Thursday, November 28, 2019

A hero of tragedy must evoke the audiences with a sense of pity and fear Essay Example

A hero of tragedy must evoke the audiences with a sense of pity and fear Paper Othello fulfils the criteria of a domestic tragedy as it focus on the marital relationship between Othello and his wife, Desdemona. Shakespeare follows patterns of Aristotle’s theory of tragedy which enables him to elicit â€Å"pity† and â€Å"fear†. For example the tragic hero is a man of noble rank, he reaches pinnacle of happiness and worldly success. In Act II, with his position as commander of Cyprus and reunion with his wife Desdemona: Othello proclaims to Desdemona and those gathered in Cyprus: â€Å"If I were to die to die, ‘Twere now to be most happy; ( Act II.i.181-182) His hyperbolic speech conveys Othello’s happiness, as it is at its peak at this point in the play. His tragic flaw however, leads to reversal of fortune (peripeteia). Othello’s tragic flaw is manifested as his gullibility, by his â€Å"free and open nature†, that Iago exploits to bring about Othello’s down fall, creating â€Å"pity† and â€Å"fear† which is elicited during the play. After Othello’s death, order is restored in the end, leaving the audiences to experience catharsis and feel a sense of loss, just as Aristotle intended it to be. We will write a custom essay sample on A hero of tragedy must evoke the audiences with a sense of pity and fear specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on A hero of tragedy must evoke the audiences with a sense of pity and fear specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on A hero of tragedy must evoke the audiences with a sense of pity and fear specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The portrayal of Othello in Act I is juxtaposed to the Othello in Act III and IV, he is very different, he is portrayed as a physical and psychological wreck. Whereas in Act, Othello is afforded epithets, such as â€Å"valiant† and â€Å"noble moor: the use of the hyperbole creates a heroic tone, enabling the audience to identify Othello as the tragic hero. Othello fits the first criteria of an Aristotle theory of tragedy, a man of noble character, in Act I and II. However through Iago’s gulling, Othello begins to lose control, which is shown through his language â€Å"Zounds.† He becomes crude in his language like Iago. He exclaims â€Å"Goats and Monkey† echoing Iago’s earlier words: â€Å" Were they as prime as goats, as hot as moneys, As salt as wolves in pride, and fools as gross As ignorance made drunk. This portrays Othello’s peripeteia, following his harmatia ; his trust in the opportunist Iago which elicits â€Å"pity and fear†. The fact Othello uses taboo blasphemous language reflects the Jacobean perception of typical moor. At this point on stage, Shakespeare is conveying the stereotypical image of moor; a savage black man. One could say Shakespeare was using such a portrayal to please and entertain his racist audience. Or Shakespeare’s purpose could have been to educate his audience about how Othello’s tragic flaw can cause jealousy to unravel the â€Å"green eyed –monster†, which consumes Othello’s noble character and evokes â€Å"pity† and â€Å"fear†. As Othello deteriorates, his jealousy, anger and subsequent thirst for revenge is reflected in his language. Othellos own words seem to prophesy his downfall: †¦perdition catch my soul But I do love thee! And when I love thee not . Chaos is come again., III.3.90-92) This is the first time Othello’s admitted vulnerability to Iago, the Machiavellian. At this point Othello loves Desdemona unequivocally but ironically his words foreshadow the â€Å"Chaos† to come. The audience know Iago’ has hatched a plan to â€Å"turn her virtue into, pitch† and â€Å"emesh them all† (II.iii.329) .This rising fear, prepares the audience to predict inevitable events â€Å"chaos.† Act III scene iii, also known as temptation scene; it is here that Othello begins to disintegrate; his peripeteia comes with the relentless pressure placed on him by Iago. At this point the fear evoked from the audience as the equilibrium of Act II deteriorates into â€Å"Chaos†. Othello’s inter-racial marriage with Desdemona was frowned upon in sixteenth century. At the time interracial marriage were considered unnatural and immoral act. Even the sixth president of America, John Quincy Adams regarded this marriage as: ‘The great moral lesson of Othello [Shows] black and white blood cannot be intermingled in marriage without a gross outrage upon the law of Nature.’ I disagree with this critic, it is a lack of Christian morals of the characters (Iago, Barbantio and Roderigo) that has made Othello seem like an outsider, resulting in this â€Å"outrage to occur. For instance the hostile environment has forced Othello to trust â€Å"honest Iago†. Iago abuses Othello’s trust makes him feel racially inferior. We feel pity for Othello has he is alienated from the great dignitaries of Venice as well as his wife. Perhaps this is why Othello’s rude behaviour is justified in Act IV onwards as he is black man responding to racism [Actor Patrick Stewart]. In Act I, Othello responds to racism in non-passive approach, through eloquent dialect â€Å"pardon me†, However in Act Iv Othello feels racially inferior, alienated and loses control and responds in aggressive manner â€Å"strumpet† . I think his behaviour is justified as he unaware of the real situation, and feels alienated. As the play progresses and Iago’s machinations and plans take shape, Othello’s speech