Cuba Music and AfricanInfluence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cuba Music and AfricanInfluence - Essay Example The basis of Cuban music is the music of African settlements such as Araras, Bantu, Carabaliez and Jorubas. Such settlements have preserved their authentic cultural traditions, despite the fact that they were forced to take a catholic religion. At the same time the religion Santeria had been developing and soon it disseminated through the whole territory of Cuba. This religion depicted the music of Cuba as percussion instruments are a part of religion and its worship ritual. By the 20th century the Santeria element have penetrated deeply in the Cuban pop and folk music, and into the music of other countries such as France, the USA and Jamaica. The native inhabitants of Cuba were Indians that were eradicated by the Spanish colonizers and the Indians music trend â€Å"areito† disappeared as well. Certainly, the emigrants have integrated the peculiarities of their music into the Cuba music. To the famous Cuba composers belong Esteban Salas, Robredo Manuel, and Haspar Villet. â₠¬Å"A brier look into Cuba's unique history will provide us with some insight into these recordings. Cuba's particular cultural heritage is largely the result or two horrendous examples or inhumanity- the annihilation or the indigenous peoples or the island, and the institution or the abominable slave trade which endured for almost 400 years. Spanish colonization began at the end or the 15th century. The Indians or Cuba were exploited, enslaved, murdered and practically extinct within 35 years after colonization began. This explains why there is virtually no Indian in Huence in Cuba's traditional or popular music, unlike the countries or Central and South America, where the Indian heritage has played a major role in cultural development.† (Gills... This essay approves that the double-sided aspect of Cuban music, which consists of the folklore instruments and popular forms of expression as well as more abstract and complex form known as classical music, are typical for Cuban music. Speaking about classical music it is essential to mention that due to reason of the lack of its representation to the masses and the natural complexity, classical music is ignored by all the Cubans. As the music of the people, the culture of which has rich and diverse folklore, Cuban popular music, which was made out of many popular songs and dance music, overshadowed classical music. â€Å"African slaves brought to Cuba their national culture and ritual dances. This report makes a conclusion that having researched the influence of Cuban music by the African melodies, we can make a conclusion that the slaves brought to Cuba by Spaniards had their own culture, which was originated from slavery. They created many melodies and dances and managed to influence the culture of Cuba so deeply and strongly, that new styles of music appeared and became very popular. These styles were brought to other continents and help create popular musical styles. Cuban dances represent an original mix of classical and folk dances, which are unique and deserves attention. Everybody who comes to Cuba is first of all attracted by melodiousness of its inhabitants, which was brought to them by slaves and their own culture created in the oppressive conditions. This testifies that Africans have their own unique and very beautiful culture that was recognized in the whole world.

A Study of Musical Theatre’s Gilbert and Sullivan Essay Example for Free

A Study of Musical Theatre’s Gilbert and Sullivan Essay Theatre, as we know it, always aims to provoke its audience through emotions, by invoking the muses of comedy and tragedy, and everything else in between. Many names are synonymous to the history and success of theatre, but none comes close to the iconic contributions of Britain’s most illustrious duo, collectively known as Gilbert and Sullivan. Sharp, clever wit and brilliant rhyme have found their rightful places in the theatrical masterpieces composed by renowned playwright William S. Gilbert, and his equally-profound partner, composer Arthur Sullivan. The 1870s marked the beginning of a new ideology in musical theatre, as the partnership brought to the fore previously unheard-of standards that were identified by a mix of intelligence in satire and silliness, as well as melodic instrumentations that complement the passion and creativity of the written word. Such was the success of the outcome that Gilbert and Sullivan managed to pioneer and influence generations of theatre innovations, and eventually, become a solid pillar in both British and American popular culture. Musical comedy writers, Broadway lyricists, literary authors and composers—and even important names in politics and government—are just some of those who have credited Gilbert and Sullivan for a number of their works. Through the excellent vision of production genius Richard D’Oyly Carte, the impressive collaborations of Gilbert and Sullivan were set to stage. The Savoy Theatre in London, Carte’s headquarters, became the setting for many of the duo’s memorable musicals. Innovative from the beginning, The Savoy was the first theatre in the world to utilize electricity, and summoned theatre-goers all over to sample this taste of technology as well as the brilliance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s works, which were later aptly named â€Å"Savoy Operas† (Kenrick, 2000-2003). The Gilbert and Sullivan era spanned from 1871 to 1896, and between them they were able to create fourteen critically-acclaimed and hugely popular masterpieces—counting The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, and H. M. S. Pinafore as the most widely-received. II. William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, The Beginning The young William Gilbert (1836-1911) was the son of a naval surgeon by profession, and a writer by interest. He jumpstarted his son’s juvenile career by allowing the boy to accompany his articles with illustrations; William soon found his own talent for writing, and came up with his own compositions. These writings, called Bab Ballads, would later find their way into some of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most acclaimed musicals. Gilbert’s Bab Ballads were known for their unique use of humor played out through logic (Classic Gilbert and Sullivan). Mike Leigh, English film and theatre director, concludes this style to be decidedly one that had Gilbert’s signature, where the establishment of the strange, absurd, and otherwise unacceptable concept would be expertly formed into perfect examples of reason and truth—all done with a bite of silliness metamorphosing into deadpan prose. On the other hand, the musical inclinations of Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) also had strong parental influences—his father was a bandmaster with the military, and the then 8-year-old Arthur had already become expert in all the band instruments. In 1856, after concluding his initial attempts of composing songs and anthems in school, Arthur proceeded to claim the first Mendelssohn Prize, and took further studies in composition and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, as well as in Leipzig. He performed his 1861 graduation piece, an ode to William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, at the Crystal Palace; this earned him the prestige of being heralded as the country’s most promising young composer. Among Sullivan’s applauded works early in his career were The Masque at Kenilworth (1842), The Prodigal Son (1869), On Shore and Sea (1871), and a ballet entitled L’lle Enchantee (1864) (Classic Gilbert and Sullivan). William Gilbert’s and Arthur Sullivan’s paths crossed as they attended a rehearsal of the play Ages Ago, where the composer Frederic Clay made introductions. A couple of years after that, Gilbert and Sullivan made their first foray as co-creators of what would be a uniquely wonderful style admired by the whole world. III. Gilbert and Sullivan and the Comic Opera A staple of English theatre during the Edwardian era, the comic opera’s origins come from 18th-century Naples, in Italy. Known as intermezzi, short comic routines were used to end the bigger acts, and enjoyed much popularity that they were later written to exist on their own. The final output was the comic opera, the concept of which was soon transported to Paris, where it easily claimed the approval of French dramatists and audiences. However, the same could not be said upon its arrival on English territory, for theatre professionals and enthusiasts at the time were still more interested in evolving the popular Ballad Opera and the newer form of Music Hall; the latter was introduced to fill the need for a lighter, less serious entertainment style. Finally, in 1871, the comic opera was launched in London’s Gaiety Theatre, through the production of Thespis; or the Gods Grown Old. This not only marked a new chapter in British theatre, but also the first entry of the long-running collaboration of musical theatre’s most prestigious partnership—Gilbert and Sullivan. It all started with the efforts of John Hollingshead, then manager of the Gaiety Theatre, who employed Gilbert’s expertise to write the libretto of his theatre’s 1871 Christmas musical. They had worked together once before, on the burlesque Robert the Devil which also ran in Gaiety. To complete the requirement for the musical, Hollingshead contacted Sullivan, who was then still inexperienced in stage production. This first encounter produced Thespis, but was initially given much criticism and low confidence in the team. Four years later, the producer Carte would bring them back together to create Trial By Jury; the resulting 300 performances declared it a resounding success, as well as a much-awaited approval of the partnership. Perhaps the foremost appeal of Gilbert and Sullivan’s works had much to