Preview

W. Somerset Maugham. “The Unconquered”

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
710 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
W. Somerset Maugham. “The Unconquered”
Ulanskaya Ann
AK-091

W. Somerset Maugham. “The Unconquered”
Essay

I have read a novel “The Unconquered” written by W. Somerset Maugham. This was the first novel of this writer, which made me cry. It’s very strong, in my opinion. Maugham’s special ambiguity is seen more clear in this novel because it is impossible to understand who was write and who was wrong; who acted more horrible, the blind drunk German soldier committed violation of a young girl or that girl killed the innocent child of that accident in spite of the fact that her violator truly loved her then, wanted to marry her and helped her family in that cruel time of war. All this, coupling with the bright description of sense of people and its contradictions make a very strong effect to the reader.
This novel has a deep patriotic sense. The action takes place in France during World War II. The main character is a girl Annette who has patriotic feelings to her motherland. She hates German aggressors. It happened that she was raped by a German soldier and got pregnant. The soldier’s name was Hans. At the beginning of the story he was a real Fascist, tyrant. His behavior was rude and cruel. (He seized her by the shoulder and flung her violently back | With his strength he pinioned her arms and was dragging her out of the door| he gave the woman a great push etc.) In the next part of the story Hans turned out to be not a bad guy and even wanted to marry Annette in some time. He really wanted to redress his wrong. Hans tried to please Annette bringing to her silk stockings, some food. But she didn’t take his tips. She was impregnable. Only her parents humbled with such a life. They didn’t forgive Hans, nevertheless they took presents from him. The parents understood that it was the WAR, they hadn’t any choice. Annette didn’t resign herself to the conquers and remained a patriot nevertheless.

The story arouses contradictory feelings. On the one hand Hans was a brutal conquer, despot, he
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Peasant Fires: The Drummer of Niklashausen, by Richard Wunderli
    • 653 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Peasant Fires: The Drummer of Niklashausen, by Richard Wunderli

    The story revolves around a German peasant who is a shepherd and a musician who had a vision of the Virgin Mary and began to preach for drastic social change. The sermons Hans preached about attracted thousands of supporters. The radical message spoken by the drummer upset the church. For this, the drummer was burned at the stake. Wunderli has done well in incorporating his approach with this rapidly moving narrative of Hans' rise and fall.…

    • 653 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Book Thief Quotes
    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Book Thief Quotes

    This moment in time is very emotional for Hans. He is leaving for war and the Accordion helps him create a last word for himself before he departs with his life in his hands. Hans does not know what awaits him although he has been in battle before he has never been fighting for something he didn’t want. This moment of knowing he has to leave his loved ones recaptures his feelings for his family.…

    • 863 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Book Thief Critical Analysis
    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Book Thief Critical Analysis

    In the novel, Hans recalls how in WWI his life was spared from battle in France, but his friend Erik Vandenburg was not. For that purpose, he then lived the rest of his life in guilt, knowing how easily it could’ve been the reverse. Knowing the fact that Erik also was married, while he was not, further caused him more self-condemnation, which worsened when Hans attempted to find his family and found that Erik had a son. His immense sadness is conveyed after leaving the family; “‘you never told me,’ he said to a dead Erik Vandenburg and the Stuttgart skyline. ‘You never told me you had a son.’” (pg. 179, Zusak). Instead of becoming unhappy and despondent, Hans learns…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Paret's Diction Essay
    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Paret's Diction Essay

    Through the use of vibrant diction, syntax, and ever changing tone, the author is able to create a dramatic, yet sorrowful story that affects the reader on many levels.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Unbroken Analysis
    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Unbroken Analysis

    Although the reader rejoices with every victory, they also live in trembling fear and agonizing pain. Being punched in the face 220 times is something the audience will not forget. “The first few punches, Louie stayed on his feet. But his legs soon began to waver….he blacked out...” (Hillenbrand 295). All throughout Unbroken, the reader feels as though they are there, experiencing Louie’s pain and suffering. The Diary of Anne Frank is an exemplary parallel to Hillenbrand’s Unbroken: the audience connects with the characters on a deeper level, almost as if they are in the story themselves. Just as the reader begins to lose hope for Louie’s restitution, he grants the glory of ending his internal war. “At that moment, something shifted sweetly inside him. It was forgiveness, beautiful, effortless, and complete” (Hillenbrand 386). Relief engulfs the reader as Louie escapes the grasp of excessive drinking, “The Bird,” and any haunting…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Tomcat In Love
    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Tomcat In Love

    “The goal, I suppose, any fiction writer has, no matter what your subject, is to hit the human heart and the tear ducts and the nape of the neck and to make a person feel something about the characters are going through and to experience the moral paradoxes and struggles of being human”(Tim O’Brien).…

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Slavery - Frederick Douglas
    • 1636 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Slavery - Frederick Douglas

    In writing, much like in painting, the act in itself is, in simplest terms, the transfer of image/thought from the writer/painter to its reader, its spectator, us. And in writing just like in painting, the image is conveyed by showing us the components, bringing the mood into the room we are sitting in, taking us there to same mind setting that the writer/painter is in. In painting the image/symbol is deciphered in actuality, on a physical creation, but in writing we are painted an image not on canvas but in our minds. Just like some art works create a heavy impression to the eye, a novel like Frederick Douglas’s “Narrative of The Life of An America slave” creates such an impression in the mind. The masterful use of imagery and symbolism employed by Frederick Douglas in this novel achieves the type of emotion the greatest works by any artist at his peak would evoke on those who witness its beauty. Both techniques are combined in Frederick Douglass’s “Narrative of an American Slave” to such a brilliant level, that audiences in years since its initial publishing have revered it as one of the most moving tales that births compassion and humanity in its reader and exemplifies what one man can do.…

