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The opening paragraph of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is considered to be one of the most poignant, meaningful, and undoubtedly most famous openings in the horror genre, if not in all fiction. To consume is to destroy or expend by use. Most people associate consume
Get original essayFemale Gothic: “Claire Kahane identifies the characteristics of traditional Gothic narratives, including “an imposing structure” within which the protagonist, “typically a young woman whose mother has died, is compelled to seek out the center of the mystery, while vague and usually sexual threats to her person from some powerful male figure hover on the periphery of her consciousness”.
Dissociation/Depersonalization: The act or mental state of not connecting to oneself or not feeling real. Possibly More later.
Horror has been one of my favorite genres for years and The Haunting Of Hill House is one of the most well-known and influential works in the horror genre. The idea of a house that was evil from its conception and was not haunted by an outside force is incredibly intriguing and fascinating to me. Hill House hates humanity and wants to hurt, scare, and consume its inhabitants. Eleanor’s fragile mental health and psyche also represent important elements in horror that are almost always present, even if in a more subtle manner. Psychological horror is much more terrifying and insidious to me than a ghost, ghoul, or vampire could ever be, and is something that has captured my attention for years.
Shirley Jackson uses the idea of a sentient and malevolent house that is desperate to consume and will do anything to achieve its goals to portray haunted houses and their effect on the human psyche in The Haunting of Hill House.
Something that has fascinated readers for decades is how Shirley Jackson portrays haunted houses in a different manner from many other authors before and after her. Jackson chose for Hill House, itself, to be the evil entity of the story rather than haunted by something evil. A question that is commonly piqued by those who are drawn in by this story is: why did Jackson choose for Hill House to be alive? The only answers known are merely speculation, but either way, it has raised quite a lot of discussion of this topic, although it is not the main focus of those who have read this novel. The main focus that people who read The Haunting of Hill House have is the fascination of Hill House’s desire to consume and devour.; as well as the question of why Hill House is so evil.
Throughout the novel, we learn about the history of Hill House and how it was built but we never learn how it achieved its current state. It’s possible to argue that it doesn't matter who built Hill House or when they did, and all that matters is that Hill House is a powerful force; something that cannot be changed or destroyed, and would exude evil for as long as it stood or anyone remembered it,“Exorcism cannot alter the countenance of a house; Hill House would stay as it was until it was destroyed.”, and that there is nothing that anyone or anything could do to change it. There is a question that is posed of whether or not Hill House became evil due to all of the misfortune of its inhabitants, or whether all of the misfortune took place due to the malicious nature of the house, 'What it was like before then, whether its personality was molded by the people who lived here, or the things they did, or whether it was evil from its start are all questions I cannot answer'. It is revealed that Hill House was built 80 years ago, and yet, in that relatively short period of time, it has inexplicably become extremely powerful and insatiable.
Hill House is portrayed as a living, a sentient creature that is hungry and wants to consume and devour its inhabitants,“I am like a small creature swallowed whole by a monster, she thought, and the monster feels my tiny little movements inside. “No,” she said aloud, and the one word echoed.”, who are weak and just a thing for the House to toy with and then eat.
Something that many readers question is whether or not Hill House feeds off of misery. It is a debatable matter as it is unclear if the House feeds solely off of misery and suffering or if it needs an influx of people to keep it alive. Also, the question has arisen as to if Hill House really needs to consume its victims or it just likes to play and toy with its victims, for some form of sick and malevolent joy. The House seems to need to devour people in order to survive and thrive, but it takes pleasure in drawing in more and more victims and conjuring up misery within them, and cruelly toying with them in order to get what it wants.
“No human eye can isolate the unhappy coincidence of line and place which suggests evil in the face of a house, and yet somehow a maniac juxtaposition, a badly turned angle, some chance meeting of roof and sky, turned Hill House into a place of despair, more frightening because the face of Hill House seemed awake, with a watchfulness from the blank windows and a touch of glee in the eyebrow of a cornice.”
It is a thing of curiosity as to why Hill House wants some people and not others, but a reason proposed is that Hill House feeds on the vulnerable and weak, it finds the people who are the most fragile and seeks to destroy them for its own benefit, “The house was waiting now, she thought, and it was waiting for her; no one else could satisfy it.”. Some people who pass through the walls of Hill House are simply the type of person that does not appeal to Hill House: those who are too strong-willed, or sure of themselves, or ignorant; but most are victims in some way or they are useful for furthering the House’s agenda. The house provides people with things that they want or that could appeal to them in some way,“All of them stood in silence for a moment and looked at HELP ELEANOR COME to HOME ELEANOR written in shaky red letters on the wallpaper over Theodora’s bed.”, although the writing frightened and upset Eleanor, it was proof that a desire of Eleanor’s was being filled: the desire to be wanted and to have someplace to belong. Hill House preys on the people who are already vulnerable and focuses on them because it knows that they will be easier to wear down and claim as its victim.
Although Hill House is a force of evil, it is still a house and cannot kill its prey through typical violent means so instead, Hill House does not kill people, it forces and coerces them into killing themselves, “In the unending, crashing second before the car hurled into the tree she thought clearly, Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this? Why don't they stop me?”. Eleanor also feels some form of pride in the fact that she is killing herself ‘on her own’, which is really just Hill Houses’ influence on her being stronger than ever. However, right before Eleanor kills herself, the House relinquishes its control and influence over her mind to torment her with the fact that Hill House has won and that it is too late for her or anyone else to save her.
Hill House is able to infiltrate the minds of its victims and change their perception of reality and what they value, “I will relinquish my possession of this self of mine, abdicate, give over willingly what I never wanted at all; whatever it wants of me it can have.”. Hill House toys with its victims and makes them want to stay, one example of that circumstance is when Eleanor loses sight of reality when the others try to make her leave and starts talking about being walled up alive and wanting to stay at the house. It is also able to convince its victims that things happening outside of the House are inconsequential and makes them seem unimportant and imaginary, 'We are on a desert island,' Luke said. 'I can't picture any world but Hill House,' Eleanor said.”, even if that means that they forget the people that were once important to them. Towards the end of the novel, the House’s grip truly takes hold of Eleanor and causes her to lose sight of reality as she can no longer remember who the other characters are, or what they mean to her, or how they met. Eleanor was always imaginative and had a slightly loose grip of reality, but the House makes it much more tenuous and strained, and truly twists Eleanor’s mind so that she has a hard time differentiating fantasy from reality. It even gets to the point where the House has so thoroughly and completely infiltrated Eleanor’s mind that she thinks by dying and staying at the house that she will have finally ‘deserved’ the happiness that she had wanted her whole life but had eluded her.
“Eleanor laughed. “But I can’t leave,” she said, wondering where to find words to explain.”
Something quite fascinating is the effect that haunted houses have on the human psyche. In real life and in fiction, when people enter a haunted house (or what they perceive to be a haunted house) their fight or flight response is invoked, mostly due to the lack of knowledge and understanding of their situation, which typically fills people with fear. The instinctual and very human response of trying desperately to survive, through any means necessary is particularly pertinent in this novel, 'Fear,' the doctor said, 'is the relinquishment of logic, the willing relinquishment of reasonable patterns. We yield to it or we fight it, but we cannot meet it halfway.'. Hill House is able to use the fear of its victims against them and turn it into a weapon.
Hill House twists and corrupts the emotions and the minds of anyone who inhabits it, the house is able to shift people’s perception of life and how they should act; it amplifies certain thoughts and emotions to manipulate its inhabitants into giving it what it wants. Eleanor is the weakest and most vulnerable of the characters and Hill House easily twists and amplifies her emotions, changing her into a more volatile and fragile person who is closer to their breaking point. One such example is Eleanor’s anger, “Nell?” Theodora looked up at her and smiled. “I really am sorry, you know,” she said. I would like to watch her dying, Eleanor thought, and smiled back and said, “Don’t be silly.”, the house makes it so that Eleanor is cruel and petty, even to Theodora, who she has become quite close to and causes her to act like a bad caricature of herself. Eleanor’s obsession also manifests itself quite strongly as Eleanor is truly filled with an obsession, a desire, a need to be wanted and have someplace to belong and to escape from the mundane and provincial life that she had led in the past, which is something that Hill House takes advantage of, to the point where Eleanor believes, for the first time in her life that she can be happy and that Hill House is the place where that will happen, all while she is slowly becoming a more compliant and willing victim for the House. Eleanor starts to think of the others as her family and imagines the life that they could have together, especially with Theodora“Eleanor smiled placidly. 'I've never been wanted anywhere,' she said.”. Another aspect of Eleanor that Hill House is able to manipulate is her fear. Eleanor is afraid of not having someplace to belong, people who want her, but most of all of herself. Before she reaches Hill House, Eleanor has a tenuous grasp of who she is, but as the novel progresses and Hill House’s hold on her grows stronger, she loses her sense of self utterly and completely which at first pleases her as she didn't quite like who she used to be, but she comes to value it and becomes upset that she is losing herself, 'There's only one of me, and it's all I've got. I hate seeing myself dissolve and slip and separate so that I'm living in one half, my mind, and I see the other half of me helpless and frantic and driven and I can't stop it'. Eleanor also feels that she has reached the point where her name is the only thing in her life that belongs to her and is her only tie to who she is, and that she cannot bear the fact that it is being abused.
