The Use of Props in Master Harold... And the Boys and Death of a Salesman - Literature Essay Samples

Playwrights, unlike the authors of novels and other forms of literature, employ the use of production elements and stage designs in the development of their works. These additional aspects present within the creation of theatre grant playwrights with the opportunity to support and develop the various themes and ideas of a work through supplemental stimuli, be it visual or auditory. Props are an aspect of set design that are used by actors during performances to replicate and materialize certain elements of reality on stage. As a result, the effectiveness of the play and the subsequent impact on the audience is defined through the use and value given to a character’s props. Both Athol Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boys and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman incorporate the use of various theatrical properties to enrich and enhance the development of characters and create tension, emotion, and atmosphere in a performance.In Master Harold and the Boys, Fugard incl udes meaningful props such as: comic books and a bottle of whiskey to define characters and establish their developments throughout the play. Due to the fact that this play takes place within one setting for the entirety of the performance, many of the props incorporated into the script remain in use by the characters, or in full view of the audience, at all times, such as the comic books. Fugard’s use of the comic books within the play symbolizes the nature of Hally’s father, thus giving the audience clear insight into his personality and characteristics. The implications of the comic books in this case indicate that Hally’s father is quite simple-minded and is amused by childish entities, further suggesting that feeble-minded men, similar to Hally’s father, are the one’s in power. Thus, through the incorporation of the comics books to define a secondary character in play, Fugard in turn illustrates his contempt for the proponents of apartheid. Th e significance of the comic books as a prop is arguably one of the most effective in the play, as it serves to establish the characterization of a character who never even appears on stage. The whiskey bottle, similar to the comic books in that it is affiliated with Hally’s father as well, is another example of a prop that establishes the development of character, but in this case within Hally himself. Unlike the comic books, this prop is only utilized within one specific scene on stage, which makes its significance critical to the relationship between Hally and his father because it appears after Hally is notified of his father’s return home. The eventual smashing of this bottle, as well as the bottle itself, becomes a symbol of Hally’s dislike towards his father. However, the anger expressed in this case is more symbolic of Hally’s inability to deal with his situation, rather than a hatred for his father. This expression of anger also introduces the the me of displacement, one that is observed within Hally’s character development in numerous other instances throughout the play. In Death of a Salesman, Miller’s inclusion of both the football and the gas tubing define the characters associated with them on stage and define the meaning behind these characters’ developments. The football is a prop regularly used within scenes of the past and is associated not only with Biff, but with his relationship with his father Willy as well. The football characterizes Biff as the physically sound and athletic child that he once was in the past, which serves as a contrast to the harsh reality of his current unsuccessful situation in the present. The football has been the one aspect of Biff’s life that gave him power and prowess, further enforcing the distorted view of reality and the American dream that Willy so strongly encourages. Thus, by incorporating the use of an American football on stage, Miller physically simul ates the aspect of Biff’s life that has defined him as an individual and the development of his character. Likewise, the use of the rubber hose, or gas tubing, is this play serves to establish character definitions, this time in regards to Willy. The rubber hose symbolizes Willy’s attempts at suicide, all of which are as a result of his inability to provide for his family. The paradoxical aspect of this situation is the fact that the gas tubing is a component of an element of basic necessity integral to the Loman family’s survival: warmth. Thus, Willy’s inability to provide the money to pay for such essential aspects of a home are the driving forces behind his attempted suicide in the first place. As a result, the gas hose acts as a constant reminder to the spectator of Willy’s desperation and agony as a character. Miller’s use of props within Death of a Salesman add to character definition and illustrate their developments throughout, and a t certain points, in the play.In Master Harold and the Boys, Fugard once again uses theatrical properties to enhance the effectiveness of the play, this time through the creation of tension, emotion, and atmosphere. All four of these components are essential elements involved in determining a play’s effective impact on audience. These moments are highly influenced by aspects of stage design, especially props. Tension within this play is created through the use of the telephone, through which Hally