One of the focuses in Great Expectations is growing up. How does the older Pip (the writer) depict Pip's growing up in Kent (Book 1) and London? Add a paragraph that compares your own growing up with Pip's development.

Lil Maisky Year 11 English Literature Coursework: Great Expectations One of the focuses in Great Expectations is growing up. How does the older Pip (the writer) depict Pip's growing up in Kent (Book 1) and London? Add a paragraph that compares your own growing up with Pip's development. Great Expectations is a novel of morals and about learning from one's mistakes and lack of judgement. The older Pip, looking back on his childhood, depicts his younger self as an innocent naive boy in Kent who thinks that he will obtain everything he wants, including the woman he loves, by wealth and social class. As he stays in London for longer under the watchful eye of his convict of a benefactor, Magwitch, but more accurately his guardian, Jaggers, he learns that social class and economical superiority are not everything. One has to stay loyal to those who care for us not only for our money and status, but for our true selves. In the beginning of the book, Pip is caught in a hostile family situation between an abusive sister and her gentle, weak but kind husband, Joe. Mrs. Joe is clearly the dominant figure in the relationship, and although Joe tries to defend Pip in a subtle way from his wife's violence towards him, he still describes Mrs. Joe as "a fine figure of a woman." Pip is the subject of Mrs. Joe's abuse both physically, and mentally as she, along with others, give him a

  • Word count: 1569
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Compare the ways in which Thurber and Dickens have addressed notions on fantasy and reality.

Compare the ways in which Thurber and Dickens have addressed notions on fantasy and reality. The Two stories to be compared are "The Poor Relations Story" written in the 19th Century by Charles Dickens, and "The Secret life of Walter Mitty" written in the 20th Century by James Thurber. Both Stories are written around fantasy and reality. The Poor Relations Story is set in Clapham road, London and The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty is set in America. The Poor Relations Story is about a man, Michael, aged between 59 and 60, who leads a routined, unexciting lifestyle. He is looked upon as plain and boring, which is basically what he is. He has a quarterly allowance, which he has to live on. Michael's fantasies are about having a more interesting life. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is about a middle-aged man, Walter, who lives with his dominant and powerful wife. She makes Walter feel weak and demands that he obeys her. He does this because he doesn't want to agree. His life is just dull and normal. Both Stories use first and third person, which sets how you look upon the character. James Thurber has made Walter Mitty sound stupid and sad, "the greatest pistol shot in the world thought for a moment". This shows how ridiculous he is, and that he has just come out of one of his many fantasies. This has been made so that you see how he gets caught up in both notions and

  • Word count: 825
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

The Time Machine - Science fiction review

The Time Machine Coursework Jess Brightley Science Fiction has been around for many years and is a well known topic in books and films. It all started from beliefs from a man named Charles Darwin. He believed in space, time travel and all sorts of wacky things, though he later died and couldn't carry on his ideas. But a man by the name of HG Wells came to light; his first book 'The time machine' was written in 1895 and was a huge hit. It was the first ever science fiction novel. It had all the features of science fiction in it, from space and aliens to theories and evolution. The book is well known for its amazing imagery and strange, random features. The plot begins with its three main chapters. These three are very important to the book and without them we wouldn't understand the meaning of the book and it works. So HG Wells has to explain about the Time Travellers ideas and beliefs so that we can get a deeper meaning of the book. In a way it brings us into the mood and we are ready for the action to come in the next couple of chapters. In these first few chapters we feel as if we are in the room with him, "This little affair, said the Time Traveller, resting his elbows upon the table and pressing his hands together above the apparatus," He uses a lot of discreet imagery and it seems life - like, as if u can feel

  • Word count: 883
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Billy Budd Essay

Billy Budd Essay "Struck dead by an angel of God! Yet the angel must hang!"(p.60). This quote, famously spoken in the short story of Billy Budd by Herman Melville, presents to readers one of the most wondrous characters in all of Literature, Billy Budd. Originally written near the end of Melville's life in 1891 and never completely finished, this short story is an intriguing tale of a young sailor's life at sea. Billy Budd, being the protagonist, is a young 21-year-old cheery sailor who is impressed into military service in England. Called "Baby Budd" by his fellow sailors, Billy is a physically beautiful, handsome young lad whose popularity and hypnotizing good looks gets the attention of every sailor on board the Indomitable. But trouble steams up when Billy gets the attention of John Claggart, master-at-arms on the ship, whose evil intent is to destroy Billy Budd. And as readers soon find out that Claggart is a hateful man in this short story symbolized as evil, readers also discover that Billy Budd is portrayed as a naïve and ignorant character in the story who symbolizes innocence. Billy Budd is displayed as a young man with a naïve and ignorant character in the novel who is unable to comprehend Claggart's evil intentions. Previously mentioned, Billy Budd is a "Handsome Sailor" as said by the author or a sailor with extremely good looks. Due to this, Billy is

  • Word count: 649
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

How did Dracula Highlight Repressive Victorian Attitudes Towards Women

How did Dracula Highlight Repressive Victorian Attitudes Towards Women The Victorian age was a pivotal point in history. At this time the most powerful empire in the world Great Britain. During this period there were significant advancements in industrial technology. Britain was seen as the "Workshop of the World" it had the finest industries in the empire and could build equipment to unsurpassed standards. These advancements were highlighted in the Great Exhibition in 1851 in Crystal Palace; a showcase for the British Empire, where all of Great Britain's' colonies exhibited at it showing just how great the British Empire was. However, despite the advancements in industry and other technology, ideas about the role of women in society had not progressed, women's lives were still very limited. Their role was to be a patient and an affectionate wife and mother, "they belonged as property of their husbands and if they had no male relatives to support them they were destitute." Britain was primarily a patriarchal society. Men discounted women as being completely irrational and incapable of logical thought and therefore women in this period where generally ignored; their views were not considered valid enough to be taken into consideration. During this period the gothic novel under went a period of transition also. This was redirected into a new form entitled "Irish

  • Word count: 872
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

What is H.G. Wells trying to achieve with his novel The Time Machine? What Literary techniques does he use to accomplish his objective? You should refer to historical, social and cultural influences at the time.

Time Machine Coursework Question: What is H.G. Wells trying to achieve with his novel The Time Machine? What Literary techniques does he use to accomplish his objective? You should refer to historical, social and cultural influences at the time. Written by H.G. Wells, the story of 'The Time Machine' is regarded by some as one of the greatest science fiction novels of all time. It puts forward many views towards time travel, communism and other types of leadership which H.G. Wells felt strongly for, and also against. Herbert George Wells was born on September 21, 1866 in Kent, England. His father was a professional cricket player and shopkeeper, and his mother, a former lady's maid. He took lots of short part-time jobs, including a teacher's assistant at a grammar school before going to college to study biology, where he graduated in 1888. He was influenced by a number of other writers at that time, notably Jules Verne, and he wrote his first novel 'The Time Machine', partly in response to the kind of writing Verne produced. The Time Machine was released as a book in 1895. This book was successful and ensured that he would not have to worry about money, or get another job in the future. After this H.G. Wells wrote a number of other novels, with the most well known ones being, 'The Island of Dr. Moreau', 'The Invisible Man', and 'The War Between The Worlds'. H.G. Wells is

  • Word count: 2564
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Having Read The "Woman in Black" and "The Signalman", say Which one You Think is The Better Ghost Story and Explain Your Reasons For your Choice.

