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Themes in Great expectations by Charles Dickens
literature victorian quiz
literature victorian quiz
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Recommended: Themes in Great expectations by Charles Dickens
Discuss the relationship between character and location in the case of
Magwitch and the marshes; Miss Havisham and Satis House (chapters 1-19)
Both the characters Miss Havisham and Magwitch are linked closely with
their respective surroundings, as Dickens employs imagery and pathetic
fallacy to illustrate this. Although many characters in Great
Expectations reflect their environments, the relationship of Miss
Havisham and Magwitch offer a particular contrast. The novel echoes
many of Dickens’s own life experiences, and the reader is given a
strong flavour of Victorian history and commonplace. There is no doubt
that when Dickens describes the marshes in the early stages of the
novel, he is influenced by his own passion for the Kent marshes and
docks.
In a physical sense, the convict seems to mirror the marshes in many
ways, “A fearful man, all in coarse grey… A man who had been soaked in
water, and smothered in mud…” The colours of Magwitch’s reflect the
bleakness of the surroundings, and the way he has been “soaked in
water” and “smothered in mud” emphasise how he appears to erupt
violently from the marsh and be part of it. Both Magwitch and the
marshes seem to terrify Pip, “I was dreadfully frightened, and so
giddy that I clung to him with both hands…” Although the convict seems
to scare Pip in a more direct sense, using cannibalistic threats in
some cases, “ ‘Darn Me if I couldn’t eat them’” the marsh is a
desolate landscape of crime, guilt and punishment that become symbolic
of a sense or original sin that Pip cannot shake off. It is an
elemental environment of mud, water, mist and boisterous wind, where
the gibbet, image of retribution, dominates the low skyline. Again,
with the image of reprisal...
... middle of paper ...
...ymbol of her
morbid, poisoned mind, as it is positioned central to the table. The
demise of the wedding preparations epitomises the theme of decay. The
“black fungus” on the wedding cake is an extension of herself, as she
seems to know, when she invites her money-sucking relatives to feast
on her like the speckled spiders and the black beetles when she is
laid on the dining table following death.
In conclusion, the world of the marsh and Satis House are not that far
apart, neither are the two characters of Magwitch of Miss Havisham.
The dirt and decay of Miss Havisham’s chamber are associated with the
elemental mud of the village graveyard that Pip visits. The mist on
the marshes and spider’s cobwebs are seen by Pip on the rotting
wedding cake in the banquet hall. Finally, both characters influence
Pip in very different ways throughout the entire novel.
Joy, Fear, and Impatience are what a good character makes you feel. A thoughtful and interesting character always leaves you wanting more, like a good movie, once it’s done, you’re always left wanting more. The characters that took me on a roller coaster ride were, Jane from Jane Eyre, John and Mustapha from Brave New World, and Edgar from King Lear. These characters lead me up and down on roller coaster full of joy.
Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn was a very important, if not the most important character in Anne of a Thousand Days. The way that she behaves, and the decisions that she makes, affect the way that the end. For example, Anne could have refused to marry Henry, and could have run away. These actions and decisions would have dramatically changed the outcome of the story, and for that matter history. Anne has many different personality traits which seem to change over time.
to read to her for a month and because her house is 'dark and creepy'
Great Expectations and The Go Between Both Great Expectations and The Go Between concern young men from
Shelby Cox is a venturesome, audacious and daring person; No wonder her house is Gryffindor. The sorting hat chooses which house is best for you, and it takes your choice into account. These houses are where you make lifelong friends and accomplish incredible goals. The reasons why she is in Gryffindor are simple- she is undeniably brave and daring.
Mr Joe because he is poor and Pip is ashamed of Mr Joe. Pip, the
I read Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. This book is about a young orphan child, with a never-ending imagination, named Anne. Anne has been taken in and out of orphanages all her life. Until, one day Matthew Cuthbert and his sister, Miss Marilla Cuthbert, are interested in having a young boy to live with them. They called the orphanage and told them to send the child on the train. He goes to the train station to pick the child up, but to his surprise he found Anne. Anne tells Matthew how she imagines living there would be like. She was so set on staying that Matthew just couldn't leave her at the train station. He takes her to his house, and while on the journey, Anne is enjoying every moment of the beautiful flowered valleys. Miss Cuthbert is very surprised to see a girl, and is ...
There are a couple of similes the author uses in the poem to stress the helplessness she felt in childhood. In the lines, “The tears/ running down like mud” (11,12), the reader may notice the words sliding down the page in lines 12-14 like mud and tears that flowed in childhood days. The speaker compares a...
In Great Expectations, Is Miss Havisham crazy and/or evil? The mad, eccentric and incredibly peculiar Miss Havisham, wealthy. dowager who lives in an old, rotting mansion secluded from the outside. world is certainly one of the most memorable creations in the book.
Henley establishes the sense of suffering that the speaker is experiencing through the use of multiple literary devices. By beginning the poem with images of darkness and despair, Henley sets the tone for
The only real gentleman in Great Expectations is Herbert. Write an essay arguing either for or against this point of view using quotations to support your arguments. The only real gentleman in Great Expectations is Herbert. Write an essay arguing either for or against this point of view using quotations to support your arguments. You should look at other characters, for example, Pip, Joe, Drummle and Compeyson.
and bad characters, as Biddy is said not to have a bad bone in her
The two adaptations after the controversial novel “The Other Boleyn Girl” by Philippa Gregory present a historical fictional story of the Boleyn sisters, Anne and Mary. This is a ravishing, emotionally intense story of love, loyalty and betrayal in the chase for power and social position, portraying the human desires and flaws in a beautifully described historical background at the English court. The private life of the historical figures from the XVIth century and the intrigues hidden behind the official documents is quite an ambiguous, curiously challenging segment of time, from the historical point of view. The book, and the two film adaptations after – “The Other Boleyn Girl” explore the uncertain times in the life of Henry the VIIIth, before deciding to divorce Katherine of Aragorn, remarry Anne Boleyn and start the Church of England.
The perennial pursuit of humankind is finding and establishing a unique identity while still maintaining enough in common with others to avoid isolation. This is the central pursuit of many of the characters in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, and it shapes the way that characters feel and interact in profound ways. Those who are certain of their selfhood are the most successful, and the acquisition of an identity is fundamental to achieve happiness and satisfaction for characters in Great Expectations.
The consistent pattern of metrical stresses in this stanza, along with the orderly rhyme scheme, and standard verse structure, reflect the mood of serenity, of humankind in harmony with Nature. It is a fine, hot day, `clear as fire', when the speaker comes to drink at the creek. Birdsong punctuates the still air, like the tinkling of broken glass. However, the term `frail' also suggests vulnerability in the presence of danger, and there are other intimations in this stanza of the drama that is about to unfold. Slithery sibilants, as in the words `glass', `grass' and `moss', hint at the existence of a Serpent in the Garden of Eden. As in a Greek tragedy, the intensity of expression in the poem invokes a proleptic tenseness, as yet unexplained.