Analysis Of Jeanette Winterson s The Green Man

Sarah DeCarlo, What It Means To Be Green [SE #1, Group 2] Definitions of what a green man is have changed drastically throughout the years. Traditionally green men are seen as figures of fertility and honour, however, in Jeanette Winterson’s The Green Man it is evident that the protagonist is far from this traditional role. A man’s sexuality is very much a large defining factor of his worth but in this text our main male role is stripped of it. His fertile abilities are lost on his lawn as his own wife refuses to copulate with him. This leaves his daughter to be his greatest achievement infertility, but even her creation results in the ultimate demise of his beloved lawn. It is true that the protagonist is a sacrifice from the beginning without a chance to change his predetermined destiny. After fulfilling his duty to sacrifice, fertilize and unfortunately die for the sake of others the green man emerges from the ashes. Being green is not something that can simply be described with adjectives but has rather become a modern day lifestyle in this text. In Jeanette Winterson’s The Green Man, the protagonist creates a modern green man archetype through his oppressed sexuality, his sacrifice and his life’s role in the rebirth cycle. The green men of the world are seen as subordinates to their wives. Our main character does not follow the traditional alpha male but is rather conserved and feminine. In fact, as his wife and he do not hold hands as they walk and he states,Show MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesnovel is sometimes used interchangeably with Bildungsroman, but its use is usually wider and less technical. The birth of the Bildungsroman is normally dated to the publication of Wilhelm Meister s Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1795–96,[8] or, sometimes, to Christoph Martin Wieland s Geschichte des Agathon of 1767.[9] Although the Bildungsroman arose in Germany, it has had extensive influence first in Europe and later throughout the world. Thomas Carlyle translated Goethe’s novelRead MoreStarbucks Corporation12076 Words   |  49 Pagesincreased at a compounded annual growth rate of 20%, to $3.3 billion in fiscal 2002. Net earnings have grown at an annual compounded growth rate of 30% to $218 million in fiscal 2002, which is the highest reported net earnings figure in the company s history (See Exhibit 1). As Business Week tells it: On Wall Street, Starbucks is the last great growth story. Its stock, including four splits, has soared more than 2,200% over the past decade, surpassing Wal-Mart, General Electric, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola

Canterbury Tales A Feminist Perspective of Wife of Bath...