    • 1636 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Text Response: the Catcher in the Rye
    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Text Response: the Catcher in the Rye

    The author has achieved the purpose of this novel. The text is conveyed effectively to the reader. The colloquial style contains a tone that varies between disgust and bitterness; which strongly enhances our understanding of the novel. The narrative structure is presented as a flashback; requiring the reader to interpret the text based on their knowledge. The writing techniques are also used cleverly. The author describes the man characters psychological breakdown indirectly, yet the reader still recognises the breakdown. This is because the author uses two distinctive writing techniques.…

    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ap Literature Open Response Questions
    • 3419 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Ap Literature Open Response Questions

    2011: In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for justice.” Choose a character from a novel or play who responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole. 2010: Palestinian American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that “Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted.” Yet Said has also said that exile can become “a potent, even enriching” experience. Select a novel, play, or epic in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from “home,” whether that home is the character’s birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. 2009: A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select a novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot. 2008: In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of the minor character might be used to highlight the…

    • 3419 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hiding Edith Book Essay
    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hiding Edith Book Essay

    I usually am reading a book that gushes over love or a creepy mystery novel, but this time I thought I would switch it up. I have always been really interested in World War two and the holocaust and that's why I picked up the book Hiding Edith, a true story by Kathy Kacer. I can't even come to image the fear that was planted in these children's heads and would scar them for the rest of their life. In 1933, the Nazi party, led by Adolf Hitler, came to power in Germany. Hitler was a cruel man who believed that Germans were superior to all over races, but especially Jews. I won't go into a huge detail about the Holocaust because I'm sure you've taken the class History! But anyways, the main character, Edith Schwalb was Jewish and was alive when Hitler slowly began to take over.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Critique of Once More to the Lake
    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Critique of Once More to the Lake

    The emotion of the author’s words draws one to connect with the characters in the way is…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Book Thief Sacrifice
    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Book Thief Sacrifice

    In WWII Germany, which was under Nazi authority, being a Jew was essentially illegal. You could be imprisoned and often even killed solely due to your religion. In fact, Hans was punished twice. Not for being a Jew, but being nice to one by his own free will. One time, a Jewish shop had the windows broken and malicious, vulgar graffiti spraypainted onto the door. Hans then offered to fix the door and did so the next morning. Because of this he was labeled a “jew-lover” and his painting business plummeted. Another such incident was when the Jews were being marched to Dachau through the town. Hans offered an elderly, emaciated man a piece of bread. Upon this being seen, the man was whipped for accepting the bread, and Hans, whose back was burning with four lines of fire, was whipped four. The nazi officer was symbolic of cruelty here, the jewish man symbolic of need, and Hans was symbolic of charity and kindness. Max Vanderburg was Jewish and in hiding. Himmel Street was a very poor place, where many people were starving and there were nearly always too many mouths to feed. By taking in Max, Hans not only risked persecution for harboring a Jew, but also risked starvation and increased destitution, despite already having so little and recently taking in young orphaned Liesel. Hans’s willingness to help the less fortunate in spite of his own needs expresses a clear care for the well-being of…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Hunter S Thompson
    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hunter S Thompson

    Throughout the years America has had many symbolic icons that have influenced its change. In the late 20th century one man by the name of Hunter S. Thompson made a big impact on American society. Hunter S. Thompson with his writings, satirical humor, and his strong political beliefs caused changes in our society. Through his journalism he criticized society on topics from consumerism to politics. He fought desperately for civil liberties and encouraged people to vote and get involved. American culture has always been influecened by great people who were not recognized for war or saving peoples lives but for fighting for better funding for schools and for civil rights. Although Hunter S. Thompson never fought in any wars he was a American icon for helping the innocent and making people think for themselves.…

    • 924 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Time to Kill Outline
    • 50814 Words
    • 204 Pages

    Time to Kill Outline

    ©2000-2007 BookRags, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources. ©1998-2002; ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". © 1994-2005, by Walton Beacham. The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". © 1994-2005, by Walton Beacham. All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copywritten by BookRags, Inc. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher.…

    • 50814 Words
    • 204 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Motivation In The Book Thief
    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Motivation In The Book Thief

    Hans needed to keep Liesel happy, if leisel wasn't happy that is a problem. Hans “love for her and his attempt for her to continue reading” (88) was his motivation for getting 2 books for her with his tobacco he is willing to sell for the money. Hans truly cared about Liesel, and her education, he was motivated to read with her and teach her everything he knew. Hans faces many family problems, like having to go to war and leave his family back on Himmel Street. Through war motivation was the key to coming home, “That was the first time Hans Hubermann escaped me” (178). Hans escaped death by writing several letters, which the captain needed done. If hans wasn't motivated enough to start and finish writing the letters, he would have had to go onto the battlefield and risk his. By Hans doing the letters he was able to go home and see his family safe and sound.Even though he cheated death once, Hans risks his life once again by inviting a jew into his home. Hans motivations for inviting him in was keeping it a secret to save an innocent jews life, who “sat on his suitcase, waiting... He had eaten only the foul taste of his own hungry breath for what felt like weeks” (139). The boy's name was Max Vandenburg, he does not have a family anymore and he was on the run. Hitler was out to get the jews in germany, and for hans to have a jew in his house it was hard. Hans had the motivation to keep this a secret because he didn't agree with what hitler was doing, he thought it was very…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics