Women In Victorian Era Essay - 1347 Words

During the Victorian era, women were viewed as the very opposite of what a man ought to be. In the words of John Stuart Mill, who published a criticism of the way society differentiated between males and females The female sex was brought up to believe that its ‘ideal of character’ was the very opposite to that of men’s ‘not self-will , and government by self-control, but submission, and yielding to the control of others to live for others; to make complete abnegation of themselves, and to have no life but in their affections.’† (171) Basically, women were expected to be sweet, docile, and man’s perfect helpmate. Contrary to that belief, throughout the Victorian era the view of women began to change, at least in the mind of some.†¦show more content†¦The heroine, Cathy, is the very essence of an unconventional Victorian woman. Cathy is wild, undisciplined, rowdy, and disheveled. She could almost be considered tomboyish in nature. She is definitely not the picture of a â€Å"proper† Victorian girl. I believe that the reason Cathy is as she is, however, is because of the influence of her playmate Heathcliff, who is a reckless, moody young man who brings chaos and bad behavior to everyone he encounters. Compare Cathy to her neighbor Isabella Linton at Thrushcross Grange. Isabella is quiet, neat, dainty, caring, obedient, and well mannered. She bows in deference to the wishes of the men in her life. She is the epitome of what a â€Å"proper† Victorian girl should be like. Although Cathy does eventually begin to dress and behave more like she should, it is only after she comes into contact with the traditional Linton family. Nelly Dean, the family’s faithful housekeepers who has had to put up with much of Cathy’s reckless ways, is amazed at the change in Cathy after her short visit with the Linton’s. â€Å"Instead of a wild, hatless little savage jumping into the house†¦ there lighted from a handsome black pony a very dignified person, with brown ringlets falling from the cover of a feathered beaver, and a long cloth habit, which she was obliged to hold up with both hands that she might sail in.† Cathy had been transformed from her previous ways; at least it seemed to be the case. Cathy’s sister-in-law Frances warnsShow MoreRelatedEssay about Women and Men of the Victorian Era1343 Words   |  6 Pages The Victorian era established strict guidelines and definitions for the ladies and gentleman. Noble birth typically defined one as a lady or a gentleman, but for women in this time period, socioeconomic rank and titles held no prestige or special privileges in a male-dominated society. Commonly, women in this era generally tried to gain more influence and respect but to no avail as their male counterparts controlled the ideals and practices of society. Women were subject to these idealsRead MoreWomen Of The Victorian Era2428 Words   |  10 PagesIntro Throughout history, women are casted with the role of being docile, obedient, and fragile by the traditional values of the patriarchy society. In the nineteenth century during the Victorian era, men expect women to maintain the domestic sphere as a cheerful pure haven for them when they return home from work. The cult of true womanhood which was believed by both the Northern and Southern states at the time was based on four main i deas: the sphere of home and the competitive world outside whichRead MoreWomen During The Victorian Era Essay1719 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the 19th century, especially during the Victorian era, gender roles became very distinctive. There were certain characteristics that the ideal Victorian man or woman were expected to have which emphasized patriarchal superiority. The patriarchal system meant that males had dominance in their homes, specifically over women. The ideal man during this time period would focus on achieving job related success which, in turn, would show that he is an eligible suitor to get married. It was seenRead MoreWomen During The Victorian Era1321 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in England during the Victorian Era were forced into a mold; their ideal function being marriage and procreation. They were expected to submit to their husbands, look pretty (but not feel passion), and learn everything having to do with sewing and entertainment (but nothing else), all while being expected to support their family. Elizabeth Barrett Browning was an educated woman in Victorian England who was able to step out of this mold and exercise her talent for writing. Browning admired andRead MoreThe Isolation Of Women During The Victorian Era1153 Words   |  5 Pagesbegin with but now are bringing her in. 2. Another clear reference to gender equality and the lack of it as well as a comment on class roles. Here Bronte shows the absurdity of gender restriction and attempts to shed light on the fact that women during the Victorian era had no rights and were too restricted. Ferndean 1. â€Å"Then he stretched his hand out to be led. I took that dear hand, held it a moment to my lips, then let it pass round my shoulder: being so much lower of stature than he, I served bothRead MoreFighting the Fire: Women in the Victorian Era922 Words   |  4 Pagesopposed to Antoinette, who remains a victim of this male dominance due to her submissive nature. Jane is seen as an â€Å"other† character due to her social status and the hierarchy evident in Victorian times. She is hired as a governess at Thornfield, to tutor Adà ¨le, a young girl Rochester adopted. During