Geraldine Brooks explores how ignorance, superstition and hysteria can be as fatal as any plague within her novel ‘Year of Wonders’. During the trying year of the plague superstition, ignorance, and hysteria took over the village, causing people to make irrational accusations, decisions and behave immorally, turning against each other. Brooks explores how the plague acts as a catalyst effecting each of the villagers differently on a physical and emotional level. The plague is defined as a large amount of insects or animals infesting a place causing damage, within the novel we see the villagers become these animals. Fear and anguish brought out some of the worst qualities in the villagers causing them to turn against one another creating anger, conflict and damage unto one another.
Brooks shows that even the strongest of us have hours of darkness – such as when Anna succumbs to the poppy or leaves her father unattended impaled upon the mine, or even when she fails to save Faith and Aphra at the end. There is also her jealousy of both Mompellions to consider. This makes Anna more relatable as well. Anna is tested – and while she falls for a time she is reborn into a stronger person through her struggles. Students should link to the title of the novel in this.
Fearing that Medea will do ‘some irreparable harm to (his) daughter’, Creon banishes her from his land, setting in motion a chain of events that lead to the final tragedy of the play. If Medea had reigned in her emotions when she first heard the news of how she’d been betrayed, she would never have been exiled or prompted to take sword to her children. Medea’s emotions can be found at the root of the troubles in the drama. However, there are situations where Medea is able to exercise control over her volatile feelings with relative ease. This is made evident in the first act, when she ‘walks out (of the house)’ after her lamentations ‘and
Rose is first introduced in the novel while she is collecting Dolly at a pub, at the age of 14 she refuses to do it anymore. Roses sense of strength starts to manifest at this ripe age as well as a growing hate for Dolly. Rose however tries to accept her metrical roles because of her Father, Sam. Rose loves her father dearly and takes up the cleaning and cooking of the household, ‘but she would always burnt the chops’. When Rose meets Oriel Lamb she senses the fierce strength inside her and Rose starts to demonstrate the same qualities and stands up for herself.
Geraldine Brooks confronting ‘Year of Wonders' is a novel of fear due to plague which becomes a catalyst for change. ‘Year of Wonders’ removes people from their comfort zones and brings upon forcible changes as a result of the plague. The novel suggests that these changes can be both positive and negative and bring upon change in religion and reason. This is typical throughout the novel as the novel's protagonist Anna Frith changes from an uneducated servant to knowledgeable and independent woman. Conversely, negative changes are portrayed by The Bradfords whom fight fear with abandonment.
“When I grow up, I’m still going to be a fireman.” Using this as her conclusion and never going into depth about it makes Orenstein’s entire article seem to be a waist on time. She didn’t continue to say well maybe she was wrong or it’s just a phase that they grow through. She just ends it. Orenstein confused her readers and showed that princesses weren’t never really a problem, because throughout the entire article she contradicts herself about it. She blamed Mooney and all of these other things for what was changing the way her daughter and Americas younger generation think and act, but in the end of it all her daughter still says she wants to be a
Throughout the novel, Lily Owens goes through many changes in the way she acts and how she perceives things. After accidentally killing her mother, Lily feels insecure and alone without a maternal figure. Rosaleen, her nanny, doesn’t exactly fit the role. This causes Lily to lack femininity and maturity as a woman. Over the course of the novel she learns to see past color and living with the Boatwright sisters allowed her to learn more about herself, her mother, and of course, bees.
In Year of Wonders Anna Frith is presented as “too good to be true”, she may be seen as a courageous and honorable character, but Anna, like everyone, has her flaws and is thus a believable and realistic character. Anna fears risks of situations, experiences jealousy and desire, turns to the wrong solution for her grief, and questions her faith throughout the novel. Anna acts bravely and risks her life in unfamiliar situations though she still fears the risks. This is demonstrated when Anna helps birth Mary Daniel’s baby as the Gowdies are gone and Randall Daniel had no one to turn to so he went to Mrs. Mompellion. Mrs Mompellion had never conceived a child herself so it was up to Anna as she had the most experience out of the two.
Logan Killicks crushes Janie’s child dream and any hope she had for that perfect marriage and love, so with this new realization, Janie knows that she must become a woman and do away with her childish dreams. Jody Starks soon becomes Janie’s out from this world of woman and adult ideas, but even she acknowledges that he does not resemble the bee that she was hoping for. “Janie pulled back a long time because he did not represent the sun-up and
The course of enacting revenge is symbolically signified through the fervour of allegations of witchcraft, which destroys all judgment and creates a sense of belonging with the members of the community that have been involved in monstrous actions, such as killing babies and communicating with the devil. Miller, having been blamed of being a communist along with many of his friends, is critical of this hysteria. Despite some of his characters’ legitimate fear of witchcraft, the fervour surrounding their accusations leads to innocent people being accused of wrongdoing to satisfy vengeful grudges and create a sense of belonging. Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft in order to seek revenge, as Elizabeth acknowledges when she says, Abigail ‘thinks to kill me, then to take my place’. This shows Abigails desire to belong not only to proctor but also within the community, by taking Elizabeth’s position.