There is little evidence of the criminals in these poems experiencing any feelings
of guilt. 23/25
Plan
Agree Disagree
MLD Duke is incredibly prideful ---
and egotistical – objectifies
both women and compares
himself to a deity
Implication of threat to envoy
– if they do not respect his
“name” the same thing may
happen to their daughter
TL Active dismissal of guilt; ---
seems excited to take
matters into her own hands –
very vengeful and angry at
betrayal
Peter Grimes Does not feel guilty for Seems intensely affected by
stealing and being an grief about his patricide – “wept
unproductive member of sorely” “drank for his relief”
society Suffers towards the end though
Abuses “poor Sam” for three it is unclear if it is due to grief
years – no hint that he cares or psych. torment and social
about the boy; only “tried for isolation and fear of
softer tone” when villagers consequences unreliable
get suspicious and while narration
there is a remark that he
“coloured” after 2nd boy’s
death, he still went on to
abuse and kill another boy
Reading Gaol No apparent remorse? L128-9 Wilde gives Condemned Man an
“wistful” suggests he has anagnorisis (L394); the idea
made peace with the that he feels remorse and guilt
punishment and thus accepts
responsibility but doesn’t Ultimately Wilde is an
want to be wracked with guilt unreliable narrator
in his last days? Or doesn’t
believe what he did was a
crime accepted his
sentence
Wilde minimises crime, thus
the Condemned Man’s
reaction to it
Essay
For the majority of these poems, it is very easy to agree with this statement.
Browning presents criminals who not only feel an absence of remorse, but pride
in their abhorrent actions, boasting with a deplorable self-assuredness that
certainly highlights the absence of any feelings of guilt. Crabbe presents Peter
Grimes as a man with some kind of “conscience” though it is debatable whether
he ever truly sees the error of his ways, or experiences remorse in a way that
matters. Wilde is a wholly unreliable narrator of ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’
of guilt. 23/25
Plan
Agree Disagree
MLD Duke is incredibly prideful ---
and egotistical – objectifies
both women and compares
himself to a deity
Implication of threat to envoy
– if they do not respect his
“name” the same thing may
happen to their daughter
TL Active dismissal of guilt; ---
seems excited to take
matters into her own hands –
very vengeful and angry at
betrayal
Peter Grimes Does not feel guilty for Seems intensely affected by
stealing and being an grief about his patricide – “wept
unproductive member of sorely” “drank for his relief”
society Suffers towards the end though
Abuses “poor Sam” for three it is unclear if it is due to grief
years – no hint that he cares or psych. torment and social
about the boy; only “tried for isolation and fear of
softer tone” when villagers consequences unreliable
get suspicious and while narration
there is a remark that he
“coloured” after 2nd boy’s
death, he still went on to
abuse and kill another boy
Reading Gaol No apparent remorse? L128-9 Wilde gives Condemned Man an
“wistful” suggests he has anagnorisis (L394); the idea
made peace with the that he feels remorse and guilt
punishment and thus accepts
responsibility but doesn’t Ultimately Wilde is an
want to be wracked with guilt unreliable narrator
in his last days? Or doesn’t
believe what he did was a
crime accepted his
sentence
Wilde minimises crime, thus
the Condemned Man’s
reaction to it
Essay
For the majority of these poems, it is very easy to agree with this statement.
Browning presents criminals who not only feel an absence of remorse, but pride
in their abhorrent actions, boasting with a deplorable self-assuredness that
certainly highlights the absence of any feelings of guilt. Crabbe presents Peter
Grimes as a man with some kind of “conscience” though it is debatable whether
he ever truly sees the error of his ways, or experiences remorse in a way that
matters. Wilde is a wholly unreliable narrator of ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’
