Dracula, Bram Stoker A Religious Analysis

Dracula, Bram Stoker A Religious Analysis Before the Victorian Era of the nineteenth century, faith in Christ was pretty much a necessity in Europe. But Christianity underwent its challenges with the theory of evolution anticipated by Charles Darwin. This event made people in industrialized cities, and most of their views of Christ, dissipate. After the drastic change in peoples views, the idea of the Anti-Christ, in most Christians was highly thought about. Most speculated that the Anti-Christ was already walking with them and were many different ideas of what he looked like. In Bram Stokers Dracula, Stoker simulates Dracula as the Anti-Christ by using many beliefs from Christianity to exhibit abundant amounts of the evaluation of the influence of Dracula with the influence of God, Anti-Christian morals, and superstitious beliefs. In this fictional novel, Dracula has certain powers that the other characters surely do not. A lot of these powers, to Christians, are characteristics of what no man but God could have. The only difference is that unlike God, Dracula uses these powers for evil. One example is the fact that Dracula can change the weather around him. In chapter eight, when Dracula is trying to transport his boxes of earth to Carfax, he crashes the ship by creating a fierce storm. The waves rose in growing fury and The wind roared like thunder, and blew with such force that it was with difficulty that even strong men kept their feet(Stoker 87) This event shines a light on his character because it eventually kills everyone on the ship. Killing innocent people when he didnt have to because he was selfish does portray the Anti-Christ in him. Christians also believing that taking the life of a child of God is a sure-fire way of going to hell (The Ten Commandments) surely puts him in the category of demonic. Christians believe that in order to go to heaven and having an eternal life with God, digesting Gods body and blood (Holy Communion) is vital. For Dracula, he is residually undead, by consuming the blood of the existing to thrive and to gain his power. Doing this, Dracula counts on human beings to renovate his undead being and not directed on God as the foundation. It is also said that you must let God into your heart; Dracula cannot come into a persons home unless invited in. In the Bible, Christ is known as the light, which signifies bliss or life. Dracula moves to an old abandoned Church not used anymore which can show that God is no longer present which would accomplish Draculas purpose of spreading evil. Dracula is too looked as the Anti-Christ by sharing comparisons with Jesus but in wicked ways. As Dracula moves to Carfax and begins his journey on to feeding on his victims, just as God had his disciples, Dracula has his followers as well. Renfield is a prime example of Draculas disciple. I am not even concerned in His especially spiritual doings. If I may state my intellectual position I am, so far as concerns things purely terrestrial, somewhat in the position which Enoch occupied spiritually(287) A few times on the book, when Renfield discusses Dracula, Dracula name or as a pronoun is always capitalized; in Christ, most people would refer to God in that manner. Readers can infer that Renfield thinks of Dracula as his master. Another reason readers think that Renfield is Draculas follower is that Renfield wants to be Draculas wing- man as Enoch was a follower of God. Another power in which Dracula uses most of the time is fact that he can control animals. In the first chapter Jonathan Harker notices that he saw Dracula stand in the roadway. As he swept his long arms, as though brushing aside some impalpable obstacle, the wolves fell back and back further still.(18) This is a very strange and scary thing that even God cant do. Also the fact that he only control dog, wolves, bats, and rats are quite interesting because most Christians say that the Anti Christ was the ruler of the night. In the Bible, God is passed on as the light, which signifies joy or life. This is a coincidence because these animals are creatures of the night, and Dracula has an influence over all of them. Another part where he does this is when he breaks into Lucys house to kiss her. There was a crash at the window, and a lot of broken glass was hurled on the floor. The window blind blew back with the wind that rushed in, and in the aperture of the broken panes there was the he ad of a great, gaunt gray wolf.(157). He controls the wolf into breaking in because Dracula desperately needs blood and would do anything to get his hands on his prey, even if that means hurting others to get to them. Draculas Anti-Christ ways are more protruded by the superstitious beliefs invented by Christians. In the first chapter, when Jonathan Harker departs to Draculas castle, the old lady puts rosary round my neck and said, For your mothers sake. (9) One of the common superstitions is that holy objects, in this situation holy beads, will shield you from all wicked, which in Jonathans case, is Dracula. When Jonathan slashes himself shaving the next day and Dracula starts to attack him, he notices the beads and the crucifix and backs down.You should not put your faith in such objects of deceit(31). This is a prime example of Draculas hatred towards God. This also proves that Dracula is the anti-Christ because he cant even approach rosary without harming him. Another example in which this superstition shows his anti-Christian self is later in the novel where Van Helsing utilizes the communion wafers to prevent Dracula from getting into his coffins. Once Dracula notices that there are holy ob jects around is boxes of earth, he cannot go in them. So much hatred for holy objects, to the point where he has to repel from them proves that Dracula is definitely the Anti-Christ. Even though there are a lot more examples to prove that Dracula might be the Anti-Christ, it is certain that Dracula epitomizes Anti-Christian values and mistreatment of Christianity. In numerous traditions Dracula is symbolized as the essence of sin. Into these closing stages, he is overcome by godliness. By illustrating a similarity between Dracula and anti-Christian beliefs, Dracula employs loads of biblical meanings. In Bram Stokers Dracula, Stoker uses Dracula as a capsule, to trap in all the hate and evil by using countless viewpoints from Christian beliefs to show the signs of Anti-Christianity.

