The writings of Joyce and Bennett have become synonymous with the arduous process of becoming an adult and, despite the large time gap between their works', use similar techniques to describe the process. However, Bennett's "The History Boys" focuses primarily on the educational and partly sexual development of the students, while "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" concerns the spiritual and moral growth of a protagonist, Stephen Dedalus. The differences between these works appear particularly in the concepts of "baptisms of fire" and "rites of passage", both of which prove integral to the development of the authors' themes. Both of these terms have seemingly ambiguous connotations and are often subject to misinterpretation, particularly in the case of the latter. They were nevertheless given simple definitions: for the first, "a new undertaking or a new painful experience" and for the second, "a ritual or an event marking a stage in a person's progress in life". These definitions, despite their euphemistic aura, are undoubtedly applicable to both plays and are typical of the bildungsroman genre, to which both plays arguably belong; but are treated differently by the two authors. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay In Joyce's “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” many ideas merge in order to achieve the two strong techniques mentioned above. The majority of these ideas center around the protagonist, Stephen Dedalus, and his journey to adulthood and the tribulations that this journey creates. Joyce certainly doesn't shy away from pointing this out and lays it out early on: “Once upon a time… there was a cow going down the road and that cow met a sweet little boy named baby tuckoo. » This unconventional technique mimics the pure simplicity of a child's mind and thought processes. It also gives the reader a starting point from which Stephen's mind will mature: it's as if the author wants us to witness the entire growth process, thus building a bond between the reader and the protagonist. This is the first significant step in a fully episodic, staged novel and the first “rite of passage” displayed by Joyce. This idea continues throughout the first chapter of the novel, with Joyce presenting the significant passages in Stephen's life: school, family and friends which are, later in the novel, juxtaposed with other, more mature priorities . This means that due to his young age, Stephen is only a listener and observer in these early pages and the text is dominated by the voices of his family, who discuss religion and politics and, ultimately, present to Stephen the themes that will flourish. in the following chapters. An example of this is Stephen Dedalus's, albeit methodical, introduction to religion: "Say his own prayers and go to bed before the gas subsides, so he doesn't go to hell when he dies." » This quote shows Stephen's injection of a typically Irish rite of passage, religion, a theme which will reappear and torment the protagonist in subsequent pages and, in Joyce's eyes, was an integral part of his childhood in 19th century Ireland century. Bennett chooses to begin "The History Boys" at a later point in a child's life: he does not echo Joyce's process of growth from the very first rite of passage, but instead chooses to open his play with a monologue concerning events of which the reader is completely unaware,which is similar to a frame tale. However, Bennett implies the entire context of the play: “School. That's all it is. In my case anyway. Back to school. This quote, with its short statements, gives the impression that the character speaking, Irwin, has been greatly affected by the school and has become an integral part of his life, which could be interpreted as having been involved in the rites of passage involved in education: this is later realized when the audience becomes aware of the subtle progression taking place in Irwin. This reinforces the contrast between the two plays because, although "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" is partly set in a school, it becomes clear that "The History Boys", unlike Joyce's play, will focus on school and its exams. , while Joyce focuses his article on religion and morality. This focus on key settings continues in the areas of rites of passage and baptisms of fire, with these largely tied to their appropriate theme. In the first section of "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man", Joyce chooses to introduce a defined and easily recognizable Baptism of Fire for Stephen Dedalus, during which the protagonist is subjected to brutal treatment at the hands of from an authority figure: "A burning tingling like the loud crack of a broken stick... burning tears welled up in his eyes... a cry burst from his lips, a prayer to be answered... his body shook with paralyzed with fear and shame and rage he felt the burning scream escape his throat. It was cruel and unfair. This sequence of events, aptly conveyed with equally brutal vocabulary, appears to act as a detrimental catalyst for Stephen's emotional and moral progression: after this point, he becomes confused about the true meaning of his punishment and tries to escape. sure and begins to wonder. his faith in adults and in God. This idea is