do with their ability to poke fun and humor at establishment, as well as current social and political issues. This was a high time for patriotism in Britain, and the British audience’s validation of the comic operas sealed the career success of the duo. Much of the credit would also have to go to the newness of concept and execution of each piece, that even foreign audiences understood and appreciated the essence of every performance. To this day, comic opera will always be defined by Gilbert and Sullivan—they truly made it their niche, and those that attempted to surpass or equal their achievements failed to do so (Gillan, 2007). Of the fourteen collaborative works of the famed partnership, many were lauded as icons of comic opera. These were the celebrated productions of Thespis: or the Gods Grown Old, Trial By Jury (1975), The Sorcerer (1877), and of course, the previously-mentioned The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance, and H. M. S. Pinafore. Thespis: or the Gods Grown Old, being Gilbert and Sullivan’s first collaboration, had no real indications of the phenomenal future awaiting its two creators. Yet the classic Gilbert and Sullivan format was already applied in the work, by setting the opera in the mythical Mount Olympus. In the story, the gods have all grown old and the celestial buildings were all in a state of ruin. Then a group of actors and their leader named Thespis went up the mountain to have a picnic, and noticed the sad condition of the place. Thespis gets into a deal with Jupiter, agreeing that his group would take on the work of the tired gods, provided that Mercury would remain to brief them of their duties. But things do not go as planned, and Mercury only noted all complaints. When the gods on break finally return, they discover the unsatisfactory results and banish the group back to earth. 1875’s Trial By Jury made use of an old legal procedure as the main idea, specifically a ‘breach of promise’ trial. This often took place in earlier times, when a man could be summoned to court and sued for taking back a marriage proposal. The characters included a dashing, worldly bachelor and the woman who called for the hearing, a maiden dressed in wedding attire. An all-male jury and an unscrupulous judge round up the cast, with the woman directing her flirtations toward the jury but would end up receiving a proposal from the judge himself—as a way to resolve the case. The storyline established prevailing comic themes that would later be present in most of Gilbert and Sullivan’s works: (1) true and undying love may come from and end in unexpected sources and directions; (2) the existence of politicians who achieved their public status by charming and lying their way through, and (3) aversion for mature women, specifically those over 40—which is, in truth, a nod to patriarchy and sexism. Two years later, Gilbert and Sullivan produced The Sorcerer, which featured a man of magic who brings chaos and confusion to a tiny English village by creating a love potion. In many ways, The Sorcerer made a satire of class distinction and social propriety, which were standard elements in Victorian society. Yet in true Gilbert and Sullivan style, the output was of inimitable wit and class that the references were not declared offensive at all—so much was its success that aside from its own numerous showings, The Sorcerer was staged even as far as America, albeit unauthorized. And while the opera’s theme could have been translated by the French through a multitude of sexual innuendos and references played out by unreal, fantastic characters, Gilbert and Sullivan designed The Sorcerer with roles that were utterly believable and credible—the kind of people that actually exist in everyday life, that the British audience could identify. The penchant for poking fun at British social conventions became Gilbert and Sullivan’s running objective, and in 1878 they again succeeded in producing a successful show that audiences celebrated. H. M. S. Pinafore once again uses love as a theme, but a deeper reading would reveal that the opera tackles the discussion of England’s class society. With the narrative centering on the daughter of a naval captain’s rejection of the Secretary of the Navy—the highest-ranking man of uniform—for the affections of a common sailor, H. M. S. Pinafore showcases the reality of a person born into a particular class, and the availability of options based on this system. It is also a criticism of their society’s double standard on the issue of marriage; they patronize literature’s ideals about love conquering all, while in real life they disapprove of unions between people of different social classes. This time, audiences were not as forgiving as they were with The Sorcerer—the prevailing adherence and respect for the British class system caused low ticket sales. That, as well as the unrelenting hot weather pulled Gilbert and Sullivan’s celebrity down—for a moment. During Sullivan’s summer concerts, he came up with the smart strategy to include several medleys of his Pinafore score; the result was a revived interest in the opera, and eventually sales and attendance reached phenomenal heights. Such was the success of the opera that it encouraged Carte to involve Gilbert and Sullivan in the actual business, dividing all production expenses and sales profits among the three of them. From this point on, Gilbert and Sullivan were given decision-making authority in all their productions. However, because of the opera’s impact on the British audiences, many unauthorized production of Pinafore were staged, particularly in the United States, where international copyright laws were not yet in place. To assert ownership, Carte brought the production overseas where it enjoyed a brief yet successful run in Broadway, and made sure that Gilbert and Sullivan’s works were covered by copyright laws in the country. Carte had this foremost on his mind when Gilbert and Sullivan came up with yet another opera destined for iconic status, 1880’s Pirates of Penzance. This time, Carte protected the production rights both in Britain and New York, which established the legal precedents still observed today. The move has benefited playwrights and writers all over the world, with this initial case on intellectual property rights. Love as an ideal is again the running theme in Penzance, as the story explores the adventures of a young man named Frederick who, by no choice of his own, worked under the tutelage of a group of pirates. As luck would have it, he falls for the daughter of a Major General—a momentous experience that drove him to make up for his previous deeds by eliminating the pirates he used to be associated with. The pirates in question actually turned out to be noblemen who made the wrong choices in life; in the end, they, including Frederick, all take the Major’s many daughters as their wives. There was no stopping the success of Gilbert and Sullivan, and they forged on to firmly claim their place in popular culture. Several productions were created, among them Patience (1881), which told of the poet’s charm and magnetism, a surefire way to get his way with the women, except for the one he wants—who is but a simple milkmaid. Written as a comedy, Patience ultimately focused on aestheticism, which referred to an artist’s or writer’s obsession with beauty. Carte employed a brilliant marketing strategy to promote the production, with the assistance of famed writer Oscar Wilde. The writer was tasked to do the lecture circuit around the United States, to provide a full background on this new ideology, and to ensure public awareness of the opera. Not surprisingly, this tactic resulted in positive financial reaction. With Patience, Gilbert and Sullivan introduced another innovation, this time with the characters of the opera narrative and the songs assigned to them. In their previous works, the duo’s main goal to put a message across was met; the technical level of the story itself remained the way it was from their early projects. Not the kinds to stay within their comfort zones, Gilbert and Sullivan expanded their competencies as playwrights by integrating the characters with music—producing songs and personalities that were exclusive to each other, and the situations they were in. Comic opera was what people called the Gilbert and Sullivan theatre style; in reality, it was the birth of the integrated musical. The partnership, while perfect on an intellectual realm, was slowly revealing its cracks caused by the personal differences of the two artists. Gilbert was apparently so taken with the love potion plot—which he successfully delivered in The Sorcerer—and wanted to create another opera using the same idea. This was not taken positively by Sullivan, who soon decided, on impulse, to focus more on serious projects. Of course, Gilbert did not take this well either, and the beginning of what would be a personal feud between the two took its place. Carte tried to remedy the situation by staging a rerun of The Sorcerer, only as a stopgap measure for further rifts that may damage company existence and operations. Fate once again played a major role in the succeeding events, because the partnership was saved by a mundane object—a Japanese sword. It fell from the wall of Gilbert’s study and almost hit him, but instead of dismissing the incident, Gilbert took inspiration from it. This set the tone and plot for Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular opera to date. The Mikado, staged in 1885, carried the same elements that had made the duo famous: love, and social commentary; with a generous helping of humor and wit. The plot itself was hilarious—it was a scenario questioning what would happen when the Emperor of Japan, know as the Mikado, passes a decree declaring flirting as illegal, and punishable by law. The townsfolk of Titipu refused to follow the new ruling, and consequently appointed Koko, a