" 'I think I'm too old for fun,' said Zoe" -pg 358
I could probably talk about this girl's problems for hours. She is bizarre. For the sake of brevity, I will focus on her most obvious characteristic: sarcasm/irony. I put these two together because they ironic comments and jokes that she makes, but she makes them in such a way and with such a tone that they are much more sarcastic than they are ironic.
I'm no shrink, but my unofficial diagnostic of Zoe is that she is that she feels the need to make all sorts of bizarre jokes be so eccentric to cover up some sort of awkwardness or confusion that she can't get rid of. She makes jokes about everything, whether it be serious, stupid, silly, or all of the above. She refuses to take herself or anyone seriously. This is what makes her so entertaining, but also so frustrating. I can't help but love her, because she is hilarious, but at the same time I just want her to take off the bonehead and be normal for a while.
The men that have been her life are the best example of this. True, the men weren't necessarily good men that she pushed away, but she certainly didn't take any of her relationships seriously. She was constantly brushing things off, such as pregnancies and ants, rather than talking about them or pursuing them seriously. I think with Earl on the balcony, she comes to a peak of weirdness. She actually performs a physical act of what she usual does with words- pushing others away.
In all of these ways, her irony becomes biting sarcasm and gives real meaning to her bonehead costume.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
A ten year old and his father walk into a bar.... (Structure)
"I knew Father was quite capable of lingering there till night fall. I knew I might have to bring him hone, blind drunk, down Blarney Lane, with all the old women at their doors, saying: 'Mick Delaney is on it again.' I knew that my mother would be half crazy with anxiety; that next day Father wouldn't go out to work; and before the end of the week she would be running down to the pawn with the clock under her shawl. I could never get over the lonesomeness of the kitchen without a clock." -pg 346-347
The kid in this story spends a lot of time making predictions. He notices patterns that emerge in the people around, especially his father, and then makes predictions out of them. In the very beginning, he relays the pattern of his father's drunk and sober cycle. He recognizes the warning signs and carefully marks them as the funeral progresses. At the quote above, he has just entered the bar with his Father and can already tell the reader exactly what is about to happen. This is probably why we don't see the ending coming. The entire story is structured with predictions followed by events. We have expected the Father to get drunk since the first page, but the boy is the one who ends up stumbling down the alley cursing at women. A lot of the humor in this story originates from the unexpected nature that comes from the sly structure of the author.
The kid in this story spends a lot of time making predictions. He notices patterns that emerge in the people around, especially his father, and then makes predictions out of them. In the very beginning, he relays the pattern of his father's drunk and sober cycle. He recognizes the warning signs and carefully marks them as the funeral progresses. At the quote above, he has just entered the bar with his Father and can already tell the reader exactly what is about to happen. This is probably why we don't see the ending coming. The entire story is structured with predictions followed by events. We have expected the Father to get drunk since the first page, but the boy is the one who ends up stumbling down the alley cursing at women. A lot of the humor in this story originates from the unexpected nature that comes from the sly structure of the author.
The Most Fair Unfairness (Point of View)
" 'It wasn't fair' Tessie said. " - pg 269
The concept of fairness is the main topic examined in the short story "The Lottery". Since the catch in the plot doesn't occur until the very end -where Tessie is stoned- the story seems very normal, and even boring. The process of organizing the lottery is very methodical, and clearly built on many years of tradition. Old Man Warner, the largest proponent for the lottery's continuation, claims this was his seventy seventh year of participating in the lottery. People are excited, children are present, everything seems normal. Until a woman is killed. By the time I finished the story, there were two things that immediately made me protest (besides the obvious).
The first was the irony of so fairly choosing a victim for an unfair death. The second was how no one even thought to question the fairness of the fate that the lottery's victim had to face. This is where point of view came into action. The thoughts or opinions of one particular character were never thoroughly elaborated upon. A few characters, such as Old Man Warner and Tessie Hutchinson, were narrowed in one to provide general opinions, but they represented the attitude of the whole congregation and only helped specify that attitude. The point of view was of an entire town completing one act in unison and agreement. This point of view was unique, and slightly disturbing. It created the possibility that when people are in such agreement, they can make the most unfair slaughter seem normal.
The concept of fairness is the main topic examined in the short story "The Lottery". Since the catch in the plot doesn't occur until the very end -where Tessie is stoned- the story seems very normal, and even boring. The process of organizing the lottery is very methodical, and clearly built on many years of tradition. Old Man Warner, the largest proponent for the lottery's continuation, claims this was his seventy seventh year of participating in the lottery. People are excited, children are present, everything seems normal. Until a woman is killed. By the time I finished the story, there were two things that immediately made me protest (besides the obvious).
The first was the irony of so fairly choosing a victim for an unfair death. The second was how no one even thought to question the fairness of the fate that the lottery's victim had to face. This is where point of view came into action. The thoughts or opinions of one particular character were never thoroughly elaborated upon. A few characters, such as Old Man Warner and Tessie Hutchinson, were narrowed in one to provide general opinions, but they represented the attitude of the whole congregation and only helped specify that attitude. The point of view was of an entire town completing one act in unison and agreement. This point of view was unique, and slightly disturbing. It created the possibility that when people are in such agreement, they can make the most unfair slaughter seem normal.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
King Solomon
"But he would not let go. He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard. In this manner, the issue was decided". -pg 345
This story reminded me of the story about the two women who come to King Solomon, both claiming that one particular child was theirs. In reality, one woman had accidentally smothered her baby and was trying to claim the other child as her own. As both were newborns, it was a difficult issue to settle. Solomon offered to cut the baby in half, for surely that was the fairest way to settle the matter. One woman (not the mother) was alright with that idea, but the other (the real mother) told him the other woman could have the baby, as long as it went unharmed. King Solomon then gave the baby to the second woman for she truly cared about it. Comparing these two stories led me to discover several meanings or morals behind "Popular Mechanics".
Firstly, the two characters in the story go unnamed, which conveys the feeling that this situation (not exact situation, but similar) happens to quite a few people. These situations are ones that involve a decision that is difficult to decide fairly, often with a person or thing caught in the middle. In these cases, the fairest decision is not always the right one. Or the fair decision ends up hurting the one that was intended to be protected. Either way, the woman who give up her child will always be smarter than the fools in this story that pulled their child apart.
This story reminded me of the story about the two women who come to King Solomon, both claiming that one particular child was theirs. In reality, one woman had accidentally smothered her baby and was trying to claim the other child as her own. As both were newborns, it was a difficult issue to settle. Solomon offered to cut the baby in half, for surely that was the fairest way to settle the matter. One woman (not the mother) was alright with that idea, but the other (the real mother) told him the other woman could have the baby, as long as it went unharmed. King Solomon then gave the baby to the second woman for she truly cared about it. Comparing these two stories led me to discover several meanings or morals behind "Popular Mechanics".
