Discover William Inges Play Picnic

Picnic is a three-act play written by William Inge, the author of Bus Stop and Come Back, Little Sheba. Set in a small town in Kansas, Picnic details the lives of ordinary Americans, from hopeful widows and embittered spinsters to idealistic teenagers and restless wanderers. The play was first performed on Broadway in 1953 and was adapted into a motion picture in 1955, starring William Holden and Kim Novak. The Basic Plot Mrs. Flora Owens, a widow in her forties, runs a boarding house with the help of her two teenage daughters, Madge and Millie. Madge is constantly admired for her physical beauty, but she longs to be acknowledged for something more substantial. Her younger sister, on the other hand, has brains but not a boyfriend. A young stranger (who at first seems like a vagrant) is passing through town, working for food at the neighbors house. His name is Hal, a strong, shirtless, sometimes shifty hero of the play. Nearly all of the female characters are entranced by him, especially Madge. However, (and heres where the conflict starts to come into play) Madge has a serious boyfriend named Alan, an up-and-coming college student who leads a life of privilege. In fact, Hal has breezed into town hoping that Alan (his old college buddy) will be able to use his connections to land him a job. Alan is happy to help, and for a short time, it seems that Hal might be able to give his aimless life direction. Although handsome, Hal isnt the most cultured of young men. During the Labor Day festivities, he feels very awkward while socializing with others. Mrs. Owens and her tenant Rosemary, an aging school teacher, do not trust Hal, maintaining their first impression that deep down he is merely a bum. The communitys perception of Hal worsens when he allows Millie to drink whiskey. (Although in Hals defense, the illegal booze is supplied by Rosemarys boyfriend, Howard the traveling salesman. While Millie is getting drunk, Rosemary (also under the influence) makes a move on Hal while dancing. When he is uncomfortable with the school teachers advances, Rosemary viciously insults Hal. Millie then becomes sick and Hal is blamed, incurring the wrath of Mrs. Owens. The Plot Thickens: (Spoiler Alert) The increasing animosity toward Hal softens Madges heart. She feels both empathy and desire. When Alan isnt around, Hal steals a kiss from Madge. Then, the two lovebirds (or lust birds?) have sex. The copulation doesnt occur onstage, of course, but a sudden natural portrait of premarital sex demonstrates how Inges dramatic work was a harbinger of the sexual revolution of the 1960s. When Alan finds out, he threatens to have Hal arrested. He even throws a punch at his ex-friend, but Hal is too fast and strong, easily defeating the book-wormish college boy. Realizing that he must catch the next train (hobo style) and leave town before the cops toss him in jail, Hal departs — but not before announcing his love for Madge. He tells her: HAL: When you hear that train pull outa town and know Im on it, your little hearts gonna be busted, cause you love me, God damn it! You love me, you love me, you love me. Moments later, after Hal has caught the train headed for Tulsa, Madge packs her bags and leaves home for good, planning to meet up with Hal and begin a new life together. Her mother is shocked and despondent as she watches her daughter head off into the distance. The wise neighbor Mrs. Potts consoles her. FLO: Shes so young. There are so many things I meant to tell her, and never got around to it. MRS. POTTS: Let her learn them for herself, Flo. The Sub-Plots As with other plays by William Inge, an ensemble of characters deal with their own squashed hopes and wistful pipedreams. Other storylines that run throughout the play involve: Rosemary and her reluctant boyfriend: By the end of the play she coerces Howard into marriage, allowing her to shed her old maid lifestyle.Mrs. Potts and her elderly mother: Surprisingly optimistic about life, Mrs. Potts is often tied down by the demands of her severely debilitated mother.Millie and Alan: After Madges relationship with Alan falls apart, Millie finds the courage to admit that she has always had a crush on the young man. (And who can blame her? The original Alan was played by Paul Newman.) Themes and Lessons The prevailing message of Picnic  is that youth is a precious gift that must be savored instead of squandered. In the plays beginning, Flo speculates that her daughter might be working at the towns dime store well into her 40s, a depressing idea for Madge. In the plays conclusion, Madge embraces adventure, thwarting the convention wisdom of older characters. Throughout the play, the adult characters envy the young. During her tirade aimed at Hal, Rosemary vehemently declares: You think just cause youre young you can push people aside and not pay them any mind... But you wont stay young forever, didja ever thinka that?

