Jane Campions, The Piano :: essays research papers

In the spring of 1993, a film was released to the world that would end up changing the way many people perceived and appreciated films, especially those made internationally. It would be delivered from New Zealand’s most famous female filmmaker. Jane Campion, the director whom was previously known for her films, Peel-an Exercise in Discipline, and Sweetie, would achieve even higher acclaim for her masterpiece to date, The Piano.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Piano portrays the story of a mute, unwed Irish woman in late 1800s New Zealand, arranged into a marriage with a colonial New Zealand settler. The main character, Ada, expresses herself with the keys of her piano. She finds herself falling in love with Baines, one of the natives of her new home, after he persuades her to give him piano lessons in exchange for her beloved musical instrument. Ada is very emotionally distant with her new husband, and as he discovers the romance between her and his intense neighbor, he becomes competitively jealous. In a pit of rage, Ada’s husband severs one of her precious fingers and eventually gives up on the failed marriage. In the end of the film, Ada and her young daughter, Flora, set off from the island with Baines to start a new life, without her once loved piano.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The characters in this film hardly come shy of delivering performances that make for amazing cinema. The actors in The Piano include Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, and Sam Neill. Holly Hunter’s character, Ada, delivered a fantastic performance on camera. Although many average moviegoers and few critics may discard Hunter’s role as achievement since she didn’t have to memorize any lines, the majority of film critics worldwide certainly disagreed, as Holly Hunter ended up taking home the Palme d’Or and an Academy Award for best actress soon after the films release. Hunter’s films previous to The Piano included films Raising Arizona, and a film by acclaimed Simpson’s producer, James L. Brooks, entitled Broadcast News (Davis 1.) Campion noted that as she was deciding whom to cast as her admirable Ada, that Hunter was not her imaginative image of the character at all: Holly was my image of Ada at all. But, in fact, I was very much saved from myself by Holly. Originally, I had an almost clichà ©d, romantic view of this tall, statuesque, black-haired, black-eyed beauty. In many ways, she wasn’t a very real human being, and when meeting Holly I was not very willing to see her as Ada.

Future of Our Galaxy Galactic Millenium :: Essays Papers

Future of Our Galaxy Galactic Millenium What Does the Future Hold? (adopted from an article by Greg Laughlin and Fred Adams, "Celebrating the Galactic Millennium", Astronomy November 2001) Not too long ago, we were looking forward to the New Millennium. To many of us, this was an important event of our lives. On a larger scale, however, the New Millennium looks insignificant. "If we adopt an astronomical perspective, however, a much larger and more distant celebration remains on the schedule-the Galactic Millennium," write Greg Laughlin and Fred Adam in their article Celebrating the Galactic Millennium. Laughlin and Adam speculate about the proposed changes to the Universe in the future and the coming of the Galactic Millennium. Present Day Galaxy According to the authors, the present day galaxy is relentlessly empty and spans a tremendous scope. In a scale model of the galaxy where stars are the size of sand grains, the nearest stellar system (Alpha and Proxima Centauris) is six miles away. Our Galaxy contains approximately 100 Billion stars. In this model, the stars move through their orbits at a pace of only a few feet per terrestrial year. The sun takes nearly 100 million terrestrial years to make a full circuit of the galaxy. The last time the sun passed through our current galactic longitude was in the middle of the Cretaceous period, when the giant continent Gondwanaland was beginning to break up into African and South America and the giant Carnotaurus enjoyed its place at the top of the food chain (before the reign of T.Rex). What Does the Future Hold? The authors' prospected views on the future of our galaxy are rather harsh. The authors argue that a billion terrestrial years from now-in 10 galactic years-the galaxy will look much like it does now. Certain details, however, will be different. As the sun executes its next ten circuits around our galaxy's central hub, our today-familiar constellations will be scrambled one hundred times over. Many of the night stars in the sky will no longer exist. Deneb and Rigel, for example, will explode as supernovae. Sirious will swell into a red giant and puff out a planetary nebula. Alpha Centauri, currently the sun's closest neighbor, will recede from the sun, and its apparent brightness will fade below the threshold of naked-eye visibility. As the next billion years unfold, Earth will face pressing problems because of sun's activity.

Free Essay - Nora in Act 1 in Ibsens A Dolls House :: Dolls House essays

The Character of Nora in Act 1 of A Doll's House The character of Nora, of Isben's A Doll's House, is particularly difficult to interpret. Her character is constructed by the combination of a number of varying traits.  Ã‚   Throughout Act 1 her ambiguity is particularly prominent. Her frivolous, playful moments are readily followed by moments of practicality and astuteness. It is not surprising that Nora is such a changeable character for she is constantly interchanging between three main roles: a supporting wife, fundamental mother and sexual being. Ibsen uses the metaphor of a doll inside a doll house to portray Nora's attempt to become an individual while confined inside a male dominated world. Her wish to become self motivated is obstructed by Torvald's power over her.   Nora's home is the realization of domestic bliss, preserved and presented like "A Doll's House." Lacking experience of life in the real world and oblivious to the outdoor hardships, Nora is vulnerable. She enters muffled in protection from the outside, portrayed symbolically through her coat, scarf etc. Immediately, Nora appears childlike and coquettish. She orders Helene in an excitable tone to hide the Christmas tree as the children "mustn't see it till tonight." Nora's secretiveness   in wanting to hide the tree, extends further, and is a constant theme. Following Torvald's light- hearted interrogation with regard to whether she has had any macaroons, she becomes nervous and lies, "No Torvald, I promise...No No...Torvald I swear." Of course, this is particularly important as the entire play rotates around Nora's "big secret."   With the entrance of Krogstad, Nora's sense of fun abandons her. Her attempt to enforce her social superiority over him is genuinely intimidated. In her ambitious attempt to be superior she states "one isn't without influence". However, within moments she is forced into pleading "Mr. Krogstad, I don't have any influence." Nora's stereotyped roll as a doll confined to a doll's house constantly being fathered by Torvald encourages her childlike manner. However an entirely different contradicting side to Nora's character is revealed when Nora explains exactly what she did "for Helmer".   Although Nora is a woman who shirks or is probably unaware of her responsibilities (particularly with regard to her children who are under permanent care of Ann- Marie) here she has, apparently, fulfilled something of her duty as a wife.   Her personal attitude to her action, which in her mind saved "Torvald's life" is very childlike.

