Recently Answered Questions
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Major BarbaraIt is important to realise that Undershaft presents an "alternative" gospel and creed on which to base one's life. Just as Cusins is evangelical about his "gospel," so is Undershaft equally zealous...
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Major BarbaraGeorge Bernard Shaw's 1905 play Major Barbara is partly satirical in its attack on weapon sales, and partly serious in its depiction of business as something outside the realm of ethics. Andrew...
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Major BarbaraIn any literary work you are going to encounter a number of possible themes, so I will just respond by talking about one. I have included the link below to the enotes section on the themes of this...
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Major BarbaraGeorge Bernard Shaw is one of the most revered playwrites in history, and his cynical comedies invariably reflected the values of the time. In reading the play, one could come away from it...
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Major BarbaraHello! Undershaft is a wealthy arms industrialist. He is unapologetic about his work and his wealth. He tells Lomax that the Salvation Army's motto of "Blood and Fire" might well be his own. How...
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Major BarbaraWell, to a certain extent, these two characters are juxtaposed in their differences. Stephen, we are told, is a "gravely correct young man" who seems to be burdened by his sense of morality in the...
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Major BarbaraGreat question! There is a sense in which the Barbara at the end of this play is more of a realist compared to her feelings and thinking at the beginning of the play, in particular through the way...
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Major BarbaraBarbara in this excellent play rebels in lots of ways against the traditional feminine roles imposed on her and against the class that she has been born into. Note how she is born into an upper...
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Major BarbaraOne of the many situational ironies of Major Barbara is that Barbara is very much her father’s daughter in character and energy. In her work in the Salvation Army, she is concerned with saving...
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Major BarbaraRummy Mitchens: She is an example of the failure of the Salvation Army and what was known as `souperism` – using food to bribe people to convert to evangelical religion. Although she takes the food...
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Major BarbaraMajor Barbara’s rebellion must be seen not only in light of the construction of the “new woman” as a rebellion against gender but also as a class rebellion.The Salvation Army would have struck...
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Major BarbaraWomen were expected to stay at home until they were married, and then become housewives. They certainly never did anything for themselves or made any decisions. Women who did were considered...
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Major BarbaraFrom the beginning of the play, it is shown that Cusins`attraction to Greek and to Euripides is the Dionysiac strain. As a professor, Cusins can only experience this vicariously and his ideals can...
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Major BarbaraMusic was a significant part of George Bernard Shaw's life. His mother was a serious amateur musician, and music was very much part of his household when he was growing up in Dublin. Shaw actually...
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Major BarbaraWhat are your questions? Remember that this website requires you to ask one question alone, and to make sure this question is as specific as possible. Following these rules helps us as editors to...
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Major BarbaraWell, let us remember that it is notoriously difficult to identify what an "average" 19th century woman looked like. However, it is also clear that Barbara clearly defied the various expectations...