Essay on "Robert Browning's Poem "My Last Duchess"

Essay 6 pages (1650 words) Sources: 0

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" provides readers with a moral lesson and better acquaints them with the critical conditions present in some sections of society. The poet employed a lot of dedication in writing this text and it is probably one of the principal reasons for which he got actively engaged in starting a career in the domain. Browning governed his life in accordance with the saying 'crime doesn't pay', considering that he believed that no good deed goes unrewarded. In comparison to other poets living during the Victorian Era, Browning focused on introducing a great deal of philosophical concepts into his works, as he wanted his readers to understand the full complexity of his thoughts instead of having them simply appreciate the storyline that he put across.

Browning's poem virtually stands as a story relating to morality and to the attitudes that people should employ in dealing with critical situations. The Duke's nature is hypocritical but he is apparently unwilling to hide this from the audience, considering that he makes a series of references regarding his relationship with his last wife. Browning used the Italian Renaissance as a location for his plot and wanted people to understand more concerning how emotions progressed at the time. By presenting readers with vivid imagery he intended to have them acknowledge the fact that some people are actually less mentally healthy than they think. Readers virtually enter the duke's head and are provided with the opportunity to look at matters from his point-of-view, eventually understanding that he is unable to think clearly.

2. Anton Chekhov's short story "The Bet" and Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Jewlery" put across concepts related to the importance of financial security in the lives of some people and the fact that individuals are generally inclined to overestimate material values. While Chekhov provides a more subjective account in his short story, Maupassant presents a more general perspective and apparently wants to influence readers in forming a personal opinion in regard to the protagonist in his story, Mr. Lantin. The Russian writer is especially criticizing in regard to conditions in society when considering things from a material point-of-view. Maupassant appears to agree that it is wrong for one to guide him or herself in accordance with material values, but provides his readers with the opportunity to make up their own minds regarding this issue. It is very probable that he takes on this approach in an attempt to demonstrate that social influences pressure individuals in appreciating material values more than they should actually do so.

In comparison to Chekov, Maupassant does not want to criticize human nature because he accepts it for what it is. The central character in his story is simply doing what most people would do in his situation. He cannot afford tormenting himself with the thought that his wife was a courtesan as long as he wants to be actively involved in the social order. One can practically say that Mr. Lantin is a modern man who adapts to any situation without employing scruples in the process. He understands the importance of money in society and believes that "with money you can forget even the deepest of sorrows" (Maupassant 780). The lawyer in Chekhov's story explains the feeling that one gets consequent to acknowledging the pointlessness in caring for material values by relating to how "I know that I am wiser than all of you" (Chekhov 772).

Chekhov's story is meant to provide readers with the impression that morality always wins, regardless of circumstance. Not only is the banker in his story humiliated with the thought that he has to murder the lawyer in order to escape losing everything that he has, as he also has to feel defeated as his opponent demonstrates that he was actually much better off than his friend. While the banker gradually came to consider that nothing was more important than money, the lawyer did the exact opposite by discovering the fact that material values are worth nothing. It is very probable that his detachment from the social order made it possible for him to understand life more thoroughly. In contrast to him, the banker was actively involved in society and virtually depended on values that it promoted. The banker eventually realizes that the lawyer was right in thinking that one could only experience self-gratitude at the moment when he or she realized what really mattered in life. "At no other time, even when he had lost heavily on the Stock Exchange, had he felt so great a contempt for himself" (Chekhov 772). This demonstrates that the banker eventually realizes that some things are more important than material values. The same thing applies in the case of Mr. Lantin, considering that his determination to focus on his job and position made it difficult for him to understand his wife. It is probable that his behavior was one of the reasons for which she did not refrain from going through with her plans. The fact that he did not express particular interest in his wife's thinking made it difficult for him to truly understand her. She was just a projection, considering that he formed an image regarding her and was unable to see her from an objective point-of-view. He simply ridiculed her and did not actually believe that she was capable of thinking rationally, this being reflected by the moment when he says "You have the tastes of a gypsy" (Maupassant 777).

3. Primo Levi's second chapter in "Survival in Auschwitz" depicts the suffering that him and people like him were subjected to as they integrated the community in Auschwitz. The author experienced a severely dehumanizing process and was left with nothing that he could use with the purpose of identifying with the person that he used to be. While some individuals might be inclined to consider that Levi's experiences in Auschwitz are enough to prevent another Holocaust from happening, matters are particularly divisive. Considering that the Holocaust was largely responsible for the implementation of the human rights agenda, it is very probable that people did not think that genocide would take place consequent to this event. However, when taking into account that numerous genocides occurred around the world after the Second World War, it appears that humans are predisposed to committing immorality, as they apparently unable to look at matters from an objective point-of-view once they take a certain path in trying to find their personal identity. In order for people to actually be able to refrain from getting involved in an affair similar to the Holocaust they would have to experience the suffering that Levi went through from a first-hand perspective. No one can possibly understand it completely as long as he or she does not feel it. "It is not possible to sink lower than this; no human condition is more miserable than this, nor could it conceivably be so" (Levi 838).

4. Chekhov's "The Bet" makes it possible for readers to understand more regarding the benefits that one can reap as a result of employing anti-social behavior. The writer actually supports the belief that people do not necessarily need to be a part of the social order in order to experience positive results in their life. The fact that the lawyer in this story manages to keep his sanity and actually experiences enlightenment during his stay in confinement demonstrates that society contains a series of unhealthy concepts.

One of the most important concepts in "The Bet" is the fact that the writer obviously wanted his story to induce intense feelings in readers. This makes it possible for one to understand that the text is a modern short story, as "since a story could be read in one sitting, it would have a more unified aesthetic effect… READ MORE

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