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
The Long, the Short and the Tall
The Long the Short and the Tall Willis Hall has claimed that he wrote the play "simply as entertainment." How far do you agree with the statement that The Long and the Short and the Tall is only meant to entertain an audience and not educate them? The Long and the Short and the Tall is a play set in the Malayan jungle in 1942 during the Second World War. The play focuses on a small British patrol group who were sent north into the jungle to check for signs of Japanese advance. The playwright is Willis Hall who was first a regular solider serving in Singapore. The play was written for amateur actors in Edinburgh as they had regional accents, which suited the roles for 1950's characters. The title "The Long the Short and the Tall" came from an anti-war song, which was popular during the Second World War. The Long and the Short and the Tall offers the reader a new perceptive of war, responsibility, and isolation while also entertaining. The author Willis Hall makes use of his first hand experience as a solider to give the impression that the realities of war were off-putting. The play raises many issues mainly one being "war," which is addressed in the whole first act. The five patrol members have no awareness of battle and are unable to come to terms with their situation. However, until the Japanese prisoner came, none of the inexperienced soldiers have been faced with the
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
The Great Gatsby and The American Dream
20th Century Literature Professor Sue Matheson Dawn Cote April 20 2011 The Great Gatsby and the American Dream The American Dream is a reoccurring theme in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Briefly defined the “American Dream” “is the belief that every man, whatever his origins, may pursue and attain his chosen goals, be they political, monetary, or social” (Pearson 638). Throughout the novel Fitzgerald gives examples of various characters so called “American Dream”. Some characters are able to achieve their interpretation of the “American Dream”, others are not so lucky. The novel shows how the concept of the “American Dream” is interpreted as well as corrupted by many of the characters in the story. As Nick Carraway tells his story, we see the characters through Nick’s eyes, a young man looking for his own “American Dream”. As many people before him, Nick has moved away from the Middle-West to the East in search of something new and prosperous. What he finds is a group of individuals who have all the power, money, popularity and in some cases love, that a person would want. Do these people represent the “American Dream” that Nick is in search of? Tom Buchanan’s “American Dream” is to be wealthy and in control. He has achieved both of these, therefore in his opinion; he has achieved the “American Dream”. Tom’s
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
Much Ado about Noting
Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies that revolves the themes of deception and miscommunication. The play features a dual plot of courtship, one of which focuses on the wooing of beautiful Hero by young Claudio. However, this courtship is halted temporarily by the scheming of Don Pedro's bastard brother, Don John. While Don John is often seen as the source of all disruptions, it is Claudio's weaknesses and susceptible mind that ultimately make him the villain in Much Ado About Nothing. Although Don John comes from a world of privilege, as a bastard son, he can not enjoy the security of that world. Since the beginning of the play, Don John is portrayed as a detached character, a man "not of many words." (1.1.141) Although he is Don Pedro's brother, he does not seem to fit in with his brother or his friends. Since he "cannot hide what I [He] am[is]" (1.113) in society, he resents the world and its social convention. When he hears of an intended marriage from Borachio, he immediately asks whether the marriage "serve[s] for any model to build mischief on," (1.1.44-45) showing his resentment of the legitimacy of the marriage between Claudio and Hero. Don Pedro's conspiracy to stop Claudio and Hero's marriage by telling false stories is merely pathetic, whereas the ease with which Claudio is convinced is frightening. A character with a very
Metaphysical Poetry
Metaphysical Poetry John Donne's "The Sunne Rising" and "The Flea" and "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell Metaphysical poetry necessitates the understanding of mankind but concentrates on topics such as romantic love, sexual love, faith, loyalty and religion. The poems are very short and have a formal tone, metaphysical poems are characterised by arguments and theories yet to be proved. It was written between 1572 and 1695, these were chaotic time as there were lost of changes taking place. For instance in 1577 there was the defeat of the Spanish Armada. The "Gunpowder Plot", dissolution of parliament, civil wars and the plague followed this. These poets want to show off their intelligence and wit. The poems usually contain conceits (these are sharp and unpredicted uses of metaphors and comparisons), for example: romantic lovers are compared to "a pair of compasses" (inseparable) and a woman losing her virginity is called a "flea bite", as in, the little drop of blood women shed when they first have sex. The poems are supposed to be direct, dramatic and straight to the point. Sometimes, the poems have a "carpe-diem" theme. Metaphysical poetry was seen as "shocking" at this time, it addressed issues that were previously unmentionable, or it looked at issues in a more controversial way. In this essay I am going to compare the three poems; 'The Sunne Rising' and
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
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
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