A Little Cloud typical of Joyces maturity stories Essay Example for Free

A Little Cloud typical of Joyces maturity stories Essay Refer to themes, language and setting. A Little Cloud is the first of the maturity stories in Dubliners, preceded by Counterparts, Clay and A Painful Case. The story is archetypal of Joyces style and embraces all the key themes of, class, materialism, escapism and above all the paralysis and struggle of Ireland. The opinion that Ireland is a country lowly in comparison to the rest of Europe is enforced at the beginning of the story when Little Chandler says it was something to have a friend like [Gallaher] because he worked for the London press. The emphasis here is on the great city of London and Little Chandler has immeasurable respect for Gallaher as he has escaped the paralysis of Ireland in favour of this thriving city. The environment Chandler lives in is lacklustre and uninspiring, his writing tiresome the nurses he sees are untidy and the old men dozing on benches are decrepit. When Little Chandler thinks of his situation in Dublin a gentle melancholy [takes] possession of him which he feels [is] useless to struggle against. In A Painful Case a number of adjectives are used to convey the environment, such as disused, sombre and shallow. Joyce has subtly emphasised the burden of being a Dubliner and in particular the feeling of restriction which the characters are unwilling to challenge and from which they feel escape would be futile. There are recurring references to the colour brown (not just in the maturity stories) and Maria in Clay wears a brown raincoat, thus inadvertently resigning herself to the drab and motionless life of Dublin. Joyce contrasts two worlds in the story; the domestic, insular and paralysed Dublin with the fast-moving, energetic, cosmopolitan London and Europe. Little Chandler desires to belong to the wider, modern world and begins to despise his life with his family in Dublin. By juxtaposing Little Chandler with the successful, exuberant Gallaher, Joyce sets up an antithesis between the two worlds which they represent. The Act of Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1800 abolished Irelands political centre, resulting in Dublin being a city in limbo, without a clear purpose and with a confused identity. This is evident throughout Dubliners, with inhabitants such as Little Chandler and Farrington all feeling trapped by the narrowness of Dublin life. There is a pervasive feeling that to be glamorous, like Ignatius Gallaher, one has to leave Ireland. Little Chandler believes London to be the key to his dreams and that if you wanted to succeed you had to go away. You could do nothing in Dublin. The attitude of Little Chandler to social class is indicated throughout. He encounters children in the slums of North Dublin as he passes on his way to meet his glamorous friend, Gallaher. The children are described as a horde, grimy and populating the street and depicted as vermin who crawled and squatted like mice. Little Chandler, like Duffy in A Painful Case feels himself to be superior to the people whom he passed, above the parochial, narrow interests of Dublin. He aspires to be a poet, loved by the more affluent English people. Chandler is shallow and materialistic, obsessed with appearance and class, excited about going to Corlesss because he knew the value of the name and the richly dressed ladies caught his eye. Gallaher says if he ever married, his wife must have a good fat account at the bank otherwise she wont do for me. If he marries he intends to play [his] cards properly and secure one of the thousand of rich Germans and Jews. He dismisses the sacrament of marriage as just business that could go stale, emphasising the immorality of London. The maturity stories all contain the presence of resentment in the main characters at the inevitable situation they have resigned themselves to living in. Joyce conveys Little Chandlers anger with a number of adjectives such as trembled, burst, convulsively and a paroxysm of sobbing. His cheeks later suffuse with shame which gives way to tears of remorse at his failure not only to fulfil his dreams but for the resentment he feels towards his family for thwarting his freedom. In Counterparts there is an established mood of anger with a bell rung, a heavy step and Farringtons spasms of rage. Joyce uses the symbol of the little cloud as an image of entrapment, not just hope; the little cloud of unhappiness hovering over his marriage to Annie, which restricts him from being the fun-loving bachelor like his idol Gallaher. Joyce incorporates the fantasy and captivation of exoticism and wealth in the dark Oriental eyes of the Rich Jewesses. Similar to fantasies of the East Joyce uses alcoholism as a method of escape from the stifling lives of the Dubliners and this is particularly prominent in A Little Cloud. Gallaher states that he drinks [his whisky] neat and that Little Chandler, who drinks very little doesnt know whats good for [him]. Sobriety is here seen as the reason why Chandlers life is so inartistic and dreary in comparison to Gallahers. Ireland is belittled and viewed as an engaging absurdity by the English when Gallaher says theyve got a great feeling for Ireland and the English were ready to eat [him] because he was Irish. Little Chandler wishes his name was more Irish-looking so as to endear the British with his book he dreams about publishing in London. This is ironic as Little Chandlers wishes to flee the restraints of Ireland yet feels dependant on his heritage. The story is highly symbolic of Irelands historical state; how the rest of Europe refuses to treat Ireland with respect symbolising Gallaher continually refusing Little Chandlers invitations to come for supper and to meet his family. Gallahers visit gives rise to an epiphany within Little Chandler, a feature Joyce includes in each of his stories, an anti climax when a character realises his escape to be defective. In the maturity series it is through the characters own personality flaw they render themselves incapable of escaping the life they constantly bemoan. In A Little Cloud Gallahers visit evokes a dull resentment within Little Chandler; he was useless, useless! A prisoner for life and he feels acutely the injustice of his life is next to Gallahers. Little Chandler believes the only way of escape is if he publishes a book in London, but he cannot complete this because the wailing of the child permanently permeates his ear. Little Chandler projects the resentment he feels at his lack of achievement in comparison to Gallaher, onto his wife and he is repelled by her passionless eyes and fantasises of the dark Oriental eyes of the Jewesses which Gallaher mentioned earlier in Corlesss. Little Chandler begins to feel a little disillusioned and Gallahers accent did not please him. London, which Gallaher hitherto represents, is now seen as gaudy and vulgar imprinting itself upon his original old personal charm and his vagrant and triumphant life upsets the equipoise of [Chandlers] sensitive nature. Little Chandler believes that Gallahers alleged friendliness to him is in fact patronisation just as he was patronising Ireland by his visit. He has been too consumed with his own anger and resentment at his own entrapment and the failure of his own dreams, to see through Gallahers version of an exotic, successful life. In A Painful Case Duffy becomes disillusioned with escaping, when Mrs Sinico caught up his hand passionately and similarly Little Chandler begins to wildly question Could [I] go to London?, [is] it too late? But Duffy bids his only distraction from the paralysis of Dublin Mrs Sinico, goodbye and is blatantly scared of commitment. The reunion with a conceited Gallaher reminds Little Chandler of what he hasnt achieved and he feels resentment which he thus inflicts on those around him. A Little Cloud is an evident example of Joyces maturity stories in keeping with the aspect that binds them together, the characters comprehension that all endeavours to escape are fruitless. Little Chandler and Duffy lacked conviction and ignored the opportunity that was once given to them for escape, something they blame everyone but themselves for. The characters Joyce writes of do not appreciate what they have, mourning instead for what they do not. The Dubliners are, like the city, reluctant to change and yet are embittered by the injustice of their paralysed lives. Duffy does not appreciate until the death of Mrs Sinico, that he will never have a chance of marriage, or to love, through which he could have forgotten the monotony of the city he cannot escape. Congruously, Little Chandler dismisses his family throughout A Little Cloud and when his personal epiphany dawns on him he realises his failure to his family, his cheeks suffuse with shame and he cries with tears of remorse as much out of guilt at the egocentric way he has behaved, as for his hopeless venture of escape.

