Higgins begins to talk to Eliza like he’ll actually teach her and he also gives her a…
Therefore, when Alfred finally opened his eyes, he sees the path her mother walked on “all the years of her life” where he discovers his mother’s vulnerability and that it was time for him to become mature. On the other hand, Mrs. Higgins also learns a lesson to become less lenient toward her son. Throughout the story, Mrs. Higgins displays a perfect mother’s devotion to her son, a devotion in which she tries to overcome her worries, vexation, and disappointment to rescue Alfred. She only cares about the welfare of her son and she would do whatever it takes to find a way to deal with it, as shown through her calm conversation with Mr. Carr about Alfred’s dilemma. Above all, the love she feels for her son in which no sacrifice is beyond normal limits, no responsibility is too hard, gives her the words and strength she needs to protect Alfred. However, regardless of how much she loves her son, she learns to discipline her son properly and become less lenient towards Alfred. “...the mother was taking a long, firm stride as she looked ahead with her stern…
As the play unfolds, we quickly observe Eliza’s lower-class status while she attempts to sell to Colonel Pickering as Higgins witnesses and takes notes nearby. After their encounter, Eliza shows up at Henry’s home to request his teaching. He uses this time to make her feel less than she already is, as if he has not already done so upon their first confrontation: "A woman who utters such depressing and disgusting sounds has no right to be anywhere — no right to live. Remember that you are a human being with a soul and the divine gift of articulate speech . . . don 't sit there crooning like a bilious pigeon" (20). His effortless ability to speak so eloquently shows us how privileged he has been to become part of England’s upper class society. His status is also defined by his talking down to Eliza, as if she is nothing but a worthless peasant. Somehow, he convinces her to stay for six months during which he will supply his home, new clothing and all of the chocolates or taxis she could…
The 1990s have seen Jane Austin novels become more popular than ever. Hollywood, as is its custom, has followed suit, bringing to the screen several Oscar-nominated films faithfully based upon the author's works during that decade. Why would our modern society still be charmed by these novels, written by a woman who never married or even traveled outside England? How can these 200 year-old stories be relevant to our jaded culture? Probably because, despite all the radical social changes that have taken place since Jane Austen's time, people haven't really changed all that much. Heckerling’s film Clueless, an adaptation of Emma, shows that although society’s values have changed, the status quo still exists and is just as rigid nowadays as it was in the nineteenth century. However, because Clueless is set in a different time to Emma and because Heckerling uses a different medium to Austin, there are bound to be changes between the two texts.…
Eliza soon realizes speaking properly, the use of manners, and dressing the role of a duchess are all actually the easy factors in becoming a lady. She tells Mr. Pickering, “it was just like learning to dance in the fashionable way, there was nothing more than that in it.” She goes on to say that her “real education” began when Mr. Pickering acknowledged her as Miss Doolittle, “that was the beginning of self-respect for me.” To Eliza it’s the little things, such as Pickering taking off his boots before he enters the room, things Mr. Higgins would not dare to do while in her presence—a presence of a lady. Eliza continues to make her point by saying, “I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins, because he always treats me as a flower girl, and always will; but I know I can be a lady to you, because you always treat me as a lady, and always will.” Shaw makes a clear point that audiences then and now should acknowledge. Treating a person with respect, all social classes aside, especially if it is a woman, is everything. And it means everything to that person. That is the real difference at stake between social classes…
Cinderella is a story that is known to be the best fairy tale in the world. There are more than 700 different versions of Cinderella in the world. Throughout history, "Cinderella" is a story that is interpreted by different countries such as; Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Although the name, clothes, and other details alter in each story, the theme remains the same. In each story, there is an outward transformation of "Cinderbottom" to "Cinderella." In the French "Cinderella" by Charles Perrault, the Native American "Oochigeasw" by an unknown author, and "A Chinese "Cinderella" by Tuan Ch'eng-shih, all of them show the transformation of Cinderella from "rags to rich" because of her kind heart and dedication (614-616).…
I’m very curious about how Henry Higgins, in George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, feels about his profession and how this translates to his interpretation of society. Higgins, a professor of phonetics, ultimately enters into a bet in which he is assigned the task of teaching a poor, uneducated yet determined girl from the streets proper grammar, with the hope of transforming her into a duchess in a few months time. It’s clear from the beginning that Higgins, a man full of contradictions and no filter, is the protagonist. At first, Higgins is clearly opposed to the idea of teaching Eliza; this is evident through his blatant insults and sarcastic taunts. He makes fun of her poor grammar and the fact that she is clearly uneducated. Higgins infers that Eliza’s success will help her move up the social hierarchy and even though Eliza’s transformation is unequivocal, Higgins initial perception of her never changes – his general attitude towards her is consistent throughout the play. In contrast, when Higgins first meets Pickering, an educated scholar, his demeanor is quite the opposite. The difference between his demeanors leads me to believe that language does affect Higgins’ perception of society. This is shown further due to his rude indifference of Eliza’s drastic transformation. I intend to prove that Higgins' views language as a tool for social advancement…
