Category: Literature 5177

The great poet and critic Mathew Arnold belongs to the Victorian period of English literature. He was very much influenced by the age he lived in. He was a staunch believer of religion. The religious disillusionment of his time pained him too much. His fear and anxiety in peoples loss of religious faith are expressed in his poem, Dover Beach. The poem mourns over the loss of religious faith in modern times. Poet, with his beloved enjoys the moonlit beach of Dover he could see the ebbing away of the sea water. It reminds the poet of the ebbing away of religious faith from the minds of religious people. The quoted lines make it clear, when he says:

The Sea of Faith
was once, too, at the full and round earths shore
Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled.
But now I only hear
Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar,
Retreating. (Arnold).

He feels that he could hear the melancholy strain of waves, i.e., the reversal of religious faith. The different scientific theories of that time had a tremendous effect on religious people of that time. As he was a true believer of religion, he was very much worried about the religious deprivation among people and he strongly believed that only religion can lead man to goodness. If there is no religion there is no human life on earth. I think it difficult for me to agree with Arnold that religion is the only thing to clutch on in human life. In his poem Dover beach, Mathew Arnold contrast present and deep past. When Arnold looks out the window in to Dover beach he hears the grating roar of pebbles. Poet remembers and thinks of the mournful roar of which Sophocles mentioned earlier. The end of the poem poet explains the chaotic life. After considering poets ideas we can understand that Arnold follows strict religious doctrines. Through the image of night-battle at Epipole the poet compares the modern man in to ignorant armies. In some extant Arnold believes religion is end of everything. In ancient days Athenians are, unable to see, killed friend and enemy alike. Arnold go through Roman Catholic religion I think he is not ready to accept any other religion or ideology. The following limes of the poem makes clear that Arnold is a man believes in pessimism also. Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain. (Arnold).

Poet thinks that the existing world is like a barren land without joy, without knowledge and without love. According to the poet the modern man suffering from lack of faith and they lost their redeemer. But on the light of modern science and technology and various ideologies like Marxism, socialism and capitalism and existentialism, I cant agree poets concept. Before Victorian age Shelly, the great romantic poet and Samuel Becket, the great dramatist in modern literature reveals that religion is not an inevitable factor. When we analyze the history of Roman Catholic religion we can reach the conclusion that religion is not a precious one. Corruption and fanaticism are the remaining factor in religion. Another thing is that in conclusion the poet put forward a solution for all sufferings that love to someone.Here the poet says to his lady lover, the dreadful condition of modern man. I think this is not a convincing solution for such a vital problem. Now we live the material world. It is a startling idea is that all the religion is based on emotional background of the people. Lack of religious faith never leads the people uncivilized. Mathew Arnold never advocates for the existence of god at the same time he never questioned the god.It is very clear that the poet himself is in a dilemma. When we listen the following comments it helps us to clear the point, Historically, during the Victorian Era, the Anglican Church became what some would call a decorated coffin. People would go to service because it was a tradition, or a habit- one of the original reasons the Anglican church had trouble with the Catholics (as the Catholics were more prone to this, and the Anglicans supported more liberal ideas at the time). What Arnold sees is a dead church and a reality in which there is nothing to look forward to. Elite skills classis, Dover Beach Analysis. (Elite Skills Classics). The given words reveal that Arnold himself fails to come back religion. He also admits the reality that people became more rationalists and they support Darwins Evolution theory.

I ensure my view points with the light of my own experience. At the time of releasing the novel Da Vinci Code, Catholic believers all over the world opposed it. They conducted different programs and public meetings to give awareness to the people. In my own village also the church formed it an issue. But the church was concerned with the emotional side only. Majority of people supported, but group of people including me is of the view that we only consider the literary side of that particular work. The church tried to create it as a crucial issue. They feared the world goes to anarchism and they questioned the freedom of writing and poetic license. To conclude, it is viewed that religion is not be all and end all of everything, and there are many factors playing vital roles in ones life.

Works Cite

Arnold, Mathew. The Victorian Web: Literature, history, &culture in the age of Victoria. DoverBeach. 2002. Web.

Elite Skills Classics. 2008. Web.

Introduction

Cardinal Sins, are those which lead to other greater sins. For example, Greed for gold may lead one to steal or even kill to acquire more gold. The Lotus-eaters or Lotophagi was a group of people that Odysseus encountered in his 10-year odyssey to return home. This paper will compare the sins of the Lotophagi with two cardinal sins Sloth and Gluttony. Then it will give contemporary examples of Lotophagi.

Main text

Sloth and Gluttony are two of the seven Cardinal Sins. Between the two Sloth is the perhaps the worst because a person who is Slothful is lazy and does nothing. While one might argue that a Sloth who does nothing commits no Sin, one has to remember that a person who does nothing may not sin but also does any good. The parable of the talents (a kind of money) is informative where the servant who was given the fewest talents was beaten and fired after he did nothing with the talents except bury them. The three major Abrahamic religions frown upon sloths because of their lack of productivity. In Dantes inferno, sloths are left drowning in a swamp for all eternity.

Gluttons are not so far behind Sloths in terms of depravity. The typical concept of a Glutton is an obese man who eats far too much. Gluttony is evil because eating too much means that fewer resources are available to feed others. Gluttons in hell spend their eternity damned to eat and eat.

The Lotus-eaters are high they are high on drugs. Apparently, the Lotus that they are eating is a kind of narcotic to which they got addicted to. Not only did they want to keep consuming more and more of the Lotus but they did no work. In fact they did nothing all day but eat the Lotus. Lotus-eaters were guilty of both sloth and gluttony, Sloth because they did no productive work, Gluttony because all they did all day was eat the Lotus.

In the modern world there are two distinct classes of Lotus-Eaters / Glutton-Sloths. They are drug addicts and first-world Countries like the United States.

Drug addicts, obviously, are like the Lotus-eaters because their entire day is given to consuming illegal, controlled substances. They are rarely capable of doing productive work and when they try they are a disservice to whatever job they try to do. Addicts are a strain on resources because government spends good money to rehabilitate them. They are also a crime risk because they need to find means to sustain their expensive vice. Many addicts turn to theft or robbery to get the money to buy more drugs. Also, like cardinal sins, a Drug addicts addiction can also lead him to other worse sins like Murder or Rape as their addled minds are no longer able to tell right from wrong.

Summary

The United States as a Lotus-Eater sound like a ridiculous claim. However, if you look at the sad plight of U.S. industries you will see why. Any industry that can be outsourced has already been outsourced. Tech-support, customer service and other back-office works have already been outsourced to India. Detroit is suffering because most car manufacturers chose to have cars made in China now. Foreigners also dominate many service industries often because no Americans are willing or capable of doing them. For example, many nurses are now Filipinos because that country produces many nurses while very few graduate the same course in the U.S. Many teachers are also hired from overseas because Americans dont want to teach. If Slothful America wasnt bad enough the U.S. is also Gluttony central. Just look at all the overweight people around. The U.S. is also a savage consumer of natural resources so much so that Bush had to invade Iraq just to ensure the nations oil supply.

Works Cited

Homer. The Odyssey. Translated by Samuel Butler.

Introduction

Epic is a significant combination of the style and the theme in the poem reproduction reflecting the flow of historical or legendary events. The world literature contains a lot of examples of famous epics covering the main features of this genre and highlighting the major moments of history. The Song of Roland is considered to be one of the greatest folk epics in the world literature; this poem is a sophisticated classical work devoted to the war events and highlighting the principle features of the model hero centralized in that time. The comparative analysis of the Song of Roland and two more epics such as Aeneid and Iliad will help to understand the main characteristics of the medieval epic.

Analysis

The analysis of the Song of Roland represents the main aspects of the epic characteristics highlighting its similarities and differences with Aeneid and Iliad. Firstly it should be stated that the Song of Roland is related to the cultural artifacts disclosing folk style; it contains contradictory elements in the national life experience that is the language of the death and life used by people. This poem in the world literature is considered to be the interaction of the great artistry and a barbaric thing. The manner of presentation can be characterized by a sophisticated chiastic process of the pre-literate culture. Nevertheless it is important to underline the fact that the unity of the three epics lies in the true hero and perfect vassal representation. The Song of Roland as well as the Iliad and Aeneid follow the features of the folk epic reflecting the great number of the battle scenes proving the real heroism and courage of the protagonists of the stories. It should be noted that the Song of Roland follows very closely the examples of the real standardized epic through the presentation of the main features such as:

• It reflects the nature of the significant crucial period which is famous in the world history;
• The centralization of the hero is not connected with his entertaining abilities but with the disclosure of the model hero being accepted at that period of time;
• The characteristics of the folk epic based on the ancient legends are strictly observed.

The main difference between the Song of Roland and the Iliad together with the Aeneid lies in the epic character. It is important to stress that Iliad and Aeneid refer to the literary epics while The Song of Roland is considered to be a folk type of the epic.

Conclusion

The Song of Roland is synchronization of the historically based event through the principles of the folk poem representation. The elements of the folk epics presented in the Song of Roland follows the principles of the style and manner highlighted in Iliad and Aeneid as to the rules of historical aspects contributed to the nature of the work. The similarities of three analyzed epics managed to illustrate the background of the epics characteristics and underline the flow of features presented in the Song of Roland. Thus, the historical customs and traditions, the main values of the nation and its perception of the nature were thoroughly reflected in the folk epic The Song of Roland. The features of Aeneid and Iliad are considered to be vivid characteristics of the medieval period; despite the fact that The Song of Roland reflected small historical events it appeared to be one of the most significant poem in the world literature.

Reference

Lawall, Sarah & Mach, Maynard.The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 2^nd Edition. 2001.

