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  • Essay / Realism in the poems “Araby” and “Counterparts” by James Joyce

    James Joyce observed that “in realism you surrender to the facts on which the world is based; this sudden reality which reduces romanticism to mush.” James Joyce expresses this clearly in his two poems “Counterparts” and “Araby”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayPoem AnalysisThe poem Counterparts depicts the life of a man who is clearly frustrated with his life. He is unhappy in his career and relieves stress by drinking alcohol, an unhealthy addiction. He then takes out his frustration on his son, showing us an unhealthy family dynamic. Similar to life experiences, the ending of the poem is not a solution or a fairy tale ending. The fact that in Farrington's life he craves change in his life but does not actively pursue it, so he is stuck and frustrated is the reality for many. people experiment. Similarly, for Farrington in Counterparts, the unnamed boy in "Araby" faces frustrations, unable to fulfill his desires due to going to "Araby" and giving a gift to Mangan's sister. The realities of life are very different from the fantasies we have in our heads, but without a doubt reality beats them to mush. In the poem Counterparts, we are confronted with the life of a young man, unhappy and frustrated, with no real meaning or desire to live. the life he lives. We are first shown this when the character is at work, he is first taunted by his boss at work about a report he needs to finish before a client arrives. However, Farrington begins to daydream and can't concentrate on his work, so he sneaks off to work for a beer, upon his return he is greeted by his boss and hands him the unfinished work. When we read that his boss is unhappy with his work and Farrington receives criticism, Farrington becomes irritated and unhappy with the job and decides to return to what got him into trouble in the first place, the repetition in his life troubles him and he is unable to do it. escape. These are the facts on which his world is based, repetition. Despite the daydreams, despite how much he believes the drink will make him feel better, there is no change throughout the poem, his anger continues to grow and he takes out his frustration on his son. Ignoring all the problems he has created, he takes out his frustration by beating his son. Farrington's life represents the statement “in realism you get down to the facts on which the world is based; that sudden reality that beats romance to mush”, he is unable to understand that his actions lead to consequences, he encounters various problems throughout the story but does not realize that the problems are created by him. Another example would be when he pawns his watch to fuel his drinking habit, while being aware that he is spending money but ignores it and continues to become frustrated, he then attempts to talking to a woman romantically and is ignored, so he continues to become frustrated. He then arrives home and realizes that his wife is not home and cannot have dinner soon due to the fire going out and takes out all his frustrations on the only person he can, his son . The idea of ​​life is not romanticized in this short story. The reality of Farrington's life is that many people feel stuck and are unable to remove the cycle because they do not realize that they themselves are the source of their problems. Just like in Counterparts, Araby has a strong sense of realism, he conveys the harsh truth of the world. life of a teenager in the countryside. A young !9/