Cliffhanger- Movie Review

A Brief Review of the Cliffhanger Movie

Introduction

‘Cliffhanger’ is a 1993 American adventure thriller movie that  runs for about one hour and forty-five minutes staring Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Rex Linn, Caroline Goodall, León, Craig Fairbrass, Gregory Scott Cummins, Denis Forest, Michelle Joyner, and Max Perlich.

‘Cliffhanger’ was written by Alan Marshall and Renny Harlin and produced by Michael France and Sylvester Stallone based on story by Gene Patrick Hines and John Long. It was directed by Renny Harlin and it remains one of the best action thrillers of the 1990s.

The Synopsis Summary

The movie begins with a clever mid-air theft and crash-landing: sort of a cross between "The Pursuit of D. B. Cooper" and "Alive!" A gang of expert criminals, led by John Lithgow, hijacks a U.S. Treasury plane carrying millions of dollars in large bills. Their cockeyed plan is to transfer the money to another plane, and indeed one of the crooks transfers from one plane to another on a wire rope. This feat, which was actually performed by a stunt man, is one of the movie's most breathtaking moments.

Expert climber and Rocky Mountain rescue worker Sylvester Stallone drops a climber to her death during a rescue but he must face the mountain by himself to save his friends from criminals in the action-packed thriller. In the movie, a well-armed gang of international thieves lures a rescue party with a fake call for help after their getaway plane crash-lands in the Rockies, and their loot is lost in the snow-covered wilderness. They need the mountain experts to locate the cash and will stop at nothing in this suspenseful, danger-filled adventure.

Brute force is the deciding factor as Stallone attempts to beat the villain and save his friends on the mountain top. For Rocky Mountain Rescue, the mission is almost a routine: locate five climbers. With the woman he loves and his best friend, Gabe Walker braves the icy peaks only to discover that the distress call is really a trap set by merciless international terrorist Eric Qualen. Now millions of dollars and their own lives hang in the balance. Against explosive firepower, bitter cold and dizzying heights, Walker must outwit Qualen in a deadly game of hide-and-seek.

That sets up the main thread of the plot, as the crooks and the good guys chase each other over the mountainside and through a series of bluffs, showdowns and fights to the finish, all taking place on the edge of suitably vertiginous precipices.

Movie Review

 "Cliffhanger" has all those ingredients and remains one of the best action thrillers of the 90s. The opening 10 minutes contain more tension than most action blockbusters can muster in their total running time. Director Renny Harlin hits the viewer hard with a bravado scene that's tough to top. (Haflidason, 2001)

This movie shows action filmmaking at its best – a career high for director Harlin and arguably Stallone as well. The cinematography is stunning, with the aerial shots, the mountain vistas and the climbers hanging thousands of feet in the air, all combining to make this a visually amazing film. Stallone turns in his usual stoic performance, slim on dialogue but huge on action. Janine Turner's performance is a joke, but Michael Rooker helps out with a good effort as Stallone's partner. John Lithgow makes a great villain, and, along with his gang, is responsible for the brutally offensive content with the bad guys getting what they deserve.

Like a lot of recent movie villains (most of them played by Alan Rickman or Charles Dance), Lithgow seems subtly effete and dangerously intellectual, and speaks with a slight British accent. He also of course cares for nothing but the money and his own skin, and in the great tradition of all cliffhangers he eventually has to face Stallone. It is one of the achievements of the movie to convince us that Lithgow and Stallone are a good match.

"Cliffhanger", taken as an entertaining movie, is effective, especially during those moments when Stallone is hanging by his fingernails over a three-mile fall, and the bad guys are stomping on him (Ebert, 1993). However, extremely offensive dialogue and brutal violence destroy the entertainment value of the movie. This is attested by the existence of 62 obscenities an15 profanities; graphic violence in the form of multiple bloody, sadistic killings and brutal beatings; and, murder, theft & corruption of law enforcement.

