August Strindberg was one of the first naturalist playwrights. Darwinism influenced the naturalists to perceive a person's fate as the product of blind external or biological forces, chiefly hereditary and environmental. By replicating observed details of environment, the artist would allow the audience a deeper understanding of the forces acting on characters. Miss Julie demonstrates the naturalistic idea that human beings are strictly products of the forces surrounding them - that "free will" and "choice" are illusions. In August Strindberg's play, Miss Julie, Strindberg's naturalistic view of human behavior is exemplified through the use of animal imagery. The first and most utilized animal image Strindberg employs is the dog. Jean describes to Kristin how Miss Julie treated her ex-fiancé the night they broke up. "She made him leap over her riding crop, the way you teach a dog to jump." A dog is man's best friend because it is an extremely loyal animal; a living, breathing, belonging who is obedient to its owner. Having Jean compare what Miss Julie did to her ex-fiancé with what someone would do to a dog demonstrates Miss Julie's drive to be the dominant one or the master. Miss Julie herself, when telling Jean about her life, refers to this incident similarly, "Just so he'd be my slave." Of course, before she commits suicide, this is ironically contradicted when Miss Julie begs Jean "Order me, and I'll obey like a dog!" Miss Julie feels that her social status is far superior to that of Jean, and that their relationship could be compared to that of a master and his dog. Miss Julie says that Jean is "a dog who wears my collar." The dog imagery in the play is also used to demonstrate the difference in so... ... middle of paper ... ... "free will" and "choice" are illusions. In his preface to the play, Strindberg discusses what motivates Miss Julie: "her mother's primary instincts, her father raising her incorrectly, her own nature, and the influence of her fiancé on her weak and degenerate brain." The sum of these innate characteristics that make up Miss Julie cause her to want to be free from who she is, as well as to desire her own fall. The animal imagery in the play demonstrates how society looks down upon the people they feel are inferior to them. It also symbolizes the never-ending struggle for one to succeed in society and become a person of a higher social standing. I believe that Strindberg has given the audience a deeper understanding of the forces acting on the characters in Miss Julie through the use of animal imagery. Work Cited: "Miss Julie" by August Strindberg
Henry was an extremely lonely nine-year-old boy whose greatest wish was to get a dog. His parents were busy with their work most of the time and it seemed that Henry did not have any friends, perhaps because they moved so often. A dog would have provided Henry with unconditional love - something in short supply around his house - and would have been the perfect companion. The problem was, his parents did not want dog, which would have been another obligation and something else to take care of. As emotionally detached as his parents were, something else to take care of was just not desirable.
Findley uses animal imagery in The Wars as a powerful method of revealing important aspects of personality in the protagonist and other characters. He weaves the characteristics of Robert and those of the animals he encounters in the story. This animal imagery and the character development of Robert is used to express the story's theme of humanity's similarity to animals.
The theme of mateship is shown throughout the entire film of Red Dog; through the friendships of the Dampier workers, but most significantly shown through the bond that John and Red dog
Sigmund Freud once argued that "our species has a volcanic potential to erupt in aggression . . . [and] that we harbour not only positive survival instincts but also a self-destructive 'death instinct', which we usually displace towards others in aggression" (Myers 666). Timothy Findley, born in 1930 in Toronto, Canada, explores our human predilection towards violence in his third novel, The Wars. It is human brutality that initiates the horrors of World War I, the war that takes place in this narrative. Findley dedicated this novel to the memory of his uncle, Thomas Irving Findley, who 'died at home of injuries inflicted in the First World War" (Cude 75) and may have propelled him to feel so strongly about "what people really do to one another" (Inside Memory 19). Findley feels a great fondness for animals, and this affection surfaces faithfully in many of his literary works. The Wars is a novel wrought with imagery, and the most often recurring pattern is that of animals. Throughout the novel, young Robert Ross' strong connection with animals is continually depicted in his encounters with the creatures. Findley uses Robert to reveal the many similarities between humans and animals. The only quality, which we humans do not appear to share with our animal counterparts, is our inexplicable predisposition to needless savagery.
