Feminism With Analysis Of Women Characters English Literature Essay

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Virginia Woolf was born in 1882, the youngest daughter of the large and talented Stephen family. Her father Leslie Stephen was a critic, biographer, and philosopher. Her mother, Julia Stephen, was a daughter of the novelist William Makepeace Thacker. So, Virginia Woolf was destined to be a writer. Although at these times only the boys were allowed to have the formal education, she was lucky to take advantage from her father’s rich library. Besides, Virginia Woolf was a manic-depressive; primary cause is that she couldn’t tolerate the absurdity of life and she was under the influence of the psychological stress caused by war. She feared that her madness would return and she would not be able to continue writing. Woolf committed suicide by drowning herself in a river in March 1941. Virginia Woolf is a pioneer of feminism. Since her death, she is acknowledged as one of the major novelists of the 20th century, and best known for her “stream of consciousness” method, which gives readers the impression of being inside the mind of the character and an internal view, that she had used in her novel “Mrs. Dalloway”.

Mrs. Dalloway originally published in 1925, is a novel containing the themes; war, death, communication and especially feminism -the pressure on women and the roles of women of the time period-. It is clear that Virginia Woolf was aware of the problems and loss of the modern life and Mrs. Dalloway criticizes the patriarchal culture. Actually 1920’s brought new and exciting cultural innovations that shifted women’s attention from politics into social life. Shannon Forbes mention this in her article as; “The concept of performance is key to understanding the way gender for Woolf is a social construct stemming for women from their struggle to identify and simultaneously oppose the Victorian ideology forcing them to equate their identity with a corresponding and acceptable Victorian role”(Forbes, 50). She portrayed different types of women in various contexts. She opened women’s eyes on their inferior status and provided them with a female tradition to rely on. The novel is very successful showing the intellectual commitment to political, social and feminist principles. The story takes place in just one day of the life of Clarissa Dalloway, who is thinking about her true feelings, her past life, her decisions, the pressure that the society enforces on her and the women roles while planning a party for the evening.

The feminist tone is established from the very beginning of the novel. On this day Peter Walsh, the most important love-story of Clarissa’s life, comes unexpectedly. Clarissa cannot prevent herself from thinking about Peter and the old days before her marriage. They used to love each other’s but their relationship ended with a failure. Peter was always trying to dominate and have a total control in Clarissa’s life, however Clarissa want a little freedom in their relationship, she believes that the privacy is an indispensable element in a relationship and without it psychologically she could not afford a marriage. That’s why she rejected Peter’s marriage proposal. She gives reasons for rejecting him and marrying Richard like; “For in marriage a little license, a little independence there must be between people living together day in day out in the same house; which Richard gave her, and she him (where was he this morning, for instance? Some committee, she never asked what.) But with Peter everything had to be shared, everything gone into” (7). Clarissa rejected Peter because his love was too possessive and domineering. Furthermore, Peter could not provide the gentleness and the love that Clarissa need and deserve. Dialogues between herself and Peter in Clarissa’s memories, shows that although he loved her, he did not conceal his feelings, but he would humor her; “It was the state of the world that interested him; Wagner, Pope’s poetry, people’s characters eternally, and the defects of her own soul. How he scolded her! How they argued! She would marry a Prime Minister and stand at the top of a staircase; the perfect hostess he called her (she had cried over it in her bedroom), she had the makings of the perfect hostess, he said”(7). Although Clarissa is portrayed as a suppressed women character who has no intellectual interest but knows very well how to succeed in social relationships and how to welcome guests, the big decision about not to marrying Peter who did not give her independence and sufficient love, strongly indicates that she is a powerful and quite intelligent women. Hereby Clarissa may seem by society like a classical women of the 1920s, perfect wife and mother who welcome guests in her lovely house, supports her happy family, pleases her husband, but once in the novel enters her mind with the stream of consciousness” method and made the reader learn her true feelings and thoughts, it is understood that she is much more than a house wife, she has her own feelings, ideologies and beliefs.

Later on, Sally Seton who is an old friend -and lover- of Clarissa, exists mostly just as figure in her memory in the novel, appears at Clarissa’s party. She is a modern woman who does not care about the customs, traditions and classic social role of women. Throughout the novel it is stated that she smokes, runs naked in the corridors of cottages, and travels by boat in midnights in other words lives in the way that she wants. She is also against the bourgeoisie and the noble class further she always depends freedom for women; so she has her own political views and ideologies that she does not fear to express. She is an anti-patriarchal woman. She asserted herself as a woman and demanded equal rights for women. Sally was Clarissa’s inspiration to push her to think beyond the walls of Bourton, read and philosophize. “There they sat, hour after hour, talking about life, how they were to reform the world. They meant to found a society to abolish private property”(33). Ä°n the novel, Sally Seaton is the symbol of the feminism ideology. She defends the women rights and rejects the patriarchal culture.

There are indications in the novel that some women were beginning to take on roles of power in those days. For instance, Lady Bruton was a lady in a position of power.  She is a sixty-two years old woman, who is famous with the passion for politics. She speaks like a man, acts with tough attitudes. She is also represented as a selfish, noble, strong, brave and proud woman. Lady Bruton’s strong independence as a leader shows the movement towards tolerance of women being in power. With the characterization of Lady Bruton, it is denoted that being strong and independent as a women is not impossible and is not a crime.

In Mrs. Dalloway, the dark picture of patriarchal society is portrayed through Septimus – Rezia relationship. The sense of a wife’s duty is also demonstrated in the character Rezia wife of Septimus Smith the mentally disturbed soldier returned from the war. Rezia, although she loves her husband very much, and cannot imagine living without him, feels the burden of having to care for her ill husband. The terrible influence of patriarchy is effectively portrayed through the presentation of Rezia’s lives. She is a victim of the cruelty of the social and political doctrine of the English society and their only guilt is that they are merely women. What is really tragic about Rezia is not her husband’s death, but the unfriendly manner in which the world treats her. Once again, Woolf describes the inequalities of life and the pressures that society puts on women.

Another example of the unconventional woman is portrayed through the character of Elizabeth Dalloway, the daughter of the Dalloway family. In the novel she is descripted as a very beautiful girl and many boys in London like her. But Elizabeth is extremely angry with the men’s attitude toward her. She prefers to be recognized with her intelligence rather than her beauty. Unlike her mother, she does not care about the tea parties, dinners and meetings. “With a sudden impulse, with a violent anguish, for this woman was taking her daughter from her, Clarissa leant over the banisters and cried out, ‘Remember the party! Remember our party to- night.’ But Elizabeth had already opened the front door; there was a van passing; she didn’t answer”(130). Elizabeth has ambitions to have a career and a professional life. She has planned to be a doctor, farmer, or to go into Parliament. She is important in the novel since she is like the delegate of the new generation’s feminism and she represents the future life that women and men have equal places in the society.

Ä°n conclusion, there are many female characters in the book. Some of them seem like weak woman and some are strong in a male dominated society. However with the deep examinations of all of them, it is explicated that they all have strong feelings and ideas. Every human is a mixture of his/her concepts, memories, emotions; still, that same human being leaves behind as many different impressions as there are people who associate with that person. Furthermore, Woolf evokes in her journals the following question: “If everyone’s impression of another is just a fragment of the whole, what is the “real world” like?”(57)

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Environmental sustainability

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ABSTRACT

Universities, as centres for training responsible and knowledgeable humans, prepare students to respond to the intellectual, social, and personal challenges that they will face in community. To this end, universities will take use of various resources. In this regard, the question which rises is to what extent the world leading universities take their environmental responsibility into consideration and how committed they are to environmental sustainability. This paper aimed to explore this issue by studying the world top 10 ranked universities. The study sample included Harvard University (US), University of Cambridge (UK), Yale University (US), University College London (UK), Imperial College London (UK), University of Oxford (UK), University of Chicago (US), Princeton University (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), and California Institute of Technology (US). The required data was collected through the content analysis of the websites and annual reports of the mentioned universities. Findings of the paper showed that all the studied universities were involved in a number of various environmental activities and were committed to their environmental responsibilities. The findings of the paper can be a benchmark for other universities. Since the environment is an important pillar of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and vital part of sustainability, the findings have important implications for CSR policy of universities.

INTRODUCTION

All humans have a moral obligation to preserve the planet and there is no excuse for doing nothing to improve the environmental state of the globe. This also applies to institutions of higher education (Christensen et al., 2009). Organizations such as companies or universities are usually responsible for the severe environmental degradation we have witnessed (Alshuwaikhat and Abubakar, 2008; Hoffman and Woody, 2008; Haden et al., 2009). Nowadays, higher education institutions can cause “significant environmental impacts” (Jabbour, 2010). Many of them, due to their large size, expressive movement of people and vehicles, high consumption of materials, and strong development of complex activities, may be considered as “small towns” (Alshuwaikhat and Abubakar, 2008). Therefore higher education institutes have a great environmental responsibility toward society. This could be through training graduates with suitable environmental knowledge as well as environmental plans and programs to reduce waste and preserve environment. Now, the question which arises is how aware universities are toward their environmental responsibilities toward society. To answer this question, this study will investigate the issue among world top 10 universities through reviewing their website content and annual reports. Although previous studies have been conducted in this area, they are mainly case studies considering only one university. This study, however, considers 10 International universities at the same time and tries to provide a general picture of how aware and responsible world top universities are toward environment. Since the environment is an important pillar of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and vital part of sustainability, the findings of this study have important implications for CSR policy of universities.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN UNIVERSITIES

Sustainability is a pattern of resource use which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The main idea of sustainable development is to achieve the lasting satisfaction of human needs. Environmental management may be defined as “the study of all technical and organizational activities aimed at reducing the environmental impact caused by a company’s business operations” (Cramer, 1998, p. 162). Although initially targeted for companies, this definition can also be applied to service sector and universities. Universities apply various resources to provide quality education for students. This, in turn, will cause impacts on the environment. Several simple examples of these impacts are electricity consumption, production of waste and CO2 emission caused by daily printing of large numbers of papers. A number of dimensions define environmental management practices (AragÏŒn-Correa, 1998; Klassen & Angell, 1998; Klassen & Whybark, 1999). As Céspedes-Lorente et al. (2003) mention, “Peattie and Ringler (1994) drew a distinction between software and hardware environmental activities. Software activities are those focused on organizational issues such us systems, procedures, audits and manuals, whereas hardware activities are concerned with technological change to reduce the environmental impact of the firm”. Environmental sustainability refers to the environmental actions or impacts of what we do. There are a number of studies considering the issues of sustainability and environment in higher education. A study by Wright (2010), examined how a cohort of university presidents and vice-presidents in Canadian universities conceptualize sustainable development, sustainable universities, the role universities play in achieving a sustainable future, key issues facing the university, and the barriers to implementing sustainability initiatives on campus. They showed that although the majority of participants were well versed in the concept of sustainable development, they were less familiar with the concept of a sustainable university. However, majority of them were dedicated to having their university become more sustainable. The participants also listed “financial predicaments”, “lack of understanding and awareness of sustainability issues amongst the university population”, and “a resistance to change” as the main barriers in the path of sustainability. Pollock et al. (2009) also insisted that “complex and ineffective governance, traditional disciplinary boundaries, and the lack of a shared vision at academic institutions often hinder university’s progress toward leading the world to a more sustainable and desirable future”. Furthermore, a study by Rauch and Newman (2009) in Yale University explored how an institutional target can lead to greater community action and long-term commitment than if no specific target is established.

METHODOLOGY

Similar to a related study by Capriotti and Moreno (2007), this paper used a content analysis methodology to analyze the websites of the top 10 world universities ranked by Times Higher Education (THE, 2009). This research studied the content of the university official websites and tried to identify universities environmental practices, procedures and plans. To this end, we have reviewed all the related web pages of the universities (including news, media, department web pages, etc.) and not just direct links from the homepage.

The study sample included Harvard University (US), University of Cambridge (UK), Yale University (US), University College London (UK), Imperial College London (UK), University of Oxford (UK), University of Chicago (US), Princeton University (US), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), and California Institute of Technology (US).

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

The findings of this research shows that world leading universities are in some way or another involved in environmental practices and committed to their environmental responsibility. Table 1 summarizes the diversity of the areas which these universities are involved in.

Table 1

Environmental practices of studied universities

Environmental Practice

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

Reduction in the use of fossil fuels and increase in the use of renewable resources

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

Waste recycle and management

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

Reduction of water use

a

a

a

a

a

a

Green buildings and environmentally responsible architecture

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

Running an specialized environmental centre/ network

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

Reduction of the environmental impact due to the use of paper

a

a

a

a

Increase of environmental awareness among staff & students

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

Minimisation of environmental impact due to materials and services used by the university

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

a

Minimisation of environmental impact due to travel

a

a

a

Maintenance of university sites in an environmentally sensitive way

a

a

a

a

a

a

Green purchasing for university procurement

a

a

a

a

a

1: Harvard University (US), 2: University of Cambridge (UK), 3: Yale University (US), 4: University College London (UK), 5: Imperial College London (UK), 6: University of Oxford (UK), 7: University of Chicago (US), 8: Princeton University (US), 9: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US), 10: California Institute of Technology (US).

With the growing concern on climate change around the globe, most of the universities are taking this issue into consideration. For instance, Harvard University monitors and publishes its greenhouse gas emissions statistics across its various schools in North America campus. As shown in their report (Harvard, 2008), the university managed to totally decrease its greenhouse gas emission to the amount of -2.3% in year 2008 compared to year 2006 in their North America campus. At Harvard, they also notice the issue of green buildings through defining Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) projects. As mentioned in their environmental report (ibid.), “LEED is a rating system for green buildings and provides a nationally accepted third-party verification that a building project meets the highest performance standards”. Similarly, in University of Cambridge, a student network named “Architecture sans Frontiéres (ASF)” considers the possibilities of a new socially and environmentally responsible architecture. Through lectures and exhibitions, this network aims to get people thinking about how buildings can respond to the needs of society and the environment (Cambridge, 2007). Yale University also has an office of sustainability where they run various projects such as LEED rating. Similarly, California Institute of Technology utilizes the LEED standard to ensure its buildings meet and maintain a high level of energy, water and resource efficiency. In another instance, Imperial College London was recognised by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) for the efforts of the Facilities Management department to reduce its carbon production. Interestingly, University of Chicago has an interesting website called “green guide” where they provide information related to health and environmental topics at the University of Chicago and share tips with visitors on how to live a greener life (Chicago, 2006). The university also provided eco-tip of the month in its website. Overall, all the studied universities take their environmental responsibility seriously and are involved in this regard.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that world leading universities are aware of their environmental impacts and have taken necessary steps toward sustainability. Many of them have defined annual plans with objectives to achieve. This can be considered as a benchmark for other universities around the globe. However, the key to success of such plans is commitment from all levels of management specially top leaders. As discussed by Wickenberg (2006) and cited by Axelsson et al. (2008), the norm support given by the leaders of the universities is necessary and crucial to success in local implementation of sustainability plans. This is supported by the research of Christensen et al. (2009) who showed that in spite of adopting an environmental policy and signing an agreement to work for sustainable universities, Aalborg University (Denmark) failed to reach its objectives due to the lack of commitment from top management, the missing acceptance from technical staff, and a narrow understanding of the university’s environmental impacts. Other universities and their leaders can benchmark these plans and culture to organize their own sustainability and environmental plans.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The first author would like to thank Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) for supporting this research through providing Vice-Chancellor Award.

REFERENCES

Alshuwaikhat, HM and Abubakar, I 2008, ‘An integrated approach to achieving campus sustainability: assessment of the current campus environmental management practices’, Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 16, pp. 1777-85.

AragÏŒn-Correa, J A 1998, ‘Strategic proactivity and firm approach to the natural environment’, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 41, No. 5, pp. 556-567.

Axelsson, H, Sonesson, K, and Wickenberg, P 2008, ‘Why and how do universities work for sustainability in higher education (HE)?’, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 469-478.

Cambridge, 2007, Resources: Volunteering opportunities, Retrieved on February 22, 2010 from http://webservices.admin.cam.ac.uk/outreach/pages/activities.jsp?category=50.

Capriotti, P, and Morenob, A 2007, ‘Corporate citizenship and public relations: The importance and interactivity of social responsibility issues on corporate websites’, Public Relations Review, Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 84-91.

Céspedes-Lorente, J, Burgos-Jiméne, J D, and Alvarez-Gil, M J 2003, ‘Stakeholders’ environmental influence. An empirical analysis in the Spanish hotel industry’, Scandinavian Journal of Management, Vol. 19, No. 3, pp. 333-358.

Chicago, 2006, Green Guide, Retrieved on February 22, 2010 from http://greenguide.uchicago.edu.

Christensen, P, Thrane, M, Jørgensen, T H, and Lehmann, M 2009, ‘Sustainable development: assessing the gap between preaching and practice at Aalborg University’, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 4-20.

Cramer, J 1998, ‘Environmental management: From fit to stretch’, Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 162-172.

Haden, SS, Oyler, PH and Humphreys, JH 2009, ‘Historical, practical and theoretical perspectives on green management: an exploratory analysis’, Management Decision, Vol. 47, No. 7, pp. 1041-55.

Harvard, 2008, Summary of Environmental Performance at Harvard, Retrieved on February 22, 2010 from http://www.provost.harvard.edu/institutional_research/Provost_-_09_36_39Green.pdf.

Hoffman, AJ and Woody, JG 2008, Climate Change? What’s Your Business Strategy?, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, MA.

Jabbour, C J C 2010, ‘Greening of business schools: a systemic view’, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 49-60.

Klassen, R D, and Angell, L C 1998, ‘An international comparison of environmental management in operations: The impact of manufacturing flexibility in the US and Germany’, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 177-194.

Klassen, R D, and Whybark, D C 1999, ‘Environmental management in operations: The selection of environmental technologies, Decisions Sciences, Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 601-630.

Peattie, K, and Ringler, A 1994, ‘Management and the environment in the United Kingdom and Germany: A comparison’, European Management Journal, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 216-225.

Rauch, J N and Newman, J, 2009, ‘Institutionalizing a greenhouse gas emission reduction target at Yale’, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 390-400.

THE 2009, Times Higher Education, online, retrieved 09 December 2009, from http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/Rankings2009-Top200.html, Accessed on: December 09, 2009.

Wickenberg, P. (2006), ‘Norm supporting actors and structures at the very local level of implementation of sustainable development’, in Holmberg and Samuelsson (Eds), Higher Education, in Drivers and Barriers for Implementing Sustainable Development in Higher Education. Education for Sustainable Development in Action (Technical Paper No 3), UNESCO Education.

Wright, T 2010, ‘University presidents’ conceptualizations of sustainability in higher education’, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 61-73.

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Reviewing The Novel The Wasp Factory English Literature Essay

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Compare the treatment of women in Robert Browning’s poetry and Iain Banks’ novel, ‘The Wasp Factory’.

The treatment of women in Iain Banks’ novel, The Wasp Factory, and in Robert Browning’s poetry, widely conforms to the typical qualities of gothic female characters. Fundamentally, both writers include characters that are subverted by society and the dominant male protagonists; however, both writers, perhaps more implicitly, also convey the characters as either a female seductress or as an enchantress. The inclusion of such characters is thus intrinsic in achieving the intrigue and horror that creates a gothic atmosphere.

The chapter, ‘In the Bunker’, in Banks’, The Wasp Factory, elucidates Frank’s hatred towards women and is perhaps a wider symbolism of Frank’s internal battle between his/her male persona and Frank’s female physiology; certainly, in this respect, women are literally “too close for comfort”. Ultimately, Frank feels emasculated; what essentially is thought to define a man, Frank does not have. Undoubtedly, Frank’s perception of the sea as a “mythological enemy” may also be a source of his hatred towards women. It is widely recognised that the sea often represents femininity in literature. Also, the mythology of the sea is connected to the notion of mermaids portrayed as seductresses who lured sailors with their enchanting music. This portrayal of women as rapacious female predators offering a real sexual threat is very prominent in gothic literature.

This concept of female sexual predatory is perhaps also visible in Browning’s, My Last Duchess, where the previous duchess’ “looks went everywhere”. Yet the duke’s perception of his previous wife is perhaps flawed; the notion of “the white mule she rode with round the terrace” however, is arguably indicative of her youth. The duchess is still very young and thus cannot control her emotions. It is perhaps more accurate then that the duchess was essentially a ‘maiden in distress’. Indeed, she is subjugated by the domineering male protagonist who wishes to maintain constant control over her. However, the curtain that is drawn over her painting, ironically symbolising that the duke is only able to exert his control when she is dead, can only now counteract her “earnest glance”.

Throughout The Wasp Factory, Banks accentuates that Frank’s masculinity is depicted through stereotypes- his character is essentially built upon how Frank perceives a man should behave. Frank is obsessed with having “ultimate control” and power, yet from a very young age, Frank has had no real control over his life; his father has dictated it. More ironically, he has no control over his biological sex, despite his continuing attempt to ascertain that he is of the male sex. Thus, Frank’s encounter with the buck is symbolic of all the things that he possess; that is, ironically, his ‘alpha-male’ persona. Frank’s typical male characteristics are emphasised through the way he “hissed”, the animalistic imagery serving to exaggerate his aggressive and territorial nature. In many ways, this encounter with the buck is once again symbolic of Frank’s internal battle; in essence, it is an externalisation of an internal battle. The way in which Banks presents the reader with a typical boy’s story whose protagonist is actually a girl is perhaps a critique of society and an attempt to undermine traditional gender expectations. Frank, however, conforms to the typical female gothic character of a woman who is suppressed by a domineering male character; the irony though, is that Frank is both the subjugated female and the dominant male.

Browning’s poems may similarly attempt to challenge traditional gender expectations. In Porphyria’s Lover, the indication of her “gay social life” is a contrast to the male protagonist’s seemingly secluded lifestyle. Stereotypically, particularly in the nineteenth century, men were usually in control; yet Porphyria is initially portrayed as the domineering figure and this is evident through the way that “She shut the cold out”, the sibilance serving to stress the narrator’s dependency on Porphyria. It is possible that the narrator is resentful of both her social superiority and of her more commanding presence and the only way to free him of such powerlessness is to kill her. Thus, Browning may be attempting to indicate a reversal of gender roles; the male is the ‘weak’ character through his inability to keep control of himself- let alone Porphyria.