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Comparing The Pardoners Tale...

Irony in The Pardoners Tale and The Nuns Priests Tale Irony is the general name given to literary techniques that involve surprising, interesting,or amusing contradictions. 1 Two stories that serve as excellent demonstrations of irony are The Pardoners Tale and The Nuns Priests Tale, both from Chaucers The Canterbury Tales. Although these two stories are very different, they both use irony to teach a lesson. Of the stories, The Pardoners Tale displays the most irony. First and foremost, the entire telling of the story is ironic, considering just who is the teller. The Pardoner uses this story to speak out against many social problems, all of which he himself is†¦show more content†¦The Nuns Priests Tale is also laden with irony, the most obvious of which is the characters themselves. The story begins by telling of an old woman who owns several farm animals, but while the woman is described as a poor old widow, who led a patient, simple life, (1 6) while the animals are described as royalty. For example, the animals had regal names and titles, yet the woman had none at all. The first concrete example of irony, occurs after Chanticleer has told Pertelote of his dream, and she makes fun of him. Chanticleer says Mulier est hominis confusio, which he tells her means Woman is mans delight and all his bliss, but in reality means that woman leads to the destruction of man. Although Chanticleer means to tease her, it becomes ironic when Pertelotes advice for Chanticleer to ignore his dream ends up leading to his downfall. His downfall occurs when Chanticleer is tricked by the fox into his trap, but what is ironic is the downfall of the fox. When the fox has caught Chanticleer he says to him, that misfortune will come to those who talk when they should be quiet, but this lack of silence from the fox leads to his loss. The fox had captured Chanticleer by flattering him until he did something foolish

American Society During The 1950S Was An Industrial Society

American society during the 1950 s was an industrial society it was a time where the economy was transformingfrom a wartime economy to a consumer economy. The growth in the population lead to a demand and production of American goods [in Europe that] fuel[ed]†¦ the American economy. and allowed for home appliances and vehicles that were only available for [those in] the upper classes to be affordable to those in the middle class. Not only was America an industrial society it was also viewed, at the time, as an egalitarian society. A society where it provides equal access to resources and prestige (sociology dictionary.org) but sadly this was not reflected. People were sold, with the help of the media, on this false belief that†¦show more content†¦The social role that is reflected during the 1950 s as well as in the play is the gender roles within society. Gender roles dictates things such as how a man or a woman should behave, what jobs may be suitable, and what is considered to be masculine and feminine. According to the gender role men are expected to be the head of the family, to work a respectable job, and be able to provide their family with basic as well as material needs. As individuals, we are always adjusting our self-concept since it includes... our self-image... that is subject to constant change... based on...[the] different positions that one holds in society.( Stets Burke 5-7) The characters in the play Death of A Salesman are faced with this issue of trying to fulfill their social role to the best of their abilities. Biff, Willy s son, for example struggles to fit into his father s dream, the American dream, as well as his role as a man in society. BIFF. No, I m mixed up very bad. Maybe I oughta get Married. Maybe I oughta get stuck into something. Maybe that s my trouble. I m like a boy. I m not married, I m not In business, I just- I m like a boy. ( 11) In this dialogue Biff repeats the words maybe and ought the repetition of these words shows how Biff is unsure about whether he wants what his father, Willy, has in life. Biff doesn t know if he, as an individual, can meet his father s expectation which representsShow MoreRelatedChanges Brewing For African American History1708 Words   |  7 PagesBrewing for African Americans in 1950s Determined to write a play about African American experience in the United States for every decade during the 20th century, Wilson has written many plays representing each of these decades. Fences is one of such plays about African American in the 1950 s. It began in 1957 and ended in 1965; however, the 1950s marks the time period when the struggle against segregation and racial discrimination became strong in the mainstream of American life, showing that theRead MoreUtopi A Utopian Society Essay1358 Words   |  6 Pageswhich everything is perfect†. Many times society is often referred