Cliff Hanger is not a movie about climbing. It's a Stallone Hollywood action flick, pure fiction, with about 1 minute tops of actual climbing footage, most of it fake. It does have some nice mountain scenery, and is entertaining enough if you're into action movies, but as a climbing movie it plainly leaves a lot to be desired. Lots of people get shot, killed, beaten up, fall out of planes, helicopters and cliffs. There are also ample explosions to satisfy the masses. In it's day, Cliff Hanger was probably a highly popular movie, but it's got little or nothing to do with climbing.

References

Almar, H. (1993). BBC Moview. A Review of Cliffhanger. City, Publisher. e.g New York: Cengage)

Haflidason, R.  (1993). Moview Review. Cliffhanger (City, Publisher. e.g New York: Cengage)

Wolf. (2005). Stallone’s Best. City, Publisher. e.g New York: Cengage)

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Analyzing Memento movie

“We all need a mirror to show us who we are ''

In the movie, the back of the hands of Leonard are tattooed the words,” Remember Sammy Jakis.” Leonard says that he keeps telling the people about Sammy so that they can help him to understand the condition that he is in. He says that the story of Sammy greatly helps him to understand his own condition. Leonard further says in the last lines on the movie that, “We all need a mirror to remind ourselves who we are. '' in this aspect, I think that Memento turns out to be one of the mirrors that can really help us know who we are. This is because the film majorly explores the situation of personal identity problem which most of us suffer from.

The mirror of the society is evident in Leonard’s photographs that suggest that there is a desire for evidence that is objective. The problem of memory loss by Leonard can be interpreted as a sign of modernity and the loss or fading away of traditions in the society. The condition of Leonard is a clear show and warning to us that there is needed to be careful and never to trust what others write for us. In a larger perspective, there should be caution in following people’s advice blindly.

The truth in the film

This fact cannot be under looked as movies do have meanings and apply to the events in our normal lives. In struggling to know who he really is, and in getting various versions of memories, Leonard’s life depicts the situations that we face in our normal lives, situations of not being able to clearly identify our personality and forge a clear course for ourselves.

All through the movie, there is deception and lies from a lot of people. The movie therefore bears some truth of the matter as it presents to us what life is like and what kind of people surround us in normal life.

Analyzing Memento movie

The movie ‘Memento’ creates challenges and puzzles in every aspect. This challenge is exhibited from the movie’s characters, stories to the DVD box set of the movie itself. Watching the movie once only is not enough to unravel the puzzle as it requires revisits in order to understand. The film is not easy to understand and there have been varying conclusions that have been made by different viewers depending on how they have interpreted the movie and on what they have chosen to believe.

The quote “They’re just an interpretation [Memories], they’re not a record, and they’re irrelevant if you have the facts.” as uttered by Leonard in the movie creates a lot of doubts and possibilities. A question must be thrown to any flashback that is referred to in the movie. There is a wonder as to whether the events really happened in the manner in which Leonard is remembering them. One wonders whether it is a reality or Leonard’s own thoughts and perceptions. In many scenes, Leonard recollects various events, each with two different versions and is torn between believing either of them as the real memory. A contention is opened up on whether memories are just interpretation following Leonard’s quote. There is a fall out between the true events between the original and the altered one. This leads to difference in the conclusion that is made depending on the version that is believed.

 “You know, I’ve had more rewarding friendships than this one. Although I do get to keep telling the same jokes.” – Quote by Teddy.

In the movie, all the characters take advantage to lie to Leonard, except one character. The motives of these characters are therefore questioned. For instance, Teddy tricks Leonard constantly for the purposes of his own gains. He lies that he had never met Leonard and that he is a cop and worse still plans to rob Jimmy of the money gotten from drugs by setting up Leonard for the kill. Natalie also used Leonard. After her realization of what Leonard did, she take that advantage to make Leonard take care of the drug partner of Jimmy, Dodd. Jimmy turns out to be the only character in the movie that does not have any motive to lie and does not lie to Leonard. At his death point, Jimmy mumbles something concerning Sammy Jakis to Leonard who then believes that it was not Jimmy that killed his wife. Leonard further remembers his previous meeting with Jimmy and realizes that Teddy is the one who had set him up. At that point, Leonard tends to believe that his wife was killed by Teddy.

