Critical Analysis of Peter Singers Famine Affluence and Morality Essay Example for Free

Critical Analysis of Peter Singers Famine Affluence and Morality Essay In his article â€Å"Famine, Affluence and Morality† Peter Singer gives a seemingly devastating critique of our ordinary ways of thinking about famine relief, charity, and morality in general. In spite of that very few people have accepted, or at any rate acted on, the conclusions he reaches. In light of these facts one might say of Singer’s arguments, as Hume said of Berkeley’s arguments for immaterialism, that â€Å"†¦ they admit of no answer and produce no conviction.†[1] While I do think that Singer’s considerations show that people should do considerably more than most people actually do, they do not establish his conclusions in their full strength or generality. So his arguments admit of a partial answer, and once properly qualified may produce some conviction. In â€Å"Famine. Affluence, and Morality,† Peter Singer stresses the possible revisionary implications of accepting utilitarianism as a guide to conduct. He does not actually espouse utilitarianism in this essay, rather a cousin of utilitarianism. He observes, in the world today, there are many people suffering a lot, leading miserable lives, on the margin, prone to calamity whenever natural disasters or wars or other cataclysmic events strike. Many millions of people live on an income equivalent to one dollar a day or less. What, if anything, does morality say one should do about this? Singer proposes two principles—a stronger one he favors, a weaker one he offers as a fallback. The Strong Singer Principle: â€Å"If it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it.† The Weak Singer Principle: â€Å"If it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without sacrificing anything morally significant, we ought, morally, to do it.† Consider the Strong Singer Principle. He explains that â€Å"by without sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance† I mean without causing anything else comparably bad to happen, or doing something that is wrong in itself, or failing to promote some moral good, comparable in significance to the bad thing that we can prevent.† From the first principle it follows that whether one should help those who are suffering or dying doesn’t depend on how close one is to them, unles s that makes helping them more difficult, because their distance from one does nothing to lessen their suffering. From both principles together, it follows that one’s obligation to help those who are suffering or dying doesn’t go away if other people who are also in a position to help them aren’t doing anything, because the presence of other people who do nothing is, in moral terms, no different from the absence of people who do something. Singer comments on this argument by adding that he could get by with a weaker version of the second principle, which would have â€Å"something of moral significance† in place of â€Å"something of roughly equal moral importance† (506). He also gives a hypothetical example of the second principle in action: If one is in a position to save a child drowning in a pond, one should rescue the child even though that means dirtying one’s clothes, because that is not a morally significant cost and the child’s death would be an extremely morally bad state of affairs (506).

Morality - Ethics Essay Example for Free

Morality Ethics Essay 1. What are the fundamental questions which ethics tries to resolve? Ethics seeks to resolve questions dealing with human morality—concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. 2. Distinguish a human act from act of man. The difference between human acts and man acts is that human acts are a free will decision. This includes knowledge, freedom and voluntarism When modifiers come into play, then it makes the act become the act of man. The elements are ignorance, passion, fear, violence and habits. You act simultaneously with your feelings. A human act is an action that is considered to be carried out voluntarily, whereas an act of man is an involuntary action. The distinctions and nuances between an act of man and a human act are often a focus of philosophical debate. 3. What is morality? Morality is the differentiation of intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good orright and those that are bad, evil or wrong. Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of conduct from a particular philosophy,religion, or culture, or it can derive from a standard that a person believes should be universal. 4. Distinguish moral, immoral, and amoral. Moral concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. Immoral actions or events: those areas of interest where moral categories do apply and of are such a kind as to be evil, sinful, or wrong according to some code or theory of ethics. Amoral actions or events: those areas of interest exhibiting indifference to and not abiding by the moral rules or codes of society. 5. How will you determine the goodness and badness of human act? An event which is caused solely by the effect of nature or natural causes and without any interference by humans whatsoever. 6. What qualities of human act have ethical in form? The qualities of human act that have ethical in form are the actions that are free and deliberate, those that proceeds from the free and conscious acts of man and the act that is always done for a purpose. 7. What are different connotations of the term moral? The term â€Å"morality† can be used either 1. descriptively to refer to some codes of conduct put forward by a society or, a. some other group, such as a religion, or b. accepted by an individual for her own behavior or 2.normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons. 8. Why is Ethics important? Ethics is a requirement for human life. It is our means of deciding a course of action. Without it, our actions would be random and aimless. There would be no way to work towards a goal because there would be no way to pick between a limitless number of goals. Even with an ethical standard, we may be unable to pursue our goals with the possibility of success. To the degree which a rational ethical standard is taken, we are able to correctly organize our goals and actions to accomplish our most important values. Any flaw in our ethics will reduce our ability to be successful in our endeavors. 9. Why should ethics always be treated a way of life? Ethics, sometimes known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophythat involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. The superfield within philosophy known as axiology includes both ethics and aesthetics and is unified by each sub-branchs concern with value. Philosophical ethics investigates what is the best way for humans to live, and what kinds of actions are right or wrong in particular circumstances. Ethics may be divided into three major areas of study. Meta-ethics, about the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions and how their truth values (if any) may be determined. Ethics seeks to resolve questions dealing with human morality—concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime. 10. How is responsibilities entaill in a human act? Responsibility for own existence is grounded on self-awareness and personal freedom to make choices. By exercising freedom to choose man becomes totally responsible for himself. But his responsibility does not stop there; it extends to other people so that at the end it assumes the form of universal responsibility. There are at least three circles in the extension of our responsibility. The Individual responsibility, if existence precedes essence man is responsible for his own actions. Total Responsibility, If man is free to choose what he is going to make of himself, he is entirely responsible for what he is becoming. Universal Responsibility, If man is fully responsible for what he is presenting as the image of man, he is responsible for all men. 11. What are the different approaches in dealing with the problem of moral principles? ?The Utilitarian Approach Utilitarianism was conceived in the 19th century by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill to help legislators determine which laws were morally best. Both Bentham and Mill suggested that ethical actions are those that provide the greatest balance of good over evil. ?The Rights Approach The second important approach to ethics has its roots in the philosophy of the 18th-century thinker Immanuel Kant and others like him, who focused on the individuals right to choose for herself or himself. ?The Fairness or Justice Approach The fairness or justice approach to ethics has its roots in the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, who said that equals should be treated equally and unequals unequally. ?The Common-Good Approach This approach to ethics assumes a society comprising individuals whose own good is inextricably linked to the good of the community. Community members are bound by the pursuit of common values and goals. ?The Virtue Approach The virtue approach to ethics assumes that there are certain ideals toward which we should strive, which provide for the full development of our humanity. These ideals are discovered through thoughtful reflection on what kind of people we have the potential to become. 12. Research on the following: a. The problem of Moral Principles Now, such principles come in two distinct forms: formal principles (i. e. moral principles without specific action-guiding content) and substantive principles (i. e. moral principles with specific action-guiding content). In what follows, I consider substantive principles first, then formal. Both forms of principles, I argue, are incapable of providing the sort of moral guidance necessary to achieve mature moral judgments (i. e.judgments that are appropriate to the situations they are judgments of). The problem is that such principles are unable to provide information about what actually would, in a given situation, uphold justice or maximize utility. That is, formal principles fail to provide moral agents with the tools necessary to evaluate the complex details particular situations confront them with, or to develop appropriate moral solutions. b. The problem of Scope Morality Scope of morality are moral concept which are mixed modes, are transparent, we cannot reduce the descriptions of our moral life, that is the descriptions using our moral vocabulary, to some substantial residue or some real objects. c. The problem of Moral Obligation Moral obligations are standards that do not merely advise or recommend our conformity, but demand it. Moral obligations come from the demands or expectations of society d. The problem of Freedom Freedom naturally occurs in nature, but only becomes an issue in the way that humans view themselves, their surroundings and others. Freedom grants one the right to behave without fear or punishment i. e. go anywhere they wish, do anything they wish or say anything they wish. Of course there are always limits imposed on freedom. We are all born free, but as we grow we learn the physical limits of our surroundings. We learn about the limits imposed on us by gravity or by our physical surroundings such as walls. The thing is, freedom can only exist if you recognize its existence and then exercise it while at the same time acknowledging and tolerating others freedom. e. The problem of Moral Practice Since cultures and individuals differ in certain moral practices, there are no objective moral values. Several objections can be made to this argument. First, the fact that people disagree about something does not mean there is no objective truth. If you and I disagree about whether or not the earth is round, for example, this is not proof that the earth has no shape. In moral discussion, the fact that a skinhead and I may disagree about whether we should treat people equally and fairly is not sufficient evidence to say that equality and fairness have no objective value. f. The problem of Casuistry. A bias is an unwarranted inclination or a special perspective that disposes us to mistaken or one-sided judgments. The potential for bias arises at each stage of a case method of reasoning including in describing, framing, selecting and comparing of cases and paradigms. A problem of bias occurs because to identify the relevant features for such purposes, we must use general views about what is relevant; but some of our general views are biased, both in the sense of being unwarranted inclinations and in the sense that they are one of many viable perspectives. 13. Is it right to say that â€Å"What is right for me to do is what I really want to do† and why? No,it’s not right to say it that way because you are only thinking about yourself. And sometimes even it is right for you its not what you really want to do because you’re also thinking about the others, what will be the effect of this to them and whatsoever. 14. What is basic substanceof the problem freedom. Freedom is one of those slippery words, difficult to define because it is an ambiguous and abstract man-made concept. It naturally occurs in nature, but only becomes an issue in the way that humans view themselves, their surroundings and others. Freedom is only an issue in the presence of oppression, and oppression only exists among humans as a result of their perceptions of the world around them. The thing is, freedom can only exist if you recognize its existence and then exercise it while at the same time acknowledging and tolerating others freedom. 15. Distinguish between moral principles and moral rules. Moral principle the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group; the Puritan ethic; a person with old-fashioned values. Moral Rules- they come out into the open only when the person is questioned. Very often one of the rules contradicts another, thus enabling the user to resort first to one and then to the other to suit his convenience or to accord with his pre-existing prejudices. These rules are usually those they have been taught to believe.

Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift | Analysis of Satire

Gullivers Travels by Jonathan Swift | Analysis of Satire Abstract: this thesis provides a possible insight into Gullivers Travels by analyzing Jonathan Swifts satires rather than reading it as a childrens book. Swiftian satires about humanity in the four books are to the fullest. The whole novel is like a mirror by which human flaws are reflected. It probably would long have been forgotten if the book did not carry critical thinking about humanity. An analysis of Satires in Gullivers Travels I. Introduction 1.1 About Jonathan Swift As the greatest satirist in the English language, Jonathan Swift was both admired and feared in his own time for the power of his writing and hugely influential on writers who followed him. At the age of fourteen, Swift entered Trinity College in Dublin University, where he stayed for seven years. After graduation in 1688, he went to England to work as a secretary and personal assistance for Sir William Temple. In 1694, he was ordained as a priest in the church of Ireland (Anglican Church) and assigned as vicar (parish priest) of Kilroot, a chruch near Belfast (in Northern Ireland). In 1692, Swift received a M.A. from Oxford. He returned to working with Temple in1696. Meanwhile, he continued working on satires which deal with political and religious corruptions surrounding him. A tale of a Tub and A Battle of the Books are two of them composed during this time. He also wrote lots of political pamphlets for the Whig party. When Temple died in 1699, he returned to Ireland, becoming Chaplain to lord Berkley. In 1702, he received a D.D. (Doctor of Divinity) from Dublin University. After a few conflicts with the Whig party, he joined the more conservative Tory party in 1710. Unfortunately for Swift, the Tory government fell out of power in 1714. Before the fall of Troy government, Swift hoped his services would be rewarded with a church appointment in England. However, the best position he was rewarded was the Deanery of St. Partricks, Dublin. Again, he returned to Ireland. During his stay in Dublin, some memorable works were composed: Proposal for Universal Use of Irish Manufacture (1720), Drapiers Letters (1724), A Modest Proposal (1729). His works e arned him status of a patriot. Also during the same period, he began to write the masterpiece Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, better known as Gullivers Travels. Much of the material reflects his political experiences of the preceding decade. Fist published in November 1726, it was an immediate sensation. A total of four printings were arranged from Nov. 1726 to early 1727. 1.2 About Gullivers Travels Gullivers Travels is regarded as Swifts masterpiece. It is a novel in four parts recounting Gullivers four voyages to fictional exotic lands. His travels is first among diminutive peoplethe Lilliputians, then among enormous giantspeople of Brobdingnag, then among idealists and dreamers and finally among horses. Each book has a different theme, but their common trait is to deflate human nature. Gulliver had a shipwreck and boarded a rowboat with six other crewmen to escape. Soon the rowboat capsized. Gulliver managed to swim on shore. He fell into sleep. When he woke up he found himself bound by numerous tiny threads. Some diminutive people marched on his body. Some other people armed with bows and arrows stand by around him. They are ready to deal Gulliver with violence if he attacks. Overall, they are hospitable. Gulliver eats more than one thousand Lilliputians combine could and they feed him despite the risk of famine. He is presented to the emperor and is satisfied by the attention of the royalty. Eventually, Lilliputians take advantage of Gullivers strength and hugeness to fight against people of Blefuscu. The two factions oppose each other in that they have difference ways to crack eggs. But things change when Gulliver is convicted of treason for urinating on the palace to save the emperors wife from a fire. He is condemned to be shot in the eyes and starved to death . Gulliver escapes to Blefuscu, where he finds and repairs a broken boat and sets sail for England. After staying in England with his family for two months, he sets sail again. The voyage takes him to a land of giants Brobdingnag. A field worker finds him and takes him home. Initially, the field worker treats him as a pet. Eventually, he sells Gulliver to the queen who makes him a courtly diversion and is entertained by his musical talents. Gullivers life at this point is easier but still is not enjoyable. He is often repulsed by the physicality of the Brobdingnagians, whose ordinary flaws are many times magnified by their huge size. He is disgusted by their skin pores. He is often frightened by the animals that endanger his life. There is once when he wakes up on the bed of the farmers wife and is attacked by two rats. Even Brobdingnagian insects leave slimy trails on his food that makes eating unpleasant. On a trip to the frontier, the cage Gulliver is in plucked up by an eagle and dropped into the sea. He successfully leaves Brobdingnag. Gulliver undertakes next voyage after staying at home in England for only ten days. The ship undergone attacks by pirates and Gulliver ends up in Laputa. The floating island is inhabited by theoreticians and academics governing the land below, called Balnibarbi. The scientific research carried out in Laputa and in Balnibarbi seems completely useless and impractical, and its residents too appear totally out of touch with reality. Taking a trip to Glubbdubdrib, Gulliver is able to witness the conjuring up of figures from history, such as Julius Caesar and other military leaders. After visiting the Luggnaggians and the Struldbrugs, the latter of which are senile immortals who prove that age does not bring wisdom, he is able to sail to Japan and from there back to England. Gulliver stays for five months in England but then leaves his pregnant wife to set sail as a captain. Many of his crewmen die of illness, so he recruit more along the way. His crewmembers mutiny under the influence of the new sailors to become pirates. They lock him in a cabin. After a long confinement, he arrives in an unknown land. The rational-thinking horses, Houyhnhnms and humanlike creatures, Yahoos live in the land. The brutish Yahoos serve the Houyhnhnms. Gulliver again endeavours to learn their language to narrate his adventures to them and explain things in England. He is treated with great courtesy and kindness by the horses and is enlightened by their noble culture and rational thinking. For the first time in his voyages, he does not yearn for leave to come back to humankind. He wants to stay with the Houyhnhnms, but his bared body reveals to the horses that he is very much like a Yahoo. Therefore, he is banished. He is very reluctant to leave but agrees. He builds a cano e and makes his way to a nearby island. He first decides to live there with the barbarians there rather than return to live with English Yahoos. He was hurt by an islander and picked up by a Portuguese ship captain who treats him hospitably. However, Gulliver cannot help deeming him and all human as Yahoolike. After returning home, Gulliver buys two horses and converses with them every day for four hours. 2. Satires in Gullivers Travels Gullivers Travels reflects conflicts in British society in the early 18th century. By narrating Gullivers adventures in Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, and Houyhnhnm, the novel reveals and criticizes sins and corruption of British ruling class and their cruel exploitation towards people of Britain and neighboring countries in the capital-accumulation period of British history. Gulliver is treated differently in different countries. The author depicts every situation at great length, which makes readers feel like experiencing them personally. The greatness of the work lies in the authors proficient application of bitting and profound satires. Swift makes satirical effects to the fullest by using techniques of irony, contrast, and symbolism. The story is based on then British social reality. He not only satirizes on then British politics and religion, but also, in a deeper facet, on human nature itself. Swifts superb rendering of satires leads Gullivers Travels to becoming a milestone l ooked up to by future literary persons in satirical literature. There are at least three types of satirical technique presented in Gullivers Travels: verbal irony, situational irony and dramatic irony. First, verbal irony means using words in an opposite way. The real implied meaning is in opposition to the literal meaning of the lines in verbal irony. In other words, it uses positive, laudatory words to describe evidently ugly and obnoxious matters in order to express the authors contempt and aversion. The book carries verbal irony from the beginning to the end of the story. Second, situational irony occurs when there are conflicts between characters and situation, or contradiction between readers expectation and actual outcomes of an event, or deviation between personal endeavors and objective facts. In Gullivers Travels, the plot development is often the opposite of what readers expect. Third, dramatic irony is when words and actions possess a significance that the listener or audience understands, but the speaker or character does not. Swift also uses contrast as a rhetorical device to construct satirical effects. In order to reach the purpose of satire, he puts contradictory subjects together to describe and compare. There are at least three evident pairs of contrasting subjects. First is Gulliver and Lilliputians. They differ hugely in figures and in characters. The height of Gullivers body exceeds Lilliputians in the proportion of twelve to one. As to character differences, Gulliver is kind-hearted and grateful with a sense of justice, whereas Lilliputians are more cunning. They want to make full use of Gulliver in the war fought with its conflicting country: Blefuscu. He helps them against invasion from it but refuses to serve for them in their invasive territory expansion. Second, in Part II, figures of the citizens and Gullivers again form a stark contrast. In Brobdingnag, he is put in a carriage and carried to the marketplace to perform his tricks. He tries to please those giants by showing them his little c oins and perform tricks with his sword. He comes into conflict with the Queens favorite dwarf and they scheme against each other. On the other hand, the erudite King of Brobdingnag governs his country with reason, common sense, justice and mercy. The political system in Brobdingnag is very ideal and orderly, in which law guarantees freedom and welfare of the nationals. Gulliver introduces to the King Englands society and political system and embellishes the truth. He describes how great England is, how judicious the politics is and how just the law is. However, he could barely defend himself facing the Kings question. Besides, the comparison between the Kings liberal governance and rule under Englands bourgeois class reveals corruption of its politics. Third, the ruling class of the country of the Houyhnhnms are horse-like beings of reason, justice and honesty, whereas the ruled class (yahoos) are heinous, greedy and pugnacious creatures. The contrast between the Houyhnhnms and the Yahoos is extreme. The horses are clean and sweet-smelling; their diet is temperate and vegetarian. Their habits constitute the temperance that the eighteenth century thought characterized reasonable man. The Yahoos, on the other hand, are human in form and feature. They are filthy and they stink. They are omnivorous but seem to prefer meat and garbage. Satire refers to a genre of literature which is often used by literary persons as a witty weapon to hold up vices, follies and shortcomings in a society to ridicule, usually with the intent of mocking individuals or society into improvement. Samuel Johnson (1709-84) defined satire as a poem in which wickedness or folly is censured. Besides the fact that few, if any, would nowadays confine satire to poetry, the rest of the definition works well enough. Satire condemns, either overtly or covertly, what it believes to be wrong, generally with a view to achieving reform. It works best when there is general agreement among its readers about what is right or normal. It may be directed against an individual, a group or humanity in general. Irony, ridicule, parody, sarcasm, exaggeration are common satirical techniques, in which the first is the most common employed one. As a major technique of satire, irony involves a difference or contrast between appearance and reality that is a discrepancy between what appears to be true and what really is true. Three kinds of irony have been recognized since antiquity. First, dramatic irony derives from classical Greek literature and from theatre. It refers to a situation in which the audience has knowledge denied to one or more of the characters on stage. In other words, dramatic irony occurs when a character states something that they believe to be true but that the reader knows is not true. The key to dramatic irony is the readers foreknowledge of coming events. Second or more reading of stories often increases dramatic irony because of knowledge that was not present in the first reading. For example, in Twelfth Night composed by Shakespeare, Malvolios hopes of a bright future d erive from a letter which the audience knows to be faked. Second, verbal irony, sometimes known as linguistic irony, occurs when people say the opposite of what they really mean. Therefore, it often carries two meanings: the explicit meaning and a often mocking meaning running counter to the first. This is probably the most common type of irony. Third, Socratic irony takes its name from the ancient Greek writer Socrates, who often in his philosophic dialogues asks apparently foolish questions which actually move the debate in the direction he wants. Nowadays, two further conceptions have been added: structural irony and romantic irony. The first one is built into texts in such a way that both the surface meaning and deeper implications are present more or less throughout. One of the most common ways of achieving structural irony is through the use of a narrator, whose simple and straightforward comments are at variance with the readers interpretation. Swift applies this technique in Gullivers Travel by setting Gulliver as the narrator of the stories. In Romantic irony, writers conspire with readers to share the double vision of what is happening in the plot of a novel, film, etc.. In this form of writing, the writer sets up the world of his text, and then deliberately undermines it by reminding the reader that it is only a form of illusion. 3. An analysis of Satires in the Four Parts 3.1 Satirical targets in Part 1 Swifts satirical attacks on humanity are relatively mild in Book 1. Disgust for human in this book is not yet detectable and apparent. A series of amusing and ridiculous happenings in this part provide readers a relaxed atmosphere. For example, the part describing how Gulliver saves the palace and the emperors wife is hilarious. I had the evening before drunk plentifully of a most delicious wine, called glimigrim (the Blefuscudians call it flunec, but ours is esteemed the better sort) which is very diuretic. By the luckiest chance in the world, I had not discharged myself of any part of it. The heat I had contracted by coming very near the flames, and by labouring to quench them, made the white wine begin to operate by urine; which I voided in such a quantity, and applied so well to the proper places, that in three minutes the fire was wholly extinguished, and the rest of that noble pile, which had cost so many ages in erecting, preserved from destruction. (Swift 2007: 25) Many descriptions in Part I employs the technique of verbal irony. For instance, in Chapter III, Swift ridicules the Lilliputians arrogance and ignorance by describing how mathematicians in Lilliput measure Gullivers height by the help of a quadrant. They having taken the height of my body by the help of a quadrant, and finding it to exceed theirs in the proportion of twelve to one, they concluded from the similarity of their bodies, that mine must contain at least 1728 of theirs, and consequently would require as much food as was necessary to support that number of Lilliputians. Swift ridicules, by which the reader may conceive an idea of the ingenuity of that people, as well as the prudent and exact economy of so great a prince. He makes good use of the technique of verbal irony in this this laughable, thought-provoking and seemingly ordinary ironic narration to achieve satirical effects. In Chapter V, despite the fact that the conflict between Lilliput and Blefuscu is blatantly ri diculous, Gulliver depicts it with total seriousness. The tone with which Gulliver tells the story is serious. However, the more serious he is the more ridiculous and laughable the conflict is. This again is the employment of verbal irony. Swift expects us to understand that the history Gulliver relates parallels European history. The High-Heels and the Low-Heels correspond to the Whigs and Tories of English politics. Lilliput and Blefuscu represent England and France. The conflict between Big-Endians and Little-Endians represents the Protestant Reformation and the centuries of warfare between Catholics and Protestants. Through these representations, the author implies that the differences between Protestants and Catholics, between Whigs and Tories, and between France and England are as silly and meaningless as how a person chooses to crack an egg. The egg controversy is ridiculous because there cannot be any right or wrong way to crack an egg. Therefore, it is unreasonable to legis late how people must do it. Similarly, we may conclude that there is no right or wrong way to worship God—at least, there is no way to prove that one way is right and another way is wrong. The Big-Endians and Little-Endians both share the same religious text, but they disagree on how to interpret a passage that can be interpreted in two ways. By mentioning this incident, Swift is suggesting that the Christian Bible can be interpreted in more than one way and that it is ludicrous for people to fight over how to interpret it when no one can really be certain that one interpretation is right and the others are wrong. In these chapters, Gulliver experiences Lilliputian culture, and the great difference in size between him and the Lilliputians is emphasized by a few examples through which the authors satires of British government are explicitly expressed. For instance, government officials in Liliput are chosen by their skill at rope-dancing, which Gulliver regards as arbitrary and ludicrous. Clearly, Swift intends for us to understand this episode as a satire of Englands system of political appointment and to infer that Englands system is similarly arbitrary. The difference in size between Gulliver and the Lilliputians reflects the importance of physical power, a theme that recurs throughout the novel. Gulliver begins to gain the trust of Lilliputians over time, but it is unnecessary: Gulliver could crush them simply by walking carelessly. Despite the evidence in front of them, they never recognize their own insignificance. This is clearly the use of dramatic irony in which the reader knows the truth but the characters in the stories deny it. They keep Gulliver tied up, thinking that he is under control, while in fact he could destroy them effortlessly. In this way, Swift satirizes humanitys pretensions to power and significance. 3.2 Swiftian Satires in Part II Compared with Book I, Swifts satire is more clearly implied in the second book and attacks on political issues and humanity are more apparent. It is evident that Swift begins to express his discontent over Europe as the worlds dominant power and its practice of colonialism in this section if the historical context is considered. Swift wrote Gullivers Travels at a time when Europe was the worlds dominant power and when England was rising in power with its formidable fleet. The English founded their first colony Virginia in America in 1585 due to competition with the Spanish. Then they continued the process of colonization and expansion throughout the world. In this section, Gullivers initial adventure in Brobdingnag is not so desirable. At first, the farmer almost tramples on him. The family virtually enslaves him, making him to perform tricks to paying visitors. This enslavement emphasizes the fundamental humanity of the Brobdingnagians-just like Europeans, they are happy to make a quick buck when the opportunity arisesand also makes concrete Gullivers lowly status. Swift also plays with language in a way that both emphasizes his main satirical points about politics, ethics, and culture and makes fun of language itself. (SparkNotes Editors, 2003). In the beginning of this adventure, Gulliver uses naval jargons (sprit-sail, fore-sail, mizen, fore-sheet, downhaul) to depict the various attempts his ship makes to deal with the great storm at sea. The description is complicated and full of obscurities. One probably cannot help wondering why Swift bothered writing these difficult-to-understand words since they seems with the least importanc e to the whole story. However, it is not a waste of effort. The words are meant to be incomprehensiblethe point is to satirize the jargon used by writers of travel books and sailing accounts, which in Swifts view was often overblown and ridiculous. (SparkNotes Editors, 2003) By making Gulliver use jargon to such an extreme, Swift mocks those who would try to demonstrate their expertise through convoluted language. Mockeries like this one repeats elsewhere in the novel. Swifts main purpose is to criticize the validity of various kinds of expert knowledge that are more showy than helpful, whether legal, naval, or, as in the third voyage, scientific.(SparkNotes Editors, 2003). 3.3 Swiftian satires in Part III Swifts satires in the third book shift focus from ethic and political aspects to academic field, since most part of this section contributes to description of impractical scientific experiments and workings of certain things. For instance, descriptions Gulliver makes about the technique used to move the island are convoluted. Also, The method of assigning letters to parts of a mechanism and then describing the movement of these parts from one point to another resembles the mechanistic philosophical and scientific descriptions of Swifts time. (SparkNotes Editors, 2003). From these, Swift again successfully satirizes specialized language in academic field. Laputa is more complex than Lilliput or Brobdingnag because its strangeness is not based on differences of size but instead on the primacy of abstract theoretical concerns over concrete practical concerns in Laputan culture. However, physical power is still an important factor in Laputa. Here, power is exercised not through physical size but through technology. The government floats over the rest of the kingdom, using technology to control its subjects. The floating island represents the distance between the government and the people it governs. The king is oblivious to the real concerns of the people below. He has never even been there. The noble men and scientists of the island are also far removed from the people and their concerns. Abstract theory dominates all aspects of Laputan life, from language to architecture to geography. Swift continues his mockery of academics by describing the projects carried out in the cities below Laputa. The academy serves to create entirely useless projects while the people stare outside its walls. Each project described, such as the extraction of sunbeams from a cucumber, is not only false but also purposeless. Even if its scientific foundation were correct, it would still serve no real purpose for the people meant to gain from it. The result is a society in which science is promoted for no real reason and time is wasted as a matter of course. This again is the use of dramatic irony where the reader knows certainly that those scientific projects are a waste of time while the scientists in the story are striving for success of the experiments. 