Nochlin believes that Seurat’s use of this technique dehumanizes the figures. Specifically mentioned is the wet nurse, who in practice sketches was systematically broken down until Seurat portrayed her as seen in The Grande Jatte. However, Nochlin does note that Seurat does not delve fully into cynicism, because he embodied hope in the figure of the running girl. Concluding her essay, Nochlin ties together all the points, and attempts to persuade the reader that Seurat is the only post- impressionist to have portrayed such alienation and anomie while depicting the rapidly changing society. While Nochlin brings up some thought provoking arguments, she fails to provide sufficient proof and uses weak examples to support her thesis.
Anne Bradstreet’s publication, ‘The Author to Her Book”, dating back to 1678 is an atypical poem that accurately depicts the meaning of a controlling metaphor. Through the use of devices such as tone, diction, and characterization, Bradstreet is able to convey her complex attitude of the public’s criticism of her “unfinished” work. As early as the first sentence, Bradstreet already expresses a critical tone in her writing. By making use of the words “ill-formed” and “feeble” it is easy to understand that the author is not comfortable with her own work as she views it as an actual pre-mature baby. In addition, she portrays similar tones such as desperation and mournfulness.
As an example two influential short stories will be discussed in depth in order to shed light into the lives of the two authors and their stories. The short stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935) and Angela Carter (1940–1992) both sideway the same idea; the confinement of women in particular roles and positions in both personal and professional lives, posed on them by patriarchal figures. Toril Moi quotes in her examination of feministic criticism, Sexual/Textual Politics (2002), Elaine Showalter’s idea that “women writers should not be studied as a distinct group on the assumption that they write alike, or even display stylistic resemblances distinctively feminine” (Moi, 2002: 49), which comes across when reading the two stories which are stylistically already very different. It might be so that a feminist reader of both times (there’s some 80 years difference between the two stories) did not only want to see her own experiences mirrored in fiction, but strived to identify with strong, impressive female characters (Moi, 2002: 46), and looked for role-models that would instil positive sense of feminine identity by portraying women as self-actualising strong identities who were not dependent on men (Moi, 2002, 46). The two stories bring out two female characters, very different by position and character; the other a new mother, scared and confused of her own role, and the other a young newly-wed girl, still a child, being fouled by a much older man, mainly as a mark of his authority over women in general.
Misha Myles Ms. Broaddus English AP 12 December 2011 Miss-Judgment Judging others by only their outward appearance and background isn’t always an effective way to get to know or understand one’s nature. In the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen the character Elizabeth is influenced by one’s vanity and demeanor and is quick to judge their character. Which she later realize about her grave mistake when she understands that she has miss-judgment of both Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth plays an important role in the novel; she is the most logical out of all of her sisters. Austen reveals Elizabeth’s character as an example about how she wanted to have her own self independence during that time period.
Emma Baird Dr. Meredith McCarroll English 232 25 September 2010 The Death of Edna Pontellier: A Rebellious Defeat Even from its first publication, Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening has caused controversy. While today The Awakening is praised for its feminist undertones, the piece was first criticized for its lack of representation of American values. Instead of depicting a main character that embodied the Victorian ideal of a woman fulfilling the role as an “Angel in the House” which was the norm for American women during this particular historical period, Edna was a rebellious wife and an adulteress, whose desires and yearning for independence lead her to make many radical decisions throughout the course of the novel¾ from inwardly
For the author of A Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, surrounds this very mysterious character with the issue of a wallpaper that is consuming the characters life. Gilman describes the characters dementia without directness to an "insanity". Jane, the main character knows that she has a mental issue and uses this journal to describe how she slowly loses her sanity. The curtness of how she lost her way made the story a little creepier, and more mysterious. In a novel the author could describe her past life for chapters and chapters, but knowing her life for such a short period of time made the story
Mairs uses tone and word choice, which are important to show her authority on the subject and to express her feelings while at the same time explaining her life story and usage of the word "cripple." In this story there is a certain tone of importance, which can also cross the readers mind as sad and angry because of the way she brings it about. Her opening phrase in the second paragraph, "I am a cripple" (Mairs 12), leads the reader to wonder what she actually feels about how she has to live her life and why she is so blunt about it. The tone can be seen as being insensitive just because of the first sentence of
Upon announcing her new found idealistic Skeeter realizes that these maids are treated very differently from how white people are being treated in the town; and decides she would like to do something about it. Skeeter knowing just how to do so, reveals the truth to the world in a book from the perspectives of the maids' around her. The book is written in perspective of Aibileen, Minny and Skeeter. Skeeter struggles to gain the trust of the maids and has troubles getting them to communicate with her. The daily lives of the mistreated and hardworking are explored, and told through the eyes of many.
In the short story "The Yellow Wallpaper", the author, Charlotte Perkins, does an excellent job of painting a picture of the main character. She is a young woman who seemingly appears to be suffering from postpartum depression. Her illness gives her intuition into her and other female's situation in marriage and in society, even as the treatment she undergoes cheats her of her sanity. This is a reality in today's world and this character is easy to relate
First and foremost, some critics argue that from the outset of the novel, Bronte portrays women as curious and young through Nelly Dean’s narration. Bronte presents Catherine in an innocent and immature light in the opening section of the novel when she explains how Catherine “showed her humour by grinning and spitting at the stupid little thing”, implying that Catherine is curious of Heathcliff and the “spitting” only serves to highlight the immature state of mind that Cathy has at this young age. These childish acts result in “a sound blow from her father” but this does nothing to dispel beliefs that Catherine is far from being a lady of eminent virtue by nature. Conversely, Bronte also shies away from this presentation of Catherine in many circumstances as Bronte often shifts her away from the frail and innocent Gothic stereotype. The concept is established during Nelly’s first detailed introduction of the child being presented as volatile and, some would argue, a figure of malignity: “plaguing everybody” hints towards this hidden cruelness within her.