The Birthmark Essays - Fiction, The Birth-Mark, Imagination, Skin

The Birthmark How does Hawthorne in the Birthmark use Irony, Ambiguity, Paradox, and Symbol? Ambiguity: Two different interpretations can be used to describe Georgiana's character. At first she seems to be a strong confident women who is very self assured. Only after the constant focus of her husband's attention to her birthmark, does she begin to willow away. When Aylmer gives her the elixir to drink, Georgiana has submitted to doing whatever in necessary to relieve her husband from his misery caused by her birthmark. Irony: The removal of the birthmark was an event in irony. Aylmer and Georgiana did not know that the mark provided the life blood to his wife. After the removal of the birthmark, Aylmer's wife was perfect for a short few moments, only to die. Paradox: A statement that seems contrary to common sense. Georgiana states during a discussion with her husband let the attempt be made at whatever the risk. Danger is nothing for me; for life, while this hateful mark makes me the object of your horror and disgust... Common sense would allow Georgiana to tell Aylmer that if he did not like the beauty mark, he should leave her for a women who would be perfect in her eyes. Instead, Georgiana is demanding he do whatever necessary to remove the birthmark no matter what the consequences. Symbol: The actual birthmark is one of the most prominent uses of symbol in his story. The birthmark has references to life, death, beauty and disgust. In much of his fiction Hawthorne treats Pride as an evil. Is an evil type of pride evident in the Birthmark? Following are two examples of where I found a reader could interpret Aylmer's pride as evil. Aylmer states Even Pygmalion, when his sculptured woman assumed life, felt not greater ecstasy than mine will be. Aylmer is already feeling the evil pride of his upcoming sculpture, regardless of the consequences. His confidence could be interpreted as a cocky pride. I am sure if the removal of the birthmark was successful, he would have opened a circus type show to display his great work. The other reference to Aylmer's evil is Is the Birthmark morally ambiguous? The momentary circumstances was too strong for him; he failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of time, and, living once for all in eternity, to find the perfect future in the present This statement could be interpreted morally in many ways. The most commanding part of this sentence to me was to find the perfect future in the present. This sentence alone has a powerful meaning. If only Aylmer had followed his own thought, the story would have had an entirely different ending. Hawthorne writes I have sometimes produced a singular and not unpleasing effect...by imagining a train of incidents in which the spirit and mechanism of the fairyland should be combined with the characters and manners of familiar life. What fantastic elements does Hawthorne use in the Birthmark? Hawthorne uses many magical words a few are listed with definitions below. Spectral - supernatural alchemists - wizard elixir - magic potion There is many references to a fairyland in the reading, especially when referencing the elixir Aylmer was preparing for Georgiana. When Georgiana noticed the liquid inside of the globe, she said It is so beautiful to the eye that I could imagine it the elixir of life. The beauty of the potion's color was strong enough to attract attention and curiosity. Another reference to the fantasy world in the Birthmark was Aylmer's statement to Georgiana when he caught her reading his large folio containing all of his potions. Aylmer said It is dangerous to read in a sorcerer's books.

Word Choice Bare vs. Bear - Proofread My Papers Academic Blog

Word Choice Bare vs. Bear - Proofread My Papers Academic Blog Word Choice: Bare vs. Bear Homophones – similar sounding words that differ in meaning – can cause a lot of confusion, especially if English isn’t your first language. The terms â€Å"bare† and â€Å"bear,† for example, are pronounced identically, yet mean completely different things. As such we’ve prepared this guide on how to use â€Å"bare† and â€Å"bear† correctly, helping to ensure your written work is always at its best. The Meaning of â€Å"Bare† The term â€Å"bare† can be used as either an adjective or a verb. As an adjective it has two main uses, meaning either uncovered or naked: Since going bald, Donald always hid his bare head with a wig. Or it can mean plain or simple: Hilary stuck to the bare facts. As a verb, â€Å"bare† means â€Å"uncover†: Terry bared his chest and show off his tattoos. The Various Meanings of â€Å"Bear† The word â€Å"bear† is a little more difficult to define as it has a number of meanings. The most simple of these is when it’s used as a noun, referring to the large, furry, ursine animal: The American black bear is native to many parts of the USA and Canada. As a verb, â€Å"to bear† has a number of different meanings: Carry or support (â€Å"the bus could bear up to fifty people†) Withstand or tolerate (â€Å"I can’t bear rude people†) Display a mark (â€Å"the letter would bear her signature†) Bring forth (â€Å"to bear children,† â€Å"to bear fruit†) Turn in a specific direction (â€Å"bear left at the end of the road†) Give testimony (â€Å"bear witness†) There are also a few technical meanings of the word â€Å"bear.†Ã‚   In finance, for instance, a â€Å"bear† is an investor who bases decisions upon the belief that a stock or the overall market will decline. Generally, though, you will only need to know these extra meanings when writing about particular subjects.