Angus Cauldhame, in The Wasp Factory, manipulates knowledge to ensure that he maintains control over Frank: “‘what height is this table?’…’thirty inches’ I told him…’wrong’, he said with an eager grin…’two foot six”. Both measurements are correct yet Frank must adapt his knowledge to fit with Angus’ personal mindset. Fundamentally, Mr Cauldhame has indoctrinated Frank with misogynistic views and maintains utter control over his life. In this sense, Frank also conforms to the character of the ‘persecuted maiden’, which are so abundant in gothic literature. Yet, it may also be argued that Frank deceives himself through the rituals that he enacts in an attempt to affirm his identity as a man: “I held my crotch, closed my eyes and repeated my secret catechisms”. Thus, this perhaps indicates that Frank is at least deluding himself of his ‘real’ gender. Nevertheless, In Frank’s eyes this is a better alternative to the contrary; after all, in Frank’s words women are “weak and stupid”. Certainly, it possible that Frank’s rituals and sacrifices are in many ways reminiscent of a witch. Of course, if this is the case, Frank also exhibits supernatural qualities that are intrinsic in creating the intrigue and suspense associated with the gothic genre.

Both the protagonists in Browning’s poems, Porphria’s Lover, and My Last Duchess display a similar want of control to Mr Cauldhame in The Wasp Factory. The way the “sullen wind… did its worst to vex the lake” is perhaps representative of the narrator’s anger towards Porphyria. Once again, there is a strong connection between women and the moon’s ability to control tides; thus possibly suggesting that the protagonist’s anger is centred towards his inability to possess the femininity that she gives off. His anger is also suggested through the inclusion of personification and pathetic fallacy, for instance, “the sullen wind”, which is indicative of his cold and melancholy character. The narrator’s desire for control is further reiterated through the way “she was mine, mine”, with the use of repetition serving to highlight the possessive nature of the narrator. Indeed, Porphyria is objectified; she is literally transformed from subject to object through the murder that the protagonist has created. Similarly, the female character in My Last Duchess, is objectified through the duke’s painting; she is simply one of his possessions. Additionally, the narrator’s control that he wishes to hold over his duchess is illuminated through the iambic pentameter of the poem. With twenty-eight rhyming couplets, the very tight structure of the poem is representative of the level of authority and control he expects to exert over his wife.

To summarise, the portrayal of women in the both Banks’ novel and Browning’s poetry is fundamental in creating the horror and supernatural qualities that are associated with gothic literature. The depiction of the female characters however, also allows the writers to present a critique of society, and raise debates on both nature and nurture, and gender expectations of men and women.

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The Idea Of The American Dream English Literature Essay

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The colors of specific objects described over the course of the novel serve as symbols that help convey Fitzgerald’s thoughts of the American Dream. An example of this is the color white, which is used to represent perfection throughout the novel. For instance, Daisy Buchanan who is seen as perfect by Jay Gatsby, is always depicted by Fitzgerald as wearing white throughout the novel. Another character that associates white with perfection is Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle desires to achieve the perfection that she believes the rich have. Like Daisy, Myrtle’s clothes are symbolic. At her secret apartment, Fitzgerald depicts Myrtle in “an elaborate afternoon dress of cream-colored chiffon” (Fitzgerald 30). Myrtle does this to try to impress her friends by showing off the wealth and consequently, her idea of perfection, that comes from her affair with Tom Buchanan. However, her cream-colored chiffon dress is not white, or perfect in her mind, even though cream-chiffon and white are very close to each other. Myrtle coming close to her idea of perfection, and her inability to reach it, is Fitzgerald’s method of showing that the American Dream is a mirage that can never be reached.

Besides the color white, Fitzgerald uses other colors such as gold and silver, to represent ideas that help him communicate his perception of the American Dream. The colors gold and silver are commonly used to describe many objects in the prosperous lives of the characters. Tom and Daisy live in a house that has French windows that reflect gold (Fitzgerald 6). And at the opulent parties of the wealthy, “All night the saxophones wailed the hopeless comment of the ‘Beale Street Blues’ while a hundred pairs of golden and silver slippers shuffled the shining dust” (Fitzgerald 151). Gold and silver are the colors that represent wealth, and wealth exists in the lives of the characters in abundance. Nick Carraway even describes the wealthy Jordan Baker as having golden arms and shoulders (Fitzgerald 33 79). However, the gold and silver objects of wealth cannot appease any of the characters and each of the characters longs for more. In Jordan’s case, merely being “golden girl” is not enough to satisfy herself. Therefore, she strives for perfection in golf through dishonest means. All of the characters in The Great Gatsby long for more than what they have and try to in numerous ways to sate their needs. However, none of the characters are successful in doing so. Fitzgerald does so to show that all desires will never be satisfied, regardless of effort exerted, making the American dream an unattainable dream.

Fitzgerald also uses discernible physical symbols in The Great Gatsby, in addition to the colors that stand for abstract ideas, to represent the American Dream. Of all the symbols used to represent the American Dream, the green light on the dock of the Buchanan property that Gatsby associates with Daisy, is the most prominent. Nick states at the end of the novel, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter-to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…And one fine morning—” (Fitzgerald 180). Gatsby believed in the concept of the American Dream, where perseverance would lead him to his goal, and in the green light that symbolized his goal of winning Daisy. Daisy is Gatsby’s foremost longing who he dedicates his life to. At the beginning of the novel, Gatsby is observed standing on his lawn reaching towards the green light, and his goal. Yet, at the end of the novel, Gatsby is once again seen gazing towards Daisy’s mansion. However, this time, the green light is off. The symbolic green light no longer shining is Fitzgerald’s method of saying that Gatsby’s illusion of American Dream, that he could win Daisy by acquiring wealth, has been shattered. Whether Gatsby realized that the idea of the American Dream was superficial is unknown, but Fitzgerald makes his belief clearly known with the symbolism of the green light.

The American Dream is also alluded to by Fitzgerald with the subtle comparing and contrasting of the characters of the novel. For instance, three characters, Jordan, Daisy and Tom, all appear to be vastly different people with diverging thoughts and personalities. Jordan who confides to Nick that others will “…keep out of my way, it takes two to make an accident” (Fitzgerald 58), is self-centered and cynical. Daisy is careless and leaves many messes in her wake, such as the deaths of Myrtle and Gatsby. Finally Tom is a bullying bigot who physically abuses others (Fitzgerald 37) and believes in white supremacy (Fitzgerald 13) . Yet, upon closer examination, all three of them share a common characteristic. This unifying characteristic is that neither Daisy, Jordan or Tom are content with what they have. Since, they are not content, they each go out of the way to try to sate themselves in various ways. This is Fitzgerald’s way of showing that the American Dream is an universal idea. However, none of the characters are fully able to appease their desires. Doing so would be fulfilling the American Dream which from Fitzgerald’s point of view, would be impossible.

Fitzgerald shows that the American Dream is a impossible dream to achieve in The Great Gatsby. On the surface, The Great Gatsby, is a novel about the classic idea of obstructed love, such as Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. However Fitzgerald alludes to his real purpose in the novel with color symbolism, comparisons and contrasts, and symbols representing the American Dream. The reason why Fitzgerald had such a cynical view towards the cherished American Dream is only known to him. Perhaps he became jaded after becoming a famous author overnight, suddenly acquiring wealth and fame. If Fitzgerald had been positive and happy about his new life, The Great Gatsby might have been a much more cheerful novel.

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Themes In The Novel Pride And Prejudice English Literature Essay

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The essay is an in depth analysis of themes in the novel Pride and Prejudice. Themes are generally the central ideas of a piece or art be it a book, drawing, film or poems. Usually themes are developed through various ways among them through characters. The novel Pride and Prejudice was written by Austen Jane back in 1813. Generally, the story is told of a Bennet Elizabeth going through a number of issues in life for instance education, marriage among others. The major style used by the author is narrative technique of free indirect speech. Through the various ways of presenting her ideas, readers are able to identify several themes including love reputation, class, and environment playing a part in child upbringing, marriage to mention but a few (Pat 121).

