Lessons in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Lessons in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay Pride and Prejudice is one of the most popular novels written by Jane Austen which was first published in 1813. It is more than a story of love which revolves around the lives of the Bennett family and the wealthy male visitors of Hertfordshire. Its wide variety of personalities in the story contributed to the novel’s attractive and compelling features; which provides several realizations to its readers and their view of social class, marriage and women status in the 19th century which can be attributed to each character’s personality. The Women and Men of the 19th Century The theme towards courtship and marriage is already explicitly stated in the first sentence of the novel. â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledge that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife† (p. 3). In this initial sentence, Austen prepares the readers on what to expect. There is a big probability that the story will revolve in a fascinating chase: either a husband in search of a wife or a woman in pursuit of a husband. Marriage during 18th century was different compared to how marriage is viewed nowadays. It was a challenging and debatable social issue since marriage with love was not a necessity. At that time, marriage consisted of rules and standards that often ignore emotions or feelings. Moreover, community and family were major participants in establishing marriage. From that first sentence, considering the time the novel was created, the readers would expect a witty tone towards marriage and society The novel also portrayed several characters that are stereotypical in the 19th century. The diverse personalities of each character reveals how the era was like for the author and how the status of people were determined through their wealth, fame and gender. Apparently, the primary lesson that this novel has for its readers is the fact that in the past love was not a necessary element of marriage. Women were usually seen as mere wives for men. Nonetheless, in Austen’s story, she made use of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy’s conflicting characters to refuse the kind of stereotypical 19th century setting that the novel was set in. The two major characters, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, were clearly different kinds of people who later proved themselves to be the ideal match for each other. Clearly, the transformation of Elizabeth and Darcy’s characters were made possible by their own pride and prejudices against each other. This fact, therefore, illustrates the idea that the character transformation would most likely not occur without the shortcomings and hasty judgments of the two main characters of the Jane Austen’s famous novel. It was quite ironic though that the novel also conveys the idea that people do fall in love under the most unexpected circumstances. There is a short line expressed by the female protagonist Elizabeth Bennett which can be considered somewhat explanatory of the whole novel. â€Å"Books—oh!  No. I am sure we never read the same, or not with the same feelings† (p. 82). This is Elizabeth Bennett’s response to Fitzwilliam Darcy when he asked her about her thoughts on books. They were dancing on the ball of the Netherland Estate and trying to create a conversation. Based on Elizabeth’s response and her quick dismissals of the topic that Mr. Darcy brought up, her great dislike towards the wealthy young man was evident. This particular line of Elizabeth Bennett is considered an important line for the novel because it insinuates a symbolic image rather than a literal meaning for the main characters in the story. Her remark about how the topic of books would not be able to create a productive conversation because they probably would have not read the same book or have the same feeling towards it depicts that their personalities—similar or not—can still generate different interpretations. Even the title of the book itself can be considered characteristics that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy both possess, which caused them to make erratic conclusions about each others’ personality. The above statement from Elizabeth depicts that the novel primarily focuses on the theme of misunderstandings, false impressions, and lapses in judgment. Thoroughly reviewing the whole context of the story, the diverse personalities of the characters are what made it possible to provide the picture of the lifestyle of English people in the 19th century. Each character is provided a characteristic that is distinct to other characters. Elizabeth Bennett, an interesting character indeed, possesses traits which are very much different from her sisters. Here is one of her statements to Darcy included in Chapter 19 where she rejects him the first time he proposed to marry her and considered to be one of the pivotal turns in the story which caused the change in both Elizabeth and Darcy’s character: I