks, without fear of punishment, ‘there's no slander in an allowed fool'. Since the only relationship that involves Feste, is that between Olivia's family, he has the ability to mediate between the whole cast. He is regarded as a close friend to Olivia, ‘What is a drunken man like, fool?', as well as Sir Toby, by engaging in their ‘folly' and songs. But he also has the ability to distance himself from everyone when needs be. Because he is constantly mocking people with puns and soliloquy, the audience gets the feeling that he doesn't really feel close to them. A well as being incredibly comic, Feste is probably the most perceptive character in the play. He comments on people in ways other people over look, whether be their appearance or their ‘mind'. For example, in Act ii: iv, he point blank tells Orsino what he thinks of him, saying his ‘mind is very opal' and ‘the tailor make thy doublet of changeable taffeta' (a silk which changes colour). The joke here is Feste telling Orsino that he is very fickle and has a very changeable mood, so changeable that he should have matching clothes. He then goes on to say that he is so changeable that he would sail around the world to justify purposeless busyness. Feste hardly knows Orsino, who in turn scarcely knows Feste, but for Feste to cast this view shows his perceptiveness. This view is so accurate, that it leads Orsino to make Cesario go to Olivia's and tell her that his love is ‘more noble than the world'. Furthermore, he also suspiciously notices Viola, and is the only one start suspecting her, ‘send thee a beard' he says, hinting that he knows of her ‘such disguise'. Feste's perception was depicted in Trevor Nunn's production of Twelfth Night, where he has Feste give Viola a necklace. A necklace that she abandoned in Act 1 scene 2, on the seacoast, showing that he has always known of Viola's situation. This interpretation of Feste means that throughout the play, Feste has always known of Viola's situation and was always playing along, again showing his nature. Feste's Language: Feste has a very sophisticated way of speaking that allows him to climb up and down the social ladders of Illyria and be able to talk with Lord Orsino, Sir Toby and Fabian. This becomes significant when he is able to get himself out of situations or even to make other people react, which may otherwise be tricky and use his language skills to make mockery. Such as the ‘the more fool, Madonna, to mourn for your brothers soul†¦' a. This is the first scene that he is present in and he immediately proves Olivia to be a ‘fool'. This kind of humour was taken kindly by Olivia and an Elizabethan audience would of enjoyed it more. However, Feste has proved two things here, the first is that he is not ‘dry' and the second that he can provide the humour if is someone does ‘minister occasion to him' or invites him to ‘make that good'. By getting set up for this comedy, or getting invited, the audience would get ready and find the punch line slightly more comical. Another key figure of Feste's language, are his uses of Latin. He talks and refers a few times in Latin, and all times, he is either talking to Olivia or Orsino. This again proves his versatility talking appropriately with people and it also shows the audiences his education. All his Latin sayings convey messages. For example, the first, to Olivia, ‘cucullus non facit monachum', which refers to an overriding theme in the play; don't judge by outward appearances, as if preparing her for his foolery. The last Latin reference is to Orisino in Act 5. ‘Primo, secundo, terito is a good play†¦', here simply begging for a third coin. Feste's songs do hold a dramatic function, and depending on the scene, the dramatic function changes. One of the most dramatic things, are the songs that he sings. The are not just for entertainment, but they hold meaning and are sung for a reason. Such as when Feste asks ‘would you have a love song or a song of good life'. He feels as though he has to please; it's his duty as a fool, and his song will reflect the audience's mood at this current moment in the play. Or as he said in his final song at the end of the play ‘†¦And we'll strive to please you every day.' The meanings of Feste's songs, are always significant. They are either used to create dramatic effects or represent/ echo his feelings about a situation or a scene. In Act 2, Feste sings ‘Come away, Come away, death†¦', a melancholy song to Orsino about a lover who dies for love, which echoes Orsino's mood and his situation. The listener can read into this as Orsino being the lover and Olivia being the ‘maid', making sense as the lover is ‘slain'. The words that are used mirror what Orsino has already said, such as ‘My part†¦share it' hold similar meaning to that in ‘If music be the food of love†¦'. Orsino then immediately acts on the song and tells Viola/ Cesario to go to Olivia's. This is one example of the role of Feste; do we value what he says or laugh at what he says? Here, Orsino values what he says, we know this as he sends Viola to go to Olivia and tell her ‘that nature pranks her in attracts my soul' not her money. However, after the song is sung, Feste then casts a point blank opinion, face-to-face of Orsino. This creates a lot of tension, especially with the use of words like ‘pain' and ‘..bones shall be thrown'. Here is a good example of the dramatic significance of Feste; as this scene ends in tension. This is the part where Viola nearly reveals of her true love for Orsino, and the audience think that Viola