“Journeys end in lovers meeting, she thought; it was my own choice to come”.
“I would never have suspected it of myself, Eleanor thought, laughing still; everything is different, I am a new person, very far from home.'
Eleanor is filled with guilt over her mother’s death and her part in it, which is another thing that the House uses to its advantage, as Eleanor hears banging on the wall and assumes that it is her sick mother calling for her before she remembers that she is in Hill House and her mother is dead, which she believes is her fault because she ignored her mother when she was calling for her in the middle of the night before she died.
Eleanor’s desire to escape is something which drives her to Hill House and makes her a particularly vulnerable target, as she has no one who cares about her enough to worry about her and she has no one who she cares for. She is so desperate to get away that she accepts a strange invitation to go someplace equally strange without much questioning. When Eleanor decided to go to Hill House and she drove away, she experienced and cherished her sense of freedom and the fact that no one had any idea where she was going or for what reason. Eleanor also relished the thought that no one would be able to catch her, even though she had not done anything to warrant people trying to catch her. Hill House was also able to use and manipulate the fact that Eleanor had always felt like an outsider her whole life, and that she had some sort of destiny that was greater than her normal and mundane life waiting for her, and was able to convince her that Hill House was her destiny and that it was the place she had always been waiting for.
“No one would ever find me there, either, behind all those roses, and just to make sure I would plant oleanders by the road.”
Another aspect of Eleanor’s mind that Hill House is able to control is what she says as well as the motivations for speaking, as when the characters share information about themselves Eleanor tells them that she lives alone when she lives with her sister and creates an ideal life that she tells the others about that is made up of bits and pieces of her desires and what she saw on her journey to Hill House. In this ideal life of Eleanor, she would be completely unknown and untraceable with no one ever knowing where she is and she also mentioned that she would plant oleanders by the road in order to ensure that no one is able to access her house and bother her. The fact that Eleanor came up with an elaborate dream of a house and a life where she could just keep people away and be safe reveals quite a bit about Eleanor’s character and her desires. Eleanor also tells the others that she is 34 and not her actual age of 32 for some defiant reason that is inexplicable to her, which begs the question of if the house had already started to influence and effect by that point.
Hill House is able to completely overpower Eleanor’s mind causing her to have some sort of psychotic breakdown and for the house to use her to further its own agenda. She runs through the halls banging on the walls and doors, despite having been terrified herself only a few nights ago by a similar banging sound, and she does so to toy with the others and to scare them if they looked to see what was going on. Originally, Eleanor is unable to distinguish whether or not the banging is in her own head or if she is the one creating all the noise, and is confused by the fact that the others are able to hear a noise that she thinks is in her own head, “ … how can these others hear the noise when it is coming from inside my head? I am disappearing inch by inch into this house, I am going apart a little bit at a time because all this noise is breaking me; why are the others frightened?”, and she is also unable to realize that she is only furthering her own descent into madness at the behest of Hill House.
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Get custom essayAlthough Eleanor is the one who is most vulnerable and the House’s preferred victim, Hill House still affects the others in some way. It could be said that the House doesn't want any of the others except for Eleanor and the only reason that the House is influencing them is to make Eleanor feel at home there and then destroy her relationships with the other characters so that she is isolated and much more easy to control and manipulate.
When writers use quotations, allusions, or traditions, they are referring to a piece of work or an event that has occurred prior to the moment of their writing. They use the past to help shape the work that they are crafting in the present. T.S. Eliot, in his landmark essay "Tradition and the Individual Talent", makes the point that "the past should be altered by the present as much as the present is directed by the past." In reflecting on the present by using different traditions and quotations, the writer, perhaps inadvertently, also reflects upon and reshapes the past. Eliot insists that the poet must have a full knowledge of literature dating back to Homer, and that he must use this knowledge when producing a new piece of work. This usage of past works is evident in the writings of W.B. Yeats, who throughout his career made references to the past in order to make sense of the post-war world.
Get original essayIn "Leda and the Swan", Yeats tells the tale of the fall of Troy. This tale takes the form of a sonnet, but feels rather forced at times. In this way, the form reflects the subject, as sonnets are traditionally about love, not rape. The title too is misleading, in that it sounds like a fairy-tale, but actually describes an event in which Leda is raped by the god Zeus in the form of a swan. As a result, Leda bears Clytemnestra, who will become the wife of Agamemnon, and Helen, who is the instigator of the Trojan War. Zeus is described in his "feathered glory", thus encapsulating the dual image of a bird and a god. Leda, with her "helpless breast", is the victim of this crime. Interestingly, here it is possible to see the past being altered by the present: Zeus is portrayed as a rapist (an evildoer according to our modern values), but in the past his actions were those of a glorious, all-powerful god. Yeats refers to him as "the brute blood of the air" who has quite clearly taken advantage of a "staggering girl", thus emphasizing further the extent of his crime.
The swan is traditionally a bird of grace and beauty, and the color white often connotes innocence and purity, but these images are subverted in the poem. Furthermore, the fact that copulation occurs between two different species, human and bird, is a perversion of the natural order. For the Greeks, however, this union had a positive result, marking the beginning of one of the most superior civilizations of the ancient world. This exact moment when this great era begins appears to be during Zeus' climax:
"a shudder in the loins". The shudder is obviously an orgasm, but also speaks to the historical events to come. The poem causes the reader, as well, to shudder in awareness of the impact of this moment.
"I imagine the annunciation that founded Greece as made to Leda...and that from one of her eggs came Love and from the other War." It is interesting to examine Leda's experience with Zeus in comparison to Mary's encounter with the Lord. Both incidents can be seen as "annunciations" marking the inception of two different societies. In the Roman Catholic tradition, at least, the annunciation is a feast day on which Catholics are obliged to go to church. The case of Leda, however, is less of an annunciation; it is violation of a woman that ultimately results in a war. In the Bible, it says that God asked Mary for her permission to bear His child, and she consented.
Yeats viewed history as occurring in cycles of two thousand years; "Leda and the Swan" thus retells the birth of Greek civilization, while "The Second Coming" foretells the death of Christianity (which itself was the end of Greek civilisation). This is in direct opposition to the Victorian conception of a progressive society in which history is viewed as linear. George Orwell himself saw Yeats' analysis as fascist: "...the theory that civilization moves in recurring cycles is one way out for people who hate the concept of human equality...It does not matter if the lower orders are getting above themselves, for, after all, we shall soon be returning to as age of tyranny."
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre" gives the image that whatever is turning will fall out soon, that is, the present civilisation will collapse on itself. Stan Smith remarks on this symbiotic relationship in his work on Yeats: "Things fall apart because the centre cannot hold; the centre cannot hold because things fall apart." Yeats articulated his ideas of history using the traditional symbol of a wheel: "One must bear in mind that the Christian era, like the two thousand years, let us say, that went before it, is an entire wheel." This idea of the wheel links into the notion of Fortune, which is often portrayed as a turning wheel. This is rather apt considering Yeats' idea of rotations between barbarism and civilisation. Another indication of this cyclical view of time is in the line "And what rough beast, its hour come round at last." The word "round" clearly indicates something that is circular, and therefore cyclical, but "come round at last" implies that the event was an inevitable part of the cycle of history.
The poem was written in 1919, during which time Yeats had become fearful of a Russian socialist revolution in post-war Europe. He felt that this revolution would bring chaos to the civilised world: "Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." He makes scatological claims: "Surely some revelation is at hand; / Surely the Second Coming is at hand." The repetition of "is at hand" links "the Second Coming" and "revelation", underscoring his reference to the Book of Revelations. Yeats is expounding upon the tradition of Revelations: the recording of a prophetic vision of the Armageddon. Whereas in the Bible the Second Coming is when Christ will return to earth to defeat Satan, in Yeats' poem this view is subverted, and the emphasis is on the Antichrist, the "rough beast." In the Bible, there is a sense of certainty that the victory belongs to God, but Yeats' poem ends with a question. If the beast is in charge, civilisation will be replaced by barbarism, and the wheel will have made another rotation.
