How do Scott Fitzgerald and Hunter S thompson portray the villain in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' and 'The Great Gatsby'
How Do Scott Fitzgerald and Hunter S. Thompson portray the villain in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' and 'the Great Gatsby'? In The Great Gatsby and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Scott Fitzgerald and Hunter S. Thompson use a villain as contrast to represent the ugly side of 'the American Dream'. The two novels are set in different time periods and so the severity of each character's actions and the effect they have differ in relation to the environment they are in. However in both there is a consistent theme of greed and self indulgence which is portrayed as a predominant common trait in the villains. The comparison between these two characters arises in the extent to which they exploit wealth and their surroundings to distort the freedom aspired to in the American Dream. In The Great Gatsby it can be considered that the villain is Tom Buchanan. He is the embodiment of greed, selfishness and self indulgence and represented as expressing traits characteristic of what would be considered a villain during the time Gatsby was written. To a modern day reader Tom can be regarded as racist when he makes comments such as "there are great things happening in Germany at the moment". This adds to his villainous portrayal. Similarly to Dr Gonzo, Tom is in a powerful position amongst his fellow characters and abuses this status to manipulate his peers as a way of getting what he
How Does Atwood present women in the Handmaid's Tale?
How does Atwood present women in the handmaid's tale? Atwood presents women as intelligent, submissive, rebellious, ignorant and powerful. The narrator of the story, Offred is desperate to escape her life however she is fearful of the consequences of any rebellion, and ultimately submits to her fate. Offred is an intelligent, educated woman, and Atwood's lexical choice demonstrates Offred's understanding of words: "Larynx. I spell. Valance. Quince. Zygote." Her intelligence is highly frustrating, as her stream of conscious thoughts is suppressed and internalised. If she was stupid and ignorant, she would find it easier to come to terms with her situation, however her crystal clear memories and vivid imagination provide an alternative reality that is painful to conceive: "I would like to believe this is a story I'm telling." Atwood writes about a past world that all readers can relate to, a world that Offred took for granted: "I had a paper due next day. What was it? Psychology, English, Economics. We studied things like that then. On the floor of the room there were books, open face down, this way and that, extravagantly." Atwood presents Offred's intelligence and her appreciation of words and language as a way of expressing herself and remaining true to her past. Atwood's presentation of a future where women's only function is as vessel for childbirth has a deeper poignancy
Plot-Construction of Pride and Prejudice
JANE AUSTEN'S PLOT-CONSTRUCTION In contrast to the simplicity of her style, Jane Austen's plots are unexpectedly complex. She is not content to simply draw two or three characters in isolation. She prefers a family, with their many friends and acquaintances and she tries within her limited range to make things as difficult as possible. SETTINGS OF HER NOVELS Jane Austen's field of study is man. She is, therefore, more preoccupied with human nature than nature in the nineteenth century usage of the word. The background and the scenery of the provincial town is rich in its beauty and grandeur. But there is no attempt to look into the spirit of this country. Thus although, she has some sense of locality yet she does not paint an English community like the other writers of her time. She rather avoids those very elements of the population in which the local flavour, the breath of the soil is most pronounced. She is further incapable of evoking a scene or a landscape and cannot conjure up the spirit of Bath as Emile Bronte could conjure up the spirit of the Moorlands or Hardy that of Wessex. All this, one may say, would be fatal to her dramatic quality of construction. In all her novels, we see only a limited range of human society. Most of her characters are the kind of people she knew intimately, the landed gentry, the upper class, the lower edge of the nobility, the lower
Consider the significances of innocence in Part One of Atonement.
