The Amityville Horror Analysis

The Amityville Horror Analysis For many, buying a new house symbolizes a fresh start. For first time home owners, it may be a sign of self fulfillment and accomplishment. But what if your dream home had a violent and tragic past? What was once the start of something great, turned into a terrifying nightmare? The Amityville Horror misfortune and haunting depict just that. The families that have lived there endured torment and hell, their stories becoming a legend over time. The DeFeo family were the first inhabitants of the infamous Amityville house. Ronald DeFeo, nicknamed Big Ronnie, and his wife Louise were newlyweds who decided the make a family. The first born was Ronald Joseph DeFeo Jr, nicknamed Butch on September 26, 1951. As a child, Butch was overweight and a loner. He was constantly teased at school, and his home life was no better. Big Ronnie disciplined Butch with no mercy. Hot tempered, Big Ronnie often took out his frustrations on Butch, and was seen as a man of authority, not to be reckoned with. Later in his teen years, Butch began using amphetamines, losing most of the weight and becoming bigger, leaner and stronger. His school issues were better; however his life at home continued to be the same, with him and his father fighting relentlessly, sometimes resulting in physical fights. (Osuna, 2003). On one occasion, during a heated argument, Butch pointed a 12 gauge shot gun, with the intention of shooting him. However, the gun did not g o off. Some say this foreshadows the upcoming events. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.). On July 29, 1956, Louise DeFeo gave birth to a daughter, Dawn Theresa DeFeo. Then, on August 16, 1961, Allison Louise DeFeo was born, followed by Marc Gregory DeFeo on September 4, 1962. The last child to be born into the family was John Matthew DeFeo on October 24, 1965. Fed up with living in Brooklyn, New York, the family decided to look for a new home. They eventually settled on a lavish house on 112 Ocean Ave in Amityville, Long Island. The dutch colonial, built in 1925, had two stories, six bedrooms, attic, basement, a gamble roof, an in ground swimming pool, and a boathouse that sat at the edge of Amityville creek. The house was long and narrow, the front showing the half-moon windows, looking somewhat like eyes, overlooking the street. The inside of the house was quite regal. The interior walls were covered in red velvet texture. In the dining room, a luminous crystal chandelier hung over the long dinner table, which seated 6. After moving in, the family decorated the living r oom with statues and paintings, which were in the living room. In the midst of it were a beautiful large fireplace and a baby grand piano. There were also self portraits made for everyone in the family, which was strung along the walls leading up the stairs to the second floor. (Osuna, 2003). It was seemingly the perfect house to raise a big family and dog, Shaggy. The family even placed a sign that read high hopes that hung on a lampost on the property, signifying the new beginning. (Anson, 1977; The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.). Though the DeFeos had their dream house, the violence still persisted. Butch began using hardcore drugs such as heroin and LSD. He also started committing petty theft. All the while, he was working with his father at Big Ronnies car dealership. Not satisfied with the amount he was being paid, Butch devised a plan to gain more. Given the order to deposit $1,800 in cash and $20,000 in checks into the bank by a staff member, he fabricated a lie, being said he was robbed on the way to the bank by an acquaintance in on the deal. He would then split the money with him. Around 12:30 pm, the two set off for the bank. Two hours later, the men came back to the dealership and declared they had been robbed at gun point. Big Ronnie was enraged and called the local police. After their arrival, they questioned Butch, who immediately became edgy and ill-tempered. He soon became violent with the allegation of lying. A few days later, Butch was summoned to the police station to point out the possible thief. After agreeing, Butch eventually backed out at the last minute. After hearing about this, Big Ronnie became livid, and came to his own conclusion about the incident, and Butch was to blame. He confronted his son at work and belittled him with insults and threats. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.). In the early evening of November 13, 1974, at a nearby bar called Henrys, which was located down the street from the Amityville house, neighborhood friends gathered for drinks ad conversation. Around 6:30 p.m, Butch raced in, face flushed, beads of sweat running down his forehead, and out of breath. Trembling, he yelled that someone had shot both of his parents. Butchs best friend, Robert Kelske ran over to his friend to console him. Robert rallied up patrons at the tavern and they all packed in Butchs 1970 blue Buick Electra 225, heading towards the house. Though it was merely down the block, Robert sped down the street, arriving in seconds. (Osuna, 2003). Quickly, the men ran inside. The house was quiet. Not a single sound was heard except the barking of Shaggy. The men hurried up the staircase, Robert leading. He knew exactly where the master bedroom was located, for he was an avid visitor to the DeFeo residence. Upon arriving to the second floor, the men were instantly greeted with a foul stench, the smell of death. Bracing himself, Robert opened the bedroom door and flipped the light switch. In the bed lay Big Ronnie and his wife Louise. At first sight, it was clear to see a bullet hole in the back of Big Ronnie DeFeos back. Pools of blood surrounded the couple. Dried blood had formed and ran from the wound. Louise DeFeos wounds were not easily seen, for she was snuggled beneath the comforter, however it was clear that she was not sleeping. (Osuna, 2003) Feeling lightheaded, Robert, started back downstairs, taking in what he had just discovered. Another member of the group, John Altieri, began to search the remaining rooms, which belonged to Butchs brothers and sisters. The first room to be checked by John, was that of John, 9 and Marc DeFeo, 12. John DeFeo lay lifelessly in his bed, his Knicks jersey devoured in blood. Lying in a neighboring bed was Marc, face down on his stomach. On his back was bullet wound, indicating how he was slain. (Osuna, 2003). The next to be found was Butchs sisters, Allison, 13, and Dawn, 18. Both were found in bed, dead via gunshots. Gruesomely the girls were shot in the head, though it was difficult to pinpoint the exact entrance wound; there was too much blood to know. Dawn was shot in the face in which half of it was splattered around the innocent girls bedroom wall. After these horrible murders were discovered, the police was called. By 7:00 p.m., the DeFeo residence was infested with officers and in vestigators. Instantly they looked to Butch for answers, seeing as how he was the sole survivor. (The True Story of the DeFeo murders, n.d.) Detectives Gasper Randazzo, Gerard Gozaloff, and Joseph Napolitano were assigned to interrogate Butch. When first asked what might have happened to his family, Butchs answered that the mafia was to blame. Louis Falini, an infamous hit man was the person to shoot and kill his family. Butch had said the hit man committed these crimes out of revenge for a fight the two of them had. Butch feared for his own life, and the police decided to take him back to the station for protection. In his written statement, Butch declared that he had went to bed at 2:00 AM that night. Then, at 4:00 AM, he reportedly heard the toilet flush in the upstairs bathroom, and that his family members were still alive and well. After tossing and turning, Butch decided since he could not fall back asleep, he would head into work early. He went on to say that he left work early and hung out with friends, all the while trying to reach his family, but failing. After returning home, he claimed to have slipped through the kitchen window and then discovered his parents bodies. That is when he raced to the bar. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.) The motive did not hold well for long. After intense examination of evidence in the home, it was apparent that the ammunition used in the murders, was that of Butchs .22 and .35 marlin rifles. Also, through the questioning of Robert Kelske, police found out of Butchs gun infatuation and the rocky relationship between him and his father. At 8:45 a.m., November 15, Butch was read his rights. After hours upon hours of questioning, and evidence pouring in that Butch was in fact inside the house during the murders, his story began to change. Now he was insisting that Louis Falini had held him at gunpoint around 3:30 a.m. and took him to each of his relatives room and to watch them be murdered. However, there were more holes in his story that Swiss cheese. Soon the truth came out. There was no mafia hit on the family. No one was to blame but Butch, who confessed he was the murderer in this statement, It all started so fast. Once I started, I couldnt stop. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murde rs, n.d.) The truth was, on the night of the murders, around 3:00 a.m., Butch casually walked into his parents room and shot and killed them. He then proceeded to do so with his brothers and sisters. It was estimated the killing spree took just 15 minutes. He then cleaned himself up and hid the evidence (gun, bloody clothing, etc). Eerily enough, after the killings were done, he continued his daily routines and went about his day. He went to work, and hung out with friends, as if he hadnt just murdered his entire family. (Eblin, 2007; The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.) Nearly a year after the murders, Butch finally went to trial on October 14, 1975. William Weber was assigned to be Butchs defense attorney. His defense was that his client was not in his right mind when he committed these murders and offer to plea insanity. After questioning on the stand, Butch gave even more bizarre stories on how is family was murdered, going as far as saying his sister Dawn was the one who killed, not him and he killed out of self defense. He also claimed he heard voices from inside the house telling him to murder his family. When shown a picture of his family members, and asked if he had killed him, Butch answered, As far as Im concerned, if I didnt kill my family, they were going to kill me. And as far as Im concerned, what I did was self-defense and there was nothing wrong with it. When I got a gun in my hand, theres no doubt in my mind who I am. I am God. (The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d.). After weeks of trial, the jury spent two weeks deliberating t he fate of Butch DeFeo. The question was, was he the victim of insanity, or a cold blooded murderer? The results were in; the vote was 12-0. On November 21, 1975, Ronald Butch DeFeo Jr was found guily of 6 accounts of second degree murder, and sentenced to 25 to life on each case. Till this day, Butchs home is the New York State Department of Corrections. (Eblin, 2007; The True Story of the DeFeo Murders, n.d) The house remained vacant for 13 months after the murders. George and Kathy Lutz, also newlyweds, wanted to start afresh. The two had sold their own properties, in order to purchase one they can share together along with Kathys children from her first marriage, Daniel, 9, Christopher, 7, and Melissa Missy, 5, and their Malamute/Labrador mix named Harry. The couple came across the Amityville home from an ad in the newspaper. Like the DeFeos, the Lutz fell in love with the house. The realtor had told them about the horrible incident that took place there, for which gave the couple their reservations. However, after discussing the fact amongst themselves and the children, the Lutz decided to ignore the negative past, in hopes of starting a brighter future. (Anson, 1977; Belanger, 2005) The Lutz bought the house at a price of $80,000, considered to be a bargain. The family moved in on December23, 1975. The DeFeos furniture remained in the house, which some may consider creepy, but for the Lutz, it was a bonus to have the elegant furnishings. A friend of George insisted of blessing the house upon hearing about its history. Having no qualms, George decided it would bring no harm and agreed, seeking out Catholic priest named Father Ralph J. Pecoraro (Father Ray). When Father Ray started his blessing on December 23, after flicking holy water and beginning to pray in an upstairs bedroom, he heard a low masculine voice demand get out .Leaving the house, Father Ray did not inform the Lutz of what he heard, instead telephoning George the day after to advise him to stay clear of the room in which he heard this voice. As it may, the upstairs room, intended to be a sewing room, had formerly been Marc and John DeFeos bedroom. (Anson, 1977; Belanger, 2005) At first, the Lutz noticed nothing unusual about the house. There were cold spots throughout the house, but they insisted it was just a draft. Thinking nothing out of it, the Lutz continued to make a home in the Amityville house. However, through the days to come, strange occurrences began to take place. George describes hearing doors slam in the middle of the night. Id be lying in bed and Id hear the front door slam shut, Lutz said. Its an unmistakable sound in that house you absolutely knew that was the front door. Id go downstairs and the dog would be asleep at the door, nothing would be disturbed, and the door would still be locked. So you start questioning yourself. He also describes hearing what he thought to be a clock radio going off downstairs, sounding like a marching band, with hard footsteps. After running downstairs to check the noise, nothing was present, just their sleeping dog. (Belanger,2005) Kathy Lutz was having her own experiences in the house. One night, Kathy and George awoke and found Kathy to be 40 years older than what she was, the hair wild, a shocking white, the face a mass of wrinkles and ugly lines, and saliva dripping from the toothless mouth. George describes. By morning, her looks returned to normal. Kathy had also recalled having the feeling of being embraced by someone, even smelling perfume. However, she insists this did not feel threatening, but comforting. More days went by, and the paranormal activity became worse each day, hearing more mysterious footsteps throughout the house. One day, Kathy came across a hidden room. It was painted red, and was hid behind a massive bookshelf. The realtor had not told them about this room, so they decided to see the original house structure. The room had not been on it. George explains the room as being big enough for two people to sit. He goes on to say, The room had odors coming out of it, and they werent always t here, and there was no pipe access for sewers or anything like that. We took Harry down there, and he just wouldnt go in. He backed away. Its the only time I can recall him ever cowering from something. That was just one of those discoveries in the first few weeks of moving in. The room soon became to be known as The Red Room (Belanger, 2005; Anson, 1977) Soon, George and Kathy were not themselves. They rarely left and had no desire to leave the house. George seldom went to work, and began to lose weight. Instead of going out with friends, they invited them over. It was in these instances when not only George and Kathy heard mysterious noises, but so did their company. A fact that both made the Lutz happy for not thinking theyre crazy, but also horror because it was the evidence that what was happening was real. (Belanger, 2005) Night after night, George would wake up at 3:15 am, always having the urge to check on the children and the boathouse. Numerous times George had locked the boathouse doors, and within returning to his room, the doors were already swinging open. Coincidentally, this was the estimated time the DeFeo family was murdered. He would be awoken by the front door slamming on occasion, only to find the door tightly shut with the dog asleep in front of it. He also began drinking at a bar called The Witches Brew, a bar that which was Butch DeFeos favorites and a regular customer. Kathy would have horrible nightmares about the murders of the DeFeos nearly every night. They were so detailed, Kathy could pinpoint the exact sequence and how they were murdered. The children also began sleeping on their stomachs, the position in which the bodies of the DeFeo children were found. Missy, their youngest child, began talking frequently about an imaginary friend, Jodie. Missy said Jodie could take on any form, but was often seen as a pig like creature with red glowing eyes. She told Missy her and her family was going to live there forever. One night, while checking the boathouse, George had seen a pair of red eyes glaring at him from Missys bedroom window. It was suggested that this was Jodie. Huge cloven footprints outside the house in the snow had also been found. (Anson, 1977; The Real Amityville House: Seperating Fact From Fiction, n.d.) It was not only the family that was becoming different, but so was the house. Many times, the family would notice an odd, black substance dripping from the keyholes on the door. Jello-like substances were also being found scattered on the floors on the house. There were still immense cold spots, once recording to be a 40-50 degree difference from what the thermostat indicated. Flies had started to infest the house, despite the fact it was the middle of winter. Hundreds of flies were always found in one room; the sewing room, and there was no use in killing them, because they repeatedly came back. And on some nights, Kathy and George even experienced being levitated right off their bed. (Anson; 1977; The Real Amityville House; Seperating Fact From Fiction, n.d.) After decided enough was enough, they decided to bless the house themselves on January 8, 1976. While in the process, George held a silver crucifix and the two spoke the words of the Lords Prayer. In the living room, George could hear a group of voices telling them Will you stop?! By mid January, the Lutz had their final night in the house. The Lutz claims the events of that final night was too terrifying and they have no wish to speak about it. They decided to pack a few belongings, rallied up the kids and dog, and head to Kathys mothers house. But even then the phenomena did not end. George and Kathy recalled slime coming up the staircase towards them and also claims they levitated again. The Lutz did not return back to the house, even for their possessions. It had only been 28 days since they first moved in. (Anson, 1977; The Real Amityville House; Seperating Fact From Fiction, n.d.) The Lutz moved to San Diego and say they were finally freed from the presence inside the house. They stayed married until the late 1980s until they divorced. In 2004, Kathy died of emphysema, and George died in May of 2006. The two still remained close until their deaths. The house still stands today. It was newly renovated, with a new address and new owners. The new owners claim they have not experienced any kind of paranormal occurrences since they have been living there. The intensity of this story has been the base of many books and movies depicting the events that took place in this house. Because of the numerous movies made, most popular question asked if it the haunting was real or a hoax. However the Lutz participated in a polygraph test, in which they both passed with flying colors. (Anson, 1977; The Amityville Horror Official Website, n.d.)

