Rabindranath Tagore (May 7, 1861 - August 7, 1941) the bard of Bengal

immaculately brought out the essence of Eastern spirituality in his poetry like no
other poet. His spiritual vision, as he himself said, is imbued "with the ancient spirit of
India as revealed in our sacred texts and manifested in the life of today."

Tagore's Mystical Quest

Swami Adiswarananda of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York, in his
preface to 'Tagore: The Mystic Poets' writes, "The inner-seeking spirituality of India
infused all of Tagore's writing. He wrote in many genres of the deep religious milieu
of Hinduism. The values and core beliefs of the Hindu scriptures permeated his
work." Says the Swami: "Rabindranath Tagore's philosophical and spiritual thoughts
transcend all limits of language, culture, and nationality. In his writings, the poet and
mystic takes us on a spiritual quest and gives us a glimpse of the infinite in the midst
of the finite, unity at the heart of all diversity, and the Divine in all beings and things
of the universe."

Tagore's Spiritual Beliefs

Tagore believed that "True knowledge is that which perceives the unity of all things
in God." Tagore through his vast body of immortal literary works taught us that the
universe is a manifestation of God, and that there is no unbridgeable gulf between
our world and God's, and that God is the one who can provide the greatest love and
joy.

Tagore's Poetry Teaches Us How to Love God

Tagore's 'Gitanjali' or 'Song Offerings' that contains his own English prose
translations of Bengali poetry was published in 1913 with an introduction by the Irish
poet W. B. Yeats. This book won Tagore the Nobel Prize for Literature that year.
Here's an excerpt from his introduction that helps us realize that "We had not known
that we loved God, hardly it may be that we believed in Him…"

The Ubiquity of God in Tagore's Works

Yeats writes: "These verses … as the generations pass, travelers will hum them on
the highway and men rowing upon the rivers. Lovers, while they await one another,
shall find, in murmuring them, this love of God a magic gulf wherein their own more
bitter passion may bathe and renew its youth… The traveler in the read-brown
clothes that he wears that dust may not show upon him, the girl searching in her bed
for the petals fallen from the wreath of her royal lover, the servant or the bride
awaiting the master's home-coming in the empty house, are images of the heart
turning to God. Flowers and rivers, the blowing of conch shells, the heavy rain of the
Indian July, or the moods of that heart in union or in separation; and a man sitting in
a boat upon a river playing lute, like one of those figures full of mysterious meaning
in a Chinese picture, is God Himself…"

Select Poems from Tagore's Song Offerings

The following pages contain a selection of his best poems that are steeped in Indian
mysticism and the omnipresence of the Almighty as someone so close to our heart.

Mystical Poems from Tagore's 'Gitanjali'

"Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads! Whom dost thou worship in
this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut? Open thine eyes and see thy
God is not before thee!"

"He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the pathmaker is
breaking stones. He is with them in sun and in shower, and his garment is covered
with dust. Put of thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil!"

"Deliverance? Where is this deliverance to be found? Our master himself has joyfully
taken upon him the bonds of creation; he is bound with us all for ever."

"Come out of thy meditations and leave aside thy flowers and incense! What harm is
there if thy clothes become tattered and stained? Meet him and stand by him in toil
and in sweat of thy brow."

"When the creation was new and all the stars shone in their first splendour, the gods
held their assembly in the sky and sang 'Oh, the picture of perfection! the joy
unalloyed!'"

"But one cried of a sudden - 'It seems that somewhere there is a break in the chain
of light and one of the stars has been lost.'"

"The golden string of their harp snapped, their song stopped, and they cried in
dismay - 'Yes, that lost star was the best, she was the glory of all heavens!'"

"From that day the search is unceasing for her, and the cry goes on from one to the
other that in her the world has lost its one joy!"

"Only in the deepest silence of night the stars smile and whisper among themselves -
'Vain is this seeking! unbroken perfection is over all!'"

"In one salutation to thee, my God, let all my senses spread out and touch this world
at thy feet."

"Like a rain-cloud of July hung low with its burden of unshed showers let all my mind
bend down at thy door in one salutation to thee."

"Let all my songs gather together their diverse strains into a single current and flow
to a sea of silence in one salutation to thee."

"Like a flock of homesick cranes flying night and day back to their mountain nests let
all my life take its voyage to its eternal home in one salutation to thee."
 FEMINIST

The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood

The Heart Goes Last is a novel by Margaret Atwood, published in September 2015
by McClelland & Stewart in Cananda, Nan A. Talese in the USA and Bloomsbury in the
UK.[1] The novel is described as a "wickedly funny and deeply disturbing novel about a near
future in which the lawful are locked up and the lawless roam free."[2]
The novel is set in the same near-future dystopia as the darkly comic Byliner
serial Positron which was released online.[3]

Plot
Living in their car, surviving on tips, Charmaine and Stan are in a desperate state. So, when they
see an advertisement for Consilience, a ‘social experiment’ offering stable jobs and a home of
their own, they sign up immediately. All they have to do in return for suburban paradise is give up
their freedom every second month – swapping their home for a prison cell. At first, all is well. But
then, unknown to each other, Stan and Charmaine develop passionate obsessions with their
‘Alternates,’ the couple that occupies their house when they are in prison. Soon the pressures of
conformity, mistrust, guilt and sexual desire begin to take over.

