Las Meninas Essay Example For Students

Las Meninas Essay Artist Diego Velà ¡zquezYear 1656Medium Oil on canvasDimensions 318 cm Ãâ€" 276 cm (125.2 in Ãâ€" 108.7 in) This is one of Velà ¡zquez`s largest paintings and among those in which he made most effort to create a complex and credible composition that would convey a sense of life and reality while enclosing a dense network of meanings. The artist achieved his intentions and  Las Meninas  became the only work to which the writer on art Antonio Palomino devoted a separate section in his history of Spanish painters of 1724, entitling it  In which the most illustrious work by Don Diego Velà ¡zquez is described.  Since then the painting has never lost its status as a masterpiece. From Palomino we know that it was painted in 1656 in the Cuarto del Prà ­ncipe in the Alcà ¡zar in Madrid, which is the room seen in the work. He also identifies most of the figures of the court servants grouped around the Infanta Margarita, who is attended by two of the Queen`s meninas or maids-ofhonour: Marà ­a Agustina Sarmiento and Isabel de Velasco. In addition to that group, we also see the artist himself working on a large canvas, the dwarves Mari Bà ¡rbola and Nicolasito Pertusato, the latter provoking a mastiff, and the lady-in-waiting Marcela de Ulloa next to a  guardadamas  (attendant), with the chamberlain Josà © Nieto standing in the doorway in the background. Reflected in the mirror are the faces of Philip IV and Mariana of Austria, the Infanta`s parents who are watching the scene taking place. The figures inhabit a space that is modelled not just through the laws of scientific perspective but also through aerial perspective. In the definition of this space the multiplication of the light sources plays an important role. The painting shows a large room in the  Royal Alcazar of Madrid  during the reign of King  Philip IV of Spain, and presents several figures, most identifiable from the Spanish court, captured, according to some commentators, in a particular moment as if in a  snapshot. Some look out of the canvas towards the viewer, while others interact among themselves. The young  Infanta Margaret Theresa  is surrounded by her entourage of  maids of honour,  chaperone, bodyguard, two dwarfs and a dog. Just behind them, Velà ¡zquez portrays himself working at a large canvas. Velà ¡zquez looks outwards, beyond the pictorial space to where a viewer of the painting would stand. In the background there is a mirror that reflects the upper bodies of the king and queen. They appear to be placed outside the picture space in a position similar to that of the viewer, although some scholars have speculated that their image is a reflection from the painting Velà ¡zquez is shown working on. Las Meninas  has long been recognised as one of the most important paintings in  Western art history. The  Baroque  painter  Luca Giordano  said that it represents the theology of painting and in 1827 the president of the  Royal Academy of Arts  Sir Thomas Lawrence  described the work in a letter to his successor  David Wilkie  as the true philosophy of the art. More recently, it has been described as Velà ¡zquezs supreme achievement, a highly self-conscious, calculated demonstration of what painting could achieve, and perhaps the most searching comment ever made on the possibilities of the easel painting. References En.wikipedia.org. (2017).  Las Meninas. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Meninas. Museodelprado.es. (2017).  Las Meninas The Collection Museo Nacional del Prado. Available at: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/las-meninas/9fdc7800-9ade-48b0-ab8b-edee94ea877f.

Evaluation of Taxation of Return on Property Holding

Question: Discuss about the Evaluation of Taxation of Return on Property Holding. Answer: Introduction This report discusses effect of taxation on return from property holding in an economy. The economy Effect of taxation on equity and housing prices are analysed. Taxation on property return affects the economy. Property tax is a source of income of government. Hence, if property tax increases, tax revenue increases. Property tax is regarded as cost of capital (Norregaard 2013). When, government increases the property tax, cost of capital increases. Therefore, reduction in property tax increases the capital investment. As the capital investment increases, industry develops and the more jobs are created. On the other hand reduction in tax revenue decreases government spending. The mixed effect of property tax on economy is discussed in this report in the Australian context. Property tax depends on the value of the property at a certain point of time. Different types of property valuation methods are used in different jurisdiction. Decrease in property value reduces the tax bill. Furthermore, property tax bill varies according to the usage of property such as residential use, commercial use, vacant land etc. In some areas the real estate tax bill is calculated on current value (Burkhauser et al. 2015). Therefore, the tax bill changes as the value of the property changes overtime. Generally, local government collects property taxes. Hence, property tax law is formed based on local economic structure. Evaluation the system of taxation on property holding returns Assessment of taxation on owner occupied property Land is considered as property in the economy. As land is inelastic in supply, effect of price on supply is low. Therefore, imposing tax on land does not impact much on behaviour of land suppliers. In case of owner occupied land, it is easier to identify the actual tax payer. The return on land is considered as economic rent. Land tax in Australia is