the Victorian era, a governess was regarded as being almost equivalent to a regular house servant, and this is how Jane is treated when she first arrives at Thornfield. Rochester therefore has some controlRead MoreRole Of Women During The Victorian Era1664 Words   |  7 Pagesshaped by many movements and time periods. The Victorian Period had a huge impact on many aspects in British literature and culture. The roles of women were greatly affected during this time period. The question of what women could (or should) do attracted a lot of debate in the Victorian era. There are numerous characteristics about The Victorian Period, one of them being the transformation of Britain. From the1830’s to the 1870’s, as seen in Victorian Literature, Britain underwent changes that transformedRead MoreWomen s Roles During The Victorian Era1851 Words   |  8 Pages Women’s Roles in the Victorian Era: The ideal woman in Victorian Times epitomized the good and virtuous woman whose live revolved around the domestic sphere of the family and home. She was pious, respectable and busy with no time for idle leisure. Her diligent and evident constant devotion to her husband, as well as to her God. She accepted her place in the sexual hierarchy. Her role was that of a domestic manager: wives and mothers. By the time that the industrial era was well under way in BritainRead MoreIn The Victorian Era, Society’S Views Of Men And Women2079 Words   |  9 PagesIn the Victorian Era, society’s views of men and women and their roles in the world were beginning to dramatically change, and not all were content with these changes. The novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker, represents the mindset that those who felt threatened by these changes had. Mina and the men of the vampire slaying group act in the traditional manner associated with their gender and represent the ideal way Stoker believe d the sexes should behave meanwhile, Dracula and the female vampires are usedRead More Societal Views of Women in the Victorian Era in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House887 Words   |  4 PagesSocietal Views of Women in the Victorian Era in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, creates a peephole into the lives of a family in the Victorian Era. The play portrays a female viewpoint in a male-dominated society. The values of the society are described using the actions of a woman, Nora, who rebels against the injustices inflicted upon her gender. Women’s equality with men was not recognized by society in the late 1800’s. Rather, a woman was considered a doll

Poetry Is An Art Of Representation Or Imitation - 2631 Words

Poetry is often a poet’s way of portraying emotion unable to be expressed verbally. Even at the beginning of literature, great authors had established this as being a fundamental of poetry, â€Å"both Plato and Aristotle insisted that poetry is an art of representation or imitation† (Hamilton 1829). One of the many poets who have poured their heart and mind into their poetry was Emily Dickinson. Dickinson has been noted as the girl who hid from society with the fear of being unaccepted, â€Å"Frightened by the world and disappointed in her hopes, Dickinson, it is said, retreated into a privacy that shielded her... There,... she is established as a martyr† (Wolosky 17). Despite this reputation, it has been acknowledged that though humble her life was, she was a woman of ambition. Ambition which was flamed by the essayist and fellow poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. â€Å"Dickinson is an assertive and determined poet, as much fury as is ferocity† (Wolosky 17). Emily Dickinson’s isolation did not feed her depressive behavior, but rather was a form of clarification towards her viewpoints on religion and life. Viewpoints, which were inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson.. As an author who established himself decades before Dickinson, Emerson was ahead of his time. He branched from the usual values of life and followed the values found commonly in Hinduism rather than Christianity. Emerson believed in isolation in order to find one s meaning and thrive with the talent that God had assigned. This conceptShow MoreRelatedMimesis: Plato and Aristotle1536 Words   |  7 PagesMimesis: Plato and Aristotle 1,515 Words Philosophy 2348: Aesthetics\ The term ‘mimesis’ is loosely defined as ‘imitation’, and although an extensive paper could be written about the cogency of such a narrow definition, I will instead focus on Plato and Aristotle’s contrasting judgements of mimesis (imitation). I will spend one section discussing Plato’s ideas on mimesis and how they relate to his philosophy of reality and the forms. I will then spend a section examining Aristotle’s differingRead MoreThe Republic By Plato1341 Words   |  6 Pagesdiscuss the topic of poetry in his ideal society. While he sees music and gymnastics as vital parts of society, he sees poetry as something that’s not only unnecessary, but also harmful. Glaucon is surprised by this and questions the reasons Socrates has this way of thinking. Socrates states that â€Å"all such poetry is likely to distort the thought of anyone who hears it, unless he has the knowledge of what it is really like†. Here, Socrates is st ating that the main reason poetry should be banished isRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The First Ones 1562 Words   |  7 Pagesthree parts: reason, spirit, and appetite. In his city, he exiled all arts because of three reasons (Plato, â€Å"The Republic). The