 “I was the only guy who disagreed with the cops – and I had brain damage.” – Leonard

Leonard appears to be telling the truth but he actually isn’t. This deception and confusion is further added by the narrator who is not reliable. One wonders why the audience should believe him yet the police never believed him. Further questions emerge at this stage with no answers being given. Many people throughout the movie are taking advantage of Leonard’s condition, including Leonard himself. This ultimately defines the interesting twist at the end of the film. The film eventually ends in surprise because the stories seem to be just beginning at this end. “She’s gone. And the present is trivia, which I scribble down as fucking notes.” – Leonard

The narrative in the movie Memento is a strong one. Despite the fact that there are some explained circumstances in the movie, there is maintenance of a balance that is perfect and enigmatic throughout the movie without contravention. From the analysis of the movie, there can be a lot of theories seeking to unveil the puzzle in the movie but certainly, none can succeed in solving the movies puzzle. The movie’s structure has an ending that is open and creates a platform for all the viewers to have their own interpretation and opinion concerning the movie. This has ensured that the movie is talked about and analyzed ever since it was released.

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Product Review: i PHONE 5

i PHONE 5 Review

The Apple’s IPhone 5 is built in such a way that it is very light, actually just weighing 112 grams. It is slim and has a height of 123.8 millimeters. Despite having a lot of advanced features, the phone has a back made of aluminum panel therefore making it lighter. Its housing is more solid and bears a design that is modern. The phone has a lot of elegance as it has quality sounds and it is very light. Its 4 inch screen display adds up to the elegance in viewing, which is much wider for comfort during viewing. Its slimness is quite impressive and the fact that its 4 inch screen display takes most of its front surface provides a look that is very futuristic and highly modern.

IPhone 5 has a high screen resolution of 1136 by 640 pixels with a contrast ration of 800:1. The images on the screen are displayed with very sharp and light precision along with colors that are very vivid. To me, I consider this as the best screen regarding its size and properties. iPhone 5 has a camera of 8 mega pixels with a panorama access of video recording in 1080 HD. There is an improvement in its video stabilization and has a video and photo geotagging. The LED flash adds up to the fantastic features of the iPhone 5.

There is a good contrast between the background and the icons, widgets and the various elements in the screen that are well in contrast. The sensitivity of the touch in the phone is exceptional as it reacts to the slightest of touch. The accuracy of the two capacitive keys that are just below the display is amazing. On the iPhone 5, there is only a single key that is physical and is located at the front of its surface under the display. At the upper edge, there is a slot for headset that is standard and on the lower part lays a slot for the Micro USB. On the left rim are the buttons for volume control and the power key is located at the edge of the rim on the right. Some of the phone’s draw backs include the fact that some still feel that it is too tall. The length of the iPhone 5 can make one feel uncomfortable especially with pockets that are not deep and the phone has a low battery life. However, the phone is fantastic and is worth having.

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Analysis of The Grand Inquisitor

Corruption of Religiosity

Introduction

Religion has been turned to serve the purpose of humans. This is widely seen through Ivan's concerns in the Grand Inquisitor. He basically examines the much power that the church holds and the fact that the Christians themselves are not accorded with much freedom. As much as these concerns are majorly based on Christianity, there is a greater similarity to the Muslim culture as the same lack of freedom is widely exhibited. The question in this context is to whether the lack of freedom is a characteristic of Christianity only or whether it is also common in the Muslim culture. This question can best be addressed through making a comparison of the two religions, their cultures, beliefs and the setting. This aspect is based on Ivan’s view as expressed in the Grand Inquisitor.

Grand Inquisitor

This is a tale that is told by Ivan and there are incidents of interruption by Alyosha. In this chapter, Christ returns to the earth during the Inquisition time and performs a number of miracles just as it is written in the Gospels. As much as the people adore and recognize him, the Inquisition leaders arrest him and sentence him to death through burning. He is paid a visit by the Grand Inquisitor who informs him the Church is no longer in need of him and that the return of Jesus would actually be interfering with the Church’s mission. In denouncing Jesus, the Inquisitor sites three major points on the three temptations of Jesus in the desert by Satan of turning stones into bread, throwing Him from the temple and ruling the kingdoms of the earth. The Inquisitor’s view is that Jesus misjudges the human nature and that he rejected the temptations based on his favor for freedom and that the freedom the Jesus has given to humanity cannot be handled by a majority who are excluded from redemption and are therefore doomed to suffer.

