The Idea of Carelessness in "The Great Gatsby", Rosetti's poems and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner".
How do the three texts present the idea of carelessness? In the Great Gatsby, carelessness and the idea of not caring about one’s consequences is strongly presented by the two characters of Tom and Daisy. Fitzgerald presents them as two characters from wealth, old money (unlike Gatsby’s character) and living in East Egg, which Nick’s narration describes to be the better of the two ‘perfectly shaped ovals’. The readers first meet the two characters in Chapter One, and through Nick’s first person modified narrator, we see Tom’s character as one that we shouldn’t like. Fitzgerald encourages us to look down upon him by mocking his wealth ‘he’d brought down a string of polo ponies from lake forest’. Polo ponies are horses used for playing polo, a classic game often played by the wealthy. Later in the novella, Gatsby introduces Tom’s character as the ‘polo player’ which is very much a condescending way of relating to someone, as if that was their only asset. Their wealth is also shown by ‘they had spent a year in france for no particular reason’, and this kind of carelessness is highlighted as their decisions are shown to be made just because they can. The carelessness shown by both characters when they cheat on each other, eg. with Tom showing his mistress off ‘I want you to meet my girl’ or ‘he turned up to popular cafes with her” shows how
Identifying a hero in "The Great Gatsby" The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Small Island".
“In a narrative, there is usually a hero or heroine, a protagonist on whose fate the readers’ interest in the story principally rests” A protagonist is a leading character. In the texts I have studied, there are often a characters which the reader are encourages to be drawn towards. We are endeared to them and the story is often focused around them. In The Great Gatsby, even the title encourages the reader to feel that the story is about his character, especially as Nick’s accounts are designed to be in order to recover the truth about Gatsby. It is important to note that even though Nick is the one telling the story, his character is presented as a first person modified narrator. It is often the case when the voice of the text is also the main focus/hero of the text, however in this case Nick is merely an onlooker. As readers, Fitzgerald presents Nick as being in awe of Gatsby “he had an extraordinary sense of hope” and appears to look favourably upon him. Due to this fact, Gatsby is seen as somewhat of a hero and is the main interest and focus of the story. The whole text is mainly based around Gatsby and the period in which Nick’s character knew him. Even before meeting him as a person, the readers are given clues upon him, mostly rumours “we heard it from three people, so it must be true”, which play a key part in the story. These rumours “he once
Compare the ways in which Larkin and Duffy present the reality of love.
Compare the ways in which Larkin and Duffy present the reality of love. Both Larkin and Duffy explore the reality of love in their poetry, examining in detail the unrealistic expectations of romance (such as the oft-held belief that love endures through time and hardship) present in a relationship in ‘Love Songs in Age’ and ‘Valentine’. This eventually leads to the realisation that love does not match such idealistic expectations, as seen in ‘Love Songs in Age’ and ‘Disgrace’. However, while Larkin attributes the loss of love to the erosive nature of time in ‘Talking in Bed’, Duffy highlights the complicity of the couple in the breakdown of their relationship in ‘Disgrace’. Nonetheless, both poets ultimately reach the same conclusion- that of the realisation that love is transient. Larkin presents ‘Love Songs in Age’ in a mixed manner, as seen in the low frequency lexis (‘incipience’, ‘submissive’, ‘unchangeably’) to reflect the idealised, abstract nature of what love represents, as opposed to the bitter reality of love, as shown in the high frequency lexis(‘case’, ‘cry’, ‘love’). The juxtaposition of the progression from high frequency lexis to low frequency lexis and back again (‘She kept her songs, they kept so little space…Its bright incipience sailing above…To pile them back to cry…’) follows the changing
Shirley Valentine " movie critique.
Shirley Valentine - movie critique. Shirley Valentine, the 1989 film adaptation of the play by Willy Russell shows the story of a middle-aged Liverpool housewife, who finally breaks out of her shell and decides she prefers living in Greece to being stock in monotony of her house in England. After her children have left home, her only purpose in life is preparing dinner ready in time for her grumbling husband. Shirley (Pauline Collins) feels so lonely, dissatisfied, and unfulfilled that she addresses kitchen walls as she confesses her troubles. Her husband Joe (Bernard Hill) has long ceased to love her and is extremely irritated when she fails to serve Thursday's stake (gives eggs 'n' chips instead). She "got lost in this unused life", but she overcomes a phenomenal rebirth while on a two weeks holiday in Greece. Shirley, the timid housewife and mother emerges as the woman of her youth - daring, exciting, and cherishing the life itself. Shirley is the protagonist, the central character of the film; she constantly draws attention of viewers as well as of all other characters. There is so much known about her that it is easy to believe she is authentic and true to life. Shirley, as a round character, is characterized by individuality and unpredictability. She resolutely protests when a group of tourists complains and jokes about Greeks. She makes a brilliant ironic remark when
Animal Farm
Janneza King Mr. Disney / 5 English I MYP 3 Oct 2006 Animal Farm: Analyzing Irony In the allegorical work, by George Orwell, he presents the rise and recession of power in a lifestyle dictated by an overbearing tyrant. The author builds characters' personalities with irony to strengthen the directed ridicule. With Napoleon and Snowball always disagreeing on pointless issues, irony plays a key role in the delivery of each scene. Their endless arguments, hypocritical attitudes, and the figurative beings each of the pigs represented with their motives, enabled readers to fall in the seduction of Orwell's vigorous diction. In George Orwell's Animal Farm, he utilizes different types of irony to expose a truth to world, that in any society, the corruption of power inevitably causes history to repeat itself. As the established commandments are secretly altered to coincide with the pigs' new lifestyle, the animals notice that life commences to "readjust" frequently and some try to recall what life was like before the rebellion. (115) the pigs, namely Napoleon, maniacally begin to experiment with the manner of human ways, and as a result he and his fellow kind are engulfed in the potency of unrestricted control. As the pigs become increasingly authoritative, they abuse power to dictate everyone and everything on the farm. Here Orwell uses dramatic irony to show the naivety of
Pride & Prejudice
Elizabeth keeps coming across Darcy during her walks through the park and is bothered rather than leaving her alone, he carries on joining her. One day, she meets Colonel Fitzwilliam as she's walking and they begin talking about Darcy's character. When Fitzwilliam relates the story of "a most imprudent marriage" that Darcy saved Bingley from, Elizabeth infers that he is speaking of Jane and reflects upon Darcy's actions with anger and tears when she returns to her room. Not in the moos to see Lady Catherine and wanting to avoid Darcy, Elizabeth decides not to go that night for dinner, telling Charlotte that she has a headache. After everyone has left, Elizabeth is shocked by the arrival of Darcy, who asks about her health. After a few minutes of silence, Darcy shocks Elizabeth with a statement of love for her and a proposal of marriage. At first flattered by his regard, Elizabeth's feelings turn to anger. Elizabeth stuns Darcy by refusing his proposal, stating, "I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry." She condemns him for separating Jane and Bingley, for treating Wickham poorly, and for his pride and self-centeredness. He accepts these accusations without apology, even with hatred. As Elizabeth is walking the next morning, Darcy approaches her, gives her a letter, and leaves her alone to
