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Women oppression in literature
Female oppression in literature
Female oppression in literature
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The thirst for power requires a considerable understanding of control, otherwise power would consume an individual and destroy everything in their path. Brent Weeks’s The Way of Shadows criticizes the oppressive nature of a society fueled by power. The story is told through the eyes of a young child named Azoth who grew up in Cenaria city’s Warrens, the poorest portion of land. Years of constant torment from guild masters lead Azoth to look for a way out of his life. The opportunity arises with Durzo Blint, the best assassin in Cenaria. Through harsh training and a new persona, Azoth fights for control of his life through by becoming the magically gifted Kylar Stern. The Way of Shadows couples aspects of an antihero with archetypical symbols of light and darkness to criticize the oppression of society. Brent Weeks expounds upon this theme through the Azoth’s Hero’s Journey, mainly the call to adventure, the road to trials, and the return of the threshold.
Literature expert George Ross Ridge states that the Anti-Hero is the “Antithesis of the romantic hero in every respect.” (Ridge) The protagonist, Azoth, is born into the Warrens a world filled with desperation and poverty. Azoth risks his physical health by climbing underneath a bar to find dropped coins. “Pushing aside mounds of mud, Azoth lay on his stomach. The dank earth soaked his thin, filthy tunic instantly“(Weeks, 2). Actions of desperation represents the large class separation between the rich and poor citizens of Cenaria City. Citizens of such an environment rely on exploitive guilds, exchanging safety for housing. Children are often neglected and left to fend for themselves in the streets, creating a unique perspective on life. “You fat ape!” Azoth staggered to his f...
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Ridge, George Ross. "The Anti-Hero in Musset's Drama." The French Review Apr. 1959: 428-34. Rpt. in Drama Criticism. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. Vol. 27. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. .
Weeks, Brent. The Way of Shadows. New York: Orbit, 2008. Print.
Wynchank, Anny. "Perception of the Relationship France--Africa by Andre Gide and Camara Laye." Tydskrif Vir Letterkunde 46.1 (2009): 179. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. .
Lines and Shadows, by Joseph Wambaugh, tells the story of a group of regular San Diego street cops assigned to a task force designated to stop the victimization of illegal aliens by bandits in a hellish no-man's land near the Mexico-United States border. The officers soon realize the issue may be too big for regular street cops such as themselves, and many must deal with the psychological, emotional, and social conflicts caused and manifested by the events that occur during their mission.
An anti-hero has the role of a hero thrust upon them. They do not particularly want to be brave or noble but their actions lead them to be a hero. Facing difficult decisions and doubt are also classic traits of an anti-hero. They often lack confidence in themselves, refuse to accept their fate as a hero or don't even realise their status or ability. At a certain point, anti-heroes usually transcend into either a tragic or romantic hero. Anti-heroes can be identified in many different texts, however, all of them consist of those traits.
The anti-heroes of the Tarantino films are usually the main characters; they're depicted by the ruthlessness and lack of sensitivity in their persona. Examples of these types of characters in the movies of Quentin Tarantino is the protagonist group from the film
In all of Sherman Alexie’s work, there are many recurring symbols. These symbols represent ideas that Alexie thinks are important to Native American life on a reservation. One of these symbols is basketball. Alexie uses basketball as a substitute for war. In Native American culture, war is a way to win glory and respect.
Europe, in the late 1800’s, was starting a land grab on the African continent. Around 1878, most of Africa was unexplored, but by 1914, most of Africa, with the lucky exception of Liberia and Ethiopia, was carved up between European powers. There were countless motivations that spurred the European powers to carve Africa, like economic, political, and socio–cultural, and there were countless attitudes towards this expansion into Africa, some of approval and some of condemnation. Europe in this period was a world of competing countries. Britain had a global empire to lead, France had competition with Britain for wealth and so did other nations like Germany and Russia.