Ivan declares that the Inquisitor is an atheist but indicates that the Catholic Church is based on following the teachings of the dead spirit of destruction and death which id Satan or the Devil. The multitude is guided by the few strong people in the church and that under him, the humanity will ead a life that is happy and dies happily because of their ignorance. That despite the fact that the humanity is being led through destruction and death; they will be pleased with the way they are being led.

The Inquisitor further explains in his argument why Christ was mistaken in the decisions he took during temptations. He states that Christ would have accepted to turn the stones to bread as the humanity is usually interested in those who fill their bellies. He even criticizes Christ’s response of man not living on bread alone. The Inquisitor furthers his argument that by casting Himself down from the temple and being caught by the angels would have cemented the godhood of Christ and thus remaining in the minds of the people forever. He further claims that by ruling over the earthly kingdoms, there would be salvation throughout the earth.

This chapter ends with Christ kissing the Inquisitor on his aged and bloodless lips, having been silent all along without answering him. Christ is released by the Inquisitor and told never to come back, and Christ silently leaves into the city’s dark alleys. This ambiguous kiss glows into the heart of the Inquisitor despite the fact that he maintains his idea, marking an end to a parable which is instrumental in both religion and philosophy and contributes to the development of the character in the novel.

The relevance to Ivan’s view of Christianity

This story brings out Ivan’s views on the establishment of the ecclesiastical courts and questions the verdict of the court especially on judging the life of Christian. He presents a conflict that exists between free will and the security through the different viewpoints of Christ and that of the Inquisitor. There is a clear difference in how both of them view freedom and comfort. The question of freedom arises with a clear cut between those who will and can handle the freedom they have as far as religion is concerned, and the fact that this freedom is manifested in the actions of the Christians. His dissent towards Christianity is openly exhibited by the fact that he shows how the leadership of the church is misusing power and the belief that the Christians have on them. This is through the Inquisitor’s questioning of Christ’s actions at the temptation yet Christianity is based on Christ himself. The aspect of freedom comes to light in this chapter in relation to the Christianity faith.

The Muslim relevance

The Muslims culture is not different from that of Christianity in terms of freedom in terms of leadership and power bestowed upon the few leaders on the religion. Just like the Inquisitor claimed that he leads the church through destruction in their own ignorance, the Muslim culture is characterized by Sheik leading the flock. Just like the Christians have a holy book called the bible, the Muslims follow the teachings in the holqquran and do live by its teachings. In the Grand Inquisitor chapter, Ivan openly shows his dissent for the Grand Inquisitor especially on the issue that he represents the corruption in religion. That man has changed the gospel that Jesus brought to Christianity and shifted the power to himself as evidence by the Inquisitor. He shows how Jesus came back and was rejected. This is the same situation with the Muslims despite the fact that in Islam, there are no sacraments and no clergy. The organization of the Islam faith is intense and hierarchical and has the religion based more on worshipping the holy family, mysticism and religious hierarchy. Just like the Catholics, the Muslims have clerical intercessions. Muslims put emphasis on respecting and following what the leaders of Islam say in as far as worshipping of Allah is concerned. The leaders are regarded as being close to Allah, who is the God and they serve as the point of interpretation of the holy book. The Muslims, like Christians, are made to believe fully in their leaders as opposed to the Lord just as exhibited in the Grand Inquisitor. The humans have corrupted the ways of God and enshrined their own ways through confusing the flocks. The issue of freedom of humankind also crops up as the religious leaders both in Christianity and Islam have changed the real interpretation of freedom to suit their own selves. This is what Ivan seeks to bring out in his Grand Inquisitor.

According to Ivan, Christianity has been taken over by the religious leaders, changing the essence of it. What was a religion based on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ has been manipulated and changed into human affair, with the leaders imparting their own thought and values. Just as the Inquisitor states, the flock has also been blinded to follow the corrupt ways of religion based on humanity as opposed to the divine nature. This is not only common to Christianity but also in Islam.

