In "The Dinner Party" by Mona Gardner tells the story of a party during English colonial rule in India. The story has as starting point the argument presented between a colonel and a woman about men and women's reaction to crisis. The colonel argues that women are too nervous to handle crisis without losing control, and a young woman who argues that they can deal with crisis without screaming. This dialogue guides the whole story, since the story sets out to prove who's right in the discussion. The theme could be considered to be gender equality, and that both men and women can handle crisis.
The plot proves this. The conflict appears when the woman who is the host in the story, sees a snake. She calmly orders a servant to set out milk to attract the cobra and save everyone from being bitten, proving that women can handle crisis. An american man realizes what she's doing and helps her out, by pretending to play a game making everyone stay still while the snake leaves the room. When everyone realizes there was a snake under the table, the american man gives credit to the hostess who actually, felt the snake in her foot and remained calm, thus proving her point in the argument. The behavior of both the hostess and the american man, prove that both men and women can remain calm and solve crisis situations.
1. The Spanish saw England as a competitor in trade and expansion in the 'New World' of the Americas.
2. Sir Francis Drake (c. 1540 - 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, politician
3. The Spanish Armada was one part of a planned invasion of England by King Philip II of Spain. Launched in 1588
4. I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die.
5. Years of religious and political differences led up to the conflict between Catholic Spain and Protestant England
6. The English ships had cannon they could fire at a safe distance and could be reloaded quickly.
7. King Philip II, meanwhile, later rebuilt his fleet and dispatched two more Spanish Armadas in the 1590s, both of which were scattered by storms. It wasn't until 1604-over 16 years after the original Spanish Armada set sail-that a peace treaty was finally signed ending the Anglo-Spanish War as a stalemate.
