Discuss how understanding the relationship between Brenda and Tony Last in a Handful of Dust is furthered by the reading of a Room with a View
Discuss how understanding the relationship between Brenda and Tony Last in a Handful of Dust is furthered by the reading of a Room with a View It is clear from the start that Tony and Brenda's relationship is doomed. Brenda, a former socialite, is completely and utterly bored with her monotonous relationship, and completely and utterly bored with her equally monotonous husband, and this is best conveyed in Waugh's depiction of the couple's breakfast routine. Waugh seems to have the ambition of emphasizing his skepticism for relationships, and does so by writing the sad tale of Tony and Brenda Last. Waugh creates a sense of monotony easily and skillfully. For example, "Only four of the six churches were visible that morning". This is a perfect example of how boring Tony's character really is. One of his daily highlights is to see church spires out of Brenda's window. Everyday. The author really wants to convey to the audience that here is a man who is very much stuck in his ways. He shows no desire for change and adventure, which is exactly what Brenda desires. When Tony responds to an invitation to a party with "Not on her life!" Brenda replies with, "No, I guessed not." She is resigned to putting up with her dull life, and seems, at first at the very least, quite self-sacrificial and to be a considerate wife. However, it is also evident that she shows little affection for
Examine the theme of loneliness and isolation in M.R James stories
Examine the theme of loneliness and isolation in M.R James' stories In the early 20th Century, the Edwardian era was coming to an end, but the wealth and affluence of the upper classes still remained. With very little contact with the outside world, the rich became complacent and arrogant. Political tension was increasing in Europe, but the well-off took little notice, concerned exclusively in their own affairs. With plenty of time on their hands, people could indulge in the study of science, or spend long periods of time shut up in antiquarian libraries, devoted to furthering their intellectual prowess and pride and becoming self reliant. When not in the library, they had the time to go off on private walks, do independent field research, or any other solitary pursuit, as their pride meant that they did not need anyone for guidance. The affluent were slowly becoming less religious, as their new found passion for science led them to rationalise everything and deny spiritual existence, and their prosperity meant that there was little to look forward to in the afterlife. This also meant that certain people no longer had God to turn to, further isolating themselves. The effect of these changes in society was that scholarly men would spend long hours in loneliness and isolation, and this fact is what M.R. James utilizes to great effect in many of his stories, not only to make the
Captain Gray's journal
An unusual static and void nocturnal silence hovered above Beaumont Hamel. Sitting in his dugout, Captain Gray couldn't find any suitable words to send to his wife. His instincts told him that to write a letter would be equivalent to saying farewell, an idea he deplored as it bordered with superstition. Gray's eyelids were heavy, but no slumber seemed to follow this natural sign of exhaustion. With his brain filled with confused angry thoughts he opened his journal. Seeing the blank page, the monotonous parallel lines made the thoughts in his mind seem grotesque, exaggerated and monstrous! Eventually they twisted themselves into acceptable words that came streaming down onto the page like dark water percolating through a stoved ship's side. Gray wrote; "Constant vigilance is the key to survive this War. Tommorow we shall attack, or rather poke the hundred headed Ladon with a twig. I know I mustn't break down, for as a commanding officer I must be an example to my men. I shall grit my teeth and be with them until my time comes. The men must must believe in their officers and have reason to do so. It has been agreed that if I am to fall, Wraysford will take over my platoon. I am glad about this arrangement; I like and trust that laddie, despite the fact that I find him difficult to read. He didn't back out when he was given the chance, now I am convinced he'll manage this.
A discussion on Billy Liar.
