Love’s Alchemy Essay Example

Love’s Alchemy Essay Name: Instructor: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Love’s Alchemy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Love’s Alchemy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Love’s Alchemy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Love’s Alchemy At the beginning of the poem, John Donne compares a person in love to an alchemist. While an alchemist sorts to create gold from useless metal and make an elixir of life, a hopeless romantic seeks to create a love that lasts for eternity, or till they die. In the speaker’s point of view, both things are impossible. According to the writer, a love that is blissful and pure is only a farce. Just like the alchemist who works fruitlessly to achieve an impossible thing, the ignorant lover is just as stupid. John implies that those who claim to attain a pure love are lying that what they are after is sexual satisfaction. John uses an oxymoron when he says ‘So, lovers dream a rich and long delight, but get a winter-seeming summer’s night’. Those who go looking for love expect a lifetime of it, only to find that it can never last. This can be translated to mean that one night of fun can result to a lifetime of misery, which might be the taking care of a child. The alchemist wastes his time trying to make medicine that works. In turn, all he gets is a ‘chemic’ that smells. In the same way, a person who hopes to find a love that is pure and lasts is disappointed for none exists. The words ‘get’ and ‘got’ mean that he has experienced physical love. He is however, disappointed that he is yet to find what others call ‘spiritual love’. The speaker admits that they are those that are more knowledgeable than he is when it comes to love. He says ‘some that have deeper digg’d love’s mine than I, Say, where his centric happiness doth’. This could mean that he believes the only thing that can be achieved from this relationship is sexual intercourse, that those that understand it have discovered its true ‘centric’ or ultimate happiness. It could also mean that anyone is stupid if he/she ever tried to understand love. He points that he has ‘got’ ‘loved’ and ‘told’ in his quest for love, but he has not been successful, just like the alchemist who keeps trying but never succeeds. He has followed steps, just like an alchemist would, but it does not seem to work for him. He attributes this failure in finding ‘spiritual love’ to the fact that he quests something that is not there, and therefore, cannot be found. Hence, everything hopeless romantics claim to be true is ‘imposture all’. An alchemist will claim he can make gold and take your money, but his efforts will be fruitless. The ‘glorified pregnant pot’ for the alchemist is the ‘odoriferous thing’ he got after wasting his time, money and effort thinking that he can make an elixir. If he is to yield a substance that smells, then he will go around glorifying his findings. For the two love-struck individuals who sort out a pure love, a baby was what they got instead. Since the speaker finds love to be merely sexual, he sees no need to invest his time, honor, money and sacrificing his ‘ease’ in the ridiculous notion of love. He also claims that it is stupid to believe that love is a union of the mind. Even uneducated men like his servant, a common person, can feel the same pleasure as he if they chose to take a wife. A man should not seek qualities in a woman that are to be found in the masculine gender, and say that he has taken her as mate, an equal, because of her mind or personality, thinking that, in her, he will find ‘angelic’ intellect. Women do not possess a mind, and the only thing one should hope for is sweetness. A woman is only complete when she is joined with man. The mummy that Donne talks of in the poem can be said to bring out women as beings without a soul, weak and obedient. Though they may be sweet and witty, they are mindless walking bodies. They are thoughtless, sex objects. It could also mean that when they are taken in as wives or possessed, the sweetness and wittiness disappears. They prove to be the opposite of what men married them for. Another meaning might be that a certain spirit possesses women. Here, he uses a metaphor to poke fun at women. The poem’s name is ironic. The speaker claims that love does not last; therefore, there is no alchemy of love. If the alchemy of metals was stupid, then the alchemy of love was equally absurd. Those that say that marriage is a union of the mind and body lie; just like saying they hear vulgar music from beyond the spheres during wedding ceremonies. The writer uses the word ‘play’ at the near end of the play. He implies that a Platonist that marries for love and a man that takes a wife without that notion are the same. Both end up being disappointed since none will be led to the pleasure that is said to exist in real love. They only find temporary physical pleasure. The poem has used the rhyme scheme ‘aabbacddccee’. It gives the poem the feeling of a song while at the same time enhancing the view of love as a ‘mystery’. The personification of ‘pregnant pot’ has been used to represent a woman’s pregnant belly and the alchemist’s pot. The belly is because of a false notion, and the pot holds a failed experiment. The speaker tries to save men from falling for the lies that he did, to let others know that he, like others before him, has tried time and again, and failed. Just like the alchemist and his never-ending failed experiments, pure love cannot be found. Anyone who claims to have found that kind of love is leading others astray. Disappointment befalls both the alchemist and the lover, as he will soon find out. John uses allusions in the poem to show how difficulty it is to find love. Alchemy and vain bubble achieve this. He enhances his argument through stylistic devices such as tone, symbolism, similes and metaphors. Love’s Alchemy Essay Example Love’s Alchemy Essay Name:Course:Lecturer:Date: Love’s Alchemy In the poem Love’s Alchemy, John Donne creates a parallel through an analogy. Primarily, this