Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In What Way Does The Opening Dialogue Help to Establish an Understanding of George and Martha?
Samantha Foster - English Literature Coursework Albee - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? In What Way Does The Opening Dialogue Help to Establish an Understanding of George and Martha? The opening dialogue of Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?' serves a similar purpose as an opening would with many other plays; allowing the audience a brief insight into the principal characters and their situation. Some of the major themes are touched upon in the opening dialogue, giving Albee the scope to develop these, through the unfolding of the plot, within the minds of his audience. Martha initially appears to have the more dominant character, behaving in a forceful and irate manner while at the same time belittling her husband, George through insulting him and preying on his personal weaknesses. Therefore George is made out to be the submissive partner and wearily agrees to go along with Martha's initial 'game'. The names George and Martha have a suggestive nature, especially when coupled, evoking images of the first President: George Washington and his wife Martha, the seeming epithet of the ideal couple and the American Dream. However, Albee shatters this image immediately through having Martha as the dominant figure in the relationship, thus going against what is considered to be normal for the period when the play was written and first preformed. The American Dream
Compare the way that Charlotte Bronte and John Steinbeck show the theme of friendship as shown by Jane Eyre and Helen Burns in “Jane Eyre” and Lennie Small and George Milton in “Of Mice and Men”.
Compare the way that Charlotte Bronte and John Steinbeck show the theme of friendship as shown by Jane Eyre and Helen Burns in "Jane Eyre" and Lennie Small and George Milton in "Of Mice and Men" The theme of friendship is so important in both "Of Mice and Men" and "Jane Eyre" because it helps the characters to survive emotionally. Friendships are important because they help people socialise which stops them from feeling isolated and lonely. Another reason why friendship is important is because of the mutual trust and reliance. Loyalty is also a very important element of friendship. Jane Eyre is a young girl of ten years old, whose mother and father died when she was very young. No blood relative was around to look after her so she was put into the care of her aunt, Mrs Reed. She falls foul of Mrs Reed and her children and is soon segregated from their company, being accused of " appalling behaviour". As punishment for this Jane is sent to Lowood institute, for orphaned girls. She soon meets her future best friend, Helen Burns. It was made clear early on in the novel that Jane was segregated from Mrs Reed's children. An example of this is when Jane hides away to read to her cousin John's disgust. He becomes cruel and physically abusive towards Jane, her resulting anger and refusal to be ordered around by John results in Jane being wrongfully sent to the "red room". The
Background The 1930's In The USA.
In the 1920's/1930's a lot of Americans got the idea that investing in shares was a safe way of making money, but many didn't know the risks that could occur when buying shares, and on the 4 October 1929 America suffered from the 'Wall Street Crash.' This meant that billions of dollars were lost due to the stock markets crashing and the prices of shares dramatically falling, the 'Wall Street Crash' left countless numbers of American citizens with no life savings and on the edge of bankruptcy. It also caused many companies and businesses to go bust or close down, and consequently left many workers unemployed and broke. This mass of unemployment resulted in many people moving from the big cities out to the countryside to find work on farms as itinerant workers. These itinerant workers were most often men who were sacked due to the Wall Street crash, and a lot of the time found themselves alone and lonely. Itinerant workers had to keep moving from farm to farm and therefore could never make any long time friends, many had no home to go back to or even any family to contact. The farms conditions were very poor and there was a big health and safety risk due to the large and dangerous machinery used daily by the workers, the average number of deaths on farms in America per year was around 25,000. But this high number of deaths didn't stop the Itinerant workers from working, as
In what ways is “Of Mice And Men” a novel about loneliness? With reference to at least two other characters, show how Steinbeck explores this theme in the novel.
In What Ways Is "Of Mice And Men" A Novel About Loneliness? With Reference To At Least Two Other Characters, Show How Steinbeck Explores This Theme In The Novel. All the way through the novel, Steinbeck uses loneliness to draw parallels and comparisons between characters. For example, the relationship between George and Lennie is similar to the relationship Candy has with his dog. The dog is useless like Lennie is dumb, in the world they live in, there is no need for them but in a similar way Candy, Lennie, Crooks and Curley's wife share one thing and that's the isolation, they have from everyone else on the ranch. From the beginning of the novel, it is clear that although George and Lennie are exact opposites, even though neither of them seems to be able to live without the other, even though George would be able to get along without so much trouble, Lennie is what sets him apart from the stereotypical virtues of a drifter. It is because they travel together though which the other men like the Boss who says it is suspicious and consider it very unusual, this is shown in what they say, "I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy" The boss even suspects that George is taking Lennie's pay for himself. However, this is not the case, although at the beginning of the novel it is unclear exactly what George's motives are for caring for Lennie. What is clear
How does the author make Lennie a sympathetic character?
How does the author make Lennie a sympathetic character? In "OF MICE AND MEN" John Steinback makes Lennie a sympathetic character by the way he is described as in physique and also in means of mentality. Lennie is also described by the author in the way the other characters in the story describe him. His act of speech and his actions is also provided in the story. Lennie's attitude and actions are not the same towards all the characters in the story. He gets along well with some of the characters in the story and with some he doesn't. The fact that is really strange is that, his physique doesn't match his mentality. The time at which this book was written, USA was going under The Depression. At which during this time many people were left unemployed. Most of the people who worked in the ranches at that time were all surviving and had just enough food to feed themselves. They were given very low wages and had to work in very bad conditions. People usually traveled miles together to find a job as they never had a fixed contract. Since all this used to happen in the late 1930's, people would walk across the country in order to find a job and many a times they would get robbed as the majority of them traveled solo. But here, George and Lennie are an exception. Throughout the story, all the characters are alone except for George and Lennie, as I mentioned above earlier in the
What differing views of heroes and heroism are explored in Mice and Men, and the Sexton’s Hero?
