Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen Essays (755 words) - Fiction

Pride And Prejudice By Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen The title of the novel Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, can be interpreted as a theme running through the novel. Pride, observed Mary, . . . is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or another, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us. Pride and/or vanity is exhibited in different forms by each character. Ms. Austen was trying to send the message that an excess of pride or vanity is indeed a failing. Those characters who can recognize their flaw emerge as the true heroes of the story. In many minor characters of the novel, pride is a common characteristic. Mrs. Bennet, for instance, is extremely proud when it comes to her daughters marriages of mercenary advantage. She is so concerned that her neighbors have a high opinion of her that her own vanity will not even allow her to think of her daughters love and happiness. This is best shown with the case of Elizabeth Bennet s proposed marriage to the esteemed Mr. Collins, a man she did not love. Mrs. Bennet was so upset when her daughter refused Mr. Collins offer that she would not speak to her for passing up such an opportunity. We can see an example of pride for imaginary qualities in Mary Bennet who was herself the speaker of this passage. To the embarrassment of her family, Mary would take every chance she could to put on a show whenever in a public situation. Although she was not talented in any of the activities she decided to undertake, her high opinion of herself and her desire to esteem herself in the eyes of others enabled her to display her supposed talents. Mr. Collins possesses a definite sense of vanity. He is in no way concerned about his own opinion of his character, for as we see his character leaves much to be desired. All he cares about is what others think of him. He always needs the approval of his present company. When he gives Elizabeth the grand tour of his nothing-spectacular home, he is looking for her approval of his position and possessions. It is not important to Mr. Collins for people to like him as a person, they just had better be impressed his status in life and his connections. Mr. Darcy, as one of the main characters, is for the better part of the novel a focus of the theme of pride. His pride is very obvious. It is a part of his nature and is seen in his mannerisms and in his speech. Darcy has such a high opinion of himself that he does not care what others think of him or his prideful actions. He believes that he is the best in every way possible and finds that his standing in society gives him the right to be critical of those not as perfect as he. Elizabeth Bennet, the other main character of the novel, is just as guilty of being proud as any of the other characters in the novel. She prides herself on being unprejudiced and rational in the judgement of others. Yet, this is an imaginary quality as she learns that her preconceived notions of both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham turn out to be false. She is also very proud when Darcy confronts her about her family and connections. Although Darcy s accusations of the unsophistication of certain of her family members are true, Elizabeth is too proud to listen and accept the truth. Instead, she becomes so angered with Darcy that it effects her entire relationship with him. Both Darcy and Elizabeth come to recognize their pride as a flaw in their respective characters. Darcy realizes that he must check his pride in order to be seen in a good light by others. Elizabeth, the object of his affections, is so turned off by his prideful ways that a touch of vanity enables him to change himself for her. Elizabeth, while observing the transformations of

The Korea Question Essays - Geography Of Asia, East Asia, Asia

The Korea Question Essays - Geography Of Asia, East Asia, Asia The Korea Question What is national identity? This question may seem to be to simple to even bother answering. The easy answer is that national history is the events in a nations past that, when put together, unify all aspects of life in that nation. From this rough definition it would make sense that all of the nations in the world have a national identity. However, this question is not as black and white as it may seem. Some people believe that a nation whose history is nothing more than occupation by other countries should not be considered an independent nation. This can be seen very well in the case of Korea, which ahs had a history filled with Chinese, Japanese, and western influence. However, though Korea has strong ties to all of these imperialistic powers; it still shows aspects that are uniquely Korean. Korea has a history that includes dominance, subservience, and reemergence. The people of the Korean peninsula have had a very colorful history. Through the period of the Later Bronze Age the Korean peninsula experienced significant political development. Perhaps the most important of these developments was the creation of the walled-town states. The six walled-town states of the Korean peninsula are seen in Chinese records. The most advanced of these states was Chao-hsien. The early leaders of Chao-hsien called themselves tangun wanguom to signify both their descent from the divine creator and their monarchial status . The leaders of Choa-hsien soon realized that in order to maintain power over the peninsula they would need to join with other walled-town states to ward off invaders. By the fourth century BCE the confederated kingdom was created and served as an extended political unit of substantial military power . Shortly after the confederated kingdom was created it was challenged by the powerful Yen faction, a powerful contender from northern China. The Yen people asserted that Chao-hsien was arrogant and cruel. By the fourth century BCE the Yen faction invaded the Korean peninsula resulting in the inevitable decline of Chao-hsien. The Yen invasion stimulated new waves of Chinese traffic in official, administrators, traders and military personnel . Chao-hsien was able to use the Chinese influence to strengthen allowing it to subdue its neighbors. This new strength ushered in the Three Kingdoms Period. The Korean peninsula was divided into three sections, Kingdoms, known as Kroguryo, Paekche, and Silla. As is the case throughout history, one of these kingdoms eventually rose to become the dominant force on the peninsula. In the sixth century BCE Silla felt confident enough to expand its domain. It consumed the small neighboring tribes in southern Korea and then prepared to take on the other kingdoms of Kroguryo and Paekche. In the end Sillas goals of unification did not come to fruition. Much of Manchuria remained out of the reach of Sillas armies. However, it was Sillas unified rule over the bulk of the peninsula that laid the basis for the subsequent course of Korean history . Throughout its history the Korean peninsula has always been crucially affected by political developments on the Asian land mass. This phenomenon can be seen during the chaos that accompanied the end of Tang and the Five Dynasties. It was then that Wang Kon was able to overthrow Silla and establish the Koryo dynasty. The Koryo dynasty found itself having to ward off many enemies. In the beginning they felt pressures from the Mongol barbarians who eventually allied with Koryo becoming their sole protector. In the last century and a half they saw the emergence of the Japanese marauders intent on raiding the peninsula. After the collapse of the Mongol Empire Koryo fate was imminent. They had no way to fight off invaders and were bound for failure. The peninsula may have slipped into foreign control if General Yi Songye hadnt mounted an offensive against the Ming armies. In 1932 Koryo finally fell opening the door for Songye and the Yi Dynasty in Korea . The Yi Dynasty, the longest in Korean history saw many revolutionary ideas introduced to Korea. Songye had become not only a military leader but also the leader of a new literati class. Songye encouraged a wide range of cultural activities such as