A look at the comparative and theatrical representation of war in the plays "Journey's End" by R.C. Sherriff, "Post Mortem" by Noel Coward and "For Services Rendered" by Somerset Maugham.
Abstract This paper examines the three plays "Journey's End" by R.C. Sherriff, "Post Mortem" by Noel Coward and "For Services Rendered" by Somerset Maugham and considers how each of them portrays the Great War of 1914-1918. It looks at how they are all anti-war and the differences in the way they treat the subject. It shows how issues with the concept of war and dramatic devices all differ from playwright to playwright to give an interesting overview of the attitudes to the Great War ten to fifteen years after its end.
From the Paper ""Post Mortem" is not subtle in its agenda, nor in its mechanisms achieving this. Its anti-war message is relayed by using the idea that someone from the time of the war should be placed in a time thirteen years after the event, thereby highlighting the contrast between attitudes to the war in the trenches and at the time, and those distorted attitudes of the next decade. It also suggests that the newer recollections are reprehensible ? characters like James Cavan and Lady Stagg-Mortimer are grotesque caricatures and the "returning hero" of the piece is enraged by them, and by his peers who survived him in the war."
Abstract This paper examines how in "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", Gawain seems to struggle with consistent actions. It argues that Gawain's heroic feats are overshadowed by his cowardly behaviour and attempts to show that there are four main actions that illustrate Gawain as a coward, rather than a hero.
From the Paper "In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain seems to struggle with consistent actions. His moments of bravery are often proceeded by cowardly or weak choices. His cowardly nature is immediately illustrated through his hesitation in defending his court and his king. Also, Gawain's desire to protect his own life and reputation causes him to be deceitful and dishonest. His failure to believe in the situation reveals his inner uncertainty. Finally, near the end Gawain searches desperately for a scapegoat; he initially refuses to be accountable for his actions. His hesitations and own self-interest illustrate his flawed character; Gawain is not the invincible man he wishes to portray, but rather a knight with consistent cowardly tendencies."
This paper discusses the play, "Death of a Salesman," by Arthur Miller from the perspective of J. F. Clarke's statement, "The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience."
1,170 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 40.95
Abstract This paper explains that "Death of a Salesman" is a tragic story about a man who is anything but a success; he is a coward because he cannot face his faults and his failures. The author believes that Willy is a coward because he tries to end his life due to his belief that he had so many troubles, and he thinks his family will benefit if he kills himself. The paper concludes that Willy is not a good example of Clarke's statement; he is a liar, does not take charge of his life in a positive manner, is not brave, and does not follow his conscience.
From the Paper "Clarke's statement about bravery does not apply to everyone, and Willy and his family are good examples of that. Not everyone can be brave, and not everyone can stand up to their failures and their faults. It takes a truly brave person to recognize they have been a failure, and to go on trying to better himself or herself. Willy could not do that, and he even tells Ben that. Ben says, "It's called a cowardly thing, William. Willy: Why? Does it take more guts to stand her the rest of my life ringing up a zero?" Yes, it does take more guts. It takes more guts to face your failures and learn from them. Willy did not have to guts to face his failures, and so, he thinks money is the answer for his family when really he was all they wanted."
Abstract This paper discusses Anna Akhmatova's poem, "I Am Not One of Those Who Left the Land," that reveals her arguably callous opinion of people who abandoned Russia during its civil war. The paper analyzes and explains the changes in imagery, focus, tone, and subject matter. The paper contends that Akhmatova's attitude changes over the four stanzas of the poem, feeling resentful , then sympathetic, and finally feeling strong and proud. The paper determines that Akhmatova's imagery and change of focus and tone makes cowards out of the people who fled their land in the middle of disaster and allows the world to recognize the courage of the people who stayed.
From the Paper "In the first stanza, Akhmatova immediately sets the tone by proudly declaring that "[She was] not one of those who left the land" (1) and that she did not leave the land "to the mercy of its enemies" (2). By saying this, Akhmatova automatically characterizes the people who left as cowards. Her main focus in this first stanza is on the ones who fled their homeland when faced with opposition. She also uses her words to depict an image when saying that, "their flattery [left her] cold" (3). Akhmatova uses the word "flattery" to imply that by leaving their land, the native Russians were effectively relinquishing their home to the enemy. She then goes on to ridicule these cowards by saying, "my songs are not for them to praise" (4). Akhmatova implies that the ones who left are not worthy of her poetry, because, unlike her, they did not defend their beliefs."
Abstract The paper attempts to show that the character of Hamlet, from Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", is far from an uncaring coward, but is in fact very cunning, thoughtful and extremely dedicated to his revenge. The paper discusses how Hamlet is very passionate about his revenge, and will go to any lengths to achieve it.
