Farmer Boldwood throughout the novel Essay Example for Free

Farmer Boldwood throughout the novel Essay This illustrates that he is completely obsessed; he worships the ground she walks on. The news of Troys death has once again disturbed Boldwoods equilibrium, and new hope burns within him. In chapter forty-nine, following the complete ruining of his crops due to his neglectful behaviour, Boldwood appoints Oak to look after his farm. A great hope had latterly germinated in Boldwood, whose unreasoning devotion to Bathsheba could only be characterized as a fond madness which neither time nor circumstance, evil nor good report, could weaken or destroy. In this sentence the Author describes Boldwoods obsession with Bathsheba, and proves to us that although Boldwoods hopes could be temporarily subdued, his true feelings were always there. It seems as if his feelings for Bathsheba will last his entire life. Boldwoods hopes are encouraged when, after talking to Liddy he finds that Bathsheba mentioned remarrying in six years, giving him something to cling onto. Throughout the novel Boldwood thinks constantly about the best possible outcome of a situation. Liddy saying that Bathsheba once mentioned remarrying slowly evolves in his head into him believing that Bathsheba will marry him in six years. He always tries his best to keep himself hopeful. His waking hours once again become devoted to thinking about Bathsheba. In chapter fifty-one Bathsheba goes on a ride with Boldwood in his cart to Weatherbury after finding herself unable to refuse because Oak, her usual driver, was too busy and Boldwood her only alternative. After awkwardly chatting about mutual interests, Boldwood, unable to resist, bluntly asks Mrs. Troy, you will marry again some day? She is taken aback and a long pause ensues before she says she has not seriously thought of such a subject. Boldwood continues to press her, and is clutching for reassurance when he says, You never liked me. Bathsheba then talks about seriously regretting her treatment of him, and Boldwood is desperate and shameless enough to say to her Bathsheba, suppose you had real complete proof that you are what, in fact, you are-a widow-would you repair the old wrong to me by marrying me? These are the words of a truly desperate man; he does not care at all if Bathsheba loves or even likes him, but just wants her to marry him. His current mental state is worse than ever before. He keeps pressuring her about marrying him in six years time and when it seems as if she might decline, he prays on her ill treatment of him in the past, a desperate and dishonourable act. But do give it, remember the past and be kind Bathsheba eventually ends up being telling Boldwood she will tell him of her decision at Christmas. This act of Bathshebas subdues Boldwood, and as before in this situation he leaves her alone until the promised time because those simple words of hers are enough to comfort him into believing that she will eventually marry him. It is as if his life itself is centred around Bathsheba, but I think Bathsheba only promised to consider his proposal because she feared for his sanity. In chapter fifty-two Boldwood holds a grand Christmas party, something that is, evidently from the Authors words, extremely out of character. But Boldwood has sunk so fast towards insanity that his character itself has changed dramatically. Boldwood is very expectant of Bathshebas answer, and deliriously happy in the build-up to the party. Bathsheba fears the party and having to give Boldwood an answer, and deliberately wears mourning clothes to it. Boldwoods cheerful disposition will not be dampened, even when Oak tries to make him more realistic about the situation, to stop him getting his hopes up. But, as has been consistent throughout the novel, Boldwoods moods and feelings are completely uninfluenced by anyones words but Bathshebas. Because of Boldwoods cheerful mood, he increases Oaks salary, this is mainly due to his knowledge of Oaks interest in Bathsheba and seems to me like a consolation prize, because through the mental haze that obscures his judgement, he truly believes Bathsheba is his. It is in chapter fifty-three that Boldwood is finally pushed over the edge. After being verbally beaten into submission, Bathsheba gives her word to marry Boldwood in six years if Troy does not return. Still, this is not quite enough for Boldwood and he requests that she wear a ring he bought for her. The demonic force that appears to be gripping Boldwood as he almost forces the ring onto her finger is too much for Bathsheba, and she begins to cry. Soon after this, Troy arrives at the house and tries to take Bathsheba away and it is at that moment that Boldwood simply erupts he shoots troy with one of the guns on his gun rack. The old Boldwood is now completely gone replaced by a hysterical madman. When Bathsheba had cried out in her husbands grasp, Boldwoods face of gnashing despair had changed. The veins had swollen, and a frenzied look had gleamed in his eye. Able to take no more, Boldwood readies himself to commit suicide with the same gun, but is prevented by Samway. In chapter fifty-five the true extent of Boldwoods obsession with Bathsheba is revealed. He had bought a large number of gifts for he labelled Bathsheba Boldwood and dated six years in advance. His very soul was completely consumed with the idea of marrying her. Boldwood is sentenced to life imprisonment. This novel describes the degeneration of a quiet, reserved and proud man into a crazed, violent and obsessive maniac. Throughout Boldwoods life a certain equilibrium was preserved, and Bathshebas arrival and sending of the valentine disturbed it. He truly was in extremity at once. His mental state became more and more unstable until he finally exploded and shot Sergeant Troy. I believe this was the end of Boldwoods equilibrium, and he would remain mentally ill and preoccupied with the woman he would never have.