Firstly, the two characters in the story go unnamed, which conveys the feeling that this situation (not exact situation, but similar) happens to quite a few people. These situations are ones that involve a decision that is difficult to decide fairly, often with a person or thing caught in the middle. In these cases, the fairest decision is not always the right one. Or the fair decision ends up hurting the one that was intended to be protected. Either way, the woman who give up her child will always be smarter than the fools in this story that pulled their child apart.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Paralyzed (Dynamic Character)
"She stood up in a sudden impulse of terror. Escape! She must escape! Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love, too. But she wanted to live. Why should she be unhappy? She had a right to happiness. Frank would taker her in his arms, fold her in his arms. He would save her." -pg 221
Eveline does a lot of self examination in this story. She examines first her life at home and her family. It is hard, but it is all she has even known, and leaving it would cause her sadness. But, in the passage quoted above, further examination leads her to change. This change is what makes her a dynamic character. When weighing her options between Frank and the life he offers her and the life she already has, she realizes she must get out. Her mother was once trapped in this life, and the memories of her mother help her realize how she needs to change her situation. She physically changes from a sitting position to a standing position. Her physical actions relate how the new realizations she has made are changing her mind.
However, we know that Eveline could not go through with her decision made in this passage. She was paralyzed with fear. This fear was not of Frank, or even of him possibly disappointing her. It was a fear of the unknown. Her new found decisiveness and bravery were no match for this fear, and her decision was gone. Nevertheless, I truly believe that she underwent a change. Maybe she didn't go with Frank on the voyage, but she knows now that her life doesn't have to be as hard as it is. This change, although not complete and slightly disappointing, makes Eveline a dynamic character.
Eveline does a lot of self examination in this story. She examines first her life at home and her family. It is hard, but it is all she has even known, and leaving it would cause her sadness. But, in the passage quoted above, further examination leads her to change. This change is what makes her a dynamic character. When weighing her options between Frank and the life he offers her and the life she already has, she realizes she must get out. Her mother was once trapped in this life, and the memories of her mother help her realize how she needs to change her situation. She physically changes from a sitting position to a standing position. Her physical actions relate how the new realizations she has made are changing her mind.
However, we know that Eveline could not go through with her decision made in this passage. She was paralyzed with fear. This fear was not of Frank, or even of him possibly disappointing her. It was a fear of the unknown. Her new found decisiveness and bravery were no match for this fear, and her decision was gone. Nevertheless, I truly believe that she underwent a change. Maybe she didn't go with Frank on the voyage, but she knows now that her life doesn't have to be as hard as it is. This change, although not complete and slightly disappointing, makes Eveline a dynamic character.
Paralyzed (Dynamic Character)
"She stood up in a sudden impulse of terror. Escape! She must escape! Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love, too. But she wanted to live. Why should she be unhappy? She had a right to happiness. Frank would taker her in his arms, fold her in his arms. He would save her." -pg 221
Eveline does a lot of self examination in this story. She examines first her life at home and her family. It is hard, but it is all she has even known, and leaving it would cause her sadness. But, in the passage quoted above, further examination leads her to change. This change is what makes her a dynamic character. When weighing her options between Frank and the life he offers her and the life she already has, she realizes she must get out. Her mother was once trapped in this life, and the memories of her mother help her realize how she needs to change her situation. She physically changes from a sitting position to a standing position. Her physical actions relate how the new realizations she has made are changing her mind.
However, we know that Eveline could not go through with her decision made in this passage. She was paralyzed with fear. This fear was not of Frank, or even of him possibly disappointing her. It was a fear of the unknown. Her new found decisiveness and bravery were no match for this fear, and her decision was gone. Nevertheless, I truly believe that she underwent a change. Maybe she didn't go with Frank on the voyage, but she knows now that her life doesn't have to be as hard as it is. This change, although not complete and slightly disappointing, makes Eveline a dynamic character.
Eveline does a lot of self examination in this story. She examines first her life at home and her family. It is hard, but it is all she has even known, and leaving it would cause her sadness. But, in the passage quoted above, further examination leads her to change. This change is what makes her a dynamic character. When weighing her options between Frank and the life he offers her and the life she already has, she realizes she must get out. Her mother was once trapped in this life, and the memories of her mother help her realize how she needs to change her situation. She physically changes from a sitting position to a standing position. Her physical actions relate how the new realizations she has made are changing her mind.
However, we know that Eveline could not go through with her decision made in this passage. She was paralyzed with fear. This fear was not of Frank, or even of him possibly disappointing her. It was a fear of the unknown. Her new found decisiveness and bravery were no match for this fear, and her decision was gone. Nevertheless, I truly believe that she underwent a change. Maybe she didn't go with Frank on the voyage, but she knows now that her life doesn't have to be as hard as it is. This change, although not complete and slightly disappointing, makes Eveline a dynamic character.
People Watcher Extraordinaire (Indirect Characterization)
"She had become really quite expert, she thought, at listening as though she didn't listen, at sitting in other people's lives just for a minute while they talked around her." -pg 183
Miss Brill is perhaps the most talkative person that I have ever met (read about) that actually doesn't do that much talking. The stream of her consciousness is hard to follow, elaborate, and constantly observant. She is the queen bee of all people watchers and her thoughts reflect that. Interestingly enough, none of her thoughts are directed on herself. Certainly, they involve her ermine toque, her fellow "actors", and even her role "on stage", but never anything specific about who she is, what her life is like, or what her circumstances are. The author drops a few hints about her occupation, but that is it. The readers are left to decide who she is based on her opinions of others.
What I determined from the most indirect characterization I have ever read was that Miss Brill is perhaps the most eccentric and peculiar character of all (even Bartelby). Her thoughts are based on reality, but imaginative and full of imagery and figurative language which compares her comrades of Sunday with many things and ultimately a play acted onstage. What I gather about Miss Brill herself is that she is a single, middle aged to old, lonely woman who desires nothing more than companionship. She lives vicariously throught the thrills she witnesses and makes up in her head. Toward the end of the story, she is confronted with a harsh dose of reality that makes her see the other Sunday people as they really are: flawed, rude, normal people. The loss of her most joyful muse causes even her ermine toque to weep.
Things That Go Bump In the Night
"A creaking of the kind made by the weight carried by one foot after another along a wooden floor. I listened. I felt the apertures of my ears distend with concentration. Again: the creaking. I was waiting for it; waiting to hear if it indicated that feet were moving from room to room, coming up the passage - to my door." -pg 231
We've all had that fear of the sounds at night that we can't quite identify. Imagination becomes our enemy in the night. It produces people and things that don't exist, and definitely don't belong in our houses. The author here is experiencing one of these moments. I found it interesting that the author was a character in the story, which even included a short discussion of her life as author. Nevertheless, as in most cases, sleep evades her. In order to fall asleep, and console her fears, she tells herself a bedtime story that is unsettling to most, but in her perspective is comforting.