Hutu Tribe

Hutu The mention of the word â€Å"Hutu† immediately conjures up images of mass murder from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The recent film Hotel Rwanda brought the horrible atrocities of that genocide to the public eye. However, it is not only in Rwanda that the Hutu have been involved in ethnic war. The country of Burundi, a neighbor to Rwanda, was the site of the first violence between the Hutu and the Tutsi. The Hutu people of Burundi have a rich culture and history that has been largely overshadowed by ethnic conflict. The Hutu are a Bantu tribe numbering about thirteen million (Newbury 2001).Traditionally the Hutu organized themselves in clans and family groups through patrilineal decent (Ndarishikanye 1998). Within these groups they practiced polygyny and bridewealth as part of the institution of marriage (McDonald et. al 1969). Like many African tribes the Hutu’s religious beliefs include the spirit world. The supreme God Imana is seen as the giver of all good whil e there are lesser spirits who do evil (book). The Hutu inhabit the high plateau of the central African Rift Valley and inhabited 85% of Rwanda and Burundi before the ethnic wars in those countries (CIA World Factbook).The Hutu inhabit diverse geographies. In the southeast region of the Rwanda and Burundi territory there are open grasslands which are ideal for pastoral people. In the western region of the countries there are mountains. The west is good land for agriculture because it reliably receives rainfall. In the northeast there are lowlands that are along Lake Tanganyika (Newbury, 2001). This vast array of ecologies provides different possibilities for food production or procurement.The Hutu are traditionally agriculturalist but they did get involved in herding cattle because of the closely related Tutsi tribe. The Hutu wanted cattle and the Tutsi wanted laborers. To appease both groups, agreements called ubuhake were made. These agreements exchanged the Tutsi cattle for the H utu labor. In other words when a Hutu entered this agreement he received cattle but in return became submissive to a Tutsi owner (Louis 1963). This is one reason that the minority Tutsi rose to control economics and rule over the majority Hutu, this would later lead to ethnic conflict.The ethnic conflict between the Tutsi and the Hutu is most famous in Rwanda but the Hutu of Burundi have also been severely affected by ethnic tension throughout the years. Understanding the causes and effects of the violence is a part of understanding the history of the Hutu people. The causes of the ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi are not simply explained. In fact, in 1931 Bernard Zuure, a missionary with seventeen years of work in Burundi, noted that it was pointless to distinguish between the Hutu and Tutsi because their cultures were so similar (Zuure 1931).What then caused the separation between the two ethnicities? According to Alphonse Rugambarara the separation of identities came wh en there was a specific political agenda to create separate Tutsi and Hutu ideologies. These terms created animosity and dichotomist identities where there was actually little difference (Rugambarara 1990). The identities of Hutu and Tutsi were so significant that other ethnicities or social segregations became less important. The role of the Hutu as submissive to the Tutsi was engrained in society.An example of this is that in the Kirundi language (spoken by the Hutu) there is not a word equivalent to the English equality or liberty so Hutu’s could not even verbalize a desire for freedom (Lermarchand 1995). Given the strong identity associated with ethnicity in Burundi the complications behind the explanation of the 1972 genocide are understandable. To get to the root of the problem or causes of the genocide is difficult because the perceptions of the Hutu and Tutsi about the conflict are very different (Lermachand 1995). Liisa Malkki studied Hutu refugees in Tanzania who ha d fled from the genocide.She discovered that in the refugee camps â€Å"mythico-histories† were created. These were stories or parables that the Hutu told which constructed their history and moral truths (Milkka, 1989). These stories were not necessarily untrue or true but they served to construct the identity of the Hutu and the cause of the genocide. The Hutu were not the only tribe developing â€Å"mythico-histories. † The truth is very hard to discern among many â€Å"histories† (Lermarchand 1995). Beyond the â€Å"why’s† of the conflict we can conclude the â€Å"what’s. † What actually took place in Burundi in 1972?In the spring of 1972 on April 29th the Hutu attempted a rebellion against the ruling Tutsi. In response the Tutsi retaliated with warfare. Within several weeks roughly 100,000 people were killed in the ethnic conflict. Of the total population of Burundi 3. 