A hero can be defined by, Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, as a character that exhibits courage and sacrifice for the greater good. Antigone can distinctly be identified as the hero in the story because
A persona is a mask shown to the outside world developed in relation to consciousness, to hide the darkest aspects of a psyche, known as a shadow, behind it. Shadows contrast personas by holding undesirable and unwanted memories and behaviors, but the dark side of an individual must be accepted for the individual to fully understand oneself. In the coming of age novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, narrator Gene Forrester returns to New Hampshire to visit Devon School, where he studied fifteen years ago just as World War II had begun to unfold. The narrative shifts back fifteen years ago to Gene’s days at Devon School with his best friend, Phineas, also known as Finny, as he recalls memorable events from his past. Gene’s persona and shadow
The "DBQ Project" What Is the Driving Force Behind European Imperialism in Africa? (2012): 257. pp. 177-177. Print.
The men in The Alchemist, The Odyssey, and The Count of Monte Cristo all went through extremely difficult, life changing journeys. They were all give many chances throughout their journies to choose the hero or anti-hero path. To become anti-heros they would have needed to give in to the temptations along their journeys. Anti-heros serve as a representation of greedy people that just want to be able to control anything they feel inclined to, without limit. On the flip side, heros are able to resist temptation and they show the positive side to themselves by being selfless and revolving their life and journey around personal sacrifice no matter how severe. The men in each of the three stories each had their downfalls like any person would and
In the play Antigone, the debate over who is the real tragic hero is and the controversy of Greek ideals in the Antigone continues on to this day. Who is the tragic hero in Antigone? Is it Antigone herself or is it Creon the ruler of Thebes? The belief that Antigone is, is a strong one. Still there are people who think Creon is the tragic hero. Antigone is widely thought as the tragic her. The play is named after her. In addition, she is the antagonist in it. Many people usually associate the antagonist, the good guy as a tragic hero. Look at much television shows, especially cartoons, the good person usually wins. Then there are those who might think Creon was the tragic hero because the gods were against him, and that he truly loved his country. There are five criteria or standards you must meet first in order to be a tragic hero. First, you must be a person of high character or status. The character must not be too overwhelmingly evil or good. Then they must be brought from happiness to misery. Then brought from happiness to misery. Second, the hero enacts a harmartia, "wrong act." This either may be a flaw in judgment or an error. Third, the hero experiences a perpateia, reversal of fortune. This is the tragic downfall or plot twist in the story. Fourth, the hero recognizes his or her responsibility. Fifth, the story ends with a catastrophe. The catastrophe either may be an emotional event, this even may be a death.
By literary definition, an antihero is the "hero" of the play or novel, but has negative attributes that separate him or her from the classic hero such as Superman. Such negative aspects may include a violent nature, use of coarse language, or self-serving interests which may inadvertently depict the protagonist as a hero since the result of serving those interests may be the betterment of society or an environment. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the protagonist, Hamlet, is depicted as an antihero.
An anti-hero is the protagonist of a story who lacks some attributes almost always present in a hero, such as selflessness and mercy. Where the hero will save the antagonist at the end of the story if such an opportunity presents itself, the anti-hero will most likely leave his or her foe to rot and choose to forgo saving the life of an enemy. The anti-hero might go as far as to hasten the humiliation or death of said enemy to further her or his own agenda. In Euripides’ play, Medea, Medea shows aspects of an anti-hero in how she deals with her problems, such as manipulating others to save her own skin, cursing those who have wronged her and destroying them, and scarcely ever displaying heroic characteristics such as mercy and sympathy; even as she takes Jason’s only hope for solace away.
... Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa. Ed. Roland Oliver. 1. New York: Trewin Copplestone Books Limited, 1984. Print.
Davidson, Basil. Modern Africa A Social and Political History. Ney York: Longman Group UK Limited, 1983.
The anti-hero is useless at being a hero when they should be one or have the opportunity to be one. Typically an ordinary, timid, selfish, anti-social, inept, cautious, passive, pessimistic person, they still manage to gain the sympathy of the reader. Usually unglamorous, many wallow in self-pity which only worsens their state of mind. Anti-heros rarely succeed at any goal set before them. Summed up in two words - failed heros. T. S. Elliot's “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” is a fantastic example of the modern anti-hero. A glimpse into the stream of consciousness of Prufrock reveals his secret struggles to handle a world he has no control over. Prufrock displays numerous characteristics of an anti-hero but three stand out the most: cowardice, passiveness, and pessimism.