Realism and Ibsen’s a Doll’s House Essay Free Essays

Ibsen: Keeping it Real Since 1879 Realism is a style of writing in which the author strays away from romance and fantasy and leans toward the everyday life of real people and the negative aspects of their lives. The Norwegian author Henrik Ibsen captures the true essence of realism in his famously controversial play A Doll’s House. Nora is an idealistic wife who bows down to her husband’s commands and fulfills his every wish. We will write a custom essay sample on Realism and Ibsen’s a Doll’s House Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now When Torvald, her husband, fell sick she did everything she could to save his life, going as far as forging her dead father’s signature to receive money to pay for their trip to Italy for better heath care. The story takes place during Christmas time, where Nora is now forced to come to terms with the crime she has committed once Krogstad, the man at the bank who gave Nora the money she needed, reveals to her his plan to tell Torvald about her forgery. A Doll’s House is a perfect example of realism, containing many of the key elements of this genre. Ibsen highlights the forced role of women, the deceptive appearances people use to hide their troubles behind, and uses a realist form and style of writing. Understanding the realism genre of literature allows the reader to enjoy a style of writing in which they can relate to and find comfort in, knowing that someone, somewhere, sometime experienced exactly what they themselves are going through Like many women of her time, Nora has to forget about her own wants and ideas and put on the role a women must play to please the people around her. Torvald constantly is putting Nora in her place. When Torvald comes home one afternoon he finds Nora sitting surrounded with bags from her trip to town. He reprimands her about her spending habits before comforting her, saying, â€Å"Now, now, my little song-bird mustn’t be so crestfallen. Well? Is the squirrel sulking? † (Ibsen 149). Torvald is trying to console his wife while also belittling her by using endearing terms. In reality, his words make Nora feel controlled and repressed. Ibsen wants his audience to see that by demeaning Nora, Torvald is trying to get her to mold to the role of a submissive wife who will listen to her husband as if her were her father. Torvald wants Nora to know that he is the one â€Å"on top† in the relationship; he is the bread winner, the man, and the more powerful person. He is always trying to suppress Nora and keep her dominance over him at bay. Not only must women be submissive to their husbands but they were expects to be obedient to him as well. Torvald is always telling this wife not to eat her favorite treat, macaroons, because her teeth with rot and fall out. When Nora buys the dessert in town, she hides them from Torvald. She lies to him when he asks if the thought crossed her mind that day to stop and get a treat. Nora tells her husband, â€Å"No, Torvald really; I promise you†¦ I wouldn’t do anything that you don’t like† (Ibsen 151). Nora is afraid of contradicting Torvald’s word and promises to him she would never do anything to go against him. Instead of being her husband’s equal Nora feels as if she were a child. Ibsen depicts Nora’s marriage as a relationship between a father and his child instead of a husband and his wife and mother of his young children. Torvald treats Nora like a little girl who cannot make her own decisions. She is forced to play this role of a child her whole life; fist under her own father’s roof and now under Torvald’s. The forced roles of women were enforced in society, as well as the idea of keeping one’s flaws concealed from the outside world. Deceptive appearances hide the troubles and pain Nora and Torvald both go through during the play. Mrs. Linde, Nora’s longtime friend, comes over to the Helmer household. Nora and her are chatting about New Year’s plans when Nora says, â€Å"Look, the people upstairs, the Stenborgs, are having a fancy-dress party tomorrow night, and Torvald wants me to go as a Neopolitan fisher-girl and dance the tarantella that I learnt in Capri† (Ibsen 183). Nora tells Mrs. Linde that her and Torvald plan on attending a masquerade party in which she will be dressing up to perform the tarantella as her husband had told her to. Ibsen