The story about the parents who accidentally killed their son while trying their hardest to protect him is at first quite disturbing. When considered under the author's excerpt at the beginning; however, it relates a comforting message. The story shows us how there is no reason to go overboard on protecting ourselves with extreme measures and precautions. These measures and precautions can even lead to our downfall. So don't bother setting bars over your window, the burglars will just get in anyway!! This still seems depressing. But in reality, it frees the worrier from worry. What happens will happen and you can't control it or direct it or change it. So don't spend all your money on keeping out what goes bump in the night when its just a mouse.
We've all had that fear of the sounds at night that we can't quite identify. Imagination becomes our enemy in the night. It produces people and things that don't exist, and definitely don't belong in our houses. The author here is experiencing one of these moments. I found it interesting that the author was a character in the story, which even included a short discussion of her life as author. Nevertheless, as in most cases, sleep evades her. In order to fall asleep, and console her fears, she tells herself a bedtime story that is unsettling to most, but in her perspective is comforting.
The story about the parents who accidentally killed their son while trying their hardest to protect him is at first quite disturbing. When considered under the author's excerpt at the beginning; however, it relates a comforting message. The story shows us how there is no reason to go overboard on protecting ourselves with extreme measures and precautions. These measures and precautions can even lead to our downfall. So don't bother setting bars over your window, the burglars will just get in anyway!! This still seems depressing. But in reality, it frees the worrier from worry. What happens will happen and you can't control it or direct it or change it. So don't spend all your money on keeping out what goes bump in the night when its just a mouse.
Too Much of a Good Thing (Irony)
"YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED" - pg 233
The parents that are featured in the short story "Once upon a time" are constantly taking precautions based on warnings, examples, and the advice of others. All their intentions are good. All the advice, warnings, and precautions they hear are true. All they want is to make sure their lifestyle and their child is protected. They have been warned against so manner dangers, but the sign on their fence ironically suggests that it is the would-be hooligans and burglars who should be afraid.
The theme of this story is a classically ironic one: too much of a good thing is a bad thing. The parents in the story guarded their house from dangers in every way possible. The used walls, alarms, bars on their windows, automated gates, and barbed wire. Each of these installations increased their protection from the society they could not control until the last one. The barbed wire atop their wall was the last straw. They had gone too far. With their excessive "good things", they brought the very thing they wished to keep out, in. The last sentence is this: "the bleeding mass of the little boy was hacked out of the security coil with saws, wire-cutters, choppers, and they carried it- the man, the wife, the hysterical trusted housemaid and the weeping gardener- into the house." All the evil they wanted out had come in, due to an ironic twist on an old adage.
The parents that are featured in the short story "Once upon a time" are constantly taking precautions based on warnings, examples, and the advice of others. All their intentions are good. All the advice, warnings, and precautions they hear are true. All they want is to make sure their lifestyle and their child is protected. They have been warned against so manner dangers, but the sign on their fence ironically suggests that it is the would-be hooligans and burglars who should be afraid.
The theme of this story is a classically ironic one: too much of a good thing is a bad thing. The parents in the story guarded their house from dangers in every way possible. The used walls, alarms, bars on their windows, automated gates, and barbed wire. Each of these installations increased their protection from the society they could not control until the last one. The barbed wire atop their wall was the last straw. They had gone too far. With their excessive "good things", they brought the very thing they wished to keep out, in. The last sentence is this: "the bleeding mass of the little boy was hacked out of the security coil with saws, wire-cutters, choppers, and they carried it- the man, the wife, the hysterical trusted housemaid and the weeping gardener- into the house." All the evil they wanted out had come in, due to an ironic twist on an old adage.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Understanding (Irony)
" 'What don't I understand?' I wanted to know. 'Your heritage,' she said. And then she turned to Maggie, kissed her, and said, 'You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It's really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it' " -pg 181
Dee/Wangero comes back to the family that gave her the education that let her get away in the first place, and tells them what they ought to do and what they ought to be. She accuses them of not understanding the heritage and the significance of their old, hand made quilts. Dee/Wangero wants to hang these quilts in some sort of art exhibit. Her family wants to use them for their intended purpose by the people who made them. The irony of what Wangero is saying strikes the reader, who doesn't really understand the significance of Wangero's new attitude and look.
The author's irony delivers a message about respecting the roots which people come from. Dee doesn't respect the heritage of her name, let alone know what it is. However, she decides to make a judgment and changer it to Wangero anyway. She tells Maggie she should make something of herself, but it is a miracle that Maggie even survived the fire that scarred her. The author clearly wants the readers to understand how Dee went wrong, and he does this by using irony.
Dee/Wangero comes back to the family that gave her the education that let her get away in the first place, and tells them what they ought to do and what they ought to be. She accuses them of not understanding the heritage and the significance of their old, hand made quilts. Dee/Wangero wants to hang these quilts in some sort of art exhibit. Her family wants to use them for their intended purpose by the people who made them. The irony of what Wangero is saying strikes the reader, who doesn't really understand the significance of Wangero's new attitude and look.
The author's irony delivers a message about respecting the roots which people come from. Dee doesn't respect the heritage of her name, let alone know what it is. However, she decides to make a judgment and changer it to Wangero anyway. She tells Maggie she should make something of herself, but it is a miracle that Maggie even survived the fire that scarred her. The author clearly wants the readers to understand how Dee went wrong, and he does this by using irony.
Three Idiots
" 'You fat moron,' Frank said. 'You aren't good for diddly.' " -pg 195
Frank, Tub, and Kenny are possible three of the most unlikable characters I have ever read about. They are annoying, stupid, and frankly (haha) quite mean to each other. It's hard to believe most of the time that they are actually friends. Towards the end of the short story (the part where Kenny basically dies), I realized they weren't friends.
Frank was obviously the leader. When he bossed them around, they listened. When Frank got mad, things were serious. However, he did not respect them or lead them in the right direction in return. Rather, he abused his power by either insulting them, leaving one of them to die in the back of a truck, or making one of them think he liked him by feeding him pancakes. There was no genuine friendship. There was only manipulation and bossiness. Kenny and Tub were dumb enough to do follow him. It is hard to tell what is the greater crime: shooting a man, or leading two impressionable people into a situation where something like that would happen.
Frank, Tub, and Kenny are possible three of the most unlikable characters I have ever read about. They are annoying, stupid, and frankly (haha) quite mean to each other. It's hard to believe most of the time that they are actually friends. Towards the end of the short story (the part where Kenny basically dies), I realized they weren't friends.
