Belonging in as You Like It Essays

Belonging in as You Like It Essays Belonging in as You Like It Essay Belonging in as You Like It Essay Essay Topic: As You Like it Belonging can have positive and negative consequences. To belong is to have a secure relationship with a particular facet of society in which one is accepted by those within. The need to feel such a connection with others can often drive us to extreme situations with a varying array of consequences both positive, such as finding one’s place in society, and negative, such as inhibiting one’s sense of self and limiting individuality. Shakespeare’s play As You Like It explores the concepts of traditional notions of belonging by examining filial, fraternal and romantic bonds, the consequences of belonging geographically, and accepted roles of gender. The title itself gives the play to the audience, before any plot is introduced, with the words â€Å"As You Like It† implying the play belongs to those viewing it. In Shakespeare’s context the play was to be seen as meeting his audiences’ expectations and the comedic nature of the plot attempts to ensure this, with a villain the audience collectively hates and a happy ending to ensure comfort and closure. Filial bonds, or family ties, are cemented biologically from birth and form the most primal sense of belonging to human beings. Among all other institutions, that of the family and our relationships within it shape our identities most profoundly and for the longest time. The negative consequences of ostracism from this fundamental unit comprise the core of the plot in As You Like It. Orlando’s pining of his treatment by brother Oliver uses animalistic imagery to illustrate the breakdown of his own family unit. Orlando suggests that Oliver treats his â€Å"animals on dung-hills† better than himself, implying Oliver cares more for his animals than his own brother. The lexical chain used by Orlando of emptiness and nothingness conveys his feelings of ostracism from his family and foreshadows the ultimate fracturing of fraternal bonds in Oliver’s attempts to end his life. This same sense of alienation is repeated in the Court of the Duke Frederick, in which the parallel plot of Rosalind’s excommunication from her usurped father directly correlates to the despair and estrangement felt by Orlando. In Rosalind we also find the character of Celia, a personification of strong congenial bonds, providing an alternative to filial ties in her position as friend and confidante. Rosalind’s connection to the Court shows that a sense of belonging and affiliation can be forged just as easily with place as it can with human beings. The usurping Duke Frederick parallels the malevolent Oliver, with both fracturing family bonds to forward their respective agendas. The cross-over of the first set of parallel plots occurs during Oliver’s attempted murder of Orlando in a wrestling match, with Rosalind meeting Orlando upon his victory. The gifting of Rosalind of a chain to Orlando signifies the symbolic binding of the two, illustrating that said couple belong together. The Forest of Arden and the confines of the Court are constantly juxtaposed as free and liberating verses constrictive and corrupt. The lexical chain of bonds and belonging used by Duke Senior, â€Å"co-mates brothers,† reinforces the notion that feelings of togetherness and mateship are forged and strengthened in the transgressive free space of Arden. These positive connotations imply that the forest engenders such feelings in juxtaposition to the artificiality and malignance of Court. The Forest itself is an allegory for the Garden of Eden, using biblical allusion to associate a paradisical quality to the Forest. Much like Rosalind and Celia to come, Duke Senior reinterprets the coup-de-tat and exile as a positive consequence in which he may educate himself spiritually and find a deeper connection with nature, â€Å"books in brooks, sermons in stones. All characters who come within gradually recognize the Forest’s illuminating and reformative qualities. The tabula rasa allows characters to develop and recognizably change whilst there, re-evaluating their lives and relationships. The isolation from expectations, and providing of ultimate freedom, allows individuals a blank space with which to get in touch with their sense of self. Forced exile from the world she has been within her entire life becomes a turning point for R osalind. The shedding of the restrictive (at the time) women’s gender role conveys the notion that belonging is a societal phenomenon, shaping the way we act and relate to others. Gender dictates the ways that we can belong to society and that society allows us to belong. In the Ganymede guise, Rosalind embodies the ultimate in individual expression by mastering a role she is biologically and socially ill-equipped to take. As Ganymede, Rosalind is free to socialize with Orlando is ways she would be unable to as a woman in Shakespeare’s world. The disguise itself, and associated homoerotic undertones, invite the audience to question their own perception of gender roles and how their constrictive, suffocating structure forces those within to conform to societal expectations and stereotypes. Celia’s aloof view of the women’s exile correlates to her interpretation of the banishment as an opportunity for freedom; â€Å"now we go, content, onto liberty, and not to banishment. † As You Like It shows that consequences for belonging and indeed not belonging can shift from positive to negative and back again depending on interpretation. Indeed, exile and banishment result from a lack of belonging and are seen as negative, however the characters defy the expectation and develop into better people following such negative events. Thus, it is up to the individual to decide for themselves on their view of the consequences; will they be accepted, or will the individual find liberation and enlightenment, allowing for personal rebirth? James Bowers, Line 5 ENA Julieanne Robinson