Yeats' work is infused with a definite sense of egotism; it appears he saw himself as a prophet, if not as a messiah figure. In "The Second Coming" he says how "...a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi / Troubles my sight." He saw this Spiritus Mundi as the universal unconscious into which he was privileged to look. The use of the personal pronouns "my" and "I" (in "but now I know") show how he viewed himself as a seer, elevated above the common man. This harks back to the Romantic idea of the poet as a prophetic figure, but instead of seeing nature Yeats is using the past to convey ideas about the present shape of the world.
Yeats' sense of self-importance can also be seen in one of his more patriotic poems, "September 1913", in which he calls for a return to Ireland's heroic past. This he refers to as "Romantic Ireland" - which is, of course, a utopian ideal, as there was much violence in "Romantic Ireland". In this way he is using past traditions to reflect on the present, but these images of the past are reshaped and idealised in his mind. Yeats is critical of a society that is moving towards capitalism, trying to make money whenever possible. The line "But fumble in a greasy till" brings to mind the image of a slimy businessman with dirty hands who is more concerned with making an extra halfpence than fighting for Irish freedom. He says that if this continues it will be the death of Ireland's greatness; all that will be left will be skeletons of what used to be. The nurturing source, "the marrow", will have been sucked out by capitalism.
Past heroic figures of Irish nationalism such as Fitzgerald and Tone have become characters in a "childish play". This description almost mythologizes them; they have no place in the reality of modernist Ireland except in play-acting. They do, however, permeate the poem in the refrain "Romantic Ireland's dead and gone, / It's with O'Leary in the grave." This is repeated three times, and when combined with the adverb "yet" in the last stanza gives the impression that they are not completely gone. At the same time, however, they are not much more than an echo of the past. In the third stanza, Yeats despairs about the present mood in Ireland: "Was it for this... / that all that blood was shed" This is one of Yeats' earlier poems, written at a time when he was still greatly influenced by Romanticism. Just as Romantics sought a return to nature, Yeats appears to have desired a return to the Romantic past.
Unlike other Modernists, Yeats appears to have believed in the possibility of transcendence to a unified spiritual realm. This place, for Yeats, is the ancient civilisation of Byzantium. It is an escape from the chaos and crisis of the modern world not unlike Innisfree, although in the Byzantium poems he goes further, and escapes a time, not just a place. Byzantium is the time and place where the mind is in harmony with its world. These allusions to the ancient world show that Yeats' mind is not in harmony with the modern world. He regards Byzantium as a great people and culture, but is only able to do this because it is unlike what he is experiencing at present. The people of Byzantium would have faced trials and tribulations just as the people of Ireland faced them in September 1913, or during Easter in 1916. Yeats' penchant for this ancient society alters how it is viewed by his readers, thus rendering the past even more nostalgic.
For Yeats, symbols are a way of reflecting on the present, but they can also be seen as a distraction from it. He has to invent systems of thought and fantasize about other worlds in order to cope with the modern world as he sees it. "For the Modernists...the point of using myth was to be compensate for the dissatisfying fragmentation of the modern world: to create a controlling narrative that could be mapped onto, and make sense of the rapid social changes of modernity." Fragmentariness was the general sentiment of the Modern period, and this was reflected in the works produced. Byzantium was a place where Yeats felt these fragments could be unified and made sense of, but it often seems as though this too is just another fragment. The past can be modified to comfort or to give reassurance, in contrast to the future, which is still unknown. This is most evident at the end of "The Second Coming", when the future is questioned. In the Modernist world, reassurance that crises could be resolved and that chaos would cease was needed, hence allusions to a somewhat fantastic past helped writers reflect on and deal with the present.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Primary Texts
Yeats W.B. "Leda and the Swan", "The Second Coming", "September 1913", "Sailing to Byzantium", in Abrams M.H. and Greenblatt Stephen, eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature vol.2. New York and London: W.W. Norton & Co., 2000
Secondary Texts
Childs Peter. Modernism. London: Routledge, 2000
Leitch Vincent B. (ed.) The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. New York and London: W.W. Norton & Co., 2001
Orwell George. "W.B. Yeats", in W.H. Pritchard (ed.) W.B. Yeats: A Critical Anthology. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1972.
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Get custom essaySmith Stan. The Origins of Modernism: Eliot, Pound, Yeats and the Rhetorics of Renewal. New York and London: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1994
In 1916, the play “Trifles” was made by Susan Glaspell. She was conceived in Davenport Iowa. “Trifles” was produced using a real killing court case and subsiding of a farmer's better half that Susan Glaspell was covering while then working for Des Moines News. The play showed to be a puzzling learning into the lives of criticalness-stricken, maltreatment and noteworthy women.
Get original essayThe title was worked all through the likelihood that men review the power and objectives of ladies pointless or insignificant. Women had no ensured worth or purpose in this world. Ladies are all the time analyzed for concentrating on little assortment and not having the decision to look at the more unmistakable view. Regardless, these little nuances and inconsequential things uncover a ton about a condition or individual regardless before the culmination of the story Glaspell ensures that the get-together of spectators secure the certifiable quality need and mental intensity of a woman and the abominable displays she needs to manage each day.
In the play “Trifles” the plot spins around Mrs. Minnie Wright's kitchen. Her life partner Mr. John Wright had been executed and Mrs. Wright was in prison as the central suspect. While the town police are taking a gander at the house they find no confirmation or need behind the bad murder.
In any case, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters who go with the police unassumingly handle the issue. Mrs. Wright a farmer's significant other had been surged toward the edge by her undermining mate and their moderate marriage. She had been separated from her loved ones and took a long way from her adoration until the completion of time. Following a long time of inadequacy, she executes her better half Mr. Wright in a trap of ferocity. Minnie's defective work was the crucial piece of data found by the women.
The second piece of data was showed up through an all points and purposes flawless sewing done by Mrs. Wright. The most inciting endorsement was the dead feathered creature and the birdcage. These insignificant parts revealed to the women that Mrs. Wright was behind the murder. Everything considered they would not tell the men of their solicitation. The women hid the verification from the men fundamentally stating they had been in Minnie's place sooner or later in their lives. They felt confused about her and disguised all these bits of data with the objective that she wouldn't be prosecuted for the manslaughter.
While the police experts isolated unequivocally for something to show paralyze the women about found such insistence yet covered it conspiratorially. Mrs. Hale finds a kitchen towel half flawless and half wild. It was the way she had left her very own kitchen in a race to ride to the Wright's home. It showed up obviously that Mrs. Wright was going to make jam yet had left them rapidly outside wide open to the harsher parts.
The men held no vitality for these unimportant issues yet, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peter grasped that they all experience commonly comparable to things and it begin and end just a substitute kind of something especially like. It was evident from these half-completed chores that something huge had happened and had driven her to present a grave show. Another unimportant issue was the enchanting spread Mrs. Hale found with a hazardous situation up at the last bit of sewing. She was certain that the general looked just as she didn't have the foggiest thought what she was about while various patches had every one of the reserves of being better than normal and even.
The two women promptly fixed the tumult paying little respect to understanding that they shouldn't contact things. It gives that the two women have encountered for all intents and purposes indistinguishable completions of difference and disgustingness and concurred with Mrs. Wright. The last bit of the conundrum was an unfilled birdcage with its turn broken. The dead canary was inside with its neck wringed. The birdcage would have made it without inquiry that Mrs. Wright executed Mr. Wright.
The women oversaw everything and covered every bit of it since they understood what had drove Mrs. Wright to rage. They knew how it felt to have no respect or rights. Notwithstanding, the way that Glaspell never truly yield in the play that Mrs. Wright was mishandled in any case different things show out the undeniable end. Mrs. Wright could never a long way from this marriage paying little mind to how cruelly she was administered.
The lifestyle and social standards oversaw division or group as unbelievable. Free working women were loathed by society. The bona fide status of women was proportionate to convicts slaves and the insane. The activity of a woman was limited to duplicating youngster’s, housekeeping and managing their families while their spouses worked. Mrs. Wright and the women of that time couldn't break free. In any case, Mrs. Wright experienced a monstrous area of her time on earth affirmed up a home with a miserly, hardhearted spouse and a brief time span later a stunning additional part in a medicinal spot.
The women helping her spread the verification were endeavoring to change not simply Mrs. Wright's fate at any rate the destiny of various others like her. This play reasonably managed sexual course partition. It was a recorded take a gander at the fight's ladies experienced to find respect and correspondence. Asking to be refuted columnists like Glaspell intentionally or out of the blue obliged women to rise and recuperate their certifiable and social chances. In this play, women controlled in their home hold without men paying little mind to recollecting it. They finally rendered requital for being thought of as dolt and unsophisticated. Following a long time of fight they finally ensured their serene triumph.
With everything considered the play “Trifles” utilizes play works, characters, talk, symbolism, language, and subjects to show primary issues that restricted distinctive social requesting for long. The play is a shocking bit of sharp work that advances the issues of huge worth male quality and women suffrage. It well repulses social sales standard and old news that abuse one gathering of people. The play approach is on the probability that a touch of work could be a depiction of one's open. This approach shockingly winning in this play.
The play is short unelaborated and un-energized. Regardless by and by knowing the certified homicide story that this play was obligated to by finding dynamically about the character and the early proximity of Susan Glaspell finally understanding the strong male control in this play back then and now it makes the play that much clearer. All around the play gave an inconceivable learning stage to build up one's data and see progressively about sensational.
“I couldn't forgive him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. “ (Fitzgerald 187) Carelessness in the era of the 1920’s was a common characteristic, that was mainly apparent in the upper class and their actions. The Great Gatbsy is a story of a man named Gatbsy who lived in poverty growing up, he eventually was able to reach his American dream, which was being wealthy. He lives in the 1920’s, in a setting where he is surrounded by people who were born into the social class. This allows him to not only view their actions, but also follow in their footsteps of being negligent towards people. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott FItzgerald uses the motif of carelessness to show that the upper class people in this era were inconsiderate of their actions through selfieness and within relationships.
Get original essayThroughout the novel, Fitzgerald portrays Daisy as a very inattentive character because of particular situations she allows herself in. Considering the fact that she is married, her actions were insensitive towards herself and her husband Tom. “As he left the room again she got up and went over to Gatbsy and pulled his face down kissing him on the mouth.” (Fitzgerald 122) Tom, Daisy and Gatbsy are in the same house and as soon as Tom leaves the room Daisy decides to kiss Gatsby. This is an act of carelessness and she is being inconsiderate towards her relationship because she is not only cheating on her husband but she is also doing it in a situation where he could have seen. She did not seem to consider the thought that she could have potentially risked her marriage. Daisy spent a lot of time with Gatsby and it seemed as if she was started to have feelings for him again but when Gatsby passed away her actions indicated the complete opposite. “ I could only remember without resentment, that Daisy hadn’t sent a message or a flower.” ( Fitzgerald 183) Gatbsy was killed because he said it was him who killed Myrtle, but it was in fact Daisy and he was only trying to protect her because he loved her. The least Daisy could have done was came to his funeral or send a flower but she did not do either. She only cared about money and her social appearance so therefore Gatsby's death was not something that affected her.
Throughout the novel Tom Buchanan is also inconsiderate that he has a wife and he is careless with his mistress Myrtle. “... It was because of this I first met Tom Buchanan’s mistress.” ( Fitzgerald 28) In this part of the chapter Nick meets Myrtle who is Tom's mistress. This is a careless act because Nick is Daisy's cousin. Tom did not even try to hide his mistress from him, knowing that Nick could have went to Daisy and ruined his marriage with her. He is inconsiderate of his wife Daisy because everyone he is surrounded with knows about her. This makes her look foolish as a wife. Tom continues to convey this characteristic in several ways such as having Myrtle call him through the house phone not caring if Daisy were to accidentally answer. Or even worse taking her places where she can be seen by everyone. “ His acquaintances resented the fact the he turned up in popular restaurants with her …” (Fitzgerald 28) The narrator Nick is explaining how Toms peers seem more hesitant about him bringing her in public than Tom is himself. If Tom at least cared a bit for Daisy's feelings he would have tried his best to hide Myrtle from her and everyone else, but he did not. Throughout the novel Tom is overall inconseridere of his wife Daisy and this is shown through his consistent actions of being careless with his mistress Myrtle.
The motif of carelessness is also represented through selfishness of the characters and their actions. Many people in The Great Gatsby seem to be blinded by the love they have for someone and this results in them putting their feelings first rather than others in the story. Take Gatsby for example he desires and tries to be with Daisy for years. He tries to impress her with his wealth, his mansion, nice cars, and fancy clothing. He overall forgets about everything else in his life and just focuses on his feelings for Daisy. “ She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me .” (Fitzgerald 137) This quote shows how Gatsby is selfish because he is trying to persuade Tom that his wife never loved him, so that he could finally fulfill his dream of being with Daisy like they once were in their teens. Gatsby doesn't seem to care that her is interfering in Tom and Daisys life knowing they have been married for years and even have a child together. In this novel Gatsby tries to in a way brags about where he got is money from to Daisy. Despite what he tells her about where his wealth comes from, his money actually came from bootlegging. “ I didn’t want you to think I was some nobody.” (Fitzgerald 71) Gatsby is lying about some of the things he said to Nick while explaining his life story growing up and how he got to where he was. This makes Gatsby selfish because he does not give credit to Dan Cody for what he did to change his life from poverty to his present life living in wealth. Dan Cody played an extremely important role in his life and was the real one who brought him to his wealthy lifestyle, not just Gatsby himself and his “ drug stores.” Gatsby's focus was on impressing Daisy so he did not acknowledge the truth and give recognition to who should have gotten it.
The motif of carelessness is represented in this novel to show how the upper class people did not realize the effect that could have possibly happened as a result of their inconsiderate actions. People in this era and specifically characters in this book were selfish and very insensitive towards people’s feelings. This book has been an award winning book because of the importance behind the story. Although it was written in the setting of the 1920s it is still very relevant to this time period and will continue to be. Although it mainly refers to the upper class or wealthier people carelessness is still important to America’s society in many ways. For example with the topic of selfishness people such as some celebrities that were born into the “ rich life “ seem to not know the worth of money and they decide to be selfish with their money. On the other hand famous people who built their career and become successful themselves a lot of times use their platforms to give back and support the needs of others. With relationships today simply being considerate and understanding of a partner's feelings can overall have a great effect.
Mick Kelly: A young girl who is always in her own world, constantly thinking about music and wanting to go to a different country. She lives in the same house as Singer, and many other characters. She is tall and thin with blonde hair and blue eyes, and dresses like a tomboy.
Get original essayJohn Singer: A deaf mute who all the characters lean on and depend on to talk to. Best friends with Antonapoulos. He is an attentive listener, but never fully understands anything. He is tall and thin with grey eyes.
Biff Brannon: Owner of a cafe, very observant and curious about the world around him. He is quiet most of the time, pondering what his life would be like with children of his own. He is dark-haired. Doesn’t depend or connect with Singer to the extent of Mick or Blount.
Jake Blount: A drunk, he frequently visits Brannon’s cafe, which is where he meets Singer. He has very erratic behavior, and can sometimes be violent. He is short, but has long arms and large hands.
Doctor Copeland: African American man. Portia’s father, although he drifted away from most of his family. He is constantly angry about the world and all of its injustices. He is a doctor, and works all the time. He is a very smart man.
Spiros Antonapoulos: Also a deaf mute, and is Singer’s best friend. He is sent to an insane asylum in the beginning of the novel, separating him and Singer after living together for more than ten years. He is fat and lazy.
Portia Copeland: African American woman. Doctor Copeland’s daughter lives in the house with Mick and Singer. She is very religious, and tries to push her beliefs onto her father as well as Mick. She doesn’t really ever connect with Singer, despite living in the same house as him. She is a strong woman.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter follows mainly the lives of Mick, Singer, Brannon, Blount, Copeland as they all go through their everyday lives, each of their lives having some sort of connection to each other. The story first begins with Singer and Antonapoulos, two deaf mutes. Quickly, Antonapoulos is moved away from Singer and put into an insane asylum. At this point, Singer has to completely change the routine lifestyle he is used to, which is when he moves out and meets Mick, Brannon, Blount and Copeland. After meeting Singer, these four characters find some sort of comfort and understanding in him. They each confide in Singer as a way to express their problems and just as someone to talk to, throughout their loneliness, especially during times of trouble. Mick’s family enters poverty, Copeland loses all of his wealth and his own son, Blount is a borderline alcoholic, and Brannon loses his wife. Each character thinks that Singer is the only one who can understand them, when in reality he is just as isolated and lost as they are. After Singer’s friend Antonapoulos dies, Singer kills himself because his death finally pushed him to his breaking point, as Antonapoulos was the only true friend Singer had. After these four characters find out about Singer’s death they become even more confused as no one knows his reason for suicide. They all lose the person they depended so much on in their everyday lives, that they almost no longer know how to act, therefore pushing them even further into this isolation and alienation. By the end, each character is left just as alone as they were in the beginning of the book.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter takes place during the Great Depression in the South. Readers are never made aware of the exact town or city the novel is based around. Knowing that it takes place during the Great Depression helps the readers understand more about each characters and their struggles, whether it be economically, physically, or mentally. It follows characters in the lower/middle class South, where there is a lot of racism and poverty, connecting to the one of the books themes: oppression and racism. This is also a major factor that influences characters mentally, especially Doctor Copeland as he is constantly angry because of all the racism and injustices surrounding people of color. The setting also gives readers an insight to religious beliefs during this time, Christianity being the strongest religion. But during the Depression, a lot of people turned their backs to religion as they blamed God for all the hardships in their lives, thinking it was the only explanation for all of this. McCullers hints at this through the death of Singer and Antonapoulos who were compared to Christ and God, and through the death of both of these characters, she is shutting down the existence and dependency that is associated with Christianity or any religious ideals.
The title The Heart is a Lonely Hunter holds a lot of relation and significance to the themes of the novel. The meaning is that each character is a “hunter”, each one hunting or wanting a different thing out of life, therefore sending them into this spiral of loneliness and isolation from others and the outside world. The title has also been related back to a poem by William Sharp. The specific line from the poem is “But my heart is a lonely hunter that hunts on a lonely hill”. The poem also includes similar themes to which are mentioned in McCullers’ book. Themes like the importance of music, isolation, and death.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is told in the third person point of view. The unknown narrator follows along about five main characters, switching from one to another every chapter, giving the readers more insight into their individual thoughts and feelings. This helps create a closer bond between the readers and the characters, allowing readers to relate themselves to different aspects of certain characters. The fact that the narrator is unknown makes the readers question who the narrator is and whether or not they are a reliable source. But due to the narrator’s knowledge and understanding of each characters thoughts and feelings, we are led to believe what is read to be coming from a reliable narrator. But the question of who the narrator is still remains unanswered and is up to speculation for the reader.
Every character in the Heart is a Lonely Hunter is struggling to break out of some sort of isolation or loneliness. By their own doing, they have all managed to isolate themselves from the world and those around them. This isolation is a combination of environmental as well as internal conflicts. For example, Doctor Copeland has the opportunity to build closer relations with his children, but there is something internally pushing him away from them. The narrator describes this by saying, “Doctor Copeland clamped his teeth down hard. He had thought so much about Hamilton and Karl Marx and William and Portia, about the real true purpose he had for them, that the sight of their faces made a black swollen feeling in him”. This clearly shows the internal conflict Copeland has, how he cannot seem to let go of these past views of his children, no matter how much older they have gotten and how much they have changed, therefore sending himself into isolation, unable to create loving relationships with anyone since he just pushes everyone out. Another example of a character who isolates themselves is Biff Brannon. After his wife’s death Brannon completely transforms, and doesn’t really have anyone to depend on, but he never makes an effort to change that. When people talk to him, he sort of brushes them off, never really giving anyone personal insight about him. At the very end of chapter two, the narrator says this about Brannon, “And he was nobody but - Bartholomew - old Biff with two fists and a quick tongue - Mister Brannon - by himself”. Within the first two chapters of the book, Brannon is described as “by himself”, but that fact never really changes. He ends everyday alone, has no one to go home to. He is one of the characters who doesn’t really seem to have an issue with being alone, as he just shows no interest or effort to change that. There is no internal or environmental conflict, just him and his thoughts that lead to his loneliness.
Throughout the book, we see very few characters who are actually very religious and depend on Christianity in their everyday lives. Besides Portia, and she tries to spread her religious life onto others, like Mick for example. Whenever Mick would talk to Portia about something in her life, Portia would tell her that she should try to go to church or pray. At one point when Mick was talking to her Portia says this in response to her, “Fools like you and my Father who don’t attend the church can’t ever have nair peace at all” (McCullers 50). This put this idea in Mick’s head that she needed some sort of authority or power in her life to depend on, how Portia depends on God, which is where Singer comes into Mick’s life. Mick sees him as her God, and she begins to depend on him and confide in him in most of her decision making, using him as guidance. The narrator describes Mick’s feelings towards Singer by saying, “She talked to him more than she had ever talked to a person before...It was like he was some kind of great teacher, only because he was a mute he did not teach”. This is why many relate Singer to God, as he was the anchor and great authority in so many of the readers’ lives. But, in reality he was just creating this false hope for them, filling the gaps of their loneliness, thinking that he actually cared for them. But, he never even considered them his friends. He was just their way of self-expression, because in reality he did not provide them with anything, as he could not even talk.
The main character who gets pushed to their breaking point out of anger because of racism and oppression is Doctor Copeland. He has very specific views on the injustices of the world, and gets easily triggered when people do not understand or agree with his viewpoints, therefore pushing him into a mentally unstable state. The first time he really gets into his opinions is at a party where he stands up in front of the crowd and says everything he has to say. At this point, he was very controlled and said some important things like, “The injustice of need must bring us all together and not seperate us”. He was simply preaching to the people just as Marx or MLK did. But, later in the book he gets pushed by Jake Blount, to a point of explosion as they have two completely different viewpoints. When arguing, Doctor Copeland is pushed to his breaking point, “HIs eyes were bloodshot and his hands clutched the counterpane… They looked at each other and waited. As the silence grew longer the tenseness between them became more strained”. Both of them were pushed so much by one another that they’re sitting there fuming. It is clear that the oppression and racism going on in society has caused both of them to spiral into this state. This fight scene is super important because it is sort of a realization for both Blount and Copeland that people are allowed to have different opinions, and clearly the opinion of a white man will not be the same to that of a colored man, as they did not have the same societal experiences.
Multiple characters hold a lot of curiosity for the world around them, but specifically Biff Brannon. McCullers showcases this curious tone through Biff’s fascination with Singer throughout the entirety of the novel. When Singer first shows up to his cafe, he immediately sparks Brannon’s interest, “Now and then his gaze passed on to the mute who sat by himself at one of the middle tables, or to others of the customers before the counter”. This is the very first description readers get of Brannon, learning quickly that he is very curious. It is shown through his eyes, gazing over everyone in his cafe, observing what everyone is doing. Later in the book he holds a similar fascination to the one of Singer, but this time directed towards Mick Kelly. He talks to his employee Harry, asking him about Mick, to which the narrator says, “Mick Kelly - He felt as though his ears had caught afire. He knew himself to be a fool. He wanted to turn and walk away yet he only stood there. Smiling and mashing his nose with his thumb”. He has this almost creepy interest with her, to the point where he is asking her friends for any information about her, letting his curiosity get the best of him.
McCullers uses this frustrated tone mainly when writing about Copeland, as he holds a lot of frustration about the world around him. One of his main frustrations is how it feels as though no one ever really fully understands him. He often thinks about whether or not he is understood after having a conversation with him, he thinks, “How much of that he has said today was understood? He recalled the words he has used, and they seemed to fade and lose their strength”. Him feeling often misunderstood leads to a lot of frustration for him, and also sends him into isolation. He feels as though he can never talk to anyone, because no one fully understands. This frustration developed from his past, when his children always took their mother’s side, never fully understanding the lessons he was trying to teach them. Most of the time he is precise with his words, but it is this internal struggle within him that thinks he will never be understood. He also becomes frustrated when people do not have the same beliefs as him, he thinks, “Doctor Copeland felt the old evil anger in him. The words rose inchoately to his throat and he could not speak them”. The frustrated tone used also makes readers feel almost as angry as Copeland, almost wishing that people would understand him and how he simply wants justice for people of color, and that his viewpoints are quite similar to those of modern day.
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Get custom essayThroughout the entire novel, there are many characters that undergo changes. One of the main characters Mick, experiences the most development as she is growing through her teenage years. This creates a dynamic tone, as readers see Mick slowly lose her childhood innocence as she gets older. For example, Mick undergoes a drastic change at the very beginning of part two of the novel, the narrator says, “Nothing much happened that she could describe to herself in thoughts or words - but there was a feeling of change. All the time she was excited. In the morning she couldn’t wait to get out of bed and start going for the day”. At this point in the novel, Mick finally realizes the changes going on. She hits the realization and accepts that she is growing and maturing, accepting the inevitable adjustments that come with life. This specific quote showcases dynamic tone very well with the words “feeling of change” - it shows that Mick is a clear example of a dynamic character. A second example of another change that Mick undergoes, showcasing dynamic tone is her breaking point. Mick finally snaps as everything becomes too much for her, “She pounded the same muscle with all her strength until the tears came down her face. But she could not feel this hard enough… With the fiery hurt in her leg she felt better”. This point portrays a dynamic tone to it because this is not the same Mick readers see at the beginning of the novel. She is at her lowest point, showing drastic contrast to when she is at her best. This also shows how Mick’s viewpoint of the world has drastically changed too. From the first quote, when she was excited to go out into the world, to this point, when she has been pushed to the extent of self-harm.
Haruki Murakami, Japanese author of The Wind Up Bird Chronicles, has many characters who all have influential aspects on the protagonist Toru Okada. But one particular character, May Kasahara, is one minor character who has a critical effect on the unfolding of the protagonist throughout his journey. This enigmatic character is unknown and although she takes part in helping Toru find himself, a part of May being the one to aid him, is because she needed to find herself as well. Although May Kasahara has major influence on Toru’s life, Toru indirectly has more of a major influence in May’s life.
Get original essayToru and May Kasahara's first encounter with each other was very strange. As Toru was searching for his cat, she arrives and begins asking question after question. During their first encounter, they did not catch each other's names, yet they sat down together and waited for Noboru Wataya, the cat, talking as if they have already known each other before. Murakami makes that connection between the two character’s and right from the start he creates a close bond with the characters within this scene. As they sit, May begins wandering off, rambling about the most strangest things; however, the reader may notice that this is a genuine part of her personality as one continues reading the novel, she genuinely talks about a lot of off topic things at once. Surprisingly, the passive character Toru is, he was not at all bothered by her rambling and yet sat there and listened to this stranger ask him about whether he would marry a woman with 6 fingers or 4 breast. From the start, readers are introduced to this enigmatic, weird, and strange character who Toru immediately is connected to. Murakami does this to foreshadow their relationship through the rest of the novel.
Their first encounter was also a very strange encounter. As they sit down together, she convinces him to close his eyes as she talks about countless things. However, it was very strange because she felt comfortable around this stranger to talk about death, touch him, and even whisper in his ear. Why was she whispering in his ear? May had began to talk about the feeling of dying and as she is doing this, she is holding Toru’s wrist and whispering to him. It seems as if she was doing hypnosis on him. She puts her finger on his wrist and draws symbols. May Kasahara may have been the start of Toru having the tendency to go into deep thinking about situations. When they were sitting together, she told him to keep his eyes shut and listen to her talk. As she talks, she says she thinks very deeply about things. “When you don't have anything to, your thoughts get really far out- so far out you can't follow them all the way to the end” (21)What does this mean? This statement is very significant because as Toru goes through his journey, Toru’s thoughts become deeper and deeper to the point where he is in a world of magical realism; he has never experienced any of this before until after he meets May Kasahara.
May Kasahara is significant because she immediately question Toru’s passive nature and immediately has him taking a turn on his passive nature, immediately starting his journey to find himself. She asks Toru on whether he has “guts.” Before, Toru was a guy who “goes with the flow” he could not recall anytime where he had “guts”. One may notice that after that talk about “guts and curiosity”, Toru begins to, slowly but surely, gain guts through his curiosity. “Where there’s guts there’s curiosity, and where there’s curiosity, there guts” (65) “Curiosity can bring guts out of hiding....” (65) Toru says he was “never the one for guts” (65) but as his journey progresses, he gains it from his curiosity; curiosity of why Kumiko left him; curiosity of who is the real Noboru Wataya; and he gains “guts” by going down into an empty well and being trapped and when he stands up to Noboru Wataya during his meeting, where he tells the story of the “Shitty Island.” One may see that May Kasahara may have indirectly influenced Toru's Journey in some ways, as such.
Murakami also foreshadows Toru’s events through May Kasahara. One very significant matter is that Toru was introduced to the “Well” by May Kasahara. “Tell me Mr. Windup Bird, would you like to see the Well?” (65) As Toru recalls the words Mr. Honda said to him “When you're suppose to go down, find the deepest well and go down to the bottom” (66) He now had a well if necessary, and May Kasahara was the one to provide him with it.
Although May Kasahara has a significant influence on Toru’s life, Toru was oblivious that he had a significant influence on May Kasahara’s life. Although May Kasahara is a minor character, throughout the novel, she experiences her own journey. Through May Kasahara’s letters, the reader is able to see why she did certain things when she was with Toru, and what actually goes on inside of her mind.
In her letters she explains that she felt like she was trapped in the world of “Mr. Windup Bird” and needed to break free. This is why she leaves her home and goes to a place far away. When she was home, readers can see that May Kasahara in some ways depended on “Mr. Windup Bird” such as when he went into the well and left a note on his kitchen table saying he will be back but he never returned. She felt very upset about that and when she found him in the well she sought a sense of revenge on him, because she was looking forward to seeing him. Another encounter is when Toru was hugging Kumiko in his house and May Kasahara saw through the window. When she confronted Toru, she seemed as if she was jealous or envied Kumiko; as if “Mr. Windup Bird” was hers and she did not want to share him with another woman.
May further explains within her letters that she would have delusions of Toru raping her when they were alone at his house and she confesses that that is the reason she trapped him in the well. When reading the novel, it seemed as if they completely ignored the age difference between them two, but May Kasahara did not ignore it and she had already knew what she was getting into, but she never shared it with him until the letters. Murakami may have done this to create a separate climax within the world of May Kasahara. May Kasahara was going through her own plots and journey and the readers were not aware of this until later on within the Novel; another technique and stylistic concept Murakami used in order to show the life and chronicles of May Kasahara.
May Kasahara was a very daring girl who was bold and risky in the beginning having this bad girl image, riding on back of motorcycles, not following up with school, abandoning Toru for hours in the Well, but within her letters, it would seem as if it was all an act from who she really is and what she really feels like, she actually is sentimental and she cares, she is attracted to Toru and wants him in her life. Toru and May share this strong bond. They really depend on each other. They guide each other the way suits them best. There has been moments where May needed Toru to talk to and that is why she wrote the letters to him; and there has been times when Toru needed May, just a sense to step away from the rough life he was dealing with, chasing Kumiko. Toru imagined May Kasahara telling him right from wrong, and they both missed that from each other. They both depended on each other, from the minute they met, one can see that they both became a piece of each other's life that they would need to complete themselves, regardless of the side circumstances they had been through. May had said within one of her letters that sometimes she felt like she was Kumiko, that she was Mrs. Okada, and as a reader, one could see where she is coming from,thinking back to all of the times they would sit on the chairs and just talk for hours letting each other in.
It can be depicted that Murakami was actually opening the reader’s eyes to who truly should be in Toru’s life, and who Toru was chasing after, during his journey to find himself, was right not who he should have been chasing after because the one who would fit best in his life was there beside him all along. May Kasahara may have seen that she was the perfect one for Toru, but Toru could not see it. The readers were able to see it, because she was the one beside him, the one he went to for help, the one he could tell anything to, and they had a certain bond, that helped them both to learn and grow from each other, as if they really needed each other.
Pandiyan et al, (2016) stated that literature review is a classification and evaluation of what the accredited scholars and researchers have written on a topic, organized according to a guiding concept such as research questions or research objective, thesis, or the problem/issues that are wish to address. Besides that, it is an account of what has been published on a topic by the accredited scholars and researcher, which conveys to the reader knowledge and idea that have been establish on the topic. In this chapter, it will include the review of relevant articles which are related hibah practice in Malaysia that have been done by previous researcher.
Get original essayThe second section of this chapter contains the narrow aspect of this research topic. It includes determinant of the hibah practice in Malaysia. The secondary data will used to explain more about the definition, features and relationship such as published journals, articles and proceedings related to hibah.
Hibah which means is a voluntary gift giving of one or several subject matters to recipient(s) by owners of wealth during their lifetime without any consideration or return. From the legal perspective, there are no special laws or acts which are related to hibah in Malaysia. However Islam permits Muslim to plan the estate division during their lifetime. This can be proved in primary sources of Al-Quran, Hadith and relevant Malaysian Acts, and secondary sources like published journal articles and proceedings which are related to hibah giving. Furthermore, hibah is becoming one of the instrument chosen by Muslim society in Malaysia in property planning.
In general, practice of hibah in Malaysia according to the Islamic estate planning is not widely practiced. This is because people is still unaware about the methods use in hibah and some of them don’t even know of its existence. Many researchers have highlighted this issue in their research and provide the results and recommendation to overcome the situations. Al-Ma?amun Suhaili (2010) and Hassan (2005) mentioned that estate planning is not seriously considered by Malaysian Muslims as a method for managing their assets. Due to these circumstances, many people are the number of frozen asset is increased year by year.
Demographic information provides data about the respondent who are research participants and is necessary for the determination of whether the individuals in a particular study are a representative sample of the target population for generalization purposes. Examples of demographic characteristics include age, race, gender, ethnicity, religion, income, education, marital status, family size, health and disability status, and others. Hibah practiced are influenced with these factors due to the different needs and wants. For example in Malaysia we have different cultural and religion, so the concept of giving is depends on the individual behavior.
Malays are the largest ethnic group in Malaysia with over 60 percent of the population and are predominantly Muslims. So the gift concept is depends on the cultural of religion that they are followed. The transfer of a gift on the conventional system only becomes effectual on the death of the giver but Islamic inheritance system is always explained in conceptual framework of faraid which is bequests and gift (Hibah).
Islam does not have limitation of wealth transfer in lifetime as well as during the death-bed. Unfortunately, the transfer of estate upon the death of a Muslim is strictly subject to faraid and bequest rules. A number of studies demonstrate that gender significantly affects the amount of inter vivos transfers in which females receive more gifts than males. The inter vivos transfer from parents when their children?s age becomes their concerns as contended by Cox and Rank (1992) show that younger people are more likely to get transfer and with larger amount.
Economic is something that are related to the wealth management and distribution in order to maintain the resources. Islamic wealth distribution can be defined as an act of passing on assets through Islamic will and trust and it is one of the discipline under the scope of wealth management in Islamic financial market. Economics factors is comprised with the employment status, monthly income as well as total asset. Hibah giving behavior is depends on this factor where it differs between one people to another.
Therefore it is important to prepare the distributed plan on how to distribute the assets before the demise in order to avoid the assets from frozen. In addition in the article motivations of inter vivos transfers among Malaysian Muslims children stated that parents with higher income and education which indicate a better economic status, are more likely to receive more inter vivos transfer and a larger amount.
Other than that, based on another research conducted by Hassan (2005) stated that most of Malaysians feel estate planning is not too important as Malaysians feel that estate planning is only for the wealthy.
Christopher Muscato (2012) stated that family means is a group of people affiliated by a specific relationship. Basically, the family is the most fundamental unit of social organization that with which we most intimately identify. Therefore, family will influences our personal, emotional, intellectual, and social development. Apart from this, estate planning in Malaysia is not widely practiced because most of Malaysians feel estate planning is not too important. Malaysians feel that estate planning is only for the wealthy.
Sharfina et al. (2013) have conducted the study on the determinants that contribute to attitude towards estate planning. She stated that the most difficult part of the planning is to reach decisions about guardians and conservators, and ensuring that appropriate decisions are made. The decision should provide protection and financial security for special needs of the family member who will need assistance for the rest of their lives.
In this paper, five determinants are proposed by the researchers; knowledge, media awareness, perceptions, family influence, religious/ethic belief and attitude. Results of this study suggest that knowledge have the strong effects on the attitude towards estate planning, followed by media awareness, perceptions, family influence and religious/ethic belief. Moreover, additional information from the others literature conveys that children with a lot of siblings are less likely to receive a transfer.
Darwin P. Hunt (2003) stated that knowledge is often defined as belief that is true and justified. Knowledge are comes from understanding of someone or something based on reading, searching, discovering as well as experience itself. Same with Islamic estate management, by appointing a family member or friend who does not have an appropriate experience or knowledge can increase the cost of managing the estate.
Low level of awareness and knowledge are the one of the factors contributed to the reason Islamic estate planning was not practice widely. Therefore, everyone should experience estate planning by them and must be knowledgeable about estate planning issues in order to reduce the frozen estate unclaimed. Moreover, Amrullah et el, 2018 addresses that the problems of delay in the administration of the estates and analyzes is because the lack of knowledge and the attitude of the beneficiaries.
Journal of instruments of hibah and wills stated by Zamro Muda (2008) has highlighted that many Muslims are still behind in the matters of hibah regulations and applications related to property planning. Therefore it is become the reason why there is approximately RM40 billion worth of Muslim estates that are still outstanding because they cannot be managed by the heirs. Empirical studies on the hibah practice among Malaysia Muslims are scare. Other studies conducted are more on the ruling of hibah which is analysis on the regulations and applications of hibah, acceptance of hibah as an alternative of asset management, and practice of conditional hibah in Malaysia.
The book, The Maze Runner, shows the journey of Thomas finding out where he came from and how he got to where he was. Thomas’s call to adventure begins he first wakes up in a metal box in the middle of an enclosed forest where he had began his new life. Having his memory erased, he had no clue where he was, how to act, or even his name.
Get original essayNext, the refusal of the call, Thomas was in denial that he is now a Glader, someone who lives in this little enclosed world. Thomas was unwilling to adapting to the new world he is in, scared of the surroundings. Thomas has multiple mentors that help him transform Minho, Chuck, Alby, and Newt all acting as his guide to his theory of deciphering the impossible maze helped in his transformation. The crossing of the first threshold then begins, Thomas first steps into the maze to try to save Alby and Minho from the closing gate. Despite the warnings of other, Thomas still went inside to help and save the two boys from death. A supernatural aid, is present when later in his journey. Thomas had voices guiding him and later learns the use of telepathy. The people who sent him to the maze are telling him what to do and overall controlling him.
The Road of Trials, the hardest part of the journey, starts when Thomas failed at the task of slaughtering pigs and farming, not doing the jobs he was instructed to do by other Gladers. The Belly of the Whale Transformation occurs when Thomas had a near death experience with Minho and Alby in the maze. Grievers, or monsters that lurk in the maze at night, almost killed him, Minho, and Alby. Thomas undergoes his transformation, becoming stronger than his emotional instability, overall finding his new self. Thomas finds a love that is powerful and his love that he gains had a significant effect that Campbell portrays. The seeking atonement stage, aided in fighting creatures and his opposing forces. The Ultimate Boon occurs after all the deafening of grievers, his purification in this step supplied him with confidence and hope for The Gladers, that they would make it out of the maze alive. His perseverance lead him to solve the maze and escape with the Gladers. After escaping the maze, Thomas encounters his refusal of the Return, Thomas was wounded of this experience emotionally and physically. From seeing his friends murdered to leaving them behind. Thomas had figured out a way to share his knowledge, strength, and wisdom of what he had learned throughout the quest to the Gladers and humans in the new world in which he has discovered.
By escaping the maze and finding his new self, Thomas becomes the master of two worlds, Thomas has gained independence along with some of the Gladers. Becoming master of the now human world and that of the Gladers. Thomas has officially completed his hero’s journey. He achieves freedom to live when he in the bus with adults who saved him from the creators of the maze. Thomas has then succeeded in his quest of escaping the maze, he could not bring everyone and that moment he wanted to sacrifice his own life to save the rest.
The renowned William Shakespeare had written over thirty seven plays, similarly, Walt Disney has created more than fifty-six films. Both films and plays are different types of written work; one employs visuals to entertain the audience, and the other puts to use words to keep the readers engaged. Students are given the opportunity to attend school and invest in education as well as plan ahead for a bright future. Not only do pupils benefit from reading various types of literature, their writing is significantly affected as well. After all, people like William Shakespeare, Stephen King, Leo Tolstoy, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, and many other famous writers, had to learn how to read in order to be labelled as passionate writers during their era (and modern times).
Get original essayIn his reputable book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (commonly known as author Lewis Carroll) expertly utilized the protagonist (Alice) to display the huge impact literature has on its viewers. Many forms of literary text include-but are not limited to-fiction, film, drama and poetry; the power of written work is more evident today, as seen in the increase of the number of highschool graduates attending postsecondary. Many of the improvements and upgrades in society can be credited to literature.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland starts off with a naive little girl sitting with her sister when she encounters an extraordinary sight. Rather than sticking to the traditional male protagonist, Lewis Carroll uses a bright female girl as the main character to teach unforgettable lessons and depict the valuability of literature. Embracing what creative writing has done for mankind many years ago, and what it is still accomplishing, it is easy for one to confirm the benefits of living in a learned environment. Lewis Carroll’s book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, changes perception and one’s view on certain ideas, teaches the audience useful morals and connects the reader to the world at large. The first few chapters of Lewis’ novel introduces the protagonist, Alice, sitting beside her sister close to the river bank when she stumbles across a strange sight: a white rabbit with pink eyes is seen talking to himself “Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!”. After impulsively following the white rabbit down the deep hole, Alice encounters a series of strange events that require her patience and knowledge. Curiosity does not kill the main character, but only makes her stronger as she develops over the plot of the story, confidently embraces the rather odd environment and befriends many weird creatures.