only ever speaks to his mother. By incorporating the use of this prop, Fugard is allowing the audience to hear only Hally’s reactions to what his mother is saying, rather than her actual words. All of the audience’s ideas about what she says are entirely speculative and based upon Hally’s side of the conversation, thus, an element of tension and the unknown is created within each of the scenes in which the telephone is used. Furthermore, like the comic books on the counter, the telephone remains in full view of the audience throughout the entire play. This once again generates an elements of tension and apprehension within the audience, who can see the phone in full view, but are completely unaware of when it will ring next. Emotion in the play is created not only through what the characters on stage are feeling, but through the feelings evoked in the audience as well. Fugard exhibits both of these instances in the play with the inclusion of the kite. Although there is discrepancy as to whether or not an actual kite is used as a prop within the physical performing of this play, its existence as an important symbol in the play is as effective regardless of the director’s choice to incorporate it into a memory scene or not. The kite symbolizes hope, hope for a better future, specifically a future in which exists racial equality and togetherness. When it is revealed to Hally the true reason Sam left him alone on the bench during the ki te flying scene of Hally’s childhood an emotional shift occurs in Hally, as well as the evocation of empathetic and saddened emotions directed towards Sam in the audience. Lastly, atmosphere in this play is created through the inclusion of Hally’s textbooks or school books. Like the comic books and telephone, these props are present on stage throughout the entire play. They represent the formal education received by Hally and the fact that Sam cannot decipher them symbolizes the government’s attempt to keep black South African’s out of the informed population. This prop thus contributes greatly to the theme of apartheid ever present throughout the novel, further effectively expressing the negative and disapproving tone of the playwright. Hence, Fugard’s negative political opinions towards this system of institutionalized racial segregation are illustrated.In Death of a Salesman, Miller utilizes props to create tension, emotion, and atmosphere as we ll. The use of stockings in the play creates both tension and emotion, however these separate moments happen at different instances in the play. Firstly, the stockings create tension when Willy is so quick to snap at his wife Linda for attempting to mend them as they serve as a reminder of his guilt and infidelity in the past. The tension is created in the fact that the audience are not revealed this until later in the play in a scene which is equally as responsible for the creation of emotion in the work. When Biff arrives at Willy’s hotel in a scene of the past, he is shocked by the fact that his father has been sleeping with a woman and cheating on Linda. During this scene the woman asks of Willy for the stocking he promised her, thus enforcing the already established symbol of guilt. The emotion in this case is felt both by Biff and the audience, where Biff breaks down and sobs, further evoking feelings of pity and sympathy for the young boy. This marks an incredible turn ing point in Biff and Willy’s character relationship, specifically in the way in which Biff views his father. The inclusion of the stockings as a prop are essential to enhancing the motifs and ideas present with this scene and others in which they’re addressed or included. Lastly, atmosphere is created in this play as a result of Miller’s prop choices as well. Moods of hope and positivity are generated at every mention and inclusion of diamonds in the script, most commonly present in the scenes in which Willy’s brother Ben appears. The diamonds as props symbolize tangible fortune and therefore success in Willy’s eyes. However, at the same time, these precious jewels represent Willy’s failure as a salesman due to his inability to have ever acquired any. Furthermore, they also represent the ability to pass one’s earnings or possessions on to their child, another component of success Willy has failed to achieve. Thus, during their presen ce on stage Willy speaks of promise and hope that good things and success are to come, but the harsh reality is that they serve as a constant reminder of his failures in the past. Hence, an atmosphere of false hope, on stage and within the audience, is created at their every mention.In both Athol Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boy’s and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, the playwrights utilize specific and purposeful incorporation of props on stage in order to define certain characters and establish elements of tension, emotion, and atmosphere. In Master Harold and the Boys this is achieved through the use of a plethora of props, including: the comic books, the telephone, the whiskey bottle, and Hally’s school books. Furthermore, a similar effect is achieved through Miller’s incorporation of the football, the rubber gas hose, the stockings, and diamonds in Death of a Salesman. All of these props served to enhance and improve upon the development of symbols, themes, and important concepts in both plays, ultimately enhancing their effectiveness as works of meaning.

