Saving Private Ryan: Film Review
Saving Private Ryan: Film Review. Saving Private Ryan was released in 1998 and was directed by one of Hollywood's most famous directors Steven Spielberg. His previous work has included Schlinders List and ET. The screen play was written by Robert Rodat and the music was composed by John Williams. The cast included actors such as Tom Hanks, Matt Damon and Tom Sizemore. The film won 5 Academy awards including best Director and Best Sound Effects Editing. The film is about a secretary who finds out that a Mrs Ryan is receiving three telegrams telling about her three dead sons. So the army General decides to send in a special unit to bring her only living son back home. They are sent in to save Private James Ryan who was a member of the parachute regiment. The film does not follow chronological order. The first scene is when a man goes and visits the memorial plot of WWII victims. Then as the camera zooms into a close up shot of his eyes it takes us back to 1944 when the troops arrive on Omaha Beach. From this point the story unfolds. It shows fierce fighting on the sea front just as you would imagine. The story then goes on to the search for Private Ryan and it follows Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) and his men on their journey. When the end comes and they find Private Ryan and the battle is over its goes back to the start, where the man is standing by the grave of Captain
Classics in Friel's Translations
Discuss the importance of the classical content in 'Translations'. How do they contribute to the exploration of colonialism in the play? 'It would not be too much to say that myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestation. 1' Translations is a play in which many doors are opened through mythological and classical content. Looking at this content in closer detail allows us to see the play from a different angle, and gives new meanings to many of the themes and ideas presented. Most notably to the theme of colonialism which is at the forefront throughout the play. Jimmy Jack Cassie, for whom the 'world of ancient myths is as real and as immediate as everyday life', provides us with our first examples of the classical content in Translations. He acts as a human 'bridge' between the present worlds of Baile Beag and those of Ancient Greece and Rome, and links many of the themes and events with classical history and mythology. One of the most important thematic links is the development of Jimmy Jack's 'relationship' with the Goddess Athene. Jimmy fails to treat her like a fictional character, even comparing her to women from his village 'no harm to our own Grania... But I would go bull straight for Athene'. His relationship with the mythological character is real to him, and thus the problems he faces
Explore the role of nature in the first three sections of the novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles"
Explore the role of nature in the first three opening sections of the novel "Tess of the d'Urbevilles" In the first three opening sections of "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", nature plays many a significant role. It acts as a storytelling device, helping the plot of the story to move and develop; it acts as a mirror for Tess' feelings and the feelings of others; it adds atmosphere to the plot itself. Most importantly, it plays a major role in Tess' wellbeing, but this role is often thwarted by the actions of man and the actions of man's Church - the two are often in conflict, and these sections often explore this. We first see Tess taking part in an activity, "clubwalking", with many of her friends and surrounding neighbours. All the people taking part are women, and it is a very simple activity; it is only them and the surrounding nature. This suggests that they share a harmony with their surroundings, and also that it is very feminine and pure, much like Tess at the beginning of the novel. As Tess emerges from this, we associate nature with her almost immediately. Angel also appears from this setting, with his two brothers, and he seems more connected with nature than he does with their religion. His brothers seem uptight and stuffy - "dancing with a troop of country hoydens!" being an indication of this - whilst he seems more carefree and willing to interact. In this way,
Is Macbeth a Hero or a Butcher?
