Compare and contrast "The Arch-Deceiver" with the poem "Seduction." Which of the two writers is most critical of deception.

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Compare and contrast “The Arch-Deceiver” with the poem “Seduction.” Which of the two writers is most critical of deception.

The poem Seduction by Eileen McAuley and the story The Arch Deceiver by

Thomas Hardy both portrays the theme of deception and seduction. Both pieces

consist of a boy deceiving a girl. From the poem, Seduction, the readers

feel more sympathy for the girl who is used and deceived. As both the

writers use language such as similes, repetition and alliteration, they

create a strong attitude to deception.

In the poem Seduction a boy meets a girl who he seduces, " He led her to the

quiet bricks of Birkenhead docks". In which he makes her drunk and has sex

with her. This ruins the girl's future. The story, 'The Arch Deceiver' is

based on a story about a man who deceives his fiancée by flirting with other

women and hiding them in his cart when other women appear.

The seducer, Tony Kytes, the arch deceiver had a, "little round, firm, tight

face with seam here and there left by the smallpox, but not enough to hurt

his looks in women's eye. "The man was very serious looking and unsmiling.

“He was quite the women's favorite". This tells us he was devious and a very

deceptive man. Also Tony was self-centered. Equally the boy in seduction was

also selfish. We know this by Tony was not thinking about the girl’s feelings,

only his and the boy in Seduction didn't care or think about the

consequences in the future. The seducer in Seduction was dominant over the

girl as, "He led her", and "he handed her". Thomas Hardy finds Tony's

attitudes amusing where as the writer in Seduction takes the boys actions

very seriously and this is conveyed by his harsh language, " He muttered,

Join now!

little slag."

From the story, 'The Arch Deceiver' three women were seduced and deceived

whereas in Seduction only one girl was deceived in a serious matter. In Arch

Deceiver there were Milly Richard's, " a nice, light small tender thing",

Unity Sallet, "Handsome girl", who Tony was towards before he got with Milly

and Hannah, " another young beauty of the place at that time, and is the

very first women that Tony had fallen in love with".  She was the one that

Tony had almost arranged to marry before Milly. Out of the three girls Milly

was the ...

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