Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon

Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon

The critic William Malcolm suggests that in choosing a female protagonist for Sunset Song, Gibbon was ‘deliberately challenging the status quo’. This brief article explores this proposition.

Before assessing the validity of Malcolm’s statement, it’s important to consider what he, or we, might mean by the status quo, at least as far as this relates to writing. It seems reasonable to look at the work of some earlier Scottish novelists to identify any broad themes that emanate from their work, and which define Scottish writing. Certainly it’s easy to associate writers such as Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson with tales of male heroics and adventure, though neither of these authors wrote exclusively about Scotland. Many of their most remembered novels do have gothic overtones but that tends to be borne out of the evil that dwells within the hearts of men; the bleakness of the setting is used more to reinforce that theme – it’s not there to illustrate the harshness of Scottish life. Of Gibbon’s peers the two most worthy of mention in this context are Ian Maclaren and George Douglas Brown – since Gibbon makes reference to both of their work. Maclaren’s collection of short stories, Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush (1894), is an example of the kailyard novel. Kailyard novels emerged at the end of the nineteenth century and are notable for their sentimental depiction of rural life in Scotland, and their avoidance of the reality of the harshness faced by some Scots. In a way they are the latter-day equivalent of today’s classic shortbread tin illustration. Brown’s The House with the Green Shutters (1901) is at the other end of the spectrum and was a far more truthful depiction of the reality of Scottish rural life. In these stories the protagonist was a male character. In the final paragraph of the first chapter of Sunset Song Gibbon gives us a clue that he sees the novel representing life somewhere between these two extremes: ‘…fathered between a kailyard and a bonny brier bush in the lee of a house with green shutters.’

So, on the simple measure that Scottish novels tended to have a male as the central character, Gibbon was challenging the status quo. My own view is that making the main protagonist a woman isn’t really challenging the status quo. It’s worth remembering that female protagonists weren’t new to literature generally. Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Bennett are two obvious examples. Female protagonists created by male authors – such as Medea and Tess – are also in evidence, though they are fundamentally tragic characters. But to suggest that he selected Chris as his central character just to challenge the status quo would be to trivialise his motive for doing so. There’s more to it than simply ‘cocking a snook’ at his contemporaries. I think the challenge to the status quo is in the way the female protagonists thinks and acts. In Sunset Song, Gibbon wanted to make some clear points about the reality of rural life in Scotland and some wider statements about social structures. In his contribution to the Writers’ International Controversy in 1935 he described himself as a revolutionary writer and stated that, ‘…all my books are explicit or implicit propaganda’. Sunset Song falls into the implicit category. It’s reasonable to conclude that he didn’t want Sunset Song to be seen as an overtly political novel, and didn’t allow Chris’ character to be distorted by any political bias. I think that having a female protagonist was instrumental in helping him to achieve this. In fact, it’s arguable that Gibbon wanted his book to reach as wide an audience as possible – a not unnatural aspiration among authors – and chose to write in a style that blended traditional Scots and standard English, thus making it accessible to many more readers. In the remainder of this essay I’d like to explore some reasons why I believe a female protagonist was essential to get across at least some of the essential points that Gibbon wanted to make.

Sex, and the treatment and description of sex is one of the most controversial features of this novel. There are a number of scenes where sex is examined in detail and implicitly. These include instances where Chris examines her body in the mirror, when she stripped to help her mother wash the blankets (and was admonished by her father), her first kiss with her classmate Margaret, and where a casual labourer offers to ‘deflower’ her. These are all fairly minor incidents and on their own wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows. The suggestions of incest though really do challenge the status quo of Scottish writing, and indeed western societies, at that time. The first of these instances occurs when Chris snuggles up to her brother Will in bed after John Guthrie had beaten him. There is no suggestion that anything other than a snuggle took place but it is undoubtedly unusual behaviour for teenage siblings of any generation. Later in the story, after the death of Chris’s mother, her father John Guthrie is on his deathbed and asks Chris to lie with him – ‘You’re my flesh and blood, I can do with you what I will…’. One of the most poignant sexual moments occurs on the evening of Ewan’s return from military training. After arriving late and drunk, he verbally abuses Chris and his own son, before making love to her in a rough and uncaring manner. The narrative describing this event is brief but illustrates the horror felt by Chris – ‘…memory of the foulness something cold and vile…’, ‘…his beast-like mauling…’, ‘…burned and danced on that mirror that wheeled and wheeled in her brain.’. Chris again sees herself in the mirror, but this time she’s being ‘raped’ by her husband. I use inverted commas here only because I’m not sure it would be considered rape in these times. The simple point is that these sexual references would have less meaning and impact if seen through the eyes of a male. In our society, sex is not a threat to men. They are the predators and women the victims. (Ewan had already kissed her violently before they were properly introduced and would have done more if she hadn’t escaped his clutches.) Gibbon wouldn’t have been able to explore this aspect of sexual relationships if the story was focused on a male character. These incidents would simply not be able to be described with the same level of emotion. By choosing a female protagonist Gibbon can critique male domination and male domestic and sexual violence in a graphic and shocking way — undermining the masculine hegemony of society.