3.4 Swiftian satires in Part IV In the fourth part, disgust for human is expressed to such an extreme that readers often feel uncomfortable reading this section. Swift deflates humankind very straightforwardly by portraying the Yahoos humanlike and associating humankind with Yahoos. Gulliver tells the horse that in his country, the Yahoos are the governing creatures. Moreover, after he introduces Europe to his horse-like master, he admits that Gullivers humans have different systems of learning, law, government, and art but says that their natures are not different from those of the Yahoos. Situational irony occurs when there are conflicts between characters and situation, or contradiction between readers expectation and actual outcomes of an event, or deviation between personal endeavors and objective facts. The plot development in Gullivers Travels is often the opposite of what readers expect. For example, in this part, Gullivers crewmembers mutiny when they are near Leeward Islands and he is abandoned in an unknown landthe country of the Houyhnhnms. The Houyhnhnms are horse-like, physically strong and virtuous beings. Gulliver is regarded as likable as a yahoo by them. He tries to prove to the Houyhnhnms that he is not a Yahoo in nature although he looks like one. He talks at length about wars fought for religious reasons, Englands legal system, and his great love of his native country. However, the more he tries to cover up human flaws, the more they are known when he is questioned by the Houyhnhnms. The readers expectation may be Gullivers stay in the country of th e Houyhnhnms for his feverish passion for the Houyhnhnms. However, at last, they conclude that Gulliver is a yahoo in disguise because he has all traits a yahoo possesses and refuse his request to live there. Gulliver undergoes a stage of transform in book four, where he develops a love for the Houyhnhnms to the point that he does not want to return to humankind. He has an identity crisis although he is not aware of it. He thinks of his friends and family as Yahoolike, but forgets that he comes from English Yahoos. The Houyhnhnms think that Gulliver is some kind of Yahoo, though superior to the rest of his species. He asks them to stop using that word to refer to him, and they consent. This once again expresses disgust for human. 4. Functions of satires in Gullivers Travels 1. Stress the sense of absurdity Throughout much of Part I, Swift satirizes European practices by implicitly comparing them to outrageous Lilliputian customs. In these chapters, Swift also plays with language in a way that pokes fun at humanitys belief in its own importance. When the Lilliputians draw up an inventory of Gullivers possessions, the whole endeavor is treated as if it were a serious matter of state. The contrast between the tone of the inventory, which is given in the Lilliputians own words, and the utter triviality of the possessions that are being inventoried, serves as a mockery of people who take themselves too seriously. Similarly, the articles that Gulliver is forced to sign in order to gain his freedom are couched in formal, self-important language. But the document is nothing but a meaningless and self-contradictory piece of paper: each article emphasizes the fact that Gulliver is so powerful that, if he desires, he could violate all of the articles without much concern for his own safety. 2. reveal the snobbish nature of human culture In Gullivers adventure in Brobdingnag, many of the same issues that are brought up in the Lilliputian adventure are now brought up again, but this time Gulliver is in the exact opposite situation. Many of the jokes from Gullivers adventure in Lilliput are played in reverse: instead of worrying about trampling on the Lilliputians, Gulliver is now at risk of being trampled upon; instead of being feared and admired for his huge size, he is treated as an insignificant curiosity; instead of displaying miniature livestock in England to make money, he is put on display for money by the farmer. As a whole, the second voyage serves to emphasize the importance of size and the relativity of human culture. In the last part, Swift shifts attacks to defects in human nature represented by yahoos. His description about the country of the Houyhnhnms reveals corruption of human society and states a view that only those who live in a natural state are pure and noble. Just like Gulliver puts it, I must freely confess that the many virtues of those excellent quadrupeds placed in opposite view to human corruptions, had so far opened my eyes and enlarged my understanding, that I began to view the actions and passions of man in a very different light, and to think the honour of my own kind not worth managing. 3. make fun of expert languge Gullivers initial experiences with the Brobdingnagians are not positive. First they almost trample him, then the farmer virtually enslaves him, forcing him to perform tricks for paying spectators. Whereas in Lilliput, his size gives him almost godlike powers, allowing him to become a hero to the Lilliputian people, in Brobdingnag his different size has exactly the opposite effect. Even his small acts of heroism, like his battle against the rats, are seen by the Brobdingnagians as, at best, tricks. Swift continues to play with language in a way that both emphasizes his main satirical points about politics, ethics, and culture and makes fun of language itself. While Gulliver is still at sea, he describes in complicated naval jargon the various attempts his ship makes to deal with an oncoming storm. The rush of words is nearly incomprehensible, and it is meant to be so—the point is to satirize the jargon used by writers of travel books and sailing accounts, which in Swifts view w as often overblown and ridiculous. By taking the tendency to use jargon to an extreme and putting it in the mouth of the gullible and straightforward Gulliver, Swift makes a mockery of those who would try to demonstrate their expertise through convoluted language. Attacks like this one, which are repeated elsewhere in the novel, are part of Swifts larger mission: to criticize the validity of various kinds of expert knowledge that are more showy than helpful, whether legal, naval, or, as in the third voyage, scientific. 4. criticize excessive rationalism Gullivers third voyage is more scattered than the others, involving stops at Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg, and Japan. Swift completed the account of this voyage after that of the fourth voyage was already written, and there are hints that it was assembled from notes that Swift had made for an earlier satire of abstract knowledge. Nonetheless, it plays a crucial role in the novel as a whole. Whereas the first two voyages are mostly satires of politics and ethics, the third voyage extends Swifts attack to science, learning, and abstract thought, offering a critique of excessive rationalism, or reliance on theory, during the Enlightenment. 5. Conclusion Gullivers Travels is not only rich in content, but also deep in meaning. His satires about humanity in the four books are to the fullest. Satires are both implicitly and explicitly constructed throughout the four books. Disgust for human steadily increases as the narrative proceeds. The greatness of this novel does not plainly lie in Swifitian satire. The whole novel is like a mirror by which human flaws are reflected. It probably would long have been forgotten if the book did not carry carry critical thinking about humanity.

Music Today: Entertainment or Influence to Murder? Essay -- essays res

Music Today: Entertainment or Influence to Murder? Teen violence, murder, suicide; they seem to be becoming more and more rampant everyday. The media, as well as concerned, angry parents, look everywhere to find someone to blame for these tragedies. Their fingers are pointed in the direction of many music entertainers. Artists and performers are being badgered everyday for their lyrics and image they create for their fans. Can music really influence someone to acts of violence? Maybe, to the mentally unstable or uneducated. Is music at fault for these acts of violence? Absolutely not. It cannot be blamed for the crimes of obvious psychotic adolescents. The music business, mainly â€Å"death† metal, has been said to be at fault for major tragedies, for example the Columbine High School Shootings. In fact, one media spokesperson even related the two killers to Marilyn Manson because they were apparently dressed like him. This constant distraction of pointing the blame on someone else just strays our focus on the real causes. Mus ic can directly express the personality of many individuals. The way the dress, the way they talk. Overall it expresses the way a person feels. However, can music be blamed for the actions some of it’s listeners my take? Over the past ten years or so, music has been the scapegoat to many murders, acts of violence, and sexual abuse for many years now. Many cases have now opened with the introduction of Death Metal to music world. Since many murders are now rampant within young children and teenagers, there must be someone to blame for them. One example is in 1995 the Death Metal band Slayer was blamed for encouraging Royce Casery, Joseph Fiorella, and Jacob Delashmutt to torture and kill Elyse Pahler, 15-years-old. The parents of Pahler blame the disgusting lyrics of Slayer to the crime. The three boys, all fans of Slayer and bands of their stature, were all found guilty and are still serving time in jail. The Pahler’s tried suing both the band, and the record companies for making these albums available to young teens. However, the courts threw out all the accusations against Slayer and the record companies, with right cause. The music didn’t kill their daughter, the three boys did and a re now serving their time (Horn, 1). Another case noted, 17-year-old Jay Fieldon Howell was arrested for stabbing a girl in the neck. The girl survived, but ... ...r what he does with it? Or if he’s a teenager, should someone else be blamed because he isn’t as enlightened as an eighteen-year-old (Manson, 4)?† There should be no praise for death in this world, whether it be in war or just cold blooded murder. So is entertainment to blame for all these acts of violence, murder, and sexual abuse? The media commentators should ask themselves this question because their coverage of these events were some of the most gruesome entertainment any of us have ever seen. Works Cited Horn, John. "Heavy Metal: Music to Murder By?" Newsweek 4 Nov. 2000: pp. 46. Manson, Marilyn. "Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?" Rolling Stone 28 May 1999: pp. 1-5. Miller, Alec. "Rockin' in the Free World?" The Washington Post 3 Feb. 2001: pp. A20. Morgan, Fiona. Mother's Who Think. 17 Jan. 2001 www.salon.com/mwt/hot/1998/12/15hot.html. Temple, Johnny. "Noise From the Underground." The Nation 18 Oct. 1999: pp. 17-18, 20. Waxman, Sharon. "Did 'Death Metal' Music Incite Murder?; Lawsuit Against Band, Distributors Could Overcome First Amendment Hurdle." The Washington Post 23 Jan. 2001: pp. E1. (Sources from www.elibrary.com)

