Great expectations - Which two settings in 'great expectations' did you find most effective?
Which two settings in 'great expectations' did you find most effective? Charles dickens is renowned through out literature for his skills of vivid description and imagery. In Great Expectations he uses many effects to create settings of emotion throughout the novel. The first of the three most effective and memorable settings, I feel, is the graveyard setting. This is where we meet Pip and his story of success and hardship over the odds. We meet Pip in the graveyard along with another six members of his family however they are all deceased and it is Pip who is seeing them alone. This tells us a lot about the time he lives in it shows that mortality rates were high and children were let out alone at dark, this differs very much from the modern day where young children are most of the time supervised and very rarely allowed to wander graveyards alone in the dark, the mortality rates have also decreased as well. We also learn early on that Pip has no real expectations, that he is around lower class and that his life, as with everyone else in his situation at the time, particularly children, was a universal struggle. We learn this from the line: "Who gave up trying to get a living, exceedingly early in that universal struggle" it is as though to say that they gave up hope and by the amount of tombstones with the Pirrip name on them he should of too. Pip then begins to
The Assassin
The Assassin He stuck out like a sore thumb with his shabby, bright orange shirt and red tie. It distinguished him from the hoards of people making their way, bright eyed and bushy tailed through Hyde Park, during the morning rush to work on that desperately cold November morning. The shirt compared with the bright autumn leaves falling from the trees, which now hid the path from view. This made him hard to miss considering his size and the fact that every other businessperson in London wore smartly coloured attire. Although a bit untidy, with stubble on my face from where I had roughed it the last few nights, I was dressed inconspicuously. That helped me to blend in with my surroundings; charcoal suit, navy tie, black briefcase in hand. A bright but surprisingly cold sun hung over London that morning, making the dew on the grass glisten softly. The smell as usual in London was of exhaust fumes, briefly interrupted by the odd roasted peanut stand, or short burst of a fresh morning grass smell. The orange shirted man seemed to be moving quickly for such a large man. I knew where he was going I just kept a steady distance from him. He was very shifty and constantly looked at his watch, or over his shoulder and his posture suggested that he was paranoid. Possibly, he knew what was coming to him. Maybe he had a tip-off. What did I care once I caught him alone and 'did my job' I
What problems faced farmers on the Great Plains and how did they solve these problems? To what extend did the railways provide the greatest solution?
What problems faced farmers on the Great Plains and how did they solve these problems? To what extend did the railways provide the greatest solution? When many people decided to go West to the Great Plains in 1865 those who were farmers faced many problems. Living in America and Europe, they had been used to a very different climate, which was very unlike the desert land of the Plains with its unusual soil and lack of water. Settlers set up their own homes but with no woodland and bricks to use they settle for sodbricks. The houses were built half way under the ground and the roof was made out of turf and eaveboards with a chimney. A kerosene lamp provided light but this was not very efficient and the farmers had to work and live in semi darkness. Wind and rain seeping through the walls would make the mud run and make their possessions dirty and the water would get into the food. As you would imagine, the houses were always dirty and floors always had to be swept. Insects and locusts were a particular problem as they would get into the in house through the walls. A small stove powered by dried up cow and buffalo dung, which they used for fuel, was used to cook boring and monotonous meals day after day. For breakfast they would have corn bread, salt pork and black coffee and for dinner they would have wild greens, boiled pork and cold corn bread washed down with a
"The Wannsee Conference was entirely responsible for the Holocaust" How valid is this assessment of the Holocaust?
