Life and Religion in To Kill a Mockingbird :: essays research papers

In the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee in 1960, life in the town of Maycomb is very traditional. Most people have the same racial prejudices and live by certain rules, also referred to as ‘codes’ by Atticus Finch (p. 224). Aunt Alexandra is a good example as she is not from Maycomb but lives 20 miles away. When she comes to live with Atticus and his children, Jem and Scout, the town accepts her immediately for with her â€Å"boarding-school manners† (p.142), her ladylike behaviour and her enthusiastic involvement into the Missionary Circle and the ‘Maycomb Amanuensis Club’, she represents the ideal of a Maycomb woman. Although all people in Maycomb are quite different from each other, most of them, especially the more accepted, show respect, discipline and politeness. This can be seen in the Missionary Circle where ladies sit together to talk, drink tea and eat cakes (p. 253-259) and although they might not always agree on everything, they never directly say so. For example when Mrs Merriweather starts to criticise Atticus’ doing in Tom Robinson’s case, at a Missionary Circle in front of Scout - not naming anyone - Ms Maudie interrupts her and cuts off the subject without drawing anybody else’s attention to the quarrel. There are not many people in Maycomb who are open-minded and willing to accept different people and/or things, which makes it difficult to change. So after loosing the trial, Ms Maudie admits that she did not think Atticus had any chance of winning but that he was â€Å"the only man who could keep a jury out that long† and that it was a step, if only a baby-step, towards equality (p. 238). Furthermore this intolerance leads to Jem and Scout being confronted with offences against Atticus’ decisions by town people and fellow students. For one thing Mrs Dubose, an ‘evil’ neighbour of the Finch’s, criticises Atticus in a way that Jem is not willing to ignore and ends in him cutting down all her beloved camellias (p. 112-114). This in turn leads to Jem having to read to Mrs Dubose for more than a month (p. 117-122). For another thing the children at school badmouth Atticus probably with what they overheard their parents saying and this time it is Scout who looses her head a couple of times. In a small town like Maycomb there is also a lot of gossiping and prejudices against ‘lower class’ people.

How Is Romeo and Juliet Relationship Presented

One of the play’s most consistent visual motifs is the contrast between light and dark, often in terms of night/day imagery. Need Evidence! This contrast is not given a particular metaphoric meaning—light is not always good, and dark is not always evil. On the contrary, light and dark are generally used to provide a sensory contrast and to hint at opposed alternatives. One of the more important instances of this motif is Romeo’s lengthy meditation on the sun and the moon during the balcony scene, in which Juliet, metaphorically described as the sun, is seen as banishing the â€Å"envious moon† and transforming the night into day (2. . 46). A similar blurring of night and day occurs in the early morning hours after the lovers’ only night together. Romeo, forced to leave for exile in the morning, and Juliet, not wanting him to leave her room, both try to pretend that it is still night, and that the light is actually darkness: â€Å"More light and light, more dark and dark our woes† (3. 5. 36) The Inevitability of Fate In its first address to the audience, the Chorus states that Romeo and Juliet are â€Å"star-crossed†Ã¢â‚¬â€that is to say that fate (a power often vested in the movements of the stars) controls them (Prologue. ). This sense of fate permeates the play, and not just for the audience. The characters also are quite aware of it: Romeo and Juliet constantly see omens. When Romeo believes that Juliet is dead, he cries out, â€Å"Then I defy you, stars,† completing the idea that the love between Romeo and Juliet is in opposition to the decrees of destiny (5. 1. 24). Of course, Romeo’s defiance itself plays into the hands of fate, and his determination to spend eternity with Juliet results in their deaths. The mechanism of fate works in all of the events surrounding the lovers: the feud between their families (it is worth noting that this hatred is never explained; rather, the reader must accept it as an undeniable aspect of the world of the play); the horrible series of accidents that ruin Friar Lawrence’s seemingly well-intentioned plans at the end of the play; and the tragic timing of Romeo’s suicide and Juliet’s awakening. These events are not mere coincidences, but rather manifestations of fate that help bring about the unavoidable outcome of the young lovers’ deaths. The concept of fate described above is the most commonly accepted interpretation. There are other possible readings of fate in the play: as a force determined by the powerful social institutions that influence Romeo and Juliet’s choices, as well as fate as a force that emerges from Romeo and Juliet’s very personalities. Link this to Friar Lawernce! STRUCTURE -briefly answer the question awhat the relationship is like, what sort of impression you get of the relationship. Second paragraph)-Context- write about how men/women were supposed to behave when the plays were written a how is this reflected in the text? (this bit is essential for Band 4/5). How do you think an audience might have responded to the relationship when the play was first performed? How might a modern audienceas response be different? (Third paragraph)- How language reveals the relationship- select 3 or 4 key examples of words that reveal to you the relationship a might be a simile /metaphor that has be en used or a striking phrase/word. Try to select them from the different scenes you are focusing on. For each make sure you analyse how the word/phrase suggests ideas about the relationship, not just what it suggests. (Fourth paragraph)- How structure reveals the relationship- think in particular about the relationship changes as the play progresses- analyze how Shakespeare shows the relationship changing as the play goes on. (Fifth paragraph)- How dramatic techniques reveal the relationship- this might include: the setting; actions; stage directions. Try to find one or two examples Shakespeare presents Romeo & Juliet's early relationship as a love-hate affair. By this I mean that although they love each other immensely, they are surrounded by the hate of their two families Arranged marriages were very common at the time depending on your social status and love had no meaning. At the time marrying at the age of 12 appeared to be normal, however now is frowned at.

Character Analysis for Maus by Art Speigleman - 2020 Words

Character List- round or flat Art Spiegelman- r * Art Spiegelman is the author and narrator of Maus, and also one of the storys main characters. * Born in Stockholm after the Holocaust, he is the only surviving child of Vladek and Anja Spiegelman. * He is married to Francoise, a French woman who converted to Judaism upon their engagement. * Maus centers around two primary narratives: Vladeks experiences as a Jew in World War II Poland, and Arts relationship with his aging father. * When the story opens, Art lives in New York and does not see his father very often, though he lives only a short distance away in Queens. * But as Art begins to draw this story about Vladeks Holocaust experiences, he begins to†¦show more content†¦* Before the war, Vladeks father intentionally starves his son so that he will be declared unfit for the army. * Later, the Nazi grip tightens, and all Jews are made to register in a nearby stadium. Those who are fit to work are sent to one side, while the elderly and women with m any children are sent to their deaths at the concentration camps. By registering at a table manned by his cousin, Mordecai, Vladeks father is spared. Before he leaves the stadium, however, he sees his daughter, Fela (Vladeks sister) and her four small children standing with those destined for Auschwitz. He crosses over to be with her, and all die in the camps. Uncle Herman- f * Anjas brother. * Along with his wife, Hela, he is visiting the New York Worlds Fair when the war begins, and they remain in the United States to escape the horrors abroad. Tosha- f * Tosha is Anjas older sister. * At the beginning of the German occupation of Poland, she lives with Anjas family in her fathers house, along with her husband, Wolfe, and their small daughter, Bibbi. * As the situation deteriorates Uncle Persis offers to keep her safely in nearby Zawiercie ghetto, where he is a prominent member of the Jewish Council. * She agrees, and leaves with Wolfe, Bibbi, and Vladeks son Richieu. Soon, though, the Germans slaughter the Jewish Council and begin to evacuate the Jews of Zawiercie to the camps. Rather than be sent to the gas chambers, Tosha