Causes and Effects of the Crusades Essay - 478 Words

Causes and Effects of the Crusades Towards 1071 AD, Seldjuk Turks had grown powerful and had started conquering the East. Christians began to find it difficult to reach the holy places during their pilgrimages. The military expeditions planned and fought by western European Christians that began around 1095 AD, are known today as the Holy Wars, or the Crusades. The purpose of these expeditions was to overtake and gain control of the holy land of Jerusalem, from the Muslims. Deus Vult, meaning God Wills It, was the battle cry of the thousands of Christians who took part in the event of the Crusades. It was Christian belief that fate was to gain control of the Holy Land for the glory of God. In the year of 1095 AD, Pope Urban II†¦show more content†¦For peasants, the crusade let them be free of feudal bonds. Everyone was also promised immediate salvation in heaven if they were killed in trying to free the holy land from non-Christians. This goaded many people to become part in this battle. Soon, Urban lost all control of the vast army that was far beyond his control. Therefore, he did not have to power to stop the slaughter of Jews in northern France, and so many other populations in the East and in Europe. At this time, and at the start of the crusades, the Pope had little real power over Christianity. Urban was hoping that the Crusades would help strengthen his power and possibly help religious beliefs become more a part of daily life among the general population in Europe. In General, the Crusades were seen as a way for the Pope to gain political power over the uncontrolled warrior class. Urban felt that the best way to unite followers is a Holy War, where Christianity is everyone’s standard. The eight crusades which were spurred for many different reasons by many different people that left a lasting effect to the world. These years of bloodshed were led by men wanting money, greed, and fame to themselves at the expense of others. The Crusades had one major strong effect on Europe. It managed to reduce the number of quarrelsome and contentious knights that fought andShow MoreRelatedThe Causes and Effects of the Crusades Essay654 Words   |  3 PagesIf you ask someone if they ever heard of the Crusades the answer will most likely be yes. Does that mean that they know what the Crusades are? No. Many Jewish people who don’t know much about the Crusades assume it was merely targeted against the Jews and it resulted in the death of countless Jews. Other than that they are oblivious to the true facts. So what were the Crusades? The Crusades were great military missions embarked on by the Christian nations of Europe for the purpose of rescuing theRead MoreCauses And Effects Of The First Crusade2001 Words   |  9 Pagesnotable, historical crusade has done this and has succeeded, but at a price. There hasn’t been a movement more momentous than the First Crusade. The First Crusade was a pilgrimage turned military expedition to Jerusalem that was sponsored by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clement in November 1095 in the aspiration to set out from the west to the recover the holy city from the hands of the Muslims. The aim of this paper is to examine the causes and effects of the First Crusade. The focus willRead MoreThe cause and effect of the first crusade2351 Words   |  10 PagesAn Examination of the Causes and Success of The First CrusadeReligion has served mankind for thousands of years in our search for meaning and direction. Religion serves as a way of defining our lives and providing a sense of meaning or direction, having done so since the beginning of time. While religion may appear to be a peaceful endeavor, it is an endless source of violence and bloodshed. The duality of religion is accurately portrayed in the Christian crusades. The crusades of the late antiquityRead MoreDbq on Causes and Effect of the Crusades and Word Wars1133 Words   |  5 Pagescaused the Crusades the World Wars to take place. These wars had different outcomes; both expected unexpected ones. Seljuk turks (Muslims) invaded the Byzantine Empire conquered Palestine. The Byzantine Emperor asked pope Urban 2 to help chase the Muslims out get back the Holy Land (Palestine) in the year 1095. The Pope agreed, making a speech in the Council of Clemont calling all Christians too join in a Crusade. A Crusade is a military journey for a religious cause. The first Crusade startedRead More History Essay1735 Words   |  7 Pagescreated manors. The serfs had originally paid allegiance to the lords as they protected them and gathered land and wealth. One short-term effect of manorialism was that it gave the peasants who worked the field better working conditions than the slaves had received in earlier Roman estates. The serfs had more control over their lives. Some of the long-term effects of manorialism were an increase in the quality of all living conditions, chivalry, and better treatment of women. As farming conditionsRead MoreThe Crusades And Its Effects On History1307 Words   |  6 Pagesmedieval battles are known to history as the Crusades. These crusades were each led by different people. The eight