A comparison of tabloid and broadsheet newspapers Essay Example for Free

A comparison of tabloid and broadsheet newspapers Essay To understand the subject of this essay, I thought it would help to briefly look at the history and background of newspapers, because I believe this gradually influences peoples decisions on buying a paper today. In earlier years, the majority of people buying newspapers were all well educated, middle class intellectuals. As a result of this many papers actually tended to follow the broadsheet format. Most people that bought a newspaper would have full intention of reading from front to back. Most papers had between four and nine pages with a lot of columns and very small print; there were not many pictures and very little graphics. This was generally because of the lack of technology available to the publishers and their printers. As time progressed, so did the technology that went into the newspapers. With this improvement in technology this enables the publishers to focus on more specific readership. In a newspaper you can find that they can now devote sectors of the newspaper to individual interests, at the same time as having more illustrations and advertisements. We investigated how tabloids and broadsheets have appeared to combine these new ideas, but somehow still have different techniques, writing styles and format. We did this by using interviews and surveys to help us gain the results we wanted. To gain further understanding of the type of people that read tabloid and broadsheet newspapers, the pupils in our class carried out a survey. The principle was to find out if there were any links between our research and the class survey, it helped us gain more knowledge on the time that papers are read during the day and what days they are tended to be read on. When the survey was complete we collected the results to find that there was quite an even spread of readers for both the tabloid paper and the broadsheet paper. Another interesting fact was that mainly broadsheets were read on the weekend rather than the working week. I recognize that this must be because of the size and depth of the broadsheet which becomes a immediate fault of the paper has it makes it very hard for somebody going to work on the train or bus to read a large paper such as The Telegraph in such tight compact spaces. Our class also carried interviews with their friends and family to try and find out the reason behind this predilection. In the majority of cases, the time available and the content of the newspaper were concerns. Many people believed that a broadsheet were more detailed and focused on finance and politics, whereas tabloid papers tended to be more light-hearted and entertaining. There were a lot more gossip columnists and many pages devoted to entertainment and celebrities featured in The Sun. As I expected the size of the newspapers were a big matter into deciding which paper someone would buy. According to the interviewees, broadsheets were understandably an inconvenient size if they were to be read on a coffee brake or a journey as they were just too big. Tabloid papers were popular because of the advantage of there size as they can be read at spare moments during the day and contained a television guide. Personally I tend to read newspapers at the weekend and the members of my family generally make the choice of paper, I enjoy reading a tabloid a lot more than I do a broadsheet because broadsheets cover a large quantity of business and finance and I am not interested in these subjects. I enjoy reading The Sun as it contains a lot of sport news and celebrity news. Tabloid papers in my opinion are a lot easier to read as u dont have to take a lot of time reading each article like you do in the broadsheet newspapers. Before we actually started to examine individual articles, we made some general assertions concerning the papers contents. We all noticed that there were a surprisingly large amount of adverts in the broadsheet newspaper, which included a completely covered double-page spread on just adverts. A British Airways advert, covered a page of the Daily Telegraph the size made it eye-catching and very effective to the reader. For further exploration we compared two articles, which at the time were concerning the situation in Saudi Arabia. The first article was featured in The Sun, entitled, Saudi Aid. The second article was found in The Daily Telegraph entitled, Arab states back Bush over Iraq. My immediate observation was the difference and contrast in headlines. The tabloid headline was much shorter than that of the broadsheet, therefore the information given was. Saudi Aid gave the reader a suggestion of the articles content, but did not make any kind of effort to enhance on the subject. On the other hand The Telegraph was more informative and had a much more detailed headline, Arab states back Bush over Iraq. This headline refers to a specific incident which is very straight forward it also includes one of the most well known names in the world, this is a clever way of using someones name involved in the issue to draw in the reader the also tone suggests controversy. The Sun followed its brief headline with a more detailed summary, giving us further amplification on the subject. The Telegraph on the other hand had a sub headline of Way cleared for countdown to war. Again the focus of the piece was narrowed down to ass impact on their first headline. The sub headline included and extremely emotive phrase, Countdown to War. This gives no definite answer to the question most people were asking themselves at the time, it just leaves the possibility that it could happen in the future if the situation deteriorates. The Sun also included a sub headline in its article. Saudis to aid attack on Iraq again this repeats the word aid from the headline but this time expanding on the content of the article. The reporter actually uses rhyme, which increases the articles appeal, because it becomes captivating and memorable. In continuing to study the format of the article, I noticed that the front pages of both pieces were very different. The Telegraphs report was split into four columns, with an enlarged quote dividing the second column. In this article there was clearly more writing, and whilst I could perceive a summary, it was not highlighted in any way, like The Suns report, which had a summary in bold type and a sub heading of Weapons halfway through the first column, such use of a sub headline created drama and tension. The summary uses colloquial language, and emotive writing such as the Saudis fear they will never be safe while Saddam rules. With added patriotism, the summary lures the reader to read on through the article, to reach the main point of the piece. Unlike the broadsheet article, there was a picture featured in the tabloid newspaper. The picture was of Jack Straw and by adding a picture the information in the article is authentic and may entice the reader to look more closely at the piece, and maybe value the reporters opinion more. Another creative effect is The Suns use of italics. By placing a chosen phrase or paragraph in italics, the readers attention is drawn to the chosen area, showing that the specific phrase is important, and so the reader should pay attention to it. The general tone of the suns article is informal throughout the piece. The reporter remains biased and doesnt believe that the possibility of war may be resolved. The piece in The Telegraph takes an objective style and presents both sides of the argument, and continually stating that there is no definite war. The miscellany in reporting styles also includes the use of more formal language with words such as repercussions. I would presume that the readers of a broadsheet newspaper are more middle-class. This is a generalisation but that the fact that there is more business, finance and culture in the broadsheet newspaper. There is one similarity between the articles it is that they both include the national security adviser Conddeezza Rice. Overall the broadsheet newspaper includes more concept language and is rather informal, whilst the tabloid newspaper has short headlines with a catchy theme to it, instead of a more sophisticated and simple headlines brought to us by the broadsheet newspapers.