Introduction

Most feminist literature seems to argue against the traditional conception of woman as she has been envisioned in the white, middle-class suburban ideal. However, feminist issues extend well beyond this narrowly defined world into the lives of women of color, too, although there are slight amendments as to what is expected. While white women were expected to have servants, women of color were expected to both be those servants and perform these functions within their own homes. Regardless of color or family circumstance, though, it seems all women have been victims of the Cinderella story only to find that life is rarely like its seen in the movies. Once theyve entered into that happily ever after world following the wedding (where the story leaves off), women suddenly find themselves managing the household, caring for the children and entirely confined within the boundaries of the husbands property. While the fairy tale suggests this life will be full of wedded bliss, the reality is all too often a life dominated by the dragon. When this is the case, it is often only with the assistance of other women rather than the knight in shining armor that they are finally able to break the vision of the fairy tale to understand their realities and find a new means of approaching life. This is the case for Cleofilas, the protagonist in Woman Hollering Creek, a short story by Sandra Cisneros in which the womans progress is followed from the ideological innocent to the female-rescued woman of the modern age.

Cleofilas

Sandra Cisneros main character, Cleofilas, grows up watching telenovelas, or soap operas, on TV in which the classic Cinderella themes are evidently played out over and over. This reinforces Cleofilas dreams regarding her future once her shining white knight arrives. She understood she would need to go through hardship, but felt her life to this point had been the hardship scene and married life would enable her to enter the happily ever after. In the telenovelas, life was seen to be full of all kinds of hardship of the heart, separation and betrayal (220), but a loving woman, always patient and always kind, could expect happiness in the end. Cleofilas thought her life would have to be like that, like a telenovela& (226). The Cinderella story exists in some form or fashion in just about every culture of the world. The archetype encourages girls to take on the social roles of a patriarchal society (Welter, 1966). The one thread of truth through all of these tales is that the woman is expected to be at home and submissive and this subservience will win her recognition, love and splendor.

Sad element of the fairy tale

Another sad element of the fairy tale is that it teaches women to be highly mistrustful of other women in the form of wicked stepmothers, greedy step-sisters or other forms of direct rivals. In this deadly competition, the one who is the most obedient and submissive is the one who wins the best prize in the ambiguous form of the happily ever after. Rob Baum claims Cinderella serves the female, directing us to similarly anti-social behaviors and antipathetic familial relations: to hate and compete with other females, suffer in silence, and seek rapport with males through the mysteries of flirtation, fashion and marital fitness (2000). Thus, not only is Cleofilas deluded into an expectation of marriage that is both unrealistic and potentially dangerous, but she is cut off from the only people in society who might understand and help her. Even through the telenovelas, she has been taught to exert all her attention and energy in competing with women rather than the men who oppress them. This is seen as she compares herself against the other women on her street and holds herself somewhat aloof by considering herself either positively or negatively unequal to them. As each and every woman adopts this attitude toward her sisters, she becomes isolated even when she might otherwise reach out for a helping hand.

The spell of the Cinderella story is only broken when the role of the subservient wife comes into conflict with the role of the maternal protector. Cleofilas is willing to sacrifice herself, numbly accepting Juans unexplained beatings, as she silently witnesses her neighbors troubles. Soledads husband leaves without giving her any indication of where or when hell return, rumors exist that Juans friend Maximiliano has actually killed his wife, and yet these women didnt leave their husbands and neither can Cleofilas if she wants to received the glittering prize, the happily ever after. However, Cleofilas gradually loses all misimpressions that things will somehow turn outright. Now the episodes got sadder and sadder. And there were no commercials in between for comic relief. And no happy ending in sight. (226). Her final despair doesnt come until she begins to consider the implications of her husbands beatings upon the bodies of her young son and as yet unborn child. These fears are well-grounded in scientific research. In homes where domestic violence has been reported against wives, the children are 15 times more likely to have been abused and/or neglected. Over 3 million children are at risk of exposure to parental violence each year (McKay, 1994). These children are three times more likely to have been abused by their fathers (McKay, 1994). While Cleofilas understands that she should sacrifice her own welfare for the sake of the family, she begins to realize that this someday may never happen if it depends on Juan. The maternal instinct to protect her children finally overwhelms her submission to the Cinderella syndrome enough to push for a doctor.

Although there is no indication that Cleofilas openly confesses her problems to Graciela, the nurse at the doctors office, Graciela makes it clear that she understood Cleofilas position. Graciela explains to a friend how a pregnant woman, presumed to be Cleofilas, came in with bruises all over her body, couldnt speak English and had not been permitted to call or write home since moving to Texas. This emphasizes the degree to which Cleofilas has been isolated from the rest of the world and the dangerous position shes in. Reaching out to help another woman in need, Graciela arranges for her friend Felice to give Cleofilas and her son a ride to San Antonio and away from the husband who beats her. It is planned that from San Antonio, Cleofilas may reach her father, who will welcome her and her children home. As they leave, Cleofilas is amazed to discover the degree of Felices independence. She completely supports herself and makes her own decision, having selected and purchased the truck shes driving herself. It is enlightening to Cleofilas to discover she [Felice] didnt have a husband (228) and yet she was doing just fine. As the women crossed over Woman Hollering Creek, Felice lets loose with a great scream that first terrifies, then liberates Cleofilas.

Conclusion

Within feminist circles, this scream is recognized as a scream of liberation, defiance and self-assertion. We are damaged  we women, we oppressed, we disinherited & We are damaged and we have the right to hate and have contempt and to kill and to scream (Dunbar, 1969). On her way to a strange city, speaking only Spanish, traveling with a small child, pregnant and unsure of what her future might hold, it might be assumed that Cleofilas would be terrified of what might happen between this moment and the hoped for moment when she is reunited within the safe arms of her family. Her laughter indicates through the help of these other two women her own power to bring about change and the better life shed always hoped for has been released. While some resigned themselves to their fate, such as the women on Cleofilas street, Cleofilas managed to escape this fate thanks to the help of other women willing to reach out. By providing the necessary physical assistance as well as demonstrating the possibilities, Graciela and Felice open Cleofilas eyes and clear the airways for Cleofilas to develop her own scream of liberation.

Works Cited

Baum, Rob. After the Ball is Over: Bringing Cinderella Home. Cultural Analysis. Vol. 1, (2000).

Cisneros, Sandra. Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories. New York: Vintage Books, 1992.

Dunbar, Roxanne. Who is the Enemy? No More Fun and Games: A Journal of Female Liberation. Cambridge, MA: Cell 16, Vol. 1, N. 2, (1969).

McKay, M. The Link Between Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: Assessment and Treatment Considerations. Child Welfare League of America, N. 73, 1994, pp. 29-39.

Welter, Barbara. The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860. American Quarterly. Vol. 18, N. 2, P. 1, (1966), pp. 151-74.

Rita Dove was born in Ohio in 1952. Their family was neither rich nor poor and had four children. Ritas father had a masters degree and worked as a chemist for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron. When she finished school she was put on the list of Miami University in Ohio. In 1973 Rita graduated the highest of three designations for above-average achievement in examinations. Four years later she reached Master of Fine Arts at the University of Iowa. Today Rita Dove is a former American poet laureate because of her international poetic vision. Rita Dove describes the events in the present and past from the historical and personal sides. She can skillfully combine mythological figures, biblical characters, and members of her own family in one literary work. Her works transcend gender and race as well as place and time. Thats why she was glorified as an expressive African American female voice. The language of her poems often resembles the form of redemption. Later on, Rita Dove wrote a series of poems about her grandparents courtly behavior, marriage, and their following life in Akron. In 1987 the poetess was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Thomas and Beulah.

One of Rita Doves famous poems is Daystar. It belongs to the series of poems Thomas and Beulah. The title of the poem can have different meanings according to its context. It can show an indirect comparison between the star and the woman. As well as the star distributes energy and light up in the sky, the woman also increases her energy. The main character of the poem is a woman, who is a wife and a mother at the same time. Shes exhausted from her daily routine and doesnt have time to relax. The poem Daystar represents the double nature of a mothers life. On the one hand, the author describes motherhood, on the other, she depicts the mothers effort to find some free time to have a rest after busy days. The woman is looking forward to the peaceful break, while her children take their naps. The readers understand that the woman enjoys not only physical rest but also moral ease. She finally gets some time for her own needs without anybody. During this time she doesnt want to pay attention to her husband or kids.

Reading the first line of the poem she wanted a little room for thinking we understand that the woman doesnt even have the room for her private thoughts. Shes always very busy and every minute she must accomplish some tasks. She must use energy to shine like a star, but to shine during the day. Here the poetess compares the mother with the sun, which rises every day and supports our life. Like our earth depends upon the sun, her children and her husband depend upon her. The second line of the Daystar shows us that the mother has washed diapers and is waiting for them to dry. We understand that the woman is taking care of at least one baby. The third line tells us about a doll slumped behind the door. Maybe the woman also takes care of a toddler. The author parallels the image of a doll, slumping behind the door and the woman, lugging a chair behind the garage. It is obvious that such a break behind the garage, while children are sleeping, is a usual routine for the mother. In the line sometimes there were things to watch the word sometimes has the underline meaning of always or usually. So, she regularly spends time like this.

