Observation paper Essay Example for Free

Observation paper Essay The Child’s name I have chosen for this observation paper is a 5 year old female named Janiya, she seems to be a happy normal child. Her mother and father are of African American descent. Her mother and father are married yet separated. Janiya lives home with her mom and aunt, her mom keeps her toys inside her room where Janiya regularly accesses her bedroom and bring toys in and out as she pleases, as well as plays inside her room when she wants. Her toys consist of a bike, baby dolls, Barbie dolls, tablet, computer, and PlayStation 4. These are the toys Janiya plays with everyday according to her mom. Observation Janiya is a very bright little girl with a huge personality she loves attention and loves to watch cartoons and play with her toys. The observations I made were in the living room, kitchen and her bedroom and observed her for 30 minutes. Janiya is a very creative little girl adapting to her surroundings and nothing was never too high for her because she climbed on top of furniture when she wanted to reach things that was too high for her I seen Janiya climb on top a chair to get some chips out of the cabinet she used her physical strength to pull her weight up until she was able to reach them. I was amazed at how smart she was when it came to thinking of a way to get things she wanted instead of asking for assistance anything she needs access to and is too high for her to reach she climbs on furniture to reach it or asks her mom or aunt to get it if she couldn’t according to her mom, Janiya is displaying her gross motor skills. She then came in the living room and proceeded to change the channel to Nick Jr. and Sponge Bob Square pants was on and Janiya started singing the theme song standing up in the chair dancing and singing showing off her cognitive and functional play skills trying to do what she sees on tv and also displaying her language development. Janiya’s mom then walked from her bed room in the living room explaining to Janiya that she has to help her with her homework  before she watches cartoons so she needs to go to her bedroom to retrieve her book bag Janiya is in the kindergarten. Janiya runs in her room to get her book bag and quickly came back into the living room with it displaying her gross motor skills again. Her mom pulls out her homework which consists of writing her first name 10 times and writing her last name 10 times she gives Janiya verbal cues on writing her name writing Janiya write and telling her which letter to write next she is encoding this information inside Janiya’s memory and she will eventually have this information in her long term memory and will be able to write her name without verbal cues in the future right now she is now processing information and developing her memory. After doing her homework Janiya went in her room and bought out her dolls and begin playing with herself in the living room displaying dramatic play I heard her talking to her dolls and pretending that was her baby. This was the end of my 30 minute observation; Janiya seems as if she is coming along well with displaying skills, language, playing and her imag ination. She was really a bright little girl and I enjoyed observing her and seeing the changes children go through to develop most of their skills that are going to be used every day when they get older! Observation Paper: Janiya Psychology 221 Michelle Bennett The Child’s name I have chosen for this observation paper is a 5 year old female named Janiya, she seems to be a happy normal child. Her mother and father are of African American descent. Her mother and father are married yet separated. Janiya lives home with her mom and aunt, her mom keeps her toys inside her room where Janiya regularly accesses her bedroom and bring toys in and out as she pleases, as well as plays inside her room when she wants. Her toys consist of a bike, baby dolls, Barbie dolls, tablet, computer, and PlayStation 4. These are the toys Janiya plays with everyday according to her mom. Observation Janiya is a very bright little girl with a huge personality she loves attention and loves to watch cartoons and play with her toys. The observations I made were in the living room, kitchen and her bedroom and observed her for 30 minutes. Janiya is a very creative little girl adapting to her surroundings and nothing was never too high for her because she climbed on top of furniture when she wanted to reach things that was too high for her I seen Janiya climb on top a chair to get some chips out of the cabinet she used her physical strength to pull her weight up until she was able to reach them. I was amazed at how smart she was when it came to thinking of a way to get things she wanted instead of asking for assistance anything she needs access to and is too high for her to reach she climbs on furniture to reach it or asks her mom or aunt to get it if she couldn’t according to her mom, Janiya is displaying her gross motor skills. She then came in the living room and proceeded to change the channel to Nick Jr. and Sponge Bob Square pants was on and Janiya started singing the theme song standing up in the chair dancing and singing showing off her cognitive and functional play skills trying to do what she sees on tv and also displaying her language development. Janiya’s mom then walked from her bed room in the living room explaining to Janiya that she has to help her with her homework before she watches cartoons so she needs to go to her bedroom to retrieve her book bag Janiya is in the kindergarten. Janiya runs in her room to get her book bag and quickly came back into the living room with it displaying her gross motor skills again. Her mom pulls out her homework which consists of writing her first name 10 times and writing her last name 10 times she gives Janiya verbal cues on writing her name writing Janiya write and telling her which letter to write next she is encoding this information inside Janiya’s memory and she will eventually have this information in her long term memory and will be able to write her name without verbal cues in the future right now she is now processing information and developing her memory. After doing her homework Janiya went in her room and bought out her dolls and begin playing with herself in t he living room displaying dramatic play I heard her talking to her dolls and pretending that was her baby. This was the end of my 30 minute observation; Janiya seems as if she is coming along well with displaying skills, language, playing and her imagination. She was really a bright little girl and I enjoyed observing her and seeing the changes children go through to develop most of their skills that are  going to be used every day when they get older!

