Both Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Hiram Powers’s Greek Slave” and Powers’s statue discuss the relationship between ideal, vulnerable beauty in the form of a Christian woman, and the resulting inspiration of political action, fuelled by pathos and compassionate sympathy. However, Browning provides an outsider’s verbal interpretation of the marble, calling the lack of severity into question, and thus suggesting that although capable of inducing a sympathetic reaction from the public, Powers’s sculpture, a picture of purity and modesty, may not be wholly successful in mimicking the dark horrors of slavery, and hence not have enough influence to cause lasting action. The ideal, vulnerable beauty depicted by Powers and then further discussed by …show more content…
Powers’s sculpture is crafted from marble, therefore is erected entirely in white, which can often epitomize purity or cleanliness. Although contributing to the ethereal nature and purpose of the statue, Browning sees the folds as “shadowed, not darkened” (Browning 6). ‘Darkened’ becomes a synonym for slavery and the resulting suffering and thus Browning is arguing that because Powers’s woman lacks the depth of dark shadows, and essentially displays only the ‘pretty,’ aesthetically pleasing . The artwork, according to Browning, will facilitate sympathy because of her physique but may not be capable of creating a long lasting response as its’ viewers are unable to picture the true severity of slavery. “Ideal Beauty” (Browning 1) is difficult to associate with “the house of anguish,” (Browning 2) as Browning mentions in the first stanza. As well, the speaker describes the subject of the artwork as “alien,” (Browning 3) insinuating that the image of an exquisite woman in the role of a slave seems foreign and, perhaps, romanticized. The physical atrocities resulting from slavery are not exhibited in her immaculate skin and smooth curves. Although her shoulders are held high, Browning interprets her as having “passionless perfection,” (Browning 5) suggesting that her lack of
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett. The “Aurora Leigh” image. 1856. The. Correspondence Course Notes: ENGL 205*S Selected Women Writers, Spring-Summer 2003, pp.
Thomson Highway’s The Kiss of the Fur Queen has a core theme of art. In this novel, art is integrated into the lives of the characters. The modernist movement would indicate that art has the ability to plainly exist “art of arts sake”. Peter Lamarque notes “To value a work for its own sake is to value it for what it is in itself, not for the realization of some ulterior ends.” (par. 19) This commonly accepted view, that art is valued because it is great art, not for the role or function that it has in society, restricts arts impact. This perspective limits and does not allow for the surfacing of profound effects that art creates. In the Kiss of the Fur Queen, art has power it does not simply exist but has function. The observable function of art in this text is in education, providing identity and finally uniting Gabriel and Jeremiah with their cultural roots.
... majority of the Black people to the atrocities, injustices and inequalities of their white masters, against which they make no organized protest at all, so she agrees with the reality that the next generations follow almost the same ways observed and adopted by the majority of their ancestors. It is therefore she is of the opinion that the Black people have accepted the slavery and atrocities as their fate. However, Butler’s comments, made through the mouth of her protagonist, serve as half truth in contemporary era, as the modern times witness the movements of liberty and freedom from the exploitations of the Blacks at the hands of the Whites. Somehow, it is also a reality that an overwhelming majority of the Blacks still look under the control and submission of the White population.
Literature shows us the changes of our society from time to time. It also gives us an idea about people, culture, politics, gender traditions, as well as an overall view of previous civilizations. As a part of literature, poetry introduces us to different cultures with different perspectives. Ancient Egypt and ancient China may differ in terms of culture, politics, economic stability, tradition, or even in religious belief. However, in poetry, especially in love lyrics both Egyptian and Chinese poems portray common area of describing women, social attitudes toward love, sexuality and the existence of romance or selfishness in relationships. . If we look at the Egyptian poem “My god, my Lotus” and the Chinese poem “Fishhawk”, we will see both poems have similarities in describing relationships. Also, they have the similarity of imagining the lovers and their expression of love toward each other. However, both poems have some significant differences in terms of representing female sexuality, gender disparity and the display of love.
In Francis Ellen Watkins Harper's poem "The Slave Mother, A Tale of Ohio," she uses a shifting tone as well as other specific literary techniques to convey the heartbreaking story of a slave woman being separated from her child. This story specifically draws light to the horrific reality that many slaves faced: families were torn apart. Because this poem tells the story of a mother and her son, it also draws light to the love that mothers have for their children and the despair that they would go through if anything were to ever happen to them. Harper's poem addresses both race and gender, and it effectively conveys the heartbreak of the mother to the audience.
