Best of Book Riot The Great American Novel Yes, Please

Best of Book Riot The Great American Novel Yes, Please To celebrate the end of the year, were running some of our favorite posts from the last six months. Well be back with all-new stuff on January 7th. _________________________ Last week in Salon, Julia Ingalls used Barbara Kingsolvers latest novel, Flight Behavior, as a jumping-off point to ask the question, Is the Great American Novel still relevant? Leaving aside how many times that question has been asked, and whether there is any clear definition of the Great American Novel to begin with, the essay-cum-review is so full of question-begging I couldnt resist tugging at the strings of Ingallss tightly bound package of doom and gloom. Ingalls opens with a theme she will harp on throughout, that we live in an era when social mobility is passé, and everything hinges on a two-tier system. Her evidence for this is meager at best; she conflates the two different sets of wages and benefits for new union hires in Detroit with telecom pushes against net neutrality, diffential tuitions at a community college, and the uneven placement of tolls between New York and New Jersey as evidence for a class division. Something tells me should wouldnt object to, say, a two-tier tax systemâ€"except to say that it should be more divisive than that. More than anything, Ingallss complaints seem bizarre. She claims that American politicans consistuents think forklift refers to a movement preceding the salad courseâ€"what would actually be shocking is if anyone thought that. And if she doesnt think people are still happy to leave the Old World, and all of the ingrained prejudices and inflexible lifestyles that it implied to come to the US as a land of opportunity, well, she should probably get out more. None of that is to say that we should look at the country through rose-colored lenses, but avoiding sunglasses indoors is probably warranted. I have not read Flight Behavior, but many of the descriptions of how culturally stunted its milieu is give pause. [S]et in rural Appalachia[t]his is a place where basic cable sets the cultural high-water mark and [a]side from television, all of [protagonist Dellarobia Turnbow] exposure to culture is limited to the local papers and the low-grade bitchery of interfamilial politics. Rural America may encompass the least wired parts of the country, but 85% of adult men and women use the internet, including 61% with no high school diploma, 80% of high school grads without further education, and 75% of those making less than $30,000 per year. How much culture does Ingalls suppose was available in rural Appalachia at the time of her Great American Novel heroes like Gatsby or Huck Finn? As Ingalls laments the perceived irrelevance of college to many in Dellarobias town, did she stop to wonder about whether a sheep farmer really does need a BA, or whether that might not be the best investment? Or how many more people go to college now than ever before, with its accompanying drop in the value of a degree and increase in the number of college grads employed in relatively low-skilled jobsâ€"with student loans to pay off? No, the internet and mobile phones are not universal, but the idea that our world is only getting smaller is a stretch. Horror of horrors, Dellarobia has never been on an airplane! (According to Gallup, just over half of Americans have flown in the past year; lifetime unique passenger data has proved hard to come by, but we can be confident that Dellarobia is far from alone.) The college thing grates most for Ingalls. For her, it reads like a death knell for the novel and a free society in general: the idea that higher education is somehow an option, an unnecessary and ego-bloated expense meant only for a pre-selected few. The idea that not everyone wants, needs, or should go to college is taboo; institutionalized higher education is a must, no matter the cost (or benefit), and to consider it a luxury a sign of being in a walled-in, reified class, never a thoughtful rejection of elite cultural norms. That the free society we currently live in was constructed by people who had no notion of contemporary tertiary education would seem obvious, and the reveal that Dellarobia does, indeed, break out of her small worldâ€"because she happens to want toâ€"ends up answering Ingallss Great American Novel question in the affirmative. I cant help thinking, with Phillip Roths recent announcement that he will no longer be writing fiction, of another Great American Novel, his American Pastoral. The New Jersey Roths characters grow up in is no bed of roses, and the two-tired religio-cultural stratification they experience is much more immediate than questions of whether Comcast is going to meter your Bit Torrent downloads. Just as Ingalls concludes: [I]t’s vital that we never write ourselves off just because of our perceived class. That spirit of adventure, that embrace of chaos, the refusal to give up on our dreamsâ€"oh, hell, being “American”â€"should never go out of style. But how much hand-wringing is necessary along the way? We all have obstacles to overcome, some much greater than others, and no, [t]here are no guarantees. When have there been? Just as Huck Finns troubles were different from Gatsbys, Gatsbys different from Swede Lvovs, and Lvovs different from Dellarobias, the Great American Novel evolves to address what it may take for contemporaries to make it, no matter how many tiers there are and how high the walls between them.

