... From the beginning of the novel the reader is introduced to an almost mind numbing amount of details of Bateman’s social life, wardrobe, cosmetic products, etc. The reader is almost frustrated with the overabundance of details. Why is it important to know what kind of hair gel Bateman used on Tuesday before an important meeting with his friends? What’s the point of numerous chapters of extreme analysis of Genesis, Whitney Houston, etc? Bateman’s obsessions are extremely complex but at the same time he doesn’t limit himself to one area of obsession. Bateman’s knowledge of fashion is truly amazing, but what about his knowledge of weapons. His ...
... of autumn leaves, bordering on the aging process and his hair turning gray. The boughs which shake are the tremors his body is having reminding himself once more that he is not as young as he use to be and ageing has left him feeling like he has lost the power to write. By focusing on the fact that ageing is a slow and discouraging process he is building on the hopes that someone will feel sorry for him and acknowledge the fact that he may die soon. In me thou see’st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west, Which by and by black night doth take away, Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. The second quatrain is focusing ...
... describes Fresleven as "…the gentlest, quietest creature that ever walked on two legs."(p. 13 Conrad) However, later in the same paragraph Marlow says,"…he probably felt the need at last of asserting his self-respect in some way. Therefore he whacked the old nigger mercilessly."(p. 13 Conrad) Soldiers in combat are forced to bring the evil within themselves out every time they go into battle. The scene in Apocalypse Now where Captain Willard first meets Lt. Colonel Kilgore exhibits the power combat has in bringing out the dark side in humans. The attitude the soldiers have towards their enemy in the scene shows how evil humans can be. Kilgore demonstrate ...
... constantly making mischief. Needless to say, Denver did not have the strong background often needed to make a successful go in the world. Yet she did make an attempt, until finally beaten down and forced into a self-imposed exile by an innocent question by a young boy, "Is it true your ma killed your baby sister?" that turned everything around and made even her strongest attempts seem worthless. And she was forced to stay inside and live a lonely life, brightened only when Beloved finally appeared. And when Beloved eventually became a detrimental force in Denver and Sethe's life, Denver was forced to enter the world and society. And her meek and gracious nature ...
... the poem's treatment of Hrothgar's old age, suggesting a possible interpretation of his character and touching on its significance to the values of the poem. I will make some observations and then try to draw some conclusions, as best as one can for a complex work such as Beowulf. Hrothgar's associations with women are not the only evidence that would support a "feminization" of his aged character. Hrothgar's laments for his own helpless state makes him even more helpless: rather than responding in action like Beowulf does, he gives in to despair. And if Tacitus were to be a guide, Hrothgar's grief over the loss of Aeschere would also be taken as a sign of exce ...
... affects our subjective sense of reality. It is the reason why propaganda was such a useful weapon during the Cold War years. The ability to create doubt in the minds of society causes that society to question its own sense of cultural/societal/governmental reality. In his book 1984, George Orwell created a society in which the ministry of information controlled the masses by controlling the information they received. The government even went so far as to rewrite history by changing old newspaper and film files to support the ideological goals of the current regime. They created a world very far removed from the truth but also gave the public a unified, single, c ...
... to end apartheid. Yet, in describing the unbelievable "human brutality" he has witnessed, he describes the fighting of his 12 children (21). Hannetjie assumed Brille was accustomed to Hannetjie's oppressive behaviors, but ironically Brille was only now a victim of violence (21). He did not use politics to better his life, until he was imprisoned for only pretending to do so before (23). Brille likens his experience in prison to his experience with his family, he becomes aware of his power to make others behave humanely. Brille's physical shortsightedness is symbolic of a mental shortsightedness, he that it will be more effective to punish Hannetjie's poor b ...
... monster out of Macbeth. To have done so would have robbed him of any sympathy and removed him the area of tragic interest. When the play opens he is a hero returning from the victorious defense of his country. Undoubtedly he has thought about his chances of gaining the throne, for the witched echo things in the dark recesses of his mind, but he shrinks from the violence required to seize the Crown. He is willing to show patience and wait, "If chance will have me King, why, chance may crown me, Without my stir" 25. He is near of kin to the King and under the laws of Scotland he may be chosen to succeed Duncan. It is only when Duncan creates his son Malcom Prin ...
... but is confronted with two options, to murder or to not murder or the moral truth vs. the need to "set it right". Each part of Hamlet is trying to find a different truth but in the end we find that he can only be true to himself The soliloquy that displays Hamlet's confusion is "O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!" in act two scene two. This soliloquy takes place immediately after the first discussion between Hamlet and the travelling players. Here Hamlet is enraged, furious and rude. In this soliloquy Hamlet devises a plan which will lead the king to betray himself. His plan is for the players to put on "The Murder of Gonzago" for the court, which is similar ...
... says “ Now what in the hell is eating them?” thus the book ends on a harsh, cruel note, topped off by the lack of understanding and compassion of an extraordinarily immoral and cruel man. Whatever Steinbeck’s intent for writing such a jarring ending, he leaves the reader with a powerful sense of the world’s immorality. In this book there were several characters, but only a few had significant roles. I would have to say Lennie is the protagonist of the book even though George is an extremely critical character as well. Lennie Small is described as being a monstrous man with the mind of a child, a shapeless face, bi ...
