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An Exploration of Love in Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge"

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Introduction

The complex love of eddie carbone.

Beatrice's Supportive Love

Rodolpho and catherine's romantic love, familial and brotherly love, the love for one's homeland.

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Theme of love in a view from the bridge

Themes in a view from the Bridge

I think A view from the Bridge is very much a play about love. About the darker side of love and the destructions that love can wrought.  It is love, rather than hatred that fuels the violence in the story and it is love which ultimately leads to the tragedy.

        There are many different forms of love in the play.

        Family love: Beatrice/Catherine/Eddie

        Marco’s love for his family. He has come to America to provide a better life for them and misses them terribly: I’m lonesome.

        Beatrice loves her family enough to support her cousins

        Father –daughter love

        Eddie and Catherine although uncle niece shares a much closer relationship.

This is a preview of the whole essay

        Eddie is very protective of Catherine. He has made a lot of sacrifices to provide Catherine with all that I could, as shown by him telling Alifieri about his experiences ‘hustling’ for work, ‘when the piers were empty in Brooklyn, I went to Hoboken…all over’ Has high hopes for her ‘ I want you to work with different kind of people’ he is proud of her looks calling her ‘Madonna’ but is concerned with the attention she receives: ‘I don’t like the looks they’re givin’ you in the candy store.;

        Brotherly love between Marco and Rodolfo

        Love for a place, Rodolfo and Marco’s love for their homeland

Rodolfo’s affections for America. Catherine says: ‘he’s crazy for New York.’

        Then there is romantic love, love between man and woman and this is where things becomes more complexed.

        The purest form of love from Catherine, she is clearly in love with Rodolfo and is affectionate with Eddie. But even then – not simple, her innocent affections are partical cause of the tragedy and it is never clear the extend of Rodolfo’s love for her

        At heart of Beatrice’s problems is love: Her love for Eddie is no longer returned and is increasingly in conflict with her love for Catherine

        Love for family is at the heart of Marco’s anger against Eddie

        The most problematic love of them all, however, is Eddie’s improper, and increasing obsessive love for Catherine.

        The play shows that love is not always beautiful. It creates the conflict between the characters. It can pain the one who loves and also the person who is loved and those around them. For Eddie, it also causes conflict within himself when he cannot admit to his illicit love for Catherine.  

Document Details

• Word Count 418
• Page Count 2
• Subject English

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A View from the Bridge

Here you will find all revision notes, homework activities and essay help on Arthur Miller’s ‘A View from the Bridge’.

Practice Textual Analysis using opening monologue (studied in class):  Textual Analysis Questions Alfieri’s Monologue

Homework Questions: Act 1 questions  and Act 2 questions

Revision Notes: (essay structural advice at end of PPT);   A View from the Bridge Combined ;  A View from the Bridge Quotation Bank ; Quotation Bank

Essay Help and Exemplars: N6 Practice Critical Essay Questions ; A View Obsessive Behaviour essay guidance ; A View From the Bridge essay guidance ; A View Exemplar

Essay Questions:  Essay Tasks ,  N6 Practice Critical Essay Questions

Group Revision:  Revision Guide 2018  (Revision Guide)  A View from the Bridge Quotation Bank 2018

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Ms Bellamy's English Class blog

N5 - 'a view from a bridge'.

• Justice and the Law
• Natural law vs written law
• Masculinity
• The importance of reputation (importance of your name)
• Responsibility
• Forbidden Desires
• Women and Femininity
• Language forms – Educated, controlled dialogue of Alfieri vs. raw nature of Eddie’s speech.
• Metaphors and imagery 
• Dramatic tension
• Foreshadowing – hinting at events to come
• Dramatic irony – when the audience knows more than the character about a situation.
• A close father/daughter relationship
• Eddie is protective of Catherine and Catherine cares deeply about what Eddie thinks of her.
• Catherine cares for and looks after Eddie/eager to please and Eddie appreciates this and wants what is best for her.
• Tensions have started to form due to the arrival of Rodolpho and Catherine’s attraction towards him
• Eddie has become far more controlling and cruel towards Catherine
• Catherine is upset by Eddie and is angered at the way he is treating her
• Catherine begins to speak out against him/is not so easy to please.

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A View from the Bridge

Arthur miller, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Go back to the Miller page for more texts and other resources.

Tragedy in A View from the Bridge

Argues that plays are structured so that the resolution of conflict appears as a “natural” or inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical concerns raised in the play.

In A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller, the downfall of Eddie Carbone is the inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical concerns raised in the play. The structure of the play makes Eddie?s tragic downfall obvious, with the use of structural tragic elements and foreshadows showing to the audience that Eddies downfall is certain. Eddie?s opposition with insurmountable obstacles such as trying to overcome the dichotomy between law and justice and his attempts to impose ?old world? values in a modern and progressive American culture are doomed to failure. His inability to compromise and his refusal to admit his mistakes brings about his defeat at the end of the play, the resolution of conflict appearing as the ?natural? consequence to the audience. The conflict between European ?old world? values with modern American values is an obstacle that Eddie cannot overcome, largely as a result of his inability to compromise. The old world values that Eddie strives to enforce in his life primarily manifest themselves in his over-protectiveness of Catherine. His feelings for her spark his crusade to enforce his traditional Italian values in a culture that embraces freedom, materialism and independence rather than the old values regarding courtship and ?proper? behavior. Eddie cannot enforce these values, and the futility in trying to do so is seen clearly in the conflicts that Eddie has with both Catherine and Rodolpho. He admonishes Catherine for ?walkin? wavy? telling her she is the ?Madonna type?: trying to impose traditional values of chastity and modesty in a modern culture where short skirts and high heels are ?the style now? and flaunting femininity and sexuality is not frowned upon. His conflict with Rodolpho also shows Eddie?s disapproval of modern values, criticising Rodolpho for his carefree attitude to life, spending his pay on ?a snappy new jacket? records, a pointy pair new shoes?. Eddie?s determination to impose his traditional values on youths immersed in American culture and modern values is doomed to failure as his attitudes are shown to be backward and inappropriate and will never be accepted. Eddie?s refusal to compromise and inability to see truth in any opinion but his own leads to a conflict that can only be resolved by his downfall. Eddie?s inappropriate feelings for Catharine are a further obstacle to compromise and facilitate his determination to quash the love between Rodolpho and Catherine, as Eddie is fuelled by feelings of jealousy. His wife Beatrice realises this and says ?You want somethin? else, Eddie, and you can never have her!? Eddies determination is fixated on an impossible and unrealistic goal: to keep Catherine in the role that he has envisioned for her, determined to keep her purity and innocence in his role for her as a ?Madonna?, never counting on the fact that she ?would ever grow up?. Eddie clearly has inappropriate feelings for Catherine as he is reluctant to let her gain her independence by taking a job, and criticises her for flaunting her sexuality by wearing high heels and short skirts. Eddie ?enveloping? Catherine with his eyes is an inappropriate gesture suggesting that his interest in her is more than paternal. Such feelings are also evident with Eddie?s jealousy of the love between Rodolpho and Catherine. He regards Rodolpho with ?concealed suspicion?, taking an immediate dislike to him as Catherine makes it clear that she likes him, exclaiming that he is ?practically blond? and attracted to his good looks and light-heated manner. Beatrice realises Eddie?s jealousy of Rodolpho straight away, saying ?you?re just jealous? as Eddie starts his criticisms of Rodolpho, saying he gives him the ?heebie-jeebies? and ?he?s like a chorus girl or something?. In Eddie?s determination to keep Catherine and Rodolpho apart, he constantly criticises Rodolpho. Eddie is keen to find any excuse to try and tear Rodolpho and Catherine apart, accusing Rodolpho of being ?a weird? and then claiming that he is ?lookin? for his break?, using Catherine to get his American citizenship. Ironically, Eddie?s efforts to keep the couple apart only bring them closer together and serve to ostracize himself from Catherine. His criticisms bring him further away from the conclusion that he hopes for. As Eddie refuses to compromise in a situation where his desired outcome is not possible, it is inevitable that a resolution of conflict will only be brought about by the death of Eddie. A View from the Bridge displays tragic elements that add to the tone of inevitability evident throughout the play. Eddie is a modern tragic hero: an ordinary individual whose wish for Catherine not to marry Rodolpho is so intense that he is willing to give up everything else in the pursuit of his convictions. He is ?not purely good, but himself purely? as his beliefs are not perfect, but he is determined to stick by them. Eddie shows the characteristics of the tragic hero as he is of high moral worth but is unmistakably human: he is vulnerable as his pride leads to an error of judgement in regards to Rodolpho. His jealousy of Rodolpho leads him to deceive himself in thinking that Rodolpho ?is not right? and that he is intent on exploiting Catherine?s love for him to gain his American citizenship. Eddie remains the hero of the play rather than being perceived by the audience as a villain as his moral nobility and the dogged determination to pursue his convictions is admirable and he moves the audience to pity as his misfortune is greater than deserved. His refusal to compromise is a heroic quality, but is this flaw which leads to his downfall as he will not ?swallow his pride? and ?settle for half?. The use of Alfieri as the chorus is another tragic element used in the play. Alfieri responds to the action and sets the mood for A View from the Bridge. Being a lawyer, Alfieri is able to give the audience interpretations of the action that cannot be formulated by Eddie?s uneducated group and is able to articulate and explore the ironies and ambiguities of the situation. In this position, Alfieri plays a large part in setting the tone of inevitability through the use of foreshadows. Alfieri introduces himself as a lawyer ?thought of in connexion with disasters? and the play is introduced with Alfieri watching the action ?run its bloody course?, and in doing so makes it immediately clear that the resolution of conflict will only be brought about by an act of violence. Alfieri knows that Eddie?s misconceptions will lead him to tragedy and can do nothing despite the fact he has all the evidence before him. Alfieri?s feeling of powerlessness as he ?lost his strength somewhere? and ?could see every step coming,? adds to the tone of inevitability as the resolution of conflict is predetermined, and nothing can stop the events from running their course. The use of foreshadow is a powerful structural element of A View from the Bridge, making the downfall of Eddie seem to be an inevitable consequence to the conflicts that his actions precipitate. While Alfieri?s comments to the audience use foreshadow to indicate the certainty of Eddie?s downfall to the audience, action in the play also indicates future events. Eddie?s destruction at the hands of Marco is made certain in the chair lifting scene where Marco raises the chair ?like a weapon? over Eddie, warning Eddie against threatening Rodolpho with a show of strength. This establishes Marco as a threat to Eddie as such a show of strength represents masculinity, proving that Marco is more of a ?man? than Eddie and has the power to defeat him. Eddie?s determination to sacrifice everything in his efforts to tear Rodolpho and Catherine apart alienates Eddie from those around him. Eddie stops at nothing in the pursuit of his convictions and in doing so distances himself from those he most loves. His close relationship with Catherine is destroyed by Eddie?s endless criticisms of Rodolpho. Eddie?s efforts to discredit Rodolpho isolate him from Catherine and also force Catherine to become independent from Eddie and make her own decisions, saying ?I think I can?t stay here no more? I?m not gonna be a baby any more!? Eddie?s continued resistance against Catherine?s marriage turns him away from her completely as Catherine comes to think of Eddie as a ?rat? who ?comes when nobody?s lookin? and poisons decent people?. Eddie?s relationship with his wife also becomes tenuous, as Beatrice is anxious for Catherine to gain her independence while Eddie is striving for her to remain a ?baby? under his influence. This creates a lot of tension between them, aggravated by the fact that Eddie expects Beatrice to ?believe? him, saying ?If I tell you that guy ain?t right don?t tell me he is right?. Beatrice?s resistance to Eddie?s claims about Rodolpho leads Eddie to think he has lost his ?respect?. Eddie deludes himself into thinking that Rodolpho ?ain?t right? to justify his efforts to discredit him in front of Catherine and does not care about the effect this has on his marriage. Ironically, it is only at the end when Eddie comes to the realisation that it is Beatrice and not Catherine who is most important in his life. Eddie proves that he will stop at nothing to try and keep Rodolpho and Catherine apart when he ?snitches? on Marco and Rodolpho to Immigration. Eddie secures his own downfall when he rings Immigration as the backlash from the community for such an act is bound to end in the act of violence that is suggested by Alfieri in the beginning of the play as the events will run their ?bloody course?. Early in the play, Eddie describes the fate of Vinny Bolzano who ?snitched to Immigration? on his uncle and was ousted by the community, ostracized for the rest of his life and regarded with scorn and contempt. A similar fate is inevitable for Eddie, who is prepared to give up his status in the community to make Rodolpho go back to Italy, as he sees that as the only option available to him. By ringing Immigration, Eddie?s downfall is secured as Marco is set against Eddie, spitting into Eddie?s face and calling him an ?animal? and the killer of his children. However, it is Eddie?s refusal to admit his mistakes and to admit that he disgraced his name by ringing Immigration that brings about the final confrontation between Eddie and Marco. Marco wants retribution against Eddie for forcing him to go back to Italy, ruining his families chances of ever escaping poverty. Again, Eddie is seeking the impossible: to ?get his name? and dignity from an apology from Marco, when it was Eddie who relinquished his own dignity in the pursuit of his unfortunate convictions. While it is Marco that kills Eddie, it is the knife that Eddie drew that is the instrument for his death, signifying self-destruction. It is this self-destruction that is evident throughout the play as Eddie?s downfall is brought about through his own failings and mistakes, rather than the mistakes of others having an impact on him. In A View from the Bridge it is made evident that American law is not consistent with justice as Eddie?s destruction is aided by the American system of law, his downfall signifying an inadequacy in the legal system. Alfieri is only too aware or the inadequacy of the law, saying, ?Only God makes justice?. The dichotomy existing between law and justice is highlighted by Eddie?s actions of calling Immigration, the only legal solution open to him to get rid of Rodolpho. However, it is this legal solution that conflicts with the moral codes that Eddie abides by. Eddie is able to use the law to try and put an end to a situation, which he only sees as being unjust as ?morally and legally? he has no rights in regards to his efforts to separate Catherine and Rodolpho. In abandoning his moral code to ring Immigration, Eddie brings about his own destruction by Marco, who lives by a traditional moral code and is adamant to bring about justice, whatever the cost. Like Eddie, Marco does not know the meaning of compromise, as he feels obligated to kill Eddie for what he has done. The law proves to be totally incapable of handling a situation where the pursuit for justice is more important than upholding the law, and breaking the law to obtain justice seems insignificant. It is in this situation where the death of Eddie by Marco is made inevitable, as Marco is intent on upholding justice rather than law. The resolution of conflict brought about by the downfall of Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge is seen to be the inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical issues raised in the play. Old world values are shown to be inappropriate in American society, and Eddie?s attempts to enforce his old fashioned morals is doomed to failure, leading to an unfortunate conclusion as Eddie lacks the ability to compromise. Eddie?s inappropriate feelings towards Catharine act as a further barrier to compromise, facilitating his determination to try and tear Catharine and Rodolpho apart. Tragic elements also add to the tone of inevitability with the use of foreshadows the use of Alfieri as the chorus and Eddie as the tragic hero, with his vulnerability and misconceptions leading him to self-destruction. His dogged attempts to humiliate Rodolpho before Catherine alienate Eddie from those he most loves, and in ?snitching? to Immigration Eddie ostracizes himself from the whole community. Eddie cannot overcome the insurmountable obstacles that stand in the path for him to enforce his views on those around him, and the impossibility of realising his convictions lead to Eddie?s death, as the resolution of conflict in such a situation can only result from Eddie?s downfall.

A View From the Bridge

By arthur miller, a view from the bridge essay questions.

Does Catherine deserve any blame for Eddie's feelings towards her?

Catherine is a teenager and has grown up with Beatrice and Eddie as her parents. She has not seen much of the world and is just experiencing what it feels like to be a woman. Given all this, she deserves absolutely no blame for her role in Eddie's obsession. He, on the other hand, is an adult, and he manipulates and preys on someone who is essentially a child. However, Catherine does give Eddie signs that encourage his attention, and here Miller complicates our moral sense of the two characters. Beatrice tells Catherine she must stop walking around in a slip and sitting on the edge of the bathtub while Eddie shaves in his underwear. Even the most naive teenager might realize these things on her own, it seems. Furthermore, Catherine gives a strange speech criticizing Beatrice for not being a good wife to Eddie and insinuating she does a better job of taking care of him. It is certainly likely that Catherine knows what she is doing to an extent, and even though Eddie is still in the wrong, his feelings are somewhat understandable.

What makes Eddie a tragic hero?

Eddie is a classic tragic hero. He is an Everyman trying to live his life while burdened by a terrible secret and a terrible flaw. His love for Catherine and his inability to recognize it for what it is lead to his downfall. As Alfieri points out, this downfall is almost inevitable. Eddie can no longer look at himself perspicaciously; he cannot change or grow or deviate from his path. He does not achieve redemption and dies at the close of the play. However, despite his stubbornness and immoral love for Catherine, he retains some sympathetic qualities which also add to his status as a tragic hero; he is no villain whose comeuppance we yearn for. He is a regular man suffering from a tremendous guilt and burden, and his death is sorrowful.

Why is the play's setting important?

While the psychosexual tension, repression, and violence of the story are universal (indeed, there are multiple parallels with Greek tragedies), Miller chose to set his play in his own era: 1950s America, in an immigrant population in Brooklyn. He does this to 1) assert the working-class nature of the protagonist, which exacerbates some of the tensions regarding Rodolpho "stealing" Catherine 2) delve into a population already marginalized by xenophobia 3) call attention to the persecution of supposed communists, which led to snitching and rumormongering. He makes us question the values of American society while presenting his universal drama.

How would you characterize Beatrice's relationship with Eddie?

Beatrice is a beleaguered character if there ever was one. She watches her husband fall in love with her niece, stop sleeping with her, fall into rages/sulking/despair/violence, and utterly repress any true self-knowledge about what is going on. He even blames Beatrice for their marital problems and demands that she respect him more. However, in the end, all of her sharp words and accusations and cries of frustration are muted by her choice to stay with Eddie instead of going to the wedding. There are many speculations as to why she does this. She may truly love Eddie despite all he has done; she may fear the wrath of her community if she violates gender norms by leaving her husband; she may fear the loss of any economic security if she leaves. Whatever her reasoning was for staying with Eddie it is to no avail, for Beatrice still finds herself alone at the end of the play.

Why is Eddie so distrusting?

Throughout the play Eddie expresses profound distrust of almost everyone he meets or knows. He says that the women cannot trust anyone to keep the secret about the immigrants. He does not trust men with Catherine. He does not trust Rodolpho. All of these examples are no doubt projections of Eddie's tormented psyche: he does not know himself or trust himself with his true feelings regarding Catherine and/or his potential homosexuality. Somewhere deep down he knows he is living a lie, so it is only natural that he projects that outward and assumes everyone else is full of secrets and subterfuge.

A View From the Bridge Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for A View From the Bridge is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

WHT is Eddie attitude to the change in chatharine?why?

Eddie doesn't like the change in the way Catherine acts towards him, this is do with her finding independence through Rodolpho. Rodolpho's presence makes Eddie try and put Catherine off of Rodolpho because he likes her.

How would chatharine react to Eddie consern

What specific concern are you referring to?

BY making historical allusion to these characters, hat tone is set up in the play? Explain ideas fully.

The tone is even, fair, and straightforward. The mood is tense, simmering, wrought, and brooding.

Study Guide for A View From the Bridge

A View from the Bridge study guide contains a biography of author Arthur Miller, literature essays, 100 quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About A View From the Bridge
• A View From the Bridge Summary
• Character List

Essays for A View From the Bridge

A View from the Bridge literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller.

• “Alfieri’s commentary gives a depth and complexity to what might otherwise have bean a sordid and uninteresting story.”
• “Ultimately, the tragedy of a View From the Bridge is the inability of the main characters to articulate their feelings.”
• “A View From the Bridge explores the difficulties migrants face in adapting to a new culture.”
• American Identity in Roth and Miller
• Clarity, Perspective, and Tragedy in A View from the Bridge

Lesson Plan for A View From the Bridge

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to A View From the Bridge
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• A View From the Bridge Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for A View From the Bridge

• Introduction

Watch CBS News

Paris Olympics organizers say sorry for offense, but insist opening ceremony did not depict "The Last Supper"

Updated on: July 29, 2024 / 8:59 AM EDT / CBS/AP

The organizers behind the Paris Olympics apologized to anyone who was offended by a tableau that evoked Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" during Friday's opening ceremony and provoked outrage by religious conservatives around the world. The organizers, however, defended the concept behind it.

Da Vinci's painting depicts the moment when Jesus Christ declared that an apostle would betray him. The  scene during Friday's ceremony  on the Debilly Bridge featured DJ and producer Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon who calls herself a "love activist." Butch was wearing a silver headdress that looked like a halo as she got the party going on a footbridge across the Seine. Drag artists, dancers and others flanked Butch on both sides.

