Preview

Cruelty In 'The King's Hop-Frog'

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
196 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cruelty In 'The King's Hop-Frog'
short story in which a king and seven ministers snidely belittle and ridicule their court jester, Hop-Frog, forcing him to enact an elaborate revenge--is rife with the motivations and consequences of malevolence and inhumanity. The terrible mistreatment of Hop-Frog by the king illuminates how society sees value in being able to laugh at the suffering of others while Hop-Frog’s own twisted revenge demonstrates that cruelty stems from all people.
The king incessantly mistreats Hop-Frog because he derives pleasure from the anguish of a person he deems physically and mentally inferior to him, mirroring the moral flaws present in America. When the king summons Hop-Frog to help generate entertainment ideas for an upcoming masquerade ball, he pressures

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The stories “Hop-Frog” and “The Masque of Red Death” both are based on vengeance. Hop-Frog is a very shy dwarf who always listens to the King. Later on in the story, Hop-Frog gets very inflamed at the King when he throws a goblet at Trippetta’s face. In the text it states, “It was interrupted by a low, but harsh and protracted grating sound which seemed to come at once from every corner of the room.” (Poe, “Hop Frog” 3). Hop-Frog needed to get vengeance on the King for hitting Trippetta. In, “The Masque of Red Death”, Prince Prospero is the owner of a castle that is closed in from the outside and inside.…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ha Jin The Saboteur

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Revenge puts off an aroma of evil to the outside world when a person seeks to pay someone back for the wrong committed against them. There seems to be no laws against declaring revenge against a neighbor in our country, but society should know that revenge lends no reconciliation to either party. Also, who truly decides the guilty party when both have committed a wrong towards each other? Mr. Chiu, a character in Ha Jin’s story “The Saboteur,” makes the transition from vacationer and victim of saboteur, to the very essence and definition of saboteur; Jin’s use of role-reversal in this story conveys the concept of revenge clearly and effectively.…

    • 692 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Acts of violence amongst humans has transcended natural borders, time and has transformed in meaning. While we are often quick to associate violence with its physical definition and powerful images of direct physical harm towards individuals, its roots stem into deeper and darker spaces than the bruises and bodies we see. Physical violence has permeated through history because of symbolic violence. This term represents the “censored, euphemized and socially recognized harm that does not take place overtly and must be disguised under the veil of an enchanted relationship” (Bordeiu, 191). The offensive jokes in good humor that reflect alarming negative stereotypes about groups of individuals represents the presence of symbolic violence, and…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a civilized society, rules play an extreme part. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, Golding demonstrates how a civilized society with a series of kind and cruel leaders, and no rules, can slowly turn into a group of reckless, savage boys. Lord of the Flies explains how a group of boys with no rules can slowly turn into a disaster. Golding shares, that without rules cruelty takes place. Every human is not born perfect but they are kept under control by societies rules, as there are no rules on the island, they boys slowly turn into cruel savages.…

    • 484 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Hop-Frog” and “The Cask of Amontillado” have similarities regarding setting too. For example, “Hop-Frog” and “The Cask of Amontillado” take place in Europe. Also, they are both during a celebration. For example, Poe establishes the setting of “Hop-Frog” when he states, “His mode of equipping the party as ourang-outangs were very simple but effective enough for his purposes” (Poe Hop-Frog 5). This evidence suggests that a party was happening at the time in Hop-Frog. While the time and place of “The Cask of Amontillado” were almost clearly stated, the setting in “Hop-Frog” was left for the reader to…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pip became a part of Clint's act until the night the circus burnt down. They watched the flames light up the sky like some sort of sick fireworks show for a while, but nobody noticed the kid and his bird slip into the night of sirens and shouts.…

