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This article explains Jane Austen's thoughts on marriage during her time period by means of analyzing her novel Pride and Prejudice. The author of this article concludes that Austen wanted to demonstrate though her characters and book, "the unhappy consequences of unwise marriages." Austen contrasts the two types of marriage by means of her fictional couples and she exemplifies marriage based on wealth and marriages based on love. The correct link to article: http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.chandleraz.gov/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=MOL9610000388&site=lrc-live

Arguement: Charecter, love and marriage are all major components of Pide and Prejudice and Emma. This article explains the connection between love, character and a long lasting healthy marriage. The authors say that character absolutly effects love and how healthy a marriage is. Claim: This article proves the mordern thinking of Austen. Both main characters, Elizabeth and Emma say they will only marry for love and doubt that it will ever even happen. This is very forward thinking for a woman of that time. In that period of history women generally married in order to gain status, and baisically live, not on the basis of love or character. Its a very current idea that love is what marriage is based on and can only be sustained if both have good character. Evidence: "Character in a successful marriage or relationship does matter" (Schmitz) "Being honest and trustworthy is at the heart of all the best loving relationships we have studied" (Schmitz) "People who love each other have character when it comes to their marriage or relationship." (Schmitz)

Argument: The feministic bildungsroman that establishes itself throughout the novel seems to be contradictory towards the Christian commitments of the young Jane Eyre. It argues that the character St. John symbolized the patriarchal religious system, which was in the end rejected by Jane. Furthermore, this rejection defies the expectations of marriage at the time and symbolizes a more feminist emphasis. Evidence: This point is suggested primarily throughout the closing passage of the novel. The rhetoric of this may seem to be slightly confusing, because it basically challenges the feministic viewpoint that was built in the novel. The final paragraph casts a light over St. John and all of his endeavors throughout the novel, Lamonaca states, "Classic feminist readings have tended to view St. John as one-dimensional patriarchal villain; accordingly, Jane rejects not only her pious cousin, but also the Christian worldview he represents." Further explication in the novel is shown in the rejection of St. John, for "Jane effectively resists Rochester's and St. John's attempts to possess her spirit as well as her body." This further promotes the protagonist's struggle against male control, and a lockdown patriarchal marriage. The contradiction in the closing statements however "leaves open the possibility that Jane, despite her efforts, has failed to reconcile the conflicting demands of domesticity and faith." Thoughts: I think that Charlotte Bronte basically wanted to make a clear cut statement against the patriarchal and male run events in her society. However, as the writing came to a close she didn't want to make it seem as if the novel was meant to be an anti-Christian sentiment. So she was able to subdue the super strong feministic thoughts and instead decided to create a conclusion that makes the patriarchal society still seem to have some notoriety when in reality she may have believed different. The fact that Jane chose to marry out of society�

The author's ( Maureen Cutajar) purpose is to explain the irony and structure of Jane Austen's view on the society of her time and to explain Austen's purpose in Pride and Prejudice in terms of the romance in the novel. Cutajar writes on how Austen describes two ways of falling in love and how those reflect on the society of the time. The two ways to fall in love that Austen writes in her novel Pride and Prejudice, is that of instant meeting (or love at first sight) and the love that develops slowly over time as is the case with Elizabeth and Darcy. What Cutajar concludes then is that, "Nevertheless, it seems that the 'rational' choice is not based on how quickly one falls in love but rather on what grounds" (Cutajar). Also, according to Cutajar, she concludes that, "Love therefore is not enough on its own and does not lead to happiness if it goes against the social system" (Cutajar). As for my own thoughts, I am interested in Austen's views on society, especially pertaining to marriage and the social "norm" at the time, especially because Austen's novels mainly reflect the idea of society and marriage. It is also interesting to compare the norm when it comes to marriage then and now and see how they differ or relate.

AP Literature Analysis 3 Although George Bernard Shaw had the standing of a classic dramatist, people still question how good he truly was. This is in fact the purpose of the author writing this criticism. Morgan wanted to look into Shaw's work to see if he was justly able to have that prestigious standing. The critique was very well written, and supported the argument throughout. To back up her argument Morgan referred to not only his great works, but also situations in his life that shaped his writing. The author uses substantial evidence in order to support Shaw's standing. In his works Shaw focused on marriage, genius, and class distinctions. He wrote about these things in a satiric way in order to show society during that time period. And when he was unable to keep people interested, he changed the way he wrote by adding more of a comedic element to his work. The author of this criticism concludes that Shaw did in fact deserve that prestigious title, and he was in fact an amazing writer. She shows this by describing how he was able to change his work when he needed to appeal to his audience. Morgan also points out how Shaw put heartrending human emotions in the center of all of his plays. His plays showed the pure grain of true feelings amongst the irrationalities. Morgan states "…Shaw's comedic brilliance and his geniality tend to enliven the mind and break down prejudice". Morgan may in fact be a fan of the Great Shaw's works making it very easy for her to see Shaw as a classic dramatist.

Argument: Cultural customs influence the characterization of the women in Bram Stoker's Dracula and The Mystery of the Sea; there are two types of women he writes about - the New Woman and 'classical' woman - and makes clear distinctions between the two. Claim: Stoker bases his characters off of two different types of women to emphasize the differences between characters, and to introduce suspense into the plot. Because Stoker writes about 'classical' women like Mina Harker and Gormala (to a certian extent), these women clash with the New Woman characters because of the different lifestyles. Evidence: The New woman wanted to "acheieve self-determination through life, growth, and experience." The New woman developed through an uprising feminist movement, a rebellion that involved woman's "refusal to heed the abstraction of womanhood." "Feminism sought to change human consciousness about male dominance". Because the qualities in the 'classical woman' and New Woman were opposites, it creates suspense and conflict between characters that helps to set the mood and move the plot forward.

