An Englishman´s Home by Evelyn Waugh Task: Write the questions chosen, answer them and do not forget to type your names!! Hands On!! 2) Later on, when conflict between the characters becomes more obvious, Waugh uses semantic fields of war and battle. Find examples and comment on what this conveys about the changing characters, their relationships and the ideas behind the story. The tension in the story begins to rise mainly during the meeting that Mr Metcalfe summoned. That is where the characters learn of the differing opinions and positions that each neighbor takes. And Waugh, in a subtle way, uses semantic fields of war and battle to portray this conflicting situation. One example where this literary technique is reflected is when it is described the reaction that took place at the Manor. It was said to take place in the form of an "explosion of wrath". The word explosion connotes war, violence and aggressiveness. Therefore, it allows to portray the scene as one that is seriously hostile and upsetting for the villagers. Another example is when it is made clear that most people believe that Mr Metcalfe should be the only one to take responsibility and action for this problem. It says: "Duty called, clearly and unmistakably, to Mr Metcalfe alone". The use of the word duty also makes allusion to battle and the tasks that are entrusted to each soldier. So this depicts that Mr Metcalfe was expected to walk into the battlefield alone and fight by himself. Finally, the meeting resembles greatly one destined to plan out the next move in a battle. Mr Metcalfe even points out his "readiness to co-operate" and that he "would willingly stand down". These claims, if out of contest, could easily be mistaken for ones being told between leaders and allies during war. Flor Araya (I am with Lucia) Lucia Roggero 3) Find examples of how Waugh conveys the importance of maintaining status through appearance and how we can see social hypocrisy through this. Throughout the story "An Englishman's Home" Waugh very distinctively and deeply depicts how crutial the maintenance of status is through appearance. In fact when we, as readers, analyse the relationship of the characters, we can find that the characters of the story limit themselves when expressing themselves due to worries on how they are going to be percieved. For example, when discussing how to fix the problem (factories planning to be build in the countryside) Lady Peabury stops herself from stating her true intentions because she didn't want to appear inferior economically than Mr. Metcalf "Delicacy forbade recognition of the vital fact that Mr. Metcalfe was very much the richer—delicacy tempered with pride."The protagonist, also, constantly adresses what being a TRUE countryman is, bringing the reader to question: If he tries so hard to be a countryman, and has so much conflict, then will he ever be a genuine and natural countryman? Both of this examples, showcase the hypocrisy of the country people. By putting so much weight on what other people think about them, and what they are expected to be, they are left trapped in their image. More actors than anything else, forcidly living. By living in a lie, they achieve exactly the opposit of what they aspire to be. In fact, by trying to be superior than others, they emphasize the fact that they think they aren't, so they have to act it. I AM WITH FLOR ARAYA (she answers the second question) Agustin Segura and Tomi Borda 7)in this stry mr metcalfe si the outsider and on the other side we have boggett, that is a humble, country man but still very important. he is not very apreciated there because he is not from a family that comes from a very rich past, he made a good ammount of money not so much time ago, he didnt inherited all the money like the people who were already there. an examle is when brakehurst wants to build a factory and all the rich people blame him for this. because he didnt buy the terrain when it was in sale. in the end they all buy the and and metcalfe is accepted in society 3) Mr. Metcalfe is doing his best on trying to be true countryman as he always want to improve on it. When Mr. Metacalfe talks to Boggett he believe or make us notice he is a true countryman, “simulates an air of patronage far from sincere.” But he makes sure that the rest of the society does notice his true thoughts. 1) “The true countryman wore a dark suit on Sunday’s unlike the flanneled tripper from the cities” “Willing to gossip for hours” “These old fellows know a thing or two that the scientist don’t” This anticipates to the writer the fact that a true countryman is always trying to fell superior to others, a true countryman (like almost every character in this story) does not live in harmony with his/her neighbours, but secretly competing and gossiping with them and against them. We readers are able to see this as the story develops. 5) Waugh, in page 135 gives as vast, detailed description about Mr Metcalfe’s feelings. This ones are tranquil, 0f someone who is in love with the country life, of someone who is living the dream, who has achieved exactly what he wanted. This is so convincing, that the reader enters in a “trust” zone, to then be disappointed (in a good way). In page 142, exactly the opposite occurs. The ugly part of the country life is shown to us, and we are able to see Mr Metcalfe respectable side, a side which everybody is afraid of and doesn’t want to mesa with. This is a small plot twist, in which the reader gets confused but at the same time attracted to keep on reading, as we involve more into the character. Joaco Venini 3. Waugh conveys examples of maintaining status through appearance when as instance, Mr. Metcalfe lists the points of a true countrymen, since he wants to look as them. He also "simulates an air of patronage far from sincere" when he talks to Boggett. The truth is that Metcalfe actually admires him for being a true rural man. Anyway, he can't make this thoughts public since je has to appear to be a true old countrymen in order to belong to this aristocratic society. Moreover, when Metcalfe arrives Peabury Steeple saying that the terrible news he has "threatens our whole lives" (referring to him and to all the rival gentry). He wants to seem as part of the group, part of the true old-rich countrymen by making that a common problem when actually, he is not. His money, unlike the rival gentry's is new-money that he made working. What is more, also the latters care about appearances. That is why they do not want to negotiate with Metcalfe. They do not want to lower to his level. They don't want to be peers with him. All this examples show how Waugh conveys the importance of maintaining status through appearance. Later on, when conflict between the characters becomes more obvious, Waugh uses semantic fields of war and battle. Find examples and comment on what this conveys about the changing characters, their relationships and the ideas behind the story. As the story moves forwards, we can really notice and distinguish the differences in the principles that each people in the town stands for. We notice how the aristocracy hates and leaves aside the 'new rich' as is Mr Metcalfe. The writer uses a diction connected to war and battle to convey an image of conflict, to portray the huge differences and disputations between the aristocracy and the new rich, between the aristocracy and the growing urbanization. Words such as "Build" "obscene" "hideous" "challenge the enemy on his own ground", are used by Waugh to portray the intolerance from the aristocrats towards the idea of building, of working, of sacrificing and making an effort to build something that could later on provide jobs for people. The term "intruders" is used to refer to this people that came to the town and irrupted and somehow challenged their peaceful countryside with the building of something. LUNA AND MARA Rochi and Catu 7) Mr. Metcalfe is shown as an outsider in the story, in change Boggett, is not. Boggett is at the bottom of the social pyramid, however still a part of Aristocratic Society, and accepted. But Mr. Metcalfe is rich, he is a landowner, he has a family and employees but he is not accepted in the aristocratic group because he is a "new rich". He had to work for his money, unlike Aristocrats which inherited it. An example of this is when the lands that are next to Metcalfe's lands which were owned by Lord Brakehurst are sold to a man who is planning to build a factory. The aristocrats blame without a doubt that Mr Metcalfe was to responsible for not buying when he was offered to. By the end of the story, Mr Metcalfe is partly accepted by society because they end up accepting the deal where everyone puts in a part to be able to buy the land and save it from being built on. 8) Firstly, he makes a clear distinction when he starts criticizing the new industrial society. He starts with the word "build" in italics to make a string statement. He uses "hideous" and "obscene" to show society's disgust towards this change. The idea of building and construction horrifies them so much that they think words related to that should be "expunged from the polite vocabulary of the district". Aristocratic society was used to not working, and inheriting their riches so for them, these close minded people, anyone who worked for their riches was seen as an outsider. And they didn't respect them. Luli and Delfi 2) As the story develops and the conflicts becomes more evident, Waugh utilises semantic fields related to war and battle. For example, in part IV Colonel Hodge proposed an idea which is described by the author as “the great Hodge Plan for appeasement and peace-in-our-time.”