...Eight Cow Wife” and “My Last Duchess” both contain strong male characters whose personalities drive the storyline and affect the outcome of the story; however the two men cause very different outcomes because of their very different personalities. The authors of each story use character, symbolism, and theme to show how a man’s personality can affect everyone around him, no matter what the circumstance may be. One way that the authors of both stories show just how much people can be affected by the personality of a man is by creating strong leading men as the main characters. The main character of “Johnny Lingo’s Eight Cow Wife” is named Johnny Lingo, who is a rich, smart businessman who has a caring heart towards the one he loves. The main character in “My Last Duchess” however, is an wealthy Duke who owns much land and believes that his duchess should have been more proud of the name he had given her while she was alive. One of the striking similarities about the two men is that their names held honor and recognition. However, it is their attitudes toward the people around them and their significant others that differ greatly. Johnny Lingo is humble, and is willing to sacrifice eight cows in order to make the love of his life feel beautiful and confident. On the other hand, the Duke considers himself higher in importance than everyone else, and found it silly and unattractive when his duchess smiled and gave thanks to everyone. Both Johnny Lingo and the Duke are compelling characters...
Words: 983 - Pages: 4
...poem under review in this paper is Robert Browning's “my last Duchess” based on historical events involving the duke of Ferrara (Alfonso) who lived back in the 16th century. The duke is the speaker of the poem about the affection she showed to othermen. It's suggested that this affection causes the narratorto kill her. He tells us that he is entertaining an emissary whom his soon wife to be has sent to negotiate terms of the marriage. He takes him on a tour in his palace, in his gallery specifically. He comes across a portrait painted directly on the wall and volunteers to tell the circumstances in which it was painted and the fate of his unfortunate former wife. He says that his wife was a flirt, she would smile at every man and described her behavior as “disgraceful”, until he gave commands that all her smiles would stop at once –to have her killed-. Having finished his story, he moved on to the next antique as if the past one was nothing. The poet is hiding behind the persona of a real-life Duke who has coldly murdered his young wife and speaks of her as if she was nothing. The title of the poem "my last duchess" suggests that the duke had had more than one duchess that shows greatly how women were treated like objects and properties that were made for men's pleasure. so we can reveal from that ,The dominant theme of this poem is anti-feminism. The way women were perceived at that age is clearly evident in the way the Duke speaks of his wife as if she were a property, they have...
Words: 1142 - Pages: 5
...Mr del Vecchio Name___________________________________________Form________________ From left to right, match the image with a poem from the anthology you havde studied Scaffold for an essay in response to the poetry question How do Carol Ann Duffy in Havisham and Simon Armitage in Kid and Robert Browning in ‘The Laboratory’ and ‘My Last Duchess’, present their perspectives on the theme of betrayal? Objective: how to achieve an A* in the Poetry question * Respond to texts critically, sensitively and in detail, using textual evidence as appropriate * Explore how language, structure and forms contribute to the meaning of texts, considering different approaches to texts, and alternative interpretations * Explore relationships and comparisons within and between texts, selecting and evaluating relevant material * Introduction: keep this brief and concise! * Avoid any description of what happens and cut straight to how the themes are treated similarly in the poems and where the writers’ treatments part company. | POINTLiterary Conceits are features of both poems, through which Duffy and Armitage convey the mental state of their characters | HAVISHAM QUOTATIONS“Havisham” | Both poems begin with and frequently employ strong plosives._____________________________________________For the development: * include that Havisham is an interior monologue; * how do the plosives express her state of mind? * In Havisham, the opening plosive...
Words: 1628 - Pages: 7
...Comparative essay on ‘My last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s lover’ Robert Browning was born in May 1812 and died at the age of seventy. Browning was an English poet who has become known as the person to invent and popularise the dramatic monologue. This made him the foremost Victorian poet; two of his most successful dramatic monologues are those of ‘My last Duchess’ and ‘Porphyria’s Lover’. The reoccurring theme within the two monologues is murder as they show the idea of men killing a lover Dramatic monologues are significant in that there is only one point of view expressed throughout. In Victorian times dramatic monologues were very popular; Browning was seen as the innovator of this style of writing along with other eminent Victorian poets such as Rossetti and Tennyson. The dramatic monologue takes its style from Shakespeare’s soliloquies were a character speaks their thoughts and feelings aloud. This idea and style has been extended to the preset day, with Alan Bennett’s ‘Talking Heads.’ The speaker in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ is the lover himself, residing in a cottage in the countryside at the beginning of the poem. The mood of the narrator is established right at the start as he talks about “the sullen wind’ ‘tore,’ ‘vex’ and ‘spite.’ He is clearly angry and unhappy. However as soon as Porphyria ‘glided’ in, the mood changes and she ‘ shut the cold out and the storm.’ The narrator feels warmed by her presence. At once the reader sees that Porphyria has taken control...
Words: 2042 - Pages: 9
...The similarities between Robert Browning's two poems, “My Last Duchess” and Porphyria's Lover, are ordinary, as they can be compared in theme, plot, style, language, perspective and various other ways. The two poems make the same statement concerning men and love and men and their relationship with women. In both poems, the male narrator looks like a jealous, overbearing tyrant and the woman a passive victim of circumstance. Neither poem makes men look very good. This is a single stanza poem. The structure used of “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning. This poem provides a good use of Euphemism and Persona. The structural elements include iambic pentameter, the line, heroic couplet, strophe and stanza. Poets combine the use of language and a specific structure to create imaginative and expressive work such as My Last Duchess by Robert Browning. The structure used in some Poetry types is also used when considering the visual effect of a finished poem. The structure of many types of poetry results in groups of lines on the page which enhance the poem's composition. This poem provides a good example of Euphemism and Persona. “Porphyria’s Lover,” while natural in its language, does not display the colloquialisms or dialectical markers of some of Browning’s later poems. Moreover, while the cadence of the poem mimics natural speech, it actually takes the form of highly patterned verse, rhyming ABABB. The intensity and asymmetry of the pattern suggests the madness concealed within...
Words: 1603 - Pages: 7
...styles and verbal cues. In Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess, the author employs interesting line breaks and enjambment to help the reader get a true sense of the Duke, despite the way the he portrays himself as an honorable, kind man who had no choice but to kill his young wife. The poem takes place in the sixteenth century and is loosely based on Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, whose wife met an untimely death. In this dramatic monologue the Duke is speaking to an emissary negotiating another marriage. Portraying himself as a good man, and a worthy candidate for a new young bride the Duke takes the emissary on a tour of his house. He shows himself to be a man of good taste by “modestly” showing his collection of art work. When arriving upon a painting obscured by a curtain the Duke begins to reminisce about his late wife; as he describes her he tells of her disrespect. She constantly disobeyed him and even went so far as to flirt with other men by smiling at them and accepting their gift. The Duke is a wronged man whose wife took advantage of his position and generosity. As the monologue progressed however, the Duke begins to show his true colors. When one digs a bit deeper and reads between the lines it becomes obvious that the duke is a very controlling individual; all of his actions give away his true nature. The first instance in which the Duke’s selfish nature is reveal is in the fact that he has the picture of the duchess hidden behind a curtain. He exerts control by...
Words: 863 - Pages: 4
...Women and society, both in the past and present, have a tumultuous relationship. In the past, societal norms for behaviors and female expectations were, generally, decided upon by the patriarchy. In some occasions, these norms are impressed on one woman who impresses it onto another. Throughout history, women’s fate draw upon societal expectations, as represented in “Sadie and Maud” by Gwendolyn Brooks, in which there can be disastrous results as represented in “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning and “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy. In order to appropriately discuss the three works, one must know what a feminist, new historical approach entails. In “Feminism and the ‘New Historicism’”, written by Judith Lowder Newton, one definition may be: “In feminist history, moreover, sexuality and reproduction, both constructed, both seen as sites of power and struggle” (Newton, 154). It is both the difference in gender and the fact that women are capable of birthing children affects literature. Depending on the piece, it can be seen as a “power” over men, but in other cases, it’s a main point of argument for a patriarchal society. “Sadie and Maud” is a telling of two sisters’ lives through perfect rhyming quatrains. The nursery...
Words: 1445 - Pages: 6
...A vast amount of love is created differently in these poems. Rossetti and Armitage display true love in "Remember" and "Mother any distance", for example when Rossetti says "no more hold me by the hand", the affection is clear; likewise in "Mother any distance" when Armitage says "a second pair of hands" the reader is able to feel the true love between the mother and child. However, in the two poems "My last duchess" and "Daddy" the poets Browning and Plath display the hatred that is created between the characters. Fore example, "You disgust me" portrays the powerful hate in the poem, also shown in "Daddy" when Plath says " I have to kill you." This demonstrates across the unusual quality of the relationships. Furthermore, we can also see fake love is created in "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" and "Salome." Duffy highlights the fake love in "Salome" when she says "i'll do it again." This shows the reader that her "love" was effortless and non meaningful. This is also shown by Keats in "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" by the line "as she did love." Fake love is brought upon this poem because the love created is not real and the reader realises that love is blind. We see true love in "Remember" and "Mother any distance." For instance euphemism is used when Rossetti is asking somebody she is in love with to remember her when she is "gone away." This shows the reader that Rossetti is thinking about dying but does not want to leave the world without knowing that her lover will always remember...
Words: 1560 - Pages: 7
...HOW TO WRITE A LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY The purpose of a literary analysis essay is to carefully examine and sometimes evaluate a work of literature or an aspect of a work of literature. As with any analysis, this requires you to break the subject down into its component parts. Examining the different elements of a piece of literature is not an end in itself but rather a process to help you better appreciate and understand the work of literature as a whole. For instance, an analysis of a poem might deal with the different types of images in a poem or with the relationship between the form and content of the work. If you were to analyze (discuss and explain) a play, you might analyze the relationship between a subplot and the main plot, or you might analyze the character flaw of the tragic hero by tracing how it is revealed through the acts of the play. Analyzing a short story might include identifying a particular theme (like the difficulty of making the transition from adolescence to adulthood) and showing how the writer suggests that theme through the point of view from which the story is told; or you might also explain how the main character‟s attitude toward women is revealed through his dialogue and/or actions. REMEMBER: Writing is the sharpened, focused expression of thought and study. As you develop your writing skills, you will also improve your perceptions and increase your critical abilities. Writing ultimately boils down to the development of an idea....
Words: 3487 - Pages: 14
... Chapter One ‘Of course, you know I am dying.’ His mother ex- tended slim fingers from beneath the bedclothes and patted the hand that he offered to her. Marcus Radwell, fourth Duke of Haughleigh, kept his face impassive, searching his mind for the appropriate response. ‘No.’ His tone was neutral. ‘We will, no doubt, have this conversation again at Christmas when you have recovered from your current malady.’ ‘Only you would use obstinacy as a way to cheer me on my deathbed.’ And only you would stage death with such Drury Lane melodrama. He left the words unspoken, struggling for decorum, but glared at the carefully arranged scene. She’d chosen burgundy velvet hangings and dim lighting to accent her already pale skin. The cloying scent of the lilies on the dresser gave the air a funereal heaviness. ‘No, my son, we will not be having this conversation again. The things I have to tell you will be said today. I do not have the strength to tell them twice, and certainly will not be here at Christmas to force another 6 The Inconvenient Duchess promise from you.’ She gestured to the water glass at the bedside. He filled it and offered it to her, supporting her as she drank. No strength? And yet her voice seemed steady enough. This latest fatal illness was probably no more real than the last one. Or the one before. He stared hard into her face, searching for some indication of the truth. Her hair was still the same delicate blonde cloud on the pillow, but her face was grey...
Words: 82622 - Pages: 331
...Renaissance Theatre. The Protestant Reformation in northern Europe put an end to most religious drama by the mid-16th century, and a new, dynamic secular drama developed in its place. The Renaissance began at different times in different areas of Europe and was a slow process of change rather than a sudden shift in ideas and values. England The English drama of the 16th cent. showed from the beginning that it would not be bound by classical rules. Many themes and ideas can be seen in the components of the Elizabethan drama. For example, many works were influenced by other works. Themes on revenge were seen and blood and killing was evidenced in many works by, for instance, Thomas Kyd 's Spanish Tragedy (c.1586). Marlowe’s works presented deeper meanings of questioning life. Shakespeare, of course, stands as the supreme dramatist of the Renaissance period, equally skilful at writing tragedies, comedies, or chronicle plays. His great achievements include the perfection of a verse form and language that captures the spirit of ordinary speech and yet stand above it to give a special dignity to his characters and situations; a marvellous ability to unify plot, character, imagery, and verse movement. With the reign of James I the English drama began to decline until the closing of the theatres by the Puritans in 1642. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_drama Comedy in Elizabethan Drama: The term "comedy" as applied to a division of the drama was not...
Words: 3837 - Pages: 16
...SECOND DRAFT Contents Preamble Chapter 1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Background Rationale Aims Interface with the Junior Secondary Curriculum Principles of Curriculum Design Chapter 2 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 1 Introduction Literature in English Curriculum Framework Strands and Learning Targets Learning Objectives Generic Skills Values and Attitudes Broad Learning Outcomes Chapter 3 5 7 9 10 11 11 13 Curriculum Planning 3.1 Planning a Balanced and Flexible Curriculum 3.2 Central Curriculum and School-based Curriculum Development 3.2.1 Integrating Classroom Learning and Independent Learning 3.2.2 Maximizing Learning Opportunities 3.2.3 Cross-curricular Planning 3.2.4 Building a Learning Community through Flexible Class Organization 3.3 Collaboration within the English Language Education KLA and Cross KLA Links 3.4 Time Allocation 3.5 Progression of Studies 3.6 Managing the Curriculum – Role of Curriculum Leaders Chapter 4 1 2 2 3 3 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 21 Learning and Teaching 4.1 Approaches to Learning and Teaching 4.1.1 Introductory Comments 4.1.2 Prose Fiction 4.1.3 Poetry i 21 21 23 32 SECOND DRAFT 4.1.4 Drama 4.1.5 Films 4.1.6 Literary Appreciation 4.1.7 Schools of Literary Criticism 4.2 Catering for Learner Diversity 4.3 Meaningful Homework 4.4 Role of Learners Chapter 5 41 45 52 69 71 72 73 74 Assessment 5.1 Guiding Principles 5.2 Internal Assessment 5.2.1 Formative Assessment 5.2.2 Summative Assessment 5.3 Public Assessment 5.3.1 Standards-referenced...
Words: 41988 - Pages: 168
...is a Portable Document File produced as part of an ongoing student publication project to bring classical works of literature, in English, to free and easy access of those wishing to make use of them. Cover Design: Jim Manis; sketch of Dumas in 1869, French artist Copyright © 2000 The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University is an equal opportunity university. Alexandre Dumas The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas [Pere] AUTHOR’S PREFACE IN WHICH IT IS PROVED that, notwithstanding their names’ ending in os and is, the heroes of the story which we are about to have the honor to relate to our readers have nothing mythological about them. A short time ago, while making researches in the Royal Library for my History of Louis XIV, I stumbled by chance upon the Memoirs of M. D’Artagnan, printed—as were most of the works of that period, in which authors could not tell the truth without the risk of a residence, more or less long, in the Bastille—at Amsterdam, by Pierre Rouge. The title 3 attracted me; I took them home with me, with the...
Words: 232270 - Pages: 930
...are able to hold their impatience within reasonable bounds. So when I got back to my lodgings with just enough time to have a drink, a cigarette, and to read my paper before dressing for dinner, and was told by Miss Fellows, my landlady, that Mr. Alroy Kear wished me to ring him up at once, I felt that I could safely ignore his request. “Is that the writer?” she asked me. “It is.” She gave the telephone a friendly glance. “Shall I get him?” “No, thank you.” “What shall I say if he rings again?” “Ask him to leave a message.” “Very good, sir.” She pursed her lips. She took the empty siphon, swept the room with a look to see that it was tidy, and went out. Miss Fellows was a great novel reader. I was sure that she had read all Roy’s books. Her disapproval of my casualness suggested that she had read them with admiration. When I got home again, I found a note in her bold, legible writing on the sideboard. Mr. Kear rang up twice. Can you lunch with him to-morrow? If not what day will suit you? I raised my eyebrows. I had not seen Roy for three months and then only for a few minutes at a party; he had been very friendly, he always was, and when we separated he had expressed his hearty regret that we met so seldom. “London’s awful,” he said. “One never has time to see any of the people one wants to. Let’s lunch together one day next week, shall we?” “I’d like to,” I replied. “I’ll look at my book when I get home and ring you up.” “All right.” I had not known Roy for twenty...
Words: 69946 - Pages: 280
...slowly and laboriously constructed. I wish to inscribe your name upon it, as much to thank the man whose science once saved me as to honor the friend of my daily life. De Balzac. THE LILY OF THE VALLEY ENVOI Felix de Vandenesse to Madame la Comtesse Natalie de Manerville: whom we ignore their I yield to your wishes. It is the privilege of the women love more than they love us to make the men who love them the ordinary rules of common-sense. To smooth the frown upon brow, to soften the pout upon their lips, what obstacles we miraculously overcome! We shed our blood, we risk our future! exact the history of my past life; here it is. But remember in obeying you I crush under foot a reluctance Why are you jealous of the sudden reveries midst of our happiness? Why show the when silence grasps me? Could you of my character without inquiring You this, Natalie; hitherto unconquerable. which overtake me in the pretty anger of a petted woman not play upon the contradictions into the causes of them? Are there secrets in your heart which seek absolution through a knowledge of mine? Ah! Natalie, you have guessed mine; and it is better you should know the whole truth. evokes it; it hovers Yes, my life is shadowed by a phantom; a word vaguely above me and about me; within my soul are solemn memories, buried in its depths like those marine productions seen in calmest weather and which the storms of ocean cast in...
Words: 101775 - Pages: 408