Ideas And Themes In Writings English Literature Essay

Ideas And Themes In Writings English Literature Essay Writers use lots of literary techniques and features to support their ideas and themes in their writings.All those tehniques are design to manipulate and shape the readers perceptions.They position readers to respond to the writing in certain ways,either agreeing with or disputing those themes.Themes of allienation,nostalgia to love and loss are very often repeated in Literature.We can see this very clear in three short stories which I would like to write about , Erneast Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants,John Cheevers The Enormous Radio and Doriss Lessing To Room Nineteen.In first story Hemingway tells us about inabillity to communicate effectively in a relationhip.Main characters got a huge difficulty in articulating their feelings which makes them frustrated with each other.In The Enormous Radio we see themes such as addiction and loss of control,hidden secrets ans scandals and communication issues but they all lead to the main theme of this story which is loss of love.Last Dor is Lessing story themes are theme of allienation,identity issue and loss of sense of being.Main character of this story,Susan is portrayed as a prisoner of ideology driven by sociaty that women are expected to be gladly and willingly acepting their repression and bondage. Narrative point of viewe is one of the first techniques which has huge influence on meaning and tone of the story.All stories are written in the same a third person point of viewe but with a little difference between them.Erneast Hemingway wrote Hills Like White Elephants in third person point of view and objective which is limited to what characters say and do.He doesnt reveal their thoughts ang feelings,as a readers we need to guess that by interpreting the text.In Enormous Radio we see that narrator use the same third person point of viewe but its omniscient.He is able to describe not only each characterà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s actions but also their inside emotions,motives, and feelings.Sometimes narrator even takes subjective approach by describing one of the characters Irene as a self-centered women which is only concerned about how people viewe her and by describing Jim as a loyal and hard working man who tries very hard to give her and their children a comfortable life.In Doriss Lessings To Room Nineteen story starts from the third person narrative point of viewe only to shift later in a story to first person point of viewe.Lessing uses stream of concioussness techinque and interior monologue which creates the impression for the reader that he is almost eavesdropping on the flow of concious experience in characters mind.This give a reader an acces to thoughts,emotions and sensations experienced by a character. Varied details of setting and character has got a huge contributon to the maning of these short stories.Setting plays the biggest role in Hemingways story where even the title refers to symbolical importance of it.Jig,one of the characters of a story,by describing the hills that they look like white elephants refers to her pregnancy and the main issue of this story which is abortion.She describes the hills in the distance that they look like white elephants because American which she travells with,views the baby as an aproaching obstacle to their careless life.The rest of a setting also provides symbolism which express the tension and conflict between the couple.The train tracks going into two different directions,in between which couple sits at the train station might refer to couple being in the middle of making drastic decision. A couple is just like those tracks which run side by side but will never have a chance to meet. Different kind of land on both sides,on one green and fert ile and on the other dry and without trees also describes their different viewe and interpretation of the dilemma of pregnancy.In The Enormous Radio,the arrival of the new radio which changes its setting,going deeper in the house,moving from the door to the middle of the living room behind the couch because of its physical ugnliness it seems to be like agressive intruder,intruding Irenes life.By listening to the radio which picks up noises and conversations from the whole building she also starts intruding on other people lifes.This is how we start to see huge change in Irene and her relationship with Jim.She gets involved in people lives heard on the radio so much she soon became depressed and changes from a pleasant, rather plain woman to a woman who doubts who she is and doubts in her relationship with her husband.They both start to realise there is a tension in their marriage,that Irene has many dark,deep secrets which she has hidden very well all these years and which she feels guilty about.Setting its not so important in this story.Narrator is trying to concentrate only on the radio,voices and music coming out of it which plays huge role in a story by shaping atmosphere of a story and also changing mood of a main characters.The same we will see in Doris Lessings story where there is less description on setting but this minimalism have huge importance for the meaning.This minimalism gives the reader a sense of unfulfilled emptiness of a relationshp between Susan and Matthew and emptiness in Susans life which is described as a desert which shows her hopelessness and depressesion.Also the empty room nineteen which in she spends most of a time describes Susans need of allienation. Use of techniques such as irony,symbolism an understatement by wrtiers in those short stories has got a huge impact on themes.The most important in those stories is symbolism which is a use of symbols to represent or suggest other things or ideas.As said before in Hills Like White Elephants we can already see symbolism in the title of a story.Jig refers to the hills that they look like white elephants to talk about abortion which is the main theme of this story.A white elephant is a largely useless object that is expenssive to own and maitain which symbolise a unborn baby.The whole symbolism of a setting is important in many ways which I already had a chance to analyse earlier.The rail tracks could symbolise Jigs and Americans relationship and being in the middle of making an important decision.Two sides of a station described in a story has its own meaning,green can by a symbol of life, baby, a new beggining and dry side can represent death and abortion.Irony in this story mainly sh ows Jigs frustration towards the American and this is its main purpose.In conversation between them about licuorice and its familiar taste we can clearly see Jig is not