How does Dickens inform the reader of his negative view on education in the opening chapters of Hard Times?
How does Dickens inform the reader of his negative view on education in the opening chapters of Hard Times? Throughout the opening chapters of Hard Times Dickens clearly expresses his concerns for the education system at the time. Set in the 1850's - the middle of the Industrial Revolution - Hard Times describes the school as a rationalist place were the schoolroom is a ' monotonous vault' were children are taught only 'facts'' The way that Dickens describes the education clearly shows he is against it and that a romanticist education is better. The reader is forced to agree with him. The first paragraph of Hard Times uses the repetition of the 'Facts'. Dickens dislike for the rationalist education is shown in the first sentence, where he uses a large capital letter in the phrase 'Now what I want is facts'. The word now is an imperative, which shows that Gradgrind is very controlling. By using the phrase the reader is almost immediately aware of Gradgrind's fascination with 'Facts' and that he has no reasoning and us always right, even when he is wrong. Dickens continues to show his anxiety for the education system by using the phrase 'plant nothing else and root of everything else'. This informs the reader that Gradgrind sees the children as flowerbeds full of weeds and ones that need 'Facts' and a rationalist education to become something in life. He also believes that
What kind of images of himself does Catullus wish to project in his poems? How does he try to persuade us to accept them?
What kind of images of himself does Catullus wish to project in his poems? How does he try to persuade us to accept them? Catullus' collection contains a huge range of poetic styles and subjects. It is, therefore, hard to make sweeping generalisations about his work, but recurring themes (especially in the 'cycles' of poems addressed to one person or about one subject) and ways in which Catullus presents himself can be identified. For example, Catullus often tries to portray himself as learned, honourable and having urbanitas (urbanity, sophistication), whilst mocking those he sees as lacking virtue and showing rusiticitas (rusticity). The first poem is important as it is programmatic: it sets out the agenda for the collection to come (or at least the first of the three libelli that Catullus might have originally organised his work into). Catullus may here describe his own poetry as mere "trivia", being self-effacing, but he also alludes to his work being polished (both literally and metaphorically), "which recalls the language of the neo-Callimachean tradition, one that values refined, careful attention to the minutiae of style"1. Moreover, he alludes to the originality of his work, when describing it as a "neat new booklet". Through these techniques, Catullus manages to subtly show us the virtues of his work. The poem is addressed to the poet Cornelius Nepos, which is apt
Antigone by Sophocles - Show how Creon's pride of power leads to his destruction, and how Antigone's pride makes her an honorable character who should be treated as a hero.
Pride is a quality that all people possess in one way or another. Some people take pride in their appearance, worldly possessions, or position in society. The story of Antigone written by Sophocles has two characters who have a tragic flaw of pride. I will show how Creon's pride of power leads to his destruction, and how Antigone's pride makes her an honorable character who should be treated as a hero. Creon is a man who has just become the king of Thebes and has a flaw of having too much pride. He can't control the power of being over other people and he lets the power go to his head. " I now possess the throne and all its powers. No, he must be left unburied, his corpse carrion for the birds and dogs to tear, an obscenity for the citizens to behold!"(1272) In getting his new powers Creon decides to make a decree that will not allow the brother of Antigone to be buried, and if someone does bury him then that person will be killed. This goes against the beliefs of most of the people in the town and many feel that it goes against what the gods would see as acceptable. A leader tries to suggest that it could be the work of the gods. "My king, ever since he began I've been debating in my mind, could this possibly be the work of the gods?"(1274) This again is a reference that the people are disgusted by what Creon has decreed. They feel like it is gross or disgusting to let a
Asian American term paper
1/2/08 Struggle for Identity "No-No Boy" by John Okada greatly portrays Japanese in America during World War II. The identity of Japanese and Americans cannot be in collision. It is either one or the other. Even if the Japanese were born and raised in the United States, they were not seen as "Americans". Their place in society was not accepted and highly discriminated. Harsh treatment, name calling, and even murder were set upon them. As a result of this, the Japanese suffered identity crisis, uncertain of who they are and what group they belonged to. Throughout the novel of "No-No Boy", we encounter different Japanese-American families and homes. Although they were all Japanese, their experiences and backgrounds have changed who they are and their perspectives of the world. Each family and character had their own struggles within the story. And their conflicts were all derived from the fact that they were Japanese living in the United States. The main character Ichiro Yamada was a No-No Boy who refused to serve in the U.S. Army and was sent behind the bars for two years. Once released, he faced challenges not only in society but also within his inner self. To him, he was neither Japanese nor American. He was born biologically as Japanese by his parents but living in American. By answering "no" to the loyalty questions, a part of him wanted to respect his mother but
Demon May Cry.