As CBS News correspondent Elaine Cobbe reports, the specific part of the ceremony that caused the offense was, in fact, a scene depicting Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. It was reportedly based on  The Feast of the Gods,  a 17th century painting by Dutch artist Jan Harmensz van Biljert that hangs in the Magnin Museum, in Dijon, eastern France. The painting depicts an assembly of Greek gods on Mount Olympus for a banquet to celebrate the marriage of Thetis and Peleus. The figure seated at the table in the center has a halo of light behind his head.

Thomas Jolly, the opening ceremony director, insisted in an interview with France's BFMTV that "The Last Supper" was not the inspiration behind the scene, explaining that "Dionysus arrives at the table because he is the Greek God of celebration," adding that the particular sequence was entitled "festivity."

"The idea was to create a big pagan party in link with the God of Mount Olympus — and you will never find in me, or in my work, any desire of mocking anyone," Jolly said.

The "interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings," a  post on the official social media  account of the Olympic Games said by way of explanation. 

But religious conservatives from around the world decried the segment, with the French Catholic Church's conference of bishops deploring "scenes of derision" that they said made a mockery of Christianity — a sentiment echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The Anglican Communion in Egypt expressed its "deep regret" Sunday, saying the ceremony could cause the IOC to "lose its distinctive sporting identity and its humanitarian message."

Prominent French far-right politician Marion Maréchal denounced the performance on social media.

"To all the Christians of the world who are watching the Paris 2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation," she posted on the social platform X, a sentiment that was echoed by religious conservatives internationally.

In Romania, controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate were part of a protest against the Olympics next to the French embassy in Bucharest on Sunday. The Tate brothers criticized the Olympic Games for mocking Christianity during the opening ceremony and called on athletes to boycott.

Andrew Tate is awaiting trial in Romania on charges of allegedly forming an organized crime group, human trafficking and rape.

The ceremony's artistic director Thomas Jolly distanced his scene from any "Last Supper" parallels after the ceremony, saying it was meant to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French gastronomy. Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps was asked about the outcry during an International Olympic Committee news conference on Sunday.

"Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance," Descamps said. "Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry."

Jolly explained his intentions to The Associated Press after the ceremony.

"My wish isn't to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock," Jolly said. "Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide."

• Andrew Tate
• Leonardo da Vinci

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A Lifelong Love for Bridge

How a love for bridge can bring joy and mental sharpness well into our 90s, a story by jill myers (bbo: santaanita).

My bridge journey started in 1952 at the Westwood (CA) Duplicate Bridge Club, where I took 10 beginner's lessons. Aside from sparking my lifelong interest in bridge, I also had the good fortune of meeting and playing with Burt Lancaster and his wife!

Over the next 50 years, I raised five children and continued to play party bridge twice a week. In 2004, after my children were grown and I lost my husband, I joined the Tallahassee (FL) Duplicate Club. At that time, I was 70 years old and had maybe four ACBL points under my belt. That changed very quickly because I started playing six days a week, sometimes two sessions in a day! Besides playing local tournaments, I also travelled, playing at bridge clubs and tournaments in Hawaii, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Gatlinburg, and West Palm Beach.

When COVID hit in 2019, I was at home recovering from a broken wrist and leg (no, not a bridge injury, lol), so playing at the Tallahassee Duplicate Club was not an option. That Christmas, my kids gave me a computer, and I signed up for Bridge Base Online. Once I got the hang of playing online, I was hooked and continue to play two to three times a day just about every day. Playing BBO has become my social life at 93 - I love playing with partners from all over the world! In addition, playing has kept me mentally sharp!

Duplicate Bridge is an amazing game and one that I think would be a great course to add to school curriculums - what a fun way for kids to build and improve memory, logic, and math skills!

I currently hold Ruby Life Master and figure if I live to be 100 and BBO stays around, I'll hit Gold!

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Democracy challenged

‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy

Credit... Photo illustration by Matt Chase

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By David Leonhardt

David Leonhardt is a senior writer at The Times who won the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Great Recession.

• Published Sept. 17, 2022 Updated June 21, 2023

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The United States has experienced deep political turmoil several times before over the past century. The Great Depression caused Americans to doubt the country’s economic system. World War II and the Cold War presented threats from global totalitarian movements. The 1960s and ’70s were marred by assassinations, riots, a losing war and a disgraced president.

These earlier periods were each more alarming in some ways than anything that has happened in the United States recently. Yet during each of those previous times of tumult, the basic dynamics of American democracy held firm. Candidates who won the most votes were able to take power and attempt to address the country’s problems.

The current period is different. As a result, the United States today finds itself in a situation with little historical precedent. American democracy is facing two distinct threats, which together represent the most serious challenge to the country’s governing ideals in decades.

The first threat is acute: a growing movement inside one of the country’s two major parties — the Republican Party — to refuse to accept defeat in an election.

The violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress , meant to prevent the certification of President Biden’s election, was the clearest manifestation of this movement, but it has continued since then. Hundreds of elected Republican officials around the country falsely claim that the 2020 election was rigged. Some of them are running for statewide offices that would oversee future elections, potentially putting them in position to overturn an election in 2024 or beyond.

“There is the possibility, for the first time in American history, that a legitimately elected president will not be able to take office,” said Yascha Mounk, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University who studies democracy.

Vote Margins by State in Presidential Elections since 1988

Senate representation by state.

Residents of less populated states like Wyoming and North Dakota, who are disproportionately white, have outsize influence.

1 voter in Wyoming

has similar representation as

1 voter in North Dakota

6 voters in Connecticut

7 voters in Alabama

18 voters in Michigan

59 voters in California

has similar

representation as

Landslides in 2020 House Elections

There were about twice as many districts where a Democratic House candidate won by at least 50 percentage points as there were districts where a Republican candidate won by as much.

Landslide (one candidate won

by at least 50 percentage points)

Barbara Lee

Calif. District 13

Jerry Nadler

N.Y. District 10

Diana DeGette

Colo. District 1

Donald Payne Jr.

N.J. District 10

Jesús García

Ill. District 4

Landslide (one candidate won by at least 50 percentage points)

Presidential Appointments of Supreme Court Justices

Supreme Court appointments

Presidential election winners

Popular vote

Electoral College

Party that nominated a justice

David H. Souter (until 2009)

Clarence Thomas

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (until 2020)

Stephen G. Breyer (until 2022)

John G. Roberts Jr.

Samuel A. Alito Jr.

Sonia Sotomayor

Elena Kagan

Neil M. Gorsuch

Brett M. Kavanaugh

Amy Coney Barrett

Ketanji Brown Jackson

Supreme Court

Presidential election

nominated a justice

Souter (until 2009)

Ginsburg (until 2020)

Breyer (until 2022)

State Legislators and Election Lies

The share of Republican state legislators who have taken steps, as of May 2022, to discredit or overturn the 2020 presidential election results

Pennsylvania

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Paris Olympics organizers say they meant no disrespect with ‘Last Supper’ tableau

Paris Olympics organizers apologized to anyone who was offended by a tableau that evoked Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” during the glamorous opening ceremony, but defended the concept behind it Sunday. Da Vinci’s painting depicts the moment when Jesus Christ declared that an apostle would betray him. The scene during Friday’s ceremony featured DJ and producer Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon — flanked by drag artists and dancers.

Drag queens prepare to perform on the Debilly Bridge in Paris, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

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Drag queen Piche prepares to perform, at the Debilly Bridge in Paris, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi)

Update: French prosecutors have ordered police to investigate complaints from a DJ that she has received online threats and abuse after the ceremony .

PARIS (AP) — Paris Olympics organizers apologized to anyone who was offended by a tableau that evoked Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” during the glamorous opening ceremony , but defended the concept behind it Sunday.

Da Vinci’s painting depicts the moment when Jesus Christ declared that an apostle would betray him. The scene during Friday’s ceremony featured DJ and producer Barbara Butch — an LGBTQ+ icon — flanked by drag artists and dancers.

Religious conservatives from around the world decried the segment, with the French Catholic Church’s conference of bishops deploring “scenes of derision” that they said made a mockery of Christianity — a sentiment echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. The Anglican Communion in Egypt expressed its “deep regret” Sunday, saying the ceremony could cause the IOC to “lose its distinctive sporting identity and its humanitarian message.”

The ceremony’s artistic director Thomas Jolly had distanced his scene from any “Last Supper” parallels after the ceremony, saying it was meant to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French gastronomy. Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps was asked about the outcry during an International Olympic Committee news conference on Sunday.

“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” Descamps said. “Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

Jolly explained his intentions to The Associated Press after the ceremony.

“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly said. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”

Associated Press journalist Samy Magdy contributed reporting from Cairo.

Follow AP coverage of the Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games