only refering to a drink but also to their lifestyle which she is able to abandon at any point to settle down.I believe huge impact on the story has the last sentence spoken by Jig,when she tells the American she is fine.We can understand this sentence as an irony and that Jig will go through with the abortion because of her inability to communicate her feelings to the American wich leaves her frustrated and not being able to fight anymore.Also conversation between them,about such an important subject which is abortion,seems to be very simple,trivial and even pointless.The talk about good drinks and lovely hills is only a cover for a deadly argument.This tehnique used by Hemingway is called understatement.Again symbolism is used in Johns Cheever The Enormous Radio.It is mainly used to describe the hidden meaning of t he radio from the title.It symbolise an addiction and loss of control.Irene gets so obssesed with listening to her friends and neighbours on the radio that she is not even interested anymore in her relationships with other people in real life.She prefers to go home and eavsdropp on them through the radio.Radio also symbolise a hidden secret and scandal.When Irene start to doubts happiness of her marriege,all secrets are being revealed like theft and abortion, which she was hiding all these years.Radio is also used as an irony.It was purchased to bring joy and happiness to Irenes and Jims life but it only caused trouble between them revealing deep and dark secrets.In To the room nineteen again we can find symbolism in the title of a story.We see Susan as a woman who has been caught up in the web of the social roles in a community and she is trying to step out of this world into a world of her own making which is room nineteen.She is no longer a wife and mother in this room,she escape s her social role and she finally finds peace and freedom.We can see an irony in words describing Susan and Matthew as intelligent which is the very characteristic that is their downfall.Although they do everything sensibly in their minds, their repression of her as a woman is anything but intelligent.Also Lessing use repetition technique, using word intelligence fiftee times to make an irony even stronger. Dialogues,conversations between characters have also big impact on the meaning of those stories.Hemingway story is told in third person point of viewe and it doesnt tell us any facts about characters.This is why dialogue is important and we need to interpretate it to find out about attitudes oh the main characters towards each other.Their are able in this way to speak for themselve and we can also see through the tone and pattern of the dialogue,exsistence of a deep problem in their relationship.In The Enormous Radio dialog has the same purpose.We are able through dialogue to find out more about characters thoughts and feelings.We also in a dialogue see a tension between main characters,which bilds up towards the end of the story.In the To Room Nineteen Doris Lessing we can see through dialogues between Susan and Matthew the lack of communication in their married life.Lessing also use interior monologue to stress the meaning of the story.Through Susans interior monologue we can see h er helplensness and emptiness of her marriage life. All those strories got their own specific structure which has an impact on the mood and atmosphere of these stories.In Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants setting frames the story,it plays a crucial role in determining the atmosphere in his work. The choice of a setting and objects supports the sytuation and develops the story conflict.Also dialogues are holding the story together,they tell us about the main theme of a story.In The Enormous Radio music frames the story, creates the mood and reveals the emotional transition of the characters.In To Room Nineteen Doris Lessing is using more literary techniques in her writing to support the meaning. Narrator by changing the tone of language creates a mood.At the beggining of a writing words are longer which makes reading slower and creates very peacfull effect.But than towards the end of a story narrator is trying to create tension in a story and starts using shorter words which makes our reading much quicker.Also stream of conciousnes s technique adds dramatic effect to the story and without it writing would be very bland. I have really enjoyed reading short stories,especially those three which I have chosen for this evaluation and analysis.Mainly I believe so because of female issues in sociaty presented in those stories.Earnest Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants is deffinitelly my favourite.It is very interesting that narrator doesnt reveal any informations about characters,what they think and feel.To find out we need to interpretate the text,in this case dialogue between them.Through reading the story I felt like sitting next to the couple,eavsdropping on their conversation.Because there is a huge communication issue between them and they are unable to reveal their true feelings again it is left to the reader to analyse what characters are really thinking.It also intrigued me how story shows a contrast between male and female viewe on relationsips.When abortion for Jig,killing their unborn baby is a huge decision for her,for American is only a simple operation letting the air in.He doesnt identif y himself with the baby which is an obstacle for him and his careless lifestale. I also found The Enormous Radio very interesting to read.I think John Cheever through this story again proved the fact how communicating issues between people might affect their relationship.Irenes secrets and scandals creates tension between their marriage and they lead to loss of trust and love between them.The structure of a story has also catched my attention.I found it very interesting that music was creating the mood in the story and that music was revealing the emotional transition of the characters.In To Room Nineteen I was hugle intrested in Lessings attitude towards female repression, alienation and escape which is all exposed in this story.She tries to explain how social, cultural, and ethic diversions,how they all limit women perspectives and experiences and their intellectual, spiritual, and emotional freedom.By indroducing us to the main character Susan,which entire exsistence was like pri son,she tells us that this allienation might even result in mental breakdown.Short stories are very quick and enjoyable reading but still they have a huge depth and important message hidden in them.I would deffinitely recomend to others short stories which I had a chance to read and I will also continue to expand my experience as a reader.

Child Abuse Case Study: Peter Connelly Essay -- Toddler Peter Connell

Child abuse does not discriminate against a child because of age, sex, religion, or socioeconomic background. Every child is vulnerable to abuse. Parents today face the possibility that someone they know or a stranger may hurt or take advantage of their children. Research indicates that as many as one out of every four children will be the victims of some kind of abuse (National Child Abuse Statistics). Furthermore, one of the biggest ironies of child abuse is that the family, a child’s primary source of care, love, and security, can also be their most taunting experience. This was the case of 17 month old baby, Peter Connelly. Throughout his short life span, he suffered from neglect and physical abuse that ultimately caused his death. Child abuse is a serious problem that is being taken too lightly. Peter Connelly was born March 1st, 2007 in Haringey, London. In a two month period Peter’s father moved out of the house, while his mother Tracey Connelly met a new guy Steven Baker at a club. On October 13th Peter was taken to the doctor’s office with bruises to the side of his head. His mother told the authorities that he fell out of his crib. Sometime around December Peters mothers thirty-two year old boyfriend, Steven Baker, moves into the home. Within the same month he was rushed to the emergency room with head injuries, bruising to the bridge of the nose, sternum, right shoulder and buttocks. Peter’s mother said he fell off of his seat. Ultimately, his case was referred to social services. Peter was given temporarily to a friend of the family. Pursing this further, on January 26th Peter is returned to his mother, even though Tracey Connelly was still on bail for assaulting and neglecting the baby. Time... ...Baby P Death Named." BBC News - Home. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. . Hughes, Mark. "Baby P's Killers: the Untold Story - Crime, UK - The Independent." The Independent | News | UK and Worldwide News | Newspaper. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. . Layman, Richard. Child Abuse. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 1990. 15+. Print. "National Child Abuse Statistics | Childhelp." Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse | Childhelp. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. . "Timeline Leading to Toddler Peter Connelly's Tragedy | The Sun |News." The Sun | The Best for News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities | The Sun| The Sun. Web. 07 Apr. 2011. .

A Comparison of Two Types of Treatment for Alcoholism Essay -- Biology

A Comparison of Two Types of Treatment for Alcoholism One of the largest debates in the study of alcoholism is the etiology of the disorder. The prevailing theory today seems to be that alcoholism is a disease, a biological affliction that can only be ameliorated by abstinence or medication. However, there are those who believe alcoholism has its roots in environmental influences and that the disorder is a maladaptive pattern of behavior. The two main methods currently employed for treating alcoholism reflect the foundations of the two main theories. Perhaps the most widely known method is the "Twelve Step" program created by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) (1). Underlying this process is the belief that alcoholism is a biological disease that can never be cured, nor can it even be hindered without the use of external forces(2).. Members of AA are required to admit that they are powerless to fight alcoholism and need to relinquish control to a "power greater than ourselves." (3).This power can take any form for the adherents to the program, yet there is repeated mention of God and other aspects of Christian spirituality(4). More relevant to the topic at hand is the belief that alcoholism is a biological disease, which can be inferred from the acknowledgement that help with alcoholism can only come from God. This implies that alcoholism is out of one's own hands and thus should not be considered a "character flaw" or an aspect of personality; it also implies that alcoholism is something more intrinsic to the individual. In fact, the Big Book, the handbook of AA, states that alcoholism is a medical disease. (5).. Indeed, there is a substantial amount of evidence to support this assertion; this is based on tre... ...h in U.S./Canada http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/em24dc14.html 2)The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/em24doc6.html 3)A Newcomer Asks http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/ep24doc1.html 4)The 12 Step Cafà © http://www.12steps.org/Brochure/12step/STEPS/STEP1.htm 5)The Doctor's Opinion http://www.recovery.org/aa/bigbook/ww/doctors_opinion.html 6)Neuroscience Research and Medications Development http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/please-note.htm 7)Alcoholism http://www.noah.cuny.edu/wellconn/alcoholism.html 8)Animal Models in Alcohol Research http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/please-note.htm 9)Children of Alcoholics: Are They Different? http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/please-note.htm 10)The Genetics of Alcoholism http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/ 11)Treatment of Alcoholism http://www.mentalhealth.com/mag1/p5h-al10.html

Reader Response Essay - On The Strong Breed -- Reader Response Essays

Reader Response Essay - On The Strong Breed Reading Wole Soyinka’s Strong Breed, I get to wondering about disclosure and ritual, disclosure between characters and to audiences, rituals of drama and religion. As I read the play, I see ample signs that both Sunma and Eman know about the curse-binding ritual that is to take place before midnight. I see signs of Sunma’s more specific knowledge in her shunning of Ifada from the start of the play. She declares, â€Å"Get away, idiot† (853). From the start Sunma is agitated and hopes that she and Eman might get away for â€Å"only two days† (857), as long as the two of them might â€Å"watch the new year together--in some other place† (856). Once Eman decides he doesn’t want to go away, Sunma wants to avoid the festival completely, saying that she â€Å"must not go out until all this is over† (859). Certainly, my rereading contributes to the sense of the foreshadowing I find in Sunma’s declarations. I have read the play half a dozen times by now, and though I forget many details, I do remember the outcome well enough to seek signs of its co...

