Duchess.Why does he give his guest such a clue?
Based on the poem's style, structure, and historical references, it becomes evident that even if the speaker did not directly kill his wife, he certainly had something to hide.
Thomas Hardy Tess of the D’Urbervilles 1. How does Tess react to Clare’s suggestion that they should leave their shelter? Why?
She showed a strange unwillingness to move. Because she doesn’t want to put an end to all that’s sweet and lovely peacefulness and affection.
2. What is the significance of Tess resting on an altar in the heathen temple?
1）She is the sacrifice of the social conventions and prejudice which society has placed upon her
2）In Hardy's eyes, she is the epitome of the purity of women, as pure as the sacrifices which are placed upon the altar.
3）She knows the fate which is about to befall upon her, just as the sacrifices on the altar, inescapable death.
4）Her death is caused by human hypocrisy and foolishness, similar to that of a sacrifice. 5）At the end, the only place which can accept her for who she is is death and sacrifice. 6）Biblical allusion. Parallel to phrase the first, when Abraham and her where on the carriage. Similar to the biblical story where Abraham was to sacrifice his son, the family sacrificed Tess.
3. Comment on this sentence: “Justice’ was done, and the President of the lmmortals (in Aeschylean phrase ) had ended his sport with Tess”. In what sense is Tess’ story tragic?
(1)Tess is a typical victim of the society. Poverty of the family, inhumanity, injustice and hypocrisy of the society decide her tragedy. The two men— the one who takes away her virginity and purity, the other who takes away her love but deserts her on the very weding night— though apparent rivals, join their forces in bringing about her final destruction. Hers is a personal tragedy; it can also be a social one.(2)The tragic fate of Tess and her family was not that of an individual family, but it was symbolic of the disintegration of the English peasantry--- a process which had reached its final and tragic stage at the end of 19th century
George Bernard Shaw Pygmalion 1. Why does the Greek dipolmatist pretend that he cannot speak nor understand English?
Because he doesn’t reveal his origin that he speaks English so villainously that he dare not utter a wordof it.
2. What do people at the party think of Eliza? Why do they stare at her so intently? She is so intent on her ordeal that she walks like a somnambulist. Because they admir her dress,her jewels,and her strangely attractive self.
William Butler Yeats The Second Coming 1. What does the line “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;” mean?
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These lines confirm the above idea by showing that without order \fall apart.\Society's center dissolves as the gyre widens, introducing anarchy.
The ceremony of innocence This phrase reflects Yeats' appreciation of ritual as the basis of civilized living
2. What do “a shape with lion body and the head of a man” and the “rough beast” refer to?
The speaker's horrific vision is of a supernatural creature with a body that is half-lion and half-man[Sphinx]. This beast represents the new god of the new era.
As stated earlier in the poem, order has been destroyed and now is replaced by a supernatural being who combines the image of humanity with a violent, disturbing image of nature.
Note also that this vision is set in a desert landscape. This implies that the coming era will create a dry, withered existence.
3. Yeats wrote this poem in the early 20th century while the fin-de-siecle mood was still quite popular. At the beginning of the 21st century, what do you think of this poem?
Yeats gives the readers freedom of interpretation. The poem ends with a question mark. Yeats seems to ask who will win the battle in the end? which is represented as the beast or Good, which is about to be born in Bethlehem?
In his poem \Second Coming,\William Butler Yeats indicates that the continued destructive actions of humankind will result in the birth of a new age that is dark, foreboding, and ruled by anarchy.
The poem serves as a warning of what might lie ahead if we do not change the direction society continues to take.
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