...bootlegging, lies, deceit, and murder make The Great Gatsby a very suspenseful and intriguing story. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel full of themes and literary devices such as irony, symbolism and the theme of the American Dream. Fitzgerald leaves his symbols and themes open for interpretation by the reader to show how one theme might show a different view of how a situation is, kind of like how the reader would interpret the eyes of Dr. TJ Eckleberg. Fitzgerald uses literary devices to show true character behind the masks the characters have on at first. Every one of the characters is revealed to have bad intentions or being not as good or delicate as YOU once thought them to be. The usage of literary devices...
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...delves into a 20th century Vietnamese. The historical settings coerce women to experience interpersonal relationships without consent, due to the emphasis placed on Confucian ideals. Moreover, these ideals harm the protagonists as they suffer through common gender disparity. Hence, both...
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...of the stories take place in the late 1800's, which during this time women were restricted from doing many things such as: working outside of the home, they were controlled by their spouses, and they had to be subservient females”(Wikipedia). Mrs. Mallard is the main character in "The Story of an Hour" and Mrs. Loisel is the character in "The Necklace." The type of tone the writers chose for the main characters were discontent women, who yearned for a better life than their current one. Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace" is the story of Mathilde Loisel, who resents her current lifestyle. When Monsieur Loisel presents his wife with an invitation to a formal ball, she bursts into tears because she has nothing elegant to wear. Mathilde's husband agrees to let her buy a gown, and, following his suggestion, she borrows a beautiful necklace from a friend. As a result, she has a wonderful time at the ball. Upon returning home she realizes that she has lost the necklace she borrowed from her friend. The Loisels replace it with a similar one, for which they enter into debt for ten years. One day Mathilde sees her old friend and decides to tell her the truth, only to discover that the original necklace had been a cheap imitation. “The central idea of the story is that, in the pursuit of material wealth and superficial things, people may inadvertently make their situations change for the worse”(Wikipedia). Kate Chopin's "Story of an Hour" is the story of Louise Mallard, a weak, repressed...
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...1) Jane Austen * Biography Jane Austen is one of the most read writers in England. She was born on the 17th of December in 1775 in Steventon, Hampshire, in a large family with six brothers and one sister, which formed part of the Landed Gentry (well-born and well-bred people of high social class in England). Jane went on with her education by herself by reading books which her father, who supported her a lot, gave her from his large library. Her family produced plays and Jane Austen took part in these. Most of them were comedies which gave Jane the opportunity to develop her comic and satirical senses. During her lifetime she was not famous because she wanted to keep anonymity. So, instead of writing her name on the books, she just put "by a lady". It is only in the 19th century that she got famous when her nephew wrote A memoir of Jane Austen. This book even included some of her writings that were never published before. She never got married, although she was once proposed to and she never had any children. During the year of 1816, Jane Austen’s health became worse and she died in July in 1817 at the age of 41 years old. But the exact reasons of her death remain vague, some say it was Addison syndrome, other say Hodgkin’s disease, there are several hypotheses. The famous English author is buried in the North aisle of Winchester Cathedral. * Main works She started by writing poems when she was 12 years old. By the time she was 18, she started creating longer and...
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...of history’s first female protagonists, Nora, Ibsen challenges the Victorian ideal of a woman’s role in her marriage and in society, painting a bleak picture of living life as a woman at the time. In A Doll’s House, Ibsen explores the sacrificial role of women in society, women’s oppression, and chauvinistic 19th century marriage customs through the life and transformation of his heroine, Nora. One tool Ibsen uses to present his feminist ideals is the theme of the sacrificial role that the play’s female characters must play. Nora has made a huge sacrifice in taking out a loan in secret and working to pay it back without allowing Helmer to find out; she has become a prisoner of her secret and of her necessity to pay off the loan with what little legal rights she possesses as a female in her society. Mrs. Linde, similarly, has made sacrifices as a woman, having found it necessary to abandon her true love and marry a wealthier man. The nanny, Anne-Marie, who proclaims she is a “poor girl “ and insinuates she had no other options, was forced to abandon her child to support herself working as Nora’s caretaker, having sacrificed her family as well as her freedom in order to survive (Ibsen 1729). Although at the end of the play Nora appears to have transformed into a stronger female, it is then that she makes the ultimate sacrifice in abandoning her children and family (Ibsen 1757). Ibsen’s perpetual use of the idea of Nora as a “doll,” not only in the play’s...
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...The main example of symbolism that is very important in the story is the green light. The green light represents Gatsby’s hope and dreams for his future with Daisy. Gatsby’s quest for Daisy is broadly associated with the American dream, the green light also symbolizes that more generalized ideal. Another symbol that I found in the story was the valley of ashes which represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure. Another symbol that related to the valley of ashes is the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are a pair of fading, bespectacled eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes. The eyes may represent God staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland, though the novel never makes this point explicitly. A symbol that many people may not have found is the air mattress that Gatsby was laying on in the pool near the end of the story. “The...