Frank was obviously the leader. When he bossed them around, they listened. When Frank got mad, things were serious. However, he did not respect them or lead them in the right direction in return. Rather, he abused his power by either insulting them, leaving one of them to die in the back of a truck, or making one of them think he liked him by feeding him pancakes. There was no genuine friendship. There was only manipulation and bossiness. Kenny and Tub were dumb enough to do follow him. It is hard to tell what is the greater crime: shooting a man, or leading two impressionable people into a situation where something like that would happen.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Character By Character (Charcterization)
"At the period just preceding the advent of Bartelby, I had two persons as copyists in my employment and a promising lad as an office boy. First, Turkey; second, Nippers; third, Ginger Nut. These may seem names the like of which are not usually found in the Directory. In truth they wer nicknames mutually conferred upon each other by my three clerks, and were deemed expressive of theire respective persons or characters." -pg 644
Melville builds the basis for his story about one scrivener by first building the foundation for the setting character by character. He starts with the lawyer, describing his manner, personal philosophy, and employment. In the passage above, he moves on to describe the office copyists and the office lad. The characterization of all of these characters is extremely detailed and meticulous. The entirety of Melville's descriptions about these fairly minor characters lasts a little over five pages. After finishing the short story, I considered this exposition somewhat unnecessary, but after examing the events of the novel, I found that the painstakingly detailed charcterization did in fact have a purpose.
Firstly, the characterization of the other characters that come in contact with Bartelby set a foundation for what the current dynamic and regular pattern of the lawyer's office is. Bartelby's actions would seem peculiar on their own, but when compared to the actions of the regular employees, they are bizarre. In addition, the reactions of the characters in response to Bartelby show how Bartelby's inactions have a more profound effect than the readers would initially anticipate. Nipper's is infuriated with Bartelby. Turkey just wants to offer him a drink to help him loosen up a little. Ginger Nut faithfully brings him a snack of ginger nuts everyday. At one point, Turkey and Nipper, and even the lawyer himself, begin to be so affected by Bartelby that they accidentally mimic his faithful word choice "prefer". I noted that Ginger Nut was the one least described by the author and, correspondingly, he is the one who has the least to say about Barelby. The reactions of the more minor characters are understandable because of the meticulous characterizations given at the beginning of the story. These reactions to an inactive person prove how Bartelby truly was the protagonist. In addition, they give purpose to the lengthy characterization of the lawyer, Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut.
Melville builds the basis for his story about one scrivener by first building the foundation for the setting character by character. He starts with the lawyer, describing his manner, personal philosophy, and employment. In the passage above, he moves on to describe the office copyists and the office lad. The characterization of all of these characters is extremely detailed and meticulous. The entirety of Melville's descriptions about these fairly minor characters lasts a little over five pages. After finishing the short story, I considered this exposition somewhat unnecessary, but after examing the events of the novel, I found that the painstakingly detailed charcterization did in fact have a purpose.
Firstly, the characterization of the other characters that come in contact with Bartelby set a foundation for what the current dynamic and regular pattern of the lawyer's office is. Bartelby's actions would seem peculiar on their own, but when compared to the actions of the regular employees, they are bizarre. In addition, the reactions of the characters in response to Bartelby show how Bartelby's inactions have a more profound effect than the readers would initially anticipate. Nipper's is infuriated with Bartelby. Turkey just wants to offer him a drink to help him loosen up a little. Ginger Nut faithfully brings him a snack of ginger nuts everyday. At one point, Turkey and Nipper, and even the lawyer himself, begin to be so affected by Bartelby that they accidentally mimic his faithful word choice "prefer". I noted that Ginger Nut was the one least described by the author and, correspondingly, he is the one who has the least to say about Barelby. The reactions of the more minor characters are understandable because of the meticulous characterizations given at the beginning of the story. These reactions to an inactive person prove how Bartelby truly was the protagonist. In addition, they give purpose to the lengthy characterization of the lawyer, Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut.
Active Inaction (Protagonist)
" 'No: at present I would prefer not to make any change at all." " -pg 671
Bartleby is the most inactive character in the short story "Bartelby the Scrivener". He remains as stationary as possible. He does as little as possible. In fact, as the story progresses, he performs less and less action. At the beginning of the story he at least copies for his employer. After a while, he stops doing his work and merely stands in his hermitage, staring out the window for long stretches at a time. As the lawyer tries to fire him, and even goes as far as to move his office chambers, Bartelby does absolutely nothing beyond his usual response "I would prefer not to."
What is odd about Bartelby's inaction, besides its bizzare immobility, is that it actual ends up driving the story. Somehow, without every actually doing anything, Bartelby drives all the action of the story. All of his employer's actions, thoughts, and conversations all depend on what Bartelby is doing, or rather not doing. The plot all circulates around what Bartelby does not do. Bartelby's role as both protagonist and non-negotiable rock portray hims as an ironic, and even oddly humorous character.
Bartleby is the most inactive character in the short story "Bartelby the Scrivener". He remains as stationary as possible. He does as little as possible. In fact, as the story progresses, he performs less and less action. At the beginning of the story he at least copies for his employer. After a while, he stops doing his work and merely stands in his hermitage, staring out the window for long stretches at a time. As the lawyer tries to fire him, and even goes as far as to move his office chambers, Bartelby does absolutely nothing beyond his usual response "I would prefer not to."
What is odd about Bartelby's inaction, besides its bizzare immobility, is that it actual ends up driving the story. Somehow, without every actually doing anything, Bartelby drives all the action of the story. All of his employer's actions, thoughts, and conversations all depend on what Bartelby is doing, or rather not doing. The plot all circulates around what Bartelby does not do. Bartelby's role as both protagonist and non-negotiable rock portray hims as an ironic, and even oddly humorous character.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Time by Dress Size
"When we next saw Miss Emily, she had grown fat and her hair was turning gray. During the next few years it grew grayer and grayer until it attained an even pepper and salt iron gray, when it ceased turning. Up to the day of her death at seventy-four it was still that vigorous iron gray like the hair of an active man" -pg 288
First off, A Rose for Emily is a weird, twisted, and creeptastic short story. Miss Emily is a woman who suffers great loses in life with the death of her father, then the almost-desertion of her love. Being a recluse and a lunatic, Emily did the only thing that made sense: she killed her lover and kept him in her bedroom so she could lie down next to him and pretend that she had him in life as well as death. Since the story is fairly straightforward, one might think that this ending is not spooky because it is so predictable. However, the climax of the plot where the contents of Miss Emily's house is revealed is not expected the story is not organized like most stories. Emily's life is revealed not in dates, but in by years relative to events. Everything is described as "five years since her father's death" or "twenty years since she had left the house" or "six years before the smell". And since the story isn't in exactly chronological order, this can get quite confusing. What helps the reader not only mark the passage and specific points of time, but also how Miss Emily is doing at that particular time, is the physical description of Emily herself.
When we first meet her, she is skinny and attractive. As the story moves on, she is either varying degrees of fat or skinny, depending on how old she is. Since the author almost always not the size of Miss Emily during specific events in the plot, her dress size can be a more helpful way to mark the passage of time, than time itself. The older, fatter, and more senile Emily gets, the closer the gruesome climax is.