“Accept what is, let go of what was and have faith in what will be.” - Anonymous
Margaret Wise Brown was truly fascinated by animals, and she understood children’s attraction to animals. Tellingly, when Brown reflects on her childhood she mentions her “thirty-six rabbits, two squirrels…a collie dog, and two Peruvian hens, a Belgian hare, seven fish, and a wild robin who came back every spring” (Days Before Now). From this information about Brown, one understands where her love of animals originated--her childhood. Additionally, animals were kind to her and did not restrict or belittle Brown the way some individuals did regularly. Brown was allowed to have constant interaction with animals, which proved to be influential in her writing career. Overall, Margaret Wise Brown used numerous animals, especially rabbits because of her love for creatures and the understanding she possessed of children’s love of and interest with animals.
The graphic novels Maus and Maus II by Art Spiegelman possess the power to make the reader understand the pain and suffering that takes place during the Holocaust. Spiegelman uses animals instead of humans in his graphic novels to represent the different races of people. The use of visual mediums in Art Spiegelman’s Maus enhances the reading of the narrative. The graphics throughout the novel help the reader fully understand everything that is happening.
First, Candy is a character that contributes to the overall theme of loneliness. Candy is a crippled old man, whom his only family is his dog. When contemplating whether to shoot the old dog to put it out of its misery, Candy explains, “Maybe tomorra. Le’s wait till tomorra.” (Steinbeck 47). Candy wants to put off shooting his one and only possession because he knows that his dog is a part of him and
Salamano and his dog have a strange relationship. They are always together and even look similar, but Salamano is constantly beating the dog. One would think that since the dog was Salamano’s only companion then he would treat it better. Salamano and his dog symbolize the absurdity that occurs in our everyday life.
In different periods of time, the lives of humans and nature were thought to have a connection, and this is emphasized in William Shakespeare's play MacBeth. In this play, unnatural events in nature foreshadow bad or unnatural occurrences in the lives of humans. Through out the play, Shakespeare continuously proves this point.
Simon Legree, the novel’s epitome of the cruel slaveowner, owns several of the animals. In one scene, Legree tells Tom, while “caressing the dogs with grim satisfaction” at the animals ability to incite fear, "Ye see what ye 'd get, if ye try to run off. These yer dogs has been raised to track niggers; and they 'd jest as soon chaw one on ye up as eat their supper.” This scene is echoed later in the novel when the character of Cassy tells Tom that even “down in the darkest swamps, their dogs will hunt us out, and find us. Everybody and everything is against us; even the very beasts side against us--and where shall we go?" The dogs serve to convey the barbarity of Legree and illustrate the all-encompassing corrupting power of the
Imagery and Diction in The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop. Elizabeth Bishop's use of imagery and diction in "The Fish" is meant to support the themes of observation and the deceptive nature of surface appearance. Throughout the course of the poem these themes lead the narrator to the important realization that aging (as represented by the fish) is not a negative process, and allows for a reverie for all life. Imagery and diction are the cornerstone methods implemented by Bishop in the symbolic nature of this poem. The title of the poem itself dictates the simplicity Bishop wishes to convey regarding the narrator's view of his catch.
Henrik Ibsen created a world where marriages and rules of society are questioned, and where deceit is at every turn. In A Doll’s House, the reader meets Nora, a housewife and mother trapped in her way of life because the unspoken rules of society. Nora and the people around her decieve each other throughout the entire play, leading up to a shocking event that will change Nora and her family lives forever. Ibsen uses the theme deceit to tell a story filled with lies and betrayal.
The poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe is a beautiful story that outlines events that happened between the speaker and his love. The story paints a mental picture of a love that is so strong that angels become jealous and take Annabel Lee away from the speaker, but even though she is gone, his love for her never ended. The story is full of imagery that leads to the central message of the story, which is love.
After the child encounters the dog they being to play with one another. The passage notes; “the dog became more enthusiastic with each moment of the interview, until with his gleeful caperings he threatened to overturn the child. Whereupon the child lifted his hand and struck the dog a blow upon the head.” (Crane) With this we see the first act against the dog. The dog does not turn violent or try to run away. Instead he summits and begs for forgiveness. He rolls onto his back and gives the child a look of prayer. The relationship roles here become clear the child can play god with this dog. Knowing how the dog reacts to this is showing how the dog’s character is to please his master. They play for a while longer, until the child loose interest in the dog’s antics. He began to head home, when he notices the dog is following him. He decides to get a stick and hit him with it. The dog still summits to this act and continues to tag along. When they finally reach ...