is telling the reader that people hide behind clothes and masks to hide the hurt and pain going on in their own life, so as to please society and their own friends. Nora is suffering from an internal crisis et she is forced to dress up and go to the party so that her friends do not suspect anything is wrong with her. Torvald being the â€Å"doll player† that he is, controls Nora and basically forces her to put up a front for the world to see. He never sees Nora’s misery the week leading up to the revelation of Nora’s crime because she has been taught to hide the pain so well. Along with hiding from society, one must fulfill all its demanding expectation. When Torvald reads the letter from Krogstad revealing Nora’s forgery, he is enraged. He screams at Nora and tells her she can have no influence over the children and he loves her no longer. Then he remembers what others will think about this situation and says, â€Å"Somehow or other I must try to appease him- the thing must be hushed up at all costs. As for ourselves- we must seem to go on just as before†¦ but only in the eyes of the world of course† (Ibsen 221). Torvald is only concerned about keeping Krogstad quiet and the outside world remaining in the dark about his troubled marriage. He tells Nora they must continue on with life outside as it was before but once inside the house, it all does not matter; he could not care less. Ibsen communicates that along with wearing deceptive appearances, those who want to be accepted, like Torvald, must bow down to society’s expectations. These expectations include maintaining a perfect marriage, raising the children properly, and not allowing your wife to overpower you. Torvald’s only concern is to keep the peace, for the sake of his own last name. He does not care about Nora any longer. He only cares about keeping himself and his reputation safe. Along with outlining some of the key elements of the real world and the society one lives in, Ibsen uses a realistic style of writing. Staying true to realism literature, Ibsen uses a realistic form and style while writing A Doll’s House. One the first page of the play, one can find a detailed description of the set including, â€Å"A comfortable room, furnished inexpensively, but with taste. In the back wall there are two doors; that to the right leads out to a hall, the other, to the left, leads to Helmer’s study. Between them stands a piano† (Ibsen147). A long list of props preludes all of the acts of the play. Ibsen uses this detailed list of props to bring a sense of reality to his play. He allows the audience to feel as if they truly are sitting in the Helmers’ living room watching Nora fall prey to her husband. It allows one to sink completely in the story and become a part of it all. One of Ibsen’s viewers could easily identify with the characters seeing that they lived in the same middle class home and neighborhood as they themselves do. Ibsen also was able to identify with his audience by using a simplistic writing style. When talking to Nora about her children, the children’s nanny says, â€Å"The poor little mites are playing with their presents, but-† (Ibsen 181). The nurse speaks in a common, simple language. Unlike previous writing styles, realism uses everyday common language and interrupted thoughts, run on sentences, and expressions. Ibsen used this style of writing, again, to identify with the audience he was presenting to. His works were seen my middle class citizens, who were used to working hard long hours in filthy conditions. These people were not spending their days eating cakes and playing chess. They spoke in a ruffle-free, basic language, which is exactly the language Ibsen adopted for his realist play. Ibsen exposed the his audience to a new view of the very lives they were living by using this form of writing. Although Ibsen was not showing his audience anything new, he presented them their most inner secrets they kept hidden and shoved them in their own faces. Ibsen highlighted the role women were taught to play, the deceptive appearances the people wore daily, and expressed these ideas using the people’s realistic style of speech. Ibsen was a writer for the people of the 1800s, but his works are treasured and applicable even in today’s world. ALL QUOTES DIRECTLY FROM A DOLL’S HOUSE How to cite Realism and Ibsen’s a Doll’s House Essay, Essays

