The perspectives of Middle East World to The Crusades and their resist Essay

The perspectives of Middle East World to The Crusades and their resist process - Essay Example For the reason of the resistance, the Muslims started a strong opposing force that was very much objected to the rise of the Christian dominance in the areas of Jerusalem and other cities. In 1095 when the first crusade was held, the Christians focused on the invading the places that they counted important in their history of their religion throughout time. The Muslims in Jerusalem perceived the Christian move as an invasion that was irritating and that needed to be curbed and they raised a force that resisted the impact of the Christian crusaders. When the Christians found that the Muslims had objected to their occupation, they found that they raised a force to advance their occupation and asked for military assistance from their home countries that could help them to conquer the Muslims. On the other hand, the Muslims formed a force that had would help them to oppose the forces of the Christians and reclaim what was almost taken away from them. In the process, there were negative perspective that led to develop an enmity between the two religions within the area and this led to a constant struggle against each other (Claster, 2009). The Muslims perceived the Christians as people who wanted to impose political, economic and social impacts into the culture of the Arabs and the population of the Middle East, which had very different systems in place. The people of Middle East believed that the way the crusaders had influenced the Western Europe could happen to them if they allowed their region to be dominated by the Christians. This made the Muslims to object the move of the Christians to occupy the place they perceived as theirs and made the condition unbearable to them so that the Christians had to devise different ways that occupy the place (Claster, 2009). When some western Christians entered the Middle East, they came as merchants who had a force that threatened the

