The Soldier By Wilfred Owen - 1376 Words

Participating in war often is romanticized and is seen as a heroic and honorable act. This romanticism, of course, can only be put forth by one who has never experienced the inhumane devastation that each battle- each moment- causes for the minds and in bodies of every soldier. â€Å"The Soldier† was written by Rupert Brooke in 1914, just before World War One was about to begin, while â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est.† was written by Wilfred Owen in 1917, during which Word War One was being fought harshly. Due to â€Å"The Soldier† being written before the War began, this poem depicts an idealized perception of war in which the subject topically seems honored to die for his country, and content to know that the blood of his country’s men will be shed in†¦show more content†¦Rupert, at this point, has yet to experience the War and is able to suppress his fears with these nationalistic viewpoints. He believes that he is ready to fight and that he is willi ng to die. Yet, there seems to be something deeper in his poem when Rupert begins talking about himself as â€Å"A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,/ Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam† (5-6). It is evident, in these lines, that England is a metaphor for his mother who â€Å"bore† him and gave him â€Å"her ways to roam†. It is in this transition that Rupert’s unease becomes apparent. Rupert as an outsider of war at this time, has allowed the reader to experience a romanticized sense of war, but the unease he feels has become evident throughout this poem. He has not experienced war first hand, but he is absolutely aware that the pain of war is not diminished when one sacrifices himself for his country. Rupert is afraid to die. He talks of England as his mother and shows a sense of dread to leave behind â€Å"dust† that his mother put so much love into. A quote from Stallworthy’s biography of Rupert leaves an eerie f eeling behind. â€Å"...I wonder whether some of the unease that over the years has crept into readers’ response may not be related to a lack of conviction on the part of its author as he tried to convince himself of the existence of an afterlife in which he did not believe† (193).Show MoreRelatedThe Soldier By Rupert Brooke And Wilfred Owen1253 Words   |  6 PagesBritish poets Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen, for example, drew from their experiences as soldiers during the war and frequently address the themes of British Nationalism and patriotic self-sacrifice throughout their poetry. However, Brooke and Owen’s wartime experiences during the First World War were largely dissimilar. Consequently, their works contain vastly differing perspectives regarding the themes of Nationalism and self-sacrifice. Rupert Brooke’s sonnet â€Å"The Soldier,† written at the beginningRead MoreWilfred Owen s A Soldier For The Allies1707 Words   |  7 Pagesaffected by World War I. Wilfred Owen was a soldier for the allies, an alliance composed of the United States, England, France. He bravely gave his life to attempt to end the war. However, before he died, he wrote a number of poems based on the things he endured while fighting in the war. Wilfred Owen uses his experiences from war, such as a gassing and a surprise attack gone wrong, as inspiration for his poetry; he uses his experiences to illustrate the horrors of war. Wilfred Owen was born in OswestryRead MoreAnalysis Of Wilfred Owen s The Soldier On The Front Line 1227 Words   |  5 PagesWilfred Owen-a soldier on the front line in World war one- who composes his emotions and experiences on the battlefield into poetry. He in his writing shines a light on suffering of the soldiers in the unpleasant environment. The poem, Dulce et decorum est starts off with giving us an upsetting image of the troops and their conditions. They are described as ‘’Bent double, like old beggars under sacks’’. Use of simile in the first line of the poem compares young men to old beggars and reminds usRead MoreThe Soldier By Rupert Brooke And Anthem For Doomed Youth By Wilfred Owen1367 Words   |  6 Pages‘The Soldier’ by Rupert Brooke and ‘Anthem for Doomed Youth’ by Wilfred Owen are two World War One era sonnets, both making a comment on what it means to die in war. The two poets show very different views on war, as both had very different experiences in war. Rupert Brooke died before he made it to war, his poem highlights the soldier as a hero and glorifies dying in war, in contrast Wilfred Owen shows a grittier side to death in war, as he experienced war first hand and his poem is real and brutalRead More The soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen886 Words   |  4 PagesPoetry - The soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen The poems The soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen are related to the events in WWI. These two poems concentrate on a similar subject, going to war, but have totally different points of view and contradict each other. Rupert Brooke has a patriotic point of view meanwhile Wilfred Owen has a critical opinion. Both of the authors use their own knowledge to show us how soldiers confrontRead MoreComparing The Soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen669 Words   |  3 PagesComparing The Soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen World War I, probably the most horrible of modern wars, inspired some of the most beautiful and powerful poetry of the 20th century. Two very good examples are The Soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen, both were written before and during the this war. Rupert Brooke was a well- educated English man who lived the enthusiasm of the whole country when the warRead MoreBritish Nationalism And Self Sacrifice By Rupert Brooke And Wilfred Owen s The Soldier 1265 Words   |  6 Pagesprogressed, attitudes concerning pro-nationalist ideologies began to change. The horrific realities of the war produced a profusion of sardonic, anti-nationalistic poetry as young soldier-poets confronted death and destruction. For example, British poets Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen drew from their experiences as soldiers during the war while frequently addressing the themes of British Nationalism and patriotic self-sacrifice throughout their poetry. However, Brooke and Owen’s wartime experiencesRead MoreHow Does Wilfred Owen Present the Lives of Soldiers in a Time of Conflict and His Own Attitude to War in Dulce Et Decorum Est?1255 Words   |  6 Pagesan accumulation of soldiers who are fighting in World War I. He sarcastically states that it is ‘sweet and fitting to die for ones country’. W ilfred Owen thought completely different of this, however, and is complexly against the war. He uses very powerful, vivid descriptions, for example, the young soldiers being described as ‘aged by war’. For someone to ‘age’ in a matter of minutes, seconds even, is an astounding thing, most likely referring to the mentality of the soldiers, altered by the attackRead MoreWilfred Life Of Wilfred Owen914 Words   |  4 PagesWilfred Owen Poetry Wilfred Edward Salter Owen was an English poet and soldier, whose renowned compositions were distinguished in their delivery of a tenacious condemnation of the First World War. Born, 18 March 1893 in Oswestry, Shropshire, Owen commenced his poetic endeavours through his adolescence, and after having completed his schooling, soon became a teaching assistant and aspired for vocational pursuits. However, these were soon disparaged with the eminence of the Fist World War, and inRead More Write an essay about how Owens poetry describes the plight of the732 Words   |  3 PagesWrite an essay about how Owens poetry describes the plight of the soldiers. In many of Wilfred Owens poems, he describes the suffering and the agony of the common soldier during war, not only on the battlefront, but he also describes the after-effects of war and its cruelty. Owens poetry is inclined towards and elegiac nature with the function to arouse grief and to stimulate remembrance. Owen is usually best when the emotion of grief predominates over disgust in his poems and when tribute

The Case Of Inequality And John Rawls - 1369 Words

6. The Case of Inequality/John Rawls In Chapter 6, Sandel introduces to us an American philosopher by the name of John Rawls. According to Rawls, Sandel says, the way to think about justice â€Å"is to ask what principles we would agree to in an initial situation of inequality† (pg. 140). He calls this state of inequality a â€Å"veil of ignorance† which prevents people from knowing anything about their wealth, income, social status, racial identification, religious convictions, gender, ethnicity etc. In this state, Rawls says, the principles people would agree to would be just. Under these conditions, Rawls reasons, people would not choose utilitarianism- fearing they might be part of the minority. They would also not choose principles like libertarianism, feudalism. Rawls maintains that two principles will be chosen: basic liberties, and social and economic equality. A major argument that arises from this idea is whether consent to a contract â€Å"creates an obligation on its own, or is element of bene fit or reliance also required† (pg. 144). Sandel says contracts realize two ideals: autonomy and reciprocity. Contracts represent autonomy; the â€Å"obligations [contracts] create carry weight because they are self imposed, and reciprocity; the â€Å"obligation to fulfill [a contract] arises from the obligation to repay others for the benefits they provide us† (pg. 144, 145). If put in a situation such as the veil of ignorance, most people would, Rawls suggests, adopt the â€Å"difference principle†:Show MoreRelatedJohn Rawls’ A Theory of Justice Essay964 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Rawls’ A Theory of Justice holds that a rational, mutually disinterested individual in the Original Position and given the task of establishing societal rules to maximise their own happiness throughout life, is liable to choose as their principles of justice a) guaranteed fundamental liberties and b) the nullification of social and economic disparities by universal equ ality of opportunities, which are to be of greatest benefit to the least advantaged members of society , . Rawls’ system ofRead MoreThe Justice Of Distributions And Its Impact On The Economics Of A Society1358 Words   |  6 Pagesare many different approaches to the justice of distributions in societies and there are arguments that can be made to support each of them. Three types of approaches are distribution justice based on a distributive approach that was introduced by John Rawls, emergent which was advocated by Robert Nozick and a market democratic hybrid supported by Tomasi. This paper will illustrate the basic premise of each of these approaches and the impacts that they have on the economics of a society. After brieflyRead MoreJustice Means Equality For Equals And Inequality For Unequal s Equality1593 Words   |  7 PagesC.S Lewis once said â€Å"justice means equality for equals and inequality for unequal’s† . To interpret this quote we must first define what justice really means. Justice means giving each person what he or she deserves. The quote by C.S Lewis states that even though rules and regulation are made for all individuals, in one way or another difference are still made between societies and no one is known about it. In other word, those who are always treated equal, will continue to be treated equally andRead MoreRawls Justice As Fairness1602 Words   |  7 PagesRawls’ Justice as Fairness: John Rawls was dissatisfied with the traditional philosophical approach to justifying social and political actions therefore he attempted to provide a reasonable theory of social justice through a contract theory approach. In his work, A Theory of Justice, Rawls bases almost the entirety of his piece on the question, what kind of organization of society would rational persons choose if they were in an initial position of independence and equality and setting up a systemRead More John Rawls A Theory of Justice Essay704 Words   |  3 PagesJohn Rawls A Theory of Justice John Rawls A Theory of Justice has long been revered as a marvel of modern political philosophy. Its most well-known for the two principles of justice outlined by Rawls: (1) that all persons have an equal right to liberty; and (2) that (a) all inequalities in society should be arranged to benefit the least advantages, and (b) that all positions and offices should be open and accessible as outlined by fair equality of opportunity. Rawls conception of societyRead MoreThe Difference Principle Essay776 Words   |  4 Pagesapproaches is John Rawls Difference Principle. To achieve a just society, Rawls believes in two principles. The first principle states that each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others. The second principle is that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both a)reasonably expected to be to everyones advantage, and b) attached to positions and offices open to all (Rawls, 60). Within Rawls secondRead MoreThe Distributive Justice Theory Of John Rawls1391 Words   |  6 PagesInequality and inefficiency are universal issues plaguing society that countless economists have attempted to understand and address. Distinguished economists such as John Rawls, Amartya Sen, Robert Nozick, and Milton Friedman have developed their own theories of to achieve distributive justice, or a fair allocation of resources for all members of society. In Rawls’ justice as fairness and Sen’s capability theory, the economists come closest to achieving plans of distributive justice that retainRead MoreJohn Rawls’ A Theory of Justice Essay795 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Rawls’ A Theory of Justice holds that rational, mutually disinterested individuals, in the Original Position and given the task of establishing societal rules to maximise their own happiness throughout life, are liable to choose as principles of societal justice a) guaranteed fundamental lib erties and b) the nullification of social and economic disparities by universal equality of opportunities, which are to be of greatest benefit to the least advantaged members of society , . Rawls’ systemRead MoreJohn Bordley Rawls s Theory Of Justice Essay903 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Bordley Rawls was born and educated in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. His family was of comfortable means, yet during his youth, two tragic things happened to him. In two years, one right after another, both of his younger brothers contracted diseases from him and died. Diphtheria in one case and pneumonia in the other. Rawls’s vivid sense of the arbitrariness of fortune may have stemmed in part from this early experience. His only remaining brother went to collage at Princeton for undergraduateRead MoreAristotle, Joseph Schumpeter, Milton Friedman, And John Rawls1230 Words   |  5 Pagesequality in a different domain. In this case, economic equality will be analyzed as a condition for poli tical equality. How is it exactly that economic equality can undermine political equality? By answering this question, this paper will prove that economic equality is a necessary pre-condition for political equality. I will do this by analyzing the political writings of four distinct philosophers: Aristotle, Joseph Schumpeter, Milton Friedman, and John Rawls. Firstly, the political philosophies