declines from prose to verse; he speaks in broken sentences: â€Å" Lies with Her? Lie on her? we say lie on they belie on her. (IV.1.135-136) The structure of Othello speech signifies that Othello is not in right state of his mind; his speech is quick paced and lacks coherence reflecting his â€Å"broken† mind. Even Desdemona has noticed the poignant change in the Othello â€Å"my lord is not my lord†. This begins to create â€Å"pity and fear† for Desdemona, she is too naive to realise his jealousy. The audience feel great pity for Desdemona and fear Othello as he [strikes her]. The stage directions play an important role. Dramatists have often portrayed Desdemona being thrown dramatically and her cheeks appearing bright red. The eponymous hero at this point could be seen eponymous villain, as begins adopt anti- hero like qualities. For instance Othello â€Å"be whoring† of Desdemona, the slap in public follows his vow to â€Å"chop her into messes†; such a change indicates the pollution Iago has created in his mind. This highlights the chaos emerging and destruction of order, inspiring pity and fear Desdemona as well for Othello. The fact that Shakespeare initially portrayed Othello as honourable and brave amplifies his peripetia; and reduction to a mad vengeful, abusive husband and incoherent speaker, all due to Iago’s influence. Othello’s incoherence ramblings reveal his jealous and confusion, culminating in a physical and emotional breakdown at his lowest point he falls into epilepsy. His noble character is abolished through Iago â€Å"pour pestilence into his ear. The metaphorical â€Å"poison† Iago use to â€Å"pour† in Othello’s ear is symbolic of Iago’s nature, to destruct and to kill. We feel pity for Othello as Iago â€Å"poison† is metaphorically killing him. The handkerchief is a useful prop that provides â€Å"ocular proof.† The â€Å"handkerchief†, was seen as a romantic token of love, in sixteenth century and in the play it was Othello first gift to Desdemona. The fact Desdemona does not have the handkerchief turns Othello’s doubt into certainty. Othello values the handkerchief and Iago takes advantage of this and makes malicious use of the handkerchief: Her Honour is an essence that’s not seen: They have it very oft that have it not. But for the handkerchief- (Act IV.1.16-18) Although his tragic flaw will precipitate his inevitable downfall, it is the cruelty of Iago that results in this. Iago exploits Othello’s insecurities. He relates â€Å"her honour to the â€Å"handkerchief†, enabling him to subtly plot an honour killing in Othello’s mind. This infers Othello is much more self-conscious about his honour then Desdemona fidelity, because in Venetians and Renaissance society a man’s honour was closely linked to his wife’s behaviour. Iago will use this insecurity to gain control over Othello. Iago’s lies are so successful that it results Othello echoing his words â€Å"handkerchief† ( Act IV.1.22). This attitude of Othello elicits the audience’s pity. In addition Desdemona’s lie about the handkerchief â€Å"It is not lost â€Å"[Act III . IV.79], forces the audience to lose sympathy with her as they did with Othello in Act III, as it could be seen that she was partially responsible for her own death. This act gives Iago luck, allowing him to present handkerchief as â€Å"ocular proof† to Othello. Although it may been seen that Desdemona is partly responsible for this outcome, we can also infer that Othello ‘s hubris ; his arrogance and belief in Iago has prevented him to confront Desdemona. The society at the time, believed that men were superior to women. Perhaps such a great general and man of authority believed it was beneath him to directly ask about Desdemona infidelity. It is not only Othello that evokes fear, Iago’ s soliloquies can also create fear in the audience. They illustrate his true motives; his soliloquies support the theme of deception, â€Å"I am not what I am† the declarative allows the audience to see a Machiavellian character emerge. It also infers Iago has duplicitous nature. The Audiences will fear Iago as he presented as dangerous figure. Also this statement mimics the Biblical God; in exodus God says â€Å"I am what I am†; and just like a god, Iago controls the dynamics of the play. The monosyllabic declarative create suspense as well as anticipation, as we are unaware of his abilities. The fact that he is referred to â€Å"Honest Iago† creates dramatic irony, as the audience are aware of his duplicitous nature and the characters on stage are not. Desdemona is â€Å"honest† to Othello, she remains faithful, and her innocence is juxtaposed in his perception of her character as the â€Å"whore of Venice†. The use of ironies evokes the audience to feel pity for Desdemona, as she the helpless victim. They also feel pity for Othello as he being manipulated. The final scene of Othello is very cathartic. It purges emotions, as the audience feel both â€Å"pity† and â€Å"fear† for both Desdemona and Othello. We feel there is a sense of waste and loss. The deaths of Desdemona, Othello and Emilia were â€Å"unnecessary†, because these characters were innocent puppets of Iago’s game. Othello briefly returns to his former glory through his Ananogrosis O fool [ActV.ii.320], he regains his dignity returns to speak in former figurative language â€Å"Drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees†. In my opinion, Othello suicide was way to redeem him. The sense of loss in the play is profound by evoking â€Å"pity and fear.† Reference http://www.jstor.org/stable/3122719

