Remember whose girl you are...Discuss the representation of power and control between females in Affinity
"Remember. Ruth is saying. Whose girl you are..." Discuss the representation of power and control between females in Affinity. Sarah Waters' Affinity is a gothic novel that represents the power and control between females. In order to understand how 'power' and 'control' is represented, we need to define these terms. 'Power' and 'Control' between females could suggest how particular females within the novel influence each other1, and also how women wield authority over women. 2 Waters represents the 'power' and 'control' between females when she portrays the structure of Milbank prison by exploring Jeremy Bentham's panopticism, with regards to both the prison and society. The prison's structure in the form of pentagons could suggest how the female prisoners are institutionalised. Margaret describes the prison on first entering it as a 'Lady Visitor' as It has been designed by a man in the grip of nightmare or madness - or it had been made expressly to drive its inmates mad. I think it would certainly drive me mad, if I had to work as a warder there.3 Margaret's vision of this prison as an institution built to "drive its inmates mad"4 emphasises the panopticon prison's influence over the prisoners. The prison's surveillance also illustrates the power and control between women, as the matrons monitor the prisoners through the door flaps and this creates a sense of
Discuss the language of religion in Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes" and James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" in relation to one another and to the various uses of language in general, taking into account the importance of this language
Discuss the language of religion in Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes" and James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" in relation to one another and to the various uses of language in general, taking into account the importance of this language in an Irish context. When attempting to formulate concrete lists that define the usages of language, one of the first usages that frequently arises is 'language to inform'. Another frequently mentioned usage is 'language to persuade', and the list goes on for far longer than this besides. Along with various forms of media, as well as human speech itself, religion is no stranger to the use of language (written and spoken) to its own advantage. When combined with the 'language question', which is constantly up for discussion in Irish history, the issue becomes further convoluted. There is much to be said about how James Joyce and Frank McCourt treat these issues in their respective novels (A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man [hereafter referred to as Portrait for brevity] and Angela's Ashes), even though this is by no means the principal topic of either novel. The main discussion shall centre on the language of religion and how both authors present it, but for some of the paper, the importance of the Irish language itself in a religious context shall be given due attention. In terms of language and Christian belief, one
Howard W. Campbell
Matthew Schenk English 112 Mrs. Elizabeth K. Claussen Howard W. Campbell Jr. Kurt Vonnegut's Mother Night is a story about war, love, deception, making peace with yourself and your past, and many other various themes and ideas. The story revolves around one man, but also around the people in his lives all of which, including himself, are very complex and different individuals. Some may or may not be exactly who they seem to be and others happen to be exactly what they seem to be, but as Vonnegut says himself, "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." Howard W. Campbell Jr. was an American born, son of an engineer and an amateur cellist. He grew up sort of ordinarily in America, spending most of his time with his less than sane mother. His father, away with work most of the time, was not often around leaving him and his mother to be each other's main companions. Eventually his father will be transferred to Germany for work and the family will then move there, where Howard will live and grow up. During the Nazi build-up after Hitler comes into power Howard decides to stay in Germany despite the fact that his parents return home. He is a playwright and is an associate of the members of the Nazi party and becomes a Nazi himself, though only in name and to be able to live and work comfortably in the Nazi ruled Germany. After being
How, why, and to what effect do contemporary British fictions depict times other than the present?
How, why, and to what effect do contemporary British fictions depict times other than the present? When portraying times other than the present, writers are freed in some ways from restrictions that come with depicting their own time period. By representing the past, or indeed the future, the author is able to explore narrative styles, genres and thematic content that would have otherwise been inaccessible to them. The past and the future both offer genre options as well as stylistic and thematic content that would have otherwise been inaccessible to the authors. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell and What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn both use portrayals of alternative time periods for different effects. Why O'Flynn gives us the narrative of a little girl from 1984 and why Mitchell chooses to, amongst others, write about a charismatic composer in 1931 is what will be explored in the course of this essay. Both novels use non-linear narrative structures, with Cloud Atlas in particular displaying a complex framework. The depiction of the past in What Was Lost is used as a framing device for the main plot. The novel begins with the story of Kate Meaney in 1984 and concludes with the narrative from the past reappearing after the characters from the present have deduced what has happened to her. When compared to Cloud Atlas however, What Was Lost is a relatively simple way of
What is the 'all that' that Robert Graves is referring too?