First off, A Rose for Emily is a weird, twisted, and creeptastic short story. Miss Emily is a woman who suffers great loses in life with the death of her father, then the almost-desertion of her love. Being a recluse and a lunatic, Emily did the only thing that made sense: she killed her lover and kept him in her bedroom so she could lie down next to him and pretend that she had him in life as well as death. Since the story is fairly straightforward, one might think that this ending is not spooky because it is so predictable. However, the climax of the plot where the contents of Miss Emily's house is revealed is not expected the story is not organized like most stories. Emily's life is revealed not in dates, but in by years relative to events. Everything is described as "five years since her father's death" or "twenty years since she had left the house" or "six years before the smell". And since the story isn't in exactly chronological order, this can get quite confusing. What helps the reader not only mark the passage and specific points of time, but also how Miss Emily is doing at that particular time, is the physical description of Emily herself.
When we first meet her, she is skinny and attractive. As the story moves on, she is either varying degrees of fat or skinny, depending on how old she is. Since the author almost always not the size of Miss Emily during specific events in the plot, her dress size can be a more helpful way to mark the passage of time, than time itself. The older, fatter, and more senile Emily gets, the closer the gruesome climax is.
Husband My Met I How (deductive)
"He always tells the children the story of how I went after him by sitting by the mailbox every day, and naturally I laugh and let him, because I like for people to think what pleases them and makes them happy." -pg 146
This is the very end of the short story "How I Met My Husband". As clearly seen by connecting the title and the excerpt above, the story of how the protagonist actually met her husband was revealed only at the very end. Most of the story is a long, unnecessary, and not very relevant to the actual husband that the main character ended up marrying. So why go through the laborious tale revolving around the random pilot who had very little to do with the end of the story? It's deductive reasoning. The point of the plot is revealed at the end rather than the beginning. Not only does this route of progression take the reader on the long way to the point, but it provides the actual story part of the story. The story really doesn't end up being about how she met her husband, but a time in her life right before she met her husband. So the story should be more accurately titled: "How I Met The Guy I Dated Before My Husband". Sort of reminds of me of this one tv show.... oh never mind, I can't think of the name.
This is the very end of the short story "How I Met My Husband". As clearly seen by connecting the title and the excerpt above, the story of how the protagonist actually met her husband was revealed only at the very end. Most of the story is a long, unnecessary, and not very relevant to the actual husband that the main character ended up marrying. So why go through the laborious tale revolving around the random pilot who had very little to do with the end of the story? It's deductive reasoning. The point of the plot is revealed at the end rather than the beginning. Not only does this route of progression take the reader on the long way to the point, but it provides the actual story part of the story. The story really doesn't end up being about how she met her husband, but a time in her life right before she met her husband. So the story should be more accurately titled: "How I Met The Guy I Dated Before My Husband". Sort of reminds of me of this one tv show.... oh never mind, I can't think of the name.
Indirect Characterization
"He observed her. She wore a red-and-white-checkered skirt that stopped above her knees, slip-on shoes with a square wooden heel, and a close-fitting blouse styled like a man's undershirt. The blouse was decorate at chest-level with a calico applique in the shape of a strawberry. She was a short woman, with small hands like paws, her frosty pink fingernails painted to match her lips, and was lightly plump in her figure. Her hair, shorn only a little longer than her husband's, was parted far to one side. She was wearing large dark brown sunglasses with a pink-ish tint to them, and carried a big straw bag, almost as big as her torso, shaped like a bowl, with a water bottle poking out of it. She walked slowly, carrying some puffed rice tossed with peanuts and chili peppers in a large packet made from newspapers."
This is the part of the short story where the reader learns about the subject of the story. She is never literally described as rude, snobby, inconsiderate, or negligent to her children. However, somehow, she is given the characterization of the worst connotation the word American can give. Nothing about the descriptions above says anything negative about Mrs. Das, but the reader can tell she has the appearance of a stereotypically ignorant tourist. This persona is only defied when she takes an interest in the life and work of Mr. Kapasi. However, when she confesses that she hates her husband and children, the reader finds out that she had a selfish motive all along to getting to know Mr. Kapasi so well. She expects him to fix her problems, and give her helpful advice.The one characteristic that seemed out of place -her curiosity in Mr. Kapasi's life- turned out to be another part of her flawed personality. Although none of these transitions are ever clearly explained by the author, but it is clearly demonstrated by the indirect characterization of Mrs. Das.
This is the part of the short story where the reader learns about the subject of the story. She is never literally described as rude, snobby, inconsiderate, or negligent to her children. However, somehow, she is given the characterization of the worst connotation the word American can give. Nothing about the descriptions above says anything negative about Mrs. Das, but the reader can tell she has the appearance of a stereotypically ignorant tourist. This persona is only defied when she takes an interest in the life and work of Mr. Kapasi. However, when she confesses that she hates her husband and children, the reader finds out that she had a selfish motive all along to getting to know Mr. Kapasi so well. She expects him to fix her problems, and give her helpful advice.The one characteristic that seemed out of place -her curiosity in Mr. Kapasi's life- turned out to be another part of her flawed personality. Although none of these transitions are ever clearly explained by the author, but it is clearly demonstrated by the indirect characterization of Mrs. Das.
Double Meaning
" 'I have terrible urges, Mr. Kapasi, to throw things away. One day I had the urge to throw everything I own out the window, the television, the children, everything. Don't you think it's unhealthy?' He was silent. 'Mr. Kapasi, don't you have anything to say? I thought that was your job." -pg 163
It is obvious that Mr. Kapasi does not actually love Mrs. Das. He may not even like her. However, he has a particular experience, that makes her interesting and oddly attractive to him. His own wife doesn't love him. So when Mrs. Das wanders into his life and seems to be the American counterpart to his Indian wife. Mrs. Das takes an interest in Mr. Kapasi; perhaps because she doesn't seem to have an interest in anything else. She isn't nice, or even particularly beautiful, but she has what she considers a curable malady, so she presents it to Mr. Kapasi in order to get his attention, which works. She knows he isn't a doctor, and she knows that her problem with her husband isn't actually an injury. But she tells it to him anyway. Here, the title of the short story comes into clearer focus. "Interpreter of Maladies" can be a man who works in a doctor's office, translating medical issues from one language to another. Or, he can be a man who listens to ails of an American's marital life, and offers an insight that is not welcomed. Whether she accepts it as a cure or not is up to her.
It is obvious that Mr. Kapasi does not actually love Mrs. Das. He may not even like her. However, he has a particular experience, that makes her interesting and oddly attractive to him. His own wife doesn't love him. So when Mrs. Das wanders into his life and seems to be the American counterpart to his Indian wife. Mrs. Das takes an interest in Mr. Kapasi; perhaps because she doesn't seem to have an interest in anything else. She isn't nice, or even particularly beautiful, but she has what she considers a curable malady, so she presents it to Mr. Kapasi in order to get his attention, which works. She knows he isn't a doctor, and she knows that her problem with her husband isn't actually an injury. But she tells it to him anyway. Here, the title of the short story comes into clearer focus. "Interpreter of Maladies" can be a man who works in a doctor's office, translating medical issues from one language to another. Or, he can be a man who listens to ails of an American's marital life, and offers an insight that is not welcomed. Whether she accepts it as a cure or not is up to her.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Desperate (Apostrophe)
"though some have called thee/ mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;"
"Death, be not proud" is essentially a long apostrophe to unhuman element of life (yeah, I realize that's ironic, because it's death). The part of this poem that I had to read a few times to figure out was the tone or attitude of the speaker. I came to the conclusion that the speaker was in fact terrified of death, and was merely trying to convince himself through his conversation with death that death need not be feared. I got this tone from all the reasons the speaker uses to try and convince death to restrain it's pride.