Theme of love

Austen Jane has been hailed to have written the most cherish literature in regards to love; this can be seen in the courtship of Elizabeth and Darcy. For the two to realize their love, there were numerous things that blocked such desires. The theme of love is depicted to be hand in hand with marriage. It is worth noting that at the opening of the novel, the author says, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (Austen Chapter 1). It is worth noting that during the times of the author marriage was an issue in the society and it is deemed this is what influenced her to write it up in this novel.

It is evident that one of the stumbling block was characters’ own qualities, for instance, Elizabeth was proud making her misjudge Darcy as being unfriendly while the later misjudges the former for coming from a poor background. Apparently, the author makes the reader understand that for individuals to realize and capture love, then there is need for both partners to come out of the wrapping effect of social class (Tanvir par. 4). Austen through Elizabeth and Darcy as well as other characters make it evident that true love is what dictates the separation of individuals and the society conquering all the predominant barriers.

Additionally, readers also become aware of fake love. This is where characters engage in a marriage relationship for the sake of wealth. This is exemplified by what Lucas Charlotte said of their marriage with Mr. Collin, “I am not romantic you know, I never was, I ask only a comfortable home, and considering Mr. Collin’ character, connections and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair…” (Austen Chapter 22)

Theme of class and economic inequality

In the novel, the line between those who have and those who have not are clearly drawn. This is a clear reflection of what was happening in England at the time. Although the Bennet middle class family, they possibly mingled with their counter-parts in upper class. Nonetheless, it is evident that they felt inferior and were indeed treated as such. The issue of class consciousness is shown when Mr. Collins takes most of his time bootlicking those in the upper class- Lady Catherine. Similarly, Darcy is of the opinion that his lineage of dignity to him, on the same line Miss Bingley hates those that are not socially acceptable to her (Pat 45). Individuals also strive to climb the social ladder as shown by Wickham who is ready to go in doing extra ordinary things to acquire social class. However, the novel in a succinct manner proves that through marriage, love as well as happiness brought about by it breaks the chains of social class.

There are clear evidences that economic inequality facing women at the time forced them to marry partners that were undesirable so to speak so that they could gain financial security. A typical example of such marriage was between Collin and Lucas Charlotte who was ready to even mess with her own life but be with a rich man who could fulfill her financial needs. This is condemned by the author. It is also financial inequality that makes Mrs. Bennet to arrange suitors to her daughters and one of her daughters, Elizabeth says of her sister Jane, “If Jane should die, it would be comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley” (Austen Chapter 7).

Theme of morality and reputation

In the novel the authors makes it very clear that the reputation especially of a woman count a lot. There are certain ways women are to carry themselves and if they go astray then they are bound to ostracism/exclusion. This is summarized Mary, “Loss of virtue in a female is irretrievable; that one false step involves her in endless ruin; that her reputation is no less brittle than it is beautiful; and that she cannot be too much guarded in her behavior towards the undeserving of the other sex” (Austen Chapter 47)

This is exemplified by various female characters. For instance, when Mrs. Bennet behaved in an ill-manner towards Darcy and Bingleys, similarly, the scenario where Elizabeth went to Netherfield and meet Miss Bingley and her friend in a dirty skirt tarnished her reputation. The step taken by Lydia to elope with Wickham then walks away without getting married places her in an ill position in the society (Lombardi par. 2). This might also negatively impact on her sisters as it threatens their quest of finding husbands and might remain unmarried for the rest of their lives.

Theme of intellectual pride

The book revolves around pride as the characters of the [people is built along this. This is so pronounced in the novel where Darcy alienates himself from other people due to pride. This is seen where he acted so snobbishly with lot f superiority when they encountered for the first time on the ball with Benet leading to them being turned off. In his loving of Elizabeth, Darcy acted so proudly to a point whereby, Elizabeth was disgusted due to his behavior leading her to despise him so much. We see him debasing Elizabeth family so much even after proposing to her for marriage. Nevertheless, to ensure that he wins her love back and marry her, Darcy had to look at her life once again and change her intense pride to ensure that he makes her happy (Catherine, 2005).

In addition, there is the intellectual pride that is portrayed by Mr. Benet to Mary who is the sister that he likes mocking around. In the novel Benet makes mockery of Mary by talking to her and saying, “what say you Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection I know, and read great books, and makes extracts.” At this point, Mary felt that that was a mockery and felt that she should say something but held her breath knowing that it was not the right time to say it. Out of his pride, he never let Mary to adjust her ideas to respond to him, but suggested that they should go back to Mr. Bigley.

Catherine De Bough is seen to be so proud of her elf due to the social status that she is in. she is seen to base her pride in the wealth and the privileges that the wealth bring along with making her overestimate her ability. Her pride show that she is capable of d0oing anything. According to the novel, her pride is shown through the statement that she makes. She says, “There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than me, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient.” That mere pride is not supported by any aspect of her life. Otherwise, no matter the wealth that she has and privileges that the wealth bring along her way, it does not mean that she is capable of doing everything.

Her pride is able to drift her to think that her feelings are the only important one. She talks rudely with little or no conscious that she is doing so. She said that, “I have told Miss Bennet several times, that she will never play really well, unless she practices more; and though Mrs. Collins has no instrument, she is very welcome, as I have often told her, to come to Rosings every day, and play on the piano forte in Mrs. Jenison’s room. She would be in nobody’s way, you know, in that part of the house,” (Austen, chapter 35). This showa the level that the Mrs. Catherine had due to the status she had to an extent of the pride being so rooted in her that even by making insensible statement she does not realize she is rude.

Theme of prejudice

Prejudice has also been very rampant in this book where several people undermine others mostly due to their education and economic status. According to the novel, Elizabeth had some prejudice issues to deal with. Darcy who economically was stable but was constantly hurt by the issue of his prejudice by undermining her family loved her. It took time for Elizabeth to overcome her lover’s prejudices that were always followed with arrogance and snobbery. Elizabeth is portrayed to be very caring and she was hated the things that Darcy said about her family that seemed to be so belittling (Catherine, 2005).

The following conversation show the level at which prejudice has been heighted by especially Darcy in the way he gives his regards towards Jane Bennet according to Austen chapter 8, he says;

“”I have an excessive regard for Jane Bennet, she is really a very sweet girl, and I wish with all my heart she were well settled. But with such a father and mother, and such low connections, I am afraid there is no chance of it.”

“I think I have heard you say, that their uncle is an attorney in Meryton.”

“Yes; and they have another, who lives somewhere near Cheapside.”

“That is capital,” added her sister, and they both laughed heartily.

“If they had uncles enough to fill all Cheapside,” cried Bingley, “it would not make them one jot less agreeable.”

“But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world,” replied Darcy.

This conversation shows the level of the prejudice that Darcy had for the lower class people. According to him, the idea of living in Cheapside and Meryton was because of inferiority of the economic status. They really hold them with very low regard.

Conclusion

The novel has various themes according to the way various readers are able to disseminate the idea that the writer had in mind. Depending with the way the plot has been developed and the conversation that the characters have involved in, the above themes, which are love and marriage, pride, prejudice, social class, and economic inequality and reputation are the most conspicuous through the novel. They may be intertwined but excerpt have been critically examined to get the different meaning, thus diverse themes developed.