A Feminist Perspective of Wife of Bath Many literary critics throughout the years have labeled the Wife of Bath, the gap-toothed (23) character of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, a feminist. She is a strong-willed and dominant woman who gets what she wants when she wants it. However, this is not the definition of a feminist. A feminist is someone who believes that women and men are equal, while also is able to recognize and appreciate the unique characteristics of both sexes. A feminist celebrates what it means to be a woman, and a feminist is definitely not what Chaucer meant his character to be interpreted as. If anything, the Wife of Bath could safely be called a sexist. She constantly emphasizes the negative†¦show more content†¦The Wife of Baths actions also stem from her strong greed and need for control. That particular husband, her fifth one, was the only one she could not control. The desperate guilt he feels after hitting her, puts her in an excellent bargaining position. While lying on the fl oor she puts on a dramatic act of self-pity to make him feel even worse, and later describes: He gave the bridle completely into my hand (219). The Wife of Baths greedy need for complete control over men reflects in most of her actions. She seems proud of this, and constantly describes women as cruel creatures that bring great sorrow to men. When talking about her first three husbands, she says that she governed them (193), and chided them cruelly (193). She makes life for her husbands a living hell, having no respect for their feelings. Just like the women questioned in her story, she cares only for riches...amusement...rich apparel..., to be flattered and pampered, and for pleasure in bed (225). When talking of her first three marriages, she says: Since they had given me all their land, why should I take pains to please them, unless it be for my own profit and pleasure (192). In her story, the moral is that all women want to hold the whip in a relationship, and it is in the mans best interest to let them do so. The Wife of Bath is not a woman to be admired and, worst of all, she insists allShow MoreRelatedThe Canterbury Ta les By William Shakespeare1708 Words   |  7 PagesThe Canterbury Tales are told in the passage of a Pilgrimage to Canterbury. We see that these characters all interact with one another, they all have different points of view on several topics. â€Å"The portraits [of the pilgrims] which appear in the General Prologue have a decided togetherness, that the portraits exist as parts of a unity† (Hoffman 492), Their actions and their tales should be thought about in context, who tells the tale, what is their age, what is his or her profession and how he orRead MoreAnalysis Of The Wife Of Bath 1660 Words   |  7 PagesThe Canterbury Fails: An Analysis of Misogyny in the Wife of Bath’s Tale At first glance, you wouldn’t think that the Wife of Bath’s tale is anything other than feminist. She is, undeniably, the only non-religious female character in The Canterbury Tales and therefore is the only character who is approached from a point of view that was generally uncommon. We don’t have many— or even any, as far as I’m aware— pieces of medieval literature written by or for women or with a main female protagonistRead MoreThe Role Of Women In The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1035 Words   |  5 Pagescollection of stories The Canterbury Tales. In Chaucer’s tales, he explores the situations of multiple individuals of varying backgrounds in the medieval time period. Each character tells a story that reveals some aspect of their morality and personality. Quite often, their tale also reveals their opinion of a certain overlying subject; such is the case with many character’s opinions of women and their place in society. Chaucer has commonly been described as a feminist and though that is partlyRead MoreSimilarities Between The Millers Tale And The Wife Of Bath1507 Words   |  7 Pagesare women perceived in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales? The Miller’s Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Tale both portray women as having a great deal of sexual desire, which was considered taboo for its time. Alisoun, a character in The Miller’s Tale, and The Wife of Bath are portrayed as being promiscuous, however both of these women find empowerment in demonstrating their sexual agency, which was certainly a taboo perspective for the time in which The Canterbury Tales were written. While the male charactersRead MoreSexual Relations in Wife of Bath Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesSexual Relations in Wife of Bath Sexual relations between men and woman have created issues of life and death from the beginning of time. In most classic Western beliefs it began when Eve with the help of the Devil seduced Adam thus leading the downfall of humanity into an abyss of sin and hopelessness. This issue arises in all literature from Genesis, Chaucer and into modern day. Authors, clerks and writers of all types have aided stereotyping women throughout history and Geoffrey Chaucer isRead MoreRole Of Women During The United States1082 Words   |  5 Pagesequality to men. When people read Beowulf they get this assumption that the women are frail, wicked, or under the dominance of men. However, the female presence in Beowulf is far from a submissive one and must be reevaluated from an Anglo Saxon perspective. Back then, the societal expectations of the time were different. Men and Women were equal with the â€Å"compensation for a maiden is to be equal as for a freeman† as well as having property of â€Å"a free woman with control of a household.† Women wereRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath s Tale931 Words   |  4 PagesElizabeth IniguezMrs. Alana HaughabooSenior English September 15, 2015Annotated Bibliography Shead, Jackie. The wife of bath s tale as self-revelation: Jackie Shead discusses how far the Wife s Tale perpetuates the picture we have gained of her from her Prologue. The English Review 20.3 (2010): 35+. Literature Resource Center. Web. (SUMMARY) The story centers on marriage roles and powers. Men do not want to be governed by the ir wives. The knight lets the poor and unappealing lady decide forRead MoreWilliam Chaucer s The Wife Of Bath1347 Words   |  6 Pagesliterature begins to introduce a new archetype for women that writers follow in stories by describing them with motherly characteristics and taboo ideas in texts, such as the epic poem, Beowulf, Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue† and â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Tale† in The Canterbury Tales, and the play named The Beggar’s Opera, which brings forth the idea of what is morally acceptable characteristics for women in literature and why writers portray women as antagonist or protagonist with misunderstoodRead MoreThe Fight For Gender Equality Essay1357 Words   |  6 Pageshistorical, Middle Ages and Renaissance, time periods in mind. More Specifically, â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue,† by Chaucer and â€Å"As You Like It,† by William Shakespeare will be examined. In doin g so, the essay will uncover, not only the role of women within the poems, but the feminist aspects Chaucer and Shakespeare contain within both of their poems, and the progressive views certain characters had within â€Å"The Wife of Bath’s Prologue,† and â€Å"As You Like It. Now, to begin with, the role of women isRead MoreThe Wife Of Bath, By Geoffrey Chaucer Essay1487 Words   |  6 Pagesas they were subverted into a secondary class position that deprived them of agency and sexual satisfaction. Throughout Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"Canterbury Tales,† the Wife of Bath provides didactic social commentary on the discrepancies between marriage and virginity and expounds the idea of giving sovereignty to women in relationships. Although the Wife of Bath is portrayed and characterized to some antifeminist stereotypes, her fervent and unorthodox commands enrich the reasoning behind her sexual

Catcher In The Rye Vs. Don Quixote Essay - 1007 Words

J.D. Salinger’s TheCatcher in the Rye can be compared to Cervantes’ Don Quixote. Both novels feature naive protagonists pining for an ideal world. In Salinger’s novel, Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old who experiences challenging and questionable events in the mid-stage of his adolescence. Holden wants to protect the innocent children like â€Å"the catcher in the rye† from the immorality and corruptness of the â€Å"phony† adult world. In Cervantes work, Don Quixote is the idealistic protagonist who sets out to transform the world in accordance to his medieval vision. His growing obsession with stories of knighthood and books of chivalry leads him to abandon his former life and become a wandering knight set out to right the world’s wrongs.†¦show more content†¦As Holden was walking up the stairs he sees â€Å" fuck-you † written on the wall and rubs it off with his hand. Then, later as he is going down a different stairc ase he sees the same phrase on the wall, but this time scratched in with a knife so he can’t efface it. At that moment, he thought that there would be millions of signs just like that one in the world. There was no way he could eradicate all of them. Even in the peace of the Egyptian tomb room at the museum there is aâ€Å"fuck-you†written in crayon. At this point, he is hopeless and realizes that his dreams are unattainable. In the carousel scene with Phoebe Holden reluctantly accepts the fact that everyone loses his or her innocence. While on the carousel, Phoebe joins the other kids in trying to grab for the gold rings. Although Holden is afraid that she will fall off the horse, he realizes that he can’t stop her. He states, â€Å"The thing is with kids is; if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them.† Similarly, Cervantes’ Don Quixote portrays an idealistic protagonist who sets out to transform the world in accordance to his medieval vision. The novel opens by briefly describing the main character’s fascination with chivralic stories. He dreams for the way things were in the times of knights and the code of chivalry. Even though he lived in the Renaissance Era, he decided to turn his dream into

Music and Mood free essay sample

Music affects everyone in completely different ways. I always found it fascinating that everyone had their own style of music that they enjoy and over time I have noticed that people’s taste in music tends to go along with their personality and moods. When I discovered an article on music and mood I knew I wanted that to be my topic because I was always interested in it and wanted to learn more. The article I found was titled â€Å"Music and Mood† by Carolyn J Murrock and Anita V Clark. The article explains how rhythm, melody, pitch, harmony, and interval in music play a role in creating alterations in mood in humans. Murrock and Clark state that, â€Å"Music produces psychological effects by engaging the limbic system. † The limbic system is the center of emotions, sensations, and feelings. The article also explains how your emotions affect your nervous system. This can affect your cardiovascular, respiratory, neuroendocrine, and immune systems in your body. We will write a custom essay sample on Music and Mood or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Emotions also release different hormones. Stress hormones can lead to anxiety, depression and disappointment; whereas positive emotions lead to tranquility, complacency, and relaxation. Murrock and Clark believe that the release of these hormones when listening to music produces physiological effects in the human body. The therapeutic properties of music date back to prehistoric times when it was used as a powerful instrument for health, healing, and wellness. Today music is used less in pharmacological ways and more for enjoyment and enhancement of physical activity. People also use music today to alter moods, communicate feelings, and create distraction. There are six levels of wellness: physical, social, emotional, intellectual, environmental and spiritual. Music and Mood† could really be focused on any of these levels of wellness, but I believe it mainly focuses on emotional wellness. In Murrock and Clark’s article they focused on how listening to music releases hormones that are believed to alter someone’s mood and can affect their emotional wellness. Someone in a calm, happy mood could listen to a few songs with stressful beats and begin to feel more anxiety. The opposite can also happen. A stressed out person could listen to some relaxing music and notice that they are calmer. Music can affect your emotional wellness in positive or negative ways. The article also mentions that listening to music can affect your nervous system. When your nervous system is affected it can cause many problems in your body. The problems can affect your cardiovascular, respiratory, neuroendocrine, and immune systems. These all show signs of physical wellness. Listening to music can also be very spiritual too. People can listen to calming songs and beats to relax themselves and release any anxiety or stress they have built up. Some people like the feeling of belonging in a group so they will use certain genres of music and music taste to connect themselves with people. People who listen to the same types of music can give off very similar energies and form social groups. I really learned a lot through reading Carolyn J Murrock and Anita V Clark research. I found it all to be very interesting and I didn’t realize how much of an impact music has on people emotionally, physically, spiritually and socially.