Conflict in Wuthering Heights. The conflict between nature and culture which forms part of the thematic structure of Wuthering Heights, is played out in the relationship between the two houses: Wuthering Heights which represents nature and

The conflict between nature and culture which forms part of the thematic structure of 'Wuthering Heights', is played out in the relationship between the two houses: Wuthering Heights which represents nature and Thrushcross Grange representing culture. This conflict can be interpreted in many ways, for instance in historical terms as a rural way of life contends against industrialisation; in psychological ways as a struggle between the ego and the id and in sexual terms as a choice between experience and representation. From the very beginning the narrator, Mr Lockwood identifies himself as a man of culture, he comes from a 'civilised society' and appropriately is living at the Grange. He, like the reader, is an outsider to the Wuthering Heights and his description of the 'stunted firs', 'gaunt thorns' and the 'narrow windows' creates a chilling and unwelcoming atmosphere. The name of the place also reflects this situation; 'Wuthering' meaning stormy hinting gothic elements. Mr Lockwood states the house is 'completely removed from the stir of society'; it is surrounded by the moors which symbolise freedom posed by nature, were Mr Heathcliff and Catherine's bond first developed. There is also almost a conflict among the house with the ill-tempered characters and its description; for instance, Mr Lockwood 'detected' that the name of the house is 'Hareton Earnshaw' yet it is

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1984 fifty years on - in what respects has the fictitious future vision of George Orwell "come true"?

984 fifty years on - in what respects has the fictitious future vision of George Orwell "come true"? George Orwell wrote his famous novel Nineteen Eighty-Four between the years 1945 and 1948. Although the title is 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', the novel wasn't meant to be a detailed description of the exact year of 1984 but a critical, futuristic novel. In Orwell's criticism of a perfect society, his novel became known as one of the greatest anti-utopian novels of all time. Although the novel starts out as a story of a neurotic man, it quickly turns into a protest against a totalitarian government. The novel seems to be a satire at the start, similar to novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, but quickly the reader will discover that it is not wholly satire. Nineteen Eighty-Four is not only criticism of what Orwell saw happening in his country with the coming of English Socialism, but a warning of the consequences of contemporary government actions and what they were threatening to cause. Perhaps the novel seems so bleak because it was written in the conditions and environment in which Orwell lived in 1948, straight after the Second World War. Perhaps people would be more comfortable with the novel if they could forget the thought of the possibility of the prediction becoming real. In year 1984 it seemed to be a huge trend to discuss which aspects of the novel had come true,

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'Holden's quest is an impossible one; it is a quest for the preservation of innocence in a world of phoniness and cruelty'. By close examination of appropriate episodes in the novel, discuss how far you would agree with this statement.

'Holden's quest is an impossible one; it is a quest for the preservation of innocence in a world of phoniness and cruelty'. By close examination of appropriate episodes in the novel, discuss how far you would agree with this statement. On reading 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D Salinger we discover Holden Caulfield's quest to preserve innocence in the world of phoniness and cruelty that surrounds him. However, the various people, places and events that we come across as the story unfolds lead us to doubt the possibility of such a quest. The novel takes the form of a retrospective narrative as Holden, the seventeen year old narrator and protagonist, relates to us from a kind of institution the "madman stuff" that happened to him the previous December. It charts Holden's journey other three significant days in his life, from the elite boarding school Pencey Prep to the urban wilderness of New York City as he resists entry to the adult world which he views as a cold, cruel and corrupt place. His overriding belief is that this world poses a major threat to the purity and virtue of childhood innocence. I will now explore the many ways in which Holden attempts to protect this innocence and evaluate the extent to which he succeeds in his quest. In order to better understand the innocence-threatening world presented to us in the novel, we must first consider its various contextual

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Analyse William Golding's choice of language during and after the killing of Simon. Why does the language use change?

