The Process of Insanity.

Greg Reynolds Mrs. May AP English per. 4 December 2, 2003 The Process of Insanity There was once a little girl named Bonnie. She enjoyed running through the park, chasing ducks, getting dirty, and eating chocolate. Her teachers were very impressed with how smart she was for a second-grader. She was only seven years old when it happened. Little Bonnie was walking home from school by herself on her normal route through the neighborhood. Just then, a van drove up and abducted her from the street. She was locked up in a small room with no windows or lights for a week as a cruel trick. When the police finally found her, after a long investigation, she was diagnosed with major psychological trauma (18). The solitary confinement she had been subjected to caused her mental deterioration. Similarly, a major theme in "The Yellow Wall-paper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is that solitary confinement and exclusion from the public results in insanity. The use of imagery and setting helps illustrate this theme throughout the story. The unnamed protagonist in this story suffers from a nervous disorder, which is enhanced by her feeling of being trapped within a room. The setting of the vast colonial mansion and particularly the nursery room with barred windows provides an image of loneliness and seclusion experienced by the protagonist, as she "will proudly declare that there

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Bertrande is responsible for her own tragedy. Discuss.

Bertrande is responsible for her own tragedy. Discuss. Bertrande de Rols, by choosing to accuse Arnaud of being an impostor, is accountable for her tragic outcome. Nevertheless, her grief is beyond her control. Arnaud and Martin, the two husbands she once loved, are to blame for her sorrow. Bertrande certainly contributes for her own tragedy due to her moral view, honesty and determination. Even though Arnaud deceives her, she still feels sinned because of her love for him, "it is in this love that he has wronged me most, that he has damned my soul". Bertrande's unfaithfulness to her husband, both physically and emotionally, destroys her inner peace because of her traditional moral view. Together with this ethical view, her honesty does not allow her to accept the impostor as her husband. Bertrande is also extremely strong-willed to continuously verify the identity of her husband, in spite of the objection of almost the whole family and the persuasion of the priest, Martin's little sister and the old housekeeper. In the feudal society, individual feelings and needs are of less importance than that of the family. In this case, however, Bertrande puts the truth and her feelings above the happiness of the family. Her choices lead to her misery, yet they are ethical and therefore, not to be blamed. However, Bertrande alone would not cause her own suffering. In fact, the

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Contrary Instincts - "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens" Walker.

Robert Leander ENC 1102 Ms. Stefanovic 28 October 2003 Contrary Instincts Walker alludes to many writers in her essay "In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens". She utilizes these writers to bring a sense of respect for her oppressed mothers and grandmothers. She also uses these writers to show how the "creative spirit" survived in the face of these oppressive working and living conditions. The writers are also positioned in her essay so they become a leeway into her story. Virginia Woolf, a white British writer from the early twentieth century plays a key role in Walker's essay. Not only does Walker cite Woolf's work, but she revises a long passage to bring it to bear on her experience and make it serve her argument. "Any woman born with a great gift in the sixteenth century [insert "eighteenth century," insert "black woman," insert "born or made a slave"] would certainly have gone crazed, shot herself, or ended her days in some lonely cottage outside the village, half witch, half wizard [insert "Saint"], feared and mocked at [...] a highly gifted girl who had tried to use her gift of poetry would have been so thwarted and hindered by contrary instincts [add "chains, guns, the lash, the ownership of one's body by someone else, submission to an alien religion"], that she must have lost her health and sanity to a certainty." (Walker, 742) This quote epitomizes the harsh

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Atonement, Brionys early stages

