The Life of Ben Jonson essays

The Life of Ben Jonson essays Ben Jonson was a playwright who lived in the English Renaissance, a man of great talent who was overlooked in his time because of William Shakespeare. Most of Jonsons works were written in the Jacobean period, and are comedies that deal with human behavior and temperaments. Jonson used these plays to try to teach people lessons by showing them the truth about how they acted. Because of this, his works were not highly accepted during his lifetime. Ben Jonson was born in Westminster, but claimed his family was of Border decent, this might be confirmed by looking at his coat of arms. On this we see three spindles or rhombi, which was a device shared by a Border family from Annandale, the Jonstones. Ben Jonsons farther died just one month before he was born. Leaving his mother to raise him alone, but after two years, his mother remarried to a master bricklayer. Jonson started attending school at St. Martins home and later transferred to Westminster school where, William Camden taught him. It is believed that Jonson went to the University of Cambridge, although he denied this fact with the excuse that he was put to work as a bricklayer immediately. After spending some time in this trade, Jonson became a soldier in the lower countries. He married around 1592, and from this marriage he had three children. Their first was a daughter named Mary, who died at only six months in 1593. The second who was a boy, Benjamin, died at the age of ten from the plague. The third child was another son, also named Benjamin, who died in 1635. Through this time it is believed that Jonson was separated from his wife for five years while he lived with Lord Aubigny. Around the summer of 1597, Ben Jonson became an actor in the Lord Admirals acting company, which was performing at the Rose, under the direction of Philip Henslowe. Around this time, Jonson started to write original plays, which were performed by this c ...

Personification vs. Anthropomorphism

Personification vs. Anthropomorphism Personification vs. Anthropomorphism Personification vs. Anthropomorphism By Maeve Maddox A reader asks: Is there a difference between  Personification and Anthropomorphism? If theyre not the same, could you please explain it? Both words convey the idea of attributing human characteristics to something not human. Personification comes from the verb personify. One meaning of personify is â€Å"to represent or imagine a thing or abstraction as a person.† For example, â€Å"Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars. –Proverbs, 9:1.† The abstract concept wisdom is personified by the use of the feminine pronouns. Another meaning of personify is â€Å"to be the embodiment of a quality or trait.† For example, â€Å"Adolf Hitler has become infamous as a personification of evil.† Poets frequently employ personification, as in the opening lines of â€Å"Ode on a Grecian Urn† by John Keats (1795–1821): Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness, Thou foster-child of Silence and slow Time, Sylvan historian, who canst’ thus express A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme. The subject of the poem is an ancient urn or vase depicting a pastoral scene in which male figures seem to be pursuing women. Keats humanizes the inanimate urn by addressing it with the pronoun thou and calling it a bride, a foster-child, and a historian. The concepts Silence and Time are also personified by identifying them as the parents of the urn. Many of the ancient gods were personifications of natural phenomena or intellectual concepts. The goddess Iris, for example, is the personification of the rainbow. Cupid is the personification of desire or love (Latin cupere, â€Å"to love†). English speakers personify ships as female, as Holmes does in his poem about the USS Constitution, aka â€Å"Old Ironsides†: Ay, tear her tattered ensign down! The word anthropomorphism has two main applications. The first definition given for it in the OED is â€Å"ascription of a human form and attributes to the Deity.† Descriptions of God walking in a garden, having the whole world in His hands and â€Å"having His eye upon the sparrow† are examples of this kind of anthropomorphism. A second definition of anthropomorphism is â€Å"ascription of a human attribute or personality to anything impersonal or irrational.† This is the kind of anthropomorphism that leads doting pet owners to stage weddings for their dogs. Anthropomorphism is a popular story-telling trope. Puss in Boots, Black Beauty, and Rocket Raccoon are anthropomorphized animal characters. Inanimate objects can also be anthropomorphized, like the vegetables in Veggie Tales and the vehicles in the movie Cars. Television advertising is rife with anthropomorphism, ranging from cute (MM candies) to revolting (Mucus). If there is a difference, it’s a subtle one. I think personification is more appropriate for discussions of literature and as a synonym for embodiment. Anthropomorphism seems to suit more general contexts. One drawback to this advice is that anthropomorphism is harder to say. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative ConflictTop 11 Writing Apps for iOS (iPhone and iPad)Woof or Weft?