"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.

  • Word count: 1657
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"How does Alan Bleasdale create pity for Yosser in "Yosser'sStory"?"

"How does Alan Bleasdale create pity for Yosser in "Yosser's Story"?" Alan Bleasdale created "Boys from the Black stuff", a 5 part very touching story about unemployment in the 1980's in the heart of Liverpool. One of the four stories, "Yosser's Story", follows a man struggling to find a job and look after his three children! It was made into a verisimilar T.V. play in 1982.A T.V. play shows the reactions of Yosser close up. We get to take a journey in his mind and feel the emotions he feels. Using a range of techniques, Alan Bleasdale makes us feel pity for Yosser throughout this story. Irony is created quite often for Yosser using juxtaposition. We are given evidence of this in scene 12 and 13. In scene 12 we see Yosser trying to assert himself that he can cook and that he isn't a failure, while doing this he clearly tells himself, "Sod the chippy"(sc 12). However in scene 13 we cut to see Yosser and his children coming out of the chippy. This shows Yosser's failure to even cook a simple meal for himself and his family. These two scenes are very powerfully juxtaposed to create a pathetic moment for the character of Yosser. The anacalutha in Yosser's speech shows that he may be afraid of something. The examples in scene 29 prove that he is self conscious in talking to the priest. We can tell this by the way he stutters as he approaches the confession box, "Father,

  • Word count: 566
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"How does Chaucer use or adapt the literary conventions of fabliaux and courtly romance in "The Miller's Tale"?"

"How does Chaucer use or adapt the literary conventions of fabliaux and courtly romance in "The Miller's Tale"?" In this essay I am going to reveal how Chaucer uses and adapts the literary conventions of fabliaux and courtly romance in "The Miller's Tale". Chaucer plays around with the conventions of fabliau and courtly romance engaging the idea of a carnival narrative, which uses the reversal of roles. There is also a Latin saying the sprouts from this: "bais cul", which means, "kiss my ass" and basically sets the tone of "The Miller's Tale". Fabliau is a mediaeval verse narrative written for and by aristocrats in whom they make fun at the social appirations and customs of the middle classes. This is the first in the mockery. For the narrator is the miller who is brawny and big boned (L. 548 of The General Prologue) and would steal corn then charge three times the price for it to be brought back (L. 564 of The General Prologue). A man who has no social class whatsoever. The narrative is usually very sexual and earthy. It contains the main characters of a cunning woman, a prostitute, a jealous old husband, a lecherous student and a merchant or priest, of which the husband is normally humiliated. The characters are given no characterisation therefore no sympathy can be given. The main stories normally tell of a second Noah's flood, a misdirected kiss, or of branding. All the

  • Word count: 956
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"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

  • Word count: 981
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"How does J.B Priestley end each act on a note of high drama?"

English essay: "How does J.B Priestley end each act on a note of high drama?" Introduction The play starts off with the setting of an apparently normal family, the Birlings. They are celebrating Sheila Birling's engagement to Gerald Croft , the son of Mr Birling's friendly business rival. At first it appears as though nothing is wrong until an Inspector appears from seemingly no-where ,claiming to be investigating the suicide of a young girl. From this point on the tension in the play builds as one by one the characters are interogated by the Inspector.The highest points of tension are at the end of each of the three acts and Priestley does this in a number of different ways. Act one One of the first things Priestley does to set the scene would be the lighting.At first it would be bright and cheerful ,with colours such as white,yellow and pink.But as the play goes on and reaches the climax the lighting changes and thus does the mood of the audience. It is Birling's speech in Act 1 that sets the scene for the action in the play. Birling is confidently talking to Eric and Gerald about what he thinks about the future.He thinks of everything as though it is business and openly gives Eric and Gerald advice that every man has to look out for himself ,which may leave the audience wondering if this good advice or not. During the early stages of the first act Sheila hints at a

  • Word count: 1406
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"How effective is Chaucer in establishing the General Prologue of "the Canterbury Tales"? (Line 1 - 43)