Essay on the Gulf War

Essay on the Gulf War Rashid Abdul, a citizen of Saudi Arabia was working for the Kuwait oil company as a firefighter engineer during the time of the Gulf War. The invasion of Kuwait by Iraq occurred in august 1990, and the war lasted up to February 1991. Rashid was involved in firefighting when the oil fields were put ablaze by the Iraq army. Engineer Rashid explains the occurrences and his experience during the war. Student: Thank you for agreeing to share your knowledge and expertise regarding the Gulf War. The topic is critical to students in understanding the history of the Persian Gulf region and the American involvement. R.A:Thank you for considering interviewing me regarding this important matter in the history of Kuwait. It’s essential for students to learn and understand the history of their country and the world. In august 1990, Saddam Hussein, the president of Iraq, raided Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He complained that Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had taken over the oil market in the world. During the war with Iran, Iraq incurred a lot of losses and had to get a way to recover. Invasion of Kuwait was in an attempt to recover from economic loss that Iraq suffered during the war with Iran. Kuwait had drilled a lot of oil in the disputed border with Iraq. The oil market became flooded, and the prices of oil dropped significantly (Bacevich, 2003, 103). The economy of Iraq that was already depreciating was significantly affected by the decline in the prices of oils. Iraq accused Kuwait of initiating an economic war to weaken the Iraq government. There were historical tensions between Iraq and Kuwait, in the conflict between Iraq and Iran, Iraq had sought a lot of money from the Arab countries Kuwait being one of them. The government of Iraq had pressured Kuwait to pardon it the grant because of its finan cial status which was poor. Kuwait failed to call off the debt, and the Iraq government initiated a conflict with Kuwait. The territorial dispute between Iraq and Kuwait also contributed a lot in the emergence Gulf War. Iraq claimed that Kuwait belonged to Iraq before the British colonization. Student: invasion of Kuwait was not from a particular point and caught the world by surprise. Were you or your family living in the areas that were mainly affected by the war? R.A: Before the start of the Gulf War I was working for the Kuwait oil company today known as the British petroleum (BP). I was stationed at the Burgan oil field which was invaded by the Iraq troops in 1990, and the oil fields were set ablaze. Most of the Kuwait oil company facilities were destroyed by the Iraq army. Majority of the company workers left and some remained. Despite the setback, the company heavily invested in training firefighter engineers after the end of the Gulf War in 1991. Most of the fires in the oil fires were extinguished in a record time. Student: America was mainly involved in the war in helping Kuwait. Do you think they should have warned Iraq of their plan to participate in the war? What role did America play in the Gulf War? R.A: After the Iraq army had invaded Kuwait in august 1990, the Americans seemed to have no intention to initiate a military action against Iraq.The deceptive mechanism that the bush administration was applying towards Saddam Hussein was to show him that America had intention to initiate military action. In the reality, the American government was working round the clock talking to the Saudi Arabia government to allow it bring in ground troops. On 8th august 1990, the American troops in large numbers arrived in Saudi Arabia. The United States mobilized other countries to assist in fighting the Iraq army and force it withdraw from Kuwait. Through its efforts and power, the United States assembled about thirty-four countries to fight the American troops against the Iraq army. Key among the coalition army was France and the Great Britain. The American government had so many reasons to convince the United Nations Security Council and the whole world why it was just to send troops to figh t the Iraq army. Iraq was accused of violating human rights for so many years especially during the Iraq-Iran war where Iraq was accused of using chemical weapons against the Iranians (MacArthur, 2004, 93). The Saddam Hussein army was also accused of using chemical weapons against the Kurdish people. There was a lot of mass media sensitization in America about the reasons why it was necessary for America to defend Kuwait and the gulf region. At the beginning of January 1991, there were extensive air strikes targeting the Iraq army installations. The main agenda in the use of air strikes was to weaken the Iraq air force and ensure that its anti- aircraft facilities were destroyed. With the intense air attacks on the Iraq soil by the coalition army, the Iraq government fulfilled its earlier threat of attacking Israel if it were attacked. More than eight missiles were fired into Israel by the Iraq army. The primary aim of the Iraq army