first reason was because he argued that they pretend to know all sorts of things . Their poetry are â€Å"removed from the truth†. He believes that the images the poets create do not show the good part of the soul. He believes that the reasoned part of the soul is quiet, stable, and not easy to imitate. Poetry imitates the bad part of the soul which is what makes their charactersRead MoreCompare And Contrast Philo And Plato1615 Words   |  7 Pagesbut admires and respects the truth more. Aristotle started to develop his own philosophies, views, and ideas. Aristotle’s philosophy is the opposite of Plato’s, because his methods of inquiry, his realist philosophy, and ideas about mimesis, or imitation, directly countered Plato’s methods, idealism, and ideas about mimesis. Aristotle and Plato had opposing methods of inquiry, specifically on the objectives of their writing and their views on how philosophy is best taught. For example, Plato didRead MoreDoes Art Imitate Life Or Is The Reverse True?1202 Words   |  5 PagesDoes â€Å"Art imitate Life† or is the reverse true? Mimesis. Noun. (art, literature) the imitative representation of nature or human behaviour (dictionary.com). In Plato’s Republic the term â€Å"mimesis† is imitation but Plato discounted imitation in art and poetry as being â€Å"thrice removed from truth† (Jowett). Plato believed the original idea to be the truth and the imitation that comes after to be inferior. Aristotle, on the other hand, wrote in Poetics that tragedy is the imitation of action (Butcher)Read More The Perspective of Plato and Aristotle on the Value of Art Essay1372 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle on the Value of Art    As literary critics, Plato and Aristotle disagree profoundly about the value of art in human society. Plato attempts to strip artists of the power and prominence they enjoy in his society, while Aristotle tries to develop a method of inquiry to determine the merits of an individual work of art. It is interesting to note that these two disparate notions of art are based upon the same fundamental assumption: that art is a form of mimesis, imitation. Both philosophers areRead MorePlato, in the â€Å"Republic â€Å", ambitiously sets out to prove that art imitates reality by distracting900 Words   |  4 Pagesambitiously sets out to prove that art imitates reality by distracting us from the truth and appeals to socially destructive emotions. He continued his statement by referring that art provides no real knowledge, and that it undermines personal and social well being. In this paper, I will argue that Plato makes an invalid implicit assumption that the representation of life throug h arts is dangerous and doesn’t define the truth since it uses imitation. I will demonstrate that art might be misleading and canRead MoreArguments of Plato in The Republic and Aristotle in Poetics1179 Words   |  5 PagesWhat does imitation (mimesis) involve for Plato and Aristotle? Explain its different features. Mimesis, the ‘imitative representation of the real world in art and literature’ , is a form that was particularly evident within the governance of art in Ancient Greece. Although its exact interpretation does vary, it is most commonly used to describe artistic creation as a whole. The value and need for mimesis has been argued by a number of scholars including Sigmund Freud, Philip Sydney and Adam SmithRead MoreWhy Faustus Is More Than Just A Reproduction Of Sin1725 Words   |  7 PagesThe power of poetry provides mankind much more than an artistic well articulated rhythmic pattern of words. Poets provide mankind, through poetry, the ability to explore intimately the wit, will, virtues, vices, and nature of man’s soul. At first glance it appears that Christopher Marlowe’s, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus follows the Calvinistic teaching, â€Å"†¦that man is a fallen creature whose will is fatally polluted by Original Sin, but also that a poet , by willfully creating verisimilitudesRead MoreArts Are Prettier : Representations Of Visual Arts1362 Words   |  6 PagesUnviewed Arts are Prettier: Representations of Visual Arts in Poetry Stepping into the marvelous Beaux-Art style building of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, we could appreciate the masterpieces of visual arts among many eras of humanities, from ancient Egypt to the Renaissance, from Chinese empires to modern era. Occasionally, we can see that in front of an oil painting or a bronze statue stands someone, who seems to be completely immersed in the atmosphere as if time stops. Can we

Masterpieces of English Literature Free Essays

The world of English literature has produced many diverse and astoundingly amazing works. Two of the most hailed pieces of literature to have graced the lives of readers throughout the ages are Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. These two poems have been around for a great number of years and have created many ripples across the lake of time. We will write a custom essay sample on Masterpieces of English Literature or any similar topic only for you Order Now Despite its ancient roots, Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight continue to be regarded as two the greatest masterpieces of English literature. This essay will try to show the impact that these two different poems have had on English literature. It will show that despite the age of both poems, they continue to be relevant up to this very day. This essay will show that it is very much important to continue the reading, the