The Kiss by Anton Chekhov A critical analysis Essay Example

The Kiss by Anton Chekhov: A critical analysis Essay The Kiss by Anton Chekhov is a brilliant short story. It contains all the requisite features of a good short story. Elements of excitement, drama, romantic infatuation and suspense make the story hold its ground. In terms of literary devices, the apt yet optimal use of imagery and symbolism accentuates the overall effect on the reader. The story is also outstanding for its accommodation of dual characteristics of the concrete and the abstract. In other words, while the romantic preoccupation of Ryabovitch has a certain immediacy and specificity, by the end of the story, it becomes clear that the author is dealing with human universals. The character of Ryabovitch pitted against the unexpected circumstances he finds himself in acts as a representation for broader human life. The rest of the essay will outline the summary, and analyze the themes and literary aspects of the story. When the officers of a reserve artillery brigade pass through the countryside as part of their military excursion, they are invited for tea by local landlord and retired General von Rabbek. The invitation was largely a matter of courtesy and formality, as the General could have very little genuine interest in entertaining a group of officers unknown and unconnected to him. The event begins on an awkward note, but is soon smoothened by banter, good food and music. When music is played, the young officers choose attractive young women from the gathering to dance in duet. What should be a pleasurable evening out for most is quite the opposite for one young officer called Ryabovitch, who is the central character of the story. Ryabovitch is a shy, lean and modest staff-captain, who regards himself as unattractive. He thinks of himself as â€Å"short, stooping†¦ with spectacles and lynx-like side whiskers†. He could be true about this assessment of himself, or it could have bor n of his low self-esteem. Either way, he finds social occasions discomforting, especially if it involves attractive young women. He tries to minimize his discomfort by joining a group of officers in the billiards room, but soon gets bored. On his way back to the central hall, he gets lost in the labyrinthine design of the house and ends up visiting a darkly lit room. As he ponders where to go next, a young woman visits him in the room and from behind him, plants a kiss upon his cheek. Momentarily, she realizes that she’s kissed the wrong man – something indicated by her surprised shriek and immediate rushing out of the room. Though aback by this unexpected yet very pleasant sensation of the young lady’s caress and kiss, the young Ryabovitch enjoyed immensely the waft of delightful perfume and the rustle of her delicate dress. This accidental presentation of a powerful feminine charm would have a profound effect on him in subsequent days. We will write a custom essay sample on The Kiss by Anton Chekhov: A critical analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Kiss by Anton Chekhov: A critical analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Kiss by Anton Chekhov: A critical analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The days after the accidental kiss were one of fanciful infatuation, mixed with imaginative flights of romance, marriage and a happy conjugal life thereafter. All other activities relating to his military duties appear in a blur, as his mind was fixated on the kiss, though he knew well that there is nothing more to it than an accident. In these days of imaginative fancy, Ryabovitch â€Å"goes on feeling the tingle of the kiss â€Å"like peppermint drops† around his mouth; every night he visualizes the girl who kissed him, and retains his joy at fate’s accidental caress.† (Evans, 2008, p. 26) Even when the brigade is on the move he daydreams about the kiss and the beauty of the girl. A moving brigade is a complicated affair, with all members of it playing their respective roles and coordinating with one another’s movements. But even this deliberate and complex piece of military routine appears to Ryabovitch as quite boring – an indication of the deep impact made by his evening at the General’s. Though his romantic urges are heightened by the event of the kiss, he slowly comes to realize the reality of his situation. That the girl intended to kiss another man and mistook for him in the dark was always known to Ryabovitch, but now he begins to consciously remind himself of this fact. But, when, after a three month interval, his brigade happens to cross the same village again, his pent up anticipation of meeting the girl who kissed him and pouring out his thoughts to her. But his desperate expectation of an invitation from General von Rabbek similar to the previous visit does not arrive on time. In the mean time, he admonishes himself for his own futile desperation and the purposelessness of his enterprise. When he is eventually informed of the General’s invitation to tea, he sticks by the decision not to pursue the girl. In other words, he has honestly measured his own foolish romantic tendencies and evaluated the vacuity of meaning in his pursuit of the mistaken girl. Standing by his convictions and by his own assessment of the situation, he declines the invitation from the General. This approach is not only pragmatic but also righteous, balanced and courageous. Though the ending to the story may come across as anti-climatic, it actually shows Ryabovitch’s conquering of himself, as opposed to the vanity of conquering the heart of an unknown girl. It is important to understand the personal philosophy of the author to appreciate the work he has created. A 1888 letter Chekhov wrote to a friend reveals this philosophy as well as sets the conceptual framework for studying the short story The Kiss. The letter was written in an emotional tone and expresses Chekhov’s personal credo that he was otherwise not ready to speak about: â€Å"I am neither liberal, nor conservative, nor gradualist, nor monk, nor indifferentist†¦. Pharisaism, dull wittedness and tyranny reign not only in merchants’ homes and police stations. I see them in science, in literature, among the younger generation†¦. I look upon tags and labels as prejudices. My holy of holies is the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and the most absolute freedom imaginable, freedom from violence and lies, no matter what form the latter two take.† (McConkey, 2005) In studying The Kiss, the last sentence from the above passage provides the most relevant context. The story stands for ‘freedom from lies’ as much as it stands for other profound universal truths. In the case of Ryabovitch, the more accurate description is ‘freedom from self-deception’, which he at long last manages to achieve. Another salient feature of The Kiss is its rootedness to the ethnic while also appealing to the universal. For example, The Kiss was written during the early twentieth century. To this extent, some of the sentiments and situations explained by it are specific to the time. Let us take the importance attached by the author to the chance ‘kiss’. In contemporary culture, a kiss on the cheek is not a major life event – it happens as a matter of course in everyday life. But the social customs and norms of early twentieth century Russia is quite distant to current standards. Hence, a kiss by an un-married woman, chance or deliberate, carried a lot of significance. During that era, the society placed a lot of importance to the institution of marriage. Marriage was seen as not only a stable economic and social arrangement, but it also carried prestige and respectability.

