The Wives Of The Dead English Literature Essay

The Wives Of The Dead English Literature Essay The Wives of The Dead is one of Hawthornes less remembered stories from a sequence of early tales he wrote in 1832. The story takes place in early eighteenth century Massachusetts Bay. Mary and Margaret are the two main characters, they are sister in laws who are drawn closer together because both their husband die within two successive days. However the story is not as simple as the plot. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses his lengthy visual descriptions to create a symbolic and almost supernatural background. If the story is read rapidly the reader may make the mistake of thinking its simply exploring the nature of a womans grief. However buried beneath the deceit of the narrator, lay the details that reveal the true meaning of the story. Like all of Hawthornes writings the story does not lack complexity. As the story advances readers are forced to ask the question of whether the story deals with dreams or reality. A question that is often asked but never holds the value that Hawthorne place s in it in this story. The issue can be major or insignificant thats why Hawthorne says The following story, the simple and domestic incidents of which may be deemed scarcely worth relating (Hawthorne968). The Wives of The Dead illustrates the importance of distinguishing between reality in life and the nature of reality in dreams. Hawthorne writes The Wives of the Dead in the third person omniscient viewpoint. This allows him to tell the story from a godlike perspective. Elements that the main characters might not or can not be noticed are pointed or to the reader. Because of the circumstances in the story, Hawthorne uses this style so the reader has an idea of what is going on while the main character has stepped out of the room or turned away. In this stories case this style is used to give the reader information or an overview about what is going on while the character are sleeping. In third person omniscience, the reader can get the story from Margaret and Marys point of view. This style makes the story more interesting because both characters are blind to something the other one knows. In The Wives of the Dead the visitors that both Margaret and Mary get are unknown by one or the other character. They are unwilling to tell the other about the news they receive about their husbands. The blindness of both p arties causes tension between both characters that only the reader is aware of. The narrator will also do several things other than telling the story. Things such as sometimes commenting and judging characters or events like saying one of the sisters is mild, quiet, yet not feeble character(Hawthorne960). This form of writing also gives the narrator the ability to give misleading or even dishonest details. The narrator does this to make distinguishing between reality and unreality more difficult. Hawthorne provides clues to help distinguish the reality that may be hidden beneath dreams or the dreams that may be hidden under the reality. The first of the two sisters that may or may not have been dreaming is Margaret. She was the first of the two sisters to receive a message that their husband is not dead is Margaret. Margaret is the sister who is of the lively irritable temperament, she does not dream her visit because it happens before she falls asleep (Hawthorne969). Mary falls asleep first while Margaret became more disturbed by feverish, in proportion as the night advanced with its deepest and stillest hours (Hawthorne970). She does not fall asleep before her visits because her grief greatly disturbed her still. The visitor is a friendly innkeeper of the town who is known by Margaret (Hawthorne970). Further validation comes from Goodman Parkers account of having received the news of Margarets husband. Margaret receives word from an express the tiding of the frontiers (Hawthorne970).Goodman Parker states He tells me we had the better in the skirmish you wot of, and that thirteen men report slain are well and sound , and your husband among them(pg. 970)Nothing seems too miraculous or disputable that would indicate a supernatural aspect of a dream. After Margarets visit she goes to Marys room to tell her what has happened. She decides not to tell he because she does not want to further ber sadness. Margaret says Shall I waken her to feel her sorrow sharpened by my happiness (Hawthorne970). After deciding not tell Mary, Margaret notices a look of motionless contentment was how visionless as if her heart, like a deep lake(Hawthorne 971). The reason Mary could or could not have been dreaming are the brief details describing her face before she fell asleep and the description of Stephen. The narrator describes the look on Marys face as motionless contentment which suggests that she has made peace with the death of her husband(Hawthorne969). If she had made peace with the loss of her husband she would not be as likely to fall asleep with the wishful thinking that her husband may still be alive. Her actions before she goes to bed suggest she is trying to move on. Mary began to recollect the precepts of resignation and endurance, which piety had taught her(Hawthorne971) .Therefore, Marys dreaming that her husband is alive is possible but unlikely. If she had looked happy while she is asleep it will be okay to assume that she was dreaming that her husband was alive. However, there are many clues that suggest her visit is a dream, but not necessarily her dream. When Mary awakes for a little time, slumber hung about her lik e a morning mist(Hawthorne971). She is clearly in a state where she can easily fall back to sleep without realizing. When her visitor begins to knock on the door, she listened with imperfect consciousness and she does not answer until she is clearly wide awake (Hawthorne 971). So at the same moment of the knocking, she goes from a drowsy state to being wide awake. The pang of recollection darted into her mind when she answers the door (Hawthorne971). Mary recognizes her visitor and describes him as a unsuccessful wooer of her own named Stephen (Hawthorne972). a rejected lover of Mary who comes by seeking to comfort her with information about the guy who won her over. This is the first clue that seems very unlikely. The storm is over and the moon is out yet when she speaks to Stepehen, she notices that he is soaked. This can just be the narrator giving misleading information, but it serves to cast doubts about if this is really happening or if it is all in her head. The status of Mar ys husband is ultimately harder to prove than that of Margarets, and the evidence that cast doubts on Stephen are normal inconsistencies for a dream. The tale has many structural parallels within it. Each wife is awakened by a visitor who has news about the survival of their husbands. After receiving the good news thy each stop themselves from waking and telling the other what had happened. They are both sleeping restlessly at one point of the story but the story does not say for sure if they are dreaming. The main deception of the story is that what happens is exactly what both characters could dream. The story presents blanketed realities; however, they are not necessarily less real only because some events are not likely. The dramatic background of the story with the rainy twilight of autumn day suggests and is ideal for a dreamlike world (Hawthorne968). It is not clear if one, both, or neither of the characters are dreaming. Discussing the interpretation of the events or dreams is overlooking the purpose of the story. The point is simply a caution against ignorance of the distinction between dreams and reality.

