Power in Frankenstein :: essays research papers

Most people agree that Victor Frankenstein holds the most power in the text. In creating the monster, he not only has the power to create life but also the power to, indirectly, save or destroy others lives. Critics of his character speculate that Justine could have been saved had be only confessed his actions in Ingolstadt. However, the creature also holds considerable power. For example, he held power over Justine’,s fate when he incriminated her with the necklace. He holds some power over the De Lacy family, as it is his actions in collecting firewood that decide whether or not Felix must work as heavily during the day. In turn, the De Lacy family hold power, unbeknownst to them, over the creature, so much so that he commits himself to living in what is little more than a wooden box for a year. The creature’,s hopes for the future lie entirely on this family, and power of this nature is perhaps the strongest type of power anybody could exert over another being. This is due to the fact that the one who is controlled, ie, the creature, does not realize this and so will never attempt to free themselves from the hierarchy they find themselves in. But it is also evident that someone, or something, exerted great control over the De Lacy family, as they are living an impoverished, isolated lifestyle. The creature’,s account of the family’,s history discovers this fact to the readers, that was in fact the French government. Given the time period, 17--, this is presumably patriarchal to the extreme. While for a while it could be supposed that Felix held power over the government, as he assisted in Safie’,s father’,s jail break, but the latter caught up with him and ultimately ruined him and his family. On this train of thought, Felix’,s family hold power over Safie’,s father, but only while he is imprisoned. Once he is freed, the tables turn, and he breaks his promise to Felix of his daughters hand in marriage. Coming form an Eastern society that is suggested to be even more patriarchal than the Western European culture, a power struggle ensues between Safie, who wishes to marry Felix, and her father, who wants her to return home with him. What is most interesting is the fact that it is Safie, with the assistance of another woman, who eventually gets her own way.

Ekushey book fair Essay

Every year when you visit the Bangla Academy area during the first few days of February, the place takes on a festive air with throngs of people making their way to the annual Ekushey Book Fair. The entire place is lined with book stalls displaying books from every major publisher in the country, catering to the tastes of absolutely every reader. As you walk in, you are greeted by street artists offering to paint a little something on your face or hands to commemorate the occasion. As you walk around the grounds, you come across little children and young people alike, sporting a bit of face art to add to festive mood of the setting. This 2nd of February saw the inauguration of the Ekushey Book Fair for the year 2012. The place was packed with people. The line at the entry to the fair stretched to the end of the road to the Bangla Academy grounds. People from every age group could be seen, waiting to get inside and browse through the books that await them. The Ekushey Book fair has become one of the major cultural festivals for the Bangalis, a way to celebrate the rich and varied literature that our Bengali language boasts. Every year, the Fair launches a host of books by various authors, both up and coming authors as well the established names. This year, it is reported that about 4,000 new books will be unveiled in the fair, while the number was 3,334 last year. 15 year old school student Audhora Kamrul was excited to arrive at the fair. She says, â€Å"I love coming to the Ekushey Book fair every year. My love of books makes this an event that I eagerly wait for every year. I have been coming here with my father since I was a little kid and I have loved it since then. † The Bangla Academy premises are transformed into a giant book store with stalls lining the entire area, stuffed with all kinds of books. The area plays host to every publisher in the country, each with their own stall to showcase the books that are on the market and being launches at the fair every day. A huge number of titles hit the book fair each day. The new arrivals include stories, novels, collection of essays, poetry, research books, books on child literature, five autobiographies, on the liberation war, dramas, books on science, translated titles, history books, science fictions and others. The choice is endless. Seminars, symposiums and cultural functions are held every day on the academy stage wherein eminent litterateurs and academics take part. Information about new books will be displayed on large screens at the venue for the convenience of the visitors. Close to 630 stalls have been set up, allotted to 425 organisations and publishing houses. This year, the fair saw a rise in the number of visitors and the crowds seemed to just roll in. The fair is an opportunity for book lovers, authors and intellectuals to congregate and share views, to have an opportunity to sample all the different types of books available in the market in one place, as well as meet ones literary heroes since the fair is a famous haunt for authors during this time. Kamran Islam, a student of Dhaka University, says, â€Å"The fair is a great place to just hang out with friends on an evening and may be buy a few books. It’s a lot of fun. Previously, I had the opportunity to run into some of my favourite authors. It is a thrill like no other to run into one your heroes while strolling through a fair! I love reading and buying books, and for me this fair is a great celebration of that†. For Kashfia Quayum, a recent graduate from the English Department at North South University, this is her first time at the Book Fair and she seems to be enjoying it a lot. â€Å"I haven’t had a chance to visit the fair before. The last time I was here, I was just a kid and remember very little of it. This time, I am enjoying it a lot. It’s a great way to learn about the literature of my own country and gain knowledge on the reading trends when it comes to Bangla books. I bought a lot of books today. Hopefully this will be the start of a great love affair between me and the literature of my mother tongue† Apart from the great collection of literature on display, the fair also hosts some of the more traditional treats such as street artists stationed outside the fair grounds, offering an opportunity to have your portrait done while you sit. The festive air around the grounds along with colorful stalls and knick knacks being sold here and there gives the fair an aura of a giant party that anyone is welcome to join. According to the book sellers this year, the sales seem to be on the rise. They are hopeful that book sales will be much better this year since the crowds seems to be much bigger. Amongst the new arrivals, Samorik Shashoner Doshoke by Anu Muhammad, Prithibita Ke Kahar by Mohit Kamal, Chhotravonger Purbapor by Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Amra Kew Basai Nai by Humayun Ahmed, Ratuler Raat Ratuler Din by Muhammad Jafar Iqbal, Rabindranather Chitrashilpa by Ahmed Rafique, Stupid A Plus by Hafiz Al Faruque, Rochanabali (2nd part) by Sumsuzzaman Khan, Shrestha Kabita by Taslima Nasreen, Manush by Ismat Ara Eva are some of the prominent books.