Crusades occurred from 1095-1270. The first Crusade being in 1095-1101, the second from 1145-1147, the third from 1188-1192, the fourth in 1204, the fifth in 1217, sixth from 1228-1229, the seventh from 1249-1252, and eighth in 1270. There may have been a 9th crusade, which may have occurred before the 3rd Crusade. The cause of these crusades is to attack the enemies of the church andRead MoreA Brief Examination of the Crusades706 Words   |  3 PagesA Brief Examination of the Crusades A Brief Examination of the Crusades The First Crusade took place from 1096 1099. The First Crusade was a great surprise to both the Christians and the Muslims, the two opposing parties of the Crusades. The victory of the First Crusade went to the Christians. The Crusades were a series of nine wars waged during the Middle Ages between Christians and Muslims. The wars were waged between the 11th and 13th centuries specifically. In 1071, the Muslim Turkish armiesRead MoreEffects Of The Crusades On Western Civilizations915 Words   |  4 PagesConsequences of the Crusades The crusades were a series of religious wars that though they took place centuries ago, they are still often discussed today. The crusades were a religious war between the Christian and Muslim states that lasted years. â€Å"The Byzantine Empire, which had thrived spread over the coastal areas of the Mediterranean†¦now found itself increasingly challenged by the navies and pirates of Isla. The contest between these two sides were to generate seeds of the first Crusade† (Paine 8-9)Read MoreEssay on The Crusades908 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crusades A major turning point in Medieval history were the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of wars fought between the Christian Europeans and the Muslim Turks, which occurred between the years of 1096 to 1272. In this Holy War the Christians goal was to obtain the Holy Land from the Turks, in which they did not succeed. Although the Christians did not meet their goal, many positives did come out of their attempt. Due to the reason that they did not meet their goal, yet numerous positivesRead More The Crusades Essay1479 Words   |  6 PagesThe Crusades The Crusades were Christian military expeditions undertaken between the 11th and the 14th century to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims. â€Å"The word crusade, which is derived from the Latin crux (cross), is a reference to the biblical restriction that Christians carry their cross.†1 Crusaders wore a red cloth, cross sewn on their tunics to indicate that they had assumed the cross and were soldiers of Christ. What were the real causes of the crusades and how did all of it finally

Robert Browning s Porphyria s Lover - 967 Words

Many teenagers and even adults often struggle with the thought of being single. Some people would rather be in an abusive non-healthy relationship than in a healthy relationship so that they do not have to be alone. Nowadays, relationships are put on such a pedestal that most young girls and even boys think they are obligated to be in a relationship in order to fit in. Furthermore, many relationships lead to abusive or obsessive relationships that can often lead to traumatic injuries and even death. For instance, the poet, Robert Browning relates how an obsessive relationship can change someone’s life in a blink of an eye. Through the use of personification, imagery and character, Browning’s poem â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† proves that love can make anyone deranged. First, Browning uses personification to demonstrate the idea that love can make someone disturbed, for example, â€Å"The sullen wind was soon awake,† (Line 2). As the character in this poem sits in his dark cottage pinning over his lover, he labels the wind as being â€Å"sullen† and â€Å"awake† as if the weather is intentionally being unpleasant. In reality, the speaker is just so insane that he assumes the weather is out to get him and is being irksome on purpose. Another example is, â€Å"It tore the elm-tops down for spite,† (Line 3). The writer uses the word â€Å"spite† to describe his feelings because the wind does not feel spite during a storm. Once again, the character is so obsessed over Porphyria that he has gone crazy. Therefore,Show MoreRelatedPorphyria s Lover By Robert Browning1472 Words   |  6 Pages Robert Browning’s dramatic monologue entitled â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† tells the story of a meeting between a man and a woman that begins filled with romance, but quickly turns sinister. Porphyria visits the speaker at his cottage late at night, to confess her love for him even though they cannot be together. The speaker, filled with happiness in the newfound knowledge that Porphyria â€Å"worshiped† him, kills her by strangling her with her own hair in order to free her from her â€Å"vainer ties† and allow themRead MoreRobert Browning s Porphyria s Lover 938 Words   |  4 Pagesdeath in different ways. Robert Browning’s poem â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† has few similarities with â€Å"Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night† by Dylan Thomas. These authors have drastic differences when talking about death. Browning discusses how killing is a power play in a poem about the speaker gaining control, and Thomas talks about the transience of life in a poem about fighting death. In one of Robert Browning’s most unsettling dramatic monologues, â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover,† Browning tells a story of a manRead MorePorphyria s Lover By Robert Browning936 Words   |  4 PagesRobert Browning’s â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† is a perfect representation of the status of women during the Victorian Era; women were treated as objects not people. They were property of men, not individuals. In this poem, the speaker, Porphyria’s lover, murders Porphyria and does not only think it was okay to do so, but he also thinks what he has done is noble. In the lines shown above, the speaker begins to realize that Porphyria loves him. Not only does she love him, but she â€Å"worships† him. This furtherRead MorePorphyria s Lover By Robert Browning And The Wind1830 Words   |  8 Pages In the poems, â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† By Robert Browning and â€Å"The Wind† by William Morris, the poets, both share the event s surrounding the murder of a young woman, however â€Å"The wind† is widely considered to be set 25 years later and reflection of the murder in â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover†. Both poems are told by an unreliable narrator, who forces the readers to question exactly what occurred. In the poems, the reader can draw similarities and differences between how the unreliable narrator distorts our viewRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Porphyria s Lover By Robert Browning1959 Words   |  8 PagesWith so much poetry coming out of Britain it can be hard for any of it to stand out from the rest, but â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† by Robert Browning and â€Å"A Poison Tree† by William Blake manage to stand out from other poems. These two poems differ in structure, writing style, and voice but both have something that sticks them out from the rest; murderers without a moral compass. While murder isn’t new to poetry it is rare to find it as nonchalant as it is in these two poems. These killers were not killingRead MoreA Brief Note On Robert Browning s Porphyria s Lover And The Laboratory1972 Words   |  8 PagesContributory Factors to the Murders in Robert Browning’s â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† and â€Å"The Laboratory.† The word ‘love’ possesses such complexity and magnitude that people commonly have a hard time defining it effectively without oversimplifying. Given the true intensity of feeling, jealousy is often said to be synonymous with being in love and the real impact love can have on a person can be unpredictable. Considering this, The Cambridge Dictionary defines a ‘crime of passion’ as a crimeRead MoreAnalysis Of `` Annabel Lee By Edgar Allan Poe1235 Words   |  5 PagesAnnabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe was inspired by the women that had passed away in his life, but since Poe had written the poem after his wife s death, it is probably more about her. In Porphyria s Lover by Robert Browning, there was no real inspiration except the fact he was just very into dramatic love. Robert Browning in the impulsive Porphyria s Lover and Edgar Allan Poe in the somber Annabel Lee explore the theme of complicated love all throughout their poems and also their use of visualRead MoreThe Power Of Dark Love1217 Words   |  5 Pagesin â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† says, â€Å"That moment she was mine, mine, fair, perfectly pure and good† (Browning, lines 36-37). Both Robert Browning and Edgar Allan Poe share a love for the themes of obsession, desire, and complicated love. Each of those three themes play an important role in dark love poetry. Each poet describes the main character in their poems as a woman worthy of the speaker’s obsessive, complicated, and desirable love. Both Robert Browning’s tragic â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† and Edgar AllanRead MorePorphyrias Lover And My Last Duchess By Robert Browning1510 Words   |  7 PagesRobert Browning is a romantic and victorian poet who writes from a speaker’s perspective while a listener is listening to what the speaker reveals about him or herself. Oscar Wilde, author of The Complete Letters of Oscar Wilde, once exclaimed, â€Å"In art, Browning can make action and psychology one!† A healthy and fully expressed relationship is the bond between two people, consisting of trust, honesty, and respect (Denham et al. 397). Within â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† and â€Å"My Last Duchess,† Robert BrowningRead MoreCompare My Last Duchess And Porphyrias Lover1098 Words   |  5 PagesLove That Kills (Comparing and Contrasting of â€Å"My Last Duchess† and â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover†) While reading the poems â€Å"My Last Duchess† and â€Å"Porphyria’s Lover† by Robert Browning, there is a large possibility that you may be left haunted by the words that were written on the paper. â€Å" This is not to say that he was blandly optimistic, as he is sometimes portrayed. He wrote fully about the world s cruelty and vice and was quite frank that he had himself had no divine revelation. Nevertheless, he resolved

‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ Summary Example For Students

‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ Summary ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’ does not merely chronicle the history of the events that led to the untimely death of the protagonist Santiago Nasar ,but also chronicles the social environment in which this event occurred. In the narrative the author Gabriel Garcia Marquez, narrates through this travesty of events the social environment that prevailed in Colombia during those times. Marquez uses the cultural setting and the values adhered in Colombia as a justification for the murder of Santiago Nasar. However it is required to understand the social environment prevailing in Colombia at that time in order to understand the reasons and the manner of the killing of Santiago Nasar. The title of the novel itself suggests that Nasar’s death was inevitable and pre-planned-his murder was considered to be a matter of the Latino cultural code of honor-to be an ‘honor killing’. It is commonly believed that the reason why honor is considered a driving force in a person’s life is because it determines how the rest of the society judges that person’s honesty, sincerity and integrity. Angela Vicario’s claim of losing her virginity to Santiago Nasar resulted in an endless pursuit by her brothers, as was expected by their society to regain their family honor. This act of pre-marital sex was seen as a disgrace to the Vicario family and her brothers-Pedro and Pablo Vicario felt that the only way to regain their family’s honor and pride was Nasar’s death. Therefore, in a way Marquez paints a picture of Colombian society where societal values were considered more integral than the inherent goodness of man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Befo re God and before men, it was a matter of honor†. Marquez has depicted that the entire town was aware of the clandestine plan being plotted behind the scenes which portrays a society where everyone is fervent to talk about the murder to each other, but no one proposes to discuss it with the murderer. ‘Most of the townspeople consoled themselves with the pretext that affairs of honor are sacred monopolies.’ They felt the quarrel was better left to those involved directly. The narrator found countless moments in which the right word or the right action could have stopped the murder from taking place. Therefore in a way Marquez puts the responsibility of Nasar’s death on each and every individual in the town who was reluctant to take any action but at the same time he never holds an inquiry over the basis of the murder. This shows how honor killings were acceptable in the society and taking someone’s life unlawfully due to premeditated malice was not objected to. Marquez also shows a lack of individualization and personal perspectives within the people, rather the communal morals dominated the chain of events in town. The carnage of Santiago Nasar initiated by the Vicario brothers and the severe fury directed at Angela by her mother on finding out the truth about her daughters depravity indicates how Angela had a duty towards her family to remain unsullied until marriage. As a part of her duty towards her family she was obliged to marry Bayardo because he was affluent and moneyed, even though she did not love him. In the same vein, Pedro also sets off for war to earn money for his family while Pablo remains at home to take care of his parents. This shows us how a sense of duty towards the family was very important within the society. Angela was forced into matrimony with Bayardo San Roman by her family because he came from a prestigious family while the Vicarios were relatively poor. Angela’s family did not consider her wish or opinion of any importance, they were content with receiving gifts from Bayardo’s family and were in high spirits at the prospect of living a comfortable life after Angela’s marriage. ‘The parents decisive argument was that a family dignified by modest means had no right to disdain that prize of destiny.’ .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 , .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 .postImageUrl , .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 , .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5:hover , .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5:visited , .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5:active { border:0!important; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5:active , .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5 .