The Maturing of Jane in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays

The Maturing of Jane in Jane Eyre When a caterpillar hatches from its mother's egg, it enters this world as an innocent, pure creature. As time passes by, it unwraps its cocoon and goes through metamorphosis. Once the caterpillar grows into a fully developed butterfly, it has lost its innocence and purity forever. Jane was an inexperienced caterpillar but her stay at Lowood and her challenging time at Thornfield with Mr. Rochester has changed her into an independent, matured butterfly. When Jane was young, she taught herself to be virtuous. Her aunt's criticisms and punishments has made Jane realize that she wasn't treated as part of the family. Her development of determination and self-reliance become more superior each day she spent at Gateshead. Jane states: "...I hate to live here." This quote proves that Jane hated Gateshead and she was determined to find a better place. The place Jane found was the Lowood Institution for orphans. It was not a better place but it helped Jane stand on her own feet. Through the help of Helen Burns, Jane has learned to love, forget hatred and live her life in happiness. Helen states: "Life appears too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs." These words shows that Helen is more mature and experienced than Jane. Jane observes: "Miss Temple is full of goodness..." Miss Temple was another great influence in Jane's life, she treated Jane as if she were her own daughter. We realize now that Jane was no longer alone. She had friends to love her and guide her to the next step in life. Jane had not only gained more experience and confidence, she also achieved a great education during her eight years at Lowood. Jane's next destination was Thornfield where she was to become the governess of Adèle, an orphan just like her. Adèle's presence reminded Jane of her old self and her awful childhood at Gateshead. Jane taught Adè le good virtues and the vicissitude of life. She wanted Adèle to have a better childhood than she did. Jane was happy at Thornfield mainly because of Mr. Rochester's love. The following quotation states that Jane has fallen in love.