Comparing Walton and Victor free essay sample

Compare the characters of Victor and Walton as Shelley presents them in the early parts of the novel. What similarities are there between the characters and quests? In the early chapters of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley the character of Walton is introduced through a series of letters he is writing to his sister back in London (the whole novel is an epistolary structure) as he is on a voyage to the North Pole in hope of fulfilling his goal of a breakthrough scientific discovery and â€Å"discovering some of nature’s most profound secrets†. Walton is full of hope and scientific curiosity and a passionate determination that he will achieve his goals â€Å"I shall satiate my ardent curiosity with the sight of a part of the world never before visited, and may tread a land never before imprinted by the foot of man†; he wants to set himself apart from other scientists and discover something altogether new, something that will bring him fame and fortune and ensure that he is remembered forever- he is on a journey that-he learns later in the novel-may not turn out to be the success that he thought it was, and his â€Å"ardent curiosity† may be his downfall in the end. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparing Walton and Victor or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page His loneliness (â€Å"I feel the bitter want of a friend†) is subsided when a man â€Å"on the brink of destruction† is brought upon the ship, half dead and â€Å"wretched†. The man they bring on board-Frankenstein- bears a lot of similarities to Walton, from their aspirations and complete obsession to discover the undiscovered. There is however, one major difference between these 2 characters-Frankenstein has already been in Walton’s shoes and has already experienced the consequences of his endeavours-and they were not pleasant, as he relays the story to Walton, warning him how he has â€Å"suffered great and unparalled misfortunes† through his â€Å"seeking of knowledge and wisdom† and seeing Walton do the same, he warns him of the dangers of knowledge and tells of his story-his parents, his wonderful childhood, his thirst for knowledge and, most important of all, his obsessive scientific curiosity that led him to make the choices he made that were ultimately his downfall. He has learned from them, a little too late, and he only hopes that Walton will heed his warning about the dangers of knowledge, and not make the same mistakes that he did, that led to his destruction. Shelley made the characters so similar in ambition and character that this evokes the thought of the ‘doppelganger’, a popular theme amongst gothic literature. Frankenstein is almost Walton’s doppelganger- everything he is, bright, mbitious-but also everything that he doesn’t want to become- a â€Å"wretch†, a man haunted by his choices and on â€Å"the brink of destruction†, all because of his desire to become recognised among the scientific world and leave his mark on the world. Because of Frankenstein’s story Walton witnesses what the danger of knowledge can do and warns him-a kindness no one could do to Frankenstein-to not follow in his footsteps â€Å"exposing him to the same dangers† as he did. Frankenstein feels as he has unleashed such a horror into the world, the least he can do is to prevent another like-minded person making the same mistakes he did, and through that, not ruin his and countless lives, as if he has been so fortunate as to have someone relay their story about knowledge and destruction before he made the choices he did, he may have rethought his priorities and still be living a happy life after the novel’s end. In short, Frankenstein was doing Walton a kindness by retelling his tragic story; and that brings about another characteristic that Shelley wrote them to both have-they are both good men. They are deeply affectionate to their close ones â€Å"heaven shower down blessings on you my beloved sister†, â€Å"mine to love and cherish†, and their obsession fuelled by a desire to benefit the world. This evokes sympathy both in the reader and Walton, when he hears Frankenstein’s tragic tale-how a good man with good intentions can make choices so catastrophic that they ruin the lives of those closest to them and themselves-maybe this is why in the end Walton decides to turn back? Both men are also linked with one massive similarity-they both have an incredibly obsessive, if somewhat selfish, nature. Some of Walton’s first words in the letters are â€Å"If I fail you will see me soon or never† he is determined that this voyage will be a success, and is prepared to die for the cause. This mirrors Frankenstein’s feelings later on in the novel â€Å"stars would often disappear in the night sky while I worked in my laboratory†-Frankenstein’s obsession with discovery had him pushing himself to the limit to accomplish his goals, sacrificing time and health, at any cost as long as he succeeded. That cost, he finds out eventually, is too high, and seeing Walton with the same obsessive nature, going on a voyage that is potentially life-threatening, he wishes him to stop and think thoroughly about whether it is worth it, something that he failed to do, as no one had interfered when he was creating the creature and warned him of the dangers, and as it is too late to repair his mistakes, he can stop Walton from letting his obsessive nature rule him-â€Å"I imagine that you may deduce an apt moral from my tale†- as it did Frankenstein. Walton and Frankenstein are two very similar men-both have passion, drive and determination that set them apart from other men, and give them a dangerous obsessive edge. Frankenstein has learned from his mistakes and has accepted his fate â€Å"nothing can alter my destiny†, and wants to make sure that another good man, so much like himself does not make the same life altering decisions that he did, searching blindly for knowledge that may be dangerous to uncover, so he retells his story to Walton in the hope of preventing him destroying his life. Walton with his drive at first in the letters to his sister mentions that does he â€Å"not deserve to accomplish some great purpose? † he believes he deserves success and has worked and will work impossibly hard to ensure his labours do not go unrecognised. But Walton also mentions that he â€Å"feels the bitter want of a friend† â€Å"to approve or amend my plans†. His prayers were answered in the form of Frankenstein, and after his tale of woe Walton finally decides to turn back and abandon his voyage-he listened to Frankenstein, as a â€Å"brother of my heart† and as an older version of him that has failed. Now, the reader wonders, if Frankenstein had the same great luck as Walton to find someone with the same drive and obsession to retell his story to him and make him stop and think thoroughly if he is doing the right thing? Would he have still made the creature? Or would he have stopped and be living happily with his living family long after the novel’s end? This, perhaps, is the greatest difference between Frankenstein and Walton. Walton had an older, wiser version of himself retelling his tale of misfortune that stopped Walton and potentially saved him. Frankenstein did not have that luxury of someone older and wiser intervening in his work, so he continued carrying out his work, putting in it all of his hopes and dreams, when in reality, he was creating his own destruction.