A Comparison Between Two Complementary Poems Essay

The two complementary poems ‘Old Father’ and ‘Island Man’ are based on the subject of two diverse men who are coping with an experience of migrating to another country. In this coursework we will discuss these poems, then compare, and contrast their theme and language. Hugh Boatswain’s ‘Old Father’ appeared in an anthology called ‘Writing’ in 1978. Boatswain’s work speaks to the condition of the racial tensions in the 70’s and engages, in sparse poetic form, in much of the cultural analysis. Boatswain’s poems demonstrate the importance of creativity, cultural transaction, and transition in the historicizing of West Indian migration and settlement in Britain. The poet has used a narrative description in the poem to portray his views and thoughts to the members of the audience. The poem relates to a series of events of old father in a chronological order of his life. The poem depicts the livelihood and culture of a person from a distant atmosphere and surrounding who goes through a lot of hardships in the beginning due to the unknown environment. The poet has then given a brief sketch of his adaptation to the society and how he changes to accept those adaptations. The poem creates a depressing feeling in our hearts as the poet describes how old father forgets his culture and roots by his behaviour. The poet has described his views in rather an ambiguous way; no information obtained by us can be strongly evident. It tells the story of an old or older figure in the black community, how old is not known but can be presumed to the mid thirties or more. The title ‘Old Father’ depicts a personage of high value, a person who would hold up and support the beliefs and values of the society. The title describes a man of experience, ingenuity, and responsibility. In the beginning of his shift to England the Caribbean man craved to return to his homeland. The poet then discusses how old father bought a turning point in his life and started changing his lifestyle to get more accepted in the society. This is indicated by the words ‘Old Father feet begin to shift. His roots have no meaning now’ (Line No. 10 and 11). This is also an example of one of many metaphors in the poems, i.e. his feet are not actually shifting but his attitude is changing and he is accepting his situation in the society and is trying to improve it. In this process he is leaving nothing out, to the extent that he is ready to change his values, beliefs and ethical values to receive acceptance. He then discusses about old fathers personal and love life, he also brings up the point of how he changes his attitude towards his own friends of his race. Boatswain has added a variety of characters to the poem. Even though the vagueness of details of the character we can say that ‘Old Father’ was undignified to an extent. From the following line ‘Bouncing down the road with a blonde’ (Line No. 17) we can presume his indecency, as walking with a blonde is considered inappropriate due to the negative image they have created in the society. The whole image is cojourned by the term ‘blonde’ relieving his change in attitude and lifestyle to be considered indecorous. The poet has chosen his words very particularly and has also considered the arrangement of these words. He has used a varied range of figures of speech like metonymy and personifications but has highly considered the use of metaphors. These figures of speech and choice of worlds create a rhythmatic design; this maintains the reader with an interested attitude. A lot of attention is given to the use of punctuations. Boatswain’s way of describing and explaining imagery is noteworthy. For example ‘Cold bite him hard’ (Line No.2), this shows how painful the weather is to this Caribbean man in the beginning of his arrival. We can see how Boatswain’s use of language is very descriptive but concise and effective. The other poem ‘Island Man’ is a piece of poetry written by Grace Nichols. She was born in Guyana and came to Britain in 1977. She writes this poem in context to a Caribbean man who has settled in London but still wakes up to the sound of the sea and the tranquillity of his native island. ‘Island Man’ consists of a wide range of sounds and images to express the Caribbean man’s feelings and thinking. For example ‘the sound of the blue surf’ and ‘the steady breaking and ‘wombing’ (Line No.3 and 5) are good examples of his use of language and images for the description of his feelings. This poem is also told in a narrative manner but unlike ‘Old Father’ the poem is more spontaneous. The poem is bought out in the form of a dream. A number of images are described to show how he imagined himself in his native island where there was no hindrance or disturbance but peace and tranquillity, whereas the atmosphere in London was completely contradictory to his dream. Therefore when he wakes up and enters the world of reality where he is back in London and hears the roar of the cars and screeches of the wheels instead of the sound of the sea he just says ‘Another London day’ (Line No. 19). He probably says this as he has been living in London since a long time and is now frustrated with his usual rut and wants to get out of it and return to his paradise like island. His attitude towards this new environment is not so enthusiastic. This is indicated by the words ‘groggily groggily’ (Line No. 11). He has already seen the usual busy days of London and has accepted them in his life and has acknowledged this new surrounding. But a sense of frustration has aroused and his crave for his native island just became greater than before. Both the poems hold a lot of similarity of cultures and attitudes towards the new migration. Both of them share unhappiness in this new environment of theirs. Both of them also discuss the bitter weather. But old father moves on in his life whereas in ‘Island Man’ we will notice that there is not much of progression in the story. It is just a dream whereas the whole life of old father is discussed in the other poem. Hence a lot of contradictions are in the poem. Also the language and use of punctuations is very different. In ‘Old Father’ punctuations are given a lot of importance and are very proper whereas in ‘Island Man’ the poem consists of no punctuations at all. It forms more of a spontaneous attitude and also considers the lazy morning attitude of a person. Therefore as this is a dream the poet has very well described this quality and has also set a sense of spontaneous feelings and emotions. ‘He is an example to his people’ (Line 41, Old Father), these were the words used to describe old father and his behaviour. It is the opinion of a white English racist person. This opinion can be adapted in two contradictory perceptions. The white people may say it in the context that every person from another country, another culture should act like him. They should also adopt the behaviour and culture of the country they live in. The contradictory statement to this would be that the white people are saying that he was a person who was ready to change for his benefit of himself and in the end of the day for h is own betterment he would forget his friends. Hence they jump to the conclusion that he is just an example of those people who are of his culture and each would do anything for their own personal benefits forgetting their personal beliefs and culture. In the end I would conclude saying that both the poems state a moral towards us. In ‘Old Father’ we can say that a man should adapt towards his surrounding but that does not mean we should forget who we are, what is our identity. Whereas in ‘Island Man’ we can see that a man has come to another country but still has not let go of the memories of his own countries and hence is not able to move on and adapt the good qualities of the country he is living with. Hence we should learn from this poem that thinking about our past and not moving on would just lead to frustration and everything would go wrong. Hence we should keep up the pace in life and never look back and ponder.