        One of the themes of Sunset Song is change, and that means changes to the land, to society and to people. All of this change is shown through the perspective of Chris. We learn through the narrative that there are two sides to Chris; the Scottish Chris experiences a strong physical connection to the land and this aspect of her character eventually triumphs. We meet Chris as a young teenager torn between her two selves, her education and ability helps her to develop a keener sense of herself, she begins to discover the physical side of herself. When her parents die she becomes, through necessity, first stronger (she’s able to stand up to her father better) then more independent (after his death she decides to remain at Blawearie). Eventually she gets married and gives birth and experiences the pain of the death of someone she loved. In the novel Gibbon sets these changes in Chris with different phases of the agricultural cycle, with each chapter representing a different phase of Chris’s life. For example in Seed-Time she marries Ewan and falls pregnant, and in Harvest she gives birth to her son. At the same time we see changes in the land beyond the agricultural cycle: the cutting down of the trees for the war industry, the violent death of the horses, and the motor car ‘pushing’ the people off the road − and John Guthrie being evicted from his home after an incident with a motorist. The way events unfold creates a strong link between what happens to Chris and what happens to the land. In this way their fates are bound together. And like the land, a woman’s body is capable of producing new life. It’s hard to see that this parallel would work with a male protagonist.

Some commentators, including film director Terence Davies, see Chris as an allegorical figure for Scotland. Douglas Gifford, former Professor of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow, endorses this view and attributes this to Gibbon being influenced by nineteenth-century European novels where women were seen as, ‘carriers of the identity and soul of their country’. As mentioned earlier, some writers had put a female figure at the centre of their novel, though in none of these examples was that character in any way representing her nation. Chris is decidedly different as she clearly has a strong physical connection with the land. Her independence means she stands apart from the traditional female character, and certainly the other females in Sunset Song, and at times occupies a space traditionally held by men – for example when she takes over the lease of Blawearie on her father’s death. What’s more, her dual identity mirrors the conflict over the cultural identity of Scotland. The fact that she chose to become Scots Chris rather than English Chris serves to reinforce her position as a symbolic figure for the country. Without thinking too hard it seems that a male could easily represent the land, but the idea of a female character had already been well established in history and in art in that role. Britannia is a name which dates back to Roman Britain. It is depicted as a woman carrying a shield and a trident and has come to personify the British Isles. Similarly in France it’s a female figure, Marianne, who represents the state and the values of the country. Interestingly, in Cloud Howe, the sequel to Sunset Song, Chris’ husband calls her Chris Caledonia.

Finally, we’re left with the question, ‘Would Gibbon have better achieved his aims if the protagonist had been male?’ If we take the broadest theme of the novel to be change, which of the current male characters would best represent that? Certainly not John Guthrie, he’s there to portray the longstanding chauvinistic attitudes of males in the north-east. Chae is already a more rounded likeable character, while Long Rob, while equally likeable, is a man who goes back on his principles even though he knows they have merit. Ewan is the only other main character who undergoes any sort of personal change: he goes from loving Chris to abusing her, and finally realising the error of his ways and loving her again. However, his personal tale is a bleak message.

        In this paper I’ve tried to identify some reasons why Gibbon chose a female protagonist for Sunset Song, beyond the simple act of challenging the status quo. The female character works well in exposing a female perspective on sex and how it could be a violent experience for women; a far cry from the romantic Scotland of the kailyard novels. We also considered the idea of change in the land being mirrored by the changes in a woman’s development and how a female figure has artistically been more relevant as being representative of the land. No doubt it was within Gibbon’s ability to write this story with a male protagonist but I suspect it would be a very different novel than Sunset Song.

To Autumn by John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, -
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing, and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

An analysis of To Autumn by John Keats

“To Autumn” by John Keats is a striking depiction of one man’s love of the season autumn.  The poet reflects on the beauty through the use of imagery and word choice. Throughout the poem the writer reveals a personal theme of his common appreciation for simple things and also the cycle of nature. The poem is broken up into three stanzas, each dealing with a different aspect of the season. Stanza one stresses the abundance of nature and that there is a certain surfeit. The penultimate stanza describes the leisurely feel of autumn and the final section deals with the comforting sounds which can be heard. 

Word choice is successfully used by the writer to convey the attractive features of autumn. Striking images of the fruit and overflowing trees give the season a dreamy quality which the writer adores. This is used alongside the description of the harvest which shows the writer eulogizes.

“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; to swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells”

The first line sets the scene perfectly as the poet uses sibilance to give autumn an authentic lushness. It is effectively used as it establishes with the reader exactly how Keats envisions the season. “mists” adds to the dreamy aura the writer wishes to create and this comforts the reader as it is a pleasant image. “fruitfulness” and “ripeness” initiate the sense of the surfeit and that autumn is bursting with fruit. The use of “swell” and “plump” emphasize the grandness of the whole period as all of nature is in its prime.

Relaxing words are used in the second stanza to enlighten the reader into the restful attitude of autumn. Moving images are also created which gives the season a romantic feel.

“Thee sitting careless on a granary floor…thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind…half-reap’d furrow sound asleep… thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours”

The sight of someone sitting carelessly on a “granary floor” is a very calming image that symbolizes the whole laidback feel to autumn itself. This is then followed by the dreamlike image of the wind flowing through hair which is effective as it is also a soothing vision. The use of alliteration “winnowing wind” reinforces this perfectly. “half reap’d sound asleep” underlines the casual attitude as the harvest is only half done and the use of “sound asleep” highlights the easygoing approach to life at this time of year. The final phrase deals with the slow process of making cider. “oozing” exemplifies this as it is a gradual operation which symbolizes autumn’s lethargic angle on life. “hours and hours” finishes this section off supremely as it conveys a very long time which is what autumn is genuinely all about.

The final stanza dealing with the sounds of autumn is full of descriptive words on the sounds made by animals in autumn. They range from happy tuneful sounds to the “mourn” of gnats.

“And full-grown lambs loud bleat…Hedge-crickets sing…The red-breast whistles…And gathering swallows twitter”

The “loud bleat” of the lambs is comforting as it suggests they are happy and having fun. The fact that they are lambs also adds to this pleasurable image as they represent new life and possess cheerful personalities. “The hedge-crickets sing” is enjoyable as it connotes the idea of a tune. The high pitched noise a cricket makes is never charming but the writer makes it seem pleasant. The “whistle” from the red-breast and the twittering of the swallows are background noises which would be coming from above; boost the joyful atmosphere to help create a whole round pleasing experience for anyone in the surrounding area.
   
Keats cleverly uses imagery to demonstrate his admiration of his favorite time of year. With the use of powerful images and striking visions his adoration of autumn is effectively conveyed.

“And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep steady thy laden head across a brook”

The simile “like a gleaner” personifies a tree as an elderly woman who would be weighed down by tools and fruit. They are similar in that the tree will be burdened with an excess of fruit causing it to bend over the burn. This allowed me to visualize the impact of the surfeit as it is straining trees and adds to the full feel of nature at this time of year.

The imagery used in the final stanza further describes the sounds made by nature.

“Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn”

The fact that the gnats are in a “choir” exemplifies the amount of them which creates another image of nature being at its fullest. They are mourning as it is coming to the end of autumn which symbolizes the writer’s sadness for leaving the season for winter. “mourn” also implies death which would be evident at the end of autumn as all the leaves and fruit fall off the trees.

