The female monster Essay Example for Free

The female monster Essay Mary Shelley has constructed her gothic novel, Frankenstein, to include an array of passive female leads. This would not be unheard of in 1818, however Shelley was the daughter of an important feminist, and she herself possessed many of these same values and perspectives. With that in mind it can easily been understood that Shelley has constructed her novel to purposely be almost devoid of strong female leads in order criticise the social stereotypes of her time and the women who conformed to these, while the men in their lives dominated them. Shelley directly contrasts her passive characters to that of Safie, who is a relative success story compared with the fate of the other female characters. Safie embodies the life that women can have if they challenge their inferior role in society and this can be shown through analyses and comparisons of and between her and characters such as Justine, Caroline, Elizabeth and the female creature. Safie is used to highlight the passivity of the other female characters. She contradicts the stereotype that women should adopt a mother-like role as a carer and guardian. She challenges the domesticated, family orientated and victimised imagery of women who are dependant on men to support their lifestyle. Safies contradictory personality is shown through certain quotes in the novel, such as when it is stated that, When alone, Safie resolved in her own mind the plan of conduct that it would be her to pursue. The use of the phrase resolvedin her own mind indicates a level of individual thought that the other females do not posses due to the restraints placed on them by society and the men who exert control over them. A strong contrast can be made between the characterisation of Safie in comparison to other female characters in the novel. This was done with purposeful intent to convey that women can be equal if they challenge their social stereotypes. Of course Safie still displays feminine qualities, which can be seen in Frankenstein when she nurses her ill attendant with devoted attention a compassionate trait that conforms to the expectations of women. Despite this, Safie still remains the only surviving female protagonist of Frankenstein, thus being the embodiment of what women are able to accomplish if only they were to be brave enough to break free of their restraints and strive for change. Justine Moritz is an example of a submissive female character that conforms to societys expectations that women should be weak, beautiful and unrecognised as an important part of society. Justine is the target of pity from both the audience and other characters in the text from the very start because she was rescued from a broken family with an abusive mother and dying siblings. Justine is then wrongly accused of the murder of William Frankenstein; however, despite her innocence she confesses to the crime because it is what is expected of her. Justine represents the stereotype of how women are expected to be well endowed in appearance and she is often described by other characters as very clever and gentle and extremely pretty and Elizabeth spoke of Justines softness and winning mildness. These traits are all representations of Justines conformity to societys expectations. Throughout her trial, Justine makes little effort to protest her innocence and accepts false guilt for the crime, God knows how entirely I am innocent. But I do not pretend that my protestations should acquit me. This is also supported when she states, I must be condemned, although I would pledge my salvation on my innocence. Justine confesses because of her weakness under the judgemental glare of society, and is executed as a result. Through Justines experiences, Mary Shelley is highlighting the negative consequences of giving in to the pressures of society. Shelley is showing that if Justine was to have remained strong and protested her unjust trial, which was a direct result of her gender, then she may have been able to save herself and place the seed of doubt within the judgemental stereotypes of society, to rise above the oppression placed upon her by men. This contrasts with the assertive nature of Safie, who does not allow herself to be oppressed by the men in her life, mainly her father, and instead chooses to create a fate of her own choosing. Even less significant, but still present is the female monster, so passive it does not even achieve life, thus supporting that women have little, if any, outstanding role in Frankenstein. The creation of the female monster is absorbed by Victor in fear of being unable to control her actions. This signifies that women are oppressed in the fear that the will be uncontrollable. This is supported when Victor states, she might become ten thousand times more malignant than her mate signifying his fear of being unable to control her. The importance and expectations of feminine beauty are also impressed upon readers through the female monster. Shelley is conveying the importance that appearance plays in determining our roles and status in society and showing that if a woman should lack this quality then they will face the harsh reality of how truly cruel society can be in its rejection of the ugly. This is also supported when Victor is thinking about his female creation and says, the creaturealreadyloathed his deformity, and might he not conceive a greater abhorrence for it when it came before his eyes in the female form. This expectation for women is also shown when Victor says he is concerned with the outward substance of things. Shelley is therefore criticising the submissive nature of those women in society who both do and do not possess the flattering looks expected of them for not challenging this. Safie, although beautiful, does not allow her appearance to determine the path her life will take and refuses conform and let her father control her.

Comparison of In Mrs. Tilschers Class and Originally Essay examples --

Comparison of In Mrs. Tilscher's Class and Originally ‘In Mrs Tilscher’s class’ and ‘Originally’ are poems about the journey of life and the change from childhood into adulthood. Although ‘Originally’ is more traumatic there are many similarities between the two poems. They are both about moving on both spiritually and mentally, and explore ideas about identity and emigration. ‘In Mrs Tilscher’s Class’ is a poem about the metaphorical journey throughout a young child’s school year. The first verse of the poem has a joyful tone; the narrator of the poem seems happy and full of delight. It is written from a young girl’s perspective on the things that take place in the course of the school year. The young girl who is narrating the poem explains to the reader both the things that she liked and disliked. The poem is written in chronological order and the different verses of the poem represent different periods throughout the school year. The first verse of the poem starts with: ‘You could travel up the Blue Nile with your finger, tracing the route while Mrs Tilscher chanted the scenery’. This creates a vivid picture of the children tracing the route of the Nile on a map while Mrs Tilscher described the scenery and surroundings to the children. After learning about the Nile and its surroundings for an hour the children paused for a break to drink a ‘skittle of milk’. A skittle of milk was a small glass bottle containing 1/3 pint of milk. Children used to refer to it as a ‘skittle’ because that is what it looked like. This shows the children’s innocence and immaturity. Verse two describes how much the narrator loved being in Mrs Tilscher’s class. It is described as being ‘better than home’. ‘The .. ... used is very clear as it explains how the parents are feeling. ‘I want my own country, I said’ This line sums up just how young and immature the narrator is. It is written in italics to give effect, to make it stand out because this line has great meaning to it. The third verse describes the girl reminiscing on how she felt adapting to the changes. ‘You forget, or don’t recall, or change, and seeing your brother swallow a slug, feel only a skelf of shame.’ She is now starting to fit in but still feels a sense of loss. ‘I remember my tongue shedding its skin like a snake’. This simile is very descriptive and you can vividly picture a snake shedding its skin. This corresponds to the changes the narrator is going through. I think she now feels embarrassed about the way she used to speak. She hesitates when asked where she originally came from.

Choices based on appearances of their options Essay

Often times people make choices based on appearances of their options- the result of the choice tends to be strongly negative and it is hard to admit a mistake has been done. Often times things are not what they seem, when we trust this illusion the choice made is hard to accept and it is hard for others to reason how we came to that decision. This is the theme that we see in the dialogue between Hamlet and his mother Gertrude in the III, iv, ll. 63-117. This theme is shown through the use of diction, imagery, repetition, and characterization. In this dialogue it is both Gertrude and Hamlet that speak to each other. At this point hamlet criticizes her strongly about Claudius and her sense of judgment. The event that has just occurred preceding this dialogue is the murder of Polonius by Hamlet- as he mistook him for Claudius. At this point in the play Hamlet knows that Claudius has killed his father and is now sure he wants to avenge him. What happens after this dialogue is that the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears to remind him of his mission, Gertrude is unable to see the ghost but Hamlet goes on to explain to her everything after the ghost goes away. The first techniques to be discussed are imagery and diction and their role in portraying the first part of the theme, that being â€Å"often times things are not what they seem†. The first line of the passage says: â€Å"the counterfeit presentment of two brothers† in reference to Hamlet’s father and Claudius. From the very beginning of the passage the sub-theme of deception of perception is brought about. Hamlet goes on to degrade Claudius by use of insults (made up of images, in turn made up of diction). â€Å"A murderer and a villain; A slave that is not twentieth part of the tithe Of your precedent lord; a vice of kings; A cutpurse of the empire and the rule, That from a shelf the precious diadem stole, And put it in his pocket! † In this quote Hamlet is unveiling the true nature of Claudius, especially by treating him of a murderer and a cutpurse (pickpocket). These two insults are references to the murder of Hamlet’s father and the thievery of the crown; two crimes that prove to be very deceiving of a king. Once Hamlet had explained this to Gertrude she realized her wrong choice. At this point we can characterize Gertrude as being repressive and denying. This is shown through her diction and imagery; â€Å"O Hamlet, speak no more:Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul; And there I see such black and grained spots As will not leave their tinct. † Her demand of Hamlet to cease his attacks show that she is unable to face the truth, she goes on to say â€Å"these words, like daggers, enter in mine ears† which proves further that the truth about her choice is too painful for her to admit. The image of the daggers in conjunction with her â€Å"black and grained spots† bring about the omnipresent theme of order versus disorder- which can apply in this situation as Gertrude is in a disorderly situation, where she cannot accept the truth. Another technique that shows her fear of the truth is repetition. â€Å"No more† is repeated three times as she begs hamlet to stop his attacks, showing an increasingly greater desire to avoid the truth. This fits in to the main theme as she clearly shows that it is hard to accept the wrong choice that she has made. Finally the last aspect of the main theme of the passage- how it is difficult to reason a bad choice- is brought up by hamlet more so than by his mother. In the beginning of the passage he goes on to question her choice of lower quality of man, comparing his father to god’s and later referring to Claudius as a criminal. â€Å"See, what a grace was seated on his brow; Hyperion’s curls; the front of Jove himself; An eye like Mars, to threaten and command; A station like the herald Mercury† All the references are to male gods of great importance and strength such as Mars that is god of war, Hyperion that is god of the sun (as is Jove) and finally Mercury the messenger god, and god of commerce. He goes to say that this husband was great but now she is married to a â€Å"mildew’d ear†- an image that is degrading to Claudius. â€Å"†¦ have you eyes? †¦ Nor sense to ecstasy was ne’er so thrall’d† In this long quote Hamlet goes to question what could’ve possibly given his mother to marry this man. Without giving his mother the opportunity to explain herself, he cancels out the possibility of love, as she is too old to feel the excitation and passion of love. This fits in the theme as Hamlet shows that he is unable to understand Gertrude’s decision, as for him it lacks reasoning and doesn’t offer her a chance to explain herself. Through this text analysis we can see how the theme of how often times things are not what they seem, when we trust this illusion the choice made is hard to accept and it is hard for others to reason how we came to that decision. This theme represents the situation that Hamlet was in as he was by himself in having to find out if the ghost was real or unreal, and if it was evil or good- it is the situation he was in when he had to act so strangely to the whole exterior world, when inside he knew he was sane. At this point in the play hamlet is wrong to attack his mother in such a way that is why the ghost of Hamlet’s father comes at the end of the scene to remind him of the real mission. He let his private griefs get to him. After his father’s visit Hamlet makes his mother a confident and becomes more trusting towards her. She on the other hand thinks her son is delusional. In conclusion everyone has their reason to make choices which cannot be comprehended by others, and they may have negative ramifications.

Wayne LaPierre Biography - NRA Executive Director

Since rising to the top administrative position at the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre has become one of the world’s most recognized faces in gun rights advocacy. LaPierre has served as executive vice president and chief executive officer of the NRA since 1991. He has worked for the NRA since 1977. LaPierre’s position as top administrator of the nation’s largest gun-rights organization has thrust him into the public eye, particularly in politics. As a result, he is both revered by fellow gun rights advocates and a lightning rod for criticism from supporters of gun control. Wayne LaPierre: Beginnings After obtaining a masters degree in government from Boston College, LaPierre entered the lobbying industry and has been a figure in government and political advocacy for his entire career. Before joining the NRA in 1977 as a 28-year-old lobbyist, LaPierre served as a legislative aide to Virginia Delegate Vic Thomas. LaPierre’s initial job with the NRA was state liaison for the NRA Institute of Legislative Action (ILA), the organization’s lobbying arm. He was quickly named the NRA-ILA’s Director of State and Local Affairs and became executive director of the NRA-ILA in 1986. Between 1986 and 1991, LaPierre became a central figure in the gun rights niche. His move to the NRA’s executive director position in 1991 came as gun rights became a central theme in American politics for the first time since the 1960s. With the passage of the Brady Bill in 1993 and the Assault Weapons Ban in 1994 and the resulting fallout of the new gun control laws, the NRA experienced its greatest period of growth since its foundation in 1971. LaPierre’s salary as the NRA’s CEO has been reported at figures ranging from $600,000 to nearly $1.3 million, usually by critics of the NRA. LaPierre has also served on the boards of directors of the American Association of Political Consultants, American Conservative Union, Center for the Study of Popular Culture and the National Fish Wildlife Foundation. An accomplished author, LaPierre’s titles that include â€Å"Safe: How to Protect Yourself, Your Family, and Your Home,† â€Å"The Global War on Your Guns: Inside the UN Plan to Destroy the Bill of Rights† and â€Å"The Essential Second Amendment Guide.† Wayne LaPierre: Praise LaPierre is often revered by gun rights advocates because of his uncompromising defense of the Second Amendment in the face of gun control proposals and anti-gun political leaders. In 2003, LaPierre took on CNN after the cable news giant aired a segment featuring Florida Sheriff Ken Jenne, a former Democratic state representative, and his advocacy for an extension of the Assault Weapons Ban, which was set to sunset in 2004. The segment showed two AK-47 rifles being fired at cinderblocks and a bulletproof vest in an attempt to show how one, purported by CNN to be a target of the AWB, packed more firepower than a civilian model. As a result of criticism from LaPierre, who charged CNN with â€Å"deliberately faking† the story, the network ultimately admitted that the second rifle was being fired into the ground by a deputy sheriff rather than being fired into the cinderblock target. CNN, however, denied knowledge of the target switch. In the aftermath of 2011’s so-called â€Å"Fast and Furious† scandal, in which AK-47s were allowed to be sold to Mexican drug cartel members and later implicated in the deaths of two U.S. border agents, LaPierre became critical of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s handling of the matter and later called for Holder’s resignation. One of the staunchest critics of President Barack Obama’s administration, LaPierre said before the president’s election that Obama harbored a greater â€Å"deep-rooted hatred of firearm freedoms† than any other presidential candidate in the NRA’s history. In 2011, LaPierre declined an invitation to join Obama, Holder, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for talks on the subject of guns. Wayne LaPierre: Criticism Not everyone has been amused by LaPierre’s sharp tongue, however. LaPierre’s statement about ATF agents involved in the Ruby Ridge and Waco assaults being â€Å"jackbooted thugs† led former President George H.W. Bush, a lifetime member of the NRA, to resign his membership in 1995. Five years later, even Charlton Heston — the NRA’s president at the time and perhaps its most beloved spokesman ever — called LaPierre’s statement â€Å"extreme rhetoric† after LaPierre said President Bill Clinton would tolerate a certain amount of killing if it meant strengthening the case for gun control.