Ethical Dimension of Private Corporations: Products and Danger and the Media Essay

Communication is the bedrock of any successful relationship. This doesn’t only apply to individuals as social beings but also groups both formal and informal. A breakdown in sound communication is often the source of many conflicts and at times crisis. Brad Fitch concurs with this in his book, the Media Relations Handbook of Public for Agencies, Associations, Nonprofits and Congress, when he states that communication is the conveying of message between two people. And that in public relations the message is conveyed through various vehicles, which are otherwise referred to as the public relations practitioner’s tools. These tools may vary from one organization to another but there are some basic tools that are common to most public relations shops. (23) In our contemporary world, the most reliable mode of conveying information is unarguably the media. This is because the media has diversified its mode of communication making itself accessible to audiences even in the most remote places. Above all, the media enjoys the trust of the public because it serves not only as the watch dog but also the mouth piece of the society. Alison Theaker also agrees with this fact when he alludes in his book, The Public Relations Handbook, which one of the reason public relations practitioners use media relations to get their message across is that the media plays crucial role in the forming public opinion. (Chapter 10) Subsequently, any media outlet worth its salt would utterly desist from engaging in any practice that would bring their dignity in question, and particularly so in the eyes of the public. One such practice is hinging their trust on a skewed public relation practice as the source of their news. It is thus prudent for any public relations practitioners of any organization to observe integrity in the course of their duty. This will boast the image of the organization in the perception of its various publics and more particularly the media. An organization has a lot to reap by presenting itself as a reliable source of news to the media. In any case, one of the most objective ways a media outlet can report on an organization is when they get the information through its public relations practitioners. Therefore how an organization uses the media to communicate to its other publics is of utmost importance. This not only determines the willingness of the media to cooperate but also how the targeted publics will respond. What then are the criteria an organization can employ to positively and effectively use or work with the media to reach out to its publics? Media Relations Defined The line delineating both media relation and public relations is not fine. Journalists often use the two terms interchangeably. But for starters, it is important to find out how the two terms marry and even differ. In Media Relations: Issues and Strategies, Jane Johnston argues that media relation is much more than just using the media to reach out to the targeted publics through writing press releases, and fielding media conferences. Indeed, the tenets of media relation consist of an insight on why we make communication choices and put them into practice. Therefore, a concrete theoretical underpinning is crucial for media relation, which in essence covers a broad spectrum of public relations. (28) However Johnston points out that before media relation can be theorized, it is important to get to the knowledge base of what consists of mass media itself and also what incorporate a deep understanding of the Fourth Estate, as it is often referred to and ultimately, the question of media ownership. (28) This is important in the sense that the ownership of a media outlet goes a long way to affects its objectivity or subjectivity on certain issues, especially political. In turn, this determines the audiences that will continue using that media channel as a source of news and information. And in cases a media outlet takes a radical, even controversial stand, it definitely scares away some of its audiences that don’t necessarily buy their opinion. A public relation practitioner using such a media outlet to convey its message should bear in mind that he/she is likely to miss reaching to the target audiences effectively as some, especially those contesting the media house stand may not be looking at it as a reliable source of news and information, leave alone using it. Sriramesh and Vercic agree with this in their book, The Global Public Relations Handbook: Theory, Research, and Practice. They claim that maintaining effective media relations demand that the public relations professionals understand the people who control the media outlet and whether such control does extend into editorial content. This is because some media houses operate free from the control of their people who own the outlets whereas others are only partly free. (13) Effective Application of Media Relations Every organization has communication needs by the virtue of having publics that it needs to communicate with. This could be during the launch of a certain new product or publicizing the details of an ensuing crisis. The media, though it is one of an organization’s public acts as a crucial bridge between an organization and its other publics. How well the media is used to reach out to the other publics by an organization goes a long way to determine the success of the public relations practice. For starters, the public relations department needs to come up with a campaign. This could either be to correct the image of the organization, which could be dwindling in the eyes of the public or it could be explain the features and advantages of the new product in the market. Alison Theaker points out in his book, Public Relations Handbook that to ensure the success of any such campaign, the first step that a public relations practitioner must take is to get their issue(s) into the media agenda. This is crucial because the media influence how people think. Therefore, if the public cannot buy the organization’s point of view, they will inevitably rely on the media’s point of view, even though it could be a garbled account. Often the media report inaccurately in cases where there is a crisis in an organization and there is limited news available from the public relations department. In the modern world, the ease with which varied points of views of a certain crisis reach people has increased considerably with the advancement of technology, the internet being the major source. However, most people still