In conclusion, Keats uses cunning phrases and words to create his depiction of autumn. The reader is made fully aware of his love for the season and every aspect of it. It is evident that the poet enjoyed writing the poem which in turn aids the readers’ appreciation of the text.

The Horses by Edwin Muir

Barely a twelvemonth after
The seven days war that put the world to sleep,
Late in the evening the strange horses came.
By then we had made our covenant with silence,
But in the first few days it was so still
We listened to our breathing and were afraid.
On the second day
The radios failed; we turned the knobs; no answer.
On the third day a warship passed us, heading north,
Dead bodies piled on the deck. On the sixth day
A plane plunged over us into the sea. Thereafter
Nothing. The radios dumb;
And still they stand in corners of our kitchens,
And stand, perhaps, turned on, in a million rooms
All over the world. But now if they should speak,
If on a sudden they should speak again,
If on the stroke of noon a voice should speak,
We would not listen, we would not let it bring
That old bad world that swallowed its children quick
At one great gulp. We would not have it again.
Sometimes we think of the nations lying asleep,
Curled blindly in impenetrable sorrow,
And then the thought confounds us with its strangeness.
The tractors lie about our fields; at evening
They look like dank sea-monsters couched and waiting.
We leave them where they are and let them rust:
'They'll molder away and be like other loam.'
We make our oxen drag our rusty plows,
Long laid aside. We have gone back
Far past our fathers' land.
And then, that evening
Late in the summer the strange horses came.
We heard a distant tapping on the road,
A deepening drumming; it stopped, went on again
And at the corner changed to hollow thunder.
We saw the heads
Like a wild wave charging and were afraid.
We had sold our horses in our fathers' time
To buy new tractors. Now they were strange to us
As fabulous steeds set on an ancient shield.
Or illustrations in a book of knights.
We did not dare go near them. Yet they waited,
Stubborn and shy, as if they had been sent
By an old command to find our whereabouts
And that long-lost archaic companionship.
In the first moment we had never a thought
That they were creatures to be owned and used.
Among them were some half a dozen colts
Dropped in some wilderness of the broken world,
Yet new as if they had come from their own Eden.
Since then they have pulled our plows and borne our loads
But that free servitude still can pierce our hearts.
Our life is changed; their coming our beginning.

An analysis of The Horses by Edwin Muir

“The Horses” by Edwin Muir is a powerful poem written in a specific poetic form. It is a saga of a disturbed future in which a nuclear war has taken place and horses have arrived to replace machinery. It deals with the contrasting themes of destruction and hope and is set on a remote island in Scotland. The use of the saga form along with word choice and imagery helps the reader to appreciate the feelings conveyed by the poet.

In the first section, the poet establishes the saga form. A biblical and archaic register is present right from the beginning with the use of the word “twelvemonth” in the first line to set the tone of the saga. This is used alongside “covenant” in the fourth line which initiates an old atmosphere as it is a bible reference. This again is in sync with the saga form created by the poet. A euphemism is used, “that put the world to sleep” to nullify the event although the reader is aware of the devastating effects of a nuclear war. This is also ironic as being put to sleep is associated with animals that are suffering and not human beings.

The second section of the poem deals with the flashback to the seven days war. Further biblical references are used at the start with the association with Genesis; on the second day…On the third day… On the sixth day”. This connotes the idea that the war is the reversal of creation and it might be God’s way of destroying a civilization that had gone wrong. An eerie mood is created in the following lines by the shocked silence: “We listened to our breathing and were afraid”. This underlines there fear of the world being plunged into a sudden silence that meant they could hear themselves breathing. The syntax also plays a big part in this section as it indicates halts in the narration which keeps in with the mood. The shortness of line seven suggests a gulp before the narrator can continue and the caesurae in lines ten and eleven connote the narrator’s inability to believe this could happen. The enjambment of “Thereafter nothing” also emphasis’s the finality of the words, hence there is nothing left. The warship and plane are used as symbols of war to show the destruction at this point. The idea of the “Dead bodies piled on the deck” also adds to the eerie tone as it is a disturbing image. In line twelve the personification of the radio’s as “Dumb” forms them into a symbol of the technology of man which is partly responsible for the war in the first place. The end of this section introduces a sadder and reflective tone with the vivid image of the nations lying dead, unburied: “curled blindly in impenetrable sorrow”. “Curled” suggests the fetal position − which is the way people naturally fall if they feel threatened − to imply the idea of fear. This is used alongside “blindly” which is ironic in that man’s moral blindness has caused the war in the first place. However a consequence is that people would become blind from the blast, so blindness was both cause and result.

