For centuries, literature has stood as a reflection of the complexities and contradictions of society. Sparking during the Enlightenment, authors have turned to their pens and paper to critique society and analyze what we know as sociological norms and constructs. Through the use of allegory, idealism, and other various literary devices, authors have unpacked the layers of society to delve into the intricacy of our nature, from the good to the ugly. Through works like Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, Machado de Assis’s “The Cane,” and Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice, we are prompted to evaluate societal issues ranging from superficial to obsession. Literature acts as a beacon to understanding our society on a much deeper level, leading to …show more content…
Machado de Assis painstakingly illustrates the stark contrast between the privileged elites and the marginalized, and in this case the slaves. Through the character of Sinha Rita, he emphasizes the concepts of power, manipulation, and privilege. Sinhá Rita’s control over her household and slaves shines light on the blatant power imbalance. Although Damio has a higher social status, he still experiences inequality which further deepens the complexity of inequality ingrained in society. At a significant point in the story, Sinhá Rita pleads for Damio to retell a joke to her friends that he had told her earlier, “Come on, Senhor Damio, don't play hard to get. Our guests are just about to leave. You’ll really love this one, ladies.” (Machado De Assis, vol. E p. 786) She subtly exerts her power over Damio through doing so. Despite the fact that she is offering him a place to stay temporarily and assistance with his father, she uses her position of power over Damaio, as well as her household, to get what she wishes from him. This act of dominance, and in a way betrayal, highlights the complexity of power dynamics within
Imagine a society where owning books is illegal, and the penalty for their possession—to watch them combust into ashes. Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, illustrates just such a society. Bradbury wrote his science fiction in 1951 depicting a society of modern age with technology abundant in this day and age—even though such technology was unheard of in his day. Electronics such as headphones, wall-sized television sets, and automatic doors were all a significant part of Bradbury’s description of humanity. Human life styles were also predicted; the book described incredibly fast transportation, people spending countless hours watching television and listening to music, and the minimal interaction people had with one another. Comparing those traits with today’s world, many similarities emerge. Due to handheld devices, communication has transitioned to texting instead of face-to-face conversations. As customary of countless dystopian novels, Fahrenheit 451 conveys numerous correlations between society today and the fictional society within the book.
One decision is all it takes in the life of a person to go from one path to another. The decision can be a good one and affect one’s life in a positive manner or a decision can be a poor one and result in negative effects. In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, Abigail Williams and John Proctor make life altering decisions. Willy Loman, the main character in The Death of a Salesman also written by Arthur Miller, makes a decision that will change his life. This paper will examine the life changing decisions made by the characters in these books, the reasons behind their decisions, and the consequences of their decisions for their lives.
The Majority of people today believe that the society in Fahrenheit 451 is far-fetched and could never actually happen, little do they know that it is a reflection of the society we currently live in. In Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451 books are burnt due to people's lack of interest in them and the fire is started by firemen. Social interactions is at an all time low and most time is spent in front of the television being brainwashed by advertisements. In an attempt to make us all aware of our faults, Bradbury imagines a society that is a parallel to the world we live in today by emphasizing the decline in literature, loss of ethics in advertisement, and negative effects of materialism.
Salem in the 1600s was a textbook example of an extremist society with sexist norms and no separation of church and state. Because it had no laws, only people considered authorities on law, it was always a society based on norms laid down by the first settlers and severity on the verge of madness. The power was imbalanced, focused subjectively in the people who had means to control others. Some people attempted to right the wrongs of the powerful, as people are wont to do eventually. Because of them, change indeed came to Salem, slowly and after excessive ruin and death. Before the rebels’ impact took hold, Salem’s Puritan society was a religious dystopian disaster, a fact illustrated excellently by Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. This religious dystopian disaster carried many flaws and conflicts that can be seen in other societies, both historical and modern.
The Crucible – Human Nature Human nature was fully to blame for the disaster which took place in Salem in 1692. Human nature is what your character is made of in trying situations, and in 1692 scientific knowledge was extremely poor by today's standards and so all reoccurring problems were blamed on an evil force, whether it be the devil or witches or anything the imagination could conjure, hence human nature was being tested regularly. The decisions people made were critical to the disaster's progression, in today's scene in would have been dismissed within minutes, but the paranoia floating around in the town kept the ball rolling. People were so terrified of the thought of evil that any suggestion of it would create a preordained judgement in the mind of anyone, especially those who made judgement of the accused. To get to the supposed
The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the "right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance.