5 percent were wiped out (Mikksa 1989). This was not the last of ethnic violence in Burundi. In 1993 the country saw more violence when its first Hutu president, Melchior Ndadaye, was assassinated (Lemarchand 2001). The Hutu reacted to the Tutsi murder of their president by killing an estimated 20,000 Tutsi in the two months following the assassination (Lemarchand 2001).Blame for the violence between the two ethnicities cannot be placed on one group or the other, they are both responsible. The history between the Tutsi and the Hutu is full of attack and reaction sequences. Both the Tutsi and the Hutu wanted to have, â€Å"the last word. † With a long history of violence between Tutsi and Hutu in Burundi there have been severe repercussions. The largest affect of the genocide has been the diaspora of Burundi. The conflict in Burundi created both Tutsi and Hutu refugees in search of safety.The UN Refugee Agency (UN Refugee Agency 2007) estimated in June 2007 that a total of 464,026 Burundians had been displaced from their homes. Of that g roup 48,144 had returned to Burundi and 396,541 were still in refugee status (UN Refugee Agency 2007) Of the refugees still in refugee status, not including internally displaced persons (IDP) the UNHCR is assisting 164,191 (UN Refugee Agency 2007). What exactly do all these terms and numbers mean? Put simply they mean that there are hundreds of thousands of people who were forced or chased away from their homes and livelihoods.The UNHCR defines a refugee as â€Å"a person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution† (UN Refugee Agency 2007) Under such conditions it is expected that any people group will undergo significant changes. Liisa Milkka has written a book about the ref ugee status of the Hutu’s in Tanzania.She spent one year in Tanzania studying two groups of refugees. Many refugees fled to Tanzania after the genocide of 1972 in Burundi. The first group lived in an isolated refugee camp and the other settled near the town of Kigoma. The town refugees tended to be dispersed amongst non-refugees while the camp refugees were concentrated all in one place (Milkka 1989). Because of these arrangements the town refugees assimilated into the town culture. They took on many identities and did not solely live as â€Å"Hutu† or as â€Å"refugees† (Milkka 1992). Naturally it was more ifficult for the camp people to do the same because they had isolated themselves from the Tanzanians. The camp culture glorified the Hutu identity as the original inhabitants of Burundi who would one day return there to reestablish their kingdom (Milkka 1989). The status of refugee for these camp people was a great thing. It made them become â€Å"a purer an d more powerful Hutu† (Milkka, 1992). These differences between refugee definitions of â€Å"Hutu† complicate the Hutu ethnicity further. Instead of creating more confusion and uncertainty for the Hutu there should be a movement toward unity.This is exactly the approach that the Burundi government has taken to appease the violence between the Hutu and the Tutsi. Instead of stressing differences the government wants to stress unity. By focusing on national unity, democracy, and individual rights the Burundi government has tried to dissolve ethnic tensions (Ndarishikany, 1998). Some discussion has been made about the benefit that could come from reinstating the Burundian abashingatahe (Herisse 2002), which in traditional Burundian society was a judge, moral interpreter and well respected man (Newbury, 2001).The abashingatahe served to reconcile families with communities, certify marriages, settle litigations, maintain peace, and in general speak in favor of human rights ( Herisse 2002). It is argued that bringing this social force back into practice will begin to reconstruct social unity in Burundi. This may be just what the Hutu people need to come together and rebuild. The troubles of the genocides between the Tutsi and Hutu have strained both cultures. Many refugees created by the genocides in Rwanda and Burundi have integrated themselves into foreign cultures.Just an hour to the north of us there are Burundi refugees in the city of Buffalo. These refugees come to the US speaking little if any English. They eventually get jobs and become functioning civilians. As Burundians assimilate into American culture they will eventually lose some of their â€Å"distinct† cultural features. Understanding some of the history of Burundian Hutu’s and the reasons behind the ethnic conflict with the Tutsi can increase the effectiveness with which we help refugees integrate into American society. Works Citied CIA World Factbook. (Nov. 1 2007). Burund i.Retrieved Nov. 13, 2007. https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/by. html#People Lemarchand, Rene. (1998). Genocide in the Greak Lakes: Which Genocide? Whose genocide? African Studies Review, 41, 3-16. Retrieved November 7, 2001, from JSTOR. Malkki, Liisa. (1992). National Geographic: The Rooting of Peoples and Territorialization of National Identity among Scholars and Refugees. Cultural Anthropology, 7, 24-44. from JSTOR. Malkka, Liisa. (1989). Purity and Exile  : Transformations in Historical-National Consciousness among Hutu Refugees in Tanzania.Ann Arbor: University Microfilsm. Malkki, Liisa H. (1996). Speechless Emissaries: Refugees, Humanitarianism, and Dehistoricization. Cultural Anthropology, 11, 377-404. Retrieved November 11, 2007, from JSTOR. McDonald, Gordon C. Brenneman, Lyle E. , Hibbs, Roy V. , James Charlene, A. , Vincenti, Violeta. (1969). Area handbook for Burundi. Ndarishikanye, Barnabe. (1998). The Question of the Protection of Mino rities in Burundi. Issue: A Journal of Opinion, 26, 5-9, Retrieved November 8, 2007, from JSTOR. Newbury, David. 2001) Precolonial Burundi and Rwanda: Local Loyalties, Regional Royalties. The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 34,. 255-314. Retrieved November 8, 2007, from JSTOR. Rockfeler, Herisse, P. (2002). Democracy, Governance and Conflict in Burundi. Peace Studies Journal. 1-10. Rugambarara, Alphonse. (1990). Conscience ethnique. Le Reveil, July-August, 35-40. The UN Refugee Agency. (daily updated). 2006 Refugee Statistics. Retrieved Nov. 11, 2007. http://www. unhcr. org/statistics/STATISTICS/4676a71d4. pdf. Zuure, Bernard. (1931). L’ame du Murundi. Paris: Beauchesne.

Freedom of Speech Essay

In the United States we have many freedoms that we as citizens possess. Freedom of speech is one of the freedoms we enjoy. But what is the meaning of the word â€Å"freedom†, and how free is our speech? The word free, according to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary means: having the legal and political rights of a citizen. With this in mind, it does not mean that we have the right to do and say as we please. The First Amendment states: â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances† (The Constitution of The United States). The Citizens of the United States misinterpret the phase â€Å"Freedom of Speech† to suit their own needs and wants. In this essay we will discuss how our interpretation of our freedom is only a myth brought on by our selfish ways and thoughts and interpreted according to what we feel it means in the situations that fit best. The First Amendment has been interpreted by the Supreme Courts to only protect citizens in certain applications and situations and, not protect some companies and corporations nor does it offer to protect citizens of the United States from speaking against the government. Governmental agencies have twisted the first amendment to fit what the individuals of that particular agencies likes or dislikes, and their view of certain speakers. When the first amendment was written it was meant strictly for congress not to be able to make any laws to hinder our so called â€Å"Freedom of Speech†. The first amendment has absolutely no bearing on private of public laws that have gone into effect that limits what can or can’t be said. In the article â€Å"Can the FCC Shut Howard Stern Up† by Jeff Jarvis, he states that the FCC enforces rules that unevenly depending on who says a certain phrase. The FCC condemned Howard Stern for his explanation of sexual colloquialisms, but did not punish others’ references to â€Å"giving head† and â€Å"finger-banging your boyfriend† (Jarvis). The FCC has had its way with instituting censorship on the radio and television by threatening stations with gigantic fines for not complying with their agenda of what is allowed to be talked about or seen. At one point in time, FCC chairman Powell urged broadcasters –under threat of gigantic fines–to adopt a â€Å"voluntary† Code of Good Practices and stated â€Å"It would be in your best interest to do so. â€Å"Voluntary doesn’t mean voluntary†, more like volun-told (Jarvis). The censorship doesn’t apply only to the media either. Schools have jumped in on the band-wagon with trying to censor out what they feel is inappropriate for everyone else. In April 2004 at Poway High School in California a student wore a t-shirt expressing his views about homosexuality after the â€Å"Day of Silence† organized by a Gay-Straight Alliance club. The day of silence was designed to encourage tolerance. When the student was asked to remove his shirt or turn it inside out, he refused and was forced to spend the day in a conference room in the schools front office (Taylor, Kelly 2013). How does the school justify that his anti-homosexual shirt was any different than being forced to endure a full day of silence that was ok with the school? The student later sued the school (Harper v. Poway Unified School District). The courts upheld that the school officials are permitted to censor what students are allowed to wear and not allowed to wear. Another student in Ohio banned a shirt that the school officials found questionable. The shirt in question was a Marilyn Manson rock band t-shirt that depicted a three faced Jesus on the front and the word believe on the back with the letter l-i-e highlighted. The student believed his right to free speech had been violated when the school officials told him to change the shirt, turn it inside out or leave the school and be considered a truant (Schools Win Rights To Ban). The student lost his case against the school, even though the shirt did absolutely nothing to disrupt classes or learning. All it did was cause officials to strut their power to take away free speech and censor the kids. While some schools are busy trying to ban clothing and other things that it considers inappropriate or offensive, some schools are just plain banning everything whether harmful of not if they feel it is controversial. In an article by Denise Penn titled â€Å"Gay/Straight Clun Banned in Orange County, CA H. S. †, she describes a group of teenagers who tried to start a club dropped off an application in the school office. The principal wanted to approve the Gay/Straight Alliance club, went to the superintendent for guidance and it was taken out of her hands. The school board engaged in several delays and finally held a public forum about the club. The students endured antigay rhetoric at the forum (Penn). The students faced a panel that took an extremist position. The school officials done away with a program that provided counseling for at-risk students in elementary, middle and high schools, who were having adjustment problems in school. The counseling was provided by interns and cost the school district nothing at all and helped kids. It also took some of the strain off the teachers so they could concentrate on teaching and not on the troubled youths. The council ended the program because it â€Å"burdened the school to administer the program†. The censorship of speech is even taking hold of the political arena. The McCain-Feingold â€Å"Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act† criminalizes political speech in connection with political and even state elections (Roane). The law makes it a felony for a corporation, labor union, or non-profit advocacy group to criticize or even mention a member of congress in broadcast ads within 60 days prior to a federal election. It is now a federal crime for state and local candidates, officeholders and political parties to engage or participate in political speech that attacks or even supports candidates for federal office (Roane). If it is illegal to voice anyone’s opinion, then the government has taken away a big chunk of our freedom of speech to support or object to any candidate. It basically makes it illegal for anyone to place an ad on the radio or television to support them in any federal election. The law also dictates what money can be used for certain applications and also lessens the chance for newer candidates to be heard, unless they already have a name for themselves in the public arena. It basically guarantees already elected officials a better chance for re-election in future elections (Roane). The government is closing down on our freedom of speech slowly by instituting their power to censor our speech. Whether it is through the schools, limiting what any students can say or wear, or through banning clubs that school official think could be objectionable, or through the media outlets governed by another governmental agency. Our freedom of speech is being taken away from us a little at a time without us even knowing it.