Determinism in Nella Larsen’s Quicksand Essay -- Nella Larsen Quicksan

Determinism in Nella Larsen’s Quicksand During the Harlem Renaissance, many literary works concentrated on celebrating African American heritage. However, many other writers also began concentrating on the darker theme of naturalism. Nella Larsen’s Quicksand illustrates many elements of this movement. These include a biological determinism, where man is conceived of as controlled by his primitive animal instincts and a sociological determinism, whereby the weak are destroyed and the strong survive in a world of struggle and chance. Helga Crane, Larsen’s protagonist in Quicksand, illustrates the elements of both biological and sociological determinism in her inability to suppress her natural animal instinct to flee uncomfortable situations, and to comfortably conform in either of her opposing communities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Helga cannot suppress her desire to flee from uncomfortable situations in any city that she lives in. In Naxos, she convinces herself that she is leaving a place that has â€Å"grown into a machine† (4). Although the conforming nature of the institution contributes to Helga’s desire to leave, she is also stirred with â€Å"an overpowering desire for action of some sort† (4). Instead of staying in Naxos and fighting a battle against the institute’s conservative attitudes, Helga chooses to flee an unpleasant reality. This exemplifies the â€Å"fight or flight† animal instinct that is said to control behavior in situations that become overwhelming. Instead of fighting, Helga time and time again chooses to leave what becomes unbearable to her. Once the decision is made to leave Naxos, Helga feels â€Å"like a person who had been for months fighting the devil and then unexpectedly had turned around and agreed to do his bidding† (5). Helga knows deep down that leaving Naxos is wrong, but the instinct to flee is so strong that she is powerless to deny it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In New York, Helga is also consumed by the animal instinct of flight. When Dr. Anderson calls on her after a chance meeting at a nightclub, Helga â€Å"had no intention of running away, but something, some imp of contumacy, drove her from his presence, though she longed to stay† (51). Once again, Helga succumbs to her overwhelming desire to leave an uncomfortable situation. Later she realizes with a â€Å"sense of helplessness and inevitability†¦that the weapon she had chosen had been a boomerang, for she herself had felt... ...at the advice she offers these women is looked upon with contempt. She begins to adapt to her life after Sary Jones advises her to â€Å"make de bes’ of et† but her efforts falter during her next pregnancy (125). Instead of making the best of her life, Helga hands over this responsibility to God which eventually leads to the same feeling of â€Å"dissatisfaction [and] asphyxiation that she felt in Naxos, New York and Copenhagen† (134). After all of her experiences, her inability to conform leads her right back to the same place she started from. It is obvious that Helga Crane will never truly be able to â€Å"fit in† in any society. It is apparent that Nella Larsen’s Quicksand is concerned with the naturalistic element of determinism. Helga Crane illustrates both a biological and sociological determinism in her animal instinct for â€Å"flight† and her inability to conform in any of her environments. Larsen’s ability to integrate these themes into the character of Helga proves that the Quicksand is not only representative of the Harlem Renaissance, but also of the naturalistic movement. Work Cited Larsen, Nella. Quicksand and Passing. Ed. Deborah E. McDowell. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1986.

Roaring Camp Essay -- essays research papers

The Regeneration of Roaring Camp "And so the work of regeneration began is Roaring Camp"(9). The regeneration referred to takes place in a California mining camp in 1850 after the birth of Tommy Luck, son of Cherokee Sal, the camp’s prostitute, who died giving birth. Sometimes one doesn’t realize how much he needs to change until he gets a subtle push from fate. Just a little addition to the world can cause a regeneration of a lifetime. Bret Harte demonstrates this idea in the story "The Luck of Roaring Camp." In this story, Bret Harte shows that even the roughest men can regenerate into kind, gentle, wholesome people, with the love of a child. "The term "roughs" applied to them was a distinction rather than a definition(3). The men of Roaring Camp live the way they please. They have no rules or regulations, nobody to impress, and nobody to tell them what to do or how to act. "The assemblage numbered about one hundred men. One or two of these were actual fugitives from justice, some were criminal, and all were reckless"(2). The men of Roaring Camp were unruly and all it takes is the love of an infant to change the rude into responsible. Roaring Camp will go through a regeneration of a lifetime. All of the men at the mining camp will strive to make Roaring Camp a suitable place for a baby to live. The very first signs that the men are in the process of change...

Jane Eyre

In this essay I will be exploring how Charlotte Bronte conveys hardships in her portrayal of life. Furthermore the issue of life in Victorian England and what Victorian readers may think of the treatment of children will also be looked upon. Many of the hardships that children face are shown through the several descriptions and the actions of characters that are close to Jane. Throughout the text we learn that the novel explores the lack of rights and mistreatment of an orphan by her rich relatives. The issues of child abuse are often considered between the Reed family. In the novel the portrayal of the reed children seems to interfere with Jane's life. The author emphasises them to be unfriendly and unkind to Jane as she is an adopted sister. They are shown as being immoral and haughty. They like to abuse Jane because they feel she is inferior. Their feelings of superiority towards Jane are what cause them to intimidate and torment Jane. The depiction of John Reed shows him to be a bully and unaffectionate: â€Å"John had not much affection for his mother or sisters† which indicates ungratefulness from John towards the rest of his family. Bronte tries to characterize him as a murderer. The quotation â€Å"I really saw in him a tyrant: a murderer† shows Jane's feelings towards John; that he is ruthless and bloodthirsty. This is so that the audience can realise how and what Jane feels about her unintelligent cousin. The portrayal of Georgina differs greatly from that of John. A â€Å"spoiled tempered† brat at the mere stage of childhood is the interpretation of Georgina. She is shown as being spiteful through the quote â€Å"acrid spite† and is additionally perceived to be arrogant which is publicized by the extract â€Å"insolent carriage†. These extracts indicate to us that despite the lack of violence that Georgina contributes towards Jane, Jane still dislikes Georgina. Other attributes of Georgina are her â€Å"pink cheeks† and â€Å"golden curls†. These underline features of Georgina that Jane likes, and could possibly be implying that she herself may want to develop the attributes of beauty seen within Georgina, as Jane may not be self confident of her own image. Eliza is pictorised as being â€Å"Eliza who was headstrong and selfish was respected† indicating the personality of Eliza. Eliza is also depicted as being quick-witted. There is no evident quote however by reading between the lines we can obtain this from the passage â€Å"Eliza just put her head in at the door, and said at once: â€Å"She is in the window-seat to be sure Jack. † Bronte dictates Jane's feelings so the audience are conscious of how and what Jane feels. Mrs Reed is another character of the novel. The way she treats Jane differs greatly from her own children's treatment. As the responsible adult of the household she is a role model for all the children, however her behaviour is not only damaging Jane, it is also harming her own children. Jane's harsh treatment from all the family is what causes her to be isolated and unsociable. She treats her children with respect, care and love. We can accumulate this information from the text â€Å"Eliza, John and Georgina were now clustered round their mama in the drawing-room: she lay reclined on the sofa by the fireside, and with her darlings about her (for the time neither quarrelling nor crying) looking perfectly happy. † On the other hand her treatment towards Jane is cruel, unjust and inconsiderate. The quotation â€Å"she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for contended, happy little children. † Shows us how immensely the treatment of Jane fluctuates from her cousins. Mrs Reed also treats Jane with unsympathetic punishment. For example when John Reed and Jane had a brawl, Jane was the one who was punished regardless of the fact that John began it. This is when Jane is sent to the red room; â€Å"Take her away into the red-room, and lock her in there† this indicates unfairness from Mrs Reed towards Jane as instead of John being reprimanded she is chastising Jane. All in all Mrs Reeds actions affect Jane in the worst ways possible. This is because as being the adult and landlord of the house she must control the actions of herself and others, however she does not do this for Jane's benefit therefore Jane is affected drastically. Not only do the actions of one adult articulate the way someone is treated but it is the way a certain group treats someone. In this case there are just three other adults in Jane's life that either treat her moderately or dishonestly. Abbot is loyal towards her mistress, Mrs Reed, and treats Jane the way Mrs Reed would treat her. The quotation â€Å"No; you are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep. † indicates that despite Jane is a member of the Reed family she is not treated to be as one by both the children and Abbot. Mr Lloyd is an â€Å"apothecary† who is treating Jane the day after her encounter with, what she recalled as being, a spirit. We learn that Jane is happy in Mr Lloyd's presence as he is a stranger to the occupants of Gateshead and due to this she is protected in his attendance. We can attain this from the quotation â€Å"I felt an inexpressible relief, a soothing conviction of protection and security, when I knew that there was a stranger in the room, an individual not belonging to Gateshead, and not related to Mrs. Reed. † this indicates that Jane is elated as in the presence of a stranger as she will not be physically abused. This in effect proclaims that Jane has a predominant fear of the Reed's especially Mrs Reed and John Reed. Bessie is manifested as someone who has a love for Jane to some extent as her opinion on Jane changes after the occurrence in the Red Room. However, when Jane misbehaves she handles her appropriately. Her treatment towards Jane is proclaimed through the text â€Å"Missis was rather too hard† which denotes that even Bessie finds Mrs Reed's treatment towards Jane extremely inconsiderate and inappropriate. On the other hand she treats Jane appropriately when Jane misbehaves or is blamed such as the incident after the fight; â€Å"If you don't sit still, you must be tied down,† which corroborates that Bessie is a fair person and is un-opinionated person towards Jane. Bronte also creates various moods to help the spectators appreciate Jane's situation. The weather is related to the mood that Jane will elaborate on in the following and upcoming paragraphs. We can notify this from the quote â€Å"the cold winter had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question. † This depicts the darkness, and darkness is usually related with evil and the presence of something terrible about to happen. The weather is like this on the day of Jane's fight with John Reed and the mood at the beginning of the chapter spawns suspense to some degree. Furthermore, the situation of the Reed accommodation is upon the heath. This shows isolation as there is nothing surrounding the house but grass and other greenery. It, in some ways, relates to Jane as she is isolated in the Reed household. Everyone is opposing her and no one is there to offer her help with the circumstances she is facing such as reciprocated abuse. Charlotte Bronte makes Jane's fears pragmatic through the dialogue and the description of the Red room. The quotation â€Å"the carpet was red; the table at the foot of the bed was covered with a crimson cloth;† depicts the colour of the room; red, hence the name â€Å"The Red Room†. Jane describes the Red room as being â€Å"one of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion. † She also describes some furniture such as â€Å"a bed supported on massive pillars of mahogany, hung with curtains of deep red damask,† Bronte does this so that reader gets an insight of the Red rooms features. The author starts to build up suspense by introducing that â€Å"Mr. Reed had been dead nine years: it was in this chamber he breathed his last:† which at once has a dramatic impact on the reader. It brings about the idea of the room being red. Red habitually relates to blood and the demise of Mr Reed enhances the flavour. Jane's fears are then brought to life through the text â€Å"and the strange little figure stood there gazing at me, with a white face and arms speckling the gloom,† this makes us sense a palpable atmosphere of mystery and the supernatural activities. This is somewhat retrospective of the death of Mr Reed and the connection of Red with blood, as now there is a traditional scheme of a ghost dwelling in the room of someone's bereavement. As Jane wakes up we notice that within the next few lines Jane's mood changes rapidly. At first she calm and collective, while she reflects on herself for example; â€Å"All said I was wicked, and perhaps I might be so:† but then after conceiving another paranormal vision her mood turns to anxious and petrified. The segments â€Å"My heart beat thick, my head grew hot† and â€Å"I rushed to the door and shook the door in desperate effort† expose Jane's fears as she is attempting to escape the room as her vision panics her. Bronte also exemplifies school life in her novel. In this she illustrates the daily hardships that young orphan children face. In this chapter we recognise that Jane isn't the only child being neglected. She uses Helen Burns as an example of the destitutions facing children. For example the fragment â€Å"the teacher instantly and sharply inflicted on her neck a dozen strokes with the bunch of twigs. † Which acquaints us that Jane isn't the lone child suffering. She also depicts the teacher to be inconsiderate and inequitable. For instance â€Å"Burns: her memory seemed to have retained the substance of the whole lesson, and she was ready with answers on every point. I kept expecting Miss Scatcherd would praise her attention† this demonstrates inequality and impoliteness from the teacher towards the pupil. There is also a poor quality of life for the residents of Lowood such as â€Å"the water was frozen† and â€Å"Breakfast time came at last, and this morning the porridge was not burnt; the quality was eatable, the quantity small; how small my portion seemed! I wish it had been doubled† this implies that the children are being malnourished. The schools are also cold which we can obtain from the text â€Å"I felt ready to perish with cold. and overcrowded; â€Å"in the course of the day I was enrolled a member of the fourth class,† this all indicates that school life for children was unimaginably pitiless and spiteful and living conditions were criticisable. All in all, throughout the first three chapters, we ascertain that life in Victorian England was appalling especially for orphan children. The poor had to work to earn a living, however, for the rich it was a walk in the park. Regardless of the fact that people had not to accept someone, they did although only for the sake of their reputation. This is what the Reed family did and accommodated Jane. However by doing so they may not comprehend the anguish they are presenting the adopted child. We also learn that school life for children in Victorian England was a disregard towards them as they were disrespected and ignored. The living conditions for children in the schools were abysmal as there were a number of students in one class and they were all emaciated. This may make Victorian readers think that the treatment of children was, to an intensity, immensely astringent, horrendous and unreasonable. It may also make them think about how they treated their children and whether they had mentally and physically destroyed their child's emotions by means of neglection. Bronte may have done this so that she could express her life to the public. She used her experiences in the Evangelical school and as governess to publish â€Å"Jane Eyre†. Also her experience at the Clergy Daughter's School, which she left due to harsh conditions, could be another reason. Overall her lifetime experiences are the reasons for her to publish this novel. Jane Eyre In this essay I will be exploring how Charlotte Bronte conveys hardships in her portrayal of life. Furthermore the issue of life in Victorian England and what Victorian readers may think of the treatment of children will also be looked upon. Many of the hardships that children face are shown through the several descriptions and the actions of characters that are close to Jane. Throughout the text we learn that the novel explores the lack of rights and mistreatment of an orphan by her rich relatives. The issues of child abuse are often considered between the Reed family. In the novel the portrayal of the reed children seems to interfere with Jane's life. The author emphasises them to be unfriendly and unkind to Jane as she is an adopted sister. They are shown as being immoral and haughty. They like to abuse Jane because they feel she is inferior. Their feelings of superiority towards Jane are what cause them to intimidate and torment Jane. The depiction of John Reed shows him to be a bully and unaffectionate: â€Å"John had not much affection for his mother or sisters† which indicates ungratefulness from John towards the rest of his family. Bronte tries to characterize him as a murderer. The quotation â€Å"I really saw in him a tyrant: a murderer† shows Jane's feelings towards John; that he is ruthless and bloodthirsty. This is so that the audience can realise how and what Jane feels about her unintelligent cousin. The portrayal of Georgina differs greatly from that of John. A â€Å"spoiled tempered† brat at the mere stage of childhood is the interpretation of Georgina. She is shown as being spiteful through the quote â€Å"acrid spite† and is additionally perceived to be arrogant which is publicized by the extract â€Å"insolent carriage†. These extracts indicate to us that despite the lack of violence that Georgina contributes towards Jane, Jane still dislikes Georgina. Other attributes of Georgina are her â€Å"pink cheeks† and â€Å"golden curls†. These underline features of Georgina that Jane likes, and could possibly be implying that she herself may want to develop the attributes of beauty