Analyse William Golding's choice of language during and after the killing of Simon. Why does the language use change? "Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!" This is the chant that begins the section, increased in its violence as it now says "kill the beast" representing the feelings of the boys. They want to destroy the beast but can't find it as it is inside each of them. This causes them to get ever more angry and frenzied, starting a ritualistic "dance" with "the chant" beating "like a steady pulse". This is reminiscent of Simon's experience earlier when a "pulse started to throb in his temple", just before he went into a fit. This suggests that the boys are also going into a trance or fit, but a much more dangerous one, unaware of their actions. They lose their individuality and start "the throb and stamp of a single organism", again with the throbbing and stamping inducing images of a trance-like ritual. Also the symbolisms of circles and the weather are repeated. The circle now "yawns emptily" waiting to catch someone inside. The weather is threatening, "Thunder boomed...the dark sky was shattered...scar...blow of a gigantic whip". This is a great contrast to the clear skies earlier in the book that symbolised peace. Now they begin to become terrified by the weather and the trance and out of this terror "rose another desire, thick, urgent, blind". This is

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Which Character in Hardy's "Tess Of The D'Urbervilles" Do You Have the Most Sympathy For: Alec or Angel?

Tracey O'Hara WHICH CHARACTER DO YOU HAVE THE MOST SYMPATHY FOR: ALEC OR ANGEL? Alec and Angel are the principle male characters in Tess Of The D'Urbervillles, who have a direct impact on the destiny and ultimate tragedy of the heroine Tess. Hardy skilfully creates two complex and contrasting characters whose relationships with Tess evolve and mature in distinctive ways. I will analyse how their personality traits and temperaments affect their relationships with, and treatment of Tess. Hardy's introduction of Alec and Angel gives us an indication of their physical appearance, complex characteristics, and future destiny. Angel's first appearance is at 'The May-Day dance', where Tess is one of the maids. He appears to be a 'desultory tentative student' who is still finding his way in life and 'the entrance to his professional grove'. This indicates his youthfulness and openness of mind and spirit. In contrast to his brothers Angel stays to 'have a fling' with the girls in the field, showing his individuality and resistance to conform. When leaving the field he noticed Tess and was sorry that 'he had not observed' her sooner as he would have wished to 'inquire her name'. Angel unknowingly rejected Tess for the first time. Our first introduction to Alec, a false D'Urberville, is at his home 'The slopes' with its artificial name and settings. His appearance is stereotypical of

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Analysis of Italian novel I'm not Scared

The book being titled "I'm not scared" is very appropriate as the common theme of the book is orientated around many characters facing fears and overcoming them or giving in to them. Furthermore the progression of the story is determined by characters not being "scared". The book is based in 1970s Italy. More specifically in an isolated village named Acqua Traverse. Acqua Traverse is typical of southern Italian villages at the time geographically with contact with the outside world being very limited and the villages being of a small scale. This fictional village represents the situation of the majority of typical southern agriculture villages in Italy at the time who suffered financially due to their failure to develop their industry, in which the north had much success. Due to instability in these regions many fled to the north in search of opportunities for wealth. This instability also provoked the regular occurrence of kidnappings in southern Italy. "I'm not scared" also embodies typical culture references throughout, with a society influenced strongly influenced by the males of the village, being present the book. A main character of this thrilling novel is that of Michele, a boy possessing such strong curiosity and strong morals that is unique of a child his age. Also proving to be an influential character is the kidnapped Fillipo who is discovered by Michele

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'Of Mice and Men' - The killing of candy's old dog foreshadowed Lennie's death. Describe the two killings, pointing out any similarities and differences between the two.

Declan Maguire 'Of Mice and Men' The killing of candy's old dog foreshadowed Lennie's death. Describe the two killings, pointing out any similarities and differences between the two. Two of the main events in the novel 'of mice and men', are the killing of Candy's dog and the killing of Lennie. Candy's dog was often talked about by the other ranch hands. All the other men in the bunk house would complain about the dogs smell. There was only one person who loved and valued the dog, Carlson considered the dog a nuisance and often would say it irritated him for example, "he stinks to bet hell!" This suggests that he wanted rid of the dog and in a further conversation with Carlson Reveals that he has no emotional feelings for the dog. Carlson proceeds to describe to candy how he will kill the dog, "shoot him right in the back of the head" this shows the brutality in how he wants to kill the dog, Carlson does not realise how much what he is saying was hurting candy. Carlson can not understand the love the candy has for his dog. Candy does not put up much of a fight and the dog is lead away by Carlson. Tension is created in the bunk house before the dog is shot. The men are all waiting in silence for the moment that the gun shoot will end the life of the dog and fully start the beginning of candy's grievance! The shot of the gun is described as "the little snapping noise" this

