How does Eliza change in the course of the play, and by what means Essay Example

How does Eliza change in the course of the play, and by what means? Essay In George Bernard Shaws Pygmalion Eliza Dolittle is a Covent Garden flower girl who evolves from a naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve, poverty-stricken girl into a heroine. She is not the heroine of romantic myths but an independent, strong-minded, confident woman, who against the odds has grasped the opportunity for a better life. Higgins, a professor of phonetics, accepts a bet that he can transform Eliza into a duchess and within six months present her at the Ambassadors garden party. We meet Eliza at the beginning of the play as she tries to sell flowers from her basket. She has a strong, cockney accent used by the lower class and when she bumps into Freddy she squeals, Nah then, Freddy: look wh y gowin, deah. Eliza is an opportunist. She takes advantage of the fact that she is standing close to the ladies and gentlemen and tries to persuade them to buy flowers. She is dirty and dressed in very shoddy clothes, especially in comparison to the ladies. We learn that when she goes to bed she takes off her shawl and skirt and gets into bed without further ado. Her naivety is shown when she steps into a taxi and instructing the driver so that everyone can hear calls, Bucknam Pellis. She believes that Freddy, a middle class young man, will actually believe that she has business at Buckingham Palace. Eliza has a q uick temper and is rude, especially when she feels threatened. When Higgins refuses to buy a flower, and accuses her of lying, she flings her basket at his feet announcing that he should be stuffed with nails. We will write a custom essay sample on How does Eliza change in the course of the play, and by what means? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How does Eliza change in the course of the play, and by what means? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How does Eliza change in the course of the play, and by what means? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer At this early stage of the play Eliza is lacking in self-confidence and is unable to stand up to Higgins bullying manner. She resorts to whimpering and wailing at the slightest insult although most of Higgins remarks to her are genuinely insulting. She doesnt have the knowledge or vocabulary to stand up to him and if anyone questions her virtue or mentions the police she makes dreadful noises such as ah-ah-ah-ow-oo-o and starts crying. Elizas idea of cleanliness is to wash her hands and face only on important occasions although she is probably as clean as she can be considering her circumstances. She is distraught at the idea of taking her clothes off to have a bath as she knew a woman did it every night and died of it. Eliza declares, What a dreadful thing it is to be clean but moments later she is saying, Now I know why ladies is so clean. She has discovered the luxury of woolly towels and soap smelling like primroses. She has changed from a frowzy slut to a respectable girl but so far this change is only by appearance. She is unrecognisable even by her own father when he is confronted with a dainty and exquisitely clean young Japanese lady. Eliza is self-conscious at this stage and thinks she looks silly. She is impatient with her father who is only interested in trying to make some money from his daughters position. Eliza states, I dont never want to see him again, I dont. There is an appealing innocence about Eliza that she never loses throughout the play. During the next few months Eliza is trained how to speak, act and dress as a lady. Higgins and his friend Mr Pickering, who made the bet with him, decide to present Eliza at Higgins mothers at-home day. Eliza is presented to the Eynsford Hills, a family of mother, daughter and son. She is speaking with pedantic correctness and great beauty of tone. She is exquisitely dressed and produces an impression of such remarkable distinction and beauty. Unfortunately Elizas low class origins are soon revealed when she talks about her fathers alcoholism and slips back into her cockney accent. As Mrs Higgins observes, she is a triumph of your art and her dressmaker; but if you suppose for a moment that she doesnt give herself away in every sentence she utters, you must be perfectly cracked about her. Elizas outward appearance has changed at this stage but shes still the same Eliza inside. She is puzzled when Freddy laughs at her small talk and is naively hoping to impress the Eynsfords Hills by the idea that she is going to take a taxi home rather than walk. In Elizas view no one walks for pleasure especially if they can afford to ride. Elizas appearance at the ball is a huge success. The guests stop talking to look at her admiring her dress, her jewels and strangely attractive self. She speaks with a beautiful gravity which awes her hostess. Although one of the guests speaks to her in Hungarian Eliza thinks he is speaking French and so this is mistaken for a witty remark. This shows that Elizas education is not complete and maybe there is a limit to the progress she can make. Now Eliza begins to change inside and loses some of her naivety. She realises that as far as Higgins is concerned the experiment is over and the success was due to him and not her. She was just an object to show off his talents. She shouts at him, You dont care. I know you dont care. You wouldnt care if I was dead. Im nothing to you -not so much as them slippers. She has become a social misfit and she cries, Whats to become of me? She goes to her room taking off her evening dress and hanging it carefully in the wardrobe. Eliza has changed, now she dresses like a lady. Before going out she puts on her walking shoes, her walking dress and hat and confidently looks in the mirror. She puts out her tongue at her reflection, and walks out banging the door. Yes Eliza has changed, not only on the outside but also on the inside. Shes become stronger, confident and determined without losing her fierce spirit. When Eliza meets Higgins, at his mothers home, she is able to confront him and play at his own game using witty, cutting remarks. She is a woman and tells him, Im not afraid of you and can do without you. She is prepared to go to her fathers wedding to shew theres no ill feeling. Elizas social status has changed in comparison to her fathers. At the beginning of the play she was a poor flower girl and he was a dustman therefore their status was similar. At the end of Act V Eliza is a social misfit and the final outcome is uncertain until Shaw makes it quite clear in the epilogue. Shaw tells us that, despite added luxuries because of her friendship with Higgins and Pickering, Eliza is in the retail trade and therefore working class. In comparison her father, by chance rather than any effort, has risen through the middle classes and by the prologue has become fantastically disclassed. Higgins jokingly recommended him to an American millionaire as the most original moralist in England, consequently he was left three thousand pounds a year in the millionaires will. Although rejected by the middle class he had become extremely popular in the smartest society and at intimate ducal dinners he sat on the right-hand of the Duchess. Ironically he was also made much of b y the butler and smoked in the pantry. It is typical of Elizas character that although their social status has changed it hasnt affected her relationship with her father, she still doesnt like him. In the epilogue we discover that Eliza has found a place in society. She is married to Freddy, they own a flower shop and she is an independent woman. During the play Eliza is transformed by the people around her. Higgins alters her speech so that she speaks like Queen Victoria but all this produces is someone who sounds like a duchess but inside is still a flower girl. Eliza likens it to learning to dance in the fashionable way. He is arrogant and bullying treating her like an object and referring to her in insulting terms such as baggage and a squashed cabbage leaf. As Eliza says, I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins, because he always treats me like a flower girl. In contrast she says to Mr Pickering, I know I can be a lady to you, because you treat me as a lady and always will. Mr Pickering taught Eliza manners by setting an example to her. His gentlemanly behaviour towards her, such as taking off his hat and opening doors, raised her self-esteem. When she first came to Wimpole Street he called her Miss Dolittle and offered her a seat. Its Pickerings thoughtful treatment of Eliza that teaches her to respect herself. Mrs Higgins and Mrs Pearce help Eliza to find her position in society and become a more fulfilled woman. The former supports her by assisting her when she leaves Wimpole Street and giving her moral support. Mrs Pearce teaches her how to have self-respect regarding cleanliness and appearance. Freddys unconditional love makes her feel worthy. If he cant be with her he is still happiest when he is standing outside of Wimpole Street gazing up at her window. Most important of all is Elizas self-belief and determination which grows despite Higgins intimidating and aggressive manner. She already has self- motivation as she shows when she arrives at Higgins house to learn how to talk more gentee. She wishes to improve herself and has ambitions to become a lady in a flower shop. She has her dreams shown by a portrait of a popular actor and a fashion plate of ladies dresses pinned on the wall of her lodgings. Without these characteristics Eliza could not have grown into an engaging, thoughtful woman. Eliza uses her natural talents of determination and willpower to overcome the problems caused by Higgins and Pickerings thoughtless bet. She refuses to give up and go back to the gutter but uses her new self-belief to change and go forward with or without Higgins. At the end of the play I believe Eliza is better off. She is married to Freddy who loves and adores her. She has found new friends who respect her for who she is and not what she does. Higgins, who at the beginning of the play insulted Eliza, is now able to converse with her and respects her as a high-spirited, beautiful woman rather than an object of ridicule. She is better off as her self- respect and self-assurance have increased and this has helped her to achieve even more than her dream of being a lady in a flower shop. However, Eliza is still relying on Pickering to finance her shop although this neednt necessarily be seen as a negative as Pickering is financially well off and adores Eliza. In my opinion this is a much better position for Eliza to be in than selling flowers on the street. Elizas short time at Wimpole Street has taught her many things that probably will have no use in her life with Freddy but from what we have learned about Eliza it wouldnt surprise me if she put all of the lessons towards a useful purpose. Freddy may not be a perfect man in some peoples eyes but Eliza is happy with him. She is prepared to accept his shortcomings because he has other qualities that she can love. I think the positive aspects of Elizas new life outweigh the negative ones. The plays title Pygmalion derives its name from the famous story in Ovids Metamorphoses. Pygmalion, disillusioned with the women of his time, resolves to live alone and unmarried. He decides to use his artistic talents to create a beautiful statue of his idea of the perfect woman. Eventually he falls in love with his creation and Venus, feeling pity for him, brings the statue to life. The woman is called Galatea and when she is awakened by Pygmalions kiss she gazes up at him and falls in love. The plays title is appropriate as Higgins is Pygmalion and Eliza his Galatea. At the beginning of the play the audience believe that Higgins, using his art, will transform Eliza into the perfect woman and they will fall in love and live happily ever after but this is not Shaws intention. He has deliberately chosen the title Pygmalion because he wants to take the romance out of the myth and undo the myth. Higgins cannot transform Eliza by providing her with clothes and an education. After Higgins finishes his experiment she is still a statue. He cannot breathe life into Eliza, she can only do this herself by her own will and desire. I think that Shaw is saying that man isnt the perfect being who can create the perfect female and women are not inferior to men. During the play Eliza changes from a common flower girl to a respected independent, beautiful woman. George Bernard Shaw shows us, through Eliza, that the growth of an independent spirit means changing on the inside as well as the outside. The true ladies and gentlemen of the world are judged by how they treat other people and not by their position in society.

