Essay about Treatment of Escapism in The Playboy of the Western World

The short stories of Ireland are distinct and many times distinctly Irish. “The Limerick Gloves” by Maria Edgeworth, “The Pedlar’s Revenge” by Liam O’Flaherty, “The Poteen Maker” by Michael McLaverty, and “Loser” Val Mulkerns are each distinct Irish short stories that deal with Irish topics in original ways. These stories are stylistically and thematically Irish. They are moralistic and offer clear themes that pertain to Irish values. This analysis will explore the Irish-ness of the works and explore their meaning when held against Irish literary tenants.

    In the early twentieth century, Ireland, and more specifically Dublin, was a place defined by class distinctions. There were the wealthy, worldly upper-class who owned large, stately townhouses in the luxurious neighborhoods and the less fortunate, uneducated poor who lived in any shack they could afford in the middle of the city. For the most part, the affluent class was Protestant, while the struggling workers were overwhelmingly Catholic. These distinctions were the result of nearly a century of disparity in income, education, language, and occupation, and in turn were the fundamental bases for the internal struggle that many of Joyce's characters feel.

The primary aim for the narrator is to suggest a reflection on how the Irish are treating the problems happening within their country through satirical writing. The narrator states that, “Infant’s flesh will be in

The setting of the story, Dublin, has been written in such a way that only

First, the of content Gabriel's speech at the party impressed me a lot. James Joyce, who is a genius writer, is like all other Irish writers, he loveshis

     Nineteenth-century Ireland was the most densely populated country in Europe: in 1800, its population was 4.5 million, and by 1841, it had risen to eight million (Kinealy 15). Yet much of this population existed in condition of sorrow and misery lay in the dependence of the peasantry on just one staple crop, the potato; in western countries like Mayo and Galway, nine-tenths of the people ate nothing else (MacManus 602). Here was a disaster waiting to happen, made worst by the rapid rise in population in the first half of the century which forced the peasants to subsist on smaller plots of land (O Grada, The Great Irish Famine 63).

In “A Modest Proposal” Jonathan Swift discusses how Ireland is in bad shape. He describes the poor conditions of the economy and society of Ireland. To illustrate the poor state of the economy in Ireland he gives examples of the poverty people in Ireland are living. Swift says, “It is a melancholy to those… when they see the streets… crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children, all in rags…” To further show the unfortunate state of Ireland, Swift demonstrates how the society is in a deprived

In this composition,” A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift who was an Anglican priest and a writer , has talked about the worst condition under which people are living in Ireland. He uses this writing as a means of communication to convey his message across the whole world for people to be aware of what is happening to the citizens of Ireland. How the landowners are maltreating the poor families whose spouse are dead, and their government too is not doing anything to assist them. Although he has made ironical statement, and also uses a lot of sarcasm does not make this writing to lose its value, it is still carrying its subject and message across. This kind of evil deeds does not happen in only Ireland, it is all over the world now.

In the first stanza Yeats expresses his conflicting loathing and admiration for modernity through the juxtaposition of “vivid faces” and “grey houses”. This represents the possibilities that modernity can bring; the revitalising of the community or the destruction of tradition and age old energy already lost by the modifications in the city. The repetition of the phrase “A terrible beauty is born” in the first and fourth stanzas articulate this inner turmoil revolving around modernity. This oxymoronic declaration is emphasised throughout the text by Yeats’ confusion towards the rebellion and its necessity. The fourth stanza embodies this conflict, removing the previously represented idea that life in pre-rebellion Ireland was a “casual comedy”, alluding to an Elizabethan play where the characters were content. By asking the rhetoric questions “was it needless death” and “O when may [British rule] suffice?” Yeats parallels the unresolved contradiction of “terrible beauty”. However, this sensitive treatment of conflict allows the retainment of ambiguity and can be related to any change within life, hence allowing audiences to superimpose their own beliefs and ideas into the poem. Yeats continues to explore his aversion towards modernism in The Second Coming with the appointment of a new “gyre” standing as the symbol for a new age. The fear of

