The drama analysed is Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. Nora’s identity is shown through the language and the way Torvald talks to her. He calls her pet names such as “my sweet little skylark” (A Doll’s House, p.7). This shows Nora as a weak and submissive person. The imagery of the Christmas tree “stripped of its ornaments and with burnt-down candle-ends” (A Doll’s House, p.29) in the beginning of the act two shows Nora’s psychological state. Bad news from Krogstad made her mind just as dishevelled as the tree. During the Tarantella dance Nora is full of excitement and nervous energy, so she dances wildly “the performance was a trifle too realistic” (A Doll’s House, p. 52). The symbol of the dance can be seen as Nora’s inner struggle. It shows Nora as constrained on the outside which is opposite on the inside.
The prose text analysed is George Eliot “Silas Marner”. Silas identity is showed through comparison with the natural world. As he sits alone weaving in the start of the novel, Silas is likened to a spider, solitary and ominous. After he is robbed, Silas is compared to an ant that finds its path blocked - an image of limitation, but also of searching for solution. Later, when he raises Eppie, Silas is described as unfolding, imagery of the blooming of the flower. This comparison to the nature shows him as a kind man. The setting of “Silas Marner” impacts main character’s identity as well. Lantern Yard is the place where Silas was raised in a tight and religious community. This makes Silas a simple, trusting and hardworking man with love of God. After the arrival of young Eppie, Silas adopts her. This symbolises that Silas is a kind person willing to take care of others, even if he is not very wealthy.
The poetry text analysed is William Shakespeare “Sonnet 130”. The speaker uses simile “eyes are nothing like the sun” (Sonnet130, l. 1) that presents his lover as not very attractive. Personification “black wires grow on her head” shows a strong character as a woman’s hair is compared to the wires. The overall atmosphere of the sonnet identifies character as a passionate because speaker talks about love and his lover’s beauty with false comparison to different things.
In each literature text, like prose, drama and poetry, identity of the character can be illustrated with many different key elements. This essay evaluated the ways of how different genres present ideas of identity.
Bibliography
Eliot, G. (n.d.). Silas Marner.
Ibsen, H. (n.d.). A Doll 's House.
Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). Sonnet 130.
Bibliography: Eliot, G. (n.d.). Silas Marner. Ibsen, H. (n.d.). A Doll 's House. Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). Sonnet 130.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Recognize and examine the impact of voice, persona, and the choice of narrator on a work of literature.…
- 490 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Nora counts the remaining hours of her life after the rehearsal because she thinks she is going to sacrifice herself, before her husband would sacrifice himself for her. Both sacrifices never occur and the theme of the play is a twisted irony to the separation and uncertainty of life. Torvald’s “helpless little thing”, Nora, ironically becomes stronger, confident, independent and serious in life. Torvald’s so imagined possession, his little doll, his beautiful treasure becomes ironically a complete stranger to…
- 886 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Cited: Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia, eds. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Fourth Compact Edition. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.…
- 836 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
What Nathaniel Bacon did has been in question for years. Some people agree with his actions while others think it was unnecessary. The research included in this essay will educate the reader on the important aspects of Nathaniel Bacon’s life. The information will explain who Nathaniel Bacon was, what he did that made him so well known today, why he did what he did, and what the results of these actions were.…
- 754 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
It was used to symbolize, firstly, through the Christmas tree, the underlying truth of women and how had to get accustomed to the way of living to fit in and appear to be perfect and, also, obey their husbands. Symbolism was also used through the toys that she had bought her children. She bought the boys a sword and horses each and the girl a doll, not noticing that the toys had represented how she saw their culture. It showed how she followed and was used to the custom of men having all of the power and control, while the women were not supposed to do anything but take care of home. Finally, Ibsen used New Year’s Day to symbolize Nora’s step forward from her life of a doll. Once she became aware of Torvald’s actual desires, which was to keep his reputation in good standings and not acknowledge even the fact that she sacrificed her life for him, she began to reminisce on how her entire life was based off of what others, mainly men, wanted her to do. It then dawned upon her that she had been a doll living a doll’s houses all of her life. Henrik Ibsen, as stated, was a very courageous to write about something so real. It was because of his staggering upbringing of an alcoholic father and an extremely religious mother that inspired him to inform the world that, in reality, everything was not always hunky-dory, or had a happy ending, especially when it came to women and their rights. His work, A Doll’s House, sufficiently spoke of Nora metaphorically as he used the literary element of symbolism to depict the reality of women’s roles, along with women possibly gaining enough courage, like Nora, to walk away from what’s “right” for the sake of…
- 1251 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Louie Zamperini, an Olympic runner and WWII hero, was quoted as saying, “However dark the night, however dim our hopes, the light will always follow the darkness,” (Louie Zamperini). In the novel Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, is the story of Zamperini’s life from his undisciplined childhood to his passionate running to fighting for his life in WWII and coming home a new man. Louie finds his identity as a young adult which allows him to seek resilience with any obstacle he faces.…
- 934 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
At the start of the play, Nora is seen as a caring mother and wife; however, this is an affectation of joy and contentment. In reality, her true character is held enslaved by her tyrannical husband. Her demeaning nicknames, “skylark” and “little song bird” truly are a metaphor for her mental and physical imprisonment to the societal roles of being a mother and wife. Nora accepts this captivity, however, evident through her own use of her nicknames throughout the story in order to pry money from her husband and follow all of his commands. At this point, the audience begins to sense superficiality and materialistic behavior from Nora, but this view soon changes as Ibsen reveals his realistic writing style. Deceit is first seen as she consumes macaroons secretively, in spite of her husband’s disapproval. She begins to reassure to Torvald that she, “should not think of going against (his) wishes’,”(Ibsen,1.4) and is dishonest once again when telling him Chritine Linde and Dr. Rank brought her the desserts. This fraudulence continues as she searches for a way to hastily pay a debt which her financially independent husband is unaware of. She hides the truth from her husband in the same manner she participates in a game of “hide-and-seek” with her…