get most information through the media. Therefore, if the public relations practitioner of an organization is the main source of information on a subject, for instance, the launching of a new product or the fall out between the employees and the establishment, it is possible for them to shape the tone of debate about the product. The effort of getting commanding the media agenda is what Brad refers to as pitching a story. He points out that public relations practitioner of any organization has an agenda and wants the media houses to promote his/her messages. And if one wants to advance the goals of his/her organization then he/she must expend ample time by pitching story ideas to journalists. This demands preparations, the extent of which depends on the complexity of the story. The steps involved in pitching a story include: first narrowing the topic. Second is organizing and compiling the documents that may be needed to supplement the story: this could be previous reports, the organization’ in-house publications, information by the experts from a particular department in the organization. Then follows the development of talking points on the most news worthy aspects of the story; they need to be jotted down in advance and confirmed as valid arguments by the relevant experts in the organization. Then after determining the necessity of interviewing the management is when the news people can be called. Worth noting is that, it is imperative that the public relations practitioner succeed to get the attention of the media in order for him/her to get into their agenda. Apart from demonstrating themselves as credible sources of news, the public relations practitioners have to adequately prepare the message that they intend to bring to the public domain. The media is in business and wouldn’t work on any information that doesn’t fall within their criterion of news worthiness. The public relations practitioners should therefore not present to the media any message that is outside their definition of news. Such messages won’t be publicized by the media. The process of message development is one of the most difficult aspects of a public relations practitioner’s job because it demands savvy political skills, coordination among diverse interests within an organization and most importantly creativity. Developing a message and communication plan is the tangible beginning of the partnership between a public relation office and the media. 49) In order for an appropriate message to be created, the specific characteristics of the targeted public should be borne in mind, without forgetting their specific communication needs like language appropriateness and the media channel. The advantages of taking into consideration the above requirements before setting out to design a message cannot be overlooked. The failure to address them in a message means that a campaign will most definitely fail to achieve its goals. A message, according to Brad Fisch’s definition is a precise elaboration of an idea or a vision with the intent of bringing out a broad theme or to mobilize people to carry out a specific action. A good message, therefore, must be short and clear as this enables easy comprehension; it must also bear a value based image: this enhances its reception to the targeted audience. And ultimately it must connect with the targeted audience in a meaningful way. In a market place, Brad points out; a slogan sums up a product’s image. The message development does vary on the basis of the particular type of organization under which it is being crafted. The way a manufacturing company designs it message is not the way a communication company will design their. This is because the publics of the two organizations do vary, hence the particular channel and language to reach them effectively. There are two categories of messages which Brad outlines. This he defines as strategic and campaign messages. Strategic messages are broad in themes, they also bear ideas, which guide and shape all communication processes. Such messages are composed of general ideas. To add on that, they do not have a clearly measurable outcome and their goals may or may not fit into a limited time period. Strategic messages come in the form of company marketing or branding in a commercial set up; whereas, in a public affairs environment, the strategic message is tied to the overall, long-term mission of the organization. (Media Relations Handbook, 50) Campaign message on the other hand, consists of messages that predominantly intend to mobilize publics towards carrying out a certain activity. For instance, a telephone organization could be losing oodles of money through vandals who are stealing cables and booths. This heinous work is definitely interrupting the operations of the company and even affection its various publics. Using the media, the public relations office of the company can come up with a message soliciting help from the public to stop the vandalism. This message could consist of a passionate appeal to the public to forward any such vandals, with a promise of a reward and protection. The message could also outline the effects of vandalism to the public at large, one of which is the interruption of communication. In sum, a campaign message is a subset of a strategic message. This is due to the fact that its composition is made up of specific ideas. To add on that, it has a definite time limit or in other words, a particular practical result, which usually is a measurable outcome. A campaign message often results in legislations to curb a vice or legalize an idea. (51) Through the interactions between an organization and the media, the public relation facilitates a central part in presenting words and images to society which in turn shapes perceptions. Due to that, one fact that should be taken into account during the development of the message it is important that the public relations practitioner be in the know of how news is manufactured. He /she must be conversant with the qualities that add up to a news story: press men won’t get interested with a story that contains no news. These qualities include prominence, proximity, timeliness, impact, conflict, novelty, money and human interest. These news values frame an event and render it comprehensible to the public in terms of ideological system. They form the basis on which reporters use to select what makes news or not. ( Johnston, Media Relations, 29) After developing the message, the next stage is reaching out to the media which will in turn pass it over to the other publics. One way this is done is through press releases. Brad argues that press release is the fundamental tool in public relations. One of the benefits of press releases is that they form short, clear, historical records and policy positions, announcements and events of an organization. The sole goal of a press release is to convince journalists to do a story from its contents. Previously the main audience of press releases was the journalists. But technology, particularly the use of the website has nowadays expanded audiences of press release beyond journalists. In order to quickly get the attention of journalists the press release precisely proves that it’s worth their pursuit. In this case, the wording of the headline and the intro are of utmost importance. (25) The other ways through which the message can be sent out to the publics is through letters to the editor in newspapers and magazines, op-eds, advertorials or press conferences. In this discuss, we won’t focus on them for they in essence seem to play a peripheral role as the modes of communication in media relations. The successful development of the message is the threshold of successful communication. Nonetheless, far from creating a punchy message that is acceptable with the media and sending it out, it advantageous for the public relations practitioner to have an in-depth knowledge about the media industry itself. Contrary to what it seems, the news media isn’t only made up of one established conglomerate. It is rather made up of a range of different elements, and within them are many individual workers who work as independent thinkers. Thus, the news media should be considered in the context of individual news worker. This will enable a public relations practitioner to adequately developing and enhancing professional relationships with media practitioners. ( Johnston, Media Relations 42) Getting to know press men as individuals does create a fertile ground for the prosperity of media relations. For one, once a cordial relationship is established between the two, a public relation practitioner will not be trying to reach out to a stranger to get help communicate with the publics of his/her organization. Neither will he/she be having an opportunity to compromise the professionalism of his/her work or that of the press people. He/she will be enjoying an opportunity to be explained to the public through media ‘friends’ who are willing to relay his/her point of view about the product or crisis in question. Another way to enhance a robust media relation in an organization is by creating a clear cut structure of the public relations department. This will involve the job description of each and every personnel in the department. Besides erasing the duplication of duties, such an arrangement grants the onus of communicating to the media to only one person. This helps to improve consistency in the message that is reaching the publics through the media; this personnel is what Brad refers to a principal. He argues that in any public affairs-related operation there should a person who should be the leader and thus the spokes person of the organization. Much of the communication that an organization is responsible for creating will therefore have to flow through him/her. It is recommended that that principal be conversant with almost all the activities of the organization and even know the people in charge at all levels of the organization. (Brad, Media Relations Handbook, 5) Johnston posits that media relations are mostly considered not a complex issue as management; or as urgent an issue as crisis management; neither as personal as community relations nor as specialized as financial relations but rather a ‘soft’ part of public relations. However, since media relations plays a crucial in each of the areas of public relations , it is more useful to regard it as providing important access point and avenues for the industry as a whole. Subsequently, a strong working relationship with the media translates into smoother practices right across the spectrum of public relations activities and functions. The value of media relations can hardly be overlooked. The media have come to define themselves as a site where politics and public life are played out. Due to that any issue that is not validated by the media is considered less important, as not having any significance on the public agenda. The media, therefore, helps to position a person, issue, event or organization within the context of public life. Consequently, the value of media relations lies in tapping the media’s radar and ultimately the media’s agenda. (Jane Johnston, Media Relations: Issues and Strategies, 11)

The Culture Of The Caribbean - 1346 Words

The Caribbean is a widely known tourist attraction, and in the center of the Caribbean is a small island named Haiti. Home to about ten million people, this island country serves as a exports a variety of goods from cocoa to clothing around the world but mainly to the United States. But behind their massive amounts of exports there is plenty of history behind how the country was formed and important events that led to its independence and creation of the Government. Haiti was unexpectedly found by Christopher Columbus. While trying to sail and find a faster route from Europe to India, he ran into the Caribbean Islands instead. Haiti’s first name was Hispaniola, named by the native Taino that lived there before French and Spanish settlers that landed there. During the 18th century Haiti was one of the wealthiest islands in the Caribbean due to its exportation of sugar. During that time there was also a large population of slaves that lived there. Nearly a half a million slaves lived in Haiti during that time. Due to the amount of slaves and the way they were treated by the European slave owners, a rebel group led by Toussaint l Ouverture ended slavery in Haiti and gained independence in 1804. The Western Imperialism in Haiti turned out to be a mishap and ended up dismantling and dividing the country. Due to the small size of the country, Christopher Columbus was able set up a settlement on the north coast of Hispaniola easily, although it was later destroyed by the natives.Show MoreRelatedThe Caribbean Culture1669 Words   |  7 PagesThe Caribbean culture has a special showcase when it comes to expressing the masculine and feminine aspect of its living society. This paper will be able to introduce the argument of dealing with males and females in a masculine and feminine environment surrounded by the Caribbean culture and lifestyle. 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