(1848-1900) followed
Romanticism (1780-1850) in both the artistic world and the literary world. Realists were
initially rejected by the art community because the art of the period spoke against the art of
the earlier period (Romantic). Romantics tended to blur over the realities of life.
Realists, on the other hand, took a more...
Mrs.
Cratchit is no fan of Mr. Scrooge. On the other hand, Bob Cratchit is very respectful of Mr.
Scrooge, in spite of how poorly he is treated by his boss.
At Christmas
dinner Bob Cratchit gives a thanks to Ebenezer Scrooge and refers to him as "the Founder of
the Feast." This irritates Mrs. Cratchit, who replies,
"The Founder of the Feast indeed!" cried Mrs. Cratchit, reddening. "I
wish I had him...
The Copperheads were the name given to a
political faction in opposition to the Civil War. Civil War historians also refer to the
group
as the Peace Democrats. Unlike modern-day pacifists, their opposition
was not on moral grounds,
but instead, they believed the war to be
unconstitutional. Copperheads also thought the
consequences of the war were
too great of a cost to bear. Fearing freed slaves would move to the
North;
many of the Copperheads were opposed to the emancipation of the slaves. Some
scholars
believe their opposition stemmed from many of the members being
related to southerners or having
economic ties to the South and they did not
want their economic interests to be disrupted by
war. The members supported
the reconciliation of the South through negotiations in avoidance of
civil
war.
Until recently, some historians characterized the Copperheads
as
traitors to the cause of the Union. There is some debate whether the
efforts by Copperheads to
disrupt the war was disloyalty to the Union or only
an expression of their political opposition
to the war. The majority of known
Copperhead members belonged to the Democratic Party at the
time. From the
historical research, it appears most of the membership was located in the
Midwest. These were border states, and the issue of slavery was hotly contested and as
of that
time, not a foregone conclusion whether states could accept or
reject
slavery.
is set in
suburban 1970's Pennsylvania. This is a time that Susie Salmon describes as follows,
This was before kids of all races and genders started appearing on
milk cartons or in the daily mail. It was still back when people believed things like that
didn't happen.
This small description helps to establish
the immense contrast between Susie's time, and our time. This is because, shortly after we read
Susie's description in chapter 1, is when we realize that Susie's own disappearance will perhaps
set the wheels of change in motion, and people "will believe" that things "like
that" do happen.
If we were to compare Susie's time
to our own, we will find that communication works as a factor of differentiation. Susie lives in
a time where "milk cartons" are probably the only medium of communication to expose
the social threat lurking beneath their all-American town. This is why, we see that Susie's
parents do not seem too worried about everyday things such as trusting their neighbors enough to
allow Buckley to go in their houses, or accepting food from Ruana Signh, nor letting their kids
walk home from school.
The best asset that we have in the 21st century to
use as a variable of comparison to the setting of the story in the 1970's is, undoubtedly,
communication. It changes everything and sets the tone,and mood of everyone's lives.
In the 21st century the media uncovers the horrors of crime from rape, to murder, to
torture. We have a consistent "feed" of information telling us, or rather
begging us, NOT to trust the potential "sociopath next door". We
live in a hedonistic society where our constant self-exposure in the social media can make us
prey to just about any unstable person out there. Our society is just as dangerous as Susie's,
but we should (at least) know better. Susie's society would have never stood a chance during a
crime wave, when their world moved as slowly as it did.
Furthermore, as far
as mood and the atmosphere, The Lovely Bones, explores the shaking of the foundation of an
everyday American family. Hence, the concepts of comfort, trust, and joy entail the achievement
of the American Dream: one in which the home provides the safety and the community provides the
support.
We also see the dynamics of everyday suburbia: The stay-at-home
mom, the hardworking Dad who tends to his hobbies, the three children at school, the high school
sweethearts, and most importantly, the seemingly-normal neighbor who tends to his flowers and
shares tips with Mr. and Mrs. Salmon:
The murderer was a
man from our neighborhood. My mother liked his border flowers, and my father talked to him once
about fertilizer. [...] My father came home smiling, making jokes about how the mans garden
might be beautiful but it would stink to high heaven once a heat wave hit.
These details lead the reader to understand the real horror of
Susie's death: How could a family so stable and normal, in such a normal neighborhood, undergo
such aby one of their own neighbors?
Therefore, the main difference between
that community and one today is that we have the benefit of communication and a strong media
that exposes people for who they are. However, nobody never really knows who is who, for real.
Like Susie says:
Dont think every person youre going to
meet in here is suspect. Thats the problem. You never know.
#5 is
correct; Sikhism deviates from the multi-theist tendencies of strict Hindu beliefs
to gather all gods into one; while the connections to Islam and Hindu are
significant, Sikhism also collects belief structures from other major
religions.
Properly, Sikhism is an example of
beliefs, traditions, and ideals from many religions into a
whole.
In
Tennyson's "," the eponymous king is fairly unabashed when it comes to his opinion of
his subjects, the people of Ithaca. Take, for instance, Ulysses' first description of his
people:
...I mete and dole
Unequal
laws unto a savage race,That hoard, and sleep, and feed, and know not me.
(3-5)
From this quote, it's clear that Ulysses regards
the people of Ithaca as an uncouth, uncultured rabble. Indeed, according to the king's account,
it would appear that the subjects of the kingdom are more similar to dumb beasts than human
beings. Ulysses underscores this opinion later in the poem when he refers to his subjects once
again, calling them "a rugged people" (37). All in all, it's quite clear that Ulysses
views the people of Ithaca as uncultured bumpkins unworthy of a legendary king such as
himself.
However, there are other layers present in Ulysses' dislike of his
subjects. It would appear, for instance, that much of the king's resentment stems from his
belief that his people "know not me." In other words, Ulysses dislikes his people
because they make no effort to know and respect him as a unique individual. Instead, they simply
view him as a means to security and provision. As such, Ulysses links his lack of individual
fulfillment to his responsibility to care for his subjects, and so he resents the
"rabble" that have forced him to give up a life of glorious adventure.
Considering these two layers, Ulysses begins to seem remarkably insecure. While it's
true that his subjects don't see him as an individual, it's likely that Ulysses similarly does
not know any of them as individuals either, and in this light his despair seems suddenly moody
and unreasonable. All in all, it's possible to see Ulysses' dislike of his people as a misplaced
grudge, one which actually stems from his dislike of his kingly responsibility but which has
been unfairly placed upon the shoulders of Ithaca's citizens.
Much has been written about themes other than
adventure hidden in the depths of Defoe'snovel. However, the overall prevailing theme is that of
an adventure genre.
By definition the adventure genre is dominated by
danger, action, risks and excitement. They take place in unusual settings unlike that which
people encounter everyday. The action is fast paced and extraordinary compared to daily
life.
Robinson Crusoe contains all of these elements and more. The adventure
begins with the wreck of Crusoe's ship and his immediate action to salvage materials that he can
use to survive. Each day Crusoe must solve problems and find new ways to survive the elements,
hunger and occasional savages. Further adventures have him taming and domesticating wild goats,
learning to grow food to survive, meeting a converting a savage named Friday into a companion
and helping a group of sailors and captain who arrive to restore order to their ship. They in
turn, take Crusoe back home.
