Scarlett Letter Feminist Criticism Essay Example for Free

Scarlett Letter Feminist Criticism Essay While Hawthorne is influenced by stereotypes, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne does serve to criticize patriarchy as he creates a plausible individual who is strong in the face of patriarchal opposition. Hester turns her punishment into a life changing experience by becoming a better, stronger, and more independent person than she was at the beginning of the novel. The way she handles her punishment does not make it right but it did make her a strong woman to be admired. It is when Hester takes on the task of owning the punishment all on her own that she shows she is a feminist well efore her time. She does not do what is expected of women during the time in which the story takes place. Hester demonstrates that she is strong in the face of patriarchal oppression and the scrutiny of the community in which she lives. Hawthorne writes â€Å"But under the leaden inflictions which it was her doom to endure, she felt at moments, as if she must needs to shriek out with the full powers of her lungs. † (49) The town’s people are watching Hester so disapprovingly that she is tempted to scream out at them, but Hester remains silent hile the whole town is looking down upon her and her infant child because of her sin of adultery. Hester would not let the people see her as weak or show how it humiliated her to be standing before the crowd with the letter A embroidered upon her bosom. It is here Hester shows such strength and courage, at a time when women were thought of as weak. Hawthorne continues to write, â€Å"Speak out the name! That, and thy repentance, may avail to take the scarlet letter off thy breast. † â€Å"Never! Replied Hester Prynne. † (58) It is here that Hester refuses to answer the Reverend Mr.  Wilson, as is expected of her, when the head of church ask her to name thy baby’s father. Women were expected to obey men of authority and for Hester to refuse to name her baby’s father, shows that she is very strong even in the presence of authority and will not be submissive. She holds steadfast in keeping quiet and not naming the baby’s father and therefore taking on the punishment all on her own, as she will not speak out the father’s name as demanded of her. It is through her silence that Hester showed great inner strength and does not succumb to how she was feeling on the inside. Hawthorne tells us â€Å"It may seem marvelous, that this woman should still call that place her home. † and further writes â€Å"With the world before her,-kept by no restrictive clause of her condemnation† â€Å"free to return to her birthplace, or to any European Land. † (67) Once Hester’s confinement is over she is free to leave town, but she stays and makes a home for her and her daughter Pearl. Hester of her own free will did not flee when she was free to go. Instead of leaving where she would have been free from judgments and ridicule, she chooses to stay and face her punishment. It is ecause Hester chooses to face her punishment alone and remains adamantly silent when asked to name her baby’s father, that she is strong in the face of patriarchal oppression and authority. Hester quietly takes up a productive place in the oppressive society in which she lives. Hawthorne describes how Hester provides for herself and her child by saying â€Å"She possessed an art that sufficed, even in a land that afforded comparatively little scope for its exercise, to supply food for her thriving infant and herself. † (68) It is because of Hester’s fine sewing skills that she is able to provide an income for her and Pearl. Hester’s needlework is so delicate and beautifully done that women of court or those of wealth sought her out for their intricate embroidery needs. Hawthorne shows us how Hester is charitable when he says â€Å"Hester bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on wrenches less miserable than herself and who not infrequently insulted the hand that fed them. Much of her time, which she might readily have applied to better efforts of her art, she employed in making coarse garments for the poor. † (70) This proves that even though the people in her community shunned her, Hester was kind hearted and willingly o help those less fortunate than her, even when they would insult her and talk among themselves behind her back. Hester did not have much in ways of means, but she selflessly gives her time and efforts to make clothes for the poor. Hawthorne tells us how Hester mothers her daughter Pearl when he writes â€Å"In this little lonesome dwelling, with some slender means that she possessed, and by the license of her magistrates† â€Å"Hester established herself with her infant child. † (68) Hawthorne further writes â€Å"She early sought to impose a tender, but strict, control over the infant immortality that was ommitted to her charge. † (76) Hester is mindful of her own faults in life that she is careful not to be too strict and to show tenderness to her child. Sometimes not knowing how to mother, Hester would stand aside and let Pearl act on her own accord and let her become her own person. Hester with her sewing skills, her charitable deeds for the poor and raising Pearl on her own shows how she quietly takes up a productive place in the oppressive society in which she lives. Even though the towns people continued to look down on Hester, she did not let it stop her from living her life and he lping others in need. Hawthorne creates a plausible individual in his central character, Hester Prynne as she is not the typical Puritan woman and goes against the grain and what is expected of her. Hawthorne shows us how Hester is self-reliant when he states â€Å"What others might seek in vain, or because Hester really filled the gap which must otherwise have remained vacant; it is certain that she had ready and fairly requited employment for as many hours as she sees fit to occupy her needle. † (69) Hester shows that she does not need a man in her life to provide for her and her baby. She is self reliant, when women of her day were dependent upon their husbands to provide for all their needs. She works hard and works as long as she needs to provide the necessities that she and Pearl need all on her own. Hawthorn demonstrates Hester’s bravery by standing up for herself when he writes â€Å"I can teach my little Pearl what I have learned from this! Answered Hester Prynne, laying her finger on the red token. Women it is thy badge of shame! Replied the magistrate. It is because of the stain which the letter indicates that we would transfer thy child to others hands. (92) Hawthorne further says â€Å"God gave me that child! Cried she. He gave her in requital to all else, when ye had taken from me. She is my happiness! -she is my torture, none the less! Pearl keeps me in life! † (94) Women were not to speak out against authority especially male authority, but Hester stands up for herself and defends why Pearl should not be taken away from her care. This shows great bravery and her deep love for her child. Hester shows personal strength everyday during her punishment when Hawthorne writes â€Å"When strangers looked curiously at the scarlet letter,- and none ever ailed to do so,- they branded it fresh into Hester’s soul: so that, oftentimes, she could scarcely refrain, yet always did refrain, from covering the symbol with her hand. † (72) When ever Hester was to walk into town those who did not already know her would stop and stare at the letter upon her chest. Even though Hester wanted to hide the shame of the letter she did not, she forced herself not to cover the letter and to carry on. It is because of Hester’s strong will that she is able to face her punishment everyday, wearing her sin bravely out in the open. She did not let it stop her from living her life and going about her daily routine or making a good life for her and her daughter Pearl. Women in Hester’s day would have been too weak to venture into town all by themselves, instead they would have chosen to stay hidden, as to not having to face their sin. Also, they would not have walked with their heads up, instead would have kept their heads down as to not see the stares upon them, the fingers pointing at them or to hear words of insult directed at them. They would have been too weak to handle the daily scorn as bravely as Hester did. In conclusion one can see how Hester is a plausible individual who is strong in the face of patriarchal opposition and authority. Women during this time were seen as fragile, submissive, totally dependent upon and controlled by the men in their lives. Hester proves that she is neither of the above mentioned. She alone provides for her child, she was not dependent on anyone, she stood up for herself when threatened to lose Pearl, she did not submit when asked over and over again to name her baby’s father. What should have made Hester weak and shameful only made her a stronger, and better erson who learned to be self-reliant. In the end Hester’s good deeds and the way she carried her punishment turned her sinful letter â€Å"A† for adultery, into a new meaning among the people in her community. The letter â€Å"A† was now redefined by society as someone who was â€Å"Abel† capable and strong. The way Hester handled her punishment made her a strong and independent woman who defied the way a women was expected to be and act during patriarchal times, she showed us over and over again how she was a feminist before her time and in the end she finds favor with the women folk who now sought her out for advice.

Wilfred Owens Dulce Et Decorum Est Essay -- Wilfred Owen Dulce Decoru

Wilfred Owen's Dulce Et Decorum Est Through poems with blazing guns, spurting blood, and screaming agony, Wilfred Owen justly deserves the label, applied by critics, of war poet. Some critics, like W.B. Yeats who said, â€Å"I consider [Wilfred Owen] unworthy of the poets corner of a country news paper,† (362) satisfy themselves with this label and argue Owen lacked the artistic merit to be given much attention beyond it. However, many other Owen critics like David Daiches interest themselves in trying to identify what unique perspectives Owen’s poems present and why those perspectives captivate so many people. Daiches argues that Owen engages so many readers because â€Å"he penetrates into the inner reality† (363) of the war experience. He explains how Owen captured this inner reality by saying: â€Å"Owen never forgot what normal human activity was like, and always had a clear sense of its relation to the abnormal activity of war† (363). In this criticism Daiches wisely recognizes the need for an account of Owen’s popularity; however, at least in â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est,† even beyond the capacity to convey inner reality, there lurks a more apt explanation of Owen’s popularity—archaic reality. Owen, a Welsh descendent through both parental lines, through his diction, draws upon his Celtic roots, both psychological and linguistic, in writing â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est.† Actions, themes, and words throughout the poem relate to obscure pagan ritualistic human sacrifice and combine to give the poem a deep connection to the early druidic peoples of Britain, Ireland and Gaul—peoples of the very lands which became embroiled in World War I. Fascinating connections between Owen’s work and druidic peoples turn up in early Roman historians’... ...rey. Mythology of the British Isles. North Pomfret: Trafalgar Square Publishing, 1990. Daiches, David. â€Å"The Poetry of Wilfred Owen.† New Literary Values: Studies in Modern Literature. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1936. In Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Sharon Hall. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1981. 164 vols. Ellis, Peter. The Druids. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994. Owen, Wilfred. ulce Et Decorum Est. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Ed. Margaret Ferguson. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2005. Protas, Allison. Dictionary of Symbolism. 2001. University of Michigan. 20 Sep. 2005 Yeats, W. B. Letters on Poetry from W.B. Yeats to Dorothy Wellesley. Ed. Dorothy Wellesley. London: Oxford Press, 1940. In Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Sharon Hall. Vol. 5. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1981. 164 vols.

The Odyssey

The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus does not deserve his reputation as a brave and clever leader because he is very arrogant, conceited, and he only cares about his glories which causes him the life of all his loyal companions. Odysseus makes the mistake of bragging out to the Cyclops about how he conquered stabbing his eye and escaping his cave â€Å"Cyclops if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca! (Book 9, lines 416-420). Odysseus does not think about the consequences he will have now after yelling out his real name, his father’s name, and his home land. His journey home will be much more difficult due to a non-clever decision. The Cyclops tries to trick Odysseus into going back and possibly eat or kill him ‘’Come back Odysseus, and ill treat you well, praying the god of earthquake to befriend you, his son I am †¦ if he will, he may heal me of this black wound †¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Book 9, lines 431-435).Odysseus does not return which does show some cleverness but then again he yells out to the Cyclops â€Å"if I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquake could not heal you there! †(Book 9, 437-440). This aggravates the Cyclops and he puts a curse on Odysseus â€Å"†¦grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home †¦let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home†(Book 9. Lines 445-452). Due to all of his actions, bragging about his glories, Odysseus will face many difficult challenges and may not return home. The Odyssey In the tenth book of the Odyssey Odysseus and his companions find themselves trapped in the cave if the Cyclops Polyphemos. After their monstrous host has munched his way through several of his guests, the remainder take action. Odysseus makes a sharp, wooden stake, cutting it from the massive cudgel discovered in the cave; then together with four of his men he plunges the stake into the eye of the drunken, sleeping Polyphemos. Snodgrass, however, would dissent. His whole book is devoted to proving that not only did early Greek art rarely illustrate Homer, it was rarely even inspired by it. This theory is not a new one. Many other scholar have thought and pondered the same ideas. Snodgrass meticulously studies examples of scene often thought to be illustrations of Homer. Geometric art, he argues, offers nothing that can be identified as Homeric; indeed, there is only one Trojan war scene and that is Ajax's rescue of the body of Achilles, a scene which occurs in neither the Odyssey nor the Iliad. One of the more bizarre apparitions of geometric art takes the form of a pair of Siamese twins, warriors with two heads, four legs, four arms