"Great Expectations" written by Charles Dickens. I have been analysing the way in which Dickens uses language techniques to create
Great Expectations Matthew Connor I have recently been reading the famous novel "Great Expectations" written by Charles Dickens. I have been analysing the way in which Dickens uses language techniques to create themes, characters and a setting for his story. The novel itself was written in Victorian times and a lot of the themes that occur in the book were also very prominent in the Victorian era. Firstly I want to mention the similarities between the main character and narrator Pip and the actual writer Charles Dickens. They both had a very comparable childhood with family problems and suffering very early on in their lives. The most striking similarity though is that both Pip and Dickens were at the bottom of the social ladder and the theme of social status is probably the most important one in this novel. This theme pieces together the whole plot of the book with a lower class Pip always eager to better himself and reach the top of that ladder. I also believe that due to Dickens being initially subjected to a life of poverty he had a negative view of money and status; almost all the characters with wealth and status in the novel end up destroyed. Secondly I am going to discuss the effectiveness of the serialised format of the novel. Charles Dickens actually wrote the novel in separate chapters before eventually merging them to make the book. This therefore is why
"Guys like us are the loneliest guys in the world, They got no family, they don't belong no place". Discuss the theme of loneliness portrayed in "of Mice and Men"
"Guys like us are the loneliest guys in the world, They got no family, they don't belong no place" Discuss the theme of loneliness portrayed in "of Mice and Men" "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck is the story of two farm hands, Lennie and George working up a stake on a ranch so maybe they can buy a place of their own "An' live off the fatta the lan'." George is smart and small where as Lennie is a massively strong giant of a man yet as innocent and simple minded as a young child who relies on George as a protector and mentor. There is a theme of loneliness running through the book which comes from John Steinbecks own experiences of working the land. When George starts his story about what life will be like when they get a plot of land he starts it "guys like us." He's talking about Ranch hands and labourers like him and Lennie probably forced to search for jobs because of the economic recession at the time the book was set. The labourers were nearly always single men who have very unstable jobs and would have had to move on once the job was done (once the harvest was collected for example). Their hard itinerant lifestyle was very lonely as the men were separated from any friends they'd made as soon as their job was finished. So the ranch hands often blew all the money they'd just earned on whisky and prostitutes to drown their sorrows and forget their problems and as
"Guys like us, that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world" Discuss the significance of loneliness in Of Mice and Men.
"Guys like us, that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world" Discuss the significance of loneliness in Of Mice and Men. Loneliness plays an enormous part in Of Mice and Men as a large proportion of the characters are minorities or discriminated against, therefore they have to come to terms with loneliness on an every day basis. The loneliness is endemic of this culture as the line of work they are in often forces them into travelling alone as all of them are 'migrant workers'. It is difficult deal with and all humans want companions. George has a companion in Lennie and although Lennie is not intelligent he is loving and protective. This prompts questions at the Ranch that they go to as the people here are not familiar with this kind of friendship, when they are interviewed by the Boss at the new ranch the boss is suspicious of George. He thinks that George is stealing Lennie's pay but then when George tells him that that is not true he retorts, ' Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy'. Companionship is a foreign aspect of life for him and he cannot understand it. Another character who remarks on this friendship is Slim who has a different opinion to the boss saying that he cannot understand why there aren't more friendships in this world and then he puts it down to 'the whole damn world being scared of each other' There are those who
"Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad - A character analysis of Kurtz.
Character Analysis Kurtz Kurtz is the man who Marlow searches for through the Congo. Marlow's search develops into an obsession and when the search has ended, he only finds a shadow of a man that was once Kurtz. Kurtz was a man who had achieved great things in his life, inspiring each person he had come across and was expected to accomplish more. He came into the Congo with great plans for civilizing the natives, however he became greedy, which ended up being the subject of his own demise. 'I had immense plans...I was on the threshold of great things'. Kurtz's main characteristics were his ability to talk passionately to people and inspire them with his words. He had a charisma that made people feel that he was some kind of a genius. Kurtz was a very talented human being, gifted in many areas. He could not be pinned down to a specific talent. He was seen as a great musician to his cousin that Marlow visits, a brilliant politician and leader of men to the journalist and a genius and humanitarian to his intended. Marlow views him as a universal genius. Kurtz is a round character, who is explored deeply and at times, almost to deep. He is neither the protagonist nor the antagonist, but he is a complex main character within the novel. In places where Kurtz is described, there is imagery of darkness and foreboding evil. Kurtz was an exaggeration of the white people who had
"Hopes and Dreams Help People to Survive, Even if they can Never Become Real"How is this true for George and Lennie/ the characters in 'Of Mice and Men'?
Caroline Seely 11H "Hopes and Dreams Help People to Survive, Even if they can Never Become Real" How is this true for George and Lennie/ the characters in 'Of Mice and Men'? An important theme in 'Of Mice and Men' is that of hopes and dreams. The main dream is that of George and Lennie to own a smallholding and work self-sufficiently. Indeed the story both begins and ends with George narrating the dream to Lennie. As well as George and Lennie other characters such as Candy, Crooks, Curley and Curley's wife have dreams also. All of these hopes and dreams affect the way the characters behave throughout the novel. The book is set during the American depression of the 1930s after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. During this period many Americans struggled to make ends meet. Many left their old lives in the cities of the East, such as Boston or New York, and travelled West to forge new lives for themselves based on agriculture, " An' live off the fatta the lan'." This became the 'American Dream,' this is the dream of George and Lennie. For George the dream serves two main roles. The first is that it makes him strive towards something, giving him ambition and a fantasy of betterment. This makes him a better person because he is careful with his money, doesn't go out drinking or to the brothel, but instead is careful of his responsibilities, "Me an' Lennie's rollin' up a stake, I
"How do the directors of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and the Elephant Man convey to an audience that the central characters are outsiders in society?"
"How do the directors of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and the Elephant Man convey to an audience that the central characters are outsiders in society?" Throughout both films there are many similarities and differences between the directive strategies of Directors David Lynch and Steven Spielberg although it should be remembered that there is a theory that all stories derive from six basic plots. The directors have chosen characters that compare with the general feeling of the period for the two similar plots. Spielberg in ET developed a plot creating and using a modern day fairy tale whilst David Lynch creates his plot in Elephant Man with a more credible scenario by using a historic figure, John Merrick. In Victorian times disfigured people were at the bottom of society whereas if John Merrick had been placed in the 1970's he would have received greater sympathy which would not have been the affect that David Lynch sought to convey. During the opening of ET there is an apparently insignificant but important scene. ET bends down to grab a plant as the camera moves slightly to the right, showing a rabbit which is clearly comfortable with this 'outsider' being there. Spielberg uses the concept of a rabbit's instinct to show that ET is a harmless creature. As the authorities arrive ET is left behind, on earth and Spielberg closes the scene with a long-shot of the city. He
"How do the themes explored by Mary Shelley in 'Frankenstein' relate to a modern audience?"
Natalie Davidson 11ZA3 "How do the themes explored by Mary Shelley in 'Frankenstein' relate to a modern audience?" The beginning of civilisation brought the evidential classification of people as insiders and outsiders in any close society, due to the narrow stereotypical minds of the masses and often the simplistic facts of life. People are separated from the rest of the community as a result of perhaps their physical appearance or a difference in their personality. Stereotypical idols in today's society are greatly influential; we are quick to identify faults in others and use this excuse to ostracise them from the world and ourselves. Mary Shelley embodies this 'outsider' through the monster that Frankenstein creates. He is isolated and rejected by everyone, so we are made to empathise with him; human beings have a natural instinct to do this, so the text is universalised. Ironically, at times the monster is more humane than those who consider themselves human, those who consider themselves 'insiders', opposed to the monster- an outsider. This novel opens on a personal note, Shelley uses the device of letters as a hook to draw in the reader; an invasion of privacy universalises the thoughts on paper, like reading someone else's diary. This makes it easier for us to empathise to Captain Walton and subsequently Victor Frankenstein, who is very similar in many aspects to
"How do the values and attitudes of the Great Gatsby reflect the American Dream".
