Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town
It takes a certain type of character to see the humour in everyday life.
It takes an even greater character to express the humour in ways that other
people can appreciate and subsequently find gaiety therein. Stephen Leacock
is such a character, and his compilation of short stories Sunshine Sketches
of a Little Town recognizes, and assists the reader to recognize, one's
need to laugh at their surroundings, their culture, and the people that
interact in their lives.
Leacock is known for his profound ironic and satirical wit but, in the
case of Sunshine Sketches, he offers aspects of tragic irony and sagacious
insight with regards to everyday, small-town life as well, which serves to
further enhance the value of his humour.
Just as Leacock was interested in the techniques of humor, he was
interested in the language of humor. Besides the careful selection of
language, said Leacock, humor demanded a "great naturalness" of language,
the use of phrases and forms so simple that writers straining after effect
would never get them. [Critics] felt that one of the main reasons for
Leacock's success was that his style was that of "a talker rather than a
writer". Another said..."He talked to the world. And the talk was good."
(Curry. p.242-243)
Satire is defined as a genre in which the author attacks some object,
using his means of wit or humour that is either fantastic or absurd. In the
case of Sunshine Sketches, Leacock's target is a fictitious small town in
southern Ontario, which could be, and often is, compared to all other small
towns across the country. Leacock immerses the reader amidst a collection
of ordinary characters who become extraordinary due to Leacock's grasp of
the comedy within human nature and the scope of small-town culture and
tradition.
By utilizing elements of both comic and tragic irony, which by
definition suggest varying divisions between words or events and their
contexts, Leacock not only creates a humorous environment for his
characters, but also one in which the reader may laugh at situations and
idiosyncrasies which are strikingly similar to their own. Events such as
the sinking of the Mariposa Belle in six feet of water and the subsequent
rescue attempts by Mariposans, the comedic courting rituals of the
extremely shy Peter Pupkin, and the inane attempts to raise money on behalf
of the church are all examples of these sharp, ironic situations.
To understand the irony in any work, one must first appreciate the
context of such a work. With regards to Sunshine Sketches, the town of
The hubris resonating throughout the play, ‘Antigone’ is seen in the characters of Creon and Antigone. Their pride causes them to act impulsively, resulting in their individual downfalls. In his opening speech, Creon makes his motives clear, that “no man who is his country’s enemy shall call himself my friend.” This part of his declaration was kept to the letter, as he refused burial for his nephew, Polynices. However, when the situation arises where it is crucial that Creon takes advice, he neglects the part of the speech where he says “a king... unwilling to seek advice is damned.” This results in Creon’s tragic undoing.
telling stories about his life without really setting up a structure for the audience to follow.
by using it as a comic device, but also to sort out situations so that
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, symbolsim is constantly present in the actual scarlet letter “A” as it is viewed as a symbol of sin and the gradally changes its meanign, guilt is also a mejore symbol, and Pearl’s role in this novel is symbolic as well. The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and crucial symbols. these devices of symbolism are best portayed in the novel, most noticably through the letter “A” best exemplifies the changes in the symbolic meaning throughout the novel.
In the awe-inspiring play of Antigone, Sophocles introduces two remarkable characters, Antigone and Creon. A conflict between these two obstinate characters leads to fatal consequences for themselves and their kindred. The firm stances of Creon and Antigone stem from two great imperatives: his loyalty to the state and her dedication to her family, her religion but most of all her conscience. The identity of the tragic hero of this play is still heavily debated. This tragedy could have been prevented if it had not been for Creon's pitiful mistakes.
In A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, many characters are given second chances as their lives are resurrected. The central heroine woman, Lucy Manette, is responsible for the resurrections of Sydney Carton and Dr. Alexander Manette's lives. She gives them inspiration and love to help them recover from their seemingly hopeless states. In turn, Carton gives up his own life in order to save a friend. The lives of Sydney Carton, Dr. Manette, and Charles Darnay are all resurrected at times when hope is lost.
John Marwood Cleese, an English actor, comedian, writer and film producer said, “If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you more open to my ideas. And if I can persuade you to laugh at the particular point I make, by laughing at it you acknowledge its truth”. The point he brings up is the ideology of satire. Satire, by definition, is a technique utilized by writers to expose and criticize foolishness and corruption of an individual or a society. This can be done by using humor, irony, exaggeration or ridicule ("Satire - Definition and Examples", para.1). Often times, the humor used opens the audiences’ minds to the underlying problem that the writer is trying to reveal. By examining the purpose and methods of satire, dissecting literary works, and displaying examples in the media, satire is shown to be a valuable tool.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a book of much symbolism. One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Throughout the novel Pearl develops into a dynamic symbol; one that is always changing. In the following essay, I will explore Hawthorne's symbolism of Pearl from birth, age three, and age seven. Also, I will attempt to disprove the notion that Pearl is branded with a metaphorical scarlet letter "A" representing amorality; instead she represents the immorality of her mother's adultery.
Creon's insecurity blinds his ability to direct order in his country properly. After Antigone buried Polyneices Creon felt he needed to take a strong stand or people would think he would always be lenient toward criminals. However, to achieve this Creon felt he needed to take drastic action against Antigone. He once even said to his son, Haimon, who was about to marry Antigone, "The woman dies. I suppose she'll plead family ties. Well, let her. If I permit my own family to rebel, how shall I earn the world's obedience?" (19) This quote shows that Creon feels that to prove himself to the country he needs to earn the "world's obedience".
in his books which help him connect to the reader more. Using humor also helps the reader be more
“Anyone Lived In A Pretty How Town is a short work of poetry written in 1940, by American poet Edward Estlin Cummings (E. E. Cummings). Throughout the poem, Cummings uses the four seasons as an analogy of the human life cycle. Edward Estlin Cummings (E. E. Cummings) uses a complex contradicting language to display the setting, mood, and meaning, in “Anyone Lived In A Pretty How Town”; it illustrates how life can be related to nature.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses a variety of themes, including, revenge, revolution, fate, and imprisonment. Though these are very important themes, and were integral elements of this novel, resurrection served as the main theme aside from the obvious one which is revolution. The reason I chose resurrection instead of revolution, is because it is applicable outside of this novels setting. It is also important to note that the theme of sacrifice is closely tied into resurrection.
Antigone’s strength allows her to defend her brother’s honor against Creon, who wants to make a statement about traitors. However, both Antigone and King Creon commit faults while trying to protect the things they love. Antigone should not have died for her beliefs as it puts her loved ones and community in danger, and Creon should not have forbidden the burial of Polyneices as it angers the Gods and causes him great suffering in the end.
power of satire; with the utilisation of irony to inform and challenge prevalent point of views,
...have struggled with the nature of human beings, especially with the concept of “self”. What Plato called “soul, Descartes named the “mind”, while Hume used the term “self”. This self, often visible during hardships, is what one can be certain of, whose existence is undoubtable. Descartes’s “I think, therefore I am” concept of transcendental self with just the conscious mind is too simplistic to capture the whole of one’s self. Similarly, the empirical self’s idea of brain in charge of one’s self also shows a narrow perspective. Hume’s bundle theory seeks to provide the distinction by claiming that a self is merely a habitual way of discussing certain perceptions. Although the idea of self is well established, philosophical insight still sees that there is no clear presentation of essential self and thus fails to prove that the true, essential self really exists.