to as an â€Å"utopian society† of which many hope for as a sense of perfection within. However, it is often far from that state of perfection despite how hard it tries to be. The connotation of this word has also been referenced through the American land, mostly in accordance to the suburban districts of America. The suburbs became the onset to many of what modern society was within Ame rica. It was through the establishment of the suburbsRead MoreParsons And Bales : Family Structure And Gender Roles1684 Words   |  7 PagesIn our current society, the average household must have two adults working full time to achieve economic stability and to at least have a chance at reaching the â€Å"middle class†. Parsons and Bales’ piece on family (written during 1955) is notable for being one of the first studies on family dynamics. Parsons and Bales expressed confidence that family structure will attain long term stability through universal â€Å"modern† reconfiguration which incorporated a nuclear family structure and gender role specializationRead MoreFast Food Nation : The Dark Side Of The All American Meal1135 Words   |  5 PagesThe â€Å"Drive Thru† Consumerism Of The 1950’s In Eric Schlosser’s 2001 piece, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, he examines the rise of the fast food industry in the 1950’s as it was associated with the rampant consumerism of the era and shows how this led to the fast food industry becoming one of the most unethical, manipulative, and greedy industries that ever existed. Schlosser shows how fast food corporations, through mass appealing advertising, were able to manipulateRead MoreThe Nuclear Family is no Longer the American Ideal Essay954 Words   |  4 Pagesthe American ideal because family needs have changed since the 1950s. This American convention of a mother and father and their two children, were a template of films and early television as a depiction of the American family life. Now seen as archaic and clichà © by today’s standards, but the idea is common throughout many of the first world nations in the world. This ideal was a vast departure from the past agrarian and pr e industrial families, and was modeled and structured as the ‘American dream’Read MoreEssay about The United States from 1865 to 19501172 Words   |  5 PagesThe United States changed dramatically from 1865 to 1950. Many changes occurred in industrialization, foreign affairs, government, as well as in society and culture. The events that took place within this time period helped shape this country into what it is today. Industrial development began with the railroad, with the help of Republican governments, who provided subsidies, loans and tax exemptions to railroad corporations. Over 52,000 miles of railroad were laid all over the nation betweenRead MoreThe Evolution Of Social Welfare Policy955 Words   |  4 PagesWelfare Policy In â€Å"Reluctant Welfare State† Jansson reveals to us society in mid-twenith century. It was the end of a long war. The econmy was at full employment and people had homes. Due to a series events that took place, it changed the outcome of the Unites States during the mid-twenith century. New laws were impeached, and their were protection laws for the people. President Harry S. Truman was elected president in 1945. During his administration Korean War had begun. After the war militaryRead MoreFast Food Nation : The Dark Side Of The All American Meal1682 Words   |  7 PagesKaushal Brahmbhatt HIST 173 Recent US History December 10, 2015 The â€Å"Drive Thru† Consumerism Of The 1950’s In Eric Schlosser’s 2001 piece, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, he examines the rise of the fast food industry in the 1950’s as it was associated with the rampant consumerism of the era and shows how this led to the fast food industry becoming one of the most unethical, manipulative, and greedy industries that ever existed. Schlosser shows how fast food corporationsRead MoreThe Social Policy Welfare Programs1343 Words   |  6 Pagespoverty has been a social problem for over five decades in America. During the 1960’s, the issue of poverty was first identified as a social problem and countless efforts have been made to eradicate poverty in the United States. In 1964, the Kennedy-Johnson administration declared a â€Å"War on Poverty† after the publication of Michael Harrington’s book, The Other America (1962). His book exposed how the other half lived in American society and became influential in beginning the process of addressing povertyRead MoreAmerican Women s Roles During The 1950s1604 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican women’s roles greatly expanded during the 1940s when the United States entered World War II. The media and the government’s campaign urged women into the workforce as part of their war effort and patriotic duties, because workers were needed to make weapons and supplies for the war since the men were away fighting. More than six million women entered the workforce, and the majority worked in the industrial sectors in mills, factories, shipyards, and lumberyards. However, once the war ended