charged to the owner of land. As opined by Jacobs and Berry and Dalton (2013), the utility of house is different from the land. Land taxes differ across different states of Australia. Land Tax in New South Wales Tax Base, (AUD) Tax rate Up to 412,000 AUD 100 412,000 -2,519,000 1.6% on band over ADU412,000 Over 2,519,000 25 on all value over ADU 2,519,000 Land tax in Victoria (2009-2014) Tax Base, (AUD) Tax rate Up to 250,000 0% 250,000 600,000 0.20% on band over 250,000 600,000 1,000,000 0.50% on the band over 600,000 1,000,000 1,800,000 0.80% on the band over 1,000,000 1,800,000 3,000,000 1.30% on band over 1,800,000 Over 3,000,000 2.25% on all value over 3,000,000 Land tax (2014-15) in Australian territory for residential properties TAX BASE, AUD TAX RATE Up to 75,000 0.41% 75,000 150,000 0.48% on band over75,000 150,000 275,000 0.61% on band over 150,000 Over 275,000 1.23% on all value over 275,000 Figure: Land Tax rate in different territory of Australia (Source: Ato.gov.au, 2016) Unlike land, a house gives service to the occupiers. Thus, VAT can be imposed on the services of house. In the view of Whiteford (2014), the value of houses fluctuate overtime just like share values. Hence, the home ownership can be considered as saving. As the owner occupied property has characteristics of both investment and consumption, it needs to be taxed from the two ends. If there is decrease in value of land, the land owner may suffer from capital loss, if the land tax would have been declared before. However, in practical, the value of land is non-decreasing as its supply is naturally fixed. Hence, use of land is not likely to be changed after windfall loss. Slack and Bird (2014) cited that, there is externality effect on owners land. If there is external development besides a land, the value of the concerned land increases. In this case, the value of the land increases due to community efforts rather than individual effort. Tax collected from the land thus includes the bene fits accrued by the landowner. Assessment of taxation on investment property Investment property is the property, which is purchased in the motive of profit earning. Rental income is a source of income from investment property. Rental income is taxable at the time of receiving it during a given period. Sale of rental property comes under capital gain or loss. Capital gain on investment property is liable for tax. In Australia, the investment property, building renovation due to profit motive and property used in business are taxed as capital gains tax or goods and service tax (Australia I.C.O.M.O.S. 2015). During the calculation of tax on the capital gain, cost of financing the acquisition and end use of the property needs to be considered. The capital gain from selling property gets tax exemption if gained amount is reinvested in an asset. The amount of tax depends on the time of selling investment property. During valuation of capital gain, difference between initial purchase price of the property and selling price renovation cost and transfer costs are considered (Coffee et al. 2013). Capital gain tax in Australia is calculated by using CGT method and Indexation method etc. Net capital gain is calculated by subtracting total capital loss and any CGT discount from total capital gain during a year (Ato.gov.au, 2016). In Australia, the capital gains tax is charged at standard income tax rate. In the capital gains tax method, capital gain is calculated by deducting cots base from the fair market value of property. The cost base includes acquisition cost of property, incidental expenses of purchase and sale of property and property improvement cost. Cost base cannot be calculated if the property is sold within one year of purchase (Elia et al. 2013). The property indexation method depends on date of purchasing property. There are two criteria of measuring capital gains in Australia. If residents have acquired the property after 21 September in 1999, the discount capital gain or unindexed capital gain is decreased by 50%. Therefore, the capital gain, which is taxable, is 50% of the cost base. The cost base of the assets, which were acquired before 21 September 1999, was indexed as per fluctuation of the CPI in Australia. Effect of taxation on equity Capital gains from stocks and mutual funds are taxed if the income is generated in short term. Long term return from equity is not taxed. Implication of tax is not applicable at the time of investment in shares. Tax is imposed at the time of sale of assets (Crowe 2013). As the public investment is mobilised in the economy for investment in different sectors, it is exempted from tax. However, income generated from sale of assets is liable to be taxed as if it is capital gain. In Australian economy, the repayment for mortgage on housing loan is liable to be taxed (Baranska 2013). The interest earned from the investment property is tax deductible. Equity is taxed if it is used for funding the purchase of investment property. Loan to value ratio and debt service ratio are used in evaluating the effect on equity. Investment in different types of property has different types of risks and values. Therefore, the loan to value ratio differs for different types of assets (Shi and Jou and Tripe 2014). Banks of Australia accepts up to 80% loan to value ratio for residential property and 60-70% for the commercial properties. If the borrower takes a mortgage insurance policy, the lender generally accepts a higher LVR (Chung 2016). The value of equity is therefore calculated as follows. If for example, the current value of property is $800,000 and the mortgage on home is $450,000, then the value of equity on property is $800,000 - $450,000 = $350,000. Now, if the investor finds an investment, which is worth of $500,000, the investor would try to get a loan of same worth. Now the LVR for the investor = ($450,000 + $500,000)/ ($800,000 + $500,000) = 73.08%. As the maximum criteria for the LVR is 80%, the investor will pass in the security criteria. Therefore, the bank may grant the loan to the investor for purchasing the investment property using the equity. The return on equity falls under the capital gains tax (LeBlanc and Matthews and Mellbye 2013). Hence, the standard income tax rate is applicable for the equity. Dividends on equity of a company fall under the corporation tax in Australia. The corporation tax rate in Australia is 28.50%, which is effective from 2015. Moreover, the tax on capital gain depends on whether the property is held on capital account or revenue account. If the property is included in the revenue account, the gains from disposal are calculated with the income of the owner (Peng and Chen 2016). The tax rate on income would be as per owners tax rate. If the property is held in capital account, the net capital gain is added wit h the income of the owner and taxed according to the owners tax rate. Effect on housing prices The housing price in Australia is influenced by the increasing value and cost of the assets. As investment in house is a source of income, return from investment property determines the demand for house (Sim and Krause and Winson-Geideman 2015). The housing prices in Australia have increased at 7% per year. The rising housing price in Australia can be explained by Stock flow model. Figure: Residential property prices in Australia (Source: abc.net.au, 2016) Figure: Growth in housing prices in Australia (Source: rba.gov.au, 2015) Stock flow model According to the stock flow model, demand for housing property is negatively related to the user cost of acquiring the property and property price (rba.gov.au, 2015). However, demand for housing is positively related to rent. There are other factors such as permanent income of the households; availability of credit etc affects the housing demand. The user cost of house ownership depends on real interest rate, asset depreciation and appreciation of housing price. Differences in tax structure for owner occupied and investment property also influence the demand for housing (Forrest 2013). Figure: Relation between the property price and property demand (Source: created by author) In the short run, the demand for housing changes frequently compared to supply of house. The demand pull inflation raises the price of the house In Australia. Increasing access of credit in Australia is the cause of increasing demand and prices of housing. Despite increasing rent, the demand for housing is rising in Australia, as the income of the people has increased substantially over the years (Randolph and Pinnegar and Tice 2013). However, there is a fall in residential property prices in Australia from 2015 to 2016. Figure: changes in housing price in Australia (Source: abs.gov.au, 2016) Effect on Australian economy According to the recommendation of tax review committee, the government of Australia can impose levy of 0.2% on unimproved value of property or may impose 0.1% on value of improvement on annual basis (abc.net.au, 2015). As per reporting, the actual amount of tax on property would be more than the average payment by the residents of the capital city. The report says that imposition of tax would raise the levy by $7bn at the current property price. According to Ferrero (2015), property tax is unavoidable. It is an inevitable part of spending for home owner, as property tax is wealth tax. Property, which is in use, gives service to the user and therefore is liable for GST tax in Australia. There is little impact of property tax on savings and incentive to work. Property tax is a significant source of earning of states. Moreover, property such as building and land is immobile in nature and the demand for real estate is rising with population growth (Paris 2013). Therefore, the prices of property tend to rise. People cannot shift immediately to avoid property taxes. Thus, property tax remains good source of revenue of state government. States and Australian territory on purchase of property levy stamp duty in Australia. Stamp duty rises with increase in property price (Ferrero 2015). Increase in stamp duties discourages people to purchase property and restricts the efficient use of property such as land and buildings. Grattan Institute of Australia has suggested that, the revenue of the States may increase if stamp duty can be abolished. Increase in revenues is beneficial for state, as it can use the revenue in improvement of society (Cesa Bianch, Cespedes and Rebucci 2015). Investment in property increases capital of the economy, which is further used in any productive purpose. Effect on society According to World Economic forum report, taxation on housing has mixed impact on consumer spending. Taxes on main dwelling have negative impact on household expenditure. Taxes on residential property have no significant impact on household expenditure. When mortgage debt burden increases, the household reduces their savings. As an impact, total disposable income of individual decreases. Fall in disposable income decreases consumer goods demand of people. Therefore, it may affect the aggregate demand of the economy (weforum.org, 2015). Decrease in consumer spending is regarded as short run cost in the economy. Lower property tax rate encourages the urbanisation in the economy. Rapid pace of urbanisation has positive externality on the surrounding land. Effect of fiscal policy on housing market Fiscal policy of the