Taming of the Shrew Blog
The primary plot in The Taming of the Shrew is found imbedded within a play within a play. Many people who are solely conversant with modern stage renditions of this Shakespearian comedy may be surprised to learn about this commonly disregarded device. However, during the era this device may have a much greater significance than the passé role it has today. The outlandish and misogynistic characters and dialogue, even pre-women’s rights, are speculated to have been offensive. By using the play within the play it creates a distance between what is happening in the play and reality. This added barrier allows the audience to laugh at or at least not take offense to potentially derogatory or discourteous material.
Katherine and Bianca are infinitely different in terms of character and personality. Kate, “Is that she is intolerable curst/And shrewd and froward (Shakespeare I) .On the other hand, Bianca is widely liked by everyone she is surrounded by. The differences in their disposition cause them to have a precarious relationship. Katherine is jealous of Bianca and this is probably fuelled by her father’s favouritism towards Bianca.
Like many Shakespearian comedies, Taming of the Shrew drips with lies and deceit. The whole reason that the story of Taming of the Shrew ensues is because a Lord is deceiving a drunken tinkerer to believe that he is a lord himself. The lord wants to see answer the question ‘would he not forget himself?’(Shakespeare Induction). Following this, many people in the play within the play decide for whatever reason to pretend they are someone else. Of course this results in mass confusion, which seems to be Shakespeare’s idea of comedy.
Reading: Taming of the Shrew
Keywords: Shrew, Marriage, Taming
Ideas: Greed, Deceit, Dominance, Disguises
Imagery: Petruchio’s treatment of Kate
Feelings: Love, Determination
Structure: Play
Film Analysis
1. 1) The deliberate and slow closing of doors is one visual motif that Norman Jewison explores in the movie The Hurricane. At many instances throughout the film the audience’s attention is drawn towards this image. It is used to show the opportunities that no longer exist for Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter as well as change occurring due to putting the past in the past. This motif is also incorporated into the end of the film when the Hurricane’s name is cleared. Instead of closing doors, it shows Mr. Carter walking through two wide open doors. This represents his newfound freedom.
2. 2) As with all things studied in English Language Arts, the movie The Hurricane is strewn with evidence of symbolism. A prime example of symbolism is clothing, specifically what Mr. Hurricane wears. When put in jail, he refuses to wear the standard prison attire. His vehemently strong aversion to prison garb stems from the notion that those clothes represent guilt. Another symbol found in the movie is Hurricane himself. He symbolizes a common experience of many black people with the justice system (wrongful incarceration, prejudiced juries etc.).
3. 3) Parallels are easily made between the legal proceedings in The Hurricane and To Kill A Mockingbird. In both cases a black man is being accused of a crime against white people based upon very little evidence. Rubin Carter remains calm through the duration of his time in prison (for the most part) similar to Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson. Another similarity that is observed is between Atticus Finch and the Canadians. Both parties stand up for what they think is morally right. The similarities go on and this is probably because both fall under the same archetype of story.
4. 4) One prominent connection between To Kill a Mockingbird and The Hurricane is the topic of racism or the theme ‘people are unable to look past racial divides even in a place of legal equality’. As mentioned before, in both stories a black man is targeted as the perpetrator of crime. Furthermore, both are tried in front of a white jury that are prejudiced resulting in their conviction.
Character Sketch:
Marlow
Traits:
-Honest
-Curious
-Inquisitive
-Atypical
-Pensive
Marlow is one of the two narrators of the novella Heart of Darkness. He is not like the other sailors. He is described as being somewhat nomadic and is a true seaman, being “the only man […] who still ‘followed the sea’” (Conrad 7). Marlow is quite against lying and believes it to very wrong. He is very reflective and descriptive in regards to his past experiences and what he thinks about them (110 and ½ pages worth of very descriptive reflection that is). On top of all of this, Marlow is beyond his time in regards to racial prejudices. For example, when he and his crew get to the station in the Congo they are met with images of slavery and Marlow is against this. The supposed workers were indigenous people from the area. Marlow recalls that, “they were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now-- nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom” (Conrad 24). This shows his strong sense of what is morally right.
The experienced seaman is a person to look up to among his crew (that he is telling about his adventures in the Congo). The other narrator of Heart of Darkness describes the way that Marlow looks saying that, “he had sunken cheeks, a yellow completion, a straight back, an ascetic aspect, and, with his arms dropped, the palms of hands outwards, resembled an idol” (Conrad 6). I think that saying he looked like an idol is key to the description of his character. An idol is usually a representation of something that is worshipped. This could mean that the qualities that Marlow posses are considered godly and should be imitated by those around him.
Heart of Darkness Blog
Heart of Darkness is not just a title. It has a more profound meaning than many titles. The very term, 'heart of darkness', is the essence of the novel, the Congo, humans and colonialism. Marlow literally refers to Africa as "the heart of an impenetrable darkness". This likely refers to all of the evil that is happening in the Congo. The corruption and chaos was caused by companies exploiting the resources found in the area suggesting that a heart does not start of dark but can quickly turn into something unprincipled, amoral, iniquitous and laden with mercenary qualities.
One thing the Joseph Conrad is not short of in his writing is ambiguity. Symbols, themes and motifs are all multitudinous. One curiously unclear statement is Krutz's final words. Before he dies the last thing he is recorded saying is "the horror, the horror!". It is left at that without further explanation. The two main things this could refer to are life and death, both largely open-ended topics. If indeed when he utters these words he is referencing death, then it seems clear he is talking about the horror of dying, of the end. However, if he is talking about life then it could be a comment on the ivory trade and also the corruption of humans in general. During his stay in the Congo Kurtz was not opposed to unconventional means of obtaining ivory. His final words could be a realization of the devastation he and others caused to the Congo and the Congolese people. Alternatively it could indicate that everyone, even the immoral, have a conscience.
A Good Man is Hard to Find
In the short story A Good Man Is Hard To Find, a lot of time is put into describing what people are wearing, especially the old woman. When they embark on their family road trip the grandmother is wearing a lot of white. She is wearing white gloves, white violets in her hat, white dots on her dress along with white cuffs and collar. White can often be equated with purity and goodness (see Heart of Darkness essay for four pages on the subject). The grandmother, though she is more accurately portrayed as a sinner, stresses the importance of the image presented to outwardly. By being selective in what she wears, she is able to set forth the illusion of a ladylike demeanour.
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