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Literary Analysis Essay- “Mother and Daughter -Growing Up”

2021-12-22T14:14:02.177-05:00

Literary Analysis Essay “Mother and Daughter” “Growing Up” In families relationships can be difficult or easy to understand. In the two stories “Mother and Daughter” and “Growing Up” both have a mother and a child. In one story the child and parent have trouble understanding each other, and in the other, the parent and the child are the opposite and they support each other. In the story “Mother and Daughter” Yollie and her mother, Mrs.Moreno, have a very supportive and comedic relationship because they had fun together and Yollies mother is always trying to help out her daughter. In the text it states,”We can color your dress so it looks brand new” In the text it also states, “Despite their jokes, mother and daughter usually got along” This shows Yollie and her mother had a supportive because, despite not having the money, Mrs.Moreno still tried to think what she was able to put in place as a substitute for Yollie’s dress. Yollie’s mother did her best of what she could do and supported Yollie and dyed her dress for her. I say their relationship is comedic because they pulled jokes and pranks on each other which in a way made their bond as a mother and daughter stronger. In the story “Growing Up” Maria and her dad had a very troubled relationship because they did not understand each other and they kept fighting. In the text it states, “She got up and walked away and when he yelled for her to come back, she ignored him.” In the text it also states, “Dad I am not going this year.” One more thing the text states is, “I work all year and if I want to go on vacation, then I go. And my family goes too.” This proves they were troubled because Maria did not want to go on vacation with her family but her father wanted her to go. They were having difficulties understanding each others point of view of why they did or did not want to go. Instead of asking each other why they feel like they should or should not go on vacation they argued. At the end of the day, the lesson we learn is that sometimes parenting or being a child can be difficult. In both stories “Mother and Daughter” and “Growing up” at one point the parent and child did

I believe Literature is the Mirror of the Society: Shakespeare's Hamlet.

2018-10-24T04:21:18.437-04:00

RINGKASAN TULISAN DALAM BUKU PENERAPAN PRINSIP PROPORSIONALITAS TERHADAP PENGGUNAAN PESAWAT TANPA AWAK DALAM KONFLIK BERSENJATA

2017-12-01T15:30:07.873-05:00

Blanche the Monarch Butterfly in a Streetcar Named Desire

2014-11-25T14:03:59.03-05:00

In A Streetcar named Desire, Williams uses theme and motifs to introduce and dive deep into the play’s characters. In the beginning of Streetcar, Williams represents Blanche as a moth. A butterflies and moths seem to be very similar; however, their outward appearance, the way they carry themselves, you could even say their character are very different. A butterfly is very "boastful" almost as if its sole purpose is to show off as it goes through life, whereas a moth is timid, shy, it flies around in a way as to try not to bring any attention to itself. Moths are mostly nocturnal, only coming about freely in the dark, butterflies are seen everywhere throughout the day in their respective season. The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a butterfly as "a person interested principally in frivolous pleasure"; or a self-consumed person absorbed on pleasure (line 2). Although Williams does actually describe Blanch as a moth, his own description and conversation call to attention sexual undertones that represent Blanche to be a butterfly instead of a moth. In Scene I of A Streetcar Named Desire, Williams writes-- Her appearance is incongruous in this setting. She is daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace, and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district…There is something about her uncertain manner, as well as her clothes, that suggests a moth. (Bloom 51) Williams’s description would have us to perceive Blanche as an insecure, modest person, a typical young woman of the American Deep South upper class-- a moth. Upon originally hearing of Blanche’s clothing we assume it’s a simple fit, however her clothing style does match with the environment surrounding her. Blanche arrives to her sister’s house wearing this outfit. Her sister, Stella, lives in a run-down three-room apartment. The apartment meets the necessities of life and no more; however, it is not the place for Blanche, a social butterfly. The contrast is so big that Blanche sticks out just like a butterfly stands out in its rightful seasons. Williams never really clarifies the motivation behind the way Blanche’s behaves. Many critics read Blanche’s behavior and argue whether it was ignorance or intentional behavior. Allen Lewis suggests that it was intentional. In The Significant Playwrights of Our Time, he states "Blanche attempts to parade her former

Holden Caufield and his shitty coping mechanisms

2013-12-19T00:58:42.477-05:00

Diana {Insert my last name here} 12 November 2012 English III Holden’s Desire to Escape his Problems and How It Reflects His State Of Mind In the animal kingdom, the average lifespan rarely passes 10 years. There are few exceptions to this, one being the lifespan of humans. The current average life span for humans is between 70 and 80 years. In both the animal kingdom and in modern society, maturity is meant to come quickly if you are to survive. However, Holden Caulfield from The Catcher In the Rye by J. D. Salinger cannot accept that maturing is a natural and necessary part of every person’s life. Holden uses physical distance, judgmental tendencies, and comfort escapism to protect the innocence of himself and others, which are reflective of his desire to mentally escape his problems. Holden copes with his problems by running away from places and starting anew. An example of this would be when he left Pencey. Holden had many issues with school there, but the simplest is that he could not grow up like the rest of his school. Holden did not have the responsibility of handling grades, social changes, and everything else that an average 17-year-old would experience. After getting kicked out for failing almost every subject, Holden had a few more days before he had to leave school; with nothing to do, he decides to go to New York for a few days. “...I yelled at the top of my goddamn voice ‘Sleep tight, ya morons!’ I’ll bet I woke up every bastard on the whole floor. Then I got the hell out.” (Salinger 54). Holden escaped from Pencey, all of the people whom he disliked and all of the problems he was convinced it caused him, so he would not have to deal with them. Another example of how Holden does this is when he addresses his idea to run away with Sally. He thinks this because Holden strongly dislikes what he thinks society is, which in turn causes him to hate living. This idea leads to Holden conceptualizing the idea of running away to Vermont or Massachusetts with Sally. “It’s beautiful as hell up here, it really is.” (Salinger 132). Up north, everything is pristine and disattached from society, which acts as an asylum for holden. Holden wants to go to this place because he does not want to have to face his problems, and for Holden,

Dissertation Writing Help

2013-02-19T03:15:53.493-05:00

Dissertation proposal development is the first step prior starting the academic study and research project. Dissertation proposal is defined as a formal paper, which covers each and every aspects related to the research work, which will propose to be used for the completion of the dissertation work. This provides basic or rough ideas to the researcher and supervisor with respect to what will be practiced in the research. Dissertation proposal is the brief paper covering various sections such as introduction, literature review, research methodology and conclusion. This mainly provides the general summary of the research question and sub-questions, aims and objectives, literature review, and methodology, which will be proposed in context to the particular area of research. Dissertation proposal development would cover various sections such as outlines of the research hypothesis, literature review, research methodology and outlines of findings and analyzing data. Out of various sections, literature review and methodology are the most important sections. The section of literature review provides brief information about the topic pertinent to the research problem. Research methodology section reflects the research approach, design and method that will be proposed to use for data collection purpose. Moreover, the dissertation proposal also presents the main research question and related aims and objectives. Dissertation proposal is a formal written paper, which involves detailed and comprehensive description of a particular subject matter, which is required for qualifying for doctorate degree. Dissertation proposal is related to research work, which is undertaken for inventing something new so that the existing situation can be improved. It presents views of advancement of a new point resulting from research, which is required for an advanced academic. Contents for developing dissertation proposal are critical to determine the quality and value of the research work because precise and concise presenting research work in an easy manner is important to understand the work for the purpose. Dissertation proposal presents students work with a perfect picture of what the result of his dissertation proposal writing may be for the purpose of inventing something new in field of chosen subject matter. For developing an effective and efficient dissertation, it needs high amount of data and information relating to research work so the complete work can be drafted in form a report to qualifying degree of doctorate. Dissertation Proposal may be related into any subject matter, which may involve science, history, art, commerce, chemistry, etc. all research work can

madea vs. antigone

2013-01-29T20:23:17.13-05:00

Antigone and Medea are two stories of women fighting back for what they want, or what they feel is right. These stories take place in ancient Greece, around the time it was rising to power. Medea and Antigone are both strong characters. Though at times can be very manipulative. Both women have different kind of moral standards that controls the outcome and how far their willing to go. Medea is often very demanding in getting what it is that she wants. Antigone, will do what she need to do in order to get what she wants. With Antigone she is goes against the law of a king to do what she believes is spirituality right. In the middle of the night she leaves the house and sneaks into a field to bury her dead brother. Medea killed many people, including her own sons and a princess, in order to get revenge on her cheating husband. The two women both have to wait for a perfect time to strike. In the case of Medea, quick, violent strikes. And with Antigone, a calm precise one. These women are very determined to get what they want. In these stories being a strong woman seems to coincide with being manipulative. Medea lied and cheated friends to try to acquire time in order to get what she wants. In this case what she wants is revenge against her ex-husband. She tricks a friend to give her saftey in Athens after she has committed her insane task. Medea even goes so far as to be able to con Creon, the king himself into giving her an extra day. This unwittingly gives her exactly what she needs. Antigone tries to manipulate others but is not as successful as Medea. Antigone tries, without success , to persuade her sister, Ismene, to help her give their brother Polyneices a proper burial. In this way they are more like foxes, cunning but not always getting it right. Their deceitful nature is their strength. While both women do wrong by the law of man, and Medea against the law of the gods, they do it for different reasons. In the beginning Medea kills many people and monsters with little or no concern of the consequence. When the story deals with modern times Medea kills out of pure revenge and spite for Jason. She plots for weeks to kill Jason’s new bride and poisons

The space combat in SWTOR will resemble a tunnel shooter

2013-01-16T22:10:58.173-05:00

The space combat in SWTOR will resemble a tunnel shooter. This and more can be read in the latest issue of PC Gamer magazine.It is with his own spaceship therefore not freely fly around in space, but is run on a predefined path through the levels. Such sequences have been found, for example, in Lego Star Wars. "We want to capture the best moments," said LucasArts producer Jake Neri. "We want the player to feel like he was in one of the movies." It would also remain nearer the actual core game, as it is indeed still an MMO and is no space shooter.The camera moves so on a solid path through the level. You can in this area your ship from the pursuer's perspective, however, free to move along the X and Y axis. Speed up or slow flying, is not possible. Nevertheless, the space combat is thus not be particularly easy or simple because of the difficulty will attract especially clear in later missions, promises executive producer Kevin Barrett. It is also planned to incorporate different levels of difficulty.There are both primary and secondary jobs in the missions, which can be between two and eight minutes. The goal of secondary jobs will go but when re-playing, so more variety is offered. In addition, each different rewards waiting for you at the end. The appearance of your ship you can customize the weapons but always remain the same: Blasters and rockets. Possible upgrades would only improve the strength of the weapons. In addition, the skills or the stats of your character does not affect the space battle.The release of The Old Republic, you will still fly alone through space, but BioWare plans to both PvP and co-op to install at a later date. A weekly update for SWTOR community again be answering questions and we can take a look at the work of Robby Lamb, Senior Environment Artist at BioWare.He reported on the optimization of the environment in order to give more details about objects or to create the right atmosphere for a scene. Finally, it's also the game performance tune in all areas. The community issues revolve primarily around this time the character classes. Thus, according to current information, six of the eight classes specialize in healing. As Senior Game Designer William Wallace says there are no plans that also heal the Jedi and Sith Warrior can.In general, however, are also healers still

Shylock: The Victim of Merchant of Venice

2007-12-03T21:17:43-05:00

Shylock: Victim or Villain? I believe that Shylock is a Victim of what I feel are the tragic events and unfairness that has befallen him in this play, The Merchant of Venice. My first point is that Shylock was probably portrayed as a villain when this play was first written by Shakespeare between the years 1596 and 1598. We must keep in mind his audience usually had anti-Semitic views so their way of interpreting Shylock as a villain is based entirely upon the culture that they were brought up in. However I feel Shakespeare was a writer ahead of his time who wrote not only for the general public but for much more philosophical minds. These are in my views the definitive points of Shakespeare’s distinctive writing style – the interpretation the reader has is usually different, writing not only for the general audience but for great minds and of course being a writer ahead of his time I feel he knew we would interpret it differently to the audience in his time of living which is what interests me. Many great minds use Shakespeare’s works to refer as ‘proof’ of their theories, a good example is the psychologist Sigmund Freud who often referred to Hamlet in his explanation of the oedipal complex. I strongly feel Shakespeare was attempting to subtly show the unfairness and anti-Semitic views of people in his time. A famous part of the play where Shylock delivers his speech ‘Hath not a Jew Eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions…’ ; asked rhetorically it emphasises that Jews are just as human as Christians and that when they have been abused their lust for revenge is no different to a Christian’s lust for revenge when he has been wronged. Yes it’s true if he wasn’t Jewish this story might have been very different but another way to look at this is that if Antonio, Bassanio and their party did not have such a strong fascist view on Shylock. Shylock could have easily been part of the community and would not have been the ‘villain’ he is portrayed as at points if he was just treated like a human being and not like an outcast of society. It is proved repeatedly that Antonio and has no remorse for his scornful actions against Shylock. In a certain two lines during the trial it listed: Shylock: You called me dog. Antonio: And I

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:20:29-05:00

“ . . . He was spawned in that slim, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / by God, punished forever for the crime / Of Abel’s death” (lines 19-23). This quotation alone shows the religious influence in the early English epic Beowulf. Religion seems to influence all early English writings, and conflict between Pagan and Christian in the earliest. Most early epics, such as Beowulf, show conflicting views, though are addressed to a Christian audience. And most Christian writings refer to the old ways as Heathenry. Heathens Heathen, by understood definition, means ‘one who is uncivilized or uncultured’ which truly is a fallacy. “The word Heathen comes from Old English hæðen, a word whose origin has been stated by scholars as being a native word related to Greek ethnos, or a gloss for Latin pagan ‘rural dweller’ meaning ‘dweller on the heath’”(“Theod”). This term, whatever its origin, is the preferred term when referencing the pagan religion(s) of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. Theses tribes descend from the earlier tribes of Saxons, Jutes, Angles, Frisians, Varni, and other Germanic invaders that migrated to modern day Britain. Around 500 BCE, these tribes began to expand from modern Denmark, Southern Scandinavia, and Northern Germany to lands formerly held by Celts, Balts, and Illyrians. Christianity Christianity began its expansion into Indo-Europe in the later portion of the 400 BCE century. In the beginning, the Christians focused on converting the nobility of the Germanic tribes, hoping the general population would follow. “First of these nobles was Clovis I of the Franks. The Christianization of the Franks soon followed, though it would take until the 7th century to halt some pagan traditions.”(Christianization) The Christianization of the Germanic tribes continued with Irish missionaries. These missionaries, monks if you will, developed a concept known as peregrination. This meant that as punishment for their sins, the monks would travel amongst the unconverted. This alone may link history to the fictitious epic Beowulf, and the monk present at Herot. Furthermore, the development of Christianity in Northern-Europe (setting of Beowulf) was far more violent then the past. The factions of each side fought during conversion, qualifying this as generic warfare instead of “persecution”. Once a chieftain or ruler was converted, the practice of the “heathen” religions was made punishable. This may also be symbolized within Beowulf as Grendel. The concept may be grasped if one thinks of

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:19:59-05:00

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:19:50-05:00

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:18:58-05:00

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:17:57-05:00

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:17:45-05:00

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:17:39-05:00

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:17:32-05:00

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:16:48-05:00

Religion In Writing “ . . . He was spawned in that slim, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / by God, punished forever for the crime / Of Abel’s death” (lines 19-23). This quotation alone shows the religious influence in the early English epic Beowulf. Religion seems to influence all early English writings, and conflict between Pagan and Christian in the earliest. Most early epics, such as Beowulf, show conflicting views, though are addressed to a Christian audience. And most Christian writings refer to the old ways as Heathenry. Heathens Heathen, by understood definition, means ‘one who is uncivilized or uncultured’ which truly is a fallacy. “The word Heathen comes from Old English hæðen, a word whose origin has been stated by scholars as being a native word related to Greek ethnos, or a gloss for Latin pagan ‘rural dweller’ meaning ‘dweller on the heath’”(“Theod”). This term, whatever its origin, is the preferred term when referencing the pagan religion(s) of the Anglo-Saxon tribes. Theses tribes descend from the earlier tribes of Saxons, Jutes, Angles, Frisians, Varni, and other Germanic invaders that migrated to modern day Britain. Around 500 BCE, these tribes began to expand from modern Denmark, Southern Scandinavia, and Northern Germany to lands formerly held by Celts, Balts, and Illyrians. Christianity Christianity began its expansion into Indo-Europe in the later portion of the 400 BCE century. In the beginning, the Christians focused on converting the nobility of the Germanic tribes, hoping the general population would follow. “First of these nobles was Clovis I of the Franks. The Christianization of the Franks soon followed, though it would take until the 7th century to halt some pagan traditions.”(Christianization) The Christianization of the Germanic tribes continued with Irish missionaries. These missionaries, monks if you will, developed a concept known as peregrination. This meant that as punishment for their sins, the monks would travel amongst the unconverted. This alone may link history to the fictitious epic Beowulf, and the monk present at Herot. Furthermore, the development of Christianity in Northern-Europe (setting of Beowulf) was far more violent then the past. The factions of each side fought during conversion, qualifying this as generic warfare instead of “persecution”. Once a chieftain or ruler was converted, the practice of the “heathen” religions was made punishable. This may also be symbolized within Beowulf as Grendel. The concept may be grasped if one

Religion in Writing

2007-12-03T18:16:39-05:00

lord of the flies essay

2007-10-11T15:29:14-04:00

The classic novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is an exciting adventure deep into the nether regions of the mind. The part of the brain that is suppressed by the mundane tasks of modern society. It is a struggle between Ralph and Jack, the boys and the Beast, good and evil. The story takes a look at what would happen if a group of British school boys were to become stranded on an island. At first the boys have good intentions, keep a fire going so that a passing ship can see the smoke and rescue them; however because of the inherent evil of the many the good intentions of the few are quickly passed over for more exciting things. The killing of a pig slowly begins to take over the boys life, and they begin to go about this in a ritualistic way, dancing around the dead animal and chanting. As this thirst for blood begins to spread the group is split into the "rational (the fire-watchers) pitted against the irrational (the hunters) (Dick 121)." The fear of a mythological "beast" is perpetuated by the younger members of the groups and they are forced to do something about it. During one of the hunters' celebrations around the kill of an animal a fire-watcher stumbles in to try and disband the idea of the monster. Caught of in the rabid frenzy of the dance, this fire-watcher suddenly becomes the monster and is brutally slaughtered by the other members of the group. The climax of the novel is when the hunters are confronted by the fire-watchers. The hunters had stole Piggy's (one of the fire-watchers) glasses so that they may have a means of making a cooking fire. One of the more vicious hunters roles a boulder off of a cliff, crushing Piggy, and causing the death of yet another rational being. The story concludes with the hunters hunting Ralph (the head and last of the fire-watchers). After lighting half of the island on fire in an attempt to smoke Ralph from his hiding place, they chase him on to the beach only to find a ships captain and crew waiting there to rescue them, because he saw the smoke. The novel is packed full of symbolism and irony. Golding also communicates his message quite well. "The title refers to Beelzebub, most stinking and depraved of all the devils: it is

Are Romeo and Juliet responsible for their own deaths?

2007-09-21T07:51:31-04:00

"Romeo and Juliet" a play written during the Elizabethan times by William Shakespeare, ends with the tragic deaths of a pair of star-crossed lovers, (Romeo and Juliet). Their unfortunate ends can be partially considered as their own fault although other events and people play significant roles. This essay will look at the factors such as Romeo's hastiness, the development of independence for Juliet, the different views on love for each individual and the feud between the two families and how these factors hastens the most unhappiest deaths. Romeo's extreme hastiness is what leads to his early death. One example is the agreement to marry Juliet on the night they met. Romeo did not think thoroughly about the idea and how it is going to affect both of their opposing families (Montague and Capulet). When he announced his decision to the Friar, the Friar immediately insists Romeo to take things " wisely and slow". Yet Romeo turns a deaf ear to that advice. He continues to act impetuously. There seems to be no reason for Romeo to rush back to Verona and promising to poison him when Balthasar told him that Juliet is dead. Romeo should have consulted the Friar for more details. It seems as though Romeo feels that the world is passing him, very quickly and there is no time for consideration and every decision must be made in a hurry. It is because of this belief that resulted Romeo being send into his early grave. However other people and events also plays a part in why Romeo acts in this particular way. When Juliet met Romeo her love for him changed her very quickly into an independent person. So quickly that it isolates her from any adult support, which in turns killed her. At the beginning of the play she is a responsible and obedient daughter. When asked to marry Paris Juliet’s reply was full of politeness and dutifulness. " I will look to like, if looking likely move. But no more will it endart mine eye" when Juliet met Romeo the love she had for him enables her to be more independent and willing to takes risks. When demand to marry Paris by lord Capulet, Juliet's reply was no longer the same as before. Her reply was full with disobedience and the intention of rebelling. " He shall not make me a joyful bride" "or if you

The Merchant of Venice

2007-09-12T15:38:09-04:00

Shylock’s behaviour is wrong, but understandable. With close reference to at least two key scenes examine Shylock’s historical and social position and his personal experiences within the play. How far do these scenes go to justify his actions? The main plot in ´The Merchant of Venice´ concludes in a court scene where a battle takes place between a Christian and a Jew. A loan of 3,000 ducats should have been repaid but now Shylock demands a pound of Antonio’s flesh taken from the area closest to his heart. To understand Shylock’s behaviour and to learn why he would rather have a pound of Antonio’s flesh than to take double the amount he is owed in exchange for mercy on his life; we must study Shylock’s historical and social position and his personal experiences within the play, this may then bring the reader closer to understanding Shylock’s actions and deciding if they are justifiable or not. At the beginning of the play a young man, who is rather careless with money, by the name of Bassanio approaches his merchant friend Antonio. Bassanio wishes to marry the beautiful, rich Portia whom he loves and will then enable him to pay off all his debts but Bassanio needs money for his trip to Belmont. Unfortunately, all Antonio’s money is tied up in his ships but he is willing to borrow the amount Bassanio needs and lend it to him. Act 1, Scene 3 is the scene in which Antonio approaches Shylock, the money-lending Jew, for 3,000 ducats on behalf of Bassanio. In Shakespearian times Christians were forbidden from lending money with interest, they thought it was against God’s will but the Jews thought the opposite; so Shylock’s job, lending money with interest, is one of the few jobs that a Jew would have been permitted to have. From the moment Antonio enters the room Shylock makes it clear that he does not like Antonio, but his hatred goes deeper than religious differences, as Shylock says in line 37´I hate him for he is a Christian, but more for that in low simplicity he lends out money gratis and brings down the rate of usance here with us in Venice´. This line tells us that Shylock does hate Antonio for being a Christian, but he has a further hate for Antonio because he is affecting Shylock’s livelihood by lending ‘money gratis’ (without interest or free) and bringing

Shylock: Villian or Victim

2007-09-05T14:54:56-04:00

Shylock: Villain or Victim? People who are seen as villainous usually show the characteristics of greed and selfishness, Shylock does indeed contain these characteristics but and so many people have immediately classed him as the villain of Shakespeare’s ‘Merchant of Venice’ especially in the 1600’s where almost all of the plays viewers would have been Christian and therefore would of hated Shylock purely for the fact that he was a Jew, although some argue that Shylock is actually a victim of racism and prejudice and has been turned into this selfish man by his terrible treatment by the Christians, in this essay I will explore both sides of this debate and finally chose which a agree with and my reasons for it. We are first introduced to Shylock in Act I Scene iii, interestingly the first thing Shylock mentions its money ‘three thousand ducats, well’, this is obviously Shakespeare playing on the idea of the Jewish stereotype that are Jews obsessed with money and also shows that Shylock is a usurer, which is a sin in Christianity so the audience would of automatically seen Shylock as a villain. Also in this scene we discover Shylock’s hatred for Antonio and the Christians: ‘ how like a fawning publican he looks’ ‘I hate him for he is a Christian; ’ Shylock also displays attributed of his personality that make him out as a villain in his refusal to ever forgive the Christians. We also learn of his intent regarding Antonio’s life: ‘ if I can catch him once upon the hip’ ‘I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.’ And we also learn of his intent to kill Antonio by taking one pound of his flesh ‘if the bond cannot be repaid with ducats let the forfeit be nominated for a equal pound of fair flesh, to be cut off and taken in what part of your body pleaseth me.’ but Antonio interprets this as a offering of friendship ‘The Hebrew will turn Christian, he grows kind.’ And so he accepts this offer, this behaviour cannot be interrupted any other way than an act of villainy from Shylock, though it can be argued that the treatment Shylock has received from the Christians has forced him into hating them, it is seen throughout the entire play that the Christians are intolerant of the Jews and Shylock forming this plan to kill Antonio is

Elizabethan clothing

2007-03-05T22:34:49-05:00

In the Elizabethan times women did not have the freedom to wear what they preferred, regardless if they came from a higher or lower class. The Sumptuary laws dictated the clothing and accessories that they were required to wear. The whole purpose of the law was to control behavior and to make sure that you maintained your class. If you were to break any of these laws you could end up with fines, the loss of property, title, and even life. The goal behind Elizabethan period was to show their status and society and to make them look attractive. Women were willing to do anything to make their waste look small and petite as possible. They would use whalebones to get their actual size. Women in the Elizabethan days wore ruffles to show their position in society. Women in the upper class wore rich and luxurious materials, and had elegant style. While the lower class had

The five people you meet in heaven

2007-03-05T22:30:51-05:00

The three people that shaped Eddie’s life were Captain, Marguerite, and Tala. They all had a lesson of their own to teach Eddie. The Captain taught Eddie that no one should get left behind. Marguerite taught Eddie that love is eternal, and Tala’s lesson was that there was a purpose in Eddie’s life. Marguerite, Captain, and Tala all made Eddie realize that there was a purpose in his life; he just never figured it out on his own. Captain showed Eddie that the sacrifices he made in his life were meaningful. Captain was a huge person in Eddie’s life. Eddie’s whole life was changed after the captain shot his leg. He shot his leg because Eddie accidentally put a hut on fire, and there was a Filipino girl in their named Tala. “We would have lost you in the fire. You would have died. And it wasn’t your time.” Eddie was going through a lot inside when he heard that the captain shot him. The Captain also risked his life because he didn’t want Eddie to go into the hut. “The land mine exploded instantly, like a burping flame from the earth’s core. It blew the captain twenty feet into the air and split him into pieces.” Eddie only lost his leg, but the captain lost his whole life only because he didn’t want anyone to get left behind. Marguerite taught Eddie that love is eternal. After Marguerite got into the car accident, and passed away he was never the same. He always thought about her, and she was the only woman he ever truly loved. “Marguerite emerges, singing in her soft sweet voice. She looks beautiful, wearing the print dress Eddie likes, her hair and lips done up. Eddie feels the need to inhale, as if undeserving of such a moment. He fights the darkness within him.” Also, Eddie was upset with Marguerite that she left him. “Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that’s all. You can’t see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with

Of Mice and Men

2007-03-05T22:28:31-05:00

Many books have titles that are meaningful. The titles can be made of from the character, the theme, or the events that occurred. Of Mice and Men is an appropriate title for Steinbecks’s book because the characters are mice and men, the plot moves from mice to men, and the theme applies to unfulfilled dreams of mice and men. The title is appropriate because the characters demonstrate traits of mice and men. Lennie is one of the biggest mice in the book. He depended on George who had to always take care of him. Lennie was a quiet guy that only talked when George told him to. “Lennie twisted his neck and looked over his shoulder. Huh? What you want, George.” “I told you you couldn’t bring that pup in here.” “What pup, George? I ain’t got no pup. George went quickly to him, grabbed him by the shoulder and rolled him over. He reached down and picked the tiny puppy from where Lennie had been concealing it against his stomach.” (Pg. 40) Lennie didn’t have any of his own rights; he always had to follow by George’s rules. Also, another mouse in this story is Candy. Candy was a quiet person that tried to mind his own business. One specific incident that seemed like he was a mouse was when Carlson wanted to shoot Candy’s dog, and he couldn’t stop him. He had that dog since he was very young, and when Carlson wanted to shoot it Candy could not say anything about it. “Candy looked about unhappily. No, he said softly. No, I couldn’t do that. I had ‘im to long.” “He don’t have no fun, Carlson insisted. And he stinks to beat hell. Tell you what. I’ll shoot him for you. The it won’t be you that does it.” “Candy threw his leg off his bunk. He scratched the white stubble whiskers on his cheek nervously. I’m so used to him, he said softly. I had him from a pup.” (Pg. 42) Carlson shot the dog anyways, but Candy had to let him go, and didn’t speak up to anyone. On the other hand, there are few men in this story too. One of

The Making of the Latin King

2007-03-05T22:25:12-05:00

The book the making of the Latin king written by Reymundo Sanchez was based on a true story. Sanchez wrote about his experiences in life. He was born in Puerto Rico and came to Chicago when he was a young boy. Sanchez also had a lot of family issues, and most of his family neglected him. His mother married a lot of men, and most of his stepfathers abused him. He enjoyed going to school because his father would never let him go out of the house and school was the only freedom he had. His family all moved to Puerto Rico, but he stayed with his older stepbrother Hector. He was never home, and would always sell drugs to raise money. Sanchez started doing the same, and that’s how he started using it too. He also got familiar with females. And wanted to experience a lot of other things. He met a woman named Maria who was about 34, and had sex with Sanchez when he was only 13. She taught him a lot of things that she thought he needed to use in the real world. That’s when his whole life started messing up with a lot of violence, sex, and drugs. He also dropped out of school, and joined a gang called the Latin Kings. This story had few similarities with me. I came from Pakistan when I was about the same age as Sanchez. I had problems in school with English, and the students. Sanchez also had a hard time learning English, but the place he lived in was segregated. The Hispanics, African Americans, and Caucasians did not get along. It was really interesting how he grew up to know so much about what goes on in the real world when his step father wouldn’t give him any freedom. He adjusted to what was happening around him quickly. The author wanted to send the readers, the message that they should not make the same mistakes he did, and consequences he had to face for them. He told us how gangs are a wasted of time, and once you join one your stuck there forever. I think he did get his point across, and hopefully people wont make the mistakes he did. Also, he was a sex maniac and would always have it. He knew what he did to women was wrong, and he wants his readers to

Hatchet

2007-03-05T22:22:30-05:00

Brian and his hatchet are always together. In the beginning Brian didn’t realize how much his hatchet could help him. Towards the end he realizes that his hatchet meant everything to him. Every time Brian is somewhere that’s where his hatchet would be. When Brian got out of the plane, he was worried didn’t know where he was, he didn’t have a place to live, and he didn’t have any food. Having his hatchet by his side helped him by, finding food, making shelter, and making some weapons. The hatchet helped Brian with chopping some fishes and birds that Brian had killed. When Brian wanted to eat a fish, he used his hatchet to chop the fish up; Brian was worried at first that he would starve. The hatchet also helped Brian in some ways by killing the birds, which Brian called them “fool birds”. Brian ripping off the bird’s feathers, and chopping the birds into pieces, at fist Brian couldn’t kill the fool birds, but he kept on trying. That’s how Brian kept on getting food. Brian used the hatchet to make shelter. At first Brian didn’t know how to make his shelter, but he thought about how to make a shelter. When Brian was building his shelter, he used wood and carved the wood with his hatchet. The shelter wasn’t so pretty; the shelter was good enough for Brian to stay in. When Brian was in his shelter one day, all of the sudden he hears a “BOOM”. When the tornado came it ruined everything. Brian’s shelter was all over the place, and that’s when Brian made another one. The new shelter that Brian made was heavier, so the shelter wouldn’t fall. Brian would always call his shelter he made on his own, his home. When Brian needed to get a fish, Brian needed something to catch the fish with. That’s when Brian thought that if he didn’t have a fishing pole, he could make one. Brian made a fishing pole by cutting out wood with his hatchet and carving wood to make it sharp. Brian worked really hard on the fishing pole, but it worked. That’s how Brian got a lot of fishes to eat. When Brian wanted those fool birds, he couldn’t just stab them with the hatchet; they would run away. Brian made an arrow that was sharp on the end to stab the birds.

Brucellosis

2007-03-05T05:51:51-05:00

Cause Brucellosis is caused by the bacteria Brucella. This bacteria infects domesticated animals. The animal that causes Brucellosis the most in Australia is infected cattle but also sheep or goats. Conditions Humans get Brucellosis in one of three ways: · Eating or drinking something that is contaminated with Brucella · Breathing in the organism · Or having the bacteria enter the body through skin wounds The most common way to get Brucellosis is by eating or drinking contaminated

Brucellosis

2007-03-05T05:51:39-05:00

Othello racism – Othello tragedy

2007-01-18T10:41:11-05:00

Honest Iago is one of the most interesting and exotic characters in the tragic play Othello, by William Shakespeare. At first Iago seems to be motiveless. However, the motivation behind his actions lie more in Iago's quest for personal gain, as opposed to just being evil for evil's sake. Iago's greediness can be validated by examining his manipulation of Roderigo, Cassio, and most importantly, Othello. Iago's main interest is the destruction of Othello. The reason being that Othello has chosen another man, Cassio, as his second-in-command, preferring him to Iago. This resentment, accompanied by Iago's accusations of adultery and his blatant racism, cause Iago to despise the kindly moor. Because Iago is much too smart to immediately kill Othello, he proceeds with the arduous process of dismantling him emotionally. Iago also knows he must distance himself from any part of this, so he cleverly gets someone to do his dirty work. The first to fall victim to Iago's manipulation is half-witted Roderigo. Iago knows Roderigo is consumed by lust for Desdemona, and would do what it takes to make her his own. Iago tells Roderigo that the only way to win Desdemona's love is to make money to procure gifts for her. Put money in thy purse…(act I scene 3 line 339). However Iago is just taking those gifts intended for Desdemona and keeping them for himself, and making a profit. Roderigo eventually starts to question Iago's honesty. When faced with the accusations, Iago simply offers that the killing of Cassio will aid in his cause and Roderigo falls for it. In doing this, Iago keeps Roderigo in the dark and continues to profit from him monetarily. Roderigo is also used as a device in both Cassio and Othello's downfall. Iago's actions demonstrate his monetary and power based motivations, invalidating the claim that Iago is evil for evil's sake. Cassio like Roderigo follows Iago blindly, thinking the whole time that Iago is trying to aid him, when in fact Iago, motivated by his lust for power, is attempting to remove Cassio of his position as lieutenant. With Roderigo's help Iago causes Cassio to forfeit his position as Othello's second-in-command. Cassio is also used to bring out the monster inside of Othello. In Iago's exploitation of Cassio, it is clear to see that, although evil in his deeds, Iago is strictly motivated by his hunger for power. As mentioned earlier,

View on Slavery in Mark Twain’s Writing

2007-01-12T05:55:18-05:00

Writers and authors always express their views in their work, even if they say that they separate their lives from their writings. Great writers need experience their work and later on reflect and write about it. Henry David Thoreau went out to Walden Pond to experience life away from distractions and really work on his writing. Wordsworth believed that writing is the spontaneous overflow of emotion recollected in tranquility. A writer needs to experience things in order to receive the emotion needed to trigger a thought. From childhood, Clemens had always been around slaves. He was taught as a young person that slaves were quite different from white people and that slaves did not get to do certain things (Lutz 8). Even though Clemens had always talked to slaves and played with the slave children, he never once ate a meal with a slave. There was an obvious and clear issue of segregation in Missouri around the time that Clemens grew up. This clear segregation has been found in many of his books. Along with many writers, his childhood and life experiences have influenced his writings. His novels and stories have been written after many years of observations. He saw the things that were occurring around him and wanted to be able to change it. Twain wrote novels and short stories about slavery and racism in order to have the slightest effect and potentially influence others to the occurrences of both slavery and racism throughout the nation. At that time, Clemens had no idea that there was anything wrong with slavery. No one had taught him differently and the entire culture around him did not say anything about it. Even his father beat the slaves, sometimes for no good reason. No one challenged the idea of slavery because everyone was all right with it. The papers claimed it to be a holy thing because there were slaves in the Bible (Lutz 9). Clemens’ early exposure to slavery appears in his later writing career through the characters and the fight against slavery. Clemens spent quite a bit of his life along the Mississippi River as a riverboat pilot. It was once his dream to get his pilot license and sail the Mississippi River. On April 9, 1859, Clemens had received his license (Lutz 22).

A Dimension of Reality, Or Imagination?

2007-01-08T02:28:02-05:00

In response to C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters Jason Heim Mr. Kramer AP English 12 January 2007 A Dimension of Reality, Or Imagination? All great writers have the ability to take something mysterious and abstract and turn it into something understandable to readers. This ability is not common to all writers and is manifested in distinctive, unique styles of writing. Often, these authors do not write with the intention of bringing readers to some spectacular epiphany, but to get across a point or purpose they feel very strongly about. This is the situation in the case of C.S. Lewis, author of many acclaimed works of Christian literature. In all his works, Lewis writes with distinct purpose and has a message in every one of his books. Lewis does not care about whether people like his works, only that they understand his purpose; he says he did not enjoy writing the Screwtape Letters, and was actually annoyed with the book’s popularity (Walsh 33). Lewis’ purpose in the Screwtape Letters is to help explain what he believes to be the real and practical world of spiritual warfare. Lewis does this from an interesting perspective–that of Hell. Lewis wants readers to awaken to the realization that there is a war going on over their souls by reading the letters of Screwtape, a hellish demon, to his nephew, Wormwood, who is a human tempter. To understand even the basic premise of The Screwtape Letters, the reader must know exactly what spiritual warfare is. Spiritual warfare is a biblical concept: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” and “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven” (New International Version, Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:7-9). This war is waged on followers of the Christian God and exists not in the material world, but in the spiritual. The major weapon of Satan’s spiritual war is that of temptation. Satan has reason to be encouraged in the battle because the Bible says that no one escapes temptation: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God

Power and Women in Literature: Macbeth, The Scarlet Letter, My Antonia

2006-12-05T01:33:23-05:00

Often in literature women are depicted as powerful, impelling forces that alter the characters or entire society that surrounds them. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth into murder, in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne alters society’s attitudes toward her sin, and in My Ántonia, by Willa Cather, the life of Ántonia Shimerda motivates Jim Burden to lead an exceptionally successful life. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth compels Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan. From the instant Lady Macbeth is introduced to the reader, one can infer that she is a strong and ambitious woman. Moreover, when the reader first encounters Lady Macbeth, she is already plotting Duncan’s murder. From this first meeting with Lady Macbeth, one can easily deduce that Lady Macbeth is an ambitious woman who has an intense desire to gain more power. Lady Macbeth is “…mentioned as the ambitious wife who instigates her husband to murder [so] that she may herself be queen (Freud 33).” Furthermore, she is “…the dry, mannish fury, the harsh, rough, vain mistress…, the detestable business woman, inflexible, self contained, unfeeling, crafty, treacherous and colder than the steel of the dagger which she wields…(Brooke 30).” Lady Macbeth is thus powerful enough to manipulate Macbeth into murdering King Duncan. In addition, Lady Macbeth promises to provide the pusillanimous Macbeth with the courage he desperately needs to make the prophecy of the three witches become true, fearing that his nature is too soft to take the direct route to the throne (Dominic 256). Furthermore, she realizes that Macbeth is too full of human kindness, and “…part of her tactics with Macbeth is to urge him to be more of a man (Johnston).” Ultimately, Macbeth murders King Duncan as a result of the vigor and forcefulness of Lady Macbeth. Likewise, the power of women is illustrated in The Scarlet Letter, wherein the vitality of Hester Prynne provides for the change of her Puritan society. Hester, characterized as a tough and persevering woman, is “…tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale (Stewart 104).” After the township discovers Hester’s sin, Reverend Dimmesdale publicly torments her. While on the scaffold, under the pressure of the entire parish, Dimmesdale tortures Hester into revealing the name of the father. Nonetheless Hester stays strong and does not fall victim to his constant

macbeth

2006-11-30T15:56:08-05:00

It is said that ambition is the key to success. In the case of William Shakespeare, the most illustrious playwright to cross the threshold of the world of drama, it is the key to one’s downfall as depicted in his blood-spattered tragedy “Macbeth”, written in 1606, during the English renaissance under the monarch of James I. Shakespeare was inspired to compose his greatest gore drama “Macbeth” as it most clearly reflects the playwrights close relationship with the sovereign, claimed to have descended from the lineage of the historical Banquo. Although “Macbeth” is not one of Shakespeare’s most complex plays, it is universally acknowledged as his most passionate and poignant play, ever written. The protagonist in the play, Macbeth, is a dichotomy of good and evil, a tragic hero, a man whose power of mind and body are distorted to evil. Shakespeare has fastidiously explored the intellectual and supernatural predicaments faced by Macbeth visibly emphasizing the moral declination, as his aberrant nature succumbs to the forces of evil. In this lies Macbeth’s tragic stature. Macbeth is initially introduced as a man of valor, a loyal subject of his king, a mighty soldier, covered in the blood of his country’s enemy. "For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name- Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valor’s minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave-" Shakespeare carefully builds up a flamboyant picture of his disposition as a true hero, whose actual existence on the battlefield has been decisive on each juncture. The king as a commemoration of a special favor bestows Macbeth the title of the traitor, "Thane of Cawdor" which deepens an effect of satire later on in the play. We see the evil trait in the valiant soldier unleash after the apparition of the witches, prophesizing a lucid image of Macbeth as they greet him with three titles: Thane of Glamis, which Macbeth is fully aware of; Thane of Cawdor, which is true at this point, but which Macbeth has not been told of; and King, which has not yet to befall. "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!" "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!" "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" It is at this turning point, where we are taken into the vicissitudes of

Suffering and Agony in Malgudi: Is There Any?

2006-11-19T11:53:32-05:00

Suffering and Agony in Malgudi: Is There Any? Suffering is the feeling of physical or mental pain or a state of acute pain. Agony is the intense feeling of suffering. Suffering and pain are, generally, used in the same sense; however, there is a difference between these two experiences. Suffering stands for mental experience, whereas pain is a physical experience which when acute can result in suffering. The word suffering may be related to the desires. Every man has certain desires. When he fails to fulfil these desires, the result is suffering and agony. This experience can be on various levels - physical, mental, psychological and spiritual. It is as integral to life as death is. The suffering has always been an important theme in the literature of all languages and all ages. Even in the two great Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharta, there is the suffering of many characters. The English novel, ever since its inception, has mostly been written on realistic life, dealing with the manners, modes, rituals, beliefs, and customs of a particular age. Most of the English fiction presents the sufferings and misfortunes of the people of contemporary age. The theme of suffering and agony also runs through the novels of Indo-Anglian writers. Almost all Indo-Anglian writers have shown in their literary activities a keen awareness of the suffering of human beings, however, the degree of suffering varies from writer to writer and so also the ways of presentation. Some novelists have succeeded in creating pathos by depicting human suffering, whereas some others have used satirical mode to expose the realities of life. In many novels of Anglo-Indian writers, the theme of suffering generally arises from poverty and caste-system. The characters in these novels suffer because either they belong to the lower castes or they are poor people. In some novels, the suffering of the characters also arises from the exploitation of individuals by the industrialists or by those who belong to the high strata of life. In the case of the novels of R. K. Narayan, not only these few causes can be attributed to the suffering of his characters. Apart from poverty, cast-system and exploitation in the industries, there are several other causes that become

House on Mango Street: Social Issues

2006-11-14T06:26:37-05:00

The House on Mango Street: More than a Story In today's world there are countless social problems. People are often treated as an inferior or as if they are less important for many different reasons. In The House on Mango Street, the author Sandra Cisneros addresses these problems. Throughout the story Cisneros does a thorough job explaining and showing how these issues affect the public. This novel is written through the eyes of a young girl, Esperanza, growing up in a poor neighborhood where the lifestyles of the lower class are revealed. Cisneros points out that, in today's society, the expectation of women and their treatment, discrimination based on poverty, and discrimination because of a person's ethnicity are the major problems in society. Sandra Cisneros often shows us how women are treated as subordinates in a patriarchal society. In society the way women are supposed to better themselves is by marrying. Often women marry at a young age which Cisneros condemns in The House on Mango Street by stating that her friend, Sally, should not have gotten married by saying: Sally got married like we knew she would, young and not ready but married just the same. She met a marshmallow salesman at a school bazaar, and she married him in another state where itï¿½s legal to get married before eighth grade. She has her husband and her house now, her pillowcases and her plates. She says she is in love, but I think she did it to escape. (101) This excerpt shows how Cisneros believes that she should not have gotten married at a young age when she says that Sally is ï¿½young and not readyï¿½. The author also reinforces how women too often get married ï¿½to escapeï¿½. Esperanza tells us that after the women get married they are supposed to just stay at home and raise their children which they often end up doing alone. Besides womenï¿½s roles, the way they are treated is an issue that is addressed in the novel. Esperanza tells us many stories where it is evident that women are treated as possessions

The Lasting Effect of Sin and Guilt on Hester and Dimmesdale

2006-10-31T20:53:19-04:00

Without an honorable reputation a person is not worthy of respect from others in their society. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the struggle to shake off the past is an underlying theme throughout the novel. Characters in this novel go through their lives struggling with trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with actions that lost them their honorable reputation. Particularly, Hawthorne shows the lasting effect that sin and guilt has on two of the main characters in the book: Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne's guilt is the result of her committing adultery, which has a significant effect on her life. Hester is publicly seen with the scarlet letter when she first emerges out of the cold dark prison. "It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself" (49). The spell that is mentioned is the scarlet letter, "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom" (49). The scarlet letter is what isolates her from everyone else because it symbolizes sin. Hester is in her very own sphere, where her sin affects her livelihood and has completely cut her off from the world. Her entrance into the sphere marks the beginning of her guilt and it occurs when she is in the prison after her first exposure to the crowd. The prison marks the beginning of a new life for Hester, a life full of guilt and seclusion. Her problem is that her shame is slowly surfacing while she faces the crowd realizing that she has been stripped of all her pride and everything that was important to her in the past. The lasting effect of Hester's sin is the shame that she now embodies due to her committing adultery. The shame that is associated with Hester's iniquity remains with her as an everlasting reminder of her sinful actions. Guilt is a consequence of sin that Hester has to endure throughout her life and her remorse starts to have a profound effect on her life and thinking. Hester's shame does become very influential in her life making her unable to express herself freely. "Hester Prynne might have repaid them all with a bitter and disdainful smile. But under the leaden infliction which it was her doom to endure, she felt at moments as if she must needs to shriek" (52-53).

Native Son Analysis

2006-10-24T04:50:30-04:00

Native Son Literary Analysis Richard Wright’s controversial Native Son was an overnight classic when released in 1940. This story of a young black man’s struggle in 1930’s Chicago is one that still echoes throughout the generations. Through his unique uses of symbolism and motifs, Wright reveals to a wide audience the dilemmas and hardships that African-Americans endured and still struggle with today. Through Native Son, Wright boldly addresses the issues that many others will not. Native Son focuses on the injustices and effects of racism on both the oppressed, oppressors, and the social blindness of the characters. These fundamental themes are woven masterfully throughout the novel by the development of the characters and addition of literary elements. In 1930’s Chicago, we are taken into the downward spiral that consumes the life of Bigger Thomas. Twenty-year-old Bigger struggles to support his mother and siblings while also searching for his sense of identity in a world overrun by white men. However, due to the fact that Bigger’s father abandoned him at a young age, it is difficult to provide for his family. Eventually, Bigger reluctantly takes a job as a chauffeur for an extremely wealthy and sympathetic Mr. Dalton, who even donates money to charities in favor of Negroes. On Bigger’s first night of the job, he is instructed to drive Mr. Dalton’s daughter, Mary, to the local university. Mary, on the other hand, instructs him otherwise and has him pick up her boyfriend, Jan. To much of Bigger’s confusion, they friendly offer him drinks and take him out to eat. When the night is over and Jan has gone, Bigger escorts a drunk Miss. Dalton to her room where she proceeds to pass out on her bed. While Bigger lays her to sleep, the physically blind Mrs. Dalton inopportunely enters the room, and a panicked Bigger accidentally smothers Mary in attempt to silence her murmurs, which could have revealed his presence. With Bigger left with the lifeless daughter of a white millionaire, he struggles to conceal his crime and avoid the fatal consequences. And whilst on his overall journey to escape conviction, we are clued into the machinery and workings of Bigger Thomas. Bigger Thomas has lived a life of fear and rage as a direct result of his oppression and confinement. While revealing his most sincere self to his attorney, Boris A. Max, Bigger comments that, (White people) Well, they own everything. They

Spirituality in Solitude - A Clean Well Lighted Place

2006-10-23T23:01:32-04:00

A clean well lighted place by Ernest Hemingway is the ultimate story about the deep human struggle to find one's inner place in a vast all-encompassing world. This spiritual inner place is one which can only be accessed through a physical place which is conducive to a higher state of spiritual being. This need to find one's personal place in the world stems from the fact that humankind is so exceedingly vulnerable and insignificant. Thus people create a place which brings sense out of the senseless. For some to find this place in order to elevate themselves from the madness of a completely arbitrary world and create some sort of meaning,they turn to God. For these people a house of worship is the ultimate place to access this meaning. Through this place, they become an essential part of the human race through their trust and reliance of a higher power. The above insight lends substantial evidence to whom the real protagonist of this story would be. The protagonist is not a literal character, but rather the actual place itself. Hemingway is relaying the message that a place emanates a significant influence. Depending on one's surroundings he might evolve into the worst criminal or the greatest saint. This does not negate the fact that it is up to the person himself, too, for the way he ultimately becomes, but nonetheless a powerful factor of how one turns out is based on his physical surroundings.A child who is raised without the necessary conditions for health and growth may grow up to be retarded or have severe developmental problems. This reiterates the point that our surroundings are responsible for a huge part of what people turn out to be, no only in behavior, but physiologically as well. Hemingway chose his title for us readers to comprehend the most significant aspect of the story. The second most significant dimesion to this story after place, would be time. Hemingway is showing the importance of setting. Just like the place with its bright lights and cleanliness is an essential part, so too is the time, at night. Physical surroundings are a reflection of mental and spiritual states. The cleanliness the old man likes is to ensure that his mind is still free and clean from the clutter that humans face on a daily basis. Clean usually conjures up to the mind a figurative cleanliness which reflects

Brief Animal Farm Review

2006-09-24T01:49:28-04:00

Animal Farm, was written by George Orwell to make people aware of the truth about Communism and dictatorships. Apparently, George Orwell “sweated” over writing the book, and it is said he did not find it easy. However, George Orwell felt that he had a responsibility to write “Animal Farm” as an alarm call to Britain and the world. Animal Farm consists of 10 chapters. The first chapter sets the scene and introduces the main characters to us. In this chapter, we see the insightful vision of Major and the way the old boar foreshadows everything that will happen in the book—except for one very crucial thing that will be evidently shown to readers in later chapters. In the second chapter, the action begins and we find that the animals take action and overthrow the humans almost as soon as Major dies. George Orwell does very well in describing vividly the main early events of the Rebellion. The actual happening of the Rebellion tells us that the animals were spurred on by ‘Animalism’, and thus felt aggrieved and compelled to rise up against the humans when they were mistreated. The third chapter tells us that the beginning stages of the Rebellion were complete and the animals were more or less successful in managing their own affairs. They also had trouble, though, with Mollie and the cat. In this chapter, the pigs begin showing their true colours by reserving all the apples and milk for themselves, which even Mr Jones did not do. The behaviours of Mollie, the cat and Benjamin actually tell us that they were not that enthusiastic about the Rebellion, so much that they did not show any change of attitude towards working harder than usual. At the end of this chapter, Napoleon the pig actually takes away Jessie and Bluebell’s young puppies and rears them to grow into his personal guard, under the alibi that he was educating them. The main event of chapter 4 is the Battle of the Cowshed. Just as after the Russian revolution, other countries attacked the new state because they were fearful of revolutionary feelings spreading to their own people, so the neighboring farmers, Frederick and Pilkington, along with Mr. Jones, attack Animal Farm. However, led by the tactically astute Snowball, the invaders are driven off skillfully by the animals and the chapter ends with the animals celebrating their crushing victory over the humans. Chapter 5 signifies a change

Merchant of Venice - Shylock: Villain or Victim

2006-09-19T13:00:52-04:00

In the play Merchant of Venice, there is always a lot of controversy about whether Shylock is a victim or a villain. The definition of victim is a person who dies or suffers as a result of voluntarily undertaking some enterprise or pursuit. Meaning someone who dies or suffers as a result of his or her own actions is still a victim. In accordance with the definition, in my opinion Shylock is a victim. When we first start to read the play, as a Jew Shylock is put at a huge disadvantage. 400 years ago when Shakespeare wrote the play, racism was commonplace. Shylock was written to be hated! As a result the audience and characters were prejudice towards Shylock as he tells us in Act 1 Scene 3 “Signor Antonio, many a time….….…thus much moneys’?” You could say he was a victim of society’s discrimination and bigotry. He was indeed a victim as he was looked down on and had to under go hardships put on him by the community. Antonio was one those citizens in the community who tormented Shylock. Antonio constantly insulting Shylock as shown in Act 1 Scene 3 “I am as like to call thee so again….….…Exact the penalty” Shylock simply replies saying he would have Antonio’s friendship and forgive him for what he has done “Why look you….….…This is kind I offer” But Antonio still rejects Shylock for he is a Jew, but never the less Shylock is still willing to lend the money. If Shylock was truly a bad person he would have not even listened to the proposal of Bassanio and Antonio and would have wanted nothing to do with them, but as we can see from the above quotes, Shylock is actually a good person and is willing to forget and forgive Antonio for how he has mistreated him. Not only does he suffer abuse from the local community and society as a whole, his own daughter Jessica steals from him before running away with her lover Lorenzo, a Christian and good friend of Antonio. Jessica not only stole ducats she also took the ring he received from his now departed wife Leah. He has lost his only daughter to a Christian and he has lost the ring in which he kept in remembrance of his deceased wife. This has put him through even more pain as we can tell by how he describes his agony and sorrow in

The Scarlet Letter-- Analysis of Pearl Prynne

2006-09-17T22:50:29-04:00

Pearl Prynne . In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, he created a symbol of great magnitude. A character that changed the story for good and for worse, her name was Pearl Prynne. Pearl is not meant to be a realistic character. Rather, she is a complicated symbol of an act of love and passion– adultery. Pearl is the living version of the scarlet letter. “It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life.” (98) When Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale committed an act of passion, they did not take into account the consequences. Hester was to wear a scarlet letter on her bosom for the rest of her life and deal with a child born out of sin. Pearl is a constant reminder of Hester’s sin. There are many instances throughout the novel in which Pearl fixates on the letter and seems to connect with it. She creates her own letter out of seaweed and moss, sees the letter in the breastplate at Governor Bellingham’s mansion, and points at it in the forest scene with Hester and Dimmesdale. When she was a baby, it was the very first thing she recognized. “But that the first object of which Pearl seemed to become aware was–shall we say it? –the scarlet letter on Hester’s bosom!” (93) When Pearl was told that she came from some heavenly father, she denied it. This connects Pearl and the scarlet letter because the letter is said to be the devil’s letter. “Once in my life I met the Black Man!” said her mother. “This scarlet letter is his mark!” (182) The sin of adultery was committed and a child was conceived out of a forbidden sin. Pearl is the indicator of transgression that everyone could see, feel, talk to, and love. The fact that Hester loved Pearl made it difficult to believe that she had done wrong. Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale are marked for the rest of their earthly lives with the mark of earthly sins. “In giving her existence, a great law had been broken, and the result was a being whose elements were perhaps beautiful and brilliant…” (87) Even the way Hester dressed Pearl was symbolic. The colors connect Pearl to the letter and Hester’s passion.

Fighting for a Cause: Human Experiences and Universality in Cry, the Beloved Country

2006-09-11T21:32:20-04:00

Fighting for a Cause: Human experiences and Universality in Cry, the Beloved Country In Paton’s book, Cry, the Beloved Country, he presents the idea that he was thinking beyond just the racial injustices taking place in South Africa during this time. The novel has one major theme that is seen in all cultures and all walks of life. That theme is, fighting for a purpose, cause, or idea. Common universal values in all societies are moral principles and human rights. Fighting for a cause exemplifies a person’s morals and life values; every person has a cause whether it is big or small. Fighting for a cause is an experience in itself. Life is defined by human experiences, and alike, History is also defined by human experiences. These experiences are what gives a person and/or a culture its story, history, journey, and value. Each cause that has ever been fought for has experienced bumps, snags, and hardships along the way. In the end the success of the cause is worth so much more than the hardships that came before. Experiences include the life of morality, religion, politics, and economics. It is important to keep in mind that a human’s historical experience can manifest the universal. All societies and generations have weak areas that are overlooked and at some point must be worked out. South Africa’s “blind spot,” much like ours at one time, just so happened to be racial discrimination. This is why exposure to history and others’ experiences alike is a GOOD thing. History can serve as a guide map so that nations will not fall into some of the same problems that have already been experienced. Then again it has been argued that experiences are to be discovered by each individual, generation, and society for themselves. In this book, the problems facing South Africa lie within groups of characters and their abilities to change. The two characters that best demonstrate fighting for a cause are James Jarvis and Stephen Kumalo. The events they witnessed brought them to change their views, which previously had been to ignore the situation at hand. Both men were inspired by the words and works of others who were fighting for the same cause in South Africa. The quote “I do not say we are free here. I do not say we are free as men should be… You are not free to

Title significance: Heart of Darkness

2006-08-06T06:23:44-04:00

Title significance: Heart of Darkness “The heart of darkness of the title is at once the heart of Africa, the heart of every thing that is nihilistic, corrupt, and malign-and –perhaps the heart of man”. Thus the title is most significant and suggestive of the content. It indicates the theme in both contexts: literal and allegorical. The title of the novel is allegorical. It has its symbolic meaning also. “Darkness” is the leading theme of the novel. Darkness overshadows almost everything in the novel. The uncivilized and wild attitude of the natives intensifies the darkness of fear and horror. When Marlow is attacked by the tribes, first he hears a clamorous cry that terrifies him and all the white men on the steamer. Something sinister and destructive is waiting for an opportunity. Marlow’s comment over the gesture of uncle who raised his arms and moved it towards the wilderness is quite significant: “I saw him extend his flipper of an arm for a gesture that took in the forest, the creek, the mud, the river, - seemed a beckon with a dishonoring flourish before the sunlight face of the land, a treacherous appeal to the lurking death, in the hidden evil, to the profound darkness of heart”. Mr.Krutz is the essence of savagery and barbarism of the natives in the novel. Mr.Krutz .has identified himself with the natives. He starts taking participation in the customs, ceremonies, midnight dances etc. The darkness of Mr.Krutz’s heart gets itself fully liberated to work at his own will among the savages. His devilish passions get “abominable satisfaction” there and he himself becomes a part of the darkness of Congo. It is the literal darkness of Congo that has converted a civilized, enlightened man into a devil. The novel may be treated as a journey by Marlow into his own subconscious mind or into the subconscious mind of all mankind. Marlow’s journey into Congo is metaphorical or psychological and anthropological night-journey. The novel is symbolically the story of an essentially solitary journey involving a profound spiritual change in the voyager. In its classical form, this journey is a descent into the earth, followed by a return to light. Marlow prepares us for such a journey at the very outset when he says that he had been able to arrive at the furthest point of navigation and the culminating point of his experience. The novel certainly describes a physical journey or

The Return of the Native: significance of the Egdon Heath

2006-07-30T14:19:30-04:00

The Return of the Native: significance of the Egdon Heath “The Return of the Native” is the story of Egdon Heath. The real stuff of tragedy in this book is the primitive primal instinctive heath. The great tragic power in this book originates from the heath. Against the backdrop of dark, passionate, massive wild enormous Egdon the lesser schemes of life are drawn. The hero and the heroine-Clym and Eustacia- Mrs. Yeobright and Wildeve are the typical products of Egdon. Like Sophocles, Shakespeare and Tolstoy, Hardy places human morality against the vast canvas of non human morality of nature or Egdon. “Egdon is a protagonist of Return of the Native”, said Walter Allen. It holds the character and action in the novel as though in the hollow of a hand. In its vastness it is indifferent to the human life upon it. Egdon is not bound by passage of time. Egdon moulds the characters of the novel. It turns somebody to hate, somebody to love and anger and again someone to rebellion. It is their attitude to Egdon which ultimately determines the destiny of human characters. It greatly influences the principal characters in the story. Eustacia, the heroine of the novel being unable to reconcile her to heath feels a deep hatred for it. The loneliness of Egdon Heath makes her miserable and her protest against Egdon brings about her tragedy. As the rustics are part of the heath and as they have reconciled themselves to the whims and changing moods of heath they hardly become tragic. Other characters of the novel react in the same way to the heath. Often their reactions serve as motivating force in the events which place in the novel. In other words the tragedy actually develops because of the characters’ attitude towards the heath. Furthermore the heath seems to reflect the moods of the characters through its appearance at a given time of day or season and through the weather. Since the heath is Hardy’s symbol for nature or fate, the characters that revolt against it must be destroyed. The characters that cannot come into terms with the heath are destroyed or met the tragic end. The basic theme of the novel is the constant war between man and his fate. Fate is a force which man never comprehends because he cannot understand its reason for actions. In Hardy’s novel fate is symbolized by the heath-

The Return of the Native: significance of the Egdon Heath

2006-07-30T14:19:21-04:00

Tradition by Obligation

2006-07-26T15:24:12-04:00

“The Lottery”, written by Shirley Jackson, is a short story set around early 20th century in a small American village. Throughout the entire story Jackson plays psychological games with the readers mind. Jackson leaves clues and symbols all through the story; however, it could be easy for a reader to not fully understand the meaning until the end. This town is very traditional and set in their ways. Every year there is a ritual they call a lottery. The word “lottery” portrays positive thoughts to an everyday reader. However, the town’s people do not see the lottery as a positive thing. Although, it is something they have done and probably will do for years to come, they are beginning to realize “‘It’s not the way it used to be,’ said old man Warner…” (Jackson 249). They hold a lottery once every year in June. The winner of the lottery is not really a winner at all; the person in the town who draws the marked paper is stoned. Originally, the town’s people truly believed they were casting their sins on the “winner”. Once their sins were “dead,” the crops would be fertile. Old man Warner quoted to a younger man an old saying, “‘Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon’” (Jackson 248), he passing down the tradition by explaining why their ancestors performed the ritual. Regardless of tradition this ritual is wrong. It is wrong for the reason of, the towns’ people do not completely understand what they are doing, they are “playing God,” and murdering innocent people. Tradition is often held by obligation. Like the black box, that holds the marked paper, the tradition is fading. The town’s people do not seem to completely understand why they are holding this tradition. The story explains that the town’s people forget certain aspects of the ritual and lost the original box. However, they do not forget the stones (249). Reason being, they hold the lottery because of what they know, and what they know is what they have been told. If sins are cast out on one person and stone them, the crops will be fertile, as it is said, “‘Lottery in June, Corn be heavy soon’” (248). However, things are changing and the town’s people realize that, but are trying not to change. This is shown by Mr. Summers rushing the ritual as he says, “‘let’s finish quickly’” (Jackson

Krishnan's Dairy

2006-06-25T04:01:13-04:00

This drama is made perfectly by Jacob Rajan, the actor and the writer and the person who made the masks, and Justin Lewis, the director, Murray Edmond, the dramaturgy, Helen Todd, Original Lighting Design, Lighting Design developed by Antony Hodgson, Cathy Knowsley, the stage manager and the lightning and sound operator and Conrad Wedde the musician. However, it was Jacob and Justin who formed the Ink Theatre Company in 1996. Jacob Rajan plays Gobi and Zina – long hours of immigrant shopkeepers in this love story, slipping in one character to another with the use of masks. His voice and body language change with such great speed that a conversation between Gobi and Zina seems so natural and understandable. For the first time, I realized that the way I see Indian people are different, in at least one or more aspects. Jacob Rajan tries to humanize Gobi and Zina through minutiae of the days. For example, Gobi’s daily effort of asking the customers: “Cold, isn’t it?” when providing services for them, the baby crying at the back room, people asking for direction, someone runs off without paying, the exchange of newspaper at the side of the door to represent a change in the time, the doorbell tinkling and etc. Their daily grind is contrasted with the romance of tales from home, the daily horoscope and the story of the Taj Mahal. At the beginning of the story, it gives an introduction about Gobi - enthusiastic and ambitious about his plans in running successful business and Zina - longs for her home and family in India. Gobi’s flamboyant personality stands in strong contrast to Zina’s quietness, which gradually reveals a strong will within. Moreover, in this drama, nothing is superfluous; all is neat and tight. Gobi opens an invisible cash register, together with all the music effects and humorous movements, and shakes out an invisible carrier bag sounding so perfectly that leaves the audience shocked and amazed. Interwoven with a love story, Rajan’s dairy tale is told with humour and tenderness in the characters. The simplicity of the relationship between Zina and Gobi has deeply moved me, and I think it has also brought tears to the other audience too. The real beauty of Krishnan’s Dairy, though, comes in its telling. Using little more that a series of masks and some deft physical caricature, Rajan and director Justin Lewis have created

Krishnan's Dairy

2006-06-25T04:00:44-04:00

Krishnan's Dairy

2006-06-25T03:59:58-04:00

To Kill a Mockingbird

2006-06-13T15:41:31-04:00

Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird, published in the year of 1960, is the American classic novel awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction as well as the Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. The racism which is prevalent in many small American towns in the 1930s is illustrated with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. Although there are several characters in the book, the true main character is the young narrator's father, Atticus Finch, a man of great integrity and intelligence. He is a very heroic figure in more ways than one. Atticus possesses such traits as being principled, determined, and what's more, he's a teacher to others. By looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee utilizes physical description, dialogue, and actions to characterize Atticus as a heroic individual; this is important because Atticus is a very serene, but spirited man. The most important legacy Atticus teaches in To Kill a Mockingbird is the message about how best to educate a child. From the beginning of the book, it's obvious that Atticus' life is down in luck. "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyways and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do"(124). He strives to instill in Scout and Jem three specific values: spirit, bravery and tolerance of others. Atticus tries to clarify the disposition that's shown in the book by saying that it's important to appreciate the good qualities in people and comprehend the bad qualities by treating others with compassion or trying to see life from their standpoints. "If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (30). He teaches this life lesson to show that it's possible to live with principles without losing sight of hope or acting skeptical. For example, Atticus is able to highly regard Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose's courage even though he disapproves of Mrs. Dubose's continuous acts of racism. "She had her own views about things, a lot different from mine, maybe...son, I told you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to her. I wanted you to

Angela's Ashes, Slamming the door on the irish catholic childhood

2006-06-08T01:09:26-04:00

When I think of Frank McCourt’s memoir Angela’s Ashes, the quote that comes to memory the most is when Angela says to Frank, “You are never to let anybody slam the door in your face again.” This quote is not only powerful, it is analogous to what Angela’s Ashes is, a story about an Irish catholic childhood. The Irish catholic childhood was described by Frank McCourt in the memoir as a “miserable childhood”(). This childhood was full of poverty and heartache, and of course, ashes. This life could be broken down into two main parts, the Irish life, and the catholic life. The Irish part of this childhood had one main thought that was consistently presented in the memoir. This thought was that the Irish were the best people, and better then anyone else, including the English. There was a certain amount of pride that was instilled by the parents into children, and this quote is an example of this. This quote was said right after a door was slammed in the face of Frank and his mother Angela. If Angela was not trying to give a lesson in pride, she might just walk silently with her son after such a traumatic event. However, since she is Irish, she felt the need to tell Frank that he was never to let anyone slam the door in his face again. There are other numerous examples of this in the memoir but there are two that are recurring in the memoir. The first is the repeated attempt by the father, who is always drunk at the time, to get his sons to stand up and die for Ireland. This shows that firstly, Ireland (and the Irish people), are worth dying for, and it secondly shows that the father is trying to instill that pride into his children. The second reoccurring example of Irish pride in the memoir is the Irish folk songs that are excessively sung. The most common folk song in the memoir is the one about Kevin Barry. The just of the song is that Kevin Barry went to the battlefields to presumably die for Ireland, and while he was doing this, he held his head high. Part of the pride of being Irish, was being catholic. This was an important part of the Irish

2006-05-26T04:40:59-04:00

Loneliness “The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved” (Mother Teresa). Loneliness is an easily perceivable concept in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. It can be well understood by observing the feelings and behaviors of the characters George, Crooks, and Curly’s Wife. Primarily, constant affiliation with other people would not result in loneliness. However, in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men a select group of characters find themselves lost in a forgotten state of uncertainty. One person who is greatly affected by loneliness in the novel is George. Unfortunately, it becomes a greater problem as the novel progresses. "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” (Steinbeck 13). Although, George is consistently interacting with the other men on the ranch, he still is unable to build a strong companionship with any of the men. However, he has attained a strong companionship with Lennie over the years. Sadly, Lennie is mentally handicapped, which is an obvious reason for George’s struggle to obtain other true friends. Also, being a migrant worker, he is tenaciously moving around which withholds his ability to engage in a long-term relationship. George has also never had the chance to share intimate feelings with a woman. This is a clear foundation to his lonely state of mind. All of these unfortunate happenings have a strong emotional output on George throughout the novel. Unfortunately, his main consequence is loneliness. Crooks is another character that gets overcome by his loneliness. He is a black man that experiences isolation because the society in which he resides is racist. He is continually discriminated against by the men on the ranch. However, Crooks still attempts to make friends; while others treat him unjust because he is different from others given that he is black. He is not allowed to participate in daily activities with the white men. Unfortunately, his social rejection on the ranch leads him into loneliness and solitude. “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” (Steinbeck 80). This quote reveals Crooks’s true desperation to find a friend. This is why Crooks and Lennie have such a connection; Lennie does not understand racial issues, therefore, he does not find anything wrong with associating himself with Crooks. Also,

Both as a father and as a lawyer, Atticus is a failure.

2006-05-17T10:01:55-04:00

In the 1960 novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Harper Lee explores the concept of racism in the legal system and the upbringing of children. These notions are shown as one of the main patriarchs, Atticus Finch. He shows his children a principled path through life, and through his court case, he reinforces these philosophies. He also shows the small southern town of Maycomb what it really feels like to be a Negro. Atticus did not fail at either of these responsibilities: as a lawyer, he did not fail, and as a father, he didn’t fail either. He succeeded what he set out to do, with flying colours, and taught everybody a lesson or two on how to behave. Atticus Finch is a success as a father because he has raised, with the help of Calpurnia, two healthy young children. He has helped them deal with their own emotions, and in turn, helped them stand in another person’s shoes. Atticus teaches Scout (the narrator) how to be more reflective. On page 33 of the novel Atticus says: “First of all,” he said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” In this quote, Atticus is trying to tell Scout to be more reflective in the way she acts. When Jem and Scout have finished reading to Mrs Dubose, and have just found out that she is dead, Atticus tells them what true courage is. (Page 124): “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.” Atticus’ powerful words helped the children come to terms with the many levels of meaning in the world. He explains that things are not just in black

Along Came a Spider - Theme

2006-05-17T02:04:39-04:00

A memory of sadness and pain always remains in one’s mind longer than one of happiness. These negative memories will resurface each time people are reminded of them, and will cause them to act differently in situations then they would have if these past, negative experiences had not taken place. In the novel, Along Came a Spider by James Patterson, the negative experiences that the characters have been put through affect their emotions, feelings, and decisions throughout the rest of their lives. The result of these depressing memories is shown through the actions of Jezzie Flannagan, Alex Cross and Gary Soneji. Firstly, the FBI agent Jezzie Flannagan is a character whose traumatizing childhood with her estranged parents, as well as sexism when entering the police field workforce has affected her strive for success in life. Jezzie’s childhood was not one of positive memories, but instead one of sadness and confusion at the fact that her parents were so intelligent and yet had no prospects in life: “Both my parents were alcoholics…Nobody outside knew how bad it was. They would have screaming fights constantly…My mother would stay awake half the night at the dining room table. She’d say ‘Get me my Jameson’s little Jezzie.’ I was their cocktail waitress…I loved my parents in a strange way…I didn’t want to be a smart failure like my parents.” (Patterson, 281) Jezzie knew that she did not want the life that her parents lead. She saw such potential in her parents’ abilities and made a promise to herself that she would not waste the intelligence that she knew she had inherited from them. As a result of her parents’ alcoholism, Jezzie decided that she would strive for success to assure that the promise was kept: “I worked long nights and weekends when I got into the Service. I set impossible goals for myself – supervisor at twenty-eight – and I beat every goal.” (Patterson, 282). Jezzie’s destructive childhood affected her in her future by giving her a strive to be the best and the most successful in any chosen endeavors. This need to be the best is also shown with Jezzie’s struggle in a sexist law enforcement career. Furthermore, Jezzie struggled with sexism in a predominantly male workplace as she became a woman police officer. When Jezzie became a police officer, it was still considered a ‘man’s job’ and she faces harassment because of this: “Imagine

The Winter Oak - Yuri Nagibin

2006-05-01T15:19:47-04:00

What are the major themes of ‘The Winter Oak’ and how does the author use the characters of Anna and Savushkin to develop these themes? There are four major themes in ‘The Winter Oak’. There is one obvious, very important theme, which is the huge contrast between both the settings and environments of the classroom and forest, and the ways the two main characters, Anna Vasilevna and Savushkin, behave in these places. Also, there is the theme of education, and how it continues from the classroom into the forest yet changes its ways. There is a less obvious political side to the story, where the classroom atmosphere and events stand for communism in Russia, the forests qualities point to freedom, and the winter oak is seen as a royal, godly protector and single ruler (this idea is very anti-communist). The final theme is one of the more important themes in the story, the role reversal of teacher Anna Vasilevna and pupil Savushkin, and the way Savushkin becomes more of a teacher in the forest. One of several contrasting factors in the story is the way Anna feels towards Savushkin, and how it changes. When Savushkin arrived late to that mornings English lesson, Anna questions Savushkin’s lateness, clearly not for the first time, only this time ‘her question sounded plaintive’, as if she felt saddened by his repeated lateness, and at how her efforts at changing him were failing. Later, Anna fails to understand Savushkin’s excitement when he calls out ‘Winter oak’, and she finds herself hiding her ‘irritation’ with difficulty. This suggests she is finding Savushkin’s behaviour annoying, and she soon snaps and tells him to see her at break. To herself, she thinks him to be ‘a difficult boy’. Her attitude towards Savushkin soon changes in the forest. The first sign of Anna appreciating him is that upon being corrected by Savushkin about the current in the stream, she simply ‘bit her tongue’, instead of being annoyed at what she might earlier have interpreted as answering back. Her attitude towards Savushkin changes so significantly throughout the events in the forest that as she leaves, she is looking on him as the ‘most amazing thing’ in all of the forest, a ‘mysterious and wonderful future citizen’. The great contrast between this point and the start of the story is there to emphasise the power the forest has on people. Another contrast

Fiela's Child - Is Elias van Rooyen to be despised or pitied?

2006-05-01T10:23:31-04:00

Is Elias van Rooyen to be despised or pitied? Elias van Rooyen is a strong character in the novel Fiela’s Child. He leads a normal life, making beams for money, but the money he makes is ‘only just enough to live on’ (pg 3). After Lukas is sent back to live with the van Rooyen’s after the court case, and this is where we start to get to know Elias better. But the way he treats Lukas, Nina and his wife, and the way he gets his money, should be both despised and pitied. He is made out to be a bad man at the beginning of the novel, but he does love his family, and we see this towards the end of the novel. Lukas joining back into the van Rooyen family puts a lot of pressure on Elias and Barta. They want Lukas to feel welcome and to be happy. But Lukas just wants to go back to the Long Kloof. He does not want to talk or do anything Elias says, and Elias started to lose his patience. He shouts commands at Lukas like, ‘Greet your brother and sister, Lukas!’ (pg 104) twice and ‘Come and sit over here, Lukas!’ (pg 103). It makes us feel bad because he obviously does not realise exactly what Lukas has just gone through – having to leave the family he has grown up with. We get to see the way he treats Nina too. He cuts her hair as a punishment ‘the man grasped bundles of her hair and cut it as you cut corn with a knife’ (pg 163). It is really disturbing and makes us think Elias is bad. Or the way he uses the ox reins on both of them, to whip them and to tie them up, ‘he tied him up with the ox rein,’ (pg 159). Matthee also tells how the children fear the reins, ‘Before the first stroke hit her, she started screaming and kept on screaming while she tired to get away.’ (pg 162). The fact that what he does upsets the children is the main problem. But should we pity Elias for what he does to the children? After all, they were misbehaving and not doing what he had said, and so then need to be punished. The way

Kerouac and Tyler, On the Road and Saint Maybe

2006-04-27T19:37:54-04:00

Wikipedia encyclopedia suggests “the word experience may refer (somewhat ambiguously) both to mentally unprocessed immediately-perceived events as well as to the purported wisdom gained in subsequent reflection on those events or interpretation of them. Most wisdom-experience accumulates over a period of time, though one can also experience (and gain general wisdom-experience from) a single specific momentary event.” In novels On the Road and Saint Maybe, by Jack Kerouac and Anne Tyler, the authors stress upon life as a set of experiences and how these builds a person. Utterly and completely carefree are the characters, blowing and twisting on the maelstrom of their whims, each lunging twinge of a mental process reflected in miles. A laughing blue sky above waiting to swallow one alive, a gleefully roaring engine burning hungrily in front, the road and its devils grinning wickedly below, Jack Kerouac's characters go flying off randomly along the twisted contours of their lives in his autobiographical epic On the Road. In Part I, Chapter 11, when Paradise abandons his screenplay in order to find a job,”shadow of disappointment” crosses Remi Boncoeur's face; even though no words are spoken at this point, the look on poor Remi's face is quite enough to form a rhetorical appeal. The look conveys the sentiments of the central characters of the book that trivialities such as everyday jobs should be cast aside in favor of following one's dream. For one, this is an appeal from character; Remi, crestfallen that Sal has turned his back on his dream, is a person who has no qualms about stealing couches, or food, or stripping a ghost ship of its valuables. In this way, his desire to live the moment is connected with his questionable morals--a problem somewhat relieved when his general goodness is illustrated by having him try to organize an evening out in order to put his father at ease. When Remi wants something, he takes it, but he's a decent, big-hearted person overall--almost childlike. It should be observed that he has the amorality of a little kid. Therefore, this appeal from character should be seen as a cry for living one's dream-- an almost naive way of thinking of things, seen from the childlike eyes of Remi Boncoeur. Second, this passage contains an appeal to emotion. Remi's facial expression intends to prod that part of Sal, and the reader, that would like to continually live on

Androgyny: and the Will of Shakespeare’s Female Characters: A Feminist Perspective

2006-04-23T00:39:36-04:00

Throughout Man’s history, women have always been at a disadvantage socially, economically, and politically. Shakespeare realized this and sought to bring the controversy that comes with Androgynous issues—to life. Through strong female characters and the implications of disguises, Shakespeare exposes gender issues. Many critics believe Shakespeare poorly represents women in his plays through intentional exploiting of women with his boy-girl-boy disguises. When in fact, I see Shakespeare as exploiting how women were/are treated through that very use of disguises and— the strength he gives his female characters, especially that of Portia (Merchant of Venice) and Viola (Twelfth night)—is representative of his personal admiration of intelligent, strong women. It is also important to mention that the idea of a transsexual theme did not exist during Shakespeare’s time, as in the same sense that one would have now. Men playing the part of women—playing the part of men was simply accepted by the audience. Shakespeare was able to use this acceptance as an opportunity to give female characters strong and important roles. Portia is so strong of a character, she would have been considered a devil woman in the eyes of her peers—humor for the boy-girl-boy disguise for the audience of the time. Yet, Shakespeare’s portrayal of Portia and Viola, is heroic in today’s terms. By the mid-eighteen hundreds, Shakespeare’s female characters were starting to be analyzed. Shakespeare was over two hundred years ahead of his time on gender issues. Although Shakespeare also used “feminine men” to illustrate the characteristics given to men were also confined to certain social critique, he focused more on the roles women played, or were not socially nor by way of law allowed to play, during his time. Through the will, strength, virtues, and intelligent mind of Portia to the will, sweetness and deep need for survival of Viola, Shakespeare embraces Androgyny and exposes his own feminine side for future generations to analyze and feminists to explore. Robert Kimbrough, in his 1982 essay: Androgyny Seen Through Shakespeare’s Disguise, provides several definitions of Androgyny. The definition most fitting to the contemporary time is, “Androgyny is the capacity of a single person of either sex to embody the full range of human character traits, despite cultural attempts to render some exclusively feminine and some exclusively masculine” (1). Some believe androgyny is a secular dream and unattainable, but through structural change of institutional and social organizations—it can be

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

2006-04-17T01:56:53-04:00

Petrarch once enlightened, “Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together.” Unfortunately, sight is the main sense of mankind which is why many people in the world are judgmental and can’t see pass the outside shell of people. Without man’s idealistic limitations of colors and shapes of a person’s outside appearance, the world would be more virtuous rather than the cesspool it is becoming as time progresses. It would not idolize sexual attraction, cuteness, and conceit like it does now. If there were no set ideal characteristics about the outside appearance a person has to have, then there probably would not be as much separation and isolation due to ugliness, disability, or an awkward physical characteristic. There are people however that love the direction the world is going, these people make decisions everyday about how they are going to judge and treat people. They decide whether or not they approve or reject the way the person acts and exudes their way of life. A perfect example of this can be seen in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, when the reader first meets the creature and sees how he is the ugliest character of the novel on the outside but ironically, the creature was much more likeable and decent than his creator, until his view of man had vanished by the hatred and injustice served to him. So many different themes can be addressed by this prompt but the ones that stick out are Nature vs. Nurture between the creator and the created and how appearances are not everything. During the creature’s lonely journey, he is never given the chance to engage in any conversation except with Victor. During the creature’s creation, the reaction of Victor, his “dad”, is so dreadful. This reaction actually makes the reader forget that it is the birth of a human being which is seen to be one of the most precious occurrences in the life. This is why the theme Nature vs. Nurture sticks out to the reader because one would think that Victor should have a paternal bond to the creature. This bond is further expected not only because of the time and effort put into the creature but also the fact that it is an extension of his mind. “The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the

Comparison of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickenson

2006-04-09T21:37:38-04:00

The relationship between Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson can be drawn from typical kids in school classroom. There is Walt, the popular, sociable, talkative kid in the class who is known by everyone. Then there is Emily, the strange, artistic, quiet girl who sits by herself in the corner with no friends. This comparison is similar to what Whitman and Dickenson are really like. The following is about how Dickinson and Whitman are different and how they are alike. The differences in these two legendary poets are numerous. First, their writing styles are opposite of each other. Whitman wrote with very bold strokes. For example, he was very extravagant with words. From his poem Song of Myself, he wrote, “Alone far in wilds and mountains I hunt, Wandering amazed at my own lightness and glee…” This is one of the many examples of boldness in his works. He wrote in free verse, which meant that his poems sometimes did not rhyme. For example, in his poem A Sight in Camp in the Daybreak Gray and Dim, he writes, “As from my tent I emerge so early sleepless, As slow I walk in the cool fresh air the path near by the hospital tent, Three forms I see on stretchers lying, brought out there untended lying…” This means that Whitman did not care about the typical rules of poetry. Emily Dickinson wrote with extreme precision. She chose every word very carefully. Her poem If you were coming in the Fall said, “It goads me, like the goblin bee, that will not state its sting…” Her use of the simile comparing the fears of waiting for the bee to sting her and her loneliness in that exert was very profound and intelligent. Emily’s goal of writing poems was to evoke private thoughts and feelings. She was an emotional and dramatic writer. For example, in her poem Apparently with No Surprise, she wrote,”To any happy flower, The frost beheads it at its play, In accidental power...” Second, Dickinson and Whitman’s lifestyles were very different from each other. Whitman led an exciting life. He traveled frequently. For example, he went to New Orleans and all over during the Civil War. Whitman was also very sociable. Also, he was a spokesman

The presence of Lillian’s husband in “The Guilt”

2006-04-07T21:07:48-04:00

Rayda Jacobs “The Guilt” is a story of confrontation between an old woman and a young black guy in her house. The name of the old woman is Lillian Thurgwood who is a widow and through out the story she gives us the picture of struggle of an old and lonely woman against the world around her through different incidents of her life. Rayda Jacobs, in the story, has sketched the influence of her late husband on her life in such a way that it reveals the strength of her nature and overcoming the challenges of her lonely life to the readers quite evidently. Lillian Thurgwood lives in a house, which has “the wall round the property ten feet high”, and the gates are locked. This tells us about the insecurity of a lonely woman who lives all by her own. But two Alsatians, Tembi, and Tor, who guard her as - “sentinels at the gate.” These two “fierce and powerful dogs” are trained by her “late husband” to “follow specific commands” and she feels that these two dogs give her the security and protection she needs to keep her safe from the world outside. In a married relationship it is the husband’s responsibility to keep his wife safe and protected. Similarly, Lillian senses that though her husband is not alive - who would have protected her from dangers if alive, these two dogs trained by her husband gives her that protection and sense of being secured as if they were left by her husband to protect her when he will not be there physically. We see the demonstration of this when William Sidlayi, the young black man in the story, moves forward towards Lillian for money and she commands the dogs “Sa!” and with her command “the bitches leapt- Tembi at Williams wrist and, Tor at his collar- and knocked him to the floor.” Again we see the virtual presence of her husband in the story when William asks for ten rands and Lillian refuses him by first saying “ I’ll ask my husband for the money.” Thus we see her trying to protect herself William who was a stranger and attempting to hide the helplessness of a widow who is old and not well protected from the strange world outside by using her husband’s name as a defense. Furthermore, Lillian’s late husband Jock comes to the picture when she

Gilead: A Quest for Freedom

2006-04-07T20:54:49-04:00

The word freedom has its own definitions for different individuals. To some, freedom refers to the freedom of speech, freedom of thoughts and expressions and over all the realization of personal freedom or individuality. On the other hand for many others, freedom refers to none of these and only to the freedom of soul- that is freedom of spirituality. Marilynne Robinson in her novel “Gilead” has keenly observed and depicted these variations of freedom in human life and made two of the characters of the novel behave in a way that the thematic concept of freedom becomes very vivid and important element to the readers and also to the novel. These characters are the narrator’s brother Edward and Jack Boughton. The quest for freedom by these characters progress in the novel in a way that eventually “Gilead” becomes a novel of the free souls who did not care about what society and their families had to say to them and rather listened to their heart looking for freedom of mind and the freedom of their souls. As described in the novel “Gilead”, Edward, the narrator’s elder brother who was ten years older than him studied in Germany and became a remarkable person of knowledge and personality in the narrator’s eyes “Edward studies at Göttingen. He was a remarkable man.” (28). He spent the early years of his life in Europe and returned with the European touch of lifestyle carrying atheism with him. This is surprising and strange to see that Edward grew up in a very religious environment where his father and his ancestors were engaged in preaching and believing God but how Edward separated himself of that long cherished family belief and faith on God. Moreover, he published “a monograph of some kind on Feuerbach” (28) who was “a famous atheist” (27) and Edward also claimed to be an atheist at any rate (29). However, the conflict begins between Edward and his father when Edward’s father expected his son to become a preacher like him and Edward refusing that wish of his father “the belief was general that he would be a great preacher” (29) and it was more shocking for his father and for others when “the congregation took up collection to put him in college and then to send him in Germany. And he came back as an atheist.” (29). Edward’s becoming a non-believer in God was shocking

Humiliated Justice in “The Deposition”

2006-04-07T20:49:49-04:00

Tobias Wolff’s “ The Deposition” is a story of humiliated justice and the lies behind the humiliation. The characters in the story search for their right and get deprived of that as false statements and confessions obstruct their ways to achieve what is just. Starting with the witness in the court and then with the lawyer Burke, the characters undergo an echoing ambiguous treatment of fallacy and false justice that turns the story into a tale of escaping truth and trying to establish their own lies which leads judgments to be wrong. The main character of the story, the lawyer Burke, has come to New delft “ to take this important deposition in person” (1) and his client was a woman whose son was a “paralegal in Burkes firm”(3). Due to the surgical malpractice of the surgeon, the woman has lost the proper functioning of her left hand and cannot work anymore at the reservation desk of a car rental office as she was a “fifty-eight-year old booking agent who could no longer use a keyboard.” (1). However the woman did not give up her hopes to get the justice for the loss she has encountered. According to the narrator, “she was a battler.”(3) and therefore she moved to San Francisco to live with her son and to fight the battle for justice. She searched for her rights and wanted to achieve them and thus she was never afraid of producing proper documents and reports to the investigators, threat of counter suits and nothing could prevent her from seeking justice “she lowered her head and kept coming.”(3). This attitude of the old and poor woman who had “spent all her savings going after the surgeon” (3) inspired Burke to deal with her case so that she could find some peace and justice after what had been done to her. When Burke takes the old disabled woman’s case to the court, we see an ambiguous and strange scenario where the witness does not remember what he has said earlier. “The witness was playing hard to get. Statements he had made earlier to his girlfriend, another nurse, statements crucial to Burke’s case, the witness now declined to repeat under oath. He claimed not to remember just what he had said, or even to recall clearly the episode in question..”(1) This was because “he was no doubt under great pressure to stand by

Rhetorical Analysis of Marck Antony's speech

2006-04-06T23:26:59-04:00

Rhetoric is perhaps one of the oldest disciplinary regimes introduced on the human race. Rhetoric is the study of impressive writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion. In William Shakespeare's very famous play "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar" Marcus Brutus and Marck Antony, both Roman Senators at the time; give a speech at Julius Caesar's funeral. Both speakers introduce themselves to the crowd in their own unique way with the usage of prodigiously different rhetorical strategies, therefore arousing in the Roman crowd greatly distinct emotions and reactions. Antony's pathetic speech proofed to be the most effective. He was able to turn the easily swayed crowd against the "honorable" conspirators, and he was able to portray Caesar as a non-ambitious caring and truly honorable roman man. In order to accomplish all his objectives Antony used in his speech a combination of verbal irony, repetition, connotation, and imagery rhetorical devices while strongly appealing to the plebeians "pathos" emotions. The rhetorical device Antony took hold of and made the central device throughout his persuasive argument was verbal irony. The use of verbal irony in his speech is so strong that it borders on sarcasm. "Friends, Romans, countrymen,... I come to bury Ceasar, not to praise him." (Act III sc II 80-84) says Antony when introducing himself to the crowd. Knowingly that at that point Brutus was to them an "honorable" man he makes sure that he does not allow his emotions to take in and destroy his real intentions. He addresses the plebeians as "Friends" with the purpose of persuading them into believing that they were equal, and that he just wanted to say farewell to his passed, and dear friend Caesar. As his speech develops, Antony begins to plant the seed of doubt and anger in the plebeians’ hearts towards the conspirators. "The noble Brutus hath told you Caesar was ambitious...It was a grievous fault, And grievously hath Caesar answered it, ... they all are honorable men" (Act III sc II 84-91) Here very wisely Antony is telling the plebeians that Brutus's is an honorable, and noble man thus may excuses his wrongful act when killing Caesar. These contradicting statements "Brutus an honorable man/killing Caesar was wrongful," already begin to create confusion and distrust about the conspirators. Once he had aroused this feeling of doubt in the plebeians Antony was able to continue with his

Lord of the Flies - How does Golding show mankind’s inner evil?

2006-03-05T01:37:52-05:00

‘How does Golding show mankind’s inner evil? Do you agree with his assumption that man is basically evil? The creation of a world where nothing seems a utopia, where everything will go wrong isn’t a creation too hard to believe. This intended creation was the creation of our world. The human race in which we live in, is the world where delusions of grandeur are placed on those who conjure up ideas, which they truly believe in, that civilisation, is beyond doubt our true nature. But there are those who oppose these optimists and are degraded as pessimists. Pessimists have been assumed as cynical, unenthusiastic people with a depressive outlook upon life. But what hasn’t occurred to the optimists and idealists is that maybe, pessimists just accept the truth about humanity. The author of Lord of the Flies, Golding, believes that civilisation is merely a veneer, and if we were to let go of the self-control that which we harbour, gradually our innermost temperaments will start to show. The existence of civilisation allows man to remain innocent or ignorant about his true nature. Although man needs civilisation, it is important that he also be aware of his more primitive instincts. Only in this way we can reach true maturity. Golding implies that the loss of innocence has little to do with age but is related to a person's understanding of human nature. Painful though it may be, this loss of innocence by coming to terms with reality is necessary if humanity is to survive. William Golding’s claims that even the most suitable environmental conditions will not suffice to overcome man’s innate cruelty. He placed a group of highly educated British schoolboys, the oldest being 12 and the youngest 6, on an island. Almost immediately battles for supremacy takes place. Violence and death follow. Although the boys begin by electing a leader, Ralph, and call frequent meetings, using a conch shell as a symbol of authority, their attempts at recreating civilisation quickly disintegrate. Their story begins with the innocent sound of the shell and ends with the evil cry of the hunters. The boys try to organise their lives on the island, but they fail. Their circle of rituals and traditions is broken, and therefore they are unable to control the development of their society. They do not have anything to limit their evil natures, such as laws and rules. They try to

Teens, we make a difference!

2006-02-20T02:58:56-05:00

If teenagers weren’t helping out in this society would you think it would make much of an impact or difference on society? What if I told you that teenagers all over the world make huge differences for our communities. What if I told you teens take matters in their own hands when someone is in need for help. Teens are very important in every way in this evolving society, because we tend to make our voices heard throughout the crowd of dominating adults. Many of us will go through tremendous efforts to try and help out our peers or have an unique talent to try and fix problems or situations. We try to understand and resolve our friends never-ending list of problems. Our greatest achievements would be the impact upon the community or world and how we manage to accomplish our goals who are then extended to the world. It is our small gestures that might create big differences upon someone’s feelings and make that person more accommodated in school. In the short story of “A Simple Hello”, Katie Houston notices that there are some kids at her school that don’t quite fit in, who are alone and have hardly any friends. She decides to give her time to just say a simple hello to those lonely kids to help them feel more appreciated as she remembers when one day a person said hello to her which changed her life forever. ¹ In the short story of Sandy Pathe in “An Open Heart”, describes her trip to Honduras which is a small country in Central America where her and eighteen of her peers tried their best to accompany lonely children in an orphanage and experience the way of life they live and learn the differences from our life in North America. Sandy and her peers where committed to make a difference in their young lives. ² Most people would not even recognize how the little things we do can make a huge difference and impact on someone’s life. It is important to always try to make someone’s life a better life. We tend to naturally try and give the best possible help to our friends and parents. Most of all we try to understand other peoples situations by trying to find the best possible solutions. We also try and think beyond economics and care for our future environment by trying to reduce

The Canterbury Tales: Comparison and Contrast of the Wife of Bath and the Knight

2006-02-15T20:56:32-05:00

In the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer, the Knight and the Wife of Bath are similar and also different. The Knight represents the nobility and military estate while the Wife of Bath represents the middle status. Both the Knight and the Wife of Bath are fearless. The Knight was a fearless worthy man who fought in the crusades while the Wife of Bath was fearless about her opinions on love, she was outspoken. The Knight and the Wife of Bath were similar in many ways. They both were best in their talents. The Knight was best knight in all nations in Prussia, “Aboven alle nacions in Pruce”(line 53). The Wife of Bath was the best housewife around, “In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon”(line 449). The Knight and the Wife of Bath were both skilled. The Knight was skilled in defeating his enemies, “In lystes thries, and ay slayn his foo”(line 63). The Wife of Bath was a talented cloth-maker, “Of clooth-making she hadde swich an haunt”(line 447). The Knight and the Wife of Bath were well-mannered individuals. The Knight was never rude to anyone “He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde”(line 70). The Wife of Bath was a respectable individual, “She was a worthy womman al hir lyve”(line 459). The Knight and the Wife of Bath were both worthy individuals, “A Knyght ther was, and that a worthy man” (line 43). Both the Knight and the Wife of Bath have been to many different places. In Lithuania, the Knight ridden on raids in Russia, “In Lettow hadde he reysed and in Ruce”’(line54), “At Alisaundre he was when it was wonne”(line 51), “In Grenade at the seege eek hadde he be”(line 56), “Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye”(line 57), “At Lyeys was he and at Satalye”(line 58), “Whan they were wonne , and riden in the Grete See”(line 57), “And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene”(line 62). The Wife of Bath journeyed three times to Jeruseleum, Rome, Bouglon, Spain, and Cologne, “And thries hadde she been at Jerusalem; At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne”, In Galice at Seint-Jame, and at Coloigne”(lines 463, 465-466). The Knight and the Wife of Bath had remedies for other people. The Knight’s remedy for peoples faith was war, “And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene”(line 62). The Wife of Bath knew remedies for love sickness, “Of remedies of love she knew per

The Canterbury Tales: Analysis of the Knight

2006-02-15T20:54:34-05:00

The Knyght is the first character of the general prologue in the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer. As April comes, the narrator begins a pilgrimage to Canterbury from the Tabard Inn at Southwerk. Twenty-nine people make the pilgrimage toward Canterbury and the narrator describes them in turn. Each of these travelers finds themselves in the Tabard Inn, where the Host, suggests that on their way to Canterbury each traveler tell two tales, and on the way back each traveler tell two more. They draw lots to decide who will tell the first tale, and it is the Knight who has the honor. Although the order is supposedly random, the Knight draws the first lot and thus randomly receives the rank appropriate to his status, which indicates that the Host may have fixed the lots in order to curry favor with the Knight. The pilgrims are listed in relative order of status, thus the first character is the Knight. Chaucer describes the knight as a worthy man who had fought in the Crusades. In the narrators eyes, the Knyght is the noblest of all the pilgrims. The Knyght represents a military estate, loyalty, honor, generosity, and good manners. The Knyght conducts himself in a polite, mild fashion, never saying an unkind word to anyone. The worthiness of the Knyght is clearly admired, “A Knyght ther was, and that a worthy man”(line 43); “And evere honored for his worthynesse”(line50); “This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also”(line 64); “And though that he were worthy, he was wys”(line 68). The main qualities of the Knyght was his worthiness, military career, gentility, and his fashion. At the beginning of the text, the knight is described as chivalric, “To riden out, loved chivalrie(line 45). But at the end of the text, knight’s quality of dress is completely opposite, “Of fustian he wered a gypon”(line75). The Knyght wore a tunic made of coarse cloth. The tunic was stained by (rust from) his coat of mail, which seems as if the Knyghts actions are more important than his looks. His horses were in good condition, “His hors were good, but he was not gay”(line74). The Knyght was very brave, courteous, and honorable. He was the leader of Christians, Heathens, and Knights. His bravery, won the battle in Alexandria, “At lasiandra he was whan it was wonne” (line 51). He defeated his enemies in Latvia, Prussia, Granada,

Qualities of a Good Teacher

2006-02-13T04:38:47-05:00

Qualities of a Good Teacher In “The Sandbox Experiment”, Peter Sacks says “[I]t really didn’t seem to matter what I knew about my field when it came to teaching” (Sacks 311). I disagree with him. I believe that knowledge, among many other things, is essential to being a good teacher. A good teacher is someone who is always willing to learn something new and expand their knowledge to help their students achieve success. For example, I had a teacher once who, after a few years of teaching high school, went back to school to earn her doctorate degree. She wanted to go back to school so that her students could benefit more from having her as a teacher. A good teacher encourages the students to take risks and always has a positive attitude. Good teachers understand that errors will be made but they try many different methods of teaching that encourage students and create in them a sense of accomplishment. Good teachers believe in students and set high standards to bring out the best in them. They do not give students the answers, but teach students the techniques needed to find the answer themselves. Along with encouraging risk taking and acceptance of errors, another essential trait of a good teacher is simply being there. Good teachers spend time with students after class to further help them, listen to them, and answer their questions. A good teacher should be able to sit patiently with a frustrated student and explain how to come up with the solution to a difficult math problem or how to go about completing an assignment. In tenth grade, whenever I had a writing assignment due, my teacher was always willing to answer any questions I had about the assignment and she made sure that I was on the right track with my paper. It is not enough, however, for a teacher to be there if they do not have any respect for their students. A good teacher will never humiliate a student in front of his or her peers but rather they will confront the student privately. They never make meaningless threats or try to intimidate their students. Good teachers do not hold grudges and they are always fair and objective. They are honest with their students and are proud to

The Theme of Friendship in Mamet's "American Buffalo"

2006-02-12T11:51:31-05:00

In his 'American Buffalo,' Mamet renders the world of business, where selfishness and opportunism hold control over different matters and exclude friendship, as one of the noble sentiments, from their calculations. For instance, Fletch, a card player, makes a deal with Ruthie, another card player and a friend of his, to buy some of her pig iron. However, he steals her pig iron, and, consequently, they became separated. Don comments on that situation, showing the nature of business and friendship to Bob, saying: "... that's what business is …there's business, and there's friendship ..." Don explains, the non-existence of friendship, to Bob, saying that people are different nowadays. They became controlled by their greed and ready to give up anything so as to reach their goals. According to Don, such is a reasonable excuse for Fletch to steel Ruth's 'Pig iron' and something that Bob needs to learn so as to survive in the world of business: "There's lotsa people on this street… They want this and they want that... Do any thing to get it. You don't have friends this life." Teach, as usual, teaches Don a lesson on business and friendship. He talks about friendship as if it were an untouchable slogan that no longer exists. He also insists on separating between friendship and business: "We're talking about cards. Friendship is friendship, and a wonderful thing, and I am all for it. … But let's just keep it separate." Though Mamet introduces Teach as a friend and associate of Don, one can hardly find any glimpse of friendship between them. This is quite manifest when they both meet or depart, they can hardly say 'good-bye' to each other or show their worries about each other. They end their conversation by saying: 'okay' or 'see you later.' Further more, if any kind of friendship definitely exists between them, it is only based upon profit and business. Both of the characters do not care for the feelings of each other. Even when Teach insults Don about his relation with Bob and, then, apologizes to him and to Bob, he does it so as not to let their problems have any bad impact on their work. Therefore, the contemporary world of business in America has no place for friendship or any other noble sentiments. It is introduced by Mamet as a jungle which has no place for laws, ethics, and friendship; Teach says: The Whole Entire World. There Is

The World of Business in Mamet's "American Buffalo"

2006-02-12T11:44:09-05:00

In his 'American Buffalo,' Mamet is quite critical to the immoralities of the American society, especially those which are caused by business deviation. Such is obviously reflected in the themes, where the theme of business is the central theme of the play. Business in America is still controlled by the myth of the 'American Dream.' Thus, the American citizen is shown to be badly affected by the concept of 'strive and succeed,' and a victim of the capitalist materialistic world of business in America, which is mainly built on exploitation and opportunism. The characters of the play, Don, Teach and Bob, aim at success which merely means to them to become wealthy and dominant. Such is revealed in a conversation between Don and Bob, where Don is talking about Fletcher, who is a successful business man from his point of view: "You take him and you put him down in some strange town with just a nickel in his pocket, and by night fall he'll have that town by the balls. This is not talk, Bob, this is action." The qualifications of success in business are thought by Don to be just common sense, experience and talent: "That's all business is… common sense, experience and talent." Ethics, indeed, have no value in the corrupt world of business. This is quite manifest in 'American Buffalo,' where the characters plan for a robbery of a man, who has recently bought a buffalo-headed nickel from Don. At first, Don asks Bob to watch the man, and he blames Bob for not watching him well. Afterwards, Bob lies to Don telling him that he has seen the man; they both agree to break into his house, thinking that the man has a big collection of coins there. However, Teach intervenes and convinces Don to carry out the robbery in stead of Bob, whom he thinks is inexperienced enough to do the job efficiently. The theft does not work out. Both Don and Teach suspect that Bob has carried out the theft behind their backs. At last, they discover that Bob has been lying to them all along. The world of business, in 'American Buffalo,' is characterized by toughness. Obscene words and expressions, which are verbalized by the characters, are good evidence of that. Teach, as a character, is also a good proof of that; he says: "I am a business man, I am here to do business, I

English is available for you right here!

2006-02-10T01:30:32-05:00

English is available for you right here! I would like to share my ideas of how important it is to improve your English vocabulary by continuing to take your English courses throughout high school. It is a necessary language if you want to travel worldwide or just build on your knowledge from elementary school. Your future employer might be impressed by your extra skill of being a bilingual perfectionist. And last but not least why not give in and give yourself the chance to practice a second language when it is available right here! Once you have decided to open yourself to this familiar language you’re giving yourself the opportunity to improve and build your vocabulary by learning new words through reading novels and stories which is fundamental and vital to learning the English aspects, such as reading, writing, listening, speaking . . . The English course in high school is not just all about reading novels or answering questions all period long, it is about having an intellectual discussion or expressing your opinions of different issues with your class mates of what you’ve read and expanding every aspect in the language throughout the entire semester. It is used as a tool for communication and a carrier of information globally. When travelling to a foreign nation there is a high possibility that the only language you will find or have the ability to communicate and understand will be spoken in English by a particular individual. You will learn how to improve and master the aspects of the English language throughout your three years of high school but it is all up to you to make a decision and improve your English skills. According to (en.wikipedia.org - The free encyclopaedia) in Canada English is spoken by almost 85% of Canadians which prove to you that it is almost essential for an individual to be familiar with the different aspects of English especially in the work environment (force) unless you decide to go reside in Quebec where it is the only Canadian province where English is a minority language. It opens you up to new possibilities you would not have if you decided not to continue to improve your knowledge in English, like having the choice to choose between a post secondary education in English or French. It also gives you more options or recommendations for your employer to select you from the millions

Suffering in Antigone

2006-02-07T18:57:33-05:00

Nothing of magnitude comes into the life of mortals without suffering and disaster.” This deeply pessimistic statement by Charles Segal sums up the theme of tragedy in “Antigone”. This play is truly the example that “nothing comes into the life of mortals without suffering and disaster”; there are many significant events occurring, none of which stem from prosperity or success. All of the characters are affected by these tragic events, because agony, adversity, and distress are conditions of humanity. It is evident that the characters of “Antigone” have accepted the facts in the quote as made by Charles Segal. Many important events took place in the play: the burial and law to illegalize burial of two brothers, the death of Antigone, implied death of Ismene and Haemon, and the death of Eurydice. These tragic events also led to the change of perspective on behalf of Creon. Obviously, his sizable change and realizations could not have been attained without all of this disaster. At the end, it can be assumed that Creon will change his hurtful ways, as he says, “That have unwittingly killed my son, my wife. I know not where I should turn, where look for help. My hands have done amiss, my head is bowed with fate too heavy for me” (162). Creon has realized the error of his ways, affected only by the extreme tragedy that he had caused within his family. If there had not been the suffering and disaster, Creon never would have changed. The main character, Antigone seems to cause much of the action and reaction of this play. She decides to bury her brother Polynices because she has accepted her fate. She realizes that this burial is very important to her, and that if she wishes to bury him and also effect change in others, she must suffer and ultimately die for her cause. As Creon states that he wishes to kill her, Antigone states, “Why then delay? There is nothing more that you can say that I should wish to hear, as nothing I say can weigh you. I have given my brother burial. What greater could I wish?”(139). Here, she have come to terms with the fact the Creon will not change his mind and that she must die in order to uphold the honor of her beliefs. Her great decision to do as she believes is right not only affected her future

Thematic Correlations between As I Lay Dying and the Old Testament

2006-02-06T21:53:09-05:00

Since its original publication in 1930, the novel As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner has drawn much exploration and critique. Though this analysis is very far reaching and broad in topic, one interesting route of investigation is the novel’s connection to the Old Testament. One does not have to be a Christian to study the similarities in theme; there are very many occurrences of biblical subject matter and correlation, these having been studied by student and scholar alike. The Old Testament is known commonly as the more historical part of the Bible; it sets up the background knowledge to the New Testament and gives readers an idea of the nature of the times. Many general themes of the Old Testament are reflected in the Bible as a whole, as well as each book having its own plot and theme. Such Old Testament themes such as original sin and ideas corresponding to that of the Book of Job can be found inherently in As I Lay Dying. The idea of original sin comes from the Book of Genesis, when the first humans, Adam and Eve, ate the fruit of the tree that they were told by God not to eat. Since these first two humans erred in their ways, God then made all humans to be in their image, an image of sin and fallibility. As taken from the Boom of Genesis: “Then the Lord God said, ‘Now these human beings have become like one of us and have knowledge of what is good and what is bad’”(Bible 5). The theme of sin relies on this fact; humans make conscious decisions to do wrong. Other themes of moral nature can follow within the main ideas brought forth in Genesis, such as guilt, sexuality, and tension between the sexes (Rule). In As I Lay Dying, the original sin of Anse and Addie seems to give way to the sin of their children, much like that of Adam’s ancestors. Although according to biblical tradition, each child is born into sin, Jewel Bundren was especially born into a sinful life. He was a product of Addie’s infidelity to Anse, an act that was on Addie’s mind until the day she died. The guilt she felt, even to the husband she had no love for, was so overwhelming that she produced both Dewey Dell and Vardaman to “negative” the sin that was Jewel’s birth. Her

Measle and the Wrathmonk

2006-02-05T07:01:24-05:00

My book is called ¡§Measle and the Wrathmonk¡¨. The book talks about a boy called Measle. Measle is an orphan, his parents died in a fire. Measle now lives with his uncle, Basil Tramplebone. Basil treats Measle badly; he forced Measle to give him all of his money. Basil used Measles¡¦s assets to build a train set. Why a train set? Why is it so important? That is because it is not only a train set, but also a gateway to an another world. One day, Measle is curious about the train set. He cooked up a scheme to make Basil go to the bank. Measle was playing with the train set when Basil came back home. Basil was furious and made Measle to go through the gateway into the world. When Measle

Measle and the Wrathmonk

2006-02-05T07:01:12-05:00

Measle and the Wrathmonk

2006-02-05T07:01:07-05:00

Romeo and Juliet

2006-01-20T06:21:05-05:00

ROMEO AND JULIET Just today I have finished the translation of “The Merchant of Venice” handed over to the programmers to start off with their routines so that it can be uploaded to the website. Having done that I picked up Romeo and Juliet for the modern English translation, amusingly I found a mistake in the very second line of the translation done by Louis B. Wright, Director, Folger Shakespeare library, [1948-1968] and Virginia A. La MAR Executive Secretary Folger Shakespeare library [1946-1968], published by Pocket Books NEW YORK through Washington square press. It may take two to three months to make an authentic editing of this work but I would be sharing the jokes with you of and on while the editing is in progress and now prepare yourself for the first joke of Romeo. Now with a great respect to the useful advice of some I am appending the reference. [a] Romeo and Juliet Act I Scene I [b] Dialogue of Gregory at line two. 1. The word under dispute is COLLIERS. 2. Meaning assigned by Louis B.Wright “Workers or dealers in coal” 3. My

The Tempest

2006-01-20T06:18:42-05:00

Examine the observations made by Roma Gill of the oxford university press While editing the dialogue Miranda in “The Tempest” at lines 351 to 361.Roma Gill feels that “The hatred and revulsion expressed in this speech shows an unexpected side to the hitherto placid and docile Miranda---and many editors of the eighteenth and nineteenth century re-assigned the words to prospero”. First let us examine the meaning of the word placid. Refer Para 826 of Roget’s and the meaning is in excitable i.e. not to show irritation. It is very reasonable for our girls not to show irritation at their loving parents but would it be fair on your part to expect your sister or daughter not to show irritation while dealing with a man who had tried to rape her or outrage her modesty, regardless how broad minded you be? Now let us examine the meaning of the word docile. Refer Para 602 and the meaning is willingness and at Para 539 the meaning is learning and at Para 370 the meaning is tamed. It is reasonable for one to willingly accept when a father demands something because generally fathers are not seen to rape their daughters but will it be reasonable to advise one to willingly accept when one attempts to rape her? There is a scope for the girls to learn from their fathers a few useful things but what useful things Roma Gill expects this girl to learn from the man who attempted to rape her? It is reasonable to stay tame under a father but will it be reasonable to ask the girl to be tame while dealing with the man who attempts to rape her? In the management sciences we find a term “zone of acceptance” some people have a very broad zone of acceptance but we cannot expect Shakespeare to have such broad mindedness to make his characters to be placid and docile to the rapists According to W Turner “If I should marry him, I should be as if married to twenty husbands.” Does this translation make any meaning to you? See the Notes Section of W Turner, he deals only with one word “Throttle” and discusses nothing about all the grandiloquent words used by the great Shakespeare in this dialogue. I am hopelessly confused to understand as to how marrying this French lord would amount to the ordeal

www.shakespearerevived.com

2006-01-20T06:15:12-05:00

AN INDIAN’S FERVENT APPEAL THE CRUSADE [queries if any visit my home page www.shakespearerevived.com] A crusade against the intellectual ineptitude which kept the intellect of Shakespeare the Great, gruesomely eclipsed for almost all of the four centuries, obstructing it from percolating down to the down generations. An economically impotent man’s intellectually potent challenge thrown in the face of the world acclaimed intellectual cream to defend themselves against an allegation of intellectual infraction left un-noticed for all most all of the four centuries. A crusade to put an end to the madness of hurling insults and the audacity of under rating the intellectual heights of this great god-sent intellectual whose soul restlessly wanders in this world seeking the recuperation of rupture of his intellectual contribution by the puny intellectuals of the era and the era gone by. A crusade against the world governments who had been silent spectators for this gruesomely grave gluttonous act of intellectual infraction without realizing that the intellectual pollution is the grass root from which the other pollutions emanate. A crusade to open up the eyes of this world’s judicial and legal fraternity whereby some judiciary of some country realizes the after affects of the intellectual pollution and reacts suo-moto to put an end to this madness. My Works Julius Caesar I had to make about 54 Comments and some samples are appended for your perusal and appraisal. 11th Comment examine the meaning of the words “First Motion” 1. Meanings in circulation W.Turner#61672;Conception. Roma Gill#61672;Impulse Davidson#61672;Idea Anil Wilson#61672;Idea 2. All are the meanings of the word Notion but Shakespeare used a word Motion. Will you agree with these people and take motion as a synonym of notion? 3. Then what is First Motion? After four centuries may I try to explain this word? (a)Motion=Principle (Ref. Para 615 of Roget’s) (b) Principle=cardinal virtue (Ref. Para 05 of Roget’s) SEVEN CARDINAL Virtues. (1)Justice (2) prudence (3) Temperance (4) Fortitude (5) Faith (6) Hope (7) charity Motion= virtue but there are seven virtues – but which one of these seven? Shakespeare says – First Motion• First Motion= first of the seven cardinal virtues= justice First motion means Justice 4. Killing Caesar is a dreadful thing. If left to live, Caesar would kill justice Debate is between the love for Caesar and General good through justice. (A difficult choice which makes Brutus spend sleepless nights) 5. However you be the better judge. 12th comment. Examine the translation of lines 97 to 99. 1. W. Turner #61672; “what

Literary Devices in 20th Century Literature

2006-01-17T21:43:14-05:00

Literary Devices in 20th Century Literature After WWII and during the beginning of the Cold War, much was thought and much was said about government and about the contemporary culture in general. This is reflected in many of the literary works of the time, and even before that time, as many of the Marxist and socialist principles were well known. Some of the works include symbolism, some include metaphors, some include satire, and some have other methods. Regardless on which device is used, the messages that these books come across with are usually very clear and there is not really any grey area to what the books are all about. They all share similar themes and ideas, most of which are undoubtedly satirical in their form, and all of which include at least some element of the author’s life incorporated into the work. The bottom line of the books usually attacks totalitarian government and government control, but not necessarily just Communist governments; some books aim at capitalism as well. The novel Animal Farm, by George Orwell, does not have any hidden meaning or symbolism; the book was written in a time of war and was made to make a political statement. Everything that is written in the book was done with a purpose, all of which reflects Orwell’s personal life influences and ideas. Orwell claimed that Animal Farm was the first book he wrote in which he knew exactly what he was doing, joining political and artistic purpose into one literary novel (Brunsdale 122). Some of the story was based on Orwell’s life experiences and exposure, while other parts were based on the political message he was attempting to make. Although it attacks totalitarian governments of the time, this is not to say that Orwell was exactly a fan of the British government either, as he saw the possibly of government corruption and totalitarianism arising in any form of government, not only Nazis and Communists. For this reason, he wrote to attack not only Communism, but also capitalism; but in this case, with Animal Farm, most of the symbols and literary devices lean towards attacking Communism. Most of the characters and events directly correspond with a Cold War figure or event. Within the book, each character or group of characters has a specific political significance in this allegory portraying Communist Russia.

“Bartleby the Scrivener”

2006-01-07T19:03:15-05:00

“Bartleby the Scrivener” by Herman Melville has been understood in various ways by critics and most are based on literature’s principle which tells the reader to use their own imagination. Bartleby’s vivid and desperate character is one of an insignificant person, with a psychological and philosophical meaning of human condition within it. Bartleby’s physical characteristics are described as he being “pale and forlorn” “quiet”, “motionless”, “steadiness”, showing a person who is unbelievably submissive, quiet and pallid having no passion for life as well as hiding from society. It seems as if he were a dead man or just a man living totally isolated from humankind. All of these characteristics indicate abandonment from the human race as well as showing that segregation from society can imperil a person’s well being. Bartleby’s physical distinctiveness is in many ways comparable to those of Melville himself. The story is about Bartleby and to a definite degree the author focuses on Bartleby’s actions and words only as they relate to the narrator revealing how he thinks about, and the way he acts towards him. The narrator shows an image of Bartleby as if he were a dead man; a person completely inhibited from humanity and life itself and has no ordinary human characteristics or facial appearances. Thus, the portrayal of Bartleby is astounding. He is constantly portrayed as if he were a ghost or a dead man: Bartleby “like a ghost” “pale form” “long-continued motionless” “loneliness” (B.120) “sitting behind a “dead brick wall’” “absolute alone in the universe” Melville wants the reader to get familiar with an image of a man who lacks any aspirations in life; “quiet”, “sedate”, “motionless”, “inflexible”, “unmoving”, “passive. Bartleby imagines his individuality as a frightful subjugator reflecting over the ruins of civilization. Eventually society segregates a man who had already isolated himself. Bartleby is clearly a depressed man, who finally sees no meaning to life and starves himself. Mordecai Marcus said: “Bartleby is a psychological double for the story’s nameless lawyer” Thus, the lawyer seeks to find the simple ways in life and Bartleby does nothing with the intention to actually live his life. Bartleby’s life makes the narrator question

Duke and Duchess: The Power of Entertainment in Don Quixote

2006-01-03T02:20:44-05:00

I. Introduction “These books are written chiefly to the young, the ignorant, and the idle, to whom they serve as lectures of conduct, and introductions into life. They are the entertainment of minds unfurnished with ideas, and therefore easily susceptible of impressions; not fixed by principles, and therefore easily following the current of fancy; not informed by experience, and consequently open to every false suggestions and partial account.” — Samuel Johnson “[W]e are polluting the world with our television programs, our movies and so forth, our books. We are polluting the whole world. We've made the world drunk, if you will, with the wine of our fornication. The whole world has been affected by Hollywood." — Pat Robertson Creators of entertainment have always been made to answer for the effects that their works have on their audience, and on the larger society. However, the Spanish Inquisition had a much more invasive and powerful presence than modern critics of popular entertainment. Miguel de Cervantes published Don Quixote during the height of the Inquisition. Inquisitors’ stamps of approval are branded into the introductions of both parts: “I have had the book … submitted to examination. It contains nothing against the faith or good morals.” This overarching concern about the evils within entertainment must have had an oppressive effect. Yet, Cervantes also sees the power to entertain as a wonderful power to create; indeed, it is this power (in the romances of chivalry) that drives Alonzo Quijaño to become Don Quixote. With this in mind, we turn to the adventures Don Quixote has with the duke and duchess. Two opinions on their presence in the novel dominate literary criticism. Either they exist as a necessary device to give Don Quixote a chance to complete “real” chivalric tasks (or at least ones that he does not create himself out of madness), or they are cruel, selfish, or crazy, and torture Don Quixote for their own pleasure. However, both of these interpretations overlook Cervantes’s valuable insight into the role the duke and duchess play as producers of entertainment. The duke and the duchess are conventional readers of Don Quixote. However, they have unlimited funds at their disposal, so they may respond to the book in ways that ordinary readers could not. It is as if they are billionaires who see a movie that they

Feudalism and Toni Morrison's Paradise

2006-01-03T02:16:33-05:00

An investigation into life in Ruby, the city at the center of Toni Morrison’s Paradise, must start with an understanding of the government – or lack thereof – internal and external to Ruby. It is not immediately evident why so many of the residents of Ruby seem unable to leave the town and willing to give up their enfranchisement, or why the founders of Ruby react with such violence to the Convent on the outskirts of town. External to Ruby, the surrounding world is an America hostile to black freedom and dangerous to black livelihood. Inside Ruby it is safe, but its citizens have yielded the power of “governing” Ruby to Deek and Steward Morgan, two founders and the bankers of the town. However, due to the “incestuous” closeness of the town, the rule of Deek and Steward evolves into feudalism. This feudal order is evident in the way the brothers set and maintain the unwritten rules and history of Ruby, and especially in the viciousness with which they attack the Convent on the outskirts of town. In the years immediately following the Civil War, the freedmen participated fairly freely in the Reconstruction governments of the Southern states by voting and holding office. However, after federal troops were withdrawn and the Republican Party switched its attention to the economic depression of the time, the freedmen lost these rights. The perpetual threat of white violence on little or no pretense combined with a complete lack of freedom of movement or possession created a situation not unlike the second century AD, when large private estates worked by slaves were broken up and given to peasant farmers, who were forced to fend for themselves against barbarian hordes. These farmers, for their own protection, formed pacts with other landowners for protection, and gradually the larger landowners gained complete loyalty from smaller landowners. Eventually, Constantine I, in AD 337, established serfdom legally, and serfs could not marry, change occupations, or move without their lord’s permission. Toni Morrison’s Paradise depicts a group of freedmen and their descendants who, when faced with rejection and violence by the world, attempt to protect themselves by creating a Haven away from the outside world. They forge “castle walls” by founding Ruby in the middle of nowhere and discouraging outsiders from settling or even staying for a few hours. However, this

Once We Start a Book, What Drives Us to Continue to Read? An Essay on Tom Jones

2006-01-03T02:14:10-05:00

In examining the effects of a work of literature on a reader, it is vitally important to understand why a reader completes the work. In other words, the forces that drive the reader to turn page after page of a novel are directly related to the entire reading experience – what values and stories the reader takes from the book, the overall feeling that the book creates within the reader, and impact of the reading on future actions of the reader. It is with this in mind that we turn to the claim that Tom Jones is the most “plot-driven” book in English. Although Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones is an intricately plotted novel, it is not plot-driven. The force that drives the reader from page to page through the novel is not the plot, but rather the narrator. This is not necessarily an obvious insight, so we will take care to show its truth by presenting the narrator’s argument for this interpretation, the logical consequences of such a claim, and an argument that the reader’s reaction under Tom Jones as a plot-driven novel would not account for the novel’s place in literary history today. Although the latter approach certainly ignores the readers of Tom Jones who did not finish or find any value within the work, any in-depth examination of those readers’ experiences with the novel is not likely to yield anything of much interest. Thus, we will only consider the readers of Tom Jones who find it to be useful or interesting. Fielding, in the introduction to the final book, comparing the process of reading the novel to the travel of a Stage-Coach. This is a very useful metaphor for understanding the relationship between reader, narrator, plot, and novel. The Stage-Coach takes the trip from the Country to London, and travels around both locales rather extensively, visiting many houses and several inns and pubs. It also frequently jumps around from location to location, and leaps around in time, to revisit some events that it had previously skipped over. Thus, the linear passage of reading the novel – turning page after page, only going in one direction – is equivalent to the linear time it takes for this Stage-Coach to visit all these locations in space-time. The non-linear path the plot takes as its form is just the

Dorothy Van Ghent and Tristram Shandy's Primary Purposes

2006-01-03T02:10:23-05:00

The uniqueness of Tristram Shandy has pushed critics to see many different topics as the central concern of the work. It may even be an impossible task to pinpoint which of two seemingly contradictory themes Tristram is pursuing, because Tristram does not give us much of a beginning, middle, or end, preferring to stream along in digressive contentment. However, as Jean-Jacques Mayoux writes, it may be possible to “transcend subjectivity by seeking coherence.” In other words, by examining a theory under the lens of the relevant facts, we should able to see how much water it holds. It is with this in mind that we turn to “On Tristram Shandy”, a paper by Dorothy Van Ghent, which makes several claims about Tristram Shandy that cannot be substantiated as motifs in the forefront of Tristram’s consciousness in light of those suggested by Mayoux and Howard Anderson. To prove this, we will use Mayoux’s concept of cohesiveness, along with the standard scientific principle that the simplest answer is usually the correct one. It may appear odd to contrast Mayoux with Van Ghent, especially because both begin with identical ideas: Mayoux argues that, in the book, “the human world is made up of microcosmic, enclosed units, of windowless monads” , while Van Ghent contends that the mind is a “monad…[an] elemental unit of energy that [has] ‘mirrors but no windows’”. However, from here, Mayoux and Van Ghent diverge. While Mayoux seeks to assert three propositions, “On Tristram Shandy” has no easily discernable central thesis or theses; rather, it contains an evolving theory. Van Ghent moves from Liebniz’s monads to ask, “What is the action of Tristram Shandy?” She answers, “Sterne’s project…was to analyze and represent in his novel the creative process.” While it is obvious that Tristram lays bare his own creative process in the novel, it is a suspect claim that this is his primary objective. Indeed, it is argued that Henry Fielding does a similar examination of the novel in Tom Jones, but Fielding himself supports this claim throughout his book. And whereas Fielding’s ruminations on the novel are pointed at the edification of the reader, Tristram offers his more as intimate observations in the dialog he is having with the reader. Furthermore, a sense that the project of Tristram Shandy is a literary analysis

Development of Jane in part 1 and Rochester's increased feelings towards her

2005-12-18T14:01:57-05:00

Throughout the first section of the novel, we are constantly reminded of the barriers in which Jane is suppressed by. Through this figurative element we can come to terms with the development of the character of Jane Eyre. Jane is an intelligent, honest, plain-featured young girl forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. Although she meets with a series of individuals who threaten her autonomy, Jane repeatedly succeeds at asserting herself and maintains her principles of justice, human dignity, and morality. She also values intellectual and emotional fulfilment. Her strong belief in gender and social equality challenges the Victorian prejudices against women and the poor. The development of Jane’s character is central to the novel. From the beginning, Jane possesses a sense of self-worth and dignity, a commitment to justice and principle, a trust in God, and a passionate disposition. Her integrity is continually tested over the course of the novel, and Jane must learn to balance the frequently conflicting aspects of herself as to find gratification. After Jane’s departure and emotional liberation from Gateshead, we are invited onto the next chapter of her life. She is introduced to the daily routines at Lowood, which are largely made up of religious aspects. It is in the next chapter where we are introduced to two figurehead characters in the path of Jane’s development, Helen Burns and Maria Temple. In lesson, Helen informs Jane of the circumstances of Lowood and that all the children are ‘charity children.’ One of the nastier teachers, Miss Scatcherd mistreats Helen; Jane is impressed with the tranquillity of Helen’s emotions as she willingly bears the punishment. This may be perhaps a stepping-stone for which Jane to build upon as one of her closet friends and her biggest influences bears the punishment, which Jane, coincidently has had problems with as we have seen in the previous chapters. Helen delivers to Jane, her Christian beliefs of forgiveness and endurance, ‘one must bear the sins of others, turn the other cheek, and love thy enemy.’ Jane is of course at odds with this, as standing up for herself frequently means fighting back. We have already witnessed several situations in which she availed herself of these tactics, particularly the fight with John Reed and the consequences was that she was locked in the Red Room, and also the lashing out at Mrs Reed were she feels a short-lived victory that soon turned to

Odysseus Isn't a Hero

2005-12-13T01:58:29-05:00

The Odyssey is an epic poem about a Greek warrior named Odysseus, who just finished fighting in the Trojan War. He journeys home only to find his house overtaken by suitors trying to marry his wife, and kill his son. During his journey he comes face to face with deadly creatures, and has mind-boggling experiences at sea. But after all that Odysseus has done, I’m not convinced that he is a hero. He is not a hero because he exhibits a cold-hearted personality, and because Athena gave Odysseus a lot of extra help during his adventures. The true personality of Odysseus finally comes out in The Odyssey. In the story “Scylla and Charybdis”, Odysseus is previously warned about Scylla, the 6-headed monster, and Charybdis, the whirlpool, and yet he decides he’s not going to tell his crew about them, and sails everyone right into the path of the monsters. He even says, “But as I sent them toward Scylla, I told them nothing, as they could do nothing,” (pg. 885, line 883). Just because his men couldn’t do anything about Scylla doesn’t mean Odysseus couldn’t have. “How do you like the beating that we gave you, you damned cannibal? … Zeus and the gods have paid you!” (pg. 873-874, lines 433-435) Odysseus shouted this to Cyclopes while he and his men were leaving the island. He was taunting poor Cyclops even though he had already escaped from the island and Cyclops could not hurt him anymore. This was such a cold-hearted thing to do to Cyclops, especially when Odysseus had his crew telling him he was being cruel, and that he should refrain from taunting Cyclops. Odysseus seemed to make decisions and say thing to people regardless of how it affected their life or feelings. Another reason Odysseus is not a hero is because he receives so much extra help from Athena. For example, in the story “The Challenge” (pg. 907), Athena disguises Odysseus as an old beggar and he attempts to shoot an arrow through several small rings. In the end, he is the only one to succeed, so he’s allowed to marry Penelope. Clearly, Athena helped Odysseus in this incident. There is no way he could perform a task like that all by himself, and because of that he shouldn’t be named a hero. A hero should be someone who can perform a great task by themselves.

Abandoned Communication & Companionship

2005-12-06T06:05:37-05:00

“Solitude vivifies; isolation kills.” (Roux 1886) “Bartleby, The Scrivener” by Herman Melville is abundant with isolation and Bartleby’s failure to connect with humanity. Bartleby portrays one of the most isolated characters in literature. Bartleby's environment cuts him off from nature and often, from humanity. During the day, Bartleby stares out his window at a wall in which Wall Street reveals a bleak and unnatural landscape. Bartleby also stays there during the night, when the bustling human population vanishes and the streets become desolately empty. The narrator makes attempts to learn about Bartleby and help him, but all attempts meet with failure, and the narrator gives up. The theme of isolation in this story can be found within four elements: character symbolism, descriptive passages, irony and the novellas theme. As the narrator first introduces us to Bartleby, he says, “I can see that figure now – pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn!” (Melville 15) These words by definition are paleness, deservedness of pity and forever sad or lonely. Right away, the narrator characterizes Bartleby as a lonely, pitiful man that has no sign of life left inside of him. This leads the reader to believe that Bartleby has low self-esteem and isolation issues. Choosing to take a standpoint when not really having one, Bartleby refuses to work, kindly saying, “I would prefer not to.” (Melville 24) This tells us that he may feel menial and that his work was mediocre by the standards given. His withdrawal issues tell us that he attempts to isolate himself from society. From a psychological perspective, this leads the reader to believe that either he was forsaken as a child and found that contentment is individualistic, or more presumably is that society may have marred him before, leading him to the same zealousness as previously stated. Melville’s use of descriptive passages shows how the narrator attempts to disassociate and isolate Bartleby by his placement in the office. The narrator tells us exactly what he did to Bartleby, down to the smallest detail, to isolate him from the rest of society: “I placed his desk close up to a small side window in that part of the room, a window which originally had afforded a lateral view of certain grimy backyards, and bricks, but which, owning to insubsequent erections, commanded at present, no view at all, though it

McMurphy's Downfall - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

2005-12-06T03:40:48-05:00

2613547 October 17, 2005 Thesis Paper McMurphy’s Downfall This novel is narrated by Chief Broom, the son of an Indian chief, who pretends to be a deaf mute as a protection against a society which denies his dignity as a human being. Many of his comments on conditions in the hospital ward and in society, while are not literally true, are accurate metaphors for the social regimentation against which the novel protests. The action of the novel begins with the arrival of Randle Patrick McMurphy, a rambunctious and free-spirited roisterer who has chosen to come to the mental hospital to avoid completing a sentence at a prison farm. He is instantly and deliberately in conflict with Nurse Ratched, "Big Nurse," whose object is to reduce the patients on her ward to abject conformity. As many of these patients have deliberately chosen to stay in the hospital to avoid the pressures of life outside, she has met with little resistance until McMurphy's arrival. Almost immediately McMurphy becomes a focus of hope for the patients who have been emasculated by Big Nurse and by their fears of the outside world. Passage after passage suggests that Kesey envisions McMurphy as a Christ figure who must sacrifice himself to bring life to the other patients. McMurphy's efforts to give the other patients a sense of joy in living culminates with a drunken party he arranges on the ward; a featured guest is a prostitute who provides Billy Bibbit, a painfully shy and insecure man aged 30, with his first sexual experience. When Big Nurse discovers Billy with the prostitute, she overwhelms him with guilt, causing his suicide. McMurphy attacks Big Nurse, but he is pulled away and lobotomized. When McMurphy is returned to the ward, Chief Broom smothers him so that he cannot be used as a trophy of Big Nurse's victory. He then throws a huge control panel through a window and escapes, an action symbolizing his restoration to manhood

A Good Man it's Hard to Find

2005-11-21T00:29:30-05:00

A Good Man is Hard to Find To the inexperienced, the writing of Flannery O'Connor can seem at once cold and dispassionate, as well as almost absurdly harsh and violent. Her short stories normally end in horrendous, freak fatalities or, at the very least, a character's emotional devastation. In reality, her writing is filled with meaning and symbolism, hidden in a flawless narrative style that is not biased, dogmatic, or of personal belief. Flannery O'Connor is a Christian writer, and her work is message-oriented, yet she is far too brilliant a stylist to tip her hand. Nevertheless, she achieves what no Christian writer has ever achieved: a type of writing that stands up on both literary and the religious grounds, and succeeds in doing justice to both. Flannery O’Connor uses Christianity as a fundamental thesis in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” The exploration for the meaning of the Christian faith in the story is based on O’Connor’s view that contemporary society was drastically changing for the worst. O’Connor, a fundamentalist and a Christian moralist focuses her powerful apocalyptic fiction on the South. O’Connor views the lifestyles of the “elite” Southern people to be a facade. “A Good man is Hard to Find” focuses on Christianity being filled with sin and punishment, good and evil, belief and unbelief (Driskel and Brittain 25). Before trying to examine the various elements that make up the remarkable writing of Flannery O'Connor, a bit of biography is necessary. Mary Flannery O'Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia on March twenty-fifth, 1925 to Catholic parents Edward F. and Regina C. O'Connor, and spent her early childhood at 207 East Charlton Street. Young Flannery attended St. Vincent's Grammar School and Sacred Heart Parochial School. In 1938 her father got a position as appraiser for the Federal Housing Administration, and the family moved to North East Atlanta, then Milledgeville, where, three years later, Ed died from complications arising from the chronic autoimmune disease lupus. Flannery attended Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College) and State University of Iowa, receiving her MFA from the latter in 1947. In 1951, after complaining of heaviness in her typing arms, she was diagnosed with the same lupus that had killed her father. She went on, despite the disease, to write two novels and thirty-two short stories, winning awards and acclaim, going on speaking tours when her health permitted, but spending most

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Evil Will Prevail

2005-11-19T02:54:44-05:00

In the 1886 classic, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, author Robert Louis Stevenson creates a mysterious tale of good versus evil and the dual nature of man. It is for the reader to decide if good or evil prevails in the end. In this argumentation, evil prevails. Jekyll asserts, “Man is not truly one, but truly two,” in other words every man has the ability to be good or evil. But Dr. Jekyll’s potion, which he hoped would separate the two good and evil elements, succeeds only in bringing the dark side. If man is half good and half evil, one wonders what happens to the “good” at the end of the novel. The good has been taken over by evil. This idea of evil prevailing is supported throughout the book but especially by four quotes, which have been pulled out of the story. These quotes are taken directly from the book and all support the following ideas; Dr. Jekyll felt that he was part of Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll liked being the notorious Mr. Hyde until it was too late, evil had been taking over Dr. Jekyll from the start of his experimentation until the tragic end where evil won its victory, and last but not least, evil killed Dr. Jekyll when it took completely over. Dr. Jekyll recognizes that Mr. Hyde is a part of himself. In Dr. Jekyll’s letter to Mr. Utterson he described Mr. Hyde, “...were the expression, and bore the stamp, of lower elements in my soul.” Dr. Jekyll also explains, “It was on the moral side, and in my own person, that I learned to recognize the thorough and primitive duality of man; I saw that, of the two natures that contended in the field of my consciousness, even if I could rightly be said to be either, it was only because I was radically both; and from an early date . . . I had learned to dwell with pleasure, as a beloved daydream, on the thought of the separation of these elements.” These aspects are important to recognize because they show that Dr. Jekyll was well aware of Mr. Hyde being a part of him, and he did know Mr. Hyde was of evil nature, which, would lead to the dark side taking over. If Dr. Jekyll knew the consequences, why would he continue forth? Also if Dr.

The Hobbit Book Report -2005-

2005-11-08T20:22:11-05:00

The Hobbit Book Report By Shaeydyh Setting: The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien is in an arrangement of a world of imagination of the hobbits, elves, dwarves, men and dragons, however the world is very similar to ours which it has many differences. It takes place in fantastic the imaginary means ground of the world in one moment "a long time ago" where the use of the swords, the axes, and the amour still in an extravagant way of fighting and is still heard of. Characters: Characters in the story are the well developed and develop more and more as the story reveals itself. Bilbo Baggins, has the quiet, food-affectionate hobbit smokes soundly out of his pipe when Gandalf the wizard, subtly invites the hobbit to go on an adventure and Bilbo shoos it in addition to saying to him to come for the tea tomorrow (hoping it would not show up). This is where it all starts; an unexpected part of thirteen dwarves and Gandalf, Bilbo is overwhelmed by the end of the day and oversleeps for an appointment he never knew about at the bywater. But when he arrives there he finds them all laid out to leave and ready to take with them! So that was the beginning of the adventure of Bilbo Baggins. All the time Bilbo wished that he was eating bacon with a singing kettle in the background of his content and cozy hobbit-hole. The remainder of the lot, the dwarves, who were to become irritated of the sound of the hobbit complaining about lack of food and they said things like "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar.” Their thoughts changes mightily after a certain incident where he escapes from an inhabited mine by orcs under a mountain and a magic ring he finds (not that he told them). But, Thorin, son of Thror, son of Thrain never respected the hobbit much since he was never put to good used, at least until he transformed into a magnificent thief and got the party out of a dew terrible dilemmas one involving giant spiders and the other wood-elves. And then by sneaking into the dragon Smaug’s tunnels and stealing one of his possessions and then talking to the dragon with his magic ring on trying to out-clever him. Summary: Bilbo is taken on an unexpected adventure with thirteen dwarves to conquer a dragon named Smaug and take the treasure

4 way test

2005-11-04T00:08:39-04:00

The Rest of Your Life Starts Now Every day I wake up and think the rest of my life starts now. I try not to think about anything that happened the day before. I wake up every morning with a clean slate. So when I found out that we were going to live a test for one week I thought it was going to be easy. Well, it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, I’m used to gossiping and telling little white lies, but this week I couldn’t do that. I stuck through with it all week. I tried to do everything by the four-way test. By the end of the week I had tremendous respect for the Rotary Club. Before I did anything worth questioning, I asked myself; will it build better friendships? Is it the truth? Is it fair to everyone? And last but not least, is it good for all concerned? I asked myself these questions so many times this week. Whether it was for little things or big things I did everything I could to live by this test. I think it has changed the way I look at like it self. My friends are one of the most important things in my life. I’m here for them and they are there for me. Now I will admit it; I will sit and gossip with my friends. I think that are school is so small we have nothing to do but gossip. This past week I promised myself that I would not gossip one time. I know for a fact that I did not say one thing about someone or participate in any gossip spread that week. I think I finally figured out who my friends were that week. Which ones just wanted to be my friend so they could use me later to get something; and my real friends that were there for me when I cried and laughed with me when I was happy. I stopped talking for once and actually listened. So much stuff is said in one day. Like one day I was talking to my friend and she started going off on one of my best friends costume for Halloween. I have to be honest the costume that she was wearing was probably to inappropriate for a 13 year old to wear. Before I was about

A Separate Peace: Ignorance of the Human Heart

2005-10-31T21:12:25-04:00

Note: Please use

A Separate Peace: Ignorance of the Human Heart

2005-10-31T21:11:20-04:00

Note: Please use

The Honorary Consul

2005-10-20T13:56:03-04:00

Latin America and its way of life is the setting to Graham Green's story. It is a story of terror and kidnap, a story of two men's love to a woman out of a brothel. All this is a discussion about the love & honour in a person, in a violent atmosphere. The Honorary Consul is a book of conflicts and paradoxes, which will be discussed in this book report. The main character in the book is Doctor Eduardo Plarr. Dr. Plarr is the only Doctor in a small town. He was half English, half Spanish. The English part of him was in prison or dead, and the Spanish part was a fat woman in Buenos Aires who loved cakes. In fact, Eduardo's mother love for cakes is the only real love in the book. A reader could hesitate if Eduardo loved Clara (Clara is a girl out of a brothel, the wife of Charley Fortnum, the British honorary consul who was kidnapped), but he couldn't do it in this cakes. It affected Dr. Plarr, for he didn't love people. He only committed adultery with them and saved their lives. Although Dr Plarr was born in Argentina, he did not see himself as Spanish. He didn't touch people when he spoke to them, he didn't gossip with them in the cafe, and preferred to speak English when possible. One of many themes in the book is the theme of the Catholic belief. According to the Catholic belief (and many other religions) life is holy. Dr. Plarr did everything he could to save people's life, even when they couldn't pay him. Along the book, he tries to save the life of Charley Fortnum, the British honorary consul who was kidnapped by mistake. Why Dr. Plarr is so brazen to save Fortnum's life? Is it because life is holy, or because he is a doctor and he is obliged to save one's life? Plarr was not a Catholic, and not a great believer. He committed adultery with Fortnum's wife- a great breach of the religious law. It is interesting to contemplate how such a man could be judged by others. A believer would probably say that Plarr's errand in this world is to save people. A scholar would say that Plarr is loyal to his job as a doctor. A priest may say that Plarr is a sinner. And this

Ira Berlin’s Many Thousands Gone

2005-10-05T15:54:49-04:00

Ira Berlin’s Many Thousands Gone Book Review Berlin traces the evolution of black society from the first arrivals in the early seventeenth century through the American Revolution, reintegrates slaves into the history of the American working class, and reveals the diverse forms that slavery and freedom assumed before cotton was the mainstay of the slave economy. You witness the transformation that occurred as the first generations of Creole slaves, free blacks, and indentured whites gave way to the plantation generations, whose exhausting labor was the sole engine of their society and whose physical and linguistic seclusion sustained African traditions on American soil. Berlin demonstrates that the meaning of slavery and of race itself was continually redefined, as the nation moved toward political and economic independence. Berlin argues that despite an inherent power imbalance, slavery was a negotiated relationship between slave and owner. Even in the worst of circumstances, slaves always held a strong card: the threat of rebellion. Through this negotiation, slaves not only carved out an independent social sphere from sundown to sunup, they created their own world under the owners' noses from sunup to sundown as well. Additionally, slavery itself continually changed, and hence the terms of the relationship frequently had to be renegotiated. Slavery was not a static institution, as many historians have portrayed it. Berlin's signal contribution is to drive home that slave life differed from place to place and from time to time. Berlin divides his study by both place and time. He identifies and examines four distinct slave societies in the first 200 years of North American slavery: the North; the Chesapeake Bay area; the coastal low country of South Carolina, Georgia, and eastern Florida; and the lower Mississippi Valley of west Florida and Louisiana. He periodizes slave history and slaves themselves into the charter generations (charter refers to the crown charters of such early colonies as Jamestown and Massachusetts Bay), the plantation generations, and the Revolutionary generations. Berlin also divides his study socio-economically into societies with slaves and slave societies. In the former, slaves, mainly multinational, multilingual Atlantic Creoles, were marginal to the region's central production processes, and slavery was one form of lower labor among many. In slave societies, slavery stood at the very center of economic production, with a domineering and patriarchal master-slave relationship serving as the model for all social relationships, including father and child and husband and wife. Berlin points to the establishment of the

Jon Butler's Becoming America

2005-10-05T15:51:33-04:00

Jon Butler’s Becoming America Book Review Butler's first chapter shows the decline of Indian populations due to disease, the dramatic decline in the proportion of English colonists and the tragedy of the slave trade, and the largest forced human migration in history, which brought more Africans than Europeans to England's mainland colonies from 1700 to 1770. The account of slavery highlights its brutality and stresses that Americans did not inherit but created the modern system of human and legal interrelationships. He contends that the main reason for the expansion and tightening of the slave system was simple: profit. Butler does discuss other factors, including the decline in the availability of indentured servants, the failure of attempts to enslave Indians, and the cultural predispositions of Europeans to perceive Africans as different, disagreeable, and dispensable, ideal candidates for enslavement. His descriptions of the colonies' extraordinary economic growth from 1680 to 1770, the rapid development of domestic and international markets for the agricultural products that were central to all the colonies' economies, the taking of Indian lands, the division of labor that prevailed everywhere and the increasing gap separating the richest from the poorest Americans, especially slaves, are excellent. He judges all colonists accomplices in the slave system and the destruction of Indian cultures. European settlement throughout the colonies ultimately had the effect of enslaving or oppressing Africans and attacking or infecting Indians. He concludes the chapter by pointing out, persuasively, that in these provinces of plenty, the patterns of wealth and poverty demonstrated how the experience of wealth and impoverishment descended not from the land, but from human innovation, I wanted to know the reasons the colonists themselves offered, or the arguments they had with each other, as they tried to justify the cultures they were inventing, but Butler didn’t list them. Butler argues persuasively that America during the late colonial period (1680-1776) rapidly developed a variegated culture that displayed distinctive traits of modern America, among them vigorous religious pluralism, bewildering ethnic diversity, tremendous inequalities of wealth, and a materialistic society with pervasively commercial values. In his chapter on colonial politics Butler outlines the operation of local and imperial administration, the rise of colonial assemblies, and the expansion of the claims to authority of the crown's representatives and the shrinking of their effective power. He challenges other historians' claims about the importance of religion or democracy

William Cronon’s Changes in the Land Review

2005-10-05T15:49:41-04:00

William Cronon’s Changes in the Land Book Review William Cronon sets out to explain why New England habitats changed as they did during the colonial period and how this was all a process of change. His thesis is to portray that the shift from Indian to European dominance in New England entailed important changes in the region’s plant and animal communities. Cronon supports this thesis by providing the reader with contrasts of both the ecosystems and the economies in pre-colonial New England to those at the beginning of the 19th century. From the initial squandering of valuable resources to the ultimate ruin of many areas in New England, the European way of life, including its economy, certainly changed the new land of which it had become a part of. Cronon explains how much the landscape and the environment were radically changed by the arrival of the Europeans. He also argues that the shift from Indian to English domination in New England saw English property systems take control and the dominance of domesticated animals as well. And finally, another argument suggested by Cronon reveals that the Industrial Revolution would transform New England ecology by opening up industries to urban centers and building canals to connect cities. Cronon's argument reveals that the change in New England's landscape and environment was not only brought on by the arrival of the Europeans but also made possible by the active involvement of the Indian people. Cronon introduces the field of environmental history and talks about the evidence he used to put together this book: early travel accounts; colonial town, court, and legislative records; ecological data; and the landscape itself. In addition, he discusses some of the theoretical problems with doing environmental history, which he refers to as ecological history. He makes it clear that he is centrally interested in how Native Americans and Europeans changed the landscape of New England, and how the changes Europeans made forced Native Americans to abandon their earlier ways of interacting with the land. Cronon reveals that the New England landscape during the 1800s was significantly different from what the first Europeans described. He uses Henry David Thoreau as a reference to explain how he also saw changes in the land during the 1800s. Animals which were once indigenous to the land are now very rare due to the domesticated animals of the Europeans.

Short Story Characters - "The Bath" and "Good Morning Wardrobe"

2005-09-17T22:39:40-04:00

Question: With close reference to AT LEAST TWO short stories that you have studied, show how the author(s) have used the characters to present insights into the worlds the characters inhabit. Essay Answer: Social isolation in a societal world is an engaging theme explored by many short stories. Janet Frame has successfully done this in her story “The Bath” and Edith Campion has in “Good Morning Wardrobe” using similar techniques. The two authors explore social isolation by illustrating each main character through descriptive imagery, writing structure, and internal monologue. Firstly, the descriptive imagery that each writer uses successfully presents the main character of the story. Frame’s nameless old lady is presented as weakened with age and connotative imagery such as “grass-yellow as old baths are” reflect the character’s age and contrast with the “frost-white” of new baths. This contrast between old and new presents to the reader how the lady is trapped in an aged body, like a cage, a bath or a coffin that is impossible to step out of, all while the rest of her society members continue on living free and happy lives. This technique of contrasting descriptive imagery is also seen in “Good Morning Wardrobe” where Mrs Crimpton’s long dress of beige and old-fashioned hat all contrast with the short skirts and solid colours of the modern society. Mrs Crimpton is referred to as “the rare bird” and “a Spanish Galleon” which both illustrate the way she stands out in the crowd. Descriptive imagery also gives the reader an insight into the way each character moves, as well as setting the atmosphere for the stories. In “the Bath”, the old lady’s movements are “slow and arduous” and often she is frightened by this. Frame incorporates revealing comparisons, for example, the bath rim is like the edge of a cliff, which gives the reader an insight into the tense world that the old lady inhabits. Mrs Crimpton’s movements are portrayed as unsure which reflects her abandonment and her personality, causing the reader to sympathise with her, “She teetered down the stairs, clinging to the banister-rail”. Additionally, each writer’s story structure is important to reveal the different aspects of each main character’s worlds. Each story has two parts, in “The Bath” the old lady begins the story in her home where her life is mute and tense and there is an element of fear portrayed by Frame’s language. It is as

Anthem

2005-09-17T19:34:47-04:00

Throughout weeks of forbidden loneliness in the underground tunnel, Prometheus slowly reinvented the light. His discovery was so gargantuan, that he knew that he had to present it to the Council of Scholars. Once he told his story to the Scholars, Prometheus started realizing his fatal mistake: The World Council rejected his gift of light and now he had to face the consequences. The Council’s rejection consisted of a few steps. Harmony 9-2642 asserted that it would have brought ruin to the Department of Candles. Unanimity 2-9923 reported that it took fifty years to secure the approval of all the Council for the Candle, and to decide upon the number needed, and to re-fit the Plans so as to make candles instead of torches. Last, but not least, what was not done collectively could not be good. Besides the fact the light bulb was evidently going to be demolished, Prometheus, himself, was to be hanged, murdered, executed, neutralized, or in other words, he was dead. Finally, when the idea behind their social life uncovered itself, he realized that the light that was suppose to take him to the top and make him a big-time hero, instead uncovered something bigger- the truth. Suddenly, the light extinguished forever and everything turned dusky inside Prometheus’ heart. Now he understood that their society was nothing but a lie . . . a lie about everything: about evils of individualism, friendship, and love. All of the concepts that they followed and their atmosphere in general was counterfactual. At once he realized the great importance and necessity of new discoveries and observations. Ayn Rand’s philosophy is coherent. Rand’s St. Petersburg family was wealthy. Her father owned a pharmacy. When the Bolshevik Revolution erupted, their pharmacy was confiscated and she was left with nothing. Once she cast an anchor in America, her hatred for Russia grew even stronger and because of that her philosophical concept was born- “Objectivism”. In Anthem, Prometheus, in order to free himself from the collectivist society, had to make crucial mistakes that led to the understand the meaning of man’s ego. The Council’s rejection was the first step to freedom. As a result, he understood that not only was he fooled, but everybody else was, as well. If anybody wants to fully understand Ayn Rand’s philosophy, then they have to know a tad about socialism. Socialistic years were similar to those that Rand describes

The Miracle Worker

2005-09-17T19:33:08-04:00

Me though I saw the grave where Jimmie Lays Within that temple where the vestal Flame, Was wont to burn and passing by those ways To see that buried dust of living fame. Annie Sullivan was blind when Jimmie died. At that time Jimmie and Annie were living in the state poorhouse in Tewksbury. There she met her destiny, the destiny to be brave, strong, and never to give up. Later on, when Jimmie was no longer there to support her, she was transported to the Perkins Institution for the blind. That day- October 7, 2003 - changed her life forever. After several eye operations, Annie finally can see, and her destiny is about to be tested. All the troubles that Annie went trough are nothing compared to our unsolvable problems. In he present situation Annie never gave up, she tried and tried and tried to make Helen Understand what does this little finger game means, that each thing has a certain name, and that paid off. The present situation of Helen depends in Kate and Captain Keller’s decision. It is also even worse then it was when Annie was a child. When Helen was two years old she lost her hearing, sight, and speaking abilities. Throughout seven years her parents Kate and Captain Keller tried to do something to help her in any way. Every doctor couldn’t do anything. Everyone lost his or her hope, Captain Keller even thought about putting Helen to the asylum. But like Annie said, that the main sources of Helen’s problems are not deafness or blindness, that’s their love and pity. Captain Keller, Kate, Aunt Ev, all of them never tried to teach her those simple manners, like what does the word spoon means and what’s its purpose. Well actually this essay is not about anyone’s biography; this essay will compare and contrast the Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker” in its written form and in its video version. It will show us how important to read and watch this play, in order to understand all of the feelings that the author wanted to introduce to us. In my opinion both video and written from are important and easily understandable. When I read the play I had different ideas how each person looks like. I never imagined Annie in such black dresses

Danny's success in the novel 'Border Crossing' by Pat Barker

2005-09-09T12:29:54-04:00

At the conclusion of the novel Tom decides he is ‘looking at success’ in Danny Is this an objective assessment, or does Tom need to think this? The conclusion of the novel portrays Danny at university working towards an established goal and most importantly - socialising. When compared to events such as Danny’s attempted suicide, these final events surely show a remarkable improvement. Tom even goes so far as to say that he “is looking at success”; however it is important to acknowledge that Tom, himself is not totally impartial. Danny’s ability to “get inside” people caused Tom to compromise both his professional and personal integrity and this reason alone provides enough evidence for one to assume that he does in fact ‘need to think’ that Danny is a success. Danny’s ‘success’ however, must be regarded appropriately – how does one view success in a murderer? Success in ones life is measured in all sorts of forms, in particular sporting and academic achievements. Danny’s ‘success’, however is clouded with ambiguity and vagueness. Some would view the many transitions that Danny appears to have gone through as a success. His most remarkable transition is the comparison of his earlier revelation regarding the attempted suicide, “I just thought sod it” juxtaposed against his comment at the end of the novel, “finals this year”. Consider also Danny’s transition from jail to freedom. He admits that he “made prison work” and his transition to freedom, (with lack of freedom) where he is “not allowed to work with people” clearly frustrates him. Danny has also “burned his tapes” in that he no longer requires Tom’s support. The conclusion of the novel portrays Danny at uni working towards a goal and somewhat cheerful. Ambition and direction have crept their way into Danny’s life and Barker even portrays him as socialising, “a proprietorial arm across his shoulder”. Although Danny admits, “I don’t why I killed her” he appears to have at least come to terms with her death and possibly his actions. This is an important step and he demonstrates his acceptance with his comment “she’s got a right to quite a few of my brain cells”. Danny also appears to be coping with yet another identity change, “if it happens again, I won’t run”. This dual acceptance is evidence of his developing maturity and perhaps a step in the direction of the rehabilitation that Tom was so keen to occur.

Complete Analysis of The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster

2005-08-24T22:26:52-04:00

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The image of women in the Eightieth

2005-08-11T05:26:45-04:00

Thanh H. Mai LIT 2010 Final Paper Professor: Patricia A. Stefanovic The image of women in the Eightieth The environment is having a very big effect to people surrounded by it. The way parents treated their child will have a direct influent on whom and what they want to become in the future. The relations of people to a person might lead that person to their ruin. From “A Rose For Emily” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”, we can see very clearly the evident that lead these women to their tragic ending. In “A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner, a noble woman being isolated from people in her town and because of loneliness she end up insane and have a tragic life. Also in “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator is being restricted to all her favorite things and that leads her to insanity. These two women have one thing in common: they were forced to insanity by the people surrounded them. In “A Rose For Emily”, the main factor that leads to the change of Emily’s mental and physical is: the isolation of the people of the town. Before Emily was considering one of the best looking people in town: “None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such.” (page 486); now Emily looks more like a drowned body: “She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water” (page 485) Due to the fact that Emily lived in a big house and had a colored servant, it made the people in town think that Emily is not one of them and thus it’s easier for them to put her aside and ignore her. In addition because of her father’s ideas, she always thought she was someone special better than the rest of the rest of the people in town, and that is the reason why she never got married. Thus her father is the only one that can take care and protect her. There are two people that have the most influenced to Emily’s life were her father and her lover. Her father raised her as a real “lady” and he thought noone will be good enough for her so he chased away all the people that came and asked for Emily. Her first appearance of insanity when her father died, since he was the only one that closed to her so she refused to accept

Yossarian

2005-08-05T23:35:54-04:00

Character Analysis Captain John Yossarian is the main character of Joseph Heller’s 1961 satirical war novel, Catch-22. He’s a bombardier in the Army Air Corp’s 256th bomber squadron and he suffers from an intense fear of death. Catch-22 is a mysterious regulation that traps its victims in a web of circular reason. Basically, if there’s a rule then there’s always an exception to it. For instance, Catch-22 says that no one is allowed to read Catch-22. It always creates circumstances where, when things look fine, Catch-22 appears and ruins everything. Catch-22 keeps Yossarian in the war because his Colonel continues raising the number of missions he has to fly before he can be rotated Stateside. From the beginning of the book, Yossarian stands out as beeing different from the others, he doesn’t care about the war, and he’s not interested in risking his life. In addition, his contemporaries think he’s insane and they do not understand why he believes that people are trying to kill him. Yossarian is both a member of his squadron and alienated by it (Sparknotes). Throughout the novel he carries with him the badge of being different. Though he lives and flies with his fellow airmen, he is constantly identified as an outsider. His Assyrian name strikes people as out of the ordinary because no one’s ever heard of it before. For instance, the egomaniacal Colonel Cathcart becomes distressed every time he hears the name. Heller writes: Yossarian─ the very sight of the name made him shudder. There were so many esses in it. It just had to be subversive. It was like the word subversive itself. It was like seditious and insidious too, and like socialist, suspicious, fascist and Communist. It was an odious, alien, distasteful name (220). Adding to Yossarian’s difference is the fact that he just doesn’t care. He doesn’t care about the war, or the enemy, or his “duty,” or parades. When he becomes fed up with the war, he simply invents a medical problem such as liver pain, or “seeing everything twice,” and retreats into the hospital. He says that, “All he was expected to do in the hospital was to die or get better, and since he was perfectly all right to begin with, getting better was easy. (175)” As

Amanda (The Glass Menagerie)

2005-08-05T23:34:50-04:00

Amanda Amanda Wingfield is the eccentric Southern mother in Tennessee William’s drama The Glass Menagerie. Amanda is a relic of a bygone era. She lives in a fantasy world of her own creation where she is the Belle of a grand never ending Southern ball. Her children, Tom and Laura also retreat to their own respective worlds of make believe. Amanda doesn’t care to recognize the defects in her children, especially in Laura. While she repeatedly lauds her children that they must always be prepared for life to take them where they don’t want to go, she does nothing to keep Laura in school. Perhaps it is because she is unable to break with the fantasy of her past where young woman waited to be courted by wealthy men. Amanda is unable, or unwilling to break with her fantasy of being superior and her children being superior until it’s too late for anyone to change. Amanda withdraws from reality into fantasy whenever she needs to escape from whatever’s troubling her and she constantly reminisces about her life in the Mississippi Delta when she was a girl. Though Amanda acknowledges her situation and the situation of her family, which is poverty, she will never let go of her memory of the South. Whereas Tom retreats into literature and film, and Laura plays with her glass, Amanda retreats mentally and out loud back to her youth (Glass Menagerie). She recounts stories of balls and dances, church socials and gentleman callers. She needs to remind herself, and anyone who will listen, that she was once important and was courted by important people. Amanda’s recollections always come to an abrupt halt at one key point, when she met her husband. Through the entire play she always stops reminiscing when she comes to that time. Faced with the consequences of her poor choice of a husband while surrounded by so many promising suitors, her mind will not allow her to peruse her memories further because to include the failure of her marriage would destroy the images she is so fond of recalling and place blame for her situation on herself (Amanda Wingfield). There is no distinction between Amanda’s fantasies and the world she lives in. To her, she is a Southern Belle who happens to live in less than suitable conditions

Personal and National Paternalism in Barbara Kingsolver's Novels

2005-06-12T18:17:08-04:00

The etymological relationship between "father" and "homeland" goes back to the Latin words for both: pater (father) and patria (country). Fatherland, Vaterland, patrie... all these words meaning "home country" bring to mind fatherly images. Likewise, the words "patriot" and "patriotic" echo "patriarch", or the grandfatherly head of a family or clan. The drafters of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are lovingly known as the "founding fathers"; first president George Washington is called the "father of our country". Even in the egalitarian twenty-first century, our country is represented in political cartoons by white-bearded Uncle Sam. These linguistic similarities are reflected in Barbara Kingsolver's novels. In Barbara Kingsolver's novels, the paternalism exhibited by fathers towards their daughters is paralleled by the paternalism the United States government shows when dealing with indigenous cultures. In Kingsolver's eyes, arrogance, neglect, and abuse characterize both types of paternalism. According to Kingsolver, one of the main components of both types of paternalistic relationships is arrogance. Reverend Nathan Price of The Poisonwood Bible is a prime example of the arrogant father. He, a servant of God, seems to think that he is God. This complex is maginified by the fact that the Reverend has a low opinion of the female sex in general, and he makes no exemption for his daughters. Although his twin daughters Leah and Adah were identified as intellectually gifted at an early age, he refuses to send them to college. He compares higher education for women to pouring water into leather shoes--either the water leaks out and is wasted, or the shoes retain the water and are thus ruined. To the Reverend, women are only good for being the servants of men. On occasion, he refers to himself as "the captain of a sinking mess of female minds". (PB 223) In his own eyes, the Reverend Price is the only logical person in his family. This arrogance results in deeply skeptical Adah becoming contemptous of dear old Dad fairly early on in life, and her sisters Rachel and Leah following suit during the family's stay in the Congo. Another of Kingsolver's arrogant paternal figures is Doc Homer Noline of Animal Dreams. Doc Homer, formerly Homero Nolina, belongs to the much-maligned white-trash branch of the Gracela family in his hometown of Grace, Arizona. He falls in love with one of his socially prominent second cousins, Althea. When World War II breaks out, Homero is

OF MICE AND MEN - THE AMERICAN DREAM IS PRESENTED AS A SAD ILLUSION

2005-05-29T00:50:26-04:00

Steinbeck’s novel presents the American Dream as a sad illusion. Discuss. Of Mice and Men is one of the most powerful and symbolic books of its era. It is, as Steinbeck put it, “…a study of the dreams and pleasures of everybody in the world,” examining many different aspects of human existence. A theme central to this novel is the idea of the American Dream, and of its failure as a realistic possibility. The American Dream is one of liberty, untarnished happiness and self-reliance. The protagonists, George Milton and Lennie Small, centralized their relationship over their dream. The dream was to ‘Someday…get the jack together…have a little house and a couple of acres…” (p.16) This displays George’s belief that one eventual day, their dream will come true, if they saved up their money. He also suggested to Candy that “S’pose they was a carnival or a circus come to town, or a ball game, or any damn thing…We’d just go to her.” (p.61) This indicates that George yearned after the American Dream, wishing to be free and self-reliant, able to go anywhere he’d like at anytime. However, there are hints of the impossibility of this dream. George averred that on their land, “…the cream is so God damn thick you have to cut it with a knife and take it out with a spoon.” (p.57) Also, Lennie claims that they should get different coloured rabbits, and George agrees, saying, “Sure we will. Red and green and blue rabbits Lennie. Millions of ‘em” (p.18) These ideas show that the dream was unrealistic and thus unattainable. Even Crooks claimed that “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads . . . every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ’em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’... Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.” (p. 73) In the conclusion of the novel, George and Lennie’s dream was shattered when George was forced to kill Lennie. Although Candy and George were resolute and worked hard in order to attempt and attain independence and their own land, they still did not succeed in doing so. Their journey, which awakened George to the impossibility of

Charles Dickens' Language in Great Expectations

2005-05-27T20:52:52-04:00

How Does Dickens’ Language Keep the Reader’s Interest? In ‘Great Expectations’ the reader’s interest is drawn in immediately, Dickens manages to catch the reader’s interest because he plays with the reader’s emotions instantly. We are automatically made to feel sorry for Pip because we learn, on the first page, that his family is dead and when “A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg” shouts at Pip we, the readers become helpless and can only watch. During the meeting of Pip and an escaped convict whom later we learn to be Magwitch, emotional drama is added throughout with sentences like “O! Don’t cut my throat, sir, I pleaded in terror” Dickens makes us feel very scared for Pip. In his writing Dickens uses poetic devices, especially triplets. An example of his use of triplets in the first chapter is during the scene where Pip meets Magwitch. “Tell us your name! said the man” “Once more, said the man” “ Show us where you live, said the man” Said the man is repeated three times and it disconnects Magwitch from the reader and allows the reader to not feel emotionally attached to him, it also means that Magwitch doesn’t have much emotion himself and it’s not until later that Dickens starts to add emotion into what Magwitch says. Charles Dickens includes many hidden meanings and subtleties in his writing, which adds extra depth and keeps the reading of his books interesting however many times you read them. Some of these meanings can be found in the names he gives the characters in his story, for example, Pip; a pip is a little seed that eventually grows into something much larger and grander as it’s life goes on and that is exactly what happens to Pip during ‘Great Expectations’. Dickens often uses long complex sentences that are broken up with commas to describe people and surroundings, these vivid descriptions add emotion and can create atmosphere exceedingly well. He uses so many adjectives in his writing and together with verbs it really captures the readers imagination, words like ‘smothered’ ‘lamed’ ‘limped’ ‘shivered’ ‘glared’ and ‘growled’. All theses appear in one paragraph together. Dickens does this so his readers can get a clear and exact image of what he’s describing, doing this then means the readers feel more involved with the story. “And that the flat wilderness beyond the churchyard,

Fahrenheit 451

2005-05-25T13:48:33-04:00

For me “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury is a prophet for the future. Unfortunately it is a real one. The book describes a lurid picture of our world – a world where books are burned. Heinrich Heine once said that “Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings”. It is also necessary to consider that the book was written after Hitler’s deeds became familiar to the world (Nuremberg trails). In our book we have a similar example– a woman burned with her books. Bradbury compares the Nazis (a dreadful past) with firemen burning people and books (a horrible future). Our setting is everywhere. It is mentioned that the story takes place in America– but it can happen everywhere. TV's are sold everywhere and soap operas are watched everywhere. The time period is the future– but the begging of this dreadful vision is today– we watch soap operas all the time– and we don’t see the danger. In this essay you’ll see the warning of Bradbury which is expressed in his book. "Bradbury's acount of this insane world, which bears many alarming resemblances to our own is fascinating" (The New York Times). His prophet is delivered by the main characters in the book. As soon as people will be afraid of becoming like some of the characters, the world will be saved from Disaster. The common image in Bradbury's world is represented by Mildred. Mildred is not the most important character, but she is very important for understanding the world Bradbury describes. She is very shallow and her life is based on "Family" ("Family" is a very famous soap opera). Mildred has a conflict of interests with her husband Guy Montag. In fact Montag has a conflict of interests with society. Mildred can not have a conflict of interests- she is to shallow for that. She can't think properly, so she can't argue for values. She doesn't have any. For example, Mildred takes a full bottle of sleeping balls- without even noticing. She didn't do it for suicide reasons. When someone wants to suicide he feels bad. Mildred can not feel bad, for Mildred can not feel at all. She doesn't have any feelings. "The virgin Israel has fallen down and will not get up again. She is abandoned on her own land, between the prostitutes, with no one to get her get

Medea Is A Woman Not A “Monster”

2005-05-15T21:28:34-04:00

I oppose the motion that "Medea is a 'monster not a woman'" because she is a woman betrayed by her love. I think that although some of her actions may be called erratic, they are overall justifiable. The first “monstrous” actions she takes are: she helps Jason obtain the Golden Fleece, Kills her brother to ensure Jason’s safe departure, and her ultimately betrays her father and homeland. In my eyes these actions were not done out of spite or because she is a “monster” but because she is a woman in love. Love is supposed to be unconditional. She fell head over heels for Jason and was blind sighted to the consequences of such actions. He—now this I’m assuming—also told her about his troubles in his homeland and again Medea did not want to see her beloved husband suffer. So she did what she thought would ease his pain, make him happy, she had Pelias (the man who overthrew his father) killed by his own daughters. Medea bore Jason’s children and gave herself to him. The love she had for him ran so deep that she abandoned her noble status and went into a foreign land, a stranger, and a woman. Now after doing all this for him Medea is repaid by Jason, her darling husband by his abandonment and marriage to the princess of the land. Jason is a selfish man, thinks himself above others. I think that Jason to have ‘loved’ her—and here I use the term ‘love’ loosely—but this ‘love only lasted as long as she was helping him but then a better opportunity arose and he threw her away like yesterdays news. Now, how you feel is you had put that much into a relationship and this was your reward? Jason does try offering an explanation for his actions (pg 706 beginning line 535) but I think he is simply trying to calm Medea down to save his own and new wife’s skin. He wants one day to be king of this land and he does not truly care about what happens to Medea. After having this said one may bring up the point that he did offer her help while she was in exile (pg 704 beginning line 448) but again I think this may be for the love of his children not because he actually cares for Medea. Medea then kills Jason’s new wife and her father, this I

The Devil in Massachusetts

2005-05-10T04:48:53-04:00

The Devil in Massachusetts: a Modern Enquiry into the Salem Witch Trial Marion L. Starkey Garden City, New York.: Anchor books, 1949 Pp. 1, 311 The Devil in Massachusetts: a Modern Enquiry into the Salem Witch Trial by Marion L. Starkey is an historical narrative of people and events surrounding the Salem Witch Trials. The format of the book is narrative with dialogue from actual trial records. The trial records applied with a modern psychiatric knowledge surrounding the witchcraft hysteria. Starkey recreates the sense of pity and terror that surrounded Salem and the suffering that many endured. The Devil in Massachusetts presents an account of the accusers, accused, prosecutors and defenders surrounding the trials at Salem. The book begins with the theory that two young and very deceiving girls began to explore witchcraft because they thought their lives consisted only of working but they lived like princesses. The girls egg on the Negro slave women of the Parris household to teach them some witchcraft. This was not hard to do since Tituba often babysat the young girls. Tituba introduced the girls to several tricks and spells similar to the voodoo she learned at home in Barbados. Starkey notes that the relation of the children and Tituba based on tradition rather then record. The only Evidence to these accounts is from the court record of the examination (pg.272). When three neighborhood girls hear of Tituba power, they join the two young girls in a witchcraft circle. The neighborhood girls being a bit older than the other two are seeking fortune telling from Tituba since they are unmarried and frowned upon in the puritan society. Everything seems fine until one of the younger girls, Betty leashes out with compulsive attacks and the doctor could not find a physical explanation. A few days later, the other girls begin having these same attacks. When a new doctor examines the girls, he notes that the attacks are from a spell. Starkey states that no detailed accounts of the “afflictions” exist but she bases her information on “early course of similar afflictions of the Goodwin children in Boston,” “an acute analysis made by Putnam of Corwin’s report of Tituba’s examination” and “general characteristics of early phases of hysteria as described by Sigmund Freud’s Selected Papers on Hysteria and other Psychoneuroses (pg. 274).” The book continues by exploring the accused witch’s of Salem that seem to be endless. With instructions

The Devil in Massachusetts

2005-05-10T04:48:34-04:00

The Devil in Massachusetts

2005-05-10T04:47:16-04:00

The Devil in Massachusetts

2005-05-10T04:47:00-04:00

The Devil in Massachusetts

2005-05-10T04:46:50-04:00

Beast Within

2005-05-01T19:38:59-04:00

The Life and Times of William Shakespeare

2005-05-01T03:20:20-04:00

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9-11 could have been avoided if the Secret Services would have done their Work

2005-04-30T22:48:32-04:00

Preceding the terrible events on September 11th, 2001, the American Secret Services have made many mistakes in regard to the possibility of preventing 9-11. The Secret Services, mainly the CIA and the FBI, have made a great lot of mistakes. After an initial meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where eight terrorists met, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) let go of them after their meeting, assuming it was unimportant . After the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 they changed their minds, now coming to the conclusion that major agreements regarding the Cole as well as regarding the WTC (World Trade Center) were made in Malaysia. However, it was too late. As the year 2001 approached and warnings accumulated, they still did not react. The September 11th-attacks could have been avoided if the Secret Services would not have been hindered in their work by higher authorities and if they would have cooperated/shared their findings. Mistakes long before 9-11 After the 1996 crash of TWA flight 800, 31 urgent proposals by a White House commission were proposed. The Los Angeles Times: The White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, created in 1996 after TWA Flight 800 crashed off Long Island, N.Y., recommended 31 steps that it said were urgently needed to provide a multilayered security system at the nation's airports... The Federal Aviation Administration expressed support for the proposals, which ranged from security inspections at airports to tighter screening of mail parcels, and the Clinton administration vowed to rigorously monitor the changes. But by Sept. 11, most of the proposals had been watered down by industry lobbying or were bogged down in bureaucracy, a Times review found. This was not at all done; according to Larry Klayman, CEO of Judicial Watch (a Washington-based legal organization aimed at fighting the corruption in state and Government): During the last eight years of scandal during the Clinton administration, and the first eight months of the Bush Administration, reports this morning confirm that little to nothing was done to secure our nation’s airports and transportation systems as a whole—despite warnings. Instead, cosmetic reform of education, social security, taxes, and other less important issues were given precedence. In addition, the American people were led to believe that appropriate anti-terrorist counter measures were being taken. Instead of telling the truth so the problems could be addressed, politicians painted a rosy picture in order to be elected and re-elected.

9-11 could have been avoided if the Secret Services would have done their Work

2005-04-30T22:48:07-04:00

Doctor Faustus Duality in the Doctor: Values in Faustus

2005-04-27T10:58:32-04:00

In Christopher Marloweâ€™s the epic Christian tragedy, Doctor Faustus, the protagonist, Dr. Faustus, struggles between following God or Lucifer. Faustus, who is an enigma in himself, is capable of tremendous eloquence and willful blindness. His refusal to see what is fact and what is fiction is a result of his pompous persona. In his quest to become omnipotent, Faustus fails to see that there is life after death and that his material possessions are of no consequence. Faustus is a combatant in his own internal war of knowledge or salvation. Faustusâ€™s inner turmoil gives way to the dominant meaning within the play: Medieval morals versus Renaissance ideals. Faustusâ€™s harrowing demise serves not only as a message to all but also gives justice to the age-old cliche â€œtoo little too late.â€? Marloweâ€™s characterization of Faustus leads one to the predominant idea of duality in society of his era in which Medieval values conflict with those of the Renaissance. In the opening of the play Marlowe uses the chorus to announce the time, place, and most importantly, to introduce Faustus. The chorus refers to the Greek myth of Icarus while characterizing Faustus - â€œ Till swollâ€™n with cunning, of self conceit,/ His waxen wings did mount above his reach/ And melting, heavens conspired his overthrow!â€?(Prologue. 19-21.). â€œ His waxen wings did mount above his reachâ€? is an ironic comparison between Icarus and Faustus. It is ironic because Icarus directly disobeys his father, which ties into the idea of moral sin. However, in Faustusâ€™ case it is disobedient to become too learned. Also, the line â€œ heavens conspired his overthrowâ€? could be a reference to Luciferâ€™s attempt to overpower God. Thus, the Chorus would ultimately be making reference to Faustus attempting to outwit God. This does in fact tie into the stark contrast between Medieval and Renaissance values; the medieval world shunned all that was not Christian while the Renaissance was a re-birth of learning in which people openly questioned divinity as with much more. The chorus makes it seem that Faustus is a â€˜badâ€™ man because he seeks knowledge. In essence, it portrays Faustus as a â€œRenaissance man who pays the medieval price for being one.â€? Faustusâ€™s constant struggle between conforming to Medieval values or exploring Renaissance principles is heightened by the Good Angel and Bad Angel. The Good Angel pulls Faustus towards Medieval

Alexander Pope's 'The Rape of the Lock'

2005-04-23T18:12:25-04:00

ALEXANDAR POPE Literature reflects the age in which it is written. This is very much true in the case of the poetry of the Augustan Period. Alexander Pope is the gem of the Augustan Age. Pope is not only recognized as a great comic writer but also as a creative artist. The man who created the fine ‘’filigree work’’ – The Rape Of The Lock- out of a trivial tempest in the teacup cannot be denied the status of a creative artist. Pope said; ‘The proper study of mankind is man’. But it was mankind as seen only in the small society of a city- mankind in London and in literary London. Pope is a protagonist of a whole age of an attitude of mind of a manner of writing. He has given in a single work the optimum expression to the social and moral manners and literary taste of an age. Pope’smagnum opus,’The Rape of the Lock’ is the best satirical picture of contemporary society in which he has presented the namby pamby foppishness, gay frivolities, fashions and amorous adventures of the fashionable ladies of the bon ton.’ The Rape of the Lock’ is a tableau vivant of a society where ‘At every word a reputation dies’. The whole panorama is limited to the eighteenth century aristocratic life. It is a mirror in a drawing room, but it gave back a faithful image of society. ‘Here thou great Anna whom three realms obey, /Dost sometimes counsel take- and sometimes tea’. Pope shared with other cultivated Englishmen of the early eighteenth century a sense of being ‘Augustens’. Augusten literature not only speaks to but also depicts ordinary citizens, their values and mores, their follies and foibles, prides and prejudices. The public they addressed consisted of politicians, energetic merchants and citizens, priests and gentlemen, men of the professions and ladies of fashion. The aristocracy of the 18 the century was a parvenu. Having suddenly emerged out of the commercial prosperity of England, were primarily urban people, who with a sudden flow of money from trade and commerce, became mad. They were basically luxury-loving people enjoying life in idle fun and frolic and measuring it out with coffee spoons. The ladies of the bon ton coddled their lovers as they did their lap dogs for the sake of fashion. The women’s madness for artificialities for pomp and for show is also reflected in Ariel’s speech; ‘‘Think not when

monkey, gulliver's travel analysis

2005-04-19T03:39:33-04:00

Physical travel is a very good way in exploring which will eventually lead you to discovering new things and at the end be able to reflect on how certain experiences will make changes in life that could be very helpful in the future. I’ll be referring to Gulliver’s Travels and Candide with this essay to show how their journey affected their lives all and all. I’ll start it off with Jonathan Swift’s, Gulliver’s Travel. Even though I only read the last book, I’ve already heard of this work when I was a kid. It is about an Englishman who takes off to the seas whenever his business fails. Gulliver ends up in 4 islands, namely; Lilliput, where tiny people lived. They were not at all afraid to used violence against Gulliver but overall, they were very hospitable, in a way that they even risked famine just to feed him. Unfortunately he got convicted but later on got pardoned by the king and eventually went back to his family in England. He then sets sail again and ended up in Brobdingnag, also known as the land of the giants. Here, he was discovered by a farmer but in bad luck, he was sold to the queen and became an entertainer. Gulliver’s social life was pretty easy but not enjoyable at all. He was often bothered by the natives, whose mistakes are often magnified by their huge size. Gulliver suffered in this island, like for example, he had difficulty eating because the insects leave slimy trail in his food. There was also a time where in his life was endangered by various forms of animals in the realm. Luckily, his cage was plucked by an eagle and suddenly ended up in the island of Laputa. This island is populated by intellectuals where in he discovered that the research being done there were totally insane. Gulliver was also able to witness the conjuring up of important military leaders, like that of Julius Caesar, which he found less impressive than that of what the he already know from reading the books. Most importantly, he discovered that there’s no way that you would know everything in a lifetime and that there will always be something new that you will learn everyday. And finally, he sets out as captain of a ship, but after the mutiny of his crew, he arrives in an unknown land. This land

monkey, gulliver's travel analysis

2005-04-19T03:38:05-04:00

monkey, gulliver's travel analysis

2005-04-19T03:38:03-04:00

Religion In Jane Eyre

2005-04-17T16:28:53-04:00

*Please Note* The page numbers in this essay reffer to the paper back version of the book published by Scholastic Inc. Religion in Jane Eyre In Charlotte Bronte’s coming of age novel Jane Eyre, the main character Jane not only struggles with the aspects of social class deviations but also her journey to find her own faith in God and religion. On her journey she encounters three greatly different variations on Christian faith, all of which, though she ultimately rejects, help her come to her own conclusions of her own faith and spirituality. Her first true questioning of religion is with her friend and Lowood school Helen Burns. Jane finds Helen to be serenely devout in her faith in God, and Jane admires her for it. However, Jane struggles to accept Helen’s passive view, as it lacks the understanding that Jane seeks. Also, at Lowood Jane encounters the owner of the school Mr. Brocklehurst, who acts as a dictator over the girls and teachers at Lowood. His religious ideals are those of sacrifice but it is apparent that Mr. Brocklehurst takes no consideration of these ideals in his own life style. Jane immediately rejects Mr. Brocklehurst’s point of view as it is so obviously hypocritical. Finally Jane meets her cousin St. John, a minister. Upon observing him and observing one of his sermons she realizes that though he is driven and passionate his views focus on “disquieting aspirations” as oppose to the uplifting of spirituality. She realizes that St. John lacks a true understanding of what faith and spirituality really mean. In Jane’s search for spirituality her journey leads her to find her own faith through the observations of the various and widely differing views of Helen, Mr. Brocklehurst and St. John. Jane first questions religion and faith when her friend at Lowood, Helen Burns, becomes deathly ill. She states that her “mind made it’s first earnest effort to comprehend what had been infused into it concerning Heaven and Hell; and for the first time it recoiled, baffled, and for the first time glancing behind, on each side, and before it, it saw all around an unfathomed gulf” (p. 83). Helen’s sickness personalizes everything she has been taught about religion, and so when she turns to it for solace, she finds that she doesn’t truly understand what she has been taught, and becomes lost without her own faith to guide her. Just before

Lord of the Flies

2005-04-17T00:06:44-04:00

Lord of the Flies April 16, 2005 What would happen if the world had no laws, no punishment, and no structure? William Golding answers this question by framing his views on the taunting subject of “civilization vs. savagery.” Lord of the Flies centers Golding’s thoughts by focusing on its serious minded characters, open-ended symbols, distinct settings, and masterful plot. This award-winning novel is an eccentric story of how human nature erupts into chaos and reveals the evil within. Lord of the Flies takes place on an uninhabited island in the middle of nowhere during a war in the early 1950’s. The war plays an important role in the novel because it is a time where societies fight for a title, as do the boys on the island. The island’s mountain is a crucial place in the novel because it borders the boundaries between good and bad and “civilization vs. savagery.” One side of the mountain maintains a cast of light, representing good, and the other side remains dark, representing evil. Golding makes the mountain the most sacred place in the story because it is where good contrasts evil, as it does in life within a respected community. The forest is a place of darkness and fear where all the hunting and killing occurs. It is here where both Simon and Piggy die, as well as all the hunted boar. Golding uses the forest to establish symbolic meaning connecting its evil surroundings to the lack of civilization, resulting in savagery. Golding also makes the forest the place where “the beast” lives to create a distinct image of fear and terror representing the evil in savagery. Ralph is the forward and charming protagonist in Lord of the Flies. He displays civilization and stability while being the chosen leader of the boys. However, as time on the island progresses Ralph’s devotion to morality starts to weaken. With the instinct of evil in the air, the boys are split into two groups. One group represents civilization (which is lead by Ralph and Piggy as a friendly side kick) and the other represents savagery (which is lead by Jack). Jack is the blood thirsty, barbaric leader of the hunters. His need to hunt and kill embraces his followers to express the power within. Jack soon realizes that he can use the boys’ fear of the beast to control them, making him the most dominant

Lord of the Flies

2005-04-17T00:03:00-04:00

changing perspective- sky high, everyday by bon jovi and 10 mary street by peter skryzneki

2005-04-07T01:58:38-04:00

Life experiences from childhood mould us into the eventual adults we are to become. “For every force, there is an opposite and reverse reaction” Newtons law of physics can be aptly applied to changing perspectives in that every aspect of change leads to different results and consequences, therefore shaping the future nature of oneself. This is evident in Hannah Roberts Sky High and correspondingly in Bon Jovi’s song Everyday as well as Peter Skrynecki 10 Mary Street. The inability of an adult to regain child like innocence is evident in Hannah Roberts Sky High. The composer reminisces of the simple joys of life experienced as a child and the magical significance in a child’s eyes of inanimate objects. She personifies her washing line by bringing it to life with its “long skeletal arms throwing long summer afternoon shadows across the lawn.”. “The best climbing tree stood proud on a small mound of concrete, festooned with socks and knickers” she is imaging the tree as a place of happy thoughts, were she could reminisce her childhood memories. Whereas “ today however it is bare” and like reality is dark and harsh. “It is an older more age-warped washing line” the narrator feels that she no longer can be that little girl that once climbed the washing line. The hyperbole of Sky High is a metaphor of her naivety of the way she perceived the world to be as she believes as an adult “there are too many things tying me to the ground” This child’s view is continued in Skrzynecki’s 10 Mary Street. The view of his house and home life within it, which Skrzynecki gives us, is from the changing perspective of a boy who is being assimilated into Australian culture, but who also appreciated the preservation of his parents European traditions. The poet recalls several details of the urban decay and the inadequacies of his childhood environment “rusty bucket”, “too narrow bridge”, “the factory that was always burning down”. But as he looks back to their family home, he sees nothing but dispossession “ a key, that’ll open no house, when this one is pulled down”. As time progresses understanding why and how perspectives change in life will help one understand both themselves and others, thus contentment comes from understanding. This ideology is evident in Bon Jovi’s song titled Everyday. The composer sings of a man who “used to be

a man for all seasons monologue

2005-03-25T05:24:15-04:00

Scene: After the trial, hours before his execution Oh this wretched place, it leaks…I suppose that’s the least of my worries (thinks for a few brief seconds) particularly after that farce of a trial. Oh, poor Richard. To perjure himself to acquire possession over a land that is as filthy and worthless as Wales (laughs) not a soul in their reasonable mind would want that forsaken burden! It doesn’t tolerate thinking about. However, that’s where Richard and I differ, I have a conscience. Oh, I’m sure he has one, buried deep down along with his innocence. Oh well, he will have his reckoning with God. May He have mercy on Richard’s soul. It is such a misfortune that clever Cromwell got a hold of him. Richard is much like a puppet; he is too weak to perform on his own yet, with the guidance of Cromwell he is easily led to power and evil. Oh, the young man should have listened to me…he should have become a respectable teacher! However, I shouldn’t be criticizing young Richard; I was foolish enough to assume I could hide behind the law. It was absurd to believe my silence would be a virtue. I was… I am a huntsman in the forest when it comes to the law. Yes, well it seems the hunter has been hunted, and now they shall feast upon me. Oh, make no mistake. If I could have found my way to sign the Act I would have, but I couldn’t, I simply couldn’t take the oath. Taking the oath would have compromised not only my love for God, but also my integrity as a man, and to be honest, I believe execution would be less tortuous on my soul. God knows I wanted to please Henry. He, after all is my king, and I am but his humble servant. But there is a part of me, no bigger than a dew pond to him, which I must allow myself to rule. I can allow only God or myself to rule there, no other. If not for that, I would have signed the Act; but if it’s God’s will that I join him in heaven, then who am I to question? Oh, I know my lady Alice would question that claim strongly! Alice is such simple soul. Of course, that just means that she is so often troubled by society, and

'Gulliver's Travels'- A Satiric magnum opus of Swift.

2005-03-24T17:51:15-04:00

‘GULLIVER’S TRAVELS’-A SATIRIC MAGNUM OPUS OF SWIFT. By; Maimoona Ijaz Gulliver’s Travels is a pilgrimage that brings one face to face with the yahoo image of man. Its climate is a metaphoric satire on the nature of man. Swift’s satire seems to have almost a religious purpose. His satiric vision of an irrational world, a vision that becomes his prelude to an act of faith. Swift has created a whole world of smooth, elegant, dignified people, performing the gestures of a rational society, except for one trivial difference; there is a void at the center of things. Men have become objects, suits of clothes, and inside, all is empty, no soul, no heart, and no mind. Sartorism is the image of pretense-a society of mountebanks, a puppet show world with a fat face pretending that it is rational and ordered. Swift’s satires show the madness of man’s reason. His satire arises from the painful awareness of human existence. It is a punching Juvenilia satire. But as a fiction it is written with the convention of Menippean Satire, being a free play of intellectual fancy, the ridicule of the philosophus gloriosus ; digressing narrative and the use of dialogues for the interplay of attitudes. Jonathan Swift is best known as a kaleidoscopic and versatile satirist and ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ is a fine example of his satiric genre. Swift has implied a variety of satiric techniques to reveal human follies, absurdities, imbecility, paradoxes, irony, similes and metaphors. There are two major types of satire employed in ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ namely; comic satire and corrosive satire. Comic satire is amusing and witty and makes us laugh. While corrosive satire is serious and scornful and hardly provides any mirth. To encapsulate, Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is a dexterous conglomeration of both types of satires. Swift s sometimes condemned as a Misanthrope. Gulliver’s fourth voyage has long been a stumbling block. In the way so a proper appraisal so the art of Swift. Early on critics were very much upset by

JANE AUSTEN

2005-03-22T17:40:17-04:00

JANE AUSTEN [Maimoona Ijaz] As a woman of exquisite style and cultivated manners, Jane Austen was the zeitgeist of the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century.Her literary panorama includes novels like ‘Pride and Prejudice’, ‘Sense and Sensibility’, ‘Emma’, ‘Persuasion’,’Mansfield Park’ together with ‘Northanger Abbey’. Her novels are called ‘tea-table romances’ owing to the ordinary commonplace events in them. Her picture of life is a delicate watercolor to put beside the more vigorous oil painting of Fielding.The novel which in the hands of Richardson and Fielding had been a faithful record of real life and of the working of heart and imagination became in the closing years of eighteenth century, the literature of crime, insanity and terror. It, therefore needed castigation and Jane Austen did the needful.She brought good sense and balance to the English Novel, which during the Romantic Age had become too emotional and undisciplined. She refined and simplified English Novel, making it a true reflection of English life,in which people do little more than talk to one another about their trivial interests. During the time of great turmoil and revolution in various fields, she quietly went on with her work, contenting herself with meager remuneration. She is one of the sincerest examples in English Literature of art for art’s sake.She had an acute power of observation that the simple country people of her own surroundings became the dramatis personae of her novels. Her painting of life has a Chinese fidelity and a miniature delicacy. Jane Austen was a realist. Her realism makes her think it foolish to worry about evils one cannot prevent. Like Chaucer and Shakespeare she accepts the ‘law of nature’. Miss Austen’s world has been called as ‘two-inches of ivory’’ or’ ivory towered’. She told almost the same story in all her novels, but she never repeated herself. Each of her books is distinguished from the other by important individual difference. Her compass of novels is not wide but within it she never fails. She is mistress of much deeper emotions than appears on the surface. Jane

symbolism in lord of the flies

2005-03-14T03:13:48-04:00

Madame Bovary is a Universal text

2005-03-07T10:03:47-05:00

GUSTAVE FLAUBERT ONCE REMARKED, “Madame Bovary, c’est moi” (“Madame Bovary is me”). On the surface, this comment seems ridiculous; the circumstances of Flaubert’s life have nothing in common with those he created for his most famous character. However his reasons for writing and the techniques he administers in portraying his characters make it obvious that he was the basis for the character of Emma Bovary. Of course he failed to add that so are you and I, we are all the victims of unrealized or unrealisable dreams. Written in the mid-nineteenth century “Madame Bovary” is the portrait of a female adulterer who seeks freedom from a dull, disappointing life and ultimately is destroyed by her selfishness and sin. Emma is a country girl educated in a convent and married to Charles Bovary (a dull and unremarkable doctor) at a young age. She holds idealistic romantic fantasies, longs for sophistication, sensuality, and passion, and lapses into fits of extreme boredom and depression when her life fails to match the soppy romantic novels she treasures. Hoping that this marriage will fulfil her romantic and sexual fantasies ands solve all her problems she is greatly disgusted by the monotony and lack of passion. The Bovary’s meet Homais, the town pharmacist, a pompous windbag who loves to hear himself speak. Emma also meets Leon, a law clerk, who, like her, is bored with rural life and loves to escape through romantic novels. When Emma gives birth to her daughter, motherhood disappoints her—she had wanted a son—and she continues to be downhearted. Romantic feelings blossom between Emma and Leon; however Emma feels guilty and throws herself into the role of a dutiful wife. Leon grows tired of waiting and departs to study law in Paris. His departure makes Emma miserable. Soon, at an agricultural fair, a wealthy neighbor named Rodolphe, who is attracted by Emma’s beauty, declares his love to her. He seduces her, and they begin having a passionate affair. Emma is often indiscreet, and the townspeople all gossip about her. However, refusing to elope with her, Rodolphe leaves her. Heartbroken, Emma grows desperately ill and nearly dies. By the time Emma recovers, Charles is in financial trouble from having to borrow money to pay off Emma’s debts and to pay for her treatment. Still, he decides to take Emma to the opera in the nearby city of Rouen. There, they encounter Leon and

Lord of the Flies shocks and disturbs the reader into an understanding of human nature.

2005-03-07T10:01:40-05:00

William Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies” not only provides a profound insight into human nature but also does so in a way that is remarkable for its use of shock and horror. Golding presents aspects of human nature as themes in the book. It alerts us to our potential to descend from order to chaos, good to evil, civilization to savagery. They are explored through how innate evil can be brought out in certain situations, the dangers in not addressing our own fears and the battle between civilization and anarchy. Most importantly, Golding achieved the above using metaphorical and didactic writing techniques that unquestionably shocked his readers – and still shocks them today. “Lord of the Flies” is essentially an allegory. It reveals how people can descend into barbarism in an atmosphere of chaos. The main issues in the novel are that of the divide between civilization and savagery, the innate human evil, power and its consequences, and grouping. The theme of the breakdown of civilization toward savagery emphasizes the struggle between the ruling elements of society which include law, morality, culture and the chaotic elements of humanity’s savage instincts which include anarchy, bloodlust, amorality, selfishness and a desire for power. The book implies that civilization is a veneer, which can be easily pierced to reveal the brutality of human nature. Golding’s main representation of the conflict between civilization and savagery is through the characters in the novel. Ralph, the protagonist and Piggy are both symbols for morality and leadership, whilst the antagonist, Jack and his right hand man Roger are symbols for the desire for power, selfishness and amorality. Jack cannot at first bring himself to kill a pig because of “the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood”. This shows the boys’ innocence at the beginning of their experience. Another example of this is where Roger feels the urge to torment a “Littlun” but is held back by the social values which he used to follow “Roger gathered a handful of stones and began to throw them. Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law.” This happens earlier in the novel when the boys

Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell, in relation to Satire and what infulenced the satire

2005-03-06T07:11:50-05:00

George Orwell, author of the brilliant political allegory Animal Farm was once quoted to say: "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly against Totalitarianism and for Democratic Socialism, as I understand it." Orwell saw his role as a writer to be the objective conscience of a society - he was trying to express the truth in a particular political system as he saw it. 1984, Orwell’s most famous book and perhaps one of the most important and dark political satires ever written is parodying many different institutions that existed all around the world in 1949 when he wrote the book. At this time, totalitarianism was a stalking fear. With Nazi Germany in the recent past and Russia and China in the present, 1984 was not only a savage social comment, but even a prophecy of what could occur in as little as 35 years time. Some of the satirical techniques used by Orwell in 1984 are irony and pathos, parody of literary works and exaggeration. In the story itself, Orwell portrays a dystopian and totalitarian state in which the government monitors and controls every aspect of human life to the extent that even having a disloyal thought –that is, a thought against the government, which is also called “The Party”– is against the law. The mysterious head of government is the all knowing, all seeing, all giving, beloved Big Brother. Again, ironically he is described as “...a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black moustache and ruggedly handsome features." Who else springs to mind’s eye but the face of Joseph Stalin, whose terrible dictatorship destroyed the lives of millions? The day to day life is controlled by the ever-watching “Telescreens” in which people are watched for every hour of every day. Just by looking in some way “guilty”, for example a nervous twitching or talking in your sleep, you will be sent off to the ministry of love to be tortured and interrogated until you are “reborn”. Big brother must wear you down mentally by brainwashing and physically, by extreme violence so that when they do decide to kill you, you have learned to “love” big brother. This is why Winston comes to the conclusion that “To die hating them, that was freedom” As the novel progresses, the timidly rebellious Winston Smith, the protagonist of 1984, sets out to challenge

To Kill A Mocking Bird

2005-01-31T22:28:11-05:00

“To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee is a novel set in the prejudice American town of Maycomb in the 1930’s. I feel she portrays the theme of prejudice extremely evidently in the characters of Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson. The story is written from the perspective of a girl named Scout who writes about the events that happen in Maycomb in this period of time. One of the things that happen is that Tom Robinson, a black man, is tried and accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of Bob, a local layabout and drunk, even thought it is much more likely that Bob caused her injuries. Tom would appear to be a much more honourable man than Bob. One of the main differences between them is their local reputation. This quote is regarding Tom and his family. “They’re clean living folks.” This suggests that they try to stay out of trouble and try to live as best they can. On the other hand, Bob Ewell and his family don’t have such a good reputation. “The Ewell’s have been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations.” This quote tells us that many people aren’t proud of having the Ewell as residents. A second significant difference between the characters in question would be their home life. A general quote of Tom’s home life would be. “In the December dusk, their cabins looked neat & snug... doorways glowing from fires inside.” However the Ewell residence doesn’t sound quite as charming. “It’s windows... in the summer were covered with greasy strips of cheesecloth to keep out the varmints.” These quotes tell us it would be more pleasant to stay in the Robinson house rather than in the Ewells. A third example of comparison between Bob and Tom could be their work. A typical quote of Tom’s would be during the court-case when Mr Link Deas announces, “That boy’s worked 8 years for me and I’ve never had a speck of trouble outta him.” This quote gives an idea of how hardworking Tom is. This next quote on the Ewells describes the laziness of the family. “The Ewells...none of em had done an honest days work.” This gives an idea of just how lethargic this family is. I would consider the personalities of these two men as a huge contrast. For example, “Toms manners were as good as Atticuss, he would not

The Jouney of Huckleberry Finn

2005-01-31T21:58:28-05:00

In many stories, the main character undergoes certain changes through his or her experiences. These changes occur because of a major event or journey in the character’s life that causes the character to have a different perspective and think independently. Mark Twain shows this type of change in his work. The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, shows the development of a young boy, Huck Finn, as he experiences many situations during a life-altering journey. At the beginning of the novel, non-conformity does not exist in Huck’s character. Huck Finn seems conforms to what people tell him to do. When the widow and Miss Watson try to civilize Huck and send him to school, Huck reluctantly does so, and comes to like it. A little while later in the story, Huck says “I [don’t] see how I’d ever got to like it so well at the widow’s” (24). When Tom Sawyer wants to start a gang, Huck does not understand some of Tom’s ways, but conforms anyway. Also, after Pap kidnaps Huck and takes him to a cabin in the woods, Huck comes to like it there as well, saying, “I [am] used to being where I [am], and [I like] it” (24). This shows that early in the story, Huck’s character has yet to develop into his own. Soon after, however, this transformation into a non-conforming individual begins to take place. Huck formulates a plan to escape from the rule of his father, as he decides he does not enjoy his father’s rule any longer. His plan seems intelligent, and works out perfectly. This marks the beginning of a change in character and judgment for Huck. Once Huck escapes, he finds Jim, a slave belonging to Miss Watson, hiding on an island. For a moment Huck thinks that Jim’s running away was wrong, but then begins using his own judgment and decides not to tell on Jim, saying “’I ain’t a-going to tell, and I ain’t a-going back there anyways’” (43). Huck however believes some of Jim’s superstitions, showing some naivety and inability to think freely. A major change in Huck occurs when Huck and Jim take the King and the Duke aboard. Huck then realizes, on his own that the King and the Duke are frauds, and begins

Greek Pottery

2005-01-09T20:08:21-05:00

Greek Pottery The pottery of the ancient Greeks are important for the styles of decoration and for the information it gives about Greek art (Sparkes 4). Because fired clay pottery is highly durable, few or no Greek art works that were made in wood, textile, or wall painting have survived (Sparkes 7). The painted decoration of pottery has become the main source of information about how the Greeks used pottery to solve many problems because in that time period other materials where either unknown or too expensive (Sparkes 13). The Greeks used pottery mainly to store, transport, and drink liquids such as wine and water. Smaller pots were used for containers that held perfumes and spices (Sparkes 16). Greek pottery was first developed from a Mycenaean tradition, copying the pot styles and decoration (Walters 3). The earliest stylistic period is the Geometric (a pattern of regular lines and shapes), which lasted from about 1000 to 700 BC (Walters 13). In this period the surface of the pot was completely covered with an arrangement of fine patterns of circles and arcs which were the main style. This abstract style was later improved by meanders (winding pattern), checkers, triangles, herringbones (zigzag pattern), and swastikas. Most of the pottery had a geometric style that had the appearance of animal and human figures. Figures were always shown from the side, in outline (Walters 26). The pots that where made in this time period were the earliest in Greek art to show narrative scenes from popular myths, especially about Heracles (Walters 30). Greatly expanded Greek trading activities, during the late 8th and early 7th centuries BC, led to a growth of influence on Eastern Greek pottery painters (Cook 2). This “oriental” phase is first seen in works made in the city of Corinth in about 700 BC. At this time Oriental images found their way onto all makes of Greek pots (Cook 6). Curvilinear patterns (curved lines) replaced the older rectilinear ones. New subjects appear, especially monsters such as the sphinx, siren, griffin, and gorgon, as well as exotic animals such as the lion (Cook 9). The Corinthian painters created a silhouette technique where figures painted in the black glaze were cut in the surface to show detail (Cook 11). Athenian painters used black-figure pottery style around 630 BC using human figures instead of Oriental animal images for their themes (Sparkes 4). The high quality of their clay,

Young Goodman Brown

2005-01-05T21:00:22-05:00

Young Goodman Brown Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown is an excellent example of the struggle with Puritanism during his time. This was a common theme among many great authors of his time and no better example is illustrated than here. The story takes place primarily in the forest with a very foreboding atmosphere creeping through the entire time. The story starts off with Young Goodman Brown on the cusp of leaving his wife for a journey which she begs him not to do. He does so anyway. On his venture, he meets the devil. The devil presents himself to Young Goodman Brown in an image that he is very familiar with: the image of his grandfather. Though he is uneasy about venturing deep into the forest with the devil, he does so. While there he overhears some of the most religious people in the town talking about attending a communion with the devil. This scene creates the overall dilemma of Young Goodman Brown. He struggles with this because the ultimate conflict now is good v. evil, devil v. religion, and Young Goodman Brown v. his own faith. His biggest problem with this is that he finds his wife’s ribbon at the scene, showing him that taking this journey has caused him to drive his own wife to Satan. Satan ultimately wins in this battle because he presents himself in such a familiar manner to Young Goodman Brown. This was intended to be a wake-up call to Puritans to show how easy it is to familiarize yourself with Satan when he presents himself in such a manner. Young Goodman Brown’s decision is scorned ultimately though not completely explained to be unjust. It is never implied that he made the WRONG decision but simply that he made a BAD one. These are two completely different ideas. It is clear to see that Hawthorne struggles himself with an issue of virtue and honor and won’t pretend to be perfect. This essay may, actually be somewhat of a reflection into his own life and struggles. One analysis that I came up with, upon reading this, was that perhaps Brown is dreaming. True or false, this detail wouldn’t change the central conflict for virtue that he still must deal with his own beliefs and inner demons awake or asleep. Freud believed that dreams were the most powerful indicators. That being said, if this is a dream,

Social and Political Change in A Tale of Two Cities

2004-12-05T21:36:09-05:00

Government has been an essential part to any civilization for as long as human kind has existed. People who disagree with the government have also existed for just as long. Whether the government was so simple that the leader was the strongest in the tribe, or whether the government was so complex that it involved thousands of people to make one decision, it always was challenged and eventually changed. The means of change are quite diverse. Assassination, protests, war, petitions, and others are amongst the large list of means for governmental reform. Revolution has also been a frequent method to try to achieve the desired change. Revolutions have made profound impacts in history, for both the better and for the worse. Charles Dickens is among those who advocates change both socially and politically, but believes revolution is not an efficient means for change. His classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities, clearly shows the negative impacts of revolting against the government. The years in which Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities were much like those which led up to the French Revolution. Everything was great for the people of the upper class, but hunger, disease and poverty plagued the lower class people of London. He became appalled with the social and economic inequality of British society. He felt that there was little he could do to prevent a revolution, much like the one in France, from occurring. Therefore, he wrote this novel to warn the people of London what could happen. Dickens, who was fascinated with the history of the French Revolution, began by criticizing the treatment (both socially and politically) of the poor people of France. In the seventh chapter of book two, the Monsieur the Marquis had accidentally driven his carriage over a young child, killing him. Instead of worrying about the welfare of the chile, the Monsieur worried about his horses: "One or the other of you is for ever in the way. How do I know what injury you have done to my horses."(p. 116) He deemed the peasants’ lives inferior and insignificant, as shown when he tossed a gold coin to the boy’s father as compensation for his son’s death. The Monsieur the Marquis told his nephew, Darnay, how he felt about the people: "Repression is the only lasting philosophy... fear and slavery, my friend, will keep the dogs

The Monstrous nature of Grendel and Beowulf

2004-12-03T02:05:29-05:00

In the epic, Beowulf, and in John Gardner’s novel, Grendel, the characters of Grendel and Beowulf demonstrate characteristics of a monster, while demonstrating human like qualities. The creature, Grendel exhibits his evil side by eating human beings. Grendel laments, “I will move from bed to bed and destroy them all, swallow every last man” (Gardner 168). As Grendel is about to attack the sleeping Danes and is contemplating what he will do, his desire to eat humans unleashes the monster inside of Grendel. Similarly, The individual by the name of Beowulf resembles a monster by of his large stature, causing Grendel to fear Beowulf. Beowulf wants to slay Grendel to end the suffering of the Danes. To Grendel, Beowulf symbolizes evil because Beowulf tortures Grendel as Beowulf is killing Grendel. Gardner describes this encounter with, “ Nowhere on middle-earth, I realize, have I encountered a grip like his…I scream facing him, grotesquely shaking hands-dear long-long lost brother.” (Gardner 169). Beowulf totures Grendel like a true monster. Although both Grendel and Beowulf demonstrate their fiendish qualities, Grendel and Beowulf also have human qualities. For example, Grendel, a very philosophical creature, thinks constantly about the world around him as most humans, and Beowulf, born a human demonstrates human qualities by inheritance of human traits. Beowulf also demonstrates human qualities by having a desire to help the Danes, as humans help each other out. In this way Grendel and Beowulf demonstrate monstrous traits , yet exhibit human qualities as well. In the epic Beowulf Grendel’s monstrous nature originates by his ancestry to Cain, the evil son of Adam and Eve. Grendel is forced to live a life of evil because God, through Cain curses Grendel’s existence. In Beowulf the author describes Grendel, “as one who. . . haunted the moors, and was conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain” (Raffel 38-42). The discription of Grendel in Beowulf is that of an evil beast because of his past. In the novel, Grendel depicts his own malevolent actions by saying, “Some three or four nights later I launched my first raid. I burst in when they were asleep, snatched seven from their beds, and slit them up and devoured them on the spot, I felt a strange, unearthly joy” (Gardner 79). In Gardner’s novel, Grendel demonstrates his heinous intentions by eating human beings. In Beowulf, and in

The Effects of Characterization in The Canterbury Tales

2004-12-03T02:03:27-05:00

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s work, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer implements various techniques of characterization in “The Prologue” to express attributes of characters in the work. Chaucer reveals the personality of a character by directly commenting on a character’s past experiences, interests, actions, and personality. In addition, Chaucer characterizes the pilgrims to provide a perspective of the ecclesiastic, feudal, and middle classes during the medieval period. In fact, Chaucer uses characterization to depict the Knight as a chivalrous man, the Squire as a young man overly concerned with women, and the Monk as a corrupt member of the ecclesiastical class. Certainly, one of Chaucer’s most famous characters is the Knight because of his strong belief in chivalry. Chaucer describes the Knight as an undeniable gentlemen: “ There was a Knight, a most distinguished man / Who from the day on which he first began / To ride abroad had followed chivalry, truth, honour, generousness and courtesy” (Chaucer 4). Unlike other pilgrims, the Knight is the most honorable person on the trip because he places an exceedingly high value on the ideals of chivalry. Chaucer also provides past experiences of the Knight to further characterize the Knight: “In fifteen mortal battles he had been / And jousted for our faith at Tramissene / Thrice in the lists, and always killed his man”(Chaucer 4). Through Chaucer’s description of the Knight’s accomplishments during the crusades, the reader sees the Knight as a true warrior, and a man of principles by his contributions to the military. Unlike many of the other characters in The Canterbury Tales the Knight perfectly personifies chivalry in the medieval age by being a gentleman and a warrior. Dissimilar to the Knight, the Squire does not demonstrate characteristics of a veritable knight like his father because of his strong interest in women. Specifically, Chaucer’s comment about the Squire’s past experiences: “ He loved so hotly that till dawn grew pale” (Chaucer 5). Through Chaucer illustrating the Squire’s past experiences, Chaucer provides the reader with the impression of the Squire’s sexuality. Furthermore, Chaucer characterizes the Squire through his personality: “ A lover and cadet, a lad of fire” (Chaucer 5). Chaucer’s technique of using personality to describe the Squire provides the reader with a clearer image of the Squire as a young man interested in women, and in pursuit of knighthood in his future. In addition, Chaucer also provides a physical description of

Death

2004-11-28T23:35:32-05:00

In literature as well as in life, people mainly hold two beliefs on death. On idea is that death is nothing to fear, as it sets you free in the afterlife, and the

Twelve Angry Men and To Kill A Mockingbird

2004-11-28T23:34:43-05:00

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” This simply means that if you want to make a difference in the world then you have to be the one to step up and make the change. This quote applies to Juror Eight in Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose and Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird. Juror Eight takes a stand for what he believes in and opposes the other eleven jurors that vote guilty, as well as Atticus who knew it was the moral action to defend a black man even though nearly every other white person disagreed with him. Juror Eight in Twelve Angry Men stands alone while the eleven other jurors vote guilty. Juror Eight is characterized as an intelligent man who sees all sides to every question, and he simply wants to give the defendant a fair trial. The first example of Juror Eight acting to change the jurors’ minds is when he is the only person to vote for acquittal. What starts out as a simple discussion over the evidence turns into a heated argument between the jurors. Juror Eight has many conflicts with the remaining jurors just because of his ethical notion that the defendant should receive a fair trial. Juror Eight felt that it was his obligation to confront the other jurors because of what he believed in. Likewise, Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird is appointed to defend a black man in the 1930s, and Atticus plans to actually defend him even though no jury would exonerate a black man of the charges brought upon him. Atticus does this simply because it is the honorable action to make. Atticus is characterized as a man who always seems to know the venerable and respectable actions that a man should take. On account of Atticus’ belief in the constitutional theory that all men are created equal, Atticus does his best to defend a black man, and he gets into many arguments with other members of Maycomb County. One conflict that is caused from this is when Bob Ewell, the accuser of the black man, threatens to “get” Atticus even if it took him the rest of his life. Many other conflicts arise between his children, Jem and Scout, and other children because the call Atticus

Mansfield Park

2004-11-28T23:32:05-05:00

19th century England was a time full of incest, out of control breeding, and differences between social classes. Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park was published in the early 19th century and focuses on these problems, as well as others. Characters in Mansfield Park struggle with incest, out of control breeding, and the social class system. “She was preparing for her ninth lying-in, and after bewailing the circumstance, and imploring their countenance as sponsors to the expected child, she could not conceal how important she felt they might be to the future maintenance of the eight already in being” (Austen 4). This quote talks about the issue of well-managed sexual reproduction vs. out of control breeding in the novel. This quote appears in a letter Mrs. Price writes to her sisters explaining her dilemma. Although her and her family live in poverty, Mrs. Price is about to give birth to a ninth child, even though they cannot afford it. Mrs. Price writes the letter begging her sisters to help see her older children placed in the world due to the out of control breeding. “He thought of his own four children — of his two sons — of cousins in love . . . ,“ and “Suppose her a pretty girl, and seen by Tom or Edmund for the first time seven years hence and I dare say their would be mischief” (Austen 5,6). These two quotes reflect on the issue of incest within the family vs. the need to marry within one’s own class. The first quote is spoken by Sir Thomas, debating whether or not to let Fanny stay with them, and the second is spoken by Mrs. Norris, which proves that marrying within the family is evident. “The very idea of her having been suffered to grow up at a distance from us all in poverty and neglect, would be enough to make either of the dear sweet- tempered boys in love with her. But breed her up with them from this time, and suppose her even to have the beauty of an angel, and she will never be more to either than a sister” (Austen 6). This is spoken by Mrs. Norris, and touches on the matter of incest within the family vs. the need to marry within one’s own social class. Mrs. Norris articulates that even if Fanny has

All Quiet on the Western Front: An Anti-War Film

2004-11-28T23:27:22-05:00

All Quiet on the Western Front is a film about a group of friends who enlist in the army. Through their service, these boys understand what war is really like. The film shows how bad war is before the boys are even fighting. The class is shown going through a terrible training exercise where they have to lay down in mud and run. When it is time to leave, the boys get a view of injured people coming back from the front line. One of the first things that scare the soldiers is the sound of the horses and watching them die. The rats are another problem. They feed on the dead bodies and there is even a shot in the film where the soldiers kill a bunch of rats. Another thing is the young children. The children keep getting younger and younger and are barely trained and die from the gases. The largest anti-war scene is when Paul gets lost from his group and hides in a crater. Paul has to kill a Frenchman, but he does not kill him completely and the Frenchman is left to die. Paul is upset and tries to save him. He becomes emotional and says a speech, “Forgive me comrade, they want us to fight, but they never want us to know the enemy. If we threw away our weapons we could be brothers.” He realizes that soldiers are just killing machines being ordered around by their superiors. Another scene is when the soldiers visit the hospital. People are coming and going so fast, they never seem to have enough beds for people to be in. Many are brought to the ‘dying room’, where they are left to die. When Paul returns home, his father doesn’t want him leaving without him being in his uniform, but Paul doesn’t want to because he doesn’t want to be seen as a killing machine. Paul’s statistics about the war also show the movie is anti-war. Out of the 20 kids that graduated together, 13 were killed, 4 were missing, 1 in a mad house and 2 were alive: 1 injured, 1 ok. This brings Paul to smoking, a habit he rejected before the war. All Quiet on the Western Front is an anti-war

Animal Farm: Novel vs. Film

2004-11-28T23:26:25-05:00

Like all books made into

Of Mice and Men Character Analysis

2004-11-28T23:15:27-05:00

“The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.” This statement explains a major theme in the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Everyone has dreams, and the characters in the novel are no different. But sometimes these dreams and aspirations can be shattered. The theme of broken dreams reoccurs in this novel through many characters, such as Lennie, George, Candy and Crooks. Lennie and George are two migrant workers who never seem to be able to fulfill their dream of owning a little patch of land. George and Lennie cling to their belief that they are different from other workers because they have a future and each other. George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm would enable them to work for themselves and to relinquish them of an inhospitable world. This dream of “living off the fatta the lan’” obviously cannot be accomplished because Lennie was a burden to George and anyone who was friends with him. George and Lennie’s hopes of owning a couple of acres are shattered when George shoots Lennie because he realizes that their dream will never turn to reality when he understands that Lennie is someone who is of no help to anyone, even to his lifelong companion. Another character whose dreams are ruined is Crooks. Crooks is an African-American doomed to spend his life in oppression. Crooks dreams of being recognized as a human being, just a normal person who has a place of his own. He wants to live in a world of bliss and to have the freedom to follow his own desires. Crooks’ has been robbed of his hopes for this life since the start because of the oppression of the African-American in his lifetime. A final character whose ambitions are never achieved is Candy. Candy is a sweet old man who appears to want to live in a kinder world than the one he is living in now. Candy’s latches on to George and Lennie’s dream of owning a little patch of land. Candy just wants to abandon this harsh reality, which he lives in. Candy is so strongly committed to this dream that even after Lennie kills Curley’s wife he begs to George that the both of them buy the farm. Candy’s dream can never be completed because George

A critical analysis of "A Rose for Emily" - William Faulkner (GRADE B3)

2004-11-21T20:25:39-05:00

“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner tells the story of an unconventional spinster ; Emily Grierson and her eccentric relationships with her father, lover, and the town of Jefferson. The story is told by an unknown Narrator who is clearly a town resident (“when Miss Emily died, our whole town went to her funeral..”), and the story unfurls in a non-chronological order. We are given the ending first, we know Miss Emily Grierson is already dead when the story begins, but we also know the story is about her. I believe this technique is used to create empathy for the character of Emily because you only see her through the eyes of the people of Jefferson, who would often talk about her behind her back; but she’s referred to as “poor Emily”. The order of the story is also used to build up tension and suspense; the story starts and Emily is already dead, she may have been murdered of committed suicide? We read on; and this is not the case. The story gives you small indications of what’s coming in the end, for example you know she’s possibly mad or mentally disturbed when you read; “she did that for three days, with the ministers calling on her, and the doctors, trying to persuade her to let them dispose of the body. just as they were about to resort to law and force, she broke down, and they buried her father.” Also the passage in the story where she buys Arsenic but will not tell the druggist what it’s for, but she states that she wants “the best” they have. I wondered why the William Faulkner chose the name Emily, I thought there had to be more to it, it couldn’t just be a random name he pulled out of the air. I looked up the name “Emily”, which derives from the Latin name “Aemulus” , meaning “rival”. I thought the name “Emily” was perfect for our main character; who I feel is having an internal struggle within herself. Emily is the main character in this story, you are given a brief background on her by the narrator , but you never find out how she feels or what she’s thinking. She’s come from a well respected family and so she is well respected by the town’s people and this is realised

2004-11-15T03:32:51-05:00

Symbolism in "The Lottery"

2004-11-08T16:12:07-05:00

Subalterned females in Desai’s ‘Fasting, Feasting’

2004-11-08T03:38:10-05:00

The works of writers from India deal with numerous concerns. Postcolonial concerns rank high among writers like Anita Desai, Mulk Raj Anand, R.K. Narayan and other leading authors. These writers express their thoughts and ideologies on the postcolonial situation using concerns like nationhood and nationalism, resistance and representation and feminist postcolonialism. This essay titled Subalterned females in Desai’s ‘Fasting, Feasting’ is an analysis of two vital postcolonial concerns, namely feminism and postcolonialism in the novel written by Anita Desai. Taking into account the assumption that the writer is dead, this analysis will be focused upon the characters and events that take place in the novel. As the analysis deals with the issue of feminist postcolonialism, the essay will encompass the subalternity of female characters from a postcolonial context. As mentioned earlier, the main concern of the analysis is the examination of the sublaterned position of female characters in Fasting, Feasting. The subalterned position of the female characters will be analysed via elements like patriarchal constructs, societal and cultural constructs as well as religious constructs. Establishing the notion that the female characters in the novel are oppressed by the males, I will go on to examine the manner in which the female characters try to resist against their oppressors. In addition to this, I will also analyse the reason they (female characters) fail to resist the oppressive nature of the male characters. This analysis will focus upon the subalternity of Uma and Mama by Papa and the Hindu society at large. The subjugation of other female characters like Aruna, Anamika and Mrs. Patton will also be dealt with in the course of the analysis. Before delving into the analysis, it would only be appropriate to define two key concepts that play a vital role in the study, i.e. subaltern and patriarchy. Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin in their book Key Concepts in Post-Colonial Studies define subaltern as someone who is of ‘inferior rank. It refers to those groups in society who are subject to the hegemony of the ruling classes’. (Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin: 1998: 215) Subaltern classes may include ‘ groups denied access to ‘hegemonic power’. (Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin: 1998: 215) In subaltern studies in South Asia, this term is used ‘as a name for the general attributes of subordination in South Asian society whether this is expressed in terms of class, caste, age and gender. (Ashcroft, Griffiths and

The Tempest - Plot Summary, Character Analysis and Theme

2004-10-29T19:25:13-04:00

The Tempest by William Shakespeare Plot Summary The Tempest takes place on an enthralled island somewhere between Africa and Italy, that has been inhabited by a benevolent magician named Prospero, his daughter, Miranda, a misshapen monster who is a servant of theirs, Caliban, an airy spirit, Ariel, and several other spirits and nymphs. Prospero was the Duke of Milan, until his traitor brother, Antonio, scheming with the King of Naples, Alonso, detained his position. With the help of an honest old Councellor named Gonzalo, Prospero was able to escape with his daughter, and the books that are the source of his magical powers. Prospero and his daughter arrived on the island where they have been living for twelve years. His enemies are now unknowingly heading his way, and he raises a tempest to make things right with them. The storm strikes the ship that’s carrying Alonso, his son named Ferdinand, his brother named Sebastian, Antonio, Gonzalo, a butler named Stephano, a jester named Trinculo, and the crew of the ship. During the tempest, a lot of the characters’ traits are revealed to the reader. We see Antonio and Sebastian depict their evil by being rude to the boatswain. Their rude actions foreshadow how they’re going to behave in the rest of the play. By contrast, Alonso, Ferdinand, and Gonzalo, behave respectfully, and give up their authority to listen to someone with more proficiency in the matter. It seems as though Prospero’s incarcerated servant and chief magical agent, Ariel, carries out virtually every task Prospero needs accomplished throughout the play. We learn that it was actually Ariel who raised the tempest, set fire to the mast, and now has just made sure that they all got safely onto the island and they are separated from each other into small groups. Ariel then reminds Prospero that he was promised freedom if he performed these tasks without complaint. Prospero then chastises Ariel and reminds him that he had rescued him from a long imprisonment at the hands of a witch. This is one of the few times where we think Prospero might not be that munificent. Ariel is then ordered to take the shape of a sea nymph and be invisible to all but Prospero. If he completes a few more tasks, he shall be at liberty. Prospero along with Miranda go to visit Caliban. Caliban starts to curse Prospero and Prospero then sends him to fetch firewood.

Beowulf Vs.The 13th Warrior

2004-10-28T23:59:06-04:00

Beowulf Vs The 13th Warrior I have closely compared some aspects of Beowulf with my own thought to the film, “The 13th Warrior”. Beowulf, written down by an unnamed Christian Monk in the 18th century, served as framework for the plot of “The 13th Warrior”. Beowulf and The 13th Warrior have extensive differences and even more similarities throughout the two stories. The film was basically made to actually show the different aspects, techniques, and ways of thinking that the people of medieval times thought. It also helps to put you into a better perspective on what the story “Beowulf” was like. Even thought the two stories are not exactly the same, they still stand together making a great mark in history. Instead of having a completely perfect fabricated movie of the epic story Beowulf, the story was transformed into a collage of similarities. There are a few scenes in “The 13th Warrior” that are comparable to scenes in Beowulf. Such as, Ahmed and his men were attacked by the cannibalistic warriors in the in the large hut; and they had fought for their lives trying to defeat the leader of the pack, forcing the cannibals back to their caves where they arose. This scene is synonymous to the story of “Beowulf” when Beowulf himself, had defeated the almighty Grendal in the mead-hall. Grendal had fallen and fled back towards the lake of hell where he should stay till the end of time. Furthermore, are the next consequential scenes where Beowulf is asked to got to the home of Grendals mother, and slay her just as he did to Grendle. In “The 13th Warrior” Ahmed is and his men are sent to murder the cannibals’ mother, just as Beowulf did Grendals mother. Other similarities depicted from the two stories consist of the names of the cities and the names of the two groups of evils. Beowulf and Ahmed had both fought the evils to protect the loved ones and people of the town Herot, when they were in need of being protected. The evil or enemies of the two warriors are both generally seen or stated as a Lizard of fire. In “Beowulf” the group of enemies or enemy is called the Dragon. In “The 13th Warrior” the group of enemies or enemy is called the FireWorm. Which are no different from each other in the meaning or actual purpose. Not only

Heart Of Darkness

2004-10-26T06:43:47-04:00

Appointment in Samarra

2004-10-20T22:00:36-04:00

In “Appointment in Samarra,” part of his last play Sheppy, Maugham retells an ancient Arabic fable. W. Somerset Maugham was one of the greatest storytellers of all time. In the simplest form, he ties together the basic elements of a story: setting, plot, characters, and theme with amazing perfection. The setting is Baghdad, an advanced city of the time. Maugham takes us through the transition of the servant in the marketplace, to his Master and then leaves us with the assumption that the story closes in Samarra, where the servant meets his fate. Why was Death strolling the marketplace? Did she have an earlier appointment? The marketplace is bustling with life. Maybe Death was there to show us that where there is life, there is Death. Samarra has long been a city plagued with death, from the time of this ancient tale to Maugham’s retelling and still today. A civilized city of the time, even Baghdad cannot escape Death. Is the plot woven around the theme of destiny, as commonly interpreted? The servant is trying to escape Death. He runs. However, he runs right to the place where Death has an appointment with him that very night. The plot of any story must have a beginning, middle and an end. A good suspense story contains a sense of foreshadowing, a crisis, a turning point and, finally, a resolution. In the beginning of the tale, the reader can feel darkness. Who is it that speaks? Death. The very thought of death is dark, foreboding. There is urgency in Maugham’s prose. Sentences run into each other, piling up like blocks that are about to come tumbling down. He chooses urgent words: trembling, jostled, threatening. The servant believes Death made a threatening gesture to him, creating a crisis. Is Death here for him? The exact middle of the story is the turning point - “The merchant lent him his horse…” The servant makes his fateful decision and the plot reaches a point of no return. The tale closes with Death speaking, “I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra.” As if tying the loose ends of a noose, Maugham ties the last word

How Does Homer Depict War in “The Iliad?”

2004-10-19T23:07:16-04:00

How Does Homer Depict War in “The Iliad?” In “The Iliad”, war is the honorable thing to do. It seems glorified but on the other hand Homer shows the brutality and injustice of it. From the beginning of “The Iliad” we are immersed in the middle of a war that began nine years ago between the Greeks and the Trojans. Many things have happened previous to the start of “The Iliad” for example Homer alludes to the fact that Agamemnon has had to sacrifice his daughter in order for he Greeks to reach Troy. The war has caused a lot of pain and suffering to both the Greeks and the Trojans. It is shown in its harsh reality, it is not glossed over we see families loosing their loved ones and we see men die gruesome deaths: “Death cut him short. The end closed in around him, swirling down his eyes, choking off his breath. Patroclus planted a heel against his chest, wrenched the spear from his wound and the midriff came out with it—“(Book XVI 93-97) According to Homer to fight in the war is the noble thing, the right thing to do. To sit on the side lines and do nothing about it is cowardly and shameful. Homer feels the war is justifiable and the correct way to settle the dispute. It is a valiant and commendable endeavor. When a man is dies in the poem it is the gallant way to die and be remembered, the winner of the duel is glorified and the loser dying with honor and pride is remembered throughout he poem. We especially see this after Patroclus is killed in battle by Hector. Achilles spends some time mourning his death and vows to avenge him: “But now I’ll go and meet that murder head-on, that Hector who destroyed the dearest life I know.” (Book XVIII 135-136) Homer does not let go of the harshness, the reality of death and war. The gruesome images of the dying men and the harsh language used to describe the corpses bring certain realism to the poem. Homer shows that the war not only plays a role in everyone’s life but it also rules their life. Men are judged based on their bravery and their ability to fight and win battles. They need to bring honor to their families. Whenever Homer describes men his language usage is strong and vivid: ”…his helmet flashed and the long dark hide

Twelfth Night - various plots and how they are inter linked

2004-10-17T08:17:11-04:00

If the play was based upon one single plot, Twelfth Night would not have been as it is. It is the linking of the various plots that really completes the whole story and brings out the nature of the characters and the connection between them. The play starts with a major plot, Orsino wooing Olivia. Orsino has been asking Olivia to accept his love, but Olivia refuses it. To woo Olivia, Orsino sends messengers to speak on behalf of him. This is the reason why Viola is dragged in the middle of this plot. After being shipwrecked, Viola thinks that her twin brother Sebastian is dead. So in order to survive, she goes to work for the Duke. Orsino favors Viola (who is disguised as a male; Cesario) and sends her as a messenger to Olivia. If Orsino had not sent Viola as a messenger to Olivia, Olivia would have never fallen in love with Viola (thinking she was a male). Since Olivia decided to pursue her love she mistakenly goes and marries Sebastian. This is the main reason why Viola gets to meet her brother again. Sebastian and Viola looking for each other is an under plot. And it is because of the major plot this plot took place. This is how these two plots are interlinked. If one had not taken place, the results would not have been as effective as it is. Another major plot is the trick played on Malvolio by Maria. This is not directly connected to the major plot, but one thing that made the trick easier was of its connection to one of the characters involved in the major plot. Malvolio believed Olivia loved him. This fact is what the plot is based on. Malvolio is made into a fool by forging a letter from Olivia and Malvolio being arrogant believes the letter. This plot perfectly brings out everyone’s true character. The locking up of Malvolio in the dark room and Feste disguising himself as Sir Topas has no connection to the major plot. This plot leads to the marriage of Maria and Sir Toby and the plot has its significance in the play on its own. How ever, Shakespeare has not secluded the whole plot from the play. We find a lot of connection between the characters in the se

Krogstad: Villain or Victim?

2004-10-15T21:58:07-04:00

Krogstad: Villain or Victim? In the play “A Doll’s House,” Henrik Ibsen effectively presents a sudden twist on characters by providing details in such a way that it changes the reader’s view on major characters as opposed to how he previously described them. For example Nora, the protagonist seems somewhat naïve and immature at first; yet she eventually captures sympathy as the play reveals some of her secrets. The focus of this paper is about Krogstad. Although depicted as rude and, he deserves a degree of sympathy along with Nora. One reason why Krogstad ought to have the compassion he deserves is that he feels forced to take desperate measures. He is determined to do everything he can to save his employment and the welfare of his family and if necessary “shall fight for [his] little job as if [he] were fighting for [his] life” (#931). Many years previously he was involved in a scandal that ruined his reputation. When Torvald, the new Bank manager decided to fire him, Krogstad realized that his family was threatened. Under such intense pressure he was able to blackmail Nora and Torvald. The case of Nora presents an interesting parallel. Realizing that her action would either let her father die with a broken heart or cause her husband to lose confidence as a father and provider of the family, Nora made the same mistake, making her offense “no more and no worse” than Krogstad is(#933). This dilemma which contributed greatly to our support towards Nora is essentially the same reason why we should give Krogstad the same empathy. Aside from saving his children, Krogstad wanted to “win back respectability” that he used to have before his reputation was ruined (#931). He wanted to be able to live a normal, peaceful life again as evidenced by his words: “I want to get on my feet again” (#947). His main motive was not to inflict trouble upon Nora and her family intentionally but was driven with a desire to lift himself from the mud the society had left him. In two instances he was abandoned by the ones he loved. After being left by Mrs. Linde for reasons of financial security, he was again abandoned by his wife later on in his married life leaving him with children to nurture on his own. He felt like the “ground had slipped away

Compare and Contrast Two Poetry Pieces

2004-10-11T18:52:50-04:00

In this assignment I will gracefully compare and contrast two short poems. In my selection for the poems, I kept in mind that the two poems needed to have something in common metaphorically or thematically. After many hours of browsing (or about 30 minutes) I came upon two poems that contained an ultimately strange connection metaphorically and in content. Interestingly, the two also had numerous differences. The first poem I encountered was "The Sick Rose" (1794) written by William Blake. Soon after, I read "Fog" (1916) by Carl Sandburg and I began to notice an exciting connection filled with various exceptions of chief differences. Although the poems were written more than a century apart from each other, after rereading them numerous times, they left me with an unimaginable amount of thinking and writing ground. Comparison The two poems "The Sick Rose" and "Fog" are very much alike in the sense that they both use the introduction of weather and animals to shape the poem and give the reader a sense of displeasure. In "The Sick Rose" the poet introduces a worm and storm and in "Fog" the poet uses the fog and a cat. The subject matter is perhaps similar in these two poems with the fact that both poems embody foul weather that prevent life from flowing in its normal path. To be more specific, a storm destroys plants, animals, and life in general, while a fog blocks out the sun and its energy to spring life. In "Fog" the poet, Carl Sandburg, uses the weather condition of a fog as the main subject matter for his poem. The entire poem is literally focused on the fog above the city and harbor. Using a metaphor, Sandburg makes the fog come to life as if it actually had its own eyes to be able to overlook the city. The fog takes the shape of a cat as it "sits looking over harbor and city" (570). Like a cat, the fog sits on silent haunches. Personally, Sandburg’s words created a mental picture of a black/grayish, dirty, street cat wandering silently in the alleys of an industrious city observing the streets on top of a half-century old brick building. This engaging metaphor is what makes the fog come to life and also creates its consciousness of the harbor and city that it overlooks. Although the metaphor is

Military Weapons

2004-10-08T22:16:59-04:00

There are many types of weapons in the military. Some are vehicles, and some are guns. They can maneuver on land, sea, or air. These weapons help the military keep peace all over the world. The military right now is in Iraq to stop

Beowulf vs Gandhi

2004-10-02T04:52:48-04:00

Regardless of the difference or similarity in time, distance, language, and culture a few people are similar when everything amongst them is poles apart and some people are different when they share absolutely nothing in common. A similar case is with Beowulf and Gandhi; while being different in many aspects they are still very much alike in some other cases. Beowulf is a fictional character situated in the time of Anglo-Saxons which was around 700 whereas Gandhi is a realistic personality who lived in the time of British rule in India which was around the1940’s. Although being in different times, Beowulf and Gandhi had similar aims in their lives, which was to fight for good and helpless people. Beowulf and Gandhi are different in a way that Beowulf was a physically strong character and he gained an advantage over people through his power. On the other hand, Gandhi was physically weak but had a disadvantage over people of brawn. Gandhi had a unique fashion of approaching his objectives as he applied non-violent tactics to come over his opposition. On the other side, Beowulf used the violence to combat his foes. Gandhi’s words, “Non-violence is the first article of my faith.” shows how much Gandhi trusted in his non-violent method. The characters had an uncommon cultural background; Beowulf was a fictional character from around the 700’sAnglo-Saxon society, and Gandhi was a realistic personality from the modern 20th century and was a part of the Indian society. There is also some resemblance between the two characters. Both Beowulf and Gandhi were noble because they were fighting for people who were helpless and could not fight for themselves. They also represented integrity and ambition as they alleged with what they were doing and didn’t need any assistance from anyone to set out to get their goals. They were self-assured because they knew they had nothing to lose and were valiant enough to act alone. Beowulf and Gandhi were famous and respected within their own societies; people looked at them for motivation and believed in them to lead the way. In the poem Beowulf Hrothgar refers to Beowulf when he says, “God, His mercy, has sent him to save us.” This stands as a proof to how much people respected and trusted on Beowulf’s abilities. In the end they both the heroes died while they were still fighting in their struggles for the people who

Tim OBrien The Things They Carry

2004-10-01T13:27:53-04:00

The Heavy Burden After reading Tim O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried”, it helped me better explore and understand the emotions and experiences of the soldiers surrounded by the Vietnam War. The main character of the story is the leader of the platoon First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross. O’Brien created protagonist, Jimmy Cross, to represent all other men in his platoon. The author assigns the most importance to Cross with the aspects of his personal life because it allows the reader to see the intensity of what the other men are going through and the heaviness of things they carry. The things that the soldiers carried during combat zone were both tangible and intangible things, but it all depended on the necessities needed and according to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for what was ordered. As a medic, Rat Kiley carries a canvas satchel; radio and telephone operator, Mitchell Sanders carries a PRC-25 field radio; as a machine gunner, Henry Dobbins carried the M-60 saw gun; and as a first lieutenant and platoon leader, Jimmy Cross carries a compass, maps, code books, binoculars, and a .45-caliber pistol. All the common grunts, infantry soldiers, carry the standard M-16 riffle. For protection it was SOP for each soldier to have on a steel-centered, nylon-covered flak jacket, and steel helmets with the liner and camouflage cover. They carried standard fatigue jackets and trousers. The men also carried things that were not really necessary in the combat zone. For example, dope, condoms and comic books. So most of the tangible things that soldiers had were mission oriented and were common among the soldiers in the platoon. The most weight of the things the men carry lies in the intangible: "Grief, terror, love, longing these were intangibles, but the intangibles had their own mass and specific gravity, they had tangible weight." They all had heavy burdens, which filled them with: fear of death or injury, negative emotions, seeing deaths of their fellow soldiers, and the memories of being back home with their loved ones. They realized that just a simple everyday life back home was now seen so precious to them at this terrifying time. It was just like a big rock sack filled with emotions they had to carry everyday on their shoulders. O’Brien is trying to tell that in that situation the intangible things were much heavier then those physical burdens they had to carry. One outstanding example of

Tim OBrien The Things They Carry

2004-10-01T13:27:14-04:00

Similarities and Differences between The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter

2004-09-30T23:23:59-04:00

THE SHIP THAT INVADED OUR MIND! Ok.. so…. There was like these two books and they were pretty boring!

Knowledge in The Name Of The Rose

2004-09-25T01:04:57-04:00

Knowledge was one of the most powerful tools of the middle ages. It was highly valued by many kings and members of nobility, but the greatest procurer of knowledge through the middle ages was undoubtedly the church. Their motive for the capturing of wisdom was not for their own enrichment, but predominantly self-preservation. If the general public were to get hold of such a wealth of philosophical and scientific works that were withheld in the monastic libraries then they would almost certainly begin to formulate their own religious ideas, therefore releasing the societal stranglehold the church held so tightly at that time. To survive the church had to keep the knowledge from the masses, and this is something that Umberto Eco has incorporated with finesse into his novel The Name of the Rose. Intertextuality, postmodernism, allusions and an array of interesting characters help to explain the state of education and the availability of knowledge in the middle ages. The labyrinth is one of the most important aspects to the portrayal of knowledge in The Name of the Rose. Its design and purpose are a brilliant metaphor to the churches desire to keep knowledge from the poor and powerless. The story of the labyrinth goes right back to a Greek myth, which tells of a beast with the head of a bovine and the body of a man, who was conceived of a woman and a snow white bull. It was confined to a labyrinth from which there was no escape without assistance. The concept that Eco uses in The Name of the Rose is very similar, except instead of guarding the Minotaur, Eco’s labyrinth guard’s books, the knowledge that could be the destruction of the church’s vice-like grip upon society. The minotaur wanted seven young maidens and seven youths per year to quench it’s appetite, and one year the Greek hero Theseus became sick of the killing and offered himself as a sacrifice to the bull, with the intention of killing it. He went in with a ball of string and a sword, the ball of string he used to trace his path back to the start when he had killed the Minotaur. There are distinct parallels between William, and the hero Theseus. William entered the library with the intention of getting at the contents that

Show how irony becomes the very structure of Oedipus the King

2004-09-09T02:26:29-04:00

Life is filled with series of irony.Therefore,it goes without saying that irony becomes the very structure of good Greek tragedies,which always reflect the reality of human life.Among those is Oedipus the King,written by Sophocles.Dramatic irony,the contrast between what a character knows and what the reader or audience knows,stnads out and permeates this great work of dramma. First,the irony comes when the audience knows that the tragic outcome can not be avoided.The two different attempts to change the fate:Jocasta and Laius killing of infant Oedipus and Oedipus flight from Korinth later on,nevertheless,are absolutely futile.King Laius abandoned Oedipus to his death,but Oedipus lived and murdered him without knowing who he was.Oedipus left Korinth in the fear of what had been predicted for him that he would kill his own father and sleep with his mother.However,by doing this,he carried out the oracle words.And paradoxically,Jocasta soon found her son restored to life,herself married to him.No matter how hard they tried to avert the future,it still affected them. Ironically,Oedipus is the person who ignorantly killed King Laius and brought the plague to Thebes.He said that whoever was involved in Laius death would be banished from the kingdom.But the audience knows that the culprit is Oedipus himself and that his blood polluted this land.By unraveling the Sphinx riddle,he saved Thebes and thus was chosen to rule Thebes.People in the city considered him their savior.However it was because of him that their land was destroyed.Although Oedipus is a clever man,a hero,his bravery and intelligence can not win the fate,neither escape it. The frequent use of "eyes","sight","see",and "light" helps show another dramatic irony:Oedipus is blind to the truth."To which thy own is mated,canst not see"_Teirasias;"No jot of all I see.Listen!I see"_Oedipus;"That lights thee now,speak not to these or me"_Teirasisas and "blind eyes,blind ears.."Teirasias is a blind man but he can foretell Oedipus destiny.Oedipus is opposite.Although he was the only person who could see the answer to the riddle,he did not know anything about himself.Oedipus will soon switch the role with Teirasias,becoming a man who can see the truth but lose his sense of sight.Oedipus,a tragic hero,a great man,is just a puppet in the celestial workings of fate. The ironic structure of "Oedipus the King" may be one of the factors that make this play immortal.Although it was written a long time ago,the topic is never old and in fact,it is controversial.Many questions come up:is it true that fate is more powerful than

The Hobbit

2004-09-06T23:12:51-04:00

The Hobbit Bilbo Baggins lives a quiet, peaceful life in his comfortable hole at Bag End. Bilbo lives in a hole because he is a hobbit—one of a race of small, plump people about half the size of humans, with furry toes and a great love of good food and drink. Bilbo is quite content at Bag End, near the bustling hobbit village of Hobbiton, but one day his comfort is shattered by the arrival of the old wizard Gandalf, who persuades Bilbo to set out on an adventure with a group of thirteen militant dwarves. The dwarves are embarking on a great quest to reclaim their treasure from the marauding dragon Smaug, and Bilbo is to act as their “burglar.” The dwarves are very skeptical about Gandalf’s choice for a burglar, and Bilbo is terrified to leave his comfortable life to seek adventure. But Gandalf assures both Bilbo and the dwarves that there is more to the little hobbit than meets the eye. Shortly after the group sets out, three hungry trolls capture all of them except for Gandalf. Gandalf tricks the trolls into remaining outside when the sun comes up, and the sunlight turns the nocturnal trolls to stone. The group finds a great cache of weapons in the trolls’ camp. Gandalf and the dwarf lord Thorin take magic swords, and Bilbo takes a small sword of his own. The group rests at the elfish stronghold of Rivendell, where they receive advice from the great elf lord Elrond, then sets out to cross the Misty Mountains. When they find shelter in a cave during a snowstorm, a group of goblins who live in the caverns beneath the mountain take them prisoner. Gandalf leads the dwarves to a passage out of the mountain, but they accidentally leave behind Bilbo. Wandering through the tunnels, Bilbo finds a strange golden ring lying on the ground. He takes the ring and puts it in his pocket. Soon he encounters Gollum, a hissing, whining creature who lives in a pool in the caverns and hunts fish and goblins. Gollum wants to eat Bilbo, and the two have a contest of riddles to determine Bilbo’s fate. Bilbo wins by asking

>Poverty<

2004-08-28T09:29:53-04:00

One of the lethal problems that this world is facing today is poverty. I imply it to be “lethal” because the cause of death for most children around the world is known to be poverty. First of all, what is poverty? In a simple definition, poverty is the state of having little or no money

Tim Winton - "Scission" explores the joy and pain of living.

2004-08-10T05:45:39-04:00

Topic: “Scission explores the joy and pain of living.” Discuss. Tim Winton”s collection of short stories, “Scission”, explores both the joy and pain of living. The stories portray the joys of life as arriving unexpectedly, in common, everyday situations. There is a common link of discovery: discovery of yourself, of others, of God. There is also pain present from the very beginning, the Book of Job quote plainly imploring an end to suffering, mirroring many of the characters in “Scission”. Clearly, “Scission” is also about the darker side of life, about suffering, in relationships, and spiritually. The joy in “Scission” comes without warning, where happy emotions were not expected. Fittingly, it seems to be the innocents in Winton”s stories who experience this joy. Thomas Awkner, the boy whom everyone, even his family, had thought was unintelligent and incapable of all but the simplest tasks, misunderstood and mistreated, finally finds happiness in the discovery of himself, the discovery that he is an individual, his own person. Perversely, it is in disobeying his father”s commands that he regains faith in himself, finding that he didn”t “sink like a stone”. Faith is a common bond in “Scission”, with many of these joyful moments centring on spirituality. Albie in A Blow, A Kiss, realised that “God could touch someone” because of his faith in his father, even through traumatic experiences such as the motorcycle accident. In Neighbours, a birth is the catalyst for an outpouring of raw emotion, a young man finding that, despite all of modern life”s technological advances, it “had not prepared him” for the simplest miracle of all: life. Symbols of spiritual awakening run through these stories. In Thomas Awkner Floats, it is the Bible, an obvious reference to Christianity and spirituality and in A Blow, A Kiss, it is the Tilley lamp, the light conveying “illumination”. On the flip side, pain is also explored in “Scission”, realistically portrayed as coming largely through relationships yet, contrastingly, can also come through spirituality and faith. The relationships in “Scission” are largely ones of power, of “kisses like blows” mothers and wives, of domineering husbands and fathers, and of timid, always cowardly sons. Inevitably, it is the weak that are hurt. The pain can be physical, such as in the case of the big, burly masochistic McCulloch in Scission dominating his wife, or mental as in the case of the son, in Wake. The father-son relationships are

""Scission", by Tim Winton, explores the joy and pain of living.” Discuss.

2004-08-03T00:14:47-04:00

""Scission", by Tim Winton explores the joy and pain of living." Discuss. The collection of short stories by Tim Winton, titled “Scission”, explores both the joy and pain of living. The stories portray the joys of life as arriving unexpectedly, in common, everyday situations. There is a common link of discovery: discovery of yourself, of others, of God. There is also pain present from the very beginning, the Book of Job quote plainly imploring an end to suffering, mirroring many of the characters in “Scission”. Clearly, “Scission” is also about the darker side of life, about suffering, in relationships, and spiritually. The joy in “Scission” comes without warning, where happy emotions were not expected. Fittingly, it seems to be the innocents in these stories who experience this joy. Thomas Awkner, the boy whom everyone, even his family, had thought was unintelligent and incapable of all but the simplest tasks, misunderstood and mistreated, finally finds happiness in the discovery of himself, the discovery that he is an individual, his own person. Perversely, it is in disobeying the commands of his father that he regains faith in himself, finding that he did not "sink like a stone". Faith is a common bond in “Scission”, with many of these joyful moments centring on spirituality. Albie in A Blow, A Kiss, realised that "God could touch someone" because of his faith in his father, even through traumatic experiences such as the motorcycle accident. In Neighbours, a birth is the catalyst for an outpouring of raw emotion, a young man finding that, despite all of the technological advances that are a part of modern life, it "had not prepared him" for the simplest miracle of all: life. Symbols of spiritual awakening run through these stories. In Thomas Awkner Floats, it is the Bible, an obvious reference to Christianity and spirituality and in A Blow, A Kiss, it is the Tilley lamp, the light conveying "illumination". On the flip side, pain is also explored in “Scission”, realistically portrayed as coming largely through relationships yet, contrastingly, can also come through spirituality and faith. The relationships in “Scission” are largely ones of power, of "kisses like blows" mothers and wives, of domineering husbands and fathers, and of timid, always cowardly sons. Inevitably, it is the weak that are hurt. The pain can be physical, such as in the case of the big, burly masochistic McCulloch in Scission dominating his wife, or

Cause of his death

2004-07-27T21:32:41-04:00

The role of the hero in Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, is played by Randle P. McMurphy, a wrongly committed mental patient with a lust for life. McMurphy’s personal qualities that gain the respect and admiration from his fellow patients are also responsible for his tragic downfall. These qualities include his temper, which is the reason for the tension between him and nurse Ratched; his stubbornness, which results in his numerous painful disciplinary treatments; also his free spirit, which leads to his death. Even though McMurphy is a good man, in the end, these characteristics hurt him more than they help him. Throughout the novel, McMurphy shows that he has a wild temper. The first group meeting that he is involved in, he shows his irritation. This is when nurse Ratched comments by saying “And you? With your red hair and black record? Why delude yourself" (Kesey 68). This shows that McMurphy is already seen as a man with a temper after only one day on the ward. This temper helps him in his battle with nurse Ratched for control of the mental ward. However, his temper eventually works against him. Upon McMurphy’s arrival to the ward he tells the patients that he is a con man and a gambler. One of his first bets with the other patients is to see if he can put “a bee in nurse Ratched’s butt, a burr in her bloomers. Get her goat. Bug her till she comes apart at those neat little seams” (Kesey, 69). McMurphy makes this bet after he learns about the Disturbed Ward where “assaultives” are sent, and also about the “shock shop” where Electro-Shock Therapy is administered to disobedient patients. Since McMurphy does not like losing, he wants to be certain that he can get away with harassing nurse Ratched without receiving any of these punishments. He is told by his fellow patient, “as long as you don’t lose your temper and give her actual reason to request the restriction of the Disturbed Ward, or the therapeutic benefits of the electro-shock you are safe” (Kesey 76). This shows that his fellow patients know that he has a temper problem. McMurphy displays this temper from the starting of the novel, but one incident finally gets him into trouble. The argument McMurphy has with the black helps and the nurse Ratched, a punch is thrown and a

Willy Loman: The Tragic Hero

2004-07-14T04:20:38-04:00

A tragic hero is a character who in spite of a basic goodness and authority, has a tragic flaw, and because of this fault is destined to fail. A true tragic hero or heroine recognizes his or her flaw/s, but typically not until it is too late to stop to downward spiral. A few examples of tragic heroes and heroines are from the many works of Shakespeare such as Julius Caesar, Oedipus, Antigone, and Hamlet. In Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Willy Loman, the tragic hero, has so many flaws that end up in suicide before he has a chance to resolve them. To begin with, one of Willy’s biggest tragic flaws is his failure of being a good father. And does not hold a rightful position in his family. Willy is not a good father for many reasons. He always made his job his first priority. Willy’s travels were extensive, and he never got the opportunity to get to know his sons. From this he did not love Biff and Happy like a father should. His love for Biff is based on his achievement as an athlete and when Biff loses the scholarship, Will was so mad that he no longer loved Biff as he once did. Since Biff lost his scholarship he moved out West to find a job. When Willy found out that Biff was a cattle herder he was very disgusted. Willy wanted Biff to be the success that he never was and feels that Biff will not achieve success in the occupation that he is now holding. In all aspects, Willy has failed to be a good father. Instead as a father, he is a pathetic and selfish failure which is furthermore defined in every other aspect of his life. Next, Willy was also a bad husband to Linda. Linda was very loyal, loving and selfless when it came to Willy. She even dealt with Willy’s extravagant dreams and self-delusions. Besides the dreams Linda had to deal with Willy and his constant yelling at her for no reason or when she would try to input her advice in various situations. While Biff and Happy were in high school and Willy was on the rode, Willy had an affair with The Woman. Willy had no real reason to have slept with her, it was only because he was feeling lonely on the rode without Linda.

Analysis, Themes and Issues - Lord of the Flies

2004-06-22T13:25:50-04:00

Themes and Issues Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. Lord of the Flies is a thought provoking novel, the main theme being the fact that men are inherently bound to law/moral society and without the influence of morality and the basic consensus of right and wrong we would slowly regress to our primitive and savage instincts. This essay will analyse the novel giving evidence to support the theme as well as discuss issues that may arise from it. Mr. Golding writes to show us that within every human there is a primitive evil that will break loose if it is not curbed by the strong order of civilisation. This theme is promoted strongly throughout the book using both the actions and the personalities of Ralph and Jack and the other boys. Mr. Golding slowly unfolds a sequence of events that will gradually lead us to understand the meaning of his writing. In the novel, the main characters are Ralph and Jack. Ralph represents civilisation and order while Jack stands for savagery. However, the decline of Jack into the darker side of human nature is a gradual one and not instantaneous. In the beginning of the book we see that Jack is still bound by the rules and laws of his old world. He concedes to the election and even though unwilling he accepts Ralph as the leader. Jack was even enthusiastic when Ralph decided to introduce rules into the assemblies (page 44). Everything at this part of the book is so far contained within the law: the sense of the wrong and the forbidden is strong inside everyone including Jack. At first, Jack could not bring himself to kill the piglet entangled by the creepers because of “the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood”. Roger threw stones at Henry, but he threw to miss because of “the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law”. (Page 78) The restrictions of the cultivated world are still heavy upon them. With the lack of enforcement, the world of cultured rules soon fades into the distance. The ‘beastie’ takes its place and disaster strikes (Page 46-p60. The first death occurs. The littleun with the mark on his face disappears.) The ‘beastie’ can be interpreted as evil, but it is more accurately the sinister side that is

Blood Wedding

2004-06-19T21:07:03-04:00

The Symbolism of Blood In Lorca’s Blood Wedding, blood is referred to as whether a person is good or bad. In some examples, blood is explained in different metaphors. Blood has many significant symbolisms structured throughout the play. For example, “What kind of a blood do you have?” A person of a good blood experiences honor and love throughout his and or her life and also gets respect from the environment and society. On the other hand, bad blood represents the behavior of a person and that usually comes from the teachings of a family. Blood is repeatedly referred to as having magic powers and as the only food for supernatural beings. In this essay, I will examine the elements of blood, which shows one’s reactions in various situations, and how blood refers to as one’s feelings psychologically. Blood represents itself psychologically in the play where Leonardo says “ I’m hot-blooded and I don’t want to shout so all these hills will hear me” (Lorca, 59). This behavior shows that Leonardo gets angry easily and cannot keep his anger within himself. By shouting outloud, everybody would hear him and it’s to be a secret meeting. Leonardo sees bride secretly and she becomes unhappy about it and she gets afraid of being seen by the others. In addition to the last statement above, blood is associated with a variety of notions, including how it affects one’s emotions as well as affecting him or her psychologically. Once again, Leonardo describes this concept in act two, scene 1, in a dialog with the bride. He states that he is hot-blooded and he does not want to shout so all these hills will hear him. In act three, scene 1 another conversation takes place between Leonardo and the bride and Leonardo describes how his red blood turns black when he thinks of her wedding. In every conversation, blood has a different meaning. Again the blood shows Leonardo’s emotions toward a particular event. Although there is no rational evidence to prove that the blood directly affects emotions, Leonardo uses terms that allude to the unproven fact. Moreover, blood represents genetic and heritage information. By saying genetic information, it appears that blood shows the person’s way of behavior as if they come from the same blood. Leonardo demonstrates this by running away with the bride. In this case, the bride runs away with him intentionally.

Battle between Husband And Wife

2004-06-19T04:52:33-04:00

Battle between Husband And Wife A Review on the First Part of was D.H.Laawrence¡¯s first major novel.His only major novel,some would say.I have finished reading it during the winter holiday.For I am not quite sure that I understand the novel enough to depict the complicated relationship between Paul and his possesive mother,so I would like to pay attention mainly to the Part One of the novel in this review,especially ¡°the battle between husband and wife ¡±. At the first glance of the book,we find Mr.Morel a coal miner in turn-over-the-century Britain,lives a life of drudgery ,anger and desperation.He takes his frustrations out on his wife Gertrude.But with a deeper look into the internal subtleties of marital relationship.We can see it is both the husband and wife who are suffering and it is the vast differences in the social backgrounds divide them. Walter and Gertrude encountered in a local dance.Let¡¯s discuss the social background of the two involved first.Gertrude grew up in a steady lower-middle-class family with a strong work ethic and pride in its self-sufficiency.She inherited most of his father¡¯s rigid moral and religious beliefs though she also has her mother¡¯s gentle,humerous streak.As a practising Congregationalists of her day,she disapproves of dancing,frivolity and drink,which Walter is a man of action rather than words.They were both attracted by each other¡¯s difference at their first meet.Gertrude was fascinated by Walter who seemed as a mysterious stranger from another planet to her,rough and vigorous.He,in turn,arouses a passion in her----a woman with class ,culture and education.They married and shared a brief happy union.Then follows the ever-lasting battle. The first dispute between them was when Gertrude found that they did not own their house. To her puritanical mind,the debt is not only shameful but sinful.In her eyes,it is a Christian duty to be financially responsible and struggling to improve the social rank of one¡¯s family while such concerns are very far from the mind of the fun-loving Walter.The couple began to battle viciously as Gertrude embarked on an almost religious mission to reform herhusband. Though Lawrence place his sympathy towards Mrs Morel because he truly believed his own mother suffers unjustly at the hands of her crude,unreliable husband.I still hold the view that she is partly blamed for the declining of Morel by expecting him to live up to her ideals rather than accepting him for himself. Mrs Morel runs the house while her husband bring

Holden’s Trouble Growing Up In Catcher in the Rye

2004-06-12T03:48:22-04:00

Throughout the entire book Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield experiences a lot of trouble while struggling with the boundary between adolescence and adulthood. Holden’s basic problem in life is that he is unable to accept adulthood and grow up because he is not mature enough to handle a “complex” world. He likes to see things “frozen” because this way things are always the same so he doesn’t have to worry about it. He would rather recede into a false, fantasy world he created than face what the true reality was. As a way of “protecting” himself from the real world, Holden self-ostracizes himself to isolate him from the others around him. As he is growing up Holden cannot understand his surroundings and therefore criticizes them and then alienates himself so that he cannot be criticized or judged. Holden summarizes adults as fake, hypercritical, and superficial while children are everything but this—they are pure, innocent, and virtuous. Therefore, Holden thinks he must protect the children from the traps of adulthood though he is really the one who needs to be saved. Holden’s insecurity and immaturity is noticeable throughout the entire book as he constantly tries to oversimplify everything down to what he can understand while hiding in his own fantasy world away from everyone else, trapped between adolescence and adulthood. Holden’s obsession with keeping things “frozen” throughout the book is brought out during his visit to the Museum of Natural History. Holden’s fascination with keeping things the same stems from the fact that he cannot cope with a changing lifestyle. He fears change because he cannot grasp any new complexities. Throughout the story Holden has shown us that he cannot deal with conflict, confusion, and change, because of his immature mind so he finds refuge in the museum which is always “there for him”. Holden is fascinated by the museum because “everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move…Nobody’d be different.” (Page 121), no matter how many times he went to the museum it was always something safe and reliable he could fall back onto instead of facing the real world. Though Holden does not come out and say it directly, the museum is really Holden’s visualization of what he wishes the entire world was like. Holden says “certain things they should

What does the title of the book refer to? How is this connected to patriotism?

2004-06-11T00:56:36-04:00

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about the racist South during the Great Depression. The title literally means killing mockingbirds. They are Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, Atticus and Jeremy Atticus Finch. The title connects to patriotism because one of the main actions of a patriot is to help the helpless. One can help the country not only through actions, but also by words and thoughts. “To Kill a Mockingbird” literally means to not only cause death of a person, but to hurt a “Mockingbird”. A “mockingbird” is literally a common singing bird that is remarkable for its exact imitation of the notes of other birds. In this story it stands for an innocent man that reflects the community in which he lives in. “Killing” a “mockingbird”, in other words, is about defeating an innocent person who reflects the community. Patriotism is the love and devotion to one’s country. A patriot must be willing to risk his own life for his country. Patriots do the right thing for the country and care about equality. Patriots do their civic duties and respect for different viewpoints. Arthur “Boo” Radley is an excellent example of a “mockingbird”, because it not only says so in the book, but he is someone from the lower hierarchy, who is weaker than others. His hair was described as “feathery” like a bird, which is a hint that he is a Mockingbird. He reflects the Maycomb community by staying inside of his house after his father’s death. He is not willing to have anything to do with other people because that will lead them to gossip and eventually to trouble. He has been supposedly “with the wrong kind of people”. He stabbed his father with a pair of scissors and went back to his work, but because he was a child, not knowing what’s wrong, he can be seen as innocent. His father traps him at home, “killing” the innocent child. Boo Radley no longer has a life, and stays at home. At the end of the book he comes out and saves Scout and Jem when Bob Ewell tries to kill them. Mr. Heck Tate doesn’t tell on him because Boo has done something good, even though it was violent. Telling on him would be “killing a

What does the title of the book refer to? How is this connected to patriotism?

2004-06-11T00:56:33-04:00

What does the title of the book refer to? How is this connected to patriotism?

2004-06-11T00:56:30-04:00

What does the title of the book refer to? How is this connected to patriotism?

2004-06-11T00:56:15-04:00

How Is The Message From The Movie Different From The Book?

2004-06-11T00:54:43-04:00

When Harper Lee published To Kill A Mockingbird in 1960, she did not yet know that it was going to be made into a movie. The movie, filmed under the same title around that time, differs from the book at some points. The main themes of the book and the movie are different. While the novel mainly deals with racism, patriotism, and the mob attitude of society, the movie partially ignores these, if not totally. The movie concentrates more on the scenes dealing with Tom Robinson’s case. The issue of racism is handled differently in the movie than the book. The book concentrates on racism in the South during the Great Depression. One of the ways Harper Lee does this is by introducing Dolphus Raymond. Dolphus Raymond, a white man, is married to a black woman and has children with her. Neither the white nor the black societies accept them because they are not part of either society, they believe. This shows that a community back then in the South was often divided into two parts, divided by race. The invisible division is also shown when the county starts to gossip about Atticus, calling him a “nigger lover”. In addition, Harper Lee shows racism by presenting the blacks as inferiors. When Jem and Scout go to the Black Church with Calpurnia in the book, they are quite surprised by the blacks’ illiteracy and their poorness. The fact that blacks do the dirty, manual work in the novel is another proof of their inferiority. Zeebo, a black character, is the county’s trash man. In the movie, however, this segregation in society and jobs is not as well portrayed, mainly because these important parts are omitted. Simple things in the novel are blamed on the blacks, but the movie leaves this out. It was the black presence that made Mr. Radley take Boo out of the jail. An additional proof of racism in the book is Atticus’ remark, namely when he says that Tom Robinson’s case is a lost case from the beginning simply because he is black sued by a white man. The court scene of the movie does not give off the same impression and racism does not become a main theme in the movie. The only character that seems to be racist in the movie is Bob Ewell, who gets insulted by the fact that Atticus believes a black

Scission explores the joy and pain of living - Tim Winton

2004-06-01T00:24:49-04:00

The collection of short stories, "Scission", by Tim Winton, explores both the joy and pain of living. The stories portray the joys of life as arriving unexpectedly, in common, everyday situations. There is a common link of discovery: discovery of yourself, of others, of God. There is also pain present from the very beginning, the Book of Job quote plainly imploring an end to suffering, mirroring many of the characters in “Scission”. Clearly, “Scission” is also about the darker side of life, about suffering, in relationships, and spiritually. The joy in “Scission” comes without warning, where happy emotions were not expected. Fittingly, it seems to be the innocents in Winton’s stories who experience this joy. Thomas Awkner, the boy whom everyone, even his family, had thought was unintelligent and incapable of all but the simplest tasks, misunderstood and mistreated, finally finds happiness in the discovery of himself, the discovery that he is an individual, his own person. Perversely, it is in disobeying his father’s commands that he regains faith in himself, finding that he didn’t ‘sink like a stone’. Faith is a common bond in “Scission”, with many of these joyful moments centring on spirituality. Albie in A Blow, A Kiss, realised that ‘God could touch someone’ because of his faith in his father, even through traumatic experiences such as the motorcycle accident. In Neighbours, a birth is the catalyst for an outpouring of raw emotion, a young man finding that, despite all of modern life’s technological advances, it ‘had not prepared him’ for the simplest miracle of all: life. Symbols of spiritual awakening run through these stories. In Thomas Awkner Floats, it is the Bible, an obvious reference to Christianity and spirituality and in A Blow, A Kiss, it is the Tilley lamp, the light conveying ‘illumination’. On the flip side, pain is also explored in “Scission”, realistically portrayed as coming largely through relationships yet, contrastingly, can also come through spirituality and faith. The relationships in “Scission” are largely ones of power, of ‘kisses like blows’ mothers and wives, of domineering husbands and fathers, and of timid, always cowardly sons. Inevitably, it is the weak that are hurt. The pain can be physical, such as in the case of the big, burly masochistic McCulloch in Scission dominating his wife, or mental as in the case of the son, in Wake. The father-son relationships are interesting in the way that the sons

ROOTS

2004-05-30T17:35:45-04:00

The book might be one of the most significant books in American History. It is the epic tale of blacks in American History and the roles they played in everyday society. How the were sunned by society and treated like lowly creatures. Most people’s concepts of blacks were stupid creatures that needed to be handled. Most of the whites in the South thought that they were doing them a favor. They were teaching them how to work, respect others, listen and follow orders. The book makes you realize the horrific ordeals that they had to live through. The book starts off with the birth of Kunta Kinte. The son of Omoro and Binta. It tells how he grew up in the African tradition. He speaks of his family and the ways of the people in Juffure. Kunta was a very curious boy that wanted to know everything and anything from his grandmother Nyo Boto. When Kunta finally reaches the age that he can start his manhood training he is very solemn. After his manhood training Kunta is put in charge of watching the fields. Then came the morning that would change Kunta’s life forever. Kunta was out in the forest cutting a tree trunk that was to become a drum for his little brother Lamin Kunta was snatch by four slave hunters and taken to the coast where he would board a ship and never return to his home. Kunta was incoherent to what was going on around him all he could think about was escape. His body was hot with torn flesh from his beaten body. He thought that he was taken to be eaten not realizing that he would endure a fate far worse than death. He would become a slave and never be a free man again. As Kunta was shoved onto the boat all he could think about was his family and the fate he was about to meet. As he was taken to the hold on the ship he stumbled to walk and receive lashes for it. Kunta was shackled like a caged animal lying on a plank not more the a few inches from another man. The stench of the hold was hard to bare. Kunta could smell the rotten flesh and feces.

mice of men

2004-05-29T23:19:12-04:00

George and Lennie are in every instance are true friends. I suppose that some opposition come from the book where George often say that Lennie is a nuisance and he got stuck with him because of an auntie of Lennie’s .In the novel you get an idea that this is an act and he cares for Lennie because Lennie says cause you got me George and I got you. George is a reconcile intelligent hardworking ranchman. Lennie on the other hand always manages to find trouble. He is equally as hardworking and honest as George but his simple child like minds always finds him trouble wherever he goes. However they have one thing that unites the two of them, as close as any bond can. This is that they both share the same dream of owning their own ranch, and after many hard working years Moving from rand to rand living in complete poverty and working far next to nothing they finally try to achieve this life long dream. To maintain a companion you must have thing in common you must be able to disagree with a sort of respectful understanding, and finally you must care legitimately about that person, Lennie and George’s friendship meet and implement all the needed requirements for being friends. They are a textbook example of loyal friends. They together are like two old people living there life in companionship. Lennie insight on the world and someone that will respect him even though he isn’t intelligent they more importantly give each other something to live for. If Lennie dint meet George he would have died soon after his aunt did because he would either have got himself in a bind with no one to help him on he would have simply wondered off and died of loneliness. Although no matter how much he tries George cannot make up for the huge gap in Lennies mind. Lennie is so childish it is hard to believe fore example when he sees thing he want to grab and touch them. Throughout the book the stress of Lennies retardation begins to weigh down on George because of Lennie they are nomads wherever they go Lennie gets them in trouble. But the friendship holds together and is never separated. At the last location in a town named weed Lennie grabbed a women’s dress to feel it and soon startled the women with his overwhelming strength.

Lord of the Flies

2004-05-26T06:08:03-04:00

The Lord of the Flies book begins by following a boy named Ralph who is stranded on an island after the plane he was on crashes. He was around 12 years old and was in good physical condition. He wanders around until he finds another boy named Piggy. Piggy is fat, has glasses, asthma, but is also intelligent. When they are walking around they find a conch shell which later comes to symbolize order. Piggy knows that you can blow on it and it makes a loud noise that carries very far. When Ralph blows on it other boys slowly start to come out. A handful of boys around his age and many “littluns”, who’s names we do not learn. They sit down and talk and some introduce themselves. Jack is a red haired boy who seems nice and orderly in the beginning. Sam and Eric are twins. They elect Ralph as chief and come up with rules because “were English, not savages.” Soon they realize they need a way to be rescued and so they use Piggy’s glasses to start a fire. They add on more and more, but they do not contain it and soon large parts of the island are on fire. The first casualty occurs with one of the littluns who had a birth mark. Earlier that littlun had said that he saw a beast that no one took real serious yet. While they are walking through the woods, Ralph, Jack, and Maurice see a pig caught in some brush and Jack goes to kill it, but delays and the pig escapes. Jack is not ready to kill and never has killed but he feels weak in front of the other and promises that it won’t happen again. Jack becomes obsessed with hunting and begins to resist Ralph. Ralph wants Jack to help with the shelters, which are the huts, but all Jack does is hunt. Part of Jacks choir was in charge of keeping the signal fire going, but he takes them with him on a hunt so that they can surround the pig and fail again. The fire burned out and while it was out a ship had passed not knowing that anyone was on the island. Ralph is made at Jacks

HOW WAS SULA SHAPED?

2004-05-26T00:45:37-04:00

To what extent do the surroundings of an individual affect who they become? Does free thinking really exist? Almost everything an individual does is touched, determined or influenced by the people and circumstances surrounding them. However, I still believe that there are things that the world’s sway cannot touch. In Sula, written by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, the main character is a girl, who grows up and experiences life with her best friend Nel. Sula takes a path that is clearly shaped by her surroundings, but her personality shows traits that are unique and seem to sprout from within as well. She is made up of sexual innuendoes, compassion and zeal all huddled into a package blanketed by evil, devilish wrapping paper. Inquisitive minds may wonder how she came to be that way; I would certainly like to know what made Sula. Sula is a very sexual person, but not without reason. I don’t believe she just became that way out of spite, I think she fell victim to the pre-determined roles for women in her family. “With the exception of BoyBoy, those Peace women loved all men.” (pg 41) They hated BoyBoy, he was the abusive, womanizing man who married Eva, Sula’s grandmother, and then abandoned her and her three kids. However, other than him they were man-crazy. Hannah was a “daylight lover”. “She would fuck practically anything, but sleeping with someone for her implied a measure of trust and definite commitment.”(Pg 44) Hannah, Sula’s Mother, refused to live without a man. The traits Sula would develop from witnessing sex treated as “pleasant and frequent, but otherwise unremarkable” (pg 44) became evident early on in her life. It becomes clear to me that Sula will spend at least part of her life as something of a promiscuous thing when she and her best friend are going for ice-cream on a cold day so that the older men will look at them. It’s not that this is a sure indication that someone will become a certain way, but I guess I just had a feeling about this girl. Later on in life she ends up having sex with countless men and is caught in a compromising position with Nel’s husband. I don’t think she wanted to be bad though she was only being herself. It’s not her fault she was brought up seeing men and sex as something insignificant, how

noises off

2004-05-09T07:02:14-04:00

Michael Frayn’s Noises Off is a 2 ½ hour classical farce that appears at first to be one play; but, after the Second Act, one can clearly see that it is composed of two plays running parallel to each other that are: Nothing On, a sex farce, and the backstage farce that takes place whilst the cast rehearse for the “final leg” of the Nothing On tour. The two plays meld, as the characters make their exits from Nothing On and entrances to the backstage tomfoolery. Whilst the characters come and go from one farce to the next, they find themselves entangled in a web of confusion and ultimately a disastrous final performance. This play centers on the theme of embarrassment and according to Frayn it is “about an anxiety everyone has, that he may make a fool of himself in public.” This feeling is commonly shared amongst the masses, hence the plays long-lasting appeal. Although the play is witty, entertaining, and absolutely hilarious, do not make an attempt to understand where the play is heading because the plot is thrown out the window in the first act. The setting for Nothing On was a mahogany brown mansion in the countryside. To the left of the front door was a large checkered window that made it easy enough for Seldon Mowbray (the burglar) to sneak in and rob the house. To the right of the front door was a staircase leading to a bathroom, a bedroom, a closet and an attic. Directly in front of the audience a living room with a couple of couches and a television. Altogether, the house had seven doors and a hallway. Surprisingly enough, the doors never fell off their hinges from their constant usage throughout the play. The house was tidy in the beginning but by the end of Act Three, it looked as though a hurricane had just passed through it. As for the backstage, it was completely blue and was rather barren with not too many props as one would expect. However, there were a lot of passageways and stairs leading back onstage. The visual design was very impressive. Not having a trained eye for farcical acting technique, it would be difficult for me to critique the quality of their performance. The play was jam-packed with comical

Extremities - William Matrisome

2004-05-09T06:54:54-04:00

Using a transverse set up, the seating for the audience was divided: half to the right and half to the left of the stage. I was in a position to look down upon the actors. As the lights dimmed and I took my seat, my heartbeat slowed and silence descended upon the audience. William Matrosimone’s Extremities began in an unkempt living room. Lights were dim and Marjorie, the protagonist, stood motionless with her back to a macabre background splattered with grays and blacks. An unlit fire place enclosed by a solid blue grill was to her left; an old couch with blankets in disarray was in front of her; and an unfinished bottle of wine and a glass with lipstick smeared on its edge stood upright on a table to her right. The set was strewn with disorder and a morbid soundlessness. Then, the silence vanished; disturbing ambient sounds took its place. To instill an altogether eerie atmosphere, offbeat music was incorporated alongside the incessant buzzing of an angry wasp. As unsettling as the music was, it only acted as a taster for the action that was to ensue. Marjorie (Sarah Norwalk) was the victim of an attempted rape. Whilst her attacker, Robert (Evan Powell), taunted her and forced himself upon her, she managed to wriggle free and disable Evan by spraying a chemical substance in his eyes. The struggle for power was at an end and the victim empowered was ruthless in exacting her revenge. In Extremities, the rapist was not a sex maniac; he had a wife. He craved power not sensual gratification. By ravishing a woman’s body he hoped to efface her goodness or seize her power but in this piece that was certainly not the case. Marjorie switched roles and made the rapist pay for his actions. She toyed with him like an animal would with its prey. First, she tied him up and blindfolded him. Then she knocked him around, threatened to burn him alive in the fireplace and plant a steel hammer in the back of his head but all of those deaths were too quick, too munificent. So she tried to starve him to death and momentarily thought of burying him in the woods. While she decided how to dispose of him, her female

abingdon square

2004-05-09T06:53:32-04:00

Amidst the hustle and bustle of Greenwich Village, New York, is Abingdon Square where the story of Marion’s teenage immaturity turns into an adult drama. When Juster, a fifty year old man, and Marion, a fifteen year old girl, decide to unite in matrimony under the façade of love, the play begins. They live together with Michael, Juster’s son from a previous marriage. Michael and Marion are the same age. As one would expect, this unusual family’s existence set in motion a rather morbid series events which Maria Irene Fornes’ calls Abingdon Square. In a timeframe of two hours, nine years passes in the context of the play. From the stance of a director, it was always going to be a difficult task trying to string together the irregular time gaps between each scene. Scott T. Cummings, the director of this play, created his own version of Abingdon Square which took my fancy; but, others found it boring and very confusing because he failed to demonstrate a congruous link in time (i.e. especially with regards to the aging of characters). Having read the play prior to the performance and discussed it, I knew the plot would thicken, tempers would flare, Marion’s sexual urges would only be satisfied by extramarital sex, and it would all be worth it in the end. However for others in the audience, changes in time were too much to digest and Act One seemed to last an eternity. Upon returning from the intermission, I heard groans of discontent from audience members around me. So I asked the man seated to my left what he thought of the play; he was a young Chinese fellow from the graduate school named John. He said, “The only reason I am still here is ‘cause my friend is in the performance. I don’t understand what’s going on-” “Sheww,” a woman seated in front me interrupted with a sigh of relief. She continued, “I thought I was the only one that thought this play was a bit slow…” Had I not been enrolled in a theater course reading the same play, I might have found myself in the same boat as them. Anyway, after explaining to them the intricacies of the plot and rehashing a few insightful phrases from class, they decided to stick around

ceremony by leslie marmon silko

2004-05-09T06:50:11-04:00

Ceremony comes from the Latin caerimonia, ‘that which is sacred.’ In the context of Leslie Marmon Silko’s Ceremony it embodies an inculcated medium of storytelling tradition. The stories told, act cohesively or disjointedly as a mechanism of expression for elemental and deeply felt beliefs of a people. Silko’s novel is steeped in and enacts the notion of storytelling; he spotlights this theme through the Native American tradition of storytelling. Conventionally, Native American culture is oral and therefore stories play a significant role in keeping bodies of information alive. The elders of a community usually adopt the role of storytellers but it is generally an all-inclusive event. The intertwining of narrative and poems is Silko’s mode of storytelling. Tayo’s tale reflects traditional stories merged with a hybrid story based upon his own experiences. His ability to manifest his own story and scrutinize it objectively empowers him with revelation and the ability to control his destiny and identity. Every culture has a story; each one is customized by historical, environmental, and traditional practices. However, by injecting self-rule and personal experience into the ceremonialist psyche, people are better equipped for societal change. Native American and white culture are sharply schismatic, which insinuates that Tayo, the green eyed Indian, is a living contradiction. Yet Tayo, being avant-garde in his approach to this cultural dichotomy attempts to form a symbiotic relationship between the two. The net effect of him doing so would bear a new story. He tries to embrace the two parts of himself but the world around him is unwilling to let that happen. The two cannot coexist. As much as he wants to explore the white world he does not want to abandon his primary allegiance to the Native American traditions. Native Americans attend white schools. It is there that whites attempt to indelibly imprint their ‘witchery’ in the malleable minds of young Native Americans. They are told their stories and understanding of the world is invalid. As their minds are imprisoned in science and white philosophy, their dreams and priorities are shifted less to the agricultural practices of their ancestors and more to the prospect of white-collar jobs and good pay. Hence, Indian lands are left unprotected and there for the taking, so the whites can invade their reservation with pollution by

ceremony- my life is myth

2004-05-09T06:44:50-04:00

Stories are living mechanisms constantly evolving to adapt to new conditions and to explain the unexplainable. A different blend of stories inhabits every body. In order for our cosmopolitan society to survive, it is essential that people have a foundation story or a mother story; such a shared story coalesces different cultures. Stories are characterized by interpretation. We only remember those things that we feel are important to us. As a result, a new hybrid story is born in all persons by way of interpretation. I enact an inimitable story. No one story is more important than the other. My story is unique just like the next man’s story. My story of the planet is in sync with everyone else’s story. Many thousands of years ago there was the Big Bang. A big ball of heated raw material exploded and from it the Earth was created. A chunk of that raw material formed a sphere and cooled for years. These bits and pieces amalgamated and from it a living organism was created. Although, God manifested two organisms from this material, which eventually evolved into Adam and Eve, I do not believe we are the pinnacle of the universes’ potential. In fact, the Earth is in a constant state of evolution. This is its method of survival. No species will ever reach its evolutionary peak, which means no organism holds primacy over another; it is this diversity and dynamism that vitalizes the Earth When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, civilization was born. Ever since that time, man has been spiraling downwards. We are trapped in self-manifested debauchery. Everyone has a different way of enacting this fallacy. Each country and community is separated by a different story that allows them to coexist with their respective natural environments. The story of my community is very similar to that of Western culture because of their far-reaching affect on our society and on each other. People are constantly being self-critical and examining their neighbors’ behavior. Since the community is judging my family, they (my family) have been unknowingly baited into the story of the community. Western culture and my community challenge the idea of diversity and promote conformity, which is at odds with natural laws. My family is of

The role of Shylock in "the Merchant of Venice."

2004-05-08T15:59:30-04:00

Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock in “the Merchant of Venice” is more complex than is originally thought. He is not only seen by the audience as the traditional stock villain; “I hate him-p13,” but he also evokes the audience’s empathy such as in his famous speech: “hath not a Jew eyes? -p47.” Shylock is caricature to fit the profile of a typically villainous character in the eyes of an Elizabethan audience; his career in usury, his Jewish religion, and his attitude towards money and the Christians for instance, are all traditional stereotypes of a villain. Shylock’s introduction to the audience in Act1 Scene3 is typically miserly and sinister; “three thousand ducats, well,” and in his soliloquy on p13 “I hate him…” this conjecture is confirmed, when he reveals his true feelings over his Christian associates. The audience is therefore deeply suspicious when Shylock proposes a bond out of “kindness” in which he asks for a pound of flesh if the money is not repaid by three months. Although Antonio is convinced of the Jews sincerity, the audience is constantly reminded of the suspect circumstances by Bassanio, and remains sceptical; “I like not fair terms in a villains mind.” When Antonio’s misfortune is heard of by the Jew, he openly expresses his contentment; “Good news, good news!” and the audience feels contempt for him as a result. Shylock later has Antonio arrested and the continual repetition of “the bond” constantly reminds us of Shylock’s trickery in Act1 Scene3. In the following act, Shylock demands his pound of flesh and takes the matter to court. His intentions are seemingly more brutal when compared to Portia’s sentimental pleas for “the quality of mercy.” As Shylock rejects every opportunity to withdraw and show mercy, the audience begin to despise him even more, and all previous sympathy is lost, especially when he refuses the presence of a doctor; “’tis not in the bond.” We are therefore lead to believe that Shylock is justly punished, when he is caught out by Portia; “thee here no jot of blood,” and sentenced by the Duke to convert to Christianity and to leave his possessions to his daughter and son in law. Despite this, the audience does feel sorry for him to some extend, as he is seen as both the victim and as humane at different points in the play. Both his money and, his daughter are lost when Jessica elopes

The role of Portia in "The Merchant of Venice."

2004-05-08T14:39:04-04:00

Portia is one of the main character roles in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, and is often related to as the heroine of the play. Unlike the business city of Venice, her home is set in the contrasting city of Belmont, which represents love and harmony within the play. We are introduced to Portia in Act1 Scene1, when Bassanio describes her as “a fair lady, richly left,” but we do not see her until Act1 Scene2. We learn that she has a close relationship with her waiting-woman, Nerissa, and she proves her sharp and witty character when they discuss her many suitors; “Ay, that’s a colt indeed.” However we also learn that she is racist; “let all of his complexion choose..” Although she appears independent, we are told that she is bound by her dead father’s will, which states that any suitor must pick the correct one of three caskets in order to marry Portia, to which she reluctantly obeys; “a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father.” She does however remain devoted to her father’s wishes when she says she will “die as chaste as Diana” unless she marries a suitor approving of her father’s task. Despite this, Portia still manages to marry her Bassanio, by hinting to him of the identity of the correct casket. Her song in Act3 Scene2 for instance, rhymes with lead. Although this satisfied both her and her conscience, was she legitimately deceiving her father? Her character seems at first conventional for a wealthy heiress from the Elizabethan era, but her manipulation of the casket test is followed by her visit to Venice to attend the court trial, disguised as a lawyer and accompanied by her clerk (Nerissa). Shakespeare meant this as a comedy act, as during a Shakespearian performance a male actor would have played Portia dressed as a man, however her disguise also proved Portia as irresponsible and untrustworthy. The ring plot involved Portia deliberately asking for the ring she gave to Bassanio in return for her saving Antonio’s life, another act of deception. However her trickery is masked by her performance in court, where her witty, intelligent and forceful argument is used to lawfully condemn Shylock and free Antonio. Although she misleads Shylock into believing he will be rewarded until the last minute, a cruel feat, she may have been doing so in order to give Shylock every opportunity to redraw and

the birthmark

2004-04-28T23:17:06-04:00

Hurting Yourself by Trying to Make Someone else Better Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a great deal of irony to show his meaning in his story “The Birthmark”. The story shows us that some of the things that give us the most troubles in our life are actually caused by us. In the story, Aylmer has the perfect wife Georgiana, she is absolutely perfect in all aspects except for one, she has a very small and hardly noticeable birthmark on her cheek. Aylmer, being a man a great knowledge is the field of science, decides that he will create a potion that will rid her of the small spot of her cheek. Hawthorne even gave

The Stranger

2004-04-26T20:48:39-04:00

It has been said that the eyes are the windows to a person’s soul. It can be reasonably stated, therefore, by reasons of logic, that what one perceives is an indication as to what type of soul one has. In The Stranger, Monsieur Meursault is vivid in his descriptions of the sensations provided him by his five physical directories. In explicit details he describes the feel of the heat of the sun on his bare skin, the sights and sounds of the night as he sat on his balcony, undoubtedly the taste of Marie’s kiss, and even the physiological response to her embrace. Note, however, the earlier statement: it is what one perceives that indicates what type of soul one has. Perception is not seeing, feeling, tasting, nor is it any function of the extemporaneous senses. Perception is the conclusion that one comes to based upon the stimulation of those senses. It is not merely knowing what is going on in the universe, but attempting to understand the actions and counteractions of the universe. Meursault is very much aware of his surroundings and the actions therein, yet is not aware of their importance. The very first words from Meursault are indicative of the fact that he sees, but does not perceive. “Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can’t be sure.” Though it is true that the telegram he received was vague, it is evident that he was not concerned with the particular time her life ceased at that time nor did he enquire details from anyone of the home where she had died when he arrived there for the funeral. This is contrary to the actions of nearly all men. Perchance one does not have a strong relationship with his or her mother, oft times that person will still desire to know, in the least, “When and how did the old bat die?” It becomes evident at his trial that Meursault’s response to his mother’s passing was contrary to what was expected from one in his situation. Both the warden of the nursing home at which his mother had been placed and the doorman of that same establishment testified on behalf of the prosecution (though he was being tried for the murder of an Arab, not for anything concerning his mother), suggesting that the actions of Meursault during that time were less than human. As far as that goes, the testimony

Catch 22

2004-04-22T23:04:50-04:00

Great pieces of literature are influenced by their author’s life and the times in which they were written. These two factors combine to make literature that is both entertaining and meaningful to readers. Joseph Heller’s outrageously funny and very affecting novel Catch-22 is a perfect example. Heller draws on his past and alludes to events happening during the time in which he wrote to create what the Chicago Sun-Times called “an apocalyptic masterpiece.” Heller’s past is very evident throughout Catch-22. Joseph Heller grew up in Coney Island, New York, a town famous for its carnival atmosphere and attractions (Biography 1). This environment led to Heller’s satirical and darkly humorous attitude evident in his own life and especially in his writing. Catch-22 is a social satire that utilizes dark humor. In one instance Heller makes a point by joking about death. In his novel he makes the army unable to recognize that Mudd is dead and Doc is alive because they have more faith in the military’s records than the reality of one live body and one dead body (Miller 43). Furthermore, the main character in Catch-22, Yossarian, is essentially based on Heller himself. Heller flew as a bombardier on some sixty combat missions for the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II. He was stationed on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea (Moss 66). Similarly, Yossarian is a bombardier during WWII who also is stationed on an island in the Mediterranean Sea (Miller 5). It is through Yossarian that Heller conveys a sense of his own experience in war and his own fear of dying in combat. The realism and entertaining effect brought by Heller’s use of his own experiences attracted an unlikely audience to his anti-war novel, WWII veterans. Critics said of this, “To veterans of World War II, it was a hilarious reminder of the chaos and disorder that seemed always to hover just beneath the structured surface of military life. To them it was the way things were and it poked fun at the military, it was simply stating the obvious, not grinding an ax” (Catch-22 1). Heller writes humorously of a fight, “He called me a wise guy and punched me right in the nose. ‘What are you a wise guy? he said, and Pow! Just like that.” This interpretation

Volpone the Fox

2004-04-19T06:46:02-04:00

Volpone the Fox was written by Ben Jonson, a great renaissance dramatist who followed Shakespeare but was far below him. As a person, he was very proud and rude. This play is a comedy of the allurement of wealth. I can say that the motto of nearly all protagonists could be “There’s no embarrassing way to earn money”. That is because they are capable of doing anything to get them. The play is situated in Venice. A well-to-do noble Volpone and his astute servant Mosca found out an outstanding way of getting money. Volpone had no family members (no inheritors), so he pleaded sickness. Then greedy people started to converge. A lawyer Voltore, merchant Corvino and Corbaccio, the old man, tried to carry Volpone by giving him gifts of enormous value. Then he could wrote their names to his last will. When one could renounce his son, second be perjurious and third compel his wife to have sex with another man, there were everything vicious,

Themes in Lord of the Files

2004-04-18T20:20:07-04:00

When William Golding wrote The Lord of the Flies, we have no idea what he intended to write about. However, either through his ability to interweave many themes and concepts into one story, or because too many people have tried to analyze it, there are three that seem to be echoed throughout the book and supported at every turn. These are: a demonstration of Frederick Nietzsche’s ideas and philosophies, an allegory of the Christian stories and figures, and an allegory of the Cold War. The first one is a demonstration of Frederick Nietzsche’s philosophies and ideals. Nietzsche believed that humans did not have morals, that these “morals” are actually the instincts of the society that the human lives in. According to him, a person is what they are because of the society that they live in. Nietzsche believed that a person is born with instincts, and it is upon those instincts that society embeds its own morals. The second theme is an allegory of the Christian ideals and stories. There are several parts to this allegory. One is the symbol of Jesus Christ. In the book, Christ is represented by Simon. He is shown to have the littluns (the commoners) following him and having him do things for them. “Here the littluns who had run after him caught up with him… Simon found them the fruit they could not reach, pulling off the choicest from up in the foliage, passed them back down to the endless, stretching hands” (59). Just like here, the commoners flock to Christ because he cares more about them than does the rulers, or the ‘biguns’. The ‘biguns’, like the rulers, dislike Simon/Christ, for the simple reason that the littluns/commoners like him more than they. “They [Ralph, Piggy, Jack, Roger…] think you’re batty” (163). Another part of the allegory is relating the island to the Garden of Eden and the inhabitants going from innocent to full of knowledge. When the children arrive on the island, they are innocent, not having been influenced by society yet. As they progress, they form their own society, and thus are influenced by one. They gain knowledge about what is right and wrong, as do Adam and Eve. Yet another aspect of the allegory is the correlation between the Fallen Angels and

Indexing in This Boys Life

2004-04-18T20:18:50-04:00

In This Boys Life, by Tobias Wolff, Wolff uses indexing, or references, to an easily recognizable event, to validate and further supplement the feelings or thoughts of his characters. Some of the types of indexing he uses are songs, references to historical and non-historical events, and vehicles that were in style. These are things that most, if not all, of his readers will recognize and associate with a certain type of feeling or action. One example of this is the song at the beginning. Mood Indigo is a song that describes the suffering of a man whose girl had left him. This is exactly the predicament that they left Roy, Tobias’ mother’s old boyfriend, in. From a selection in the song, “I always get that mood indigo, Since my baby said goodbye, And in the evening when the lights are low, Im so lonely I could cry.” This is probably how Roy is feeling at this point, having been deserted. A second example is the time in Seattle when the boys, Tobias, Terry Taylor, and Terry Silver, witness a Thunderbird in the streets below one of their houses. The narrator states that Thunderbirds had only been out for a year, which meant that they were all new. Thunderbirds were new, fast, and very cool. The author put this in to support the boys’ reason for vandalizing it. This car and owner was everything that they wanted to be, and every thing that they were not. “One look was enough to see that he [the owner] was everything we were not, his life a progress of satisfactions we had no hope of attaining in any future we could seriously propose for ourselves” (Wolff 45-46). This man is cool, they are not. So, thus, they are justified in egging the car and its occupant. The author uses the image of the Thunderbird to set the reader alongside the boys and against the driver of the Thunderbird. A third example of this is the boys watching The Mickey Mouse Club after school each day. It is used to show that Tobias is leading two lives. There is the one that he leads at home, the perfect one, the one that obeys rules and laws. Then there is the one that he displays when

Ellen Foster: Forcing a child to mature faster than normal

2004-04-18T20:16:15-04:00

Is it possible to force a child to mature faster than normal? A girl named Ellen, in Ellen Foster, by Kate Gibbons, is exposed to situations and events that most children her age are not. Was she, because of the experiences she had to go through, forced to become mature faster than normal? Is it possible for a child to be forced to become mature earlier than normal? Yes, it is possible for a child to be forced to mature faster than normal, if that child is exposed to situations or circumstances in which they are forced to view or experience events that are not normally viewed or experienced by a child of that age. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary defines mature as “having or expressing the mental and emotional qualities that are considered normal to an adult socially adjusted human being”. This means that to be mature is to have certain traits, which you acquire as you mature. According to this definition, it would be possible for a child to become mature early; they simply must attain these certain traits. According to “Levels of Maturity”, there are seven levels of maturity. These levels can be acquired through experience. As one completes a level, they move on to the next one. The article also says: “As we mature, we become more flexible. We have a greater capacity to find peaceful solutions to our differences with others. We become more independent, ultimately achieving interdependence. With greater maturity comes more kindness, compassion, and respect toward others, along with self-confidence and clarity of purpose.” These are some of the traits discussed in the next paragraph. According to “Traits Learned on the Way to Maturity”, as one matures, he/she learns various traits that distinguish that person from a less mature person. One of these traits is responsibility. Ellen does show remarkable responsibility. After her mother dies, she takes care of her father and herself. With the money she receives, she pays the bills, buys the food, gives some to her father to buy beer, and saves the rest. Most children her age would not show the responsibility to be able to handle managing the family finances. “I figured out what I needed and took it. You got the lights, gas to heat and cook,

Differences between Jack and Ralph represented through their actions as chief

2004-04-08T01:16:35-04:00

Differences between Jack and Ralph represented through their actions as chief Jack and Ralph are two exceedingly different characters. Jack is the id, the type of personality that acts on impulse in order to receive immediate gratification. Ralph is the ego, a decision maker. Jack is power hungry and harbors a deadly need to control all around him, but Ralph considers himself another one of the boys. Throughout The Lord of the Flies, the numerous ways Golding contrast Jack and Ralph are almost as numerous as the sum of dissimilarities. The differences between Jack and Ralph are represented through their actions and behavior as chief. First of all, positioning always creates a significant effect on situations and appearances. Ralph’s and Jack’s seats among the boys illustrate how each as an individual feels in an authoritative position among the boys. “Ralph sat on a fallen trunk... on his right were most of the choir; on his left the larger boys... before him small children” (32). Here Ralph is surrounded by the other boys on the island. His seat is the seat is among the other boys. Despite Ralph possessing power over the boys, Ralph places himself among the boys, symbolizing Ralph considers himself just another one of the boys, no better or no worse. However, Jack does not consider himself just another one of the boys. Quite the opposite, Jack considers himself better than the other boys. Both occurrences in which Jack’s seat is mentioned Jack is secluded, or, in other words, sitting where the other boys may be privileged to a full view of him. “... the tribe lay in a semicircle before him” (160) and “...the boys arranged themselves in rows on the grass before him” (150). Jack uses his seat and the places of the boys as reminders of his authority. Golding emphasizes Jack’s self claimed superiority by writing, “Jack rose from the log that was his throne..” (150). Ralph’s seat is never mentioned as a throne throughout the entire book but “a fallen trunk” (32). Yet another way the differences between Jack and Ralph are demonstrated is how they keep their power and authority. Ralph is good-hearted and gentle and uses words and the conch to get the boys attention. Often Ralph would remind the boys, “You voted me chief. Now do what I say” (81) in order to settle the boys down or convince the boys to

The catcher in the rye

2004-04-06T15:18:17-04:00

“The Catcher in the Rye” By Christine Cameron Hypothesis: How does the writer create a believable main character in Holden? “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger was first published in America and Britain in 1951 but the British version had some minor changes. For example, certain swear words and slang words were removed. It was also banned from schools. This made the book more appealing to me because I wanted to see what all the controversy was about. On reading the book, I found it interesting how the writer managed to create a believable main character in Holden. This is done in a number of different ways using different techniques, all of which fascinated me. From the start of the novel, Holden is portrayed by Salinger as an individual, which makes him more believable as a character. This is done by giving him an individual voice using the first person narrative. The character is the narrator for the whole of the book, slanting the novel entirely from Holden’s point of view. This gives us a better insight into his character and the feelings and views demonstrated by him make him seem more realistic in the eyes of the reader. At the beginning of the novel, Holden’s informal language speaks directly to readers by addressing them as “you” and by the end of the novel, the readers feel as if they know Holden personally, hence contributing towards a believable character. Characters often seem more realistic to the reader if they are shown to have habits. In his speech, Holden has a number of phrases that are repeated time and time again throughout the novel. For example he often says “that kills me” to show that something amuses him. These are traits unique to Holden an individual and make him believable as a character. Another technique that is often used to create Holden as a realistic and believable character is to make him do things that a normal person would do. For example, he often changes the subject whilst having a conversation or jumps from one topic to the next. Holden has a habit of digressing when conversing with people, as normal people do. I feel this is an attempt by the writer to add to the sense of realism. Another aspect that Salinger uses to make Holden’s character more believable is through patterns in his behaviour. Characters can seem more individual

Society portrayed by Wilde in The Importance Of Being Earnest

2004-03-31T08:52:26-04:00

The society presented by Wilde in the first act of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ is the late Victorian society within which he lived. This society was highly influenced by the nouveau riche and aristocracy. Wilde’s play focuses upon this sphere of social society with its drawing room setting. The late nineteenth century society was very much based upon rigid class distinctions and this comedy of the same period holds this same ideal. Evidence of the society this literature was drawn from can be seen throughout the opening act both in the reportee of the characters and its general plot line. This play is clearly linked with the critic ideal that ‘art mirrors the society it stems from’ and the distinction of the reaction from a contemporary audience as opposed to a modern audience viewing this play is further evidence of the picture Wilde creates of late Victorian society. The opening scene of the first act introduces us to Algernon and Lane who are opposites of the social spectrum. It is clear from the stage directions that precede the first few lines that Algernon is a socialite: ‘Morning – room in Algernon’s flat in Half Moon Street’. This area of London in the time of Wilde would have held high social status and housed many members of high society, indeed this play was premiered in the same region of London. This introduces us to the setting of the play without any speech taking place. As dialogue begins between the characters it is obvious from Lane’s subservience, calling Algernon ‘sir’, that he is of lower social status and therefore a servant of Alge’s. To a contemporary audience the inclusion of a servant would not have felt alien as it maybe would to a modern audience viewing Wilde’s work. In fact, many contemporary onlookers would have housed a servant of some kind as a social status indicator. Wilde definitely portrays the rigid class distinctions found within the society of this era and this can also be seen with the inclusion of Miss Prism and Chasuable later in the play. Marriage is a constant theme in Act One and throughout the play. Within the opening act talk of marriage forms much of the reportee between the characters. Many of the comments made are highly poignant when studying Victorian high society. Jack’s reason for visiting the city is to propose to Gwendolen and on realising this,

Glass Menagerie - world of illusion

2004-03-31T08:46:31-04:00

The illusion in the play starts in scene even before the stage direction “at the beginning” one where it is clear that Amanda peruses illusions from the very first moment we meet her. “Being a memory play, it is dimly lighted, it is sentimental, it is not realistic” page 3. The fact that Tom acts as both narrator and as a character in the play immediately suggests the transitory and illusory nature of memory. Indeed Roger Boxill, in his book “Tennessee Williams” says “the play is cradled in the play wright’s recall of the Depression years”, perhaps suggesting another layer of illusion - the playwright’s own memory. Perhaps it is significant that “The Glass Menagerie” was originally written as a movie screenplay- as movies are perhaps the ultimate illusion, light shining through celluloid to create two-dimensional images. Indeed, Hollywood was known as “The Dream Factory.” Memories are not necessarily real or truthful, memory can be selective and it seems that Williams may well have been trying like Tom to present “truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion.” C.W.E.Bigsby suggests in his essay “Entering the Glass Menagerie” that “Williams was concerned with exploiting precisely this internal truth, a world of private need beneath the routines of social performance.” Amanda is expecting “gentlemen callers” for her daughter Laura when we know that Laura doesn’t socialise outside of their home, so how Amanda is expecting gentlemen callers for her daughter is beyond the reader. Later on in the play we find out that Laura is not only crippled but also has no confidence in herself, while we don’t find this out yet it is obvious that her own mother would know about it. We can take this “energetic but misguided” approach of finding Laura not just a gentleman caller but gentlemen callers (more than 1) as Amanda trying to live Laura’s life for her and to make sure she didn’t make the mistakes herself made, marrying a man who would run away and leave a women with a son and a crippled daughter. We might also surmise that Amanda prefers the illusion that Laura’s “little defect” is barely noticeable to the reality which Tom forces her to accept in Scene 5, “face the facts she is”, Tom tries to open up Amanda’s eyes to the fact that Laura is crippled and always will be. Amanda likes to delude herself into thinking that

How He Left The Hotel By Louisa Baldwin

2004-03-31T02:53:20-04:00

This is a story that I got off the internet at http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/howhotel.htm. This story was written a long time ago. It happened at the Emperor Hotel, in what I believe is London. This story explains how a person worked at the Hotel. He was in charge of the “lift” or as we like to call it, the elevator. In November of the year that this story occurred in, a person named Colonel Saxby came to the hotel. He was strange to the main character. He had strange habits, for example, he never sat down whether the elevator was empty or not. In February, since the Colonel went on the elevator every day, the main

Is Perry a Hero

2004-03-31T01:47:03-04:00

Is Perry A Hero? A hero can be defined as a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked his/her life. Being in a war has made many people hero’s, for an example Perry. Perry can be considered a hero because unlike others, Perry willingly went into the war. He also went into a war with a medical history and then in the war ended up saving a fellow soldier’s life. The first reason Perry is a hero is because he enlisted in the war while other fled from the draft. First, Perry is a courageous man for entering the war. At this particular period in time, some people did everything they could to avoid going into the war. One way people could avoid the war was to flee to Canada. Brew admits to thinking about this by saying to Perry, “I almost went to Canada when I got notice to go down and register……but I didn’t have the nerve”(P. 147). Another way people fled the war was by burning their draft cards that they have received. Another way Perry is a hero is that even though he had a medical condition, he still wanted to join the army. Second of all, Perry is a hero because even though he had a medical condition, he stilled enlisted in the army. Some people back in America didn’t even want to go to Vietnam, Perry did it with a hurt leg. This leg injury kept Perry from what he really wanted in getting training in a helicopter, so he decided to do the next best thing. Perry is not legally allowed to join the army in Vietnam but the paperwork on him is backed up so no one will know until later. We learn that the paperwork has been at camp for a while because at the end of the book a doctor says to Perry, “It was here since, oh yes, the eight of March. I guess it was late. You’re going to be sent home.”(P. 305). The last reason as to why Perry is a hero is because he saved a man’s life by risking his own. Lastly, Perry is considered a hero because of saving a man’s life. Perry and Peewee were walking back to the extraction point when

Lord of The Flies- Whats In A name?

2004-03-27T18:59:41-04:00

Today, many readers of literature adopt an impression that all fictional books are naught but a good fairytale in a land far, far away, once upon a time. The Lord of the Flies takes place during an unreal time period, and its plot develops on a fictional island secluded from civilization. However, some of its contents are far from being the exaggerated concoctions of William Golding. This book is not simply about the adventures that a group of boys go through, but it is full of wisdom and philosophy that may be imperceptible at first. I think with further analysis, many of the seemingly confusing, and purposeless areas of the book can be understood. One of these interesting, yet difficult-to-understand sections of the book is; why did William Golding title so specifically this little boy, Percival Wemys Madison? There was only two people who had a last name in this book. One was Jack Merridew, who was possibly one of the most influential and complex characters of the book, if giving him a full title recognized his importance, that I could understand. However, here was a boy who had little to do with most of the plot. He was only mentioned several times, and even when he was mentioned, he was portrayed as a whiny, annoying, and unwanted child. “As loud as percival”(87) had become quite a description for weeping little ones. Even the tiniest bit of problem could upset him greatly. However, when asked by Ralph for his name, he gave an answer that seemed as if it was repeated thousands of times before, “Percival Wemys Madison. The Vicarage, Harcourt St. Anthony, Hants, telelphone, telephone…“ (86). Not only did William Golding give him a last name but a middle name also, along with his former address. Many questions formed in my mind when I took the time to look into this passage. Mainly, why had the author choose to give Percival such a detailed profile? If it served no purpose, it could have easily been omitted, and like the rest of the children, Percival could have just as well served his role with only a first name. If William Golding had a greater plan for the name, what was it? How did it help develop the story, and what point did it help to bring across to the reader? William Golding’s reason

"Araby"

2004-03-21T19:59:39-04:00

The setting in “Araby” reinforces the theme and characters by using imagery of light and darkness. The experiences of the boy in James Joyce’s “Araby” illustrate how people often expect more than reality can provide and become disillusioned and disappointed. The author uses dark and obscure references to make the boys reality of living in a gloomy town more vivid. He uses gloomy references to create the mood of the story, and then changes to bright light references when talking about Mangan’s sister. The story expresses its theme through the setting, the characterization of the boy, and his point of view as the narrator. Darkness is used throughout the story as the prevailing theme. Joyce begins the story at dusk and continues through the evening during the winter. He chooses this depressing setting to be the home of a young boy who is infatuated with his neighbor’s sister. The boy is young and naïve and leads a boring life. I sat staring at the clock for some time and, when its ticking began to irritate me, I left the room. I mounted the staircase and gained the upper part of the house. The high, cold, empty, gloomy rooms liberated me and I went from room to room singing. From the front window I saw my companions playing below in the street. Their cries reached me weakened and indistinct and, leaning my forehead against the cool glass, I looked over at the dark house where she lived. Joyce uses darkness to make the boys reality more believable through more vivid precise descriptions. The dark illusion the boy experiences are all part of growing up. North Richmond Street is described metaphorically and presents the reader with his first view of the boy’s world. The street is “blind,” it is a dead end, and its inhabitants are smugly content. The houses are “imperturbable” in the “quiet,” the “cold,” the “dark muddy lanes,” and “dark dripping gardens.” The first use of situational irony is introduced here because anyone who is aware, who is not morally blinded or asleep, would feel oppressed and endangered by North Richmond Street. The people who live there are not threatened; instead they are falsely pious and self-satisfied. Another use of symbolic description is of the dead priest and his belongings. This suggests bits and pieces of a

Tragic Hero Antigone

2004-03-20T20:20:45-04:00

Tragic Hero What qualities generate a hero? Must heroes possess superhuman abilities? In the Greek era, heroism was much more practical. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be royal. He/she must be a good, moral person. Yet, every tragic hero must exhibit flaws. His/her flaws must lead to downfall. A hero must be punished or experience suffering. He/she must invoke catharsis into the audience. A tragic hero must recognize his/her wrongs and accept all consequences. Beyond all doubt, Antigone is a tragic hero. Obviously, Antigone is royal. She is Eteocles, Polyneices and Ismene’s sister. Plus, she is Creon’s niece. However, a tragic hero must be a good, moral person. Antigone has family pride. She is loyal and honorable. Antigone’s conscience would not allow her to leave her beloved brother to be scavenged by animals. “But I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death and shall be as dear to him as he to me.” (Prologue, Line 55). Antigone’s pride and loyalty for her family uphold her morals and good nature. Being human, Antigone exhibited flaws. Antigone demonstrated impressive loyalty and bravery to bury her brother. Yet, becoming a martyr for the cause was extreme. Deciding to transgress the King’s law was a significant faux pas. When Antigone decided to bury her brother, not even the Gods’ ominous whirlwind could defer her. Overpowering pride and loyalty led to Antigone’s ruin. Importantly, Antigone received punishment. Creon sentenced Antigone to death by nature’s hand. Antigone was imprisoned in a stony tomb where starvation would execute her. After suffering without provisions, Antigone performed euthanasia on herself by committing suicide. Therefore, Antigone was a good person with flaws. Antigone’s imperfections ended her. Despondently, Antigone invoked catharsis into the audience. The audience felt the combined feelings of pity and fear for Antigone. They felt sympathy and pity for her when she could not bury her brother. They felt fear for her because her death sentence was undeserved. For both of these feelings, the audience could relate to Antigone and could imagine how she was feeling; and it was not something they would like to experience. The audience

Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale"

2004-03-16T18:00:39-04:00

An examination of pun and word play as a narrative technique in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” Atwood uses word play in this dystopian novel to reinforce themes and ideas and to create the implication of and foreshadow ideas without direct allusion to them. Atwood’s character Offred also uses word play to both remember her past and as a conscious resistance to her present. The novel is set in the Republic of Gilead, formerly the USA. The country is both at war and undergoing Ethnic Cleansing. Due to pollution and other factors the birth rate has declined below the line of zero replacement. Puritanical and Biblical influences on Gilead are evident throughout with women’s roles based upon Biblical precedents. Such as the Handmaid’s which mirror Genesis’s Rachael and Leah. All unmarried women with ‘viable ovaries’ are held in bondage to a ‘Commander’ for the sole purpose of procreation. Atwood alludes to the purpose of the Handmaids early in the book: “Waste not want not. I am not being wasted, why do I want?” I am not being wasted is effective in its implication that Offred is viewed as a possession or object rather than an individual, it is also effective in intriguing the reader by building suspense, how is she not being ‘wasted’ and why does she want? This early intimation foreshadows the knowledge that Offred has a purpose beyond her individuality that she is not satisfied with. There is much sexual implication throughout the book, effecting a 1984-like state where sexual instinct is repressed – with only the high powered Commanders legally permitted to procreate - with sexual energies redirected into hatred and war. In chapter four Offred makes eye contact with a young Guardian. She imagines touching his face in defiance of the law thinking: “Such moments are possibilities, tiny peepholes”. The imagery in the word peepholes is of voyeuristic, illicit sex: which has the effect of enhancing the theme of taboo and illegality of recreational sex. Offred also describes the Guardian and his companion as “Standing to attention, stiffly” taken literally, this shows the respect with which Handmaids are treated: however the phrase also has a sexual connotation. This double entendre again highlights the illegality of casual sex in Gilead by the use of a mischievous tongue-in-cheek remark rather than direct reference. In this way Offred’s passive, yet very real, resistance begins to be shown. Offred’s opposition is also revealed

English Assignment - Alchohol Ads/Discourse

2004-03-14T09:38:32-04:00

Alcohol And Advertising By Roberto It is not fair to say that all people drink to gain acceptance, or that all people use drinking to create a new self image. Quite often in life, however, even those who do not form an addiction, about three out of four individuals, have probably drank at one time to ease nerves and not worry so much what others think. Whether this is right or wrong per individual, it is very much a part of the Australian culture. Advertising agencies are definitely not the last ones to realize this. Their ads are manipulative in camouflaging dangerous realities linked to alcohol consumption. Many consumers are informed that alcohol is an addictive substance, which may cause physical and emotional damage. Alcoholic products have power to alter people’s way of thinking merely by consumption. That is why advertisers work so hard in luring people to consume their product, carefully avoiding the issue that alcohol consumption could have negative consequences. Because the alcohol advertisement from Kahlua use people’s negative, confused, or lack of, self-image to promote consumption of their addictive product, this advertisement agency is compromising their audience’s safety. Manipulative strategy is used in the following alcohol advertisement. Negative feelings or situations are subtly presented, then shown positively remedied by consumption of alcohol. Using special pleading, advertisers strategically portray drinking only as glamorous and exciting. They are manipulative and careless by presenting only these characteristics of alcohol consumption, purposely omitting a parallel reality. An ad showing an alcoholic throwing up from withdrawals, confused and suicidal might possibly hinder sales. This may seem like an over-exaggerated scenario; unfortunately, it is a realistic possibility when using alcohol as a means of coping. Take the Kahlua ad for example, this particular Advertisement features a blond model scantily dressed. The fact that she is scantily dressed, however, is not the real focus. She is wearing a bright yellow rain suit; cut mini-skirt length, connected to thigh high simulated boots, attached garter-style. Her hair is blowing back wildly with her mouth open in an excited scream, showing us that “Anything goes”. At a quick glance, she appears to be having a great time. To notice the weird details, seemingly intended for the audience, would require a longer look than just the usual few seconds an ad is typically viewed would. This alcohol ad suggests mixing Kahlua to make a drink called a mudslide. The ridiculous

English Assignment - Alchohol Ads/Discourse

2004-03-14T09:37:28-04:00

Abomination by Robert Swindells

2004-03-10T19:00:21-05:00

Abomination - The Coxon and Dewhurst families How are the Coxon and Dewhurst families different? In my opinion, Martha and Scott’s families differ in may ways. One of which, is their views on how to punish their child/children. Martha’s family agree with physical punishment, which seems old fashioned and cruel. Martha hates being hurt this way but has grown to expect it: ‘Father lost his temper and slapped my face. Mother said something to him on the stairs and he came back. I was curled up on the bed, crying.’ This shows that Martha’s family can be old fashioned. Her Mother isn’t the one to beat her, instead she is seen as the ‘peace maker’: ‘Mother said something to him on the stairs’. Also, decades ago, the father was seen as the ‘man of the house’, the one in charge. This quote shows that although time moves on and changes, their ghastly family traditions do not. ‘Curled up on the bed’, suggests that Martha wants to seem smaller and more invisible to the world. Like when a young child buries their face into their mother’s skirts. Scott’s family has a much more modern way of dealing with their son. They don’t beat him, but talk to him. They support him and are kind to him and allow him to be more in touch with the modern day technologies. ‘His mother sighed, “I can’t see how talking to some lad in Florida about favourite rock bands is going to help with your GCSE’s, Scott.”’ Scott’s mum allows him not only to have a computer, but to have the internet, and to chat with someone she isn’t really fond of. She’s concerned about her child’s education, because she mentions his GCSE tests, which makes her appear as a typical, concerned parent. His parents also allow him to listen to rock music: ‘talking to some lad in Florida about favourite rock bands’. Whereas Martha is beaten if she listens to pop music, which isn’t even as violent as rock music. Like the time when she left a different radio station on and her father found out. Knowing what she’s missing out, Martha must feel abandoned, feel that life is unfair, that her family is unfair. The sad thing is, I don’t even think that she knows that she deserves, that she has the right, to be treated better. By her

An Inspector Calls - is it a detective story or a social critique?

2004-03-09T17:06:34-05:00

Is an Inspector Calls a detective story or a social critique and How will the audience’s views have changed on this from the time the play was written to today? Many people believe that ‘An Inspector Calls’ by JB Priestley is a detective story because it is centred around an investigation of the Birling family and it is also indicated by the title. However, when you study the play in detail it becomes apparent that the play is not simply a detective story but it is also a social critique. However, the audience’s views in the time the play was written will have changed from today’s society as in my opinion, the social content was more relevant in 1945 and today’s audiences may now view it simply as a light and comical mystery. It is clear from the outset that JB Priestley intended this to be a detective story. The title ‘An Inspector Calls’ is very suggestive as to the topic of the play. It would appear from this that it is probable for the play to be based around the investigations of a clever and cunning detective inspector who calls upon a household to investigate a crime, and sure enough, this impression continues into the beginning of the play when the Birling family are informed that a detective has arrived at the house to get “some information” about the suicide of a young girl. However, right from the beginning there are great hints about the social issues that the play will cover. Mr Birling’s off beam speech at the beginning clearly indicates that this play is not your ordinary Agatha Christie style mystery. The deliberate way that JB Priestley makes Mr Birling reel out mistake after mistake is building an idea of an arrogant, middle class man who could easily represent a lot of the society that Priestley was living in at the time. A normal detective story can often build up a character showing him/her to be arrogant and pompous like Mr Birling, but it is the specific incidents that he mentions that is the first indicator that this play is more than a petty mystery. Birling proudly boasts that his friend will travel on the “absolutely unsinkable” Titanic, that he knows for a fact that “there isn’t a chance of war” and that in the near future there will be “peace and prosperity … everywhere.” Of course Mr Birling

okonkwo is a victimb in things fall apart

2004-03-03T01:06:43-05:00

Have you ever

Danger Of Knowledge

2004-03-02T22:04:08-05:00

English 1302 19 February 2004 Response Paper #2 Danger Of Knowledge Through the theme of dangerous knowledge Mary Shelly is conveying a message, with the characters of Walton and Victor. The desire to make history. An attempt to go beyond accepted human limits and to access the secrets of life. Both Victor and Walton possess an insatiable thirst for privileged knowledge the things that are unknown to the common man. Walton states “ I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path” (Shelly 8). At the risk to everyone near to him Walton sought glory in his attempt to surpass previous human explorations by endeavoring to reach the North Pole, only to find himself perilously trapped between sheets of ice. Victor states “ It was the secrets of heaven and earth that I desired to learn; and whether it was the outward substance of things, or the inner spirit of nature and the mysterious soul of man that occupied me, still my inquires were directed to the metaphysical, or, in its highest sense, the physical secrets of the world” (Shelly 38). Devoting his life to the creation of life, which eventually results in the destruction of everyone dear to him. Though they both explore entirely different realms, Walton and Victor are both bound by a common cause. Each longs to further the knowledge of mankind and to glorify his own name. Walton seeks knowledge of the secrets of the natural earth, in the company of a crew of men on the same mission. Just as Victor seeks knowledge of the secrets of a metaphysical nature, the principle of life. Though Victor starts his quest for knowledge at the university of Ingolstate it is in the secrecy of his apartment that he brings his creation to life. It is only under the cloak of darkness that this can take place. Whereas Walton assumes that his crew has the same passion as he does; he believes that they would willingly sacrifice their lives for the cause. They both go beyond accepted human limits to achieve what they want for themselves. Having an insatiable thirst for, I; would say ‘God’ like knowledge the things that are unknown to the common man. Victor goes from being an innocent boy fascinated by the mysteries of life, to a guilt

Henry Fielding - Compare and contrast the effectiveness of the treatment of burlesque

2004-02-26T14:11:59-05:00

The effectiveness of the treatment of burlesques can be seen through two stories namely Henry Fielding’s ‘Joseph Andrews’ and Alexander Pope’s ‘The Rape of Lock.’ These novels are two fine examples of incongruous imitation, the form that imitates the manner (form and style) and subject matter of a serious work. The serious work for Fielding was Samuel Richardson’s novel Shamela and the Greek epics (homer, Virgil) for Pope. Fielding and Pope’s books are from the same school that being satire, but although they are alike in burlesque, the form and story are not. For instance Burlesque used through mock epic poem is distinguished in Pope’s story which elaborates the form and the ceremonious style of the epic genre, but applies it to narrate at length the trivial subject matter, that being of Belinda the elegant and frivolous lady whose vanity is cherished. In contrast to this, Fielding’s story is a comic epic in prose told through the eyes of a young man named Joseph where the story using burlesque stresses the element of self-discovery through the narrator, the characters say one thing and do another. It is appearance versus reality. Their angle of satire is separated although both of them do connect the fictional world to the world of experience. Furthermore in ‘The Rape of Lock’, Alexander Pope’s view through the grandiose epic perspective is a quarrel between the belles and elegant of the day over the theft of a lady’s curl of which the effectiveness of Pope satire comes from this seemingly minor event. The story includes such elements of traditional epic protocol, supernatural machinery, a voyage on a ship, a visit to the under world and a historically scaled battle between the sexes. Whereas Fielding’s story is on less of a grandiose scale with only an innocent boy, it has no pomp but a story of how luck and unfortunate circumstance were thrown his way. The burlesque story was constructed as a reaction to and refutation of the ethical system used by Richardson, as shown by Henry Fielding using a unique way of portraying religion in his works. Fielding loves portraying Christianity as violent. Joseph’s friend, Parson Adams show his readiness to take part in any fights seconds this. Pope and Fielding’s stories are about people’s eccentricities where Fielding particularly is presenting moral examples; the reader is playfully frustrated by the narrator’s story, but ultimately convinced by the serious

Communism

2004-02-25T22:38:47-05:00

Communism is a concept or system of society in which the major resources and means of production are owned by the community rather than by individuals. Ideally, it is a society without money, property, or social classes. In theory the communist societies provide equal sharing of all work, according to ability, and all benefits, according to need. Everyone provides the

Totalitarianism

2004-02-25T22:35:35-05:00

Totalitarianism is a system of modern autocratic government and ideology in which all social, political, economic, intellectual, cultural, and spiritual activities are subordinated to the purposes of the rulers of a state. The state involves itself in all aspects of society, including the daily life of its citizens. A totalitarian government controls the attitudes, values, and beliefs of

Analysis of Phoebe

2004-02-25T22:30:00-05:00

Siblings are never meant to get along. They yell and bicker over everything and are never able to have a friendly relationship. Very rarely do I see a pleasant relationship between a brother and a sister, who actually are able to communicate without killing each other. When I see siblings that are nice to each other, I admire them because it takes a lot to be nice to their siblings, especially if there is a seven year difference between them, like Holden and Phoebe. In J.D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Phoebe Caulfield, one of the major characters in the novel, loves and thinks highly of her brother, Holden, the protagonist. Phoebe is a ten year old neat, intelligent girl, who looks up to his brother and respects him. She knows Holden inside and out and wants the best for him. It is through Phoebe that we see Holden as a child who never wants to grow up. Phoebe has a great influence both on the reader and Holden, and is one of the few people in the novel who understands what is happening to Holden. Phoebe has a great affect on Holden. Throughout the book Holden feels depressed and lonely. It is only the thought of Phoebe that makes him happy and less lonesome. He thinks about all the fun they had together. When he is around her he does not feel depressed, but joyful. “I certainly felt like talking to her [Phoebe] on the phone. Somebody with some sense and all.” (Salinger, 66) When he feels lonely and wants to call someone, one of the people he always thinks of calling is Phoebe. He feels very close to Phoebe, who actually listens to him. Phoebe is a very smart girl, whom Holden enjoys talking to. He thinks of Phoebe as his equal; someone that he can share things with and talk to, without feeling like he is talking to a “phony”. Another reason Phoebe is important to Holden is the fact that both love each other. “She [Phoebe] likes me a lot. I mean she’s quite fond of me. She really is.” (Salinger, 159) Throughout the novel Holden is having trouble finding someone that truly feels for him and loves him, but Phoebe is the only person that not only understands, but loves

odepus

2004-02-25T04:42:09-05:00

Oedipus’ life is revealed during the hours on stage. It is difficult to think of another play in which unity of time as a formal property of the drama contributes more to meaning. Every step Oedipus takes to solve the old murder mystery, every new confrontation with those he summons to appear with pieces of the past, every one of their chance disclosures, brings him closer both to the solution he seeks and to the self discovery he does not foresee. When the last piece falls into place the detective becomes the criminal, his success his doom, his happy ignorance tragic knowledge, and the evil without the evil within. Such a summary description of the plot points to heavy ironic nature. Dramatic irony operates whenever the audience is aware of some circumstance in plot or character that gives meaning beyond or at odds with that which the speaker consciously intends, or changes a situation with the significance unsuspected by the character caught in it. The more hostile the covert significance is to the unwitting ironist and the farther he is from realizing it, the more poignant the irony. Dramatic irony first begins with the appearance of Oedipus in his Kingly robes and with his first words, “I myself come hither, Oedipus, famous among all men”. The pitiful towns people have appealed for aid to the one who is in reality the cause of their woe. Teresias is the blind man who sees, Oedipus the seeing man who is blind. Oedipus welcomes the information Creon brought him from Delphi. His optimism, his zeal to carry out all the commands of Apollo and to punish the murderer of Laius is ironical. In Oedipus’ words to the citizen supplicant in scene 1 “sick as you are, not one is as sick as I,” we hear not just the King’s concern for his stricken people and his self-involvement in their fate, we also perceive the dreadful accuracy of himself. Our perception depends on our knowledge of the outcome in the persistent pattern of ironies – Oedipus cursing Laios’s murderer, promising to avenge the dead king “ just as though I were his son”, and berating Teirsias for his arrogance, mocking his blindness, and accusing him of complicity in the murder. Far from being inept, premature giveaway of the plot, Sophocles’ method engages our interest in the dramatic form as an image of the frailty of man’s

Comment on Little Black Boy by William Blake using terms and concepts you have encountered for this

2004-02-22T03:44:38-05:00

One of the first writers of the Romantic period William Blake’s writings are a curious mixture, his voice in the early 1790’s was the conscience of the Romantic Age. He was an artist with words and believed himself to be guided by visions from the spiritual world, which lie heavy in this poem I have chosen. In this essay I would like to focus on the poem ‘Little Black Boy’ to which Blake centers on the spiritual awaking to a divine love that transcends race. It tells of how the ‘Little Black Boy’ came to know his identity and to know God. To begin with Blake’s poem is dramatic that is, in the voice of a speaker other than the poet himself. This poem of Blake’s uses the Little Black Boy to narrate the poem in first person. This projects the reader clearly inside the consciousness of the boy in the poem giving us the images from the defined observer. As a result Blake stands outside innocence and experience in a distance position. The innocence is from ‘Songs of Innocence’, Blake’s first collection of poems, to which Blake’s subject matter shows the innocent, pastoral world of childhood. This was juxtaposed with experience, which was taken from ‘Songs of Experience’, his other collection, which shows the adult world of corruption and repression. Therefore showing the two contrary states of the human soul. The ‘songs of innocence’ dramatize the naive hopes and fears that inform the lives of children, namely the ‘Little Black Boy’ who tells this didactic story about himself in this poem. The form of the poem is in heroic quatrains, which are stanza of pentameter lines rhyming ABAB. This standard rhyme and alliteration is exemplified by repetition in the line-final (in couplets) by individual sounds parallel, this occurs in this poem with the repetition of sounds; for example ‘wild’ and ‘child’ in line 1 and 3 made by the final consonant cluster, also in ‘tree’ and ‘me’ in line 5 and 7 which for the final end word sound pattern the vowel sound is repeated. Blake’s form is a variation on the ballad stanza, and the slightly longer lines for this poem are well suited to the pedagogical tone of this poem. Blake uses powerful imagery with metaphors and similes, ‘White as an angel is the English child’, ‘ But I as if bereaved of light’ to refer to

Write an essay discussing the role of irony in one play that you have read

2004-02-22T03:42:50-05:00

Consider the treatment in one text of one of more of the Seven Deadly Sins

2004-02-22T03:41:31-05:00

As knowledge seekers many people will strive harder or try appropriate means to achieve there goal for further knowledge to the extent that bridges onto to excessiveness that reflects a deadly sin. Doctor Faustus is this seeker of knowledge who wants to find out more than is good for him to know. Faustus is a scoffer who gets a scoffer’s comeuppance. His commits mortal sin and goes to hell for it. Dr Faustus deals with the ambition of the renaissance to cultivate an ‘aspiring mind’. The Renaissance for infinite knowledge is embodied in Faustus. However, Faustus shows little discrimination in his pursuits. He delights, for example, in the seven deadly sins, ironically remarking; “O thus feeds my soul’. Throughout the twenty-four years, he seeks experience of all kinds in the true Renaissance manner, instead of freedom; his know ledge brings him despair. Another quality possessed by the ambitious Renaissance humanist is his desire to reach the highest peaks of life experience. To enter the new world where distant shores could be talked about. This is manifested in Faustus in his desire to none other than a God: ‘A sound magician is a demi-god’. ‘How am I glutted with conceit’ shows how his excessive pride is overtaking him. His almost unconcerned use of the words ‘I’ and ‘will’ (‘I’ll’) embodies a man of cupidity. He is a fearless taker of everything for his own greed. In an age of reason Faustus tries to stand on his own two feet and work out his salvation. He is motivated largely, by his desire for pleasure. He is covetous in his thoughts of ‘flying to India for gold’, ‘ransacking the orient for orient pear’. He hedonistically rides on the crest of sin. So blind is the lust of gain. Aristotle stated that the tragic hero is predominately good man, whose undoing is brought about by some error of human frailty, ‘the stamp of one defect’. The audience sees three such defects in Faustus that leads to his ultimate domination of Mephistopheles: his pride, his relentless intellect and his desire to be more than man (to possess the power and the insight of a God). Any one of these three defects would have been sufficient to ensure his downfall in terms of theory of tragedy. In his pride, he is guilty of hubris, a quality that the Greek tragedy was certain to arouse the wrath of the Gods.

Consider the treatment in any one text of spiritual and/or sexual love.

2004-02-22T03:37:29-05:00

Of the knights of high chivalry and King Arthur, a time for courtly love, the story of Sir Gawain evokes tales of spiritual and sexual love, which for Sir Gawain a man of high standing ‘God had not made a better knight’, and ‘a servant of God’ albeit that he does have his temptation for love. Temptation is given to Gawain. For long as he lives in the world, he cannot be without trouble and trial. Wherefore it is written in Job, ‘the life of man upon the earth is a trial. And therefore ought each of us to give heed concerning trials and temptations, and watch unto prayer, lest the devil find occasion to deceive; for he never sleeps, but goes about seeking whom he may devour. No man is so perfect in holiness that he hath never temptations, nor can we ever be wholly free from them’, of which temptation for love is hard to ignore through the journey of Gawain’s story. Gawain’s journey finds him in a castle being mildly seduced by a fair lady, which ends with him being handed a major sexual symbols that being the girdle given to him by her. The girdle having come from the lady’s leg, embroidered and girded with gold thread, having actually been on her person gives more credence to the token of love. Be it as sexual love through symbol he takes it and the fact of not showing it to Morgan le Fay (her husband) only highlights the significance of how he feels about it or how Morgan le Fay can interpret it as sexual symbol from his lady to Gawain. Does Gawain want to keep it as a token of a lady he feels he has seduced or been seduced by, like a keepsake of a romance that might have happened with the lady? The fair lady of the castle is of superfluous beauty she goes to see Gawain in his chamber clad in a rich mantle with her throat and neck bare. Wearing a network of precious stones on her head. Here more of the sexual love shown by her letting her throat and neck be bear. She doesn’t wait for him to wake, the element of surprise, that she wishes to catch him from his dream only to open his eyes to her beauty. And, so it does as he awakes and expresses that it ‘warms his

‘In a world without evil life would not be worth living’ (T.S Eliot)

2004-02-22T03:34:28-05:00

Evil prevails through life as a thoroughbred of disease that has unholy a grip on the ways of people through the passage of time, namely with Barbaras in the Jew of Malta. The evil grip on his person that manifests into a person of high revenge and a person who becomes more wicked to spite the oppressors of his land and thieves of his fortune. Evil can work in many ways though evil through Barbaras helps him battle against what he sees as wrong. The island of Malta an island where trade is made and people can make there living and Barbaras the Jew gaining an upper hand as one that has made himself extremely wealthy, a Jewish merchant in a country where the Ottoman Empire stands so close. The Turkish Empire that stood so large throwing a shadow over the Island of Malta. Here is how evil would start to manifest through Barbaras as the Turks try without Army force but with the voice of the empire to change the island for their benefit. Barabas is a strong defiant man who comments on his happiness through wealth and his sentimental pride that he shows with his comment that ‘Rather had I, a Jew, be hated thus. Than pitied in Christian poverty ‘Where life is for working for the power hungry Barbaras he cannot but draw his breath and try and not take umbrage with the Turks robbing of his wealth. How can they just walk in and steal what’s not there’s. The Christian governor is cowering to his given orders from the Turks albeit using tactics to their own advantage. Barbaras can only see this disease that has overcome his way of life. He rants ‘ my gold, my gold, all my wealth is gone. You partial heavens, have I deserved this plague? His use of the word ‘plague’ which as an evil took over cities and countries has implication of his intent. His scheming after the initial order for his money brings to mind a man that through no fault of his own is attracting evil to himself. His words gain stronger prominence to force evil to come out from him. The first Jew commenting that Barabas is in an ‘ireful mood’. Barbaras is strategic, dishonest in a sense that his desire to have power over his enemies, which manifests into a vengeance-obsessed psychopath. Christian Fernese Governor of Malta and

Personal Advantages

2004-02-19T13:49:47-05:00

Qn: “Orwell was really suggesting that the overthrow of unjust regimes tended to be done in a blaze of noble ideals, but inevitably, the power-hungry and scrupulous managed to take over and rearrange things primarily for their own personal advantage.” With close reference to the text, examine the truth of this statement. This statement is fairly true in the text. Although the animals do have several noble ideals like the Seven Commandments and the maxim “Four legs good, two legs bad”. These summarized the animals’ rules and

Why Huckleberry Finn Crossed the River

2004-02-06T06:21:16-05:00

Why Huckleberry Finn Crossed the River During the latter part of the 19th century, the American public was still engrossed with the seemingly innocent ideals of romantic novels. Particularly in the South, where chivalrous acts were still commonplace, children and adults alike enjoyed reading the exciting exploits of such stories as Ivanhoe by Walter Scott. Despite its popularity, romantic literature was deemed worthless by many authors like Mark Twain who decided that it was not only useless in modern society, but also harmful and dangerous. Consequently, Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in a very realistic fashion with even the dialogue between characters matching the intended historical period. However, despite his realist biases, Twain allows the novel to develop romantic aspects by exposing the natural and uncivilized tendencies of the main character, Huckleberry Finn, in order to eventually show the folly in exclusively adhering to a romantic style of writing and living. Immediately introducing the reader to the most natural and unaffected persona in the entire novel, Twain establishes his intent of trying to present a reality that is predominantly realistic but unavoidably romantic. After cleverly escaping from his abusive father and the choking etiquette of the Widow Douglas, Huckleberry Finn, the young protagonist in the novel, spends the morning relaxing “in the grass and the cool shade thinking about things, and feeling rested and ruther comfortable and satisfied” with his decision to run away (36). Entirely intentional, Twain juxtaposes Huck’s dissatisfaction with society with his intrinsic connection to a cool summer morning. Huck’s romanticized return to nature is almost like a biblical migration to the Promised Land, with society representing Egypt and Jackson Island the land of milk and honey. Interestingly enough, it almost seems as though Huck, in declaring that he does not “want to be nowhere else” than the island, has reversed the detrimental aging process that threatens to “sivilize” him, erasing all the innocence and goodness that naturally comes with childhood (49,1). His vehement desire to feel “lazy and comfortable” and “very well satisfied” combined with his longing for the past and preference for the uncivilized perfectly parallels that of the Romantic Movement (36,37). Furthering his use of society as a disservice to human nature while still adhering to the realist boundaries of a young boy, Twain supplements Huck’s metaphorical rebirth with a more specific and physical manifestation of freedom. While “[l]iving in a house

Things Fall Apart

2004-02-05T02:42:15-05:00

Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart tells the dramatic story of one Nigerian man whose life is dominated by anger and fear. The main character, Okonkwo, struggles with his desire to be the opposite of his father, and is destroyed when all the things that he worked for to earn respect are suddenly no longer valued by his peers. Ikemefuna’s death, Nwoye’s religious conversion, and Okonkwo’s own suicide demonstrate Okonkwo’s life-dominating fear of failure and weakness. Ikemefuna’s death clearly reveals Okonkwo’s fear of being considered weak. “Dazed with fear, Okonkwo drew his machete and cut him down. He was afraid of being thought weak.” Although Okonkwo loved Ikemefuna, fear was the more dominant emotion that pushed Okonkwo to kill the person who called him father. He was deeply touched by Ikemefuna’s death, however Okonkwo cared more about what others thought of him than a human life. Ikemefuna’s death also shows that Okonkwo’s bridled feelings about his “son” were too feminine, and therefore, too weak to be openly displayed. If Okonkwo hadn’t killed Ikemefuna, not only would be thought weak for not killing him, it would have been assumed that he loved him, and any display of emotion was considered a sign of frailty. His fear of being thought weak is clearly revealed through Ikemefuna’s death. Nwoye’s conversion visibly demonstrates Okonkwo’s fear of failure and weakness. After Okonkwo learned of his son’s abandonment of his ancestral gods, he cried out in his heart, “ Why…should he… be cursed with such a son?” Okonkwo’s anxiety about Nwoye came from the shame he felt when he discovered he had a traitor for a son. He felt embarrassed that he had a weak son and he was ashamed that he had failed to train Nwoye to like himself. “…Nwoye resembled his grandfather, Unoka, who was Okonkwo’s father.” Okonkwo had prided himself on the fact that he was the opposite of his father, who was a failure. However, to have a son such as Nwoye, revealed that Okonkwo felt that he had somehow failed as a father. His son’s religious conversion clearly reveals his fear of failure and weakness. Okonkwo’s fear of failure greatly contributed to his suicide. After his return to Umuofia, from his seven-year exile, Okonkwo discovered that the days of his fame and glory were gone. Everything within the clan was changed, and with those changes came the realization that his

To Kill A Mocking Bird

2004-02-05T02:37:13-05:00

To Kill A Mockingbird To Kill A Mockingbird tells a dramatic story of a small, southern town and the difficult issues it faces. Prejudice plays a serious role in telling the account of a black man accused of rape and the effects it had on two children. Harper Lee allows the reader to experience the trial through a child’s eyes and see a negative aspect of human nature. Lee uses Scout’s perspective to portray a sense of innocence, allow explanations and point out details to the reader. The author uses Scout’s outlook to render a feeling of innocence amidst the mature issues of the small county of Maycomb. At a point when Mr. Cunningham and his friends threaten to do Atticus and Tom Robinson harm, she and her brother, Jem, and a friend, Dill, approach Mr. Cunningham and inquire about his son. Facing Scout under the circumstances brings out a sense of guilt in Mr. Cunningham, and he orders his friends to go home. Scout’s childish conversation with Mr. Cunningham made him think of his son and what he was doing that night. When Scout first converses with Mr. Dolphus Raymond, she is wary of him, but soon warms up to him after she learns why he lives the way he does. She views Mr. Dolphus Raymond, a white man married to a black woman, without prejudice – while the community sees him as a traitor to his race. Scout was able to see him as a human being who is simply different than everyone else. Lee cleverly utilizes Scout to depict a child-like feeling among the serious problems that this sleepy, southern town faces. The author uses Scout’s age to subtly explain mature themes and situations to the reader. In the story, Atticus explains to Scout what real courage is. “Real courage isn’t a man with a gun. Real courage is going into something, knowing you’re not gonna win.” In view of the fact that Scout is not old enough to understand a few things, this scenario gives the author a chance to let the reader know what real courage is, according to Atticus’ terms. Later, when the Finch’s cook, Calpurnia, takes the children to First Purchase, an all-black church, they, for the first time, hear Cal talk like the rest of the Negroes. Scout asked Calpurnia why she talked like that if she knew better, and Cal calmly replied, “Folks

The Sun Also Rises

2004-02-03T23:48:51-05:00

In Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, the narrator, Jake Barnes, describes Robert Cohn, a rich Jew who graduated from Princeton with low self-esteem, an unsuccessful marriage, and a vanished inheritance. Cohn moves to Paris to write a novel and is accompanied by a

Pearls can be Convincing

2004-01-27T22:40:59-05:00

In the novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Pearl as a symbol of the scarlet letter "A." He also uses Pearl as a device to make Hester and Reverend Dimmesdale accept their sin of Adultery. Pearl achieves this by making Dimmesdale confess to the town that he has committed this sin and also by making her mother see that she is not as bad a sinner as she believes. When the Puritans look at Hester and Pearl, they think that Pearl is a child of the devil and think she is a black-hearted girl because she is the result of a sin, so she starts acting like she’s the devil’s child by throwing stones at other children and things of that nature. Pearl thinks Hester and Dimmesdale are evil too. She wants Hester to accept her sin and stop acting like she’s the worst person in the world. Pearl also wants Dimmesdale to act like her father all the time, not just in secret by himself. Hester wants to keep Pearl and says that Pearl “keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a millionfold the power of retribution of my sin?”(Pg. 109). She also says that Pearl is the living part of her letter and causes her more pain than the letter itself, but Pearl is only difficult when she sees her mother trying to get away from her sin, and so she makes her mother continue to wear the letter. Hester doesn’t think she is a good person because of her sin, but she will keep feeling that way until she accepts her sins and the fact that she made a mistake. She wants to run away from the situation and live with Dimmesdale contently as an offender with another offender and leave her transgression behind. Pearl will not let that happen because she knows that by leaving, Hester will leave her sins in the past and keep feeling as though she is a bad person, even though she isn’t if she would just accept the fact. Hester talks of leaving with Dimmesdale “Let it suffice, that the clergyman resolved to flee, and not alone…” then Dimmesdale says, “But now—since I am irrevocably doomed—wherefore should I not snatch the solace allowed to the

Sunlight as a Symbol in The Scarlet Letter

2004-01-18T18:02:03-05:00

Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a sizeable number of symbols in his book, The Scarlet Letter. These include rose bushes, letters, trees, scaffolds, colors, etc.. One of these many symbols is that of sunlight. However, its application throughout the book is poorly and inconsistently used, conveying different meanings and significance. Hawthorne applies sunlight as a caring, warm, and admirable source throughout the book, and the same applies in everyday life; He does, nevertheless, change the sunlight’s attitude towards Hester Prynne, the adulteress of the book. Hawthorne alters the spirit of the sun, and the order in which he does minimizes the credibility of the symbol. “The door of the jail being flung open from within, there appeared, in the first place, like a black shadow emerging into sunshine, the grim and grisly presence of the town-beadle.....When the young woman-the mother of this child–stood fully revealed before the crowd...she had dark and abundant hair, so glossy that it threw off the sunshine with a gleam...(and) the Scarlet Letter, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom.” -Chapter 2, “The Market Place”, pgs. 54-56 This passage reveals the first use of sunlight as a symbol. It also shows a major inconsistency upon close examination. Hawthorne uses the beadle’s emergence as a way to contrast the prison, Hester’s current home, and the outside. In Chapter One, Hawthorne describes the market place as dismal and dispiriting where solemn and disapproving townspeople waited to ridicule Hester. Yet the beadle’s emergence into the sunshine changes the entire attitude of the town outside, awaiting Hester. The sunlight also presents an inconsistency within two pages time. When the sunshine is thrown off Hester’s hair, it can be symbolized as warmth and happiness being thrown off someone who has been hardened and saddened. This presents the sunlight as a friendly presence, trying to cheer Hester into a lighthearted state. Yet just a few lines later, Hawthorne describes the Scarlet Letter on Hester being illuminated. The sunlight is now acting as a spotlight in the sky, directing its glare onto Hester’s shame and ignominy. The same situation can be applied on page 170– “...that not a shining lock of it ever once gushed into the sunshine.”. “The sportive sunlight–feebly sportive, at best, in the predominant pensiveness of the day and scene–withdrew itself as they came nigh, and left spots where it had danced the drearier, because they had hoped to find them

Sunset Song: Chris Guthrie As a Powerful Character

2004-01-14T02:56:44-05:00

Question: Choose a novel (Sunset Song) which is influenced by the presence of a POWERFUL or overbearing character. SHOW HOW the novelist creates this impression of the character and discuss to what extent you felt you could SYMPATHISE with him/her. In your answer, you must refer closely to the text (ie quote) and to at least two of: CHARACTERISATION, narrative technique, language, THEME or any other appropriate feature. Setting is also appropriate. Critical Response to Sunset Song by Andrew McCann Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s “Sunset Song” is hailed as one of the greatest pieces of Scottish fiction, with some basis on the author’s knowledge of the area. Set at the turn of the 19th century it follows the life of Chris Guthrie and the events she encounters in her life. Chris faces many trials in her young life, over the relatively short span of the story. Her parents die, her brother leaves and she is left alone to work on the farm. From there she marries and loses her first husband and is faced with life affecting decisions. Gibbon creates a powerful character who makes the reader sympathetic to her cause. Following her father’s death Chris is told by the lawyer that she is now a wealthy young woman. Chris shows her determination and also her attachment to the land when she decides to continue running the farm on her own. “she was going to live on at Blawearie a while…but you can’t live there alone!” this shows Chris as a powerful character as she deals with the lawyer in a brazen fashion when women were still seen as lesser than men and not eligible to run a farm. It also helps create sympathy for Chris as she has just experienced the loss of her father and she is still a strong character. Chris defies these social prejudices by stating what she means to do and not backing down from her position. “Just? Hell, a woman’s mind just!...Chris hardly listened, father’s will had said she could do what she liked.”, this again shows Chris as a powerful character as she stands up to a man in a position of power and gets what she wants. This event evokes sympathy for Chris as she is fighting against what was acceptable at the time and proves she is a strong character. In the latter part of the novel, Chris is being

Journey to the Center of the earth book report

2004-01-12T02:51:46-05:00

I. INTRODUCTION 1. Journey to the center of the earth 2. Jules Vernes 3. Mid 1800â€™s 4. 1st Person II. BODY 1. It is obvious; The Characters in the story will go to the center of the earth. 2. Axel-This is the main character. He changes very much throughout the story. He is a student of his uncles in his early twenties, and narrates the story. Professor Otto Lidenbrock is Axelâ€™s uncle, and teaches Axel many things. He is the brain behind the Journey to the center of the earth. Hans is the muscle behind the journey to the center to the earth. He changes the least throughout the story, until he is happy they made it in the end. 3. External- The most obvious conflict in the entire story is between Axel and his uncle. Axel thinks almost everything about this entire trip, and thinks it will be a big waste of time when they all die in the end. Lucky for axel they do not. Towards the end of the story, he becomes very excited about the entire trip, quits complaining, and actually starts helping. He is actually the one who cuts their trip down form years to a few hours. Internal- Axel thinks this trip is going to become the end of him and his uncle. Proved wrong later, he starts to become excited about the entire trip. The big conflict is whether he should go along with his uncle, or stay sure they will all die soon. Internal- Professor Lidenbrock is not sure how to treat his nephew. He loves him very much but also realizes he is almost as stubborn as he is. He has a hard time showing his love, but it always shines through when needed most 4. Symbols- The center of the earth is a symbol of an important goal, just one more rock to climb for Professor Lidenbrock. I find it very Ironic that Axel is the one who nearly kills the entire expedition when he is worried his uncle will end up killing them all in the end. III. CONCLUSION 1. The Climatic moment is right when the explosion goes off, emptying the sea into the hole leading to the center of the earth. 2. You need to try your hardest in life. You canâ€™t let your fears hold

Compare and contrast essay of Transendentalism period writers

2004-01-12T02:49:44-05:00

There were many great writers in the early 1800s, such as Edgar Allen Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau, but each had many special qualities. These special qualities were sometimes similar throughout all of the writers, and some were very different. The main differences were split with writers such as Poe and Hawthorne, in the â€œProphets of Darknessâ€? and others were mostly â€œProphets of Promise.â€? The main similarity between all transcendental writers in the early 1800s, is they preached the power of the individual As obviously seen just from the name, the Prophets of Darkness were often more on a negative or sad subject. Some Prophets of Darkness were raised and brought their own selves into the chosen life where they wanted to write in sad dreariness. Others, such as Poe Were born into that. Poe had many family members die, the first being his mother, the last being his wife. Every death brought him down more until he was at a point of insanity, maybe leading to his best writings. A good example of his astonishing writing skills is: â€œDuring the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.â€? (Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher). This, being the very first words of his tale, show just how truly sad and dreary the setting is put out as. The power of nature is already introduced, with â€œshades of the eveningâ€? as this helps bring the depression to an already dreary subject. The prophets of darkness had many reasons to talk about power of the individual, because most evils are within a personâ€™s own mind.â€? TRUE! â€” Nervous â€” very, very dreadfully nervous I had been, and am; but why will you say that I am mad?â€? (Poe, The Tell Tale Heart). Here, Poor Poe shows his great writing by showing how an individual has the power of his own insanity. The power of the individual is very important to the prophets of darkness for others often attack the main purpose of the individual, often an

The Worst Sinner In The Scarket Letter

2003-12-19T01:16:38-05:00

The Worst Sinner The story begins with an unfortunate marriage between Hester Prynne and Roger Chilingworth, which leads to adultery and revenge. As the story unfolds we learn that Hester commits adultery which was a sin punished very badly. Later on we are introduced to Roger Chilingworth, who is only known as a physician, not Hester’s husband; he sins by hurting Hester and our next character Arthur Dimmesdale. The reverend Dimmesdale is known later on to be the father of the baby. His sin is as bad as Hester’s and even worse because he committed adultery and he stood silent throughout the story until the end. Firstly and most importantly is Hester Prynne. She is the main character, and the one who leads others to sin. She committed the sin of adultery, the sin that back in those days was punished with death. The only reason why they speared her life was because she did not want to name the father of the baby, and her baby could not live alone without a mother or a father. Therefore, in order to still practice their authority, the magistracy decided to punish her by making her wear the scarlet letter “A” on her bosom, and to stand in the scaffold for three hours every day. "But in their great mercies and tenderness of heart they doomed Mistress Prynne to stand only a space of three hours on the platform of the pillory, and then and thereafter, for the remainder of her natural life, to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom". On the other hand, we find Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, who was the father of the baby. It appears that he could not resist temptations of the flesh, even being a minister; he still fell into sin and adultery. Unlike Hester, Dimsdale did not have to pay consequences as far as to the outside world refers, due to the fact that Hester did not tell a soul that he was the father of the baby. Despite this, he still received his punishment, an internal punishment. "A well hidden secret, looking pure as new-fallen snow, while their hearts are all speckled and spotted with iniquity of which they cannot rid themselves." Finally, the last sinner was Roger Chilingworth. Even though he did not commit a sin that deserved death in that time, his sin was worse than any other. Not only did he destroy Reverend Dimsdale's

Dialect and Culture in American Literature

2003-12-18T14:26:01-05:00

Dialect and Culture in American Literature In order for a literary piece to be considered a work of art, it has to stand the test of time. It has to be unique and it must also separate itself from the mass quantities of words which are merely written down on paper. It must have character, and when read by the audience it will take on a special meaning for that individual. What better way of capturing the audiences attention is there than with the use of dialect and culture? It simply engulfs the reader and sets the tone of the author’s intention. American Literature is fortunate in having such diverse cultures as its foundation. All walks of life have contributed to the outstanding success of American literary works, and it is mainly due to the dialect or language that sets it apart. Carefully chosen diction and dialect help accentuate the realism of the characters to the reader, and language styles help establish distinct characteristics and settings. One of the most recognizable dialects in American Literature would be the Southern dialect. Used a great deal, it is definitely one of the many dialects that is noticed quickly when starting a literary work. In "Nelle" Harper Lee’s novel to kill a mockingbird, language usage makes the characters come alive by making them appear real and believable. Although the story takes place in Alabama, one would not need to know this fact in order to realize that the characters are from the South. In chapter one, the southern dialect is evident early when Jem meets Dill for the first time and says,” Shoot, no wonder, then. Scout yonder’s been readin’ever since she was born, and she ain’t even started school yet. You look right puny for goin’ on seven”. The written southern dialect helps the reader to get into character as they read each line. A good example of this is also in Chapter one, when Jem makes fun of Dill’s name, and Dill replies, “’s not any funnier’n yours”. While reading through the improper contractions, the reader can almost hear the character’s voice. The way the characters speak, and the vocabulary they use throughout the story tells the reader that most of them are uneducated, poor folk. The use of dialect is also used to determine status of the individuals in Lee’s novel. In Chapter seventeen, Judge Taylor uses an extensive vocabulary when speaking

Imagery and Structure in the Poem "Harlem"

2003-12-18T14:19:39-05:00

The Use of Imagery and Structure in the Poem-"Harlem" Have you ever heard of the phrase, "Reality Sucks"? This common phrase is often applied when hopes and dreams are not reached. When these dreams and hopes are not fulfilled, it leaves us when many unanswered questions. This concept is illustrated in the Poem, Harlem, written by Langston Hughes. Hughes uses many examples of imagery and structure within the poem, all of these circulating around the central theme of unfilled dreams. Hughes illustrates imagery through the first two phrases, ‘What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?’ Being an African-American, Hughes had insight into the many dreams of his people. During the time period the poem was written, African-Americans had limited access to fulfilling their hopes and dreams. Hughes begins to illustrate this by comparing a dream deferred (unfulfilled) to a grape drying up in the sun. The grape illustrates the dream. Grapes are meant to be made into wine. The older the wine becomes the better the wine tastes. In other words, the wine symbolizes success, while the raisin symbolizes poverty. By using such imagery, Hughes captures his readers immediately. Within the poem, he structures his questions, to set the mood of his point of view. The third and fourth line,” Does it fester like a sore, then run?’ Hughes makes his readers feel like he has experienced some of the same heartbreaks they have endured. He compares an unfilled dream to a sore that will never go away. Many times in our lives, we have regrets about situations. His questions are really the answers. For example, a dream unfilled always haunts us because we constantly question ourselves with the question of “what if”? . He also illustrates this concept in the final lines, “Maybe it just sags like a heavy load”. He combines the imagery of a big heavy bag with the imagery of carrying a bag of regret. Although Hughes wrote this poem in the mid 1960’s, it can still be applied to the lives of everyone. Everyone has dreams, and everyone has hopes. Sometimes these dreams are reached, and many times they are not. Life brings many situations and circumstances, and with those come many unanswered questions. Sometimes we deal with them, and sometimes we simply

2003-12-17T12:44:11-05:00

Tóth Gabriella Modern Poetry in Seminar - Endterm Paper Teacher: Bocsor Péter Fall, 2003, 12. 17. The African-American Christ Not until the beginning of the twentieth century can we hear voices of African-American artist, when the so-called “Harlem Renaissance” began in the 1920s. Such great artists like Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Rita Dove and many other names hallmark this period of American literature. The book, recently published by Joanne V. Gabbin, titled “The Furious Flowering of African-American Poetry” contains a number of critics, essays and also six live interviews with practicing poets. This “collection of pearls” of African-American literature also arises the major issue that emerges in the works of almost all African-American artists in the twentieth century. The artists mentioned in this collection have raised their voice against negative discrimination such as racism, sexism, political, and economic exploitation. Until the twentieth century only white writers had been writing about “white experience”. This hegemony of white literature was broken by the outbreak of the Harlem Renaissance, which swept across the United States after the 1920s. Black rhythm and rhyme filled this new wave of literature, from which “one voice has risen higher than the rest”. This voice was Langston Hughes, the “poet hero”, as Jeff Trussell wrote about him in his article on his life: “The Poet Hero: Langston Hughes”. Langston Hughes was born in 1902 Joplin, Missouri, in an abolitionist family. From the south, he moved to New York, where he became a student at Columbia University. A very interesting detail about his family that his grandfather’s brother, John Mercer Langston was the first Black American, who was elected to public office, in 1855. In his poetry, Langston Hughes – as the “Poet Laureate of Harlem” – stood up for his race and basically this determines his whole poetic confession. In an essay, - published in the Nation, in 1926, - Langston Hughes said: “We, young Negro artists intend to express our dark-skinned selves without fears or shame” | “If white people are pleased, we are glad. If they aren’t it doesn’t matter”. This idea is represented in one of his later poems: “Theme for English B”, which was written in 1959. The poem, with its simple syntactic structure, and entirely vernacular language communicates the essence of the struggle, fought by Black people against racism. Racism, as a historical phenomenon takes back to the second half of the nineteenths century. Soon after the

Herman Melville: Similarities in Claggart and Captain Ahab

2003-12-15T01:13:05-05:00

Herman Melville was a struggling writer in the mid-1800s, who spent a few years of his life as a sailor and crew member of whaling ships in the south seas. These experiences greatly influenced his writing, causing there to be many similarities among his novels. In two of his works, Moby-Dick, and Billy Budd, Melville seems to have created two characters, Captain Ahab from Moby-Dick, and John Claggart from Billy Budd, who both share some very comparable qualities and experiences. The most prevalent characteristic that links them together is that in their stories, they both possess an unrelenting and somewhat foolish hatred for another character. This is the hatred that drives the climax of both novels, and ultimately leads to both of their ends. The novel Moby-Dick is a tale of the voyage of the whaling ship the Pequod, where its captain, Ahab, begins his dangerous and relentless pursuit of the legendary whale, Moby-Dick. The reason for Ahab’s hatred for the white whale seems quite simple, in that the whale took his leg, but with the leg, it might have taken his peace of mind as well. The loss of Ahab’s leg, which ordinarily might have caused only minor resentment toward the creature, seems to have stirred up some of the most dreadful hatred and abhorrence in Ahab that a human could possess. His obsession with killing this whale even convinces one of his crew members, Starbuck, that he has gone insane. However, to fully understand Captain Ahab’s detestation of the whale, it is necessary to look deeper than the fact that it bit off his leg. Moby-Dick is described as a creature superior to all others, creating a reverence and mysterious beauty for it that Ahab wants to destroy. When describing this to his crew members he says, “He tasks me; he heaps me; I see in him outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate” (Melville 358). Ahab then uses this hatred to devote his life to killing Moby-Dick. “Death to Moby-Dick! God hunt us all, if we do not hunt Moby-Dick to his death!” (Melville 360). It is with these enthusiastic words that Ahab tries to stir up in his crew members the passion in which he feels to take down the whale. However, what they realize, that Ahab does not, is the danger of that mission. The story

Behind The Cages

2003-12-14T15:59:06-05:00

Teacher: Bocsor Péter Introduction to Literature 2 Seminar 2003. 03. 22. Spring, Szeged, Hungary Tóth Gabriella Imprisoned Souls The Zoo Story, by Edward Albee is a one-act play, with a simple plot, representing a deep, socio-philosophical question: the feeling of being isolated, and loneliness People in modern, post-industrialised society can often feel that they are unimportant, ignored and their life is not more than vegetation. Many times people can only see one way out of the prison of their lives, but this way sometimes leads them to a tragedy. The drama, in my point of view, can be interpreted as the metaphor of human alienation. The two empty picture frames, mentioned by Jerry; the word ”Zoo”, in the title and all through the play; and the rooming house, in which the protagonist lives, are the symbols of human beings, being isolated from each other. The separation of people is caused by the invisible fences that they create around themselves. Peter, one of the two main characters, -a mild-mannered publisher-, is living the everyday life of an upper middle-class married man, who is perfectly satisfied with his life at the beginning of the play. We see Jerry, at the same time, initially, as a young, shabbily dressed, aggressively hostile man. He accosts Peter; who is sitting quietly on a bench, reading a book; and starts to poor out his emotions and life story. It turns out from Jerry’s monologues that he is lonely, but not really physically, but rather emotionally. He has ”no feelings about any of his parents”. His “good old Mom and good old Pop” departed this life when he was only ten years old. The reason for his coldness towards his parents is that his mother left the family and died of having been a heavy drinker. His father died of for similar reasons. He can not create a lasting relationship with the opposite sex either. When Jerry gives the list of his personal belongings, he mentions ”two empty picture frames”, which, on the one hand, refer to the fact that he does not have anyone to love and he is not loved by anybody either. That is why the frames remained ”pictureless”. The empty picture frames, on the other hand, mean more than being unloved by others. They are also the symbol of being unaware of who we are. The description about the board house, given by Jerry, gives us the impression of

Road to Hell

2003-12-14T15:53:14-05:00

Modern Poetry in English – midterm paper Teacher: Bocsor Péter Fall, 2003 Szeged, Hungary Tóth Gabriella The Road to Hell ”Strange Meeting” by Wilfred Owen was written probably in the early spring of 1918, the last year of the First World War, only a few months before his death. Owen, - who was born in 1893 – got enlisted in 1914. He went fighting in the western front and got wounded. During the time of his hospitalisation, he met Siegfried Sassoon, - a priest for the army, and a famous poet of Owen’s era – who encouraged him to write about the war: the insanity of war. As oppose to modernist war poems, the central theme of earlier works about wars, was the heroism of the individual, the soldier, who devotes his life for the freedom of the nation. To die for a glorious aim; the independence of the country, and getting rid of the slavery yoke of the people, used to be the subject of war poetry. However, people expected the renewal of the world in the First World War, but soon they experienced the unmerciful nature of the war’s machinery. Poets, such as Siegfried Sassoon, Guillaume Apollinaire, and Wilfred Owen, who all underwent the terror of war, tried to represent it, in its actual reality. The loss of basic human properties: life, friends, emotions get into the foreground of poems. In Owen’s beautiful elegy, “Strange Meeting”, we can read the line “I am the enemy you killed, my friend”. This quotation, which appears on Owen’s memorial, in Shrewsbury Abbey, seems to re-echo throughout the whole poem. How come that these two, - for the first sight contradictory - concepts: “enemy”, and “friend” (in line 40) became somehow identical? In the first three lines of the work, Owen presents the opening picture of the poem, which projects the image of a “universal war” that sweeps across the earth and destroys everything. The “Titanic war”, seems to be the essence of all the wars in humans’ history. In the first line the word “seem” drives us to a vision-like world, which is going to be the location of the meeting of the spirits of the two dead soldiers. The reoccurring images in Owen’s poetry: the “long dull tunnels”, holes and caverns - of which he had feared in the end of his short life – are the symbols of Hell. The trenches, which many times became the unsigned common graves

Comparing Life on Animal Farm with the Lives of People in Iraq

2003-12-14T00:49:30-05:00

Knowledge is possessed in many ways. Much of the knowledge an individual grasps during their lifetime is gained through books and literature. A true literary classic is timeless. Through the classic novel,Animal Farm, Iraqis and Americans can learn the importance of aknowledging their problems and taking action. Ignorance disables an individual's ability to distinuish between right and wrong. In the novel, Animal Farm, the animals were very unintelligent and were vulnerable to their leader's manipulative schemes. Consequently, the animals, being backwards in their understanding, would accomodate their cruel leader in every way possible. Similarly, the Iraqi people are easily manipulated by Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi government only tells its people those things which are beneficial to its growing power. This allows the government to fabricate lies of victory and twist the truths of failure, sucking its powerless people back under its hypnotic hold of economic sorrow. The ignorance found in Animal Farm and Iraw is a core of weakness created by horrible leadership. Often, leaders will use fear to ensure their power. The animals of Animal Farm immensely feared their leader Napoleon, allowing him to gain full control of their lives. In the same way, Saddam Hussein generates enough fear into his people to debilitate any and all pride they possess, delivering them into the hands of sadistic torment. This torment leave the Iraqi people defenseless, enabling Hussein to, once again, manipulate them. Fearful citizens and followers, knowing they are hopless, appease their frightening leaders without question. Iraqis can learn many things from reading Animal Farm. It is important that Iraqis do not lose hope during this difficult time. Animal Farm may prove to the Iraqi people that they are, by no means, powerless. The novel will show them that Saddam Hussein does not have complete control over their lives, and he can be stopped. The hope and enlightenment brought through the reading of Animal Farm may be crucial to the sanity of the Iraqi people. Americans may also benefit from reading this classic novel. As a free country, we should cherish the rights and freedoms we possess, reaching out to other countries who are not as fortunate. Even though we live in America, we must continue to be on guard against any leaders who have bad intentions concerning our country. Americans

Grendel: Apples and Pain

2003-12-12T05:38:32-05:00

Grendel has a sarcastic and cynical mind, which serves to entertain both him and the reader. Through his expositions of situations, we see humor where others would simply see violence, and irony where others only fact. These others are the humans, the Danes, unwitting neighbors of Grendel, forced to stand night after night of slaughter. What is a traumatic and terrifying experience for them, is simply a game to Grendel, and the reader. Grendel bursts in on the Danes, ready to kill, and they squeak. They are funny in their fear, laughable in their drunken fighting. The reader is focused on Grendel’s perception of the Danes. The deaths go by easily, because of the humor involved. It does not cross the reader’s mind that these are people Grendle is killing. The humor allows the reader to sympathize with Grendel’s position, that of the predator. The prey is not meaningful, only nutritious and entertaining. It is a macabre humor, which accentuates how no death is noble, it is simply death. By making the Danes un-heroic and un-ideal, cowards and drunkards, the author is presenting the reality through the humor. In contrast to the drunken lurching of the others, Unferth comes toward Grendel with speeches and bravery. He is a puffed up as a peacock, proud and ready to die for his king, his people, his ideal. Grendel simply states, “He was one of those.” Grendel sees Unferth with a clear and unbiased mind. He is ridiculous. His exaggerated heroism, his words, even his first move, to scuttle sideways like a crab from thirty feet away, is laughable. Grendle does with him what he does with no other Dane in the story, he talks. Unferth offers Grendle death, and Grendle sends back taunts. The reason this scene is funny is because the taunts are sharply accurate. The self-sacrificing hero is shown to be a spotlight loving fool, serving only his own reputation. Grendel continues talking to Unferth, making the poor wretch angrier by the moment. At one point, he compares Unferth to a harvest virgin. Unferth attempts to begin his own speeches, but is always cut off by Grendel, who has another barb to throw at him. Finally, Unferth screams and charges, his voice breaking. This scene, of escalating argument, presents a different type of humor. While the first was a slapstick, exaggerated and dark humor, the argument is more sarcastic, intelligent and

A Doll's House Unmasked

2003-12-05T01:26:39-05:00

Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House opens with a playful atmosphere between Torvald and his wife Nora. They seem as a happy couple with nothing to hide from each other. As the play continues to develop, this idea of cheerfulness becomes a misconception. Torvald manipulates Nora and treats her like a doll. Nora seems to enjoy this relationship, but when the reader learns about her true feelings and her past actions, we can observe that her true desire is to be free from her husband’s manipulation. The apparent joy and good-humored environment present at the Torvald’s household is just a way to hide the secrets and differences between the couple. In A Doll’s House, when Nora lies about eating macaroons, it can be considered as an example of an ostensibly humorous episode emphasized by a much more serious purpose. It is funny how Torvald asks Nora in a childish manner if she has gone against his will by eating macaroons: “(wagging his finger at her) Hasn’t Miss Sweet Tooth been braking rules in town today?” Nora hides the truth by answering that she has not had any macaroons that day. Torvald seems to be joking around with her, but the fact that for such a trivial subject Nora has to lie, denotes the tension in their relationship. Nora lies about the macaroons twice, first to Torvald and then to Dr. Rank. Rank and Mrs. Linde appear to be involved in a deep conversation about society when Nora breaks up into laughter at the thought of Torvald’s power at the bank. “What do I care about tiresome society?” replies Nora. She suddenly takes out a bag from her pocket and offers Rank some macaroons. She then lies, saying that Mrs. Linde had given her the macaroons, and makes both Dr. Rank and Mrs. Linde eat some. Nora feels the need to lie about eating the macaroons because she feels guilty. The macaroons symbolize Nora’s deceptions, which reach the point of committing forbidden acts. These deceptions are the roots of the problems between the apparent happy couple. Nora fakes her attitude towards her husband in order hide all their faults. Eating the macaroons appears to be an inconsequential action with no importance, but for Nora it is important that Torvald does not find out she has been eating them. It is also extremely important for her that Torvald does not find out the

Of Mice and Men; Themes

2003-12-04T23:54:58-05:00

"Steinbeck creates many themes in of Mice and Men, Discuss" In

How Arthur Miller controls the rise and fall in act 1 of the crucible

2003-12-03T18:44:45-05:00

“The Crucible” is a play written by Arthur Miller, which is based on the true story of the Salem witch trails. Miller wanted theatre to “heighten the awareness of what living in our time involves”. Therefore, his play has many links with the modern world, McCarthyism for instance. Breaking it down into many smaller scenes, I will analyse Act 1 of ‘The Crucible’. I am doing this to explore the dramatic effect of character and action. ‘The Crucible’ is a powerful drama and is strongly built to bring out the full dramatic effect of varying shifts of tension and conflict. This is a play that explores the way in which a community can be devastated by a witch-hunt that can place individuals at conflict with their own conscience. It is very important that we understand the answer to the question ‘What was living in Salem like in 1692?’ If we do not explore this question, the drama is not convincing. The villagers of Salem were Puritans who followed a particular form of Protestant Christianity. Life was hard in the small town due to strict religious codes. Singing, theatre and dancing were all forbidden and everyone was expected to attend worship on a regular basis. The people of Salem did infact believe in witchcraft and the outbreak of accusations in 1692 gave people an excuse to wreak revenge upon old enemies and to settle old scores with land ownership. This caused many innocent people to be blamed and so the accusations to spread like wildfire. We have no way of being sure what the language of the time really sounded like - there are no recordings! There had been settlers in Massachusetts for quite a short time, so the American English that we know today wouldn't have existed. But by looking at documents from that time, including verbatim (word for word) transcripts of the court proceeding, Miller was able to create an historical feel to the language, which makes it easier for us to feel we are being transported back to the community of that time. Miller is trying to establish a society that is unfamiliar but that we can believe in. He uses various features of language to help do this. Miller used old-fashioned, archaic words, which where still authentic. For example, “bid” is used instead of the

Lady Macbeth - Tragic Hero

2003-12-01T23:56:37-05:00

Since the name of this play is Macbeth, most people wouldn’t think of anyone but Macbeth being a tragic hero in this story. However, if the character of Lady Macbeth is examined we see that she is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a protagonist, usually of high estate and neither entirely good nor bad. He is perfect except for a Hamartia (flaw), which is the significant factor leading to his suffering, that eventually brings him down in the end. More often than not, the tragic flaw is hubris (arrogance that blind him to reality). He arouses our pity because, not being an evil person, his misfortune is a greater tragedy than he deserves and is unequal to the "flaw." We also fear for ourselves, as we recognize the possibilities of similar errors or defects in ourselves. Lady Macbeth is a tragic heroine because she has many of the points in the definition of a tragic hero. One of the reasons she is a tragic hero is that forces the reader to feel pathos (pity) for Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth feels a lot of remorse for what she did. She shows remorse by needing to wash her hands so often. She also shows remorse when she says: “Nought’s all spent. Where our desire is got without content:” “ My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white.” This shows remorse because she is saying that it wasn’t worth it to kill Duncan because they have gained nothing from it. She shows that she is ashamed of what they have done in the second quote. This forces pity because her remorse shows that she wasn’t such a bad person. This makes the reader feel that great human potential was wasted because Lady Macbeth could have been a good queen if she hadn't killed Duncan. And she would have been queen without killing Duncan because it was Macbeth’s fate to be king so that would make her queen. However, even if she wasn’t queen she could have been a good person too. She was a loving wife, her wanting to help Macbeth so much throughout the play shows this, she is also a very hospitable person and a good hostess. Nevertheless she goes insane towards the end

Lord of the Flies Book report

2003-12-01T03:56:02-05:00

Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies is a book that everyone said is a classic and had really good writing. This book was written by William Golding, it is a work of fiction, and he used a group of boys stranded on a tropical island to illustrate the evil nature of mankind. William Golding tried to prove a point in that for society to be left alone, isolated, and without structure can grow on itself can cause major changes in human behavior. The setting of the book is that some boys are trapped on an island out in the middle of nowhere. They got stuck there by being shot down and everyone in the front part of the plane was killed. The actual time period is not known since it really doesn’t play that big of a part of the novel. Lord of the Flies dealt with changes that the boys underwent as they gradually changed to the freedom that the island offered. Three main characters depicted different effects on certain individuals under those circumstances. Jack Merridew began as the arrogant and self-righteous leader of a choir. Ralph started as a self-assured boy whose confidence in himself came from the acceptance of his peers. He had a fair nature as he was willing to listen to Piggy. Piggy was an educated boy who had grown up as an outcast. Due to his academic childhood, he was more mature than the others and retained his civilized behavior. The ordeals of the three boys on the island made them more aware of the evil inside themselves. However, the changes experienced by one boy differed from those endured by another. Lord of the flies used changes experienced by boys on an uninhabited island to show the evil nature of man. By using different characters the author was able to portray various types of people found in our society. Their true selves were revealed in the freedom from the laws and punishment of a world with adults. Under the power and regulations of their former society, Jack's inner evil was suppressed. But when the rules no longer existed, he was free to do what bad deeds he desired. Ralph had grown so used to the regularity of a civilized world that the changes they underwent were difficult for him to comprehend. He became confused and less capable of thinking clearly and independently. Although

Lady Macbeth - Tragic Hero

2003-11-30T21:01:10-05:00

Brave New World

2003-11-25T06:23:15-05:00

Cleanliness is next to Fordliness”, was an attitude impressed upon the people of Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World. A society free of disease and suffering was achieved through a technique of conditioning called hynopaedia. “Civilization is sterilization”, was a hynopaedic slogan used to achieve the ideal society. This idea was manifested through the anesthetizing people’s emotions, the sterilization of humans and the cleanliness of society. The Brave New World sterilized people of emotions through the elimination of families and the promotion of soma. To eliminate close bonds between two people promiscuity was advocated. This was achieved through hynopaedia during childhood. Through this technique intimate relationships between people were eliminated. People of Brave New World did not know what a family was. At the mention of the words mother and father, during a tour of the London Hatchery, the students became silent and many began to blush. Soma was another devise used by citizens of Brave New World to let them escape and forget their emotions. It was a tranquilizer widely used in Brave New World. It allowed people to go into a trance whenever they wanted to escape their surroundings. This was shown when Lenina Crowne and Bernard Marx were visiting the reservation. During the Warden’s speech to the couple, Lenina Crowne swallowed half a gramme of soma to escape the boredom of the Warden’s speech. The soma allowed her to seemingly be paying attention when in reality she wasn’t listening or thinking of anything. The attitude of civilization is sterilization was also achieved through the sterilization of the female population. Bokanovsky’s Process made it possible for the Brave New World to control the amount of fertile women in society. Even with the advancement of scientific technology human ovaries were still needed for the manufacturing of embryos. Fertile women were encouraged to undergo a hysterectomy. In return for selling their ovaries, women received six months pay. Around seventy percent of the women in Brave New World were infertile. These women were called freemartins. Freemartins were produced through injecting female embryos with a dose of a male sex-hormone. The society of Brave New World believed civilization should be composed of clean and robust people. The nurses in the Neo-Pavlovian Conditioning Rooms were described as, “trousered and jacketed in the regulation white viscose-linen uniform, their hair aseptically hidden under white caps.” This image expressed how everything was done in a systematic and

Consider the opening three chapters of "Wuthering Heights". How effective are they as an opening to

2003-11-20T18:52:00-05:00

Consider the opening three chapters of "Wuthering Heights". How effective are they as an opening to the novel? The first three chapter of "Wuthering Heights" are a strange mix of confusing names, relationships and bizarre scenery. At a glance, it seems the novel is very hard going and nothing compels the reader to continue, but Emily BrontÁ's potent writing style makes us want to persist with the book. The first three chapters, are narrated in the form of a diary, written by Thrushcross Granges' new tenant Lockwood. Lockwood's diary is very formal and direct both in structure "1801 - I have just returned from a visit to my landlord" and in its language "misanthropists heaven". The formality of the diary does not make for easy reading. At first, it creates a strong sense of distance between the narrator and reader. However, as the chapters progress, we warm slightly to Lockwood, this is intentional of BrontÁ, but unintentional of Lockwood. Through his many little blunders "unluckily it was a heap of dead rabbits." We feel as though we know him more the naiveté of his character shines through. One aspect of narration BrontÁ has made Lockwood particularly good at, is narration of external matters, such as appearances and surroundings "she was slender, and apparently scarcely past girlhood". He is however, unreliable when it comes to judging people. It is obvious to us, as an outsider, that Lockwood is not a good judge of character. He frequently makes mistakes about people. He infers that Heathcliff is a "capital fellow" yet as the reader, we can see that when Heathcliff’s "black eyes withdraw suspiciously" he is not a "capital fellow" at all. Lockwood however does not see this, and this is why the reader must remember that he is not the most reliable of narrators. By using Lockwood to introduce us to the story at Wuthering Heights, we get a good firm grounding. As Lockwood is a newcomer as are we, he sees things much as we would. The assumptions he makes "Mrs Heathcliff, your wife, I mean" we would probably make, if we had not already. By using Lockwood, we are not launched straight into life at Wuthering Heights. We are given an introduction first, so that we can learn about the characters, relationships and life at the house. Although the narration may seem off-putting at first, it does in fact draw the

"Of Mice And Men" is more than just the tragedy of Lennie.

2003-11-20T10:31:29-05:00

Topic ¨C ¡®Of Mice and Men is more then just the tragedy of Lennie. It has shown the sadness and suffering of individuals in a disinterested world.¡¯ Discuss. The death of Lennie at the end of ¡®Of Mice and Men¡¯ seems, at first, to be the most tragic event in the novel, especially for the people directly concerned, such as George and Lennie himself. However, in actual fact, the novel is full of sad people suffering in a world where no one really cares about them. The men who worked on the ranches, the itinerant workers were sad and lonely people. As George says ¡°Guys like us, who work on ranches, were the most lonely people in this world.¡± They had no families and no homes. They moved from place to place to find work. Some had dreams of owning land, but only a few dreams came true. They tried to save up money, but spent every thing on Saturdays. They were back to nothing on Monday again. Most of the ranch hands were totally alone, they had no one to talk car of them. George and Lennie were different. They got each other, and they took cared to each other. Even though Lennie died, at least while he was alive, he had someone who cared about him. For a while, Candy wasn¡¯t so lonely because he had his dog. He had his dog since it was a pup, they companied each other until Candy¡¯s dog was killed. Candy was old and disabled, he know if he couldn¡¯t work anymore, he would be sacked. He would be put on the county on his own. For a while, he had hope again. He could go with George and Lennie and live on their own farm, where there would be love and care. But when Curley¡¯s wife died, his dream was gone. He knew he was going to face the fact, where as soon as he couldn¡¯t out no bunkhouse, he would be put on the county on his own. Candy was a sad and old man whose life was made more tragic by the death of his old dog and Curley¡¯s wife. Crooks too, was another lonely person. Unlike Candy, he was lonely because he was the only black person on the ranch. He was separated from everyone else on the ranch. He was sad and lonely as you can tell from his words with

"Of Mice And Men" is more than just the tragedy of Lennie.

2003-11-20T10:30:52-05:00

A short analysis of Blanche Dubois (Streetcar named Desire)

2003-11-19T11:18:26-05:00

Blanche DuBois: Blanche’s first appearance in the play, Scene 1, sets the tone for her character throughout. She is described as being “daintily dressed In a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she where arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party” The illusion of innocence and refinery which she tries to create is reflected immediately by her choice of dress, which is white, demure, and virginal. Even her name “Blanche” is French for the colour white, a symbolism of both her French aristocratic ancestry and the “whiteness” of her personality. Unfortunately this impression of purity given to both the audience and characters about Blanche, is a complete façade. Her false propriety is not merely snobbery, but a somewhat calculated attempt to make herself appear more attractive to male suitors. Blanche is a deeply insecure and neurotic woman who relies heavily on the compliments and sexual admiration of men to help her feel secure about her appearance,” admire her dress and tell her she is looking wonderful. That’s important with Blanche. Her little weakness!” - “I was fishing for a compliment Stanley”(scene 2) This has resulted in Blanche often succumbing to passion, and she has left behind her in Mississippi a life of poverty and an extremely bad reputation, even allegedly having an affair with a minor. “I had many intimacies with strangers” (scene 9) Her past of excessive promiscuity is however, understood more when we come to learn more about the death of her husband. Blanche blames herself very deeply for his suicide, “he came to me for help. I didn’t know that” and the fact she could not “fix” his homosexuality, which has left her with great feelings of inadequacy about her sexual attractiveness to men. It also seems that through these “intimacies with strangers” she was both morning the lose of her husband “After the death of Allan… it was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with” and was desperately seeking some kind of protection, a chivalrous gentlemen who could rescue her from all her troubles. She had also lost the family home, Belle Reve, under ambiguous circumstances and had been forced to care for her ailing mother after the death of her father and Stella left. She is a woman who has experienced a lot of tragedy in her life.

Holden Caulfields Look at Life

2003-11-18T20:20:26-05:00

Haulden Caulfields Look at Life Can be being phony possibly hinder an attempt to accomplish a task to fully function mentally? Can phony delay an individuals maturing period? In J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, Holden's "phony phobia" restricts him from becoming a fully matured adult. In Holden's attempted journey in becoming a fully matured adult, he encounters many scenarios involving friendships, personal opinions, and his love of children. His journey is an unpleasant and difficult one with many lessons learned along the way. Holden possesses abnormal relationships with some of the characters in Catcher in the Rye. Many of his friends and those he talks highly about are young children. He does not make any negative comments about these companions, and there is no mention whatsoever of phony. Holden has a strong relationship with Phoebee, his younger sister. Holden vocalizes about the fact Phoebee can visit him anytime in the summer, "What I'd do, I'd let old Phoebee came out and visit me in the summertime and on Christmas vacation and Easter vacation" (205). Holden shows a solid liking to his sister and is always wanting her by his side. He finds a hard time associating with older, mature individuals. Also, a strong relationship with Allie his deceased younger brother, is apparent due to the twenty references in the novel. In fact, most of Holden's fondest memories are of those times with his younger siblings. His comments of innocence help establish this connection. Someone who is trying to learn the stages of developing into a mature adult would not develop as soon, or as fully when spending their time solely with those who are five to seven years of age. They would not experience the guidance from older adults to correct wrong behaviour. The guidance of an elder isn't present and they need to learn by themselves. Harrison Smith has defined Holden's friendships quite clearly "What was wrong with Holden was his moral revulsion against anything that was ugly, evil, cruel, or what he called ‘phony' and his acute responsiveness to beauty and innocence, especially the innocence of the very young." (Smith 1). Holden sees the world as a evil, cruel place where everyone is out to get him. He reacts to the people of the world as the ones creating these feelings of grief for him so he distances himself from these characters. As he shuts himself away from

Maturity Through Phonyism

2003-11-16T22:07:13-05:00

What does phony mean to you? Do you consider it something that is not what it really seems? Or even something or someone that isn't normal in all ways or just in some? Phony is one of the words in the English literature that can have an endless amount of interpretations. Can be being phony possibly hinder an attempt to accomplish a task to fully function mentally? Can phony delay an individuals maturing period? In J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, Holden's "phony phobia" restricts him from becoming a fully matured adult. In Holden's attempted journey in becoming a fully matured adult, he encounters many scenarios involving friendships, personal opinions, and his love of children. His journey is an unpleasant and difficult one with many lessons learned along the way. Holden possesses abnormal relationships with some of the characters in Catcher in the Rye. Many of his friends and those he talks highly about are young children. He does not make any negative comments about these companions, and there is no mention whatsoever of phony. Holden has a strong relationship with Phoebee, his younger sister. Holden vocalizes about the fact Phoebee can visit him anytime in the summer, "What I'd do, I'd let old Phoebee came out and visit me in the summertime and on Christmas vacation and Easter vacation" (205). Holden shows a solid liking to his sister and is always wanting her by his side. He finds a hard time associating with older, mature individuals. Also, a strong relationship with Allie his deceased younger brother, is apparent due to the twenty references in the novel. In fact, most of Holden's fondest memories are of those times with his younger siblings. His comments of innocence help establish this connection. Someone who is trying to learn the stages of developing into a mature adult would not develop as soon, or as fully when spending their time solely with those who are five to seven years of age. They would not experience the guidance from older adults to correct wrong behaviour. The guidance of an elder isn't present and they need to learn by themselves. Harrison Smith has defined Holden's friendships quite clearly "What was wrong with Holden was his moral revulsion against anything that was ugly, evil, cruel, or what he called ‘phony' and his acute responsiveness to beauty and innocence, especially the innocence of the very young." (Smith 1).

A short analysis of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire

2003-11-16T19:54:07-05:00

Blanche DuBois: Blanche’s first appearance in the play sets the tone for her character throughout. She is described as being “daintily dressed In a white suit with a fluffy bodice, necklace and earrings of pearl, white gloves and hat, looking as if she where arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party” The illusion of innocence and refinery which she tries to create is reflected immediately by her choice of dress, which is white, demure, and virginal. Even her name “Blanche” is French for the colour white, a symbolism of both her French aristocratic ancestry and the “whiteness” of her personality. Unfortunately this impression of purity given to both the audience and characters about Blanche, is a complete façade. Her false propriety is not merely snobbery, but a somewhat calculated attempt to make herself appear more attractive to male suitors. Blanche is a deeply insecure and neurotic woman who relies heavily on the compliments and sexual admiration of men to help her feel secure about her appearance,” admire her dress and tell her she is looking wonderful. That’s important with Blanche. Her little weakness!” - “I was fishing for a compliment Stanley” This has resulted in Blanche often succumbing to passion, and she has left behind her in Mississippi a life of poverty and an extremely bad reputation, even allegedly having an affair with a minor. “I had many intimacies with strangers” Her past of excessive promiscuity is however, understood more when we come to learn more about the death of her husband. Blanche blames herself very deeply for his suicide, “he came to me for help. I didn’t know that” and the fact she could not “fix” his homosexuality, which has left her with great feelings of inadequacy about her sexual attractiveness to men. It also seems that through these “intimacies with strangers” she was both morning the lose of her husband “After the death of Allan… it was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart with” and was desperately seeking some kind of protection, a chivalrous gentlemen who could rescue her from all her troubles. She had also lost the family home, Belle Reve, under ambiguous circumstances and had been forced to care for her ailing mother after the death of her father and Stella left. She is a woman who has experienced a lot of tragedy in her life. All of these problems have driven

Propaganda on Animal Farm

2003-11-16T19:27:00-05:00

Whips, chains, slavery, labor, oppression and misery. Power. Power corrupts and causes abuse. In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, the animals choose to rebel against Man to escape his tyranny, and form a society all their own. They were not expecting some of the difficulties they’d face in order to first procure power and second to use it. Although the animals were powerless in the beginning, they rose to power by exploiting propaganda such as passionate, persuasive speeches, fun, patriotic rituals, and evil, malicious scape-goating. Major’s speech, dripping with propaganda, was the spark that led to the Revolution. The speech included such propaganda as loaded words and powerful images. Strong verbal techniques and potent pictures send out certain messages of evil to strengthen Major’s persuasion. He describes the desperate hardship, “...those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty.” This extreme idea is dramatized with such power and confidence that it is a simple task to influence others to think the same. The words such as “slaughter,” “last atom” and “hideous cruelty” are strong enough to leave a lasting impression in one’s mind. In addition, Major won the animals over with catchy slogans. The easy-to-remember-and-repeat motto, “Four legs good, two legs bad.” is quite simple. The simplicity of it makes the point clear towards effectively brainwashing the animals to believe that all men are evil. After Major’s speech manipulated the animal’s thoughts, propaganda was continually supported by weekly rituals. These rituals fulfilled the animal’s basic need and desire of pride and belonging. A “...ceremony which was observed every week without fail” is what the animals needed for a sense of courage coming through strength in numbers. The gatherings were a kind of social control to bring everyone to a certain place and feed them lies and propaganda to sustain the revolutionary patriotism. Also, after the ceremonies, a song is sung by every animal that encourages and upholds the Animalistic beliefs. The firm, devoted tune emphasizes loyalty “Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland, Beasts of every land and clime, Hearken to my joyful tiding, Of the golden future time.” The song is optimistic with the joyful, promising lyric “golden future time.” Having all the animals singing this propagandistic melody together, enforces all the patriotic

A short Analysis of Blanche DuBois. A Streetcar Named Desire

2003-11-14T11:29:10-05:00

Plato and Aritotle on Poetry

2003-11-12T18:02:14-05:00

The great British philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead once commented that all philosophy is but a footnote to Plato. A similar point can be made regarding Greek literature as a whole. It may be an exaggeration, but the ancient Greeks created masterpieces that have inspired, influenced, and challenged readers to the present day. Their brilliance is especially evident in the two quarrelsome fields of poetry and philosophy, where we see world of thought of Plato and Aristotle so far-ranging that there is scarcely an idea discussed about poetry today that these two ancient philosophers did not debate. Plato and Aristotle take apposing attitudes towards poetry in general, and tragedy in particular. In the Republic, Plato condemns poetry and abolishes it form his ideal city. On the other hand, Aristotle dedicates his Poetics to challenges his teacher's condemnation of poetry, and concludes with elevating tragedy above all other poetic types. Plato uses Socrates and his dialogues with his friends to try to infer logically what would constitute the most just state. The debates on "what is just?" is eventually linked to "What is good?". Therefore, Plato raises the fundamental question of whether the pleasure produced by poetry is good enough for the well being of his state. He came to the conclusion that it is not, because poetry has the tendency to corrupt the youth of his state. For one thing, poets such as Homer and Hesiod make a "bad representation of what gods and heroes are like" (Plato, 55). Their misrepresentation persuade the youth of the city that "gods produce evil and that heroes are no better than human beings" (Plato, 69). Thus, Plato believes that poets should be compelled to fallow a certain model of representation where "god is not the cause of all things but the good" (Plato, 58) and where heroes do not convey inadequate emotions in public. Plato also asserts that poets are incapable of conveying the truth since they are thrice removed form it. According to Plato, imitation is far form the truth even when something as simple as a couch is the subject of imitation. He explains that there are three kinds of couches, the god produced couch, the carpenter produced couch, and the poet produced couch. The poet imitates the carpenter's couch, which is itself a copy of the ideal couch of god. This is also applied to the imitations of characters in tragedy

Overview of Alcoholism: ACA (book critique)

2003-11-12T05:05:42-05:00

Before picking out a book for this assignment, I tried to determine what in my own personal life it is I needed to read up on. Being a recovering alcoholic and also being an adult child of an alcoholic, there were many subject matters that came to mind that I needed to look into. Being an adult child of alcoholic parents, I decided to learn more on this subject. The book I chose to read for this critique was, “Adult Children of Alcoholics”. Reading this book brought back many memories of how it was living in such a chaotic environment. I feel that this is a good book for many children of alcoholics to read. This book gave me insight on many questions that I had regarding my up bringing. At one point, I thought that alcoholism only affected those who are considered lower class families (families who live in the projects), since that is where I was raised. According to this book, there are certain generalizations that recur in one form or another with adult children of alcoholic, I fully agree with this fact. One of them being, adult children of alcoholics usually have to guess at what normal behavior is, because growing up nothing was probably normal in their lives. That is a statement that I can relate to. Growing up, I had to act as if everything was great in my home, when in reality, everything was not fine. My mother was always at work and I had to fill the mother role 1 shoes by taking care of my siblings and my dad, well he was a joke, was always passed out on the couch or on the floor. I may not be a rocket scientist, but I know that was not normal. Growing up into adulthood, it was very difficult for me to determine what was considered the norm and what was not the norm. In chapter 2 in the book “What is happening to you now?” It discusses children growing up into adults. What now? We, adult children of alcoholics, grew up and because of how we were raised, we have no clue on what or how are lives are suppose to be like. This book makes a lot of sense to me, I relate to a lot of what the author

Context In Robert Ludlum's Thrillers

2003-11-11T10:31:26-05:00

“Discuss how Robert Ludlum uses action packed thriller novels to confront modern day issues of religion, war, belief and terrorism.” With 71 years of life experience Robert Ludlum has gone down in the history books as one the greatest writers of his time. He can take an apple, put it into an unbelievable tale of corruption, lies and mystery and come out with a peach. Ludlum writes with his all and many of his concepts are sprung from real life happenings that he twists into an adventure to rock the world. The issues beneath the layers of his books are as deep as the ocean and are relevant to modern times, even those composed 20 years ago. They surround issues of religion, war, belief and more importantly and more recently, terrorism. War dates back to the start of evolution. Its definition is conflict and this conflict has always been in place. From bacteria fighting to reproduce in the beginning, to dinosaurs and prehistoric creature battles, right up until 2 million years ago when the biggest war creators of planet earth were formed, man. Historians lecture it and documentation and carbon dating proves it, humans have been fighting since the first drop of blood was spilled, killing and wounding, torturing and menacing, abusing and squashing members of their own race. What passes this along through hundreds of generations is unknown, is it hereditary? Or is it something else, maybe it has something to do with the way you are raised and how you are treated when you are first born into the world. Like a disease, war has affected every cohort of the human race. Long before there was proper documentation in government buildings or even such a thing as a historian, knowledge of previous happenings were passed down through tales and stories. These days, books are more often than not forgotten, as there are so many other ways to remember the past. These methods have evolved with the modern human brain, from cassettes to CD’s to digital music. From films to television to VCR’s and DVD players, times just keep on changing. With so much entertainment evolving, its hard to believe that such a simple device such as a book could possibly contain so much detail, mystery and suspense and yet still be relevant in modern day lives. Many think it’s impossible, but Robert Ludlum only proves the sceptics wrong. One of his

Great Expectations - Effectiveness of Serial Release

2003-11-07T18:59:15-05:00

Many of Charles’ Dickens’ novels first appeared as weekly episodes in magazines in serial form. This is much harder to do than simply writing a novel due to the fact that just one bad episode could put people off from buying the next edition. To keep this from happening with Great Expectations, every episode had to leave the reader with a reason to purchase the next episode. To do this the writer Charles Dickens had to make readers curious or interested and desperate to find out what will happen to the characters they’ve, hopefully, if the serial is well written, become so well acquainted with, and are able to relate to. It’s the same with the television serials or “soap operas” of today, so called due to the fact that companies who produced soap originally sponsored them. They all need to have interesting storylines and multiple plots and most episodes need to end with what is known as a cliffhanger. The television companies generally use them, if particularly exiting and dramatic, to boost ratings, generally speaking this method is very successful. Dickens creates interesting situations all the time with characters in awkward places, conflicting opinions between characters with clashing personalities. They all have defining traits, which help the readers to connect with the characters, innumerable references to fire when the convict is around for example. Characters have to have their own, believable, personalities and act as you would expect them to. Otherwise the storyline would have become implausible and people wouldn’t have bought it. These qualities are particularly crucial in Great Expectations but never more so than in the first episode. The format, which the episode takes, is likely to affect the readers’ opinions on the series as a whole. Overcomplicating the novel with multiple storylines, plots and characters can be confusing, but readers want to be bored about as much as they want to be confused, so it is very difficult to find a happy medium. We stereotype the entire series on how good the first episode is. Which, although relatively unfair and in many cases not at all accurate, it is still what we tend to do. This is why the quality of the first episode of Great Expectations is so important as, although there’s a definite need for all the episodes to be well written and interesting, if the first episode isn’t then no matter how

A Streetcar Named Desire: Discuss scene one as the opening scene

2003-11-05T18:23:45-05:00

Any play that is written is to be performed as a drama and so when reading a play it’s vital to visualise the scene and focus on what the characters say, their actions, their body language and the atmosphere created. With the above in mind the exposition of any play should introduce the audience to the basic themes of the drama, set the scene and atmosphere through music and lighting, introduce the characters and build on the initial theme. The focus of this play is on a thirty-something southern belle named Blanche DuBois and how her tragic downfall came about. A Streetcar Named Desire is set shortly after ‘The Great Depression’ of the 1930’s and World War II in the time period that America was trying to rebuild itself from its financial losses. Prior to the depression the lifestyle of most Americans was one of prosperity with promise of success, The American Dream as the propagandists called it, where generally the poor of America were better off than most the rest of the world. However after the crash people’s view of the previous lifestyle started to dissolve, it was every man for himself as America tried to build itself once again. World War II also had its influence on the views of the American society at large, people generally became more reclusive and the previous lifestyle and divide of social classes almost forgotten. The central characters Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski represent and symbolise both communities of the old America and the new America respectively and this theme is carried on throughout the play. Blanche’s loss is of Belle Reve her inherited property from her father, which is a symbol of the previous culture and of the money lost as a result of gross sexual scandals and prostitution by her male relatives that have all died out. Whereas Stanley, Blanche’s brother-in-law is the representative of the new America who is more dominant, aggressive, arrogant and sees himself as the breadwinner of the family: “You’re simple, straightforward and honest, a little bit on the primitive side I should think”, as Blanche describes him in a later conversation. Stanley Kowalski is actually based on a real life character whom Tennessee Williams befriended whilst working for The National Shoe Company in the 1930’s. The character Blanche is portrayed as unstable, the one who carries a burden and

Of Mice and Men is more then just the tragedy of Lennie.

2003-10-17T23:02:58-04:00

The death of Lennie at the end of "Of Mice and Men' seems, at first, to be the most tragic event in the novel, especially for the people directly concerned, such as George and Lennie himself. However, in actual fact, the novel is full of sad people suffering in a world where no one really cares about them. The men who worked on the ranches, the itinerant workers were sad and lonely people. As George says "Guys like us, who work on ranches, were the most lonely people in this world." They had no families and no homes. They moved from place to place to find work. Some had dreams of owning land, but only a few dreams came true. They tried to save up money, but spent every thing on Saturdays. They were back to nothing on Monday again. Most of the ranch hands were totally alone, they had no one to talk car of them. George and Lennie were different. They got each other, and they took cared to each other. Even though Lennie died, at least while he was alive, he had someone who cared about him. For a while, Candy wasn't so lonely because he had his dog. He had his dog since it was a pup, they companied each other until Candy's dog was killed. Candy was old and disabled, he know if he couldn't work anymore, he would be sacked. He would be put on the county on his own. For a while, he had hope again. He could go with George and Lennie and live on their own farm, where there would be love and care. But when Curley's wife died, his dream was gone. He knew he was going to face the fact, where as soon as he couldn't out no bunkhouse, he would be put on the county on his own. Candy was a sad and old man whose life was made more tragic by the death of his old dog and Curley's wife. Crooks too, was another lonely person. Unlike Candy, he was lonely because he was the only black person on the ranch. He was separated from everyone else on the ranch. He was sad and lonely as you can tell from his words with Lennie. "Maybe you can see now. You got George. You knew he was going to come back. Suppose you didn't have anybody. Suppose you were black. How

Of Mice and Men - Cartoon Characteristics

2003-10-16T19:19:19-04:00

After reading Of Mice and Men and watching the movie, I noticed a similarity to some of the cartoons I use to watch when I was younger. I decided to investigate further and discovered that the characters Lennie and George were depicted in several Warner Brothers cartoons. One cartoon, which features a Lennie-like character, involves Bennie the big orange cat, who co-starred with Sylvester the cat. Sylvester: "Stop calling me George, my name’s Sylvester" Bennie: "But I can’t say Sylvester, George’. Bennie also acts similar to Lennie as far as his mental ability and thinking is concerned. Sylvester plays the George character that acts smart all the time. Some other cartoons that include parodies of the two include the following: Bennie and George, Ren and Stimpy, Tom and Jerry, Tweety and Sylvester, Abominable Snowman and Bugs Bunny (shown in picture above). Ren and Stimpy and Bugs Bunny and the Abominable Snowman are the best examples I have found. Ren and Stimpy features Ren as a small Chihuahua who has all the smarts. Stimpy, however, is a big cat who, like Lennie, has very little common sense. The irony is that even though Ren is very smart, he often encounters conflicts that never dawn on Stimpy. This irony is also featured in the novel, as George has to deal with the problems of two people with no help from Lennie. The Abominable snowman cartoon features a snowman called Hugo. The quote "I’m gonna hug him and pet him and call him George" is said by Hugo as he hugs Bugs Bunny in one of the episodes. This dialog and behavior is exactly how Lennie behaves and thinks in the book. Other similarities found in the novel and several cartoons are the fact that the smarter character often must repeat himself to the bigger, dumber character. This is done several times in the novel as George repeats the story about the rabbits to Lennie. Another significant characteristic of the cartoon character modeled after Lennie is that he’s always hugging other characters with tremendous force. His hugs, which symbolize his love for the character, are at the expense of the other character. The affection he shows usually brings pain on the smaller, less fortunate character. In the novel, Lennie kills a mouse and a dog because of his mental disability, affection, and strength. The cartoon parodies of the two characters in Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men Journal Notes

2003-10-16T19:16:51-04:00

(I figure I might as well share it instead of toss it out once I'm done with the class) The beginning few scenes are almost identical in the movie and the book. They let the reader know what has just happened to Lennie and George (the trouble they almost got into) and also foreshadows to what might happen in the near future. It is apparent that Lennie and George have had dreams for the future for some time because Lennie makes George tell a story of how they will eventually have their own ranch with rabbits and other animals. It is during this opening scene that the audience learns of Lennie’s mental dysfunction and how it holds George from leading a normal life. Lennie and George make their way to the ranch the next day where they were told they’d find work. Before getting hired they meet Candy, an elderly worker who lost his hand in a machine on the ranch. Candy shows the new workers around and to the boss’s office. The boss of the ranch is a fair man who is in charge of everything. Because George told Lennie to keep quiet, the boss seemed a little suspicious of the couple but still gave them a chance to prove themselves as workers. Candy shows the new workers to their bunks, during which time Curley (the boss’s son) enters. Curley soon gets angry at Lennie for no apparent reason and quickly leaves. George and Lennie find out from Candy that Curley doesn’t like big guys much because he’s jealous. To the audience, Curley becomes a conflict that George and Lennie must face. Because of Lennie’s mental handicap, George will have an even tougher time controlling Lennie’s actions of staying away from Curley and keeping out of trouble that any common sense person would know how to. Other minor characters Slim, Carlson, and Curley’s wife are introduced. Carlson is another worker on the ranch and Slim manages the workers on the field. Curley’s wife wanders in alone in a desperate attempt to get some company. Curley’s wife also becomes a conflict because George realizes that she won’t stay in her house and will try to attract attention from the guys in the bunk house. If Curley notices either of the new people talking to her, he’ll get very angry and want to pick a fight. George knows this but Lennie doesn’t have a clue.

Fitzgerald’s presentation of female characters

2002-12-06T13:00:00-05:00

In Chapter One, Daisy recalls the birth of her daughter. She says; “I’m glad it’s a girl, and I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be – a beautiful little fool.” - Consider Fitzgerald’s presentation of female characters in the novel; make reference to society at the time. Scott Fitzgerald, born in 1896 in Minnesota, wrote the Great Gatsby in the 1920’s and is considered one of his most successful novels. Fitzgerald typically presents the female characters as uneducated, hypocritical and bitter. Daisy Buchanen is the central female character in ‘The Great Gatsby’. She is an increasingly difficult woman to understand, in that; she has made herself deeply unhappy in continuing her marriage to her husband Tom Buchanen. However, her social status is far more important to her than fidelity, and she refuses to give up her lavish lifestyle and break away from Tom, even though he has had countless affairs with other women. “I thought everybody knew.” This shows that even though Daisy knows about the current affair at least, she is not willing to leave Tom, simply because in continuing her marriage, she is able to maintain the status that being attached to the Buchanen name gives her, this indicates that she is able to accept infidelity because her security is very important to her. In the nineteen-twenties feminism became steadily more prominent, with women emphasising their rights to everything and anything. Daisy seems to reflect a certain aspect of this, which becomes distinctive when Jordan, Nick, Tom and Daisy are in the garden together. “The telephone rang inside, startingly as Daisy shook her head decisively at Tom the subject of stables, in fact all subjects vanished into thin air.” This shows that Daisy has a grasp on Tom, since she knows about the affair that he is having. This means that she sustains some level of a moral high ground, and can therefore make certain decisions. This extract also portrays Daisy as quite a powerful woman for the same reason. When Daisy recalls the birth of her daughter, she is emotionally at a very low point. She realises that Tom doesn’t love her, but stays with her because she is everything that he believes a wife should be. “That’s the best thing a girl can be in this World, a beautiful little fool.” This extract shows that Daisy is no fool, she recognises that Tom doesn’t love her, and consequently

A doll's house

2002-12-05T13:00:00-05:00

In this scene, how does the dramatist effectively expose characters, relationships and issues so as to make the audience keen to see the rest of the play? Act one scene one from ‘a doll’s house’ by Henrik Ibsen is effective in many ways for enrapturing its audience. Henrik Ibsen successfully manages to introduce many themes and issues alone into the first scene. The scene focuses solely on the two characters Nora and Torvald. Our first impressions are that they are a happily married couple but there are many clues, which hint at the marriage Nora and Torvald have. It appears Torvald controls Nora. Ibsen seems to suggest Nora is a vivacious and cheerful character who is very spirited. Her humming and her smiling all add to the gaiety of her character. In contrast her characterisation to Torvald is very different. Ibsen portrays Torvald as an admirable man who is rigidly honest, a hard worker, and a man of high ethical ideals. He is serious and logical whilst Nora is not; she is made to be very feminine whilst Torvald is conveyed as the representative figure of masculine society. Their behaviour toward each other is affectionate, there does not seem to be any tension between them, Nora appears to be a submissive and dependent character. She exemplifies the roles expected of women and mothers during the time at which the play was set. But who is in control of the relationship is not clear. On the surface it does to some extent show that Torvald is in fact the dominant one in the scene. Torvald lectures Nora on the use of money, while she is left to ‘sulk’. Torvald addresses Nora as one would address her a child. (Quotation) She is Torvald’s ‘skylark’, his ‘squirrel’ and does not object to the terms he uses over her. In fact she plays up to him, she plays the role of a child and does not act the role of a mature married mother. Her role is soon very clear; while he lectures her gently and treats her as a child she uses the child like façade in manipulating him into giving in to her. Though Torvald is in charge, taking the leading male role, adopting a conventionally controlling tone when talking about the rules of money, it is Nora through her cajoling, teasing and asking who gets Torvald without him realizing giving her more money. It is

Educating Esme; A Book Report

2002-12-03T13:00:00-05:00

OVERVIEW

The book, Educating Esme, was written by Esme Raji Codell. It is a journal written throughout her first year as a teacher. During her first year, Esme discusses many different problems and situations that she encounters. She shares experiences that range from abusive parents to a seemingly discriminative principal. Though the book is filled with light hearted events and hilarious happenings, Esme still manages to get across the seriousness of the job at hand and the responsibilities of teaching the fragile youth of this country.

SETTING

The story takes place in an inner-city Chicago elementary school. Esme must struggle to deal with the problems that are presented by the school’s location. Among these problems are gangs, theft and tight budgets.

THEME

The theme for this book seemed to be that a little perseverance can go a long way in achieving your goals. There were many times when Esme could have just quit or given up on her students when things went a little wrong. Instead, Esme found other ways of dealing with the problems she was faced with. No matter who stood in her way, Esme stayed the course and was extremely diligent in her own ideas of how to teach her kids.

PERSONAL OPINION

My personal thoughts on the book range from good to bad. There are many things that Esme did that I would like to use for myself. I loved the way that Esme got the children excited and interested in learning by getting them involved. She did not simply stand and read from the lesson book. She would dress up and bring the lessons to life. She also got the children into reading with the time machine. She showed them that they could journey to far off planets and tropical places by simply sitting back with a good book and letting their imaginations go. Also, Esme had a practice of letting her students drop off their problems before they came into the room. Even if this is purely symbolic, I think it represents a lot more in making the students comfortable in their environment. One last thing I liked, though there are many, is the idea of having the “problem child” teach the class when he kept disturbing it. Esme played the bad child role and the student then learned how hard it is when the tables were turned. Lastly, though I thought that Educating Esme was a terrific book that can help

Beowulf and The Iliad - Fate and Religion in Ancient Text

2002-12-02T13:00:00-05:00

The inclusion of fate and what happens to the soul when you die is quite common in ancient literature. The Greek epic The Iliad and the essential work of Old English, Beowulf, are two very fine examples of this theme. Fate, how it is, or how it will play out, is recognized in both epics as something all must eventually deal with. What is implied is that the true fate of a warrior, no matter how great, is death. A man’s death can either include honor, or shame, it is the goal of both Achilles of The Iliad, and Beowulf to die honorably. Another interesting aspect of fate and death is the inclusion of an afterlife, and what that might be. In Beowulf, it is deducted that there is early Christianity that has to do with the belief in the heaven. On the contrary, the belief in life post mortem in The Iliad has much more to do with the ancient Greek Gods. The purpose of this essay is to establish a comparison of the power of fate, and the control it has mentally over both the protagonists. Also, it will contrast the early Christianity of Beowulf, to the polytheism of ancient Greece and each of their effects respectively to both characters. From the beginning of the epic, Beowulf regards his fate as one of a great warrior. This fate is to do as much honor to his name as he can, but all the while, be prepared for death, as Beowulf is. This fate, as shown in Beowulf is that of a great Warrior and ruler. Beowulf, called on by the agony of the Danish, comes to rid them of the beast Grendal. “Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear, indifferent to death; his mighty, hand forged, fine webbed mail would soon meet with the menace underwater. It would keep the bone cage of his body safe” (Heaney 1442-1446) The quest for honor before death is perhaps the central goal for all true warriors. Beowulf quests for this honor before death over all else that is gifted to him such as power, money, and longevity. Beowulf’s glory before death is shown in his actions such as destroying Grendal, hunting Grendal’s mother, and in eliminating the great Dragon after being abandoned by his own men. Although he realizes that he is a great warrior, Beowulf is also very aware of his own mortality, and knows that

A Product of His Society? Merchant & Midsummer

2002-11-26T13:00:00-05:00

It is hard to determine whether or not Shakespearean comedy is clearly a product of Elizabethan courtly society. It can be said that the answer to that question is both yes and no. It is apparent in The Merchant of Venice that Shakespeare’s writing was strongly influenced by the society surrounding him while A Midsummer Nights Dream is much less realistic and so original that one might think he came from another time period all together. In The Merchant of Venice there are countless examples of how Shakespeare’s works were a product of society. One of the main similarities is religion. The official established state religion in Shakespeare’s time was the Church of England, lucidly Protestant. Everyone was required to attend an Anglican Service once a month. The Anglican service is also called Prayer Service, Prayer Book Service, Common Prayer, or the Lord’s Supper. Although it was not expressly illegal to be of a different religion, it was not exactly legal to practice the faith of ones choice. There were even fines for not conforming to the sanctioned religion; that is, for not going to Protestant services. (Nicoll, 76) Jewish people were quite rare in England during the Elizabethan time period and they seemed to be looked down upon the most (although it was not considered a lot better to be a Catholic). Shakespeare probably never knew a Jewish person directly, but during his time the Queen’s Jewish doctor was executed for being ‘a spy’. Also, during that time it would have been considered quite normal to force someone to convert to Christianity. Shakespeare’s Venice had the same mentality about Jewish people. Anti-Semitism was overwhelmingly abundant. Although Shylock was surely a respectable businessman, it did not seem out of the ordinary for Antonio to spit on him and call him a dog whenever it took his fancy. Shylock seems to be the only one who realizes the hypocrisy of the ‘good Christians’ and makes mention of it in his famed speech in Act III: SHYLOCK… Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not

Human will vs. God's will

2002-11-25T13:00:00-05:00

The human will and the will of God are two prevalent themes within Zora Neale Hurston’s American masterpiece, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Not only do both themes play integral parts in the tone and continuity of the novel, but they also play into every other major theme of the book. These other themes being: self-discovery, love, independence, and nature’s power in one’s life. Both Janie’s personal will, and the will of God in this story are used to show the strengths and weakness of Janie as well the rest of the characters. The will of God is seen numerous times throughout the novel in order to test Janie and her will. God’s will is also seen directing other major and minor characters in the book. The wills of God and Janie are the guiding forces within the story and skirmish with each other throughout to create the backbone of this novel. For Janie, there is a great conflict of wills her own and the will of God. On one side of her reasoning she feels the need to experience true love but on the other side, is God pulling the strings in her life. Her Nanny will have nothing to do with the later and thus pushes Janie in the direction of marriage, even if that means there is no love. Janie wants love but is still unsure in her young womanhood if all it takes to it is a simple marriage to a man who will take care of her. This can be seen when Janie asks herself, “Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of the unmated. Did marriage compel love like the sun the day?” She soon finds out that she should have listened to her instinct once she finds that being taken of isn’t that same as true love. Marriage is not what Janie wants. She wants love. Her desire to get out of the marriage is clearly seen in all the references to animals. She feels like a mule while she’s with Logan. She knows she has the spirit of a stallion inside her but she is literally surrounded by a gate and can only stare towards her impossible dreams of love down the road (25-27). Logan puts a tremendous amount of stress on Janie with his demands as well as his verbal and physical abuse seen often while she is his wife. In this time

A Comparison of Writer’s Techniques in ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ by Ray Bradbury, ‘A Terribly Stra

2002-11-24T13:00:00-05:00

A Comparison of Writer’s Techniques in ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ by Ray Bradbury, ‘A Terribly Strange Bed’ by Wilkie Collins and ‘The Landlady’ by Roald Dahl In this essay I will be comparing three short stories: ‘The Whole Town’s Sleeping’ by Ray Bradbury (1950), ‘A Terribly Strange Bed’ by Wilkie Collins (1856) and ‘The Landlady’ by Roald Dahl (1960). These three texts are all from the fear genre. Fear Stories are stories that make us feel fear (or are supposed to), they make the reader scared or frightened. Stories that make us frightened have been popular with people for hundreds of years, with children because they are exciting and make you so caught up in the story that you become genuinely scared as if you are actually the person in the story, and adults because the stories become quite emotional and often very memorable. This makes it much more interesting than a lot of other stories. I chose these stories because they would be easily comparable as they all have the same purpose, which is so scare you. I am going to compare the way Ray Bradbury, Wilkie Collins and Roald Dahl use figurative language and how they create tension and suspense, and mood and tone, during the openings of their three short stories. In the first few lines of 'The Whole Town's Sleeping', the author describes the setting for a typical fear story, “the little town was deep far away from everything, kept to itself by a river and a forest and a ravine”, but before that he mentions another thing that is necessary for a typical fear story, the fact that it is night time. All three of the stories I am studying are set at night. This is because it was set in the daytime it simply wouldn’t be scary. The whole town wouldn’t be sleeping, the narrator wouldn’t need a terribly strange bed to sleep in, and Billy Weaver wouldn’t be looking for a landlady. Collins has a different approach for the beginning of 'A Terribly Strange Bed', he describes the characters and what they were doing, which gives a different impression of the story, it doesn't seem like a scary story at first, because there are no obvious signs like in 'The Whole Town's Sleeping’. 'The Landlady' is similar to Collins’ story, because of the description of the main character (‘Billy Weaver’), but is also similar to

“Of Mice and Men” – Pages 50-51 (old book)

2002-11-24T13:00:00-05:00

“Of Mice and Men” – Pages 50-51 (old book) The extract I am studying is on pages 50 and 51 in the old book, where the men are trying to convince candy that his dog should be shot. This is a significant scene, as although the reader does not know it, it is depicting the death of Lennie at the end of the book; candy doesn't want to have the dog shot, but it has to be as it is physically useless and crippled, George doesn't want to have Lennie killed, but he has to be as he is mentally useless and crippled. The same gun is used and Lennie and the dog are both shot in the same manner (in the back of the head). However, there is one difference between the scenes – later, after the dog has been shot by Carlson, candy says “I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog”. George remembers this when the time comes to shoot Lennie, the other men would shoot Lennie, but George has to make sure that he gets there first so that he can do it himself. The main purpose of this part of the story is to show how close candy is to his dog, and to show the tension in the atmosphere and candy’s unwillingness to let Carlson shoot his dog. This is achieved using varying sentence lengths, verbs and adjectives and also by repeating certain phrases. At the start of the quote (“Candy looked a long time at slim(half way down p50)…he subdued one hand with the other, and(end of p51)”) there is a lot of short sentences and a lot of dialogue. This is because the men are talking casually, and it sets a slightly tense tone, as people aren’t saying much. The mood is also sort of slow, as ‘gentle’ verbs and adjectives such as “softly and hopelessly” and “the gently-pulling leash.” Make it seem relaxed, but at the same time tense. Later on in the extract, the sentences are a lot longer and there is a lot less dialogue, as the scene is being described, and the room is in silence, which shows that the atmosphere has become a lot more tense since the dog has left. There are two phrases repeated throughout the extract: “Candy stared at the ceiling” and the fact that the

Holden Caulfield and King Arthur: A Linking Essay

2002-11-24T13:00:00-05:00

Holden Caulfield and King Arthur are not characters, but symbols the reader identifies with to substitute himself into the plot. In The Catcher in the Rye and The Acts of King Arthur and his Nobel Knights, the reader identifies with the language, the view, and the symbols associated with their central characters. Language gives insight into character. In The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger presents the interior monologue of a character that every reader is or has been—a teenager, Holden Caulfield. Salinger captures Holden’s typical teenage thought with rambling expressions; when Mr Spencer gives Holden a lecture about life being a game that must be played “according to the rules”, Holden replies: Yes sire, I know it is. I know it.” Game, my ass. Some game. Here, Holden conceals his true voice; he releases it in a silent scorn that only he and the reader can hear. Salinger streams Holden’s thought exclusively toward the reader—this allows the reader to substitute himself into Holden’s mind and use it as a vehicle to drive through the plot. Whereas Salinger produces a character to which the reader can identify, In The Acts of King Arthur and his Nobel Knights, author John Steinbeck produces a character to which the reader wants to identify. Steinbeck presents a hero: King Arthur. “Then King Arthur put his army of twenty thousand in motion, and to prevent spies from knowing his movements, he sent advance guards ahead to challenge and capture anyone who could not produce the king’s seal and token.” Steinbeck uses forceful verbs—produce, challenge, capture—as a means of glorifying Arthur’s image. The simple, story-teller voice delivers a medieval undertone that coaxes the reader into the plot, encouraging him to assume the role of Arthur. Further, a character's point of view will persuade the reader to become more involved with the plot. The reader feels empathy toward Holden’s belief that he is a victim to “phonies”—the stupid, the pretentious, and the superficial. Thus when Holden rebels against his phoney society, the reader supports him personally; this enables the reader to identify with Holden and become more involved in his journey. When Holden says his brother prostitutes himself by writing for Hollywood, for example, the reader will take in this point of view rather than question its morality. Arthur holds high regard toward Merlin, for Merlin’s prophecy is a safety net for his future. After Arthur retrieves the Excalibur

Albert Memmi & The Political Left Within "The Colonizer & The Colonized"

2002-11-16T13:00:00-05:00

Domestically, within American history, we have always associated social liberation with the ideological left. That is--a liberal or socialist movement that has aided in the beneficial reforms of cultural and economic humanity. Humanity of civil and equal rights, along with policies that support labor and commerce benefits for a working class genre. This has resulted in the various ways we socially and politically view the leftist in society. Within Albert Memmi’s The Colonizer and the Colonized, the author somewhat surprisingly explains the faults of the leftist colonizers and how he interestingly points out why the leftist view could not win the political war that struggled to denounce and dismantle diseased colonization. Of course the leftist view differs somewhat socially and politically between American society and the colonial societies of the 19th and 20th century Africa. There is no doubt that Memmi directly attacks the ideas and acts of colonialism, describing it as an inescapable trap that is a destructive force upon the native culture. What is truly important about how Memmi describes the left view as compared to the right, “The essential factor is firmness of ideological attitude and condemnation of colonization. To be a rightist or leftist is not merely a way of thinking but also…a way of feeling and of living” (27). Memmi makes an interesting point when he discusses the leftist position in respect to the natural position of a colonizer. Even though the leftist primarily rejects colonization, he soon finds himself assimilating into the culture because of the ever going environment. “He participates in and benefits from those privileges which he half-heartedly denounces” (Memmi 20). What Memmi is conveying is that the leftist colonizer is on an equal level in terms of treatment with his fellow citizens, which the colonized are certainly not. Memmi also delivers the notion that one can be both a revolutionary and an exploiter, also giving evidence that the leftist has a dual face that they may not necessarily be able to control. The leftist can not at anytime truly relate themselves to the colonized for a very simple fact. It is the fact that the colonized are from different origins. It comes down to colonizers taking away the question, “who am I?” right from the hands of the colonized. What Memmi points out is that when the colonizer performs the colonization process, he is taking utmost everything away from the colonized. History

Dr. Heidegger's Experiment - Critical Analysis

2002-11-13T13:00:00-05:00

“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” is said to have been about Nathaniel Hawthorne’s study of right and wrong in human conduct. The story is about an old doctor who introduces water from the Fountain of Youth to his four elderly friends. The friends drink the water, re-experience the youthful pleasures of life, and seem to make all the same mistakes over again. The reader may believe that the study of right and wrong is only about the four elderly people, since they made so many mistakes as they were growing old and then made the same mistakes as they were growing young. However, with a deeper connection into the story and an analysis of word choice, the conclusion can be made that Dr. Heidegger was playing a mean trick on his four elderly friends using magic and strong liquor which he called “water from the Fountain of Youth” that was so strong the four elderly people actually believed that they were becoming young again. There are a few details in the story which advocate that Dr. Heidegger was simply playing a trick on his friends. The reader must first realize that the doctor is not the nice old man he seems to be. This is revealed in the fourth paragraph of the story: “Above half a century ago, Dr. Heidegger had been on the point of marriage with this young lady; but, being affected with some slight disorder, she had swallowed one of her lover’s prescriptions, and died on the bridal evening.” (Hawthorne 535) This shows that he was actually cruel enough to kill his own bride. It may have been an accident, but one would think that he would take the utmost care in ensuring the safety of his loved one. One detail which reveals that the water from the Fountain of Youth is a gag is that Dr. Heidegger does not partake of the water himself. He provides an excuse for this when he says, “For my own part, having had much trouble in growing old, I am in no hurry to grow young again.” (Hawthorne 537) However, although he advised his friends that is would be wiser to drink the water slowly, he kept the glasses full and allowed them to drink as much and as fast as they wanted. At the end of the story, when Dr. Heidegger saw the mess he had made of his friends, he started to

Analysis of Ray Bradbury's Writing

2002-11-13T13:00:00-05:00

Critics often accuse Ray Bradbury of being against science fiction. They say he “fears and distrusts science” (Knight 4). However, both of these accusations are misinterpretations. Bradbury himself said that he doesn’t “distrust machinery,” he “distrusts people” (Mengeling 85). He is not afraid that machines are going to computerize people out of existence; he is afraid that human beings are going to dehumanize themselves out of existence using machines and technology. This fear can be seen in many of his stories, including Fahrenheit 451, “The Flying Machine,” and “The Murderer”. The novel Fahrenheit 451 is a good example of a story in which Bradbury emphasizes his fear of technology being misused. Disregarding the main theme, which is censorship, and focusing on the details, one can see what he thinks could happen if technology is allowed to get out of control. He writes about automobiles that go so fast that advertisements must stretch for miles in order for them to be seen by the drivers. He talks about machines that can completely flush one’s body of blood, replacing it with fresh blood, and these machines can be operated by poorly educated people. He also writes of people whose lives consist solely of interactive television, or “parlor family” (Fahrenheit 49). All of these things reflect his fear of being dehumanized out of existence because, in the story, the general public is programmed by technology to act the way they do. The main character’s wife, Mildred, is Bradbury’s example of the product of this advanced technology: she is more like a robot than a person. Her life consists of “interacting” with characters on the television, whom she calls her family. When she is watching television, it seems as though she feels that the television is more real than her actual life. Bradbury’s prediction of what television could do to people is relatively correct in the present day. Recently, people have gotten more and more involved in television, especially reality television shows, such as Survivor, that it seems as if it is the only life they have. The short story “The Flying Machine” is another good example of a story in which Bradbury expresses his opinion that technology can be dangerous in the wrong hands and that it must be monitored so that it doesn’t get into the wrong hands. The story takes place in China in 400 AD. The Emperor of China catches a man flying

A Good Man is Hard to Find - Religious Allusions

2002-11-11T13:00:00-05:00

Flannery O’Connor uses Christianity as a fundamental thesis in her work, “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” The exploration for the meaning of the Christian faith in the story is based on O’Connor’s view that contemporary society was drastically changing for the worst. O’Connor, a fundamentalist and a Christian moralist focuses her powerful apocalyptic fiction on the South. O’Connor views the lifestyles of the “elite” Southern people to be a façade. “A Good man is Hard to Find” focuses on Christianity being filled with sin and punishment, good and evil, belief and unbelief. The grandmother fully tells her opinion as she tries to convince the Misfit that he is a good Christian man before he kills her. The meaning of religion and true personification enlightens the characters when faced with reality. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the grandmother is representative of godliness and Christianity which O’Connor apparently believed to be more hypocritical than prevalent in the “traditional” Old South, “…the grandmother had on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collar and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace, and at her neckline, she pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet. In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady” (1231). In this reading, the prominence is on purity and southern Christianity as if she is getting ready to attend church. The grandmother displays the proper image of a southern Christian woman in the presence of other people. Her clothing, her perfection, and her attitude are perceived as truly religious. In reality, the grandmother is exceedingly selfish. She preaches and gives sermons throughout the story yet in the face of danger she thinks only of herself. The grandmother uses gender roles, “you wouldn’t shoot a lady would you,”(1236) and religious images to try to save herself. She preaches and prays to the Misfit as if he is Jesus, “Jesus…you’ve got good blood, Jesus you ought not to shoot a lady” (1239). She radiates an aura of holiness at the same time sounding self-serving. The Misfit symbolizes evil. At one point, the Misfit likens himself to Christ, stressing the fact that they were punished for crimes they did not commit. Christ accepted

Book Review - Bridget Jones's Diary

2002-11-10T13:00:00-05:00

Calories 1999 (continuing good work) number of times have read Bridget Jones’s Diary – 1 (v.g.) number of times roared with laughter while reading the book – infinite (excellent.) Dear Diary, Have just finished “Bridget Jones’s Diary” – wonderful! Am just pondering what makes this such an excellent novel. Hmm… Have got it! Aha! Ahahahahahahaha! Am marvellous! Am genius! Don’t we think like Bridget every day? Bridget Jones – a typical Londoner, smoker, drinker with a boring dead end office job, living in a pigsty, in a life of calorie-counting, loveless, neurotic worrying. But this sounds like any 30 year old so why has this Helen Fielding novel not only been a best-seller, but one of the most successful films of 2001?… Ooh, I know! (am truly excelling self). Because millions of females have burst into spontaneous applause with the joy of finding a pioneer for the “noughties”. Bridget, and her diary, saving women everywhere from desolate loneliness and (in her own words) “being found two weeks later, half-eaten by an Alsatian.” Those who have read this side-splitting story will have felt for Jones in her ‘difficult’ life, simply because they relate to every aspect of this diary. But how can the average female stand side by side with our heroine when her life is crazy and ours…well, isn’t. But if you get down to the basics, it’s easy. Take family, that group of people you love to bits until, once again, they come out with the wrong thing at the wrong time. Like Mummy Jones, desperately denying that she is no longer twenty-one but in fact has another 34 years added on at least, competes constantly with friend Una Alconbury to be ‘hostess with the mostest’. After returning with a “friend” from a trip with Una, Mrs Jones really has broken Colin Jones’s last nerve. A tender character, he meekly accepts that his wife has found another man, who turns out to be a criminal mastermind who doesn’t speak English. Still, love rules over all, and the Jones’s are thrown back together as “Julio” is hauled away to jail. Something families are terribly good at is fixing your life up the way they would like to have their lives fixed up for them. Yet for once, Bridget finds her mother doing something wonderful for her. Fixing her up with a “super-dooper” job in television i.e. making a total idiot of yourself. Sit up Britain television company isn’t a

The Life of Galileo

2002-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

When Galileo points his telescope to the sky, he is offering a new age of reason to the people, giving them the confidence for “the stars to fly through the sky of their own accord”. The knowledge that he offers is the catalyst of a new age of reason where people will no longer live in ignorance. Galileo threatens to “smash the crystal spheres” but relinquishes his personal responsibility to his findings when threatened by the church. However, the new age of reasons is not lost when Galileo recants – the discorsi offers new hope that reason will prevail. Galileo offers the people a new way of thinking, encouraging doubt so the truth can eventually be revealed like the “huge mountains, whose peaks gilded by the rising sun” (p23) on the moon. Galileo’s findings contradict the teachings of the church and this frightens those in power who seek to maintain the power structure which gives them power. To many, Galileo’s recantation signals the end of the new age of reason; Galileo himself resigns that “the only truth that gets through is what we force through”. However, Galileo’s secret continuation of his work, and Andrea’s devotion to revealing the truth means that the truth will continue to be forced to the people. Galileo himself admits his findings “got rid of heaven” (p24) and the new age of reason invites the people to doubt everything they have been told, placing in jeopardy the traditional peasant existence of life-long devotion to God. The church can not allow this to happen; without a God the church leaders would be powerless – “if there were no God we should have to invent one”. When Galileo recants, he does so for the same reason he is being held captive – convenience. He never accepts the Aristotelian view of the universe and denies his findings to “save [his] own skin”. Similarly, the church leaders challenge Galileo because he threatens their political power; it is more ‘convenient’ for Galileo’s findings to be declared heretical than for the church leaders to accept the truth and admit defeat. The telescope allows Galileo to see the stars and also the injustice of the social and political system, ruled over by the powerful church leaders. The peasants toil relentlessly and accept the system as the ‘will of God’, which cannot and should not be questioned by man. The Pope, a mathematician and intellectual understands the

The Life of Galileo - Is Galileo a Hero?

2002-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

When Galileo points his telescope to the sky, he is offering a new age of reason to the people, giving them the confidence for “the stars to fly through the sky of their own accord”. The knowledge that he offers is the catalyst of the new age of reason where people will no longer live in ignorance. Galileo threatens to “smash the crystal spheres” but relinquishes his personal responsibility to his findings when physically threatened by the church. Galileo’s initial optimism and hope encourages him to “force through” the truth, but he is continually met by rejection from those in power. Through his persistence, the astrological truth he offers remains an issue, but when the time comes for Galileo to stand by his findings, he shirks personal responsibility to save his own skin, in the same way he ignores the impending milk bill, choosing instead to continue his work and ‘lock out’ the practicalities of the real world. When the plague hits, Galileo chooses to risk his life in order to continue his work, but when the time comes for him to legitimise his findings, by making an irrefutable statement by dying for them, he backs out. A hero would have stood by his beliefs, championed his cause for the people he originally fought for. Galileo, however, did not. His inherent selfishness meant he would not die for the truth, and instead threw the earth back into the shadow of ignorance, like the darkened mountains revealed by the light of truth he saw on the mooon. Galileo underestimates the power of the ‘establishment’, seeing the church leaders as people. However, when the Cardinal dons his robes of office, he no longer represents his own beliefs, but those of the church. The church is self-serving, interested in maintaining their own sovereignty instead of pursuing truth that could be seen to go against their teachings. The church knew that acknowledgement of Galileo’s findings would encourage the peasants, who traditionally devoted their lives and work to the church, to work for themselves instead of the church. Such a reaction would destroy the church, and instead of allowing the truth to prevail, the church leaders would prefer to force Galileo to recant. Andreas dismay at Galileo’s recantation is indicative of the dismay and disbelief of the people. A man who is willing to die for his beliefs is highly respected and what he died for is obviously

David Copperfield - Education

2002-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

In David Copperfield, Dickens champions the importance of a liberal and moral education

In David Copperfield, Dickens champions the importance of a liberal and moral education by drawing from personal experiences and creating starkly contrasting caricatures to exemplify his beliefs and views. Prior to 1870, there were no rules or laws governing school syllabus or teacher conduct. Hence, many schools taught by forcing the students to recite mindlessly from books, discouraging students’ “bright childish imaginations”, consequently turning them into “little parrots and small calculating machines”. Dickens most wholeheartedly deplores this method of teaching, instead encouraging an education that focuses on developing pupils’ values and morals and teaching them the necessary skills their adult life. David is first educated informally at home. He learns the “alphabet at [his mother’s] knee” and reads to Peggotty from the Crocodile book, developing his imagination – “we went into the water… and put sharp pieces of timber down their throats”. Dickens clearly approves of this sort of education and David says in retrospect that memories of this time “recall no feeling of disgust or reluctance… [he]… walked along a path of flowers”. Dickens contrasts the “daily drudgery and misery” of his education after Clara’s remarriage; David is betrayed by his own nervousness in front of the dominating Murdstones, upsetting his mother and lowering his self-esteem – “the more stupid I get”. This negative reaction again shows Dickens’ encouragement of a very different form of education. David is not “stupid” and it is only the strict and stifling circumstances that make him feel this way. Dickens encourages the reader to feel that if the Murdstones were more liberal and generous in their education of David, the results would be significantly different. Dickens’ views on education are conveyed best through the contrast he draws between Betsey Trotwood’s firmness and Mr Murdstone’s. Murdstone’s firmness overwhelms David, whereas Betsey’s firmness lays a sound moral foundation for his freedom – “never… be mean in anything; never be false; never be cruel. Avoid these three vices… and I can always be hopeful of you”. David’s epic journey from London to Dover and his emancipation from the imprisonment of the Murdstone and Grinby factory shows the consequences of these educational methods in a more literal way; David is literally escaping the moral, physical and financial imprisonment of the factory for the freedom to explore and develop his interests. Dickens further emphasises David’s imprisonment and freedom by

Robin Hood's real impacts on the world

2002-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

Robin Hood is probably one of the most famous and well known English heroes. His name is recognised all over the world as his story has spread. His tale has been told in many different variations all over the globe, from cartoon conversions and feature length films its really wide spread. Over the ages more and more characters were added and even now more are appearing in new films or cartoons. The story also has changed to include new rivals and side kicks in the adventures. His story appeared during the eleven hundreds when sir Foliet invented him. He is famous for his aim to “Steal from the rich, and give to the poor”. Robin and his growing band of “merry men” fought to follow this aim. Robin Hood was developed during a time of poverty in England. With the population stuck in a cast system there were three very different classes. The third class were the peasants, they had no money and were treated and used like slaved to the other classes. The second class owned the small plots of land that the third class worked on, they were pretty wealthy. There were few people in the first class, they owned most of the land and split it up among the second class, they were very well off and were mainly lords or royals. It was virtually impossible to move up a class and families often stayed in the same class for generations. This brought great despair upon the lower class and they had virtually no hope. At that time, the country was also filled with war, as England fought continuously for land and wealth. The land was also scarred by civil war brought on by greed, the third class was always made to fight for the other classes against their will. Robin Hood was a hero because he fought for these people and fought against the ruling classes. By “stealing from the rich and giving to the poor” he accomplished both of these, damaging the rich and helping the needy. He had no real powers, but his trademark is his bow. He was a real marksman and he used this talent to rob coaches and rich people. Though it is believed he was only a myth, it is thought there were many people rebelling against the system similar to the tale. He is my hero because, even if he

C.S Forester’s The General and Duncan Kyle’s The King’s Commissar

2002-11-07T13:00:00-05:00

Historical fictions are pocketfuls of vivid expressions about past events. Invigorating our minds to relive those moments, they can take the reader on an exotic tour of the past unlike reading fact after fact from a text book. Two such books are C.S Forester’s The General and Duncan Kyle’s The King’s Commissar. Through the setting and characterisation of both books, we can understand how or why the world is today. Keeping in mind that the present is reflected on the past and future is a reflection of the present, we must learn from our mistakes to stop them from happening again. Any novel that portrays historical characters and/or settings can be classed as a historical fiction. Both books- The General and The King’s Commissar are similar to the dashing plots and interesting characters in adventure/thriller genres. Since they are also historical novels, they are generally more realistic. They are bounded by true facts and events, but this doesn’t stop Forester and Kyle in captivating their readers as D.S. Burt states: The story [The King’s Commissar] is fanciful but solidly grounded in believable details. Novels like The King’s Commissar portray different aspects and conclusions of the same facts. Forester, on the other hand, creates a portrait of an officer whose role wasn’t as famous as the head figures of that time, but was equally important. Both books are highly entertaining whilst subconsciously educating the reader about the past. Often, after reading historical novels, readers are intrigued to do further research on the periods. Both books share the common theme of leadership and are written with simple yet captivating words which make them appealing to all readers. The General focuses on the rapid ascent of a young officer in the British Army to one of the most senior positions of strategic leadership during World War I. After becoming a hero from the Boer War and combining his martial qualities with luck, Sir Herbert Curzon rose ultimately to the rank of lieutenant general while he reluctantly made the transition from cavalry to infantry. On the other hand, The King’s Commissar is a true thriller which reveals many surprises as the plot unravels. The story shuttles between modern Britain and Russia after the Russian Revolution where two British bank partners discover a secret mission to save the Tsar. No dangers or warnings by the senior partner Malory, deterred Laurence Pilgrim, the new American partner, to discover why their bank-

Twelve angry men

2002-11-07T13:00:00-05:00

After his first experience on a jury about a manslaughter case, Reginald Rose expressed his insights in his timeless play- Twelve Angry Men. The play focuses on twelve randomly selected citizen who are assigned with the civil duty of determining the fate of a nineteen year old boy accused of murdering his father. The jury is suppose to be the most impartial system of securing justice yet this is not always reached in practice. Factors such as emotions and prejudices can often affect the decision of each juror. However, Rose also examines one individual’s struggle against other individuals to ensure “justice for all.” Although the play has been remade and reworked several times, it is Rose’s characters and their dialogue that capture the audience as Claire Devlin states: ….the razor sharp script demand intelligence from the audience as we realise that the final verdict is not as important as what we learn fro each of these characters and ourselves as a result. Juror Eight, the protagonist of the play was the first to vote the “not guilty” verdict. He was firstly affected by the thought that he and eleven men were to decide whether to “end this boy’s life which was just beginning” in what appeared to be an “open and shut case.” One of his most noticeable strengths was his courage to stand alone and fight for what he believed in. Although he was a quiet, thoughtful gentleman, he was not afraid to voice his opinions. He knew everyone would not be happy with his decision but he insisted on cross examining all the evidence and “facts” before coming to his decision: It’s not so easy for me to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first. Posing questions like “could it be possible?” and “could he be wrong?” he reminded others that in our justice system, innocence is knowing there is a reasonable doubt to believe a person is not guilty. Indeed, he admitted that he didn’t know whether the boy was guilty or not, but he believed that everyone deserved justice and a “fair trial.” Unlike most of the others, he was not governed by personal prejudices and rash decisions. Being an architect in the workforce, Juror Eight reflected his analytical and logical qualities in the jury room. He even reacted the old man running approximately forty-five metes and disproved the man’s fifteen seconds

Thomas Hardy: Analysis on Tony Kytes: Arch Deciever

2002-11-06T13:00:00-05:00

Thomas Hardy concentrated on human relationships in his short stories, as this was his main area of interest. Hardy also had a keen interest on the supernatural such as aliens. In 1874, Thomas Hardy got married to the love of his life, Emma Gifford, but after 38 years of marriage in 1912, Emma passed away sending Hardy into deep depression. This is when Hardy’s short stories hit its prime. He went on a pilgrimage in 1914 to find out about life after Emma. Although, in the same year, he re-married to Florence Dugdale at the age of 74 and in 1928, he passed away. All his poems are firmly grounded in Dorset life and folklore, particularly the short stories The Withered Arm and Tony Kytes: Arch The first relationship that we find out about in the Withered Arm is Getrude and Farmer Lodge, we find out that they are married: “Her face too was fresh in colour, but it was of a totally different quality- soft and evanescent, like the light under a heap of rose petals.” This is the comparison between Gertrude and Farmer Lodge. Hardy describes Gertrude as “the light under a heap of rose petals” suggesting she is way beyond beauty. The simile is effective, as this sets a picture in your head of what she would look like. This may also suggest that the marriage is purely superficial and Lodge has only married Gertrude purely as she is pretty: “The well-to-do Farmer Lodge came nearly last; and his young wife, who accompanied him, walked up the aisle…appeared thus for the first time.” This says that Lodge his parading his new “possession” to the public, and doesn’t care about Gertrude’s feelings, just the fact that he is with a beautiful woman. Later in the story, Lodge rejects Gertrude because of her disfigurement. This shows that Lodge is a very shallow individual and is defying the laws of marriage, for example “in sickness and health”. Other people interpretations of Gertrude would be very positive as all eyes are upon her when she is paraded at church, but Rhoda, one of the milkmaids and Lodge’s ex-girlfriend isn’t best pleased about Lodge’s new wife and how she looks: “I wouldn’t look up at her if she were to pass my window this instant.” This shows a very bad approach towards Gertrude and she feels threatened by her at the same time. Later in the story, Rhoda has a dream and her

Huck Finn Essay

2002-11-05T13:00:00-05:00

Life, despite all of its intricacies, can make human beings long for the simplest things. There are pleasures in life that seem so simple yet people spend their entire lives searching for these pleasures. Perhaps the greatest pleasure of all is finding out who one really is. The discovery of where a person belongs in the world can bring great joy, but to attain that joy a journey must be completed. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a story about that journey. For Huck Finn, the journey itself is a quest for freedom and at the same time a search for identity. Huck is seeking to be free from the pious demands of society while at the same time trying to find his place in the world. Huck is attempting a search in life that every human, at one point, will attempt. These searches can only be successful if there is a journey that is successfully completed. Meaning, on that journey there must be growth on an emotional and mental level. One’s perspective of the world around him should change if the journey is rightly carried out. In order for one to complete a journey, a course must be plotted and a navigator must be existent. The navigator in Huck’s journey is, of course, the river. It is only inevitable that the river be Huck’s guiding light simply because of what the river stands for. The river is that great symbol in Huck’s world, which represents everything pure that Huck is trying to keep intact. The river represents nature; it represents, to Huck, what should be sought after. It has not been molded or conformed by the rigors and restrains of civilization. Rather, it has withstood the test of time and is the ultimate symbol of what Huck is pursuing, which would be freedom and a true identity or knowledge of who Huck is. Therefore, Huck uses the river to complete his quest because he is familiar with the river. He has lived on it all his life and when you’re lost you try to find your way by using things you’re familiar with. Things that you can put some sort of trust in. Huck trusts that the river will help him find his freedom. Why would he use it if he didn’t trust that the river would be useful? Also, it is already known that Huck is a practical boy

Gatsby Essay

2002-11-04T13:00:00-05:00

Life, amongst other things, is full of grandeur and spectacle. It is only inevitable then, that human beings will be in pursuit of this, driven by the desire to have the quintessential lifestyle. But it is this desire to live in the ideal that hinders them from truly being happy. For while happiness is possible, perfection is not. So in turn, the pursuit of happiness through perfection is a plan destined for failure. The last two pages in The Great Gatsby are exemplary of this idea. The unknown character at the end of the book who “had been away at the ends of the earth and didn’t know that the party was over” is representative of human beings immersed in a lifestyle that was only grandeur and spectacle, and nothing else. There was never any real significance or importance to the big house, the parties, cars etc. These were only used to satisfy a need for splendor, to prove that human beings were only a few steps away from the ideal. Which is of course, a flawed plan, as the ending of the book shows. The whole purpose of the parties was to lure Daisy into going to Gatsby’s house so she could fall in love with her or he could “have her.” But she never does fall in love with Gatsby and he never “has her”. Daisy was just another goal to accomplish for Gatsby, just another extravagance to immerse himself in. The house then, like the pursuit of the ideal is flawed from the very start. The house failed in acquiring Daisy, just like the pursuit of an ideal failed to elicit happiness. These failures both epitomize Fitzgerald’s sentence, “the last and greatest of all human dreams.” The pursuit of quintessence failed, it was the last and greatest of all human dreams after Gatsby died because Gatsby himself epitomized what it meant to pursue the ideal. He transformed himself from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby, and he did it buy using human desire to encounter wonder and splendor. People were intrigued by Gatsby, by his mysterious demeanor. There were a lot of questions surrounding Gatsby, about where he really came from and where he got his money, but he made it work. He represented success to the people who attended his parties, because it was Gatsby who played host to the carousing and revelry that were so pervasive

For Whom the Bell Tolls Essay

2002-11-04T13:00:00-05:00

There are moments in life that bring about a coalescence of emotions and ideas that are not only harmonious in nature, they’re great in significance as well. Time seems to stand still for these moments of harmony. And even if these moments are short-lived, their significance can last forever. Hemingway’s paragraph on page 379 is a paradigm of one of these moments. The first facet to Hemingway’s masterfully orchestrated sequence of events is the Epigram that he chooses to start the novel with. The key idea in that Epigram is that there is interdependence among mankind and that the existence of one person isn’t possible without the existence of another, if one part of the organism is destroyed then the whole organism is destroyed. This concept is seen in the novel through the depiction of Pablo’s band and the way they depend upon each other and how their dependence on Jordan grows throughout the novel. When Robert Jordan first starts out with Pablo’s band, he is just another foreigner caught in a war. To them, at that point, he holds no real significance because they don’t see the bridge as a high priority. For all their purposes, they’d rather loot another train. But as the novel progresses Pablo’s band comes to recognize the fact that they need Jordan. They need Jordan to blow up the bridge, to accomplish something for “the cause” and he needs them to survive in the country. The paragraph on page 379 also reflects this form of thought. Robert Jordan wouldn’t be able to carry out his purpose in the novel if he didn’t have Maria. She allows him to live in the moment and suspend time while Jordan helps nurture the fragile state she‘s in. Without the paragraph on page 379, the reader wouldn’t know that Jordan and Maria have that mutual relationship of necessity. It’s mutual in necessity because Jordan wants to put off death as much as he can and Maria needs Jordan’s care and attention. Obviously she is coming from a very tumultuous past that had very negative effects on her, both physical and psychological. Physical because of what was done to her and psychological because she had to deal with the public humiliation of having her hair cut. But if Jordan had not fallen in love with Maria, then he would not have been able to slow time down and she

The Awakening

2002-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

In Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, Edna Pontellier is forced to fit in with everyone and everything in her surroundings. Edna is used to the Southern society because she was raised in Kentucky with her family, but when she marries Leonce Pontellier, a Creole, and moves to Louisiana, her surroundings greatly change. This makes her feel extremely uncomfortable and confused; she feels as though she has lost her identity, along with a great deal of her freedom. Edna tries her hardest to conform to the Creole society in order to try to regain her happiness from lack of freedom. Though Edna tries extremely hard to accept this Creole society as her own and to become part of it in order to claim her identity, she fails to find both her true happiness and her identity, which, in turn, causes her to commit suicide by drowning herself. A great deal of Edna’s unhappiness is due to the fact that her husband is very strict with her. He treats her with a great deal of authority, and Edna more and more often refuse to obey his commands, such as keeping visiting hours for company on Tuesdays. In accordance with society, Leonce believes that Edna should be the stereotypical housewife who does everything she possibly can for her husband and children. However, when Edna does something that contradicts the well-established Creole social code, Leonce becomes disappointed and frustrated. For example, when Edna is sunbathing at the beach on Grand Isle, her husband approaches her and says, “What folly! To bathe at such an hour in such heat! You are burnt beyond recognition.” Kate Chopin adds that Leonce looks at his wife “as one looks at a valuable piece of property which has suffered some damage.” Over time, the negative attitude that Leonce has toward Edna causes her to look for security, happiness, and love in other people and places. It is then that she meets, and eventually falls in love with, Robert. Throughout the novel, Edna encounters many “awakenings” of her own. One very significant awakening occurs when she recognizes her unrequited love for Robert. Edna realizes that Leonce no longer matters to her and that she would be much happier if she were with Robert. Thus, Robert becomes the one person and the virtually unattainable goal Edna lives for; consequently, when he finally leaves her, she is devastated. She feels that the only way to

Straying from Reality

2002-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

Imagine the worst things that could ever happen to you have become a reality. There’s no way out of it, there’s no way around it, and you can’t handle it. You mentally begin to deteriorate, and in the festering process, you develop an illusion world. In essence, you’re lying to yourself, so extensively that you completely not only believe, but also live, your lies as the truth. This scenario sounds unreal, but is as much of a reality as it gets for many characters we find in American literature. This is not abnormal because all human beings inclined to escape from reality any way they can through self-delusion. In the early to mid-twentieth century, as readers, we begin to encounter literary figures that deny their realities and in the process, face severe consequences that alter all of their lives. First we come across Dorothy Parker’s unnamed female character in “The Waltz”. From the first few lines, “I don’t want to dance with him. I don’t want to dance with anybody. And even if I did, it wouldn’t be him,” (1462) to the close “I didn’t know what trouble was, before I got drawn into this danse macabre,” (1465) the woman’s thoughts of how she hates dancing eat away at her throughout the song. She analyzes every little nitpicky detail, contribution to her own irrationality and possibly even craziness. In reality, dancing with someone is not usually a big deal. It is typically a mindless action that people generally enjoy. However, Parker’s character overanalyzes the situation to the point that she contemplates killing her dancing partner (1463). Next James Thurber’s character “Walter Mitty” is presented to us in the story of the title character. Mitty is your typical husband like in every sitcom—shrinking, oblivious and without a clue as to what is going on. Only difference is Mitty is unhappy with his current lifestyle and escapes into the memory of his days in the service. Thinking he is in his old Navy craft, he speeds down the highway at 55 mph until his wife cries out at his, then ridiculous, speed (1474). Mitty’s nagging wife and stressful life as a physician cause him to escape to this world that only still exsists in the halls of Mitty’s mind. The next two characters we look at are perhaps the most severe in supporting our thesis. Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” is

Point of View Determining Tone - Invisible Man, Prologue and Midnight and I’m Not Famous Yet

2002-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

Over the time span we have studied, authors have used ideas of realism, women’s roles, and human qualities to guide their works. As we have entered into twentieth century readings, however, writers have begun using more technical methods to channel their writings, both to capture readers’ interests and better relay their messages. In many of our recently read works, several authors use the first person point of view to set distinct tones and attitude within their stories. In Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man, Prologue”, the title character voices narration in the first person. This method gives the story a simple matter-of-fact tone, in which he also shows passion and his innermost thoughts. The Invisible Man says, “I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, or flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind” (1884). Here Ellison keeps the language uncomplicated, setting the initial tone. His tone changes zealously when he says, “Oh yes, I kicked him! And in my outrage I got out my knife and prepared to slit his throat” (1885). Finally, he concludes with a more subtle tone when he reveals his fears and weaknesses, “But I shirked at that responsibility…I was a coward” (1891). Changes in the tone of Barry Hannah also influence his work in “Midnight and I’m Not Famous Yet”. Hannah’s narrator speaks in the first person, making him more believable and revealing his feelings of passion and pride. He says, “This ARVN fellow knocked the shit out of his buddy’s head turning the gun to zap the running man…I never saw a fat Cong. So I screamed out in Vietnamese” (2265). He talks about historically factual information regarding the Vietnam War and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, establishing his ethos. Later, referring to American golf pro John Whitelaw, he ascertains personal passion when he says, “It made me love America to know he was in it, and I hadn’t loved anything for nigh three years then” (2267). He lastly sounds proud, “I’d killed so many gooks. I’d killed then with machine guns, mortars, howitzers, knives, wire, me and my boys” (2270). This statement can be interpreted as nothing other than great pride, found in the narrator’s voice. A writer’s tone is almost always the

The Oppression of Women in American Literature from the Civil War to World War I

2002-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

Women through time have faced innumerable oppressions as they have continued their constant struggle in gaining not only equality to men, but also a true understanding of who they really are and where their role in society. Many literary pieces that we have studied convey the many ripping emotions women within these works have experienced. These literary women are ultimately representative of some, if not all, women of each respective time in American history. Literature from the Civil War to World War I accurately portrays women in the respect that they were viewed as subordinate to men, yet it also shows that women were coming into their own and fighting for their own place in society where they were equal to men. As early in our readings as Mark Twain, he is an example of early American writings simply excluding women altogether. The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (21) is without the first hint of female recognition. The same is seen in Twain’s Roughing It (25). It is not that these stories were masculine and a woman’s presence would deter from their manliness, but that early American writers simply saw women as inferior and omitted women from literature. Editha (258), written by W. D. Howells, does a better job at least in acknowledging women as being significant enough in society so that they could be written about. Despite this breakthrough, Editha is shown as a dreamer, conceited, and self-absorbed. She was a capricious romantic who wanted her knight in shining armor and wanted the allure of war. She manipulates her love, George, to the point of his submissiveness to her. This sign of weakness in George is reflected on Editha because it was her selfishness, a trait proposed to only to exist in women, which finally killed George. In 1888, I believe, the Seneca Falls convention to rally for women’s suffrage convened in Seneca Falls, New York. Around this time when women were vocalizing their independence in society, Kate Chopin had reached a point in her life where she was perplexed by the sudden deaths of her husband and mother and left to raise all her children on her own. It was then that she began penning her perhaps most famous work, The Awakening (467). Throughout this novel, Chopin illuminates Edna Pontellier with her anger, bewilderment, frustrations, and desire for freedom from the life to which she is confined. Chopin uses

Freedom and Opression in Literature

2002-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

Freedom. The basic, yet insubstantial, ideal for which America was founded. Described as liberty, autonomy, or sovereignty, freedom is possibly the most common basic right of humans. Despite this commonality, it is perhaps the one word in the dictionary that has an extraordinarily individualistic meaning to every single person. The studied authors of American literature represent this belief in each of their writings. The coercion of personal freedom is one of the worst travesties one might ever face, as many individuals did face in our readings. Predominantly Native Americans, Blacks, and women are found most commonly oppressed due to ignorance of others and society of their respective times. Native Americans, perhaps, embody the purest thoughts of simple freedom. "We came to these mountains about us; no one lived here, and so we took them for our home and country" (277), Cochise says in his narration, “I am alone.” During the westward expansion of the mid and late 1800s, Native Americans were stripped of their freedom, along with their land. He illustrates not only why Native Americans love their freedom of land and nature, but also why this freedom should not be oppressed and why Native Americans should not be forced from their homelands. Charlot also supports this: "We cherished him--yes, befriended him, and showed [him] the fords and defiles of our lands" (280). Native Americans, according to Charlot, were willing to compromise with the white man and share their land as long as they could maintain their freedom and land. Eastman also supported Charlot’s compromise. In his work “From the Deep Woods” (633), he says, “There is only one thing for us to do and be just to both sides. We must use every means for peaceful settlement in this difficulty” (639). Whites, in ignorant belief that Native Americans had no freedoms, savagely invaded Indian settlements and camps, as Eastman continues, “Troops opened fire form all sides, killing not only unarmed men, women, and children, but their own comrades who stood opposite them, for the camp was entirely surrounded” (644). Here, freedom is atrociously stripped with the repression of the Native Americans. Although freedom has different individual meanings for each of the African-American writers we have studied, they all translate freedom into the achievement of equality, esteem, and full rights and emancipation equivalent to those of whites. Booker T. Washington vividly illustrates the sacredness of his freedom as he recalls his own

Night: Is his faith gone?

2002-10-24T14:00:00-04:00

“Why do I pray? Why do I go to Church? Why do I live?” Have you ever asked yourself these questions, and then thought that it is wrong to ask? Well, it certainly is not wrong at all to want to know the reasons why you do these things. Questioning is essential to the idea of faith in God. This can be proven in the captivating book Night by Elie Wiesel. In the book, Eliezer’s belligerency with faith is a prominent conflict. In the beginning, his faith was a product of his studies of Jewish mysticism. These studies say that nothing exists without God, that God is everywhere. Eliezer has grown up believing that everything on Earth is a reflection of God’s holiness and power. As he goes through the horrors of the Holocaust, his faith is deeply shaken. As the days go by in the concentration camps, Eliezer sees more and more cruelty and selfishness among his fellow Jewish prisoners. He can not comprehend how such disgusting and cruel savageness can reflect God’s divinity. He wonders how a benevolent God could allow such depravity, and how God could be part of it. Eliezer sees the horrible selfishness that takes place among every one involved with the Holocaust, not just the Nazis, but the prisoners and himself as well. If the world is so malignant and vile, then God must be malignant and vile, or he must not exist at all. Although this “reality check” seems to completely deteriorate Eliezer’s faith in God, it is inaccurate to say that he has lost all faith. For example, on the first night at the concentration camps, when the hanging of the pipel took place, Eliezer showed that his faith was still there. A man in the crowd had asked where God was at that moment. A voice inside Eliezer answered, “Where is He? Here He is-He is hanging here on this gallows….” His struggle with faith is fundamental, not opposed, to his belief in God. When Moshe the Beadle was asked why he prays, he answered, “I pray to the God within me that He will give me the strength to ask Him the right questions.” There is where Elie Wiesel proves the statement that questioning is essential to the idea of faith in God. The Holocaust drives Eliezer to ask horrible questions, but the very fact that he is questioning shows his commitment

Great Gatsby & Death of a Salesman: Comparison

2002-10-19T14:00:00-04:00

There are two versions of the American Dream. The historical dream is the promise of a land of freedom with opportunity and equality for all. However since 1900, the American Dream has come to mean a dream of financial success.(1) With material success, it is expected that happiness of every kind will follow. America is seen as the “land of opportunity”. Ultimately both Fitzgerald and Miller see the American Dream as a failure. For Jay Gatsby, obtaining the material dream is a means to personal fulfilment, but for Willy Loman this concept is reversed: personal fulfilment is a means to obtaining the material dream. Miller presents a confused dream through Willy Loman who cannot separate the issues of wealth and being “well liked”: “Be liked and you will never want” Here, Miller is illustrating the myth that in order to be professionally and financially successful, to be popular is essential. Willy immerses himself in a past where commerce and emotion were linked. In this way, Miller is presenting the American Dream as a concept unable to change with time. Miller presents a dream that is carried by America’s individuals who will not allow contemporary society to kill it off, as shown in Happy’s vow to continue Willy’s dream after his death. In both texts the Dream is presented as an all-consuming force. I think that the “pulpless halves” of the oranges and lemons left after Gatsby’s parties represent how Fitzgerald feels about how twenties society treated it’s dreamers. Gatsby was used in life, but forgotton in death when the party was over. I think he views the party guests as the “pulpless halves” who consume all that they are given without a thought about who gave it to them. Miller also presents this idea of the American Dream as consuming: “You can’t eat the orange and throw the peel away- a man is not a piece of fruit!” Willy feels his sales company has used him. The pursuit of the dream is presented as selfish as it leads people to use others.. The writers present the unrestrained desire for money and pleasure as leading to corrupt methods of achieving the Dream. There was a great belief that money was the route to happiness. The Dream consumed people to the extent that they cheated in order to obtain it. For example, Gatsby bootlegs in an era of prohibition in the belief that acquiring wealth will attract

Taming of the Shrew

2002-10-19T14:00:00-04:00

“The Taming of the Shrew” may not immediately be described as a violent play. However if we look closer we can see that Shakespeare uses violence throughout the play, which can sometimes go unnoticed due to its subtlety. He uses physical, emotional, verbal and psychological forms of violence skilfully depending on the desired effect. Violence is important to the characterisation, plot and humour of the play. The fundamental storyline of the play is violent, enforced by Petruchio’s character. Out- Shrewing Katherina is part of Petruchio’s taming plan, but the violence that he uses to ensure this is already there in his character, not just formulated for Katherina’s taming. We see Petruchio’s potential for violence early on in the play when Petruchio “wrings him (Grumio) by the ears” for no other reason than his misunderstanding of the context of the word “knock”. This behaviour seems rather extremist, considering the nature of Grumio’s fault. From the outset we are presented with the aggressive nature of Petruchio’s character. This shows that Shakespeare wanted the audience to see this as a very important part of Petruchio’s character. The incident is also very visually humorous due to its slapstick. We see a master and servant relationship, later to be mimicked with Katherina. Petruchio has a need to be dominant. The same can be said of Katherina, that violence is a natural part of her character. Katherina is willing to use violence, as in act 2, scene 1, where Bianca enters “with her hands tied”. Katherina’s overriding jealousy has led her to behave in this manner towards her sister. Shakespeare uses violence here to increase our curiosity, and therefore our interest in the subplot, over which of her suitors Bianca likes the best. Katherina takes this action, as she likes the fact that she already has control over Bianca, who cannot marry until she does. This incident just increases Katherina’s control. Katherina hits Bianca after she says: “Is it for him that you envy me so?” This suggests to me that Bianca’s words have angered Katherina, probably because of their truth. It is clear that Katherina is jealous of Bianca and this incident shows Katherina’s desire to be married herself. The difference between how Katherina needs to feel control over Bianca and her submission to Petruchio is that she knows Bianca won’t fight back if she ever wants to be married. The general attitude that the play presents is

Quote, "Darkness is unleashed at diffrent times"

2002-10-19T14:00:00-04:00

An unknown poet, once said “We all have darkness inside of us that is unleashed at different times,” which is a quote about life. In the novel A Separate Peace by Robert Knowles, darkness came out in jealousy and anger. Brinker, Gene, and Quakenbush, all have darkness’s that is expressed in the novel. Brinker is a popular politician at Devon and is jealous of the friendship between Finny and Gene. He asks many questions and makes assumptions about Finney’s fall to hurt Gene. Brinker kept asking Gene if he picked Finny as a roommate because “he wouldn’t be back this fall, so [Gene] would get the room for [himself]…. it was fixed,” he declared. (P.79-80) These insults and theories hurt Gene and made him ask himself about the tragedy. Brinker was not only jealous of Gene’s friendship but also that he had a room for himself. When Finny comes back to Devon, Brinker revives his darkness. When Genes and Finny relationship gets better then ever, Brinker holds a trail. The trail is held due to Brinkers beliefs of how “Gene purposely pushed Finny out of the tree” and ruined his athletic life.” (P.) In the novel, Brinkers jealously allows his destitution to divulge. Gene also liberates his darkness in A Separate Peace. He thought Finny was trying to ruin him, by distracting him from his studies. “Finny had deliberately set out to wreck [his] studies” which explained Blitzball and the nightly meeting of Super Suicide Society. (P.45) Gene states many times that he tries to be better then Finny. This is factual because his resentment starts to illustrate through his other emotions. At Devon, Gene was just a admirer and follower of Finny, the enormous athlete. Finally, at worst, Gene unleashes his darkness causing Finny to fall from the tree. His jealousy and anger build up inside of him until he can no longer seize it. Gene took a step forward “bent [his] knees and jounced the limb” which Finny was standing on. When Finny falls. Gene jumps from refinement to evil. Genes vice was triggered when he becomes jealous of Finny, the almost perfect athlete. He then makes up lies trying to convince himself that Finny is wrong until he emotionally breaks down, causing himself to inform Finny the truth of the tree incident. Quakenbush is head of the crew team at Devon who is always teased and harassed by

A Hanging - Tone Thru Literary Devices

2002-10-18T14:00:00-04:00

An Examination of Tone in Orwell's "A Hanging"

A dead man, hanging by his neck from a rope: such is the scene for George Orwell’s essay, “A Hanging.” In the essay, Orwell relates the tale of witnessing, first-hand, the execution-by-hanging of a Hindu inmate in a Burma prison. Throughout the essay, Orwell utilizes literary devices such as understatement, irony and epiphany to create an overall detached and condemning tone, for the purpose of pointing out the inherent wrongness in the taking of another’s life. In “A Hanging,” Orwell’s understatements are used such a solemn and unfeeling way, that it is almost comical. He does this in order to confront the reader and force the reader to feel emotion. The narrator starts by coldly describing everything in detail in an unfeeling manner. He continues by emphasizing trivial details over the eminent execution of the Hindu man. This is shown in the head jailer’s emphasis on finishing the execution so that the other prisoners can eat. Orwell wants to make the reader realize the lack of humanity needed by the jailer in order for him to daily go through the procedure of a hanging. Next, he describes – in excruciatingly emotionless detail – the death-scene of the Hindu; describing the clanking noise of the mechanism, the twisting of the rope, and the dead, dangling body. Afterwards, the superintendent approaches the deceased prisoner. And, when confronted with the sudden loss of a living, breathing human being, his only response is, “He’s all right.” (40) Orwell attempts here, to show the de-humanizing that occurs when one regularly takes part in the death of another person. This forces the reader to come to grips with the inhumanity of taking another’s life. Irony is also an important aspect of Orwell’s essay. Used in much the same fashion, the cold and unfeeling irony is further used as an indictment of execution. The most obvious source of irony in this essay occurs right before the death of the prisoner. At this point, the narrator has come to the conclusion that it is ultimately wrong to take someone else’s life. The very next thought that comes into his head is that he wishes they would hurry up and kill the prisoner already. The irony in this is that the narrator does not want harm to come to the Hindu, but knows there is nothing he can do to stop it, and thus,

Hawethorne's Scarlet Letter: Character Analysis - Chillingworth

2002-10-18T14:00:00-04:00

Chillingworth: A Symbol of Evil

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses many literary tools to accomplish the points he’s trying to make. Among these is his use of symbolism. He uses allegorical images as well as rich and figurative language to convey his messages about sin and the nature of the human self. For example, Dimmesdale represents the power of guily; Pearl, truth. One of the most efficient characters to carry his message is Roger Chillingworth. Roger Chillingworth symbolizes the self-destructive power of revenge, as well as (in his aspect as the epitome of Puritan society) the innate evil found in every person. To accomplish this, Hawthorne emphasizes the deformity of Chillingworth’s body, as well as also incorporating deformities in his mind and soul. The most obvious of Chillingworth’s deformities is the one that consumes his physical self. This is noted when Chillingworth is first introduced. While Hester is standing on the scaffold, the narrator describes her first impression of Roger Chillingworth: He was small in stature, with a furrowed visage which, as yet, could hardly be termed aged. There was a remarkable intelligence in his features, as of a person who had so cultivated his mental part that it could not fail to mould the physical to itself, and become manifest by unmistakable tokens. Although, by a seemingly careless arrangement of his heterogeneous grab, he had endeavored to conceal or abate the peculiarity, it was sufficiently evident to Hester Prynne that one of this man’s shoulders rose higher than the other. Again, at first instant of perceiving that thin visage, and the slight deformity of the figure, she pressed her infant to her bosom with so convulsive a force that the poor babe uttered another cry of pain. But the mother did not seem to hear it (Hawthorne 56). Here, Chillingworth is presented as an unimposing, if not ugly, man. He is “thin,” “small,” and possessed of an odd “peculiarity.” This physical mutation seems to single him out from society, though he tries with his mixed and “heterogeneous” clothes to conceal it. This deformity must be one of the “unmistakable tokens,” or signs, that have been left on Chillingworth because of his cultivation of the mind; something that makes him different from those around him. This “slight deformity” is described as one of Chillingworth’s “shoulders rose higher than the other.” It seems that the physical off-balance can be seen

The Guest - Techniques

2002-10-16T14:00:00-04:00

Imagine a world where people were free of consequence and could make their own choices without worry of backlash from society and other future implications. Would people make the right decisions? If they didn't, could they live with themselves for not doing so? These questions and more are answered in the story "The Guest" by Albert Camus. This story focuses on Daru, a teacher in the French Colony of Algeria. Daru's friend, a gendarme, asks him to take an Arabic prisoner to the police authorities in a nearby town. Daru is now faced with a difficult choice, whether to bow down to the detested colonial authorities, or to allow the prisoner to decide his own destiny. Daru allows the prisoner to decide whether to go to the authorities, or to go to a tribe that will take him in, he decides to go to the authorities, perhaps feeling undeserved of the freedom bestowed up him. One of the most important and essential components of this story was the setting. Albert Camus created an intimate, captivating setting for this story. The story took place mainly on a remote, bearin, snowy Algerian plateau. The author continually tells us how rugged and bearin the landscape is, and how harsh the climate is, often by using vivid imagery and connotations. This setting is meant to show how unimportant the world is, and is very successful in illustrating that. It was said of the setting that "bare rock covered three quarters of the region. Towns sprang up, flourished, then disappeared; men came by, loved one another or fought bitterly, then died. No one in this dessert, neither he, nor his guest mattered" (78). This is conveyed as a very existential setting, the reader gets the sense that nothing matters here, there are no consequences for the few residents of this vast, lonely land. The development of characters in this story was done exceptionally well. By using the limited omniscient point of view, and concentrating on the thoughts and feelings of Daru, the reader was able to better understand how he felt about the situation he was put in and why he chose the way he did. Why did Daru want the prisoner to escape? Why did he decide to let the prisoner choose his own fate? It would have been much more difficult to answer these questions and account for Daru's kindness towards the prisoner if this story

All Quiet On the Western Front (Reaction Essay)

2002-10-16T14:00:00-04:00

Everyday Life of a Typical Soldier in World War I as Portrayed in “All Quiet on the Western Front”

“All Quiet on the Western Front” is an anti war movie, written by Erich Maria Remarque, a German soldier who fought in World War I. In 1914 when the Great War started in Europe, people rejoiced with pride and honor for their respective countries, but they didn’t know how harsh a war is for a typical soldier. The war was to be fought for pride, but it turned out to be devastating and harsh for an ordinary soldier. *thesis* World War I was influential to a typical soldier as it brought, tougher situations in the trenches, different feelings for other soldiers, and harsh environmental experiences. *thesis* At the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to a group of young boys, who will set an example of how they are influenced by the war. Every young boy is taught to fight against the enemy and make their country proud. These lessons are given almost everyday by their teachers and elders, who have never experienced a war in their lives. The young boys have various aims in their life and think that war is useless and waste of time. Although these boys have different ambitions, they are forced to join the army to serve their country and make their elders feel proud. Then these boys are shifted to the training camp. Training is described to be very harsh and difficult for these inexperienced young boys and teachers give harsh punishments for little mistakes. This training is not the actual preparation for the war, because the people who are giving the training have never experienced a war at front. The tutors are seen as strict, cruel and strong, although some of them are really scared of war. The training has to be given very quickly because there are more people waiting to be trained. Every soldier has to go through this harsh training and make himself tougher for the war. After the training is finished these boys are moved to the front to help other soldiers in fighting the war. When it is time to leave, these boys realize that war is not a game; it is real life with real people. They see millions of people coming back from the front. Some are injured and some are dead, which gives them the idea of how destructive

Abuse of young minds - Character Sketch: Anchie Min

2002-10-16T14:00:00-04:00

During Chinese Cultural Revolution the situation that some people of China were facing, was not very usual. One of them was a young girl that I am going to introduce, is the main character of the story Red Azalea written by Anchie Min. The main character was Anchie Min and she had a very interesting history taken place during this time. Anchie Min’s appearance was not described in the story but we can conclude that she was serious usually. She was kind, sympathetic, educable, and had a mind that can be taught anything very easily. Her personality was impressing and that is why she was chosen as the leader of the class. She accomplished many things in her life. Anchie Min was the leader in her class and was also the chosen for a special speech that will take place in front of more than two thousand people, which is a great achievement. She was awarded several times and was honored from time to time in various areas. Junior students also used to admire her as the leading senior of their school. Maybe one of the things that she should have accomplished earlier was the meaning of “betrayal” and “punishment”. Although she accomplished her lesson but it was pretty late to be used. Many kinds of quotes were found in this story concerning Anchie Min. One of them was in her teacher’s diary, which states “Anhie Min was one of very few children who were educable”. This quote represents the ability of learning things very quickly. Another quote was by Anchie Min herself states “There was no way I could picture Autumn Leaves as an American spy”. This means she couldn’t believe that her teacher was considered as an American spy, the teacher who taught her how to express herself properly in front of people, the teacher who opened her mind in difficult mathematical problems. This last quote was at the very end of the story; it sates “I must fight against anyone who dared to oppose Mao’s teachings”. This was reminded her as a duty to be done with. It signifies that she would go against anyone who is against Mao without any particular reason. In the story other people thought of Anchie Min as an educable student that can be taught anything to obey whether it’s correct or incorrect. One of the advice that I would like to give to

To Room 19 - From Pain to Freedom: The Use of Setting in "To Room 19"

2002-10-15T14:00:00-04:00

Susan Rawling, the main character in Doris Lessing’s short story “To Room 19”, fights against her inner emptiness and the roles she is supposed to play as a mother, a wife, and a house manager. This painful battle leads her to an utterly denying attitude towards her “intelligent” marriage and domestic life. In order to express this psychological process, Lessing progressively describes the different views the character has of her surroundings - such as the starkness of her white house, the big and “wild” garden, and finally “Room 19” to demonstrate how these settings influence her troublesome emotional status. At the onset of the story, Susan Rawling lives in a large, white, and gardened house. Although one may possibly infer her husband and she lead a wealthy life and that their house is likely to be comfortable, scarcely can the reader find any detailed description of both the house and the furniture this house is bound to have inside. Along the story, many are the passages where the reader can clearly perceive that this is an intelligently organized structure managed mainly by her. Everything is perfect, “[t]hey had everything they had wanted and had planned for. And yet...” (p. 666). At a certain moment, Susan realizes that there is something wrong with her life. Despite the fact that apparently she leads a flawless life, “... why did Susan feel as if life had become a desert, and that nothing mattered, and that her children were not her own” (p. 668). Susan tries to draw herself back from this structure when she perceives she does not totally belong to that place, since there she is not really herself, but the mother, the wife and the house manager, in other words, Mrs. Rawling. Inside the house, Susan has to perform her domestic roles, not being able to see her own essence, “as if she were in abeyance, as if she were in cold storage” (p. 669). She hopes once all her children are at school, she will have enough spare time for herself and hence will be able to reencounter her essence. Nevertheless, this yearning gives rise to more inner conflicts due to her fear of encountering the real Susan, who might not match the white house. As an attempt not to be repressed by it, but also conflicted, she takes action to move herself to the big garden. There as Susan

The Contrasting Personalities of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn

2002-10-12T14:00:00-04:00

Samuel Clemens begins his great American novel by stating “You don’t know about me, without you have read a book by the name of ‘Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, but that ain’t no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly”. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer are two friends growing up in the Mississippi Valley around 1835 to 1845- well before the Civil War. The two friends have very different personalities, each bringing their own unique characteristics into this exciting and ironical story. Tom and Huck are both adventurous and energetic young boys but in very different ways. Huck’s idea of adventure is to escape from society, its beliefs and all of its restraining and contradicting conformities, but he does it in a way that is both level-headed and sensible. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer are both compulsive liars. This is continuously seen throughout the book as Huck makes up all kinds of wild tales pertaining to who he is and where he has come from, when questioned by the people he meets. With Mrs. Judith Loftus (who was going to try and catch Jim for the reward money), he had dressed up as girl by the name of Sarah Mary Williams, a young lass who had walked seven miles from her town. After being caught in his lie, he covered it up with another and became George Peters, an apprentice from the country. When caught sneaking on a boat full of raftsmen, he became Alec James Hopkins, a boy from a trading scow. His lies however, did occasionally catch up with him. In one instance while staying with the Grangerford family, Huck recalls “ When I waked up in the morning, drat it all, I had forgot what my name was”, being resourceful, he bet his new roommate Buck that he couldn’t spell his name. After Buck spelled out G-o-r-g-e-J-a-c-k-s-o-n for him, Huck tells his readers “I set it down, private, because somebody might want me to spell it, next, and so I wanted to be handy with it and rattle it off like I was used to it.” Huck Finn lies for survival of himself and others. He shows he has compassion for his nigger companion several times by using his skills and deceit to keep them both safe. Tom Sawyer, on the other hand, is more likely to make up an adventure based

Hobbit Thesis on Different Mind Sets

2002-10-08T14:00:00-04:00

~Different mind sets, types of people, and coloring all symbolize and have great influence on folklore of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Folklore are tales that are carried on and passed down throughout the generations of many civilizations. (Landrum). Many things contribute to the art of creating these stories, but human beings are dealt two of the greatest tools for this: an imagination and the need to teach vital life lessons. Different mind sets, types of people, and coloring all symbolize and have great influence on folklore. In J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Bilbo is content in his hobbit-hole. Took, Bilbo’s mother’s maiden name, is a name that contains a great sense of adventure and holds courage close to the heart, whereas his name of Baggins shows no desire for adventure. This proposes serious conflict between his two inner sides of Baggins and Took. Bilbo shows heavy provincialism towards new situations before leaving on his adventure. (Harding). Throughout the making and acceptance of folklore, two types of mind sets are needed. Human beings have been given a bicameral and a unicameral mind. The bicameral mind is used to invent life-sustaining tools such as language, numbers and the wheel. Bilbo has to make use of his bicameral mind that J.R.R. Tolkien has bestowed upon his character to help him survive this quest. His bicameral mind allows him to be able to to trick Gallum and the dragon, Smaug. Just like in that of Jack and the Beanstalk, when Jack tricks the harp into coming with him before she has the chance to realize what has just occurred. (Eliot). J.R.R. Tolkien uses the unicameral mind to help Bilbo make important decisions. The unicameral mind is one that portrays consciousness. Bilbo goes through many changes while he is on this adventure. Each change that occurs greatly affects Bilbo. He transforms from his father’s Baggins characteristics to his mother’s Took characteristics very swiftly. (Neves). His bicameral mind gives him the gift of quick wit, which allows him life-saving trickery, whereas his unicameral mind gives him the upper hand on facing challenges that aid him in finding his true person. (Burns). Many different types of people are portrayed in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. A folktale concerns people - either royalty or common folk - or animals who act or speak like people. Bilbo acts more like a person than any other character in this story, which is clearly displayed

Kingdom of athias

2002-10-07T14:00:00-04:00

Johnson and Welentz’s Kingdom of Mathias is a twist on history that I have never seen before. It starts in the early 1800’s with people working in cities, growing up on farms or immigrating from other countries (which are not unlike any other history books I have read) then progresses into a downward spiral of religion, cult fixations and new ways of life. Robert Mathew (Mathias) formed a religious cult that caused mass hysteria. He reformed the normal value systems, ideas about god and men and women’s place in society. Robert Mathews started a religious cult called the Kingdom where he preached in raging fury that he was the God Almighty’s prophet. He relocated from place to place recruiting members to his new society. He preached, “ours is the mustard-seed kingdom which is to spread all over the earth…,” and “they who teach women are of the wicked.”(p93) After many years passed he settled at a place he called Mount Zion in upstate NY, where a select group of his followers lived with him. In the process of relocating he taught his followers a system of principles and rules. He was the only one to preach and should not be question about his gospel. At his home supper was an important sacrament and the meats they ate should be boiled not roasted. He was served his own dishes and he said quote “ all were branded ‘Judases’ who dipped their hands in the same dish with him.” (p111) Before they ate he gave outlandish emotionally charged sermons, which became a nightly ritual. He was to wear very extravagant garments and his followers were to dress nice and look clean at all times. His ideas on god were just as outrageous. He claimed “god don’t speak through preachers, he speaks through me, his prophet.” (p112). At Mount Zion his new followers kept old traditions, which included praying on their knees and going to church. After a few weeks of residence their tradition was quickly banned. He would warn his followers that he gave them a part of his spirit and he would know exactly what they did. Even though he was God’s prophet he could still succumb to the seductive ways of the woman. Benjamin Folger, one of his followers that lived at Mount Zion, had a wife named Ann. Ann became increasingly infatuated with Mathias. She would ask his servant to explain the Prophet’s

A Christmas Carol

2002-10-05T14:00:00-04:00

“Humbug!” was Scrooge’s favorite answer to any question and any question was an inappropriate question to the grumpy old covetous man. Depicted in the ethical story, The Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Scrooge’s fowling manner transformed his once passionate heart to a black hole, which pulled in all hope and happiness as if it were a powerful magnet. Nevertheless, the jar of hatred shattered and Scrooge’s impaired spirit rose again. Love and happiness permeated his body, and the once ignorant Scrooge developed into an irresistible congenial fellow that everyone now knew. Scrooge found that he had the ability to alter his behavior and realized that spreading Christmas was more rewarding than any given amount of money. Scrooge’s capability to transform himself from a wrenching, disgruntled man to a blithe, amicable friend was surprising to the inhabitants of the small city. For instance, Charles Dickens wrote, “Some people laughed to see the alteration in him [Scrooge], but he let them laugh, and little heeded them…” (page 112). Scrooge didn’t mind the giggles and laughs directed at him because he believed in himself for the first time in a very long time. His confined spirit was freed at last and it allotted happiness and joy around from mysterious turkeys on the doorstep to charity donations. Scrooge sought to make the people of the city cheerful and in doing so, people enjoyed watching an old jolly man hop around delivering gifts. Thus, Scrooge did not heed to the snickers in the crowd. The joy of spreading Christmas was Scrooge’s indirect gift to mankind and it rewarded him with long-lasting friends, which could never compare to any wealth. For example, Charles Dickens wrote,” He [Scrooge] became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world “ (page 112). This quote portrays that Scrooge’s contribution all year round achieved the world’s love and benevolence he longed for. In addition, Scrooge tried hard to become a role model to all; he funded charities for those in need and medical bills for Bob Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim. Therefore, Scrooge reveals his exuberant and respectful manners earning him love from humanity. Scrooge loved and hated the three ghosts he met. He was thankful for their kind thoughts to help him, but despised them for recalling memories

Of Mice and Men

2002-09-29T14:00:00-04:00

Loneliness is a state of being alone in sadness, resulting from being forsaken or abandoned. Loneliness is when a person has no one to talk to, no one to confide in, nor anyone to keep companionship with. Loneliness also makes a person slip into a desolate state, which they try to conceal under a tough image, and is an emotion even the strongest cannot avoid. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck depicts his characters as always looking for any kind of comfort in a friend; but settling for the attentive ear of a stranger. Although they seem at ease and friendly on the surface, a deep sense of loneliness lingers in the hearts of Crooks, George, Lennie and Curley's wife, to which they are desperate to find an escape from to cope with their seclusion from the rest of society. Crooks, a lively, sharp-witted, black stablebuck, who takes his name from his crooked back, lives a lonely life. He lives according to the rule that no black man is allowed to enter a white man's home. Crooks’ loneliness is a result of rejection from everyone else on the ranch. He is forced to live alone in a barn, where he lives his life in isolation because of his color. When Lennie visits him in the room, Crooks' reactions reveal the fact that he is lonely. As a black man with a physical handicap, Crooks is forced to live on the border of ranch life. He is not even allowed to enter the white men's bunkhouse, or join them in a game of cards. His resentment typically comes out through his bitter, sad, and touching vulnerability, as he tells Lennie: “‘…A guy needs somebody--to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. …I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick.’” (72-73) Crooks' openness of his inner self, and his ability to speak his heart's desire to a stranger illustrates how lonely he gets, and admits that it results in sickness. Furthermore, as bitter as he is about his exclusion from other men, Crooks is grateful for Lennie's company, and when Candy enters Crook's room, it becomes difficult for him to conceal his pleasure with anger. The only relationship he can find is with his books. When Lennie talks

Vocations - Analysis of characters

2002-09-29T14:00:00-04:00

An Analysis of Major Characters in Alma De Groen’S “Vocations”.

Alma De Groen has cleverly chosen the title of her play Vocations, as it has two different meanings in this instance: it refers to a person’s profession or occupation and it also refers to the characters’ need to respond to his/her calling or natural talent in life. This latter interpretation of the word lends itself more fully to the reader’s understanding as one progresses through the play. One discovers quickly that artistic ability and strength of character are possessions of all the characters in the play by pursuing their chosen vocations, yet none of them are without their flaws. Vicki’s vocation is to become an actress. An obstacle that she encounters comes in the form of Ross, a zoologist in his late twenties. She has a flat, which she decides to share with Ross and this leads to eventual misunderstanding and confrontation between the two as Ross seeks to form some sort of bond with the more standoffish Vicki. This situation is made even more awkward with the revelation that Vicki is carrying Ross’s child later on in the play. Vicki believes in herself as an aspiring career woman and may be seen as fairly selfish by some due to her sometimes steadfast devotion in following her chosen career path, at all costs: Ross: “That’s a human life you’re disposing of.” Joy: “It’s her life too.” Vicki: “And I’m not having my life pushed out of shape like that.” The physical union that results in the birth of the child would not appear to be one born of love, or at least Ross’s definition of the term and he is mislead into believing that the baby might in fact bring them closer together when Vicki states early on in the play: Vicki: “I’m not trying to get rid of you! I feel as if emotionally I might love you, but my head hasn’t caught up yet. I don’t know you.” Vicki deals with this major obstacle by at first trying to deny her maternal instincts for the baby Laura and reaffirming her position in not wanting to pursue anything even remotely romantic with Ross. She decides to try to carry on with her life and her plans to move (in order to act), but soon realizes that the child’s needs must come first. Vicki: “Oh God, if I leave I’m going to spend the rest

Raisin in the Sun - Dreams Deferred

2002-09-24T14:00:00-04:00

What happens to a dream when it suspends in time? Does it stay suspended within a man through his lifetime, dormant, unreachable, and far away? Does its power grow and ultimately force him to act to make it happen sometime in the future—if not in his lifetime then in the future members of his kin? On the other hand, does it eat away at him, crystallizing and internally segmenting his own derived purpose and meaning of life until it is indiscernible from its original state of grandeur and grace? Those are some of the questions that Lorraine Hansberry poses for consideration in her play, A Raisin in the Sun. It is no accident that she chose Langston Hughes’ poem as a gateway into the incredible experience of true life, living, dreaming and working for a better tomorrow as enacted and emoted by her play’s characters, the Youngers. More specifically, she uses Mama Younger to echo the poem’s style of thought-provocation to at least partially surmise an answer of whether dreams deferred do, in fact, dry up, crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet, or sag like a heavy load. Langston Hughes’ poem begins with a deceptively innocent question: “What happens to a dream deferred?” (Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun 1). From the opening line, the reader is left to contemplate an infinite number of possible outcomes, among them if it partially dies, if it continues to live into the next generation, if it matters what kind of dream it is, and many others. And then, suddenly, he adds to it to further focus the question and thusly to compound and raise its complexity. He asks, “Does it dry up / Like a raisin in the sun?” (Hansberry 2-3). Now, whereas the reader could initially answer the first question in whichever way he wished, he now finds himself confined and struggling to formulate an answer and justifications to a closed-ended question. And, in dealing with Mama Younger, he is, at minimum, left at level ground. It is because, on the one hand, her dream when she first moved into that place in Chicago’s Southside to buy a house, fix it up, and make herself a little garden in the backyard didn’t happen (Hansberry 45). Or, as she says, “didn’t none of it happen” (Hansberry 45). She became too busy and occupied rearing her then-young family. For her, the initial

The White Quail and The Murder - Love and Isolation

2002-09-24T14:00:00-04:00

Love and Isolation in John Steinbeck’s “The White Quail” and “The Murder”

John Steinbeck is a prolific author. In his writings, he explores the intricacies and enigmas of the human spirit and condition. In the short stories collected in his book, The Long Valley, he poignantly captures the very essence of those not-so-perfect relationships in which many people may relate. Through the theme of love and isolation in his stories “The White Quail,” and “The Murder,” he paints a vivid portrait of what it is like to be part of a lose-win union where one contributes his best and the other takes without positively reciprocating. To start, consider Steinbeck’s use of love to expatiate on the neuroticism of the respective relationships of “The White Quail’s” Harry and Mary Teller and “The Murder’s” Jim and Jelka Moore. In the former of the stories, such phrases as, “She didn’t think so much, ‘Would this man like such a garden?’ but, ‘Would the garden like such a man?’” and “He wanted to kiss her over and over, and she let him,” act as clear indicators that something in the relationship is quite awry (14-15). For how can one be more concerned about a garden “liking” a person than that person liking that garden? It is true that a garden may symbolize a part of one’s character and life, but should it be a great factor in the determination of the existence of a positively meaningful relationship? Sure, one would like a potential mate to like that which one works hard to maintain (in this case, Mary’s garden), but should one go as far as attributing a kind of human ability of “liking” to plants and making it the deciding factor? More greatly, should one really care whether the other person likes such a thing? It appears that in true, honest and loving relationships that one need not be concerned over such trivialities because if the other person truly loved and cared, then that person would come to love all (including the garden) of the other, without reserve or judgement. Moreover, in regards to “letting” one kiss another, the usage only more greatly exposes the twisted thinking (in this case, Mary’s) present in the construction of the sentence. For one would think that if one loved another, kissing would be mutual and equal, not based on permittance or sanctioning, as connoted by Steinbeck’s ingenious use of

Everyday Use - The Great Divide Between Wangero and Maggie

2002-09-24T14:00:00-04:00

Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” If that is the case, then Maggie wins hands down over her older sister, Dee, whom, from what seems the beginning, has been her family’s ultimate representation of the externally cosmopolitan, debased, and contemporarily delusional woman “getting-in-touch-with-her-inner-self-through-learning-about-her-heritage-in-a-white-and-‘americanized’-educational-institution.” And, whereas Maggie is the soft, gentle, and truly “educated” woman of their ancestors as shown through Alice Walker’s quilt motif utilized in her story, “Everyday Use.” First, consider Dee, also known as “Wangero,” as she likes to call herself because she says she can no longer bear being named (and called) after the people who oppress her (Walker 29). This woman, the very same person that was borne of the same mother as Maggie, has a totally different outlook of and approach to life than her counterpart. As mama describes it, she is the type of person that “wanted nice things” and one whom, from sixteen, “had a style of her own: and knew what style was” (26). Additionally, that she is a woman of “flair,” “brightness,” and “intense colorfulness of style which veritably blocks the sun,” as Houston A. Baker and Charlotte Pierce-Baker speak of in their critical essay on Alice Walker’s use of the quilt in “Everyday Use” (“Patches: Quilts and Community”159). Her outlook seems to be for great aesthetics and grandeur provided by and through her artificial (non-functional) definition of art and heritage illustrated, for example, in her want to use the churn top whittled by her Uncle Buddy as a centerpiece for her alcove instead of as an actual churn top, and, her mother’s quilt to be hung rather than used (Walker 31; 33). In her obvious misunderstanding of the term “heritage,” she defines it as objects (the bench, quilt, etc.) rather than the people who preserve its traditions through participation in them—people, like her sister, who has learned to quilt (Walker 33-34). She stands as the great opposite of Maggie. Ever since the house that her sister hated burned down and she got partially burned by the fire, Maggie’s character, physical and mental difference, as well as ability, from her sister, Dee, has gotten more defined (Walker 25). As time from there passed and they grew into women, she got the darker skin color, the shallower figure, the uglier hair, the burn scars, and the academically ill-educated mind (Walker 25-26). And, at the same time, she also got the

Humanity In Victor Frankenstein’s Monster

2002-09-24T14:00:00-04:00

What happens to a person when he is borne unto a world, is taught its culture, values and norms, and then through a series of experiences, realizes that despite the presence of others, that he is totally unlike them and that he is truly externally and internally alone? In many respects, Mary Shelly’s monster in her short story, “Frankenstein,” addresses this. In birth, the creature is described near the beginning of chapter four of the first volume as one whose “yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath,” of one whose “hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing,” of one who had “teeth of a pearly whiteness and watery eyes that “seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set” (935). In this section, the creature is described and referred to as a man. By looking beyond the obvious difference from one actualized from Christianity’s God, a being not of human origin, one does see him as such. However, merely an image of one does not constitute his humanity, at least in most peoples’ view. His external image becomes, as Cynthia Hamberg states in her web page on her description of him, as “the cause of all his problems” because “[p]eople are frightened when they see him, which keeps […] him from making contact with them” (“My Hideous Progeny: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein – Character Descriptions”). And so, as he is brought into the world of the living, he already is externally differentiated and is set up to be ostracized and be set at the margins because of his physical difference. With relation to “true” human beings, one only needs to look to oneself and recall those moments of loneliness when one felt estranged because of lack of physical relation with others, whether with others of one’s sex, body type, skin color, or other physical feature, to get an inkling of the creature’s forthcoming feelings and emotions. And if not with one self, then to those many people with physical “ambiguities” and disabilities who feel betrayed, shunned and criticized for not being like the norm. This disdainful dejection that Frankenstein’s monster feels consequential to his general public’s (his creator, the De Lacey’s, Clerval, and others he encounters) refusal to accept him because of his appearance (because of fear) and often times also because of their association of him with the

Friendship in Of Mice and Men

2002-09-22T14:00:00-04:00

What is friendship? Friendship is having someone who you care for and have fun with. A friend will always help you both physically and mentally. The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck exhibits many forms of friendship. Lennie, George, Candy, and Slim show the most friendship in this novel, benefit from each other's companionship and help each other in the harder times of their life. George's friendship is probably the most prevalent in the novel, directed at most of the characters on the ranch and mostly at Lennie. George always helps Lennie out in all situations, in health, safety, and mental stability. For example, when George and Lennie were walking to the ranch, Lennie stops at a dirty pond and drinks the water. “Lennie!” He said sharply. “Lennie, for gods sakes don’t drink so much”…”Lennie you gonna be sick like you was last night(3).” This quote shows that George cares for the well being of Lennie and doesn’t want Lennie to get sick and maybe become bedridden and die. He wants Lennie to be his friend and does not want to lose him. George told Slim about an incident where he almost lost Lennie because of his stubbornness, and was very regretful. He was in the bunk and was telling Slim about how he used to play tricks on George. “I used to have a hell of a lot of fun with ‘im. Used to play jokes on ‘im ‘cause he was too dumb to know.”…”Tell you what made me stop that. One day a bunch of guys was standin’ around up on the Sacremento River. I Was feelin’ pretty smart. I turns to Lennie and says ‘Jump in.’ An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get to him. An’ he was so damn nice to me for pullin’ him out. Clean forgot I told him to jump in. Well, I ain’t done nothing like that no more (44)”. This incident made George more aware that he was more in control of Lennie then Lennie was of himself. He doesn’t do anything like that to Lennie anymore because he’s afraid that the next time Lennie will get hurt not only physically, but mentally as well. George always tries to make Lennie happy because he doesn’t want Lennie to leave him. For instance, George promised earlier that he would give Lennie a puppy.

How language contributes to theme

2002-09-18T14:00:00-04:00

Harper Lee uses a variety of language styles to establish the distinct characteristics of the characters she creates. The many forms of diction and dialect used throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird help accentuate the realism of the characters to the reader. The story takes place in a small town in Maycomb county, Alabama, so it’s not surprising that siblings, Scout and Jem, and their friend Dill all talk with a southern accent. In a conversation between the three of them in Chapter 1, the southern dialect is quite evident. Jem, who is meeting Dill for the first time says, “Shoot, no wonder, then. Scout yonder’s been readin’ ever since she was born, and she ain’t even started to school yet. You look right puny for goin’ on seven.” The use of the words ain’t, and yonder give the reader a more realistic feeling of being in the south. If the characters spoke with proper English, the reader would have a hard time believing that these children live in a small southern town. Without even being told that the story takes place in the south, the reader can figure it out just by the dialect alone. In the same conversation, Jem makes fun of Dill’s name. Dill then replies, “ ‘s not any funnier’n yours.” When the text is read, the improper contractions help the reader hear the character’s voice. The written-out southern dialect helps the reader to not only read the dialogue, but also speak it as if it were the character. In doing so, the character comes alive through the words, and the reader can sense that. The author also uses diction throughout the story. The different vocabularies each of the characters have can tell the reader many things about that person. For instance, in chapter 3, Burris Ewell yells to the teacher, “Ain’t no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c’n make me do nothin’! You ain’t makin’ me go nowhere missus. You just remember that, you ain’t makin’ me go nowhere!” From this quote alone, the reader might get the impression that Burris is uneducated. The use of the words slut and snot-nosed inform the reader that the character obviously doesn’t have a wonderful vocabulary. If it had been written, “no conceited and unchaste school teacher is forcing me to proceed anywhere,” the reader would’ve gotten a completely different impression of the character. Burris, in fact,

Ajax, Patroclus, Aeneas and Hector in iliad

2002-09-18T14:00:00-04:00

The Lesser Ajax :

The son of the king of Locrians “Oelius” and “Eriopis.” He was one of the heroes who fought against Troy as commander of the Locrians, bringing forty ships. A different derivation is mostly used for his name : “of the earth” from “aia” the poetic form of the word “gaia” meaning earth. Sophocles related the name to “aiazo” , “to wail”, “cry ah.” (1) When the city of Troy is about to be conquered by Acheans, the daughter of Priamos: Cassandra was sheltered in the temple of Athena. She was holding the statue of Athena tightly. The Lesser Ajax wanted to take her out and without obeying and divine rule, he got in and took her out. By the way, the statue of Athena dropped and broken. As a punishment for entering the temple in such a rude way, Achaeans begun stoning him. This time Ajax sheltered in the temple of Athena and he was saved by Athena from being killed. But the goddess who saved him did not let him go without being punished. In the journey back Acherons were caught in a great storm. Ajax’s ship sunk. Poseidon saved him but because Ajax said that he managed to stay alive despite the wrath of Athena, Poseidon broke the rock on which Ajax standing. He fall into the see again and was killed by Athena who was using Zeus’s thunderbolts. (2)

Great Ajax :

The son of Telamon of Salamis and Peribora. Traditionally his name derives from “aiteos” meaning, “eagle” from the one seen by his father when before his birth, Hercules prayed to Zeus to give his friend a brave son. He reigned over Salamis and came to Troy leading the island’s contingent of twelve ships. Next to Achilles he was the most powerful and the bravest hero in the whole army. (3) Once the city of Troy had been captured he demanded that Helen should be punished for her adultery by being put to death, but this roused the sons of Atreus to anger against him. And Odysseus secured her return to Menelaus. Then Ajax demanded the Palladium as his share of the spoils, but Odysseus, under pressure from Atrides, managed to dissension. Ajax threatened to take vengeance on Menelaus and Agamemnon. The Atrides surrounded themselves with guards and on the morning of the following day Ajax was found stabbed with his own sword. Another account of his death

The Lottery and Shirley Jackson

2002-09-18T14:00:00-04:00

Shirley Jackson’s own life has serious effects on her writings, especially on “The Lottery.” Her early life was not a peaceful one. She preferred to stay in her room and write poetry rather than go outside and play with other children. Her college life was not great either because she dropped out and was put in a mental institute. After she was released from there her married life started. Shirley married in 1940 to Stanley Edgar Hyman, a Jewish intellectual whom encouraged her rebellion. He also encouraged her to become a severe critic who smoked too much, ate too much, and used drugs. In The Lottery, a woman –Ms. Hutchinson- finally attempts to rebel against the seemingly normal stoning when she is chosen to be stoned. This may be connected to Jackson’s rebellion against her parents encouraged by her husband. The woman’s rebellion in The Lottery, ends in her death. This could be related with Jackson’s involvement with drugs, smoking, and food due to her encouraging husband. After the wedding, Shirley and her husband moved to Vermont. They had four children. In an interview with the editors of Twentieth Century Authors magazine she summarizes her life: I was born in San Francisco in 1919 and spent most of my early life in California. I was married in 1940 to Stanley Edgar Hyman, critic and numismatist, and we live in Vermont, in a quiet rural community with fine scenery and comfortably far away from city life. Our major exports are books and children, both of which we produce in abundance. The children are Laurence, Joanne, Sarah and Carry: my books include three novels, The Road Through The Wall, Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, and a collection of short stories, The Lottery. Life Among the Savages is a disrespectful memoir of my children. (1) What she thinks about Vermont and her life in Vermont could affect her writings. Especially the setting in The Lottery suits this description very well: A quite rural community, far from city life and children. While living in Vermont, Jackson continued to write. One of her earliest times in Vermont later became material for her first book about the family, Life Among the Savages. Her first novel, The Road Through the Wall, followed in 1948. But it was with the publication of The Lottery in “The New Yorker” in August that year, that she began to gain her reputation. Kyla Ward

The Perfect Storm - second source information

2002-09-18T14:00:00-04:00

Junger mentions in the foreword that he wanted to write a fictional account of the last moments of the six crew members aboard the Andrea Gail and the events leading up to it. He uses secondary sources because very few primary sources exist, as the crew of the Andrea Gail are not alive. The purpose of using the secondary source information is to effectively make the last moments of the Andrea Gail crew seem more real to the reader who is reading it. Second source information is reliant on someone else’s information or account on something. The sources of information that he has included are weather charts, radio contact/conversation, interviews, research, historical precedents, factual information, statistics, shipping logs, anecdotes and survival stories. Weather charts are a secondary source used by Junger to effectively show the highs and lows of pressure in the atmosphere. This allows the reader to follow on with the weather pattern progress throughout the text. On page 123 and 132 Junger has used weather charts to note the movement of Hurricane Grace, how strong the winds are and how much sea it is pulling. By using weather charts it makes the last moments of the Andrea Gail seem more real as it explain how powerful the winds are so the reader can imagine what it was like and compare what the Andrea Gail may have had to deal with. Junger also uses radio contact/conversation as a secondary source in this text. It is used for various reasons such as distress calls or check up’s between ships. For example on page 119 there is a radio conversation between Linda Greenlaw and Billy Tyne. They check up on each other, talk about the storm and decide to talk later about supplies. Junger has effectively used radio contact/conversation as communication between boats and also so the reader can understand the events that lead the last days of the Andrea Gail. This makes the last moments of the crew members on the Andrea Gail seem real as it portrays how carefree they were and their normal routine on board since when Billy got off the phone to Linda he appointed Murphy with his position and he had dinner downstairs. On page 134 it shows the last communication Billy Tyne had, which was with Tommy Barrie. Tommy wanted to know how much fishing gear he should bring and what the conditions were. At

Looking for Alibrandi: What are the causes of change in text?

2002-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

What are the causes of change? The causes of change are both internal and external. Internal causes of change are those that occur within a person. The person initiates the change and is in control. External causes of change involves a person’s surroundings changing. There is little control over this type of change. In the texts looking for Alibrandi by Melena Marchetta, “The Door” by Miroslav Holub, “What women Want” directed by Nancy Myers and song “father and son’ composed by Cat Stevens both internal and external causes of change can be seen. The novel looking for Alibrandi by Melena Marchetta is about Josephine Alibrandi, a Catholic girl, in her final year of High school. As the year progresses Josie alters her perspective on many issues including her culture, family, own identity , and the importance of social standing and wealth. The causes of these changes are internal, external and a combination of the two. Josie's perspective of her grandmother changes from viewing her as nagging old women to having a loving, caring, respectful relationship with her .The episodic narrative which is written in first person enables the reader to see the stages in which her perspective changes as she gains knowledge about her grandmother and also how it is her own actions that allow the change occur. Initially Josie dreads having to spend time with her grandmother, as she states “my main objective in life at the moment is to get on my grandmothers nerves.” But as the novel progresses Josie learns more about her Nonna’s life and abut her affair with Marcus Sanford she finds out that her grandmother “Hadn’t lived life the way she thought, she hadn't played by all the rules” By the end of the novel Josie is able to recognise her Nona's full worth and she cries as she realises “ I'm loved by the two strongest women I'd ever meet in a life time”. Marchetta also uses Josie to show how change can be external. John Barton’s death was a change in Josie's life that she had no control of. The journal style narrative allows the reader to see Josie's changing perspective of john as the novel progresses. Prior to johns death Josie believes John has it all as he is “School captain ... greatest debater...good looking. popular” and according to Josie he is “the love of my life”. After his death the first person narrative allows the reader to

Society holds everyone together and without these conditions, our ideals, values and the basics of r

2002-09-08T14:00:00-04:00

Our Society today is defined as an interdependent organisation in a stable community. Civility in our society is factored into law and order. Law of persons are further factored into subjective law and the rights and duties of society. We distinguish between two classes of legal persons; human beings and juristic persons entitying beings upon the law. Society functions on value and morality systems. Value systems in a legal persons capacity of society is marriage, wealth, status, work. Our value systems indicate our worth in society. Our morality is our basic right and wrong. Our morals are practiced everyday whether at home or at work. You may not be aware of it at the time but around you evaluations of your character and personality are made. Ethics are furthered factored from morality into our conscience and discretion of doing what you think is right. One should always ask oneself whether what they are doing could be performed in public. If you can answer this than you are edificate in practicing right over wrong. In relation to Sir William Golding’s novel; Lord Of The Flies, his message relayed is without enforced control ie. Society, chaos is chosen over order. He saw brutality shown to each other when society doesn’t function together coherent as a unit. The conch found on the island was their (the boys) symbol of conformity. When deciding the rules, it was evident that the conch was respected and treasured for its valuable rarity. He who held the conch had the right to speak. Jack Meridew saw no meaning in the conch in other words was the defect in Society’s thinking. He had aggressive tendencies, which resulted in a sort of devil manifesto creation. “Ill get it next time…” when he stabbed the tree shows that he was determined to kill and adamant on killing the wild boar. He would have no regrets in his actions for the manifesto of savagery in primitive practices had made him complacent in his determination. When the conch was destroyed, total pandemonium had broken loose. Ralph solely had the foresight to try to keep conformity without the aid of Piggy and his sagacity of situations. But because of a defective society savagery turned on him and he was on the run trying to survive. “Roger stood standing with a spear sharpened at both ends…” sustains a point that society had reciprocated from good to evil where that spear

Tom Buchanan: The Arrogant Rich Man

2002-09-05T14:00:00-04:00

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel about social classes in America in the 1920’s. Nick, the narrator, meets and associates with a group of upper class people: Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Jay Gatsby. Nick finds out through Jordan, whom he is dating, that Gatsby had met Daisy in the past and he is still in love with her. Nick invites Daisy and Gatsby both over to tea at his house, where they meet and fall in love. However, Tom does not accept this and he tries to convince Daisy of Gatsby’s involvement in organized crime, causing both Gatsby and especially Daisy to be very upset. Daisy thinks if she drives it will calm her down, but instead it makes everything worse. Daisy accidentally hits Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress, killing her instantly. This trouble leads to the murder of Gatsby. Throughout this novel Fitzgerald shows how the upper classes often take advantage of their money, and there are no consequences for them. The character of Tom Buchanan, a rich American man of the 1920‘s, represents the worst of his class of people. Tom is shown to be a very materialistic man. The appearance of Tom’s house is very important to him. He has a very expensive house in East Egg, which is the more luxurious of the two Eggs. His house had once belonged to an oilman and has “a sunken Italian garden, a half acre deep, pungent roses, and a snub-nosed motorboat that bumped the tide offshore” (p. 8). When Tom first meets Nick he says “’I’ve got a nice place here’” (p. 7). Tom also believes that his money can get him anything. Daisy married him because of his money. He bought her an expensive pearl necklace. The last time Nick sees him he is standing outside a jewelry store. After they shake hands Nick observes that Tom “went into the jewelry store to buy a pearl necklace-or perhaps only a pair of cuff buttons” (p. 181). Fitzgerald uses Tom’s extreme materialistic manner to help demonstrate his idea of the lowest of the upper class. According to the stereotype, rich men often have mistresses. Tom has a mistress named Myrtle. Tom and Myrtle’s relationship is mostly out in the open. The first evidence of this relationship is during Nick’s first visit with Daisy. Tom gets a phone call, and Jordan tells Nick “’Tom’s

How does F. Scott Fitzgerald's life compare to that of his characters in "The Great Gatsby"?

2002-09-04T14:00:00-04:00

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was a very talented writer whose work was not truly appreciated until after his death. People now see that his work is passionate, heartfelt, and very realistic. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life compares to a myriad of his characters in The Great Gatsby. Passion - the word applies to an emotion that is deeply stirring. Many of the things in Fitzgerald’s life stirred his emotions and brought about his very passionate writing. Fitzgerald has a very romantic side which he reflects through his characters: “Like the central character of his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald had an intensely romantic imagination, what he once called ‘a heightened sensitivity to the promises of life,’ and he charged into experience determined to realize those promises”(http:www.novelguides.com/). Many of his books have similar plots: “This is Fitzgerald’s first attempt to create his dream of the promises of American life and of the kind of man who could realize them”(http:www.novelguides.com/). In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby he stereotypes the upper class to be snobbish and selfish. This shows that he had a negative opinion of upper class people and based his descriptions on his opinions. “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves.”(Doreski 98). The passion intertwined throughout his writing makes it extraordinary. Fitzgerald outwardly expressed some of his deepest feelings in his work. In all literature, the author’s personal life has a tremendous effect on their writing. Reading closely will show that none of the women in The Great Gatsby were honest or sincere. Many believe that losing his first love Ginevra King soured his thoughts on women: “He fell in love with Ginevra King, one of the beauties of her generation. However he lost Ginevra and flunked out of Princeton”(http://www.novelguides.com/). Fitzgerald went to war in 1917 hoping to die, but being unsuccessful, he used this as part of Jay Gatsby’s life: “Then came the war old sport. It was a great relief, and I tried very hard to die, but I seemed

How Jack develops between the chapters 1 and 4.

2002-08-29T14:00:00-04:00

Between the Chapters One and Four, Jack changes and developed quite extremely, and drastically. He goes from being a civilized choirboy, to a savage and bloodthirsty hunter. In this essay I will define the major points of change in Jack, and attempt to understand why this change occurred. In Chapter One, Jack is introduced as the leader of the choir, well more of a dictator than a leader, but in charge none the less “The group of cloaked choirboys began to scatter from close line. The tall boy shouted at them ‘Choir stand still!’” Right from the beginning, it is obvious that Jack considers himself a most important person. He makes a dramatic entrance to impress and overwhelm the boys “The boy himself came forward, vaulted onto the platform with his cloak flying”. He comes across as quite heartless to people he considers beneath him. He doesn’t even blink, when Simon faints “He’s always throwing a faint”. In Jack’s opinion, he is so incredibly grown up and mature, that his first name shouldn’t be used. First names are only for kids “ ‘Kids’ names’ said Merridew ‘Why should I be Jack? I’m Merridew’ ”. He is also proven to be extremely superficial. He doesn’t respect Piggy, because of his appearance “ ‘You’re talking too much’ said Jack Merridew ‘Shut up Fatty!’”. Jack starts out quite organized and rescue orientated “We’ve got to decide about being rescued”. He arrogantly decides that he should be chief “ ‘I ought to be chief’ said Jack with simple arrogance ‘because I’m a chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp’”. When Ralph is voted chief, the reader feels Jack’s vanity has been hit by the loss “The circle of boys broke into applause. Even the choir applauded; and the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a mortification”. However, he soon recovers when Ralph offers him control of the choir, as a peace offering. The first signs of Jack being aggressive, come through when Jack decides that out of everything the choir could do, he wants them to be hunters " ‘Jack’s in charge of the choir. They can be – what do you want them to be?’ ‘Hunters’ ”. Jack appreciates Ralph acknowledging him, and giving him power, and a friendship between the two, is born “Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with shy liking”. There is definitely however, no friendship developing

First They Killed My Father

2002-08-28T14:00:00-04:00

Loung Ung was the next to youngest of eight children born into a middle-class family living in Phnom Penh, and the daughter of a former member of the Cambodian Royal Secret Service under Prince Sihanouk. Conscripted as a major into the new government of General Lon Nol, her father was the incarnation of all that the Khmer Rouge wanted to obliterate when they stormed Cambodia's capital city on April 17, 1975, beginning their reign of terror. Fleeing with her family into the countryside, along with thousands of others who were evacuating Phnom Penh, Loung learned the first of many hard lessons. In order to survive, she had to hide her identity, her education, her former life of privilege. It was no longer safe to trust anyone. "To talk is to bring danger to the family. At five years old, I am beginning to know what loneliness feels like, silent and alone and suspecting that everyone wants to hurt me." Posing as peasants, Loung's family moved from village to village, hoping that no one would recognize and expose them as enemies of the Khmer Rouge government. Working 12-14 hour days and barely surviving on their meager rations, they supplemented their diet with roots and leaves or small animals that they trapped. When those became scarce, they caught beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, and frogs for food. "In Phnom Penh, I would have thrown up if someone told me I would have to eat those things. Now, when the only alternative is to starve, I fight others for a dead animal lying in the road. Surviving for another day has become the most important thing to me." Although Loung's three oldest siblings - her brothers, Khouy and Meng, and her sister, Keav-were forced to go to different labor camps, the rest of the family struggled to stay together. After the soldiers came for Loung's father, they separated to survive. Finding her way to a work camp for orphans, Loung began training as a child soldier and was subjected to brainwashing. Faced with the excruciating knowledge that half her family - both parents and two sisters - were now dead by execution, starvation, or disease, Loung channeled her rage and her hatred of Pol Pot into an indomitable will to live. She had just turned eight. As the Vietnamese began liberating the Cambodian people from the Khmer Rouge, Loung, her remaining siblings, and other relatives

The Hobbit Book Report

2002-08-21T14:00:00-04:00

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is set in a fantasy world that has differences, as well as similarities, to our own world. The story takes place in the imaginary world of Middle-earth in the Third Age of it's history. It's a land and time of Elves, Dwarves and Dragons

Characters

Hobbits are similar to people, though more shy and half the size of a man. Most have thick hair on their feet, round bellies, and a taste for a comfortable, peaceful life. The Hobbit chronicles the journey of these creatures. Bilbo Baggins: is the main character of the story. He is a hobbit who prefers domesticity to adventure, but he soon finds himself caught up in the escapades of Gandalf, the wizard, and a group of dwarves. Bilbo is hardly the raw material of a hero, but as the story progresses he develops into a clever and brave hero. Throughout the novel, he longs for his home but he is able to perform his duties as a member of the group. Finding the ring that makes him invisible is certainly the greatest tactical advantage that he gains in the story. Gandalf: The Wizard that accompanies Bilbo and the dwarves on their quest. He is well versed in magic spells and often calls upon them to save his comrades. Gandalf is a friend of Bilbo's mother, Belladonna Took, and he contrives the gathering of Bilbo and the dwarves that initiates the adventure. He has plenty of wisdom, magical skills (usually fireworks) and useful contacts with individuals like Beorn and the Lord of the Eagles. Thorin Oakenshield: is the leader of the dwarves that accompany Bilbo to the cave of Smaug. Like most dwarves, he is focused on wealth, political ascendancy and historical lineage. He carries an old sword and he is heir to the throne established in Smaug's mountain. Unfortunately, Thorin's negative tendencies reveal themselves in his power-hungry maneuvers at the novel's end. Smaug: is the major villain of the story. He is a dragon that has terrorized several towns and, within his mountain, he guards a massive horde of treasure. Part of this treasure belongs to the dwarves and so they intend to reclaim it. Smaug dies in battle against the villagers of Esgaroth, when a warrior named Bard shoots an arrow through his unshielded breast

Summary

The Hobbit is the story of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who lives in Hobbiton. He enjoys a

The Hobbit Book Report

2002-08-21T14:00:00-04:00

Setting

The story occurs in the imaginary world—Middle-earth—created by the author, it is appropriate since creatures that are found in the book (e.g., goblins and dwarves) do not exist in our world. Since the story happens in many places over Middle-earth the author gives a deep description only in places where important things to the plot happen but in other places he gives a more general description. Most places make the reader have a picture in his brain of them; the author uses the appropriate words and gives good descriptions. It takes the story about a year to occur. It starts at the spring and ends in about the same time the year after. Parts of the story take place in every time of the day (and night). The mood is of fantasy world, where everything (like magic and huge treasures) can appear and happen.

Major Characters

Bilbo Baggins: is the main character of the story. He is a hobbit who prefers domesticity to adventure, but he soon finds himself caught up in the escapades of Gandalf, the wizard, and a group of dwarves. Bilbo is hardly the raw material of a hero, but as the story progresses he develops into a clever and brave hero. Throughout the novel, he longs for his home but he is able to perform his duties as a member of the group. Finding the ring that makes him invisible is certainly the greatest tactical advantage that he gains in the story. Gandalf: The Wizard that accompanies Bilbo and the dwarves on their quest. He is well versed in magic spells and often calls upon them to save his comrades. Gandalf is a friend of Bilbo's mother, Belladonna Took, and he contrives the gathering of Bilbo and the dwarves that initiates the adventure. He has plenty of wisdom, magical skills (usually fireworks) and useful contacts with individuals like Beorn and the Lord of the Eagles. Thorin Oakenshield: is the leader of the dwarves that accompany Bilbo to the cave of Smaug. Like most dwarves, he is focused on wealth, political ascendancy and historical lineage. He carries an old sword and he is heir to the throne established in Smaug's mountain. Unfortunately, Thorin's negative tendencies reveal themselves in his power-hungry maneuvers at the novel's end. Smaug: is the major villain of the story. He is a dragon that has terrorized several towns and, within his mountain, he guards a massive horde

The English Epic Hero

2002-08-18T14:00:00-04:00

In folktales, legends, mythology, and even the Bible, people are told stories of men with unimaginable strength. They perform heroic feats and give service to the people they love. In the Old English epic of Beowulf, by an unknown author, people are enlightened of another such hero. Beowulf, the main character of the epic, is very much an epic hero. Epic heroes are defined according to many parameters, but the two that most apply to Beowulf are supernatural powers and weapons and obstacles or heroic actions. Throughout the story, there is evidence of Beowulf’s astounding strength and “war-gear”. When Beowulf arrives at Heorot, the narrator describes him by saying, “Of living men he was the strongest, / Fearless and gallant and great of heart” (132-133). This passage articulates that Beowulf is stronger than any other man, and that his strength is supernatural. Later it also states that he has the “hand-grip” of thirty men. His strength is like many other famous legends like Hercules and Samson. They were heroes and Beowulf is no different from them. Beowulf receives many special weapons to aid him. During the battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf discovers a sword among the extra gear. The narrator says, “Saw mid the war-gear a stately sword, / An ancient war-brand of biting edge, / Choicest of weapons worthy and strong, / The work of giants, a warrior’s joy” (1046-1049). This mysterious weapon proves that Beowulf is an epic hero. It is conveniently there for him when he needs it most, and Fate, or God, often favors the hero of a story. It is also the only sword or weapon that will even harm the Troll-Wife. Beowulf is also aided by his chain mail armor. The narrator describes the scene when he says, “Swift she grappled and grasped the warrior / With horrid grip, but could work no harm, / No hurt to his body; the ring-locked byrny / Cloaked his life from her clutching claw; / Nor could she tear through the tempered mail” (996-1000). It never states for a fact that his armor is enchanted in anyway, but it does withstand the powerful grip of the Troll-Wife. Every hero needs protection and Beowulf has the best possible. The armor that Beowulf wears enables him to gain the advantage in the battle. Beowulf’s strength and weapons indicate that he is a true hero. Beowulf has to confront many obstacles and

The Monster Behind the Scenes

2002-08-18T14:00:00-04:00

Throughout the last century, the movie and theater industries have been creating and recreating movies about Frankenstein, the monster. He has been depicted as a gigantic, ugly monster with incredible strength that walks around searching for his next victim. In the original book Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, the Monster is not depicted as a complete savage, but is shown to be more of a person. The Creature is intelligent and is an outcast from society. Regardless of the Creature’s horrific appearance, he was very a very intelligent individual. When the Creature is telling Frankenstein about how he first learned about communication, he says, “This reading had puzzled me extremely at first, but by degrees I discovered that he uttered many of the same sounds when he read as when he talked. I conjectured, therefore, that he found on the paper signs for speech which he understood, and I ardently longed to comprehend these also; but how was that possible when I did not even understand the sounds for which they stood as signs?” (98). The Creature is able to recognize patterns in the speech of DeLacey. He is then able to infer that symbols on the paper represent the words that DeLacey has been using. Much like his creator, Frankenstein, the Creature yearns for knowledge. The Creature later recounts the story when Safie begins to learn French. He explains, “Presently I found, by the frequent recurrence of some sound which the stranger repeated after them, that she was endeavouring to learn their language; and the idea instantly occurred to me that I should make use of the same instructions to the same end. The stranger learned about twenty words at the first lesson; most of them, indeed, were those which I had before understood, but I profited by the others” (102). His intelligence begins to develop very rapidly at this point, as he is able to discern between certain words and start to learn new ones along with Safie. How a monster that was just recently brought to life can learn to speak is an amazing feat. The Creature later recounts how begins to comprehend French when he says, “My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian, who understood very little and conversed in broken accents, whilst I comprehended and could imitate

Absolute power struggle

2002-08-17T14:00:00-04:00

In the story Antigone, the King of Thebes, Creon, showed that too much power will corrupt anyone. As Creon became the one with total control, his character, judgment, and his principals deteriorated. Antigone was written by Sophocles. He did an excellent job of showing how absolute power will corrupt absolutely. Using Creon's utmost authority, Sophocles told of how everything he once stood for had crumbled. Antigone begins by telling of a Theban royal family which is in much turmoil. There are many characters focused upon in Antigone, but only a few are worth mentioning. Antigone starts with Antigone (niece of Creon) and her sister Ismene talking about how their father Oedipus died, and because of his death, the family undertook some very hard times. Their brothers Eteocles and Polynices have just died in a fight against each other; Eteocles, fighting for the city; Polynices, fighting against the city and crowned the supposed 'traitor'. When the two died Eteocles, because he fought for the city, was given full burial rites, while Polynices was given absolutely no burial rites of any kind because he was a traitor. Creon decreed his burial forbidden along with any mourning throughout the city. Because of the deaths of Eteocles and Polynices, Creon took his rightful seat in the throne. He insisted that the body of Polynices lay to rot for the entire city to see as a punishment to Polynices and example to all those who dare fight against Thebes. Antigone, being his sister, could not stand to see this happen. She did her best to cover her brother’s body, but got caught while doing so. She then was brought before her uncle the king. She denied nothing, and was proud to admit to the crime, stating, 'Yes, because I did not believe that Zeus was the one who proclaimed it; neither did Justice, or the gods of the dead whom Justice lives among. The laws they have made for men are well marked out. I didn't suppose your decree had strength enough, or you, who are human, to violate the lawful traditions the gods have not written merely, but made infallible.' (550-558). Her stubborn uncle insisted that she pay the price for her crime, a crime which was to be punishable by death. He took her to a rocky vault and walled her inside where she was to die for her crime. When Creon got back,

Do you agree with Miss Maudie that Maycomb has advanced as a result of the Tom Robinson case?

2002-08-11T14:00:00-04:00

“And I thought to myself, well, we’re making a step-it’s just a baby step, but it’s a step.” Do you agree with Miss Maudie that Maycomb has advanced as a result of the Tom Robinson case?

To Kill a Mockingbird, crafted expressly, intricately and beautifully by Harper Lee exhibits the unrelenting Maycomb, a small town with big issues. This classical marvel along with its “authentic humour,” is intertwined with the bigot and prejudice views of the township. The commencement of the Tom Robinson trial, in which a Negro is unjustly charged with the sexual assault of a young white girl triggers an onslaught towards blacks by the white people with horrific outcomes. But, it is one white man’s attempt to make things just with all people that leads to remarkable results. Atticus Finch sets a standard of morality and wisdom. Through his influence and although his case is lost, Miss Maudie utters that the town is “making a step” (p.238). This factual response is justifiable, as we notice the abnormal amount of discussing taking place behind the jury doors, some characters new analysis of the Negroes and foretelling that the younger generations can bring new hope for the “disease” infested town of Maycomb. Throughout much of the depression, Negroes have suffered from frequent massacres, threats and sexual assaults. Worse still is the ongoing ridicule the blacks faced even after they had been set free. Since the early years of freedom and when blacks were allowed to defend their name and innocence in court, they received harsh jail terms –even if they were innocent. As the astute Reverend Sykes puts it, he had “…..(never) seen any jury decide in favour of a coloured man over a white man.” (p.230) The higher power, in this case, the white people, always seemed to prevail. Thus, meaning it took the jury less than four or five minutes to make their final decision. The Tom Robinson trial was relatively different from the other predictable cases. The case in itself was significant. This particular case came along with a message, which would someday banish all prejudice between the two races. The duration of the trial is exceptionally protracted. This factor fortifies the dreary hopes of the black people. It was very atypical for the jury to take as long as two hours to come to a decision. Even the poignant Atticus had his expectations rise after seeing the jury out for

The Effects of Parents’ Sins upon their Children: A Comparison between Oedipus the King and Ghosts

2002-07-30T14:00:00-04:00

Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King was written for a Greek audience as a religious right and lesson around two thousand years ago, while Ibsen’s play Ghosts was written as a criticism of the Norwegian society during the 1890’s. Although these plays were written for under different circumstances, and not for the same purpose, there is a universal theme connecting them: man’s liability to sin. One of the more specific themes of both plays is the negative effect that parents’ sins have upon subsequent generations. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is born the son of Laius and Jocasta, King and Queen of Thebes. After he is born, Apollo prophesizes that Oedipus will kill his father and sleep with his mother. Due to this prophecy, Laius and Jocasta devised a plan to leave Oedipus in the woods to pass away, as he had now become a danger and an unwanted child. In this case, the parents’ sin was attempting to defy the gods by trying to evade Apollo’s prophecy. Later, Jocasta states that “no skill in the world, nothing human, can penetrate the future” (Sophocles 201), and Oedipus echoes her doubt in prophets by saying, “…all those prophecies I feared – Polybus packs them off to sleep with him in hell! They’re nothing, worthless” (Sophocles 214). These lines lay their sin of doubting the foundations of their religion in clear view. Ghosts also reveals that parents’ sins can have a negative effect on their children as the child’s life progresses. This is displayed by the fact that Regine is the result of an affair between Captain Alving and the housemaid, Johanna. Being a child born out of wedlock, Regine is unwanted by Captain Alving because she is proof of his sin, and if anyone were to discover her true origins it could destroy the respect that society has for him. Regine is also unwanted by Mrs. Alving since she is a constant reminder, and the only inextinguishable proof of Captain Alving’s debauchery. If she did not exist it would be easier for Mrs. Alving to hide her husband’s secret, just as if Oedipus had died when Laius and Jocasta had left him in the woods, a plague proving his family debauched would not have been placed upon his people. Other sins that the parents in both plays commit include hiding the true origins of their children. For example, Oedipus’ origins are hidden from him

Sylvia Plath’s “Pursuit” in Relation to Henrik Ibsen’s “Hedda Gabler”

2002-07-30T14:00:00-04:00

In comparing Sylvia Plath’s poem “Pursuit” to Henrik Ibsen’s play “Hedda Gabler,” one can see many similarities between their themes of emotional distress and the destructive tendencies of unstoppable internal demons. Throughout “Pursuit,” a panther hunts Plath, the panther symbolizing an internal feeling that is literally trapping and killing her. In the same way, Hedda’s own emotions and actions have ensnared her, and she feels that her only way of escape is through death. My poem, “Finale” closely imitates Plath’s poetic mannerisms in “Pursuit,” while incorporating themes from “Hedda Gabler,” in order to explain her suicide. The poem is titled “Finale” because it reveals the events leading to the outcome of the final act of the play “Hedda Gabler,” and it also incorporates a personal interpretation of the causes of the final scene of Hedda’s life – her death. The extended metaphor throughout “Finale” is that of a train, paralleling the extended metaphor of the panther in “Pursuit.” This was inspired by the train conceit in Act Two of “Hedda Gabler,” which appears during Hedda’s elusive conversation with Brack, involving a series of metaphors concerning Brack’s wishes to enter a train compartment with Hedda and her husband, which would subsequently create a triangular relationship between himself, Hedda, and Tesman. The conversation ends with Hedda admitting that she would not mind “somebody else [climbing] into the compartment” (Ibsen 204). Ironically, the end of this conversation leads to the beginning of Hedda’s feeling that she is losing control, which signifies the start of the situation that will lead to the end of her life. “Finale” both begins and ends with a direct reference to the train because of this; Hedda’s feeling that she had lost control was so great that it engulfed her, mentally stalked her, and created a fear that was slowly consuming her. It follows that she felt that her only way to escape the life that she saw spanning out before her was through death. The train in “Finale” proves to be stealthier than the panther in “Pursuit”, for while the panther is an apt pursuer, the train accomplishes what it has striven for throughout the poem – Hedda’s death. This fact is revealed in the fourth line of “Finale,” when it is stated that the train “stalks more stealthily than the panther,” as the future of the life of the speaker in Plath’s poem is not definite, while it is

Fifth Business - Percy Boyd Staunton: A man disliked by many

2002-07-29T14:00:00-04:00

Many people dislike a certain individual when they meet or exceed certain predefined criteria. In the novel FIFTH BUSINESS by Robertson Davies, the antagonist, Percy Boyd Staunton, performs a number of incidents, which leads one to dislike him. He denies his guilt of throwing a snowball, happily displays nude pictures of his wife, and commits adultery. In his early childhood, Boy throws a paperweight concealed in a snowball at Mrs. Dempster. Towards the end of the book, Boy denies ever throwing the snowball at her, oblivious to the fact that Dunstable (Dunny) Ramsay was present at that time. The fact that a man of such grace and distinction like Boy Staunton denies the guilt of throwing the snowball that causes a dramatic change in the mental stability of Mrs. Dempster, as well as the birth of a premature child, Paul Dempster, angers one. Shortly after Mrs. Dempster's assailant, Boy, throws the snowball at her, Dunny, unable to contain his own guilt, confronts Boy about the guilty deed. Boy, exemplifying his nonchalant attitude, denies all accusations Dunny makes about him. Dunny makes this point evident when he says, "We looked into each other's eyes and I knew that he was afraid, and I knew also that he would fight, lie, do anything rather than admit what I knew" (Davies 23). In today's society, all people are responsible for their own actions, and trying to escape from them creates the image of a cheap coward. This is the hateful expression that one would get from Boy Staunton's denial of the truth. Percy Boyd Staunton changes his name to Boy Staunton, which is consistent with his self-image as an eternally young and fatally handsome swordsman among the ladies. Boy later marries Leola Cruikshank, the girl who his best friend, Dunny, has had his eye on since they were children. As the years go by, the relationship between Boy and Leola starts to disintegrate. Throughout their marriage, Boy wants Leola to be something she cannot. Leola tries hard to suit his lifestyle but eventually Boy realizes that she is not what he wants. Boy treats Leola as an object, rather than as a woman as well as his wife. A serious incident which takes place between Boy and Leola is when Boy gives Dunny a number of reels of film, and asks him to develop them for him. At first, this seems a harmful

Completing the quest: The hidden obstacles

2002-07-29T14:00:00-04:00

An obstacle is an attachment that is a hindrance to a protagonist in any piece of literature. To overcome the hidden obstacles, one has to be focused, never losing sight of the objective or goal. In the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the protagonist, Marlow, encounters a number of obstacles that creates a temporary shield from the completion of his quest. Although creating transient setbacks, the breakdown of his steamer, being disliked by the company representatives, as well as the attack encountered, are obstacles that Marlow has to overcome to complete his quest. The breakdown of his steamer creates an obstacle that devastates Marlow. Fifteen days after they arrive at the dilapidated Central Station, Marlow finds that the steamer he was to command has sunk. Marlow's devastation is echoed, as he narrates, "Still…But at the moment it presented itself simply as a confounded nuisance. The steamer was sunk" (Conrad 88). Marlow wonders in amazement at the mystery and devastation that he encounters when he realizes that the steamer had sunk. Something as simple as the steamboat's good condition, which can not be met, puzzles one to a great extent. This obstacle is the start of many others to follow, in the hopes of keeping Marlow from reaching Kurtz. In light of what he learns later, Marlow suspects the damage to the steamer may have been intentional, to keep him from reaching his destination to complete his quest. Being the target of dislike by the company's representatives is another obstacle that Marlow encounters. They resent him because of his accomplishments that he has had on his journey so far--way more than any of them could have attained. The company is eager to send Marlow to Africa, because one of their steamer captains has recently been killed in a scuffle with the natives. Marlow observes small details of one of the company's representatives, on his encounter with him, "…If I tried I could poke my forefinger through him, and would find nothing inside but a little loose dirt, maybe" (Conrad 95-96). This representative is the brickmaker, a petty and conniving man who assumes that other people are, too. He is the favourite of the manager, and a corporate spy. Marlow, naively setting out on his own childhood adventure, realizes how cynical society, or even a company representative can be out of spite. The jealously of the company's representatives becomes an obstacle for

Loneliness: Man's greatest enemy

2002-07-29T14:00:00-04:00

Loneliness is a state of being alone in sadness, resulting from being forsaken or abandoned. As I understand it, loneliness is when a person has no one to talk to, no one to confide in, nor anyone to keep companionship with. Loneliness also makes a person slip into a desolate state, which they try to conceal under a tough image, and is an emotion even the strongest cannot avoid. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck deals with loneliness by looking for comfort in a friend, but settling for the attentive ear of a stranger. Although they seem at ease and friendly on the surface, a deep sense of loneliness lingers in the hearts of Crooks, George, and Curley's wife, to which they are desperate to find an escape from to cope with their seclusion from the rest of society. Crooks, a lively, sharp-witted, black stablehand, who takes his name from his crooked back, leads a lonely life. He lives according to the rule that no black man is allowed to enter a white man's home. Crooks’ loneliness is a result of rejection from everyone else on the ranch. He is forced to live alone in a barn, where he lives his life in isolation because of his colour, which was an issue in those days. When Lennie visits him in the room, Crooks' reactions reveal the fact that he is lonely. As a black man with a physical handicap, Crooks is forced to live on the border of ranch life. He is not even allowed to enter the white men's bunkhouse, or join them in a game of cards. His resentment typically comes out through his bitter, sad, and touching vulnerability, as he tells Lennie: …A guy needs somebody--to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. …I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick. (Steinbeck 72-73) Crooks' openness of his inner self, and his ability to speak his heart's desire to a stranger illustrates how lonely he gets, and admits that it results in sickness. Furthermore, as bitter as he is about his exclusion from other men, Crooks is grateful for Lennie's company, and when Candy enters Crook's room, it becomes difficult for him to conceal his pleasure with anger. The only relationship he can find is with his

Tess of the d'Urbervilles - Tragedy: The Outside Influences

2002-07-29T14:00:00-04:00

Tragedy takes the shape of many events, and influences them in a number of ways. People also contribute to tragedy consciously, as well as subconsciously, unaware of the consequences that will subsequently follow. In the novel Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, tragedy is undoubtedly present in the protagonist, Tess Durbeyfield's life. Although Tess is portrayed as an innocent girl who makes wrongful decisions which lead to her destruction, Tess' parents, Angel Clare, and Alec d'Urberville play an important part in her life, leading to her tragedy. The Durbeyfield parents started the cycle of tragedy in Tess life by thinking of themselves first. Her parents' weakness is that her father is lazy and her mother is simple. The Durbeyfield's need of a new horse, and the mother's greed for her daughter to claim kin against her will with a noble family member of the d'Urbervilles, starts Tess on her journey to her destruction. Tess' parents could have supported themselves if they had not been so proud about being descendants of the prestigious d'Urbervilles. Tess, being simplistic, is unaware of dangers a man such as Alec d'Urberville posed, and it is not fair that she is being made to suffer for succumbing to an unknown danger. This is noted when she protests to her mother: Oh, Mother, my mother! … How could I be expected to know? I was a child when I left this house four months ago. Why didn't you tell me there was danger in men-folk? Why didn't you warn me? … but I never had the chance o' learning in that way, and you did not help me!" (Hardy 95) Tess' innocence is at risk her because she is not informed of the dangers of life by her parents; her mother does not even stop her from leaving with Alec, even though she has a feeling that Alec may take advantage of Tess. The greed for her daughter's marriage into a noble family has put the wool over her eyes. Another incident that adds to the tragedy of Tess is the letter that she receives from her mother just before her marriage to Angel, advising her not to tell him about her past life, including the rape and the baby. The deception and manipulation of Tess' parents triggers her tragic life. Angel Clare's refusing to accept Tess' unfortunate past is the beginning of an intensely tragic portion of

Everything at Six and Seven

2002-07-27T14:00:00-04:00

Regal complacency must yield to political expediency and the deposition of the king will reverberate though the ages. Susan L. Powell The parallel and inextricable link between the fall of King Richard to the rise of the new and innovative King Henry, present a significant investigation of power and betrayal – of those who wield it and those who desire it. (Queensland Theatre Company) Written in the late 15th century, William Shakespeare provides a detailed study of kingship and supremacy, which is clearly displayed in the first few opening scenes. The play begins with a dispute between nobles Bolingbrook and Mowbray, who are subsequently sentenced to banishment; Bolingbrook for 6 years and Mowbray for life. Incredibly upset, Bolingbrook’s father, John of Gaunt, becomes emotionally ill before dying of a broken heart, leaving King Richard with Bolingbrook’s inheritance within his sight. At this point in the play, the Duke of York warns Richard of the consequences of seizing Bolingbrook’s inheritance: …If you do wrongfully seize Herford’s rights… You pluck a thousand dangers on your head, You loose a thousand well-disposed hearts… (2.2.201…205-6) On Richard’s absence to Ireland, York is left behind to manage his kingdom. However, his first regal task is prompted by news of Bolingbrook’s return to England which motivates York to prepare for war. God for His mercy! What a tide of woes Comes rushing on this woeful land at once! I know not what to do. I would to God, So my untruth had not provoked him to do it, The king had cut my head off with my brother’s. What, are there no posts dispatched for Ireland? How shall we do for money for these wars? Come, sister – cousin I would say, pray pardon me. Go, fellow, get thee home. Provide some carts And bring away the armour that is there. [Exit Servingman] Gentlemen, will you go muster men? If I know how or which way to order these affairs Thus disorderly thrust into my hands Never believe me. Both are my kinsmen. T’one is my sovereign, whom both my oath And Duty bids defend; t’other again Is my kinsman, whom the king hath wronged, Whom conscience and my kindred bids to right. Well, somewhat we must do. Come, cousin. I’ll dispose of you. Gentlemen, go muster up your men And meet me presently at Berkeley Castle. I should to Plashy too, But time will not permit. All is uneven And everything is left at six and seven. (2.2.98-121) York begins the task of mustering loyal supporters to defy the invasion of Bolingbrook. Speaking

A Critique of Angela's Ashes

2002-07-24T14:00:00-04:00

Mrs. Singletary It is a frequent view that times for the Irish majority in the 1930’s and 40’s were very hard. Especially for the Irish Catholic families with the stereotypical drunken father, emotionally ruined mother, kids running around her with her a sore back from the next child to be born. In Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt examines his childhood experiences, the tragedies, hardships, and learning involved with growing up. One of the most interesting aspects of the writing in Angela’s Ashes is how the text is written, from McCourt’s interpretation of the situation at his age that he was at the time, the spelling and grammar also indicate that the child is writing, not the adult. This contributes greatly to the emotions and enjoyment evoked from reading the book. It also better describes how a child actually sees the things that are going on around them, and what they may be thinking. Personally, sometimes it has made me think for a while about how I interpreted things I saw when I was that age, and the fun I had being a kid. McCourt describes his brothers and sister, even the ones that died, and how much he enjoyed growing up with them, how they cared and loved for each other. Because of the appalling quarters they lived in and the lack of money and food there was terminal illnesses in the family, which proved fatal to some of his siblings. McCourt in his childlike writing style describes how his siblings and he, interpret what’s happened and how they see their parents reacting. McCourt also analyzes how his young brother Malachy looks up to him, and how much he takes Malachy under his wing and takes care of him. Parenting is said to be one of the hardest tasks out there today, especially sole parenting. McCourt carefully examines his mother, how she copes with her drunken husband, how her cousins who married gentlemen are constantly trying to run her life, and how she acts as a woman. His father, The Irish drunk who is constantly making him and his brother swear their lives for Ireland and singing Roddy McCorley and Kevin Barry after a night at the pub, and how he will tell him stories about Old Irish folklore and get sacked from job after job. As Frank progresses into

Mankind's Golden Boy

2002-07-10T14:00:00-04:00

Ralph, the athletic, charismatic protagonist of Lord of the Flies, represents the struggle for order and democracy in society. Golding describes Ralph as tall for his age and handsome, and he seems to preside over the other boys by a natural sense of authority. He is “old enough, twelve years and a few months, to have lost the prominent tummy of childhood”. He has fair hair and is thin. Golding writes: You could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil. p. 10-11 Described as being “big enough to be a link with the adult world of authority,” he is elected the leader of the boys at the beginning of the novel. While most of the other boys are concerned with playing, having fun, and avoiding work at the beginning of the story, Ralph sets about building huts and thinking of ways to maximize their chances of being rescued. Ralph's commitment to civilization and morality is very strong, and his primary wish is to be rescued and returned to the society of adults: “The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going?” A simple statement by Ralph “brings light and happiness” to the assembly of boys: “We want to be rescued, and of course we shall be rescued.” For these reasons, Ralph's power and influence over the other boys are extremely secure at the beginning of the novel. Although Ralph lacks Piggy's clear intellect, Ralph is calm and rational, with sound judgment and a strong moral sensibility. Golding uses Ralph to represent the perfect human— someone who is good but not to such a degree that he is not vulnerable to normal human temptations. For much of the novel, Ralph is simply unable to understand why the other boys would give in to base instincts of lust for blood and barbarism. The sight of the hunters chanting and dancing is baffling and distasteful to him; but when Ralph hunts a boar for the first time, he experiences the exhilaration and thrill of violence: “The desire to squeeze and hurt was over-mastering.” Despite his susceptibility to the same instinctual influences that affect the other boys, Ralph remains the one character who remains most

Symbolism and Imagery in A Midsummer Night's Dream

2002-07-10T14:00:00-04:00

In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, William Shakespeare brilliantly uses the night as a motif which plays a valuable role in the play. He combines this motif with the related symbols of the play to demonstrate the power of night and its correlation with love and vision. He uses symbolism and imagery to develop the motif and makes extensive use of the night forest which, in part, helps the situation of the four young lovers, one of the main plots of the play. It might seem strange that Shakespeare would choose a forest at night as the main setting for a comedy; the dark forest serves as the center of the play’s world, ousting Athens, a city that was regarded as the center of ancient Greek civilization. The darkness of the night is intensified in the forest; the dark is intense enough for the characters to fear being alone. Helena cries out to Demetrius not to abandon her “darkling”, or in the dark (Act II, Scene 2, 85). When Lysander abandons Hermia, she is convinced that being alone in the dark could lead her to death: Speak, of all loves; I swoon almost with fear. No? Then I will perceive you are not nigh. Either death or you I’ll find immediately. (Act II, Scene 2, 153-155) The night symbolizes darkness and a state of blindness. It symbolizes mischief and madness, fairies and magic. The night forest provides a setting for dangerous and daring acts such as Hermia and Lysander’s plan to escape Athens. The lovers plan to execute their plan and meet at “deep midnight” (Act I, Scene 1, 223). The moon, which has been said all throughout the play to affect human behaviour, is the only source of light at night which allows the lovers the see each other. Shakespeare associates the moon with love. In the opening scene of the play, Theseus is anxious to get married to Hippolyta. He complains “four happy days bring in/ Another moon: but O, methinks how slow/ This old moon wanes! She lingers my desires/ Like to a step-dame” (Act 1, Scene 1, 2-5). Shakespeare also compares the moon to a bow, and Cupid, the Roman god of love, carries a bow to shoot arrows of love. “And then the moon, like to a silver bow/ New bent in heaven, shall behold the night/ Of our solemnities”(Act I, Scene 1, 9-11). Shakespeare uses symbolism to strengthen the

Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

2002-07-06T14:00:00-04:00

"How has the composer of the contemporary text used the earlier text to say something new?" Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, written in the 1960s by playwright Tom Stoppard, is a transforation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Stoppard effectively relocates Shakespeare’s play to the 1960s by reassessing and revaluating the themes and characters of Hamlet and considering core values and attitudes of the 1960s- a time significantly different to that of Shakespeare. He relies on the audience’s already established knowledge of Hamlet and transforms a revenge tragedy into an Absurd drama, which shifts the focus from royalty to common man. Within Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, Stoppard uses a play within a play to blur the line that defines reality, and in doing so creates confusion both onstage- with his characters, and offstage- with the audience. Using these techniques, Stoppard is able make a statement about his society, creating a play that reflected the attitudes and circumstances of the 1960s, therefore making it more relevant and relatable to the audiences of that time. The transformation of a Shakespearean Revenge Tragedy into an Absurd Drama means a considerable change in structure from a well-structured and rigid format, into a chaotic and formless play. Stoppard deliberately alters the configuration of the play to create a confusing atmosphere, which creates the exact feeling of society in the 1960s- no definites or certainties to rely on. Language portrays meaning in both plays- the language of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead differs to that of Hamlet. Stoppard employs meaningless colloquial exchanges, such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s question game, which strongly contrasts to Shakespearean elaborate and poetic verse, as seen throughout the play, especially in Hamlet’s soliloquies- “There is special providence in the fall of a sparrow.” This is thoughtful and philosophical. Stoppard’s use of language further extends the idea of purposelessness and insignificance. Stoppard brings two relatively insignificant characters for Hamlet into focus in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Common man into the ‘spotlight’, as he represented the majority of society- 1960s’ audiences were interested in characters that they could empathize with and relate to. By focussing on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Stoppard brings offstage Hamlet onstage. This change in orientation gives audiences a new perspective on Hamlet and a different interpretation of Shakespeare’s most famous play. The themes of Man’s ability to take action, as well as Destiny and Death in Hamlet, are maintained in Stoppard’s play, but he brings

Readings of In the Skin of a Lion

2002-07-06T14:00:00-04:00

“Any critical reading of a text will be strengthened by a knowledge of how a text is valued by readers in differing contexts.” Discuss this statement and show how your critical understanding of the text has been strengthened by at least two different readings. Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion is a text that is given new meaning when viewed from differing perspectives. Readers approach the text with their own unique past and experience, which influences their perception and interpretation of the novel. Two such interpretations are the Post-Modern and Post-Colonial readings of In the Skin of a Lion. These two readings give the text more dimension, and with the awareness that this novel can be interpreted in numerous ways, a reader’s understanding is strengthened and deepened. Post-Modernism, the absence of any certainty, discredits the values of modernism, opposing the fixed principles of meaning and value. It is built on countless theories about society, the media and knowledge of the world, but it is also aware that there is no ultimate way of making sense of humanity. Ondaatje embraces aspects of post-modernism, by creating a novel that breaks away from the traditional narrative, thereby giving readers a greater perspective on the novel. One learns that any story is simply a storyteller’s construction, and is never unbiased. In the Skin of a Lion is self reflexive- it disrupts the reading process to explore its own textual nature. Ondaatje breaks the illusion of reality and engages the reader in the process of making the meaning of the text, rather than simply allowing them to receive it. The responder is made a producer rather than simply a consumer. “Only the best art can order the chaotic tumble of events. Only the best can realign chaos to suggest both the chaos and order it will become.” Here, Ondaatje uses the device of intrusion, where an author makes a direct comment on his novel, telling readers to be patient and wait for the intentional disarray to fall into its natural order. This “chaos” is also created through the use of frame- a story within a story. Towards the conclusion of the novel, the corners of the story are pulled together and readers are able to close the frame that encapsulated the inner story. The car ride is the result of Ondaatje’s ability to transcend time and space- the story ends at the beginning of the novel

Pride and Prejedice - BBC production

2002-07-06T14:00:00-04:00

“A great text not only reflects society, but also challenges its way of thinking.” How true is this statement? A great text can be defined as one that our civilization deems valuable- a text that not only portrays the workings of society, but also defies existing constructs of the times and encourages progression in society’s attitudes towards relevant issues. Such a text is Simon Langton’s 1995 production of Pride and Prejudice. Through the characterisation of the main character Lizzie, Langton challenges viewer’s opinions by employing economic, philosophical and religious paradigms to portray Nineteenth Century English Society. The social structure of 19th Century England encompassed the basic social class system whereby different social classes could be distinguished by inequalities in areas such as power, authority, wealth, education, religion and culture. Langton successfully portrays this society through elaborate sets and costuming as well as strong characterisation. Through the characterisation of Lizzie as a strong willed, independent young woman of her time, Langton is able to question the values and beliefs held at that time. He uses strong dialogue and an actor with a confident and daring exterior and clothes her in mostly casual clothes to portray a personality that is relaxed and comfortable with oneself and one’s moral fibre. This individual has a heightened understanding of the existing institutions, and does not simply accept the constraints forced upon her, as many in her position did, but uses her own judgement to determine for herself her own set of values and ways of behaving. The economic paradigm is explored and examined by Langton in Pride and Prejudice in a very direct manner, illustrating to viewers the situation faced by English Society in the 1800s. Langton establishes clear class differentiations through extreme contrasts in costuming, props and elaborate sets. Sharp and direct dialogue coupled with almost awkward camera angles complete the images, which Langton then delivers to viewers- an apparent distinction between the various class groups. The economic situation faced by the Bennet Family is one of desperation and urgency. While all members of the Bennet family were aware of this, Lizzie was unwilling to compromise her happiness for financial comfort in life- a way of thinking very ahead of her time. She demonstrates this through her actions by standing up for what she believes in. Lizzie’s refusal of two marriage proposals from two fairly distinguished and respectable men who would guarantee her financial

Bad to the Bone? - The Intriguing Outsider in King Lear and Othello

2002-07-04T14:00:00-04:00

The declared villains in both Shakespeare plays are Edmund and Iago. Although they pretend to be adjusted to the cultural framework of their present environment, they are bearing evil ideas and plans in their minds and systematically set up targets which they fulfil step by step. Both characters see themselves as outsiders to society. Although they are well-integrated and accepted by respected characters, they do not get rid of their negative motifs such as revenge, hate, greed, and envy. These ‘base’ motifs seem to be indeed the catalysers for the chaotic turmoil they cause. Edmund and Iago are dangerous to the stable community because their real emotions, ideas and plans are disguised, hidden within their heads and only verbally expressed when they are alone. The villains share their most intimate thoughts and analytic views with us, the audience. They justify their evil deeds against innocent characters by their negative attitude. Edmund, on the one hand, interprets his educational exile outside the familiar boundaries as an exclusion from the warm family nest wherein Edgar had the privilege to stay. Edmund realizes his discrimination because he is born out of wedlock. He deciphers society’s rules in a negative sense: thus, he feels legally neglected and unfair treated bearing the comparison with Edgar in mind (e. g. heritage). By destroying the conventional framework of written and unwritten laws, Edmund’s misdeeds are in a sense justified because his illegitimate status or ‘unnatural’ nature urges him to fight against the conventional and institutional exclusion from financial benefits and rights. Edmund deciphers the subtle structures of his environment which tries to degrade him on a low, ‘base’ level (first sololiquy: I, ii, 1-22). However, by questioning the rules, values and conventions of society, Edmund shows the audience that society as such does not fulfil the needs of mankind - the situation is turned upside down: it is the society which is “stale” and “dull” and not him (I, ii, 124-40). Society itself and its legal members are an obstacle, a “plague”, which has to be destroyed step by step. But what justifies Iago’s evil deeds? He seems to be a legal member of Venetian society. However, Iago feels neglected by his social environment, being not taken into consideration for a higher rank in the army. On top of that he often thinks that his wife Emilia deceived him with Othello (I, iii, 369-70). Like Edmund, he as

Individualism in Emerson and Thoreau

2002-06-24T14:00:00-04:00

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are considered two of the most influential and inspiring transcendentalist writers of their time. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was a lecturer, essayist, and poet, was born on May 25, 1803, and is generally considered the father of American transcendentalism , “a philosophy that rejects the idea that knowledge can be fully derived from experience and observation; rather, truth resides in the spiritual world.” Henry David Thoreau is his student, who was also a great essayist and critics.Both men extensively studied and embraced nature, and both men encouraged and practiced individualism and nonconformity. In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self Reliance” and Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Resistance to Civil Government (“Civil Disobedience”), both transcendentalist thinkers speak about being individual and what reforms and changes need to be made in society. Ralph Waldo Emerson and his disciple, Henry David Thoreau, who were individualists, attacked the dominant religious, political, and cultural values of American society in order to make people aware that they are more important than everything, including government and society. According to Emerson, society is a barrier against the individuality of its members; and he continued: Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each shareholder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater. The virtue in most request is conformity. The solution, for Emerson, is self-reliance, meaning that man is only responsible for his own life and he shouldn’t be too enveloped in society, which is one of the main principles of Transcendentalism. The other principle is individualism, which was expressed in Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience”: I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right. And in “Self Reliance” by Emerson: “To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, -- that is genius.” Thoreau was Emerson’s student, he stayed with him for a while and was affected by his ideas, especially concerning with individual and society. Emerson’s idea that in society the heart and power of man is drawn out and ignored, which makes people afraid of expressing their own ideas as well as

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

2002-06-23T14:00:00-04:00

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Book Report

Setting

This book explains a single day in Ivan Denisovichs live in a Siberian prison camp. The story is taking place during Joseph Stalin’s Red Terror program between 1945 and 1953. But I think this specific day is in no case different from any other ones of his possible 25 year prison term.

Major Characters

Ivan Denisovich Shukhov: The main character of the story, Ivan Denisovich is in the eighth year of a ten-year prison term. Imprisoned unjustly during WWII for treason, he has learned over the years not to be bitter, but live every day for itself. He is the consummate prisoner, with the know-how and optimistic attitude to get through the tortuous days. The story follows one day of his life in a Siberian labor camp, from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed. Fetiukov: A former office worker of some rank (overseer), he is considered the lowest rank in the 104th hierarchy. No one in his squad respects Fetiukov because he is one to 'lick others' leftovers. He scrounges for anything he can get, not concerned about maintaining any degree of dignity and self-control. In the mess hall, Fetiukov often gets beaten up during fights over leftovers. Alyosha: Ivan Denisovich's top bunk neighbor, Alyosha is deeply religious and spends most of his time praying and reading the bible he has kept hidden in a chink in the wall. Alyosha is content with prison life because it gives him time to think about God and about his soul. Ivan Denisovich respects Alyosha because he works hard, serves everyone, and does not engage in the dubious survival tactics of the other prisoners. Before the prisoners go to sleep, Alyosha shares his faith with Ivan Denisovich. Tiurin: The squad leader of Ivan Denisovich's 104th division. As a nineteen-year veteran of the prisons, Tiurin is an adept and respected leader who understands how to manipulate the prison system. Having known Ivan Denisovich since their days at Ust-Izhma, Tiurin personally picks him to join his squad when they transfer to their current camp. Tiurin was arrested for being a son of a kulak. Captain Buinovsky : Ivan Denisovich's bottom bunk neighbor (prisoner S 311), he is a former naval captain who acts as though he is still a captain. Despite being imprisoned unfairly, he remains patriotic to the Communist authorities

Crime and Punishment

2002-06-23T14:00:00-04:00

Setting

This story was written and takes place in 1866 fifty years before the Russian Revolution and during the American Civil War in the ugly slums of St. Petersburg. Anyway, in my eyes the author already fears a failed revolution. He mentions for instance the rejection of religion and he uncovers the play of the secret police

Major Characters

Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov: The main character of the story. He conceives a theory that he is an extraordinary man and can neglect all laws. He kills a woman to prove this and spends the whole book rationalizing the theory. Porfiry Petrovitch: The uncle of Razumihin A seasoned and clever police inspector who suspects Raskolnikov and guesses his motive, also the head of the investigation Sonia (Sofya Semyonovna) Marmeladov: Marmeladov's eldest daughter who is forced into prostitution to support the family. She eventually falls in love with Raskolnikov Arkady Ivanovitch Svidrigailov: Former employer of Raskolnikov's sister, Dounia. He is an evil, evil man.

Plot

The story is essentially a human insight and an in depth character study. Despite a cruel environment and exciting investigations Raskolnikovs complex character stands on trial. In addition two major events mark a turning point in Raskolnikovs character - first his murder and secondly at the end the win of his conscience over his superior theory.

Theme

The "Crime and Punishment" is both a powerful psychological study, a fascinating detective thriller and a terrifying murder mystery. Here Raskolnikov, a poor dropout student living in the slums of St. Petersburg, murders an old woman and finally falls into a mental prison of persecution, physical madness and terror - his punishment.

How the main characters and perhaps the setting contribute to revealing and establishing the theme

A young Russian student, Raskolnikov, believes himself to be an extraordinary man--one who has the 'right' to commit and crime. In order to prove his stupid theory correct, Raskolnikov 'needs' to murder the old pawnbroker and her innocent sister. Immediately following the crime, the guilt strikes and poor Raskolnikov becomes ill. Upon recovery, he finds an old school acquaintance, Razumihin, who might be the only non-male-jerk of the whole story. Meanwhile, Raskolnikov is visited by Luzhin, who is engaged to Raskolnikov's sister Dounia. Luzhin, being the male chauvanist pig that he is, is merely marrying Dounia to prove his manly nature and ability to dominate the female species. As soon as Raskolnikov can walk he takes a little stroll to the police station where he practically

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

2002-06-23T14:00:00-04:00

In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Coleridge tells an exciting tale of a man’s sin against nature and his repentance and reconciliation. Coleridge describes the nature of each phase of the Mariner’s sin through out the tale. The tale goes through many different atmospheres as it tells about the Mariner’s crime and punishment. At first everything seemed to be very normal and pleasant. The ship was cheered on as it took off from the harbor and out to sea they went. The ship sailed on southward till it reached the line. The ship sailed with good wind and fair weather. Everything seemed perfect as the sun came up from the left. The story suddenly changes as a storm drives the ship towards the South Pole. “With sloping masts and dipping prow, As who pursued with yell and blow Still treads the shadow of his foe, And forward bends his head, The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, And southward aye we fled.” They ended up in a land of ice, where no living thing was seen. There was ice everywhere surrounding the ship. It looked as if there was little chance for survival. Then, out of know where a great seabird, called the Albatross, appeared through the fog, and brought the seamen hope. “At length did cross and Albatross Through the fog it came; As if it had been a Christian soul We hailed it in God’s name.” The Albatross was proven to be of good omen and followed the ship as it returned northward through the fog and ice. Then, out of he blue, the Mariner shoots down the Albatross with his crossbow. The shipmates cry out against the ancient Mariner, for killing the bird of good omen. The fair breeze continued till it reached the line then it suddenly becalmed. “Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, ‘Twas sad as sad could be; And we did speak only to break The silence of the sea!” The atmosphere has changed as Coleridge tells about the sun be bloody and the Albatross began to avenge. The seamen hang the dead Albatross around the Mariners neck and blame everything on him. “Ah! well-a-day! what evil looks Had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung. Because of the drought many seamen died from dehydration. As the seamen lay dieing they curse at the ancient Mariner. “One after one, by the star-dogged Moon, Too quick for groan or sigh, Each turned

The Prince - Power Over the People

2002-06-16T14:00:00-04:00

Machiavelle’s work focuses on the conceptions of morality and political behavior. In relationship to the political affairs he discusses two distinct groups of people. While discussing the two groups of people, including the political elite and the general public, his work is challenged by the paradigms of moral thinking. In the United States today, the first group, the political elite, includes political leaders, religious leaders, business leaders and the leaders of strong lobbying groups. The composition of the general public has changed little from Machiavelli's time. Machiavelli concentrates on relations between the prince and the political elite. He claims that ambition and dictatorial power drive most nobles and princes. A prince must act with dictatorial power in order to maintain his position. Machiavelli assumes that shared power will not be effective with nobles, since "whether men bear affection depends on themselves, but whether they are afraid will depend on what the ruler does" (Machiavelli, p.60-61). Since the nobles are unforgiving and greedy it would be dangerous if not downright suicidal for a prince to rely on their good will. Equally important, Machiavelli states that a prince, a political leader, has different concerns than the general public. For a prince personal actions, which would be considered immoral or unvirtuous, may save lives or help the prince's country. In this way a prince is not immoral, but instead acts with a morality different in nature from the general public. Machiavelli gives several examples of this. Miserliness is considered a fault. Yet, a miserly prince "will come to be considered more generous when it is realized that his revenues are sufficient to defend himself against enemies that attack him, and to undertake campaigns without imposing special taxes on the people" (p.56). Likewise, starting a war is considered an immoral act by many. Yet, a prince should not allow troubles "to develop in order to avoid fighting a war for wars can not really be avoided, but are merely postponed to the advantage of others" (p.11). Avoiding war may cause more suffering among the people than starting war. For example, many believe that World War II could have been avoided, saving tens of millions of lives, had England and France not pursued a policy of appeasement towards the Germans. While Machiavelli emphasizes power over in relations to the political elite, he discusses a different kind of power in the relations between a prince and the general

Written Law Vs. Unwritten Law in Antigone

2002-06-16T14:00:00-04:00

In the play Antigone there is quite a difference in opinion to whether Antigone’s actions to go against “Human” Law or in other words “Governed” Law was justifiable. Is there a line we can cross when it comes to set laws? Antigone sure thought so. Or was Antigone fighting for her rights as a women to do as she pleased, or was she doing what was best for her brother, "I intend to give my brother burial. I'll be glad to die in the attempt, -if it's a crime, then it's a crime that God commands" (Sophocles 4). Many believe that she was doing a little of all, not only was Antigone in a way acting out of a feminist position but was acting as a freedom fighter for her people. In the play Antigone justifies her actions, and faces the consequences put before her. By standing for her beliefs, she portrays to the reader that she is a strong women who is acting out of courage for herself and her people. As displayed in “Antigone” she "Takes into consideration death and the reality that may be beyond death" (Hathorn 59), and feels there is a common duty owed to her brother and her people. The concept of unwritten laws can be best described as laws set by God. The laws set forth by God involve morals and beliefs that are presented by God. The idea of unwritten or divine law is described as being the “unwritten laws of the Gods” (Sophocles 64). Unwritten laws or divine laws are indefinitely in effect when morals, or decisions of what is right and what is wrong is apparent, it is mainly in effect when moral decisions must be made. The concept of unwritten laws are not only used in the process of making decisions but is used in everyday actions of people. Most base what is morally “right” on the law of God, on the other hand what is morally “wrong” is thought to be against what God’s laws state. The concept of unwritten law or moral law does not apply to everyone, because in reality not everyone believes in God. Many tend to be skeptical of moral laws or unwritten laws because there is always that question as to if they are actually upheld. Written law is the type of law that is set up to govern the land and the community, for

Dora: The Effect of Oppression

2002-06-16T14:00:00-04:00

In Freud’s Dora, it is apparent in the case study of Dora, oppression has quite an effect on Dora . The act of oppression is no stranger, the act of Oppression is argued in Paulo Fiere, “The Banking Concept” as well. The actions of Freud are very similar to Paulo Fiere’s views of the “oppressive teacher” . The actions of Freud coincide with the actions of the “oppressive teacher”. Even though Freud is not a teacher he tries to apply his beliefs to Dora, because he feels his way is the right way. He tries to make her believe things that are not necessarily her beliefs. In a way he makes her feel confused and not to sure of what she believes. This is very similar to the beliefs of the oppressive teacher who believes that the student is only there to collect knowledge from them and not bestow their prior knowledge to anyone. Toril Moi the author of “Representation of Patriarchy: Sexuality and Epistemology in Freud’s Dora” , agree’s that Freud was an oppressor towards Dora and does not help her situation, in fact he is the first one who mentions the work he did with Dora was a failure. The case study of Dora preformed by Freud focuses on the problem of hysteria in Dora’s life. When Dora’s parents found a suicide note from her they decided to send her to Freud for treatment, obviously she got a little more than she bargained for. It was clear that Dora’s psychological problems are definitely related to her social background. She is not very confident and not to sure of her actions, all while being under great pressure trying to lead a normal life. Dora’s Hysteria can be clearly linked to her lack of Independence which in turn leads her to live a very sheltered life. The purpose that Dora holds to her father is for sick and unusual reasons, she is clearly being used to help her father obtain his mistress, he wants to use her as a gift to his mistress’s husband. Dora obviously feels that her father only wants to send her to treatment because he wants her to be cured. In other words for her to give herself up to further his sick relationship. It is obvious throughout Freud’s analysis that it was leading to a failure, he would agree. The problem lies within the “Oppressor” ,a.k.a.

Panopticism

2002-06-16T14:00:00-04:00

In "Panopticism" Michel Foucault describes the "practices of investigation" which in turn gave rise to a society that was under constant surveillance. Soon the society became a "disciplinary" society. Michel Foucault explains the study and effect of "Panopticism" which gave rise to many social sciences, which included sciences of man, or human behavior. It is evident that the effect of "Panopticism" had a great psychological effect on the disciplined society. Why would a society that encouraged discipline and surveillance also promote the growth of a psychological effect on their society? Psychology is the science that deals with the mental processes and behavior of an individual. Psychology determines the emotional and behavioral characteristics of an individual, group, or activity. A psychological effect can also be described as an action or argument that is used to manipulate ones mind , and to cause an individual to "be on their toes" at all times. The use of surveillance from the middle ages to the present has not changed much. Of course the tools used to create a disciplined society has changed greatly, but the effect remains the same. Michel Foucault explains in "Panopticism" the "practices of investigation" at the end of the Middle Ages gave rise to scientific inquiry. Undoubtedly scientific inquiry was responsible for Galileo to verify that our planet revolves around the sun. Michel Foucault also explains "our society is one not of spectacle but of surveillance". He merely is saying that the society is not on display for entertainment purposes but the actions of the society are on display to encourage discipline and to promote a psychological barrier that may reduce the negativity in the society. In today's society we use the approach of surveillance more than ever before. Where ever you go you see a camera or some type of surveillance security mechanism. On the streets, there are "red light" cameras in the stores there are security cameras even in the dressing rooms there are anti-theft cameras, all help to conform our present society into a "disciplined" society. Much like Michel Foucault's description of the "Panopticon", the same psychological effect is taken on our present society. The psychological effect is what the government and other leaders want. Once a citizen of a particular group or society is manipulated into believing that they are being watched, nine times out of ten the citizen will not act in a negative manner.

Rousseau and Hobbes

2002-06-15T14:00:00-04:00

Rousseau and Hobbes each had philosophies, but they differed. Their philosophies can be related to and proven by the story Billy Budd, by Herman Melville. Certain characters in this story exemplify the characteristics related with the philosophies of both philosophers. Rousseau was a Swiss philosopher who lived from 1712 to 1778. He thought humans were naturally good, but are corrupted by society, and therefore humans should not be in society, but in small groups in nature. This relates to Billy Budd because Billy Budd was naturally good, but he was “corrupted” by society (mostly Claggart) and committed evil deeds. Verre also is a good person, and is not corrupted by society, but influenced by it. Verre did not turn bad, but he had to follow the laws of society, and go against his feelings, which in this case were good, and the law was bad. Now Verre has done something bad because of society and its laws. Those are some examples of how society can turn a naturally good human into a human who does bad things. Hobbes was an English philosopher who thought humans were naturally bad but the laws of society kept them in order. This could be true for some people, but not for all. Claggart, for example, was a bad person, naturally evil, but followed the laws and rules society made which kept him in order. Claggart followed the laws on he ship, but was indeed evil. He played tricks with Billy Budd’s head, and lied to get him in trouble. These deeds showed that Claggart was a bad person, but he did not do outrageously bad things because of the laws society made, and the consequences that came with breaking those laws. That is how evil people survive in society. I think Melville thought people can be both good and bad, and society can corrupt them or keep them in order. I think this because of the characters Melville put in his story, and the things they did. Billy was a good person who was shoddily influenced by society. Claggart was a naturally bad person who was kept in line by the laws society made. I think Verre was a good person. He corrected the bad, and promoted the good. In this case he was a judging human who was on a higher level in society. So in this story, there are the good, the

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

2002-06-15T14:00:00-04:00

People who thinks of Thornton Wilder primarily in terms of his classic novella "Our Town," The Bridge of San Luis Rey will seem like quite a switch. For one thing, he has switched countries; instead of middle America, he deals here with Peru. He has switched eras, moving from the twentieth century back to the eighteenth. He has also dealt with a much broader society than he did in "Our Town," representing the lower classes and the aristocracy with equal ease. But despite these differences, his theme is much the same; life is short, our expectations can be snuffed out with the snap of a finger, and in the end all that remains of us is those we have loved. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, begins by describing the quest of a Franciscan monk, Brother Juniper, to figure out why some people’s lives are cut short while others, apparently less deserving of life, live well into their eighties and nineties. He has happened to witness a terrible accident (the sudden collapse of a national landmark, the Bridge of San Luis Rey) which five people were crossing at the time of the disaster. All five were killed instantly: a little boy, a young girl, a wealthy old woman, an old man, and a youth. Brother Juniper is shocked into a metaphysical thought: "If there were any pattern in the universe at all, any plan in a human life, surely it could be discovered mysteriously latent in those lives so suddenly cut off. Either we live by accident and die by accident, or we live by plan and die by plan. And in that instant Brother Juniper made the resolve to inquire into the secret lives of those five persons, that moment falling through the air, and to surprise the reason of their taking off" (Wilder, 7) This is the wonderful premise behind Wilder’s examination of the connected lives of these five people. Several of them never actually meet, any more than we "meet" people with whom we happen to ride an elevator but, each of them knows someone who knows one of the other victims. Wilder goes on to clear up the stories of their lives, devoting a chapter to each of the major characters: The old woman, The Marquesa; The young man, Esteban; and the old man, Uncle Pio. (The other two victims, the young maid Pepita and the child

A Comparison between 1984 and Animal Farm with regards to Totalitarianism

2002-06-13T14:00:00-04:00

George Orwell: The Callous Nature of Totalitarianism

The establishment of an elite power in a society produces feelings of hopelessness and fear. George Orwell, a world-renowned poet and author is known for his politically influenced works regarding socialism. In Animal Farm, Orwell creates a satire based on the communist regime in Russia from 1917–1943. The animals seeking freedom under their liberators the Pigs’, revolt against their oppressive owner, Farmer Jones. Ironically, after the revolution the Pigs’, lead by Napoleon become the oppressors. Orwell’s most influential novel Nineteen Eighty-Four describes a society under totalitarian control. The dictatorship of Big Brother and his Party in Oceania rule over the population with rigid laws and a distinct hierarchy of social position. Winston Smith, a blue-collar Outer Party member is secretly discontent with his life. When he begins to rebel against the Party he is found out, brutally forced to rehabilitate and required to conform to their ideals. In both novels, the authorities use their power to gain their own prestige at the expense of others; the government control of the population, poor treatment of the working class and the disallowance of basic needs illustrate the destructiveness of totalitarian government. The government control of the population on Animal Farm is manipulative and brutal. For instance, the Pigs’ use songs to control the thoughts of the other animals. The Pigs’ teach, “all the humbler animals…the maxim FOUR LEGS GOOD, TWO LEGS BAD…the sheep developed a great liking for the maxim and would start bleating…for hours on end” (Orwell a 22). Initially, the Pigs’ lead all the animals to believe that anything on four legs is a friend and anything on two, namely humans are the enemy. However, later on when the Pigs’ gain more power, they inform the animals that they will start trading with humans and change the song to, “Four legs good, two legs better…by the time the sheep had quieted down the chance to utter any protest had passed” (Orwell a 89). The animals are angry that the Pigs’ want to start trading with the supposed enemy but the Pigs’ take advantage of the stupidity of the sheep and use their over whelming singing and bleating to drown out any opposition. The Pigs’ use songs to negatively influence the thoughts of the other animals. Moreover, the Pigs’ establish basic slogans that are the basis of the original rebellion against Farmer Jones. These seven

A Comparison of the marriage of Tom and Daisy Buchanan (The Great Gatsby) with Willy and Linda Lowm

2002-06-13T14:00:00-04:00

The Common Faults of Marriages

Many marriages endure hardships and often result in destruction. In the literary work The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the material wealth experienced by the upper class during the Roaring Twenties. In particular, Fitzgerald depicts the lives of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, a rich married couple who live a luxurious and carefree lifestyle. Unfortunately, their lack of responsibility ultimately results in the destruction of their marriage and of those around them. In contrast, “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller illustrates the lives of a poor and hardworking couple named Willy and Linda Lowman. Miller focuses on the adversity of the middle class after World War II; he expresses the harsh realities experienced when achieving the American Dream. Like many couples, they make many wrong decisions that cause negative repercussions within their marriages. The existence of destruction in their relationships is apparent in the element of faithfulness, the display of mutual respect for one another and the style of parenting. The element of faithfulness in the marriage of Tom and Daisy Buchanan is non-existent. For instance, the couple is simply committed to the idea of matrimony and not to the person in which they are wedded. Nick Carraway observes that, Daisy and Tom were sitting opposite each other at the kitchen table…He was talking intently across the table at her, and in his earnestness his hand had fallen upon and covered her own. Once in a while, she looked up at him and nodded in agreement. They weren’t happy…and yet they weren’t unhappy either. (Fitzgerald 138) Tom is indifferent to his spouse as is she to him. They only show affection towards one another because they feel it is their duty as a married couple. Furthermore, Daisy is easily persuaded by her lover Jay Gatsby into leaving her husband. During the argument that ensues at the hotel, Gatsby notifies Tom that Daisy will be under his care from that point onward. After much encouragement, Daisy abandons Tom by saying, “I never loved him” (Fitzgerald 126). A woman who is truly committed to her husband does not publicly condemn him. Moreover, Tom is openly unfaithful to his wife, which is illustrated when Tom stops at Wilson’s garage before going into town. Tom casually tells Nick, “‘we’re getting off…I want you to meet my girl’” (Fitzgerald 27). A man who values his marriage does not shame himself by

Hard Times - The Theme of the Utilitarianism

2002-06-12T14:00:00-04:00

Historical Background

The late 18th and early 19th centuries were an era of great change in Europe. The Industrial revolution happened in many countries, but was initially focused on Britain. The Industrial Revolution centered on the production of iron and the steam engine. Later, railways and increasingly mechanized forms of manufacturing would develop. The urban population increased rapidly and cities were transformed into centers of industrial production. They became overcrowded, as people moved from rural areas. A combination of coal-fired stoves and poor sanitation made the air heavy and foul-smelling. Immense amounts of raw sewage was dumped straight into the Thames River in London. Even Royals were not immune from the stench - when Queen Victoria occupied Buckingham Palace her apartments were ventilated through the common sewers, a fact that was not disclosed until some 40 years later. For all the economic expansion of the Industrial Revolution, living conditions among many of the workers and the poor were appalling. Children as young as five were often set to work begging or sweeping chimneys. It was not uncommon for employers to use children as cheap labour. For some women, industrialisation meant independence, but for the majority, it meant the necessity of being employed and enduring the hardships of dreadful working conditions. Women were often subjugated. Even though their productive efficiency was only slightly lower than that of men (especially with the invention of machines), their wages were often only one third of that earned by men. Men assumed superiority over women. The working and living conditions were often atrocious. Working days were long, and wages low, as employers often exploited their workers and increased their profits by lowering the cost of production by paying meagre wages and neglecting pollution control. Safety measures were often ignored and workers were put out of jobs by the introduction of machines that created a surplus of labour. The rate of accidents was very high. A handicapped worker was doomed to extreme poverty, as there were no social security or insurance payments. The New Poor Law of 1834 was based on the "principle of less eligibility," which stipulated that the condition of the "able-bodied pauper" on relief (it did not apply to the sick, aged, or children) be less "eligible"—that is, less desirable, less favorable—than the condition of the independent laborer. This reasoning was absolutely correct from the scientific and the Utilitarian point of view, but it rejected any

True human Nature - symbols

2002-06-08T14:00:00-04:00

The central theme in the novel Lord of The Flies, by William Golding, is that all mankind is inherently savage and the only aspect suppressing man’s primitive behavior is the moral influences of civilization. It is society that holds everyone together, and when rules, values, and consensus of right and wrong are absent, a moral surrounding no longer influences one’s actions. Thus, values, reason, and the basic understanding of morality are lost, and the true essence of human nature is revealed. The regression from a civilized society to savagery is portrayed through Golding’s characters and symbolized by the downfall of the conch, the extinguishing of the fire, and the concealing use of face paint. Through the symbol of the conch, the importance of stability, order, and civilization are established. When the boys first arrived on the island the conch was used to summon and unite the boys in order to form a civilization. The conch also serves as a regulator of democracy, “ We’ll have to have hands up, like at school… then I’ll give them the conch [to speak]” (Golding 31) said Ralph. This universal understanding that everyone would follow and respect the rules of the conch allowed every individual to speak his mind and to be a functioning member of society. However, as time progressed the mutual respect for authority and the power of the conch began to diminish. The assembly began to disrespect the conch’s possessor and the rules of their society began to falter. “As Piggy stood on the platform, the white conch gripped in his hands…” (141), the conch that was once vibrant in color and importance, was now faded and irrelevant. As the walls of civilized society crumbled, the boys gave into their animal desires and disregarded the only element of order apparent on the island. The symbol of order and civilization continued to lose its value as Jack mocked its importance. “The sound of the inexpertly blown conch interrupted them. As though he were serenading the rising sun, Jack went on blowing till the shelters were astir,” (125). This furthermore shows the lack of respect for rules and civilization. Finally, when “the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist,” (193) it symbolized the end of moral civilization and authority. All of the strict rules, values, and morals of their previous lives were lost along with the destruction of the conch;

Heroic distinctions of Odysseus

2002-06-07T14:00:00-04:00

The heroes of the Greeks were an intricate part of society. After the gods and demi-gods of Greece, the heroes were extremely revered by the people. One hero in particular has distinguished himself from the rest through his quest and adventures. That hero is Odysseus. Odysseus displays the necessary qualities to be honored as a hero, but also has distinguishing traits that set him apart from the rest. In order to describe the traits that contrast Odysseus from the customary Greek hero, it is first necessary to define what a hero was in those days and then to illustrate the similarities Odysseus shared with them. Upon such disclosure, the true character and distinction of Odysseus will be better known. According to mythology and legend, a hero is defined as a man or a woman, often of divine ancestry, who is gifted with great courage and strength, celebrated for his or her bold exploits, and favored by the gods. On that same note, Fee states that “The hero’s stature and divine purpose is initially established by his miraculous conception, birth, and initiation. Often the hero is conceived by or watched over by a god or other superhuman creature, and the genesis of the hero almost always has supernatural qualities that mark it as special.” (Fee, p. 119) Some heroes that have been helped or favored by the gods are Agamemnon, Achilles, Heracles, Theseus, Jason, and of course, Odysseus. Agamemnon was a great king who led the Greeks in the Trojan War. In this quest, he had the support of almost all of the Olympian gods and their eagerness to help. He also rallied other heroes, such as Achilles and Odysseus, to fight with him. Hera was the most significant of the gods to help the war efforts, as well Dionysos. Next was Achilles, who was also helped by Hera, and by Athena, who strongly suggested that Achilles not kill Agamemnon in rage. Most significantly, Achilles had the great support of his mother, Thetis. She would often solicit the help of other gods, namely Zeus, on behalf of her beloved son. She even tried to make Achilles immortal by dipping him into the river Styx, but could not cover his heel. This prompted her to seek the help of Hephaestos, who made impeccable, protective armor for her dear son. Heracles is a hero whose main aid came from Zeus, his father, and Athena,

The English Patient

2002-06-05T14:00:00-04:00

In Michael Ondaatje’s novel The English Patient, the author demonstrates how dreadful the time of the war was. He proves that the victims were all subject to extreme suffering, torture and even abuse by weapons of the time period of World War 2. Suffering is seen in many parts of the novel and truly represents what life during World War 2 was really like. Suffering is best known to man as to undergo, experience, or be subjected to pain, loss, grief, defeat, etc. In the novel suffering was compared by the author from World War 2 and the characters. The main character who was the English patient suffered the most out of everyone due to the fact that he was burnt all over his body and was not able to do or feel anything. The English patient was nursed back to health by a kind loving woman who suffered as much as he did. The nurses suffered from shell shock in the novel as in the nurses from World War 2. “Nurses too become shell - shocked from the dying around them. They would carry a severed arm down a hall, or swab at blood that never stopped, as if the wound were a well, and they began to believe in nothing, trusted nothing” (The English Patient, 41) The nurses from the novel became shell-shocked from the dying around them, they were beginning to go crazy because everyone was bleeding, they had no hope to live anymore, and they were suffering due to soldiers dieing. This compares to World War 2 because medical services went through the same thing. “Battle exhaustion, the Second World War equivalent of the “shell shock” of the Great War or today’s Combat Stress Reaction, had been a major problem for all three Allied armies in Italy, and the medical services were well prepared to deal with it in Normandy.” (Harris, 34) The allied armies in Italy suffered from shell shock from the nurses that were helping soldiers from dying. The military nurses were very much involved in the turmoil that was going on during the war. Not to mention that nurses were also imprisoned and taken advantage of. This expresses how suffering was obtained through out the war and related towards the novel. Torture was expressed through out the whole novel by Ondaatje with the English patient and his burns. Michael Ondaatje expresses how torture is related from the novel

The Great Gatsby - Nick analysis

2002-06-04T14:00:00-04:00

The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of Jay Gatsby, as Nick Carraway perceives him. Nick has a special place in this story. He is not just one character among several; it is through his eyes and ears that the story takes place. In this novel, Nick goes to some length to establish his credibility in telling the story about this "great" man called Gatsby. For example, “He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant.” This is part of Nick's first close examination of Gatsby's character and appearance. This description of Gatsby's smile shows both the quality of Gatsby's character and his charisma. Also, it shows the appearance in which Gatsby appears to the outside world. Nick perceives Gatsby as mysterious and for this attractive reason Nick is drawn to Gatsby’s flashy parties. Initially, Fitzgerald presents Gatsby as the host of the unbelievably parties thrown every week at his mansion. He appears surrounded by luxury and wealth, courted by powerful men and beautiful women. He is the subject of gossips throughout New York and is a kind of mysterious celebrity before he is ever introduced formally to Nick. In addition, “I am the son of some wealthy people in the middle-west – all dead know. I was brought up in America but educated in Oxford.” Though at first mysterious, Gatsby intentions and motives and even his life are revealed as the novel unfolds. Gatsby has literally created his own character, even changing his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby to represent himself. As his quest for Daisy demonstrates, Gatsby has an extraordinary ability to transform his hopes and dreams into reality; at the beginning of the novel, he appears to the reader just as he desires to appear to the world. This talent of creating himself is what gives Gatsby his quality of "greatness". Nick admires Gatsby's optimism, capacity to dream, and ability to live as if the dream were to come true, and it is this that clouds his judgment on Gatsby and obscures our comprehension on the reality of Gatsby. Furthermore, "Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest

Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver

2002-06-04T14:00:00-04:00

In the books Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver’s Travels, the characters are portrayed as resemble characters, being capable of clear thought during tense and troubled times. Also they are both related with shipwreck, but they are able to go on. This quality posses within Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver is a result of the author's background and knowledge. The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe written by Daniel Defoe tells the story of Robinson Crusoe, a young man who disobeys the advice of his father about the value of religion and instead searches for adventure, ultimately getting himself on a deserted island. The narrative gives a detailed account of Crusoe's efforts to survive that allows him to see the truth and search God. After being on the island for several years Crusoe learns to adapt to his surroundings and lives with what he has. For example, “ I was cast on shore in this island, so that my wicked and solitary life began”. Shows that Crusoe is the only survivor of the shipwreck and he alone has to overcome the many obstacles that are in the island, just like Gulliver. These obstacles for Crusoe are cloth, food, and shelter. Crusoe manages to overcome all this obstacles by his deep desire to go on and not giving up because what keeps him alive was the desire to have control over his own life because he had lost the control of everything except that. So the desire to have control over his life gives him the sense to continue breathing. In addition, “ Thus we never see the true state of our condition till it is illustrated to us by its contraries, nor know how to value what we enjoy but by the want of it.” Shows the great value that Crusoe finds in that island because for him the island is his home and he prefers to be in the island than to be lost in the wide ocean. He refers to the desolate, solitary island as the most pleasant place in the world for him. Furthermore, “ Years later he discovers a footprint on the beach and he got scare that is not his.” Robinson Crusoe survives on his island and adapts very well to his surroundings that he becomes totally enraged with the thought of another human on the island because he thought there were cannibals. So he prepares his house for war, he is

Orwell's message in Animal Farm

2002-06-02T14:00:00-04:00

In many of Orwell’s works, we can see some marks from his real life or the events of his era. To understand the influences on his works we should look at his life beginning from his childhood. Orwell says that he was a lonely child and unpopular at school, and “knew that he had a facility with words and a power of facing unpleasant facts, which created a sort of private world where he could get his own back for his failure in everyday life.” After reading Milton’s Paradise Lost he decides what kind of books he want to write as he says in his work Why I Write “I wanted to write enormous naturalistic novels with unhappy endings, full of detailed descriptions and arresting similes, and also full of purple passages in which words were used partly for the sake of their own sound. And in fact my first completed novel, Burmese Days, which I wrote when I was thirty but projected much earlier, is rather that kind of book.” According to Orwell, there are four great motives for writing apart from the need to earn a living, the proportions of which vary from time to time in any writer, according to the circumstances of his time. He lists these motives like this:

“Sheer egoism. Desire to seem clever, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to get your own back on the grown-ups who snubbed you in childhood, etc., etc
Aesthetic enthusiasm. Perception of beauty in the external world, or, on the other hand, in words and their right arrangement.
Historical impulse. Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.
Political purpose. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples' idea of the kind of society that they should strive after.”

Of these, the first three have a stronger influence than the fourth one, which means he does not write in order to change people’s minds and shape the politics of the world. He writes because he sees some errors and wants to express them, "I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing.” Rhodri Williams explains Orwell’s aim in writing with “his political views, which were shaped by his

Going After Cacciato

2002-06-01T14:00:00-04:00

It is generally recognized that Tim O’Brien’s Going After Cacciato (1978) is most likely the best novel of the Vietnam war, albeit an unusual one in that it innovatively combines the experiential realism of war with surrealism, primarily through the overactive imagination of the protagonist, Spec Four Paul Berlin. The first chapter of this novel is of more than usual importance. Designed to be a self-sufficient story (McCaffery 137) and often anthologized as one, this chapter is crucial to the novel in that it not only introduces us to the characters and the situation but also sets the tenor of the novel and reveals its author’s view of this war in relation to which all else in the novel must be judged. In chapter 1, the plot of the entire novel is defined: A very young soldier named Cacciato deserts, intending to walk to Paris by land. As his squad follows under orders to capture him, Paul Berlin begins his fascinating mind-journey of “going after Cacciato,” of escape from, and later a reexamination of, the reality of war. But what is defined first, in the first two pages to be exact, is this war’s reality and its cost to the young American soldiers involved. These pages list for us those who have died, in action and otherwise, and those who have been maimed, at times through self-injury, underscoring the urgency of the desire to live. These pages also vividly delineate for us the daily miseries and sufferings of the Vietnam war, from rain and mud to disease and rotting flesh, from monotony and fear to a profound sense of futility. As Paul Berlin narrates, “It was a bad time” (O’Brien 1). And the young soldiers undergo all of this while being “led” by an ill, alcoholic, misanthropic lieutenant who cannot even remember who among his young charges is whom, or who is dead or alive. One thing that the book misses, however, is the same suffering, perhaps even worse, that was imposed upon the Vietnamese people. This is typical of novels from this time; they all exhibit a bold ethnocentrism (Lomperis 5). However, the first chapter does contain one very powerful image of destruction from the Vietnamese viewpoint, which helps to make this somber portrait of the Vietnam War more complete. We are told that Berlin and his squad are taking refuge inside a nearly ruined Buddhist pagoda: ...in shadows

Fire in the Lake

2002-06-01T14:00:00-04:00

Fire in the Lake By Gerard Chretien English:Vietnam 2002 Prof:Morgan Shulz Twenty-eight years after publication, and 25 after the war's end, Fire in the Lake remains one of the very best books on the Viet Nam war. Sadly, Americans are woefully ignorant of the rest of the world. We have little real knowledge of our own history; but for the rest of the world's history and culture, we have neither knowledge nor regard. We do not even do the Vietnamese people the courtesy of respecting the name of their country--Viet Nam, not Vietnam; Sai Gon, not Saigon. Fitzgerald helps to correct some of this ignorance and arrogance. She begins examining the U.S. in Viet Nam from the perspective of Vietnamese history and culture; and in the process, demonstrating the tenacity and courage of the Vietnamese people, as well as their determination to rid themselves of any foreign invaders, even if, as with the Chinese, it takes 1,000 years. Another great strength of Fitzgerald’s book is, with her attention to Viet Nam's history and culture and their 20th century struggle against the French, she demonstrates, in an almost matter of fact way, a fundamental tenant of U.S. foreign policy which has been repeated numerous times in the post World War II era. That central tenant is to support thugs over patriots, to elevate to power those who will sell out their people for 30 pieces of silver rather than work with those committed to the well being of their people. Ho Chi Minh was our ally during WWII; his hero was Thomas Jefferson, not Karl Marx or Stalin. He was very pro-American; yet he was a nationalist and a patriot first, which meant, from the perspective of the U.S., he was not only unreliable, but someone who had to be destroyed. And though Fitzgerald does not carry her analysis beyond Viet Nam, an informed or a curious reader quickly can draw the parallels between U.S. policy in Viet Nam and U.S. policy in Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific rim (Indonesia specifically), South America, the Caribbean, and most obvious of all, Central America. Thus Fitzgerald gives us not only the means of understanding the war in Viet Nam, and why we were doomed to lose, but also a point of departure for understanding the travesty of U.S. foreign policy for the last 100 years. Simply stated, the United States is an (economic) empire which

Insight to Quiet American

2002-06-01T14:00:00-04:00

For those who haven’t read the book, its both an odd love story and a metaphor for American involvement in Vietnam. The hero, Fowler is a washed up, middle aged, English war correspondent, content with his opium pipe and his Vietnamese mistress, Phuong. His world is gradually disrupted by the arrival of an American covert operative named Pyle who is both a zealous ideologue and naïve optimists. Things get complicated when Pyle steals Phuong away from Fowler, yet attempts to remain friends with him. The normally indifferent Fowler soon becomes morally repulsed by Pyle’s seemingly well intended terrorists activities, and gradually becomes politically involved. By the time

Dog Soldiers

2002-06-01T14:00:00-04:00

Dog Soldiers is a story laced with despair, paranoia, and several other not so fuzzy moods, and this quote from the main character elegantly demonstrates this mood. The tone of the book was a point of interest and displeasure for me, since this was one of my first experiences with total negativity, it was a fun struggle for me to understand the point or the necessity of such an angry mood. At the same time it made me very uncomfortable, sometimes to the point where I would have to stop reading for the day. There is a constant stream of action in this story, which makes it rather difficult to process what's going on as it happens. The story rarely drags and it is written so that it feels very real and alive. Slang terms are used often too, which are also hard to understand. But after the first few chapters it seems that most readers are able to get around this and start enjoying the fast paced style in which the book is written. This style also adds to the mood of panic and paranoia that encompass the entire book as Marge, Hicks, and Converse try to flee with their dope. Marge, Hicks, and Converse are the book's three main characters, and as the plot follows first Converse's activities and then moves back and forth between Hicks and Converse, these two main characters develop into very complicated people. Marge's character isn't delved into as much, but it didn't seem to be that she was usually thinking about much besides the next time she could get high. Some of the things Converse and Hicks did or said still baffle me, just like the characters that are a part of my real life. Because all of the characters are so weak and hurt each other with such frequency and carelessness, I found it hard to like them, but I liked the fact that not many stories center on people of such violent natures. I had to read Dog Soldiers for a class, and I'm not sure if I would ever seek out a book of such violent and depressing extremity on my own reading schedule, or even be able to get all the way through it without someone else pushing me along. It was hard to get into the story's angst and intensity, but once I was able to let myself

The Pugilist at Rest

2002-06-01T14:00:00-04:00

Judging from the other reviews, the awards, and multiple accolades Thom Jones's writings, and "The Pugilist at Rest" in particular, have received, I am apparently in quite the minority. But here goes: I found an inherent

Rebel against society

2002-05-20T14:00:00-04:00

In J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye, the novel tries to capture the adolescent life in a hyper-sensitive form, dramatizing Holden Caulfield as the main character who is known to be a “rebel against society.” Holden Caulfield, a seventeen-year-old boy, believes in protecting the innocent. He strongly believes in saving the innocence of children who yet not know adulthood. Especially the innocence of his little sister because he lost his brother who he believes lost his innocence when he died. Holden wants the innocence of children to be frozen behind that glass just like the figures in the exhibit are preserved in the museum where he goes to find his little sister Phoebe. He tries to play the role of a hero trying to protect the citizens (children) from the monster (adult). Holden doesn’t want to grow up yet because he believes that once you grow up, you become “phony”, a word that Holden uses constantly throughout the book in describing adults and people who are prejudice, hypocrites or insincere, but at the same time he is moving to adulthood yet he doesn’t want to except reality. For example, when Holden shows two boys where the Egyptian section in the museum is located, he finds that he is walking down a dark hallway. The two boys are afraid and run back but Holden continues forward. This represents how Holden is moving forward from childhood into adulthood but the two little boys are not yet ready to make such a move. He’s against the adult world in which he forcefully has to live in and that is why he rebels against the adult world, and society. For trying to make children grow up and for all the “phony” things that surround him. Even if it’s friends, parents, adults, etc. Holden Caulfield is portrayed as a typical teenager who rebels against society, parents, teachers, school, and other adults. Trying to be independent and act like an adult, but adults restrict him. Adults tell teenagers what to do and how to act which Holden doesn’t approve of. Holden rejects the ideas and values that the society sets. Adults in society always place a great emphasis on education, but Holden does not think it is important. As a result, he rebels and does not do his work: They kicked me out. I wasn't supposed to come back after Christmas vacation, on account of I

Antigone - Selfish

2002-05-19T14:00:00-04:00

Through the many centuries and numerous civilizations, men have clearly taken the role as dominator. For many generations of men, their names and property pass down to an eligible male member of the family. Those men that favor these hierarchical systems are Patriarchies. Patriarchy refers to a social situation where men are dominant over women in wealth, status and power. Antigone, a Greek tragedy by Sophocles, is a classic example of patriarchy. The drama tells of how a daughter of Oedipus, Antigone, rebels against the civil law of a single man, Creon. Every word and action Antigone makes affects the system of patriarchy. In the tragedy, Antigone egoistically violates Creon’s law, causing her own disrepute downfall. In the beginning Scene, Antigone relates her plans of burying her brother, Polyneices, to her sister. No person was to bury Polyneices for the penalty was a public stoning to death. Ismene, Antigone’s sister, pleads Antigone to refrain from her he plans for they were only women. When Antigone declines her sister’s begging, Ismene claims that she will keep it secret. However, Antigone unkindly informs Ismene that she wants Ismene to tell, “Oh tell it! Tell everyone! Think how they’ll hate you when it comes out…” (1024). Because of Ismene’s refusal to help, Antigone unfairly turns against her own sister. Antigone thought only of her own desires. Antigone’s cruelty sealed Ismene’s fate the moment that she told her. After giving Polyneices a decent burial, Antigone was caught and taken to see Creon. Creon was surprised that a women, let alone Antigone, would break his decree. Creon and Antigone argue back and forth about who is vindicated. Antigone stubbornly would not give into Creon’s reasoning. She was so derogatory, she thought she thought she should be honored, “I should have praise and honor for what I have done. All these men here would praise me…” (1036) Antigone foolishly believed that she could gain the support of the people, but as Antigone herself said, the people were too afraid of the law. Antigone believed she was above the law of man, when the law of man states that she was below them. Antigone was too sure that she would win over the law, but then her plan failed her. Creon sentenced Antigone to imprisonment, to live alone until starvation eventually kill her. After all that Antigone argued for, she contradicted her actions by pleading to be set free.

Crime and punishment: Confession as a path to forgiveness

2002-05-19T14:00:00-04:00

Dostoevsky used confession as a path to forgiveness throughout the novel. From his first thought after the murders to the time that he actually confessed to the crimes. Whether it be from Raskolnikov to Nikolay, the act of confession made then feel better about themselves removing the weight that they had placed upon their shoulders. Confession is to the ordinary man the first step to forgiveness. Through confession, the ordinary man can share his burdens with others. Moreover, let known the dark secrets what he has been harboring, trying desperately to keep away from everyone else. In contrast, the extraordinary man would never have the need to confess his sins. Because he would not have, thought twice about what it was that he did, and therefore would have no need to tell others of his sins. Or even to then that what it was he did were even sins, after all the extraordinary man would have looked at it in the fact that he saved many people from the old “louse” and that he had, because he was extraordinary, the right to kill any one who he though deserved it. In the moments after the crime itself, Raskolnikov considers confessing everything. Only to have the pressure and sickness build up until the need to confess to someone is so great that he cannot contain it anymore. Confession is the one thing that Raskolnikov needs to do through out the novel but cannot. Instead of confessing to the crimes that he committed and suffer punishment from authority, he chooses to try to keep his secret and ended up punishing himself. The first thought of confession first appeared in part one chapter seven when his first thought was to give “up everything, and would have gone to give himself up, and not from fear, but from simple horror and loathing of what he had done. The feeling of loathing especially surged up within him and grew stronger every minute.” (Dostoyevsky 77) This scene starts how to show that Raskolnikov realized that his theory was flawed and that he was in fact not the extraordinary man that he thought that he was. The second thought of confession is when the porter hands him the summons to report to the police station. He completely forgot about how Nastasya had told him about how the landlady was suing for back rent. On his way to the police

Scarlet Letter - Dangers of Hidden Sin

2002-05-15T14:00:00-04:00

Sin is something society has had to deal with since mankind has known evil. In most circumstances, the sin only becomes a problem when it is kept within and manifests into something larger than it was in the first place. Keeping secrets is a detriment to one’s life, which in a larger picture affects a whole society. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, secret sin is a predominant theme, which in this novel leads to changes in both emotional and physical being. In the early days of the Massachusetts colony, they are neither welcoming nor accepting of sin or different ideas and are wary of anything that may topple their pristine atmosphere. Evil should never be kept secret because it always leaves a mark. Hester Prynne hides a significant amount of sin inside of herself, which only adds to sins that have been made an issue of public interest. Committing adultery is Hester’s announced sin, and all her secret sins are results of this one instance. A sin, which is closely related to her sin of adultery, is who the father of Pearl is. She refuses to tell even under extreme pressure, “I will not speak! And my child must seek a heavenly Father; she shall never know an earthly one (47).” We later learn that the father is Arthur Dimmesdale, and these miscommunications cause a barrier between them. Her refusal consequently denies any hope of reconciliation between the two for an extensive period. Hester also conceals that Roger Chillingworth is her husband. This pains her because she must helplessly watch his evil ways take toll on Dimmesdale. However, Chillingworth’s punishment of Dimmesdale goes against he and Hester’s agreement. Hester promised to keep both Chillingworth and Dimmesdale’s identities hidden or Chillingworth would seek out Hester’s secret lover, Dimmesdale, and kill him. Hester causes the townspeople to become forgiving people by her many good deeds; this changes the “A” symbol on her dress to become perceived as a symbol for Angel rather than Adultery. Arthur Dimmesdale lives a life of hidden sin and he changes because of it. He too has a committed adultery, but due to his position in society he does not need to suffer the wrath of society. His sin leads him to torture himself in various ways. This self-torture is something that leads from guilt of keeping secrets, these actions show that Dimmesdale is does feel

Corrupt Romantic Quest

2002-05-15T14:00:00-04:00

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald presents the 1920’s society as delusional. The book is set up to resemble a romantic story. It has a hero, villain, damsel in distress and a chronicler. Gatsby has set out on a Romantic Quest in the story to achieve love and fortune. The book reveals the turmoil that someone with such a delusional dream must face to still be able to believe in his dream. Gatsby’s quest is presented as Romantic but twisted by a decayed and corrupt society. Fitzgerald emphasizes the moral deterioration of the period, which is personified in many characters in the novel. Daisy is the damsel in distress. However, Daisy is corrupt and does not want to be rescued by Gatsby. She is married to the villain, Tom, for his money and social status, and is content staying there. Daisy believes that all women should yearn for a high social class, and not much more, she says about her daughter “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (21). Tom is an upper-class man from Chicago who had “come east in a fashion that rather took your breath away” (10). He has been cheating on Daisy since their honeymoon, when he cheated with one of the chambermaids in Santa Barbara. He is now having an affair with Myrtle, Wilson’s wife who runs the garage in the Valley of Ashes, and is very open about it. Tom is also a hypocrite, he describes society as “going to pieces”(17) while he himself makes self-indulgent actions without thinking of the consequences. Tom’s other fear is of power shifting, he is extremely wary of African Americans and tells Nick, the chronicler, “if we don’t look out the white race will be- will be utterly submerged”(17). Nick is the chronicler in the book and gets placed in the middle of all situations. He is from the Midwest and moved East to “learn the bond business”(7). He always makes the comparison of the purity of the Midwest to the corrupt society of the east. He appears admirable and honest. Nick takes people for who they are after receiving good advice from his father, which told him not to criticize anyone because “all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had”(5). However, he

Sula - Toni Morrison's poetic language

2002-05-12T14:00:00-04:00

According to Aldous Huxley, the life of any epoch can only be synthesised by poets: “Encyclopaedias and guides to knowledge cannot do it, for the good reason that they affect only the intellectual surface of a man’s life. The lower layers, the core of his being, they leave untouched.”1 I like this, particularly the idea of the ‘intellectual surface’ - a mere surface, with much beyond it - and combined with Jacobson’s aforementioned theory, I take this as my starting point: the idea that poetic language is important, that it is there for more than just prettiness, and that Toni Morrison’s use of it in her prose is highly effective. But what exactly is ‘poeticalness’? Jan Mukarovsky has much to say on the matter: The function of poetic language consists in the maximum of foregrounding of the utterance. Foregrounding is the opposite of automatization, that is the more an act is automatized, the less it is consciously executed, the more it is foregrounded, the more completely conscious does it become.2 Mukarovsky’s concept of ‘foregrounding’ simply means that one of the main functions of poetic language is to draw attention to itself, thus engaging our true concentration, rather than allowing us to glide over the words without thinking. Mukarovsky appears to be a Czech formalist, and this idea echoes his Russian counterparts who spoke more generally about the purpose of art. With a quotation from Leo Tolstoy’s Diary, Victor Shklovsky sums it up: “if the whole complex lives of many people go on unconsciously, then such lives are as if they had never been.”3 Art must therefore strive to prevent people from living unconsciously. In doing this, the most important weapons a poet uses are “unusualness, unexpectedness, and uniqueness”.4 Morrison duly uses these weapons on us: her prose is frequently idiosyncratic and unexpected, and indeed, she perhaps best describes the essence of poetry herself when she refers to Sula enabling Nel to “see old things with new eyes” (p. 36). The events of this passage can be summarised roughly thus: Eva enters her son’s bedroom while he is high on heroin (I presume this because of her discovery of the bent spoon on the previous page - p. 45), she embraces him, and resolves to burn him alive. There is a sense of the words in this passage trying to reflect Plum’s heroin reverie - the sensations he feels are intense and mysterious to

Black Hawk Down - Summary of the book as written by Mark Bowden

2002-05-12T14:00:00-04:00

It was mid-afternoon on October 3, 1993. There were approximately 160 men eagerly awaiting the signal to proceed. Matt Eversmann sat waiting in Super Six Seven, a Black Hawk helicopter. He noticed that things were being done differently from the other setups, which had been false. This time they were packing more ammo and the commander had come out to see them off. The troops were being sent in because warlords were allowing their people to starve to death. The world had sent food, and the warlords hoarded it. The world had decided to stop this. Today’s mission was to invade the Habr Gidr clan that was in Mogadishu Somalia. The clan was led by Mohamed Farrah Aidid, but that day’s targets were two of his lieutenants. They were to be arrested and imprisoned with other clan members that had already been captured. At 3:32 P.M. the armada launched. They flew from the coastal airport into the city of Mogadishu. Above the city the men could see the destructions the city had experienced during civil war. Many buildings were demolished and the streets were crumbling. The Black Hawks were down low over the city, and the Little Birds were closing in on the target. Tires burning on the street near the target set alarm. It was a way Somalis signaled trouble and summoned militia. When the Little Birds came down people and cars began to scatter. Some people were gesturing eagerly. The Black Hawks would move in next. People began poring into the streets with weapons. Others were building barricades or lighting fires. The Rangers captured the two targets along with 22 other Somali men on the first floor of the target house. When the Rangers entered the second floor, shots started coming through a window. Rangers on the ground were shooting at their own men. The young Rangers were poorly trained and dangerous. In the streets fire was rapidly exchanging. The Somali men took advantage of the Americans decency and hid behind women and children. The Somalis moved in groups. The Rangers could not single out the ones with weapons. Things had gone pretty well. It was 3:50 P.M. The force would be one their way in ten minutes. The Humvees and trucks waited outside the main gates for the D-boys to wrap up. About this time Black Hawk Super Six One was hit by an RPG. Most of the soldiers saw Super Six One going

Siddhartha: The Teachers of Siddhartha

2002-05-09T14:00:00-04:00

The most important teachers in life don’t have a college degree. They didn‘t obtain a sense of life and morals by years of schooling. These individuals had lived, and have experience to back their words of wisdom. Even one person’s own life experiences can teach him a lot about life! Just like most parents, Siddhartha’s father raised him in a very sheltered environment. In the novel Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, the main character, had many instructors. He wasn‘t taught the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic, he was introduced to a way of life. The most influential mentors in Siddhartha’s life were Kamala “the courtesan”, Vasudeva “the ferryman”, and Siddhartha’s father “the Brahmin”. Before Siddhartha met Kamala all he knew of was “thinking, waiting, and fasting.”(46) He was a simple “Samana from the forest.”(45) Kamala change all of that, she converted Siddhartha from a Samana into a high-powered businessman! Besides directing Siddhartha to “Samsara”(60), Kamala taught him one of the most important things someone can be taught, how to love and be loved in return. With that, she also put him through one of the hardest things in life, a “personal” relationship with the opposite sex. Although Siddhartha could “not really love”(59) Kamala, he still influenced her to change her perspective on life. It was important for Siddhartha to enter “Samsara” because he would have been longing to had he not taken the opportunity when it arose. “May my present path, my new life, start from there!”(82) Siddhartha was speaking of the river. The river gave Siddhartha a tranquil feeling. There he met Vasudeva, “the ferry man”(82). Vasudeva helped Siddhartha to listen to the river, he learned “that the river has very many voices”(88), and that “the voices of all living creatures are in its voice”(88). The river often laughed at Siddhartha. This laughter taught him humility. Vasudeva wasn’t scared to give his noble friend advice from time to time, he helped Siddhartha deal with his disobedient son. Vasudeva was a very serene man, he showed Siddhartha how to let his life flow like the river. “There was something in this reflection that reminded him of something he had forgotten and when he reflected on it, he remembered. His face resembled that of another person, whom he had once, known and love and even feared. It resembled the face of his father, the Brahmin”(107). Siddhartha’s father was the only one who could help

Fanny and Annie

2002-05-07T14:00:00-04:00

Introduction

In this essay I will be discussing whether it is class or not which keeps the two lovers apart or whether it is Fanny’s subconscious. There is a strong possibility that the story is developed around the idea of the conscious and subconscious, as many of D H Lawrence’s short stories develop from Freudian concepts. His wife taught him about Sigmund Freud and since then he was hooked on writing short stories that made you think about your conscious and subconscious, Fanny and Annie is definitely one of them.

Class

However there is no doubt that class does play some part in keeping them apart, as it seems to be connected to her conscious and subconscious minds, with subconscious linking with the working class and her conscious linking with the middle class. There, on the sordid little station under the furnaces, she stood, tall and distinguished, in her well-made coat and skirt and her broad velour hat. She held her umbrella, her bead chatelaine, and a little leather case in her grey-gloved hands, while Harry staggered out of the ugly little train with her bags. -page 97, lines 2-6 This paragraph clearly links Fanny with the middle class with her extravagant accessories, and Harry with the working class with the him carrying her bags out of the ugly little train. Harry is perceived as being like a servant, having to carry the more sophisticated Fanny’s bags. Although this paragraph does show that class does have a part in keeping the couple apart, I think this is only because her subconscious mind links with the working class and her conscious mind links with the middle class. This is clear as we can see Fanny has chosen her image carefully in order to say, “I’m better than you Mr. Working Class”. But we can also see that something has brought her back to Nottinghamshire. This I believe is her subconscious, which is telling her that she is working class and that she loves Harry and belongs in Nottinghamshire. She had come home - for good! Her heart nearly stopped beating as she trudged up and down that hideous interminable hill, beside the laden figure. What a come-down! What a come-down! She could not take it with her usual bright cheerfulness. She knew it all too well. It is easy to bear up against the unusual, but the deadly familiarity of an old stale past! - page 98, lines

The Merchant of Venice

2002-05-06T14:00:00-04:00

“Shylock is the villain in the play. He deserves no mercy.” Discuss with close reference to the Merchant of Venice.

In the play The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, Shylock is the villain. However, there are reasons as to why he does and why he does not deserve mercy. The reasons why he deserves mercy include: the fact that he is only considered the villain because he is a Jew; Antonio deserved mercy, so Shylock should be shown mercy as well; Shylock can’t be blamed for being a villain after all the terrible things that have happened to him; and if the other characters were the genuine Christians that they made themselves out to be, they would show mercy to Shylock and they would not have been so mean to Shylock in the first place. The reasons why Shylock does not deserve mercy are: that he has a truly villainous nature; Shylock refused to show mercy to Antonio, even after Shylock was offered many times the amount of money he actually lent to Antonio; and because Shylock’s bond was against the law, therefore the penalty of the law should be imposed. The first reason why Shylock deserves mercy, is the fact that he is hated because he is a Jew. The other characters’ “hatred” for Shylock is obviously just a mask for their racism, as throughout the play they make their prejudice towards Jews extremely clear, “Certainly, the Jew is the very devil incarnation” is one example. Shylock also explains the reason why he is hated when he says, “He hath disgraced me, and/ hindered me of half a million, laughed at my losses,/ mocked my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my/ bargains, cooled my friends and heated mine enemies; and/ what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Secondly, Antonio foolishly signed Shylock’s bond, entitling Shylock to a pound of Antonio’s flesh if he did not repay Shylock on time, even though Antonio had not read and considered it carefully “..lend it rather tho thine enemy;/ Who if he break, thou may’st with better face/ Exact the penalty.”. This shows that Antonio did not fully believe that he would have to pay the forfeit. However, when he failed to repay the bond, he was shown mercy, as he was not made to give Shylock a pound of his flesh, as the bond demanded. Since Antonio was shown mercy for his foolish

The Old Man and the Sea and Islands in the Stream with Tom Hudson - Hemingway Hero

2002-05-06T14:00:00-04:00

As individuals grow older, they learn to live by a set of codes, which make up the person’s characteristics. This code of conduct could come from a single person, a family, or society itself. It’s a way to live your life, have goals to reach for and standards an individual should obtain. The author Ernest Hemingway led his own life by a set of codes, which also influence the characterization of his protagonists. The influence is strongly shown in his works, The Old Man and the Sea with protagonist Santiago, and Islands in the Stream with Tom Hudson. A large part of the Hemingway hero codes, was that in some way, the character was afraid of darkness. This was because, to the men, it was similar to death, and they feared they would face it without ever proving themselves. In The Old Man and the Sea, you see the fear in Santiago when he refuses to sleep. Santiago began to grow weak, but still would not close his eyes to rest. He often would fight with himself on the issue; he knew he must sleep to gain strength. “I could go without sleeping, he told himself. But it would be too dangerous” (77). Throughout the book, Santiago remains awake; as does Tom Hudson in the movie Islands in the Stream. While watching, there was hardly ever a time you could see Hudson sleeping. He was always awake and thinking about his life; it was his way of relaxing. He would also often watch his children sleep throughout the night, but never himself. That was the way that Hemingway felt a man should be, because sleeping to the characters was the elimination of a man’s consciousness. Another large feature in a Hemingway hero was, on a daily basis, he must do things to prove himself as a man; which meant facing challenges and battles that came to them. Santiago faced a battle with a large fish, with all odds against him. He would die before he gave up the fight to kill this fish. “I will stay with you until I am dead fish” (53). Santiago was dedicated and persistent with the fish, no matter what happened. Tom Hudson was the same way throughout the movie. Many times, he faced the chance of dying in the battles that arose to him. He took the refugees into a Cuban River area, with a Cuban

The Odyssey - how does Homer use a variety a settings to explore the theme of hospitality?

2002-05-04T14:00:00-04:00

Throughout the book, The Odyssey, Homer uses a variety of settings to explore the theme of hospitality. Hospitality in the ancient world was very important. A visitor to a palace, would receive immediate hospitality, as the host can only presume they might be a God. Hospitality in The Odyssey included being bathed, rubbed with oils by beautiful maids, dressed in cloaks or tunics, feed lavish foods and appetizing wines. The host did not dare to ask any questions until the guest was fully satisfied. After the hospitality is shown, its then the host can ask questions. The Odyssey embraces many exciting and thrilling journeys in which Odysseus and Telemachus visit advantaged and disadvantaged palaces. Homer shows good hospitality when Telemachus goes to Menelaus palace to seek news of his father, when Odysseus arrives on the land of the Phaecians, and also when in Eumaeus’ Hut. Homer also explores the theme of bad hospitality through Book 9 when Odysseus and his men go to the Cyclops whom does not give hospitality to strangers, and also when Odysseus goes to Circe’s house, whom which turns some of his men into pigs. In Book 4, Telemachus visits the palace of Menelaus and Helen, only to find they are celebrating the weddings of his son and lovely daughter. Telemachus feels it is impolite to stay, as it is a family gathering. Menelaus graciously invites them in and orders his servant Eteoneus to unleash their horses and then bring the guests to join the feast. Throughout this book, Homer goes into great detail explaining every detail of Menelaus’ grand palace. Homer tells the reader that Telemachus “…went and bathed in polished baths, and after the maids had washed them, rubbed them with oil and dressed them in thick cloaks and tunics, they took their places on chairs at the side of noble Menelaus, son of Atreus…a carver served them with plates of various meats he had selected from his board, and put gold cups beside them.”(Line 46-59 Book 4). The way in which Homer explores hospitality through the character Menelaus is very appealing. His is one of the most well mannered men in The Odyssey and is very well known for his good hospitality. As Homer always uses the theme of hospitality in each of his books, Menelaus’ hospitality towards Telemachus would be one of the most memorable segments of the book. In book 6, after nineteen

Lockie Leonard - Legend

2002-04-30T14:00:00-04:00

Lockie Leonard – Legend demonstrates how different characters can resolve similar conflicts using different coping skills. The conflicts faced by the characters and their final resolutions promote certain values, both from the character’s point of view, and the author’s. Lockie & Sarge are viewed as conscious characters and perceive the seriousness of the situation in the novel. Foregrounding and privileging are utilized in Lockie Leonard – Legend in the instance of Nan & Pop, by positioning them as negative characters in the novel. In the opening paragraph, the general theme of the novel is set by introducing the author’s use of dolphins as a symbol of the importance of family. The shark may be considered as an omen, a representation of Mrs Leonard’s sickness. Throughout the novel, the author creates the characters, in a way that promotes the values of family and how they must stick together to survive. Lockie is the main character, a kid who lives in a small coastal town and his mum has to go to hospital suffering from stress and Lockie has to take over her household duties. He not only misses his mum, he’s confused, and feels guilt that maybe he and his family caused her illness. On top of this he is overwhelmed by the job he has to take on – stepping in on the role of his mum. An example of this caring nature is in the chapter, Lashings of Toast (pg 27), when he looks for something for dinner when his mum was acting unusually. This sets the tone for Lockie’s behavior and character throughout the novel. This shows the responsibility and maturity on Lockie’s part. Instead of doing his own thing, he prepares dinner for his brother and sister, and then organizes Phillip to clean up while Lockie puts Blob to bed. Lockie does this because he is concerned about how his mum is acting and he is trying to alleviate the situation. As Mrs Leonard’s husband, Sarge has a somewhat similar conflict to Lockie, although there is a little more to it. Again, his frustration is aroused from his wife’s admittance to hospital; however instead of him just losing a mother, a carer and housewife, he’s lost his life partner, his wife. He has to juggle between keeping his job, looking after his children and being supportive for his sick wife. His optimistic nature derived from his humorous persona

Literature is Dead - Negative

2002-04-29T14:00:00-04:00

WARNING: This is a Speech! Please feel free to use this as you choose if the opportunity arises.

Ladies and Gentlemen: What person in their right mind could even reflect on literature as being dead? Certainly not I! Could you imagine a world without books, or plays? Could you imagine a world without words, knowledge or religion? I truthfully can’t! Nor should you! So you see, I have already won my argument. But, it would be wrong of me not to justify my words. Literature is everywhere. Look around; do you see posters, grafiite or scripture? If so, this just demonstrates that literature is not dead, but rather, re-inventing itself in forms more common to people, in this, the new millennium. Everything you see in this world is in some way or form, a type of literature, from the billboards on freeways to text messages you receive on your phone. Whether or not this is famous or well known is beside the point, as literature is simply; a body of writing from a culture or period, in this case, a text message; “G’day how ya goin’?” is a perfect example of Australian slang in the year 2001. At this stage of my speech ladies and gentlemen, I don’t believe there would be one person standing among us, who could honestly say they still believe that literature is dead. But, if there is, I shall prove my point beyond reasonable doubt. “Literature Is Dead”, one must appreciate ignorance in order to appreciate the affirmative side of this argument, don’t you agree? I mean, where would the world be without literature? Can you honestly say you know? I look around the audience today and see many different people, who in some way follow a religion, whether you are; Jewish, Muslim, Christian or Catholic, in some way or form you worship a religious scripture. For most, this is the bible, or Koran, so to deny these of being types of literature would be both ignorant and hypocritical. After all contradiction is the highest form of ignorance. Members of the audience, you must have realised by now that literature cannot be dead, if it were, why would our school system emphasise the importance of it in the senior years. Do you really think the department of education would waste its, and all the teacher’s time by making students analyse Shakespeare, if it felt literature was dead, or that

The Great Gatsby

2002-04-27T14:00:00-04:00

In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, all the characters are, in one way or another, attempting to become happier with their lives. The characters in the novel are divided into two groups: the rich upper class and the poorer lower class(West egg and East egg) or otherwise known as old money and new money, though the main characters only try to make their lives better, the American dream they are all trying to achieve is eventually ruined by the harsh reality or life. Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich couple, seem to have everything they could possibly want. Though their lives are full of anything you could imagine, they are unhappy and seek to change, Tom drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) just so he has something to talk about. Even though Tom is married to Daisy he has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and has apartment with her in New York.. Daisy is an empty character, someone with hardly any convictions or desires. Even before her relationships with Tom or, Gatsby are seen, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself and her friend Jordan. She knows that Tom is having an affair, yet she doesn't leave him even when she hears about Gatsby loving her. Daisy lets Gatsby know that she too is in love with him but cant bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except when Gatsby forces her too. Even then, once Tom begs her to stay, even then Daisy forever leaves Gatsby for her old life of comfort. Daisy and Tom are perfect examples of wealth and prosperity, and the American Dream. Yet their lives are empty, and without purpose. Though Myrtle Wilson makes an attempt to escape her own class and pursue happiness with the rich, she ends up gaining nothing and eventually dies. She is basically a victim of the group she wanted to join. Myrtle tries to become like Tom by having an affair with him and taking on his way of living, but in doing so she becomes unsatisfied with her life. Her constant clothing changes show that she is unhappy with her life, she changes personalities every time she changes her dress: "with the influence of the dress her whole personality had also undergone

The Chrysanthemums

2002-04-26T14:00:00-04:00

Throughout history, women have often been portrayed as the subordinates of men or the "weaker sex". As a result of these unfair social assumptions, women have been working hard to dissociate themselves form this stereotype and become more independent with their lives. Many famous writers have addressed this issue in their novels or short stories. John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" is one of those famous stories which describes Elisa Allen's frustration with her marriage, her sense of isolation from the world and her hidden desires to express herself as a woman, to explore her sexuality and to live a fuller more passionate life. The Chrysanthemums themselves and other symbols tell the reader a great deal about Elisa's struggle to find her own identity. She seems completely not in touch with her sexuality and is unable to articulate the source of her dissatisfaction. Her initial appearance in the story is very manly yet still allows a feminine side to be noticed: “Her figure looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume." She wore “a man’s black hat, clod-hopper shoes and heavy leather gloves". She was also wearing “ A figured print dress almost completely covered by a big corduroy apron." This image represents her repression of her own sexuality. Despite her hiding behind these symbolic clothes she was still doing the seemingly “female" job of tending a flower garden. Her chrysanthemums meant a great deal to her. They were almost like her children and she took care of them like a mother. We see this when she talks about them so passionately with the tinker. However “the chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy". This symbolic scene makes it clear to the reader that she wants more from life than just being a gardener. The setting also plays a major role in the story. It reinforces Elisa's feelings of isolation form the world. The story is set in the beautiful valley of Salinas, California. But with all its beauty, this location takes on the role of some sort of prison in which one would feel trapped: "The high grey flannel fog of winter closed off the Salina's valley from the sky and from the rest of the world. On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot". We can see how this atmosphere can have a negative

The Importance of Being Earnest

2002-04-26T14:00:00-04:00

The play begins in the flat of Algernon Moncrieff, an English bachelor. Visited by his friend Jack Worthing, though Algernon and everyone else in London know Jack as "Ernest." Jack says that he has come to town to propose to Gwendolen Fairfax, the daughter of Lady Bracknell, first cousin of Algernon. Algernon tells Jack that he refuses to give his consent for him to marry Gwendolyn until Jack can explain why the name Cecily inscribed in Jack's cigarette case. After making up a story, Jack finally admits to Algernon that Cecily lives in the country. Jack also admits to Algernon that his name is not Ernest but rather Jack, which is what everyone at his country Manor House calls him. Algernon jokingly accuses Jack of "Bunburying," practice of pretending that he has a friend in some other part of the world, which gives one an excuse to leave whatever part of the world where he currently is. Algernon explains that he himself has an imaginary friend called Bunbury who frequently gets sick, giving Algernon an excuse to get out of London social obligations Gwendolyn and Lady Bracknell arrive at Algernon's flat for tea. Algernon tells Lady Bracknell that, due to the illness of his friend Bunbury, he must leave London, and as a result will not be able to attend her dinner that night. He distracts her in a different room for a while so that Jack can propose to Gwendolyn. Jack tells Gwendolyn that he loves her, and she replies that she loves him too, particularly because he is named Ernest, a name that "seems to inspire absolute confidence." Jack, knowing that his name is actually Jack, gets worried, and privately resolves to get baptized and change his name. Gwendolyn, meanwhile, accepts his proposal. Lady Bracknell announces that Gwendolyn may not marry Jack until she gives her approval. Algernon and Gwendolyn leave while Lady Bracknell interrogates Jack to determine how suitable a husband he is. She is pleased with his answers until she asks him about his parents. When Jack admits that he was abandoned by his parents and found in a handbag by a Mr. Thomas Cardew in Victoria Station, Lady Bracknell is horrified. She refuses to let her daughter marry a man with no knowledge of who his parents are, and suggests to Jack that he "find some relatives." Gwendolyn returns, having heard of Lady Bracknell's disapproval, and

The Awakening - A Woman's Search for Individuality

2002-04-26T14:00:00-04:00

In Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening, we read about a woman who is struggling with the many obstacles in life in the late 1800's. A woman, who got married, had kids because that was what was expected of her. She is in search of more in her life, some sort of meaning for her whole existence. Her husband who at the beginning tries to control his wife attributes a great deal to her unhappiness. As evident in chapter III when he approached his wife and accused her of neglecting their children, and she began to cry you could tell immediately that she was an unhappy woman wanting to be free, and nothing, not even her children would make her happy. There is this so called rule that a woman must marry, have children, and live happily ever after. In the late 1800's society portrays this to be a "job." The expectations of a “traditional” woman should act and look "proper" at all times. Also, there were very few opportunities for individualism and expression, not to mention independence. Edna is fighting against the rules in this novel. She feels that, although many women agree with this rule it isn't fair. Edna is unhappy with the expectations, held by society, of life and wishes to live her life the way that she wants. During her gradual awakening, Edna discovers her own identity and acknowledges her emotional and sexual desires. Contributing to her unhappiness is her husband; he is what would be considered very firm with her. He believes that she should be the "perfect" housewife and do everything for her husband, and when she doesn't he reveals his disappointment with her. At the beginning of the book when Edna is sunbathing at the bathe on Grand Isle, Leonce approaches her and says, "What folly! To bathe at such an hour in such heat! You are burnt beyond recognition." "Looking at his wife as one looks at valuable piece of property, which has suffered some damage." (7) As time goes on Edna feels that Leonce's is trying to control her. She wants to break the label. Fighting to break free of society's image, wanting to be independent. "In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her." (25) He sees Edna as

The Hobbit - Book Review

2002-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

The story has a wonderful adventurous plot. The plot is that of an adventurous journey by dwarves and their friend, the hobbit, in search of long lost treasure. The plot is suspenseful as the dwarves and the hobbit encounter several obstacles; spiders that catch them, elves that imprison them and goblins that wish to eat them. They win over some of their adversaries; the skinchanging Bear and the people of Elvenking. The story is not limited to the physical journey but also is richer through the emotional journey that the Hobbit encounters. He is a quiet, contented and unassuming Hobbit thrust into an adventure much against his will. He faces fear and death several times to find himself much changed and more courageous and trustworthy that even he ever suspected. The creation of the characters is done by their dialogues and monologues, actions and things noted by the narrator (the author in this case) himself. An example for dialogue: “All the same, I should like it all plain and clear, also I should like to know about risks, out-of-pocket expenses...” (by Bilbo, page 22, it shows that he is not ready to jump into things so quickly). An example for a monologue: “Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins, who has proved himself...” (by Thorin, page 210, it shows Thorin’s style). A good example for action is when Thorin blocked the Gate in the mountain that shows the reader that the treasure is important to Thorin and he rather die than giving it away. An example for notes by the author: “You are familiar with Thorin’s style on important occasions...” (page 210) the author talks directly to the reader and helps him understand the text. Each character has a physical description. The length and content of the description increase as the character importance to the plot increases (e.g., the hobbit has very long descriptions in the story (especially in the introduction) and the Elvenking has fewer descriptions). The more important characters get an emotional description too, but it is not well seen, but it can be extracted from the text by analyzing it. The main character of the book is Mr. Bilbo Baggins. He is the Hobbit who led the Dwarves to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their treasure from the dragon named Smaug. Bilbo is middle aged and resides in a clean, warm burrow dug into the side

Young Goodman Brown - Losing Faith

2002-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

In the book Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Goodman Brown wife's name is important to the story because Goodman Brown loses his faith but his wife Faith keeps her faith. The story takes place in a puritan town in Salem back when there believed to be witches. Goodman Browns grandfather and relatives took part in killing and beating the witches in town. The story starts out on a cold night on a special day of the year. That night Goodman Brown took a trip into the forest and told his wife Faith that he had to do business. Faith did not want Goodman Brown to leave but he had to leave and left here there sad. As Goodman Brown left he thought to himself, "Well; she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night, I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to Heaven." (Pg. 134) This is where he begins to second-guess himself about going on this trip. But he carries on and gets to the meeting place where the devil comes out and asks Goodman Brown what took him so long to get there and he replies "Faith kept me back awhile." (p.g134) This quote is important because Goodman Brown is stating that he was thinking about his faith and whether he should go against his faith or keep his faith and decides to go against his faith. Goodman Brown loses his faith when in the forest on his way to the black mass. Goodman Brown hears the voice of his wife faith crying and screaming through the forest. And all of a sudden "something came fluttered lightly down though the air, and caught on the branch of a tree. The young man seized it, and beheld a pink ribbon." (Pg. 140) This is the part in the story where Goodman Brown has lost his faith because the pink ribbons represent his faith. When Goodman Brown returns to the town he now longer has any faith therefore he doesn't trust anyone and ends up living a miserable life. In the story the name for Goodman Brown's wife suits her well because she never losses her Faith and shows the true meaning of the word. "And Faith, as the wife was aptly named, thrust her own pretty head into the street, letting the wind play with the pink ribbons of her cap, while she called to Goodman

Ellen Fosters

2002-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

In the book Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons, the main character Ellen is a young girl growing up in the south who tries to understand why her relationship is so complex with Starletta who is black. The pressure that Ellen’s family puts on her makes her think twice about her friendship with Starletta. In the final passage of Ellen Foster, Ellen says, “I came a long way to get here but when you think about it real hard you will see that old Starletta came even further.” (Pg. 126) Ellen has arrived at a level of maturity based on her life struggles with racism and growing up. The book Ellen Foster is very deceiving because Ellen appears to be an adult because of experiences such as having to give her mother pills when she is sick, cooking, paying the bills, and running the house hold, but she is really just a child. Ellen reads to escape and to keep her mind off of what is going on in her house. Reading allows her to hide in her own world and forget about everything else that is going on in her life. “I could lay here and read all night. I am not able to fall asleep without reading. You have that time when your brain has nothing constructive to do so it rambles. I fool my brain out of that by making it read until it shuts off. I just think it is best to do something right up until you fall asleep.” (Pg. 10) This proves Ellen is a child because a child doesn’t know how to deal with problems so they hide from them. Ellen is also naive about the fact that when she went to go stay at her Aunt Betsy’s house for the weekend she thought that she was moving in forever. “Home she says.” Aunt Betsy says. “I say I told you I wanted to come and stay with you and you said fine. Now I am here and I got all my stuff that I brought from the other place back in the bedroom closet.” (Pg. 41) Ellen says. Ellen spends the entire book trying to find a loving family. In general, children who haven’t had the proper love and affection when they are young try to find a loving family to improve or chance their lives without love. Throughout the book, Ellen struggles with

Enda Pontellier and Adele Comparision and Contrast

2002-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the setting is in the late 1800s on Grand Isle in Louisiana. The main character of the story is Edna Pontellier who is not a Creole. Other important characters are Adele Ratignolle, Mr. Ratgnolle, Robert Lebrun, and Leonce Pontellier who are all Creole's. In the Creole society the men are dominant. Seldom do the Creole's accept outsiders to their social circle, and women are expected to provide well-kept homes and have many children. Edna and Adele are friends who are very different because of their the way they were brought up and they way they treat their husbands. Adele is a loyal wife who always obeys her husband's commands. Edna is a woman who strays from her husband and does not obey her husband's commands. Kate Chopin uses Adele to emphasize the differences between her and Edna. Edna Pontellier is not a Creole, so her relationship with her husband is difficult. In her husband's eyes she has failed in her duties as a wife and as a mother to her own children. What Enda's husband expects from her is never what she does. Leonce comes home in the middle of the night and talks to Edna while she is sleeping. Then he tells her that Raoul one of their sons is sick and tells her to get up and check on him. Edna had never really had the desire to have children but she did anyway. She was not a "mother-woman" because she would rather be alone sometimes; she did not feel she had to be with her children twenty-four hours a day. If one Edna's boys "….took a tumble whilst at play, he would not apt rush crying to his mother's arms for comfort; he would more likely pick himself up"(16). Enda never felt that she fit in with Creole society because she "…most forcibly was their entire absence of prudery"(19). The Creoles' would talk about things such as childbirth and would flirt with others and not mean anything. Yet Edna would never dream of talking about her childbirth's with anyone or flirting unless she meant it. Creole women devoted their whole lives to their husbands where Enda was carefree and did as she pleased. She was carefree because she would go out onto the beach with only a sundress and a little hat on when she was suppose to be all covered up

To Kill a Mockingbird: A Battle of Good vs. Evil

2002-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

"Discrimination is a hellhound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them." Martin Luther King, Jr., speech, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, August 16, 1967. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a classic novel that takes place during the 1930s where we are introduced to the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, in which there was prejudice and stereotyping towards the people who were different then the general public. In the book, Jem and Scout learn the theme of prejudice and are taught by their father, Atticus, ways to use themes like courage and justice to prevent hatred and discrimination in their own lives. The main and underlying theme in the novel is that of prejudice. Prejudice has caused the pain and suffering of people for many centuries. Throughout the whole novel, there are many examples of racism and its destructive force in any society. An example of discrimination was when Francis, relative of Aunt Alexandra, talked about Atticus when he said, "He’s nothing but a nigger-lover!"(page 83) In the story, people who are unlike the majority get hurt by those who think less of them. Tom Robinson is one character who is discriminated by the biased community. Because Tom is black, the members of the white community look down upon him and treat him with no respect. Tom undergoes a court case after being accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Because Tom was black, he wasn’t given a fair trial and ended up receiving a guilty verdict. The guilty verdict is a direct result of a racist community. Tom was never given a fair chance in the trial, even though the evidence proves him innocent. People that are born differently often get mistreated and are discriminated against. Atticus described a type of prejudice to Jem when he said, "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it-whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash."(page 220) Another character that faces the prejudice town is Boo Radley. Boo stays inside his house for a number of years

Autobiography of Malolm X

2002-04-21T14:00:00-04:00

The book I chose to read this quarter was The Autobiography of Malcolm X. This is about the life of Malcolm X. It follows him from when he was a little kid to his death. The setting of this book is set in America. It covers over 40 years. Malcolm’s childhood is in Lansing, Michigan. He moves to Boston to live with his aunt. Malcolm is imprisoned at the age of 20. After leaving prison he travels all over the U.S. The main characters in this book include: Malcolm X - The main character and hero of the book. This book is about his life. Rev. Earl Little - Malcolm’s father. He is a priest and an active member and organizer of the organization founded by Marcus Garvey. Louise Little - Malcolm’s Mother. After her husband’s death she loses her mind and is put into an institution. Ella Little - Malcolm’s aunt who has Malcolm come to Boston to live with her. Shorty - Malcolm meets him in Boston and who shows Malcolm the town life. Elijah Muhammad - The founder and spiritual leader of the Nation of Islam. Reginald Little - Malcolm’s younger brother. He shows him the teachings of the Nation of Islam. Betty Shabazz- Malcolm’s Wife. Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, Louise, was a homemaker who looked after Malcolm and his seven brothers and sisters. Malcolm’s father, Earl Little, was an outspoken Baptist and taught the teachings of Marcus Garvey. Because of numerous threats on Malcolm’s father, the family was forced to move several times. But that wasn’t enough. The Klan finally caught up to the Little’s. Earl Little was killed by the Klan on the railroad tracks. Because of Earl Little’s death, Louise Little had an emotional breakdown and was later committed to a mental institution. Malcolm and his brothers and sisters were split up and put into various foster homes and orphanages. When Malcolm was in Junior High he was the top student of his class. But his education was forever changed when a teacher told Malcolm his dream of becoming a lawyer was “No realistic goal for a nigger.” This caused a lot of anger and Malcolm lost interest in school. Malcolm dropped out of school and moved to Boston to live with Ella. While in Boston Malcolm met Shorty. Shorty showed Malcolm the city life and helped Malcolm get his first job as a shoe-shine

Irony In Lord of The Flies

2002-04-20T14:00:00-04:00

The novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding is about a group of boys who are stranded on a remote island. The novel charts the decline of civilization on the island, and how the boys go from civilized boys to wild savages. Throughout the novel there are many instances of ironic behavior and situations. Much of the irony used in the novel ties into the symbolism used by Golding. The symbolism of some objects and characters is directly related to the irony that ties into the theme of the novel. “Golding relies heavily on the use of irony to underscore the symbolic action” (Dick 26). In the beginning of the story Ralph finds a conch and blows into it so that the noise made attracts survivors. The sound is loud and reverberates across the whole island. All of the boys hear the conch and start to come out of the jungle to find the source of the sound and to join the meeting. Many children arrive at the meeting, and Ralph concludes that none are older than 12. How could so many young children have survived and all the adults on the plane die in the horrible crash onto the island? It seems odd that not one physically matured adult not be able to survive, and hoards of fragile children be able to live through such an awful crash. It is also ironic that these immature and innocent young boys can turn into such violent and evil savages by the end of the novel. Golding believes that every man is born evil and it is part of man’s nature to act this way. Also, it does not matter whether it is a young boy or and old man, all are “inherently prone to evil”(Hynes 9). According to Samuel Hynes: “Golding sets about to show us that the devil rises not out of pirates and cannibals and such alien creature, but out of the darkness of man’s heart” (Hynes 8). Jack is a very controlling and power hungry individual. Throughout the novel he picks on Piggy, wants all things done his way, and does not respect authority. For example, Jack shows his disrespect when Ralph gives him the assignment of tending the rescue fire. Jack ignores his orders because his only concern is hunting and he feels that it is more important than tending the fire. This is ironic because the smoke

Glass Menagerie - character analysis

2002-04-15T14:00:00-04:00

Generally when some one writes a play they try to elude some deeper meaning or insight in it. Meaning about one’s self or about life as a whole. Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie” is no exception the insight Williams portrays is about himself. Being that this play establishes itself as a memory play Williams is giving the audience a look at his own life, but being that the play is memory some things are exaggerated and these exaggerations describe the extremity of how Williams felt during these moments (Kirszner and Mandell 1807). The play centers itself on three characters. These three characters are: Amanda Wingfield, the mother and a women of a great confusing nature; Laura Wingfield, one who is slightly crippled and lets that make her extremely self conscious; and Tom Wingfield, one who feels trapped and is looking for a way out (Kirszner and Mandell 1805-06). Williams’ characters are all lost in a dreamy state of illusion or escape wishing for something that they don’t have. As the play goes from start to finish, as the events take place and the play progresses each of the characters undergoes a process, a change, or better yet a transition. At the beginning of each characters role they are all in a state of mind which causes them to slightly confuse what is real with what is not, by failing to realize or refusing to see what is illusioned truth and what is whole truth. By the end of the play each character moves out of this state of dreamy not quite factual reality, and is better able to see and face facts as to the way things are, however not all the characters have completely emerged from illusion, but all have moved from the world of dreams to truth by a whole or lesser degree. Tom Wingfield makes a most interesting transition. He changes twice during the course of the entire play. One change occurs at the end of the memory part of the play, then he is changed again sometime between when the actual play took place and the time that he returns after serving in the merchant marines. In the beginning Tom Wingfield, the main character and the narrator of the play, feels trapped like a caged animal who needs to be set free which some times causes him to seem to be without pity or remorse (Kirszner and

The Gates of Fire

2002-04-12T14:00:00-04:00

Steven Pressfield’s The Gates of Fire is set in the fifth century B.C. in Greece. The story revolves around the famous battle of Thermopylae where three hundred Spartans held off hundreds of thousands of Persians, saving Greece. Pressfield creates a fictional story around the battle where one man, a squire named Xeones, survives to tell the Spartan story of the battle and the events preceding it. Xeones, who is the protagonist, tells his life story to the royal Persian historian while in captivity. This life history of Xeones constitutes the body of the book. Xeones tale starts when he was a young boy living in Astakiots, a small Greek polis. Xeones is ten and lives a happy life with his mother and father, who are prosperous farmers. Xeones closest friends are his cousin Diomache, and a wise elderly slave Bruxieus. The first conflict of the book is the sacking of Astakiots by their supposed allies Pleuron and Kalydon. Astakiots is completely destroyed and distributed to the conquerors. Xeones parents are killed and Diomache is raped. Together Diomache, Bruxieus they flee to the mountains. Diomache is pregnant from the rape and she tries to abort the fetus and nearly ends up killing herself. Xeones, filled with grief over the death of his family and the destruction of his nation and faced with a life of living in the mountains without a polis, vows to take revenge against the invaders. This undying vengeance of Xeones will drive him the rest of his life. One day stealing chickens from a farm is caught and has a nail driven through his wrist as punishment. This nail cripples his hand. He can no longer grasp a sword. He will no longer be able to kill the murders of his parents. That night he is filled with so much shame he tries to commit suicide. Before he can the god Apollo comes to him and shows him a bow. His crippled hands can still draw a bowstring. After two years in the mountains Bruxieus dies and Diomache and Xeones decided to find a new polis. Diomache knows a rich woman in Athens and wants to go live with her until she’s old enough to marry. Xeones, still filled with vengeance, wants to go to Sparta, home of the legendary warriors that constitute the best army in Greece. They cannot decide so they end up parting ways, Xeones

The Controversial Rose

2002-04-12T14:00:00-04:00

Authors traditionally use symbolism [as a way] to represent the sometimes-intangible qualities of the characters, places, and events in their works. William Faulkner’s essay titled, “A rose for Emily”, is a very controversial form of symbolism. Literary Critics have questioned Faulkner’s reason for the title “A rose for Emily”. Why a rose for a murderer, and what is the significance of that rose? When people think of a rose, they think of a romantic environment or a holiday in which a person expresses love and affection for another. A rose is a beautiful flower that holds great significance. Unlike all flowers, a rose possess thorns, like that of Emily’s life; hence, Faulkner uses a rose to symbolize Emily’s double personality. Faulkner was not specific on the kind of rose that was given to Emily; therefore, it could be concluded there are many different meanings and aspects to Emily’s complicated life. If the rose were red, then it would symbolize Emily’s love and passion for consistence in her life. “When the town got free postal delivery, Miss Emily alone refused to let them fasten the metal numbers above her door and attach a mailbox to it” (76). Emily, being of a traditional southern heritage, where things remained the same, and technology was not so advanced, preferred to live life free from stress and disappointment the new ways could bring. “Miss Emily had been a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town” (71). Her presence and well-being was the only reminder of the traditional southern ways. Emily was the last memory and influence the town had of the south. However, Emily’s passion and love for consistence and her resistance to change led her into complete solitude. “Now and then [the town] would see her in one of the downstairs windows”, with “the front door closed…and [remaining] closed for good” (76). Miss Emily enjoyed no one. When a representative of the town came to see her concerning a problem pertaining to her, “she vanquished them, horse and foot, just as she had vanquished their fathers” (72), thus, we have the thorns of Emily’s rose. If Faulkner’s rose were to have been white, then it would symbolize the innocence, and child-like obedience of Emily. Emily placed her father on a pedestal, and followed every thing he said as if it were part of the Ten Commandments. She dated and courted

General prologue-In support of the monk

2002-04-12T14:00:00-04:00

Today, when we hear the word “monk”, it often brings up the image of an old man wearing a brown robe with a shaved head. While this image is based on some level of fact, it is certainly not what the Monk in Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales is like. Instead, Chaucer presents a monk who goes against all stereotypes, ignoring traditions, engaging in hunting, and even indulging in materialistic goods. This portrayal leads many readers to conclude that the Monk is a man of bad character, because he is not true to his line of work. However, this conclusion seems to be arrived at far too quickly. Upon further investigation the Monk can be seen as a decent man who has found himself in the wrong profession. One reason that could be used to support the idea that the Monk is a man of poor character is his complete disregard for tradition. The narrator states, “This ilke Monk leet olde thinges pace,/And heeld after the newe world the space”(175-76)., showing that the Monk had little interest in things of tradition. The Monk even goes as far as to say, “lat Austin have his swink to him reserved”(188), showing complete disregard to the rules of the St. Augustine. This trait, however, is only frowned upon in professions, like monkshood, which rely heavily on tradition. Had the Monk chosen a different career his liberal thinking would more most certainly be tolerated. The opinion that the Monk is a man of poor character becomes weaker when compared to many other men of the church in the prologue. An example of this is the corrupt Pardoner, selling pardons for profit, and making “…the parson and the people his apes”(706). The Pardoner used his position to take advantage of people, a concept foreign to the thinking of the Monk. Thus this personality trait in the Monk leads to the conclusion not that he is a bad person and neglecting his true duties for profit (like the Pardoner), but simply that he is a man in the wrong profession. The next trait that the could be interpreted as a reflection of poor character is the Monks love affair with hunting. Again, however, this is merely a conflict of personal and professional interests, and not a matter of a faulty personality. It seems almost unfortunate that a man of whom the narrator says, “Of priking and of hunting

Oroonoko - the narrative shifts

2002-04-12T14:00:00-04:00

A black African is captured and sold into slavery. It’s an unfortunate story, but one with approximately eleven million equivalents. Aphra Behn, however, brings this common piece of history to life in her story Oroonoko, the tale of an African prince tricked into slavery in the West Indies. As the storyteller, Behn makes use of two common forms of narration, the third person and the first person. She recounts what she is present for in the first person, while relying on the words of Oroonoko himself to explain what she did not see. The effectiveness of each of these modes of narration can be judged by two standards, the ability to effectively convey action and by the ability to portray emotion. Examining two separate passages of Oroonoko, each depicting Oroonoko in battle, can best illustrate these standards. The first of these passages, from page 2187-88(“While he was speaking….wounded him almost to death”), is a third person account of one of Oroonoko’s battles, while the second passage, from page 2199-2200(“sometimes we would go surprising…strong limbs”) is a first person narratative about Oronooko’s encounter with a tiger. Though in Oroonoko, both first and third person narration modes are necessary to complete the story, the third person narration serves only the purpose of exposing relevant details for which Behn was absent, and is less desirable than the first person narration. The first area of assessment for these passages is their ability to accurately and effectively portray action. The first passage recalls Oroonoko overcoming personal despair, joining his men in battle, and turning an entire battle around to claim victory. An occurrence such as this has virtually unlimited possibilities for description and excitement, if one was there to witness it. Unfortunately, Behn was not, and thus has to rely on Oroonoko’s account of the battle. As a result, the detail is, while attempting to entice excitement, quite vague. Behn writes that Oroonoko was responsible for “turning the tide of victory”(2188). This line is vague and clichéd and serves only the purpose of omitting much action, action which Behn was not present to observe, and action which Oroonoko was likely too involved to accurately observe. By contrast, a look at the second of the passages, the one written in the first person, reveals a much more accurate and precise presentation of action. This is because Behn is not required to rely on someone else’s memory to tell

Acceptance vs. Appearance

2002-04-10T14:00:00-04:00

The major theme in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is the great emphasis placed on appearance and acceptance in society. In modern society as well as in the society of Frankenstein, people judge one solely on their appearance. Social prejudice is often founded on looks, whether it is the color of one’s skin, the clothes that one wears and even the way a person carries himself or herself. People make instant judgments based on these social prejudices. This perception based on appearance determines the behavior towards the person. In Frankenstein, the society of that time is similar to our own today. It is an appearance-based society, and this topic is brought to the limelight by the hideous figure of Victor Frankenstein’s monster to a common human being. Every human in society wants to be accepted in an intellectual way, regardless of his or her physical appearance. Human beings all want to be accepted in society for their intellectual and physical abilities. Granted some humans aren’t recognized for their abilities but acceptance is necessary. If a person is not accepted by society, he or she becomes an outcast like the monster in Frankenstein. The monster seeks acceptance immediately upon getting his new life. "Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bedroom chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep.” This quote stated by Frankenstein portrays that the monster's own creator will not look at him for its appearance is too revolting. Unlike a normal human being, the monster has no family, no acceptance. When the monster views the people in the cottage, it wants to learn the language to be accepted. After it was rejected, the monster demanded the help of Frankenstein to create a female counterpart. Someone that would understand the emotions of being an outcast, it would give the monster someone to be with in this lonely, cruel world. Acceptance is still a constant in today’s society. It’s a major part of social life, especially during high school and college. It determines one’s popularity as well as what friends one has. Humans do activities in numbers, therefore becoming accepted by a group of people. Acceptance as well as striving

Left Hand of Darkness

2002-04-09T14:00:00-04:00

Humanity is the condition, quality, or fact of being a human within a community. The definition of truth is things as they are, things as they have been, and things as they are to come. Truth cannot change because it does not reflect any personal perspective. The Left Hand of Darkness illustrates how humans relate towards themselves, friends, and enemies. Truth cannot be changed by man but can only be distorted. "The shortcomings are in the messenger, not the message." (106) Genly Ai knew that sometimes when the responsibility of the truth is on one person, it became distorted. The truth can also turn out to be distorted when the people holding the power are in charge of keeping the truth. When truth is unclear, one loses the freedom to decide if they want to support truth or untruth. A friend fills many roles from tormenter to follower, but serves the main purpose of helping a person survive. In The Left Hand of Darkness, Estraven steals food and supplies for Genly Ai and himself even though he knew stealing is not accepted. "Stealing is a vile crime on Winter; indeed the only man more despised then the thief is the suicide." (205) Estraven betrays Genly Ai when he abandons him after their long journey by purposely allowing himself to be shot. "'He could have stopped. He saw the guards. He ran right into the guns.'(Genly Ai) The young physician said nothing for a while. 'You're not saying that he killed himself?' 'Perhaps-' 'That is a bitter thing to say of a friend.'" (286) This novel proves that the death sentence is not a necessary way to punish one’s enemies. Life on Winter is hard to live. "And I really don't see how anyone could put much stock in victory or glory after he had spent a winter on Winter, and seen the force of the ice." (97) As life is not easy, it is sufficient penalty to live on Winter. There is no need to condemn someone to death. "The death-sentence is rare in Karhide. Life on Winter is hard to live and people there generally leave death to nature or to anger, not to law." (41) Being part of a group can bring hardships and lack of thinking. When one is part of a large group it can take away his individual rights. Being part of a group requires allegiance or love of

To the Lighthouse and Lady Oracle - Gender: Society’s Restraint

2002-04-08T14:00:00-04:00

Time and time again gender-conflict is brought to the attention of the public in various forms. In our time someone who wants to make a point about gender-conflict and the inequality that is present will be more likely to use television or song to reach their audience. This however is a fairly new technology. Books or some form of writing on the other hand have been around for thousands of years. Gender-conflict is nothing new. It is not as though one day it just came out of no where. It has been around since the dawn of time. What is a man’s place and what is a woman’s place in society or is there really a specific place at all; further more are we even really that different to begin with? Two classic novels To the Lighthouse and Lady Oracle are perfect examples of how gender-conflict is viewed and present in our society, but what is it that they are trying to teach us? One of the central motif’s in To the Lighthouse is the conflict between the feminine and masculine principles at work in pretty much the entire universe. Mrs. Ramsay, with her emotional, poetical frame of mind, represents the female principle, while Mr. Ramsay, a self-centered philosopher, expresses the male principle in his rational point of view. Both of which are flawed by their restricted and somewhat ignorant perspectives. A painter and friend of the family, Lily Briscoe, is Woolf's vision of the "androgynous artist" who personifies the ideal blending of male and female qualities. When looked at more deeply Lily does not only personify the ideal male/female role in society but she is also representation of Woolf herself. Growing up as a female little alone trying to fit into the stereotypical role a women is expected to fill in a male dominated society can be a trying experience for any woman if not all women. Joan, the main character in Lady Oracle, is no exception from this. Joan is able to provide the reader with a vivid description of the anxieties and ordeals of being a female throughout childhood and adolescence. She starts out with the simple desire to love and be loved, to find acceptance. These desires are not gender specific, as both males and females strive to be love and be loved and find acceptance. The difference is how women and men actually find these. Due to

No Exit and Inferno

2002-04-08T14:00:00-04:00

From folklore to fairy tales there is the use of violent action to convey a specific message to the readers because violence never occurs without having a point to be made. Violent scenes often are the most gruesome and horrific yet they can contribute to the entire meaning of a work. Violence in a story always has a hidden purpose, and is there to enhance the inner meaning of the story while offering an extremely graphic visual to its readers. In Dante’s The Inferno and Satre’s No Exit, there are numerous accounts of violent imagery expressed through precise diction and symbolism that captivate the reader to experience “hell” through the eyes of the authors. Each direct physical setting of the circles of hell in the Inferno show a unique atmosphere in which there is a parallel between the sins committed on earth and the punishment. The similarity between sin and punishment of each circle of hell maximizes the level of gruesome violence. This can be easily seen in the third circle of hell, the gluttons are punished by being forced to live in a garbage dump, in an environment they never could survive while actually living. They live half buried in a snowy hell as Cerebus, the three-headed dog, eagerly rips and tears their bodies to pieces. Another instance of violence is clearly seen in circle seven: round one where Violence Against One’s Neighbors are immersed into a bloody river while Centaurs are waiting on the sides with arrows. Also, in all the circles of hell minus limbo there is constant reference to the wailing and fiendish noise of hell this adds to the realistic imagery of this terrifying underworld. It is this descriptive diction in the numerous cantos that allow the reader to truly experience “hell” to it’s fullest. The scenes of violence are continuously read in each canto, from an intense war amongst the Hoarders & Wasters, to the Suicides who are encased in thorny trees, and the Grafters who are stuck in boiling pitch and are torn to pieces by demons. These scenes contribute to the complete meaning of the Inferno because in hell one must imagine the vivid graphic punishments of each circle in order to comprehend the severity of the sins committed. The Inferno is seen through Dante’s eyes; so with his finite detail of each circle it enables the reader to experience the violence surrounding

A Raisin in the Sun - Character's reactions to conflicts

2002-04-08T14:00:00-04:00

Throughout A Raisin in the Sun even the characters are faced with various conflicts, the inheritance, the new house, and the liquor store. In these conflicts all of the characters react in a different way. Walter reacts by giving in, Beneatha reacts by being selfish, and Mama reacts by being generous. They all react in a unique way, which is shown by examples in the play. Walter is one of those people that thinks that money will solve every problem. His main thought in life is that money is happiness. For every conflict there is a solution and that is money. The liquor store for example he risks it all in a small hope that the store will come through and he will make lots of money. Walter constantly strives for new schemes to solve his everyday problems. Such as in the beginning of the play where he drinks to try and make it all go away. Walter does not stand strong in facing his conflicts. Walter's reaction to conflict can probably be summarized into one thing, and that is that he gives in to its pleasure. Beneatha is unlike the rest of the family, and seeks to confront conflicts by being selfish, and only thinking of herself. She strives to be unlike the rest of the family to set herself apart, which is why she wants to be a doctor so badly. Every solution to every conflict is to face it alone, getting help from anyone is a set back to her wanting to be and individual. Even when a solution to a conflict can be reached she will not take it because she just wants more. For example when George wants to marry her, money isn't enough and when Asagai offers her love that is not enough. Beneatha is one of those people who will never be satisfied with something that is too good to be true. For Beneatha the conflict his her own selfishness. Mama is the typical, wise, and caring elder. Contrary to Beneatha, Mama seeks to give, rather than to receive. Mama reacts to conflicts by giving to the people who caused them. When Walter spent all the money on the liquor store she gave him the lecture that he needed which brought together the entire family. While her conflicts are important, other people's conflicts are more so. Mama sees a solution to most conflicts by giving and

Holden's Eyes

2002-04-08T14:00:00-04:00

The Catcher in the Rye has truly earned its place among great classic works. J. D. Salinger created a literary piece that was completely unique. The entire novel was written in the first person view of the 17-year-old, Holden Caulfield. The majority of the story is compiled of Holden's rudimentary monologue of 'complexly simple' thoughts, the rest utilizing his relay of previous dialogue. That and the use of unique punctuation, digressing explanations, and complex characterization, transformed the simple plot into the complex literary classic. The novel's dialogue and monologue alike, manage to relay the feel of natural speaking such as: "I mean you'd be different in some way - I can't explain what I mean." The contractions; you'd and can't - since they are common in everyday language - establish a very common and simple tone. Stress on the first syllable of "different," reinforces the tone by demonstrating how typically they speak, just as in reality. He uses dashes for pauses and signaling associative digressions. Instead of signaling pauses, commas are used mostly where mechanically required, for instance: "So all of a sudden, I ran like a madman across the street - I damn near got myself killed doing it, if you want to know the truth - and went in this stationary store and bought a pad and pencil." Holden Caulfield creates a thought provoking point of view. On the surface many of his thought patterns seem unrelated and straying from the topic. His association of topic with digression is used almost constantly throughout the novel. However, realizing that these digressions are very relevant and even crucial to the topic allow the reader to gain true insight to the character. His statements about his sister's intelligence, followed by explanations of how well she listens, reveals Holden's associations of intelligence with being quiet and observant. Another example would be his tension around the nuns. Even though he enjoyed the conversation, he worried about being asked if he was Catholic. He stated they "...would have liked it better if he were Catholic." This gives insight to his discomfort with being judged morally, and to his association of people of morals looking down on those who don't share them. In Holden's descriptions and thoughts, Salinger accomplished the most unique aspect of the story's point-of-view. Instead of using the popular - however overrated - style of well refined thoughts and flowery descriptions, Salinger describes things as

Everyday Use

2002-04-07T14:00:00-04:00

In the short story Everyday Use, by Alice Walker, the short story is narrated by a black woman in the South who is faced with the decision to give away two quilts to one of her two daughters. Dee, her oldest daughter who is visiting from college, perceives the quilts as popular fashion and believes they should undoubtedly be given to her. Maggie, her youngest daughter, who still lives at home and understands the family heritage, has been promised the quilts. Dee is insistent to possess these heirlooms of family heritage, while Maggie is forbearing in allowing Mama to make her own decision as to who should receive the quilts. Dee shows a lack of appreciation, disrespect, and a distancing behavior towards her mother and sister. Mama ultimately decides to give the quilts to Maggie with sufficient reasons to do so. Mama recognizes Dee's different style of life and the lack of appreciation her character displays. Her mother states, "I didn't want to bring up how I had offered Dee a quilt when she went away to college. Then she had told me they were old-fashioned, out of style." Dee does not appreciate things unless it is for her own self-gratification. After being away at college, she is demanding to be given the quilts that her grandmother and aunt have made, for she now sees these precious items as fashionable objects. "Dee wanted nice things. At sixteen she had a style of her own and knew what style was." She has a selfish mind of her own. Mama is more simple. She learned about life by working hard. "I was always better at a man's job. I used to love to milk till I was hoofed in the side in 49." Because Mama is intimately aquatinted with labor, she can relate to the arduous work that is involved in putting a quilt together. This unfolds as a determiner in Mama's decision as she gives the quilts to the one who will overall appreciate them. Dee is clearly distancing herself from her mother and sister. She goes so far as to change her name from Dee to Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, saying, "I couldn't bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress me." Yet, she wants the quilts that are made by the very people that she despises. Mama is uneducated but not so ignorant as to realize Dee's

The Great Gatsby

2002-04-07T14:00:00-04:00

Summary

At the onset of this book, the reader is introduced to the narrator, Nick Carraway, who relates the past happenings that construct the story of Jay Gatsby and Nick during the summer of 1922. After fighting in World War I, or the Great War as Nick called it, Nick left his prominent family in the West of America for the North where he intended to learn the bond business. Nick was originally supposed to share a house in West Egg near New York City with an associate of his, but the man backed out and so Nick lived with only a Finnish cook. Right next door, Gatsby lived in a glorious mansion with expansive gardens and a marble swimming pool, among other luxuries. Yet Nick did not even hear about Gatsby until he went to visit his distant family at East Egg next to West Egg. Daisy was Nick’s second cousin once removed, and Tom Buchanan was Daisy’s hulking brute of a husband and classmate of Nick’s from college. Jordan Baker, a prominent golfer player of the time, was staying with Daisy and Tom. As they sat down and chatted, it was Jordan who mentioned Gatsby, saying that she had been to one of his extravagant parties that he held every weekend. The four sat down to dinner when Tom received a phone call, which Daisy suspected to be from Tom’s mistress. Afterwards, Daisy and Nick talked and Jordan and Tom went out to walk about the grounds. Daisy talked about her little daughter and how when she was born Tom was not even there and she had wished out loud that she would be a fool, for that was the only way she could ever be happy. The four met again at the house and then Jordan went to bed and Nick went home. In the next chapter, the reader is introduced the bleak stretch of land between New York City and West Egg. It was there that Nick first met Tom’s mistress. Nick and Tom were taking the train into New York City one Saturday when Tom signaled to Nick that they were going to get off the train halfway to their destination in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Tom walked into an auto garage where he talked with a man named George Wilson, who asked about a car Tom was supposed to sell him.

The Running Man

2002-04-04T14:00:00-04:00

The novel describes a science fiction utopia where market capitalism and television game shows have spiraled out of control. King establishes characters quickly, creating sympathy in the first few pages for Ben Richards—whose 18-month-old baby girl is suffering from a horrible cough, perhaps pneumonia. Not able to afford medicine, Richards enters himself in the last-chance moneymaking scheme of the Free-Vee games. The games include Treadmill to Bucks, in which contestants with heart attack struggle to outlast a treadmill, or the accurately named Swim the Crocodiles. After rigorous physical and mental examinations, Richards is assigned "Elevator Six"--the path of a chosen few--that leads to The Running Man game. In this game, the stakes and the prizes are raised. Success means a life of luxury. Failure means death. Unfortunately, few ever win the game.

Reaction

The Running Man is a short book, tightly written to be read and enjoyed in a short period of time. The novel offers us a glimpse into King’s view of the future. From the book it doesn’t look so good. People every where have been taken over by television, more accurately, television game shows. Shows like Treadmill to Bucks and The Running Man. In Treadmill to Bucks the contestant who is prone to heart attack has to run on a treadmill and answer questions correctly in order to get the most amount of money. If you fail the show, and most people do, you probably end up in the hospital with a minor problem that can be treated. If you are “lucky” enough to end up on the Running Man show and fail, there is no hospital in the world that can still save you. Loss always results in death. Kings view of the future is now very distant from today. People in the future are all very violent and love to see people die on game shows. Also because of this addiction they are all glued to their TV’s most of the time. People today are increasingly becoming violent because of movies, especially small children, who watch these movies earlier in life than we do. Also TV is becoming very important in our world too. Most Americans surely have one in their house and watch more than 2 hours a day. After reading the book you will probably wonder. What was his purpose for writing it? I think that is was written for the purpose of warning us. Just like

Competition between Gene and Phineas

2002-04-02T14:00:00-04:00

Often times between both the best of friends and the bitterest of enemies there is competition. It can be a friendly competition over some minor event or goal, or a ruthless quest between two rivals who will stop at nothing to be first to reach the pinnacle. In A Separate Peace by John Knowles, Gene finds himself in a self-created competition with both himself and Phineas. Gene first is in competition with his own emotions and his loathing of Finny which conflicts with his friendship with Finny. Gene also is attempting to attain the position of Valedictorian and in his mind if he reaches this goal he would be not only Finny’s equal but actually better than him. The toughest of all for Gene, is how he is always competing to satisfy both his own academic expectations and Finny’s expectations of him. Gene is a confused teenager, who does what he feels is the proper thing to do, though it isn’t what he really thinks deep inside of him. For example, when speaking of the Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, Gene says, At that time it would never have occurred to me to say, ‘I don’t feel like it tonight,’ which was the plain truth every night. I was subject to the dictates of my mind, which gave me the maneuverability of a straight jacket…I went without a thought of protest. Here, Gene is acting out the feelings he holds on the surface, which is his friendship with Finny, even though he only loathes Finny even more for, in Gene’s opinion, a naïve idea that Gene doesn’t ever need to study and can devote much of his time for the dumb antics and idea that Finny always has. Yet, Gene has had this mask up for so long, he almost is to the point that he doesn’t even notice when he makes these agreements that are conflicting with his true emotions. Later, after agreeing to go to the beach, he thinks to himself after Finny tells him that he is his best friend: I should have told him then that he was my best friend also and rounded off what he had said. I started to; I nearly did. But something held me back. Perhaps I was stopped by that level of feeling, deeper than thought, which contains the truth. Gene is stopped by that gut feeling that we all have, that

My brother Jack - Influences from the 1930s and 1940s

2002-04-02T14:00:00-04:00

Contrast the effect that the cultural influences of Australian society in the 1930’s and 1940’s had upon the development of both Davy and Jack Meredith. To grow up during the years when there was war and depression would have been hard, but to have on top of this, all the cultural expectations of the time, and an abusive father, would have been too terrible to tell for most. George Johnston portrays this time in his novel ‘My Brother Jack’, through the eyes of Davy Meredith, a young boy, (who in turn is portrayed unmistakably as a young Johnston), who develops into a young man. The cultural influences of this era shaped the men that both the young boy and his older brother, Jack, developed into. The Meredith household described just after the war is one of the main influences that would affect the two boys later in their lives. It is a household where war is depicted everywhere; from the memorabilia kept in the bottom drawer of a wardrobe, to the hallway where gas masks, medical supplies and artificial limbs were stored like trophies, and the bodies of the derelict soldiers lying in all the rooms, like some hospital. These memories would play on both boys’ memories for the rest of their lives. Having this background told to us, later in the story when the Second World War is at its beginnings, we can see how Davy feels he has betrayed the culture that formed him. Unlike the stereotypical Jack-who follows his fathers footsteps and desires to play war hero, Davy chooses a safer role-that of a war correspondent. During the era in which the boys grow up there is the gender problem. Woman’s social standing was still low. Davy and Jack’s father treats their mother abusively and this is remembered by both children. Because of this, women always seem to be a mystery to Davy. This is unlike Jack, who until he meets his wife, sees women as something to conquer. Davy stays with basically three jobs throughout the book, whereas Jack is influenced by the time, and therefore moves from job to job, until he gets a job in the Wimmera district. Davy describes this as ‘ an important ratchet in Jack's destiny, it was that job in the Wimmera that closed the door upon his youth forever and that gave him the woman who was to become his wife.(Pg 107)’ During his time at

Integrity in To Kill a Mockingbird

2002-03-30T13:00:00-04:00

Believe it or not, individuals have trouble seeing black from white. Mankind has the ability to develop an immoral sense of integrity suited to their needs, yet morally accept their sense of integrity. The author of To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates this illusion portrayed by a Southern society. By using a 1930’s Southern point-of-view, Harper Lee demonstrates that integrity not only has the power to unite humankind, but to divide humankind as well. The setting of To Kill a Mockingbird, in a small Alabama community is constructed from the contradictions of Christianity and prejudice. Through prejudice and bigotry, the Southern society builds a strong sense of integrity that masks their immoral prejudice. The Southern culture of Maycomb derives from the antebellum culture of Christianity and slavery. The morals of slavery greatly clashed with the morals of Christianity. While Southerners desperately needed slavery, they also needed to maintain their Christian sense of integrity that stated all of humankind must be treated according to the laws of God. To mask the immorality of prejudice, Southern society classified Negroes as not human, but of an inferior race. Incapable of confronting their immoral sense of prejudice, Southern culture permitted a sense of integrity based on this deception. This occurs in all prejudiced senses of integrity and is a powerful dividing force of mankind. The community of Maycomb is built from this sense of integrity. Several events in To Kill a Mockingbird indicates that the community holds this immoral integrity. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is apparent that the prejudiced sense of integrity is very strong in the town of Maycomb. After Mr. Radley shoots at an unknown figure in his backyard, (being Jem) he says, “got another barrel waiting for the next sound I hear in that patch, dog or nigger.” By denying Negro’s humanity, and neglecting the rights all humans should possess, Bradley draws a strong line between blacks and whites. The white society of Maycomb constructs a caste system, which has a degrading effect to the community. This prejudiced sense of integrity has a huge impact on society: it divides humankind. To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates that a prejudiced society strongly oppresses individuals who are affiliated with Negro’s in a positive light. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the community of Maycomb continuously antagonizes Atticus, because he has gave a Negro the same rights as whites. Mrs. Dubose “Not only a Finch

Individualism in Farenheit 451

2002-03-30T13:00:00-04:00

All great things that have been created by mankind have evolved from individuals who dare to think outside of the box. There are the regretful ideas from which we learn from and of course the great ideas in which humanity has developed. For us to grow and change, mankind needs a diversity of ideas and thoughts. Without individualism, how can we evolve? Individualism creates uniqueness, different thoughts that some people think are strange and just wrong. All these ideas contribute to filling man with more knowledge and wisdom. We have learned the best ways to do tasks, about the earth and universe, almost everything we know, all from individuality. Take Hitler and his idea of the persecution of the “inferior race” for example. That was plainly a corrupt idea, but humanity grew stronger from this experience. We learned from that by being able to recognize evil early on and stop it, and it showed many that we are all equal no matter what race. The theme that I picked from the book Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury is individualism. The way this corresponds with Fahrenheit 451 is that the people and the schools destroyed intellectualism, and uniqueness, because these qualities create different ideas. As Henry Ford said,” All Fords are exactly alike, but no two men are just alike. Every new life is a new thing under the sun; there has never been anything just like it before, never will be again. A young man ought to get that idea about himself; he should look for the single spark of individuality that makes him different from other folks, and develop that for all he is worth. Society and schools may try to iron it out of him; their tendency is to put it all in the same mold, but I say don't let that spark be lost; it is your only real claim to importance.” The people in the book destroyed anything that had two sides to it, and imagination that other people just couldn’t believe. Throughout history, this has occurred for thousands of years, and especially when the bible and religions came around. This all led to controversy which made life and society unhappy and restless. Anything that had racism, they burned it. If a book had all woman in it, the males would feel envious, jealous and resentful, and so that too got burned. Bit by bit, people banned books and

Jorge Luis Borges

2002-03-30T13:00:00-04:00

"The Circular Ruins" begins with a man disembarking from a canoe. The stranger wanders around in the wilderness, sleeps, dreams, wakes up, and makes himself a son. This is a lot let less complicated than sex and, it appears, not that unusual. The fire god makes the magician's creation come alive in such a way that all creatures, except the fire god and the magician, will take him for a man of flesh and bones. The young man is sent on his way, ignorant of his origins. The story ends with a fire, which the older man cannot escape. Prepared to accept to his death, he discovers that the flames do not consume him. "With relief, with humiliation, with terror, he understood that he also was a likeness, that someone else was dreaming him."(Borges) If there is a "universal truth" here, it is that we are condemned to be our parents, all the way back to Adam. Each individual is doomed to experience for the first time that which all his ancestors have gone through and all his children will go through: birth and death; love and loneliness; the quest for knowledge and disappointment; the circular ruin. In the short story, “The Library of Babel,” Borges makes a parallel between the Library and the Universe. He gives life to the Library, making every little thing seem important within the Library. From the lamps described as fruits emitting light, to the bathrooms where people relieve themselves by standing up or sitting down. As the story continues, he uses the Library/Universe parallel as a foundation to talk about a bigger issue. I believe Borges questions the credibility of the bible by discussing the language barrier that exists. For even if the first manuscript of the Bible were completely accurate, its translation would have been different, due to the fact that all languages differ, and certain words or phrases cannot be perfectly translated. It appears to me that there are many biblical references made in “The Library of Babel.” The title itself gives some idea as to the biblical references that are to be made. “You who read me, are you sure of understanding my language.” Here Borges comes out of the story and speaks directly to the audience. Up to this point Borges has used a large vocabulary which paints a much more colorful story than a normal vocabulary would, but this large vocabulary

Bless Me Ultima

2002-03-28T13:00:00-04:00

In life there are many people and events that one will encounter that will have such an impact on their life that it will stick to them for as long as they can remember. In Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima, Antonio has encountered many events in his life that taught him a great deal. The events and people that Tony learned a great deal from are, Ultima- and the conversation she had with Tenorio before she cured Pedro Luna, Cico- and the golden carp, and Tony‘s uncles- when he stayed with them for the summer. In Chapter 10, Antonio’s uncle Lucas comes to seek Ultima’s help to cure their brother from a curse put on by brujas. Ultima agrees to help, and she takes Antonio with her to El Puerto to cure his uncle. After they arrive, Ultima and Tony go to Tenorio Trementina’s saloon shop to reason with him. Tony observed everything Ultima did and looked up to her a great deal. He implies this on page 86 after Ultima tells the men in the shop she seeks Tenorio; Tony states, "Her voice was strong and confident. She stood tall, with a nobleness to her stature that I had seen often when walked on the IIano. She was not afraid, and so I tried to stand like her and put my fears out of my heart." This quote signifies that Antonio observed Ultima’s stature often and he thought of her as fearless and stood like her to get rid of his fears. Tony looked up to Ultima because he knew she was very wise, that’s what "La grande" meant. In Chapter 12 on page 115 Tony says, "I felt more attached to Ultima than I did my own mother," which states that he felt very close and safe with Ultima, and he looked up to her, like any child would to his mother. So when they were in the saloon, Ultima’s actions and everything else she did had a positive impact on Tony. Events of Antonio’s religious preference changes a lot throughout the novel as well. In Chapter 11 on page 105, when Tony is introduced to the golden carp, he says, " I could not have been more entranced if I had seen the Virgin, or God Himself." This quote signifies that the golden carp had a positive impact on Tony more than the Virgin had on him, because

Antigone: Creon’s Flaws

2002-03-28T13:00:00-04:00

In the play Antigone I choose Creon to be the tragic hero because he is the King of Thebes and he looses everything he has. Creon being King makes the audience believe that something like that can happen to the King then what can happen to us. Antigone the niece of Creon, The sister of Polyneices was punished by Creon for burying Polyneces after his death, Creon has forbidden anybody to do so. Once Creon punished Antigone the blind prophet Teiresias told him that the Gods will take revenge for his actions, then Creon tried to change everything but he is too late. Creon’s tragic flaws were his stubbornness, the abuse of power and the actions he took to cause the downfall of the Thebes. Creon showed his stubbornness by not wanting to be proved wrong because of pride. When the Choragos tried to tell Creon that he made a mistake by telling that nobody can burry the body of Polyneices. Creon did not want to listen to the people of Thebes who tried to tell him that Antigone did the right thing, but of fear to Creon the could not really say anything. Creon thought by making an example of Antigone’s execution, everybody would get scared and won’t try to brake his laws. It actually worked for a while. Creon abused his power by thinking that he can change or brake the laws of the Gods and not allowing other people to brake his laws. He did not want to burry Polyneices’ body, but one of the God’s law is that every human deserves to be buried after death not depending what that certain person did in his lifetime. Creon caused fear among his people by making a public announcement that nobody is allowed to burry Polyneices. He said that the state of Thebes consists of only him, and that there are no other laws then his. According to the play the major actions that Creon took to cause the downfall of Thebes are that he did not want to burry Polyneices nor did allow any body to do it. Creon broke the burial law of the Gods and punished Antigone for following their laws. The people of Thebes knew that Creon made a mistake but still were too afraid to speak up. Antigone thought that she should get honored for that what she did, but Creon did not think that way. The

Jane Eyre - Analytical Essay

2002-03-24T13:00:00-04:00

Jane Eyre, a novel about an English woman’s struggles told through the writing of Charlotte Brontë, has filled its audience with thoughts of hope, love, and deception for many years. These thoughts surround people, not just women, everyday, as if an endless cycle from birth to death. As men and women fall further into this spiral of life they begin to find their true beings along with the qualities of others. This spiral then turns into a web of conflicts as the passenger of life proceeds and often these conflicts are caused by those sought out to be guides through the journey of life but merely are spiders building a magnificent web to catch its prey. In Jane Eyre, Brontë uses the literary elements of plot and character to convey the theme that a person often falls in love with a manipulator because she has little experiences of other forms of love and as a result she has to establish her own integrity. Brontë uses the character element of opinions to show how some people often form conclusions about others and express them in their thoughts as either cruel or friendly. Since Brontë bases Jane Eyre as story told through a young lady the reader is allowed to experience her thoughts and reactions to those around her who make her very personality. As Jane is in her youth she develops these notions about her own family yelling at her cousin John saying, “You are like a murderer--you are like a slave-driver—you are like the Roman Emperors.” (p. 8) Not only showing that Jane has the intellectual maturity much greater than that of a normal ten-year-old but also that she finds John cruel and sees him becoming a bad man when he grows up. Due to Mrs. Reed’s lack of discipline John did grow as his cousin perceived causing his own demise and the relief of Jane for her cousin no longer could torment those lesser than himself. “Mr. Rochester continued blind for the first two years of our union: perhaps it was that circumstance that drew us so very near – that knit us so very close: for I was then his vision, as I am still his right hand. Literally, I was the apple of his eye.” (p.578) Jane expresses her grief over Rochester’s injuries but emphasizes her constant love as everything that he has lost. Rochester appears completely opposite

Meno : Humans Can Become Virtuous

2002-03-15T13:00:00-04:00

Before reading the Meno I thought I had a clear definition of exactly what virtue meant. Once I read the dialogue I realized that I only have an idea of what virtue and being virtuous means. I definitely think that it has many aspects to it, including moderation, justice, effort, patience, knowledge and being able to live peacefully with others. I believe that virtue is something that everyone has their own meaning for, yet everyone’s meanings go along the same lines. Since virtue is more complex than most parts of life and thought, I do not necessarily believe that virtue could be taught to Meno or anyone else in society for that matter, however I do believe that over time any person has is within themselves to be a virtuous person. I also believe that to become virtuous through life you need willingness, positive examples and many good and bad experiences. First of all, part of life that one must posses at some point to become virtuous is the will to be a good person. Throughout the Meno, although Meno does give his own ideas of what virtue may be, he does agree with Socrates quite often. This shows that he is open-minded and is willing to learn about what virtue could be and how he can become virtuous, as though Socrates has all the answers. Meno understands that Socrates is a wise man and I am sure Meno feels like he could learn something from him. Meno also discussed the possibilities of what virtue is for quite a while with Socrates but kept on until he ended the conversation, even after having shown frustration with Socrates by comparing him to a broad torpedo fish. Some may say he is not showing willingness by only giving short answers to Socrates’ questions. However, I see those short answers more as eagerness to hear more of what Socrates has to say. For example on page 29, Meno and Socrates were discussing the difference between knowledge and true opinion when Socrates speculated that someone with a right onion would succeed as long as his opinion is correct. Here, Meno says “.. And it makes me wonder Socrates, this being the case, why knowledge is prized far more highly than right onion, and why they are different.” To acknowledge what Meno stated, Socrates asks, “Do you know why you wonder, or shall I tell you?”

Looking For Alibrandi - Changing Perspective.

2002-03-15T13:00:00-04:00

“Discuss how your understanding of the concept of change and changing perspective has been shaped by the novel, Looking for Alibrandi.” Looking for Alibrandi is a novel which mostly deals with the concept of emotional change. Through a number of characters, the author, Melina Marchetta demonstrates clearly the concept of change and changing perspective. A variety of events happen throughout the novel to these characters which influence their lives and change their perspectives. Through these events Marchetta shows that change and change of perspective can be triggered by certain events and experiences, it can be gradual, it is a natural part of growing up, every person faces their own perspectives and that adolescence is a time of rapid change. A key event in the novel that changes Josephine Alibrandi’s perspective is the meeting of her father, Michael Andretti. Initially, before Josephine has never even met Michael, she resents him. She feels that he abandoned her mother while she was pregnant. When she first meets him however she gets the impression that he is intelligent and a decent human being, though she doesn’t make it known to him. After Josephine gets into a fight at school with Carly Bishop, Carly’s father threatens legal action. In the spur of the moment, Josephine says her father is a lawyer and he is called up and asked to come to the school. Unexpectedly, he arrives and the issue is resolved. As Josephine is walking along side her father, it is at this moment when she has a change of perspective. She likes the feeling of having a father figure. Marchetta has demonstrated that change can be triggered by singular events. Michael Andretti also faces a similar change in perspective of his daughter. When Michael first discovers that Josephine is his daughter he says, “I do not want to see her. I do not want to love her. I do not want a complication in my life.” He is very negative and does not want to have anything to do with her. As the novel progresses, Josephine and Michael begin to bond together and enjoy each other’s company. Michael faces a change in his perspective on fatherhood. He is at first in denial and does not want anything to do with Josie, but as certain events unfold, he wants to become a big part of her life and get to know what he has missed out on.

Change - Looking For Alibrandi + Stimulus + Texts of own choosing

2002-03-15T13:00:00-04:00

“How have the texts you have studied this year effectively shaped your understanding of the meaning of ‘change’? In your answer you should refer to Looking for Alibrandi, ONE text from the prescribed stimulus booklet, Changing, and two to three texts of your own choosing. Through a number of texts we can see the concept of change and changing perspective clearly demonstrated. Texts including Looking for Alibrandi, Sky High, a Michael Leunig cartoon and various newspaper and magazine articles all have themes and underlying meanings relating to change. Through these texts, the composers shape our understanding of change by demonstrating how it can be gradual, how it is natural and how our perspectives can change. They also show why change occurs and the different sorts of change, most of which deal with changing perspectives. In Looking for Alibrandi, the author, Melina Marchetta demonstrates the concept of change not only through the chief protagonist, Josephine, but also some other more minor characters such as Michael Andretti, Christina and Nonna, though the majority is shown through Josephine. A key event in the novel that changes Josephine Alibrandi’s perspective and helps shape our understanding of the concept is the meeting of her father, Michael Andretti. Initially, before Josephine has never even met Michael, she resents him. She feels that he abandoned her mother while she was pregnant. When she first meets him however she gets the impression that he is intelligent and a decent human being, though she doesn’t make it known to him. After Josephine gets into a fight at school with Carly Bishop, Carly’s father threatens legal action. In the spur of the moment, Josephine says her father is a lawyer and he is called up and asked to come to the school. Unexpectedly, he arrives and the issue is resolved. As Josephine is walking along side her father, it is at this moment when she has a change of perspective. She likes the feeling of having a father figure. Marchetta has demonstrated that change can be triggered by singular events. Also in Looking for Alibrandi is a similar change of perspective, but this time shown through a different character, Michael Andretti. When Michael first discovers that Josephine is his daughter he says, “I do not want to see her. I do not want to love her. I

Cyrano de Bergerac: Can't Blow any louder

2002-03-14T13:00:00-04:00

Cyrano tries to be more than he is. From Cyrano’s first scene to his last the reader gets an impression that Cyrano is trying to be more than he is, and trying to do more than he can. Even though, in the long run he ends up doing these things well, the reader still gets an impression that he’s trying to boast about his abilities and, “blow his own trumpet.” Although many times the reader gets an impression that he isn’t doing it on purpose and that’s just his character, many of his other actions are quite blatantly boastful. In his very first scene, in the Theatre house, Cyrano barges in on the play and insults immediately uses his ready wit to insult Montfluery and close the play. He then unafraid unlike another person challenges the crowd! Whatever it was a sign of it showed that he was brave and Proud of his abilities as a swordsman. Obviously he is brave, but an angry French crowd can be a large thing to handle, but in not showing fear himself he instilled fear in the heart of the crowd. Although this was an action of courage it was really unnecessary. It may have made him “admirable” in the eyes of some people, but it also made him look haughty in the eyes of other people. This is how he makes so many enemies, and makes so many people jealous of him. Later on in the scene, insulting an important and powerful man like Valvert was another thing that looked haughty, and moreover although it takes a lot of skill to fight and make up a ballade at the same time it may be classified as an act of over-pride. Who hates to have enemies? Not Cyrano!! Cyrano in his first duet, talking to Le Bret, they discuss the events that just happened when Le Bret comments on how many enemies he must have made, when Cyrano replies, “Enough. You make me happy.” Very few people like to have enemies and Cyrano is one of them. Cyrano likes to fight. He has a very bellicose personality. Also when he’s about to leave to fight the hundred men ready to kill Lignere he says “I feel too strong to war with mortals...BRING ME GIANTS.” What this shows is, he thinks he’s too good a swordsman, which is another act of pure pride. Another

Who to Shoot

2002-03-04T13:00:00-05:00

The book The Grapes of Wrath focuses on a particular section of America called the “Dust Bowl” during the early nineteen thirties. During this time, when tenant farming was a way of life for so many Oklahomans, there came a drought which drastically cut down production of crops and forced the bank to evict the tenants in order to cut losses. The problem may seem straightforward at first, and maybe it is, but the cause of the problem should not be simplified. Naturally, the three participants in this disaster, the tenants, the bank and the workers, have their own separate, and logical, points of view. Who is right? In the larger picture, events occurring during this time period involving banks and corporations are primitive examples of the widespread greedy capitalism infused in our modern society. One cannot think of the tenants of these farms without feeling some sort of pity or sympathy, because they had no concept of banks or land ownership. To them, land was theirs if they lived, struggled, and eventually died on it; not just because of a flimsy sheet of paper in hand. “My pa come here fifty years ago. An’ I ain’t a-goin’.”(60), was the sentiment expressed by Muley Graves and felt by many Oklahomans when first ordered off their farms. Some reacted quite violently, threatening to shoot anyone who came onto their land with a tractor to tear down their house, but when the tractor came and one of their friends drove it, they laid down their guns in submission. “Who gave you orders? I’ll go after him. He’s the one to kill.”(49), said one disgruntled farmer. “You’re wrong. He got his orders from the bank.” the driver replied. The farmer also found out that the bank got their orders from the East and wondered in exasperation, “But where does it stop? Who can we shoot?”(49) Basically, the tenants were cut off from their livelihood and without hope since they weren’t even sure whom they could kill or what person to talk to in order to keep the land. The Bank. Who is a bank? Is it a person? A physical thing? Couldn’t it see that it was causing such suffering and despair? Although the heads of the bank could sympathize with the plight of the tenants, they felt that for some reason, the eviction could not be stopped. The Bank saw that the land in

Lord of the flies

2002-03-04T13:00:00-05:00

Question: “The Lord of the Flies” by William Golding might be described as a novel that explores ‘The darkness of man’s heart’. Discuss.

The question I have chosen to do this essay on is to discuss the way the novel is described; it is described as exploring ‘the darkness of man’s heart’. The novel is set in the not too distant future where war is waging between nuclear powers in the world. Because of these circumstances a large number children have been evacuated from their homes but before they reach their destination their plane is shot down and the survivors land on a tropical almost paradise like island, unspoiled by man. This island is a microcosm representing the world. On the island the survivors all meet together and create a chief Ralph. Things soon go wrong due to members of the original group creating trouble and they decide to form their own tribe with a new chief Jack. I am going to look at how the events on the island have created an idea that the novel is exploring ‘the darkness of mans heart’. There are many areas within the novel which give evidence to support the view that the main theme is about “the darkness of mans heart.”. The first part of the novel is a very important part as it sets the scene of how these boys have such beautiful surrounding’s and how they are keen to think of ways to be rescued and just the pleasures of day to day life they enjoy. During the opening stages you can sense that the boys still have a strong memory of law and order and how to conduct themselves. One thing that shows this is when Roger an almost non existent character with little dialogue throws stones at a small child, not to hit him as he is circled with ‘the taboo of old life’ Another time when we are shown the way the children have been restricted in their basic instincts due to the fact that they have been subjected to society’s rigid rules, is when they go on their first hunting expedition. Jack could not bring himself to kill the pig because of “the enormity of the knife descending and cutting into living flesh; because of the unbearable blood”. All these games are all right to begin with but “the darkness of mans heart” ie the evil which many are

Enduring Love: How satisfying are the three appendices as conclusions?

2002-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

McEwan began ‘Enduring Love’ by telling us ‘The beginning is simple to mark’. It seems that although it is ‘simple’ to mark the beginning of a novel, finding the end is much harder. This is because McEwan believes there is no such thing as an ending. A conventional book, or play, would have three parts, a beginning, a middle and an end, but ‘Enduring Love’ Is not a conventional book and McEwan is not a conventional writer. McEwan wants us to believe in a future for his characters after the story is over. To create the illusion that his characters do exist out of the novel McEwan wrote three endings to ‘Enduring Love’, giving evidence of their continued existence. The first ending is the most conventional of the three. In this chapter Joe picks up Clarissa and takes her to meet Jean Logan to explain the truth about John Logan’s motives in hanging onto the balloon ropes. It is a transitory chapter, where things are explained and loose ends are tied up. When Joe meets Clarissa again, after the letter, and the separation, there is inevitably tension, but the tension itself is satisfying, because the reader is expecting tension. It is as if, once there has been that primary awkwardness, the ‘fumbled squeeze of hands’ and the statement made ‘too cheerfully’, Joe and Clarissa will be able to move on. It is almost as if the tension is serving a cathartic purpose. Later on in the chapter there are hints of reconciliation between Joe and Clarissa ‘I caught Clarissa’s eye and we exchanged a half smile as if we were pitching our own requests for mutual forgiveness’. This would not have been possible if Joe and Clarissa had not endured the tension. Joe and Clarissa are so nearly reunited in this purifying chapter. Chapter twenty four is also purifying in that the presences which haunt the novel are almost forgotten. Parry is only referred to as something from the past, which is no longer threatening ‘this along with a bloodstain on the carpet, was Parry’s legacy’. Throughout the novel, Joe has had an obsession with Parry and in this chapter, that obsession is resolved. Other obsessions which have lingered throughout the book are also cured. Joe, in explaining the science of the river to the children, comes to terms with his work as a science journalist rather than a scientist and ceases to view

Prejudice exhibited in Of Mice And Men

2002-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

Everywhere you look there is prejudice, you may be the wrong colour, worship the wrong God or wear the wrong thing. No-one fits into our idealistic world perfectly. This prejudice has been around for thousands of years because it is just human nature not to accept people for who they are. In Of Mice And Men there are several different levels of prejudice shown, all contributing to the failure of the American dream. The main types of prejudice shown in this novel are racial, sexual and social prejudice. This essay is firstly going to look at racial prejudice. There is much racial prejudice shown in Of Mice And Men towards Crooks the black crippled stable buck. Crooks is more permanent than the other ranch hands and has his own room off the stables with many more possessions than them. This room is made out to be a privilege and also because it means he is nearer to the horses but in fact it is really because the other ranch hands do not want him in the bunk house with them. As a result of this prejudice Crooks has become bitter and very lonely. When Lennie comes to pet the puppies, not even realising that Crooks’ room is ‘out of bounds’, Crooks instantly becomes defensive and uncivil "I ain’t wanted in the bunk room and you ain’t wanted in my room" but Lennie in his childish innocence is completely without prejudice " Why aint you wanted" he asks. Crooks retaliates to this with: "Cause I’m black, they play cards in there but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well I tell you, all of you stink to me" This line showing that Crooks desperately wants to join in, be accepted, but because of his colour he can’t and so he feels the only way he can make himself feel better is to cut himself off further, it is a vicious circle. When Crooks realises that Lennie means no harm he invites him to " Come on in and set a while" Lennie begins to talk about George and his dream, it makes Crooks reminisce to his childhood which he looks on as a kind of paradise. "The white kids come to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them and some of them were pretty nice. My ol’ man didn’t like that. I never knew till long

The Mayor of Casterbridge

2002-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

Estimable Elizabeth Jane

There are few fictional characters that possess venerable qualities. One character that has these characteristics is a young lady by the name of Elizabeth Jane; who is a character from Thomas Hardy’s, The Mayor of Casterbridge. This novel was set in Victorian England in a small rural town named Casterbridge; it is here that Elizabeth Jane grows up in an environment full of deception and falseness dictated by her parents and close relations. One would expect her to exhibit these loathsome traits, but throughout the novel Elizabeth Jane remains the most admirable through her humble, loyal and strengthening traits. Elizabeth Jane’s ability to remain humble caused people to regard her with great respect. For example, when Elizabeth Jane and her mother first arrived in Casterbridge with very little money, out of charity, they received free board at The Three Mariners Inn. Elizabeth Jane felt much obliged to the innkeeper and “this single hearted girl…sacrifice (d) her personal comfort and dignity to the common weal” (Hardy 42). Elizabeth Jane never felt too proud to help anyone out. Moreover, when Elizabeth Jane moved into Henchard’s house, and was suddenly flooded with riches, “She had thought it over, her usual fear of exaggerating appearances endangered a deep sadness. ‘There is something wrong in all this’, she mused, ‘If only they knew what an unfinished girl I am- that I can’t talk Italian, or use globes…” (Hardy 95). Elizabeth Jane could have had every piece of clothing or accessory she ever desired, but instead, bought books and tried to better her education and not succumb to superficial desires. Furthermore, when Lucetta asks Elizabeth Jane to move in with her, Elizabeth Jane can only look to the negative and dissuade her for she believes she is not adequate enough. In a conversation with Lucetta she said, ‘I am no accomplished person. And a companion to you, dear madam, must be that’ ‘Oh, not necessarily.’ ‘Not? But I can’t help using rural words sometimes, when I don’t mean to.’ ‘Never mind. I shall like to know them.’ (Hardy 136) Elizabeth Jane does not try to conceal what she is from Lucetta, but admits to Lucetta that she is not educated, and has many faults but would like to learn and better herself. By remaining humble, Elizabeth Jane stayed true to herself and set and example for young ladies in her community. Throughout the novel, Elizabeth Jane remains loyal to many

The Rejected One

2002-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

When meeting people for the first time, one cannot help but want to make a positive impression. The short story “The Rejected One” by Morely Callahghan tells of a young man named Karl, who is on the verge of introducing his new girlfriend to his family. Through the tale Callaghan illustrates the distress felt buy his family members, himself and by his new love prospect. Callaghan imparts this common situation in order to demonstrate mankinds common fault, which is prejudging people based on their physical appearance. Callaghan further goes on to describe some of the emotions felt by individuals in this type of situation. The variation of emotion in the passage clearly establishes that people in the same situations, react very differently. There are many different literary devices evident in the passage. Callaghan uses strong diction to help the reader further understand the point he is trying to make. Callaghan uses such words as “cautiously, timidly, bewildered and resentment” when referring to Mamie entering the home and having initial contact with John, Helen and old Mrs. Henderson. By choosing those words, Callaghan exhibits Mamie to be nervous and careful in the beginning, but then confused and offended, which was evident in reactions felt because of her presence. Callaghan makes Mrs. Henderson seem like the kind of person that would not give Mamie a chance. He uses the words, “stared, tremble, bluntly, wise and uneasy”. These words outline Mrs. Henderson’s initial and final action to Mamie, she stared, her jaw trembled, spoke to her as though she knew all and then caused discomfort in Mamie. Powerful Imagery is also used to Callaghan’s advantage. Callaghan through John’s body movements conveys the sentiment of disapproval, John “turned his head away and would not look at her.” Callaghan illustrated a common occurance in everyday conversations; when a person is against something, they usually tend to look away, such as John did. In the instance when Mamie was talking to Mrs. Henderson John “was glancing furtively at her in the way men turn on the street to watch a flashy woman.” Callaghan demonstrates another common fault which is looking people up and down and making snap judgements about them without even getting to know them. John obviously thinks that Mamie lacks morals and is corrupt because she presents herself differently than what he is used to. Callaghan also depicts a common human defense mechanism, when

I know why the caged bird sings - Maya Angelou Commentary

2002-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

Life in Stamps, Alabama is very difficult and callous for the Negro people. The Negroes must work long hours at ridiculously low pay just to survive, and often it just was not enough. Angelou explains in the early chapters of I know why the caged bird Sings, just how hard life in Stamps is and how her people are able cope. Angelou conveys this so that the reader will have a greater understanding of what the times she lived in were like; she is also trying to teach us about the circumstances in which her people worked and the spirit that they demonstrated. By describing this, Angelou further enhances the flow of her plot, helping the reader to realize just how oppressed and hopeless life was for the Negro people. Also, Angelou’s recollection of the ‘common workday’ contributes to the tone of soft subtleness set in the early chapters, of the small community of Stamps. There are many different devices that Angelou uses to communicate her message. Angelou uses figurative language to bring the reader to further understand the point she is trying to make. Angelou has strong use of onomatopoeia, at the beginning of the annotated passage, she wrote “The lamplight in the store gave a soft make believe feeling to our world which made me want to whisper...” By saying that she wanted to ‘whisper’ she further expresses that the delicate light given off by the lamplight is subtle and with the use of the word whisper and because of the way that is pronounced, the word ‘whisper’ was used very effectively in this sentence. Another example is in the paragraph that states “The sound of the new morning had been replaced with grumbles…” the use of the word ‘grumbles’ is very effective because it gives the reader a sense of the discontentment that the cotton pickers experienced at the end of the day. Also, the most powerful use of onomatopoeia is at the end when Angelou wrote, “I winced to picture them sewing the coarse material…” The fact that she winced definitely makes the reader realize the determination and pain the Negroes went through just to make something of themselves. Angelou uses powerful diction, her choice of words is strong and the way they are used proves very effective in grabbing the reader’s interest. Angelou stated “In those tender mornings the Store…” The use of the word tender is

The one minute manager

2002-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

The One Minute Manager is a novel that each person should read, whether they are in a family, in a group of friends, or at the work place. Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D and Spencer Johnson, M.D explain three basic principles that can be applied to everyday life. The three principles are one minute goals, one minute praising and one minute reprimands. Blanchard and Johnson believe that these three ideas will help simplify life, increase productivity, reduce stress and help the reader find peace of mind. One minute goals, one minute praising and one minute reprimands are ideas that if used effectively can help to increase ones success in life. One minute goals are the foundation on one minute management. Each manager is expected to set realistic goals with their subordinate that are clear, concise and no longer then 250 words per page. The concept of 80/20 goal setting is that 80% of one’s important results come from 20% of their goals. Only one minute goal setting is done on the 20% that are key areas of responsibility and each person keeps a copy of the goal so that periodically, progress can be assessed. Recently, the head office of Starbucks decided that they were going to implement an Individual Development program to encourage partners (employees) to set goals in the company for each quarter. In the Individual Development Program, store managers have to evaluate each partner’s performance and prepare a sheet indicating their strengths and weaknesses. As well, there is a section where partner’s have to set goals which will improve the working environment, and increase productivity. I plan to become a supervisor in the next year and my manager has laid out all the goals that I will need to achieve so that I will be eligible to receive a promotion. The One minute praisings emphasize the need for people to be praised and recognized when they are doing something right. Managers are encouraged to tell their employees specifically that they are going to assess their performance immediately after the acts are made. They are also encouraged to express their contentment with the job getting done, promote them to do more of the same good work and shake hands or touch the person to show support. At Starbucks, there is a new company goal each quarter for each store; the current quarter’s goal is to increase pastry sales. Each district manager has

Symbols: progression of regression

2002-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

To fully understand an author’s central theme, one must appreciate the symbols he uses and what the symbols represent. The symbols used by Nobel Prize winning author William Golding, in his novel Lord of the Flies, illustrates this need for comprehension. The characters in this novel, a group of school aged British boys, are stranded on a tropical utopia. Ralph, who is the chosen chief, tries to keep a sense of civilization alive with rules and responsibility; Piggy aids Ralph by being the voice of reason and knowledge. A split between the boys leads to Jack taking control and creating his immoral and reckless tribe. The boys’ regression from a civilized society to savagery is symbolized by the use of Piggy’s glasses, the fire and the importance of the conch. Firstly, the glasses, worn by Piggy represent intelligence and technology. The boys use “his specs-…as burning glasses” (Golding 41). They use their intuitiveness and teamwork to make the fire that would later aid in their rescue and are very concerned with starting the fire and keeping it going. But, in no time the state of the glasses begin to deteriorate because of a clash between Jack and Piggy when “Jack smacked Piggy’s head…and Piggy’s glasses flew off and tinkled on the rocks” (Golding 75). One side of Piggy’s glasses are broken; this shows the boys lack of compassion because they do not care if Piggy can see. Furthermore, when Jack and his tribe take control one night “they came, stealing…at night, in darkness, and stole…” (Golding 188). The boys have finally crossed the line, like thieves they stole Piggy’s glasses not caring that they blinded him. The glasses, depreciate in value throughout the novel. They go from being intact and representing good judgment, to being half-intact to their total devastation when they are stolen by Jack and his out of control tribe. Subsequently, the fire, in particular, the rescue, fire was of great importance to the boys in the beginning but towards the end it lost all value and was no longer kept as a main priority. In the beginning, the fire was only meant to be used as a rescue signal; the reason for this fire was to “help them to find us (the boys). If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain” (Golding 37).

The Rocking-Horse Winner

2002-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

Many essential steps must be implemented when taking a written story and turning it into a real life motion picture. D.H Lawrence, author of the short story “The Rocking-Horse Winner” depicts a common demon we all face; greed, society’s need for more possessions and money often drives people to do drastic things. This is true in relation to a young boy named Paul who is growing up large unfriendly lavish house, with a mother and father who are obsessed with money and materialistic things. This results in them not caring much about anything else, not even their son. In the transition from the short story to the short movie, many effective changes are made in the fairy tale opening, the plot and the characterization. The fairy tale opening, though effective in the written story would not be as successful on screen. The beginning animosity between the parents when they are in the house arguing with Paul watching closely on the stairs clutching the rail is not characteristic of a fairy tale. This scene proves to be extremely helpful in illustrating the parents’ financial situation and lack of love and compassion in the household. Also, the night and the darkness of the house are usually representatives of evil or some sort of corrupt influence. The shadowy tone causes the reader to feel that the house is unsafe or maybe has some sort of evil force in it. This additionally conveys that there are problems within the house and that there will be some sort of negative conflict to come. As well, the anxious appearance of the mother and father in the movie is very fitting. They both look stressed out and desperate for organization in their lives, especially the mother. Their physical appearance illustrates the tension and worry they feel for money all the time and their loss of love and concern for each other. Choosing not to use a high-spirited fairy tale opening worked well because the story would not flow well since the tone of the rest of the story is melancholy. The plot of the story was very detailed and brought onto screen in a well-organized manner. In the short story Paul had more siblings, but in the movie he was an only child, since the other children were never actually introduced the producers of the movie were wise in not including his other siblings. By using only

The Scarlet Letter - Various Symbols

2002-02-28T13:00:00-05:00

This got me a 39/40 in AP English. Nathaniel Hawthorne. The name strikes fear in the hearts of high school students everywhere because Hawthorne's 'wordy' novels, especially his 1849 The Scarlet Letter, have been at the top of English classes' required reading lists for years and will continue to be for years to come. In general, students have grown accustomed to superficial analyses of books, which encompasses reading and regurgitating 'literary facts' on multiple choice tests. However, when reading engaging, well-written, stylistic and ambiguous novels, such as The Scarlet Letter, one must go deeper and actually examine the novel and the elements that the author so effectively uses. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses a wide range of symbols, such as: aspects of nature, for example the forest, sunshine and water; things, like the scarlet letter itself and places like the scaffold. One of the most integral parts of the book, when Hester Prynne speaks to the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale about their predicament, takes place in the forest. When reading the novel, it becomes increasingly apparent that there is a contrast between the forest and the town, as settings. The forest symbolizes a dark and mysterious place where impulses and urges reign and also where the goings-on are to be kept a secret. The forest is described as dismal, gloomy and full of shadows with an imposing, cloudy sky that is filled with threatening storms (p. 181). When Dimmesdale and Hester first see each other, Hawthorne describes them as being "in the world beyond the grave, of two spirits who had intimately connected in their former life, but now stood coldly shuddering, in mutual dead" (p. 181). Also in the forest, Hester undid the clasp that fastened the scarlet letter, and, taking it from her bosom, threw it to a distance among the withered leaves….[and] took off the formal cap that confined her hair (p. 192). During the Puritan times, a woman letting her hair down would never happen in town--it would be blasphemous, only in the woods would it happen. At the holiday, Pearl asks about Dimmesdale, Hester hushes her because those are only things that happen in the forest and they are not to be spoken about in the town (p. 215). Also, Hawthorne uses the sunshine to signify warmth, love and acceptance. "'Mother,' said little Pearl, 'the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it

The House of the Spirits and Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Comparison

2002-02-28T13:00:00-05:00

When analyzing Isabel Allende's and Gabriel Garcia Marquez's lives, parallels between them become increasingly obvious, thus the rationalization for some of the similarities that are observed between their historically fictional novels The House of the Spirits and Chronicle of a Death Foretold, respectively. One of the most obvious parallels is the influence of women on both of them. Allende dedicates The House of the Spirits "to my mother, my grandmother and all the other extraordinary women of this story," showing feminine influence, and Marquez grew up in a household with his grandmother and numerous aunts, therefore he would also show the influence of women; also, both novelists are from Latin and South America, thus they both would most likely show literary elements that are characteristic of that geographic area. Because of their similar influences, the theme of 'the great mental, and sometimes physical, strength of women' is prominent in both of their works. When analyzing this theme in both novels, the two most distinct semblances are: in both novels at least one female character has the sagacity to possess some kind of preternatural ability, and women have the strength to endure a marriage without loving their suitor. Although the works are very similar, there are some differences. Two differences between the works are that in Allende's novel, when they are children, women are not taught domestic, not taught about the sacrifices of marriage, whereas in Marquez's novel, they are; and how each author portrays some of these similarities and differences contrast. Characteristically, Latin American fictional novels exhibit elements of magical realism; these two novels are no different. One of the most prominent characters in Allende's work, Clara, is an example of a character who Allende uses magical realism to characterize. Clara "could interpret dreams….could predict the future and recognize people's intentions, [and] abilities….[could] move objects without touching them" (Allende 66-67) and other things that are beyond the abilities of most other characters. Other female characters exhibit characteristics like Clara in the novel, but none as pronounced or developed as hers. In Marquez's novel, Placida "had a well-earned reputation of an accurate interpreter of other people's dreams," (Marquez 4) and many other female characters get premonitions and omens before Nassar is killed. Both of these authors use magical realism to give the reader the feeling that there is something beyond that physical world, something important contained in our dreams, and they use

Hills like white elephants

2002-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

Is "It" a Gift or a Curse of the White Elephant?

What is the use of symbolism in writing? Is it merely to confuse the reader or is its true intent to make the reader think about the meaning of the story? A symbol is a person, object, or event that suggests more than its literal meaning (Meyer 220). In Ernest Hemingway's short story "Hills Like White Elephants," Hemingway uses a plethora of symbols to convey the idea that the young girl, Jig is ambivalent to having an abortion and that her older American boyfriend does not want to have the baby. Although the word abortion is never used in the story, the reader understands the concept through Hemingway's symbolism. In the beginning of the story, Jig and her boyfriend are waiting for a train in the valley of Ebro. They did not take a car or any other customary means of transportation. Thus, the train means choice. On a train, the track can only lead one way or go in the opposite direction, which means that Jig has not made a decision about what she is going to do. At the end of the story, we still do not know what Jig is going to do or what train she is going to take. In addition, the valley of Ebro has a river running through it, the river representing life, the life of the baby. Right now, Jig does not know if she is going to keep the unexpected pregnancy and her boyfriend wants their life as it used to be, without the pregnancy. However, the final decision is Jig’s decision. The use of the words "everything" and "not anything" also have meaning throughout story. The boyfriend is constantly telling Jig, "it's really not anything" (615). He feels that the child that is growing in Jig's stomach is nothing; that he does not even think of it as a part of himself. He does not want the baby and has put it out of his mind. However, on the other hand, Jig, by at the end of the story has started to think of the child as something. She tells her boyfriend that "we could have all this… and we could have everything" (616). Jig knows that having the child will make her look like a whore in the eyes of her community, thus she knows that she has to get

The Merchant of Venice: A Justice not Justified

2002-02-24T13:00:00-05:00

The Merchant of Venice was a comedy written by William Shakespeare. Antonio, a merchant of Venice was a venerable businessman. He was a wealthy man and offered his friends the loan of money, without interest. Antonio became bound to Shylock when he agreed for his good friend Bassanio to use him as security to borrow money from Shylock. Shylock was a Jewish usurer who lives in Venice. He believed in charging interest and hated Antonio who did not. Portia was a wealthy heiress who is confined by her father's will of the caskets. She was the one whom Bassanio married after he chose the correct lead casket that contained her portrait. Shylock insisted on collecting a pound of Antonio’s flesh when Antonio was unable to repay the money he owed to Shylock through Bassanio. At the end of the play Shylock faced an extremely difficult time and he was not treated at all fairly. The relationship between Antonio and Shylock had a lot to do why Shylock was so insistent on taking Antonio’s flesh. Shylock was a Jewish merchant who lived in a world where the Jewish religion was regarded as evil. The people of Venice including Antonio, had ridiculed him, they called him a dog, and spat on him, all this simply because he was a Jew. That gave Shylock a very good reason for hating Christians. He was considered an alien in Venice and yet had to abide by Venetian Law. He hated Antonio all the more because Antonio lent money out free of interest and it contrasted with Shylock’s way of lending money at high interest. Antonio was a well-respected merchant in Venice. Antonio became bound to Shylock when he acted as Bassanio’s surety to borrow a sum of three thousand ducats from Shylock. This set up a perfect opportunity for Shylock to get revenge on Antonio. Antonio became bound to Shylock because his friend Bassanio needed to borrow money. Bassanio informed Antonio that he have spent his money too extravagantly and had accumulated quite a lot of debts. Bassanio had come up with a plan to pay off his obligations by marrying Portia. To do so he needed to borrow enough money in order act like a real nobleman and woo Portia properly. Unfortunately, all of Antonio's money was tied up with his business ventures. Antonio, however, offered to act as surety for Bassanio. After some consideration, Shylock

Boyhood Friendships in Frank Conroy and William Maxwell passages

2002-02-23T13:00:00-05:00

Boyhood friendships exist from moment to moment in and unrealistic and imaginative state, never taking time to be concerned with each others appearances or long term plans. Each of the two passages clearly support this view point, the first authored by Frank Conroy and the second by William Maxwell. These two passages prove the point that boy hood friendships are lived in the moment by using point of view and imagery. In the first passage by Frank Conroy the story is conveyed through the eyes of Conroy as a young boy, from his point of view. By using point of view this story is a prime example of how young boys live in the moment and have excellent imaginations. The opening sentence of this passage states that he doesn’t “remember everything about meeting Tobey,” only that he wondered “how he could walk on the hot, sharp coral with out shoes.” No mention of what he looked like, what he was wearing at the time, or what he talked like. The second example found in this passage comes from line 28. “The first project was a tree-house built precariously high on a tall pine. The climb was difficult for anyone who didn’t know the hand-holds we’d constructed at the hardest parts.” Again, the young boys’ imaginations were running rampant, they devised secret climbing techniques, as if anyone else would be bothered to climb the tree to get to their tree house, Conroy himself has already said several times that there was no one else around. The children enjoyed using their imaginations to make everything all the more interesting. Another well painted example of Conroy’s imagination as a young boy occurred when he and his playmate discovered a dead mule. “We talked about that mule for weeks. What was its fascination? Death dramatized, something of unbelievable importance being revealed right in front of us.” (49-51) Again, the two boyhood friends used their imagination to pretend that this dead mule was something important. It didn’t just die, it died for a very specific and “important” reason. Boyhood friendships are lived moment to moment using their imaginations to make life interesting. William Maxwell’s description of a brief moment in his child hood is excellently supplemented by his use of imagery to allow the reader to feel as if they are there with them and that they are imagining the same dreams as the boys’ were imagining in their youth. However, as with the first passage, this passage also shows how

Equality?

2002-02-23T13:00:00-05:00

Under the constitution all men, and women, are created equal. Unfortunately what the constitution reads and what the general population practices in every day (southern) society differs greatly. Most people have a predilection for how they feel towards other people and how they must act, depending on your rank in the ever-present caste system. The predetermined preference is one that is instilled in humans from the day they are born and it is near impossible to shake a person of these beliefs. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird this very caste system is clearly depicted through the eyes of a young girl and raises the question of how willing, or not so willing, people are to accept change or differences in one another. The stereotypes of Boo Radley being a dreadfully scary man whom is feared by all have drifted all the way down to even the young children of Maycomb. Scout’s description of the Radley’s home is as if she knew for a fact that the devil himself lived there. “The Radley place jutted into a sharp curve…The house was low…long ago darkened to the color of the slate gray yard around it…Rain-rotted shingles drooped…oak trees kept the sun away…the remains of a picket drunkenly guarded the front yard…”(Lee 8). Her opinion is most likely a colored one, the Radley house may be in slightly more disrepair than the other houses on the street, and it may even appear gloomy with the lack of flowers and such. No where in Scout’s description of the Radley home is there any mention of the house being even somewhat normal, she hardly even makes it sound like a house. Everything in the picture she gives the reader is on the sub, or lower lever. The house is low, the colors are dark, and she even throws in alliteration to make it sound more disgusting with the rain-rotted shingles. Then there is the metaphor comparing the sunshine of Boo’s life, Jem and Scout concerning the hole in the tree, to that being blocked out when Nathan filled it in with cement. If these stereotypes were to stop at the level of visually dissecting another’s home then it wouldn’t be such a bad thing, but they don’t! The thought of a caste system is usually related to the old Hindu culture in India, oh how very wrong this is. As with many small towns

Much Ado About Nothing - Deceit

2002-02-23T13:00:00-05:00

In Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare the role of deceit is played to the fullest to achieve the farcical effect that Shakespeare intended to put on “true love.” Nearly every character is effected in one way or another by this never ceasing deceit. Deceit is used to make characters fall into love, out of love, and back into love by the completion of the play. Much ado About Nothing is a play that involves an elaborate network of schemes, tricks, and deceit to achieve a satirical “true love” effect. The first event of the deceit occurs in Act II Scene iii when Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato stage a conversation for Benedick to overhear. Leonato, Claudio, and Don Pedro realize Benedick’s stubbornness towards love when he states “…man is a fool when he dedicates his behaviors to love…” (II, iii, 9-10). Because of Benedick’s attitude the plan of having Benedick overhear their conversation is devised. The three men accomplish this plan by waiting for Benedick to be in ear-shot when they raise the topic of Leonato’s niece, Beatrice. Don Pedro’s reference about “…your niece Beatrice was in love with Signor Benedick…” (II, iii, 96-97) helps to accomplish such manipulation of Benedick. As a result of the staged conversation Benedick decides that he loves Beatrice because she loves him. This same scheme is practiced on Beatrice to trick her into loving Benedick, with Hero and Ursala staging the conversation. The most significant trick employed during this play is carried out in act IV Scene I when Don John and Borachio deceive Claudio and the Prince into believing that Hero was unfaithful on the night before she is to be wed. When Claudio believes that Hero truly has been unfaithful to him he makes a plan to disgrace Hero during the wedding in front of everyone. Claudio’s anger with Hero for cheating on him is clearly expressed in his saying: “Give not this rotten orange to your friend.” (IV, I, 33) The final act of deception comes from the Friar. The Friar, holding true to his Shakespearean character, “kills” Hero because she is so upset with her marriage. The Friar plans to keep Hero in hiding and tell Claudio that his false words killed her. This is done because the Friar is quite certain that Hero was true to Claudio, and he knows that Claudio will mourn of Hero’s death, realizing

The Crucible and The Birthmark - Good and Evil

2002-02-23T13:00:00-05:00

Very often in literature “all conflict is, in its simplest form, is a struggle between good and evil.” In other words, all discord in literature eventually breaks down to a clashing between good and evil. This concept of good and evil being the root of all literature is clearly exhibited in Miller’s “The Crucible” and Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark.” In “The Crucible” Miller

The Crucible and The Birthmark - Human Failures

2002-02-23T13:00:00-05:00

John Steinbeck once said that “It was the responsibility of the writer to expose our many grievous faults and failures and to hold up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams, for the purpose of improvement.” In other words when an author writes a story it is there mission to write it in such a way that it demonstrates man’s pitfalls so that upon reflection of the work the reader will be able to better himself through the reading of the story. Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark” both prove this quote by using irony and characterization. Miller and Hawthorne delineate to the reader man’s great faults so that through reflection of each piece the reader could better himself. In “The Crucible” Miller uses characterization to fulfill his responsibility as an author of pointing out man's grievous faults and failures. Miller characterizes Abigail as the femme fatal and an evil person. The reader is made aware that Abigail has seduced Proctor into betraying his wife. Abigail loves Proctor and although he makes it clear that he neither wants nor loves her she is still willing to lie and even be the enabler for killing to get what she wants. Eventually she proves that she is willing to see Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, hanged to ensure her own personal greed. It is through Miller's characterization of Abby that the reader is able to see how humans as a race go about getting what they want, however wrong it may be. Abigail being a selfish and mean person clearly portrays man's biggest and most natural flaw, that being greed. In Hawthorne’s work, “The Birthmark,” the concept of man’s grievous faults and failures are depicted through Hawthorne’s use of irony. The concept of man’s greatest flaw or failure, being greed, is revealed to the reader through the ironic circumstances that embody what Aylmer does to his wife, Georgiana. Georgiana is depicted as a beautiful woman, with one slight flaw on her cheek, a birthmark. Aylmer, being naturally greedy by human nature, dedicates himself towards the removal of this tiny mark that is only seen when Gerogiana becomes flushed. Ironically, through his attempts to create an antidote to remove the birthmark he kills his gorgeous wife out of his greed for perfection. In both works the first by Miller and that latter by Hawthorne, the idea of it being the writers’ responsibility to

The Birthmark and Rappaccini’s Daughter - Sophecles

2002-02-23T13:00:00-05:00

Sophocles once said that “The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves.” That is to say that the source of most human turmoil lies within the beholder. This concept is true and is clearly proven in Nathaniel Hathorne’s short stories “The Birthmark” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” Hawthorne’s works both support Sophocles quotation by using irony and characterization to show that men are the source of their own turmoil. Hawthorne uses irony to show that “The Birthmark” supports the idea that the source of the greatest griefs of men are founded in ourselves by using irony. The ironic situation that arises is that Aylmer has a perfect wife in all respects except that she has a very small, hardly noticeable, birthmark on her cheek. When Aylmer attempts to remove this tiny flaw using an antidote that he concocted he ends up killing her because the birthmark is representative all of the emotion and passion that Georgiana, his wife, holds. Therefor by taking away the birthmark, her emotion and passion, he is extracting life itself from his wife. Ironically, instead of improving on something already so perfect he ended it. As in “The Birthmark,” Hawthorne’s other work, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” also supports the idea that men are the very creators of their own griefs by utilizing Rappaccini and Beatrice similarly to his use of Georgiana and Aylmer. This time, however, Beatrice is infected with a disease that, to her is harmless, but if contracted to anyone else could be fatal. This was intentionally given to her by her father, Rappaccini, in order to prevent her from ever becoming married. Similarly, an antidote is concocted by another scientist and given to Beatrice. In this case, however, the success of the antidote proves to be the downfall of Beatrice. When the potion works and she is able to feel her love for Giovanni and his love for her she is overwhelmed by emotions that she was never experienced before, thus killing her. The double-irony lying in that her father’s over protection of her led to her inability to survive such emotions and that it was because the potion worked that she died. In “Rappaccini’s Daughter” Hawthorne characterizes Rappaccini as being selfish and greedy. Rappaccini knows that the day will come when someone will want to love Beatrice but because of the disease that she is infected with will not be able to. Had Rappaccini been willing to share

The Outsider - Meursault makes us feel as if nothing seems to matter. Discuss.

2002-02-22T13:00:00-05:00

Meursault, the main character and narrator of The Outsider, is perceived to be a life-loving and self-centred man, who lives his existential life in Algiers. This novel, by Albert Camus, suggests that nothing seems to matter to Meursault. His nothing-seems-to-matter attitude is manifested through his indifference nature, which can constantly be observed in the novel. Meursault’s attitude towards death supports the fact that he is relatively indifferent. Meursault’s refusal to think of the future also adds credibility to the manifestation that nothing seems to matter to him. Both his passive nature and his desire for physical comfort also prove that nothing deserves his concern. Meursault’s attitude towards death reveals his indifferent nature. Meursault lives existentially and knows that his life will terminate one day. Life is all a person possesses, and there is no intrinsic meaning in life. He also believes that death is a normal event that marks the conclusion of a person. After learning about his mother’s death, Meursault experiences no grief. He does not believe in the rituals performed for his mother. He only attends the funeral of his mother because he needs to satisfy the social expectations of a son. It can be seen here that Meursault has no worries about death at all. The killing of the Arab certainly triggered the commencement of a dark period in Meursault’s life. However, after he has ended the life of the Arab, he does not reveal that he is concerned about the Arab’s death at all. He does not feel outraged about the death of the Arab simply because he believes that death is just a natural event of life. No matter how a man dies, his death is inevitable. Meursault does not want to die. When in custody, and at the corner of his death, Meursault does not seem to be worried about his death at all. Rather, he attempts to make meaning out of his short-lived life. Normally, a person would be afraid of death. People would normally be worried about death. When a loved one has died, people would normally grief over the loss. When a person has been killed, the killer would normally go through a period of anxiety. When facing their own deaths, people would usually think of ways to avoid death. However, in each of these examples, Meursault’s attitude is different. He believes that death is natural and unavoidable. Therefore, he would definitely

Tragic or Not

2002-02-21T13:00:00-05:00

New Life

Tragic or Not was a very inspiring and unique essay. The book, The Giver, is a very inspirational and at times could become a cliffhanger. I always dream of a utopia or a world nearing a utopia because of all the difficulties of life and I would wish for these difficulties to just disappear. Even though I know it will not happen for a very long period time if ever, but you can always dream and perhaps when I grow older I could assist in the creation of my utopia. During the revision of Tragic or Not, I fixed some problems I had in the grammar and corrected some mistakes I made such as confusing Jonas as a female when he is actually a male. Because the name Jonas is usually used for females, I concluded with the fact that he was a female, which threw me off-track when I was writing the essay. I also added more details and revised some sentences adding more emotional depth and length. The novel The Giver represents a futuristic society, which hides much of the evils of society now. Because of the technology shown in the novel, the genetic engineering, it shows it’s in the future because it’s not possible yet to re-sequence the genome of humans without making severe complications. The community was most likely created after something devastated the world, which explains why other humans do not disturb the society. There was most likely a few people who survived the disaster and created a society based on their dreams, which masks horrors as commonplace.

Tragic or Not

Imagine a place where there is no terror or love. A place in which nearly everything is the same, the grass and the color people view certain objects. Imagine feeling no pain or suffering, would you like to live there? Would you consider it a utopia or dystopia? Lois Lowry who is known for writing young adult fiction novels wrote the novel known as The Giver. In this novel there is very little suffering or pain. Everybody is shielded from life, emotions as well as history; they have little knowledge of the world they live in and completely no knowledge of the history before the community was created except for a few select people. For this novel, she has won the Newberry Medal Award and has also won the award for another novel she wrote, Number the

A Raisin in the Sun, Emerald City: Third and Pike: Dreams

2002-02-21T13:00:00-05:00

By Gregory Peker and Michael Stoller

Dreams can be seen in many ways. A dream could be something you had in the night that seems so real, or a dream could be your fantasy, where everything is going your way. The last type of dream is something that has more of a deep sense and plays an important role in your life. In life, people have many dreams. Dreams are important because they create goals for people, and they motivate people to accomplish them. Without a dream, a person will be unfocused in life and will most likely not be successful. In the play A Raisin in the Sun and the short story “Emerald City: Third and Pike,” the main characters both have dreams that they strive for. In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter Lee Younger has a dream. His dream is to be a successful businessman and for his family to be very happy. He wanted his wife to have a Cadillac and for his son to go to any college he desired. His dream is admirable and what most people would like. The difficult part is how to accomplish it; he had many external conflicts between himself and his family. In particular was the person who would’ve been his largest factor for his success, his mother. Lena Younger (Walter Lee’s mother) received ten-thousand dollars from a life insurance policy on Walter Lee’s father. Lena Younger then gave Walter Lee sixty-five hundred dollars and spent the rest on a down payment on a house. Walter Lee then gambled away the sixty-five hundred dollars on a liquor store and lost it all. The person which he and a business partner entrusted with the money ran away and took all the money with him. Another character who has a dream is Oya from “Emerald City: Third and Pike.” Her dream is to become an astronaut, but was always being criticized by her previous employer. One night, she nearly murdered her employer, which caused her to go to prison and her to be what she is now, a person living on the streets. In “Emerald City: Third and Pike,” Oya tells her story to that person because she thinks she might be able to help someone reinforce their dreams and hopefully not to stop trying to succeed. She was also trying to tell that person more about herself now and

Lord of the Flies - Compare and Contrast

2002-02-21T13:00:00-05:00

In the novel, Lord of the Flies, and the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game,” dealt with the savagery of humans. In the short story, it dealt with killing for entertainment purposes. The hunter, General Zaroff, liked a challenging prey in the hunt, but animals weren’t good enough, so he decided to use humans as his prey. In the novel they, Jack’s and Ralph’s tribe, started killing each other because there was tension between the two tribes. In the end, Ralph’s tribe had betrayed him, or had been killed. In both stories, there are many similarities and differences. One similarity is that both stories show how after killing animals, they are able to start killing humans without pain. On their first kill, they were probably very nervous. Now that they are professional hunters, it became nearly second-hand nature. This is an implied theme because the characters didn’t just say that this was one of the themes, they implied it with their actions and words. They first started killing small prey, but General Zaroff got tired and bored of their stupidity. He later started hunting humans because it was probably the hardest prey on this planet. Another similarity is that Jack had his tribe to help him kill and General Zaroff had Ivan and his hounds to help. This helped them ease the pain of murder because it transferred paint from them to their minions. This made murder much more feasible and easier. This also eased their consciousness. A major difference between the two stories was that Rainsford knew that with his wits, he had a chance of surviving. Ralph, on the other hand, didn’t have the confidence and wits Rainsford had for surviving. Rainsford was a professional game hunter and well versed in the tactics used to hunt game. He had a lot of experience, but Ralph had little or none. Ralph was not a hunter and didn’t have the mind of one, he was lucky and lived to see the day that the sailor came. This is an external conflict because it shows problems between the characters. In the short story, Rainsford is having a conflict with General Zaroff. In the novel, Ralph is having a conflict with Jack. Another difference between the two stories is that Jack killed others because they opposed his tribe. This was more of a defensive act because it kept his tribe together. That was done by

In the time of the butterflies

2002-02-20T13:00:00-05:00

In the novel “In the Time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez, the four Mirabal sisters were influenced by oppression. The impact oppression had on the sisters, led them through their stages of development in life. Maria Teresa, like her sisters went through three stages of status quo, change, and consequence. Maria Teresa’s attitude toward life was carefree, fashionable and fun. The reader can tell she wasn’t into the politics of that time, nor was she the first sister to discover the oppressed society she was living in. Unlike Minerva, her “soul just wants to have fun” (34). Mate wrote everything that happened to her down into a diary. Now that she “knew things she wasn’t supposed to”, she could be held accountable for anything she knew. When someone had been found out, everyone in the secret meeting group was told to bury and evidence of anything. Minerva told Mate to bury her diary. In saying her farewells to her “Dear Little Book”, she said, “My soul has gotten deeper since I started writing in you” (43). When she was still unaffiliated with the revolution, and her friends and family would talk about the regime or the president, Trujillo, the wrong way, “It scared her…with guards around and anybody a spy” (132). Mate was easily worried about anything controversial. She did not yet involve herself in the revolution. She loved Trujillo and though of him as a god, until she was affected. As an innocent, little girl, Mate was unaware of what was going on in the environment around her. Government and politics did not appeal to her. As she got older and began feeling the affects of the governments and everything else around her, Mate began a change in herself, a change in how she thought, spoke and acted. This change brought her from adolescence to womanhood. With all the stories going around about disappearances and killings of people disobeying the regime, Mate began hating the government and Trujillo. She was awarded Miss University at University in the Capital, which she and Minerva attended. While writing her acceptance speech she was writing the unspoken, mandatory gratitude to Trujillo for being a wonderful leader, Minerva suggested she not over-do the mandatory gratitude, especially after the recent disappearance of a young man who wrote a book against the regime. Mate said, “I get so upset thinking about him, I don’t want to be queen

In the time of the butterflies: Oppression

2002-02-20T13:00:00-05:00

In the book, “In the time of the Butterflies” by Julia Alvarez, examples of oppression takes place within the Mirabal sister’s lives. Censorship, search and seizure, and fear of life and liberty are three examples of such oppression. Censorship prevented the citizens to express their feelings and opinions about their political system. The regime of the Dominican Republic tried very hard to keep the people from speaking their minds or from disobeying its dictator. For instance, Patria, who was a religiously devoted individual tried to convince Minerva, her younger sister, to attend church, but Minerva told her that a friend said that even the “Priests were on a double pay roll” (52). This suggested that even the priests were being paid to spy on and then report suspicious or guilty people who were planning to go against the regime. The people were at risk of being spied on during a confession. Oppression through censorship also made people question that they could trust. Maria Teresa explained that “the yard boy, Prieto”, was betraying her family by “reporting everything he hears in the Mirabal household down at security for a bottle of rum and a couple of pesos”. The family was then hesitant to speak in their own house and they “can’t fire him or that would look like” they “have something to hide” (129). Even while the family had gathered in the front yard to tell stories, when Minerva and Papa began discussing Trujillo and women in the government, “they all fall silent. Suddenly the dark fills with spies who are paid to hear things and report them down at security” (10). The family always felt as though spies were around to report them, and they were at risk of speaking anything too suspicious. Through their worrying, they had learned to keep silent whether they had rebellious feelings or not. In the United States, the forth amendment protects and secures citizens from search and seizure. This means, that no person should have their home searched, or be seized without a warrant. The Dominican Republic’s regime at this time seized people in the streets, in their homes, and searched through their homes without explanation or legal documents that give them permission to do so. Galindez, known for his rebellious acts, was writing a book about the regime. Trujillo’s workers tried to bribe Galindez and get the book, to make sure his word never got

A Clockwork Orange

2002-02-19T13:00:00-05:00

Moral freedom is one of the most if not the most important of any freedoms available to humans. Moral freedom is the ability to either choose to perform good or bad deeds or both. Totalitarian governments take away one’s individual choice and thus, suppress and suffocate the soul. The setting in A Clockwork Orange is a general parallax to a totalitarian and oppressive government. Alex, the main character, is the representative of the common man, and his struggle in this type of government. In the novel, A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess suggests that the importance of moral freedom be stressed even for criminals condemned by society. “There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim….and we sat in the Korova milk bar making up our rassadooks what do with the evening”(1.1; ch. 1), this was a typical night of a “nadsat” or teenager. A bunch of hoodlums, going around committing acts of violence and crime, for they have moral freedom; which they choose to do bad. First they assault a young man in an alley, and then they go to this author’s house, and vandalize it and rape his wife. But while at this house, they come across a book called A Clockwork Orange, and Alex reads about it: “The attempt to impose upon man, a creature of growth and capable of sweetness, to ooze juicily at the last round the bearded lips of God, to attempt to impose, I say, laws and conditions appropriate to a mechanical creation”(1.21; ch. 2), at which he ironically laughs and tears up. After an eventful night like that, Alex goes home, “Where I lived was with my dadda and mum in the flats of Municipal Flatblock 18A, between Kingsley Avenue and Wilsonway”(1.31; ch. 3). There he goes to his room, and turns on his stereo and his good side comes alive. His deep love for classical music like Mozart, Beethoven, and G.F. Handel, can be seen clearly. In the morning he decides not to go to school, and he ends up violently raping two “devotchkas”, again displaying his moral freedom to be bad. That same night, they try to rob an old “psitsa” that has a hundred cats living with her. Alex ends up killing the old lady, but he gets caught by the “millicents” and will be tried as an adult. While in court, Alex promotes his

The Raven

2002-02-18T13:00:00-05:00

In “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe, one sees the internal torment of a man in mourning for the lost love of a maiden, named Lenore that has died. The narrator expresses a sea of emotions over the vision of a raven haunting and taunting him. As the man sits in his chamber he only seems to notice the negativity of his surroundings in a depressive state of mind over his lost. “..A midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary”. He was, as many people seem to be when they are depressed, in a lethargic and calm state nearly sleeping. He then was disturb by a tapping noise and slowly grew from slight excitement into fear and nervousness over the commotion. “And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain thrilled me- filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before.” The narrator tried to rationalize the situation into some coincidental incident of someone at his door yet, there was no one there. To this he plainly states, “Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,” only to perhaps start to question his sanity until he heard another noise. At this point in the poem one may clearly see his very painful condition and state of mind as he wishfully whispers the word “Lenore”. The marginal state between idealism and reality has blurred. As the narrator tensely turns to the window to “explore” the disturbance, there the reader meets the raven that has entered into the room and placed himself above the chamber door. Now with this new component in the scene, the narrator “explores” his inner thoughts and fear openly to the reader. The raven seems to amuse the narrator, “Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, by the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore”. In a jocular manner the narrator initiates a conversation with the raven, still intrigued by its appearance, mannerism, and specially its name, Nevermore. The raven then becomes a materialized symbol of the narrators own inner self, “The Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only that one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour”. Furthermore, the narrator is in the same manner sitting lonely in his chamber chair surrounded by all the things that remind him of his lost love. The narrators own soul is also being outpoured in

Pride and Prejudice: The Cost of Marriage

2002-02-18T13:00:00-05:00

19th century England had serious social problems from the heyday of Royalty and Nobility. One of the most significant of these was the tendency to marry for money. A person sought a partner based on the dowry receivable and their allowance. This process went both ways: a beautiful woman might be able to snag a rich husband, or a charring and handsome man could woo a rich young girl. In these marriages, money was the only consideration. Love was left out, with the thought that it would develop as the years went by. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen comments that marriage in her time is a financial contract, where love is strictly a matter of chance. This is clearly evident from the very first line of the novel: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (Austen, 1). Lady Catherine states the fact that happiness in marriage is strictly a matter of chance. This holds true in the conception of marriage held in the novel. All of the marriages in the book formed under the bonds of money, rather than the bonds of love, end up unhappy or unsuccessful. The whole novel outlines attempts to dance around love for the combination of a wealth and attractiveness. It is thought that in, “the world of this novel, marriage is a market, and the young women are its merchandise,” (Money & Marriage). The first line of the novel is interpreted to mean that a wealthy man either actively pursues a wife based on his knowledge that no one would turn down a wealthy suitor, or attractive women use their beauty to their benefit to attract a wealthy husband. Confident in his knowledge of his own wealth and magnificence, Darcy's less than romantic first proposal to Elizabeth is a good example of the first of these truths. Darcy marches into the room, and after stating all the reasons why a wealthy man such as himself should never marry a “socially inferior” person such as Elizabeth, he proposes to her. He is totally confident in the knowledge that no woman would turn down marriage to a person as rich as himself, no matter how obnoxious he is. Darcy is shocked when Elizabeth refuses him. This refusal shatters

Frankenstein: The Letters and Chapters 1 & 2

2002-02-18T13:00:00-05:00

A first impression of Walton would be to say that he is extremely ambitious. He desires to go to the North Pole to “accomplish some great purpose”. He has his own theories on what should be there, and will not rest until he has proved them. This is somewhat a ‘Godlike’ ambition, in that he wishes to be praised for discovering something new which will benefit everyone else in the world. The language used is also very much like Old Testament, Biblical; “Heaven shower down blessings on you”. The image of Walton being ‘Godlike’ is enhanced by this. However, he is disrespectful of his family, as he goes against his fathers “dying injunction”, which had “forbidden” him from embarking on a “seafaring life”. He seems to be very egocentric, and not aware of anyone else or their feelings. He is deliberately disobeying his father to pursue a personal ambition. He is leaving his sister in England, and at the end of each letter he writes that he may not see her again, “Farewell my dear, excellent Margaret”, “Remember me with affection, should you never hear from me again”. Each time she receives a letter from him, she will be hopeful of his return and safety, and then he writes “Shall I meet you again?”. This is selfish of him, as it will worry her even more about his expedition. Again this ‘Godlike’ theme reoccurs as he is doing what he wants to do. Having only been educated about this passion through his own reading, he cannot really be sure of what he will discover once he reaches his destination. His beliefs that “snow and frost are banished” from the North Pole seem as eccentric as believing that the earth is flat. But of course he doesn’t see it this way, he needs to prove his own theory. After failing at being a poet he doesn’t want to fail as a scientist and explorer either. He is confident in his beliefs and will stop at nothing, not even employment as an “under-mate in a Greenland Whaler”, to get where he wants to be, and hopefully find what he wants to discover. In the second letter, Walton writes about his desire for a friend. As he has left all his acquaintances in England, he no longer has anyone to convey theories and ideas to, “participate” in his “joy”, or comfort him in

Greek heroes: The Iliad vs. Today’s Standards

2002-02-17T13:00:00-05:00

In the Iliad, Homer’s heroes exhibit many symbolic attributes of heroism, maliciousness, and acquisition to the gods. To be a hero one has to be, quick in battle and always show courage. To honor the men who came before them and to keep his sons from being shamed by their father’s memory is to show true heroism. “ ‘What disgrace! Look at you, carrying on in the armies’ muster just like boys—fools!’ “(2.400-401) In their heroism they show how they are vengeful against any and all enemies who oppose their family or their lives. These heroes are very malicious in nature on the battlefield. They lack pity or mercy, and have a very vicious ill will for the man who begs for his life, leaving the victim helpless. When his aggressor does not grant him this request, the aggressor shows how he is savage and inhumane by today’s standards. By these means they are lacking in the restraints normal to civilized people. “ ‘So now let no man hurry to sail for home, not yet…payment in full for the groans and shocks of war we have all borne for Helen’ “(2.420-423). Acquisition to the gods is one obligation, which should have been easy to fulfill in Greek times. The hero has to be submissive to the demands of the gods, to do all that they demand of him and to fulfill his destiny according to their will. A Greek hero is one who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and is favored by the gods. He is noted for his feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially if he has risked or sacrificed his life in battle. “The secret hero. Undeniable. Unbreakable. Beyond pain and suffering. Divine”(Rollins, 82). Heroes might actually be great men, although Homer treats his heroes as nobles and fighting men. Thus the noble characteristics of the hero are projected through his animal counterpart, as a man becomes as strong as a lion or as swift as a deer. To see error in their actions is to be a true hero. Diomedes, also referred to as Tydides, is not considered a first class hero in the Iliad, but is a hero none the less. “So the great fighter would shine forth and tower over the Argives and win himself great glory”(5.2-3). He is gallant and loyal to the cause of the Greek

Of mice and Men and The Withered Arm - Comparisons

2002-02-16T13:00:00-05:00

English essay on wide reading - “The Withered Arm” and “Of mice and Men” “Of Mice and Men” was written by the author John Steinback and published in England in1937. It tells the story of two very contrasting characters trying to live out the American dream in the farming lands of North California. The tale is classed as a short story as is “The Withered Arm” which is a story about witchcraft in Dorchester during the 18th century. This book was written by the author Thomas Hardy and published in 1888. Although the stories were written in different centuries and tell of different circumstances there are many similarities between them involving outsiders, loneliness, the roles of women and much more. Straight away you can tell when reading that the two books are from separate times and places and this is due to the language and setting used. In “Of Mice and Men” the language used is that of the itinerant worker this is typical of that which would have been used on the farms at the time. This helps add to the realism of the story and make it more life like. Steinback also uses a great deal of description including metaphors and similes to describe the landscape around him. These give us a clear and vivid picture of the natural world surrounding the characters. This technique is particularly used in the first and last scene in the forest near the river. This scene is remembered the most clearly as its placed at the two crucial points where readers will be reading every word in detail to gain a good understanding of the book. The fact that the story ends in the same place it began gives it a circular structure. Not only are the characters in the same place but life is set to continue in the same way for George as he will leave this farm to work at another just as he was doing at the beginning. The language and setting is also very important in “The Withered Arm” as many words in the story such as “lorn” and “wellnigh” are not commonly used in the writing today so help set a date to the story. Because Hardy was brought up in Dorset and the people in the villages there spoke their own dialect some of the words used in the story also help set a place to the time

Two symbolic passages

2002-02-15T13:00:00-05:00

“Mrs. Pontellier was not a woman given to confidences, a characteristic hitherto contrary to her nature. Even as a child she had lived her own small life all within herself. At a very early period she had apprehended instinctively the dual life – that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions.” (Pg. 13) This mainly focuses on the idea of her dual existence. Her interior self is in conflict with her exterior self. Just from a purely a literary interpretation of the quote one can extract that she may appear a disciplined, orderly, conformist woman from a peripheral viewpoint, but on the outside her beliefs are taking new form, she is becoming a new woman. At this point in the story she only shows a part of herself and never really liberates herself so much as to deviate from the societal norm. She encapsulates individualism and as the book progresses this idiosyncratic tumor spreads throughout her being profusely. This is also the first time there is any reference to familial background. As a child her father suppressed her and throughout most of her adulthood she is still living under the supervision of a male figure, Mr. Pontellier. Now, as she begins to question societies institutions, she learns more of herself. She is on a quest of self-discovery and she had taken some baby steps. This passage forebodes a journey where she derails from the societal conventions ingrained in her from birth, which further reinforces the theme of independence or more like bondage and freedom. Her father and her husband represent the shackles of society and the formation of her self-reliant, non-conformist, introspective self symbolizes the key. “She was fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way. She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them…There absence was sort of a relief, though she did not admit this, even to herself. It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her.” (Pg. 18) Does Mrs. Pontellier love her children or are they manacles that bind her to her demagogic and autocratic husband? I am inclined to agree with the latter. Of course she loves them as all mother do, but to the extent that her freedom and joy are effaced by her spouse’s incessant abuse and his ‘I am always right complex.’

Individual v Society

2002-02-15T13:00:00-05:00

Forged in the fire of revolution and defined by manifest destiny, America has always been the land of the individual. Although the American dream has not always been coherent, (married with 2.5 kids, 2 cars, a dog and a satisfying job), the spirit of innovation, individuality and progress remains unchanged. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was born in era of racial turbulence and literary genius. Mark Twain, a famous American writer-satirist wrote many books highly acclaimed throughout the world. For his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he was recognized by the literary establishment as one of the greatest writers America has ever produced. Mark Twain definitely has a style of his own that depicts a realism in the novel that is reminiscent with society in antebellum America. Through various literary devices, he characterizes the protagonist, the intelligent and sympathetic Huckleberry Finn, by the direct candid manner of writing as though through the actual voice of Huck himself. Every word and every thought expressed by Huck is so precise it reflects even the racism and black stereotypes typical of the era. And this has lead to many conflicting battles by various readers since the first print of the novel. Some are outraged by the incessant use of the degrading and white supremacist word ‘nigger.’ Others feel this novel sets the basis for all modern literature, earning its place among the many great American classics. The controversy behind the novel has been and will always be racism. Twain surely does use the word ‘nigger’ often, both as a referral to the slave Jim and any African-American that Huck comes across and as the epitome of insult and inferiority. However, the reader must also not fail to recognize that this style of racism, this malicious treatment of African-Americans, this degrading attitude towards them is all stylized of the pre-Civil War tradition. Racism is only mentioned in the novel as an object of natural course and a precision to the actual views of the setting then. Huckleberry Finn still stands as a powerful portrayal of experience through the newfound eyes of an innocent boy. Huck only says and treats the African-American culture accordingly with the society that he was raised in. To say anything different would truly be out of place and setting of the era. This amalgamation of fiction with non-fiction invites the reader to take a realistic viewpoint of the novel.

Willy

2002-02-15T13:00:00-05:00

At Willy's graveside Biff made a statement, “the man didn’t know who he was.” This revives

Dimmesdale a weakling

2002-02-15T13:00:00-05:00

In Hawthorne’s classic, The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is a self-confessed coward and hypocrite. He is fully aware of the means by which he must liberate his soul from the confines of his grave sin, and make his concord with God. Yet, throughout the story his confession remains an impediment, constraining him, from then onwards, to a life of atonement. Reverend Dimmesdale’s guilt complex causes him to cultivate a crop of internal conflicts. He attempts to divest himself of his peccadillo by revealing it to his parishioners during services, but somehow never manages to accomplish the task, illuminating the reader of what he truly is, a pathetic weakling. For the most part, Dimmesdale's story is one of a lonely man who has given into temptation and desire. His carnal craving is looked upon with ignominy. The matter is further convoluted by Hester's marriage, and his unwillingness to mar his reputation among the villagers as the faithful and innocent priest. He is now stranded at a crossroad, not knowing whether to confess or carry on a life of self-punishment. The sin begins to gnaw away at his sanity. As a form of penance he partakes in late night vigils, starvation, and self-mutilation. His acts of penance were severe and drained him of much of his life force. Finally becoming fed up with his prolonged misery, he walked unsteadily to the podium to expose his secret, but his confession was ambiguous and inconclusive, and people thought he was speaking about the sins of humanity. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale has many opportunities to confess. One of the very first moments available to Dimmesdale to confess was on the scaffolding in the beginning when Hester was publicly humiliated in front of the townspeople. Dimmesdale was preaching to her for hours without end about her sin, yet he was her co-sinner. “If thou feelest it to be for thy soul’s peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer!” (59) He asked whom it was she had this adulterous affair with. Dimmesdale now has the perfect opportunity to confess and he does not because he is frightened. He could have easily admitted his sin and endured the wrath of Puritan society, but he made it linger. There was also a time during story when Dimmesdale

Song of Myself

2002-02-15T13:00:00-05:00

Forged in the fire of revolution and defined by manifest destiny, America has always been the land of the individual. Although the American dream has not always been coherent, (married with 2.5 kids, 2 cars, a dog and a satisfying job), the spirit of innovation, individuality and progress remains unchanged. The father of free verse, and perhaps the American perspective of poetry, Walt Whitman embodies these values in his life and work. First published in 1855 in Leaves of Grass, "Song of Myself" is a vision of a symbolic "I" enraptured by the senses, indirectly embracing all people and places from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. The entirety of the piece seeks to merge the individual and the natural world in an attempt to uncover the individual's humanity. “Song of Myself” is divided into numerous sections. Each segment exemplifies Whitman’s literary genius. In order to fully understand the meaning of this piece, seven sections have been chosen to highlight the main themes. Whitman is the subject of the poem and throughout he assumes three identities: “myself,” “my soul,” and “the real me.” When he refers to “myself” that is the persona others see, a peripheral viewpoint of himself. “My soul” symbolizes his inner character while “the real me” remains a mystery to himself as well as the reader. In section five he regards himself as the “other.” “Myself” and the “other” can be used interchangeably. In this section Whitman is making love to his soul. He also makes clear his relationship with God. He believes that the divine and the soul are fused as one. He is convinced that he is God. In section ten, Whitman sees himself as a hunter in the wild mountainous environment, a sailor, and a clam digger. By the mention of the clam digger, one can assume that his imagination has brought him to New England. His mind runs rampant and he expresses his thoughts on paper; he observed a marriage between “the trapper” and “a red girl.” He also pictured himself taking care of a runaway slave. He is in opposition to bigotry, by his welcoming temperament. Often in Whitman’s writing he uses lists to add weight to the central focus of his piece. He employs this technique in section sixteen to catalog his many occupations such as: “A farmer, mechanic, artist, gentleman, sailor, quaker, Prisoner, fancy-man, rowdy, lawyer, physician, priest.” He imagines himself in

Satire In Huck Finn

2002-02-15T13:00:00-05:00

Mark Twain uses his novel the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to exaggerate and make fun of the many problems facing American society. Twain uses many of the characters in his novel to express satire. Some of the major views of society that Twain attacks are religion, slavery, and human nature itself. Religion is one of the main victims of Twain's satire. The satire is visible when the Widow Douglas tells Huck about Moses. It is obvious that Huck does not care to know when Huck states, "Here she was a-bothering about moses, which was no kin to her, and no use to anybody, being gone, you see..." Later in the novel Huck realizes that prayer has never done anything good for him and he can not see that it has done anything for many others either. Through Huck, Twain is able to attack the blind faith that civilized society places towards religion. The King and the Duke are perfect people for Twain to express his satire. They are frauds who make their money by ripping people off. Twain goes on to satirize human nature through the town's reaction to the Royal Nonesuch with the King and the Duke. Instead of running the frauds out of town as soon as they realized they were being robbed, the towns people let them stay and encouraged others to go see the show as well so that they would not be the only ones taken in by fraud. At this point Twain exaggerates the distance people will go so that they will not be the only ones fooled. However, when the King and Duke are finally caught they pay for their sins by being tarred and feathered. Even though Huck knew the King and Duke were frauds, he still felt sympathy for them, "It was a dreadful thing to see. Human beings can be awful cruel to one another." Through the actions taken by the towns people, Twain shows that criminals and crooks are not the only ones that can be cruel. The towns people who consider themselves to be civilized and oppose to any type of cruelty, commit a cruel act themselves. Twain demonstrates how a society that sees themselves as civilized can display such irresponsible behavior. Society's cruelty is visible again when the man with Packard says "He'll be drownded, and won't have nobody to blame for it but his own self. I reckon

The Crucible: Characters and Their Emotions

2002-02-10T13:00:00-05:00

The Crucible reveals that people's private emotions and desires often have consequences far beyond their own lives. Three characters that share that quality and who contributed greatly to the outbreak of hysteria in Salem are John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Elizabeth Proctor. All these characters, in one way or another brought eminence suspicion and/or emotional relief into the town of Salem. Proctor had to deal with both sides of Salem's controversy. In most eyes Proctor was a good man, but some of the things he'd done and said leave a few with different opinions. Proctor grew emotionally and as a character in whole. He started off as an outspoken man who didn't attend church for personal reasons not accepted by many others. Proctor hesitates to expose Abigail's true "identity", because he worries that their past relationship would be discovered and his name ruined.He had committed adultery, which in colonial times (and according to one of the Commandments) was a horrid thing to do. Thomas Putman accuses Proctor of never going to church, but Proctor claimed that was beaus his sermons were more of the devil than God. Also, because his skepticism of witchcraft, Proctor was torn between the truth and falsehood. He chose to testify against Abigail despite the fact that he felt bad, and that he might still have feelings for her, but in the end he felt that it wasn't worth it. Proctor has to make another major decision. He had to choose between signing a false confession which could ruin the fate of his community, or sacrificing his life to save his friends. By choosing not to sign the confession, Proctor was executed, but his strength, courage, and his infatuation with the good of the community, gave him the title "hero" of the story. Abigail Williams is another character who contributed to the main plot of the play. Her young and innocent appearance gave people the wrong impression. Abigail was a deceitful person who didn't care about the outcome of her actions, only if it involved herself. She had once been John Proctor's lover, but was soon cast aside. Abby's jealousy towards Elizabeth Proctor caused her to resort to blackmail. She couldn't take the fact that John no longer loved her the way he did, and that he wanted to pretend that nothing ever happen. Abby not only went against Elizabeth, but against anyone she could think

What Does It All Mean?: The Mind-Body Problem

2002-02-10T13:00:00-05:00

Human beings have a conception of at least two different kinds of things that exist in the world, mental and physical. Any of us could generate a long list of obvious physical things and clear cases of psychological things. And we assume that both of these types of things, mental phenomena and physical phenomena, are part of our world. But in order to get a more unified, overall picture of the world, we need to consider what the connection is between these two categories. How are the mental and the physical related, if at all, and how does the former fit into our general conception of the world? This question constitutes the mind-body problem, which Thomas Nagel briefly discussed in his book, “What Does It All Mean?”. If we consider some of the traditional answers proposed by philosophers, perhaps we will get a better grasp of what the question is. One answer says that there exist two distinct entities, body and soul, that interact with each other causally, though it is not known how. This is called dualism. Dualists believe that a person is made up of two very different things: a complex physical organism, and a soul which is purely mental. Thus, the mind is rather like a 'ghost in the machine' of the body. Dualists reason that there is a necessary relationship between the two for that is what makes us different from other material objects. Another view says that there simply are no mental phenomena. There is only the physical world. The existence of consciousness, therefore, must be some kind of massive delusion: contrary to popular opinion, nobody has any opinions, desires, or feelings. We are all just mindless beings who’s thoughts and feelings are just physical states of our brains. "Pain" for example, just happens to be another word for a certain kind of brain state. This absurd view is called materialism or physicalism. Finally, there is the view that mental properties represent a distinct aspect of certain physical objects - that is to say, some objects, like people, have two different kinds of properties, mental properties and physical ones. This is called the dual aspect theory. It differs from dualism in that it postulates distinct properties but not a special, distinct entity to have those properties. Consciousness is not a property of an immaterial substance, the soul, but of plain physical objects. It is believed that the

Reason in Gulliver's Travel

2002-02-08T13:00:00-05:00

During the beginning of the 18th century, satire grew; and the most famous writers who wrote satirically were Pope and Swift. This period, often called the "Age of Reason," was highly influenced by a group of the elite of society, who called themselves the Augustans and were determined to live their lives according to "truth" and "reason.” The satire of both Swift and Pope is animated by moral urgency and heightened by tragic sense of doom. Pope saw the issue as a struggle between Darkness and Light, Chaos and Order, Barbarism and Civilization. For Swift the issue was one between “right reason” and “madness”- not clinical insanity, but blindness to anything but one’s own private illusions, which is an abandonment of practical reality. Jonathan Swift was the greatest rival to Pope in the field of satire, his genius is so powerful and varied and so mysterious that any summary of his work is bound to be ridiculously over-simplified. Swift was also one of the most devastating critics of the contemporary scene, while the range of the targets he chose makes him one of the most comprehensive. His most contentious and his greatest work, however, was a series of chronicled voyages known as Gulliver's Travels. “Gulliver’s Travel” was published in 1726. Because it can be read as a fantasy novel, a story for children, and a social satire, its tales of dwarves, giants, floating islands and talking horses have long entertained readers from every age group. It has often been issued with long passages omitted, particularly those concerning bodily functions and other distasteful topics. Even without these passages, however, Gulliver's Travels serves as a biting satire, and Swift ensures that it is both humorous and critical, constantly criticizing British and European society through its descriptions of imaginary countries. Also, there is a general tone of mockery in the text, echoing the sarcastic voice found in other works by Swift. Gulliver is sometimes wise, sometimes foolish, but always eager to please his new masters. The sarcastic tone of the text sets Swift himself as a kind of foil to Gulliver; unlike his protagonist, Swift's purpose was no doubt to annoy the leaders of Britain rather than please them. Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels at a time of political change and scientific invention, and many of the events he describes in the book can easily be linked to contemporary events in Europe. One of

Open Car

2002-01-29T13:00:00-05:00

Stories can be written in one of several points of view, first person being one of them. The first person narrative point of view is tainted and deceiving. Some main dilemmas with regards to first person are that: emphasis is not put on some critical points, the narrator misrepresents information, and does not put information in a concise and logical order. There are many problems with first person, the aforementioned are just a few that are noticeable. Sometimes the reader and narrator have conflicting views on important issues. Issues such as racism and discrimination can be ignored due to the narrators beliefs and culture. For example “There was a young black man sitting in front of us…from the Caribbean…One of the guards began asking the man a series of questions…Get your bags and you identification, the guard told the man, and see immigration in the open car”#. The young Caribbean man was searched and questioned unlike king and his wife. The authors views can also cause the author to over loo unimportant or in significant issues. As seen in another point in the story, the apples were more important than the discrimination shown towards the East Indian couple: “And when they got to an East Indian couple, they stopped…The East Indian told the border guard that he and his wife were Canadian citizens…Get all your bags and identification, the guard said, and take them to immigration in the open car”#. In first person the narrator controls when and what are the key parts of the story and uses, their own values as a basis for emphasis. Some of the story tellers views are over emphasised and are incorrect. It is easy for the writer to confuse people, places and things. In the story there was a confusion between apples and oranges. The narrator can forget exactly how events occurred. There was another confusion in the story when it came to cars: “The Plymouth was a hard top, she said. The Pontiac was a convertible. And the Plymouth hadn‘t run out of gas, it had been a problem with the alternator. John Varris fixed that, she told me, not Mr. Santucci”#. The story maybe based on a false truth that the author is passing off as fact. An easy way to tell the difference between fact or fiction is the manner in which the story is presented. First person can become confusing when the

Dieing in the eyes of Shakespeare

2002-01-26T13:00:00-05:00

In this sonnet “That time of year thou may’st in me behold” Shakespeare uses nature to describe life’s stages, while painting a vivid picture of nature in autumn, we can see his state of mind when using metaphors. The author intertwines nature, time, life, aging, and death in such broadness that the personal reactions and perceptions of the poem are broad as well, as a good metaphor does. When speaking of autumn the author fist refers to it as “That time of year”. Furthermore, he describes the season as “When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang” the brightness of the yellow leaves suggest light which equals life. As the speaker goes on, “In me thou see’st the twilight of such day. As after sunset fadeth in the west”, one can see that “twilight” and “fadeth” suggest he is dieing. Moreover, this has a direct reference on the author’s golden years. Shakespeare uses the most decaying weather season of a year and the fading of the day’s sun light to replicate his feeling of aging and getting closer to death. He then refers to night as death by saying; “Death’s second self that seals up all in rest” rest represents a deep peaceful sleep that he may never awaken from. Furthermore, he proceeds into the conclusion of his theme with the permanent ending of death. “That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the deathbed whereon it must expire.” He compares life to a glowing fire, another one of nature’s elements and once again using the luminosity component of it. Which he believes is the brightest in his youth and now he lies in the ashes of his life, yet still burning. The author mentions how life has consumed all the fire that he has left in him, leading one to believe that he does not have much more to give, therefore, dying. Nature has the stages of the season and also of the day; our daily cycles are much more like our life stages than seasons. For the world is newborn again in spring. However, when light falls at the end of a day the life of that particular moment is gone with permanence. Life is a down hill spiral not a cycle. People usually refer to spring as a reawaking of a new season or life, when they refer to tomorrow as a brand new

The Epic of Gilgamesh: A Summary

2002-01-24T13:00:00-05:00

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a moving tale of the friendship between Gilgamesh, the demigod king of Uruk, and the wild man Enkidu. Accepting ones own mortality is the overarching theme of the epic as Gilgamesh and Enkidu find their highest purpose in the pursuit of eternal life. The epic begins with Gilgamesh terrorizing the people of Uruk. They call out to the sky god Anu for help. In response Anu tells the goddess of creation, Aruru, to make an equal for Gilgamesh. Thus Aruru created Enkidu, a brute with the strength of dozens of wild animals. After being seduced by a harlot from the temple of love in Uruk, Enkidu loses his strength and wildness yet gains wisdom and understanding. The harlot offers to take him into Uruk where Gilgamesh lives, the only man worthy of Enkidu’s friendship. After a brief brawl the two become devoted friends. The newfound friends gradually weaken and grow lazy living in the city, so Gilgamesh proposes a great adventure that entails cutting down a great cedar forest to build a great monument to the gods. However to accomplish this they must kill the Guardian of the Cedar Forest, the great demon, Humbaba the Terrible. Enkidu, along with the elders of the city, have serious reservations about such an undertaking but in the end Gilgamesh and Enkidu kill the terrible demon. As Gilgamesh cleans himself and his blood stained weapons, Ishtar, the goddess of love and beauty, takes notice of his beauty and offers to become his wife. Gilgamesh refuses with insults, listing all her mortal lovers and recounting the dire fates they all met with at her hands. Ishtar is enraged at the rebuff. She returns to heaven and begs her father, Anu, to let her have the Bull of Heaven to wreak vengeance on Gilgamesh and his city. Anu reluctantly gives in, and the Bull of Heaven is sent down to terrorize the people of Uruk. Gilgamesh and Enkidu, work together to slay the mighty bull. That following night Enkidu dreams that the chief gods met in a council and had decided that someone should be punished for the killing of Humbaba and the Bull of the Heavens. That someone is he. Enkidu commends himself to Gilgamesh, and after suffering terribly for twelve days, he finally dies. After Enkidu’s death, Gilgamesh comes to the realization that one day he too will succumb to

The Metamorphosis - Comedy and Irony

2002-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Gregor Samsa, a young traveling salesman who lives with and financially supports his parents and younger sister, Grete, wakes up one morning to find "himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin" or insect. At first, to my surprise, he is preoccupied with practical, everyday concerns: How to get out of bed and walk with his numerous legs? Can he still make it to the office on time? Most persons would be devastated to find themselves in such a position as Gregor, but he did not seem to care much about himself, but only about his obligations, instead of panicking, he starts cursing his job : "If I did not hold back for my parents’ sake, I would have quit long ago, I would have marched up to the boss and spoken my piece from the bottom of my heart", " Well, I have not given up hope completely; once I’ve gotten the money together to pay off my parents’ debt to him, I’m going to make the big break. But for the time being, I better get up, since my train leaves at five." This is a sort of dry humour; a person in a tragic situation does not seem to notice the predicament he is in. He tries to get out of bed, but his new form does not enable him to do the things he used to do so easily. The way he describes it, can already be seen as comical : "First he tried to get out of bed with the lower part of his body, but this lower part- which by the way he had not seen yet and which he could not form a clear picture of- proved too difficult to budge; it was taking so long; and when finally, almost out of his mind, he lunged forward with all his force, without caring, he had picked the wrong direction and slammed himself violently against the lower bedpost,", just imagine a giant beetle trying to climb out his bed and clumsily hurting himself in the process. Kafka definitely seemed to love the comic sides of what might otherwise have been seen as a hopeless situation. But it is not the metamorphosis itself that is relevant, it is the reaction of the world around it. Gregor’s family might not change overnight or change their behavior towards Gregor and his new form but definitely as time goes

Death - the final motif in Of Mice and Men

2002-01-21T13:00:00-05:00

My mother is dead, my father is dead, my sister is dead, and now I am going to kill myself. When reading that list is becomes obvious after the first couple of deaths that there are more to follow. In John Steinbeck’s masterpiece Of Mice and Men, the use of deaths as a motif, or a reoccurring theme, is just the opposite. As we begin our journey with George, “small and quick, dark of face,” (2) and Lennie, “a huge man, shapeless of face,” (2), we experience the death of a mouse that Lennie carries in his pocket to pet. Once the two men have reached the ranch that they plan on working on, a set of puppies are killed because their mother is unable to feed them. With the promise of a new dog Candy, a worker with only one hand, allows Carlson to shoot is old suffering dog. Lennie is also given a puppy that he accidentally kills while playing with him. Lennie also kills Curly’s wife, be breaking her neck. The final and most significant death is that of Lennie, who is shot in the back of the head, by his companion, George. After taking a serious look at all of the deaths in Of Mice and Men, it is conclusive that there is a large correlation between several of the deaths played out. The first comparison is obvious, the mouse and Lennie’s puppy. The two were both killed by Lennie, and both used to satisfy Lennie’s obsession with soft things. The death of the four puppies and Curly’s wife also seem to fit together. The puppies were killed because Lulu was unable to feed them; just as it was necessary that Curly’s wife dies because she caused nothing but trouble amongst the workers. The final set of deaths is that of Candy’s old dog and Lennie. Candy’s old dog had become useless; it was suffering “ The dog struggled lamely…” (24) Once Lennie killed Curly’s wife it became apparent that if Lennie was not killed or “put to sleep” he would indefinitely suffer. The death of the dog early on foreshadows Lennie’s death. Although Steinbeck uses death as a motif, and hints at things, the deaths at the end of the book almost come out of the blue. The reader can be left shocked or at the very least bewildered. When Lennie and Curly’s wife begin to have

Wuthering Heights and Daz 4 Zoe - Heathcliff and Daz

2002-01-18T13:00:00-05:00

How do the writers of ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Daz 4 Zoe’ influence their audience’s opinions of the main characters? Discuss with reference to Heathcliff and Daz.

Throughout the history of English novels, authors’ intricate techniques hold the power to entrap and sustain an audience, conveying manipulative messages through, characters, language and setting. This subtly moulds the many interpretations into one powerful impression, which a huge, combined audience can easily follow and enjoy. The elaborate contradictory structure surrounding the main protagonist, Heathcliff, of Emily Brontë’s tragic romance, ‘Wuthering Heights’, subtly evokes the empathy of those who read, causing:- “an unreclaimed creature, without refinement, without cultivation: an arid wilderness of furze and whinstone”. to become heroic, through his passionate devotion to Catherine using the empathetic, Bildungsroman structure of the novel to enhance our admiration for him. Brontë creates for us, the audience, a deep, entangled romance, twisting our emotions using the views and traits of the many characters to influence the plot, forming an extremely convincing novel. Both Nelly Dean, and Lockwood are key narrative characters in the plot, but their different upbringings and social status allows us to dismiss certain comments and remember others. Our first encounter with Heathcliff is as a mature adult, and related by Lockwood. The portrayal of Heathcliff is that of a suspicious, rude, unmannered man, with a dark air of mystery and evil. Yet, Lockwood described him as a “gentleman”, saying: “he has an erect and handsome figure” As the novel moves on, the plot moves backwards in time, using the unusual, ghostly experiences of Lockwood in the initial chapters, as a page turner, making us, the audience eager to read on. From the very beginning of the novel, Brontë creates great sympathy for the: “dirty, ragged, black haired child” known to the Earnshaws only as “Heathcliff”, as he spent the first years of his childhood as an orphan, wandering alone in the streets of Liverpool. This is already gently forcing the audience to subconsciously, forgive Heathcliff for any following mistakes he may make. Once adopted into the Earnshaw family, Heathcliff was doted on by his new father Mr. Earnshaw, who strongly favoured him over his daughter, Catherine, and son, Hindley. However, this continual devotion soon sparked anger and jealousy. Hindley grew to despise Heathcliff, taunting, and beating him whenever the opportunity arose. Heathcliff was brought, from this spitefulness, to lead his life, continually planning ways to seek revenge on his new-found enemy: “he grew bitter with brooding over

The Testament

2002-01-16T13:00:00-05:00

John Grisham’s book The Testament is a story that mixes legal suspense with a remarkable adventure, their lives is forever altered by the startling secret of a billionaires last wishes. The setting takes place in Washington, D.C. and in the Pantanal in Brazil. The main characters in this book are: Nate O’Riley: The main character in this book. He is a washed-up, alcoholic litigator with two ruined marriages in his wake and the IRS on his tail. He has been in rehab for his alcoholism four times. Troy Phelan: A 78-year-old eccentric and the 10th-richest man in America. People question on whether or not he is of sane mind. Troy has three ex-wives who bore seven children, six of them are still alive and doing all they can to torment him. Troy’s first wife was Lillian, She had four kids: Troy Junior, Rex, Libbigail, and Mary Ross. Troy’s second wife was Janie, she had two kids: Geena and Rocky. Rocky was killed in a car accident while he was in college. Troy’s third wife was Tira, she had one kid, and his name is Ramble. A quote from Troy about his family: “A dying man should not hate, but I cannot help it. They are a miserable bunch, all of them. Their mothers hate me, so the children in turn have been taught to hate me too.” Josh Stafford- Attorney for Mr. Troy Phelan Jevy- Guide of Nate in the Pantanal. Welly- Deck hand in the Pantanal. Valdir- Lawyer in Brazil. Rachel Lane- An illegitimate child of Troy that nobody knew about. Troy gives his whole fortune to her. Phil Sinclair- Church minister at St. Michaels. The story begins as Troy Phelan is about to read his last will and testament, divvying up an estate worth $11 billion. Phelan's three ex-wives, their kids, a legion of lawyers, several psychiatrists, and a plethora of sound technicians wait breathlessly, all eyes glued to digital monitors as they watch the old man read his verdict. Troy Phelan hates his greedy, spoiled children. The aging multi billionaire knows that they’re circling like vultures as he waits to die. Phelan’s last will and testament names an unknown beneficiary, a missionary living deep in the wilds of Brazil. This will would nullify all other wills. But Phelan shocks everyone with a bizarre, last-gasp attempt to redistribute the spoils. This will gave enough money to clear all debts of his offspring. But it gave them nothing after the debts

The Handmaid's Tale - Gilead and 20th Century ideas and events

2002-01-16T13:00:00-05:00

The Novel Explores an Imaginary World. To what extent is Gilead built on familiar ideas and events from our own 20th Century Society.

Throughout the novel, Offred brings the readers attention to ‘the time before’. This generally happens in the ‘Night’ passages. It is in these passages where the reader is given a true insight into what Offred is really thinking. This is no doubt why the reader is only here given true insight to ‘the time before’, which was of course, the society we live in today. The role of satire itself is to bring to the attention of the reader, the problems of the society in which they live. Atwood’s stance here, is to create a distopian society, which has been vastly exaggerated for the purposes of the novel. It could be argued that, just as in Nineteen Eighty-Four, this is indeed a future satire, in which Atwood is warning of the future of the society in which she lives. The birth of Gileadean Society is a recent occurrence in the novel. We know this from Offred’s accounts of the break up of her relationship with Luke and their attempts to leave the country. We can therefore assume that the birth of Gilead is within about ten years of Offred’s accounts. Because of this, there are still signs of the ‘time before’ present, for example the magazines and scrabble in the Commander’s office. Another example of this, is the opening of the novel when we are introduced to the characters in a novel. ‘We slept in what had once been the gymnasium’. This shows that there are still significance reminders of the ‘time before’ . Notice the use of Atwood’s language here. She says ‘the gymnasium’, rather than ‘a gymnasium’ this suggests that Offred remembers the gymnasium and it is not a random place of no significance to her. Gileadean Society is, ultimately based around a feminist idea, which has gone wrong. The women are put on a pedestal so high, and are so coveted and respected within certain circles that they are even more oppressed than they were in ‘the time before’ if you could be so bold as to argue that women were oppressed in the ‘time before’. However, this feminist culture has been distorted, making the eventual outcome totally opposite to what was campaigned for. Distortion of what happened in the ‘time before’ is an ongoing theme throughout

Homer's The Illiad - Hector As The Epic Hero

2002-01-13T13:00:00-05:00

In Homer’s The Iliad there appears to be some controversy over who the true epic hero might be. We have heard many arguments supporting Achilles as the Epic Hero, and since The Iliad does indeed say “The Story of Achilles” I believe that Achilles is an easy character for people to associate as the epic hero. Although many people have cited Achilles as having superhuman strength and various other physical attributes, he appears to be lacking the qualities of a real Homeric Epic Hero. A Homeric Epic Hero must demonstrate all of the following three requirements in order for them to truly be considered an Epic Hero. A character must believe that men have to stand together in battle; men had to respect each other; and they had to refrain from excessive cruelty. This last condition was considered to be critically important for the Epic Hero. A true Epic Hero loathed deliberate acts of cruelty, defamation, and injustice. An Epic Hero believed that if they were to kill an opponent it must be done quickly. There was to be no mutilation of any kind because it reflected poorly upon the victor and the victor’s community. In the following paragraphs you will see how Achilles breaks all three rules/requirements of an epic hero, and upon doing so relinquishes any right he has to be called an Epic Hero. The first requirement of an Epic Hero is that he believes that men should stand together in battle. Achilles is a great warrior with superhuman strength, but when Briseis, Achilles war prize, is stripped from him by Agamemnon he proceeds to throw a temper tantrum. Achilles cares no more about standing alongside his fellow Greek warriors because he has been disrespected by Agamemnon. Homer does an excellent job of making most readers sympathize with Achilles, until around book nine when Patroklos is killed in battle. It is not until nine books of brooding and pouting passed for Achilles to realize how selfish and immature he was behaving. Not until the death of his beloved companion, which he was an indirect cause of, does he decide to return to the battlefield. Even his intentions to return to the battlefield are not philanthropic in their nature. Achilles feels guilty about Patroklos’ death and wants to avenge his friend’s death more for personal reasons than anything else. Achilles feels that if he kills Hector, Patroklos’ death will

Women in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

2002-01-12T13:00:00-05:00

Women throughout the ages have had diverse personalities, and their various behaviors are significantly depicted in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. He tells of several women; two are among the travelers on the pilgrimage to Canterbury and the others are characters in numerous tales during the journey. The Wife of Bath, the old woman in the Wife of Bath’s Tale, and Griselda, a character in the Clerk’s Tale, each exemplify the divergent roles of women in the fourteenth century. These women are suitable examples of woman of the past, and on the contrast can also be examples of women of present-day because although lifestyles may modify to some extent, however general behaviors remain the same. “Forceful and vivacious,” The Wife of Bath is an ideal illustration of an unrestrained and lewd woman of the fourteenth century (Moore 2000). She has been widowed five times and she is going on the pilgrimage to Canterbury to possibly find her next husband. The Wife is opposed to the concept of chastity and plainly states her personal ideas concerning that subject within the prologue of her tale...

Tell me to what conclusion or in aid of what were generative organs made? And for what profit were those creatures wrought? Trust me, they cannot have been made for naught.

Her attire is pretentious; she wears vivid garments and ornate headdresses (Moore 2000.) As a result of her flamboyant vanity, The Wife would have been censured by priests and parsons. The Wife of Bath can practically be considered a sex symbol of her generation. The Wife of Bath has even been compared to Madonna by Susan K. Hagan. Hagan writes, “What I find so amazing in these two self styled performances of confession and romance, separated as they are by 600 years and phenomenological existence is that both express their individuality in terms of sexual autonomy and control. Both The Wife of Bath and Madonna know how to “play the game.” The Wife of Bath wants the free dinner as much as anyone else. She postures, she pronounces, she plays out the challenge of Host, Pardoner, Friar, and Clerk alike.” Hagan adds to the comparison by stating, “Her [The Wife of Bath] opening number might be "Express Yourself," but her method is to vogue, to strike a pose, whether it be the reprobate feminine exegete, the insatiable Venusian, the shrewish wife, the jealous wife, or the loving wife” (Hagan 2001). The Wife of Bath also

Atticus Finch Character Sketch

2002-01-07T13:00:00-05:00

Atticus Finch, a nearly fifty defense lawyer for small Maycomb County, is the honorable father of main character Jean Louise (Scout) and Jemermy (Jem). He is the lawyer for accused black rapist, Tom Robinson, and he tries to change injustices and racism in his small hometown. Atticus' inner conflicts and moral dilemmas are expertly written in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Atticus's physical appearance doesn't play a big part in the novel. Atticus is nearly fifty and wears glasses because his left eye is nearly blind. We can assume Atticus normally does not look his age, because Jem and Scout say he looks as old as he was for once. Atticus is also a very neat person, (as seen on page 202), and "He never loosened a scrap of clothing until he undressed at bedtime, and to Jem and me, this was the equivalent of him standing before us stark naked." Jem and Scout are Atticus' own children and even they haven't seen him casually dressed. Atticus' character isn't focused of for its appearance, but for his personality and inner strength. Atticus is very fair and just person. In a time when black people were still considered a lower class by almost all, Atticus believed in equality and equal rights for all. His beliefs were summarized in his powerful closing at Tom Robinson's trial. He said, on page 204, “Confident that you gentlemen, would go along with them on one assumption, the evil assumption, that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are immoral beings, that all Negroes are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that of one mind of their caliber. Which gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin, a lie that I don’t have to point out to you. You know the truth. The truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men can’t be trusted around women, black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.”Atticus fights for Tom Robinson with all of himself, he does not care about his skin color, only his innocence. Atticus represents all of the honorable people in Maycomb County. Atticus Finch is a very honest man. When his children ask his difficult questions he doesn't try and sugarcoat his answers, he is blunt and

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Love

2002-01-02T13:00:00-05:00

Love, or what is more commonly known as love, can take hold in an instant and feel very much like magic that is being put over you. It can make you do things that you would never of done and makes you feel like your floating in air. It hits you without you knowing that it’s going to happen and there is nothing you can do to stop it. That is what A midsummer Night’s Dream mostly consists of. But who speaks more completely, eloquently, and most compassionate in this play about love? Before you can come to a conclusion, you have to look at all the kinds of love there is in this play. One of the kinds of love that is really not love but many people mistake it as is infatuation or commonly known as lust. This isn’t being in love with the other person but in love with one of there charecteristics. This can be shown with the relationship between Demetrius and Hermia. Demetrius only wants Hermia for the chase and not for who she is. Another type of love that can be presented is an unrequited relationship. This can be expressed by Helena and Demetrius. Helena loves Demetrius with all of her heart but he doesn’t want anything to do with her because there is no chase. It’s a one way kind of love. The last love that is shown in this play is true love. This can be shown with Lysander and Hermia. They love each other with every once of their body and nothing can stop them from being together. (Except love in Idleness) That is what true love is and that’s why people say that true love is the most powerful thing in the world. It can also be show in what Lysander says in Act. 1 sc. 1 161-164 “ There, gentle Hermia, may I marry thee, And to that place the sharp Athenian law Cannot pursue us. If thou lovest me, then, Steal forth thy father’s house tomorrow night;” In order for them to be together is to run away and that is what they do. In my opinion, I think that Hermia is the one that speaks more completely, eloquently, and most compassionate in this play about love then any other

How Exhibitionism and Rebellion Prevent Healthy Relationships in Holden Caulfield

2001-12-29T13:00:00-05:00

Introduction

There are certain behaviours that prevent healthy relationships. Exhibitionism is a behaviour that can prevent healthy relationships between people. Rebellion is another behaviour that keeps one from having a strong relationship. These behaviours, common in teenagers, can be seen in J.D. Salinger’s popular character, Holden Caulfield. Exhibitionism and rebellion prevent Holden from developing good relationships with people. The purpose of this report is to show how exhibitionism and rebellion keep Holden Caulfield from establishing healthy relationships with other people. Behaviours that Prevent Healthy Relationships How Exhibitionism Prevents Healthy Relationships Exhibitionism is a behaviour that can prevent healthy relationships between people. Exhibitionism is a tendency to call attention to oneself or show off (Webster’s New World Dictionary 125). Adolescence is a time when exhibitionism is most common. People who show exhibitionism call attention to themselves in many ways. They act foolishly, disrupt others, wear outrageous clothing, and have a tendency to raise their voices (“Adolescent Behaviour” 1). These acts are a nuisance and can be extremely annoying (Personal Interview). People regard exhibitionists as those who cannot control their own actions or those who attract negative attention toward themselves because they cannot attract positive attention. “I can’t stand people that just act out in class or something. They make you turn and look, but it’s for the wrong reasons” (Personal Interview). Exhibitionism is a behaviour that prevents one from having healthy relationships because it bothers other people.

How Rebellion Prevents Healthy Relationships

In addition to exhibitionism, rebellion is another behaviour that prevents healthy relationships. Rebellion is the defiance of authority or the refusal to accept authority (Webster’s New World Dictionary 318). People who rebel prevent healthy relationships with the people they are rebelling against (“Teenage Rebellion” 2). They tend to cause difficulties against authority because of a difference of opinion (“The World of Adolescence” 3). Rebellion is a common behaviour seen among teenagers. Often, they rebel against parents or teachers because they do not want to conform to rules. Teenagers use abusive language, use illegal substances such as drugs or alcohol (See Appendix A), break curfews, refuse to do homework, or vandalize buildings (“Teenage Rebellion” 2). This upsets the authority figures and causes tension between the adolescents and the authority figures. Common to adolescence, rebellion prevents people from developing healthy relationships with authority figures.

Exhibitionism in Adolescents

Exhibitionism is a common behaviour displayed by adolescents. Exhibitionism is the extravagant and conspicuous behaviour intended to attract attention

Society’s Intolerance

2001-12-29T13:00:00-05:00

In society, people are symbolized as mockingbirds because of their differences. The mockingbird is an animal that only sings for us and to harm such a creature would be a sin. The mockingbird can represent people where they are harmed for doing nothing wrong. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a work of fiction which displays intolerance of differences. The book displays prejudice and intolerance in different ways to various people. This leads to them being symbolized as mockingbirds or innocent creatures that have done no harm. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the intolerance of differences results in Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell symbolizing the mockingbird. Through the town’s intolerance, Boo Radley can be represented as a mockingbird. Arthur “Boo” Radley is a man that is misunderstood and is treated as something harmful to Maycomb. “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom” (Lee 8). They blame Boo for their problems and tell stories about him even though they are untrue: People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work. Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events: people’s chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, who eventually drowned himself in Barker’s Eddy, people still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions (9). Aside from his cruel father, Arthur has never harmed anyone and is a kind and caring person who saved the lives of the Finch children when Bob Ewell attacked them. “To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight - to me that’s a sin” (276). Arthur is used to things the way they are and bringing him into an unknown world would be like killing a mockingbird because he is not used to a regular society. Boo also leaves the children gifts in a knot-hole, mended Jem’s pants and gave Scout a blanket. Boo chooses to remain inside his house so that he does not have to deal with problems

The three stages of Pip’s expectations are also stages of his personal and moral development

2001-12-28T13:00:00-05:00

When Pip was a child, he was a contented young boy. He wanted to grow up to be apprenticed to Joe and “had believed the forge as the glowing road to manhood.” He was a very sensitive child and afraid of doing something wrong this was shown when his guilty conscience along with his imagination haunted him with images of him being caught after he stole food for the convict. His fear of doing wrong was made clear when he referred to the time they took to discover the stolen items as “prolonging my misery.” The way his conscience had to wrestle with the idea that he had done a good deed showed insecurity as well as being afraid of doing wrong. He was an insecure child and would do anything but lose Joe’s love such as when he would not tell Joe about the stolen file. “The fear of losing Joe’s confidence, and thenceforth sitting in the chimney-corner at night, staring drearily at my forever lost companion and friend, tied up my tongue.” After visiting Miss Havisham’s and meeting Estella, Pip began to think about things he would not before. Estella insults him about his thick boots and coarse hands, before he would not have even thought that he had had thick boots let alone the fact that it was a bad thing. Pip became upset by the fact that he was ignorant and inadequate. He was ashamed of being a common labouring boy and he now thought everything to be coarse and common. As Estella looked down upon him, he did to, however Estella was attractive, and he confessed “She’s more beautiful than anybody ever was, and I admire her dreadfully, and I want to be a gentleman on her account.” This was the cause of his new discontented disposition and so he looked down on things and people that prevented him becoming a gentleman, and even started to feel “disaffection to Joe and the forge.” He begins to despise the things that kept him at the forge and believed that he “should never like Joe’s trade.” This also showed ingratitude, as he was not thankful for anything he had. Pip was inconsiderate and since he believed Biddy to below him he talked carelessly and made comments such as “If I could only get my self to fall in love with you-“. These refer to him being unfeeling as he

Biographia Literaria And Coleridge

2001-12-23T13:00:00-05:00

Coliredge’s theory of the “Imagination” is worthy to be examined and analysed. In his “Biographia Literaria”, he divides “Imagination” into two parts, which are “the Primary Imagination” and “the Secondary Imagination”. His interpretation of the subject sounds scientific, and close to the field of philosophy. “the Primary Imagination” is, as Coleridge defines it, creating the world by our perceptions at the concious mind. “The Secondary Imagination”, in his definition, is creating an ideal world of reality by dissoluting and recreating the perceptual world we know. In “the Primary Imagination” we have no choise but to see the world as it is, but in “the Secondary Imagination” we have the will to create another world. [see P.321] Coleridge explaines that “Secondary Imagination” differs from one person to another. I would interpret it that if a person has

Le Morte d'Arthur - The Chivalric Code

2001-12-19T13:00:00-05:00

An act of chivalry is described as the qualifications or character of the ideal knight. Knights were expected to uphold this code of conduct. In the English literature Le Morte d'Arthur, French for 'The Death of Arthur', by Sir Thomas Malory, the characters display acts of chivalry from beginning to end. Though the code of chivalry contains many qualities or acts, nevertheless bravery, loyalty, and courtly love are demonstrated more throughout this literature. Bravery is the mental or moral strength to venture and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Fear is what one feels when fighting, knowing that he or she could die. For example, when Sir Mordred and King Arthur were to fight, Arthur was told that if he fought Mordred, Arthur would die. Regardless, Arthur fought Mordred. Though not stated in the text, one would assume that Arthur had fear of himself dying running through his brain, and that would explain how his adrenaline got pumped up enough to kill Mordred. Difficulty is going against someone who is more skilled. When the young Sir Gryfflette challenged King Pellinore to a joust to avenge a knight's death, Gryfflette lost, but because he went up against a more experienced person, he was demonstrating an act of bravery. The danger of the two is that one can always die in matters such as those. Bravery and loyalty can go hand-in-hand with one another. Loyalty is being faithful to a cause, ideal or custom, and because of that, Sir Lancelot often displayed the acts of loyalty and bravery. In Book XVIII (Eighteen), Chapter VII (Seven), Sir Mador kidnapped Queen Guinevere. Lancelot knew that Mador was a strong knight, but because he was loyal to Guinevere and Arthur, he fought Mador. Another case of loyalty mixed with a touch of bravery is when Arthur's knights fought to their death to save Arthur from Mordred. Loyalty can also come without fight or bravery. When Arthur went to the lake to seek the sword Excalibur, he swore to grant Avalon's Lady whatever gift she someday desired. Also, Merlin was known for telling Arthur about the future and what could happen if Arthur did not listen to him, and because of that, Arthur was loyal enough to Merlin to follow his wishes. Aside from being told what to do and what not to do, when Arthur was wounded and in the process of dying, Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere were

Describe the part Old Major and Benjamin play and the impression they had on you.

2001-12-19T13:00:00-05:00

Describe the part Old Major and Benjamin play and the impression they had on you. Which of the two seems to you more important in the events of the story?

Old Major was a stout-looking boar of twelve years of age. He was wise and benevolent. He was highly regarded by the other animals on the farm. It was Old Major who, one night, dreamt of a world where all animals were equal and Man was no more. He told his dream and visions to the animals. If Man were removed from the scene, the cause of hunger and overwork would be abolished. He delivered the message of rebellion to the animals and since all the animals looked up and honoured Old Major, they took to his words. It was also Old Major who taught the song 'Beast of England' that was sang and remembered by the animals throughout the story. Eventhough Old Major dies within a short time of his presence in the story, he held a very big and deep impression throughout the story. His speeches and teachings gave the animals on the farm a new and deeper outlook on life. An important factor was that he did not use any elements of terror or play with the fear of the animals for them to listen. He was one of the influential characters of the story and it was he who brought about the idea of the animal revolution. Benjam8in, the donkey was the oldest animal on the farm. He seldom talked and was reputed for being cynical. He was alone for most of the time and was devoted to Boxer, the horse. Benjamin was one of the few animals that remained unchanged after the Rebellion took place. He did his work all right, never shirking but also never volunteering for extra work. Benjamin was also amongst the cleverer animals, as he knew how to read and seemed to be able to predict the future. Benjamin also noticed the gradual changes in the principles of the Animal Farm. He knew and understood of Napoleon's plans but unfortunately did not voice his knowledge because if he did the Animal Farm may not have been dominated by the pigs. Benjamin gives me the impression of people who are reserved and quiet but possess the knowledge that many do not have. He could have been more powerful and influential than pigs but he kept

The Moghul - A general review

2001-12-18T13:00:00-05:00

This tale is offered to the memory of one William Hawkins (1575-1613), a brandy-drinking, Turkish-speaking seaman and adventurer who was the first Englishman to reach the court of Jahangir, the Great Moghul of India. There he delivered gifts from the new East India Company and a letter from King James proposing direct trade, then a zealously protected monopoly of Portugal. As he gradually adopted Indian ways, Hawkins became a court favorite of the Moghul, who made him a knightly Khan and eventually tried to keep him in India. After several Portuguese-instigated attempts to murder him, Hawkins attached himself for safety to a certain willful Indian Woman. The end of their story eventually became a minor legend throughout the early East India Company.

How true the story is

Brian Hawksworth is largely a fictional composite, whose experiences recall in part those of William Hawkins (in India from 1608 to 1613) and in part those of other seventeenth-century European adventurers. His defeat of the four Portuguese galleons was only a slight dramatization of historic victories by severely outnumbered English frigates off Surat in 1612 and 1614 commanded by English captains Thomas Best and Nicholas Downton, both sailing for the early East India Company. Hawksworth’s mercurial relationship with the Moghuland his experiences at the Moghul’s court were recreated in part from the letters and diaries of William Hawkins and those of his successor, Sir Thomas Roe. As did Brian Hawkswarth, William Hawkins adopted the Indian style of life in dress and diet, much to astonishment of his European contemporaries. Brian Hawkswarth’s love affair with Shirin was suggested by William Hawkins’ marriage to an Indian woman of noble descent, possibly a member of the Moghul’s court, on the encouragement of Jahangir, who suspected the Jesuits of attempting to poison him and wanted his food monitored. Hawkins’ wife later journeyed to London, where she caused the East India Company considerable disruption over their responsibilities towards her, and eventually she returned to India. Although most of the early Englishmen in India resembled our George Elkinton far more than they did Brian Haksworth, there was one early traveler, Thomas Coryat, whose cultural and human sensibilities would not have clashed greatly with those of Brian Hawksworth at the end of his story. The sudden appearance of the bubonic plague in India was taken from the court history of the Moghul Jahangir. Similarly, the capture of the Moghul’s trading vessel by the Portuguese,

The Catcher in the Rye

2001-12-18T13:00:00-05:00

In 1964, J.D. Salinger composed a novel titled The Catcher in the Rye that became quite controversial and was banned from several schools because of inappropriate content. The story is pretty dramatic, but it has many comical incidents. The book is trying to project the idea that you can run from your problems as much as you want; however it is inevitable that you face them. You can’t run forever! If this were a scary movie, the evil laughter would start now. Our main character Holden Caulfield at first appears to be having a conflict with society, but, upon closer examination, we see he is truly only at war with himself. Our story starts with Holden being kicked out of yet another school, this time Pencey Prep, for failing four classes. He is supposed to go home at Christmas Break and not return, however, things don’t work out like that. A situation progresses into a first fight when Holden finds out that his roommate had sex with a girl named Jane Gallagher, who it becomes apparent that Holden loves. Holden loses the fight and grabs his bags and hunting hat and heads for the train station a few days early. One conflict is Holden deciding how to tell his parents that he was kicked out of Pencey. Another less obvious conflict is Holden dealing with the people around him without getting the urge to blow up a building. He is completely convinced that everyone in the world is a phony, except for his little sister Phoebe, Jane, and himself. Throughout the story, he is plagued by phony people. These two problems connect when Holden is attempting to plan his future away from such phonies and do it without his parents finding out about Pencey. After he leaves Pencey, Holden takes a train to New York, where his only plans are to plan to make plans. He meets all sorts of people in New York, including a ditsy blonde named Bernice at the Lavender Room. He buys a hooker named Sunny from a guy named Maurice, but pays her just for talking. There’s a mix-up about the payment, so Maurice beats him bloody. He goes to see a show with a girl named Sally Hayes and wants to run away with her, then decides she’s phony, so he leaves her at a diner. He meets an old friend named Luce for drinks and ends

Much Ado About Nothing - Comedy and Melancholy

2001-12-15T13:00:00-05:00

When we discuss the dramatic form of a Shakespearean comedy, we are not only examining the clever or amusing text. Shakespearean comedies are not about drawing laughs from an audience. The form of traditional comedies involve certain aspects that have nothing to do with what is funny, delightful or amusing, including different classes of characters, different settings and different plot structures. Some may be surprised to find such a horrible and unpleasant turn of events within a “comic” setting, like Hero’s overwhelming slander by her fiancé, or Beatrice’s proposition for Benedick to murder his friend. Shakespeare’s comedies reach a real truth and depth of human existence, which we find with the juxtaposition of merry and melancholy in Much Ado About Nothing. When we are presented a merry, festive setting in Ado., followed by a wholly unexpected and terribly unpleasant shaming of the innocent Hero, we experience a very sharp turn as an audience. This is a truth in human existence: how life can be playful and turn very suddenly serious. In contrasting these humors, Shakespeare creates a more truthful world on stage and can really educate the audience to the nature of the world as well as entertain them. In this essay we will explore the various melancholic aspects in Ado and their employment in creating emotional complexity and theatrical poignancy. Shakespeare creates a balance of humors that would communicate to an Elizabethan audience. He presents a world where the structure within the play respects the power structure in the universe where everything must be balanced. We will ultimately prove Shakespeare’s desire to create a comic world that is not just lovely and delightful, but surprisingly dark and insightful. Much Ado About Nothing is set in what is supposed to be a merry time. It is after the war, a time of new marriages proposed, old court ships revived and festivities abound. Claudio’s desire to woo and marry is brought immediately into play, creating an immediately happy setting: When you went onward in this ended action, I look’d upon her with a soldier’s eye, That lik’d, but had a rougher task at hand Than to drive liking to the name of love But now I am return’d, and hat war-thoughts Have left their places vacant, in their rooms Come thronging soft and delicate desires, All prompting me how soft and fair Hero is, Saying I lik’d her ere I went to wars. (I. i. 297-305) Ado. is presented as a play that dealing

Preface to Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth

2001-12-14T13:00:00-05:00

Preface to Lyrical Ballads is written to express the new style, which is used by many poets, such as Wordsworth. This style will be known as the romantic style after centuries. Wordsworth explains "what is poetry? What kind of language should be used in it? What kind of setting? And who is a poet?". I agree with him in some points of his argument, and I will discuss one point of his embodying analyses which will determine my status of approval or disapproval with his argument. Since Wordsworth emphasises that language used in poetry should be simple, I will discuss his point further with my own opinion

Beamarchais

2001-12-12T13:00:00-05:00

Beaumarchais lived a marvelous, enriched life, arguably one of the most intriguing of the eighteenth century. His was “a career that began in the most obscure of bourgeois existence (Perla 32).” He was born in a lower-class Protestant family, gaining his titles through hard work rather than winning them by birth alone. He noted in the preface to Tarare that “not all men are advantageously placed to carry out great things: we are born who we are and we become what we can be (24).” This theme, which he echoed through his whole life, is found in many of his written works. He was a genius with immeasurable vigor and ambition, having held several positions of distinction in his life. Over his sixty seven years he was an accomplished musician and songwriter, a master clock maker, a jurist, a businessman, an editor, a tradesman, a ship owner, a secret agent, diplomat, architect, an engineer- but he was first and foremost a thinker, and a great intellectual to emerge at France’s Enlightenment. He was a man of intense profound thought- he was a true philosophe. Beaumarchais was a well known pamphleteer, essayist and literary scholar, coveting the power of the literature and its ability to change society. It is interesting to note that John Wood affirms playwrighting, this paper’s focus, to have been only a “protean activity” for Beaumarchais, but still “an essential expression of his personality (2).” This is not to say that Beaumarchais thought lightly of writing for the theatre. One could not take lightly an art form of such power and influence that it always met with violent opposition from the establishment. Beaumarchais knew the theatre to be the most potent realm to present his platform. He defiantly brought ideas to France that challenged those in power without apology. Louis XVI, showing he was no great fool, recognized the danger of the poet’s words and enforced everything in his power from censorship to imprisonment to keep Beaumarchais’s works from being presented for the public. The American Revolution became a cause for Beaumarchais, where he could serve France and the great notion of liberty, in the spirit of the Enlightenment. His commitment to America’s cause was true and just. It is his influence with the French Revolution that we question. Although his writing reflected the sentiment of the American Revolution and the famous Tennis Court Oath, it is questionable whether Beaumarchais

Emerson - I Or We: Who Knows Better?

2001-12-12T13:00:00-05:00

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men - that is genius,” The mentality that Emerson expressed in that quote is one that was a commonality among most Romantics: A personal Truth was just as valid as a truth that has been proved by others. Neoclassicists, on the other hand, believed that for an idea to become accepted as a fact, outside sources had to repeatedly verify it. This disparity in thought was one of the reactionary reversals that exemplify the differences of the two movements. While Neoclassicists tended to be extroverted and reliant on the opinions of others to confirm their own insights, Romantics tended to be withdrawn and found comfort in their own thoughts, especially while in the presence of Nature. Embodiments of this difference in thought abound in each movement’s literature; Neoclassicist writers frequently appeal to the reader of their works to verify the presented information. Romantics, on the other hand, tend to focus inward and rarely appeal to the reader for verification. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson made several attempts at acceptance through the appeal to others. In the beginning of his work, he openly stated that in order for the United States to validly declare independence from Britain, “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” This need for outside support was typical of Neoclassicist writers. The reason for emphasis on others and their ideas came from their epistemological source, the scientific method. The scientific method stated that in order for hypotheses to become validated, the results had to be checked again and again by other people. Samuel Johnson, an acclaimed critic of the time period, stated that in order for an author to hold any credibility, he must have experienced much of the world and intimately know the topic about which he was writing. For a Neoclassicist, if a personal thought, feeling, or idea was to hold any weight; many other people must agree with the principle. When Romanticism came about, they completely negated this concept. When Romantics wanted to find a Truth, they looked not to other people, but instead to Nature. In one of his many books, Nature, Emerson wrote, “In the wilderness, I find something more dear and connate

Themes in the Tempest

2001-12-12T13:00:00-05:00

There are so many different themes and issues in the play The Tempest by William Shakespeare, that it is difficult to define which is useful and which is not. To explore this concept, it would be prudent to look at 4 themes and issues in the play. The theme of forgiveness is seen in act four scene one almost immediately with the words of Prospero to Ferdinand "If I have too austerely punish'd you,/ your compensation makes amends" (4.1.1). It is also far from Prospero's initial attitude as chronicled by critic Davidson "desire for vengeance has apparently lain dormant...and now with the sudden advent of his foes, the great wrong...stirring present again, arousing the will to action". Prospero goes through the motions of forgiveness, but his sincerity sometimes is lost. There is a matter-of-fact reconciliation between Prospero and Alonso, who with a simple "pardon me" (5.1.116) later on in the text he seems to make waste to the expectations for a more satisfactory ending that the audience found in act four, scene one. We saw a grand masque after the forgiveness of Ferdinand and in the next act, we see a rather lame apology and acceptance. The masque element of the play is also a very important theme which incorporates the musical and visually stimulating elements that have been seen throughout the play so far. The use of pastoral images such as "Ceres, most bounteous lady, thy rich leas/ Of wheat, rye.../ Thy turfy mountain" (4.1.60) denotes that sensuous lexis adds to the pleasure of the spectacle.The masque also breaks up the action for the audience and smoothes away and notion of the play being morbid. This positive feel to the play foretells of a happy ending. There is a human issue to consider. Prospero is a master and a Duke, but above all, he is a father. He demonstrates his love for his daughter by his constant warnings "if thou dost break her virgin knot before/ All sanctimonious ceremonies may/ with full and holy rite.../ no sweet aspersion shall the heavens let fall.../ but barren hate" (4.1.15-19). This is indeed a threat, but it should not be forgotten that a father who loves his daughter is worried about her well being. This human element propels the play to another level; that of empathy. The use of magic throughout the play is very prominent and in this scene, the rest of the plays

Antigone - Importance of gender in the opening scene

2001-12-12T13:00:00-05:00

In looking at the first few exchanges between Ismene and Antigone by Sophocles, it is greatly apparent that there are plenty of social issues surrounding women from ancient Greece. In looking at the contextual background of the playwright, the representation of the women within the play and at the imagined response of a contemporary and ancient audience; we can see that this play raises many gender and socially related issues. Looking briefly at the contextual element to the play in terms of the playwright, it is worth considering that Sophocles himself was a political writer. He was elected by lot to become one of nine generals to command during an ancient skirmish. This took place the same year he wrote the play 'Antigone'. His fame for writing this play propelled him into fame among his peers and fellow citizens. Even within the play itself we can see that there is a political effort. This comes directly from the protagonist King Creon. He wants to rule fairly but firmly. His power as, not only a King, but as a human being come into focus to an audience as he must decided whether or not to go against his heart by killing his niece for disobeying a law he laid down. This is also a law he could quite simply change, but he doesn't. This would directly give any audience the notion that the ideal ruler is someone who can put the matters of their heart to one side and put the greater good of the people first. When we meet the characters in the first scene, it is important to note what they actually say about each other and their knowledge of their own social status. When we meet Antigone, she is the first character to speak. The audience later learns that she is the antagonist of the play as she rebels against the protagonist, Creon. It is also worth noting that there is a similarity between the name of the heroine Antigone and the term antagonist. This gives the audience, especially of ancient Greece the feeling that Antigone has been fated to be the antagonist and to die for it in a tragic manner. Her sister Ismene who is the second character the audience will meet initially describes Antigone. "You seem so dark and grim" (25) says Ismene of her sister. This tells us that the mood of the other character is somber;

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: stream of consciousness techniques

2001-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

The stream of consciousness novel depends on the inner thoughts and emotions of a character. To show the significance of these flux of ideas, and to illuminate the themes and characters different tichniques are used. The technique used exist in the stream of consciousness novel by symbolism. How symbolism is used will be explained by referring to James Joyce novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Motif is a technique which means phrases or words that are repeated. The repitition is used to give a hidden meaning. For example, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man the “moocow” is an indirect associattion to the idea of motherhood, the main character’s mother, and mother land which is Irland. The figures are juxtapositions and indications to the theme of repressing authority that is symbolized by the figure of mother, father, and priest symbols. The theme introduced by this motif is the repressive nature of his country. The main character of James Joyce novel called Stephen. In order to show the main theme, which is Stephen finding his artistic talent and knowing his path in life, Joyce used many symbols that appear to be with no relation to each other but by associating the meaning of each symbol, the whole theme could be seen. The main theme is introduced in the first section of the novel. The first section is like a prologue to introduce the inner conflict that Stephen is not aware of yet. For example, the repitition of “road” at the first page of the novel; it is a symbol to the two roads, which Stephen has to chose from. They are two paths: one of them is religion and the other is art. The novel shows Stephen’s conflict in chosing one of the two paths, until he discovers who he really is. He discovers he is an artist. Stephen is not aware at first of him self as an artist. It is symbolized in the novel by “his short sightness”. He is blind to the truth that he is an artist and is walking in the path of religion thinking this is what he wants. While he is in search for him self, “his short sightness” allude him to think his comfort is to become a priest. However, once he is offered to be a priest, he finds him self rejecting the idea. At that time, he

The key to successful fiction is characterisation

2001-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

Development of character forms the single, most important element of most works fiction, and the way in which we respond to the character has a major influence on our interpretation and response to the text. For example, try to imagine the short story “As Boys to Wanton Flies” by Michael Wilding, without the development of the protagonist, Lionel. Effective characterisation helps the reader to identify with the themes in the story, by presenting the issues & conflicts that the character experiences with its surrounding environment, and with other characters in the story. Characterisation, in conjunction with other narrative techniques, is the key to successful fiction. Characterisation is the technique used by an author in the presentation of characters in a literary work. Characters are revealed by their dialogue, their actions, their appearance, and by their interaction with others. Characterisation is achieved in much the same way as we become acquainted with people in real life: we note what they look like; we listen to what they say and how they speak; we observe their gestures, how they move their bodies, and the things they do; and we listen to what other people tell us about them. All of these add to our total understanding of a character. Our level of understanding of the character will determine our understanding of the story, which in turn will determine the success of the author’s work. “As Boys to Wanton Flies” by Michael Wilding, relies heavily on development of character to present the major themes and issues featured in the story. Without the development of Lionel, the main character, the story would have been significantly meaningless. As a character, Lionel represented many things, the most dominant being a challenge to the male gender stereotype. The development of his intense fear for insects and his attraction to Erica formed a basis for his character, and gave the reader insight to his inner workings. Lionel’s thoughts, emotions & fears became the story. Had his characterisation not been as apparent, then the story would not have been as successful in conveying its message. Characters are constructed by the author to make the audience perceive them in a particular way. In Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” the main character, Willy Loman, is shown to the reader to be a failure, but at the same time, he is constructed by Miller to evoke a feeling of sympathy from the reader. We

Cloudstreet

2001-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

Cloudstreet is the story of two families struggling to make ends meet in a run down house in Perth during the twenty years after World War II. It is a book about community that stirs deep hungers for belonging. Fish Lamb’s Sadness Radar The significance of the title of this chapter is shown in the opening sentences. “Quick Lamb reads the paper every day and sees the long lists of the missing believed killed, and the notices in memoriam for sons and fathers and brothers. The war’s over, he knows, but he picks up sadness like he’s got a radar for it.” We are introduced to the ‘poor kids’ that Quick sees at school. They are brothers, Wogga & Darren McBride. He notices that they have a strange way of eating their lunch, and he watches them every day at school. “… he knows what he’s begun to suspect – Wogga McBride and his brother aren’t eating anything at all; they’re just pretending. Out of pride, they’re going through the motions of unwrapping, passing, commenting on, eating food that doesn’t exist.” Quick notices that he has never heard the 2 brothers laughing. One day he sits on a wall and watches them walk across the field and over the railway line on their way home, and he notices them playing with a stray dog and laughing. He’s surprised to hear them laugh, so he watches them, and reveals, “he wants to go down there with them and run that dog ragged with them. Oh, the laughter, even over the sound of the train.” Wogga McBride stumbles onto the train tracks and is killed by the train. This event disturbs Quick, to hear the sound of him getting hit, and to hear the screaming of Wogga’s younger brother. Quick “… goes home and gets into bed and pulls the sheet over his head and stuffs his ears with notepaper.” It is following Wogga’s death that Quick undergoes a transformation. Fish notices, as is shown in a section that is written from the perspective of his spiritual half. “You stand there in the morning and the afternoon and see Quick all closed, white and hard… Why won’t he look at you? How do you bear it? How can you just stand at the end of his bed like that, with the patience of an animal?“ Lester talks to Quick about what happened to Wogga, and about the effect it is

Values and Attitudes of the Author

2001-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

The way fiction texts begin and end provides a clear indication of the dominant values and attitudes supported by the author

Values and attitudes that the author supports are often reflected in their writing, whether it be in the themes that are involved in the story, or the way it begins and ends. The author adopts a particular point of view and uses that point of view throughout the story to influence and impact readers and viewers. This is most often done through effective use of characterisation. Arthur Miller, in his play ‘Death of a Salesman’ uses his main character, Willy Loman, to heighten the audience to the nature of modern life and “set forth what happens when a man does not have a grip on the forces of life and has no sense of values which will lead him to that kind of grip”. Willy Loman is 63 years old, a travelling salesman for a New York firm for the past 36 years, in the last stages of exhaustion and headed for suicide. He has his sights set on success. To Willy, success means two things: being rich, and being popular, neither of which he has or is ever likely to attain. We are intended to blame Willy for having all the wrong dreams, or rather, for holding onto those dreams long after they cease to correspond with reality. This is shown in the requiem, when at his father’s funeral, Biff states, “He had the wrong dreams, all wrong.” Biff knows that Willy should have stuck to doing things with his hands, instead of sticking to sales, where he faltered. This is backed up by Biff’s comment to Charley: “… there’s more of him in that front stoop than in all the sales he ever made” to which comes his reply, “Yeah. He was a happy man with a batch of cement.” Willy’s death is seen as the death of a dream. Willy has chosen to imitate the salesman side of his father, a choice that was influenced greatly by his meeting of Dave Singleman, who comes to represent for Willy the father he never knew, as well as a role model in life, as is shown by Willy announcing to Howard: “… and without even leaving his room, at the age of eighty-four, he made his living. And when I saw that, I realised selling was the greatest career a man

How does the film add to your understanding of the novel?

2001-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

The film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” opens with scenes of a woman in a red dress, running through fields in desperate escape from some undefined terror. Her flight frames the movie, as though she is running, headlong, into the nameless dread of the future. As it turns out, the woman is in fact running from Lennie, and Lennie and George are running from her protectors. In the novel, we do not become aware of exactly what happens to cause her fear until chapter three, when George is speaking with Slim, the skinner. Difference within sequence of scenes such as this help the reader to develop a better understanding of things that have happened in the storyline. Although the setting of the story may not appear to be significant, the plot could have taken place in a few other places. Migrant life is essential to the story; it must occur in a location and at a time which male migrants were used to farm the land and carry out the work at ranches. It is also essential that the ranch be relatively isolated to provide George and Lennie with their cover and escape. The movie succeeds in portraying this, the setting making a huge impact on the reader, because it lives up to all of its requirements. The men are hard working and skilled, the ranch is isolated, and the story takes place in the period during The Great Depression, which assists in exploring the theme of loneliness throughout the story. The supporting cast in the movie is what keeps the plot moving along and provides symbolic significance to the characters that each member portrays. Curley and his wife provide suspense and climax. They symbolise evil; both repress and abuse migrants, with different approaches, but achieving the affect of appearing to be superior to them all, using their relation to the boss as a threat to the men’s employment. Their threat is emphasised by their body language and the way that they treat other people on the ranch. Curley is always out to pick a fight, and his wife always ‘searching’ for him, stirring up trouble between her husband and the other men on the ranch that she comes into contact with. George and Lennie’s friendship forms the core of the story. Its sincerity is never questioned; the men are inseparable, and what keeps them together is the dream that

Short Stories

2001-12-10T13:00:00-05:00

Short stories are made up mainly of plot, setting and character. It is essential that one predominates- if the story deals with action, then the plot must be emphasised, and the characters remain simple figures within it. If the story deals with setting, then character and action must both have significance, but only in relation to the setting. If the story deals with character, then the characters must be emphasised and the plot focus on their most striking features and experiences. The portrayal of these experiences, if effective, can be applied to the reader’s own life experiences, helping them to understand them and their cause, therefor exploring ideas and views of human experience. Literature, of course, makes explicit its relationship with narrative as a mode of analysis. And in the broad field of communications the structure of linear narrative drives theories of both interpersonal communication and media studies (Fisher 1985; Lucaites & Condit, 1985). That is to say that the interpretation of both media content and the way we relate to others is understood in terms of narrative construct. For instance, in their landmark book on the pragmatics of communication Watzlawick, Beavin and Jackson (1967) discuss how each member of a communication situation constructs the event's story and how these constructions may differ from person to person. Fiske and Hartley (1978), in another anchor text on understanding television, also discuss how television is contextualized as a cultural storyteller. The characteristics of narrative have informed the content of the dominant media of this culture for some time. After a brief initial period during which the limits of the technology were being tested, film rapidly became a story telling medium. The same was true of much of early radio. Television, of course, has taken the narrative form to new heights (some might say depths) with soap operas, situation comedies, and dramas. Even program formats not immediately perceived as narratives demonstrate our cultural need to contextualize reality in this manner. Both talk shows and news shows are popular according to how interesting they are able to make the stories they tell. Before these electric media were our primary source of entertainment, traditional print was our constant narrative companion. Linear narrative form structures most of the important institutions in this culture, from politics and religion to education and commerce. These are all examples of narrative in its highly linear structure. Linearity and sequentiality, characteristics associated

The Pardoner and the Knight

2001-12-09T13:00:00-05:00

“The Canterbury Tales” is a collection of stories, which are told by different characters to serve as entertainment on their journey to Canterbury. The characters who arise during the different tales, and those who tell the tales, play a vital role in understanding the story, and the mind frame of the English people living in the 15th century. Two of the most interesting and diverse characters are the Pardoner and the Knight. These two characters represent the two extremes in the array of storytellers. The Knight, who seems to be one of Chaucer's favorite characters, is a very noble, honest, and trustworthy man. The narrator describes him as having four main qualities: his love of ideals, his impressive military career, his meek, gentle manor, and finally, his dress. The story, which he tells, is very reflective of the man the Narrator perceived him to be. His story is a romance that contains a sense of honor and courage; all the things described as ideals he held. On the complete other end of the spectrum, there is the Pardoner, a dishonest man with long, greasy, yellow hair, who “made the person and the people his apes." Chaucer looks upon the pardoner as a very untrustworthy man. He sells indulgences and gives out pardons to the people at a great fee, which by today’s standards, meant that he was a hustler. His tale of deceit and treason among brothers, reflect his own image quite well. Even during the journey to Canterbury, at a time when all the others were telling tales of how to live well and treat others fairly, the Pardoner was still trying to sell his indulgences, which showed how he had learned nothing from his fellow companions. The Knight and the Pardoner are as different as night and day in this story, they represent two whole different sets of morals and ideals. The Knight is a good, honest man who works hard to defend his honor, where as the Pardoner is a sleazy low-life who is only trying to make money by exploiting the people and the Lord. Chaucer clearly favors the Knight over the Pardoner in the story. This is shown as the Knight rides at the front of the group of travelers, leading them on, but the Pardoner rides in the back with the other less-honorable characters. Their stories also personify the differences between them. The Knight’s tale

Ernest Hemingway: Style

2001-12-09T13:00:00-05:00

Ernest Hemingway was a writer whose style was very different to that of most writers in his time. Instead of using more drawn out, overly descriptive writing, his stories were more of a "get to the point" style. This gave his works a much different feel and set them aside from what was common during his lifetime. Hemingway's style came from his background as a journalist, where he was taught to make stories short and informative, as most articles in newspapers are. When he made the move to writing he brought this style along with him and incorporated it into his various stories. Instead of using 20 pages to describe one person's odor or something along those lines, Hemingway would finish an entire story in a small amount of space. But what set him apart from the rest was his ability to use such few words, and still get the reader to know what he was talking about. This style used by Hemingway appealed to the greater of the masses because it enabled the reader to get the full effect of a story, and not have to sit through chapter after chapter of boring details. Readers, such as myself, and other teenagers of modern day, could read a story such as "The Old Man and the Sea" in a short amount of time, but feel like they had just read an epic. He transferred the content of a novel into the length of a short story. Another aspect of Hemingway's style was his use of atmosphere. When you would read a story written by Hemingway, you could feel like you were in the setting, seeing what the characters saw, and feeling as the characters felt. Although Hemingway did not spend a lot of time writing about details, he still paid close attention to them. In the story "The Old Man and the Sea," Hemingway writes about an old fisherman who goes out into the sea in search of fish. The story is about 15% dialogue and 85% of the old man alone in the sea. This scenario seems as though it would be quite boring, with no human interaction, and excluding the shark encounter, nearly no action, and yet there is not one moment where you do not feel glued to the pages. Hemingway wrote the story in such a way that you feel like you are there sitting in the

Nature

2001-12-09T13:00:00-05:00

In the essay "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, he talks about the wonders of nature that are commonly overlooked by man. He sees these wonders every day and is desensitized to them. Emerson tells how the same things that we think as normal amaze a child. The first time children experience something they are dumbfounded, as we should be, yet nature stays overlooked. This essay speaks the complete truth about the way people treat nature and its beauties. I often pass up the amazing things happen around me in the world, thinking "oh I can see it again another time." What Emerson is trying to tell us is that we should think that this could be the last time we see something of this caliber, and to treat it as such. A beautiful sunset, foliage on the trees, or even something as normal as rain, are all things that are amazing to watch, if you take the time to do so. He describes the model behavior of man towards nature as, "…he who's inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other… In the presence of nature a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrow. Emerson uses the actions of a child in the essay to reveal the ignorance of man. A child treats everything it sees as a new and exciting experience, much like we should. We see everything as dull because these things take place everyday of our lives. That makes it no less important or amazing. Nature is something that we should treat as a child does. When such supernatural things like an eclipse or something of that nature takes place, we all go out and watch in awe. These things seldom occur and we all take the time to see them. What about the things that are equally as great but are seen everyday? Why are they so disregarded? It is because we are so busy doing other things that we have no time to stop and take in the things around us that are so brilliant. Nature means a lot to me, personally, although I frequently find myself in the same scenario described by Emerson. Yet when I do have time to just sit and see all the things that God has put on the Earth I am completely perplexed. Everything is in complete harmony. The animals, the plants, the seasons, and

Edgar Allen Poe - Premature Burial

2001-12-09T13:00:00-05:00

During the nineteenth century, there was a common fear that plagued the Americans and Europeans alike; this was the fear of premature burial. Doctors during this era lacked the modern medical knowledge that we now posses and would sometimes pronounce people dead who were in comas or even unconscious. The assumed dead would then awake during the funeral service or even once buried. After this began to become a common occurrence, the people started to make many precautions in the burying the dead. They would bury a person with a crowbar and shovel in case of premature burial; the person could get himself or herself out of the coffin. Another method was to leave the dead lying out of their caskets for a week to assure that they were dead. The most popular method, however, was the Bateson Revival Device, which was a bell attached to the hand of the deceased that was connected to a tube to the above ground. The alarm would sound at the slightest movement, signaling that the person was not dead. This great and common fear was present in even the writings of many American and European writers. Most significantly were the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Poe incorporated the idea of life after burial in many of his stories. This could be because Poe himself was afraid of this happening to him. Whatever the reason may be, premature burial was a common theme is the stories of Poe that made the stories more exciting because the events could possibly happen in real life. In the story, "The Tell-Tale Heart", a man who is tormented by the eye of his elderly living companion is driven to murder. After the murder, he cuts the man up and places his body parts in the floorboards and cleans everything up. After a while, the man starts to hear a noise, as he describes "A low, dull, quick sound - much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton." The sound of the old man's heart which he had heard hours before in the dark bedroom before he killed him. The sound finally drives him to reveal his deed to the police. Although it would have been physically impossible for the old man to still be alive under the floor, the idea of live burial is still present. The narrator's madness, or as he calls it, "acuteness

Dramatic Effects produced by the Addtions and Changes in the Final Version

2001-12-08T13:00:00-05:00

(English presentation on A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen) All great literary writers are very critical about their word choices. They try to select the words and the sentences to maximize the effects on developing the themes of their works. As a famous modern playwright, Henrik Ibsen also chooses his words and sentences very deliberately. In one of his best-known plays, A Doll’s House, Ibsen makes many changes and additions to his earlier drafts in order to achieve the most [appropriate and sufficient] dramatic effects” on the themes, and on the audience and the readers in his final version the play. The deliberate situation, word and sentence choices are evidenced in three passages in ACT III, which is known as the “discussion” act and falling action of the play. From the very end of “page 57” to the middle of “page 58”, Torvald describes how, at parties, he “pretends not to know her so that he may seduce her all over again”, and he is very “amorous with Nora” until Dr. Rank interrupted. However, in the earlier draft, Mr. Helmer has not drunk too much champagne and is not so amorous with Nora. Ibsen emphasized on the mental condition of Mr. Helmer and his acts as a result of his condition. As I know, people’s drunken words often reveal their real thoughts. Since Torvald is not sober, he reveals to Nora that their marriage is just a result of his “seducing” of her, which further demonstrates us that Torvald’s affection of Nora is only for his own enjoyment. Then, at the end of page 63, Mr. Helmer cries, “I am saved, Nora, I am saved!” instead of “You are saved” in the original draft. The deliberate word exchange from “you” to “I” is used to emphasize that Torvald is much more concerned about himself—his own appearance other than his wife—Nora. Later, in the middle of page 70, Ibsen added two lines to his draft: Hel. … But no man would sacrifice his honor for the one he loves. Nora. It is a thing hundreds of thousands of women have done. The addition of those two lines illustrates that Torvald puts his honor above anything else, even above his wife who loves him and makes sacrifices for him. Those two lines also reveal the “theme” of the inequality between husband and wife in a marriage. Although all women are willing to make sacrifices for their loved ones, men are not. The

The Brethren

2001-12-06T13:00:00-05:00

The Brethren is a book written by John Grisham. The story takes place in locations all over the United States. The main locations include Washington D.C. and a minimum security prison in Florida. This book begins by introducing three former judges - Finn Yarber, Hatlee Beach, and Joe Roy Spicer, who are in a federal prison in Trumble. They call themselves the Brethren. The three of them place ads in gay magazines looking for a gay partner. Yarber and Beech both had aliases that they used in their letters. When someone would write to them, they would reply by saying that they were in rehab and would be getting out soon. After exchanging letters back and forth, the Brethren would collect enough information about their victim that they would ask for money. They told their victim who they really were and if they didn’t get paid, the Brethren would reveal there victim’s secret to their families. The Brethren started making thousands of dollars until they picked the wrong victim. This book is also about an evil Russian about to blow up the world. The CIA is well aware about this man’s plans so they decide to put a President in office that will listen to them. They chose a congressman from Arizona. They had checked his background and didn’t see any problems. So Aaron Lake was chosen to be the next President. The CIA would take care of the election. Aaron ran on one platform that was to better the Defense Department. The CIA would buy the election for Aaron. And Aaron became President he would prepare the United States for war. But there is something in all of the CIA’s background checks that they didn’t see. Aaron had replied to one of the gay ads in a magazine. The CIA was keeping track of everything that Aaron did for his security and they came across the letters that Aaron and the Brethren were exchanging. The CIA decides not to tell Aaron that they know yet. In order for Aaron to become President, the CIA has to make sure that the Brethren doesn’t reveal Aaron’s little secret so they would have to put an end to the Brethren. They locate where the letters are being sent from. So the CIA sends a private team to the mail site and setup a watch across the street. The brethren’s lawyer on the outside, who is

Red Badge of Courage - Fight or Flight: The Natural Reaction to Danger

2001-12-05T13:00:00-05:00

For all of our existence, we humans have observed nature and its perplexing, if not bizarre, creations. One of the most general findings about animals deals with their reactions when they encounter perilous situations. This is the well-known, fight or flight expression. This, however, is not a rule strictly applying to “wild” animals. In fact, it actually encompasses the human species as well. Author Stephen Crane wrote a book called The Red Badge of Courage that deals with this idea. This novel is set in the time of the American Civil War in which Henry Fleming, the protagonist, is in the Union army. He, along with most of the other characters in the book, takes action along the terms of fight or flight. They all, at some point or another, get afraid of something and try to hide from it in any way possible. Henry is a young man, who eagerly enlists in the army at the beginning of The Red Badge of Courage. He is looking forward to fighting in battle and is disappointed that his regiment hasn’t yet seen the battlefield. When they finally do come face to face with a band of Confederate soldiers, Henry decides he’d rather demonstrate the flight quality and survive, than fight and be mortally wounded, so he runs away and takes cover in a secluded area in the forest. After running away, Henry attempts to rationalize his behavior so that the rest of his regiment will not dub him as a scared young boy. “He wondered what they would remark when later he appeared in camp. His mind heard howls of derision. Their density would not enable them to understand his sharper point of view.” His first instincts tell him he is a horrible coward, not worthy of fighting in the war, however, later on he convinces himself he was only trying to save himself. He also notes that the other soldiers who didn’t run were ignorant as to the danger they were bringing upon themselves. It seemed that the blind ignorance and stupidity of those little pieces had betrayed him. He had been overturned and crushed by their lack of sense in holding the position, when intelligent deliberation would have convinced them that it was impossible. He, the enlightened man who looks afar in the dark, had fled because of his superior perceptions and knowledge. He felt a great anger against his comrades.

The story of an hour

2001-11-28T13:00:00-05:00

At first glance Kate Choplin’s “The story of an hour” does not seem particularly interesting. A closer look must be taken in order to see the true meaning of the story. There is more symbolism in this four-page story than in most of the four hundred page books I have read throughout my life. It is probably impossible to find every sybolistic word in the story, but some things definitely stick out. The first sentence of the story is “knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.” The first thing we are told about the main character is that she has a bad heart. It seems that this is what people see when they look at Mrs. Mallard, someone weak and fragile. I personally got an image of an old lady, which I later learned she is not. Her heart condition shows that she has had a hard life, is wise beyond her years, or has an old soul. In response to hearing the ‘bad’ news, “she wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment..” Her reaction shows that she is a passionate person, a lot more soulful than I would have thought. While other wives could not accept the fact that their husbands were dead, she took to it immediately and began the grieving process all at once. As she sits alone mourning her now late husband, she sat in the armchair facing the window and had a feeling that “haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.” This seems like she is feeling the hold her husband had on her that she couldn’t seem to escape even after he’s gone. The haunting her body can be thought of as physical abuse. Since this story was written in a time where the man solely ran the household and women were docile and submissive, it isn’t unfathomable for a husband to hit his wife. “The new spring life” could represent the new life that she could have now that she was a widow. The peddler crying symbolizes her old life and how she felt during the years of her marriage. “There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds… facing her window.” The patches though the clouds represent more of a silver lining. Though she did love her husband,

The Wars: Animal Imagery

2001-11-28T13:00:00-05:00

Sigmund Freud once argued that "our species has a volcanic potential to erupt in aggression . . . [and] that we harbour not only positive survival instincts but also a self-destructive 'death instinct', which we usually displace towards others in aggression" (Myers 666). Timothy Findley, born in 1930 in Toronto, Canada, explores our human predilection towards violence in his third novel, The Wars. It is human brutality that initiates the horrors of World War I, the war that takes place in this narrative. Findley dedicated this novel to the memory of his uncle, Thomas Irving Findley, who 'died at home of injuries inflicted in the First World War" (Cude 75) and may have propelled him to feel so strongly about "what people really do to one another" (Inside Memory 19). Findley feels a great fondness for animals, and this affection surfaces faithfully in many of his literary works. The Wars is a novel wrought with imagery, and the most often recurring pattern is that of animals. Throughout the novel, young Robert Ross' strong connection with animals is continually depicted in his encounters with the creatures. Findley uses Robert to reveal the many similarities between humans and animals. The only quality, which we humans do not appear to share with our animal counterparts, is our inexplicable predisposition to needless savagery. In his video documentary, The Anatomy of a Writer, Findley describes his affinity for animals when he says that he has "always been in awe of . . . animals. [He has] never understood where [humankind] picked up the idea that [animals] are less than [people] are-that man is everything". In The Wars, Findley stresses his belief that humans are "no better and no worse-no larger and no smaller than any other creature that walks or crawls or flies or swims. [They are] merely different" (Roberts 56). Parallels are drawn between the protagonist, Robert Ross, and many of the animals that appear throughout the novel. Robert appears to have a strong kinship with his animal counterparts. After enlisting in the army, Robert takes a run out on the prairie, where he encounters a coyote. He instinctively begins to follow the creature, and it leads him to a valley where it stops to drink at a small pond. As it drinks, "the sound . . . [crosses] the distance between them and . . . [seems] to satisfy his own thirst" (The

The Destructors - The Significance of Violence

2001-11-21T13:00:00-05:00

In serious fiction, no act of violence exists for its own sake. Graham Green, in his short story “The Destructors,” reveals certain intangible needs met through one central act of violence. One need we all have as humans is the need to be creative, to express ourselves, to use our imagination. All little boys use their imaginations, which is based on what they see in their environment, whether that be television or their own neighborhood. The gang of boys in “The Destructors” witnessed destruction every day of their lives and played in the rumble of homes as they would a mound of dirt. The gang met every morning at “the site of the last bomb of the first blitz,” which hit when the leader of the gang was but a year old. Along with the destruction to the ground they met on, the house just beside it “suffered from the blast of the bomb and the walls were supported on wooden struts.” The gang was well accustomed to seeing destruction, therefore their imaginations were corrupted with it. In an attempt to be creative, to use their imagination, the gang collectively decided to destroy the house that survived the bomb. “Destruction after all is a form of creation. A kind of imagination had seen this house as it had now become.” The need to use their imaginations won over their logical thought. Another need that plagues us all is the need to be known. Many people’s biggest fear is to die unknown and alone. We all try to make our mark in the world, whether it be through good grades, athletics, or putting gravy on the walls. We become known for our deeds, both the positive and the negative. The boys longed for the respect and the uniqueness that bringing a house down would give them. It is evident they were not getting the attention pre-teen boys need at home. Throughout the story, not one of the boys talks of the trouble they could get in with their parents if caught. Not one of them mentions having to be home at any certain time, to check in anytime throughout the course of the day. The boys were independent; they took care of themselves all day long, until they became tired and needed a bed and a roof. As a means to get five or ten of their fifteen minutes, they completely destroy the

An Inspector Calls - analysis of main characters

2001-11-21T13:00:00-05:00

Text: An Inspector Calls by J.B.Priestly Productions seen:

BBC Television Production (1981)

Film Production (1954) Part I J.B.Priestly's play is set in the spring of 1912 in the household of an upper-middle class family in the north of England. The plot of this dramatic play is based around the Birling family's involvement in a young girl's suicide. The Birling family consists of the two parents, Arthur and Sybil Birling and their two children Eric and Sheila. Gerald Croft is soon to become a member of the family as he has recently announced his engagement to Sheila. As the story unfolds we find that each of the family members is partly to blame. Which member however carries the most blame? It is important to realise that J.B.Priestly has made it deliberately difficult to place the blame solely on one person. Having read the play and seen two productions of it, I have come to the conclusion that Mrs Birling is the most to blame. This conclusion was founded for many reasons. One such reason was due to the process of elimination. Each Character, although guilty, has different responsibilities and different degrees of blame due to their involvement with the girl, their reaction to the news of her death, how they compare to the other characters and how the audience would or should perceive them. If we first take Mr Birling, who is questioned by the Inspector first. Mr Birling is described by Priestly as 'heavy looking, rather portentous...in his middle fifties with fairly easy manners....rather provincial in his speech." Birling is fairly successful in his line of work and is always striving to become better. He is self-important and slightly pompous. He could even be described as old fashioned. However he is a warm character and the audience should perceive him as such. Examples of this self importance can be found a lot in the text. For example, on page seven of the text, Mr Birling rambles on about such nonsense like " The unsinkable Titanic", "very little chance of a World War" and of "Russia being technically and socially behind" Mr Birling first became acquainted with Eva Smith when she came to work in his factory two years previously. Mr Birling started off the chain of events which lead to Eva's death by firing her from her job for asking for a pay-rise and ( when the rise was refused) for organising a strike. Although Mr Birling shows relatively little

The Cask of Amontillado

2001-11-20T13:00:00-05:00

In the short horror story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, Poe attempts to convey why both pride and revenge can become dangerous when a person is overwhelmed by either. Poe, through the use of various literary techniques, introduces an horrific drama of two men, one who will stop at nothing to get the revenge that he believes himself and his family worthy of, and another whose pride will ultimately become the instrument of his own death. Fortunato falls prey to Montresor’s plans because he is so proud of his expertise in wine, and it is for the sake of his own pride that Montresor takes revenge on the heedless Fortunato. Poe shows how pride and revenge can make a man become obsessive to the point where he justifies murder—something he normally would never do—through exaggerated reasoning, and how pride can make a man so blind that he walks obliviously to his own death. The dangers of Montresor’s pride are exemplified in his statement explaining his motivation behind plotting Fortunato’s death. “The thousand injuries at the hands of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge” (Poe, 173). Montresor is so convinced of the righteousness of his convictions that he “must not only punish but punish with impunity” (Poe, 173). Montresor also states how he must not fail to “make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong” (Poe, 173). Montresor’s words prove how his prideful obsessions have deluded his mind enough to believe that Fortunato’s wrongs justify his agonizing death. Furthermore, Montresor believes he should go unpunished for his retribution. Furtunato’s pride, and the danger this imposes upon his life, is seen in how he blinds himself to his obviously perilous situation. Montresor entreats Fortunato to leave the tombs three times mentioning how Fortunato’s cough may be caused by the nitre. Each time Fortunato declines despite his deep cough, which proves how pride has blinded him to his impending doom. However, after Fortunato is locked in his tomb Montresor says “once more let me implore you to return” (Poe, 176) mocking how Fortunato blindly passed up his three chances to escape, because now Montresor “must positively leave” (Poe, 176) him to die. In fact, Fortunato never doubts Montresor’s story, never questions why the cask has been placed within Montresor’s family tomb, or why the cask is

The Diviners: mother-daughter relationships

2001-11-20T13:00:00-05:00

“My Hope Is Constant In Thee” (352-353) What gives a mother greater hopes than her offspring? To see in her child the hopes and dreams of the future while her own begin to fade with her age. Prin Logan, christened Princess, lost her only child but adopted the orphan Morag Gunn, who, as a grown woman, gave birth to Pique. In this essay I will focus on the relationship between Morag and Prin and the effects it had on the former throughout her life – especially when it comes to her relationship with her daughter, Pique. The first time Morag meets Prin, there is no identification. She is immediately turned down by Prin’s appearance: “She is so fat – can she be a person?”(24). Instead of seeing in Prin a comforter, a supplement mother, a grown up person, she sees a large woman, with whom she has difficulties connecting. She seems to be in a state of shock for some time because the first year with Prin and Christie, her “memories do not exist at all.” (25) The first sign of Morag’s affection for Prin is also her first sign of guilt for loathing her large stepmother. She hates going to the store to get doughnuts for Prin because of the bad talk she hears there. Prin, who has then already begun to slip into a world of her own, apologizes for not taking better care of Morag and confesses to having lost a child herself. Morag is shocked and for the first time discovers a similarity between herself and Prin, which is the desire in every woman to have a child. Morag realizes she has not exactly been the model daughter and she is also sorry: “Prin’s good good good.”(36) In the coming years Prin gets more distant and Morag gets more ashamed of her with every pound she puts on. The church is the only place where they go together. When Morag is still in Sunday class, an old paper picture hangs on the wall, a picture named “The Mothers of Salem Bringing Their Children to Jesus” (63). Despite her grotesque appearance, Prin never fails to bring her child to Jesus. Morag tries to cope with her disgust for Prin but is increasingly embarrassed by her: “Morag stands behind Prin, the back row of the church, hating her own embarrassment but hugging it around her.”(88) This battle of mixed feelings for

Enduring Love

2001-11-19T13:00:00-05:00

A dictionary defines the word addictive as being: wholly devoted to something, a slave to another and in a state of wanting more. Ian McEwan claimed that he wanted to write an opening chapter that had the same effect as a highly addictive drug. In my opinion he has achieved in doing this. At the end of chapter one the reader is left needing more information about the characters introduced and what tragedy actually occurred. McEwan took the definition, addictive, and wrote the opening chapter, never forgetting what his objective was. The opening chapter has to be effective in order to keep the reader interested and to keep them reading. The style of the writer and novel also need to be established and tailored to suit the tastes of anyone that decides to read this novel. McEwan uses many factors that all contribute towards the effectiveness of the opening chapter. A lot of suspense and tension is used right from the start of the novel, in the first line, "The beginning is simple to mark," which makes you question, the beginning of what exactly? This is a short sentence that is used which draws you in and leaves you wanting to know more. McEwan also creates a lot of tension, "partly protected from a strong, gusty wind," which describes the wind as being an unpredictable, natural force which together conveys a sense of urgency. The narrator also starts to withhold vital information from the reader to create anxiety from within. "The encounter that would unhinge us was minutes away," the narrator is building up the tension that leads to this huge disaster, but doesn’t just say what is install for him and the other characters. He also hints that the disaster is life changing, "This was the last time that I understood anything clearly at all." The narrator then goes on to describe the atmosphere and events just before the disaster reached them, "I heard what was coming two seconds before it reached us." Which is an innuendo, which McEwan uses a lot throughout this first chapter. The narrator then goes on to describe the wind that day using verbs to describe the strength of it, "transversing" and "hurtling," but before the narrator goes any further he says "Let me freeze the frame," which is media terminology, which too is used quite a lot through this opening chapter. McEwan uses this technique to

Moby Dick - Human Nature

2001-11-19T13:00:00-05:00

In Moby Dick, Herman Melville makes use of two climactic scenes of the book to underline a profound and intellectual commentary on human nature. The chapters entitled “The Musket” and “The Symphony” are two such climactic scenes in which Starbuck and Ahab reveal a critical attribute of man’s temperament. Melville uses these two characters to emphasize that man is unchanging, and in this way their moral fiber unconsciously weaves their fate. In “The Musket,” the Pequod and it’s crew have passed the disastrous typhoon to find smooth sailing as well as a last chance for Starbuck to make one of the most consequential decisions of Moby Dick. Although the rest of the crew celebrate what they believe is the inaccuracy of the sea’s omens, Starbuck still stands in indecision. He enters Ahab’s cabin to tell the captain of the changed weather. In front of him is a rack of muskets, one of which was pointed at Starbuck earlier, as his mind struggles with the ultimate question of whether he will save the ship and the crew’s lives by killing his mad Captain, or allow Ahab’s insanity to bring them to a watery death. Looking at his decision in an abstract sense, Starbuck’s current position resembles that of the “lee shore” and the “insular Tahiti” in that he wishes to return to the hearth and home of land. Starbuck is aware that he is trapped in the middle of the chaotic sea and far away from the order of land when he says, “The land is hundreds of leagues away…I stand here alone here upon an open sea, with two oceans and a whole continent between me and the law.” Starbuck is undoubtedly one of the noblest characters of the crew, and the only one with the will or ability to stop Ahab. However, earlier in the novel Ishmael says of Starbuck, that his courage could withstand “winds or whales or any of the ordinary irrational horrors of the world," but not the crazed mind of "an enraged and mighty man." This is a permanent quality of Starbuck’s character and evidently one of the strong threads that composes his fate. "Shall I? Shall I?" he asks himself, but his tragic flaw of weakness and morality eventually forces him to “place the death-tube in its rack” and abandon his chance to save the crew. “The Musket” ultimately portrays the inability of man to

Wuthering Heights - Nature Vs. Nurture

2001-11-18T13:00:00-05:00

Wuthering Heights is a novel that indulges one of the most crucial themes; the theme of nature verses nature. The two households of the novel: Wuthering Heights and Thruscross Grange represents both the contrast between wilderness and civility which dominates the lives of its inhabitants. Being able to suppress your nature nurturing an opposed one would result into a deep conflict within the characters themselves. The best that would exemplifies such conflicts between the code of nature and nurture is Catherine Eranshow. "Her spirit always at high-water mark, her tongue always singing, laughing and plaguing everybody who would not do the same. A wild, wicked slip" A person with such characteristics would not be able to infuse herself within a civilized society conventions that would shape up and polish whatever is wild and uncultivated in her. By adapting herself to the upper class society accepting their environment she is working against her nature. The chances of success are limited and an inner rebel is unquestionable. In Catherine's character we see how her nature wins over her nurtured code. It all started the day she was bitten by the Linton's dog and was nursed there for awhile. She was taking by the glitter of the genteel society which raised her desire to be one of them adapting their false conventions. This idea brings me back to Dickens's Great Expectation when Pip visited Miss.Havisham's house and was ever taking by the false expectation of upper class. Her first rejection to her nature was the minute she laughed at Heathcliff instead of defending him: "Frightful thing! Put him in the cellar, papa. He exactly like the fortune-teller that stole my tame pheasant. Isn't Edgar" Cathy came around; she heard the last speech and laughed" (WH P39) Bit by bit we see how the nurture code develops gradually but still we have glimpse of her real nature striking at several situations she arrived as a lady wearing fancy dress and her hair was curled. Mrs. Lintons transformed Catherine into a young lady, and spent time on her education In matters of social grace. Catherine shows acceptance for such mannerly conventions of genteel society despite he promise to Heathcliff in that to act as free and savagely as they want. Interestingly enough, people around her predicted that such new conventions will not last : "But she much mind not to grow wild again here" (WH P41) The

The Clerk's Tale - Biblical Paradox

2001-11-16T13:00:00-05:00

To formulate any type of argument using the Bible as a reference is challenging, since the Bible is diversely perceived from person to person. These varied perceptions can be results of different translations of the Bible, the cultural background of the reader, or quite simply, a vagueness with which the Bible can lend itself to multiple interpretations. Nevertheless, there are certain topics which are void of much gray area, which are explicitly and consistently outlined by the authors of the various books found in the Bible. Marriage, while tirelessly mentioned throughout the entire Bible, can be included as one of these topics. There are certain elements about the topic which remain the same through the generations of contributors to the Sacred writ. Geoffrey Chaucer, in The Canterbury Tales, frequently alludes to marriage according to the Bible. While the book is not mentioned specifically in The Clerk’s Tale, it is interesting to examine how the Clerk’s characters, Walter and Grisilde, fulfill – or do not fulfill - the roles of biblical husband and wife. At the outset, it would seem that, biblically, they fit the roles assigned to them. However, as the tale progresses, inconsistencies escalate into a rather puzzling conclusion. The reader should first be aware of how Chaucer presents the Bible overall in The Canterbury Tales. This will lay the foundation for how one might expect it to be used in The Clerk’s Tale specifically, and why it would be worth studying. The first great reference to the Bible in The Canterbury Tales is the Wife of Bath’s argument for her multiple marriages. This comprises most of her Prologue, and she mentions the names of many biblical characters to support her argument. To give one of many examples, she specifically mentions King Solomon when she says of him, “I trowe he hadde wyves mo than oon” (36). Other characters include Abraham (55), Jacob (56), Paul (64, 79, 160), and Mark (145). Another hugely obvious biblical reference is the Prioress’ Prologue and Tale. She begins her Prologue with, “O Lord, oure Lord, thy name how marveillous / Is in this large worlde y-sprad” (19). The Prioress’ Tale itself is centered around the Virgin Mary and Christian ideals. These are only two of many of The Canterbury Tales which have religious references. Furthermore, the very fact that Chaucer’s characters are on a pilgrimage would suggest that they have some sort of religious upbringing.

The Yellow Wallpaper

2001-11-15T13:00:00-05:00

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a story of a woman with psychological difficulties whose husband’s prescribed “treatment” of her mental illness sends her into insanity. The so-called treatment consists of the “Rest Cure” as developed by the notable Dr. Weir Mitchell, which includes complete bed rest, no work, and no emotional or physical stimulus – an enforced idleness of body, mind, and spirit. The husband, John, takes complete control of all decisions on behalf of his wife concerning her living arrangements, social encounters, and medical treatment. Her mental dysfunction is only exacerbated to the point of complete insanity by John’s prescription of idleness and denial of mental stimulation. The woman in the story wants to get well and makes several suggestions to John to help her in healing, however, John consistently refuses all of her requests and down-plays her illness. The woman in this story knows that she is not quite mentally well. She believes that she only suffers from “temporary nervous depression – a slight hysterical tendency.” She believes that her “case is not serious!” The woman’s husband, John, is a physician and does not really believe that she is ill. With all good intentions, he controls her life and makes all decisions. He believes that he always knows what is best for her, no matter what she wants or desires, or what she believes may help her to heal. Several times throughout the story the woman must rush to put away her writings before she is caught for John believes that she is given to flights of fancy and imagination and must rest her mind. John believes that his plan of treatment will cure her mild case of mental illness, no matter what she feels will help her to recover. He dismisses her suggestions as unimportant and trivial. His wife wanted to stay in the downstairs room where there were roses on the window and pretty curtains, but John decided that the upstairs bedroom was best for her, so that was where she stayed. When she told John that she did not believe that she was getting well in the old house and that she wanted to go home, he told her that they must stay the remainder of the three weeks. She wanted to visit with her Cousin Henry and Julia, and John would not allow her to visit for she would not be able

Dispensing with the Truth

2001-11-11T13:00:00-05:00

The author of Dispensing With the Truth, Alicia Mundy, is the Washington bureau chief for Mediaweek and a contributing editor at Washingtonian magazine. She has written for U.S. News & World Report, GQ, Philadelphia Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. She is best known for her investigative report which originally broke the 1992 scandal revealing that top United Way executives were stealing money from the organization's accounts (Brown, 2001). Alicia Mundy is the winner of several journalism awards for commentary and investigative reporting. She currently lives in Alexandria, Virginia. Dispensing With the Truth began as an article assigned by Glamour magazine, but was ultimately published in U.S. News and World Report (Brown, 2001). Dispensing With the Truth is nearly 400 pages citing legal documents, studies, corporate e-mails, depositions and interviews. Author Alicia Mundy painstakingly proves that the pharmaceutical company Wyeth-Ayerst knew that its fen-phen diet pills, including the drugs Pondimin and Redux were dangerous. Even with this knowledge, they kept them on the market anyway. This book tells what the drug companies really knew about its drugs and the ways it kept this information from the public, doctors, and the FDA. Dispensing With the Truth goes on to describe and the massive legal battles that occurred as the victims and their attorneys searched for the truth. Wyeth-Ayerst’s parent company, American Home Products, was the target of one of the largest and most successful tort lawsuits in American history. Alicia Mundy writes about corporate greed and puts a harsh spotlight on the FDA officials who were asleep at the switch. Presently nearly a third of the millions of fen-phen users will ultimately suffer some degree of heart and lung damage from these drugs (Goodman, 2000). Throughout the book Alicia Mundy sheds light on the inner workings of the pharmaceutical companies and how the fen-phen tragedy unfolded. The cast of characters is long and involved starting with the victims, their families, and the lawyers of the victims who put the drug companies and their practices on trial. The drug companies: American Home Products, parent company of Wyeth-Ayerst, Fisons, and Interneuron, the company’s officials, and the lawyers for the drug companies who repeatedly tried to distort the truth. The FDA officials who were caught in the middle of trying to appease the drug companies and protect the consumer and finally the judges and jurors in the trials all have a voice in

The Time Machine compared to Nineteen Eighty Four

2001-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

“The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells and “Nineteen Eighty Four” are two excellent science-fiction novels which explore and give to different views of the future. Both of the Novels look at the future in different ways because of different social attitudes and structures but both still have the same view of human nature and what it may lead to. Written and based in the nineteenth century, “The Time Machine” explores the Fourth Dimension of space. The protagonist, who is referred to as “The Time Traveller” by the narrator, invents a machine that can transport him through time. The narrator, who is present at the “Time Traveller’s” dinners, retells the “Time Travellers story” of his adventure through time. Telling his wonderful story of travel through eras, we learn about “The Time Traveller’s” adventures in the year 802,701 and what has happened to the human race. At first this new world seems perfect and it is inhabited by a wonderfully peaceful and caring race that is assumed to be advanced humans, the Eloi, but as the book progresses a new sinister and ugly race emerges from underground, the Morlocks. “The Time Traveller” explains about how he had lost his time machine to the Morlocks and his great journey to try and retrieve his machine and return to modern day. Nineteen Eighty Four was written in 1948 and takes place in a fictional totalitarian society of the future. The story begins in London on April 4, 1984. London is the capital of Oceania which is run by INGSOC. The government is called "The Party” and the main leader of it is called “Big Brother” who is always watching your every move. Winston Smith works for the government altering history at the Ministry of Truth. He begins to wonder why life is so bad and tries to break out of “Big Brother’s” tight regime. He falls in love with Julia, and is taken in by a man named O'Brien, who Winston thinks is a member of the anti-party society called the Brotherhood. Winston and Julia, with the help of O’Brien, find secluded locations where they can meet away from the praying eye of “Big Brother”. When O'Brien turns out to be a member of The Inner Party, Winston and Julia are captured and hauled off to the Ministry of Love. Here, Winston is imprisoned and rehabilitated by The Party in Room 101. O’Brien tries to break

The Crucible - Elizabeth's Personal Crucible

2001-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

Prior to the play Miller clearly establishes what the Salem community would have been like in 1692: “The children were anything but thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak” This shows us that life in Salem in 1692 was very strict and religious. There was a very rigid regime to follow and everyone should be thankful to god for being allowed to follow it. It was as if it was so rigid someone would soon burst out and rebel against it. The crucible describes Salem in 1692 when madness took over when accusation by a bunch of girls started flying around the village that there were witches: “I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil!” The girls who made these accusations snapped because of the harsh strict conditions they lived in and started making accusation about half the women in Salem being witches. This is also very similar to Miller’s own experiences. He fell to the hands of a very paranoid committee called the House Un-American Activities Committee who had the power to investigate people who were seen as a threat to the state. The chairman of it was Senator Joseph McCarthy. This committee wanted to stop the spreading of communist at a very delicate time and it was know as McCarthyism. It stopped and arrested anyone who they thought might have been a communist. Miller was one of these people; he was brought before the caught because he signed a petition because he was scared of fascism. This made Miller think of the parallels between McCarthyism and the cries of witchcraft in Salem 1692. A crucible is a container in which metals are heated to extract the pure element from impurities. In the play many characters go through there own personal crucibles where there impurities are extracted and they become better people. Elizabeth Proctor is married to John proctor who have 3 children and are very religious: “There be no love for satin in this house.” Elizabeth and John Proctor are good people who are religious and believe that satin does not reside in there house even if it does in the rest of Salem as they try their best to be Christians whilst still looking after each other and their farm. In act one we hear Abigail describe Elizabeth as “ a cold snivelling woman” yet this contradicts with stage directions, which describe Elizabeth as

All Quiet on the Western Front – Is it an Anti-War Film?

2001-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

All Quiet on the Western Front is based on a book by a German soldier who fought in World War 1. It follows the fate of a group of boys who joined in 1915. The main hero of the film is Paul Balmer and we see the world through his eyes. In my essay I will use scenes to prove that this is an anti-war film. One of the main themes of the film is the fact that people who weren’t fighting didn’t really know what it was like to fight in the trenches. Especially the old people encourage the young soldiers to fight; they are all desperate to be fighting and are quite jealous of their juniors. At the start of the film we are introduced to the group of boys and we find them in a class. Their teacher is encouraging them to join up to the army and how that they would be doing the German fatherland proud. And when Paul comes home from the front because of his injury all that people talk about is the war. When he wants to go out, his father wants him to go in his uniform but he doesn’t want to go because he doesn’t want to be a killing machine any more he wants to be a normal person. When he does go out all people speak about is the war. When the class does sign up they have to go through a terrible training exercise. The conditions are terrible and they have to crawl through mud and run for miles. They are taught to fight as a team and to be taught discipline. All this training doesn’t really prepare the soldiers for the harsh reality of the front line. When it is time to leave, at the train station, the truth of war starts to become apparent to the young naive boys. They get a view of the injured people coming back from the front line. This shattered the idea they had that war was a game and that it was real life with real people. When they do arrive they understand what the war is about. One of the first things that gets the soldiers is the sound of the horses. When the shells got fired they were landing near the horse and severely injuring someone of them. This made the horses screech and make a horrible sound as they died. This really

Candide: Optimism

2001-11-09T13:00:00-05:00

Candide is a humorous, far-fetched tale by Voltaire satirizing the optimism promoted by the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. It is the story of a young man’s adventures throughout the world, where he witnesses evil and disaster. Throughout his travels, he adheres to the teachings of his tutor, Pangloss, believing that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds," (Voltaire 4). Candide is Voltaire’s answer to what he saw as an absurd belief proposed by the Optimists. “Candide…is a profound attack on philosophical Optimism and, through it, all philosophical systems that claim falsely to justify the presence of evil in the world,” (Mason 1). “Candide anatomizes the world's potential for disaster and examines the corresponding human capacity for optimism,” (Bell 1). Though he was by no means a pessimist, Voltaire refused to believe that what happens is always for the best. The Age of Enlightenment is a term applied to a wide variety of ideas and advances in the fields of philosophy, science, and medicine. The main feature of Enlightenment philosophy is the belief that people can actively work to create a better world. “It is customary to present Candide as the result of Voltaire's reaction to Leibniz and Pope,”(Wade 1) two of the main philosophers of the enlightenment era. While Voltaire’s Candide is heavily characterized by the primary concerns of the Enlightenment, it also criticizes certain aspects of the movement. It attacks the idea of optimism, which states that rational thought can inhibit the evils perpetrated by human beings. Voltaire did not believe in the power of reason to overcome contemporary social conditions. The attack on the claim that this is "the best of all possible worlds" is apparent throughout the entire novel. Throughout the story, satirical references to this theme contrast with natural disaster and human wrongdoing. When reunited with the diseased and dying Pangloss, who had contracted syphilis, Candide asks if the Devil is at fault. Pangloss simply responds that “the disease was a necessity in this ‘the best of all possible worlds’, for it was brought to Europe by Columbus’ men, who also brought chocolate and cochineal, two greater goods that well offset any negative effects of the disease,’” (Voltaire 17). The multitudes of disasters, which Candide undergoes, leads to the abandonment of his belief in optimism. When asked "What’s optimism?" by Cacambo, Candide replies, "Alas…it is a mania for saying things are

The Shifting Heart

2001-11-08T13:00:00-05:00

When a Polish-Jewish immigrant slashed his throat because his workmates could not understand him and tormented him and himself being a victim of racial hatred, Melbourne-born Richard Beynon expressed his feelings, drawn from these experiences, in his prize-winning play- The Shifting Heart. An Italian family, the Bianchis, consisting of Maria, her Momma and Poppa and younger brother- Gino, tries to adapt in Collingwood, Australia, during the 1950s. They live with Maria’s Australian husband, Clarry Fowler who too undergoes racial prejudice until Gino dies because of it. The main theme is clear and simple. Beynon wants the reader to realize that xenophobia (the fear of strangers and foreigners) exists and the various family relationships as stated by Leslie Rees in The Making of Australian Drama: The Shifting Heart relies not on the shocking fact of race-hatred for its major interest, but on its virtually human domestic problem- how to maintain cohesion and solidarity in a family plagued by tensions, whether outside or inside. Whether the hatred bubbled because of the war that killed many ANZACs or because there was an influx of immigrants, racial hatred and xenophobia are expressed subtly and blatantly. Subtle are Leila’s (friendly neighbour on the right), Mr Wilson (shop owner) and Clarry’s jokes, but such acts differentiate the Bianchis from the society, just like the names “Momma Macaroni” and “Poppa Spaghetti” do e.g. when Clarry joked to Poppa: If they’re all like you, Pop, no wonder the Roman Empire packed up. As the play progresses, there is evidence of more hostile attacks like Donny, Leila’s husband, calling Poppa a “rotten dago” and from anonymous members of the society which indicates that injustice is generally amongst everyone. The neighbours on the right who never reveal themselves, throw garbage over the fence, children pelt pebbles at the house and Clarry’s mother’s refusal to meet them. Gino wants to be Australian, but with all this discrimination going on, it prevents him from being accepted. If the prejudice could be measured using a thermometer, it would’ve burst when Gino is bashed at the dance and when detective Sergent Lukie makes his racist remarks e.g.: I was under the impression that all da… Italians carried knives. Thought it was a national trait. Unbelievable isn’t it? Would one ever think that a policeman, a civil servant upholding justice and supposedly unbiased, could say such comment? However, Lukie’s comments further highlight Clarry’s own prejudice. Clarry is trying to love the family

Heart of Darkness

2001-11-08T13:00:00-05:00

William Blake spent much of his youth as an impoverished child, his family barely afforded him the chances to learn to read and write. He boldly worked with controversial themes during the largest revolutionary wars ever. His theories of innocence and experience were revolutionary in themselves and inspired and stirred awesome works reflecting upon how one moves from that state of innocence to experience. Joseph Conrad, Thomas Wolfe and Francis Ford Coppola can all derive their masterpieces from Blake’s work. All of the pieces are concerned with moral dilemmas, the isolation of the individual to be tested by experience and the psychology of inner urges. The forces of darkness and dissolution consequently initiate the relativism of ethics and morality. Moral relativism is the belief that moral principles and values depend and rely solely upon the social customs and beliefs of the time and location. Ultimately, even as moral values vary from culture to culture, one should be judged on why they actually behave and do certain things as opposed to how people are supposedly supposed to behave. When passing from innocence to experience one must consider his/her own moral and ethical relativism, a key string through the works The Lamb, The Tyger, The Child by Tiger, Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. The ethics were related to their surroundings and are shown, in much of the works, through certain racist undertones, the dilemma to kill or be killed and the effects of restraints on people. “It seemed to us boys that there was very little that Dick Prosser could not do.” Explains the narrator of The Child By Tiger, he could cook, he could tend the furnace, he know how to drive a car.”, he was a “crack” Negro soldier and had a “power… an order, that was astounding.” The boys loved him, too ignorant and innocent yet to experience and submit to the standard influential racism of their local communities and generation. The Sheppertons were “delighted” with him and he had obediently accepted an assault from a drunken white fool. Despite all Dick’s meticulous care and painstaking hard work, the ethical law of the post Civil War, abolition, was still that of white supremacy and legal enslavement and discrimination of minorities, namely African-Americans. Regardless of how an intelligent, civilized and caring person Dick was, even the Sheppertons conformed and followed peer pressure to hide their Negro in the corner

Maestro - monologue

2001-11-08T13:00:00-05:00

I am certainly not impressed of my first impressions of Herr Edward Keller, a boozer, the cheap ruined leather, and his eyes, his eyes are the weirdest, they scare me the most. That person is my so called “tutorer.” As for him being my piano tutorer , I despise his way of teaching, he is enigmatic, accentuated, and districtive. The one and only purpose of me assenting him in my life is because we both share the passion of music. However there’s a reference for his intellect, but at the same time his pride is hurt and his emotions wounded; his obsessive methodology oftenly makes the people around him indignant. He overstates his anxiety and opinion which makes it unclear and compulsive to me.Most of what is bitter to me is the manner, the manner he speaks to me with; the way he forces his undesired opinion on me, like I’m lacking some sort of dignity, proving himself to be respectful, which is totally the other way round. His style, his language, his manner, his misbehavior his way of socializing, it’s him, all him, that’s really getting to me, his obsession with music, and “chopin” in other words; but like I said before, and I’ll say it again, I am drawn to keller, only and only as a consequence of our neutral interest, that is- our passion for music. I often consider Keller to be an urbane, sort of concealed gentleman. He is mixed with emotions, in which he is wounded by his past. Which on the other hand, I at times don’t completely blame him for his vulgarity. Darwin. Darwin! Oh what am I to say about Darwin?! A city of booze, blow and blasphemy…..of drifters, misfits and wife bashers. That is a common quote my father would often repeat, he forsees Darwin of a low-culture and him being of a high-culture. Which I partly agree with. When I first began school, I was intimidated from bullies in my scjool, my so called friend Bennie, yes he was my fake friend! He was! In fact I’ve never enjoyed Bennie’s company; he’s something like weird. I continuously refused any public association with him. I even refused to play duets with him. I just kept company with him for the sake of it…and because I had no other choice. The main reason why I turned my back on him is because, I joined another talented

Wuthering Heights - Reading Journal

2001-11-08T13:00:00-05:00

ENTRY I (chapter 1-4) The first chapter of Wuthering Heights introduces the narrator, Mr Lockwood. He has come to Wuthering Heights to meet his landlord Heathcliff, the owner of both Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Lockwood describes him as a handsome, erect, dark-skinned gypsy, though have the manners and dress of a gentleman. His black eyes, hidden under his dark brows, suggest his morose nature. His aloofness would make any guest feel unwelcome. Immediately, I, like Mr Lockwood, have become curious and drawn to Heathcliff’s world. Emily Bronte has wonderfully used descriptions of nature not only to give vividness to the story, but also to reach certain purposes. Firstly, the nature was used to show and give a hint about the characteristics of specific places or characters. For instance, in Chapter I, Wuthering Heights was described to be ‘an ancient fortress, standing against both the weather and outsiders”, “exposed in a stormy weather surrounded by stunted firs and gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs as craving alms of the sun”. From here I learned that Wuthering Heights, the title of the book, suggests the novel is not going to be set in an agreeable place, but rather a wild and mysterious location. Upon Lockwood’s second visit to Wuthering Heights, the characters of Cathy and Hareton are introduced. Cathy is a slender young woman with golden ringlets, a beautiful figure and a lovely face, though her attitude is cold, inconsiderate, rude and unfriendly. Hareton Earnshaw is poorly dressed, with the appearance of a servant. However, his manner is confident and arrogant. The way this chapter is told sets the mysterious mood for the reader. I became more curious and fascinated by the characters and story line of the novel. In chapter three, a sense of mystery and suspense are portrayed throughout the entire chapter. Horrific descriptions are used for the famous ghost scene of the novel. Sentences like ‘…I pulled its wrist on to the broken pane and rubbed it to and fro till the blood ran down and soaked the bed clothes’ are used to paint a frightful picture in the readers’ minds. The atmosphere of mystery and terror is further deepened by the behaviour of Heathcliff upon hearing Lockwood’s nightmares. Upon this point of the novel, I have developed a further curiosity of Catherine and her relation to Heathcliff. Chapter four begins the history of the Earnshaw family in Wuthering Heights with

Wuthering Heights - Analysis of pages 146-7

2001-11-07T13:00:00-05:00

Heathcliff, determined to see Catherine, vows not to leave her to Edgar's 'duty and humanity'. His scorn at these words reflects the opposing temperaments of the inhabitants of the two houses, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. The former is an untamed world of deep passions and visceral emotions, while the cultivated Thrushcross Grange temperament is characteristically languid and conventional. Nelly is of neither a Wuthering Heights nor a Thrushcross Grange temperament. Her normality in comparison to the other characters provides us with the perspective of an ordinary person on the ensuing conflict between the two sensibilities. She is adamant in her refusal to Heathcliff upon his request to see Catherine. Nelly believes that Catherine, torn between the two worlds, will 'never be like she was', as her 'character' has 'changed greatly'. Heathcliff is exemplary of the wild Wuthering Heights temperament, 'forcing himself to stay calm'. His comment that Edgar has 'nothing but a common humanity and a sense of duty to fall back upon' suggests that Linton's love for Catherine is vapid in comparison to his own. Such Thrushcross Grange values are scornfully rejected by Heathcliff, uttering them with a tone of contempt. In his opinion Catherine does not want these things. Heathcliff finds it incomprehensible that his love should be compared to Edgar's. His determination to see Catherine is illustrated by his forceful comment, 'I WILL see her!' which is by no means a request, but a statement of strong intention, based on a strong mind. Nelly repeats her steadfast refusal to admit Heathcliff, and he retaliates, saying he would 'be justified in going to extremes'. This further brings out his violent Wuthering Heights temperament, as does his comment earlier in the noevl, that he 'might have the priviledge of flinging Joseph from the highest gable, and painting the house-front red with Hindley's blood!' Heathcliff continues in passage two, telling Nelly that he is so secure in his visceral relationship with Cathy, so sure in her love, that if he were his husband, he would let Edgar see her. Heathcliff believes he has more concern for Catherine than Edgar does, because he would be prepared to tolerate her having a friend. Of course, notes Heathcliff, if Cathy's regard for Edgar ceased, he 'would have torn his heart out and drunk his blood!' Such graphic images reflect the gothic element of the Wuthering Heights temperament, to complement the violence. Nelly's relative status of an

The Nun's Priest's Tale Analysis

2001-11-07T13:00:00-05:00

“The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” is a brilliant piece of comedy that pokes fun at human nature. The Priest tells of conceited cock, Chaunticleer, and the love of his life, Pertelote. This tale adheres to the mock-epic form, satirizing man’s view of heroism by telling it through the eyes of beasts. As to how this tale is mock-heroic, one first shall consider the means through which it is told-a rooster. When rooster personifies the characteristics of a conventional hero, it shouldn’t be simply perceived as simple and light-hearted, but comic and ironic. Chaunticleer is embellished with haughty description: “His comb was redder than fine coral, tall and battlemented like a castle wall”. Is this not similar to how other epic heroes are depicted? Pehaps Chaunticleer embodies the idyllic cock. Now consider, in comparison to Chaunticleer, the boasts made by Beowulf. Chaunticleer’s boast was not that of declaration (to, say, destroy a villain), but his actual crowing; it was his duty to raise the sun each morning, giving birth to life on Earth. Chaunticleer’s intelligence is for the purpose of proving the irony of man’s own [intelligence] and how it is still juxtapose the susceptibility of flattery. That is, when Chaunticleer refutes Pertelote’s notion that dreams are without relevance to daily life, he talks in such a scholarly tone that one can hardly believe it is a rooster. “Now, take St. Kenelm’s life which I’ve been reading”, “…then there’s the Old Testament- a manual well worth your study”, and “Look at Lord Pharaoh, kind of Egypt!” all use profound theological and philosophical themes, in the context of barnyard, to mock mankind. Yet another aspect of mock-epic must be considered. When Don Russel, the fox, easily tricks Chaunticleer and snatches him away, the entire world seems to stop its current happenings and focus on this tragedy. Compare the chase which ensued with that of other epics. How absurd such a comparison is! A fox, a cock, cackling chickens? Hardly to the significance of Beowulf. Although this mock-epic tale is deserving of many laughs, it is accompanied by a distinct, profound moral. Precisely, Chaunticleer concedes to hubris and subsequently, flattery. The fox’s use of flattery shows how easily treachery can come about when the subject thereof is blinded by pride. But it was not long until the rooster used his cleverness to flatter the fox into releasing him. This presents the stupidity and ignorance

Sophocles vs. Euripides

2001-11-07T13:00:00-05:00

While both Sophocles and Euripides are considered writers of Greek tragedy, their plays (Antigone, Oedipus Rex, Medea) have some subtle and some profound differences. In both Antigone and Oedipus Rex, the ‘tragic heroes’ suffer from a major character flaw- hubris.

Oedipus - Short Analysis

2001-11-07T13:00:00-05:00

“This is the king who solved the famous riddle...Yet in the end ruin swept over

Bartelby, the Scrivener

2001-11-05T13:00:00-05:00

Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville will be the story I intend to discuss in this protocol. I intend to discuss this story in terms of four literary elements: Character symbolism, descriptive passages, irony and the novellas theme. Bartleby’s character can be interpreted in a psychoanalytical style. Bartleby has low self esteem, and isolation issues. He has chosen to take a standpoint of not really having one. He refuses to work, in a polite manner, “ I prefer not to.” This tells us that Bartleby may feel inferior and that he can not accomplish the work to the standards given. Bartleby’s disassociation issues, tells us that he is trying to pull away from society. Why he might be acting this way leads us to interpret that he was neglected as a child and has found that happiness comes in the form of the individual, or more probable is that society may have burned him before, leading him to the same telos as stated previously. In Melville’s use of descriptive passages we can see how the narrator attempts to disassociate and isolate Bartleby even further by how he positions him in the office; “ I placed his desk close up to a small window in that part of the room, a window which originally had afforded a lateral view of certain grimy backyards, and bricks, but which, owning to insubsequent erections, commanded at present, no view at all. . . Still further to satisfactory arrangement, I procured a green folding screen, which might entirely isolate Bartleby from my sight.” The irony of exists in this story because the more the narrator pushes Bartleby away, the more the narrator is compelled to draw him closer, into his own life. The theme of the story, I believe, is in not letting yourself become isolated from the world. I think that this story is symbolic for our present day work situations. In today’s society men and women are becoming more isolated then ever from the rest of the world. This working force occupies similar cubicles to that of Bartleby and are extremely similar in their unwanting behavior of work. This new work force is being brought in earlier to work and staying latter. They have no physical exercise and are caught in mundane repetition day in and day out. In conclusion, I have discussed the story using the four literary elements mentioned previously, and have gave a

This Boy's Life

2001-11-05T13:00:00-05:00

Looking deeper into the story This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff, we can see the impact of growing up with one parent and the effects of not having a father. Growing up without a father can cause several behavioral problems and have a long-term impact on a child’s life. In my essay I will look into the life of Tobias Wolff and point out numerous behavioral problems that may have arouse from his lack of a father. At age ten, Tobias moved with his mother Rosemary to escape her boyfriend and attempt to get rich on uranium, from that age Tobias was left without a father. Tobias was to enter into puberty, the physical maturity of a boy to a man, without a father to talk to. This led him to an understanding of women that came from his friends and had no true basis or regard for the way a man should treat a woman. This point is relevant on page 44, where Tobias sends letters of his love to Annette with content of “Inappropriate settlements and declarations.” I believe that Tobias lack of a father figure also resulted in him having a lack of discipline. This lack of discipline is extremely evident when we look at his performances during and after school. I think that had Tobias had a father figure he would not have partook in many of the delinquencies he performed in with his friends. Not to be overlooked is his constant want to “reinvent” himself. Without a father figure to mold his son and teach him as a man, we can see that Tobias was in constant thought about who he really was, and most of the time who he wanted to be. Finally I would like to talk about the role of Dwight in his life. Although Dwight, in my opinion, meant well in disciplining Tobias I feel that Dwight had a contrary effect on Tobias’ life. As Dwight attempted to be a father figure for Tobias, and instill discipline in him, Dwight seemed to be pushing him away more and more, instead of embracing him. This tended to drive Tobias toward acts of delinquency. This is best displayed when we note Tobias’ paper route. Although the paper route was a good idea, since all children should learn the value of money, it had a negative effect because it showed no reward for Tobias (when Tobias wanted

Always a Motive

2001-11-05T13:00:00-05:00

The Characteristics of Joe Manetti, a hopeless victim Joe Manetti, a confused young man, has lost his son in a tragic accident and is dealing with the loss of his wife who has left him. In Dan Ross’s story “Always a Motive”, the protagonist, Joe Manetti, portrays a hopeless victim struggling to survive. Dan Ross depicts the struggle of Joe Manetti through Joe’s state of mind, his demeanour, and through the gentle return of the Miller boy. Each example allows the reader to follow and empathize with Joe and his internal struggle. Joe Manetti has experienced a great depth of emotional suffering and severe anguish, which has become unbearable. Joe is no longer a father or a husband. The only peace that Joe seems to find is when he is out driving. After Joe is arrested for the kidnapping of the Miller child, the Inspector asks Joe where he was the day the Miller child went missing. Joe replied, “I was out driving. I drive a lot. I like to get away from the apartment…”(108). The manner in which Joe drives around aimlessly with no destination or purpose illustrates his state of mind. Joe is so emotionally isolated that he does not recognize the dilemma he is in. The Inspector further asks Joe for an alibi; Joe responds with his grief-stricken voice: “I don’t see how I’ll be able to prove anything. I get spells when I can’t stand it in my place. I take the car and I drive. Anywhere! I just drive until I feel better” (110). This is the closet thing to an alibi that Joe can respond with. Joe is continually getting spells that prevent him from being able to live a normal life. Until he deals with his pain he will remain in despair. As the questioning perseveres, Joe can only passively answer the questions with his “tormented eyes” upon the Inspector repeatedly stating his innocence (109). His demeanour never changes as he is “slumped wearily in his chair [reciting] the same story over in a weary, agonized voice so low that the Inspector strained to hear what was being said” (110). Joe is too depressed to try and clear his name in the crime, “his tone [is] dejected” and his “agoniz[ing] voice” allows the reader observe and feel what Joe is experiencing (110). The only thing Joe is able to do is plead his innocence; however, his demeanour

Slavery - Benito Cereno and Douglass’s Narrative

2001-11-04T13:00:00-05:00

When inquiring about the comparisons and contrasts between Melville’s Benito Cereno and Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of an American Slave, Written by Himself, the following question almost inevitably arises: Can a work of fiction and an autobiography be compared at all? Indeed, the structure of the two stories differs greatly. Whereas Douglass’s Narrative adapts a typical pattern of autobiographies, i.e. a chronological order of birth, childhood memories, events that helped shape the narrator etc., Benito Cereno is based on a peculiar three-layered foundation of a central story recounting the main events, a deposition delineating the events prior to the first part, and an ending. There are other contrasting aspects of the stories that call for attention. Most significantly Benito Cereno – ultimately – portrays slaves as evil and Babo as the mind behind the cunning plan that deceives Captain Delano. The reason for this one-sided representation is naturally the fact that we experience the story from Delano’s point of view. In the beginning, we perceive Babo as the typical docile, helpful, and faithful servant so often portrayed in other slave characters such as Stowe’s Uncle Tom and Jim in Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. Babo is more than just a slave; he is a “faithful fellow”, “a friend that cannot be called slave” . And despite all the underlying hints of a slave insurrection, Delano does not grasp their meaning. Examples are the slaves’ treatment of the Spanish sailors and the hatchet polishers , but in Delano’s narrow-minded world, only the white man is capable of conceiving plans of ‘evil’. And when he – and the reader too – finally sees “the mask torn away, flourishing hatchets and knives, in ferocious piratical revolt”, he is embarrassed and “with infinite pity he [withdraws] his hold from Don Benito” . From this moment on, Babo is a malign devil and Melville removes speech from Babo’s mouth. This strengthen our opinion of Babo as ‘evil’ even more, for how can we sympathise with him without hearing his version of the story? Apparently, Melville proposes no other alternative for the reader than to sympathise with the white slave owner Don Benito, whom Babo so ingeniously deceives. This is fundamentally different in Douglass’s narrative. It is written in the first person singular and offers the reader a very subjective angle. The result is a deep felt sympathy for Douglass’s situation. When he writes, “Mr. Covey succeeded in

Imperialism - Representation in Conrad and Kipling

2001-11-04T13:00:00-05:00

Imperialism sprung from an altruistic and unselfish aim to “take up the white man’s burden” and “wean [the] ignorant millions from their horrid ways.” These two citations are, of course, from Kipling’s “White Man’s Burden” and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, respectively, and they splendidly encompass what British and European imperialism was about – at least seen from the late-nineteenth century point of view. This essay seeks to explore the comparisons and contrasts between Conrad’s and Kipling’s view of imperialism in, respectively, Heart of Darkness and “White Man’s Burden” and “Recessional.” In a historical context, the two texts differ greatly: Heart of Darkness is Conrad’s autobiographical description of his trip up the river of Congo and his encounter with the atrocities of European rule in Africa. Conversely, Kipling’s “White Man’s Burden” was written to welcome the United States of America to the club of imperialistic nations. The event that prompted Kipling to write this poem was the United States’ intervention in the Philippines. Under the Treaty of Paris in 1898, the Philippine sovereignty was transferred from Spain to the United States and thus the United States emerged as an imperialistic nation dedicated to progress. This is the core of the matter – progress. Kipling speaks of ‘a Law’ in his poem “Recessional.” The code of behaviour and the enlightenment that Kipling wished to be aggrandised to all ‘primitive’ nations. In other words: Progress in the means of railroads across continents, telegraph lines over deep seas, commerce beyond boundaries and steam boat lines criss-crossing the earth. Imperialism was at its height in this period. In 1897, the year before the Spanish-American War, Queen Victoria had reigned half the world for sixty years. This was the occasion for which “Recessional” had been written, and it celebrated a vast empire that had “dominion over palm and pine,” and a “far-flung battle-line.” The poem speaks of ‘lesser breeds without the Law,’ and it is this law that “if, drunk with sight of power,” must not be forgotten. It is a prayer for the eternal altruistic mission that the white man had been destined for, as well as a hopeful prayer that England should not decline: Far-called, our navies melt away— On dune and headland sinks the fire— Lo, all our pomp of yesterday Is one with Nineveh and Tyre! Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget! The call to extend ‘the Law’ continues in Kipling’s poem “The

Beowulf: Changes In People

2001-10-30T13:00:00-04:00

The tale of Beowulf is one of constant tranformation. Great warriors and leaders turn into cowering peons. Faithful Christians convert to devil worship. Devout followers flee at the sight of trouble. Many people's morals change quickly and drastically at the sight of change. Personal turmoil abounds with changing values brought by changing times. People remain content as long as nothing challenges them, but at the first sight of change chaos occurs. One case of how change causes people to forsake their values happens when Grendel makes his first appearance at Herot. In Herot lives Hrothgar who "...led/ The Danes to such glory that comrades and kinsmen/ Swore by his sword, and young men swelled ( Beowulf lines 64-67). Hrothgar is a mighty leader of the Danes, but at the sight of a different foe, a change, Hrothgar turns tail and runs. He does not once try to face Grendel. He instead lets his people live in terror. The Hrothgar that is described before the arrival of Grendal is a completely different person, mentally, than the Hrothgar that is terrorized by the monster. He knows only one type of enemy, humans, and once that changes he loses all his leadership power. A true man of value will keep his values no matter what change takes place. Fate does not play a role in Hrothgar's actions. He is caught up in pride about all his achievements. This makes him weak to being caught by change. He beomes so comfortable in his station that he narrows his comfort zone to such a level that any amount of change will throw him off. Everything that happens is by his own accord. Hrothgar is a perfect example of how people cannot mentally fight evil. Without the constant attack of evil, one will not be able to deal with it when it arises. Hrothgar is not exposed to evil, so when it rears its ugly head his only reaction is to flee. If someone lives in a utopia and leaves, they will not be able to deal with the evil they find because they have never dealt with it before. Good cannot combat evil if it has never known evil. The only way to resolve Hrothgar's situation is to bring in someone who knows evil and faces it well, is not prideful, and can adapt to change well. In the tale, that is exactly how the problem

Fly Away Peter

2001-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

‘...a kind of savagery that Jim kept at arm’s length...because he didn’t want to be infected’. How successfully does Jim avoid infection by ‘savagery’? Jim’s insight into his father’s nature reflects his naive and innocent outlook in the first half of the novel. However, through his life experiences he is exposed to ‘savagery’ on many levels and on a much greater scale in the chaos of war. His preference to keep a considerable distance between himself and any acknowledgment of the darker side of human nature and the world is undermined by the challenges he is faced with throughout the novel. While in Queensland, Jim does not allow his father’s cynicism to intrude upon his untainted existence, and during the war his detachment is a means by which he can effectively avoid infection by ‘savagery’. But the ‘catastroph[ic]’ inhumanity of war and his experiences with Wizzer force Jim to acknowledge the brutality in the world. Jim ‘resent[s] the cowardly acceptance of defeat’ that characterises his father, and purposefully distances himself from the violence he sees in him. Jim perceives violence as a sickness in individual men, not an innate characteristic of man. Although he does not understand such ‘savagery’ early in the novel, Jim blames his father for not overcoming the mistreatment he suffered in his youth, and instead imposing it upon Jim. He sees ‘nothing in common between his father and himself’, and indeed the optimism and enduring fascination at the natural world that epitomizes Jim contrasts markedly with his father’s bitter, disillusioned and limited view of the world. His father forecasts for Jim ‘a life as flat, save for the occasional down-turn, as his own’. However, Jim’s need to deepen his understanding of the world and his place in it inevitably leads him to France, and his father’s sentimental and envious farewell makes Jim realise that his decision to go to war marks a defining moment in his life, ‘as if a line had been drawn between the past and what was to come, the two parts of his life’. Indeed his departure from Australia marks a turning point in the novel, and heralds Jim’s ‘fall from innocence’. Jim’s existence in the unspoilt security of the sanctuary is juxtaposed against the ‘madness’ of war to illustrate the way in which ‘savagery’ is increasingly imposing itself upon Jim and forcing him to broaden his outlook. During the war Jim’s newfound friends

Brother In The Land - Morbidity

2001-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

I think that the reason why Robert Swindelles in his novel "Brother In The Land" had an too great interest in morbidity, maybe an TOO great interest in it, was because of the background of nuclear weapons and how they have increased in damage and size. The thing which could motivate him was the background and this probably disturbs him, or that death and carnage was in the news a lot growing year by year. One other motivation point could have been the Cold War reinforced his decisions to write this book.. He had an interest in death and carnage to show the monstrosity caused by one single nuclear bomb in one small place- and the struggle, pain and hurt to survive and maybe for us not to take our security for granted and to think how lucky we are. He wrote this book for humans of all ages but mainly for children- so it would give them a realistic vision of a post-nuclear war, he made the story attract them in a number of ways so they could read but find it interesting and fun but learn in the process. For example he made it action packed and life like and very descriptive so children could picture themselves in one of the characters shoes ( that’s if they hadn't gone up in flames and turned to ash! And if they have some) He also kept to children's interests by having no school, limited amount of adults, necessities of life and luxuries once in a while, little rules to keep to so you could do what you wanted to do. He wrote the book instead of a massive Encyclopaedia with massive writing and little pictures- once again to draw people in and to understand what its like, to make you think…...this could be happening to me- pushing people away with a thought in their mind "I don’t want this to happen to me" making them think twice before making the same mistake as his generation did. Another reason why he coated this unsettling story in morbidity could be because depressed with the world stature at that present time and what awful things were happening around him as he wrote…….. But this book made him feel worse as he says in the afterword: "My mood altered between vague gloom to black depression" He also wrote this novel in hope, in hope that our generation will prove

Birdy - Psychological aspects of characters

2001-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

"Only if we look deeply into ourselves can we discover who we really are”. (Erich Fromm) Birdy” at first may seem to be a book characterized by its shallowness and simplicity, nevertheless it is within a plain plot and structure that the real values are hidden. Wharton’s story gives us the insight into human qualities which are subjected to only one objective: life itself. The book carries the reader into a completely different reality showing how a boy creates and lives in his own world. Psychological portrait of Birdy, which the author presented, has a symbolic meaning. Most importantly, it shows that the capacity to perceive lies within the individual. One of the psychological aspects that Wharton profoundly deals with is the outline of two different characters: Al and Birdy. Those characters represent diverse qualities, nevertheless they seem to overlap to a certain extent. Al has a very rational view of life. His realistic approach enables him to step firmly through life, catch every opportunity of it. However, when he meets Birdy, he realizes that it wasn’t true at all, and all that time he was simply walking with his eyes half-opened. Realism is what Birdy’s philosophy of life is lacking, therefore that is why their characters seem to complement one another. A lasting relationship is created, on the basis of which the reader has the opportunity to observe what psychological changes they undergo. Al wants to show Birdy the world that he has not discovered yet. On the other hand, Birdy tries to unveil the beauty of different reality that he himself becomes fascinated with. Each of us has a nature of its own, unique and exceptional. Wharton stresses it throughout the story. He skilfully crafts a psychologically intricate character – Birdy, who sees the world in different colours and shades. He explores the world through a completely different reality. Al’s friendship on the one hand gives him a closer insight into the real world, on the other one intensifies his obsession. What actually Wharton shows is how far can it really go. Birdy doesn’t have control over his thoughts, he seems to be helpless. It is his desires that dictate all his actions. They become a source for his eccentric behaviour. Passion to birds is so overwhelming that Birdy becomes unaware of the very facts of the real life. The real world is a maze where he hopelessly seeks for

The Epic of Gilgamesh vs. Noah and the Flood

2001-10-29T13:00:00-04:00

In both “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “Noah and the flood”, a flood takes place. The flood in both stories destroys most of mankind. These floods are a symbol. They represent rebirth and a new beginning for mankind, as well as the gods or God's wrath. In the epic of Gilgamesh the gods decided to destroy mankind by flooding earth for six days and nights. Utnapishtim was chosen to build a boat in order to restart mankind after the flood. “In Noah and the Flood”, God decided that there was too much evil in the world and decided to flood Earth for “forty days and forty nights”. God Chose Noah to build an ark to save 2 of each animal and restart mankind after the flood. In both The Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Bible, a story of a great flood occurs. These stories compare and contrast in several significant ways. In both stories mankind was exterminated because things were getting to chaotic. In Gilgamesh the god Enlil's reason for wanting to destroy man was very self-centered. His reason was "the uproar of mankind is intolerable and sleep is no longer possible". The other gods agreed with this. In the Bible, God also saw how the wickedness of man had taken over earth. Utnapishtim was chosen to survive the great flood out of pure luck by the god Ea. Noah was the only man on earth who found grace in the eyes of God, and was really good. Because of this, God came to warn him about the flood and told him to build the ark. They each approached their Journey by building a large boat, and bringing their family and two of every flesh being onto the boat. Utnapishtim's boat was ‘two hundred feet tall, with six stories”. Noah's ark was “thirty cubits high, and three stories tall”. They each survived by staying in the boat during the whole flood, until it was over. From the god Ea, Utnapishtim was rewarded eternal life. Noah was blessed by God and was rewarded all earth's flesh as food for him and his family. In conclusion “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and the “Noah and the Flood” both had different reasons for sending the flood to kill mankind, but they both had very similar outcomes. The flood in both stories symbolizes the rebirth of the world, a new beginning for mankind, and the gods or God’s wrath.

Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave

2001-10-24T14:00:00-04:00

Aristotle conceived of three appeals for existence: ethos, pathos and logos, all of which are prevalent in all forms of writing, entertainment, speech, and generally life itself. Fredrick Douglass used all three appeals in writing his narrative as part of his rhetorical strategy to enlighten the public of both his life and his cause more than one hundred years ago. He specifically uses ethos, or persona, in three ways: to identify himself to the reader, to provide to the credibility of his statement and to evoke a need for change through his writing style. Fredrick Douglass grows from a slave boy to a freed man throughout Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave and he uses this transition and identity to provide an outlet to which the reader can identify. Douglass first produces this with the absence of dates. Slaves were kept “ignorant” as to the facts of the real world, sometimes not even knowing the year of their birth, preventing the knowledge of a captive’s true age. A birthday is something with which people can identify, as they are a celebrated part of our culture, especially to youth. Douglass here identifies himself as a human being almost lacking what we may consider a normal childhood simply through the use of dates. These are very important to our culture, counting down the days until your birthday, until Christmas. We identify ourselves by the dates which surround the events of our lives. Part of our identity is formed from dates and this was a privilege he was denied. He is, however, eventually provided a window of opportunity in many to not only learn dates, but gain a general feel for knowledge as well. When the open door of learning that his mistress provided was permanently closed, he says, "it was a new and special revelation, explaining dark and mysterious things, with which my youthful understanding had struggled, but struggled in vain. I now understood what had been to me a most perplexing difficulty-to wit, the white man’s power to enslave the black man. It was a grand achievement and I prized it highly. From that moment I understood the pathway from slavery to freedom" (Douglass 78). Douglass was learning and he didn’t want to give it up. The reader is able to see how much he valued knowledge and his ironclad will to keep that door open. In

Relationships in To Kill a Mockingbird

2001-10-22T14:00:00-04:00

At the heart of “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, is the relationship between Atticus and Bob. Before the trial, Atticus is well respected by Mr. Ewell, but he soon turns sour upon the realization that Atticus is actually going to fight for a black man against him. This relationship is used to portray the books key themes of understanding and tolerance, values, and reactions when morals are questioned. One of the novel’s key themes is the theme of understanding and tolerance. Lee is able to show that even in the most unpleasant of situations, that men with good values can see things from another person’s view. When Bob Ewell spits on Atticus’ face, instead of retaliating, Atticus simply returns home and simply says, “I wish he would stop chewing tobacco”. This shows his great degree of tolerance. His behavior in this situation also shows his understanding. Atticus “destroyed [Bob’s] last shred of credibility”, and as he understands where Bob Ewell is coming from, he takes it in his stride. Throughout the novel, the theme of values, respect and morals is brought up regularly. Once again, a clear example of this is when Bob Ewell meets Atticus outside the courthouse. Despite being harassed and being called a “nigger lovin’ bastard” and other obscenities by Mr.Ewell, he holds his head up high and does not sink to Bob Ewell’s level. Instead, he lets Bob Ewell take out his anger on himself, in the hope that “[Atticus] saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating”. This shows Atticus’ good values and priorities. At the end of the novel, the relationship between Bob Ewell and Atticus ends with a twist. Atticus is faced to chose between his family and his morals in his decision as to who killed Bob Ewell. When the sheriff, Heck Tate, suggests that someone else may have killed Mr.Ewell, Atticus says that he “won’t have it”, and clearly shows that his morals and values are fair and are held against all people, even his own family. Despite his anger, over “not thinking about Jem”, when finding out what happens, he still sticks to his original statement. He tries to show his children that values are everything, and that if “[my children don’t trust me [(Atticus)], then they won’t trust anybody. The Relationship between Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell is certainly, in my opinion, the heart of “To Kill A Mockingbird”. Although Bob

True Grit: Many Faces of Tom Chaney

2001-10-21T14:00:00-04:00

In the novel True Grit by Charles Portis, there is a character by the name of Thomas Cheney. Tom is a character with many traits, almost all negative. Amongst them, the three best ways to describe the character Tom Chaney are as a heartless, miserable and hypocritical man. First off, he is a heartless man because he does not have to think twice about pushing Mattie into the pit full of snakes. How cruel do you have to be, to place harm on a young innocent girl? He shows no mercy when it comes to doing whatever it is he needs to do to escape as a free man. For Example, in the book, there is an intense scene where Mattie thinks that she has defeated Chaney, but he comes back and pushes her into a pit full off rattlesnakes when she is not alert. Tom says, “I warrant there will be another one before spring! A little spindly one” (Portis 284)! He shows no remorse watching Mattie struggle to get away from the venomous snakes; he even has the nerve to make a joke about it! This clearly showing that he is a heartless, cold-blooded man with no feeling towards others including women and children is sickening. Secondly, he is a very miserable man, shown in many ways. There are many instances where he is shown depressed. He thinks that all of the other bandits are just using him. For instance, on top of the mountain at the secret hideout, they leave him to watch over Mattie. He gets so depressed and beats himself up over the fact that they just ditched him with all of the stolen money. Cheney says, “I fear he has no idea of paying me. I believe he has left me, knowing I am sure to be caught when I leave on foot” (Carter 265). This quote is a perfect example of ho he is so down on himself. Tom thinks they left him to be trapped, and just took advantage of him. Chaney has obviously been used and is feeling like a big loser. This just goes to show you how miserable Thomas Chaney really is. Thirdly, he is hypocritical because after The Ross family accepts him into their family, he turns on them and kills Frank, Mattie’s father. That is clearly hypocritical, Tom came in a poor broken man without anywhere to go and

The Runaway Jury

2001-10-21T14:00:00-04:00

Normally the lawyers give their arguments and then the jury go and deliberate but not so in John Grisham’s thriller “The Runaway Jury”. In this book one mysterious girl, known only as Marlee, is controlling the whole jury from the outside. Her background is obscure and if they knew it they wouldn’t trust her. Which way will she turn, for the plaintiff and send tobacco companies worldwide into a crisis, or for the defence and stop all litigation cases for a generation? Her accomplice Nicholas Easter, is introduced as a mystifying potential juror. “The problem with Easter, potential juror number fifty-six, was that they knew so little about him.” From this, we deduce that Easter will be the thriller aspect which Grisham is known to use throughout his novels. His not-yet known enemy Rankin Fitch, the defence’s background man, is the next character brought to our attention. After showing the change in attitude as he walks in the door: “Carl stopped. The lawyers bolted upright in their seats” Grisham uses the short paragraph “Fitch was back. Fitch was in the room” to show us how powerful and respected this man is. Easter also starts to gain respect and portray his image as the ideal jury leader through making known that he was an ex-law student and by trying to gain them extra amenities. One of the stranger things he wanted was to perform the Pledge of Allegiance every week as they walked into the courtroom. Mystery seems to be cropping up all over as Marlee, the mysterious girl, shows up with the note: “Dear Mr. Fitch: Tomorrow, juror number two, Easter, will wear a grey pullover golf shirt with red trim, starched khakis, white socks and brown leather shoes, lace-up” There is more to this woman than is first thought. She then arranges a meeting with Fitch, at which she conveys what she’s really doing: “ ‘So why are we here?’ he asked. ‘One meeting leads to another.’ ‘And where do all the meetings lead?’ ‘To the verdict.’ ” Grisham is quite aware that both sides in trials bribe jurors but Marlee has been introduced to keep the reader captivated, as it is quite unusual for an outsider to volunteer to do the dirty work, for a price. “the price of Pynex shares dipped … attributed to the dramatic events in the courtroom”. This shows that Easter’s seemingly senseless demands and goings on in the courtroom were actually doing something

Parrot in the Oven: Summary

2001-10-20T14:00:00-04:00

Throughout Parrot in the Oven mi vida by Victor Martinez there are stories of a young chicano male living in poverty with a dysfunctional family unable to provide examples that every child needs growing up. The child is faced with dealing with the death of his grandmother, his sister's miscarriage, and initiation into a local gang. Many of the experiences that Manuel lives through were also experienced by Victor Martinez growing up. In a sense, Victor Martinez is using this group of stories to tell the reader the lessons he has learned growing up from such a poverty

Maycomb: A balanced Society of the Good and Evil

2001-10-19T14:00:00-04:00

The novel To Kill a Mocking Bird written by Harper Lee is told from the perspective of a six-year-old girl named Scout. The story focuses on the maturation of Scout and her elder brother Jem in the "tired old town" of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930's. The story takes place in Maycomb, a classic southern town of that era, a town full of gossip, tradition and burdened with a legacy of racism and prejudice. Jem and Scout live together with their father Atticus and their black cook Calpurnia in the small town of Maycomb. Atticus is a prominent lawyer and the Finch family is reasonably well off in comparison to the rest of society. A major plot in the story is the Boo Radley plot. One summer, Jem (10) and Scout (6) befriend a boy named Dill, who had come to live in Maycomb for the summer, and the trio acts out stories and plays together. Eventually, Dill becomes fascinated with the spooky house on their street called the Radley Place. The house is owned by Mr. Nathan Radley, whose brother, Arthur, nicknamed Boo, has lived there for years without venturing outside. Jem and Scout had always been afraid to go near the house for there were many scary rumors about Boo Radley, such as that he had stabbed his father in the knee and that he eats meat raw. As the story progresses they learn more about Boo and realize he was not at all like the way the rumors made him appear to be and at the end of the story Boo even saved them from the attack by Bob Ewell. Another major plot in the story was the Tom Robinson trial plot. Atticus was appointed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who had been accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Many white people of Maycomb were outraged at his decision to defend Tom and did their best to make life difficult for the Finches. As the trial drew nearer, racial tensions between the blacks and whites mounted, and their schoolmates subjected Jem and Scout to many insults and abuse. Despite Atticus' efforts, Tom was convicted and sent to prison. Atticus was going to appeal to a higher court but Tom tried to escape from prison and was shot to death. Harper Lee presented a more balanced society in Maycomb because she delineated

A Clockwork Orange

2001-10-18T14:00:00-04:00

TASK – “ To what extent does Alex have his own freedom of thought” “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess follows the life of a young juvenile delinquent by the name of Alex. Throughout the novel we learn in depth about the young protagonist, Alex, including his love for music and his apparent passion toward violence. Burgess uses bizarre, yet apt language choice in this novel which helps you relate to the main character in an easier manner, hence improving the appeal and success of this text. The novel deals with varying issues however the main theme of the novel is the idea of how much freedom of thought Alex has and therefore this will be my area of focus for my essay. Immediately after the first few lines we find out the novel is written in first person narrative. I found this a very intelligent use of language and structure by Burgess as the manner in which he has written this relates exactly to the character. Very seldom does Alex use “normal” language and I think this is because he has complete freedom of thought and he wants to have his own language that only his friends and him can understand. In my opinion the style and structure of this novel is extremely important to the understanding of the text. Alex goes through three main changes as a character, and this is reflected in the way Burgess has structured the novel. The novel is split into three sections, each describing a significant chapter in Alex’s life. An example of this is the idea of the book revolving “full circle”. In 20 chapters Alex has completely changed, but at the start of chapter 21 the novel begins the exact same as it did at chapter one. Alex revisits the place called HOME and him and his new “droogs” commit another unprovoked attack, however this time something has changed. Alex has matured and basically decides he doesn’t want this life anymore and the reason why – he has matured and comes to his senses. So the reader begins to feel sorry for Alex – after all what is a life without any choice? “ Goodness comes from with, 6655321, goodness is something chosen, he who cant choose, ceases to be a man” Burgess has deliberately intended the thoughts and feelings of the reader to sway during the novel. As the novel progresses Alex looses his choice

Delusional Characters in Shakespeare

2001-10-17T14:00:00-04:00

"Delusion can often lead to unhappiness." Comment on how characters you have studied in a text this semester have deluded themselves and other. What was the outcome of this delusion? In William Shakespeare's play text "Macbeth", we are shown delusion can often lead to unhappiness. Many of the characters in the play deluded themselves and others along the way. A deluded Macbeth destroys his entire kingdom by deluding others around him as well as himself, and eventually in a moment of tragic realization, is slain. Lady Macbeth suicides in a moment of insanity and unhappiness when she realizes her own delusional state. King Duncan is deluded by feelings of safety and trust, impelling him to his death at the hands of Macbeth, causing unhappiness for all belonging to his kingdom. Banquo, though suspicious of Macbeth, still has confidence in their friendship then momentarily allows himself to be deluded by the promise of prophecy and soon after is murdered. All the characters, consequently, end up unhappy. Macbeth is deluded by prophecies of kingship and once king, he is then deluded by the promise of power. The witches foretell Macbeth's rise to the throne and due to his superstitious nature, he willingly believes the prophecies, never really doubting their augury. A delusional Macbeth ignores the order of the natural world, failing to recognize the Great Chain of Being. The king on the Chain of Being is recognized as earth's tangible divinity, a Supreme Being of earth, situated at the highest earthly place on the chain. Macbeth's first delusion is that he has any right to claim a place on the throne and in doing so ignores divine order. The fact that it was the oracles of evil, the witches, who informed Macbeth of his ascension should have been enough to alert him that the witches were going to create disorder and use him as an agent of chaos. The seduction of power then fuels his delusion and he plots to kill King Duncan. Macbeth's second delusion is that he can enact the murder without encountering the consequences inevitable when divinity is slain. He does fleetingly consider these consequences of the heinous crime in a moment alone. After acknowledging the diablerie of the proposed crime, he decides not to carry out the murder. "We still have judgement here; - that we but teach Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return To plague the inventor. This even-handed justice Commends the ingredients

The Power of One and Cry Freedom - Triumph against adversary

2001-10-17T14:00:00-04:00

"The most potent weapon of the oppressor is in the mind of the oppressed” – Steve Biko Triumph means to be victorious or successful and an adversary is someone you compete against or fight, like an enemy. So to triumph against your adversary is to defeat your enemy. “The Power of One” and “Cry Freedom” are two different stories, written by two different people, but both have the theme “Triumph Against Adversity”. Both of the stories were set in South Africa during the times of a white ruled government where black people were considered inferior to white man and were treated so. “The Power of One”, written by Bryce Courtney, is about a young boy (Peekay) who stands up to racism in the white-ruled South Africa of the 1940’s. At the young age of five, Peekay was sent to boarding school where he received endless torment from the other kids because he was the only English person there. After years of ill treatment from the leader of the kids, the judge, and his young followers, Peekay finally decided to stand up for himself. This is an example of how Peekay triumphed against his adversaries. After boarding school, at the age of six, Peekay was sent back to live with his family. There he befriended Professor Von Vollensteen (Doc), a German man who was a teacher of music. Not long after they met, Doc was arrested by police, suspected of being a German spy. At the court hearing, the Judge declared that Doc be acquitted of all spy charges. However he was charged with being an unregistered alien and the court ordered that he be detained for the duration of the war. He was sent to Barberton Prison where he was one of few white men there. Peekay regularly visited Doc at the prison. It was obvious to Peekay on his first visit to the prison that black people were considered inferior to white people. Because Doc was white, he was treated well and given special privileges that no black man would ever receive. These privileges were also granted because the Kommandmant wanted Doc to play the piano at the bi-annual visit of the inspector of prisons. So to keep Doc happy until the concert, he could do almost as he pleased. Because Doc allowed do his own thing, he had triumphed against his adversary. At Barberton Prison, there was a boxing team that

The Different Faces of God: An Analysis of Poetry by William Blake

2001-10-16T14:00:00-04:00

As a child Blake had no formal schooling. He was apprenticed at the age of fourteen by engraver James Basire. In 1779 he began studies at The Royal Academy of Arts, but it was as a journeyman engraver that he was to make his living. When Blake was engraving his own designs, the general public envied him because they were not as creative as he was. Most of Blake’s support came from a small group of artists and friends. Throughout his life booksellers employed Blake to engrave illustrations for a wide variety of publications. Blake printed much of his poetry himself by using engraving methods he created. His method was to produce the text and illustrations for his books on copper plates. His greatest work as an engraver was his series of twenty-one illustrations to the Book of Job that was commissioned by his friend John Linnell. During the twentieth century Blake was one of the greatest engravers since the Renaissance. During his lifetime, Blake’s work received very little attention, and most of his poetry was never published. When his work was noticed the readers viewed Blake as weird, confused, or mad. One of the purposes of Blake’s art was to change the way people “ see “ and to open up new worlds to them “one continued vision” of what had once been ordinary and common, but would become “imagination itself”. To Kathleen Raine “William Blake is the only English poet whose central theme is the confrontation of imagination”. Blake’s most famous statement about his art is “ I will create a system or be enslaved by another man ‘s”. Blake also provided illustrations for most of his poems. William Blake first published the Songs of Innocence in 1789. In 1794, these songs and the Songs of Experience were issued together in one volume, with a title page promising a demonstration of “ the two Contrary States of the Human Soul”. According to Blake’s nineteenth-century biographer Alexander Gilchrist, “ the poet and his wife did everything in making the book ( Songs of Innocence)- writng, designing, printing, engraving- everything except manufacturing the paper...Never before surely was a man so literally the author of his own book” (Gilchrist). The state of “Innocence” is of genuine love and naive trust toward all humankind, accompanied by unquestioned belief in Christian doctrine. The state of “Experience” is the profound disillusionment with human nature and

Themes: Materialism

2001-10-14T14:00:00-04:00

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald successfully portrays that materialism as the corrupt source of the society. Like Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is a sensitive young man who idolizes wealth and luxury, and falls in love with a beautiful young woman while stationed at a military camp in the South. After Fitzgerald's first novel was published, he became a celebrity, and fell into a wild, reckless lifestyle of parties and decadence while desperately trying to please Zelda. Similarly, Gatsby amasses a great deal of wealth at a relatively

Speech to the Jury

2001-10-13T14:00:00-04:00

For any speech to be successful, it must persuade its audience. To attain this goal, the speech has to first get the attention of the audience and at all times, maintain those audience’s interest. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch, in his speech to the jury uses conflicting ideas to arouse and keep the interest of the jurors. By doing so, Atticus tries to sway his audience toward his ultimate intention, proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Tom Robinson is not guilty of attacking Mayella Ewell. As a lawyer defending a black man being accused of rape in the 1930’s, Atticus indicates to his prejudiced audience that he, like everyone else, has “nothing but pity in my heart for the chief witness for the state”. After establishing this rapport with his audience, Atticus firmly tells the jury that “his pity does not extend so far as to her [Mayella’s] putting man’s life at stake, which she has done in an effort to get rid of her own guilt”. Through these two conflicting ideas, Atticus shifts the role of the criminal and the victim by implying that Tom, is also a victim. On the other hand, Atticus does not accuse Mayella of her “guilt”. Instead, he again builds up mutual understanding with his audience that Mayella, too is a victim, “the victim of cruel poverty and ignorance”. Expectantly, this is again later supplemented with a contradiction when Atticus stated, “but I cannot pity her … she struck out at her victim [Tom Robinson] – of necessity she must put him away from her – he must be removed from her presence, from this world. She must destroy the evidence of her offense”. Later in his speech, Atticus Finch mentions a quote of Thomas Jefferson, “all men are created equal.” He tells the jury that in reality, it is not the case, “we know all men are not created equal … some people are smarter than others, some people have more opportunity because they’re born with it…”. Atticus here appeals to the common sense of the juror that Tom Robinson, being a black man is not viewed as an equal. “But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal”, Atticus goes on to say that in fact, there’s a “human institution” when all men are created equal; it is the “great reveler”, our

Cry, the Beloved Country

2001-10-13T14:00:00-04:00

In Cry, the Beloved Country, the author, Alan Paton used two main characters to present both the whites and Africans’ point of view. James Jarvis, Paton’s European characters experienced a subtle but yet also impacting transition; His indifference towards the evolving problems of the society later surprisingly transformed into the courage to take actions in solving these problems. Through his journey in Johannesburg, trying to understand his son’s “liberal” view and witnessing a downfall of an African girl, Jarvis found out that his apathy only worsened the predicaments faced by his country; For he could not be a spectator after his son’s death, Jarvis decided to “…about doing whatever good is within his power.” However, Jarvis discovered that “such thing [helping Africans in anywhere he could] is not lightly done”, but required boldness and determination to fulfill these goals. As the book II of Cry, the Beloved Country unfolded, Paton described Jarvis as a white British farmer looking down at the valley from his “high place”, an narrow minded person who only saw things from his point of view, “… if they [Africans] got more land, and if by some chance they could make a living off from it, who would work on the white man’s farm?”. In his stay at Johannesburg, Jarvis learned that his recent murdered son, Arthur Jarvis who fought and spoke about the very problems of the society that his father ignores and avoids. “Yes, he [Arthur Jarvis] was always speaking here and there … Native crime, and more native schools, and he kicked up a hell of a dust in the papers about the conditions at the noneuropean hospital.”. Devastated by the death of his deceased son and confused by “this boy of his who had gone journeying in strange water”, Jarvis found himself beginning to doubt his principles and moral. “I didn’t know it would ever be so important to understand him [Arthur Jarvis]” Indeed, Jarvis found that indifference is slowly degenerating the society around him, “…she went to the bad and started to brew liquor …she was arrested and sent to jail… I do not know… And I do not care.” Later, as Jarvis comes upon an essay written by his son, “From them [James and Mary Jarvis] I [Arthur Jarvis] learned all that a child should learn of honor and charity and generosity. But of South Africa, I learned nothing at all.” Jarvis

Black Vision

2001-10-11T14:00:00-04:00

Ralph Ellison was born in Okalahoma, March 1, 1914 he was the grandson of black slaves in the south. His life was full of accomplishment he attended Tuskegee University from 1933-1936. In 1936 he moved to New York where he met the novelist Richard Wright, and later became associated with the Federal Writer’s project. Ellison achieved international fame with his release of “Invisible Man” in 1952 in the following year the novel won the national book award. Ralph Ellison passed away in 1994, but he left behind him a legacy of African American culture that many had not seen before. In many of Ellison’s works he writes about the Black image in America, or the “black vision”. Ralph Ellison’s black vision humiliates the black race, makes them feel inferior, segregates them, but still Ellison has hope for America, and he believes that the black race should deal with the “black vision” independently. This is best proven by the short story “Flying Home”, a critical essay written on Ellison, and a powerful statement given by Ralph Ellison. The poignant short story “Flying Home” is the story of an injured black pilot who lies on the ground in physical pain, as he deals with the pain of gaining acceptance in a white society. Todd expresses his feelings on riding the old black man’s ox into town in this excerpt: “Yes, and humiliation was when you could never be simply yourself, when you were always part of this black ignorant man” 1 Ellison expresses here through the pilot that white America will never be accepting of blacks. Blacks are viewed as being on a lower platform, while the whites hold some type of superiority over them. Todd does not want to be associated with the old man because the old man represents to Tom all that is wrong with Black America. He is not well educated, poor, and speaks poorly; Tom sees this as the reason why blacks are not truly accepted into society. Therefore he refuses to be associated with him in anyway sacrificing the medical aid he truly needs. Another reason Todd does not wish to ride into town is he does not wish to be recognized for his flaw. Todd feels that when he makes a mistake a white person will not hold it against just him, but rather his entire race. Therefore Todd and the rest of black America

Fly Away Peter

2001-10-10T14:00:00-04:00

‘Human beings desire order but have to confront chaos’. How is this explored in Fly Away Peter? Fly Away Peter’s binary structure enables it to explore the conflicting natures of order and chaos. The juxtaposition of ideas that threads through the novel to set up many opposites conveys to the reader the way in which human beings must confront difficulty in order to broaden their world view and enhance their journey towards self-discovery. Malouf uses the characters as vehicles for the exploration of ideas, with Jim’s personal journey the focus for many themes. Jim goes from the idyllic sanctuary to the front of war in order to come to an understanding of the world and his place in it. As the novel progresses, he continually expands his outlook by coming to terms with the unnatural act of war as well as a darker side of himself. With the imminent chaos of war looming, Jim, Ashley and Imogen find order and security in the peaceful Queensland marshes. With Ashley having provided him with a purpose, Jim is content for a while in his newfound position and friends. The natural world follows a set pattern, and is appreciated by all three in their own way. Jim finds a superiority in the timeless quality of nature, Ashley ‘respects’ the ‘primitive power’ of the Australian bush, and Imogen has found an inner contentment in wildlife photography. At this point in the novel, Imogen in particular has confronted disorder, and in upending her life has become much more accepting of difference. Jim’s Book also exposes the human being’s desire for order. It pleases both he and Ashley, and is something he keeps going even when the chaos of war has intruded upon his life. Jim’s trip to Brisbane heralds his ‘fall from innocence’, as he begins to experience the ‘real’ world. He guesses that this war ‘might, after all, be serious’, and sees that his life has, in a strange way, changed forever. Amid the hysteria, Jim feels inexorably drawn towards involvement in the war. The metaphor of a tilting slope suggests the inevitability of this. With pressure increasing on Jim to join up, it is not his father’s envy or coercion that finally decides the issue, nor is it a question of patriotism. Rather, Jim acknowledges to himself the need to extend his knowledge of life in the face of the inexorable changes war would bring. He

The Long Death of the Plains Indians

2001-10-10T14:00:00-04:00

"The long death” is an appropriate title for the book describing the slow death of the Plains Indian’s way of life. It took many years for the white man to alter and ruin the lives and homeland of the Plains Indians as the tribes suffered tremendously in the process. The Indians soon became warriors, to no avail, in hopes of defending their land against the settlers. These settlers began entering the west around the mid 1800’s. By the time 1900 came, the Plains Indians had shrunk by over half. Buffalo was a huge part of the survival of the Plains Indians. The railroads came in and began slaughtering huge amounts of buffalo to feed the railway construction workers. Eastern sports hunters killed buffalo for sport and profit, sometimes called “harvesting”. In addition, the Army slaughtered buffalo to control the tribes who were resistant to the encroaching settlers. By depleting the buffalo herds, the white farmers were then able seize the Indian land and use the former hunting grounds for crops. Many Indians were slaughtered along with the buffalo. For example, the Sand Creek incident in 1864 was an attack on many innocent Indians. Furthermore, many Indians were driven onto reservations while giving up much of their land. This was done with much resistance from the Indians, which resulted in many conflicts and death. Railroads took much of the land in the plains, which further reduced Indian land. When the railroads were completed, they assisted in bringing in farm equipment and more settlers to work the land and take much of the farming from the Indians. In 1869, Congress established the Board of Indian Commissioners to mold Indians into Christian farmers and better adapt them to their reservations. Indeed, a way of assimilating the Indians so they would be more controlled and unable to sustain their old way of life while their land and old traditions were being taken away. Because of many obstacles, this policy failed. Do-gooders watching these atrocities were instrumental in passing the Dawes act in 1887. The act provided that each family would receive 160 acres of land for farming or 320 acres for grazing in hopes of leading to the breakup of reservations and making Indians more civilized like the “whites”. The Dawes act made Indians U.S. citizens and forced them to become farmers and landowners. This act was another devistating blow to the Indians because they ended

The Scarlet Letter: The moral corruption of the main characters

2001-10-09T14:00:00-04:00

The three main characters of “The Scarlet Letter”, Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Arthur Dimmesdale, were all morally corrupt. They all showed incredible proof of this through out the novel. The very beginning of this novel starts with Hester in a jail cell. The only reason she was in this cell is because she was an adulterer. While her husband was on his was from England, she found time to woo a mate, establish a bad reputation, and have a bastard child. The fact that she produced a child that was not her husbands, inscribes her in the book of the immoral for life. There is no way a moral person would have sexual relations with anyone while they were married. Roger Chillingworth was also a lost soul. He lived incognito, as a doctor from afar. He used this fact to gain the trust and friendship of Arthur. He went so far as to offer the Supreme evil being, Satan, a good deal of hospitality. Roger Allowed the Devil to take over his body and do evil things while in its confines. The only Reason Roger did this, was to torture Dimmesdale. He showed the most immorality by living under a friendly guise. He lived as Dimmesdale’s friend and doctor, while he used this friendship to tear Dimmesdale apart, finding his weaknesses and exploiting them. I am nearly positive that torture is one of the most immoral actions in existence. It is more of an infraction when the person being tortured is unaware of his torturers macabre goal. In addition to this, Roger had no problem with destroying Dimmesdale’s soul, when the only thing keeping Dimmesdale from doing the right thing, was Rogers “friendly” advice. Arthur Dimmesdale wasn’t the most immoral, but he deceived the most people. He, as a Preacher, acted as good person who knew and lived gods’ word, yet carried on as a bandit, who has sex with married women, and forsakes the matrimony sent by God. He committed adultery and lied about it. He refused to tell any of his congregants about this and refused Pearl when she asked him to stand on the scaffold with her. He went against god, went agents his followers, and went against good behavior. This is surely the greatest or all the sins, and worthy or eternal damnation. I have proved these characters immoral beyond all doubts. They all took part in

On Christmas Morning

2001-10-08T14:00:00-04:00

Task: Frank O'Connor stories often appear in anthologies of short stories because they are regarded as good stories. Choose one story by Frank O'Connor which you feel should be included in an anthology. Fully explain why you think this text deserves inclusion in a collection of short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "On Christmas Morning" by Frank O'Connor as it covers many different themes. In this essay I will look at what makes it good in order to show that the story deserves inclusion in an anthology of good stories. The story is based on the childhood of a young Irish boy called Larry. The first thing we learn from the story is that he is the eldest of two brothers and that he doesn't like his brother Sonny. Larry does not pay much attention at school and would rather be out playing with his friends he says "for the life of me I couldn't see what attracted mother to education". Larry's relationship with Sonny is pretty poor. Sonny is good at his books and his mother's favourite because of this. Larry thinks that rather than try to be smarter than Sonny and fail he just won't try at all, we see this when Larry says "it wasn't my fault if, four days before the holidays, Flogger Dawley gave us sums we couldn't do, and Peter Doherty and myself had to go on the lang". As the story goes on we see the mischievous Larry develop into a more deceitful person. Larry hangs about with the Doherty gang and his mother isn't very pleased with this "can't you do your lessons first and play after?" She would say. The piece of evidence which shows us Larry developing into a deceitful person the most is when he swops presents with Sonny because he feels he got the better present. He assures himself he is doing Sonny a good turn and that Sonny would have no use for a popgun and would much rather prefer a picture book. Larry says to himself "Sonny would never be any good in a gang: he was fond of spelling, and a studious child like him could learn a lot of spellings from a book like mine." Larry believes Santa is real contrary to what the Dohertys' say but when him and Sonny take their presents to show their mum and dad "mother smiled, but only

Siddhartha: Suffering, Desire, Enlightenment

2001-10-08T14:00:00-04:00

In Hermann Hesse’s Siddhartha, a classic novel about enlightenment, the main character, Siddhartha, goes on a lifelong journey of self-discovery. Along the way, Siddhartha encounters many who try to teach him enlightenment, undoubtedly the most important being the illustrious Buddha himself. Although Siddhartha rejects the Buddha’s teachings, saying that wisdom cannot be taught, we can see, nevertheless, that along his journey for understanding Siddhartha encounters the Four Noble Truths that are a central theme in Buddhism: suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, and the middle path. The First Noble Truth is The Truth of Suffering. If people examine their own experiences, or look at the world around them, they will see that life is full of suffering. In the novel, Siddhartha experiences the two forms of suffering – physical and mental. Physical suffering can come in many forms – disease, ageing, injury. Siddhartha experiences physical suffering as a young man when he joins the ascetics or Samanas. As a Samana, Siddhartha learns to fast, to tolerate extreme heat and cold, and to endure pain through meditation. Siddhartha’s life as a samana is bitter, and he learns that “life [is] pain” (p.11). Siddhartha experiences mental pain in the second half of his life when he begins a contrasting existence of pleasure, and then again when he meets his only son. After leaving the Samanas, Siddhartha begins a life of decadence in the house of a wealthy merchant and in the company of a beautiful courtesan. Though at first Siddhartha remains apart from their daily troubles, as the years go by Siddhartha himself begins to value money, fine wine, and material possessions. Because of this “a thin mist, a weariness [settles] on Siddhartha,” (p. 63) and he is engulfed in mental pain. Later, after ridding himself of the pain of the life of a wealthy merchant by becoming a simple ferryman, Siddhartha again experiences mental anguish when he meets his son. Siddhartha immediately falls in love with his arrogant 11-year-old son, whom he has never seen before. But the son despises his father and his simple life, and after a short time runs away. Siddhartha becomes restless and worried, again experiencing great mental anguish. As he goes along his journey, Siddhartha realizes The Second Noble Truth – that the direct cause of suffering is desire. Because of his desire to be empty and to rid himself of the Self, Siddhartha experiences physical pain

The Metamorphosis: Life as a Bugman

2001-10-08T14:00:00-04:00

In Franz Kafka’s fanciful novel The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning to find that he as been transformed into a beetle. As the story progresses, we can see that Gregor’s life as a beetle is not all that different from Gregor’s life while in human form. Because of this we have to ask ourselves “Does Gregor Samsa qualify as a human being?” I believe that Gregor does not qualify as a human being and had stopped being truly human long before his metamorphosis. Writers and philosophers throughout history have pondered on what it means to be human. One of the most famous, Réné Descartes, declared “Cogito, ergo sum” – I think therefore I am. But does Gregor meet this criterion; does he think? From the very beginning of the story Gregor emits a certain perpetual calm, his emotions never straying from a composed tranquility. Instead of being astonished or troubled by his transformation, Gregor wants to “sleep again for a while and forget all this stupidity” (Kafka p.201), as though suddenly turning into a bug doesn’t disturb him at all. He only begins to worry when he realizes he is late for work. Gregor truly hates his job, even admitting that it is “degrading” (Kafka p.202), yet he stays in his miserable position in order to support his whole family and to get them out of debt. Each month Gregor willingly hands over his paycheque to the waiting hands of his family, the action “accompanied by no remarkable effusiveness,” (Kafka p.219) as though the family expects and even demands Gregor’s selflessness. The Samsas eat leisurely breakfasts and take naps in the afternoon while their son is out working an extremely stressful job to support them, instead of a family of his own. In fact Gregor has no social life, staying alone in his room every evening. His only companion is a framed picture of a beautiful woman, and he values it so much that it is the first thing that he wants to salvage when his sister attempts to remove the furniture from his room. Thus we can see that Gregor is alienated in every aspect of his life, even in his own house where he always locks the doors of his bedroom, “as if in a hotel” (Kafka p.203). To most human beings this situation would be close to intolerable, yet Gregor seems to have relatively little to

Dimmesdale's changes

2001-10-07T14:00:00-04:00

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many characters that transform; one of them is Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale committed a great sin of the puritan society, he slept with another mans wife and Hester Prynne became pregnant. Hester was punished for her sin but Arthur Dimmesdale had not admitted to it, so he lives with this guilt and it is much worst for him because he is a puritan minister. Dimmesdale inflicts punishment upon himself because of his adulterated sin. Dimmesdale transforms throughout the novel always in the same place “The Scaffold.” The town is all out to witness the punishment of Hester Prynne some of the women are suggesting other punishments and the women are telling us about Hester and Dimmesdale. People say," said another, "that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very grievously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation." (Page 49) Reverend Dimmesdale is seen as a godly man. A man who does not commit sin and in his own mind at this point he feels fine and does not have any guilt. Dimmesdale at this point in the novel is seen as godly and throughout the novel is seen as godly even at the end after the last scaffold scene. Consequently enough, Dimmesdale is trying to convince Hester to reveal the man who has sinned along with her , so the man can be relieved of his guilt, some what ironic because he is the man who has sinned along side with her. “What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him--yea, compel him, as it were--to add hypocrisy to sin? Heaven hath granted thee an open ignominy, that thereby thou mayest work out an open triumph over the evil within thee and the sorrow without. Take heed how thou deniest to him--who, perchance, hath not the courage to grasp it for himself--the bitter, but wholesome, cup that is now presented to thy lips!" (Page 65) This is the first scaffold scene Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is not showing any signs of guilt at this point, he is still fairly the same and has not began to inflict punishment on himself or so it appears. Dimmesdale in the first scaffold scene seems fairly normal and has not begun to transform himself but by the next time we see him at the scaffold he is taken

Tragic Hero

2001-10-07T14:00:00-04:00

Aristotle described a tragic hero as being a person who, through a flaw, in their own character, is brought from a high position and learns to “see the light” before their own destruction. In the Theban play. ‘King Oedipus’, Oedipus is considered to be a tragic hero after his mother and father try to cheat fate, then later when Oedipus discovered his own fate, he tried to cheat his fate also only in truth ending up where destiny had planned. Another Theban play, ‘Antigone’, also written by Sophocles includes Oedipus’ daughter, Antigone, as the tragic hero when she dies for what she believes in. When Laius and Jocasta discovered the fate of their unborn child, Oedipus, was to kill his father and marry his mother, Laius and Jocasta tried to cheat fate. By placing Oedipus on a hill and inserting a spike into his foot and through the ground Jocasta and Laius had hoped to kill their child, and cheat their fate. However, a shepherd man discovered this neglected child he brought him to the home of a king who was trying to conceive children without any success. This king took Oedipus into his family never telling him about his tragic past. After Oedipus grew up knowing only of one family he too tried to cheat his fate. Oedipus had learned by means of a prophet that his fate was to kill his father and marry his mother, so he left the town in which he had lived his whole life, and traveled to Thebes. On the way to Thebes, Oedipus had killed a man and saved the town by solving the riddle of the Sphinx. (The Sphinx was an awful sea monster who would eat everyone crossing his way who would not correctly answer his riddle.) Upon arriving in Thebes the town praised him and the Queen, Jocasta, married hi. Unaware of what had happened and his fate coming true without his own realization was Oedipus’ downfall. Prior to realizing what he had done, Oedipus promised Jocasta that he would kill the man who had killed her husband. When Oedipus recognized that he had been the one who had killed Laius, he took a knife to his eyes leaving himself blind, as to symbolize himself not seeing his own doom coming true. Oedipus himself exclaimed, “Cone, feel you brother’s hands. It was their work that darkened these clear eyes –

Aldous Huxley’s Dystopian Vision

2001-10-06T14:00:00-04:00

What is a utopia? Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate® Dictionary defines _utopia_ as “an imaginary and indefinitely remote place; a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, gov-ernment, and social conditions; *an impractical scheme for social improvement.”* In _Brave New World_ Aldous Huxley creates a _dystopia_ (which Webster defines as “an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives”) by predicting a pos-sible _utopia_ after many generations. Aldous Huxley analyzes how the utopia degenerated from its original intent into a terrible dystopia. In this essay I will discuss some aspects of this dystopia and relate to Aldous Huxley’s dystopian vision. Aldous Huxley begins _Brave New World_ by explaining to the reader the process of civi-lization in A.F. 632 of decanting children. First the children are led into the London Hatch-ery and Conditioning Center—the main entrance of which reads the World State’s motto: COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY (Huxley 1). This signifies that the world has become unified into _one_ state with _one_ main government and _one_ set of rules and regula-tions. The world has become “over-organized”; everything has been taken over by what Aldous Huxley describes as the “Power Elite”: a group of people who control the world and everyone in it (Huxley [_Brave New World Revisited_] 14–23). Hatchery workers wearing white lab coats working in sterilized scientific labs artificially fertilize sperm cells and egg cells in test tubes. Then, depending on the particular caste of the sperm and egg, some embryos are bokanovskified (made to bud/replicate by bombardment of X-rays); finally all embryos are sent to the Social Predestination Room, where during the nine-month process of devel-opment they are conditioned through additions or subtractions to their biological chemistry depending on their caste (Huxley 2–9). This shows the reader that there is no concern for the traditional family structure or any respect for the mystery of human creation. The society of _Brave New World_ is totally based on scientific facts and possibilities. Ethics and religion have become obsolete. Instead of having God’s gift of free will, people are now prisoners of their predetermined conditioning. Ethics and religion are grouped with history and in the words of Mustapha Mond, “History is _bunk_” (Huxley 24). In _Brave New World_ almost all the troubles in life are either eliminated or dealt with through the wonder-drug _soma_. John the Savage gets annoyed by this and cries: “You got rid of them. Yes, that’s just like you. Getting rid of everything

Of Mice and Men

2001-10-05T14:00:00-04:00

Steinbeck rests a great deal of blame for the murder on the victim herself. Her offer to let Lennie touch her hair may be construed as a sexual advance. She even prefaces the offer with a complaint about how she is a lonely woman who dislikes her husband and is dissatisfied with her marriage. Her complaints of loneliness are likely sincere, yet she presents them in a manipulative manner that reduces any sympathy that the reader may have for the character. Curley's Wife clearly believes that she deserves a better life. She considers herself a possible Hollywood starlet stuck in a loveless marriage because she refused what she believes were possible opportunities for greatness. When Lennie kills her, Steinbeck offers a disturbing image. He describes her with more life and vitality as a corpse than he did as a living character; her rouged face and reddened lips giving her the appearance of life even after

Scarlet Pimpernel

2001-10-04T14:00:00-04:00

“They seek him here They seek him there Those Frenchies seek him everywhere Is he in heaven or is he in hell That damn elusive Pimpernel!” -Percy The Scarlet Pimpernel is a fascinating expose of the inner workings during the French revolution. This realistic play illustrates

Wuthering Heights - Obsession

2001-10-02T14:00:00-04:00

The word obsession is defined in the dictionary as: "a compulsive, often unreasonable idea or emotion." The novel Wuthering Heights, is a story about love turned obsession. An obsession that leads the characters to be impulsive, vindictive, jealous and stupid. These obsessions run and ruin the lives of all the characters in Wuthering Heights. Their extreme passions have direct effects on the lives of others, and carry over into other generations. First of all, there is Heathcliff, a pitiful man driven by his obsession for Catherine and revenge. We at first sympathize with him, when we see Hindley mistreating him and his undying love for Catherine and when she turns him down for Edgar we see a huge transformation in our dear Heathcliff. We see his plan of vengeance begin to unfold and your feeling soon change. He leaves Wuthering Heights for years, deserting his love, and is determined to be successful and powerful in hopes to re suitable for Catherine and impress the others. He comes back after three years, during which time nobody at Wuthering Heights or The Grange have known his whereabouts, and the first person he is eager to meet is Catherine. He's now a changed person driven by his obsession to be someone else. He tells Catherine: "I heard of your marriage, Cathy, not long since; and, while waiting in the yard below, I meditated this plan: just to have one glimpse of your face, a stare of surprise, perhaps, and pretended pleasure; afterwards settle my score with Hindley; and then prevent the law by doing execution on myself. Your welcome has put these ideas out of my mind; but beware of meeting me with another aspect next time." Being upset with the news of Catherine's marriage to Edgar he tries to hurt them both by marrying Edgar's sister, Isabella. Even though he doesn't love or even like her, instead in this one sided love affair Heathcliff takes advantage of the innocent girls feelings to carry out his obsession for revenge. He ends up ruining her life and inheriting her fortune. In marrying her he accomplished to parts of his plan, revenge and power. I also don't see how he can even say he loves Catherine in the first place, because how can true love exist at all when it's so intertwined with jealousy, hatred, and anger? Was he just being selfish or blinded by

Catherine's Character

2001-10-02T14:00:00-04:00

In the beginning Catherine is introduced to us as "high spirited", kind to Heathcliff, and a free spirit. These qualities originally made me like her and her love for Heathcliff. However her character drastically changes throughout the story. When she hurts her leg and is forced to say at the neighboring house, Thuscross Grange with the Linton's she returns to Wuthering Heights as a dignified, well dressed lady. She was easily swayed to the superior life style of the Linton's, and began to look down upon her old friend and soulmate Heathcliff. She even laughs at Heathcliff's rough and dirty appearance and says "I did not mean to laugh at you," she said; "I could not hinder myself: Heathcliff, shake hands at least! What are you sulky for? It was only that you looked odd. If you wash your face and brush your hair, it will be all right: but you are so dirty! (94)." We the reader, are left surprised and cheated with this reversal of Catherine. She becomes more and more selfish by the minute and try's to change Heathcliff, and begins to feel that he is infact beneath her. Which is one of the main reasons she starts to look at Edgar Linton in a new light. For he is a gentlemen, refined, handsome and rich. Her feelings for Edgar and Heathcliff become increasingly apparent. However, she claims to be in love with Heathcliff and says that they have the same souls "My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff" (122)." Although she is well aware that her love for Heathcliff is bound to change as time passes, she still is obsessed by her love for Heathcliff she confirms it in the above quotation and by saying that she will never, ever be separated from him. Why does she not marry him then? Well, she has another obsession too, she does not want to degrade herself by marrying him. Instead she thinks that by marrying Linton she can and Heathcliff can rise socially. So she goes ahead and excepts Edgar's proposal. This quick decision is baffling and hurtful. We can see she is marrying Edgar for all the wrong reason's she even confides to Nelly that "he will be rich, and I shall like to be the greatest woman of the neighborhood, and I shall

Pride and Prejudice - Marriage

2001-09-29T14:00:00-04:00

Explore the social institution of marriage in Austen's society in a comparison of the proposals of Mr. Collins and Mr. Darcy to Elizabeth Bennett In this essay, I will attempt to answer the above question by going through a number of stages. I will firstly gather a detailed knowledge of what marriage was like in Austen’s society. From this I will be able to apply my findings to the proposals of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins. Whilst doing this, I will compare and contrast the two proposals and look at the reasons why they wanted marriage, their approaches to the matter and their reactions from the responses of Elizabeth Bennett. In Jane Austen’s society, marriage was hugely different than that of today. This was evident in every aspect of marriage. Marriage was necessary for women in Austen’s society. Without it they would have no income and could not create one for themselves. Women were also unable to inherit property after the death of a previous landowner. These factors mean that women were keen to marry early and not for the reasons associated with marriage of today. Nowadays, people wouldn’t even consider marrying if love wasn’t involved. During the time in question, however, love was somewhat irrelevant. Public perception of the couple was taken into consideration, however, regardless of the intentions of the couple. Marriage was seen as a status symbol and was closely linked to the class system. Jane Austen knew this society well as she was the unmarried daughter of a clergyman which fell in the social class known as gentry. She had no income and therefore had to depend on her brothers for support. All these factors must be considered when looking at the proposals of Mr. Darcy and Mr. Collins. The Bennett family has five daughters ranging in age from fifteen to twenty-five. They have no sons. In Austen’s time, this would have been seen as a burden rather than an advantage. For each daughter that is married, a dowry has to be paid and in the case of the Bennett’s, you are looking at a huge financial burden. The Bennett family is relatively well off and own land – ‘Longbourn House’. As daughters cannot inherit, the land would pass on to Mr. Collins, a cousin of the family. Mrs. Bennett is desperate to find husbands for her daughters. Because of this, she is somewhat rash in making decisions for her daughter’s futures. Elizabeth Bennett,

What Makes Atticus Finch A Hero

2001-09-29T14:00:00-04:00

What is a hero? In the dictionary a hero is described as an object of extreme admiration and devotion, idol. I think this definition should also include that a hero should have courage and put others before themselves. In To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus Finch demonstrated true heroic qualities. He was admirable and devoted, he was brave and put others before himself in a difficult time. Atticus had to overcome many challenges and take many risks. He was a single parent yet he raised his children to be well behaved, polite and open minded. To instill something like that shows what kind of man he is. Taking Tom Robinson’s case and putting so much time and energy in to it really began to make his heroic qualities shine. Atticus treated all people, black or white, with kindness, courtesy and respect. He doesn’t hold grudges against the people of the town. Atticus recognizes the good and bad qualities in people. He tries to look through the bad in a person and find and admire the true goodness of them. Atticus agreeing to defend Tom Robinson in court showed that he believed in fairness and justice for all. During that time black people were considered to be lower class, which caused white people to always suspect blacks before they suspected white people. People in the town begin to call him a “nigger lover” and threaten him and his family. During the trial Atticus makes this statement, “Confident that you gentlemen, would go along with them on one assumption, the evil assumption, that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are immoral beings, that all Negroes are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that of one mind of their caliber. Which gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin, a lie that I don’t have to point out to you. You know the truth. The truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men can’t be trusted around women, black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.” That statement gave the people of Maycomb something to think about and may have made some of them think twice before judging someone based on the color of their skin. Atticus was one in a million. I don’t know anyone that

Animalism vs Marxism in Animal Farm

2001-09-29T14:00:00-04:00

Introduction Long before the invention of the television or telephone, much less the computer, people had to communicate by word of mouth or written documents. It was not a peculiar happening for a critic of religious, political, or economical affairs to write his opinions in an allegorical and sometimes satirical fashion. Public awareness to many social wrongs has long been fed by such writings. In 1944, even after the modern means of communication had arrived, George Orwell, an Englishman, expressed his concern that Socialism had taken a sharp downfall under the reign of Russia’s implement of communism. Orwell was inspired to write “Animal Farm” in response to his participation in the Russian Civil War in which Joseph Stalin, the dictator of Russia, had sent his army to fight for “political decency.” Although Karl Marx had developed a promising way of life for the Russian people during the reign of Czar Nicholas II, Marxism was turned around and used as the foothold for revolution. The people of England seemed to admire the Russian war effort and overlooked the faults of the communist regime. Orwell’s book opened the eyes if the Western Democracies to the reality of Stalin’s conquest. “Animal Farm” portrays the major developments in the Russian revolution through its characters, events, and symbolism. Animalism vs Marxism In “Animal Farm,” the term Animalism is used to describe the movement the animals are working toward. Mr. Jones owns Manor Farm, the setting of the story. Within the first chapter, the situation the animals lived in is described as slavery. The animals were poorly fed and overworked. An outcry for revolution was stirring. Old Major, an old prize pig of the farm passes on the idea of revolution to all of the animals so that they will know what is destined to happen. In Marx’s “Communist Manifesto,” Marx also calls attention to necessary change (7). The animals resented thy tyranny of the humans and wished to govern themselves where all animals were equal. In comparison, Communism was based on the belief that all people were equal. The common people were tired of the rich getting richer while the poor got poorer. Animalism supported the idea that no one was owned by another. There would be no animals better off than others while no animals would be in bad condition either. Communism flaunted the same policy. Since the people owned the government and the government owned everything,

1984: the end of time

2001-09-26T14:00:00-04:00

This date stands as a prediction, as a warning. Now, we know things didn’t exactly happen as they were detailed, can’t we give another meaning to the title, is it not just ironical? Orwell was definitely aware that this date would not be accurate, that this could not just be considered as a deadline, but a warning to open our criticism and vigilance, this title is nonsensical, you have to transcend the date to come to new questions, did it really need to be dated, as Orwell knew this would not be accurate, is it not a sign? It occurs through a study of the book that dates and time are a great

American Psycho: commodity fetishism and social reification

2001-09-26T14:00:00-04:00

"AMERICAN PSYCHO" AS SOCIAL REIFICATION DRAWN TO ITS LOGICAL CONCLUSION Copyright 2001 by Daniel du Prie One of the criticisms that have been levelled at American Psycho is that, as novels go, it is simply badly and ineptly written, because it is not believable; that is, it does not manage to reflect what could really happen. For example, Teachout (1991: 45) writes, Every bad thing you've read about it is an understatement. It's ineptly written. It's sophomoric. It is, in the truest sense of the word, obscene…I'm especially struck by the utter incredibility of the events he describes. Though Patrick Bateman chops up one or two women, cabbies, and sushi delivery boys every week, his leisure-time activities attract little attention from the New York Police Department. And though he does his dirty work in a pair of Manhattan apartments, nobody ever hears any screaming and nobody ever smells anything funny. This particular aspect – Bateman’s seeming invisibility to others in the face of his crimes, his unexplained ability to get away with just about anything of the book struck me also whilst reading the novel. However to charge the book with being too unrealistic for this reason is to miss a central theme – a theme which I would here like to use as a tool by which to read American Psycho. Although on one level the text seems amoral, meaningless, and unresolvable and its depictions of violence opportunistic and gratuitous, I will argue that the book is nonetheless not without its particular “central” concern, or message: that of the abject dehumanisation of people by commodity culture. A contradiction appears to the reader: on the one hand, the text is unrelenting in its depiction of the most inane details, and their repetition, which seems to indicate a style of hyper-realism, of intense detail as to facts. Over and over again the reader is presented with characters, who have concern only for what people are wearing and whether what they’re wearing is designer fashion or not, who’s carrying on affairs with whom, whether restaurant reservations have been made at the most fashionable New York dining places, who’s handling whose account at work, and where to score drugs. This is brought to an almost hilarious intensity in the Chapter Concert [Ellis B. E. (1991) American Psycho, New York: Vintage – hereafter referred to as AP], on pages 136 – 142. Patrick Bateman and his friends are

Message in a Bottle - book review

2001-09-25T14:00:00-04:00

Have you ever read that book that you just ‘can’t put down’? Nicholas Sparks’ Message in a Bottle is definitely on that would be classified as that. This book has adventure, excitement, and most of all a true romantic tale. After watching the movie, many told me the book was even better. I had my doubts, but Sparks delivered everything promised and much more. The book begins as Theresa Osborne, a reporter for the “Boston Times”, finds a glass bottle with a message inside while on her vacation. After reading the message, Theresa was touched and later agrees with her boss to publish it in her column. Many replies were made to her concerning the touching letter. One reply was something that would be intriguing to her... another letter found on the beach, written by the same man. This sparked Theresa to try to find the man who had written these beautiful letters. Yet, Theresa would find more that what she was looking for. One major strength of this book is the characters are so real. Nicholas Sparks does a wonderful job introducing you to the characters and deep down, you feel as if they were one of your own friends. As we learn from the book, Theresa is a dedicated writer with many things going on in her life. Garrett, the one who writes the letters, on the other hand, has such a bold past behind him which he can’t seem to escape. Through the book, you find yourself learning more about the characters than ever thought possible. Another strength is the way Sparks leaves you intrigued the whole way through. This is definitely a page-turner which is hard, if possible, to put down. The end of the chapters leave you hanging and in turn force you to read further, until you can’t possible read anymore. Chapter 4 ends in, “...the plane touched down in Wilmington the following day, Theresa Osborne check into a hotel, wondering where all this would lead.” This is a prime example of a cliff-hanger! One more point about this truly marvelous book is the plot. It flows together so brilliantly. Theresa always seems to be going forward, while Garrett always reminiscing in the past. Garrett remembers through his dreams, pictures, letters, and memories. Garrett is a true romantic, as Theresa believes there is no romance left in this world. Garrett would change her views after a short period

Of Mice and Men

2001-09-23T14:00:00-04:00

The Great Depression was a difficult time for all Americans. The economy was terrible, no one was making any money, and people were forced to live on the streets or work for food. That is exactly what George Milton and Lennie Small did in Of Mice and Men. Set in the 1930's during the Depression, Of Mice and Men deals with many moral issues such as retardation, euthanasia, and friendship. With such characters as Curley, Slim, and Crooks, this book was thoroughly enjoyable and realistic in every sense. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates the possibilities that life has and its effects on Lennie, Crooks and George. It shows a view of two outsiders struggling to understand their own unique places in the world. Steinbeck suggests humans have the natural potential to seek happiness although the potential can be fatal or harmful. Although Lennie does not have the potential to be smart, Lennie has the potential to be a hard worker; however, Lennie's strength did not work with him and the result was fatal. Lennie is an extremely large man who had the strength of a bull. With the use of his strength, he was a great worker but did not understand how strong he was. George explains Lennie's strength by "that big b*****d can put up more grain alone than most pairs can,"(p. 34) Through his size and his enormous amount of strength, Lennie could out work the other men of the ranch by himself. By using Lennie's strength he became a great worker who knew nothing more than to work. Lennie uses his abilities to work hard, but does not understand how strong he is. Without George, Lennie does not understand what to do. Lennie, who gets frightened and uses his strength to hold on to objects, is just like a child. He will do whatever George tells him to: "Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie's hand"(p. 63). George slapped Lennie in the face repeatedly and still Lennie held on. Through Lennie's actions we can see that Lennie is very similar to a child. Lennie's first instinct when he is frightened is to hold on. Just as a little kid holds on to its mum or dad when they become frightened, Lennie holds on to objects. Because of Lennie's inability to understand his strength,

Death of a Salesman

2001-09-21T14:00:00-04:00

Tragedy was a very controversial issue in literature until recent years. Recent figures in literature have set a clear definition for tragedy. Author Miller is one of these figures. Plays and novels have distinguished the definition of tragedy. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary tragedy is a serious piece of literature typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that excites pity or terror. Miller’s explains that a tragic hero does not always have to be a monarch or a man of a higher status. A tragic hero can be a common person. A tragedy does not always have to end pessimistically; it could have an optimistic ending. The play Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, is a tragedy because it’s hero, Willy Loman, is a tragic figure that faces a superior source, being the American dream and the struggle for success. Loman also excites pity in the reader because of his defeat and his inability to become a success or teach his children how to make their lives successful. Miller defines a flaw as “an inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what one conceives to be a challenge to one’s dignity…” Loman fulfills many of the requirements of being a tragic hero. Willy is not “flawless” in his actions, which by Miller’s standards make him a tragic hero. It is not wrong for Willy to have flaws and it does not make him a weaker man but a tragic figure. Miller designed the play so that Willy could be a tragic hero and for this he needs to have a flaw. Willy’s flaw is that he is unable to see things in a more realistic perspective. Charley says something in the play that sums up Willy’s whole life. He asks him, "When the hell are you going to grow up?" Willy’s spends his entire life in an illusion. He sees himself as a great man that is popular and successful. Willy exhibits many childlike qualities. Many of these qualities have an impact on his family. His two sons Biff and Happy pick up this behavior from their father. He is idealistic, stubborn, and he has a false sense of his importance in the world. The extreme to which he followed the dream brought him to disillusionment and a loose sense of reality. Willy created a reality for

Black Boy

2001-09-20T14:00:00-04:00

(won best essay in school) Childhood is a time of sunny days. Sweet breezes blow friendly cloud shapes across the deep blue sky. The days are never-ending-joy—a black canvas to paint with beautiful memories - - unless your childhood was Richard Wright’s. His youth was a cold bleak existence, carved with hatred and overlaid with hunger. There seemed to be little hope for one born to such a lot. For it was not to the caring bosom of his family that Richard could turn. And the hard, unfeeling eyes of the world were turned away from him. It was a great feat that could struggle through life’s battles with his conscience unscathed. It was his experience that provided the color which enhanced the sketch of his personality he was given at birth. Richard’s family despaired of him. They believed him to only be on the wide path go hell as was evidence by the family confrontations Richard constantly found himself in. There was the time Aunt Addie punished an innocent Richard in school, and the fight raged on even once they were home. After pulling a knife on her and being thrown to the floor, eternal hate was born between the two relatives. He believed him to be devilish and would have nothing to do with him while Richard regarded her with untarnished enmity. He also fought with Uncle Tom. Richard pulled razor blades on Uncle because he was gong to be beaten for an unknown reason. This event constructed an impenetrable wall between the two that was never to come down. It was here Richard learned not to trust. For who would offer kindness towards him if family members did not. And finally, Richard fought with Granny over working on the Sabbath . She did not understand what he needed, reasoned Richard. That boy is a hopeless case, felt Granny. They completely misunderstood one another, and each one’s pride was too great to do anything about the damaged relationship. So between Aunt Addie, Uncle Tom, and Granny, Richard existed in a place of hard and in indifferent stares which would cause him to search for brighter colors elsewhere. He first turned to the streets. He found no solace there but rather a malice between races that surpassed the hostility at home. He saw this when he was he was bitten by the brickyard owner’s dog. The man cared nothing for Richard and

Twain: Genius Realist, Anti-Romanticist

2001-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

Stories have existed since the beginning of mankind. Going back as far as ancient Greece in history, or even further back, one can examine the many different types of stories that have been passed down to us. The ancient Greeks wrote about gods and developed drama; the Romans passed down biographies of Caesars containing their life achievements as well as their failures; numerous stories questioning the institution of slavery were produced here in America; and finally, due to the development of technology, stories have transformed from merely writings into movies in our society today. Why have tales such as these intrigued us since the beginning of time? Was it merely due to the entertainment aspect, or was it something else? Usually by reading a work of an author, one is able to find a message or moral hidden beneath the storyline. Although Mark Twain’s Adventure of Huckleberry Finn deals with the immorality of slavery, by delving in deeper one can clearly see that Twain is a Realist who despises Romanticism. One can clearly see Twain’s strive for Realism by examining the dialect used in his book. Even before the story of Huck Finn starts, Twain has an explanatory section explaining his use of dialects. He states that “[the] shadings have not been done in a hap-hazard fashion, or by guess-work; but pains-takingly, and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity with these several forms of speech.” By examining Pap’s famous speech about the “govment”, one can see that Twain’s use of dialect brings life into his story by making the reader feel as if he/she is actually there in the cabin listening to Pap speak. “Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful…There was a free nigger there, from Ohio…they said he was a p’fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything. And that ain’t the wust. They said he could vote, when he was at home…they told me there was a State in this country where they’d let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I’ll never vote agin” (Twain 20). Not only can the reader actually hear Pap’s southern dialect but the reader also becomes aware of his ignorance and his prejudice towards African-Americans. Furthermore, Twain amplifies Pap’s ignorance by using misspelled words and poor grammar such as “and knowed everything” and “govment” making the reader believe that this would

The Forgotten Years of Their Eyes

2001-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

Although Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is a widely read novel today, that wasn’t always the case. When her novel was first published, many black readers were enraged. It wasn’t until the early seventies when Hurston’s novel was rediscovered and thus eventually brought back into the literary canon. What aspects of the novel enraged the readers so that it would be forgotten for more than thirty years? One of the most important aspects of the novel that enraged the black readers was Hurston’s portrayal of the white people. Readers complained that Hurston wasn’t harsh enough in her critique of the white people’s treatment towards the black people. Rather than portraying whites as the stereotypical “Simon Legree” of Uncle Tom’s Cabin—the ideal poor, racist “white trash”—most whites that take part in the novel are contrarily very helpful towards the blacks and show great compassion towards them as well. For example, when Janie begins her story we meet the Washburns. These are the white folks for whom Nanny worked for and they are very helpful towards both Nanny and Janie by treating them as if they are part of the family. Contrary to a lot of whites at the time who treated blacks as if they were still slaves, the Washburns treat both Nanny and Janie as human beings rather than slaves, showing great respect and love. In a way they are portrayed as “angels” who truly believe in human equality and don’t have one bit of prejudice in them. “Mah grandma raised me. Mah grandma and de white folks she worked wid…They was quality white folks up dere in West Florida. Named Washburn. She had four gran’chillun on de place and all of us played together…” (8). Furthermore, by reading Hurston’s novel, one can clearly see that all blacks place the whites on a pedestal of knowledge. According to the blacks of the novel, whites know everything and are always right; they are superior and since blacks are supposed to be ignorant and stupid, they should believe and do everything the whites say. For example, Mrs. Turner states that she trusts only white doctors because black doctors aren’t as educated and skilled as the white doctors. “Don’t bring me no nigger doctor tuh hang over mah sick-bed…White doctors always gits mah money” (135-136). Another example is when the Indians are evacuating the muck because they foresee a big hurricane coming and

Girl In Hyacinth Blue - How different owners express feelings toward art

2001-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

Art renders the extraordinary brilliance of peoples’ lives. Susan Vreeland's lovely Girl in Hyacinth Blue brings together an artfully constructed reversed chronological novel. A kind of contemporary hiding-place of a painting credited to Vermeer all the way back to the moment the work was fathered. The purpose of art is to provide a sense of grace and fulfillment to the heart and soul. Vermeer's paintings speak so powerfully, nearly four centuries after their creation, of the mysteries of character and time and of the unimportant details that make up a life. Delicate affections toward sentimental values may be arduous to allow betrayal; not only women enjoy the soft spots of art. Haughty feelings toward sentimental values may be difficult to allow confer. A math teacher, Cornelius Engelbrecht supposedly burns the painting in his fire place. “Embarrassed by his father’s hovering nervousness whenever he brought home a school friend.” (pg. 13) Despite his embarrasment, had he have the will to burn the painting or relinquish it? Perhaps, he could have burned it for the reason that the painting brought about painful memories. 1942, in Amsterdam German soldier Otto Engelbrecht loots the painting, hides it, and then escapes with it to America; bringing his son painful memories in the future. Although this could be the case, he could have relinquished it or destroyed it; this could be debated further because Cornelius knew that destroying the painting, would be burning a hole in his heart and soul; on the other hand relinquishing it, would bring the forever lasting disdain. In Vreeland, Laurens van Luyken, originally purchased the painting as an anniversary gift for his wife, but is hesitant, “‘No.’ ‘ Why not the painting?’ ‘Because I gave it to you.’ ‘But it would be a touch of our home in theirs.’ ‘I wouldn’t want to be without it.’” (pg. 65) to give it to his daughter Johanna, who is engaged to the Amsterdamer Fritz. The value doesn’t necessarily have to be something that is “rich,” it can also be sentimentally valued to the heart and soul. Humanity does not want to confer such beauty unless they are monetarily deficient, even then trying their hardest to take hold of their sentiment. As people become more monetarily deficient, it gives them more of a sense of want for priceless possessions. A student named Adriaan Kuypers disappears with the painting to Oling where he gives it up

Frankenstein vs. Paradise Lost - How characters are similar

2001-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

Striking similarities between a duo of novels are not unusual. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelly, deals with a scientist named Victor Frankenstein who embodies a creature, who eventually wreaks havoc on his life. The novel Lost Paradise, by John Milton, exposes the cruelty of Christianity or the Christian God within the characters God, Satan, Adam, and Eve. Victor Frankenstein and God have many similarities, as they are both creators of incarnations. Victor’s creature known as the monster shows striking similarities with Satan and Adam. Characters from different novels have similar personalities. As creators of another creature, God and Victor Frankenstein are very similar, in that they both lose part of their “family,” and they let the war between them and their creations go on too long. Victor says, “ I collected bones from charnel houses; and disturbed, with profane fingers, the tremendous secrets of the human frame.” This shows that he creates the monster out of corpses, just as God creates Satan. Furthermore, Victor is disgusted with his own creation, “the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” Victor rejects the monster, similar to God’s disgust with Satan’s pride. The monster wreaks havoc on the Victor’s life, “; I called myself the murderer of William, of Justine, and of Clerval,” leaving him with a burden of guilt, just as God loses his angels to Satan, Victor loses his family and friends to the monster. Victor at some point feels even more guilt because he didn’t destroy the monster earlier. If God could so easily order the fallen angels to be pushed out of Heaven, why did he let the war go on for three days? This truly is remarkable, two novels of different time periods, with characters of startling resemblance. God and Frankenstein’s creations stunningly resemble each other. The monster relates to Satan, Adam, and Eve. Victor quotes, “You may render me the most miserable of men, but you shall never make me base in my own eyes,” this is when the monster asks for a companion, Victor refuses. The monster also shows that he will go to any extent to be happy and complete vengeance when he goes on a murder spree. Adam quotes “ for with thee/ Certain my resolution is to die; /How can I live without thee?” Resembling the monster, hence he wants a companion, Eve. Moreover, the monster

Great Expectations

2001-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

The evolution of a person can be complicated when one has "great expectations." In Charles Dickens' finest novel, "Great Expectations," a young boy named Phillip Pirrup known as Pip who's great expectations are a dramatized exploration of human growth and the pressures that distort the potential of an ordinary individual, especially in the process of growing up. Pip is a simple blacksmith's boy who aspires to cross social boundaries when he realizes his own upbringing is common; however, he has no means to change; mysteriously, he is given the means, but wealth only brings him arrogance. He learns that happiness in life can be achieved only by hard work and the great expectations not grounded in reality can only lead to tragedy and heartache. Uncommonness on the inside is more important than uncommoness on the outside. Pip progresses through three stages of life, all of which he goes through different goals. In Pip's first stage of life he is an innocent boy with a good heart, whose goals are to be apprenticed as a blacksmith with his friend and guardian, Joe Gargery. Perhaps, he doesn't have very many goals as a seven-year-old because he doesn't know what the world has to impact upon him. This shows that Joe is a role model to Pip and is a factor of his life. In Pip's second stage of life, his goals change a bit to which makes him change his attitude toward his loved ones; he meets Estella, a rich snobby, but beautiful girl, whom rejects Pip, therefore Pip has a goal to become a gentleman to be in the company of Estella. This shows that Estella is an influence to his goals and affects his attitude in life. This also reveals that Pip becomes arrogant because of the predominance of Estella because he wants to be at the same level as her to with her. Pip's third stage in life has soon to come, his goal is to still be with Estella, but mostly he wants to help out his benefactor, Abel Magwitch, known as the "convict;" he also learns that his expectations are all one big sham. This shows how is attitude has changed from a cold hearted arrogant person to a warm hearted caring person. This also reveals that he has to help his benefactor in order to feel a level of satisfaction. Ultimately, Pip learns that his goal

One Fat Summer - analysis of important theme

2001-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

One Fat Summer by Robert Lipsyte, is a very good book for teenagers that feel insecure about themselves and have low self-esteem. In the book they will read about a young boy name, Bobby who overcomes his fears of being fat and being bullied by Willie, one that is much stronger then him physically, but not emotionally. The basic theme of this story is to stand up for yourself no matter the situation. Willie, the antagonist of the story accidentally makes Bobby overcome his fears and stand up to him. In a way Willie could be a protagonist because he helps Bobby overcome his fears. Willie is a crazy person that doesn't know what he is doing. It all started in the summer when Bobby, an overweight fifteen year old is embarrassed to take his clothes off and swim in the beach because he is embarrassed that people would make fun of his wobbly legs and stomach, yet that isn't the his worst fear. He had taken swimming lessons the last summer, but quit because he started to gain a lot of weight. He tries to ignore the nasty remarks people say about him, but they stay in his mind. He can sort of ignore it because his best friend, Joanie has the ugliest nose on the face of the earth, but she doesn't care a bit about what other people think, which makes her Bobby's mentor, kind of. Bobby finds himself a hard low paying job. It doesn't matter to him how much it pays, but he wants to feel secure about himself that he can do something in his life except eat. The job is to mow a lawn for eight hours a day. The lawn mower becomes a symbol in the story because it helps him lose weight and feel more secure about himself. He conquers that fear pretty easily, but another fear awaits him. He finds himself inside of a box because he wants to do the job because he feels more confident, but Willie, the man that didn't get the job as Dr. Kahn's lawn mower is mad at Bobby for stealing the job. He is always making fun of Bobby, but one day he didn't ignore it, he went up to Willie and told him to stop. Willie did stop, but one night when Bobby was walking back home from the lake, Willie rams out

The Sniper

2001-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

War is a very controversial dilemma, which could be solved in an orderly fashion rather then a callous disaster where young men and women die. This cataclysmic story takes place in a short story written by Liam O'Flaherty, the story takes place in Dublin, Ireland during the 1920's where a Republican sniper is involved with a terrible accident. He suffers dramatic injury to the soul and heart when someone that he loves dearly is shot. The story's theme is intensified through situational irony, which shows the pointlessness of armed conflict. Unexpected senseless occurrences happen when situational irony comes to effect. Like the time the Republican sniper unnecessarily lights up a smoke, which glows and shows his location on a rooftop; the irony unexpectedly occurs when an old lady whom is a spy descries the Republican sniper. This incident is ironic because one doesn't expect for an old lady to be a spy because old crumbly elders can barely move. This shows that the sniper commits such an imprudent occasion as to light up a smoke, which could have gotten him killed right on the spot. Many other ironic moments take place such as the time a free state sniper was in a armored truck, which is basically like a tank, and he gets out of the his cage and then gets capped. This is ironic because why would someone do something as foolish as getting out of protection and giving himself a death wish, which concludes why war is pointless because all that’s going to happen is doom. This also shows that war is needless because all one is doing is hurting himself by killing a related specie. Furthermore, war can be even more ironic like the time when the Republican sniper unknowingly shoots his loved one, whom is his own brother. This is ironic because people usually that are family, don't have very many different beliefs. This also unveils that war is pointless and ironic because after a war everybody seems to regret what had happened. This short story was exposed in a way that shows how ironic and meaningless war and expresses the pain, sorrow, and agony one suffers caused by war. The theme of this story essentially illustrates a sequence of ironic occasions to impart a message that war is pointless. The first ironic event is the lighting of the glowing smoke and how it is abnormal that

To kill a Mockingbird

2001-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

Despite cultures and conflicts, the fundamental bonds remain: We all belong to a common family. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a timeless classic about the coming of age of a small southern town and it’s people in the 1930’s. The book follows Jem and Scout, two siblings, who must face the harsh realities of life. Hypocrisy and racism together make the two most important themes of all. (72 words) Hypocrisy is as much a part of Maycomb’s society as church and community spirit. For example, Mrs. Merriweather talks about saving the poor Mruans from Africa, but she thinks black people in her community are a disgrace (p.234). The hypocrisy of this teaching is shown as soon as she mentions the word ‘persecution’. This is due to the fact that she herself is persecuting the black people of Maycomb by not raising an eyebrow at the killing of innocent black men. Furthermore, it is obvious Bob Ewell is abusive to his daughter, Mayella, and that he is the one who violated her, not Tom Robinson (p.178). Since there is such hypocrisy in Maycomb, there are excuses made for whites. The jury probably thinks that if they pronounce Tom innocent the citizens will mock them as they do to Atticus. Harper Lee uses hypocrisy to show how the people of Maycomb are so engulfed in a variety of elements that they unknowingly complete acts of unjustified discrimination. Racism is wrought within the whole story. For example, even though Calpernia is a female, Aunt Alexandra overlooks her good work because of her race (p. 129). Blacks, because they are considered inferior, are expected to do everything for whites. People are so biased it doesn’t matter how well a job a black person does they are still frowned upon. Furthermore, the jury declares Tom Robinson guilty even though the evidence is clearly in his favor (p.211). A human being has more color pigment in their skin so it is assumed they are guilty without question; truth is never a factor. It is easy to associate the mockingbird symbol to Tom Robinson, a harmless man who becomes a victim of racial prejudice. The Maycomb community are trying to make a fool of them selves by believing they are model citizens and good Christians, even though a small number amongst them know that they are wrong to persecute and hate due to color. I

To the Lighthouse - notes

2001-09-17T14:00:00-04:00

1 Pause, reflect, and the reader may see at once the opposing yet relative perceptions made between life, love, marriage and death in Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse. In this novel, Woolf seems to capture perfectly the very essence of life, while conveying life’s significance as communicated to the reader in light tones of consciousness arranged with the play of visual imagery. That is, each character in the novel plays an intrinsic role in that the individuality of other characters can be seen only through the former’s psyche. Moreover, every aspect of this novel plays a significant role in its creation. For instance; the saturation of the present by the past, the atmospheres conjoining personalities and separating them, and the moments when things come together and fall apart. This paper will explore such aspects of To the Lighthouse while incorporating the notion that the world Woolf creates in this novel is one that combines finite and infinite truth. A created world that recognizes both limitation and isolation and how these themes are interrelated in and throughout the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. Conceptually, Woolf combines all of the aforementioned realities of life into the presentation of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay, a married couple that seem to stand for both accurate and visionary approaches to the reality of life. It is important, then, to consider that To the Lighthouse is not only representational of life, but that it also catches life. It is thus the goal of this paper to readily show why this is so. In the novel, the theme of marriage is a fundamental one. The actual meaning of this marriage, however, receives differing clarifications. In a book by Alice van Buren Kelley, for example, an interpretation of the Ramsays’ marriage by Herbert Marder is considered: “Herbert Marder feels that Virginia Woolf ‘viewed marriage from two 2 essentially different points of view, describing it, in an intensely critical spirit as a patriarchal institution, but also expressing a visionary ideal of marriage as the ultimate relation’” (Kelley 115). This quotation seems to illustrate both the strife and harmony of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay’s relationship to one another. One could further suggest that the Ramsays’ marriage represent an ideal balance between seemingly conflicted truths. This observation of opposing truths is depicted in both characters. At the beginning of the novel for instance, Mr. Ramsay is portrayed as a man who is always truthful:

She Stoops To Conquer - What accounts for its enduring popularity?

2001-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy play written by Oliver Goldsmith. It has been loved since it was written. When it was first performed, some people did not approve of it as it attacked the normal sort of play style at the time, which was sentimental comedy. Personally I think the play is very whimsical and funny both on stage acted and just the words used. Sentimental comedy involved characters to be very typical, for example, the heroine was shy and romantic, the hero was brave and bold, and romance and love was above everything else. In She Stoops to Conquer Miss Neville and Hastings are in love, and they planned to elope to France, yet their plans are foiled. While Hastings wants them to get married anyway, Miss Neville is sensible and does the exact opposite of a sentimental comedy heroine, and puts money and her father’s wishes first, by saying: “MISS NEVILLE: In a moment of passion, fortune may be despised, but it ever produces a lasting repentance.” Servants were not allowed to be centre stage, but in She Stoops to Conquer a whole scene is dedicated to the servants and their incapability of being servant-like. In sentimental comedy plays, when something unhappy happened, the general idea was to be sad, yet Marlow in She stoops to Conquer attacks this idea by commenting: “MARLOW: Pardon me, madam. I was always willing to be amused. The folly of most people is rather an object of mirth than uneasiness.” When Hastings finally declares his love for Miss Neville to her uncle, Mr Hardcastle, Mrs Hardcastle can’t take such romantic talk: “MRS HARDCASTLE: Pshaw, pshaw, this is all but the whining end of a modern novel,” modern novels were of course written in sentimental style. She is complaining about this, even though this is one of the only cases of sentimental comedy creeping into the play. This new style of play was very different to the old style, so once people got used to it they began to enjoy the more funny and light-hearted parts. These days we are used to it, but it would have been a much more boring play if there was sentimental comedy involved. The basic plot of the play is about everyone being confused and tricked. Marlow is very shy and timid around women of the same and upper class to him, yet when talking to lower classes he is loud

Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences: Review

2001-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

‘Structure, Sign and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences’ (Derrida, 1978: 278 –293) may be read as the document of an event, although Derrida actually commences the essay with a reservation regarding the word “event”, as it entails a meaning “which it is precisely the function of structural – or structuralist – thought to reduce or suspect” (278). This, I infer, refers to the emphasis within structuralist discourse on the synchronous analysis of systems and relations within them, as opposed to a diachronic schemata occupied with uncovering genetic and teleological content in the transformations of history. The event which the essay documents is that of a definitive epistemological break with structuralist thought, of the ushering in of post-structuralism as a movement critically engaging with structuralism, but also traditional humanism and empiricism – here it becomes the “structurality of structure” (278) itself which begins to be thought. Immediately however, Derrida notes that he is not presuming to place himself ‘outside’ of the critical circle or totality in order to so criticise. While the function of the centre of the structure is identified as that which reduces the possibility of thinking this structurality of structure, even though “it has always been at work” (278), that is, it has always been an economic and economising factor within Western philosophy limiting the play of the structure – where I understand play to be associated with “uneconomic” deconstructive notions such as supplementarity, the trace, and differánce, Derrida notes that “even today the notion of a structure lacking any center [sic] represents the unthinkable itself” (279). This appears to present a conundrum. For while the centre closes off play, it apparently cannot be done without, at least, it cannot be simply discarded without it re-emerging somewhere else within the totality. The conundrum is in fact a paradox and a coherent contradiction of classical thought, which echoes the Freudian theory of neurotic symptoms where a symbol at once expresses the desire to fulfil and suppress a given impulse (339). Hence, “the contradiction expresses the force of a desire” (279). The centre is, according to Derrida, both within and without the totality – it is an elsewhere (Derrida’s italics) of the totality. It is also a difficult and paradoxical concept to grasp. The notion of a full presence informs metaphysical discourses in movements aiming to uncover origins or to decode, prophesy even, the aims of philosophical and metaphysical

Fly Away Peter

2001-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

'Enemies, like friends, told you who you were.' To what extent is Jim's understanding of self enhanced by his contact with those around him? 'Fly Away Peter' is essentially a story about life. Through the life of Jim Saddler the reader becomes aware of the ideas posed by the author, David Malouf. Jim's life, if anything, is indeed a journey, unfolding through various broadening experiences that lead to Jim's eventual understanding of the world and his own self. However, to simply say that this understanding is enhanced solely by his contact with those around him is only true to a certain extent. Jim's journey of life exists on many levels, just one of which is the lessons he learns through his contact with others. A strong note emphasised throughout the novel is Jim's detachment. During the establishment of his relationship with Ashley, and his decision to join the war, 'Jim existed in a world of his own, not withdrawn exactly, but impenetrably private'. Ever the lone wolf, Jim keeps the events in his life at arm's length, remaining distant and observing his world in his own unique way. The retiring, introspective Jim notes he has no close friends, though calling Clancy a 'mate'. Even the horrors of war fail to make Jim see the world as others do. He admits his naivety, confessing that'he had been living, till he came here, in a state of dangerous innocence'. Jim acknowledges how his new experiences have indeed opened his eyes to the real world, but as yet he has not reached his eventual understanding of self. The bond between Jim, Ashley and Imogen is founded on their mutual respect for, and love of, the bird life in the sanctuary. There is certainly no doubt that Jim and Ashley are brought together by their appreciation of nature. Ashley has 'a quiet respect for the things Jim also respected', and the reader is made aware of the bond and mutual respect each feels for the other. These three characters, despite their social differences, easily relate through the birds. Ashley provides Jim with a place in the world through the sanctuary, and Imogen helps Jim to secure his place within the sanctuary through her photographs and the book. Ashley and Imogen are certainly significant factors in Jim's journey. They play a part in his final understanding and affirmation of self, in that they are encouraging influences upon Jim

Fly Away Peter

2001-09-14T14:00:00-04:00

'The characters of Imogen, Ashley and Jim counter the despair created by war'. Discuss. This idea of a countenance between the peaceful world of the sanctuary and the the chaotic world of war is one adapted by many, and with good reason. Through his novel, Malouf seeks to convey to the reader various themes. This is cleverly done in a number of ways, just one of which is this juxtaposition of the relationship between Imogen, Ashley and Jim and how it represents a peaceful world, and the 'despair created by war', its destructive nature and the effect it has on the world. The bond between Imogen, Ashley and Jim is founded on their passionate interest and love of the birds, and the individual gifts that each brings to that interest: Jim's special knowledge, Imogen's photography and Ashley's sense of the land and nature. The relationship between the three reflects the calm, balanced and tranquil order of the natural world. Their appreciation of the 'primitive power' of the bush represents a harmony, it goes 'beyond mere convention or the law'. Malouf, in creating such a powerful representation of the natural world, has prepared us well for the impact of war. The relationship established between Imogen, Ashley and Jim in the first half of the novel is skilfully juxtaposed with the trauma and upheaval of war in the second half. It is indeed a stark contrast to the tranquility of the sanctuary. The 'catastrophe' and 'madness' of the war hearlds Jim's 'fall from innocence'. This provides a dramatic contrast in mood, setting and action from the harmonious peace of the sanctuary section. The 'natural cycle of things' that Jim has been so in tune to has disappeared with the disturbance and destructive nature of war. Throughout the latter half of the novel, during which Jim is caught like a fly in the web of war, the layers of discontent are evident - disharmony is a constant theme. This is made far more apparent through the way in which Malouf uses Jim as a reference to the old world, when everything was ordered and followed a pattern. Jim was there because of the unnatural act of war, but as 'a kind of private reassurance for himself alone', there is 'the presence of the birds'. This allows him 'to find his way back at times to a natural cycle of things that the birds still followed undisturbed'.

Cloudstreet - the significance of the Blackfella

2001-09-08T14:00:00-04:00

In Cloudstreet, the mysterious figure of the Blackfella appears at key points, mostly to Quick. In each occurrence he appears to represent a different meaning or purpose, but there is an overall symbolic representation, and that is of spirituality. Although he appears to be in physical presence, as in where he talks to Quick, the Blackfella has an overwhelming spiritual presence. This is not represented just through aboriginal symbolism – there are also many biblical references when the Blackfella appears. On page 61 the Blackfella flees from Cloudstreet once he reaches the centre of the house. This portrays a sense of spirituality in the air due to the ancestral deaths that had occurred there. In an imaginary scene on page 178, Fish sees a lack man flying around and over him. This image represents somewhat an impression of the spiritualistic freedom the Blackfella has. On page 208, Quick picks up the Blackfella who has take the role of a hitchhiker. He leads Quick back home to Cloudstreet, but Quick refuses to go back. During the drive to Cloudstreet, a biblical reference is made to the Blackfella. From his bag, he pulls out bread and a wine-like drink, much like the bible story, and this supply appears not to deplete. Quick suspects nothing at all. By page 217, Quick begins to think about who this black man is. Quick had been pulling in hundreds of fish in an almost incomprehensible situation, where he would be catching strings of fish attached to each other. As he is rowing he sees a black figure that appears to be walking on water. As he moves closer he recognises the black figure as the familiar Blackfella. This, again, can be perceived as a biblical reference. Page 326 has a short appearance of the Blackfella to Fish, who sees him across the street from Cloudstreet. As a truck goes by, the Blackfella disappears “in the dust as it leaves”. This simply gives a supernatural feel to the Blackfella’s presence. Earlier when Quick had given the Blackfella a lift to Cloudstreet, it had appeared that the Blackfella was attempting to guide Quick home. This subtle message was later presented much stronger on page 362 where the Blackfella tells Quick straight up to “Go home … This is not your home”. Again on page 368 the Blackfella sends Quick home. When Quick turns to face him again, instead of one, there are hundreds of Blackfellas. Page

Billy Budd - Good and Evil

2001-09-08T14:00:00-04:00

In the play Billy Budd, the author, Hermann Melvinne, creates two conflicting character personalities which are portrayed as good and evil. John Claggart (Master-At-Arms) tries to destroy Billy Budd because he is jealous of Billy’s reputation and acceptance among the crew. There is also a conflict involving Captain Vere when he is forced to decide on the fate of Billy Budd after he kills Claggart. Billy is a handsome, young sailor, new to the ship and eager to impress. Billy becomes very popular with the crew. When seeing Billy accepted by the crew it reminds him of the their dislike for him and he becomes jealous. The Dankster’s conversation with Claggart also shows his fear that he will lose the power he held from the fear of others when he says ‘they turn from hating you to loving him, and leave you impotent’. Claggart becomes determined in destroying Billy’s reputation. Claggart ‘lives on hurting people’ and his evil nature prevails through his attempts to bring down Billy throughout the play such as when he orders Squeak to ‘put that new seaman Budd on report’ and when he lies to the captain and falsely accuses Billy of starting a mutiny. Billy is innocent in a sense that he has done no wrong which leads to his blind and naïve view of evil. The Dankster tries to warn Billy that ‘nobody’s friend is Jimmy-Legs’ and by saying ‘he is down on you’ but he does not see Claggart to be a threat of any sort. Billy’s innocence and devotion to good do not let him see the evil in Claggart whom is trying to destroy him but eventually conflict resulting in the murder of Claggart from a blow by Billy. Billy’s retaliation leads to another conflict between good and evil where Captain Vere must decide Billy’s fate after he commits a crime punishable by death after killing Claggart. Vere likes Billy’s character and would not like to see Billy put to death. Vere accepts that Claggart provoked Billy’s retaliation by lying and can see the evil in Claggart but also recognizes the call of duty which at war-time was non-tolerable for such an offence. Vere is troubled with the conflict of conscience and duty and under the circumstances of war he does what is right and has Billy hung. Captain Vere loves Billy and has no problem with him in any way but

Wuthering Heights - Short Analysis Essay

2001-09-08T14:00:00-04:00

Conflict is the basic foundation for Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Much of this conflict results from a distinct division of classes and is portrayed through personal relationships, for example

Diary of A Survivor: Literary Analysis

2001-09-08T14:00:00-04:00

Title: Diary of A Survivor: Nineteen Years in a Cuban Women’s Prison Authors: Ana Rodriguez and Glenn Garvin Published: St. Martin’s Press Type of Book: Assisted auto-biography Plot Summary Diary of a Survivor follows nineteen years of Ana Rodriguez’s life, a Cuban woman arrested by Cuba’s ‘State Security’ in her late teens. As a teenager she had been an activist against the Batista dictatorship which governed Cuba, and at first welcomed Fidel Castro’s take-over of power. Gradually, however, she realises that Castro has no intention of leading Cuba democratically and joins the fight against him. She is betrayed to the authorities by an informant, is arrested, tried and convicted, and is sentenced to thirty years in prison. Diary of a Survivor tells of Ana Rodriguez’s continuous resistance against political intimidation that eventually ‘breaks’ her captors rather than them ‘breaking’ her. This strong will and courage earns her legendary among fellow political prisoners and civilians as a ‘plantada’; one who cannot be broken. Themes/ Thematic Statements

The ill-effects of communism/ dictatorships on a society is explored through the entire book as it was a constant part of Ana’s life, in fact it is what caused her imprisonment.

Human rights abuses in Cuba and in communist countries in general Cuba’s corrupt government hierarchy and legal system also feature throughout the books, like the continual rapes and beatings the prisoners face.

People who betray one group of people will end up betraying anyone they come into contact with. This is shown in Isis Nimo, the spy who initially gets Ana sent to prison but eventually gets fired from all her government jobs because of her untrustworthiness.

Racism can work in reverse but still produce adverse effects. There are two mentions of black political prisoners (most are white). They are considered unusual because Fidel Castro’s regime was meant to favourable to black people in general.

Even people who are said to have firmly set ideas can have doubts, like the ‘hard-line communist soldiers’ who do not join in when the women are being attacked and the guards that in one particular incident slip the starved prisoners food.

The pros and cons of the chivalrous Cuban idea that women are considered good and passive, and therefore only the most offensive women criminals are jailed in Cuba, and the disregard of it by some officials. This is touched on whenever there is contact with the common prisoners, and in an especially disturbing scene where a group of female common

Potiki and the Art of Telling Stories

2001-09-08T14:00:00-04:00

This is an explorative essay on the theme in Patricia Grace’s novel Potiki that ‘telling and retelling stories is an important and valuable part of being human’. An important theme in Potiki is the enduring idea that creating and sharing stories as a central part of being human is important. It is a significant theme because the novel is heavily imbued with Maori culture, in which the stories and spoken teachings are given prominence, and also because it is a popular belief that people need narratives to give meaning, structure and value to their lives. This theme is displayed resolutely and poignantly in Potiki’s plot, characters, setting and symbolism, as the people of a small rural New Zealand community rediscover themselves through stories spoken and found in Maori carvings. The idea that humans need narratives is the core theme in Potiki, and it is used also to link other themes and aspects of the novel; it is in this way that we know the idea of storytelling is an intrinsic part of the novel’s structure. The idea that ‘creating and sharing stories is important as a central part of being human’ is shown in Potiki’s plot and characters when the mother of the main family in the book, Roimata, decides to let two of her children learn at home instead of at school. Instead of teaching them herself in the style of a traditional European education system, both Roimata and the children learn naturally from stories and histories which are shown as being part of everyone's life. For example, Roimata says, “It was a new discovery to find that these stories were, after all, about our own lives, were not distant, that there was no past or future that all time is now-time, centred in the being.” (Pp39.) In this way Roimata and the children are essentially learning in a way in which all people learn to some extent: by sharing stories. The idea that the telling and retelling of stories sustains, enlarges and defines our view of the world is shown in Potiki when Roimata continues, “They were not new stories to us, except that stories are always new, or else there is always something new in stories.” (Pp132.) The character is emphasising the moral and educational value of stories in human development and understanding by saying that there is always something to learn from stories, even when they are retold repeatedly. Each of

Les Miserables

2001-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

Victor Hugo made it so that the characters in Les Miserables progressed throughout the novel. The theme “progress” can be seen and used widely. Three main characters, Jean Valjean, Cossette, and Javert expressed positive and negative forms of growth. Jean Valjean began the story as an ex-convict who was searching for food and shelter after working in the galleys for sixteen years. Unfortunately, he failed to receive compassion from any lodging, or home. While he was wandering through the streets after been rejected so many times, "he came to the prefecture then to the seminary. On passing by the cathedral square he shook his fist at the church" (22). Through this discrete action, it was clear how he had felt toward the church. The church, we learned was a representation of his resentment toward everyone and everything around him (due to his past experienced of suffering). After he found shelter within the Bishop’s lodging, he expressed his gratitude for excepting him, and began to tell stories of suffering in the past. Here, the reader would assume this encounter and expression would be the end of Jean Valjean’s criminal actions, as did the Bishop when he said, “you have left a place of suffering. But listen, there will be more joy in heaven over the tears of a repentant sinner…” (28). Valjean could have taken this as good advice, or a warning, but it didn’t stop him stealing the Bishop’s candlesticks later on. Predictably, Valjean is caught. He was brought to the Bishop to confront his victim of theft, but the Bishop chose to deny Valjean’s theft, and went along with Valjean’s alibi of how the candle sticks were given to him by the Bishop. Valjean’s turning point of growth begins after the last words the Bishop shares with him. “You belong no longer to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I am buying from you. I withdraw it from dark thoughts, and from the spirit of perdition. I give it to God!” (39) The reader is aware of the obvious change in Valjean’s life, as his identity was changed twice (Monsieur Madeline, and Monsieur LeBlanc) to hide away from his past convict life. Eventually, Jean Valjean was faced with a dilemma. He had to make a choice between the death of an innocent man (who is accused of being the convict, Jean Valjean), and his own fate of

The Great Gatsby - "You’re worth the whole damn bunch of them"

2001-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

What is Nick’s last compliment to Gatsby and why is it true? Nick’s final compliment to Gatsby was “You’re worth the whole damn bunch of the them.” This is true because Nick in the end of the novel admired Gatsby in some aspects. This quote is also true because compared to the carelessness of Tom and Daisy; Jay Gatsby was a great man. Another reason why the following statement is true is because in the end of the novel the reader can realize that Gatsby was the one person in the novel (Nick as an exception) that stayed true to him. Nick admired Gatsby in the end because of the way Gatsby lived his life. Gatsby had a dream, and that dream was to be with his true love Daisy. Although Nick might not have agreed that living your life for someone else is not the best of ideas but at least Gatsby was determined. Which was what Nick grew to admire in Gatsby. Gatsby never cheated anybody, he never lied to anyone, he never killed anybody like rumors suggested, and he just lived his life the best way he knew how. True that Gatsby was a bootlegger but back in the 1920’s being a bootlegger was almost “accepted” how else were men going to get their alcohol in those days. Nick admired Gatsby’s honest determination in winning Daisy back. All of Nick’s other friends lied or cheated to each their goals or to higher their status. For example, Jordan Baker Nick’s girlfriend who is a golf champion. Jordan Baker cheated her way to the top of the golf championship by moving the golf ball when people were not looking. Nick knew this and Jordan’s dishonesty was one of the major reasons why Nick broke up with Jordan when he did. In the movie when Nick delivers that line, he looks up at Gatsby with respect for friend because he did things the right way, he looked at him with relief because things were starting to go Gatsby’s way and he looked at him with admiration because Gatsby had gained his prize the moral and the decent way. Being careless is something that seemed to be second nature to Tom and Daisy. The two would create a problem then leave it behind, move on, and let other people pick up the pieces. This can be proven by the stories of Tom and Daisy

Angela's Ashes - theme

2001-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

The theme of Angela’s Ashes shines brilliantly though Frank McCourt’s childhood memories. The most apparent theme in this memoir is that despite the fact that life can be tortuous, if you remain determined, love and strength do come out of misery. From an early age, young Frank knew what he had to do to deliver himself and his family from their impoverished. He had seen what his father had amounted too-nothing. “Nothing” is what Frank did not want to be. Frank wanted to amount to “something”. With his own endurance combined with the love and strength from his family he would eventually go on to fulfill his desires. I start thinking about America and how I have to Save money for my fare instead of squandering it On fish and chips and tea and buns. I’ll have

Angela's Ashes - brief plot summary

2001-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

In Angela’s Ashes, the author Frank McCourt gives his whole self in the telling of this story. It is his life’s journey- the hardship, horrors, pain and suffering that he endures. Set in 1936, Angela’s Ashes follows the difficult lives of Angela McCourt, her husband, Malachy and their children. The oldest child of the family Frank McCourt was born into the worst kind of poverty in Brooklyn, New York. Frank and his family wore nothing more than rags and the little food they had came from the charity of kind people. His mother, Angela didn’t work and his father always drank his paycheck away. Even with out steady income to support one child, the McCourt family kept on growing extending to Malachy, Margaret, the twins- Eugene and Oliver, and eventually Michael and Alphonsus. Thus, beginning at a young age, Frank had the responsibility of tending to his brothers and sisters while his mother was desperately trying to find food to feed the family, and his father was getting drunk in the bars. Although Frank’s father was not around for most of Frank’s life, Malachy did nurture in Frank an appetite for the one thing he could provide: a story. Throughout Angela’s Ashes Frank lives for his father’s tales of Cuchulain and The Angel on the Seventh Step, Frank’s very own angel who also brings his mother babies. “Would the Angel on the Seventh Step tell you what to do, if you didn’t know what to do?” “He would son, he would. That’s the job of an angel. Even the one of the Seventh Step.” I know he’s there because the seventh step feels warmer Than the other steps… (Pg.125) After the death of Margaret, the McCourts move to Ireland where the situation only worsened. Frank’s father continued to drink the money away and most nights the family was left to starve. “I want ye to stand in the middle of the pub and tell every man your father is drinking away the money for the baby. Ye are to tell the world there isn’t a scrap of food in this house, not a lump of coal to start the fire, not a drop of milk for the baby’s bottle.” (Pg.183-184) Life for the McCourts was testing and difficult. The children wore rags for diapers, Malachy and Frank wore torn shoes in the winter, and Angela was forced to gather scraps of coal and paper from the roadside just to light a fire. Frank’s mother, Angela

Huckleberry Finn - social and literary aspects

2001-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel about a young boys coming of age in Missouri of the mid-1800s. The main character, Huckleberry Finn, spends much time in the novel floating down the Mississippi River on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. Before he does so, however, Huck spends some time in the fictional town of St. Petersburg where a number of people attempt to influence him. Before the novel begins, Huck Finn has led a life of absolute freedom. His drunken and often missing father has never paid much attention to him; his mother is dead and so, when the novel begins, Huck is not used to following any rules. The book’s opening finds Huck living with the Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Both women are fairly old and are really somewhat incapable of raising a rebellious boy like Huck Finn. Nevertheless, they attempt to make Huck into what they believe will be a better boy. Specifically, they attempt, as Huck says, to "civilize" him. This process includes making Huck go to school, teaching him various religious facts, and making him act in a way that the women find socially acceptable. Huck, who has never had to follow many rules in his life, finds the demands the women place upon him constraining and the life with them lonely. As a result, soon after he first moves in with them, he runs away. He soon comes back, but, even though he becomes somewhat comfortable with his new life as the months go by, Huck never really enjoys the life of manners, religion, and education that the Widow and her sister impose upon him. Huck believes he will find some freedom with Tom Sawyer. Tom is a boy of Huck’s age who promises Huck and other boys of the town a life of adventure. Huck is eager to join Tom Sawyers Gang because he feels that doing so will allow him to escape the somewhat boring life he leads with the Widow Douglas. Unfortunately, such an escape does not occur. Tom Sawyer promises much but none of his promises comes to pass. Huck finds out too late that Toms adventures are imaginary, that raiding a caravan of "A-rabs" really means terrorizing young children on a Sunday school picnic, that stolen "joolry" is nothing more than turnips or rocks. Huck is disappointed that the adventures

Scarlet Letter - Reading Log

2001-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

Aug. 25 2001 Chapter 1 Pages 49-50 1. Chapter one thoroughly describes the Jailhouse and the surrounding landscape. Tells of the huge wooden edifices whose threshold is timbered and iron barred. Gives the description of the peoples clothing who were congregating outside of the prison. It also describes the necessity of a new colony first building a prison and graveyard. In the last paragraph it tells of a rose bush outside of the oaken doors. The author describes the awkwardness of having such a beautiful plant surrounded by weeds and shrubs. 2. (Page 50) The rose-bush, by a strange chance, has been kept alive in history; but whether it had merely survived out of the stern old wilderness, so long after the fall of the gigantic pines and oaks that originally overshadowed it, --or whether, as there is fair authority for believing, it had sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Anne Hutchinson, --we shall not take upon us to determine. I believe these lines are important because they illustrate some of the mythology of the times in which this book was set. The author also goes on to describe how this rose bush could symbolize two different things depending on the readers perspective; A tale of morals blossoming; or a tale of human frailty and sorrow. 3. I think chapter one should have been more obvious to the setting and time frame in which the story takes place. By text one assumes it is set in a new colony in early American history, however it should give a precise time in my opinion. Hawthorne does an excellent job of helping the reader visualize the story and is able to present a question of opinion in the first chapter, which shows great writing skills. 4. The first chapter reminds me of Where The Red Fern Grows. The rose bush that is mentioned briefly has much to do with the story even though there is little reference to it. In WTRFG the fern is actually not so much part of the story as an idea represented through a physical inanimate object, as I believe the rose bush to be. Later in the novel Pearl says she came from the rose bush by the prison door, that shows her beauty and resilience as a comparison to an object unable to show emotion. Aug. 25, 2001 Chapter 2 Pages 51 to 61 1. This

The Giver vs. Brave New World

2001-09-07T14:00:00-04:00

The Giver by Lois Lowry and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley have many similarities. They both take place in futuristic utopias where happiness is the overall goal. Jonas and Bernard, the major characters in the novels, are both restless individuals who want change. Despite the close similarities, there are many contrasts in the two novels. The childhood, family, and professions arrangements are differently portrayed in the similar novels The Giver and Brave New World. The similarities in the two novels are few despite of the similar concept the novels have. Both deal with utopias where everyone is happy. They both have individuals wanting to change the way society operates. Every individual in the novel is genetically engineered and conditioned to like what he or she has and be happy. Emotions and feelings aren’t supposed to exist in either utopia. Though the utopia in Brave New World is more technologically advanced than the one in The Giver, they are both more advanced than today’s technology. Growing up is very different in the two novels. In The Giver, each child grows up in a similar way to the way today. They each grow up in a family unit, go to school with children their age, and play child games like today’s. They grow to live a normal child until they reach the age of twelve, where they begin training for their assigned profession. In Brave New World, the children don’t experience childhood. After they are born in a lab, they are all conditioned what to like and what to hate according to their social placing. The children entertain themselves by playing very complex games that require much equipment and also by sexual recreation. The two novels’ family unit system is very different from each other. The family structure in The Giver is somewhat similar to ours today. The families consist of parents and children but each family unit is limited. A unit is restricted to two adult parents, one male child, and one female child. Brave New World has no family structure. A motto included in the novel states, “everyone belongs to everyone else”. Every adult lives alone in his or her own apartment with no spouse but with many sexual partners. Professions were assigned in both novels, but in a different manner. When children turned twelve years old in The Giver, they began training for the professions they were assigned. The professions assigned were

A Lesson Before Dying - Sumary

2001-08-29T14:00:00-04:00

In “A Lesson Before Dying” by Earnest Gaines, Mr. Grant Wiggins' life crises were the center of the story. Although he was supposed to make Jefferson into a man, he himself became more of one as a result. Not to say that Jefferson was not in any way transformed from the "hog" he was into an actual man, but I believe this story was really written about Mr. Wiggins. Mr. Wiggins improved as a person greatly in this book, and that helped his relationships with other people for the most part. At the start of the book, he more or less hated Jefferson, but after a while he became his friend and probably the only person Jefferson felt he could trust. The turning point in their relationship was the one visit in which Jefferson told Mr. Wiggins that he wanted a gallon of ice cream, and that he never had enough ice cream in his whole life. At that point Jefferson confided something in Mr. Wiggins, something that I didn't see Jefferson doing often at all in this novel. "I saw a slight smile come to his face, and it was not a bitter smile. Not bitter at all"; this is the first instance in which Jefferson breaks his somber barrier and shows emotions. At that point he became a man, not a hog. As far as the story tells, he never showed any sort of emotion before the shooting or after up until that point. A hog can't show emotions, but a man can. There is the epiphany of the story, where Mr. Wiggins realizes that the purpose of life is to help make the world a better place, and at that time he no longer minds visiting Jefferson and begins becoming his friend. Mr. Wiggins' relationship with his Aunt declined in this story, although it was never very strong. His Aunt treated him like he should be a hog and always obey; yet she wanted him to make a hog into a man. His Aunt was not a very nice person, she would only show kindness towards people who shared many of her views, and therefore was probably a very hard person to get along with. The way Mr. Wiggins regarded his relationships most likely would have been different were he white. Mr. Wiggins feels, and rightly so, that several white men try to mock or make a fool

King Henry IV Part 1

2001-08-27T14:00:00-04:00

Passage Analysis - Act 5 Scene 1, lines 115-138. Shakespeare’s ‘King Henry IV Part I’ centres on a core theme of the conflict between order and disorder. Such conflict is brought to light by the use of many vehicles, including Hal’s inner conflict, the country’s political and social conflict, the conflict between the court world and the tavern world, and the conflicting moral values of characters from each of these worlds. This juxtaposition of certain values exists on many levels, and so is both a strikingly present and an underlying theme throughout the play. Through characterization Shakespeare explores moral conflict, and passage three is a prime example of Falstaff’s enduring moral disorder. By this stage in the play Hal has ‘reformed’, moved away from his former mentor Falstaff and become a good and honourable prince. Hal’s remark to his father indicates a now strong, independent mind, predicting that Douglas and Hotspur will not accept Henry’s offer because of their love for fighting. Henry’s reply in turn indicates a change in attitude towards his son, a newfound respect. Acknowledging Hal’s prediction, the king orders preparations to begin, and we see he has his own set of solid moral values: knowing that their ‘cause is just’ helps him to reconcile with his highly honourable conscience that there is indeed cause for war. Still maintained is the conflict between the very format of the text, with Hal and Henry’s conversation held in formal verse typical of the court world, in which Hal is now firmly embedded. Falstaff, however, sustains his equally typical prose speech, which indicates to the audience the enduring division between the court and tavern worlds. As soon as the king leaves, Falstaff immediately proclaims his unashamed cowardice, asking Hal to protect him in battle. The prince retorts with an insult to Falstaff’s enormous size, and abruptly bids him farewell. Gone are the jests that would accompany a conversation between these two at the beginning of the play, and Hal’s reactions to Falstaff now represent his moving away from the tavern world, and that he now belongs to the court world. Falstaff is extremely honest about his feelings towards the whole affair, bluntly stating that he wishes it all were over, exposing his strong reluctance to fight and interest in self-preservation. Again the prince offers only a rude retort before his exit, commenting that it’s a wonder Falstaff isn’t dead yet, as he well

Lord Of The Flies - RPR

2001-08-25T14:00:00-04:00

I got a grade 1+ for this paper so u can be sure it will get you a good grade. A book which I have read recently is “ Lord Of The Flies” by William Golding. In this R.P.R I’m will be explore how the gradual break up of the community is due to the hostile relationship between Ralph and Jack. As well as the afore mentioned topic I will also look at how the author’s characterisation and language attribute to the novel. Lord Of The Flies was an extremely enjoyable and mind-enriching book as it covered topics of psychology that exist in every person but would never normally be seen, as a result of the lack of these elements of psychology in everyday life William Golding displays them extremely accurately in novel. With an excellent structure and storyline it is easy to see why this book won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Lord Of The Flies takes place on a small island in the Pacific during the Second World War were a small group of boys have been abandoned after their plane crashes. Initially the boys relish this new found freedom as there are no adults and decide they have to chose a leader on the island so as to keep things in order. The boys adapt to the island very well learning how to make fire, build shelters, hunt and maintain discipline. However the initial glamour and sparkle of the island disappears as tensions about their isolation develop which ultimately break up the group. A new leader is chosen and forms a new community which is more able to deal with the hardships of the island and able to obtain total authority of the island. When a rescue finally occurs the children have lost touch with their civilised instincts and are now savages. Initially in the book when a community is formed it is as civilised as any proper community. The boys take a vote for a leader ,two boys who make an attempt to be the chief are Ralph and Jack. Jack being the leader of the group of choir- boys encourages the choir members to vote for him which is consequently done. When Ralph is elected to be chief Jack is obviously frustrated as shown in this quote: “Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification,” Ralph proves to be an excellent Chief as he makes excellent decisions such as to

The Death of the American Dream -- full oral

2001-08-21T14:00:00-04:00

Copyright Arian D Handout this first... The America Dream holds a greater significance than that of higher wages or greater motorcars. It signifies the inner dream that all men aspire to regardless of how trivial it may seem. The U.S.A... Bound by its motto as being a free-for-all nation; it has been labelled since the dawn of its colonial era as being a land of opportunity- giving us the understanding of the real "American Dream". In the United States' Declaration of Independence the founding fathers stated: "…held certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." Through the course of change in the world- either through prosperity, capitalism or greed- people have lost focus with the real meaning of 'the American dream'. It is no longer the gamely aspirations of living life to the fullest, providing a better life for yourself and or others; instead, a pursuit for those materialistic aspects in life. American Literae Thomas Wolfe said, "… to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity ….the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him." This is the essence of the pure idealistic approach one should take towards life and indeed the American dream. The death of the American Dream Through the narrator's dealings with high society, Nick Carraway shows how modern values have transformed the American Dream's pure ideals into a scheme for materialistic power and further, how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. The novel represents the American Dream within two facets; with it once being a pure ideal, but now false and corrupted hope that is forever lost to the American people. Gatsby at an early age aspired to greater things; he wanted to 'better' himself. This is a true representative of the former 'dream'. "Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he's got about improving his mind? He was always great for that." (Pg. 175) "With his hands in his pockets… out to determine what share was his of our local heavens." While Nick continues to watch Gatsby's comments: "-he [Gatsby] stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I

Great Expectations: the world of laws, crime and punishment

2001-08-20T14:00:00-04:00

The World of Laws, Crime and Punishment in Great Expectations Great Expectations criticises the Victorian judicial and penal system. Through the novel, Charles Dickens displays his point of view of criminality and punishment. This is shown in his portraits of all pieces of such system: the lawyer, the clerk, the judge, the prison authorities and the convicts. In treating the theme of the Victorian system of punishment, Dickens shows his position against prisons, transportation and death penalty. The main character, a little child who has expectations of becoming a gentleman to be of the same social position of the girls he loves, passes from having no interest on criminality and its penalties to be very concerned on the issue. By means of other characters, for instance Mrs. Joe Gargery, Dickens tries to define the people’s common view about convicts, transportation and capital punishment. In portraying the character of the convict, Dickens sets out the case in hand of two people sentenced to transportation for forgery of banknotes and analyses their psychology. By reading the novel, the reader becomes aware of the Victorian unfair justice regarding poor and illiterate people, but advantageous towards the rich and educated middle-class. The prison system in England may have had a significant effect on the life and writing of Charles Dickens due to his father’s imprisonment in Marshalsea Debtors’ Prison as a consequence of his debts. These kinds of prisons came to be workhouses for people who had lost all their belongings. In case debtors had family, it must accompany them in prison. This painful experience may have kept way in his mind for the rest of his life. His involvement with the legal world came when he was employed as a clerk at a lawyer’s office. His later interest in penology made him read many works related to this subject. For this reason, he incorporated both the treatment of convicts and capital punishment in many novels. Great Expectations is a harsh criticism on the British legal and penal System as well as on Victorian society, achieved after exploring his characters’ behaviour, since the laws were only unfair for those on the bottom rung of the social ladder. London was one of the greatest cities in the world in the 19th C. At this time huge amounts of money were invested in industry and buildings as trade with other countries increased. On the other side of the

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich - Analytical Essay

2001-08-18T14:00:00-04:00

Russia, has a lowest ever temperature of –44ºC, and an average of 104 days a year above 0ºC and a yearly average of 261 days below 0 ºC. It is the second coldest continent in the world only behind Antarctica, it snows on average 111 days of the year. It is dark, gloomy, freezing and miserable in the winter, and in the summer, cold, dark, and gloomy. Camps for political prisoners seemed even colder, especially with no real heating and limited clothes to wear on these wintriness days. The camp which was the bases of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s novel A Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich was initiated by Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union from 1953 until 1956. Stalin, which means “man of steel”, constructed one of the tightest and toughest communisms in history. He is such a dominant figure in Russian history, even though he will always be remembered to heavily contributing to bringing Russia down. This was no general camp, but a so called “special” camp for long term prisoners. Shukhov was a political prisoner, in fact not one of these prisoners were common criminals. Stalin had established many camps like this, full of spies, prisoners of war, and those who rebelled against his system of government. The camps were in poor condition, the government spent as little on them as possible, all the repairs and erections of new buildings was all done by it’s inhabitants. The primary theme in this nobel prize winning novel is the endurance of humanity and fight for survival. Survival is a fight every human must take part in, although ones fight is much easier than anothers. The fight for survival is tough in the camp especially under the severe conditions, the cold and the brutality of the guards and camp life. The author has paid special and close attention to the weather, the bitter cold, it is not made an extremity, but the facts. A prisoner had 1 grubby blanket, covering his mattress, which incidentally was made of sawdust, this blanket was supposed to help them keep warm through those winter nights. “No one ever took his wadded trousers off at night- you’d grow numb with cold unless you wore them under your blanket.” The amount of work the prisoners were required to do was enough to keep them going, but then to have to worry about the cold, and completing

Brave New World - Fears of the Future (a seconadary focus on the impact of technology on nature both

2001-08-17T14:00:00-04:00

Art is like a fractured mirror that reflects the society in which it was created. This reflection is a mosaic of images constructed by the artist’s own perceptions which in turn are determined by the values and attitudes, especially the fears and insecurities in his or her own contemporary society. The responder also has to acknowledge his or her own door of perception, as this would affect their interpretation of the art. This is especially evident in texts like Brave New World which are designed specifically as probes into the aspects of society that the writer desires to explore. Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World during the late ‘20s and early ‘30s; in the middle of the Great Depression and at the eve of the Second World War. World War One was still fresh in everyone’s memories and so was the Bolshevik revolution of Russia, which threatened to spread throughout Europe and the world. On the other side of the Atlantic the ”New World” was undergoing a revitalisation of industry with Henry Ford and other leading capitalists implementing the concept of mass production and attempting to create the ideal consumer society. There was also a form of cultural renaissance in the central European countries where the avaunt-garde was embraced rigorously in art and architecture. And in science, especially in the biological field, great breakthroughs, the likes of which the world hadn’t witnessed since the days of Newton were being accomplished. In short it was a period of great social change and instability. Such instability eventually leads to fears and insecurities, most of which tend revolve around the future of society and the future of the individual. For the rich upper class the primary fear was Bolshevism. They feared it so much so that Fascists and Nazis were tolerated, even encouraged, all for the purpose of crushing Bolshevism. Although the World State from Brave New World does not resemble Lenin’s Bolshevik state, it does however have strong parallelisms with Mussolini’s fascist Italy and shares an uncanny resemblance to the future Germany under Hitler. Even more profoundly and more importantly it’s resemblance of Stalin’s totalitarian Russia is undeniable. From the characteristics of the World State in his novel, it seems that Huxley, unlike his noble compatriots, was not fearful of Bolshevism. However unlike the socialist intellectuals of his time, Huxley had a realistic, bleak vision of the future of Bolshevism. He seemed to

The True Authorship of the Shakespearean Works

2001-08-15T14:00:00-04:00

Ask anyone who Shakespeare was, and he or she will immediately rattle off at least three different plays that were required readings in English, not to mention a few blockbuster movies bearing his name. Many revere the works of Shakespeare as paramount in the world of literature, dedicating entire books, classes and festivals to the study and celebration of his work. Although the ancient language is a common stumbling block for even the most seasoned readers, his varied tales of love, hate, fear, betrayal, laughter, defeat and victory are just as fitting today as they were four hundred years ago. He is amazingly timeless. Yet, while we might know what Shakespeare is, will we ever really know who Shakespeare was? Ah, there’s the rub! Much about the Bard is a mystery to even the most scholarly enthusiasts. The hard facts that are actually known about him could fill one neatly handwritten page, but what is speculated and complete legend could fill volumes of books. So, what is fact and what is fiction? According to the little documentation that chronicles his life, Shakespeare was not even a true ‘Shakespeare’ at all; he was born in April 1596 and entered in the baptismal record as “Gulielmus filius Johannis Shakspere.” Even his actual date of birth is somewhat of a mystery. While we do know that he was baptized on April 26th, 1564, there is no existing record of his birth date. We can assume that he was born on April 23rd judging by the customary three-day period that most families waited before baptizing their children, but this is only speculation. Since the records of the Stratford grammar school have not survived, we cannot prove that Shakespeare attended school. In all actuality, we have no evidence that he was even literate. His father had no educational training, so it is quite possible that he also lacked in schooling, but that’s only guesswork. The next piece of hard information that we come across in our search is a register entry showing a Wm. Shaxpere being granted a license to marry Anne Whateley on November 27, 1582. The very next day this same register records a marriage bond issued to William Shagspere and Anne Hathwey. Six months later Anne gave birth to their first child, daughter Susanna Shakspere, and then in February 1585 she gave birth to twins, Hamnet and Judith. It is presumed that Shakespeare made

The Oucasts of Poker Flat - Overview

2001-08-15T14:00:00-04:00

The Outcasts of Poker Flat is an excellent representation of color writing. The plot is short and rather underdeveloped, just as the characters are, which is typical of a local color story. The author portrays a rugged setting which is associated with the west during its gold-rush years, as well as stereotype the characters into ones you might expect to find in any Northern Californian settlement. Our hero, the gambler,

The Author to Her Book

2001-08-15T14:00:00-04:00

Writing poetry can be a deeply personal (and sometimes painful) process. If talent and luck prevails, the poet will actually produce a something that reflects the inner workings that first motivated their pen to meet paper. Through struggle and sweat a poem is born, and for better or for worse the creator is responsible for the subsequent journey that it will take throughout it’s poetic life. In it’s infancy, it might seem a miracle of creation, but like most parents the writer will work at maturing the verse and rhyme so that it can defend itself when it eventually leaves home. The world that it will one day enter is a cold and critical one, and few will understand the true meaning and depth of the poem’s soul like it’s parent does. Anne Bradstreet beautifully demonstrates the intimate relationship that exists between an artist and her work in the poem The Author to Her Book. In the poem she directly addresses the book that was published without her consent, referring to it as her child, kidnapped and exploited in a world of criticism. By exposing the her work to the world, she feels that her own inadequacies are revealed as well, thus creating an internal struggle between pride and shame. This paper will take a detailed look at the poem line by line, and draw out the deeper meanings that Bradstreet injected in regard to the book The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America, her illegitimate brainchild. In the first line Bradstreet refers to the book as an “ill formed offspring of [her] feeble brain.” This not only expresses her opinion of the work, but also that of her own abilities as a poet. She seems to feel no confidence, and says so upfront, as if to apologize to anyone who might have encountered her work. Although its flaws embarrass and shame her, she understands that her book is the offspring of her own "feeble brain", and the lamentable errors it displays are therefore her own. In lines two through four she shows that her ‘child’, once safely kept close to her side, suddenly “snatched” away by friends “less wise than true,” and then “exposed to public view” before it had a chance to mature in her care. It’s in Bradstreet’s strong descriptive language that she is able to express her feelings of betrayal. Though she doesn’t outright say it, she obviously

Character Summary: The Mice

2001-08-11T14:00:00-04:00

“Of Mice And Men”, being a story about two men and their struggles, however never really going into detail of the mice in which were unjustly murdered. The mice slaughtered by Lennie were never really at fault for their actions. When being harshly petted by Lennie, the mice would only try to protect themselves, thus Lennie resorted to killing the mice in his own defense. These mice, being killed constantly by Lennie, were innocent victims sent to their predator by Lennie’s Aunt Clara. Did Aunt Clara consider the consequences that would later effect the mice? These mice may have had families of their own in which they would never return to. A mother mouse may have gathered food for the next meal only to see the father of her children never return. Of course it is better that she never see what had fatally happened that day. These mice, once caught by Aunt Clara, never had a chance. After capturing this poor, innocent, little creature, it was then released into the hands of Lennie. Is it the mice’s fault that they are so soft, and touchable? If only mice were more repugnant, hideous or gruesome they would have a chance of surviving. Maybe if these minute creatures were more passive, and did not try to protect themselves they would still be alive. However, how can one be sure of that? Perhaps Lennie would have petted the creature to a more powerful extent thus killing it still while the innocent mice just took the suffering. Unknown to Lennie, the mice may have had a dream just like him. Though most mice probably would not have dreamt about owning their own land, a dream may have still existed. Maybe the mice would have wanted to live some place safe from people. Dreaming of a place in which a mouse could eat all the time not having to search for food, Lennie may have killed them. This harsh reality is exactly the same as what had happened to Lennie. It is unable to be disproved that what George had done to Lennie in his time of weakness was not the same as what Lennie had done to the mice in their time of helplessness. Possibly, that was how the mice wanted to die though, happy picturing their dreams in their heads. On the other hand, one is not to be sure that these mice did not

Richard Cory - Analysis

2001-08-11T14:00:00-04:00

The narrator in “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson is a low class working citizen telling the reader, in detail, about a distinguished gentleman named Richard Cory who eventually “put a bullet through his head.” Almost everyone, including the narrator, would stare at him with awe every time they saw him. He was “imperially slim”(4), always charismatic and well-dressed. He was extremely courteous and polite. He would please everyone’s heart with a simple “Good Morning.” Then the narrator soon explains that on “one calm summer night” he executes himself by putting a gun to his head. When I first read the poem, I thought it told the story of a young man and his riches. After about my third or fourth reading, I realized this poem is revealing that no matter how suicidal one gets, he or she should know that his or her life is not at its worse. The first two lines of the poem are “Whenever Richard Cory went down town,/We people on the pavement looked at him.” After only reading those two lines and not knowing what the poem was about, I thought Richard Cory must be someone very special. When finishing the first stanza, I thought to myself, “Who is this man and why are they so star-strucked by him?” After reading it again, I found that maybe the “people on the pavement” worked for a low salary and rarely saw anybody that looked, dressed, and conducted themselves in a pleasing manner. The bystanders are probably questioning what a man with such taste and an aristocrat would be doing in that part of town. When I read the second stanza, I could hear his deep smooth voice, “...he fluttered pulses when he said,/Good Morning...” The moment I read “he fluttered pulses” when he talked, I could see young girls giggle, older women getting warm feelings inside, and men being surprised to hear his voice even though they’ve heard it before. When the poem read, “he was always human when he talked,” I did not quite understand. Soon afterward, I realized the author meant Richard Cory was not a conceited or arrogant man; he was a friendly man. I could imagine him being the brightest thing on the street when I comprehended “he glittered when he walked.” I realized that Richard Cory was more than just a rich man. “...Yes richer than a king,” the third stanza states. At

The Tragic Hero in Antigone

2001-08-11T14:00:00-04:00

Antigone is a Greek tragic piece that stresses the use of power and morality versus the law written by Sophocles. Both Antigone and Creon, the main characters in the play, could represent the tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character who is known for being dignified and has a flaw that assists to his or her downfall. In my opinion, Creon best qualifies for being the tragic hero and fitting the definition read in the previous sentence. The things he said, did, and the comments that were made by those around him show how a man with everything could lose it all due to his own behavior. To open, the things he said showed how he changed and became the tragic hero of the play. Many of his statements reveal his personality including his admirable parts and his flaws. When Creon says: “I call to God to witness that if I saw my country headed for ruin, I should not be afraid to speak out plainly,” (Sophocles, scene 1,24-26), it shows his strong sense of nationalism and leadership which catches up with him in the end. “The inflexible heart breaks first, the toughest iron cracks first, and the wildest horses bend their necks at the pull of the smallest curb” (scene 2,76-79) is what Creon says to Antigone after finding out she is the one who buried Polynieces. He thinks that if Antigone wasn’t so headstrong and arrogant then she could have avoided the consequence he was about to give her. I think Creon was being a hypocrite because he is just as stubborn as she is. The reason why Creon and Antigone come in to so much conflict is because their ways of thinking are almost exactly alike. “It is hard to deny the heart! But I will do it: I will not fight with destiny” (scene 5, 100), is a statement that shows Creon detecting his fault and how he needs to correct it. After talking to Teiresias, the blind prophet, he realizes in order for the higher powers to forgive him he needs to release Antigone. “Fate has brought all my pride to a thought of dust” (exodos, 138). Creon recognizes his flaw and its consequences but it is too late because fate has already occurred. Moreover, many people say that actions speak louder than words. In scene 2 line 164, Creon orders the guards to take Antigone

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Shakespeare's Timeless Exploration of Love

2001-08-07T14:00:00-04:00

Love is a timeless topic. It will forever be the theme of popular entertainment and source of confusion for men and women alike. No one understands this better than William Shakespeare, and he frequently explores this complex emotion in his writing of great works. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream he cleverly reveals the fickle and inebriating aspects of love through his mischievous character Puck. Though Puck adds much humor to the play while tormenting and drugging the lovers in the forest, he also acts as a catalyst in redirecting their devotions among one-another, thus demonstrating the fickle nature of love. For example, Lysander, who in one instant is blindly in love with his fair Hermia, will suddenly wake to find himself obsessed with Helena. Without questioning this drastic change, he boldly proclaims to Helena, “Content with Hermia? No, I do repent /The tedious minutes I with her have spent. /Not Hermia, but Helena I love. /Who will not change a raven for a dove?” (II.ii.118-21). Lysander’s drugged state (courtesy of Puck) was the source of his apparent change of heart, but even to this day this abrupt transformation happens more often than the average person would care to admit. Drugged or not, it is in the human nature to desire what isn’t ours, and admire the greener grass that our cute neighbor seems to have growing. The reader can also relate to Demetrius’s statement, “Lysander, keep thy Hermia. I will none. /If e’er I loved her, all that love is gone” (III.ii.172-73). Demetrius not only admits that he has lost all favor for Hermia, but questions whether or not he ever did love her. Once again Shakespeare has beautifully illustrated the bi-polar nature of human emotions. Although the character Puck was an impish fellow, he certainly knew how to develop a study in falling in and out of love. Puck’s serial drugging-spree serves to draw the readers’ attention to another important aspect in human behavior: love is intoxicating and can diminish all powers of reasoning. Seemingly sober people can act in the most foolish ways when under the influence of love, which is illustrated when poor Helena chases after Demetrius proclaiming “I am your spaniel, and, Demetrius, /The more you beat me I will fawn on you” (II.i.210-11). Like a drunken woman, Helena’s mind is clouded causing her to behave like a complete moron. A reader will cringe while reading about Helena’s

Death in the Woods - Thematic Explication

2001-08-07T14:00:00-04:00

Our universe is an ever-turning wheel that maintains a beautiful balance of life. On the spokes of this wheel the existence of all things is assured; life is given, bodies and souls are fed, each position on the wheel is cultivated by the next, and then one day we will pass away, only to start the circle again in another mysterious way. Take a moment to look around you and see the many cycles that exist for the sole purpose of keeping our wheel in motion, and then recognize how little these great givers of life are celebrated, or even noticed. Without a second thought we will all at one time or another dishonor the same things that pay tribute to us. But that, too, is a part of the cycle. It’s not good, nor is it bad. It just is. In his story “Death in the Woods,” Sherwood Anderson demonstrates mankind’s ability to take for granted the gifts received through our Mother Earth, aptly symbolized by an old woman with no name. He also reveals to his reader the beauty that lies within the ceremonies of life and death that are constantly taking place all around us and within us. The story is broken into 5 different parts, told in first person, and although the narrator is not the main character, he lends significant importance to the symbolism that takes place throughout the tale. In the first part of the story our nameless storyteller introduces his reader to an old woman; one that everyone sees, but nobody knows. Demonstrating society’s lack of concern for such an old woman, the narrator states, “People drive right down a road and never notice an old woman like that” (23). In this first section he uses the words ‘old woman’ eight times, and yet we know he considers her to be strong, not frail like the people that we usually associate with the condition of being aged. Our first clue of this takes place in the first and second paragraphs where she is diligently working to make a few eggs and hens trade into enough food to feed a farm. This is her job, and she does it without complaint. Somehow, she is able to make the impossible work. In the fifth paragraph he describes himself as “a young and sick boy with rheumatism” (23), and then in the next sentence depicts her carrying a

Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King: A Comparison and Contrast of Their Writing Careers

2001-08-07T14:00:00-04:00

In human nature there exists a morbid desire to explore the darker realms of life. As sensitive beings we make every effort to deny our curiosity in the things that frighten us, and will calmly reassure our children that there aren’t any creatures under their beds each night, but deep down we secretly thrive on that cool rush of fear. Despite our efforts to maintain a balance of respectable emotions, we are a society of people who slow down to look at traffic accidents and find excitement in the macabre. We turn off the lights when watching scary movies, and when it’s time to go to bed, we secretly make sure the closet doors are shut. Fear keeps our hearts pumping and endorphins rushing, for it is an emotion that reminds us of our mortality. How ironic it is to experience more life in our fascination with death. Two legendary writers have ruled the universe of death and horror with remarkable success, both gifted with the talent of introducing each reader to his or her own subconscious fears. Edgar Allan Poe and Stephen King are the masters of their craft, blessed- or perhaps cursed- with imaginations that set higher standards in the field of writing. Both authors broke new ground in fiction that has had a significant impact on the world of literature. Similar in quite a few ways, though contrasting in many others, this paper will explore the lives and styles of these two remarkable men, paying close attention to the differences that exist in their approaches to writing. A look into Poe’s childhood might shed some light on where this divergence stems from. Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts to drifting actor parents. Denying his parental responsibilities, his father abandoned his wife and three children, leaving her to support the family as best she could. She traveled through various cities acting in stage engagements as she could get them, but the struggle eventually took a toll on her health. Towards the end of 1811 while in Richmond, Virginia, she became ill and died. Her children were promptly farmed into homes, Edgar being placed into the residence of a well-off, yet unsupportive merchant named John Allan. Allan was emotionally detached from Poe, refusing to even legally adopt the boy. This move would begin a chain of events, eventually triggering a drinking problem that would induce the majority

Divine Wind - racism

2001-08-06T14:00:00-04:00

The Divine Wind describes an Australia that is tarnished by racism, hatred and distrust, and yet the novel ends on an optimistic note. Do you agree? The novel is set during a World War. The tension and separation of races during a war seemed evident in Australia. As a multicultural country including Japanese and Aborigine population, conflicting attitudes towards these races had to be imminent. I entirely agree with the above statement due to the unequal treatment of the aborigines, tension between the Japanese population and characters such as Hart showing lack of trust over his lover Mitsy With a war against the Japanese was the trigger for racism in Australia. All throughout the novel elements of separation are presented. The Japanese are somewhat divided from white Australians. First of all Broome has a “Register of Aliens”, this was a register or list that kept track of foreign people. This implied that foreigners were seen as aliens and that they didn’t really belong in Australia. The Sennosukes’ names had to be changed because their original names seemed “…too foreign to our ears.” The Japanese living area is Chinatown shows the reader that perhaps whites have put the Japanese into their own little area. Chinatown contains houses that are far smaller and in general with little fortunes unlike the white Australians. It is the broad attitude towards the Japanese that creates a war and endlessly kills Alice. Aborigines are treated unequally and are downgraded in Broome. The jobs of aborigines are in majority dirty (cleaning jobs), they work for the whites. Also when Mr. Killian is talking about purity at the dinner, he declares that black workers will do all the work while ‘we’ (whites) sit inside. Aborigines do not even get equal opportunity, an example is when Derby’s interview with the officer is forged and consequently Carl Venning simply lets Derby to fight his case without any support. Aborigines have been replaced with stereotypes and generalisations from the Broome community especially all aborigines being alcoholics and inferior. Racism has the significance in the future of Broome in that it will become extremely hard to reverse. Hart’s lack of trust for characters in the novel such as Mitsy and Jamie are just some signs of Disher showing an Australia that is tarnished from distrust. Mitsy and Hart are close friends and at one time lovers. Nevertheless, Hart still has thoughts about Mitsy secretly seeing

Sisters

2001-08-06T14:00:00-04:00

Two sisters destined to love each other, but conflict interrupts their paths. The first’s journey is one of self-exploration and discovery; the other’s of continual oppression and hardships. Ismene and Antigone are the troubled sisters whose decisions take them on different courses, but these same choices also brought them together. Even though their actions show differently, Antigone and Ismene’s morals and philosophies show that they are true sisters at heart. Antigone shows the attribute of boldness. She is constantly going her own direction. She is a leader, not a follower. “Ismene: What? You’d bury him when a law forbids the city? Antigone: Yes! He is my brother and- deny it as you will- your brother too.”(61). This is where Antigone’s boldness begins to surface. She is expressing her disagreement with King Creon’s law. This is extremely daring of her to do because she is defying the law of the land. On the other hand, Ismene displays the quality of being a coward. She says, “Remember, we are women, we’re not born to contend with men.”(62). On the contrary to what Ismene’s brain tells her to do, her heart is screaming to go and bury her brother, and defy Creon’s dishonorable law. It is not until the middle to end of the play that Ismene’s true self emerges and she agrees with Antigone. This is just one of the ways Antigone and Ismene are the same at heart, but take different paths to get to their real inner person. Another outstanding attribute of Antigone is her cleverness. “Antigone: Dear god, shout it from the rooftops. I’ll hate you all the more for silence- tell the world.”(64). This is in response to Ismene’s promise to keep Antigone’s burying of her brother a secret. Antigone’s cleverness appears here because she found a way to publicly defy Creon and tell others how unjust he really is. Likewise, Ismene is intelligent and comes quick to understanding. In reply to Antigone’s above statement she says, “Then go if you must, but rest assured, wild, irrational as you are, my sister, you are truly dear to the ones who love you.”(64). Even though Ismene at this moment disagrees with her sister’s action, she wittily understood Antigone’s notion to want to collectively show her defiance of Creon. These to personalities of Antigone and Ismene also show their similarities in their philosophies. Antigone and Ismene are both loyal in their own

Oedipus, the King and Allegory of the Cave - Comparative Analysis Essay

2001-07-22T14:00:00-04:00

In Sophocles’ play, Oedipus, the King, there are various instances where Oedipus tries to escape his destiny—enlightenment—only to discover the truth that he cannot. Similarly, in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” the prisoner travails to understand and adjust to his newly visited environment. In both works, the men first had to realize their ignorance before they could begin to acquire knowledge and true understanding of the complexities of the human condition. Specifically, in Oedipus, the King, it was Oedipus’ illusion of himself as a man unequaled in leadership whereas in “Allegory of the Cave” it was the prisoner’s initial refutations of enlightenment being shown him until he realizes its intellectual, spiritual, and social significance. In both articles of literature, there are places where their ignorance and eventual achievement of enlightenment is highlighted. In Oedipus, the King it is when he is accusing Creon of conspiring against him, calling him a “murderer” and supposedly having exposed him as a “robber attempting to steal…[his] throne.” Here, he does not yet realize that not only has not Creon attempted to overthrow him, but also that he is not the man who has already figured everything out about humanity as he thinks. He later does, fortunately, discover that he was not the true ill-fated man who never learned anything because he knew everything too soon. He discovers, after piercing out his eyes, that he has finally ar-rived at the truth of his life and that he now has a responsibility to share his story with his children, ex-tended family, and citizens so that they can live lives that are true—both to themselves and to the far greater universe; the best example of this is when he comments to the chorus “The evil is mine; no one but me can bear its weight.” As for Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” the prisoner’s difficulty discovering the truth lies in his unfortunate constricted life within the dark cave. Because of his imprisonment from early childhood in the unknowing darkness, he struggles not to come up toward the light—knowledge and understanding—when he is being lead to it; he has to be dragged. There, however, he grows ac-customed to the new sights and sounds and realizes that what he knew to be his reality were only those things that he saw through a medium—a silhouette. In that place, as Plato put it, it would first be easiest for him “to

Oedipus, the King Summary

2001-07-22T14:00:00-04:00

Sophocles’ Oedipus, the King is a great representation of Greek tragedy and of the human experience. Within it, he explores the intricacies of human thinking and communication along with its ability to change as more information and knowledge is acquired. His primary focus as the story begins and progresses is the growth of Oedipus from an unintelligible and unenlightened mentality to its antithesis. Because the story was one familiar to most of its viewers in its time, there are certain things that they are expected to already know. Among them is the background to the legend. Most generally it was that it was prophesied that Laios and Jocasta, king and queen of Thebes, would give birth to a child who would grow up to murder his father and marry his mother. And, fearing the dreadful prophecy, that the parents nailed their first son's feet together (thus the name Oedipus, which means “swollen-foot”) and left him to die on a lonely moun-tainside outside the city. Moreover, that he was found by a wandering shepherd who took him to the nearby city of Corinth where he was adopted by the childless King Polybos and Queen Merope who raised him as a son and prince in the royal household. Then, when he was a young adult and first heard the prophecy, that he assumed that it applied to Polybos and Merope, the only parents he had ever known, and had fled Corinth and wandered around Greece where he met a group of travelers and killed an old man who, unknown to him, was his real father, King Laios. Then, when he arrived at Thebes, he met the Sphinx, a monster who guarded the gates of the city and correctly answered its riddle and was rewarded with the title of king of Thebes and was given the hand of the re-cently widowed queen, Jocasta. The true horror in his life begins here because he has four children with her, An-tigone, Ismene, Eteocles, and Polyneices and fulfills the prophecy. The story begins after some time after Oedipus has taken the throne and when there is a mysterious plague that sweeps the city. Here, he learns from the priest that the sacred oracle says that the plague will be re-moved only when Laios' murderer is discovered. Consequently, he sends Creon, his brother-in-law, to Delphi to consult the oracles and find out the identity of the murderer. On his

Lord of the Flies

2001-07-16T14:00:00-04:00

Select one chapter from Lord of the Flies and assess its importance to the novel as a whole. ‘Lord of the Flies’ is about what happens to a group of schoolboys when they are abandoned on an island following a plane crash. Chapter eight ‘Gift for the Darkness’ has much significance in the novel, as it is here that Simon converses with ‘The Lord of the Flies’. Jack separates himself from Ralph’s group, showing that Jack has now been consumed by evil. The signal fire is moved and now there are two marked rival groups on the island, one belonging to Jack and the other Ralph. Chapter eight, ‘Gift for the Darkness’, has many themes, one of the most prominent being the Beast, which is the boys’ greatest fear. In chapter seven they had come across a dead parachutist and had believed it to be a beast. The beast represents the evil residing within everyone. The Beast is used as a scapegoat by the boys to avoid self-knowledge. Golding uses the boys’ daydreams to show their fears and desires. The Beast gives the boys’ fear something to focus on. Golding expresses various types of fears in the book and many are apparent in chapter eight. There is fear that all is not known concerning the Beast. “The beast had teeth… and big black eyes.” The boys did not actually see the Beast and are making this up. This only causes their fear to escalate except for Piggy’s. He is by far the most intellectual and skeptical of the boys. He knows that the adult world and books would not abide by the legend of the ‘beastie’. Just after the only kill in chapter eight, the boys’ gradual degeneration into savages is obvious by their actions: “Then Jack found the throat and the hot blood spouted over his hands…then Jack grabbed Maurice and rubbed the stuff over his cheeks.” This is almost a tribal ritual making a mask. The boys use masks to cover their identity and this allows them to kill. “He was safe from the shame or self-consciousness behind the mask…” This illustrates that the mask somehow gives the boys a sense of security. “Demoniac figures with faces of white and red and green rushed out howling…” From this quote it can be seen that the boys have totally lost their individuality and become like animals, almost indistinguishable from the other. Jack is also

The Crucible: Dramatic Tension

2001-07-16T14:00:00-04:00

The play, ‘The Crucible’, illustrates how people react to mass hysteria created by a person or group of people, as people did during the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s and the Salem witch hunts of 1962. Many Americans were wrongly accused of being Communist sympathizers. The activities of the House of Un-American Activities Committee began to be linked with the witchcraft trials that had taken place in the town of Salem. This provided Miller with the catalyst to write ‘The Crucible’. Without the knowledge of the McCarthy hearings and the Salem witch hunts, ‘The Crucible’ may be seen as a melodrama and the events in the play, sensationalised. It is not a melodrama because it is not overly dramatic; the McCarthy hearings and the witch hunts inject realism in the play. The play deals with historical events and with characters that have a historical context. Through the use of dialogue, stage directions which enable us to envisage the scene on stage and characterisation we can see how dramatic tension is created by Miller. These aspects are to be explored for each act. Act One begins with Reverend Parris praying fervently over his daughter, Betty Parris, who lies unconscious on her bed. The stage directions indicate that the room is quite dark with only a candle burning and sunlight through the window lighting the room. Parris is frightened, confused and angered by Betty’s illness, perhaps wondering what he has done wrong to be inflicted with such misery. This shown by the way he prays, then weeps and then starts praying again as if he unsure even of his emotions. He is very tense and is quickly angered without provocation, for example when Tituba inquires about Betty he turns on her in fury and shouts at her to get out. He then starts to sob and in his fear he starts to mumble to Betty to wake up, his feeling of inadequacy is expressed through his fragmented, disjointed sentences. ‘Oh, my God! God help me! Betty. Child. Dear Child. Will you wake, will you open your eyes! Betty, little one…’ He turns on Abigail and confronts her and through the conversation between Reverend Parris and his niece Abigail, the audience learns that the town’s girls, including Abigail and Betty, had engaged in activities in the forest led by Tituba; Parris’ slave from Barbados. At this moment they are only provided with conflicting accounts of the truth

The Merchant of Venice: Portia's Suitors

2001-07-16T14:00:00-04:00

Compare and contrast Portia’s three suitors, examining their characters Shakespeare highlights three of Portia’s suitors, the Prince of Morocco, the Prince of Arragon and Bassanio. He does this to heighten dramatic tension, as these three men are the most important candidates to win Portia’s hand in marriage. They reveal the contents of the three caskets and their different characters as exposed as being proud, vain and humble. They also emphasise the racial prejudices of Venice a place where many races clash. Their attitudes towards the caskets and their choices indicate what their character is like. This essay will compare and contrast the three suitors and will explore how Shakespeare influences the audience’s attitudes towards the three men. The Prince of Morocco is the first suitor of the three suitors we are introduced to. His first line is, ‘Mislike me not for my complexion’ (Act II Scene i) He is anxious to compensate for the colour of his skin. He shows himself to be ashamed and insecure. However his character is proud because after he remarks on his skin colour he proceeds to defend it and boasts about himself, ‘ ...this aspect of mine/ Hath fear’d the valiant…The best regarded virgins of our clime/Have lov’d it too...’ (Act II Scene i) He challenges Portia to compare his blood with the whitest of men to see whose is the reddest. ‘Bring me the fairest creature…And let us make incision for your love/ To prove whose blood is reddest, or mine.’ (Act II Scene i) This would be a way to suggest that Morocco was as noble as any white man was because red blood signified courage and virility. A lot of emphasis is placed on Morocco’s skin colour. His long-winded speeches full of false and extravagant praise makes him sound insincere, ‘…all the world desires her; /From all corners of the earth they come,/ To kiss this shrine, this mortal breathing saint:’ (Act II Scene vii) In contrast his exit is short and dignified, in total disparity to his entrance and long speeches before choosing a casket. ‘…I have too griev’d a heart /To take a tedious leave: leave losers part.’ (Act II Scene vii) This indicates he does not easily accept defeat. He explains his thoughts on each of the caskets as he reads the inscriptions on them. He says the lead casket is not worth hazarding everything for and quickly dismisses it. When he comes to the silver

The Merchant of Venice - Shylock: Villain or Victim?

2001-07-16T14:00:00-04:00

Many people are villainous in the way they behave. Their villainous acts may be attributed to their desire to destroy others and in turn elevate themselves to a higher financial or social level. However, the root cause of their villainy may be a response to the treatment they have endured at the hands of others. In short, they have been taught villainy, rather than it being an integral part of their personality. In such instances, revenge can be a key motivator in inspiring them to act in a villainous way. It is on such occasions, where villains have themselves been exposed to villainy, that the distinction between villain and victim becomes blurred. Victims are usually characterised in the way that they are persecuted for circumstances, which are beyond their control for example their appearance. In plays and novels, the victim is sometimes a character included to highlight the prejudices and pre-conceptions of the social climate in which the play or novel was written. In the ‘Merchant of Venice’ it can be argued that Shylocks character undergoes a metamorphosis from villain to victim. However, in this essay I hope to discuss whether in fact Shylock can be defined as either villain or victim and to form an opinion of what Shakespeare intended. First we shall look at the aspects of the text that portray Shylock as a villain. We are first introduced to Shylock in Act I Scene iii where we learn of his usury. It is in this scene that Bassanio seeks Shylock out and asks to borrow money from him in Antonio’s name. Also in this scene do we learn of Shylock’s hatred for Antonio and the Christians: ‘ How like a fawning publican he looks! / I hate him for he is a Christian; ’ (Act I Scene iii) Shylock also displays elements of belligerence in his refusal to ever forgive the Christians. We also learn of his intent regarding Antonio’s life: ‘ If I can catch him once upon the hip, / I will feed fat the ancient grudge I bear him.’ (Act I Scene iii) Shylock also shows himself to be devious and cunning by hiding his hatred beneath a façade of friendship in order to entice Antonio to become indebted to him, not just with money but with his life. Antonio is very naïve regarding the terms of the bond taking the ‘pound of flesh’ clause to be a show

Authorial Opinion of Wife Of Bath

2001-07-15T14:00:00-04:00

The character of the Wife of Bath is clearly feminist. She indicates this by her extreme ideas of female “maistrye” and statements such as “I have the power duringe al my lyf upon his proper body, and nought he,” which is extremely feminist. However, Chaucer makes us see the Wife of Bath as inconsistent, at times illogical, and also amoral and adulterous, The prologue and tale is spoken by a woman of supposed vast experience, yet was written by a man. While the prologue and tale may be seemingly feminist, could it be a vehicle for a deeper anti-feminist message? The Wife of Bath had a strong argument in favour of marriage but is easy to fault. Her argument that marriage grows more virgins, while correct makes us wonder why she bore no children. And she also mentions the fact that “in wyfhood I wol use myn instrument” but her marriage did not seem to have stopped her from restraining her “Chamber of Venus from a good felawe.” The Wife of Bath confuses bigamy with remarriage and manipulates the arguments for remarriage to suit her purpose. Chaucer gives the Wife of Bath’s arguments less credibility The wife of bath strongly argued in favour of female “maistrye.” She argued this in the prologue and used the tale to bring the message home. Her arguments are weakened however by the destructive and careless behaviour of the Wife of Bath. She openly laughs at them (“I laugh whan I thinke”) when she thinks of how she made her husbands toil at night. She doesn’t seem to regret the way she manipulated her husbands. And although the character of the old woman in the tale was faithful, the Wife of Bath herself isn’t. She visits house after house and “goon a-caterwauling.” Chaucer makes the Wife much more wicked than the “wikked wyf” as in Jankin’s book. Chaucer makes the Wife look bad and makes us doubt her feminist views. Although the Wife of Bath’s feminist arguments were toned down by her destructive and dominant behaviour, it cannot be said that Chaucer was in favour of anti-feminist ideas. In the prologue, the “book of wicked wives” that Jankin had represented the ideology of anti-feminists. The anti-feminist stories told to us by the Wife approached ridiculous proportions with the story of “Simplicius Gallus” who forsook his wife because he saw her “open-heveded” looking out the door. Chaucer’s opinion

The Handmaid's Tale - feminist?

2001-07-09T14:00:00-04:00

Do you agree that although The Handmaid's Tale is written from a feminist point of view, the portraits given of men are surprisingly sympathetic while those of women are often critical? Yes, I agree with this statement. Although the theocratic totalitarian regime operating in Gilead was instigated and is controlled by men, the male protagonists in the novel are seen as caring and sympathetic. Although one or two women have become quite close through their ordeal, despite the fact they’ve had no other choice (“We’re used to each other”); the mass majority of women get on uneasily, due to the rituals and social hierarchies that have been prearranged by male rulers. (“The Econowives do not like us”) Status in Gilead is predetermined by sex. Although there are high-ranking women in Gilead, their titles are nonetheless determined by their gender. Aunts and Wives are how they are referred to, whereas the male Commanders, Angels, Eyes and Guardians do not reduce individual men to their sex. Therefore, regardless of rank, a woman’s central feature is her gender. Even a Wife, the highest-ranking woman in Gilead, is defined in relation to a man. Bearing this in mind it may seem odd that Offred views men with a certain sympathy whilst remaining wary of women, but it is a correct assumption. It is possible to assume from the narration that, despite being a staunch feminist, Offred relates more comfortably to the opposite sex than she does to her own. Throughout the novel she is increasingly critical and scathing of other women, whilst becoming emotionally attached to the various men in her life. It is not known whether this was a character trait of the pre-Gilead Offred, although she is somewhat dismissive of her own mother’s strong feminist views, and of Moira’s views on lesbianism and balanced sexual power between women (as opposed to an unequal balance between a man and a woman.) Offred seems to need an influential male figure in her life; a figure of power whom she can rely on. She speaks frequently of Luke - her husband in pre-Gilead times - and seems to view him in this way, placing him on a pedestal. “Luke told me...” and “Luke said...” are common phrases to be found in Offred’s reminiscences; and although Luke is obviously loving toward Offred, she depicts him in a way that makes him seem sexist and patronising. He often seems to

The Handmaid’s Tale - Flowers

2001-07-09T14:00:00-04:00

In The Handmaid’s Tale, much use is made of imagery; to enable the reader to create a more detailed mental picture of the novel’s action and also to intensify the emotive language used. In particular, Atwood uses many images involving flowers and plants. The main symbolic image that the flowers provide is that of life; in the first chapter of the novel Offred says “…flowers: these are not to be dismissed. I am alive.” Many of the flowers Offred encounters are in or around the house where she lives; it can be suggested that this array of floral life is a substitute for the lack of human life, birth and social interaction. The entire idea of anything growing can be seen as a substitute for a child growing. The Commander’s house contains many pictures; as they are visual images, “flowers are still allowed.” Later, when Serena is “snipping off the seed pods with a pair of shears… aiming, positioning the blades… The fruiting body,” it seems that all life is being eradicated, even that of the flowers. The colour of the flowers is also of vital importance. When Offred first enters the house of the Commander and his wife, she notices “… a fanlight of coloured glass: flowers, red and blue.” In the Republic of Gilead, Handmaids wear red and Wives wear blue; these colours are intended to reflect the owner’s “personality” – the wanton Handmaids in fiery red and the demure Wives in serene, virginal blue. The “blue irises” on the wall of Offred’s room are symbolic of this fact that she is a black sheep in the household. In Serena’s garden, Offred describes many of the flowers. There are the irises, “light blue, light mauve, and the darker ones, velvet and purple… indigo shadow,”; and the “Bleeding Hearts, so female in shape it was a surprise they’d not long since been rooted out.” The divide in the symbolic colours here is vast; Offred admits there is “something subversive about this garden… Whatever is silenced will clamour to be heard, though silently.” Much reference is made to tulips; when Offred sees the hanging bodies at the Wall, the brightness of the blood staining the white cloth “is the same as the red of the tulips…” This reference can be likened to Plath’s poem “Tulips”, written during a stay in hospital. “The tulips are too red in the first place, they hurt me.” “Their redness

The Handmaid's Tale

2001-07-09T14:00:00-04:00

The role of a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead is ultimately to breed, and nothing more. Cooped up in a nondescript room with nothing but her own thoughts and painful memories for company, the narrator, Offred, shows many signs of retreating further and further into her own world, and becoming slowly more unstable throughout the course of the novel as her terrible new life continues. The most common and by far the most disturbing example of this is the use of imagery and symbolism in the book. Many everyday items and observations are likened to some kind of sickening or violent image, which indicate that Offred isn’t really all that stable; for example a removed light fixture is described as being “like the place in a face where the eye has been taken out.” Other examples of this are describing a Guardian of the Faith’s face as “unwholesomely tender, like the skin under a scab” and likening “half-dead, flexible and pink” worms to lips. A tourist’s stiletto heels are “delicate instruments of torture”; fluffy clouds are thought of as “headless sheep” and urinals “look oddly like babies’ coffins”. The Commander’s Wife herself is described as having a chin “clenched like a fist”. Further on in the book, when Moira has been violently punished for faking an illness; “... she could not walk for a week... They looked like drowned feet, swollen and boneless, except for the colour. They looked like lungs.” All these violent, disgusting images are evidence for Offred’s deteriorating state of health. Other similes mentioned are not so much violent as they are strange; at one stage, Offred compares herself to a piece of toast. The author also uses colour as a powerful symbolic device. The colour red is referred to many times in the novel, most notably when Offred describes herself as “a Sister, dipped in blood.” This image in particular refers to menstruation, a process the Handmaids have grown to dread as it proves they have ‘failed’ once again. The reoccurring image of the tulips in the garden also relates to this – they are also red and compared to blood: “... a darker crimson toward the stem, as if they had been cut and are beginning to heal there.” and all of the references can be likened to “Tulips”, a poem by Sylvia Plath, written about her time in a mental illness ward. We are informed, primarily in

Frankenstein - Themes

2001-06-29T14:00:00-04:00

Analyse the themes and the way they are presented in the novel Mary Shelley discusses many important themes in her famous novel Frankenstein. She presents these themes through the characters and their actions, and many of them represent occurrences from her own life. Many of the themes present debateable issues, and Shelley’s thoughts on them. Three of the most important themes in the novel are birth and creation; alienation; and the family and the domestic affections. One theme discussed by Shelley in the novel is birth and creation. She does this through the main character, Victor Frankenstein, who succeeds in creating a ‘human’ life form. In doing this, Frankenstein has taken over the roles of women and God. Shelley discusses how Frankenstein has used his laboratory or ‘workshop of filthy creation’ (page 53) as a kind of ‘womb’ as he has worked on his creation. He also refers to his task as his labour, suggesting that he has literally given birth to his creation. After so much time spent in painful labour (Page 51) The passing of time from when Victor first began his creation and finished it is also significant. Winter, spring, and summer passed away during my labours (Page 54) The length of the three seasons is nine months, representing the time a natural human baby takes to be formed in its mother’s womb. This once again suggests that Frankenstein has found a way to take over the role of women, and they become powerless, weak and flimsy. They no longer have a purpose in life, as Victor Frankenstein can now create new life forms – a process which women needed to be involved in previously. An example of women’s powerlessness in the novel is the condemnation of Justine for a crime she did not commit. Had she been a man, she would probably have been set free. Frankenstein succeeds in removing the only powers that women had, as well as stripping God from his role. Through the theme of birth and creation, Shelley criticises Victor not only for creating the new being, but also for abandoning it when it comes to life. Victor first wishes to create the being because he thinks: A new species would bless me as its creator and source … No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs. (Page 52-53) He seems to want to create a being which would be his child, as a child loves

Characters in Frankenstein

2001-06-29T14:00:00-04:00

Examine the way in which characters are portrayed in the novel. In the novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, the characters have been portrayed effectively. Much of the interactions between characters, and characteristics of the characters have been based on events which have occurred in Shelley’s own life, or they represent what she believes is important. For example, Victor is portrayed as having a strong passion for science, and a poor understanding of relationships. Elizabeth is shown as a stereotypical woman of the time, who is also very powerless. The monster is depicted as being both beautiful and ugly, and someone who the reader feels sympathetic towards. Through the portrayal of her characters, Shelley has created a very effective novel. Shelley portrays Victor Frankenstein as a person who has become enrapt in the strong scientific movement of the time. She created him in response to what she saw happening around her – science was becoming a religion to some people, as it provided answers to their questions about the world, and started a fascination that humans could create anything that they wanted to. In her novel, Victor is one of these people, and wants to be the supreme creator or scientist, and therefore take over the role of God. To do this, he creates a being, thinking that ‘a new species would bless me as its creator and source …No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs.’ (pages 52-53). Victor then abandons this creature which he has made, and this is one of his main crimes. After Victor has done this, his monster murders all those who were close to him, and this represents Shelley’s beliefs on how dangerous the worshipping of science could become, and the need for other focuses in life. Victor Frankenstein is also portrayed as somebody who is isolated from others, and terrified of relationships. As a child, his only friends are Elizabeth and Clerval, and they are in fact, the only true friends he has throughout his entire life. He isolates himself from society during the time he is creating the monster, claiming that, ‘I must absent myself from all I loved whilst thus employed’ (page 147). He claims that this is necessary if he is to discover the secret of life. One reason why Victor isolates himself is due to his fear of sexuality. When he creates the monster,

The Glass Menagerie

2001-06-29T14:00:00-04:00

All four members of the Wingfield family have chosen to hide from reality. Discuss this evaluation of the characters in The Glass Menagerie, making careful reference to the text. In Tennessee Williams’ play, the glass menagerie, all four members of the Wingfield family have chosen to hide from reality. Amanda tries to relive her past through Laura, and denies anything she does not want to accept. Laura is terrified of the real world, and choses to hide behind her limp, her glass menagerie and the victrola. Tom hides from his reality by going to the movies, writing poetry, and getting drunk. Mr Wingfield hides from his reality by leaving his family and not contacting them after he has done so. Each member of the Wingfield family has their own escape mechanism which they use to hide or escape from the real world. Amanda has chosen to hide from reality by trying to relive her past. She is living in the unreality of her youthful memories and sees herself as still being as young as Laura when she says to her, ‘No, sister, no, sister – you be the lady this time and I’ll be the darkey’ (p 237). She reminisces about ‘one Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain’ (p 237) when she received seventeen gentleman callers, and then tries to relive this through Laura. She arranges for Tom to bring home some nice young man for his sister. When Tom brings home a gentleman caller, Amanda wears ‘a girlish frock of yellowed voile with a blue silk sash’ (p 276), the dress that she wore as a girl for her own gentleman callers. The reader can see from this that Amanda is definitely living in the past. Another way that Amanda hides from reality is that she tries to deny anything that she does not want to accept. She denies that Laura is crippled, saying ‘Nonsense! Laura, I’ve told you never, never to use that word.’ (p 247). Amanda believes that if she denies something so much, that it will not be true. This also occurs when Laura thinks that the gentleman caller will be her high school crush, and Amanda denies that it could be, ‘It won’t be him! It isn’t the least bit likely.’ (p 278). It is in these ways that Amanda Wingfield hides from reality. Laura Wingfield has chosen to hide from reality in the play The Glass Menagerie. She

The Great Gatsby in relation to Society

2001-06-29T14:00:00-04:00

In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald is criticising American society of the 1920s. He uses the characters to demonstrate the power than men had over women during these times, as well as their mindless, self-indulgent actions, where consequence was only an afterthought. The attitude towards and the role of women is shown throughout the novel. Fitzgerald also shows how many people in America during this time were delusional and had meaningless existences. Fitzgerald has used Tom in The Great Gatsby, to demonstrate the power that men had during the 1920s. In order to understand Tom’s purpose in the book, it must be known that he has been purposely set up as a character the reader does not like. Fitzgerald has done this, as he does not like men whose lives mirror Tom’s. Tom is a violent man, who is completely in control of the women in his life. He shows how disrespectful some men were to women. For example, he breaks his mistress Myrtle’s nose. Making a short, deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand Another example showing the disrespect for women is the fact that Tom is cheating on Daisy quite openly. She knows that he is having an affair, but there is nothing that she can do about it. Fitzgerald comments on this power and disrespect that men had for women because he disagrees with it himself. He believes that men should not do these terrible things. Tom never once expresses his guilt for his actions, and never considers Daisy’s feelings. His life is full of selfish actions which lead him nowhere. Fitzgerald comments on the changing role and attitudes of women of the 1920s in America. He shows this through the characters Daisy and Jordan. Daisy and Jordan both drink, smoke and drive, and associate freely with men. Daisy’s flirtatiousness is an example of this, along with her drunken state in the first chapter when she says ‘I’m p-paralysed with happiness’. Daisy also shows the attitude Fitzgerald felt was common in this society, when talking about her daughter. ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. I hope she’ll be a fool –that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.’ This demonstrates that during the 1920s, women were not regarded as equals, and had little chance of making something of their lives. The best they could hope for was to find a rich husband and settle

All Quiet On the Western Front

2001-06-28T14:00:00-04:00

The novel All Quiet On The Western Front contains many incidents where the readers can hold characters responsible for their actions, however his novel in particular relates to the clash of values. Though fictional this novel by Erich Maria Remarque, presents vast detail through the conflicts at the Western Front. Corporal Himmelstoss a character in the novel is portrayed as a stereotypical military man, whose actions, when all's said and done, speaks for itself as the reader really does not question his iniquitous behaviour. However, apart from just the reader holding such characters morally accountable for their actions the novel concerns the rejection of traditional values, Paul’s disillusionment, and life opposed to death. Through such clashing of values, Remarque creates a confronting novel where the plot is for the most part articulated around values in conflict. The stereotypical stance of Corporal Himmelstoss, a military officer, is presented as a physically undersized man who wears a waxed moustache, which ideally supports the many defiant occasions where he disheartens the young soldiers. Throughout the novel where he is sent into the trenches we accept his role of breaking the spirits of the young soldiers. However, we understand why Paul and Albert Kropp take revenge beating him up. It is through these instances where the reader can almost understand a character through his right and wrong actions. Remarque’s inclusion of such scenes in the novel acts out the bitter anger and disillusionment of the young soldiers. The constant close companion of death besides Paul and his friends provides such clashing of values. Throughout the novel Paul never really recalls their opponents, the allies, as enemies. We also hardly see the other side other than the time where they took on the French militia; infact it would be appropriate to conclude that their real enemy in the war was the enemy Death. Every soldier in the war wasn’t innocently fighting for his country in an attempt to win, soldiers were fighting in order to survive death – it is only the fact that chance and luck kept them going. Paul and his friends could not comprehend that World War One was simply fought due to some document signed by each side’s respective leaders. These events allow readers to follow through that novel above all was concerned with values of life against death, and peace against war. Perhaps Remarque’s intended theme at the start of the novel

Inner Evil

2001-06-25T14:00:00-04:00

We all have a darkness inside of us that is unleashed at different times in our lives. It can come out when we are jealous, angry, or just harassing someone. In the novel, A Separate Peace by Robert Knowles, Gene, the main character, is affected by a few evils inside a person and he also releases his own evil. Three characters from the novel, Quackenbush, Brinker, and Gene, all have darkness inside of them that they let come out in different ways. The first character from A Separate Peace that lets his evil out is Quackenbush. Quackenbush is the head of the crew team at Devon School. He is always teased and harassed by the other students and consequently, Quackenbush has low self-esteem. He feels that by making fun of Gene, unleashing his inner darkness, that it will make him feel better. For the time being it makes him feel big and important. The first incident is when Gene starts as the Assistant Crew Manager and Quackenbush is above him. “…’Get some towels’…’How many?’…’As many as you can carry. That won’t be too many.’…” (69). Quackenbush hurts Gene another time too. After making fun of Gene, Gene remarks, “…You, Quackenbush, don’t know anything about who I am…Listen you maimed son-of-a-bitch…”(71). Then a fistfight breaks out between the two. Quackenbush doesn’t like when Gene stands up for himself, he cannot stand it. He wants to hurt Gene because he can tell by taking the position of Assistant Crew Manager that Gene has low self-esteem. Quackenbush lets out his inner darkness at Gene because he wants to feel momentous; he wants to feel important and that is one way that someone in this novel lets out their inner depravity. The second character I have chosen is Brinker. Brinker, who is the popular politician at Devon School, is very jealous of the friendship that Gene and Finny share. He says many things about the fall and how it happened to hurt Gene. “…’I’ll bet you knew all the time Finny wouldn’t be back this fall. That’s why you picked him as a roommate, right?’ [Brinker asks.]’What? No, of course not. How could I know a thing like that in advance?’…’You fixed it. You knew all the time, I bet it was all your doing.’…” (79-80). Brinker was jealous of not only Gene and Finny’s friendship, but also Gene having a room all to

Influences on Montag

2001-06-25T14:00:00-04:00

In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, the main character Guy Montag makes a complete metamorphosis. He goes from hating books to loving them. He changes from a stolid character, incognizant of the activities in his surroundings, to a person conscious of everything, so enlightened by the new world he is exposed to. There are many stimuli in Montag’s society that help him change. A major reason is the people in his life. The people who influence him to change are Montag’s wife Mildred, his next door neighbor Clarisse, and his boss, the chief of police, Beatty. The first personal influence on Montag is Clarisse. She is a very positive influence on him. Clarisse is the young, teenage girl, who moves next door, with her uncle, to Montag. Clarisse is classified as an odd person, but she is a very friendly girl. She loves to talk to Montag, ask him questions about himself, and she loves to talk about the world and its wonderful sites. She is also very perceptive which is shown in this excerpt from the novel: “…I like to watch people. Sometimes I ride the subway all day and look at them and listen to them, I just want to figure out who they are and what they want and where they’re going…Or I listen at soda fountains…People talk about nothing…” (32-33). Clarisse teaches Montag to look around him, look at the people for who they really are. Montag never did that before. Clarisse helps him look around and see everything, from the smallest snowflake to the prettiest flower. She shows him, with a simple dandelion, that Montag isn’t really in love with Mildred anymore. He doesn’t realize it then, but later he does. Montag never really thinks about what is happening in his life, or why it seems he never shows much emotion towards anything. Clarisse teaches Montag to look around and to pay attention to what is really important in life, just not what his society tells him. The second influence that I chose was Mildred. Mildred is a negative influence on him, trying to push him away. Mildred is his wife of a few years. She does not know who she really is and lives in an illusionary world with her television shows. She is a very down person always Montag feel badly about himself. One night she overdoses on sleeping tablets and Montag starts to

The Odyssey - Women

2001-06-25T14:00:00-04:00

In “The Odyssey” by Homer, there were many great women that had conflicting personalities and adverse motives, but also they were alike. With these oppositions they helped Odysseus to get back home to Ithaca, whether they wanted to or not. These women from the novel that have opposing qualities, yet help Odysseus get home and finish off the suitors, are Penelopeia and Clytemnestra, Circe and Calypso, and Eurycleia and Melantho. Clytemnestra is a disloyal wife and a cruel woman, while Penelopeia is a devoted spouse and a wonderful lady. When King Agamemnon goes away to fight at Troy, his wife, Clytemnestra, has an affair. When he returns, she kills him, not even letting him see his son after ten long years. “…Poseidon did not drown me in the sea, no enemy struck me down on dry land; but Aigisthos plotted my death with my accursed wife…”(132). Meanwhile, when Odysseus goes to Troy, his wife Penelopeia is loyal for twenty years. Clytemnestra also kills all of Agamemnon’s friends and followers, while Penelopeia had rude suitors in her house and she never once harmed them for the three years that they ate her out of house and home. The one thing that the two women has in common was that they are both very witty and smart; Clytemnestra for planning the massacres and Penelopeia for the weaving of the shroud. “…I used to weave the web in the daytime, but in the night I unravelled it by torchlight. For three years I kept up the pretence, and they believed it…”(216). With their conflicting personalities the women did help Odysseus to return. When Agamemnon told Odysseus Clytemnestra’s tale in the Underworld, it makes him think about what his wife is doing and it gives him an extra push to get home. In Penelopeia’s case, Odysseus hopes that she would remain faithful and he wants to get home to his loyal wife. Both women have many conflicting personality traits, but their actions give Odysseus a reason to hurry up in his homecoming. Although Circe and Calypso are both goddesses and both keep Odysseus in their homes, their personalities are different yet they both help Odysseus to arrive home faster. Circe is rude and means harm to Odysseus and his men when they first arrive, but Calypso welcomes Odysseus with open arms. Though she has cruel intentions when they arrive, Circe didn’t force Odysseus to stay

Of mice and Men - The importance of George

2001-06-23T14:00:00-04:00

Even from the very start of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the uniqueness of George, as a character, is already noticeable. He is described as “small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features” and has an obvious dominance over the relationship between Lennie and himself. This lets the reader know from a very early stage in the book that George is different, and probably the essential character. George’s character seems to be used by Steinbeck to reflect the major themes of the novel: loneliness, prejudice, the importance of companionship, the danger of devoted companionships, and the harshness of Californian ranch life. George’s relationship with Lennie has made him selfless; his conversations, with and with out Lennie, are generally revolving around Lennie, although in the case of their dream-ranch George seems to find fulfilment for himself as well. Due to these altruistic tendencies that he shows throughout the novel, a danger is bestowed upon George; he tends to care for Lennie far too much, and too little for himself. In occasional moments, he escapes his sympathy and compassion for Lennie, and realises the burden that he causes. This usually results in George taking his frustration out on Lennie, which can often harm his simple mind, leaving Lennie upset and forced to confess to his own uselessness, and George feeling guilty for what he has caused. We can learn very little about George through his actual conversations, which made it necessary for Steinbeck to focus the novel on him in particular, and let the reader gain an closer insight on him through his actions. Generally, he seems to be caring, intelligent and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. This illustrates a major theme in Of Mice and Men, the dangers that arise when one becomes involved in a dedicated relationship. Despite the frustration that Lennie causes, without him George would probably be a lot like the other men on the ranch; simply roaming the country-side of California looking for work, and although he often prides himself on being different, he sometimes complains, usually after Lennie has caused trouble, and wishes that he could be like a normal guy and not have to live with Lennie’s hindrance. An example of this is seen when George responds sharply to Lennie's constant request for ketchup. "If I was alone I could live so easy…no trouble…no

All My Sons

2001-06-23T14:00:00-04:00

1. In the play “All My Sons,” by Arthur Miller, the word ‘father’ means the personification of goodness and infallibility to Chris Keller. There was a strong relationship between Chris and his father, Joe. Everything Joe had done in his life was for Chris. His entire factory was intended for Chris once he retired. 2. Throughout the play, there was question of Joe’s innocence in the death of twenty-one pilots, who were flying planes that had parts from Joe’s factory. Chris strongly believed that his father played no part in those deaths and that the blame lay solely on Joe’s partner, Herbert Deever. At the end of the play, Chris’ realization that his father was guilty brings about anger and then remorse, when Joe commits suicide due to his guilty conscience. Joe has done everything in his life for his sons. 3. Once his elder son Larry died in the war, Joe devoted his life to his younger son Chris. “KELLER. …Because what the hell did I work for? That’s only for you, Chris, the whole shootin’-match is for you.” Many businesses are handed down from generation to generation. Joe felt his role in life was to build a business that his son could take over once he got too old to run it. His love and hope for Chris blinded Joe’s ability to make a thoughtful and rational decision regarding faulty parts from his factory. This resulted in the death of the pilots’. Joe completely disregarded the lives that his parts would be affecting because all he cared about was his son. The love that Joe displayed to his son was returned in the love and respect that Chris had for his father. “GEORGE. …But you know him. You know in your heart Joe did it. CHRIS. Lower your voice or I’ll throw you out of here.” George Deever’s confrontation with Chris about his father’s guilt demonstrated Chris’ belief that his father was not guilty of any crime. He refused to believe that his father played a role in shipping the defective parts to the government. This only reinforced the idea that there was a strong father son bond between Joe and Chris. 4. The moral values that were instilled in Chris blocked him from believing that his father was capable of anything else but good. These values prove to be the eventual down fall of Joe. At the end

Animal farm Compared to the Russian Revolution

2001-06-22T14:00:00-04:00

Education is not as prominent in the book as during the Russian Revolution. In the book, education is mentioned when Snowball finds old spelling books, once belonging to Mr. Jones. He begins to teach himself, followed by the other pigs, and finally he helps the other animals to read and write. Some of the not so intelligent animals find this quite taxing, whereas the pigs– being the most intelligent, learn the fastest. Snowball is the most interested in educating the animals, and the well being of the other animals on the farm. Just as Trotsky was intent in educating the Russian people, and their well being during the Revolution. “Napoleon took no interest in Snowball’s committees. He said that education of the young was more important than anything that could be done for those who were already grown up.” This shows Snowball’s commitment to the animals compared to the uninterested Napoleon. In the book Napoleon began his leadership role quite well, with his ideas being fair and with a positive meaning. As the story continues he becomes more corrupt, and his ideas turn into a dictatorship. “Napoleon lead the animals back to the store-shed and served out a double portion of corn to everyone, with two biscuits for each dog.” As time went on his true nature, of a power crazy character begins to surface, he becomes more selfish and the principle idea of equality no longer exists. The farm is run on terror, and no animal dare speak out against him, for fear of death. “The news leaked out that every pig was receiving a ration of a pint of bear daily, with half a gallon for Napoleon.” Just as during the revolution, when at first Stalin was fair and just but as he was given power he turns into a corrupt man with dictatorship qualities. He became more selfish and sinister. When securing his power base he engineered the permanent exile of Trotsky. This compares to the book, when Napoleon and his ‘nine sturdy puppies’ chased Snowball out of the farm. Napoleon then proceeds to portray his true nature of an assassin. Snowball is the other main leader in animalism, along side Napoleon. He was the one who was most interested in the well being of the animals and their education. The complete opposite of Napoleon. I fell if he had not been chased away (assassinated) then the idea

To Kill A Mockingbrird - Prejudice

2001-06-21T14:00:00-04:00

In Harper Lee’s book, To Kill A Mockingbird, she reveals to her audience that prejudice, is a destructive force in any society. During the time that Mockingbird was written, racism was acceptable. Racism is a key theme in her book. Not only those who were black, but also those who affiliated with blacks, were considered inferior. Atticus, a lawyer, who defended blacks in court, was mocked. An example of this is when Mrs. Dubose told the children “Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for”(Lee??). This strong example of how racism would control the lives of many people throughout the early 20th century. The reasons why prejudice is so destructive to a community is each side thinks that they are better than the other side, which means instead of trying to solve the problem at hand they are getting divided by their race, as they have no interest in communicating with the other party. Back in the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird, black people were considered to be lower class, which caused white people to always suspect blacks before they suspected white people. An example of this is when a character named Nathan Radley hears someone in his cabbage patches. He shot his gun in the air and when people asked what happen, he automatically told them it was a ‘nigger’, even though he didn’t see the person. But, he knew the person was white by this quote someone said he said. “Shot in the air. Scared him though, says if anyone sees a white ‘nigger’ running around here that’s him” (Lee 54). Meaning that he knows the person is white. Another example is that some people even put animals above blacks, as told in the rest of the quote. “Got the other barrel waitin’ for the next hears in his patch, be it dog, ‘nigger’, or Jem Finch” (Lee 54). This shows that Mr. Radley didn’t have any respect for blacks. In some parts of the world this is true even to this day. In South Africa since statistically black men commit more crime than any other race it is just in people’s nature to think that a black person has commited the crime. Which is the worst thing that can happen, as black people cannot receive a fair trial. Racial comments have been around since there have been minority groups and they will

The Cask Of Amontillado - Irony and Symbolism

2001-06-19T14:00:00-04:00

It is Edgar Allan Poe’s intense use of symbolism and irony throughout the Cask of Amontillado that establishes the short story as an indeed interesting candidate worthy of thorough analysis. The skillful use of these devices are utilized by the author to create this horrific and suspenseful masterpiece. The Cask of Amontillado is a horror short story, which revolves around the themes of revenge and pride. The plot involves two men: Montresor, the narrator, who is an Italian aristocrat seeking revenge against the second main character: Fortunato, a proud man that boasts about his conoisseurship of wines and who finally walks to his own death. Irony is a manner of expression through which words or events convey a reality different from and even opposite to appearance or expectation. The use of such device in the story provides it with humour and wit, and makes the piece more sophisticated. The sustained irony is detected through style, tone and the clear use of exaggeration of Montresor, the narrator. From the very beginning we notice the apparition of irony in the story. The very name Fortunato would clearly imply that this is a man of good fortune, when the actual case is that he is about to suffer a mostly untimely demise: the end of his life. The setting in which the story takes place again shows an ironic element. It is during Venice’s Carnival that the characters meet. Carnival is supposed to be a time of celebration and happiness for everybody. However, in the tale it is a time for revenge and death. The atmosphere changes drastically when the two protagonists leave the gaiety of carnival for the gloomy and desolate catacombs beneath Montresor’s palazzo. We learn from the narrator that when he first meets Fortunato the latter has apparently been drinking and is dressed in many colours, resembling a jester. His costume suggests that he will be the one playing the fool. On the other hand Montresor is dressed in a black-coloured cloak and has his face covered with a black mask. At this point one can mention the presence of symbols: the black mask and outfit might be a representation of Death or the devil. Such figure foreshadows the events taking place later that night in the damp catacombs. The way the narrator treats his enemy is one of the clearest examples for ironic elements. When the characters meet, Montresor realises that

A Streetcar Named Desire -- desire and death

2001-06-19T14:00:00-04:00

There are only two streetcars in life -- desire and death Tennessee Williams once wrote, according to his esteemed friend and biographer, Gore Vidal, that there were only two streetcars in life--desire and death. When you get off of the streetcar desire, you get on the streetcar toward cemetaries. Ironically, at the beginning of his play, "A Streetcar Named Desire," the character, Blanche DuBois, is about to take the streetcars in just that order. She remarks to a young soldier whom she seeks assistance from: "They told me to take a streetcar named Desire and then get on one called Cemetaries and then get off at Ellysian Fields." When she leaves the streetcar at the end of the line at Ellysian Fields, where her sister and brother-in-law live, she walks into a mysterious world that both mesmerizes and destroys her fragile inner life. Whether she moves toward death in the end, or toward a higher reality to be found in an Ellysian dream---akin to a kind of necessary delusion produced by her in order to survive---one does not know. But, it is indeed certain that Blanche is one of the most lyrical, beautiful and memorable in the pantheon of Tennessee Williams'

1984

2001-06-16T14:00:00-04:00

1984 is a political parable. George Orwell wrote the novel to show society what it could become if things kept getting worse. The first paragraph of the book tells the reader of the "swirl of gritty dust....The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats." Just from these few lines Orwell makes it clear that there was absolutely nothing victorious abuot Victory Mansions. Every image the reader recieves from Winston Smith is pessimistic. Hate week, for example, is a big event in Oceania. The citizens prepare for it like Christmas. Instead of jolly songs with family and friends over punch, Hate week is celebrated with fists in the air while chanting about death, Goldstien, and whatever the party wanted the citizens to disgust. Winston hates the party and Big Brother. He hates the "pure" ones, also. Everthing about Winston's life drives him closer and closer to a suicidal point each day. What makes things worse, hte Party makes Winston think that he is crazy for wanting to be free to think and for wanting to remember. These simple things are taken for granted today. George Orwell devilishly illustrates the brutality that man can be capabel of when he is given such power. The people of Oceania are forced to love Big Brother. There is possibly no one that loves Bill Clinton, besides his family. there are several that love to makes fun of him, but on the political mainstream love is not involved as it is in Oceania. The setting in itself is an extremely important part of the novel. Winston lived in a "dark, gray drab jungle." Posters of Big Brothr were everywhere. The telescreen could see and hear asmost everything that Winston did. However, Winston could hide from it long enough to write in his diary even though he knew he would get caught eventually. Winston was alienated before Julia. He didn't have much contact with other people; he was constantly hungry both physically and emotionally. However, it is ironic that Winston enjoys the work he does but he hates the falsification. 1984 is a satire of the upper class. The members of the Upper class believe that they have supeiority over the common people. They are always wanting more than what is given to them. Very much like O'Brien telling Winston in hte Ministry of Love that it wasn't good enough just for him to say that 2+2=5; he

Emerson and The Poet

2001-06-12T14:00:00-04:00

Ralph Waldo Emerson states in The Poet the question, which is what is the poet? He says that all men express their feelings, but what makes a poet is that he has more ability to express his own. For example, a poet would express the beauty of nature well, while men who are less expressive cannot give nature the worth it should be given, related to reality of course. A poet would talk, as well about “the common wealth” not “his own wealth”. What is meant by that is that he does not only convey his own feelings and his own experience in life, but he carries the beauty of truth he sees with his art, and mostly the beauty the poet would see is in nature. In page 374, you will find all the details that have been explained before. His idea of a poet is not wrong at all. He reminds me so much of Coleridge and Wordsworth in their definition of a poet. In my opinion, a poet should express his own point of view of life, as long as he/she does not go so far from reality. I only disagree with Emerson, Coleridge, and Wordsworth that it does not always have to be related to nature. I agree that nature teaches, and inspires a poet, but a poet should rely on more than nature as a material for his poetry, or he would be repeating himself. The idea that a poet expresses how he sees truth in life is completely a correct idea, and related to the previous point. In page 374 Emerson states that a poet should express truth with his art. It means then that a poet expresses life of people as well, since it is part of life. “The common wealth” can mean other lives of other people and Mother Nature itself. Maybe that is related to their age, since American Revolution, and then French Revolution was at the 18th century, and affected both America and Britain. It is the age in which every thing changes. America in the 18th century wanted to be separate from Britain, and not to be a colony any more. Emerson did not go through that age though, since he is an early 19th century poet; but it is always important to know the period that came before the age of the writer, who is the subject in analyses. It is needed to

Heart of Darkness

2001-06-11T14:00:00-04:00

“Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision-he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: The horror! The horror!” What horror is Kurtz recounting as his final words? Truths lie inside the inner soul of all human beings, it is just a matter of when and where they will come out. Kurtz choose to let his be known as his passing words. An epiphany, a passing glimpse, the realization of what he has created and destroyed, willingly, or blindly going about hacking through the jungle blindfolded, searching for something of extrinsic importance. The narrator of Heart of Darkness never lets the reader know what Kurtz was speaking about. I believe Conrad wanted his audience to judge for themselves the importance of Kurtz’s words. Finding literal, as well as deeper meanings, in the novel becomes very apparent when basing the context of Kurtz’s words from a thematic standpoint. His word’s can be broken down on three levels: the first, dealing with the obvious literally sense of horror representing all the dead Africans, who died at the hands of the Kurtz in his lusty quest for ivory; the second, delves into an important theme relating to the book, which is human savagery, Kurtz must have realized he had become what he hated most; Lastly, on a abstract level, his finally word’s would have represented the society of European Imperialism that had molded Kurtz and formed him into a by-product of the mixture, which culminated together to create colonial, imperialistic attitudes. It is shear terror to imagine the magnitude of the scale on which atrocities of death, murder, and genocide had taken place against the Africans. Death is a very silent, dirty scene. Nobody has ever been able to recount their tale of death, for no doorway has been found that any person can use to return. Kurtz’s inner station was, responsible for gathering more ivory than all the other stations combined. This task, viewed on its own merits, is a tremendous accomplishment, showing Kurtz’s fortitude in achieving his goal. When the reader sees what methods are used to gather the ivory, the true nature of “the real cost” becomes apparent. The Africans were used as slaves, Kurtz’s own tribal followers, who obeyed each and

Tragedy and the Common Man: Willy Loman - Not A Tragic Hero

2001-06-10T14:00:00-04:00

In Arthur Miller’s essay about “Tragedy and the Common Man,” he argues that the common man is as appropriate a subject for tragedy as the very highly placed kings and noble men. Mankind keeps tragedy above all forms because they are given the same mental abilities as the nobles. In “Death of a Salesman”, Willy Loman is a common man and a middle class worker, enough saving to provide food for his family. So if the tragic hero can be a common man, does Willy fit in that category? Even though he is a common man he fails to live up to the standards of being a tragic hero because he never accepts or admits to his own errors. He, therefore, loses his dignity. One of his biggest errors is his failure of be a good father. And does not hold a rightful position in his family. Willy Loman’s character is capable of making errors. He believes he is a very successful salesman and well liked. He also thinks that the company likes what he is doing. He once said, “I’m the New England man. I am vital in New England” (Miller pg. 32) Because of his false belief about his success Howard fired him. After he got fired charley offered him a job, but he refuses to accept, because he is too proud and jealous to work for Charley. His actions were wrong because at no time was a successful salesman. He is not a powerful character. Willy lives in his fantasies where he is the man. Who goes out to another place and comes out rich, he is love by everyone and admired by his family. In real life, he is lazy and does not live up to his own ideals. “As Aristotle explains, a tragic hero must be one of noble character and must fall from power and happiness.”(Www.ccd.rightchoice.org/lit115/poetics.html) but Willy neither has a noble characteristic nor does he fall from power because he does not have a position of power. According to Miller, a tragic hero is someone who dies for personal dignity. Willy does die for his dignity. “Those who act against the scheme of things that degrades them.”(Miller. Tragedy of the Common Man) Willy, in his ideas and action of committing suicide, fits in that category. In act 2, Willy reveals his desires to win back Biff’s respect by committing suicide. During one of his illusions,

A Separate Peace

2001-06-10T14:00:00-04:00

What point of view does each character show in regards to their attitude to the war? The war is a symbol of how things are not always what they seem. Recruiting posters and propaganda to join the army convinced many boys into thinking the war is an exciting adventure. “The characters Gene, Finny, and Leper are used as opposing forces struggle between that cold reality of war and a separate peace”(Brian, Gatten), A peace away from the real war and all the terrible things that come. The attitudes towards war of Finny, Gene and Leper reflect their approach to life. Finny does not face the reality in life nor the war, Leper (stands on the sidelines) is isolated from life and the war, while Gene is a follower in life and the war. Finny does not face the reality in life nor the war by, finny first begins to create games. Because Phineas cannot face the reality of the real war. For him, these games are representative of the war. Finny made up these games and he made it so that he could be in control. This is just like Finny ‘s world of separate peace. Also finny does not fully understand the impact of war on people. He does not understand that war kills people physically and mentally. He also does not understand how it affects a person’s life. Finny is not present for the beginning of the fall session at Devon and as a result, the statement “Peace had deserted Devon”(knowles, pg. 132). Is true indicates the lack of peace…”the peace that the school had come to know when finny was present.”(Brian, Gatten) “With the lack of this peace, the door is open for the reality that is war, to enter”. (Brian, Gatten) Finny has his own reality, about the war. That is why he created the games to the substitute for the war. Leper’s attitude towards to the war is that he feels that was does not affect him. Leper is much like Finny because of his innocent, romantic view of the world, he loves nature and especially skiing during the winter. Leper is not popular at Devon due to his oddities, but he does not give any attention to such things. He joins the army after seeing a film about their ski troops although he is not even fighting is the war; he is shocked to find military life to be

Long Day's Journey Into Night

2001-06-09T14:00:00-04:00

The Fog of Substance Abuse As the fog descends around the Tyrone’s summer home, another fog falls on the family within. This fog is that of substance abuse, in which each of the four main characters of Eugene O’Neill’s play, Long Day’s Journey into Night face by the end of Act IV. Long Day's Journey into Night is a metaphoric representation of the path from normalcy to demise by showing the general effects of substance abuse on human psychology and family dysfunctions through the characters Mary, Jamie, Edmund and Tyrone. Mary Tyrone makes the transition most clearly throughout the entire play. In Act I, her hands move restlessly, and she seems to be quite nervous. When she appears in Act II “one notices no change except that she appears to be less nervous, … but then one becomes aware that her eyes are brighter and there is a peculiar detachment in her voice and manner” (O’Neill 58). These subtle signs of her relapse back to chemical dependency continue until the final scene, where she is most obviously under the influences of a chemical substance. The morphine seems to make her reminiscent of the past. In Act III, she talked about her two childhood dreams of becoming a concert pianist or a nun. By Act IV, she has dragged her old wedding dress from the attic and attempted to play the piano again. This presents a psychological reasoning for her relapses. She considers herself to be growing old and ugly, and often refers to the how she was at one time young and beautiful. “To her, the ugliness of the hands is the ugliness of what she has become over the last twenty-five years, which is why she uses the pain of the rheumatism in them as her reason for the morphine” (Chabrowe 181). Thus, it can be correlated that at one time she used the morphine to escape pain, and when she realized that it made her feel youthful again she became addicted. Her failure to desist is also connected with her interfamily relationships. When she was accused of relapsing she said, “It would serve all of you right if it was true” (O’Neill 47)! This suggests that she is seeking justification to continue her drug addiction by using her family’s suspicions as a reason to relapse (Bloom 163). Not only are her actions influenced by her family, but they also influence

Annabel Lee and The Raven Comparison

2001-06-09T14:00:00-04:00

Sorrow for the Lost Annabel Lee With insistent meter

Lord of The Flies Book Review

2001-06-08T14:00:00-04:00

Lord of the Flies dealt with changes that a group of British boys underwent as they gradually adapted to the isolated freedom from society. Three main characters showed different effects on certain individuals under those circumstances. Jack Merridew began as the arrogant and self-righteous leader of a choir. The freedom of the island allowed him to further develop the darker side of his personlity as the Chief of a savage tribe. Ralph started as a selfassured boy whose confidence in himself came from the acceptance of his friends. He had a fair nature as he was willing to listen to Piggy. He became increasingly dependent on Piggy's wisdom and became lost in the confusion around him. Towards the end of the story his rejection from their society of savage boys forced him to fend for himself. Piggy was an educated boy who had grown up as an outcast. Because of his academic childhood, he was more mature than the others and retained his civilized behaviour. But his experiences on the island gave him a more realistic understanding of the cruelty possessed by some people. The adventures of the three boys on the island made them more aware of the evil inside themselves and, in some cases, made the politeness disappear. However, the changes experienced by one boy differed from those endured by another. This is because of the physical and mental differences between them. Jack was first described with having an air of cruelty that made him naturally unlikeable. As leader of the choir and one of the bigger boys on the island, Jack's physical height and authority matched his arrogant personality. His desire to be Chief was clearly visible in his first appearance. When the idea of having a Chief was mentioned Jack spoke out immediately. He led his choir by administering much discipline resulting in forced obedience from the choir boys. . However, despite his unpleasant personality, his lack of courage and his conscience prevented him from killing the first pig they saw. Even at the meetings, Jack was able to contain himself under the leadership of Ralph. He had even suggested the implementation of rules to regulate themselves. This was a Jack who was proud to be British, and who was shaped and still bound by the laws of a civilized society(Britain) . The freedom offered to him by the island allowed Jack to express the darker sides

The Painted Door - The Tragedy

2001-06-08T14:00:00-04:00

Ann and John, two characters from he short story "The Painted Door", do not have a very healthy relationship. John is a simple farmer who thinks the only way he can please his wife, Ann, is by working all day to earn money for her. However Ann would prefer him to spend more time with her. Their relationship is stressed even further when Ann is left at home alone with nothing to think about but their relationship because John has to go to his father’s house. The terrible snowstorm accentuates Ann’s feelings of loneliness and despair. John does not pay enough attention to Ann, and therefore creates a weak relationship. Ann is justified in her decision to "sleeps" with Steven, John’s friend. John has not been paying much attention to Ann and he leaves her alone in their house with Steven. Ann also has prior feelings for Steven from when they where in school together. Ann felt that she is unimportant to John because he frequently leaves her alone; she states, "It isn't right to leave me here alone. Surely I'm as important as your father." Ann just wants to feel loved by John but because he doesn't make her feel loved. She sees Steven as the only person who can give her the love and affection she needs. John's decision to commit suicide was the right thing to do to make Ann happy. John thought that killing himself would make it easier for her to stay with Steven, who he thinks that she loves. John made a decision about his own life so he has the right to choose to kill himself. He also just wants Ann to be happy. He is "naively proud of Ann. He had bewildered by it once, her caring for a dull-witted fellow like him: then assured al last of her affection he had relaxed against it gratefully, unsuspecting it might ever be less constant than his own." (Pg.49) In John's mind he was making the right decision, so he was free to make it. Ann is the most to blame for her depression, her affair with Steven, and John’s suicide. Although John does not pay much attention to Ann, it is Ann's fault because she never tells John that she would rather he spent more time with her than working. Ann brings her depression upon herself because she hides her feelings from John so they can

The Things They Carried & A Soldier's Sweetheart

2001-06-07T14:00:00-04:00

Difference Between Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong & A Soldier's Sweetheart Once a successful novel hits the market, producers are inclined to adapt the story into a movie. Since imagination, symbolism, and character psyches are explored in a novel, the movies tend to lack the luster of the original text. Using their imagination, readers are able to conjure up characters and scenes that are unique. This is the case with Tim O’Brien’s, “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong.” This is a story where love and war collide after a soldier brings his sweetheart to his Vietnamese post. On the whole, this chapter in The Things They Carried is far superior to the film, The Soldier’s Sweetheart, because it has thorough descriptions of characters’ feelings, including symbolism concerning objects and important events. When the audience is able to draw it's own story around an author's narrative, the experience is more satisfying than when every detail is presented through the cinematic medium - an active audience is happier than a passive one. Stark contrasts exist between the description of the characters and emotional content between the book and the movie. This may be mainly due to the limited length of the movie. In the movie, Rat Kiley who is telling the story seems gentler. In the book they make it seem like everything Rat says is exaggerated, but the movie does not stress that fact. “Among the men in Alpha Company, Rat had a reputation for exaggeration and overstatement, a compulsion to rev up the facts, and for most of us it was normal procedure to discount sixty or seventy percent of anything he had to say” (O’Brien 89). Also, the movie emphasizes the fact that Rat Kiley fell in love with Mary Anne Bell. He himself says he loved her towards the end of the movie. A character that people may tend to have sympathy for is Mark Fossie. In the book, one may not feel for Fossie. The movie shows the character having more feeling especially after he couldn’t find Mary Anne. A third character that is portrayed differently in the movie than in the book is Mary Anne, who is the main female character of the chapter. The movie stressed the fact that Mary Anne wanted to learn more about the Vietnamese way of life. There was a scene in the movie where Mary Anne spent time with the Vietnamese

Richard III Paper

2001-06-04T14:00:00-04:00

To achieve goals, in one's life, one must be determined and focused. In the play Richard III, Richard III's goal is to ascend the throne. There are two ways that one can claim the throne, by birthright, or by might. Since Richard III cannot claim the throne by right he must therefore take it by might. To accomplish this goal Richard, Duke of Gloucester, must be determined to achieve his goal at all costs and he must have the characteristics to meet his determination. In the first scene of the play, Richard announces in a narration, his plan to become king. Richard is truly a Machiavel. A Machiavel is “one who views politics as amoral and that any means, however unscrupulous, can justifiably be used to achieve power”. Richard plainly states that he is "Deformed, Unfinished, and sent before his time" and "since he cannot prove to be a lover; he is determined to prove a villain". As a villain Richard must be heartless; he cannot let his emotions interfere with his actions. He must also be intelligent and organized; a villain must know exactly what he has to do, when he has to do it and how he is going to do it. "A villain must also be manipulative and persuasive so that if he is accused of a crime, or if he finds himself between a rock and a hard place, he is able to talk his way out or convince people that he did not commit the crimes in question. A villain must also have scapegoats to use if he is discovered or if he is in a dangerous situation". Richard devised a brutal stratagem to ascend the English throne. Brilliantly, he executed his plan. Heartlessly, he executed family, friends, and subjects. Richard did indeed display these characteristics and, therefore, fulfilled his goal to ascend the throne. With his elder brother, King Edward IV, dying, Richard believes himself to be the most qualified to rule. He sets his plan to ascend to the throne into action. The first step was to lock up the rightful heir, his other brother George, Duke of Clarence, in the tower. He demonstrates his manipulative skills and plants the seeds of distrust in his brother Clarence's head. He tells Clarence that it is not the king that is locking him up in the tower, "'Tis not the king that sends you to the tower;

The Sea Wolf

2001-06-04T14:00:00-04:00

The crew of the seal hunting ship the Ghost stood in disbelief as they gazed upon their recently departed first mate. Then a most unusual thing occurred. The captain began yelling at the dead man like a raging storm. Oaths rolled from his lips in a continuous stream. And they were not nice and thoughtful words or mere expressions of indecency. Each word was a blasphemy, and there were many words. It is this lack of remorse for others that defines Wolf Larsen, the antagonist in The Seal Wolf by Jack London. From the beginning of the book you are introduced to the contrast of characters at hand. The feeble gentleman Humphrey Van Weydon, who is cruelly forced upon the voyage, and the devilish and somewhat divine captain Wolf Larsen. This combination of good and evil sets the stage for an amazing battle of wit and perseverance. But to understand the great battle between these two men, you have to understand the almost invincible nature of Captain Wolf Larsen. Wolf is a five foot ten inch, tan skinned brute. His height is not at all the most striking characteristic of the captain. His amazing muscular build and strength rival that of an enlarged gorilla. In fact, the author repeatedly compares Wolf’s immense strength with that of a wild animal. The name London gives him is perfect to describe his nature. It is this godlike ability to kill anyone with his bare hands that keeps the crew in fear of him. There is a scene in the book where the crew attempted mutiny on the lone captain. The men jumped all over his back and from then on Wolf Larsen had seven strong men on top of him. The forecastle was like an angry hive of bees aroused by some intruder. No man less than a giant could have accomplished what Wolf Larsen did next. Step by step, by the might of his arms, the whole pack of men striving to drag him back and down, he drew his body up from the floor until he stood upright. The captain then proceeded to make his way up the ladder thus freeing him from this group of murderous tyrants. The whole crew of the Ghost hated Wolf with a great passion, but no one could do anything because his strength and fighting ability were unmatched. The second aspect of Wolf Larsen that makes him so

Alice in Wonderland - Nonsense?

2001-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

I wrote this paper in High school.Maybe someday I'll improve it, but it served its purpose. It got an A. Lewis Carroll’s works Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There are by many people considered nonsense books for children. Of course, they are, but they are also much more. Lewis Carroll had a great talent of intertwining nonsense and logic, and therefore creating sense within nonsense. If you look past the nonsense you can find a new meaning other than the one you found completing your third grade book report. You find that the books are full of references and parallel aspects of Victorian Society such as topics of etiquette, education, and prejudice, and through these topic’s is shown a child’s ability to survive in a hostile world. By this last statement I am referring to Cohen’s comment that “Wonderland” (published in1865) captures “the disappointments, fears, and bewilderment that all children encounter in their dealings with authoritarian, pompous and mystifying adults” which Wonderland seems to have no deficiency of. Throughout the story Carroll portrays his views on the education of the times. He make’s “morals and tales of obedience”(Brown,May Lee) seem nonsensical by the character of the Duchess and Alice’s preoccupation with her lessons. The Duchess keeps insisting to Alice that “Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it”(Wonderland, 70), but with morals like “mustard and dogs both bite”(Wonderland, 70) you can see this rule is not quite right. “The absurdity of such a character”(Brown,May Lee) trying to teach Alice anything is a parody of what Carroll thought about the lessons children were being taught. Also “Alice refers to her lessons and her education, usually very proud of the learning that she has acquired. It seems, however, that the information that she remembers from her lessons is usually either wrong or completely useless.”(Brown, May Lee) All of Alice’s knowledge seems to consist mainly of maxims and morals about obedience and safety, which Carroll considers very limited. In the books Carroll also inserts many verses that were parodies of former verses for children. He rewrites them in pure nonsense having no moral or meaning other than pure amusement. “This rejection of typical Victorian manners and education of children supports one of the themes in his Alice books, the idea that a child’s imagination has value.”(Brown, May Lee) Another view Carroll shows through the eyes of

Green Gene

2001-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

A Separate Peace by John Knowles recounts the friendship between two friends, Gene and Finny, during the year before they turn 18 and join World War II. It begins fifteen years in the future with Gene returning to his Alma Mata and remembering the drama and growth of his last year at Devon. Gene was rather naive and shy, concerned more with his academics. Gene was also very doubting and insecure about his own abilities. Phineas, or Finny was confident, the athlete and ringleader. Liked by all, he always had a crazy plan brewing in his mind. Daring and brave, his entire objective was to enjoy life. Finny persuades Gene to be bolder and more spontaneous, yet when Finny was not around Gene lost that sense of poise and self-assurance. Consequently, this created opposition within Gene’s mind. Gene both admired and envied Finny. Gene detested Finny’s constant and sanguine attitude toward life because it epitomized a serenity that he could never achieve because of his own insecurity. Phineas had this mindset that permitted him to see life from a different point of view. “The Devon faculty had never experienced a student who combined a calm ignorance of the rules and a winning urge to be good, who seemed to love the school truly and deeply, and never more then when he was breaking the regulations, a model student who was most comfortable in the truant’s corner (Knowles, 16)”. He had a charisma and a persona that mesmerized the student body as well as the staff. No one ever knew what he was going to do next or the reason he would give and that was exactly the way Finny liked it. The incident when he wore the pink shirt and explained his motive demonstrates not only that Finny was unpredictable but also shows his influence among the school community. He viewed the shirt as his emblem, his way of celebrating the fact that the Allies had just bombed Central Europe. Gene summarizes Finny’s amount of sway best when he states, “No one else could have done so with out some risk of having it torn from his back (Knowles, 18)”. Even when faced with stark realities, Phineas concocted some fantastic story to feed his disbelief in unsettling events. The most blatantly dismal thread occurring in the book was the War, in which Finny believes that it is a sham made up by some

A Father Does Not Always Know Best

2001-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain brilliantly illustrates a boy's travels down the Mississippi and the trials and tribulations that occur as a result. Having a runaway slave as a companion and being set in the South during slavery only forebodes trouble. The many characters and stunts that Huck's pulls provides for an interesting depiction of a young man's venture down a river. Huck lives in a small town and has only one drunken parent, which supplies Huck with many problems. His biological father, Pap, wanders from town to town, begging for money and drinking; and every once in a while pops back into Huck's life to beg money and to scold his son for going to school and becoming ‘sivilized’. However, there is also another male figure that acts as a father to young Huck. Miss Watson's slave Jim travels along with Huck and befriends the boy. Because Jim is a role model and mentor to the young Huck, he is more of a father figure than his biological father. Jim also teaches him principles directly through their conversations and debates. "Jim said he reckoned that the widow was partly right and that Pap was partly right, so the best way would be or us to pick two or three things from the list and say we wouldn't borrow them anymore” (Twain, 49). Jim taught Huck how to combine what he had been taught so far and how to rationalize. He also taught Huck little fables and old wives tales such as the 'bad luck if ya touch a rattlesnake' and 'a hairy breast mean ya gonna be rich sumday...(Twain, 40, 34) "Jim says you mustn't catch a bird cause it's death and you mustn’t count the thing you're ganna cook for dinner cause it's bad luck" (Twain, 34) Jim teaches him both lessons that are essential to life and ones that are amusing and make life interesting. Fathers satisfy the needs of their sons. Jim satisfied Huck’s need for exploration and his quest for knowledge and also satisfied his need for pleasure and enjoyment. A father teaches his son lessons. Jim taught Huck many lessons both unintentionally and directly. Jim shows Huck that slaves are human people. Huck learns that slaves are capable of human emotions such as love and compassion because Jim talked of buying his wife out of slavery and stealing his children out of bondage.

The Misfit's Reflections

2001-06-03T14:00:00-04:00

Flannery O’Connor’s personal views on the justification of religion and the resulting world or corruption and depravity are apparent in her short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find”. She analyzes the basic plight of human existence and its conflict with religious conviction. The first two-thirds of the narrative set the stage for the grandmother, representing traditional Christian beliefs, to collide with The Misfit, representing modern scientific beliefs. The core of symbolism and the magnet for interpretation is at the end, the conversation between the grandmother and The Misfit. The conversation represents the examination of the clash between animal and metaphysical human nature and the Misfit is the literary depiction of the outcome of that clash. The grandmother is based on conventional Southern women. She dresses in her Sunday best so that noone would be mistaken as to her status as a lady, an issue at the heart of every true Southern woman. She related stories of old mansions and of the little ‘pickaninny’ by a door. This was not a racial comment because for it to be there would have to be an intent to insult an African American and there was not. This was written to further convey the notion of her embodying all the true characteristics of Southern women, including their adherence to devout Christianity. The Misfit exemplifies the cold, contemporary world. In the conversation The Misfit’s declares about Jesus, "I wasn't there so I can't say He didn't..." and "It ain't right I wasn't there because if I had of been there I would of known...if I had of been there I would of known and I wouldn't be like I am now...”. This is the central dilemma of human consciousness. We are mindful of ourselves but we are also basically animals with violent tendencies and primitive drives. Everyday, these two selves collide. The understanding or awareness of each person demands that we rise above our primeval instincts, and with this demand comes a need for meaning, a purpose beyond the material restrictions of our bodies and the world we see around us. Otherwise all that is left, as The Misfit comments, "'...it's nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can--by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness,' he said and his voice had become

Loniless in Of Mice and Men

2001-05-30T14:00:00-04:00

“Friendship needs no words—it is a loneliness relieved of the anguish of loneliness.” - Dag Hammarskjold. Without friends, people begin to suffer loneliness and solitude. In Of Mice and Men, the characters of Crooks and Curley’s wife suffer loneliness stemmed from some form of rejection. Both of them are desperate to find an escape from their loneliness or some easy way to cope with their seclusion from the rest of the society. Crooks is a black man that experiences isolation because the society that he lives in is racist. “ A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody … I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick.” Crooks’ loneliness is a result of rejection from everyone else on the ranch. He is forced to live alone in a barn, let to work only with the horses. Crooks spends most of his time reading. The only relationship he can find is with his books. When Lennie enters his room, Crooks is interested in Lennie’s relationship with George. “Well s’pose, jus’ s’pose he don’t come back.” Crooks wants to make people understand and maybe even have sympathy for his situation. Crooks becomes so desperate for a relationship that he offers his services to George and Lennie for free, just to escape his loneliness. Curley’s wife, Mae, is married to a man that gives her little attention and none of his time. Mae dresses and acts like a “tart” to gain attention on the ranch in order to soothe her loneliness. Because she is the only woman on the ranch, her flirting causes the men on the ranch to want to avoid her. “Wha’s the matter with me? Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody?” The men don’t want any trouble from her husband. Mae struggles to find someone in her society to consult with. She finally seeks out someone who doesn’t know any better than to talk to her. Once she found that person, Lennie, her lonliness is sotthed permanently. Loneliness is an emotion even the strongest can’t avoid. In the story, one can find many cases of loneliness, mainly a result of discrimination or prejudice. Crooks was an outcast from society because of his race. Mae was to be avoided at all costs simply because she was a woman in a man’s world. In both cases, they tried to cope with their loneliness by taking interest in

Collapse of Animal Farm

2001-05-30T14:00:00-04:00

In today’s world, people have always strived to create a utopian society. In the novel ANIMAL FARM written by George Orwell, the animals strive to create their own utopian society based on equality and prosperity. Animalism was created to, as like the Ten Commandments, Animalism’s Seven Commandments were rules for the animals to live by. However, similar to God’s rules, Animalism was a difficult concept for all the animals to follow and live by. Secondly, the collapse of Animal Farm was due to the animal’s own intelligence and their ability to fully understand how the farm was being run. Finally, the failure of Animal Farm was due to in large part by the pigs power over the other animals and the greed and desires that the pigs wanted to achieve. Therefore, the collapse of Animal Farm had to do with Animalism itself, the animals, and the corruption of the pigs. Animalism had a great effect on Animal Farm. In the beginning of the novel, all the animals cared only for one thing. The defeat of Mr. Jones, and the equality of each animal. After Mr. Jones was finally defeated, and the animals were on their own, the Seven Commandments, (similar to the Ten Commandments) were established. The Seven Commandments were to be the principles of Animalism, an unalterable law by which all animals must live by. The pigs, Snowball and Napoleon along with the other animals, decided to inscribe the commandments on the wall, in large white lettering, so that they never be forgotten. These commandments were established for the good of each animal, to maintain order and a peaceful life on the farm. Old Major, the prized middle white boar, taught Animalism and the commandments. He was the leader of the animal’s rebellion. Old Major was the one who led the way for the animals, and taught them exactly what Animalism meant. He clearly states this in the speech he gave, a few days before his death. “Among us animals let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle. All men are enemies. All animals are comrades.” In the beginning, the animals lived each day the way Old Major taught them to. However, throughout the novel, Animalism slowly began to break away. Men were becoming comrades to the pigs, and the other animals were played as fools. The farm was collapsing little by little. Due to the animal’s low

Act Two Scene 6

2001-05-29T14:00:00-04:00

What does this scene reveal about Nora? What is its importance in the whole play? In Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”, in Act Two Scene 6, Nora’s deceptive behaviour and desperation reaches its climax due to the arrival of the letter. This is because the letter contains the means she used to get hold of the money. During the time when the play took place, society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play the role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children and made sure that everything around the house was perfect. Work, politics and decisions were left to the males. Nora broke the law and decided to borrow money to pay for her husband’s treatment. She did not borrow the money in the ‘right’ way instead she forged her father’s signature. By doing this, she not only broke the law but also stepped away from the role society had placed on her, being totally dependent on her husband. In this scene, she faces the truth in the letter. The person from whom she borrowed the money, Krogstad, wants payment on the loan. He also blackmails her about influencing Helmer to give him a better job at the bank and hence increase his position in society. This causes Nora to try to keep the letter away from her husband; but what is the significance of the letter and what does it mean to Nora? Possibly, this letter catalyses how Nora acts and how she thinks and she has been deceiving Helmer for the whole of their marriage. This included all sorts of deceptions. One thing that a good audience can recognise is how petty her lies become throughout the play. Nevertheless, no matter how petty her lies are, all she wanted is to cover up her secession. Associated with her deception is the situation she is now in, her desperation, which causes an avalanche of deceitful behaviour and thoughts. When Helmer asks if she is trying on her costume, her agreement is followed by “I’ m going to look beautiful for you,” which reveals and sums up her deception. The truth is that she is trying to sort out her next moves with Mrs Linde in how to keep Helmer away from that letterbox. Conceivably, Nora is beautiful as commented by Helmer, but what lies underneath her beauty are, the complicated thoughts and the idea of forgery. Nora

Analysis of Leo Tolstoy and his work "How Much Land Does A Man Need?"

2001-05-29T14:00:00-04:00

"How Much Land Does A Man Need?," by Leo Tolstoy was influenced by his life and times. Leo Tolstoy encountered many things throughout his life that influenced his works. His life itself influenced him, along with poverty, greed and peasant days in 19th century Russia. Tolstoy's eventful life impacted his works. Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy was born into a family of aristocratic landowners in 1828 at the family estate at Yasnaya Polyana, a place south of Moscow. His parents died in the 1930s when he was very young so his aunts raised him with an upper middle class lifestyle. His aunts were very important to him and when they died, he made them live on forever as characters in his stories (Alexander 16). While his aunts were still alive, they hired tutors to teach him out of Tolstoy's home (Tolstoi). After a few years of wandering about Russia, he recommenced his studies at sixteen years old at Kazan' University to study law and oriental language but preferred to educate himself independently and in 1847, he gave up his studies without finishing his degree (Troyat 28). His next fifteen years were very unsettled. Tolstoy returned to Yasnaya Polyana to manage the family estate, with the purpose to improve himself intellectually, morally, and physically. After less than two years, though, he abandoned rural life for the pleasures of Moscow. In 1851, Tolstoy traveled to the Caucasus, a region then part of southern Russia, where his brother was serving in the army. He enlisted as a volunteer, serving with distinction in the Crimean War from 1853-1856 (Magill 382). Tolstoy started his literary career in the 1850s during his army service. His genre of work includes novels, short stories, fiction, plays, nonfiction and letters. His first literary work was a trilogy; each section of the trilogy including a different part of growing up: Childhood, written in 1852, noted for a lyrical and charming picture of the innocence and joy of life through a child's eyes; Boyhood, written in 1854; and Youth, written in 1857. This trilogy focuses on the psychological and moral development of the hero from age ten to his late teens (Minitex). A series of short stories followed, and when he left the military in 1856, he was acknowledged as a rising new talent in literature. Experiences in the Crimean War provided the material fir his three "Sebastopol Tales," which pay tribute to the common soldier

Lennie and Charlie

2001-05-27T14:00:00-04:00

In the novel 'Of Mice and Men', by John Stienbeck, a mentally challenged man, Lennie, loses his innocence and his dream, of owning his own ranch with rabbits, when he accidentally breaks a woman's neck. In the novel 'Flowers or Algernon', by Daniel Keyes, another mentally challenged man, Charlie, loses his innocence and dreams, of being like everyone else, when, through the aid of an operation, realizes people were making fun of him rather than being his friends. Although, in both cases innocence and dreams were the loss, their innocence was also the underlying cause of the loss. Lennie is a very loveable character, who has hope and dreams. He wants to live on a ranch with George and raise rabbits. He looks at his plans as reachable even when it seems impossible because after he kills Curleys wife, Lennie still thinks he can have a ranch and rabbits, with the assurance of George. Although Lennie never reaches his dream, he dies with the thought of achievement. Charlie on the other hand, has dreams of being smart just like everyone else. He tries very hard in school and when offered the chance of having an operation to make him 'smart', he jumps at the opportunity. Although his teacher influences him, she had little impact. Unlike Lennie, Charlie reaches his dream but ends up broken hearted when his dream doesn't last. Lennie had a soft spot for petting animals and soft things. He is totally oblivious to the fact that he hurts almost every thing he touches. He had pet mice and ended up killing them and when he played with the 'pup' he ended up killing it too. His uncontrolled strength also caused him to kill Curley's wife. "Lennie's fingers fell to stroking her hair... he stroked harder... "Let go!" she cried... She struggled violently... and then she was still; for Lennie had broken her neck." (Page 91). With the death of Curley's wife, Lennie's innocence was taken. He had unwillingly killed. He had to pay the price, by losing his life. Charlie lived in a paradise-like world, he though he had many "friends". The only thing he felt he was missing was brains. When he was offered the chance to become 'smart' he jumped at the chance to be like everyone else. Unprepared for the changes intelligence would bring, Charlie lost his innocence. When he realizes his 'friends' don't

Medea - male and female perceptions of the world

2001-05-25T14:00:00-04:00

Ask yourself this, “Is this world biased against a particular gender? Do we mainly focus on women’s issues or men’s?” What would your answer be? I bet most of you would say no, we aren’t biased at all. And, in many cases, that would be correct. But look at some of the other parts of the world where woman aren’t allowed a say, they aren’t allowed to put their point of view forward even in our own society. They aren’t allowed to know information until the male passes it on to them. This ‘gap’ between women and men is widest in these areas. This type of treatment was happening at the times of the great ancient Greek playwrights such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and the controversial Euripides. Euripides’ play “Medea” explores these themes as well as many others. Unlike today where women are usually regarded as important as men are, the ancient Greek men were ranked much higher than women in the hierarchy and therefore there was quite a gap between them. This meant that men were able to order women around and information was available to them before anybody else. Men were regarded as smarter than women so they were chosen to do special tasks while the women were left to be servants. But men didn’t seem to understand women much at all. Some men believed that they were just “Poor women”, “Harping on trouble”, where really they were doing things that would have helped themselves as well as the people around them. Medea is expected to love Jason with all her heart, and she does. She is expected to take care of her children and do just about anything for Jason, and she does this too. But Medea is also expected to understand that Jason wishes to get married to another woman in order for him to gain the power that he’d always wanted. She doesn’t understand this at all. All Medea expects from Jason is for him to love her. When men have more power than women, they expect more understanding from women. The play shows the views of both genders. The tutor, the messenger, Creon (king of Corinth), and Aegus (king of Athens) represent the male point of view. The nurse and the Chorus of Corinthian women represent the female point of view. Euripides intended to only have two voices representing the women to show that the

Effects of Intolerance in Society

2001-05-24T14:00:00-04:00

In society, many people tend to reject those who are different. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents a number of situations that reveal the effects of intolerance on other people’s lives. The characters in the novel who were treated with a lack of intolerance were Boo Radley, Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson. By observing the effects of intolerance on people’s lives, the children gain sympathy, respect and understanding for its victims. The children gain sympathy for Boo Radley when they observe how others reject him. Ever since his teenage years, Boo had been a prisoner in his own home because his father kept him locked up as a form of punishment. As a result of his isolationism, Boo gained the reputation of Maycomb’s mysterious man. Town folk have created rumours about Boo for a source of gossip. Miss Stephanie, known as the “neighbourhood scold”, told the children that “Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities” (Lee 11). Jem Finch was another culprit who succeeded in spreading rumours about Boo Radley. The young and mischievous Jem told Dill that “[Boo] dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch” (13). It appeared that the townspeople were blinded by their own stupidity by harassing the helpless Boo Radley. Boo was never given a chance to prove his humanity to the town. Although they assisted in tormenting Boo at first, the children ended up feeling sympathetic toward him. “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut up in his house all this time... it’s because he wants to stay inside” (227). In conclusion, we could recognize Boo as the silent hero of Maycomb who was driven away from the cruelty of society. The children gain respect for Atticus when they see how he is treated with intolerance late one night. Atticus had always been one of Maycomb’s most respected men before the Tom Robinson’s trial. Atticus was at the county jail to protect Tom Robinson when he was joined by angry townspeople. These townspeople wanted to kill Robinson but Atticus stood his ground by telling them “you can turn around and go home” (151). These townspeople let their hatred for Tom interfere with their wise judgement. Atticus, being the intelligent man he was, treated them with respect and never once lost control of himself.

Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

2001-05-23T14:00:00-04:00

Loneliness is an inevitable fact of life that not even the strongest can avoid. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates the loneliness of California ranch life in the early 1930's. Throughout the story, the reader discovers the many sources of solitude, primarily being discrimination and prejudice, resulting in loneliness and isolation. One of the most important things that are really needed is a friend. Without friends, people would suffer from loneliness and solitude. The characters in this novel are intrigued yet envious of the special friendship shared by George and Lennie because they do not have that in their life. All the characters are extremely lonely and unhappy with their lives (except Slim, who is the only character that seems to be confident and happy with his life), and none of them can escape this unhappiness. Economic and social forces control them, and free will seems illusory. To study the aspect of loneliness in Of Mice and Men, we will study George and Lennie’s bittersweet friendship, as well as loneliness through 3 characters who are forced to locate their happiness elsewhere to fight off their loneliness--in Crooks' childhood on the chicken farm, or Curley's wife's vision of Hollywood stardom, or George and Lennie's Eden-like dream of their own farm. And finally we will point out interesting similarities between certain characters. The setting of the novel is destined for loneliness. Soledad is short for the town's full name, 'Nuestra Senora de Soledad' which means 'Our Lady of Loneliness'. This is the town that is closest to the ranch, a place that is already full of lonely, solitary people. The name of the closest town being Soledad, we understand that loneliness is some kind of vicious circle, because on the ranch they are already lonely, and going to town to fight that loneliness wont help since its called “Soledad”. "Guys like us, that live on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world." George means that if not for each other, then he and Lennie would be all alone, with no friends, like all the men like them, who are nomads working from ranch to ranch without making any friends, and living a lonely, solitary life. Clinging to each other in their loneliness and alienation, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie dream, as drifters will, of a place to call their own. But we can attribute another meaning to

Flowers for Algernon - Comparing and Contrasting

2001-05-23T14:00:00-04:00

Many popular novels are often converted into television movies. The brilliant fiction novel, Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes, was developed into a dramatic television film. Flowers for Algernon is about a mentally retarded man who is given the opportunity to become intelligent through the advancements of medical science. This emotionally touching novel was adapted to television so it could appeal to a wider, more general audience. Although the novel and film are similar in terms of plot and theme, they are different in terms of characters. The plot of both the novel and film version of Flowers for Algernon share common similarities. They both feature a retarded middle-aged man, Charlie Gordon, who receives an operation to heighten his intelligence. Charlie’s IQ eventually surpasses human normalcy to reveal that the experiment did prove successful. In both the film and novel, Charlie became even more intelligent than the professors who worked with him. In the film, Dr. Strauss was embarrassed to reveal that Charlie was smarter than him. That played a milestone event in Charlie’s identification of himself. Slowly his intelligence began to decrease and he eventually returned to his original state of mind. Throughout the story, Charlie encountered many different emotions that he had never experienced before because he didn’t have the common knowledge to understand them. The episode when he was at the nightclub with his co-workers gave him the opportunity to experience betrayal and anger. “I never knew before that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around just to make fun of me” (Keyes 30). The plot for both versions also carefully depicted Charlie’s psychological traumas that he suffered after his operation. These outbursts were often caused by romantic anxiety and the painful memories he would recall. Whenever Charlie got intimate with Alice he would tend to get extremely nervous or have a hallucination, causing him to ruin the moment. “I dropped a fork, and when I tried to retrieve it, I knocked over a glass of water and spilled it on her dress” (56). One of Charlie’s most painful memories was the one about the locket incident. Both versions did a great job of emphasizing this particular moment. “His clothes are torn, his nose is bleeding and one of his teeth is broken” (38). These flashbacks occurred many times in the novel yet the film brought the moment to life and helped to

Rivalry in A Separate Peace

2001-05-22T14:00:00-04:00

Every person feels rivalry or competition towards others at some point in their lives. This rivalry greatly affects our ability to understand others, and this eventually results in paranoia and hostility. It is a part of human nature, that people coldly drive ahead for their gain alone. Man's inhumanity towards man is a way for people to protect themselves from having pain inflicted on them by others, and achieving their goals and desires without the interference of others. This concept of man's inhumanity to man is developed in A Separate Peace as the primary conflict in the novel centres on the main character, Gene, and his inner-battles with feelings of jealousy, paranoia, and inability to understand his relationship with his best friend Phineas. Competition is further demonstrated by the occurrence of World War II. It is shown that, "There were few relationships among us (the students) at Devon not based on rivalry." (p. 37) It is this rivalry and competition between the boys at Devon that ripped their friendships apart. In the early pages of the novel, Finny confesses that Gene is his best friend. This is considered a courageous act as the students at Devon rarely show any emotion. And rather than coming back with similar affection, Gene holds back and says nothing. Gene simply cannot handle the fact that Finny is so compassionate, so athletic, so ingenuitive, so perfect. As he put it, "Phineas could get away with anything." (p. 18) In order to protect himself from accepting Finny's compassion and risking emotional suffering, Gene creates a silent rivalry with Finny, and convinced himself that Finny is deliberately attempting to ruin his schoolwork. Gene decides he and Finny are jealous of each other, and reduces their friendship to cold trickery and hostility. Gene becomes disgusted with himself after weeks of the silent rivalry. He finally discovers the truth, that Finny only wants the best for Gene, and had no hidden evil intentions. This creates a conflict for Gene as he is not able to deal with Finny's purity and his own dark emotions. On this very day Finny wants to jump off of the tree branch into the Devon river at the same time as Gene, a "double jump" (p. 51), he says, as a way of bonding. It was this decision, caused by Finny's affection for Gene and outgoing ways that resulted in drastic change for the rest

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall... Which is the Scariest of Them All?

2001-05-21T14:00:00-04:00

“In children you should never let such angry passions rise; their little hands were never made to tear each other’s eyes.” ~ Isaac Watts The fairytale is often an entertaining story of miraculous and supernatural happenings. Its purpose is to galvanize the depths of our minds in such a way as to make us a part of the landscape, bound only by the limits of our own imaginations. However, it is this very ‘free-for-all’ fantasy land that poses a very real threat to its intended audience – children. Both traditional and contemporary fairytales experienced by children can have harmful effects on a child’s psyche. This is especially true when children are exposed to these fairytales during the early stages of psychological development. When do we most often expose children to the fairytale? More likely than not, we use the tales to ‘comfort’ our children, perhaps to calm them down, in the form of bedtime stories. But, have you ever really thought about the messages we give to a child through the words of these fairytales? ‘Snow White’ advocates divorce and black magic. There’s justified homicide and cannibalism in ‘Hansel & Gretel’, mass murder in ‘Blue Beard’, as well as betrayal and pre-meditated murder in the ‘Lion King’. Is it any wonder, then, that the child comes running or sits screaming and crying because he’s afraid to be baked in the oven - or maybe he feared that since Cruella DeVille is so persistent to skin those little puppies, that she might be apt to do the same to little boys! We try to reassure them that it was just a fairytale – that it was just make-believe. But how can we expect a child to take our word that it’s not real? Especially since we constantly portray ourselves as hypocrites when we threaten that we will “get the boogie man after you if you don’t eat all of your peas, young man!” Since the early 19th century, many fairytales have been the center of stark criticism causing heated discussion among the world’s leading personalities of the time. Each having opposing views, Dr. Karl Oppel, a German psychologist, and Dr. Bruno Bettelheim, a child psychologist from the United States, were two of the most voiced fairytale experts. Though theses two men were three generations from each other, Dr. Bettelheim drew most of his protests from Dr. Oppel’s most publicized findings and opinions in a

Ender's Game and Out of the Silent Planet Essay

2001-05-21T14:00:00-04:00

In both novels, the characters represent certain kinds of individuals in today's society. They encounterjealousy, as well as many other conflicts within themselves, and human nature. Ultimately, these two novels deliver the inner conflicts of our society. Both, Ender's Game and Out of the Silent Planet are related in terms of the class structures of society, the qualities of the characters, and both characters' struggles with others in the stories. In Ender's Game class structure is strictly military based. The classes are comprised of Citizens, who are just common people, making up the basic population, but are separate from the other classes. "Thirds" are children who were allowed to be born. In this futuristic setting the novel takes place in. Families were only allowed to comprise of two children. However, in Ender Wiggen's case, the government believed that he was the missing link, the great commander who would lead Earth to victory against the dreaded "Buggers". Which Ender does achieve. Thirds, however, were shunned, picked on, and often left out because they were sought to be social out casts. "Launchies" were the newcomers to the Battle School. They were always about six years old, and were often the lackeys of the older children soldiers. Next came the platoon's. platoon's were the main fighting group, which was just the basic soldier, they had little respect from others as well as themselves. Platoon leaders however, were the more desired positions at the Battle School. They were the best of the soldiers, and were veterans. Chosen over a period of time, and flight reviewing were the Army Leaders. Each Army Leader was expected to act a certain way, hardened and wise, as well as strict. Those, who made it to Army Leader often graduated, and went to war against the Buggers. Above these classes were the political castes. They were often corrupt and misled individuals, who often made many important decisions. At others' expense they followed through with their decisions, such as with taking Ender away from his family to train in the military. Orson Scott Card is quoted saying about the government that "the followers are ignorant and stupid and easily fooled, and the leaders are exploitative and cynical, manipulating others' faith for their private benefit."(Card, pg. 2) Which the government in his novel was often portrayed doing to the general public. One instance of this was, when Ender was attacked by Bonzo and a

Animal Farm

2001-05-20T14:00:00-04:00

Animal Farm was written by George Orwell and published in 1946. This story is about the Manor Farm in England, around the time of the Russian revolution. The animals on this farm started their own revolution because they were so irritated with the way they were being treated. At the beginning of the story, the Old Major calls a meeting in the barn and speaks about Rebellion and Animalism. Shortly after that the Old Major died’s and then the rebellion starts to take place. Mr. Jones is like a bad guy to the Animals. Napoleon to is also another major villain. But after Jones is gone, all of his tools are burned, and now its time for the animals to take a look around the farmhouse. The name Manor Farm is changed to Animal Farm and the Seven Commandments are established. They then start to begin the hay harvest. During the hay harvest Boxer says, “I will work harder” as his personal motto. The harvest turned out to be a success. At this point the pigs are now beginning to abuse their power. Pretty soon the pigeons are sent to spread the word of the rebellion to other animals. And Mr. Jones tries to recapture the farm in the Battle of the Cowshed. Mr. Jones was unable to defeat the animals, therefore the animals got a boost of confidence. Now at this point Mollie runs away and Snowball begins his plans for a windmill. When Snowball’s plans are finished, Napoleon’s dog’s start to chase him off the farm. The farm just lost the best leader they could have had. They loose their chance to give input on what direction the farm should go, and Napoleon begings blaming Snowball for all the things that he did not do. Now Napoleon sets the animals to work on Sundays again and acquires Mr. Whymper as the farm’s broker. Napoleon starts to sell some of the farm’s produce. And the pigs start sleeping one hour later, and in beds. Then the windmill gets blown over and Snowball gets the blame. At this point the pigs still continue to abuse the power and stealing from the other animals. Napoleon stops making appearances to the other animals and makes a deal with Mr. Whymper to sell 400 eggs a week. Napoleon also gets some animals to confess of wrong doings and then “makes examples of them,”

Gatsby - Murdered by His own Money

2001-05-20T14:00:00-04:00

In this day and age, money is a very important asset to have. One needs to have at least enough to live on, though great amounts are preferable. In The Great Gatsby, by Thomas F. Fitzgerald, having a large amount of money is not enough. It is also the way you acquire the money that matters. Gatsby and Tom both have a lot of money yet Daisey picks one over the other, not because of the difference in the amount they have, but because of the manner in which it is attained. To the main characters in the book, money is everything. Tom, Gatsby, and Daisey are all consumed by money and its prestige. Gatsby uses his money as a tool to lure Daisey back into his life by giving her a tour of his possessions inside and outside his house. Because Daisey seems to fall in love with Gatsby again, it shows that she was not really in love with Tom, it was his “old” money that she is truly in love with. Money is important to Tom and Daisey because it makes them feel superior to those who have less. All of these characters have been corrupted by their greed but the one person that has not is Nick, Daisey’s cousin. He is nice enough to help Gatsby with Daisey out of friendship, not for his money. In the book, money symbolizes a social evil as it destroys lives of people corrupted by wealth. In the first chapter, Fitzgerald treats money as if it was a cookie cutter for social classes and tells how wealth divides the society into different groups. For instance, East Eggers have “inherited money” whereas West Eggers have newly acquired money. Tom is an example of an East Egger who has “prestigiously” inherited quite a lot of “old” money. Gatsby is a West Egger who by boot legging, swindling and doing favors for others, has acquired “new” money. The difference between social and economic classes is best demonstrated by the comparison between Tom and Gatsby. Tom was born an East Egger, which was something that Gatsby could never achieve. No matter what he did, he would always be a West Egger. Although Gatsby could have been an economic equal to Tom, he would never be a social equal. Gatby's downfall was thinking that if he became a rich man, Daisey would love him. Daisey did not ever

Antigone - Pride and Conflict of Law

2001-05-18T14:00:00-04:00

Sophocles’ Antigone, in its later phases is no longer about the conflict of law; It is about stubbornness and self will, about the sin of refusing to listen; about a man who has never been told. Conflict of law, presents the initial disturbance within Thebes. Creon, King of Thebes, refuses to bury the body of Polynices, for in his eyes Polynices is ‘his country’s enemy’ Antigone pg.131. Thus, despite breaking the laws of the gods, Creon holds his power higher than that of God and heavens and enforces his law. As the story follows, Sophocles expands on the ignorance presented by Creon and Antigone, and it is also found that it is impossible to defeat an ignorant man, or woman in argument. It is this ignorance, that establishes the notion of the sin and punishment that both Creon and Antigone face due to their stubbornness and self will. Antigone holds her love of family, and respect to the dead, elevated beyond the laws of Creon, whom she believes, has no righteous justification to close his eyes to the honor of the deceased. In her determination to fulfill Polynices’ rights, she runs directly into Creon’s attempts to re-establish order. This leads to encounters of severe conflict between the dissimilarities of the two, creating a situation whereby both Creon and Antigone expose their stubbornness and self will. It is Antigone’s morals, which drive her to betray the laws of man, in order to honor the laws of God. Knowing and comprehending the consequences of defying Creon’s ruling do not restrain the intensity of Antigone’s self will, yet it feeds her hunger to achieve her principles. Losing sight of her future, Antigone allows her stubbornness to consume her life, taking with it, the prospect of marriage, motherhood and friendship. As the story continues, we find that Antigone focuses more on the need to establish her human ethics in spite of Creon, rather than proving the incorrectness of man defying god’s laws. Following the unlawful burial of Polynices, Antigone openly admits to Creon the knowledge of the following punishment by carrying out such a defying act. “I knew it naturally, It was plain enough.” Antigone pg.138. With the intention of gratifying the laws of the gods, Antigone holds neither guilt nor regret as she feels that she has brought justice to the eternal rest of her brother. Antigone rejects her life in a deeply heroic yet tragic

Heart of Darkness

2001-05-17T14:00:00-04:00

1. Does Conrad really "otherize," or impose racist ideology upon, the Africans in Heart of Darkness, or does Achebe merely see Conrad from the point of view of an African? Is it merely a matter of view point, or does there exist greater underlying meaning in the definition of racism? 2. How does Achebe's personal history and the context in which he wrote "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" reflect the manner in which he views Conrad's idea of racism in the novel? 3. Taking into account Achebe's assumptions and analysis of racism in Heart of Darkness, how does this change Conrad's novel as a literary work, if it does at all? The literal heart of darkness in Conrad's novel Heart of Darkness does not merely incorporate the Belgian Congo, the African savages, the journey to the innermost soul, and England as the corruptor in its attempted colonization of the African people for selfish and commercial purposes. In "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness ," Achebe accuses Conrad of racism as the essential "heart of darkness." Heart of Darkness projects the image of Africa as 'the other world,' the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where man's vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality...it is not the differentness that worries Conrad but the lurking hint of kinship, of common ancestry. For the Thames too 'has been one of the dark places of the earth.' It conquered its darkness, of course, and is now in daylight and at peace. But if it were to visit its primordial relative, the Congo, it would run the terrible risk of hearing grotesque echoes of its own forgotten darkness, and falling victim to an avenging recrudescence of the mindless frenzy of the first beginnings. (4) One might contend that this attitude toward the African in Heart of Darkness does not belong to Conrad, but rather to Marlow, and that far from endorsing it "Conrad might indeed be holding it up to irony and criticism." (9) According to Achebe "Conrad appears to go to considerable pains to set up layers of insulation between himself and the moral universe of his story." (9) For example, Conrad has a narrator behind a narrator -- he gives us Marlow's account through the filter of a second person. Achebe thus elucidates how "Conrad seems...to approve of Marlow,

Heart of Darkness Response Assignment

2001-05-17T14:00:00-04:00

“They were dying slowly-it was clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now, nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confused in the greenish gloom”. (page 14 para. 3, line 1). The quote is coming from Marlow, upon arriving at the outer station, and first witnessing the devastation the Belgians have caused the native peoples. He is speaking about the black men, who have been enslaved, dying all around him. He can see the work they are being made to do, and finds it a great horror, similar, perhaps, to what hell must be like. This quote also shows Marlow’s first recognition to an epiphany, he will later realize, as imperialism. He says clearly, these men can not be viewed as criminals, for the only function they seemed to be carrying out was dying, and die they did, in great numbers, and at the hands of the “enlightened” Europeans. I believe his conscience was getting the better of him, first seeing the death, disease, starvation, and chaos all around, allusions of a modern day genocide, which righteous people can not stand to watch, but are helpless to do anything about it. Descriptions of Africans dying, or more precisely, being killed, are common stories surrounding imperialism. Heart of Darkness, finely details the worst kind of African imperialism, the Belgian kind. Millions of people, in what today is called the Congo, were forcefully enslaved, and then made to gather ivory tusks, and rubber plants, all the time being treated as animals, for the sole purpose of lining the pockets of the Belgian monarchy. These scenes shock the more caring, and kind hearted reader, in today’s world, and leave questions swirling in the mind about how atrocities, similar to the ones described in Heart of Darkness, could have been carried out, by a supposed more enlightened society. Surprisingly enough, European imperialists do not hold the sole rights to death and destruction. In fact, simply by reading a history book of the last 2000 years, the reader may come to the conclusion that imperialism was a natural part of empire expansion. Just look at the Egyptians, the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Huns, the Moslems, the Christians, and finally the British. What did they all have in common, first they all conquered territory, and usually to do this they needed to kill indigenous people, so that

Symbolism of the American Dream: An analysis of the role it plays in the nove

2001-05-15T14:00:00-04:00

In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, all the characters are, in one way or another, attempting to achieve a state of happiness in their lives. The main characters are divided into two groups: the rich upper class and the poorer lower class, which struggles to attain a higher position. Though the major players seek only to change their lives for the better, the American Dream is inevitably crushed beneath the harsh reality of life, leaving their lives without meaning or purpose. Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich socialite couple, seem to have everything they could possibly desire; however, though their lives are full of material possessions and worldly goods, they are unsatisfied and seek to change. Tom, the arrogant ex-football player, drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) in order to have something to talk about. Though he appears happily married to Daisy, Tom has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and keeps an apartment with her in New York. Tom's basic nature of unrest prevents him from being satisfied with the life he leads, and so he creates another life for himself with Myrtle. Daisy Buchanan is an empty character, someone with hardly any convictions or desires. Even before her loyalty to either Tom or Gatsby is called into question, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself and her friend Jordan. She knows that Tom has a mistress on the side, yet she doesn’t leave him even when she learns of Gatsby's love for her. Daisy makes her love to Gatsby apparent, yet cannot bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except when Gatsby forces her too. Even then, once Tom begs her to stay, even then Daisy ultimately leaves Gatsby for a life of comfort and security. The Buchanans are the ultimate examples of wealth and prosperity, and the American Dream. Yet their lives are empty, unfulfilled, and without purpose. Though Myrtle Wilson makes an attempt to escape her own class and pursue happiness with the richer set, her efforts ultimately produce no results and she dies. She is basically a victim of the group she wanted to join. Myrtle tries to join Tom's class by entering into an affair with him and taking on his way of living, but in doing so

Pride and Prejudice

2001-05-15T14:00:00-04:00

Overcoming Pride and Prejudice through Maturity and Self- Understanding Jane Austen, born in Steventon, England, in 1775, began to write the original manuscript of Pride and Prejudice, entitled First Impressions, which was completed by 1797, but was rejected for publication. The work was rewritten around 1812 and published in 1813 as Pride and Prejudice. During Austen’s career, Romanticism reached its zenith of acceptance and influence, while Pride and Prejudice displays little evidence on the Romantic movement, it also reveals no awareness of the international upheavals and consequent turmoil in England that took place during Austen’s lifetime. The society of Jane Austen’s era is a stratified one, in which class divisions are rooted in family connections and wealth. Austen is often critical of the assumptions and prejudices of upper- class England and her novels distinguish between internal merit and rank or possessions. The central concern of this “comedy of manners” is Mrs. Bennet's dogged efforts to find suitable husbands for her daughters. The amiable Jane and the gentle Bingley are almost drawn to each other. In contrast, the arrogant, insolent, conceited Mr. Darcy and the spontaneous, high- spirited, vivacious Elizabeth have several encounters of a battle of wits throughout the novel. Austen studies social relationships in the limited society of a country neighborhood and investigates them in detail with an often ironic and humorous eye. The significance of the title helps determine the actions of the two main characters and thereby the course of the plot. “Pride” is an unrealistic exaggeration of one’s importance. Prejudice prevents people from judging others according to their real merits. Both pride and prejudice are moral distortions and prevent the individual from seeing things as they really are. Marked by an elegant structure, and sharp satire, Pride and Prejudice encompasses the primary theme that maturity is achieved through the loss of illusion, particularly pertaining to the relationships between the witty yet prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet and the cultured yet prideful Fitzwilliam Darcy. Throughout the novel, Austen satirizes the manners of all classes, exposing people who have excessive pride as rude and often foolish, regardless of wealth or station. While the terms of pride and prejudice pertain particularly to Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth, there are other characters as well that portray these traits as well. Austen uses Mr. Collins as an extreme example of how excessive pride can affect one’s manner. In Mr. Collin’s case, he prides himself

Oedipus the King and Ghosts - The Effects of Parent's Sins upon their Children

2001-05-13T14:00:00-04:00

Sophocles' play Oedipus the King was written for a Greek audience as a religious right and lesson around two thousand years ago, while Ibsen's play Ghosts was written as a criticism of the Norwegian society during the 1890's. Although these plays were written for very different reasons and under different circumstances, the universal theme connecting them is mankind's liability to sin because the results affect a greater whole. One of the more specific themes of these plays is the negative effect that parents' sins have upon the generations to follow. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is born the son of Laius and Jocasta, the king and queen of Thebes. However, when they hear Apollo's prophecy (that Oedipus will kill his father and sleep with his mother) they decide to destroy Oedipus. Apollo's prophecy made Oedipus an unwanted child. In this case, the parents' transgression of the law was that they attempted to defy the gods by evading Apollo's prophecy. Later Jocasta states that "no skill in the world, nothing human, can penetrate the future" (Sophocles 201). Oedipus, as a later response to her statement says, "…all those prophecies I feared - Polybus packs them off to sleep with him in hell! They're nothing, worthless" (Sophocles 214). In this way, Oedipus and Jocasta quit believing in the prophecies altogether. In Ghosts, Regine is the result of an affair that Captain Alving had with the housemaid, Johanna. Since Regine is a child born out of wedlock, she is unwanted by Captain Alving because she is the result of his sin, and if anyone were to discover her true origins it could destroy the respect that society has for him. She is also unwanted by Mrs. Alving because Regine is the only inextinguishable proof of Captain Alving's debauchery. If she did not exist it would be easier for Mrs. Alving to hide her husband's secret. Another set of sins that parents commit in both plays is hiding the true origins of their children. For example, Oedipus' origins are hidden from him not only by Jocasta, but also by Polybus and Merope, the king and queen of Corinth. Polybus and Merope take in Oedipus after Laius and Jocasta thought that he was dead. Unfortunately, the rulers of Corinth never reveal to Oedipus that he is not their biological child. The results prove to be disastrous. When Oedipus was informed of Apollo's prophecy he fled from Corinth,

Meno - Virtue

2001-05-13T14:00:00-04:00

"If that area is such that when one has applied it as a rectangle to the given straight line in the circle it is deficient by a figure similar to the very figure which is applied, then I think one alternative results, whereas another results if it is impossible for this to happen." Although today's society includes much technology and new things are supposedly being discovered every day, many age old questions still remain unanswered; questions such as: "Can virtue be taught?" This question is examined in detail throughout Plato's Meno, and although the play leaves the question as to what virtue is unanswered, Socrates attempts an answer to Meno's question. Although he is not particularly keen on answering whether virtue can be taught without first having a complete understanding of what virtue is, he attempts to please Meno by solving this in the way that geometers conduct their investigations, through a hypothesis. Socrates states that if indeed virtue can be taught then one thing will happen, and if it cannot a different thing will happen. In the end of the play, the conclusion is reached that virtue is a gift from the gods. Now the question must be asked: how was this conclusion reached in relationship to Socrates' previous hypothesis? It is thought by Meno that men cannot be taught anything but knowledge, therefore, virtue must be a kind of knowledge in order to be taught. This corresponds with the hypothesis because the conclusion can be reached that, if virtue is knowledge then it can be taught, but if it is not knowledge then it is impossible to teach. However, this leads to a new question that must be answered before a conclusion can be reached: is virtue knowledge? It is later stated that, if knowledge includes all aspects of reality, virtue would then be knowledge. On the other hand, if virtue is good, and there is anything good that is not encompassed in knowledge, then virtue could not be knowledge. In order to decide if virtue is knowledge, this example is given: the good are not so by nature, and they therefore must have been taught to be so, and since virtue is something good, there is the possibility that it can also be taught. The problem with this is the fact that the possibility remains that people who are virtuous are so by nature, and if virtue was is

Meno - Shape

2001-05-13T14:00:00-04:00

"Shape is that which alone of existing things always follows color." "A shape is that which limits a solid; in a word, a shape is the limit of a solid." In the play Meno, written by Plato, there is a point in which Meno asks that Socrates give a definition of shape. In the end of it, Socrates is forced to give two separate definitions, for Meno considers the first to be foolish. As the two definitions are read and compared, one is forced to wonder which, if either of the two, is true, and if neither of them are true, which one has the most logic. When comparing the first definition of shape: "that which alone of existing things always follows color," to the second definition: "the limit of a solid", it can be seen that the difference in meaning between the two is great. Not only in the sense that the first is stated simply and can be defended easily, while the later is more difficult to comprehend and back up; but also in the sense that the second would have to involve the defiance of mathematical theories and/or proofs in order to stand true, while the first does not. It should also be noted that in the first definition, the word "a" is never mentioned. Socrates is not making a statement about "a shape" or "a color", but about shape and color themselves. In the definition given to please Meno, Socrates' words are "a shape" and "a solid". It can be taken from earlier discussions in the play that the second definition is simply a definition of a shape, rather than a definition of shape in and of itself. In the simple sentence that Socrates originally gives to Meno, he has not given then definition of a shape, rather he has given the definition of the term shape. For example, if a person was asked what a triangle is, the response would most likely be that it is a shape, but shape would never be defined as shape itself. It is simply an object that falls under the category of shape. Therefore, in one sentence, Socrates has put a definition to shape, for without color there can be no shape, there could not even be a shape to fall under the category that would have once been known as "shape". None of the examples that Socrates and Meno discussed could

Beowulf - Changes in People

2001-05-13T14:00:00-04:00

The tale of Beowulf is one of constant transformation. Great warriors and leaders are turned into cowering peons. Faithful Christians convert to devil worship. Devout followers flee at the sight of trouble. Many people’s morals change quickly and drastically at the sight of change. Personal turmoil abounds with changing values brought about by changing times. People can remain content as long as nothing challenges them, however at the mere sight of change personal chaos abounds. One case of how change causes people to forsake their values happens when Grendal makes his first appearance at Herot. “Then Hrothgar, taking the throne, led/ The Danes to such glory that comrades and kinsmen/ Swore by his sword, and young men swelled.” (64-67) Hrothgar was a mighty leader of the Danes, but at the sight of a different foe, a change, Hrothgar turned tail and ran. He did not once try to face Grendal (although his attempt would have been insignificant), but would rather let his people live in terror. The Hrothgar describe before the arrival of Grendal was a completely different person, mentally, than the Hrothgar that was terrorized by the monster. He knew only one type of enemy, humans, and once that changed he lost all his leadership power. A true man of values would have kept them no matter what change takes place. Fate does not play a role in Hrothgar’s actions. He is caught up in pride about all his achievements that makes him vulnerable to being caught by change. He becomes too comfortable in his station that he narrows his comfort zone to such a level that any amount of change will throw his off tremendously. Everything that happens is by his own doings. Hrothgar is a perfect example of how people cannot mentally fight evil. Without the constant attack of evil, one will not be able to deal with it when it comes up. Beowulf is constantly battling evil, which makes him more able to battle it when it is encountered. Hrothgar was not exposed to evil, so when it reared its ugly head his only reaction was to flee. If someone lives in a perfect society and leaves, they will not be able to deal with the evil they find because they have never had to deal with it before. Good cannot combat evil if it has never known evil. The only way to resolve Hrothgar’s situation is to bring

Merchant of Venice - Modern Humanitarianism

2001-05-11T14:00:00-04:00

“Modern Humanitarianism has run riot on Shylock.” Discuss. “The Merchant of Venice” is concerned with two issues that were of importance in the Elizabethan Age: Jewry and Usury. It is generally assumed that the Elizabethan attitude to Jewry was hostile and that the execution of Roderigo Lopez in 1594 was characteristic of the Christian rejection of all ‘Jews, Turks, Infidels and Heretics’, who were considered to be “misbelievers”. But this could also be a false assumption, for although the Jews were forced to convert to Christianity to live in England, once they did they were generally left alone. Marlowe in “The Jew of Malta” portrays a Machiavellian Jew, but one who is ‘rarely mean’ in his villainy. Usury was a contemporary and important issue during Shakespeare’s time. Shylock is the negative and stereotype picture of the usurer that most of the Elizabethans had- one who was seen as a ‘greedy dog’, ‘a leech’. The interpretation of Shylock’s character is difficult and also to some extent ambiguous. He was earlier portrayed as a comic character but later on could be interpreted as a malevolent villain. But if Shylock is taken as a comic character the whole power of the play is lost. He would almost become a ridiculous villain. It could also be that Shakespeare created Shylock as a match for Marlowe’s Jew- one that was terrible, imposing but also human. Shylock is one of the main characters of the play but this also depends on the way that his character is played. He has mostly been portrayed as a comic character but when he is the tragic protagonist he ‘usurps the center of the stage.’ Shylock “represents the killjoy against whom the pleasure-loving characters unite.” He represents a “a-social miserliness” and thus his villainy is somewhat mitigated and brought within the scope of humanist debate. Shylock exists as a visible complication to the smooth running of Bassanio’s friendship with Antonio and his courtship of Portia. One can almost say that is the character that makes the plot possible. As John Palmer has said, Shylock is “An imaginative realization of what it means to wear the Star of David.” Shylock is a Jew in a Gentile Society, an alien who is never accepted. He is proud of his race, his religion but he is up against a Venetian society that is insufferable to the outsider. Even his daughter attacks all that he holds

Merchant of Venice - Plot Structure

2001-05-11T14:00:00-04:00

Show how the plot of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is apparently fanciful but in reality exactingly structured. “The Merchant of Venice is a fairy tale. There is no more reality in Shylock’s bond and the Lord of Belmont’s will than in Jack and the Beanstalk.” H. Granville-Barker, in Prefaces to Shakespeare. This is one way of looking at the play, reading it or enjoying the performance. But it can be a contradiction to our actual feelings about this complex play. ‘The Merchant of Venice’ might appear to be a romantic tale without much logic but that would be a superficial interpretation. Portia’s father may have raised our concerns in taking away her freedom to choose her beloved; Shylock’s bond and those conditions may violate most legal codes; but the way the play moves takes one beyond these doubts and objections. In ‘The Merchant of Venice’ Shakespeare creates an interesting contrast between the mercantile and tumultuous city of Venice and the peaceful and gracious world of Belmont. The striking difference between these two settings helps to capture and maintain our attention. There are differences in the value of systems of the people belonging to the two different cities. The contrast between Venice and Belmont is that one place is where money is made and the other where it is spent. One is characterised by light and sunshine and the other by moonlight and music. Wealth is described in almost sensuous terms like when Salerio says “…touching but my gentle vessel’s side…Enrobe the roaring waters with my silks.” And in an ironic way later love is talked about in commercial terms. Another contrast is presented when the scenes shift from Venice to Belmont. When we hear of Shylock’s hatred and his terms of the bond, our anxiety builds. But then the play moves on to Belmont and the mood shifts from a sort of harshness and tension to a world of romance and graciousness. The most striking contrast is between the court room scene in Act IV and the opening scene of Act V which takes place on a starlit, romantic night in Belmont. Venice could also be a sort of “a disguise” for London. Venice is “poised between Christians” on one hand whose acquisitive practices do not match up with their protestations against usury and Jews on the other whose dealings rest on the “double pillars of expediency and Levitical Law” Shylock’s attitude to money

The Merchant of Venice as a Romantic Comedy - Critical Analysis

2001-05-11T14:00:00-04:00

We can trace the origin of Comedy to Dionysis- the Greek God of Wine who was hilarious, satirical and irreverent in spirit. Ben Jonson in ‘Volpone’ (1605) that is considered to be the greatest comedy in English epitomized the classical spirit of comedy. Shakespeare was aware of the classical tradition by the chose to follow the Roman tradition of Petrarch and Boccacio. Shakespeare’s early comedies were classical in spirit but the later ones were more emotional, fanciful and humorous. ‘The Merchant of Venice’ falls between there two categories. It leads the list of mature comedies; has more Romantic characteristics than classical. It is also one of the earliest productions of the middle period. In this play Shakespeare seems to have obtained the highest use of his powers as a playwright, his faculties as a poet and philosopher seem to be approaching their grand maturity without losing the ardor and hopefulness of youth. There is loftiness of thought and expression. Romance was an old tradition and Romantic ideas were common during Shakespeare’s time. Romantic Comedy in the 16th C was meant for the Aristocracy and the comic relief in the plays was meant for the groundlings. There were many differences between the Romantic Comedies and classical comedies. In the classical tradition, the characters were presented with ruthless force and the plays were realistic, spiritual and critical. But in Romantic comedies that Shakespeare wrote there was plenty of with but there was also an appeal to the emotions rather than the intellect and they were also less critical in purpose. Like Meredith said, they are “thunders of laughter clearing the air and heart.” It is a comedy of emotions, which wins the audience’s sympathy with the woes and exhalations of the characters. The various characteristics of Romantic comedies are present in ‘The Merchant of Venice’. The leading themes of most of these plays were Love and Friendship. These comedies were an exposition of Love and its manifold modifications. And on one level ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is also a play about friendship and love. In the first scene itself Antonio displays the nature of love and friendship that he feels for Bassanio, “My purse, my person, my extremest means Lie all unlocked to your occasions.” The love of friendship seems to dictate most of Antonio’s actions. He signs the Flesh Bond and it can be seen as the ultimate gesture that he can make for

Shakespeare’s Sonnets: the theme of love

2001-05-11T14:00:00-04:00

Shakespeare’s poems are the monument of a remarkable genius but they are also the monuments of a remarkable age. The greatness of Shakespeare’s achievement was largely made possible by the work of his immediate predecessors, Sidney and Spenser. Shakespeare’s sonnets are intensely personal and are records of his hopes and fears, love and friendships, infatuations and disillusions that in turn acquire a universal quality through their intensity. The vogue of the sonnet in the Elizabethan age was brief but was very intense. Sir Thomas Wyatt and The Earl of Surrey brought the Petrarchan sonnet to England and with that an admiration for lyrical poetry. This had major consequences on English verse; it was not only due to the beauty of the form of the sonnet but also because the Sonnet had become the vehicle of expression of one’s personal feelings. It was with the sonnet that Lyricism entered English Poetry. The Elizabethan sonnets show the mingling of the conventional with the original. There was a greater influence of Italy and France on the English sonnet form but in the hands of the three great masters Sidney, Spenser and Shakespeare it took a unique form. The sonnets had marks of sincerity that were in direct relation to life and their authors. In the Elizabethan Age there were dramatic authors who wrote verse as secondary to their plays and the songs or the lyric were the best in these collections. The songs of this period had the blending of the genius of the people and the artistic sense awakened by humanism. England became the impassioned lover of songs. Most were love-songs, some very free and profane but there were religious songs as well and many were purely fantastic. But Shakespeare’s songs were the most original and spontaneous and they were rich in their impression of Nature. They contained a sort of fresh and rustic realism. Like in ‘Winter’s Tale’ the image of “when daffodils begin to peer” and the white sheet is “bleaching on the hedge.” And also the purely fantastic songs, which borrow from Nature as in ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’, banishing the “spotted snakes with double tongue.” Shakespeare’s sonnets cannot be classified. They are embedded in a scene and lose their special beauty and subtlety when taken out of context. The majority of Shakespeare’s poems were written in the early stage of his career. The narrative poems ‘Venus and Adonis’ (1593) and ‘The Rape of Lucrece’

Brave New World - society and socio-economic class

2001-05-11T14:00:00-04:00

Discuss how the society in Brave New World works to ensure that people do not change their socio-economic class. Through Brave New World, Huxley depicts a new, industrialized world, which is financially stable and has prevented poverty and self-destruction. Dictatorial governments are there to ensure stability and maintain perfection of the world. Therefore, just like under any other totalitarian government, social, mental and economic freedoms are abolished in order to retain social stability. The government eliminated these freedoms by censoring art and religion, by predestining peoples’ social caste prior their birth, and by controlling each individual’s life with the introduction of conditioning. At the beginning of the novel, the Director addresses his students and mentions, “ We also predestine and condition. We decant our babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future Directors of Hatcheries,” (p. 29). Citizens of the World State are categorized into distinct social classes, before they come into existence. Mr. Foster explains, “The lower the caste, the shorter the oxygen,” and this shows how chemical conditioning of the embryos presets the mentality and physical features of individuals towards a certain standard specified by the government. (p. 29) In an autocratic society whose aim is to maintain perfection, people no longer have the right to choose who or what they want to be. The government engineers babies to grow into efficient adults, who will then again contribute towards a stabilized society. After birth babies’ minds are altered to accept the moral education of the government. Two processes the new world uses to control human judgement are the Neo-Pavlovian process and hypnopaedia. The children, during early childhood, are trained to like and dislike certain aspects of life, nature, and science so that they can consume the maximum resources. Beta babies receive electric shocks in the presence of flowers and books and then the Director teaches how, “ They’ll grow up with what the psychologists … call an ‘instinctive’ hatred of books and flowers … they’ll be safe from books and botany all their lives," (p. 36). The conditioning of the children forms a barrier in their minds, so that they are never free to decide for themselves, but are always bounded by the instructions of the state. Thus, the government is achieving its goal, the maintenance of stability. The Alpha students also got a chance to hear one of the hypnopaedic repetitions addressing Beta

Brave New World - Happiness

2001-05-11T14:00:00-04:00

With reference to the text, discuss Mustafa Mond’s statement: “ The secret to happiness is liking what you have to do.” Mustafa Mond is presented to us as one of the Ten World Controllers in Brave New World, of that Utopian, communal and stabilized world, set six hundred years into future. This new world that contradicts the world we live in today, eliminated the Freedoms that we depend on: the freedom of choice, the freedom of thought, religion and being. They have chosen to condition their individuals in baby factories in order to ensure identity, community and stability. The fundamental tenet behind the conditioning is utilitarianism, which describes a society that seeks to create maximum happiness. Those who are happy are thought to be efficient and beneficial to society. Mond’s statement: “The secret to happiness is liking what you have to do,” applies to his ‘conditioned’ world, with abolished Freedoms, but it does not apply to the world we live in today. Huxley shows how "identity" is established in the Conditioning Centre through the selection of the embryos into each of five groups. All the individuals in Brave New World have their identity predestined by someone else. This promotes stability by creating a group of workers whose preferences are moulded by the state. I cannot concur with this idea of ‘puppet creation’ where people can be depicted as puppets and the state can be said to be their puppet master who has a right to choose their character roles. In our society, this goes against the freedom of being and becoming someone you wish to be. Mr Foster addresses the students about Epsilons and mentions, “We condition them to thrive on heat,” (p. 31). This can explain why they are predestined to like warm temperatures and why they emigrate to tropics to become miners and steel workers and in that way benefit the society. I should mention that I do not agree with their idea that one should be conditioned to be happy with what they are doing or to perform the task correctly. In today’s society, one may notice that there are people who grew up near coalmines and without anyone forcing them to work, they still feel like they should dedicate themselves to a miner’s duty. They might have been born into a miner’s family and upon their own will, might decide to follow their family’s footsteps. One should realize

To Kill a Mockingbird

2001-05-09T14:00:00-04:00

How does Scout and Jem’s perception of Boo Radley change during the novel? How does Boo affect the lives of the Finch household in the novel? Boo Radley is the neighborhood mystery. The Radley place fascinated the children, because it was a popular subject of gossip and superstition in Maycomb. Arthur Radley had gotten into trouble with the law when he was a boy. Instead of being sent to the state industrial school, his father took custody of him within their house. He was not seen again for fifteen years. Many legends grew up about the Radley house and about what went on inside. Miss Stephanie Crawford, added to the stories - which included stories of crime, mutilation, curses and insanity. Dill was fascinated by these stories, and gave Scout and Jem the idea of making Boo Radley come out of seclusion. When Dill, always eager for a new adventure, dares Jem to run up to the house and touch the door. Jem thought things over for a few days. Finally, filled with fear, he accepted the dare. He ran up, touched the house, and ran back. As the three children stared at the old house, they thought they saw an inside shutter move. On the last night that Dill was in Maycomb they decided to go to the Radley place to take a peak in one of the windows. When they were there, they saw a shadow of a man pass, they ran and while they were running they were fired upon by a shotgun, Jem got his pants caught in the fence. He took them off and they ran back to the woods. About 10 minutes later the neighborhood was gathered outside the Radley place. The adults asked Jem, Scout, and Dill where they had been, Jem told them they were playing strip poker and that was how he had lost his pants. Later that night Jem made a run for his pants he found them neatly folded and sew on the fence. Scout and Jem start to find things in a tree right outside the Radley house, they find different trinkets such as a watch, a knife, and some figures that look like them. When they were walking by one day, Mr. Radley was putting cement in the tree’s hole, he said it was sick and that it needed to be filled. So that ended the gifts in

Silas Marner and Hard Times: Redemption

2001-05-08T14:00:00-04:00

The discussion will take place first in Silas Marner novel. It is taken to be first since it needs full concentration of the reader. Two characters are going to be in “redemption” and “re-generation”, in their concepts and beliefs in life. The main character of the novel, which the plot builds on, is “Silas Marner”. His penance is him living lonely and cut off from the world for 15 years, till he finds Eppie. Eppie, is like the fairy genie, which will be the cause of his “re-generation”. Silas’s redemption is evoked, when he takes Eppie the little child and raises her. By doing that, he was attaching him self to his passion, and re-gaining trust in kinship and emotions. The following quotation support the point mentioned: For Silas, ignorant and confused as he is, moves, even in his passion for gold, on a more intense and heroic emotional plane than the villagers… [Austen, Henry.226] The quotation mentioned earlier will be explained with more details. Silas love of money was replaced by Eppie’s love. It is only a symbol to the replacement of materialism and loss of faith to human kinship and trust in a new religion based on love, not religious myths and supernatural elements. Eppie is the message for Silas and the reader: The ‘message’ the child brings is the all-importance of natural human affections, and Silas is receptive because his affection has survived the fifteen years of isolation. [Carroll, David.197] It cannot be said that Silas is a villain character, or else he would not have changed. He was in loss, when the lot that should have announced him not guilty, gave an opposite answer. This incident happened in Lantern Yard; he was then a part of a religious group. He was accused of stealing the dead man, who he was looking after that night. Their custom is to draw lot, so that God show them the right answer. It came negative; he lost faith in man and God as a result to this incident. When he moves to live in Raveloe, he worships money. He stay lonely for fifteen years; it can be said that it is his penance for losing faith in human kind, and disbelieving in a righteous “mysterious Power”. The penance ends, and the “re-generation” start with Eppie’s appearance in his life. She makes him trust again humans, and trust a new believe in a new God he

Silas Marner - The Rural Life

2001-05-08T14:00:00-04:00

The life that could be lived in a village at 1861, which was so near of the time of the Industrial Revolution, is a simple life. People at that time were simple minded, and care most about their work. They do not understand much of their religion, as it is exemplified in the novel. We could see that when Mrs. Winthrop talks about that she does not understand much of what she hears or read on Sunday services, still she believes since her heart in relief to what it said. When Henry Austen analyses George Eliot description of the villagers he says: But at the same time that she continues to mock the loose habits and trivial minds of the villagers, George Eliot also begins to show them in more flattering light. [229] Based on Henry’s analyses, it is clear that Eliot view villagers as simple-minded people. They are as well superstitious thinking he’s some kind of a witch. That is why they do not accept Silas, when he first came. Add to it, he was different than them and acted strangely, and that he was an out sider to their rural community. His stolen money makes them sympathize with him, however. Then his foster to Eppie made them not be afraid of him and accept him as a member. Further inclinations to this aspect will be elaborated in the following: The community remains essentially the same, but the author now provides it with an opportunity to demonstrate its humanity, good will, and potential for genuine sociability, which serve to soften, if not erase, our awareness of its crudeness. [Austen, Henry. 230] Although this community is simple and full of superstitions, it is still warm hearted and full of love. It is shown of their reject first to Silas, and then their sympathy and acceptance to him. Not only that, but also to build a warm relationship with him as a neighbor, he is now “met with open smiling faces and cheerful questioning, as a person whose satisfactions and difficulties could be understood.”[Silas Marner. Ch.14] Works Cited:

Austen, Henry. A Qualified Redemption of Ordinary and Fallible Humanity. 1970. 225,229,230.

Carroll, David. Reversing the Oracles of Religion. 1967. 197,198,199.

Dickens, Charles. Hard Times: An Authority Text, Background, Sources, And Contemporary Reactions Criticism. NewYork: W.W. Norton & Company. 2,1990. Ch.1: 1, ch.7: 203, ch.8: 210 & 211, ch.9: 218.

Eliot, George. Silas Marner. London: Penguin Books. 1996. Ch.8: 66, ch.14:

The Crucilbe: John Proctor

2001-05-08T14:00:00-04:00

Often in true tests of moral character where people are tempted to deceive, be dishonest, or take advantage of each other, there are few who truly succeed. The story of The Crucible gives one of the strongest tests of morality, where the truly ethical are punished and those of low morale are free to live their lives. The Crucible very well represents that when a situation is life or death human decency crumbles rapidly. The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts where religion and corruption are rampant, and soon two girls fall ill unexplainably and it sparks ideas of evil and witchery in the town. This results in the citizens of the town pointing fingers at those who appear to have dealings with the devil, which inspires grave misfortune for many. Throughout The Crucible one character John Proctor remains remarkably honest, ethical, he fought for others, and what he stood for even when it meant his life. John Proctor’s truly good moral character and honest personality is first witnessed when he expresses some of his true feelings and affection towards his wife at their home. Two quotes that best represents John Proctor’ love and overall good feelings for his wife are “I mean to please you Elizabeth”(Arthur Miller, The Crucible (New York: Viking Penguin, 1976), p.50). After these words Proctor later goes on to say “I think you’re sad again. Are you?” (Miller, p.51). These two quotes best exemplify Proctor’s loving emotions toward his wife Elizabeth, at a time when most people kept their emotions to themselves Proctor is surprisingly open. When he asks his wife if she is saddened he shows his concern about his loved one’s feelings, and a feeling of Proctor’s true happiness with Elizabeth is suggested. Also Proctor does not say these words of love because of some superficial desire such as lust, or greed, but rather he expresses these words out of the true love he possesses for her. During John Proctor’s time many married men did not give their wives the appraisal that Proctor gives Elizabeth, as it was seen as something that did not need to be said because a husband provided so much for their spouse. John Proctor proves himself as a devoted and loving husband towards Elizabeth in great fashion, and is not afraid to show his true emotion for her. Not only does Proctor have strong feelings for his wife but also

The Cask of Amontillado

2001-05-08T14:00:00-04:00

Anything not taken in moderation can be damaging. In one of Edgar Allen Poe's best-known tales of horror, "The Cask of Amontillado," he suggests that pride can be a very dangerous thing, when one is overwhelmed with it. Through the use of foreshadowing, irony, and symbolism, Poe presents a horrific drama of two men. One who will stop at nothing to get the revenge that he deems himself and his family worthy of, and another who's pride will ultimately be the fall of his own death. Fortunato falls prey to Montressor's plans because he is so proud of his connoisseurship of wine, and it is for the sake of his own pride that Montressor takes revenge on Fortunato. Poe utilizes the theme of pride and many other literary techniques such as foreshadowing, revenge, and irony, in order to create a horrific and suspenseful masterpiece. In "The Cask of Amontillado," Poe utilizes foreshadowing in a most grim and dark way. First, when Fortunato says, "I shall not die of a cough" 1, Montressor replies, "True-true"2. Instead, Montressor knows that Fortunato will perish from his vengeful scheme of walling him up, and having him die of starvation and dehydration. Fortunato is a proud man and he does not think that his death with be due to something as petty as a cold. Rather, he believes that his life will end as a result of some courageous act and he will die a noble death. However, Montressor can only laugh at this thought because he knows Fortunato's death will be far from noble and his pride will be broken when he is caught in his trap. Another instance of foreshadowing comes with the trowel scene. At one point in their journey, Fortunato makes a movement that is a secret sign of the Masons, an exclusive, fraternity-like organization. Montressor does not recognize this hand signal, but claims that he is a "mason". When Fortunato asks for proof, Montressor shows him his trowel. Montressor implies here he is a stonemason and, that he will be building things out of stones and mortar such as Fortunato's grave. Irony is also used throughout this tale. The use of revenge in this story shows irony. Montressor avenges himself by fooling Fortunato into literally walking into his own grave. Fortunato pursues the "cask" which ends up being his own casket. Montressor even asks Fortunato repeatedly whether he would like

Is Oedipus The True Tragic Hero?

2001-05-07T14:00:00-04:00

In his Poetics, Aristotle defined the term ‘tragedy’ as ‘a man not preeminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is brought upon him not by vice or depravity, but by some error in judgement… the change in the hero’s fortune must not be from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery’. From this definition, he further expanded it by defining the profile of the Classical Greek tragic hero, basing it on what he considered the best tragedy ever written, Sophocle’s Oedipus Rex. He felt that a tragedy should comprise of the hero’s goodness and superiority, a tragic flaw in which the hero makes fatal errors in judgement which eventually lead to his downfall, a tragic realisation in which the main character understand how he has unwittingly helped to bring about his own destruction and the absence of freewill in the tragic hero’s life. Oedipus was a good ruler: just, compassionate and sympathetic. When the priests of Thebes approached him, pleading for help on behalf of the people of Thebes who were suffering from death and famine. Oedipus immediately agreed and promised them that he would do his best in solving the problems, saying that his heart bore ‘the weight of his own’ and ‘all of his people’s sorrows’. He promised to ‘bring everything to light’. Oedipus was also a filial son. When he first learnt about the prophecy in Corinth, he was unwilling to stay and left immediately, in case circumstances would ever lead him to kill the King and marry the Queen of Corinth, whom he had then thought of as his natural parents. Oedipus’ superiority was also evident in the play, not only through his ranking of the king of Thebes, which automatically placed him far above the nobles, priests and common people, but also through his intelligence. When the Sphinx ‘plagued’ the city by blocking the city gates and eating those who could not answer its riddle, which was "what is it that goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at midday, and three feet in the evening?" Oedipus was the only person able to chase the Sphinx away with the correct answer of ‘man’. This led to him becoming the king of Thebes which in turn led to his superiority of ranking. However, Oedipus was not a perfect man. His tragic flaw was that of stubbornness, impulsiveness and most of

Guilt Without Confession Leads to Great Consequences

2001-05-06T14:00:00-04:00

If a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it, did it make a sound? This saying brings me to my thesis of "Guilt Without Confession leads to Great Consequences in The Scarlet Letter". If a character does something wrong but no one knows, that character can both gain and lose from what they have done. This happens multiple times in The Scaret Letter. Characters commit evil deeds, some are caught, some are not. For those that aren't caught, they have a decision to make. To turn themselves in or to live their lives as if it never happened. For those that choose to live on as if it never happened they are faced with a tough road ahead. They have to deal with the guilt of what they've done. All the while, they must watch to see if anyone is on to them or suspects them of the crime they have commited. However they are rewarded. They get to live on as a regular member of society rather than be imprisoned or even worse, put to death. These are examples of characters who have commited crimes without confessing. Arthur Dimmesdale is a minister, a father, a sinner and a man who feels incredible guilt. He commits adultery with Hester before the book begins. As the book begins it is revealed he is the true father of Hester's child Pearl. Dimmesdale, afraid of losing his status and being humiliated , does not confess his crime. For this this he is rewarded and greatly punished. He is rewarded by keeping his status in the community. He continues to preach to his flock, for which he gains great acclaim. He is able to see Hester and Pearl whenever he wants. He is also free to leave anytime he wants. He has his freedom and his reputation. However, he also has something he doesn't want, his conscience. How unfortunate it is a person can get away from being caught for a crime. A crime that is punishable by death. Yet, he can't enjoy it. Most people would leave town, sorry for that they've done, but ecstatic they got away to start a new life. Not Dimmesdale, not Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. He beats himself up over it. Usually thats an analogy, but not this time. The rest of his life is a descent into madness brought on by constant

Social Justice - Measure for Measure, Animal Farm, American History X

2001-05-06T14:00:00-04:00

Social justice is a topic known all to well in today's society. Such issues as social heirarchial structure and unjust representatives of citizens of nations are issues in need of attention by those in power. Corruption, lies and greed by those in power however stand in the way of this form of justice from occurring, leaving many with little or no social status open to prejudice on race, religious and sexual grounds. Outlined by William Shakespeare in Measure for Measure and George Orwell in Animal Farm is the ease in which power can corrupt. A utopian society is created once a farmer is overthrown from his position in charge of all the animals on "Manor Farm". A set of rules to govern the citizens of the revolutionary society was decided upon and these were to be the fairest and least controversial rules for the citizens of "Animal Farm" to abide by:

"The Commandments were written on the tarred wall in great white letters that could be read thirty yards away. They ran thus: THE SEVEN COMMANDMENTS 1. Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy 2. Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a freind 3. No animal shall wear clothes 4. No animal shall sleep in a bed 5. No animal shall drink alcohol 6. No animal shall kill any other animal 7. All animals are equal. It was very neatly written, and except that "friend" was written "freind" and one of the "S's" was the wrong way round, the spelling was correct all the way through. Snowball read it aloud for the benefit of the others. All the animals nodded in complete agreement, and the cleverer ones at once began to learn the Commandments by heart."

As months passed on Animal Farm, the pigs, who thought they were the dominant force in the running of the animal farm, became more and more in control. Animal Farm, had now become the fairest it would ever be.

Word of what had happened to Manor Farm had spread across all of Ireland and England. Animals all over the country were following in their paths led by pigs Napoleon and Snowball. However, as this was happening, Animal Farm was heading to ruin as the pigs became selfish and ignorant. They would now consider themselves above the laws and commandments they had set, as they believed they had set the way for the new society. To a greater extent, leaders Snowball

As I Lay Dying: The Love of Family

2001-05-04T14:00:00-04:00

Ah, love. Love is so often a theme in many a well-read novel. In the story, As I Lay Dying, one very important underlying theme is not simply love, but the power to love. Some of the characters have this ability; some can only talk about it. Perhaps more than anyone, Addie and Jewel have this power- one which Jewel, by saving his mother twice, merges with his power to act. As the Bible would have it, he does "not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18). Jewel, Addie's son by Whitfield, is 18 years old. Like Pearl, the product of Hester Prynne's adulterous affair in Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, Jewel's name is a symbol of the value his mother places on him. The favoritism that Addie showed him is responsible for the antagonism between him and Darl. Jewel personifies Addie's preference for experience over words. He is always in motion. He expresses himself best through actions. When he verbalizes his love for Addie- in his single monologue- he does so with a violent fantasy about hurling down stones on outsiders. Elsewhere, he expresses his love for her through deeds, not words. While Addie lies dying on her corn-shuck mattress, Darl convinces Jewel to take a trip with him to pick up a load of lumber. Darl knows that Jewel is Addie's favorite child. The trip for lumber is a contrivance- Darl's way of keeping Jewel from his mother's bedside when she dies. A wheel breaks on the wagon, and before Darl and Jewel can replace it, bring the wagon home, and load Addie's body onto it for the trip to Jefferson, three days have passed. By this time, heavy rains have flooded the Yoknapatawpha River and washed out all the bridges that cross it. The river is vicious, and the Bundrens' mules drown. The wagon tips over, and. Jewel, on horseback, manages to keep the wagon and its load from drifting downstream, saving his mother’s decomposing body. When the family finally makes it through the ordeal, they spend the night at the Gillespies' farm. Darl sets fire to the barn where Addie's body is stored in an effort to spare his mother. However, Jewel once again saves her coffin with a heroic act. Twice, Jewel personifies the power of love through his laudable acts. Even though his mother has already died, he

My Mistress' Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun

2001-05-04T14:00:00-04:00

“My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” is a poem written by William Shakespeare about the love towards an imperfect woman. He explains that although his mistress is imperfect, he finds his love special and “rare.” If the modern day reader is not careful, he/she might be quick to assume the role of the woman that Shakespeare writes about. Although the word mistress now refers to a sweetheart or a woman who lives with a man without being married to him, in Shakespeare’s time, it meant a woman who rules others or has control. With that understood, the reader can focus on some important conventions of this poem- theme, tone, and form- to better understand and appreciate the piece. The theme of this poem is to reflect and understand true love; true love is loving one another’s imperfections. This poem explains the imperfections and even flaws of the writer’s love. He speaks of her eyes being “nothing like the sun“, her lips not as red as coral, her breasts an off-white color, her cheeks less red than roses, and her voice not as pleasant as music. He even becomes a bit insulting when he points out that her hairs are like black wires, her breath reeks, and that she treads on the ground when she walks. But despite all these things, he still loves “to hear her speak” and finds his love rare, recognizable by heaven. The tone of this poem is one of realism and contentment. Shakespeare realizes that love is full of imperfections, yet that only makes love stronger. This is a realistic look at his mistress, not a usual love-stuck reflection in a poem of one’s love. He has come to realize that she is far from perfect, yet that does not take away from his love for her. It seems as though he is having an epiphany about the truth of love. Maybe he is a young lover, who is coming to terms with the facts and reflecting in a realistic manner. Although he speaks of all of her shortcomings, he sounds satisfied with his love. This poem’s form is that of a sonnet. William Shakespeare is famous for his use with sonnets, and truly perfected the art of sonnet creation. “My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun” contains fourteen lines with ten syllables per line, and follows Shakespeare’s renound iambic pentameter meter scheme. In each line,

Rape from I know why the caged bird sings

2001-05-03T14:00:00-04:00

“I take a look through the bars at the last sights of a world that has gone very wrong for me. Can it be there’s some sort of error? It’s hard to stop the surmounting terror. Is it really the end, not some crazy dream? Somebody please tell me that I'm dreaming. It's not so easy to stop from screaming, but words escape me when I try to speak. Tears, they flow, but why am I crying? I don't believe that there is never an end to the nightmare.” Humans never stop to think what the consequences of our behavior will be. We go about day after day, too preoccupied with unimportant things that we never stop to think what the result of our irresponsible actions will be. We have not jet come to realize that life is like a pond, cast a stone into the water and you won’t prevent the ripple effect. For the crime of grand auto theft, I hereby sentence you, to 7 years in the state penitentiary. The guard’s approached, handcuffed Alex, and took him away. The judge made his decision and there is no turning back . Alex, would be spending seven years in jail for a foolish decision he made trying to impress his “friends.” Alex could only think off how he would not be able to do all the things he loved to do. For years, he had enjoyed car racing and his biggest passion consisted of rebuilding old cars. “I brought out the beauty in something that was just sitting there”, Alex stated with a big smile on his face. How could Alex imagine the horror that awaited him behind the stone walls of prison? How could he imagine that within the stone walls he would become just another victim of rape? Alex could not have expected that while in jail he would be viciously gang raped. Nothing in the world could have prepared Alex for the burden he would carry for the rest of his life. “It was about fifteen years ago that I was sentenced to seven years to the State Pen. Those years are the years that I have tried and will continue to try to erase from my memory. I suppose I should tell you how I got myself into this horrible mess. My friends, or so I thought,” Alex stated with an almost sad smile on his face,

McTeague as a social commentary

2001-05-01T14:00:00-04:00

Written in 1899, Frank Norris’ novel, McTeague serves as a view of societal factions of his time period. Norris illustrates the stratification of society in this San Francisco community by using the concept of Social Darwinism. He gives detailed accounts of the inner workings of society along with the emotions of the time. Through his characters, Norris shows the separation of classes and the greed that grew abundantly during the late 19th century. He also gives a grim picture of survival in his depiction of the theory of natural selection. In the first chapter, Norris paints a picture of a town setting. He describes Polk Street as “one of those cross streets peculiar to Western cities, situated in the heart of the residence quarter, but occupied by small trades people who lived in the rooms above their shops. There were corner drug stores with huge jars of red, yellow and green liquids in their windows, very brave and gay; stationers’ stores, where illustrated weeklies were tacked upon bulletin boards; barber shops with cigar stands in their vestibules; sad-looking plumbers; offices; cheap restaurants, in whose windows one saw piles of unopened oysters weighted down by cubes of ice, and china pigs and cows knee deep in layers of white beans.” In this paragraph, the reader gets a visual image of a town during the 19th century. Cozy, quaint and rather poor, this town exists as an example of any other town at this time. Also, in setting the activities of the time period, Norris describes the morning ritual on Polk Street to display the stratification of the classes. He writes: “ The laborers went trudging past in a straggling file- plumber’s apprentices, their pockets stuffed with sections of lead pipe, tweezers, and pliers; carpenters, carrying nothing but their little pasteboard lunch baskets painted to imitate leather; gangs of street workers, their overalls soiled with yellow clay, their picks and long-handled shovels over their shoulders…A little later following in the path of the day laborers came the clerks and shop girls, dressed with a certain cheap smartness… towards eleven o’clock the ladies from the great avenue a block above Polk Street made their appearance, promenading the sidewalks leisurely, deliberately…” Here the reader can see plain as day the separation of the classes of this time period. These people are separated by their occupation, which also determines their activity on Polk Street. In noticing this activity, one can

Brokeback Mountain: a timeless struggle

2001-05-01T14:00:00-04:00

A Timeless Struggle: Knowing the Right Thing to do and Doing the Right Thing Author Isaac Asimov once wrote,” Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what's right.” This saying came to mind while reading both Montana 1948 and Brokeback Mountain. The authors, Larry Watson (Montana 1948) and Annie Proulx (Brokeback Mountain) both write stories with the internal conflict of man vs. himself. In Montana 1948 Larry Watson’s main characters the Hayden family cope with a situation of sexual abuse that forces them to search for their moral base and choose between right and wrong. Each member of the family begins at a different in their moral expedition, but eventually end up with the same internal resolution. Similarly, in Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain, the author sketches a picture of two men who live in a constant struggle with their ideas of morality. Rationalizing and avoidance exist as Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar’s main internal defense mechanisms. Proulx presents a devastating study of Jack and Ennis’ subsequent struggle with both their families and their work as they try to come to terms with their sexual relationship. To begin in this examination of the moral code of the American West, we turn to the relationships and struggles brought about in Larry Watson’s novel Montana 1948. In this novel, there exists conflicts between several of the characters, however; the main conflict lies within the characters themselves. The reader sees the Hayden family struggle with the realization that the town doctor, their relative, has been molesting young Indian girls. This situation forces Wes Hayden, the town’s sheriff and the doctor’s only brother, to choose his actions towards this ethical dilemma carefully. He deliberates on his situation throughout most of the novel, relying on his wife’s set-in-stone morals to guide his decision in some ways. Through this interaction, the reader sees that some people who were not brought up with a strong moral code must develop one for themselves, while others who were taught their morals at an early age may alter them to fit their own perspectives as they grow. Also, noted very plainly, the moral code of the American West did not exist as equal to today’s code. The characters in this novel existed in what they believed to be a moral society, but by today’s standards it was amoral, devoid of moral standards. Watson brings this idea to

Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl - Feminism

2001-05-01T14:00:00-04:00

The feminist movement sought to gain rights for women. Many feminist during the early nineteenth century fought for the abolition of slavery around the world. The slave narrative became a powerful feminist tool in the nineteenth century. Black and white women are fictionalized and objectified in the slave narrative. White women are idealized as pure, angelic, and chaste while black woman are idealized as exotic and contained an uncontrollable, savage sexuality. Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl, brought the sexual oppression of captive black women into the public and political arena. Harriet Jacobs takes a great risk writing her trials as a house servant in the south and a fugitive in the north. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl gives a true account of the brutality slavery held for women. A perspective that was relatively secretive during Jacobs’ time. Jacobs’ narrative focuses on subjugation due to race but it also portrays many women an strong and often open roles. Women in these roles were minimal and often suffered for their outspoken roles. Harriet Jacobs’ narrative is a powerful statement unveiling the impossibility and undesirability of achieving the ideal put forth by men and maintained by women. Jacobs directs her account of the afflictions a woman is subjected to in the chain of slavery to women of the north to gain sympathy for their sisters that were enslaved in the south. In showing this, Jacobs reveals the danger of such self disapprobation women maintained by accepting the idealized role that men have set a goal for which to strive. She suggests that slave women be judged by different standards than those applied to other women. Jacobs develops a moral code that apprises the specific social and historical position of captive black women. Jacobs’ will power and strength shown in her narrative are characteristics of womanly behavior being developed by the emerging feminist movement. In struggling against the brutal dynamics of a system that simultaneously set before her ideals of a true woman, but refused to acknowledge her as a human being, Jacobs emerges scarred but victorious. Her rational powers and will to action facilitate her efforts to find strategies for dealing with sexual harassment from her master, for maintaining family unity, and in establishing a moral code in harmony with her beliefs and situation. In Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Jacobs’ primary ordeal is the

Desiree's Bby

2001-05-01T14:00:00-04:00

In the short story Désirée’s Baby, by Kate Chopin, surprise plays a very important role. Although the story has a surprise ending it can still have a second look with interest. While rereading the story I look for the details, which foreshadow the ending, that were missed the first time reading the story. But when I started to look for hints of foreshadowing I found that Chopin is doing more than tell us a story about a couple. She is trying to convey a message to the reader. Désirée’s Baby is like an intricate Aesop’s fable, or a fable for adults. Also an analysis of the characters helps us understand the story and it’s meaning. The main character, which presents the conflict in the story, is Armand Aubigny. To fully understand the story and its elements we must look carefully at Armand and his erratic behavior. One of the major aspects of Armand is his unpredictability. First he falls in love with Désirée without any sign, later he changes his moods back and forth in how he treats his own slaves, and how he treats his own wife, Désirée. “Marriage, and later the birth of his son had soften Armand Aubigny’s imperious and exacting nature greatly.”(Chopin, 82). And then after about three months he automatically changed. “Then a strange, an awful change in her husband’s manner, which she dared not ask of him to explain.”(Chopin 82). Armand is constantly changing his character, and it scares not only Désirée but the reader too, because we have no idea what he will do next or why. After the story is reread, the reader learns to distrust and in a way deal with Armand’s behavior. We get used to him and we don’t expect too much from him. “That was the way all of the Aubignys fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot.” (81). This quote not only refers to how the Aubignys fall in love but how they go about solving their problems. The Aubigny family is very stubborn and one-track minded. When there is a problem to be resolved it is their way or no way. When Armand saw that his child was black, his only explanation was that Désirée was black. He didn’t even think about the other possibilities. That is probably why Madame Valmondé wrote back to Désirée to come home, because it is no use to argue

Les Miserables, Theme (Forgiveness, Self Sacrifice, and Courage)

2001-05-01T14:00:00-04:00

“It is precisely of him that I wished to speak. Dispose of me as you please; but help me first to carry him home. I only ask that of you.” Upon examination of Les Miserables, it is clearly evident that the elements of Forgiveness, Self – Sacrifice, and Courage are only a few of the main themes Hugo wanted to develop. First off, is the element of forgiveness. In a book of mistrust, poverty, and hate…forgiveness thrives in the world of Les Miserables. The first example of this was at the very beginning, when Jean Valjean stayed with the bishop. Valjean stole his silver…and ran off. He ends up being caught by police, but when the police questioned the bishop, he claimed to have given the silver to Valjean. Jean was confused…and the bishop claimed that with the silver, he had purchased the convicts soul, and had given it to God, and from that day forward, Valjean must be a good man. Another example of forgiveness goes two ways. Javert, in his relentless pursuit of Valjean, is captured by revolutionaries. In reward for saving the lives of a few of these revolutionaries, Valjean asks for, and gets, permission to take Javert outside, and kill him. Once outside, a small monologue occurs…and Valjean releases Javert, and lets him go free. Valjean just wanted to be left alone in peace, and hoped this act of kindness would change Javert, and make him realize that Valjean was no longer the man he was. The second way…is that in the end, after Javert finally captures Valjean, he lets him go. Since Javert had broken the law… that he loved so dearly, he kills himself shortly thereafter, by jumping into a river. Secondly, we come to the element of Self-Sacrifice. This is also another widely used theme in Les Miserables. One such example of this element is with Valjean. He lets Marius and Cosette marry, and for a while, he seems all right with that fact. Later on however, he goes to Marius, and confesses to his past. He tells Marius his whole story, and thinks it best if he never sees Cosette again. Marius agrees…but allows Valjean the occasional visit. Only at the end, does Marius realize what a good man Valjean is…and by then it was too late. Valjean dies shortly after Marius and Cosette visit him to ask him to come back

To Kill a Mockingbird - courage

2001-04-29T14:00:00-04:00

To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about courage. To what extent do you agree with this? Courage is the quality of mind that enables one to face danger with confidence, resolution, and gain a firm control of oneself. Many of the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird showed courage in their own way. Courage can come in many different forms: physical, mental, emotional and moral. Courage is not the only main theme displayed in To Kill a Mockingbird; prejudice and education are also very important themes exhibited throughout the progression of the novel. Through the eyes of Scout Finch, a bright, sensitive and intelligent little girl, these themes of the novel are explored in great depth. The many forms of courage are shown throughout the novel by the characters of Jem, Boo (Arthur), Mrs. Dubose, and Atticus. Jem showed one of the greatest acts of physical courage as he protected his little sister Scout from the attack of Bob Ewell on the night of Halloween. Boo was also very courageous, he lived many years without human contact. That is a lonely thing to do, and it took mental courage for him to try and reach out to Jem and Scout when his father kept him imprisoned. Emotional courage is shown through Mrs. Dubose; she was a morphine addict and it took great courage for her to quit before her death to ¡°die beholden to nothing and nobody¡±. Atticus is one of the most courageous characters in the novel. He showed moral courage when he defended a black man who was falsely charged with the rape of a white woman. He stood up for his believes despite of what the people of Maycomb thought of him as a ¡°Nigger lover¡± and a disgrace to his family. Prejudice is a strong opinion an individual may possess for or against someone without knowing all the facts about them. It can be passed down from generation to generation. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird there are numerous accounts of racism and prejudice. The novel is set in the 1930's, a time when racism was very prevalent. Although bigotry and segregation were pointed in majority towards blacks, other accounts towards whites were also heard of, though not as commonly. Anyone that is out of the ordinary from society is treated differently because of their dissimilarities. The most obvious example in the novel would be Tom Robinson.

Civilisation and Savagery

2001-04-29T14:00:00-04:00

When the boys first arrived on the island they automatically seeked for some kind of law and order since there are not any grown-ups. They want to belong to a group, with someone in charge to lead them, and make them feel safe. After being chosen in a democratic election, Ralph becomes this leader. Ralph's society becomes a symbol of the democratic society, where everyone has their rights and an equal say. He assigned the choir as hunters and Jack the position of being the leader of them. The conch becomes an important symbol for authority and civilisation, anyone who holds it has the right to be heard. In Ralph's society everyone works for the benefit of the whole group. Building shelters, looking for food and keeping the fire alive are the three most important issues. After a period of time this society starts to brake up. With the fear of the 'beastie', the boys have become terrified of this 'creature' which lead up to the death of Simon and then Piggy. But there is a difference between these two deaths, as Simon's death was accidental and Piggy's death was deliberate. This shows the darkness inside man's heart, which is released when mankind becomes savages. Fear is what provokes savagery, as Roger lost control of his actions because of fear. With the destruction of the conch along with the death of Piggy, it also shows the destruction of authority and civilisation. Jack and the hunters show that mankind are inheritantly evil, if left alone to take care of themselves, fear will turn tem into the savage roots of the ancestors. This is shown near the end of the novel with the killing of piggy and the hunting of Ralph. Though at first Jack felt guilty for killing Simon, because he was still civilised, however as time goes on it turns into a thirst for blood, to kill anything that stands in his way to become the leader of the island. Ralph represents fairness and morality while Jack represents evil and the decay of civilisation. Piggy symbolizes the law and order of the world they left behind. He attempts to act accordingly to an absolute set of standards. Roger symbolizes man's natural tendency to cause harm to others, as he evolves into a terrorist, a savage, eager to throw rocks, roll boulder and throw spears at his fellow tribe members and act as

Frankenstein - Social Responsibility

2001-04-29T14:00:00-04:00

Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein in a time of wonder. A main wonder was whether you could put life back into the dead. Close to the topic of bringing life back into the dead was whether you could create your own being, like selective breeding but a bit more powerful. Close to where Mary lived there was a man named Vultair was experimenting putting electricity through Frogs to see if they could come back to life. With that going on close to her as well as the fear of a revolution and the pressure on her to think of a ghost story it is not surprising she thought of a horror story that would still be popular in the 21st Century. Now I have explained where the story came from and why it is as it is I will explain the social responsibility it brings up and how it is still important today. Looking after something you create is one point it brings up. Frankenstein created his creature so he should have looked after it but instead just because he didn’t like the way it looked he ran away. He never taught his creature anything so for all the creature knew it could have been okay to kill people and suchlike. That relates to today as some children who were not taught right from wrong by their parents watch films like Scream and I know what you did last summer where murdering seems cool as it involves Jennifer Love Hewit, Sarah Michelle Geller and Neve Cambell getting killed. The children watch these and think “I want to be like that scary guy with the mask” and they go and try to kill someone. If they do they get charged for the offence but many people think that the children’s parents should be blamed as they never taught the child right from wrong and they didn’t stop the child (sometimes as young as eight or nine) from watching the video which is rated eighteen or fifteen. When the filmmakers hear about how their film was responsible for a death they never (except for once) take the film away from the public and what they usually do is make a less violent sequel, which isn’t really helping anyone and less violence still is some violence. Teaching a child right from wrong is another point it brings up but I feel I have covered this point in the

Imagery: Focal point for Steinbeck

2001-04-28T14:00:00-04:00

In Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, He uses imagery in all sorts of manners to create a realistic setting and plot. His portrayal of migrant workers and their everyday problems during the depression are quite accurate due too his use of imagery with idioms, dreams, nature, loneliness and animal imagery. The main theme of the book although, happens to be loneliness and fate. Although George and Lennie, the main characters have a symbiotic relationship, fate steps in and destroys their dreams which were so close to being achieved. George is the small, less strong, "brains" of the operation. While Lennie is the tall, strong, lug who more or less has the brain of a 5-year-old child. He relies on a sense of touch, which makes him seem perverted, as he is a tall strong man with almost no common sense. Loneliness plays a large part in this book; the unlikely destroyer of George and Lenin's dreams is a young woman who is married to the boss's son Curley. Although she is probably one of the most important characters next to George and Lennie, Steinbeck doesn't give her a real name only referring to her as Curley's wife. Her loneliness is so detrimental to her that she becomes a flirt and still is lonely. "Why can't I talk to you I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely."(Steinbeck pg. 86) Because of her reputation for being a flirt none of the farmhands wanted to talk to her. It was the threat of getting in trouble with Curley that caused many workers to avoid her. In addition, because of Curley's insecure feelings he neglected her and forced her to seek attention anyway she could, even it meant flirting. She was ignored by both the farmhands and her own husband and because of this she was being forced into loneliness, the one thing she fought so hard against. Candy is another man who is used as an example of lonely migrant workers. Loneliness affects candy due to 2 major factors, his old age and his disability. This makes him quite different than the young fully capable farmhands on the ranch. He simply cleans the ranch up and sweeps. It's until Lennie and George arrives that he plays the outcast. With the addition of the duo, candy is asked to join them in their dream ranch. But all will not fare

Dracula

2001-04-27T14:00:00-04:00

The creation of this monster was actually based upon a Romanian myth,(derived from the word draclu-devil) which implied the existence of vampires or the undead, as Stoker says. But, let’s look at this novel in a different way. Who was Dracula? As a historical person, Dracula II Tepesh was either a part of the Ottoman Empire and existed as their advisory for Romania. On the other hand, people say that Dracula was their helper, who destroyed the Turks by torturing them, we can find this in Dracula’s castle.

Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein - Theme of the divided self

2001-04-26T14:00:00-04:00

Theme of the divided self within Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Thematically, the divided self is one of the most interesting themes within both novels and is of great importance to the development or ruin of the characters in both ‘Wuthering Heights’ and ‘Frankenstein.’ Both authors when primarily exploring this theme focus upon the physical, mental or spiritual division within certain characters. In Emily Bronte’s novel ‘Wuthering Heights,’ the principal characters Cathy and Heathcliff are presented as needing this division within themselves to recognise their need for each other. This endurance of physical, mental and spiritual division whilst alive, allows them only tragically to experience when in death, complete entity within themselves. Primarily Cathy is not depicted as divided; instead, she is presented as belonging to a family unit, which seems to stay intact until the arrival of a ‘gypsy brat.’ Although Heathcliff creates a divide within the family due to his arrival, Cathy is seen to gain a friend with whom she feels she has an affinity both physically, spiritually and mentally, which will become increasingly evident as the novel progresses. However, this alliance throughout the novel is frequently thrown into turmoil by outside influences or factors. As we are informed from the onset, the “greatest punishment” that could be bestowed upon Cathy was separation from Heathcliff. Cathy and Heathcliff’s separation only therefore ensues as a result of their initial outing to Thrushcross Grange. Their promise to grow up together as ‘rude as savages,’ is destroyed when Cathy and Heathcliff are separated physically by many factors resulting from this visitation. Just as the Linton’s dog ‘holds’ Cathy, so too is the Linton’s house symbolically presented as separating her from Heathcliff, when Heathcliff resorts to peering in through their ‘great glass panes’ to see Cathy, after being physically ‘dragged’ out of Thrushcross Grange. Cathy is also depicted as physically separated from Heathcliff even when she returns to Wuthering Heights. Instead of a ‘wild, hatless little savage’ with whom Heathcliff has an affinity with, she returns as a ‘very dignified person.’ Heathcliff is now therefore separated physically from Cathy, not only by appearance but as he said in the previous chapter, her superiority “to everybody,” including him. The presentation of Cathy and Heathcliff as physically divided is not only literally seen through the differing households but also through Cathy’s own actions and attire. Although Thrushcross Grange is symbolically portrayed as repressing Cathy and

Medea: Discuss the role of the Chorus

2001-04-25T14:00:00-04:00

“Discuss the importance of the role that the Chorus plays in Euripedes’ Medea.” The Chorus is very much an important part of Euripedes’ Medea, and indeed many other works written in the ancient Greek style. In this play, it follows the journey Medea makes, and not only narrates, but commentates on what is happening. Euripedes uses the Chorus as a literary device to raise certain issues, and to influence where the sympathies of the audience lie. In the list of characters at the beginning of the play, the Chorus is stated to be a chorus of Corinthian Women. This draws the first link between them and Medea. The Chorus follows Medea on her journey through this play. They act as narrators on important occurrences in the play; however, they also act as a device Euripedes uses to influence the opinion of the audience. He does this by presenting to the audience a moral voice in the Chorus. The audience can relate to them, because the Chorus is in a neutral position in the play. They are definitely an integral part of the play, but their role is not so much to influence the actual plot of the play, but more to echo what has happened in the plot and the thoughts of the protagonists, and to suggest moral solutions the audience. The Chorus uses language which almost makes it seem that they are speaking from the perspective of the audience, and in doing this they are guiding the audience responses to what Euripedes wants it to be: ‘Medea, poor Medea! Your grief touches our hearts.’ Through this relationship between the Chorus and the audience, Euripedes is able to influence the audience to sympathise with Medea. In their first stasimon, a mutual suffering is shown between Medea and the Chorus: ‘And my own heart suffers too.’ The Chorus is used as an instrument to help the audience to understand and feel Medea’s suffering, and so from this early point in the play, a sympathy is established for Medea because of her tragic circumstances. This mutual suffering between Medea and the Chorus raises issues such as the treatment of women at the time when this play was written. When Medea married Jason, she married herself to him for life. She was expected to be totally obedient and to accept whatever her husband willed. For her to look upon another man other than her husband

Literature and Human Behaviour

2001-04-24T14:00:00-04:00

Compare and evaluate the ways in which literature on the one hand, and the human sciences on the other may help us to know and understand human behaviour. Literature has been a major part of human culture throughout human existence. It has always been used as a way of defining how humans interact with each other. Literature is defined as ‘the writings of a period, language, or country’. If ancient times are also to be considered, then myths, legends, and theatre, which passed down literary ideas, and social critiques before the time of the written word, should also be included in this definition. The plays of William Shakespeare are a perfect example of pieces of literature that are not only entertaining, literature for literature’s sake, but also provide great insight into human nature. In one form or another, literature is entrenched as an expression of the ways of humanity, and so by absorbing it, one can gain a greater understanding of human behaviour. The human sciences offer a different angle to the understanding of human behaviour as literature does. Literature gives us insight into what is going on inside people’s minds. How someone from a culture that one might not understand, thinks. Many of Shakespeare’s plays are centered around the downfall of a particular character. This downfall arises from within the character, it is the result of a tragic flaw. The human sciences on the other hand, provide information on how humans interact with each other. They often involve social studies in which experiments involving the interactions of humans are observed and recorded. If for example some human scientists performed a particular experiment with enough people, and got a similar result each time, they can conclude that a human being is likely to act in a certain way, given the situation which was in the experiment. In this way human scientists can draw conclusions as to what is a normal reaction for a person to have in a situation, and can describe traits which are almost universal to humans. These human sciences give us a knowledge of the external aspects of human behaviour, which is extremely valuable to have. If for example, a police force wanted to know whether or not a new method they had developed for deterring graffiti artists worked efficiently or not, they might perform a human science experiment, where they secretly test their method on a sample

How does King Oedipus fit the profile of the Classical Greek tragic hero and how is his fall typical

2001-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

Lord Of The Flies: Piggy, Ralph, Jack

2001-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

Lord Of The Flies is possibly one of the most complex novels of the twentieth century. This complexity and depth is evident when the characters are compared to the psychological teachings of Freud. The book shows examples of this psyche in the characters Jack, Piggy and Ralph and how they change during their time on the island. Towards the end of the eighth chapter it became very apparent that Piggy and Jack both had two very different ideas on how they would survive. Jack thinks that hunting and having fun is key, Jack is more worried with instant gratification and doesn’t worry about what will happen off the island he worries about having fun and living on the island. Piggy is only concerned with keeping the fire lit and getting off the island. Unlike Jack, Piggy believes more in thinking about the future, how they will be saved and how they can endure the time they are on the island. When the fire goes out Piggy cries out at Jack, who was in charge of the fire, “ You and your blood, Jack Merridew! You and your hunting! We might have gone home.” This shows the extent of Piggy’s will to be rescued. As a result of these major differences Jack decides to head down the beach and build a new tribe. He tells the others on the island that with his new clan “we hunt and feast and have fun…” (Chap. 8 p140) by announcing this he appeals to the childish more uncivilized collection of the kids. The boys recognized that Jack was a stronger and more self-sufficient chief so many change tribes to become savage and immoral. Several of the boys on the island were more worried with immediate satisfaction then in what was going to happen later. Piggy believes that without Jack that he can thrive. Piggy decides to build a new fire when Jack leaves this represents the return to civilization as well as signifying optimism for a rescue. In this novel the Freudians concepts of the psyche can be applied to the characters of Piggy Ralph and Jack. The Id, Ego, and Super-Ego are the components of Freudian Psychology. Jack fits into the concept of the Id as it overpowers the Ego and Super Ego. The Id in Jack is seen in his aggressive behaviors, his main goal on the island is to “Kill the pig! Cut her

Doctor Faustus - Analysis

2001-04-23T14:00:00-04:00

I. The play Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlow was first published in Manchester by Manchester Publishing in 1588, no information about the play’s first production date was found. II. Doctor Faustus is contrived of the following: Faustus, a man well learned in medicine and other knowledge’s known to man is dissatisfied with where his life is heading so he calls upon the Lucifer and His accomplice, Mephistophilis, to teach him the ways of magic. They agree to be his tutors only if Faustus will sell his soul to Lucifer and be His after 20 years. Faustus agrees and goes through trying times where he is unsure of his decision and considers repenting but then is persuaded again and again that the magic powers of the Devil are far more satisfying than the powers of Heaven. III. Faustus is portrayed as a very individual character. He changes and is shaped by the events that happen all around him. Everything he does affects his future outcome. For example his decision to give up his studies of medicine were very un-stereotypical of a character that is studying to be a doctor to do. Even more so is his decision to take upon the necromantics of the devil. He says, “Then read no more; thou hast attain'd that end: A greater subject fitteth Faustus' wit.” (1.11) He believes that he has learned enough information about all the great things of the world and there is nothing left to study that will intrigue him as much as magic will. His curious personality affects the play because his decisions determine the plot. For example the Seven Deadly Sins entice him so he becomes convinced not to repent his sin. This characterizes him as gullible, curious and adventurous. He becomes obsessed with his magic and he absolutely loves having the powers to do anything he pleases. An example of this is when he conjures up Helen. He knows he can do whatever he wants without reservation so he chooses to conjure the woman who launched a thousand ships. This shows that not only is he gullible, curious and obsessed but also Faustus only wishes for the best in whatever he does; the best that will please him. Mephistophilis is the opposite of Faustus. Mephistophilis is the stereotype of the typical conniving Devil’s assistant. He is always pressuring Faustus to listen to his “bad angel” and act upon his desires instead

The Colour Purple - Spirituality & Religion

2001-04-22T14:00:00-04:00

Alice Walker states that ‘The Colour Purple’ remains for her the “theological work examining the journey from the religious back to the spiritual”. How successful is she in revealing her purpose to the reader? In the preface to ‘the Colour Purple’ Walker identifies her religious development as the inspiration for her novel and labels religion and spirituality as the principle themes in the book. There are a number of principle characters who complete this journey however in many instances the religious element of the novel is overshadowed by other prominent themes such as personal development, female relationships and racial issues. These must be taken into consideration when assessing Walker’s success in delivering her theological message to her readers. Religion is an extremely broad term, in the context of ‘The Colour Purple, Walker’s idea of religion is church based Christianity in which God is presented through the bible as a white man. Although the church is placed in a black community, the teachings of the church are derived from the teachings of white people. Celie discovers throughout the novel that she, like Shug, can not find God in this kind of church that is based on patriarchal religion but searches for him elsewhere. Walker’s personal concept of spirituality is pantheism, the idea that God is in all living things within nature including people. Celie learns from Shug and through her own development that God is within her and she benefits far more from her own spirituality than from the structured religion within the community. Celie is not the only character to undergo a change in her religious outlook and complete the journey “from the religious to the spiritual”. Nettie also is brought up as a devout believer in the Christian church however throughout her time in Africa and with the help of the Olinka people she discovers a new more “internal” form of religion similar to Celie’s new found spirituality. The journey from the religious back to the spiritual is reflected in the distance between the white missionaries in Britain and America and the African tribes. The missionaries represent the formal ‘white’ church and the Olinka fulfilling the idea of pantheist spirituality. This is a journey Nettie makes physically and spiritually. Shug and Mr.’s views on religion also change during the novel, and as Walker intends, all make this ‘journey’ with “courage and the help of others”. At the beginning of the book Celie announces

Frankenstein: Appearance and Acceptance

2001-04-22T14:00:00-04:00

Reliance on Appearance and Dependency upon Acceptance in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Today’s Modern World. One of the main themes in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is the importance of appearance and acceptance in modern society. In today’s society, and also in the society of Frankenstein, people judge one often solely on their looks. Social prejudice is often based on looks, whether it be the color of someone’s skin, the clothes that a person wears, the facial features that one has and even the way one stands. People make snap judgments based on these and other considerations and they affect the way that they present themselves to one, and also the way that the treat the judged person. In Frankenstein the society of that time is much like our own today. It is an appearance based society, and this is brought to the forefront by the extreme ugliness of Victor Frankenstein’s monster to a common human being. On of the most blatant parallels in Frankenstein and today’s modern world is that of racism. These parallels are shown from the very first moments of Frankenstein’s creature life. One of the first things Victor says about his newly alive creation is that “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath;” (Shelley 42) and he viewed his creation with “breathless horror and disgust...” (Shelley 42). Here one finds that like the vast majority of people then and today, Victor notices the color of his creatures skin first and judges it to be horrible. Also in this novel, the example of racism is again brought to our attention with the history of the cottagers. Safie’s father, a Turkish merchant living in Paris, was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. The reason for this injustice is clear, the reason for it is “...that his [the Turkish merchant] religion and wealth rather than the crime alleged against him had been the cause of his condemnation.” (Shelley 107). Obviously, if this foreign merchant had been a good Catholic Frenchman he would not have been sentenced to death. We today can see numerous examples today of racism in the justice system, think of Louis Riel being hung because he was a Metis, and also think of the modern classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird in which a black man is unjustly sentenced in a racist southern town. However, in one of the biggest acts

Eva Luna and A Doll’s House: the nature of power

2001-04-22T14:00:00-04:00

Discuss the nature of power explored in the texts, Eva Luna, and A Doll’s House. In the two texts Eva Luna, and A Doll’s House, by Isabel Allende and Henrik Ibsen respectively, there are various people who have power over others. However this power comes in a number of forms, different characters use it for different purposes, and the ways the characters achieve it also differs. These different natures of power allow some people to succeed where others fail, and it is those who succeed that, in the end, have the true power. In the novel Eva Luna, there are various people who are in positions of power. The one who is the most obvious to the reader is the General; a dictator. He has the power to control and manipulate others to do as he wants, in order to benefit himself. His power comes about through the use of force, violence, propaganda, and persuasive tactics. He can control people, but it is only because they fear him. There is no feeling by the people he has power over, that he deserves it, they have no respect for him, and so without his armies, his power is meaningless. Rolf Carle’s father in Eva Luna parallels this nature of power. Lucas Carle has total control over his wife and children, to the point where he treats his wife more like a prostitute, and his children hide from him when he comes home because they fear a beating from him. It is this fear of being punished if one does not obey that gives Lucas Carle his power, and as in the case of the General, if the only reason to give in to someone’s power is fear of the consequences if one doesn’t, then this power gains no respect from those it affects. The kind of power that the General possesses is totally different to that of Eva herself. Both of them are able to change people, however, where the General changes people through the force he puts onto them, Eva changes people from the inside. She is able to change people by bringing out what is already inside of them, and of herself. She does this by focusing on the positive parts of any situation, and in this way inspiring hope. Her power is based on having the courage to rise up against her oppressors, and the ability to lead others by evoking feeling

Heroism in Beowulf

2001-04-21T14:00:00-04:00

There are many traits that are possessed by those who seek heroism. Whether it is in real life or in fiction, every hero desires these character traits in the past, present, and future. IN my opinion, the two traits that are most prominent in the poem Beowulf are bravery and goodness. In this poem, Beowulf exhibits the trait of bravery by defeating the monster, Grendel. This monster was a very powerful monster that plagued the town of Herot. “He slipped through the door… Snatched up thirty men, smashed them/ Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies/ The blood dripping behind him, back/ To his liar, delighted with his night’s slaughter. (11)” The society that he terrorized was happy and always rejoicing. “As now warriors sang of their pleasure/ So Hrothgar’s men lived happily in this hall… (11)” Bravery today has changed from that of Anglo-Saxon times. In the poem, Beowulf uses his bare hands to defeat the evil, monstrous Grendel. He believes that it would be braver and mightier if he were to defeat Grendel without use of a weapon. “My lord Higlac/ Might thing less of me if I let my sword/ Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid/ Behind some broad linen shield: my hands/ Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life/ Against the monster (15).” However, in modern times, bravery is associated and accompanied by weaponry. In the movie “Jaws”, which is a 20th century film, the preying shark terrorizes the beaches of New England. After he is finally trapped, he is killed- but not in the same fashion as Grendel was. The shark was shot in the mouth and then blew up to do a CO2 tank he had swallowed. The way in which each antagonist was killed was in two very different ways: with and without weaponry, respectively. These two scenarios from Anglo-Saxon and modern times are similar, as well. They are similar because of the continuity of “monsters” terrorizing a society being a great influence among audiences of the past and present. The two works of both eras demonstrate the continual interest in defeating villains and “feeding” it’s listeners with tales such as these. Bravery is not the only trait in which a hero possesses. A hero needs and has more than one heroic quality, just like no flower is complete without its vibrant colors and sweet smell. Goodness can be compared

Dorian Gray and The Lady of Shallot: Stepping out of the Shadows

2001-04-21T14:00:00-04:00

During one’s life, one must step out into the real world and experience all of what the world has to offer. In order to attain a well-balanced life both mentally and socially, one may seek any way possible to live life to the fullest. We were put on this earth to live- not just simply by breathing in and out everyday, and making life the best it can possibly be. It has been said that you have not really died if you have lived. This theory has been applied to several pieces of literature. In the book The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and “The Lady of Shallot” by Alfred Lord Tennyson, two characters have not lived their life to the fullest extent. In the aforementioned literature, the characters of Sibyl Vane and the Lady of Shallot lived their lives through the invulnerability of constant security. Sibyl Vane is an actress who is greatly devoted to her acting career. She is so consumed by her realm of acting that she does not experience the many other aspects and joys that life has to offer. All her heart, soul, and mind is put into her hobby, as it envelops her entire existence. Sibyl solely depends on this mindset to carry her throughout her life. Leading a life similar to that of Sibyl Vane’s is the Lady of Shallot. In this poem, she is condemned to weaving and forbidden to ever look out of her window down to the wonderful city of Camelot. If she should look down, a terrible curse shall be laid upon her. Both Sibyl Vane and the Lady of Shallot are artists who lead very sheltered lives and have an unfortunate fate ahead of them. Before the story beings, Oscar Wilde describes the effects that art has on a person. He states, “All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril. Those who read the symbols do so at their peril. It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors (Wilde 3).” These sheltered lives allow the women to remain in their safe little worlds, apart from what other ways of life the world has to offer. In order for them to lead a less “curtained” life, they needed to take more chances in hopes of more goodness and reality to welcome into their lives. When

Among Sin

2001-04-21T14:00:00-04:00

Sin is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary as, “any offense, fault, or the willful breaking of religious or moral law.” Mankind is prone to some degree of sin: it is a barrier that can not be avoided. But it is a question as to what mankind can do in order to achieve redemption from sinister ways, and also how to redeem. However great a sin may seem, it can only augment itself by the perpetrator not owning up and taking responsibility for it. In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, perhaps the greatest sinner was Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Many of Hawthorne's works center around what is right or wrong, and the consequences of breaking the basic links between humans by committing acts of sin (Brown). In this book, Reverend Dimmesdale is Hester Prynne’s secret lover, with whom he shares his sin, the sin of adultery. It is ironic that dispite Dimmesdale’s profession, he commits this sin. For a great amount of time in this book, author Nathaniel Hawthorne shows how this sin is frowned upon by many of the townspeople. Arthur Dimmesdale is an eminent minister in Boston and also the father of Pearl. He is a tortured man who constantly places his hand over his heart when agitated. His health is quite bad, and it is thanks to Roger Chillingworth's potions that he is able to stay alive. Dimmesdale admits to being Pearl's father at the very end of the novel, and reveals that he has a scarlet letter branded into his flesh. He dies upon the scaffold while holding Hester's hand. For seven long years, Mr. Dimmesdale lacks the courage to admit his guilt publicly, which puts a tight clamp on his conscience and soul. His sin is prolonged inside of him, festering in every corner of his body and plaguing in his mind. While Hester is standing on the scaffold with Pearl bearing the scarlet letter on her chest letting everyone know of her sin, she refuses to let the crowd know who the father of her child is. She declares, “I will not speak! And my child must seek a heavenly father; she shall never know an earthly one!” (Hawthorne 47). In this is same scene, the author connects Hester's openly displayed shame with Dimmesdale's secret shame by having both characters touch the spot where the scarlet letter is displayed (Smith). He also feels that, “what he

Moby Dick: Symbols to Draw Attention

2001-04-21T14:00:00-04:00

Often in great works of literature, symbols are incorporated to add depth. These symbols make it more interesting to the reader by making connections from one idea to another. Herman Melville depicts a great number of characters and symbols in his 19th century novel Moby Dick. Melville uses symbols to develop plot, characters, and to give the reader a deeper interpretation of the novel. (Tucker) The author successfully uses the symbols of brotherhood, monomania, isolation, religion, and duality to make his book more interesting to its readers. At the beginning of the novel, the characters Ishmael and Queequeg are introduced. Ishmael is the narrator of the story. He is also a merchant seaman who signs up for a whaling voyage to see the world- and the only crewmember to survive and tell us the story. Queequeg is a tattooed cannibal from the South Seas. He is courageous, as well as kind-hearted. (Cavendish) After becoming friends with Ishmael, he also signs up for whaling and becomes a harpooner. Melville chose to depict brotherhood as a symbol in a couple different ways. In the hotel room before boarding the Pequod, Ishmael and Queequeg share a room together, where they both sleep. One such morning when Ishmael awakes, he recalls: How it is I know not; but there is no place like a bed for confidential disclosures between friends. Man and wife, they say, there open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning. Thus, then, in our hearts’ honeymoon, lay I and Queequeg- a cozy, loving pair (Melville 68). This closeness that Melville creates conveys that the relationship between these two characters is a close one. In the chapter A Squeeze of the Hand, brotherhood is addressed yet again. The crewmembers of the Pequod cut the blubber out of the whales to make it liquid again. While their hands are in the blubber, they meet, as if everyone is holding hands. Ishmael states, “…I found myself unwittingly squeezing my co-laborers’ hands in it, mistaking their hands for the gentle globules. Such an abounding, affectionate, friendly, loving feeling did this avocation beget…(398)” This is significant because of the importance of comradeship. This situation was used as an excuse to be closer to people then a normal situation would normally allow. This chapter is contrasted to the previous chapter to that of

Comparing The Crucible and the Scarlet Letter

2001-04-21T14:00:00-04:00

The Puritans had a heavily important part in the formation of early America, as well as a religion that influenced our early American society. This society has been the target which many authors have picked to set their novels in. The topic of Puritan life contains a broad list of aspects that can be easily compared to one another in several different books. Two selections that go into detail about some of the different aspects of the Puritan people are The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne. These two particular writers who wrote of Puritan times conveyed, in their text, the similarities of religion, punishment, and adultery in the Puritan community of 17th century. Briefly, The Crucible looks at some the actual historical events of the Salem witch trials. It was witchcraft that the story was set around, and it threatened the purity of the Salem community. As a result, frenzy was established, with characters accusing others of witchery. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne commits the sin of adultery, and then is confined to wear an embroidered scarlet-colored “A” on her chest, to signify what she had done. She does not release the name of the other adulterer, and leads a life with her daughter, Pearl. Reverend Dimmesdale, the secret father of the child, struggles against himself due to the fact that he doesn’t confess to everyone his sin. Religion was of great importance in the Puritan society. It gave a guideline for the morals that citizens should follow. In Miller’s novel, Puritan religion was at the center of town. People were judged by it, and were only and not with the devil holy if they followed it. They were also questioned by it. Hale asks Proctor, “… I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day. Twenty-six time in seventeen month, sir… Will you tell me why you are so absent?” (Miller 64) An example of the strictness of religion and moral beliefs in The Scarlet Letter is when Hester is patronized for her sin. The religion forbid it, therefore it was strongly frowned upon by society. This strong following of Puritan religion is conveyed in both novels and mentioned throughout. As law is in most communities today, there is no doubt that religion was put on one of the highest pedestals of the Puritan community. Due to the fact

To Kill A Mockingbird

2001-04-21T14:00:00-04:00

In the widely known novel To Kill A Mockingbird there are two families that are very diverse and are text book examples of complete opposites on the moral ladder of success. The Cunninghams and the Ewells have two very distinct and opposite reputations. The Cunninghams which are very respected while the Ewells very much despised. The Ewells are given the privilege to hunt out of season, so that the residents of the small town of Maycomb would not have to tolerate their continuous begging twenty-four hours a day for seven days a week. These two families show the respectability of hard workers or, in the Ewells case, can fill their peers with sorrow. The Cunninghams have pride, as for the Ewells, they have a natural like anarchist nature that will eventually haunt them and hurt others because of their lurid like attitude. The Cunningham's are very respected by the citizen's of Maycomb county. The Cunninghams took nothing, unless they could pay it back. Walter the youngest in the Cunningham clan was in the same class at school as Scout Finch the daughter of Atticus Finch. While in school, a fresh young new school teacher known as Miss Caroline did not know the reputations of the predecessors of these two children. In what looked like a good day for the rookie teacher quickly turned into complete disarray and a total adversity trip for the teacher. Walter Cunningham being raised in a very hard working environment was taught not to take what he could not pay back. The teacher obviously did not know about his background in the most minute way and embarrassed him extensively by almost demanding him to take some lunch money. Knowing that he could not pay Miss Caroline back in the way that she had in mind he knew that he could take the money which he wanted to take so bad. Walter eventually ended up eating with the Finch's. While eating at the Finch's he did not know what to do with all of the food that they have offered to him. For example he drowned his waffles in a lake of syrup. Bob Ewell's son, Burris was also faced in the same way but in an total opposite direction and purpose. The same day as the Walter Cunningham incident there was another incident concerning the Ewells. Burris had "cooties." A "cootie" came frantically flying out of the

The Outsiders

2001-04-21T14:00:00-04:00

The Outsiders, an enthralling tale by S.E. Hinton, is an excellent story about the hardships and triumphs experienced by the Greasers and the Socs, two rival gangs. This novel suggests the stories' content because the Greasers are a gang of social outcasts and misfits. This novel's theme is very specific; people, no matter what their social background, strive for the same goals and experience the same disappointments. This novel shows this theme throughout a detailed story line. The fictional novel is set in a moderate-size city, possibly near Texas, in the late 1960's. Ponyboy, the main character, lives with his brothers as a greaser. One day Ponyboy and Johnny, Ponyboy's best friend, get jumped by a group of Socs. The Socs start to drown Ponyboy in a fountain. Johnny, realizing they might kill Ponyboy, kills Bob, one of the Socs with his switchblade. Johnny and Ponyboy run to a fellow Greaser, Dally, who is always in trouble with the law. Dally helps them by giving them some money, a gun, and a place to hide. They hide in a church outside of town for a week until Dally says it's okay to come out. They go out to eat and when they get back to the church they find it burning. When they see that there are kids inside and the fire could have been started by their cigarettes, they run inside to save the kids. Johnny and Dally are hurt in the fire and taken to the hospital. They are hailed as heroes in the local paper. Dally breaks out of the hospital to fight in a rumble against the Socs. While the Greasers beat the Socs, Johnny dies in the hospital. When Dally finds out he goes out and robs a grocery store. When the cops pull up he pulls out an empty gun so the cops shoot him. The theme of this novel is that all people are set back at times and they all want the same basic things. This theme is expressed in the novel several times. Disappointments are shown when Bob dies and the Socs grieve for him, when Ponyboy's parents die and they are upset, and when Johnny dies and it disturbs the Greasers. It is shown that the Greasers and Socs strive for the same goals when Darry, Ponyboy's older brother, tells him that he should succeed in school and make something of himself,

A Rose for Emily

2001-04-17T14:00:00-04:00

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” has been interpreted in many different ways. Most of these rely solely on hints found within the story. I believe that his life can also help one analyze this story. By knowing that Faulkner’s strongest influence was his independent mother, one can guess that Miss Emily Grierson’s character was based partly on Maud Falkner. William Cuthbert Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897. His family moved to Oxford, Mississippi when Faulkner was five years old (Larinde). His parents were Murry and Maud Falkner (Zane 2). Faulkner added the “u” to his last name on his Royal Air Force application for unknown reasons (5). Faulkner’s great-grandfather, Colonel William C. Falkner had moved from Tennessee to the Mississippi Delta in 1841. The Colonel was a Civil War hero, plantation owner, railroad builder, and even a writer (Larinde). Faulkner’s grandfather and father were both respected, though not wealthy. They were also both alcoholics. Faulkner and his father never had a very good relationship. He and his mother, though, were very close. Maud gave him his love of art and literature. She influenced Faulkner more than anyone else with her strong independence (Zane 3-4). She may have been the inspiration for the strong, independent character, Emily Grierson. “William Faulkner was a quiet but mischievous child, polite and rude, loving and withdrawn” (4). He did well in grade school, but began showing signs of truancy during adolescence. Faulkner dropped out of high school in eleventh grade. In 1918, Faulkner attempted to enlist in the U.S. Army but was turned down. He then applied to the Royal Air Force where he adds the “u” to his last name. He was soon discharged and returned to Oxford, Mississippi. Here he attended the university for two year. “In the decade that followed, Faulkner donned a host of other identities, alternately and aristocrat, a bohemian, or a derelict” (Zane 5). Faulkner established himself as a major novelist in 1929 with the book The Sound and the Fury (Larinde). He wrote twenty novels and many short stories (Zane 1). His greatest achievements were the Nobel Prize for literature in 1950, the National Book Award, and Pulitzer Prizes. All of these awards came after he was fifty (7). Although Faulkner lived in Canada, New Orleans, New York, Hollywood, and Virginia, most of his life was spent in his native Mississippi (Faulkner 177). “In his works William Faulkner

The Great Gatsby: Symbolism of Houses and Cars

2001-04-17T14:00:00-04:00

Francis Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of symbolism, which is portrayed by the houses and cars in an array of ways. One of the more important qualities of symbolism within The Great Gatsby is the way in which it is so completely incorporated into the plot and structure. Symbols, such as Gatsby’s house and car, symbolize material wealth. Gatsby’s house “[is] a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy” which contains “a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy” is a symbol of Gatsby’s large illegal income(Fitzgerald 9)(9). Gatsby‘s large income isn‘t enough to keep him happy. He needs “The house he feels he needs in order to win happiness” and it is also the perfect symbol of carelessness with money which is a major part of his personality (Bewley 24). Gatsby’s house like his car symbolizes his vulgar and excessive trait of getting attention. Gatz’s house is a mixture of different styles and periods which symbolizes an owner who does not know their true identity. The Buchanan’s house is symbolic of their ideals. East Egg is home to the more prominent established wealth families. Tom’s and Daisy’s home is on the East Egg. Their house, a “red and white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay” with its “wine-colored rug[s]” is just as impressive as Gatsby’s house but much more low-key (Fitzgerald 11)(13). East egg and Tom‘s home represents the established wealth and traditions. Their stable wealth, although lacking the vulgarity of new wealth, is symbolic of their empty future and now purposelessness lives together. The House also has a cold sense to it according to Nick. This sense symbolizes Tom’s brutality, and as Perkins's says in his manuscript to Fitzgerald “I would know...Buchanan if I met him and would avoid him,” because Tom is so cold and brute (Perkins 199). Nick lives in West Egg in a rented house that “[is] a small eye-sore” and “had been overlooked”(Fitzgerald 10). Nick lives in a new-rich West Egg because he is not wealthy enough to afford a house in the more prominent East Egg. His house symbolizes himself shy and overlooked. Nick is the Narrator and also the “trust worthy reporter and, ...judge” that has ties to both the East and West Egg crowd(Bruccoli xii). Nick comes from a “prominent, well-to-do [family]” acts like the established rich down-played, but he is trying

The Odyssey: The use of Hubris

2001-04-16T14:00:00-04:00

“There is no safety in unlimited hubris” (McGeorge Bundy). The dictionary defines hubris as overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance. In The Odyssey, Homer embodies hubris into the characters Odysseus, the Suitors, and the Cyclopes. Odysseus shows hubris when he is battling the Cyclopes, the Cyclopes show hubris when dealing with Odysseus, and the Suitors show it when Odysseus confronts them at his home. To start, within the course of The Odyssey, Odysseus displays hubris through many of his actions. The most prominent instance in which Odysseus shows hubris is while he and his men are trying to escape from the Cyclops Polyphemus. They drug the monster until it passes out, and then stab him with a timber in his single eye. Polyphemus, now blinded, removes the gigantic boulder blocking Odysseus’ escape, and waits for the men to move, so he can kill them. The men escape from the cave to their boat by tying themselves under flocks of rams, so they can easily slip by. Odysseus, now proud after beating the giant, starts to yell at Polyphemus, instead of making a silent escape. Odysseus’ men ask him to stop before Polyphemus would “get the range and lob a boulder” (436). But Odysseus shows hubris by saying that if they were to meet again, Odysseus would “take your life” and “hurl you down to hell!” (462; 463). Polyphemus, now extremely angry with Odysseus, prays to his father, Poseidon, to make Odysseus “never see his home” again, and after which, throws a mountain towards the sound of Odysseus’ voice. (470). Because of Odysseus’ hubris after blinding Polyphemus, Poseidon grants the prayer, and it takes Odysseus 20 years to return home, at the cost of the lives of all his men. Next, Polyphemus demonstrates hubris by believing that because he is a giant, he is unbeatable by anyone, even a god. This is shown when Odysseus meets Polyphemus and greets him with gifts, as it is a custom to show courtesy to hosts and guests alike, (unexpected or not). Failure to give gifts can lead to revenge from the gods. Odysseus tells Polyphemus this, but Polyphemus “would not let you go for fear of Zeus” because the Cyclopes “have more force by far ”. (205; 200) Polyphemus then angers the gods further by kidnapping and eating Odysseus’ men, both of which are considered extremely uncivil in Greek society. Polyphemus is so confident in his invulnerability

Things Fall Apart - And on Earth, Strife and Goodwill towards Men

2001-04-15T14:00:00-04:00

The burden and calling to reach out and help others, enfold many people in society throughout the world. Rich or poor, young or old, black, red or white, the motive is helping those with a need. As Chinua Achebe points out in his book, Things Fall Apart, though there is the aspiration to lend a hand, it can sometimes becomes deadly, and even fatal to the lives of people. Although the missionaries try help convert the Ibo village of Umuofia to Christianity, their presence in Africa is harmful to the lives and culture of the Ibo. The men that come to Umuofia destroy the cultural balance of faith and religion that encompasses the native people in Africa. People in Umuofia depend strongly on the ancestors and gods in their culture. It is their tradition and their beginning, from which they govern their lives. Even the priestess that serves the god Agbala, “…was full of the power of her god, and she was greatly feared” (16). Without the stronghold of customs and traditions, only chaos exists. Peace, trust, and knowledge are thrown off when the new religion of Christianity is introduced. When the missionary explains that: “All the gods you have named are not gods at all. They are gods of deceit who tell you to kill your fellows and destroy innocent children. There is only one true God and He has the earth, the sky, you and me and all of us” (121). Decisions, opinions, and beliefs become uncertain and doubt appears. Cultural values, that ware held for generations, are pitted against the missionary’s sermons. Although the missionaries come with the desire and intention to help the underdeveloped Ibo village reach its potential, the effects are upsetting to the native people and their culture. Even though the missionaries bring hesitation to the tradition culture of the Ibo, they help the tribe progress in many ways. They assist in, “…[building] a trading store and for the first time palm-oil and kernel became things of great price, and much money flowed into Umuofia” (146). Economically, the Ibo villages improve, and slowly schools and hospitals are erected. Education and knowledge from the outside world becomes accessible, as well as quality of the lives of many, both spiritually and physically. The missionaries rescue and, “…welcome twins and such abomination” (130), and save them from cruel deaths. After that, the osu or outcasts also think

All Quiet On the Western Front - Two People in Two Worlds

2001-04-15T14:00:00-04:00

People engage in wars for different reasons. Some for nationalism, many for what is right, and still others do not even know why they fight. In the books, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, and All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, two different people fight for different causes yet have a common bond. Both Okonkwo and Paul Baumer find their identity through defending the dignity and honor of those around them. Paul is caught in WWI fighting to prove his loyalty to his country. Amidst the war, he struggles to find meaning in the new image he has become. In the beginning, their teacher persuades everyone in the class to enlist in the military to fight the glorious war. Thinking this is an honorable idea, everyone joins, even those who secretly fear the battlefield. However, in certainty, they are forced into volunteering; “Territorial Kantorek, two years ago you preached us into enlisting; and among us there was one, Joseph Behm, who didn’t want to enlist. He was killed three months before he would have been called up in the ordinary way. If it had not been for you he would have lived just that much longer” (174). Their schoolmaster, Kantorek fills their heads up with views of nationalism, the belief that one's country is all that matters. Some students even have pressure from their parents to enlist. Not enlisting is like turning their back on their own country. To the teachers, schoolmasters, and older men, going to war is the best thing a man could do for his country. However, in reality, Paul and his friends do not want to kill or be killed. One of Paul’s friend says, “No one in particular wants it, and then all at once there it is. We didn’t want the war, the others say the same thing- and yet half the world is in it all the same” (206). The young group of soldiers concludes that they are trapped fighting in war for the desires of generals and rulers wanting fame. Although none of them want to fight, patriotism to one’s own country overrules the sense. In combat and fighting in action, Paul, “…see[s] how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently; innocently slay one another” (263). Baumer, a soldier, merely follows instructions. He has no say, no opinion whatsoever, and whatever ideas he has, is to

Nick - Detached or Dishonest?

2001-04-14T14:00:00-04:00

The Great Gatsby is a difficult book to interpret, particularly because of the style in which it is written. Not only must the reader differentiate between the separate views of Nick as the narrator and Nick as the character, but he or she must also take into consideration at what time period, relative to this story, are these views being expressed. After all, Nick the narrator is presently evaluating the manner in which his character behaved the year before, as well as allowing his character to voice his opinion, as his opinion had been during that time frame. We learn to trust Nick as a narrator, because all the pieces of information he gives to us, received through symbolism, imagery, or personal reflection, lead us to make significant decisions regarding the other characters of the novel. His character, on the other hand, cannot be looked upon in the same manner; it can be seen as dishonest and hypocritical, yet it is these negative characteristics that humanize him, allowing readers to relate to him as a person. What Nick thinks as the narrator is not always the same as what his character portrays. In just the third paragraph of this book, we learn that Nick is “inclined to reserve all judgments (Page 5),” but that his tolerance, “has a limit (Page 6).” True, his opinions might not be expressed in words, but it is important to realize that those opinions still exist. The narrator’s role is to make us aware of Nick’s “judgments,” for his character neglects to respond to such feelings. Various techniques allow us to draw our own conclusions, the most interesting one being symbolism. The “foul dust” mentioned throughout the novel serves to corrupt everything it encounters. It is this foul dust that represents the lives of Daisy, Tom, and Jordan. After all, they are all immoral characters. A word such as dust successfully gives off a negative ambiance, but for Nick to go the step further and declare such dust to be “foul” truly represents his disapproval of their actions. Thus, without proclaiming his opinion in the form of words, Nick presents it openly through symbolism for us to see. However, even though we know that Nick as the narrator, reflecting back on that summer, did not see the three to be honorable people, he still spent a great deal of time with them. Like most people,

A Tale of Two Cities: Sydney Carton vs. Charles Darnay

2001-04-14T14:00:00-04:00

A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, takes place during the French Revolution. The book centers on the heroic attempts of Sydney Carton and Charles Darnay. Sydney Carton puts on the façade of being insolent and indifferent, but his true nature is expressed in the book when he puts others first, defends Charles, and dies for the ones he loves. Charles Darnay is a once wealthy aristocrat whose attempts at heroism include going back to France, his financial sacrifice, and the noble way in which he was willing to face his death. Sydney Carton is a true hero in the way that he puts others first. He shows this quality as he works for Stryver to save the wrongfully accused from death and when he goes back to France to try to help put a stop the bloodshed. Carton has a better perspective on the situation in France as opposed to Charles Darnay. Darnay also possesses worthy heroic qualities. However, the reader could interpret a misuse of them. Darnay’s return to France to save Gabelle and help save the peasants was very notable, but probably not the most intelligent act to make. The revolutionaries of France were known to try to trick aristocrats into coming back to murder them. Darnay could have been walking into his death. Darnay’s financial sacrifice was also note-worthy, but once again not very intelligent. Darnay renounced his aristocracy and sacrificed the wealth that went along with it in favor of helping those in need. A reader might have thought it more appropriate when interpreting this book for Darnay to have owned up to his aristocratic name and attempted to change the government’s problems, despite the problems that it caused him. It is true that Darnay was tried numerous times for treason. He was, however, acquitted more than once with the help of Carton. An example includes Darnay’s first trial where Carton forced the jury to realize that it was impossible to prove that Darnay was a passenger on the Dover Mail. He did this by calling to attention the intense similarities in appearance between himself and Darnay. This example brings out another one of Carton’s heroic qualities. Despite his outer attitude, Carton is a generally good-hearted character. It is later stated in the book by Carton to Darnay that Carton really does not like Darnay. With this fact known, the reader would realize that Carton

Jane Eyre: A Gothic Novel

2001-04-14T14:00:00-04:00

Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, is considered by many to be a “gothic” novel. The use of “supernatural” incidents, architecture, and a desolate setting helped to decide this classification for Jane Eyre. Many cases exhibited the use of “supernatural” occurrences. For example, when Jane Eyre was ten years old, she was locked in a room called the “Red Room” for misbehaving. In this room, it was written that her uncle passed away there. Because of being told this, Jane Eyre believed that the light she saw float across the wall was her passed away uncle coming to avenge her mistreatment. “Shaking my hair from my eyes, I lifted my head and tried to look boldly round the dark room; at this moment a light gleamed on the wall. Was it, I asked myself, a ray from the moon penetrating some aperture in the blind? No; moonlight was still, and this stirred; while I gazed, it glided up to the ceiling and quivered over my head…………I thought the swift-darting beam was a herald of some coming vision from another world.” (page 12) To further prove this point, an incident occurred in the Rochester house that, at the time it arose, was considered “supernatural.” On an unsuspecting night, while Jane Eyre attempted to sleep, she was startled by demonic laughter. As Jane Eyre opened her door to find out who caused the laughter, she noted the hall dim, as if full of smoke. As she looked over to Mr. Rochester’s door, she noticed smoke pouring out of the room. Upon inspection, she discovered the room fully ablaze. Although the incident is eventually explained later in the book, the reader might consider it quite “supernatural” and unexplainable. The fire in Mr. Rochester’s room also helps to validate the idea of a “gothic” novel by architecture. Buildings constructed under the idea of “gothic” architecture are noted for being elaborately built and “rising toward Heaven.” Thornfield Hall meets this idea perfectly. The structure of Thornfield Hall is large and evasive. Most of the rooms are described as being “dreary and solitary,” due to their dimension. The amount of land owned by Mr. Rochester isolates Thornfield Hall and compliments the overpowering appearance of the house. The architecture and location of Thornfield Hall helps confirm the idea of a desolate setting. Thornfield Hall was located on an extensive amount of land owned by Mr. Rochester. Houses were located a great

Burmese Days

2001-04-13T14:00:00-04:00

I was intrigued by how the writer George Orwell portrayed each character's personality. Each character had their own unique characteristic. For example, Mr. Floury's character was unique in every aspect imaginable, by the way he tries to help Dr. Veraswami's get elected in the club. He was not always positive, but in some instances he was cruel. There was a demeanor about him that was portrayed very well from start to finish. The arrival of the bobbed blonde, Elizabeth Lackersteen, not only shows Flory as ill-fated suitor but gives Orwell the opportunity to prove that he's a reporter of nuanced social interactions and political intrigues. Other character's worth mentioning is Ma Hla May (Flory's servant); her actions throughout the book were marvelous. Each time she appeared in the scene, her presence was felt strongly. Her actions thoughtout the book were driven by her vanity, which led to her arriving at the church and embarrassing Mr. Flory. Against this backdrop of politics and ethics, Orwell presents romance. The book was not just about one-man entrance in a club, but also of the hatred people bestow on each other. Was it their vanity that had driven everyone in the town? Is the failure to socialize extended to the natives ? U Po Kyin, villain who tormented everyone, a man without any sympathy, a man who was known to be notorious throughout the town. Most of the turmoil, which occurred during the book can be traced back to U Po Kyin doings. The addition of U Po Kyin made the book mysterious and full of mayhem. This well plotted tale of betrayal and hypocrosy in an English colonial outpost is an extraordinarily good read on several levels. The character of Flory who despises the racist hypocrosy of his fellow expats yet is too weak to do anything about it is very well written. Flory is full of contradictions and ultimately these contribute to his tragic downfall. The English "club members" drink and spout racist nonsense while essentially wasting away in a country they really don't understand. A young military officer appears briefly and causes quite a stir since he is judged "worthy" based on title and appearance though in reality he is a lout. The plot builds slowly and Orwell weaves his views on colonialism and racism into the story with great skill. This is a great novel with a social conscience that I

Burmese Days - Criticism

2001-04-13T14:00:00-04:00

Imagine crossing E.M. Forster with Jane Austen. Stir in a bit of socialist doctrine, a sprig of satire, strong Indian curry, and a couple quarts of good English gin and you get something close to the flavor of George Orwell's intensely readable and deftly plotted Burmese Days. Orwell uses his own Anglo-Indian background to show the smothering pettiness and suffocating heat that are the basis for colonial life: "Mr. MacGregor told his anecdote about Prome, which could be produced in almost any context. And then the conversation veered back to the old, never-palling subject--the insolence of the natives, the supineness of the Government, the dear dead days when the British Raj was the Raj and please give the bearer fifteen lashes. The topic was never let alone for long, partly because of Ellis's obsession. Besides, you could forgive the Europeans a great deal of their bitterness. Living and working among Orientals would try the temper of a saint." In fact, his combination of a no-frills prose, and astringently populist sensibility make for fiction that stands out of time. I was intrigued by how the writer George Orwell portrayed each character's personality. Each character had their own unique characteristic. James Flory is a timber merchant with a facial birthmark that promotes the left-learning behavior of the mind which makes him different from his companions. Flory doesn't always possess the moral courage to stand up for himself. For example, Mr. Floury's character was unique in every aspect imaginable, by the way he tries to help Dr. Veraswami's get elected in the club. He was not always positive, but in some instances he was cruel. There was a demeanor about him that was portrayed very well from start to finish. Against a background of politics and ethics, Orwell presents romance. The arrival of the bobbed blonde, Elizabeth Lackersteen, not only shows Flory as ill-fated suitor but gives Orwell the opportunity to prove that he's a reporter of nuanced social interactions and political intrigues. Other character's worth mentioning is Ma Hla May (Flory's servant); her actions throughout the book were marvelous. Each time she appeared in the scene, her presence was felt strongly. Her actions thoughtout the book were driven by her vanity, which led to her arriving at the church and embarrassing Mr. Flory. The book was not just about one-man entrance in a club, but also of the hatred people bestow on

The Bearer of the Fruits of Sin

2001-04-11T14:00:00-04:00

The world of Puritan New England, like the world of today, was filled with many evil influences. Many people were able to withstand the temptations of this darker side of the spiritual world, but still some fell victim to the supposed Satan’s will. Such offences against God, in thought, word, deed, desire or neglect, are what we define as sin (Schuler 14). In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the reader is able to observe how one sin devastates three lives. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth are all guilty of succumbing to temptation, anger, and desire, causing all to fit the definition of a sinner. Yet, Chillingworth’s iniquities raise him up above Hester and Dimmesdale on the level of diabolic acts. From the very moment Chillingworth is introduced, he is deceitful towards the Puritan society. Chillingworth appears in the novel, seeming to know nothing of the scene at the scaffold. He asks of a townsperson: “…who is this woman? – and wherefore is she here to set up to public shame?” (Hawhtorne 67). Yet, we find in the next chapter that he indeed knows who Hester is, because Chillingworth is the lawful husband of her. He decieves the people of Boston to avoid the humiliation his wife brought upon him. In this respect, Chillingworth sins against the eight commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour” (Schuler 26). Now, one could state that Hester also sins against the eighth commandment. She never reveals the name of her daughter’s father. And it is stated that one must always tell the truth. Yet, it also states that one must keep a secret whenever asked to do so, and not say anything to damage another’s reputation (Schuler 27). So Hester, in fact, did not sin. She never denies that Dimmesdale was the father of Pearl. She also could not admit the truth because she would break a promise to Dimmesdale and damage his reputation. Dimmesdale also may be accused of this crime, but likewise, he never outwardly states that he was not the father of this child, he merely chooses to remain silent on the matter. While Chillingworth is guilty of breaking the eighth commandment, he also breaks the fifth commandment “You shall not kill” (Schuler 24). It fact that Chillingworth did not directly kill anyone in the novel. Nevertheless, a serious act of anger or hatred is considered a sin under this commandment

The English Patient - techniques

2001-04-10T14:00:00-04:00

The novel, The English Patient, by Michael Ondaajte constructs meaning through the use of tropes, images and symbolism, instead of merely portraying a linear set of events. There are many intertexual references, tropes of covering, which serve to create and strengthen meaning, as well as bold imagery, which erects another level of significance. Symbolism plays a vital role in the formation of meaning, with fire, religion, the English Patients body and the desert being essential to the founding concepts of the novel. The self-awareness of the novel, as well as the multiple relaying of one event, also assist is the creation of meaning. There are many intertexual references throughout the novel, all of which serve to create and reinforce meaning. The Histories by Herodotus is constantly referred to and is carried everywhere by the English Patient. It speaks of the enmity of East and West and their irreconcilable differences. “…wonderful deeds manifested by both Greeks and barbarians…together with reason why they fought one another.” This exert from The Histories shows that while both East and West can achieve great feats they can never achieve the greatest feat of all, overcoming their differences. This foreshadows the apocalyptic dropping of the A-bomb on Japan and Kips subsequent realisation of this enmity. This is a key notion in the novel and the continual references help to foreground these differences, particularly highlighting the treatment of Asian nations at the hands of the English, or Western nations. This harsh conduct on the behalf of the English is emphasized by the English Patients use of cigarette papers, covering the text, much the same way as the dominating English cover the culture of the Indians. The English Patient represents everything that is English; he is knowledgeable and “cultured”, able to speak on many “refined” topics. This trope of covering is symbolic of the dispossession of their language, and government, indeed the very burial of their culture, suffered by the Indians at the hands of the English. Herodotus’s Histories also draw parallels between the Katherine/English Patient love affair and that of Gyges and the Queen, as well as revealing the power of words. During Katharine’s telling of the story, the English Patient falls in love with her, the story can be seen as the mechanism for their love affair. It becomes clear that Katharine is the Queen, Clifton is Candules, while the English Patient is forced into the

My Sister's Bones - Book Report

2001-04-09T14:00:00-04:00

“Don’t tell Mom and Dad it’s me, okay?” She Waits. “Okay?” she says, a little louder. “Okay,” I tell my sister. “How are you? How’s college?” I’m surprised she’s calling up here, and glad for the distraction. Billy Weinstein seems to be the only one who’s noticed how her sister, Cassie, has changed since she left for college. She can tell how she seems withdrawn, obsessed with studying, and how she barely eats. Although Billie wants to talk to her parents about it, every time she brings it up, they just act as though its a phase and that she’ll grow out of it. Her father continuously says “She’s under a lot of stress now, that’s all. Freshman year is very hard at Cornell. She’ll get her appetite back after exams.” As the story deepens, Billie continues to try and show her parents how Cassie’s actions aren’t healthy. She’s even tried convincing Cassie to ask for help or to at least realize she has a problem. “No Billy, really, I’m fine. I had some breakfast before, I’m really not hungry. I’ll eat later, okay, I promise,” Cassie tells me. What makes it even worse though, is that Billie’s father is a doctor and should be able to tell that Cassie has a eating problem. As time goes on , Billie realizes that Cassie is getting deeper into problems. She sleeps all the time, and has stopped eating altogether. Finally, when Cassie’s dorm director at college calls and tells her parents that she has been getting reports from girls worrying about Cassie, Billie’s parents finally take action. As soon as they bring Cassie to the doctor, they put her in an eating disorder clinic. They all know that it will be a while before Cassie gets better since Cassie still hasn’t realized she has a problem. When Billie tells her that she should gain more wait, all she can say is : “It’s not good, it’s gross. I can’t stand it, really, but it’s the only way out of this place. Not that it’s so bad. I mean, in a way, it’s easier. Just a few simple rules. If you gain, you’re good, if you lose, you’re bad.” While in the clinic, Cassie gets better and puts on more weight. She even decides she wants to come home soon. Billie knows that although Cassie is getting better, she has a long

The Scarlet Letter - The Honest T

2001-04-09T14:00:00-04:00

No one is perfect and no one is exactly the same. Everyone sins, and that includes telling lies. Most everyone lies at some point, whether it be to cover something up or just make someone feel better. Or it can be both. We as people are very afraid of being judged in a bad way, so if a person does something sinful or shunned upon, they lie about it to keep their reputations protected. This opinion based on anothers life decisions is a hypocritical decision. We don't want it happening to us, however we do it when we hear gossip about others in our community. This is because people are very judgemental. This wasn't just applicable in 1650, or even 1850 when The Scarlet Letter was written, but it is still something that is going on today not only in America, but right here in North Central High School. Though most people know the difference between the truth and a lie, Nathaniel Hawthorne establishes that many people have different perceptions of truth because of denial, reaction to judgement, and differences in moralities in the epic tale of The Scarlet Letter. Many people deny their emotions, especially strict Puritans. They sell themselves to God and live for no one or thing else. They are givers, not takers, which is an admirable trait to some, but not Romanticist Hawthorne. In the novel The Scarlet Letter, there are strict Puritans like these. Hester Prynne is one example. She, like everyone in the world, commited a sin. However, it was a considerably bad sin: adultery. Even if the option, which wasn't presented to the reader, that her and Arthur Dimmesdale (her adulterer) were in love, it wouldn't have mattered because she would've felt bad anyway (Even though she didn't love her husband) the same thing would have come from it: complete and utter misery for everyone involved in the sin. This was because she denied HER emotions and went with whatever she thought God wanted her to do. Another example of denial blocking one similar definition of truth is Arthur Dimmesdale. He denied his past to have a better future. However, that didn't seem to work because he killed himself in the end to stop his melancholy. He denied himself to his congregation and community. By violating the dignity of his position as a minister, he chose to violate it further by not telling

Lennie and George

2001-04-08T14:00:00-04:00

Lennie and George: In what ways are they 'mates'? Is this a true friendship, as you understand friendship? George and Lennie are in every instance 'mates'. I suppose that some opposition comes from the book where George often says that Lennie is a nuisance, and he got stuck with him because of an auntie of Lennie's. In the novel you get an idea that this is an act, and he cares for Lennie because Lennie says, "'Cause you got me, George and I got you" and George agrees. George is a reasonably intelligent, hardworking ranchman. Lennie on the other hand always manages to find trouble. He is equally as hardworking and honest as George but his simple childlike mind always finds him trouble wherever he goes. However they have one thing that unites the two of them as close as any bond can. This is that they both share the same dream of owning their own ranch - and after many hard working years, moving from ranch to ranch, living in complete poverty and working for next to nothing they finally try to achieve this life long dream. To maintain a companion you must have things in common, you must be able to disagree with a sort of respectful understanding, and finally you must care legitimately about that person. Lennie and George's friendship meet and implement all the needed requirements for being friends. They are a textbook example of loyal friends. They, together, are like two old people living their life in companionship. Lennie gives George someone to talk to and someone to keep him on track. George gives Lennie insight on the world and someone that will respect him even though he isn't intelligent. They, more importantly, give each other something to live for. If Lennie didn't meet George he would of died soon after his aunt did, because he would either have got himself in a bind with no one to help him or he would of simply wondered off and died of loneliness. Although, no matter how much he tries, George cannot make up for the huge gap in Lennies mind. Lennie is so childish it is hard to believe, for example when he sees things he wants to grab and touch them. Throughout the book, the stress of Lennie's retardation begins to weigh down on George. Because of Lennie, they are nomads. Wherever they go, Lennie gets them in

The Great Gatsby - Death of the American Dream

2001-04-08T14:00:00-04:00

In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, all the characters are, in one way or another, attempting to achieve a state of happiness in their lives. The main characters are divided into two groups: the rich upper class and the poorer lower class, which struggles to attain a higher position. Though the major players seek only to change their lives for the better, the idealism and spiritualism of the American Dream is inevitably crushed beneath the harsh reality of life, leaving their lives without meaning or purpose. Tom and Daisy Buchanan, the rich socialite couple, seem to have everything they could possibly desire; however, though their lives are full of material possessions and worldly goods, they are unsatisfied and seek to change their circumstances. Tom, the arrogant ex-football player, drifts on "forever seeking a little wistfully for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game"(pg. 10) and reads "deep books with long words in them"(pg. 17) in order to have something to talk about. Though he appears happily married to Daisy, Tom has an affair with Myrtle Wilson and keeps an apartment with her in New York. Tom's basic nature of unrest prevents him from being satisfied with the life he leads, and so he creates another life for himself with Myrtle. Daisy Buchanan is an empty figure, a woman with neither strong desires nor convictions. Even before her loyalty to either Tom or Gatsby is called into question, Daisy does nothing but sit around all day and wonder what to do with herself. She knows that Tom has a mistress on the side, yet hesitates to leave him even when she learns of Gatsby's devotion to her. Daisy professes her love to Gatsby, yet cannot bring herself to tell Tom goodbye except at Gatsby's insistence. Even then, once Tom pleads with her to stay, Daisy quickly capitulates and ultimately leaves Gatsby for a life of comfort and security. The Buchanans are the ultimate examples of wealth and prosperity, the epitome of the rich life of the American Dream, yet their lives are empty, unfulfilled, and without purpose. Though Myrtle Wilson makes an attempt to escape her own class and pursue happiness with the richer set, her efforts ultimately produce no results and she dies, a victim of the very group she sought to join. Myrtle tries to join Tom's class by entering into an affair with him and taking on his way of

Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 - The Fear of Utopia

2001-04-07T14:00:00-04:00

Several conflicting frames of mind have played defining roles in shaping humanity throughout the twentieth century. Philosophical optimism of a bright future held by humanity in general was taken advantage of by the promise of a better life through sacrifice of individuality to the state. In the books Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 clear opposition to these subtle entrapments was voiced in similarly convincing ways. They first all established, to varying degrees of balance, the atmosphere and seductiveness of the “utopia” and the fear of the consequences of acting in the non-prescribed way through character development. A single character is alienated because of their inability to conform – often in protest to the forced conditions of happiness and well being. Their struggle is to hide this fact from the state’s relentless supervision of (supposedly) everything. This leads them to eventually come into conflict with some hand of the state which serves as the authors voice presenting the reader with the ‘absurdity’ of the principles on which the society is based. The similar fear of the state’s abuse of power and technology at the expense of human individuality present within these novels speaks to the relevance of these novels within their historical context and their usefulness for awakening people to the horrendous consequences of their ignorance. In these novels the main characters are, or become, unable to conform to the society’s standards. These characters represent the authors’ view of the ‘utopia’ as they see it with the veil of ignorance removed. In 1984, for instance, we start out with a character, Winston, who is constantly observing the ironies of the world about him. Through his job at the ministry of truth, he becomes a hand of the state, creating fiction to support its endeavors: “Comrade Ogilvy, unimagined an hour ago, was now a fact … he would exist just as authentically … as Charlemange and Julius Caesar.” (1984, p54) As the book progresses he becomes more aware of his individuality and eventually is unable to hide it. Similarly in Fahrenheit 451, Montag becomes aware of problems with his society, but not logically - emotionally. It disturbs him greatly when a medical team that helps his wife appear and disappear within a matter of minutes: “There are too many of us, he thought. There are billions of us and that’s too many. Nobody knows anyone.” (F451,p14) He becomes further agitated when

Who has seen the Wind - The Godlessness of formal Religions

2001-04-07T14:00:00-04:00

The essence of God isn't found in today's formal religions. It is evident throughout the novel Who Has Seen the Wind that author W.O. Mitchell intrinsically believes and wishes to convey this message. He states that the prairie is nature in it's simplest form, complete onto itself, and that the religious structure of today's "God" is simply made up by people to ease their pain and fears. Underlying everything is the sense that we as human beings don't really know where we're going, or for that matter, where we're coming from, in our search for God and the truth. W.O. Mitchell sees the prairies as the basic fundamental unit of nature. "Here was the least common denominator of nature, the skeleton requirements simply, of land and sky- Saskatchewan prairie" (WHSTW, p3) One might assume that this implies that God doesn't exist; That somehow, since the prairie is already complete, God is effectively out of the picture. Not the case! Rather, this implies, perhaps subtly, that God exists incorporated into nature itself, living with it, and not as the heavenly arbitrator he is supposed, by modern religion, to be. This is perhaps the most important message we are shown in the book. God is real, lives in real things, and, as we will see, is not bound by the finicky limitations and expectations of human beings. It is apparent that there is a definite message we are willed to decipher when we come across Brian creating his own "gods" on paper. This act is symbolic of the childish way in which we've created our own religious conventions and beliefs. Brian feels sad and lonely, so he solves the problem by copying what he sees as religion's solution: Brian was wishing that Forbsie didn't have the mumps… He didn't want to draw men, he wanted to ride a vacuum cleaner up into the sky where it was blue… on the paper he made blue with his crayon. And God was there. (WHSTW, p31) Brian, being a child, is impervious to the horrible sin of blaspheme. This, in conjunction with his natural curiosity, allows him to take religion at face value exposing it to the readers for the hollow shell it is: Not as a means to God, but a means to solving personal problems of loneliness and fulfilling dreams. This "confusion" on Brian's part is used by W.O. Mitchell to show insight into the falseness

Henry James and "The Art of Fiction"

2001-04-06T14:00:00-04:00

“The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life.” Stated Henry James in “The Art of Fiction” page 437. I agree with Mr. James that feelings and ambitions formed in characters do represent life. The idea of characters and how real they should is represented in page 440. Characters, in my opinion, form the novel itself. It is the characters and incidents corresponding in a novel, which make a good one. There are two kinds of characters: the round character, and the flat character. The round one has contradictions and develops with the progress of the novel. The flat character does not change; if it is good then that is the way it will stay, or if it is bad it will also stay as it is with no progress in it. There are as well minor characters, which are there to help the novel to develop, and make incidents more reasonable. Characters form actions, in my opinion, and actions form the incidents of a novel. In page 438, Mr. James stated that “the action of men” is “the task” of writers. It is not only important to show characters’ feelings, but also to see them in action. A novel I would refer to that may get to be the opposite of that statement would be To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. The novel does not have much action, but shows a lot of inner thoughts and feelings of the characters. The time passes by slowly at the beginning of the novel, which may make you feel dull. The story still is a genius one. These form of novels are called “the stream of consciousness”, and its form goes by hearing characters’ thoughts and their inner emotions. Mr. James prefers, as I interpret, that a novel should have characters combined with the actions they go through. I agree with him, since I find much pleasure in reading such works of fiction. That is of course my own taste, and not my own opinion, since an opinion should be objective. In conclusion, life can be seen in characters, which are in action. Also in corresponding of incidents that can be thought to be logical. If any work of fiction has logical events, and can be taken to be true, then it is a successful one. Any novel does not have to be only a copy of

The Beast Within

2001-04-06T14:00:00-04:00

Lord of the Flies, awarded the Nobel Prize for literature is considered a modern classic. What makes this novel so interesting and realistic is the fact that it parallels with the real world. The point that Golding was trying to make was that evil is inside all of us. He used this novel to express to the readers his thoughts on the matter, which was that to defeat the evil inside yourself, you have to admit that it is there. Simon managed to face the beast inside him. But unfortunately, since the other boys still believed that the beast was a living, breathing creature, it resulted in the death of Simon. When comparing the characters in the book to real people, it is not hard to see the similarities. Simon was the first and only one to realise the real beast on the Island. He could be compared to someone like a priest or a good samaraton – someone who tries his best to convince everyone of what’s right. The beast was harmless and horrible; and the news must reach the others as soon as possible. Page 162 Jack is more like someone from a cult of some description. He quite easily convinces everyone on the Island that there is a big horrible beast roaming around the place, which is ready to attack and kill at anytime. Jack got all the boys on his side by using scare tactics. Ralph, in some ways, parallels a school teacher. He always tries to do what is in the best interest of the community, but sometimes is over powered by the majority and gives in. In over words, he does his best to keep order and peace, but of course can’t all the time because of disagreements, stubbornness and rebellion. It is hard to find a perfect match for Piggy. He is full of sensible, bright ideas, but because he is fat, a nerd and wears glasses, no one will listen to him except for Ralph. He was also kind of irritating. For example, he followed the rules too much. If something wasn’t done the way he knew was right, he would get all irate. Then, of course, when it went wrong, Piggy had no hesitation in telling people that he could’ve done it better. When the twins first discovered the dead airman on the top of the mountain, they assumed it was a beast and ran to tell the

To Kill a Mockingbird - Style

2001-04-04T14:00:00-04:00

The stylistic elements that an author chooses are instrumental in ensuring that the theme or tone that he or she wishes to convey is in fact conveyed to the reader. Harper Lee obviously realizes this, for in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird, [New York: Warner, 1982] 278) she wisely selects a distinctive style to relate the moving story of a young child discovering harsh truths regarding human nature The predominant stylistic element Miss Lee uses is her diction and choice of sentence length. At the beginning of the selection, the sentences are short and simple. This syntax is especially appropriate, due to the fact that the novel is written in first person, the narrator being a six year old girl named Scout. “I never saw him again,”she says, referring to her mysteriously reclusive neighbor, Boo Radley. “We never put back into the tree what we had taken out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.” Here, Lee takes on the persona of a child by using a short, simple sentence structure— no excessiveness or educated glibness, just the purity and honesty of a child’s prate. As the piece progresses, Lee’s writing style begins to transform. It becomes more educated and mature. “I had never seen our neighborhood from this angle,” Scout says, creating not only a transition in how Scout sees her world, but also a transition in the syntax. While the sentences remain short, the diction Miss Lee chooses is more advanced, as Scout recaps what she has seen in her lifetime – no longer through the eyes of a child. “The boy helped is sister to her feet, and they made their way home. Fall, and his children trotted to and fro around the corner, the day’s woes ans triumphs on their faces. They stopped at an oak tree, delighted, puzzled, apprehensive.” Once again, Lee’s syntax is very suitable in the message she is trying to impart. Scout’s exposure to the strange and startling realities of the human soul take away her youthful innocence. Thus, she begins to, as all people must do, mature. Another stylistic element that greatly aids in progressing the theme and tone of the novel is Lee’s implementation of imagery. She begins with Scout on the porch of a house she had once thought to be haunted. “Street lights winked down the street

Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange - Contrast

2001-04-04T14:00:00-04:00

Never have two more opposing places existed than Thrusscross Grange and Wuthering Heights. Wuthering Heights is a dwelling characterized by fiery emotions, primal passions, bitter vengeance, and blatant evil. Thrushcross Grange is a peaceful, beautiful abode which epitomizes all that is good and lovely. Emily Bronte includes these two places in the Romantic novel, Wuthering Heights, to create a contrast which furthers the overall theme of good vs. evil. Wuthering Heights is a house set high upon a hill where is exposed to extreme weather conditions. Storms often come “rattling over the heights in full fury.” - Storms which have “growling thunder,” and “great drop.” The name of the place itself is symbolic of it’s nature, “‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which it’s station is exposed in stormy weather.” The Heights are not very pleasing to the eye either. Bronte describes the building as a harsh, cold house where, “the narrow windows are deeply set in the wall and the corners defended with large jutting stones.” She depicts it as having a “pervading spirit of neglect,” being filled with un-cheerful things such as drab decor and cruel dogs. The description of, “a few stunted firs at the end of the house,” and, “a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun.” proves that even the vegetation surrounding the structure conjures images that lack warmth and happiness. The people which occupy the house tend to be rather severe and brutal also. Heathcliff, the protagonist, is a very vile and wicked man who spends his entire existence on earth seeking revenge and ruining the lives of others. A character from the story proves this by her question: “Is Mr Heathcliff a man? If so, is he mad? And if not, is he a devil?” Catherine, another tenant of the is a wild and willful girl who marries Edgar Linton, against her better judgement. Later, she dies because she cannot find a way to reconcile her passionate love for Heathcliff with her position as Edgar’s wife. Posthumously, she haunts Heathcliff for twenty years. Hindley Earnshaw is yet another example of the ferocity at the Heights for, “he neither wept nor prayed: he cursed and defied; execrated God and man, and gave himself up to reckless dissipation” He has a keen hatred for Heathcliff and a weakness of character

Wuthering Heights: Sympathy with the Villain

2001-04-04T14:00:00-04:00

Heathcliff, the main character in Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, has no heart. He is evil to the core - so savage that his lone purpose is to ruin others. Yet at the very moment at which the reader would be expected to feel the most antipathy towards the brute -after he has destroyed his wife, after he has degraded the life of a potentially great man, and after he has watched the death of his son occur with no care nor concern, the reader finds himself feeling strangely sympathetic towards this character. The answer to this oddity lies in the presentation of the character himself, which causes us to be more pitying of him than we otherwise might. Bronte’s describes the young boy, Heathcliff, as”dark, almost as if he came from the devil,” immediately spurring the reader to view the character as evil and immoral. His actions from thence forward largely tend to enhance this notion. From the very get go he hates Hindley, and although the feeling is mutual, Heathcliff certainly does his just portion of cruel deeds. In one incident Mr Earnshaw has given both Hindley and Heathcliff a colt. When Heathcliff’s colt goes lame, he threatens to blackmail Hindley if he does not trade with him. At a young age, he begins to plot revenge against Hindley. “I’m trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back,” he says, “I don’t care how long I wait, if I can only do it at last. I hope he will not die before I do!” And in his adult years, we find him teaching Hindley’s son Hareton to swear desiring that the boy become just as foul as he. As the novel continues, Heathcliff develops another aversion. This time, to the man that married his lover, Edgar Linton. In one particular scene Edgar, Catherine, and Heathcliff are all involved in a passionate dispute. “I wish you the joy of a milk-blooded coward,” he says, “....I compliment you on your taste. And that is the slavering, shivering thing you preferred me too. I would not strike him with my fist, but I’d kick him with my foot and experience considerable satisfaction.” After the completion of this speech, Heathcliff proceeds to just as he had discussed. Later, to gain power of Edgar, Heathcliff elopes with Edgar’s sister, Isabella. Their marriage proves to be far from delightful, for Heathcliff has no

1984: Summary

2001-04-04T14:00:00-04:00

Summary

The Story starts, as the title tells us, in the year of 1984, and it takes place in England or how it is called at that time, Airstrip One. Airstrip One itself is the mainland of a huge country, called Oceania, which consists of North America, South Africa, and Australia. The country is ruled by the Party, which is led by a figure called Big Brother. The population of Oceania is divided into three parts: 1.The Inner Party (app. 1% of the population) 2.The Outer Party (app. 18% of the population) 3.The Proles The narrator of the book is all-knowing and he is not participating in the action of the book himself. The protagonist is Winston Smith, a member of the OuterParty, working in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth, rewriting and altering records, such as newspaper-articles, of the past. The action starts when Winston develops critic thoughts against the ruling dictatorship of the party, for the first time. Doing so he buys himself a book, a rare thing these days, to use it as a diary. As individual expression was forbidden by the Party, having a diary was a crime, which could even be punished with death. There were so-called telescreens in each room, showing propaganda and political pamphlets, which had a built in camera and microphone, in order to spy on the people. Therefore keeping a secret book was not only forbidden, but also very dangerous. When Winston makes the first entry in the diary ,he thinks about an experience he has made during the Two Minutes Hate, a propaganda film, that was repeated each day. During this Film he caught the eye of O'Brien, a member of the Inner Party, of whom he thought that he might alos stand critic to the regime, or that at least there is a bond of some kind between them. After the reflection, he finds that he has written the sentence :"Down with Big Brother" all over the page. In the same night Winston dreams about, his mother and sister, who had starved to death in the war, because he had been so greedy. Then he dreams of having sex with a girl he has seen in the Records Department, during the Two Minute Hate. Early in the morning Winston is waken up by the harsh voice from the telescreen. During the performance of the exercises, Winston's thoughts move back

Odysseus, the Hero

2001-03-29T14:00:00-04:00

An individual’s characteristics are the key to their behavior. Homer’s The Odyssey takes place about 700BC in the Mediterranean, near Greece. The epic tells of a man who left his home twenty years earlier to fight in the Trojan War. His mission now is to make his way home to Ithaca. Odysseus shows good and bad traits throughout the epic that influence his way home . (65 words) The courage and wisdom of Odysseus help him survive through the whole epic. For example, Odysseus kills the Cyclops while the giant is asleep, even though the monster ate two men minutes before (P.110). Odysseus has courage to stand up for his beliefs and never lets the opinion of others keep him from doing what is right. Some think Odysseus shows his courage throughout the epic because he is proud and does not want to leave any job unfinished. Furthermore, Odysseus by plugs the sailors’ ears with wax when going through the Sirens, whose sweet singing lures sailors to there doom (p. 141). Odysseus often hesitates before acting, because he uses reason to evaluate the situation, which saves him and his men many times. Odysseus knows that there is no progress without the wisdom to back it up. Using courage and wisdom throughout life allows a person to see greatness in life. As great as he was, Odysseus still had some weaknesses, most importantly that of his pride and sensualness, that prolongs his voyage back to Ithaca. This is clearly evident in the episode on the Cyclopes’ Island when Odysseus and his men are safely away from the island when Odysseus brags about his exploits making Polythemus hurl giant boulders almost sinking the ship (P. 114). This incident hurt Odysseus more than just losing a few men, because Poseidon makes his travel home very long and arduous. This proud characteristic shows Odysseus has a lack of respect for others and that he is selfish. Furthermore, Odysseus stays with Circe for one year before his men remind him of home (p. 116). This characteristic of sensualness demonstrates that Odysseus is unable to resist temptation. This hinders his mission; setting him back in his journey. Odysseus’s weaknesses in life downsize him, making himself less powerful. The story portrays how an individual’s characteristics can affect the outcomes of their life. Nonetheless, Odysseus survives all that happens to him. His courage, wisdom, intelligence and endurance enable him to come

Life-Cycle

2001-03-29T14:00:00-04:00

Amidst the “hot pies and potato-chips”, “innocent monsters” and “resurgent lions”, Dawe effectively illustrates Victorian popular culture in the poem “Life-cycle”. Generally speaking, the subject matter is associated with Victorian lifestyle, notwithstanding the prevalent reference specifically to AFL football. Humour and good intentions counterbalance sentiments of condescending ridicule. Dawe flippantly suggests that “the tides of life will be the tides of the home-team’s fortunes”. Whilst some may be inclined to assume that Dawe is merely mocking a preoccupied Victorian society, it is worth mentioning that his criticisms are far from hostile. In fact, it would be fair to say that they are detailed with an affectionate and benevolent disposition. Whimsically, Dawe depicts a solitary culture conditioned by an overwhelming fascination with AFL football. The insinuation that Victorians are born into football loyalty, similar to that of religion, suggests that Dawe possesses the unique ability to detect similarities in events that are generally opaque to the standard eye. Biblical references throughout the poem cast an additional dimension in the audience’s minds. The mention of the “empyrean” and the booming of the commentator from the stands could arguably be hypothesised as having a religious underpinning. In a biblical sense, “empyrean” means the highest heaven and the booming commentator could likewise be compared with a religious God – an Almighty all-seeing onlooker. Dawe further develops comparisons in the form of non-religious similes. For example, the comparison between “rippling minds” and “streamers”, and for descriptive purposes, children are defined as “little monsters who have been years swimming towards the daylight’s roaring empyrean”. The relationship fabricated between Dawe and his audience is far more personal than that achieved by similar poets. The language is seemingly colloquial, vernacular and familiar to everyday Australians, despite the occasional rise of cerebral biblical dialect. Dawe utilises are variety of poetic devices to convey a powerful sense of imagery. The deliberate exaggeration for dramatic effect (otherwise known as a hyperbole) is used in the phrase “the pure flood of sound”. In this instance, the obvious exaggeration encourages a greater sense of aural imagery. In terms of visual imagery, descriptions of “club-colours”, “beribboned cots” and hoisting children shoulder-high, enables the reader to gain a perceptive appreciation of what football loyalty entails. The symbolic application of the “litter Tiger”, “resurgent lions”, Demons

Brave New World - Society

2001-03-28T14:00:00-04:00

One may think that the society in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a gross representation of the future, but perhaps our society isn’t that much different. In his foreword to the novel Brave New World, Aldous Huxley envisioned this statement when he wrote: "To make them love it is the task assigned, in present-day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda...." Thus, through hypnopaedic teaching (brainwashing), mandatory attendance to community gatherings, and the use of drugs to control emotions, Huxley bitterly satirized the society in which we live. The way the fascist and totalitarian regimes of the past used mass propaganda techniques to “brainwash” their people was very similar to the way Huxley described the hypnopaedic teachings in his novel. He also thought, however, that the present-day totalitarian states' methods were still "crude and unscientific." For example, in the novel the different classes had been brainwashed since birth to believe that they all contributed equally to society. Therefore, the people wouldn't try to think for themselves because they had never been trained to think anything differently. In addition, they didn't have any knowledge of a society that they could compare themselves to. In our society, many great lessons have been learned from the mistakes of rulers in the past. This is revealed when the Director said, "History is bunk." In our society, the dictators attempted to gain control of the world, but they usually failed because they weren't able to persuade the entire world to think like them. In the past, Communist leaders have attempted to rewrite history, but in Brave New World, this was taken one step further; they forgot about history altogether. The only people who had access to any knowledge of the past were the ones who had the power: the World Controllers. Thus, they were able to create a society that fit their liking. Since the hypnopaedic ideas in the society were continuously repeated throughout one's lifetime, attendance to community gatherings, such as the Solidarity Service, were strictly enforced. The main purpose of the Solidarity Service was to promote social stability, and to give people something that they can feel apart of. The people were driven to this by singing songs like the First Solidarity Hymn, which began, "Ford, we are twelve oh, make us one." During this time, people were also consuming soma rations, which drugged them and caused them to get swept up in the

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Adjust, Adapt, Overcome: A theme analysis

2001-03-28T14:00:00-04:00

"I have said that the soul is not more than the body, And I have said that the body is not more than the soul, And nothing, not God, is greater to one than one's self is, And whoever walks a furlong without sympathy walks to his own funeral drest in his shroud..." -Walt Whitman, Song of Myself Zora Neale Hurston, in dealing with the female search for self-awareness in Their Eyes Were Watching God, has created a heroine in Janie Crawford. In fact, the female perspective is introduced immediately: "Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly" (1). On the very first page of Their Eyes Were Watching God, the contrast is made between men and women, thus initiating Janie's search for her own dreams and foreshadowing the "female quest" theme of the rest of the novel. Detailing Janie's quest for self-discovery and self-definition, Hurston celebrates Janie as a role model for all by communicating her understanding of life's true meaning. In finding life's true meaning, Janie underwent self-definition or what today is called self-actualization: In 1954 an American psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed that all people are motivated to fulfill a hierarchical pyramid of needs. At the bottom of Maslow's pyramid are needs essential to survival, such as the needs for food, water, and sleep. The need for safety follows these physiological needs. According to Maslow, higher-level needs become important to us only after our more basic needs are satisfied. These higher needs include the need for love and 'belongingness', the need for esteem, and the need for self-actualization (In Maslow's theory, a state in which people realize their greatest potential) (All information by means of Encarta Online Encyclopedia). It is ironic that a black female author of the late 1930's was able to write a novel exemplifying this very theme, well before its time. Although Hurston had Janie endure three marriages and a slew of hardships, the novel's protagonist finally reached the pinnacle in human existence. She had been a part of the loving harmony she had witnessed so early in her childhood. Janie was complete. Janie Crawford is a black woman who asserts herself beyond expectation, with a persistence that characterizes her search for the love that she dreamt of as a girl. After witnessing the symbiotic relationship

The Magic Barrel

2001-03-27T14:00:00-04:00

The story opens with the character of Leo Finkle a dedicated rabbinical student reaching an end to his six long years of study. Leo, during these six years has been transfixed with his studies neglecting most everything else. One thing he denied himself was a social life by secluding himself in his studies, thus making a prospective wife seemingly out of reach, and when it was suggested that being married would help gather a congregation, Leo begins his search with match maker Pinye Salzman. Pinyne has brought with himself a portfolio, which includes six potential brides drawn from his magic barrel. Leo carelessly dismisses the first three for trivial reasons and before the matchmaker can go further Leo becomes frustrated and ends the meeting. This meeting strangely affects Leo seeping into his mind and affiliating his daily activities, this proves to be the beginning of Leo's transformation. Pinye Salzman makes a reappearance the next evening bearing some new information, a correction in one of the prier women’s age, bringing her from an withered thirty-two to a youthful twenty-nine. With this new information at hand Leo reconsiders and agrees to meet this woman with some resentment. Leo met Lilly on a Saturday afternoon by the riverside by which they walked and talked. Lilly causally questions the studying theologian, yet one causal question unraveled a truth that started a domino affect leading to a new Leo. "That I came to god not because I loved him, but because I did not", Leo said socking both him and his companion. He later sat in his apartment in despair stewing on revelation upon revelation. He finally determined he was a man unloved and loveless, a man of utter lonelyness. This knowledge of himself destroyed him and he seaced to care, letting responsibilities and enjoyment slip away. Pinye Salzman arrives a Leo's door once more to follow up, and here is where Leo decides he will redeem himself by seeking out "love" by his lonesome, no longer needing a matchmaker. Pinye attempts to sway his enlightened refocused client, but is unsuccessful and thus forces a folder of pictures upon Leo. Eventually Leo opens the folder and peruses through the pictures. In the file he sees women aged faces portraying lives unlived, an existence that has pasted them by, and knowing he has embarked on the same lonely path. Then he comes across the snap photo of

Of Mice and Men - Critical evaluation

2001-03-26T14:00:00-04:00

The main theme of ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck is fate . The techniques he uses such as the title , repetition , echoes and symbolism are very successful in putting across his very pessimistic views on this theme . The two main characters , George and Lennie , share a dream . George dreams of a piece of land of his own . Independence . A couple of acres , a cow and some pigs . Lennie dreams of tending rabbits . With the title ‘Of Mice and Men’ , Steinbeck is telling you that this dream whilst on the verge of realization , will be destroyed by fate . It relates to Robert Burns’ poem ‘To a Mouse’ . Burns and Steinbeck share the same pessimistic views on fate . In ‘To a Mouse’ Burns shows that he believes that just as your dreams are about to come true , ‘The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men ,’ fate will always strike , ‘ gang aft agley ‘. The last two lines ,’ An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain , for promis’d joy! ‘, show that Burns believes that you’re worse off after your dreams have been crushed than you were before In the story , almost anyone could be the mouse although the most obvious is George . I think this is a very well chosen title for this short story as if you know the poem you know more or less what is going to happen . Steinbeck’s technique of repetition is effective in that it builds up to the climax of the tragedy . The mouse Lennie had was dead . He had killed it unintentionally when petting it . This situation is repeated further on in the story when Lennie is given a pup by Slim . Lennie had been playing with it and had hit the puppy for biting him . You know that an incident like this is going to be the downfall of George and Lennie . The episode in Weed also hints on future tragedy . Lennie sees a girl wearing a beautiful red dress and , child-like as he is , he wants to touch it . He grabs the dress and the girl lets out a loud scream . He panics and all he can think of to do is hold on .He holds on until George

The Awakening - Morality or Self-sacrifice?