might reveal who she really is, so the audience are anticipating and waiting for Viola's next words . And the next scene starts in comic humour. The drama in each scene seems heightened due to the massive contrast. At the end of the play, Shakespeare provides what seems to be an epilogue, like other plays, such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and All's Well That Ends Well. However, unlike these, Feste sings it. The song is about Feste growing up, about being tolerating in childhood, rejected in adult hood, unsuccessful in marriage and drunk in old age†¦but nothing really matters, the actors will always try an please. Although this song is about Feste, the overall meaning of it reflects the whole play. For example, he talks about himself growing up with bad experiences, his life circle from childhood to being an old man. This is a slight re-iteration of a song he sang earlier: ‘What is love†¦youth's a stuff will not endure', This song is telling the audience that we should enjoy the present because nobody can know what the future holds, it could be good e.g. Viola-Orsino and Sebastian-Olivia, or it could be terrible e.g. Malvolio. Feste uses word play frequently throughout this play. These word plays, or puns, can make the audience laugh or even add to the tension so far. A good example is in Feste's first scene: ‘he that is well hanged in this world needs to fear no colours'. The first interpretation of this pun, is the word ‘colours' which can mean enemy or war. So, logically, someone who is already dead, can't fear. However, an Elizabethan audience could of heard it as ‘collars' (meaning noose or hangmen's nooses) so they don't fear them. The Elizabethans enjoyed such punning jokes, and the pun itself would relax the mood. With Maria threatening Feste with death, and then Feste making the whole audience laugh. This is an example of the dramatic significance of Feste. The role of Feste: Feste's appearance in the play is held off until the fifth scene of act I. In this scene the reader is introduced to the clown through a conversation with Maria. In this scene his contribution to the play is revealed through: â€Å"Wit, an't be thy will, put me in good fooling! Those wits that think they have thee, do very oft prove fools, and I that am sure lack thee may pass for a wise man†¦better a witty fool than a foolish wit†. These lines indicate that Feste's presence is not merely comic relief through foolish acts and show that the role of the fool requires much intelligence, or being a ‘wise man'. Feste's contribution to the exposure of underlying themes of love is essential to the understanding of the play's messages. The clown's most profound comments often take the form of song: ‘O mistress mine, where are you roaming?†¦Youth's a stuff will not endure.' It's in this song where we could possibly see Feste uncovering viola, ‘Trip no further, pretty sweeting;', where the ‘pretty sweeting' may be Viola, and the ‘wise man's son' is Feste. If this is so, then it suggests that Viola-Orsino may end up as ‘lovers'. This song is performed due to the requests of Sir Toby and Sir Andrew for a â€Å"love-song.† The song plays on the events of Twelfth Night itself. The song echoes the cheerfulness of this play and how the uncertainty of ‘what's to come' shouldn't be a negative prospect as ‘there lies no plenty'. Feste also foresees events that will occur later in the play. When he speaks of journeys ending â€Å"in lovers meeting,† he hints at the resolution in which several characters are married. Feste's intuition is comparable only to the perception of Viola. Because both characters are the only ones who are involved in both houses, Orsino's and Olivia's, they rival each other in their knowledge and putting their wits against each other. Namely act3:i, where, they both delight in using word play, ‘a sentence is but a cheveril glove to a good wit-‘ and later Viola saying ‘I understand you sir', as if showing him that she is clever. Apparently, Viola is the only character who recognises Feste's true intelligence: â€Å"This fellow is wise enough to play the fool, and to do that craves a kind of wit†¦but wise men, folly-fall'n, quite taint their wit†. This shows Viola's awareness of Feste and his ability to read people in order to say the right thing at the right time. Through this keen observation by Viola, she is perhaps acknowledging that the clown might even have the ability to see through her own disguise. Although Feste never openly claims to know of Viola's deceptive dress, it is indicated that he might be on to her: â€Å"Now Jove in his next commodity of hair send thee a beard†. He's used to change the audience; if Shakespeare wanted to portray thoughts or morals, he would do so with the puns and songs Feste tells the audience. For example, Act 1:v, he says: â€Å"many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage† communicates as if you are well ‘hung' then you need not love. And if we look back, to Act 1, the Latin quote refers directly to how Shakespeare felt. So, it is possible that Feste was the voice of Shakespeare, and if Shakespeare wanted to make the audience happy, for dramatic effect or other, then he might use Feste to sing a song. And when Feste says lines 359-354 in act5:i, he quotes the things that Malvolio has said, and a feeling of ‘what goes around comes around'. This putting down of Malvolio would of been particularly enjoyed by the audience, because of his puritan nature. So by Feste putting down and mocking of Malvolio's nature would