The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English by C Essay Example For Students

The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English by C Essay hristianmonks around 750 AD, is a wonderful adventure story about a warrior whokills ferocious monsters. The use of description and imagery enlivensthe story, making it possible for a reader to really see in his or hermind the characters and events. Metaphors, exaggeration, andalliteration are three devices that together allow the reader toexperience this poem which is quite different than most other poetry. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase thatordinarily means one thing is applied to another thing to suggest alikeness between the two. Metaphors are used extensively throughout thepoem to paint a more colorful picture in the listeners mind. Thesemetaphors are used in phrases called kennings. A kenning is adescriptive, poetical expression used instead of a simple name for aperson or thing. Beowulf is hardly ever called by his actual name. We will write a custom essay on The epic poem Beowulf, written in Old English by C specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Instead there are many kennings referring to him, such as: Prince ofthe Weders, The Son of Ecgtheow, The Geatish hero, and The Lord ofthe Seamen. These kennings describe Beowulf to us in a more interestingway than just stating the hard facts. Without these kennings Beowulfwould be less interesting and we would learn less about him. Anybodywould say that describing or referring to a person by his or her nameover and over again is boring. So the use of kennings and metaphors isvery important in this long epic poem. Exaggeration is another device to make Beowulf a moreinteresting, entertaining, and dramatic poem. For example, even thoughthis story is a fantasy, it is hard to believe that the character ofBeowulf would be able to kill a monster like Grendel with his barehands. Exaggerating Beowulfs bravery makes the story more exciting. Another exaggeration used to convince us how great our hero is, is thepassage, Over all the world, or between the seas, / Or under theheaven, no hero was greater. (671-672). This dazzles the listener withBeowulfs bravery. His bravery is again exaggerated when he jumps in theswamp wearing heavy armor to fight and kill Grendels mother. Itsunlikely even a strong warrior could win a battle with a she-monster inan underwater cave with a broken sword. But it adds to the excitement. In the line The head of Grendel, with heavy toil; / Four of thestoutest, with all their strength, / Could hardly carry on swaying spear/ Grendels head to the gold-decked hall. (1109-1112) exaggerations aremade concerning the size and weight of the monsters head. Again, itportrays a more gruesome and dramatic scene to the listenersimagination. Alliteration, which is repeating the same sound, usually aconsonant, at the beginning of words or in accented syllables, givesthis story a more poetic sound. Alliteration also helped the scops orstorytellers in memorizing the tales. Examples of alliteration can befound throughout the poem such as, The Hall of the Heart, His pledgeand promise, Dragging the dead men home to his den, Fitted andfurnished, and Showed sea-cliffs shining. This device adds creativityand rhythm to the poem. It makes it more entertaining to read, speak, orlisten to such a long story. Metaphors in the kennings, exaggerations, and alliteration allhelp in developing vivid descriptions and imagery to entertain andbeautifully tell the story of Beowulf. Imagery, figures of speech thathelp the mind to form pictures, are throughout the poem. One of thestrongest examples was found where it reads, The demon delayed not,but quickly clutched / A sleeping thane in his swift assault, / Tore himin pieces, bit through the bones, / Gulped the blood, and gobbled theflesh, / Greedily gorged on the lifeless corpse, (558-563). This is theimage of Grendel killing one of the soldiers before his fatal fight withBeowulf. Great descriptive passages are found about Grendels swamp-homedescribing it as, ^a dismal covert / Of trees that hung over hoarystone, / Over churning water and bloodstained wave. (926-928), ^Thewater boiled in a bloody swirling (933) ^The swimming forms ofsea-dragons, / Dim serpent shapes in the watery depths. These are thepictures that nightmares are made of. .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e , .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e .postImageUrl , .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e , .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e:hover , .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e:visited , .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e:active { border:0!important; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e:active , .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ubdac10fde4ae1898e8fa7c03d8447e3e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Three days to see Analysis EssayIn comparison to our modern fiction, Beowulf might seem wordyand lengthy but when a reader takes time to savor the graphicdescriptions, vivid imagery, clever alliteration, and fantasticexaggerations one can understand how this thirteen hundred-year-old epicpoem has lasted through the years. It is beautifully and creativelywritten and has therefore stood the test of time for the reader or thelistener.