was to prove Israel to fight back thus forcing the Arab countries fighting the Americans to withdraw. America, a close ally of Israel, understood the whole concept of the Iraq attack on Israel and advised Israel not to fight back. The plan of the Iraq army was thwarted. The Iraq army fired missiles to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Bahrain though there were no significant casualties. Towards the end January 1991, the Iraq army invaded Khafji city in Saudi Arabia, which prompted heavy fighting between the Iraq army and the Saudi Arabia army with the support of the American marine troops. The Khafji battle lasted for two days when the Iraq army was repelled back through heavy artillery, but there were many casualties reported on both sides. The air strikes made by the coalition army provided significant support to the ground troops who were equipped with more sophisticated artillery than the Iraq army. The ground forces also used modern global positioning system technology to identify their locations and to locate the enemy. On 23rd February 1991, the coalition forces led by the American and British army invaded Kuwait where the Iraq army had laid siege. The invasion was not anticipated by the Iraq army and therefore there no much resistance. In fact, the Iraq army surrendered to the coalition army. On the other hand, the Kuwait army initiated air strikes in the Kuwait city targeting the Iraq army with very little resistance. After five days of heavy fighting, Saddam Hussein surrendered and gave the order for the withdrawal of Iraq army from Kuwait (Stanton, 2003, 64). Student: many nations took the initiative to evacuate their nationals from Kuwait, Iraq and neighboring countries. R.A: Countries such as India had nearly two hundred thousand nationals working and living in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. When the Iraq army invaded Kuwait, most of the foreign nationalities were caught unaware, and majorities were stranded. There was great urgency by the affected nations to evacuate their citizens soonest possible. India carried out massive evacuations of its nationalities through Air India. Nearly three thousand five hundred Indians were evacuated on a daily basis. It is estimated that over five hundred flights were carried out by Air India. The evacuation process was taking with massive mobilization of resources and crew. The Kuwait and Bagdad airports were not accessible and therefore the Amman airport was majorly used for the evacuation process. The evacuees had to travel to Amman through Kuwait and the Iraq. Majority of the evacuees lacked the basic needs such as medication and water throughout the journey to Amman. By the end of the evacuation process, the Indian statistics showed that nearly one hundred and eighty thousand Indians had been evacuated from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The Indian evacuation remains the largest evacuation in the history. Student: After the Gulf War, the Kuwait oil company initiated massive restoration of its oil fields and installations. What were the mechanisms employed in the restoration process? R.A: After the end of the Gulf War the Kuwait oil company through Bechtel and other international allies initiated plan to put out fires on oil fields through workforce of about sixteen thousand firefighters. A lot of equipments were mobilized from different countries. The reconstruction work was done in record time of one year, and the oil production resumed after the war. The Kuwait GDP per capita increased tremendously. The impact of the Gulf War was immense to all the parties involved. The America and its allies made great strides in defeating Saddam Hussein. The American army emerged victoriously with minimal fatalities and casualties. America emerged as a powerful nation in the world with its sophisticated artillery. The Gulf War had a great economic impact on the Persian Gulf region especially in the oil production. The government of Saddam Hussein suffered an economic crisis with much of its resources used the Gulf War. Iraq was unable to pay back the debts, and it had incurred losses in military artillery. Kuwait, on the other hand, suffered great loss due destruction oil fields and oil installations thus reduced oil production. Saudi Arabia also incurred a lot of losses in the Khafji war where oil facilities were destroyed by Iraq army causing massive oil spills which cost the Saudi Arabia government a lot of dollars to clean up. The Gulf War caused a lot of human sufferings from the onset to the end. When the Iraq army invaded Kuwait, a lot of inhumane acts were committed including rape, killings and so many people captured as war prisoners. The environment adversely affected by the war. Heavy artillery were used which had a great impact on the desert environment. The desert vegetation was destroyed, and the atmosphere was polluted (Austin, 2000, 71). There was a lot of emissions and dust into the atmosphere from the burning of the oil fields. There were also a lot of chemicals emitted which