The Half Brothers Essay Example for Free

The Half Brothers Essay The narrators message is that nobody should ever marry anyone out of their social class. She wants the reader to be aware of this by showing the reader through the negative result of this conflict.  The short story The Half Brothers is an example of Elizabeth Gaskells strong moral sense and interest in the difficulties faced by ordinary people and how they have to find the strength to live their daily lives. In this story, Elizabeth expresses her concern for poverty and suffering. This story involved a lot of conflicts throughout and is told from the point of view of one of the brothers. He tells this story about the tragedy which caused the death of his brother. From the beginning we find out that the narrators mother had not lived a very pleasant life, she was twice married and wasnt happy with her first husband,  She never spoke of her first husband, and it is only from other people that I have learnt what little I know about him.  The first two events in the story are the death of her first husband and then the death of her little baby. The baby girls death had such a great impact of sorrow and pain that she couldnt even cry or drop a tear but felt as if her heart had been torn apart. The narrators mother decides to marry William Preston, clearly not for love, but for a matter of survival, as William Prestons wife, she would never need to do anything.  During the Victorian period, women were viewed as weak without men because they had no status and without a man to support the household or give them that status.  The Victorian Period wasnt a perfect time to live in. Life wasnt easy compared to how it is nowadays, especially for a single parent being a woman.  William Preston became very jealous after he realised his wife loves her son more than him, he took a positive dislike to Gregory. His wife died soon after giving birth to her second son(the narrator). Just before she died, she tells Gregory and her new son to look out for each other.  As the two step-brothers grew up, we can see that they were two very different people. We see that the narrator was the darling, the tenderly beloved, and the young master. In contrast, Gregory was described as lumpish and loutish, awkward and ungainly. The narrator is given everything he wants including good education whereas Gregory is forced to work as a Sheppard. The narrator admits that he also treated Gregory badly, following his fathers example, he feels guilty, I am ashamed my heart is sore my poor orphan stepbrother. One day, the narrator goes on an errand and gets lost in a snow storm. Gregory finds him and they are both lost and had to spend the whole night in the freezing cold. Gregory gave the narrator his coat and holds him to keep him warm. By the time they are discovered, Gregory had died from saving his brother. This makes William Preston feel awfully guilty. When he eventually dies he desired that he might lie at the foot of the grave, in which, by his desire, poor Gregory had been laid with our mother. In comparison, the conflicts in these three stories are caused by similar events which led to conflict. It was the money problems which were the main root to these conflicts, because of money, it was essential for women in those days to marry to a man who can provide for her.  In To Please his Wife, conflicts are shown to be most involved in Joanna and Shadrachs marriage. The marriages have not worked because Joanna simply did not marry Shadrach for love but just over jealousy. This led to her continuous hatred of her old best friend, Emily as after she married Shadrach, Emilys wealth was increasing compared to her. The marriage in The Half-Brothers was a financial plan, it was essential that Helen remarries to a man who could provide for herself and her son, therefore the family was not bonded by love and so is weak. This shows that women of that time did not have much freedom as social and economic pressures made it hard for them to choose a single life. Similar to the couple in To Please his Wife, the pair in this story do not marry for love either. Unlike the other two stories, in The Parvenue, the narrator in this story actually does marry for love, my heart throbbed with gladness, as I thought that he surely loved me. Although she and her husband were deeply in love, the marriage did not last very long before it led to conflict within the family. The marriage did not go well because of the difference between their social status. The narrator was poor and was raised up in a working class family whereas Lord Reginald is a rich wealthy man.  During the Victorian period, women would be seen as weak without men because they had no status without a man to support the household to give them the name. The writer of The Parvenue shows a clash of class between the two main characters, the narrator and her husband with her unappreciative family. The writer enables the reader to see in the position of the narrator by writing the short story in a first person view; this way it allows the reader to experience and acknowledge the specific problems that faced the couple. It is shown in the story that the narrator wasnt comfortable having married a richer man of higher social class as she herself had been brought up in a lower class than her husband. Because she and her family were poor, they did not know how to handle the money, as her husband, being in the higher class didnt understand her, this led to conflict.