government can affect the housing market in terms of demand and housing prices. Taxation on property is fiscal policy of the government. Market analysts have predicted that due to effect of Brexit, Australian real estate market will gain from foreign investment. Global investors find it is risky to invest in UK and European market due to after effect of Brexit. Therefore, they tend to invest more in Australian real estate market. Chung (2016) argued that, government fiscal policy may be counter effective in this case. NSW government has taken decision to impose 4% stamp duty on the purchase of residential property by foreign investors. Furthermore, 0.75 % land tax would be imposed on the foreign investor, who owns a residential real estate in Australia. This surcharge is more in Victoria, which is 1.5% to make the real estate market costlier (news.com.au, 2016). This government policy may discourage foreign investment in domestic housing market in Australia. Redu ction in tax cut has positive effect on demand for housing. However, it has negative effect on property investors. Cut in housing prices reduces the capital gain on investment property. Due to lowering interest rate, the revenue of the government has decreased from $8.4 billion during 2011-12 to $3.7 billion in 2013-14 (theaustralian.com.au, 2016). Supply of housing depends on availability of land, cost of construction, profit of the developer and other infrastructure cost such as water, sewerage and transport facility. Demand for housing depends on number of households searching for land, location, transport, income of the households etc. If the government increases the spending to provide better social infrastructure, demand for housing tends to rise. Explanation of circular flow of income Circular flow is a concept, where activities of different economic agents are linked through a circular flow. Main agents of the circular flow are producer, households, goods market and factor market. Figure: circular flow of income (Source: created by author) Investment property such as land, commercial premises comes from households. Property sold to the commercial firm, banks or government earns capital gains and rent. Government impose tax using fiscal policy on the rental income. Tax revenue is thus received by government. The tax revenue is further used in economic development. The investment properties are used by different organisation for productive purpose. Final produced goods are received by households through product market. On the other hand banks play important role of resource mobilisation in this sector. Household saves money in banks. Banks mobilise the saving across the economy. A household goes to the bank for getting loan to invest in property. In return, the borrower pays interest rate to the bank. In this way, different agents in the economy are linked with each other. Recommendation Property tax has effect on consumption behaviour of people. In one hand, it is source of revenue to the local government. A better way of property taxation is comparison of property tax with market value of property and not with the GDP of the economy. Inequality in property tax rate decreases the revenue. Property valuation is a complex issue. Therefore, appropriate tax on property needs proper infrastructure. Due to inelasticity of the supply of property and growing demand for land and building, the property price in Australia has growing trend. Demand for supply is growing for residential and commercial purpose. Property tax has both equity and efficiency implications. Therefore, it can be recommended that for proper taxation, property identification, collection of revenue and enforcement are needed. Tax payer may support the government in the context of tax payment if they can feel that they receive required service for property tax from the local government. Conclusion The report has analysed the implication of property tax and its impact on Australian economy. Two types of property such as owner occupied and residential property are evaluated here. Land tax differs across different state of Australia. Different land tax has mentioned in the report. CGT method and Indexation method are used in calculation of capital gain tax in Australia. Capital gain in Australia is taxed according to the standard income tax rate. Taxation on equity has been discussed in the report. Housing price in Australia has a growing trend. As property tax base increases, price of housing increases. Rising housing prices has not much impact on property demand. However, hike in stamp duty has negative impact on property demand. References abc.net.au. (2015). Property taxes could raise $7b, boost economy by $9b: Grattan. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-15/property-taxes-could-raise-7-billion-dollars-save-9-billion/6620958 [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016]. Ato.gov.au. (2016). Property used in running a business | Australian Taxation Office. [online] Available at: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/property/property-used-in-running-a-business/ [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016]. Ato.gov.au. (2016). Working out your net capital gain or loss | Australian Taxation Office. [online] Available at: https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Capital-gains-tax/Working-out-your-capital-gain-or-loss/Working-out-your-net-capital-gain-or-loss/ [Accessed 17 Aug. 2016]. Australia, I.C.O.M.O.S., 2015. Australia.Heritage at Risk, pp.35-39. Baranska, A., 2013. Real estate mass appraisal in selected countriesfunctioning systems and proposed solutions.Real Estate Management and Valuation,21(3), pp.35-42. Burkhauser, R.V., Hahn, M.H. and