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald A-Level English Literature : Ed Gillett - October 13, 1997 "How do the values and attitudes of the Great Gatsby reflect the American Dream" "Out of a misty dream, our path emerges for a while, then closes within a dream" - Norman Douglas (1862-1958) In "The Great Gatsby" F. Scott Fitzgerald has created a social satire of America in the 1920's in which he exposes the American Dream as being inherently flawed and merely an illusion produced by idealism. This American Dream has been traditionally associated with the pursuit of freedom and equality. It can be traced back to the original settlers and the hope which the New World brought to them, away from the persecution inflicted by their religion. Essentially it offered the fulfilment of human desire for spiritual and material improvement. However, what became quickly apparent was that the materialistic side of the dream was achieved to quickly and easily and outpaced the spiritualistic development. A state of materialistic well being emerged, but lacking in spiritual life or purpose. Throughout "The Great Gatsby" we, the audience, are made aware of the flaws of the American Dream through the values and attitudes of the western society. Although the dream has established progress, prosperity and democratic principles, there is still rife class conflicts, corruption and exploitation.
"How does Hardy treat gender roles in chapter 10 of Far from the Madding Crowd."
"How does Hardy treat gender roles in chapter 10 of Far from the Madding Crowd." Hardy uses many subtle and individual techniques to display gender roles within this chapter. In the main these reciprocate normal behaviour by having a woman in a superior position dominating a lot of men. This idea is known as subversion of gender, and this is the main technique used in this chapter. One must remember that at the time of writing this was sensational, as women were not considered self-reliant. The first thing the reader sees is the chapter heading, and in Hardy's case, he uses chapter headings as a summary for the chapter; "Mistress and Men" implies a Mistress holding power over men. It is this subversion of gender roles, which lends the attraction for ladies of leisure in the 1900s, and also generates humour; as at the time the thought of a woman in control of men would have been laughable. It also serves to impress upon the ladies of leisure that would have read this format of writing, that women could be self-reliant. This could have been seen as a dangerous ideal, as it promotes independence, something not required of the middle and upper class ladies of the time. The main technique Hardy used is the subversion of gender, and this is shown when Bathsheba speaks to the men. There is a reciprocation of gender roles; she shows independence and speaks to the men with great
"How far was Lloyd Georges fall from grace in 1922 the result of his own mistakes after 1918, rather than Conservative disillusionment with him?"
"How far was Lloyd Georges fall from grace in 1922 the result of his own mistakes after 1918, rather than Conservative disillusionment with him?" A general election held in 1918 gave Lloyd George and the Conservative coalition a very comfortable majority in parliament, but it also left Lloyd George in an untenable position. The coalition consisted overwhelmingly of Conservatives, meaning that Lloyd George's hold on power was extremely weak. He could not do many of the things he would have liked to do in a purely Liberal government, simply because he did not have the support of the Conservatives. After the war, Lloyd George faced some very serious domestic problems. Firstly was the issue of the German reparations and punishments. There was a strong feeling in Britain that Germany was fully responsible for the war, and therefore should be punished severely. Lloyd George did not subscribe to this opinion. He felt that Germany should be punished, but not to the extent that it ceased to exist. He came to the conclusion that if Germany was effectively destroyed by war payments, it would leave a large power vacuum in the centre of Europe. Lloyd George was worried that this gap would be filled by the Communist ideals of the Bolsheviks. Along with this, the post-war depression that was consuming Britain resulted in a loss of popularity for Lloyd George. The new markets Britain were