Is Macbeth a Hero or a Butcher? 'Macbeth', one of Shakespeare's shortest plays though often described as his best, was written in 1606 for the newly crowned King James I of England and VI of Scotland. It tells of a Scottish warrior named Macbeth who killed the King and eventually met his own gruesome end. But is Macbeth really the tragic hero he is made out to be? Does he really deserve to be glorified as a worthy and noble warrior? No. Macbeth was a brutal butcher who slaughtered his own people mercilessly and ruled his country tyrannically. First, let me clarify the definitions of the words 'hero' and 'butcher' which I will be using. A 'hero' is a man who is greatly admired for his exceptional qualities and achievements. A special kind of hero was the 'tragic hero'. The criteria for a 'tragic hero' were set by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and can be summed up briefly as a great man high up in society, with a fatal flaw which would eventually lead to his downfall - a man whom the audience will feel sympathy for when he falls. A 'butcher', in this context, is someone who kills people cruelly without feeling guilt or remorse - something which Macbeth is a clear example of. Macbeth's actions at the start of the play are already depicted as barbaric. When the Captain describes the battle between Macbeth and the rebel Macdonwald, he claims that Macbeth split
How does Flaubert use the Agricultural fair at Rouen to further his satire of 19th century French society?
WORLD LITERATURE 2 ESSAY: TYPE 2C Candidate number: D-0612-011 Name: Matthew Jackson Text: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Title: "How does Flaubert use the Agricultural fair at Rouen to further his satire of 19th century French society?" Word count: 427 words. HOW DOES FLAUBERT USE THE AGRICULTURAL FAIR AT ROUEN TO FURTHER HIS SATIRE OF 19TH CENTURY FRENCH SOCIETY? Gustave Flaubert wrote his novel Madame Bovary in the mid-nineteenth century as a satirical comment on the upper middle class, those who were just rich enough to pretend to be rich. Flaubert loathed them and wrote his novel to make them appear as the fools that he thought them to be. His loathing for the upper middle class of 1850's France stemmed from the ideals which they held. Flaubert saw his fellows as a generation lost to the meritless and frivolous dreams of the French Romantic movement.1 French Romanticism was a movement through all the creative arts towards idealising the world which artists constructed. Although equally present in music and visual art, Flaubert focused both his hatred and his satire on the literature of the time, this reactionary nature earned him the title of a "naturalist". This was however something that Flaubert hated; the Naturalistic movement was one that focused on specifics and on realism in a work, whereas Flaubert sought to make his story one that was
How effective is the Prologue as an introduction to Romeo and Juliet?
In my opinion, the prologue is a striking and extremely effective introduction to one of the greatest tragedies ever written. One of the most unusual things about the Prologue is its structure; the fact that it is written in the sonnet form is very significant. The sonnet form of poetry is perhaps the most demanding and challenging poetic form that exists. For hundreds of years the sonnet (of which Shakespeare wrote 154) has been recognised as a structure that is only attempted by the greatest of poets such as Shakespeare or Wordsworth. It is often associated with love poetry and the fact that Shakespeare chooses the sonnet format to open Romeo and Juliet suggests his motive to prepare the audience with the love story to come. The sonnet is made up from 3 quatrains each consisting of 4 lines, with the rhyme scheme a,b,a,b, each quatrain telling us something different about the forthcoming play. The sonnet is finished by a rhyming couplet- a pair of lines that have the rhyming scheme c,c. Some might question why Shakespeare chose such a difficult poetic structure to open the play however it is clear to me that he chose the sonnet to grab the audience's attention but also to demonstrate his showcase of literary talent. The sonnet reveals to the audience the degree of Shakespeare's poetic genius to create a language - which in all its diversity can capture the most beautiful
Naming and Power in Friel's Translations
Write a critical appreciation of this passage, focus on Friel's exploration of the relationship between naming and power This passage, near the start of Act Two in Translations shows Owen and Yolland in the process of naming the places they come across on their map of Ireland. The characters and the text itself both deal with the issues surrounding these names and the powers names have over both people and places. The powers of destruction and creation are shown to be one of the effects of the process of naming. The beginning of the passage touches on the destructive side of naming by using the prefix 'de' ('describe' and 'denominate') twice in the words Owen uses to explain what they are trying to do by changing Irish place names; 'we are trying to denominate and at the same time describe that tiny area of soggy, rocky, sandy ground...' . The prefix 'de' usually expresses a reversal or negation which in this case would mean they are 'de - scribing' i.e. 'unwriting' and 'de- nominating' which phonologically sounds as if they are taking away the names of the places, although if one looks at the semantics of the words they mean completely different things. Use of the prefix 'de' also gives Owens remark a more negative feel, making the reader wonder if what they are doing is perhaps a bad, destructive thing rather than the constructive process it was intended to be; a theme
How does Tennyson create a memorable character in Ulysses?