Argument: The argument is that Jane Austen's purpose for writing Pride and Prejudice is to help to show social idealism and the question "the system" of the time period in regards to politics, marriage, feminism, and other social problems. Evidence:"Austen subtly and ironically points out faults in the system, raising questions about the values of English society and the power structure of the country." "the novel seems to work toward an ideological balance and an alteration in the fundamental aspects of these characters" "the most prominent trends in criticism of Pride and Prejudice have derived from the perspectives of literary feminism, including analysis of the novel's view of female oppression," Thoughts: The criticsim discusses the main themes of Austen's novels and points out her attempt to pursuade and her idealism on the consepts of marriage, and social standing. The critic also stresses the idea that Austen's books protesteed male dominance and the amount of power that men had in society compared to women. also talked about is Austen's control over language and the way that she makes her points with eloquence and captivating plots.

Critical Analysis of "The Conversion of Scrooge: A Defense of That Good Man's Motivation" The story of A Christmas Carol is one of redemption and change. Yet, the term Scrooge still carries a negative connotation. William E. Morris notes that the public has been reluctant to recognize the change Scrooge experiences. However, Scrooges' change is the foundation for the entire story. Morris submits that the change could have come from within Scrooge, and that the visits were actually dreams, brought about by his desire to change deep down as well as the cold, moist, and dark setting in which Scrooge lives. Throughout his childhood, Scrooge was subject to economic hardship and loneliness, thus affecting his personality. He was originally caring but then grew cold and distant in order to secure monetary stability, but his inner goodness laid dormant chipping at his hard shell from the inside. In Scrooge's dreams, he imagines games of hide-and-seek, possibly shedding light on Scrooge's feelings of loneliness and his desire for companionship, "it must be the case with Scrooge that he is lost yet struggling to be found" (Morris). Morris submits that the change had to originate inside Scrooge for it to be effective and that there was significant reason for him to desire change. Scrooge believed in marriage and Christmas and overall happiness, but became bitter as he aged and alienated himself from the people. "He can no longer find life enough to breathe in isolation; he must break out into the world" (Morris). Subconsciously, he still believed and he had to either change, or else be completely consumed by his cold, hard self.

C. L. Chua analyzes A Thousand Splendid Suns in an attempt to find out if it was as much of a success as The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini's first novel. The different literary devices that Hosseini used are mentioned to perhaps give validity to the various arguments Chua makes. A shortfall of the critique is that perhaps not enough emphasis was actually placed on an argument; a majority of the essay was a very well written summary of the novel with only a light touch at the very beginning and end of the essay on the actual argument. "He [Hosseini] felt impelled to tell an Afghan story different from The Kite Runner's. That book had been about men-fathers and sons, male friendship, male treachery. Hosseini now felt drawn to tell a contemporaneous story about Afghanistan's women." Chua uses a clear and logical argument to assert his opinion that Hosseini really delved into the life of an Afghanistan woman in the current times. The critique remains coherent but I wish it was more focused and consistent in the argument. It would have been overall better if Chua has also given more of their insight of this novel. I'm not sure if the author of this article is male or female but depending on their gender, it could create a bias. Another bias that may exist is that the author of this critique really enjoy Hosseini's first novel The Kite Runner so they may be more inclined to say that his second novel was just as good since they are already a fan. "Hosseini's two women are strategic contrasts physically, socially, and psychologically. Socially, Mariam is from the rural lower class; Laila, the urban middle class. Psychologically, Mariam is accustomed to humiliation; Laila, to consideration. Physically, Mariam's features are "unshapely," "flat," "unmemorable," "coarse," while Laila is a green-eyed blond beauty." The stark differences that Chua notes about Hosseini's protagonists help to understand a main theme of the novel which could

Argument: Author Sarah Hackenberg presents the opinion that women are only hiding behind their servant attitudes in order to get where they would like. She presents the sequence of events that led up to the initial true image of Jean Muir, not that of a nineteen year old but in fact of a haggard old woman. Hackenberg also gives certatin prominence to the idea of womens' highest achievement would be their marital status. The entire story epitomizes a servant of a governess that exhibits the standard female behaviors up until the very end where the maanipulative and devious women unmasks her self, hypothetically and literally. Evidence: "Most critics of "Behind a Mask" attend closely to the tale's radical gender and class dynamics: the way Alcott overtly aligns operating behind a mask with female power" (Hackenberg) "the fact that the governess's ultimate ambition, despite all her formidable powers of artistry and perception, is to "trick" a man into marriage..."(Hackenberg) Thoughts: Hackenberg raises many interesting points. Jean Muir was the ultimate woman. She only lacked in one area and that area was her status. Her only hope of climbing up in the world would to be marrying someone of a higher class. She said multiple times in the story that if this did happen to her that she would be completly content and only honor and follow her husband's rules. However, with the history that she has and what we know of her from reading this story we can be almost certain that Jean will not be content and will have to stir up some troulbe somehow. The story leaves off at a crucial point that leaves the readers contemplating all the different outcomes it could have.