Letter 20 is an extracts from “Lettres d’une Peruvienne” written by Françoise de Graffigny. This novel set in the 18th century was a success, with more than 40 editions in 50 years and was translated into 5 languages. The main protagonist in these letters is Zilia, a Peruvian Princess, who was kidnapped by the Spanish conquerors and captured by French and brought to Paris. All along the novel, she will be writing letters to Aza, her fiancé, describing places and peoples she has met. Mr Chevalier de Deterville, who is her protector, will teach her how to speak French, help her adjust to a different way of life and discovery of a new culture. The writing style is informal, emotional, expressive and can be taken as she is writing a diary. The passage is about Zila being introduced to the world of education and French society. - Zilia’s upbringing has shaped her into someone who expects to found beauty and goodness in everything. She become quickly disappointed with French society as it does not live up to her expectation (lines 1-3). - Zilia offers her critique of French society – its love of luxury, social customs, the disparity of rich and poor, how it’s all looks great and beautiful but in really it’s all artificial. Even their politeness is not real, the more you look at their life and exterior aspect, the more you discovers …show more content…
the emptiness of their life (line 5-9). - She recognises that her knowledge comes from “books” even though she doesn’t understand everything that they contain but she is still finding them very useful. Her relation with “books” might be considered as very deep. This is the beginning of Zilia’s education and French language studies as she is starting to make her own conclusions of the French society (10-14). - She’s very judgmental of French society so she makes an effort to become part of the community, by learning the language so she could develop herself and be more aware of her surroundings; by a partial assimilation to a new cultures; this show her independence. She goes further by engaging with the theme of the inadequacy of the education in lot of women in French society (lines 15). - She expect the” books” to teach her what men “have done or thought” (line 15-16) as understanding them will give her an incommensurable pleasure.
Again this lead to her lack of knowledge, which can also be view as if she envies these men for their writing skills. She is goes even further in her comparison by adding that “they are to the soul what the Sun is the earth” (19-20), which is a very deep and must have quality to enable someone to leave properly and be healthy in body, mind and soul. Zila is persuaded that by knowing the French language, reading the “books” will give her all the “enlightenment” and help that she need in her
life. - In this part as well, Zila become more judgmental of Celine who doesn’t seems to know much about books or even the author names (lines 22-25). In this letters, she comments on French society and especially on women's place in it. This highlight her concern with aspects of society such as the treatment of woman, education, religion in France than with herself; compare to the beginning of the novel where her love for Aza dominate the contents of her letters. I think that Francoise de Graffigny dreamed of a world where woman will be equal to men, woman will have a critical sense of life instead of being kept in ignorance and dominated by men.
When Marie tries to ask the protagonist to take a walk, this action shows that she is trying to achieve Pauline’s dream by getting her outside of the house. Therefore, she could finally feel the true meaning of freedom. Nevertheless, Pauline’s mother’s response demonstrates that she wants her daughter’s safety more than anything. The mother tries to keep Pauline away from the danger, so the protagonist can at last have a healthier life. However, Agathe’s reply shows that her mother is willing to sacrifice Pauline’s dream to keep her secure. Therefore, the author uses contrasting characters to mention that safety is more valuable. Furthermore, the protagonist starts to describe Tante Marie and reveals that she always has her hair “around her shoulder” (85). When Pauline describes Marie, Pauline shows how her Tante is open-minded. In fact, Marie helps Pauline to let go of her limitations and to get a taste of her dream. Therefore, Marie always wants Pauline to go outside and play hockey or even to take a walk. These actions that Pauline’s Tante takes show how she is determinate to make Pauline’s dream come true. Thus, the author
He walks the reader through the mess of political strife and bloodshed and he is very detailed in the inner workings of the Committee of Public Safety. He also writes as if the reader knows nothing about the French Revolution. This is a very helpful aspect of the book. Another strong point in this particular story is that there is a map of The First French Republic in the front of the book. There is also a key for the titles of the months according to the French Republican Calendar. This calendar is useful in the reading because depending on the time of year as well as the situation he is writing about, he uses month names such as Ventôse which, in current translation is around the twentieth of
