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Essays 1 & 2

Essay 1-Question 2: From George Elliot’s Daniel Deronda

The novel Daniel Deronda is a literary fiction novel that encompasses other genres such

as family drama and coming of age expanding peoples' overall psychology and thoughts. The

author uses characters like George Eliot to show portray the positive manner and sensitivity of

Jewish people; this also reflects the new ways in the society and the effects of stereotypical

perceptions with some people in the society. The novel was written in the 1870s which reflects

its setting and its significance towards the present and the future; it was written in the actual time

that she experiences the thought she expresses in the novel. The novel revolves around two main

characters George Elliot and Gwendolen Harleth a girl who loves gambling very much. The

epigraph in the novel mainly tries to warn those people who prioritize their soul satisfaction

without minding others. The novel explores the peculiar influences that get into those people as

soon as they realize the pain of others.

The novel warns people about their ego-centric activities, showing them that the soul

never enjoys the gains they get from such actions. The author shows that people should fear their

souls very much because they may make them have an irrational decisions and later regret their

actions. The conversion in the novel can be seen as the internal monologue that an individual
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may have in life as they transition from one action or stage to another. George (112) states that

"Let thy chief terror be of thine own soul: There, 'mid the throng of hurrying desires… As

exhalations laden with slow death…” The author may be referring to a character such as

Gwendolen who is not contented with the life she gets after she marries Grandcourt (George

149). The main reason why she is not happy is that she was informed by Lydia that she was

Grandcourt's mistress and they already had four children. Gwendolen ignores that and goes

ahead and marries him but is always guilty throughout her life for that one life mistake. She hates

all her life and lives with guilty.

Also, the novels show that while some people tend to satisfy their soul, other people are

contented in their life and do not judge others along with their beliefs. Daniel notices that

Gwendolen has a financial problem and pawned her necklace while gambling and surprisingly

gives her back (George 158). Daniel also m keeps Mirah a Jewish woman from drowning, he is

also seen to be interested in learning other Judaism showing that she accepts anyone in their life.

On the other hand, Gwendolen did not help Grandcourt as he drowned in the sea. When

Gwendolen leans about Mirah and Daniel's happy life she becomes even bitter; this escalates

when she remembers his sympathetic action while they were gambling.

Conclusively, the novel shows that some people are affected by the conversion as it

touches their peculiar influence. Gwendolen is a character who is full of herself but later

sufferers in her life. Guilty and internal conflict/monologue is the core conversion discussed in

the novel. Moreover, the peculiar influences are those specific incidences that people have in

their life from their structured decision. The movie still reflects today's social influences and

behaviors, warning people to make a rational decisions before performing any action.
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Essay 2-Question 3: From Pablo Neruda “Love is so short, forgetting is so long” and Sally

Rooney

Love is so short, forgetting is so long from Pablo Neruda, is love and coming of age

genre poem that revolves around contemporary issues in society. The type of love existing in two

separate manners which are passionate intimacy/connection and separation. Another novel by

Sally Rooney also extents a similar contemporary relationship in the century with themes of

socio-class differences, love, hardship, and friendship. The study shows that people struggle to

understand love and the reason why it is short and becomes hard to forget.

The poem by Pablo Neruda shows most of the contemporary relationships people started

having in the 20th century. The century came in with many economic aspects which changed the

way people perceived love affair (Pablo 3). Many people like the ones shown in the poem are

driven by their desires while others are seriously in love. The poet shows that he loved her and

he thought that sometimes he loves her too. He remembers how they used to kiss at night but he

could not get her because they separated. Since they parted ways his soul is not satisfied and he

is not forgetting about her. He recognizes that love is short and forgetting is hard after having

series of bittersweet sentiments. The author repeats the line again and again throughout the poem

to emphasize the main message he’s sending to the people. However, the message is not very

good since he is expressing the pain he was going through after losing his lover.

Twenty Love as referred to in the poem is depicted to have had many issues of the new

world that contradicted with the past. The poet tries to link the memory of the past to his present

and he is not sure whether he would get his lover in the new world. The natural world seems to

have been replaced with uncertainty and a prolonged emotional state. He could not forget his

love and thinks that they had ended the short-lived fruitful relationship. However, at the same
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time, he points that she loved him sometimes showing the compromised relationship of the time.

Therefore, the poet shows that there are two different concepts in contemporary love which are

individual delusions and self-knowledge.

In Normal People by Sally Rooney, two main characters Connell and Marianne meet

each other in high school and they start a tumultuous relationship. The main conflict between the

history of love and possibilities of friendship is self-knowledge, social barriers, and failure to

endure isolation. One time they are friends and another they become lovers again. Marianne has

been brought up by a wealthy family which unlike Connell who is from a middle-class family.

Marianne has enjoyed much in her social life; she teaches Connell better communication as

opposed to the convectional gathering; she hates this behavior in him as an abnormal social class.

Connell was uncomfortable with a physical flirtation but confesses he enjoys having sex with

her. The intimate relationship grows but Marianne does not want to acknowledge it in public.

Marianne has an abusive dysfunctional family; his brother beats her up for simple reasons, also

his father was fond of it. When Marianne realizes that Connell was dating Hellen a medical

student (social problem); she engages in two abusive and destructive relationships. This is the

reason as too why she develops self-loathing and other emotional problems; she hates herself.

Similar emotional problems are shown by Connell as he tries to think hard about Marianne's

problems and regretting hurting her.

There is a lot of compromised relationships from the contemporary nature of love; this is

a relationship full of vulnerability/exposure, friendship, physical flirtation, love, and separation.

The compromised relationship tends to end since one or both parties are sharing love with others.

However, they later part ways one remembers the good times but knows that they can't be

together again. The only thing remaining is to keep remembering bittersweet memories.
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Sometimes they wish they can be friends but only because they want to have physical flirtation

and intimacy with them. From both, the text partners are seen to suffer emotional problems

(isolation and depression) as they realize they made irrational decision.

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Works Cited

Neruda, Pablo. "Tonight I Can Write." Retrieved June 27 (1924): 2013.

Rooney, S. (2019). Normal People: A Novel. Hogarth.

Eliot, George. Daniel Deronda. Vol. 1617. Dawson Bros., 1876.