'We are not encouraged to find much sympathy with the characters in A Clockwork Orange
'We are not encouraged to find much sympathy for any of the characters'. Explore the methods Burgess uses to develop sympathy in 'A Clockwork Orange'. Anthony Burgess uses a number of devices to evoke both sympathy and empathy from the reader, most notably in the direction of the novella's protagonist. Alex's first person narrative thrusts the reader into the dystopian world Burgess creates and the twisted actions he undertakes as a part of his drug-fuelled 'ultra-violence'. Despite this, the reader is also forced into grasping the understanding of the morally disturbed character and Burgess cleverly manipulates Alex as a representation of the young and troubled generation. The plot itself equally contributes to the readers feeling towards Alex as he additionally becomes a government subject; torturing his mind to remove any capacity of evil and the subsequent downward spiral his life takes. But Burgess continually begs the question: is it possible to feel sympathy for a character capable of the most disgraceful crimes? Structurally, Burgess uses the formation of the novella itself and the division of the parts as a method of finding empathy for Alex. Each part begins with the same question to the reader: "What's it going to be then, eh?" which at the start appears innocuous as they decide on their night's dwellings. But this is repeated in the beginning of the second part
The Importance of Being Earnest - 'We live, as I hope you know, Mr Worthing, in an age of ideals' what are these ideals in the context of the play in Act One, and how does Wilde present them to the audience?
'We live, as I hope you know, Mr Worthing, in an age of ideals' what are these ideals in the context of the play in Act One, and how does Wilde present them to the audience? In 'The Importance of Being Earnest', ideals are a dominant theme, and to that end are critical in determining the actions of the characters. Wilde is typically subtle in his presentation of these ideals, and consequently many of them come to be used as a means for satirising the society depicted. It is important to establish from the outset that Wilde's presentation of ideals utilizes the different characters as bastions for the various ideals, and in doing that subjects them to scrutiny when ridiculing their respective characterizations. One of the most important ideals presented is fittingly one of the first to become apparent; that being the division of the classes and the social status that they entail. On line 1 of the play, Algernon asks Lane, after playing the piano in the adjoining room: 'Did you hear what I was playing. Lane?' Lane's response: 'I didn't think it polite to listen, sir' is indicative of various aspects of his position. Firstly, his butlership requires that he should abstain from partaking in any activity considered to be distracting to his duties, of which listening to the piano would be one. Secondly, his position in society, that of one of the lower classes, demands utter
What Issues Of Communication Are Raised In The Play 'Translations'?
What Issues Of Communication Are Raised In The Play 'Translations'? The play 'Translations' by Brian Friel is in many respects an intelligent and enlightening metaphor for the situation in Northern Ireland. Throughout the play Friel uses his satirical twists and mixes of tragedy with comedy to express the vulgarity and hypocrisy in Ireland. Friel introduces a variety of extremely heavy topics dealing with societal problems such as generation gaps, communication and cultural difference. The play centres mostly on the tragedy of English imperialism as well as Irish nationalism. The themes that run through Translations are only an indication of the subject matter Friel begins to base his writings on. Translations may be located both temporally and spatially to a fixed point in Irish history. The characters hail from Baile Beag, renamed with the anglicised title of Ballybeg. The action of the play occurs over a number of days towards the end of August 1833. Before delving into the play it is clear, from these most general of points, that the main plot of Translations is a period of great significance in the colonial relationship between Ireland and England. The issue of communication in particular takes a significant central point in the play 'Translations'. The problems of translations between the languages are a metaphor for the problems of communication between England and
What literary techniques does F. Scott Fitzgerald use to present Gatsby's party in Chapter III of the novel.