From the Paper "Despite the common misconception in William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince Of Denmark that Hamlet is a coward and has little heart to pursue revenge, a close examination of the tragedy proves that he is actually extremely driven and very thoughtful in his revenge. In many situations through the tragedy, Hamlet appears to be scared and uncaring for his revenge; he often gives off the impression of a coward who will not stand up to Claudius. However, Hamlet shows a deep passion for his revenge, far from the uncaring character some see. There is also a distinction between thoughtful and being a coward, and if we look a little closer, we can see that Hamlet is simply considering every aspect of his revenge."
Abstract King Mark of Cornwall, as depicted in Sir Thomas Malory's "Le Morte D'Arthur: The Book of King Arthur and of his Noble Knights of the Round Table", is a cowardly and generally unredeemed king. He repeatedly behaves in a cowardly and malicious way towards all of his subjects, including the nobles of his court and his knights. This paper examines the character of King Mark and shows how his negative traits contrast the positive ones of King Arthur.
From the Paper "Further, while King Arthur inspires others to believe in the ideal of Camelot, King Mark has no such inspiring qualities on his knights and followers. King Mark rules by deception and manipulation, and thus leaves little to inspire his followers. His leadership is in many ways the antithesis of King Arthur's: while King Arthur is inspiring and leads by example, King Mark is not inspiring and leads through manipulation and force."
Abstract This paper reviews the political career of Napoleon Bonaparte, examines some of his political maneuvers and discusses the debates around his public stance. The paper also explores Napoleon's assessment of his own military career as well as the historical reality of his perception.
From the Paper "Napoleon Bonaparte's memoirs offer the reader an opportunity to see how a leader perceived reality after his defeat. Although some may have thought of him as a modern hero whose destiny was to bring the benefits of the French Revolution to the entire world, others looked at him and saw a small cowardly man who was responsible for the deaths of hundreds and thousands of soldiers who fought for his unjust cause."
Abstract This paper analyzes the main themes anad relationships between the characters of Don Quixote. It mainly examines the relationship between the knight and his squire. The characters balance each other within their relationship. While Don Quixote wishes to sally forth for glory, Sancho Panza looks forward to the wealth they will acquire. When the knight is brave, the squire is cowardly. It concludes that the differences in their educations (due mainly to class) also seperate them, and create a balance in their relationship.
From the Paper "Cervantes smiled Spain's chivalry away" (Byron 93). In typical burlesque manner, Cervantes creates the relationship between Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho, by treating the lofty formal relationships of chivalric romances in a low style (Frye 84). As opposed to creating an Arthurian knight and squire with the official association they shared, Cervantes writes their relationship as a friendship, with each character's strengths complimenting the others weaknesses. The differences between the characters are exemplified in their motives for sallying forth, their presentation as a hero and a coward, and the variation in their educations. When one character is found to be lacking in a particular trait, the other compliments him by having an abundance of asset in that same area."
Abstract This paper is a historical examination of medieval society and modern society. It discusses 'The General Prologue' and 'The Canterbury Tales' and how they portray these societies. It describes the classes of those times and the positions that people filled in society such as: Friars, nobleman, clergymen and cowards. It details the story of a friar who used his St. Augustian ways for his benefit as well as the church's benefit.
From the Paper "One of the chief contributions that Geoffrey Chaucer made to the historical world through "The Canterbury Tales" is that he gives what is believed to be the most detailed and honest cross-section of medieval society. Historians who study the language and details of "The Canterbury Tales" and "The General Prologue" can see parallels between medieval society and modern society. Some tradesmen are honest while some overcharge for their services. There are nobleman and cowards. There are gruff lower class workers and students who are poor at the time but will have great jobs when they are done with school. There are also clergymen who give their life for the church but also religious folk who are as conniving and immoral as an everyday crook. The friar, who disregards many of St. Augustine's rules for monastic life, is one of the clergymen who fits into the latter category."
Tags: Geoffrey, Chaucer, 'The, Cantebury, Tales', history, medieval, society, ', The, General, Prologue', modern
Abstract This paper examines the novel "Thing Fall Apart" which details the lives of the Umuofia tribe in Nigeria during the British expansion in the area. It tells of their young leader Okonkwo and his struggle to make up for his father's wrongdoings. It describes Okonkwo's childhood and tells of how he grows up into a masculine man. Finally, it concludes that even though Okonkwo was a very strong and masculine man, he died a cowardly death.
