Theme Analysis of Charles Dickens "Hard Times".

About the author Charles Dickens was born on the 7th of February 1812, in Portsmouth, England. His parents were John and Elizabeth Dickens. Charles was one of eight children, and his father had a rather rough time making ends meet working as a pay clerk in the navy office. This forced the family to move around England until they settled in Camden Town, a poor neighborhood in London. At the age of twelve, Charles worked in a factory that handled "blacking" or shoe polish. While his father was in prison for failure to repay debts, the rest of the family moved to live near the prison, leaving Charles to live alone. This experience of hardship and loneliness was the most significant event of his life and it would later be portrayed in a variety of his novels. Charles went back to school once his father received a heritance and repaid his debts. But in 1827, at age fifteen, he was again forced to leave school and work as an office boy. The year after that he became a freelance reporter and stenographer (using shorthand to transcribe documents) at the law courts of London. By 1832 he had become a reporter for two London newspapers and then began to write a series to other newspapers and magazines, signing some of them "Boz." He finally had these published in 1836 as Sketches by Boz, which would become his first book. Once success became evident, Charles married Catherine

  • Word count: 1753
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Is 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' a book for children or adults?

Is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland a book for children or for adults? You may discuss one or both of the Alice books. ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ is a novel written by the English author Lewis Carroll in 1865, the story tells of a young girl named Alice following a talking white rabbit down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world full of amazing creatures and sights. This premise is very much one which seems typical of a piece of literature aimed at children, with it’s over the top characters and surreal atmosphere it is just as appealing to modern children as it was to the children of 1865. However if one were to look at the sub text, wordplay, philosophical ideas, character allusions or the huge amount of meaning within his story it is clear that Carroll did not just have a child audience in mind. Alice in Wonderland is a book very much about the anxiety of Alice, she is often lost or bewildered trying to get in or out of some place or another. “There were doors all round the hall, but they were all locked; and when Alice had been all the way down one side and up the other, trying every door, she walked sadly down the middle, wondering how she was ever going to get out again.” (Page 40, Wordsworth Classics Edition, 1992) This sense of anxiety is exciting for both audiences, young and old. Unlike some of the later literal themes and concepts which would

  • Word count: 1872
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Man Against Nature - Jack London's To Build a Fire.

Silva Danielle Garcia Silva Christina Riley-Brown American Classics 25 March 2014 The Man against Nature By the end of nineteenth century, a new literature movement called “Naturalism” developed. Naturalist writers usually created characters that followed their own instincts and passions. However, most Naturalist characters had to face forces beyond their control, such as nature and environment. The most common themes during Naturalism are man against himself, man against nature and man against the universe. Therefore, the stories often represent the idea of people struggling and fighting against something that they do not have control over. One of the most famous writers from this period is Jack London. London became a great writer after he experienced living in Alaska, and taking part in the Klondike Gold Rush at the age of twenty one. Nina Baym, the author of The Norton Anthology American Literature, states that London “[…] was the best-selling author in America and was on his way to becoming the most popular American writer in the world” (1812). Some of London’s most known works are “An Odyssey of the North” (1900), “To Build a Fire” (1902), The Call of the Wild (1903), and The Sea-Wolf (1904) (Baym 1812). London’s short story “To Build a Fire” became well-known because of its moral ending with the main character’s death and the tension

  • Word count: 2664
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Using Chopin's "The Awakening" as an inspiration for poetry.

The Awakening: commentary From the Victorian era, Chopin startled critics with her tale of a woman’s abortive struggle towards independence in an oppressive society. By using women as her protagonists, Chopin highlights their sexist roles in literature; however she restricts their development through a controlled, authorial third person narrative. It thus seemed conducive to transform The Awakening into a series of English sonnets, revealing the undeveloped characterisation of Edna with Robert, through their separation. Therefore, the audience for my piece would be educated readers who enjoy reading poetry that has a challenging and unconventional form. I shed new light on the short story by elucidating Edna’s role in society through highlighting the narrow and stereotypical way in which women are often portrayed in literature. The short story distances the protagonist from her emotional development, because it is written in the third person narrative. Hence, the form does not offer the opportunity for character expansion in the same way the sonnets do. My transformation moves from a third person, omniscient narrator in the novel to dual first person narrative. For example, Edna openly declares her love for Robert, at the time of her death: “I’m the person who deserves your love.” The narrative voice appears more autonomous in the sonnet because the author’s

  • Word count: 930
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The Friendship.

