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
To what extent do you consider the protagonists in 'Story of an Hour', 'The Kiss' and 'The Unexpected' to be courageous or heroic?
To what extent do you consider the protagonists in 'Story of an Hour', 'The Kiss' and 'The Unexpected' to be courageous or heroic? Analysis of 3 short stories written by Kate Chopin What it means to be 'heroic' is to be brave, courageous or noble. Courage is a "quality shown by someone knowing there are dangers or difficulties lying ahead". A 'heroine' is a woman who is brave or shows these qualities. The protagonists in these stories may be considered to be 'heroic' or 'courageous' at this day in age, as back at that time it would have been unforgivable for the women in the stories to show this kind of independence or feelings. At this day in age I can see all the women in the stories thought of as courageous for their own battles to show women are an equal class, and their struggles to get what they wanted. What I have learned from these stories, is that Mrs Mallard (to some extent) is a courageous woman. 'Story of an Hour' is the first story, in which I believe courage is displayed by Mrs Mallard for giving up her dreams for her husband's happiness. In the beginning we learn of Mrs Mallard's heart trouble, and, that her husband has died. "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death. It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that
Men Through Women’s Eyes.
Men Through Women's Eyes Kate Chopin's Desiree's Baby and Elizabeth Gaskell's The Half Brothers, are both vividly poignant stories, -each encompassing an intensity of drama that captures the emotional response of the reader. Incorporating powerful and in places, controversial themes such as loyalty, betrayal, racial prejudice and self-sacrifice, the stories are a testament to their authors; in many ways reflecting their own personal experiences. About Kate Chopin Although an American by birth, Kate Chopin was of mixed French and Irish ancestry. She was born in St Louis in 1850, the daughter of Thomas O'Flaherty, a prosperous merchant who had emigrated from Ireland, and Eliza, the descendant of an aristocratic French family. Her upbringing was affluent and strictly Catholic- her later controversial works may have been an unconscious rebellion against this rigidly austere core element of her childhood. Aged 20, Kate married Oscar Chopin, a cotton trader. They lived first in New Orleans, then moved to their own cotton plantation on the Cane River in Louisiana. Kate devoted herself to motherhood, producing six children, and to caring for the less well-to-do plantation workers in the district. It was a happy and contended life. Her husband's sudden death from swamp fever in 1883 left Kate devastated. It is largely in this way that the story of Desiree's Baby relates so
Biology in The Time Machine.
Jonathan Katz April 10, 2003 Biology in The Time Machine H.G Wells' 1895 novel The Time Machine, serves as a striking look into the hotly debated scientific issues of his contemporary time period. Even the most obvious clue into the novel's events- the book's title-and our main character's medium for which he is ultimately able to experience a completely foreign world, reflects the period of the Second Industrial Revolution in which the book was written. In a time in which previously unthinkable advances in technology were soon becoming a reality, it is fitting that Wells chose a technology so unattainable and alluring for humans as his medium through which he could articulate his wide-ranging views on science. Among the many scientific regions to which the novel alludes, no area is as powerful as the biological questions raised, for it does seem that this is the discipline that covers what Wells is really trying to tell us: his views on humanity. While Wells shows deep faith in Darwin's biology and ideas of evolution, he contrasts this with a strong disbelief in Social Darwinism, and the assumption that evolution necessarily means progress. In the novel, the nameless Time Traveler rides in a time machine to the year 802,700, only to find that this world deep into the future looks nothing like the world he once knew. While this world is completely alien to him and to
Led by the Heart
Led by the Heart Both, James Joyce and John Updike, who were 20th century writers, chronicled and gave extraordinary insight into the progression of human life such as we see in their short stories "Araby" and "A & P". Both these short story writers began with young immature protagonists, and steadily moved forward to ultimately show how their respective protagonists have crossed the expanse that separates childhood and adulthood. Considering this, John Updike's "A & P" seems to be basically a contemporary retelling of James Joyce's "Araby" and therefore as would be expected, many commonalities are shared between both these stories stories. John Updike and James Joyce both utilized elaborate figurative language and characterization in order to communicate a common theme: showing that even though the initiation of a young man to the trials and tribulations of life could bring about failure and defeat, it however also results in an inner awareness and an introduction into manhood. Both John Updike and James Joyce use figurative language not only to create visual effects that complement and enliven their shared theme but they also use it to convey abstract ideas and concepts that would have been very difficult or even impossible to express in literal terms, such as the ironical nature of the conflicts in both stories which sadly conclude in an ultimate failure and defeat but
Attaining Subjectivity In Beloved.
