Moral Ambiguous Characters Throughout Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the moral ambiguity of the central character, Dorian Gray, becomes more and more distinct. The story starts with Dorian being venerated by the artist Basil Hallward, and throughout the story the reader learns of Gray’s several wrong doings. Meeting Lord Henry almost straight away negatively influenced Dorian. He had started out blameless and innocent, but by the conclusion had been the cause of numerous deaths, all because of his selfish wish to stay beautiful forever. “His actions show a character who insists the soul is real, but loves the gaping chasm between the beauty of his body and the corruption of his soul” [ (Wilde 105-123) ].
This can be seen in the poem ‘Music’ where in particular, Owen’s use of pathetic fallacy reveals to us the narrators true feelings. Therefore we are able to see that one’s emotional state of mind is projected onto his perception of his surroundings rendering music, which is an entirely subjective and state-dependent phenomenon. Accordingly, we can see this through the metaphor, “Drunk their mellow sorrows to the slake”, that alcohol is like music as it is also very state-dependent. The assonance of long and soft sounds in “mellow sorrows” may be suggesting that these soothe his pain, however could also prolong his pain as well. Owen conveys the idea that by using music and alcohol to relieve your pain is an outdated method, which we can see through the archaic diction “slake”.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, the character of Roger Chillingworth was transformed from a well educated scholar into a fallen, unrighteous man. Roger Chillingworth was once kind, then becomes the symbol of vengeance, and finally becomes the personification of vengeance to the extent of losing his humanity. Roger Chillingworth (Prynne), a “kind, but never warm hearted man,” was not always a vengeful and diabolical creature, but once he lusted after the idea of love and kindness. During “The Interview” with Hester, he admits his fault of trying for love: “It was my folly! I have said it.
His voice is very heartfelt as it comes, not from his mouth but from his throat. However even this one connection ... In “Caged Bird” there is a contrast between freedom and Imprisonment, the “free bird” and the “caged bird”, this symbolism can be applied to many forms of social injustices. The free bird has desire, wants more and can search for more, whereas the caged bird has dreams and all it can do is imagine and sing. The tone of the poem shifts between the caged bird and the free bird stanzas, you can sense anger and bitterness in her picture of the caged bird, also the way she present this contrast, between free and caged bird is
The speaker in Keats’ poem is in a depressed state, and he uses alcohol as his escape: “That I might drink, and leave the world unseen”(Keats, 19). The nightingale’s purpose is to show the speaker that there is an escape from the pain he is living in: “hearing the song induces Keats to forget and also remember what is unhappy in life” (O’Neill, 64). By allowing the speaker to realize what is unhappy in his life, the bird is able to help him realize that there can be happiness for him. “Charmed magic casements, opening on the foam/ of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn” (Keats, 69- 70). The speaker describes how the nightingale rescues him from danger, bringing him to a magical
Conflicting perspectives arise when personalities clash, as evident in Ted Hughes' poems 'Your Paris' and 'The Minotaur', and in The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. These texts demonstrate the influence of egocentric bias on shaping perspectives, and how composers manipulate textual forms and features to shape our understanding of events and personalities. Hughes' publication of 'Birthday Letters' was a challenge against the dominant mythologies which had surrounded his and Plath's relationship ever since her suicide, and a medium through which he presented his own side of the story. Much of the criticism of the time came from feminists and American admirers of Plath, thus he sought to absolve himself of the blame which had been attributed to him for the breakdown and dissolution of their marriage. In 'Your Paris', it is immediately made apparent that Hughes and Plath had antagonistic outlooks even in the early days of their relationship.
This conflict between them causes comedy as there are misunderstandings, which are amusing and the audience feel superiority over the characters who do not understand some of each other’s references. At the start of the play when Rita refers to a poem about “fightin’ death an’ disease”, Frank automatically assumes its “Dylan Thomas” as Thomas’s poem about death is a part of the literary canon. However Rita replies it’s “Roger McGough’s” poem that she’s describing. This misunderstanding conveys to the audience that these characters would not conventionally associate with each other. It could be amusing to the audience as it highlights the absurdity of the situation.
Throughout the poem erotic love is being compared to the "brotherly love" experienced by the soldiers. Erotic love is seen as superficial as nothing can compare to the hardships, tragedy and loss the soldiers had to go through each day an example where this is prevalent is "Red lips are not so red/As the stained stones kissed by the English dead." Owen uses red lips a symbol of sensuality and eroticism against the staining of stones kissed. The reader can assume that unlike the brotherly love the sensuality symbol of ‘red lips’ is not as red or ‘powerful’ as the staining brotherly love amongst soldiers. Owen seems to suggest that the artificialities of love pale in comparison to the true honour and love of men on the battlefield – men who cough, struggle, and die.
All of these texts express the complexity of truth through the differing representations of Hughes and Plath’s turbulent relationship. Hughes’ ‘Birthday Letters’ is a series of poems addressed to Plath that convey his subjective truth of the nature of their relationship and subsequent marriage. The anthology is written with hindsight and knowledge, and includes questioning; as Hughes is unsure of his memories. ‘Fulbright Scholars’ in particular portrays a tone of uncertainty through the use of rhetorical questions, authorial answers, and the repetition of ‘or’. ‘Where was it, in the Strand?’, ‘Or arrived.
The poet, William Blake, through the poem “London” is able to express his intentions and message of the poem through the content, aim and the theme, ‘no escape’. He is able to create a dark atmosphere, due to how cynical his message was. He also uses particular words and sentences, emphasizing on the importance of diction. The diction of the poem helps to show the differences in the classes within the society and the hopelessness that has wash over the whole society. Throughout the whole poem, the readers are able to know his disapproval, dislike and displeasure over the place that he lives in, by creating a moody and sullen tone which enhances the eerily seriousness of the atmosphere.