Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Critical analysis of Emma
Critical analysis of Emma
Social hierarchy in Shakespeare's time
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Emma by Jane Austen
Setting
Emma took place in small town called Highbury in 18th century England. During the time period set in the novel, there was a definite social rank, or hierarchy. Almost all of the scenes in the book take place in or around the estates of the characters. Their property mostly determined their social status. This setting has significance to the storyline, because of the social rank. Emma, who is constantly trying to play matchmaker, tries to convince her friend Harriet to marry someone of a higher class than her current love, a farmer. The characters are very aware of their status, and can be discriminating towards people of a lower class, such as the farmer. The book was most likely set in this place and time in order to include the conflicts of a hierarchal society.
Character Analysis
Emma Woodhouse: Emma is the main character of the novel. She is a beautiful, smart, and wealthy 21-year-old woman. Because of her admired qualities, Emma is a little conceited. She is the daughter of Henry Woodhouse. Since her mother has died, Emma has taken the role of taking care of her father, who is old and often sick. Because she feels she is obligated to stay by his side, Emma decides not to marry. Emma believes that she is a good matchmaker, and tries to put together several couples throughout the novel. Emma believes that social classes are very important and refuses to see anyone cross over to marry someone lesser than themselves In chapter 8-page 52, Emma is talking about Harriet’s situation with the farmer with Mr. Knightley. She says, “Mr. Martin is a very respectable young man, but I cannot admit him to be Harriet’s equal. As the novel progresses, Emma becomes more mature, and realizes how silly she had been in the past. In the end, she finally stops matchmaking others and marries Mr. Knightley, who was perfect for her all along.
Mr. Knightley: Mr. Knightley is another main character of the novel. He is quite a bit older than Emma, at 38. He is also Emma’s brother in law. He often visits the Hartfield estate to play cards. He is a little protective of Emma, and often gives her advice to change her prying ways. Mr. Knightley, although high in status, does not fully believe in the hierarchal customs of Highbury. He thinks that people’s actions and feelings are better judges of themselves than their title or property.
The Mughal empire and Ottoman empire were muslim empires who practice the Sharia law from the Koran. Also both empires had a form of Bureaucracies. They both had a military general and commander has expanded the dynasty to twice the size of what it was and use gunpowder technology to conquer a large
Emma is a character who really sees herself as being better than not only everyone else, but believes she is better than she really is. It could be argued that she sees herself as better than Mr. Elton due to the fact that she rejects him, although claims that it is for Harriet’s sake. Mr. Elton throws all of the signs of having feelings for Emma, but she is too oblivious to notice them because he is below her, but above Harriet so he is sufficient for her purposes. She has no concern as to how he feels about her, but only that Harriet has feelings for him. This can be seen as Mr. Elton confronts Emma with his feelings, and she is utterly confused, and almost offended. “I have seen you only as the admirer of my friend. In no other light could you have been more to me than a common acquaintance.” (Page 119) This quote expresses the surprise that Emma feels as Mr. Elton comes onto her in an attempt to win her over. Clearly she has mistreated him as a person, and as a potential lover since being the third son is not “good enough” for someone of her ranking and importance.
Emma's arrogance shines through when she brags that she is exceptionally skillful at matching couples. She believes that she is in control of fate and must play matchmaker in order for couples to discover their true love. Austen confirms, "The real evils indeed of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself" (Austen 1). Although Emma is so spoiled and overbearing, she truly doesn't realize this fact.
When Emma plans her wedding to Charles, the readers learn: "Emma would have preferred to be married at midnight by torchlight" (p. 22). Instead, she settles for a traditional wedding. Charles adores Emma: "He was happy, without a care in the world…" (p. 28). Charles realized that he "possessed, for life, this pretty wife whom he adored" (p. 29). Emma, on the other hand, feels differently. Through the narrator, the readers learn her inner thoughts:
First of all, diabetes also known as diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that a person gets from high blood glucose or when your bodies cells do not respond to insulin and in some cases both (Medical News Today). There are three types of diabetes type 1, type 2, and gestational. All cases of diabetes do not affect you the same and all have different syndromes that will affect your body differently. While men can get two of these cases of diabetes, women can get all three.
With over 759 million registered domain names, the Internet has proved to be the definitive source of information (Hunter). Covering a full spectrum of subjects and services, it is an entity that we can not do without. However, despite all this usefulness, more than 14 percent of all websites are dedicated to pornography (Ward). To further worsen the matter, more than 13 percent of all searches made daily are
The Ottoman Empire reached the peak of its power in the 1500s. While other empires were experiencing their downfalls, the Ottoman Empire’s power seemed to be increasing. In fact, this empire can be ranked as the strongest power due to its tactical internal organization of power, minorities, and religion, due to its physical expansion which provided more resources, more advancements, and more people to support the empire, and due to its large military strength that provided security, reduced rebellion, and challenged the other powers.