"And soonest our best men with thee do go" is one of the first lines trying to dissuade death from its pride. I found this slightly contradictory, because death can claim even the best of men whether they are ready or not. Another line, "And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell" is another line that clearly give death power instead of detracting from it. If death can claim its victims in so many ways, why does the speaker think it should not be proud? The only real argument the speaker has against death is the eternal life that he claims to believe in in this line: "One short sleep passed, we wake eternally,". Yet, even this is not proof, because the speaker has no proof of the afterlife, only an assumption.
All these lines and claims reveal the true, shaky, uncertain, desperate, and ultimately frightened feelings of the speaker.
"Death, be not proud" is essentially a long apostrophe to unhuman element of life (yeah, I realize that's ironic, because it's death). The part of this poem that I had to read a few times to figure out was the tone or attitude of the speaker. I came to the conclusion that the speaker was in fact terrified of death, and was merely trying to convince himself through his conversation with death that death need not be feared. I got this tone from all the reasons the speaker uses to try and convince death to restrain it's pride.
"And soonest our best men with thee do go" is one of the first lines trying to dissuade death from its pride. I found this slightly contradictory, because death can claim even the best of men whether they are ready or not. Another line, "And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell" is another line that clearly give death power instead of detracting from it. If death can claim its victims in so many ways, why does the speaker think it should not be proud? The only real argument the speaker has against death is the eternal life that he claims to believe in in this line: "One short sleep passed, we wake eternally,". Yet, even this is not proof, because the speaker has no proof of the afterlife, only an assumption.
All these lines and claims reveal the true, shaky, uncertain, desperate, and ultimately frightened feelings of the speaker.
Making Headlines (Irony)
"Do you live in North London? Is it you?"
I have been noticing a common theme in poems that have a very noticeable pattern or structure. The repetition of key lines conveys a point the author is trying to especially stress. In "Edward" the point of the all the repetition was which speaker was speaking, and the level of distress the speaker was talking with. In "Lonely Hearts" the significant repetition is placed on the line above and this one: "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" Another is: "Is it you?" The message behind the repetition of these lines in almost every stanza is that the plea of these people in the personal column of the newspaper is intended to be ironic.
The first five stanzas of the poem describe people writing to the newspaper, searching for a significant other they can have a relationship with. The title of the poem "Lonely Hearts" and the fact that so many people are lonely together is ironic, because they in fact are not alone. The placing of these 'lonely' people right next to each other groups them together, refuting the fact they are alone. Also, the repetition of each of these lonely people of the same lines again proves that they are not alone. They all want the same thing and are asking the same questions, which is ironic considering they all consider themselves lonely.
I have been noticing a common theme in poems that have a very noticeable pattern or structure. The repetition of key lines conveys a point the author is trying to especially stress. In "Edward" the point of the all the repetition was which speaker was speaking, and the level of distress the speaker was talking with. In "Lonely Hearts" the significant repetition is placed on the line above and this one: "Can someone make my simple wish come true?" Another is: "Is it you?" The message behind the repetition of these lines in almost every stanza is that the plea of these people in the personal column of the newspaper is intended to be ironic.
The first five stanzas of the poem describe people writing to the newspaper, searching for a significant other they can have a relationship with. The title of the poem "Lonely Hearts" and the fact that so many people are lonely together is ironic, because they in fact are not alone. The placing of these 'lonely' people right next to each other groups them together, refuting the fact they are alone. Also, the repetition of each of these lonely people of the same lines again proves that they are not alone. They all want the same thing and are asking the same questions, which is ironic considering they all consider themselves lonely.
Delight in the Details
"I see a wild civility;/ Do more bewitch me than when art/ Is too precise in every part."
"Delight in Disorder" is a poem that focuses on the little things. The speaker is basically describing an outfit that he particularly likes. Since a petticoat is described in the poem, we can assume that the outfit is on a woman. The reason this poem is so effective in describing how the outfit looks and the way it makes the speaker feel is in the details and the pattern they follow.
The details are arranged in order from head to toe. The little parts of the outfit the speaker describes start with a scarf thrown about the shoulder. Next, he describes a scrap of lace at the waist. Then the speaker describes a "neglected cuff" on the sleeve. The petticoat is described as "tempestuous". Then a undone shoestring catches the speaker's eye. These details are arranged from the top to the bottom, and each are described with delight in the "wantoness" and disorder that the uncivil details create.
"Delight in Disorder" is a poem that focuses on the little things. The speaker is basically describing an outfit that he particularly likes. Since a petticoat is described in the poem, we can assume that the outfit is on a woman. The reason this poem is so effective in describing how the outfit looks and the way it makes the speaker feel is in the details and the pattern they follow.
The details are arranged in order from head to toe. The little parts of the outfit the speaker describes start with a scarf thrown about the shoulder. Next, he describes a scrap of lace at the waist. Then the speaker describes a "neglected cuff" on the sleeve. The petticoat is described as "tempestuous". Then a undone shoestring catches the speaker's eye. These details are arranged from the top to the bottom, and each are described with delight in the "wantoness" and disorder that the uncivil details create.
Truth in Repitition (Structure)
"And what will ye leave to your own mother dear, Edward, Edward, And what will ye leave to your own mother dear? My dear son, now tell me, O. The curse of hell from me shall ye bear, Such counsels you gave to me, O."
My understanding of this poem moved from confused, to curious, to suspicious, to seriously disturbed. At first, I thought this kid just kept having a lot of accidents with his sword. However, by the time he had killed his father, I realized something else was going on. Usually when children have accidents as severe as killing hawks or horses, they don't go straight to their mothers. Kids usually hide these types of incidents from their parents until they absolutely have to tell the truth. The fact that the son kept running to his mother with regrets about what he had done proved that not only was the killings of his own will, but had nothing to hide from his mother.
The key to discerning the meaning of this poem was in the the structure which mainly consisted of repetition. Not only did the repetition of the names of the person being addressed help me understand which person was talking, and to him, but it added distress to the voice of the characters. Also, the repetition of the "O" added even more distress to the words of the son and mother. Not only were phrases repeated, but the events in the poem were repeated with increasing severity. If the poem consisted only of the first and the last stanza, we would probably not be able to realize that the mother was behind the son's actions even though the son alludes to it. The fact that the incidents are repeated, and the son even considers leaving, because of the repeats, increase the probability that the reader will be able to grasp the insidious truth behind the blood on the sword of the son.
