Obsession in the gothic Essay Example for Free

Obsession in the gothic Essay To what extent do you agree that obsession is a significant element in the gothic writing you have studied? The word obsession means the domination of ones thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image or desire. With this in mind, both Faustus and Frankenstein show symptoms of monomania in relation to academic obsession. Similarly, in ‘The Bloody Chamber’ the characters that experience obsession are also male, however they are driven by a different obsession: sexual desire. In the prologue of ‘Doctor Faustus’ it already begins to establish Faustus’ thirst for knowledge and how this resulted in his tragic downfall. Firstly, the Chorus compares Faustus to the Icarus myth â€Å"his waxen wings did mount above his reach†, which suggests that Faustus’ fixation with necromancy is not a power he is supposed to possess, and that his fate will end similarly to Icarus. Furthermore, it states that Faustus â€Å"glutted† for â€Å"learning†. The word gluttony highlights that Faustus’ obsession for knowledge can only result in tragedy because it’s one of the seven deadly sins, and also indicates how extreme Faustus’ obsession is. This is because gluttony’s definition is to gorge yourself with something, and is often to the extent of harm. However, you could argue that Faustus’ greed is not completely based around academic knowledge, and he actually desires rival God in terms of power and knowledge. For instance, when Faustus is listing what he would â€Å"most, desires† he wanted strength that â€Å"exceeded†¦. the mind of man† and was in comparison to â€Å"a mighty god. † In comparison, Frankenstein also overstepped his reach in pursuit of his obsession, and comments that Robert should â€Å"learn† from his mistakes, and that it is â€Å"dangerous† for men who â€Å"aspire to become greater than this nature will allow. † These short quotations show us the viewpoint of Shelley during this period on enlightenment, as she was trying to symbolise a moral and didactic message throughout Frankenstein as a warning of all the forthcomings of what could happen if the exploration of science and knowledge became an obsession. For example, Frankenstein deliberately makes the creature monstrous by making him â€Å"proportionally large† at about â€Å"eight feet in height† because he wanted to finish his creation as soon as possible, and didn’t think about the consequences this would have for the creature when he actually succeeded in bring him to life. On the other hand, in â€Å"The Bloody Chamber† whilst obsession is not as significant as the other two texts, Carter uses masculine sexual obsession to critique how patriarchal our society still is. For example, in ‘The Snow Child† she is called the â€Å"child of his desire†. He wishes for her to be beautiful and nothing else, so it is clear that he is interested only in her appearance and her value as a sexual object. Furthermore, once she has fulfilled her purpose of becoming a sexual object, she dies. This could be Carter symbolizing that once a woman tries to become the objection of a mans obsessions and desires, it becomes impossible for her to ever live up to expectations, and therefore a death sentence.

Comparing the Minority Experience in Baby of the Family, and House on M

Women Minority Experience in Baby of the Family, and House on Mango Street  Ã‚      The two novels Baby of the Family, and House on Mango Street expose the minority experience through the perspective of a child, struggling to find an identity in their own unique views of the cultures they are growing up in. The life of Lena's family, one of an upper class African American family in the southern part of the United States, appeals to the ideal of the New American as her family blends the dominant culture with their minority background in their everyday life experiences. Esperanza is a Hispanic youth, growing up in a barrio, where there is not much to offer the Hispanic locals. She ultimately feels the profile the of the New American in her view of attaining a better life, and escaping the suffocating prescence of the barrio, while still remembering her ethnic roots. Both these characters apply to the classification of the Double Minority in the obvious aspect of being females, and of course their relationship of being in a minority culture. In Baby of the Family, author Tina Ansa exposes the reader to the perspective of a child living in a dominant culture oriented household, that is trying to latch on to some very important traditional aspects of their minority background. Esperanza in House on Mango Street struggles to find her identity in a society discriminating against her not only as a minority, but her genders hinders her advancement also. The authors of these two minority novels corelate these ideals and explore the hardships these two character face as struggling to become the New American while being classified ultimately as Double Minorities. A few of the common apects shared by the two novels include the common... ...alls these children experience. These two children take the ideal of the "New American" and expose it as they find ways to live in a world in which they walk a fine line between the two clashing cultures. The "Double Minority" role plays an important and attempt to overcome the barriers in their own cultures. The cultures ultimately take on a new definition as time progresses, because there is truly not a definite distinction anymore. Works Cited Ansa, Tina McElroy. Baby of the Family. Harcourt Press; San Diego, 1989. Blicksilver, Edith. The Ethnic American Woman. Kenall/Hunt Publishing; Iowa, 1978. Cecil, Andrew R. The Meaning of the Family in Society. University of Texas; Dallas, 1991. Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. Vintage Contemporaries; New York, 1991. Murray, Alma. Black Perspectives. Scholastic Books; New York, 1971.   

Evaluating Poetry Essay

The poem â€Å"Gods Will for You and Me† is the good poem and â€Å"Pied Beauty† is the bad poem according to Perrine standards.  The central purpose of both these poems is to encourage the readers’ individual feelings about God. The poem â€Å"Pied Beauty† is extremely didactic. The writer of this poem is preaching God on the reader. They are trying to get the reader to see all of the things that God has created on the earth and how amazing each one is. The whole poem seems to be a continuous praise on God. The poem even ends with a very clear cut statement, â€Å"Praise him.† This may leave a reader feeling uncomfortable or uneasy. Some of the phrases used in â€Å"Pied Beauty† do not seem to be the best choices for the writing. The phrase â€Å"brinded cow† does not sound as nice as other phrases and does not make me want to love the cow like the writer is suggesting. The phrase â€Å"with swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;† breaks the flow of the poem and could have been left out or worded in a different way. The poem â€Å"Gods Will for You and Me† is getting the point across to be â€Å"loyal to God† in a much simpler and easy going manner. The poem is more realistic and although it has a childlike rhyme to it, it is still fresh and original. It makes me feel, as a reader, that following Gods plan is easy and simple, such as the poem itself. While it is sweet and sentimental it is not over the top or over stimulating to the readers emotions. When it comes to evaluating poetry according to Perrine’s standards, I don’t agree that rating a poem good or bad should be based on certain rules. As a reader, if what you are reading is making you feel good inside then it should be considered a good poem, even if it is sentimental, rhetorical, or didactic. For me, when I read poetry, if I can make sense of what the writer is saying and makes me feel any emotion from the writing, then I declare it a good poem. Didactic poetry should be considered good also, due to the fact that even though it is praising, it is still a strong emotional reading that is getting a point across, whether the reader chooses to follow or agree is  up to them to decide.

Evolution Fact And Theory - 1649 Words

Evolution What is evolution? Is it a theory or is it based on facts? Many people think that it is both a fact and a theory. We all seek to find an explanation for life as we know it. We all want to understand how it all began. Creationist believes that the world was created in six days by a supreme being referred to as God. Many scientists report that there is plenty of evidence to prove that all living things have evolved, and reference examples such as evidence from fossils that indicates similarities to ancient creatures, and evidence from genetics to prove all living things share the same basic heredity by using DNA to prove that genes are passed from the parent to their offspring. According to Richard E. Lenski, author of Evolution: Fact and Theory, â€Å"Evolution is an incontrovertible fact that organisms have changed, or evolved, during the history of life on Earth† (Lenski, p. 1). There are four major patterns that manifest in nature. These patterns are genet ic variation which means that no two individuals have the same DNA; adaptations which are what makes a species so well adapted to its environment; divergence meaning the species are grouped into families; and fossil species which is the mineralized impressions of once living organisms. There have been many changes since the first life forms were documented. The changes occur from mutation when the DNA is not copied perfectly and it leads to a difference between the parent and their offspring. â€Å"BiologicalShow MoreRelatedDoes the Theory of Evolution Contradict Creation?1326 Words   |  6 PagesEvolution of Darwin and christianity These days , a number of the view that the theory of evolution as formulated by Charles Darwin is not against religion . There also was not convinced that the theory of evolution but still also contribute in teaching and redistribute it . This would not have happened if they really understand the theory. This is due to the inability to understand the dogma of Darwinism , including the views of the most dangerous of these theories are indoctrinated to the societyRead MoreEssay about Creation Science1400 Words   |  6 Pages Creationism is a religious metaphysical theory about the origin of the universe. It is not a scientific theory. Technically, creationism is not necessarily connected to any particular religion. It simply requires a belief in a Creator. Millions of Christians and non-Christians believe there is a Creator of the universe and that scientific theories such as the the theory of evolution do not conflict with belief in a Creator. However, fundamentalist Christians suc h as Ronald Reagan and Jerry FalwellRead MoreThe Validity of The Evolutionary Theory Essay1486 Words   |  6 PagesThe evolution theory, one of the most significant theories, laid groundwork for the study of modern biological science. 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The complexities of all threeRead MoreCreationism in Public School Science Class Essay923 Words   |  4 Pagesbecause it has no supporting evidence, it is not equal to evolution, and religious myths can not be taught in public schools in an officially non religious nation. ...[I]ndividual scientists and philosophers of science have provided substantive critiques of intelligent design, demonstrating significant conceptual flaws in its formulation, a lack of credible scientific evidence, and misrepresentations of scientific facts.(AAAS). This statement says that creationism has no evidenceRead MoreEssay on Creationism vs. Evolution: How did it really happen?1163 Words   |  5 PagesCreationism vs. Evolution: How did it really happen? Ever since 1859 and the publication of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin1, his first publication of his observations, much debate has come about concerning the issue of how life on earth came to be. 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