Social Networking Essay Example for Free

Social Networking Essay The twenty first century is known to be the world of the ‘Internet’; it is the most efficient way to get connected to our friends, relatives and colleagues. Sites such as Facebook have become very common among our youth today and have influenced our modern lives in many aspects. Being enrolled at a school with over 1000 students you begin to notice the reliance that a majority of the students have on Social Networking. As a student myself I have always had an interest in the way people act and the effect that these sites have on both the social and psychological side of us; this led me to the question ‘How often does cyberbulying occur?’ Technology allows all of us immediate access to information, which can greatly benefit our lives1. However, it has also provided some people with the means to exploit the innocent, commit crimes, and inflict injury on others. This technology has allowed some teens to take bullying that thrives in school hallways into cyberspace1. Bullying refers to any kind of aggressive behaviour, which is normally intentional and entails an imbalance of strength or power1. Cyberbulying is also referred to as a social online cruelty which can be described as an intentional aggressive act which is carried out by an individual or a group of individuals against a victim, done repeatedly over a long period of time and sent through electronic contacts1. Research indicates that there are a variety of reasons as to why people bully2, * Cultural causes fascinated with winning, power and violence.2 * Institutional causes the place in which bullying takes place, whether the home, school or workplace is not of high standards for the way people treat each other bullying is more likely to occur.2 * Social issues the fact that one gets more social recognition for negative behaviours than positive one can also contribute to reasons as to why people bully.2 * Family issues families that are not warm and loving and in which feelings are not shared are more likely to have children who bully, either with in the family home or in other locations in which children meet others.2 In relation to why people bully, a survey was conducted from December 2006 till January 2007 by the members of Kids Help Phone which had over 2500 respondents3. This stated that more than 70% of respondents to the survey reported that they have been a victim of cyberbulying, while 44% said they have been the bully themselves. At least 38% reported having experienced cyberbulying within the last three months3. This was a major key finding as it is clearly evident that there are a large number of cyberbulying incidents that occur, considering that there were only 2500 respondents and 70% reported being a victim is a huge thing, not to mention that most cyberbulying incidents are not reported and go un-noticed. Having investigated this further studies show that almost most cyberbulying cases go unreported because a large number of youth and their parents think that cyberbulying is not a big deal4. However, it has been proven that a victim of this type of bullying can lead to serious disorders for the future, including suicide4. This indicates that when one becomes a victim of cyberbulying, they are a victim for life. Though the bullying itself may go away, the fear, the hurt and the memories scar the victim forever. In a survey that was conducted at Mount Gambier High School similar results were found5; 54.5% of students said that they had been a victim of cyberbulying, while 23% said they have bullied someone online. 81.8% say that whilst on these sites they have witnessed cruel behaviour, 33.3% say that they ignore this behaviour when and if it occurs5. This was an important finding as it is apparent that when and if cyberbulying occurs, teenagers who are a witness tend not to do anything about it. This relates to my previous findings because if people did something about the cruel behaviour they witness online, than the victim of bullying statistic (70%)3 wouldn’t be as high as it is. It just goes to show that teenagers have a power that they don’t quite realise nor understand. Cyberbulying is a major concern of young people. In 2010, it was ranked the third highest issue of concern for 11 to 14 year olds6. Over a quarter of this age group indicates it was a major concern, compared with 20% of 15 to 19 year olds and 16% of 20 to 24 year olds6. In an interview with a parent of two teenagers7 (Anonymous), it was evident that technology creates certain challenges for adults who are trying to keep up with the relationship problems among adolescents. It is clear that to an adolescent the primary influence are his/her peers and what they think; while physical assaults or bullying is bad, verbal or the relational aggression can be equally as bad for certain kids. Many adults don’t trust teens these days because they assume that they are engaging in bad behaviours. They believe that it is the teenager’s responsibility to demonstrate to the adults in their lives that they are using technology safely, responsibly, appropriately and for them to sort of take some ownership over that. It’s very important to have a discussion between parents and teens so the adults know that the vast majority of teens are doing the right thing online. On average 11% of teens talk to their parents about incidents of cyberbulying.8 Another interview took place9 with a student at Mount Gambier High school who clearly stated that she believes Social Networking sites such as Facebook are encouraging teenagers to bully, it is giving them more of an opportunity, as on the internet you can practically be whoever you want to be and there is less risk of getting caught. It is common for teenagers to use Social Networking sites such as Facebook to their advantage, having that availability to all those sites give teenagers more freedom with very little boundaries; therefore making it an unsafe place to be. The student said that whilst on these sites you don’t think about the risk factors, it’s more of a spur of the moment thing. She also stated that a majority of the time it’s more for entertainment or a joke without actually realising what effect it could have on a person.9 With this information at hand it is clearly evident that Social Networking sites are definitely encouraging teenagers to bully. Social networking sites encourage people to be more public about their personal lives, intimate details of our lives can be posted so easily and users are prone to bypass the filters they might normally employ when talking about their private lives. Whats more, the things they post remain available indefinitely. Facebook in particular, by far the most popular social networking medium is encouraging the ‘anonymous’ by making it easy and accessible to under 18’s. A Senior Research Associate from the School of Psychology at the University of Adelaide conducted a survey at Mount Gambier High School in 2012 as part of the South Australian Media Use Survey (SAMUS)10. The study employed the best available psychological measures of mental health-related issues; the survey helped the understanding on how youth use media and it’s interaction with mental health. A total of 523 students took part in the study and within that study it showed that 35% of males use the internet to escape from problems compared to 31% of females; male and females do not differ greatly in terms of their preoccupation and difficulty in regulating the use of the internet.10 The vast majority of students at Mount Gambier High School report having at least one close friend with symptoms of a mental health issue in which was connected to Social Networking.10 The known prevalence of depression among adolescents (12-18 years) is about one in five (20%)10. Taking this figure into account, the symptoms profiles across gender were close to the expected norm, although females tended to report more depressive symptoms than boys.10 In conclusion, with the expansion of the internet and social networking technologies cyber-bullying is becoming more common and more severe. The research presented clearly shows that cyberbulying is on an uprise with a majority of teenagers reporting that they have been a victim of cyberbully while the other small portion admitting that they see it happen yet don’t do anything about it. Within my study it was shown that the average school student has at least one friend with symptoms of a mental health issue which is connected to social networking. This research paper is to inform society about what has been going on lately. Cyberbulying is technology powered and will only get worse as technology becomes more widespread; hopefully this paper will help to inform today’s youth and parents. If you see any kind of bullying happening in front of you, stop it if possible, and then report it.

The Fantastical Elements of Lerouxs The Phantom of the Opera Essay exa

The Fantastical Elements of Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera      Ã‚   In Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera fantastic literature is displayed at its best. Originally published in 1911, this French writer produced one of the most famous novels in French history. Created into a play and a musical produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, this story has touched millions. However, this transition from a novel to a theatrical performance has caused much of the story to be left out of the production. When viewed in its entirety, the novel exhibits many fantastical elements. Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera meets all of the requirements of fantastic literature. These characteristics do not resemble those of Magical Realism extensively. The novel has many realistic qualities that may mask the fantastic elements. The background and setting are recognizable as a French opera house set in Paris. The characters use familiar, if out dated, dialect. The era in which the story takes place, the late eighteen hundreds, is also very realistic. Horses and carriages are still used as the mode of transportation, the musical pieces sung in the novel are pieces that would be sung at other operas during that time period, and the style of clothing is what would be expected of the era. This base of reality is common to both Magical Realism as well as Fantastic literature. The attitudes of the characters are also very realistic. At the masked ball, the Parisians take part whole heartedly, accepting the idea of masking their identity as the normal ball activity. In today's time, the dressing incognito idea is an unusual one. The characters do not accept the idea of the "Opera Ghost" as a real ghost and many exhibit a disbelief, as they would in rea... ...re into a masterpiece that would be famous for almost one hundred years after its publication date. He also creates a false history of the tale, claiming it can found in any French records, if one only takes the time to look. Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera meets all of the requirements of fantastic literature. Through meeting these requirements of the Fantastic, this work also pulls itself out of the category of Magical Realism. Written in such an eerie tone, and with the horror found in its pages, it is no wonder that The Phantom of the Opera is included as horror or mystery besides its standing as a classical novel. Works Cited Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. New York: Signet Classic, 1987. Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Form. Cleveland: The Press of Case Weston Reserve University, 1973. pp 168-174. The Fantastical Elements of Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera Essay exa The Fantastical Elements of Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera      Ã‚   In Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera fantastic literature is displayed at its best. Originally published in 1911, this French writer produced one of the most famous novels in French history. Created into a play and a musical produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, this story has touched millions. However, this transition from a novel to a theatrical performance has caused much of the story to be left out of the production. When viewed in its entirety, the novel exhibits many fantastical elements. Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera meets all of the requirements of fantastic literature. These characteristics do not resemble those of Magical Realism extensively. The novel has many realistic qualities that may mask the fantastic elements. The background and setting are recognizable as a French opera house set in Paris. The characters use familiar, if out dated, dialect. The era in which the story takes place, the late eighteen hundreds, is also very realistic. Horses and carriages are still used as the mode of transportation, the musical pieces sung in the novel are pieces that would be sung at other operas during that time period, and the style of clothing is what would be expected of the era. This base of reality is common to both Magical Realism as well as Fantastic literature. The attitudes of the characters are also very realistic. At the masked ball, the Parisians take part whole heartedly, accepting the idea of masking their identity as the normal ball activity. In today's time, the dressing incognito idea is an unusual one. The characters do not accept the idea of the "Opera Ghost" as a real ghost and many exhibit a disbelief, as they would in rea... ...re into a masterpiece that would be famous for almost one hundred years after its publication date. He also creates a false history of the tale, claiming it can found in any French records, if one only takes the time to look. Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera meets all of the requirements of fantastic literature. Through meeting these requirements of the Fantastic, this work also pulls itself out of the category of Magical Realism. Written in such an eerie tone, and with the horror found in its pages, it is no wonder that The Phantom of the Opera is included as horror or mystery besides its standing as a classical novel. Works Cited Leroux, Gaston. The Phantom of the Opera. New York: Signet Classic, 1987. Todorov, Tzvetan. The Fantastic: A Structural Approach to a Literary Form. Cleveland: The Press of Case Weston Reserve University, 1973. pp 168-174.

