Edith Wharton’s Use of Irony in the Age of Innocence Irony‚ in which meaning is inverted to suggest the opposite of what is written‚ is used throughout “The Age of Innocence” to highlight and gently mock the superficiality of the New York elite. The very title of Wharton’s novel establishes a profound sense of irony in its nostalgic yet satirical tone. It is unclear whether Wharton sees New York’s 19th century “innocence” as an endearing feature of a society still free from modernism‚ or as a
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Macbeth: Tragedy or Not? The drama‚ Macbeth‚ by Shakespeare‚ has all the components that define a classic tragedy. To be defined‚ as a classic tragedy a novel should have a hero‚ fall of the protagonist‚ antagonist‚ turning point‚ climax‚ falling action‚ and resolution. Macbeth shows all requirements. It shows the adventure of Macbeth on his quest to become king. Macbeth make several difficult decisions to reach his goal of being the ruler. A main theme within Macbeth is the destruction that
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suffering permeates through Blake’s dolorous poem "London‚" which depicts a city of causalities fallen to their own psychological and ideological demoralization‚)which depicts a city of the picture of the exploitation and vulnerability of innocence . Innocence is devastated again and again. It is as if that England has stagnated morally and this moral degradation clearly expresses itself in the form of physically impaired children. Though the poem is set in the London of Blake’s time‚ his use of
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between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The Macbeth we first encounter is an important and valued member of his society and the favorite of his king. His bravery and loyalty are celebrated and‚ though fierce in battle‚ we are led to believe that his is a fundamentally good and virtuous nature. By the plays end‚ however‚ he has ’supped full of horrors’ and is regarded as a ’hell-hound’ by his peers. In my opinion‚ key to this tragic downfall is Macbeth’s relationship with his wife‚ Lady Macbeth‚ and the
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people were all over at his prep schools‚ so he really has to learn to focus more on the things that make him happy. It is shown throughout the book that he really likes people who are honest or genuine‚ as well as small children who still had their innocence. This is portrayed in the quote‚ “I felt so damn happy all of a sudden‚ the way old Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling‚ I was so damn happy if you want to know the truth. It was just she looked so damn nice going around
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The Relevance of Flowers in The Age of Innocence In the book The Age of Innocence‚ Edith Wharton shows the struggles of a man to choose between the safety that following social rules provides‚ and the adventurous dangers of choosing what is regarded as "morally incorrect." The purity and security of social conventions is represented by the lilies-of-the-valley. In the language of flowers these lilies are the embodiment of the "[r]eturn of happiness" (354)‚ and therefore serve as a symbol for the
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Censorship and Literature: Term Paper Ours is an age of information and technology‚ convenient‚ and readily-available. Any piece of information‚ opinion and critique is all but a mouse-click away. Like most advancements in technology‚ this is both a boon and a bane‚ a double-edged sword. The age of the Internet‚ in which we all reside now‚ has brought forth its fair share of controversies over the past few years. From the leaked sex tapes of Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian‚ to the relatively more
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In Macbeth‚ despair produces the need to keep one’s titles‚ take one’s life‚ and avenge one’s family. Macbeth is the longest lasting example for unhappiness. Lady Macbeth’s desolation is short‚ but never ending. Despite her depressive emotions abrupt cessation‚ Lady Macbeth felt her despair deeply until her swift demise. The pain of Macduff is possibly even shorter than that of Lady Macbeth. His pain is resolved relatively sudden. Although‚ no matter the cause or the duration‚ despair is pervasive
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The Age of Innocence focuses on several different themes throughout the course of the novel. These themes are recurrent and one can seem them being used at various times throughout the story. They add meaning to the story and give readers of Edith Wharton’s novel many things to take into consideration during and after reading it. Class: This is evidently the largest theme in The Age of Innocence. The wealthiest of New York’s elite are the central focus of the novel. Being well-respected and
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well have been characters in this play. The play of Macbeth has themes in it which can be associated with people who live in our world today. In Macbeth we see a king who abuses his power and uses it for the wrong reasons. He almost always get away with it. Despite the fact that there were people that were suspicious of Macbeth‚ he was never brought to justice with some of his deeds. In this play we also find out about the lengths that Macbeth went to‚ so he could become king and to also stay as
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