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Critical Analysis, Snow Child (Angela Carter). Angela Carter brings to plain sight many issues, within modern day human relationships, within the extended metaphor of The Snow Child;

The Snow Child Angela Carter Doug Turner Angela Carter brings to plain sight many issues, within modern day human relationships, within the extended metaphor of 'The Snow Child'; a story built on the basis of the classic fairy tale 'Snow White'. The story starts of with a great sense of danger, the first three words "MIDWINTER - INVINCIBLE, IMMACULATE." Create the picture of a cold, powerful and barren land. The use of capitals further enforces the image of the power of the nature surrounding the characters. Carter uses this dangerous atmosphere to aid the creation of the character of the dominatrix-esque Countess, who wore "high, black shining boots with scarlet heels", the black leather links to fetishes, and the scarlet hints to the reader of the woman's role and therefore superiority, of sexual domination and quite possible causes of pain. Angela Carter immediately forms an air of danger, merged with one of sexual desires. Almost as a hint as to what will transpire as the story progresses. In the story the count wishes for "the child of his desires", a girl "as white as snow", "as red as blood" and "as black as that [raven's] feather". The colours used in this definition are very powerful and are of great importance of the message Carter tries to project. 'White and snow' suggests that the count wants a sexually pure plaything, as white is the purist colour, also

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To what extent can Lord of the Flies be considered a Marxist piece?

To what extent can Lord of the Flies be considered a Marxist piece? Lord of the Flies centres on a group of boys stranded on a tropical island when their plane crashes en route from England to Australia as part of an evacuation during an atomic war (hypothetical war.) The story is essentially an allegorical tale of the innate evil of man - good versus evil. Of the book, Golding said that he wrote it to illustrate how political systems cannot govern society effectively unless they take into consideration the inherent defects of human nature. Marxism is seen as the development from an oppressive capitalist society to an equal and classless society. Golding tries to set a utopian world within the island devoid of adult, societal constraints but in the end the innate animal characteristics of man come to the fore. Golding based his story on the 19th century novel 'The Coral Island' written by R M Ballantyne. Whereas Ballantyne's novel, an adventure story of three boys stranded on a desert island, was optimistic, Golding's is terrifyingly pessimistic. The novel was written shortly after World War II , in the early days of the Cold War when paranoia about communism was at its height. In the early 1950s many people were accused, often falsely, of being communists (the McCarthy era in the USA at this time is a good example of this.) It is within this context that Golding wrote

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How far do you agree that Jane Austens novel Pride and Prejudice is no more than an entertaining study of the surface of polite society and its trivial doings?

How far do you agree that Jane Austen's novel 'Pride and Prejudice' is 'no more than an entertaining study of the surface of polite society and its trivial doings'? In 'Pride and Prejudice there certainly is a great deal of comedy, and will appeal to many readers for what Claire Tomalin calls 'its good-humoured comedy, its sunny heroine, its dream denouement'. The two main characters appear to be part of what Vivien Jones calls a typical 'rags-to-riches love story', maintaining happiness after a series of vicissitudes, which might incline readers to think it rather superficial. The critic talks about the surface trivia of Austen's society, which seems to comprise only of balls, scarlet coats and Muslin gowns, but she probes beneath the surface of her society, and concerns herself with the real confinement of the lives of women in her period. Jane Austen explores how women were victims of a patriarchal society, by presenting the unfairness of the entail. She presents Mr. Collins as a fool, by bluntly stating through the critical objective narrative that he 'was not a sensible man'. By this we see that it is ridiculous that such an imbecile should be able to turn out the two rational sisters Jane and Elizabeth from their own home, since should they not be married they could be facing the same options as Jane Fairfax in Austen's 'Emma', left to 'the governess trade', with it's

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