Shocks Essay -- essays research papers

Electroshock Therapy Electroshock therapy what is it? How does it work? What is it used for and what comes from it? This paper will answer all of these questions and will also try to prove that electroshock therapy is useful and not as bad as it appears to be. Electroshock therapy is an old process of ridding schizophrenia, and depression, and suicidal tendencies. It is used when people with major depression are taking too many anti depressant drugs, can’t take the side-effects of their medication, or they are taking too many drugs and anti-depressant drugs are too risky to take. It is also used to irradiate certain cases of schizophrenia and is being studied to treat dementia. (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78). Convulsive therapy using drugs rather than electricity was introduced in 1934 by Hungarian neuropsychiatrist Ladisles meduna , who speculated that seizures (similar to the ones occurring in epilepsy) could probably alleviate mental disorders. He based his theory on the belief that epileptic seizures prevented the symptoms of schizophrenia. Although this was a good theory, the drugs administered to the patients to induce these seizures was too risky to the patients lives. In 1937 psychiatrists started using electric shocks to induce seizures. In 1939 ECT was in wide use in the United States. In those days ECT was unrefined and resulted in many complications and was terribly abused. Today ECT is more refined, safe, and effective (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78). How does it work? Electroshock therapy or ECT involves exposing the brain to carefully controlled pulses of electric current that induce brief seizures. The reason why electroshock therapy relieves depression is still unknown. Researchers believe that Electroshock therapy alters monoamine function, as do the anti-depressant drugs. The process of inducing seizures through electroshock is not as complicated or as dangerous as people think. The patient is placed in a specially equipped r oom, where a clinical team first issues intravenous general anesthetic. After this a muscle relaxant is given to the patient. Oxygen is administered and an electric current is applied through electrodes. The patient undergoing the ECT does not feel the electric current, and the only reaction noticeable is the patients toes curling (Mental Illness Assessment and Treatment p.78). The plac... ...ublished in Rome and Venice in 1560. This volume became very popular, and was reprinted a dozen times during the next 330 years (Yoshiwara's Early Music Site). Many other volumes of his works were published during Lassus' life time. He became a very famous, respected, and wealthy composer. Lassus' work represented all of the main musical humanistic aspects of the time. He wrote many pieces which contained numerous voices. He also composed works in many languages. His work was influenced from classical civilizations. He also used bass and instruments to give his music a richer sound. Orlande de Lassus was one of the greatest humanistic composers, because of his infleunce by classical civilizations, his many famous works and volumes of his music, and the styles that he contributed to secular music. Josquin Desprez was another talented composer of secular music during the Renaissance period. Josquin was born in 1440 and died in 1521. He also started into music at a young age as a ch oir boy. He is often said to be the most influential composer on the history of western music, and is usually called by his first name. He began his career mainly as a composer of Church music. Later he

Jane Austen’s use of coincidence in Pride and Prejudice Essay

  The plot of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice relies heavily on what we call chance and coincidence. Jane Austen’s prime objective seemed to be establishing circumstances, through â€Å"chance and coincidence† which enabled opportunities for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth to get together. She used major characters such as Mr. Collins, Mr. Wickham and Mrs. Gardiner to appear at the exact moment they were needed to establish situations that brought Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth into close proximity with one another. Through this, Ms. Austin, linked all the characters in the book to one another in some form or another. Mr. Collins is a coincidence himself. He might be an obsequious, pompous fool, who lack’s common sense but he just so happens to be the heir to Longbourn and a clergyman for Lady Catherine de Bough who just so happens to be the aunt of Mr. Darcy. His existence creates opportunities for Elizabeth and Darcy to interact. For example, at Mr. Bingley’ s party in Netherfield, Mr. Collins brought the reluctant lovers together by unwillingly and unconsciously embarrassing