Boat: Symbolism in Never Let Me Go Essay

Most people have dreams of becoming astronauts, doctors or painters but Hailsham students grow up knowing that they won’t get to live a normal life. They will donate organs until they die. Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Never Let Me Go is about a dystopian society in Great Britain. It breeds cloned children for organ donations. Ishiguro uses a unique style of storytelling in which the protagonist Kathy narrates her memories of childhood at Hailsham to Adulthood and becoming a â€Å"carer†. While describing the unique incidents, Kathy simultaneously narrates details about donations, donors and relationship, but manages to keep a sense of mystery throughout the story. In the 19th Chapter, the reader understands that the characters are organ donors and will inevitably die soon. Kathy, Tommy and Ruth take a road trip to see an abandoned boat after which the three have an emotional talk and face their fears. The boat is a powerful symbol that represents Hailsham, the lives of the donors, their past and future. To understand the symbolism in the novel, this essay will focus on the themes of death, ignorance, belief system and free will. Hailsham’s students are ignorant, and taught to ignore their fears. The boat represents a broken life, a life in which you are only permitted to dream, whereas your future is decided. The boat symbolizes the mystery of origin of the donors. Students at Hailsham are trained not to be inquisitive. Their lessons are planned and the main issue of organ donation was never emphasized enough. They are distant to feelings and brainwashed â€Å"told but not told† (74). Ishiguro’s style of writing was casual when discussing donations and life after Hailsham. Hailsham an institution run by private funding is very similar to the boat. Tommy compares the boat to Hailsham which is now closed. â€Å"Maybe this is what Hailsham looks like now† (205). It is segregated, stands alone in the marshlands just like Hailsham; Hailsham protects the students from outside world which believes that the clones are not human beings, â€Å"All around the country, at this very moment, there are students being reared in deplorable condition, conditions Hailsham students could hardly imagine† (238) just like the boat protects the sailor from the oceanic forces. A human belief system is a product to complement their respective comfort zone. Even though the girls knew that the â€Å"secret guard† is not real, they believed in Ruth  and played along, just for the sake of excitement. Ruth’s lying or Tommy’s belief in deferrals and the emotions he went through when he understood that deferral was just a myth â€Å"If the rumor was never true, then why did you take all our stuff away? Didn’t the Gallery exist either?† (237). This is symbolized by the boat; The abandoned broken boat represents a broken life, hopelessness; broken by the forces it is subjected to. All the donors are very obsessed to find their â€Å"possible†. â€Å"†¦you could tell people were fascinated –obsessed, in some cases- and so it (subject of ‘possible’) kept coming up usually in solemn arguments†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (127). Kathy’s character in the story is emotionally reserved. She finds it difficult to make decisions, and she does not speak openly about what she actually feels. Th is characteristic helps her not to think about the short life and the bleak future. She lives life with some short lived happiness. Kathy has a very original personality unlike Ruth’s, who tries to impress and act like the veterans do. Ishiguro does not discuss Ruth’s death immediately after the 19th chapter but rather lets the reader focus on Kathy’s and Tommy’s sufferings. Ruth’s death is emotional and it would overshadow Kathy’s and Tommy’s struggle. Like the donors the boat went through a lot of struggle perhaps even saved lives, yet the origin of the boat is a mystery, just like the donors who probably saved lives but no one cares about them, their origin is a mystery. The boat was once a life saver and guardian but now it is wrecked and is of no use. The donors too will face the same fate of the boat; they will save lives and die alone. Perhaps that’s why it is very popular object among the donors. The boat is a powerful symbol in the novel because even though it represents protection, and survival, if broken and abandoned it becomes a symbol of loneliness, no one cares about it, its origins becomes a mystery- even unnecessary and the forces it has faced in the ocean become meaningless. The boat represents the lives of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy. It is also Hailsham their protector in the sea; it is Tommy’s hope for survival- his absolute belief in the deferral system; it represents Kathy’s search for a possible, the boat’s origin is also a mystery. The boat projects their future that no matter how hard they try and dream- their fate is sealed. They are helpless once exposed to the ocean. They are going to die, left abandone d like the boat. No one is going to care about them.

