The Gentleman and the Thug

If you ever meet a finer gentleman I would be surprised. Mr. Henry Dover was the most elegant man you would ever meet. He was about 5'11" and slightly balding with big rimmed glasses. You would never catch him out of his double-breasted Armani suit which was the only piece of clothing he had ever bought at a ridiculous price. Unilever, one of the most respected British firms in the world, where he was Finance Manager, had been his life for some twenty-five years. Henry resided in Yale with his wife, Jenna, and two sons, Jeremy and Graham Dover. Henry was very dignified and thought of himself as a man of great discipline. He would everyday work as hard as possible so eventually he could get the title Director of Finance and have his own secretary and office. His two sons went to the best school he could afford and he hoped that one day they would turn out to be good, respected citizens like himself. Mr. Dover was also very respected in the community and had a good life. He followed a routine that could not be broken for he was a great follower of tradition and discipline. At six o' clock he would rise, shower and shave, and go downstairs to eat his breakfast which always consisted of a fried egg and two light (never burned) pieces of toast and a glass of apple juice. He would then leave his house and walk to the station. While waiting for the train he would buy a copy of

  • Word count: 1431
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How Helpful To The Audience Is The Chorus in Shakespeare's 'Henry V'

Coursework By Thomas Stevenson Henry V written by William Shakespeare in 1596-1599 is a play about heroism, conquerors, and the power the monarch of England possesses. King Henry V was king of England from 1413 till 1422; Henry was, and possibly is still, seen as one of the greatest kings in history. Shakespeare's play does not just entertain the Elizabethans; he uses Henry V to replace any doubt about the reigning monarch with complete trust. In this play, like his others, Shakespeare uses a number of devices and fluent language to perform the play with depth and insight into the life of war and it's leaders. One device Shakespeare uses is the Chorus with its intentions to help the audience and add dramatic effects to the play. Shakespeare uses the Chorus in Henry V as a key role that leads the play forward. The Chorus appears between the Acts and at the start and end of the play. It is played by the only actor who speaks directly to the audience and breaks the so-called "Fourth Wall: " "Can this cockpit hold the vasty fields of France? ... On your imaginary forces work." This is in the prologue, where the Chorus speaks about the suspension of disbelief and how the audience will have to use their imagination to cope with the settings and actions of the play. Due to the lack of scenery and lighting available, it was almost always a barren stage, apart from the actors.

  • Word count: 1238
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Henry IV Part 1 - Act 2 Scene 4 - Lines 312-330.

Henry IV Part 1 - Act 2 Scene 4 - Lines 312-330 A jovial atmosphere hangs in the air of the small side-room of the Boar's Head. All the regulars are there, drinking their lives away, laughing and joking without a care in the world. The exhausted waiters are rushing about the room, trying to meet the ever-increasing quota of sack demanded by the huge number of customers. In fact, there is not a metre of space to be seen, apart from the small gap in the centre of the room, where Prince Henry and Jack Falstaff are laughing and joking exuberantly. The crowd of drunkards are also laughing and joking amongst themselves, but their attention is gradually being drawn to the conversation taking place in the middle of the room. The room is absolutely jam-packed, and the waiters are politely trying to squeeze through the masses of people inadvertently blocking the only exit, whilst hurriedly shouting "Anon!" to the mischievous men that are deliberately all calling them at the same time from different parts of the room. Most of the crowd are standing, because there aren't many seats. The room is well lit, and had it not been for the start of a rather intriguing conversation in the middle of the room, you wouldn't have been able to hear yourself speak for all the shouting and guffawing. At this particular moment tough, there is a hush over the room. Every eye is fixed on Falstaff and Hal,

  • Word count: 675
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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American literature - "I Had To Prove Them That I Can Defend Myself"