Wilkins, R., 2015. Measuring top incomes using tax record data: A cautionary tale from Australia.The Journal of Economic Inequality,13(2), pp.181-205. Cesa Bianchi, A., Cespedes, L.F. and Rebucci, A., 2015. Global liquidity, house prices, and the macroeconomy: Evidence from advanced and emerging economies.Journal of Money, Credit and Banking,47(S1), pp.301-335. Chung, E. (2016). Unlocking your equity for property investment. [online] Your Investment Property. Available at: https://www.yourinvestmentpropertymag.com.au/property-finance/unlocking-your-equity-for-property-investment-147210.aspx [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016]. Coffee, N.T., Lockwood, T., Hugo, G., Paquet, C., Howard, N.J. and Daniel, M., 2013. Relative residential property value as a socio-economic status indicator for health research.International journal of health geographics,12(1), p.1. Crowe, C., DellAriccia, G., Igan, D. and Rabanal, P., 2013. How to deal with real estate booms: Lessons from country experiences.Journal of Financial Stability,9(3), pp.300-319. Elia, E.A., Zevenbergen, J.A., Lemmen, C.H.J. and Van Oosterom, P.J.M., 2013. The land administration domain model (LADM) as the reference model for the Cyprus land information system (CLIS).Survey review,45(329), pp.100-110. Ferrero, A., 2015. House price booms, current account deficits, and low interest rates.Journal of Money, Credit and Banking,47(S1), pp.261-293. Forrest, R., 2013.Housing and family wealth. Routledge. Jacobs, K., Berry, M. and Dalton, T., 2013. A dead and broken system?:insiderviews of the future role of Australian public housing.International Journal of Housing Policy,13(2), pp.183-201. LeBlanc, P., Matthews, S. and Mellbye, K., 2013. The tax policy landscape five years after the crisis. Norregaard, M.J., 2013.Taxing Immovable Property Revenue Potential and Implementation Challenges(No. 13-129). International Monetary Fund. Paris, C., 2013, October. Is anybody listening? The impact of second home ownership on local governments in Australia and elsewhere. InProceedings of the 3rd National Local Government Research Forum. Peng, T.C. and Chen, C.F., 2016. The effect of quality determinants on house prices of eight capital cities in Australia: a dynamic panel analysis.International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis,9(3). Randolph, B., Pinnegar, S. and Tice, A., 2013. The first home owner boost in Australia: a case study of outcomes in the Sydney housing market.Urban Policy and Research,31(1), pp.55-73. rba.gov.au. (2015). Long-run Trends in Housing Price Growth. [online] Available at: https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2015/sep/pdf/bu-0915-3.pdf [Accessed 18 Aug. 2016]. Shi, S., Jou, J.B. and Tripe, D., 2014. Can interest rates really control house prices? Effectiveness and implications for macroprudential policy.Journal of Banking Finance,47, pp.15-28. Sim, E., Krause, A. and Winson-Geideman, K., 2015. The impact of transit-oriented development (TOD) on residential property prices: the case of Box Hill, Melbourne.Pacific Rim Property Research Journal,21(3), pp.199-214. Slack, E. and Bird, R.M., 2014. The Political Economy of Property Tax Reform.OECD Working Papers on Fiscal Federalism, (18), p.0_1. theaustralian.com.au. (2016). ALP policies to cut house prices. [online] Available at: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/federal-election-2016/federal-election-2016-shortens-policies-to-cut-house-prices/news-story/59ea32227280c5f96464d504ec763959 [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016]. Whiteford, P., 2014. chapter 3 Australia: Inequality And Prosperity And Their Impacts In A Radical Welfare State.Changing Inequalities and Societal Impacts in Rich Countries: Thirty Countries' Experiences, p.48. www.news.com.au. (2016). Property market braces for big changes. [online] Available at: https://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/the-property-market-is-teetering-on-the-edge-of-some-major-changes-will-it-be-good-news-or-bad-news-for-owners/news-story/b0f6d93ab3af3f0ed7b8689686a82dd9 [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016]. www.weforum.org. (2015).How do property tax rises affect consumer spending?. [online] Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/08/how-do-property-tax-rises-affect-consumer-spending/ [Accessed 24 Aug. 2016].

John Keats La Belle Damn Sans Merci Analysis free essay sample

The poem begins with a forlorn and heartbroken narrator suffering from both physical and emotional pain, ‘So haggard and woebegone’ (l 6) who meets a beautiful maiden. La Belle Dame sans Merci appears to portray to readers the universal anomaly of what is known as unrequited love. In conjunction to love felt equally by two parties, unrequited love occurs when the love felt by one person is far greater than that felt by the other who is loved. The term unrequited literally means ‘not returned or rewarded’. This denoted the unfairness in the balance that one expects in a love relationship when the love that one feels for another is not reciprocal. In the poem, Keats shows this by describing the Knight’s disappointment would be less severe if he did not believe that from the beginning of their love affair that the maiden love of him was equal. In line 19 and 28 the maiden appears to have fallen in love with the knight just as he has fallen for her, â€Å"She look’d at me as she did love†¦she said, I love thee true. We will write a custom essay sample on John Keats La Belle Damn Sans Merci Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page (l 1928) This can be interpreted that despite her inherent nature, she seemed true feeling for the knight