Discover The Marriage Proposal by Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov is known for brilliant, full-length plays, yet in his younger years he fancied writing short, one-act comedies like The Marriage Proposal. Filled with wit, irony, and brilliantly developed and impassioned characters, this three-person play shows the young playwright at his best. The Comedies of Anton Chekhov Anton Chekhovs full-length masterpieces may be considered comedies, yet they are filled with dour moments, failed loves, and sometimes even death. This is especially true in his play The Seagull -- a comedic drama which ends with a suicide. Although other plays such as Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard do not culminate in such an explosive resolution, a feeling of hopelessness permeates each of Chekhovs plays. This is a sharp contrast to some of his more jovial one-act comedies. The Marriage Proposal, for example, is a delightful farce that could have ended very darkly, but the playwright instead maintains its energetic whimsy, concluding in a successful albeit combative engagement. The Characters of A Marriage Proposal The main character, Ivan Vassilevitch Lomov, is a heavy-set man in his mid-thirties, prone to anxiety, stubbornness, and hypochondria. These flaws are further amplified because he becomes a nervous wreck when he tries to propose marriage. Stepan Stephanovitch Chubukov owns land next to Ivan. A man in his early seventies, he gladly grants permission to Ivan, but soon calls off the engagement when an argument over property ensues. His chief concerns are maintaining his wealth and keeping his daughter happy. Natalya Stepanovna is the female lead in this three-person play. She can be jovial and welcoming, yet stubborn, proud and possessive, just like her male counterparts. Plot Summary of A Marriage Proposal The play is set in the  rural countryside of Russia during the late 1800s. When Ivan arrives at the home of the Chubukov family, the elderly Stepan assumes that the well-dressed young man has come to borrow money. Instead, Stepan is pleased when Ivan asks for his daughters hand in marriage. Stepan whole-heartedly bestows his blessing, declaring that he already loves him like a son. The old man then leaves to fetch his daughter, assuring the younger man that Natalya will graciously accept the proposal. While alone, Ivan delivers a soliloquy, explaining his high level of nervousness, as well as a number of physical ailments that have recently plagued his daily life. This monologue sets up everything that unfolds next. Everything is going well when Natalya first enters the room. They chat pleasantly about the weather and agriculture. Ivan attempts to bring up the subject of marriage by first stating how he has known her family since childhood. As he touches upon his past, he mentions his familys ownership of the Oxen Meadows. Natalya stops the conversation to clarify. She believes that her family has always owned the meadows, and this disagreement ignites a caustic debate, one that sends tempers flaring and Ivans heart palpitating. After they yell at each other, Ivan feels dizzy and tries to calm himself down and change the subject back to matrimony, only to get immersed in the argument yet again. Natalyas father joins the battle, siding with his daughter, and angrily demanding that Ivan leave at once. As soon as Ivan is gone, Stepan reveals that the young man has planned to propose to Natalya. Shocked and apparently desperate to be married, Natalya insists that her father bring him back. Once Ivan has returned, she tries to bend the subject toward romance. However, instead of discussing marriage, they begin to argue over which of their dogs is the better hound. This seemingly innocuous topic launches into yet another heated argument. Finally, Ivans heart cannot take it anymore and he flops down dead. At least thats what Stepan and Natalya believe for a moment. Fortunately, Ivan breaks out of his fainting spell and regains his senses enough for him to propose to Natalya. She accepts, but before the curtain falls, they return to their old argument regarding who owns the better dog. In short, The Marriage Proposal is a delightful gem of a comedy. It makes one wonder why so much of Chekhovs full-length plays (even the ones labeled as comedies) seem so thematically heavy. The Silly and the Serious Sides of Chekhov So, why is The Marriage Proposal so whimsical whereas his full-length plays are realistic? One reason that may account for the silliness found in this one-act is that The Marriage Proposal was first performed in 1890  when Chekhov was just entering his thirties and still in relatively good health. When he wrote his famous comedy-dramas his illness (tuberculosis) had more severely affected him. Being a physician, Chekhov must have known that he was nearing the end of his life, thereby casting a shade over The Seagull and the other plays. Also, during his more prolific years as a playwright, Anton Chekhov traveled more and beheld many impoverished, marginalized people of Russia, including inmates of a penal colony. The Marriage Proposal is a humorous microcosm of marital unions among the Russian upper class in late 19th century Russia.  This was Chekhovs world during his late 20s. As he became more worldly, his interests in others outside the middle classes increased. Plays such as Uncle Vanya and The Cherry Orchard feature an ensemble of characters from many different economic classes, from the wealthiest to the most impoverished. Finally, one must consider the influence of Constantin Stanislavski, a theater director who would become one of the most important figures in modern theater. His dedication to bringing a naturalistic quality to drama may have further inspired Chekhov to write less silly plays, much to the chagrin of theater-goers who like their comedies broad, loud, and full of slapstick.