“Helen” by Hilda Doolittle Essay

The first thought I come up with when reading Doolittle’s Helen is the extreme difference between her poem, and Poe’s poem, Helen. Doolittle and Poe both describe Helen using her face, eyes, legs, hands, and knees; however, Doolittle expresses the speaker’s growing hatred of Helen while Poe adores her deeply. Doolittle makes an interesting choice when she says â€Å"all Greece† instead of â€Å"all Greeks.† She appears to be referring to more than just the people of Greece, but instead the entire culture that lies within Greece. Doolittle expands upon the speaker’s hatred of Helen by including â€Å"all Greece,† especially with her continual use of such dark and descriptive words as â€Å"hate† and â€Å"revile.† I find it interesting that Doolittle starts the first two stanzas with â€Å"all Greece† and the third words describing an extreme dislike, and still begins the final (third) stanza with â€Å"Greece sees unmoved†¦Ã¢â‚¬  still being insulting towards Helen. The entire poem remains with the same theme, and continues being both vivid and descriptive. In the first stanza Helen is described with words like olive and white which are both associated with beauty, but she is also described as having â€Å"still eyes† which creates the idea of a statue like person. The second stanza becomes more involved with Helen being detested by Greece. She is described as wan and growing paler (white). She is remembering what she did wrong in her past, and this begins to change her beautiful appearance. In the end, Helen progresses to either a completely statue-like stage, or perhaps even death. She is unmoved with â€Å"cool feet,† white, and â€Å"amid funereal cypresses.† These words are most associated with death, the skin is a pale color – almost white, and they are cold to the touch, just as Helen is described. She goes into this statue/death stage being hated by Greece for causing the Trojan War. The poem encompasses the fact that Greece has no mercy for Helen, even when she smiles. The only way for her to attain compassion, love, and mercy is through her death.

Ambivalant Title of ‘the Demon Lover’ and ‘the Open Window’

Man has always lived in a most deceiving world, and departed from that idea, every self-respecting author wants to make his readers more sensitive to our planet as it stands. In libraries, shelves are overloaded with committed novels, but it is certainly possible to make an issue and to make the audience well-aware of its own naivety by the use of an ambivalent title, as Elizabeth Bowen and Saki have tried to do with their respective short stories ‘The Demon Lover’ and ‘The Open Window’. The first tale yet, ‘The Demon Lover’, shows that it is not that difficult to put one on the wrong track. The title implies that it might be a ghost story, which was still very popular those days, but after a first lecture we can conclude that this is not the case. In spite of the spooky setting – such as the old dusty house in a abandoned neighborhood – and implicit assumptions about the potential presence of a ghost, there are no explicit clues that come up to the reader’s first expectations. Even the suspicious letter on the hall table is not convincing enough; what is more, the fact that no one significant had any key of the house, that there was no stamp on the envelop, that the letter was signed with the first letter of Mrs. Drover’s name and that â€Å"she went to the mirror† (p. 4, l. 27) to see her reflection raises the question whether she did not write it herself. The only demons that occur in the story are those of Mrs. Drover’s past: she is constantly betrayed by nervous twitches as â€Å"an intermittent muscular flicker to the left of her mouth† (p. 4, l. 36), and by the flash-backs to her cold lover in her youth. Incapable to leave her traumas behind, not a single day passes without being haunted by delusions, which is at a low ebb when she mistakes the taxi driver for her formal fiance and she drives completely mad. Delusions could also be found in the other story, ‘The Open Window’. Just like in Bowen’s story, one might be mistaken about the fact that the text deals with paranormal phenomena – for instance the beginning the story that could be interpreted as a ghost story, but â€Å"an undefinable something about the room seemed to suggest masculine habitation† (p. 69, l. 25) shows that there are actually still living there. It starts already with the names of the protagonists: one might think those do not have any significant purpose within the story, but in point of fact, these names are the foundations of he tale. On one hand, Vera’s name could be an ironic prophecy: although it might be a word pun for ‘veracious’, it draws the audience’s attention to be very careful with her treacherous tales. On the other hand, by becoming nuts at the end of the story, Mr. Nuttel wears a very appropriate name. For both of them, the title can have a different meaning: a symbolical for Mr. Nuttel, for whom the fresh air blown into the room represents a new start in life, and a useful one for Vera, who is very keen on deceiving and telling great stories. â€Å"Romance at short notice was her specialty† (p. 70, l. 30)) What is more, because she is a professional manipulator, differences between reality and imagination become slightly invisible, but the open window will open their eyes too, so that they will be forced to think twice. The conclusion is simple: different interpretations ascribed to an ambivalent title do not only broaden one’s horizon, but one could also gain a clear understanding of social standards, human mind and the world in general. And last but not least, it is the perfect way for man to overcome their own naivety.