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...Lahiri's use of different principals for different chapters and sections of chapters allows the approach of dramatic irony. Reminiscence is frequent in Chapter 12, as Ashima prepares for the last Christmas party she will ever host at the house on Pemberton Road. She remembers when Gogol and Sonia were little, helping her prepare the food for these parties: "Gogol's hand wrapped around the can of crumbs, Sonia always wanting to eat the croquettes before they'd been breaded and fried." As Sonia, Ben, Gogol, and Ashima assemble the fake Christmas tree together, Gogol remembers decorating the first plastic tree his parents had bought at his demand. The difference between Bengali and American paths to marriage is clear in Ashima's judgment of Gogol's divorce from Moushumi. She thinks, "Fortunately they have not considered it their duty to stay married, as the Bengalis of Ashoke and Ashima's generation do." In her view, the pressure to settle for less than "their ideal of happiness" has given way to "American common sense." Surprisingly, Ashima is pleased with this outcome, as opposed to an unhappy but dutiful marriage for her son. Ashima feels alienated and alone after showering before the party. She "feels lonely suddenly, horribly, permanently alone, and briefly, turned away from the mirror, she sobs for her husband." She feels "both impatience and indifference for all the days she still must live." She does not feel motivated to be in Calcutta with the family she left over thirty...
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...of female beauty and behaviour, one can only expect to feel demoralized, discouraged and devalued. Indeed, "Barbie Doll," the title of the poem, symbolizes society’s view of a perfect woman; the way society expects every woman to be. In fact, by using “Barbie Doll” as the title to her poem, Marge Piercy wants the reader to compare and contrast the adolescent’s appearance to that of a Barbie doll. Stereotypically, Mattel’s Barbie dolls have tall, thin yet curvy bodies, with symmetrical, perfect facial features, blonde hair and blue eyes. This, in turn, leads to the protagonist’s void of self-confidence. Additionally, living up to such standards - all the while being a housewife who must clean the house, raise the children and please her husband - is very demanding on the female gender. Moreover, the doll is symbolic of the ways that women themselves have been plasticized and turned into something they’re not. As a matter of fact, by trying to live up to these societal standards, women can’t rely on natural beauty. For instance, at the end of the poem, the young girl is wearing makeup, has “a putty nose” and is “dressed in a pink and white nightie”. This array of beauty enhancers adds to the young girl’s...
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...glimpses into Hedda's past. Hedda is the product of upper-class birth. She is, as I mentioned earlier, the daughter of General Gabler, whose portrait hangs over this play. And in case we have looked over the significance of the portrait in the stage directions or have overlooked it as an audience member, Miss Tesman pins our attention to it and the reality of Hedda's upper-class life: "Well, you cant's wonder at that--General Gabler's daughter! Think of the sort of life she was accustomed to in her father's time. Don't you remember how we used to see her riding down the road along with the General? In that long black habit--with feathers in her hat?" (Ibsen 2). Her upper-class birth and her past is contrasted by her choice of a husband who has neither noble blood nor lots of money. We are told that this motherless child of an upper-class general often gave in to fits of cruelty as a child: "At the finishing school the presence of a girl with a head of abundant, wavy flaxen hair irritated her and provoked her to outbursts of cruelty which had their...
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...Darkness: The Irony within Heart of Darkness Through history there has always been a battle between good and evil, light and dark, the innocent and the guilty. Many times authors, spanning over a wide range of genres have embedded this battle into their stories. Joseph Conrad, did just that in his creation of Heart of Darkness. Amongst the deep jungles of the Congo River, Conrad places Marlow into a world where darkness dominates everyday life. Marlow throughout the story is seen to have pure intentions and can be seen as a symbol of light, whereas Kurtz who has been amongst the heart of the Congo for various years, can be seen as the embodiment of darkness. Now, the distinction of light and dark, good and evil, innocent and guilty, is not only represented between Marlow and Kurtz, but also by Kurtz’s intended and his mistress of the darkness from Africa. Conrad in the depiction of these characters uses irony to show that light is representative of ignorance and naivety whereas darkness is the embodiment of the truth and experience. To be naïve is to show lack of experience. This trait lies at the heart of every man and woman as well as boy and girl. Naivety goes hand in hand with ignorance and can often be seen as an embodiment of innocence as well as purity, which are representative of light. Marlow within Heart of Darkness, ultimately proves to be naïve as well as ignorant throughout various times in the book. Which is representative of how Conrad uses irony to depict the...