“The Wannsee Conference was entirely responsible for the Holocaust”. How valid is this assessment of the Holocaust? The true origins of the Holocaust have been under academic debate and intense scrutiny among historians for a considerable amount of time. Dividing them into two major perspectives; Functionalists and Intentionalist.[1] The pair bring into view a key question and queries the shroud surrounding the Shoah. It questions what point in time the mass genocide of 6.6 million Jews was decided upon. Many would put forward the Holocaust was already assigned a position in the time-line using Hitler's own “Mein Kampf” as justification. Others would suggest the Holocaust was result of numerous political economic and social factors, that brought about the rise of both The Nazi Party and Thrid Reich. There is substantial evidence to support both sides of the debate. Functionalist historians such as Browning and Mommsen agree that the power struggle between Hitler's subordinates and war played a much greater role in deciding the demise of the Jewish people compared with Hitler himself while Intentionalists like Fleming and Dawidowicz say Hitler was following a gradualist policy. Taking these perspectives into account while researching my own sources it seems implausible the Wannsee Conference headed by Reinhard Heydrich on 20th January 1942, conceived the Holocaust and
In what ways does Colonialism still have an impact today?
In what ways does colonialism still have an impact today? After the end of the second world war and the eventual break up of the Soviet Union come the 'end' of the cold war, decolonisation was all but a done deal. Every great empire the world had ever known had given their previous conquests independent, autonomous home rule. The ability to control themselves, their own government, their own set of rules, their own economy and culture with which to prosper and the opportunity to become a thriving competitive player in the world. This was the idea anyway. We do however, still clearly see the effects of colonialism in these countries right now; primarily in the fact that none have actually become thriving competitive players in the world, (at least, not to the point of their former colonial masters). This short essay will analyse the factors of primarily western colonialism which continue to play a part in the apparent hindrance of these countries progress. Throughout this essay when talking about the west, I shall use interpretation of Deudney and Ikenberry (1993/94) who define the West as consisting of Western Europe, North America and Japan. Their West is based on the logic of 'industrial liberalism' and distinguished by a private economy, a common civic identity and public institutions. There are many factors to be considered during this analysis, primarily three main
How far do you agree that the role of the Trade Unions was the key factor in the changing fortunes of the Labour Party in the period 1888-1997?
Britain's Parliamentary Democracy c1888-1997 Part B: Assessment Objective 1 How far do you agree that the role of the Trade Unions was the key factor in the changing fortunes of the Labour Party in the period 1888-1997? When considering this question it is important to consider all areas, which may have affected the fortunes of the Labour Party, be it the help of the Trade Unions (TUs) the downfall of the Liberal party, the mistakes of Labour, the successes of the opposition or the changing socio-economic environment. It will be important to consider all of these areas when looking at the question in order to accurately answer it. The first notable area has to be the way in which the Labour party was formed. After Parliamentary reforms of 1867 and 1884 more working class men had the vote. This was a point where the Liberals may have had an initial downfall and in effect aloud the rise of the Labour Party, they believed that the workers who now had the vote would automatically side with them. However it was thought by the working class organisations of the time (such as the TUs) that the Liberals were to widely based to be able to help, they wanted a party who would represent their specific interests. It was this idea that led to the 1900 formation of the Labour Representative Committee (becoming the Labour Party in 1906) an amalgamation of the following groups, The TUs
Soviet interest in Eastern Europe served to strengthen the communist bloc.' Discuss this statement with reference to events from 1950 to 1980
"Soviet interest in Eastern Europe served to strengthen the communist bloc." Discuss this statement with reference to events from 1950 to 1980. The aftermath of war in 1953 in the Asian periphery, where ideological tensions heightened to vast proportions and were thick with the promise of an all-out military combat between the Great Powers, saw the perpetuation, and yet the degeneration, of the Cold War in Europe. This enduring but steadily declining enmity could be seen clearly in the period 1953 to 1979, a period of stability in superpower relations punctuated by only intermittent crises, specifically the uprisings that occurred within the loosening eastern bloc. However, even amidst the sudden peace, the Soviet Union constantly maintained a tight rein on its satellites, in hopes of consolidating the Soviet sphere. In most cases, such endeavours were inefficacious, resulting in insurrections that estranged Eastern Europe from the USSR. As such, Khrushchev's continual interference in the internal affairs of the countries of Eastern Europe strengthened the communist bloc to only a small, insignificant degree. To a larger degree frequent Soviet intervention caused the disintegration of the communist bloc. Continued economic exploitation of the eastern bloc by Stalin stirred in Czechoslovakia and Eastern Germany resentment that culminated in revolts which created bad blood
Behind Enemy Lines.