THE FRIENDSHIP One afternoon, a couple went into the forest with their little baby boy called Lennie, to have a sort of picnic and also enjoy the picturesque view which can only be appreciated from the slopping hill, as they usually do every evening. They were going to their favourite spot today, unusually in the afternoon. The couple went in hand in hand laughing, baby on his father's shoulder. It was mid-June; the sun was out and shone brightly enhancing the colours of the variety of plants in the forest. Wild flowers blossom in the sun and colours varied from green -mostly dominant, yellow, to pink and indigo. At some places the shrub was thick and dense under the tall, huge trees, and other places were just empty with no plants but just dead leaves. Animals of different kind made their habitat under and on top of most huge trees such as oaks. And it boosted many communities. A lot of chattering and hovering could be heard and a lot more, animals running and jumping, in groups and alone, could be seen, it was a blissful sight to behold. Small and Jane sat in their favourite spot, under a very large oak tree, animal noises above and around them, were surrounded by thick brush and bushes. Jane laid down a cloth; it was pleasantly multicoloured, boasting of yellowish pink circles, and flowers of different petal colours ranging from blue, green to light red, itself coloured

  • Word count: 3033
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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The Assassin

The Assassin The sky was scorched crimson as the obscurity of night overpowered the light of day. In the distance the picturesque profile of London was perceptible under the blanket of radiant silver stars. Beneath this unique declaration of splendour a solitary silhouette was projected against the wall of a dimly lit back alley. He had an unnaturally intense glare, his vision passionately focused on an excruciatingly striking cerise TVR Tuscan. It was almost time. Despite the evident risk he was undertaking his eyes portrayed obsession, infatuation and desire to realize his acutely elusive vocation. The moon shone through the bare branches of an old oak tree casting ghostly shadows on the transparent sheet of astonishingly delicate ice. As the unique complicity of crystallised snowflakes descended delicately from the sky, the searchlight of a police helicopter briefly illuminated the car park. He remained unruffled by this passing scare. As the faint sound of stiletto heels approached his patiently awaiting ears, he knew it was time. He obscured himself from view as she cautiously approached her car aware of the potential threat. The delicate roar of her car was an indication to follow. The vicious velocity boost gave her an obvious advantage but he continued to follow her with cunning initiative. She indicated in the direction of the next slip road and continued to

  • Word count: 653
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Symbolism in Lord of The Flies

Idris Lacme Prof. Dr. Adina Ciugureanu Seminar: Nicoleta Stanca British Literature 2nd year 31. May. 2007 Symbolism In Lord of the Flies Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of English schoolboys marooned on a tropical island after their plane is shot down during a war. The boys assemble on the beach. In the election for leader, Ralph defeats Jack, who is furious when he loses. As the boys explore the island, tension grows between Jack, who is interested only in hunting, and Ralph, who believes most of the boys' efforts should go toward building shelters and maintaining a signal fire. When rumors surface that there is some sort of beast living on the island, the boys grow fearful, and the group begins to divide into two camps supporting Ralph and Jack, respectively. Ultimately, Jack forms a new tribe, fully immersing himself in the savagery of the hunt. Though the novel is fictional, its exploration of the idea of human evil is at least partly based on Golding's experience with the real-life violence and brutality of World War II. Free from the rules that the society of adults' formerly imposed on them, the boys struggle with the conflicting human instincts that exist within each of them-the instinct to work toward civilization and order and the instinct to descend into savagery, violence, and chaos. As the boys splinter into factions, some behave peacefully

  • Word count: 2037
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Jack The Ripper - Source related study.

Jack The Ripper . Source A shows that the murder of Polly Nicholls was totally unprovoked and was the work of a 'demented being'. It is an article describing the murders of both Polly Nicholls and Martha Tabram which say that both of the victims 'have been of the poorest of the poor' which might have been a more polite or formal way to describe prostitutes at that time. This meant that the killer didn't really have any reasons or motives to kill them. It says that the killer used an 'excess of effort' in each murder which meant that Jack the Ripper didn't leave the body or flee straight away, he concentrated on the disfigurement of the corpse and creating carnage with the bloodbath. The source is only part of the article which could have included more gruesome details of the murder, the whereabouts, more about the victims and more about the location of east London. The source also says that the murders startled London, which shows that this was turning out to be the first serial killer case ever and brought great shock and fear to people in London. 2. Source C shows the report of the third victim, Elizabeth Stride. The report suggests that the ripper spent a long time on the corpse. I can see this from the second sentence, 'her legs were drawn up, her feet close against the wall of the right side of the passage'. It also shows the Jack the Ripper might have attempted to

  • Word count: 2710
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Short stories

Compare and Contrast the way male characters are portrayed by Chopin and Gaskell The male characters in the stories of Chopin and Gaskell are portrayed generally in a negative light, and it is partly due to the way that the authors lived their lives. Both Kate Chopin and Elizabeth Gaskell used their stories to mirror or reflect upon parts of their society that they felt undermined the basic moral rights of women. Both author's explored ideas such as male oppression and feminism (and other such key ideas for women at the time) with much depth and sensitivity. I have chosen to look at two stories which I feel best represent the kind of ideas that both women were trying to make people more aware of. Theses are Désirée's Baby by Kate Chopin, and The Half Brothers by Elizabeth Gaskell. To a certain extent, I find both authors to be in some ways biased against males. In particular, Chopin sees males in quite a disturbingly sinister light, which is reflected in the strong portrayal of the leading male in Désirée's Baby, Armand, where she claims he has an "imperious and exacting nature". Gaskell's exploration of the character of William Preston as the dominant male of the tale is not quite as blunt, in that she preferred to tackle the bare facts, leaving our own opinion on William Preston to from as the events of the story unfold: "He was reckoned an old bachelor...he was long

  • Word count: 1784
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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