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Themes Of The Secret Sharer English Literature Essay

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Joseph Conrad exists in history as an illustrious man of literature. His experiences as a sailor translate decorously in his various novels and short stories. “The Secret Sharer,” published in 1910, greatly exemplifies this translation. (Introduction) The setting of this short story takes place on the ocean, or more precisely, the Meinam River in the Gulf of Siam. (Conrad) This story, however, exists as more than just a reiteration of a sailor’s life; it explores the features of the human psyche. “The Secret Sharer” stands as a perplexing examination of every person’s dual nature, and how each person must resolve this duality for the self to grow. (The Doppelganger Theme) The two themes of isolation and doppelganger constitute the profound message in the plot. With them, Conrad takes his readers on a metaphorical journey.

The unnamed Captain endures as the central character of “The Secret Sharer.” His lack of a name represents his lack of self-knowledge, and thus, his lack of identity. The ship he commands lacks a name as well, which represents his absence of knowledge for his crew. Given this command only a fortnight before, the Captain feels out of place onboard. Due to this, he stands alone on the decks in the beginning of the story. The theme of isolation presents itself in the very first sentence, “for there was no sign of human habitation as far as the eye could reach.” (SS) The Captain continues to solemnly examine his surroundings. “At that moment I was alone on her decks. There was not a sound in her – and around us nothing moved, nothing lived, not a canoe on the water, not a bird in the air, not a cloud in the sky.” (SS) This suggests the complete isolation the Captain feels in his heart. Shortly thereafter, the he leaves to eat dinner with his crew.

The Captain’s isolation further intensifies as he eats with his officers. When he states a simple observation that he saw the Sephora, the second mate sneers at him. In this scene, the Captain continues to narrate that he feels like a stranger, to both the ship and himself. For the sake of his own comfort, he makes a magnanimous gesture to keep anchor watch until one o’ clock, something unheard of for a Commander. In the darkness, he meditatively smokes a cigar and evaluates the “strangeness” of his situation. “I had expected those solitary hours of the night to get on terms with the ship of which I knew nothing, manned by me of whom I knew very little more.” (SS) In the depths of isolation, the captain then notices that the ladder had not been brought up from the side of the ship. As he proceeds to pull it himself, the force merely recoils back upon his body. At the bottom of the ladder hangs a naked man. The Captain then asks in a surprisingly ordinary tone, “What’s the matter?” (SS)

The man introduces himself to the Captain as Leggatt. Although the Captain lacks an identity, he immediately identifies himself with the stranger. “The self posession of that man had somehow induced a corresponding state in myself.” (SS) Leggatt informs him that he had swam from the islet to the ship, a distance of two miles. Conrad’s attention to his physical strength reflects his mental strength as well. (Character, leggatt) A mysterious communication establishes between the two after only a few exchanged words. The captain then quietly takes the man to his room, where he offers him one of his sleeping suits. He takes notice that his “sleeping suit was just right for his size.” (SS) This suggests that the two men correspond with each other, and bluntly introduces the doppelganger theme. Leggatt proceeds to tell the Captain that he killed an insolent sailor in an effort to save his ship. He also tells him of his escape. This background suggests Leggatts bravery and irrationality. In contrast, the Captain exemplifies a more timid and civilized nature. The Captain notices this contrast as well – “a stubborn if not steadfast operation; something of which I should have been perfectly incapable.” (SS) From this point on, the Captain continues to refer to Leggatt as his “double.”

In the midst of his isolation, the Captain finds a figurative double. Thus, the doppelganger theme directly results from the isolation theme. A precedent for the doppelganger concept lies in the beginning of the story, when the Captain stands alone and examines his surroundings. The two clumps of trees he notices represent two separate entities that are the same, such as the himself and Leggatt. The scorpion found in the Chief Mate’s cabin serves as a symbolic precedent as well. It applies to Leggatt in terms of danger, intrusion, and concealment. Also, they both symbolize the darker self that plagues everyone. (Secret Sharer Themes) In essence, Leggatt represents black, while the Captain represents white. Therefore, when they come together in the cabin, they both wear gray sleeping suits. This also represents the meeting of the conscious and the subconscious. Together, they equalize, and form the perfect commander. This concept demonstrates itself in the end, when the Captain acts courageously in response to Leggatt’s influence. As the ship approaches Koh-ring, the Captain directs his men in an aggressive manner. Throughout this entire scene, he keeps his composure, and wins the respect of his crew. (Character, Captain)

Overall, Conrad’s story portrays how Leggatt influences the Captain, and by doing so, transforms him into the perfect commander. The timid Captain’s initial situation reflects the situations in every person’s life, when they must evoke their inner courage. (Critical Essay) The profound message of “The Secret Sharer” illustrates self discovery in the form of interacting with others. One may meet someone who provides insight to and inner and unknown self, thus, cultivating one’s personality. Conrad artistically weaves the themes of isolation and doppelganger into the story as he conveys this message. The Captain takes a metaphorical journey and experiences self growth. In the end, both him and Leggatt can look to a “new destiny.”

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A View From The Bridge English Literature Essay

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Alfieri’s role in the play is fundamental as his didactic nature reveals much about other characters. Not only does he set the scene, but he also continually captures the attention of the audience by introducing the story from his own perspective, one that we can understand. The audience tends to believe Alfieri and trust what he says, possibly because he’s a lawyer and is more educated than any of the other characters in the play. His role is like the Greek Chorus, always bringing back the truth and reality. He is constantly in touch with the audience, speaking to them directly and often asking rhetorical questions. He is the voice of the audience, but like us he is ultimately powerless to change the inevitable course of the play.

At heart Alfieri is Sicilian. No matter how many years he has lived in Red Hook, how much his accent has changed or how ‘American’ he is, nothing will change the fact that he was ‘born in Italy.’ Alfieri has one foot in Italy and the other in Red Hook throughout the play. The overall view portrayed is one of a man who is confident of his self-identity and yet knows the reality of Red Hook. He is however not looking for his American Dream. Alfieri knows the truth and knows that he has to work hard to make a living. For the majority of the play, Alfieri seems to be on the side of the American law. But in one of his later monologues, when he makes Marco promise to never seek revenge from Eddie, Marco almost immediately goes back on his word. This gives the impression that some part of Alfieri knew this outcome would ensue. Perhaps Alfieri thought that violence was the only way this dispute would end. This reinforces the idea that his Italian upbringing influences many of his decisions throughout the play.

In his opening speech Alfieri is constantly criticizing Red Hook by saying it is the, ‘Gullet of New York swallowing the tonnage of the world.’ This suggests that Brooklyn just takes in anything or anyone that doesn’t have a home or wants a better life. It is ‘A slum that faces the bay,’ illustrating that Alfieri went to America in hope of living the American Dream. However now, he is beyond that point where he no longer feels the need to pursue this dream. Like Alfieri, each Italian aspires to become rich. They often realize that these dreams are not feasible, hence turning to crime and bribery. The actions of the people of Red Hook contradict Alfieri’s words when he says that ‘Justice is very important here.’

Alfieri likes the idea of a just society, ‘Now we are quite civilized, quite American. Now we settle for half and I like it better.’ When he says ‘settle for half,’ Alfieri could be implying that a compromise has been made between American and Italian laws. He implies that the people of Red Hook rarely resolve their problems with violence any longer, like they previously had when, ‘Al Capone roamed the streets.’ As Al Capone departed, so did the Italian idea of a just law. Further into the story when Marco stabs Eddie, they are evidently adhering to an older law. An Italian gangster law, which is also known as Bloody Revenge. Their actions agree with Alfieri’s words that there are many here, ‘Justly shot by unjust men.’ Eddie deserved to be killed, but the killer, Marco, had no justification to do so.

When Alfieri initially expresses himself in his opening speech, he appears rather ambiguous and almost unsure of himself. This makes the reader doubt his motives. On the other hand in his final speech, Alfieri proclaims with confidence and conviction that it is ‘better to settle for half, it must be!’ In hindsight Alfieri realises the flaws in his previously held opinions. However, if Eddie had accepted the fact that Rodolpho and Catherine were going to marry, he wouldn’t have died at the end of the play. Therefore suggesting that his actions led to his ultimate demise. Alfieri becomes aware of the consequences of being greedy.

From the start of the play, the audience gets the impression that Eddie will encounter misfortune. Alfieri foreshadows the end of the play by repeatedly telling the audience how ‘powerless’ he is. Ultimately, it is evident that tragedy will prevail. Alfieri is blatantly saying that Eddie is meant to get killed, presenting the idea of inevitability and fate. Regardless of his actions and persistence, he cannot change the destiny of the characters. The events of the play are beyond his control. He does whatever he can to stop the worst from happening, but eventually ends up having to ‘watch it run its bloody course.’

Upon their first meeting, the far-fetched, drastic opinions of Eddie compared to the more subdued, realistic ones of Alfieri, highlight the extreme stances of these prominent characters. Alfieri is trying to explain to Eddie that since he is a lawyer, he can only ‘deal in what’s provable.’ This shows just how pragmatic Alfieri is compared to Eddie. Additionally, if Alfieri did not express his opinions, ambiguity and confusion would arise as the audience would not know whose side to take. Although, with Alfieri we have a sense of trust. This is because he is more eloquent and has greater clarity of speech compared to that of the rest of the characters. For example, in this particular conversation, Alfieri hardly speaks and yet his limited input is more striking than the verbose ways of Eddie.

Arthur Miller uses Alfieri’s character to engage the readers at the beginning of the play. When ‘Alfieri walks into the darkness’, the atmosphere suddenly becomes very tense. Lots of questions fill the readers mind. Where did he go? Why? He leaves the reader at a cliffhanger, wanting to know what happens next. His presence evokes feelings of familiarity and protection. However when he leaves, a sense of uncertainty overcomes us. As well as being a bridge between the characters and the audience, Alfieri’s presence creates suspense and apprehension.

In his opening speech, Alfieri provides us with lots of background information about Red Hook and Italy. He tells us how ‘Frankie Yale was cut precisely in half with a machine gun.’ This expresses a rough idea of how Red Hook was before the people decided to ‘settle for half.’ This quote reveals how dangerous the area was just in just one sentence. Not only this, but Alfieri also tells us what it was like to live in Red Hook and about the type of people that lived there. He explains that the people in his neighborhood ‘lack elegance, glamour,’ implying that he is not one of those people. This makes a clear distinction between them and him. Also, that he deserves better than to have to live in this kind of community.

Arthur Miller’s idea of using Alfieri in ‘A view from the bridge’ is very effective in carrying the storyline further. Without him, the audience would have misinterpreted the meaning of the play and be guided in the wrong direction. He provides an unbiased view of developing events, unlike the other characters. As they have very strong opinions about one another. He helps the play flow well, fusing one scene with the next. At the beginning of each scene, Alfieri plants certain ideas into your mind, which constantly attain the interest of the audience. Alfieri attempts to objectively give us a picture of Eddie Carbone and the 1950s Red Hook, Brooklyn community. Throughout the play he clears up any doubts that we have about the events. Effectively, setting the scene and creating a dramatic atmosphere. Alfieri, the protagonist, also adds a sense of initiation to the play, providing momentum for future events. His role helps us distinguish the different sections of the play. Even though Eddie is the dominant character, Alfieri is just as important. As Alfieri helps capture the true essence of the play. He narrates the story of the Carbones, but with his own personal opinions. Alfieri is similar to Arthur Miller in many respects as he narrates a story that he cannot change. Alfieri tells the Carbone story in order to search for a conclusion, but to no avail.

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The History On Ethnographic Allegory English Literature Essay

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James Clifford is a historian and Professor in the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California. Clifford and Hayden White were among the first faculty directly appointed to the History of Consciousness Ph.D. program in 1978, which was originally the only graduate- department at UC-Santa Cruz. The History of Consciousness department continues to be an intellectual centre for innovative interdisciplinary and critical scholarship in the U.S. and abroad, largely due to Clifford and White’s influence, as well as the work of other prominent faculty who were hired in the 1980s. Clifford served as Chair to this department from 2004-2007. Clifford is the author of several widely cited and translated books, including The Predicament of Culture: Twentieth Century Ethnography, Literature and Art (1988), Routes: Travel and Translation in the Late 20th Century (1997), as well as the editor of Writing Culture: the Poetics and Politics of Ethnography, with George Marcus (1986) on which I have made my presentation. Clifford’s work has sparked controversy and critical debate in a number of disciplines, such as literature, art history and visual studies, and especially in cultural anthropology, as his literary critiques of written ethnography greatly contributed to the discipline’s important self-critical period of the 1980s and early 1990s.

“On Ethnographic Allegory”, by James Clifford is a study on how society perceives other ethnicity, which is to say with allegories and considers ethnographic accounts as allegorical. He holds the opinion that “transcendent meanings are the conditions of its meaningfulness. The rhetorical strategy of extending a metaphor through an entire narrative so that objects, persons, and actions in the text are equated with meanings that lie outside the text. Here it will be worth mentioning the story that Clifford has included in his essay and that is from Marjorie Shostak begins her book Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman with a story of childbirth the !Kung way- outside the village, alone, here are some excerpts: I lay there and felt the pains as they came, over and over again. Then I felt something wet, the beginning of the childbirth. I thought, “Eh hey, maybe it is the child.” I got up and took a blanket and covered Tashay with it; he was still sleeping. Then I took another blanket and my smaller duiker skin covering and I left. Was I not the only one? The only other woman was Tashay’s grandmother, and she was asleep in her hut. So, just as I was, I left. I waked a short distance from the village and sat down beside a tree…. After she was born, I sat there; I didn’t know what to do. I had no sense. She lay there moving her arms about, trying to suck her fingers. She started to cry. I just sat there, looking at her. I thought, “Is this my child? Who gave birth to this child?” then I thought, ” a big thing like that? How could it possibly have come out from my genitals?” I sat there and looked at her, looked and looked and looked. Another example which is not in the text but I thought would be relevant is the movie “Avatar”.

Clifford sets out to show that ethnography perform the dual function of telling about a culture and making broader, humanistic statements. In both form and content, ethnographies are allegorical, meaning that they encompass additional meaning (as constructed and told stories) beyond the local cultural meanings they presume to present. Clifford launches his argument about the ethnographic content being allegorical by arguing that all of the levels of the text are allegorical, not just the ones that are acknowledged to be the interpretive. He illustrates this by turning to Nisa, which he claims has three allegorical registers: (1) Nisa as a way in to describing !Kung culture; (2) question of what it means to be a woman and have a woman’s experience; and (3) the dialogical interaction between the ethnographer and subject. Clifford argues that the three strands shed light on the dialogical, contingent, inter-subjective nature of fieldwork, which cannot be thought of just as an empirical means to generalize about a culture.

In the next section he describes, what allegory means to him – namely: “allegory says one thing and means another.” I quote: “Allegory prompts us to say of any cultural description not this represents, or symbolizes, that but rather this is a (morally charged) story about that (100)” Besides, Clifford explains the process of cultural translation. He emphasizes that if we want to make the other (or a different way of life) comprehensible the ethnographer or anybody else has to use references (images) from his own context. Only in this way the readers may understand the author’s message.