Many opportunities arise, as literature opens the mind and perception of people to see clearly and differently. While Alice plummeted down the very deep hole full of cabinets and closets with items in them, she assumed that things were quite odd. However, it did not take long before she quickly adapted to her situation. Paragraph eight of chapter one states, “For, you see, so many out-of-the-way things had happened lately, that Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.” All odds were against Alice’s return home. After a few experiences in the room with the glass table, Alice has already opened her mind to her circumstance and the fact that anything was possible. The extraordinary was considered the norm in this strange place that Alice found herself in. Although things were different from what Alice was used to, she was still able to adapt to her situation. In comparison, many are faced with troublesome situations or tiring conditions. Written text allow its audience to escape their current situation and learn how to deal with an overprotective father, battle evil forces from another planet or lead a group of hopeless teenagers from a dire situation.
As depicted above, literary texts have the power to change our situation and take us to different places. Authors, directors, poets and many others can use various media to captivate their viewer's attention and take them from one country to another, hop from planet to planet and even experience different universes. Alice was so distraught that even her identity became a question: “‘Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual. I wonder if I've been changed during the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is, who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle!’”. Being a young gullible girl, Alice acted on instinct and followed the white rabbit. In life, this white rabbit symbolizes curiosity and the willingness to adapt to change; after all, Alice stood up to what she brought on herself. Many forms of literature do not only come in written text; drama, poetry, film and all sorts are displayed all over the media to swiftly reach spectators. They are ways for the author (or whosoever, fabricated the product) to bring recognition to the public eye; awareness of recurring thoughts and experiences in a different manner. Lewis Carroll taught some life lessons through the main character; don’t just dream the impossible-make it happen, people are different everyday, make the best of today, when one falls down, always get back up. The list goes on and on, all the lessons in the novel were taught by the female protagonist. Similar to Alice, literature contains useful and important messages in its context that many can learn from. Learning does not necessarily have to take place at school with an adult at the front of the class writing on the board.
Books are a great way and primary example of learning; they not only improve one’s understanding, but are a great tool in learning how to read and write. During her trip in Wonderland, Alice not only had to learn how to thrive in her circumstance, she was also required to communicate to strange characters for information. The talking rabbit was the first, but definitely not the last. In the room surrounded by closed doors, Alice did not know how to deal with the talking mice or other animals who could verbally express themselves. After encountering strange creatures, Alice does not find it hard to freely express herself towards the queen, who everyone seems to be afraid of. She is not scared of the threats made by the Queen of Hearts to behead her, rather, Alice stands up for herself and makes it known to everyone that she is not to be trifled with. Knowing is beautiful; it gives the hopeless a chance in the future and opens a way for the less privileged. Literature impacts the society in a way that benefits everyone; children are exposed to the written word at a young age and when grown up, they have the power to change laws and impact their community positively.
In comparison to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, this society does not offer many opportunities as Alice had in Wonderland; “‘Come, there's half my plan done now! How puzzling all these changes are! I'm never sure what I'm going to be, from one minute to another! However, I've got back to my right size: the next thing is, to get into that beautiful garden — how is that to be done, I wonder?’”. Here Alice is about to meet the frog footman and has to nibble some mushroom to reduce her height. After expertly maneuvering her stature, she ponders on how bizarre the changes are, but it is pretty obvious how well informed she is from her first entry into Wonderland. All together, many have the opportunity to learn from the experiences and situations penned by famous authors, directors, script writers and poets. Which is why the book is used as a great tool for informing the ignorant. It is not only individuals that benefit from literary texts. Many communities and societies have upgraded and improved after many years of uncovering the truth and power hidden in the context of literature. Both fiction and nonfiction literary works are reflected in the author’s word; which is sometimes used to mirror what is going on in reality.
Although the characters are fictional, the ideas, themes, morals and plot of the story is similar to what is seen in everyday lives. The society is able to broadcast the issues and event going on through different media. It is not only news that carry the world disasters or celebrations around; various forms of literature have the capability to shine light on some issues of this world. In many historical books, films, movies, and poems, authors bring awareness to some of the problems faced during a specific era. Lewis Carroll created this 1865 novel (that was later translated into movies all over the world) so he could teach his lessons to younger kids-and adults, as well as prevent further mistakes from viewers. Alice is a young girl who knows the world for what her teachers and parents tell her. When she is trapped in an unknown world, there is no mention of a knight or prince who is deemed to rescue her. Yet, the protagonist is seen as independent, courageous and develops initiative throughout the plot of the story. Alice was willing to come out of her comfort zone and explore a place unusual to her, although young, she is rather blunt and is not afraid to give her own-sometimes unsolicited-advice. Loopholes are opened for people all over the world to link with the past, make current connections and take a glimpse of the future.
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Get custom essayLiterature is used to show the relationship between people of today, and those who preceded them. Among all the lessons learnt in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the most recurrent moral is the fact that no one is the same as they were yesterday. When pondering on how she came about her circumstances, Alice came to the conclusion that she was certainly different from yesterday. Similarly, mankind’s thinking patterns are still displayed from one time period to another. In addition to this, social norms that were prevalent in the past have been slightly altered but are another recurrent sign of the foundation of this world; that we are all linked in one way or another. With all this in mind, it is unsophiscated to say that Lewis Carroll's Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, is not the ideal example of the great impact literature has on its viewers. With great examples, idealistic concept and moral lessons, the author applied many elements to enrich readers as well as promote confidence amongst women. Throughout the story, there is no mention of some honorable male; no prince charming or knight is spoken of. What makes Alice brave and courageous is the fact that she is a young girl who is able to find her way out of wonderland without the help of a man. This solidifies the point that women are strong, nevertheless, it was a custom for females to be at the background while the men had the limelight focused on them. Lewis Carroll spoke volumes with this novel by reaching out to young girls (and females in general). Alongside the importance of written work, the discernible information found in the contents of this novel are very much justifiable. Literature alone holds the power to create fantasies, stimulate imagination and creativity, teach its spectators, connect the world to individuals and give authorized access to deep secrets. Thus, one can truly say that without literature how far would the world have gotten?
Sometimes a small kind gesture is enough to lift your mood and left a smile on your face for the rest of the day. And when you see someone invite an unknown person to share their table in a busy restaurant, it is worth to watch the smile and gratitude in their eyes. In “Little acts of kindness” essay a photo shared by a lady in 2018 shows this simple act and that photo became viral. When you come to know about the story behind this picture then you will see the photo with another perspective.
Get original essayAmanda Marquell was having her lunch with her colleague teachers at McDonald’s in Noblesville, Indiana. Due to lunchtime, the restaurant was jam-packed and people were happily enjoying their favorite meals. Amanda was chatting with her coworkers after ordering then she noticed that an aged lady about late forty there. The old lady was trying to find a place for herself then she moved towards a group of a teenager sitting at the table. She asked them to accommodate her on their table but they refused her.
The woman was looking disappointed the Amanda saw her talking with another man sitting alone at the table near the glass wall. The woman took a sigh of relief and put her purse on the table. Amanda heard her saying to the stranger if she could sit there and the man graciously allowed her to join in. The man cleared the space at the table by moving his food aside for the old lady. Amanda said that she was lucky to catch that moment shared between a young man and an old lady. And she captured it shared this photo on Facebook. As she said in her post that Amanda and her friends saw that young man introduced himself and shake hand with the old lady. And they started to talk to each other like old friends. Although they were meeting by chance for the first time they were enjoying each other company.
And when this photo became viral, the young man identified as Eric Haralson 28 by his friends who recognized his picture on Facebook and tagged Eric’s picture to him. Eric told about that meeting with an old lady at Mc Donald’s that he met an old lady Jan there. They became friends in just 45 minutes at the restaurant and they had a good time together. Eric told him about his life routine with Jan and they exchanged their phone number when they left.
When this photo went viral Eric called Jan and told her about their photo. And he wanted to stay in touch with her and he will invite Jan again for a pleasant time together. Despite their age difference, they have a lot to share. Amanda took this picture by chance and made them popular but it was the courtesy of Eric that attracts the attention of people on social media.
Little acts of kindness and little words of love can make this world a happy place to live. As this picture is all about kindness and sends a message to be good with everyone around. Amanda shared her experience as it was a small but sweet moment that her friends saw and captured at Noblesville McDonald’s. We all have good inside us, no matter what are the circumstances. And she thanked Eric and Jan for making that day memorable for her.
This picture got a worldwide appreciation from Switzerland to Texas and across America. Amanda has never thought that her photo will touch millions of hearts. As we often had a chance to notice such adorable moments. Eric thanked the people who acknowledged his gesture. And said it never occurred to his mind that someone was noticing him at the McDonald’s. He is sweet by nature and people around him know that it was a genuine reaction of Eric towards Jan. And he is happy that he found a new friend through this fortuitous meeting.