Billy Liar This play is set in the 1960's. This was a time of change in Britain. The music, clothing and the attitudes of society were changing. Billy Fisher wanted to be a part of this change. But living in a small working class town near Yorkshire Billy could not. The main place where this was happening was London, if -Billy wanted to be a part of this he had to go there. There was a large difference between the town, which Billy lived in, and London. In Billy's own words he says, "A man can lose him self in London, London is a big place. It has big streets and big people." We can see when reading the play why he wants to 'lose' him self in London. He wants to escape from all the things, which have gone wrong in his life and start a fresh. It seems as though Billy cannot do this on his own and we meet a girl in the play called Liz who tries to get Billy to leave. Liz is a part of sixties as this was a time when women were much more liberated. She is free and does as she feels. We see the exact opposite in the play as we meet a girl called Barbara. She is still living in the past and wants to be a part of a cliché family. She is sexually moral and a stereotypical female of the past. We meet one more girl in the play called Rita; she is not as free as Liz or as dull as Barbara, she is a still a very strong character and we see that she wants to have the security of a
How do Paulas early experiences shape the way she develops as a person?
How do Paula's early experiences shape the way she develops as a person? The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle is a novel that tells the struggle of an abused woman called Paula Spencer, narrated by the victim as she tries to make sense of her past. The title comes from an incident when her husband asks her how she received the injury which he was responsible for. The narration describes her childhood, first meeting with Charlo and their marriage as Paula looks back upon her life. Readers are able to see how these events shaped the way Paula's negatives experiences are responsible to how she views herself as an adult. At first, Paula is presented as a skittish and frightened character because mundane things such as a door bell make her feels "terrified". Doyle is preparing and creating expectation for the readers for Paula's traumatic past experiences because at this stage of the novel they are still unaware of her problems. The bell is the signal for the news of the death of Charlo, Paula's husband. However, the fact that Paula was afraid of the door bell suggests that she associates it with bad experiences. It also serves as a hyperbole, as it "lifted me off the floor" suggests that Paula is frightened of visitors due to her past experiences. This caused the reader to wonders what has caused Paula to become so skittish and frightened. Doyle soon provides the answer
"Spies" analysis. The narrator presents the boys as being inexperienced and childish in order to put emphasis on their obliviousness.
The narrator presents the boys as being inexperienced and childish in order to put emphasis on their obliviousness. 'He's done it before, with the murders committed by Mr. Gort, for instance, and the building of the transcontinental railway, or the underground passage between our two houses.' The narrator uses bombastic language in order to accentuate their innocence and naivety. This is evident of their foolhardiness, as the two boys are constantly partaking in their own childhood adventures without contemplating the possible ramifications. It is blatantly exaggerated and puts emphasis on Keith's manipulative and domineering nature, as Stephen seems to play along with him. Moreover, these are antecedent events which further accentuate their obliviousness, as they are unaware of what they are up against. Therefore, the narrator presents them as such in order to emphasise the fact that they are out of their depth. The narrator presents Stephen as misled in order to emphasise his obliviousness. 'I understand now that it will involve frightening difficulties and wrenching conflicts of loyalty. I have a profound intimation of the solemnity and sadness of things.' The narrator uses war connotations, such as 'wrenching conflicts of loyalty', in order to put emphasis on the gravity of their situation. This is a microcosm, in which Keith and Stephen's world is perceived as
Analyse how Frayn presents relationships between adults and children in Spies
Analyse how Frayn presents relationships between adults and children in 'Spies' A central theme of 'Spies' is the gulf between children and adults that is difficult, if not impossible, to bridge. Looking back, the adult finds it hard to imagine what it was like to be a child. Ironically, to demonstrate this great gulf between mature and immature self, Frayn is accomplishing exactly what Older Stephen claims is impossible-he is recalling and recreating how it feels to be a child. He captures the naivety of childhood, and the strange mix of knowingness and ignorance that characterised children of the Second World War period in England. Stephen has knowledge in Latin, complex maths, the exports of Canada -but is horrified to think that his teenage brother might kiss a girl, or that a woman like Mrs. Berrill whose husband is away for a long time might take a lover. He accepts Keith's tales of a wild-ape man, a serial murderer and that they can build a railway and communications system all with unquestioning boyhood enthusiasm. Yet there is a lot about the child's state of mind that is lost to the adult. The narrator asks rhetorical questions repeatedly about how much the child knew, whether he noticed the inconsistencies and anomalies in the stories he was accepting and taking part in-'So how much did Stephen understand at this point about what was going on' (pg 137) and
How does Haddon use colour to the tell story in Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time
Describe how Haddon uses colour to tell the story in the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime, tells the story through the perspective of Christopher, a character with Asperger's syndrome. Part of Christopher's condition is that he does not understand linguistic techniques such as a metaphors; he does not understand the emotional connotations behind descriptions that you would find in texts such as poetry. Thus through his narrative you would expect the story to be simple descriptions with no symbolism. However the use of colour, does create a mood, which the reader can interpret even if Christopher does not when he reports what he has seen. For example at the beginning of the story, Christopher opens with describing when he found the dead dog. He describes the dog as being" pale yellow like chicken". Whilst Christopher is merely making a comparison between the colour of the dog and the chicken, Haddon cleverly creates a mood. The reader would be able to associate yellow with disease. Thus through use of colour Haddon creates imagery, which the reader can interpret, but which also Christopher can report as it is factual unlike a metaphor. The descriptions of colour not only create a mood throughout the story but also allow us to form some sort of judgement or have insight in to the other characters. For example
Angela's Ashes Summary
Angela's Ashes Précis Angela's Ashes begins as Frank McCourt describes how his parents met and married in New York, and four years later moved back to their home country, Ireland. Frank tells about the life of his mother, Angela Sheehan, who is sent to New York by her mother, where she meets and sleeps with Malachy, an Irishman recently out of prison. Angela's cousins, the MacNamara sisters, order Malachy to marry Angela. A few months later their first child, Francis, is born and baptized. Angela's cousins advise her not to have any more kids with the jobless Malachy, but a year later Malachy Gerard is born. Shortly after, Frankie's mother has twins, Oliver and Eugene. Frank's father often finds work, but continuously spends his wages at pubs. Angela has another child, a girl, named Margaret. Everyone is in love with Margaret, especially Frankie's father, who hasn't had a drink since she was born. However, Margaret soon dies, and Frankie's father goes to a pub, while Frankie's mother enters a state of depression. The MacNamara sisters send a letter to Angela's mother, who sends money for Angela and her family to take a boat back to Ireland. The McCourt's arrive in Toome, Ireland, where Malachy's parents greet them coldly. Unable to receive money from the IRA, the McCourt's travel to Limerick. Angela's mother, Margaret, meets them with a cold manner. The
How does Jeanette Winterson convey her central concerns in the narrative and what influences are significant to the reader's appreciation of the novel's title and central metaphor; Lighthousekeeping?
The importance of stories, the urge to recreate ourselves through stories, is one of Winterson's abiding themes, along with the supremacy, the redemptive power of love." How does Jeanette Winterson convey her central concerns in the narrative and what influences are significant to the reader's appreciation of the novel's title and central metaphor; Lighthousekeeping? 'Utterly skewwhiff' is how one critic describes Lighthousekeeping, yet despite the disrupted narrative and switching of style so typical to the modern novel, the prevailing themes of Lighthousekeeping are made clear, sometimes to the point of bluntness. One of the main themes is undoubtedly storytelling and its role in our lives. We are persistently reminded of this by the repeated sequences starting with 'Tell me a story', first between Silver and Pew and then Silver and her lover. Despite the sometimes confusing structure of the novel the sequences draw the direction back to the core themes of love and storytelling, and also constantly remind us of the constructed nature of the text and the fact that we're reading a story. Storytelling is a 'way of navigating lives' and in this way the sequences help us navigate our way through the novel. For we do need help navigating; Winterson claims that it is in stories where the truth lies, yet the truth is dynamic and shifting and never solid, and we can see this in