The Canterbury Tales A Character Sketch Of Chaucers Knight Essays (51

The Canterbury Tales: A Character Sketch of Chaucer's Knight Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in approximately 1385, is a collection of twenty-four stories ostensibly told by various people who are going on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral from London, England. Prior to the actual tales, however, Chaucer offers the reader a glimpse of fourteenth century life by way of what he refers to as a General Prologue. In this prologue, Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are involved in this imaginary journey and who will tell the tales. Among the characters included in this introductory section is a knight. Chaucer initially refers to the knight as "a most distinguished man" (l. 43) and, indeed, his sketch of the knight is highly complimentary. The knight, Chaucer tells us, "possessed/Fine horses, but he was not gaily dressed" (ll. 69-70). Indeed, the knight is dressed in a common shirt which is stained "where his armor had left mark" (l. 72). That is, the knight is "just home from service" (l. 73) and is in such a hurry to go on his pilgrimage that he has not even paused before beginning it to change his clothes. The knight has had a very busy life as his fighting career has taken him to a great many places. He has seen military service in Egypt, Lithuania, Prussia, Russia, Spain, North Africa, and Asia Minor where he "was of [great] value in all eyes (l. 63). Even though he has had a very successful and busy career, he is extremely humble: Chaucer maintains that he is "modest as a maid" (l. 65). Moreover, he has never said a rude thing to anyone in his entire life (cf., ll. 66-7). Clearly, the knight possesses an outstanding character. Chaucer gives to the knight one of the more flattering descriptions in the General Prologue. The knight can do no wrong: he is an outstanding warrior who has fought for the true faith_according to Chaucer_on three continents. In the midst of all this contenton, however, the knight remains modest and polite. The knight is the embodiment of the chivalric code: he is devout and courteous off the battlefield and is bold and fearless on it. In twentieth century America, we would like to think that we have many people in our society who are like Chaucer's knight. During this nation's altercation with Iraq in 1991, the concept of the modest but effective soldier captured the imagination of the country. Indeed, the nation's journalists in many ways attempted to make General H. Norman Schwarzkof a latter day knight. The general was made to appear as a fearless leader who really was a regular guy under the uniform. It would be nice to think that a person such as the knight could exist in the twentieth century. The fact of the matter is that it is unlikely that people such as the knight existed even in the fourteenth century. As he does with all of his characters, Chaucer is producing a stereotype in creating the knight. As noted above, Chaucer, in describing the knight, is describing a chivalric ideal. The history of the Middle Ages demonstrates that this ideal rarely was manifested in actual conduct. Nevertheless, in his description of the knight, Chaucer shows the reader the possibility of the chivalric way of life.