Chinese Communists and Guomindang Forces Relationship

Chinese Communists and Guomindang Forces Relationship This paper seeks to analyze the political situation in the formative years of the Chinese republic in order to understand reasons for a breakdown of the relationship between the Chinese communists and the Guomintang forces. This paper will examine from the collapse of Qing dynasty, the early days of the major political parties, the role played by Russia and the eventual breakout of war to conclude three reasons behind the failed relationship between the Chinese Communists and Guomindang forces , which are difference in ideology, the power hungry nature of the leaders and the suspicion and mistrust between the leadership. The last dynasty of chinas ruling monarchy collapsed in the year 1912, this dynasty was referred to as the Qing dynasty. The main reason for the collapse was lack of popular support from the people and pressure from the public who wanted change .This resulted in rebellion that was later joined by political leaders and the army. The ruler at the time, known as Pu Yi, finally stepped down; an action that signified the end of the monarchy. After the end of the Qing dynasty, China was left with a chaotic situation where separate regions were controlled by army generals who were particularly strong in the Northern region. These generals were referred to as warlords. What made Chinas situation critical at that point was that there but no national leader who could unify the country. None of these army generals was strong enough to control the entire country and thus their sphere of influence was limited to the geographical regions where they were located.  [1]   During the chaotic years of warlord rule many young Chinese joined the different movements such as the Northern campaign, the Fourth of May movement and Communism. The leaders of these movements wanted to bring changes to China at whatever cost and some of the options they had at the time, included adopting foreign ideas. One of the main ideas that gained popularity was communism as the idea of a classless society at the time seemed very appealing to most Chinese revolutionaries and political leaders. Mao Zedong then a librarian at the University of Beijing formed a society through which interested parties could study and discuss Marxist ideals, this society became hugely popular and the members later formed the Chinese communist party  [2]  . At about the same time, Sun Yat-sen a politician and Chinas foremost nationalist leader at the time was organizing his party known as Guomindang or the Peoples National Party. Suns ideals for the new Chinese republic were of a democratic government for the people, National freedom and livelihood for the nations poor. In order to defeat and overthrow the warlords who held most of the country, Sun Yat-sen, using his political party Kuomintang, sought for assistance from major foreign powers of the time, his efforts were however ignored by western countries. Thus in 1921 he turned to Russia where a communist government had taken over power. 2 Russia responded by offering support to both Guomindang and the communist party an act which was the essence of the struggle for political power between the two parties. As a way of boosting both parties Russia sent representatives to help re organize Guomindang and the communist party of china along the lines of the Russian communist party.1 These efforts culminated in the declaration of 1923 where Russia pledged her support for the unification of China and the two political parties declared their cooperation. The coming together of Guomindang and the communist party of China gave birth to what was referred to as the First United Front. 8 With Russias help Sun Yat-sen reorganized his party along the lines of Russian communist party. The party Guomindang grew into a mass party, where all decisions made by the party leaders were final. It was also run along very strict disciplinary lines. 3 Sun invited members of the communist party then still a small party to join Guomindang in their individual capacity, as both parties had a common goal. During this time Russia also offered military support to Guomindang. They brought in officers to train party members and those of the communist party who had joined suns Guomindang.3 Russia also offered weapons and ammunitions. Later a military academy was also developed to train and impart military skills to officers. 1 This Military academy was headed by Chiang Kai-shek who had risen to prominence in the party and was Sun Yat -Sens likely successor. The purpose of the Military support offered by Russia, was to help their two allies the communist party and Guomindang, to defeat the warlords who were mainly located in the North of the country and in the process to unify China into one Republic. But before an attack on the warlords could be launched Sun Yat-sen died of heart attack in 1925.  [3]   A few months after the Death of Sun, Chiang Kai-shek who was the commander of the revolutionary army launched the Northern campaign. However at the same time the Guomindang party was facing tumultuous times, the party had split into two factions, one left wing and the other right wing. The influence of the communist party was also growing within the Guomindang. In response to this and other happenings, Chiang Kai-shek curtailed the participation of communist party members in the leadership of Kuomintang. He also imposed himself as the leader of the revolutionary army. 6 The campaign against the Northern warlords was quite successful; within a few months the revolutionary army had captured most of the northern territory and imposed governments there. Most of the poor peasants in the country side welcomed the revolutionaries as the believed they represented the chance of better days ahead. But as the power of the Guomindang grew the more discontent the communist party became.  [4]   By the time the revolutionaries had conquered most of China the alliance that existed between them disintegrated. Several incidents resulted in a worsening situation. As the Guomindang were about to enter Shanghai city, there was a rebellion from communist members within the city, the response of the Guomindang soldiers when they finally entered Shanghai, was to arrest and round up the members of the communist party and then proceed to massacre them. Later in another incident, the Guomindang party revolutionary soldiers carried out another massacre of communist party members in Guangzhou, killing several hundred in the process. In response the communists who were being purged from the Kuomintang, retreated to the rural countryside and launched an uprising which was led by Mao Zedong. This uprising was easily suppressed by Chiang Kai-sheks forces  [5]  . In 1928 the Guomindang formed a government that was given international recognition in Nanjing as the government of the Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek also formally became the chairman of the party. Using his influence among the elite and the military power that he had Chiang Kai-shek was able to maintain a dictatorial grip on the party and to defeat those within and without the party who opposed him. He tried to form a modern state but most accused him of abandoning the ideals on which his party was formed.  [6]   On the other hand the Chinese communist party which had almost been crushed by the Guomindang began to rebuild, they recruited peasants from the countryside to join their ranks with an aim of forming an army for the people which was to win the revolution against the Guomindang.  [7]   In 1931 Japan seized Manchuria and installed a puppet regime led by Pu Yi, the last ruler of the Qing dynasty. This resulted in strong anti Japan sentiment within China. Chiang Kai-shek who held the dominant military power within china opened a second front to engage the Japanese, but still gave most of his attention to crushing the Chinese communist party .To this effort the Guomindang launched a series of encirclement campaigns meant to wipe out the communist partys resistance. Of the five campaigns the first three were failures while the fourth and fifth were quite successful resulting in huge loses to life on both sides. But the Chinese communist party, cornered in the city Jiangxi of was severely depleted and its leadership opted for a retreat to shangxi an event which is referred to as the long march.  [8]   The march was brutal to the Chinese communist partys ranks; many tens of thousand were lost along the way due to desertion, attack by enemy soldiers, disease and hunger. But the positive aspect of the long march to the party was that, it brought together members who would later come to form the top leadership and decision making body of the Chinese communist party. This included names such as Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Liu Shoqi, Lin Biao, Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai. Another important aspect is that during the long march a meeting of the top leaders established Mao Zedong as the top most leader of the party and with the responsibility to lead on all issues regarding overall strategy for the movement.  [9]   Conclusion After careful analysis it can be established that, the main reasons behind the failed relationship between the Chinese Communists and Guomindang forces can be attributed to a number of factors; first was the difference in ideology between the two parties. The Chinese communist party was of the belief that the fledging Chinese republic would be better off if ruled under a communist ideology almost similar to what existed in the united soviet socialist republic. On the contrary the Guomindangs vision was formed by Sun Yat-sen who was a well traveled man who had studied in Hawaii in the United States. Sun had a vision of the new China as a democratic country where the citizens were free of foreign influence and where they were free and able to earn a living, a form of capitalist society so to speak. This view had been acquired through his travels as a result of the economic progress and developments that he had seen in the western world. Mao Zedong on the other hand came from a peasant family; his view of china was that it was society where the upper class ruled and lorded over the poor masses, he felt that a classless society would be the best way to move China from the inequality and poverty that was endemic of the poor class. This was the basis through which the two leaders adopted and embraced divergent ideologies that eventually resulted in the failed relationship between their parties. Another reason for the failure of the relationship between Guomindang and the Chinese communist party was the power hungry nature of the leaders of these parties. Through out the period when there was a relationship and close interaction between the two parties, one can easily spot incidences where the leaders a good example being Chiang Kai-shek, were primarily interested in being the supreme rulers of a unified China. This was a goal that the two sides were ready to follow at all costs even if it meant massive loss of lives. This in fact was the main reason for such a bitter fall out between two groups that were once collaborators. No one, among the leaders of the two sides was ready to put this ambition aside, instead they carried on with a brutal war with a body count running into the millions just so that they could end up the un opposed rulers of the new republic. Even when the Japanese invaded Manchuria and installed a puppet regime, wish should have been sure because for a tr ue patriot to put any internal differences aside, the war between the two protagonists did not come to an end. Not until one of the sides (Guomindang) was vanquished in war did bloodshed and violence cease in China. Another crucial aspect that contributed to failure in the relationship between the two parties was the Russia factor. From the start when Sun Yat-sen approached the Russians for help after being ignored by western countries, they opted to adopt a dual policy in which they supported both the communist party of China and the Kuomintang, This decision was cunning as it was selfish as Russia itself a fledging republic at the time, wanted to peddle its influence with the two major political players in China at the time, Such a decision was likely to result in conflict at one point or the other, this for a fact was inevitable. It cannot be overlooked that Russia initially gave more support in the form of political strategists, weapons and military aid to the Guomindang. This was so because the party under Sun Yat-sen at that time was larger, stronger and had a wider national appeal as compared to the communist party of China. But once the tide began to change during the war and the communi sts gained an upper hand on the battlefield, Russia switched its support from Guomindang to the Chinese communist party. In a sense it can be concluded that Russia was more interested in spreading its sphere of influence through the adoption of its national ideology in China, to achieve this, it was ready to influence both sides acting as a catalyst to the failure of the relationship that existed between them as long as it achieved its ends.  [10]   Lastly point to note that led to the failure of the relationship between Guomindang and the communist party was the high level of suspicion and mistrust between the leadership of the two parties. In the early part of the alliance between the two parties, Guomindang was much stronger and had a far larger number of members as compared to the Chinese communist party which was a small growing movement at the time, Instead of a situation where the two parties would work together for the greater good of China, Guomindang part leadership would not trust the communists and the communists in return did not have trust in their fellow nationalists, instead Guomindang adopted a policy where communists could only join their party or train in their military academy as individuals and not as members of their own party, they also continuously undermined the communist party leadership due to its weak position and due to the high level of mistrust between the two sides. These according to my analysis are the main reasons why there was a failure in relationship between the Chinese communists and the Guomindang party.

Holiday Customs in Victorian England :: essays research papers

Holiday Customs in Victorian England Although Christ's Nativity has been celebrated since the 4th century, most of the English customs we are familiar with today are as recent as the mid-19th century. Many of the early ceremonies were started with pagan beliefs. â€Å"The Protestant Reformation condemned most of these pagan customs as superstitious and banned public celebrations of Christmas.† Michelle J. Hoppe. It wasn't until Prince Albert married Queen Victoria and brought many German customs with him that Christmas began to gain popularity again. â€Å"One of the first signs of Christmas was the arrival of the Christmas card in the post. John Calcott Horsley designed the first Christmas card in 1846 for Sir Henry Cole, Chairman of the Society of the Arts. Only 1000 cards were printed that first year and were expensive, but the pattern for the future was formed.† Encyclopedia. Then in 1870, postage was reduced. Thus began the real spread of the Christmas card. By the early 1870s, the custom had reached the United States. Christmas decorations sometimes appeared well before the holiday, also, but many still held to the old superstition that it was bad luck to put up a evergreen (Christmas Tree) before Christmas Eve. †The most favored plants were all 'magical' because of the mid-winter berries they produced--mistletoe, holly and ivy. The red berry of the holly was believed to protect one against witchcraft.† Encyclopedia. The sprig had to be carried into the house by a male, as the berry is on the 'male' holly plant. One use for holly sprigs was to decorate the Christmas pudding. The 'female' ivy symbolized immortality. â€Å"Mistletoe, because of its pagan origins, was not allowed in any church. Kissing under the mistletoe was English custom and only as many berries as were on the mistletoe, could there be kisses. For after every kiss, a berry had to be removed from the sprig.† English Customs. The Christmas tree can truly be called a Victorian innovation. The custom of a lighted tree began in Germany then made its way to America. â€Å"It wasn't until Prince Albert, of German descent, brought the Christmas tree to England in 1840 that it gained popularity there. By 1847, the trees at Windsor Castle were laden with presents as well as wax candles.† Michelle J. Hoppe. The tradition spread as English citizens followed the Royal example. The trees and other decorations were removed on Twelfth Night (January 6).

Free College Essays - Symbols of Her Crime in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter - Two Symbols of Her Crime â€Å"It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge,† calmly replied Hester. â€Å"Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport.† (163) Hester Prynne, the central character in the Scarlet Letter, realizes and accepts the consequences of the adulterous act she committed against her husband, Roger Chillingworth, as Hawthorne shows in this quotation. Hester, throughout the book, excludes and humbles herself because of her crime, rather than simply running away. At the same time, she advertises her sin through the brilliantly embroidered â€Å"A† and through her daughter, Pearl, born out of this sin. Hester realizes that she indeed sinned in committing adultery, and, being the strong individual that she is, accepts the consequences of her actions. In fact, much of the suffering incurred from Hester’s sin results from her own actions. She, by her own choice, wears humble, dismal clothes; she moves to the outskirts of her town, but refuses to run away to a place where no one knows of her crime; she excludes herself from society, while society does not always exclude her. Instead of escaping her crime, Hester embraces it. She declares, â€Å"It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge... Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport,† realizing the crime she committed and the fairness of her punishment—the scarlet letter (163). Hester goes so far as to dwell upon the letter as a symbol of her guilt. The brilliant crimson â€Å"A† resides on her humbly clothed chest, making the letter stand out all the more; Pearl, the child of sin, runs beside her mother, dressed in spectacular clothing â€Å"abundantly embroidered with fantasies and flourishes of gold thread,† in effect, personifying that same symbol (102). In each case, Hester advertises the fact that she has sinned and that she is paying for her crime, again bring more suffering upon herself. And again, she accepts it. She realizes the letter should only be removed when she is no longer guilty of her crime. She knows, therefore, that day will never come. Society, however, thinks differently.

