Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations Essay Explore Dickens approach to the theme being a gentleman in key extracts of Great Expectations with particular reference to the social, historical and cultural influences of the text. What is a gentleman? A typical gentleman in modern day society is perceived as an alien concept. In 1463, a gentleman was defined as a man of rank but in 1583 a gentleman was said to be as a man of superior position or a man of leisure. However, in 1852 a gentleman was described as a wealthy man with no occupation. Yet, the traditional view of a gentleman was a man of gentle birth, a noble man who was not royalty, and a man of distinction. The first time we see Dickens use an instance of being a gentleman is in Chapter One through Pips attitude towards the convict. As Magwitch orders Pip around, yelling Tell us your name! Quick! Pip surprises us by responding in a much more polite manner than we would expect of someone in this situation. We notice a difference in dialect here; Magwitch is rough and has a very harsh voice, whereas Pips is much more refined. This suggests that Dickens created Pip with an underlying sense of being a gentleman from the start, but Pip believes himself to be more common. At home, Pips sister has brought him up in accordance with the very traditional notion of children should be seen and not heard. This could be a factor that has led to Pips politeness. However, she does not believe him to be as well-behaved and mannerly as he is. This is evident when she calls him naturally vicious. When the convict is found, Joe is called to help catch him. Pip goes along with him, and in this chapter we realize where Pip gets his decency. Joe has a simple dignity and compassion, and by caring for the convict and getting him what he needs, we notice that Pip shares these characteristics. Pip was worried that they would find the convict and his role would be discovered, but we see that Magwitch does not betray Pip when he is caught. This could suggest that there is to be other encounters with him later on, and that the convict does not want to be on unfriendly terms with Pip. In Chapter Seven Pip is invited to play at Miss Havishams, yet he does not understand why. She is a rich lady and before he goes he is thoroughly cleaned. This shows that they are a typical working-class family in Victorian times. At Miss Havishams we again witness Pips gentility. He responds to her using Maam. He is a young boy who could be excused for talking to her as he would to anybody else, but he again shows how he has the potential to be a gentleman. Also, throughout the book he speaks to all his elders in this way. This shows the respect he has, and how he has been brought up well. However, we do not see any politeness from Miss Havisham. We are also introduced to Estella, the young girl who was adopted by Miss Havisham. Her name means star, which is quite ironic. Miss Havisham has trained her to break hearts, and Pip is the boy Estella is to practice on. Pips gentility shows again when, after Estella is cruel towards him, he forgives her. He is so in love with her that her beauty makes him forget her unpleasantness. His love for her develops so much that he wants to ask her out, but he feels he is not good enough for her because he is poor.

Kent State University Incident: The End of the Innocence :: essays papers

Kent State University Incident: The End of the Innocence After a long period of fighting a defensive war in Vietnam, on April 29, 1970, President Richard Nixon launched a full scale attack in Cambodia, which greatly accelerated America ¹s involvment in this conflict. The reaction from the American college student population was one that led into great controversy and heated debates. When Nixon announced his decision on the following day, many people were upset, and thousands of people protested. The end result of one particular protest was bloody, and a perfect example of what terrible shape our country was in during that period of time (Guard Fired in Self Defense). Thoughtless mistakes such as the ones made on that day will often have a snowball affect that lead into problems for all persons envolved. On May 3, 1970 students of Kent State University rallied to protest Nixon ¹s announcement. There was violent protesting all through the night. Windows were broken, cars were destroyed, and the ROTC building was burned to the ground. When the firemen arrived, their hoses were taken by students and used aganist them. At that point Governor James Rhodes called for the National Guard to come in and protect the campus(Four Deaths at Noon). The following day Kent State University was under the  ³protection ² of the Ohio National Guard. Around noon on that day, students fromed in protest. They were told to disperse, but refused. The first action of the National Guard was to release tear-gas grenades upon the masses of students (Guard Fired in Self Defense). These grenades were marginally suscessful, and only caused a temporary retreat. The students then responded by throwing concrerte, rocks, and everything else they could find. This was the first of a group of poor decisions that led to the bloody disaster of May 4, 1972 and all of the other problems associated with the disaster (Kent State Continued). From a distance of about sixty feet from the crowd of students, a member of the National Guard believed that he heard sniper fire. In response to these alleged shots, he opened fire on the students with his M1 .30-06 caliber rifle. He was immediately backed up by several of the men in his squad, all of whome were shooting the same rifle except for one man who shot a military issue Colt .45. When the smoke had cleared, ther had been about thirty-five shots fired, and four of