Mary Wollstonecraft 2

Mary Wollstonecraft was born in 1759 in London. When she was young, she learned to be
independent in a household where the father is wasting a small fortune in horses and drink.
Regularly she must defend her mother against the violence of his drunken father.
So, Wollstonecraft’s life has determined her fight for women’s rights.

As usual in the 18th century, she receives a minimum of instruction: she is sent to a school
where she learned only to read and write. Against her brother Ned, who is sent to a good
school where he received a full education. Mary’s knowledge is largely self-taught.

Later, in all his writings it will advocate for better education of girls, arguing that it is an
absolute necessity to get a job more rewarding. For a middle class girl like herself, there are a
few honorable business none of which are very popular: housekeeper, lady’s companion and
teacher. Mary Wollstonecraft them all exercised and knows what she’s talking about.

In 1785 Mary Wollstonecraft has its own school in Stoke Newington where she met people
like Thomas Paine, Dr. Richard Price, William Godwin (later her husband), all great admirers
of the philosophy of J. Locke argues for equal rights for all. Most philosophers of that time
only defend equal rights for men, women must remain subject. Mary began to write poetry,
novels and children’s books and philosophical treatises as well. She writes, for example first
‘The rights of men’ and two years after ‘The rights of women’.

End of 1792 she moved to Paris in the middle of Revolution. The beginning of the
Revolution gave hope to the women finally get equal rights: there was a discussion about this
social and women’s clubs were created. The advent to power of Robespierre ends that hope.
Mary, meanwhile fallen in love with an American adventurer Gilbert Imlay, fled with him to
Neuilly, where it is more or less safe, while other feminists like Olympe de Gouges and
Manon Roland, will die under the guillotine.

After the birth of their daughter, Fanny, Gilbert Imlay abandoned to leave England with an
actress. Mary, desperate, the following, while the harassing letters and requests to return
home. When this fails she tries to commit suicide twice. Even in 1795, during a short trip to
the Scandinavian countries, she writes about 25 letters to Gilbert Imlay.

In 1796 she began a relationship with William Godwin and when she becomes pregnant, they
married in 1797, although they never quite live together. Ten days after the birth of her
second daughter (later Mary Shelley, author of ‘Frankenstein’), she died of an infection.

When, after his death, her husband publishes all she wrote, even his letters to Gilbert Imlay,
the intention is a posthumous tribute, but the result is quite the opposite. Of the negative
reviews come from everywhere, based on the way ‘unusual’ to live with free sex and suicide
attempts, and completely demolish his ideas. For over a century it’s called crazy, bird of ill
omen, immoral, in short: a feminist.

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman 2

by Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft argues that women are entitled to an education consistent with their
position in society, the role they are expected to play became even more critical to the nation.
Indeed, if they already educate children, instead of being relegated to the function of “wives”
living in the shadow of their husbands, they could become true “companions.” They would
receive the consideration which is due to human beings in their own right, enjoying the same
rights as their male counterparts.

Mary Wollstonecraft argues that many women are silly and superficial, treating as “toys”.
The reason for this weakness is not to be found in a natural deficiency, because it means that
the denial of education imposed on them by men. In this regard, she wrote: “indoctrinated
from childhood to believe that beauty is woman’s scepter, spirit takes the form of their
bodies, locked in the gilded cage, only seeks to adorn its prison.” She is convinced that
without these incentives, inculcated from an early age, regardless of their beauty, so their
appearance, they could grow so much more fruitful.
 However, although it calls for gender equality in some areas, such as morality, it does not
explicitly state that men and women are equal. For her, this equality is really only in the light
of God, a conception which is opposed to his comments on the superiority of strength and
bravery male. Hence, for example, this passage both famous and ambiguous, “Let not
reached the point where I want to reverse the order of things, I have already conceded that, by
the constitution of their bodies, men seem to be designed by Providence to attain a higher
degree of virtue. I speak collectively of the whole sex, but I do not see the shadow of a reason
to conclude that their virtues should differ, given their nature. Indeed, how could they, if
virtue is only present in one eternal standard? So I have to, if I reason therefore, argue that
they have the same orientation and simple, and that with the same vigor that I support a God
exists. “. Her ambiguous statements on gender equality make it difficult to classify it as a
modern feminist, particularly since neither the word nor the concept existed in his time.

One of the harshest critics in Mary Wollstonecraft Addresses Rights of Woman on the excess
of false sensitivity that afflict women. Those who succumb are in now, “carried by each burst
of feeling,” and becoming “the prey of their senses,” can not think rationally. In fact, these
women are a nuisance to themselves and to civilization as a whole, they can help refine and
are likely to destroy. Reason and feeling should not act independently but work together.

Beyond the general philosophy, it develops a specific plan for national education, as opposed
to that which was designed Talleyrand for France. In Chapter 12, “On Education”, it proposes
that all children are sent to a Country Day School, while receiving some education at home
“for inspiring a love of home and domestic pleasures.” She also argues that the studies should
be mixed, arguing that men and women whose marriage is “the cement of society” should be
“educated on the same model.”

