Compare and Contrast the Depiction of War and Soldiers in Birdsong and Strange Meeting Essay

In the first half of the twentieth century bloodshed was dominant as war on a global scale occurred on two occasions. These were not only effective on people that witnessed the catastrophe but also for propaganda and literature that would occur years later. Two of the most dominant authors depicting soldiers and war were Englishmen Sebastian Faulks and Susan Hill. They expressed their opinions on such matters with literature such as â€Å"Birdsong† and â€Å"Strange Meeting† respectively. In comparison both texts were wrote within the last forty years categorising them both as modernistic texts. Along with the information that both authors were neither there or around at the time, this would indicate that their novels are both adaptations of stories they have heard and open to artistic licence resulting in both being complete works of fiction. Throughout both extracts of the texts many comparisons and contrasts can be brought up involving the way war is opinionated for the soldiers. The first contrast that can be made is the indication that the 3rd person illustrates about the trenches but through two different styles of writing. â€Å"Birdsong† creates the feeling of negativity relating to the trenches through a strong use of imagery involving death. Language such as ‘wailing’, ‘primitive fear’ and ‘rigid body’ along with the use as short and punctual sentences creates a representation of a constantly changing and dangerous environment perhaps portraying the speed of the soldiers’ heartbeats involved, enabling the reader to understand the rush and panic the soldiers are feeling and representing the horror of the trenches from the soldiers’ point of view. This is in stark contrast to â€Å"Strange Meeting† which describes the trenches with descriptive language and in a positive light, ‘†¦a full moon shone above the ridge. The frost was thin and here and there it caught in the pale light on the barbed wire, tin canisters, helmets, and gleamed. ’ This different interpretation of the trenches offers a complete alternative opinion of trench life as throughout the extract words such as ‘frost’, ‘jokes’ and ‘Quiet’ portray a very quiet and peaceful place, somewhere not to be afraid of. This is a complete dissimilarity to the interpretation of â€Å"Birdsong†. A calm and positive situation is also highlighted in the attitude of the soldiers and the relationship they have with each other throughout the extract of â€Å"Strange Meeting†. Within the extract, the author highlights the relationships that Barton, an officer, has with Parkin, a soldier, as uncomfortable but calm. A constant awkwardness is represented with the way that the two characters converse with each other. ‘â€Å"Sir? † / â€Å"Hello, Parkin. All right? † †¦ â€Å"†¦have you, sir? † / â€Å"No, have you? † / â€Å"No. †Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ could be used to represent the constant problem that an officer has with relating to Parkin, a constant problem with class and a constant inability to communicate for any length of time. The use of short and sharp responses from both sides represents that both social classes don’t really know what to say to each other and find it difficult to be themselves in each other’s company. The class struggle is further highlighted with the introduction of the character Hilliard. Hilliard, much like Barton, is an officer in the trenches. The relationship with which he has with Barton compared to Parkin is of great difference representing the social boundaries that members of the British army throughout World War I would have faced. The relationship that Barton has with his social equal, Hilliard, could be viewed as a strong family bond and perhaps even slightly homosexual. The comfortable relationship that both officers have compared to the relationship with Parkin really highlights the fact that class boundaries are a major factor. The structure of both conversations next to each other really highlights the clashes as direct contrasts and comparisons can be drawn between both conversations. The use of this by the author really illustrates to the reader the differences in the characters and enables the reader to draw up questions about the officers. The relationship that Barton and Hilliard have could be portrayed as being like husband and wife. This is highlighted where it states ‘†Do you want to turn the lamp on? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"I thought you were asleep. † / â€Å"No, I was waiting for you. †Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. This could be interpreted by the reader as being highly homosexual and similar to a married life at home. A constant representation of the Queer Theory is brought up through many texts involving the First World War and seemed to be acceptable within the trenches. This is further highlighted with ‘Strange Meeting’ where it states in conversation between Barton and Hilliard ‘†I want to take you everywhere, show you everything†¦ ’ This further highlights their struggle with homosexuality but it also gives the reader an insight into what Susan Hill’s opinion regarding the war is about. The talk of everything and anything within the war could perhaps insinuate boredom through the trenches or perhaps even more controversially the fear with which the soldiers have. Their constant distraction and conversation about other matters outside the war could indicate that even the image of trench life which has been