Youth Violence and Music essays

Youth Violence and Music essays The prevailing opinion in the media is that listening to violent lyrics tends to lead to violence. This idea permeates nearly all media, news and entertainment. According to the conservative organization Empower America, the issue at heart is such music leading us on a slide toward decivilization (Bennet and Tucker, 1995). The idea being that by glorifying subjects like rape, murder, suicide and homophobia [the fear of homosexuals and their lifestyle], these lyrics erode the judgement and thought capabilities of adolescents. In recent history, the popular solution to the problems of our society has been censorship [the mandated editing or suppression of the music thought to be at fault]. The Parents Music Resource Center [PMRC], headed by Pamela Howar and including such big Washington names as Tipper Gore [wife of Democratic Presidential Nominee Al Gore] pushed for Motion Picture Association of America [MPAA] style ratings of music (Deflem, 1993). The PMRCs efforts resulted in the widely noticed Parental Advisory warnings. While the adults seem to agree, the youth, adolescents and artists alike, seem to take a different direction. The dominant point of view among younger audiences is that no one is responsible for teen violence but those who act out. But there is a second view. We are all equally guilty for the violent acts of youths (Manson, 1999). Such violent acts, while increasingly spoken about by news and entertainment media, the Centers for Disease Control report that violence in adolescents is down (Youth 2000). Given the perceived impact of violent lyrics, and the immense popularity and friction of this issue, it is surprising that little or no actual study has been done to back up any of these claims (Hogan et al, 1996). The ultimate goal of my research is to determine whether there is a real, causal connection between violent lyrical content in music and violent feelings in teens. H...

Transformational leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Transformational leadership - Essay Example The group exists to achieve a common purpose or task, and the leader's actions in one area affect both the others; thus successful achievement of the task is essential if the group is to be held together and its members motivated to give their best effort to the job. So, the four key elements of performance should be taken into account. These are: measurement - assessing results against agreed targets and standards; feedback - giving people information on how they are doing; positive reinforcement - emphasizing what has been done well so that it will be done even better in the future; only making constructive criticisms, i.e. those that point the way to improvement; exchange of views - ensuring that the discussion involves a full, free and frank exchange of views about what has been achieved, what needs to be done to achieve more and what individuals think about their work, the way they are guided and managed and their aspirations. Performance and development reviews provide those in volved with the opportunity to reflect on past performance as a basis for making development and improvement plans. Obtaining historical perspective through analysis is a necessary part of the review but reaching agreement about what should be done in the future is what it is all about. The performance review should take the form of a dialogue, not a top-down interview or 'appraisal' (Boehnke, Bontis, 2003). The old routines of central planning and negotiating inputs from might have gone, but there remained the assumption that some other agency would solve the problems: an assumption the CEO himself appeared to share. All of this was taking place within a structure which remained hierarchical, with little involvement of junior management or the workforce, who believed that their product could only sell locally and clung to the assumption that they could sell everything they could produce (Whipp, 1991). This systems view therefore suggests that organisations can and do change by mutually reinforcing and amplifying stimuli within their systems. It is change on the basis of the current ways of doing things: in this sense, it is an explanation of incremental change. The change agent seeking to manage change incrementally would, therefore, search for ways in which changes could be made within current systems, which would have the effect of amplifying change. Education and communication might be appropriate if there is a problem in managing change which is based on misinformation or lack of information. It requires an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect between managers and employees, and might well be time consuming if large numbers are involved in the change since it is unlikely that mass briefings of people will be sufficient to communicate effectively. Many organisations realise that such situations are likely to require small group briefings and debate if the communication is to be effective. However, often the direction or process of strategic change lacks clarity, so relying on processes of communication alone is problematic. The ability to motivate and inspire employees is now a core competence for the best managers. In order to achieve optimal goals three basics would be taken into account: motivation, reward and commitment. Motivating other people is about getting them to move in the direction you want them to go in

The role of the female characters. How do they represent the feminist Essay

The role of the female characters. How do they represent the feminist issues that may have been occurring around the time work was written. please include Everyday Use, by Alice Walker - Essay Example It is the commitment by women to achieving equality in the society. There are various type of feminism namely; motherhood, medicine, legal rights, child abuse, working women, and conservative feminism (Walters 21). In this essay therefore I will look at the role of the female charactors and how they represent the feminist issues that may have been occurring around the time work was written. Women characters of the time Walker wrote this piece of work are portrayed to be had working and enthusiastic. After the demise of Mama`s husband and left her to take care of the family on her own, we find her perform different tasks like, during the day she puts on overall to signify the extent at which she works. She is described to be ‘big boned woman with rough, man working hands’. She performs various tasks such as killing and cleaning a hog, breaking ice to get water, milking animals among other duties. This brings the feminist issue of motherhood and of gender equality as the women of this time also played the roles that were perceived to be for the men (Hoffman 31) Women are portrayed as people who are had working and are of high ideals. This is seen in the character traits of Mama who does every thing possible to bring up her two little children despite being the only sole bread winner. She is also seen as a woman of high integrity and stature in the society. She wake up in the morning and puts on her overall ready to start her daily chores. These bring out the them of feminism and how constructive a woman can be in the society. It also implies that women just like men deserve equal rights and treatment. Walker also bring two contrasting lives lived by the two daughters of Mama. Dee is said to live a good lifestyle of the American culture which she acquired following her disappearance after the fire tragedy that burnt their house. On the other hand, Maggie’s life is portrayed to be miserable and is full of tribulations, at first

Kant, Mill and Socrates (Meno) on deontology and utilitarian scenario Essay

Kant, Mill and Socrates (Meno) on deontology and utilitarian scenario - Essay Example More important, the duty is based on doing to others what they would do unto you. From the deontological response, there would not be a response that is violent or which tries to cause harm to anyone in Al Qaeda. The first reason is because it is assumed that there are men, women and children that may be harmed with an attack or violent component to Al Qaeda, which would unnecessarily hurt others. The second is because the terrorists may seek destruction, but the attacks in recent times were not launched, making the attack only one of revenge. This doesn’t follow a moral obligation or right. The only fair way to act with the deontological morality as the basis is to find Al Qaeda and to take two approaches. The first would be to arrest him and hold trial for the past problems which have arisen. However, to do this, there would need to be consideration from the government where Al Qaeda is hiding. The second would be to find where the individuals are, make sure there are substantial evidence, then try to take the individuals without violent actions so they can be detained and questioned. This particular approach is one that is justified and is morally just according to the approach, specifically because it doesn’t harm others, it holds to human rights and universal truth and it doesn’t create any conflicting duties because it abides by because laws of justice. The one aspect of the deontological morality which can be used to justify the al Qaeda concepts and to take action is based on the ability to act for human rights and universal truth. There is the abil ity for the government to act within the means of offering a justification and trying to stop the attacks from happening. Since there is information on where the location of al Qaeda is, as well as alternatives that are known about the specific approach, there is also the ability to create a tactic and set of techniques that will stop any further attacks without harming the individuals which are surrounding the area and which may become victim to the attacks unnecessarily. The ideals of Kant with the deontological viewpoint would be opposed from the utilitarianist approach. In this instance, there is the focus on actions promoting the greatest good for the greatest number. In the scenario, the approach would be to attack al Qaeda and to use whatever means necessary to stop them from functioning. Violent outbreaks, the need to attack the space in which they are in and responding in terms of moral rights that are based on clear cut actions would be justified. If it is expected that al Qaeda is expecting to dispatch destruction on various targets worldwide, then the moral thing to do would be to stop them from acting and to ensure that they don’t harm the majority of the nations that would be involved in the attacks. Even though this would mean that some casualties would occur that held a sense of innocence, there would still be the ability to save the greatest number of people by blockading the attacks. Even though this specific approach would create a direct attack, there are also assumptions which are considered and which state that there are unknowns with stopping al