The emotive language used throughout her memories, show direct contrast to her present situation, as well as her reasons for leaving home. The use of personification, in text such as ‘ the sea roared like an angry beast’, provide emphasis of emotive language, used in describing the estrangement felt. The language is so eloquent, conjuring such engagingly vivid images, of Ziba’s emotions, particularly as she feels the ups and downs of the unforgiving ocean. Through figurative and evaluative language, Ziba is able to depict her past and present feelings and memories. The strong connection between sensory experiences and memory is sophisticated and crisp, making the text straightforward and resonant. The author uses simile’s such as, ‘thoughts of home washed over Ziba like the surge of sea washing over the deck’, linking past and present, creating feelings of loneliness, whilst reflecting on her once peaceful home. The effective use of noun groups - laughter of children, cool mountain air, rich spices of the evening meal - alongside side a number of sensory verbs - thought, felt and smelled - assist and connect the reader to Ziba’s thoughts. Furthermore, the use of repetition in the first and last page of the text, places emphasis on the unstable state of their emotions, the uncertainty of what’s to
Ever since she was a young girl. Jeannette had set high goals for herself. Since she was so advanced in school and genuinely enjoyed learning, it made sense that she would want to do big things with her life. Whether it was being a veterinarian or a geologist, her dreams extended far beyond her homes in little desert towns or Welch, West Virginia. However, because of her poverty-stricken home life, many people believed it didn’t seem likely that she would be so successful. One day, while living in Welch, Jeannette goes to the bar to drag her drunk father back home. A neighborhood man offers them a ride back to their house, and on the ride up he and Jeannette start a conversation about school. When Jeannette tells the man that she works so hard in school because of her dream careers, the man laughs saying, “for the daughter of the town drunk, you sure got big plans” (Walls 183). Immediately, Jeannette tells the man to stop the car and gets out, taking her father with her. This seems to be a defining moment in which Jeannette is first exposed to the idea that she is inferior to others. Although this man said what he did not mean to offend her, Jeannette is clearly very hurt by his comment. To the reader, it seems as if she had never thought that her family’s situation made her subordinate to those
The central characters, setting, and tone of the story help create the central idea of the psychological and internal desires of a woman. Through the view of the central characters it is established that the lawyer’s wife wants more than her average day and is searching for more to life than the daily routine of a house wife. Jean Varin is believed to be the desire she is looking for; however, she is not fulfilled or happy with the outcome of her choices. The setting and the tone reveal the psychological need for the wife to have an adventurous, lavish, and opulent lifestyle that she feels can only be achieved in Paris.
Furthermore, within the play these "facades" belonging to the confident upper classes of the period are like wise displayed amongst the lower classes. For example, during the interaction between Christine and Katharina Binder (pp. 133-135 ), Katharina almost lectures Christine on the appropriate and expected behaviour of young working class girls within the Viennese `Vorstadt' - it
In addition, Claudette is constantly reminding herself of the drills and instructions in which she is to follow to become human. This implies that as Claudette is trying to eradicate from her wolf ways and behave, she has to remind herself of the human rules and qualities in which she is supposed to have and follow because she still has that wolf in her that is constantly trying to show itself. This shows that Claudette is struggling with these issues in the early part of the story. While Claudette has struggles trying to adapt to human culture, she also has some accomplishments through her struggles. First, the author tells readers that Claudette “had an ear for languages” This shows readers that Claudette is developing human skills. This implies that Claudette is succeeding in this new human world as she is developing these human qualities and adapting to humanity. Next, Claudette shows another accomplishment as she can read at a fifth grade level. This is an accomplishment for Claudette as she tries to reach her goal of adapting to humanity because she has developed another human quality in which wolves do not possess. Again, Claudette displays yet another accomplishment as she “graduated
