Hello! My name is Raksha Manjunath and I graduated from NYU with a BA in English Literature. I am obsessed with language and how it's used in this world - be it in literature, media or history.
In the plays Henry V and Titus Andronicus, foreign language illustrate the conflicts caused by th... more In the plays Henry V and Titus Andronicus, foreign language illustrate the conflicts caused by the lack of open communication. In Henry V, the French used in the scene helps identify the cultural and behavioral differences between England and France, helping to thicken the tension between the two countries, which is the central conflict of the play. In Titus Andronicus, the brief instances of Latin are used in moments where the characters expose a hidden truth or judgment to their family members, and it allows for an open communication that English fails to achieve.
In the play Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare emphasizes the power of language as a means of d... more In the play Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare emphasizes the power of language as a means of deception through his repeated use of the word “commend.” He uses the word in moments of dialogue in which the characters are devising a scheme in order to get their lovers to requite their affections. The meaning of the sentence, with the word “commend,” changes when it is read in context with a different definition of the word. Therefore the word “commend” is deceiving, and its ambiguous usage throughout the play highlights the deceiving nature of the characters.
Henry Green’s Loving and Olivia Manning’s Fortunes of War both narrate the lives of British citi... more Henry Green’s Loving and Olivia Manning’s Fortunes of War both narrate the lives of British citizens living outside of England. In Loving, citizens of different classes live together in a house in rural Ireland. In Fortunes of War, a young couple travels through several countries and settles in Bucharest. Both novels were written on the onset of World War II, in which Ireland and Romania assumed neutral stances and so the characters in both stories live shielded from the war. However, the British characters are not comfortable living in neutral countries. Both Green and Manning juxtapose their British characters with the neutral environment they are placed in to suggest that people can never be internally neutral in the face of worldwide conflict.
In the plays Henry V and Titus Andronicus, foreign language illustrate the conflicts caused by th... more In the plays Henry V and Titus Andronicus, foreign language illustrate the conflicts caused by the lack of open communication. In Henry V, the French used in the scene helps identify the cultural and behavioral differences between England and France, helping to thicken the tension between the two countries, which is the central conflict of the play. In Titus Andronicus, the brief instances of Latin are used in moments where the characters expose a hidden truth or judgment to their family members, and it allows for an open communication that English fails to achieve.
In the play Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare emphasizes the power of language as a means of d... more In the play Two Gentlemen of Verona, Shakespeare emphasizes the power of language as a means of deception through his repeated use of the word “commend.” He uses the word in moments of dialogue in which the characters are devising a scheme in order to get their lovers to requite their affections. The meaning of the sentence, with the word “commend,” changes when it is read in context with a different definition of the word. Therefore the word “commend” is deceiving, and its ambiguous usage throughout the play highlights the deceiving nature of the characters.
Henry Green’s Loving and Olivia Manning’s Fortunes of War both narrate the lives of British citi... more Henry Green’s Loving and Olivia Manning’s Fortunes of War both narrate the lives of British citizens living outside of England. In Loving, citizens of different classes live together in a house in rural Ireland. In Fortunes of War, a young couple travels through several countries and settles in Bucharest. Both novels were written on the onset of World War II, in which Ireland and Romania assumed neutral stances and so the characters in both stories live shielded from the war. However, the British characters are not comfortable living in neutral countries. Both Green and Manning juxtapose their British characters with the neutral environment they are placed in to suggest that people can never be internally neutral in the face of worldwide conflict.
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