The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Panchito rushes home â€Å"to tell Papà ¡ and Mamà ¡ the great news† (4). But he enters the shack only to find all their belongings â€Å"neatly packed in cardboard boxes† (5) yet again. The boxes symbolize Panchito’s imprisonment within â€Å"The Circuit† of migrant life. They represent the shattering of his dreams to live the life of a normal schoolboy and the end of his chance to learn music. He must put away the joy of his short life of a schoolboy once again, and set out with his family on the endless circle of moving and working. 2. The California that Panchito’s family moves to is definitely a very different place from Roberto’s expectations. Roberto believes that California is a place where ‘the streets are paved with gold, ’ and it will be easy for them to get rich there. Instead, the family experiences great economic hardship as migrant farm workers. They move continuously from one place to another in search of work, following the picking season for the various crops. The California that Panchito’s family moves to gives them a life of back-breaking work, picking fruits and cotton for low wages. We will write a custom essay sample on The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Panchito’s â€Å"body ached all over† (4) after a day in the fields. They pick fruits in terribly high temperatures of â€Å"almost one hundred degrees† (3). They have to manage with meager food and clothing, and poor living conditions in rough huts and broken-down garages. The garage is windowless, has a dirt floor and a â€Å"roof full of holes† (2). Panchito sleeps â€Å"outside under the trees† (3). There is no job security. They are glad to get any job on the farms. Panchito’s mother is very thankful to find work for a whole season in Fresno – â€Å"Mama clasped her hands† (2). The children cannot get a regular education because of need to move on when the picking in that particular area is over. This makes it difficult for Panchito to master English. He is always â€Å"struggling for English words† (4) because he speaks only Spanish with his family. I would not want to live in Panc hito’s California because the children are always on the move, and have no place to call ‘home. ’ They cannot attend a regular school, or make friends, and they suffer great hardship and poverty. 3. The title of the story, ‘The Circuit, ’ means a roughly circular line. It makes me think of moving round and round the same area, without any change in direction. It brings me back to the same place and makes me feel a sense of monotony. I think of Panchito’s family moving continuously from one farm to another, always working hard in the hot sun, living in broken-down huts and struggling against poverty.

Essay on Consumption in American Culture at the End of...

Consumption in American Culture at the End of History In the novel Brave New World , the denizens of Aldous Huxley’s dystopia live in a rigidly structured consumer culture. From young ages, they are conditioned to hate the outdoors so that as adults they will prefer activities that require large amounts of manufactured products and long trips that utilize the maximum amount of infrastructure. That is what keeps the world humming, and there are important similarities between Huxley’s vision of social control through pleasure and the rigid policing of tastes, activities, and consumption in our own 21st century culture. The new trend and buzzword now is globalization, and the contemporary reaction to the expansion of global†¦show more content†¦Before looking at the similarities between the two, it is important to understand the basis of political and economic liberalism. The Western concept of individual autonomy stresses the collective sum of choices as the good of the community. Following the writings of Jea n Jacques Rousseau, individual autonomy became enshrined in political and economic liberalism. Civil rights and liberties had been the environment wherein concepts like private property and democracy find their purchase in the west. Liberal economists like Adam Smith stressed the of importance of keeping private enterprise free of the encumbrance of government intrusion which, it is argued, allows for the best outcome for society even though no one actually planned it. The hidden hand of Laissez-Faire capitalism would ostensibly result in the best outcome. The struggle is interminable, but society continually evolves according to the free play of individual choices. Immanuel Kant, who took Rousseau’s autonomous individual and built an ethical theory, posited history itself as the process of development resulting from these choices. Kant argued that the great engine of history (and one could add the hidden hand as well) was the â€Å"unsocial sociability† of the p eople competingShow MoreRelatedFranklin Delano s Inaugural Address1441 Words   |  6 Pagesinevitable demise, Franklin D. Roosevelt comes to the stand and speaks words that would ring on in American history for decades to come. He first reassures the American people that he will be spear heading the problems that have besieged the nation and then exclaims the timeless phrase â€Å" There is nothing to fear but fear itself.† These words couldn’t come at a more pressing time in American history. The very essence of what America stood for was at risk and the only person that could truly stop thisRead MoreConsumerism Warping Human Values : We Are Consumers1696 Words   |  7 Pagesconsumerism. Therapeutic ethos has created a consumption-oriented ideology that ultimately transformed American culture and life, as we know it. This multi-dimensional approach shifted nineteenth-century American values of frugality, moderation, and self-denial to periodic leisure, compulsive spending, and individual self-fulfillment. There are three main factors that contributed to this transformation: radio and billboards, credit, and mind-cure religion. Consumer culture developed out of the rise of modernityRead MoreAmerica And The American Dream983 Words   |  4 Pages Through the media, America and the American Dream is depicted as the salvation for poverty, sorrow, and hardship. The Founding Fathers invented the American Dream, offering life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, an abundance of immigrants were falling short of possessing the American Dream and slowly began to realize that these alluring portrayals were merely a facade. Wealthy and influential corporations needed to revitalize the American Dream before it would dissolve amongstRead MoreThe Illegal Drug Business1361 Words   |  5 Pagesof money. The history of the illegal drug business in the United States The illegal trade of drugs across borders has primarily grown because of the increased prohibitions of drug trading in many countries by their governments and the mass amount of money that is involved to be profited from in its trade. The government of the United States of America has taken several steps in its history in order to restrict or end drug trafficking in the country. Socially, the American culture has been vastlyRead MoreAlcohol Consumption And Underage Drinking1561 Words   |  7 PagesAlcohol consumption and underage drinking has been a major social problem and public health concern for centuries. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), â€Å"Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States, more than tobacco and illicit drugs, and is responsible for more than 4,300 annual deaths among underage youth (Fact Sheets - Underage Drinking). Alcohol has always been part of our culture as well as a debatable topic in our society a nd the controversyRead MoreJohn Soluri s Banana Cultures : Agriculture, Consumption And Environmental Change870 Words   |  4 PagesBanana Cultures: Agriculture, Consumption and Environmental Change in Honduras and the United States, (Which for spatial and repetitive purposes, I will refer to as Banana Cultures for the remainder of the paper), introduces the reader to a world of corporate greed, consumption, and environmental change using the history of the common, everyday fruit, the banana. He explores the various political occurrences, health problems, and changes in mass media through the rise of the consumption of the bananaRead MoreThe Great Depression Essay858 Words   |  4 Pagespolitics of consumption. The collapse of the U.S. economy following the Wall Street Crash in October 1929 was sudden and shocking. By mid-1930, the economy was at a virtual standstill. As David Kennedy explains, when Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the White House in March 1933, the gross national product had dropped to half its 1929 level (Anthony, pp, 73). A quarter of the workforce, meanwhile, was unemployed. And yet, paradoxically, during the Great Depression, the idea that consumption—and consumers—heldRead MoreThe Culture Of The Italian Cuisine1551 Words   |  7 Pagesthe early history of many countries, food always plays an important part in the development of the country and the economy as well. From starting out simple, the recipes evolve and spread after being handed down and spoken to others. Food is what defines many cultures, and is able to bring many people together in many cases. For example, food is what stands a major tradition in many families, recipes being a secret between t he members. This is one way that it plays in importance in cultures. ItalianRead More Global Markets vs. Local Realities Essay1599 Words   |  7 Pagescommodities when they cross cultural borders? Howes recent edited volume, Cross-Cultural Consumption, sets out explicitly to answer this very question. Through a diverse and highly accessible set of collected papers, inspired and adapted from a special issue of Anthropogie et Sociitis on Culture and Consumption, the reader finds an excellent introduction to the major themes in the anthropological approach to consumption. Situated squarely within the booming literature on the globalization of consumerRead MoreEssay on Prohibition in 20th Century America1137 Words   |  5 Pages white Anglo-Saxon Protestant establishment, aware that its privileges and natural right to rule were being increasingly threatened by the massive arrival of largely despised (and feared) beer-swilling, wine-drinking new American immigrants (Behr, 1996). Ma ny of the Americans had descended from Protestant, British roots and felt they had they right and obligation to uphold the moral piety of those around them to ensure the survival of their Religion centered society. There are other takes

An Effective Team And Is Communication Effective - 1757 Words

Working in Teams The video presented for this assignment showed us a group with definite issues. The group is attempting to work on an analysis project to implement something new. We witness the initial meeting and the â€Å"group leaders† reaction afterwards. There is not much to go on beyond this information. It is clear though, that the group will fail unless actions are taken to create more effective communication, proper motivation, and constructive conflict management. Is This an Effective Team and is Communication Effective? This team consists of, what appears to be, people of similar status within the company. No one is a subordinate to the other. In order for us to determine whether or not this is an effective team, we must evaluate three factors. In the case of team performance, it may be too early to tell based on the video, my initial thoughts are that the team does not appear engaged in the project and therefore, may not put in a full effort to achieve the goals of the team. With regards to membership satisfaction, again, they do not appear to even want to have the meeting, much less participate in a project together. Based on the little information we see from one meeting; I believe satisfaction to be low. This brings us the last determination of an effective team, viability. This group has a member moving to another area of the company, and another distracted by the fact that her mother-in-law is moving in. Based on the small subset we see of thisShow MoreRelatedEssay on Effective Team Co mmunication1783 Words   |  8 PagesEffective Team Communication In the environment today, it is not unusual to see people working in teams to accomplish certain goals and tasks. During our youth, parents and teachers encourage us through various methods to work as part of a team. Whether a sports team, classroom team, or after school activities, parents and teachers and other authority figures start the introduction of working in teams and teaching the value of being able to work together to accomplish a common goal. As peopleRead MoreEffective Communication And Health Care Teams1308 Words   |  6 PagesEffective communication dramatically enhances the success of health care teams. Effective communication presents many positive implications for health care teams, including enhanced patient and team morale (O’Daniel Rosenstein, 2008, p. 273). Despite the positives of effective communication many health care teams are still presented with constant communication breakdown which can lead to detrimental outcomes for the patient and the team (Costa Lusk, 2017, p. 129). Communication breakdown willRead MoreEffective Communication in Team Dynamics Essay1096 Words   |  5 Pageseventually work in a team setting. A team usually consists of three or more people who have a common goal or purpose. When working in a team, members have to decide what roles they will fill, plan their schedules for projects, and deal with upcoming team conflicts. Stewart, Sims Manz (1999) stated, â€Å"For a team to succeed, team members need to effectively communicate with one another† (p. 79). While each element of teamwork is important, effective communication is the cornerstone to team dynamics. Read MoreEffective Communication and Collaboration in Team Settings1303 Words   |  6 PagesEffective Communication and Collaboration in Team Settings Working in an unfamiliar environment can be tough for one to fathom. Add individuals with different backgrounds, personalities, ethics and views to the recipe and the result can be either cataclysmal or a successful learning experience. A key resource to success in work and team relationships is the knowledge to recognize certain personality traits and learning specifics of other individuals. Only then can one acclimate to communicateRead MoreThe Importance of Effective Team Communication and How It Is Achieved1313 Words   |  6 Pageshead: THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM COMMUNICATION The Importance Of Effective Team Communication and How It Is Achieved Janette L. North-Kabore University of Phoenix References Internal Communication - Getting Your Companys Brand Across to Your Employees. (2009, February 17). Retrieved from http://www.teambuildingtips.com/team-building-articles/team-communication/internal-communication---getting-your-companys-brand-across-to-your-employees.html Introduction To Teams. (n.d.). Retrieved FebruaryRead MoreEffective Communication Among Group And Team Functioning2370 Words   |  10 PagesCommunication is the sharing of ideas, thoughts and information between or among individuals. The way we communicate varies greatly among cultures throughout the world and has an extremely powerful impact within group and team environments. Effective communication enables us to engage in enriching social interaction with others, and allows for the creation of environments where group and team functioning can flourish. As simple as communication may seem, much of what we express to others has theRead MoreEssay about Effective Communication and Team Building Efforts1144 Words   |  5 PagesMaking a Change The leader has to learn and develop a sound knowledge in communication skill which will enable him or her to build an excellent team in his organization because without effective communication, they will be description in organizational goal, stress, confusion and frustration between the leader and the members of the team and can lead to reduction in organizational success. The leader has to have open communication skill to facilitate and support the change process because every staffRead MoreThe Importance Of Effective Communication Within A Team And How This Was Accomplished1302 Words   |  6 Pagesimportance of effective communication within a team and how this was accomplished. Gibbs reflective cycle (1988) will be used to evaluate practice and the outcomes, whilst adhering to Local trust policies (2015) and NICE guidelines (2012). Confidentiality will be maintained in accordance with Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC, 2012). This case study will follow a gentleman on the dental list for the extraction of his lower left wisdom tooth. Before the operating session began the whole team participatedRead MoreTeamwork Promotes And Establishes Effective Communications Channels Within The Members Of The Team2077 Words   |  9 Pagesindividual. To this end, teams appear to have a synergy effect, which implies that the total outcome that is produced by the team is by far more than the equivalent result which the sum of the team’s part would have had. By and large, the formation of groups is very useful for the organization and its members, because they perform important tasks. Johnson, Kantner and Kikora (1990) support the rationale of forming groups through the following arguments: 1. Individuals within the team know each other wellRead MoreRelevance of Communication and Teamwork in Midwifery903 Words   |  4 Pagesskills, the relevance of communication and teamwork cannot be overstated. This is more so the case given the critical role midwives play as far as the provision of care to women, babies as well as families is concerned. This text concerns itself with communication and teamwork as two graduate attributes necessary for success in the midwifery profession. The Relevance of Communication and Teamwork in Midwifery To begin with, it is important to note that excellent communication skills are considered

The Groundhog by Richard Eberhart Analysis free essay sample

The Groundhog by Richard Eberhart In Richard Eberharts poem The Groundhog, the author uses his expertise in language to contrast life and death in nature. With diction and contrasting imagery the author discloses his idea that the world is in constant change. Changes in which things eventually decompose, or disappear, but also, at the same time saying that nature will renew itself. The groundhogs senseless change shows the irrational but ordered controlling force of nature as it decays and changes. The authors returning visits embody the change in the groundhog. In Eberharts four visits the groundhog changes. From a seething cauldron, becoming a bony sodden hulk, to only become bones bleaching, and only a little hair. The last visit there is no sign of the groundhog. The author feels so emotional over the continuing changes of the groundhog because he resents change. It makes him feel that he is not in control over himself and what is going on. We will write a custom essay sample on The Groundhog by Richard Eberhart: Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Eberhart treats it as if he is losing a tradition in his life, not feeling comfortable about life. The author capped a withered heart because that is his way of taking control of his life. Eberhart uses wonderful, artistic diction to illustrate contrasting imagery. He contrasts golden fields with the groundhog lying dead, and vigorous summer and dead lay he. The result of these comparisons creates the picture of a hot and calm summer day in a peaceful field with a dead groundhog. The mental picture created can be one of sadness and dismay that on such a wonderful day, such a horrible thing could happen. The frightening picture is amplified by inspecting close his maggots might. The author goes on further to contrast in the imagery by showing how he appreciates the groundhog and its slow decay. He inspects the body up close, but half with loathing of the dead creature, its smell, and disgusting appearance, and yet with a strange love, he shows how he strangely likes the animal and starts to care about the changes that it is going through, to renew nature. A change has happened to the author, the original concern for keeping reverence for knowledge has conflicted with an attempt for control, to be still, to quell the passion of the blood.

Feminism Essays (855 words) - Feminist Theory,

Feminism Feminism can be roughly defined as a movement that seeks to enhance the quality of women's lives by impacting the norms and moves of a society based on male dominance and subsequent female subordination. The means of change in the work place, politically, and domestically. Women have come a long way since the 19th century. Women have been trying to prove to the male dominant world that they are equal. They can perform and complete any tasks equal, or in some cases better than man. Feminism has changed the definition of men in many ways. Women in the work place have transposed dramatically since the 19th and mid 20th century. Even if women had any education in the 19th century they were not allow to manifest any of it. It just was not proper for women to give any signs of intelligence and a brain of their own. They were to prepare themselves to become wives and mothers, which were the extent of their entire lives. In the early and mid 20th century some women were starting to be brave and take a stand for themselves. The beginnings of feminism were starting to take its massive role in society. More and more women were getting educated and looking for employment opportunities that had power. Men no longer can be in control of everything. Men in the work place started to feel impotent. But women fed off each other and gave each other strength. They were not looking for just the secretarial jobs; they were taking some men's jobs and being good at it. They were becoming police officers, fireman, managers and business owners. Taking and sharing jobs with men, and performing just as well. For example, in the film Mr. Mom when the husband gets laid off work and the wife goes to work to support their family. It is very easy for a woman to do a man's job but very difficult for a man to take over a woman's duty at home. Another way women have changed the definition of men is politically. Many years ago women were not allowed to vote. But women changed that in the early 1900's. With the woman suffrage movement, it was a courageous and persistent political campaign, which lasted over 72 years, yet because of this women are allowed to vote today. This might have affected men greater than anything else, giving women power to vote and to actually give them a voice was ludicrous for men to allow. Ever since women have taken greater and greater roles in the political world. It was another sense of power or control men lost out in. In the reading Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, gives the voice of the many women who felt the same way she did. There was a need of change in society. But men too helped with the decision making of the 1900's. The suffrage movement both included men as supporters and depended on men for their votes. The suffrage question often received tens of thousands of male votes of approval, and ultimately, a virtual all-male Senate and House had to approve the amendment, along with 36 virtually all-male state legislatures. Courageous men risked ridicule and worse to actively support women's rights, and they offer far better role models today than many better-known political and military figures. Domestically, women and men have changed their roles dramatically. There were no questions before who would do the household duties. Now men and women share them equally. Women do not accept the stereotyping of "you're the wife you cook and clean." Men share with the cleaning and the cooking, even with the diaper changing. There are still many men who will not perform any of these duties. They still believe it is a woman's job. For instance, in the film Mr. Mom, Michael Keaton takes the role of the mother, but does a lousy job. The simplicity of changing a diaper is very difficult for him to do. But the fact that woman do not accept the husbands to sit around and do nothing anymore have changed men. Men know they can't get away with it anymore. Oppose to back to just the 1950's women would do it all when it came to the house. It was a way society viewed women, because of the television shows like, Leave it to Beaver, and the Brady Bunch. And the wives did all of the domestic duties there was to be done. Husbands would come home and