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MLA. Sculpture Essay- Gustinus Ambrosi

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Sculpture Essay- Gustinus Ambrosi

Why he sculptured

Ambrosi sculptured because he wanted to express his inner feeling about the things around him.his main interest was expressing what he had experienced in life. The first sculpture that he created was when he was at the age of sixteen named “Man with the Broken Neck”. This sculpture was an emotional impression of an accident that he had earlier witnessed. The personal experience that Ambrosi had was a main reason of his sculpturing. Through his sculptures, Amborsi expressed the societal things, issues and images. He sculpts were related to the environment that he lived in. (Lang, 1995)

How Ambrosi sculpt

Ambrosi’s sculpts were based on human anatomy. Most if not all his pieces seemed to be broken. His sculpt were full of unhappy and pinched body shapes that were mainly discovered from the surrounding bases. His sculpts more or less showed desperation. He majored on expression of feelings and emotions through his sculpt. In his sculpturing, he looked keenly at the face of the sculpture and was even speaking to it. He believed that every person’s visage was a reflection of the inner character that they bear. In his sculpturing, Ambrosi used various materials including bronze and wood. He valued well furnished sculpts and emphasized on shinny quality. (Gustinus Ambrosi bronze sculpture at jennmaur gallery)

What he sculptured

By the age of 20, he had completed the portraits of Constantin Meunier and Arnold Böcklin which brought him a lot of attention and getting the National Prize and the Felix von Weingartner Prize. This was in the year 1912. The initial exhibition that he had in the public was in the year 1916 and in 1923; his exhibition was at the state museum. Ambrosi had completed a lot of his sculptures by the age of 33, with his collections totaling up to 250. His greatest inspiration in his sculpturing work was Greek and Biblical mythological issues and subjects. This inspiration led to the creation of arts like the "Spring", "Orpheus and Eurydice”, "Eve After the Fall", " The Evil Conscience", "Genius and Idea", "Prometheus", " Abel and Cain", "Icarus", and "The Creation of Adam”. (Sotheby's, 2006)

What interests and its critique

I am interested by one of the famous sculptures by Ambrosi which is known as the ‘Ecstasy’. He did this sculpt in the year 1919. The sculpture was of a girl who was nude and who was in a state of arousal and pleasure. There was superb wax that was cast on the sculpture and there was a lot of finis done by the hand. This sculpture was good but the fact that it exhibited nudeness and arousal raises a lot of morality questions and the purpose of the sculpture. It would have been best for the girl to be dressed or slightly covered. However, Ambrosi depicted great creativity in his sculpturing.

How their work influences your own, or how you would like it to

As much as the sculpture was one of the finest in terms of quality and creativity that Ambrosi did, I am concerned about the main idea behind it. The nudeness of the lady may be discriminatory and may not be acceptable by everyone. His work however influences the way I would like mine to be. The fineness and the expression of emotions in his work is amazing and that influences my viewing of sculpturing.Artnet (2013)

Conclusion

To his name are over 3000 sculptures. His sculpting was based on expression of feelings and the environment around him. Sculpts that he made were of people standing, sited squatting and other in running postures. Nudity was part of his sculpt and his sculpts were shiny. The interesting aspect of his sculpts include the postures and the shapes of the bases. The art by Ambrosi seems to be one based on the expression of ideas and what he thinks.

Work cited

Artnet (2013) Retrived 11^th june 2013 from http://www.artnet.com/artwork/425417906/423860850/gustinus-ambrosi-ecstasy.html

Gustinus Ambrosi bronze sculpture at jennmaur gallery. Retrived 11^th june 2013 http://www.jennmaur.com/scsubjectindex/scartistspages/ambrosifeaturedartistpage.htm

Lang, H. Deaf Persons in the Arts and Sciences: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group Incorporated. 1995

Sotheby's. Lot 138: GUSTINUS AMBROSI AUSTRIAN, 1893-1975 19th & 20th Century European Sculpture. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved June 12, 2006 from http://www.artfact.com/auction-lot/gustinus-ambrosi-austrian,-1893-1975-138-c-8kmmgoe38p