Chekhovs Vanka - The Pathos of Vanka Essay -- Vanka Essays

Chekhov's Vanka - The Pathos of Vanka  Ã‚   Immediately following Chekhov's death, the Russian philosopher Shestov (1866-1938) wrote an essay entitled "Creation from the Void," in which he stated, "Chekhov was a singer of hopelessness . . . Chekhov did only one thing: In one way or another he smashed human hopes." Anton Chekhov's "Vanka" accomplishes that quite thoroughly. Vanka, the only active character, believes himself beset on all sides by his bleak world and relies on his own innocence and naivetà © to shield him. The basic premise of the story centers around the boy, including his futile epistolary plea for release to his questionable grandfather, while the author stresses the dangers of the boy's reliance on his innocence. The author's exploitation of Vanka's innocence and naivetà © challenges the sentimentality of Chekhov's "Vanka." Vanka assumes his grandfather, the lively Konstantin Makaritch, will lovingly bear him from his bleak existence upon receiving the letter, but upon closer inspection his grandfather is an unfit and unlikely savior. There are two separate aspects to "Vanka." The boy either concentrates on the drafting of his letter or loses himself in the memory of his grandfather. However, the boy's fond recollections contain evidence of his grandfather's disturbing character traits. In one instance, Vanka recalls his "laughing face and drunken eyes" (47). This fond remembrance alludes to a perpetual state of alcohol-induced befuddlement. His grandfather, a probable drinker, was also probably a womanizer, as Vanka imagines him "pinching first the housemaid, then the cook" (47). Thus, the author establishes the grandfather as unfit to care for Vanka. To discredit the grandfather further, the author uses rel... ...easing the pathos of the story, this final joke acts as a heart-hardener, transforming dejected despondency into caustic hilarity. The degree of exploitation of Vanka's innocence in Chekhov's tale alters the tone of the story. The growing sentimentality for Vanka and his grandfather extinguishes itself, replaced by empty mirth. Though first a tale of mawkish sentimentality, the author utilizes Vanka's naivetà © to debunk the grandfather, then ends "Vanka" with an ironic, twisting joke, similar to that of Maupassant's "The Necklace." Works Cited Chekhov, Anton. "Vanka" Understanding Fiction. 3rd ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979. 46-50 de Maupassant, Guy. "The Necklace" Understanding Fiction. 3rd ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979. 66-72

Nonstop of Musical Innovation Essay

In recent times, pop culture had been one of the most evident products of media which had strongly influenced many, many generations including our present society. Legions of different rock bands from the very famous groups such as Beatles, The Who, Metallica and Aero Smith and other different bands and artists have sprung out through the years and have influenced the kind or genre of music that can be currently heard by many people. Different age groups had been affected the lyrics, rhythm, and trends that all the bands had brought to the public. The popularity of the pop culture had spread in different parts of the United States as well as other countries. Aerosmith: In the early times of rock music artist such as Elvis Presley and the band called Beatles had been invading the airwaves. Most of the albums made by these artists had been best sellers in the world having sold millions and millions of copies in every record that they have made. Because of the uniqueness and charm of these artists many people had been captivated by them. Millions of fans adores and put them in a pedestal like they were gods. Devotion to these people was too much that there were horrendous acts done by people just in order to see them live. The frenzy of admiring rock and roll bands had been absorbed by the next generation and was passed to the incoming rock bands of the next generations. In the 1970’s a new rock band paved its way in the rock music scene called the Aerosmith. This group became the most popular hard rock band of the 70’s that have set the sound and style of heavy metal and hard rock for two decades given their rough bluesy attitude. This Boston based group of five discovered a sound between the menace of the band Rolling Stones and campy, grubby grandiosity of the punk rock band called the New York Dolls. In the flowery words of writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine Aero Smith â€Å"developed a lean, dirty riff-oriented boogie that was loose and swinging and as hard as a diamond† (Erlewine n. p. ). The rock band was originally from Boston and was also known as â€Å"The Bad Boys of Boston† and â€Å"The Greatest Rock and Roll Band† due to their attitude on stage and the transform that they have contributed to the American music and its society. The band had mixed the sound of hard rock, metal, and R&B which was imitated by many artists and bands of the following generations. The band have musically innovated this type of music which had been their signature sound. However, this band did not start from the top of the music industry thus they started in Massachusetts, Boston and eventually they were able to acquire supporters that followed them through out their career. The band Aerosmith is composed of 5 group members with Steve Tyler as the lead vocalist, Joe Perry and Ray Tabano as the guitarists, Tom Hamilton as the bassist, and Joe Kramer as their drummer. After a few months of playing together, Ray Tabano was replaced by another guitarist named Brad Whitford. After only 2 years of continuous gigs the band already has recorded songs for Columbia Records and their album was first release in 1973. Their album was entitled Aerosmith which already sold millions of records. Their following album was released and became successful. In 1976, their album Rock has made their existence in the music industry stable. Due to this album, the band had been named as one of the most significant artists that are in the hard rock genre. Through the continuous rise of the band’s career, conflicts within the groups have risen. Misunderstanding among its group members became a problem that they needed to face. Another issue that they have to overcome was the drug addiction of members of their group Due to these concerns two of the band members Perry and Whitford left the band in 1979 and 1981. In the following years of Aerosmith’s career, they have received nominations and gained more fans through the years. Due to the unchanging popularity of the band and their songs, the new generations of listeners were grabbed by this band gaining more support and influence unlike other band did. The ability of the band to relate their lyrics to the current listeners and their talent to mix genres of music had been very helpful for the group because they had been flexible for all their listeners. Though the years, many different songs had been popularized by the band. Many songs made by Aerosmith have topped the charts of MTV, Billboard and the likes. They were also nominated in different parts of the world and had performed in different stages may it be in Europe, Asia, or Latin America. Their songs had been soundtracks for different movies like Armagedon, Charlie’s Angels and other long list of other movies. All the songs that were done by the Aerosmith had been a hit for most people and one of the most popular songs that they had made was â€Å"Walk this Way. † The song was made in 1970s and became one of the most popular songs at that time. The heavy rock blues of the song became one of the most significant symbols of the era due to the honestly of the lyrics and the upbeat rhythm of the song. It had captured the ears of mostly the teenagers who would definitely relate to the lyrics of the song. Walk this Way: Aerosmith and Run DMC In the August of 1975, the song â€Å"Walk this Way† was released by Aerosmith that was in the â€Å"Top of the Attic† album. The song itself had topped the Billboard Charts 100 and America’s top ten (Power 22) when it was released. Based on Maury Dean the author of the book â€Å"Rock ‘N’ Roll Gold Rush: A Singles Un-cyclopedia,† said that the song â€Å"Walk this Way† of the year 1975 said that â€Å"its lyrics get often smushed by screeching guitars, smashing crash drum thunder, whooshing keyboards, and keening guitar phrasers. Then the bass uppercuts the overwhelmed singer off an amp the since of a Rolls-Royce† these were that words expressed by the author as he describes the song launched by the Aerosmith. In another book written by Martin Power, he also described the song and said that the song â€Å"Walk this way† is a â€Å"wise –cracking tale of lost virginity† (Power 22). In Songfacts. com, it was understood that the song was about a â€Å"promiscuous cheerleader who leads a school boy through his first sexual experience. † In the following facts, it was said that the song was inspired by the movie â€Å"Young Frankenstein. † In the movie, Igor tries to teach Frankenstein to â€Å"walk this way. † Franskenstein then imitates the walk of Igor and learns how to walk. Aerosmith finds Frankenstein’s walk funny and then they decided to make it as the title of the song. Immediately, the song was written by Steve Tyler however, when they were about to record the song, he left the lyrics in the cab that they rode. Steve Tyler immediately ran outside of the studio but he was not able to neither call the cab nor obtain the lyrics again. In the last minute, Tyler wrote the lyrics on the wall. A fresh material such as the talk box was used in making this hit song. For your added information, a device box is used by guitarists to create vocal sounds through a vinyl tube that is fastened to the unit that is attached to the output/speakers of the guitar amplifier. An example is in the video of the Bon Jovi â€Å"It’s My Life,† where in the guitarist was controlling the sound of the guitar to create new dynamics of sounds being radiated by the guitar. In the continuing years, the song â€Å"Walk this Way† was stuck into the minds of people as well as many artists. The song was well appreciated by many and due to this a remake of this song was made in 1986 by a group called Run DMC. The group is composed of 3 African-American men that had made a mark in the musical industry similar to Aerosmith. The genre of this group is Rap and Hip-Hop which is very different from the genre of the rock band. Parallel to the rock band Aerosmith, Run DMC are legendary in their specialized genre. They had also won awards in the MTV music awards and Billboard Awards. Currently they are seen as hip-hop legends and an inspiration for many aspiring artists of the present time (Sony BMG Music Entertainment n. p. ). The remake of the song â€Å"Walk this Way† by Run DMC made a unique strike in the music industry. The two very different musical genres have come together in one song without over powering or overlapping the unique sounds of the two bands. The rugged sound of Aerosmith and the upbeat tempo of Run DMC were both evident and enjoyed by their followers. Due to remake and the collaboration of the song, the lyrics of the next version were changed to fit the rap part of Run DMC which elaborated the theme of the song. In the book written by Anthony De Curtis, he stated that â€Å"it was one of the first rap videos to get heavy play on MTV† (DeCurtis 248). In another phrase stated in the book of DeCurtis he said that, â€Å"the video was a successful attempt to introduce rap music to the white audiences† (De Curtis 248). In the point of view of DeCurtis, he sees that the collaboration of these two legendary artists have opened up the white Americans and African-American supporters of these groups to open up the minds of in the types of music that they are hearing. Although in the 1990s, racism was not a big issue unlike in the history of the United States, the types of music that person chooses reflects of the cultural background of the listener. The labeling of the hard rock genre is the type of music that white Americans wants to hear while the African-Americans listen to rap and hip hop music. Through this song, the strictly limited genres of hard rock and hip hop opened up to the whole society while showing that White American music and African-American music could be combined and eventually creating a new type of music. In addition, the video of the song was very symbolic in a sense that the video showed a wall separating the two artists—which were purely whites (Aerosmith) and purely African-Americans (Run DMC) on the other side. In reality, the invisible wall that is separating the two races was very present due to many factors of the society. As mentioned earlier, the connotation of white Americans as listeners of the hard rock genre and the African-Americans as listeners of the hip hop culture. In the conservative view, any person that is showing interest in a genre not usually appreciated by his/her race is seen as unfaithful to his/her community but through the music made by these artists. In some sense, the capability to hatch up the two very different musical genres was made possible. Aerosmith and Run DMC were able to reach the masses and were able to communicate their intentions. The successful collaboration of these two legendary artists led the way for the younger generations to appreciate the new genre created by these artists. In much recent times, the very obvious collaborations of various artists with different types of genres had somehow been a trend. Current artists such as Linkin Park, Limp Biscuit, Korn, Papa Roach, Incubus and Blink 182 are some of the most popular bands who had been exemplifying the great influence Aerosmith and Run DMC. The mixture of hip-hop, rap and rock is in fact manifest in the music made by these artists. Still, the upbeat tempo of rhyming words and the heavy screeching of the guitar had been a great influence for many artists today and is continuously developed to create new genres of music. Looking at the current music industry, more and more artists had been collaborating with one another. One example is Mariah Carey which never fails to include collaborations in her album and it eventually became her signature style. Artists such as the Black Eyed Peas have collaborated with a couple of various artists that has different genres such as Sergio Mendez (Bossa Nova) , Justine Timberlake (pop/ R&B) just to name a few. Jack Johnson an acoustic artist allows his music to be mixed which house music in order to create new a fresh sound out of the old ones. Timbaland a very well known producer and artists is one of the most famous individuals in Hollywood that made collaborations of artists. Most of the collaborations that he produced topped the charts in different parts of the country and the world. Through the continuous creativity, innovation and talent of the current generation as well as the influences that they had in the past, the simple genres of pop, rock, rap, had became much more diverse and fluid. The conservative notion of just following the current trend in music, brave souls that are willing to be rejected and ridiculed by the society due to the music that they believe is beautiful are very well known and very much appreciated by the listeners not only in the United States but also in various parts of the world. Conclusion: Through the analysis of the artists: Aerosmith and Run DMC, the song: Walk this way (1975) and Walk this Way (1986), the video of the song, the current artists and their new innovation in their music, it is evident that the song and the legendary artists who bravely produced this song made a history in the music industry. The groups have opened up the creative minds of the new generation in creating new types of genres which could be more appreciated by various types of people because of the diverse mixture of sounds and rhythm. The one-time collaboration of Aerosmith and Run DMC have paved the way to many artist not to fear in creating the type of music that they really believe is striking and also be appreciated by many people. The constant innovation of music creates diversion of the music appreciated by everyone. The social construct of limiting a person or a race with the type of music that she or he should listen is now gone. The racial separation within the choice of music within the society had now been lessened. This creates a more diversified society and limits the barriers that are restrain the society from totally mixing with one another. Music is evidently one of the strongest influences that the society has. The wide scope of media and technology has allowed everyone to listen, and watch how various artists live their lives and inspire themselves in creating good music. The availability of the internet had created a much more intimate relationship between the artists and their supporters which creates much stronger connection between them. More and more artist had been influencing the people and society which creates more power and persuasion towards the people. WALK THIS WAY Aerosmith feat. Run DMC (1987) There’s a backseat lover, that’s always undercover and I talked till my daddy say, said â€Å"ya ain’t seen nothin till your down on a muffin, and theres sure to be a change in way† now theres a cheerleader, that’s a real big pleaser as far as I could reminice and the best thing lovin’ was you sister and your cousin and it started with a little kiss, like this She start swingin’ with the boys in school and her feet are flyin’ up in the air singin hey diddle diddle with the titty in the middle, and you swingin like you just dont care so I took a big chance at the highschool dance with a lady who was ready to play it wasn’t me she was foolin’ cause she new what she was doin when she told me how to walk this way, she told me to CHORUS walk this way, talk this way (x2) she told me to walk this way, talk this way (x2) just give me a kiss†¦ like this school girl sleezy with a classy kinda sassy little skirt hangin way up her knee there were three young ladies in a school gym locker and I find there were lookin at D I was a highschool loser never made it with a lady till the boys told me somethin’ i miss then my next door neighbor had a daughter, had a favour and I gave the girl a little kiss, like this she start swingin’ with the boys in the school, with your feet flyin up in the air singin hey diddle diddle with the titty in the middle I was swingin like I didnt care so I took a big chance at the highschool dance with the miss who was ready to play wasn’t me she was foolin, cause she knew what she was doin when she told me how to walk this way, she told me to CHORUS Works Cited Aerosmith, â€Å"History. † 2 July 2008. Aerosmith. com. 2 July 2008. . Aerosmith and Run DMC, â€Å"Walk this Way (AeroSmith Run DMC). †2 July 2008. Lyrics007. com. 2 July 2008. . Dean, Maury. â€Å"Rock ‘N’ Roll Gold Rush A Singles Un-cyclopedia. † Newyork: Algora Publishing, 2003. 380. Power, Martin. â€Å"The Complete Guide To the Music of Aerosmith: The Complete Guide. † New York: Omnibus Press, 1997. 22. Rubey, Dan. â€Å"Voguing at the Carnival: Desire and Pleasure on MTV. † Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture. Ed 1992. DeCurtis, Anthony. United States of America: Duke Publishing Press, 1992. 248. Run DMC Featuring Aerosmith. â€Å"Walk this Way. † Posted on: 2 February 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2008. . Song Facts. â€Å"Walk this Way† 2 July 2008. Songfacts. com. 2 July 2008. . Sony BMG Music Entertainment. â€Å"Bio. † 2 July 2008. Run DMC. 2 July 2008. .

Love Triangles and Betrayal in Carmen Essay

The creation of operas from pre-existing literary texts is a complex process implicating the original author, the librettists, the opera directors, the publishers, and the composer. In the process of transformation, the involved parties consider prevailing cultural values as well as their own artistic ideals. These considerations weigh all the more heavily on the process when the literary text involves complex romantic relationships. Georges Bizet’s Carmen (1875), Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello (1887), and Claude Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande (1902) provide examples of this transformation process. In all three of these works, love triangles figure prominently. These love triangles, though they share some superficial similarities, are extraordinarily different in terms of their composition and the ultimate fate of the characters. Carmen When the directors of the Opera-Comique, a venue with repertoire typically geared towards an extremely conservative, family-oriented, bourgeois audience (McClary, 1992, p. 15-16), commissioned Bizet to write an opera in 1872, Bizet suggested Prosper Merimee’s novel Carmen as a possible subject (Macdonald, 2010). The directors of the Opera-Comique were divided in their support of this work as a subject for an opera. De Leuven, in particular, was against this choice, citing the scandalous nature of the story and the conservative nature of the venue’s target audience as reasons behind his disapproval: â€Å"Carmen! The Carmen of Merimee? Wasn’t she murdered by her lover?†¦ At the Opera-Comique, the theatre of families, of wedding parties? You would put the public to flight. No, no, impossible. † (as cited in Jenkins, 2003). Indeed, it appears that the on-stage death was of particular consternation for the director: â€Å"Death on the stage of the Opera-Comique! Such a thing has never been seen! Never! † (as cited in Nowinski, 1970, p. 895). The choice of Carmen ultimately played a role in de Leuven’s resignation from his post in 1874 (McClary, 1992, p. 23). The source text for Carmen is a novella by Prosper Merimee. The author originally published this work in 1845 in the Revue des deux mondes, a non-fiction journal. The author had previously published travelogues in the same journal, and this work contained no indication that it was a work of fiction (Boynton, 2003). Instead, the work reads as a â€Å"true† story of Merimee’s voyage to Spain in 1830. In the midst of his travels, the author-narrator encounters Don Jose, the man who, after succumbing to Carmen’s seductive powers, kills her in a jealous rage following her confession of a love affair with Lucas. The librettists for Carmen, Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy, at the time that they were commissioned to write this work for the Opera-Comique had already successfully worked together as a team on a number of works (including Offenbach’s La Belle Helene and La Vie parisienne) for the Parisian boulevard theatres (McClary, 1992, p. 18). In their previous librettos, the team had split the work: Meilhac wrote the prose dialogue, and Halevy supplied the verse (McClary, 1992, p. 18). In operatic settings, the prose would typically be left as spoken dialogue (for the Opera-Comique) or set as recitative. In transforming Merimee’s novella into a libretto, Meilhac and Halevy made numerous changes. Unfortunately, there is a lack of primary source evidence detailing the minutiae of the collaborative process which would shed further light upon the reasons behind these changes (Jenkins, 2003). These changes include minimizing Carmen’s criminal activities, adding the character of Micaela, and eliminating Merimee’s framing device. The removal of Merimee’s framing device (accomplished by not including a narrator) and the introduction of Don Jose before his downfall make Carmen, and not Don Jose, the focus of the story (Jenkins, 2003). Indeed, the Carmen of the libretto, with her voice not being interrupted by the narrator’s commentary, speaks directly to the audience (McClary, 1992, p. 21). Carmen was composed as a four-act opera comique, originally with spoken dialogue (as opposed to recitative). The dialogue was transformed into recitative by Guiraud for a production in Vienna, and it was performed this way for many years before producers reverted to Bizet’s original spoken text (Macdonald, 2010). Further changes to Merimee’s original resulted from Guiraud’s involvement. Meilhac’s original dialogues at times quoted directly from Merimee’s Carmen, and these instances