Dracula Extension Speech

From the ability to change physical form to a blood-thirsty nature society has always been morbidly fascinated with the concept of Dracula. It has not only seduced literature such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula but also infected mainstream music and film industries. Many composers have expanded and appropriated much of the vampire genre such as Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula and Slayer’s Bloodline. The ideas surrounding vampires has been of good versus evil, the nature of religion and immortality.It is due to these notions which allow us to assess the visual and literary techniques, and context of these texts where vampires have long grasped the general population’s interest. Bram Stoker’s Dracula deals with the concept of vampirism in a ‘black and white’ view. The main antagonist is seen as a demonic monster that defied the status quo and attacked the innocent. Stoker purposely uses the technique of writing the novel in first person of every character except for Dracula creating a sense of mystery and foreboding, as the characters and readers themself is uncertain about Dracula’s true nature.However, the reader is hinted that Dracula is characterised as a sinister monster by small occurrences such as his feeding of a young child to the three vampires where Jonathan recounts, ‘there was a gasp and a low wail, as a half-smothered child†¦ I was aghast’. This scene in the early chapters of the book highlights the inhumanity of Dracula where Stoker demonstrates that this character is not only evil but also void of any morals. However in later appropriations, the monster is no longer seen as pure evil, but in fact has the ability to be more humane.In Coppola’s Dracula the opening scenes showcase the creation of Dracula, demonstrating the transition from human to monster. Not only does this allow the audience to understand the existence of this monster but also empathise with this creature, blu rring the lines between good and evil. However the audience is still reminded that Dracula is still an evil monster despite him being given the human capacity of love as he feeds the three vampires a baby and says ‘Yes, I too can love. And I shall love again.    Despite this, Slayer’s Dracula sticks with the original characterisation of Stoker’s Dracula. The imagery that is used throughout Bloodline heavily coincides with the gothic motifs of vampirism such as ‘Blo11od fests’ and supernatural nocturnal manifestations such as ‘Night hides’ and ‘hunting packs. ’ Both Draculas are also void of human emotions and only seek to infect and destroy human lives. This is outlined when Stoker’s Dracula goes to England and attacks the innocent, where he forces Mina to become a vampire ‘flesh of my flesh’ by drinking his own blood as revenge to the slayers.This inhumane nature of Dracula attacking the innocent is al so portrayed throughout the chorus of Bloodline, ‘I'll kill you and your dreams tonight†¦Bleed your death upon me, Let your bloodline feed my youth. ’ Symbolism is a significant link between Stoker’s, Coppola’s and Slayer’s Dracula. Stoker and Slayer’s Dracula represents the anti-Christ, a forbidden entity which engaged readers from the repressed Victorian Era. It is through this symbolism that Dracula is portrayed as a supernatural evil where Stoker’s Dracula is repelled by any holy relics such as the crucifix.The believed ulterior motives of Dracula is made apparent by Slayer’s Dracula as he feels â€Å"Betrayed eternally’ by God and seeks to inflict his pain onto others as he chants ‘‘I’ll rip inside your soul, contaminating the world, defying God and son. ’ This strong inclination demonstrates the extent of how evil Dracula is and that his chosen actions are done to be the twisted paral lel of God’s. In addition, Dracula’s blood consumption in all three texts acts as a perverse parallel of the Holy Communion as it is gruesomely similar to Christian believers who re-enact the ‘drinking’ of Christ’s blood.However Dracula’s strength comes from consuming people’s blood rather than giving it freely, as Renfield suggests, ‘The blood is the life! ’ in an epiphany whilst undertaking his sadistic experiments. This is evident as Stoker’s and Coppola’s Dracula grows stronger as Lucy’s health continues to deteriorate after his feeding on her. However society’s fascination is not based purely on the occult of the vampire but rather the more alluring attribute of being immortal. Stoker’s Dracula represents a creature that does not age nor fall ill, aspects which society today continues to strive to obtain.Thus a time limit is of no great significance to Dracula as he continues his att acks on turning many innocent people into vampires and in turn, inflict the same curse onto them as he states ‘My revenge has just begun! I spread it over centuries and time is on my side. † Similarly, Slayer’s Dracula also deals with the concept of immortality where he also feels the desire to attack innocent people as he states ‘I will live forever†¦ in my veins your eternity. ’ Both these characters are obsessed with turning masses of people into their own kind with the knowledge that immortality comes at a grave rice- a trade up for the soul. This price however is acknowledged by Coppola’s Dracula as he cannot bring himself to completely turn Mina due to his feelings for her. This decision allows the audience to empathise with Dracula as he is given a human emotion of compassion where he cannot bear to let Mina be cursed to live a life of being hated, feared and soulless. This is shown during the scenes when Dracula has cut open his ve in for her to drink but stops her as he exclaims ‘You’ll be cursed as I am†¦I love you too much to condemn you. Thus the concept of immortality is an object of desire by Mina as she yearns to live eternally with Dracula but this resistance by him allows the audience to witness the little ‘good’ that he has and in turn, demonstrates that society’s fascination of immortality should be viewed as a curse rather than blessing. Throughout the analysis of these texts, it is apparent that the key elements of Dracula are good versus evil, the role of religion and immortality.It is due to these elements which capture our interest in the concept of vampirism where we are continually enticed to delve into the darker realms of an occult and explore the concept of immortality. Stoker’s Dracula as well as its appropriations effectively portrays the possessive nature of this character where there is a dependency on people’s blood for life as well as the ease of manipulating victims into giving their life force which accounts for the obsessive fascination of Dracula.