study and the appreciation of these works, Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as well as the other masterful pieces of English literature that have been available to schools and readers for a very long time. Beowulf Let us first dissect the epic poem, Beowulf, before we continue with the discussion of the importance of these two pieces. Beowulf was believed to have been written around the time 700 A.D. by an Anglo-Saxon poet. To this day, no one truly knows who wrote the poem but the last surviving manuscript of the poem was found to date back to the time 1000 A.D. and was speculated to have been in the hand of two different scribes. The original manuscript of Beowulf was written in the vernacular, Old English. (Melissa, 1997) The importance of this piece to the entirety of English literature is both very simple and complex. To put it straightforwardly, Beowulf is the oldest surviving poem to have been written in Old English. This is of great importance because all of the poems recovered from that era were found to have been written in Latin. (Anonymous, 2006) The importance of Beowulf in English literature, and in fact to the whole of world literature, is very clear even up to this very day. Because of the wars and battles raging across Europe in those earlier decades, very few literary manuscripts were able to survive. Beowulf, in fact, is the beacon and representative of the meager ten percent of the poetry written in Old English that have survived up to today. (Meyerhoff, 2006) What sets Beowulf apart from its other very few Old English counterparts is that it is an epic poem. In Britain, it has been accepted as a national epic. This is despite the debates and contestations regarding its merits as an epic poem. The mere fact that Beowulf has survived time and history and is available to us today among the very small population of Old English works is enough to prod us to continue in our appreciation and study of the piece. But another importance of the literary piece remains in just that fact, that it has survived an era from which only very few literary works have. This suggests that scholars and even simple individuals are able to take a glimpse at the culture and traditions of that time. Through Beowulf, we are able to see what these individuals held as important and what factors, both literary and in reality, they took into consideration. We say this not in a manner that will suggest taking Beowulf word for word as a historical timeline but rather in a manner that suggests reading deeper into Beowulf and understanding the thoughts and the emotions of the author. One such aspect of the epic poem that sheds light upon the culture of the said time is its constant use of the theme of Christianity. Although it is supposedly written in a pagan setting, the Christian theme in the poem is highly evident and unmistakable to any of its readers. (Yeager, 1999) Perhaps the most amazing part about Beowulf as an epic poem is its resilience as a literary piece. Even though it has much merit as an aged piece and as a standard bearer of Old English poetry, Beowulf would not have survived throughout time if it did not have any other merits. The most important aspect of the epic poem, to my mind, is the fact that despite its age, it still continues to strike every reader deeply. It still calls forth the same emotions among its readers. This is perhaps due to the way it was written. Although the events and places seen in the epic are strange to us, at the very core of the story, we find the same values and interests that are inherent in us even to this very day.   Beowulf is so well-written that even to this day, it continues to enthrall and connect with its diverse readership. No matter how old you are, no matter what country you come from, you are able to recognize the masterful workmanship put into creating Beowulf. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Another much acclaimed piece of English literature is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It was believed to have been written some time during the fourteenth century. It is considered to be a metrical romance, a romantic tale written in poetic form, about the life of Sir Gawain. (Weston, 1900) Gawain was one of the more talked about characters of the Arthurian tradition. He far outstrips many of King Arthur’s knights in the number of romantic exploits written about his character. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knigh, Gawain exemplifies many of the virtues considered to be important in men of his stature. (Harper) This adds to the importance of the piece itself. With the different virtues that Sir Gawain is seen to have in the romantic poem, readers can easily see what the culture of the 14th century was like. The virtues and culture held to be of importance during that time are extolled clearly in the character of Sir Gawain and can easily be identified through his various actions and descriptions in the poem. This is in contrast to other poems and literary pieces written about Gawain wherein he was portrayed as a flawed and even sometimes brutish character. The importance of this piece may lie in the fact that its author was able to keep up a play of words wherein the reader can derive several different interpretations. This allowed for many different reactions and critics regarding the piece. (Goodlad, 1987)This is probably what kept the piece alive for so long. With regards to literature, it has opened the way for readers to regard different pieces with more