How to Make a Red Cabbage pH Indicator

How to Make a Red Cabbage pH Indicator Make your own pH indicator solution! Red cabbage juice contains a natural pH indicator that changes colors according to the acidity of the solution. Red cabbage juice indicators are easy to make, exhibit a wide range of colors, and can be used to make your own pH paper strips. Introduction to the Cabbage pH Indicator Red cabbage contains a pigment molecule called flavin (an anthocyanin). This water-soluble pigment is also found in apple skin, plums, poppies, cornflowers, and grapes. Very acidic solutions will turn anthocyanin a red color. Neutral solutions result in a purplish color. Basic solutions appear in greenish-yellow. Therefore, it is possible to determine the pH of a solution based on the color it turns the anthocyanin pigments in red cabbage juice. The color of the juice changes in response to changes in its hydrogen ion concentration. pH is the -log[H]. Acids will donate hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution and have a low pH (pH 7). Materials You Will Need Red cabbageBlender or knifeBoiling waterFilter paper (coffee filters work well)One large glass beaker or another glass containerSix 250 mL beakers or other small glass containersHousehold ammonia (NH3)Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3)Washing soda (sodium carbonate, Na2CO3)Lemon juice (citric acid, C6H8O7)Vinegar (acetic acid, CH3COOH)Cream of tartar (Potassium bitartrate, KHC4H4O6)Antacids (calcium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide)Seltzer water (carbonic acid, H2CO3)Muriatic acid or masonrys cleaner (hydrochloric acid, HCl)Lye (potassium hydroxide, KOH or sodium hydroxide, NaOH) Procedure Chop the cabbage into small pieces until you have about 2 cups of chopped cabbage. Place the cabbage in a large beaker or other glass container and add boiling water to cover the cabbage. Allow at least ten minutes for the color to leach out of the cabbage.Alternatively, you can place about 2 cups of cabbage in a blender, cover it with boiling water, and blend it.Filter out the plant material to obtain a red-purple-bluish colored liquid. This liquid is at about pH 7. The exact color you get depends on the pH of the water.Pour about 50 - 100 mL of your red cabbage indicator into each 250 mL beaker.Add various household solutions to your indicator until a color change is obtained. Use separate containers for each household solution - you dont want to mix chemicals that dont go well together! Red Cabbage pH Indicator Colors pH 2 4 6 8 10 12 Color Red Purple Violet Blue Blue-Green Greenish Yellow Tips and Safety This demo uses acids and bases, so please make certain to use safety goggles and gloves, particularly when handling strong acids (HCl) and strong bases (NaOH or KOH).Chemicals used in this demo may be safely washed down the drain with water.A neutralization experiment could be performed using cabbage juice indicator. First, add an acidic solution such as vinegar or lemon juice until a reddish color is obtained. Then add baking soda or antacids to return the pH towards a neutral 7.You can make your own pH paper strips using red cabbage indicator. Take filter paper (or coffee filter) and soak it in a concentrated red cabbage juice solution. After a few hours, remove the paper and allow it to dry (hang it by a clothespin or string). Cut the filter into strips and use them to test the pH of various solutions. To test a sample, place a drop of liquid on the test strip. Dont dip the strip in the liquid or else youll get cabbage juice in it. An example of a basic solution is laundry soap. E xamples of common acids include lemon juice and vinegar.