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The setting takes place near a pond where the ducks were swimming. The protagonist in this short fable, is Iktomi a greedy, mischievous, deceitful, lazy, and stupid. The antagonists are the ducks, the two trees, and the coyote. The plot is man against man which is Iktomi against the ducks and the coyote. Iktomi tricks the ducks into dancing around fire then kills them one by one. Iktomi wants revenge from the coyote but gets thrown into the fire instead. There is also man against the environment Iktomi against the wind. The wind and the trees won’t let him sleep and kept him from eating his meal. Also man against himself because of his own laziness and stupidity Iktomi isn’t able to eat the ducks. Instead of staying awake and doing the process of cleaning the ducks he does it by placing the ducks in open fire. That gave the opportunity for the coyote to eat the ducks. The theme of the story is that when you lie and deceive sooner or later it will catch up to you. The story is told by omniscient point of view because the author uses words such as he, they, and etc. Some other elements used in this short story are symbol, allegory, irony, and fantasy. “Iktomi and the Dancing Ducks” is allegory because everything is symbolic such as, the name of Iktomi, ducks, and the two trees. The name Iktomi symbolizes coward, malicious, lazy, and dishonest. The ducks represent innocence, the trees represent brothers, and the coyote stands for smart. Situational irony is very strong, since the results will be the opposite of what Iktomi expects. Iktomi assumes he will enjoy a good meal the “ducks”, but the…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the movie, we see everyone in court try and engage in ridicule. It is a game played by all in the court and is puppet mastered by the King. He enjoys not only the battle of wit but also his ability to keep the court at bay by forcing them to play.…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    <center><b>The theme of human cruelty and its effects is displayed throughout the novels, <u>A Tale of Two Cities</u>, and <u>Lord of the Flies</u>.</b></center>…

    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Currently and in the past, people have been really cruel to one another. In the book Animal Farm, by George Orwell, the animals were not treated with care. Instead, they were forced to do hard work with no food. The pigs were constantly hammering them with work. In Night, by Elie Wiesel, the SS officers were extremely cruel to the Jews for no reason. The Jews were treated just like animals. Both books showed when the leader gets power, they misuse it which causes cruelty within the community.…

    • 375 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    OF MICE AND MEN (CRUELTY)

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “All cruelty springs from weakness,” said Lucius Annaeus Seneca. To me, this quote means that cruelty comes out from a person who is feeling weak. A big question people ask each other is “Why are people cruel to each other?” In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, there are many incidents of cruelty. Cruelty appeared in the book when George yells at the mentally handicapped Lennie in the beginning of the book. This trend of cruelty continues throughout the book. Characters that were notably cruel in the book are Curley, Curley’s wife, and George. The three things that motivate people to be cruel in the book are: when people feel they are powerless, when a person wants a feeling of short term enjoyment from being cruel to others, and when individuals feels like someone doesn’t belong with them.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    All communities run successfully with qualities of fairness and equality. The well-being of the citizens depends on the support and guidance they receive from those with power and influence in their society. When the people become corrupt and start having intentions that do not contribute back to the community, the society will fall apart and be unable to maintain balance and stability. In William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the reader sees examples of injustice inflicted on the victims within the plays through the people with power within the community. The Christians in The Merchant of Venice mock Shylock the Jew countless times while the high court in The Crucible believe citizens are practicing witchcraft without a proper testimony. In both situations, the Christians and the court see themselves doing the right thing and believe they are contributing to the society when in reality, they break apart the community by persecuting those that are different. The victims in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible suffer from injustice as power being placed in the wrong hands leads to the formation of biased decision, the limited free will of citizens and severe punishments.…

    • 1684 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The First Knight Essay

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Your thesis should focus on how chivalry and courtly love can be satirized. MUST BE 5-7 sentences.…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    To repeat the words of Frye, “No two characters have a greater effect on the audience than the eccentric duo of Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Sir Toby Belch,” for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” audience. These two characters play on each other’s humor, one resembling light humor and the other dark, to enhance the plot and make it much more interesting for the audience. Sir Toby Belch, supporting dark humor in this play, obtains a laugh due to the mockery of Sir Andrew. Evident in Act 1, scene 3, “Then hadst thou had an excellent head of hair. Why? Would that have mended my hair? Past question; for thou seest it will not curl by nature.” (1.3 88-90) In this small dispute between the two effecting characters, it is noticed by the reader that Sir Belch treats the naive Sir Aguecheeck in a belittlingly manner, however is destined to for a comedic response from the audience.…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    (An analysis of the use of satire in The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, and how the person that the satire was aimed towards was affected.)…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays