Life After Marriage Essay -- essays research papers

Life after marriage The lives led by people as individuals are vastly different from the lives they lead after marriage. Although single life has it’s many vicissitudes, they are greatly altered by the addition of another party into the situation. Even the simplest things change drastically when you marry the special person in your life, such as eating, sleeping, and working. The changes in one’s eating habits are altered by the addition of another person into their everyday lives. Before we marry someone and get ready to settle down into the life of a husband and wife, our eating habits more related to the life we lead on an every day basis. Eating takes place when our daily schedule permits or we take time because the need arises. After marriage, that special person in your life decides what is best for you and a schedule has to be formed around their need to take care of their spouse. They want you to eat all the proper foods at the proper time in order to take care of you, whether you are hungry or like the food. This is all done out of love and the best of intentions. Although this whole process can be annoying, the best thing to do is to go along with it in order to avoid offending or rejecting their good intentions. The adjustments actually become more beneficial and pleasing than the initial complications created. Getting married also alters sleeping habits. The changes made by the addition of a spouse can be the hardest part of adjusting...

Examine the overtones of Gothic horror in Edgar Allen Poe’s tale The Fall of the House of Usher Essay

The Gothic genre is an English genre that was most popular in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is characterised by an atmosphere of mystery and terror. In order for a novel or poem to be considered as gothic, it must include some of the vital ingredients of the gothic genre. These characteristics include- the use of the supernatural (ghosts/spirits etc), use of dark and vast imagery, the theme of revenge (notably, the dead seeking justice), and a sense of foreboding (giving a hint of what’s to come later). â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†, by Edgar Allen Poe, can be described as a Gothic novel in that it demonstrates many gothic characteristics, specifically in terms of setting and character. In gothic novels, the setting of a haunted house or castle is often used. It is usually an old, dark and decaying castle plagued by a curse. The motif of a haunted house is used prominently in the â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†, and indeed the castle is the main setting of the story, and the centre of activity. From the start, we become aware of the dark and desolate nature of the house, as the unnamed narrator provides us with his first impressions. He informs us â€Å"I know not how it was: but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit†. This immediately fills us with a sense of foreboding. We get the impression that all is not well in the House of Usher. In light of this, the use of descriptive setting in the gothic novel is a vital tool used to create a sense of mystery and tension. This is especially achieved through the frequent use of negative adjectives such as â€Å"dreary, â€Å"desolate†, â€Å"insufferable† and â€Å"decayed†. The use of foreboding is used frequently in the gothic novel. This involves providing the reader with subtle hints of what is going to happen. Many novels use descriptive settings to create this sense of doom. â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† is no exception as the reader is bombarded with fateful images of the â€Å"crumbling condition of the individual stones†. This use of the word â€Å"crumbling†, prepares us for the houses and the family’s eventual fate the house’s name is Usher it makes it hard for the reader to recognise the two as different. So when the narrator describes the house as â€Å"crumbling† this is also refers to the state of the family. Because of this use of foreboding, the gothic novel is often criticised for its utterly predictable nature. Interestingly, the unnamed narrator describes the house (an inanimate object), as having lifelike attributes, for example he describes â€Å"the vacant eyelike windows†. This use of personification helps to create a monster-like impression. As a result, the readers already strong fear of the setting becomes stronger. We get the impression that the house itself will generate any terror that is to follow. Descriptions of the house’s interior used when the narrator ventures into the house for the first time describes many secret passageways â€Å"sombre tapestries† and the † Black oaken floor†. This frequent use of the colour black is also an obvious attribute to the gothic genre. Another favourite horror device of the gothic novel finds a person trapped, for example, being hidden away in a dark cell. This is evident in Poe’s tale as Madeline is buried alive in a coffin- this is the ultimate entrapment. When talking of the coffin in which lady Madeleine was entombed in they describe it as â€Å"small, damp and entirely without means of admission for light; lying at great depth†. This use of confinement helps to achieve an almost suffocating effect and is extremely effective in creating fear on the readers’ part. Now I am going to discuss Poe’s use of character in the tale, and examine how it adheres to the gothic genre. Characters in the gothic novel are often very strange and eccentric. This is evident throughout when the narrator describes Roderick’s â€Å"Mad hilarity in his eyes† when Madeleine breaks from her tomb and his intricate song of imaginary things he seems to be in his own world and distances himself from the narrator and therefore the reader. The unnamed narrator’s descriptions of Roderick and Madeline’s physical attributes also helps to create this sense of eccentricity, for example he describes Rodericks â€Å"peculiar physical conformation†. They are described as rather sickly looking creatures with â€Å"ghastly pallor of skin† and â€Å"unheeded hair†. This strangeness of character deems Roderick and Madeline alien to the reader. It is these little eccentricities that stops the reader relating to the characters, making them seem more distant. As a result of this Madeline and Roderick become scary to the reader because as human beings we are instinctively scared of what we do not understand. The setting seems almost cursed with a depression that affects the unnamed narrator as it already has Roderick and Madeleine. The narrator’s whole personality is affected at just the sight of the house â€Å"An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all†. The characters all share the feeling of desolate loneliness even when they are all together this implies the house alters the relationship of the characters. The loneliness is symbolised by the size of the house its vastness is a metaphor for the emotional distance between the characters. DOPPELGANGER In terms of character, the relationship between Roderick and Madeline is highly important. They can be considered as doubles that is a frequent symbol of the gothic or horror novel and film. I argue that Poe was using Madeleine to represent the evil in Roderick this is what causes Roderick to bury her trying to suppress the evil in him, however he is unsuccessful as she breaks through the coffin, this shows that we cannot suppress evil inside us. This itself is a horrific idea. I am now going to examine the use of the double in the story. How are Madeline and Roderick usher similar? There are many examples- for example-As Roderick and Madeline are identical twins they obviously look very alike, they both suffer severe illnesses which affect there daily lives making them house bound this is interesting as they are spending so much time in the house the houses curse seems to affect them greatly even leading to their eventual death! The fact that lady Madeline and Roderick die at the same time could be caused by the fact the people believe that twins can feel what the other is feeling be that mentally or psychically. But there are many examples of them being opposites Roderick is male and Madeline is female she is strong he’s weak this is interesting as it contradicts my original theory. REMEMBER QUOTES. In conclusion to Edgar Allen Poe’s use of the typical traits of the gothic genre is rather obviously used in the fall of the house of usher. These overtones seem to add a sense of the unknown to the novel although gothic or horror novels are known for their predictability it is used effectively making the reader feel isolated from Roderick and Madeleine and closer to the narrator this is interesting as the reader actually knows more about the usher family than the narrator which usually causes the reader to support the person they know more about.

