Essay on Character Relationships in Under Milk Wood by...

Character Relationships in Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas Select four pairs of characters from Under Milk Wood and discuss their relationships. In my essay I will talk about the following pairs: Mr Pugh and Mrs Pugh, Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard and Mr Ogmore and Mr Pritchard, Cherry Owen and Mrs Cherry Owen Miss Myfanwy Price and Mr Mog Edwards. Mr and Mrs Pugh do not have a very good relationship - they dont get on at all. Mrs Pugh is always criticizing and nagging. She says to Mr Pugh that persons with manners do not read at table, and that some persons were brought up in pigsties. Mrs Pugh is never pleased and is always complaining at her husband. Mr Pugh tries to†¦show more content†¦They are always cleaning and tidying up for her: Mr Ogmore - I must put on rubber gloves and search the peke for fleas. Mr Pritchard - and dust the parlour and spray the canary. Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard is very controlling over her dead husbands. She is totally obsessed with cleaning, and everything has to be tidy: And before you let the sun in, mind it wipes its shoes. She is very clean and hygienic, strict and firm. She doesnt let her dead husbands rest in peace, she never leaves them alone - she keeps calling them back to her. Mrs Ogmore Pritchard lives in a guesthouse, but she doesnt ever let anyone stay in case they mess up her perfect immaculate house: I dont want persons in my nice clean rooms, breathing all over the chairs. Cherry Owen and Mrs Cherry Owen are probably the only couple that are actually happy together. Mrs Cherry Owen is always laughing at her husband. She never minds him being drunk all the time, and talks about the silly things he does when he comes home from the pub: Remember last night? In you reeled my boy, as drunk as a deacon. She is a very optimistic and cheerful woman. When Mr Cherry Own says that shes got two husbands, one drunk, and one sober, Mrs Cherry Owen simply replies: And arent I a luckyShow MoreRelatedDylan Thomas Under Milk Wood Essay952 Words   |  4 PagesDylan Thomas Under Milk Wood deals with the simplicity of life, stressing the importance of each cobble, donkey, [and] goose; we must rejoice in the simple aspects of life which ultimately make it so wonderful. There are many characters in the play who would attempt to hide from reality behind their germ-free blinds and sealed window[s], consuming themselves with insipid activities which do not bring the joy of the spring sun into their lives. Thomas treats these characters with humourRead MoreFigurative Language and the Canterbury Tales13472 Words   |  54 Pagesmore memorable, and for humorous effect. †¢ Already American vessels had been searched, seized, and sunk. -John F. Kennedy †¢ I should like to hear him fly with the high fields/ And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land. -Dylan Thomas, â€Å"Fern Hill† 3. allusion: A casual reference in literature to a person, place, event, or another passage of literature, often without explicit identification. Allusions can originate in mythology, biblical references, historical events, legendsRead MoreStructuralism and Interpretation Ernest Hemingways Cat in Ther Ain9284 Words   |  38 Pagescontracts) and disjunctional (departure and returns). These functions are not simply identifiable from the surface structure of a narrative text: for instance, several characters may perform the function of one actant, or one character may combine the functions of two actants. All concepts are semantically defined by a binary relationship with their opposites (e.g., Life/Death) or negatives (e.g., Life:Death::Non-Life:Non-Death), so that all narrative can be seen as the transformation into actants andRead MoreAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pages Rationalism / Age of Enlightenment period of American Literature - 1750-1800 Content: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · national mission and American character democratic utopia use of reason history is an act of individual and national self-assertion Genre/Style: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · political pamphlets travel writing highly ornate writing style fiction employs generic plots and characters fiction often tells the story of how an innocent young woman is tested by a seductive male Effect: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · patriotism grows

Essay Slavery in the Bible - 784 Words

Slavery in the Bible The first mention of slavery in the Bible is found in Noahs declaration, Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers (Gen. 9:25). He said this after waking up from a naked, drunken stupor and learning that his son Ham had mocked him. Although Ham was the guilty party, Noahs statement was directed at Hams youngest son Canaan. If he was involved with his father in this act of disrespect, the statement can be taken as the pronouncement of a curse, Cursed be Canaan. It is possible, however, that Canaan did not join his father in making fun of Noah. If so, the statement would be in the form of a prophecy: Cursed will be Canaan. Exodus 20:5 and Ezekiel 18:4 clearly declare that God punishes†¦show more content†¦About 500 years after the death of Abraham, his descendants through Isaac were living in Egypt as slaves. Genesis 37 to 50 tells the story of how this came about. The 10 oldest sons of Abrahams grandson Jacob disliked their younger brother Joseph so mu ch that they found a way to sell him to traders who in turn sold him to an Egyptian officer as a slave. In his new land, Joseph went through a series of ups and downs and eventually became the prime minister of Egypt, the highest official under the