analogy is the main aspect that served as my inspiration to carry out an analysis on this literary work. This inspiration came from the parallel between a Platonist who is looking for love and an alchemist who looks to turn gold from its base metal. This premise leads Donne to state his belief that true love does not exist. The notion that Donne brings forward is also similar to what I believe in. In my view, I do not believe that there is any true happiness in love, and it only wastes someone’s time until death claims his or her life. We will write a custom essay sample on Love’s Alchemy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Love’s Alchemy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Love’s Alchemy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Donne uses a sonnet form through the lines, by implying that we should not vest our trust in anyone who claims to have found true love because it does not exist. Upon analyzing the sonnet in the poem, especially one of the lyrics, it is notable that the implication is that we should not trust anyone who claims to have found happiness (McLennan 52). This comes through the word â€Å"imposture† which implies that we cannot be able to find centric happiness regardless of our attempts to look for it. In this poem, Donne states that some people may have experienced more love than he may have. In this case, such people have been able to penetrate deep into the mystery of love. This implies that they have gone beyond sensual love and have been able to identify its essential happiness. Donne utilizes the sonnet to make the transition from a Platonist to an alchemist between the lines. When using the sonnet to describe an alchemist, Donne states that he labors with an experiment to make medicine for a given ailment, but only ends up with an odor of the chemicals that clings on his garments. In this part, Donne introduces us to the word â€Å"chemic†. This word stands for the analogous person who has tried in vain to find true happiness. He exhibits similarity with the alchemist who is working tirelessly to make medicine many illnesses through an â€Å"elixir†. Ultimately, Donne compares alchemists of love to alchemists that pursue making gold from base metals. The first line in particular compares alchemists to miners (McLennan 67). Indeed, Donne plays with sonnet convention through the concept of love. His perspective of love states that true love or happiness does not exist in this world, and those that search for it only do so in vain. The poem goes further to indicate that we do not need to spend all that we have as the chemic does in order to find true happiness. Chemics spend all their wealth and time at the expense of their pleasure in medical experiments that never yield any fruit. Regardless of how we may labor, we will not reap anything beneficial in the end. All that we get is insults and scorn from people. In conclusion, from what I was able to infer from the poem, achieving happiness and true love is just a figment of our imagination. The love that we perceive to have is not true, and we should be contented with it. We may labor with all our strength, but our efforts do not yield any fruit. Achieving true happiness and true love is not possible because they do not exist (McLennan, 47). We only have to be grateful for the love we have regardless if it is true or not. Works Cited McLennan, E A. Love’s Divine Alchemy. Montreal: J. Lovell, 2003. Print.

uuggfds Essays

uuggfds Essays uuggfds Essay uuggfds Essay Ram Mohammed Singh Azad (Udham Singh) Born 26 December 1899 Sunam, Punjab, British India Died 31 July 1940 (aged 40) Pentonville Prison, United Kingdom Organization Ghadar Party, Hindustan Socialist Republican Association,lndian Workers Association Political movement Indian Independence movement Religion Sikh Mohammed was an Indian revolutionary, best known for assassinating Michael ODwyer in March 1940 in what has been described as an avenging of the Jallianwalla Bagh Massacre. His name was Udhan Singh but he changed it to Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, symbolising the equality of all faith and of the three major religions of India: Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. Singh is considered one of the best-known revolutionaries of the Indian independence struggle; he is also sometimes referred to as Shaheed-I-Azam Sardar Udham Singh (the expression Shaheed-i- Azam, Urdu: 3-45, means the great martyr). Bhagat Singh and Singh along with Chandrasekhar Azad,RaJguru and Sukhdev, were among the most famous revolutionaries in the first half of 20th-century India. For their actions, the British government labelled these men as Indias earliest Marxists. He was born in Shahpur Kalan village in Sunam Tehsil in Sangrur district of Punjab, India. He was born to a Sikh farming family headed by Sardar Tehal Singh Jammu (known as Chuhar Singh before taking the Amrit). Sardar Tehal Singh was at that time working as a watchman on a railway crossing in the village of Upalli. Singhs mother died in 1901. His father followed in 1907. With the help of Bhai Kishan Singh Ragi, both Sher Singh and his elder brother, Mukta Singh, were taken in by the Central Khalsa Orphanage Putlighar in Amritsar on 24 October 1907. They were administered the Sikh initiatory rites at theorphanage and received new names: Sher Singh became Udham Singh, and Mukta Singh became Sadhu Singh. Sadhu Singh died in 1917, which came as a great shock to his brother. While at orphanage, Singh was trained in various arts and crafts. He passed his matriculation examination in 1918 and left the orphanage in 1919. On 13 April 1919, over twenty thousand unarmed Indians (Sikhs Hindus), peacefully assembled in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, to listen to several prominent local leaders speak out against British colonial rule in India and against the arrest and deportation of Dr. Satya Pal, Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew, and few others under the unpopular Rowlatt Act. Singh and his friends from the orphanage ere serving water to the crowd. Not much later, a band of 90 soldiers armed with two armoured cars with mounted machine guns. The vehicles were unable to enter the Bagh owing to the narrow entrance. Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer was in command. The troops had entered the Bagh by about 5 PM. With no warning to the crowd to disperse, Dyer ordered his troops to open fire. The attack lasted ten minutes. Since the only exit was barred by soldiers, people tried to climb the walls of the park. Some also Jumped into a well inside the compound to escape the bullets. A laque in the monument says that 120 bodies were plucked out of the well alone. Singh mainly held Michael ODwyer responsible for what came to be known as the Amritsar Massacre. New research supporting this fact reveals the massacre to have occurred with the Governors full connivance to teach the Indians a lesson, to make a wide impression and to strike terror throughout Punjab. The incident had greatly shaken young Singh and proved a turning point in his life. After bathing in the holy sarovar (pool of nectar), Singh took a silent vow and solemn pledge in front f the Golden Temple to wreak a vengeance on the perpetrators of the crime and to restore honour to what he saw as a humiliated nation. The opportunity came on 13 March 1940, almost 21 years after the Jallianwala Bagh killings: A Joint meeting of the East India Association and the Central Asian Society (now Royal Society for Asian Affairs) was scheduled at Caxton Hall, and among the speakers was Michael ODwyer. Singh concealed his revolver in a book specially cut for the purpose and managed to enter the hall. He took up his position against the wall. At the end of the meeting, the athering stood up, and ODwyer moved towards the platform to talk to Zetland. Singh pulled his revolver and fired. ODwyer was hit twice and died immediately. Then Singh fired at Zetland, the Secretary of State for India, injuring him but not seriously. Incidentally, Luis Dane was hit by one shot, which broke his radius bone and dropped him to the ground with serious injuries. A bullet also hit Lord Lamington, whose right hand was shattered. Singh did not intend to escape. He was arrested on the spot. His weapon, a knife, his diary, and a bullet fired on the day are ow kept in the Black Museum of Scotland Yard. While in Police custody, Singh remarked: Is Zetland dead? He ought to be. I put two into him right there, indicating with his hand the pit of his stomach on the left side. Singh remained quiet for several minutes and then again said: Only one dead, eh? I thought I could get more. I must have been too slow. There were a lot of women about, you know. On 1 April 1940, Singh was formally charged with the murder of Michael ODwyer. While awaiting trial in Brixton Prison Singh went on a 42-day hunger strike and had to be forcibly fed aily. On 4 June 1940, he was committed to trial, at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, before Justice Atkinson. When the court asked about his name, he replied Ram Mohammad Singh Azad, (Ram as a Hindu name, Mohammad as a Muslim name and Singh as a Sikh name). Azad means to be free. This demonstrated the four things that were dear to him and his transcendence of race, caste, creed, and religion. Singh explained: l did it because I had a grudge against him. He deserved it. Singh was convicted, and Atkinson sentenced him to death. On 31 July 1940, Singh was hanged at Pentonville Prison. As with other executed prisoners, he was buried later that afternoon within the prison grounds. In March 1940, Indian National Congress leader Jawahar Lal Nehru, condemned the action of Singh as senseless, but statement in the daily Partap: l salute Shaheed-I-Azam Udham Singh with reverence who had kissed the noose so that we may be free. The Hindustan Socialist Republican Army condemned Mahatama Gandhis statement referring to Bhagat Singh as well as also to the capital punishment of Singh, which it considered to be a challenge to the Indian Youths.

Why young people join gangs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Why young people join gangs - Essay Example A gang is a relatively durable, predominantly street-based group of young people who see themselves (and are seen by others) as a discernible group who engage in a range of criminal activity and violence, who identify with or lay claim over territory, have some form of identifying structural feature and are in conflict with other similar gangs (Centre for Social Justice, 2009, p. 21). Youth make a conscious choice to join a gang during adolescence, and multiple personal and environmental factors influence this choice A youth gang can also be defined as a self-formed association of peers having these characteristics: a gang name with recognizable symbols, identifiable leadership, a geographic territory, a regular meeting pattern, and collective actions to carry out illegal activities (Howell, 1997, p. 1). The majority of gang members are male and almost half of them are under the age of 18 years (Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, 2011, p. 2). This research will try to look at the factors and pre-conditions that make gang life an attractive and desirable option to the young people. The themes that will be espoused in the essay will be education and employment, gender, family, poverty ethnicity and peer pressure. The main conclusions to be drawn from the research are that the provision of basic amenities and opportunities will go a long way in preventing young people from engaging in gangs and gang related activities. The social development of a child is rooted in the opportunities, skills and the recognition that builds up through early interactions with family members, friends and teachers (Stefan Hounslea, 2011, p. 9). Education to the progression of a young person is significant. Thornberry discovered that 71.5% of ‘stable gang members’ had dropped out of secondary education compared to 33.6% of non-gang members (Thornberry, 2003, p. 169). He also found that the youth who transitioned smoothly from secondary to