English Gothic horror coursework Demon May Cry According to legend, 2000 years ago while snow was falling on a clear, freezing night on Earth, a fierce devil prince was born deep in the darkest pit of the netherworld. He grew rapidly. Within a short time he gained his full powers and took into the Devil Throne. His first act as a ruler of all devils was to declare himself emperor of the Devil Kingdom. His next feat was an invasion of the human world. His plan was to conquer it and rule over both the lower and upper realms. But a powerful devil-knight known as Sparda took pity on humans for their brief, transient lives. In fierce battles he defeated all the Devil ruler's armies and finally imprisoned him in a sealed vault. Having achieved his victory, Sparda abandoned the Devil Kingdom to live in the human world. He married a human woman and soon fathered a half devil, half man son. But beware, mankind. After 2000 years, the cursed Devil Emperor will be released and will return to invade the human world once again. Sparda's son must be our protector! In a time, long since past... In an age of darkness, when the Earth was overrun with demons and humans were powerless under their rule... Humanity's hope lived in a demon named Sparda. With a spirit unlike any other, and wielding the sword that bore his own name, Sparda eradicated the demons. And now, the legend of Sparda...has
Illustrate the case for reading the poem as (in part) a study in becoming Roman
Illustrate the case for reading the poem as (in part) a study in becoming Roman. To both modern and ancient readers alike perhaps one theme of the Aeneid has generally been perceived most strongly, that of the poem's glorification and aetiological justification of the values and society of the Imperial Rome in which its poet, Vergil, lived. In contrast to the Hesiodic concept of the decline of society from a bygone Golden Age, Vergil implicitly argues in the Aeneid for the constant evolution of society as having produced in Rome the very pinnacle of civilisation. However, this does not mean that his view is universally rose-tinted: Vergil, also, manages to portray the pathos of those who give their lives for this end (e.g. the self-sacrifices of Dido in book IV and Nisus and Euryalus in book IX [at whose plight Vergil says siquid mea carmina possunt, nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo1]). Like Augustus, Vergil tends to relate the present to mos maiorum, so that innovation is given the guise of conservatism (as Rome was, after all, a generally conservative society). In this essay, I shall discuss the ways in which the poem expresses the development of such a Roman identity. From the outset the poem explains that Aeneas' struggles (with which we are first met) are not in vain: his descendants are, famously, to obtain imperium sine fine, in the words of Jupiter (1.277).
What, if anything, is particularly Athenian about Greek tragedy?
What, if anything, is particularly Athenian about Greek tragedy? One could say that the whole institution of Greek tragedy is particularly Athenian; no other polis fostered such a dramatic tradition to the same extent. However, I aim to discuss exactly to what extent such an Athenian background is reflected in tragedy, its origins and its performance. It could be argued that what we call Greek tragedy might just as well have been called Athenian tragedy, since much of what we study, e.g. the famous plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, was staged, written and conceived within Athens. To start by looking at tragedy's origins, one can focus on the word from which tragedy derives, tragoidia. Until recently, the tragos ('billy goat') element in this word was understood as referring to the goat-like satyrs in the saturikon ('satyr play') from which Aristotle suggested that Athenian tragedy is derived.1 However, a modern hypothesis, which perhaps has more weight behind it, is that tragoidia means 'song for the prize goat' (on the analogy of arnoidos, an earlier term for rhapsoidos ['rhapsode'], meaning 'he who sings for the prize lamb'). The competitive aspect of ancient tragedy, emphasised by this etymology, is all important: a tragedian would compete with two other playwrights, each staging three works. This competitive aspect highlights the important social function of
How does Timberlake Wertenbaker's 'Our Country's Good' depict and dicuss notions of displacement and 'otherness'.