Mary Wollstonecraft dedicates his book to the middle class she describes as “the most natural
state” and, indeed, in many ways, Rights of Woman is impregnated with a bourgeois vision
of the world. He preaches the values of modesty and labor at the same time criticizing the
idleness of the aristocracy. However, Wollstonecraft does not come as a friend of the poor,
for which it recommends that after the age of nine, with the exception of children who are
particularly bright, they are separated from the rich and sent to other institutions.

Related articles on Mary Wollstonecraft

 Sentimental heroine? Not on your life. (sylviadickeysmithbooks.wordpress.com)

 Today’s featured picture sketches for the front of Original Stories from Real
Life (witchesofthecraft.wordpress.com)
 Reading Women: How the Great Books of Feminism Changed my Life (thefword.org.uk)
 Pinned to sofa and a blog about Wollstonecraft (chargord.wordpress.com)
 On the Gestation of Great Ideas (patospapa.wordpress.com)
 Mary Wollstonecraft on Reason (womenwordswisdom.wordpress.com)
 CLASSICAL STORIES

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Mrs. Bennet has five daughters and a big problem: none of them are married, there
isn't much fortune to go around, and—thanks to a quirk of English property law—
they'll all be kicked out of their house when Mr. Bennet dies. Enter Mr. Bingley, a
rich, single man who moves into their neighborhood and takes a liking to the eldest
Miss Bennet, Jane.
But don't save the date quite yet: Mr. Bingley might be easygoing and pleasant, but
his sisters are catty snobs and his controlling friend Mr. Darcy isn't about to let Mr.
Bingley marry beneath him. When they all meet up at a local ball, Mr. Darcy lets
everyone around him know just how dumb and boring he finds the whole thing—
including our new BFF and protagonist, the second Bennet daughter, Elizabeth.
It's clear to everyone that Mr. Bingley is falling in love with Jane, but Jane keeps her
feelings on the down low, against the advice of Lizzy's good friend Charlotte Lucas.
And, surprising no one, Mr. Darcy finds himself strangely attracted to Lizzy. The two
get even more opportunities to snip at each other when Lizzy goes to Mr. Bingley's
house to nurse her sister, who's gotten sick on a wet horseback ride over for dinner.
And now it's time to meet Bachelor #3: Mr. Collins. As Mr. Bennet's closest male
relative, Mr. Collins will inherit the estate after Mr. Bennet's death. Mr. Collins has
decided that the nice thing to do is to marry one of the Bennet girls in order to
preserve their home. Unfortunately, he's a complete fool and Lizzy hates him on
sight. Also unfortunately, he sets his sights on her.
As for the two youngest Bennet sisters, the militia has arrived in town and they're
ready to throw themselves at any military officers who wander their way—like Mr.
Wickham, who rapidly befriends Elizabeth and tells her a sob story about how Mr.
Darcy totally ruined his life, which Elizabeth is happy to believe. Oh, and Mr. Collins'
boss, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, just so happens to be Mr. Darcy's aunt. Small
world!
Not too long after this, all the Bennet girls (including middle sister Mary, who's too
wrapped up in books to notice boys) head to a ball at Netherfield (a.k.a. Mr. Bingley's
mansion). It's kind of awful. Darcy, of all people, asks Elizabeth to dance, and Lizzy's
entire family is unbearably embarrassing—like her mom loudly announcing that they
all expect Bingley to marry Jane.
But it gets worse when Mr. Collins proposes the next morning. Elizabeth refuses,
obviously, but hold your pity: Charlotte Lucas shows up to "help out," by which we
mean "get Collins to propose to her instead." It works, which is good news for the 27-
year-old Charlotte, who's too poor and plain to expect anything better; but bad news
for Elizabeth, who can't believe that her friend would actually marry the guy—even
when Charlotte explains that she's really out of options, here.
And then more bad news arrives: Jane gets a letter from Miss Bingley basically
breaking up with her on her brother's behalf. Jane is super bummed, and she goes to
stay with her aunt and uncle in London to get over it (and just maybe see Bingley,
who's off to the big city). Elizabeth travels too: she's off to visit the newly married
Charlotte, who seems to be holding up well. One problem: Mr. Darcy is on his way to
visit his aunt, who's also, you might remember, Mr. Collins' boss.
Darcy almost acts like he's glad to see Lizzy, and even comes to visit her at
Charlotte's house, but Lizzy is not having it: she learns from Mr. Darcy's friend that
Bingley was going to propose to Jane until Darcy intervened. And that's exactly the
moment Darcy chooses to propose. Can you guess how it goes?
Not well. During the proposal, mixed in with Darcy's "I love you" are some "I am so
superior to you" comments, which, not surprisingly, don't go over so well. Elizabeth
has some choice things to say to him, and the next day he hands her a letter with the
full story about Wickham (he's a liar, a gambler, and he tried to elope with Darcy's
underage sister) and Jane (Darcy was convinced Jane was just a gold-digger). Cue
emotional transformation.

(Click the infographic to download.)

When Lizzy gets him, she finds that Lydia, the youngest of the Bennet girls, has
been invited to follow the officers to their next station in Brighton. Elizabeth thinks
this is a Very Bad Idea, but Mr. Bennet overrules her. Big mistake, as we'll find out
soon.
But first, it's time for Elizabeth to accompany her aunt and uncle on a trip to
Derbyshire, which, incidentally, is where Mr. Darcy lives. Uh-oh! Oh, but he's out of
town. Phew. They visit his estate (Pemberley) as tourists—you can do that kind of
thing in England—and Lizzy is impressed. Darcy's housekeeper also has nothing but
compliments for her master. Weird, right? It gets weirder when they run into Darcy
who's home early, and he's actually polite and friendly.
Before we can start practicing our wedding toasts, disaster strikes: Elizabeth learns
that Lydia has run off with Wickham. This scandal could ruin the family, so
Elizabeth's uncle and father try to track the renegade couple down. Elizabeth's uncle
saves the day and brings the two young 'uns back as a properly married (and
unapologetic) couple. When Lydia lets slip that Darcy was at her wedding, Elizabeth
realizes that there's more to the story and writes to her aunt for more information.
Here's the full story: Darcy saved the Bennet family's honor. He tracked down the
couple and paid off Wickham's massive debts in exchange for Wickham marrying
Lydia. Why would he possibly do that? Well, we have some ideas—but we don't get
to find out right away. First, Bingley comes back and finally proposes to Jane. And
then, Lady Catherine visits Longbourn to strong-arm Elizabeth into rejecting any
proposal from Darcy, which obviously doesn't work.
When Lizzy and Darcy finally get some alone time on a walk, we get the moment
we've all been waiting for: they clear up all their past misunderstandings, agree to
get married, and then make out in the rain. (Oh wait, that was the movie version.)
And they all live happily ever after. More or less.
The Taming of the Shrew Summary
The Taming of the Shrew is in fact a play within a play. The larger framework involves a
drunkard named Christopher Sly, who stumbles out of an inn and falls into a deep sleep. A
Lord passing by notices Sly and decides to play a trick on him. Sly is carried to the Lord's
bedchamber and decked in lavish attire. When he awakes, the Lord's attendants refer to him
as to a nobleman. The Lord's Page plays the part of the wife, overjoyed to see that her
husband has finally recovered from a dire fifteen-year illness due to which he had been under
the impression he was a beggar. A troupe of actors have stopped at the Lord's house to put on
a performance, and they unwittingly become part of the ruse as well. Sly, after some protest,
decides he must indeed be a lord, and watches the show as if it were performed in his honor.
So begins the play proper. Lucentio, son of a wealthy Pisan named Vincentio, has arrived in
the university town of Padua to pursue his education. His dreams of virtuous enlightenment
fall by the wayside, however, when he lays eyes on Bianca, the younger daughter of the well-
off Baptista. Bianca has two suitors - the young Hortensio and an old fool named Gremio.
Baptista has ordained that he will not give his child away to marriage until her elder sister is
wed. The problem is, that sister is Katharina, an ill-tempered, feisty, and quarrelsome
"shrew." All hope seems lost for Hortensio and Gremio until Petruchio, a gentleman of
Verona, arrives on the scene. When Hortensio mentions Katharina - and adds that her father
is quite wealthy - Petruchio immediately declares his interest in making her his wife.
Lucentio, in the meantime, has devised a plan with his servant, Tranio. Since Baptista is
looking for schoolmasters to instruct Bianca, Lucentio disguises himself as Cambio, a Latin
teacher, while Tranio plays the role of the master. Hortensio gets the same idea and dresses
himself up as a music teacher named Litio in order to access Bianca. Thus the wooers
descend on the Baptista household. Tranio, in his noble guise, becomes another official suitor
for Bianca's hand, while "Cambio" and "Litio" embed themselves inside. Petruchio, for his
part, eagerly awaits the arrival of Katharina; the stories of her shrewishness only further his
excitement.
When she does finally appear, the two would-be lovers engage in a furious battle of wits.
When Baptista, Tranio, and Gremio enter, Petruchio delightedly informs them that he and
Katharina are to be wed on Sunday, despite her protestations. As soon as it appears that
Katharina will be married, Baptista turns to Bianca's suitors, asking which of them could
provide the richest dowry. Tranio guarantees more than Gremio is able, but Baptista insists
upon receiving Vincentio's assurance that the money will be paid. Tranio hatches a plan to
feign the assurance by dressing someone up as Vincentio. In the meantime, Lucentio, while
playing the part of a Latin instructor, is able to declare his passion for Bianca. She is more
partial to him than to "Litio," whose advances she dismisses.