have no pretension whatever to that kind of elegance which consists in tormenting a respectable man. . . I thank you again and again for the honor you have done me in your proposals, but to accept them is absolutely impossible. . . Do not consider me now as an elegant female, intending to plague you, but as a rational creature, speaking the truth from her heart (p. 97). Elizabeth Bennett’s character speaks much of a strong personality which is extremely opinionated and bold. Unlike her younger sisters, she does not allow social status and wealth to interfere with her standards for love. However, in her statement, prejudices toward Darcy are evident for she has already judged him without knowing him well first. However, at the end of the story, she regrets having misjudged the man upon knowing the real Fitzwilliam Darcy. This theme of wrong first impression is very common in the personality of Elizabeth Bennet as she always seem to misjudge a man’s intent such as that of Darcy and Mr. Wickham. On the other hand, Darcy’s character also reveals how wrong he was on his first impression towards Elizabeth. His statement where she declared Elizabeth as tolerable but not beautiful enough to interest him because of her poor social status discloses how proud he was to avoid being acquainted with such a woman (p. 9). Similarly, he took back his word when he found out how interesting and intelligent Elizabeth was which led him to confess his feelings and offer a marriage proposal. Unfortunately, his first proposal was rejected. Upon the end of the novel, it is reasonable to conclude that Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy actually have similar characteristics which can be considered ironic. Both are intelligent, witty, opinionated, and proud. There are also instances when they have exposed acts of prejudices towards some characters in the story, primarily themselves. Elizabeth deemed Darcy to be an extremely arrogant and proud man when she accidentally heard him say that he was not interested in her due to her poor status in the society. She thought him to be a spoiled wealthy man who is unsociable and selfish. In return, Darcy also showed his prejudices towards her by thinking that she was not right for him because she belonged to the lower class part of the society. Hence, the situation indicates how their impulsive and superficial judgments of each other led them to take back their words and eradicate their pride and prejudices towards each other. They gradually transformed into humble beings who were capable of admitting and accepting their shortcomings. Thus, two people, even with similar characteristics may not have similar outputs and can still be regarded contradictory in terms of beliefs. Like the characters in the story, all have distinct personalities which enabled them to decide the way they did. If Elizabeth did not hastily judged Darcy in the first place which led her into rejecting his first marriage proposal, Darcy would not have humbled himself into further pursuing Elizabeth despite her initial rejection. He would not have rescued her family from social disgrace and reveal his true nature. Simply put, Elizabeth would not have change her opinion about Darcy and most probably reject him still. She would not have fallen in love with him and change her ways of being filled with prejudices. The following scenarios created a huge impact in the maturity and development of the characters in the story which proves that the transformation is indeed dependent on the characters’ actions and decisions. Upon understanding the difference between the main characters’ personalities, it is important to note that the focus of Darcy is to win Elizabeth’ heart to marry her. It is all about marriage from the start of the novel until the end. Austen made it really clear for women in the 19th century how big an issue it was to find someone rich and reputable to marry. Elizabeth’s mother had seemed to push them into marrying by taking them to social balls where rich men were most likely to come and select a wife. Conclusion Clearly, the arguments stated above identify the concept that Elizabeth and Darcy’s character transformation would not have been possible without their mistakes and initial false impressions of each other. This validates the fact that their development as individuals is highly rooted from their decisions and hasty judgments—or rather their own pride and prejudices. In addition, Austen’s ability to inculcate the stereotypes on the characters produced an image of the status of marriage and courtship in the 19th century. It becomes clear to the readers that there was too much consciousness and pressure on the physical attributes and reputations of women than in men. Men were more highly regarded than women as women only seem to serve as partners to men in marriage. The fact that there were balls where men can choose the women they want to marry is already an indication of the restraints that society puts on women. They are merely intended for domestic purposes only.