Margaret is a ten-year-old black girl who lives in the south in 1930's at the time when slavery has long passed gone, but racial segregation and discrimination are still very strong. She comes to work as a servant in a home of a white wealthy woman, Mrs. Cullinan, where she begins to help out around the house, run errands, clean dishes and polish silverware. Margaret is overwhelmed with the inhumanness and the discipline of the house. All meals have to be at a certain time, all drinks have to be from a certain glass. Nevertheless, Margaret is willing to accept the new rules and work as hard as possible for the white rich and ugly lady, because Margaret feels sorry for her. She starts to come to work early, leaves home late, puts in extra work, somehow by doing so, Margaret thinks that she can compensate for the fact that Mrs. Cullinan can never have children. Margaret develops human feelings toward her mistress and her situation, not acknowledging the race issue.…
She's so deliciously low, so horribly dirty." [p 26] Higgins never once says what a nice woman Eliza is only how irritating her voice is.…
Victorian England, especially London had a severe problem with poverty. Many people in London lived in poverty. Eliza is one of these many people that lived in poverty during the Victorian era in London. In the play Pygmalion and musical My Fair Lady, the main character, Eliza, is shown to be poor and living in poverty. Both the play and musical show how she lived in poverty and how her poorness hindered her from attaining a job. Since she cannot speak well she can’t get a job as a lady in a flower shop. Because she could not get a job she had to resort to selling flowers on the street. Seeking help to learn how to speak properly, she goes to Henry Higgins, a phonetics professor. He teaches Eliza how to speak properly and how to act like a lady over the course of six months. After learning how to speak and act properly, this raises Eliza’s status because she no longer appears to be poor. Poverty during…
When Eliza finally is able to speak well, Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering decided to take her to meet Higgins' mother to see how see would behave around other distinguished people of high class society. This is the same in both Pygmalion the play and My Fair Lady the musical, however, in the musical they take her to meet Professor Higgins' mother at a horse race where as in the play they take Eliza to Higgins' mother's house. Also, in the play Eliza meets Mrs. Eynsford Hill, Clara, and Freddy at Higgins' mother's while in the musical she doesn't meet Clara, only Mrs. Eynsford Hill and Freddy at the horse race.…
What do you think of when you hear 1960s? Would you think of the Beatles or perhaps Muhammed Ali? What about segregation or a new role for women? Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird was published during a time of rapid change and was well received to due its views of the society. In the novel, Harper Lee advocates for a change in the idea of a “typical lady” and the way minorities are viewed and treated.…
This statement distorts Eliza’s understanding of society; she now believes men can, and will control every aspect of her life, including her body. Eliza displays this corrupt feminine definition when she develops sexual feelings for a man named Joaquin. Joaquin epitomizes passion to Eliza. Influenced by her immature zeal, she falls in love with a man who is not in love with her, but rather in love with the idea of socialism. Their “love” affair results in an accidental pregnancy. Joaquin abandons Chile and Eliza for riches in Califonia, and Eliza chases after him. She loses her baby while on the journey to San Francisco. The loss of her baby symbolizes the shedding of her past identity. In California, Eliza decides to embrace a new selfhood - one of a man. She is hopeful and wants to seize new opportunities, yet because of her tainted past, Eliza believes she cannot be free in the new environment unless she espouses a male identity: that of which she feels is the only role in society that is free of restraints. At first, Eliza is aggressive in her pursuit of who she is and what she wants; she soon finds, however, that even though she has accepted a masculine way of life she lacks the physical strength of a man. Discouraged that her gender has again restricted her, she beings to accept that she must define herself as a…
But more than that - Higgins is basically bored with his life; he finds practically all his company irritating and has no wife. Transforming Eliza into a duchess is a welcome challenge. Once he is done, and Eliza gains self-respect, he begins to respect her as well, and also to like her; "Five minutes ago you were like a millstone round my neck. Now you're a tower of strength: a consort battleship. You and I and Pickering will be three old bachelors together." We also begin to understand him a little and see why he is the way he is.…
The social hierarchy is an unavoidable topic in the play pygmalion by george bernard shaw. Shaw includes members of all social classes from the lowest (Liza) to the servant class (Mrs. Pearce) to the middle class (Doolittle after his inheritance) to the genteel poor (the Eynsford Hills) to the upper class (Pickering and the Higgins). Shaw highlighted the errors in people’s ideas of how the lower classes lived, and highlighted all the social prejudice, including stereotypical views of women and of the poor. Instead of writing a book about the prejudice and stereotyping, Shaw used the characters in his play, Pygmalion, to put forward his opinions. Pygmalion also showed that whatever class you were in, whether you were born rich or poor, you had a chance to succeed, as we can see with Mr Doolittle and Eliza, where Doolittle is given money by Ezra D. Wannafeller and becomes middle class. When Doolittle ‘sells’ Eliza to Higgins for £5, Higgins offers him £10 and Doolittle says, “Ten pounds is a lot of money: it makes a man feel prudent like; and then goodbye to happiness.” This proves that lower class people felt that if they were to have more money than they needed then they would lose who their personality and become a stereotypical upper class person, having to stay without the higher class’s boundaries and following the rules.…