Take a plucky but downtrodden scullery maid, a tyrannical housekeeper, the Lord of the House teetering on the brink of madness, a very insistent ghost, and what do you get? “The Poisoned House: A Ghost Story” (Albert Whitman & Co., 2011), a deliciously creepy new gothic horror story by Michael Ford. That plucky scullery maid is fifteen year-old Abigail Tamper—Abi, to her friends. As the book opens in 1850s London, Abi is attempting to escape her miserable life in Greave Hall, an elegant but increasingly troubled household. The chief architect of her misery is the tyrannical housekeeper, Mrs. Cotton, who punishes Abi for the slightest infraction.
As quoted from the (plot overview sparknotes 5) “a handsome bachelor persuaded the governess to take a position as governess for his niece and nephew in a isolated home after the previous governess died”. One questions how come the previous governess was never talked about and what caused his or her death. Insanity is defined as a mental illness in a severe nature where as a person cannot distinguish the difference between fantasy and reality. This may cause a person to become delusional. Insanity is mostly discussed in courts to determine whether or not a criminal is innocent or guilty .one famous literary book that is a perfect example of insanity is “The Fall of the House of Usher by Egar Allen
In this paper I will argue that the governess in James’ The Turn of the Screw is in fact not a creditable narrator due to a number of reasons presented to the reader throughout the novel. Turn of the Screw begins with an unnamed narrator who is describing a house party in which a bunch of guests are telling ghost stories. The narration then shifts to a man named Douglas, who upon further reading is discovered to have a manuscript of a ghost story that was written by his “sister’s governess” (James 24). Douglas says the manuscript “Is in old faded in and in the most beautiful hand…a woman’s…she sent me the pages in question before she died” (James 24). Douglas goes on to describe the governess as “a most charming person…she was the most agreeable woman I’ve ever known…I liked her extremely” (James 24).
The Use of Foreshadowing in “A Rose for Emily” In the short story, “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner foreshadows Miss Emily’s insanity by describing the darkness of her home, suggesting that something evil is hidden among the dusty curtains and evening shadows. Faulkner’s description of Miss Emily’s relationship with her father, and her lack of any friendships or personal involvement with her extended family, foreshadows the long years of lonliness and isolation that Miss Emily experienced. The author further uses foreshadowing of Miss Emily’s insanity when she refuses to accept the father’s death, becomes a recluse, and the death of Homer Barron. The first hint of insanity is the setting of the story. The image of a creepy, old house complete with an equally creepy caretaker is a standard setting in horror stories and late night television.
In the play Macbeth, the main theme is the corruption of power through unchecked ambition. Macbeth is a faithful soldier and a good man, until three witches tell him of his future. Upon telling his wife the grand news, she devises a scheme where Macbeth kills the king in order to make his future the present. Macbeth is wary at first, and often talks of his guilt and soul before the murder, but, in order to please his wife, and feed his desire to become king, he murders the poor king in his sleep. He then blames two guards for the deed and becomes king of Scotland.
Discuss the changing relationship Hamlet had with his mother. Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is one of the most recognised staged plays around the world. Set in the early 17th century, Hamlet is the story of an alienated and melancholy, young man that seeks revenge on his father’s murderer when ordered to by a ghost, who Prince Hamlet sees as his dead father. The language and openness used in Hamlet leaves many interpretations to its audience making it the most theatrical of plays. In the play, Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother, and Queen of Denmark.
As a result of her husbands control, the woman develops and obsessive attachment to the wallpaper which masks the walls of her bedroom. Gilman composed the short story to make determined statements about feminism and individuality to oppose the male authority that ruled over her during her lifetime. Gilman does this by describing the narrators decent into madness, which is caused by many factors, all being linked to her husband. It’s immediately apparent in “The Yellow Wallpaper” that the woman allows herself to be inferior to men, in particular her husband, John. This ultimately leaves the reader with many questions about 19th century male-female relationships and perhaps insanity.
Is the Governess Credible? In Henry James’ novel The Turn of The Screw, a governess is hired by a handsome bachelor to care for his niece and nephew, Flora and Miles. As the governess is watching the children, she begins seeing two ghost figures reoccurring throughout the estate. The governess describes the ghosts to Mrs. Grose, another caretaker, who identifies them as Peter Quint, the former valet, and Miss Jessel, a former governess whom are both dead. The governess becomes convinced that the two children know about the ghosts.
The movie i choose was Joseph Rubin’s motion picture, Sleeping With the Enemy, it is about a terrifying domestic abuse experience. The main characters, Laura Burney and her husband Martin, live in a private Cape Cod estate. Laura, a housewife, endures an abusive and controlling relationship with Martin. Sleeping with the Enemy shows domestic abuse and flight, Laura shows the symptoms of a battered woman’s helplessness. Laura and Martin may accept an abusive lifestyle because they share a general attitude, usually existing before marriage, that men should have more power and control than women.
In A Streetcar Named Desire “Tennessee Williams created two of the most dramatic characters, Stanley Kowalski and Blanche Dubois” who showed an example of a victim- villain relationship, although it is not always clear who is the victim or villain both share these qualities throughout the play (Rollyson). When the play begins, Blanche DuBois, Stella’s older sister who is new to New Orleans is described as a “romantic woman who lives in the past”(Rollyson) enters the Kowalski home a “fallen women in society’s eyes”(Spark Notes). Blanche was left at Belle Reeve, the DuBois home in Laurel, to cope with the loss of family members and debt. Stanley quickly sees through Blanche’s act and seeks out information about her past to send her away and sabotage her relationship with Mitch. Stanley is an ideal villain because he is aggressive, controlling and Stella even proves that Stanley is violent and loud when she says he is “always smashing things” (Williams 64).