Walker Percys The Moviegoer Essay -- Walker Percy Moviegoer Essays

Walker Percy's The Moviegoer Walker Percy is the author of The Moviegoer, which is written about a young man named John Binkerson Bolling otherwise known as Binx. He is the main character who grows up in New Orleans. He is a moviegoer who is on a search but the object of his search is not clear. The people he encounters help him along the way, especially his stepbrother Lonnie and an African American man. The Moviegoer takes place during Mardi Gras when Binx discovers that something more is needed in his life. The story begins with Binx receiving a letter from his Aunt Emily saying that they need to have a talk. This talk is about his cousin Kate who Aunt Emily is worried about. She has been â€Å"moping around the house† ever since her fiancà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s death and Aunt Emily wants Binx to cheer her up (28). She wants him to treat Kate as he did before and joke around with her to make her laugh and smile. She has been staying inside and has not interacted with people in a while. On Binx’s way to his aunt’s house, â€Å"the idea of a search occurs to† him (13). â€Å"The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life. To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something† (13). But what exactly is Binx onto? Binx doesn’t know and doesn’t reveal the purpose of his search because he fears â€Å"exposing (his) own ignorance† (14). Is this search about God? Binx â€Å"hesitates to answer, since all other Americans have settled the matter for themselves and to give such an answer would amount to setting himself a goal which everyone else has reached – and therefore raising a question in which no one has the slightest interest. For, as everyone knows, the polls report that 98% of Americans believe in God and the remaining 2% are atheists and agnostics – which leaves not a single percentage point for a seeker† (13, 14). Binx’s search continues through his attraction to the movies that â€Å"are onto the search, but throw him further from the truth. The search always ends in despair† (13). The movies are a way for him to fill the emptiness in his life. They give him incite into others lives and into his own life. â€Å"Before I see a movie it is necessary for me to learn about something about the theater or the people who operate it, to touch base before going inside† (74). This helps him learn more about how others live and lear... ... wants with his life. He does not need to be as religious as Lonnie but he has choices. Lonnie is willing to fast even though he is very sick and this gives Binx faith that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Even on Lonnie’s deathbed, he is content. After his â€Å"half-brother Lonnie Smith died of a massive virus infection which was never positively identified,† he is asked what will happen to Lonnie (237). The children ask Binx, â€Å"When Our Lord raises us up on the last day, will Lonnie still be in a wheelchair or will he be like us?† and he responds with, â€Å"he’ll be like you† (240). This he may not act in a religious way but at least he does not deny the Lord. So even though he is not all religious, he has taken the faith of Lonnie and directed it into his life. Lonnie’s belief in the long run affects Binx and helps him so many times in his search. He started as a moviegoer, living his life through the movies and now he realizes he can live his life through his actions. He was inspired by one he knew very well and by others everyday actions. He was inspired for the better and hopefully his new profession and wife will fill the void that he’s been feeling for so long.

Humour

Humour comes from a tool that was constructed with a two boards so when one comedian hit another with it, the boards slapped. One of the most popular comics in this category was Charlie Chaplin. The most characteristic feature of physical humour is that comedians rarely use words to provoke laughter. Mimes use the motion of their bodies to narrate a humorous story. The origins of mime date back to the ancient Greece, but then the performances were not necessarily silent, because sometimes the performers sang or delivered recitations. In medieval times the art of mimes developed and in the nineteenth century the mime became recognizable by his speechless posture and the white mask. Clowning is, in a way, a connection between slapstick comedy and mime, as it uses both methods to produce laughter in the addressee. Contemporarily, the clown is a figure identified by various costumes, distinctive makeup, a red nose, and colourful wigs, but clowning has its roots in ancient times, where clowns were mainly bald, with bizarre hats and plaid uniforms. The earliest clowns performed buffoonery, practical jokes, juggling, or parody and these things have not changed much throughout the ages. Harlequin and Pierrot are two of the most popular types of clowns, who owe their existence to commedia dell'arte. Notably, their characteristics originates in sixteenth and seventeenth century European culture. 1.4. Commedia dell'arte Commedia dell'arte as one of the oldest forms of professional theatre flourished in the 16th century through to the 18th century, in Italy. The performances were mainly improvised, and the actors were professionals. They used costumes and masks that illustrated their character. Their comical models were identified by their appearance or behaviour. Initially, they were supposed to represent inhabitants of a specific part of Italy and even included the dialect of a distinct area. Additionally, the relations between characters onstage were similar to these between actors in their lives and because of this fact, the plays were more credible.

How to Use the French Expression Jen Ai Ras le Bol

If youre a French speaker and youre frustrated, you might find yourself exclaiming, Jen ai ras le  bol! This informal phrase can be used to express everything from general discontent to extreme frustration, depending on how its used in conversation.   Expression: Jen ai ras le bol!Pronunciation: [zha(n) nay ra l(eu) buhl]Meaning: Im sick of it! Im fed up! Ive had it up to here!Literal translation: I have a bowl full of it.Register: informalNotes: The French expression jen ai ras le bol doesnt specify what your bowl is full of, but its probably safe to assume that its aggravation, frustration, or one of their close cousins.   Ras-le-bol can also serve as an exclamation indicating that enough is enough, or as a noun referring to general dissatisfaction. Examples   Ã‚  Ã‚  Il pleut depuis deux semaines, et jen ai ras le bol  !  Ã‚  Ã‚  Its been raining for two weeks, and Im sick of it!  Ã‚  Ã‚  Le ras-le-bol à ©tudiant augmente depuis des annà ©es.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Student unrest has been on the rise for years. Synonymous Expressions (informal): Jen ai marre, Jen ai assez, Jen ai ma claque, Jai ma dose, Jen ai plein le dos, Jen ai plein les bottes, Jen ai ras la casquette(normal register): Je ne peux plus le supporter, La coupe est pleine More Expressions with avoirExpressions with enMost common French phrases