of caused great humour. I detected this in act 2:iv, where we are faced with a melancholy ending about love and ‘passion' then straight after, we see the trap that is set for Malvolio. This comic scene gets enhanced because the mood of the preceding scene was sorrowful and sad, but the beginning of this one is very jovial. The plot in Twelfth Night is very convoluted. This is why fools might of been used in such plays as ‘King Lear', ‘All's well that ends well' and ‘Two gentlemen of Verona'; to underline and reinforce important parts of the plot to the audience, and make their songs and folly draw parallels to the play. For example, in Twelfth Night, Feste sings to Malvolio ‘†¦She loves another'. As if, Feste has seen through Malvolio and knows of his affection for Olivia, and crudely tells him there is no likelihood for him, moreover, he already must know of Olivia's affections for Viola. With the indictment of Malvolio and other happy endings in the form of marriages, the future seems delightfully optimistic, Feste's final song lessens the hope of a completely happy ending. The refrain of this song, which states â€Å"the rain it raineth every day,† insinuates that at any time the happiness that now occupies the characters in Illyria could at any time be swept away. The song as a whole seems to show maturation from innocence to experience and through this development was a continuum of â€Å"the wind and the rain.† With this song, Feste seems to suggest that even as a person goes through life, with its ups and downs, he or she must remember that at any time one can end up in an unfamiliar place with a completely different life, exactly like Sebastian and Viola. There will always be unpredictability, as long as there is ‘wind and the rain'. Ironically, Feste is the only person not to be seen as the fool. Olivia is the fool, as she has fallen in love with a woman, Orisino is seen the fool, because his Viola has tricked him into thinking she is a man. Sir Andrew comes across as the fool because of his foolish remarks, like taking the word ‘ass' literally and believing ‘Pigrogromitus'! This irony will add humour and dramatic irony to the audience and again make Feste look the cleverest by default. By acting the ‘fool' he comes across as the wise man he is. The ‘Twelfth Night' was know as the â€Å"Feast Of Fools†, which is very similar to â€Å"Feste the Fool†. This seems extremely significant, due to the similarity, as the Feast of Fools always appointed a â€Å"Lord Of Ridicule†. It is possible the an Elizabethan audience would of got this (intentional) similarity and therefore see Feste as this Lord Of Ridicule. If Feste was this lord, then he would become the master of the household, for this short holiday period, and organise dances, folly, pranks and deceptions, in order to entertain the rest of the household. If this case, it would then explain Feste's songs, drunkenness, writing of letters to Malvolio and of course dressing up as Sir Topas.

Film Adaptation Of Shakespeare s The Tempest - 1122 Words

Julie Taymor s 2010 film adaptation of Shakespeare s The Tempest is a truthful recreation of the classic romantic tragicomedy in all aspects except that the role of the magician, Prospero, is played by Helen Mirren, turning him from Prospero to Prospera. Through this simple change in the gender of one of the main characters, we see the play s themes called into question and viewed differently to how they would have been if the role of Prospero was played by a male. These themes include the usurpation of royalty and family. This review will discuss how Taymor s decision to change Prospero s gender is a critique of modern gender discourse. When Sebastian and Antonio usurp Prospera during the flashback in the middle of the film, we†¦show more content†¦I feel that through this decision, Taymor is commenting on the state of Elizabethan society and its view of women, who were desirable only if they were silent and invisible (Greer 2007, 4) and although not as conservative as the Elizabethan era, our own contemporary society, where women are still not equal to men. It also comments on how there is a canon built around Shakespeare, whose parts for women are comparatively few and composed largely of supporting rather than leading roles. (Goodman 2001, 71). Due to this canon, Taymor (and many other directors and screenwriters) are forced to reinvent Shakespeare s plays (Goodman 2001, 84-85). Family is one of, if not the biggest theme in Shakespeare s The Tempest and this theme is of course shown in Taymor s adaptation of the play. But the fact that Prospero is a woman in the film shows the audience a deeper relationship between Prospera and Miranda – the mother-daughter relationship. In the original play, we see Prospero as owning his daughter rather than having a normal father-daughter relationship with her. It is as though Miranda is an object to be given as a prize to another man – Ferdinand. InShow MoreRelatedThe Adaptation of The Tempest by William Shakespeare to the Film Prosperos Books531 Words   |  3 PagesThe Adaptation of The Tempest by William Shakespeare to the Film Prosperos Books When adapting a play for the screen, a director’s primary responsibility is to visualize an enactment that remains true to the original work’s perception. In addition to this task, the director must also build upon the foundations laid by the script; without this goal, (s)he would have no reason to have undertaken the project in the first place. 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