Dr. Roylott Character Analysis

How is Dr Roylott presented to the reader in â€Å"The Speckled Band†? Through out the story, Roylott is overall presented as threatening, dangerous and a intelligent man. This can be identified through his appearance, behaviour and motives, there is also evidence of this personality in the story. Also, Conan Doyle uses various phrases and words to describe him which suggests the man to be dangerous. When describing Dr Roylott ,Conan Doyle uses strong words to mould an image of him in the readers mind to be a horrible person.Phrases such as â€Å"a large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with the sun, and marked with every evil passion† can suggest a lot of things. † a large face† simply can give the image of quite a large or strong person, this can give the idea that Roylott is towering over everyone else and not someone who loses in physical or vocal arguments due to his threatening and fearsome build. † Seared with a thousand wrin kles† can show a serious and aggressive man and if we were to go deeper on this point, it could therefore show that he may be a man who is impatient and has a short temper.The word â€Å"seared† is normally used when something burns onto something else so when used in this context it adds a feeling of anger to Dr Roylotts character. â€Å"Evil passion† can suggest two things, one is that he is an evil man which can be supported by actions through out the story and â€Å"passion† shows he is someone who is quite relentless and sadistic because passion is often used to describe someone who is dedicated and interested with something. the door had suddenly been dashed open and a huge man had framed himself in the aperture† the words â€Å"suddenly† and â€Å"dashed† shows Roylott to be impatient, selfish and irrespective of others around him. He clearly isn't scared of anyone as â€Å"suddenly† suggests him to be confident about him self as he doesn’t care about any one. â€Å"he has no friends at all save the wandering gypsies† this can show a sense of loneliness and recluse about Roylotts character. This can lead to the reader thinking he may be quite dangerous because if you have no friends you tend to not be a very nice person. Among some other quotes, apart from just being trong and threatening he is portrayed intelligently and slyly. Quotes such as â€Å"He is so cunning that I never knew when I am safe from him† shows as well as being strong and quite psychotic, he is able to keep his thoughts in order and not constantly be aggressive which makes him even more dangerous. â€Å"cunning† is often used to describe foxes and Roylott does not have any resemblance to a fox but this is what makes the quote so effective because it shows the variety of things he is capable of. Also, a quite simple observation of Roylott is he is a Doctor which shows he is intelligent and also supports the fact that he is cunning.In the story, Roylott had beaten his native butler to death and narrowly escaped a capital sentence and this shows a large area of Roylotts character. The fact that he beat his native butler to death obviously shows he is not afraid of killing another human being but the fact that he escaped a capital sentence shows he is important and respected by some and also supports the point that he is intelligent as he's clever enough to escape the sentence. The reason why Dr Roylott murdered Julia was the intention that he would gain money which shows his greediness and the extent he would go to to get what he wants.Also, when he meets Holmes he treats him with hostility and bends a â€Å"steel poker† into a curve and throws it into the fire. He also calls Holmes â€Å"the meddler† and threatens him and tells him to keep out of his business. When he calls him â€Å"the meddler† it may show that although Roylott is intelligent, anger can drown his intelligent out because if he was intelligent he would not call Holmes â€Å"the meddler† and suggests he was up to something and didn’t wants Holmes to know anything about.Generally Dr Roylott is portrayed very negatively and insecure through out the book in a way that the reader will grow to hate him, this creates the ending climax when Roylott is killed by his own crime and wrong intentions. Through out the book his character is slowly revealed to be bold, threatening, intelligent and strong, these merge to create his character and gives more possibility to the mysteries of the main events through out the