Comparing Sophocles Antigone and Jean Anouilhs Antigone Essay

Both Sophocles and Jean Anouilh use the simple story-line of a girl defying her uncle and king in the face of death to reflect upon the events and attitudes of their days. Sophocles' Antigone models the classical pattern of tragedy by incorporating key elements such as a tragic hero with a fatal flaw and the Man-God-Society triangle. Creon is the tragic hero who disturbs the natural harmony of Thebes by denying Polyneices a funeral. Antigone is the catalyst who forces him to reckon with the consequences of his pride and arrogance. In the twentieth century, Jean Anouilh takes Sophocles' drama, strips it down to its core, and weaves an entirely different version of the story. Anouilh redefines "tragedy" by removing the conventional tragic hero, the Man-God-Society triangle and the black-and-white distinctions within the story. He creates a heroine with human faults and emotions, whom society can both embrace and emulate, in order to criticize the Vichy collaboration with Nazi Germany d uring WWII. Sophocles, following the Greek standard of tragedy, casts Creon as the tragic hero plagued by his own pride, inflexibility and power. Creon believes his authority to be twofold, both as the king and as the head of his family. He claims that the throne is the source of all power, saying ?whoever is chosen to govern should be obeyed ? must be obeyed, in all things, great and small, just and unjust? (Sophocles 217), and he demands the utmost allegiance from his son, bidding him to ?subordinate everything else?to [his] father?s will? (Sophocles 216). Creon is filled with hubris, and he rejects any solution that might compromise his image. For instance, when the guards escort Antigone to the palace, he demands of the Choragos, ?Who is the man... ... as a framework to convey his points. Furthermore, Anouilh changes an extremely well known play. When this happens, humanity tends to see only the differences between the works. And the differences (such as the changes in Antigone?s and Creon?s characters, the gray area between right and wrong, and politics and duty as motivating forces) convey his real political message: criticism of the Vichy regime. Works Cited Anouilh, Jean.?Antigone.? Trans. Lewis Galantià ¨re. Jean Anouilh: Five Plays. New York: Hill and Wang, 1986. 1-53. CNN World News. "French Catholics Apologize for World War II Silence on Jews." Web. 21 May 2015 Jean Anouilh Quotations. Web. 21 May 2015 Sophocles. Antigone Dover Thrift Editions New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1993