himself. In Jane Austen’s time, social classes were treated with the highest respect. Those higher up the social ladder take great care in keeping their position. This requires years of lessons on the proper etiquette and manners on how to behave in public. Mr. Collins, at the time had not been introduced to the prideful Mr. Darcy. Trying to start a conversation with someone of higher stature was a grave offence. Jane Austen used Mr. Collins to create opportunities where Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy were forced to interact, forcing them to get closer to each other. A couple of months after Charlotte had moved in with Mr. Collins, Elizabeth decided to visit her friend and check on how she was doing now that she was living with Mr. Collins.   This visit gave Jane Austen all the freedom to let her characters run free. However, the way Jane Austen went along to write this was all wrong. When Elizabeth visited Charlotte and Mr. Collins at their home in Roseings, Mr. Collins and his wife were invited to have dinner at Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s mansion. Elizabeth was allowed to come because she was a guest of Charlotte’s. At their arrival, the group discovers that just so happened that Mr. Darcy is visiting his aunt at the same time. The same time Elizabeth was visiting Charlotte, Darcy happened to  be there. This coincidence seemed to have happened because Jane Austen wanted, in my opinion, for Mr. Darcy to see how terribly his aunt used her class to bully Elizabeth about herself, her family flaws, and her lower class. This might have brought up some empathy from Darcy, and an ability to recognize how foolish and insulting using class would be. Perhaps this meeting also resulted in some affection towards Elizabeth. Mr. Darcy is an unusual man, he is already prideful, socially awkward and straight to the point. He also always seems to be wherever Elizabeth is. The man is either stalking her or Ms. Austen is bending the truth. On a trip to the countryside with her Aunt and Uncle, Elizabeth got to discover this man’s ways of (word). Being that that Mrs. Gardiner was from a village close to Mr. Darcy’s estate, Pemberley. She decided that it would be exciting to visit the property since they were so close. Elizabeth of course worried about running into Darcy in his own home, she was a bit paranoid. She mentioned that â€Å"She felt that she had no business at Pemberley, and was obliged to assume a disinclination for seeing it.† She tried to no prevail to change her stubborn aunt’s mind â€Å"She must own that she was tired of seeing great houses; after going over so many, she really had no pleasure in fine carpets or satin curtains.† It is at this point that the coincidences Jane Austen weaves seem to get a little out of control. Upon arriving at Pemberley, Elizabeth and her relatives were blown away by the size and grandeur of the estate. Mr. Darcy’s house was so big apparently, that visitors had the opportunity to take tours of the grounds. The Gardiner’s did not come for the house, but the land and forests that surrounded the mansion. Coincidence happens while Elizabeth wanders around Mr. Darcy’s estate. Mr. Darcy suddenly shows up seemingly out of nowhere, â€Å"Their eyes instantly met, and the cheeks of both were overspread with the deepest blush,† It was Jane Austen’s goal, from the start of the book, to get these two together and to start a flame of love between them. It was quite romantic but how Mr. Darcy just appeared, seems strange. Mr. Darcy was heading to London with Mr. Bingley when he left. Being that Darcy know knew that Elizabeth was in town, and that by now it’s clear Mr . Darcy has feelings for Elizabeth, he invites Elizabeth and her Aunt and Uncle to dinner. For the most part of the book, the general mood hasn’t really seen any problems between the characters.    It seems that Jane Austen thought she  had left the characters in Meryton alone for long enough. As Elizabeth received a letter from Jane describing their situation; Lydia had run off with Wickham endangering her and her family’s reputation. The fact that Elizabeth gets this letter when she ran into Darcy, and that Darcy is the only one who could fix the problem does seem suspicions. The arrival and help of Darcy further encourages Elizabeth’s change of heart, Jane Austen planned these coincidences perfectly, pushing Elizabeth’s feeling towards Darcy stronger than before. Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy have a history together, throughout the book we slowly get the whole story. These two also share a few coincidences which Jane Austen tried to hide. As a child, Wickham’s father was the steward of Mr. Darcy’s father’s house. However, when Wickham’s father passed away Wickham had nowhere to go. Darcy’s father felt bad for the boy so he was taken in and treated Wickham like his own son. For some time there was peace and happiness; the boys got older as did their father. By the time his adopted father had died, Wickham had turned into a different person. He was gambling, lying, and lowlife. Any inheritance he received from his father’s death was gambled and lost. Darcy on the other hand, who had received the bulk of the cash, was smart and invested most of his money. When Wickham came crawling back for more money, he was refused. This of course didn’t make Wickham a happy man. To get revenge, he tried to elope with the young Georgina Darcy. Before the young couple could leave Darcy ended up dragging his sister back and refusing to ever see Wickham again. Darcy and Wickham are two of the main male characters. Jane Austen has done an amazing job in creating these fictional charters. But, she creates situations and makes them take choices that no normal person would ever do. For example, both Darcy and Wickham, who are from Derbyshire, come to provincial Meryton. Darcy came with Bingley house hunting and Wickham had been moved there in his regiment. However, when they both show up within days of each other, one has to wonder if this really was pure chance. Was it pure coincidence? Would it really happen?   Mr. Wickham, as I explained before, hates Mr. Darcy for refuses to give him the money he thinks he so rightfully deserves. Itching for revenge, Mr. Wickham learns of Mr. Darcy’s plans to go to Meryton. I believe Mr. Wickham jumped at this opportunity. He switched (battalions) to go to Meryton. However, Mr. Darcy was far too powerful and influential for Mr. Wickham to hurt him physically or economically. As a crafty fellow, he went after something dearer to Mr. Darcy’s heart; Elizabeth! It makes sense! I wondered why Wickham would choose Elizabeth of all the Bennet sisters to favour his attentions. He seems to like women who are compliant and preferably with money, yet he picks Elizabeth, who is not as beautiful as Jane, nor as flirtatious as Lydia, and who has no money. He doesn’t seem the sort of fellow who would like a women who challenges and teases him, yet he still chooses Elizabeth. Why? Elizabeth, her sisters and Mr. Collins are walking down the street when they spot Denny and Wickham coming the other direction. Kitty and Lydia want to meet this new handsome fellow, so under the pretense of wanting something from a shop, they lead the others across the street. They have just reached the pavement where they encounter Denny and Wickham who have now chang ed directions and come back –an extraordinarily detailed and unnecessary stage direction, but when you play it out, it means Denny and Wickham are now facing in the direction that they will see someone riding from Netherfield in the direction of Longbourn. Darcy and Bingley ride down the street on their way to Longbourn and distinguish â€Å"the ladies of the group.† They come forward, Bingley converses with Jane, and Darcy proceeded to bow to the ladies. Darcy, who would have been missing Elizabeth’s presence at Netherfield, â€Å"was beginning to determine not to fix his eyes on Elizabeth,† so one can assume that until that point his eyes were in fact fixed on her. Presumably he’s paying no attention to the men in ordinary dress, but when he looks away from Elizabeth as part of his determination not to look at her, he notices Wickham.   Now let’s take the same scene from Wickham’s point of view. He is being introduced to some pretty ladies when Darcy and some other fellows ride up to the group. Darcy’s gaze is fixed on one of the ladies. Wickham would notice Darcy’s presence right away. The observant and enterprising fellow that he is, he would also notice who Darcy happens to be staring at in his love-struck way. Wickham knows Darcy very well, much better than Charlotte Lucas who is then able to recognize Darcy’s interest in Elizabeth. Would he not see it as well, and perceive both a danger and an opportunity there? The very next time Wickham sees Elizabeth, he singles her out and asks her â€Å"hesitatingly† about her acquaintance with Darcy. She  doesn’t mince words in her reply. What an opportunity for Wickham – he can pour his poison into the ear of the woman Darcy wants for himself, and then he’s going to charm her to boot. He’d derive a lot of pleasure from making Darcy’s love interest fall in love with him instead. After Elizabeth returns from Kent, she tells Wickham in late May that she and Darcy became better acquainted at Roseings and that she has changed her mind about him, and she is openly amused when he refers to Darcy’s supposed engagement to Anne de Bough. Wouldn’t Wickham, knowing of Darcy’s past interest in Elizabeth, assume that their relationship might now be romantic? Fast forward to Brighton, where Wickham out of the blue starts romancing Lydia, in whom he has never shown interest before. Is it because she’s easy or because he sees her as Darcy’s potential sister-in-law, and therefore a source of both revenge and money? Suppose, then, that Lydia happens to mention to him in late June the news that Lizzy, who was supposed to go to the Lakes, is going to Derbyshire instead. Why would Elizabeth unexpectedly be going to Derbyshire, and to a village not five m iles from Pemberley? Wickham sees an opportunity, and he elopes with Lydia just over a month later on August 1. It seems likely, broken down that way, that Wickham actively targeted Elizabeth and later Lydia as a means of revenge on Darcy. Pride and Prejudice follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England. The author Jane Austen did a brilliant job in writing this book, we discover an exciting storyline full of suspense and romance, and a cast of characters that have kept this book alive throughout the ages. Mrs. Austen’s obvious objective was to establish circumstances, through â€Å"chance and coincidence† which enabled opportunities for Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth see past each other’s pride and prejudice to, in the end, get together. To establish situations that brought Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth into close proximity with one another, she used major characters such as Mr. Collins, Mr. Wickham and Mrs. Gardiner to appear at the exact moment they were needed. She was also able to connect all of these characters together in one way or another. Coincidences happ en in our world all the same as the ones in fictional works of art. However, we don’t seem to notice these connections until after we think and reflect. This is what I have done with this essay, I believe that I have uncovered some exciting coincidences Jane Austen wove into Pride and Prejudice, but I don’t believe I have covered them all. This is all the more reason that Jane Austen is an amazing author, she makes us have to go back and think about what we just read to discover the true meaning behind her words.

Essay about A Tale of Two Cities - 871 Words

During my active duty military service I had the opportunity to live in and visit many different cities. Of all the cities I lived in, I spent most of my military time in Charleston, S.C. and Jacksonville, FL. Charleston and Jacksonville were similar in size, geography and population types, but differed greatly in history, weather, and the overall attitudes of its residents. If I had to choose between the two cities as the place to call my home, it would be without a doubt, Charleston, S.C. Charleston and Jacksonville were both considered large port cities, each with a portion of their populations consisting of military families. Although Jacksonville was larger in area than Charleston, folks who lived in the Charleston area considered†¦show more content†¦A few of the many historical sites of Charleston were Rainbow Row, The Market, Fort Sumter and The Battery lined with colonial houses and civil war cannons. Jacksonville had its’ historical sites, although there wer e just a few and it took some research and effort to find them. Jacksonville was known more as a modern city that began to grow and blossom after the Civil War. It was considered a â€Å"victim of war† due to the dilapidation it suffered during the Civil War. The climates of Charleston and Jacksonville were generally considered to be similar, hot and very muggy. My experience was that there was still a large difference and I had come to feel as though each city’s climate resembled the attitudes of its residents, or maybe it was just the opposite. Residents of Charleston were laid back and unrushed while the residents of Jacksonville were impatient and hurried. I remember the deep blue skies over Charleston harbor were often filled with white puffs of clouds that resembled perfectly shaped cotton balls. I could always count on the light and pleasant ocean breeze that made it difficult to focus on my work, and if rain came, it drifted in as slowly and silently as the sai lboats returning to the marina after a long day out on the harbor. In Jacksonville, I remember the ocean breeze was more of a confused gust that chopped at your skin andShow MoreRelatedA Tale of Two Cities800 Words   |  4 Pages Charles Dickens characterizes the settings in his novel, â€Å"A Tale of Two Cities,† through indirect comparison and contrast between Paris and London during the French Revolution, a political and social upheaval from 1789–1799; â€Å"There was a king with a large jaw and a queen with a plain face on the throne of England; there was a king with a large jaw and a queen with a fair face on the throne of France. In both countries it was clearer than crystal to the lords of the State preserves of loaves andRead MoreA Tale of Two Cities900 Words   |  4 PagesChange can be a good thing. 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