Katharina and Petruchio's wedding proceeds hastily and wildly. Petruchio behaves like a
tyrant during the service and then refuses even to let Katharina stay for the wedding feast,
instead sweeping her away to his home in the country. There, Petruchio plays the part of an
odious master. He refuses to help Katharina when she falls from her horse, beats and berates
his servants, and denies his wife food and sleep. He reveals his plan to starve Katharina into
submission - to out-shrew her as it were - all under the guise of kindness and love.
Back at Baptista's, Tranio, witnessing the flirtation between Lucentio and Bianca, persuades
Hortensio to call off his wooing of her. The two men vow never to court her again, and
Hortensio declares that he will wed a wealthy widow instead. Tranio communicates the good
news to the lovers, and then proceeds to solve the problem of Vincentio's assurance. Finding
a traveling Pedant from Mantua, he convinces the old man that all Mantuans in Padua are to
be put to death, and suggests that the Pedant disguise himself as the Pisan Vincentio. The
Pedant readily agrees and assures Baptista that Bianca will receive a sufficient dower.
Baptista is satisfied and allows the wedding.

Meanwhile, at Petruchio's house, Katharina emerges as polite and gracious in comparison to

her husband. After insulting a Haberdasher and Tailor who have come to present their wears,
Petruchio sets off with his wife to Padua. They come across the real Vincentio, who is
shocked to hear that his son Lucentio has married Bianca. The party arrives in Padua just
after Lucentio and Bianca have stolen away to the church. In Padua, Vincentio confronts the
Pedant who is impersonating him. Finally, Lucentio, returning from the church, pleads for his
father's forgiveness. Vincentio, still fuming, grants his assurance to Baptista and the marriage
between Lucentio and Bianca is settled.

In the final scene of the play, the newlyweds all gather at Lucentio's house. The men propose
a wager to see which of their three wives - Kate, Bianca or the Widow - is most obedient to
her husband. Both Lucentio and Hortensio summon their wives only to be snubbed.
Katharina, however, comes at Petruchio's beckoning. The "veriest shrew," in Baptista's words
(5.2: 64), thus emerges as the most obedient wife of all. Katharina delivers a speech detailing
a wife's duty to her husband, and so the play ends.
The Taming of the Shrew Summary
The Taming of the Shrew is in fact a play within a play. The larger framework involves a
drunkard named Christopher Sly, who stumbles out of an inn and falls into a deep sleep. A
Lord passing by notices Sly and decides to play a trick on him. Sly is carried to the Lord's
bedchamber and decked in lavish attire. When he awakes, the Lord's attendants refer to him
as to a nobleman. The Lord's Page plays the part of the wife, overjoyed to see that her
husband has finally recovered from a dire fifteen-year illness due to which he had been under
the impression he was a beggar. A troupe of actors have stopped at the Lord's house to put on
a performance, and they unwittingly become part of the ruse as well. Sly, after some protest,
decides he must indeed be a lord, and watches the show as if it were performed in his honor.
So begins the play proper. Lucentio, son of a wealthy Pisan named Vincentio, has arrived in
the university town of Padua to pursue his education. His dreams of virtuous enlightenment
fall by the wayside, however, when he lays eyes on Bianca, the younger daughter of the well-
off Baptista. Bianca has two suitors - the young Hortensio and an old fool named Gremio.
Baptista has ordained that he will not give his child away to marriage until her elder sister is
wed. The problem is, that sister is Katharina, an ill-tempered, feisty, and quarrelsome
"shrew." All hope seems lost for Hortensio and Gremio until Petruchio, a gentleman of
Verona, arrives on the scene. When Hortensio mentions Katharina - and adds that her father
is quite wealthy - Petruchio immediately declares his interest in making her his wife.
Lucentio, in the meantime, has devised a plan with his servant, Tranio. Since Baptista is
looking for schoolmasters to instruct Bianca, Lucentio disguises himself as Cambio, a Latin
teacher, while Tranio plays the role of the master. Hortensio gets the same idea and dresses
himself up as a music teacher named Litio in order to access Bianca. Thus the wooers
descend on the Baptista household. Tranio, in his noble guise, becomes another official suitor
for Bianca's hand, while "Cambio" and "Litio" embed themselves inside. Petruchio, for his
part, eagerly awaits the arrival of Katharina; the stories of her shrewishness only further his
excitement.
When she does finally appear, the two would-be lovers engage in a furious battle of wits.
When Baptista, Tranio, and Gremio enter, Petruchio delightedly informs them that he and
Katharina are to be wed on Sunday, despite her protestations. As soon as it appears that
Katharina will be married, Baptista turns to Bianca's suitors, asking which of them could
provide the richest dowry. Tranio guarantees more than Gremio is able, but Baptista insists
upon receiving Vincentio's assurance that the money will be paid. Tranio hatches a plan to
feign the assurance by dressing someone up as Vincentio. In the meantime, Lucentio, while
playing the part of a Latin instructor, is able to declare his passion for Bianca. She is more
partial to him than to "Litio," whose advances she dismisses.

Katharina and Petruchio's wedding proceeds hastily and wildly. Petruchio behaves like a
tyrant during the service and then refuses even to let Katharina stay for the wedding feast,
instead sweeping her away to his home in the country. There, Petruchio plays the part of an
odious master. He refuses to help Katharina when she falls from her horse, beats and berates
his servants, and denies his wife food and sleep. He reveals his plan to starve Katharina into
submission - to out-shrew her as it were - all under the guise of kindness and love.