of direct quotation were largely eliminated in Guiraud’s version (McClary, 1992, p. 45). With the addition of Micaela, the librettists created a moralizing character, the polar opposite of Carmen, with whom the Opera-Comique audiences could readily identify (McClary, 1992, p. 21). The addition of Micaela complicates the love triangle. In Merimee’s original, the love triangle included the characters of Carmen, Don Jose, and Lucas. In the operatic version, both Don Jose and Escamillo are in love with Carmen, and both Carmen and Micaela are in love with Don Jose. The librettists also substantially changed Carmen’s character. Though they downplayed Carmen’s involvement in criminal activities (she is no longer the leader of the smugglers as Merimee portrayed her) arguably in order to make her more sympathetic, they focus almost exclusively on her sexuality (to the exclusion of her healing powers and intelligence as presented in the original) (McClary, 1992, p. 22). Bizet’s music underlines the differences in characters and underlines the complex nature of the interlocking love triangles in the opera. Micaela is presented as a sweet, pure, innocent woman. Her entrance is conventional, and her music is marked by neither intense chromaticism nor indications of exoticism (McClary, 1997, p. 120). Carmen’s entrance, in contrast, disrupts the formal procedures Bizet set up from the beginning of the opera, and her music is largely chromatic and marked with features typically associated with the exotic (McClary, 1997, p. 120). Her music, like her body and personality, is irresistible to any man she sets her sights on. Don Jose’s music is different from that of both of his female admirers. His melodic lines are long, irregularly phrased, and lacking in regular cadences (McClary, 1997, p. 124). Additionally, he, unlike Escamillo, lacks a signature melodic line (McClary, 1997, p. 127). McClary points to the incompatibility of Carmen’s and Don Jose’s musical styles as evidence of the ultimate failure of their relationship. In contrast, Carmen’s brief duet with Escamillo in act four seems sincere because their musical styles are compatible (McClary, 1997, p. 125). Ultimately, Don Jose kills Carmen in a fit of jealousy over her relationship with Escamillo, and Micaela is deprived of her true love as he gives himself up to the police following his murder of Carmen. Otello Though the two Shakespeare aficionados Giuseppe Verdi and Arrigo Boito met as early as 1862, it was not until 1879 that the events leading to the composition of Otello were set in motion (Aycock, 1972, p. 594). The four-act Otello received its premiere on February 5, 1887 in Milan. In transforming the play into opera libretto, Boito eliminated six of the fourteen characters and cut the entire first act (Aycock, 1972, p. 595). Boito also cut Othello’s statement of self-defence following his murder of Desdemona from the end of the play (Aycock, 1972, p. 596). This last cut serves to keep the opera’s focus on the tragic love story. This love story principally revolves around the actions of Othello, Desdemona, and Iago. When the opera opens, Desdemona and Othello are newly married. However, Roderigo (Iago’s friend) still loves Desdemona. Iago, upset with Cassio who has been promoted over him, fabricates proof of Desdemona’s infidelity with Cassio in order to play on Othello’s jealous nature. The proof of this infidelity, in both the play and the opera, is a handkerchief. Othello murders Desdemona, and when he learns that his belief in his wife’s infidelity was mistaken, he kills himself. In this story, both Roderigo and Othello are in love with Desdemona. Given Roderigo’s minimal role in the opera, however, Iago takes his place in the dramatic situation of the love triangle. It is his betrayal and deception that leads to the demise of the two main characters. The end of the first act contains a conventional love duet between Othello and Desdemona. As Aycock (1972, p. 595) remarks, the love between these two principal characters is mature and predicated on confidence in each other’s fidelity. The climax of this love duet, on the words â€Å"un bacio†¦Otello!†¦ un bacio,† features a new melody in the orchestra. This melody reappears only in the last act, most notably when Othello commits suicide (Lawton, 1978, p. 211). The character of Iago in the opera is much more the creation of Verdi and Boito than of Shakespeare. Iago’s Credo, where he proclaims his devotion to a cruel God and admits that he is unquestionably evil, was entirely the invention of Boito (Aycock, 1972, p. 600). For Verdi, the emphasis on this character allowed him to confirm to Italian operatic tradition, which called for a baritone villain role (Aycock, 1972, p. 601). Pelleas et Melisande Maurice Maeterlinck’s play Pelleas et Melisande received its Parisian premiere at the Theatre des Bouffes-Parisiens on May 17, 1893, and Claude Debussy was in attendance (Grayson, 1985, p. 35, 37). By the fall of the same year, he had already begun composing what would later become Act IV scene 4 (Grayson, 1985, p. 37). In the case of this operatic transformation, there was no librettist acting as a middle-man. Instead, Debussy constructed the libretto himself, from Maeterlinck’s original text. The composer remained true to the original play, changing nary a word. He did, however, cut some scenes, and these cuts were made with the Maeterlinck’s authorization. In November 1893, the composer travelled to Ghent to meet with the author, and the two men discussed several possible cuts. Debussy reported to Ernest Chausson that Maeterlinck had given him â€Å"complete authorization to make cuts and even indicated some which were very important, even very useful† (as cited in Grayson, 1985, p. 37). From Maeterlinck’s original play, there were only four scenes that Debussy did not set: Act I scene 1, Act II scene 4, Act III scene 1, and Act V scene 1 (Grayson, 1985, p. 38). These scenes appear to have been cut because they are unrelated to the central narrative, leading to the demise of both Pelleas and Melisande. While Debussy used Maeterlinck’s original text, he did, in some instances, cut some of the text to make the libretto more concise. Act III scene 3, for example, was cut so heavily so that only one third of the original text remained (Grayson, 1985, p. 40). Two further cuts came in 1902. During Pelleas et Melisande’s first season at the Opera-Comique, Debussy was forced to cut one scene from the performances: Act IV scene 3 (Grayson, 1985, p. 39). This almost purely symbolic scene features Yniold (Golaud’s son from a previous marriage). At the end of the scene, Yniold, wishing to share his experiences with Melisande, unwittingly reveals to Golaud that she is not in her room (Grayson, 2003, p. 76) – in essence, he signals her disloyalty to her husband. The scene was reinserted in its second season. Also, at the dress rehearsal, the Director of Fine Arts, censored the work, calling for the suppression of Act III scene 4, a scene where Yniold is forced, by his violent father, to spy on the suspected lovers (Grayson, 2003, p. 80). Pelleas et Melisande begins with Golaud discovering Melisande by a fountain in a forest. She seems to be lost and confused, and she follows Golaud on his wanderings. The two get married in secret and return to the castle of Golaud’s father. There, Melisande meets Golaud’s brother Pelleas, and these two fall in love. In one scene, Golaud happens upon Pelleas caressing Melisande’s hair streaming out from a tower window, and he realizes that his brother has betrayed him. Golaud, blind with jealousy, kills his brother in Act III. At the end of the opera, Melisande also dies, but not before giving birth to a daughter. The plot, then, revolves around the love triangle of Melisande, Golaud, and Pelleas. The unquestioning inclusion of on-stage deaths demonstrates how much the Opera-Comique had changed since the 1875 premiere of Carmen. From the time of Debussy’s first draft of Act IV scene 4 in the fall of 1893, it took almost a decade for the opera to reach the stage of the