Ross Leslie What literary techniques does F. Scott Fitzgerald use to present Gatsby's party in Chapter III of the novel The people of 1920's America often lead a very extravagant lifestyle, rich people often overspent in vast amounts, a term known as Conspicuous Consumption. This basically means the rich spend so much and waste their money to such an extent on highly expensive and pointless things, that it actually makes the less fortunate people living in their midst even more poorer then they already are. The richer people of 'The Jazz Age' often wasted time by simply lounging around and getting drunk, having nothing better to do. This was due to the fact that many rich people had more or less done everything that there was to be done and had achieved everything they wanted in life, therefore becoming bored with life, so they wasted their vast fortunes showing off with expensive merchandise, throwing lush parties and going out every night. However the vast amounts of spending through this time soon came to an end, with the Wall Street crash just as Fitzgerald had predicted. The chapter opens up with a very descriptive and detailed introduction given to us by Nick. He seems to give us a lavish description of one of Gatsby's summer night parties, Nick seems to be looking on from his house watching the party in his usual voyeuristic fashion. It's possible that he's maybe
Dulce Et Decorum Est and The Soldier: A comparison
Dulce Et Decorum Est and The Soldier: A comparison It is quite possible that never have two poems offered such contrasting opinions on one subject as Dulce et Decorum Est and The Soldier. And the subject, war, is their only connection. Whether or not it is right to die for your country, both poets are vehement in their convictions. It is through the various facets of poetry writing that the authors show their opinions. This is what I shall explore in this essay: which poem more effectively lays down its author's stance on war. In both poems, use of language is paramount to their effectiveness. However, Dulce Et Decorum Est uses a particularly stylised form of tactile language. Where The Soldier is more reflective, Dulce Et Decorum Est is as graphic as it is bitter. Its vivid images stun the reader with one intense depiction after another: "He plunges at me, guttering, choking". This vivid imagery is reinforced by the poet's almost excessive use of onomatopoeia. This onomatopoeia is in keeping with the dark, bitter tone of the entire poem. Words such as "writhing", "sludge" and "trudge" all convey this sense of resentfulness from the poet. The negative comparisons used in the poem correspond with the tone. Lines such as "knock-kneed, coughing like hags", evoke this bitter tone. Another difference in Dulce Et Decorum Est is that it is a lot more emotive because of
Symbolism in the Great Gatsby
Symbolism in The "Great Gatsby" The critic Harold Bloom once wrote, "Never has symbolism played such a crucial part in the very foundation of a novel as it does in Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, The Great Gatsby." Essentially the great gatsby appears to be a novel depicting the doomed romance between a man and a woman. However, the main theme of the novel is a completely un-romantic one. Although the novel only takes place over several months, and only in New York, it serves as a microcosm for the 'Jazz Age' of America, and of the famous American Dream. Fitzgerald illustrates this time as being one of moral deprivation ( Tom Buchanan's racism), as well as a decay in social values, as the characters actions are powered by greed, and the empty pursuit of pleasure ( the promiscuity of Tom, Daisy and Myrtle). This sort of behaviour was typical of the 1920's and because of this behaviour ,parties- not dissimiliar to the opulent parties hosted by none other than 'The Great Gatsby'- were in abundance in this time. These parties were a corruption of 'The American Dream' because 'The Dream' was no longer about achieving a better life than your parents, however in the eyes of money americans 'better' translated to 'richer', so the thirst for money depicted in the novel, is symbolic for the attitudes of both men and women in 1920's America. Nick explains in chapter 9, that the
Critical Appriciation of the Two Minuets Hate in 1984
Write a critical appreciation of pages 16-18 "in its second... uttering a prayer". How does the two minutes hate contribute to your understanding of the nightmare world in which Winston lives? The two minutes hate is almost a celebration of a cult, a sort of gathering of religious fanatics to honour their ruler, Big Brother. Orwell uses it to show the expressions of anarchy amongst the 'leaping and shouting' people and how this would be their only chance to express their human feelings in the nightmare society in which they are forced to live. Winston's dystopian world is displayed in Orwell's unsympathetic parody of the two minutes silence in commemoration of WWII and epitomises the 'frenzy' of emotions, the terror and violent culture that Winston has to tolerate. His elaborate view of religious or political fanatics scrutinises these kinds of obsessions and demonstrates how it can over-power a person's life. Control is one of the main components of the two minutes hate. The people are helpless, they are 'like that of a landed fish' in the robotic machine that is Big Brother. They cannot escape from 'the voice' that 'continued inexorably' and there is no escapism to be had in the 'frenzy' of voices yelling at the screen. This reflects a nightmare that is inescapable until we awake. Winston longs to awaken in a society capable of love, without suffering, but it seems he
"Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic utopias that the old reformers imagined." Discuss the anti-utopia that Orwell is portraying with reference to totalitarian regimes.
"Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic utopias that the old reformers imagined." Discuss the anti-utopia that Orwell is portraying with reference to totalitarian regimes. Hitler, Stalin and Big Brother, tyrants all. Throughout Nineteen-Eighty Four, there are clear similarities between Winston's world and the totalitarian regimes that now form part of our history. However, as O'Brien goes on to explain, there are just as many differences. The concept of a 'utopia' was defined, although not invented, in a sixteenth century essay by Thomas More describing a perfectly ordered world wit complete equality. AS O'Brien expresses, this was the initial aim of the 'old reformers'; indeed, the concept of communism in Russia and China, in its origins, seems closely linked to the principles of Utopia. While O'Brien may simply be referring to More in his dismissal of 'stupid hedonistic utopias,' totalitarian dictators such as Hitler, in principle at least, did have this aim in his quest for the augmentation of the German State. In this respect Big Brother has learnt both from literature and history. As O'Brien states, though the Twentieth Century trend of mass propaganda, dictators such as Hitler and Franco lied to themselves and indeed others with respect to their apparently selfless intentions. He observes
Was Gatsby Great
How Great is Gatsby? The title of the novel, 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is ironic as the heading's character is neither 'great' nor named Gatsby. He is a criminal who has altered his harsh surname of Gatz to the melodic Gatsby and the life he has created for himself is an illusion. The book's name is the first feature that appeals to the reader. Before even opening the book the person expects Gatsby to be great. The caption, 'The Great Gatsby', itself suggests a theatrical billing given to an artist. It could also symbolise the act of Gatsby's life in the novel. Fitzgerald presents Gatsby as living a luxurious life, with plenty of friends, no worries and an honest man. Yet by the end of the novel his whole illusion unravels and the reader discovers that he has many problems, he is dishonest and has no true friends. One of the ways in which Gatsby is 'great' is the fact that he is extremely wealthy and owns many material items such as a yellow station wagon and a "Rolls-Royce". Fitzgerald uses descriptive words such as "hulking patent cabinets', "massed suits" and "shirts pilled up like bricks in stacks a dozen high" to emphasise Gatsby's luxurious lifestyle. Furthermore, to encapsulate his wealth Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby in royal, rich colours like "Indian blue" and "apple green and lavender." Materialism is important to Gatsby as he sees it as the only
"Why Did William Golding Name His Novel 'The Lord of the Flies'?"
"Why Did William Golding Name His Novel 'The Lord of the Flies'?" Golding's novel comprises many elements of adventure and mystery, but the greatest question surrounding the novel is the very title itself. Unlike other authors, William Golding does not appear to have chosen an appropriate title that deduces the adventure and savagery of the novel, but it is only at a closer look that the title represents the true meaning of the novel. Although throughout the book the only reference to the title is by "The Lord of the Flies" its small part in the book plays an enormous part of the overall meaning of the novel. We are only introduced to it in chapter 8 'Gift for Darkness', where it is nothing more than the decapitated head of a sow lodged onto a stick. In the text it is described as a rather haunting image, which was: ..."grinning amusedly in the strange daylight, ignoring the flies, the spilled guts, even ignoring the indignity of being spiked on a stick." The author talks about the pig's head as if it is alive by using language such as "grinning". Also the way Golding writes "strange daylight" appears that the sow represents the darkness of life, as it is only in the comfort of light that the boys have vision to see it for what it really is. This is as the "Lord of the Flies" represents the fear of the boys for something imaginary, for the beast is nothing more than a
