Yesterday I explored AQA’s Anthology poem Quickdraw from Carol Ann Duffy’s Rapturecollection. I did express my disappointment with that poem and perhaps its rather self conscious contrivance.The row didn’t convince as it is usurped by the manipulations of cowboy mythology. This poem however is direct and bleak. You can feel the emotional chill, the spreading disease of antipathy and sterility. The words are the most sabotaged of all; diminished by dislike and discontent.
Cursed by the day, abhorred devil, in which you first saw light! Cursed (although I curse myself) be the hands that transformed you! You have made me wretched beyond expression. You have left me no power to consider whether I an just to you, or not” (Shelley 104). Correspondingly, in the dilemma about who is good and who is evil, the qualities seem to transfer evenly from one side to another like the scales of
Throughout the play Shakespeare repeatedly describes Caliban as a monstrous and disgusting thing to the extent that almost every character in the play says something negative having to do with him. In “Prospero’s account there is absolutely nothing good about Caliban,”(orgel,…) repeatedly calling him his “abhorred salve”(1.2 354) and savage, using him only for harsh labor involved work, “Caliban is largely bestial and a better log carrier than a man.”(tillyard.179) Prospero even summons Caliban at the beginning of the play in act 1 scene 2 as a tortoise: ”come, thou tortoise."(I.ii.379). Caliban is constantly talked about negatively but its not only Prospero that speaks terrible of him but Stephano and Trinculo as well. Both of them describe him with animal-like features when they find him under the tarp trying to hide from Trinculo. "this is some monster of the isle with four legs, who hath got,as i take it,an ague"(II.ii.66-67).
(Billy and Connor 81-82) | - Billy and Connor, Allusions, Tangient LLC, Web. 16 July 2013 | It out herods Herod (3, 2,14) | It would be worse than when King Herod ranted. | It develops the theme of insanity in Hamlet because Hamlet is threatening the players with severe punishment for performing the play in a way that Hamlet did not intend. Hamlet was saying the punishment would, “out (…) Herod, in that it alludes to King Herod and the awful things that he proved himself capable of while he was King” (Hannah Henson 10-11). | - Henson, Hannah, Act 3 Symbols and Allusions-Tori, Blogger, 8 November 2012, Web.
World War II contained some of the worst violations of human rights ever seen. The German military created a system where if an individual opposed orders, they had to be oppressed. Despite popular belief, it wasn’t only the German military that had a nonsensical system, but the American military had a number of flaws as well. In Catch-22, this kind of mentality is shown in insane situations to create a unique perspective on World War II. Not only does the book create this perspective, but it creates the idea of a never-ending circle of repetitive contradictory actions that make it almost impossible not to conform.
‘Michael Mompellion’s most unsympathetic character flaw is his chilling lack of passion.’ Do you agree or disagree? Geraldine Brooks’ historical fiction ‘Year of Wonders’ explores the impact of adversity on the individual and social structure. Brooks’ novel takes an introspective insight into those affected by the Great Plague of mid-seventeenth century England. We enter the cyclic novel after the plague had run its course during “leaf-fall”; the season that signifies loss of innocence, foreshadowing death and the defeat of moral virtue. As the plague manifests through the village, so too do the hidden inner qualities of individuals.
The play’s early scenes explore the sense of anxiety and dread that surrounds the transfer of power from one ruler to the next. Throughout the play, characters draw explicit connections between the moral legitimacy of a ruler and the health of the nation. Denmark is frequently described as a physical body made ill by the moral corruption of Claudius and Gertrude, and many observers interpret the presence of the ghost as a supernatural omen indicating that “something is rotten in the state of Denmark” (Act 1 Scene 4 line 67). The dead King Hamlet is portrayed as a strong, forthright ruler under whose
By conceiving Antoinette's history before being caged in the attic, the fortune to which Brontë condemned her, Rhys concurrently calls into question the racially depreciatory characterization of her literary precursor and indicts the once- uncontrolled practice of colonialism. Much of the illustrative writing in the novella serves to underline this. For instance, Coulibri Estate has tumbled into a condition of complete disrepair and Antoinette says that she "did not remember the place when it was prosperous." All the way through the work, the English are seen to be grappling to retain their fragile grasp over the island while at the same time struggling with the truth that the background is very different from Europe. Rochester's strong desire to control Antoinette epitomises the English struggle to control economic
How far do you agree that ‘The play King Lear presents us with a bleak and cruel world and offers us no comfort at the end?’ Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’ falls under Aristotle’s definition of tragedy, with the fact that the characters are royal, and therefore have an enormous amount to lose. Moreover, the destructive downfall of not only King Lear but most of the characters in the play is due to the fatal flaw of pride in the king. The embellished language in the play is mainly in verse, and coupled with the unusual language forms of The Fool and Edgar as ‘Poor Tom’, this further links the play with the traditional definition of tragedy. ‘This fellow has banished two on’s daughters and did the third a blessing against his will.’ Untangling the meaning on The Fool’s words can be difficult, but it is clear he is the voice of reason and wisdom whispering in Lear’s ear throughout the play. Despite all this negativity, it would be a great over-simplification to assume that the overall play ‘presents us with a bleak and cruel world and offers no comfort at the end’, though this is an easy assumption to make given the obvious bleakness that infects the play throughout.
Throughout the play, lack of honesty and integrity is demonstrated by the characters of Polonius, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Polonius is a character who is of higher class in the state of Denmark, and is also very close with King Claudius, being his chief counsellor. Although he may seem like an ordinary man of power, it is further revealed by his actions that Polonius is neither honest nor does he have any integrity and these actions are what lead him to having a horrible death. The first evidence of Polonius’ dishonest behaviour is when he is speaking with Reynaldo on how to spy on his son Laertes who has recently left to Paris. He says, “Before you visit him, to make inquiry of his behavior.” (Act 2, Sc I, Ln 3-5) This quote shows that Polonius cannot mind his own business, and is very interested in spying on people including his own son, showing that he is a man that lacks honesty, integrity, and even trust.