at the time. She even takes him back to her home, her â€Å"elfin grot† (cave) (l 29) and makes him comfortable. At this point, it’s only natural for the knight to believe that the love his felt for the maiden was exactly proportional to what she was feeling, and their ‘wild’ romance would continue when he awakes. However, as he awakes from his slumber, he found that the maiden was nowhere to be found. He was all alone and the his expectations of the romance was shattered. It then dawned that his suffering disappointment stemmed from the realization that she never really loved him the way he thought she did. At this point the knight is lonely and hopeless, but he does not show anger towards her. This shows his understanding that in love there is despair. Even though the love he feels for her is pure and true, she did not have the same feelings. The only clues in La Bella Dame sans Merci that depicts whether or not the love felt by the maiden towards the knight is true, comes from the dreams of the knight when he was sleeping. In his dream he comes to the realization that the maiden is pitiless and she has no mercy. His dreams can be interpreted as if the knight subconsciously knew that the love wasn’t real and that the maiden had already left him, and his mind has already started shifting the blame towards her. This mentally prepares the knight for the harsh reality that he has to face as he awakes. The dream might just be his rationalization; a way of making her out to be evil in order to cope with the pain of learning his love is unrequited, and in love there is despair. Despair is the state of having lost all hope, of finding oneself unable to believe life will ever be good again. The knight in La Belle Dame sans Merci falls into despair when he learns a relationship that seemed to be just starting has abruptly ended. His situation is clear from the very first line, when a stranger finds him out in the forest and can tell just by looking at him that something is gravely wrong. The stranger sees how pale he is and, noticing he has chosen to live by a dead, frozen lake, wants to know what ails him, by which he means what has made the knight so sick in spirit. In the middle stanzas of the poem, the knight describes the romance, which meant more to him than anything that happened before it or since. The brief romance ended with the lady lulling him to sleep. Readers can assume that, comfortable and happy beside her, he expected their love to continue and even to grow when he awoke. In the real (as opposed to magical) world, the knights despair would take time to develop, because he would not know for sure that the woman he loved was gone forever. In the magical world of this poem, though, he is visited in his sleep by pale figures of noble men who describe the woman as merciless. When he wakes to find her gone, he readily believes her absence confirms the damning things the figures said about her. The poem does not have the knight looking for his lady or trying to find out why she has left; he is as certain she had no intention of staying with him just as surely as he knows he loves her. There is no hope they will be reunited, and therefore there is no hope that he can ever be happy again. His life is doomed to despair. La Belle Dame sans Merci is a ballad, a medieval genre revived by the romantic poets. Keats uses the so-called ballad stanza, a quatrain in alternating iambic tetrameter and trimeter lines. The shortening of the fourth line in each stanza of Keats poem makes the stanza seem a self-contained unit, gives the ballad a deliberate and slow movement, and is pleasing to the ear. Keats uses a number of the stylistic characteristics of the ballad, such as simplicity of language, repetition, and absence of details; like some of the old ballads, it deals with the supernatural. Keats economical manner of telling a story in La Belle Dame sans Merci is the direct opposite of his lavish manner in The Eve of St. Agnes. Part of the fascination exerted by the poem comes from Keats use of understatement. Keats sets his simple story of love and death in a bleak wintry landscape that is appropriate to it: The sedge has witherd from the lake / And no birds sing! The repetition of these two lines, with minor variations, as the concluding lines of the poem emphasizes the fate of the unfortunate knight and neatly encloses the poem in a frame by bringing it back to its beginning. In keeping with the ballad tradition, Keats does not identify his questioner, or the knight, or the destructively beautiful lady. What Keats does not include in his poem contributes as much to it in arousing the readers imagination as what he puts into it. La belle dame sans merci, the beautiful lady without pity, is a femme fatale, a Circelike figure who attracts lovers only to destroy them by her supernatural powers. She destroys because it is her nature to destroy. Keats could have found patterns for his faerys child in folk mythology, classical literature, Renaissance poetry, or the medieval ballad. With a few skillful touches, he creates a woman who is at once beautiful, erotically attractive, fascinating, and deadly. Some readers see the poem as Keats personal rebellion against the pains of love. In his letters and in some of his poems, he reveals that he did experience the pains, as well as the pleasures, of love and that he resented the pains, particularly the loss of freedom that came with falling in love. However, the ballad is a very objective form, and it may be best to read La Belle Dame sans Merci as pure story and no more. How Keats felt about his love for Fanny Brawne we can discover in the several poems he addressed to her, as well as in his letters.