contributed to the damage of the ozone layer. The marine life along the Persian Gulf was also endangered due to the sinking of ships carrying oil artillery. The Kuwait sewage treatment facilities were destroyed releasing raw sewer to the Kuwait Sea. The untreated sewer endangered the ecosystem and poses as a threat to use of beach by humans. Both economic and environmental impacts of the Gulf War will always affect the P ersian Gulf region for decades (Austin, 2000, 94). Although the gulf countries have worked tirelessly to solve these problems, the impact is still evident with oil spills and destruction of desert plant life is so imminent. The Gulf War dented the America economy, and the public lost hope in the sustenance of the economy and control of skyrocketing cost of living. Many Americans were longing for the day when the war will come to an end. The banking industry became fragile, and the majority of the American society were involved in financial borrowing. The development projects were abandoned, and the employment rates declined significantly. The American government also incurred a lot of losses in the war, and there were also casualties and fatalities. The American society was greatly affected by the war especially those families who had their sons and daughters in the front line. Some of the American soldiers returned wounded, and others were killed in the battle line. Up to date the impact of the Gulf War is evident in the life’s of most Americans who had had to change their perception towards their involvement in the defense. Today many American parents try and educate their young ones on the adv antages and disadvantages of enrolling in the army. Works cited Austin, Jay E, and Carl E. Bruch. The Environmental Consequences of War: Legal, Economic and Scientific Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Print. Bacevich, Andrew J, and Efraim Inbar. The Gulf War of 1991 Reconsidered. London: Frank Cass, 2003. Print. MacArthur, John R. Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the 1991 Gulf War. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004. Print. Stanton, Martin. Road to Baghdad: [behind Enemy Lines: the Adventures of an American Soldier in the Gulf War]. New York: Ballantine Books, 2003. Print.

Case Study Manufacturing Plant Named Engstrom Auto Mirror

The purpose of this assignment is the analysis of a case study for a manufacturing plant named Engstrom Auto Mirror located in Richmond IN. The company has been in business since 1948, during most of its existence the business ran well and they were successful but by the 1990’s they started a downward spiral toward being unprofitable. In the early 2000’s for a period of seven years their sales had quadrupled but in 2006 there was a downturn in the auto industry which led to cuts having to be made resulting in the unfortunate circumstance of layoffs. They currently have 209 employees which is down from 255, 46 people were layedoff in 2006. The catalyst for their prolonged period of propersity was the 1998 descison to implement an organization-wide incentive program called a Scanlon Plan. Prior to its implemation the company was marked by inefficiency, low productivity, low morale and quality issues, management measured productivity at 40% of expectectations. At the time of the case study the problems of the past were starting to surface again things like layoffs and no incentives for the employees were causing rumblings in the workforce. Another pressure point was the companies relationships with its customers that had been built in part through the gains made by implementing their Scanlon Plan and their customers put a lot of faith in the company to provide high quality products in a timely manner. The Scanlon Plan methodology was initially developed in the 1930’s byShow MoreRelatedEngstrom Auto Mirror Plant and Work Analysis Case Study Essay3074 Words   |  13 PagesKayla Gunby November 29th, 2015 Southern New Hampshire University Final Project Submission Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant and Work Analysis Case Study Abstract During May 2007, the Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant faces a low employee morale issue. The newly appointed manager, Ron Bent, sees a decline in work place productivity and culture throughout his recent years of working at the plant. When Bent joined the company, it was facing a similar issue of low morale. He then decided to introduce the

Strategies of Maintaining Work-Life Balance