 

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Movie/Book review

Death of a salesman

Death of a Salesman seems to be Arthur Miller’s play that is most famous. However, I think that this play is merely overrated in comparison to other plays. The title of the play seems cold and lacks the suspense that is desired. The main character in the play, who is Willy Lowman, appears to be too open. The play exhibits a failure in his professional life just at the start and his name Lowman is symbolic to his lowly nature. The play brings out Willy as a salesman who is not capable of travelling just within the first fifteen minutes of the play. He also comes out as being suicidal. At the very end of the play, Willy eventually kills himself. It becomes clearer that self destruction is the way that the protagonist chooses and the fact that he kills himself because of insurance money adding up to 20,000 US dollars does not surprise at all. This is because there was foreshadow of the same throughout the conversations.

It is difficult to have belief in the two sons of Lowman. His son Happy is one that is ignored perennially. Despite having a stable job, he keeps on throwing promises of settling down and getting married. Biff on the other hand seems to be more likable than his brother. He toils in ranches and farms and works all along with his hands

The father aspect of Lowman comes out as the best part in the play. Lowman comes out as having depth with a complicated past characterized by undying hopes and regrets. Lowman does not qualify to be a tragic character but represent a common man as it is his wish to die as he had a lot of options but opts to die. 

Oedipus the king

The Oedipus story is a common one among the ancient Greeks and understanding the play requires some knowledge of the background. The tale is based on events that took place earlier. The story is also known as Oedipus complex. Oedipus, not out of carnal lust, tries to sleep with his mother. Discarded from the family, the Oracle tells Oedipus that he was destined to marry his mother after slaying his father. Living with foster parents, Oedipus works hard to ensure that prophesy comes to pass. Oedipus stayed away from his foster father all along not knowing that he was an abandoned child. His father passes away and Oedipus is delighted that he did not kill him. The life of Oedipus turns out to be a tragic one and a clear cut on how one cannot escape fate. The play is built around the fact that Oedipus finds out about the sins he has committed but seems to rebel against them. Oedipus is warned by his wife, who is his mother, of divulging the truth which he goes ahead to ignore. She eventually hangs herself.

Despite the fact that Oedipus has several successful and happy years as a king, he leads an existence that is very difficult. The play makes the reader to have pity for him as he lives his life trying to avoid things which are in reality unavoidable, like marrying his mother and slaying his father. Oedipus parents are also in a state of avoiding fate by casting him away once he is born in order to have him murdered. The play is based on emphasizing the fact that one can change his or her decision but at one point fate must intervene. Further, the actions that people take in life have no impacts in their lives as there is a clear path of one’s life already drawn.

  

Uncle Vanya

Uncle Vanya is a typical ‘grow up’ book, where the characters are always in a struggle against the adversity. This adversity is mostly rooted in some inner conflict that is psychological in nature but eventually find out that life neither bears any meaning nor the satisfaction guarantee. The Uncle Vanya play is full of ignorant, miserable, self-aware and downtrodden fools who all along are in pursuit of the wrong goals.

The play is set at the Russian countryside in a large estate. Mostly, the characters in the play are in constant conflict with their environment. The characters who are from the city ultimately find the countryside life to be unsatisfying and unbearable. The characters who are bred in the countryside find that their counterparts who are bred in the city are very idle and that there cannot be an achievement of peace and productivity with the presence of the city dwellers.

Uncle Vanya is out to reclaim his wasted youth and seeks to have revenge against Serebrakoff who he in turn blames for his entire woes. Most passionately, Uncle Vanya wants to win the heart of the beautiful Helena and also with an aim of punishing Serebarkoff. Vanya eventually becomes angered and intends to shoot the old man. However, he twice misses his target and eventually gets ashamed of himself. Other characters in the play include Sonia, who wishes that Michael strophe who is a country doctor falls in love with her but fears that she cannot be notices because she is plain. Astroff on the other hand is in a secret love with Helena hence being idle, drinks and does not concentrate on his desire of helping his patients. Alexander Serebarkoff yearns for being respected but he is a whiner and knows he is responsible for his failure.