Having Read The "Woman in Black" and "The Signalman", say Which one You Think is The Better Ghost Story and Explain Your Reasons For your Choice (Key: WIB-Woman In Black / TS-The Signalman) In my own view when it comes to deciding which of the texts is better, I would prefer "The Woman In Black". This is because the author has a distinct way in which she builds up the dark, ominous mood of the book. Conversely, while both of the texts are categorised as ghost stories, they differ in many aspects. "Let us, then be introduced to the actors in a placid way, let us see them going about their ordinary business, undisturbed by foreboding, pleased with their surroundings; and into this calm environment, let the ominous thing put out it's head, unobtrusively at first, and then more insistently, until it holds the stage." - M.R.Jones - Ghost Story Writer 20th Century The narrative devices used in WIB are used to great effect. For example, when the author tries to give clues to the future, she provides them very obviously when needed. "'Children?' 'Children.' Mr Bentley fell silent.....'No, there were no children.'" Here, it is shown that children are a key clue to the proceedings of the story. It is shown by the characters reaction to the word. The paragraph is 'lengthened' by the way that is described. This emphasises the point about children This theme is repeated many

  • Word count: 1759
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Charlotte Lucas says: "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance". Examine the presentation of marriage in Pride and Prejudice. During the novel of Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen

'Charlotte Lucas says: "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance". Examine the presentation of marriage in Pride and Prejudice. During the novel of Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, we are presented with many marriages and relationships between the characters. As each character is introduced to another (or if a new character has been entered into the novel), Austen always tells us about their social status and financial background as this was a major contribution to marriage back then. In those times, one of the most important reasons to marry was because of money and income; it wasn't common for people to marry for love alone. Charlotte Lucas knows this and says "Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance". This implies that the marriage could be a happy or unhappy time depending on how well the characters know each other beforehand. Austen created many single female characters in Pride and Prejudice and she put each of them in a bad light, which is ironic as she never married herself. Austen says in Pride and Prejudice that a woman who never marries could only look forward to living with relatives and therefore being dependant on them, as women didn't have their own careers; the only path open to them was marriage. This is why when Charlotte Lucas marries Mr Collins at age 27, her brothers are glad that she won't 'die an old maid'.

  • Word count: 1779
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Compare and contrast thre enineteenth century short stories commenting on the author's use of gothic genre conventions of horror and the supernatural.

Compare and contrast three nineteenth century short stories commenting on the author's use of gothic genre conventions of horror and the supernatural The three short stories that I have chosen to compare and contrast are: The Signalman by Charles Dickens, An Arrest by Ambrose Bearcy and Napoleon and the Spectre by Charlotte Brontë. All these stories were completed by the mid to late eighteenth hundreds. The Signalman is set by a railway in Britain, along a lonely stretch of a railway line in a steep cutting. An Arrest is set in America and for the most part in a forest. Napoleon and the Spectre is set in Paris. Gothic genre was one of the leading and most used genres of the nineteenth century and this genre is very prevalent in all three of the stories that I have chosen. The gothic genre originated from South America in the seventeenth century and the idea of it is to add certain characteristics to the story that alienate and distinguish a section of a story form the rest of the novel making it feel and sound more eerie. Gothic novels tended to contain a supernatural element in them. This probably due to the Victorian fascination with the paranormal, as a reaction to the technological advances of the past century, which had denied the existence of such a phenomenon. There was growth of religious fervour at the time, which helped to admiss the existence of ghosts

  • Word count: 829
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay

Compare the opening scenes from two versions of great expectations. Which version do you think is most effective for the audience?

Compare the opening scenes from two versions of great expectations. Which version do you think is most effective for the audience? Consider; chapter 1 from the novel Camera work Dickens, one of the best novelists of all time wrote many books campaigning for social justice and work was filmed many times as he was a very famous actor. Making a film like this would require much thought and there are many problems a Director would face for example the setting of the movie and what people expect from characters like expressions and speech. That's also true in films like Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings etc. where the Director has had to try and portray characters who are familiar to the people from the book in to the movie or maybe keep it simple or add touches of special effects. The first Great Expectations I saw was in black and white and was made in 1946 at about Christmas time. Surprisingly colour was available at the time but the director, David Lean chose to work in black & white. B&W in films is hardly used now apart from times of flashback or to add some dramatic effect. The credits come at the beginning and it is accompanied by a mixture of dramatic and jolly orchestra music which maybe was to get the viewer into a good mood. Finally when the movie starts there is a voiceover by the adult Pip who is reading the opening sentences. After that a strong wind whips the

  • Word count: 1168
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
Access this essay