Essay Instructions: This paper is sort of a mini research paper combine the information of the first two papers(these are below). Write a thesis that presents an idea from your story(from these 2 papers), and support that thesis with the information from the first two sources.(included with the papers)
This paper will be documented, indicate which ideas come from which source by naming the critic and the page it is taken from, i. e. (Yarmove 12), or (Hicks 412).
Include a Works Cited page that includes both sources you used.
Important: please try and find a criticism for the first paper I didn?t use one and it really needs one thank you. Derek
Paper 1
Social Issues and the Myth of Luck in ?Rocking- Horse Winner? by D. H. Lawrence
?Rocking- Horse Winner? is a short story by D. H. Lawrence that illustrates the importance of social status and the myth of luck in Paul?s family, as well as in the society that their family live in. The short story deals with these two important themes, and each theme is dependent on each other, since it is evident, upon reading the text of the short story, that Paul?s family heavily depended on luck to maintain the high social status their family enjoys even though they can barely support themselves financially. The story will focus on Paul?s struggles as he strive to become a ?lucky? individual, driven by the fact that he has to become lucky so that he will be able to generate enough money to give his mother, and to stop the ?whispering? of the voices in their home, wherein it seems that there?s always the need for money, and this bothers not only Paul, but the other people of the house hold as well. This paper will discuss the various points wherein these two themes are effectively illustrated thru the characters in the story.
The first part of the short story focuses on the family?s, most especially Hester?s (Paul?s mother), preoccupation and belief in luck, wherein they view that an individual?s status in life can be solely determined on the luck a person has. Paul, striving to stop the ?unlucky? fate of his family, thought of a way to stop their unfortunate life, and he eventually found solace and ?luck? whenever he is on his riding-horse, which, at the course of the story, was the one who brought him luck. Even at the end of his life, as he was dying of brain fever, Paul still sought his mother?s approval and confirmation that he indeed, is lucky, despite the unluckiness of his family and the disturbing existence of the ?whispering voices? in their house.
The importance of social status is also effectively illustrated in the story thru the character of Paul?s mother. In the latter part of the story, it becomes apparent that despite their poverty, and the disturbing financial state their family was in, Paul?s mother continues to live extravagantly, most especially when she received the full amount of five thousand dollars ($5,000) that she received when she had her birthday. Paul?s parents? extravagant lifestyle is a reflection of how they still want to attain their status in the society, since they are known as high-class people in their neighborhood, even though the family can barely support their basic needs. It is also important to note that the ?whispering voices? that are always heard in the family?s house symbolizes the people who may be ?whispering? or talking behind the family?s back about the family?s financial problems. The people who continue to criticize Paul?s family is what bothers them, and it is symbolized by the unknown, whispering voices that Paul and his family kept on hearing even during times of sudden prosperity (due to Paul?s ?luck? in winning the horse races).
Through the short story, Lawrence was able to discuss the issues that plague a society, particularly Paul?s society. The ?Rocking-Horse Winner? is an example of man?s preoccupation with wealth and luck, linking both phenomena, which, apparently, is not possible. Luck is obviously an important theme here, since it becomes clear that Paul?s wealth and tragic death is all due to his ambition to have luck. In the same way, his family continues to suffer because they believe that they are all unfortunate, unlucky individuals, all because of their financial troubles, and they forgot to attribute their misfortunes to their negative attitudes and extravagant lifestyle. As a result, the family became unknown with each other, most especially the children and their parents, leaving Paul in the company of his uncle, Oscar Cresswell, and Bassett, the young gardener of Cresswell. The story ended ironically, with Paul?s mother having the eighty thousand dollars that Paul won in the race, but Paul finally receiving a peaceful, yet unlucky end to his life through death by brain fever.
WORKS CITED
Lawrence, D. H. E-text of ?Rocking- Horse Winner.? 12 July 2002 .
The link above is not a criticism of ?The Rocking-Horse Winner? please try to find one that will fit in. thank you.
Paper 2
A Look at Luck in ?The Rocking Horse Winner?
?The Rocking Horse Winner,? by D.H. Lawrence, is an informative story about luck and one?s own fortune. In this story, Lawrence attempts to illustrate how one can guide one?s own fate, instead of allowing things to happen to yourself. He believes that the only person that affects what happens to someone is really that person himself. ?Everything is what you make of it,? is Lawrence?s message to the reader. By his use of characterization, instructional images, and irony in ?The Rocking Horse Winner,? D.H. Lawrence attempts to convey to the reader that success and luck are not something that one simply waits for to arrive, but things that one must works to achieve.
Lawrence uses to contrasting characters to help convey his point, namely those of the boy Paul, and his mother, Hester. Paul, according to the story, is lucky, whereas his mother is not. It was not simply decided upon that it would be this way, but each character had a hand in how they would end up. Paul?s mother allowed herself to be resigned to the fact that fate had dealt her an unlucky hand. Though she had three wonderful children, she could not love them. Though she had a roof over her head, she was not content, and yet she did nothing to change this besides wait for the difference that never came. The story says that Hester ?wanted to be first in something, and did not succeed,? and when she did not succeed, she moved on instead of working towards her goal. Paul, on the other hand, learned very quickly that if he is to succeed, he must have dedication. Paul applied himself at his task, and did not let up until he achieved satisfaction. Despite the fact that it ultimately was the cause of his untimely death, it at least can be said of him that he achieved what he applied himself to. The young boy?s character was such that he understood that effort equals results.
Lawrence also uses a few well placed images to show the reader the difference between working for one?s money and then investing it wisely, and squandering money that one does not know the value of. The first set of images includes Paul furiously rocking away at his riding the wooden horse, ?Paul convinced himself that he could satisfy his mother''s definition of luck, and that his rocking horse would show him how? (Gregory 2), to find ?where there is luck.? Paul understood that if he were to succeed, he would have to work, despite what people said about his work. This knowledge also gave him a sense of the value of any money he collected. Another of the first group of images includes Paul?s method of investment of his gains. Because of the effort he had to expend, he was not about to spend his money unwisely. Instead, he invested it in sure deals, always being cautious when he was ?not quite sure.? He even kept a reserve in case of the unthinkable. The second set of images includes Hester, who receives her money without having to work for it, getting no sense of it?s worth. ?Hester is not content with a few thousand pounds. After making some major purchases and house redecorating, Paul''s winnings are soon just a memory, and his mother begins complaining once again?(Gregory 3). Hester squanders this money because she does not know any better, and it will take the life of her son to figure out the wrong of her ways. Without the effort it takes to achieve them, the products are useless, as Hester discovers.
Lawrence also employs irony in his story to illustrate how these lessons are learned. Paul, who is an example of what dedication can produce, only learns this by watching his mother, who has not yet learned the lesson. He sees what little money they have because of her, and how she sits waiting for good things to happen to her, though they do not. From his mother?s resignation and its results, Paul learns what he must do if he wants to succeed. He learns from his mother?s mistakes, what the right thing to do is. Hester learns from her own mistakes, but only with Paul?s example, and death. She discovers the poor boy rocking himself into unconsciousness on the horse, and only understands the significance and importance of his exertion upon his death. Paul?s mother, the inadvertent teacher, becomes the student, only to lose her teacher.
Works Cited
Gregory, Tracy. Was Paul Lucky in D.H. Lawrence?s ?The Rocking-Horse Winner??
The Paper Store, February 2001.
Criticism: for paper 2
Research Document
Luck in D.H. Lawrence''s Short Story, "The Rocking-Horse Winner": A 5 page paper which considers whether or not protagonist Paul is lucky. Bibliography lists 6 sources. TGdlrock.wps
Was Paul Lucky in D.H. Lawrence''s "The Rocking-Horse Winner?"
By Tracy Gregory, For The Paper Store - February 2001
VISIT www.paperwriters.com/aftersale.htm --
for more information on using this paper properly!
Webster''s New World College Dictionary defines luck as, "good fortune, success, prosperity" (Neufeldt 803). The characters in D.H. Lawrence''s short story, "The Rocking-Horse Winner" define luck in terms of money. If a person is lucky, it is someone who always finds ways of making money; the person who struggles to make ends meet is, therefore, unlucky. The opening sentence of "The Rocking-Horse Winner" reads, "There was a woman who was beautiful, who started with all the advantages, yet she had no luck" (Lawrence 921). Hester, the mother of the story''s youthful protagonist, Paul, equates prosperity with the acquisition of material possessions. She and her husband are constantly living beyond their means in their efforts to "keep up with the Joneses." Paul is constantly hearing a chorus of voices crying out, "There must be more money" (Lawrence 921).
Naturally, Paul concludes that money is what his family needs to change its run of bad luck. He goes on a quest to determine for himself the meaning of luck, and to prove to his parents that unlike them, he is lucky. First, he confuses luck with lucre, believing luck and money are synonymous because his Uncle Oscar often refers to "filthy lucre" (Lawrence 922). His mother explains that luck is "what causes you to have money. If you''re lucky you have money. That''s why it''s better to be born lucky than rich. If you''re rich, you may lose your money. But if you''re lucky, you will always get more money" (922). It is important to understand that it is Paul''s complex relationship with his mother which fuels his single-minded obsession with luck and being regarded as lucky. One critic has compared Paul''s relationship with his mother to that of Oedipus, describing it as a type of "emotional incest" (Bump 61). Paul has an all-consuming need for his mother''s approval, and the only way he can succeed is by changing their bad luck to good. His mother has repeatedly held her husband responsible for their financial woes, condemning him as "very unlucky" (Lawrence 922). Because his father has let her down, Paul believes it is up to him to change the family''s luck or "good fortune." It is a tremendous emotional burden to be placed on a boy so young.
Paul ponders what to do by riding for hours on his wooden rocking horse, inducing an almost hypnotic state. Lawrence wrote, "He went off by himself, vaguely, in a childish way, seeking for the clue to ''luck''... He wanted luck, he wanted it, he wanted it" (923). In a child''s mind, wanting something so badly can make it happen. Paul convinced himself that he could satisfy his mother''s definition of luck, and that his rocking horse would show him how. Lawrence masterfully depicts a child''s reasoning with the simple observation that Paul "knew the horse could take him to where there was luck" (923).
Suddenly, a solution comes to him. While Paul is rendered trance-like after convulsively riding back and forth on his rocking horse, he is able to predict the winners of horse races. His Uncle Oscar is a bit skeptical of his nephew''s powers of prognostication, at least until his predictions start bringing in money. Thanks to the information he is supposedly receiving from his rocking horse, Paul always seems to know the name of the winning horse. The more he wins, the more addicted to playing the ponies the boy becomes. However, his success at the track must be kept secret, for gambling was not an activity in which a good Christian lad should be engaging. When she receives her birthday surprise from Paul, some five-thousand pounds, Hester has no idea that the extra money is the result of gambling, nor does she seem to care (Sidorkin 229). For her, luck is the means to a positive end, which is money. In her view, as long as there is money, and lots of it, the end, no matter how it is achieved, always justifies the means.
Paul genuinely believes that his gift of prophecy (with a little help from his nameless rocking horse) makes him a lucky person, and that his mother can now be content in this knowledge that, at last, "Lady Luck" is smiling upon them. However, Hester is not content with a few thousand pounds. After making some major purchases and house redecorating, Paul''s winnings are soon just a memory, and his mother begins complaining once again, "There must be more money" (Lawrence 928). Paul is in disbelief. He had proven he was lucky by picking more than one winner, which satisfied his mother''s criteria for luck, and yet she was still treating him as if he were as unlucky as his father. Why?
Hester''s domination of Paul was so total, he could think of nothing else but to pick the winner of horse-racing''s ultimate prize, the Derby. What a stroke of luck that would be! Day and night, young Paul thought of nothing else. He would ride the rocking horse incessantly, working himself into a wild frenzy. He needed his mother''s love at all costs, and he was willing to do anything to get it. The only was, in his mind, was to demonstrate once and for all that he was lucky. Eventually, Paul''s obsession with picking a Derby winner got the best of him, and before his collapse with what was described as "brain-fever," he declared, "It''s Malabar!" (Lawrence 930) Malabar was a horse whose odds were fourteen to one. If he won the Derby, the family would have more money than they ever dreamed of.
But Paul would not live to share his family''s moment of triumph. He was slowly ebbing away, and his devastated mother remained steadfastly by his bedside. As he slipped in and out of consciousness, Paul would repeatedly murmur to her, "Do you think I''m lucky, mother? I knew Malabar, didn''t I? Over eighty thousand pounds! I call that lucky, don''t you, mother?... I never told you, mother, that if I can ride my horse, and get there, then I''m absolutely sure - oh, absolutely! Mother, did I ever tell you? I am lucky" (931). Three days after the onset of his brain attack, the boy was dead, leaving his mother both bereft and confused.
Although in his final words, Paul proclaimed himself lucky, was he really? True, he had impressively succeeded in predicting winning horses with regularity, had substantially increased his family''s fortune, and most significantly to Paul, he believed that he had at last satisfactorily lived up to his mother''s concept of luck. However, Hester''s contention was a "misleading assumption that it all depended on luck" (Goller The "Lucky" Mother of The Rocking-Horse Winner). Paul placed all his emphasis on satisfying his mother''s expectations. By relying solely upon his mother''s definition of the term, Paul failed to define luck for himself. He mistakenly interprets luck as synonymous with happiness, and when he convinces himself he can control luck through knowledge, he is "destroyed" (Snodgrass 191). Paul staked his life to prove to his mother that he was lucky. But by being denied that which he valued most highly -- his mother''s respect -- Paul proved most unlucky in the end.
WORKS CITED
Bump, Jerome. "D.H. Lawrence and Family Systems Theory. Renascence 44(1) (1991): 61-80.
Goller, Carlos C. The "Lucky" Mother of the Rocking-Horse Winner. 12 February 2001. http://www.wpi.edu/~cgoller/Projects/rocking_horse.htm
Lawrence, D.H. "The Rocking-Horse Winner." Fiction 100: An Anthology of Short Stories (Fifth Edition). Pickering, James H., Ed. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1988, 921-931.
Neufeldt, Victoria (Editor). Webster?s New World College Dictionary. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1996.
Sidorkin, Alexander M. "Carnival and Domination: Pedagogies of Neither Care Nor Justice." Educational Theory 47(2) (1997): 229-238.
Snodgrass, W.D. "A Rocking Horse: The Symbol, the Pattern, the Way to Live." Hudson Review 11(2) (1958): 191-200.