and one torso and the subject of some fascinating pages in Snodgrass's book. They were especially popular in early Greek art, but there is no clear Homeric influence here. Twice does the Iliad does refer to the twins, yet significantly he does not mention their rather striking deformity. It is preferable to understand both the artist and Homer as drawing on the same body of legendary material. By the mid seventh century figures on vases are beginning to be identified by captions. This at least makes it easier to determine whether the scene is from the Trojan war. Instead of two warriors fighting over a body we can be sure that we are looking at Menealos and Hektor fighting over the body of Euphorbos, as found on a famous Rhodian plate of the late seventh century, a picture that makes an impressive and appropriate cover for the book. This could very well be an illustration of the Iliad book where Menealos abandons his attempt to strip the corpse. Evidence for this tradition can be found in the shield of Euphorbos by Menealos himself. This is certainly plausible and helps to show that common subject matter is insufficient to prove influence. On the other hand, where a minor character is names, such as ‘Odios' in the embassy to Achilles, then we can be more confident that the artist had Homer in mind. This is a book of enormous leaning and subtlety, and it conclusion is surely right, yet at the same time it seems something of a missed opportunity. It is devoted to a negative and tightly-argued thesis, that Homer's epic poems had only minimal influence on early Greek at. Snodgrass is re-thinking early Greek art as he goes, but he is re-thinking it within the restrictions imposed by the very narrow focus of the book as a whole. Thus, the positive, for instance the illuminating chapter on synoptic narrative and on composition, can be rather swapped in the relentless negative arguments. Other will now need to work through the implications of his thesis, for example the role that must be assigned to oral tradition and all its local variations. Perhaps it is no conscience that his book should appear at a time when the literary culture of the recent past is being eroded by an increasing emphasis on the visual. The Odyssey The Odyssey In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus does not deserve his reputation as a brave and clever leader because he is very arrogant, conceited, and he only cares about his glories which causes him the life of all his loyal companions. Odysseus makes the mistake of bragging out to the Cyclops about how he conquered stabbing his eye and escaping his cave â€Å"Cyclops if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca! (Book 9, lines 416-420). Odysseus does not think about the consequences he will have now after yelling out his real name, his father’s name, and his home land. His journey home will be much more difficult due to a non-clever decision. The Cyclops tries to trick Odysseus into going back and possibly eat or kill him ‘’Come back Odysseus, and ill treat you well, praying the god of earthquake to befriend you, his son I am †¦ if he will, he may heal me of this black wound †¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Book 9, lines 431-435).Odysseus does not return which does show some cleverness but then again he yells out to the Cyclops â€Å"if I could take your life I would and take your time away, and hurl you down to hell! The god of earthquake could not heal you there! †(Book 9, 437-440). This aggravates the Cyclops and he puts a curse on Odysseus â€Å"†¦grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never see his home †¦let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home†(Book 9. Lines 445-452). Due to all of his actions, bragging about his glories, Odysseus will face many difficult challenges and may not return home.

The Trial And Death Of Socrates - 845 Words

Philosophical attitudes, as Arthur E. Murphy explains, are attitudes where ones should not cease to stop pursuing the truth, which they should wonder about things around them, understand the meaning behind of that existence, perceive the ideas from different perspective, and knows one self’s knowledge. He also points out that the one with philosophy attitudes should be open-minded and responsible. However, we need a certain example to prove whether this explanation is right or not. For that, in this essay, we will use Plato’s The Trial and Death of Socrates, as our example of how this kind of attitudes play in Socrates’ life as it is well-known as intelligently and morally lived one. In Euthyphro section, Socrates meets a man named Euthyphro before his trial, where he is being accused by Meletus for corrupting the youth. While Euthyphro is here to prosecute his own father for the case of murder. Socrates starts to ask him about his meaning of piety. â€Å"It is not being seen because it is a thing seen but on the contrary, it is a thing seen because it is being seen; nor is it because it is something led that it is being led but because it is being led that it is something led; not is something being carried because it is something carried, but it is something carried because it is being carried.