An Essay Plan How does Timberlake Wertenbaker's 'Our Country's Good' depict and dicuss notions of displacement and 'otherness'. Introduction. * Brief introduction of the play. Written: in 1988. About: Several English convicts, forced to serve their sentence in Australia. A British Army officer directs a theatrical production that involves the conflicts. It raises issues of present and future and 'turns into an original mixture of symbolism and naturalism' (Henry Murphy, www.students.rhodes.edu, 31/10/02, 'Our country's good' displays excellent cast and script) * The definition and interpretation of displacement and 'otherness': Displacement- 'a putting or being put out of place' Otherness- a state or place of an unreal form. Referring to both Physical 'otherness' and Psychological 'otherness'. * Brief explanation of why Timberlake Wertenbaker could use the two terms as symbolic ways to convey the subtext of the play. History * Explain how Australia is representative of a form of 'otherness'. The 18th Century was a period of social and political change. As revolutions in Europe occurred, poor country folk were driven to a life of crime in the big cities. The British jails became full and so the convicts were transported on an eight-month journey to Botany Bay in Australia. Little was known about the country and so it was seen as a place of 'otherness'. The
Odysseus(TM) Cretan Tales as the Homecoming Tales of Other Heroes
µ???? ?? ???????: Odysseus' Cretan Tales as the Homecoming Tales of Other Heroes Francesca Haack CLAS 362-Spring 2007 Professor Beth Severy April 19, 2007 Storytelling was a central activity at banquets and parties throughout the ancient world. Professional bards and minstrels traveled, telling the stories of mythical heroes and battles. Homer emphasizes the importance of storytelling and truth in the Odyssey by writing his hero as a storyteller himself. Odysseus' most famous story is the one he tells to the Phaiakians, of course, but Homeric scholarship has not disregarded the other tales that Odysseus tells. Odysseus narrates a similar story about his supposed origins to Athena, Eumaios, Antinoös, and Penelope, in each of which he says he hails from Crete. Much scholarship has been written attempting to explain Odysseus' "Cretan tales." Particularly interesting are his motives regarding these stories: why lie? And why Crete? Scholars have proposed many different answers to these questions, but the "Cretan tales" probably derive from a large corpus of adventure myths in the ancient world. Odysseus claims the origins of three different Cretan heroes in order to declare his heroism to his particular audience while still concealing his true identity, both of which are central to his goal of killing the suitors and reclaiming his wife. Chris Emlyn-Jones points out
Analysis of The Inferno suggests - Dantes.
People say that it is unhealthy to refrain from expressing anger, frustration, or any other hostile emotion. For the most part, such advice holds truth. The repression of emotion can lead to tensions that have the ability to afflict the mind as well as the body. In 1302 Dante Alighieri, an Italian poet of the Medieval Age, was exiled from Florence on "a trumped-up charge of political corruption" (Freccero 12). Facing imminent death should he ever return to Florence, Dante observed the city from outside of its walls, forced to repress his political beliefs and frustrations over exile. Psychologist Sigmund Freud believed that such emotional tension would eventually give way to catharsis, "the release of drive energy in indirect form, through either the process of recalling emotionally charged experiences or involvement in symbolic activity" (Glassman 206). Freud believed that writing was a form of this symbolic activity. In 1307, Dante began his epic, The Divine Comedy. One section entitled The Inferno, seems to cover a variety of subject matter relevant to Dante, concerning his perspectives on society and its people. He places certain people in Hell, perhaps indicative of the poet's attitudes towards them at that time. The Inferno contains evidence that might suggest that its creation served as catharsis for Dante during his exile. The guidance that Virgil provides the