Powerlessness And Vulnerability In Once In A House On Fire - English - Essay

866 words - 4 pages

Abigail Silvers
Write about the ways in which powerlessness and vulnerability are depicted on pages 81-83 and elsewhere in the novel, making reference to relevant contextual issues.
In the extract, Ashworth portrays Lorraine as vulnerable and helpless, and shows the effect of moving to Canada on Peter’s character, as he cuts off her only connection to home by ‘[tearing] he phone cord out of the wall, [so] the line to Gran hung dead in his hand, dripping bits of plaster.’ The metaphor ‘hung dead’ suggests that her final connection to home has been destroyed, which is her phone calls to her mother, which is conveyed by the use of the word ‘dead’. The metaphor ‘dripping bits of plaster’ portrays the image of dripping blood, again relating to the theme of a violent death. This could also be related to Peter’s violent nature, suggesting that the ‘death’ he caused was a violent one. This is supported by the fact that the line is described as ‘dead in his hand’. This indicates that the death is solely Peter’s responsibility. On the whole, this indicates the effect of moving to Canada on Peter’s behaviour, as he now feels he has complete control over Lorraine. By moving abroad, he ensured that Lorraine could no longer reach for her mother, or other family members. This renders her helpless, as police attitude towards domestic violence at the time of the novel was dismissive. Women would often call the police regarding domestic violence. However, when the police eventually arrived, the women would send them away, claiming nothing was wrong. The police would obey this and leave, so Lorraine would be left completely helpless, as she had no help in another country.
Ashworth also presents Peter as a vulnerable character in the extract, angered by his own actions. When attempting to abuse Lorraine, Peter ‘brought the teapot and its spout crashing into his own temple.’ Then, ‘Staring at [their] mother, he pulled back the teapot and smashed again, th[at] time cracking off the spout, howling.’ The verb ‘crashing’ implies that the action was quick, suggesting that Peter was acting on impulse. This means that upon first instincts, Peter’s rage is surprisingly directed at himself. The fact that he stared at Lorraine the second time he did this could convey that the reason he was angry at himself was due to the manner in which he had treated Lorraine. Ashworth then uses the word ‘howling’ to describe Peter’s reaction to the pain. Howling has connotations of the commonly told myth of a werewolf. Werewolves endure a pain...

More like Powerlessness And Vulnerability In Once In A House On Fire - English - Essay

Journeys Involve Overcoming Obstacles In 'life As A House'. Discuss. - Essay On 'life As A House' Film - Essay

689 words - 3 pages ... ‘Life As A House’- Essay The act of self- reflection is an essential aspect of journeys. Provide extensive reasoning regarding whether you agree or oppose this concept utilising the text ‘Life As A House’. Journeys Involve Overcoming Obstacles. Discuss the statement in relation to your text and one other text selected. The prevalence of the overcoming of obstacles presented in the trials and tribulations of spiritual, physical and mental ...

The American Dream In The House On Mango Street - 9th Grade English - Essay

493 words - 2 pages ... is Esperanza. She's went for her dream to have her own house. In the beginning of the story Esperanza wanted her own house not like the one on mango house street. Throughout the story she talks about how she's ashamed of her home. But she's learning more about writing and Alicia is helping her. So Esperanza decided that she was going to be a writer. She finally got her house that she wanted . One all for herself. Quote; “ Not a flat . Not an ...

This Essay Is A Brief History Of Rattle And Snap Plantation In Mt. Pleasant, TN. Describes Owners (past And Present) And Other Information On The House

1726 words - 7 pages ... Polk.George decided he wanted to build a finer, grander home than anything his brothers had built so far. George married Sallie Hilliard from Nashville and they built a little 10-room, what they called the cottage, on the back of the property. That's where they lived while construction was underway.Their home was begun in 1842 and completed in 1845. All the bricks in the home were made on the property and all the timber for the home was logged on there ...

Representations And Social Criticism In Ibsen's A Doll's House - Literature - Essay

1312 words - 6 pages ... Task: Ibsen Take-home Essay Question 3: Literary texts often pose questions about an established social order. Discuss how representations have been constructed in A Doll’s House in order to critique, reinforce or destabilise social institutions and/or social expectations In the play A Doll’s House, Henrik Ibsen uses theatre as a means of voicing his own opinions on the imperfections of his society, posing question about the crippling effects ...

Once Upon A Time By Nadine Gordimer - North High School And English Honors - Essay

599 words - 3 pages ... Lauren Richardson Maroon 3 Mr.Deshayes 10/4/18 Once Upon A Time Thematic Essay Leaving in fear creates a prison of one’s own making. In “Once Upon a Time,” by Nadine Gordimer,​ a couple lives a happy life together with their little boy, cat, and dog in a South Africa. But their happiness is disrupted by rumors about riots in another part of the city of men of different color. For this reason, they follow the advice of the wise old witch, who is ...