“A Secret Sorrow” by Karen van der Zee and “A Sorrowful Woman” Gail Godwin Essay

In both the excerpts from Karen van der Zee’s novel â€Å"A Secret Sorrow† and in Gail Godwin’s short story â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman,† the plots center on ideas of marriage and family. Conversely, marriage and family are presented in very different lights in the two stories. Karen van der Zee presents marriage with children as perfect and completely fulfilling; it is what Faye, the protagonist of â€Å"A Secret Sorrow†, wants and what is necessary to her happiness. For Godwin’s unnamed protagonist, marriage and family are almost the antithesis of happiness; her home life seems to suffocate hear and eventually leads her to death. â€Å"A Secret Sorrow† directly endorses and encourages marriage, whereas â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† indirectly questions and discourages it. Both of the female protagonists in the two stories experience a conflict. In â€Å"A Secret Sorrow† Faye’s conflict comes before the marriage. She is struck with misery and torment because she cannot have children and fears that this will prevent her from marrying the man she loves. Both she and her beloved, Kai, desire marriage with children, and van der Zee suggests that only with these things will they truly be happy. Faye feels that her inability to have children is a fatal flaw that cuts her off from Kai’s love. â€Å"Every time we see some pregnant woman, every time we’re with somebody else’s children I’ll feel I’ve failed you!† (Zee 35). Faye’s anxiety and fear are based on the thought of losing her beloved Kai, accompanied by never having children. In â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman,† however, the conflict comes after the marriage, when the woman has already secured her husband and child. Unlike Faye, who would be ecstatic in this woman’s situation, the protagonist of Godwin’s story is not. Oddly enough, her husband and son bring her such sorrow that eventually she is unable to see them at all, communicating only through notes stuck under her bedroom door. Godwin’s character has a loving husband and child, yet in spite of this, she is still filled with grief. This sense of defeat is unimaginable when compared to a Harlequin romance because it goes against the assumption that the rest is happily ever after. In â€Å"A Secret Sorrow†, marriage is portrayed as the resolution. Van der Zee works to present the reader with the idea that only with this aspect will Faye be fulfilled and happy; it is what the entire story, with all the plot  twists and romantic interludes, works toward. Marriage is also the end in â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† but not as expected: it is quite literally the end of the woman’s life. Though one doesn’t see what her life was like before her emotional crisis, there are hints of it. When she moves into a new bedroom, away from her husband, she mentions seeing the streets from a whole new perspective, which suggests the previous monotony of her daily life. In addition, when the woman bakes pies and bread and washes and folds the laundry, her son says, â€Å"She’s tired from doing all our things again,† (Godwin 42). This gives the reader the idea of what â€Å"our things† was and what the woman did with her time before her crisis. The monotony of marriage is absent in â€Å"A Secret Sorrow.† Faye’s inability to have children does not end Kai’s love for her, instead, the two go on to marry and adopt children. Faye’s married life is described in a very idyllic way: she raises her son and two daughters in a â€Å"white ranch house under the blue skies of Texas† (Zee 37). Once she is married and has children, there is no more anxiety because the plot leads one to the conclusion that marriage solves all problems and is a source of unending happiness. This greatly differs from Godwin’s tale, which takes place in winter and maintains a sense of cold. Whenever Godwin describes the family, it is in terms that suggest weight, guilt, or failure. The child’s trusting gaze makes the protagonist begin â€Å"yelping without tears† (Godwin 39). Any sign of life or love increases her sorrow and makes her want solitary. One case in point is when the hired girl brings her son to visit her with a grasshopper he’s found–something both alive and from the outside world; she gets very upset and forces her husband to fire the girl. It would appear that the girl is too much of an infringement on her space, too much of a reminder of what she can no longer be. The discrepancy between the two authors’ illustrations of marriage is most apparent when both women are viewing their families. Faye, sitting with her husband and watching her children play, feels that â€Å"life was good and filled with love† (Zee 37). Godwin’s protagonist, on the other hand, articulates, â€Å"The sight of them made her so sad and sick she did not want to see them ever again† (Godwin 38).When Kai, now her husband, embraces Faye, she feels,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"There was love in his embrace and love in his words and in her heart there was no room for doubt, no room for sorrow† (Zee 37). When Godwin’s heroine feels the loving touch of her husband’s arm and the kiss of her child, she cannot bear it any longer and cuts off all direct contact with them. The situation of her marriage forces her into a self-imposed imprisonment and indolence. She feels agonizingly poignant because she can no longer be who they want and need her to be. She avoids them not because she does not love them but rather because she loves them so much that it is too painful to see them and too troublesome for them to feel her failure. The axiom to Godwin’s story tells us that â€Å"Once upon a time there was a wife and a mother one too many times† (Godwin 38). The addition of â€Å"one too many times† to this traditional story opening forces the idea of repetition and monotony; it suggests that it is not the state of being a wife and mother that is innately dreadful but rather the fact that that is all Godwin’s character is. Day in and day out, too many times over, the woman is just a wife and a mother, and it isn’t enough for her. In van der