Everyday Use By Alice Walker - 896 Words

The struggles a parent goes through in life when raising children who have different attitudes and different characters, can be very difficult and sometimes heart breaking. When a person decides to become a parent, often times they elect to walk a path of self-sacrifice, where reasoning in the majority of the times and reward from you love ones, are not always obtained. Sacrifices done and incredible efforts of protection and love can be forgotten easily and never appreciated. It is the journey that a person will embark in which love and self-consciousness will always judge silently. In the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker a mom endures the complexity of raising to two daughters in which have a completely different character and mindset, while also battling with emotional traumas from the past and family dysfunction. There are different characters in this story the main character in this case is the narrator or protagonist which is mom a person who had to embrace life and the different emotional battles that she had to confront, specially wishing for a lovely and warm affection from her daughter Dee in which she says: â€Å"Sometimes I dream and dream in which Dee and I are in suddenly brought together on a TV program of this sort† (p.256). Maggie’s role as a sub character played well with the story because was the character which demonstrated an allowed the reader to contrast between the protagonist and sub character (Maggie) vs the antagonist inShow MoreRelatedEveryday Use By Alice Walker852 Words   |  4 Pagescomes or belongs to one by reason of birth. In â€Å"Everyday Use†, by Alice Walker, the theme of the story can be considered as the meaning of heritage or even the power of education. Alice Walker uses many symbols and motifs such as the following: quilts, education, knowledge, Asalamalakim, and the renaming of Dee. In the story, African heritage and knowledge takes a major role. The African heritage plays a major role in the story, â€Å"Everyday Use†. Alice Walker emphasizes the meaning of heritage by havingRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1372 Words   |  6 PagesEverday Use† research paper In â€Å"everyday Use,† Alice Walker tells a narrative of a mother’s frustrating relationship together with her two daughters. At this facet, â€Å",Everyday Use†, tells that how a mom little by little refuses the cursory values of her older, successful daughter at the aspect of the useful values of her younger, much less lucky daughter. On a deeper outlook, Alice Walker takes on the theme of heritage and its norms as it applies to African-Americans. Everday Use, is set insideRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1102 Words   |  5 Pagespoem â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers† can be read similar to Alice Walker s short story Everyday Use† both are compared by the women’s ways of showing their strengths and how they identify their values, expressions and strength. Advertised in the general outlines of the plot, both literary themes talks of a quest for freedom, the characters identity and self-expression. Adrienne Rich â€Å"Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers† Alice Walker â€Å"Everyday Use† Comparison Paper Analyzing the two types of literatureRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1372 Words   |  6 Pagessociety as a whole, but more specifically in the African American Community. Alice Walker gives slight insight into   what being forced   to assimilate is like. She says in her short story Everyday Use: She will stand hopelessly in corners homely and ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe. Statements such as these are a regular occurrence in her works. Walker often speaks on the ever so disheartening topic of cultural assimilation and theRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker996 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker, the author describes different ideas about one’s heritage. Culture and heritage is at the main point of the story â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker as symbolized by the quilt. The bond that Mother and Maggie share is brought by their common talent to make works of art like quilts. Dee does not have similar capacity because she does not appreciate manual labor nor believes in her heritage. The idea of pride in culture, heritage, and family is the mainRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1721 Words   |  7 PagesIn her short story â€Å"Everyday Use,† Alice Walker summarizes the representation