Beautiful Evil Professor Ramos Blog

Beautiful Evil Moumita Milton English 102 24th July 2019 Whenever we hear the word â€Å"monster†, the very first thing that comes into our mind are images or werewolves, vampires, zombies, or even clowns luring kids into storm drains. These monsters can be as real as every child’s boogeyman. But should we be scared of monsters that only exists in movies and literature or should we rather be concerned with real-life monsters that are very much alive, disguised and poses a real threat. Serial killers. The truest monster in every sense of the word. They aren’t just any type of monster. They are classified into a specific genre because of the notoriety of their MO (modus operandi). Some of them functions very well in the society, some may be socially withdrawn, others may be academic achievers and others are even public figures. There is not one defining character or trait that can identify someone as a serial killer, but surely there are signs to look out for in people which we can use to determine the possibility of them being one. Theodore Robert Bundy(November 24, 1946–January 24, 1989). One of the most prolific serial killer in the United States; captured in 1975, tried in 1976 for kidnapping, which later led to trial for more than 30 counts of rape and murder of women from different states. In January 1989, he was sentenced to be executed, and later confessed to killing at least 100 women during his active years (Montaldo, C. 2019). In his work Monster Culture (Seven Theses), Cohen presented through Theses II that â€Å"Monsters must be examined within the intricate matrix of relations (social, cultural, and literary-historical) that generate them† (Cohen, J.J, 1996). The becoming of a monster is not something you just easily attribute to thin air. It is empirical that we examine some facts about Bundy’s childhood to fully understand how he became the most notorious killer in US history. Ted Bundy grew up without really knowing his father. He grew up believing that his mother, Eleanor â€Å"Louise† Cowell, was his sister, and that his grandparents were his real parents. There were speculations about his grandfather being his biological father, making him a by-product of incest, though this rumor wasn’t scientifically proven thru DNA testing. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, with his grandfather being abusive and oftentimes hostile, Bundy was perceived by many as a shy and timid boy with lack of social skills. Later in his teenage years, growing up not being able to socialize a lot with other teenagers, it would then be reported that young Bundy was caught peeping into ladies’ windows. During the later part of his incarceration where he had interviews with experts, Bundy claimed that he had a fondness to pornography as a child and later on influenced him in his series of rape and murder activities. Looking into the facts, we can say that Bundy surely had a perverted childhood. And yet we have to ask whether these factors really played a major role in his evolution to evil. Despite his aberrant childhood, Ted Bundy grew up to be a self-made man. He developed a totally different persona. He worked his looks and excelled in academics, and through time also enhanced his social skills. He was even involved in romantic relationships when he was in university. He studied psychology, law and has worked on campaigns for then Washington Republican Dan Evans. However, as progressive as his adulthood may seem, troubled Bundy did not fully develop until his adolescent years. It was around that time in 1969, that he discovered the truth about his parentage. Shortly thereafter, he underwent a relationship crisis with his then girlfriend, Elizabeth Kendall. All of these happened momentarily before his first killings began, reason why it was presumed that the pile-up of successive setbacks in his personal life triggered the monster in him that was only waiting to be unleashed. Bundy’s personality speaks that of intricacy and complexity. From a child with an unhealthy childhood, to a man with a potential for success, it is very difficult to understand why and how he chose to create a monster of himself. As Cohen explained in his Thesis III: The Monster is a Harbinger of Category Crisis on Monster Culture, the dangers of monsters are not in its ability to harm but in our incapability of understanding their nature. The complexity of their personal structure requires a different level of understanding, approach and perception other than what we are accustomed to. â€Å"For by refusing an easy compartmentalization of their monstrous contents, they demand a radical rethinking of boundary and normality† (Cohen, J.J. 1996). This is especially true for Bundy since, while he was incarcerated, many experts attempted to delve into his monstrous interior to possibly understand his development as a serial killer. However, there was never a precise diagnosis, only that majority of the evidence led him towards Anti-Social Personality Disorder. Not one of the best people in their fields who have dealt with Bundy could explain his Daedalian nature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In aiming to understand the evolution of the serial killer in Bundy, it will be easy to look into the flaws in his life that could have easily become the trigger factor. Most people looking into Bundy’s life story, would readily attribute his actions to his unfortunate childhood. However, a lot of people grew up like Bundy, or even worse, and still didn’t end up becoming a serial killer. There are also documented serial killers who grew up with loving families, had everything they want in life, but still opt to do evil. There may be an undeniable correlation between the social upbringing of a person and how they will be in their adult life, but it does not necessarily follow that an unstable childhood will by default produce a troubled adult. However, in Bundy’s case, he may not have chosen at birth to be a psychopath but his childhood exploit surely played a significant part. During those times that he was plagued with un fortunate events as a kid, Bundy may could have possibly fabricated a fantasy as a means of escaping his real world. Since he lived a lonely and complicated childhood where he felt he did not fit in, young Bundy sought for ways to satisfy his loneliness (Dimitropoulos, S. 2018). This holds true for Cohens’s idea depicting monsters as an alter ego and projection of one’s self. â€Å"The monster awakens one to the pleasure of the body, to the simple and fleeting joys of being frightened or frightening† (Cohen, J.J 1996). This would explain why most experts would agree that Bundy was dealing with a similar case of multiple personality disorder accounting witness recollections of him being another version of himself in separate instances. Bundy wants us to believe what we want to believe regarding his personality. But he is the master of himself and he wear his mask so well it is hard to tell one personality from the other. In totality, Bundy’s life as a seri al killer, as a monster, was his own choice. It was not his mother’s nor his grandfather’s fault why he killed innocent women. It was not the fault of his ex-girlfriend who broke her heart, and definitely not the fault of the women who trusted him. â€Å"He killed for the sheer thrill of the act and the challenge of escaping his pursuers† (Moyer, J. 2015). Those unimaginable actions were his own, his craft, his own way out. Annotated Bibliography Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. Monster Theory: Reading Culture. University of Minnesota Press. 