2001-03-26T14:00:00-04:00

The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, takes one back to an earlier time while still provoking the questions of morality and self-sacrifice that exist today. Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of the story, places herself in the position to be the individual going against society from the beginning of the novel. In the beginning chapters of the novel, Edna’s characteristics and actions worthy of rebuke lead to a breakdown of her moral integrity. These behaviors eventually lead her to become a woman that not only the Creole culture rejects, but civilization in general can no longer accept. Edna’s plight throughout the novel perfects her status as that individual going against society. Her reserve toward her children places her in abnormal standing. Her behavior, not necessarily of neglect but rather of apathetic involvement in their lives, contrasted the ideal motherly figure of the age. Madame Ratignolle, Edna’s friend, maintains quite a different air about her. She possesses the dependent attitude which the Creole society seems not only to encourage, but in some aspects requires. Although Edna loves her children dearly, and in spells needs them with fervor, she was more accustomed to leaving them with the nanny or a friend rather than looking after them herself. She would give anything for her children, but she would not give of herself. In an age of expected domestic dependence, Edna’s rejection of her obligations as a mother and a wife go against the tacit rules of the world in which she lives. Although Edna was outwardly performing the duties of her life, her heart was busy thinking other thoughts. Throughout the course of the summer, she falls in love with Robert Lebrun. Yes, he previously established he “third wheel” status in the families at Grande Isle, but this was another aspect of Edna’s life that pits her against her surroundings. As Robert falls in love with Edna, and she with him, her independent longing is inflamed, and her passions begin to overpower her self-control. Edna’s husband, Leonce, is more in love with the idea of a wife for himself and a mother for his children rather than Edna herself. This makes it easier for Edna to let go. When Robert suddenly leaves for Mexico on a business excursion, Edna becomes despondent and unfocused. Maybe through the severe longing for him and grief at his absence she becomes intensely connected to herself. When she begins to

To Kill a Mockingbird

2001-03-26T14:00:00-04:00

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the Mockingbird was used to symbolize those characters who were senselessly harmed by others yet harmless themsleves. In this novel, certain individuals were singled out by society

Merchant of Venice - Antonio and Shylock

2001-03-26T14:00:00-04:00

William Shakespeare shows how two tradesmen can have completely different lives when others view them differently in the play The Merchant of Venice. In the play, Bassanio, Antonio’s friend, needs money to pursue his love. They seek a loan from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender in Antonio’s name. The contract is for three times the value of the bond in three months or else Shylock cuts off a pound of flesh from Antonio. While all this is happening, there are love plots going on. One of which is for Shylock’s daughter to elope with Lorenzo, a Christian. Later on, Antonio’s source of money, his ship, is reported sunken in the English Channel, dooming him to the loss of one pound of his flesh. There is a trial on the bond, and when it seems sure that Antonio will die, Portia, disguised as a doctor of laws legally gets Antonio out of the situation and Shylock recieves harsh penalties. Antonio and Shylock, two similar businessmen of Venice, are viewed differently and are treated oppositely to heighten the drama of the play and mold a more interesting plot. Antonio and Shylock are both successful entrepreneurs in Venice but they both have different attitudes and experiences. When Antonio is asking Shylock for the loan he says, “Within these two months – that’s a month before this bond expires – I do expect, return of thrice times the value of this bond.” (1.3.169-170). Antonio and Shylock both are well off and successful businessmen. Antonio, being a man who is treats everyone nicely, lends his good name to Bassanio to woo Portia. Shylock on the other hand, could never do that and is a very greedy man who asks for three times the value of the loan. Also, Antonio is a risk taker and thinks things will always go the right way for him and his success will continue, which is shown when he accepts the high interest rate and the bizarre payment if the money isn’t received. Shylock handles his business straightforward and charges interest because it is his job, although being a very high amount and if it isn’t carried out, Shylock gets his payment of one pound of flesh. Shylock is depicted as the greedy businessman while Antonio is the nice man who tries his luck. Another way Antonio and Shylock are different is their religion based social status: Antonio is a Christian and Shylock

The Knight and the Squire

2001-03-25T14:00:00-04:00

The two characters I have chosen from The Canterbury Tales are The Knight and the Squire, who share a father and son relation. These characters set out on a religious pilgrimage to a cathedral in Canterbury. The Squire, opposed to the Knight, goes for a vacation instead of religious purposes like the Knight. Though the Knight and the Squire are from the same feudal class and vocation, they differ in the fact that the Knight represents how society should have been; and the Squire depicts an

Fight Club - Analysis

2001-03-24T13:00:00-04:00

Reading in-between the lines: An analysis of Fight Club a novel by Chuck Palahniuk a film directed by David Fincher “You are not your job. You are not how much you have in the bank. You are not the contents of your wallet. You are not your khakis. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. What happens first is you can’t sleep. What happens then is there’s a gun in your mouth. And what happens next is you meet Tyler Durden. Let me tell you about Tyler. He had a plan. In Tyler we trusted. Tyler says the things you own, end up owning you. It’s only after you’ve lost everything that you’re free to do anything. Fight Club represents that kind of freedom. First rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. Second rule of Fight Club: You do not talk about Fight Club. Tyler says self-improvement is masturbation. Tyler says self-destruction might be the answer.” The novel Fight Club, by Jack Palahniuk was published in 1996 and released as a motion picture starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton in October of 1999. Both the novel and motion picture proved to be very successful in their release to the public for one simple reason: Fight Club is a reflection of the suffering experienced by the ‘Generation X’ male who feels trapped in a world of the grey-collar (or service) working-class, a world filled with materialism and distractions, a group of men raised in single-parent families often devoid of a male role-model, and a world where there is no great cause for the average North American male to fight for. Whether consciously, or subconsciously, the average ‘Generation X’ male of modern society can relate to and understand Fight Club, which makes both the novel and motion picture such an important proclamation regarding the state of our modern culture. In Fight Club, we meet our main character who comes to us without a name. He can be referred to as ‘Jack’ but his name is not important. He comes to us without a name because he represents ‘any man’, any one of those ‘Generation X’ males living in our society at present. Jack is a thirty-year old man employed as a recall coordinator for a major automobile company. He lives in a condo that is furnished with all the comforts of modern society, namely mass-produced furnishings that can be found

Night

2001-03-24T13:00:00-04:00

World War II and the diseased mind of Hitler were the factors the led to the Genocide. People who were not the superior race in Hitler’s opinion did not deserve to live. Jews were the target of the extermination. To establish his plan Hitler created Concentration Camps, where people were forced to work. Those that were considered useless became fuel for the gas chambers and crematory. Hitler’s long term goal was to wipe out all the Jews. In the novel, Night, by Elie Wiesel, the author retells the unforgettable hardship and suffering that he goes through while he is in the concentration camps. In this novel, Elie helps us realize and visualize the brutality and madness of the camps and SS officers. His struggle for survival and the horror that he is exposed to changes his life forever. Elie’s experiences at the camp have a dramatic impact on his faith, his relationship with his father and his innocence. “Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never I shall forget the nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget those things, even when I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never.” By reading this quote you can hear Elie Wiesel anguish and what an impact concentration camps had on his faith. Before he was exposed to other mans madness and brutality he had faith in God and lived for him. He revered God by attending synagogue, study of Talmud and determination to comprehend the Cabala. His own suffering and that of other people made him question is there God, in who he believed in for so many years. He wonders why has God abandoned His people , and why is he letting so many innocent people suffer. What have they done to deserve such punishment? Despite his questions he dose not get any answers from God. Elie feels like God betrayed them, and he stops praying to the almighty one. Another change that Elie under goes is his relationship with his father. The camp brings them together, but at the end it separates them for ever. Spending time at the concentration camps has bonded Elie and his father. They were together and they both were struggling to survive.

To Kill a Mockingbird

2001-03-24T13:00:00-04:00

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the story unfolds through the eyes of a six-year-old girl named Scout. The story takes place in the small southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the early 1900s where prejudice was at its peak. Miss Harper Lee has chosen Scout as the narrator in this story. This narrative technique has many strengths and some weakness. Scout is a bright, sensitive and intelligent little girl. For all her intelligence, she is still a child and not always fully understands the implications of the events she reports. This is sometimes amusing, like the time she thinks Miss Maudie’s loud voice scares Miss Stephanie. Scout does her best to inform us of the happenings at the Tom Robinson trial. Yet, she is not certain what rape is, or aware of the prejudice surrounding her. Ultimately she represents the innocence within society. This story has a variety of themes and lessons including maturity (the story shows Jem and Scout going through many life lessons and how they’ve grown from it), prejudice (like in the Tom Robinson case in this small community), and courage (it takes courage for anyone to stand up to the events that go on in this book. Throughout the story the reader see how Scout and Jem are afraid of Arthur “Boo” Radley because they think he is a monster and try to tease him. They try to play tricks on Boo. Later in the novel they are no longer afraid of him and are no longer interested in teasing him. Jem and Scout had believed that their father was not like any other fathers in school. They see him as an old man who cannot do anything. However, when a dog appears on the street, Atticus, their father, kills that dog with one shot. They are surprised to learn that he is the best shot in the town. They’re attitude towards their father changes. This is a sign of maturity. “ The rifle cracked. Tin Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap. He didn’t know what hit him.”(96) Jem became vaguely articulate, “you see him, Scout? You see him just stand there? All of a sudden he just relaxed all over. It looked like that gun was a part of him… and he did it so quick, like… I hafta aim from ten minutes fore

Prejudice In The Time Of To Kill A Mockingbird

2001-03-22T13:00:00-04:00

Three students kicked out of a high school for threatening to bring a gun to school. Why would they? Because people were prejudice against them because other students thought they were “losers”. Moral: You shouldn’t not like a person because they aren’t like you. Prejudice was far much worse in the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird. But, Prejudice is the reason for much social injustice. Three characters named Nathan Radley, Atticus Finch, and Aunt Alexandria show us this in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Back in the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird, blacks were referred to as “niggers”, and blamed for most things, even when they were innocent. An example of this is when a character named Nathan Radley hears someone in his cabbage patches. He shot his gun in the air and when people asked what happen, he automatically told them it was a “nigger”. Even though he didn’t see the person. But, he knew the person was white by this quote someone said he said. “Shot in the air. Scared him though, says if anyone sees a white “nigger” running around here that’s him” (54). Meaning that he knows the person is white. Another thing is that some people even put animals above blacks, as told in the rest of the quote. “Got the other barrel waitin’ for the next hears in his patch, be it dog, “nigger”, or Jem Finch (a character) (54). Now he must have known it was Jem, or why would he have said his name? This shows that Mr. Radley didn’t have any respect for blacks. Not only were blacks referred to as “niggers” but, anyone associated with them, except for slave masters, were called, “nigger” lovers. An example of this is that a character named Atticus Finch is defending a black person named Tom Robinson in court. Because he is doing this, most people in town are calling him a “nigger” lover. Not only are the adults saying it, but their children are saying it too. Since Atticus is defending this man, he has also tried to been jumped many time also. But Atticus makes a very interesting point during the court case. “The witnesses for the state have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted. Confident that you gentlemen, would go along with them on

Of Mice and Men vs The Pearl

2001-03-21T13:00:00-04:00

The aspect of the John Steinbeck novels, The Pearl and Of Mice and Men, that is most comparable is how, in both books, Steinbeck denies the main characters of each book, Kino and George and Lennie to change their role in life or to beat fate. Steinbeck’s grim outlook of life was perhaps brought on through his early failures and poverty, because all three of the pre-mentioned characters had opportunities to change their fate or role but failed. The elements of discussion are Kino, George and Lennie, a comparison and a contrast. Kino found one of the most valuable and precious pearls in the world and being convinced of its worth was not going to be cheated by only minimally upgrading his condition of life. Instead he wanted to break the fixed life and role that he and his family had and always would live. Kino refuses the maximum offer of fifteen hundred pesos that would easily ease his and his family’s pain and suffering for the coming months. Kino is then determined to trek to the capital to find a fair and just offer. Kino continues determined through the mountains after an attempt at the pearl, his canoe destroyed and his hut set a blaze. Continuing to put his family’s life on the line. It eventually takes the death of his beloved son Coyotito to make him realize he needs to stop being so greedy, no matter how hard he tries and to shut his mouth and know his role. George and Lennie have to continue to move around the country looking for work until Lennie screws up again. The instability of work only makes it that much harder for them to complete their dream of a farm of their own. Candy’s participation in the dream of the farm upgrades the dream into a possible reality. As the tending of rabbits comes closer to happening fate curses them with the accidental death of Curley’s wife. The end of their wishful thinking is summed up by Candy’s question on page 104, “Then-it’s all off?” Things that are similar about the two novels and how both of their dreams were crushed are both are groups of people who have these dreams and each finds or meets something that can help their dreams come true, the pearl and Candy. Furthermore, the realization of their dreams coming to an end is, in both books,

All the Kings Men

2001-03-21T13:00:00-04:00

"But in the end the truth gave the past back to me." Jack Burden pg. 436 To understand the inferential validity of the above quotation, I think it is important to first establish a literal comprehension of the quotation. Furthermore, Jack uses the facts and truth he has gathered in his life up to 1939 to better understand and explain the occurrences and consequences that have also occurred up to 1939. The most important secrets of the past that are finally uncovered are the truth about his father's, Ellis Burden and Judge Irwin, and his relationship with Anne Stanton. From the beginning of the book the Burden family structure is shaky and confusing at best, the first mention of the mother on pg. 37 describes a love confused women next to her new young husband, her fourth. Then we finally get to meet the myth, the man Ellis Burden. Ellis' status is catalyzed on pg. 200 when Jack addresses him as father and the Scholarly Attorney responds querulously, "What - what did you say?" and on those same pages the old man stubbornly refuses to comment on the questions about Monty Irwin. Furthermore on that page Jack, to himself, calls the old man a "fool,... who wasn't man enough to run his own house". Coupled with numerous All-American quotes of the upstanding Judge as Jack's father figure, pg. 121 "the Judge was a brave man", pg. 438 "... he was a man and I loved him.", the reader becomes confused about whom the father really is. This is the hidden past, and as Jack completes the "Case of the Upright Judge", he "broke the ice" and found out the truths and facts that would give him his past back. "The Judge won't scare easy", is a quotation rapidly forgotten as Jack uses one heck of a Louisville slugger to bust this boy. The Judge, with both his frightened ticker and shortly his reputation on their last few diminishing beats, leaves this world trying to talk fast to Jack. The very next page the mystery is solved as Jack's mother hysterically falls to the floor screaming "your father and oh! you killed him." and the next line states the numbness and closure for Jack, "That was how I found out." These truths uncovered the past and their truths and weeded out the confusion that was the past. "It was always Monty", his mother

Animal Farm - Historical Relevance

2001-03-21T13:00:00-04:00

George Orwell grew up a devout and dedicated socialist in the British colonies of India and even when he eventually studied and lived in England. He was loyal to the beliefs and followings of socialism’s fathers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, the authors of The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. However, when Orwell saw the ideals of Socialism turned into vicious Communism, taking advantage of and abusing the lower classes that it was intended to help, he could not turn a blind eye to the cruelties and hypocrisies of the totalitarian Communism under the dictatorial reign of Joseph Stalin. Therefore, Orwell wrote two greatest anti-Communist novels that solidified his place as an advocate of freedom and a committed opponent of Communist oppression. His loathing criticism is best portrayed and evident in his satirical and allegoric fable Animal Farm. Written between 1943 and 1944, it served as an enlightening call to freedom and fairness around the world with the Russian revolution serving as the perfect backdrop and storyline to convey his powerful message. In February 1917, Czar Nicholas II, the monarch of Russia abdicated leaving Alexander Kerensky as the premier. However, about eight months later Kerensky was overthrown by Socialist/Communist revolutionists led by Vladimir Lenin, who quickly was self-appointed Chief Commissar of the new Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Almost immediately, as the country was war-torn, the chief allies of Lenin began jockeying for position and power in the newly formed state. Most notably including Joseph Stalin, Leon Trotsky, Gregory Zinoviev and Lev Kamenev. The popular and charismatic Trotsky came into the forefront along with the intimidating and militant Stalin as the likely successors to Lenin’s vast power. Upon Lenin’s death in 1924, Stalin manipulated an alliance with Zinoviev and Kaminev against Trotsky. Eventually Stalin stood supreme dictator of the USSR where Trotsky was exiled and eventually assassinated by Stalin’s troops. These horrifying events became the wondrous plot and characters of Animal Farm. Mr. Jones, representing the capitalist monarch society in pre-rebellion Russia, has a functioning and standard farm in the countryside of England and it includes the typical animals and beasts of burden on such a farm, including pigs, horses, poultry, dogs, goats and other animals of the sort. In many ways the farm also mimics the countryside of Russia during its revolution with its poor and worsening conditions and irresponsible leaders. He works and uses the animals to sell

Cantebury Tales - Relation of Wife of Bath to Contemporary Women

2001-03-21T13:00:00-04:00

Hundreds of centuries before the fourteenth century, during it and yet still after, civilization, led by the educated theologians, politicians and whoever else made up the ruling class, women were looked at as the Devil’s ally – a sensual and deceitful creature who was a constant bearer of sin and the cause of most of man’s misfortune. Women then and now may look upon most of these “devilish” characteristics as desirable, strong-willed and feministic. Chaucer appears to support women and specifically these devilish feminists by creating two very strong-willed and successful women in the Wife of Bath and the old hag in the Wife’s tale. However, through all of the tough outer attributes, on the inside are the same classic and traditional damsels in distress that require a man just like the women of that time always had. Through the original strong qualities of the two women, Chaucer provides a hopeful example and model for women of now and then. Furthermore, by giving these women some stronger, domineering and “masculine” features Chaucer is terrifically satirizing the gender roles and stereotypes of the time. Along with all of these strong feminist messages also come out anti-feminism ideals about keeping women in a certain role, causing a lengthy and intelligent debate upon what Chaucer really meant. All of these reasons are why it is important to discuss and understand The Wife of Bath’s relation and influence on contemporary women. Chaucer’s main target of his satirical wit and criticism throughout his Canterbury Tales is the Anglo-Saxon church and even though in this tale he focuses more on the gender debate his fiery scorn and contempt of the corrupt church and its disciples is embodied in the Wife’s prologues first three lines: “Experience, though no authority, Were in this world, were good enough for me, To speak of woe that is in all marriage;” Here Chaucer, through the eyes of a women, points out that there is far too much reliance on authority, meaning the opinions of older and perhaps ancient writers. This sort of authority was responsible for the horrible distortion of woman’s character and place in society and thus Chaucer felt his satirical and sarcastic attack about love in marriage was necessary. Chaucer does it through the Wife of Bath as a medium to reach the hopelessly ignorant women of the time should they hear of the tale. The Wife of Bath

Silas Marner - Development

2001-03-21T13:00:00-04:00

With close reference to particular incidents, show how Silas Marner’s character develops through his experiences. Silas Marner is introduced as a “pallid young man, with prominent, short-sighted brown eyes” who led a quiet life in the small country community, Lantern Yard. He is a skilled hand loom-weaver of “exemplary life and ardent faith”; His work, friends and faith have a huge part in his life, making him an open and honest person. Silas certainly possesses a flawed character, which we see quite clearly in his dealings with others. From the money he made as a weaver, he only kept a small part for himself, giving the rest to the church and to the poorer people who needed it in the evangelical sect he belonged to. Silas is good-hearted, honest, and vulnerable human being which we see through out the book. In the beginning, he trusted the people he co-existed with particularly his best friend, William Dane. “The expression of trusting simplicity in Marner’s face” and “that defenceless, deer-like gaze” “strongly contrasted the self-complacent suppression of inward triumph that lurked in the narrow slanting eyes and compressed lips of William Dane. He led a good, hard-working and self-denying life following his simple religious faith until he was falsely accused of stealing money belonging to a very sick priest. Silas did nothing to try to defend himself believing that God would help to prove his innocence but after the drawing of the lots, which was customary at the time to determine a man’s innocence or guilt, showed that Silas had in fact stolen the money, his deep faith in God was shattered as was his faith in man. He had been betrayed by his best friend who had set him up for the crime and married his fiancé, a maid called Sarah. Silas suffered from cataleptic fits where he went “into a mysterious rigidity and suspension of consciousness”. Silas’ illness was not understood by the community; his cataleptic fits made him “evidently a brother selected for a peculiar discipline” and according to William Dane, the perfect person to frame for a crime that he committed himself. Silas comes to the rural village community of Raveloe after his being mistreated by the people he trusted in Lantern Yard and expelled from his church. He arouses the villagers’ suspicions and fears by inviting “no comer to step across his door-sill”. The villagers’ old-fashioned, superstitious beliefs have not yet

Titus Andronicus

2001-03-19T13:00:00-04:00

I loved this play! I never knew Shakespeare could have been this dark and deep. Every act was twisted with plots of deviance. Titus intrigued my reading, I loved his ability to stay true to what he truly honored and believed. This play was a true masterpiece between Good and Evil. Throughout reading this play I realized that in some deep way it was God verses Satan. In that the little boy whom I believe is to be God or Jesus verses Aaron, the Moor, who is Satan. Aaron is crafty and wicked to the core. His corrupt ways bringing down everyone he comes into contact with making him happier with every life he ruins. The little boy is truly innocence and goodwill making no mistakes I see throughout the play or movie. He can be protrayed as God or Christ in that he never has a sinful act or thought in the play or movie. The boy also is like Christ or God in that in the movie he walks away with Aaron's son and that is a sign of God saving His lost children from darkness and sin of this world. I know this a long shot but I really felt this in reading the play. I know Shakespeare did have some Christianity in his background; maybe this could be what he was conveying in a sense. My favorite part of the play was the way that Lavinia stood up to the evil Goth Queen, Tamora in the woods in(Act 2, Scene 2, lines 60-163). An amazing display of courage from a little, frail young woman defending herself from a devil of a woman in Tamora. The words exchanged between the two are deep, piercing two-edged swords slashing through the hearts of each woman. I built a hatred for Tamora she like Aaron is the root of all evil. I know it would have been unlady like for Lavinia to physically attack Tamora; but I would have loved to see her try. The best chracter in the play would have to be Titus amazing wit and strength. This man was truly unpredictable kept me on my toes throughout the whole play. Even though the ending of the play was the most digusting display of violence I have ever seen, but sheer brilliance. Never will I ever see revenge taken by cooking a human-pie and as a result shattering a whole

The Importance of Being Ernest

2001-03-17T13:00:00-04:00

Oscar Wilde is a legendary author who has composed many great plays including The Green Carnation and A Woman of No Importance, however, The Importance of Being Earnest was undoubtedly the most famous of his works. First published in 1930, yet acknowledged since the late 1800s, The Importance of Being Earnest helped to revive the theater tradition of Congreve and Sheridan. The story is a comedic view of romance and the emphasis we place on seemingly trivial articles, such as a name. In this story, contrary to the typical saying, a rose by any other name would not smell as sweet. Our first scene begins with a confrontation, and the whole story is a man versus confusing women (better known as society) conflict from there on out. Jack Worthing drops by the home of Algernon Moncreiff on a friendly call after being in the country all weekend. Algy is expecting company, his Aunt Augusta Bracknell and cousin Gwendolyn Fairfax. After announcing this to Jack, Jack states his intentions of proposal to Gwendolyn. The confrontation comes about when Algy produces a cigarette case belonging to his comrade, and is inscribed ‘From little Cecily, with her fondest love to her dear Uncle Jack.’ This invokes confusion because Algy has always known Jack to be a Mr. Ernest Worthing. At this, Jack explains that he is leading a double life as Jack Worthing in the country and Ernest Worthing in the city. In the country, Ernest Worthing is his fictional younger brother who is always getting into trouble, thus requiring him to make frequent trips to the city. This way, Ernest Worthing is also seen in town to further promote his existence and an excuse for departure. Jack proposes to Gwendolyn, who also knows him as Ernest, yet Lady Bracknell vocalizes a slight disconsent. For one thing, “Ernest” is an orphan who was found in a handbag at the cloakroom of a train station, while Gwendolyn’s parents have strong family values. However, Jack and Gwendolyn decide to go on with the wedding. Jack must depart for the country, so he politely excuses his egression. Once in the country, Jack is surprised by the arrival of Algernon, acting as Ernest Worthing. Sensing trouble, Jack does his best to induce the exit of his “younger brother” but it is to no avail. Cecily, always wanting to marry a man by the name of Ernest, falls

The Time Machine

2001-03-17T13:00:00-04:00

As fabled as fairies and dryads, only slightly more scientific, the imaginary device referred to as the “time machine” has gained many prospective engineers over the years. Young boys ponder thoughts of returning to Jurassic times in a time machine of their own, while little girls dream of princesses in castles. Even as we grow older, we fancy that such an appliance might help us revoke that angry diatribe towards our boss, or take us back to yesterday when we bought that lotto ticket. Certainly, the contraption has procured a wonderful spot on our list of “Things I Wish Bill Gates Would Hurry Up And Design.” But who exactly was it that first conjured up such an idea? Most definitely not Bill Gates. In the late 1800s, H.G.Wells entertained many, as well as making a reputation for himself in the writing business, when he composed his “extraordinary voyage” The Time Machine. The Time Machine was perhaps the first book that allowed the world to accept the thesis that seeing is not believing. Our “voyage” begins much like any other book of the 1800s, with many respectable people gathered together in a drawing room. Not only is it redundant, but it is the forecast of a positively boring book. However, we must remember that just as weather forecasts have a way of being uncannily incorrect, book forecasts are commonly wrong as well. There is a psychologist, a medical man, a very young man, Filby, a provincial mayor, our narrator, and the Time Traveller himself. The group listens rather skeptically as the Time Traveller attempts to convince them of the validity of such trekking, even when he presents them with a miniature replica of the time machine he claims to have built for himself in the laboratory. When the “mini-machine” seems to disappear in mid air, they pass it off as a clever party trick. However, the resolute scientist invites the group back for a second dinner party the following week where he hopes the true device will be completed. The following week, the assemblage returns only to find that their host is absent. Mid-way through the main course, the Time Traveller appears, looking rugged and distressed. After shoveling the entrée into his mouth in a manner very much resembling a feasting lion, he sits to tell his story. The group listens intently as he divulges the details of his experience traveling to the

Huck’s Moral Lessons and His Changing Attitude Toward Jim

2001-03-17T13:00:00-04:00

In many ways, to understand the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the reader must also know a little about the author. Mark Twain was one of the many pen names of Samuel Langhorne Clemens. He was born in 1835 and grew up in the Mississippi River town of Hannibal, Missouri. Twain is considered the father of modern American literature, primarily because of this novel. Numerous schools have banned this novel from their reading lists because they believe it to be racist. The ironic part of this is that Clemens was an abolitionist. He hoped that people would understand and be able to see the unfairness and horrors of slavery by reading his book and seeing what slavery does to people. This book is set in the year 1852 in the south. It is a coming of age novel about an adolescent boy named Huckleberry Finn. In this early stage of his life, Huckleberry is taught many of life’s lessons that will help him deal with events that may occur later on in his life. Huck fakes his death in order to run away from his alcoholic father and his caretaker, Mrs. Watson, and also to escape from being “sivilized”. While floating down the Mississippi River, he meets Jim, the runaway slave who is owned by Mrs. Watson. His life begins to change when he is faced with many moral struggles along the way. He has to fight against society’s views, which conflict with his views. One of the most significant moral struggles that confronts him is the issue of slavery. Throughout the novel, Huck Finn becomes more self-reliant and mature. He begins to understand the evil in slavery and he realizes that he must follow his own conscience in his actions towards Jim. Even at the beginning of the novel, before Huck has gotten a chance to explore what he believes is right, Huck has grown tired of dealing with society and what society thinks is right and civilized. He says, "The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me...I got into my old rags and my sugar hogshead again, and was free and satisfied (1)." Huck prefers living free and being able to think what he wants, rather than being “sivilized.” When Huck escapes from society, he runs into Jim at Jackson Island and is very happy to see

Lord of the Flies - A character study of Ralph

2001-03-17T13:00:00-04:00

This essay is a character study of Ralph, who is one of the main characters in William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’. I have chosen to analyse Ralph’s character, as it is the character with which I feel that I can relate most closely. Ralph is probably the novel’s main character. This essay will include my identification of the major aspects of Ralph’s character and how he symbolises different themes, which are portrayed in the novel. I will cover in this what Ralph contributes to the plot of the novel, a description of Ralph’s appearance, his dreams, his attitude to being stranded on the island, how he relates to the other boys and how he organises the boys into becoming a self-dependent society. Ralph’s character plays a major part in the plot of ‘Lord of the Flies’. Ralph is the first character we meet in the novel and at first he seems to be very relaxed about the situation of being in unknown territory. The plot begins opens when Ralph and another boy, Piggy, discover each other and eventually decide through Piggy’s constant persistence to blow through a conch shell to see if there are any other people around. It turns out that there are many other boys stranded on the island and they begin to form a small community, which is controlled by Ralph who becomes the leader. Throughout the novel Ralph tries to keep the boys in order and to preserve a civilised society by showing constant faith that if they work together they will be rescued. He does this by encouraging them to keep a fire burning, which represents that faith, and to organise themselves into a unit equipped to handle the unpredictable situation. However, Ralph finds this increasingly difficult as the story progresses. Ralph begins to long and daydream of his civilised and normal past. Gradually, he becomes confused and began to lose clarity in his thoughts and speeches. "Ralph was puzzled by the shutter that flickered in his brain. There was something he wanted to say; then the shutter had come down." (p. 156) Suspicion arises that there may be a beast on the island and Jack the main choir boy, who is Ralph’s chief rival for leadership, forms a tribe and begins to encourage the other boys to ignore Ralph’s rule. Gradually many of the boys turn into savages and treat the island like their

The Catcher In The Rye

2001-03-17T13:00:00-04:00

Medea - Techniques

2001-03-16T13:00:00-04:00

In the play Medea, by Euripides, many techniques are incorporated to augment the compelling persona of the protagonist, Medea. She has an overpowering presence, which is fashioned through the use of imagery, offstage action and language. Dramatic suspense, employment of the chorus and Deus Ex Machina also serve to enhance the intense persona assumed by Medea. Medea is frequently associated with images of violence and rage. “She’s wild. Hate’s in her blood. /She feeds her rage…Stormclouds of anger.” These images suggest hatred, and anger, they are powerful and present a strong, illustration of Medea’s persona. Like nature, Medea is constructed as commanding and yet also unpredictable; this consequentially creates uncertainty as to what she shall do next and thus intrigues the audience with her character. Parallels between Medea and wild animals are often drawn in order to portray her as wild and untamed. “Bullglares, lions claws” and “you hellhound, you tigress,” these comments serve to highlight Medea’s animalistic side thus increasing her onstage presence and compelling persona. Medea’s two-fold personality is revealed through imagery of stone and harshness. She is both passionately emotional and coolly calculating, depending on which enhances her cause. “Cold as stone, cold eyes,” in 5th Century BC the eyes were considered of great importance, reflections of the soul, thus to have cold eyes is to have a cold soul. This notion is confronting to the audience and heightens Medea’s onstage presence. The use of offstage action is effective in constructing Medea’s authoritative persona. “Fe-oo! Fee-oo! Weep. Pity me.” These lamentations are passionate and emotional, exactly what many men of Ancient Greek society would expect of a woman. Suspense is built and the audience’s attention captured, focusing it on Medea and the moment of her on-stage arrival. However, when Medea does appear on stage she is calm and composed, dispelling the notion of a “wild woman”. “Ladies, Corinthians, I’m here./ Don’t think ill of me. Call others proud.” The Medea character has the power to command the audience through this presentation of her dual natures; she can be defined within the typical female gender role as emotional and passionate, yet she usurps masculine traits of rationality, resourcefulness and intelligence, creating a powerful presence. Language is of great importance in presenting Medea’s forceful persona. The “Are we women not the wretchedness?” diatribe on the oppression of women is powerful and commanding. It is delivered early on in the play and

Three Scaffold scenes - Progression of Dimmesdale

2001-03-15T13:00:00-04:00

In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Arthur Dimmesdale as a troubled individual. In him lies the central conflict of the book. Dimmesdale’s soul is torn between two opposing forces: his heart, his love for freedom and his passion for Hester Prynne, and his head, his knowledge of Puritanism and its denial of fleshly love. He has committed the sin of adultery but cannot seek divine forgiveness, believing as the Puritans did that sinners received no grace. His dilemma, his struggle to cope with sin, manifests itself in the three scaffold scenes depicted in The Scarlet Letter. These scenes form a progression through which Dimmesdale at first denies, then accepts reluctantly, and finally conquers his sin. During Hester Prynne’s three-hour ignominy, Dimmesdale openly denies his sin. Hawthorne introduces Dimmesdale as “a being who felt himself quite astray and at a loss in the pathway of human existence” (64). The author made it obvious that a grim secret lies hidden in the depths of Dimmesdale’s soul. This secret, however, does not reveal itself immediately, since Dimmesdale hides it from the closely watching town. In addition, he magnifies his own denial of his sin when he charges Hester to “speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer”(65). By deliberately speaking to Hester as if the sinner were not himself, the pastor makes sure that nobody suspects him. One may also interpret Dimmesdale’s speech as a hint to Hester not to name him. He feels he must “add hypocrisy to sin” in order to keep his standing in the town. He thinks that if the town finds out about his sin, they will never forgive him, much like his belief system tells him that God will never forgive him. So great is his relief when he finds that “she will not speak” that he stands in awe of the “wondrous strength and generosity of a woman’s heart”(66). Despite an inward wish for his sin to be discovered, Dimmesdale feels better knowing that Hester will not willingly expose him. In this scene in front of the town, Dimmesdale shows his original strength of character, which will diminish along the course of the book. In the middle of the night, seven years after Hester’s punishment, Dimmesdale holds a vigil on the scaffold where he finally accepts his sin. The battle within Dimmesdale between “Remorse, which dogged him everywhere” and “Cowardice, which invariably drew him back”(144) leads

The Chronicles of Narnia - Summary/Bookreport

2001-03-15T13:00:00-04:00

Narnia....a land of fantasy and adventure where magic and a Great Lion prevail. A land where so many people wish to be, a land from start to finish in The Chronicles of Narnia. Seven books written by Clive Staples Lewis have proven to be the most enchanting and mesmerizing books of all time. Pure beauty and amazing imagery allows the reader to become an explorer of Narnia and take part in the fascinating adventures bound to happen. Readers become one with the pages, not wanting to put the book down for fear of the wonderful land of Narnia escaping their minds. Not wanting to lose the joy and bliss as the words flow, page after page, book after book. The Chronicles of Narnia were first written by C.S. Lewis with children in mind. Easy dialogue and a sense of reality in the fantasy setting allows all ages to enjoy and fall in love with these books. The adventure begins with The Magician’s Nephew. The reader is introduced to Digory Kirke and Polly Plumer. Digory’s Uncle Andrew, a mad magician, doesn’t fully understand the magic that he is dealing with. Andrew was given four rings when he was a child and when he received them, was ordered to throw them away and never think of them again. He didn’t do so. By sheer trickery, Andrew convinces Polly to slip on one of the rings. When she did so, she opened the gates to the “Woods Between the Worlds.” Here, she found a wooded area with ponds as far as the eye could reach. Digory went after his beloved playmate and soon the two of them embarked on an adventure that would change their lives forever. Charn was the first world, or pond, that they entered. After exploring this dark world with ancient ruins, they stumbled into a room where statues of royal families all sat in a row. An enchantment was put on them and Digory, being a mischievous boy, broke the enchantment awakening an evil witch. The witch, Jadis, had destroyed Charn and once the children realized how evil she was, they tried to escape, the witch had tightly gripped Polly’s hair and they ended up back in England, where Andrew was cowardly waiting. Jadis, who was also very power hungry, caused havoc in England until the children devised a plan to rid her and send her back to Charn. In order

Epic vs. Modern Heroes

2001-03-14T13:00:00-04:00

While “Have at thee!” the Arthurian battle cry from Monty Python’s Search for the Holy Grail, is a far a-hem cry from the modern day hero’s, the essence remains the same. Many aspects of culture have been wholly altered, but society’s quest for a hero has remained. Each people of the ancient times had a matchless idol that was unto his self the embodiment of cultural perfection. In more recent eras, where societies vary exceedingly, people have relied on scores of heroes. The United States is deemed the “melting pot” of the world due to the vast number of cultures she houses. Should she not, then, have a vast number of heroes, each one serving an essential role in society? Though modern culture does not choose one hero to exemplify cultural perfection; instead, there are many, each responding to a different call from each people. Well documented ancient epic heroes include: Beowulf, King Arthur, and Sir Gawain. These legendary men fought to protect their people and their families. The men were the personification of loyalty, courage, and strength. The ancient epic hero usually was deemed cultural perfection; other men idolized these heroes, striving to gain their position of flawlessness. Societies seemed to balance on the tips of heroes’ swords; epic poetry and ancient prose read as if heroes were the spinal column of a civilization. And perhaps in an age of heightened supernatural belief it was just so. If ancient times had the supernatural, modern times have their own beasts and monsters to cringe and seek shelter from. In an age where millions are dying from treatable diseases, and a billion more are pointlessly starving, it seems that if ever a need for heroes was, it is now. Modern heroes come in all shapes and sizes, even the anti-government brand. Modern society is crazy about the anti-hero, especially in entertainment. Many protagonists in movies are, in fact, characters that, while they do not embody cultural perfection, they are nonetheless idolized. Consider Rambo, he is strong, courageous, determined… and is being hunted by the police. Unto himself, he is exceptionally heroic, but he is anti-government. In the film Reservoir Dogs, the most heroic character is a for-hire jewel thief, while the most despicable character is a policeman. Mr. Orange, an undercover cop, is shot during the hold-up of a diamond store. Mr. White, the unlawful thief, risks life and limb throughout

Hester in a Puritan Society

2001-03-14T13:00:00-04:00

The Puritans, in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, were a group of people who were shaped by English experience and complete involvement in religion. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. The crime of adultery committed by Hester generated rage, and was qualified for serious punishment according to Puritan beliefs. Ultimately the town of Boston became intensely involved with Hester’s life and her crime of adultery, and saw to it that she be publicly punished and tortured. Based upon the religious, governmental, and social design of the Puritan society, Hester’s entire existence revolved around her sin and the Puritan perception. Therefore it is evident within The Scarlet Letter that the Puritan community to some degree has constructed Hester’s character. In the novel The Scarlet Letter it is evident that the base of their social framework was that of the Church. The Church and beliefs of Protestantism became all encompassing within the town of Boston; meaning that the Church would be directly involved in the running of the community and its regime. The Enforcing of laws were established by scripture read from the Bible, as the Puritans considered the Bible as the “true law” of God that provided guidelines for church and government. Those who disagreed or committed crimes against the government, were not only criminals but also sinners, and they were sought to be punished severely. The Puritans stressed grace, devotion, prayer, and self-examination to achieve religious virtue while including a basic knowledge of unacceptable actions of the time; this was expected to secure order and peace within the Puritan community. The Puritan culture is one that recognizes Protestantism, a sect of Christianity. Though a fundamental of Christianity is forgiveness for one’s sins, this seems to have been forgotten amongst the women of the community: “Morally, as well as materially, there was a coarser fiber in those wives and maidens of old English birth and breeding, than in their fair descendants.” As read between the lines we can notice a concern in Hester’s acceptance within the Puritan community. More so, Hester senses a lack of acceptance within the circle of woman in the community. The use of the term “coarser fiber” intertwines the relationship that she once had, and what it has become within the woman of the community. It has also come to my attention that when Hester compares

Discovering Books

2001-03-14T13:00:00-04:00

Richard Selzer / Discuss how reading books changes my life Richard Wright, in his essay “Discovering Books,” explains how reading books changed his outlook on life and eventually his life itself. The first book that widened his horizons was an overtly controversial book by H. L. Mencken. I have a story not so dissimilar from his. Coming out of High School, I had in my possession the perspective that I knew everything. So I started, straight off the bat, working in a variety of menial jobs, which would have lead me to a dead end, for as the good jobs in today’s society required college degrees. So, after working for two years with a white-collar full of frustration, I decided it was time to take matters into my own ink-stained, carpal tunnel syndrome-stricken hands. I immediately gave my two-weeks notice, and pontificated about going to college. Headed along the yellow brick road towards the registration office, I was intercepted by my malevolent manager, the “Ineffable John” as he was called by my fellow co-workers, and he said unto me, “Michael, you don’t want to go to college, stay here and you shall have bestowed upon your unworthy head all which you need to know. Here, fill up my coffee cup.” With his words still echoing in my mind, I wanted to sprint down the hallway, pole-vault over the cubicle prisons, hurdle the water ration cooler, and dive through the double-paned sliding glass doors. This spectacular display of athletic ability would have been terrific, but the ball and chain still shackled to my ankles would have slightly hindered my escape. One week after my pre-resignation notice and John’s wise words of discouragement, my manager’s secretary, Mary, who just had a baby earlier that day but wouldn’t take unpaid sick leave, approached me and said, “Don’t listen to John, college is a sure ticket to get out of this galley, otherwise you’ll end up having a baby and coming to work on the same day because this company doesn’t provide maternity leave.” A week later I was walking out the double-paned sliding glass doors and into college life. In the counselor’s office, my counselor advised me towards taking a psychology class, seeing as it is a requirement for an AA degree, and because I did not know what sort of degree I wanted at the point. So, I agreed to take the class. Bob Rice was the

Uncle Tom's Cabin - The Slave Trade

2001-03-14T13:00:00-04:00

Few books can truly be said to have altered the course of history, and even fewer can be said to have started an entire war. Uncle Tom's Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was one novel to do both. Abraham Lincoln said to Harriet Beecher Stowe upon meeting her, "So this is the little lady who made this big war.”. Uncle Tom’s Cabin had a tremendous effect on early 19th century thoughts of slavery; stirring abolitionist support in the north. The novel is a realistic, although fictional view of slavery with the images of brutal beatings and unfair slave practices. After reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin thousand of northerners became impassioned for the anti-slavery cause. Uncle Tom's Cabin helped eventually to turn the tide of public opinion against slavery in the 19th century( Taylor 1). This controversial novel was initially written to question slavery, convince people of its immorality and to promote the abolitionist cause. The novel’s rendering of the slave holding south is not entirely an accurate interpretation of what it was like though. Beecher over exaggerated and overlooked several facts in novel, especially pertaining to the practice of slave trading. To have her readers empathize more with the slaves, Beecher put the worst stories in and the cruelest practices of the slave trade depicted by run away slaves. Although most of Uncle Tom’s Cabin is very close to the reality of slavery, many aspects of the slave trade were portrayed inaccurately. One of the first miscalculated aspects of the slave trade is the reason for southern states involvement in the interstate slave trade. Stowe depicted Kentucky’s involvement in the slave trade due to the poor soil of the region and economic ties with the practice. She implied in the beginning half of the Novel that many Kentuckians resorted to being bondmen in the slave trade due to the infertile land of the Bluegrass Region. In Stowe’s Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, (a book designed to muffle the critics of Uncle Tom’s Cabin) she stated that “Slavery’s subsequent lack of economic viability… [and] prevailing agricultural impoverishment are to blame for Kentucky’s involvement in the notorious traffic…” (Stowe 254). On the contrary, Kentucky where the bulk of the slave trade was supposedly concentrated has long been blessed with great fertility. The high phosphorus content and the goodly depth of soil results in land favorable for cultivation (Levy 67). Stowe’s explanation for

Differences between 'of mice and men' and the withered arm

2001-03-13T13:00:00-04:00

“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck is a novel involving two extremely different main characters. George is reasonably intelligent, hard working ranchman. Lennie on the other hand always manages to find trouble. He is equally hardworking and honest as George but his simple childlike mind always finds him trouble wherever he goes. where as in The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy the two main characters hate each other. Rhoda is old and has a child to farmer Lodge. On the other hand Gertrude is young, beautiful and is Farmer lodges new wife. In terms of emotional stability, there is only one thing in life that is really needed and that is friends. Without friends, people would suffer from loneliness and solitude. Loneliness leads to low self-esteem and deprivation. In the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ the characters, Crooks, Candy and Curley’s Wife all exhibit some form of loneliness. They are driven towards the curiosity of George and Lennie’s friendship because they do not have that support in their life. Through his novel, ‘Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck demonstrates that often times, a victim of isolation will have a never-ending search to fulfil a friendship. “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t matter no difference who the guy is, longs he with you. I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick.” Steinbeck writes the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ using a 3rd person narrative to show how emotionally remote the characters are and to show that they don’t get to know people intimately. This for me is enhances the success of the book as it gives an equal account of all the characters feelings. Although in The Withered Arm it does ‘use a 3rd person’ but not as conclusively as ‘Of Mice and Men’ In the opening chapter Steinbeck immediately introduces the idea of loneliness and the idea of the men living very temporary lives, with no real direction. Steinbeck cleverly uses the setting to convey these ideas. The path George and Lennie are walking on is described as “A path beaten hard by boys... and beaten hard by tramps who came wearily down from the highway in the evening to jungle - up near water” and “an ash pile made by many fires” It is a quite similar story in The Withered Arm, Hardy has introduces the concept of loneliness too, which follows on as the novel progresses.

Harry Potter and the Sorcere's Stone

2001-03-13T13:00:00-04:00

Harry Potter and the Sorcere's stone is about a boy named Harry Potter who is famous in the wizarding world and doesn't know it. His parents were killed by an evil wizard named Lord Voldemort. Voldemort tried to also kill Harry with a spell but it back fired making Voldemort so weak he was barely living and went into hiding. That happened when Harry was 1 year old and since then he had been living with his aunt Petunia uncle Vernon and their son Dudley who were extremely unpleasant people who despized of Harry because he was a wizard which they did not approve of. 12 years later after his parents death when he was thirteen he got a letter which was strange because he never got anything. Unncle Dursley quickly got rid of it. After a few days there were hundreds of the same letters coming so he took the whole family and went to a little shack on an island to stay the night and when they woke up a big man named Hagrid was there and gave them the letter. Uncle Vernon had no way out and so he let Harry have the letter it said "HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WHICHCRAFT and WIZARDRY. Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on september 1. We await your owl by no later than july 31". After Harry was done reading the letter Hagrid (who was the Hogwarts game keeper) told him (in shock that he didn't already know) that he was a wizard and about his past. Then Hagrid wrote a note to professor Dumbledore (who was the headmaster at Hogwarts) and they left for Diagon Alley. Diagon Alley is sort of like a wizarding mall where Harry bought all of his school supplies including a wand that had a hair from the same unicorn as Voldemorts. Then he awaits September 1 so he can get on the train to get to Hogwarts. When he gets to the train station his instructions say platform 9 and three quaters, but there's just a wall so he finds out buy watching someone else that you can walk thruogh the wall to get to the Hogwarts express. On the train he meets his future two best friends Ron

To Kill A Mocking Bird

2001-03-13T13:00:00-04:00

Proposals: To examine the character of Atticus Finch as a hero in Harper Lees’ “To Kill a Mockingbird. “To kill a Mockingbird”, an acclaimed novel, by Harper Lee is recognised throughout the world. Having read her novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960 soon after its publication, I was compelled to consider the novel in greater depth but was particularly intrigued to examine the character of Atticus Finch as a hero. Maycomb, a fictional town in the Southern States of America plays host to the novel during the period of 1933-1935. “To Kill a Mockingbird” follows a lawyer and his family prior to and during a legal case to defend a black male, Tom Robinson, charged of raping a white female, Mayella Ewell. This occurs in a very white orientated town. Atticus Finch, Attorney and father of two children only plays a brief part in the opening chapter but as this epic novel progresses so does his importance. It becomes apparent that Atticus Finch, arguably the novel’s main character, is extremely well respected in Maycomb by the majority of its residents. If someone expresses a dislike towards him he will still try to do his “best to love everybody”. Atticus is a man of extreme integrity and some say that it is through his mouth that Harper Lee expresses her own morality, an opinion that I share. He represents a true gentleman; his conduct is always courteous despite any provocation whether privately or publicly. This is enhanced by the very carefully selected word choice. Atticus is able to use language stylishly when appropriate but he can also communicate very simplistically such as when in a moment of crisis he can talk straightforwardly, for example to Jem and Scout, to enhance understanding. Atticus is a devoted family man; he manages to care for his children without the help of their mother, who died. Harper Lee gives Atticus a very “modern style” regarding parenting (in comparison to other families in the 1930’s i.e. principally he was a single parent). This could perhaps be a reflection on Atticus’s opinion that everyone has the right to be an individual and because of this we should not be judged. He is one person in a select few who feel that coloured people should be able to have the same standard of living as their white counterparts. Atticus is open to all opinions and will accept each individual for

Lord of the Flies - Irony

2001-03-12T13:00:00-04:00

William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, used irony to tell his story of a group of young British boys stranded on a deserted island. The readers can clearly spot the irony in the dialogue and Ralph, one of the main character, is also aware of the irony in his situation. The irony in the novel forces the readers to step aside and think about the hidden meanings the author is trying to express. The first example of irony occurred in chapter two. Jack says to the group of young, impressionable boys that "We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages."(Golding 32)However, in the following chapters Jack is the leader of the tribe and encourages the boys to forget civilization and act upon their primitive instincts. They ignore the laws that they all have agreed to follow while on the island and commit heinous crimes against humanity, such as torture against both humans and animals, and murder. They no longer act like English schoolboys who are the best at everything, but like savages. Relatively early on in the novel Ralph comes to terms with his situation. He realizes that much of one’s life is spent just keeping out of danger and staying alive. After understanding the complex, yet realistic, view of life he remembers his first impression of the island and how he thought they would have fun on the island, like living in one of his books. Now he realized what life on the island would really be like. There is irony in Piggy’ s name. The boys hunt, kill and eat pigs on the island. Not only do they kill the pigs, they enjoy it tremendously. Piggy’ s name suggests that he will be a victim of the beast. Not the beast the boys on the island fear, but the beast within each of them. The author is saying through Piggy that because they kill and eat the pigs they become the beast. Ralph prays to the adult world to send them something grownup, a sign or something. His prayer is answered by a dead parachuter, a casualty of war from the fighting going on in civilized society. The dead man is powerless to help the boys. He actually causes more problems. He is mistaken for the beast and causes more fear in the boys and drives them closer to becoming savages. Piggy often says that

The Scarlet Letter

2001-03-12T13:00:00-04:00

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel that shows the Puritanical way of life. Society does not accept the fact that Hester has committed the sin of adultery so they cast her out by making her wear a scarlet letter ‘A’ across her chest. Pearl is the product of Hester’s sin, the scarlet letter is the product of society. This idea shows that Pearl is the scarlet letter and the scarlet letter is Pearl. There are many ways in which Pearl is shown to be as the scarlet letter because she is considered to be a part of nature, she is the physical connection between Dimmesdale and Hester, and Pearl is the reason that makes Dimmesdale and Hester to finally accept their sin and make their confession in front of society and the people within society. The reasons are listed in this manner because in the first one nature is a stronger force that human force, then comes her connection between Dimmesdale and Hester because she is the natural connection which is a link from the first one to the second and also her being the reason Dimmesdale and Hester accepting the sin is last because there is a stronger connection between the child and the parents here which is linked from the previous reason. Pearl is a product of a natural act done by two human beings. This is the act of sex. But society considers it to be bad because there was no social contract between the parents to have that baby. But still its natural so it makes Pearl natural and cast out by society. Even her mother notices that it is society that seems to make Pearl the “evil” girl she is, “She knew that her deed had been evil; she could have no faith, therefore, that its result would be for good. Day after day she looked fearfully into the child’s expanding nature; ever dreading to detect some dark and wild peculiarity, that could restore to the guiltiness to which she owed her being.”( The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne. 86) Here what is depicted is that Pearl’s evil is from her mother’s “guiltiness”. So if Hester has none of that guilt that came from society then she would naturally be a good girl. Also, Pearl seems to be connected to nature because there is some contact where Pearl has some kind of communication

Night - Faith

2001-03-12T13:00:00-04:00

Night is a dramatic book that tells the horror and evil of the concentration camps that many were imprisoned in during World War II. Throughout the book the author Elie Wiesel, as well as many prisoners, lost their faith in God. There are many examples in the beginning of Night where people are trying to keep and strengthen their faith but there are many more examples of people rebelling against God and forgetting their religion. The first example of Elie loosing his faith is when he arrived at Auschwitz. Elie and his father are directed to go to the left. A prisoner then informs them that they are on their way to the crematory. Elie’s father recites the Kaddish or prayer for the dead. Revolt rises up inside of Elie and he questions God. Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for? (Wiesel 31) Another example of prisoners in the concentration camp loosing their faith in Night is when the pipel, a young child, was hung in front of the whole camp. The pipel was the Oberkapo’s servant. The Oberkapo was the leader of the fifty-second unit. He never struck or insulted the prisoners who worked under him ,that is why the prisoners loved him . Even though most pipels were cruel and hated, this one had the face of a sad angel and was loved by all. The Oberkapo was suspected in the intentional explosion of Buna’s electric power station. He was transferred to Auschwitz but the pipel was left behind. The pipel refused to talk . Two other men were also accused. The pipel and the two other men were hung. The two adults died instantly but the pipel was too light and stayed alive for a half an hour. He was still alive when I passed in front of him. His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed. Behind me I heard the same man ask where is God now? And I heard a voice within me answer him: Where is He? Here He is-He is hanging here on this gallows… (Wiesel 62) Another time Elie questions God and his faith is around Rosh Hashana, the new year. All the Jews gathered together to say prayers to God. He questions God for allowing all these terrible things to happen to them when

Medea - the Abandonment of Gender Roles

2001-03-12T13:00:00-04:00

In Euripides’ Medea, the protagonist abandoned the gender roles of ancient Greek society. Medea defied perceptions of gender by exhibiting both "male" and "female" tendencies. She was able to detach herself from her "womanly" emotions at times and perform acts that society did not see women capable of doing. However, Medea did not fully abandon her role as a woman and did express many female emotions throughout the play. In ancient Greek society, murder was not commonly associated with women. Throughout the play, however, Medea committed several acts of murder. We learn that Medea has killed her brother. Medea does not have any guilt about planning and carrying out the murders of king Creon and his daughter Glauke. As the play develops, the reader realizes that Medea plans to commit infanticide. I shall murder my children, these children of mine…if die they must, I shall slay them, who gave them birth.(Euripides 207-213) This contradicts society’s view that women are the givers of life and that men take it away. It is especially unacceptable because she is the children’s mother. To kill a member of your family was frowned upon in ancient Greece, as it is today. [Chorus] Think. You are stabbing your children. Think…By your knees we entreat you, by all the world holds sacred, do not murder your children. (Euripides 208) Medea displays extreme pride, which is stereotyped as a "male" characteristic. She is willing to sacrifice everything, including her children, to restore her reputation. It is a common belief that a woman’s weakness is her children, but this is not the case with Medea. Her sense of pride prevails over her maternal instincts. Good-bye to my former plans…I cannot do it. And yet what is the matter with me? Do I want to make myself a laughingstock by letting my enemies off scot-free? I must go through with it…I do realize how terrible is the crime I am about , but passion overrules my resolutions …It’s worth the grief…You could not hope, nor your princess either, to scorn my love, make a fool of me and live happily ever after. (Euripides 212-219) Medea seeks vengeance with the same forceful determination to rectify the situation as a man would. A woman seeking revenge challenges society’s view of women as weak and passive. Medea will go to great lengths to hurt Jason for the wrongs he has done to her. [Chorus]You will slaughter them to avenge the dishonor

Life on the Color Line

2001-03-11T13:00:00-04:00

Life on the Color Line is a powerful tale of a young man’s struggle to reach adulthood, written by Gregory Howard Williams – one that emphasizes, by daily grapples with personal turmoil, the absurdity of race as a social invention. Williams describes in heart wrenching detail the privations he and his brother endured when they were forced to remove themselves from a life of White privilege in Virginia to one where survival in Muncie, Indiana meant learning quickly the cold hard facts of being Black in skin that appeared to be White. This powerful memoir is a testament to the potential love and determination that can be exhibited despite being on the cusp of a nation’s racial conflicts and confusions, one that lifts a young person above crushing social limitations and turns oppression into opportunity. Williams is defiantly a man of two worlds. In one world he had promise and comfort, in the other he lived in deprivation and repression where one had to work in order to just survive. Williams’s recollection of his “life on the color line” is a unique testimonial of the life of an individual who has walked in both the shoes of a White man and then those of a Black man. His story provides examples of real life experiences and events that can further the research of social psychologists by offering insight into the understanding of many social psychological theories and concepts, such as modern racism, in-group favoritism and confirmation bias just to name a few. From beginning to end the reader is bombarded with all kinds of racism and discrimination described in horrific detail by the author. His move from Virginia to Indiana opened a door to endless threats of violence and ridicule directed towards him because of his racial background. For example, Williams encountered a form of racism known as modern racism as a student at Garfield Elementary School. He was up to win an academic achievement prize, yet had no way of actually winning the award because “The prize did not go to Negroes. Just like in Louisville, there were things and places for whites only” (Williams, 126). This form of prejudice is known as modern racism because the prejudice surfaces in a subtle, safe and socially acceptable way that is easy to rationalize. Another form of racism experienced by the author is blatant racism which is racism directed towards members of

Never the Sinner - Production Critique

2001-03-11T13:00:00-04:00

This paper is a critique of a production of Never the Sinner, a murder drama written by John Logan, which was performed and produced by the Department of Theatre and Dance at E.S. Strother Theatre located on the campus of Ball State University. Director Judy E. Yordon captures the viciousness and brutality of the murder of an innocent, young boy in this dramatic account of a homicide at the hands of two young men who are intertwined in a dark, sexual relationship. During the murder and trial of “the crime of the century” the director and cast portray to the audience the sheer violence and torment these two men are willing to affect on another human being for the utter enjoyment of killing another person. This is done by exposing the events of the murder to the audience and then allowing the audience to conclude the motive of the murder, by means of interpretation using the final scene as the keynote in the performance. I found the last scene of the performance to be rather disturbing to say the least. The performers in the production were very suitable for the roles in which they were cast. Dustin Bennett (Nathan Leopold) and Andrew Burt (Richard Loeb) were excellent in their performance and portrayed their characters well. Both ideally fit the roles in which they were cast. As for the other five members of the cast they to were well suited in their roles and showed much talent in their ability to portray different characters in the same performance. Especially that of Natalie Ellis who portrayed both a girlfriend and a doctor in the play and who easily adapted to her changing roles within the scene. The actors knew their lines of dialogue and exactly what they were talking about, which made it easy for the audience to follow along. The actors could clearly be heard and had clear enunciation, expect during the scene of the trial, in which, the police officer was on the stand. This was in part due to the fact that he was seated in an area beside the audience and it was hard to make out what he was saying because the audience was blocking him from my view. The voice the characters used was appropriate, especially during the trial when the attorneys were speaking and when Germaine Rheinhardt was on the stand. The men were harsh, loud

Showboat - Production Critique

2001-03-11T13:00:00-04:00

This paper is a critique of a production of Show Boat, a musical classic with compositions by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, which was performed and produced by NETworks Presentations LLC at Emens Auditorium on the 14th of February 2001. Clayton Phillips, the director of the production, attempted to test the waters of racial discrimination by exploring controversial themes such as prejudice and interracial relationships. Show Boat takes an enlightened approach to ethnic controversy by using both music and drama to express the feelings and hopes of the characters to the audience. Even though I enjoyed the production, I felt that it was lacking in terms of its plot and may have overused its melodic reprises. However, Show Boat truly succeeds with entertaining an audience. The plot of Show Boat is at times difficult to comprehend because its confusing plot. The surprises in the plot were far too unexpected. Julie Laverne was whisked away very early in the show and suddenly appeared many scenes later. A quick montage was the only visual cue to tell us that Ravenal had lost all his money and all the while, the director seemed to keep sweeping us along ever faster in the swirling epic feel of the show, making the plot even more difficult to follow. The performers were quite remarkable. Not only were they skilled actors, they were talented vocalists as well. They easily adapted to their roles in the performance, as if their abilities came naturally. Their physical appearances, as well as their character portrayals, were as I have imagined them. The costumes did not restrict the movement of the actors and permitted them to perform their movements and gestures with ease. The scenes and props complimented the attire of the performers, blending together create a magnificent display. The scenery was realistic enough to afford the viewer an escape into depths of the show. The setting was beautiful and the structures almost lifelike, excepting the absence of a front screen door. It seems that almost all plays and television shows I have viewed neglect this detail. The stage lighting played a key role in the show by setting the mood of the performance during soulful, pensive songs. In contrast, the lighting proved to be a detriment by overbearing the performance of the artists, in that one’s attention was drawn to the glare of extreme quantities of makeup rather than

The Last Night of Ballyhoo - Production Critique

2001-03-11T13:00:00-04:00

This paper is a critique of a production of The Last Night of Ballyhoo, a play written by Alfred Uhry, which was performed and produced by the Ball State University Theatre. Gilbert L. Bloom directed the production and was very successful with producing a truly entertaining, comedic play with an important message about the personal dilemmas that we as individuals with different beliefs and values must encounter in our daily lives. All elements of the production were wonderfully implemented making The Last Night of Ballyhoo quite a success. The performers were perfect for the roles in which they were cast. For example, Lala’s (Erin Rae Lengkeek) character is supposed to be a romantic dreamer and very childlike. The actress who portrayed Lala did an excellent job even her voice and attitude were quite appropriate for the role. Likewise, the actress who played Sunny (Jennie L. Keller) also did a fabulous job of portraying her character. Sunny’s character had a more mature attitude and therefore presented herself in a more adult manner then her cousin Lala. Her physical features also differed from Lala’s; Sunny was tall, broad and had an assertive voice. Lala on the other hand was shorter, looked to have had a bit of baby fat left on her frame and had a childish voice. The other characters also were well cast for their roles, for example Peachy (Matthew Hickman) was described to the audience as having bright red hair and was portrayed though his telephone conversation with Lala as having a joking, wisecracking attitude. And sure enough when Peachy made his first appearance all these characteristics could be seen. Lala, Sunny and Peachy are just a few of the characters that were cast in the play. Be assured, however, that all the others were also suitably cast for their roles in the production. Thus, making the character selection only one of the key elements in the production’s success. When it came to the dialogue of the production and the understanding of it the performers again did an excellent job. Their gestures and vocal elements all aided in the production’s success and were all fittingly used by the characters. For example, when Lala was talking on the phone with Peachy she casually twirled the phone cord in her hand, leaned against the banister and childishly flirted with Peachy. When it came to sound quality all characters projected their voices well and

I know why the Caged Bird Sings

2001-03-08T13:00:00-05:00

In the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the main character Marguerite, is influenced by a great deal of characters including Bailey Jr. , Momma Henderson, and Mrs. Bertha Flowers. One of the primary induces is her older brother Bailey Jr. Momma or Annie Henderson, the Grandmother, also played an important role for Maya. Additionally to those two characters, is Mrs. Flowers, the black aristocrat of Stamps. All in all, these three characters played important roles in the development of Marguerite through her juvenile years. First, Bailey Jr. serves as the most important role in the protagonists’s young life. In the novel, Maya quickly states, “ I would be the major loser if Bailey turned up dead. For he was all I claimed, if not all I had.” Bailey is on year thet main character’s senior, however, it makes no difference for they both share many of the same interests, such as reading poems and playing games. Maya feels comfortable asking Bailey for advice, and therefore the central character trusts Bailey with all of her honest emotions. To sum up, Bailey gives immense confidence to Marguerite throughout their childhood together. Second, Annie Henderson influences her granddaughter as an all powerful role model. An example of this behavior is when “Momma”, takes Ritie to a white dentist and demands that he help her. He refuses to help them, therefore, Momma goes inside to speak with him; Ritie imagines this entire milieu where Momma has victory. Ritie is also amazed at how well Momma adjusts to Los Angeles after living all her life in the small town of Stamps, Arkansas. All in all, Momma plays an important role in Ritie’s up-bringing. Another powerful figure in the leading character’s life, is Mrs. Bertha Flowers, who gained trust from young lady. Mrs. Flowers was the first person to prod her out of her silence after being raped. The aristocrat made Angelou feel proud to be black under any circumstance. Mrs. Flowers loans her some books and assigns her the task of reading them aloud. She also requests that Angelou memorize a poem to recite it aloud. Finally, Mrs. Bertha Flowers gains the young childs respect by making the child feel important. In conclusion, Marguerite is influenced the most by these three characters: Momma Henderson, Bailey Jr., and Mrs. Bertha Flowers. First, Bailey because he nurtures and builds Maya’s confidence. Second, Momma Henderson because she raised

Pearl as a Symbol

2001-03-08T13:00:00-05:00

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's the Scarlet Letter, Pearl, is a symbol of sin and adultery in the sense that she leads Dimmsdale and Hester to their confession and the acceptance of their sins. A beauitful daughter of the towns

Lasting Effect of Sin

2001-03-08T13:00:00-05:00

The past always comes back to haunt us throughout our lives. Puritan society is highly based upon a person’s reputation. Without an honorable reputation a person is not worthy of respect from others in their society. Characters in this novel go through their lives struggling with themselves trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with their actions. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, he shows the lasting effect that sin has on Hester and Dimmesdale. Hester Prynne’s guilt is the result of her committing adultery, which has a profound effect on her life. Hester is publicly seen with the scarlet letter when she first emerges out of the cold dark prison. “It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself ” (Hawthorne 49). The spell that is mentioned is the scarlet letter, “so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom” (Hawthorne 49). The scarlet letter is what isolates her from everyone else because it symbolizes sin. Hester is in her very own sphere, a world of her own where her sin effects her livelihood and has completely isolated her from the world. Her entrance into the sphere marks the beginning of her guilt, it occurs when she is “in the prison after her first exposure to the crowd-her “moral agony” reflected in the convolutions that have seized the child; her pride, her daring” (Bloom 34). The prison marks the beginning of a new life for Hester, a life full of guilt and isolation. Her “moral agony” (Bloom 34), is her guilt that is slowly surfacing while she faces the crowd realizing that she has been stripped of her pride and everything that was important to her in the past. The lasting effect of Hester’s sin is the guilt that she now embodies due to her commiting adultery. The guilt that is associated with Hester’s sin remains with her as an everlasting reminder of her sinful actions (Bloom 34). Guilt is a consequence of sin that Hester has to endure throughout her life. Hester’s guilt begins starts to have a profound effect on her life and thinking. Hester’s guilt has become very influential in her life making her unable to express herself freely. “Hester Prynne might have repaid them all with a bitter and disdainful smile. But under the leaden infliction which it was her

The Character and Importance of George

2001-03-07T13:00:00-05:00

George is described as "small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features", which immediately draws contrast with Lennie, demonstrating that where Lennie is simple and slow, George is more mentally able and has a dominant position in their relationship. Because of his rôle of Lennie's carer, and hence that much of George's conversation is about Lennie, we learn little about him through his actual conversations with people. His only extended meaningful conversations are with Slim, and certainly do centre on Lennie, a clear indicator that much of George's life is centred on Lennie. We can, however, learn a great deal about him through his actions; he is caring, level headed and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. Despite this, it is clear that he loves him greatly. We understand from his actions and attitudes that George is sensible and able to think quickly in a situation, he is rational and a realist. He knows from experience and understanding of the nature of others, for example, that if the boss hears Lennie talk and realises his handicap, then it is unlikely they will get work. Thus he tells Lennie not to talk during their preliminary encounter, "you ain't gonna say a word…if he finds out what a crazy bastard you are we won't get no job". He also knows, from past experience presumably, to make Lennie repeat things two or three times over to himself, to help him remember. He also knows that Lennie is likely to do things and attempt to hide them, such as when he instantly realises Lennie has a puppy with him when entering the bunkhouse. "George went quickly to him, grabbed him by the shoulder and rolled him over. He reached down and picked the tiny puppy from where Lennie had been concealing it against his stomach." The fact he is so fast and sure in his actions suggests there his little doubt in his prediction that Lennie will have a puppy with him; he knows him well. He also knows to be naturally suspicious of others he encounters for fear that they will be prejudiced against Lennie, and although this can result in the loss of potential friendships, it is unfortunately necessary as otherwise Lennie would face much more danger. Exemplification of this is his natural reaction to Curley's wife; he warns Lennie to stay away

A Christmas Carol - Description Of Scrooge

2001-03-06T13:00:00-05:00

The true description of Scrooge first appears about quarter way through the book, before then there are only a few minor references to his character. The description begins metaphorically as it features the words “ A tight-fisted hand at the grindstone”. Its metaphorical because it is trying to portray that Scrooge is literally as tight as the hand to the grindstone. Then soon after this seven adjectives follow, “ Squeezing, Wrenching, Grasping, Scraping, Clutching, Covetous, Old sinner”. They are used effectively as each one has an individual meaning describing seven trates of Scrooges character, which begins to give the reader a visual picture of how the character may conduct himself. So far all qualities of Scrooge have been negative and so it continues. Then the writer brings in the object “flint” and states all the negative quality’s of flint then compares them to Scrooge. As soon as the writer gets across the way in which Scrooge conducts himself, he moves on to how Scrooge is happy to be by himself. Charles Dickens uses the word “Solitary” to great effect as it portrays that not only Scrooge stays alone it also gives a second meaning. It’s as if that Scrooge does not need anyone else. Then Charles Dickens attempts to compare Scrooge to the weather making him a very cold hearted character, and explains that even the worse weather can not match to how cold Scrooge is and how he cares not for anyone but himself. It mentions “The cold within him froze his facial features”, so it portrays that its not the weather affecting Scrooge its how cold he is inside. Its even to the extent that its as if Scrooge carries around a low temperature with him where ever he goes. Its not a physical effect he has, its more of a visual effect as whenever anyone would see him they would experience chills down the back of his neck. Scrooge is a very powerful character as whenever Charles Dickens attempts to describe him he uses words that seem to carry a visual picture giving the reader an idea of how truly nasty he is. He clearly states there is no positive trates Scrooge which also enhances Scrooge’s appearance. Charles Dickens continues with the theme of weather by finishing the paragraph with roughly, “The heaviest rain and snow often ‘came down’ handsomely and Scrooge never did”. This means that however

Red Badge of Courage - Crane's Realistic Treatment of War

2001-03-06T13:00:00-05:00

The notion that war is an exciting, romantic endeavor full of glory and heroism has existed for centuries and continues to some extent today. One hundred years ago, however, Stephen Crane set out to destroy these myths through his novel The Red Badge of Courage, which traces the experiences of a young soldier in the American Civil War. Crane shows the true nature of war by contrasting Henry Fleming's romantic expectations with the reality that he encounters. This contrast between romantic vision and cold reality can be seen early in the novel, with Henry's departure from home. Driven to a "prolonged ecstasy of excitement" by the rejoicing crowd, Henry enlists in the army and says good-bye to his mother with a "light of excitement and expectancy in his eyes" (709). He anticipates a romantic, sentimental send-off reminiscent of Spartan times and even goes as far as preparing remarks in advance which he hopes to use "with touching effect" to create "a beautiful scene" (710). However, Crane presents a more realistic view. At the news of Henry's enlistment, his mother simply says "The Lord's will be done" and continues milking the cow, having previously urged Henry not to be "a fool" by enlisting (709). She then destroys his hopes by offering sensible, practical advice in her good-bye speech. Her send-off is so different from what Henry expects that he is irritated and "impatient under the ordeal" of the speech (710). The contrast is again evident in Henry's army experiences before going into battle. His treatment before leaving town only serves to increase his romantic expectations as his former classmates "[throng] about him with wonder and admiration" (710). Henry's regiment is then treated so well on its journey to Washington that he is led to believe "that he must be a hero" with "the strength to do mighty deeds of arms" (711). In keeping with his romantic beliefs, Henry imagines that his regiment will be involved in "a series of death struggles with small time in between for sleep and meals" (711). Yet again, Crane presents a more realistic view in Henry's actual experiences. Instead of "automatically" being a hero, as he had anticipated, Henry faces uncertainty and "a little panic-fear" as to his own ability to withstand battle (712). Filled with self-doubt, Henry dreams of "a thousand-tongued fear that [will] babble at his back and cause him to flee" (718). In addition, Henry must put

The Makellan/Locraine’s Richard III

2001-03-06T13:00:00-05:00

In order to compose an exploratory “semi-reproduction” of a text from a different era, one needs not only to analyse the depth in language, construction of characters and other logistics behind the text itself, but also aspects of the society which gave birth to it. It is an impossibility to effectively or accurately transform a text to meet the requirements placed on it by contemporary values while concurrently retaining representations of the “parent” society, without fully understanding the driving mechanics behind the social order (or disorder) from which the context is derived. Although at first glance the Makellan/Locraine’s Richard III seems to be a feeble attempt at streamlining Shakespeare for the popular audience we can see after a more analytical viewing that it actually meets the qualities ascribed above quite successfully. The selection of settings, placement of dialogue (ie dialogue being given to different characters), the inclusion of certain characters and the exclusion of others all become reflections of the director’s extensive ability to respond to the necessary prerequisite of understanding the alluded text and circumstances of it’s creation. To represent the values of the Elizabethan society, while avoiding the loss of credibility by thrusting those aspects into a modern setting, we have to select an era in which such values were present by default. At the same time this new time frame must be familiar to us in the historical sense so that we easily make our connections to the events which occurred during that time. The director chose Britain in the 1930s. The similarities are almost eerie. The underlying social unrest of the depression times between the two Great Wars must have been identical to what the people of post-War of the Roses era were going through. The heated tensions between the Great Powers in Europe and the rise of Hitler and NAZI Germany and also the fresh memories of suffering caused by the Great Depression all added to the general atmosphere of suspicion and fear. The resurgence of nationalistic attitudes in 30s was quite similar to national unity achieved under the rule of Elizabeth. Added to all this was the issue of equality in gender. It would have been quite ridiculous to have all the female characters as humble subordinates of men if the film were to be set in the 90s. It was essential to make women dependent on men if the Lady Anne/Richard wooing scene were to

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

2001-03-05T13:00:00-05:00

1) Summary of Character Traits a) School smart (Maya is smart. When she moves to San Francisco from Stamps, Arkansas, she is skipped a grade.) b) Caring sister (she always talks of her devotion to Baily) c) Determined (she wants to get a job with the streetcar company and she keeps bugging them until they finally give her a job) d) Proud (she lives with the junkyard kids instead of going back to her father’s; she slaps Dolores for calling her mother a whore) 2) Appearance a) African American, tall, skinny, small and squinty eyes, big feet, large gap between her front teeth, black hair 3) What The Character Wants a) Maya wants, ultimately, for her family to be happy. She wants the segregation of blacks to end (she is disgusted when young white girls call her grandmother by her first name). 4) How the Character Changes a) After being raped, Maya stops talking as much b) After spending time living in the junkyard, Maya learns tolerance, which will help her through out her life. She matures from a young girl to a mother, as well. c) Becomes more mature once she gets her job with the street cars 5) Key Statements About the Character a) “Ritie, don’t worry ‘cause you ain’t pretty. Plenty of pretty women I seen digging ditches or worse. You smart. I swear to God, I rather you have a good mind than a cute behind.” (p.56) b) “In those moments I decided that although Baily loved me he couldn’t help. … I knew that because I loved him so much I could never hurt him” (p. 73) 6) Key Actions a) Father comes to Stamps and takes them to their mother b) Moves back to Stamps, then to SF c) Drives home from Mexico d) Slaps Dolores e) Stays with the junkyard people f) Gets pregnant 7) What Others Think Of the Character a) When they are younger, Baily really looks out for Maya. As they grow up, and after she spends time with her father, they drift apart. b) Her grandmother loves Maya very much, and knows that she is a very smart girl with a lot of potential. c) Her mother seems to care much more about her than her father did. Thesis Statement: Maya Angelou faces many hardships, yet manages to overcome them all, in her autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Maya Angelou faces many hardships, yet manages to overcome them all, in her autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Maya is a strong

Vision of Society in 1984

2001-03-05T13:00:00-05:00

‘The empirical method of thought, on which all the scientific achievements of the past were founded, is opposed to the most fundamental principles of Ingsoc’. (Emmanuel Goldstein in ‘The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism’, ch.3). Discuss with respect to George Orwell’s vision of society in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Orwell’s society displays a threatening projection of a totalitarian system into the future. Indeed it is a regime very similar to the tyrannies of the 20th century and strongly echoes Stalin Russia or Nazi Germany. The dominant mood inside this repressive system is one of threat and suppression due to the systematic persecution and oppression of non-conformists. As Goldstein explains in his ‘Oligarchical Collectivism’ there have always been three classes: the high, the middle and the low with the middle and the high constantly changing their respective position. Eventually this movement was identified by historians as being cyclical. In an attempt to interrupt this recurring pattern the Party is essentially focussing on the problem of Stability. Indeed Stability becomes paramount in Oceania as well as in the other two superpowers Eastasia and Eurasia. In short it is the problem of how to keep things the way they are and maintain a hierarchical society without risking an overthrow of the established system. Several devices and attitudes have been conceived to achieve this aim. First of all the Party constantly controls and monitors its subjects. A crucial device in this scheme is the telescreen which, by being able to send as well as to receive information, allows a constant surveillance of all Party members. In addition other institutions such as the Thought Police or the Spies have been contrived to guarantee a maximum of surveillance. Moreover different concepts of thinking such as ‘Thoughtcrime’ and ‘Crimestop’ have been introduced in an attempt to detect and/or prevent any digression from the Party principles as soon as possible and thus eliminate any potential non-conformists. Even the expression of one’s face is subject to scrutiny as it might for example hint at a resentment felt towards Big Brother or might even indicate a possible future ‘criminal’ (in Oceania this concept is referred to as ‘Facecrime’). Although the system tries to suffocate all possible opposition from the very beginning, the Inner Party has nevertheless to confront several problems which directly threaten stability. Paramount among those is the industrialisation and the consequent introduction of machinery on a large scale which tended

Paradise Lost - John Milton’s Satan; Hero or Not?

2001-03-04T13:00:00-05:00

Throughout time, John Milton’s Paradise Lost has been studied by many people and comprehended in many different fashions, developing all kinds of new interpretations of the great epic. There have been many different interpretations of this great epic. Milton’s purpose in writing the epic was to explain the biblical story of Adam and Eve. Although the epic is similar to the Bible story in many ways, Milton’s character structure differs from that of the Bible’s version. All through out the epic Milton describes the characters in the way he believes they are. In book II of Paradise Lost, Milton portrays Satan as a rebel who exhibits certain heroic qualities, but who turns out not to be a hero. Milton’s introduction of Satan shows the reader how significant Satan is to Paradise Lost. He uses Satan’s heroic qualities to his followers, and his ability to corrupt to show the thin line between good and evil. Satan was one of the highest angels in Heaven and was know as Lucifer, meaning, light bearer. This shows he was once a good angel. Milton makes the reader see him as a leader and a strong influence to all in his presence. He best describes Satan’s ways when stating, “His pride/ had cast him out from Heaven, with all his host. / Of rebel angels, by whose aspiring/ To set himself in glory above his peers” (Milton Book I). Satan’s pride was the main reason that God banned him from heaven. Satan always tried to be number one and a leader, instead of following in God’s shadow. He would of lived a life in Paradise forever, but he had to follow his feelings as he states, “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven” (Milton 31). This shows how strongly he felt about not being above everybody else. Milton uses many events like the ones listed above to encourage the reader to view Satan as a hero. “Satan is described to be the brightest and most important angel” (McColley 32). These traits of Satan show how one might recognize Satan as the second in power right below God, who was the highest power of all. Before Satan decides to give up what he has and to rebel against God, he was one of the wisest and most beautiful of all the angels in heaven (McColley 24). Although Satan was beautiful, the most important trait that

Pass the Opium, Please

2001-03-03T13:00:00-05:00

Religion is said to be the opiate of the masses, and it is definitely a point of interest in George Orwell's famous novel Animal Farm. In it, Orwell pointedly attacks religion in general and Christianity in particular through the use of a well placed symbolic bird by the name of Moses. Orwell's stance is rather apparent as Moses darts about the farm scene conveying the duality of Christianity quite superbly. At the first mention of the raven Moses, one immediately gets the impression that he stands for something quite larger than just a simple bird that lives on the Manor Farm. Firstly his name, Moses, is an obvious biblical reference conveying the idea that he may stand for religion or Christianity. It is not a subtle point that Orwell is trying to make with Moses. From the beginning of his involvement in the plot of Animal Farm, Moses is painted as a very special pet of Mr. Jones, the keeper of Manor Farm before the animal revolution. Mr. Jones in himself stands for something larger than just himself, he represents the old government, the government that the animals have pointed their military coup towards. In this case the most obvious connection can be made to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917. In this vein of comparison, Mr. Jones represents the government under the ruling power of the czar. And if Moses is the especial bird of Mr. Jones, this means that religion was under the wing so to say of the czar (pun intended). After we learn this quality of Moses, we quickly learn that he is prone to rant on and on, talking about "a mysterious country called Sugercandy Mountain" (11), a magnificent place that all the animals supposedly went to when they died. In his reference to Sugercandy Mountain there is an obvious correlation to the kingdom of heaven in traditional Christian belief. This reinforces the idea in the reader's mind that Moses is most definitely standing for Christianity in this story. But so far Orwell has not made any criticisms against Christianity or religion, he has merely set up the character. The first time we get the idea that Orwell may be viewing Moses with a critical eye is when he describes the bird as being lazy and unwilling to do any. All the bird is apparently good for is to lie around all day and warm

Old Leisure - Literary Devices

2001-03-03T13:00:00-05:00

History has seen advancements in technology, philosophy, and industry, all of which radically changed the lives of those witnessing such developments. Slower, more relaxed lifestyles have given way to lifestyles of a faster paced nature. George Eliot describes her preference for the leisure of the past, conveying the message that the rushed leisure of her time is hardly leisure at all. She accomplishes this by using several stylistic devices, including personification, imagery, and diction. The most obvious stylistic device used by Eliot is that of personification. She uses this device to create two people from her thoughts on old and new leisure. The fist person is New Leisure, who we can infer to be part of the growth of industry in the 19th century. He is eager and interested in science, politics, and philosophy. He reads exciting novels and leads a hurried life, attempting to do many things at once. Such characteristics help us to create an image of New Leisure as Eliot sees him. Old Leisure is quite contrasting to New Leisure. Being a stout country squire of the 18th century, he is laid back, simple minded, well fed, and financially well off. He reads but one newspaper and favors Sunday services that "allow him to sleep." "He never went to Exeter Hall, or heard a popular preacher, or read Tracts for the Times or Sartor Resartus." He is not bothered by his "inability to know the causes of things" and sleeps "the sleep of the irresponsible." Eliot describes Old Leisure more than New Leisure because today's readers are familiar enough with living a life as hurried and fast paced as New Leisure's. Her description of Old Leisure is nostalgic of a slower paced way of life. While Eliot uses human characteristics and actions to describe Old and New Leisure, she also creates images of both personages to further depict their contrasting lifestyles. The images of Old Leisure include him "scenting the apricots when they were warmed by the morning sunshine." They also depict portraits of life in Old Leisure's era as "slow waggons," "spinning wheels," and "pedlars, who brought bargains to the door on a sunny afternoon." They also tell of how Old Leisure "fingered the guineas in his pocket" and was "fond of sauntering by the fruit-tree wall." New Leisure, on the other hand, does not live in a world where such images are present. He is ""prone to cursory

Daisy Miller - Death Be Not Proud: Innocence Misconstrued

2001-03-03T13:00:00-05:00

In 1878, Henry James wrote, Daisy Miller, a novella about a young American girl and her travels in Europe. Daisy Miller is a complex short story with many underlying themes such as appearance versus reality, knowledge versus innocence, outward action versus inward meditation, and Nature versus urbanity. In this short story, one is left to judge whether Daisy Miller, the main character of the story, is “a pretty American flirt” or a misunderstood, modern young woman. By probing into the complexities and contradictions of Daisy’s character, it is obvious that Ms. Miller is merely a misunderstood young woman. Through his novel, Henry James shows his readers that the gap between what people believe to be true and the actual truth can be large, hence the theme of appearance versus reality. To the Europeanized Americans in the novella, Daisy’s independence causes her to appear immoral. She is innocent and uncultured and incautious but the circle sees only the surface of her character and the actions that character takes. She rebels not by having a great knowledge of the rules which bind the society and consciously deciding to throw them out the window, but by being limited in her scope of experience and by refusing to change her natural ways in order to please a culture to which she does not belong. The great theme of the disparity between reality and appearance is at its greatest strength in the relationship between Winterbourne and Daisy because of the conflict which roars inside of Winterbourne regarding the appearance he cannot overcome and the reality he cannot accept. Daisy's lack of knowledge and experience deceives Winterbourne who is incapable of seeing life through the lens of inexperience after leaving America. He thus fails to understand her inexperience as innocence. Winterbourne attempts to apply the conventional rules he has accepted since leaving America to Daisy without realizing that she is not dissecting the world with the same meditating process that he undertakes. In Europe, Daisy behaves just as she had back in America. She even goes as far as to say “I’m a fearful, frightful flirt! Did you ever hear of a nice girl that was not?” (44). It is through this quote that one can see that Daisy does not realize in Europe, nice girls are most definitely not “flirts”. It is such behavior that scandalized the conservative Americans that she meets and which puzzles Winterbourne.

Puritan Society in Hester's Life

2001-03-03T13:00:00-05:00

The Godly beliefs and punishments followed by the Puritans stemmed from their English experience and complete involvement in religion. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. Hester’s act of adultery was welcomed with rage and was qualified for serious punishment. Boston became more involved in Hester’s life after her crime was announced than it had ever been before—the religious based, justice system formally punished her and society collectively tortured her. Based upon the religious, governmental, and social design of the society, Hester’s entire existence revolved around her sin and the Puritan perception thereof; this association breaks way to society significantly becoming involved in her life. The importance of a social framework for the new society, where the Church would be all encompassing, developed from the teachings of such religious reformers as John Wycliffe and John Calvin. The Church would be directly involved in the running of the community and its regime. Enforcing such laws established by scripture read from the Bible, the government disciplined Hester for her committed sin. The Puritans considered the Bible as the “true law of God that provided guidelines for church and government”. They wished to shape the Church of England to meet their ideals, emphasizing Bible reading, prayer, and preaching in worship services. They simplified the ritual of the sacraments and also wanted more personal and fewer prescribed prayers. The Puritans stressed grace, devotion, prayer, and self-examination to achieve religious virtue while including a basic knowledge of unacceptable actions of the time. Obtaining virtue was expected to secure order and peace within the Puritan community. The Church officials, who played a direct role in the government, calculated the penalties for various sins. When sins arose, the government took the role as chief executive of corrective punishment and instituted castigation. Hester found herself very much a part of the local Church and government’s heavy hand. Everyone was aware of her sinful act, for she was placed on a scaffold amidst the entire people for a painful viewing. The religious morals instilled in the Puritan society caused her much pain long after the public humiliation. Permanently “symbolized as a sinner”, Hester was branded for life with a cloth letter worn on her bosom. For years after the letter was first revealed on the scaffold, Hester was associated with the sin and the scarlet letter. Because the Puritans contoured religion,

The Cruicible

2001-03-03T13:00:00-05:00

Much Ado About Nothing - The Importance of Noting

2001-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

Discuss The Importance Of Noting In Much Ado About Nothing Noting, or observing, is central to many of the ideas in Much Ado About Nothing. The word nothing was pronounced as noting in Elizabethan times, and it seems reasonable to presume that the pun was intended by Shakespeare to signal the importance of observation, spying and eavesdropping in the play. As a plot device, these occurrences propel the action and create humour and tension. The perils of noting incorrectly are portrayed and this leads naturally to the investigation of another major theme, the discrepancy between appearance and reality. Shakespeare uses the problems of illusion, deception and subjectivity of perception to examine the Elizabethan patriarchy, and he shows how adhering to convention can distort the views of society’s leaders. Plot development and comedy in Much Ado rely heavily on the use of noting. The play appears to have a simple plot; the romantic couple, Claudio and Hero, are denied marital joy by the evil Don John while the sub-plot, Beatrice’s and Benedick’s resisted but growing love, provides us with some humour until order and happiness are re-established in Messina. However, Shakespeare cleverly employs the many forms of noting (observation, misunderstanding, misreporting) to move the dramatic action forward. The main plot and the sub-plots are laced together with this device and, to emphasise the importance of noting, the audience is denied viewing the vital episode where Claudio and Don Pedro witness what they think is Hero’s debauchery – we observe the watch eavesdropping on Borachio recounting the event to Conrade. This eavesdropping reminds us of the orchard scenes where Beatrice and Benedick are tricked into loving each other. They both come closer to a position of self-knowledge and this enables the “merry war” of Beatrice and Benedick to move a step further to its conclusion. The orchard scenes, along with the scenes involving The Watch, are a major source of humour in the play. Eavesdropping leads to Beatrice’s and Benedick’s most hilarious lines and Dogberry’s continued misunderstandings and malapropisms help soften the tone of the play as they follow the more sinister sections. Dogberry’s insistence on others noting that Conrade called him an ass is especially funny: “Oh that I had been writ down an ass” (4. 2. 70-71). The audience enjoys the irony that Dogberry has been “writ down an ass” – by Shakespeare himself. The Watch’s inability to reveal what they have correctly noted,

I Know why the Caged Bird Sings

2001-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

In the autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the main character Marguerite Johnson, is influenced by a preponderance of characters including Bailey Jr. , Momma Henderson, and Mrs. Bertha Flowers. One of the primary influences is her older brother, Bailey Jr.. Momma, or Annie Henderson, the parental grandmother, also plays an important role for Maya. Additionally, Mrs. Flowers, the black aristocrat of Stamps, saves Maya during an especially difficult time. All in all, these three characters act as important roles in the development of Marguerite through her juvenile years. First, Bailey Jr. serves as the most significant role in the protagonist’s young life. In the novel, Maya distinguishably states, “ I would be the major loser if Bailey turned up dead. For he was all I claimed, if not all I had.” Bailey is one year senior to the main character, however, it makes no difference, for they both share many of the same interests, such as reading poems and playing games. When Angelou was eight, she and Bailey moved to St. Louis to live with their mother Vivian, and her mother’s boyfriend Mr. Freeman; soon after, Mr. Freeman sexually molests and rapes the young child; after such a horrid experience, the central character only speaks to Bailey who comforts and supports her. To sum up, Bailey gives much confidence to Marguerite throughout their childhood together. Second, Annie Henderson influences her granddaughter as an all powerful role model. For example, “Momma,” takes Ritie to a white dentist and demands that he help her, he refuses and says, “ Annie, my policy it I’d rather stick my hand in a dog’s mouth than in a niggar’s.” therefore; Momma goes inside to speak with him; Ritie imagines this entire milieu where Momma has victory. Ritie is also amazed at how well Momma adjusts to Los Angeles after living all her life in the small town of Stamps, Arkansas. All in all, Momma plays an important role in Ritie’s up-bringing. Another powerful figure in the leading character’s life is Mrs. Bertha Flowers, who gains trust from the young lady. Mrs. Flowers was the first person to prod Maya out of her silence after being painstakingly raped. The aristocrat makes Angelou feel proud to be black under any circumstances. Mrs. Flowers loans the main character several books and assigns her the task of reading them aloud; she also requests that Angelou memorize a poem

Inherit the Wind

2001-03-02T13:00:00-05:00

In Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s tense drama, “Inherit the Wind”, three strong characters express powerful opinions: Bertrum Cates , Henry Drummond, and Mathew Harrison Brady. First, Bert Cates, the defendant, is charged with teaching “Darwinism” to his sophomore class . Second, Henry Drummond, the defense attorney for Cates, displays his beliefs of the right to think. third, Mathew Harrison Brady, the “big-shot” prosecuting attorney, illustrates his bigotry of creationism. To conclude, these three essential characters are fighting for their personal beliefs. Primarily, Bert Cates, a 10th grade teacher, struggles to obtain his right to have an open-mind, and encourages others to do so. The defendant, simply tries to teach a lesson in his Hunter’s Civic Biology, but while doing so is hastily over charged by the bigots of Hillsboro, Tennessee. As he explains himself to a fellow school teacher: “I did it because...I had the book in my hand...and read to my sophomore science class chapter 17, Darwin’s Origin of Species...All it says is that man wasn’t stuck here like a geranium in a flower pot; that living things come from a long miracle, it didn’t just happen in seven days”. It seems odd, or even bizarre that this premise is so hard to accept in Hillsboro. All in all, Cates is merely opening another aspect to the beginning of time. Another powerful opinion yearning to be exposed, is the one held by Henry Drummond, the defense’s attorney. The lawyer undoubtedly came to defend Cates and any other person in the world the right to believe or think anything they may desire; whether it be “wrong” or “right”. He clearly values this when he explains to the judge “I am trying to establish, Your Honor, that Howard - or Colonel Brady - or Charles Darwin - or anyone in this courtroom- or you, sir - has the right to think!”. Drummond feels strongly that the right to think is very much on trial and hopes that justice will be reached. In summary, Henry Drummond values deeply every human’s right to imagine or give credence to anything. In addition, Mathew Harrison Brady, the prosecution, gives a strong opposing viewpoint to the morality of the issue. He believes every word of the book of Genesis, and can not comprehend any other possibility to the beginning of life. As he is unusually testified, he states, “Everything in the Bible should be accepted, exactly as

I know why the Caged Bird Sings

2001-02-28T13:00:00-05:00

Three primary problems “cage” Maya Angelou in her autobiographical book I Know why the Caged Bird Sings. The most pressing of these issues was probably the fact that Maya lived in the highly segregated south. Another factor of her imprisonment was because Maya, also known as Marguerite, was a social outcast, with very few friends other then relatives. Finally, the main character was entrapped because of her unusual sexual exposure. Over all, the highly segregated life she led, her exclusion socially, and her sexual experience caught Ms. Angelou. At the time, racism was predominate amongst southern citizens, this caused Maya’s displacement because she was a young black girl. Throughout the book Maya faces prejudice, and is constantly fighting this outrage, yet is not always winning. When Marguerite Johnson, nicknamed Ritie, was sixteen she became the first black streetcar operator in San Francisco, yet she had to fight incredibly hard to get her job. Even after she did her work schedule was impossible, and the free feeling she got from her job was turned against her at school, when she realized that her and her fellow classmates were, “on paths moving diametrically away from each other,” so even though Ritie had gotten the job she wanted, which she could have gotten easier had she been white, she was still an outcast. Furthermore, Marguerite, being Black, was denied certain necessities, such as not getting her toothache treated by the nearest dentist because he’d “rather stick my hand in a dog’s mouth then a nigger’s,” or have a white man imply that none of the black children were good enough to amount to anything on there graduation day. All in all, one reason Ms. Angelou locked up was because she was Black and lived in a time of segregation. Although Marguerite loved what few friends she had, she was a misfit, the fact of which contributed to her confinement. On page four Johnson says, “If growing up is painful for a Southern Black girl being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat,” despite the fact that Ritie could admit it or not, being a social pariah is situation that would make any girl feel as though the walls were closing in on her, and with Angelou this feeling was especially significant. Maya often wished the she would wake up as her “true self,” a beautiful white girl; on

Boesman and Lena - A Uniquely South African Play

2001-02-28T13:00:00-05:00

Boesman and Lena depicts a brief period in the lives of a non-white couple, struggling in Apartheid era South Africa. The play begins with the couple on the move, after being forcefully removed from their home. The harsh reality of the Forced Removals and Group Areas Acts, which the government passed to separate racial groups. Although the play does identify many universal themes, such as the destitution of homeless people, I feel the play is uniquely South African, as the circumstances for the poverty and homelessness is different. South Africa passed laws that discriminated against non-whites, and these laws were strongly enforced. This did not occur in other countries, although racism was evident elsewhere, it wasn’t actually law. Boesman and Lena perfectly represent the plight

The Effects of Sin Upon Arthur Dimmesdale

2001-02-27T13:00:00-05:00

Hawthorn shows sins of several different kinds in numerous people, as well as the consequences and remedies of their sins. Three main characters; Hester Prynne, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth bare the most of these sins. Arthur Dimmesdale, however, bares the most brutal effects of such sin. This is due to several reasons. The most observable reason for his eventual breakdown is the fact that he keeps his sin a secret. Arthur Dimmesdale’s sin was the same as Hester’s, except he never confessed. “As God's servant, it is his nature to tell the truth, so the years of pretending and hypocrisy were especially hard on him.” (Bloom 28) Dimmesdale also believes that his sin has taken the meaning out of his life. His life's work has been dedicated to God, and now his sin has tainted it. He feels that he is a fraud and is not fit to lead the people of the town to salvation. His secret guilt a much heavier burden than Hester’s since he must hold it all within himself. This also reveals Dimmesdale weakness. Arthur wanted desperately to admit his sin to the world, which is shown throughout the book. The earliest incident was when he was asked to question Hester on the scaffold as to who the father of her child was: “I charge thee to speak out the name of the thy fellow-sinner and fellow sufferer! Be not silent for any mistaken pity and tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart throughout life.” (Hawthorne 67) In this speech Dimmesdale is pleading for her to tell the name of the father, and fellow sinner, not just for the other leaders sake, but for his own. He is to weak minded to do it himself, and he believes it would be better to lose his place of power in the church than to “hide his guilty heart.” Since he was not revealed, this is exactly what he does, hides his guilty heart. In view of the fact that there was no external punishment for Arthur, he creates it within himself. He still received his penalty, an internal punishment. "A well hidden secret, looking pure as a new fallen snow, while their heart is spotted with inequity

The Scarlet Letter

2001-02-27T13:00:00-05:00

God does not like the sin of adultery. He does not like lying. He does not like hypocrisy. There are two roads that one can choose. In the end, what may seem like the easy way may have far greater consequences than the hard way. Arthur Dimmesdale chose the easy path and learned that the pain of guilt is far greater than the pain of shame. From the start, Dimmesdale did not want to live with the consequence of his sin. To begin with, he must of told Hester not to tell anyone about his sin, because on the scaffold, she will not tell anyone (pg. 64). Clearly, Dimmesdale was afraid of the justice and the shame that would follow. He thought that if no one knew, he could continue with his life normally. Yet, he began punishing himself secretly (pg. 133). Slowly though, the sin began to nag at him, and he had to beat himself to sooth his conscience. This shows that he has a conscience and that he is beginning to feel convicted. Late in the book, he finally confesses before the town, but then dies (pg. 231-233). As can be seen by his confession, he had the heart to change, but only then he realized that it was too late. His death marked the effect of the poisonous sin that had accumulated in him. The Bible says the wages of sin is death, just as repentance leads to salvation, a lesson Dimmesdale did not learn until it was too late. Dimmesdale is very hypocritical in how he handles the subject of his sin. For example, he says “Be not silent from any mistaken pity or tenderness for him; for, believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life. What can thy silence do for him, except it tempt him—yea, compel him, as it were—to add hypocrisy to sin?” (pg. 63). Here he says that it would be better for him to come down and stand on the scaffold than to keep in hiding. He even calls himself a hypocrite, but his concern for his reputation keeps him from doing the right thing. When Dimmesdale goes up on the scaffold, he must do it at night for fear of someone seeing

How ethical are the gods in the Iliad?

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

Ethics and morality are synonymous terms, both meaning customs in their original languages, Greek and Latin respectively. However, the Greek term “ethics” also implies character as opposed to its Latin counterpart referring to social customs. Ethike is descended from ethikos which, in turn from ethos which means character or nature. Ethos is the fundamental and distinctive characteristic of a group within its social context or period of time, typically expressed in its attitudes, habits or beliefs. Thus the ethical nature of the gods can be explored in two ways, from an Ancient Greek perspective, and from a modern perspective. However, this exploration from two perspectives violates the term ethical as it should be “a universal system of moral principles and values “ applicable through actions perpetrated by humans. However, absolute standards are unobtainable and conditional upon the society and time in which they are conceived. Another definition suggests that to be ethical is “to conform to accepted standards consistent with the agreed principles of correct moral conduct”. Conversely, until Aristotle, there were no “agreed principles for moral conduct” thus the term ethical cannot be used within the context of Homers society. We can, however examine the role the gods have to play in the Iliad and examine the relationship between the immortal and mortal to ascertain an “ethical” framework of the poem. Where does our ethical view come from? If it is within us, as part of our “soul” our precondition of being human then it should be universal regardless of the elapsing centuries and societies, especially if a belief in an ultimate creator is entertained. Indeed, if we believe that this creator is eternal and that he/she bestows our souls, then the idea of eternal souls immediately becomes more viable as they are made of the essence of this creator. By soul I mean the spiritual awareness, the essence of an individual. Indeed the idea of karma-a Sanskrit term meaning action in terms of cause and effect has consequences for the idea of an eternal soul as it has to live with the consequences forever. This in turn creates responsibility upon the individual in the form of freewill. This metaphysical principle is essential to the idea of ethics as we are presented with the awareness of alternatives thus, choice. The gods in the Iliad, however, are not concerned with, or upholders of spiritual matters. The Ancient Greeks were polytheistic in

Beowulf - Grendel: The Monster

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

Grendel, the first antagonist in the epic poem Beowulf, is most definitely a monster. To even compare him to a “rambunctious youth” is irrational. The narrator emphasizes his monster-like qualities and even refers to him as a monster. The diction deliberately portrays him as evil, as do Grendel’s own actions. The beginning line of the passage is , “A powerful monster …”. In line 16-17, the narrator goes further by saying, “… the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel, …”. The narrator plainly states that he is a monster in several other lines, also. But, even before all of these occurrences of the word, the introduction summarizes the first passage saying that a fierce and powerful monster invades the mead hall. Even by this, the reader has a preconception that Grendel is a monster. Grendel is always in contrast to “the Almighty” and Christianity. It is explained that he is descendant of the biblical figure Cain. Anyone familiar with the bible knows that Cain murdered his brother, Abel, and is considered an embodiment of evil by most Christian religions. So Grendel was born banished by God and lead his life accordingly. He is described as being the shadow of death and having hell-forged hands. The narrator would not have to continue to convince anyone that Grendel is a monster. Grendel behaves like a monster and has many qualities pertaining to being one. He lusts for evil (lines 52-53) and relished his savage war (line 67). He was not on a conquest of love, fortune, or fame; he slaughtered men for sport, certainly not the pass time of the average rambunctious youth. His victims were all unknowing and asleep. He only came with darkness, also associated with evil. He lurked, stirred, and haunted. All these words have evil connotations, as do all words describing the monster and his actions. After the night’s rampage, he returned to his “lair”, suggesting that Grendel is a wild animal. Since the word is usually associated with lions, it’s connotation further illustrates his claws and fangs in the reader’s mind. Only one event almost relates a human aspect to Grendel – his mother’s revenge. Suggesting that he has a mother and that she cares about him may convey a child-like image to the reader, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a monster. We all have mothers and most everyone’s mother cares about them. Grendel’s

A View from the Bridge - Carbone family and community in scene 1

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

Eddie is very protective of Catherine. Eddie seems very concerned as to the welfare of Catherine. "Where you goin' all dressed up?" "where you goin'?" "whats going on?" "I think its too short ain't it?" Eddie doesn't want Catherine to grow up "you're walking wavy!" He is concerned that she might get sexually assaulted or may be taken advantage of by men. Catherine disapproves of his protectiveness and nearly starts to cry "almost in tears because she disapproves". There seems to be a link between Catherine and B, Catherine wanted to wait until B was there before she broke her news. It is as if B understands Catherine but Eddie does not. This is shown by the fact the Catherine brakes the news to B. before she tells Eddie. Catherine feels that she can be more open with B than with Eddie. Eddie thinks that B. is too friendly, he is worried that they might end up sleeping on the floor and their guests might end up having the beds. Eddie wants Catherine to finish school and once again this shows concern for Catherine, but B sides with Catherine, once again it is as if they have an understanding with each other. B knows that Eddie is being too over protective and that they cannot keep Catherine in cotton wool all of her life. Eddie does want the best for Catherine but B realises that she may not get another well-paid job like this one. Eddie considers Catherine as a little project "I supported you this far I want to support you a little more". As a result Eddie finds it hard to let go of Catherine. This is shown by the fact that is takes Eddie a while to be persuaded by B. that the work is the best thing. Eddie is worried that once Catharine has her job she will get her own place and they will never see her again. "And then you will come visit on Sundays, then once a month, then Christmas and new years finally" I get the idea that B understands what Eddie is going through and that there is an understanding between them because of this. After reading the 1st scene that Catherine objects to being wrapped in cotton wool for all of her life, she wants to walk wavy and she want to go out with boys. In the 1st scene there

Of Mice and Men - Campanionship

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

Man needs companionship and has difficulty maintaining it because no humans think the exact same or have the exact same beliefs. To maintain a companion you must have things in common, you must be able to disagree with a sort of respectful understanding, and finally you must care legitimately about that person. These three requirements to preserve a companionship are at times arduous to keep true. Some people do not have the time, concern, or the ability to sustain a veritable friendship with a companion or companions. Lennie and George’s companionship meet and transcend all the needed requirements. They are a textbook example of loyal friends. They, together, are like peanut butter and jelly in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Lennie gives George someone to talk to and someone to keep him on track. George gives Lennie insight on the world and someone that will respect him even though he isn’t intelligent. They, more importantly, give each other something to live for. If George wouldn’t have met Lennie he would be a drunk in a whorehouse dying of cirrhosis. If Lennie didn’t meet George he would of died soon after his aunt did, because he would either have got himself in a bind with no one to help him or he would of simply wondered off and died of loneliness. Crooks suffers from loneliness, because he is black, not because he is an unfriendly person. Crooks, though, may seem mean, but he is just tired of being rejected and disrespected by everybody around him. Crooks has a horrible life. He will never have a companion or anybody that will respect him unless he meets another black person. Crooks says,” I’ll tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick. (Pg. 73)” He doesn’t even have the opportunity to have a companion, and that is sad. Curley’s wife suffers from loneliness also. Her only companion is very controlling. Curley makes sure his wife doesn’t talks to anyone. She is a victim of herself because she married a man that she hardly even knew. She married him though to have a companion. She killed herself and Lennie because of her need for companionship. She craves companionship because she is an attractive woman with need for interaction. Curley’s wife says,” Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? (Pg. 77)”. Curley has two companions: his wife

The Scafolding VS. the Forest

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, a dark tale of sin and redemption, centers on the small Puritan community of Boston during the seventeenth century. In the center of this bustling community is the market place. With in it are all the central features of the town, the most symbolic of these is the scaffold. Many a soul is scarred upon this scaffold. It is a place of intense scrutiny and upon it, reality comes into a brutal light. In exceptional contrast to the scaffold is the forest beyond the town. Here, there is no judgement and reality waxes and wanes. Hawthorne creates this place for the characters to escape and themselves without restraint or worry. The comparison is clear: the market place, especially the scaffold, represents the harsh reality of Puritan society and the forest provides escape. The scaffold is the center of criticism. Here, any unfortunate soul to climb the stairs is subject to the superficial examination by the eyes of society. Those below the scaffold see a light of the character distorted by their own jealousies and suspicions, and clouded by gossip. Where the truth may be unacceptable to them, it is substituted by things society coerced them to believe. Those on the scaffold experience reality. The only comfort is the ability to see beyond the town from this pernicious pedestal. As Hester spends her allotted time in the spotlight, her mind escapes as she gazes off into the distance. But while some are able to escape, others such as Dimmesdale, find the probing eyes unbearable. To him, the scaffold represented guilt and shame. In the market place emotions and true feelings are suppressed and overwhelmed by the importance of conformity. With out an escape, Hawthorne’s characters would have never completely come to life. The forest is also a location where the truth is not forbidden, but embraced. After Hester's judgment on the scaffold, she and her daughter Pearl find refuge there. The trees of the forest, unlike the people in town, listen to and welcome them, sins and all. On the edge of the forest, Hester and Pearl see the town and know that they do not belong. Their knowledge of the truth is dangerous to the townspeople. Therefore, they choose to live in their own world, free from the perception of the town. Hester is weary of the town, warning Pearl "We must not always talk

John Proctor: Internally conflicted

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

John Proctor is internally conflicted throughout the entire play, The Crucible. His struggles evolve in each act. But, he is not a character deserving of pity because all of his struggles are self-inflicted. His affair with Abigail is at the root of most of them, the others are a result of stubborn pride. In Act 1, John’s main conflict is dealing with his lust for Abigail. He does still lust for her even though they ended the affair, but though she persists, he does not submit. She catches him alone and tries to tempt him but he remains strong. This was very hard for him, because it is so tempting and easy to submit. But he is very against hypocrites, and at first finds it hard to criticize the morality of others, making him feel hypocritical. In Act 2, John is trying to deal with the consequences of his infidelity. Elizabeth won’t trust him and he is deeply bothered by this. He is doing everything he can to prove his trustworthiness, and show her that he is trying to please her. He is also dealing with a lot of regret. He didn’t want things to turn out like that between him and Elizabeth and now he feels like an inadequate husband. When he is angered so easily, it’s frustration and self pity rearing their ugly heads. He realizes that he’s hurt her but doesn’t feel that he’s done something unforgivable. In Act 3, John’s frustration is really starting to tire him out. He doesn’t understand why Abby is pursuing him so, and feels responsible for Elizabeth’s imprisonment. It is also very frustrating for him to feel powerless, and to not be trusted. He can usually remain even-headed, but when anger gets the best of him, he calls Abigail a whore. He was struggling with that truth, and had yet barely admitted it to himself when he blurted it out in court. John’s main internal conflict in Act 4 was definitely pride. He refused to admit to witchcraft, even though denial would mean hanging. He chose a proud name for his sons and unborn child, rather than life. This was actually his easiest struggle throughout the play. His stubbornness had already sealed his fate. Even when he had already signed the confession, his pride got the best of him at the last moment, and ripped it to shreds. His stress in Act

The Victim in a New Light

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

Upon first reading Aurthur Miller’s The Crucible, it would be easy to mistake Abigail Williams for the key player. When the story is examined, the antagonist is clearly John Proctor. Proctor was the soul inspiration for nearly every act following the dancing in the woods and the second half of the play is very dependant on him. Though John Proctor appears very simple in the beginning of the play, the reader soon discovers there is much more motivating him. He is very confused and tormented by guilt and suspicion. He seduced a young girl and later seemed oblivious to the cause of her obsession with him. He manipulated everyone around him. Acting on his constant indecision and half-hearted whims destroyed everything around him and many of the other characters in the play. Although most of his influence occurred in the exposition, his misleading corruption of Abigail, and then his sudden rejection of her, drove her to the extremes expressed in The Crucible. The confused, love-struck Abigail was simply doing what she felt was necessary to possess the object of her affections. Without John Proctor, the second half of the play would be non-existent. The girls would have tired of accusing witches and the plot would have died quickly. Abigail wouldn’t have had the dedication and passion in seeing Elizabeth accused. The trials would have never become as intense and concrete. John Proctor is a well hidden and underlying antagonist. In the story he may appear to be a victim, and many side with him believing that Abigail should be faulted with the severity of the situation. But Abigail is the victim of lust and deceit. Proctor took advantage of her and when he saw it convenient, he attempted to dispose of her. The stubborn and dedicated Abigail had faith and pursued his hidden affections. She knew that beneath the cold façade he still kept the same desires as she. So is she really to blame for seeking it? John Proctor is the only character in the play that causes his own downfall. He also causes the persecution of his own wife. If his infidelity had never occurred, there wouldn’t have been much of a story to tell. His actions before and in the middle of the play carried the plot. None of this suggests that he is a victim. If anything, he is a victim of his own internal conflicts

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - An Obvious Depiction of Romanticism and Realism

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

Mark Twain used the contrast between the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn to illustrate a romantic and realistic imagination. Tom is spectacularly imaginative in the boyish, romantic sense. Tom has filled his head with romantic adventure novels and ideas; this has shaped Tom's worldview and feeds his fantasies, which he is constantly trying to act out. After reading about gangs and highwaymen, Tom decides to build a gang wishing to rob people and become successful highwayman. Tom's gang would kill or ransom the men and get the women to love them. Often times Tom's romantic imagination is not just silly, but downright dangerous. An example of this dangerous romantic imagination was when Huck wanted to free Jim and Tom was enlisted to help. Tom, knowing full well that Ms. Watson had released Jim prior to her death, did not disclose this information to Huck; he wanted to have an adventure helping Jim "escape". During the elaborate escape, Tom wanted Jim to train animals in his prison and have a coat of arms. Tom also sent Jim's captors warning of the upcoming escape attempt. Tom didn't know of the necessity to get Jim out now and not later. Because of Tom's dawdling, Jim's life was put in danger when they finally did escape. As they were running away, bounty hunters were chasing them and shooting at them. Knowing the reader would be in need of a breathe of fresh air between Tom's elaborate schemes, Twain created Huck. Huck's desires are indeed remarkably few and simple. Huck wanted only to be wild and free. Huck often escaped from Ms. Watson by running to the woods and going exploring. Ms. Watson tried to "sivilize" him, but he didn't like to learn about dead people or other such "nonsense". He saw no point to education other than to spite his father. Huck would rather be out fishing or playing in the woods. The final, and best, example of Huck's desire to be free was the ending line in the book. "I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been there before." Huck hates to be oppressed by society and their views on life. This

The Crucible - John vs. John

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is a play set in the sixteen nineties about the tragic witch hunts in Salem, Massachusetts. Two important characters in the book to focus on are John Proctor and John Hale. Both Hale and Proctor transform throughout the play because of the conflicts they are involved in. John Proctor is an average puritan farmer in Salem who is faced with many internal conflicts. First we learn of his wife’s distrust of him because he committed adultery. He did not want to get involved with the witch trials because he thought they were nonsense. Only after his wife got arrested did he really start to pay attention to what was happening in the court. He soon then found himself being accused of witchcraft. John says " My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before."(136) He decides to confess and save his life rather than to die for a crime he didn’t do. As John starts to confess, he starts to cry because he can not allow his name to be blackened by having his confession officially documented by the court. John says, " because it is my name. Because I cannot have another in my life . . . How may I live without my name?”(143) John decides that he could not live with this lie. He chooses to be put to death with his honor than live with the shame of a falsehood. John demonstrated his integrity by believing in the puritan way even when it was a very difficult thing to do. Another person dealing with conflicts is Reverend John Hale, a scholar on witchcraft. Reverend Hale says, “If she is truly in the Devil’s grip we may have to rip and tear to get her free.”(39) In the beginning Hale is absolutely positive that witchcraft is spreading throughout Salem. He has come to save Salem and he will not let anything get into his way. " I beg of you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie." (132) As the play gets farther along he begins to open his eyes and see that the people being sentenced are good, religious puritans. Hale then tries to pursued the people in jail to confess and have the charges dropped. By the end of the book Hale has

The Road to Salvation

2001-02-26T13:00:00-05:00

Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava was born on July 31, 1880 in the small village of Lamahi, located near the city of Banaras in India. Although born into the Hindu Kaystha caste, made up of professionals including writers, doctors and lawyers, his family was poor. His father was a low paid postal employee. His mother died when he was only eight years old. His father remarried, but Dhanpat Rai did not like his stepmother. He studied Urdu and Persian, languages used in literature and administration in 19th century North India at a nearby school. He recalles his childhood fondly in one of his stories, so it is fairly safe to assume that he was a happy and well cared for child. Dhanpat Rai was married at the early age of fifteen. This marriage did not last long, possibly because he was rushed into the marriage by his father. He later remarried a balavidhava, or childhood widow named Shivrani Devi. This marriage was a happy one, and they had several children together. She was said to be very supportive of him throughout their lives together. Dhanpat Rai graduated from school at the age of eighteen and began to teach around the countryside. He taught for a few years in various North Indian towns while earning a college degree. Dhanpat Rai began to write when he began teaching school. He took up the pen name Premchand when he began writing. His writing was more than just a past time for him; it was an attempt to change the social structure of India. Premchand died at the age of 56 on October 8, 1936. His causes of death were a gastric ulcer, dropsy and cirrhosis of the liver. In “The Road to Salvation”, the author is trying to point out some of the problems in the social structure of India. In this story, two working class men financially and spiritually ruin each other. Premchand is not only trying to point out the unrest between members of the same caste, he is also trying to make people see that as long as they ruin each other, nothing will change in their social structure. The story line in this piece is quite unfamiliar to me as I have grown up in a completely different society, but I did make connections to my own life. Near the beginning of this story, Buddhu tries to take his sheep through Jhingur’s sugar

To Build a Fire

2001-02-25T13:00:00-05:00

Sometimes everyone feels like giving up, and the only thing a person can rely on is his will to survive. Giving up is admitting defeat, in every circumstance. In the story by Jack London, To Build a Fire, the main character learns a hard lesson of reality, when he meets his fate. The result came about because of many factors, mainly the man’s lack of psychological perserverance on the journey, as well as the harsh temperature and surroundings. If there was any hope for the man to survive these conditions, it would rely wholey on his persistance and motivation. The man expected his fate after it was too late to change it, weighing all the variables and realizing there was no probable way to escape his prediciment. The man’s fate was ultimately decided by his lack of imagination and carelessness. Beginning the tale, the man is secure in his journey and firmly believes even though he is traveling alone, he will be successful in his pursuit. He discounted the advice from men from Sulphur Creek, who advised it was potentially hazardous to travel alone. He had false confidence in himself. For example, despite the dangerously cold temperatures, he did not take necessary precautions when he built his first crucial fire. Then, when he realized his mistake, he didn’t realize how serious it was until he could not start another effective fire. If the man would have had an additional human to accompany him on his journey, he would have been initially much safer. He showed carelessness in preparation by his excess selfconfidence for the trek. Also, throughout his entire journey, the man concentrated on how cold it was around him. He constantly decided how cold it was and how he didn’t like to be as cold as he was. Inevitably, the psychological factors wore his mind and soul down to make him only think how cold he was. By the end of his situation, any warmth, whether by the sleep of death or fire, was all the man could think about. Without any imagination to focus his thoughts elsewhere, the man helped himself collapse into his final doom. When the time came to build a fire to survive the first accident in the water, his irresponsibility essentially cost him his life. He forgot to build a fire promptly after he got wet, which made it extremely difficult build one after it.

Because of Romek

2001-02-25T13:00:00-05:00

Blood chilling screams, families torn apart, horrifying murders are all parts of the Holocaust. David Faber, a courageous, young man tortured in a Nazi concentration camp shares the horrors he was exposed to, including his brother Romek’s murder, in the book Because of Romek, by himself David Faber. When Nazis invaded his hometown in Poland during World War II, David remained brave throughout his father’s arrest and his struggle to stay alive in the concentration camp. David’s mother inspired him with courage. First, David’s mother gave him enough courage to keep hope his father would be all right after the Nazis arrested him. Because their own house was no longer safe from Nazi invasion, David’s family was staying with friends. However, Nazis burst into the house they were staying in one evening and apprehended David’s father. Mr. Faber was a Jew fit to work in forced labor camps. On account of the arrest, David’s whole family was intensely fearful for his father’s well being. “We have to hope,” she [David’s mother] whispered, “that’s all that’s left” (Faber, 28). David’s mother portrayed courage to him during that specific ordeal. Eventually, David was himself captured, and ended up in a concentration camp. Also, David refused the temptation of suicide because he knew his mother wanted him to survive. During David’s stay at the concentration camps, he became terribly ill and did not have the desire to live. At one point, he contemplated throwing himself against the electric fence. “‘Death would be a way out,’ I thought. ‘But there was the promise to Mama…I had to stay alive, no matter how much I hurt’” (Faber, 150), David thought, knowing his mom would not want him to die. In addition, David kept his promise to his mother he would survive. After the allied forces defeated the German Nazis, Americans liberated his camp. “Sobs shook my body. ‘I did it, Mama!’ I stammered. ‘I survived’” (Faber, 192)! David exclaimed. He had overcome the odds and kept a promise he had made to his mother that he would survive, even though he had to remain courageous throughout the entire, incredibly, difficult circumstance. Everything David did that was courageous. Most importantly, he survived the Nazi’s horrible control, showing his mother had influenced him. Even though David had a difficult childhood, David’s mother helped him a great deal in his life by encouraging him to be brave. For instance, when

The Scarlet Letter - Literature Response Essay

2001-02-25T13:00:00-05:00

Nathaniel Hawthorne, a critically acclaimed American writer of the 19th century, was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. The novelist’s book, The Scarlet Letter, is supposedly his best work, and universally considered a literary classic. Concerned with sin and consequences of dealing with it, Hawthorne’s work relates to his own personal sense of shame about his ancestor’s persecuting roles in the 17th century Salem Witch Trials. By indirectly dealing with his sense of guilt through fictional circumstances, he shows his viewpoint as being highly critical of the Puritans while teaching a strong moral lesson in the process. Graduating in the middle of his class from Bowdain College in 1825, he went on to write a variety of long stories, short stories, and articles. Generally his writings contained powerful symbolic and psychological aspects of “the effects of pride, guilt, sin, and secrecy” (Encarta, 1997). Although many moral lessons are dealt with in the book, the most significant thesis Hawthorne proved was salvation can only be earned by being open about and true to what you are. Using excellent characterization, description and expression he develops his thesis by showing the consequences of hiding sin, like Arthur Dimmesdale, and of publicly acknowleding it, like Hester Prynne. Through Hester’s daily struggle with her public punishment to wear a scarlet letter A on her clothing to remind her and everyone in the Puritan community of her adultery, she learns how to cope with and triumph over her sin against humanity. On the other hand, Reverand Arthur Dimmesdale, Hester’s equally guilty partner in the crime, refuses within himself to publicly confess his sin until the end of the novel, whereas shortly after he dies. Thus, Hawthorne summarizes the delayed importance of being truthful about oneself in his quote, “Be true! Be true! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred, (236)!” The authors overall presentation of the nov.remarkable. Organization is very clear also, becauseto the emphasis of his main point of truth setting people free. It drags the reader into the action and enables them to live with the characters, at the same time as teaching a valuable lesson in dealing with life’s obstacles. The style of his writing is very symbolic, descriptive, and detailed. He creates very vivid images of the story through elaborate adjectives. One of the most impressive instances is when Aruthur, Hester, and

Merchant of Venice - Is the Shylock “A man more sinned against than sinning?”

2001-02-25T13:00:00-05:00

There are many sides to this argument. The first is that Shylock does not sin at all, the second is that all the characters sin as much as each other, the third that Shylock is the only one who sins, the fourth that they all sin, but Shylock sins the most making the above statement false, and the fifth way of arguing it is to agree with the statement. Shylock may sin when he makes the contract with Antonio saying that he must pay back the 3000D within 3months if he lends it to him, or he can take 1lb of flesh from his body, but it is not clear whether he wants to harm Antonio because he claims to want “Only friendship”. Later on in the scene he has his aside and he tells the audience that he hates Antonio. “For he is a Christian” and he will do anything to harm him. The quote from his aside is clearly racist and this breaks one of Gods rules “Love thy neighbour” (Leviticus). But later on there is evidence for the Christians breaking this rule as well. Shylock says to Antonio “You spat on me Wednesday last, You spurned me such a day, another time You call me dog:” Shylocks daughter Jessica steals money and jewels from Shylock and this is clearly a sin because she is breaking one of the 10 commandments “Thou shall not steal” She also elopes with Lorenzo and this is clearly a sin according to the 10 commandments because you should “Respect your father and your mother”. When she has to turn from a Jew into a Christian in order to marry Lorenzo, it becomes unclear whether changing belief i.e. changing from Jew to Christian is a sin, because Shylock doesn’t say to Jessica at any point. “Don’t become a Christian” so therefore she is not breaking any of the 10 commandments such as “Respect your father and your mother” In court when Antonio has failed to pay back the sum of money that Shylock is owed, Shylock refuses the correct sum of money that has now been found by Antonio and wants “only my bond”. Even when Shylock is offered 6 times the money owed he say’s “I only want my bond”. Strictly speaking it is not a sin to refuse the money but as we find out later, he wants to harm Antonio and could not care less

Brave New World - How does society treat death in Chapter 14?

2001-02-25T13:00:00-05:00

The Brave New World treated death much as they did birth, this was in contradiction to the way the savage felt death should be Death in the Brave New World is not important, it is simply something that happens to your body when it has got worn out. In chapter 14 the nurse thought that the savage was “Undoing all their wholesome death-conditioning with this disgusting outcry as though death were something terrible, as though anyone mattered as much as all that!” Clearly she too had been death conditioned, to accept that death was certain, but she knew that she could be assured that her minerals would be recoverd after her death and used again. Societies views of death were extremely different, and even the hearses were “Gaily coloured” and the ward that Linda was on was called the “Galloping senility ward” suggesting that they had no fear of going senile. I think that the colour of the building and the size clearly represents what society thinks about death.“Primrose”,“60-Story” and the wards were “Bright with sunshine” these aren't the coulors or size modern society would use, but because of their conditioning in The Brave New world they are taught to like it, have happy thoughts about death, and are reassured by the fact, that when they die their bodies can be recycled and turned into chemicals. What the nurse says to the savage on page 163 also says something about the way that society treats death. She says “You are in a hurry!” after probably expecting him to be less anxious. She then goes on to say “You’re not feeling ill are you?” due to his abnormal (for a conditioned world) behavior and his concern for Linda which, as we can see was highly unexpected as few visitors ever came. The words “Number 3 might go off any minute now” tell us something because the people have lost their identity and because they are dying are now only refereed to as numbers, it is as if no one cares. But saying this the situation around the bed where Linda is dying, with the TV, and scent spraying into the air, tells us that people weren't just left to die, but were given some comforts but they were forgotten. Bodies were cremated not buried and there was no book of remembrance because this is the Brave New World and they are trying to forget the past,

How the ending of the novel manages to end or resolve the novel's key themes

2001-02-25T13:00:00-05:00

“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a classic novel that deals with two “mockingbirds” in Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. “They don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” says Atticus. Despite the stigma involved with such an action, Maycomb physically and socially kill two Mockingbirds. This theme and many more are resolved in the book’s ending. One of the first key themes dealt with in the ending of novel is that of the first mockingbird, Boo Radley. Throughout the novel Scout, Jem and Dill are preoccupied with one of Maycomb’s “monsters”, Boo Radley. Finally, Scout has the chance to meet him, after “He gave…. [Scout and Jem] [Their] lives. Scout, through standing on the Radley porch and “Standing in [Boo’s] shoes and walking around in them”, finally understands Boo Radley. Furthermore, when Scout says, “he was real nice”, Atticus replies back “most people are, Scout, when you finally see them”, thus resolving the readers and Scout’s doubts about Boo Radley. With the description of his hair as "feathery," Boo is immediately identified with the "mockingbird" idea, especially with his slight appearance and fluttery hand movements. He has finally become a real person, completing the progression from monster to human; meanwhile, Mr. Ewell's evilness has turned him into a human monster, whose bristling facial stubble felt by Scout suggests an animal-like appearance. Another key theme that is dealt with in depth, is that of the second mockingbird, Tom Robinson, the Negro who is killed trying to escape from jail after he is wrongfully accused and convicted for rape while helping a young woman. At the end of the book, the two mockingbirds collide, as Boo kills Bob Ewell, the young girl’s “white trash” father, in a scuffle between Bob and the Finch children. As Heck Tate says “ There’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time…”. During the course of this book, Harper Lee tries to show us people’s reactions when they have to choose between their prejudices and what is right. Tom Robinson is the recipient of unfair racial prejudice, as he finds out how a man’s false beliefs can override his better judgement. Boo Radley is also the victim of social prejudice. Just because he stays inside, people automatically

The Speckeld Band - Book Review

2001-02-24T13:00:00-05:00

1. Name of book? The Speckled Band. 2. Author of book? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 3. Setting? The story took place in Baker Street London, and in Stoke Moran. April of 1883. 4. Identify the theme of your book? It is about a detective who

Dr. Jekyle and Mr. Hyde - Book Report

2001-02-24T13:00:00-05:00

1. Name of Book? The name of the Book is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 2. Author of Book? The author is Robert Louis Stevenson. 3. Setting? The setting took place in London England in the year (1885 and 1886). 4. Identify the theme of your Book. According to the author every person has good and bad inside of him. There is a continuous battle between the two forces, when the bad force won Dr. Jekyll committed suicide which is a lesson for us to keep the good force always on the outside and inside of us to live in harmony and peacefully. 5. Story. This book is about a man called Dr. Henry Jekyll he is a rich man who lived in the city of London in 1885. He was a strange character, who was conducting experiments on him self by taking drugs and shifting into another character. He called this character Mr. Hyde thus living with two different personalities to an extent where he wrote a will leaving all his belongings to his other character in case he shifts to the other personality permanently. This confused his friend the lawyer Mr. Utterson who started investigating with common friends about the mystery of the will as Dr. Jekyll did not even introduce him to this unknown heir. At first Mr. Utterson discussed Dr. Jekyll's character with Mr. Enfield. Mr. Enfield told him about the most unusual story of a man who tripped over a little girl without realizing his fault and just stood there silently with out any reaction for his bad deed, while people gathered around to help the crying girl. The girl's father came shouting for the police. The strange man finally spoke asking them not to call the police offering a 100 pounds. They accepted the offer and went with him to a house where he brought out a Checkbook in the name of Dr. Jekyll and signed as Mr. Hyde. Mr. Enfield took Mr. Utterson and showed him the door to that house. A new clue is added to Mr. Utterson's knowledge. To follow the mystery Mr. Utterson started to get more suspicious because Dr. jekyll never mentioned Mr. Hyde's name to him. He then went to visit Dr. Lanyon, a very close friend of Dr. Jekyll, to ask him about Mr. Hyde. Though Dr. Lanyon knew Dr. Jekyll but he had no idea about Edward Hyde. Thereafter Mr. Utterson kept watching the

The Great Gatsby - “No—Gatsby turned out all right in the end…”

2001-02-24T13:00:00-05:00

In the beginning F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby Nick states “No—Gatsby turned out all right in the end…” Nick sees many faces of Gatsby that no one has ever really seen before. He sees all of the emotions a human being can have. He sees Gatsby as a man in love, a good friend, and a man that wants everyone to be happy. Gatsby is so in love with Daisy Buchanan he would wait an eternity for her. Gatsby and Daisy found love at first sight while he was in the army. Unfourtunatly he was shipped over seas, him and Daisy were separated for months. Daisy tried to wait as long as she could, but after a while she married Tom Buchanan to heal her broken heart. Years later, Gatsby becomes a millionaire with Daisy still in mind. He dedicates his heart and soul and his “money” to her. Daisy and Gatsby finally reunite with the help of Nick. Gatsby and Daisy fall into a secret relationship. To Gatsby love and Daisy are the most important things in his life. Nick becomes a neighbor to a very mysterious man. That man is Gatsby. Gatsby befriends Nick very quickly. He begins to spend time with Nick, and take him places. To Gatsby Nick seems like a person he can really trust. Since Gatsby is so mysterious Nick does not completely trust him, Gatsby confides in Nick. Because Nick reunites Gatsby with Daisy, Gatsby wants to give him something in return. All Gatsby has in his life is money, so he offers him the one thing he has. Nick does not take the money, although Gatsby insists. Although Gatsby is mysterious to most he is a great friend to some. Gatsby is an all around nice guy. He does whatever he can to make everyone happy and content. He does not want to destroy anyone’s life. Even though Gatsby and Daisy accidentally kill Myrtle Wilson, the thought of killing anyone never even crossed their mind. When they killed Myrtle, it devastated her husband George. That accident ruined two people’s life, and maybe even Gatsby’s. Because of Daisy and Gatsby’s affair, Tom is left without a wife for a while. Gatsby did not want to hurt Tom, but he knew he had to follow his heart. Although Gatsby makes sure everyone is satisfied, he always follows his heart. Gatsby starts out being a very mysterious character.

Huckleberry Finn - Conflict Between Society and the Individual

2001-02-24T13:00:00-05:00

The theme of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is that the ideas of society can greatly influence the individual, and sometimes the individual must break off from the accepted values of society to determine the ultimate truth for himself. In Huckleberry Finn's world, society has corrupted justice and morality to fit the needs of the people of the nation at that time. Basically, Americans were justifying slavery, through whatever social or religious ways that they deemed necessary during this time. The conflict between society and Huckleberry Finn results from Huck's non-conformist attitude. This attitude is a result of his separation from society at an early age. With a highly abusive drunkard for a father, Huckleberry Finn is forced from childhood to rely solely on himself. As a result of this, he effectively alienates himself from the rest of society. Society continues to try to "reform" him, but Huckleberry Finn shows his lack of appreciation in that effort from the very beginning of the story when he says, "The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me I got into my old rags and my sugar hogshead again, and was free and satisfied." His actions are based on instinct and his own experience, rather than conventional conscience. As a result, he makes up the rules for himself as he goes along, forming a conscience that is keenly aware of society's prejudices but actions based on that which he has experienced. Ironically, often his own instincts hold him to a higher moral standard than those of society. His decision to help free Jim, a slave, is an example of one such instance. Huckleberry Finn recognizes Jim as a human being, but is fighting the beliefs bestowed upon him by a society that believes slaves should not be free. However, it is important to realize that although Huckleberry Finn's decisions create the conflict between society and himself (and that this conflict forms the theme of the novel), Huck is oblivious to the justice, the righteousness, and even the heroism of his own actions, they are simply in accordance with his own conscience. The climax comes in chapter thirty-one of the novel, when Huckleberry Finn's moral development reaches its peak. Up until this point in the novel, Huckleberry Finn has been experiencing internal conflict concerning his treatment of Jim. Society has brought him up to believe that Jim is nothing

Of Mice and Men - Symbolism

2001-02-23T13:00:00-05:00

The central element of this novella is its symbolism. This novella has plenty of symbolical forms, such as people, creed, and some of the animals. Candy has several terms of symbolism, for example his disability is a symbol of the migrant workers who are just literally forgotten about, they are forgotten when they are no use to the owners. Candy’s dog is a symbol of a life only for advantage to others Lennie also for shadows this, he is belittled of his mind but enormously commented for his strength. Also he is compelled to lie about the fight he had with Curley, this is a symbol of typical male society in the, “Depression era”. Crook has many symbolical items, his disability is a symbol of his loneliness. He constantly rubs his back with medicine to inoculate to himself, this is a symbol of the pain he intakes. He is extremely lonely. His book of California rights is a symbol of power and knowledge of his rights of freedom. The neatness of his stable is a symbol that he is trying to show that he has got the same things as white people. The farm is a very important symbol in the novella it is important because it is repeated throughout the novella it is reminding the reader of the comforting dream that Lennie and George have created. It is a symbol of brotherly love. The dream in some ways is like the whole “Depression era” it reminds the reader of freedom and homely pleasure. Curley and Curley’s wife both represent evil both oppress and abuse the migrant workers. Curley especially harasses Lennie because of Lennie’s strength and how enormous he is. This is a symbol of cat and mouse. The horses rattling chains are a symbol of the slavery and lack of freedom. This symbol occurs quite often. The mouse in the novella is soft, small, this is a symbol of innocence. This for shadows Lennie he is venerable. Lennie is a symbol himself in his action towards beguiling soft things. Like when he stroked that ladies dress and she cried out rape it was a symbol of the power a white woman had then. Another example of this is when crooks said to Curley’s wife to go or he would call the boss to Curley’s wife but all she did was black mailed him by saying, “Listen, Nigger, you know what

Angela's Ashes, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Flies - Suffering is an Essential Element of Childhood?

2001-02-23T13:00:00-05:00

‘Suffering is an essential element of childhood experiences; without it a child could not learn and grow’ Does literature you study support this statement? ‘Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it’. This literal and realistic statement said by one who has known suffering and has dealt with it. Helen Keller experienced a traumatic time as a child; being deaf and blind, she knew suffering but also knew that it is possible for it to be conquered and forgot. She suffered in this way as a child and her adult life was a good one because of this suffering. The most important element in any child’s life is to learn and grow. Does experiencing anguish and misery enable a child to flourish, consequently becoming a nurtured adult? Angela’s Ashes, a memoir of a childhood set in Limerick, Ireland, demonstrates Frank McCourt’s suffering and distress throughout his young life. The novel tells of how the McCourt family lives and grows in poverty stricken Ireland. The conditions in which they live are appalling; rats infest and hygiene is not a common thing. This causes plenty of disease and as a result, kills most of Frank McCourts family. A section in the novel which expresses their family’s suffering is when Franks sister, Margaret, his parents’ joy is taken ill. ‘But when Margaret cries, there is a high lonely feeling in the air and Dad is out of bed in a second, holding her to him.’ Frank goes on to say ‘When he passes the window where the streetlight shines in, you can see the tears on his cheeks and that’s strange because he never cries for anyone unless he has the drink taken from him’. This is illustrating a very emotional scene but as the child is watching, due to his age and immaturity, he fails to realise his father is grieving through Margaret’s pain. This is a original way to show a child’s suffering through a novel as the reader is seeing the misery through the child’s eyes, but the pain being felt is by his father. An interesting aspect of the writing in Angela's Ashes is how McCourt composes the text, from McCourts interpretation of the situation at the young age he was at the time. The spelling and grammar also indicates that the child is writing, not the adult, ‘It’s a long way

Billy Budd - Convictions Shaken

2001-02-22T13:00:00-05:00

In Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor, readers are introduced to the conflict of good and evil between Billy Budd and Claggart. However, there is another conflict, which, in ways is more significant than the epic clash of good and evil. Vere’s struggle between duty and conscience is more significant because it occurs in the mind. Whereas Billy Budd was clearly the noble sacrificed hero and Claggart was the vindictive villain, duty is just as noble as conscience and conscience is just as noble as duty. Melville sets up this conflict by placing a man with the intuition and innocence of a child, in the hands of a captain amidst war. In a description of Captain Vere it can be anticipated that Vere, who values peace and common good, would be in conflict with his job, which requires him to be a militaristic authoritarian. Captain Vere learns important lessons when innocent hands bring about destruction of life. Vere was moved by his beckoning duty as captain, to convince the drumhead court to convict Billy Budd. However, the paternal emotions towards Billy Budd and his rational thinking did invoke indecision. Captain Vere realizes, when he has to act, he does not have the strength of conviction he had thought. Vere’s character is written to be a medium between Billy Budd and Claggart. Vere, like Claggart, has experience that makes him a salted sailor. However, like Billy Budd, Vere has been able to hold on to his natural intelligence. Along with his intelligence, Vere has an innocent quality to him: he believes when a crisis between duty and conscience calls, he will be able to hold fast to duty as called for on the seas during war. Captain Vere learns that in the face of conflict between duty and conscience, he does not have the strength of conviction he thought he had. Captain Vere learns that to balance conscience and duty is a very hard task even for a man as conscious of his actions as he is. Captain Vere, despite having paternal feelings towards Billy Budd, soon realizes the decision facing him. After Claggart’s last breathe, “ ‘Fated boy,’ breathed Captain Vere in tone so low as to be almost a whisper, ‘what have you done!’ ” (350). Vere’s paternal feelings can be seen when he says “Fated boy”. The fact Captain Vere whispers this implies the emotions he is feeling. He

The Hobbit - Book Report

2001-02-21T13:00:00-05:00

“The hobbit,” a story of adventure and danger is a prime example of a romantic plot, and fantasy genre. What makes this story such a great example of a romantic plot? One, the unlikely hero, Mr. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit that is dragged on an adventure he doesn’t wish to take. Second, there is a great quest with a reward at its end. Third the great teacher figure, Gandalf is a wizard that helps Bilbo to become the great hero he is destined to be. And lastly the dragon figure, in this story the dragon figure, happened to be a dragon but there are also many miniature dragon figures through out the tale. The story begins with our soon to be hero Bilbo Baggins he’s smoking his pipe and is quite proud of the smoke rings he is managing to make. As Bilbo smokes his pipe, Gandalf stops by to have a talk with Bilbo. He informs Bilbo that he is looking for someone to go on an adventure with him. Although Bilbo is tempted to accept the offer, he declines. Before Gandalf leaves Bilbo decides to invite him for tea the next morning. Dwarves show up at his door instead, one at a time, inviting them selves in until there’s thirteen in all. Bilbo isn’t quite sure of what to make of this, but Gandalf shows up and soon it becomes apparent to Bilbo that he has been chosen by Gandalf to be the thief in an adventure to retrieve some stolen dwarf gold from a dragon named Smaug. He’s kind of a whiny baby to start out with (He forgot a handkerchief and was freaking out) But he decided to prove him self very early in the story, he tried to pick pocket from a Troll. He failed but you get a glimpse of the hero he is to become. The quest begins when the group meets at the Green Dragon Inn. From there they venture into the Lone-lands. As heavy rains begin to fall, Bilbo notices that Gandalf is missing. This is something that is later on considered to be normal because Gandalf comes and goes throughout the duration of the trip. All through the quest Bilbo ends up saving the party from many dangerous situations. This is something that at first Bilbo finds hard to believe because he has very low self-esteem. The group always

The Crucible

2001-02-21T13:00:00-05:00

Circumstances cause adaptation. Drastic circumstances cause drastic adaptation. The Salem witch trials of 1692 were definitely drastic circumstances. Society's hysteria, greed, and vengeance led to accusations that changed many lives, even changed some of those lives to death. Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend John Hale, and John Proctor were three characters that were altered during Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Elizabeth Proctor is a kind, intelligent, almost joyless woman that has evidently been ill in the past. Around her husband, she is virtually nervous and replies to his questions and statements quickly to please him. In their discussions, her suspicion of his honesty is brought to question, but she draws back hastily due to her still unwavering loyalty to her husband. When Rev. Hale visits the Proctor home to challenge their Christianity, she is defensive but clear in proving to Hale that she runs a Christian household. Later, when Cheever comes with a warrant to take her, Elizabeth is outraged and knows the reason she is being charged, Abigail! "The girl is murder! She must be ripped out of the world!" However, she calms and submits to go to the court and says "[she] will fear nothing." The change takes place while in prison. Through the experience she is even more strong-willed and compassionate. At the end when she speaks with her husband, she shows love and is sorry she kept a cold house. "John, ...no honest love could come to me...I never knew how I should say my love. It were a cold house I kept!" The transformation made her an even more positive woman. Reverend John Hale's metamorphosis was perhaps the most eminent. He is initially viewed as an arrogant, erudite minister that has all the answers. "[He] is nearing forty, a tight-skinned, eagar-eyed, intellectual." He is proud that he has been called as an expert on witches. He quickly finds, however, that his books are not as equipped as he thought. One good quality of Rev. Hale at the beginning is that he is an outsider. He has no bonds of friendship or personal disputes with any townspeople. He does, though cling to and defend the court. To get to know the people better, especially the ones mentioned in court, he interrogates them to bring out the truth. The scene when Cheever takes Elizabeth is where Hale starts to pivot from darkness to light. It is not until Act III, though; he

Slaughterhouse-Five - Realitivity of Time

2001-02-21T13:00:00-05:00

Many writers in history have written science fiction novels and had great success with them, but only a few have been as enduring over time as Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. Slaughterhouse-Five is a personal novel which draws upon Vonnegut’s experience’s as a scout in World War Two, his capture and becoming a prisoner of war, and his witnessing of the fire bombing of Dresden in February of 1945 (the greatest man-caused massacre in history). The novel is about the life and times of a World War Two veteran named Billy Pilgrim. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut uses structure and point of view to portray the theme that time is relative. The way Kurt Vonnegut structures Slaughterhouse-Five aids in the portrayal of the theme that time is relative. The novel is broke down into two parts: Vonnegut’s story about the novel and the life story of Billy Pilgrim. The life story of Billy Pilgrim which is “presented as a series of episodes with no chronological order” . This mirrors the structure of the novel which has a beginning, middle, and end but not in there respective places. (Dawley 1) Billy states numerous times in the novel that he has become “unstuck in time” and that the time travel periods ”aren’t necessarily fun”. (Vonnegut 23) While the reader never leaves the main plot line of the fire-bombing of Dresden for very long, Billy still travels alot. Billy ”has seen his birth and death many times” and “all the events in between”. (Vonnegut 23) The reader learns that “the things Billy Pilgrim” cannot change are “the past, the present, and the future”. (Vonnegut 60) Many of the time warps are to his later-life as an optometrist. During his life as an optometrist he marries one of his professor’s daughters. Even though Billy knows ahead of time, because he has “seen” the future before it happens, he knows that he is only marrying her to get funding from her father to start his own company. More of the time travels Billy has take him to his time on the planet Tralfamadore. Billy says that the aliens abducted him on his daughter’s wedding night and returned him a few milliseconds later, but actually spend many months on Tralfamadore because the Tralfamadorians can also see in the fourth dimension, time, which allowed them to keep Billy for what seemed like longer than what he was actually there. While on

Animal Farm - Napoleon and Boxer Act in Ways to Destroy Freedom and Equality

2001-02-21T13:00:00-05:00

The novel, Animal Farm, was written by George Orwell and published in 1946. George Orwell's Animal Farm is a political satire of a totalitarian society ruled by a mighty dictatorship, in all probability an allegory for the events surrounding the Russian Revolution of 1917. The animals of the "Manor Farm" overthrow their human master after a long history of mistreatment. Led by the pigs, the farm animals continue to do their work, only with more pride, knowing that they are working for themselves, as opposed to working for humans. Little by little, the pigs become dominant, gaining more power and advantage over the other animals, so much so that they become corrupt and power-hungry as their predecessors, the humans. Napoleon's and Boxer's behaviors in Animal Farm demonstrate how the leaders and the followers both act in was to destroy freedom and equality. Napoleon, the leader, is very authoritative and selfish. Napoleon is a tyrant. It is very likely Napoleon is conspiring to take over Animal Farm so that he can take advantage of the situation of having many animals at his disposal. He is the one that initiated the violation of established resolutions, and concealed it by altering the resolutions. What satisfies his pleasure the most is what takes precedence over everything-the animals, honesty, commandments, etc. He gives himself the credit for every good thing, without any recognition to the other animals, such as the building of the windmill, which he announces the mill will be named Napoleon Mill, and the victory of the windmill. Snowball, who was chased of the farm by Napoleon's personal bodyguards, portrayed by dogs, is being used as a scapegoat, "Whenever anything went wrong, it became usual to attribute it to Snowball." Napoleon, with the help of his dogs, slaughters anyone who is said to be disloyal. ". . .the tale of confessions and executions went on, until there was a pile of corpses lying before Napoleon's feet and the air was heavy with the smell of blood, which had been unknown there since the expulsion of Jones." To top it off, Napoleon outlaws Beasts of England, which had served as one of the only remaining ties between Animal Farm and Old Major. The animals think that killing is against one of the commandments, but when Muriel reads the writing on the barn wall to Clover, interestingly, the words are, "No animal shall kill any other

Leviathon

2001-02-20T13:00:00-05:00

Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan as a testament on how to run a country. In fact, it is very comparable to Machiavelli and his works. Hobbes is a monarchist, and an absolutist as his works reflect. His work came about during political instability, as it was published in 1651. Though his philosophy of the universe is fairly elementary, his views on absolute sovereignty and commonwealths are brilliant. The introduction states Hobbes’ belief that civil peace and social unity are best achieved by the establishment of a commonwealth through social contract. His ideal commonwealth is ruled by a sovereign power responsible for protecting the security of the commonwealth and granted absolute authority to ensure the common defense. In his introduction he refers to the commonwealth as an “artificial person” that mimics the human body. The first three chapters explain Hobbes’ ideas on the mechanics of the human mind, the topics of sense, imagination, and train of thought. Hobbes finds that humans are in fact very closely related to nature. He feels that nature is all around us, yet we are part of it as well. He envisions the world as matter constantly colliding into each other. This, in turn, creates his philosophy that the universe eventually transfers into the skin, causing eyes, nose, tongue, and skin to physically move. His “sense” refers to this physicality and the messages sent to the brain, and the action of external bodies colliding with our sensitive organs. As stated above, matter cannot move itself. If an object is left lying on the ground undisturbed it will remain undisturbed forever. Likewise, if matter were left in motion it would remain in motion unless acted upon by other matter. Hobbes believes that the never-ending motion is responsible for “imagination.” He explains through an example of remaining vision after one has closed their eyes. His idea states that this is simply matter that has not left the body and has caused a new set of motions by which imagination is possible. Train of thought is likewise committed by a series of imagination. Hobbes sees everything as one internal sensation provoking the next. Chapters four and five explain the necessity of speech, reasoning, and science. Speech, according to Hobbes, was invented in order to verbalize our thoughts. He also identifies four uses, and four abuses of speech. Science is reason, and reason is needed to explain the consequences of everything; its

Gilgamesh

2001-02-19T13:00:00-05:00

Gilgamesh is an epic of great love, followed by lingering grief that causes a significant change in his character. It is the story of a person who is feared and honored, a person who loves and hates, a person who wins and loses and a person who lives life. Although, Gilgamesh’s journey is larger than life, yet ends so commonly with death. Through Gilgamesh, the fate of mankind is revealed, and the inevitable factor of change is expressed. Before the coming of Enkidu, Gilgamesh was a man of pure power. A being of which there was no equal match, Gilgamesh boasted upon his overwhelming glory and power. However, his arrogance was accompanied with an extensive abuse of power, which led to the city of Uruk into a state of injustice and rage. Still Gilgamesh felt no despair; he lived to display to others his majestic power. The first sign of a sincere change in Gilgamesh arises as a result of the birth of Enkidu. From the beginning, a powerful link developed between man and woman. The wise Ninsun said to Gilgamesh,“You will love him as a woman and he will never forsake you”. Gilgamesh had finally met his match, a friend that would serve as his life-long companion. Upon the seal of this great friendship, Gilgamesh began to change his selfish ways. Nevertheless, he shared with Enkidu the luxuries of kindness. Setting aside his great pride and power, Gilgamesh had opened a place in his heart, and in his sumptuous life, for his beloved brother. The second significant change in Gilgamesh was caused by the loss of his brotherly companion, Enkidu. Gilgamesh couln’t bear the loss of a love so powerful. Despite his astonishing power and leadership, something in his life was missing. Moreover, he wept for seven days and nights, thinking his friend would come back because of his weeping. It is in this stage of the epic that one can see the truly sympathetic and compassionate side of Gilgamesh. The grief in his heart had far surpassed the magnificent pride that he had previously displayed so boldly. Enkidu’s death left Gilgamesh frightened and confused. However, the despair in his heart was so great that he could not rest; would he ever be at peace? Thus, he became terrified of his own death. After the death of Enkidu, Gilgamesh tries to find immortality by trying to cross the ocean to find

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall and Worn Path: Compare and Contrast

2001-02-18T13:00:00-05:00

The short stories, “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Catherine Anne Porter and “A Worn Path” by Eudora Welty, have many similarities as well as differences. Both stories have a simple plot with a theme that is symbolic of their lives. These stories include great characterization, description of elements in the stories, and the point of view. Granny Weatherall is characterized as a very old lady who is extremely stubborn and bedridden. Granny Weatherall is a sickly old lady in denial. She believes that she is not sick although she is lying on her deathbed. Her life consisted of two men and her children with them. Granny Weatherall remembers her first love, John, leaving her at the altar. She later marries George who she has many children, one of which, passes away at a very young age named Hapsy. She reminisces Hapsy very often throughout the story. Granny Weatherall was a hard worker. Phoenix, on the other hand, was a selfish manipulative old woman who had an obsession with power. She was on a journey through the woods to the city, where she had many encounters. When Phoenix encounters the hunter she steals the money that falls out of his pockets. She always seems to want something for her troubles. However, later in the story while in the hospital, Phoenix has a totally different personality. She seems to have no guilt for the actions she makes. The elements of both stories include a simple plot with a them that is symbolic of their lives. In “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” the plot is granny Weatherall lying in her bed remembering her life before she dies. In “A Worn Path” the plot is Phoenix Jackson walking down a worn path trying to get to the city. The memories of Granny Weatherall are all symbolic of her life flashing before her eyes or death. The journey on the worn path, of Phoenix is symbolic of her life and how hard it has been. . The point of view of the stories are very different; however, the two stories are similar in that they both are first person narratives. “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” is told by her, but is her reminiscing her entire life just before she dies. Granny Weatherall is having flashbacks, which represent her past life leading to a new infinite one. “A Worn Path” is told by Phoenix Jackson. This is just

Animal Farm: Comparing the book to the movie

2001-02-17T13:00:00-05:00

The novel…no…no…it’s not really a novel, it’s more of a fable. The fable by George Orwell…no…no…George Orwell isn’t his real name. His real name is Eric Blair. He wrote under a pen name to save him and his family embarrassment from earlier books he had written. The fable, by Eric Blair is a cute story how animals take over a farm. Well, actually the farm and the animals are just symbols. The fable by Eric Blair is political satire on the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and the events that followed. The whole story is filled with symbols and irony. All of the characters in the story are symbols of real life people. The pigs as a group represent the Bolsheviks. Old Major represents Karl Marx, the founder of Marxism. Both speak out on how they feel. Napoleon represents Lenin in the beginning of the story, but as he gains more power, he becomes a Joseph Stalin. Snowball represents Leon Trotsky who was also banished from his land. Squealer represents propaganda and is a Party Hawk. Boxer and Benjamin represent the heroic working masses of Russia. They do most of the work but get none of the credit. The dogs represent the KGB, or the secret police. They take orders from Napoleon and do as he says, right or wrong. Moses represents the Orthodox Church as his name alone makes you think of religion. Mr. Jones represents a filthy capitalist. He is only concerned about money for himself. The book goes greater detail than the video. The book explains the characters better and gives more examples of their symbolism. The point of view in which the story is told in is ironic. The point of view is told from the lowly animals prospective. An example is when Boxer is “treated at a hospital.” Benjamin realizes that the truck is for horse slaughtering but Squealer convices Benjamin and the rest of the animals that hospital just didn’t have time to re-paint the truck. A couple of paragraphs later, the pigs hold a party in honor of Boxer and suddenly have acquired money to buy whiskey. Once again, the book goes into greater detail and has more examples of irony. A The book and movie are surprisingly not that far apart on many levels, although there are some venial differences. The film does have Disney-ish qualities such as cute little ducks and childish humor.

The Scarlet Letter: Governor Bellingham and Hypocrisy

2001-02-14T13:00:00-05:00

Governor Bellingham is the leader of the Boston Colony. He is therefore supposed to be one of the most pious and upstanding members of the community. As he “makes the rules”, he is supposed to follow them to the letter. This is why, when Hester visits his house to deliver his gloves, she is so surprised at its state. Instead of a humble abode tastefully decorated in the muted pastels and earthtones of the Puritan lifestyle, she was slightly amused (but not particularly surprised) to find very near the opposite. Before they even enter, she is struck by the opulence of the house. It had walls which were “overspread with a kind of stucco, in which fragments of broken glass were plentifully intermixed; so that, when the sun fell aslant-wise over the front of the edifice, it glittered and sparkled as if diamonds had been flung against it by the double handful. The brilliancy might have befitted Aladdin’s palace rather than the mansion of a grave old Puritan ruler. It was further decorated with strange and seemingly cabalistic features and diagrams, suitable to the quaint taste of the age, which had been drawn in the stucco when newly laid on, and had now grown hard and durable, for the admiration of after times.” This was not in accordance of the laws of hard work, sacrifice, and the “swearing off” of earthly pleasures that the Puritans abided by. In fact, it was garish and nearly gaudy, and not fitting for a man of his rank. These descriptions in The Scarlet Letter further illustrate the hypocrisy and pretense of virtue of the Bostonians. Inside, Hester is confronted with more show and splendor. Not only is the house itself well made and well decorated, but the pair is greeted at the door by one of Bellingham’s bond-servants. For a Puritan who is taught (and teaching) that each should be compassionate to his fellow man, owning one as property is fairly misleading to the rest of the colony. The house is fashioned after those of the lords and ladies of England, and contains lofty ceilings, steepled arches, and knickknacks of all shapes, sizes, and purposes (including a tankard for the purpose of swilling ale). A leader of a community as “committed to the Lord” as Boston should be spending his time reading his Bible and praying rather than imbibing, should he not? Hawthorne uses

Huck Finn

2001-02-13T13:00:00-05:00

Two people taking a trip down a river, is rarely thought of as anything more than just an adventure. Mark Twain, however, uses his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, to explore and makes fun of many problems facing American society. Huck, the main character, is considered a boy who is under pressure to conform to the aspects of society. Jim, who comes along with Huck, is a runaway slave seeking freedom from the world that has been denied it to him for so long. Throughout the entire novel Twain uses satire to show problems with society. Early in the novel, Huck scampers away with his good friend Tom and his other buddies. The boys form a gang and then decide one of their tasks in the gang will be to kidnap people and, hold them for ransom. The problem with their plan to kidnap people and hold them for ransom is their misunderstanding of the word “ransom“. Tom has a relative idea what the word means, "But per'aps if we keep them till they're ransomed, it means that we keep them till they're dead."(12) All of the boys go along with Tom‘s meaning because he is the leader. In this part of the novel, Twain uses satire to show that even though something may be truly wrong, if society adopts it to be true, then it is known to be true. Throughout the book Twain‘s issue is with slavery, in this instance of satire. During the time period in which The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written, religion was as much an integral part of civilization, as was an education. Religion is one of the key victims of Twain's satire throughout the novel. This satire is no more apparent then when Huck's guardian, the Widow Douglas, preaches to him about Moses. Huck didn't think very much of her lecture; "Here she was a-bothering about Moses, which was no kin to her, and no use to anybody, being gone, you see..."(3) Twain uses Huck to exhibit his objection to the blind faith that "civilized" society places towards religion. During Huck and Jim's journey, they encounter two men who refer to themselves as the Duke and the King. Theses characters make their living swindling people out of their money. When they are eventually caught, they pay for their sins by being tarred and feathered. Huck expresses his thoughts on the subject by

Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution

2001-02-12T13:00:00-05:00

George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm is a great example of allegory and political satire. The novel was written to criticize totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalin's corrupt rule in Russia. In the first chapter Orwell gives his reasons for writing the story and what he hopes it will accomplish. It also gives reference to the farm and how it relates to the conflicts of the Russian revolution. The characters, settings, and the plot were written to describe the social upheaval during that period of time and also to prove that the good nature of true communism can be turned into something atrocious by an idea as simple as greed. This essay will cover the comparisons between Animal Farm and the Russian Revolution. It will also explain why this novel is a satire and allegory to the Revolution that took place in Russia so long ago. First and foremost Manor Farm itself represents Russia with its poor conditions and irresponsible leaders. Mr. Jones plays one of those leaders, Nicholas the Second or The Czar as people called him in those days. Mr. Jones beats his animals, forgets to feed them and treats them badly. His actions are portrayals of the actions of The Czar. Old Major is representative of Karl Marx. Marx had a dream of a better Russia and created the doctrine of communism to aid in distribution of wealth, and to bring the people to a place were they would all be equal, but what he didn’t realize was that under the wrong rule the good intentions of communism would become corrupt. Surely if communism and animalism were carried out by the right sorts of people and animals with good and true intentions, their communities would have prospered instead of falling and ultimately being destroyed. He died before getting to see the rise of his creation just as Old Major did. The rise and fall of Lenin by Stalin is portrayed in Napoleon’s actions toward Snowball. Even though Lenin had some good intentions towards the people of Europe he was still slightly corrupt and susceptible to being overthrown. Stalin took advantage of this. He soon took his position and began his corrupt rule with the people tricked into believing he was a better leader and had the peoples’ issues at heart. After the attack on Jones, (The Czar) Snowball becomes the leader and changes the name of Manor farm to Animal

To Kill A Mockingbird - how to change your peers opinon on racism

2001-02-11T13:00:00-05:00

If this information makes you feel uncomfortable do not further research it. It can cause mental disturbance if you are not ready for it. I know it may seem cool but I am being serious. Today I am going to compare racism in TKAMB between racism in real life situations. The main topics that I have chosen are racism in the form of bullying and racism as in the form of discrimination. In the book there are many more forms of racism as bullying than I thought there would be. They are common like when people say Nigger talk they mean talking without making sense or talking with out proper wording. There are everyday issues like while building a snowman partly out of mud Scout says as a joke ”Jem I ain’t ever heard of a Nigger snowman.” Here they find paying out Negroes funny. The kids in the book tease scout and Jem because they have an annoying nature. As when Cecil Jacobs announces that Scout Finch’s daddy defends niggers and when Francis calls Scout a “Nigger lover” These terms although are nearly said in the way that saying Nigger lover is just like saying snot-nosed. While in real life bullying occurs because of many reason which can be that It makes bullies feel powerful, Because they want to impress others, Because they have an unrelated prejudice against the victim, the bully simply doesn’t know how offensive they are being, Because others have influenced them to do so, Because they have been taught this way, Because they find it a matter of amusement, Because they are forced to do so to fit in, Because they haven’t thought about what they are saying and have no previous thoughts before they open their mouths, Or they do so to get even with the bully who bullied them. Racism As in discrimination and extreme hatred In TKAMB there are many instances where the black Negroes are discriminated against or the Negroes discriminate against the white people. Situations, which occur in this book also, occur in real life. Many where racism is a tool of discrimination, situations like excluding people from social groups or from communities or not giving them equal rights. Situations in TKAMB are seen in the following instances. Where cal wants to take the children to the black church people try to oppose her. Being around Negroes is derogatory to your reputation and a punishment this is shown

The Catcher In The Rye - The Etymology and Symbolism of Characters' Names

2001-02-10T13:00:00-05:00

Catcher in the Rye’s pallid cover, adorned only with seven multicolored bands in its upper-left corner, is not what one would call eye-catching. Its reverse side lacks criticisms or reviews of any sort; in fact, it is bare of anything except a copyright date. Human beings are advised not to judge books by their covers, rather that they should look further than the obvious and try to apprehend the implied meaning. The world has peered past Catcher in the Rye’s cover, cracked its pure, uniform shell of cardboard and discovered the novel of a decade, a story that has now made the name “Holden Caulfield” synonymous with “cynical adolescent.” Within the novel, however, there are more “books” into which we can read a bit more deeply - the characters. It seems quite obvious that their personalities correspond with the root meanings of their names. Would brilliant author J.D. Salinger pick the name “Holden” for the protagonist without reason? Analysis uncovers connections between themes and mannerisms that are far too relevant to have been coincidental. Holden Caulfield, his younger sister Phoebe, and a cast of minor characters such as Ackley, James Castle, Carl Luce, Faith Cavendish, and Sally Hayes are several characters whose names display these connections. As the novel opens, Holden Caulfield stands poised on a hill separating him from the rest of his school at the annual football game. He is both isolated from and above the level of his peers, watching the big game from a distance. His position is a metaphor for his views on life. The phoniness of life disgusts him, and he longs to live in a world free of the tainted hypocrisy he is seeing more and more of as he grows older. He sees the game as a collection of the “phonies” he detests, and is avoiding joining them. He is “Holden” back, not allowing himself to become a part of the ugliness he sees in virtually everyone. Chains of contempt for the world act as manacles that secure his superior attitude and ensure he will not become what he hates. The name “Holden” flawlessly portrays his inability to join society because of his high ideals for it. Caulfield, his last name, relates to recurring theme of childhood innocence. A “caul” is defined as a part of the amnion, one of the membranes enveloping the fetus, which sometimes is around the head of

Rebecca Nurse: Fact Vs. Fiction

2001-02-10T13:00:00-05:00

In his article, “Why I Wrote The Crucible,” Arthur Miller speaks of the 1950’s “which nobody seems to remember clearly”- a time of fearful insanity and unrest. Anyone could be accused. Showing excessive opposition ensured prosecution. Most shrunk back from disputing the McCarthy hearings for fear of their safety. Now, this period of panic is viewed as absurd. As Miller describes Hitler as being almost comical to his generation, the modern generation sees the Salem witch trials as foolish scuffles between ignorant people. The actual events were much different as perceived. Just as a feud with a neighbor seems trivial to those not involved but of intense frustration to the embroiled , the trials were not silly and insignificant. The trials were more about personal issues between rivals than witchcraft itself- the witchcraft was a weapon for Salemites to obtain revenge on their enemies. A tool Miller uses to show the reader this emotion is Rebecca Nurse, seventy-year-old grandmother, wife, and respected member of Salem society. Miller modifies her character in his play. Some facts remain true in the play, others are altered, and some have been neglected altogether. What did he change, and what did he regret to? Why did Miller take such liberties with Rebecca’s character in his play? Rebecca Nurse and her husband, Francis, were both well-respected people in the town of Salem Miller describes. They owned about three hundred acres, and after a land dispute with the Putnams, they broke away from Salem and founded Topsfield. Miller mentions that the founding of Topsfield upset the old Salemites. This is true - aberration was resented in Puritan society. The essence of Puritanism is in the intensity of the Puritan's commitment to a morality, a form of worship, and a civil society strictly conforming to God's commandments . Certain Puritans were “saved” despite their sins, while the remainder of society led lives strictly following the saved clergy’s interpretations of God’s will. Salem’s minister, Mr. Samuel Parris, was God’s man, as unfit for this title as he may have been. Like Proctor, Rebecca and her husband no longer hungered for religion when Parris became their minister. Their disgust for Mr. Parris cut down on their church appearances. In a judgmental, religious town as Salem was, even an unpleasant minister was no excuse to avoid church. A few Salemites resented the Nurses for their rise in social status as their lands

The Scarlet Letter: Novel vs. Film

2001-02-10T13:00:00-05:00

Films of this era are criticized for lacking “substance” and making up for this deficit with explosions and special effects. Books command a bit more respect from the general public. Many believe that devising a script is a juvenile form of writing, a shrub to the oak of a novel. Upon reading both the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and viewing the film produced by Roland Joffe, one can immediately notice the intense work put into both., as well as the many differences and similarities between them. It takes more thought to progress past these common and uncommon factors, to think of why the filmmaker may have used a certain lighting, or how colors were used to symbolize themes from the book. Analysis answers the questions: “How did the two differ? How were they the same? Why did the filmmaker make these decisions?” The film is “freely adapted” from the novel. The word “free” describing the adaptation is well used- there are major differences in terms of time frame, characters, visual imagery and symbolism, plot, narration, and tone. Nearly an hour of information the reader received only as background was on tape. The film began when Hester arrived in the New World, not at the dreary prison door she passed through on her way to the scaffold in the novel. Many characters were added to the film, several of whom were central to the plot. Mituba, Hester’s mute slave girl, Brewster, the lewd, undisciplined rule-breaker, Goody Gotwick, the mouthpiece of the community’s “pious women,” and Minister Cheever, the powerful church leader who attempted to serve as arbiter of the community’s morals did not exist in the novel. Mistress Hibbins’ relationship to Governor Bellingham was of a citizen to ruler nature. In the book, their relationship prevented her persecution, whereas in the movie, no family ties protected mistress Hibbins from the cruel witch trials characteristic of the 1600’s. Her character progressed from minor in the book to a supporting role in the movie. She served as the only character besides Hester who behaved according to her personal beliefs, and not the conformities of the Puritans. Dimmesdale’s character was stronger in the film; less tormented. He did not appear to have heart trouble, (although it was mentioned when the film commenced that he died before Pearl reached her teens) and took a dynamic role in all occasions except for one involving

Leper Lepellier's Functions as a Minor Character

2001-02-10T13:00:00-05:00

Upon returning to his school fifteen years after graduating, Gene Forrester, recalled his days at the Devon School in a surreal sense. In his own words, “In the deep, tacit way in which feeling becomes stronger than thought, I had always felt that the Devon School came into existence the day I entered it, was vibrantly real while I was a student there, and then blinked out like a candle the day I left.” Helping embellish this reality were his friends, including Leper Lepellier, who appeared in only five scenes in A Separate Peace. Elwin “Leper” Lepellier’s role as a minor character was vital to the story, although not nearly as visible as Gene’s or Finny’s. His appearances stole the attention of the reader, altered each character’s own perceptions of the war, and forced the main character to act and think in ways he would not have otherwise. Chapter Ten’s journey to Leper’s Christmas location is a trip away from Devon both physically and emotionally. Leper steals the scene by inviting Gene to his home, proceeding to unsettle the reader to the extent that he cannot concentrate on the other characters. Quiet and subdued, Leper spent much of his time outdoors, sketching snails and trees, photographing beaver dams. He was what Brinker so scornfully called a naturalist. This gentle hobby extracted virtually no interest from the reader, besides a knowledge of Leper’s eccentric and lonely personality. Because he predictably behaved this way, reading the few tortured pages of his hallucinations in the army elicits strong emotion and reader interest; Finny and the Devon group of friends were insignificant compared to the horrific images Leper conjured in the reader’s mind. Gene felt the same emotions as the reader: “Don’t tell me who’s got me and who hasn’t got me. Who do you think you’re talking to? Stick to your snails, Lepellier.” Shocked at what his friend has become, Gene mentions his naturalistic manner, hoping to straighten him out. At this point, the reader is as helpless as Gene, wondering why Leper has changed, what the hallucinations mean, and most importantly, what will happen to between them in the pages to come. Leper also directs the reader back to Finny’s accident, pointing a guilty finger at Gene when he says he and everyone he knew were all “savages underneath.” When Gene finally runs out of Vermont and away from Leper’s insanity, the reader

Chapters 20 and 21

2001-02-10T13:00:00-05:00

It is now 1789, eight years later. Life is pleasant for the Darnays. Both he and the Doctor are earning good money. Lucie and Darnay have a little girl who is also named Lucie; they also had a son who died young. Lucie constantly hears echoes of footsteps that seem to come from afar and indicate trouble. On little Lucie's sixth birthday, these echoes seem to rumble menacingly and suddenly change in sound to that of a great storm in France. Mr. Lorry comes in one night. He is a bit grumpy since things are very busy at the bank. There is more work because of the unrest in Paris. Mr. Lorry recalls the footsteps that Lucie had heard earlier and confesses that he too can now hear footsteps converging upon them. Both he and Lucie have clear premonitions of the revolution in France having an affect on them. The district of St. Antoine in Paris is a seething mass of raging women and men. Arms and weapons of all kinds are being distributed. Every woman and man seems to be mad with a fierce, implacable passion for revenge; they are ready to sacrifice everything. Defarge’s wine-shop is the center point for a angry mob Dickens describes them as a “whirlpool of boiling water”. “With a roar that sounded as if all the breath in France had been shaped into the detested world, the living sea rose” the mob storms the Bastille. Once inside the prison a living, breathing, human storm of hatred is displayed. “Flashing weapons” and “blazing torches” act as lighting. “Smoking wagon-loads of wet straw” severe as a thick covering of storm clouds. “Shrieks, volleys, execrations”, booms, smashes, and rattles play the part of tremendous bone shaking thunder. “Of all these cries and ten thousand incoherencies, The prisoners! Was the cry most taken by the sea that rushed in.” Finally the mob releases all the prisoners. Defarge and Jacques Three then make their way to One Hundred and Five, North Tower, the number of the cell where Dr. Manette was imprisoned. The two men search the cell for something, which Defarge evidently finds and stuffs into his pockets. They then join the rest of the force outside, which is continuing with their bloody rioting. Madame Defarge beheads the governor of the prison. “The remorseless sea of turbulently swaying shapes, voices of vengeance, and faces hardened in the