Army Values free essay sample

In the US army we are taught to live by the 7 army values. They are broken down to us in the acronym ‘LDRSHIP’. Loyalty â€Å"Bear true faith and allegiance to the U. S. constitution, the Army, and other soldiers. † Duty â€Å"Fulfill your obligations. † Respect â€Å"Treat people as they should be treated. † Selfless Service â€Å"Put the welfare of the nation, the Army and your subordinates above your own. † Honor â€Å"Live up to the army values. † Integrity â€Å"Do what’s right legally and morally. † and Personal Courage â€Å"Face fear, danger or adversity (physical or moral). We are all drilled on these 7 army values from day one of basic training. First we commit them to memory. Then we learn to live by them. All 7 values have an impact on each other, and are an integral part of ones moral standing. These 7 â€Å"Army Values† however reach FAR beyond the military and play well into life outside the army at the work place or in your personal life there is a way to keep yourself a morally straight person that you and everyone you know will be proud to be accuainted with. We will write a custom essay sample on Army Values or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People fail to realize the importance these values have on the way that one is perceived by ALL of those around them. Take Loyalty for example. In my personal opinion, Loyalty means being a person that other’s can count on never failing those around you and always pulling through on your word. say what you mean and mean what you say. That when the time comes, you will be there to do what needs to be done. You will be true and faithful to them no matter the outcome. If that loyalty is not observed by both parties involved however, then that sense of loyalty may eventually change or even dissapear all the way. Loyalty comes in handy be loyal to others and they will be loyal to you. ou never know when your going to need some help yourself. SSG Gilllette always says perception is reality. how do you think one of your battle buddies will percive you if he asks you to do something simple as make sure the humvee is PMCSd and you go out the motor pool and he(the driver) is pulled over by an MP for the brake lights not workin? My guess is not to great. How do you think it will go when you ask him to d o you a favor such as hey can you clean my weapon so it is clean when SFC Martin inspects them it dont get kicked back? e aint gonna do that for you because you were not loyal to him you have earned nothing in his eyes by screwing him over on the humvee PMCS. Ya give a lil ya get a lil. Duty to me is accomplishing a task that needs to be done regardless the motivation you have, how sick your feelin or how long of a ruck march you had this morning. Whether you love it or hate it the task is there to be done. If one does not fulfill their duties on a regular basis, then those around them have to pick up the slack, and any sense of loyalty begins to become tarnished duty and loyalty are intertwined in private first class Ansons eyes. ike i said in the last paragraph when talking about loyalty in order to attain loyalty there are duties that must be completed inorder to seem loyal to another soldier or friend. Everyone wants to be respected. It’s in our nature, but in order to obtain respect, first of all one has to respect oneself. Second, one has to show respect to others in order to gain respect from them. If one doesn’t show respect to someone, that person may often feel blown off and lose respect for you. Respect in my eyes is like a math equation loy alty plus duty equals respect. espect is gained in conducting ones self in a way that others can stand to be around you by the way you act accordingly to where you are at Selfless service is tough for me to explain. I have done few things for others in my life so bear with me Sergeant. In my opinion selfless service is lookin out for others not just yourself. honestly i joined the army for myslef. I did not join for country god or college. i got here to Fort Hood and i made some good friends in the platoon. its no longer about me its about us. unit is a collective element that each person has a job that cant be done unless the guys to the left the right the front and behind you are all doing thier job. without that cohesion it could fall apart violently. i am not trying to get anyone killed especially not my friends so i do my job to my fullest possible understanding inorder to get everyone back ok. Honor is the second most important army value to me honor the dictionary says honor is fairness or integrity in ones belifes and actions. Honor pretty much evalutaes how much of a human being you are. going back on ones word is a huge no go. ow can you lead telling one not to fall asleep on guard and then turn around and fall asleep on guard. You will find it hard to le ad your men the more you fall back on your word. also honor is also stepping up to the plate and accounting for your actions be them accepting an award (getting an army achievment medal for being a part of a cohesive squad) or accepting punishment (writing an essay for disrespecting a noncommissioned officer and just plain lacking army values in general) everyone does good and bad things in life its how you own up to and accept the praise or punishment. Integrity in my opinion means doing the right thing moraly and legaly in that order. Integrity is a great polar opposite of hypocrisy. integrity comes into play in the army more than any other army value in my opinion. whether it be PMCSing a vehicle and saying yeah its good instead of actually checking it with a full PMCS, making sure the common areas (i know garrison problems i never deployed gimme a break) are finished instead of acting like they are. Not shamming out when you know you are supposed to be doing something. Personal courage is a huge one in the infantry. I can tell you for a fact no one wants to die and our job consists of getting shot at,blown up, dealing with explosives, blood gore and religious zealots who want nothing more than to cut our heads off on video for the world to see. a man can only be brave if he is afraid -Ned Stark (i know i quoted game of thrones). bravery and personal courage are the same thing but you need to be able to take on anything at any time you signed up for whatever situation you got into life or military career personal courage can get you through schools, boards and deployments. It can help you deal with new situations as long as you charge at it head on you usualy pull through somehow The use of the army values in your day to day life can get you through your day with alot more comforting results than the normal person thinks the point ive been trying to get across is you can use the army values to always be a better person, do better on a quiz, shoot better, run faster, push harder and increase relations with everyone. he betterment of yourself and relations with others around you is never complete. there is not a point where you say im done with anything. Loyalty duty respect and honor strenghten your relations with those around you. Integrity ,personal courage and selfless service will help you out in your job by showing others you have a moral value, your not afraid to fail, and you dont think about yourself all the time. 1

What is a Modern Heroine an Example of the Topic Psychology Essays by

What is a Modern Heroine? A lot of time is spent contemplating about the hero, how he is defined and how he succeeds in every story. However, nowadays there is a growing focus on the modern heroine. As a writer of considerable talent, Willa Cather achieved her goal in being noticed by the world and has largely become one of the most formidable women writers of her time. The focus of this paper is to make an analysis of each of the female protagonist in five of Cathers short stories which included On the Divide, A Death in the Desert, A Wagner Matinee, The Marriage of Phaedra and Old Mrs. Harris, describing their nature as well as the transitions in their characters as the story unfolds. In so doing, a clear definition of the modern heroine was arrived at. She must be a character who is able to identify with the readers as well as a character that depicts substantial inner strength. She must be able to know her own person and not let anyone or anything stifle her personality along with her inner desires and dr eams. Need essay sample on "What is a Modern Heroine?" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed With its first printing in the California-based monthly magazine, the Overland Monthly, in January 1896, On the Divide was Cathers first short story to be printed on a national publication. The story revolves around the male protagonist, Canute Canuteson, a man of Norwegian descent who lived a solitary life in the Nebraskan prairie. He maintained his complacent lifestyle until one fateful spring when another family settled in a land near his. He had taken to drinking with his new neighbor, Ole Yensen, who is a drunkard like himself and, though atypical for a man of Canutes nature, finds himself quite taken with Oles daughter Lena. Lena is an undeniably pretty girl who doesnt cringe in fear in Canutes presence despite the mans imposing aura unlike most of the people in the area. However, Lena has a penchant for torturing and teasing Canute in ways that are often vindictive and spiteful, wherein she takes sadistic pleasure in Canutes silent suffering. Canutes enchantment with her did a lot to feed her vanity which further prompted her to continue with her antics. Presented with an opportunity to live a more sophisticated lifestyle, she leans towards the glamour of metropolitan life. Earning her own fortune has changed Lenas personality up a notch where the spoiled little miss has largely become a socialite and an incorrigible snob. Lenas attitude towards Canute was deeply affected by her changed outlook. Where she was marginally playful and vain at the beginning of the story, she now openly displays her scorn and contempt for Canute and his very existence. She admits to her mother her desire to have fun and to give herself over to Canutes care when she reaches her mothers present age where she describes her mother to be old and ugly. Her way of thinking clearly demonstrates Lenas shrewd and calculating persona. Unfortunately, her views were overheard by Canute, causing him to loosen his restraint upon himself and acting in a rash and unpredictable manner. Having been abducted and married to Canute against her will, Lena consoles herself with the fact that she had intended to marry him anyway. She is resigned to her fate, which either showcases her courage in mak ing the most out of a dismal situation or her lack of it by not fighting back enough to gain freedom from a fate she half-heartedly wants. When Canute accompanied the priest who married them back to his own home, Lena was left to wander around Canutes house where she discovered the suits that he bought and intended to wear. Her vanity is once more soothed by this little discovery that Canute was willing to do anything to win her love and attention. She actually felt pity for the man she had married, exposing Lenas humane side. Having been left alone for a considerable amount of time, she begins to get anxious and terrified that she calls out for her husband. Whether she does this because all the other options for company werent particularly appealing to her, or that it is Canute that she sincerely wants to be with is up to the readers to decide. "I don't want him either, Canute,--I'd rather have you. Lena says. This was something that Canute had been waiting for from the moment he fell for Lena. Even though her sincerity is doubtful, she gave Canute a grain of happiness, causing him to sob at her feet. A Death in the Desert was first printed in The Scribners on January 1903. This story is about a mans fateful journey through Cheyenne, Wyoming where he chances upon his one of his brothers former students. Everett Hilgardes brother Adrience was an internationally acclaimed composer and it has been one too many times that Everette was often mistaken to be his brother due to an uncanny resemblance. The female protagonist in this story fell prey to the same fate when Everett alighted from the station. In the course of the story, it was revealed that Everett had been secretly enamored with his brothers former pupil, Katherine Gaylord. Having once been a companion of Everetts brother during his trips abroad, Katherine Gaylord was once a person radiating with vibrancy and an enjoyment of life. What was once a lively and youthful girl had now become a cynical woman who was slowly deteriorating from her disease. As soon as she meets Everette, she is immediately reminded of his brother and almost as immediately bombards Everett with questions about a lot of things that she used to be a part of. No longer withdrawn, she comes alive at Everetts narrative of the changes that have been brought about in her absence as she drinks greedily on every word. From the beginning of the story, it was evident that Katherine cared for Adrience in a much deeper level, a fact that Everett was to discover later on. Throughout the narrative, Katherine was seen to have taken advantage of Everetts kind nature and generosity to be able to relive lost moments she had with his brother. She has done so not in an unkind way, but in a manner through which her remaining lifes happiness depended on. Throughout Everetts entire stay with her, she has been seeing him not as himself but as his brother. There was one moment, one moment alone when Katherine told him of the letter that Adrience sent that she saw Everett, not as the very image of Adrience but as himself. It is rather unfair and unkind for her to do so knowing that Everett still harbors feelings for her. She doesnt mean any intentional harm by it; she just can help it, knowing how strong her feelings for Adrience still are. At her very last breath, lying on Everetts arms, it is Adriences name that she spoke of, a testament of the strength of her love and devotion for him. It was in Everybodys Magazine that