Remind yourself of the opening passage Essay Example for Free

Remind yourself of the opening passage Essay Of course, Marlow is the only one we really need be concerned with, as it is he who goes on to co-narrate the rest of the book. The Director of Companies doubles as the captain and the host. This shows how they generally look upon him with affection, trust and respect. The Lawyer is older than the rest and possesses many virtues. The Accountant is toying with dominoes, trying to start a game. This possibly shows his views are childish and not generally considered with a lot of respect by his associates, or by Conrad himself. All of them already have the bond of the sea. and they are tolerant of one another. However, there is then Marlow. He has a rather withered appearance He had sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion He is a man who doesnt really characterize his class: although he is a seaman, he is also a wanderer, which is rather strange, since most seamen live inactive lives aboard the ship. These ideas can be read into by just taking into account the first description of Marlow. The sallow skin and sunken cheeks dont give the impression that he is healthy or happy. He is certainly different from everyone else on the boat. It doesnt seem coincidental that hes the only person on the s boat who is named too. He is distinct from them because he has no category that fits him. This could be part of Conrad giving the reader an idea of Marlows unreliability throughout his whole narration. It is certainly explored as the book continues. This is Conrads way of arranging the overall structure of the novel. People do realise that it is going to be a remembrance of a story, and this story accounts for Marlows presently shaky, impenetrable state. Yet, it is out of the ordinary that he does also say that Marlow resembled an idol. The fact he put this in may suggest that he is being looked up to, and the fact he survived Africa and back is impressive. After the crews descriptions, the whole passage focuses on again describing the setting, and then bringing historic recollection of the surroundings. Conrad mentions Sir Francis Drake to Sir John Franklin, two of the famous explorers that travelled down the same river. During this same passage he then talks about feelings of the British people the germs of empires, who manipulated other human beings and resources. This goes a long way to revealing Conrads view on the slavery and demolition. Despite all the mention of it in Heart of Darkness, it is noticeable how Conrad assumes peoples knowledge of colonialism. The resentment of Marlows recollection makes obvious Conrads own strong bias against colonialism, which he does wants to pass on to the reader. Overall, the introduction serves as a good beginning to the book. In the passage, Conrad manages to introduce most of his main themes. There is darkness, which is very large topic, and how it can serve/be viewed in different contexts. We are made aware of Marlow himself and his unreliability/madness (caused due to the voyage ). Also, there is already a brief introduction into his views on colonialism/imperialism too. Due to this, you get an impression of his views early on, and as a result almost get ready to view the rest of the book in the way he may of intended you to. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Joseph Conrad section.

A Reading of ?Those Winter Sundays? Essays -- essays research papers

A Reading of â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† In Robert Hayden’s poem â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† a relationship between the speaker and the speaker’s father is expressed in short but descriptive detail, revealing a kind of love that had gone unnoticed for so long. Throughout the poem, Hayden’s use of connotative diction keeps the poem short and sweet yet packed with significant meaning. The evocative sound patterns play just as great a role setting the harsh and reflective tone of the poem. Together, these devices are used to effectively deliver the poem. The speaker seems now to be a grown man, though it is not distinguished in the poem, remembering the distant relationship he had with his father as an adolescent. He would wake every morning to the warmth of a fire despite the biting cold which lay beyond the house windows and doors. The speaker took for granted the heat that he was provided, not acknowledging the effort that went into giving this simple expression of love. Now looking back, he seems to regret not being thankful for his father’s actions and being so blind and ignorant to the love that was right in front of him. From the very first words of the poem, the connotative diction gives the reader an idea of the direction in which the poem in going. â€Å"Sundays too my father got up early† (line 1), where the poem begins, expresses the fathers hard-working nature. The fact that he gets out of bed every day of the work-week and Sundays too, shows that his job as a father and provider...