English Oral, Atonement, Young stage of Briony Good morning. Today I will be discussing the early stages of Briony's life. This will include her attributes, characteristics and the conditions in which she grew up. The thirteen years old girl, Briony Tallis, has grown up under wealthy conditions. After seeing her older sister Cecilia naked with the cleaners' son Robbie, standing together at the Fountain, and after reading a letter from Robbie to Cecilia where he writes mature words, she gets curious and distrustful about Robbie and accuses him of raping her sister. Through that statement she ruins her sisters, Robbies' and her own life. Briony was raised under affluent conditions, where her parents could give her anything she wanted, however what they lacked was the amount of attention in which they gave her. She needed emotional support instead of materialistic. Her father, who does not play a major role in her life, is always away working and does not show any interest in her. Her mother, who is always sick, by having migraine, has a quite similar personality to Briony. Both are characters, who long for attention but never get it. Briony tries to get it through blaming Robbie for raping her sister Cecilia, although she did not recognize him. I think she just blames and accuses him, to get more attention and that people would then show an interest in her. She often

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Character Analysis on Jing-Mei in "Two Kinds"

Michelle Callaham Mr. Asbill English 102 24 February 2005 Character Analysis on Jing-Mei in "Two Kinds" "Two Kinds," by Amy Tan is a story in which a Chinese mother believes that her daughter can do anything in the United States as long as she puts her mind to it and decides to push her daughter, Jing-Mei, into being a prodigy. Unfortuantely, Jing-Mei and her mother do not share the same views on things. Jing-Mei wants to establish her own identity apart from her mother and feels that she can be successful through her own efforts and determination. Jing-Mei's desire to be an independent person leads to her stubbornness, hardness, and cruelty. At the beginning of the story, Jing-Mei's mother attempts to dominate and control her daughter's life. Jing-Mei's mother presents her with many tests from stories of amazing children. The test include: knowing the capitals of states, multiplying numbers in her head, finding the queen of hearts in a deck of cards, trying to stand on her head without using her hands, predicting the daily temperatures in cities, and looking at a page from the Bible for three minutes to see what she remembers. After many failed tests in knowledge and skills, Jing-Mei quickly begins to lost interest in her mother's dream of being a prodigy and becomes stubborn. "I won't let her change, I promised myself. I won't be what I'm not" (213,

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The Joy Luck Club - Rice Husband - What signs are there that Lena's relationship with Harold is under stress?

The Joy Luck Club WORKSHEET 3 Rice Husband . What signs are there that Lena's relationship with Harold is under stress? There is slight animosity between Lena and Harold and she was "secretly glad to watch his discomfort" at holding up the traffic. This shows that she cannot love him that much if she wants him to suffer. The couple also argues over who should pay for a flea exterminator, this petty behavior shows cracks in their relationship. However, their problems are so "deep [she does not] even know where the bottom is", their relationship appears to be on the rocks. The couple also do not share and have a detailed accounting system to split their expenses, without the joy of giving, their relationship cannot survive. Len challenges Harold about the fact that he earns much more money than her and yet they pay the same. The tension is manifested is this argument. However, Harold does not understand and is not sensitive to her needs. 2. How is this reflected in their house? There are "flaws" in the structure of the house which reflect the flaws in Lena and Harold's relationship Lena has little energy and this is reflected in the "running down" of the floor. The two "lopsides" of the roof perhaps represent Lena and Harold sloping away from one another with separate interests and goals. Lena says that her mother can see that "underneath all the fancy details

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The Life and relationships of Virginia Woolf.

The Life and relationships of Virginia Woolf VIRGINIA WOOLF AND HER MOTHER Perhaps the greatest influence in Virginia's life is her mother, Julia Stephen. "Julia Stephen was the most arresting figure which her daughter [Virginia Woolf] tried to resurrect and preserve" (Gordon 4). Woolf, a manic-depressive, found herself constantly searching for approval. "Virginia needed her mother's approval in order to 'measure her own stature" (Bond 38). Battling with a sense of worthlessness, Virginia's mother helped her temporarily rid herself of self-criticism and doubt. This however was short-lived. When Mrs. Stephen rejected Virginia, she felt her mother's disapproval directly related to the quality of her writing. "Virginia Woolf could not bear to reread anything she had written... Mrs. Stephen's rejection of Virginia may have been the concept of her failure to meet her own standards" (Bond 39). With the death of her mother, Woolf used her novel, To the Lighthouse to "reconstruct and preserve" the memories that still remained. According to Woolf, "the character of Mrs. Ramsey in To the Lighthouse was modelled entirely upon that of her mother" (Bond 27). This helped Virginia in her closure when dealing with the loss and obsession with her mother. VIRGINIA WOOLF AND HER FATHER Although Virginia clung to the relationship with her mother, she favoured her father, Leslie Stephen.