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Critique on Frida Kahlo essays

Critique on Frida Kahlo essays This painting is a self portrait of Frida Kahlo, in two split personalities. The Two Frida's was made in 1939. It is oil on canvas, standing at a height of 581/2 square. It is hanging in the Museo de Arte, in Mexico City. There are two Fridas, sitting in adjacent chairs and holding hands, staring back at the viewer. The two Frida's are sitting on a green weaved bench on a brownish smooth floor, and behind them is a painting of blue and gray sky on a wall. One Frida is wearing a native Indian custom (a tehuana skirt) and a blouse. The blouse is blue with a gold trim, and the skirt is green with a white train. This Frida is holding a little portrait of a man. At first glance the little portrait looks like a pin or a big button, until one gets a closer look at it. The other Frida is dressed in a white European long, style dress, with flower embroidery at the end of the skirt. The two Frida's are connected to each other by a joint circulatory system with their hearts exposed. The heart of the Frida in white is cut and torn open. The artery that connects the two Fridas is severed. The Frida in the white European Victorian dress holds a surgical clamp and appears to have snipped the blood flow to her, thus one can see blood dripping over her lap forming a pool of blood. The heart of the Mexican Frida is fully intact and appears to be feeding off blood from the Victorian Frida. Both Frida's have their hair braided and pulled upward, this hair style typifying a true Frida hairstyle. They both have red rosy cheeks and the long thick eyebrows that come together in a concave form. Frida uses different colors to convey the message she is trying to put across to her viewers. There is a use of earthly colors in the clothing of the Mexican Frida to convey her cultural background. The other Fridas dress is all white, with reddish rose flowers on it. There is a r ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

INTRO to SOCIOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

INTRO to SOCIOLOGY - Essay Example Such perspectives may be thought of as certain models of social reality. Indeed, each theoretical perspective offers general postulates about the way society works, and for this purpose tries to correspondingly interpret numerous facts of a societys functioning and development. As with other models which human beings employ for understanding the world, like in science, philosophy, and in our everyday goings-on, sociological perspectives construct models with the aim to uncover the meaning of what we regularly witness around us. However, particular models often tend to highlight some specific characteristics of the complex social network of interdependencies, and thus turn out to accentuate different elements of a societys structure and functioning. Some perspectives even proclaim the refusal to accept the indisputable universal validity of offered perspectives as such. In general, while such narrow focuses of sociological perspectives may be quite warranted if we consider that they h elp to concentrate the research on one problem or a set of closely-related problems for their proper clarification, there is a flip side of a coin as hardly any concrete theoretical sociological perspective may be righteously considered to be the best one. The reason for this is not only in the fact that conscious contraction of research space to one particular perspective makes the investigation inherently limited. After all, this limitation can be mitigated by addressing many alternative perspectives which in combination may produce a more coherent picture of social phenomena. The more subtle problem is rather in the limitations of sociological perspectives due to their mostly theoretical background which, if due to some reason it lags behind the actual social tendencies, may hinder productive efforts to build the most adequate model of social reality. Still, this problem seems to be inevitable in our dynamic social environment with its unprecedented level of change in many sphere s of our life. Nevertheless, this should not discourage us from attempts to achieve the proper level of understanding of the roots and hidden driving forces behind existing social problems with the help of sociological perspectives. Rather, with the above considerations in mind we should be able to properly see when different sociological perspectives can be effectively employed, and which strong and weak points each of them contains. For this purpose, let us overview the so-called conflict and symbolic interactionist sociological perspectives, and identify a social problem which can be analysed with the help of those perspectives. Theorists of the conflict perspective are interested in the macro level of society and see it not as a solidary formation but as a battle-field for power struggles. Under this view, people are not really co-operating for social benefits, but instead are advancing their particular interests at the expense of other people. The notion of power plays a major role here, and can be defined as the ability of a person, or a group of persons, to fulfil their own will regardless of the existing disagreement of other people who are involved in their actions. Marx is a famous conflict theorist who viewed the conflict between classes as

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Story of an Hour vs A Rose for Emily Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Story of an Hour vs A Rose for Emily - Essay Example Jefferson stands to embrace a more commercial and contemporary future although it is remains perched on past events and circumstances. The past is especially reflected in the faded glory of the Grierson home and town cemetery where unknown soldiers who participated in the Civil War were long buried. Emily is deeply rooted in tradition remaining in the same position for many years despite the explicit changes in the community she is living in. Emily as a character is both a blessing and curse to her community. She is a blessing in that she represents the traditions of the people she wishes to honor and respect. On the other hand, she is a burden and cut from the rest of the world and nurses peculiarities that other people cannot understand as she acts outside common expectation. She lives in her own world that is timeless; she refuses the affixation of the metallic numbers to the side of her house when her town receives modern mail service. Jefferson highly regards the traditional notions of reputation and honor although the narrator criticizes the old men who gather for her funeral. Death is very eminent in the story; the narrator mentions the death of Emily at the beginning of the story (Faulkner 1). There is a clear description of Emily’s death and haunted life even as the community traditions are expressed in the wake of modern changes. The Emily fixture in the community paves way for slow death. She is compared to a drowned woman and she is referred to as having a small spare skeleton. Her charm and respectability declines over the years much like the Griersons’ outdated sensibilities. Emily’s point of view regarding death and changes in life is quite different from what the other members of the society believe. Emily attempts to deny the facts of death; her weird relationship to the dead bodies of the men she loved is exposed when her father dies. She does not admit the death of her father and she lives in denial of the truth. Her reaction to the

Monday, November 18, 2019

MSc computer system security 'RFID' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

MSc computer system security 'RFID' - Essay Example The prime advantage of RFID technology is its ease of use and minimalism. RFID replaces barcodes and is a time saving, effective and reliable alternative. That is the reason why it is adopted and deployed in multipurpose applications i.e. Supply Chain Management (SCM), Inventory Tracking, Theft Protection, Location based Services, Electronic Health Monitoring for health care systems, RFID integrated travel documents, payment systems and context-aware applications. In recent years, this technology is flourishing robustly due to its extensive usability in upcoming technologies i.e. Ubiquitous Computing, Pervasive Computing or Ambient Intelligence Solutions. RFID technology comprises of transmitters spreading electromagnetic technology in the environment to send and receive signals. The communication is conducted between two elements, transceiver and transponder. 2. Radio Frequency James Clerk formulated its principles in 19th Century [9]. The radio waves propagation is emitted the form of electromagnetic waves and promulgate in speed of light. The applications of radio waves consist of Radar systems, Fixed Mobile and Satellite Communication, Media Broadcasting and Computer Networks. Radio waves can utilize different band of frequencies measured in Hertz (Hz) which represents the natural process of oscillation in waves. RFID technology utilizes Low Frequency (LF), High Frequency (HF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) from the electromagnetic spectrum. Light waves have certain limitations when passing through objects. On the other hand radio waves travel through solid objects and opaque materials. The range of radio frequency waves which is currently used illustrates the following ranges; 30 KHz and 30 GHz [9]. Table 1 from [9] defines the bands in the electromagnetic spectrum. 3. Barcodes and RFID There is always a logical concept of analyzing RFID as a better substitute for the barcodes systems. However, the consideration of difference between these two technologies is imperative in order to deploy them successfully. Undeniably, RFID technology does not entail a line of sight to read the tags as compared to barcodes, where it is mandatory to identify the tag optically to scan it within a squat distance. Furthermore, in RFID technology, the space for data in a tag can be more than 100 bytes which is far greater than the maximum space available in barcodes. The available storage space provides the freedom to assign identification numbers not only to a brand but also to each item individually. The valuable functionality of identifying multiple tags concurrently enhances the efficiency in any operational environment employing this technology. On the other hand, RFID technology is prone in terms of attenuation and propagation problems hereditary from radio frequency, more specifically in the existence of metal or liquid. It is also a cheaper deployment as compared to barcode technology. Consequently, RFID industry stakeholders are working tirelessl y to minimize the cost of RFID technology. The efforts are making the component prices lower, which are vital in calculating a cost of any RFID solution. As per the report in 2006, the RFID tag price will be around five cents [10]. 4. RFID Privacy and Security The protection related to privacy and security incorporated with RFID technology cannot be rectified without analyzing causes and driving factors. While ease of use and cost are the most significant factors, accumulation of

Friday, November 15, 2019

Ernest Hemingways Indian Camp Analysis

Ernest Hemingways Indian Camp Analysis The Indian camp is generally recognized as one of Hemingways best and most interesting short stories. It primarily focuses on the relationship between father and son, and on its attendant rites of initiation into the world of adult experience: child birth, loss of innocence and suicide. (Werlock). The boy, Nick Adams, accompanies his doctor father to the Indian camp where a pregnant woman has serious complications as she labors to give birth. Dr. Adams ultimately saves her life and that of the baby by performing a caesarian section, but, shortly afterwards, the womans husband commits suicide. The story dramatizes what is apparently the young Nick Adams first confrontation with profound personal suffering. This can be reflected in the numerous questions that he poses to his father, do ladies always have such a hard time having babies? and do many men kill themselves, Daddy? ,the afflictions and torments of life now seem clear to Nick for the first time in his life. A number of specific questions arise from this short story, such as, why does the Indian husband kill himself? What is Uncle Georges role, and why does he disappear by the end of the story? How are we supposed to feel toward Dr. Adams? although the story is consistently read as a father-son initiation tale, these sort of questions encourage a reader to look beyond the simple and benevolent fact that Dr. Adams almost surely saved the life of the Indian woman and her baby and focus attention on some more disturbing aspects of the story. (Tyler) The story Indian camp, was crafted with a lot of symbolism and other aspects of literature that are so characteristic of Hemingways, approach and technique of narrating his stories, that is, in a very simple and obvious way but full and rich with hidden meanings. These aspects of the story are what this paper will seek to look at and address, with the expectation that they will come as close as possible to what other writers have attempted to imply Hemingway meant when he wrote the short story. The story through various aspects portrays the notion of initiation, young Nick Adams is being initiated into adulthood. From the beginning of the story, nick and his father, got in the stern of the boat and then crossed over from one area to another by use of water. The water herein represents not only a means of travel but also, the cycle of life from birth to death. moreover, when they are heading back, the writer states, The sun was coming up over the hillsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ this too symbolizes a new beginning for young nick who through the experience at the Indian camp, returns home ,having passed through another rite of passage. In addition, when they arrive at the Indian camp, the young Indian stopped and blew out his lantern. This literal shift from lightness to darkness represents the figurative separation for nick. He no longer is positioned in his comfort zone. The description and the meticulous details that Hemmingway has narrated in regards to the journey that they take to arrive at the Indian camp. A journey that was seemingly very long and endless. They had to travel across the river and through the forest overcoming all the obstacles and being blinded by nightfall. This journey tends to signify the passage that an individual takes after birth all the way through to adulthood, commonly referred to as the journey of life. The Indian womans screams have been going on for a long time, so long that the men of the village have purposely moved out of earshot; but Dr. Adams tells nick that the screams are not important(68) and chooses not to hear them. As a doctor, he adopts this attitude as a professional necessity in order to accomplish the difficult task of performing the operation without aesthetic. Conversely, it may indicate his callousness to the womans evident pain. Dr. Adams is coolly professional to the point of callousness. His jubilant pride in his work immediately after the operation becomes particularly pronounced when the writer writes, He was feeling exalted and talkative as football players are in the dressing room after a game. In addition when he addresses Uncle George and says, Thats one for the medical journal, George, Doing a Caesarian with a jack-knife and sewing it up with nine-foot, tapered gut leaders. Ironically this ends, the moment he realizes that his indifference to his patients screams blinded him to the acute emotional suffering of her husband in the upper bunk, suffering that directly led to the mans suicide. Readers view of DR. Adams may influence the way they interpret the Indians husbands suicide: why does he slit his throat moments after Dr. Adams has operated and the baby is successfully delivered? Do readers see a connection between the presence of Uncle George and the husbands decision to commit suicide? Is Uncle George the father? We also have to look at uncle Georges remarks to Dr. Adams, oh, youre a great man, all right(69), this could have been taken either as a seriously remark, meant to congratulate him for the successive delivery or sarcastically intended, in reference to the widely speculated thought that the born child could be his son ? The short bust of questions from Nick to his father on the significance of life and death leave him with his final thought: he feels quite sure he would never die (70). Nicks reflections on immortality, here in the protective warmth of his fathers arms, may represent his last moments of youthful innocence before he falls into such adult experiences such as romance and war which are reflected in the latter chapters of in our time. It is also worth noting the fathers cruelty in compelling his son to participate in a bloody, exquisite painful operation, which the boy is too young to see. Well before the suicide, the evidently overwhelmed young boy elects to stop watching the operation. Moreover, the fathers reference to his son as an interne indicates his egoistic motivation in compelling his son to witness the messy and painful surgery. He wants to remake his son into his own image There is also the explicit description that Hemmingway gives while relating to the graphic image of the Indian who commits suicide, His throat had been cut from ear to ear. The blood had flowed down into a pool where his body sagged the bunk. His head rested on his left arm. The open razor lay, edge up, in the blanket(69.), this great detail description is employed to show the effect that the picture had on Nick, since shortly after, he commences a conversation with his dad, whereby he questions his father about suicides. This leads changes the focus to death rather than the birth of a new child. Nick is shocked at the sight of a dead person and through this he learns that indeed life is very easy to cut short. And in addition removes the peaceful image that they had of the world, a harmless and untouched world. The birth of the baby and the subsequent death of the Indian husband is an ironic tragic event. Through this happy yet tragic chain of events, the true message of humanitys own mortality is revealed. Life gives way to death and the reverse is also true Many if not all initiation stories end with a sort of epiphany which usually signals the prime of the maturity process of the protagonist, in Indian camps, the story does not follow the conventional orthodox pattern of an initiation stories. Nick, Dr. Adams sons does not come to this accepted realization and ending, from his final thought: he feels quite sure he would never die (70). He shows that his maturity process still remains incomplete in the initiation. (Campbell) Hemingways oblique and sparse writing style encourages such open-ended questions, and his ending to the story refuses to settle on a single clear. This can be reflected in his end statements which leave the reader with more questions than answers to think and pounder about. Cited sources Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 3, illustrated. New World Library, 2008. Hemingway, Earnest. Indian Camp. In the Complete Short Stories of Earnest Hemingway. The Finca Vigfa Edition. New York: Charles Scribners sons, 1987. Tyler, Lisa. Student companion to Ernest Hemingway. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001. Werlock, James P. The Facts on File companion to the American short story, Volume 2. 2. Infobase Publishing, 2010.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Comapring Naivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels and