What differing views of heroes and heroism are explored in Mice and Men, and the Sexton's Hero? The idea of a hero, a man idealised for superior qualities, has been present in legends for centuries. The Greek myths contained heroes such as Hercules and Theseus, who outwitted and overpowered evil beings. This Greek image of a brave and strong hero was then carried into medieval tales, where a 'warrior type' male of exceptional courage and ability would stand up against evil and battle the monsters. The vision of a hero then developed from the 'warrior type' male into a man with not just physical strength but also mental strength. A man who would stick by his morals or principles. A hero was also thought to be modest, courageous, have integrity and willing to stick to his morals. An example of this is the 19th Century hero. However, one aspect that had not changed from the Greek myths was that the hero was always a male and if a female was mentioned she was a weak, vulnerable character, unable to save herself. It was not until the late 19th Century that the female figure became more independent. An example of this change is in 'Turned' by Charlotte Gilmore- Perkins where the well-educated Mrs Marroner leaves her husband and is able to support herself. Heroes and Heroines then moved into the modern day. They were now seen as people of any class who were willing to risk their own
We analyzed the first section of the Flight by John Steinbeck. There are two main categories in the introductory section that we had analyzed- the setting and the introduction of characters.
We analyzed the first section of the Flight by John Steinbeck. There are two main categories in the introductory section that we had analyzed- the setting and the introduction of characters. But before we describe the setting, we are going to briefly talk about Steinbeck. John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, and lived the early part of his life in Monterey County, California. It was here that Steinbeck developed a knowledge and love of the natural world and the diverse cultures that figure so prominently in his works. The setting is described in the first paragraph. It talks about where the Torres family farm was located. It is located about fifteen miles below Monterey, where we previously talked about and where most of Steinbeck's fiction took place. In the first sentence, it tells us they lived not far away from a cliff and it describes the surroundings-the brown reefs and the hissing white water. The place Steinbeck described, was of his native region of Monterey Bay Then in the second sentence, Steinbeck tells of a stone mountain behind the farm. Steinbeck is actually describing Torre Canyon (before known as Tores Canyon) which was located near Monterey Bay, which relates to the name of the "Torres" family. In the third sentence, Steinbeck describes the farm house they lived in. It gives us the feeling that it was old, and been through a lot through the years.
Candy empathy task. Well, here I am again on the same old ranch full of the same old ranch workers
Well, here I am again on the same old ranch full of the same old ranch workers. It wasn't going to be like this. I nearly got away from it all. Ya see, in all them other I had a dream. Made me feel kinda special, I s'pose, because there ain't too many guys who hang on to a vision these days. Anyhow, Lennie's gone now. I gotta say even if he was a crazy bastard that shattered my dream, he was someone to talk to, in fact; he was the one that told me about the dream in the first place. I will miss that crazy bastard. Ways are back to what they were before George and Lennie turned up. The same old people as before. Curley is still as cocky as before except he has a screwed up hand. I heard Curley say to Carlson that if he comes across another girl that he likes his hand is going into that glove again. And the other difference is that my companion is not here. I remember how he used to follow me everywhere even if he was getting a bit old and did not look very attractive like he used to; but that was hardly his fault. Still if it had to be done I would have preferred to do it myself. He was my dog, my companion, my friend. I don't know how I am going to get through the last few years of my life without him. I shoulda done it myself. They woulda let me leave this ranch but where would I go. I can't go to the farm on my own can I. The thought of leaving my dog behind, is just too
Steinbeck's depiction of Curley's wife.
Perhaps the most significant development in this chapter is Steinbeck's depiction of Curley's wife. Before this episode, the reader might dismiss her as easily as George does. She shows herself to be a flirt, a conscious temptress, and a manipulator. However, in the final moments before her death, Steinbeck presents his sole female character sympathetically. Her loneliness becomes the focus of this scene, as she admits that she too has an idea of paradise that circumstances have denied her. Her dream of being a movie star is not unlike George's fantasy of the farm; both are desperately held views of the way life should be, which have long persisted despite their conflict with reality. Curley's wife seems to sense, like Crooks (who notes earlier that Lennie is a good man to talk to), that because Lennie doesn't understand things, a person can say almost anything to him. She confesses her unhappiness in her marriage, her lonely life, and her broken dreams in "a passion of communication." Unfortunately, she fails to see the danger in Lennie, and her attempt to console him for the loss of his puppy by letting him stroke her hair leads to her tragic death. Another key element is the companionship between George and Lennie. The two men are not unique for wanting a place and a life of their own, but they are unique in that they have each other. Their companionship contrasts the
Having Read Of Mice Men,What have you learnt about the life of a ranch worker in 1930’s America?
9/11/2001 Having Read Of Mice Men, What have you learnt about the life of a ranch worker in 1930's America? The book Of Mice and Men is set in California, at the time of the Great Depression. The American stock market had collapsed, and left the country in a state of economic disarray. This affected the two main characters George and Lennie who have to work on ranches because there was a need for people to work on the land and not much work elsewhere. Georges dream is to own a farm or a ranch of his own so he could be his own boss and wouldn't have to be pushed round by other ranch owners who he works for now. This is the American dream George and Lennie aren't alone in their dream. He says to Lennie, "We're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs..." Because of this dream George resents authority, when he first meets Curley (the ranch owners son) he spoke to him in an 'insulting manner' and refuses to give Curley a straight answer. The life of the ranchers is very hard, they works every day except Sunday and only gets fifty dollars a month. All week the farm workers would toil the land for the ranch owners and would be paid a tiny percentage of the profit. They were very lonely people, with only their colleagues at the ranch and the women at the local 'cat house' for company, no wife, children and no family. George recognizes this and I