king. God enabled Joseph to foresee an approaching time of famine, and used him to store up food and then distribute it during the famine. His political position made it possible for him to settle his fathers family in Egypts most fertile territory. Here they prospered for many years. However, the time came when the leaders of Egypt began to view the rapidly growing Israelite community as a threat. As a result, they made slaves of the Israelites, treating them with ever-increasing harshness. Finally, desperate because the descendants of Jacob continued to multiply, they issued an order that all their male babies be destroyed at birth. The first 12 chapters of Exodus tell the story of how the Lord responded to the cries of His people. He m iraculously provided Moses to be their leader, sent 10 plagues on the Egyptians, helped the Israelites celebrate their first Passover, and led them out of the land of bondage. It appears that as they left for Canaan, they had noShow MoreRelatedThe Bible And The Slavery1568 Words   |  7 PagesThe bible has been used to argue for support and the abolishment of slavery. The first mention of slaves in the bible is in Exodus talking about the Israelite enslaved by the Egyptians. â€Å"So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor† (Exodus 1:11). However, God delivered the Israelites out of slavery from the Egyptians. That should have been enough evidence that God does not accept slavery by anyone. The way that slavery is spoken about in the bible makes it seem that theRead MoreThe Slavery Of The Bible1371 Words   |  6 Pagesthemselves in a manner that the Bible would condone. Yet the Bible is left largely to personal interpretation, so the way people conducted themselves was varied person to person. As slavery was a hotly contested subject in the nation, people yearned to prove that their beliefs were in line with scripture, and that they were divinely sanctioned to behave how they did. Both pro and anti slavery sentiment were largely fueled by interpretation of scripture, as the Bible does provide substance for bothRead MoreThe Bible As A Support For Slavery880 Words   |  4 PagesIn many occassions people have used the Bible as a support for slavery. Slavery refers to individuals that are owned by others, whom have full control of their excistance. As time passed by, slavery developed and was the cause of many conflicts. In the movie Twelve Years of Slave we can see h ow slavery builds the inferno everyone burns. In an analysis of the movie for Commmonweal magazine, Richard Alleva said, To suggest that slave owners suffered as much as slaves would be obscene. In theRead MoreThe Bible in Relation to Slavery Essay1773 Words   |  8 PagesThe Bible is the best-selling book of all time, and with good reason. For the stories written in it have changed the way many think and even believe when it comes to the power greater than this world. The Bible holds very specific opinions on things such as slavery, who humans should treat each other, and ultimately social justice. It has been one of the most important foundations for allowing social reform to occur in modern day history as well as the history of the whole world. However, it isRead MoreThe Slavery Of Slavery And Slavery944 Words   |  4 Pagescondemn slavery. The South also used religion as their argument, but instead, they used the Bible to argue that slavery was an acceptable part of life. People have questioned whether it was right or wrong of the South to use the bible to support their beliefs in slavery. Some would say that pro-slavery southerners had every right to use the Bible to support their beliefs. When Northerners began to use the Bible against slavery, southerners used this same argument to support it. Slavery was a practiceRead MoreWilliam Patton, An Abolitionist And Reverend937 Words   |  4 Pagesreverend, had a two-fold argument against the idea of Christianity supporting slavery which he laid out in his 1846 book â€Å"Slavery, the Bible, Infidelity†. His first argument, was that God could never support because, in simple terms, â€Å"God is just, and that slaveholding is unjust† (Patton, 6). Supporting this idea, Patton quotes Thomas Jefferson in saying in response of proslavery rhetoric, that â€Å"If your interpretation of the Bible be correct,it cannot be the word of God—for it gives him a character theRead MoreSlavery Is Not Legal Now939 Words   |  4 PagesSlavery Slavery, according to Merriam Webster means â€Å"the practice of owning slaves†. ïÆ'ŸïÆ'ŸïÆ'Ÿ This means owning people against their will and not paying them. Slavery has been around since 1916, when the first settlers of Jamestown brought with them their slaves. Slavery also has been a debate ever since the declaration of independence, when Thomas Jefferson tried to abolish slavery but North Carolina disagreed. Owning slaves back at the time was a sign of wealth and power. The slave trade important toRead MoreThe Civil War Of The United States956 Words   |  4 Pages12th 1869 and May 9th 1865. Those are worth a lot of reasons that the North went to war with the south the main reason was slavery. Where the North wanted to either get rid of slavery altogether or stop slavery from spreading to the new states coming into America the South wanted to expand slavery. Slavery has been around since the beginning of time, since back in the old Bible days. America was just one of the last remaining nations to abolish it. It was hard to abolish something that is so infusedRead MoreMiranda Fleming. Word Count: 1,674. 