The Role Of The Modern Spectator Theatre Essay

The Role Of The Modern Spectator Theatre Essay Society considers art as a reflection of what is happening in the world, as well as the different types of personalities that people portray. Consequently, society expects that the modern spectator go beyond merely sharing the artists experiences to interpret for him or herself the meaning of these. The cathartic role of the modern spectator has thus been reduced, as he or she is no longer the passive participant, seated in a theater hall or cinema, merely watching a piece of art. Instead, he or she has been made to take up an active role of learning from the works of art, in order to create change for him or her and the society as a whole. The discussion includes what is meant by the cathartic role of the modern spectator, how it has diminished in the new form of theater, and whether it is possible for him or her to reclaim it. 1 Eva Berczeller. The Aesthetic Feeling and Aristotles Catharsis Theory. The Journal of Psychology 65, (1967): 261-71. 2 Esta Powell. Catharsis in psychology and beyond: a historic overview. Accessed 13 January 2011 http://primal- page.com/cathar.htm Schultz and Schultzs definition of catharsis considers it as a psychic process where unconscious thoughts and feelings are made conscious, therefore, allowing the individual to express himself in manner that can be understood.3. Similarly, Szczeklik considers catharsis from as a technique by which an individual lets go of his emotions which are related to unpleasant experiences in the past.4 Aristotle considered catharsis as the process by which spectators set themselves free from the emotions that a piece of art triggers in them, such that they obtain relief and a sense of inner peace. In other words, experiencing catharsis had moral and ethical implications because it helped to moderate passions and strong emotions, therefore restoring the balance in ones life. The pleasure of releasing ones emotions resulted in a relief from disturbances such as pity and fear. He saw catharsis as aiming at creating a nice and gratifying feeling of relief to the spectator. Evidently, the word catharsis takes on different meanings in different fields of knowledge, but what these definitions have in common are the aspects of cleansing or purging, releasing of emotions brought about by a persons experiences. Esta Powell affirms this by saying that, catharsis takes different forms but its essence remains the same, since it is a release from some burden (either physical or mental) and bring s healing through its purging effect. 5 Consequently, the underlying notion of purging that has made scholars acknowledge catharsis as a healing, cleansing, and transforming experience, a technique that can be used to bring about a therapeutic change. ______________ 3 Esta Powell. Catharsis in psychology and beyond: a historic overview, Accessed 13 January 2011 http://primal- page.com/cathar.htm 4 Andrzej Szczeklik. Catharsis: on the art of medicine. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2005 5 Duane Schultz and Sydney Schultz A history of modern psychology. Belmont, ca: Wadsworth/Thompson. 2004. In the sphere of theater, catharsis is used to refer to any discharge of emotions; in this case, an audience releases his or her emotions while watching a drama in any suitable method and channel. The spectator therefore has a role to play in theater, in that; he or she is deemed to express the emotions aroused by theatric activities. How does catharsis occur in theatre? According to Esta Powell, artists use different strategies to trigger strong emotional displays in their audiences. Many artists use the effect of surprise and unexpectedness to bring about catharsis. For example, in the Greek tragedy Oedipus rex, Oedipus experiences catharsis when he feels culpable of murdering his father, marrying his mother, who later commits suicide and the loneliness he feels as a result. 7 Scheff believes that human beings strive to engage in activities that will enable them free themselves from hurtful emotional experiences, and therefore obtain a sense of calm. He gives the example of a spectator who cries about a character who dies in a play. This, he notes, is simply a reawakening of feelings of loss in the viewers life and he or she is reliving unresolved personal experiences. He explains this by saying that theater provides for the audience a safe distance from personal experiences. This is because the social environment of a theater lessens the effect of emotions arising from unpleasant events, as the audience believes that an individual is sympathizing with a play character and not with himself.9 ____________ 7 Esta Powell. Catharsis in psychology and beyond: a historic overview, accessed 13 January 2011 http://primal- page.com/cathar.htm 8 Andrzej Szczeklik, Catharsis: on the art of medicine. Chicago: (The University of Chicago Press, 2005). 9 Thomas Scheff Catharsis in healing, ritual, and drama. Lincoln, ne:( iuniverse.com, 2001). However, the cathartic role of the spectator has diminished due to modernism. The two major personalities, who have opposed the norms of traditional theater and called for a revolution in its practices, are Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud. Tuirenn Hurstfield notes that theater artists Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud were both frustrated by the traditional theaters illusions of imitating reality. In retaliation, they advocated for change. Artaud, feeling the idea of theatre had been lost, moved towards his theatre of cruelty while Brecht, refuting the drama of his time as still following Aristotles idea of catharsis, moved towards a non-Aristotelian mode of theater.10 In what he calls a new form of theater, that is, epic theater. Brecht argues that the spectator is no longer just an observer, but also an actor. Brecht distinguishes this situation from that of what he calls dramatic theatre, or in other words, Aristotles view of theatre, where the spectator is merely an observer, sharing the experience of the actor. He considers catharsis as a way of bringing about greater social change. Pericles Lewis affirms this by saying that Brechts idea of epic theater appealed to reason rather than the expression of emotions and sought to turn the spectator into an observer, who stands aside, separates himself from the action of the play, and studies it. In this respect, what Brecht was doing was to stand against a dominant tradition in theater, which aimed to have the spectator involved in and sharing the experience of the play. In addition, Brecht was against identification or sympathy between the spectators and the actors, which was characteristic of Aristotles idea of catharsis. _____________ 10 Hurstfield Tuirenn, Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artauds revolutionary theatre practices, last modified Aug 28, 2008, http://www.suite101.com/content/bertolt-brecht-antonin-artaud-a66380 11 Pericles Lewis, The Cambridge Introduction to modernism Cambridge: (Cambridge Press, 2007).193- 194. Pericles Lewis notes that Brecht advocates for a separation between the spectator and the action of the play as well as its characters, so that he is able to reflect on his theatric experience in a rational manner, void of the influence of emotions. In other words, Brecht maintained that the spectators experience should not stop with the emotional reaction that the play elicits, but should cause a distanced reflection based on that emotional reaction. 12 In conclusion, it appears then, that the modern spectator cannot reclaim his or her cathartic role, since scholars place more emphasis on what moral lessons the theatric activities can offer him or her, other than the emotional relief. This is difficult for the modern spectator because we are not only rational but also emotional beings. Creating a balance between the two aspects of human existence puts the modern spectator in a dilemma, as he cannot ignore the feelings that a theatric spectacle elicits in him. At the same time, he has to reflect on the didactic intentions of the artist or the creator of the play. The modern spectator has to see beyond the feelings he has of the action as well as the characters in the play, and consider the social or political action that he is supposed to take because of his emotional reaction. In other words, the sentiments that any piece of art elicits in the spectator should serve as motivation for him to implement the lessons learnt. They should assist him in bringing about the so desired social and political changes in our world today; otherwise, art will have failed in its ultimate role. ________________ 12 Pericles Lewis, The Cambridge Introduction to modernism Cambridge: (Cambridge University Press, 2007). 191.

Teaching and Education Goals :: Education Admissions Essays

Teaching and Education Goals Teaching is the most rewarding profession in the world today. Seeing a student accomplish a goal that you have helped them accomplish is exciting. Students learn each and every day about different things. It is our job as a teacher to help students to learn as much as they possibly can. Not all children learn the same way, so it is our job to find out what the best way is for that child to learn. Learning can be fun, but the child and the teacher work at making it fun. Rousseau stated, that children are initially innocent, although self-centered, and they learn through experiences. Rousseau believed that the individual self is more important than knowing how to analyze someone. Effective learning takes place when children have hands-on experiences with what they are doing. Rousseau also believed that children are not born naturally good. Educators should show the students right from wrong by setting good examples for them and treating them with love and respect. Some children are only shown this when they are at school. I was told when deciding my field of study that becoming an educator I would have five other professions included in my title. A mother, father, doctor, counselor, and a role model. Many of the children in the world today, do not have a happy home life and they need the attention that a mother or father would give them. They turn to their teacher for that attention. Helping students learn as mush as they can will not harm them, it will make them stronger in the world. Rousseau believed that an educator should ask questions on what was studied. Keeping the students mind working helps keep the students learning. Children are like rechargeable batteries, once they run down, don't throw them away, recharge them and let them run again. They will surprise you with what they can do.

Goals of Community Corrections Essay

Identify the goals of Community Corrections and determine if the goals are being met. What would be your team’s recommendation to improve Community Corrections? Today, 3 out of every 4 persons under correctional supervision in the United States are on some form of community-based custody-mostly probation or parole-although community corrections also includes halfway houses, residential centers, work furlough, and all other programs for managing the offender in the community. It is a legal status, an alternative to incarceration, a service-delivery mechanism, and an organizational entity. As an organizational entity, it has objectives and performs a wide range of activities-some totally unrelated to offender supervision and/or treatment. Having been founded more than 150 years ago, community corrections still has an unclear primary mission, with confusion about what activities contribute to that mission and how best to assess their performance. It’s amazing what people will believe and live by simply because â€Å"that’s the way it has always been.† Nobody ever thought to question the standard from which it began. Now, 150 years later, the problem is so magnificent that the mere thought of tackling such an issue exhaust the mind, therefore no one tries. The goals of community corrections that we have come across while researching include punishment, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. I have found that this is a general outlook on the goals of community corrections, each corrections institute has their own set of goals for their particular community corrections department. Sharon found that the goals of the Florida department of corrections are: 1) Protect the public, staff and inmates 2) Develop staff committed to professionalism and fiscal responsibility 3) Ensure victims and stakeholders are treated with dignity, sensitivity and respect in making and executing administrative and operational decisions 4) Prepare offenders for re-entry and release into society are to see that offenders obey the law and to help them identify and address their problems. Shelly found that in Louisiana a few goals and priorities of public safety and community corrections are: public safety, of course hence the name, staff and inmate safety, provisions for service, opportunity for change, and the opportunity to make amends. The Louisiana corrections community also held a heart walk in Baton Rouge in March of last year hoping to raise money to help the communities that have been harmed by crimes. This allowed those who have changed or with a desire to change to be able to show their willingness and involvement. They raised over $37,000. I am not sure if the goals of community corrections are being made but it seems as if they are making a darn good effort. Community Corrections is basically the governments formula of keeping track of individuals who are insane or have somehow wronged society. The goal of The Community Corrections claim to be protecting the public, staff, and inmates. What exactly are Community Corrections protecting us from? It seems to me that Community Corrections are more avid in protecting profits, not people. The concept was developed 150 years ago in order to keep track of, punish, or incarcerate (remove) individuals who pose a problem to society. Vanessa personally thinks it is a huge joke and its funny how everyone accepts it. Community Correction’s say, â€Å"A community must take these necessary measures in order to stay viable.† What measures are being taken? That depends on where the individual lives. Even then it is rare to see a community excel or benefit from any of these â€Å"measures† taken. If the government really wanted to correct problems in the community they would start by developing a standard from which to start. This would begin with identifying actual problems and researching the best method to deal with the problems. Only then could they create a unified community corrections facility that actually does what it’s name claims. To improve community corrections :The National Institute of Corrections should 1) take a pro active leadership role in influencing national policies, practices, and operations by developing programs that address areas of emerging interest and concern to corrections executives, practitioners, and public policy makers; 2) Respond to client agencies and staff with relevant and useful assistance to improve their corrections systems. We need to improve offender job training and placement efforts. â€Å"Public safety† and â€Å"restorative justice† are big ideas now making claims on the future of community corrections. Despite their uncertain futures, restorative justice and public safety are already  reshaping community corrections around the country. In order for public safety to serve as a strategic objective for community corrections, answers are needed to some basic questions: What is public safety? Where is it found? What would probation and parole agencies have to do for there to be more of it? In popular discourse, public safety is equated with more arrests, more prisoners, longer sentences, and lower rates of recidivism. These are conventional output measures of the criminal justice  system, but they are poor proxies for public safety. Public safety defined: As an objective for community corrections, public safety is best conceived as  the condition of a place, at times when people in that place are justified in feeling free of threat to their persons and property.[2] As a condition of place and time, public safety is threatened whenever a vulnerable person or unguarded property is in the same place as a potential offender at a time when

The Impact Of Traditional Banking On Banking Essay

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