Comparing Characters in Major Barbara and Pygmalion
Andrew Undershaft and Alfred Doolittle, two characters from Bernard Shaw's plays Major Barbara and Pygmalion, have a similar nature but strikingly different views of morality and poverty. Undershaft is an "unashamed" capitalist, and nothing clouds his view of his business plans. Doolittle is a man who would much rather have a life of poverty than be troubled with the responsibility of being well-off. Although their perspectives differ, they both live for themselves.
The most apparent difference between Undershaft and Doolittle is the way in which they handle their own immorality. Undershaft is not only unashamed but also preaches to others about the values of immorality. He is completely unrepentant and is a better business man for it. Also, he believes that no one does good deeds unselfishly. Due to this cynical certainty, Undershaft feels no remorse for doing good things for bad reasons. Doolittle, however, acknowledges that he behaves immorally. Doolittle is not ashamed of himself either, but merely states t...
men as long as the war lasted. Now that the war was over, they were
million and a half women were hired for an average pay of five to ten
In the preface to Major Barbara, the playwright George Bernard Shaw observes that "money is the most important thing in the world--it represents health, strength, honor, generosity and beauty," but, the poet continues, "it also destroys people as certainly as it fortifies and dignifies others" (Shaw 28). Shaw recognized that many people look toward money, the ultimate representation of materialism, in search of the power that enables them to live. But, money can play many parts in the drama of life. It can represent or give the illusion of wealth, prestige, nobility, and power. Those that seek to harness its powers must also strive to conquer its ability to destroy and corrupt. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the repeated image of money, no matter in what form or through whom it is portrayed, is used to such an extent that it becomes central to the development of the story.
Throughout the period from 1750-1914, women would typically work in their husbands’ homes and would perform house duties at a very basic and fundamental level. Women would generally wait until they found a man that would marry them.
In scene two, Capulet and Paris are discussing Paris' desire to marry Juliet, Capulet's daughter. Capulet invites Paris to a masquerade dinner that he is hosting that night to give him a chance to get to know Juliet. Capulet gives his servant, Peter, a list of names to invite to the feast. However, he cannot read and thus gives Romeo and Benvolio invitations when he sees them on the street.
how he loves his kids, that she has custody of. Jealousy, is the love he has for
Society today is split in many different ways: the smart and the dumb, the pretty and the ugly, the popular and the awkward, and of course the rich and the poor. This key difference has led to many areas of conflict among the population. The rich and the poor often have different views on issues, and have different problems within their lives. Moral decay and materialism are two issues prevalent among the wealthy, while things such as socio-economic class conflict and the American dream may be more important to those without money. Ethics and responsibilities are an area of thought for both classes, with noblesse oblige leaning more towards the wealthy. The world in the Roaring Twenties, shown in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the world today all hinge on the same ideas and issues, the most basic of which is the difference between the poor and the rich.
is the understanding of this "rich" character. In this study I will try to analyze some of his traits (invisibility-lack of indentity , blindness) and his journey from idealism to a grim realism about the racism that confronts him in the story.