illustrated in a later quote: “His soul had risen from the grave of his childhood, casting off his grave clothes. » This quote shows how momentous this event was in Stephen's life and how, throughout the novel, he is oppressed by its memory. On the other hand, Bennett chooses not to display a clear and original baptism of fire, opting instead for a multitude of episodes to evoke one, notably in the Oxbridge interview process and the pressure placed on the students who accompanies: “Look, I’m an asshole. *not that at all. Sorry." This defeatist comment from Rudge illustrates the tortuous nature of entering the adult world. This contrasts with the self-confidence of the other students and shows that Bennett, by using an array of characters, is trying to induce a feeling of realism in the play This reinforces the sense that "History Boys" involves a routine, organized struggle, as opposed to the irregular struggle employed by Joyce. It also confirms that Joyce's novel is a singular experience, while the play. by Bennett is multiple. In “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” Joyce focuses solely on the growth of an individual and conveys this by including the reader in Stephen's inner monologue: “Through this image, he had a glimpse of a strange dark cavern of speculation, but immediately turned away from it, feeling that it was not yet time to enter it. In this quote, the author describes Stephen as considering himself immature. , untrained and, therefore, incapable of confronting elements of thought and intellectualism, an insecurity that is an element of growth, a rite of passage. Through the use of a single character, it is clear that Joyce wanted to create a later, higher level of involvement andof empathy from the reader and thus humanize the protagonist: “The yellow drops were dug like a chasm and the pool below brought to his memory the dark grass-colored water of the Clongowes bath. This quote, which contrasts with the intellectual discussions of the previous pages, adds a greater dimension of realism to the protagonist. Joyce wanted above all to describe the emergence of the "artist", for example, as Jonathan Murooney says in "Stephen Dedalus and the Politics of Confession": "The portrait of Stephen is at the same time the portrait, such as Joyce conceived, of the attempt of the Irish artist to escape from cultural subjection to access a possibility of economic development and intellectual freedom. This may be related to the fact that Joyce named his protagonist Dedalus (from Daedalus), who in classical mythology built the labyrinth in which the Minotaur resided, which contrasts with Joyce's Dedalus' escape. Bennett's play, set in a more "enlightened" era, the 1980s, does not use any specific person with whom the audience can measure the tribulations of the rites of passage undertaken. However, one character, Posner, somewhat resembles Stephen Dedalus. Throughout the play, the audience becomes aware of a series of very specific problems experienced by Posner: “I am Jewish. I'm small. I am homosexual. And I live in Sheffield. I'm screwed. This quote illustrates Bennett's characteristic sense of humor, but also shows the author making a serious comment about the classes and social systems that the boys will have to overcome, which is also shown by Bennett's full range of characters: black , white, Jewish, Christian. , Muslim and gay, a rather convenient ethnic mix for Sheffield in the early 1980s. His use of language in this extract also reflects his importance. He uses short, sharp statements one after the other which clearly stick in the audience's mind and which are then coupled with the humor of the last statement and turn out to be very memorable. Thanks to this technique, Bennett manages to explore the rites of passage specific to different groups of people: "Jewish boys are often Jewish, a role which is today increasingly taken over by Asian boys, intelligence being in a "This means, ultimately, that dealing with race is a very important rite of passage in "The History Boys." This multicultural theme is not prevalent in "Portrait of the Artist as a young man", due to its time and context, but the theme of nationality is explored thoroughly by Joyce At the beginning of the novel, Stephen Dedalus's household is dominated by a political debate: "No God for. Ireland! he cried. We have too much God in Ireland Far from God! This argument and its repercussions have a profound effect on Stephen who, because of the conflict raging in his mind, begins to distrust. his own race and his country, but finally comes to a conclusion: “I am going to encounter reality for the millionth time. of experience and forge in the forge of my soul the uncreated consciousness of my race. This, along with his use of metaphor, shows that Stephen has finally realized his role in the world and ultimately has finally reached adulthood and now has a purpose, which contrasts with the ambiguous conclusion of “The History Boys”. . Many have suggested that Stephen's tendentious views mirror those of his creator and have even gone so far as to infer that his work is semi-autobiographical – an idea shared with the "History Boys" and of dubious foundation. Ideas of religion and morality are of primary importance to both authors. In “The.