Analysis of My Last Duchess by Robert Browning Essay -- Robert Brownin

My Last Duchess by Robert Browning is a dramatic monologue about a duke who is showing the portrait of his first wife, the duchess, to a servant of his future father-in-law, the Count. In a dramatic monologue, the speaker addresses a distinct but silent audience. Through his speech, the speaker unintentionally reveals his own personality. As such, in reading this poem, the reader finds the duke to be self-centered, arrogant, controlling, chauvinistic and a very jealous man. The more he attempted to conceal these traits, however, the more they became evident. There is situational irony (a discrepancy between what the character believes and what the reader knows to be true) in this because the duke does not realize this is what is happening. Instead, he thinks he appears as a powerful and noble aristocrat. Robert Browning, the poet, uses iambic pentameter throughout the poem. He breaks up the pattern so that every two lines rhyme. Aside from being a dramatic monologue, the poem is also considered lyric poetry because it is a poem that evokes emotion but does not tell a story. The poem is being told in the speaker's point-of-view about his first duchess, also as revealed in the title, The Last Duchess. The setting is important because the duke's attitude correlates to how men treated women at that time. The theme of the poem appears to be the duke's possessive love and his reflections on his life with the duchess, which ultimately brings about murder and his lack of conscience or remorse. In the first several lines (1-8) of the poem , the duke is addressing an unknown listener. He only uses the pronoun "you" so it is never clear until the ending who the intended listener is. He begins by pointing out the portrait on the wall... ...ding this poem, it is obvious to think that the Duke was definitely a cruel and heartless man. Assuming he had his first wife killed, he didn't seem to care. He just forged ahead in an attempt to find another woman he could control. As a matter of fact, he used his influence to actually warn the servant of his plans for his marriage to the Count's daughter. Instead of mourning his first wife, he seemed to revel in the fact that he was now able to control her beauty in the portrait by only allowing viewing to those he invited to see it when he opened the curtain. Oh, what a powerful feeling that must have been for him! In the 20th century, however, I think this poem would have been written differently to reflect the freedom women have today. No woman would have put up with him! Maybe the Duke would have had second thoughts about how he treated his beautiful Duchess.

Korean Culture vs. Australian Culture

Korean and Australian culture seem to have only a few similarities, as Australia is a western country and Korea is an Asian country, and because of the different history, characters of people, and differences In surroundings. However, I am sure that there are a lot of similar features that people in both countries might have overlooked.In this paper, I will focus on finding the similarities and differences tenet Korean and Australian cultures especially In sports, food and humor. First, sport is an example in the side of similarities of the two cultures between Korea and Australia. People In both countries are also extremely enthusiastic sports fans. When they have the Grand Final of the Australian Football competition, thousands of people gather together in the stadium and at public places to watch the game and support their own team. On the other hand, Koreans did not used to watch the games in public spaces or in restaurants before the 2002 World Cup.However, since then, the cult ure of watching the sports has totally changed. There were huge crowds of people everywhere. Including the public and the street, and they supported the Korean team together. It has become a new trend to get together to support the games of Korean national teams, like in Australia. Second, food, however, falls into the category of cultural difference of two countries. Koreans and Australians have a difference in terms of food. Australian present-day styles of eating are based on their multi-cultural society.Since the post- war immigrants came to Australia, the Australian food has become rich because the immigrants from various European countries brought a wide variety of food – from Italy. Greece and Poland and so mom On the other hand. Korea Is very famous, all over the world, for its unique spicy food. Korea has had success in keeping many kinds of traditional foods alive until today. Many tourists come to Korea because they want to try the food. Normally, Korean foods are also very hot and salty due to lots of different spicy ingredients.Finally, humor Is also In the category of cultural difference between Korea and Australia. The reason is that Australian Humor is very dry. Australians often express their subtle and sarcastic mind through humor. Their humor is also often droll and sometimes black which means they make Jokes that are dark or horrible. Australians often keep a ‘straight face' when they tell a Joke. Besides, Australians like to laugh at themselves including their character and culture. In contrast to Australians, Koreans normally make Jokes by teasing each other because other people have different mints of view and do not belong to their group.And Korean like ‘slap stick' comedies, which are also called a ‘sight gag, and ‘physical humor' that was very banana skin , and so on. It is true that Australia and Korea still have a lot more differences in terms of culture than similarities. Australia and Korea are not c lose and most people are not acquainted with the other's culture. But, if we keep an eye on each other's cultural features, we could have a good opportunity to not only develop our life and culture but also to help develop good relationships between the two countries.