The Tragic Characters Of Sophocles Antigone - 1652 Words

In literature, a tragedy is a drama where the main character in the end suffers extreme sorrow because of their mistakes or poor judgment. If characters’ fates are to suffer the extreme sorrows, then these characters are tragic characters. These tragic characters, however, must follow Aristotle’s principles which include hamartia, hubris, peripeteia, anagnorisis, nemesis, and catharsis. If the character has all six of Aristotle’s principles, then the character can qualify as an Aristotelian tragic character. Two examples of Aristotelian tragic characters are from Sophocles’ Greek play Antigone from the trilogy dealing with Oedipus and his children (Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone). The two Aristotelian tragic characters are Creon, the king of Thebes in Antigone, and Antigone herself. Creon‘s hamartia, his flaw that causes his downfall, includes his stubbornness which causes him to not listen to the opinions of others, including Tiresias, additionally, this also connects to hubris since he also did this because of his pride. In Antigone, Creon is an Aristotelian tragic character. His six principles are more obvious to the reader. Tiresias tries to warn Creon as to what will come if he doesn’t change his ways now, but he ignores Tiresias even though he is a prophet. Creon says Tiresias sold â€Å"his wisdom† and â€Å"lets out his words for hire† (Sophocles 837). This means that Creon thinks that Tiresias has come to say these things to him because someone pays TiresiasShow MoreRelatedTragic Characters of Sophocles Antigone: Examining Creons Hubris 998 Words   |  4 Pagestragedies were particularly popular during the ancient times. Through out his lifetime, Sophocles wrote tens of plays, but one in particular, Antigone earned him his e steemed title. In Antigone, there is much debate present about who the tragic character is. A tragic character (sometimes called tragic hero) is a character who undergoes a reversal of fate, essentially hubris. Many opine the Creon is the tragic character as he experiences the ultimate reversal of fortune when his son, wife, and niece dieRead More The Tragic Hero: Creon or Antigone? Essay1293 Words   |  6 Pagestragedy Antigone, the characters Antigone and Creon can both be thought of as the tragic hero of the play. Though Antigone does show some of these characteristics of a tragic hero, Creon demonstrates the attributes more clearly and concisely. Creon is the King of Thebes, as well as the uncle of Antigone. Creon took the throne after a tragic quarrel between his two nephews, Eteocles and Polyneices. Despite his harsh governing and his crude ideals, he is not good or bad. Creon is the tragic hero ofRead MoreAntigone Character Analysis1422 Words   |  6 Pages Antigone, the final play in a series including Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, discusses the ideas of leadership, family, and choices. It features two central characters: Antigone, a girl who chooses to illegally bury her brother, and Creon, a king who decrees the burial of the brother to be illegal. Upon the first encounter of the text, it appears that Antigone is the â€Å"hero† of the play, but on further analysis, one realizes that the tragic hero, as defined by Aristotle, is actually Creon. The ideaRead MoreAntigone by Sophocles1059 Words   |  5 Pages In the book Antigone, Creon and Antigone can be considered as the tragic heroes of the play. Antigone is considered the tragic hero because of the characteristics she shows such as her ambition to defeat Creon, Creon shows more of the characteristics clearly. Creon is the king of Thebes. He is also Antigones uncle. Creon became king after a fight between Eteocles and Polyneices. One may see Creon as a harsh and controlling ruler, but he is not good nor bad because he shows signs of both like whenRead MoreWho Is More Tragic, Creon or Antigone?863 Words   |  4 Pagesdownfall of the character. In Antigone, both Creon and Antigone share some tragic elements: tragic hero, hamartia, hubris, and nemesis. However, Creon is a more tragic hero than Antigone because his character has tragic elements that are absent from the character of Antigone: anagnorisis, peripeteia, and catharsis. There are many tragic elements that both Creon and Antigone share. According to Aristotle, the hero must be a character of high birth or national prominence. Since Antigone is royalty andRead MoreTragic Heroism of Creon Essay1032 Words   |  5 PagesCreon, a character in the Greek tragedy â€Å"Antigone†, resembles a perfect example of a tragic hero. This play was written by Sophocles, a historic playwright during the 5th century. It begins with the illegal burial of Polyneices, Antigone’s beloved brother. Creon, the King of Thebes, is coerced to condemn his niece Antigone to death. Being loyal to his city, Creon follows through with his punishment of Antigone. By doing so, his character is changed forever. Creon has the qualities of a tragic hero:Read MoreCreon as Tragic Hero1586 Words   |  7 PagesFinest In the Greek play Antigone, Creon and Antigone can both be claimed the title of Tragic Hero. Creon was made king when Oedipus Rex fled the kingship. Creon is the brother in law of Oedipus, and was giving the kingship only because Oedipus’s sons, Eteocles and Polyneices were killed trying to fight for the thrown. Antigone is Oedipus’s daughter and Creon’s niece. When it comes down to who the tragic hero is, Creon most definitely walks away with the title. A tragic hero by definition is ordinaryRead More Creon As Tragic Hero of Sophocles’ Antigone Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesCreon As Tragic Hero of Sophocles’ Antigone Since the play’s inception, there has always existed a contention concerning the true hero of Sophocles’ Antigone. It is a widely held belief that Antigone must be the main character simply because she and the drama share name. This is, of course, a very logical assumption. Certainly Sophocles must have at least meant her to be viewed as the protagonist, else he would not have given her the play’s title. Analytically speaking, however, Creon doesRead MoreAntigone - Paper 131697 Words   |  7 PagesGreek drama was written in such a way that the characters are the pivotal aspect of the play. The main characters in Sophocles’ epic play, Antigone, are both very strong personalities, which naturally leads to conflict. Antigone and King Creon both have very intense beliefs and roles in this play that oppose each other, and although there is a family tie, will lead to an imminent tragedy. Antigone is a young women who believes in the loyalty of her family and fears no one and nothing. She is willingRead MoreEssay about The Greek Gods Did Not Think Before They Acted1615 Words   |  7 Pagesstep back and rationally understand situations it essentially is too late. In Sophocles’ play Antigone, the author follows the Aristotalean principles of a tragic heroine in contriving the character Antigone. One distinct component of a tragic hero that Antigone comprises of is that she comes from a noble family that holds a dignified stance in society and has good morals. As a descendent of the Labdacus family, Antigone comes from nobility as her father was once the King of Thebes. After her father