The penultimate section discusses the arrival of the horses and their meaning. The start refers back to the saga register with the used of the phrase “…that evening late in the summer”. This is used to remind the reader the poem is being told from a survivor’s point of view. The juxtaposition of the phrase is used to show that the horses have only come when society has realised its mistake and is willing to start over again. This is further stressed by the line layout which suggests that a period of time has passed for lessons to be learned. The horses’ approach is very important as the reader uses emotive language, first sound then sight: “distant tapping…deepening drumming…hollow thunder”. This crescendo of noise emphasises the power of the coming horses and their striking confidence. The simile “like a wild wave charging” underlines the sheer strength of the horses with their manes combined to form crashing waves on the shore. The following similes contribute to the strangeness of the horses as seen by society: “As fabulous steeds set on an ancient shield or illustrations in a book of knights”. This sets up the horses as symbols representing the old ways of the people and as though the horses are back to give the community a second chance at life setting up a time before technology ruined mankind. The horses are then personified as “stubborn and shy” to give the idea that they were sent by ancestors to add to the fact that they are back to help. The use of the word “colts” adds to this new generation as the horses will continue to breed which will start new life.

The epilogue hosts the oxymoron “free servitude”. This emphasises the horses’ free spirit, unexploited by humans but they still serve them by ploughing fields and pulling carts. The phrase “our life is changed” is also used to show how an effect has been made by the horses for the better as “their coming our beginning” is also used. This stresses that society believes they have been given another chance and will use it instead of destroying it like the last time.

In conclusion, Muir has used the saga form to create a believable story in which a nuclear war has destroyed the world by the technologies of mankind. The solution he offers suggests he believes humans should depend more on nature and less on technology. Man is forgiven in the poem to show he believes God is compassionate and should be loved.

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning

That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Fra Pandolf’s hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will’t please you sit and look at her? I said
“Fra Pandolf” by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there; so, not the first
Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, ’twas not
Her husband’s presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek: perhaps
Fra Pandolf chanced to say “Her mantle laps
Over my lady’s wrist too much,” or “Paint
Must never hope to reproduce the faint
Half-flush that dies along her throat”: such stuff
Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough
For calling up that spot of joy. She had
A heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad,
Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
Sir, ’twas all one! My favour at her breast,
The dropping of the daylight in the West,
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
She rode with round the terrace—all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech,
Or blush, at least. She thanked men,—good! but thanked
Somehow—I know not how—as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody’s gift. Who’d stoop to blame
This sort of trifling? Even had you skill
In speech—(which I have not)—to make your will
Quite clear to such an one, and say, “Just this
Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,
Or there exceed the mark”—and if she let
Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set
Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse,
—E’en then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene’er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. Will’t please you rise? We’ll meet
The company below, then. I repeat,
The Count your master’s known munificence
Is ample warrant that no just pretence
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;
Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed
At starting, is my object. Nay, we’ll go
Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,
Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!

An analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning

“My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning is a powerful dramatic monologue dealing with the exploits of the Duke of Ferrara. The poet uses this form along with characterisation to provoke the reader into feeling angry towards the Duke. Throughout the poem, a theme of relationship is revealed which contributes to the successful portrayal of a horrible man.

The dramatic monologue form is effective in provoking the reader into feeling anger as the Duke reveals more about himself than he realises. Through his constant speech the Duke’s real personality is made clear:

“That’s my last duchess painted on the wall, Looking as if she were alive.”

The fact that the Duke refers to the lady as “my” and not her real name shows that he believed he owned the woman and that she was his to control. The word “last” is ambiguous in that it could mean the lady was the Duke’s final Duchess, which would be ignorant of the Duke as he is entertaining a representative of what he hopes is his next wife’s father. It could also mean that the woman was literally his most recent wife which suggests there has been more than one. This in turn reveals the Duke’s weakness for women and that he has to have a wife at all times. Further anger is felt by the reader through the Duke’s striking arrogance which he reveals unwittingly:

“Somehow – I know not how – as if she ranked My gift of a nine hundred-years-old name With anybody’s gift.”

