Elizabeth Barrett-Browning’s sonnet sequence Sonnets from the Portugeuse, explores the experence of idealised love in the patriarchal confines of the Victorian era, juxtaposed against F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, which comments on the unatanability of idealised love due to the corruption of the American dream. Through an exploration of love, both composers subvert societies preconcieved attitutdes to love through the reccurring motif of ‘Plato’s ladder of love’. Barrett-Browning’s poems highlight the realities of a spiritual, connected love, contrasting to Fitzgeralds commentary on the illusionary goals of ‘true’ platonic love in the post WWI hedonistic, materialistic society. Barrett-Browning conveys the Romantic ideals of platonic love, against the prudish rationalism of the Victorian era. The Petrarchan sonnet form has an inbuilt dialectic structure, enabling her to have a progressive narrative, which follows the path of the Platonic system.
Les Murray’s beautifully written poem, Away Bound Train, is clearly identified with the main character encountering new ideas. An assumption of a journey is that they bring change and this certainly holds true for Away Bound Train. Murray has used the train ride as an extended metaphor of travelling through life. Away Bound Train seems to be a reflection of Murray’s life as he has
Continuing with the train imagery, Wilner writes that the Holocaust was a "rush hour of ghosts" (7). But all hope is not lost; one day, the final train will arrive and "the final / trump [will sound]" (8-9). In the same line, Wilner lets readers who are familiar with Jewish theology in on what she is writing about. When she writes that "the Saved dead will rise" she is alluding to the coming of the Messiah, for Jewish theology asserts that the dead will be resurrected at that time
People warned Hercules of the powerful gorgon that transformed people into golden roses. Others warned Hercules of the roses. A prick of their thorns will put you to sleep for eternity. Continuing his voyage Hercules noticed the fine pottery, the tall bronze statues, the olives and tobacco growing, the massive temples… Everything was nice in Corinth, everything was beautiful. Hercules almost forgot about his mission, the beauty of Corinth was unbelievable.
PLOT SYNOPSIS Key events * Tom and Nick are on the train from Long Island to New York. The train passes through the valley of ashes, a piece of land between New York and Long Island which is used as a dumping ground for the new prosperous rich and is where lots of the working underclasses live which are rarely thought about by the main characters. Tom suddenly forces Nick to get off the train at one of the stops in the valley of ashes and Nick follows tom towards Wilson’s Garage. Nick notes the overhead advertisement for an optician, where the eyes of Dr T.J Eckleburg watching over the proceedings. * In Wilsons garage lays Tom’s lover.
Harwood highlights the extreme contrast in ones perception of love, life and death when influenced by either philosophy or poetry. In ‘The Violets’ Harwood explores the inevitable nature of passing time, that this passing gives rise to change and loss. The inevitability of the approach of death in the poem is seen through the figurative language and simile of sunset images ‘the melting west stripped like ice-cream’ symbolic of the inevitable approach. The connecting image of the violets are used throughout the poem ‘frail melancholy flowers’, ‘spring violets’ and ‘gathered flowers’ these images act as a metaphor representative of the stages of life. Each image is representative of high and low phases of life and ‘gathered flowers’ is suggestive of the end of life.
Then when Poirot gets off the train and arrives at the hotel, and very quickly receives a letter summoning him back to London. Soon after he runs into his old friend M.Bouc who is the, director of compagnie Internationale des wagons lits, and offer to give him a ride back to London on the Orient Express. Once he gets on train he notices that there are so many people on the train and all very different in nationality, which for that time of year is very odd. Then at one point one of the passengers Mr. Rachett asks for his help and says that someone is threating him and asks for his help, Poirot not knowing many details obviously declines the offer and also asks to be moved to a different place on the train. That same night that Poirot refuses Mr. Ratchett’s offer he is murdered.
The Role Of Trains In Anna Karenina In the book Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, trains are prevalent in bringing about change, both outright and in a roundabout manner, of a character, and ultimately bringing about death of the character from the change. The machines are portrayed as bad, bad for society and people in general, and bracket the novel in a negative light. Trains are a means of transport, and the metaphor of the train can be extended to Anna’s ‘transport’ of attraction, from Karenin to Vronsky. The metaphor of transportation, or transportation of ‘love’, for a quick change in scenery is a clear one. Anna knew she was never in a proper relationship with Karenin, and when she saw Vronsky for the first time, she found herself interested in his fascination for her.
The description of the writer identifying the post war era, “The bombs of the first blitz” (Green)). The presentation of Lawrence chimerical event in the “Rocking Horse Winner “proved that the story is a fairy tale. Green uses irony to capture his audience. Both stories are humanistic as they share the common theme of the effect of society. Paul wanted his mother love and he set to make her rich while Trevor became destruction to fit in with his peers.Inthe “Rocking Horse winner”, the anxiety of waiting to see what happen, sadly it comes to an end ,Hester’s desire was met, poor Paul died.
Context is a powerful influence on composers’ concerns and the way these are expressed.’ How have the different contexts experienced by Shelley and Scott influenced the way they explore concerns about love? Context: -Time 20th century compared to the 19th -Marys living arrangements, married to Poet Percy Shelley -Love influencing perfection -Societies expectation in the 19th C compares to Blade runner extreme differences in the expectation of love. -Similar-both aspiring perfection and progression -The norm of society was not accepted in science -Frankenstein symbolising woman in society of this time Frankenstein: Blade Runner: Technique/Effect: “There is love in me the likes of which you've never seen. There is rage in me the likes of which should never escape. If I am not satisfied in the one, I will indulge the other.”