Tess
Ailya Naqvi
Mrs. Hallford
English 12 AP
14 Dec 2009
All Parts that Make Up a Whole
Have you ever broken down an object, and examined the many little components that it is constructed with? What about examining the material it is made of, as well as the material that holds it together? For example, let’s take an artist and his sculpted pot. To fully examine these two entities, we must consider every type of force brought together that holds the object. Why did the sculptor create this pot? What aspirations or goals did the sculptor try to fulfill with creating this pot? What materials did the sculptor use, and what qualities did he already have that contributed to the final product? Behind every human, action, object, and idea there are many forces that mold them and have many little parts working to create the final result of them. In Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Hardy shows the audience the different and similar outside and inner forces that mold Angel and Alec’s actions, and how ultimately those forces are what shape their actions and fate, one of whom is successful and the other whose fate ends tragically.
Alec D’Urberville lacks proper familial upbringing, which is vital for a proper foundation of values and morals. This is evident in Alec’s way of thinking leading to his actions, such as how he treats women. Family is important because it instills empathy, integrity, honesty, and respect. One majorly impacted quality that contributes to Alec’s actions is his lack of work ethic in his upbringing. Because he has never worked for a single one of the luxuries in his life, he takes his wealth for granted and does not understand the value of working for something. Mr. Simon Stokes, the father of Alec, is a self-made man, who rose to riches by working and pushing himself to them. Hardy describes Mr. Stoke’s rise to fortune: “When old Mr Simon Stoke, latterly deceased, had made his fortune as an honest merchant in the North, he decided to settle as
Mrs. Hallford
English 12 AP
14 Dec 2009
All Parts that Make Up a Whole
Have you ever broken down an object, and examined the many little components that it is constructed with? What about examining the material it is made of, as well as the material that holds it together? For example, let’s take an artist and his sculpted pot. To fully examine these two entities, we must consider every type of force brought together that holds the object. Why did the sculptor create this pot? What aspirations or goals did the sculptor try to fulfill with creating this pot? What materials did the sculptor use, and what qualities did he already have that contributed to the final product? Behind every human, action, object, and idea there are many forces that mold them and have many little parts working to create the final result of them. In Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Hardy shows the audience the different and similar outside and inner forces that mold Angel and Alec’s actions, and how ultimately those forces are what shape their actions and fate, one of whom is successful and the other whose fate ends tragically.
Alec D’Urberville lacks proper familial upbringing, which is vital for a proper foundation of values and morals. This is evident in Alec’s way of thinking leading to his actions, such as how he treats women. Family is important because it instills empathy, integrity, honesty, and respect. One majorly impacted quality that contributes to Alec’s actions is his lack of work ethic in his upbringing. Because he has never worked for a single one of the luxuries in his life, he takes his wealth for granted and does not understand the value of working for something. Mr. Simon Stokes, the father of Alec, is a self-made man, who rose to riches by working and pushing himself to them. Hardy describes Mr. Stoke’s rise to fortune: “When old Mr Simon Stoke, latterly deceased, had made his fortune as an honest merchant in the North, he decided to settle as