Friendship in Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett Essay

Friendship is best served when it is shared by individuals who have defined themselves. Throughout â€Å"Waiting for Godot,† this notion is explored by demonstrating the problems friends experience when they define one another, look to each other for self-definition, have unfair expectations of one another, become self-centered, and maintain friendship out of need, a need to be needed, or habit. Through this exploration, the reader finds that the possibility of ending up in a stagnant relationship as a result of these problems can be simply reconciled. Friendship is best enjoyed between friends who have defined themselves and enter into the given relationship as an outlet for mutual understanding and support, thus stifling the human tendency†¦show more content†¦Unfortunately, sometimes when others have made the effort to define themselves to us, we do not care to listen because we have already defined them in our minds. This error is made by Pozzo in Act 1: â€Å"What is your name?† he asks Estragon, to which Estragon replies, â€Å"Adam† (25). Pozzo does not listen, and instead spouts off a monologue about the sky. Such a mistake prevents their understanding of one another. When one person defines another and ignores the other’s own feelings, a gap in understanding results, which prevents much more than a surface connection between people to be made. Other times, people seek self-definition from others, only to hear what one wants. Such a scenario is played out in Act 1: Pozzo: â€Å"How do you find me? Good? Fair? Middling? Poor? Positively bad?† Vladmir: â€Å"Oh very good, very very good.† Pozzo (to Estragon): â€Å"And you, sir?† Estragon: â€Å"Oh tray bong, tray tray tray bong.† Pozzo: â€Å"Bless you, gentlemen, bless you! I have such need of encouragement...†(26). While Pozzo acquires the encouragement he needs from Vladmir’s statement, he asks directly for Estragon’s opinion--and perceives his incoherent reply to be a compliment. This miscommunication demonstrates both self-centeredness and a disregard for the true opinions of others; as long as Pozzo can convince himself that though others think well ofShow MoreRelatedWaiting for Godot and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: The Theatre of the Absurd803 Words   |  4 Pagesplays Waiting for Godot written by Samuel Beckett and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead written by Tom Stoppard both incorporate human needs and concerns within their context through its whimsical and comedic dialogues. Both plays belong in the category of the theatre of the absurd, where the existentialist philosophy underlies all aspects of the plays. The central characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead share a deep friendship, this same friendship canRead MoreSamuel Beckett s Waiting For Godot1501 Words   |  7 PagesSamuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is a theater of absurd which pictures the world that has lost its meaning due to the absence of God and features two protagonists who are incapable of acting upon themselves and who are heavily dependent on a mystical figure named Godot. Given that Beckett is profoundly influenced by existentialism -- a philosophical study in which an individual is required to act upon oneself rather than passively relying on religion -- the audience may find a non-existential aspectRead MoreSamuel Beckett : Theatre Of The Absurd And Beckett s Use Of The Literary Concept1071 Words   |  5 PagesSamuel Beckett: Theatre of the Absurd and Beckett’s Use of the Literary Concept Samuel Beckett’s works revolve around human despair and surviving in hopeless situations. His very first critical essay was Finnegans Wake. Much of his work is inspired by French philosophers. One of the most influential philosophers on Beckett was Descartes. Samuel Beckett gained his claim to fame in the writing community when he introduced the concept of absurdity, nihilism, and human despair to find the meaning ofRead MoreMans Search for Meaning in Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot1155 Words   |  5 Pages Beckett was interested in putting everyday banality onto the stage in an experimentation of what theatre is. He attempts to provide a truer interpretation of ‘real life’ than that often depicted in previous theatre, which may typically contain excitement, exaggeration and liveliness. He suggests that one of the major constituents of human experience is boredom, indeed the very concept of ‘Waiting for Godot’ echoes this, and Beckett implies that much of life is spent waiting Read MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Othello - Comedy And Tragedy2481 Words   |  10 PagesENG 1001: ‘Nothing is funnier than unhappiness, I grant you that. Yes, yes, it’s the most comical thing in the world’ (Samuel Beckett). Wilde, Shakespeare and Beckett incorporate two genres in their plays that nursed a strong intrigue-interest (Jones, pg 26) – comedy and tragedy. According to Aristotle in his Poetics, tragedy in a play is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude composed of plot, character, thought, diction, melody and spectacle, (Myers, pgRead More Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow and Samuel Beckett Essay1845 Words   |  8 PagesBrendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow and Samuel Beckett Existential works are difficult to describe because the definition of existentialism covers a wide range of ideas and influences almost to the point of ambiguity. An easy, if not basic, approach to existentialism is to view it as a culmination of attitudes from the oppressed people of industrialization, writers and philosophers during the modern literary period, and people who were personally involved as civilians, soldiers, or rebels duringRead MoreSamuel Beckett Described His Waiting for Godot as a Tragicomedy. to What Extent Is This Is an Accurate Description? Would You Say There Is More Tragedy Than Comedy or a Mixture of Both?1936 Words   |  8 PagesSamuel Beckett described his Waiting for Godot as a tragicomedy. To what extent is this is an accurate description? Would you say there is more tragedy than comedy or a mixture of both? Through the use of many linguistic, structural and comic features, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting For Godot successfully places a wayfaring line between the two genres of tragedy and comedy. With the opening showing the two main characters Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo) in a barren setting with useless props such asRead More Technology and Happiness in Civilization and Its Discontents and Waiting for Godot1202 Words   |  5 PagesTechnology and Happiness in Civilization and Its Discontents and Waiting for Godot Happiness is something most humans value above everything else. The various things in life that make us happy, such as family, friends, and cool cars, to name a few, are the very things we hold dearest to us and place the most value on. People fill their lives with things that please them to ease the gloom that comes as a result of the seemingly never-ending trials and tribulations of life. We gladly acceptRead MorePostmodernism in Literature5514 Words   |  23 PagesHypertext fiction).[4][5][6] Some further argue that the beginning of postmodern literature could be marked by significant publications or literary events. For example, some mark the beginning of postmodernism with the first performance of Waiting for Godot in 1953, the first publication of Howl in 1956 or of Naked Lunch in 1959. For others the beginning is marked by moments in critical theory: Jacques Derridas Structure, Sign, and Play lecture in 1966 or as late as Ihab Hassans usage in The

Is Project Accounting Really That Important - 1217 Words

Is Project Accounting really that Important? Project accounting is a practice that is used by businesses and organizations of all sizes. During the process of completing this system, leaders use the information gathered to create, plan, manage and control projects that are being completed by the organization. The goal of project accounting is to track the progress of these projects through financial reports. This information is then used to determine if the project is on-track, staying within budget and whether the project needs adjustments to the overall plan and structure of the project. One common concern that business leaders have is that the time, effort and money that is spent utilizing project accounting is not as valuable as one†¦show more content†¦This is also a process that is able to analyze every step stage of the project. This is beneficial because it helps businesses to know that they are staying on budget and whether the project will be completed on time. Along with budget, project accounting is also a crucial process that helps to determine ROI. Without the data provided by a project accounting system, a company would never be able to determine how much income was generated from a project. Project Accounting in Real Life There is really no denying that project accounting is something that is a laborious task. However, without it, research has shown that businesses aren t nearly as successful. One prime example of this concept comes from government agencies. According to PMI research, barely half of government strategic initiatives are able to meet their original goals and intent of the projects that they are completing. One reason that this is the case is because only a third of the agencies included in this research truly understand the value of project management. For those agencies that did understand and embrace project accounting, there were notable differences in the results of their projects. The most notable organizations that were affected by project accounting were the Social Security Administration, The Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Federal Aviation Administration. Here were a few of the ways that these organizations were able to see success for their projects. Hands On Leaders This

Does She Encourage Thinness Free Essays

This essay examines the question of whether the iconic â€Å"Barbie Doll† (â€Å"Barbie†) causes young (5-8 year old) girls to desire thinness, thereby detrimentally effecting their self-image. Barbie, introduced to the children’s market in the 1950s, is a 9-inch doll created with what are widely regarded as imaginary proportions. Concern over the adverse effects of Barbie on children growing, Barbie’s figure was recently changed to reflect, among other things, a smaller bust and wider hips. We will write a custom essay sample on Does She Encourage Thinness? or any similar topic only for you Order Now Nevertheless, the controversy still remains: Does Barbie contribute to or even create negative body images in young girls? II. The Concerns: Barbie as Destructive Force Concerned parents and adult women who themselves were affected by the body size and shape portrayed by America’s favorite doll have expressed fear or conviction that playing with Barbie dolls may or does lead to a panoply of image-related problems in the youth who play with them. Little best examples the detrimental results of Barbie on children than the reputed decision of one adult woman to request that a plastic surgeon recreate her body and face to mirror Barbie’s. When examined closely, however, the woman – and, eventually, society – learned that Barbie, if created as a human being, would have feet too small to balance her body on, breasts too large to be supported by her tiny waist, and hips likely too narrow to bear children. Indeed, Barbie could literally never exist in reality. At core, those opposed to Barbie for image-related reasons posit that girls at particularly vulnerable ages are easily impressed upon by the doll they come to not only play with, but idealize. Those girls wish not only to do all the things Barbie does – become an astronaut or doctor – but look like her. While becoming an astronaut or doctor are attainable goals for most if not all young girls, achieving Barbie’s looks is not. Were Barbie not important, she would in fact have little if any effect over her fans. III. Why They Have Their Point Though Barbie may not be responsible for the destructive force many attribute to her, concerned parents and former Barbie fans do have their point: Women do not look like Barbie dolls. Though an ultimate compliment may be, â€Å"You’re so pretty – you look like a Barbie,† in reality Barbie paints a picture of women that does not accurately reflect nature. For children particularly, impressions are easily made at tender ages, when bodies have yet to develop and knowledge is limited. Therefore, the five- or six-year old child, who has little reason to know otherwise, will be prone to accepting Barbie’s figure and appearance as a true reflection of what she will one day become. The detrimental effects may be especially harsh on children without mothers or sisters in their lives, or children in families who perpetuate negative self-images via perpetual dieting or other behaviors. For those children – the ones who arguably need the most direction – they may â€Å"look to† Barbie for more and as a result shape their own self-images around her. IV. Anti-Barbie: A Correct Assumption Underlying the Barbie dissenter’s opinion is the assumption that Barbie’s fans are easily impressionable and that Barbie has enough power in their lives to effect self-perception. Little argument can be made as to the former assumption (few would dispute that 5-year-olds are easily manipulated); and, though there is room for doubt as to the latter proposition, popularity attests to Barbie’s frontrunner status in the children’s market. Year by year, Barbie is consistently a favorite among young girls, and over time has evolved from teen fashion model to wife to mother to career woman. Throughout all, her figure has remained unscathed, sending the perhaps subconscious message to the girls who idealize her that they, too, will look forever young and thin no matter how old they grow or how differently their bodies may be made. It is Barbie’s enduring popularity that makes her so central a figure in the lives of so many. V. Why Barbie Works Despite Her Flaws Despite criticism, Barbie may in fact little harm a young girl’s self-image. She is, after all, just a doll. Few girls are told, or even given the suggestion, that Barbie is a true reflection of women’s bodies or lives. Barbie no more accurately reflects women’s bodies than does Ken accurately reflect men’s, and she is not designed to. Barbie, rather, is a tool of escape. Children of ages five, six, and even eight and ten seldom if ever would be found focusing on Barbie’s proportions or dress size. They, rather, use her as a tool with which to engage in fantasy. Beyond this, while Barbie may be the most popular girls’ toy, she is far from the most determinative factor on a young woman’s self-image. Most girls discontinue Barbie play well before their adolescence, the time when most young women begin focusing on and comparing their bodies with others. The force of society on a girl’s self-image cannot be underplayed. To assign Barbie with greatly influencing a girl’s view of her body when she is bombarded with images of real girls in popular culture who are unnaturally thin (on television, in magazines, in film) is to assign to her more importance than she in fact has. While Barbie lives in the world of fantasy and toy, images of super-thin models and women abound in an adolescent’s very real world – in the magazines she reads and on the television programs she watches. In many instances, the superstars and celebrities she looks up to are unnaturally thin and encourage her to dislike her own body. Perhaps more importantly, a young girl’s friends and family likely have far more influence on a girl’s perception of herself than Barbie. If a girl’s mother is comfortable with her body, she will likely instill similar comfort in her daughter. If, in contrast, a girl grows up hearing her mother perpetually complain that she (the mother) is fat or otherwise inadequate, she may well internalize such thought process and apply it to herself. Peers, too, who complain that their bodies are inadequate in one form or another may cause self-doubt in a girl. VI. A Balance: Healthy Barbie Though Barbie may not have the effect on her fans that her critics assign to her, it is likely that she does have some influence over her audience. Barbie, a staple of the toy world, doubtless plays her part in society and in shaping the goals, values, and self-images of those who play with her. To some extent, Mattel, Barbie’s creator, has recognized and attempted to remedy some of the potential damage Barbie’s surreal figure may do on young girls by slightly changing her mold. Mattel, however, can do only so much, and even the doll sold today paints a false picture of what most girls will mature to look like. Short of Mattel creating a Barbie that comes in all different shapes and sizes, parents in particular can use their influence to minimize any ill-effects Barbie may potentially have. Children should be taught that bodies do not come in standard sizes, and that it is important to have a positive view of yourself no matter how you are built. For some households, this may entail limiting or completely erasing Barbie from the toy mixture. More ideal, however, would be to tell children that they are beautiful and fine, and that Barbie is what she is marketed as: Just a toy. How to cite Does She Encourage Thinness?, Papers