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Explore the presentation of Jeanette's mother so far in the text 'Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit'

Explore the presentation of Jeanette's mother so far in the text 'Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit' Within the novel 'Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit', Jeanette's mother is a character that can be highly criticised. Her strong religious beliefs are often juxtaposed with her uncaring and cold character and her inability to be a supportive and loving mother to Jeanette is shown throughout the novel. Winterson aims to represent the mother in this way in order for the reader to sympathise with Jeanette later on in the novel. Jeanette's mother is criticised by Jeanette from the beginning and it becomes clear early on to the reader that they do not have a traditional mother and daughter relationship. Jeanette is aware that her mother has adopted her in order to 'join her in a tag match against the Rest of the World' rather than to provide support and love. Instead, her mothers dream of adopting a child is so she can 'train it, build it, dedicate it to the Lord' appearing like a vocation and the referral to Jeanette as an 'it' reinforces her lack of love and compassion. Her mother finds it impossible to answer Jeanette's questions and often responds coldly telling her to 'go away' as she 'has had enough' or offers her an orange for comfort. Winterson uses the image of the orange throughout the novel to reinforce the mother's character and lack of compassion or understanding for

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Pearl Prynne- A Blessing And A Curse

Sugato De 0-7-01 Period 6/7 Pearl Prynne- A Blessing And A Curse "This child hath come from the hand of the almighty, to work in many ways upon her heart. It was meant for a blessing, for the one blessing of her life! It was meant, doubtless, for a retribution too, a torture to be felt at many an unthought of moment; a pang, as sting, an ever-recurring agony in the midst of a troubled joy" (Hawthorne 105). This, as Arthur Dimmesdale poignantly and almost prophetically expresses in the preliminary scenes of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, was the role of the strikingly beautiful yet fatally elfish Pearl, the child borne of his and Hester Prynne's forbidden passion. In the midst of the already troubled and sinful life of her mother, Peal is the cause of her further pain, agony and yet also of Hester's happiness and sense of worth. While forever a tormentor to her mother, Pearl was also her savior, while a reminder of her guilt, she proved to be a promoter of honesty and true virtue, and while an embodiment of her parents' worst qualities, she was the true reflection of a troubled heart. Pearl was at times a literal thorn in the flesh, bringing trouble, heartache, and frustration to her mother, yet while at the same time serving a constructive purpose lying far beyond the daily provocations of her childish impishness. Besides being Hester's savior, so to

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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chinese cinderella

Chinese Cinderella. Some readers might say Adeline had presented a picture of childhood which was consistently unhappy? Do you agree? Chinese Cinderella is about a young girl battling through life and many misfortunes to finally get a good future, which she gets through sheer perseverance. I believe that Adeline Yen Mah does have a terrible childhood which consists of mainly sorrowful situations; but her being an optimistic child; she is able to transform little actions into something she can find pleasure from. Therefore in this essay I will discuss how I disagree with the statement "Some readers might say Adeline had presented a picture of childhood which was consistently unhappy", as I believe that however rarely it took place there were a few happy situations. I will also try to discuss the idea of how each of these "happy" situations are transformed each time into depressing situations. The story begins with an enthusiastic child, overjoyed by the recent events where she was awarded a prize at school. She is then delighted about the fact that her dearly loved Aunt Baba would keep her certificate in the same box in which she kept her truly, valuable, possessions, as if her "award were also some precious jewel impossible to replace". Therefore I believe she did have moments of true happiness but they were short-lived as these emotions are soon distorted by the

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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