My understanding of this poem moved from confused, to curious, to suspicious, to seriously disturbed. At first, I thought this kid just kept having a lot of accidents with his sword. However, by the time he had killed his father, I realized something else was going on. Usually when children have accidents as severe as killing hawks or horses, they don't go straight to their mothers. Kids usually hide these types of incidents from their parents until they absolutely have to tell the truth. The fact that the son kept running to his mother with regrets about what he had done proved that not only was the killings of his own will, but had nothing to hide from his mother.
The key to discerning the meaning of this poem was in the the structure which mainly consisted of repetition. Not only did the repetition of the names of the person being addressed help me understand which person was talking, and to him, but it added distress to the voice of the characters. Also, the repetition of the "O" added even more distress to the words of the son and mother. Not only were phrases repeated, but the events in the poem were repeated with increasing severity. If the poem consisted only of the first and the last stanza, we would probably not be able to realize that the mother was behind the son's actions even though the son alludes to it. The fact that the incidents are repeated, and the son even considers leaving, because of the repeats, increase the probability that the reader will be able to grasp the insidious truth behind the blood on the sword of the son.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Mathematical Death
"When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang... As after sunset fadeth in the west... That on the ashes of his youth doth lie" (lines 2, 6, and 10)
"That time of year" by William Shakespeare is another sonnet that bases it's meaning around a recognizable pattern. The pattern is focused around three quatrains. Sonnets are poems of fourteen lines, but in Shakespeare's the last two lines are separated from the above twelve. From there, the first twelve lines are divided into the three quatrains. In this particular poem, each quatrain is centered around a different image.
Each of the different lines above conveys a different image about death, ending, leaving, or a general departure of any kind. The first is about the turn of season. The death of nature and hibernation of life during the winter . The second talks about how the day ends when the sun goes down. Life sleeps while the sun is down. The third image is about how fire consumes life. Death is brought about when fire destroys the living.
This pattern demonstrates Shakespeare's analysis of death and all its different forms. Not until the two lines at the end do we understand how the almost mathematical structure relates to Shakespeare's meaning. The last two lines say how since death is so imminent, we must love before it comes.
"That time of year" by William Shakespeare is another sonnet that bases it's meaning around a recognizable pattern. The pattern is focused around three quatrains. Sonnets are poems of fourteen lines, but in Shakespeare's the last two lines are separated from the above twelve. From there, the first twelve lines are divided into the three quatrains. In this particular poem, each quatrain is centered around a different image.
Each of the different lines above conveys a different image about death, ending, leaving, or a general departure of any kind. The first is about the turn of season. The death of nature and hibernation of life during the winter . The second talks about how the day ends when the sun goes down. Life sleeps while the sun is down. The third image is about how fire consumes life. Death is brought about when fire destroys the living.
This pattern demonstrates Shakespeare's analysis of death and all its different forms. Not until the two lines at the end do we understand how the almost mathematical structure relates to Shakespeare's meaning. The last two lines say how since death is so imminent, we must love before it comes.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Crossing the Interpretation
"Sunset and evening star,/ And one clear call for me!"
I skimmed "Crossing the Bar" quickly, the way I usually read poems for the first time. Before I went to read the questions that usually give away the meaning of the poem, I stopped to formulate my own cursory interpretation. What I came up with was an analogy between the horizon and death. I assumed the "bar" that was frequently mentioned was the horizon that is the the line -or bar- that can be seen where the sky meets the sea. The "call" the "farewell" of the poem was what I considered death. The crossing of the bar was the when the character passed over the horizon from death to life.
As I moved on to read the questions, I realized my interpretation was far more complicated than the actual meaning. The bar is literally the sandbar (a place where the sand at the bottom rises up, making it very shallow and dangerous for crossing ships) in an ocean. The only part I got right the first time was the death part. The author wants to die by drowning, or at least expects to. He will answer the call and return to his Pilot (God) with his death. My first attempt may have crossed the line, but it was eventually corrected upon further study of "Crossing the Bar".
I skimmed "Crossing the Bar" quickly, the way I usually read poems for the first time. Before I went to read the questions that usually give away the meaning of the poem, I stopped to formulate my own cursory interpretation. What I came up with was an analogy between the horizon and death. I assumed the "bar" that was frequently mentioned was the horizon that is the the line -or bar- that can be seen where the sky meets the sea. The "call" the "farewell" of the poem was what I considered death. The crossing of the bar was the when the character passed over the horizon from death to life.
As I moved on to read the questions, I realized my interpretation was far more complicated than the actual meaning. The bar is literally the sandbar (a place where the sand at the bottom rises up, making it very shallow and dangerous for crossing ships) in an ocean. The only part I got right the first time was the death part. The author wants to die by drowning, or at least expects to. He will answer the call and return to his Pilot (God) with his death. My first attempt may have crossed the line, but it was eventually corrected upon further study of "Crossing the Bar".
Progression of Love
"Ah, love, let us be true"
In "Dover Beach" I noticed a very distinct and marked progression from stanza to stanza. There are four stanzas in the poem and each of them have a distinct sentiment. This progression comes full circle from majestic, to human, to mournful, to wistful. The first stanza talks about the sea and uses it to describe how the author feels. The stanza uses words like: "full", "roar", "fling", "tremulous cadence", "eternal", "glimmering", and "vast".
The next stanza is very short, but very different from the rest. It uses people that actually lived and actual places such as Sophocles and the Aegean Sea to convey its message. These references give the stanza a very earthy, human feel. The next stanza is sad, and mournful. It recalls the "roar" of the ocean mentioned in the first stanza, but this time with a "naked", "melancholy", "withdrawing", twist. It suggests that something dearly loved is lost. The last stanza is optimistic. It realizes the loss of the previous stanza, but uses phrases like the one quoted above to turn the next corner. "So various, so beautiful, so new" is another phrase that shows the author is recuperating from the loss in the previous stanza.
Overall, I assumed the poem was about love gained, aged, lost, and renewed, corresponding with each of the progressive stanzas.
In "Dover Beach" I noticed a very distinct and marked progression from stanza to stanza. There are four stanzas in the poem and each of them have a distinct sentiment. This progression comes full circle from majestic, to human, to mournful, to wistful. The first stanza talks about the sea and uses it to describe how the author feels. The stanza uses words like: "full", "roar", "fling", "tremulous cadence", "eternal", "glimmering", and "vast".
The next stanza is very short, but very different from the rest. It uses people that actually lived and actual places such as Sophocles and the Aegean Sea to convey its message. These references give the stanza a very earthy, human feel. The next stanza is sad, and mournful. It recalls the "roar" of the ocean mentioned in the first stanza, but this time with a "naked", "melancholy", "withdrawing", twist. It suggests that something dearly loved is lost. The last stanza is optimistic. It realizes the loss of the previous stanza, but uses phrases like the one quoted above to turn the next corner. "So various, so beautiful, so new" is another phrase that shows the author is recuperating from the loss in the previous stanza.
Overall, I assumed the poem was about love gained, aged, lost, and renewed, corresponding with each of the progressive stanzas.
