Howards End

From the start of chapter 11 to the end How does Forster use contrast and opposition in the aftermath of Mrs Wilcox's death? Throughout the novel, "Howards End," Forster has used contrast as one of the main structural devices to develop the connection between the relationships. Materialism and spiritualism are one of the contrasts in the novel which aid us when viewing the relationships between the Wilcox family. Spiritualism is the 'unseen,' the intangible attachment to objects in life and Mrs Wilcox represents the unseen in the novel even after she has died. Forster is presenting the 'unseen' to us through the colour of nature/images of Mrs Wilcox's funeral and though Mrs Wilcox isn't physically present her spirit still lives on in nature. For example Clouds drifted over it from the west; or the church may have been a ship, high prowed, steering with all its company towards infinity Forster's use of the sea and imagery in this line helps present the 'unseen' and how spiritually Mrs Wilcox will live for an infinite amount of years and that death is just part of the circle of life; that we live this world for another part of life- that there is no beginning or end to life. Contrasting Mrs Wilcox the rest of the Wilcox family represent the 'seen' tangible objects in life like the business world and motorcars their world is filled with 'panic and emptiness.' The language

  • Word count: 1021
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Discuss Angela Carter’s Treatment of Innocence and Sexuality In ‘the Bloody Chamber and Other Stories’.

THE BLOODY CHAMBER Discuss Angela Carter's treatment of innocence and sexuality in 'The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories'. Angela Carter's collection of short stories, The Bloody Chamber, is a modern, sensual and fantastic rewriting of familiar fairy tales and legends. Among the themes of 'feminism' and 'sexuality' the author introduces 'Magic Realism' as one of her main stylistic devices. Carter's tales are supposedly celebrations of erotic desire, but male sexuality has too long, too tenaciously been linked with power and possession, the capture, breaking and ownership of women. The explicitly erotic currents in her tales mirror these realities. All conform to recognisably male fantasies of domination, submission and possession. Heterosexual feminists have not yet invented an alternative, anti-sexist language of the erotic. Carter envisages women's sensuality simply as a response to male arousal. She has no conception of women's sexuality as autonomous desire. Here is the sexual model, which endorses the "normal" and natural sadism of the male, happily complemented by the normal and natural masochism of the female. These are themes Carter is keen to reason and portray to her reading audience. Her attitudes towards sexuality are evident in these collected short stories of heavy and rich description. In them she redefines the idea of fairy tales as stories solely for

  • Word count: 533
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Spies by Michael Frayn. How does Frayn show Stephen's mental progression from childhood to adolescence? You should refer to language, form and structure in your answer.

How does Frayn show Stephen's mental progression from childhood to adolescence? You should refer to language, form and structure in your answer. Frayn uses language, structural change and symbolism throughout the events of the novel to exhibit Stephen's mental descent to adolescence. A theme that reveals itself in the first chapter is perception, and Stephen's perception of reality increases during the bildungsroman. The book begins with the elder Stephen, who is very open about his sensory stimulation in perceiving surroundings. For example: "sheltering the modest houses from the summer sun and making our famously good air fresh" exhibits Stephen being open and attentive of his surroundings, whereas younger Stephen is focused entirely on the notion that Mrs. Hayward is a spy. The extent is made clear by how Stephen links mathematical code into the mystery - "Excellent. So what is the value of x" ... "Into x, the unknown in the equation we have to solve." there is a clear distinction between the sensory states of the elder and younger forms of Stephen, with the former being more integrated to his surroundings, whereas the latter's perception twists simple mathematics into part of a greater puzzle. This is furthered by the opening line of the second chapter - "Everything is as it was" ... "and everything has changed" exhibits that while Stephen's surroundings have persevered,

  • Word count: 1212
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Which pet to choose-a cat or dog?