condemned tailor, as Lord High Executioner. Strangely, the condition for this appointment was for Koko to be beheaded, as he was proven guilty of violating the new law, unless he finds someone to behead first. Koko manages to find someone to execute, and that was the traveling minstrel named Nanki-Poo, who actually agrees with Koko only if he is allowed to marry the beautiful Yum-Yum—Koko’s fiance. Nanki-Poo was given a month to enjoy the wedded life before he was beheaded and Koko can finally marry Yum-Yum. But soon an old woman named Katisha appears, a representative of the royal court, and announces that Nanki-Poo is really the crown prince—guilty of the crime, as he had flirted with her and tried to escape execution by hiding in the small town. Eventually, the Mikado himself arrives and declares that his goal for decreeing such an inane ruling was to let the punishment fit the crime. More misunderstandings and deceptions came afterwards, but in the end everyone lives happily ever after. Gilbert and Sullivan decided to use Japan as a setting to create a satire about the British penchant for all things Japanese, during the 1880s. And because it was brilliantly written and the references to British pretensions and petty customs subtle and discreet, audiences failed to make any negative observations and promptly applauded the performance. Exporting The Mikado to the United States was the right thing to do, for it replicated the success of H. M. S. Pinafore and drove Americans into a Japanese frenzy. The Mikado is the sole musical by Gilbert and Sullivan that had been performed in a variety of languages, and is also their only work that spawned a diplomatic controversy. In 1907, the Crown Prince of Japan came over for a state visit, and immediately the British government ordered a ban on The Mikado; only to discover that one of the Prince’s objectives in visiting Britain was to watch the musical. To this day, The Mikado is still widely produced and staged worldwide. However, the problem with having a major success in one’s name is the pressure to produce another one of equal or greater impact. In 1887, Gilbert and Sullivan staged Ruddigore, which entailed more melodrama than their previous collaborations. It truly was an accomplished piece, but audiences kept comparing it with The Mikado. Once more, Sullivan was disheartened by this turn of events and threatened to leave the industry altogether and focus on classical compositions instead. Gilbert tried to change his mind with a new libretto, one that was not an echo of their old work. With The Yeomen of the Guard, an operetta set during the reign of Henry VIII, romance was played out within the constraints of political controversies, as well as the possibility of execution. Sullivan, satisfied with the proposition, proceeded to create a score punctuated with melodrama and emotion, while Gilbert reinvented himself and his style by veering from his usual whimsical comic dialogue. Serious was the best word to use to describe Yeoman, and this became a personal favorite of Sullivan. The monarchy did not escape the sharp wit of the two, either. In 1889, Gilbert and Sullivan resurrected their signature comic style with the staging of The Gondoliers. A story of a couple of anti-royalist gondoliers from Venice who ironically discover that they have suddenly become kings of a country in the midst of a revolution, Gilbert and Sullivan once again mixed fun and comedy to discuss the idiosyncrasies of the royals and the issues of democracy. The Gondoliers became an instant international hit. No less than the public-shy Queen Victoria requested for several private performances of The Gondoliers, which validated the immense contribution of Gilbert and Sullivan to musical theatre. But the personal differences between the two icons continued to get in the way of their professional relationship. Some were serious concerns, yet some were downright trivial—such as the argument over the cost of newly-installed carpets in the Savoy Theatre. Carte and his wife ultimately chose to take Sullivan’s side, which resulted in their production of Ivanhoe, Sullivan’s grand opera. However, this project failed to achieve any semblance of financial success; which was a mirror of Gilbert’s own experience when he went back to writing his own plays. Several years later, the three business partners tried to put everything aside and reconcile, but sadly, they were never able to bring back their glory days. Still, they managed to produce Utopia Limited (1893), another satire of Britain’s unsuccessful efforts in its dealings with other countries; and The Grand Duke (1896), featuring a theatre group’s attempts to claim power in a problematic Germany. Both productions were of the same make and quality as their previous ones, but neither enjoyed substantial performance durations because of expensive production costs. More than that, it was already apparent that Gilbert and Sullivan no longer had the fresh and intriguing style and creativity that had earned them the respect of audiences worldwide (Kenrick, 2000-2003). IV. Reviews Interesting to note are the reviews made for each of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operas, as made by many critics and journalists during the time. Some of the takes of these writers were documented and used as reference, in order to validate the creative contribution given by the duo. One review for Thespis on its opening night in 1871 commended Gilbert and the magnificent storyline he created, as well as the audience’s superb reception of the play. Credits were specifically given to the talent showcased (Perry, 2001). A Trial By Jury review was not truly exciting—while the critic commended the acting and singing done by the performers, it was the â€Å"lateness of the hour† that possibly accounted for the audience’s lackluster reaction (Perry, 2001). H. F. Frost reviewed The Sorcerer in 1877, and emphasized the effective combination of literary merit and dramatic consistency as created by Gilbert and Sullivan, except that their attempts to subtly mix burlesque and opera was not entirely acceptable. Points were given to the theme of exploring human nature’s weaknesses and imperfections (Perry, 2000). It is evident that H. M. S. Pinafore was a huge crowd favorite, as revealed by a review published in 1878. Pinafore was commended for the use of burlesque but had more humor and charm over Trial By Jury and The Sorcerer. The satire and libretto were both noted, and gave Gilbert and Sullivan credit for managing to pull it off without great offense to the public. The actors were also adjudged suited to their roles, and the musical one that will remain in the bills for a long time (Perry, 2001). A review made in 1880 of Pirates of Penzance saw it as having several allusions to H. M. S. Pinafore, particularly in the similarities of some of the characters. But the audience was not put off by that observation, and still applauded the cynicism and wit of Gilbert’s words as well as the charm of Sullivan’s music (Perry, 2000). V. The Final Years Though they never really regained their old camaraderie, Gilbert and Sullivan remained civil to each other until the end. In 1888, Sullivan was granted knighthood, and the former colleagues shared the same stage once more during revivals of their old classics were produced. Later, Sullivan collaborated with other writers to produce several critically-acclaimed operas, including The Emerald Isle in 1900. Sullivan finally passed away at the age of 58, due to a bout of severe bronchitis. Gilbert, on the other hand, got his second wind at the dawn of the new century, with a notable output of librettos and plays. He eventually received his knighthood in 1907, which was long overdue, but allowed him to experience being touted as a British national living treasure. At age 74, while saving a girl from drowning in his own estate, Gilbert was struck by a fatal heart attack. This happened in late May 1911. The great producer Carte succumbed to the permanent effects of illness in 1901, but his opera company was continued by Helen, his wife, and their son Rupert and his wife. They revived the most acclaimed works of Gilbert and Sullivan throughout the years, until the company closed in 1983 due to financial problems. But Bridget, Rupert’s wife, left a considerable amount of money to allow a new group of theatre producers to form a new company, which still stages revivals of the famous musicals of Gilbert and Sullivan to this day. VI. The Gilbert and Sullivan Legacy The achievements of Gilbert and Sullivan were nothing less than national milestones, particularly in the reality of class-conscious Britain. The brilliant wit, humor, and music created by the duo gained popularity with all class levels of society, which was a feat it itself. Apart from that, the team’s theatre philosophy transformed the standard musical preferences to be more attune to popular music, and less concentration on the obscure and exclusive. However, Carte’s company refused to grant performers and directors the freedom to modify each production—every staging had to adhere to the set guidelines of the original team. Critics and audiences could only imagine how fresh eyes and new voices would be able to interpret the tried-and-tested pieces (Wren, 2001). Britain respected the legacy of Gilbert and Sullivan, and their standards of musical theatre bore into all productions made in the late 1800s. George Edwardes, a producer of comic operas, proved to be the duo’s strongest competitor. He started with the success of Dorothy in 1886, which included a ballad entitled â€Å"Queen of My Heart†, that broke all records—even running longer than any of Gilbert and Sullivan’s musicals. But what made Edwardes a respected name was his discovery of a new technique with his production of The Gaiety Girls, a musical named after the famous London theatre. This musical comedy featured many of Gilbert and