Separateness, betrayal and revenge: a comparison of the way authors present female characters.
Intro ????
To understand the way the authors present their female characters we first need to understand the society that they live in. For instance, Hester from “A Scarlet Letter” was based in puritan Boston in the 17th century. More specifically the Boston bay colony, “it was a mans world”(1) Women where thought to be instruments of Satan and as a result were treated more harshly then men. This explains a lot about Hester’s treatment and her experience with crime and punishment. This idea was thought to have originated from the idea of Adam and Eve, and eves original sin.
The first theme I will be looking in to is the idea of separateness. …show more content…
There have been many adaptations and interpretations of the character, the most notable is probably Oscar Wilds play. (….? Ao4)
She is often referenced in the bible, we can see this biblical reference when the poem reads “Simon? Andrew? John?” these are all names of Jesus’ disciples, this quote also shows that she is so immersed in her sin she can’t remember the name of the man who she has beheaded. Again just like A Scarlet Letter there are many religious undertones. It seems that a lot of what is expected of women derives from religious expectations.
Furthermore, the extensive use of the rhyme “platter-latter” provide an oxymoron with the images of violence, underlining the evil humour within the poem. She is defying society’s norms first by sleeping around with lots of men, it is thought that women should be reserved, she isn’t then they get labels such as “slut” she also murders many different men, a women having power and being stronger than men also sets her apart from what the rest of society think.
ADD MORE HERE – …show more content…
She talks about the creatures she has turned to stone, as the poem progresses the importance of the living things medusa turns to stone increases- from a bee to a dragon. The structure of the poem is free verse, and showing the loose and unstable characteristics of Medusa. and is made from 7 equal stanzas apart from the last which is “look at me now” this last line can be considered to have two meanings, on the one hand it could make the reader feel sorry for medusa as she is telling people to look at what she has become, however it could also considered to be a warning, she wants her husband to look at her so she can turn him to stone. The use of rhetorical questions, ‘Are you terrified?’ are used to involve but also intimidate the reader. The last two rhetorical questions in the poem: ‘Wasn’t I beautiful? Wasn’t I fragrant and young?’ could be addressed to her husband, begging him to love her again. They could also be aimed at the reader as she longs to be comforted and have some kind of human attention, it is clear that is horrified by this change in herself. The poem also makes use of oxymoron, for instance “bullet tears” is an oxymoronic metaphor, it emphasises the danger that medusa brings but still lets the reader feel sympathy for her suffering. (Need help with this
Intro ????
To understand the way the authors present their female characters we first need to understand the society that they live in. For instance, Hester from “A Scarlet Letter” was based in puritan Boston in the 17th century. More specifically the Boston bay colony, “it was a mans world”(1) Women where thought to be instruments of Satan and as a result were treated more harshly then men. This explains a lot about Hester’s treatment and her experience with crime and punishment. This idea was thought to have originated from the idea of Adam and Eve, and eves original sin.
The first theme I will be looking in to is the idea of separateness. …show more content…
There have been many adaptations and interpretations of the character, the most notable is probably Oscar Wilds play. (….? Ao4)
She is often referenced in the bible, we can see this biblical reference when the poem reads “Simon? Andrew? John?” these are all names of Jesus’ disciples, this quote also shows that she is so immersed in her sin she can’t remember the name of the man who she has beheaded. Again just like A Scarlet Letter there are many religious undertones. It seems that a lot of what is expected of women derives from religious expectations.
Furthermore, the extensive use of the rhyme “platter-latter” provide an oxymoron with the images of violence, underlining the evil humour within the poem. She is defying society’s norms first by sleeping around with lots of men, it is thought that women should be reserved, she isn’t then they get labels such as “slut” she also murders many different men, a women having power and being stronger than men also sets her apart from what the rest of society think.
ADD MORE HERE – …show more content…
She talks about the creatures she has turned to stone, as the poem progresses the importance of the living things medusa turns to stone increases- from a bee to a dragon. The structure of the poem is free verse, and showing the loose and unstable characteristics of Medusa. and is made from 7 equal stanzas apart from the last which is “look at me now” this last line can be considered to have two meanings, on the one hand it could make the reader feel sorry for medusa as she is telling people to look at what she has become, however it could also considered to be a warning, she wants her husband to look at her so she can turn him to stone. The use of rhetorical questions, ‘Are you terrified?’ are used to involve but also intimidate the reader. The last two rhetorical questions in the poem: ‘Wasn’t I beautiful? Wasn’t I fragrant and young?’ could be addressed to her husband, begging him to love her again. They could also be aimed at the reader as she longs to be comforted and have some kind of human attention, it is clear that is horrified by this change in herself. The poem also makes use of oxymoron, for instance “bullet tears” is an oxymoronic metaphor, it emphasises the danger that medusa brings but still lets the reader feel sympathy for her suffering. (Need help with this