Religion is big part of human life. Every area of the world has some kind of religion or belief system. Religion is defined as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices” (“Religion” Def.2). With such a large amount of religions today, religion is widely variegated, usually with divisions in each one. Despite the large amount of religions, I will only be covering only three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
There are many contributing factors to the death of Juliet and her Romeo. The omnipresent feud was the catalyst for the secrecy of their marriage, for Friar Lawrence's mechanisms in using them to form a hard peace between the families, and for the public fight that resulted in Mercutio and Tybalt's untimely deaths and Romeo's banishment. Fate, also, plays cruelly with the couple. Friar John being unable to forward Friar Lawrence's note to Romeo to explain his plan and Juliet's parents' misunderstanding of her grief over Romeo's banishment and pushing forward the marriage to Paris in unnatural haste as a sort of balm for her flagging spirits serve as examples of fate's intervention. The chief culprit, however, in the deaths of Juliet and
to see her, she expresses her plan to kill Duncan, and then utters, "Only look
This book includes stark criticisms of many aspects of Victorian society such as child labor and class structure. He criticizes class structure by portraying other characters’ cruelty and corruption as an impediment from Copperfield’s discovery from himself. Dickens depicts an evil character as someone who is a result of their experiences such as James Steerforth or Uriah Heep or as someone who is inherently evil such as Mr. Murdstone. Also, Dickens is able to create a contrast between the evil of these characters and the warmth and goodness characterizing the people on Copperfield’s side. By comparing their characters, Dickens further emphasizes the difference between the two sides and “provides a forum for Dickens's views of the inherent nature of evil as well as a critique of a society that enables and shapes this darker side of humanity”(Miline, 102). Dickens sheds light on the negative parts of the Victorian class sytem and how it created the people Copperfield met in his life. Dickens strengthens his position on class differences in a variety of ways. Although he displays his clear disapproval, Dickens seems “to have mixed feelings about class consciousness as he has David maintain some distance from the Peggottys, but he portrays this family with an honesty and goodness of nature that is lacking in many upper-class characters” (Miline, 94). Despite clear signs of his disapproval, Dickens refuses to entirely condemn class differences because he acknowledges that it will always exist. For example, when Copperfield becomes a gentleman, he stays slightly aloof of the Peggottys due to their class differences and Dickens’ personal experiences during his lifetime as a successful author with taste of the lifestyle of the upper
England, for instance, was dealing at the turn of the century when Shaw was writing, with melting class distinctions. The working classes had gained the vote and the right to education. Improvement of slums, improvement of factory conditions, and greater representation of the lower classes in government signaled the democratic reform going on in advanced countries. In addition, it was a time of the rising power of the middle class, with the entrepreneurial spirit reigning as the force of the future. Bluntschli represents the middle-class business spirit of Europe; the Petkoffs are the aristocratic great landowners of the past; Nicola and Louka represent the old peasantry, bound to the land and landowners.
When analyzing A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens one can see that Dickens reveals a dissociation among the upper and lower classes. The two classes are represented in a way which expresses the difference between the power, sense of entitlement and wealth of the upper class through ruthless and injustice actions put against the poor. This is seen through the character of Monseigneur who is a part of the upper class and seems as if he is the place holder of the aristocratic class. The first example of ruthlessness and injustice comes when Dickens describes how pathetic it is when the Monseigneur uses four men to prepare his morning chocolate. “But, his morning’s chocolate could not so much as get into the throat of Monseigneur, without
The novel, Hard Times by Charles Dickens revolves around the central idea of English society, including the social, economical, and political issues during the mid 19th century. Fact superior to imagination is one of the main themes of this novel, apparent mainly in book one. Mr. Gradgrind raises his children to ignore their imaginations and anything that is not cold hard fact. For example, Louisa, his daughter, in particular tends to question this rationalism with her curiosity about the circus. There are countless examples in which Mr. Gradgrind bestows his “wisdom” on both his children, and students in the education system located in Coketown. The way Mr. and Mrs. Gradgrind raised their children, described by Dickens, parallels the way in which John Stuart Mill was raised by his own parents in London during the 19th century. John, similarly to Louisa, was educated with the idea that any of his own imagination or creativity was wrong. His parents would burn toys in front of him, emulating the idea that any object or concept that brings happiness is simply wrong. His father, Sir James Stuart Mill, also had a major impact on Mill’s childhood and even manhood. The majority of his infancy was centered on education, and the thought that hard-core knowledge was the solution to any conflict. During this time, his father would make him read Greek and Latin classics to ensure that he were prepared for disciplinary jobs in the future. Through this childhood of fact, and purely fact, along with a lack of moral influences instituted in his life, constituted Mill to become an advocate for utilitarianism. This theory was proposed by Jeremy Bentham who was indeed Mill’s family friend and tutor, emphasizing the idea of maximizing happiness and ...