Effects of Religious Education on Theme and Style of...

Effects of Religious Education on Theme and Style of James Joyces The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Although Joyce rejected Catholic beliefs, the influence of his early training and education is pervasive in his work. The parallels between Biblical text and The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man are abundant. As Cranly says to Stephen, It is a curious thing, do you know, how your mind is supersaturated with the religion in which you say you disbelieve (232). The novel progresses in a way that seems Biblical in nature; thematically it compares with the creation and fall of man and/or Lucifer. In addition, the style is at times similar to Biblical text, using familiar rhythm, repetition, phrasing and imagery. As†¦show more content†¦He hears his fathers voice and the words conjure up images in his childs mind of a cow and a little boy walking down the road. The words have the power to create. He hears the music of language in songs. The artist takes things literally from the beginning. Words which he did not understand he said over and over to himself till he had learned them by heart: and through them he had glimpses of the real world about (57). Language is both symbolic and naturalistic to Joyce. Not only does language serve as symbols to communication and expression, but they have a concrete, physical presence. He hears them, feels them, sees them and reacts to them as separate entities apart from their symbolic value. The sounds of language are emphasized; the word suck sounds like water going down the hole in the basin (6); the keys make a quick music, click, click, click, click (16); the sound of gas burning is like a song (16). He writes, For the words, so beautiful and sad, like music (10). He believes that words have power over him. When he struggles against the sensual temptation of sexual desire, words and images overpower him. His recent monstrous reveries came thronging into his memory. They too had sprung up before him, suddenly and furiously, out of mere words (85). The words that he must use to confess his sin are somehow more terrible than the action. To say it in words? His soul, stifling andShow MoreRelatedLecture on Short Story5432 Words   |  22 Pagesgenerations told to the young by the fire in order to prepare them for future challenges (what we have come to call â€Å"fairy or folk tales†) or the tales that uncovered the mysteries of life and death and the vagaries of natural phenomena in early religious ritual (what we now know as myth). These two short narrative forms, the fairy-tale and the myth, are the distant ancestors of the modern short story. The short story, even in its modern form, partakes to a degree of this desire to illuminate and Read MoreHumanities11870 Words   |  48 Pageswith a potential to learn language, but he is not able to communicate in a particular language until he learns to use it. So the language of art needs to be learned too. The definition of beautiful is a fluid concept. Each generation of artists explores new frontiers and ads to the existing pool of artistic language. For example, if you were to ask someone from the Renaissance period to appraise Picassos paintings, Picassos works would most likely be too different from their current understandingRead MoreCleanth Brookss Essay Irony as a Principle of Structure9125 Words   |  37 Pagesendured throughout our lives, all that is left to show it is an empty doorway and a leaf, representing just a hole in the wall and no one there. Next, love is discussed. As the grass leans, all of the attentions goes to it and it is given a romantic theme. Just like two people alone on the beach. Finally, he says â€Å"a poem should not mean, but be.† This means that the context should relate to people and cause a reaction, rather than just have people hear it. All in all, the poem should be a meaningfulRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) O rganizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesPearson Education, Inc., publishing as Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission(s) to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc