Edna’s First and Second Awakenings Essay Example for Free

Edna’s First and Second Awakenings Essay When Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Awakening† was published in 1899 the Industrial Revolution and the feminist movement were already beginning to emerge. However, they were still overshadowed by the prevailing attitudes of the nineteenth century (SparkNotes Editors). In the conservative state of Louisiana, from where the author had met her husband, for example, the feminist movement was almost absent that there still exist a law that considers a woman as the property of her husband. â€Å"The Awakening† in general is a novel about how the female protagonist was able to find and discover her own identity as a woman, gained independence, and learn the value of equality and freedom. However, it is also a novel about the social constraints of women during this Victorian era, about how Edna discovered in the end that she was still alone in the process of her ‘awakening,’ thus undergoing a ‘second awakening’. Chopin offered a different treatment of the traditional woman of society who is often portrayed to be under the mercy of their male counterparts, weak, and definitely restricted. Here, Edna, the female protagonist, is in the process of rediscovering herself, her world, and slowly learning what freedom and equality means. The story revolves around her as she slowly undergoes this process in such a way that the novel could actually fall under the genre of Bildungsroman—a sort of a coming-of-age story—wherein Edna, through her acquaintance with Adelle, has evolved from a restricted wife to a woman free from any form of male domination. This kind of approach had given a tone that offers a ‘sympathetic view toward the actions and emotions of the sexually aware and independent female protagonist. ’ One of the more important motifs in the novel is Edna’s swimming. The first time she had swum in the novel demonstrate the first moment of her awakening. It gave her the feeling of being strong. By and by, through her acquaintances in the Grand isle, particularly Adelle, she learned that she could be actually open about what she feels, that she could say it directly without being afraid. She also continued painting to relinquish her youth soon afterwards—another form of self-expression. And with Robert and Alcee, she had demonstrated freedom in her love, passion and sexuality. All these events that happened in her life contributed to her first ‘awakening,’ the awakening that pertains to her self-rediscovery and a gaining independence. It is at this moment that â€Å"She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life. No longer was she content to â€Å"feed upon opinion† when her own soul had invited her (Chapter 32). † Her second awakening happened after Robert had turned his back on her for the sole reason of not being able to rise over the expectations of their society. She had, for some reasons realized that despite all of her discoveries, the freedom that she had received, she was still alone. She felt the burden or the suffering that corresponds to all her learning and individuality for her society could still not accept the kind of woman she had become. Perhaps her action when she had swum again in the later chapter of the novel, when she committed suicide, is a symbolism of this second awakening. The solitude she had felt drove her there because she might have realized her true position in her society and therefore believes that only by ending her life could she free herself from every expectation there is. She was awakened. Again. And thus she says, â€Å"The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! well! Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life (Chapter 38). † Basically, for me, the novel is not simply about a single awakening. It is a two-sided representation of the status/role of women during the Victorian era. It definitely showed how constrained these women are through the biases and prejudices thrown against Edna. But it has also showed how these women, through Edna, are struggling to free themselves from these constraints, how they are willing to suffer than to remain disillusioned, but still overshadowed by the prevailing attitudes of the majority. It might as well be also pertaining not only to Edna’s awakening but the awakening of all the women of that particular era. These women are all awakened, willing to fight for their independence, for equality. Unfortunately, the prevailing ideas of the people around them would only awaken them for the second time, so that they would realize that their position in their society at that time could be sometimes suffocating that they would rather drown themselves than submit to male domination. REFERENCE SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on The Awakening. † SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes LLC. 2002. Web. 19 Jul. 2010. For the quoted passages:

Gothic Horror in Susan Hills The Woman in Black and H.G. Wells The Re

Gothic Horror in Susan Hill's The Woman in Black and H.G. Wells' The Red Room As with all things, the gothic horror genre of literature did not begin at one definable point, but evolved gradually. Gothic horror evolved out of gothic fiction (as opposed to classical fiction, for example the novels of Jane Austen), before establishing itself as a genre in its own right. However, many literary scholars and critics would point to "The Castle of Otranto", written by Horace Walpole and first published in 1764, as the first true gothic horror novel, containing as it does many of the clichs prevalent throughout the genre. Gothic horror novels are typified by their dark, lachrymose atmosphere of dread and fear. In fact, the key to gothic horror can be summed up in one word: tension. This is created by many devices, as well as having an evil force present working against the hero/heroine. The characters, locations and atmospheres created are designed to be threatening, even when nothing sinister is actually happening. Although the gothic horror genre didn't die out altogether, it certainly lost popularity. However, it has had a minor resurgence over the last decade. Susan Hill is one of the authors who has turned her hand to the gothic horror format, her short novel "The Woman In Black" being released in the late eighties. Susan Hill says she wrote The Woman In Black because she "had the urge to write a story in the old fashioned sense," perhaps because of a dissatisfaction with modern horror writing and its reliance upon gore and physical danger. HG Wells, although primarily a science-fiction author, also wrote a gothic horror story, "The Red Room". I will be comparing these two stories, to see how these ... ...t be too lightly dismissed. These two stories are particularly interesting because they were both written by authors who aren't normally associated with the genre, so they have explored the clichÃÆ'Â ©s more than a seasoned horror writer might. But despite being so blatantly "influenced" by genre standards such as Henry James' The Turn Of The Screw and work of M.R. James, they remain gripping. This is because they appeal to our wish for escapism and a decent scare, a need that is pandered to by almost every work of fiction. This is the basis of horror writing - that the reader wants to be scared; if the reader approaches the story with the attitude of not wanting or expecting to be scared, he or she will not be affected by the story so much. However, gothic horror is still one of the most effective mediums for provoking fear, ensuring its enduring popularity.

Mortal Kombat: video game Essay

â€Å"According to Time magazine, September 27, 1993, violence in video games is on the rise especially with the release of Mortal Kombat. Over 50 million children all over the United States brought this violence into their homes. The parents and other adults of these children finally decided that the video games in the U. S. had gone too far. † Mortal Kombat was the first game that brought blood and gore into the video game world. Mortal Kombat started in the arcades it was such a hit, they made it into a game you could buy for personal use. Critics raved over it when it was first introduced, saying it was too violent for kids and it needed to be taken off the shelves. This game appealed to many people because of its real-life graphics, blood and gore. The game was also responsible for the video game rating system used today. The game was an instant hit, they made an endless amount of Mortal Kombat games, for every gaming system imaginable, there was even a movie made based on the game. This essay will illustrate how Mortal Kombat is violent, and take a critical point of view of this popular game. Mortal Kombat is a video game based around hand-to-hand combat between two characters in the game. The person playing would control one-character and use combinations of punches, kicks and special moves to cause as much damage to the opponent as possible. This game is fun and very addicting; children would end up playing the game constantly trying to master the moves and techniques of the game. People found it fun because the characters and the worlds that you fight in seem like some fantasy, most people would fight their friends to see who would rein supreme; it was a constant challenge to be the best fighter. With the new game that came out not too, long ago you are able to plug an internet cord in the back of your gaming system and play anyone in the world. This game caught so much criticism that the makers had to take the blood out of the game, and they turned it in to white sweat, but little did the critics know that there were codes you could enter to bring the blood back to the game. There also were codes called â€Å"Fatalities† which were finishing moves where you could decapitate someone’s head, rip their arms off and burn them alive. The new game is even worse than the original with more finishing moves and better graphics. When you go out and buy a game like this, you should know what to expect; that you are going to be fighting an opponent with the intent to kill him. The basic principals of this game are fine, but the more advanced our technology gets the more graphic the games get. The blood and gore look almost life like now, which is not necessary to have to play the game. The game was given the MA rating which is for people 17 and older. The rating made the game intangible for young people to go out and buy. Because young kids could not have the game with the new ratings, they just wanted to play them even more. People who are sheltered from reality will be worse off, than people who are allowed to experience real life. There are some countries in the world, who do not even have electricity let alone video gaming systems, but are still are involved with senseless killing of each other. In other countries, it is just as common for young children to carry guns as it is for Americans to play video games. I think that violence is part of our society. I do not think that video games are any more violent than movies, television and the general violence in the world today. As far as the people who take what they see in video games and imitate it to real life I feel there is a mental problem and they need help, because they have a hard time separating fiction from non-fiction. Mortal Kombat was one of the first of many video games that got controversy for being too violent. This game also led the way for countless other violent video games. I feel as if no one would have made a big deal out of the violence there would not be problems that there are today. As they put stricter ratings on the games it only made people want it more. This game was so popular that there was a movie made after it and all the characters seemed to come to life on the big screen. As the critics put the whole concept of violent video games down, all it did was feed a fire to burn and made Mortal Kombat became larger than life.

Adaptation Of The Ballad Of Hua Mulan - 1254 Words

An Epic Hero-Mulan The Ballad of Hua Mulan has many different adaptations to consider; and while none of them offer a clear time period, (anywhere from 386-618 AD), they all agree on the main points of the story. News was sent throughout China of the coming war, and the army required that all men of age be enlisted. Hua Mulan; Hua being her last name, knew that her father was too old and frail to engage in any sort of combat, so she decided to disguise herself as a man and enlist in his stead as his â€Å"son.† Every version claims that Mulan served in the military for twelve years, and performed many acts of bravery before returning home, only to find that her father had already passed on. There are a few differences between the varying†¦show more content†¦It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization.† In summary, every hero undergoes the same experience, to an extent. The stages of the Hero Cycle are as follows: The Ordinary World Here the readers are introduced to the hero, their backstory, and the conflict. The Call to Adventure Something happens that forces the hero’s situation to change suddenly. Refusal of the Call The hero momentarily succumbs to their fears and attempts to deny the call to adventure. Meeting with the Mentor The hero meets a seasoned and wizened character who provides them with training, equipment, or advice that the hero may use along their journey. Crossing the Threshold The hero leaves their ordinary world and enters a new one with unfamiliar rules and values. Tests, Allies, and Enemies The hero is tested, and gains both friends, and enemies in the new world. Approach The hero and their allies prepare for tribulation. The Ordeal The hero confronts death and/or their greatest fear, and are ‘reborn’ as a new person. The Reward The hero claims the reward won by facing death. The Road Back The hero mustShow MoreRelatedMulan: A Woman on a Mission Essay1816 Words   |  8 PagesMulan (Revised) Disney proclaims that the adaptations of the Chinese story of Mulan is to transform ethnic materials into a â€Å"timeless† or â€Å"universal† classic (Kurtti 1998). Peter Schneider, Disney Feature Animation President, avers that â€Å"the search for who we are, the search for self, it an ever-ongoing process and universal theme† (Kurtti 1998, 189). Guided by this principle, Disney appropriated the Mulan story into its typical formula of a hero’s journey of self-discovery. The film features