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Literary analysis everyday use
Two kinds of literary analysis questions
Two kinds of literary analysis questions
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In the three chosen works of literature, Ordinary people by Judith Guest, Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and Antigone by Sophocles, alienation, initiation, journey, suffering and reconciliation are among the themes covered by the these great works of literature. The writers through the various characters in the scripts have clearly brought out the five themes as the main themes. These works of literature act as a reflection of what was happening in the society then. In terms of literature not much has changed and would still expect the same to be happening in the society today. As acknowledged, literature indeed reflects the society, its ill values and good values. In mirroring of the ills of the society, the view is to make the society realize its mistakes and make amends. The good values are set out for others to emulate. As an imitation of human actions, literature presents an image of what people do, think and do in the society. Looking at each of the pieces selected for this exercise; Ordinary people is a heart wrenching story of an ordinary family in grief and evidence of self-destruction. Judith Guest takes us through the path of death, alienation of affection and attempted suicide that threaten the existence of the ordinary people. Calvin and Beth Jarrett a well to do couple living in Lake Forest, Illinois are faced by two tragic accidents which occurred the previous year. Their younger son Conrad, the only witness to his older brother’s boat accident blames himself for the incident and tries to take his own life by slitting his wrists with a razor. The author is concerned to look at what happens to ordinary people when faced with extraordinary circumstances and how it affects their lives. One of the most ou... ... middle of paper ... ...er dies. Frankeinstein can bear his loss, he is tormented by the deaths of the people he loves. He too vows vengeance on the monster and shall not rest until its dead. This is to ultimately lead to his death. Frankeinstein’s thirst for knowledge has led to his death and that of his loved ones. The monster’s vengeance on the other hand brought him no peace of mind in the end. He tells Walton, that he would set himself and die in the cold artic. The story however ends with Frankeinstein drawing the conclusion that his discovery was not wohrth all the suffering. He warns Walton not to follow in his footsteps, saying, “Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.”
Ordinary People is a movie that chronicles the struggles of a “normal” family reamed by the death of their eldest child Bucky and the attempted suicide of their youngest, Calvin. The Jarrett’s are a middle class family in the suburbs of Chicago who, at least to outside appearances, have a fairly typical life, though we learn this is in fact not the case. Conrad has just returned from the hospital and seems to be experiencing not only depression but also PTSD. Conrad is the seemingly identified patient, even though the whole family is struggling in their own way, especially Beth. We start to see the background of the Jarrett family through Calvin’s therapy sessions with his new therapist, Dr. Berger.
He understands exactly what he is getting into and he chooses to continue anyway. George Levine states in his critical essay, ? Frankenstein and the Tradition of Realism,? that Walton is ? isolated from the rest of mankind by his ambition ??
Evidence supporting the claim that Calvin desires control and order, but, to his dislike, doesn't always have it is numerous in the novel Ordinary People. Calvin's struggle to overcome his obstacles, including his foster home childhood, the death of his son Buck, and Conrad's suicide attempt, along with the challenges faced by Conrad and Beth allow for very complex and dynamic characters in this excellent example of American literature at its finest.
Frankl suffered during his time in a concentration camp. Frankl thinks that suffering is all part of the experience that someone will have in his or her life. “When a man finds that it is his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task; his single and unique task. ( 99) No one can relieve you from your suffering, your chance lies in the way that you handle your suffering is Frankl’s idea.
In Frankenstein, Shelley describes Walton’s perception of Victor’s perilous adventure to eliminate his life-threatening creation. In accounting Frankenstein’s journey, she adds a cautionary message to society by illustrating the devastating consequences of scientific inquiry and the overall acquirement of knowledge. She uses both Victor and Walton as examples of men attempting to exceed human limits. From Victor’s initial “success” with reanimation, his creation ultimately symbolizes the unpredictability of unrestricted experimentation. His creation throws him into multiple depressions and Victor struggles to maintain a stable life. In the end, Walton considers Victor’s demise from a disastrous appetite for “nature’s secrets” as a lesson for his own conquest for glory and knowledge. In this, Shelley uses Frankenstein to warn society about its further audacity in pushing boundaries to uncomfortable limits.
“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...
Frankenstein and Society Society is inevitable. It will always be there as a pleasure and a burden. Society puts labels on everything as good or bad, rich or poor, normal or aberrant. Although some of these stamps are accurate, most of them are misconceptions. In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley this act of erring by society is extremely evident. One example of this judgment is the way the family is looked upon. They are seen by society as the lower class. They work every day on their garden to make food for meals because they do not have enough money to be able to buy food. They are viewed as poor and unfortunate, but are actually rich in spirit. They are good people. They do not complain with the status quo but enjoy what they have, which is an admirable trait for people in any standing. The old blind man sings songs to the others, plays a musical instrument, and adds a sense of experience and content to the family. The children do their daily work without griping as well. Just because they are looked down upon by society that still does not stop them from enjoying what has been provided for them. Society itself, which is supposed to be good, is actually ignorant. They wrongly treat the monster on the assumption that he actually is a monster. They scorn, attack, and shun the monster just because of his outward appearance. This is not justified by anything except his demeanor. They are also afraid of it because they are afraid of things about which they no nothing. Society also unjustly kills Justine because she is the only person that could have possibly have done such an evil act. They again wrongly label Justine as the killer. They do not look into the facts but instead find a quick and easy answer to the problem.
Death is amongst one of the greatest tragedies that one can experience; when it occurs within a family, the family dynamics are altered forever. This is a recurring and significant theme in Judith Guest’s novel Ordinary People. Centered around the Jarret’s, a strained family in the midwest, Guest explores the detrimental effects that the death of Jordan Jarret, beloved son and brother, had on the remaining members of the Jarret family. The mother, Beth Jarret, plays a significant role in what followed after Jordan’s death. Beth destroyed the family by becoming completely isolated from her family; essentially ignoring her husband and son.
Romantic writer Mary Shelley’s gothic novel Frankenstein does indeed do a lot more than simply tell story, and in this case, horrify and frighten the reader. Through her careful and deliberate construction of characters as representations of certain dominant beliefs, Shelley supports a value system and way of life that challenges those that prevailed in the late eighteenth century during the ‘Age of Reason’. Thus the novel can be said to be challenging prevailant ideologies, of which the dominant society was constructed, and endorsing many of the alternative views and thoughts of the society. Shelley can be said to be influenced by her mothers early feminist views, her father’s radical challenges to society’s structure and her own, and indeed her husband’s views as Romantics. By considering these vital influences on the text, we can see that in Shelley’s construction of the meaning in Frankenstein she encourages a life led as a challenge to dominant views.
Walton's letters play an important role for the reader may find many foreshadowed themes. As the novel progresses, the reader will realize how Walton and Victor Frankenstein share similar views on their life's roles. Both men are driven by an excessive ambition, as they desire to accomplish great things for the humankind. Walton is an explorer who wants to discover a new passage to the Pacific and therefore conjures "inestimable benefit on all mankind to the last generation" (16). Victor's purpose is to "pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation" (49). These explorers will demonstrate that such pursuit can prove to be very dangerous in quest for knowledge. Walton's ship becomes stuck in the ice and Victor's creation finally kills everyone dear to him. However, this parallel is not the only one: we can easily compare Walton's search for a friend ("I have no friend, Margaret" (19)) with the monster's request for a female because he feels alone ("I desired love and fellowship" (224)). This similarity between man and monster suggests that the monster perhaps is more similar to men than what we may perceive. If it is assumed that Shelley also shared this view when she wrote the novel, maybe she meant that the real monster manifests itself differently tha...
...ain knowledge in hopes that he will no longer be beaten and attacked by society for what he is. “…my feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery” (16.1). When his thirst for knowledge gets backfired and fails he becomes violent. Concluding the death of Victor, not much is known about the fate of the monster. The monster surely met his fate as well thus proving the search for knowledge to be dangerous.
Just as Victor chose to create the monster, Walton chose to conduct a voyage to the North Pole. Though Walton suffered extreme loneliness, fatigue, hunger, and severe cold temperatures, these misfortunes were all the result of his own decision. He also felt that his purpose was worth experiencin...
Although knowledge is generally considered valuable and safe in modern society, when one begins to obsess over acquiring knowledge it can evolve into a dangerous and possibly destructive addiction. The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is a gothic fiction that integrates the occurring theme of dangerous and destructive knowledge throughout the main characters in the novel. The obsession with acquiring knowledge progresses into a dangerous and in some cases destructive addiction, which the brutality of the outcomes heavily depends on the importance of the characters role in the novel. Walton (although he is not the ‘main’ character in the novel) did the tango with obsessing over knowledge. He wanted to exceed expectations and reach the North Pole, however his obsession was not fulfilled and Walton had to draw back on his endeavor to the North Pole, escaping with minimal damage and certainly no destruction. The second character that took his chances with knowledge was the creature. The creature strived to learn how to be loved, find his creator and essentially be accepted by humans. However his intentions quickly turned into an out of control addiction, and based on the creature’s role in the novel his outcome was destined to be destructive. The Creature killed many, however escaped his own tragedy. Victor is the final character who decided to devote his life to acquiring knowledge, more specifically his studies in natural philosophy and creating life. Victor got so involved with his studies that he shut him self out from all human contact, even from his own family. Victor, being the protagonist of the novel, will receive the worst outcome based on the theme of severity progressing through the importance of the character in the...
Victims of Society in The Outsider and Antigone Both Meursault and Antigone are the protagonists in their stories. They have much in common, such as the fact that they explain their impending deaths as decided by fate, even though each seems to have an easy way of surviving. Both are willing to die for what they believe is right. The concept of fate is quite different between the texts. In Antigone, a Chorus tells you at the beginning of the play that Antigone will die.
Since I had always been especially sorry for people who suffered from fearful dreams and deliria, I wanted to wake the poor man. Suddenly I drew back the hand which was ready to shake him, freighted at the thing I was about to do. At that moment I became intensely conscious of the fact that no dream, no matter how horrible, could be as bad as the reality of the camp which surrounded us, and to which I was about to recall him.” Frankl is talking about the camp being so bad that no man’s nightmare could ever come close to it. He didn’t was to wake the man from it, because he thinks that he is better off sleeping through it so he does not bring him back to the reality of the