What is the 'all that' that Robert Graves is referring too? This essay is going to explore Robert Graves's autobiographical novel and detail Robert graves use of the phrase all that and what it may refer too. The phrase 'all that' is very vague and indefinite. 'All that' could refer to so much; things, people, places, even emotions and feelings. In this novel 'all that' could refer to individual things or the novel as a whole, it may even refer to only one thing. That is what I am going to find out and illustrate in this essay. Robert Graves's autobiographical novel 'Goodbye to All That' was first published in 1929, 11 years after the end of World War 1 in which Graves served as a 2nd Lieutenant and was promoted to Captain in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. The work was revised and republished in 1957 removing and changing a great deal of significant material because of complaints, namely from Siegfried Sassoon a great friend and fellow soldier of Graves. 'Robert Graves states that the objects of writing about his own life at the early age of thirty-three, are simple enough: 'an opportunity for a formal good-bye to you and to you and to you and to me and to all that; forgetfulness, because once all this has been settled in my mind and written down and published it need never be thought about again.'' (Jonathan Cape, 1929) This quotation from Robert Graves himself shows why
Amir Vs Amir
Matt Schenk ENG 112 Kite Runner Amir Vs. Amir I would like to talk about a theme from The Kite Runner is that of Amir and his guilt, and the affects that this has on his growth throughout the book. Through the entire novel Amir not only struggles within his relationships with others but within his own self. His relationships with his family, servants and others all help to shape who he becomes and who he is at any given moment. Most prevalent of these relationships and situations is that of his fathers actions and feelings toward him, and vice versa, and also the guilt he feels for his actions toward Hassan. The Kite Runner is a story about a privileged class boy living with his father in pre-war Afghanistan. The story starts with Amir trying to gain acceptance from his father. The relationship is based on a sort of awkward avoidance and Amir constantly trying to please and be accepted by his father. His father, Baba, is a very masculine character. He is an athletic and aggressive man with strong opinions and ideas about things. Amir on the other is almost nothing like this, he is but a small, creative and weak character. Baba is often heard putting Amir down and generally being hard and cold toward him, more so than with other children even. Amir gets into scuffles with bullies and is too afraid to face them and runs away. This is entirely against Baba's feelings on how
Joseph Hellers themes and narrative styles in Catch-22
Joseph Heller's themes and narrative styles in Catch-22 Introduction I decided to write my assignment about Heller's Catch-22, because I admire his narrative style and the use of irony, parody and humor in his most successful novel. Moreover, the novel takes place in a time that is still close to the present. If you look at the American literary epochs you find "Literature of the Early Republic", "Romanticism and American Renaissance", "Realism", "Naturalism", "Modernism" and at the end "Postmodernism". When you are dealing with the earlier epochs, you learn a lot about our history and important works in those times that expressed the feelings and fears of the people in those periods. Looking at the epoch of Postmodernism, it feels a bit different, because we are not talking about the "way back" past, but about the time after World War II, which ended just 64 years ago and still affects our lives now. The idea of Catch-22, the oppression of the individual by men in charge, is still present in today's society. I think it is very important to discuss works like that because we can learn from the past. The novel is not just about war, it can be seen as a metaphor for systems that make every decision end in a catastrophe. In this assignment, I will start with a bibliographic overview of Joseph Heller's life and follow up with the historical background for the novel. After
Nancy Mairs Essay Synthesis of Mairs Three Essays on the Argument for the Defense of a Life of Hardship and Suffering Nancy Mairs is a writer who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 28 years old.
Nancy Mairs Essay Synthesis of Mairs' Three Essays on the Argument for the Defense of a Life of Hardship and Suffering Nancy Mairs is a writer who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 28 years old. Multiple Sclerosis is a condition of the central nervous system which controls the body's actions and movements and balance and in her case it was a degenerate version of the disease. After beginning to accept her disability, she discusses how the experience of her being a cripple has enlightened her to the somewhat oxymoronic benefits of living a life of pain. After reviewing the three essays from Nancy Mairs from her book Carnal Acts "Challenge: An Exploration", "Doing It the Hard Way" and "Good Enough Gifts", it is simple to see the main ideal that sieves through on these writings: that hardship is an unavoidable and essential part of every humans life but these hardships are invaluable experiences none the less. In Mairs' three essays she presents an impassioned defense of the life of hardship and suffering and I will be extracting some evidence from the essays to support her assertions. One of her arguments is the idea of spiritual growth through hardship and pain which is re-sated when she maintains that 'Disability provides ample opportunity for spiritual work and growth' (Mairs 104, Challenge: An Exploration). Through the restrictions and problems she has
Analysis of 'Defeat' by Osbert Sitwell. 1948.
Analysis of 'Defeat' by Osbert Sitwell. 1948. The short short story 'Defeat' takes place on a Sunday afternoon on French Vichy-territory after the German invasion of France in 1940. Our characters, a Captain from the disbanded French army, his fiancé, Estelle, and her mother, Mrs Dorien, are meeting for cake and tea on the terrace of a café in the public gardens. While trying to keep up appearances, our main character, the Captain, struggles with the aftermath of the brutal and momentous experiences he had on the battlefields. The rest of the party, however, reflects the general behaviour and state of mind among the French population. The before mentioned state of mind is excellently captured in this extract: 'The cafés were still open too, though the regular clients were ruffled at being unable to obtain their favourite drinks, ...' (ll. 31-32. P. 1). During the afternoon tea, a group of soldiers, who previously was under the command of the Captain, arrives on the terrace. They neglect to salute our protagonist and to rub salt in the sore, a German officer, who sits elsewhere in the café, rebukes the soldiers, thus making humiliation complete. The German officer's interference marks the tipping point of the Captain's realization of defeat and total lack of desire to keep fighting mentally. The Captain has been through hell and back and after his homecoming he
Black Feminism in Alice Walkers "The Color Purple".
BLACK FEMINISM IN Alice Walker’s The Color Purple Alice Walker is an Afro-American female writer, who was born in 1944. The Color Purple was written in 1982, won Pulitzer prize in 1983. She was born in a sharecropper’s family in the South, Georgia, U.S.A as the eighth child in Eatonton, small town with two streets only. She grew up in a world of poverty and hardship. The Walker’s white landowner said that the Walker’s children needed not to attend school and demanded of every child of the Walker’s to work in his field. But it was her mother, Minnie, who fought for the right of education for her children. Thus, the author feels that her success as an informed writer goes greatly to her mother’s devotion to education and liberation. Alice Walker was blessed with a love of learning, and upon graduating at the head of her high school class in 1961, she received a scholarship to Spelman College in nearby Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. There, at the heart of the civil rights movement, she took part in student protests against racial discrimination. After two years at Spelman, Walker transferred to Sarah Lawrence College in New York, where she developed into a highly gifted writer. Her literary reputation rose with the publication of Once (1968) followed by many other works but nothing prepared her readers for the success of The Color Purple (1982) which became a