Violence has been a part of plays for centuries. It keeps the play interesting and intriguing, but however, most of the time there is a greater purpose of violence. When looking for it in plays one would automatically look for weapons or signs of physically harming someone like. However, verbiage can be an act of violence as well. The phrase, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me is false. Your tongue has no bones, but is strong enough to hurt another person. Like in the play The Stronger by August Strindberg where Miss Y is verbally insulted countless of times. Whereas in the play Variations on the Death of Trotsky by David Ives one can see the physical violence by the tragic murder that occurred. After distinguishing where the violence is coming from one can then analyze the true role of the violence and compare how the violence affect the dramas.
When looking at The Stronger you can see just how Miss Y in verbally insulted over and over again by Mrs. X. While Miss Y is just sitting at a table by herself minding her own business when Mrs. X shows up. During the entire play Miss Y does not say one word while Mrs. X insults her and says rude things like, “Poor Amelia, I pity you, nevertheless, because I knew you are unhappy, unhappy like one who has been wounded, and angry because you are wounded.”() She just assumes that she is unhappy because she is in a café by herself on a holiday. She does not even ask her if she is unhappy or give her time
Often, simple physical conflicts are used to develop characters and to increase the suspense and action between them. In J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield the 16-year-old narrator and protagonist claims to be a pacifist. Holden views the world as an evil and corrupt place where there is no peace. As a sincere person living amongst phonies, he views others as completely immoral and unscrupulous. In the novel violence is used to further develop Holden's character. This is shown through his physical conflict with Stradlater, his conflict with Maurice, and the suicide of James Castle.
Violence is one of the most exaggerated forms of physical aggression and it can exist for a series of reasons. It involves a person or a group of persons acting against another person or groups of persons with the purpose to achieve one or several diverse goals. In many cases violence results from individuals perceiving the acts of other people as hostile and thus wanting to act against these people before it is too late. Depending on the situation, more or less individuals might get involved in an act of violence, especially when they consider that it would be essential for them to do so.
Viktor E. Frankl, an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who also had survived the Holocaust, writes “When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves” (BrainyQuote). Frankl survived genocide against his own people and still chose to have a positive outlook on it because he understands that if he did not, he would continually live an unhappy, upset life. Like Frankl, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, the main character in One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, contains a similar outlook to that of Frankl. The novel takes place during Soviet Russia in a gulag in Siberia, or otherwise known as a labor work camp. The whole book is about only one day that Shukhov lives; from 5 in the morning to 10 at night and all that happens in between. In this labor camp, not only are the weather conditions very cold, making it difficult to work in such circumstances, but also the workers are punished and harshly treated if they do not obey the guards. When placed in this environment, it is easy to be discouraged and miserable, but instead of facing the negatives of his situation, Shukhov remains affirmative in his thoughts – which are most important in order to survive not only physically, but also mentally. This stoicism portrayed in the narrative can also be found in Epictetus’s work, The Handbook. In this text, Epictetus discusses how he believes people can live a happy life, despite the hard conditions they are put through
In One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn shows how Soviet prisoners, known as Zeks, are treated while being in the gulag for one day through the eyes of the protagonist and omniscient narrator named Ivan Denisovich Shukhov. Despite being in an environment such as the Soviet Union, where there is harsh tundra and not much food to eat, Shukhov tries to make good use of what he has received while trying to keep himself alive. The purpose of Solzhenitsyn’s portrayal of food is to show its overall significance and that it is used as a means of trade and survival. Over time, the power of food reveals its significance to the Zeks and especially to Shukhov and food allows both groups understanding towards the necessity of food for their vitality and well-being additionally.
Being or doing something violent is often one’s way of getting out of a situation or turning to as a last resort. In action movies, there is usually a main character trying to achieve their goal and they revert to violence to advance to it . Violence can be used to achieve what they need or to fulfill their emotions. The characters in All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erica Remarque, The Odyssey, by Homer, and Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, exemplify using violence as a last resort. In All Quiet in the Western Front, Paul Baumer is put in the detrimental position of becoming a soldier. He uses violence to try to achieve a piece of mind. Additionally in The Odyssey, Odysseus faces a cannibal monster, who makes Odysseus fear for his life
In literature, the two different kinds of violence are the specific injury that characters bring upon themselves (shootings, stabbings, bombings, etc.) and the when the author brings it upon all of the characters in general to advance the plot. An example of the first type of violence is presented in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Caesar is killed by Cassius, Brutus and their accomplices. The death of Caesar lead to more death and more problems throughout Rome. The purpose was to show how great power can lead to death and destruction and violence only creates a bigger mess. An example of the second type of violence is seen in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Myrtle is killed in a fatal accident by Daisy but due to his great love for her,
Another example of violence transpiring for more than a sole purpose, is through the character of Jonathan Harker. Jonathan is struggling with an inner conflict, and one of the supernatural; man versus himself and man versus the supernatural. His inner conflict is due to the fact that in his mind, he is a prisoner in Castle Dracula, and there are no means of escape. Therefore, the struggle within himself is one of keeping his sanity and rational way of thinking, since he is such a rational, business-minded man. However, the most obvious conflict derives from the physical and mental struggle with Count Dracula. The novel sets a tone of good versus evil or the supernatural, which is directly related to the conflict. Accordingly, on June 29, the Count tells Jonathan that this is his last day when he stated, "To-morrow, my friend, we must part"(pg.51). After the Count led him to the door where the wolves were howling, he
Two types of violence—Character violence and Narrative violence—Character violence is injury the author causes the character to have but narrative violence is used to enhance the plot
Violence is one of the most necessary elements to life. It can be as vital as water, and as regenerating as a long deserved sleep. It is the ultimate balance to the human life. Violence is possibly one of the most perverted and tainted virtues that exists today. Like all values, there is a time and place for them. The hardest part of any virtue is its proper administration.
Violence has to do with any harm physically or mentally to a person or object. Violence is one of the main elements is Southern Gothic Literature. Violence is cruel and unusual and can happen at anytime to anyone. An
Violence: behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. Something so extreme doesn’t happen for its own sake, it’s provoked. Such actions were performed in the novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini; more specifically, chapters twenty-two and twenty-three where Assef and Amir would fight to the death for the possession of Sohrab. This scene contributed to the idea that to get redemption, you first have to forgive yourself.
In the short, one-act play called “The Stronger” by August Strindberg; two characters are introduced as Madam X and Y. There are two women with two different personalities coming face to face at a café on Christmas Eve. Madam X is married while Y is currently single. In the play, Madam X portrays the audience that she is jealous and stubborn by the way she presents herself to Y. Madam Y is considered “stronger” because she keeps to herself and doesn’t say a word.
Violence can be described as a behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. Violence has been around from the beginning and can be seen through history in writing and events that occurred. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, violence’s jarring effects on societal members are evidenced through various relationships and partnerships, portraying society’s corrupt ideologies and ethics.
In conclusion, Shakespeare illustrates the theme of violence by writing about three murders committed by Macbeth. Macbeth starts off hesitant about murdering someone, but by the end of the play, he has no hesitation whatsoever. He uses violence to achieve power, gain power, and keep power and overtime it corrupts him. His violent actions lead to his overconfidence, which eventually lead to his downfall and death. This is what violence can do to a person. Just ask
Violence is a concept which can be felt more aptly than defined. The word ‘violence’