Question: Explain the strategies of maintaining Work-Life Balance. Answer: Introduction The work-life balance is a notion that involves an accurate prioritizing between the lifestyle and work of an individual (Wilton, 2013). The work includes the ambition and career and on the other hand, the lifestyle includes pleasure, health, leisure, spiritual development, family and meditation. A healthy work-life balance can be achieved by managing the personal and professional life of an individual in sustainable ways, which help to keep the energy flowing in an individual, and keeps the bodies and minds on the person healthy and whole selves content and happy. Strategies of Maintaining Work-Life Balance Nowadays work-life balance is considered as the most important attributes of the workplace, secondly, it is considered as compensation and it has been found that the workers who think and feel that they have a better balance of work-life, generally work 21% harder than the other employees who feel that they overworked. This implies that to provide attention to all the things that are fulfilled and enriched including career, work, fitness and health are equally important for balancing the work-life of an individual. The strategies that can be implied in order to maintain a better work-life balance include: Tracking the time By analyzing the current situation one can achieve a balanced life. One should keep a time log of all the things he do for a week that is both the personal and work-related activities. All these data act as an eye-opener as these information help in understanding the usage of time for the proper work to be done and thus helps in saving time (Werner, Schuler, Jackson, 2012). Determining the priorities of an individual An individual should spend some time for listing the priorities and then accordingly one should work at home and at work place. Setting up Specific Goals As per the list of priorities, one should take into a set of concrete and measurable objectives. This helps an individual to set goals and also helps to balance time between the work and the personal activities. Scheduling Carefully The successful plan generally make plan for their work. This is termed as date planner. If an individual focus on his date planner and accordingly perform his jobs, then within a relatively lesser time he can perform more (Mondy Mondy, 2012). An individual can carefully study the date planner at the beginning of the day and according to his plan he can perform. Establishing Boundaries An individual should set a realistic and fair limit to both the activities at work and at home. These boundaries should be communicated with the coworkers, supervisors, family and partner (Ivancevich Konopaske, 2013). This helps an individual in managing time. Taking Care of the Health For every individual, health is in the topmost priority. Therefore, each person should be in a good shape both emotionally, mentally and physically as these factors put a focus on both the work life and personal life. Nurturing Relationships and Family The family and the friends are those relationships that provide satisfaction to the people. Thus, every individual should spend time with their family members and friends in order to get rid of the stress of the work (Dessler, 2013). These relationships provide satisfaction to the individuals. Thus, it can be said that nurturing relationships and family help to maintain a good work life balance and this also helps an individual to perform better in his work place. Making time for Own self An individual should provide and keep time for himself. This provides an individual to perform better in the workplace. Leaving work at Workplace By completing task or work of an individual at the workplace helps the person to provide time to his family and friends (DeCenzo, Robbins, Verhulst, 2013). This also helps to keep balance between the work life and the personal life. Working smartly and not hardly - One should work in a planned way. This helps an individual to work more without providing more hard work. Knowing the Right Time for Asking Help When the people are overwhelmed with work and stress, then one should take help from others. This helps to reduce stress and thus an individual can balance well between the work life and personal activities (Bohlander Snell, 2013). Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded that by implementing all the twelve strategies properly, an individual can maintain a better balanced work-life. It can also be said that there are mainly three reasons for which the work life balance is important. These include the individuals become less susceptible to the burnouts, proper attention can be given where it is required and the individuals also experience less health problems. Thus, it can be said that in order to lead the work life balance in a better way, every individual should follow the above stated strategies. References Bohlander, G. Snell, S. (2013).Principles of human resource management. Australia: South-Western/Cengage Learning. DeCenzo, D., Robbins, S., Verhulst, S. (2013).Fundamentals of human resource management. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Dessler, G. (2013).Human resource management. Boston: Prentice Hall. Ivancevich, J. Konopaske, R. (2013).Human resource management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Mondy, R. Mondy, J. (2012).Human resource management. Boston: Prentice Hall. Werner, S., Schuler, R., Jackson, S. (2012).Human resource management. Australia: South-Western Cengage Learning. Wilton, N. (2013).An introduction to human resource management. London: SAGE.