Portray Cleopatra Essay Example

Portray Cleopatra Essay Example Portray Cleopatra Paper Portray Cleopatra Paper In Act 2 Scene 2, Enobarbus describes the first meeting between Antony and Cleopatra on the Nile, in all its glory. Enobarbus, a typically blunt solider uses poetic language in describing Cleopatra’s appearance, showing the effect that the Egypt Queen has on men, making her seem all the more powerful. ‘The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne Burned in the water’ conveys a sensual impression of Cleopatra, showing her coming down the Nile in the most luxurious fashion making her seem like a desirable object for the Roman men. The description of silver and gold on the barge Cleopatra travelled on shows the elegance the Egyptian Queen carries with her and the impression she leaves on men. Enobarbus recalls the scene using both visual and olfactory imagery – ‘Purple the sails, and so perfumed that The winds were lovesick’, even personifying the wind, to give us the impression that Cleopatra is intoxicating to those who see her; that they can recall their time near her in great detail. It is said that Cleopatra’s appearance ‘beggared all description’ and that she is, ‘O’erpicturing the Venus where we see The fancy outwork nature’ – We get the impression through Enobarbus’ description that Cleopatra is a great beauty, as he cannot find words to describe her appearance; that not even the portrait of Venus herself is a match nor a strong enough portrayal of her. Caesural pauses are used throughout Enobarbus’ description, and these pauses help emphasise how breath taking Cleopatra seems to be. When the Egyptian Queen is on the barge, it is said ‘On each side her Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids’ – the simile used, shows the queen in almost awe, as cupids are associated with love which most people crave and when used with Cleopatra, it would portray her as wanton to be desired and craved. Nearly every detail of Cleopatra’s appearance is described by the solider, as he even notes that the winds ‘did seem To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool’. This language would not have been expected from the almost cynical soldier, and gives us the impression that Cleopatra has a bewitching effect on those she meets, showing her to be even more desirable. Enobarbus later refers to Cleopatra’s gentlewomen who tend to her as mermaids and sea-nymphs, the daughters of Nereus the sea god – this makes Cleopatra seem almost other-worldly and gives us the impression that she is a beauty that no one has ever seen before; that she cannot simply be described in earthly terms. It is said that her gentlewomen ‘made their bends adorning’, their bowing movements help show the powerful position Cleoptra is in which gives us the impression she should not be overlooked but attention should be given to her. Cleopatra’s entrance on the barge seems almost mystical as Enobarbus says ‘the silken tackle Swell with the touches of those flower-soft hands’ adding to the sensual appearance of the Queens entry making her seems all the more desirable. Cleopatra seems to be intoxicating when approaching as it is said ‘a strange invisible perfume hits the sense’ making it seem as though the Egyptian has an effusive beauty about her which fills your every sense, leaving room for no other thoughts than of her. In Enobarbus’ description of Cleopatra’ entrance, he makes great use of polysyllabic language that would not be expected from a Roman Soldier, never mind used by him in describing an Egyptian beauty. This helps show the effect that Cleopatra has on nearly all men, giving the impression that she is that enchanting, men will fall and become besotted by her. Enobarbus mentions Antony first, in his political authoritarian manner through ‘Enthroned i’th’market-place, did sit alone’ but shows that he too was drawn to Cleopatra. We get the impression through this, that Cleopatra is that intriguing and electrifying that even the strongest soldiers fall for her. Enobarbus finally says ‘And made a gap in nature’ when describing Antony going to Cleopatra, to make it seem unnatural that a man of Antony’s position would seek her out, however this shows us that Cleopatra could captivate any man, despite their restraint.