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ub0ab4031a7e6f536a636a48d6bccaff5:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The book The Collector by John Fowles EssayHence their concern was the material gain that they would receive through this alliance. Marquez portrays women as helpless creatures within Colombian society who had no say or freedom to express their opinion. Women were considered vulnerable and their aspirations were regarded as insignificant and trivial. Significantly Angela’s marriage to Bayardo because of his wealth epitomizes how commitment to a rich man was the only means by which a woman could obtain financial security in her life. Women did not enjoy any individual worth nor could they command a say in their own lives, hence they were forced to follow the dictats of the men in their parental home and later the husband, once married. Angela’s mother lived her life in a very constricted social environment and felt it is perfectly in order for Angela to follow the same norms without any questions or hesitation. Thus Marquez has portrayed women as totally domesticated creatures who have been taught to live within the confines of their homes and never to overstep the boundaries of their narrow societal beliefs. A similar situation has been described in ‘The Kite Runner’ by Hosseini wherein he has given a detailed account of the miserable plight of women in Afghanistan who do not enjoy any social or political rights. They appear to be as helpless and dependent on men as Marquez has depicted women in ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold.’ Marquez also emphasizes on male pride and the sexuality of their characters in the novel. Moreover, Marquez suggests double standards for men and women quite explicitly in the novel. It is acceptable for men to treat women as disposable pleasures rather than meaningful pursuits-they feel proud of visiting Maria Cervantes’s brothel†¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœit was she who did away with my generations virginity’ -shows how Maria was an object of desire for the men who used her for their sexual needs as she was the ‘most serviceable in bed’. They did not feel ashamed of their actions as the society endorsed male sexuality. It was all right for men to visit prostitutes to satisfy their desires but it was deplorable for a woman to take a lover before marriage. When Bayardo found out that Angela had had a lover in the past, she is rejected and returned to her house on her wedding night. She is also subjected to a beating by her mother which shows the double standards present within the society. The Latin American community of the town was one with its roots stemmed deep in religion and faith which also explains why the notion of virginity was seen as one of such critical importance. The town’s close ties to the Catholic religion elucidates why the belief of a woman staying ‘pure’ until marriage was considered so important. The principles of Catholicism did not adhere with what Angela did and without even questioning her claim, severe actions were taken against Santiago Nasar for the ‘crime’ that he had committed. The significance of the Church is greatly stressed upon by Marquez’s depiction of the society, however it is ironic that although the story takes place in a town that is religious, religions seems to have lost much of its value. In the novel and this can be seen by the sumptuous preparations that the people of the town made upon the arrival of the Bishop. However on the big day, the bishop does not even step foot in the town and sails right on by with a mere wave to the innumerable spectators. It seems as if the Bishop does not value religion, he does not take the name of god or do anything remotely close to spiritual or pious, instead he keeps on waving his hand back and forth in an obliging manner. Thus through this event, Marquez ultimately reveals a society in which moral frameworks such as the law and religion appear to be ineffective to mentor and secure the citizens. .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 , .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 .postImageUrl , .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 , .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10:hover , .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10:visited , .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10:active { border:0!important; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10:active , .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10 .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2e6166c178c6a29a2d48672661ebcc10:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Okonkwo In Things Fall Apart EssayMarquez’s portrayal of Colombian society is one in which he has depicted a very narrow-minded and petty social structure where violence predominates and social customs which have been passed down through generations are allowed to prevail. In order to practice these and uphold their values they are willing to kill in cold blood and there is no stigma attached to such killings, in fact it is celebrated as an honor killing. Such an incident as presented in the story of Nasar can only be realistically acceptable in a society such as the Colombian society. In any free thinking society, such a story of blood and gore would not be accepta ble or believable. Hence, Marquez has been able to capture the essence of the story as well as the Colombian society in all its stilted detail in order to make the novel chronicle the events which he has described.