talked as being calm and okay within the extract could in fact be terrifying the soldiers involved so much that they want to be constantly distracted away from it and discuss the positivity that thinking of home and the outside world may have. The indication that the positivity could be hiding the negativity of the war. The relationship between soldiers offers a different interpretation in â€Å"Birdsong†. Throughout â€Å"Birdsong† there is very little conversation between the soldiers unlike â€Å"Strange Meeting† so the reader has to gather a sense of the relationships from what the voice of the extract is telling them rather than from converse between the characters. The constant theme regarding the soldiers throughout the extract is brotherhood, in contrast to homosexual tendencies in â€Å"Strange Meeting†. Constant references throughout he extract such as ‘The three men lay close together’, ‘â€Å"Help me,†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘brother’ all create an image of friendship and brotherhood to the reader and helps insinuate that they are all there to help each other and watch each other’s back in the horrors of war. Even though this also shows togetherness between the soldiers much like ‘Strange meeting’ the reader’s interpretations differ as one text depicts the soldiers as too close and the other as good friends. The constantly different interpretations with both extracts is completely down to the fact that both authors only have facts of what they have heard and have no first-hand experience of the trenches due to the texts modernistic tendencies. Along with differing circumstances throughout all the lines of the trenches no exact accounts can be given within the two texts regarding the way the trenches and the soldiers relationships with each other would have been as no trench would have been the same, the soldiers would have been all of differing backgrounds and differing opinions on the job they have to do.

Comparison of Jane Eyre and “Goblin Market” Essay

Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Rossetti’s â€Å"Goblin Market† are both texts written in the Victorian period. They both carry similar themes of the evils of patriarchy and the importance of empowering women to assert their identity in this time period. Both Jane Eyre and Laura are characters that are affected by the issues that mainly affected women in the male-dominated Victorian society. This is clearly portrayed when the men in both texts try to confine women physically and emotionally through deception and force. The different portrayal of both male and female characters also plays a very important role in communicating these issues. Rossetti’s â€Å"Goblin Market† can be read as a criticism of Victorian arrangement of marriage. She stresses the importance of women’s friendship as the main agent that can help in fighting against or changing society’s exploitation of women. The two sisters represent two different kinds of women; Lizzie, th e submissive ones and Laura, those that fought against patriarchy, and the goblins represent the patriarchal system. It shows that women can control their destinies, gain some level of independence, and avoid society’s oppressive rules and work towards their liberation and happiness. In the Victorians society men where more educated, powerful and rich hence they dominated women. Women were subjugated to the home as housewives whilst their husbands earned money for the family. This gave the men even more power over women, both before and after marriage. Therefore, this led to the society ignoring and exploiting of women’s rights and abilities, and social status. The goblin men, full of promises not kept, dominate goblin Market, which symbolizes marriage. This clearly shows how men controlled the marriage arrangement. Women had no or little power in society to get what they want hence would resort to selling themselves in marriage. Beauty and look was their only power and so they traded this and offered themselves for the security of a husband. The goblin men are described as animal-like but they still have power and influence over the women. Patriarchy is portrayed as being corrupt and deceptive. Rossetti shows that women were usually coaxed into marriage with lavish promises of love, wealth, status and security. This is seen when the goblin men persistently and persuasively cry out to the girls to â€Å"come buy our†¦.plump†¦sweet†¦rare† (lines 2-15) fruits. Lizzie, the docile sister succumbs to the Goblin’s seduction but her sister Laura realizes the danger and firmly resists the lure of the Goblin men. Laura’s character represents a generation of women brave enough to rebel against stereotypes created by women as loose and passionate as well as fight women subjugation. Men’s deceit is evident in women’s disappointments in marriage. Despite the strict marital laws, men could make a commitment to woman but later leave and go to another woman. This can be seen when Laura returns to the market in need of more fruits but she finds no goblins, they have disappeared with all their succulent fruits. This breaks Laura’s heart and she becomes depressed when she realizes that she may never get to eat the fruits again. This is equivalent to the disappointment most women faced after marriage, in that they were not completely satisfied and happy because they were repressed, oppressed and not loved as much as they expected. Surprisingly though, Lizzie who hasn’t yet tasted the fruits, can still hear the cries of the goblins. She however, manages