" Literature and Its Times: Profiles of 300 Notable Literary Works and the Historical Events that Influenced Them. Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Vol. 1. Ancient Times to the American and French Revolutions.
The reputation of a person is very important to their standing in the community, and especially in a religious community. In the play the Crucible, Arthur Miller shows the importance of social standing by religious beliefs and contemporary social dynamics. Therefore, the play was based off of a historical context, witchcraft, some characters represent as a scapegoat while others act as an antithesis of being a witch to meet the society’s standards.
Although a strict society composed of high morality and disciplinary laws may be necessary for safety, it causes internal conflicts within the individuals. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller a theocracy in Salem rules and guides the citizens into doing what is “right”, but eventually backfires due to issues of reputation and jealousy. Society has a lot of influence on the citizens, and with a bad reputation, it is nearly impossible to live in a Puritan society. Salem’s strict Puritanical social structure causes personal struggles for the individuals involved in the events of The Crucible, and then eventually these personal struggles affect the society overall.
Kaylen Jones Mrs. Cross Honors English 10 24 April 2024 The Society in Fahrenheit 451 vs. Our Society Today Fahrenheit 451 is a novel written by Ray Bradbury in 1950, but it is set in 2022. The society that Bradbury describes is boring, careless, and chaotic, which in some ways resembles our society today. People are glued to TVs and don’t have great communication skills. Books are illegal and meant for burning, and now people are attached to their phones and don’t care about books. The society in Fahrenheit 451 is a good representation of our society, however some parts in the book are false and exaggerated.
In hopes of gaining further insight into books, Montag seeks Faber, a former English professor who, with his experience, mentions the significance of depth within books, stating, “So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life. Comfortable people want only waxed moon faces, poreless, hairless, expressionless” (Bradbury 79). To argue the benefit of books while in a society that neglects reading, Faber states that books contain “pores” that reflect the good and bad of humanity. In their society, people prioritize sugar-coated representations that spread inaccurate ideas, thus forming a dull society constructed on false expectations.
This paper examines the relation between philosophy and literature through an analysis of claims made by Martha Nussbaum regarding the contribution novels can make to moral philosophy. Perhaps her most controversial assertion is that some novels are themselves works of moral philosophy. I contrast Nussbaum’s view with that of Iris Murdoch. I discuss three claims which are fundamental to Nussbaum’s position: the relation between writing style and content; philosophy’s inadequacy in preparing agents for moral life because of its reliance on rules; and the usefulness of the moral work engaged in by readers of novels. The evaluation of these claims requires a discussion of the nature of philosophy. I find that Murdoch and Nussbaum agree on the ability of literature to contribute to moral understanding, but disagree on the issue of what philosophy is. Therefore, they disagree on the question of whether certain works of fiction are also works of philosophy. I argue that the task Nussbaum assigns philosophy is too broad. Through the use of critical and reflective methods, philosophy should examine and sort moral claims. Literary, philosophical and religious texts contribute to moral eduction; keeping them separate helps us appreciate their distinct contributions, as well as respect their distinct aims and methods. Therefore, I conclude that Nussbaum’s inclusion of certain novels in philosophy cannot be sustained.
The Edwardian, modern and postmodern times were three essential and compelling periods in British literature. Throughout these periods prolific writers arouse and were able to write and express their feelings about their eras. Amid both of these eras society was significantly changing and there was development all over, new advances in innovation were being made and the lifestyles of individuals, families, and women were drastically changing. The changing scene brought on a hullabaloo of productive authors and artists who would write about the positive and negative things affecting their general public. Some of these amazing authors that we studied this semester included Oscar Wilde, Rudyard Kipling, Joseph Conrad, W.H. Auden, Dylan Thomas, Virginia Woolf and J.K. Rowling. These writers and poets expounded on comparable topics that were influenced by their day and age.
In this, issues of society, pressed by outside forces, are nearly disregarded. The act of suppressing the role of social conformity to the text shows the destructive quality of the nature of society, as well as equalizing importance of characters despite their economic standings or lineage. More than anything, this shows the blindness and purity of the love within the text and the ways in which individual fulfillment are reached outside of the boundaries of so-called
Society has a great impact on literature. Although there are various works that mobilize and even pivot society to take action on certain issues, the authors of such texts are influenced by the society they live in. Therefore, society defines literature periods more than the actual writings do. Throughout British literature, despite the different epochs in both history and literature, it is evident that there are some overarching themes. During both the romantic and Victorian eras, some of the overlapping themes were those of imperialism and colonialism, globalization, and the superiority of the British.