Dressed in her all white outfit against her dark skin immediately just leaps out of the painting and catches your eye. The more I glance at the little girl, the more I cannot differentiate between the little brown girl in the stiffly starched white dress and myself. Even though, Rockwell’s set context clearly depicts Ruby Bridges, I see myself walking through that same menacing, threatening, screaming crowd, guarded by my rights, virtues and values as I overcome the sexism, racism, discrimination, and stereotypes that are trying to deter me from my path to greatness. The imagery is so ironic to me when discussing circumstantial hardships that African Americans like myself are born into, or the ones that we cause on our own. In a metaphorical sense, the significance of the painting represents the journey of life: In this case my
Mapplethorpe though has completely reversed this concept to new extremes. By portraying a nude black male, such as in Thomas, Mapplethorpe is evoking an emotional response in the viewer that results in either desire or fear, depending on the viewer’s own bias and prejudices. This is actually a very important theme within Mercer’s essay that he reflects upon. Mapplethorpe’s goal with the portrait is to elevate the black male figure to an aesthetic ideal, just as with classical Greek sculpture. For Mapplethorpe, Thomas is a study in the human form, figure, and aesthetic, but with a representation from the ‘fringe’
Frederick Douglas’s 1852 short story, “The Heroic Slave”, was loosely based the true story of a slave rebellion that occurred on the American ship named Creole. Divided into four parts, the plot of this story follows a slave named Madison Washington, who would eventually be the leader of the story. At the start of the short story, a “northern traveller” named Mr. Listwell saw and overheard Washington in a field. As Mr. Listwell observes him, Washington is performing a soliloquy, in which he verbalizes his wishes of gaining freedom (Douglass 174-182). In part two, Washington acts upon his grievances and finally escapes from bondage. Coincidentally, he arrives at the home of the same traveller who eavesdropped
“There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles,” George Eliot. Beauty has caused men to move mountain, and jump through countless hoops. It is a quality that is subjective and affects the beholder differently. In Poe’s Ligea and Hawthorne’s The Birthmark, Ligea, Rowena, and Georgina all had different orders of beauty that similarly affects how their husbands saw them. In these two pieces of literature there was an exaltation of beauty as an abstraction that hid the depth of the women and led to deceit and the sense of superiority in their husbands.
The painting clearly refers to the period of slavery, presenting the unequal roles between black and white individuals. The artists paints the image in a way that both exposes and ridicules the actions of the white man. A black woman being kissed by a white man suggests that she is a slave and therefore in a relationship that was enforced and sexually violent. African American women, as slaves, were subject to the practice of sexual exploitation in the 19th century. Women were treated as property as they were continuously harassed, raped, and beaten by masters as white men with authority took advantage of their slaves. While women were appeared to be consenting to the mistreatment, no safeguards existed in order to protect women from such abuses, and were left with no choice but to engage in sexual activity with their masters. The black man in the image, on the other hand, is subject to being hit, a way of enforcing slavery. The two black figures, are in essence, a form of “luxury” for the white men as the black man is being deprived of his rights by his owner and is used as a tool through work in the fields, while the woman is used as a “luxury” that satisfies her owner through fulfilling the white man’s sexual
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.
With the use of character development, Douglass retains an important component in his argument by illustrating the alteration of Sophia Auld whose “kindest heart turned…into that of a demon”(39). He states that a human being having control of another has a soul-killing effect on his moral righteousness and results in the loss of innocence. At first Douglass writes, “The meanest slave was put fully at ease in her presence, and none left without feeling better for not having seen her. Her face was made of heavenly smiles, and her voice of tranquil music”(39). Douglass’s initial description fixes his argument that the slaveholder is not necessarily evil. His choice of words reveals his complete astonishment of her gentleness that he had never experienced before. However, Douglass’s tone appears to be disturbed of her behavior for she is “unlike any oth...
Brains over brawn, who will win this battle?Homer's tale of Odysseus' adventures in “The Odyssey” show that being intelligent and cunning can be far better than having physical strength. Being physically strong certainly has its advantages, but not in all circumstances. Strength in intelligence shows new meaning of strength. Odysseus is amused with himself when he defeats Polyphemus. His great skills with a bow outweigh the others abilities. Knowledge of the placement of his bed win his beloveds heart.
It was a dark, menacing night as she stood there in the shadows. Waiting for the finale of the show that was playing, she glanced toward the exit through which people would soon be leaving. The rich, as patrons of the theatre house, promised her a salary at least for today. Her tattered clothes revealed the effects of personal destitution; the emaciated frame, that presently existed, harked back upon a body she must have once possessed. Driven by poverty to the realms of "painted cohorts," she makes up her face daily, distinguishing her life from the respected (264). She is an outcast, a leper, a member of the marginalized in society; she envelops the most degraded of positions and sins against her body in order to survive. As she looks up, her eyes reflect a different kind of light, a glimmer of beauty that has not yet faded despite her present conditions. She was, at one time, a "virtuous" woman, most likely scorned by a dishonest love. Finding no comfort or pity for her prior mistakes, she must turn to the streets and embrace the inevitable - the dishonor and shame from her previous engagement will follow her unto death. Shunned from society she becomes the woman who sells herself for money and sadly finds no love. She is the abandoned, the betrayed, and the lost, embarrassed girl; she is "of the painted cohorts," the female prostitute of the streets (264).
The women which Stephen comes across in his journey in becoming an artist define him and change him by nurturing him, fascinating him, and inspiring him. Stephen was forever changed by his mother, the Virgin Mary, Eileen, the prostitute, and the seaside woman. The object of the artist is to create the object of the beautiful, I argue that it was the beauty in the women of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which created the artist in the end.