Naivete and Satire in Jonathan Swifts' Gulliver's Travels and Voltaire's Candide       A child has the ability to make the most critical and objective observation on society and the behavior of man. How is this possible? A child has yet to mature and lacks proper education and experience. However, it is for this very reason that a child would make the perfect social scientist; his or her naivete may provide an excellent means of objective criticism and most often satire. A child's curious nature and hunger for knowledge would bring about an unbiased questioning of social structures, minus the brainwashing of these very institutions, and his or her vulnerability would expose any societal dangers present. This child-like scientist would see the truth as it is.    This same premise may be applied to literary works. A naive character or narrator may be used as a child-like scientist, who reveals social truths to the audience through his or her naivete. As Maurois has noted, in writing about Candide, by Voltaire," It was novel of apprenticeship, that is, the shaping of an adolescent's ideas by rude contact with the universe" (101). Jonathan Swift also takes this approach in his work Gulliver's Travels, where Gulliver, the main character, provides a naive point of reference.    The satires Gulliver's Travels, by Jonathan Swift, and Candide, by Voltaire, both make use of naivete to convey satirical attacks on society. In both works, litotes [understatements] are made of extremely absurd situations, which further illuminates the ridiculous nature of a situation. Characters in each novel are made vulnerable by their overly trusting natures. This is taken advantage of, and these characters are left e... ... Ideas. New York: D Appleton and Company, 1929. * "Introduction to Gulliver's Travels." Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors. Ed. M.H. Abrhams et al. Sixth ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1995. * Lawler, John. "The Evolution of Gulliver's Character." Norton Critical Editions. * Maurois, Andre'. Voltaire. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1932. * Mylne, Vivienne. The Eighteenth-Century French Novel. Manchester: University of Manchester Press, 1965. * Pasco, Allan H. Novel Configurations A Study of French Fiction. Birmingham: Summa Publications, 1987. * Quintana, Ricardo "Situation as Satirical Method." Norton Critical Editions: Jonathan Swift Gulliver's Travels. Ed. Robert A Greenberg. New York: W. W. Norton and Company Inc., 1961. * Van Doren, Carl. Swift .New York: The Viking Press, 1930. Â