Cathers story, A Wagner Matinee was first published in 1904. In this story, Clark receives a note informing him of his Aunt Georgianas arrival. As the lead female character, Georgiana is depicted as a shabby old woman who was once a music teacher before being forced to give up her hopes and dreams upon her marriage to a farmer. In the course of the story Clark recalls an episode that left a distinct impression on him where his Aunt had told him not to love anything in excess "or it may be taken from you. Oh, dear boy, pray that whatever your sacrifice may be, it be not that" (Charters 510). From this alone, the reader could infer that Georgiana had once loved her musical dreams too much but was taken from her by the responsibility that came with a married life. She is portrayed to have shown a weakness in her inability to fight for her dreams instead of allowing them to be stifled. As part of Clarks plan to amuse his aunt to show his appreciation fo r all that she has done for him in his boyhood, Clark took her to see a performance of the music by Richard Wagner. At first, it would seem that Georgiana is indifferent to the people and the performance. Later on, Georgiana shows recognition of some of the songs played and is seen by the reader to be thrust forcibly back into the days where her dreams were as alive as she was. Readers clearly see the immensity of the consequence of killing a persons dreams; in this case, Georgianas. In killing her dreams, she has inevitably killed the real Georgiana. Her experience at the opera has forced her to face the reality that hers was a sad and empty existence without dreams to sustain the very core of her life. The Marriage of Phaedra was first published in 1905 in the Troll Garden as a part of Cathers collection of her earlier works. The female protagonist in this story doesnt have much exposure as far as the narration of the story goes. Lady Ellen Treffinger was the widow of the renowned painter Hugh Treffinger. Although both are obviously of a different temperament than the other, the two still manage to get married, which would later prove to have disastrous results. Prior to her marriage, Lady Ellen was often discontented about a great many things. In the course of the story, she was depicted to be hostile towards her husband, his works, as well as his friends as a result of Hughs being an inconsiderate husband himself. Her hostility is proof of the fighting spirit within her as she refuses to be dragged into a life of misery with her husband. Upon his death, she shows this great display of her willingness to live despite of living through oppressive years with her husband by defying h is wishes not to sell the Marriage of Phaedra, a painting that her husband was obsessed about. Old Mrs. Harris was one of Cathers collected stories and was first published in 1932. A semi-biographical story originally entitled the Three Women, it links three different generations in a family, which represents Willa herself, her mother and her grandmother. The female protagonists in this story all have distinctive characteristics. The grandmother was a gentle creature and was the one who looked after and taught the children. The daughter, who is Willas mother in real life, is a both a spoiled child and a loving mother to her children. The granddaughter, who would be Willa, is a fiercely independent character, set on her own ways but remain as dutiful to her family. All three generations are seen to have differing individual needs where the gradual weakening of the grandmothers health goes practically unnoticed and eventually led to her untimely death. In all of these stories, the female characters display a general sense of weakness, a faltering in their original persona once associated with a strong male lead. A common characteristic of most of Willa Cathers females is having a definite artistic skill, where it is depicted to have a certain diminishing under the battery of the strains of responsibility to family. The strength of the Cathers female leads was set in accordance with her time, where there was a general suppression of women, their views, their skills. Nowadays, the heroine is no longer depicted in the demeaning stigma that women are of a weaker sex. The modern heroine is portrayed as women of immense strength, who flourish in their chosen fields and can even surpass the modern hero in terms of wit and skills. Independence has long been inculcated within the modern heroine, wherein she knows her own mind and isnt afraid of going after what she wants without allowing the allowing the responsibilities of family and marri ed life to prove to be an obstruction. She conforms to what the modern woman of today is; a fighter, a believer, an achiever. Works Cited Cather, Willa. Willa Cather's Collected Short Fiction 1892-1912. Lincoln. University of Nebraska Press. 1965 Charters, Ann. The American Short Story and Its Writer. New York. Bedford/St. Martins Press. 2000