to resist their incessant cries and calling but focuses on caring for her sister and looking ways of brining her back to life. Lizzie here could represent unmarried women desired by men and being coaxed into marriage. Observing her sister’s pitiful state teaches and empowers Lizzie, and it enables her to avoid falling for the goblin’s temptations. The struggle that could results from a woman’s attempt to fight patriarchy is represented when goblins use violence to taunt and torment her, but Lizzie does not falter or give in to their demands, â€Å"Though the goblins cuffed and caught her, Coaxed and fought her, Bullied and besought her, Scratched her, pinched her black as ink, Kicked and knocked her, Mauled and mocked her, Lizzie uttered not a word; Would not open lip from lip Lest they should cram a mouthful in†(lines 424-432). She represents strong women who were brave enough to stand up fight against society’s oppressive norms towards women. Her role as her sister’s savior shows the need for women’s collective action, how powerful they can be in fighting for their rights. Her persistence and effort could empower other women to stand up for their rights and continue fighting this kind of oppression and subjugation of women. Lizzie is able to resist the rape and humiliation that the goblins attempt on her because she has leverage. She comes with a coin in her purse, which gives her bargaining power even though it is little, she can trade with goblins on equal terms without following their terms. The violent and persistent behavior of the goblins in trying to force Lizzie to eat the fruit represents the forceful nature of men when it came to forcing women to submit to them in marriage. However, Lizzie is strong and persistent in resisting eating the fruit, but she lets the fruit juices stick to her body so that she can bring it home to her sister. When she arrives home she tells Laura to â€Å"hug me, kiss me, suck my juices† (line 468) and Laura does exactly that. The effect of the juices seems to work as they wake her from her trance and make her look more alive. The ending of the poem which hints at a possible erotic relationship between Laura and Lizzie could be a further commentary on how this newly found sense of identity also leads to a newly discovery of women’s sexuality instead of the old tradition of being restricted to only having romantic relations with men. However, the most important thing it that there is no presence of the domineering influence of goblin men in the lives of the two women. Similarly, Bronte’s Jane Eyre discreetly rebels against her society’s patriarchal system where â€Å"Women, in their inferior treatment in Victorian society, are treated by society like they were no more responsible or worthy of respect than children†(Lewis). She develops into a strong, independent, self-assured and empowered young woman. Her character stands out from the many conforming women characters in the novel especially Bertha, Rochester’s lunatic wife who is locked in the attic of his house, confined and being controlled by her husband like many married women. â€Å"Females were supposed to be quiet, submissive, passive, and loyal to their husbands†(Lewis). Jane Eyre on the other hand has her own ideas of how women should behave and what their role in society should be, contrary to what society dictates. We can see her rebellion against these oppressive societal norms when she says that; â€Å"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrowed-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making pudding and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.† (Brontà « 112-13) She freely expresses her thoughts and her unfeminine ways puzzle most male and female characters in the novel. Also, she refuses to be charmed by Rochester who calls her angel and plans on transforming her through her dress style by she blatantly refuses this. Although he tries to convince her she does not believe him, she still remains skep tical and cautious. This clearly shows her refusal to be the woman that society expects her to be, gullible and naà ¯ve, just like Lizzie who is not fooled by the goblins. Most male characters in this novel are also portrayed negatively because here too, they represent the evil patriarchal system. Rochester, one of the male characters in Jane Eyre is described as â€Å"masculine; and†¦ dark, strong, and stern,†(115) a better description as compared to the animal-like goblins but still bad. Bronte mainly highlights his masculine features, his dominance, energy, and authoritative and forceful nature. Jane says that; â€Å"I knew my traveler with his broad and jetty eyebrows; his square forehead, made squarer by the horizontal sweep of his black hair..