The English Patient
INSTITUTO SUPERIOR DE PROFESORADO Nº 4 "ÁNGEL CÁRCANO" ENGLISH LITERATURE II THE ENGLISH PATIENT MICHAEL ONDAATJE "NATIONALITY AND IDENTITY" DEADLINE: 24/08/08 TEACHER: RAQUEL VARELA STUDENT: PAOLA MAREGA Nationhood - a constraint on people's identity and relationships The English Patient, written by Michael Ondaatje in 1992, is a historical-fiction novel, defined also as historiographic metafiction1. Its tone is "reflective and poetic" (Schonmuller, B., 2008:13) and one of its major themes is nationality and identity. The narrative is an account of the gradually revealed histories of four people living in an Italian villa at the end of World War II. The characters are the mysterious and critically burned English patient of the title, a Canadian army nurse called Hana, David Caravaggio, an Italian thief, and an Indian sapper, nicknamed Kip, belonging to the British Army. Each of them is far away from home, displaced by the war, and though they come from different and conflicting countries, they are able to live together in the villa and get on well in spite of their national and cultural differences. The English Patient focuses on the personal experiences of war of the four main characters, who have been deeply wounded by a conflict based on national divisions (Woodcock, J., 2006: 51). It also explores the effort of the characters, particularly that of the patient
19th Century Mystery Stories Coursework
9th Century Mystery Stories Coursework The 19th century writers create an atmosphere of mystery and suspense by including some key factors such as; the inclusion of a good plot, the building up of suspense and tension, the setting, sometimes also the type of narrative can add to the feel of such a story. Using The Red Room, The Signalman and The Pit and the Pendulum as examples will give us a good idea of what it is that really makes a good mystery story. Firstly we can look at the The Red Room and look at the setting. The time of the day is a key thing to consider, and in the Red Room we know it is set at night, which is a time of crime and unnerving happenings, it is a time when shadows are formed and night is also usually associated with supernatural events. It's at night when everything is mysterious, scary and makes him unsure about himself. It also creates doubts in his mind and slowly but ultimately as we see it takes away his confidence, and he becomes completely unearthed by the happenings in the red room. We see a lot of repetition of words like "dark", "candle light", "fear". For example "Monstrous shadow of him crouched upon the wall..." "Moonlight" in horror, mystery and ghost stories has a great impact on scenes of the story because it is associated with werewolves especially, but also adds to the dim lighting conditions in a dark environment. This is used to
Analysis of Peter Pan and The Wonderful Wizard of OZ
INDEX: Page . INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………. 2 2. MAKING OFF…………………………………………………………………………... 2 3. PART A: PETER PAN………………………………………………………………... 3 - 7 - Author……………………………………………………………………...….. 3-4 - Time..………………………………………………………………………….... 4 - Setting…………………………………………………………………………... 5 - Characterisation……………………………………………………………….. 5-6 - Narrative Progression…………………………………………………………... 6 - Language……………………………………………………………………….. 7 - Plot……………………………………………………………….....…………... 7 - Differences…………………………………………….………………………... 7 4. PART B: THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ………………………………….. 8 - 15 - Author…………………………………………………………………………... 8 - Time..………………………………………………………………………….... 8
Is the Wizard of Oz a Fairytale?
English Lit. Stage II The Fairy Tale EN2 Is the Wizard of Oz a Fairytale? This question is deceptive in its apparent simplicity as it raises some problematic issues, which extend beyond the text right across fairytale scholarship. The term "fairytale" itself is a contentious one and is unpopular with many folklorists (see Luthi, Warner, Luke). Often epithets like "wondertale", "magic tale" are employed. Even in some English translations of European works the more semantically accurate Russian or German terms (volshebnye skazka and [zauber]Marchen) are used. Often authorities expound at length upon is the difference between myth and folktale and then folktale and fairytale. Space will not allow us to open that can of worms her. For our purposes I shall use a system Jack Zipes adopts and assume the magical folktale1 is the oral version and the fairytale the literary version of a tale: "The Fairytale in the Western world is the mass mediated cultural form of the folktale." (Zipes, Spell, 12). This fact established we must then consider what constitutes a fairytale. Does it possess distinctive structural, stylistic or temporal features? What gives it its generic status and demarcates it from other forms of children's literature? Part of this essay will focus on these and similar questions with the aim of ultimately concluding whether Frank L. Baum's 1900 novel The Wizard of
Discuss the central male characters journey to manhood in, Treasure Island, Charlie and the Chocolate factory and The lion the witch and the wardrobe.
The life of a child is not an easy one, not to mention the rough lives of little boys. The pressure to grow up and become a man can be overwhelming, however the influence of male role models can help mold them in their search for personal identity. As seen in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Roald Dahl's Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, and C. S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, the central boy figure finds his journey to manhood supplemented by many father-like figures, whether good or bad they still work towards the end cause of their eventual sense of identity in the world around them. Treasure Island is a book that tells the story of one boy, Jim Hawkins, and his search for buried treasure, yet in reality, it is his search for a clearer sense of self. He journeys far and wide in his pursuit of personal knowledge to an unknown island with unknown dangers, whereas his companions are in search of a glittery dream of immense proportions. For such a child, this trip is an adventure that gleams with the possibilities of excitement and the anticipation of boyhood fun in a hitherto unexplored region. This is the state of mind that Jim begins with, shifting ever so gradually to a struggle for survival that grips him with a fear he has never experienced before. What appears to be a hunt for riches turns into a desperate struggle to survive amidst a foe that
Euthanasia should never been introduced. Persuasive essay.
Euthanasia should never been introduced Persuasive essay I have never heard anyone say "hello tom, are you a boy or a girl?" Simply because we know Tom is a name of a boy, or is it? Well, in the 21st century there is a questioned raised "should euthanasia be introduced?" it is like saying "should killing be introduced". Euthanasia refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner. Euthanasia is the deliberate killing of a person thinking that it would be benefit for that person. In most cases euthanasia is carried out because the person who dies asks for it. Arguments against euthanasia You can argue about the way we've divided up the arguments, and many arguments could fall into more categories than we've used. Religious arguments * Euthanasia is against the word and will of God * Euthanasia weakens society's respect for the sanctity of life * Suffering may have value Voluntary euthanasia is the start of a slippery slope that leads to involuntary euthanasia and the killing of people who are thought undesirable Euthanasia is bad because of the sanctity of human life There are four main reasons why people think we shouldn't kill human beings: * All human beings are to be valued, irrespective of age, sex, race, religion, social status or their potential for achievement * Human life is a basic good as opposed to an instrumental good, a good in itself
An exploration of Orwell's 1984 and Huxley's Brave New World
An exploration into the theme of control in George Orwell's '1984' and Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' The novels 1984 and Brave New World portray a futuristic world where the authoritarian states have effectively manipulated the thoughts and actions of its population using various controlling methods which deny citizens their individuality. In both novels, leaders have attempted to create a Utopian society, one that they consider to maintain peace and stability but in which have become oppressive and tyrannical. To do this, history is distorted or ignored completely and control is used as a means to keep the population content and sufficed. The role of the dystopian novel is one that projects trends of the present world into the future, criticising and challenging the traits of today. Huxley aims to do this by offering us a warning of the dangers of giving the state control over new and powerful technologies. He provides a challenging, compelling vision of the future that entails the risks of developments in biotechnology and society. Orwell depicts the conflict between the individual and the social system. Through Winston he shows that one will feel isolated in a world that denies our needs and perceptions. In Brave New World, embryos are pre-conditioned into classes. The classes; Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons are programmed and treated using
'Follower' by Seamus Heaney, 'Last Lesson of the Afternoon' By D.H. Lawrence and 'My Last Duchess' by Robert Browning
Poetry Assignment The following three poems have the something in common while they are totally different in the way they have been wrote, the poets and the time in which they were written. The thing they have in common is that they are concerning relationships; they deal with the parent, child relationship, the teacher, pupil relationship and the husband, wife relationship. Relationships can change the way we act, think and deal with life's path of uncertainty. Everyone has had these types of relationships, or knowledge of them and how they feel. The first poem is entitled 'Follower'. It shows a typical father and son relationship of admiration. The writer of this poem is a local man and the literature pride of Ulster, he is undoubtly known by every Irish family. Seamus was born in 1939. He taught in various schools and also lectured for six years. For a few years Heaney became a freelance writer and broadcaster but finally resumed teaching. Heaney has won many award s for his poetry including Whitbread book of the year in 1987. Seamus Heaney is also valued for basing his poetry around the land and signifying the farming community Seamus came from a rural background at a time in which farming was the major industry. The most common relationship and meaningful is often parent, child relationships. I myself have a deep admiration and respect for my parents and I would
Comparing "The Supernaturalist" by Eoin Colfer to "1984" by George Orwell
Anna Holzer Englisch Spezialgebiet Comparing "The Supernaturalist" by Eoin Colfer to "Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell Index Plot summary "Nineteen Eighty-Four" Page 1 Back-story to the novel Page 3 Plot Summary "The Supernaturalist" Page 4 Characters and Locations Page 5 Comparing "The Supernaturalist" to "Nineteen Eighty-Four" * The story Page 6 * Projection of the future Page 8 * Socio-economic background Page 10 Plot summary "Nineteen Eighty-Four" Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party, lives in the ruins of London, the chief city of Airstrip One - a front-line province of the totalitarian superstate Oceania. He grew up in post-World War II United Kingdom, during the revolution and civil war. When his parents disappeared during the civil war, he was picked up by the growing "Ingsoc" (Newspeak for "English Socialism") movement, placed into an orphanage and eventually given a job in the Outer Party. Winston lives a squalid existence in a one-room apartment in "Victory Mansions", and eats black bread, synthetic meals served at his workplace, and drinks industrial-grade "Victory Gin." He is discontented with his life, and keeps a journal of his negative thoughts and opinions about the Party. This journal, along with any other eccentric behaviour, if found, would result in his torture and death through the dealings of the Thought Police (he
Control, submission and rebellion in the novels The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and the film V for Vendetta.
Sushmita Daswani Introduction Control, submission and rebellion. To control is to take over, to submit is to conform with orders and to rebel is to fight back to the people in control. These are a few of the most important themes featured in the novels The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and the film V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue. This report will explore issues such as how the main characters show their rebellion, how the authorities show their control and a comparison between the lives of those in the texts and our lives today. Question 1 How does the main character show their rebellion? In all four texts, the characters have shown submission in the beginning of the texts. Their rebellion was brought upon not being able to handle the control they were being put in. Rebellion was shown in various ways across the texts. The characters defiance against those in control was shown by violence, emotions, survival, taking chances and most of all vengeance. The main characters show a drastic transformation from being just a part of society who takes orders to a distinctive individual fighting back for freedom. In the novel The Handmaid’s Tale the act of rebellion was shown through the use of emotions and taking chances. Offred is a Handmaid in the totalitarian government called