James Joyce’s Dubliners is a compilation of many short stories put together to convey the problems in Ireland during that time. Many of his characters are searching for some kind of escape from Dublin, and this is a reoccurring theme throughout the stories. In the story “Little Cloud,” the main character, Little Chandler, feels the need for both an escape from Dublin and also from his normal everyday life. Gabriel, the main character in Joyce’s final story of the book, “The Dead,” desires a different form of escape than Little Chandler. He desires to escape his aunts’ party, and also at times, Dublin society. Although the stories

In “Translations”, Brian Friel highlights the powerful way language can impact people’s identity and culture, as demonstrated in the small rural town of Baile Beag, Ireland. Friel connects language to social and political issues regarding the invasion of Ireland by the British, exposing the unbridgeable gap between two different cultures; also he uses symbolism to demonstrate the challenge of having two distinctly different dialects. The narration of the play uses both English and Gaelic which provides the reader with an understanding of the language barrier and the challenges it can impose in our daily lives. Language being our prime way of communication, this story closely examines the loss of value and the meanings words hold, when lost in

There are many different aspects of American Culture. One part of this culture is the idolization of beautiful women. Playboy is one of many examples of how Americans idolize women. Playboy Enterprises, recognized by their iconic Playboy Bunny symbol, started off as just a men’s magazine that includes journal articles, fiction, and of course, photographs of nude women. Playboy Magazine was founded by Hugh Hefner in Chicago, Illinois in 1953. Hefner incorporated HMH Publishing Co., Inc. in Delaware on October 1, 1953. In December of 1953 Hefner released the first issue of the magazine that would feature Marilyn Monroe on the cover. It would become very successful, selling more than 50,000 copies of the first issue.

It is a fact, with few exceptions, that a person’s manner of speaking identifies a lot about him or her including education and upbringing, and often his or her place in society. James Joyce’s “Two Gallants” takes the reader on a stroll around Dublin with Lenehan and Corley and we can eavesdrop on their conversation as they make plans for their “big evening.” Joyce’s use of slang helps the reader understand who Lenehan and Corley are. It helps reveal their age; education; feelings about others; relationship with each other; and class. Overall, Joyce shows us the hopelessness of two working class young men living by their wits and their interaction with a darker side of life – gambling, prostitution, and stealing. Lehehan and

“To be or not to be, that is the question.” Hamlet’s famous quotation implies only two solutions: to be, or to not be. However, there is another option that Shakespeare never explored: to remain paralyzed between the two states, unable to commit to either. James Joyce’s Dubliners is a collection of short stories first published in 1914, that follows the inhabitants of Ireland. Published nearly a half a century before the Republic of Ireland would be recognized as an independant country, many of Joyce’s short stories in Dubliners explore the theme of Irish paralysis, that Joyce found afflicted both the whole of Ireland and its individual citizens. Many

Dubliners by James Joyce is a collection of stories centered around Joyce’s intentions to write the moral history of Dublin’s paralysis. Although paralysis seems to be the main theme in Dubliners, another motif comes across in the pages of the stories. As if all of the mental, physical, and emotional problems weren’t enough, many of the characters in Dubliners are alcoholics. Joyce utilizes the character of the drunk in many of the stories in Dubliners; hardly a story skips a mention of a drink. The negative effects of alcohol occur again and again through the collection of stories. For the most part, men are brought down by their addiction to alcohol and their inability to control themselves when they are drunk. In Dubliners, the characters seek their own desires, face obstacles that frustrate them, and ultimately give in to their need to consume alcohol. With Dubliners, James Joyce brings attention to the different issues that consuming alcohol caused in early 20th century Ireland using three particular stories; “Counterparts”, “Grace” and “Ivy Day in the Committee Room”.