3/16/17. Defending1674 Words   |  7 PagesMiranda Fleming Word Count: 1,674 3/16/17 Defending Slavery: Religion and Race The history of slavery in the United States divided people by the color of their skin. During the 16th thru 18th century, people of African ethnicity were automatically considered slaves. This not only created a parceling between races but also the demarcation of the northern and southern states of the America. The northern states had asseverated their opposition of slavery while the southern states upheld their concordanceRead MoreThe Degradation Of Religion And Family From Slavery991 Words   |  4 PagesThe Degradation of Religion and Family from Slavery In the book, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass outlines the disturbing effects that slavery induced on society. Slaves were dehumanized, ripped from their homes and sentenced to a life of harsh work, and harsher treatment. Slaves were held at their slaveholder’s mercy, beaten, whipped, and killed for being disobedient or performing in an unsatisfactory manner. The treatment of Douglass and fellow slaves shows what the grim

The Legacy of the Supreme Court and African American Freedom From Enslavement to Liberation free essay sample

This paper examines the history of U.S. Supreme Court rulings dealing with African- American issues. This paper discusses the history of the Supreme Court in its rullings on African-American topics. It specifically details three important cases listed below in the table of contents and their historical significance. From the paper: The United States Supreme Court has made many landmark decisions over the course of its existence. The most critical of these decisions have almost always directly pertained to notions of what constitutes an American individuals liberties. Because of the history of enslavement and racism in the United States, African American lives have perhaps been more crucially impacted by these decisions than white American lives have been. Table of Contents: I. Introduction II. 1857 Scott v. Sandford III. 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson IV. 1954 Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas

Why did the Weimar Republic fail Essay Example

Why did the Weimar Republic fail Paper It is often difficult to analyse the Weimar Republic and decide whether it was doomed from the start due to constitutional defects, or if prevailing circumstances initiated its collapse. This has been a source of argument for many historians, as they all have different ideas as to why the Republic did not survive. Edgar Feuchtwanger fiercely argues that economic problems were the main reason for the Republic not succeeding, because people could no longer be supportive of the constitution in times of hardship and desperation. As massive unemployment and spiralling inflation spread through battered Germany, another solution was sought, and people found salvation in Hitler. However, Dick Geary argues, The Weimar Republic was not overthrown by Nazism, it had already failed. The main reasons why the Republic failed were problems with the constitution and the way the political system worked; lack of support for Weimar; problems the Republic faced between 1920 1928 and the Wall Street Crash in 1929, which caused severe world depression. However, it needs to be decided if Weimar was inevitably going to fail due to the way the constitution worked, or if its never ending uphill struggle from 1919 caused its disintegration. By 1918, it was certain that Germany would be defeated after four years of intensive battle with Britain and France. Due to the possibility of allied invasion and internal problems, the Kaiser, who had been Germanys dictator, set up a constitutional monarchy, which was to be the most democratic system in the world. We will write a custom essay sample on Why did the Weimar Republic fail specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Why did the Weimar Republic fail specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Why did the Weimar Republic fail specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It was thought that a new democratic system would stop the allies treating Germany harshly, and pave the way for a fairer peace settlement. The Weimar constitution was a very modern one, perhaps even more so than its contemporary counterparts in Britain and France. It is also very similar to modern day systems, not least to the current system of Democracy in Germany. Therefore, it might be argued that the Weimar Republic did not fail due to constitutional problems, as Germany is certainly not failing now. The constitution was well thought out and there were many good points. It was a democracy and the general public were allowed to vote for who they wanted in the Reichstag. Proportional representation was used, which meant there was a mixture of people with different ideas representing the whole of Germany. The President could not make decisions without consulting and gaining approval from the Chancellor first, which was the constitutions way of controlling Presidential powers. However, as Professor Geary argues, Article 48 gave a substitute for the emperor because the President could restore law and order in times of emergencies without consulting the Reichstag. Although proportional representation appeared to be very democratic, it provided weak coalitions who did not agree on everything. Therefore when Germany needed to act quickly in times of crisis, decisions could not be made effectively, for each party had their own ideas on how the country should be run. Proportional representation also allowed extremist parties such as the KPD and NSDAP to gain seats in the Reichstag, which later led to the overthrowing of the Weimar Republic by the Nazis. The initial setting up of the constitution later allowed Hitler to come to power, which destroyed the Republic and, in a way the Weimar Republic was doomed from the very beginning due to the way in which it ran. Nonetheless, it is