Critical analysis essay over Wolfhall by Hillary Mantel
6 views 0 purchase
Course
Engels
Level
VWO / Gymnasium
Book
Wolf Hall
A very comprehensive analysis essay at VWO level that expands Thomas Pynchon's book Inherent vice and puts it in context by linking with the characters in the book, the writer and the society described. Includes reference list.
Critical analysis essay over Wolf Hall by Hillary Mantel
All for this textbook (2)
Written for
Secondary school
VWO / Gymnasium
Engels
5
All documents for this subject (932)
Seller
Follow
Sosa01
Reviews received
Content preview
The Reoccurrence of Centuries Old
Politics
Nowadays the Netherlands is a democracy and so are many other countries all over
the world. Earlier this month there were elections in America and there were a lot of
political tactics used by both parties to win this election “war”. In the time when the
novel Wolf Hall takes place, five centuries ago, there is no such thing as democracy.
England is a monarchy with as king Henry VIII. He rules England between 1509 and
1547 and uses some specific political strategies to gain and keep power. It seems
that the political strategies used in both time periods are extremely different, but they
are much more alike than you might guess. King Henry VIII used similar political
strategies in the book Wolf Hall as Donald Trump uses in 2020 to gain and keep
power.
The firstly, the fact that in the book Wolf Hall king Henry VIII appoints people who
agree with his views, but when they are of no use to him anymore, he somehow gets
rid of them. King Henry VIII had many advisers to keep the kingdom together for him.
Those people were very powerful in the kingdom and had much influence on the
king, but when they disagreed with the king too much he would find a way to get rid
of them. A great example for this is Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey was the person who
practically ruled the kingdom and who did everything in his power to get what the
king wanted. When he failed to annul the marriage between king Henry and Queen
Catherine his role was taken from him.
“They arrived on a Sunday, two vengeful grandees: the Duke of Norfolk a
bright-eyed hawk, the Duke of Suffolk just as keen. They told the cardinal he
was dismissed as Lord Chancellor, and demanded he hand over the Great
Seal of England.” (p.1, Mantel, 2009).
This quote shows how easily one of the most influential people of the entire kingdom
is stripped from his role when the king wants to do so. Something similar happened
with Donald Trump and Steve Bannon. As told in the article from BBC News (2020)
Steve Bannon was in 2017 the Chief Strategist and Senior Counsellor of Donald
Trump, but when he left critical comments about Trump and his family he
immediately lost his job and got discredited. This shows that Trump, just like Henry
VIII, does not really care if someone is capable of ruling a country as long as they are
loyal to him.
Henry VIII had many problems he had to deal with, but with most of them he didn’t
deal himself. He let his advisors deal with important, but also less important manners.
First the kings most important advisor was Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey spent a lot of
time trying to annul the marriage between Henry and Catherine.
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Sosa01. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.40. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