Back at Baptista's, Tranio, witnessing the flirtation between Lucentio and Bianca, persuades
Hortensio to call off his wooing of her. The two men vow never to court her again, and
Hortensio declares that he will wed a wealthy widow instead. Tranio communicates the good
news to the lovers, and then proceeds to solve the problem of Vincentio's assurance. Finding
a traveling Pedant from Mantua, he convinces the old man that all Mantuans in Padua are to
be put to death, and suggests that the Pedant disguise himself as the Pisan Vincentio. The
Pedant readily agrees and assures Baptista that Bianca will receive a sufficient dower.
Baptista is satisfied and allows the wedding.

Meanwhile, at Petruchio's house, Katharina emerges as polite and gracious in comparison to

her husband. After insulting a Haberdasher and Tailor who have come to present their wears,
Petruchio sets off with his wife to Padua. They come across the real Vincentio, who is
shocked to hear that his son Lucentio has married Bianca. The party arrives in Padua just
after Lucentio and Bianca have stolen away to the church. In Padua, Vincentio confronts the
Pedant who is impersonating him. Finally, Lucentio, returning from the church, pleads for his
father's forgiveness. Vincentio, still fuming, grants his assurance to Baptista and the marriage
between Lucentio and Bianca is settled.

In the final scene of the play, the newlyweds all gather at Lucentio's house. The men propose
a wager to see which of their three wives - Kate, Bianca or the Widow - is most obedient to
her husband. Both Lucentio and Hortensio summon their wives only to be snubbed.
Katharina, however, comes at Petruchio's beckoning. The "veriest shrew," in Baptista's words
(5.2: 64), thus emerges as the most obedient wife of all. Katharina delivers a speech detailing
a wife's duty to her husband, and so the play ends.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Mrs. Bennet has five daughters and a big problem: none of them are married, there
isn't much fortune to go around, and—thanks to a quirk of English property law—
they'll all be kicked out of their house when Mr. Bennet dies. Enter Mr. Bingley, a
rich, single man who moves into their neighborhood and takes a liking to the eldest
Miss Bennet, Jane.
But don't save the date quite yet: Mr. Bingley might be easygoing and pleasant, but
his sisters are catty snobs and his controlling friend Mr. Darcy isn't about to let Mr.
Bingley marry beneath him. When they all meet up at a local ball, Mr. Darcy lets
everyone around him know just how dumb and boring he finds the whole thing—
including our new BFF and protagonist, the second Bennet daughter, Elizabeth.
It's clear to everyone that Mr. Bingley is falling in love with Jane, but Jane keeps her
feelings on the down low, against the advice of Lizzy's good friend Charlotte Lucas.
And, surprising no one, Mr. Darcy finds himself strangely attracted to Lizzy. The two
get even more opportunities to snip at each other when Lizzy goes to Mr. Bingley's
house to nurse her sister, who's gotten sick on a wet horseback ride over for dinner.
And now it's time to meet Bachelor #3: Mr. Collins. As Mr. Bennet's closest male
relative, Mr. Collins will inherit the estate after Mr. Bennet's death. Mr. Collins has
decided that the nice thing to do is to marry one of the Bennet girls in order to
preserve their home. Unfortunately, he's a complete fool and Lizzy hates him on
sight. Also unfortunately, he sets his sights on her.
As for the two youngest Bennet sisters, the militia has arrived in town and they're
ready to throw themselves at any military officers who wander their way—like Mr.
Wickham, who rapidly befriends Elizabeth and tells her a sob story about how Mr.
Darcy totally ruined his life, which Elizabeth is happy to believe. Oh, and Mr. Collins'
boss, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, just so happens to be Mr. Darcy's aunt. Small
world!
Not too long after this, all the Bennet girls (including middle sister Mary, who's too
wrapped up in books to notice boys) head to a ball at Netherfield (a.k.a. Mr. Bingley's
mansion). It's kind of awful. Darcy, of all people, asks Elizabeth to dance, and Lizzy's
entire family is unbearably embarrassing—like her mom loudly announcing that they
all expect Bingley to marry Jane.
But it gets worse when Mr. Collins proposes the next morning. Elizabeth refuses,
obviously, but hold your pity: Charlotte Lucas shows up to "help out," by which we
mean "get Collins to propose to her instead." It works, which is good news for the 27-
year-old Charlotte, who's too poor and plain to expect anything better; but bad news
for Elizabeth, who can't believe that her friend would actually marry the guy—even
when Charlotte explains that she's really out of options, here.
And then more bad news arrives: Jane gets a letter from Miss Bingley basically
breaking up with her on her brother's behalf. Jane is super bummed, and she goes to
stay with her aunt and uncle in London to get over it (and just maybe see Bingley,
who's off to the big city). Elizabeth travels too: she's off to visit the newly married
Charlotte, who seems to be holding up well. One problem: Mr. Darcy is on his way to
visit his aunt, who's also, you might remember, Mr. Collins' boss.
Darcy almost acts like he's glad to see Lizzy, and even comes to visit her at
Charlotte's house, but Lizzy is not having it: she learns from Mr. Darcy's friend that
Bingley was going to propose to Jane until Darcy intervened. And that's exactly the
moment Darcy chooses to propose. Can you guess how it goes?
Not well. During the proposal, mixed in with Darcy's "I love you" are some "I am so
superior to you" comments, which, not surprisingly, don't go over so well. Elizabeth
has some choice things to say to him, and the next day he hands her a letter with the
full story about Wickham (he's a liar, a gambler, and he tried to elope with Darcy's
underage sister) and Jane (Darcy was convinced Jane was just a gold-digger). Cue
emotional transformation.

(Click the infographic to download.)

When Lizzy gets him, she finds that Lydia, the youngest of the Bennet girls, has
been invited to follow the officers to their next station in Brighton. Elizabeth thinks
this is a Very Bad Idea, but Mr. Bennet overrules her. Big mistake, as we'll find out
soon.
But first, it's time for Elizabeth to accompany her aunt and uncle on a trip to
Derbyshire, which, incidentally, is where Mr. Darcy lives. Uh-oh! Oh, but he's out of
town. Phew. They visit his estate (Pemberley) as tourists—you can do that kind of
thing in England—and Lizzy is impressed. Darcy's housekeeper also has nothing but
compliments for her master. Weird, right? It gets weirder when they run into Darcy
who's home early, and he's actually polite and friendly.
Before we can start practicing our wedding toasts, disaster strikes: Elizabeth learns
that Lydia has run off with Wickham. This scandal could ruin the family, so
Elizabeth's uncle and father try to track the renegade couple down. Elizabeth's uncle
saves the day and brings the two young 'uns back as a properly married (and
unapologetic) couple. When Lydia lets slip that Darcy was at her wedding, Elizabeth
realizes that there's more to the story and writes to her aunt for more information.
Here's the full story: Darcy saved the Bennet family's honor. He tracked down the
couple and paid off Wickham's massive debts in exchange for Wickham marrying
Lydia. Why would he possibly do that? Well, we have some ideas—but we don't get
to find out right away. First, Bingley comes back and finally proposes to Jane. And
then, Lady Catherine visits Longbourn to strong-arm Elizabeth into rejecting any
proposal from Darcy, which obviously doesn't work.
When Lizzy and Darcy finally get some alone time on a walk, we get the moment
we've all been waiting for: they clear up all their past misunderstandings, agree to
get married, and then make out in the rain. (Oh wait, that was the movie version.)
And they all live happily ever after. More or less.
 AUTOBIOGRAPHY

The Autobiography of Mark Twain Summary & Study Guide Description

The Autobiography of Mark Twain Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive
information and analysis to help you understand the book. This study guide contains the
following sections:

 Introduction
 Author Biography
 Plot Summary
 Chapters
 Characters
 Themes
 Style

 Historical Context
 Critical Overview
 Critical Essays
 Topics for Further Study
 Compare and Contrast
 What Do I Read Next?
 Further Study

This detailed literature summary also contains Bibliography and a Free Quiz on The
Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain.
The Autobiography of Mark Twain is as famous for its fictional qualities as for its lively
writing style. This is one of the reasons the work—which exists in three distinct and
competing versions—has lived on for generations and inspired much debate. This entry
studies the 1959 version, edited and arranged by Charles Neider and available in
paperback from Perennial Classics
Twain's autobiography was originally published in 1924 (fourteen years after Twain's
death) by Albert Bigelow Paine in New York. It was published in two volumes as Mark
Twain's Autobiography. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the real-life counterpart of the Mark
Twain pseudonym, had been preparing notes for his autobiography for almost forty
years, and they culminated in a series of dictated conversations to Paine from 1906 to
Twain's death in 1910. Twain had lofty intentions when he started writing
autobiographical notes in the 1870s. He expected that his autobiography would live on
forever, and in this spirit he designated that certain parts of his memoirs would be time-
released from his estate at specific times in the distant future.
The Autobiography of Mark Twain spans the years from 1835 to 1910, a rich period in
United States history. Through Twain's characteristic wit and wisdom, readers gain a
unique perspective on the Civil War, slavery and race relations, the colonization of the
American West, world travel in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and notable
literary and historical . With popular works like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain was regarded as a master storyteller in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and readers eagerly anticipated his memoirs.
Readers were therefore profoundly disappointed when the first version of the Twain's
autobiography was published in 1924 as a mass of incomplete biographical notes and
observations that lacked organization. Later versions have tried to correct this problem
by removing awkward sections or adding or rearranging other sections as necessary.
None of the editors have chosen to include Twain's complete typescript in the order in
which Twain intended.

The Autobiography of Mark Twain is as famous for its fictional qualities as for its
lively writing style. This is one of the reasons the work—which exists in three
distinct and competing versions—has lived on for generations and inspired much
debate. This entry studies the 1959 version, edited and arranged by Charles Neider
and available in paperback from Perennial Classics.