Helen Dunmore tells the story of the Siege of Leningrad by showing the trials and tribulations of one family Essay

I think that Helen Dunmore has been successful in the telling the story through the Levin family. She clearly depicts the trials and tribulations, yet Dunmore could’ve done justice by letting the audience know more about the major events of the progress of the Siege. The Germans surround the city cutting off the food supply and escape routes. Over six thousand people were killed in Leningrad during the winter, mainly from starvation. Throughout the novel, Anna and her family have been very well off. They all live together in safety, none of them are in prison or forced to be in the world war and have the skills needed for survival. We are told that they had an apartment which was very large and â€Å"desired by many† and that people would kill to live in such a large place. They own a burzhuika, have wood and food and are have money and their possessions. Anna, the central character of the novel is a believable mixture of vulnerability and strength already having a very busy lifestyle. Dunmore portrays Anna’s selfless maternal qualities towards Kolya and her father. We learn that instead of chasing her ambitions of art in college that she feels responsibility towards her 5 year old brother, her job at the nursery and other commitments which show that she is very hard working. She sustains her family financially and physically. Due to food shortages, Anna returns to the Dacha, to collect food for the future. This shows that she is realistic about the tough future. When Anna is at the dacha, she manages to cull out a good quantity of potatoes and put them into her bag. We can tell from her behaviour that she is a hard working character. On her way back from the dacha, Anna is stopped and questioned by the militia. She bribes the militia-man by offering him some of her potatoes and onions. Also Anna goes out daily during the Siege to provide for the family. She spends hours, weak from hunger, queuing for bread, negotiating with store owners and digging out scraps of wood to light a fire to make sure her family don’t freeze to death which is very common on the streets of Leningrad. She also has to fight for what she has and be resilient and not trust anyone. When she refuses to lend her chisel to a woman, she is nearly attacked as they falsely accuse Anna of stealing their wood. On her way back she is questioned lies about what is in her bag, this puts her at the mercy of the robber as he is well fed and Anna dares not to try and attack him. He takes the wood from her knowing that it is precious. She wildly chases any rumours of any sausage deliveries and travels far and wide to provide food for the family. We learn of all the people who wait in these queues, their morale, health and their desperation. Anna goes to the black market to try and buy a burzhuika to keep everybody warm. We learn of how everyone is feeling the cold and are suffering from chest infections and pneumonia. Also how everyone is starting to lose energy and stay indoors to conserve heat as each day you get colder and hungrier. Mikhail, Anna’s father tries to help out and volunteers to fight in the People’s Volunteers. Through his character we meet the old lady on the farm who is not able to move and be evacuated like her family and has only the animals and farm jobs to keep her busy. We see how the siege has destroyed her and she is just waiting for the Germans to take over. Also, after Mikhail gets injured, we see Andrei with him and taking him to the hospital as well as the other wounded volunteers in the truck and some who die on the journey. Mikhail is a testament to the way Stalinism was crushing people. He is unable to accept the changing times, the rejection of what were in his eyes, good stories. He is under the iron fist of the Soviet state and is breaking down. After he returns from the hospital he has changed so much physically and mentally that even his own children couldn’t even recognise him. He has been affected greatly by the horrors of the war he has fought in and by Vera’s death. Even though there are certain characters such as Andrei and Marina who are not actualAndrei is a very patriotic Siberian and is a very committed doctor who is scarred from the experiences at the Luga Line. He seems generous and kind-hearted towards his patients feels he is unequipped to help some of them on the front line. He is a doctor who works with method and will only speak about things which he has personally experienced. Andrei and Anna are drawn together through their similar experiences. Both have been on the Luga Line and have shared similar traumas of seeing death. Both on their return are slightly scarred by this and it has changed their characters slightly. Andrei is able to comfort Anna as he is more used to seeing death as he is a doctor urging her to not â€Å"think about it.† They therefore share a unique understanding of each other. They are also brought together by their physical/sexual desire. He informs the family of the current situation at the hospital, that the numbers of casualties are rising and more and more are dying each day. The Germans bombed the warehouses which contained a lot of the food which the Leningraders needed for the winter. Food became scarce and by comparing a â€Å"bag of flour† to â€Å"days of life† shows how the extent to which the family have bare the pain of â€Å"shelling and bombing† The value of food has gone so high, people wish each other good luck as food has become so scarce people will do anything for it. Kolya is Anna’s 5 year old baby brother. She takes care of him as she is much older and as it is her responsibility to look after him after her mother’s death. Kolya is very lazy and stubborn which irritates Anna, â€Å"She had made him lazy† The cause of his laziness is that Anna will do it all for him. He is so caught up in his own games; he has no interest in helping Anna such as the time when she was showing him how to plant crops and has a very short attention span. He is a representation of the life of a child in a war situation. He is innocent in the fact that he doesn’t know the consequences of war as he plays with his toy soldiers. Anna feels responsible to what happens to him during the siege, he becomes skinny, he is constantly cold and hungry, has no energy and lacks motivation and enthusiasm to do anything anymore. He is quite a dependant and selfish character. He relies on everything from Anna and forces her to buy the burzhuika and for him to get extra bread from everyone else’s ration. When Marina asks to live permanently with the family at the start of the siege, Anna inwardly rejects another demand on her as she does not want another person to look after and also the fact that she hardly likes Marina. This shows how she in a sense is a bit like her mother due to her conscious hatred to Marina. Marina brings food and money which is very useful in the siege and uses Anna’s need to befriend the family and get close to her. She looks after Kolya and Mikhail while Anna is out getting food for the family. We learn of her love towards Mikhail, motivating him to get up and walk around and by staying with him just after he has died. Also she shows her love to Kolya by helping make the fort and keeping him busy by playing with him. She helped Anna in preparing the food and making decisions. She too has been affected by starvation, we are told that her ring can no longer fit her, that her fingers are so thin and bony. She gives the family some hope and motivation. Also the deaths of the two lovers, Mikhail and Marina once again show the story of the Siege through the family. We see their suffering, to provide for their family and we see that for some close family members of the citizens that death gave way to victory. This shows the losses that all had to face, losing loved ones and not being able to bury them as the ground is too hard and no one has the energy to do so. Overall, I believe that showing the trials and tribulations of Anna and her family have given us a good idea of how the siege was affecting the citizens and that Dunmore has been successful. We see through all the characters the hardships faced, whether it was the young children or the old women and that the Siege affected all and that wealth did not matter. The novel ends on an optimistic note, with the remaining members of the family walking outside in the summer’s which shows new life and some hope.