A Room of Ones Own by Virginia Woolf Essay -- Virginia Woolf Essays

Virginia Woolf, a founder of Modernism, is one of the most important woman writers. Her essays and novels provide an insight into her life experiences and those of women of the 20th century. Her most famous works include Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), Orlando: A Biography (1928), The Waves (1931), and A Room of One's Own (1929) (Roseman 11). A Room of One's Own is an based on Woolf's lectures at a women's college at Cambridge University in 1928. Woolf bases her thoughts on "the question of women and fiction". In the essay, Woolf asks herself the question if a woman could create art that compares to the quality of Shakespeare. Therefore, she examines women's historical experience and the struggle of the woman artist. A Room of One's Own explores the history of women in literature through an investigation of the social and material conditions required for writing. Leisure time, privacy, and financial independence, are important to understanding the situation of women in the literary tradition because women, historically, have been deprived of those basics (Roseman 14). The setting of A Room of One's Own is that Woolf has been invited to lecture on the topic of Women and Fiction. Her thesis is that "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction (Woolf 4)." She creates the character of an imaginary narrator, "call me Mary Beton, Mary Seton, Mary Carmichael or by any name you please, it is not a matter of any importance." The "I" who narrates the story is not Woolf, yet her experiences and thoughts provide the background for Woolf's thesis. The narrator begins her search going over the different educational experiences available to men and women and the more material ... ...s, 1882-1942. v.: ill.; 28 cm. Semiannual. Issue no. 33, 32, 1989. Vol. 1, no. 1, 1973; no.2, 1974. California State College, Sonoma, Dept. of English. Roseman, Ellen. A Room of One's Own: Women Writers and the Politics of Creativity. Twayne Publishing, Inc., New York, 1995. Woolf, Virginia. A Room of One's Own. Orlando: Harcourt, 2005. Print. Internet Sources Consulted Brooks, Rebecca B. â€Å"Timeline of Virginia Woolf’s Life.† The Virginia Woolf Blog. N.p., 19 Feb. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. . Burt, John. â€Å"Irreconcilable Habits of Thought in A Room of One’s Own and to The Lighthouse.† ELH 49.4 (1982): 889-907. JSTOR. Web. 14 Apr. 2015. Rodriguez, Lara Ma Lojo. â€Å""A New Tradition†: Virginia Woolf and the Personal Essay.â€Å"Atlantis 23.1 (2001): 75-90. JSTOR. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.