McCarty 1 Chrissy McCarty Ms. Owens English 101, Section 013 January 16, 2003 Which pet to choose-a cat or dog? Many households occupy pets. Deciding on a pet can be a difficult decision. The majority of the time people tend to choose either a dog or a cat for their pet. There are many similarities as well as differences between a dog and a cat. However, the differences outnumber the similarities and usually serve as the deciding factor between the two. With either a dog or a cat, there will be a new addition to the family. Much responsibility comes along with this new member. Both depend on their owner entirely for food, shelter, and affection. The dog and the cat require a great deal of time. Both a dog and a cat expect daily attention. Owner loyalty is an advantage to having a dog or cat. The dog and the cat will become good companions with their owner. Both become attached to their owners and vice versa. A dog or cat owner should be prepared for the loss of his or her pet. Both a dog and a cat can become an inconvenience to clean up after. Shedding hair on particular breeds is a hassle with both. Much like a child, they are known to get into things and create unwanted messes. The owner must watch where he or she allows his or her dog or cat to roam. Both the dog and the cat can be inside or outside pets. A future cat or dog owner should take in

  • Word count: 895
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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WHAT DO WE LEARN ABOUT THE CHARACTER MYRTLE IN CHAPTER 2 AND WHAT TECHNIQUES DOES FITZGERALD USE TO TELL THE STORY?

Look again at chapter two of the novel. Then answer the questions. ) What do we learn about the character Myrtle in this chapter? The description of Myrtle in chapter two reveals a lot about he personality and appearance. Myrtle seems to be very sensuous and full of vitality, 'she carried her flesh sensuously'. This implies that she has a kind of sexiness about her. The fact that Nick describes it means that it was prominent enough for him to notice how she was walking across the room. At the same time the word 'flesh' creates an image of Myrtle that she has excessive weight. This could be interpreted unconventionally as slim and slender women are normally associated with sexiness and sensuality. Because of this stereotype, it could imply that Myrtle has confident quality about her, to be able to feel sexy enough to carry her 'flesh sensuously' and not feel ashamed or embarrassed as some women would. Myrtle also shows a little bit of aggressiveness throughout the chapter towards her husband, Wilson, the mechanic, and Tom, friend to Nick and Daisy's husband. The aggressiveness and assertiveness is not shown through her actions but her idiolect. When Nick and Tom go to visit Myrtle in the Garage, Myrtle directs Wilson, her husband to 'Get some chairs, why don't you,' she made no effort to use polite mannerisms to her husband or to get the chairs herself. Later in the chapter

  • Word count: 2766
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Re-creative writing with commentary Khaled Hosseini The Kite Runner

Re-creative writing with commentary - Khaled Hosseini 'The Kite Runner' Re-creative writing - Hassan's thoughts after he is raped in Chapter 7 Winter 1975 I opened my eyes. They were gone- Wali, Kamal and the monster with the shiny brass knuckles. The pain from the lower half of my body ran through me like an electric pulse. It was more painful than anything I had ever felt before, the physical agony was bad but the mental torment was unbearable. I felt violated, dirty and never had I felt more alone. As a Hazara I was constantly treated as nothing but filth- 'slant-eyed donkey' they called me. The monster called me. Its brutal words clawed their way into my mind, 'rid Afghanistan of all the dirty, kasseef Hazaras'. The talons of the past were tearing their way into my head but I managed to fight them off, just for an instant, by turning my thoughts to Amir. My friend Amir and his bright blue kite, for which I had made my sacrifice. The kite! Had the monster taken it? I used my cold, bleeding hands to lift myself from the rubble, a sharp piece of rock slicing me as I did so- the very foundations of Kabul punishing me for my ethnicity. I frantically searched for the kite and for a fleeting moment I forgot my torment as I saw the blue kite shining in the corner, a vivid sight prominent amidst the dullness of the muddy alley, silently lingering- waiting for its new owner. I

  • Word count: 1271
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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How does Hemingway introduce the two main characters in The Old Man and the Sea?

