How does Hardy present his characters in the first ten chapters? To focus on Michael Henchard, Susan Henchard, Elizabeth Jane Henchard and Donald Farfrae.

How does Hardy present his characters in the first ten chapters? To focus on Michael Henchard, Susan Henchard, Elizabeth Jane Henchard and Donald Farfrae. Hardy uses Nature to frequently identify with the characters and mirrors their actions. Their surroundings shed light on each of their situations and create mystery for the reader to interpret. Each of the characters develops quickly over the initial chapters and in this haste, Hardy exploits the recurring theme of fate, channelled through chance and irony. We only learn more about the characters through pieces of information fed to us as each chapter unveils more information about the characters and their relationships towards eachother. The negative and mysterious introduction paves the way for the following chapters. Initially, it is clear that the family described is of a lower class as they are "plainly but not ill clad" whilst travelling on foot. The man is described at length with his "...fine figure, swarthy and stern..."yet "...a dogged and cynical indifference." One can infer that Hardy was deliberately giving precedence to this man to depict his masculinity and dominance, as a person and his role the relationship, which is still not clear as to it being a marriage. The man carries a "measured springless walk" implying despondency and weariness. This is followed by their unusual situation unfolding as the man

  • Word count: 2514
  • 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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How does Austen convince the reader that Lizzy is right to reject Mr.Collins' proposal?

Jimmy Hamilton VM How Does Austen Convince the Reader that Lizzy is Right to Reject Mr.Collins' Proposal? From the first sentence of the passage, Austen demonstrates that Mr Collins is not a suitable husband for Lizzy when she says "Mr Collins was not a sensible man." In Chapter 15, Austen describes the character of Mr Collins in more detail reinforcing the statement made in the opening sentence. Mr Collins is then described as being stupid and his natural stupidity has not been helped by 'education or society.' Although Mr Collins had been to university, he had 'only kept the necessary terms.' so he had not improved himself as a result of attending. Mr Collins was brought up as by a stingy father who gave him no guidance and gave Mr Collins a 'great humility of manner' meaning he was reluctant to involve himself in society. When Mr Collins is recommended to the living of Hunsford by 'fortunate chance' he is forced into society and his 'early and unexpected prosperity' has gone to his head. He venerates his patron Lady Catherine de Bough, and Austen's use of the word 'veneration' suggests the religious awe with which Mr Collins regards Lady Catherine. It is ironical that a clergyman who prides himself on setting an example to his parish practically worships his patroness. Austen describes him as 'a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance, and humility.'

  • Word count: 1381
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Mark Twain: Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain: Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn There are many wonderful books written by great authors. However the writer who inspired me the most is the one and only Mark Twain. I was impressed by his books since I was a child. The two novels which I enjoyed were two of his most famous works, Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These books are considered to be masterpieces by a lot of people. Samuel Clemens, better known by his pseudonym Mark Twain, was born in Florida, Missouri, in 1835. When Samuel Clemens was twelve years old, his father died. After his father's death Clemens went to become a printer's apprentice. His childhood dream was to become a steamboat salesman, and ride along the river down the stream. He had this goal achieved early in life until the Civil War came along putting him out of business. The Civil War forced Clemens out west in search of gold but ended up becoming a reporter for the Virginia City newspaper. While Twain was traveling the nation with his lectures he met his future wife Olivia. While trying to earn Olivia's love, Twain wrote over two-hundred love letters, trying to earn her fathers respect and have permission to marry her. He then after this wrote his very first best seller which was called " Innocence Abroad". Through many writers Twain was slowly becoming the United States first celebrity.

  • Word count: 687
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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To what extent can 'The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' be viewed as a 'gothic novel'

To what extent can 'The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde' be viewed as a 'gothic novel'? Jekyll and Hyde is a gothic novel. It was written by Robert Louis Stevenson, he got the idea for the story after a dream he had. The word 'Goth' is originally from a German tribe and has come to mean 'barbarian' and later know as 'Gothic'. In Gothic Literature certain features are expected. These are supernatural events, have villains and hero characters, strange weather, horror, mystery and deaths. Older Gothic literature was in castles and deserted buildings. Modern Gothic novels were written is more populated areas. Another text that can be classed as 'Gothic' is the novel 'Frankenstein'. The reason for it being a 'Gothic' novel is the way it has a mutant character. Frankenstein is a mutant and is made by a crazy scientist 'I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion. Frightful must it be, for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavor to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world.' Here the crazed scientist is describing his creation coming to life. This quote describes the vision of the scientist looking at the monster he created. The images in this quote evokes some of the key gothic themes, such as the horrific

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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crime and punishment

Crime and Punishment In his book "Crime and Punishment", Dostoevsky explores the path of Raskolnikov who has many problems and obstacles throughout his life. He commits murder and is faced with the long and mentally extremely painful journey of seeking redemption. Raskolnikov believes that by a law of nature men have been "somewhat arbitrarily" divided into two groups of "ordinary" and "extraordinary". Raskolnikov believes that the duty of the ordinary group is to just exist, in order to form the world and the society. The second group, those who are "extraordinary", are a step above the normal. They have the ability to overstep normal bounds and violate the rights of those who are simply ordinary. They are the prime movers; they have a right to cross normal societal structures to accomplish those things that they have determined are valid in their conscience. Raskolnikov cites such "extraordinary men" as Newton, Mahomet, and Napoleon. He tells us that Newton had the right to kill hundreds of men in order to bring to the world knowledge of his findings. Napoleon and other leaders created a new word. They overturned laws and created new ones. They had the right to uphold their new ideals, even if it meant killing innocent men. Therefore Raskolnicov believes that some "extraordinary" humans like himself have the right to oppose ordinary social laws in order to create a new

  • Word count: 1329
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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How does the writer of the play 'A Kind of Alaska' show the struggle in Deborah's awakening?

How does the writer of the play 'A Kind of Alaska' show the struggle in Deborah's awakening? The awakening of Deborah in the play 'A Kind of Alaska' is a very slow progressing process, causing it to be one drawn out tense moment throughout the play. The struggle that is happening throughout the play conveys how difficult it is for Deborah to come to terms with herself and things that have happened without her influence. Confusion, reality and truth are the key points in causing the struggle for her, and decide on how she comes to terms with her life. Deborah succumbed to a 'sleeping' illness when she was fifteen. She has been in that illness for twenty-nine years and is not aware of anything that has taken place since the point she fell asleep. At the opening of the play, Deborah finds herself awakening in a plain room with two chairs, a table and the doctor. This causes Deborah confusion and distress, as she is struggling to come to terms with herself, her location and who the doctor is. Because this is the first time she has awoken in twenty-nine years, a fuss is made of her by the doctor. He is patient and waits for her to make the first move before he decides to question her about her 'sleep'. Deborah struggles with her words due to her not being provoked to make the first move. First she whispers, for this is all she can do due to her voice lying dormant for

  • Word count: 4986
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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When I was eight I always wanted to be twelve

I don't know about you but when I was eight I always wanted to be twelve. I don't know why; maybe it was at that time loads of characters in movies were twelve or that I thought I could get more pocket money - to be honest it could have been anything. Now that I'm twelve looking back four years, although it wasn't as "adventurous" life was a lot easier. Anyway, when I was eight, I lived up north and just five minutes away from a park. At that time I was a lot "goofier", about the average size for an eight-year-old and a bit skinnier the I am now. The Local Park that I was near was a cross between a nature resort and loads of racing tracks and football pitches put together. When I was eight In our family (this was my dad, my mum and I) it was a tradition that each time, after dinner we would go for a gentle stroll in the park. We finished diner around seven and the walk lasted an hour and a half. One day, most likely to be Sunday I had a friend round named David and we took him down to the park. My parents would have their weekly walk while me and Dave would play Football and ride our bikes. The park had many entrances; to get into the park itself it took a five-minute walk. We rode our bikes into the park with him in the lead. Personally, I thought I was a competitive child when I was eight and still I'm now. Anyway, the ground was slippery just like any other nature park; I

  • Word count: 705
  • 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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