Industrial Revolution :: essays research papers

The Industrial revolution began in the early 1800s. The industrial revolution could not have happened if the agricultural revolution had not preceded it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the Agricultural Revolution several inventions that reduced the need for man power were invented. Two of those inventions were the Jethro Tull seeding drill and the cotton gin. The seeding drill planted seeds in rows which made the crops easier to manage and harvest. The cotton gin was invented in 1793 by Eli Whitney, it took the seeds out of the cotton. The cotton gin made it so that the work that previously needed to be done by fifty men could now be done by one. An idea of the agricultural revolution was crop rotation. Crop rotation was switching the crops into different fields each year which allowed farmers to produce 25 % more crops and more food means more population up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the agricultural revolution population went up and less people were needed to work on the farms. There were a lot of people that needed jobs but there were not a lot of jobs for people on farms so the people turned to the cities. The time when people went into the cities looking for jobs which caused the populations of the cities to at least double was called urbanization. During urbanization the city of Manchester in the United kingdom grew from 50,000 people to 500,00 people, this rapid increase of population took place during an extremely short period of time. The United Kingdom became the place where the industrial revolution was born. It happened here because the UK had land, labor, and wealth. Factories arose first in the UK and then all over Europe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since there were factories everywhere, there were plenty of jobs for the people. Even though the factories did provide jobs for the people they were not good jobs. People started working as young as the age of six. The average work day was 14-16 hours, and that’s a lot of working hours, especially for a young child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inside the factories the conditions were absolutely dreadful. The air was full of dust and other things that made it practically unbreathable, the machines were dangerous and often took a persons limbs or injured them in other ways. Because the work days were so long and the workers were practically on their feet the entire day people became deformed and had problems with their legs. Despite all the hard labor and dangers of the work place the workers were still paid next to nothing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Eventually working conditions did improve. One of the things that helped improve conditions were unions. Unions were when all of the workers got together

The Death of King Tut

Tutankhamun’s tomb is the only royal tomb in Egypt to have escaped the discovery of looters and was discovered by archeologist Howard Carter. The death of Tutankhamun was a sudden tragedy that til this day has yet to be solved. The cause of the famous teenage king’s death has been a long drawn out mystery with a range of theories as to how he met his end. There are no historical records explaining the cause or circumstances of his death, nor is there no positive evidence to suggest how he died. However, there are several theories and many of which have changed over the years.One theory suggests that King Tut was murdered. During an xray of the mummy in 1968, scientists found â€Å"bone fragments in King Tut’s skull prompting this theory†. Another theory as to what caused King Tut’s death was a genetic disorder known as gynecomastia, a hormone imbalance which gives males a female appearance. The final theory was that he died from a â€Å"break in th e bone just above his left knee. † Technology showed that this happened while he was still alive and was probably the result of falling from a chariot and developed an infection in the wound.Furthermore, after many speculations and testing performed on the mummy to find the cause of death, it still remains a mystery. Although there is evidence to potentially prove each of these theories to be true, I believe there are two reasons why he died. While he was alive, he fractured a thigh bone which had gotten infected. This infection spread throughout his body and eventually killed him. The CT scan showed a thin coating of embalming resin around the leg break which suggested that he broke his leg just before he died. The resin â€Å"flowed through the wound and got into direct contact with the fracture and became solidified. There was no evidence or signs of healing of the bone and that is most likely what had killed him. There were no antibiotics 3,000 years ago, and according to Ashraf Selim, a radiologist at Kasr Eleini Teaching Hospital at Cairo University in Egypt, â€Å"the probability of a severe infection resulting from such a break would be quite high. †In addition, the authors led by Dr. Zahi Hawass from the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Cairo, results suggest â€Å"avascular bone necrosis (condition in which the poor blood supply to the bone leads to weakening or destruction of an area of bone) in conjunction ith the malarial infection† was most likely the cause of death in Tutankhamun. In conclusion, there has not yet been a definite cause of death for King Tut, but studies and tests performed on the mummy body mostly point to infection as his cause of death. He died at a very young age, however the medications and technology was not there like it is today. There will continue to be studies and testing done, but there will always only be speculation because he died so long ago.Resources Alleyne, Richard. (February 16, 2010). Kin g Tut Died of Malaria and Bone Condition, Says New Research. http://www. elegraph. co. uk/science/science-news/7251320/King-Tut-died-of-malaria-and-bone-condition-says-new-research. html Hasan, Lama. Crystal Phend (February 16, 2010). How King Tut Died Revealed in New Study. http://abcnews. go. com/Health/LivingLonger/king-tut-died-revealed-study/story? id=9853119 Lovgren, Stefan. (December 1, 2006). King Tut Died From Broken Leg, Not Murder, Scienctists Conclude. http://news. nationalgeographic. com/news/2006/12/061201-king-tut. html. Sayre, Henry. (2011). The Humanities: Culture, Continuity and Change. The Stability of Ancient Egypt. Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall

Weevils and Snout Beetles, Superfamily Curculionoidea

Weevils are odd-looking creatures, with their comically long snouts and seemingly misplaced antennae. But did you know theyre actually beetles, just like ladybugs and fireflies? Both weevils and snout beetles belong to the large beetle superfamily Curculionoidea, and share certain common habits and traits. Description: Its difficult to offer a general description for such a varied group of insects, but you can easily identify most weevils and snout beetles by an extended snout (actually called a rostrum or beak). A few groups within this superfamily, most notably the bark beetles, lack this feature, however. All but the primitive weevils have elbowed antennae, extending from the snout. Weevils and snout beetles have 5-segmented tarsi, but they appear 4-segmented because the fourth segment is quite small and obscured from view without careful inspection. Weevils and snout beetles, like all beetles, have chewing mouthparts. While it may appear by its shape that a weevils long snout is for piercing and sucking (like true bugs), it is not. The mouthparts are quite small and located at the end of the rostrum, but are designed for chewing. Most weevil and snout beetle larvae are white or cream in color, legless, cylindrical, and shaped like a C. They tend to burrow, whether in a host plant or other food source. Families in the Superfamily Curculionoidea: Classification within the superfamily Curculionoidea varies, with some entomologists dividing the group into just 7 families, and others using as many as 18 families. Ive followed the classification accepted by Triplehorn and Johnson (Borror and Delongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition) here. Family Nemonychidae – pine flower snout beetlesFamily Anthribidae – fungus weevilsFamily Belidae – primitive or cycad weevilsFamily Attelabidae – leaf-rolling weevils, thief weevils, and tooth-nosed snouth beetlesFamily Brentidae – straight-snouted weevils, pear-shaped weevilsFamily Ithyceridae – Ithycerus noveboracensis Family Curculionidae – snout beetles, bark beetles, ambrosia beetles, and true weevils Classification: Kingdom – AnimaliaPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – ColeopteraSuperfamily - Curculionoidea Diet: Nearly all adult weevils and snout beetles feed on plants, though they vary greatly in their preferences for eating stems, leaves, seeds, roots, flowers, or fruits. The primitive families of weevils (Belidae and Nemonychidae, primarily) are associated with gymnosperms, such as conifers. The larvae of weevils and snout beetles vary greatly in their feeding habits. Though many are plant feeders, they generally prefer dying or diseased plant hosts. Some weevil larvae are highly specialized feeders, with peculiar dietary habits. One genus (Tentegia, found in Australia) lives and feeds in marsupial dung. Some weevil larvae prey on other insects, like scale insects or the eggs of grasshoppers. Many weevils are serious pests of crops, ornamental plants, or forests, and have significant economic impact. On the other hand, because they feed on plants, some weevils can be used as biological control for invasive or noxious weeds. Life Cycle: Weevils and snout beetles undergo complete metamorphosis, like other beetles, with four life cycle stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Special Behaviors and Defenses: Because this is such a large and diverse group of insects with a broad range of distribution, we find quite a few unique and interesting adaptations among its subgroups. The leaf-rolling weevils, for example, have an unusual way of ovipositing. The female leaf-rolling weevil carefully cuts slits into a leaf, lays an egg at the leaf tip, and then rolls the leaf up into a ball. The leaf drops to the ground, and the larva hatches and feeds on the plant tissue, safe inside. Acorn and nut weevils (genus Curculio) bore holes into acorns, and place their eggs inside. Their larvae feed and develop inside the acorn. Range and Distribution: Weevils and snout beetles number about 62,000 species worldwide, making the superfamily Curculionoidea one of the largest insect groups. Rolf G. Oberprieler, an expert in weevil systematics, estimates the true number of existing species may be closer to 220,000. There are currently about 3,500 species known to inhabit North America. Weevils are most abundant and diverse in the tropics, but have been found as far north as the Canadian Arctic and as far south as the tip of South America. Theyre also known to inhabit remote ocean islands. Sources: Borror and Delongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson.Encyclopedia of Entomology, 2nd edition, edited by John L. Capinera.Beetles of Eastern North America, by Arthur V. Evans.Morphology and Systematics: Phytophaga, edited by Richard A. B. Leachen and Rolf G. Beutel.A World Catalogue of Families and Genera of Curculionoidea (Insects: Coleoptera), by M. A. Alonso-Zarasaga and C. H. C. Lyal, Entomopraxis, 1999 (PDF). Accessed online November 23, 2015.