Training and Development of Comfort Delgro †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Training and Development of Comfort Delgro. Answer: Introduction Training and Development helps in improving the performance of the employees of an organization. Training helps in increasing the labour productivity and proves to be an important factor the success of an organization. Comfort Delgro is a taxi company that is owned by Comfort Delgro Corporation Limited and organizational, functional and individual training needs analysis can help the company to grow and earn profits (Comfortdelgro.com.sg, 2017). Business Goals The world is witnessing a sharp rise of the sharing economy on account of the ever-evolving digital platform where the consumers are willing to try out the mobile app that facilitates the peer-to-peer business model. (Ford, 2014). The business goal revolves around making money from assets that are underutilised. The goal for Comfort Transportation Pte Limited in the era of sharing economy is to introduce technology to the maximum in order to reap the maximum amount of profit. The emergence of global players like that of Uber, Lyft, Curb and Grab has posed stiff competition to the business of Comfort Delgro and the main goals are to make the company more efficient that can add value to the reputation of the organization. Marketing professionals who are experienced will be hired so that it can add to the existing talent pool and help in the steady growth of the business (Singh, 2017). Organizational Training Needs Analysis Advanced Technology can be made use of by Comfort Delgro so that it can stay ahead of other companies. The transportation task needs a lot of activities to be performed and it involves a lot of services. There should be appropriate learning choices in the smart phone from where the customers can learn about the special facilities provided by Comfort Delgro (Goetsch Davis, 2014). The GPS mapping should be updated to the maximum that would prove to be of immense help for the drivers and the passengers. There should be facility for the security of women in the vehicles. There can be an alarm button in the car after pressing which an alarm would be sent to the office of Comfort Delgro from where information can be seen about the location of the car. (Phillips Phillips, 2016). Comfort Delgro is a low priced leader and that keeps it at an advantageous position as compared to that of the competitors. They have increased the number of fleet so that even at the time when there is a heavy de mand of the cars the prices are not very high (Hastings Bauman, 2017). The findings suggested that adequate information on the mobile app should be furnished to the consumers so that things are clear to them abd they do not hesitate to make use of the services. Alarm buttons placed on the car would act as an strategic advantage and keep them popular among the consumers. Low prices even at times of heavy demand will make it highly coveted among the consumers (Dhar, 2015). Functional Analysis Task analysis in relation to an organization will help in adding to the profit of the organization. Comfort Delgro has to train the drivers in the necessary arenas of technology so that they do not face any problem while they are driving. They should be thoroughly acquainted with all facets of technology so that they can use it to the maximum and render useful service for the consumers. Another important training need is related to the behaviour of the drivers and a right attitude would help the consumers (Goetsch Davis, 2014). They should attend to the needs of the passenger that would help in building a great brand for the company. (Zeidler, 2013).Cognitive skill in relation to observation means that things should be noticed and paid great amount of attention in order to learn essential skills. The results suggested how functional analysis can be used to evaluate the design in relation to an organization and it can help in identifying the alternative designs that can increase the ability of the organization to realize the operational goals. It proves to be an important asset in enhancing the effectiveness in relation to social system (Pollock, Wick Jefferson, 2015). Individual Training Needs Analysis Supervision meetings will help in illuminating on the additional skills that should be taught to the employees so that the company can prosper. Technology is constantly evolving in the modern era and an important necessity is to know about all the essential aspects of GPS system so that the drivers do not face any problem while being on the road. Comfort Delgro works with the help of a network of employees and adequate communication etiquettes is integral for successfully