seen within Georgina, as Jane may not be self confident of her own image. Eliza is pictorised as being â€Å"Eliza who was headstrong and selfish was respected† indicating the personality of Eliza. Eliza is also depicted as being quick-witted. There is no evident quote however by reading between the lines we can obtain this from the passage â€Å"Eliza just put her head in at the door, and said at once: â€Å"She is in the window-seat to be sure Jack. † Bronte dictates Jane's feelings so the audience are conscious of how and what Jane feels. Mrs Reed is another character of the novel. The way she treats Jane differs greatly from her own children's treatment. As the responsible adult of the household she is a role model for all the children, however her behaviour is not only damaging Jane, it is also harming her own children. Jane's harsh treatment from all the family is what causes her to be isolated and unsociable. She treats her children with respect, care and love. We can accumulate this information from the text â€Å"Eliza, John and Georgina were now clustered round their mama in the drawing-room: she lay reclined on the sofa by the fireside, and with her darlings about her (for the time neither quarrelling nor crying) looking perfectly happy. † On the other hand her treatment towards Jane is cruel, unjust and inconsiderate. The quotation â€Å"she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for contended, happy little children. † Shows us how immensely the treatment of Jane fluctuates from her cousins. Mrs Reed also treats Jane with unsympathetic punishment. For example when John Reed and Jane had a brawl, Jane was the one who was punished regardless of the fact that John began it. This is when Jane is sent to the red room; â€Å"Take her away into the red-room, and lock her in there† this indicates unfairness from Mrs Reed towards Jane as instead of John being reprimanded she is chastising Jane. All in all Mrs Reeds actions affect Jane in the worst ways possible. This is because as being the adult and landlord of the house she must control the actions of herself and others, however she does not do this for Jane's benefit therefore Jane is affected drastically. Not only do the actions of one adult articulate the way someone is treated but it is the way a certain group treats someone. In this case there are just three other adults in Jane's life that either treat her moderately or dishonestly. Abbot is loyal towards her mistress, Mrs Reed, and treats Jane the way Mrs Reed would treat her. The quotation â€Å"No; you are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep. † indicates that despite Jane is a member of the Reed family she is not treated to be as one by both the children and Abbot. Mr Lloyd is an â€Å"apothecary† who is treating Jane the day after her encounter with, what she recalled as being, a spirit. We learn that Jane is happy in Mr Lloyd's presence as he is a stranger to the occupants of Gateshead and due to this she is protected in his attendance. We can attain this from the quotation â€Å"I felt an inexpressible relief, a soothing conviction of protection and security, when I knew that there was a stranger in the room, an individual not belonging to Gateshead, and not related to Mrs. Reed. † this indicates that Jane is elated as in the presence of a stranger as she will not be physically abused. This in effect proclaims that Jane has a predominant fear of the Reed's especially Mrs Reed and John Reed. Bessie is manifested as someone who has a love for Jane to some extent as her opinion on Jane changes after the occurrence in the Red Room. However, when Jane misbehaves she handles her appropriately. Her treatment towards Jane is proclaimed through the text â€Å"Missis was rather too hard† which denotes that even Bessie finds Mrs Reed's treatment towards Jane extremely inconsiderate and inappropriate. On the other hand she treats Jane appropriately when Jane misbehaves or is blamed such as the incident after the fight; â€Å"If you don't sit still, you must be tied down,† which corroborates that Bessie is a fair person and is un-opinionated person towards Jane. Bronte also creates various moods to help the spectators appreciate Jane's situation. The weather is related to the mood that Jane will elaborate on in the following and upcoming paragraphs. We can notify this from the quote â€Å"the cold winter had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question. † This depicts the darkness, and darkness is usually related with evil and the presence of something terrible about to happen. The weather is like this on the day of Jane's fight with John Reed and the mood at the beginning of the chapter spawns suspense to some degree. Furthermore, the situation of the Reed accommodation is upon the heath. This shows isolation as there is nothing surrounding the house but grass and other greenery. It, in some ways, relates to Jane as she is isolated in the Reed household. Everyone is opposing her and no one is there to offer her help with the circumstances she is facing such as reciprocated abuse. Charlotte Bronte makes Jane's fears pragmatic through the dialogue and the description of the Red room. The quotation â€Å"the carpet was red; the table at the foot of the bed was covered with a crimson cloth;† depicts the colour of the room; red, hence the name â€Å"The Red Room†. Jane describes the Red room as being â€Å"one of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion. † She also describes some furniture such as â€Å"a bed supported on massive pillars of mahogany, hung with curtains of deep red damask,† Bronte does this so that reader gets an insight of the Red rooms features. The author starts to build up suspense by introducing that â€Å"Mr. Reed had been dead nine years: it was in this chamber he breathed his last:† which at once has a dramatic impact on the reader. It brings about the idea of the room being red. Red habitually relates to blood and the demise of Mr Reed enhances the flavour. Jane's fears are then brought to life through the text â€Å"and the strange little figure stood there gazing at me, with a white face and arms speckling the gloom,† this makes us sense a palpable atmosphere of mystery and the supernatural activities. This is somewhat retrospective of the death of Mr Reed and the connection of Red with blood, as now there is a traditional scheme of a ghost dwelling in the room of someone's bereavement. As Jane wakes up we notice that within the next few lines Jane's mood changes rapidly. At first she calm and collective, while she reflects on herself for example; â€Å"All said I was wicked, and perhaps I might be so:† but then after conceiving another paranormal vision her mood turns to anxious and petrified. The segments â€Å"My heart beat thick, my head grew hot† and â€Å"I rushed to the door and shook the door in desperate effort† expose Jane's fears as she is attempting to escape the room as her vision panics her. Bronte also exemplifies school life in her novel. In this she illustrates the daily hardships that young orphan children face. In this chapter we recognise that Jane isn't the only child being neglected. She uses Helen Burns as an example of the destitutions facing children. For example the fragment â€Å"the teacher instantly and sharply inflicted on her neck a dozen strokes with the bunch of twigs. † Which acquaints us that Jane isn't the lone child suffering. She also depicts the teacher to be inconsiderate and inequitable. For instance â€Å"Burns: her memory seemed to have retained the substance of the whole lesson, and she was ready with answers on every point. I kept expecting Miss Scatcherd would praise her attention† this demonstrates inequality and impoliteness from the teacher towards the pupil. There is also a poor quality of life for the residents of Lowood such as â€Å"the water was frozen† and â€Å"Breakfast time came at last, and this morning the porridge was not burnt; the quality was eatable, the quantity small; how small my portion seemed! I wish it had been doubled† this implies that the children are being malnourished. The schools are also cold which we can obtain from the text â€Å"I felt ready to perish with cold. and overcrowded; â€Å"in the course of the day I was enrolled a member of the fourth class,† this all indicates that school life for children was unimaginably pitiless and spiteful and living conditions were criticisable. All in all, throughout the first three chapters, we ascertain that life in Victorian England was appalling especially for orphan children. The poor had to work to earn a living, however, for the rich it was a walk in the park. Regardless of the fact that people had not to accept someone, they did although only for the sake of their reputation. This is what the Reed family did and accommodated Jane. However by doing so they may not comprehend the anguish they are presenting the adopted child. We also learn that school life for children in Victorian England was a disregard towards them as they were disrespected and ignored. The living conditions for children in the schools were abysmal as there were a number of students in one class and they were all emaciated. This may make Victorian readers think that the treatment of children was, to an intensity, immensely astringent, horrendous and unreasonable. It may also make them think about how they treated their children and whether they had mentally and physically destroyed their child's emotions by means of neglection. Bronte may have done this so that she could express her life to the public. She used her experiences in the Evangelical school and as governess to publish â€Å"Jane Eyre†. Also her experience at the Clergy Daughter's School, which she left due to harsh conditions, could be another reason. Overall her lifetime experiences are the reasons for her to publish this novel.