How does Hemingway introduce the two main characters in The Old Man and the Sea? "The Old Man and the Sea", one of Ernest Hemingway's most famous novellas, has but two main characters (three if you include the fish) - The Old Man, a fisherman, and "the boy", his companion for his voyage in attempting to catch the mighty fish. Hemingway's famously simple style is no more obvious than in the beginning sentence of the book, introducing The Old Man - "He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream". The man's predicament is introduced, again, with very basic language, and the existence of the boy thrown in seeming almost out of place. The basic scenario is all covered in the first paragraph in very simple language, mostly words of one syllable, and little emotion obvious, apart from the Old Man's lack of success at fishing described as "[making] the boy sad". Then in the second paragraph, we have a burst of descriptive detail and colourful phrases describing the physical appearance of the Old Man - his hands with "deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords", the scars being "as old as erosions in a fishless desert", wonderfully describing his predicament and the appearance of the scars. We are also told, also in a throw-away manner that the Old Man is covered with "benevolent skin cancer", however, we are told nothing more of it as if it were

  • Word count: 1144
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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What is the significance of the endings of Enduring Love?

What is the significance of the endings of Enduring Love? The endings of Enduring Love hold important significance to the whole novel. The 'endings' refer not only to the final chapter, Chapter 24 but also to the appendices I and II. After reading the last chapter readers are bound to be left with the feeling of unfulfilment. The appendices, particularly the case study in Appendix I, provides a lot of resolution that is not given in that final chapter or any other chapter in the novel. The Appendix I is a case study reprinted from The British Review of Psychiatry, by Dr Robert Wenn and Dr Antonio Camia. It is a case study Oliver Burkeman (The Guardian reporter) proclaims to 'detail the terrifying real-life case on which the story is based'. It provides us with the case from which the book was apparently based upon and provides us with resolution as to where the narrative would continue to from the end of the last chapter. But the major significance of this is that the case study is infact false and the British Review of Psychiatry does not exist. 'I can confirm that Appendix I of Enduring Love is fictional, based on the novel that precedes it rather than the other way around' admits the author, Ian McEwan. He has set this up so manipulatively that the two supposed authors of the British Review of Psychiatry, Dr Robert Wenn and Dr Antonio Camia are fictional and whose

  • Word count: 1235
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Analysis of "The Colour Purple" -first three letters

Analysis of "The Colour Purple" - first three letters "The Colour Purple" is an epistolary novel. In the first three letters, the reader is immediately thrust into the world of the protagonist and narrator of "The Colour Purple", Celie. She is a poor, uneducated, fourteen-year-old black girl living in rural Georgia. Celie starts writing letters to God because her stepfather, Alphonso, beats and rapes her. The letters are the means by which the protagonist tells her life story. Letters are a personal form of communication, and they contribute to the readers' feelings of empathy with Celie. For Celie herself, the writing of letters is not only a form of communication, especially as most of her letters are not sent, but, rather, writing is a way for her to express her feelings, quietly and safely. In fact, the importance of words, of written and spoken language, as the medium for empowerment is a central concern in the narrative. The gradual growth and development of Celie's character through her letters, which is realised by the reader as the private intimations of a diarist, is compulsive reading. We will therefore be examining the first three letters of the novel in more detail, looking at narrative voice, characters, and language. In addition, we will also be looking at an overview of the first three letters of "The Colour Purple", as well as putting the novel as a whole in

  • Word count: 2505
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Catcher in the Rye

The special moments in life only last a short period of time. In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger portrays a young fellow that dislikes himself and the world that surrounds him. The protagonist shows the way many teenagers feel about themselves and their relations with their parents, their friends and the opposite sex. Salinger uses secondary characters to remark Holden's isolation in society, the mood and his immaturity. Holden, the main character in the book, feels isolated in a society where almost nobody cares for him, he acts sometimes in strange ways and tends to react in very peculiar ways. Along the story, there are many examples of Holden's isolation but there are three that stand out because of their double meanings. One of them is how he is pretending to be walking through the park and acts as if he was shot. Normally people do not do this. One might think that he is crazy or that he does not really care about life. Both interpretations are correct but the best one in this case is that really he does not care about life, he is just bored and acts as if someone had killed him and he was dead. This fact allows the reader to get the impression that Holden has a miserable life and does not want to live any more. The second example of Holden's isolation and a proof that he is a strange character is when he is in a taxi and tries to struck up a conversation with the

  • Word count: 1258
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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