Characterisation

Voltaire’s magnum opus, Candide: All for the Best, also simply known as Candide, utilises the techniques of satire, imagery, symbolism and characterisation to convey some of the perils of the Age of Enlightenment through the thematic exploration of religion, war, optimism and philosophical speculation. Voltaire positions the reader to recognise the insincerity incumbent in organised religion as well as the futility of war at that time. He also positions the reader to comprehend the folly of…

William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and its interpretation by Baz Luhrmann. By Madhav Mishra. A little over four centuries ago, William Shakespeare published the modern day classic Romeo and Juliet, a tragedy about two star-crossed lovers who marry each other against the will of their feuding families. Ever since its first performance, the play has spawned a number of interpretations and adaptations of the original. A recent noteworthy adaptation of the play by the well-known…

are expected. After being lost for 9 weeks and losing a cousin one would be exhausted both physically and mentally although Molly has one more job to do: break the news that Gracie is gone. Leaving both the family and audience in sobs. These characterisations of the characters effectively shape the emotions of the audience so that they are able to empathise with the characters when they are reunited with their…

person there for him was his best friend Johnny. Johnny got abused and rejected at home, so Ponyboy was the only family he had. Hinton presents the idea that children in those situations, friends are the closest thing they have to family. She uses characterisation,…

trials and working in a psychiatric ward. These experiences impacted his writing as he explored societal conventions and freedom. His work argues that repression maintains power and eliminates individuality. This is achieved with use of setting, characterisation and description of the effects of drug use. Kesey’s use of setting in the novel reinforces the theme of societal repression over the individual. The majority of the narrative takes place inside the confines…

The pleasure derives from a negative liking within the person as they experience displeasure at the awareness of the limitations of their imagination, yet this results in pleasure at knowing the ability of our human reason (Kant, 1987). Kant’s characterisation of the sublime presents a good conception of aesthetics applicability in philosophy however Kant’s convoluted writing and lack of comprehension detracts from the validity as it is difficult to interpret his intentions. Kant divides the…

time of the American Depression, utilises sundry techniques to enlighten the array of themes that are portrayed. Some of the major themes include courage, growing up and injustice. Which are bolstered by techniques such as character dialogue, characterisation, narrative technique, motif-blind spot, allusion and repetition. All of these techniques and themes are amalgamated to make To Kill a Mockingbird a great classic. Injustice is like a sword that has the ability to perforate through a…

Nineteenth century literature often deals with very dark and gruesome themes in the gothic tradition. Another theme that proves to be prevalent in nineteenth century literature is issue of class. Charles Dickens’ novel, Little Dorrit, deals with issues of living at the different levels of socio-economic class. Dickens first published Little Dorrit in 1857, less than a decade after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published The Communist Manifesto. The Manifesto is a book that takes a critical look…

Laura Wishart by the town outcast Jasper Jones, his journey of self-discovery commences. He begins to realise and question the harsh reality of everything around him, including but not limited to the racial prejudice in which Corrigan embraces. Characterisation via structural juxtaposition, first person narrative point of view, imagery and symbolism are used throughout Jasper Jones to create a Bildungsroman novel that positions readers to question their values, attitudes and the values and…

developed in the past and present through foreshadowing and language. Flashbacks are used to depict Luke as a patronising paternal figure, citing that “studies have been done” as justification for restricting the role of his wife (p. 73). This characterisation of Luke foreshadows the controlling nature of the Aunts, who restrict the handmaid’s role through their message of “modesty is invisibility” (p. 38). This connection between Luke and the Aunts is emphasised through repeated language, as…