Amir and Hassan - 1380 Words

Amir and Hassan seem to have a best friend type relationship. The boys showed their trust for eachother by carving their names into a tree. The two boys, Hassan and Amir, are main characters in the book titled, The Kite Runner. The two boys have a relationship that is significantly different compared to most. The boys do write their names in a pomegranate tree as the sultans of Kabul (Kite Runner 27) but, their friendship is not strong and it is one sided. Hassan is seen as lower than human. The story is placed in Afghanistan. The relationship between the two boys is emotionally wearing and rather gloomy for the most part. The main reason for this strange relationship is the fact that Amir is Pashtun, and Hassan is Hazara. The Afghan†¦show more content†¦It always has been, always will be. We are the true Afghans, the pure Afghans, not this Flat-Nose here. His people pollute our homeland, our watan. They dirty our blood.....How can you talk to him, play with him, let hi m touch you? (40-41). When Hassan is harassed, Amir does nothing; rather, he almost blurts out that Hassan is nothing but a servant when in fact he spends all of his free time playing like true friends play. Amir wants to be accepted by his peers, peers such as Assef, Wali, and Kamal. He wants to be accepted with such a passion that he chooses to disregard his friend in order to gain approval from these boys. Amir ends up sacrificing his morals for popularity. Another example of how Amir is a coward and only wants to be accepted by his peers and his father is when he turns his back on Hassan when Hassan desperately needs his help. Hassan gets raped by Assef while trying to complete the task of kite running for Amir. Amir witnesses this horrible act and does nothing to stop it; he does not step in to help his friend because he believes that Hassan is sacrificing himself for him. This is a completely selfish thought on Amirs part because no one should have to bear another pe rsons burden, even if one person is another persons servant. The choice made by Amir to sacrifice his morals and rationalize his decisions forever haunts him. Amir is clearly an emotionally unstable person, but his resentment towards Hassan isShow MoreRelatedSynopsis Of Amir And Hassan 1514 Words   |  7 Pagesabout how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out.† In this quote, Amir is talking about how he watched Hassan get attacked and raped while he didn t make any attempt to help him. By saying â€Å"claws its way out†, he is placing emphasis on the past events that will eventually come back and make him feel guilty for how he didn’t help. Chap 2 pg 6 â€Å"While my mother hemorrhaged to death during childbirth, Hassan lost his less than a week after he was born. Lost her to a fate most Afghans consideredRead MoreThe Story Of Amir And Hassan s Development1104 Words   |  5 PagesDylan Wake Period 4 Super (Word Count: 1099) The True Path to Gold A key moment in Amir and Hassan’s development as a character is Amir’s own onion story. The onion story seems very simple with its message, but it is the way that Hassan analyzes it that is important. The onion story reveals the major difference between Hassan and Amir in its first appearance, and becomes a recurring element that illustrates the theme of decisions and which ones are better. The onion story manifests itself in theirRead MoreAmir Doesn t Call Hassan His Friend1517 Words   |  7 PagesAmir didn’t call Hassan his friend, throughout the whole book, the main reason for this was that Hassan was a Hazara. The Hazaras are the second class and they must serve to the higher class, like Hassan does to Amir’s family. Instead of strengthen their friendship, he listens to the soldiers and school friends, who continually remind him that Hassan is a servant and that he is not equal to them. When Hassan and Amir where young children they were close friend s but slowly things started to changeRead MoreThe Kite Runner Analysis772 Words   |  4 Pagesfriendship between Hassan and Amir had some difficulties. A true friendship can be hard to find(,) but can be one of the most vital things to being truly happy. Both Hassan and Amir had proven their loyalty to each other by the end of The Kite Runner. Loyalty was a crucial part in Hassan and Amir’s friendship.