The Architecture of Cathedrals and Great Churches

The nave of Amines Cathedral The Amines cathedral is the tallest complete cathedral in France, its stone-vaulted nave reaching an internal height of 42. 30 meters (138. Oft). The lower nave completed by the sass's under the direction of Robert De Leaches. Thomas De Cormorant completed the upper nave in the sass's and later the radiating chapels. The plan of Amines Cathedral is like that of the other Classical cathedrals at Chartres and Reams, as well as the Notre-Dame in Paris: a three-aisled nave with a twin-towered west facade, a three-aisled transept, a five-aisled choir, an ambulatory, and radiating happens.The whole design reflects the builders' confident use of the complete High Gothic structural vocabulary: the rectangular-bay system, the four-part rib vault, and a buttressing system that permitted almost complete dissolution of heavy masses and thick weight-bearing walls. At Amines, the concept of a self-sustaining skeletal architecture reached full maturity. The remaining st retches of wall seem to serve no purpose other than to provide a weather screen for the interior. Amines Cathedral is one of the most impressive examples of the French Gothic obsession with instructing ever taller churches.Using their new skeletal frames of stone, French builders attempted goals almost beyond limit, pushing to new heights with increasingly slender supports. The tense, strong lines of the Amines vault ribs converge at the colonnades and speed down the shell-like walls to the compound piers. The nave of Santa Crock Santa Crock is the largest Franciscan church in Florence. The construction started in 1295 by architect Arnold did Cambial and completed in 1442. The church is simple basilica style with a nave and two isles.The nave is mom wide and wooden ceiling is the succession of early Christian architecture. Basically the building is modified- Gothic style which has come from Sectarian church and has bring into Tuscany. The imposing interior has a nave and two side ai sles separated by slender octagonal piers from which spring spacious pointed arches with a double molding. The nave is wide and well-lit, with massive widely-spaced piers supporting pointed arches. The ancient choir placed in the central nave of the church was demolished. The Architecture of Cathedrals and Great Churches By mastoid

The Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Gilman - 1139 Words

The story â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† written by Charlotte Gilman .It brings to light how much the narrator hates wallpaper and is a significant symbol portrayal of awful state. The yellow wallpaper can have a representation of many conditions and ideas, among them, the mental state of the narrator. The paper is going to survey what the yellow wallpaper represents and notice how it is being depicted over the progression of the story. In addition, it will be explored why the yellow paper is likened to the narrator’s mental state. We start this by looking the state of women in the 19th century. Following the 19th century, the society was so different from what it is now. Women were not found in the workforce, were not allowed to vote or rather have a word in anything before men. They had no permission in giving evidence during the court proceedings, nor speaking in public before the hearers. Once a woman was married, all her belongings were owned by a man, including her jewelry and clothes, as well as earnings and even the children. In case the man died, she was only entitled to the third of estate of her husband. Charlotte Perkins wanted to bring this to an end. The writer wanted individuals to get an understanding on the plight of females during the 19th century. Following the short story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† the writer is trying to express this to the person who reads through a symbol of a mental state of the narrator. The restrictions that are imposed on women areShow MoreRelatedThe Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Gilman1518 Words   |  7 Pageswomenâ₠¬â„¢s names appeared in iteracy showing a steady determination to raise their voices against men’s dominancy. Charlotte (Anna) Perkins (Stetson) Gilman is certainly the most noticeable name in American Literature in late nineteenth century. In her remarkable writing, she uses symbolisms as a dominant instrument for fighting inequality and oppression in men’s world. The Yellow Wall-Paper as her most celebrated and intrigue piece of work, represents a spectrum of symbols that address the general concernsRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Gilman1463 Words   |  6 Pagesinferior being and is treated accordingly. They are perceived as lacking essential characteristics possessed by the group. For an example, Charlotte Gilman’s short story â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† portrays a woman narrator as being the Other. The gender division, an important component of the late nineteenth-century society, is exemplified in â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† much more significantly than in the typical â€Å"American† literary work. It attempts to shed light on the fierce alter egos and divided selvesRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman873 Words   |  4 PagesEarly Feminist Writing In the short story The Yellow Wall-Paper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman reflects on the social inequalities and injustices held against women in the late 1800’s. Gilman gives light to a very common practice of doctors diagnosing women with â€Å"nervous† conditions and essentially telling them to not do anything that doesn’t involve the domestic duties of women. The story gives insight on how women would have felt from the despotism that men of the time were showing towards them, thisRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman985 Words   |  4 Pages There are two similar stories that describe two particular women in a psychological condition one of the stories is called â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper†, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s and the other written by William Faulkner named â€Å"A Rose for Emily†. Both authors mention how both Jane (Yellow Wall-Paper) and Miss Emily (A Rose for Emily)are being oppressed by their husbands because the typical tradition forces their wife’s to stay home while they go to work. In the early eighteen and nineteenRead MoreYellow Wall Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman853 Words   |  3 Pagesbeen perceived equally. In many places women are considered as a second citizen. Although inequality among men and women has decreased tremendously in our society, it’s still an issue in some part of the world. The short story â€Å"Yellow wall paper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman reveals gender inequality. It narrates about a newly married woman who is trying t o get away from a trap that is restricting her freedom. Throughout the book the narrator is suffering within herself but she has a hard time figuringRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman Essay1471 Words   |  6 Pageshusband and family. This obedience that the speaker has for her husband, John, in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† undermined the woman’s mental health, refusing her the ability to express and speak for herself. The speaker’s diagnosis and treatment of her â€Å"nervous condition† was completely in her husband’s control, taking away her independence as a person. It becomes clear that Gilman is writing this short story as a response to the patriarchal structure of the societyRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman951 Words   |  4 PagesThe unnamed narrator, who is never fully introduced, narrates the story of â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper†, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, in the form of a diary/journal. Confined in a mansion to treat her mental illness of depression the narrator becomes obsessed with the ugly yellow wallpaper that covers the walls of her room. Ultimately, I presume that the wallpaper itself represents her relationship that she has with her husband, while the women behind the wallpaper represents herself; which goRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1353 Words   |  6 Pages In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper,† which is set in the 19th century, the narrator suffers from what is now identified as Postpartum depression, after the birth of her child. The narrator’s husband, John, who is a doctor, suggest that she gets some rest, and places her in a nursery with walls that contain yellow wallpaper. Over the course of the story, the narrator’s condition progresses and she begins to develop paranoia about a woman who is trapped in the yellow wallpaperRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman819 Words   |  4 Pages In the short story â€Å"The Yellow Wall-Paper† the author Charlotte Perkins Gilman displays the central idea that no one can really know how it feels to be trapped in a way, but it can quickly happen to anyone. The story would be seen through a first person narrator point of view through the narrator whose name is never actually stated in the story other than in a quote at the end of the story where she says â€Å" I’ve got out at last despite you and Jane†, it is believed that Jane is the narrator. Jane’sRead MoreThe Yellow Wall Paper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1107 Words   |  5 PagesIn January of 1892, author Charlotte Perkins Gilman published her short story, â€Å"The Yellow Wall-paper† in The New England Magazine. Gilman’s work illustrates the public perception of woman’s health in the 19th century and is considered to be an important part of early American feminist literature. During the 19th century, women were confined t o the idea of the â€Å"ideal† woman and the â€Å"domestic sphere.† According to Barbara Welter, in her 1966 paper entitled â€Å"The Cult of True Womanhood: 1820-1860,†