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Similarities Between The Chrysalids And The Merchant Of Venice

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Luwam Paulos Botticella ENG2D1-05 June-7-2023 Introduction: Prejudice and identity are recurring themes in literature, offering profound insights into the human condition. John Wyndham's The Chrysalids and William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice both delve into these themes, highlighting the destructive nature of prejudice and the complexities of personal identity. This essay will compare and contrast the theme of prejudice and identity in both works, examining examples from the texts and drawing upon various citations to support the analysis. Through the examination of characters, events, and their respective contexts, we can gain a deeper understanding of the impact of prejudice on individual identities and the quest for acceptance. …show more content…

In The Chrysalids, the society of Waknuk condemns individuals with genetic mutations as "deviations," leading to their marginalization and persecution. David Strorm, the protagonist, possesses telepathic abilities that mark him as a deviation. The society's prejudice against David and others like him results in their constant fear of being discovered and ostracized. For example, when David's telepathic abilities are exposed, he faces condemnation and is forced to flee for his life. Similarly, in The Merchant of Venice, Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, experiences prejudice and discrimination due to his religious identity. He is subjected to insults and mistreatment by the Christian majority, who view him as an outsider. Shylock's poignant speech in Act III, Scene 1 reveals the effects of prejudice on his own identity: "Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? If you prick us, do we not bleed?" Through this powerful monologue, Shakespeare emphasizes the humanity and shared experiences of individuals, regardless of their religious or cultural

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2. However, in Act 1, Scene 3, Shylock said, “I hate him for he is a Christian” Shylock is clearly contradicting himself. And this would have caused an uproar since the Elizabethan audiences were Christians, causing them to hate his character. D. Shylock enjoys hearing that Antonio’s ship had wrecked overseas and that Antonio is losing a fortune because of it. When Tubal broke the news to Shylock, he responded by saying, “I am very glad of it.

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One way Wyndham expresses how the restriction of identity and self-expression has a negative impact, is through the emotions of the main character, David Strorm, in The Chrysalids. When a significant part of David’s identity, his telepathy, is hidden and restricted he doesn’t feel safe in

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In the reading “Son” by Andrew Solomon, horizontal and vertical identities are compared and dissected through the lenses of society’s perceptions. A vertical identity is when “attributes and values are passed down from parent to child not only through DNA, but also through shared cultural norms”, while a horizontal identity is when “someone has an inherent or acquired trait that is foreign to his or her parents” (370). Solomon being a gay, dyslexic man brought up as an anti-Jew Jew, has well delved into the controversy of the ethics between what is considered an illness versus what is accepted as an identity. In the reading “Son”, Solomon narrates his struggle with identity from his early ages to present, and shows the development of his ethical

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Arthur Miller’s The Crucible demonstrates how excessive pride leads to the downfall of male characters, John Proctor and Reverend Hale. John Proctor is a proud man with a good name in Salem, Massachusetts and in order to uphold it, he must be prideful and deceiving, which eventually leads to his demise. John Proctor is married to Elizabeth Proctor, but has a secret affair with the old family maid, Abigail Williams. In order to save his relationship with his wife, John “wilts, and like a Christian, [he] confesses” (55). Proctor also confesses to the affair because he has pride in his name.

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The “Heroic” Scamp Jealousy plays a horrendous role in society. Furthermore, when jealousy denounces love, humans take drastic actions for the sake of their dignity. Nonetheless, ramifications will be paid due to society’s resentful response to rejection. In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller constructs the character Abigail Williams as the antihero to follow the Hero’s Journey in order to expose the backlash of seeking vengeance.

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Societies are built to be a safe, welcoming and an accepting environment, but sometimes end up to be harsh, cruel and irrational places. In John Wyndham’s novel, The Chrysalids, we are introduced to a world we can never imagine being, yet we live in a world that is actually not very different. David Strorm lives in post-apocalyptic world as a telepathic who is regarded as a mutant and goes on a tough journey with his cousin Rosalind to escape from their non-accepting community. The Waknuk society is indeed very similar to our world considering that today’s society also fears things they do not know about, do not always accept differences and has major issues with dealing with sexism. By comparing Waknuk to our world, the similarities

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In a setting of Salem, Massachusetts 1692, religion is the direct reflection of one's social standing. Reputation is extremely important for the town, as it is your only way to get a fair hearing and respect from the people. The protectiveness of reputation is necessary in The Crucible to justify yourself when presented with fallacious arguments. In this play the importance of reputation is revealed though the uses of ethos, logos and pathos. The protectiveness of reputation is uncovered through various characters such as Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, and John Proctor.

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This is notably seen in John Proctor as he denotes himself to be of much lesser value due to his confession, and affair with Abigail. “I have made a bell of my honour! I have rung the doom of my good name…“ As a result, Proctor who was identified to be an honest, upright and stern man at the beginning of the play feels as though his personal identity developed within the community has been desecrated. In essence, it is the values and morals of Proctor which essentially shape his personal identity, and right to belong within the community. In light of the morals and values of characters evidently shaping the personal identity of characters, this can also be blatantly seen when Francis Nurse, an influential man in Salem, who is well respected in Salem due to his nature of being able to called upon when needed, risks his social standing in an attempt to fulfil his role as a good husband.

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In the novel sealand is shown as non-intentionally discriminate to wards non-telepathics because the non-telepathics would feel very left out of the community of Sealand. This is shown when Petra say “Well, she say we ought to because they have to live dull, stupid lives compared with think-picture people”(Wyndham 146). This show that the if a norm goes to sealand they will feel left out and be discriminated among the others. Although the society that david had came from was discriminated towards anyone who had a slight deviation in the body or were considered blasphemous person. The society of waknuk follows the rules from a book called Nicholas’s redemption, in which it states “And God created man in his own image.

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A sense of belonging is essential to a person's values, but when misused, it can undermine one's reputation and self-identity. Conformity is the act of corresponding attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to match group standards, and politics closely, or being like-minded to fit into group beliefs. In the case of the play, The Crucible, conformity is brought on by one’s desire to uphold their safety and religious beliefs, but it can furthermore result in a loss of identity and personal freedom. In the story, readers learn about the hysteria of the Salem witch trials. The play follows what happens as Abigail Williams and Tituba start falsely accusing people of witchcraft, which creates mass hysteria amongst people in Salem.

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Chrysalids Critical Analysis Society has constructed many absurd theories and ideals, but none are as illogical as the concept of “ normal”. Somewhere along the line, humans began to conform to the theory of normality; its standards determined by the most prevalent characteristics that emerged within a given population. John Wyndham’s dystopian novel The Chrysalids exemplifies this theme through the character of David, who lives in an estate known as Waknuk, where differences generally lead to marginalization. Living in such an oppressive civilization has caused David, who possesses telepathic abilities, to feel like an outsider.

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The Christian characters in the play constantly remind him that he is different, and they hold deep prejudices against Jews. During the Renaissance era, there were widespread anti-Semitic beliefs, which contributed to Shylock's isolation within Venetian society. Shylock's religious beliefs and practices make him stand out, and the Christian characters view him with suspicion, contempt, and disdain. He becomes a target of both obvious and subtle discrimination, enduring derogatory remarks and insults that emphasize his otherness. The systematic rejection and isolation that Shylock experiences create a profound sense of alienation, highlighting the psychological and emotional toll of being an outsider in a society that expects everyone to conform.

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The identity a person holds is one of the most important aspects of their lives. Identity is what distinguishes people from others, although it leaves a negative stereotype upon people. In the short story Identities by W.D Valgardson, a middle-aged wealthy man finds himself lost in a rough neighborhood while attempting to look for something new. The author employs many elements in the story, some of the more important ones being stereotype and foreshadow. For many people, their personal identity is stereotyped by society.

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The social pattern of patriarchy and woman subordination has pervaded much of history, and consequently, has found itself as a timeless theme in literature. The portrayal of women in literature has also been a constant debate throughout time, and many female characters in literature either promote negative stereotypes, encourage the transcendence of patriarchy, or a blend of both. Such is the case for Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, wherein Miller’s portrayal of female characters, such as Abigail Williams, can certainly be viewed as one-sided and offensive Yet, the depiction of women in the play is not exclusively oppressive, for example, Elizabeth Proctor, who is clearly transcendent of the madness of Salem society. The women of the play are also frequently looked down upon and objectified by male characters, namely by John Proctor, which could also be a statement on the seemingly timeless struggle for women to gain societal equity.

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In the story, “The Merchant of Venice,” there is a character named Shylock. Shylock is a Jewish citizen who lives in Venice, a place where Jewish people are one of the lowest class of citizens. This piece by Shakespeare creates this controversial character that can be viewed as a villain or victim. In this play, through the archetypal lense, we can see that Shylock is a villain because of his hatred and his desire for revenge. Some people may see Shylock as a victim because during the time period in which the story is wrote, jewish people were treated like animals and given nearly no rights or role in society.

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