of the beauty, the conflicts and struggles within African-American culture. â€Å"Everyday Use† focuses mainly between members of the Johnson family, consisting of a mother and her two daughters. One of the daughters Maggie, who was injured in a house fire and has living a shy life clinging to her mother for security. Her older sister is Dee, who grew up with a grace and natural beauty. â€Å"Dee is lighter than Maggie, with nicerRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1111 Words   |  5 Pagestheir culture. Alice Walker highlights and distinguishes the dissimilarities and clichà © of country African American women with the actualities that make up their lives. Characterized by short, compound sentences, with long adjectives and use of literary elements, her style is eloquent conversational and authentic. Alice Walker’s short story, Everyday Use is stylistic, ironic and narrates profound interpretation of unique views and approaches to African-American culture. Walker’s use of characterizationRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1735 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"Everyday Use† by Alice Walker and â€Å"Brownies† by ZZ Packer are two different short stories with different lessons but both talk about the topic of race. Both stories talks about the time in the 20th century when slavery just ended but racism are still active between African Americans and Caucasians. Walker described a story about a single African American mother who is waiting for her daughter to arrive from college. Packer described a story about these African American fourth graders who are inRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1655 Words   |  7 PagesIn â€Å"everyday Use,† Alice Walker tells a narrative of a mother’s frustrating relationship together with her two daughters. At this facet, â€Å",Everyday Use†, tells that how a mom little by little refuses the cursory values of her older, successful daughter at the aspect of the useful values of her younger, much less lucky daughter. On a deeper outlook, Alice Walker takes on the theme of heritage and its norms as it applies to African-Americans. Everday Use, is set inside the late ,60s or mid ,70sRead MoreEveryday Use By Alice Walker1447 Words   |  6 PagesAbout â€Å"Everyday Use† The conflict in the story is centered around the clash between the two worlds with which Walker s character Dee is endued. Dee increasingly accuses her heritage of the ideas and rhetoric of the new Black Pride movement. Walker weaves the theme of African cultural nationalism with a descriptive conflict immersed in family issues. On another level, Alice Walker offers a unique look at the struggling African-American woman to find both a personality and voice from the shadows of

Chicken Pox Essay free essay sample

Whether something serious as cancer or the common cold, each of these things started with a virus. Viruses come in many different forms. There are about 1 million different viruses and they are everywhere. A virus is a microscopic infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. One of such is a virus commonly known as the Chicken Pox. The Chicken Pox is caused by a virus called ‘Varicella’, which is very contagious. Symptoms of this virus include a fever, weakness and fatigue, and a red, itchy rash. When an infected person sneezes, coughs, or breathes on another person, the virus enters the body through the mouth and nose transported on respiratory droplets. The virus begins to reproduce in the cells of the mucosal system. It quickly spreads to different parts of the body. The rash that develops usually appears on the face, scalp, chest, back, and fewer on the arms and legs. We will write a custom essay sample on Chicken Pox Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Symptoms, like the rash, usually arrive approximately two weeks after initial infection. The rash, in the form of spots fill with a clear fluid and burst, sometimes causing scars, or bacterial infection. The spots continue to break out from one to five days, so they may appear on the body in different stages. The fever and malaise common in children with the disease is more serious in adults. It is always good to keep precautions and look into staying healthy. Viruses are serious issues that need to be treated. If you have not had the Chicken Pox, Vaccines are available. In rare cases do you get the virus after you get the disease. And once you catch the Chicken Pox it is unlikely to catch it again. The Chicken pox is not a severe virus, but it is just one of the million other viruses out there.

Barn Burning Essay Research Paper Barn BurningYoure free essay sample

Barn Burning Essay, Research Paper Barn Burning ? You? re acquiring to be a adult male. You got to larn. You got to larn to lodge to your ain blood or you ain? T traveling to hold any blood to lodge to you. ? This quotation mark from William Faulkner? s? Barn Burning? does uncover a cardinal issue in the narrative, as Jane Hiles suggests in her reading. The narrative is about blood ties, but more specifically, how these ties affect Sarty ( the cardinal character of the narrative ) . The narrative examines the internal struggle and quandary that Sarty faces. When the narrative begins, Sarty and his household are in a courtroom. Sarty, known in a proper scene as Colonel Sartoris, which in itself gives an penetration into the households outlook. Sarty? s male parent, Abner Snopes is being accused of a barn combustion. Right off, as Sarty is called to attest, you get an thought of what is traveling through the male child? s caput, and the outlook that has be ingrained in him. He thinks to himself, Enemy! Enemy! , mentioning to the people that his male parent and his household for that affair are up against. Sarty would subsequently detect that things are non ever the manner that his male parent leads everyone to believe they are. Sarty, someplace deep down wants to merely make what is right, but being approximately 10 old ages old, I don? T think he rather has that figured out yet. His sense of right and incorrect has been biased under the dictatorship of his male parent. We besides get a good thought of the personality of the male parent, Abner, by the manner Sarty describes his physical visual aspect. Abner is non a adult male of a batch of words, demonstrated in many cases. We see this in the manner he addresses his household, in the manner he communicates with other characters, and most significantly in his hideous stunts in his efforts to turn out that know one will of all time run over Abner Snopes and his household. He more or less uses actions to talk for him. That? s kind of the whole thought behind Abner Snopes. He? s a adult male with so much pride that he will travel to any lengths to acquire revenge upon those who wrong him or seek to have him, even if it means interrupting the jurisprudence. His actions, make bold statements about what sort of adult male he is. Barn combustion is his largest and ever concluding statement. But, he kind of physiques up to that, as we can see in the narrative. Once Abner and his household are run out of town in the beginning of the narrative ( which seems to be a frequent happening with this household ) they find another place and another farm to work. Immediately, Abner takes Sarty up to the landlords house, where Abner intentionally steps in manure and walks into the house and returns to rub the manure into a really all right carpet. There seems to be no evident ground for the action other than the fact that the landlord in a manner owns Abner Snopes and his household, because the land lord own the land they will hold to work for a life. Therefore, they are at the clemency of the landlord. This doesn? t sit good with Abner, and the intent of dirtying the carpet must be, once more to do a statement about who he is, and to allow the landlord cognize that he doesn? t bow to anyone. Soon, the carpet is brought down to the farm and presented to the household, who must now clean it. Abner, alternatively of acquiring his married woman, or his boies to clean the carpet, ( non to advert himself every bit good ) instructs his two girls, described as large, unenrgetic and bovine, to take attention of the undertaking. The rational behind this is, Abner knows that the two girls will more than probably non make a proper occupation of rinsing the carpet. He? s a really vindictive adult male. When the carpet is returned to the proprietor and determined to be ruined, Abner is ordered to pay the land proprietor 20 bushels of maize against his households portion of the harvest. It is subsequently decided in tribunal, by the Justice of the Peace that he will merely be required to pay 10 bushels of maize. Of class, Abner, being the manner he is, will still non stand for it. Inevitably, one dark Abner decides he will do his signature statement, the barn combustion. Of class, the narrative doesn? t come right out and state this, there is an equivocal quality to this work by Faulkner. We are clued into Abner? s programs for the combustion when Sarty is sent to acquire the oil. Then, when Sarty, says? Ain? T you traveling to even direct a nigga? ? we can corroborate what is planned. It is at this point that the struggle within Sarty arises one time more. Sarty had hoped that his male parent would halt this evil form of devastation and neglect for the jurisprudence and the belongings of others. However, Sarty at this point is get downing to recognize that his male parent will likely neer alteration. He contemplates running off, something he will shortly make. After being detained by his female parent for a short clip, at his male parents request, Sarty breaks free and caputs straight for the land proprietors house. He knows now what he must make. He must warn them of what his male parent and older brother and about to make. Continually on the tally, Sarty warns the people in the large white house and takes off down the route. Sarty shortly hears a figure of shootings, which he assumes to be his male parent and brother being shot by the landlord who has caught them in the act. This may or may non be the instance, once more, this shows the ambiguity of the narrative in assorted topographic points. Regardless of what really happened, he knows he can neer travel back. He merely maintain on traveling, and neer looks back. It is at this point that Sarty breaks the blood ties, and the fright of enduring the wrath of his male parents. Sarty is free. But, non without paying a monetary value. I believe Sarty still feels that pull of blood that the writer speaks of, and he made this determination with evidently a batch of feelings on both sides of the issue. He still cares for his household, he still loves his male parent, even though he now realizes that what his male parent does is incorrect and he had to seek to halt it and discontinue to be a portion of it. The fact that Sarty can neer return place is non a inquiry of whether he choose that, but instead it? s non a pick, he can? t travel back. So, the struggle within Sarty is non truly every resolved, merely the state of affairs changed.