Zee’s story there could be no such thing as too much motherhood or too much of being a wife. When Faye’s fears of losing Kai are assuaged, and she is happily married, it is as though a great weight has been lifted off her. Alternatively, Godwin’s character feels her marriage as a great weight pressing on her which results in her immobilization. When she leaves her room for a day and puts out freshly baked bread for her husband and son, they express their happiness in the notes they write to her that night, and â€Å"the force of the two joyful notes†¦pressed her into the corner of the little room; she hardly had space to breathe† (Godwin 42). Faye can be a traditional wife and mother, so her family is a source of joy. However, in Godwin’s character’s case, she can no longer be the traditional wife and mother, the representation of her own failure, which inevitably draws her guilt to push her further and further into herself un til she can retreat no further and ends her life. The closing stages of the two stories are powerful illustrations of the differences between them. In the end of â€Å"A Secret Sorrow† the author shows the reader Faye’s feelings â€Å"beautiful, complete, whole† (Zee 38) in her role  as a wife and mother. Godwin, on the other hand, leaves the audience with the protagonist dead on her bed. Godwin seems to give the reader hope by showing all that the woman has done when she says, â€Å"the house smelled redolently of renewal and spring† (Godwin 42). This makes the misfortune even harder when one discovers, along with the husband and child, the woman’s death. The ambiguous way the death of Godwin’s unnamed protagonist is dealt with reinforces the author’s negative tone towards marriage. It isn’t explicitly written as suicide; however, Godwin seems to encourage her readers to see it as the inevitable consequence of her marriage. Van der Zee creates a story full of emotional highs and lows, but one that leads up to and ends with marriage. After the marriage all of the plot twists and traumas come to a halt, replaced with peace and happiness. Faye is brought to new life by her marriage and children; she finds fulfillment of all of her desires in them. Godwin’s story, however, is full of post marital anguish and confusion. The character she creates is stifled and unquestionably unfulfilled by her marriage. A burst of creative energy right before her death produces, among other things, â€Å"a sheath of marvelous watercolor beasts accompanied by mad and fanciful stories nobody could ever make up again, and a tablet full of love sonnets addressed to the man† (Godwin 42). It is clear that the woman had talents and desires not met by the routine duties of her marital life. For Faye, the protagonist of â€Å"A Secret Sorrow†, marriage is the happily-ever-after ending she has wanted all of her life; for Godwin’s protagonist, marriage is just a monotonous and interminable ever after. In any case, humans cannot bear too much reality. Works Cited: Godwin, Gail. â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman.† 38-42. Van der Zee, Karen. â€Å"A Secret Sorrow.† 30-38. â€Å"A Secret Sorrow† by Karen van der Zee and â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† Gail Godwin Essay In both the excerpts from Karen van der Zee’s novel â€Å"A Secret Sorrow† and in Gail Godwin’s short story â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman,† the plots center on ideas of marriage and family. Conversely, marriage and family are presented in very different lights in the two stories. Karen van der Zee presents marriage with children as perfect and completely fulfilling; it is what Faye, the protagonist of â€Å"A Secret Sorrow†, wants and what is necessary to her happiness. For Godwin’s unnamed protagonist, marriage and family are almost the antithesis of happiness; her home life seems to suffocate hear and eventually leads her to death. â€Å"A Secret Sorrow† directly endorses and encourages marriage, whereas â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† indirectly questions and discourages it. Both of the female protagonists in the two stories experience a conflict. In â€Å"A Secret Sorrow† Faye’s conflict comes before the marriage. She is struck with misery and torment because she cannot have children and fears that this will prevent her from marrying the man she loves. Both she and her beloved, Kai, desire marriage with children, and van der Zee suggests that only with these things will they truly be happy. Faye feels that her inability to have children is a fatal flaw that cuts her off from Kai’s love. â€Å"Every time we see some pregnant woman, every time we’re with somebody else’s children I’ll feel I’ve failed you!† (Zee 35). Faye’s anxiety and fear are based on the thought of losing her beloved Kai, accompanied by never having children. In â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman,† however, the conflict comes after the marriage, when the woman has already secured her husband and child. Unlike Faye, who would be ecstatic in this woman’s situation, the protagonist of Godwin’s story is not. Oddly enough, her husband and son bring her such sorrow that eventually she is unable to see them at all, communicating only through notes stuck under her bedroom door. Godwin’s character has a loving husband and child, yet in spite of this, she is still filled with grief. This sense of defeat is unimaginable when compared to a Harlequin romance because it goes against the assumption that the rest is happily ever after. In â€Å"A Secret Sorrow†, marriage is portrayed as the resolution. Van der Zee works to present the reader with the idea that only with this aspect will Faye be fulfilled and happy; it is what the entire story, with all the plot  twists and romantic interludes, works toward. Marriage is also the end in â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman† but not as expected: it is quite literally the end of the woman’s life. Though one doesn’t see what her life was like before her emotional crisis, there are hints of it. When she moves into a new bedroom, away from her husband, she mentions seeing the streets from a whole new perspective, which suggests the previous monotony of her daily life. In addition, when the woman bakes pies and bread and washes and folds the laundry, her son says, â€Å"She’s tired from doing all our things again,† (Godwin 42). This gives the reader the idea of what â€Å"our things† was and what the woman did with her time before her crisis. The monotony of marriage is absent in â€Å"A Secret Sorrow.