Guy de Maupassant

Philosophers have contemplated if aspiring for material wealth is contradictory to moral life. Guy Maupassant explores this concept of materialism in his short story, The Necklace. Set in Paris in the late 1800’s, the story focuses on Monsieur and Madame Loisel. The latter is unhappy as hse finds life to be inadequate and empty of the luxuries she deserves. The Loisels revcieve an invitation to a ball. Concerned with what others will think of her, she borrows a diamond necklace from a friend of…

Dreams vs. Reality When reading a story, we often do not think to locate and analyze the different literary elements that are placed in a short story or poem. In order to find those literary elements, you must reread the poem or short story in order to understand and pull all of the elements the reader can. While reading The Necklace and Blue Winds Dancing, I saw two elements that really caught my attention and intrigued me to think about in more depth. The two elements we will be looking out…

In Rihanna’s song “Diamonds,” she sings “Shine bright like a diamond,” this line relates to the big, shiny diamond in the book, All the Light We Cannot See. The Sea of Flames is a cursed diamond and it is is said in the story, “...if you hold it you cannot die, but the people around you die within a month. Or maybe it’s a year”(Doerr 50). The diamond described in the book is a big blue diamond with flames of red in the center. The diamond was cursed by the Goddess of Earth because it was a gift…

Throughout the poem “Alone” by Maya Angelou, the speaker implies that no one can last long in the world with no one on his or her side. The poem starts off as the speaker yearns for a home where she can quench her thirst and where food is always offered, then soon realises that she and everyone who is on their own cannot live with joy for long, since time will soon leave that joy behind. Even the rich, who have all the wealth in the world, cannot survive alone, as happiness is an emotion…

The plot is unexpectedly very much complex and dramatic. The author prefers a family with many friends and associates, she tries within its limited range in order to make it as difficult as possible and she is not pleased with plainly writing two or four characters in isolation. There is clearly an initial situation in the plot because the Bennets have five daughter, none of them is married, no money and a very overly pushy mother who is keen to marry them off to a wealthy man. Then comes…

while in “The Necklace”, Loisel complains to her husband about not having a nice dress or any jewelry. For example, in “The Necklace”, Loisel says to her husband, “I’m utterly miserable at not having any jewels, not a single stone, to wear” (de Maupassant, page 2). Essentially, both Della and Loisel live in working-class environments with little access to luxuries that richer individuals have. Even with little money to spare, Della is still willing to get Jim a nice gift, and ended up selling…

“Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief.” This quote by Jane Austen explains the trouble that vanity often brings upon people who value their appearance over everything else in their lives. Accordingly, in the short story titled “The Necklace”; the main character, Matilda, is weak minded to an extent where her vanity brings her great suffering. Matilda suffers through a negative transformation of her social status which is due to: her excessive desire for luxuries she can…

had the desire of being rich and having an ornate life. The consequence of her vanity that caused by her eagerness toward fancy things has been visible even before she goes to the dance. Unable to satisfy her vanity, “she suffered continually” (Maupassant 5). Her dismal feeling repeats several times before she goes to the dance, which strengthens the idea of that vanity causes suffering. Her affection for luxuries is so strong that “she would cry for days at a time, from sadness, regret, despair…

In the novel House of Mirth, written by Edith Wharton, one can argue many different perspectives about the character of Lily Barth. Many will argue that she was a beauty who only wanted to have a nice life, like those she surrounded herself with. Others will say that she was a girl who wanted to have it all but due to lack of a proper upbringing she was never guided the right way. However the novel is best described as a series of ups and downs, for the character of Lily Bart. She wanted to have…

One day when I was young an elderly lady gave me a dollar (I don't know why but people love giving young kids money) my face had lit up with amazement at the fact that this women gave me so much money. I quickly ran to show my mother who intern said and I quote "that's nice Samaria" I thought her curt tone was from envy and jealousy at the fact that she didn't have a dollar like me so I cheerfully skipped away, my dollar in hand. I had not known that her lack of amazement was due to the fact…