Alfred Dreyfus

The Dreyfus Affair in one of the most notorious trials in France, even still known as the “Affair” today. In 1894, an agent of counterespionage discovered a note, now known as the Bordereau, which included information about a new gun, information about different troops, artillery formation, information about Madagascar movements, and a draft for a firing manual. The firing manual was the most concerning to the French, who had discovered it since it was so difficult to obtain. This led to an immediate search to find the agent within the ranks who was spying for the Germans. Eventually, one of the main suspects was Alfred Dreyfus who was a Jewish Alsatian. With only the Bordereau and handwriting analysis and information not disclosed to his lawyer,…

Zola continues in his letter by describing to the readers the story from the beginning, where Dreyfus was arrested and immediately was “clamoring his innocence…and that is how the investigation proceeded…shrouded in mystery and a wealth of the wildest expedients.” Zola’s letter lays out all the proof the government and army had to accuse Dreyfus and it is just not sufficient enough to imprison someone. Throughout the letter, proof of Dreyfus’ innocence is never brought, rather a compilation of…

They argue the significance of the affair lies in Dreyfus representation as a “symbol” that highlighted the many fundamental issues with the French republic, such as the rights of an individual and in the polarisations it provoked between those who believed the rights of an individual should be the utmost concern (the left) even if it meant a reprehended state system such as Zola who announced “There is no Dreyfus Affair any longer. There is only one issue: is France still the France of the…

Could you believe that an innocent mans life was ruined just because of his religion? The Dreyfus Affair was blatant anti-semitism. An innocent French soldier was convicted for a dreadful crime, just because he was Jewish. It is clear he was only imprisoned as a result of anti-semitism for countless reasons. Firstly, Dreyfus was the only Jew in the French Army. Secondly, there was a lot of anti-semitic statements coming out at this time, displaying that there was influx of anti-semitism in…

forget events. The French created a myth to cover up what truly happened, “the French apparently had repressed memories of the civil war and with the aid of what came to be a dominant myth: “resistancialism”…a process that sought to minimize the importance of the Vichy regime and its impact on French society, including its most negative aspects.” One of the aspects the French wanted to repress was the boost of anti-Semitism in France during the nineteenth century. A myth that exemplifies this…

people, convinced it is the truth. Unaware of the horrors, the men will go in with a positive attitude. After their experience on the battlefield, they will leave a different person having experience first hand the horrors and destructions of war. Others will enter from a draft; they will not want to fight for their country. Instead they want to make it out alive. Seeing the horror invokes the savagery in man for the one goal of survival. Different reasons for entering the war results in…

improve society. During the romanticism period, artists, authors, etc. took a different route, then how it was in the Neoclassical era. Artists chose to go in a more emotional, creative style for their creations. These artists also chose to display more symbolic and exotic subjects (i.e. paintings, books, poems). One piece of art that displays these characteristics is The Lady of Shalott, created by John William Waterhouse. John William Waterhouse was an Italian artist who painted mainly…

In the poem, “Ulysses,” author Lord Tennyson writes about the king of Ithaca, Ulysses, who had fought in the Trojan War, and had so deeply enjoyed his many travels that he is bored of ruling over his island home, and once again yearns to explore the world. Tennyson writes this poem in the form of a dramatic monologue, and by using this technique the reader is told details of the main characters life and personality through his speech. This is also accomplished through the way the poem itself is…

Complete Isolation Throughout history, art and poetry have seemed to begin to share some of the same characteristics. Poetry is another form of art, and the art itself allows you to visualize the setting and feelings of the poem. Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem and Waterhouse’s painting, both titled “The Lady of Shalott,” depict the lady not experiencing reality and only seeing life through a reflection. Her life is lived in complete isolation, and remains that way even after she departs from the…

Poetry is a journey into a new world of language that leaves readers fascinated. Poets take their time to intermingle different forms of figurative language to present their topic in a way that takes time to understand. By using rhetorical devices a poet is capable of taking short stanzas and making them into a work of art that can leave the reader guessing the intended meaning for generations. Well written poems contain various types of rhetorical devices such as imagery, metaphors, similes,…