Definition and Examples of Interrogatives in English

Definition and Examples of Interrogatives in English In English grammar, an interrogative (pronounced in-te-ROG-a-tiv) is a word that introduces a question  which cant be simply answered with yes or no. Also known as an interrogative word. Interrogatives are sometimes called question  words because of their function, or wh- words because of their most common initial letters:  who (with whom and whose), what, where, when, why, . . . and how).  Ã‚   A sentence that asks a question (whether or not it contains an interrogative word) is called an interrogative sentence. Etymology: From the Latin, to ask Examples and Observations Thomas Klammer and Muriel SchulzInterrogatives begin direct questions. In addition to signaling that a question will follow, each plays some grammatical role in the sentence that it begins. . . . Interrogatives also function to introduce indirect questions.Edward de BonnoIf you never change your mind, why have one?Charles De GaulleHow can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?Phil EverlyIve been cheated, been mistreatedWhen will I be loved?William FaulknerWhat are you talking so loud for Nancy? Caddy said.Who, me? Nancy said.And these last fifty thousand hours? These have been spent studying the sword?William GoldmanInigo nodded.Where?Wherever I could find a master. Venice, Bruge, Budapest.Rosa ParksHe pointed at me and said, that one wont stand up. The two policemen came near me and only one spoke to me. He asked me if the driver had asked me to stand up? I said, yes. He asked me why I didnt stand up. I told him I didnt think I should have to stand up. So I asked hi m: Why do you push us around? And he told me, I dont know, but the law is the law and you are under arrest. Walker PercyWhat is the malaise? you ask. The malaise is the pain of loss. The world is lost to you, the world and the people in it, and there remains only you and the world and you no more able to be in the world than Banquos ghost. Subordinating Conjunctions and Interrogative Words James R. Hurford[S]ome, but not all, subordinating conjunctions can also occur as interrogative words, e.g. when and where. Thus when is a subordinating conjunction in I was here when you came; but it is an interrogative word in When did you come?...Some exclamations begin with the words what and how, which are also interrogative words. Examples of their use in exclamations are What a lovely baby that is! and How prettily it gurgles! But these are not interrogative sentences. Moving to Why Mitchell Stevens[N]ow that who, what, when, and where  have been cheapened by overexposure on the Internet, why has gained value. It requires thought. It sometimes requires expertise. Yet it provides an element often missing in traditional  journalism: an explanation. When applied to sources,  . . . the why enables journalists to get beyond a simple stenographic report of who is asserting what. It enables them to move toward deeper understanding.

Classical Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Classical Mythology - Essay Example He writes: "As a guiding principle I believe that every poem must be its own sole freshly created universe, and therefore have no belief in 'tradition' or a common myth-kitty... To me the whole of the ancient world, the whole of classical and biblical mythology, means very little, and I think that using them today not only fills poems full of dead spots but dodges the poet's duty to be original." (Larkin 1983:69) Larkin has a right to his view but from what we have witnessed, literature from Renaissance till today is in awe of Greek and Roman mythological characters. And when we discuss mythology, we simply cannot ignore the role played by Homer in reinforcing myths. And one of his key epics dealing with images of classical mythology was Iliad. In this paper, we shall focus on the role of heroism in ancient world with reference to Iliad and how a modern hero borrows from ancient definition of a hero. Homer's Iliad presents the oldest yet most enduring picture of hero and heroism. Who is a hero and what constitutes heroism are questions that Iliad answers but in a manner which may not appeal to modern sensibilities. For us today, hero is a man of who is sensitive, courageous and responsible with compassion for the community. However apart from courage, no other attribute mattered for construction of a heroic figure in Greek epics of ancient times. Homer follows tradition when he creates heroe s and develops a heroic code in his work Iliad but there are occasions where the poet tried to deviate from conventional picture of a hero and from these deviations emerge a new and more reformed image of heroism. A modern day hero borrows from ancient picture of a hero in terms of enduring courage. However a serious distinction must be made here. When we talk about modern hero in this paper, we are only referring to modern mythical heroes like superman and Spiderman and not necessarily heroes in ordinary literature. This distinction is made because while in the ancient plays, heroes were people with extraordinary courage and strength, in modern literature, a protagonist is called a hero and he can be as weak or flawed as any ordinary person. Fishwick explains this difference in these words: "Different ages and cultures vary the heroic personality, but all heroes are true to their age. Whatever their situation, the motives they urge are elementary, the morality they advocate is obvious. History is not very effective without people, and people are ineffective without leaders. The search for heroes is inherent in human nature. Pre-literate societies allow men, heroes, and gods to stand on a footing of tolerable equality. In remote areas of the world men are still deified in their own lifetime. The idea of aloofness in super-human power comes late in history." (Fishwicck, 1954: 3) Homer's ideal hero may have many shades but he is invariably a traditional image of ruthless ambition and unbridled courage at least for most of the epic: "Everywhere can be found, reshaped according to shifting cultural standards, the ideal hero, chevalier sans pear et sans reproached, the crafty hero, the boaster, the grim and aging warrior, the slightly buffoonish hero, the aged king, the warrior virgin, the wise counselor, or the young reckless fighter." (Cedric H. Whitman: p. 26) Homer's heroes most notably, Achilles and Agamemnon were products of a society that weighed a man's worth in terms of public honor.