In this essay, I shall analyse the work of Louis MacNeice, entitled, The sunlight on the garden. It is a modern verse that offers a self-reflexive commentary on life and its key elements.
In this essay, I shall analyse the work of Louis MacNeice, entitled, 'The sunlight on the garden.' It is a modern verse that offers a self-reflexive commentary on life and its key elements. In similarity to the traditional epic verse, the poem is an expression of the speaker's particular personalities and motives. I intend to explore these two subjects in greater detail in my essay. According to the Oxford English dictionary, a poetic analysis is the process, or 'detailed examination of studying a poem...to determine its nature, structure, or essential features.' This is a common practice used by both reader and critic in the reading of prose and poetry and I will adopt this technique in my essay. MacNeice's poem from the thirties transcribes the period of great hardship in the Western World, as well as the speaker's self-hardship of love and death. The Wall Street Crash in 1929 started a worldwide economic depression that lasted for much of the decade and industries such as steel, ship-building and coal mining suffered. Moreover, unemployment in Britain soared which left a hollowed and pessimistic outlook on life. This had a strong impact upon poetry of the time, this particular poem illuminating the confusions and irresolvable issues of the common man. There are many social and political events that influenced MacNeice's work, the First World War being
Response to “The Awakening”
Response to "The Awakening" Kate Chopin uses a dreamlike realm in order to better describe the enlightenment that Edna Pontellier experiences in "The Awakening." She uses this technique throughout the novel to enhance the reader's perception of the surreal experience engulfing Edna. In chapter 10, when Edna first begins to feel this strange empowerment over her body, Chopin incorporates fantastic language. "A feeling of exultation took over her, as if some power of significant import had been given to her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim out far, where no woman had swum before...She turned her face seaward to gather in an impression of space and solitude, which the vast expanse of water, meeting and melting with the moonlit sky, conveyed to her excited fancy. As she swam she seemed to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself (567)." Chopin is clearly describing a surreal occurrence here. This is also one of the most defining moments in the story, when Edna realizes that she can swim, sanctioning her with a new sense of worth and being. She is overwhelmed with a desire to let the ocean fulfill her needs of her senses being awakened and her wishes discovered. Furthermore, in this supernatural chapter, Robert describes a
“Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence” (Althusser). Discuss with reference to the texts on the course.
"Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence" (Althusser). Discuss with reference to the texts on the course. Each of the central characters in "Open Secrets" by Alice Munro and "Paradise Lost" by John Milton are driven and sustained by the relationship between the realities of their existence and their personal ideologies. The conflict between ideology and reality is an important theme in the work of Munro and Milton and both the obvious discrepancies and the more subtle references to this define many aspects of the plot and characterisation. An examination of the reactions of characters to the restrictions placed on them by the reality in which they exist, and their perception of this reality is fundamental to understanding the ideologies which they possess. Their ideologies are the crucial influence on the experiences and eventual fates of each character. Ultimately the question of whether or not these relationships and conflicts are resolved or overcome is the key to gaining a deeper insight into the texts, and simultaneously provides the reader with evidence of the authors' own beliefs and ideologies. In Paradise Lost, Milton makes use of the ideas of contrast and opposition in order to create a text which is highly significant of his own personal ideology and, at the same time, a beautiful and intricate piece of
Critical Appreciation of the Darkling Thrush with Particular Emphasis on Time and Change.
Critical Appreciation of the Darkling Thrush with Particular Emphasis on Time and Change "The Darkling Thrush" was written by Thomas Hardy on the last day of the nineteenth century. The subject of the poem is about the transition of one century to the next in time and change. The atmosphere is set in the first stanza because we see that it is set in a cold winters day; "When Frost was spectre-gray/And Winter's dregs made desolate". Hardy deliberately personifies the season and frost because it makes the weather more powerful and it also gives it human qualities. Further more, the use of winter gives the idea of depression and death which is what Hardy is trying to tell the reader. This stanza is obviously setting the atmosphere of the poem; it shows Hardy is not looking forward to the future and the only thing he knows will happen is death. A good example of this is in the quotation "The tangled bine-stems scored the sky/ Like strings of broken lyres". This demonstrates a vivid image of brambles cutting through the sky; showing an idea of death coming from the writer's imagination. Hardy is trying to show the reader that the turn of the century offers no hope. In the first stanza he only thinks of cold, gloomy, and death as what happens in the rest of his life. A reason for this attitude might be because he is alone. We know this because in the poem it has the lines "And
Pope Gregory VII and Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV began the rivalry and conflict of personalities in 1075.
Pope Gregory VII and Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV began the rivalry and conflict of personalities in 1075. Pope Gregory VII forbade lay investiture; the term used for investiture of clerics by the king or emperor, a layman. The clerical reform movement generated the crisis; it was essential that the church had the power of selecting bishops if church reforms-abolition of simony and clerical marriage-were to be carried out. The famous decree against lay investiture come from Pope Gregory VII; 'If anyone in the future receives a bishopric or abbey from the hands of any laymen, he is under no circumstances to be ranked among the bishops, & we exclude him from the grace of St Peter.. and if anyone with a bishopric or any ecclesiastical offices let him know that he will there with incur the sentence of excommunication'. As the feud concerning investiture broke out, there was no official agreement as to the powers of the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor in installing bishops; it was thought by each they both had overall power in this matter. Although investiture meant the ecclesiastical ceremony itself, the duties also included with the election and installation process. The dispute over investiture was one of the greatest struggles between Church and state in the Middle Ages. The problem rose from the dual
Psychology is defined as a scientific study of human mind and behaviour processes. Discuss.
.1) Psychology is defined as a scientific study of human mind and behaviour processes. Just as all definitions have limitation, the definition of psychology has limitations too. For example, some psychologists would interpret 'behaviour' to mean both overt responses and conscious experience, while others would be more restrictive. Similarly, some psychologists include behaviour of other species, while some are concerned only with human behaviour. Despite such variations in the focus of interests, the methods used in psychology are scientific. That is, the methods are primarily based on a tradition which originated with the natural sciences of physics, chemistry and biology. That is why I would like to propose that a more useful way of thinking about the discipline of psychology, is to see it as part of the sum total of what people do because, like other scientific disciplines psychology is a human activity. It is scientific in that it is based on the methods of systematic observation and analysis which are part of all science. One of the things that make psychology unique as a science is that the investigator (which is the psychologist) and the subject matter (the client) are essentially the same. Psychology also provides the tools to identify and modify human thought, feelings and behaviour, affecting how people interpret and interact with the world around them.
How far do you agree that The Great Gatsby is a moral work? What do you think Fitzgerald is saying about American society in the period through the characters in the novel?
Lorna McGoldrick Explorations in Literature. Assignment One, F.Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby Q. How far do you agree that The Great Gatsby is a moral work? What do you think Fitzgerald is saying about American society in the period through the characters in the novel? The author of The Great Gatsby, Francis Scott key Fitzgerald was born in Minnesota. He grew up in an upper- middle class family. The Great Gatsby, first published in 1925, which Fitzgerald himself considered a masterpiece. It attained excellent review, with T.S. Eliot being among the first to comment on the book, calling it, "the first step that American fiction has taken since Henry James." (Web 1) More recent Tony Tanner claimed it to be "the most perfectly crafted work of fiction to come out of America." (Tanner, 2000). The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920's, a period when business was booming and a time of material demands, a period hailed as the "jazz age" by the author. The Fitzgerald's had belonged to the "jazz age", and doubtless enjoyed the trappings of the era. It is my belief that the novel is a satirical view of American society in the 1920's. One of the main themes within The Great Gatsby is the portrayal of the carelessness of the main characters towards their morals. The work contains innumerous references to the fast-paced immoral lifestyles that the population were leading
TMA 07: Myths and Conventions
TMA 07: Myths and Conventions With careful reference to two of the works studied in Block 5 (Medea and Pygmalion), show how attributes traditionally associated with masculinity and femininity are contrasted. Medea by Euripides (431 BCE) and Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (1913 ACE) are plays that share common themes of sexuality and alienation with both their roots firmly set in mythology. Euripides and Shaw employ a range of techniques to present the compelling personas of their female protagonists, Medea and Eliza Doolittle respectively. The plays revolve around the powerful and physiological transformation of Medea and Eliza's striking aesthetic reform through the writers' skilful use of stage direction, language, tone and theme development. The actions and dialogues of the supporting characters also manipulate the audiences' and other characters opinions. The playwrights have carefully considered each effect when constructing and developing their lead character. Euripides has already launched the transformation of his protagonist at the opening of the play. Medea the queen, wife and mother shows signs of a more masculine and at times, an extremely 'barbaric' role, through her howling lamentations. The play begins with Medea's nurse setting the scene, she introduces the main
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor (1772-1834), English poet, critic, and philosopher, who was a leader of the Romantic movement.
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor (1772-1834), English poet, critic, and philosopher, who was a leader of the Romantic movement. I II DEVELOPMENT Coleridge was born in Ottery St Mary, Devon, on October 21, 1772, the son of a vicar. From 1791 until 1794 he studied classics at Jesus College, Cambridge University, and became interested in French revolutionary politics. His heavy drinking and debauchery incurred massive debts which he attempted to clear by entering the army for a brief period. Eventually, his brother paid for him to be discharged on a plea of insanity. At university he absorbed political and theological ideas then considered radical, especially those of Unitarianism. He left Cambridge without a degree and joined his university friend, the poet Robert Southey in a plan, soon abandoned, to found a Utopian society in Pennsylvania. Based on the ideas of William Godwin, this new society was dubbed "Pantisocracy". In 1795 the two friends married sisters, Sara and Edith Fricker. Not only did Coleridge's marriage to Sara proved extremely unhappy, but he also became estranged from Southey, who departed for Portugal that same year. Coleridge remained in England to write and lecture, editing a radical Christian journal, The Watchman, from his new home in Clevedon. In 1796 he published Poems on Various Subjects, which included "The Eolian Harp" and his "Monody on the Death of
Describe the attitude and values underlining beliefs of Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay in text 23 'Our day Out'.
Describe the attitude and values underlining beliefs of Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay in text 23 'Our day Out' Text 23 is taken from 'our day out' by Willy Russel. In the text it describes of a school trip where a class of students are taken on a day out. Two of the main teachers in the text Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay have conflicting ideas on the purpose of the trip. They also believe differently about the education of the children and the reality of their situation. The children are less interested in learning and more interested in enjoying their day out much to the dislike of Mr Briggs. Mr Briggs believes that even though the students are on a school trip they should still behave in an orderly fashion and that they should be learning at the same time as behaving themselves. Mr Briggs has much more stricter views and ideas on how a school trips should be conducted. Mrs Kay realises and is very aware that none of the children are interested in anything other than enjoying themselves and since the children are, in her words, 'rejects since the day they came into the world' so what is the point in trying to make them learn. When Mrs Kay makes these views clear, Mr Briggs is horrified even though he most likely knows its true. The main difference between Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay is that Mrs Kay has accepted the truth that these children haven't learnt and aren't going to start on there big