"I Had To Prove Them That I Can Defend Myself" Benjamin Gehring American Literature and Composition, Period 6 Ms. D. Isaac April 2002 My name is Wilson Smith, son of Mike Smith and Amanda Smith. I grew up in Ohio with my older brothers Pat and John. Since my birth I haven't really been happy in this family. My parents and my brothers gave me a hard time. I always had to do the "dirty" jobs, and sometimes only my Mom defended me from the "Three Musketeers" as I called them. Everybody thought I was weak and not valuable. With the Battle at Chancellorsville, I wanted to prove to all, that I have a lot of courage and can defend my self. It was a great chance to join the 304th regiment to do so. I could see my self shooting some damn grays, coming home as an victor, and telling all my stories of war. As it turned out it was harder than imagined. I will start my story at a battlefield somewhere in the north of Virginia. It was a pretty lugubrious day, no clouds, no sun, no noise, only the voice of some laggard soldiers, frightened of fighting, getting some rest from the first battle we had that day. Most were scared to death the day before, when we lost a bunch of people in a battlefield in the south. Most ran away, but some got wounded and didn't make it to the camp. I ran too, but Major General, General Hooker shouted at me to "Get back in line or [he] gonna kill me before

  • Word count: 942
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How does Henry demonstrate his skills as an orator in his speeches at Farfleur and Agincourt.

Matthew Russell 11WDW Henry V How does Henry demonstrate his skills as an orator in his speeches at Farfleur and Agincourt. The play of Henry V was originally created by Shakespeare in 1600 and was produced to support the Queens decisions at the time when England was at war with Ireland , with this in mind Shakespeare wanted to create the play with encouraged patriotism and Nationalistic feelings between the public. He did this because Henry V had supposedly done the same to his people. Henry V was one of the greatest warrior Kings that ever lived. When parliament gave the church a bill that would take away a lot of the churches land, they turned for Henry V for help. They would pay him a large sum of money to stop the bill going through. Henry agreed and understood that the only way he could do this was by overtaking France. The church turned to Henry for help because he was an accomplished soldier. He fought his first battle at the age of fourteen and at the age of sixteen he commanded his fathers army at the battle of Shrewsbury. In 1415 Henry proposed to marry Catherine, also demanding for the old Plantagenet lands of Normandy and Anjou as his dowry. Her father, Charles ll refused this and Henry V declared war. With England being in war with Ireland as well he set off to France with only a quarter of the English army, leaving the other three quarters to fight in case

  • Word count: 16960
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The Journeys End

The Journeys End As I woke I noticed that I was no longer on my destroyer but in Iraq how could this of happened there were men al around I think we had been drugged then we were attacked I raised my hand with a clenched fist giving the order to stop and shut up, cautious about us being in hostile terrain. I could hear dogs barking, which obviously meant that the enemy was near, nearer than we had expected. We looked at the map and decided to avoid any enemy contact for now. We were just about to proceed when we noticed an enemy jeep getting nearer, we ducked for cover, and fortunately it just passed by. It was Monday 8th October at around 18:00hrs we were eating around a glowing fire, all we had was standard issue AB's (army biscuits) as they were called, they were alright but a little bit dry. We had been dropped at the Pakistan border by a Lynx, and walked about 3 miles before setting up camp today. We had made an OP (observation post) about 300 yards further on with Jimmy and Mike in it, I was to go and relieve one of them soon. After eating a few more biscuits I went and relieved Mike who went back to camp, I was sitting there thinking about the operation, I didn't know what to expect as we were only lightly briefed. We were told to go in and disable a SAM site, which had been stopping our fighters from bombing. We knew that there would be defences but we didn't know

  • Word count: 1404
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Munby's Henry V: Full Of Fun

Munby's Henry V: Full of Fun Jonathan Munby's version of Henry V has a contemporary battlefield with soldiers running around in camouflage gear and machine guns, and the fields of France are reduced to a metal grill! But do not be discouraged as this so-called metal grill has a few tricks up its sleeve. It could become a steeply sloping ramp dramatically emerging for the exciting battle charge with cannons belching smoke and the rumble of war never far away and then turn into a metallic bridge rising up through pouring rain, under which soldiers wade through water in their modern army clothing. The play in its 'techno' feel truly livens up the atmosphere with gunshot's galore, ear-popping explosions and bright flashes of white light. Even if you couldn't understand the English/French dialect you could at least enjoy the 'fizz, bang and pop'. The night before Agincourt is more important in this play than the battle. The most memorable moment here is when Henry throws off his cloak, announcing himself "Harry Leroy," and still manages to fool the soldier Williams. Nevertheless Cowan (debut as a leading character) as Henry is quite admirable as he timidly starts his speeches and nearly ends up in shouts of rage which can be heard over the cries of war. At the start of the play he appears initially as a nervous young boy in an uncomfortable suit, however, during the battle

  • Word count: 397
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Is Falstaff truer to himself and to others in Henry IV, Part One than Hal is?