The parents’ different views and outlooks on the world influence their daughter’s decisions and alter how she reacts to Gaston throughout the story. One difference among the parents is their financial status. While on the phone with her mother, the mother said she was, “sending the chauffeur to pick her up…” This dialogue from the mother illustrates that she is wealthy. Earlier in the story, the girl was describing her dad saying, “He was at home. She was with him in his home in Paris, if you could call it a home.” The girl’s opinion demonstrates how different her life is at home. The opinion also shows how the dad’s house is not nearly as nice as her home. These quotes portray the differences in the financial aspects of the two parents’ lives. Another demonstration of the distinction between the parents is how they react to the bug. When the dad sees the bug, he proceeds to name it and defend it. The girl says, “Everybody hollers when a bug comes out of an apple, but you don’t holler or anything.” The dad replies by saying, “Of course not. How should we like it if somebody hollered every time we came out of our house?” This conversation shows how the dad is creative and accepting things that are odd. In contrast, when the mom sees the bug she immediately rejects it. The mom says, “Somebody gets a peach with a bug in it, and throws it away, but not him. He makes up a lot of
Gustave Flaubert incorporates and composes a realistic piece of literature using realistic literary techniques in his short story, “A Simple Heart.” Flaubert accomplishes this through telling a story that mimics the real life of Félicité, and writing fiction that deliberately cuts across different class hierarchies; through this method, Flaubert is able to give the reader a clear understanding of the whole society. Flaubert makes the unvarnished truth about simple hearts clear by exposing a clear replica of a realistic story, therefore, allowing the reader to clearly understand the society and the different classes of characters. The story, “A Simple Heart” focuses on the life of a naive, simple-minded underclass maid, Félicité, and her encounters with those around her.
Julia Child tried to keep herself occupied in France but couldn’t find anything she loved to do. Finally she decided to take a class at Le Cordon Bleu for cooking. She did not like the treatment she was getting in the women’s only class. ...
Taking little stock in the unspoken and assumed truths of the culture in which he exists, Meursault follows a more natural and almost physiological rhythm of emotion and sensuality. After learning of the death of his mother, he must travel “about eighty kilometers from Algiers” for the funeral (Camus 3). Rather than emphasize the exhaustive capability of trauma, Meursault elicits reason, explaining that “it was probably because of all the rushing around, and on top of that the bumpy ride, the smell of gasoline, and the glare of the sky and the road, that [he] dozed off” (Camus 4). After returning home from the funeral, he awakens the next morning and decides to take a swim in the pu...
is about two Persian’s who take a trip to Paris. Montesquieu ridicules the two people throughout the book.
The narrator portrays her degrading identity through her cultural detachment from Europe and Africa. The novel does not only tell the story through the exile she has suffered. At times, the narrator’s nocturnal writing offers the reader her inner thoughts, but it also displays her initiative to confide within her exile through nostalgia and lyricism. An analysis of multiple passages - regarding writing and geogra...
Helen Keller took an autobiographical approach to her writings, accounting for moments in her past and how she perceives the world. Although informal, her writing style is intimate with a desire to communicate her struggles in a confident, overcoming manner. Helen Keller uses figurative language and descriptions as well as many rhetorical strategies including metaphors, similes, personification and diction to expose her emotions.
Madame Bovary, a novel by Gustave Flaubert, describes life in the provinces. While depicting the provincial manners, customs, codes and norms, the novel puts great emphasis on its protagonist, Emma Bovary who is a representative of a provincial woman. Concerning the fundamental typicality in Emma Bovary’s story, Flaubert points out: “My poor Bovary is no doubt suffering and weeping at this very moment in twenty French villages at once.” (Heath, 54). Yet, Emma Bovary’s story emerges as a result of her difference from the rest of the society she lives in. She is in conflict with her mediocre and tedious surroundings in respect of the responses she makes to the world she lives in. Among the three basic responses made by human beings, Emma’s response is “dreaming of an impossible absolute” while others around her “unquestionably accept things as they are” or “coldly and practically profiteer from whatever circumstances they meet.” (Fairlie, 33). However, Emma’s pursuit of ideals which leads to the imagining of passion, luxury and ecstasy prevents her from seeing the world in a realistic perspective or causes her to confuse reality and imagination with each other.