hard to say that Hitler would have had the chance to abuse the system if other problems in Germany had not existed. From the Republics preliminary introduction, it was faced with problems occurring from the aftermath of the First World War, which was to scar Germany for years to come. Germanys buildings and large cities had been ruined and German morale was very low. The Army, who believed Germany was still strong and had a chance of winning the War, were horrified to learn that their beloved country had surrendered and signed a humiliating Treaty, which blamed Germany for the war. The November Criminalsi who signed the Treaty of Versailles went on to run the country, and the Stab in the Back Myth i left the public with a sense of betrayal and a bitter resentment towards the Republic itself. Before the War, Germany had been a great and powerful country with colonies, lots of land, a strong Army and a challenging Navy. Now, the Treaty had reduced Germany to a wreck, with massive reparations to pay, less land, no colonies, and German people stripped of their pride. There was little hope for a new constitution run by people who had caused all this misery and resentment. As well as ordinary people hating Weimar, political parties from both the left and the right were against the constitution. The spartakists (an extreme left wing party) looked to the Soviet Union, liked the Russian political system and wanted a communist Germany. In January 1919, they started an uprising, but were crushed by the Freikorps, who also didnt support the Republic. However, the Freikorps were anti-socialist, and would have supported the Republic before they supported the Bolsheviks. The Right were next to revolt, and in 1920 the Kapp Putch revolt occurred. Monarchists seized government buildings in Berlin, but surrendered on March 17th. The Weimar government had had another close escape. The early major activities of Hitler included his Beer Hall Putch in 1923, where he tried to seize control of The Bavarian government. Hitlers revolt was crushed like the others, but clear opposition to the republic had been established. The Weimar Republic lacked support from people commencing the day it was set up, and so seemed doomed from the start. The situation in which it was built, and the circumstances surrounding the new constitution did not present the opportunity for it to subsist and flourish, despite other problems Germany may have faced later on. However, the Republic did manage to crush most of these uprisings and didnt fall to pieces. This shows some strength in the constitutional monarchy, so it possibly did stand a chance of survival. The political instability was intensified by the financial implications of the Treaty of Versailles. By 1921, the level of reparations had been fixed to 132,000,000 gold marks. It was clearly evident that the weakened Germany would not be able to pay. Not only did Germany have to pay the reparations, they also had massive war debts and needed to rebuild their damaged country. Nonetheless, a reparations program of payment was imposed on the Germans. When they were not able to pay, the French occupied the Ruhr in January 1923, which led to the total collapse of the Germany currency. The Republic had mainly survived the 1920s because of economic stability. However, by November 1923 Germanys economy was caught in a spiral of hyperinflation, and money was becoming more and more worthless by the day. The middle classes had their savings devalued considerably and pension funds were wiped out. They decided to blame the Weimar Republic because the people who had set it up had agreed to pay the reparations. Before this economic crisis, there were many people who did not really agree or disagree with the principles of the Republic. However, the time had come where people had no one to blame but the government, the majority of the country were angry, and it could be considered that with universal criticism, and perhaps some hatred, the new Republic was predestined to fail. Profiteering, crime and prostitution also increased markedly at that time. Such behavioural trends contributed significantly to the lack of faith in the Republican system. The evidence given so far suggests that the Republic did not stand a chance, despite everything that happened later. The general population had no faith, and without such support, a constitution going through times of much hardship stood no chance at all. However, it would not be fair to dismiss the Republic as a total failure, as from the years 1924 to 1929, there was relative stability in Germany. In 1923 Stresemann was appointed as Chancellor. His foreign policy was shaped by the domestic and international situation, and his main aims were the liberation of Germany and its restoration as a great power. He accepted that Germany had been militarily defeated and not simply stabbed in the back. He realised that France had legitimate security interests and played on Germanys vital importance to World Trade. He realised the sympathy of the USA was important to attract American capital, and as Chancellor, he called off passive resistance and agreed to carry on paying the reparations. This led to the Dawes Plan in 1924, which aided economic recovery and the French promised to evacuate the Ruhr in 1925. The years 1924 to 1929 have traditionally been regarded as the high point of the Weimar Republic a glorious short-lived interlude between the early years of the crisis and its eventual decline and collapse during the depression. An American Journalist in 1924 commented on the wonderful feeling of living in Germany and that things seemed to be much more free and modern. Kolb also described the years as ones of relative stabilisation. It is often agreed that the introduction