Apple tree about girls

Apple tree about girls

The Apple Tree (1917) is a long short story written by a prominent English novelist, playwright and short story writer John Galsworthy. His most famous novels are The Man of Property, A Modern Comedy and The Forsyte Saga. In his works, he gives a truthful picture of English bourgeois society at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. The Apple Tree is called «most finely crafted, most symbolic, and most poetic tale».

The extract under analysis shows us two no-longer-students Frank Ashurst and Robert Garton who want to get to Chagford, Ashurst having an aching knee. On their way, they decide to put up for a night on some farm. They see a girl who invites them in her aunt’s farm and whom Ashurst find quite attractive. On the farm, they ask for a stream to have a bath and are told about one near an apple tree.

In the given extract, there is no conflict; it is only an exposition of the story, where we can see only the beginning of the relationship between Ashurst and Megan. In this part, the author shows us the contrast between people of different social classes.

The main characters are Frank Ashurst and Megan David. He is a representative of the upper class, a graduate from the university, he is «pale, idealistic», and he has a bent for literature. As an educated person, he loves talking about philosophical matters. The girl they meet is different. She’s wearing a «dark frieze skirt», «worn and old greyish blouse», «split shoes» and a Scottish bonnet worn usually by men, her hands are «rough and red», and her neck is «browned» because of working under the sun. She is, surely, not that educated as Ashurst is.

Two more characters reflecting this contrast are Ashurst’s friend Garton and Megan’s aunt Mrs. Narracombe. Garton is opposed to Ashurst to some extent (he is «like some primeval beast» and very communicative, while Ashurst is more meditative), but mostly for diversity of characters. He is also well-educated and intellectual and may even seem somewhat haughty. Mrs. Narracombe is hospitable, and this trait of character is more often demonstrated by representatives of the lower class.

In order to prove his point of view, the author uses stylistic devices. Firstly, there are a number of epithets in descriptions («peacock tam-o’-shanter», «crisp voice», «round-the-corner», «dewy eyes»), idioms («talking through his hat»), metaphors («haven’t met a soul for miles»), similes, trite and genuine («thin as rails», «like some primeval beast»). All these devices are used to create the atmosphere, to make the descriptions more artistic and underline the characters’ peculiarities in a more accurate way. There are also some poetic words («maiden»).

Galsworthy uses such a graphic means as graphon («I thought you were a Celt»). The reason to italicize the word «thought» is to show that Garton makes a special stress on it as if emphasizing his knowledge. There is one more graphon of different kind, which serves to create the atmosphere. The author uses dialectal forms «strame, sittin’, an'» instead of «stream, sitting, and» to show that the action takes place in Devonshire.

Besides, in order to reveal Ashurst’s feelings and meditation at the end of extract, the author uses enumeration of things which belong to different spheres: «He thought of Theocritus, and the river Cherwell, of the moon, and the maiden with dewy eyes». Here we can see also an example of polysyndeton which makes the sentence smoother and more poetic.

As for syntactic structure, there are both simple and complex sentences. The former are used in dialogues accompanied by ellipsis (which, alongside the absence of the author’s speech, makes them more vivid and natural), and the latter are used mostly in descriptions. In the description of Megan there is also anaphora («her shoes were, . her little hands, . her neck…») and some chaotic repetitions («her face was short, her upper lip short», «her brows were straight and dark, her lashes long and dark, her nose straight»). Those repetitions of simple adjectives create rhythm and, probably, make us think that Ashurst’s eyes are quickly jumping from one part of Megan’s body to another. In addition, there is an example of inversion («by the house door stood a woman») for the purpose of smoother narration.

The extract is written in a third-person narrative. The author helps us to see the action with Ashurst’s eyes and listen to his inner thoughts. Those thoughts characterize him well enough: we could do even without his direct description to understand that he is «full of absence». His thoughts change their direction quickly, e.g.: «The sky, the flowers, the songs of birds! Robert was talking through his hat.»

There is also a symbol in this story — the apple tree (the title is not occasional, of course). In Celtic culture (Megan is a Celt), the apple tree deals with love, truth, beauty, remembrance, purity. These meanings are only hinted at in this extract, but we can see them fully in the whole story.

I cannot help admiring this work. I am charmed by the style and the master use of expressive means and stylistic devices, especially syntactic ones. They make me want to read the story again and again. I am also attracted by symbolism and poetics of the story. Besides, it is necessary to say that Galsworthy managed to create a good image of people from different social classes and living in different places.