Behind Enemy Lines Another day down that awful trench. The sound of machine gun fire, exploding shells and cries of pain were almost deafening. Private Joseph Brown was ready to face another day in this incipient hell. Brown was a young man when he joined the army, a mere 17 years old. He was a member of the 18th Paratrooper Brigade and a key part of it. During his four years of service, Brown had worked his way from a Private in the 6th Infantry Regiment to a very well trained Lieutenant in the 18th Paratrooper Brigade. Yet still, the young officers heart had always been devoted to his beloved fiancée, Mary Ann. The two were childhood sweethearts and had lived next door to each other in a London suburb for many years. Before joining the army Joseph had been a carpenters apprentice and Mary Ann was working as a cleaner in a boot shop. This love affair was to be shortly ended. To the couples despair they would be separated for many more years and may not have even seen each other again. 3rd September 1939. "Today, Adolf Hitler and His Nazi army have invaded the country of Poland. Britain have now declared war on the state of Germany!" This was the message echoing around the whole country on all radio stations. Suddenly Britain was in a state of shock and preparing for war. All men that were seventeen or older were ordered to join up for the army. Joseph Brown was very keen
On the balance, the Treaty of Versailles was unfair and Germany didn't deserve to be treated so harshly. And as Germany was outraged with this treaty, it had let to the Second World
The treaty of Versailles was signed in June 1919 between the "Big Three"- Georges Clemenceau the Prime Minister of France, David Lloyd George the Prime Minister of Great Britain and Woodrow Wilson the president of America. Whether it was a fair treaty depends on many terms. Clemenceau's aim was to use this treaty as an opportunity to cripple Germany and take revenge. France had suffered tremendously as most of the war was taken there. Clemenceau had seen his country being invaded by Germany twice, in the Franco-Prussian war and the First World War. As frightened of Germany as any French were, Clemenceau wanted to weaken Germany as harshly as possible so that the Germans could not start another war. Wilson on the other hand was an idealist, and he felt that the aim of the conference should be to establish peace. He thought by punishing Germany would only make them seek revenge. Wilson drew up Fourteen Point to avoid future wars but some of them were impractical. Lloyd George was in the middle. He could see that punishing Germany harshly was not a wise thing to do, and besides, he still wanted to trade with Germany. But the British people were very angry as a great number of men had died; Lloyd George had to make Germany pay a considerable amount to stay in power. As all the Big Three's aims and motives were completely different, they disagreed on many aspects, but in the
How accurate is Ivan Lappers Interpretation of Kenilworth castle At the beginning of the 13th century.
How accurate is Ivan Lappers Interpretation of Kenilworth castle At the beginning of the 13th century Ivan Lappers interpretation of Kenilworth castle in the 13th century shows that the keep is made out of red sandstone I know this from my visit to Kenilworth and the nearest stone quarry dug up sandstone. His picture also shows that it is square, has small, thin, narrow windows. It also shows that it has four towers in each corner of the keep. At the bottom of the castle it has a plinth, which is a slope to make it harder for people to hide down the bottom. It also has crenellations at the top so bowmen can shoot intruders attacking the castle. There is also an entrance to the outer building but Lappers picture does not show an entrance, I know it was there from my visit to Kenilworth. When I went on my site visit to Kenilworth castle I saw some evidence, which supports Ivan Lapper's interpretation. This evidence was that the keep did have narrow windows, a plinth, it was square and made out of sandstone. It also had four towers in each corner. However there was some evidence that disagrees with Lapper's interpretation, on the ground floor different windows, which were added after Lapper's interpretation, they were added because the castle was no longer used for protection during the 1400's and was more of a house so the windows were enlarged. With the invention of