The Role Of Survival In Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge And Build A Fire

1123 words - 5 pages ... and passing on, the individual strives and pushes themselves to their limits just in order to continue their existence. The role of survival is linked in both stories by irony and symbolism in “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” and foreshadowing and symbolism in “To Build a Fire”. Individuals may strive for survival, but it is the fittest who will endure.Source: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierceand To Build a Fire by Jack London ...

Patriarchal Authority In 'A Doll's House' - Millais School, Horsham - Essay

1770 words - 8 pages ... argued quite far that Rorvald is the only tragic character of the play - as it seems on the surface that Nora is blatantly the victim. David TRAGIC TORVALD ESSAY !4 Thomas even says in one of his reviews ‘'Torvald...is as much a victim as Nora’. I believe this to be so, because despite the troubles that Nora goes through, with her being under the power and grip of her manipulative husband - it resolves, as she realises that her happiness ...

Morals Within Once And Future King - English - Essay

1584 words - 7 pages ... Forth 1 Haley Forth Mrs. McGlaughlin Honors English 2 Period 1 8 March 2019 Morality Through Individual Trials In ​the Once and Future king​ part one, ​The Sword in the Stone​, a fantasy novel written by T.H. White it revolves around a future king of England. A boy named Wart, a pure and wholesome boy living in England, undergoes transformations. Merlyn, an old magician who lives backwards, transforms the Wart into different animals including a ...

Analysis Of Women In 'A Dolls House'

1514 words - 7 pages Free ... Women were valued very little by nineteenth century society. The treatment of these women was also extremely negative; they were stereotypical housewives, expected to stay home and fulfill domestic duties. Literature of this time embodies and mirrors social issues of women in society. Henrik Ibsen uses Nora Helmer in "A Doll's House" to portray the negative treatment of all women throughout society during the nineteenth century. In this play we ...

Feminist Criticism On "A Doll's House" By Henrik Ibsen - English - Essay

2003 words - 9 pages ... Fuerte 1 Loreal Fuerte Professor Stokes English 1B 29 May 2019 Feminist and Gender Criticism Amongst “A Doll’s House” In the nineteenth century, women transitioned from accepting the loss of their identity as a married woman to overcoming traditional gender roles by constant resistance. During the late nineteenth century, this new idea of an independent woman became desirable to achieve as a woman. “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen is a play ...

Gilded Age In The House Of Mirth - English IB-SL - Essay

625 words - 3 pages ... anything but golden during the time, is addressed in Edith Wharton’s novel House of Mirth. The novel applies Gilded Age issues by incorporating high societal positions being occupied by immoral people, an emphasis on the importance of money, and Lily Bart’s social demise. The social elite during the Gilded Age is shown to immoral in the novel. Characters such as Gus Trenor and Bertha Dorset are shown to have a lack of integrity in the way they act ...

Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird - 10th Grade English Essay On Symbolism In The Book, To Kill A Mockingbird - Essay

1004 words - 5 pages ... in the house forever rather than have him jailed. This sort of isolation has been previously unheard of in the tight knit Maycomb County, and people begin to speculate. This includes the Finch children, who conveniently live near the Radley house.The children play games pretending Boo is a monster, they spy on his house, and they even go so far as to trespass on the Radley property. It isn’t until later that Scout recognises the wrongdoing of ...

Purple Hibiscus And Dolls House Comparison - A Level - Essay

2481 words - 10 pages ... “In literature the role of mothers, in family life, is to be seen and not heard”  Compare and contrast the presentation of the dominant male and his impact upon family life in   A Doll’s House & Purple Hibiscus.  A Doll's House,  by Henrik Ibsen and Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, are two texts that although appear to contrast contextually, have many similarities conceptually. Both texts focus heavily on familial relationships and ...

Essay On The Involvement Of A Message In Society - English 101 - Reaserch

1762 words - 8 pages ... to say this is, that since illegal immigrants play such an integral part in our workforce if they were to all leave at once the American people would be left with nothing and nobody to do the work that they would rather not do. According to “The Economic Impacts of Removing Unauthorized Immigrant Workers” on American Progress website, “A policy of mass deportation would immediately reduce the nation’s GDP by 1.4 percent, and ultimately by 2.6 ...

A Debate On Cell Phones In The Classroom - English Grade 8 - Essay

965 words - 4 pages ... of these wonderful gadgets and use them for unintended purposes. As a result, many school boards are wondering whether or not to allow cell phones in the classroom. In the spring of 2009, a recent study was conducted by the University of Waterloo. They decided to take two schools: one that allowed cell phones in class and one that did not for this study. They observed those students until post-graduation. Based on their findings, the educators ...