Sullivan’s standard elements, making it a manifestation of the partnership’s influence on the art. The Gaiety Girls, like most of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operas, carried a theme of love gained and lost. But these musicals only had two general narratives—a poor girl in love with a rich man, and wins him in the end, even in the presence of adversities; and a poor girl who attempts to get out of a marriage she did not want, prompting her to involve other characters on a chase. The music and titles of these musicals all had the same essence, which were really just variations on a theme. Interestingly, the seeming monotony of these musicals were greatly appreciated by the audiences and critics, who preferred them exactly as they were. But these productions could never stand up against the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, particularly those that had traveled to the United States. This fact awakened the British audience from their stupor, as they had to acknowledge the international receipt of their own culture (Morley, 1987). Needless to say, the Gilbert and Sullivan operas consistently received much acclaim from their American audiences; the staging of H. M. S. Pinafore started a nationwide craze aptly called â€Å"Pinafore-mania†. Typical of Americans, the music and songs of Pinafore quickly entered the realm of popular culture, and were included in regular talk. The classic line â€Å"What never? Well, hardly ever! † from Pinafore became standard replies of people all over, and the phrase â€Å"short, sharp stock† that was used in The Mikado to mean â€Å"of severe punishment† was borrowed by various writers, artists, commentators and bands. Perhaps the most celebrated American production of a Gilbert and Sullivan original was Pirates of Penzance, which found its way to Broadway in 1981 and enjoyed a run that broke production and staging records. Gilbert, in particular, would often be cited by popular American writers, such as Johnny Mercer, Larry Hart, Alan Jay Lerner, and Stephen Sondheim. Mercer was even quoted as saying, â€Å"We all come from Gilbert†, and Sondheim made a tribute to the famous librettist in â€Å"Please Hello† from his work Pacific Overtures (1976). It is probably not far-fetched to assume that Gilbert and Sullivan’s work lent sophistication and class to the existing brand of musicals then; soon after, new generations of musical talents appeared, putting the USA on top of the list. The Boston Ideal Opera Company, more popularly known as The Bostonians, made the rounds of theatres all over the country, and were received well for their outstanding performances. They included in the repertoire several original American musicals, but were known for their productions of Gilbert and Sullivan works. A listing of American originals that took after the Gilbert and Sullivan tradition is as follows: El Capitan (1896) by John Philip Sousa The Begum (1887) and Robin Hood (1891) by librettist Harry B, Smith and composer Reginald DeKoven The Highwayman (1897), again by Reginald DeKoven (Gillan, 2007). VII. The Gilbert and Sullivan Influence The influence of Gilbert and Sullivan extended all the way to other forms of art ad communication, which included literary works of famous writers. References to their collaborations are found in the work of writer Isaac Asimov, who wrote a number of stories centered on the puzzles and mysteries of the duo’s operas. One such story was of time travel, where one had to go back in the 1800s to rescue the score to Gilbert and Sullivan’s Thespis (Asimov, 1978). â€Å"The Year of the Action† engaged a debate over the actual date of the action in Pirates of Penzance. A story in Asimov’s famous I, Robot, â€Å"Runaround†, had a character singing parts of songs from Ruddigore, Patience, and Pinafore. Cleverly, Asimov concluded his homage to the duo with his story â€Å"The Up-To-Date Sorcerer†, which was obviously a parody of The Sorcerer. Legendary British author P. G. Wodehouse was also known to cite Gilbert and Sullivan in his writings, and more often exclusively referred to Gilbert. His novels and short stories included numerous allusions to the team’s work, many to Gilbert’s early Bab Ballads (Robinson, 2006). The film industry also found the works of Gilbert and Sullivan great material for a wealth of movies. Many of their musicals were adapted into films, including the actors who originally performed in the theatre versions. The Mikado was adapted into a movie in 1939, in full color, for which it won several awards. Also, many films made use of scores composed for a number of Gilbert and Sullivan musicals, including The Matchmaker (1958), I Could Go On Singing (1963), The Naughty Victorians (1975), The Bad News Bears Go To Japan (1978), Chariots of Fire (1981), The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1989), The Browning Version (1994), and The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (1992). Television is also another medium that has embraced the Gilbert and Sullivan talent. From The Simpsons to Frasier, from Angel to The West Wing, the duo’s music has been showcased in a variety of scenes and episodes. There was even a show dedicated to spoofs of Gilbert and Sullivan musicals, entitled The Star of Christmas. Video games such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas also had visual references of Gilbert and Sullivan’s works, particularly of Pirates of Penzance. Outside of media, many personalities in politics also found good material in the team’s celebrated works to promote their platforms and ideologies. A â€Å"short, sharp stock† remains to be a popular mainstay in many manifestos and debates. VIII. On A Personal Level Though their professional partnership was truly accomplished and proven time and again, it was the personal relationship of Gilbert and Sullivan that had suffered the most. Collaborations may or may not be successful if the participants are friends; however, artists like Gilbert and Sullivan probably see no boundaries between who they are and what they do. Sullivan was not rich, and as he grew up he mad it a point to mingle with the rich and influential. He met Gilbert, and immediately discovered the parallels in drive and talent in both of them. However, he also saw something else—that Gilbert’s friendship could be the means for him to make his career flourish. Sullivan had many other powerful friends, including Queen Victoria, who advi

Ethical Examination of the Mortgage Meltdown

Ethical Examination of the Mortgage Meltdown The subprime mortgage crisis, commonly referred to as the mortgage meltdown, unveiled itself after a sharp increase in home foreclosures beginning in 2006, which unfolded seemingly out of control by 2007. American spending declined, the housing market plunged, foreclosures continued to climb and the stock market was shaken. The subprime crisis and resulting foreclosures prompted discord among consumers, lenders and legislators all bound to one another by a web of complex financial engineering. The event represents a turning point in the world economy and our culture as fundamental societal changes are needed to rebuild the relationship between the U.S. government, Wall Street institutions, and the average American. Unethical decisions from various parties have altered the way future business will be conducted as the current economic and political policies were unable to confront the crisis before it unraveled. This paper is focused on investigating the unfavorable effects of the curr ent financial system structure established on unbreakable bonds of linkage among American communities and financial institutions. Initially, many financial experts including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) believed the crisis would be limited within the arena of mortgage lenders who had accumulated these subprime loans. But as time progressed there was an evident spread into the prime commercial and residential real estate markets as well as an impact on consumer credit. In an April 2008 Global Financial Stability Report, the IMF criticized the excessive risk-taking and weak underwriting undertaken by under-capitalized institutions and recommended measures including ratings systems reform and a change in compensation schemes for managers of financial institutions (Smith, 2009, p. 2). According to the IMF, there was a collective failure by financial institutions for not properly managing risk. The New York Times columnist Michiko Kakutani (2010) would add there were flawed mathematical models that most financial executives did not really understand themselves (Kakutani, p. 1). Essentially, Wall Street firm s turned subprime mortgages into exotic, toxic financial products by making a fortune laundering and reselling, and they were enabled in doing so by the very ratings agencies that were supposed to police risk (Kakutani, p.1). Even as the quality of the underlying loans appeared sketchy, few could have expected how the severity of the subprime fallout would threaten the U.S. economy to the degree it has so far. The idea behind subprime loans is borrowers who do not meet the credit requirements for prime mortgage loans are required to pay higher interest rates and fees than prime mortgage loans. Since a significant portion of new home ownership expansion stems from buyers with a lower income compared to historical norms, the initial down payment is relatively low. This creates more risk for lenders and requires higher interest rates attached to the monthly mortgage payment. The difference between the social and economic impact of historical home ownership compared to the subprime situation is the earlier loans created real ownership and wealth, which could be passed along to future generations. The illusion of wealth in subprime lending has led to instability within families and communities as many low-income borrowers were enticed by the ease of becoming a first-time homeowner (Muolo, 2008, p. 277-303). Its important to consider how subprime borrowers came from lower income families. Due to lower savings, they are unable to pay the typical 20% down payment on a house, thus requiring near 100% financing. This new form of lending allowed families who had previously been excluded from home-owning to participate in affordable housing programs. It was even referred to as creative financing. The common question at hand is identifying who is to blame for allowing the capital market economy to create irresponsible home ownership. Much of the subprime homes never yielded real wealth as outright ownership of the home was highly unlikely. Subprime lending to low-income people illustrates how leaders in power are able to raise awareness to followers that home ownership is a moral obligation. The leaders have demonstrated their ability to raise followers consciousness about what is and ought to be important to them (Ciulla, 2003, p. 220). The idea of home ownership even became a political agenda to make people feel like they deserve a new home. Comparisons could be made that our government was almost behaving as a Jim Jones leader. Jim Jones appealed generally to impoverished and minority individuals who felt oppressed and besieged by a hostile world. Similarly, the government allowed subprime lending to target individuals who were historically turned away. ETHICAL ANALYSIS OF MARKET CONDITIONS Understanding the ethical behaviors of the subprime fallout is rather challenging as many dynamics stem from the individual as well as from a societal level. First of all, a new research paper conducted by three respected Irish economists point to a common factor of irrational exuberance among the real estate bubbles experienced in America and Ireland. In both countries, buyers and lenders convinced themselves that real estate prices, although sky-high by historical standards, would continue to rise (Krugman, 2010, p. 2). Consequently, this prevalent belief cannot be explicitly linked to an individual as society collectively accepted these trends. Additionally, the common social viewpoint that rising incomes would continue to accommodate the rising price of homes is not any individuals responsibility. Perhaps, the forecasting models used by economic experts were excessively optimistic, but this does not make them morally irresponsible. Robert Shiller (2008) argues the housing bubble that created the subprime crisis ultimately grew as big as it did because we as a society do not understand, or know how to deal with, speculative bubbles (p. 3). It is difficult to affix an ethical verdict to something as uncontained as the market. However, a slice of moral accountability should be ascribed to key leaders who have control in shaping the market. There was a form of regulatory imprudence as the people charged with keeping banks safe didnt do their job (Krugman, 2010, p. 2). While many regulators looked the other way, the bigger issue is the ideology based on free-market fundamentalism where deregulation was thought to strengthen the financial system. The Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan, was criticized for maintaining low interest rates that further provoked subprime lending. Due to many stakeholders in the subprime story, blame has been placed on many factors such as a growing dishonesty among mortgage lenders, increasing greed among securitizers, hedge funds, and rating agencies (Shiller, 2008, p. 4). But, we can identify that Greenspan had direct control over key monetary policies such as interest rates, with foreseeable impacts. Justifying whether poor judgment was made in these decisions illustrates a moral question of his accountability. Many others question how well the government addressed regulation policies and the freedom given to banking institutions to issue reckless lending. It is also logical to believe the government essentially allowed an over inflation of homes in the market. Their openhanded efforts in rescuing weakening financial institutions beginning in 2008 with Bear Stearns, then AIG, and many others may indicate a form of duty the government has to help make amends for allowing too many Americans to have a mortgage they are unable to afford. The American financial system is filled with firms that disdain the need for government regulation in good times but insist on being rescued by the government in bad times (Kakutani, 2010, p. 2). Nevertheless, prescribing all of the liability upon the government or Federal Reserve is too unbalanced. The complex nature of the economic conditions related to the subprime crisis is larger than what any single stakeholder could instigate. Helping to fuel new mortgages, brokers sought to attract home-buyers with no money down agreements. Some likely acted of the premises that housing values and real incomes would gradually keep climbing to create a win-win situation for both parties. Again, to assign a moral indiscretion to a specific mortgage broker supplied with the best available public information to guide potential buyers is unsupported. It is not appropriate to directly attribute their actions to the subprime meltdown. But, as we continue to analyze behaviors we will see how many individuals took advantage of the economic zeal that fueled the subprime crisis (Cohan, 2009, p. 92-108). Much of what has been discussed points to the common belief of increasing prosperity and as well as a general unsupported belief in maintaining such high growth. There is quite a fine line between having sustained optimism for a bright future and a greed-like attitude that tries to hide the reality of an eventual economic decline. Would it be acceptable to morally blame society as a whole for overlooking the apparent signs of danger? Not fully. Yet, as more players in the market are outlined in the following sections we will see how the rules of the game may have deliberately hurt others. ETHICAL ANALYSIS OF KEY PLAYERS To expand upon the market condition section previously discussed the moral responsibility in the transactional loan process is analyzed next. There is a duty for each party to have transparency and truthfulness when completing a deal. Ideally, the consumer is obligated to pay loans they agree upon with the broker. As government leaders portray the promise for all Americans to have prosperity, home ownership became a reality for the most economically impoverished people. We begin to see a fabrication of falsely portrayed subprime loan applications by consumers captivated by these lucrative opportunities to have a new house. It would seem morally wrong for a person to falsify information, as most people should only want to acquire a loan they can manage with financial responsibility. However, the self-interest of satisfying their desire overcame the normal way of managing finances. There also presents a moral hazard to the broker who works for commission by getting people to sign agree ments and has no financial liability afterwards. Is the broker seeking the best interests in protecting customers? We realize the lack of concern by many brokers who overlooked the details. Ironically, as many of the brokers did not fully consider the unethical transactions, they are now the ones out of a job (Andrews, 2009, p. 133-148.). Furthermore, the lenders or banks are presented with ethical considerations as to how well they scanned applicants before providing loans. Were loan requirements not strict enough on purpose? It would seem a bad business practice to grant loans knowing customers will have late or no payments towards the principal of the loan. As we have learned, the banks ended up selling the bad loans to investors. The analysis up to this point seems to be pointing toward the idea that owning a home is becoming a morally acceptable idea and a basic right for everyone. Envision subprime loans as being a prescription drug. When placed in the hands of a diagnosed person in need of the drug, it can bring about social good, but if given to a teenager, who has no need for it, the drug can lead to destruction. This illustration shows how subprime loans require proper structuring to provide the most good. ETHICAL ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND INVESTORS Containing the misfortunate subprime loans solely between the lender and consumer could have benefited and alleviated the crisis if the loans were able to be paid by the new homeowner. But, due to lenders not making any profit on the loans they are forced to sell bad mortgages by packaging them in the form of collateralized debt in hopes of selling to investors who believe the value of the mortgage assets will increase. Again, we are confronted with the moral issue of how transparent these debt packages are represented. Do investors deserve better warning of the extreme risk of buying mortgage debts? Who is ultimately ethically accountable for selling bad debt? Everyone seemed to be caught up in this euphoria where no one expected anything bad to happen. To break down some of the moral culprits of passing along bad loans, many financial agencies were persuading clients to invest in bad debt, while at the same time these organizations sold off the loans to avoid any further losses. The apparent misuse seems morally wrong as they knowingly caused harm to investors. The rating agencies are also tossed into the blame game. Wall Street firms knew how to game the system; they knew how to get the rating agencies (which were eager to collect big fees for their services) to ineptly rate dangerous bonds (Kakutani, 2010, p. 2). Who is to protecting the financial stability of the economy by inaccurately rating risky subprime loans? Too many people assumed continued economic growth and overlooked the likelihood of the bubble bursting (Mason, 2009, p. 81-90). Overall, much of the calamity of the mortgage meltdown is due to the collective failure of society in a business and government