Ariel Dorfman Essay

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Ariel Dorfman’s play “death and the maiden” and William Blake’s poetry both had political interest because they chose to write about events in the past that scared them and they both write about oppression and sadness, which shows the audience that they wanted change in the future generations. William Blake writes in his poems about the late 18th century, which is the aftermath of the French revolution and the midst of the industrial revolution. He portrays his thoughts about the past in the poem “the chimney sweeper” from his collection of “songs of innocence” (1789). This poem is about harsh social commentary on child labour and he is being critical towards society, especially towards the church. Blake also portrays his thoughts through the poem “A little boy lost” from his collection of “songs from experience” (1793). This poem is about a little boy who questions the priest and the priest misjudges the question and is aggressive towards the child, and in the end he kills the innocent boy. This shows the audience how oppression occurs because in those times it was a complete absurd if someone didn’t agree with the church’s religious views. On the other hand, Ariel Dorfman writes in his play about the 20th century, which is the transitional period post dictatorship, located possibly in Chile. He explores in depth human rights violations. In his play “death and the maiden” Dorfman explores how the government in the past oppressed women and violated them. Paulina, the main character is portrayed as an oppressed woman, which at the time, was tortured and abused by the government. Dorman’s purpose was to show how the oppressed people by the government had hidden traumas. He made the play relate somehow to what happened to him and how this affects people. He wanted to remind everyone of the long-term effects of terror and violence. It was written to answer

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