From the Paper "The novel, Things Fall Apart, takes place in the late 1800?s. It is set in a small tribal community called Umuofia, which is located in southeastern Nigeria. During this time, there was a major thrust from the British to expand their power economically, politically, and culturally. The Umuofia tribe has the reputation of being a wealthy and powerful tribe. A young leader of this tribe, Okonkwo, has to overcome the failures of his father's past ventures to feel like a worthy member. His father, Unoka, had been known for his lack of responsibility and laziness, which is a serious claim to a tribe with such a solid reputation. Unoka dies a shameful death and leaves his family nothing but his debts. Okonkwo strives to overcome this shame by being a fierce warrior and a successful farmer. His attempts to right the wrongs of his father affect his entire tribe and ultimately contribute to his early death."
Abstract An examination of the character - Bigger - a sullen, hateful, cowardly, resentful, fear-filled, and calculating man. The paper asks what might have been Wright's purpose in showing us a world as seen through Bigger"s, and other Native Son characters, eyes" It explores the hostile mindset of 1930's White America towards Blacks in general, and Blacks like Bigger in particular.
From the Paper "This passage shows that Bigger knows who he is in the eyes of whites; an outsider, an alien entity that is held at arms length at all costs. He knows that his place in society does not allow him to knock at the front door of a white owned home. The fact fills him with fear, and hate; hate of whites, for causing him to feel less than a man, and self-hate, for allowing others to possess such power over his life, which holds no promise."
Abstract This book examines the characters in the story "The Awakening." The author details the relationships between the male and female characters in this story. The story takes place during a time when women were first beginning to realize that they were being treated badly and were beginning to assert their independence. The men in her Edna's life are portrayed as possessive, cowardly and self-serving who only try to help themselves. The author traces Edna's awakening and the beginning of her journey to a better life and time.
From the Paper "Robert is the cowardly man in Edna's life. He is a man who "each summer at Grand Isle had committed himself the devoted attendant of some fair dame of damsel..sometimes a young girl or a widow; but more often as not some interesting married woman"(53). He revels in the fact that Edna is attracted to him, but is cowardly when he comes to feel that love full-force. He shows his cowardly ways in his note "Good-bye -because I love you"(172). Loving Edna would create too many hardships for him so he runs away. Again, she is put in despair by another man because her whole life seems to depend more on their actions and feelings that upon her own. The value of life itself is diminished by the hurt of each man she tangles with."
Abstract By analyzing Ernest Hemingway's short story of "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber", the paper examines how protagonist Macomber displayed his cowardice in the novel and how he lost the respect of those around him. The paper also studies the author, Ernest Hemingway.
From the Paper "Margot comes sneaking into the tent and sees that Macomber is away. He knows what she has done. He is jealous and angry about her sleeping with Wilson, but he is too much of a coward to do anything about it. When Margot demanded to go on the hunt for elephants, Macomber did not want her to go. He asked Wilson to tell her not to go. Wilson put the monkey back on his back and said for him to tell her not to go. Wilson was afraid of his wife. He would not tell her what to do. This again shows Macomber to be a coward. He not only was afraid of the lion but he was afraid of what his wife might do to him."
From the Paper This study will analyze the character of Garcin in Jean-Paul Sartre's play No Exit. The play takes place in hell and features Garcin and two women. Garcin is known to us by what he says about himself, what the other two characters---both women---say about and to him, what he says to them, and by his responses to them. We find through these means that Garcin was a coward in life and is now tormented by his cowardice in death and in hell. He cannot change the fact of his cowardice, but he can at least try to convince the two women that he was not a coward, that even though he behaved cowardly, he was a good and courageous man at heart.
Garcin is easily able to get Estelle to agree with this rationalization, but her view is meaningless to him because she is frivolous, if not stupid: "You've a twisted mind, that's your trouble," she tells Garcin. "Plaguing yourself over such..."
Abstract "The Metamorphoses" by Homer portrays a different side of Odysseus as a character, which is entirely different from the Odysseus that readers were acquainted to in "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" by Homer. While Odysseus is portrayed as a courageous and intelligent warrior in "The Iliad" and ?The Odyssey,? Ajax in "The Metamorphoses" is illustrated as a coward and a brilliant schemer in order to fool the people in believing that he is the rightful heir to the title of Achilles as the great warrior of the Achaean/Greek society. This main difference between Ovid and Homer's works is the focus of this paper.
From the Paper "Ovid, on the other hand, portrays a different and more critical picture of Ulysses (Odysseus) as warrior in the Roman literature. In an article by James Hunter, Odysseus? character is similar to Ovid's portrayal in ?The Metamorphoses,? wherein he is known to be a cunning and treacherous warrior who would rather find ways out of a problematic situation than to fight bravely towards solving the problem (Hunter 2003). In fact, in W. B. Stanford's analysis of Odysseus character in the ?The Ulysses Theme,? he discusses the criticism of Ovid and other Roman literary writers in the portrayal of Odysseus in the ?post-classical tradition.? "