Red from Green Essay Example

Red from Green Essay Example Red from Green Essay Red from Green Essay Red from Green by Maile Meloy Being a teenager, growing up, is not easy. There are a lot of things to think about and many feelings to relate to. You have to make some decisions and that is not always easy either, even if they sound easy. A decision could be what to wear for a party or it could be bigger decisions that will have influence on your life. The story, Red from Green, is mainly set on the river and in the woods beside it, where Sam, her father, her uncle Harry and one of her uncles clients called Layton are on a float trip. It is set in July and the weather is hot and sunny. However in the end of the story we are at home with Sam and her father. Sam Turner, the main character in Red from Green, is a fifteen year old girl, who lives alone with her father, because her mother died when she was young. She is going to be a sophomore in the fall and her father gave her the idea of applying to a boarding school, where she has been admitted, but Sam is not completely sure whether she wants to accept the offer or not. It is a very difficult decision for her to make. In the summer she goes on a float trip with her father, Harry and Layton. On this float trip Sam experiences something she has not tried before. Layton shows some interest in her, and that is very new to her and she does not really like it. He is, after all, a grown man. Sams father is absent a few times on the float trip. He leaves Sam alone with Layton, and that gives Layton the possibility to show this interest in Sam. It hurts Sam that her father abandons her, and when they get home, she decides to accept the ffer and go to the boarding school. Sam and her fathers relationship evolve through the story. In the beginning it is okay but they do not really talk that much with each other. Sams father is not really there and he leaves her alone with Layton which she dislikes, and it makes her a bit angry at her father. As the story continues their relationship does not improve much. But in the end of the story, when Sam and her father are home again, their relationship gets better, because when Sam tells her father, that she has accepted the offer from the oarding school, he gets sad because he will miss her a lot when she is not around. When Sam hears this, she regrets her decision a bit, because deep down, she loves her father very much and do not want to leave him alone, like he did to her on the float trip. The theme in Red from Green is growing up. Sam is fifteen and inexperienced. When Layton makes a pass at her it scares her a bit, and that is also why she gets angry at her father for leaving her alone with him. Sam is in a part of her life where, in some cases she is treated like an adult, but in some cases like a child. I think that she still sees herself as a child, because she thinks that it sound very old, that she is going to be a sophomore in the fall. Another theme is Sam and her fathers relationship, and how it evolves through the story. Another thing that develops through the story is her and I think that makes her realise that she is not a little girl anymore. The title of the story, Red from Green, could be referring to Sam. When an apple or tomato ripens it goes from green to red, and from being unripen to become ripen. The same happens with Sam through the story. She goes from being immature and seeing herself as a child to being more mature. In the story Layton catches a fish, and Sams father says that it is too small but still takes it, and put in their cooler. The fish could be symbolising Sam and her father could be alluding that she is too young. But the fact that Sams father takes the fish anyway, could symbolise that he, in a way accepts what Layton does with his daughter. Sam also sleeps alone in a burrow and that could be symbolising that she is already separated from her father. In the beginning of the story Sam relies a lot on her father and lets him take care of things. Sam knew that her father wouldnt tolerate poaching, so she left it for him to take care of. But in the end of the story, she makes her own decisions and relies on herself. Then she went into the house and filled out the final form for the scholarship to boarding school, and in the morning she put it in the mail In the evening, when Sams father makes margaritas for them all, he makes a virgin, without alcohol for Sam, and Layton asks for a virgin too. Here, Layton could be referring to Sam. Sams father was making enchiladas, and chipping ice for margaritas with a pick. He made one without tequila for Sam. Layton asked for a virgin, too In conclusion, Sam is a young girl, who gets more mature, when she experiences a grown man showing interest in her, which makes her realise that she is not a little girl anymore. Sam also finds out, that her father will not always be there for her, and she has to take responsibility for herself and her life. This makes Sam accept the offer she has got from a boarding school, which is a big and difficult decision for her to make.