Источник

Анализ текста The apple tree

Онлайн-конференция

«Современная профориентация педагогов
и родителей, перспективы рынка труда
и особенности личности подростка»

Свидетельство и скидка на обучение каждому участнику

I’m going to analyze a long short story “The apple tree” by John Galsworthy , an English novelist and playwright, one of the most popular writers of the early 20th century. He was born in Coombe, Surrey in August 14, 1867. John Galsworthy was educated at Harrow and New College, Oxford.

Although Galsworthy is best known for his novels, he was also a successful playwright. John Galsworthy was awarded the Order of Merit in 1929 and the Nobel Prize for literature in 1932.

In “The apple tree”, John Galsworthy tells the story of Asherst, a middle-aged man who once goes to a village with his wife. While being there he remembers that 26 years ago just at that place, when he was a young man and just graduated from the university, he met a young girl, Megan by name, whom he fell in love. He promised to marry her and they decided to go away together. The next day he went to Torquay for money but there Asherst met his old friend, Phil Halliday by name , who invited him to spend a day with him and his sisters. Then the author passes on to say that Asherst fell in love with Phil’s sister Stella. The story ends with Asherst’s desire to look at the farm where Megan lived. There he meets an old man, who tells him that Megan commited a suicide because of unhappy love.

There is an external type of a conflict in the story. The two parties are Asherst that is protagonist, and Megan, antagonist. The author describes them combining two methods of characterization. The main character of the story is Asherst. He is a middle aged married man. He is well-educated. It’s quite clear that 26 years ago Asherst was inexperienced and young. He is very romantic as he says that he was always in love with somebody. It is important for him to have a person to admire and think about. Galsworthy succeded to show different sides of Asherst’s being. In the beginning of the story, when Asherst first meets Megan, we sympathize with him. The author managed to make the reader believe it to be real deep love which would end happily. But in Torquay he behaves as fully another person. He didn’t even want to explain everything Megan, whom he was supposed to love very much. He just decided to avoid superfluous problems pretending that he didn’d notice her.

Another main character of the story is Megan. She is a beautiful girl of seventeen years old. It doesn’t do the readers any difficulty to understand that she is very naïve and romantic young girl “with a loving heart” as an old man said about her. She doesn’t happen to be anywhere but in the farm. She is always busy doing all the job on the farm as she is the only woman there except her aunt. The author tries to make us sympathize with her. He shows that there isn’t any person on the farm with whom she could have heart-to-heart talk. Every day’s talks with Asherst make her be deeply attached to him. She is also a very honest and faithful person because it doesn’t come to her mind that Ahserst’s absence is caused by his unwillingness to come to her again. She doesn’t believe it because it is not in her nature and she doesn’t think it to be in somebody else’s nature. Megan is shown as a virgin character who has never loved before, never been anywhere, never faced with another people. Her commiting a suicide is an important part of the story. Even if she didn’t do that, she wouldn’t be that Megan that is shown in the story. She would be completely another person, would lose her naivety and “loving heart”, because such kinds of incidents totally change a person.

Galsworthy uses third-person objective narration. That means that the narrator doesn’t participate in the actions but knows everything concerning the characters. I think it to be a very objective and reliable type of narration because the author can enter the minds of the characters and the reader is able to know more.

The story is written in simple language. While showing the conversation with the children or with an old man on the farm, the author writes in dialectal words in order to make the reader deeply feel the atmosphere of that farm. He also writes that the two friends while going “haven’t met a soul for miles”. This metaphor is used in order to show that the farm is situated by itself and people on the farm live exclusive lives. While describing Megan the author also uses many epithets and metaphors. “Megan’s eyes were the wonder – dewy as if opened for the first time that day”. Using this stylistic device the author shows Megan’s beauties of nature. Such epithets as “greyish blouse”, “worn and old”, “split shoes” show her pressure of work. The language of an extract helps us to understand that the characters that day were all in good mood as they joke and try to be as friendly as possible.

The syntactical pattern is not very difficult and it doesn’t do any difficulty to follow the main idea.

The story is devoted to the problem of relationship between people from different social classes. It is difficult for Asherst to decide to go back to Megan as he understands them to be too different to live together. It is important for some of us to get on with people from our social class. There would be too many things on which we would have different points of view. And of course misunderstanding makes it more difficult to get on with a person.

And also there is another problem in the story. The problem of responsibility of our words. If we say something, we should do it. Asherst prefers to disguise himself instead of coming up to Megan and explaining his intentions. We should think in advance whether we could do something or not. No matter how difficult it is to be responsible for our words. It is better not to promise than to disappoint a person who believed you.