Besides, we can see that this short comfort is much valuable for the main character. That proves the line when Liza comes and asks her: And just what was mother doing out back with the field mice?. Liza suddenly interrupts her with the question, while the mother is looking at a floating maple leaf at ease or relaxing with closed eyes. The poetess stresses the word what here. It means that by her question Liza demands to know her mothers recent activity. It seems that the daughter owns her mother and wants to pay attention to herself immediately. The womans phrase why building a palace can be considered from two sides. Her situation is quite ironic. It is funny to imagine an old chair behind the garage as being a palace. Besides, the woman is occupied with children and washing diapers. At the same time, such temporary rest is like a royal treasure for her. There she has a special place for her own thoughts. The real value of the palace is not visible to the eye, but it is seen in the peaceful break during the busy day full of numerous tasks. That imaginary palace is enough for the mother because she can simply observe the falling and gentle gliding of a maple leaf.

It also seems that Thomas owns his wife. The line from the poem proves it: Later that night when Thomas rolled over and lurched into her. With the help of the word lurch, Dove let us understand, that the woman is not enjoying the moment. She just allows her husband to do what he wants. He feels indifferent to his wife and only demands necessary time from her. He doesnt pay her enough attention and doesnt care how his wife feels about it. In her thoughts, the woman comes back to the time, when she can relax by herself in the middle of the day, even if her husband is upon her. The hour of rest is the biggest treasure for the woman because this time is her own. Rita Dove says: She would open her eyes and think of the peace that was hers for an hour. Only during this time the mother doesnt do anything for anyone in her family, she doesnt need to enlarge her energy for the sake of others. It is the hour when she is free from the constant demands of the members of her family.

Rita Dove shows the contrast between the two episodes in the poem. The first one is when she closed her eyes shed see only her own vivid blood. The vivid blood means that the woman is full of life, desire to live, and the ability to do everything. But later the mother comes back to the place where she is nothing. Her hour of relaxation can be understood here like the act of disappearance and escape. The author repeats the words pure nothing to strengthen the meaning of disappearance. The poetess compares the mother with the pinched armor of a vanished cricket or a floating maple leaf. She declares the womans rest to be a meditative ritual that entails the simplicity of nature. The woman is a part of nature, thats why she has the right to take off the roles of wife and mother for being alone for a moment and enjoy the time without any obligations. Besides, Rita Dove parallels the woman and the image of the actress. During all busy days, the woman changes the roles of mother, wife, friend, babysitter, cooker, washer, tailor, and many others. But the readers can see the underlined irony in such comparison. The real star or actress usually leads a glamorous and bright life, but the woman is only taking care of her children and is washing diapers.

The poem Daystar describes the monotonous routine of the average mother. Thats why it is true to life and realistic. Any woman with many children can certainly understand her exhaustion and the necessity for relaxation. Being surrounded by children all day long can be very isolating, just like a star in the sky is isolated. Her imaginary palace is the happiest and the brightest spot of her weary afternoons.

The poem Daystar can serve to proclaim the uniqueness of being female in the twentieth century. Rita Dove disputes the historical stereotype of a patriarchal society that has been used to label kinds of women. The only and definite way out to lessen the female difficulties are humor and repetitive behavior or so-called ritual, which all women experience during pregnancy and motherhood. The poem shows how women all over the world are tied up through their efforts to manage such thongs as pregnancy, motherhood, annoyance, and appearance. Rita Doves poem Daystar can be the twentieth-century statement made by women and for women.

Works Cited

Beaty, Jerome. The Norton Introduction to Literature: shorter eighth edition. W. W. Norton & Company, 2001.

Introduction

A Midsummer Nights Dream is a tender comedy by William Shakespeare, offered by The Knights Tale from Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales, composed around 1594 to 1596. It shows the escapades of four young Athenian lovers and a grouping of amateur performers, their contacts with the Duke and Duchess of Athens, Theseus and Hippolyta, and with the fairies who reside in a moonlit forest. The play is one of Shakespeares most accepted works for the stage and is broadly performed across the world.

This play is distinguished by the feature, that it clearly shows the evolution of the characters, entailed in the central subject line. Helena is regarded to be one of these.

Helena

Helena is one of four youthful lovers in William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream. She is normally interpreted as being high and slim and blonde  her best friend Hermia calls her a painted maypole during a quarrel. Nevertheless, she does not see herself as beautiful many people suggest her to be just as if not more attractive as Hermia.

Demetrius and Helena were once affianced, but when Demetrius met Helenas friend Hermia, he fell in love with her and dumped Helena. Lacking assurance in her looks, Helena reflects that Demetrius and Lysander are mocking her when the elves mischief makes them fall in love with her.

How happy some oer other some can be!
Through Athens, I am thought as fair as she.
But what of that? Demetrius thinks not so;
He will not know what all but he does know.
And as he errs, doting on Hermias eyes,
So I, admiring of his qualities.
Things base and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can transpose to form and dignity.

Nevertheless Puck and Bottom stand out as the most pleasant characters in A Midsummer Nights Dream, they are not engaged in the key dramatic occasions. Of the other personalities, Helena, the infatuated young woman dreadfully in love with Demetrius, is probably the most fully drawn. Among the foursome of Athenian lovers, Helena is the one who regards most about the origin of love  which makes intelligence, given that at the commencement of the play she is left out of the love triangle enabling Lysander, Hermia, and Demetrius. She states, Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, suggesting that Demetrius has created a fantastic concept of Hermias loveliness that averts him from recognizing Helenas attraction. entirely realistic to Demetrius despite her gratitude for his failings, Helena sets out to win his love by informing him about the plan of Lysander and Hermia to escape into the woods. Once Helena enters the woods, lots of her traits are drawn out by the perplexity that the love mixture produces: evaluated by the other lovers, she is tremendously uncertain of herself, worrying about her look and suggesting that Lysander is mocking when he announces his love for her.

When Demetrius and Lysander choose to rest again, Oberon, King of the Fairies, controls Puck to right the circumstances. This guides to Lysander falling in love with Hermia yet again, and ultimately, to the marriage of Helena and Demetrius, who stays in love with her still due to the love liquid Puck had dropped upon him. Nevertheless, Helena goes on to love Demetrius as she had before.

Helena is regarded to be a very susceptible, sensitive character, due to her growing up in the shade of the bubbly and attractive Hermia. Nevertheless, Helena is more good-looking, even if she isnt much self-certain due to Demetrius: she shows the power and a new belief in herself by declining his proceeds when she believes he is making fun of her, even though she maintained he was her one real love. Helena can also be an entertaining character from time to time, predominantly during some of her worried disputes with Demetrius. Overall, Helena is the nature who changes most and for the better, modifying from a self-aware, lovesick girl into a confident, happy lady.

So he dissolved, and showers of oaths did melt.
I will go tell him of fair Hermias flight.
Then to the wood will he to-morrow night
Pursue her; and for this intelligence
If I have thanks, it is a dear expense.
But herein mean I to enrich my pain,
To have his sight thither and back again.

Conclusion

The poet, in fact, says so in articulate words:

If we shadows have offended,
Think but this (and all is mended),
That you have but slumberd here,
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.

But to realize this dream  to have all its gay and soft and melodious colors astonished upon the apparition, to hear all the golden rhythms of its poesy, to feel the wonderful congruity of all its parts, and thus to get it as a truth, we must not presume that it will enter the mind amidst the sluggish slumbers of the thoughts.

The three works Everyday Use by Alice Walker (Walker, 1994), This is our life by Dorothy Allison and Sonnys Blues by Baldwin (Baldwin, 1993) bring to light certain ethereal and sublime interpretations of everyday objects. To put it simply, everyday use objects acquire a new meaning and connotations and we see the world from a different perspective.

In the work Everyday Use by Alice Walker, the simple and much-used Quilt is the reason for a bitter struggle between Mama and her two daughters Dee and Maggie. Now Dee is educated and lives in the city while Mama and Maggie still live in their old home. Dee wants some of the everyday use objects from the home as she wants to display them in a museum. The butter churn and the dasher are objects of art for her and she wants them for her collection.

The main contentious object was the quilt that Maggie has painstakingly stitched over the years. Maggie wants the quilt because it was she that helped her grandma to make it and it has been stitched from old apparel such as the scraps of dresses Grandma Dee had worn fifty years ago, Grandpa Jarrells Paisley shirts and one teeny faded blue piece&that was from Great Grandpa Ezras uniform he wore in the Civil War.

To Maggie, the quilt represents her lifelong association with her family and all those dear to her. For Dee, a quilt is an object of art that is priceless and is best to be hung in a museum as it represents the history of her people and mainly because it would make her famous in her circle of friends. Both people are right in their own way and while Maggie has the moral right to own it, the intent of Dee cannot be termed as wrong.

In a way, certain everyday use objects acquire a special meaning and there is a certain element of art perspective associated with them. An old walking stick that belonged to my grandpa was something kids played with as they played horses or used it for a quick game of baseball and even to knock some fruits out of a tree. But the hickory stick was of the old colonial times, all gnarled and seasoned and had a certain amount of history associated with it. One would realize this when exposed to education and grows.

Another object of daily use was the old pipe that grandpa smoked as he sat on the rocking chair on the porch and rocked himself to sleep, puffing away and seeing the world passing by. After grandpa passed away, the old pipe was put in a trunk in the attic and everyone forgot about it. The rocking chair broke up and no one knows where the legs and the curved rocker are, probably ended up in the fireplace a long time back. The pipe was discovered accidentally a few months back as the attic was being cleaned and as we held it, old memories of sitting on grandpas lap as he told stories of his childhood, a century back when automobiles had just made an appearance and scared the life out of my horses as we rounded a corner and ran into one of these machines.

After the art is nothing but objects that would evoke strong imagery in our minds and bring in new thoughts. Everyday use objects tend to attain a new perspective and become objects of art. While they may not become as priceless as a sculpture by a famous artist, they hold special meaning to someone who has been associated with them for a long time. There was this pitcher in my grandmas house, all dented and out of shape and we grandma used it to draw water from the well.