The narrator says, “The real evils indeed of Emma's situation were the power of having rather too much her own way, and a disposition to think a little too well of herself” (Austen 8). Emma is initially portrayed as someone who thinks that only her opinion matters. In his literary criticism, “Personal Virtues in the Context of Class in Jane Austen’s Emma”, Philip Gerebring describes how “Emma has had quite a privileged upbringing [...] which impacts her actions and the way she views other people” (Gerebring). Emma’s decision not to marry at first is directly related to her privilege and wealth. Her high opinion of herself affects her belief that she is “better” than others. In her literary analysis, “The Dilemma of Emma: Moral, Ethical, and Spiritual Values”, Karin Jackson says that “Emma is so engrossed in herself that [...] her fancy, her imagination, and her manipulation of people’s lives are all based on a false perception of reality, despite her grandiose trust in her own judgment” (Jackson). Although this quote can be seen as accurate, it is incorrect because Austen is not criticizing Emma directly, but rather society as a whole and is actually praising Emma’s rebellion against
... But in fact her powers and beauty cannot change the foundation of her society. Emma’s circumscription within the boundaries of her class kept her world under control. This prevents her from considering another society beyond her existence. The confusion from her failed attempts with Harriet due to her guidance, allows her to embrace reality. Jane Austen uses Emma’s character to reveal the quality in the structures of the nineteenth century society. Based on the conclusion of the novel, when Emma is forced to look beyond the limited power and beauty she has and acknowledge the existing order and structure of the early nineteenth century English society.
Diabetes Mellitus is a disease in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body’s tissues absorb glucose which is sugar, so it can be used as a source of energy. Glucose levels build up in the blood and urine which causes excessive urination, thirst, hunger, and problems with fat and protein metabolism in a diabetic person. Diabetes is very common in the United States; it is the seventh leading cause of all deaths. Women have been diagnosed with diabetes more than men. There are two forms of diabetes, Type one and Type two diabetes. Type one diabetes is when the body does not produce insulin or produces it in very small quantities. This usually occurs in younger people under twenty years of age, mostly around puberty. Type two diabetes is when the body’s balance between insulin production and the ability of cells to use insulin doesn’t work properly. This is more common than type one; about 90-95% people in the United States have it. There are no cures for diabetes now but there are many researchers investigating factors through new technologies to cure them. Meanwhile, technological advancements are being made to keep glucose at a good level for diabetes.
Within the novel, Jane Austen’s exploits of irony are shown linked throughout Emma’s notions of love and the real within her own society. Emma’s lack of education on the concepts of love is quite evident within her apathy towards Frank Churchill as her opinions are deeply rooted within her own affections, as she states, “Emma continued to entertain no doubt of her being in love. Her ideas only varied as to the how much. At first, she thought it was a good deal; and afterwards, but little. She had great pleasure in hearing Frank Churchill talked of; and for his sake, greater pleasure than ever in seeing Mr. and Mrs. Weston; she was very often thinking of him. But, on the other hand, she could not admit herself to be unhappy, nor, after the first morning, to be less disposed for employment than usual; she was still busy and cheerful; and, pleasing as he was, she could yet imagine him to have faults,” (Austen 264). Emma’s sketch of Harriet is another illustration of irony surrounded by Emma’s arrogance as it does not portray an accurate depiction of Harriet as Emma has altered ...
...ied about his intentions during the entire novel, no one truly knows him. Frank’s uncle, Mr. Churchill is inferior to his wife in regards of control. Throughout the novel the reader hears more about his wife than they hear about him. Their relationship represents complete switch of the traditional idea of man being superior to woman. The Knightleys however, John and Isabella, are purely conventional and are ideal couple for Nineteenth Century society’s times. Mr. Elton does not represent true gentility while Mr. Weston too gentle. Although all of these characters have their flaws, Austen finds her perfect figure in George Knightley. His infallible nature is unrealistic, yet it gives society the ultimate gentleman to aspire for. Austen’s Emma is more than a comedic novel of manners but also a quintessential piece that fits perfectly into the lives of today’s society.
Weston’s marriage, Emma looks for companionship in Harriet Smith. Emma and Harriet’s friendship is one in which Emma is the dominating figure and this is the reason Emma is drawn to Harriet in the first place. Harriet is dependent on Emma for good social standing as Harriet comes from no known family nor fortune. Her dependency can be seen in how Emma manipulates her love life. Emma discourages Harriet’s affection towards Mr. Martin by saying that he is inferior to her. After telling her this, Emma admits that by rejecting Mr. Martin, the two of them are able to still be friends. She tells Harriet, “It would have grieved me to lose your acquaintance, which must have been the consequence of you marrying Mr. Martin... it would have been the loss of a friend to me. I would not have visited Mrs. Robert Martin, of Abbey-Mill Farm. Now I am secure of you forever,” (Austen 52). Rather than encouraging Harriet, she insists that Mr. Elton is a more suitable match. By manipulating Harriet’s love life, Emma finds a way to maintain the intimacy she has with her most loyal
The Internet as we know it is based upon the principles of being “free and open”. No single government, company, person, or entity known to man has complete and absolute control over the web (Google - Take Action). However, as with any medium of knowledge, there will always be those who wish to censor it, for better or worse. Censorship can be defined in many ways. In the context of the Internet, censorship may be defined as the act of suppressing or controlling the access and flow of information to achieve a means. This is a deeply ethical issue because the unrestricted flow of information can be a dangerous thing. However, it is also a philosophical issue pertaining to the concept of free speech.
and not just at the Rajputs, who became one of the pillars of the empire.