However, an interesting detail is noted when Norris writes that McTeague “ranged [the chairs] against the wall with military precision underneath a steel engraving of the court of Lorenzo de’ Medici.” At first, this seems to be an irreverent detail that suggests McTeague was perhaps interested in the deceased statesman and his previous affairs. Upon further inspection of this detail, it is noted that McTeague purchased this piece of art “because where were a great many figures in it for the money.” There was also a “rifle manufacturer’s advertisement which he never used.” Norris mentions these two minor details to reveal that McTeague decorated his office with seemingly interesting and unique objects, particularly impressive for their historical and “masculine” appeals.
‘Ozymandias’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ are both poems about the pride of men and how it always leads to ruin. ‘Ozymandias’ looks at the pride of men as opposed to Nature, and declares it a foolish notion, mocking humanity as whole. ‘My Last Duchess’ looks at the pride of men in contrast to emotions and portrays it as a dangerous force, describing pride as an insinuating sickness of the mind. The initial imagery in ‘Ozymandias’ emphasizes the broken remnants of the monument as the aftereffects of pride.
Throughout “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy, the main character John Grady Cole is submitted to many evils as he tries to find his own place in the world. In his own personal quest for a happy ending, John represents the idealized cowboy of the Old Wild West uncovering the truth of the violent and deadly landscape he encounters. John Grady attempts to mesh together his romanticised cowboy honor code into a land that concedes nothing to nobility and the only winner is the one who survives. Only through his many trials and beatings does John Grady begin to accept the world for what it is, a place that does not contain only pretty horses; however, he still manages to remain true to himself and what he believes in. From the beginning of “All the Pretty Horses,” John Grady Cole faces threats from the modern world towards the cowboy life he admires so much.
Miss Strangeworth, a kind old lady in a small town where everybody knows each other. Living all by herself, known for her attracting roses in front of her house. Turns out she isn’t the lady everybody had in their mind, she was more than just an old lady. She is a bully, hurting other people by sending letters anonymously. Miss Strangeworth hurt other people with her colored paper letter that she sent all around town.
Revenge: A Narrative and Scientific Perspective Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and Browning’s “My Last Duchess” both revolve around revenge. We are introduced to men who swear vengeance on other characters. Yet, the mindsets of these men are, in some aspects, very different. To truly comprehend a story, we have to understand why authors make their characters behave the way they do in addition to the message being presented. In the case of “The Cask of Amontillado” and “My Last Duchess,” why do both narrators believe murder is totally necessary?
The servant girls were well aware of their risky actions as they did not even dare “to look at their master and mistress”. The boldness of the servants created a brief moment of social shifts, where the lower class experienced the power of authorship. As a result, unexpected outcome emerged when the duke, most likely unknowingly, voluntarily removed himself from his high social status for a brief instant. In order to keep Don Quijote from questioning the whole process, the duke demanded that his beard be washed also, which ultimately put him in the same physical absurdity. Don Quijote is pointedly described as superficially different from the others in the room as he is “darker-skinned” and had his eyes tightly shut.
How is Catherine unique? In the book, Rules by Cynthia Lord, Catherine was the main character who faced many challenges throughout the book. She has a mom who does not really understand her problems. Her dad does not really play a big role in the story. These challenges often include his little brother, David, messing up things.
What genre is the musical? 42nd street is a musical about a musical. It is a comedy that focuses on what happens on stage and off. When and where is it set?
The Red Queen, a scientific book written by British journalist Matt Ridley, is a 405-page marathon leaving the reader struggling to press onward that breaks down why sex is of the utmost importance to humanity. Throughout the book, Ridley explores from a zoologist’s eye just what “human nature” truly means to the world in which humans have thrived in for the previous two hundred thousand years. Ridley creates the Red Queen theory based upon the famous character in Lewis Carroll’s novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. This theory pursues to explain how one organism or species seeks to gain the upper hand through sexual reproduction. Taking the reader on a journey through the intricate dance that is asexual reproduction through the importance
Thee and thy virtues here I seize upon.” The paradox between “rich” and “poor” emphasizes that he is available to appreciate the insight of situations. The contrast between these two decisions made by Burgundy, who thrives for power and wealth and the King of France, highlights the theme of sight and insight, as the power-driven character makes the wrong
In the painting, the group of men seated around a table all seem to be sharing the activity of a dinner gather. The Dutch influence is shown through the passive nature of the figures. While they are all centered around a single gathering, each figure seems to have a soulful, inward gaze. The attentiveness shown by Barendsz in his figures is important to how we are viewing the painting. The Italians were concerned with representing the human body so that it was responding to a single act of will, but here, the figures seem frozen in a state of self reflection.
In comparison to the rigid patriarchal society portrayed in “My Last Duchess”, Keats’ “La Belle Dame sans Merci” illustrates how the freedom of individual expression in the romantic period affects people’s perspective on love. While the narrative persona in “My Last Duchess” demands his wife to devote her love to him, the protagonist of “La Belle Dame sans Merci” devotes to the woman he loves even though the love is unrequited. This is evident through the repetition of the line “On the cold hill side.” throughout the poem. The noun phrase “cold hill” suggests that the knight is lonely and depressed when he waits for the woman solely, however unlike the narrative persona of “My Last Duchess”, he would not demand the woman to love him instead he would wait patiently until the day his affection towards her is accepted.
In contrast, the speaker in the “My Last Duchess” is flippant, jealous and manipulative, which argues that the speaker is complaining about his wife reflect how some powerful men cannot accept their own failure and place
The Duke is speaking to an agent negotiating the marriage of another wife. During the negotiations, the Duke accompanies the servant upstairs into his private art gallery and shows him the painted picture of his now dead wife, painted directly on the walls of the gallery by a great artist at the time, called Pandolf. The painting is kept behind a curtain that only the he can draw to reveal the painting to a visitor. The Duke comments on the painting and recounts the circumstances in which it was painted, and what became of his unfortunate last wife. He is drawing the agent’s attention, in particular, to his former wife’s beautiful facial features - her glance and smile, which mirror immense happiness.
Early in the novel, the reader gets the impression that the painting is pervaded by the longing for the youth that one has lost as well as the frightening deficiency of human life. In chapter eight this painting is described as: “the most magical of mirrors.” (Wilde 98). The portrait works