Opera-Comique. Debussy worked intensely on the opera in 1895 and completed a short score of the opera in August of that year (Grayson, 2003, p. 78). Though he had a completed opera, he had major difficulties finding a suitable venue for the performance of the work. Albert Carre, the director of the Opera-Comique, accepted Pelleas â€Å"in principal† in 1898, but he did not give Debussy written confirmation of the deal until 1901 (Grayson, 2003, p. 79). Though Debussy was ambivalent about Wagnerian leitmotive techniques, he does employ leitmotivs in Pelleas. While most of these leitmotivs are connected to ideas, each major character has his or her own leitmotiv (Nichols and Smith, 1989, p. 81). Melisande’s motive, for example, is comparatively lyrical, wandering, and typically played by oboes or flutes while Golaud’s motive consists of two notes in alteration with a more pronounced rhythmic emphasis. These motives are typically associated with different harmonic fields. Melisande’s melody is pentatonic but is typically harmonized with a half diminished seventh chord (Nichold and Smith, 1989, p. 91). Golaud’s motive, because of its sparse melodic line consisting of only two notes, is more harmonically flexible. Debussy uses it in a variety of harmonic contexts including whole-tone, dorian, and minor. Comparison of Works These three works present a widely diverse picture of operatic life in late nineteenth century France and Italy. In terms of source texts, there is a novella (Carmen), a play in verse (Otello), and a play in prose (Pelleas et Melisande). In two of the cases (Carmen and Otello), neither the composer nor the librettist knew the author of the original literary work. In the case of Pelleas, the composer had direct contact with the original author and constructed the libretto himself. These three operas were then composed in different forms: an opera comique in versions with both spoken dialogue and sung recitative (Carmen), a hybrid of continuous action with set pieces (Otello), and a largely through-composed work with one aria (Pelleas). In each instance, the transformation process reveals that it was not only the librettist and composer who were involved in the opera’s ultimate form: opera directors, publishers, and censors also had some hand in the final product. One shared trait amongst these three works was the need for the librettist to cut considerable amounts of literary material from the original text. This phenomenon is understandable given that it takes a considerably longer period of time to sing a text rather than say it. In choosing sections of texts to cut, the librettists were faced with the challenge of leaving enough of the narrative design so that it would remain comprehensible to the audience. The composer could then use musical devices to fill in some of the gaps that this missing text created. For example, Bizet could use different musical styles to highlight differences in race and class (McClary, 1997). Similarly, Debussy could use different harmonic languages (whole tone, pentatonic, modal) to indicate subtly differences in the quality of light (Nichols and Smith, 1989). A second shared trait is that two of the composers appear to have made decisions based on operatic convention in their composition of the opera. Bizet’s concession to operatic convention takes the form of the introduction of the character of Micaela, a character absent from Merimee’s original but whose presence, as mentioned above, was deemed necessary to make the work suitable for the conservative Opera-Comique audience. Verdi’s concessions are evident in the finale to Act 3, where he asked Boito to alter the libretto to make room for a traditional grand concertato finale (Parker, 2010) as well as in the changes to Iago’s character mentioned above. A third shared trait is that these three works focus on love triangles, with an act of betrayal or jealousy leading to the deaths of one or more of the principal characters. In Carmen, the primary love triangle revolves around Carmen, Don Jose, and Escamillo. In the end, Carmen dies. In Otello, the love triangle of Othello, Desdemona, and Roderigo has a tragic ending with the death of both Othello and Desdemona. Similarly, the Pelleas-Melisande-Golaud triangle results in the death of two of the characters: Pelleas and Melisande. In each case, the composer highlights one of the romantic relationships as being more viable or more sincere than the others. Bizet, as noted, employs different musical styles for each of the characters, with only Escamillo’s language being compatible with Carmen’s. Verdi wrote a traditional love duet for Othello and Desdemona, the sincerity of which is highlighted with its aforementioned reappearance in the final act. Debussy employs a technique similar to that of Bizet: he has Pelleas and Melisande sing together in octaves in Act IV scene 4). The similarities between the presentations of the love triangles stops with this characteristic, for the relationship dynamics within the central triangles are quite different in these works. In Carmen, the title character is both the primary female love interest and the character responsible for the betrayal. She betrays Don Jose’s love for her, however ill-founded it may be, by confessing her love for Escamillo. In contrast to the other operatic heroines studied here, Carmen is a femme-fatale. In Verdi’s Otello, the love between Othello and Desdemona is sincere, and neither one carries on an affair with someone else. The primary reason behind their deaths is Iago’s treachery. However, Othello does, in a sense, betray Desdemona by believing Iago’s lies. His acknowledgment of this betrayal can be seen in his committing suicide. In Debussy’s Pelleas, the guilty party is less clearly identified. Melisande, though she betrays her marriage by falling in love with Pelleas, is not depicted as a femme fatale. Instead, she is presented as an innocent, idealized woman (Smith, 1981, p. 105). Pelleas betrays his brother by having an affair with his wife. Though Debussy, as mentioned above, sympathizes with their love and highlights the love Pelleas and Melisande have for each other by having them sing together in octaves. It appears that these characters are not to be held accountable for their actions because their love was inevitable, foretold in advance by fate. ? References Aycock, R. E. (1972). Shakespeare, Boito, and Verdi. The Musical Quarterly, 58 (4), 588-604. Boynton, S. (2003) Prosper Merimee’s novella Carmen. New York City Opera Project: Carmen. Retrieved from http://www. columbia. edu/itc/music/NYCO/carmen/merimee. html Grayson, D. (1985). The Libretto of Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande. Music and Letters, 66 (1), 35-50. Grayson, D. (2003). Debussy on stage. In The Cambridge Companion to Debussy. Ed. Simon Trezise. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 61-83. Jenkins, C. (2003). Carmen: The Librettists. New York City Opera Project: Carmen. Retrieved from http://www. columbia. edu/itc/music/NYCO/carmen/librettists. html Lawton, D. (1978). On the ‘Bacio’ theme in Otello. 19th-Century Music, 1 (3), 211-220. Macdonald, H. (2010). Carmen (ii). Grove Online. Retrieved from http://www. oxfordmusiconline. com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O008315? q=carmen&search=quick&pos=22&_start=1#firsthit McClary, S. (1992). Georges Bizet, Carmen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. McClary, S. (1997). Structures of identity and difference in Bizet’s Carmen. In The Work of Opera: Genre, Nationhood, and Sexual Difference. Ed. Richard Dellamora and Daniel Fischlin. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 115-130. Nichols, R. & Smith, R. L. (1989). Claude Debussy, Pelleas et Melisande. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nowinski, J. (1970). Sense and sound in George Bizet’s Carmen. The French Review, 43 (6), 891-900. Parker, R. (2010). Otello (ii). Grove Music Online. Retrieved from http://www. oxfordmusiconline. com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O003882>. Smith, R. L. (1981).