Compulsory School Uniform - 1094 Words

There should be compulsory school uniform. School uniforms should be compulsory for all students at all grade levels. There are many reasons, which justify this, including bullying, uniform makes it a lot easier to identify what school the child goes too and uniform is a lot cheaper then but new clothes all the time. If all students at a particular school didnt wear school uniforms, there would be bullying between the financially advantaged people and the disadvantaged people. The wealthier people would tend to look down at the poorer people as it and this would encourage more bullying issues. When students wear school uniforms, it shows the similarities between them, and not the differences. Each school has their own rule of law and†¦show more content†¦Everyone says that uniforms make students equal which will cause less bulling but has anyone ever thought about people who are forced to wear certain items, such as a head scarf, to school. They will be pulled out of school at an earlier age if they do not follow the familys religious beliefs. Not only that, all kids should be given the freedom to choose what they like rather than wearing what they do not like. When they grow up they will never be able to give their opinion on something, whatever it may be. When choosing a dress to wear to school, kids might take time at the same time they learn to think for themselves and to give their ideas to the world, now like in school. We all have a right to individuality, to make personal choices and to express our personality. This right of free expression includes the wa y we choose to dress. Making everyone wear the same school uniform goes against our rights and is a misuse of authority. The right to choose what to wear is particularly important for young people, who often have few other ways of expressing their personality or making choices about their lives. Additionally, children may be laughed at by outsiders. 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