Further, Clifford’s paper turns to an investigation of a repeated allegory in ethnography of his time, which he labels ethnographic pastoral, which is the frame to the part of his argument which deals with ethnography (written) form. Clifford argues that all ethnographies share the practice of textualization. The very act of writing enacts the pastoral theme, making the spoken, living, into something preserved and stable. Clifford suggests ways to subvert the allegory of textualization, most radical of which is his consideration of Derrida’s expanded conception of writing, whereby each culture has its own writing, thus making the ethnographer the primary writer of another culture, since the culture is always already writing itself. Clifford thus points out how pervasive the challenge to the allegory textualization is and suggests that this new conception challenges the ethnographer’s authority, for the native who can write his own culture challenges the ethnographer’s authority.

One of the key examples that Clifford deals with is of Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman. Clifford extracts Shostaks description of child birth and explains that the story is about the local cultural meanings as well as a general story about woman’s experience and more broadly human experience which transcend the particular. Shostak’s life of a !Kung individual inevitably becomes an allegory of (female) humanity. These kind of transcendent meanings are not abstractions or interpretations added to the original simple account. Rather, they are the conditions of its meaningfulness. Ethnographic texts are inevitably allegorical, and a serious acceptance of this fact changes the ways they can be written and read.

Allegory draws special attention to the narrative character of cultural representations, to the stories built into the representational process itself. It also breaks down the seamless quality of cultural description by adding a temporal aspect to the process of reading. One level of meaning in a text will always generate other levels.

Coleridge explains a 2-level structure of the ethnographic: one set of agents or images is accompanied by a level of the super-sensual, the moral. As Clifford explains, what one sees in a coherent ethnographic account, the imaged construct of the other, is connected in a continuous double structure with what one understands (101).

Clifford argues that there isn’t just one level that is interpretive while the other levels are the factual: a scientific ethnography normally establishes a privileged allegorical register it identifies as theory, interpretation, or explanation. But once all meaningful levels in a text, including theories and interpretations, are recognized as allegorical, it becomes difficult to view one of them as privileged, accounting for the rest. Once this anchor is dislodged, the staging and valuing of multiple allegorical registers, or voices, becomes an important area of concern for ethnographic writers (103).

The example of Nisa as given in this article has three registers of allegory, which do not blend together but remain as three strands within the work: description of a !Kung woman, questioning about what it means to be a woman (humanist project, looking for commonality), and the dialogical relationship between ethnographer and subject (103-4). The second two registers are particularly entwined in Clifford’s description. He discusses the three registers:

1) First register is description of Nisa to try and describe the culture, though Clifford critiques that there is a tension in how the particular is meant to speak for the general. Shostak struggles between thinking Nisa is distinctive and that she is generalizable. This attempt at generalizing, to be scientific, is in turn in tension with the personal and inters subjective nature of the other two registers.

2) Clearly dialogical, shaped by the scholar as well as the subject. Nisa’s reflections are organized into a full life-span. Creating autobiography is non-natural, requires organization into a narrative that is not a given. Shostak intervenes to organize, frame transcripts, etc. The narration makes human sense (106).

3) Shostak’s account of her experience in the field. Shostak told her interlocutors that she wanted to better understand womanhood in her own culture by understanding its meaning in theirs. Nisa speaks to Shostak like she is giving her advice, it takes part in a feminist discourse of shared female experience (such as oppression) (107).

In the following part he focuses the retrospect or nostalgic view in ethnography. Clifford names this kind of view that he considers as a result of the textualisation of culture or textual embodiment of culture: “ethnographic pastoral”. He takes the allegory of “salvage,” a structure of ethnographic writing, as a result of the transport of oral-discursive experience to text. In this way the ethnographer seems to save vanishing cultures. But today, he states, this is not the case anymore, if it ever was like this. There already exist written sources of cultures and a lot of informants are able to read and write. Following Derrida he says: “What matters of ethnography is the claim that all human groups write – if they articulate, classify, possess an oral literature, or inscribe their world in ritual acts” (117). Ethnographers do not fix oral accounts in written texts anymore. They translate or re-write something that already exists even in another form. In this way the dualism between literate and non-literate does not exist. But the idea to redeem vanishing things persists and in the words of Benjamin it is “one of the strongest impulses in allegory” (119). Clifford holds the opinion that we can only resist this impulse if we open ourselves to different histories. At this point emerges the following question: How can we open ourselves to different histories?

Like a manifest he presents his conclusion in five points:

“There is no way definitely to separate the factual from the allegorical in cultural accounts.”

“The meaning of an ethnographic account is uncontrollable.”

“Recognition of allegory poses the political and ethical dimension of ethnographic writing.”

“Recognition of allegory complicates the writing and reading of ethnographies in potentially fruitful ways.”

“Recognition of allegory requires that as readers and writers of ethnographies, we struggle to confront and take responsibility for our systematic construction of others and ourselves through others.”

In Clifford’s opinion, the fact, that ethnographies have an allegorical dimension, is the smaller problem – because every text has at least a second meaning. The crucial point is that a lot of ethnographies do not mark allegories. Clifford argues that we should not abandon allegory, but resist the impulse to make the short-lived permanent and to open ourselves to different histories (119).

Recognizing allegory leads to fruitful new ways to read ethnography, opening reader to new forms of analysis and recognition of different strands within the text and to temporal relations (120). Recognizing allegory makes us take responsibility for how we construct the other and thereby ourselves (121).

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Ethical Principles And Standards Assignment

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Purpose

This week we will continue exploring and discussing the foundations of psychological ethics. This material will assist in examining specific ethical behaviors in the upcoming weeks. A key focus for this session is knowing what you need to know to practice within bounds. This includes various standards, rules, and ethical principles.

Objectives

1. Become familiar with the resources available online from your state or provincial licensing board and the role of the APA ethics code in those resources. 2. Gain a global familiarity with the Ethical Principles and Standards of the American Psychological Association.

Knowledge is key. If you are not familiar with your state practice act (and perhaps the notion of Sunset legislation), the rules and regulations of the licensing board in your state, the applicable code of ethics (the APA code of Ethics is for APA members, it may or may not be part of the expectations of your licensing body), what the reporting laws are for mandated exceptions to confidentiality (child/elder abuse), what the laws are related to family disputes -particularly child custody, what the laws are related to sexual exploitation, and whether such major issues as duty to warn apply, then you are vulnerable to making a mistake because you did not know. The law takes a dim view of not knowing the rules when you are part of a professional body. You need to learn those things that directly affect you. If you get sued for warning someone they are at risk based on therapeutic communication, it can be proper in both directions. Your client had the reasonable assumption of privilege if that is what the state rules are, or what you told him, and you may be answering a higher call in warning someone they are at risk, but you still can get sued. Complaints against psychologists are (more or less according to the jurisdiction occurring in the following order).

1) Sexual intimacies with clients;

2) negligence (failure to warn, improper supervision);

3) fraudulent practices (lying about work performed, diagnosis, price-fixing, etc.).

4)criminal conduct;

5) impairment; and,

6) breach of confidentiality.

. Read

Bersoff, pp. 1-68 Fisher, pp. 7-12.

2. See Ken Pope’s website, www.kspope.com; review Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards www.asppb.org 3. On the web, find a copy of YOUR STATE’s licensing requirements. (You can easily find this through http://kspope.com/licensing/index.php. Get Psychology homework help today

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Computer Science Assignment

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Video Link: https://youtu.be/4b5d3muPQmCollege Homework Help

1. Prior to watching this video, did you think there was a difference between ML, DL, and AI? If yes, explain. If no, also explain.

2. Based on your own field, how would ML, DL or AI be applied. Get Computer Science homework help today

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