12 Angry Men Essays (864 words) - English-language Films

12 Angry Men Essays (864 words) - English-language Films 12 Angry Men Twelve Angry Men Leaders are defined by two separate characteristics; those who are appointed as the leader and those with no special title that emerge as influential. In the movie Twelve Angry Men, Henry Fonda portrays a character that gains respect by others for emerging as a leader. Along with holding leadership abilities, his actions also resulted in classic communication techniques. At the beginning of the movie, it may seem that Fonda is displaying deviant behavior. The scene opens with the jurors casting guilty votes to determine a thoughtless verdict. All eleven jurors, except one (Fonda) voted guilty. As a viewer watching this movie, you have to give the character consideration since he decided to go against the norm and vote not guilty. He could be considered a deviant because he has no valid evidence to prove his verdict, but he says that there is enough reasonable doubt to question the validity of the case. Is he not voting guilty just to get a rise out of everyone or is he really questioning the case? It is obvious that the other characters are not amused and single him out. This is also a deviant trait. However, this deviant trait leads into an emerging leadership that the other characters respect. As a leader, Henry Fonda stands out for various reasons. One of the most prominent is at the beginning of the movie. Fonda begins to display task-related functions by offering up a new idea to the group. In this case, it was the idea of the boy being not guilty. Although the men were upset with him, the thought had crossed their mind long enough to realize he may be right. By offering up his opinion and a new suggestion, he opened the door for character development of the other jurors. This then creates new options and processes for the group to explore. However, this also creates secondary tension and new power struggles. Fondas point was that he had no substantial evidence to prove that he knew the boy was not guilty, but he had enough doubt to make the claim. Since the rest of the jurors had their minds focused in guilty-mode, the secondary tension arrives to disrupt their substantive agreement. For example, Fonda is constantly ridiculed by the smaller minded of the jurors: the bigot or the sports fan. Others, however, are more open-minded and are curious to hear what he has to say. For example, the old, old man sitting next to Fonda seemed to be the most intrigued by Fonda, simply because he had the courage to be different. It is obvious to the viewer that Fonda is the leader, but as the rest of the jurors come into their own; you begin to question their effectiveness. For example, a power struggle is constantly brewing between Fonda and the juror with the picture of his son. Out of all the jurors, he outs up the most vicious fight. In the beginning, certain traits, such as his aggressiveness or persuasiveness, may have identified him as a leader. Although in the end, he had become the deviant to the other members of the jury. However, even as the secondary tension is increasing, Fonda begins to emerge as the leader by elaborating on what every juror was trying to say or making suggestions to keep the group focused. Toward the middle of the movie, he had persuaded almost half of the jury to be not guilty! They even started to go up to him and ask him what he really thought about the case. All he could say was all of it could have possibly not happened. This obviously wasnt enough to convince the more challenging characters. One of the communication concepts that Fonda demonstrates throughout the movie is the contingency concept. This holds that attaining appropriate leadership behaviors depends on the situation. Fonda attained this concept very eloquently. He had to take into consideration that he was going to be facing very tough ridicule and since he knew nothing of the other jurors, he had to keep an open mind about all of their suggestions as well. The jurys setting was so complex. Opposing views were flying all over the place.