Mrs. Kearney's Unyielding Pursuit of Justice: A Mother's Demands in Joyce's 'A Mother', Schemi e mappe concettuali di Inglese

Scarica Mrs. Kearney's Unyielding Pursuit of Justice: A Mother's Demands in Joyce's 'A Mother' e più Schemi e mappe concettuali in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! STYLE. In his works, Joyce uses different points of view and narrative techniques appropriate to the several characters portrayed. For him is very important the realism, indeed the artist’s task was to render life objectively in order to give back to the readers a true image of it. Differently from habits, time is subjective. His technique developes from the disciplined prose of Dubliners, through the of free direct speech and the epiphany. RIASSUNTO As the assistant secretary to the Eire Abu, or “Ireland to Victory,” Society, Mr. Holohan tries to organize a series of concerts showcasing local musicians. He finally visits Mrs. Kearney, whose eldest daughter Kathleen has a reputation in Dublin as a talented pianist and exemplary speaker of Irish. Kathleen studies the piano and French in a convent school like Mrs. Kearney did, and she receives tutoring in Irish at the insistence of her mother as well. Mrs. Kearney is not surprised when Mr. Holohan proposes that Kathleen perform as an accompanist in the series, and she advises Mr. Holohan in drawing up a contract to secure a payment of eight guineas for Kathleen’s performance in the four concerts. Given Mr. Holohan’s inexperience in organizing such an event, she also helps him to lay out the program and complete other duties. fter her efforts, Mrs. Kearney is disturbed when the concerts turn out to be sub-par for her high standards. The first two concerts are poorly attended, the audience members behave “indecorously,” and many of the artists are mediocre. Mrs. Kearney complains to Mr. Holohan, but neither he nor the head secretary, Mr. Fitzpatrick, appear bothered by the turnout. Nevertheless, the Society’s committee cancels the third concert in hopes that doing so will boost attendance for the final one. This change in plans infuriates Mrs. Kearney, who already has become aggravated by the men’s lax attitudes and what she sees as loose manners. She approaches Mr. Holohan and insists that such a change should not alter the contracted payment, but Mr. Holohan only refers her to Mr. Fitzpatrick, who also dodges her inquiries. On the night of the final concert, Mrs. Kearney, accompanied by her husband and Kathleen, arrives early at the performance hall to meet the men, but neither Mr. Holohan nor Mr. Fitzpatrick has arrived. As the musicians gather and await curtain call, Mrs. Kearney paces in the dressing room until finally she finds Mr. Holohan and, following him to a quiet hallway, pursues the issue of the contract. Again he insists that such matters are not his “business” and that she must consult Mr. Fitzpatrick. Enraged, she returns to the dressing room, where the musicians wait for Kathleen to join them so they can start the performance, for which the audience loudly clamors. Mrs. Kearney detains her daughter, and when Mr. Holohan arrives to query the delay in performance, she announces that Kathleen will not perform unless paid in full. Mr. Holohan departs in haste and returns with Mr. Fitzpatrick, who gives Mrs. Kearney half of the amount, explaining that the remainder will come at the intermission, after Kathleen’s performance. Kathleen plays, during which time the artists and committee members criticize Mrs. Kearney’s aggressive conduct. At the intermission, Mr. Fitzpatrick and Mr. Holohan inform Mrs. Kearney that they will pay her daughter the balance after the committee meeting next week. But Mrs. Kearney angrily bickers with Mr. Holohan and finally whisks away her daughter, leaving the concert hall. PERSONAGGI Mr Holohan: He was the assistant secretary of the Eire Abu Society, arranging about the series of concerts. He had a game leg and for this his friends called him Hoppy Holohan. Hoppy Holohan must have been a favorite character for James Joyce, because he also shows up in Ulysses. MISS KATHLEEN KEARNEY: Talk about an overshadowed character. Even though Kathleen is performing in the "four grand concerts" (which turn out to be less than grand because of her mother), she only has one line of dialogue in the whole story. And we never, ever get to hear her thoughts. She seems like a pretty healthy and very interesting young woman. Like her mother, she's talented musically. Unlike her mother, she's well-liked by people. Mr KEARNEY: He is one of minor chatacters, the only facts we know about Mr Kearney are that he's older than Mrs Kearney, and that he's a very stable. He treats his family well by saving for his daughters' dowries. Mr Fitzpatrick As the official secretary of Eire Abu, you might think this is a powerful figure. His major role is to avoid Mrs Kearney's questions about her daughter's paycheck as long as he can. All in all, though, it's what Mr Fitzpatrick doesn't do—which is act like a leader, or a responsible employer, or at least a decisive figure. What Joyce really emphasizes with the artistes is how Dublin society's idea of a good performance is relatively "mediocre". A side note here: James Joyce's idea of the purpose of art is a pretty significant contrast to these concerts. The last lines of Joyce's novella: a Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man describe the making of real art as something that happens inside oneself, not in a shabby concert hall. And it's not just something that can be scheduled like a concert series. Mrs Kearney: First of all, Mrs Kearney interrupts the whole concert to argue for her daughter's "rights.". She's so stuck to her ideal of what the concerts should be like and how her daughter should be treated that she won't budge. That's kind of "unbending" nature pretty much defines paralysi. In the end, though, her "unbending" nature is more important than whether she's living for herself or for others. When she takes her daughter and husband away from the concert, and leaves with only half of the money, she's her own worst enemy. If she had just calmed down and been a little more reasonable, the last concert totally would have been the best. Her daughter's career might have blossomed, and she probably would have gotten paid eventually. Instead, in her impatience, Mrs Kearney ruins her daughter's chances and probably her own reputation. Sometimes paralysis means being unable to move, and sometimes, as with these two characters, it means being unable to stop yourself, to break out of your bad habits.