Poetry Of Perversion Essays - Literature, Fiction, Film,

Poetry Of Perversion Poetry of Perversion Lolita is perhaps one of the most disturbing novels of the century: it tells the immoral story of a middle- aged man who falls in love with a twelve year- old girl (a nymphet, as he calls her) and has a sexual relationship with her for over two years, until she disappears with another more perverse middle- aged man. What makes this novel particularly disturbing is the fact that Humbert's sexual perversion is disguised in highly poetic garb and that the only monitor of virtue is the gifted pervert who narrates the story. Never before has sex been evoked as poetically or as erotically as in Lolita. The first erotic scene takes place between an adolescent Humbert Humbert and a girl of the same age, Annabel Leigh, who becomes the model for Lolita: She sat a little higher than I, and whenever in he solitary ecstasy she was led to kiss me, her head would bend with a sleepy, soft, drooping movement that was almost woeful, and her bare knees caught and compressed my wrist, and slackened again; and her quivering mouth, distorted by the acridity of some mysterious potion, with a sibilant intake of breath came near to my face. She would try to relieve the pain of love by first roughly rubbing her dry lips against mine; then my darling would draw away with a nervous toss of her hair, and then again come darkly at me and let me feed on her open mouth, while with a generosity that was ready to offer her everything, my heart, my throat, my entrails, I gave her to hold in her awkward fist the scepter of my passion. Annabel Leigh's name is of course borrowed from Edgar Allen Poe's Annabel Lee, a poem that is mentioned often throughout the novel. The narrator is not so much trying to describe the erotic games of two children as to make us intimately feel their erotic excitement. Nabokov makes Annabel the focal point of the text, but not its reflector. The scene begins with an alliterative evocation of her legs (her legs, her lovely, live legs) through witch one can picture the young Humbert's pleasure while he is caressing them and adult Humbert's excitement in recalling the event. These legs are hospitable, but not wanton; Annabel's modesty is necessary to contain young Humbert's ardor and to allow the poetic unfolding of the scene. The girl's genitals are neither named nor described, but are simply designated deictically as the sublime goal of a conquest. Here, the anatomic word or metaphor would mar the poetic beauty of the passage and betray the inadequacy between words. The neutral phrase used by Nabokov prevents the intrusion of the Freudian tragic in unfolding of the scene and induces a great complicity between the author, the narrator, and the reader, who is invited to fuse his desires with those of Humbert. Humbert, as the narrator, poetically evokes the effects of his caresses on Annabel, who seems to be teetering between pleasure and pain. The scene is all the more exciting as her gestures, which are described in voluptuous detail, reflect in rhythm and configuration the caresses lavished on her by the boy. The protagonist and the narrator share the same fascination in Annabel's contortions, drawing in the excitement from the spectacle, that the final gesture is hardly indecent: it is the ultimate gift made by the young boy to the ecstatic virgin. There is no trace of vulgarity in the phrase, which is both metaphor and metonymy, and constitutes a kind of poetic climax. After the evocation of the girl's genitals, the narrator had no choice but to invent a beautiful poetic formula that would sound at the same time natural and relevant. In this passage from Lolita Nabokov casts aside the vulgar clich?s used in literature to represent sex and to prepare us for the final metaphor, which bears little trace of trepidation. The most erotic passage in the novel is the description of the Sunday morning scene on the divan. Here the narrator takes endless precautions, begging us to sympathize with him as a protagonist and to participate in the scene: I want my learned readers to participate in the