Led Zeppelin: Musicians, Folklorists, Poets

Led Zeppelin is generally considered to have been one of the most influential rock bands to have existed.   The band came into existence in the late 1960s from Britain, following the lead of several other musical acts which led to the coining of the term â€Å"British Invasion.†Ã‚   But unlike many other bands, Zeppelin was not only interested in making music, but in offering their own takes on classical stories, such as the Trojan war. Their songs all employed a variety of poetic elements, such as rhyme scheme, metaphors, and allusions, and have connections to a number of true poems..   This can be seen when Led Zeppelin's songs â€Å"Stairway to Heaven† and â€Å"Achilles' Last Stand† are compared to W.H. Auden's â€Å"The Shield of Achilles† and Lord Alfred Tennyson's â€Å"The Lady of Shallot.† Led Zeppelin's â€Å"Stairway to Heaven† has long been considered one of the band's most famous contributions to the musical community.   The song has a main storyline about a woman who has spent her life concerned with material matters and never giving thought to the idea that perhaps the treasures she accumulated in life would never truly grant her a place in Heaven. There is an allusion to the buying of alms.   The practice of buying alms was a common and popular practice in the early days of the Catholic church and involved people paying a certain amount of money to priests to have their sins forgiven, thus leading to the song's notion that by accumulating wealth, salvation might be attained. â€Å"Stairway to Heaven† also has a definite rhythm.   The song alternates from having lines that are 6 – 12 syllables long.   The stanzas begin with lines that are either 10 to 12 syllables long and each consecutive line gradually decreases the amount of syllables that are present: And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune  Ã‚   (12 syllables) Then the piper will lead us to reason.   (10 syllables) And a new day will dawn for those who stand long   (11 syllables) And the forests will echo with laughter.   (10 syllables) Immediately, a pattern in the rhythm can be seen.   The first line is 12 syllables and the following line is reduced by two syllables.   The third line is then one syllable less than the first line and the final line is the same as the second.   Such use of rhythm allows for the song to be more organized when set to music and for the poem to be more melodic when recited, to have a more flowing and surreal tone to it. The song also involves the use of repetition.   The first stanza incorporates the repetition of the same phrase in lines two and five of the song, â€Å"And she's buying the stairway to heaven/ [†¦] ooh, ooh, and she's buying the stairway to heaven.†Ã‚   That repetition is seen in the last couplet of the second verse with the phrase â€Å"Ooh, it makes me wonder† and is repeated again in the last line of fourth stanza. The poem also incorporates a sense of Arthurian legend, such as with the idea of â€Å"The Lady of Shallot† by Lord Alfred Tennyson.   Tennyson states that, â€Å"Willows whiten, aspens quiver,/ Little breezes dusk and shiver/ thro' the wave that runs for ever† (10-12).   Led Zeppelin changes the image slightly and states that â€Å"If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be afraid./ It's just a spring clean for the May queen./ [†¦] Dear Lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know/ your stairway lies on the whispering wind.†Ã‚   There is an allusion to everything being alive in both examples.   Both incorporate an environment that is still except for the wind and largely pastoral. Even more similar is the idea of an idealistic young woman dressed in white.   Led Zeppelin refers to: There walks a lady we all know Who shines white light and wants to show How everything still turns to gold. And if you listen very hard  the tune will come to you at last. The image is nearly identical to the Lady of Shallot described by Tennyson: Lying, robed in snowy white that loosely flew to left and right — that leaves upon her falling light — thro' the noises of the night [†¦] They heard her singing her last song. Both women have a sense of idealism about them that eventually leads to their greater disappointment.   The woman in â€Å"Stairway to Heaven† is soon to be disappointed by the fact that her wealth will not bring her into eternal salvation.   The Lady of Shallot is only just beginning to come to terms with the fact that Lancelot does not love her and she has thrown away her life loving someone who will never have the same affection for her.   Both women are approached as being virginal creatures: they wear white, there is a sense of innocence in their believing that everything is as beautiful as gold. Even more stirring is the idea that the final stanza of â€Å"Stairway to Heaven† refers to listeners finally being able to hear her song, while â€Å"Our Lady of Shallot† is referred to as singing one final song.   Both end with a sense of finality and tragedy.   The women are lost because of their innocence and their false hope in the world and it is the final notes of their individual songs that their existences in the world are finally realized. Led Zeppelin's â€Å"Achilles' Last Stand† immortalizes one of the most famous figures of the Trojan war.   In the song, Achilles speaks of leaving for the war as a means of finding greater glory in his life as a warrior and achieving the last dreams he has within him, whether or not he lives or dies.   W. H. Auden's poem â€Å"The Shield of Achilles† personifies Achilles' shield and makes her seem to be a maternal figure who knows that Achilles will soon suffer an untimely death at the hands of his enemies but is wholly unable to prevent the death from occurring. Auden's poem has a definite rhythmic structure.   The main verses are seven lines each, while the more choral stanzas are eight lines, making the text more melodic when read.   Through the use of repetition, the idea of a song being present in the poem is obvious. Both â€Å"The Shield of Achilles† and â€Å"Achilles' Last Stand† mention a number of mythical references.   â€Å"The Shield of Achilles† alludes to the gods Hephaestus and Thetis while â€Å"Achilles' Last Stand† refers to Atlas and Albion.   The poems also refer to the same foreboding figure, a decrepit old man symbolizing Achilles' death.   â€Å"The Shield of Achilles† refers to the man as being â€Å"a ragged urchin, aimless and alone† while â€Å"Achilles' Last Stand† refers to the man as â€Å"to seek the man whose pointed hand/the giant step unfolds.† But the tone of the two poems differ greatly.   â€Å"Achilles' Last Stand† is one of glory in battle and despite the fact that the persona is aware that certain death may await him, he is willing to face his fate, regardless of the outcome: When they told us we should go As I turn to you You smiled at me How could we say no? With all the fun to have to live the dreams we always had Woa the song to sing When we at last return again (1-8). The persona wants to be immortalized for his duty in battle, wants to fulfill his goal of being a legendary warrior and spoken of for years after his death.   The use of such positive ideas, such as â€Å"when we at last return† refer to a disregard for death.   Even the end of the poem, when the persona finally dies, is positive, â€Å"The mighty arms of Atlas/hold the heavens from the earth/ I know the way, know the way, know the way.†Ã‚   There is never any submission.   The persona faces death gracefully, with the mentality of a warrior. Auden's poem is much different in its tone.   There is an idea of the shield lamenting, beginning a premature mourning of her beloved warrior.   The poem even incorporates a scene from the Holocaust's concentration camps to make the tone of the poem that much more somber, â€Å"Barbed wire enclosed an arbitrary spot/ Where bored officials lounged (one cracked a joke)/ And sentries sweated for the day was hot.†Ã‚   The entire poem is built around the premise of death and dying, and the shield is witness to all that suffering, even though she mourns Achilles the most. Even the depiction of immortal duties are different.   When â€Å"The Final Stand of Achilles† refers to â€Å"the mighty arms of Atlas, hold the heaven from the earth†, there is a sense of masculine pride, of a true warrior succeeding in his duties even though he suffers slightly.   â€Å"The Shield of Achilles† offers a more human take on such a task.   Atlas's duty is suddenly doled out to a number of individuals, all of whom are too weak to take on such a responsibility, â€Å"The mass and majesty of this world, all/ That carries weight and always weighs the same / Lay in the hands of others; they were small.† Through the use of repetition, rhythmic patterns, and thematic continuity, Led Zeppelin's songs are shown to be just as poetic as musical, especially when compared to a number of poems similar in content and structure, and prove that songs are merely poems set to music. Works Cited Auden, W.H. â€Å"The Shield of Achilles.† Led Zeppelin.   â€Å"Stairway to Heaven†. Led Zeppelin.   â€Å"Achilles' Last Stand.† Tennyson, Lord Alfred.   â€Å"The Lady of Shallot.†      

How Dogs Evovle - 1070 Words

How Dogs have Evolved Every wonder how â€Å"Man’s best friend† evolved? With over 350 different breeds, from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane, all dogs have descended from the Grey Wolf. The domestication of dogs by man dates back at least twelve thousand years. Domestication of the wolf may have begun with orphaned wolf cubs brought into villages and raised by children. Ancient man may have also started the domestication process by befriending wolves which helped them hunt and drive herds. (Kodat, 2002) Having a semi-tame wolves has its advantages. For example, the acute hearing of the wolve would alarm the human if danger was near at night. However, as civilization evolved, the jobs of dogs became more varied and specific; as a result,†¦show more content†¦Typically, Labradors are athletic, and love to swim, play catch and retrieve games, and are good with young children. Labradors are medium- large breed. Their coats should be short and dense, but not wiry. The coat is described as water-resistant or more accurately water-repellent so that the dog does not get cold when taking to water in the winter. That means that the dog naturally has a slightly dry, oily coat. Acceptable colors are black, yellow (ranging from ivory or crà ¨me to fox red), and chocolate. The jaws should be strong and powerful. While individual dogs may vary, in general show-bred Labradors are heavier built, slightly shorter-bodied, and have a thicker coat and tail. Field Labradors are generally longe r legged, lighter, and lither in build. In the head, show Labradors tend to have broader heads, better defined stops, and more powerful necks, while field Labradors have lighter and slightly narrower heads with longer muzzles. Labradors are somewhat prone to hip and elbow dysplasia, the risk of knee problems and some eye problems are also possible in some Labradors. Only dogs that grow thick coats can really stay outdoors. With Labradors, for example, it doesn’t matter what the weather is. They go out and play in the snow. German short-haired pointers, on the other hand, go out, do what they have to do and then come in and get underneath