Consider the significances of innocence in Part One of Atonement. Innocence can be defined as being pure and lacking corruption, having little knowledge of something's consequences, and is also used as a euphemism for virginity. McEwan explores innocence as key theme in Atonement throughout Part One, showing how the main characters' innocence, or lack of, forms the narrative plot. McEwan creates the nursery setting to represent Lola's innocence, having Paul Marshall's intrusion show her vulnerability. Despite 'the adult she considered herself at heart to be' McEwan has 'Lola had come to the nursery that morning' to show the irony of her desires. Although she is fifteen, McEwan places most of Lola's acts in the nursery, a room which has strong connotations of being cared for as a young child. This makes it clear to the reader she may not be ready for adult experiences, emphasising her innocence. McEwan creates Paul Marshall to be seemingly pure as he enters the nursery in his 'white suit', with Lola's vulnerability made clear as she thinks 'a game was being played' whilst they conversed. However, the trust surrounded with the nursery is broken as he sees 'that the girl was almost a young woman' whilst 'watching her closely'. The reader are led to believe by McEwan that Paul Marshall is caressing Lola, and the description of her 'unblemished incisors' highlights this
The Beast in Lord of the Flies
The Beast in the Lord of the Flies Patrick Thompson Throughout the book the boys are constantly living in fear of some sort of wild beast which they believe inhabits the jungle. This beast is present among the boys from the very first day when a littlun informs them of a "snake-thing" that lives in the jungle the older boys dismiss this as a nightmare but the littluns are not convinced. Ralph tries to convince the boys that no such beast exists after a young boy has said that the beast comes from the sea and even Simon says their may be a beast undermining Ralph in front of the others which leads to even more fear of the so called beast. When a dead parachutist lands on the island the twins Samneric hear his parachute flapping in the wind they believe it is the beast and rush to tell the others about it at which point Jack suggests they hunt the beast, he is attempting to use their fear to get his own way but this time Ralph's common sense is supported over Jack's savage plans when he asks them "don't you want to be rescued" the boys still listen to common sense for now. Then the older boys go off to explore the area of the island which they have not ventured to yet. This is the area in which the dead airman is suspended in mid air. When the boys finally reach the corpse the wind is strong and as Ralph approaches the airman a gust of wind pushes the corpses
Who Controls the past, controls the future - Who Controls the present controls the past - What might George Orwell have meant to say when he said this?
Question: Who Controls the past, controls the future. Who Controls the present controls the past. What might George Orwell have meant to say when he said this? George Orwell, a large figure of literature, was an anti-communism, and against totalitarian tendencies. Therefore, in 1949, he published a book, 1984, warning about the future. A prediction of the future? Fear is a characteristic built within the human being, which at the time was the future and in whose hands it would be? In this novel, George Orwell's vision of the world is deeply shocking, as domination of a certain 'Party', controls everyone and everything. They control what we (the public) see, hear, touch, smell, and even think about. History is a vital part of human existence and as illustrated well in the book, the past is 'nature alterable', and if done so, will be true 'from everlasting to everlasting'. The re-creation of history by these white males conveys the world, as they want it to be, in order to attain control over the public i.e. the World. By rewriting books, as they wanted them, and confiscating any unwanted material, they had full control of the past, therefore they were control of the current time (present), and hence the future! The motto of the Party is 'Those who control the past, control the future; Those who control the future control the past. By manipulating all forms of
Wuthering Heights. The narrative tale tells the story of the all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted, love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them.
Wuthering Heights' first published in 1847 under the pseudonym Ellis Bell is written by Emily Bronte and it is her only novel. Emily Bronte used the name 'Ellis Bell' due to the fact that this book was published in the 1800's when women hardly had any rights therefore Emily Bronte thought it better to use a male name as both her sister's did. The word 'Wuthering' means turbulent weather in Yorkshire language; therefore it is used to describe the disastrous weather on the moors where this story is based. This book uses very old and intricate language as it is set way back in the 1800's. The haunting intensity of Catherine Earnshaw's attachment to Heatchcliff is the focus of this novel in which relations between men and women are described with an emotional and imaginative power unparalleled in English fiction. The narrative tale tells the story of the all-encompassing and passionate, yet thwarted, love between Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw, and how this unresolved passion eventually destroys them and many around them. Catherine and Heathcliff had always been very close to each other and were always indivisible. But miserably, they were indeed separated many times due to many various reasons. Catherine and Heathcliff turned into soul mates only a few days after Mr Earnshaw found a 'black gypsy' wandering on the silent and violent streets of Liverpool and decided to
Myrtle's Tragic Achievement - The Great Gatsby.