Источник

Перевод песни Apple tree (Aurora)

Apple tree

Яблоня 1

All of my life,
I’ve been hunting,
I’ve been a girl,
I’ve been a boy,
digging my feet into the ground,
like an apple tree
wanting to live with a purpose.
Skin is a word,
love is not a sin.
people are bad
people are good
Just like the moon is a stone,
but it’s a star when it’s dark
and now she’s hiding

If you’ve seen what a heart is. You’ve seen its colour
If I ever knew how we could guide it
I would take care of its children, become their mother
If I ever knew how we could hide it… hide it

Let her save the world, she is just a girl
Let him save them all, he is just a boy
Let her save the world, she is just a girl
Let him save them all, he is just a boy

Hunger is quiet, if you do it right
Hunter is loud and predictable
Scaring away every prey
So they are gone

Before the hunter arrives
Would you be kind
And put away your sword
You cannot cut Away
What we got
You cannot kill what we are
We are not here in physical form

You’ve seen where the knife is
It’s dark location

if I ever knew how we could hide it
I would cut into our anger, make pure emotion
If I ever knew how we could hide it… hide it

Let her save the world, she is just a girl
Let him save them all, he is just a boy
Let save the world, she is just a girl
Let him save them all, he is just a boy

Can you carry the weight of mortality?
The explosions around you is your symphony!

Let her save the world, she is just a girl
Let him save the poor, he is just a boy
Let her save the world, she is just a girl
Let him save the poor, he is just a boy

Всю свою жизнь
Я охотилась,
Я была девочкой,
Я была мальчиком,
взрывая землю ногами
словно яблоня,
пытаясь жить с целью.
Кожа – это слово,
любовь – это не грех 2 .
Люди – это зло,
Люди – это добро,
Так же как Луна – это камень,
Но во тьме звезда,
А теперь она скрылась.

Если б ты видел, где сердце, видел его цвет,
Если б я знала, как мы можем направить его,
Я бы позаботилась о наших детях, стала им матерью,
Если б я знала, как можно скрыть это, скрыть это.

Позвольте ей спасти мир, она лишь девочка,
Дайте ему спасти их всех, он лишь мальчик.
Дайте ей спасти мир, она лишь девочка,
Позвольте ему спасти их всех, он лишь мальчик.

Голод тих, если правильно с ним обращаться,
Охотник шумен и предсказуем,
Спугивая жертв так,
Что они исчезнут.

До прихода охотника.
Будьте добры
И уберите меч,
Вы не можете срубить,
Что у нас есть,
Вы не можете убить нас,
Мы телесно не здесь.

Ты видел, где нож,
Это мрачное место.

Если б я знала как можно его спрятать,
Я бы разрубила наш гнев, создала чистые чувства,
Если бы я знала как его спрятать. спрятать.

Дайте ей спасти мир, она лишь девочка,
Дайте ему спасти их всех, он лишь мальчик.
Позвольте ей спасти мир, она лишь девочка,
Пусть он спасёт их всех, он лишь мальчик.

Вы вынесете тяжесть смертности?
Эти взрывы повсюду — ваша симфония!

Позвольте ей спасти мир, она лишь девочка,
Позвольте ему спасти бедных, он лишь мальчик.
Дайте ей спасти мир, она лишь девочка,
Дайте ему спасти бедных, он лишь мальчик.

1) в Христианской мифологии Яблоня – Дерево Познания Добра и Зла. Здесь выбор именно яблони также символичен, Аврора поёт о спасении мира и людей, о добре и зле
2) skin – sin английская игра слов

В описании клипа Аврора написала:
« «Apple Tree» – песня о потенциале, скрытом в нас. Мы все можем спасти мир, если направим на это свои мысли. Мир не послушает научных доказательств того, что он умирает, но возможно он услышит мечтателей, детей. В кровоточащем мире сила личности – наша единственная надежда. Позвольте ей спасти мир. Позвольте ему спасти их всех. Верьте в нас, и возможно мы станем поколением, спасшим мир, а не убившим его».
(Оригинал цитаты: «Apple Tree is about the potential that hides in all of us. We can all save the world if we put our minds to it. The world won’t listen to scientific proof that the world is dying, so maybe it will listen to the dreamers, the children. In a bleeding world the power of the individual is our only hope. Let her save the world. Let him save them all. Believe in us, and maybe we’ll be the generation that saves the world, rather than the one that killed it»)

Источник