As a child, I walked with her, countless times on the green dewy grass path and waited as she drew it out from the well. To anyone else, it would be just a dented pitcher, but to me, it is an object of art that is priceless in a special way, because it gives me fond memories of my childhood.

The old sewing machine in the attic was another object that was now lying rusty and forgotten in the attic, the belt long decayed and frayed and the bobbin and the handwheel and the foot pedal long rusty and cranky. But to me, it was an art object and brings back fond memories as I watched my grandaunt who pedaled furiously to stitch the skirts and blouses. The whir of the wheel spinning and the foot pedal moving up and down still echoed in my ears as I gazed at the now rusty hulk.

The concept of art and art objects is how we perceive them. They cannot be defined by value alone and while some kind of commercial value of a few hundred dollars may be attached to them, would one be willing to accept that all the old poignant memories are worth just a few hundred dollars? Life and memories go much beyond that. The everyday use objects have to be cherished and treasured as they would be objects of use that would become art objects for our children and grandchildren.

References

Baldwin James. 1993. Sonnys blues. Creative Education.

Walker Alice. May 1, 1994. Everyday Use. Rutgers University Press.

Introduction

The term mateship as a specific Australian idiom can include various meanings in its essence. Its meaning can differ from the standard definition of friendship in a way that this form of relation or reference can be used between people who are actually not in friendship. This paper will analyze the values and the meanings that are put into the word mateship based on two short stories Mr. Bloody Kearns by Dal Stivens and Lizards by Barry Hill.

Analysis

Mr. Bloody Kearns by Dal Stivens is a short story about a train guard who is disgusted by everything in his life in a way that such values as friendship and loyalty have different meanings to him. The story is presumably taking place t the time of the depression with the usage of the term swagmen who travel the country searching for work. The word mateship as a term inclusive with loyalty among partners is absent through the story as the hidden hate that lies within Bill the train guard makes him realize every word of advice as a mock.

Bill understands the reasons the swagmen jump on the train, however his problems with the desire to keep his job never stops him from committing such an act as throwing the man from the train. However, his hate mostly resembled only in his thoughts and ideas were his mateship with the station-master who he sees every day puts some form of respect that even with his hate is disguised through his words, e.g. when he replies So long while thinking fat old fool. It could be assumed that this idiom puts limitations on one person in a way that he cannot say what he really thinks and instead his words and actions are covert.

On contrary, in the story Lizards by Barry Hill, the mateship shown through the eyes of the boy  the storys narrator could be considered as his most memorable moments in childhood. The term mateship presented in this story is visualized as something steady and unchangeable. While the protagonist lists the changes that the country and the society went through along with the changes that occurred within him, it seems like the relation of his father with his mates  is the only thing that did not change over time.

This relation that is specifically connected to his father is some sort of attribute that is connected with them being loyal to each other in a way that he could not be part of it even when he became an adult. In this essence, the term mateship based on this story would be more of a commitment that is beyond the family and the flow of time.

If comparing the mateship in the two stories it could be said that in the first one Mr. Bloody Kearns it was more of an imposed relation that is formed by work ethics whereas in The Lizards it is a commitment that was made for life and could be equalized to family in the sense that it was similarly important.

Conclusion

Even without directly using the words mate and mateship in both stories, their importance is sensed throughout the pace of the narration. However, Lizards is a more apparent example to demonstrate the value of this word compared to Mr. Bloody Kearns.

Works Cited

Stivens, Dal. Selected Stories: 19361968. Sydney: A&R, 1969. Hill, Barry. Lizards.

Introduction

Gabriel García Márquezs novel Chronicle of a Death Foretold, first issued in English in 1982, is one of the Nobel Prize winning writers shorter stories, but past and contemporary censors agree that the books small size conceals a huge work of art.

The books supremacy is in the exclusive way in which García Márquez narrates the plot of an assassination about which everybody knows before it occurs. The author narrates the story in the first person, as an eyewitness to the incidents that happened. Yet the author is narrating the tale years later from an omniscient point of view, dividing all of the characters ideas and notions. García Márquezs application of these original methods adds to the ambiguity of the murder. Moreover, the replicated prediction of the crime assists in creating the apprehension. Even though the killers personalities are known, the precise features of the killing are not.

Discussion

The reason for the killing of Santiago Nasar stays unknown for the reader until halfway through the novel, while everyone identifies that Nasar will be killed. Then, after a night of reveling, the Vicario brothers, Pedro and Pablo, get home at their mothers request. The family depresses a confounded Angela, the twins sister, to tell the cause for her disgraced return from her wedding bed. When Angela says, Santiago Nasar, the twins decide instantly that they must protect their sisters honor. The twins legal representative regards the act as murder in justifiable protection of honor, which is advocated by the court. The priest asks the twins surrender an act of immense distinction.

Marquezs storyteller gradually discharges the narration and in the end only one issue stays not replied  was Santiago Nasar really the one who took Angelas virginity? The reader will never really find it out, but the author himself is quite doubtful of her accuses. Even her reconfirmation those 27 years later is short of certainty.

As for the matters of philosophy of death, it is necessary to mention, that the poets of the lost generation genre may be compared with the tragicalness by Marquez. Federico Garcia Lorca and Ezra Pound are the two poets, that most closely approach the theme of death:

After a short visit to Cuba, García Lorca came back in Spain by 1931, and went on with theatre productions. He became the leader the wandering theatrical group, La Barraca, which brought traditional performances and other plays to the regions. After the death of his friend, a bullfighter, García Lorca wrote Lament for the Death of a Bullfighter (1935). It has been viewed by most censors as his greatest poem.

His eyes did not close

When he saw the horns near,

But the terrible mothers

Lifted their heads.

And across the ranches

Went a breath of secret voices

By which the herdsmen of the pallid mist

Called to their heavenly bulls.

Ezra Pound In his essays, wrote of rhythm as the hardest quality of a mans style to counterfeit. He challenged young poets to train their ear with translation work to learn how the choice of words and the movement of the words combined. The grand bogies for young men who want really to learn strophe writing are Catullus and François Villon. I personally have been reduced to setting them to music as I cannot translate them. While he habitually wrote out verse rhythms as musical lines, Pound did not set his own poetry to music.

Sherwood Anderson

Her father was ill and near death at the time and she was perplexed because of the meaningless outcome of an affair in which she had just been involved. Other girls of her age in Winesburg were marrying men she had always known, grocery clerks or young farmers.

References

Ezra Pound The Cantos of Ezra Pound New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1996.

Federico Garcia Lorca Lament for the Death of a Bullfighter: And Other Poems AMS Press publishing 1976.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez Chronicle of a Death Foretold Vintage publishing, 2003.

Sherwood Anderson Winesburg, Ohio Signet Classics, 1993.

Introduction

In the novel, The House of Mirth Lilys development as a character is certainly not negligible to the novel, her primary role is as the means through which Wharton reads and writes this culture. Thus, The House of Mirth is not primarily the story of Lily; it is rather Whartons representation of her culture through the play of its forces in Lilys life. Whartons recognition of the socio-economic margins in her aesthetic and her travel writing significantly marks The House of Mirth as well. Through Lily, Wharton reveals a debased culture whose crowning production is the creation of women as commodities and which turns the labor of others into frivolous consumption and waste. Yet Lily is not simply a representative product of her society; she is also one of those on the margins who is consumed and destroyed by her society. Lilys progress throughout the novel is not the fall of a young woman from the center of society to its destitute margins.

Main body

From the very beginning of the novel, Lily is already marginalized by fashionable society, placed there by her lack of money and the attendant vulnerability of her position of dependence. In a sense, there is little difference between the social services that Lily renders Judy Trenor in exchange for Judys generosity and Lilys labors in the milliners shop, creating hats for the women of fashionable New York. In both situations she is on the margins, working to feed the insatiable appetite of society. in The House of Mirth Wharton constructs a confident, authoritative voice that reads and interprets the culture of fashionable New York. Wharton goes beyond the purely personal in her reconstruction of her earliest memory, transforming it into a detached, third-person narration with an authorized interpretation. The New York of Edith Whartons youth undergoes the same alteration in The House of Mirth, from a mirror of the personal to an artistic revelation of the life of a culture.

In Whartons estimation, a morally corrupt society will betray its viciousness most clearly in the plight of those who have been disempowered. The falsity that was entailed in staging the drama of femininity could be seen as an index to the more general hypocrisy and cruelty of monied New York: and thus the problems encountered by the heroine of The House of Mirth in presenting the required performance, Lily Bart, could become a sufficient and appropriate focus for Whartons superb and sweeping satirea talisman of societys thoroughgoing corruption. Throughout the novel, a steady pattern of references to theater in general and to the contemporary theater in particular was Whartons marker for the methodher signifier. Wharton often encodes the language of these characters to mark, quite explicitly, the tension between simplistic moral reality and the intractable complexity of real life. At other times, when confronted with reversals, Lily can personate a kind of moral imperiousness well enough, drawing herself up to the full height of her slender majesty, towering like some dark angel of defiance (Wharton, p. 66).

In sum, Wharton creates a unique character of Lily influenced by cultural and social traditions of her society.. Understanding the implications of Lilys frantic quest for a role to playfor a socially viable, personally acceptable narrativemakes the full import of Whartons statement clear. This frivolous society has destroyed Lily Bart because it has failed to provide her with any story that can be adequate for the construction of an adult identity. That is the tragic fate of The House of Mirtha tragedy not just for Lily Bart, but for many other characters.

References

Wharton, E. (2000). House of Mirth. Signet Classics.