- 2454 Words
- 10 Pages
Better Essays -
Cited: Collins, Billy. “Sonnet.” Literature An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2006: Pearson Prentice Hall. 623. Print.…
- 1124 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
One’s own identity is derived not by circumstances, but rather by his or her experiences, moral values, as well as motivation. Especially in today’s media, people love to read or watch about impossible stories of rags-to-riches, and they try to incorporate those stories’ motivational plots into their quest to become successful. I concur with Thomas Merton in that I believe “identity is much more than the name or features one is born with. True identity is something people must create for themselves.” One’s origin does not fully account for one’s identity, but it is shaped rather by actions and perception of self. Ideals from “People Inside Me”, “Cut”, and “Commencement Speech at Mount Holyoke College” all influence my point of view regarding…
- 870 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Nora’s final walk out from the house seems to be a selfish woman, but it was the example of power and strength of struggle women. Nora wasn’t agreed to live life with Torvalds’s condition. She argue that, “I believe that before all else, I’m a human being, no less than you-or anyway, I ought to try to become one (Ibsen 840).” Here, Ibsen clearly expresses the independent nature of women. Nora believes that women had a right to develop their own individuality, but in reality her role has been often self-sacrificial. She always been treated as a narrow house wife by Torvalds. She shows her eagerness, “you thought it fun to be in love with me, that’s all (Ibsen 838).”Her biggest discovery was to save her husband’s life, but she disappointed when it became an unforgivable crime in the eyes of her husband and society. At the last, she left her husband and children was begets action in her life as a feminist. The whole play based on the beginning of feminism in 19th centuries. Nora who always thought that she was nothing else than the entertainment of her husband transcend her into a independent woman was the most dramatic change on the…
- 735 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In George Eliot’s book, Silas Marner, there are many things that bring out the good and bad sides in people. The good sides can be referred to as the “light” and the bad as the “darkness”. As the story progresses, Silas Marner’s “light” parts change and that causes him to change for the better. In the book, Lantern Yard, his faith in God, money, gold, Dolly Winthrop, and Eppie are all considered to be the light in Silas. Without these things, Silas Marner wouldn’t have very much to live for.…
- 739 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Everyone has something that defines who they are by the exclusive things they do. There are a wide variety of activities and hobbies that surround people’s everyday life. My life revolves around spending time with family and friends, going to school, and writing poetry. Without these things, I would not be able to set essential goals and a promising future for myself.…
- 398 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
My best overall trait to bring to the university community is that, by some people’s standards, my identity does not exist. In the highly sexualized world we currently inhabit, it is hard for people to understand asexuality, a term for describing someone who does not feel sexual attraction. I have had people tell me that having sex is a basic human need and that, even if I did somehow manage to not feel any sexual attraction, I must be broken. Being called broken is a common phrase heard within the asexual community. Sometimes we hear it so often that we begin to believe it. On top of that, if by some miracle someone has begun to understand, it is hard to convey that asexuals can still feel romantic attraction. And with romantic attraction…
- 419 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
George Eliot depicts Silas’s selflessness and Godfrey’s selfishness clearly when Godfrey proposed to adopt Eppie. Even though Silas was afraid of loosing her, he said, “Eppie, my child speak. I won’t stand in your way. Thank Mr. and Mrs. Cass” (170). He accepted to give up his daughter—his treasure—for her benefit. This is the most important and unchanged his personality—as George Elliot states, “Silas was both sane and honest”(6). As a father, Silas has expressed his selfless and earnest love to Eppie for sixteen years. On the contrary, Godfrey felt irritation for unexpected refusal from Eppie and revealed himself as father without thinking about their feelings, because he had decided to adopt her and had believed his proposal would be the best thing for her. Also his desires remained the most important thing for him, and his duty as an Eppie’s father provoked his authority and selfishness (174). Although George Elliot casts doubt on his selfish thoughts for Eppie as “cruel wishes” (159), she does not discredit him. He wanted to do right thing as father’s duty, and he had struggled with his guilty conscience (118,165).…
- 408 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
He is portrayed as an extremely isolated and reclusive man. He casts himself away from the rest and hardly makes contact with the rest of the people. This is clearly evident when he ‘invited no corner to step across his door-sill’ or ‘never strolled into the village to drink a pint at the Rainbow’. This shows the clear divide that Silas had with the rest as there was hardly any interaction with anyone. He is held captive by his own loneliness and seeks solace in non-living objects like weaving gold. As quoted, ‘he seems to weave, like the spider, from pure impulse, without reflection’, which shows that he does not do it for the sake of making a living but however, to occupy his time and sees this as the only reason for surviving. Eliot presents his isolation as having dehumanised him through the use of the symbol of the spider. By comparing him to a spider, she conveys the way in which Silas engages in his work in a solitary and mechanical manner, reducing his life to ‘the unquestioning activity of a spinning insect’. The absence of companionship in his life reaches the extent that he merely exists to accomplish meaningless and self-fulfilling tasks to replace the joy that human interaction can bring him, depicting that he is deprived of human companionship and relationships.…
- 875 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays