William Shakespeare and His Works Essay -- William Shakespeare biograp

William Shakespeare, the figure to whom the most influential works of literature in history are credited, was born in April of 1564 (the exact date is approximated as April 23rd, also the date given as his death fifty-two years later) in Stratford, England to John and Mary Shakespeare. He grew up in relatively middle-class surroundings, attending grammar school and studying Latin, logic, and literature, from which he graduated to marry a woman by the name of Anne Hathaway. With Hathaway he had three children, two girls and a son, and as a playwright and poet, Shakespeare went on to enjoy moderate success in his time, writing thirty-seven (known) plays and several works of poetry. Of course his plays would be well underappreciated during his time (as with all great artists), but later, such titles as King Lear, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth would only begin a list of some of the most appraised scripts ever written (Armstrong, 1-5). While these plays carry the weight of Shakespeare’s legacy, he was also a dedicated poet. During the years of the black plague in the late 16th century, theaters were closed from 1592 until 1594, and Shakespeare spent his time writing lengthy poetry, including Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucree, and continued work on his sonnets, a volume of poems which he wrote over a span of about a decade. This book of sonnets has raised some of the most captivating questions in all of literature, as their vagueness and mysterious allusions have puzzled critics for centuries, who attempt to use them to piece together parts of Shakespeare’s life, of which relatively little is known. One of the most frequently investigated questions is that of Shakespeare’s sexuality; the so... ...ne or the other, some fascinating truth about the author himself, as though he intended to leave it there. After all, when one gives the book of sonnets to a loved one as a traditional gift, does one bare in mind that the sonnets praising love and beauty are more than likely written to a man, while those written to a woman are of darkness and remorse? Certainly, at least hopefully, not. Whatever the case may be, the sonnets were written from the heart, with an honest pen and a true heart, something that can be appreciated by any generation. It has been said that Shakespeare can be seen as â€Å"nothing less than the inventor of the human,† (Keevak, 68). What Shakespeare did intend to leave us with was something beautiful that can be appreciated in whatever context we may chose to present it, so long as the humanity that these works contain is preserved.

Biography of Andres Bonifacio

Andres Bonifacio (1863-1897), a Philippine revolutionary hero, founded the Katipunan, a secret society which spearheaded the uprising against the Spanish and laid the groundwork for the first Philippine Republic. Andres Bonifacio was born in Tondo, Manila, on Nov. 30, 1863. He grew up in the slums and knew from practical experience the actual conditions of the class struggle in his society. Orphaned early, he interrupted his primary schooling in order to earn a living as a craftsman and then as clerk-messenger and agent of foreign commercial firms in Manila.Absorbing the teachings of classic rationalism from the works of Jose Rizal, Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, Eugene Sue's The Wandering Jew, books on the French Revolution, and the lives of the presidents of the United States, Bonifacio acquired an understanding of the dynamics of the socio-historical process. This led him to join the Liga Filipina, which Rizal organized in 1892 for the purpose of uniting and intensifying the nation alist movement for reforms.When the Liga was dissolved upon the arrest and banishment of Rizal, Bonifacio formed the Katipunan in 1892 and thus provided the rallying point for the people's agitation for freedom, independence, and equality. The Katipunan patterned its initiation rites after the Masonry, but its ideological principles derived from the French Revolution and can be judged radical in its materialistic-historical orientation. The Katipunan exalted work as the source of all value.It directed attention to the unjust class structure of the colonial system, the increased exploitation of the indigenous population, and consequently the need to affirm the collective strength of the working masses in order to destroy the iniquitous system. When the society was discovered on Aug. 19, 1896, it had about 10,000 members. On August 23 Bonifacio and his followers assembled at Balintawak and agreed to begin the armed struggle.Two days later the first skirmish took place and a reign of t error by the Spaniards soon followed. Conflict split the rebels into the two groups of Magdiwang and Magdalo in Cavite, on Luzon. Bonifacio was invited to mediate, only to be rebuffed by the clannish middle class of Cavite. Judging Bonifacio's plans as divisive and harmful to unity, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the elected president of the provisional revolutionary government, ordered the arrest, trial, and execution for â€Å"treason and sedition† of Bonifacio and his brothers.On May 10, 1897, Bonifacio was executed. Contrary to the popular view, the cause of Bonifacio's tragic death at the hands of other Filipino rebels cannot be solely attributed to his own personal pride. Rather, the correlation of class forces and the adventurist tendency of Bonifacio's group led to his isolation and subsequently to Aguinaldo's compromises with the American military invaders.

Comparing Two Views of Gay Marriage in America Essay

Marriage, by definition, is the institution whereby men and women are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family. In today’s society however, things are changing. People of all genders are forming bonds with one another, and homosexuals are vying for the right to have their love established as marriage as well. Should men and men, and women and women, be allowed the right of marriage just like heterosexual couples in America? Andrew Sullivan and William Bennett have opposing opinions on this subject, however are more alike in opinion than they know. Their articles tell different stories, with the same general underlying tone. Gay people are people, just like†¦show more content†¦His argument is also trying to make you question what will happen if we do allow homosexual marriages. Will we then have to allow fathers to marry their daughters? Will we be going to the weddings of two sisters before we know it? Bennett believes that altering the conventional definition of marriage would change many things. According to Bennett, it would wipe away all the rules that dictate how we act. It would also send mixed signals about sexuality to people, especially to young children. As much as Sullivan and Bennett have two very differing opinions, they share some similar ideas. Both men share the idea that marriage is about the loving bond between two people, and that it is all about a family. Sullivan argues that homosexuals have feelings just like the rest of the world, and who’s to say they can’t fall in love? Bennett believes that what is so special about the bond of marriage is its bringing of two people in love together. Both believe in family, and people of all kinds, gay or straight, can have families together. Both of the articles are ideally taking a conservative approach to the idea of marriage as well. Sullivan is standing behind his idea that allowing gay marriage is very conservative. 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