Free Essays on William Faulkner

William Faulkner’s The Bear and Barn Burning are two different short stories, but are very much alike in several ways. The theme in both gravitates toward the finding one’s self theme, where both the main characters must find themselves amidst many different circumstances. Faulkner also portrays the main characters in each story much the same. There is a difference in the tone between the two stories however, proving that he can write two different stories, but put in many similarities. Finding your true self in a complicated world is the theme of many stories, and The Bear and Barn Burning are no exceptions. In The Bear, the main character, whom remains nameless, finds himself in a forest, alone, and faced with a tough decision. Sarty, the main character from Barn Burning, finds his true self, alone, having just faced a tough decision, in the wilderness, much like the other boy. Even though both boys faced some obstacles they learned skills from each of their experiences. Sarty learned he must get away from his family to live a good life, and the other boy learned the hunt and track like men twice his age. Each boy learned lessons and life long skills that helped create their true, adult selves. Faulkner portrays each of the characters in a different light, with different circumstances, but both possess many of the same traits. Sarty comes from a very poor family, while the other boy comes from a well off family, as they have a cabin they can hunt from, and Sarty does not have a place to live. In each short story, the boys give up something they love or greatly desire. The Boy gave up a bear that had been hunted for generations, and Sarty gave up his family. They both became adults by choosing their own paths and not following their fathers. The Boy’s father would have shot the bear if he had the chance, and if Sarty stayed in his family, he could possibly become a barnburner and cheat like his father and brother. A very ... Free Essays on William Faulkner Free Essays on William Faulkner William Faulkner’s The Bear and Barn Burning are two different short stories, but are very much alike in several ways. The theme in both gravitates toward the finding one’s self theme, where both the main characters must find themselves amidst many different circumstances. Faulkner also portrays the main characters in each story much the same. There is a difference in the tone between the two stories however, proving that he can write two different stories, but put in many similarities. Finding your true self in a complicated world is the theme of many stories, and The Bear and Barn Burning are no exceptions. In The Bear, the main character, whom remains nameless, finds himself in a forest, alone, and faced with a tough decision. Sarty, the main character from Barn Burning, finds his true self, alone, having just faced a tough decision, in the wilderness, much like the other boy. Even though both boys faced some obstacles they learned skills from each of their experiences. Sarty learned he must get away from his family to live a good life, and the other boy learned the hunt and track like men twice his age. Each boy learned lessons and life long skills that helped create their true, adult selves. Faulkner portrays each of the characters in a different light, with different circumstances, but both possess many of the same traits. Sarty comes from a very poor family, while the other boy comes from a well off family, as they have a cabin they can hunt from, and Sarty does not have a place to live. In each short story, the boys give up something they love or greatly desire. The Boy gave up a bear that had been hunted for generations, and Sarty gave up his family. They both became adults by choosing their own paths and not following their fathers. The Boy’s father would have shot the bear if he had the chance, and if Sarty stayed in his family, he could possibly become a barnburner and cheat like his father and brother. A very ...

Argumentative Essay : Bullying Among Teenagers -- Adolescence, Puberty,

In recent times, there is no doubt that there has been an upsurge of disrespectful manners among teenagers. Today, teenagers are completely unpredictable with what they can and cannot do in regards to their behaviors. Many people do not want to deal or try to figure out what is going on in the minds of teenagers as they feel it is just easier to view all incidences of this way of life with a blind eye. This occurrence has escalated to the point that everywhere you go, it is likely to find yourself amongst one or two rude teenagers. They treat people with no respect and the shocking part of it is that they show no remorse for their actions. Primeval cultures upheld respect as one of the important traits kids should have when dealing with adults. Although cultures have many contrariety, but at the same time, had elements that united them through time and geographic region. Many of these elements were included in religious, social and moral laws. In religions and western philosophy the element of respect is held with topmost importance allowing a clear boundary between those who are young and naive and those who are experienced and mature. The view that kids has to show respect when dealing with people that are significantly older than them has gradually diminished over the years. Emergence of new cultures has affected the rate of discipline we give to young ones. High school students are popularly known for their notorious disrespect for authority and adults in general. Many continually wonder how children change from been respectful at a very young age to been disrespectful at their teenage years. This led to various research and studies into teenagers and their disrespectful attitudes. Studies and researchfilled with optimism, hopefulness and encouragement, not disrespect towards other people in the society.According to the Bible in the book of proverbs 22:6 (New International Version) states that â€Å"train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he would not depart from it.† parental and societal failure to inculcate good manners into children has led to the various societal severities. If your child is showing signs of disrespect to you, their teachers or other family members it is important that you do not wait until it gets out of hand before seeking help from a therapist who can make recommendations depending on the situation. Teamwork of all social institutions is the only way the problem of bad manners can be stopped. When the family, the media and schools come together with determination to tackle this issue, then America will be a better place.

