Idle Minds and Wagging Tongues: Conversation in Anna Karenina
Perhaps one of the most striking scenes in Anna Karenina is that of Kitty and Levin’s silent declarations of love to each other, etched out cryptically in chalk on a card table, with each understanding innately the exact words the other was saying (362). With the relationship between Kitty and Levin serving as Tolstoy’s model for a strong and successful love, it appears odd that such a relationship should be founded on silence, and in such sharp contrast to the chatter of Society surrounding the couple at the party. How then are we to understand the significance of conversation in the novel, if the most sincere relationships and understandings are not founded upon dialogue, but on unspoken knowledge? Entire subplots and themes are conveyed through conversations between the characters—the peasant problem and farm management, religion, marriage and faithfulness. Everyone is trying to grasp what a good life is, but the ideas expressed in conversation, however, appear quite often to contradict both the inner monologue of the characters and their actions, or fall pathetically short of expressing the power of the feelings of characters. For most of the characters, neither Society banter nor intellectual discourse does justice to their real passions, and even personal exchanges are steeped in insincerity. Unless they find a means to express their passions some other way, they are doomed to a life of dissatisfaction at best, or a tragic end at worst.
Within the opening conflict of the novel—Stiva’s affair with the French governess and his wife’s reaction when learning of it—Tolstoy first presents this tension between honesty and speech. Before Dolly and Oblonsky’s exchanges, Tolstoy interposes a short confrontation between Oblonsky and his son, Grisha. Oblonsky is “conscious of not caring as much for the boy as for the girl, but [does] his best to treat them both alike” (7). Although he says, “Good morning” to Grisha, Oblonsky’s words are insufficient to mask his inner feelings, and his actions betray him through a “cold smile” (7). Grisha, significantly, does not reply. To reply with some pleasantness would be to pretend that Oblonsky was sincere in his greeting, and Grisha is too naïve to use speech to do anything but to tell the truth. Short of accusing his father of not loving him, which he is already old enough to understand would be entirely inappropriate, he can only remain silent.
Alexandra Bergman’s lack of self awareness allows others to forget that she is a woman and, at times, even human, which continuously builds the wall of isolation that surrounds her. As a result, when she reacts to situations as a woman would, rather than as “she” should, those around her don’t know what to make of it. Because she has been such a steady influence for so many years, those around her do not understand that perhaps she did have another dream besides working the land that she seems to care so deeply about. Her brothers in particular are unable to comprehend that Alexandra is a woman and was forced into the life she has lead by their father’s fantasy rather than by her own free will. Perhaps the only people who truly understand her dilemma are Ivar and Carl. Ivar is a “natural man” and a religious mystic and Carl a man who was unable to make a living from the land– neither is respected by their peers, and yet they have some sort of insight to Alexandra’s heart that even she has failed to acknowledge. Alexandra’s walls are brought down only by love: love of her youngest brother, love of the land, and the return of the childhood love she thought was lost to her– as these loves begin to change her, her outlook on her entire life begins to change and meld into something that only those who actually know who and what she is recognize: a woman.
In 1833, Rosa's mother died and Rosa was sent to a trade school devoted to teaching young women marketable skills such as sewing. She was expelled shortly after starting at the school. She was then sent to another boarding school but expelled from that one also. In 1835, Raymond decided to give Rosa artistic training.
Plastic surgery is defined as a procedure done to reconstruct body parts. It doesn't necessarily mean working with plastic, because the word plastic in plastic surgery is derived from the Greek word plastikos, which means ‘to mold’. (Straightdope) Many believe that a man called Sir Harold Delf Gillies did the first modern plastic surgery in 1917. During the World War I, he met a French surgeon called Hippolyte Morestin, who greatly influenced him. After carefully observing him removing a tumor,Sir Harold performed the flap surgery on a World War I soldier who injured himself badly on his face. While Sir Harold is still considered as the Father of Modern Plastic Surgery, people assume that the Indians were the first to perform plastic surgery back in 800 B.C. With this discovery, British physicians visited India to observe the native methods of plastic surgery. (Williams) Over the years, new discoveries are made, which also means that new forms of plastic surgery are constantly performed. As of now, there are various types of plastic surgery, all done on different body parts of a human. Plastic surgery is generally divided into two, reconstructive and cosmetic. ...
To begin, Frankenstein is comparable to Prometheus because of his initial creation of a living being. Victor pursues his interests in the sciences by taking it a step further trying to discover the secret of life. He decides to try and create something that can live. Once brought to life though, he is immediately repulsed by its appearance and flees, allowing the monster to escape, “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart,” (Pg 42) Prometheus on the other hand was a Titan whose job was to mold mankind out of clay. After this though, he grew fonder of his new creations than the actual gods like him. Prometheus then decided to trick the g...
Gaining inspiration from Ancient Greek Mythology, Mary Shelley published a classic gothic science fiction novel, known informally as Frankenstein. In Ancient Greek folklore, Prometheus is said to be the wisest of all the Gods. In the form of fire, he has been praised for bringing forth knowledge and enlightenment to mankind. The history of Prometheus’ fate is depicted throughout the text. Victor Frankenstein, whom upon years of study and fascination of natural philosophy and chemistry, discovers the secret of life, just as Prometheus once discovered the secret of fire (in many cultures, fire is a portrayal of energy and life), which makes a direct link to the relations of Prometheus and Victor. Armed with the knowledge he has long been seeking, Victor secludes himself in an apartment and begins to fashion a creature out of old body parts....
There wasn’t much progress for centuries till World War I. Many soldiers were coming back home with severe injuries on their bodies. Since there were more and more people in need of these surgeries, reconstructive surgery started to develop even further. They came up with new techniques such as trying to rebuild entire limbs, ...
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is subtitled "The Modern Prometheus", and rightfully so. Prometheus, the Titan of Greek mythology that created man and gave them fire, is a fitting symbol for Victor Frankenstein, the man who created a "monster" and gave him life. The most obvious aspect of the similarity between Frankenstein and the Prometheus myth is the underlying theme - both stories deal with ill-fated actions with tragic consequences. The classic Prometheus stories, as told by Aeschylus, Percy Bysshe Shelley and summarized by Edith Hamilton, contain symbolic and thematic elements that closely parallel Mary Shelley's "modern Prometheus."
Victor Frankenstein and the Greek myth of Prometheus are revealed as each other's counterpart through the novel’s events and character’s relationships. Through their creations, Victor Frankenstein and Prometheus both experienced eternal pain as punishment to their acts of rebellion against nature. Victor’s monster turned against him and killed everyone he loved causing him eternal pain. Similarly, Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock to have a bird eat out his liver for eternity. Both characters experienced unending pain connecting them to the very root of their existence.
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus is a well known novel written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and first published in 1818. This first edition included some remarks made by her husband Percy Shelley, which the author later revised for the publishing of the second edition in 1831 . A thought-provoking work set in the enlightened European society of the eighteenth century, Frankenstein masterly addresses themes such as responsibility, abandonment, and the ambitious pursuit of knowledge to depict the dreadful effects that may arise from scientific exploration.
The oppressed, repressed, and impressed subjectivity of feminism finds a new opportunity to assert its true self against the stultifying atmosphere of modernism and identity-oriented crisis of postmodern ambience by appealing to the unique characterization of Anna Livia Plurabelle which frequently oscillates phallocentrism and proves the me'connaissance of male selfism and female-otherness to establish a new doctrine based on the fact that the male subjectivity as a desceptionary ruling self is subverted through the intermittent alterity that the indispensable feminine Being-Anna Allmazifull-makes possible.
Cosmetic surgery consists not just of enhancing someones beauty, but also to help those who have been badly damaged in an accident or who have physical birth defects. Many believe that women are the main gender that go for cosmetic surgery. Yet studies have shown that 11% of men are also getting cosmetic surgery - in fact since 1992, the percentage of men getting cosmetic surgery has gone up by 50%. Middle aged men see plastic surgery as an investment in their career prospects. It is important to know that it is neither sex nor age which makes some type of aesthetic surgery procedure feasible, but what is important is a good general health condition.
Interwoven with the story of Anna, is the tale of Levin, a thoughtful, passionate young man who seeks to marry the Princess Catherine Shcherbatskaya, known as Kitty. Kitty rejects his first proposal because she believes that Vronsky, who flirted with her before he met Anna, intends to marry her. Levin is devastated and withdraws to his country estate and works on a book about agriculture. But the couple reunites through another appearance of Oblonsky, Kitty’s brother in law, and they discover that they are deeply in love. Kitty joyfully accepts Levin’s second proposal. Once married, they live happily in the country, host their families and guests during the summers, and have a son. Levin's philosophical doubt and religious skepticism trouble him despite his domestic happiness, but, after a spiritual enlightenment, he finally recognizes that the capacity for goodness is innate. He devotes himself to living for his loved ones, and to giving his life meaning by advancing the will of God.
Marcus, Miriam. “Ten Plastic Surgical Risks You Need To Know.” Forbes, n.p. 10 October 2007. Web. 17 February 2012.
Escape in Madam Bovary and Anna Karenina Reading provides an escape for people from the ordinariness of everyday life. Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina, dissatisfied with their lives pursued their dreams of ecstasy and love through reading. At the beginning of both novels Anna Karenina and Emma Bovary made active decisions about their future although these decisions were not always rational. As their lives started to disintegrate Emma and Anna sought to live out their dreams and fantasies through reading.
The theme of wealth is much like a veil for A Doll's House and The Cherry Orchard. Although the audience may be inclined to believe that the lack of wealth is the main conflict, both plays refute this with their resolutions. Nora escapes from gender inequality, and Lopakhin destroys the only link to his serf heritage. Indeed, both Ibsen and Chekhov initially provided evidence that wealth is the dominant theme, but freedom was only achieved for Nora and Lopakhin by escaping from their respective social roles, a psychological freedom. This complies with the authors' original purposes - not to comment on wealth, but to promote feminism and examine Russia's class structure.