Nice Guys

While he ponders what Cromwell will do to More, he really do not care what happened to him, he thought More would eventually do as Cromwell say, but he is proving wrong, and soon realizes that More is not as weak as he is, and is not easily sway by power and money as he is. In the play Rich’s slow rise to power is shown in his attire, in the beginning he was wearing old, shabby clothes, that he complained about, but as he rises in the ranks, his attire became more fancy, which is what he as always wanted, and got it a the price of selling his soul. In the play we watched More’s fortunes dwindled, while Rich’s flourished, an indication that Rich is reaping the benefits of evil and corrupted ways. At the end of the play Rich lied under oath about More’s real thoughts on the King’s divorce, which ultimately led to More’s beheading, that scene signifies Rich’s complete transformation as corrupt and amoral character. Rich sacrificed his moral conscience in exchange for success, and a high-ranking office, something that More, a more moral character would never do.

Upon Richard's return to England, he learns of the events that had transpired in his absence. At first his own arrogance allows him to believe that since it is his God given right to rule as King, he will be protected. But then just as quickly, Richard's arrogance turns into despair upon the realization that Henry has gained support of the nobles and the people of England. Henry and Richard finally meet at Ramparts Castle leading to the climax of the play. Henry demands retribution for the allocation of his families' possessions and

Thomas seems to have a gift in his storytelling, they may seem like crazy stories he tells over and over but his stories may carry some kind of meaning. “We are all given one thing by which our lives are measured, one determination. Mine are the stories which can change or not change the world.” (Alexie P. 518) His stories about Victor’s father are why he went out of his way to help Victor. It took Victor a trip to Phoenix to see that Thomas was there for a reason, to help him because they were cousins.

He was certainly proud of doing what was right for his business. Something I found interesting about this character is that although he is business-oriented, he is also compassionate and patient. Oftentimes, people who put a great importance on business in their lives seem to lose their sense of empathy. The narrator, however has both. When he finds out that Bartleby is homeless he feels “melancholy and sincerest pity.” Having both the business mindset and a caring mindset creates an internal conflict for the narrator. He has to choose between having compassion for Bartleby and his own self-preservation. The narrator’s thoughts were “Mortified…at his behavior…nevertheless I strangely felt something superstitious knocking on my heart…denouncing me as a villain if I dared to breathe one bitter word against this forlornest of mankind” (163). These two different ideas clashing against each other definitely caused stress for this character and created the main conflict of the story.

Despite Conwells experiences, his audience repeatedly tried to prove him wrong and noted how awful it was that a Christian minister prefered to advise people to get rich rather than to preach the gospel. But Conwell believed that to make money honestly was to preach the gospel and to be poor was wrong. What the people did not understand was that a wealthy person can also be a pious person. Conwell tells the people that they should have money and it is their Christian and godly duty to do so. To be pious is to be carful of the duties owed by created beings to God; devout, godly, religious¹. The people associated wealth with being dishonest, dishonerable, mean, and contemptible. He told them that to think that to be pious you must be poor and awfully dirty is an terrible misconception.

Thomas helps Victor by giving him his savings so that victor can go to Phoenix to claim his dead dad’s savings. “ He said I had to watch over you in return of him not telling anyone.” Thomas told Victor that once they were on their way to claim the money in the bank. Victor’s dad told Thomas to watch over victor

Ambition is an earnest desire for achievement. Both texts are self reflexive and emphasise Richard’s obsessive ambition, desire and longing for the throne. Each Richard strives towards capturing the throne regardless of consequences and bloodshed. Richard is depicted in both texts as an ambitious character who strives to gain power and independence through deception and self confessed villainy. ‘Since I cannot prove a lover. . . I am determined to prove a villain’ This obsession which drives Richard to commit horrific evils to gain and then protect his claim to the throne. His ambition, power and evil blinds him and inevitably is responsible for his downfall in both of the texts. A connection is formed between Looking for Richard and King Richard III in the final scenes Al Pacino’s interpretation and ‘Hollywood’ background influences an ending which can be interpreted as portraying Richmond as a coward. Elizabethan audiences

This created both a hardship and a resentment of Becket among the English Churchmen. To further implicate Becket as a secular man, he became an accomplished and extravagant courtier and a cheerful companion to the king's pleasures. Young Thomas was devoted to his master's interests with such a firm and yet diplomatic thoroughness that scarcely anyone, except perhaps John of Salisbury, doubted his allegiance to English royalty.

However, he has not planned for a false testimony from Richard Rich at his trial. Rich testifies that More has committed the act of treason by rejecting the authority of King Henry VIII as head of the Church in England.

When the line “... I am convinced that you will act right, upon more noble and generous principles...out of affection and gratitude to me.” is stated, a sense of repetition comes into play supporting the emotional appeal to please his father and make him proud. Shortly after he proclaims this expectation to his son, he goes on to bring up the thought that people know about the “uncommon care” put into his education and the opportunities that were available to him, but were taken too lightly to be reached. Work ethics are underappreciated and in Lord Chesterfield’s mind, are an important goal for his son to

Rich's family life at those times was very strenuous. His father with all the stresses of the common world, plus the new ones added by his child prodigy would often lead to physical confrontations in the household. Rich was often abused as a result of this (as were his brothers). This ultimately would help to contribute to his arrogance as an adult (Torme 2)

A defining feature between these two men’s fate is Richard’s dependence on good fortune through divine intervention, whereas Henry and Machiavelli rely on free will, what they themselves can do to manipulate the situation. Richard calls upon God to defend him, thinking that he can manipulate God’s will to fit his desires, “angels fight, weak men must fall, for heaven still guards the right” (III.ii pg 409) This idea of unearthly abilities that allow him to manipulate nature itself, even England is stupid and shows how incompetent he is. Compared to Henry in this play, he is someone who wants to serve England, not how England can serve them; in other words what you can do for your country. Machiavelli states that “so long as fortune varies, and men stand still, they will prosper while they suit the times, and fail when they do not”, Richard in all ways fills this statement, his reliance on fortune seals his fate in the end (Machiavelli 148). Shakespeare shows this antiquated idea to show how much England needed a change of leadership and rule, the end of medievalism and the rise of Machiavellianism.

could yield to the encroachments of his enemies . . . a clever man and a great lawyer. . . [a] supple, humorous, unassuming and sophisticated person set like metal, was overtaken by an absolutely primitive rigor, and could no more be budged than a cliff,” are many ways that Robert Bolt spoke of Thomas More in the preface, and it can only suggest that Richard Rich is ultimately the opposite of More. (Bolt, xii) Also in the preface, Robert Bolt writes, “if anything, then nothing.”

This is situational irony. First of all you wouldn’t expect a poor man to have $500 let alone giving it away. Earlier in the film the poor man was asking the businessman for change and he would not give him one penny. So the poor guy could of just walked away but he decided to give up all of his money to the man that was being a jerk. You wouldn’t think that a poor guy would be richer than the businessman.

A very popular 1995 film involving crime is “Bad Boys” directed by Michael Bay. Michael Bay and his team of writers were able to film a highly intense action-comedy based around two detectives fighting organized crime. By examining distortions, crime causation theories, and the image portrayed in “Bad Boys,” the viewer is absorbed into the Hollywood perspective of our justice system.