Evan Lahti ENG 201 Critical Methods English Professor Jackson May 4, 2004 Attaining Subjectivity In Beloved While the fall of enslavement in America sought to reintegrate objects (slaves) into subjects of society (free men and women), the characters of Beloved find their own passage into subjectivity fraught with many obstacles. Exploring interpretations of Beloved's identity and how it affects her own subjectivity, as well as that of Denver and Sethe is an important concept in understanding Morrison's reasons for writing. As Margaret Atwood asserts, "There's a lot more to Beloved than any one character can see, and she manages to be many things to several people" (3). Like the novel, the character Beloved defies one specific interpretation. However, if for a moment one were to disregard the multiplicity of Beloved's voice and focus instead on the voice as a single consciousness, one would find a powerful way into the novel. Morrison's style of writing allows the reader to consider another possible interpretation of Beloved's identity. In her article "Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: An American Grammar Book," Hortense Spillers describes how African people in slavery were "removed from the indigenous land and culture"; denied their African names, rituals, and kinship; and reduced to commodities instead of subjects (72-73). Morrison explores this deprivation of subjectivity and
Rape in The History of MissBetsy Thoughtless
Heather J. Glazier Dr. David Oakleaf English 519.08 4 Nov. 2004 Rape in The History of MissBetsy Thoughtless I am intrigued by the number of near rape scenes that appear in The History of Miss Betsy Thoughtless. Four attempted rapes actually occur and there is the suggestion of at least three more possible ones that Miss Betsy narrowly misses. This leads the reader to believe Miss Betsy is either a very foolish girl who simply does not learn from her mistakes or encourages them to search for some more elusive message that Haywood is unable to come right out and state. A closer examination of the results of these incidents reveal both the double standards of the period, and an overt acceptance of male violence and convey the idea that no matter what part a man plays in these rape incidents he is rarely punished for his actions. Each incident sustains a different result and affects the participants in a variety of ways with the exception of Miss Betsy, inevitably believed to have provoked the actions through her thoughtless behavior. The first of these adventures occurs when Betsy is visiting her brother Francis at Oxford, a male dominated environment. Rather imprudently, Betsy and Flora are persuaded to partake of dinner with a couple of Oxford students whose intentions are less than honorable. Betsy repulses the too forward advances of the gentleman-commoner after
Plagiarism Declaration
Robert Mc Farlane (604m3682) 18 March 2005 Tutor: Bret Scott Seminar Time: 09:35 Essay 2 Deadline: 18 March 2005 Plagiarism Declaration . I am thoroughly familiar with both the university's policy and this department's guidelines on plagiarism. 2. I know that copying directly from either printed or electronic sources and using this material in assignments without proper referencing is dishonest, and that it is also wrong to use another student's work and pretend that it is my own. 3. I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing it off as his/her own work. 4. This assignment is my own work. 5. I am fully aware that departments compile a register of plagiarism offenders, and that this is circulated throughout the university. 6. I understand that I am liable to lose my DP if I plagiarise. Signiture: ................... Date: .................... Word Count: 1152 Can novels such as The Grapes of Wrath serve as history? Did Steinbeck intend it as such? What errors are said to render The Grapes of Wrath unreliable as history? Is W indschuttle correct in dismissing Steinbeck's lack of fidelity to the past as myth making? Although John Steinbecks "The Grapes of Wrath" has generally been accepted as the definitive novel representing the great depression, it should
It's all in the mind
It's all in the mind I will always remember the bright spring day when Nichola began working in this sweatshop with its heavy iron doors and its blacked out barred windows. The first time I spoke to her I realised she was beautiful from head to toe in appearance and in nature. Our first encounter was cut short by the deafening sound of the production line. Clangs, bangs, vibrations and grindings - I never knew there was so much work involved in producing the body of a Ford Escort. From this time onwards I knew she was unlike any person I had ever met before. I had a feeling that this was going to become a steadfast friendship from when we had our first conversation in the canteen. Our conversation began when I jokingly commented on her large appetite. For someone so chatty she showed obvious signs of shyness. This became apparent in the shower room, where she insisted on waiting to use one of the individual showers rather than the communal ones. Over the next fortnight our conversations became more frequent and it was becoming clear that there was something special about her. It was not her soft Norfolk accent - which was rarely heard in this region - her unblemished skin or her unflawed hair style. it was something much more subtle and underlying. Nichola and myself soon found ourselves counting down the days until Wednesday evening when we would talk and
"Shattered Pieces".
"Shattered Pieces" There is no question that there is pain and intense suffering in this world. Some of it is explained by selfish, hateful actions on the part of others while other people are left to suffer whether it is physical, mental, or emotional pains. It is something that we do not deserve. The meaning to suffer is a sign of consequences but also can serve as a beneficial sign as in strengthen our inner faith and a reminder of our wrongdoings. One of these cases comes from the novel, Rush Home Road, by Lori Lansens where the main character, Addy Shadd faces some of these requirements and learns to overcome them the hard way. Throughout her past, Addy's three stages of struggle gradually worsen as the novel progresses. One of the struggles that cause a permanent mark in Addy's life was her difficult, unbalanced relationship with her mother. At the age of fifteen, she learns to be independent and enjoys showing off her physical appearance which her mother did not approve of. Her mother, Laisa, was concerned about her daughter becoming a grown woman and was fully aware of glances coming from older men. She quoted, "you ain't no beauty, Adelaide Shadd, and it's just as well to know that now. You got stick-out ears and hood eyes, and a long face like your Daddy," (Lansens 34). Laisa comments on this to prevent Addy from thinking thoughts of using her body as a centre of