† What Socrates means from this is that what people might believe is the truth might not be the truth, just because people believe it to be the truth. People tend to follow theShow MoreRelatedThe Trial And Death Of Socrates : The Trial And Death Of Socrates972 Words   |  4 Pages The Trial and Death of Socrates, depicts the different stages of Socrates’s life, from his prosecution until his execution. During the narratives, Socrates gives us, as readers, insight towards his beliefs and philosophy, which are viewed as reasons for his imprisonment. Phaedo’s recollection of Socrates’s last few hours alive, reveals Socrates’s most important belief, that the soul is an entity which is immortal and is valuable during and after life. All perceived lusts, greed, and fear are causedRead MoreThe Trial And Death Of Socrates1701 Words   |  7 PagesIn reading, The Trial and Death of Socrates, Socrates presents himself against â€Å"the majority† and endures prosecution for inventing new gods and not believing in old ones. Socrates lives a life that is opposite of much of the â€Å"the majority† ideals. â€Å"The majority† values goods, possessions, and uncontrollable attributes given to them by others such as a high reputation and honor. In addition, The Greek Philosopher was able to refuse the opportunity to escape his death sentence while he had sons atRead MoreTrial and Death of Socrates2267 Words   |  10 PagesBenjamin Jowett. The Trial and Death of Socrates (Dover Edition). New York: Dover Publications, 1992 â€Å"What is the charge? Well, a very serious charge, which shows a good deal of character in the young man, and for which he is certainly not to be despised. He says he knows how the youth are corrupted and who are their corruptors. And I fancy that he must be a wise man, and seeing that I am anything but a wise man, he has found me out, and is going to accuse me of corrupting his young friendsRead MoreThe Trial and Death of Socrates Essay1639 Words   |  7 PagesThe portrayal of Socrates, through the book â€Å"the trial and death of Socrates† is one that has created a fairly controversial character in Western history. In many ways, Socrates changed the idea of common philosophy in ancient Greece; he transformed their view on philosophy from a study of why the way things are, into a consideration man. Specifically, he analyzed the virtue and health of the human soul. Along side commending Socrates for his strong beliefs, and having the courage to stand by thoseRead M oreThe Trial And Death Of Socrates And The Gita1563 Words   |  7 Pagesalso true of the ancient texts The Trial and Death of Socrates and The Gita, despite their conflicting messages on the importance of individuality. In The Trial and Death of Socrates, Socrates seems to take an individualist approach in that people choose to follow their â€Å"god†, or conscience, while The Gita argues that people are being guided by truth. The Gita shows this with Arjuna’s devotion to Krishna’s wishes despite his inherent ties to his family. Both Socrates and Arjuna find themselves at oddsRead MorePlato : The Trial And Death Of Socrates1107 Words   |  5 PagesAmanda Kewal Phil 103 Essay #1 Plato: The Trial and Death of Socrates Euthyphro In Platos Euthyphro, Euthyphro is surprised to see Socrates at the courthouse because he doesnt seem like the kind of person that should be anywhere around a courthouse. They both discuss why Socrates is there in which he tells Euthyphro that he is being indicted by Meletus for corrupting the youth because he does not believe in the old gods of Athens and makes up new gods. Socrates goes on by telling Euthyphro his issueRead MorePlato: The Trial and Death of Socrates1263 Words   |  5 PagesPLATO- The Trial and Death of Socrates Athens belonged to a royal blood of an Aristocratic family. Plato was a good learner and pupil who always wanted to wanted to justify Socrates and tried to discover the eternal principles of human conduct, happiness, justice, temperance and courage. He was holding a unique and valuable position in the area when he was only about twenty eight years old. Plato never forced anyone to follow him and to adopt his thoughts in order to adopt a true and simple meanRead MorePlato s The Trial And Death Of Socrates Essay1671 Words   |  7 PagesPlato’s The Trial and Death of Socrates presents the reader with complex competing conceptions of what should be considered â€Å"the good life†. According to Socrates, â€Å"the most important thing is not life, but the good life† (Crito, 48b). The majority, who live a non-philosophical life, believes the goods of life include wealth, reputation, and honor: all things that can easily be taken away or destroyed. On the other hand, Socrates lives a philosophical life filled with self-sufficiency. He views wisdomRead MoreSocratic Justice And The Trial And Death Of Socrates992 Words   |  4 Pagesin The Trial and Death of Socrates. I will also go into detail about the differences between Machiavelli’s views of government as opposed to Socrates’s. Socrates and Machiavelli are two the greatest philosophers known today. Both had an effective way of showing and standing up for what they believe in. While both men were very intelligent, Socrates and Machiavelli differ with their views on justice. Socrates defines justice as doing what is best for the wellbeing of his country. Socrates shows thisRead MoreThe Trial and Untimely Death of Socrates Essay527 Words   |  3 PagesThe Trial and untimely death of Socrates, in my opinion, was a small group of people throwing a fit when it was pointed they weren’t as smart as they thought. The reasoning used by Socrates is the greatest example of the facts, not the manipulation of, proving your innocence. Socrates makes several points as to the trial being a complete waste of time and that even if he was brought to court he would be innocent. I agree death was the wrong verdict by the jury, the jury should have voted for innocence