of the Rentenmark, which stabilised the German currency and the Dawes Plan is a massive contrast to the inflationary chaos of 1922-1923. Had Germany picked herself up? Maybe the Weimar Republic had started to become stable and had a chance of survival. It certainly seemed like Germany had made a remarkable recovery. Heavy Industry, regardless of the loss of resources from the Treaty of Versailles, was able to recover reasonably quickly. By 1928, production levels were generally better than they had been before the War! This was due to more efficient production techniques, particularly in the coal and steel industry. Foreign investors were also attracted to Germany because they knew she was being supervised financially by the allies and had relatively high interest rates. The years 1924-29 held a great amount of hope for Germany. They had an effective Chancellor who was helping Germany to recover. There were many social benefits, and for the first time since the end of the War, people seemed to be living normally again. National border anxieties were settled in 1925, when the Locarno treaties were signed in London. A greater feeling of security began to embrace Germany for the first time in over ten years. By 1926, Germany had joined The League of Nations, and had a voice at an international level, and by 1929 even the withdrawal of the allies from the Rhineland seemed a possibility. Germany was beginning to get back on its feet after a hard war, and relations with the allies and the people were improving. The extremist Nazis had only 12 seats in 1928, and had little or no voice in national government. The socialists were in control with 153 seats and had a steady recovery in progress with no radical changes planned. The government its self had progressed from an imperial autocracy into a democratic Republic. If everything was going so well for Germany, then why did it fail? The Weimar Republic, although a little ambiguous in the first instance, seemed to be doing well. It had its faults, but these seemed to have been overcome in the years 1924-29. Therefore the Republic was perhaps not a lost cause from the start. It had a shaky beginning, but it wasnt definitely going to fail as Germany did eventually recover under the Weimar Republic. If the Wall Street Stock Market had not crashed in October 1929, the Weimar Republic may have survived for many more years than it did, and may even have existed today. In October 1929, all German optimism was dashed by world depression and the Wall Street Stock Market crash. The crisis was felt throughout the world but hit Germany most harshly. Loans and investments dried up and the USA demanded repayment of these loans. This caused unemployment to reach 2 million, a decline in the prices of food, a collapse in trade and a subside in demand. Bri ning became Chancellor in 1929, and his response to the economic crises was to increase taxes and make substantial cuts in government expenditure. His Budget had been rejected by the Reichstag, but because of the way the constitution had been set up, he was able to put the unpopular proposals into effect, by means of the emergency decree in Article 48. Arthur Rosenberg described the formation of Bri ningi s government as the beginning of the end of German democracyi. All classes of people suffered psychologically and lost pride in their country. In such a situation, it is not surprising that people lost faith in the Weimar Republic and saw salvation in the solutions offered by political extremism. People began to turn to Hitler, who preached employment and greatness; this is reflected by the Nazis gaining 107 seats in the 1930 election. The depression created the very situation that Hitler had been waiting for. The Nazis stirred up opposition to the government and Republic, by linking the government to Versailles, and linking Versailles to all of Germanys problems. Hitler had a very wide appeal because he was offering solutions to all of Germanys problems. He promised employment and a powerful Germany. People had been through a lot and thought Hitler seemed like he had a lot to offer. However, it is unlikely that he caused the Republic to fail, as the historian Bessell argues Hitler was a consequence of the failure of the Republic not a cause. He may have been there at the time when things were going wrong, but he alone could not have caused the Republics collapse without the other factors. There are many factors which contributed to the malfunction of the Weimar Republic. It could be argued that if certain things, such as worldwide depression had not occurred, the Republic would have survived, considering the relative stability beforehand. From the very beginning, the Republic faced opposition from both sides of the political spectrum. The public blamed their problems on the Treaty of Versailles, and in turn, blamed the government that signed it. The new government had inherited a difficult situation and it was inevitable that it would face technical hitches from the start. Nevertheless, to say the Republic was doomed from the beginning is hasty. The Republic was beginning to overcome its difficulties during the mid 1920s as economic, political, and cultural improvements were occurring. If it hadnt been for events like the Wall Street Crash, the Republic may have prospered for many years. In agreement with Professor Geary, The depression and crisis led to the rise in the Nazi vote, which led to the collapse of the Republic. The Republic had many faults within its constitutional set-up, which caused problems along the way, and lacked support, but these things had been overcome to a certain extent so the Republic had an opportunity. If it had not been for the additional prevailing circumstances, the Republic may have survived.