Animal vs. Plant Cells

Animal and plant cells have many of the same characteristic. Animal cells and plant cells are both eukaryotes. They both have cell nucleus which contain chromosomes or DNA, as well as cell membrane encompassing the cell to control the substances moving in and out of the cell. They both contain enzymes from liposome for breaking down larger molecules. Animal and plant cells both transport protein into and out of cells through endoplasmic reticulum and have vacuoles where food, water, and nutrients are stored as well as provide stability for a plant. Three Differences Along with the similarities, there are also differences between animal cells and plant cells. Plant cells contain chloroplast to help make their own food whereas animal cells do not and animal cells do not possess a cell wall like plant cells do. Another difference is the shape of the cells. Animal cells are circular in nature and plant cells are rectangular. Although animal cells and plant cells both contain vacuoles: the function, quantity, and size of the vacuoles are different in each cell. Food and waste are stored in one or more small vacuoles in animal cells whereas plant cells contain one large vacuole which is mainly used for storing water and providing the plant with stability. Five Internal Structures of a Plant Some internal structures of plant cells are ribosomes, chloroplasts, nucleus, Golgi body, and central vacuole. Ribosomes are responsible for synthesizing protein and amino acid to be released inside and outside the cell. Chloroplasts capture sunlight energy to produce food for plants through photosynthesis. The nucleus is the brain of the plant; it contains DNA to characterize each cell into a specific type. The Golgi body sorts proteins and cell nutrients and releases small amounts into the cytoplasm. The central vacuole is the storage bin and backbone to the plant. It stores food and water for the plant as well as providing strength and stamina for the plant stem.

How Culture Has Affected People Around The World - 1696 Words

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