Understanding the Factors Affecting the Influence of Children on Their Dissertation

Understanding the Factors Affecting the Influence of Children on Their Parents' Total Purchases - Dissertation Example Marketing researches in the past couple of decades have focused on the how the children are involved in the household decision making, in which stages and in which product categories. This study aimed to identify if and how particular demographic characteristics play a role in the influence that children have on their parents’ weekly purchases. The demographic characteristics tested for this study included: (a) socioeconomic status of the parents, (b) parental education level, (c) religion, (d) gender of the child, and (e) age of the child. For this purpose, a quantitative, non-experimental study was designed using hierarchical multiple linear regression and analysis of variance to test hypotheses and answer the research question. A stratified random sample of 343 participants was surveyed and hypotheses were tested. The results showed a relationship between total weekly influenced parental purchases and the demographic characteristics; furthermore, socioeconomic status, paren tal educational levels, gender and age of child all affected the extent of influence that the children had on their parents’ purchases. The findings of this research reveal important insights about children as influencers and active developing decision makers. The results provide direction for further research and analysis in the field that can contribute much to the understanding of buying behaviors and targeted market planning to marketers. Acknowledgments Table of Contents Acknowledgments 3 Acknowledgments 3 List of Tables 8 List of Tables 8 List of Figures 10 List of Figures 10 Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Chapter 1. Introduction 1 Introduction to the Problem 1 Introduction to the Problem 1 Background of the Study 3 Background of the Study 3 Statement of the Problem 5 Statement of the Problem 5 Purpose of the Study 5 Purpose of the Study 5 Research Questions and Hypothesis 6 Research Questions and Hypothesis 6 Nature of the Study 7 Nature of the Study 7 Significance of the Study 8 Significance of the Study 8 Definition of Terms 9 Definition of Terms 9 Assumptions and Limitations 9 Assumptions and Limitations 9 Unit of Analysis 10 Unit of Analysis 10 Organization of the Remainder of the Study 11 Organization of the Remainder of the Study 11 Chapter 2. Literature Review 12 Chapter 2. Literature Review 12 Introduction 12 Introduction 12 Family Dynamics in Purchase Decisions 13 Family Dynamics in Purchase Decisions 13 Organization of the Literature Review 20 Organization of the Literature Review 20 Theoretical Framework 20 Theoretical Framework 20 Children’s Influence in Family Decisions 22 Children’s Influence in Family Decisions 22 Consumer Socialization of Children 23 Consumer Socialization of Children 23 Presentation of Empirical Evidence 26 Presentation of Empirical Evidence 26 Analysis of Findings 32 Analysis of Findings 32 Conclusion 34 Conclusion 34 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY 36 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY 36 Research Design 36 Research Desi gn 36 Design Appropriateness 38 Design Appropriateness 38 Participants 39 Participants 39 Sample Size 39 Sample Size 39 Sampling Procedure 40 Sampling Procedure 40 Research Questions and Hypotheses 41 Research Questions and Hypotheses 41 Instrumentation 42 Instrumentation 42 Pilot Testing and Field Testing 43 Pilot Testing and Field Testing 43 Data Collection 45 Data Collection 45

Perfect Competition Model Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Perfect Competition Model - Research Proposal Example Markets become perfectly competitive when they contain all of the following features and fail to be termed as perfectly competitive due to the absence of one or more requirements of the perfect competition model. The steel market may be termed as perfectly competitive as it has all of the following features: The products are homogeneous, i.e. the products are not differentiated from each other in any aspect such as color, scent, packaging etc. Buyers cannot distinguish between products of different producers, that is why there is little or no incentive for firms to spend on advertising or marketing. There is the existence of "Omniscience", i.e. all the buyers, sellers, workers etc. have perfect knowledge of market conditions, whether it be the price charged by all the producers or the wages offered to labor etc. Firms cannot earn supernormal profits in the long run. As there are no barriers to entry, any supernormal profits (earned in the short-run) attracts more suppliers into the industry causing the supply to increase until the point the profit is completely driven off and the industry comes to its equilibrium position. Similarly, in the case of subnormal profits or loss (in the short-run), some firms will leave the industry, shifting the industry's supply curve to the left, raising prices and helps the firm earn normal profits in the long run. FIGURE 1 The likely impact on the profits of steel producers of the rise in the world price of steel from 2002-2004 The likely impact on the steel producers of the rise in the world price of steel is that there was a rise in the revenue earned by steel manufacturers. Since the steel market may be termed as perfectly competitive, there is little that the manufacturers can do to differentiate their product (i.e. steel), however, they can sell there entire output or whatever output they wish to sell at the current market price. As shown in Figure 1, the demand for a company is perfectly elastic, it has to sell whatever output it wants at the current market price only if the company decides to increase its price its demand may fall tenfold or even to zero. Between the period 2002-2004, there was a sharp increase in the demand for steel, at the same time there was also a noticeable increase in the production of steel with China emerging prominently as a large manufacturer and with high demand as well.  

Outsourcing Inmates :: Globalization essays, research papers

Outsourcing Inmates is a Bad Move Governor Greg Benson wants to outsource the states medium security prisoners. Outsourcing would mean send inmates in the states prisons out of state to serve their prison sentence. We would be sending these inmates who aren’t just a number; they are fathers, sons, and grandchildren to prisons in states such as Texas or Georgia. He says this will help with over crowding and will save New Hampshire tax payers money. Shipping inmates out of state will hurt the community’s of New Hampshire, it won’t save much money, and is a bad idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  About 70 protesters, calling them selves Families of New Hampshire Inmates, gathered outside the statehouse on March 15, 2004. The prison staff and families of inmates are concerned about Governor Benson’s plan to ship inmates out of state, which will also send jobs out of state (Inmate). Charlene Newman, a Massachusetts resident, insists it is irresponsible to make budget cuts to the Department of Corrections; it puts a strain on public safety. â€Å"If they send our families away, they are just warehousing them,† Newman said. â€Å"They are going to send them back to this community not reformed, and our communities are going to be unsafe† (qtd in Inmates). Another protester was Portsmouth’s mayor Evelyn Sirrell. Her son is in the state prison on a kidnapping sentence. â€Å"To sit in that room and watch the children, the wives, and the grandparents visit their loved ones is very warming,† Sirrell said. â€Å"I’ve been t aking my 8-year old grandson to visit his father regularly, and his face just lights right up. To snatch that away just isn’t right. I’ll fight this, and fight it and keep on fighting it† (qtd in Manning). â€Å"There’s still a feeling that they are a throw-away society. But everybody makes mistakes, and we should give these inmates a chance to bounce back,† Sirrell said. â€Å"Separating them from there families will make it that much harder for them† (qtd in Manning). David Michaud, an inmate at Concord state prison, said the governor’s proposal is causing â€Å"anxiety† and â€Å"uncertainty† among the inmates. (CCA) The Executive Councilor of NH, Peter Spaulding, doesn’t agree with Benson either. He notes the Governor didn’t even consult with the council or legislators before enouncing his plan. â€Å"To me it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Nobody went to the legislature or the council, and there wasn’t even much consultation with corrections officials from what I can tell,† Spaulding said.

What Does the Concept of Dignity mean to Stevens?

