The Elephant Man Demands of Society in the play Essay

The Elephant Man Demands of Society in the bout - Essay ExampleHowever, the name Elephant Man was mistakenly given as his sobriquet because many theme that he was afflicted with elephantiasis. Born in England in 1862, it became apparent that there was something wrong with him while he was still a toddler. It was during this early stage in his life that disfiguring tumors began to emerge on his face.It was Merricks precept that his reproach was caused by his mothers having been frightened by an elephant. Even this notion was quite ludicrous for Victorian England, barely Merrick stuck to this belief since he was unable to receive ample quality education. His mother died when Merrick was 10 and his stepmother, unable to cope with the childs increment deformity, convinced her husband to throw the boy into the streets. And so at a young age, Merrick had his first orientation of human cruelty and became a street urchin.Merrick was peddling shoe polish by the time he was 12 years old . Still living on the streets, he was not only exposed to the elements only when was also subject to regular taunting, bullying and even persecution. He afterwards became a ward of the republic and was forced to work in a welfare sweatshop.Merricks face and also his body were covered with squat growths and tumors. The tumors were also made up of hard bone. An attempt was made to cut away the excess growths but this ended in failure. Merricks deformity grew through time. People stared and gaped at Merrick wherever he went. Thus, Merrick decided that if they sop up to look, they might as well pay for it and so he began his career as a sideshow crank (Kayser 1966). Merrick remained in the London Hospital until he died mysteriously of suffocation. In a way, he became a frolic of pet monster for the upper-class Victorians. His presence took away their fear of the strange and unusual. The Nature of Joseph MerrickMerrick wrote a picayune autobiography wherein he stated that his expe riences as a sideshow freak was not hurtful. He said that he was treated with the greatest kindness. In contrast, he wrote, it was real life that proved to be hurtful (Daily record 1890). Although brutally exploited as a sideshow freak, Merrick showed his gentleness even among those who persecuted him. He was eventually able to assume widely, learned the arts, visited beautiful places and entertained royalty. As Lady Geraldine Somerset described his gentle nature and circumstance, such a gentle, kindly man, poor thing (Howell & Ford, 1980). Although his physical appearance elicited shudders from the public, his genuinely sterling record made him the perfect fairy tale monstrosity. Merrick was a very ill man and his condition change state through time. The pain became more pronounced and crippling as the disease advanced. He would spend hours seance and staring into emptiness, seemingly despondent as he tapped the fingers of his disfigured right hand on the girdle of his chair or a pillow. Despite his despondent state, Merrick gave hope to his well-wishers reiterating that the world they live in is a good one. He also expressed his gratitude to those who called on himTis true my form is something odd, But blaming me is blaming God Could I create myself anew I would not fail in pleasing you.If I could reach from gat to pole Or grasp the ocean with a span, I would be measured by the nous The minds the standard of the man.(Howard & Ford, 189)In the first verse, Merrick accepts his oddity. But he also does not cast any pick on