They believed that if the literature standards are ignored, it will result in cultural degeneration. He wrote An Essay of Criticism and The Dunciad to elucidate on his viewpoint of literary standards. The Dunciad, the long and elaborated mock-heroic poem of Alexander Pope was first published in 1728. The poem is filled with dark brilliance which at first served as a weapon for the personal war Pope had against stupidity and dullness. According to Pope, “Dulness” presides over the literary creations of the hack writers and is promoted by patrons who cannot appreciate art and publishers who prioritize profitability.
Say One Thing, Mean Another (The Use of Satire in Canterbury Tales) “Filth and old age, I’m sure you will agree are powerful wardens upon chastity”(Chaucer). Chaucer, the father of English literature wrote a tale called Canterbury Tales where he told a story about a religious journey. This tale is made up of many different stories by characters that Chaucer made up to prove a point. Chaucer doesn 't agree with a lot of things that are going on in his society so Chaucer uses satire. Which is the use of humor, or irony to expose people 's stupidity.
It was during this time that theatres were brought back which was once barred by the Puritans. The literature back then painted about the life of Restoration period. From many literature works, William Congreve’s The Way of the World is one of those satire works where the social life is mirrored. Drabble (2008) said “In these Congreve shows himself the master of Restoration comedy, studying the social pressures on love and marriage with wit and subtlety” (p.228). The play depicts the life styles of high society and the fashion.
Document 1 states, “For all men in general this observation may be made: they are ungrateful, fickle, and deceitful, eager to avoid dangers, and avid for gain, and while you are useful to them they are all with you, but when it [danger] approaches they turn on you”. This statement describes how corrupt and cruel men are, and how these terrible actions are also greatly reflected upon royalty. During the 15th century, royalty believed they were all that mattered which when mixed in with Machiavelli caused a lot of controversy with the people during the Enlightenment. An example of this would be King James I in Document 2 who describes all the good things about the monarchy and how it is the best thing in the world. He calls the monarchy the, “supremest thing on earth,” trying to convince people of how great this form of government
Molière, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, wrote his comedy play in 1664. This was also a time when the Catholic Church had a strong impact on society. This comical play, Tartuffe, was an attack on both religion and hypocrisy. Molière wrote this play to show how easily religion could be used to disguise sin and also to show how hypocritical the Christians were during that period of time. When it was first performed in front of King Louis XIV, critics thought that it was offensive towards the Catholic Church and they banned any future performances until 1669.
Many examples are seen in the story that express irony and most characters seem to be taught a lesson. Irony is a crucial part of the Canterbury Tales, and Chaucer's creative use of this literary device does a lot to provide this book with a definitive status. Chaucer has grasped the techniques required to put his points across and subtle irony and satire
Oppression has always been prevalent throughout history, and as a response to this, the exploited often revolt, in turn, causing inciteful change. However, when the revolution only seeks revenge, it fosters more violence and creates a more oppressed society. The French Revolution while successful in the sense that it overthrew the government, has one dangerous aspect in common with oppression: violence. This revolution is depicted in A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, where the persecuted peasants of France start a rebellion to try and achieve revenge government. However, by using violence as the primary method to abolish the government and boasting about the dominance of the revolution through the Carmagnole, the revolutionaries discredit themselves.
Adams gave speeches to Americans influencing them to separate from Britain. He spoke of the wrongdoings of Britain one being the trial of Captain Preston. They felt they were wrong “for protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit”. Samuel Adams’ speeches allowed the Americans to become certain on their feelings towards Britain. Not only did the trial of Captain Preston affect the relationship between the Americans and British, but also the Coercive Acts.
Surprisingly, the dreadful spectacle gets related to the new professional middle classes in England. The state of women is also represented through the episode of madmen as it is well known that opposition to second marriages were still steadfast in the 17th century. The general demeanor to the remarriage of a widow was to see the deed as a form of ‘lawful adultery’. While it was permitted by the law, society was unsettled by it. It was said that ‘to wed a second time was no better than to cuckold the
Among these intellectuals were the Romantic poets of the first generation, like Blake, Wordsworth and Coleridge. Later, however, many of them got disappointed and disillusioned by the bloody outcome of the French Revolution and embraced more conservative ideals. After the initial symbolical gesture of eliminating the aristocracy, the revolution developed into a bloody power struggle between different groups. In particular, when the radical Jacobins seized power from the moderate Girondins in 1793, they used extreme measures to realize their revolutionary