sense to foresee the collapse, making it difficult to assign re sponsibility. PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS The various examples presented have illustrated the psychology involved in the real estate bubble (Schiller, p. 4). From Paul Masons (2009) book we not only have witnessed capitalisms tendency to expand the power of the market to push for the maximum freedom (p. 171), but the tendency for a double movement as ascribed by the Hungarian philosopher Karl Polanyi. As free market expansion oftentimes reduces the relationships between families, nations, and social classes to a mere commercial level based on money, a counter-tendency arises to defend common human values and community. The dynamics of the economy will require a willingness of ordinary people to impose limits, standards and sustainability on capital (Mason, p. 172). The current form of our markets have possibilities for limitless growth, yet the often selfish and unequal society in which we live in has created repeated financial distress. PHILOSOPHICAL IMPLICATIONS As many people point to banks for significantly contributing to the economic downfall, understanding how philosophers approach the situation is important to further our awareness of the problem. The premise of Immanuel Kants categorical imperative is based on the morality of the act, not outcomes, meaning an act may be done for the right reasons, even if it has bad consequences (Ciulla, 2003, p. 95). So, how can a lending institute be judged as unethical for issuing loans to help customers purchase a home? The morality failure, based on this stance would not fall on the bank. But, consider Kants statement that all rational beings stand under the law that each of them should treat himself and all others never merely as a means but always at the same time as an end in himself (Ciulla, 2003, p. 107). If the bank fails to appropriately evaluate the clients ability to pay back debt, then they are treating the client as a means for their own financial benefit and are eventually leading the ir clients to an ethical failure. On the same token, the brokers who never bothered to properly perform background checks on their clients were also satisfying their own financial desires, rather than helping customers make sound financial choices. John Stuart Mills utilitarian approach emphasizes multiplying happiness, or making life better for the majority of stakeholders in an organization, a community, or a country (Ciulla, 2003, p. 143). Therefore, Mill would view the lending institutions as providing moral value to the individuals seeking to gain home ownership. The general economy and government polices were allowing and expanding housing programs, in which there was a collective agreement that having people buy homes was a good strategy for the country. We now realize the greatest good often looks different in the short term than in the long term. In retrospect, too much emphasis may have been placed on the present and not enough concern on potential consequences of too much lending. The multiplication of happiness for those involved in subprime lending only lasted until the foreclosures and collapse of the banking industry began. Just as Kant and Mills viewpoints speak of the moral behaviors among the parties involved, Ayn Rand offers insight by arguing that every man is an end in himself, he exists for his own sake, and the achievement of his own happiness is his highest moral purpose (Ciulla, 2003, p. 47). Her position seeks happiness proper to man and does not advise seeking happiness through fraudulent schemes as this approach will lead to frustration. She believes moralitys purpose isnt to command you to sacrifice your interests for the sake of others but rather to teach you the rational values and virtues happiness in fact requires. (Ghate, 2009, p. 3). In hopes of restoring society to the place we were before the collapse, Rand would not place the primary blame on the people, but the immoral system in which they had to act. There should be a reevaluation of what genuine self-interest consists of and whether the pursuit for happiness is moral. DEATH PLEDGE As mortgages have become a norm in the American society, there is an underlying meaning to the origin. The word mortgage comes from the Latin words, mort and gage. Mort means death, and gage means a pledge to forfeit something of value if a debt is not repaid. The basics of mortgages have remained the same; high value real estate which cannot be funded by most people results in borrowing money to buy property. Many people are enslaved to meet the death pledge they signed. Borrowers should be aware of what they are doing and realize it is not always justifiable to blame the banks, as they ultimately cannot force an individual to take on a mortgage obligation. (Marples, 2008, p. 2) There seems to be a moral dilemma confronting families who still owe more on their mortgages than what their home is worth. Should they sacrifice to pay their mortgage even though their homes value may not recover for several years? Or should they simply walk away (Merrel, 2009, p. 2)? If they made an agreement with a lender to pay the loan, then on the surface it would seem morally right to continue paying for the home. After understanding the significance of a death pledge, we could argue mortgages are not ethical documents, they are legal contracts (Merrel, 2009, p. 2). So, if a person decides to stop paying their mortgage, they simply pledge the ownership of the home back to the lender. Nevertheless, realize a mortgage contract entails a promise to pay and walking away from a promise in a way leads to a breach of ethics. It seems that determining whether it is morally justifiable in walking away has to be examined on a case to case basis. In respect to the people who lost their homes due to unemployment or other valid reasons, they have a right to be upset for how the careless decisions of others hurt their American Dream. It has turned into just that, a dream, as society allowed people to believe they deserve a home they cannot afford. John Rawls, a Harvard philosopher, offers insight to the economic and moral issues societies confront regarding distributive justice. He argues as self-interested rational beings governed by principles that oppose discrimination, everyone should have equal liberties and fair distribution. He speaks of inequalities among social class wealth as only being just if and only if they are part of a larger system on which they work out to the advantage of the most unfortunate representative man (Ciulla, 2003, p. 158). Why should we be making life better for those who are already well of with nice homes and do nothing for those who are already underprivileged? Perhaps, as in the case of subprim e lending, there was an outreach by leaders to provide equal opportunity to the least advantaged persons. In order to learn from the U.S. financial crisis, we have to enforce action by people who see it as their duty to protect the American people. We have to focus as much on the regulators as on the regulations (Krugman, 2010, p. 2). Financial consumers need protection from being taken advantage of or else we will have failed to learn from our recent history and can expect to repeat it again. References Andrews, E. (2009). Busted: Life Inside the Great Mortgage Meltdown. New York, NY: W.W. Norton Company, Inc. Ciulla, J, ed. (2003). The Ethics of Leadership. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Cohan, W. (2009). House of Cards: A Tale of Hubris and Wretched Excess on Wall Street. New York, NY: Doubleday Publishing Group. Ghate, O. (2009, June). The Economy Needs Ayn Rand. BusinessWeek. Retrieved February 24, 2010, from businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2009/04/the_ economy_ nee_1.html Kakutani, M. (2010, March). Investors Who Foresaw the Meltdown. New York Times, March 15. Krugman, P. (2010, March). An Irish Mirror. New York Times, March 8. Marples, G. (2008, September). The History of Home Mortgages. TheHistoryOf. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from thehistoryof.net/history-of-home-mortgages.html Mason, P. (2009). Meltdown: The End of the Age of Greed. London: Verso. Merrel, S. (2009, September). A Thorny Dilemma: The Ethics of Mortgage Walkaways. SmartNestEgg. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from smartnestegg.com/blog/2009/9/4/a- thorny-dilemma-the-ethics-of-mortgage-walkaways.html Muolo, P., Padilla, M. (2008). Chain of Blame: How Wall Street Caused the Mortgage and Credit Crisis. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Shiller, R. (2008). The Subprime Solution: How Todays Global Financial Crisis Happened, and What to do About it. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Smith, V. (2009, April). IMF: Mortgage Crisis May Cost $945bn Worldwide. InfiniteUnkwown. Retrieved March 1, 2010, from infiniteunknown.net/2008/04/09/imf- mortgage-crisis-may-cost-945bn-worldwide

Matelda ?a Lady Moved by Love? :: essays research papers

In Dante’s Divina Commedia, he takes on a journey with unforgettable characters, from the poets from antiquity, demons, giants, and finally too famous saints. Dante’s and the character interaction with them are what make this story. They are the legs on which this work was able to stand for so many years as a masterpiece. It was the characters that I most enjoyed it this work, you find yourself loving and hating the different shades you meet during Hell, the penitents of Purgatory and the saints of Heaven. The most developed characters we find in Commedia are Dante, Virgil and Beatrice. Yet there are several minor characters that if one looks more closely are just as interesting as our main stars. One such minor character is my favorite Matelda, and also a perfect example of Dante’s brilliance in characterization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Matelda is a minor guide that helps Dante after Virgil disappears, and until Beatrice takes him to heaven (Cantos XXVIII- XXXIII). Although Matelda may look like a plain old static-stock character , her motives are pure, her actions consistent and she is plausible as a guardian angel type whose actions are moved by the Divine love in her. Dante the Character at this point in the story is about to leave the world literally and to meet his love Beatrice (who actually yells at him for his sin, before taking him to heaven). He has been left by his faithful guide, Virgil (which he doesn’t even notice at first has been gone for a few cantos) and finds himself in the hand of a loving and beautiful hands of Matelda.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Matelda is a perfect guardian angel for Dante at this point in his journey, and faithful to helping him during this transition. Are her actions consistent? Yes. all are in line with Divine Love. We see this trough her actions. We first meet her she is the lovely creature that resides in the Garden of Eden. At Dante’s request she explains all of his questions. She guides him through the Garden and then washes him clean and helps him to drink from the rivers of memories, all after he gets reprimanded by Beatrice. All this is done out of Love, for it is ultimately Divine Love that motivates her, motives that are pure in guiding her charge. For example â€Å"Why are you so intent on looking only at those living lights? Have you no wish to see what comes behind?† This encouragement will help Dante to move forward to his goal. Yet I think it’s her purity of motives that make her a static character because

Pesticide Resistance Essay

Insect attack is a serious agricultural problem leading to yield losses and reduced product quality. Insects can cause damage both in the field and during storage in silos. Each year, insects destroy about 25 percent of food crops worldwide. The larvae of Ostrinia nubilalis, the European corn borer, can destroy up to 20 percent of a maize crop. European corn borer:A major pest in southern and central Europe. Insect resistant Bt maize is already being grown in Spain, France, Germany, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Western corn rootworm beetles feeding on a maize cob. Certain cultivars of Bt maize are resistant to this serious pest. GM rootworm resistant crops are not approved for cultivation in the European Union but are now being grown in the US. The â€Å"Bt concept† – pest resistant transgenic plantsBacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, is a bacterium that has attracted much attention for its use in pest control. The soil bacterium produces a protein that is toxic to various herbivorous insects. The protein, known asBt toxin, is produced in an inactive, crystalline form.When consumed by insects, the protein is converted to its active, toxic form (delta endotoxin), which in turn destroys the gut of the insect. Bt preparations are commonly used in organic agriculture to control insects, as Bt toxin occurs naturally and is completely safe for humans.More than 100 different variations of Bt toxin have been identified in diverse strains ofBacillus thuringiensis. The different variations have different target insect specificity. For example, the toxins classified under Cry1a group target Lepidoptera (butterflies), while toxins in the Cry3 group are effective against beetles.Researchers have used genetic engineering to take the bacterial genes needed to produce Bt toxins and introduce them into plants. If plants produce Bt toxin on their own, they can defend themselves against specific types of insects. This means farmers no longer have to use chemical insecticides to control certain insect problems.| Critics claim that in some cases the use of insect resistant crops can harm beneficial insects and other non-target organisms. Extensive ecological impact assessments have been addressing these issues. In the field, no significant adverse effects on non-target wildlife nor long term effects of higher Bt concentrations in soil have yet been observed. New concepts on the way Bt crops have been planted commercially for more than eight years. Other naturally occuring insecticidal compounds are now becoming available as alternatives to the Bt approach. Among these are chitinase, lectins, alpha-amylase inhibitors, proteinase inhibitors, and cystatin. Plants genetically modified to express these defense proteins are still in early stages of development.

Compare and Contrast Psychodynamic Theory and Person Centerd

Title – Critically compare and contrast two counselling theories Module code- Cg2030 Module tutor – Phill Goss Word count-2500 Counselling takes place when a counsellor sees a client in a private and confidential setting to explore a difficulty a client is having, distress they may be experiencing or perhaps their dissatisfaction with life, or loss of a sense of direction and purpose. It is always at the request of the client as no one can properly be ‘sent' for counselling. (Counselling central) By listening the counsellor can begin to perceive the difficulties from the client's point of view and can help them to see things more clearly, possibly from a different perspective. Counselling is a way of enabling choice or change or of reducing confusion. It does not involve giving advice or directing a client to take a particular course of action. Counsellors do not judge or exploit their clients in any way. ’(Counselling central). The two main therpaies withi n counselling that I will focus on comparing on contrasting are person centerd counselling.PCT is a form of talk-psychotherapy  developed by  psychologist  Carl Rogers  in the 1940s and 1950s. The goal of PCT is to provide clients with an opportunity to develop a sense of self wherein they can realize how their attitudes, feelings and behavior are being negatively affected and make an effort to find their true positive potential  In this technique, therapists create a comfortable, non-judgmental  environment  by demonstrating  congruence  (genuineness),  empathy, and unconditional positive regard toward their clients while using a non-directive approach.This aids clients in finding their own solutions to their problems. Secondly Psychoanalysis  is a  psychological  and  psychotherapeutic  theory conceived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in differe nt directions, mostly by some of Freud's colleagues and students, such as  Alfred Adler,  Carl Gustav Jung  and  Wilhelm Reich, and later by neo-Freudians such as  Erich Fromm,  Karen Horney,  Harry Stack Sullivan  and  Jacques Lacan.The basic tenets of psychoanalytic therapy include the following beside the inherited constitution of personality, a person's development is determined by events in early childhood, human behaviour, experience, and cognition are largely determined by irrational drives, those drives are said to be largely  unconscious. This main aim of this assignment will be taking both person centred and psychoanalytic therapy and critically comparing them I will do this by giving an overview of the two therapies how they were developed, the principles they lie upon, what their relationships are based on.We will then look at how they are similar and also how they differ by looking at the skills used and how they work as therapies to come to both do the same thing which is to help a client overcome an issue in their life. Person centred therapy is based on the idea that humans have a drive to grow towards their potential and will act with the best interest to themselves, if they are provided the right atmosphere (Mcleod,2008). The direction of therapy is guided by the client with the support of the therapist. The client is always the expert on themselves if they are provided with the right atmosphere for self-actualisation to occur.The central component being the client knows best the client knows where it hurts the most. The counsellors main motive is to relate to the client in such a way that he or she can find there sense of self direction. Carl Rodgers was the founder of person centred therapy. The development stemmed from Rodgers experiences of being a client and working as a counsellor (casemore) Rodgers didn’t like the view of behaviourist that humans were organisms that react to stimuli and developed habits from learned experiences.Therefor in his work as a counsellor became increasingly uncomfortable with being â€Å"the expert† so began to develop a different view of what clients needed to experience in counselling, empathy congruence and unconditional positive regard. Rodgers proposed that human beings were always in the process of becoming rather than being in a fixed state. As humans we have the captivity to develop in a basically positive direction given the right conditions.That’s not to say that he thought people are not sometimes cruel or hurtful but every person has the tendencies towords strong positive direction. Rodgers proposed that when the conditions were growth promoting an individual could develop into a fully functioning person. Rodgers described his approach as a basic philosophy rather than a simple technique which empowers the individual and leads to personal and social transformation, grounded in empathic understanding being non-judgemental and congruent .For this reason the person centred approach is often seen as touchy feel relation and seen as soft skilled that lacks structure, sometimes said as a way of preparing the road for real therapy. However it does have a clear theory of self, the creation of distrees and the tehraputic process. It’s aims are transformational and asks the counsellor to be a human and transparent â€Å"be real†(langridge). Freud is regarded as the founder of modern psychology, developing psychoanalysis. The therapy is based on the idea that a great deal of the individual behavior are not within conscious control.Therefor the main emphasis is to help the client get to the deep root of the problem often thought, to stem from childhood. Based on the principle that childhood experiences effect our behavior as adults and effect out thinking processe, Freud belived that these thoughts and feelings can become repressed and may manifest themselves as depression or other negative symptoms. The client is able to reveal unconscious thought by talking freely aboput thought that enter their mind the analysis will attempt to interpratate and make sence of the clients experiances.Deeply burtied experiances are expressed and the opportunity to share tehase thoughts and feelings can help the client work through thease problems. Clients are asked to try and transfer thougts and feelings they have towords people in their life on the analyst this process is called transfernace the success depends on how the analysats and client work together. Psychoanalysis can be life changing if successful howver around 7 years of therpay is needed to discover the full unconcious mind . regular sessions provide a setting to explore there thoughts and make sence of them.Psychoanalytic therapy is based on freuds work of pychoanalysis but less intensive it is found to be bennaficial for clients who want to understand more about tehmselves and useful to people who feel tehir problems have affcted them for a long period of time and need reliving of emotional disstress. Through deep exploration client and therapist try to understand the inner life of the client. Uncovering the uncocncious needs and thoughts may help the client understand how their past experiances affect their life today.It can also help them to work out how they can live a more fulfilling life. Person centred counselling and psychoanalytic therapy are both off springs of two great minded people Sigmund Freud and carl Rodgers the originators of these two approaches. Freud based his framework on his medical background , Rodgers was influenced by excistential phillosphy were the person is there central role in their growth and change. Some similarities can be drawn from a comparison betwewen the two models they both want to widen the concioussness but this is done in different means.Psychonalsis aims to make the unconscious conscious and by doing this helps the person gain controle over their thought and feelings. And the person cneterd approach helps the client to overcome a state of incongruence whilst psychoanalytic objective is two seek the repressed childhood experiances. The person centerd works through the concioussness by focusing on the here and now. Kahn (1985) compares the term incongruence with psychoanalytic defence mechanism repression. To him both are the same thing but different versions.Both prevent the person from being aware of his their own feelings the onluy diffrnece being that Rodgers belives by imputing the core conditions of Two persons are in Psychological contact, The first, whom we shall term the client, is in a state of incongruence, being vulnerable or anxious,The second person, whom we shall term the therapist is congruence or integrated in the relationship,The therapist experiences unconditional positive regard for the client. The therapist experiences an empathic understanding of the clients internal frame of reference and endeavours to communicate this experience to the client.The communication to the client of the therapist’s empathic understanding and unconditional positive regard is to a minimal degree achieved. Then if thease are imputed incongruence will be shifted and psychoanalytic belive through interpretation of childhoon events repression can be acchived. Both psychoanalytic and person centred involve empathy that is applied to client and therapist, enabling the client to gain new understanding and move away from distress and towards harmony with self and others. Therefor potentially both try to increase insight and strength towards the self.Other areas that overlap are also evident simple areas such as setting bounderies, along with assessment for therapy. From the first minuite of contact both persons become aware of their own and others aims, values and lifestyle by empathic attending. Both types of therapist are warm and open minded and accepting. In both therapies the therapist is bidden to provide a non judgemental respe ctful attitude towords the client. Both also share a commitment to the use of silence beliving it is an effective tool for therapy commiting to listening without impediment.The similarities are strongly guided by personal growth and development both have the interest of promoting self-reflection of the client. Their interest is to promote self-reflection of the clirnt. The relationship is very important in both and the main reason for this is to gain a beter insight and clearer understanding of the client. The aim is to build a relationship built on trust honesty and reliance on one another. The relationship is crucial in both therpays as without a tight relationship there is no ground work in place for the client to feel safe to explore.Both models encourage the client to relase emotions and it is through tehase that empathy can be experienced. On the other hand psychoanalytic theory stresses the importance of unconscious procedures and sexuality as the key terms for a deep underst anding of the human pychopathology. Freud thought that dreams were the best way to explore the unconscious since they are disquised as the id whishes repressed by the ego in order to escape from awareness. The goal of counselling to Rodgers is the congruence of personality acchived when the self gains access to a variety of experiances. he need for self actualization can only be atteneded to once counsellor creates an atmosphere of unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding. There are considerable diffrences between the two approaches ialthough stated that they both create a strong knitted relationship between client ancd counsellor . person centers counselling the counsellor takes on a non directice role more like a companion rather than a leader and the client takes lead of the session were as psychodynamic counsellors take more of an authority figure in the relationship.Person centred firmly believes that the 6 core condition are necessary for change. Hoewever psych odynamic use of transference is to make interpretation to the client for effective change. Person centred would see using transference would not create a genuine relationship between counsellor and client. One of the central themes in person centred is the emphasis on the present behaviours of the client. Psychodynamic focuses on the past and how it determines the present behaviours.Pychodyanmic counsellors choose to remain neutral during a session as this encourages transference a major tool in psychodynamic therapy. McLeod (2004) points out that in person centered counselling, questions are only asked to clients when necessary and may also answer questions if asked by clients, as this was supports to create the quality of the relationship. This again differs to the way Psychodynamic counsellors' work; as asking questions are pivotal during therapy as this elps to explore and build up relevant material, furthermore, it would be unlikely for a psychodynamic counsellor to answer any personal questions by the client and instead try to figure out why the question is important. Although both see the relationship as crucial each therapy maintains a diferent way to responding to the client attitudes and values. for instance defences and transferance excist in both forms but handled in different ways. For person centerdit is a requirement that the core conditions are stimuiltaneous for the therapist thease core conditions repersent an openess to self experience and to the experience of another.Rodgers belived counsellors should be egalitarian in their meetings with clinets and a major diffrence concerns pychodynamic interpretations. Appearing as all knowing and going beyond what is un-concious based mostly on theory rather than a clients spacific experiances. Thorne (1996) states that â€Å"pychodynamic therpay may go to early in interpratation to make sence to clients† Pychodynamic interpratation specifically concerns the naming of the unconcious for causeing problems that the clinet may be having.Only in the hermanutic meaning does the word interpratation make sence of things Hermeneutics applies to all persons who make sense of all situations, whereas psychodynamic interpretation in the narrow sense is the most specific ingredient of psychodynamic therapy’s efforts to make positive changes for clients. All in all psychodynamic approaches are based on freuds work based on the unconscious of the ID ego and superego which emphasis on sexual aggression.Person centerd is based on the belief that humans have unique qualities for freedom and growth beliving that we are beyond being controlled by ID ego and superego not controlled by sexual urges. The similarities between both approaches promote and guide the idea of progress and development. There main interest to promote self reflection and awarenss for the client in order to do this they effectively use communication. Both approaches are the result of hypothesis the main diffrences lie at the foundations and what is belived to work best however sometimes they meet for what may be the best too to use at the time of hearapy. prehaps what makes any thrapy work is the belief that they can work if the client wants it to work there emotional needs and expectataions I belive that theory used does play a a very important role but it is the client who has the ability to change which ever root of therapy they take they can change no matter how they recive therapy weather it be in a humanistic approach or psychodynamic because if they expect it to work it will so maybe I am more for the person cneterd view as I belive that self actualisation and awarenss is very important to be able to facilitate growth.