Huckelberry Finn Essay

I have decided to analyze three different journal articles related to the novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’, written by Mark Twain in 1884. I chose this topic because the novel is widely considered a masterpiece. In fact, Ernest Hemingway described its importance with the following sentence: â€Å"All modern American literature comes from a book by Mark Twain called ‘Huckleberry Finn’. In addition, the topic has a great interest because the novel has always been a subject of controversy due to racial issues and the alleged praise of juvenile delinquency that it portrays. The three articles that and I am going to comment on are the following: 1) Huckleberry Finn and America (Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2002) 2) Huck Finn, Censorship and the N-word Controversy, by Delia Lloyd (www. politicsdaily. com, January 6, 2011) 3) Light out, Huck, They Still Want to ‘Sivilize’ You, by Michiko Kakutani (The New York Times, January 6, 2011). Look more:  satirical play essay In order to compare and analyse these three articles, I am going to focus on two main points: the overall opinion that the authors of the different articles have about the book (which is usually very good) and what they comment on the controversial matters that  novel deals with. First of all, I will concentrate on the overall opinion that the authors express regarding ‘Huckleberry Finn’. On article 1, the author (whose name is not revealed) defines the novel in the following terms: ‘Few books in the U. S history have been as influential—or as controversial—as â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. Furthermore, he added: ‘ â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† not only has survived the efforts to bury it, it has thrived and it has grown as a teaching tool’. As we could see, the author praises the novel strongly. In addition, he rejects the most critical opinions and defends Twain’s intentions (†¦Twain was  skewering hatred and racism, intolerance and religious bigotry, royalty and imperialism’). In the case of article 2, the author, Delia Lloyd, does not express a clear opinion about the novel itself. However, she declares herself as â€Å"a devotee of Mark Twain’, so it is likely to think that he has quite a positive opinion about the novel. Regarding article 3, its author, Michiko Kakutani, quotes Hemingway’s famous sentence about Twain at the beginning of the article. Apart from that, there are not any more explicit opinions about the novel itself. However, a thorough reading of the article evidences a strong defence of it, and the author shows a very defiant attitude with those who criticize it. In terms of controversy, the articles express different opinions and ideas, and the authors make clear what they think about the nature and the novel and the convenience of altering it. For instance, it is important to point out the different dates in which the articles were written. Whereas article 1 was written in 2002, articles 2 & 3 were written the very same day (January 6, 2011) and were triggered by the same cause (a university  professor, Alan Gribben, had written a new version of ‘Huckleberry Finn’ replacing controversial words such as ‘nigger’ or ‘injun’ for more neutral, inoffensive terms). The author of article 1 is very critical with those who aim to disapprove the novel. In fact, he stated: ‘Twain wrote satire, and there are glorious lessons in his books even if they ruffle readers or appear, simply in the telling of the unvarnished truth, to somehow glorify injustice and racism’. In addition, he ends the article with a sentence that leaves no doubt about his opinion regarding racial and social controversy arisen by the novel. (‘Huckleberry Finn is a glorious celebration of friendship and tolerance triumphing over the racism and hypocrisy of the day. That is why it’s a hard book to read—and why it is one of the greatest works of American Literature’). Delia Lloyd express a somehow ambiguous opinion about whether is convenient or not to introduce changes in the novel. On the one hand, she says to be ‘sympathetic’ with several authors quoted in her article, who are in clear contrast with Gribben’s version of the novel (for instance, Matt Blum is quoted as saying ‘How can we expect children to learn real history if we sanitize it for them? ’, whereas Elon James White argues that ‘the only way to get Americans to deal openly and honestly with prejudice is to force students to be uncomfortable with terms that—unpleasant though they may be—are part and parcel of our country’s blatantly racist past’). On the other hand, Delia Lloyd also makes some positive remarks about Gribben’s ideas later on in the article, probably based upon her experience as a mother (‘As a parent, however, I’m less sympathetic to Gribben’s critics’, or ‘†¦there are more practical reasons to think that having a cleaned-up version of â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† isn’t, as Salon’s. Mary Elizabeth Williams’ puts it, â€Å"the worst thing in the world† ‘). Finally, article 3 is opposed to change the original version of the novel. This could already be implied from the title, which misspells the word ‘civilize’. This is a clear reference to the tendency of some characters of the book to pronounce words wrongly. Michiko Kakutani develops this idea throughout the article, refuting Grribben with subtleness and irony. As a result, he sometimes describes Grubbin labour with adjectives in inverted commas (‘improved’) or using aggressive ones to refer to him and his work. (‘Being an iconic classic, however, hasn’t protected the novel from being banned, bowdlerized and bleeped’). To conclude, I must say that, after reading the novel and several articles related to it, I think that the novel should be preserved in its original state. As far as I’m concerned, such a masterpiece deserves to be respected and remain unaltered. In addition, teachers should be very careful when explaining it to children, and try to transmit them the real (and benevolent) intentions of Mark Twain. Bibliography -Huckleberry Finn and America (Chicago Tribune, January 17, 2002). An article  written in the scope of the PBS series directed by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, which appeared shortly after the article. -Huck Finn, Censorship and the N-word Controversy, by Delia Lloyd (www. politicsdaily. com, January 6, 2011). It is an ambiguous article about the necessity of changing ‘Huckleberry Finn’’s most controversial parts. -Light out, Huck, They Still Want to ‘Sivilize’ You, by Michiko Kakutani (The New York Times, January 6, 2011). A strong defence of the novel and fierce critic of those who intend to change it. -Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination (Toni Morrison, 1992).

Taking Energy Availability For Granted - 1515 Words

Chapter 5 Taking Energy Availability for Granted My happy little off-grid RV is all hooked up to our truck and I’m off for another adventure in independence. I designed and built this RV to be able to meet my needs without connecting to the grid and it means I have to be mindful of the resources I have on board, like water and cooking gas and power stored in the battery. I have to have an understanding of how much power I need to run my devices, including basics that we take for granted like refrigeration, and how much my solar panels will collect. A few days later, it’s any average work day morning and like any other morning, my 7 AM alarm goes off reminding me, it’s time to go to work. Rolling over I stretch and push my feet flat against the wall of my RV. My curtains are closed so it’s still darkish inside. Lying in bed for a few more minutes, my brain starts ruminating on the activities of the day ahead of me. I’m always attentive to how much water and gas I have on hand and I know there’s enough of both. I make sure I have enough of both before I go to bed so that I don’t have to deal with acquiring those resources before I even wash up and prepare myself to face the day. Swinging my feet around, I dig my toes into the fuzzy, warm rug. Standing up, I give one last stretch. I put the water on to boil for washing up and making tea. While the water is warming, I use the cold water for tooth brushing. Teeth cleaned and washed up, I’m dressed and ready to face the day.Show MoreR elatedGermany Borders Various Different Countries1156 Words   |  5 PagesMexican governments released an advertising campaign called â€Å"February 2010: The City May Run Out of Water†, speaking of the rise of demand vs. the availability of resources. Currently, as stated the research in the WHO/UNICEF (2015), the Drinking water coverage which are piped onto premises in Germany are at a total of 100%. 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