Thou Blind Mans Mark Essay Example

Thou Blind Mans Mark Essay Example Thou Blind Mans Mark Paper Thou Blind Mans Mark Paper As humans there are two things in life people try to satisfy: their needs and their wants. One’s needs are definite, and easy to number, but wants however are much more complex. More and more fascinating and enticing gadgets are being produced every day, and the desire for these things increases as they increase in number. Necessities can be measured but wishes can be endless. Sometimes what one wants is not even rational, it cannot be attained; yet, they cannot help but yearn for more things in life. The persona in â€Å"Thou Blind Man’s Mark† by Sir Philip Sydney recognizes this plight. Though he knows it is foolish, he can’t help but want; thus his only desire is to kill desire. Stuck with these unsettled feelings, the author personifies desire (evident through his use of thou), and uses apostrophe to let it know exactly how he feels about it. The persona’s disdain for desire is both striking and obvious. The first quatrain in itself is laced with insults such as scum and dregs (line 2), both associated with unpleasant things, causing a displeasing visual image to be painted in the mind of the reader. It also discreetly points out desire’s cruelty as it fools men into wishing they could possess things impossible for them to obtain, it is the target of a blind man, who cannot even see where he is aiming (line 1). He expands on this point through the use of metaphor – cradle of causeless care, web of will (lines 3 and 4); portraying the effect desire has on men. It nurtures caring for people and possessions without reason, and tangles the minds of men. In order to ensure his point is taken home, the speaker emphasizes his point with alliteration evident in his repetitive use of the letter c in line 3 and w in line 4. The second quatrain is a complaint. The speaker describes, with organic images, – mangled mind, worthless ware (line 6) – the strife desire has awarded him, and he is not pleased. One can almost feel the stress he suffers from all because he cannot help but want. He knows desire is worthless, and he is fed up. The magnitude of his enervated feelings is shown through his repetition of the phrase â€Å"too long†. He exhausts the phrase in order to allow the reader to not only read but also experience his exhaustion. Following the trend, the third quatrain bashes desire for the pain it has, in vain, caused the persona. His tone is almost reprimanding, and he definitely blames desire for several woes. It sought his ruin, and caused him to ache for pointless things, all in vain. He recognized the vanity found in desire; thus, he learned a better lesson from virtue – desire must be killed. His conclusion, found in the couplet, is the epitome of irony. The entire poem discusses the problem with desire; yet, it ends with one – the desire to kill desire. At first glance, this is a likely decision, it makes sense. Sometimes one has to fight fire with fire, or in this case desire with desire, but there is more to this sentence than a likely conclusion. Though it seems to be a paradox, it in fact reinforces an important theme found in the poem. The persona struggled with scorn for desire throughout the entire work; yet, in the end, he still needs it. This reveals one very powerful message – desire cannot be escaped.