. These 2 terms apply to situations of war, fighting and violence and so are associated to the conflict between the neighbours and their lack of capacity to solve the problem. In addition, the paragraph that describes Lady Peabury’s garden in page 145 starts and ends with the same idea: “And she, on the opposing slope (...) with that ill-bred fellow on the hill opposite”. This phrase makes use of the word “opposite” twice, but is also repeated many times throughout the story. It is used to compare and contrast the different oppinions and visions about the buying of the land, but is also associated with the opposing sides of countries or teams in a battle. 10) “An Englishman’s home” is a story centered on the rivalry between a ‘New Rich’ called Mr Metcalfe and Lady Peabury an old greedy woman already well established in the aristocracy. Still at the end of the story there is a huge plot twist where the center of attention changes completely to the Hargood-Hood’s brothers. The ‘Coda’ is an ending part of a literary word that is separate from the previous part. We can say that “An Englishman’s home” ends with a coda and not a typical ending since the center of attention changes completely from what it previously was. Just like Much Malcock’s community, we are manipulated by the writer since we never saw that coming at all. He first talked about the community and how it’s organized, and suddenly this brothers come and the last thing we expected was that they were going to manipulate Mr Metcalfe and everyone else. It is very ironic that Mr Metcalfe didn’t want to buy the land so as to leave it for saving but at the end after all the discussions and differences, when the community gets together and is able to agree on how to pay the land, they end up being swindled by the emergent capitalists. What we can take out from the ending of “An Englishman’s home” by analyzing it, is that the British Society, mainly upper classes, become blinded by the necessity of belonging to the aristocracy that they even are manipulated. Also that they would do anything just to belong, just like Mr Metcalf did just to be seen as an aristocrat. Catalina Rela & Francisco Mosquera 3) Find examples of how Waugh conveys the importance of maintaining status through appearance and how we can see social hypocrisy through this From the beggining of the story, it can be seen that apperances and social status are utterly important. The protagonist, Mr Beverley Metcalfe, is constanly marking what the characteristics of a "true countryman" are. He is constantly doing this because he wants to belong. He isn't part of the British aristocracy, and he has moved to a neighbourghood where everybody is. The aristocratic neighbours don't accept him as part of the community because he is a "new rich", a trader. Mr Beverly Metcalfe tries to overcome this situation by trying to appear and be a "true countryman" so that he can be accepted in the community. In his attempt to be accepted, he makes "a study and noted the points of a true countryman". His observationsare that a "true countryman" loves a good bargain, wore a darksuit on sundays, is ostensibly sceptical and conservative, is easily fascinated by mechanical gadgets and is willing to gossip for hours. All these characteristics are what Mr Beverley Metcalfe must "emulate" in order to be accepted bythe aristocratic community that rejects him (this is what he thinks). 7) How are the characters shown as outsiders compared to the rural working people? What is the effect of this? How does Waugh show that they view each other as outsiders and what is implied by this? To what extent are the newcomers accepted into society by the end of the story? 1) Bauti and Nico "The true countryman wore a dark suit on Sundays .." "..but spoke of him, in his family circle, as "the cotton wallah" "Mr hornbeam senior was a genuine, commercial potter in Staffordshire" "sold his field to a lot of jerry builders" "These old fellows know a thing or two that the scientist don't" "It suggested a primacy in the village that was not undisputed" 7)Mr Mectalfe is a "new rich" because he won money in africa were he was a merchant. He buys land in the town but people do not accept him because he is a new rich. There are characters who are poorer but are treated as "superior" compared to Mr Mectalfe At the end, the newcomers are partly accepted in the society when everyone puts a part of money so that they buy the land where the factory was going to be so they all "save" the town from being affected by the factory Epi and Agos 3. Find examples of how Waugh conveys the importance of mantaining status through appearance and how we can see social hypocrisy through this. Waugh conveys this status importance by making it characteristic of the main people in the story. The society itself considered status as one of the most valuable qualities of a person. We see this when Mr.Metcalfe comes back with money he had earned from trading and the villagers still did not considered him as part of their society because of his contemporary ways of earing an income, they had always earned the money from land profits. Mr. Metcalfe was no different than them and they realize this when they have to solve the problema of the brothers trying to buy a piece of land and installing a factory.