This exemplifies the Duke’s inflated ego as he believes that making the woman a Duchess was the best thing that ever happened to her. He resents her casual attitude to this and feels she did not show enough appreciation for him choosing her. He refers to the title as a “gift” which shows he thought of it as a present which possibly won her heart.

Browning also uses characterisation to make the reader angry towards the Duke. The Duke shows his bizarre controlling angle on the subject of the duchess through the curtain. He keeps the picture of her behind a curtain which he can control. This symbolises how he wishes the marriage was; him having complete power over whom the Duchess saw and who saw her; and what she could see also.

“But to myself they turned (since none puts by The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)”

He is delighted at having authority over her which reveals his whole attitude towards women in that he feels men are superior. At this point the main theme is declared which sets up the rest of the poem as the reader is now fully aware of the Duke’s attributes. The following lines are a gradual build up towards the climax.

The Duke has a distorted way of looking at the woman’s attractive aspects. He sees her positive features as not acceptable which leads up to her consequent murder:

“…She had A heart – how shall I say? – too soon made glad, Too easily impressed; she liked whate’er She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.”

Her charming nature is a problem to him as he feels she will be pleased by anyone she meets. This reinforces the Duke’s jealousy which he cannot seem to grasp. It ends up in eventual death of the woman which makes the Duke feel happier but leaves the reader even more inflamed.

The climax of the poem is apparent when the Duke announces that he ordered the lady’s death. His attitude shortly after this is so shocking that the reader is forced to feel annoyance:

“…This grew; I gave commands; Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands…”

The use of the two semi-colons is very effective as it creates suspense filled pauses while the reader contemplates what actually happened. The result is so atrocious that this is where the reader feels the most exasperation for the Duke; this is conveyed by the use of the synecdoche “smiles” which sums up the Duchess’s personality in a word; and also the shortness of the phrase, to create a powerful impact. The Duke’s progression into “There she stands” carries on his remorseless attitude as he acts as though there is nothing strange about his actions. The Duke’s greed is then explored as he leads the envoy away from the painting:

“…No just pretence Of mine for dowry will be disallowed; Though his fair daughter’s self, as I avowed”

This underlines the Duke’s need for a wife, money. With a wife comes a dowry. The Duke has recognized this and therefore wishes to seize the opportunity to make himself better off. The fact that he does not mention his possible forthcoming wife is used to the same effect as the first line. He believes he has the right to own women and that post marriage, they will belong to him.

In conclusion, through the dramatic monologue form which reveals the Duke’s true character, the reader is forced to feel anger towards him which in turn creates a successful portrayal of a detestable man. The theme of relationships between men and woman is also made aware through this realistic depiction to establish an altogether controversial yet enjoyable poem.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

An examination of how effectively the theme of violence is illustrated through the development of the protagonist Alex.

 

In Anthony Burgess highly controversial novel 'A Clockwork Orange' the theme of violence is portrayed through the development of the protagonist Alex to capture the reader’s interest. 'A Clockwork Orange' is set in a disturbing future created by the author. The story follows the life of the troubled boy Alex and his development into adulthood.

At the start of the novel Alex is a very disturbed character. Alex and his ‘droogs’ see a sport in rape, theft and violence. An example of this is when Alex enjoys using an extravagant weapon relating to his bizarre use of language; using the word "tolchocked" instead of punched.

"Well, then she had to be tolchocked proper with one of the weights for the scales, and then a fair tap with a crowbar they had for opening cases, and that brought the red out like an old friend."

The "red" he is referring to is the woman's blood and he appears glad to see it. The use of the simile "like an old friend" reinforces this as it suggests the idea that he has some fascination with blood and loves to make people bleed just so he can see it. It also stresses that it’s not the first time he has seen it and he has developed a strong relationship with it. There are further references to blood as his friend;

"...then out comes the blood, my brothers, real beautiful"

This amplifies his love for making people bleed which illustrates how much of a perturbed individual he is. The lustful tone gives Alex a maniac-like quality which is evident throughout. The only explanation for his violent manner is that he enjoys the experience of it. He finds violence without meaning, disgusting and is angered when his friends commit acts which are uncharacteristic. This is his way of finding a moral excuse for the brutal acts which he commits. The reader holds no sympathy for Alex during this part of the novel as he commits unprecedented attacks even though he feels they have a purpose.