Stevens is a unique character whose life evolves solely around his profession and how he can both maintain his dignity and become recognised through his work. The concept of dignity has ruled his entire life and he believes it his duty to remain dignified in all circumstances in order to be classed as a â€Å"great butler†. His metaphorical journey however reveals that in trying to accomplish this, he has lost the vital element which must be sustained in life, human warmth. Stevens defines dignity as, â€Å"Something one can meaningfully strive for throughout one's career†, compared to Mr Graham's views that â€Å"dignity is something one possesses,† which seems more reasonable from the reader's point of view. The critic Richard Locke asks what dignity there is in not making one's own mistakes and refers to the consequent sorrow and remorse that follows, saying â€Å"such rueful wisdom much be retrospective. † This certainly explains Stevens' unemotional behaviour in his mission to attain dignity because he has since regretted not â€Å"making his own mistakes† and living life to the fullest. Instead, he delicately portrays his Father's views, who was â€Å"indeed the embodiment of dignity†, because he is not able to conceive his own opinions having followed Lord Darlington's orders all his life. Furthermore, Stevens has incorporated the Hayes Society perspectives of dignity and related them to that of his father stating that he had, â€Å"Dignity in keeping with his position†, again proving that he can not form his own views and has again had to use someone else's. Stevens is so concerned with dignity and yet his misinterpretation of it, together with the emphasis his father put on it, has left him unable to calculate his own ideas on what dignity actually is and has thus naively lead him into an empty life. It is his father's stress on the tiger anecdote that has in my view confused Stevens, the idea being that a butler resorts to dramatic lengths to ensure that â€Å"no discernible traces† of the tiger â€Å"are left†. It is the fact that his father â€Å"knew instinctively that somewhere in this story lay the kernel of what true dignity is,† and Stevens does not, but yet continues to follow his father's perspectives because he considers him a â€Å"great butler†. Everyone is motivated by aspirations to climb higher, and Stevens' ultimate goal is to be acknowledged as a â€Å"great butler†. He feels he comes significantly closer to his quest at a conference Lord Darlington, holds for the most important delegates in Europe. At the conference he believes that he is heavily relied upon to oil the friction between the delegates from different countries by ensuring that the guests have nothing whatsoever to complain about. Whilst the delegates attend these various conferences, Stevens' father is very ill, however Stevens is more willing to return to work than attend to his sick father who is the only family Stevens has left. There has always been a cold relationship between the two, both of them only conversing over professional issues, and Stevens respects his father not for being a good father but a good butler. As Stevens is devoid of sentiment he can only judge others based on their dignity and we see how important Stevens' views on dignity are because it defies how he interacts and relates with others. Not only does he describes his father as â€Å"dark and severe†, which is dignity personified, he refers to him in the third person, â€Å"I hope father is feeling better now. † His lack of emotion proves to the reader how empty Stevens is, and in order for him to fill this emptiness, Stevens primarily concerns himself with dignity. Despite his father always being detached, he ironically asks, â€Å"Have I been a good father? † However, Stevens coldly dismisses his gesture, and in doing this, he loses any chance of a positive relationship with his remaining family. Furthermore, it is his arrogant ignoring of Mr Cardinal who tells him of Lord Darlington's wrong attitude to the Nazis and of Miss Kenton's attempts to give him one last chance to propose, that severely damaged his chances of becoming a â€Å"great person† and hence a â€Å"great butler†. However, he ironically recalls this experience with â€Å"a large sense of â€Å"triumph†, and consequently dismisses any hope of happiness as he is prepared to place professionalism before relationships. Stevens is also unable to communicate to the reader his true intentions for undertaking the excursion, stating that he wishes to improve the current â€Å"staff plan† however the reader perceives that he wants to visit Miss Kenton, and hence becomes â€Å"an unreliable narrator†, always placing a professional spin on everything. He believes that he is respected for his dignity, and thus judges others on how dignified they are. Dignity means everything to Stevens, it being all he has and hence his profession becomes his life, unable to even call holiday clothes by their true name but instead a â€Å"costume. † A costume implies a disguise worn to hide the true person underneath thus stating that Stevens is not the person to undertake holidays as it distracts him from his work. Another significant point demonstrating Stevens' unreliability is his relationship with former employer Lord Darlington. Everyone must feel good about themselves in order to remain optimistic in life and Stevens accomplishes this by feeling good about being a good butler working for a good master. Despite dedicating the best years of his life to Lord Darlington, Stevens is then quick to deny any knowledge of his former employer once we hear of his connections with the Nazis in World War Two. At Mortimers Pond significantly halfway through the novel, another butler of a lesser stature than himself attends to his car and he asks if he actually worked for Lord Darlington, to which Stevens replies, â€Å"Oh no, I am employed by Mr John Farraday. † Stevens is deliberately misleading about his past relationship with Lord Darlington because of his associations with the Nazis, as the truth would have severely damaged his self-esteem. However, the reader is first given a hint of Stevens' unreliability through his deliberate changing of his mind and misinterpretation of events which have occurred. Stevens corrects himself when he recalls passing Miss Kenton's room and originally believes that she is crying, however on reflection he realises that it is not due to the untimely death of her Aunt, but her acceptance to marry Mr Benn, and that her efforts to provoke him into action had gone unnoticed. Miss Kenton asks him â€Å"Do you want me to stay†, giving Stevens the opportunity to react and tell her how he feels, however he ignores these blatant signs and continues to neglect the forming of relationships in order to protect his reputation. The reality is that he changed his mind about these events in order to shield himself from the painful truth that he is destined to spend the rest of his life alone because he chose dignity above warmth. Everything Stevens encounters on his excursion, he relates to his profession. He travels to Mursden, not as a tourist, but an admirer of the famous silver polish, and naively believes that using this has had positive repercussions all over Europe. However, Stevens has again attempted to selfishly pass something off as his own, so that he can feel good and important, helping him to fill the emptiness left from a lack of human warmth and intimacy. Despite Stevens' clear longing for a close relationship with anyone, he still feels the urge to place his pride above what really matters. At Mortimer's Pond, he refuses to walk around it for fear of dirtying his shoes because no self-respecting butler would allow that to happen and says, â€Å"My footwear is not such as to permit me easily to walk around the perimeter. † Stevens gullibly believes that others really care about how he looks and acts, and he must therefore strive to create a good impression and remain dignified. He sadly also realises that in order to qualify as a â€Å"great butler†, he had to work for an employer of proven â€Å"moral worth†, yet he has just disowned any knowledge of working for Lord Darlington when quizzed about it earlier. Realistically, Stevens is living in the past and refuses to change his ways because they have brought him his dignity, and his archaic, well structured English clarifies the fact that he has learnt his English from historical, classical books and not social context or conversations. The mere fact Stevens lives in the past is saddening as life should be full of new experiences, but instead he effectively shields himself behind his profession and exploits it as an excuse to visit new places. His old-fashioned lifestyle furthermore forbids him to look symbolically beyond the surface at Mortimer's pond and delve underneath to find the truth, and only when he meets Miss Kenton is he forced to change his perspectives and views on life. His relationship with Miss Kenton has allowed him to modernise his views as he would before judge people on the surface and converse with them on purely professional terms. Although his liaison with Miss Kenton has not altered his perceptions on dignity, he has become aware that there is perhaps more to life than work Although the reader may sympathise with Stevens and respect him, his pitiful behaviour is also both extremely noticeable and frustrating. In the unfortunate incident concerning the dismissing of the two Jewish maids, Stevens will not admit that he did not stand up for something he knew was wrong. He says, â€Å"We must not let sentiment creep into our judgement†, but ironically it is his higher regard for dignity which has ensured that he avoids sentiment throughout his entire life, and once again the reader becomes aware of Stevens' outdated response because he is prepared to place dignity above what is right. Furthermore, he ironically says that dignity is â€Å"not removing one's clothing in public†. Whether he is attempting to banter is left deliberately ambiguous, however what he says is ironic to the reader because he does not remove his clothes in private and maintains his professional persona even in his social life. To remove clothing suggests relaxation and freedom, a characteristic the reader never associates with Stevens because of his overwhelming obsession with dignity which has cost him so much. Stevens views dignity as a key to success, living his whole life by it and striving to remain dignified in every single possible circumstance he is subjected to. In his fixation with dignity, he has ultimately committed the deadly sin of pride and has thus condemned himself to a life of emptiness. He is deliberately aiming to aspire to the stature of his father, Stevens believing that he achieved so much acclaim through his dignified manner. However, at the end of the novel, it is left ambiguous whether he will strive to maintain his dignity or seek to change his ways and become more intimate and emotional with people when he discovers that â€Å"bantering is the key to human warmth. â€Å"