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In the beginning, Hassan was not only loyal to Amir because that was his duty, but also because Amir was his best friend. Ever since Hassan was a baby he grew attached to Amir. For example,Read MoreThe Kite Runner - Importance of Forgiveness Essay1090 Words   |  5 Pagestells about the past of the Afghan refugee, Amir, and about the importance of forgiveness regarding to what happens in Afghanistan a long time before Amir arrives in America. Amir grows up in Kabul with his prosperous father, Baba, who has two servants, Ali, and his son, Hassan. Amir and Hassan are best friends until Hassan is raped, and Amir doesn’t help him. Amir can’t get over his guilt, so he takes it out on Hassan and treats him very badly. Thus, Hassan and Ali leave Baba’s house. During the SovietRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1434 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel, The Kite Runner, reveals the controversy that surrounds the relationship of two central characters, Amir and Hassan. Both have fathers who share a long history. Amir and Hassan grow up together and appear, on the surface, as close friends. Yet, there are various instances that foster doubt in regards to the authenticity of Amir’s feelings towards Hassan. For all intents and purposes, Hassan proves time and time again to be a faithful companion. Hosseini uses the veracity of Hassan’s side of theirRead MoreAnalysis Of Khaled Hosseinis The Kite Runner881 Words   |  4 Pagesmain character Amir is a coward. Amir lives in Kabul, Afghanistan. His best friend Hassan lives with him and is his best friend. In reality Amir is Hassan’s owner. Baba adopted Hassan when he was a baby and he became their servant. Amir becomes very jealous of him and then becomes a coward. Amir was so jealous of Hassan that he even wanted a scar,â€Å"I wished I too had a scar that would beget Baba’s sympathy. It wasn’t fair.† (Hosseini, p 50) This quote shows Amir is jealous of Hassan. The scar wasRead Morechapter notes kite runner 1-91031 Words   |  5 PagesSanFrancisco Narrator remember someone named Hassan and this quote â€Å" for you a thousand times over† Chapter 2 set in Kabul Hassan his friend is described as very loyal and kind towards others Hassan has a harelip Location Wazir Akbar Khan district Ali is a servant Rahim Khan is business partner best friend Hassan is Ali’s son The narrators mother died while child birth Sanaubar’s is Hassan’s mom and she left Hassan and Ali after a week Hassan was born Sanaubar has a very bad reputationRead MoreKey Theme Of Redemption In The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1198 Words   |  5 Pagesrevolves around the life of Amir and his journey of redemption for his past sins. The story begins in Afghanistan during the Soviet Invasion in 1970’s, when young Amir betrays his servant and best friend Hassan. Throughout the story Amir makes attempts to deal with his guilt by avoiding it, but he is unable to overcome his guilt until the end of the story when he redeems himself by adopting Hassans son. In The Kite Runner, Hosseini uses the internal conflict of Amir to show that ones feeling ofRead MoreEssay On The Pomegranate Tree In The Kite Runner735 Words   |  3 PagesThe sultans of Kabul, Amir, and Hassan, a bond that gets overturned by societal conflicts. In the novel The Kite Runner, the author Khaled Hosseini portrays the life of Amir and Hassan in Afghanistan. Hosseini explores how Amir neglected Hassan as a friend, and it wasn’ t until when Hassan died, he noticed then what he had lost. Suggesting that friendships shouldn’t be taken for granted as it can create a loss. The Author also demonstrates how Amir after years of neglecting his sins goes through