Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is the most well-known and well-loved romance story of all times. Juliet's character provides the strongest influence in the play.

Romeo and Juliet is undoubtedly the most well-known love story of all times. Penned by greatest playwright Shakespeare, this story has influenced various creative works since it first saw light. The overriding theme of Romeo and Juliet is, obviously, great love.

Their love is the kind of love that swells with intense passion and overcomes all obstacles even great hatred and death. The greatest hindrance to their love story is the fact that Romeo and Juliet belonged to two feuding families – Montague and Capulet, respectively.

Focus on Juliet

Shakespeare paid particular attention to Juliet in this masterpiece. He arranged the play in such a way as to make Juliet the center of focus. It was during the Capulet’s traditional feast that Romeo first met Juliet and they fell in love.

Probably the most famous scene in the play is the part where Juliet stood in the balcony, and hankering after Romeo. This is followed by the couple’s confession of love for each other which, as we know now, paved the way for their tragic end.

The controversial subject of forbidden love in Romeo and Juliet must have prompted Shakespeare to focus the story on Juliet. Women, naturally, are associated with great emotions such as love than men.

It is understandable and acceptable then that Juliet being a woman is presumed to be more capable of deeper emotions than Romeo. It is at her bidding that Romeo defied family, friends and even society as shown by the lines, “Deny thy father and refuse thy name,” Juliet asks, “Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I’ll no longer be a Capulet”.

Juliet’s Inspiration

Romeo was in love with Juliet, no doubt about that. But to act in such a rush and desperate manner such as killing oneself in the ultimate act of love is not in keeping with a man’s character. It was Juliet’s character that provided the key to understanding the emotional context of the play and the emotions that plagued Romeo prior to suicide.

It was Juliet’s emotional state that explained their decision to commit suicide - as the highest and most fitting expression of their love. It was only through death that they were able to preserve their deep feelings for each other. More importantly, it was Juliet’s emotional pleas and prodding on Romeo that provided the direction in which the play took.

Seeing the love story unfolded through Juliet’s eyes enabled the audience to appreciate the depth and intensity of their love. Juliet, perhaps, also provided the most apt description of their love by, ironically, refusing to describe it: “But my true love is grown to such excess / I cannot sum up some of half my wealth” (III.i.33–34).

The intense love between them could not simply be defined by words. If Juliet was the emotion behind the play; it was Romeo who exemplified action and ideals. Romeo’s role then is defined by the inspiration Juliet provides.

What are Gangs?

Gangs are steadily growing in numbers through the years. Young gangs are often viewed in a negative way and associated with violence and crimes.

Urban street-gangs are becoming widespread. They are penetrating not just the big cities but in small towns too. Gangs are considered as a problem because they promote socially deviant behaviors and worse, criminal activities ranging from petty to violent crimes and drug trafficking.

Reasons for Youth Involvement with Gangs

Youth gang formation is brought about by various reasons particularly the deteriorating inner-city economic conditions. Some kids grow up in indigent areas where the environment is characterized by poor housing, underfunded schools and law-violating youth gangs.

Others, although wealthier, grow up in dysfunctional families, and some are called “losers” because of their perceived inferiority from others. Kids whose parents are behind prison bars are all too familiar with these experiences.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) National Youth Gang Center recently completed the first nationwide survey of youth gang problems. In the 1995 survey, 2,007 law enforcement agencies reported gang activity in their jurisdictions, a total of 23,388 gangs, and 664,906 gang members. Forty-nine percent of these agencies described their gang activity as "getting worse”.

Male and Female Gang Membership

Although gangs appear to be more highly structured than delinquent groups, they may still be regarded as loosely organized. Gaining entry to these gangs or becoming a member is based on several factors such as age, geographic area or neighborhoods.

Some gangs form part of bigger groups called “nations.” Gang size ranges from as small as four or five members to thousands. Gangs group their members into different types core members: gang leaders, associates or regulars, peripheral or fringe members, and “wannabees” or recruits.

The core may be regarded as an elite circle that decides on the primary activities of the gang. It is unclear how gang members maintain long-term roles and specific position. Some members may join for a short time. Others may transfer from one gang to another. Common to all these gangs is the fact that core members are into criminal activities than fringe members.

Male and Female Gang Involvement

According to researches, females are found to be more likely to join gangs at a younger age and leave earlier than men. Female involvement in gangs is viewed as less important compared to their male counterparts.

Also, the female criminal behavior is oftentimes directly or indirectly associated to the dominant male. Female gang members play more positive roles than others believed to be so. They are more inclined to control behavior of male gang members rather than abetting them to commit crimes.

The socialization processes in gangs differ according to age, context, and situation, including gaining entry to alternative roles. There are various reasons for joining gangs: recognition, status, safety or security, power, excitement, and new experience. Youth raised under conditions of social deprivation are particularly drawn to gangs.

Differences in Male and Female Gangs

Male and female gangs differ when it comes to severity of crimes and the reasons for joining. Addressing this problem requires the cooperation of several groups.


Gangs or youth street-gangs have taken peer pressure to the next level as authorities grapple with ways to contain these wayward youth groups. Gangs are particularly linked to crimes and violence. The threats these groups present to society are both alarming and disturbing.

Male and Female Gang Crimes

According to research and studies, males are responsible for majority of gang-related crime, specifically violent offenses. Female gang crimes only comprise around 5 percent or fewer of all reported gang crime.

One of the possible contributing factors for this is the fact that ratio of male gang members to females is 20 to 1. An estimated half of the youth or street gangs may have female members. Some gangs are comprised of both male and female.

Members sometimes remain in gangs longer to be able to engage in various criminal acts for money. Extreme gang violence is often committed by older teens and young adult gang member. The average age for gang offenders is 17 or 18. The average age of those who commit gang-related homicide is 19 or 20 and the victim a year or two older.

Drug offenses are the most common offenses by female gang members. Around one-half of female gang members and three-fourth of the male gang members had sold cocaine at some point. Generally, female gang members have fewer violent crimes than male gang members and are more inclined to property crimes and status offenses.

Similarities and Differences of Male and Female Gangs

Similarities

male and female gang members are usually of the same age, status and ethnicity
they got into gangs for various reasons ranging from peer pressure to abuse
they both play active roles in drug trafficking
they both hold positions or roles in the gang
Differences
young women often join gangs due to abuses particularly sexual abuses they suffered at home; young men are for economic reasons
men are more prone to committing criminal acts especially violent in nature
men are perceived as leaders of the gang and women’s actions are influenced by men to a great extent
more male gang members than female; 20:1 ratio
women enter gangs at a younger age than men and they leave earlier too
How to Deal with Gang Problems

Youth gang problems have infiltrated even small towns in the United States. Criminal activities particularly drug trafficking have increased and become one of the basic activities of the gangs. Due to this, gangs have become a threat to the peace and order of communities.

The most effective way to deal with gang-related problems involves the cooperation of several groups and sectors in the community. Suppression, intervention, and prevention should be the focus of their drive.

Community leaders must asses the extent of the gang problem.
Community must work with the justice system to be able to curb effectively gang-related problems
Leaders of the community must develop specific goals and coordinated strategies after assessing the problem
Coordinated Strategies

Community participation
Providing social and economic opportunities to gang members
Outreach programs for youth
Formal and informal control procedures to suppress gangs
Extending support and supervision to gang members to curb social deviant behavior.
For those people involved in addressing gang problems, the task may seem intimidating even insurmountable. The best way to handle this is to break down one big problem to smaller more solvable ones such as handling graffiti problems in a particular area first rather than the entire town immediately. This will enable individual members to come up with solutions that are more applicable to a specific place.

Robert Pirsig`s Quest for Quality

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values by Robert Pirsig talks about the metaphysics of quality or the concepts of quality.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values is the first book written by Robert M. Pirsig which delves into the Metaphysics of quality. The book sold millions of copies translated into twenty-seven languages and one of the most widely read philosophy book.

The 1974 book details a 17-day motorcycle journey across the United States. This is based on the author’s actual life experience but his identity is not revealed in the book. Other main characters are his son Chris with their friends John and Sylvia Sutherland who joined them for the first nine days of the journey.

The trip dwells on numerous philosophical take on life, called chautauquas by the author. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance marries Eastern and Western beliefs by delving into topics such as epistemology, ethical emotivism and the philosophy of science.

The Concepts of Quality

In the book, Pirsig delves into the meaning and concepts of "quality", a term which he thinks is indefinable. Much of the discussions in the book is a discussion about the Metaphysics of Quality that takes a Zen-like view of the universe but not of its intellectual concepts. It touches on a number of concepts that permeate in the Eastern religions even though it is not largely about that.

Phaedrus, the narrator in the book, takes a present-tense cross-country motorcycle trip with his son Chris. Zen Buddhism preaches that in life what is important is to become one with the activity, to engage in it fully, to see and appreciate all details--be it hiking in the woods, writing an essay, or tightening the chain on a motorcycle. And this is what Pirsig is trying to say.

East vs West Views

He showed in the story that even everyday acts like the maintenance of the motorcycle could become a good way to show how one can combine the cold, rational realm of technology with the warm, imaginative realm of artistry. The East views life as a mystery to be lived. The West, sees it as a problem to be solved. The story combines both East and West views.

Eastern teachings are implied in the story. To some extent, it can be gleaned that, in one way or another, Pirsig has been influenced by Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.

This book details two types of personalities: those who are interested mostly in gestalts or the classically romantic viewpoints, such as the idea preached by Zen of focused on being "in the moment", and not on rational analysis, and the second are those who need to know details, the inner workings, mechanics or the classic viewpoints with application of rational analysis, vis-a-vis motorcycle maintenance and others.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, in a nutshell, talks about the routine and even dull exercise of motorcycle maintenance or it could be an enjoyable and satisfying pastime; depending on the inner attitude of the person, or lack of it for that matter.

A “Quality” life must perceive a world using both the rational and the romantic. This means acceptance of "irrational" sources of wisdom and understanding such as mysteries and beliefs. But not just limited to that but accepting science, reason and technology as well.

The mysteries pertain to instances of creativity and intuition that do not seem to have rational explanation. Pirsig believes that rationality and Zen-like "being in the moment" can possibly exist harmoniously together. The combination of rationality and romanticism can possibly bring a higher Quality of life leading to happiness and contentment.

In Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig brings us a literary chautauqua, a novel that is meant to both entertain and edify. It scores high on both counts.

Weeping Woman with Handkerchief by Pablo Picasso

Weeping Woman with Handkerchief by Pablo Picasso is a depiction of despair and pain. The woman represents the painful realities in the world.Weeping Woman with Handkerchief is an oil painting on canvass done by Pablo Picasso, a Spanish artist. The painting is part of Guernica, which is a collection of antiwar masterpieces of 1937. In the Weeping Woman with Handkerchief, tears fell from the woman’s face which was reported to be inspired by artist-photographer, Dora Maar. Picasso’s captured in this painting his feelings toward the events in Spain.

The Weeping Woman with Handkerchief

The Weeping Woman with Handkerchief shows a woman who is in deep sorrow. One hand is at her heart while tears come streaming down her face. Her head is covered with traditional Spanish head covering called mantilla. This represents the ideals of Spanish womanhood.

One can see a line down the center of her face which is a technique developed by Picasso to show different angles or perspectives of an object or person. It is intended to depict the frontal side and the profile of the person at the same time.

The artist Pablo Picasso used oil on canvass on this painting. Picasso used watercolours prepared by hand on larger surfaces. Pablo Picasso's Weeping Woman with Handkerchief (1937) used a new way of depicting perceptions which is abstract painting based on African Art.

It shows the essence of a subject rather than its realistic portrayal. Andre Breton said that Picasso used Surrealism. During his time, the art was influenced by changes in science and society which showed less on tradition and a different view of the uncertainties of surface structure, and these were the underlying concepts on the idea of Modernism.

Picasso was among the pioneers of the style known as cubism. Through cubism, Picasso “examined” the primary geometry of things and the idea of seeing the same object from a number of different perspectives at the same time.

Symbolism of the Weeping Woman

His portrayal of people, like the weeping woman with handkerchief showed a distorted physical reality through exaggeration of shapes or setting things in the “wrong” place. Picasso did not want a realistic depiction of the world but in expressing deeper emotions of human experience through his art.

In the Weeping Woman with Handkerchief, Picasso created a huge collection of antiwar canvas Guernica in 1937 to protest the lives lost in the Spanish Civil War. The name Guernica is derived from the Basque city Guernica which was bombed by the Germans during the Spanish Civil War. After Picasso completed Guernica he continued to explore one of its motifs: the weeping woman. He was the subject of his paintings in the succeeding months.

The main theme of the Weeping Woman with Handkerchief is sorrow and pain. Tears which can be seen all over her face in the Weeping Woman with Handkerchief symbolizes despair. She represents both Picasso's public and private agony. Most of all, she is an emblem of the faces of life and the world around.

She was the victim of Spanish Civil War which Picasso strongly opposed, the grieving mother who lost her child in the war, the terrified peasant, the stunned survivor. She was also a depiction of Picasso’s lover at that time, the artist-photographer Dora Maar.

This is one of Picasso’s unforgettable masterpieces because of its raw portrayal of deep emotions. Its method of depiction is unique too being abstract; it is more concerned with showing the feelings or evoking emotions rather than the realistic depiction of the object or person.