Tartuffe

Tartuffe is a demonstration of the gamut of personalities of humans by Molière. This is through Orgon, who is taken easily by the Tartuffe’s false piety and the response by his family concerning his gullibility. The play is a demonstration of man’s nature as far as the spectrum of his characters is concerned. This is exhibited through the corrupt and crafty nature of Tartuffe and the gullibility of Orgon. There is a further illustration of the same through Demise, who is characterized as a quick tempered person, Mariane’s submissive nature, the sarcastic nature of Dorine among other characters who bring out the composition of the characteristics of human beings. From the start of the play, there is a clear frustration by the family of Orgon concerning his inability to see through the rouse of Tartuffe. In each and every character, we are able to see some bit of ourselves. This then strengthens the believability of the characters used by Molière.

The story revolves around Orgon who is a rich man in Paris France, and who meets Tartuffe in church. He is easily carried away by the appearance of Tartuffe and sympathizes with those who are poor and think that it is a sign of devotion to the Lord. Orgon is deceived by appearance of Tartuffe who in the past has conned several people of their money and succeeded to turn brothers against one another. Tartuffe is in fact the one who ultimately causes his downfall as a result of being lustful with his wife. All along, Cleante, who is the brother in law to Orgon, tried to warn him but Orgon offers a deaf ear to his advice. However, Cleante does not give up or leave, showing how concerned he is for the welfare of his brother in law. Orgon disowns his own son due to the treachery by Tartuffe. This annoys Damise and he eventually pushes his father away instead of struggling to shed light on the true character of Tartuffe. 

Everyman

Everyman is a play that is majorly based on expressing the importance of morality. It is an allegory which bases heavily on the perspectives of Christianity religion and has a lot of similarities with the belief of the resurrection of Jesus Christ by the Christians after crucifixion and ascension to heaven. The play opens in a prologue taking the messenger form, informing the audience about the ultimate fate that is to befall Everyman. The messenger further states the fact that in the end humanity will be called upon by God to stand before Him and to offer an account of their works throughout their lives. The progression of the play heads to a point where God calls upon Death to go and get Everyman to stand before Him in order to offer an account of his deeds in life. Death sets out and eventually gets Everyman, who in turn tries to bribe death so that he is not taken away. Death refuses but tells Everyman that he has a chance of taking someone with him so as not to face judgment alone. Everyone goes to a number of friends including Fellowship, who had promised to always stand with him in all circumstances but fellowship declines.

Everyman eventually dies and when the mourners have departed, Everyman faces his readers and not his maker in an attempt to make his case for absolution or sympathy. To himself, he argues that he is an average human and seeks to be pardoned for the deprivations that he had inflicted on his children who were innocent. The play is built on the moral life of people, taking a Christian religious view of the earthly life. This is represented by Everyman’s own life. 

Fences

August Wilson in ‘Fences’ explores the Maxons family’s relationship and life. The play is about Troy Maxon, who is the protagonist and a former baseball athlete who is now a trash collector and who is very restless. Troy is a representative of the struggle for fair treatment and justice during the 1950s. He represents the nature of humanity of being reluctant to accept the changes that have occurred in the social setting. The troy exhibits both pride and shame experienced by Troy. He is ashamed on the fact that he can only afford a home for him and his family through his brother who is mentally unstable and a former WWII veteran. The setting description mentions a fence that is incomplete and that borders part of the yard, offering a metaphoric state of building a fence around the property of Troy. One wonders what Troy Maxon is keen on keeping out and what he is trying to keep in.

Troy’s wooden porch, from the descriptions by the playwright, seems to be in a very bad state and requires some painting. Despite the fact that the porch is an addition that was recently done, it still needs paint. Troy also has eighteen years old neglected wife, spending better part of his energy and lifetime on both his porch and wife but ultimately fails to commit to the unpainted and unfinished porch and to his marriage. Troy explains his actions through the baseball. In talking about facing death, Troy uses terminologies of baseball in comparing the face off with a grim reaper to a duel that happens between the batter and the pitcher. After working for over two decades on the back of a truck, Troy is eventually promoted to drive the garbage truck but this causes him to be separated with his friends and other African American community.

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