The Curse of her Beauty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Curse of her Beauty - Essay Example The woman's contradictory appearance is conveyed through a series of similes. She is old as ocean yet young as mornings. In spite of the woman's contradictory appearance (which seems to foreshadow ambiguity), the observer takes great delight in her. Roach personifies the beauty of the land through the woman's characteristics (That saw beauty walk on the wind and the sea). He speaks of nothing more about the woman other than her physical beauty. Much like the poet, tourist know of nothing more than what meets their eyes (the land's physical beauty), which is equivalent to the woman's physical appearance. The Caribbean is known to attract tourists with its lush vegetation and mild climate. However, Roach points out the land's deceptive seduction of the land's beauty. In fact, the land's beauty taints its true image. Rather than seeing the land for what it truly is (a place enduring the abusive lashing of the sea spray), the poet is tantalized and intoxicated by kisses that cause him to envision a beautiful goddess (Love tinted that shore). As he realizes the goddess's true repulsive side, the poet finds out that there is more than what meets the eye. Reality sobers the poet. He is no longer intoxicated by the beauty of the land. ... In The Odyssey by Homer, Sirens lured sailors with their sweet hypnotic songs. Their songs detracted sailors from their careful journeys and caused them to crash their ships into the rocks. In its efforts to lure and trap unwary observers, the land produces an attractive woman who is similar to the sirens. In essence, the woman is the land. Normally, Roach uses the land as a metaphor for the struggle between Eurocentric hegemony (dominance) and Caribbean independence (Jennings 25). The evidence of dominance is shown in the first stanza. The trees are symbolic of the Caribbean people who endured much abuse from the Europeans (lashing sea spray) but remained strong. As an islander who was forced to conform to European studies (Breiner 113), Roach uses examples from his studies (the siren coast; deceptive Sirens from Homer's Odyssey). In addition, Roach struggles with the identity of the land (shown in the ambivalent view of the woman or land). In doing so, he denounces the history of the land while acknowledging its undeniable beauty and his love for it. In the end, the poem makes a full circle (back to the beginning) where the he reflects on the devastatingly true image of the shore. The only difference now is that remnants of his love accompany the brutalities of the lashing sea spray. Works Cited Breiner, Laurence A. An Introduction to West Indian Poetry. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Jennings, Lisa Gay. "Renaissance Models for Caribbean Poets: Identity, Authencity and the Early Modern Lyric Revisited." MS Thesis. Florida State University, 2005.

Leone Baxter and Clem Whitaker Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leone Baxter and Clem Whitaker - Research Paper Example Leone Baxter was born November 20th, 1906 in Keslo, Washington. She was an avid reader growing up and would find a job writing for the Portland Oregonian. In her late twenties Baxter moved to Redding, California where she first entered the arena of promotions, landing a job promoting a water carnival for the Chamber of Commerce. She was successful in this position and would be promoted to the manager of the Chamber of Commerce in 1929. It was in this position that Baxter would first become involved in the political spectrum as she participated in the Central Valley Project referendum campaign. Clem Whitaker, Sr. was born May 1st, 1899. His uncle was a socialist who was very active in the American Civil Liberties Union and a friend of Upton Sinclair. He was a journalist writing for the Sacramento Bee where he became the city editor at the age of 19. In 1921, he founded the Capitol New Bureau, which provided political news to a wide variety of newspapers. His experience in these politi cal realms led him to become involved in political lobbying campaigns. His lobbying efforts would ultimately led to his involvement in the Central Valley project, where he would meet Leone Baxter and form Whitaker & Baxter, Inc. in 1933. Another prominent contributor to this organization was Clem Whitaker, Jr. ... Whitaker would never graduate, as in 1943 he ceased his education after joining the United States Army Air Corp to become a fighter pilot. After his discharge from the army in 1946 Whitaker would join his father’s firm, become a partner in the firm in 1950 and purchasing the company in 1958 ("Social Archives" web). At the time of its formation in 1933 Whitaker & Baxter Campaigns Inc. was the country’s first political management firm. While political campaigning had always been a complicated and brutal arena, it was understood that â€Å"with the changes in the 20th century media environment increased aid was needed to navigate these oftentimes-complex avenues† (Lathrop 12). This is what the company would provide. The company would go through a number of developments, but its primary activity was managing campaigns for political candidates as well as ballot measures. At other instance, the company would also manage corporate clients, contributing significantly to public relations campaigns for Pacific Gas and Electric Co., Western Pacific Railroad, and Utah Construction Company. While the company went by the broad name of Whitaker & Baxter Campaigns Inc., the organization also included under its auspices the Whitaker & Baxter Advertising Agency and the California Feature Service. The feature service built on the individuals’ newspaper experience and public relations ability as it acted as a vehicle to over three-hundred California newspapers; in these regards, it provided the papers with cartoons, articles, and editorials that advanced the company’s public relation interests. It was through innovative practices such as these that the company would come to be highly influential in the realm of public relations and campaign