†¦yes, all three were very grim and no mistake. His shape, now divested of cloak, I perceived harmonized in squareness with his physiognomy; I suppose it was a good figure in the athletic sense of the term†¦broad chested and thin flank ed, though neither tall nor graceful (122). This masculinity translates to the power that men possessed over women in the Victorian era, evident in Rochester’s deceptive scheming plot to charm and deceive Jane into marrying him as his second wife. The wedding would have continued if he hadn’t confessed the truth. Bertha’s situation reveals women’s vulnerability in marriage. Rochester lies that they are divorced because he knows that he has silenced her by hiding her away and she cannot speak against him. Rochester also thinks he understands women, especially Jane but Bronte make it is clear that he does not understand her at all. Just like in â€Å"Goblin Market† men and women are not equals. The relationship is like a slave and his master hence problems in seeing eye to eye. Similar to â€Å"Goblin’s Market† Rochester’s former mistresses are an example of victims of the unfair marriage system which does not live up to its promises. Jane refers to the mistresses as  "these poor girls† (348) because she realizes that she could have easily been like them. Rochester also plays â€Å"games with her heart and soul in order to conduct a sort of experiment for his own benefit and amusement†(Lewis). Luckily for her, she avoids the trap by observing and learning from the other victims, just like Lizzie is able to learn from her sister’s mistake. Jane also struggles to overcome the danger of falling for Rochester’s lavish promises of love and wealth. Rochester’s persistence threatens her beliefs; she admits, â€Å"I loved him very much†¦more than I could trust myself to say†¦more than words had power to express† (295). Even though she is strong willed, Rochester’s dominance and deception threaten to consume her, she says; â€Å"My future husband was becoming to me my whole world†¦almost my hope of heaven. He stood between me and every thought of religion, as an eclipse intervenes between man and the broad sun. I could not, in those days, see God for his creature: of whom I had made an idol† (307). However, she gets a lucky escape when Rochester confesses. Jane lets â€Å" her fate to be dictated by herself and her own actions instead of the wishes and direction of Mr. Rochester†(Lewis). She sticks to her principles and leaves him. Jane also manages to assert her own identity in the male-dominated society even though both Mr. Rochester and St. John Rivers try to confine her to a subordinate position in order to control her. She achieves this by rejecting both Rochester and St. John. She only agrees to get married to Mr. Rochester after ensuring that their marriage is truly based on equality. She now has wealth and almost the same social class with him. Just like Lizzie was able to trade with the goblins because she had money. Brontà « uses Jane’s rebellious character to communicate her thoughts, as well as oppose Victorian subjugation and stereotypes about women in the Victorian society. Bronte and Rossetti can be seen as two of the few brave female writers who used their writing to denounce the oppressive norms of the Victorian society for women. The fight against patriarchy in both texts lead to empowerment of women and the discovery of their sense of identity, this attributes to the content and positive ending of both texts. Jane Eyre, Laura and Lizzie seem to have achieved a sense of security, happiness, and pride. Both texts end on a positive note, promising better relationships/understanding between men and women as well as better if not equal treatment. Works Cited: Robert Lewis, Gender Roles in Charlote Brontes Jane Eyre. The woman question: sexuality, sisterhood and subversion in chris ross† gblin market.

Analysis on John Locke’s Prose Approach Essay

John Locke’s politically inclined state of establishing the innate sense of liberalism in his work is a manifestation of his political theories as well as with his deliberative arguments on certain instances that belie the natural and rational premises landscaping the governmental realm of ethical obligation as vanguard in illustrating the various interpretations reputable laws. Locke’s character in prose has dignified his capability to distinguish the form of biases which coherently occur in most obscure pieces in the world of literature (Locke, 1994). Moreover, such is evident that his contributory echelon on political philosophy and argumentative statements on ideas which seemed to be true to the eyes of many has been refuted in the most intellectual manner thus substantiating such manifestos in a precise and concise way (Locke & Goldie, 1997). Perceivably one of the astounding works of the aforementioned author is Two Treatises of Government, wherein he had been named as a father of modern constitutional state thus creating a masterpiece crediting his worth as a writer and a historian (Forster, 2005). The amazing factor of his work is well delivered in his method in categorizing the ideas which he wishes readers to swim on to thus not making them leave the gist of the whole thought. In the light, he expands his words to a rather conventional type but not too obsolete for that instance, so as not to drive away the enthusiasm of his work the contemporary state (Forster, 2005). His prose, being factual and persuasive at the same time explicitly denote his grandeur and ability to trigger classical concerns yet delivering an association if unorthodox political opinions armed with spontaneous solutions to his established squabbles . The fundamentals surfacing in his works may utterly sound confusing; however, it could then be taken to assumption that such is a ‘tricky’ way to launch a new label in the vortex and competition in prose writing and English mind despotism (Simonds, 1995). References: Forster, G. (2005). John Locke’s Politics of Moral Consensus. New York: Cambridge University Press. Locke, J. (1994). Two Treatises of Government. United Kingdom: Salem Press, Inc. Locke, J. , and Goldie, M. (1997). Locke: Political Essays. New York: Cambridge University Press. Simonds, R. T. (1995). John Locke’s use of classical legal theory. International Journal of the Classical Tradition, 3(4), 424.