Marks - Kirkcudbright
Marks Deals on Agoda.
agoda.com/Hotels/Kirkcudbright | Sponsored▼

Twain's autobiography was originally published in 1924 (fourteen years after

Twain's death) by Albert Bigelow Paine in New York. It was published in two
volumes as Mark Twain's Autobiography. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, the real-
life counterpart of the Mark Twain pseudonym, had been preparing notes for his
autobiography for almost forty years, and they culminated in a series of dictated
conversations to Paine from 1906 to Twain's death in 1910. Twain had lofty
intentions when he started writing autobiographical notes in the 1870s. He
expected that his autobiography would live on forever, and in this spirit he
designated that certain parts of his memoirs would be time-released from his estate
at specific times in the distant future.

The Autobiography of Mark Twain spans the years from 1835 to 1910, a rich
period in United States history. Through Twain's characteristic wit and wisdom,
readers gain a unique perspective on the Civil War, slavery and race relations, the
colonization of the American West, world travel in the nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, and notable literary and historical figures. With popular works
like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
Twain was regarded as a master storyteller in the late nineteenth and early
twentieth centuries, and readers eagerly anticipated his memoirs. Readers were
therefore profoundly disappointed when the first version of the Twain's
autobiography was published in 1924 as a mass of incomplete biographical notes
and observations that lacked organization. Later versions have tried to correct this
problem by removing awkward sections or adding or rearranging other sections as
necessary. None of the editors have chosen to include Twain's complete typescript
in the order in which Twain intended.

VintaSoft Twain ActiveX

Control TWAIN scanner or camera from your WEB, VB, Delphi, C++ program.

vintasoft.com | Sponsored▼

Author Biography

Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30, 1835, in the
village of Florida, Missouri. When his father died in 1847, Clemens—who was
only twelve years old at the time—was sent to be a printer's apprentice. While his
early life was spent in Missouri, Clemens left home as a young man and was a
traveler for the rest of his life, often taking on odd jobs, submitting various
writings for publication, and assuming other odd jobs to fund his adventures.

After working as a riverboat pilot and spending some time in the South, where he
was a Confederate soldier for two weeks, Clemens moved to the developing
American West. He first gained popularity in small towns as a journalist using the
pseudonym Mark Twain, a nautical term from his riverboat pilot days. He later
became known as a travel writer, humorist, and lecturer.

Clemens married Olivia Langdon in 1870. They had four children together:
Langdon, who died as an infant; Susy, who died from meningitis in her twenties;
Jean, who died from heart failure in her twenties; and Clara, their only surviving
daughter.

An optimistic and enterprising man, Clemens used the small fortune from his
literary success to make several bad investments, including starting his own
publishing company, which sent him into debt in his late fifties. Clemens worked
off his debts through a new lecture tour and then spent his final years traveling
with his family and dictating much of The Autobiography of Mark Twain, the first
version of which was not published until after his death.

Clemens left specific instructions for the release of all of his autobiographical
writings, the next major installment of which is due to be published in 2006 by
the University of California Press. He considered some of his writings so
controversial that they are not to be published until 2406.

Clemens wrote hundreds of works during his lifetime under the pseudonym Mark
Twain. Some of his most famous writings include novels such as The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper,
and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court ; autobiographical and travel
books such as The Innocents Abroad, or the New Pilgrims' Progress, Roughing
It, Old Times on the Mississippi, and Following the Equator ; and short stories
such as "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," "1601," and "The
Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg." He also wrote numerous essays, speeches, and
other short nonfiction works, many of which have been anthologized or reproduced
in collections. In 2001, one of Clemens's unpublished manuscripts entitled A
Murder, a Mystery, and a Marriage was published by the Atlantic Monthly.

Clemens died from heart disease in his home near Redding, Connecticut, on April
21, 1910. He left behind a legacy as one of America's most important writers, a
distinction that has only increased with time.
 ARTICLE

The War On Waste

2002-01-29, CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/01/29/eveningnews/main325985.shtml

On Sept. 10 [2001], Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld declared war. Not on foreign
terrorists, "the adversary's closer to home. It's the Pentagon bureaucracy." He said money
wasted by the military poses a serious threat. Rumsfeld promised change but the next day–
Sept. 11–the world changed and in the rush to fund the war on terrorism, the war on waste
seems to have been forgotten. Just last week President Bush announced, "my 2003 budget
calls for more than $48 billion in new defense spending." More money for the Pentagon ...
while its own auditors admit the military cannot account for 25 percent of what it
spends. "According to some estimates we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions,"
Rumsfeld admitted. $2.3 trillion–that's $8,000 for every man, woman and child in
America. A former Marine turned whistle-blower is risking his job by speaking out ... about
the millions he noticed were missing from one defense agency's balance sheets. Jim
Minnery, Defense Finance and Accounting Service ... tried to follow the money trail, even
crisscrossing the country looking for records. "The director looked at me and said 'Why do
you care about this stuff?' It took me aback. My supervisor asking me why I care about doing
a good job," said Minnery. He was reassigned and says officials then covered up the
problem. The Pentagon's Inspector General "partially substantiated" several of Minnery's
allegations.

Note: To see the CBS video clip of this shocking admission, click here. For another key
clip, click here. For other media articles revealing major corruption, click here. Even though
originally not reported because of the trauma of 9/11, why wasn't this news broadcast far
and wide later? Why isn't it making media headlines now?