Being the leader of the gang, Alex holds a certain authority over his friends which he has to hold by going the extra step in their violent acts. He is the person to decide whether they beat someone; or where they will go to look for trouble.

"I eased up and put the brake on, the other three were giggling like bezoomy...I got out of the auto, ordering my droogs to shush their giggles and act like serious,"

This demonstrates how serious Alex takes these matters and underlines that he is the most mature of the four boys, although it is in a perverse way. The use of the word "ordering" reinforces his natural leadership qualities and the authoritative tone stresses his directive aspects. Alex enjoys having the last blow in a fight or being against the leader of another gang. This shows his authority as he will finish off the person and will be remembered for what he did. He delights in fighting Billyboy who is the leader of the rival gang.

"It was stinking fat Billyboy I wanted now, and there I was dancing around with my britva like I might be a barber on board a shop on a very rough sea...it was real satisfaction to me to waltz - left two three, right two three - and carve left cheeky and right cheeky, so that like two curtains of blood seemed to pour out at the same time"

This powerful image expresses how mad and inclined to be a megalomaniac Alex is, that he has to be the leader. "it was real satisfaction" reveals how much he enjoys attacking the controller of the other gang. The bizarre waltz he participates in conveys his sense of artistic pride and again shows he believes violence is and art form. His fascination with blood is again expressed here as he is ecstatic at the image "curtains of blood". It is used effectively as the curtains are coming down his face which conveys the idea that it is the end and Alex has won.

The key incident which halted Alex's feats was when he was caught by the police killing a lady.

Alex is sentenced to fourteen years in prison for his crime but only completes two. In prison, Alex is subjected to advances from homosexuals and attacks from brutal wardens. This marks a change in his character as now he is the victim of violence.

"being in this grahzny hellhole and like human zoo for two years, being kicked and tolchocked by brutal bully warders and meeting vonny like criminals, some of them real perverts and ready to dribble all over a luscious malchick like your story-teller."

The use of the phrase “human zoo” conveys the idea that the prison is more of an asylum as people are being treated like animals. “hellhole” adds to this as it gives it demonic-like qualities. Alex seeks refuge in the prison chapel where he confines in the bible. He enjoys reading about the sex and violence of the old testament but finds the new testament boring. The prison chaplain enjoys Alex's company and lets him pick the music for the services. After two years Alex is given the chance to be free in return for being the first subject for the Ludovico Technique. This will involve him being brain-washed so he can no longer commit any acts of violence, rape or theft. Alex appears more obedient at this point as he is prepared to go along with anything that will get him out. The reader is suspicious at this point at to why the technique is practised on a boy instead of a more suitable, adaptive subject.

The process is successful and Alex can no longer even think of doing anything wrong or he will be sick. The reader feels sympathy towards Alex at this point as he is totally out of control of his actions which is a thought that the reader can relate to as being very uncomfortable. Alex is now very vulnerable and suffers an attack from a group of old men.

"He and his friends beat me and kicked me and thumped me. They stripped me and tore out my teeth. They laughed at my blood and my moans. They kicked me off home, dazed and naked."

This allows the reader to see Alex and his reactions at the receiving end of violence and we can see he is very unhappy about it. We sympathise with Alex here as he realises he has down wrong in the past and wants to take it all back and become a better person. At the end of the book when Alex has been cured and has grown-up, he wishes to settle down like a normal person who is no longer fuelled by violence or any other aspect of his previous brutal persona.

"And all it was was that I was young. But not now as I end this story, brothers, I am not young, not no longer, oh no. Alex like groweth up, oh yes."

To conclude, through the development of Alex's character where he has been both a victim of it, and the cause of it, the writer has maintained a persistent theme of violence. This is portrayed effectively through Alex, as the reader experience's feelings of disgust then sympathy for him. Justice has been reached in the end - although at a hard price - to show the writer believes in forgiveness and that people can change. Alex has been a perfect example of this.