More handpicked essays just for you.
Essays about feminism in literature
Elegy written in a country churchyard conclusion
Elegy written in a country churchyard conclusion
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Feminist Reading of Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
While Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" overtly deals with the distinction between social class and the opportunity for greatness, the poem also contains a subtle yet strong message against the dominant role of men over women in society. Gray's tone throughout the poem is permeated with regret and a sense of something lost, voicing his opinions clearly against social class prejudice. This emotional tone, when applied to the stereotypical roles of differing sexes discussed throughout the poem, portrays the injustice of inequality between males and females.
Gray begins with his argument by explaining the roles of women and men, both in lower class families and in the noble houses, focusing on their submissive roles. "The busy housewife [plies] her evening care," minding the children until "their sire's return" from a hard day of work (lines 22-23). Gray depicts the work of a lower class male as a ploughman, working from morning until night at his useful toil, without ambition and wit...
Ishmael was taken from Africa at a young age and was sold to a zoo then a traveling carnival. Ishmael was bought by Walter Sokolow, a Jewish man whom had lost his family during the Holocaust. Not long after being purchased Ishmael learned to telepathically communicate with Walter. Mr. Sokolow brought Ishmael many books so he would be able to educate himself. Ishmael’s studies began with captivity but soon he became more interested in human nature. Upon Mr. Sokolow’s death Ishmael lived mostly independently in the city, with the help of the late Mr. Sokolow’s butler, Mr. Partridge. After all Ishmael has learned through his readings he seeks out students to help spread his knowledge. (Quinn, 1995)
Ishmael Beah’s first transition on his approach to family began with a strong sense of hope. Consequently, after the separation of his mother, father, and older brother his life completely changed. When he began to take his journey Beah hoped to find his family and survive the war together. In his memoir, Beah demonstrated the idea of hope when he came across a childhood memory that impacted his life. As he walked alone in the forest Beah remembered his father’s significant words of advice that motivated him to find hope and purpose. With this idea in mind, his father once said, “If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen” (2007, P. 54). For Ishmael, his father, mother, and
In the meditation set at the heart of the "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," which he completed in 1750, Gray notes that deprivation curtails opportunities for evil as well as for good. Chief amongst these is violent individual ambition, which Gray deplores (in marked contrast to Addison's "Campaign" of 1704, which had celebrated the military success of the Duke of Marlborough):
Thesis Statement: Men and women were in different social classes, women were expected to be in charge of running the household, the hardships of motherhood. The roles that men and women were expected to live up to would be called oppressive and offensive by today’s standards, but it was a very different world than the one we have become accustomed to in our time. Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the
Contrastingly, Mrs. Darling, his wife, is portrayed as a romantic, maternal character. She is a “lovely lady”, who had many suitors yet was “won” by Mr. Darling, who got to her first. However, she is a multifaceted character because her mind is described “like the tiny boxes, one within the other, that come from the puzzling East”, suggesting that she is, to some extent, an enigma to the other characters, especially Mr. Darling. As well as this, she exemplifies the characteristics of a “perfect mother”. She puts everything in order, including her children’s minds, which is a metaphor for the morals and ethics that she instils in them. Although ...
As we read through the memoir A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, there are many striking moments or key passages that have a lot of meaning, character development, or plot development. These key moments occur at many times, such as before Ishmael is a soldier, during Ishmael’s time as a soldier, and during rehabilitation from being a soldier. The three most striking of key passages from the book that are important to character development, plot development, and meaning is when Ishmael learned to be more independent, when war and killing becomes a daily part of Ishmael’s life, and the theme of revenge causes more revenge.
In today’s society, we generally view upon everyone as equal; however this view did not exist for decades. Throughout history, there were many instances showing that men dominated women and women were often seen as left with less important or treated as an inferior being. Women were often expected to be good mothers to their children as well as caretakers to their husband. After reading the play “Trifles” by Susan Glaspell, I was able to grasp the important facts about social views of women and their domestic roles. Glaspell’s play depicts the gender inequality which exists in the society, drawing significant attention to the societal values of women at that time. Although women’s roles are treated as unimportant, she depicts women’s devotion that lies with each other and emphasizes how they survive the patriarchal society.
Those who suffer from an addiction can become so caught up in the moment in trying to keep up their habit that they forget how it is affecting those around them. Drugs put a lot of stress on everyone in the family. One may lose their job, suffer from financial problems, steal, or even be abusive to others within the family. Those who have an addiction often perceive themselves as to not having a problem and it is not out of control, so they do not seek out treatment (NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d., para. 2). It is at that time that those who care for the individual will have an intervention to try and help the addict. An intervention is a carefully planned process that may be done by family and friends, in consultation with a doctor or professional such as a licensed alcohol and drug counselor, or directed by an intervention professional (Mayo Clinic, 2016, para. 5). Addiction is a disease that is hard for someone to overcome; by implementing an intervention there is hope for a better life.
Gail Godwin's short story "A Sorrowful Woman" revolves around a wife and mother who becomes overwhelmed with her husband and child and withdraws from them, gradually shutting them completely out of her life. Unsatisfied with her role as dutiful mother and wife, she tries on other roles, but finds that none of them satisfy her either. She is accustomed to a specific role, and has a difficult time coping when a more extensive array of choices is presented to her. This is made clear in this section of the story.
2. What evidence does the poem provide for a shift in patriarchal power in the home during washing day? Lines 30-50 show how the husband views the washing day. He goes out to ask his wife to go on a leisurely walk through the woods or to mend his socks. The husband doesn’t view the washing day as important as the wife does; and thinks that the wife has tons of free time to do what he wants. The wife tells him what will happen if does in fact try this, he will be
Homelessness is a problem virtually every society suffers from. There are many things that cause people to become homeless, such as unemployment, relationship problems, and being evicted from ones domicile either by a landlord, friend or even a family member. However, with every cause there must be an effect. Some of the effects of one becoming homeless, besides the obvious change of lifestyle, are various health problems which often times may lead to death.
In order to be a friend, one has to be friendly. While not all speakers seek to make friends, this holds true in other circumstances. People tend to pay more attention to people who they like. Likability then, plays a part in all communication. If an individual dislikes someone, they won’t give much thought to what the individual has to say, instead dismissing them with a wave. Another word, which is often used in the
Before 9/11, countries where Islam was not a primary religion were not even aware of the word Jihad. Today, Jihad is a word that is met with negative emotions in non-Islamic countries. Depending on the area the word Jihad means different things. In Islamic practicing countries the word has reli...
In conclusion, Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” uses symbolism and dubbal entendre throughout the poem to convey the inevitability of death, mourning, conflict within self, finding virtue in one’s life, dealing with one’s misfortunes and giving recognition to those who would otherwise seem insignificant to those of greater statures.