Hallie Anoff October 10, 2002 Period 7-Beyer MYRTLE'S TRAGIC ACHIEVEMENT In the book The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald describes a world based around wealth and class in the roaring 20's. Voluptuous Myrtle Wilson is desperate to improve her life. She shares a loveless marriage with George Wilson, who owns a run-down garage in the valley of ashes. She begins to have an affair with Tom Buchanan in hopes of happiness. Tom, who is married to Daisy Buchanan, is a Yale graduate who comes from an immensely wealthy midwestern family. Myrtle's relationship with Tom keeps her in high-spirits because she is now linked with the "upper-class", however she has become phony and is treated poorly by Tom. This all will lead to her "tragic" achievement. The affair between Tom and Myrtle has spoiled her. On a visit to New York City, Myrtle "let four taxicabs drive away before she selected a new one, lavender-colored with grey upholstery" (Fitzgerald 31). During the taxi ride, she spotted a man selling a dozen puppies in a basket hanging from his neck. She demanded that Tom purchase her one. He bought her an Airedale for the outrageous amount of ten dollars. Tom also bought Myrtle her own apartment in the city. Myrtle is used to living with George who is a lethargic and impoverished man. It is very exciting for Myrtle to be overwhelmed with riches. The affair between
Sexism in A Thousand Splendid Suns
A Thousand Splendid Suns Sexism - A major theme throughout the novel is sexism and the ideology that men possess complete control over their wives (helped further by the Taliban). A few days after living with Ransheed, Mariam is required to wear a burka as where he comes from "a women's face is her husband's business only." This statement objectifies women, likening them to possessions without personality or any individuality. If not for the tone, it could be said that Ransheed wants to free his wife from unwanted glances and snide remarks of another men, that might make her feel uncomfortable. However, no affection or protectiveness is expressed, the burka is simply for his benefit; a way to maintain his 'pride'. The quotation links closely to The Handmaid's Tale - the handmaid's dress code consists of an "ankle-length, full, gathered to a flat yoke that extends over the breast" and "white wings" which keep them from "seeing but also from being seen" showing extreme of objectification. The idea that women can be so indoctrinated indicates they are viewed as not having a mind of their own, free to make their choices, almost like animals (not possessing a higher order of thinking). Ransheed also expresses his distaste when he mentions "women come uncovered...look me in the eye without shame" claiming how it embarrasses him to see a "man who's lost control of his wife"
Discuss the view that in "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" and "Catcher in the Rye" Holden and Ruby can be regarded as unreliable narrators
Julia Christie Coursework Discuss the view that in "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" and "Catcher in the Rye" Holden and Ruby can be regarded as unreliable narrators ---------------------------------- In both "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" and "Catcher in the Rye" there are obvious signs that Holden and Ruby are troubled and unreliable characters. The informal conversational tone that Holden uses is meant to be spontaneous and unrehearsed; so instead of getting a focused autobiography, we get a scanty account of a few days that often trail into other stories that are what we use to draw a picture of Holden. Holden states his intentions from the beginning. He has no intentions of telling his 'whole goddam autobiography or anything' and states clearly that he doesn't want to write 'all that David Copperfield kind of crap'. This also suggests that Holden has no concern with what has happened previously, which we later see is not the case. "Catcher in the Rye" is only spread over a few days unlike "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" which can be seen as more of a bildungsroman and appears to be a child's viewpoint in an adults voice. This is characterised by the use of vocabulary and descriptions and also marked by the use of parenthesis. Parenthesis often follows descriptions such as after the description of the guest bed Ruby adds in brackets 'much nicer than the camp bed'