Analysis Of Homer s The Odyssey - 1863 Words

Odysseus’ Lessons in The Odyssey In every society, there are certain rules and customs that one is required to follow. During the age of the ancient Greeks, these rules and customs were very important, and were the key to being respected in society. Homer, a poet in those times, taught the guidelines of Ancient Greek society in his famous work, The Odyssey. The hero, King Odysseus, is on a journey to both return home to the island kingdom of Ithaca, and to complete his true hero’s quest. He makes multiple stops on his venture home, each one teaching him a valuable lesson on how to follow Greece’s cultural hegemony. He encounters betrayal through his own crew members, reminding him of the Filial relationships one must have to their superiors. Odysseus is also taught about the importance of Xenia, the courtesy a host and a guest must have for one another. He only becomes a traditional hero, however, after he learns the danger of too much Hubris, shown both through himself, and the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus’ quest to become a traditional hero is meant to teach lessons on Greek social norms, such as the importance of keeping Filial relationships, the consequences of not following Xenia, and the downfall of having too much Hubris. Although The Odyssey was written to teach lessons on Greek social norms, there are examples that arguably go against the cultural hegemony. Penelope’s suitors, for example, do not respect the Filial requirements to the royal family. Shown whenShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey By Homer1202 Words   |  5 Pagescoping with the idea of losing his father and letting others to rule Ithaca. It is noticeable from the beginning of The Odyssey, written by Homer that Telemachus finds himself in a complicated situation where his life is seen to be in danger. He is a character of being distance from people. The idea of Telemachus becoming his own father, threatens suitor’s control in Ithaca. Hom er describes Telemachus as a teenager who has not found himself and is on a mission to become an adult as his father. TelemachusRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey By Homer1095 Words   |  5 Pagesused in Homer’s Odyssey is the digression. The digression is departure from the main storyline that does not alter the action of the story, but adds a layer of sentimental content to the plot which usually helps underscore themes central to the story. The digressions in the Odyssey are meticulously written with great attention to detail just like the rest of the epic, and they truly help readers grasp the important aspects of the story. The liberal use of digression in the Odyssey helps build a vividRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey By Homer2018 Words   |  9 PagesThe Odyssey by Homer is more light in tone than the Iliad, of the same author: The good wins while the evil is punished. Even though the gods are still strict, the relationship between Odysseus and Athena is a mor e sincere and equal a relationship than between God and Man in the Iliad. Odysseus is distinguished not only by his bravery, but largely by his intellect and cunning. He is the type of resourceful man whom never gives up, thinks of the causes, is reverent and never gives in. The Odyssey isRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey, By Homer915 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout the Odyssey, the hero, Odysseus is portrayed in two different and contradicting lights: the wise hero and the capricious leader blinded by his own pride. The epic writer, Homer, embodies the theme of hubris throughout Odysseus’ journey home. The idea of hubris, a trait of excessive pride, significantly develops personalities of characters within The Odyssey, and Homer ultimately creates a statement about excessive pride. The dual portrayal of Odysseus leads the reader to ultimatelyRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s Odyssey By Homer Essay1479 Words   |  6 Pages The word â€Å"Family†, according to Merriam Webster, is thought to be a group of people brought together by common affiliation. The same cannot be said for the culture in the Odyssey by Homer. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is trying to get back home from fighting in the Trojan War. He has been away from home for almost 20 years longing to just be reunited with his kinfolk. Along the way, he comes across many obstacles that hinders him from reaching his home and family in in Ithaca. Luckily, the memoriesRead MoreAnalysis Of Odyssey By Homer s Odyssey2253 Words   |  10 Pagesand Midwifery Council, 2006). The literature surrounding the subject of mentorship is vast and fails to provide a single definition, however the terms used are often similar. Colley (2000) writes that the word mentor originated in Homer’s poem ‘Odyssey’ in which the character oversees the development of Telemachus. Usually mentoring describes the process of an experienced team member using their skills and knowledge to educate and develop a junior or less skilled co-worker (Chartered Institute ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 1483 Words   |  6 PagesViolence in The Odyssey Violence in Literature can take any form, whether it be natural disaster like and earthquake or a human based disaster like war (Campbell). In Homer’s The Odyssey both types are found†¦ whether it’s Odysseus’s hardships like making it home or dealing with the wrath of the god Poseidon. Every violent scene has its own reasons, some are more reasonable than others. For instance, the gods were angered by the disobedience of the mortals, this is more reasonable than the killingRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 795 Words   |  4 Pages Odysseus Epic Hero In the Epic, â€Å"The Odyssey, spoken by Homer, conveys a heroic tale of an epic hero named, Odysseus, who faces many challenges as he sails to get home. One of the tasks Odysseus faces is, The Sirens, who challenge Odysseus s will power. Another challenge Odysseus encounters is, â€Å"The Cyclops, who torments and slaughters some of Odysseus s men due to his curiosity. One of the hardest threats he had to confront was, â€Å"The Land ofRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey1636 Words   |  7 PagesGreek society, Homer’s The Odyssey provides a detailed insight into the values of this intricate culture. In particular, this epic discusses the ways in which the deathless gods influence the fates of the mortals. The overall impact of the gods’ power is the mental straining that emerges from the unrelenting conflict of man versus immortal. Likewise, the actions and misfortunes of others also catalyze this extremely significant and powerful mental battle. Homerâ€⠄¢s The Odyssey reveals the values of ancientRead MoreAnalysis Of Homer s The Odyssey 1128 Words   |  5 Pages The Odyssey shows a lot of different stereotypes for women throughout the book, taking action to get what they want. Odysseus is trying to get back home after ten long years since the fall of troy, and his son is going out to find him. Throughout the book Odysseus meets lots of woman who vary in personality. He meets woman with the stereotypes: â€Å"mantis†- dominant, eats its mate, destroys to gain power, feared by many. â€Å"Damsel in distress†- persecuted maiden, woman placed in a dire predicament requires