It is best to cultivate reason, and to be governed by it. According to Lemuel Gulliver, of the book Gulliver's Travels, written by Jonathan Swift, when discussing the main maxim by Houyhnhnms. Gulliver's Travels is a political satire focused on mocking the human race and its ridiculous ideals. This is seen through the descriptions and ideologies of the Laputans Gulliver visits on the flying island, as well as the Yahoos he observes on Houyhnhnm land. The Laputans are a group of people who focus much on mathematics and music, even developing a university, known as the Lagado Royal Academy, which is an allusion to the Royal Society.…
A well-known novel Age of Innocence is known for its gripping love story, but another gripping feature about the novel is the cover. Looking at the 1920 first edition dust cover of the novel, it informs the reader that the novels author is Edith Wharton. Turning a few pages into the actual novel there is a page informing the readers of: the publisher (D.Appleton and company), publication date (1920) and the country the novel was first published in (United States). All this information gives the reader a little understanding of the novel before it was on the shelf, and also how it made it to the shelves of a variety of stores. This is simple but yet very effective original cover, it is illustrated with a young girl wearing a pink shoulder cover,…
The human brain subconsciously lends itself to traumatic experiences that occur throughout one’s life. One by one, these incidents may hold the power to take what was once sane and turn it on its head. These traumas, regardless of their severity, cause an imaginary footprint in a person’s brain and the longer they fester, the larger they become. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Witty Ticcy Ray” by Oliver Sacks both show signs of two very different versions of what can be deemed crazy. Both use themes of confinement and manipulation to bring the instability of their characters to the forefront.…
The State as a Scientist: A Individuals Aversion to Truth, or Attraction to Poison In Hawthorne’s “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and “Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” Nathaniel Hawthorne is well known for his religious overtones in his stories, such as The Scarlet Letter, “Young Goodman Brown,” and “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” The historical allegory—like his use of the Garden of Eden—often overpowers the rest of the story, and because the audience is well aware of Hawthorne’s tendency to use religious themes they often overlook what is different. “Rappaccini’s Daughter,” in particular, was the one that started everything; at first, Hawthorne’s theme of the garden of Eden was prevalent and overpowering: There is a garden—Eden, a scientist—the snake, a young woman—Eve, and a young man—Adam.…
Humans are easily influenced by what they feel and see. In “Roman Fever” by Edith Wharton, two of the most intense emotions explored are jealousy and love. Through two distinct characters and through descriptive setting, the idea that jealousy and love are polar emotions is evident throughout the story. The tale depicts an image in which, where love perseveres, jealousy fails. Roman Fever begins by introducing the two women from which the story revolves around.…
Introduction: Set in the 1890's in New York City, Edith Wharton's novel, The House of Mirth demonstrates the characters', specifically the women's' desire to gain freedom, safety and independence in New York city where "the rich got much richer, and the poor got much poorer". As Wharton herself said "Decidedly, I’m a better landscape gardener than novelist," therefore using the imagery of houses to not only illustrate the themes of freedom, safety and independence, but also to give the reader a better understanding of the characters' personalities and feelings, which is why the question " How do the authors, Edith Wharton and Truman Capote, illustrate the themes of freedom, safety and independence through the imagery of houses in The House…
In Upon the Burning of Our House, by Anne Bradstreet, readers are being told about a person who goes to bed and wakes up to find their house being burned to the ground with all of her possessions in it. The main point of the poem is that your earthly possessions don’t really matter in the long run because it is only temporary; People are ultimately going to heaven and the “mighty architect” (Bradstreet Line 44), is going to provide for them. It seems that in the poem, the speaker is trying to remind herself of this when she says “Then straight I’gin my heart to chide, and did thy wealth on earth abide? Didst fix thy hope on mould’ring dust,” (Bradstreet Line 37-39). This all ties together with the Puritan belief that spiritual wealth is more…
What does it mean to be a noble and how should nobility outline the lifestyle and behavior of a person? Overtime the upper class has been revered as upholding the morals produced by that culture. These ideals of moral responsibility can be characterized as charitable, respectable, and interest in the well-being of others. The Oxford English Dictionary defines “nobility” as “The quality of having high status or value; renown or distinction arising from excellence.” (n.2).…
After its debut in 1920, Edith Wharton’s Age of Innocence challenged many social and political norms of its time through a combination of historic fiction and heavy-handed sarcasm. Wharton became the first woman to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize when the novel was given the award in 1921 (Wikipedia, “Age of Innocence”).). Throughout the 20th century, the novel was adapted and re-adapted on both film and stage (Wikipedia, “Age of Innocence”). However, with the rise of the 21st century, Age of Innocence fell out of the spotlight as discussion and adaptation dwindled. Any young person reading the novel now will find that despite Wharton’s popularity in the 1900s, Age of Innocence now has no material that could be considered relevant to young readers…
In her article, “Sense and Sensibility, or Growing Up Dichotomous,” Ruth ApRoberts claims Jane Austen’s work, Sense and Sensibility, is a reflection about relations “...between head and heart, thought and feeling, [and] judgment and emotion.” (ApRoberts 351). Through the beginning, the title already shows the readers it is a “test [to] the characters on its polarity” (ApRoberts 355), a metaphor to many of the characters in the novel. Each of them represents more with sensibleness or sensitiveness, especially the main heroines, the Dashwood sisters. The book is in third person omniscient point of view, meaning the narrator, Austen herself, lets us readers read and observe the minds of most of the characters, including Elinor and Marianne.…
“The Workbox” by Thomas Hardy is a poem about a wife who receives a gift from her husband. Initially the reader might imply that the husband presents this little box with intentions of pleasing his wife. The box is made from the coffin of John Wayward, a man from the wife’s past. Once she learns of the true contents of the box the wife tries to hide her reaction to the news of John’s death. No one knows the truth of how John dies, but the wife’s reaction to the box could suggest that she either has something to do with his death or knows more than she lets on.…
A classic novel contains timeless themes and ideas that resonate with audiences from many different generations and backgrounds. Edith Wharton’s tale of an upper class female outcasted from society conveys themes and events that even a person living in 2018 can relate to and formulate a perspective on. Edith Wharton herself embodies progress in society seeing as she is the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize. She represents progress for women and it shines through in her characters such as Lily Bart in House of Mirth. Lily Bart is ahead of her time as a character.…
In an average day, a person can make nearly 35,000 different decisions, both conscious and subconsciously. The process of which these decisions are made can sometimes be complex and sometimes simple, depending on the severity of the results. However, many times, such choices can slip away, taken from a person’s control due to outside influences and societal pressures. Within the novel Age of Innocence, social conventions and adherences to the norm are what dictate daily decisions for those who subscribe to this kind of lifestyle. However, the plight of many characters to escape this pressure ultimately reveals a connection between societal cues and Wharton’s use of ellipsis when overlooking many significant events.…
In Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennett and Charlotte Lucas have contrary ideals when it comes to marriage. Elizabeth wants to marry for love, passion and happiness. While Charlotte wants to marry for wealth, social standing and security. With very different views on marriage reoccuring in the book, it is clear that marriage is an exceedingly prominent theme throughout the novel. It is shown through exceptionally diverse point of views that are contrastable between two women.…
**HOOK NEEDED** In the satiric novel, Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray exposes and examines the vanities of 19th century England. Numerous characters in the novel pursue wealth, power, and social standing, often through marriage or matrimony. Thackeray effectively uses the institution of marriage to comment on how these vanities often come at the expense of the true emotions of passion, devotion, and, of course, love. In Vanity Fair, money is the pinnacle to all solutions to nearly all of the characters ' relationships.…