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...the lives and struggles of second-generation immigrants. Lahiri’s exemplary use literary elements and devices allows the reader to visualize secluded and apprehensive persons, uncomfortable in their new abodes. However, in alluding to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s quote in The Custom House, the title of the book suggests that the stories should reveal the opposite—in that transplanting peoples to new soil might be beneficial to their mental, social and financial well-beings, creating a shift in fortune. Nevertheless, as a young child, Jhumpa Lahiri experienced similar feelings to her fictional characters within the literary work, struggling with a divided identity as a product of cross-cultural diffusion. Her knowledge of alienation and variance from the norm, adds depth to the conflict, strengthening the atmosphere and emotions surrounding the eight detailed accounts. Her grave experience as a child is reflected in her character’s frequent oscillation between two antagonistic lifestyles. For juvenile readers, Lahiri’s words describe complexities involving migration patterns, cultural issues, alienation, and generational differences, which is reinforced by use of imagery, numerous point-of-views, conflict, irony and diction. The first story in Unaccustomed Earth identifies the relationships and conflicts surrounding Ruma, a well-educated second-generation immigrant, who lives in Seattle with her American husband, Adam, and her son Akash. Throughout the beginning of the short story, generational...
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...ALLEGOR AND IRONY IN 'OTHELLO' Y ANTOINETT B. DAUBER E Othello is Shakespeare's Spenserian tragedy, in which the theme of slandere d chastity becomes a vehicle for exploring the problems of an allegorica l art . Allegory is the mode of selfconscious faith, and Spenser's corpus may be rea d as a portrai t of the artis t as allegorist , wrestling first with the burdens of selfconsciousness and then with the burdens of faith.l In Othello, Shakespeare compresses and objectifies this struggle. Unlike Spenser, he is not committed to the maintenance of allegory, and so he freely dramatizes the interna l weaknesses and external onslaughts that lead to its destruction. What I am calling the 'Spenserian ' quality begins with the chivalric elements in the tragedy. Truly, Othello is a kind of Savage Knight, Desdemona, the absolutely, almost miraculously, worthy lady, and Iago, something of a manipulator like Archimago.2 But more particularl y I would call attention to a specific engagement with Spenserian rhetoric . Consider Cassio' s words of welcome to the disembarking Desdemona: Tempests themselves, high seas, and howling winds, The gutter'd rocks and congregated sands, Traitors ensteep'd to enclog the guiltless keel, As having sense of beauty, do omit Their mortal natures, letting go safely by The divine Desdemona. (2.1.68-73)3 He sets her in the line of Spenser's heavenly allegories . As a parallel , we may recal l Una , slandere d by the arch-magician , abandone d by 123 her...
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...conversation. At the mention of a cathedral the two unknowingly rely on each other to show the true meaning of the grand church. The husband is forced to illustrate the depth of such a place to one who has never seen the grandeur of the cathedrals. The blind visitor in exchange transforms the man with understanding and enlightenment of himself and others. The interaction...
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...Angela Le A3 Book Card Title: Tess of the D’Urbervilles Author: Thomas Hardy Genre (include original copyright date): Tragedy (1891) Setting (remember setting is not just time and place): Victorian Era England, Wessex County, and English peasantry life Characters and Brief Description (include quotes): Tess Durbeyfield: oldest in family, beautiful, naïve, innocent, immature, runs away from her problems, prioritizes family first, believes anything Angel says. “Tess Durbeyfield at this time of her life was a mere vessel of emotion untinctured by experience.” Angel Clare: handsome, intelligent, youngest of 3 sons, father is a parson, expected to follow the rules of the church but instead rebels because he does not fully agree with the teachings of the church, wants to become a farmer, has great passion for Tess but shuns her when she reveals her secret. “Viewing [Tess] in these lights, a regret for [Angel’s] hasty judgments began to oppress him.” Alec d’Urberville: dark but handsome, manipulative, persistent in marrying Tess, not totally but is portrayed devilish. “He had an almost swarthy complexion, with full lips, badly moulded, though red and smooth, above which was a well-groomed black moustache with curled points, though his age could not be more than three- or four-and-twenty.” Joan Durbeyfield: mother of Tess and many other children, widowed through mid-book, seems to care for Tess but is only truly looking out for herself. “You ought to have been more...
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...appeal to similar feelings and experiences in her female readers. In 1870, Kate married Oscar Chopin, a Louisiana businessman of French-Creole descent. In New Orleans, where Chopin and her husband lived until 1879, she was among Southern high society. Proper Southern women of this time were expected to be submissive, compliant and stoic. Coming from a long line of Southern females, I know this to be true. The society of this era viewed the altruistic wife, reliant on her husband and devoted to her children, as the feminine ideal. Chopin's forward-thinking literary works of the late nineteenth century were not considered socially acceptable, so it wasn't until the 1960s or 1970s that she became "an integral part of the evolution of feminism" (katechopin.org). Chopin begins "The Story of an Hour" with an instant, essential revelation of the story's pinnacle. Readers learn in the first sentence that the story's main character, Mrs. Mallard, is "afflicted with a heart trouble" (Chopin 605) and she may not be able to endure anything that scares or upsets her. Mrs. Mallard's husband's friend, Richards, and her sister, Josephine, learn of her husband's death in a railroad disaster. "Great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death" (Chopin 605). Chopin uses Mrs. Mallard's condition to demonstrate the way...
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