† Faye’s inability to have children does not end Kai’s love for her, instead, the two go on to marry and adopt children. Faye’s married life is described in a very idyllic way: she raises her son and two daughters in a â€Å"white ranch house under the blue skies of Texas† (Zee 37). Once she is married and has children, there is no more anxiety because the plot leads one to the conclusion that marriage solves all problems and is a source of unending happiness. This greatly differs from Godwin’s tale, which takes place in winter and maintains a sense of cold. Whenever Godwin describes the family, it is in terms that suggest weight, guilt, or failure. The child’s trusting gaze makes the protagonist begin â€Å"yelping without tears† (Godwin 39). Any sign of life or love increases her sorrow and makes her want solitary. One case in point is when the hired girl brings her son to visit her with a grasshopper he’s found–something both alive and from the outside world; she gets very upset and forces her husband to fire the girl. It would appear that the girl is too much of an infringement on her space, too much of a reminder of what she can no longer be. The discrepancy between the two authors’ illustrations of marriage is most apparent when both women are viewing their families. Faye, sitting with her husband and watching her children play, feels that â€Å"life was good and filled with love† (Zee 37). Godwin’s protagonist, on the other hand, articulates, â€Å"The sight of them made her so sad and sick she did not want to see them ever again† (Godwin 38).When Kai, now her husband, embraces Faye, she feels,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"There was love in his embrace and love in his words and in her heart there was no room for doubt, no room for sorrow† (Zee 37). When Godwin’s heroine feels the loving touch of her husband’s arm and the kiss of her child, she cannot bear it any longer and cuts off all direct contact with them. The situation of her marriage forces her into a self-imposed imprisonment and indolence. She feels agonizingly poignant because she can no longer be who they want and need her to be. She avoids them not because she does not love them but rather because she loves them so much that it is too painful to see them and too troublesome for them to feel her failure. The axiom to Godwin’s story tells us that â€Å"Once upon a time there was a wife and a mother one too many times† (Godwin 38). The addition of â€Å"one too many times† to this traditional story opening forces the idea of repetition and monotony; it suggests that it is not the state of being a wife and mother that is innately dreadful but rather the fact that that is all Godwin’s character is. Day in and day out, too many times over, the woman is just a wife and a mother, and it isn’t enough for her. In van der Zee’s story there could be no such thing as too much motherhood or too much of being a wife. When Faye’s fears of losing Kai are assuaged, and she is happily married, it is as though a great weight has been lifted off her. Alternatively, Godwin’s character feels her marriage as a great weight pressing on her which results in her immobilization. When she leaves her room for a day and puts out freshly baked bread for her husband and son, they express their happiness in the notes they write to her that night, and â€Å"the force of the two joyful notes†¦pressed her into the corner of the little room; she hardly had space to breathe† (Godwin 42). Faye can be a traditional wife and mother, so her family is a source of joy. However, in Godwin’s character’s case, she can no longer be the traditional wife and mother, the representation of her own failure, which inevitably draws her guilt to push her further and further into herself un til she can retreat no further and ends her life. The closing stages of the two stories are powerful illustrations of the differences between them. In the end of â€Å"A Secret Sorrow† the author shows the reader Faye’s feelings â€Å"beautiful, complete, whole† (Zee 38) in her role  as a wife and mother. Godwin, on the other hand, leaves the audience with the protagonist dead on her bed. Godwin seems to give the reader hope by showing all that the woman has done when she says, â€Å"the house smelled redolently of renewal and spring† (Godwin 42). This makes the misfortune even harder when one discovers, along with the husband and child, the woman’s death. The ambiguous way the death of Godwin’s unnamed protagonist is dealt with reinforces the author’s negative tone towards marriage. It isn’t explicitly written as suicide; however, Godwin seems to encourage her readers to see it as the inevitable consequence of her marriage. Van der Zee creates a story full of emotional highs and lows, but one that leads up to and ends with marriage. After the marriage all of the plot twists and traumas come to a halt, replaced with peace and happiness. Faye is brought to new life by her marriage and children; she finds fulfillment of all of her desires in them. Godwin’s story, however, is full of post marital anguish and confusion. The character she creates is stifled and unquestionably unfulfilled by her marriage. A burst of creative energy right before her death produces, among other things, â€Å"a sheath of marvelous watercolor beasts accompanied by mad and fanciful stories nobody could ever make up again, and a tablet full of love sonnets addressed to the man† (Godwin 42). It is clear that the woman had talents and desires not met by the routine duties of her marital life. For Faye, the protagonist of â€Å"A Secret Sorrow†, marriage is the happily-ever-after ending she has wanted all of her life; for Godwin’s protagonist, marriage is just a monotonous and interminable ever after. In any case, humans cannot bear too much reality. Works Cited: Godwin, Gail. â€Å"A Sorrowful Woman.† 38-42. Van der Zee, Karen. â€Å"A Secret Sorrow.† 30-38.