wariness, viewing these pieces as perhaps holding more interpretations than that initially viewed. It also holds much importance as a literary piece that defied the genre from which it came. Instead of relinquishing to the trend of producing literary pieces that were straightforward and direct in their presentation of storylines and themes, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’s wordplay and alliterative presentation brought a new style of writing to the fore. To this day, we can witness many new pieces of literature that have taken tot his style of writing providing readers with much more thought-provoking and reflection-inducing pieces. It is safe to say that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight has done much to enrich English literature. References Anonymous. (2006). Beowulf. Spark Notes Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beowulf/context.html Goodlad, L. (1987) The Gamnes of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 18(1), Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://repositories.cdlib.org/cmrs/comitatus/vol18/iss1/art4 Harper, R. Gawain. The Camelot Project at the University of Rochester Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/cphome.stm Meyerhoff, S. (2006). The Question of Genre in Byliny and Beowulf. The Journal of Russian and Asian Studies, 4, Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.sras.org/news2.phtml?m=629print=1 Snell, M. (1997) Beowulf. About.com Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://historymedren.about.com/od/beowulf/p/beowulf.htm Weston, J. L. (1900) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/sggk.htm Yeager, R. (1999) Why Read Beowulf? Humanities, 20(2) Retrieved 7 January 2008 from http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/1999-03/yeager.html How to cite Masterpieces of English Literature, Essay examples

Poems ‘Flag’, ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘Mametz Wood’ Essay Sample free essay sample

In what ways do the verse form ‘Flag’ . ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘Mametz Wood’ convey the emotions and images of struggle? ‘Flag’ considers the value of nationalism as symbolized by the flag. and explores thoughts of national individuality. with a running metaphor comparing to a flag. It considers how the flag is used and exploited. this creates sympathy. and the chorus explains subtly that the flag is ‘just a piece of cloth’ . In each of the first four stanzas a inquiry and reply is given which both asserts and challenges the power and value of the flag stating the reader. it can command states ; it can actuate work forces ; it can alter the heads of cowards ; it can populate everlastingly. This shows a high degree of power and in a manner shows concealed personification as its capablenesss ( excepting the concluding point ) are of some intelligence that would merely look human. We will write a custom essay sample on Poems ‘Flag’, ‘Out of the Blue’ and ‘Mametz Wood’ Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the concluding stanza the individual asks how he can possess such a powerful point. and the reply to the earlier inquiries is revealed. with holding ownership of the flag can hold awful effects. He addresses the reader straight: ‘the blood you bleed’ . He follows this in the concluding stanza. by uncovering what the ‘piece of cloth’ is. but besides uncovering the effects of taking the flag. losing your independency. the freedom to do your ain determinations and. it is implied. your morality. This lone makes the reader more funny. ‘Out of the Blue’ shows how. in the modern universe. struggle isn’t confined to a battleground. and terrorist act intrudes on everyone’s life. as throughout it shows imagination of an anon. history. The verse form establishes the speaker’s ‘master of the universe’ character. a moneyman looking down from his office. but he is trapped in the combustion edifice. giving of feelings of desperation and horror. Armitage imagines a character from Television footage on 9/11. and invites the reader. who is already a informant to this event. to besides see it from the personal point of position of a victim ; this lone draws more sorrow along with the sense of surrender from the talker. The moral force of the verse form. with the relentless reference to ‘you’ and its inquiry ‘Are your eyes believing’ . implicates the reader in this man’s destiny and besides inquiries our mundane lives ; retroflexing feeling of guilt. and imagination of incapacitated decease. Mametz Wood’ shows a modern position on a struggle stalking about a century after its clip. Sheers makes his position clear in the gap stanza. naming the soldiers ‘the wasted young’ . and shows the ferociousness of war non through the horror of combat. but as the Earth gives up the broken organic structures. The cardinal images of decease are flooring and horrific. in the unnatural angle of their eyeless skulls and their missing jaws. arousing unhappiness and choler. Sheers develops an image of the land being wounded and in demand of mending. proposing war is a offense against nature and the Earth suffers. Subsequently the Earth is personified as a lookout observation and reminding of what one time happened. Although the combat is briefly alluded to in Stanza 3. the verse form so shifts to the present tense. connoting the effects echo down the old ages. It besides gives imagination of an archeological excavation. which is a running subject throughout the verse for m along with decease and hurting silence.