Starbucks Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Starbucks - Case Study Example h explain to the public that prices charged in Starbucks’ restaurants in China are not the highest ones comparing to the prices charged in Moscow, Paris, and some other locations (English.cntv.cn, 2013). Taking into consideration this information it is possible to suggest that pricing issue of Starbucks coffee in China is not a result of discriminative approach of the company towards Chinese consumers but is a subject to various external factors (cost of rent, cost of coffee, etc.) and overall business strategy of the company. It is also necessary to compare Starbucks’ prices not among its international locations but prices charged for coffee and coffee products in the local market. How is Starbucks’s price for coffee different to the average price for coffee charged in the Chinese restaurant? It is worth to mention that Starbucks as a brand is positioning on the market itself as not just coffee-retailer but as a sophisticated place offering unique coffee experie nce to its visitors. People come to Starbucks not just for a cup of coffee but for this unique experience and comfortable relaxing atmosphere where visitor can socially interact with their friends, work, read, or surf the Internet via free Wi-Fi. Because of this positioning strategy Starbucks Corporation charges premium prices for its coffee products around the globe. This fact should be taken into consideration while debating the prices for Starbucks’ products in China and any other location. Moreover, the company is adapting to the needs of local consumers and adjusts its store’s design and layout based to cultural and social expectations. Snob can be defined as an individual who â€Å"blatantly imitates, fawningly admires, or vulgarly seeks association with those regarded as social superiors† (Snob 2012, n.p.). Another definition of the word is the following: â€Å"one who has an offensive air of superiority in matters of knowledge or taste† (Snob 2012, n.p.). Thus, applying this definition to

Success with Agile Project Management in General Dynamics Case Study

Success with Agile Project Management in General Dynamics - Case Study Example As Stapleton (2003) notes, the reason why DSDM agile framework was adopted is not only because of their reputation for high quality delivery projects, but also because of the sensitivity of the project. In addition, DSDM have been proved for their MoSCoW approach, which has been applied and yielded success in past projects. In addition, DSDM is known for their iterative and incremental approaches that are a great determinant of success in agile projects (Stapleton, 2003). The Ministry also chose this agile framework because of its earlier project management experiences where there was budget overrun, time constraints and lesser successes (General Dynamics, 2010). In addition, the ministry needed a technically complex project, and this could definitely not have been achieved by employing the traditional project management approaches. The other reason that saw DSDM being contracted for the project was due to its ability to stick to its principles that guide its success, and the ability of this agile framework to bridge the gap between prime contractors and customers to a successful integrated project. The main problems that the project team tried to solve were schedule deadlines, costs and technical applications of the project. The ministry of Defense saw the dire need for up-to-date technological applications that would help reduce cases of mistaken identity in the heat of the battle, and this would be achieved through the Combat Identifications Server (CIdS) Technology Project (TDP) (General Dynamics, 2010). These problems could not be adequately addressed through the traditional model. To address the problems, the agile framework adopted some of its most basic and well known techniques. DSDM is known for applying eight basic principles that are guidelines that lay the foundation for the success of the framework (Layton, 2012). These techniques are a focus on what the business needs, timely delivery, collaboration, and un-compromised