Is Falstaff is truer to himself and to others in Henry IV, Part One than Hal is? Within Henry IV, Part One by William Shakespeare, Falstaff is truer to himself and to others than Hal due to the fact that he acts with no responsibilities whatsoever; his most important aim is his own self preservation. On the other hand, the prince is obliged to respond to numerous responsibilities that ultimately vanish his chances of being true to himself. Shakespeare demonstrates that Falstaff's complex character is concentrated on enjoying life at its fullest, while Hal is designated to fulfil his many requirements that are attatched to his position in society. One of the most pressing responsabilites that hangs over Hal is the fact that he will become the future king; the latter is imprisioned in a world of images, where one puts on a sign that reads 'king' and becomes one. His whole intelligent plot that consists in decieveing his father, nation and friends into thinking that his only concerns in life vary from drinking, stealing and having a good time when in fact this role is meant to conrast with the heroic and noble king he intends to portray when his time comes, originated in order to create a better image as a king. The fact that he carries out this plan in order to surprise the whole country, and win the people's love and his father's admiration by becoming an honourable king

  • Word count: 1028
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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A Testament of Youth: Script.

A Testament of Youth: SCRIPT Act One, Scene One A fireplace left stage with a mantle above it with black and white pictures of a young TOM PERN. There is a large bookcase, containing leather bound books, centre back staged, and a grand father clock right staged against a wall next to the door, opposite the door is a large chair were MS. PERN IS SITTING. (Stands up and walks towards the fireplace picks up a picture Looks at it meaningfully and then puts it back face down and sits back down) (Entering hastily): well i'm ready mother. (No response): mother i'm ready (smiling). (Stands furiously): don't look so happy about it (then sits down) (Slightly annoyed yet gentle): mother I'm going to war... most people would be proud (walking towards her) (Snorts) proud! What else do they tell you, huh, (slowly rising again) yes you're a patriot, a hero... you're now a man (Trembling): is this what society tells you? No, it's a death trap wrapped up in wrapped in optimism, don't you...(TOM interrupts sharply) (In a hurt voice) just stop it, don't you care mother don't let me leave like this... I might never see (stops his sentence as he realises what he has said and seen the shock in his mothers eyes) (In shock) there! You said it yourself you might never see me again... then go, go now (turns her back on him) (Looks

  • Word count: 1575
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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'Henry V constantly refuses to accept responsibility for his actions. He has yet to mature and shows no understanding about the true nature of kingship'. How far do you agree with this judgment of Henry?

'Henry V constantly refuses to accept responsibility for his actions. He has yet to mature and shows no understanding about the true nature of kingship'. How far do you agree with this judgment of Henry? By the end of 'Henry V', Henry seems to be a transformed person. From a king who is being manipulated from all sides, he leads his country to win a seemingly impossible war against France. On the other hand, this does not mean that he is a model king because there are many instances in the play when he shows that his real character is contrary to this. Once the war starts, Henry does not regret his decision to go to war and more importantly; accepts that it was his own decision that England is now at war. This is shown in Act 3, Scene 1 where Henry is motivating his army by saying things like "Stiffen the sinews, conjure up the blood" and "Cry, 'God for Harry, England and Saint George!'". Here, he is trying to improve the performance of his army and increasing their morale at the same time. Henry uses strong verbs such as "stiffen", "conjure" and "cry" to increase the effect of his overall speech, which encourages the army to do the actions at that moment instead of doing them in the battle. On the other hand, in Act 4, Scene 1, whilst Henry is reflecting on being a king, he breaks down. He does not want to be held responsible for what happens to his soldiers. He says "We

  • Word count: 1133
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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