Edward Gillingham A2 English Lit. (The Canterbury Tales) "How effective is Chaucer in establishing the General Prologue of "the Canterbury Tales"? (Line 1 - 43) The General Prologue is developed through the conflict Chaucer presents between nature and life. Both his description of the scene and of the characters of which he writes, is seen to mirror this contrast and thus it can be seen as one of the many literary devices he uses to make the piece effective. I will show how these devices, the language he uses and the tone it creates allow his success in making the passage efficient. Chaucer opens the General Prologue with a description of the return of spring. He describes the April rains, the burgeoning flowers and leaves, and the chirping birds. The invocation of spring is lengthy and formal compared to the language of the rest of the Prologue. The first lines situate the story in a particular time and place, but the speaker does this in cosmic and cyclical terms, "Zephirus...with his sweete breeth." Chaucer is seen to use such descriptive terms as a celebration of the vitality of spring, using such lexis as: "inspired...engendred...bathed", and qualifies this with images such as: "smale fowles maken melodie." This approach gives the opening lines a dreamy, timeless, unfocused quality, and it is possibly surprising therefore, when he reveals that his true subject is not

  • Word count: 765
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"How far is the Inspector an 'embodiment of a collective conscience' (Gareth Lloyd Evans)?" Consider the Ways in Which JB Priestley Develops the Inspector's Dramatic Impact in the Play

"How far is the Inspector an 'embodiment of a collective conscience' (Gareth Lloyd Evans)?" Consider the Ways in Which JB Priestley Develops the Inspector's Dramatic Impact in the Play In this essay I will consider the way in which JB Priestley presents the character of the Inspector and how he develops his role throughout the play. I will study the Inspectors role through each Act, in detail, and the effect of his presence and questioning on the Birling Family group. I will also look at how far Priestley displays the Inspector as 'an embodiment of a collective conscience'. In Act One, from the point of entry the Inspector begins to affect the family group. He enters at a critical point during Mr. Birling's speech when he sums up his ideas and thoughts on how "A man has to mind his own business and look after his own" (p.10). This speech shows Birling for who he really is; rather pompous, opinionated, bombastic and self-centered, and also makes the audience aware that he will be the main opposition to the Inspector. As soon as the Inspector enters the atmosphere of the room changes, Priestley shows in the stage directions that 'the lighting should be pink and intimate until the Inspector arrives, and then it should be brighter and harder'. This makes it seem as though the room and its occupants are moving from their delusional happiness about life and the engagement, more

  • Word count: 2225
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"How far Nora is a tragic heroine in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House"

IB Oral Oral Exposé on - Presentation Date: March 3rd-7th 2003 "How far Nora is a tragic heroine in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" On a frigid April day in 1864, Henrik Ibsen arrived at the docks in the Norwegian capital of Oslo (then called Christiania). The young man was a failure. The theater he'd run had closed, and none of his own plays were successful. Disillusioned by his country and society, Ibsen, together with his wife and son, boarded a ship and left Norway, figuratively slamming the door behind him. Fifteen years later a similarly disillusioned Nora Helmer would slam the door on stage at the end of A Doll's House, helping to change the course of modern drama. Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentleman, today I will be doing an oral exposé on How far Nora Helmer is a tragic heroine in Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House". The tragic events in a play enable critics to consider it a "tragedy", one which to some extent follows and diverges from the Aristotelian definition. Aristotle believed that tragedy must revolve around a central character known as "the tragic hero, on whom the plot focuses and who exhibits certain characteristics, which leads to his, though in this particular case, her downfall. A tragic heroine is the female version of a tragic hero and is defined as one who tries to remain true to oneself and will do anything to preserve herself. The use of the

  • Word count: 1806
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"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

  • Word count: 1117
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"How to make friends?"Good morning Principal, teachers and fellow students, Welcome all new Form 1 students. This is the first school assembly. It's our honour

"How to make friends?" Good morning Principal, teachers and fellow students, Welcome all new Form 1 students. This is the first school assembly. It's our honour to have all come back to our school and to feel the harmonious atmosphere around the school. Form 1 stage is a critical period in which students need to adapt to the new environment. It's a transitional period for you and you have to overcome these sorts of psychological changes. In the new school year, you will meet different people who are new to you, you will have many subjects that you haven't encountered in primary school. I am the Chairman of the school counseling service. My name is Chris Wong from 6S. I am going to give all Form 1 new students some suggestions on how to make friends. Firstly, let me tell you the importance of making friends briefly. According to Confucianism, 'friends' are one of the five important elements in interpersonal relationships. Friends give consolation, point out the mistakes you make and urge you to correct them. Friends are to be trusted and have the responsibility to 'monitor' each other. Friends are spread all over the world. Confucius even said, 'Teachers are also your FRIENDS because they not only teach you knowledge and learning tactics, but they also teach you social ethics and morals. Morals are clues to guide you - not to act improperly, not to go astray.' You see,

  • Word count: 1001
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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