1996 Monsters are complex creatures to understand. The book will outline theories in relation to the study of monsters and approaches the understanding of the monster nature in different constructs. This literature takes on the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and Beowulf and attempt to dissect the reason behind their monstrosity. It is discussed how the intricacy of these creatures makes them more dangerous. The integration of monster in society attracts fear but at the same time its mysterious effect becomes appealing to people. We adapt and believe in creatures that we don’t even know is true but has not really look into the context of how these creatures came to be and the circumstances that surrounds their creation. It is an effective literature that gives the readers the pull into the mystery world at the same time giving them a realization that would lead them to believe that monsters do really exist. Dimitropoulos, Stav. â€Å"Ted Bundys Childhood: Lonely Boy to Window Peeper to Serial Killer.† 16 April 2018, Real Crime, Retrieved from https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/ted-bundy-childhood-turned-into-serial-killer This is a documented conversation with Psychologist Al Carlisle, who was only one of the few experts who tried and unravel the mind of Theodore Bundy. It mainly focuses on his childhood years and how his loneliness, his reclusion from the social world influenced his life as an adult. After multiple theories as to how Bundy turned into a killer, this interaction with Carlisle emphasizes on the highlights of his childhood including him being addicted to pornography. Carlisle also debunked some theories circling Bundy’s story specifically mentioning that it was all along Bundy’s choice to become a serial killer. Several articles and scholarly works on Bundy never fails to mention and include his childhood since it is, after all, considered as our formative years. Despite the argument that Bundy would have been a killer either way he was brought up, his story will never be completed without looking into the possibility of his corrupt childhood being the main contributor. Montaldo, Charles. â€Å"Biography of Ted Bundy, Serial Killer.† 23 May 2019, Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/profile-of-serial-killer-ted-bundy-973178 Montaldo, as a writer and a former licensed private detective, provides the basic information about Theodore â€Å"Ted† Bundy who was once the most notorious serial killer in the United States. He outlined the important events in Bundy’s life starting from when he was a kid in a dysfunctional family, up until his arrest, trial and execution. He established that Bundy was a functional adult regardless of his unfortunate childhood and presented some of the incidents in his life that may have contributed to his becoming of a serial killer. In the accounts of people who have worked on Bundy’s story, we always find details of him being, at some point in his life, a good person. This work gave us the idea that Bundy was not necessarily evil in the onset of his existence. Montaldo’s outlined work help us look easier into the transition of Bundy’s life to becoming a serial killer. Moyer, Justin Wm. â€Å"The twisted friendship of crime writer Ann Rule and serial killer Ted Bundy.† 28 July 2015. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/28/crime-writer-ann-rule-and-killer-ted-bundy-were-friends-before-they-were-famous/?noredirect=onutm_term=.0db5c5dc313b   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article narrates briefly the life of Anne Rule as a writer, towards the presentation of the relationship that formed between her and Ted Bund. In her hopes of producing a phenomenal work on Bundy, Rule would frequent the prison to visit Bundy for interviews. It was established that the frequent visit formed a bond between the two that enable the writer to write best-selling works about Bundy. Rule confessed that although a serial killer, he instantly liked Ted the first moment she saw her. Even inside bars, Bundy’s personality still exudes charisma. It was known that he had a thing about women liking him and Anne Rule was no exception. It would seem that the intention of approaching Bundy for literary reasons blossomed into an unlikely personal connection between them, which have made it easier for Anne Rule to write about a person whose complicated nature she relatively understands. Cohen, Jeffrey Jerome. Monster Theory: Reading Culture. University of Minnesota Press. 1996 Dimitropoulos, Stav. Ted Bundys Childhood: Lonely Boy to Window Peeper to Serial Killer. 16 April 2018, https://www.aetv.com/real-crime/ted-bundy-childhood-turned-into-serial-killer Montaldo, Charles. Biography of Ted Bundy, Serial Killer. 23 May 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/profile-of-serial-killer-ted-bundy-973178 Moyer, Justin Wm. The twisted friendship of crime writer Ann Rule and serial killer Ted Bundy. 28 July 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/07/28/crime-writer-ann-rule-and-killer-ted-bundy-were-friends-before-they-were-famous/?noredirect=onutm_term=.0db5c5dc313b Google Search, Google, google.com/search?biw=1536bih=750tbm=ischsa=1ei=vCk5XfP4IeGU0PEPuKy9yAMq=ted bundy murders oq=ted bundy murders gs_l=img.3..35i39j0.1212.2295..26800.0..0.110.535.5j10.1..gws-wiz-img.0i24.-_wroOhtquMved=0ahUKEwjzxuXol8_jAhVhCjQIHThWDzkQ4dUDCAYuact=5#imgdii=7RqBzXMeYBh-0M:imgrc=2GTQ74y3-5JM: Google Search, Google, google.com/search?q=ted bundy picturessource=lnmstbm=ischsa=Xved=0ahUKEwi42ZbVl8_jAhWRsp4KHVZXA-sQ_AUIESgBbiw=1536bih=750#imgrc=1J2JMVkx15nSBM:

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