carrying out the job. The drivers should be well aware how to overcome a problematic situation. Decision making is important for this profession and the right decision at a critical juncture can save the company from a great deal of harassment and trouble. It can help in saving the reputation of Comfort Delgro if the right step is taken at the right time. Certain situations should be presented to the driver and how to tackle those incidents should be properly taught to them so that their mind is imbibed with the dif ferent ideas. E-Learning assessment can be of great help in identifying what the employees know as against that they need to know. They can help in identifying the performance gap on the individual level. The reports brought out that the basic concepts in relation to technology was understood by the employees however they felt helpless in case of any critical situation cropped up and felt acutely helpless. It elucidated how understanding the model of business was important for the employees so that everyone can profit in the long run (Tahir et al., 2014). Ignorance about the concept of business proved to be detrimental for the reputation of the company. Identification of Intended Learning Outcome Learning the organizational skills that is important for the growth of the organization should be the outcome of the Training and Development programme of the Comfort Delgro. Integrity is an important organizational asset and it should be imbibed in the minds of the workers of the organization. Perfect co-ordination in relation to the different departments is important for this kind of car services and the communicative abilities should be taught to the workers of Comfort Delgro (Hastings Bauman, 2017). With the help of the organisational training needs analysis, task analysis and individual learning needs he strategies and goals of the organization would be clearly revealed to the employees. It highlights why a training program is perceived as the solution to that of a business problem. It will clearly reveal whether any software or equipment will be required in the business that will help in the growth of the business (Agarwal et al., 2017).It helps in providing crucial insight re garding the direction in relation to training and identifying the kind of training that will be of benefit for the organization (Singh, 2017). It helps the employees in preparing for the changes in the future and providing them with suitable time so that they can be equipped with the skills and abilities. Conclusion: Comfort Delgro should provide training in the arena of technology and proper etiquettes so that customers get a good experience while being on the road. The workers should be trained on the ways of decision-making so that they can take the right decision during a critical situation and the customers are left with a good experience. References: Agarwal, A. K., Dhar, A., Gautam, A., Pandey, A. (Eds.). (2017).Locomotives and Rail Road Transportation: Technology, Challenges and Prospects. Springer. Clark, R. C., Mayer, R. E. (2016).E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. John Wiley Sons. Comfortdelgro.com.sg. (2017).ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited.Comfortdelgro.com.sg. Dhar, R. L. (2015). Service quality and the training of employees: The mediating role of organizational commitment.Tourism Management,46, 419-430. Ford, J. K. (2014).Improving training effectiveness in work organizations. Psychology Press. Goetsch, D. L., Davis, S. B. (2014).Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson. Hastings, N. B., Bauman, J. A. (2017). Best Practices and Current Research in Organizational Training and Performance: An AECT Division of Organizational Training and Performance Special Issue of Tech Trends.TechTrends,61(1), 2-3. Morley, M. J., Slavic, A., Por, J., Berber, N. (2016). Training practices and organisational performance: A comparative analysis of domestic and international market oriented Organisations in Central Eastern Europe.Journal of East European Management Studies,21(4), 406-432. Phillips, J. J., Phillips, P. P. (2016).Handbook of training evaluation and measurement methods. Routledge. Pollock, R. V., Wick, C. W., Jefferson, A. (2015).The six disciplines of breakthrough learning: How to turn training and development into business results. John Wiley Sons. Singh, M. (2017). Transportation: Mobility, Accessibility, and Connectivity. In50 YEARS OF URBAN PLANNING IN SINGAPORE(pp. 127-151). Tahir, N., Yousafzai, I. K., Jan, S., Hashim, M. (2014). The Impact of Training and Development on Employees Performance and Productivity A case study of United Bank Limited Peshawar City, KPK, Pakistan.International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences,4(4), 86. Zeidler, E. (2013).Nonlinear functional analysis and its applications: III: variational methods and optimization. Springer Science Business Media.