How does Tennyson create a memorable character in Ulysses? This poem is a dramatic monologue spoken by Ulysses, the King of Ithaca. He has just returned to his kingdom after fighting in the Trojan War, but once caught up in his daily routine, he expresses his unhappiness with his life and indifference towards his family and people. Ulysses compares his heroic past to his current state of boredom, and emphasises his desire to revisit his past. Tennyson creates a memorable character in Ulysses, by giving him two sides - a heroic one, and a cowardly one. His desire to flee from Ithaca can be seen as selfish, as he is running away from his family and people, leaving his inexperienced son to take over his role. However, it can also be seen as admirable, as he is following his life long dream and wants to explore the world. Ulysses heroic desire to discover new worlds and to fight life to the end makes him a memorable character. The use of enjambment represents the idea of pushing forward 'beyond the utmost bound of human thought'. Tennyson's constant use of movement verbs, for example 'roaming', emphasises Ulysses desire for travel. The eating and drinking metaphors such as 'hungry heart' and 'drunk delight' represent the idea of fulfilment and Ulysses insatiable appetite for life and adventure. The intensifiers such as 'greatly' and 'much' emphasise this. Ulysses wants to live
Analysis of 'Strange Meeting' by Wilfred Owen.
Analysis of 'Strange Meeting' by Wilfred Owen 'Strange Meeting' by Wilfred Owen is a poem about a soldier in the First World War who makes contact with the spirit of a dead soldier's soul. After reading this poem, you know that the poet is against the war, and that war is somewhat worse than hell. The poem begins with the relief of a soldier as he escapes the war. Later on in the poem, the soldier meets the spirit of a dead soldier, and that is when he realises where he is. The spirit tells the soldier that if you go into war you are simply wasting your life. It also mentions the cruelty and harshness of war, and what it's like to be there. Although the poem is almost completely a monologue, there is some dialogue and narration too. Narration is to be found at the beginning, as the soldier leaves the battlefield and approaches the spirits of the dead soldiers, until he communicates with one of them. There's a small amount of dialogue used between the soul and the living soldier but the rest of the poem is a monologue, as soon as the spirit begins his speech, from 'save the undone years,'. The subject matter of the poem is to be found in this long speech, and the poet presents his views about the war very clearly in this. There is a consistent use of 10 syllables per line, and there is not a rhyme scheme for half the poem (and therefore half is a free verse poem). There
Read the following extract from Act 1 scene 2. In what ways does this passage show the conflict of Rome and Egypt?
AS English Literature - Section A - 'Read the following extract from Act 1 scene 2. In what ways does this passage show the conflict of Rome and Egypt?' - Throughout Shakespeare's Antony & Cleopatra, location plays an important role in the development of the play. It is one of few plays to have such a frequent interchange between locations and at the heart of this are the two contrasting worlds of Egypt and Rome. The two countries seem to differ completely to each other and this is reflected by the different attitudes of their respective people. Act 1 scene 2 is a pivotal scene in the play as the ladies-in-waiting of Cleopatra's court have their fortunes told by a soothsayer, this turns out to foreshadow the later events of the play. The passage is one of the most accurate at showing the substantial differences between the people and life of Rome and Egypt. It begins with the soothsayer telling the fortune of Charmian and Iras however, the two joke about the predictions and it is in this part that Shakespeare instils the passage full of sexual innuendo between the women to show the nature of the Egyptian women. Shakespeare's famous wit with wordplay is seen clearly as Charmian hints at the sexual meaning behind the word 'inch' while Iras clearly confirms both their intentions with the statement that were she to have an extra inch it would 'Not [go] in my husband's nose'.