Sohelpmegod (Vernacular)
"so i goes to flushm / but sohelpmegod he starts talkin/ bout a golden ball/ an how i can be a princess"
Although totally foreign, I found the southern swing and drawl of "Hazel Tells LaVerne" to be refreshing. When I read it, I could literally hear the speaker in my head, so vivid was the vernacular used in this poem. The writer obviously took a strong hand on his/her poetic license when they wrote this one. Many grammatical rules were broken, even to the extent to combine up to four words, quoted above. This didn't confuse me, it only furthered they way the I interpreted the character in the story.
Obviously, the poem is a spin on the fairy tale about the princess and the frog. The writer's use of the vernacular of the southern states to not only create modern feel to the tale, but an unexpected main character. The main character is clearly a chatty caddy and is easily stereotyped with other southern belles. Through the use of vernacular language and a unique style, the writer recreates an old tale with a new twist.
Although totally foreign, I found the southern swing and drawl of "Hazel Tells LaVerne" to be refreshing. When I read it, I could literally hear the speaker in my head, so vivid was the vernacular used in this poem. The writer obviously took a strong hand on his/her poetic license when they wrote this one. Many grammatical rules were broken, even to the extent to combine up to four words, quoted above. This didn't confuse me, it only furthered they way the I interpreted the character in the story.
Obviously, the poem is a spin on the fairy tale about the princess and the frog. The writer's use of the vernacular of the southern states to not only create modern feel to the tale, but an unexpected main character. The main character is clearly a chatty caddy and is easily stereotyped with other southern belles. Through the use of vernacular language and a unique style, the writer recreates an old tale with a new twist.
Sweet Revenge So Bitter (Mood)
"And then, poor aspen wretch, neglected, thou, bathed in a cold quicksilver sweat, wilt lie"
I can't lie, I was a little captivated by this poem. It was so dark and bitter and evil (not at all like me). It is the story of a person- man presumably- wronged/murdered by a woman. This poem is the reflection of how his ghost will exact revenge on her. The ghost stands over her bed at night, terrifying her, but only her as the man in the bed with her doesn't notice. The woman is alone to repent her mistake in fear, constantly threatened by the ghost of her mistake.
Not only is the story itself foreboding and ominous, but the angry, bitter diction that fills the poems sets an unrelenting, threatening mood that is the poem's greatest asset. Words like: "scorn", "murderess", "ghost", "aspen wretch", "neglected", "sweat", "painfully repent", and "threatenings". The diction laced throughout the plot sets a scene of sweet revenge but with a bitter spin.
I can't lie, I was a little captivated by this poem. It was so dark and bitter and evil (not at all like me). It is the story of a person- man presumably- wronged/murdered by a woman. This poem is the reflection of how his ghost will exact revenge on her. The ghost stands over her bed at night, terrifying her, but only her as the man in the bed with her doesn't notice. The woman is alone to repent her mistake in fear, constantly threatened by the ghost of her mistake.
Not only is the story itself foreboding and ominous, but the angry, bitter diction that fills the poems sets an unrelenting, threatening mood that is the poem's greatest asset. Words like: "scorn", "murderess", "ghost", "aspen wretch", "neglected", "sweat", "painfully repent", and "threatenings". The diction laced throughout the plot sets a scene of sweet revenge but with a bitter spin.
Real Romance (tone)
"And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare/ As any she belied with false compare."
We've all heard the traditional love poems or sayings that compare certain aspects of a woman to ridiculously exaggerated qualities or objects. In fact, these phrases begin to become so cliched, that we rarely stop to critically inspect their validity. A lover's voice is often compared to music, her eyes to the sun, and her cheeks to roses. I, too, took this phrases for granted until reading them reversed in "My mistress' eyes" by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is honest and truthful. His lover's voice is nothing like music, it's simply a voice of someone he loves. Her eyes are in fact not like the sun at all, but they are merely the eyes of someone he loves. And finally, her cheeks to not resemble roses at all, they are merely the cheeks of someone he loves.
Truthful and simple as the lines before line thirteen maybe, they come across with quite an insulting tone. His lover might not appreciate the bluntness that leaves her seemingly undervalued. The last two lines of the poem (13 and 14 quoted above) manage to turn the entire tone around. Now the speaker is humble, honest, realistic, loving, and perceptive. He sees his lover for exactly who she is and loves her anyway, a sentiment far more romantic than all the cliches in the world.
We've all heard the traditional love poems or sayings that compare certain aspects of a woman to ridiculously exaggerated qualities or objects. In fact, these phrases begin to become so cliched, that we rarely stop to critically inspect their validity. A lover's voice is often compared to music, her eyes to the sun, and her cheeks to roses. I, too, took this phrases for granted until reading them reversed in "My mistress' eyes" by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare is honest and truthful. His lover's voice is nothing like music, it's simply a voice of someone he loves. Her eyes are in fact not like the sun at all, but they are merely the eyes of someone he loves. And finally, her cheeks to not resemble roses at all, they are merely the cheeks of someone he loves.
Truthful and simple as the lines before line thirteen maybe, they come across with quite an insulting tone. His lover might not appreciate the bluntness that leaves her seemingly undervalued. The last two lines of the poem (13 and 14 quoted above) manage to turn the entire tone around. Now the speaker is humble, honest, realistic, loving, and perceptive. He sees his lover for exactly who she is and loves her anyway, a sentiment far more romantic than all the cliches in the world.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Then and Now
I'm not sure if this was the intended response, but reading Ozymandias was a somewhat humorous experience. The Pharaohs and dictators of the ancient world were austere, demi-gods. No one dared cross them. Now, the ancient runes of the cities these dictators built stand empty and unimportant in the desert.
I found this interesting that a statue that once commanded fear and respect are now mere exhibits for sweaty tourists and their cameras. This change in perspective may have been a process that took thousands of years, but the contrast is interesting to me still. The sculpture once commanded, and pointed, and stood watch over its humble citizens. Now, it is alone and ignored and of little importance beyond its mere historical significance.
I found this interesting that a statue that once commanded fear and respect are now mere exhibits for sweaty tourists and their cameras. This change in perspective may have been a process that took thousands of years, but the contrast is interesting to me still. The sculpture once commanded, and pointed, and stood watch over its humble citizens. Now, it is alone and ignored and of little importance beyond its mere historical significance.
Divine Paradox
"Batter my heart, three-personed God" is a poem that's title contains no illusions. The affections of the speaker are constantly being battered back and forth, back and forth, by what the reader can only assume is God, or the three-in-one Trinity.
Just like the Trinity, the verbs that describe the Trinity's actions come in threes. "Knock, breathe, shine", "break, blow, burn", and other combinations. The more interesting factor of these verb combinations, and all the other verbs in the poem, is that they often contradict each other. On one hand we have "batter", "knock", "break", "burn", "ravish", "untie", and "imprison". On the other hand we have "breathe", "shine", "enthrall", "defend", "rise", and "admit". My conclusion from these verbs, and the last few lines of the poetry that involved love, chastity, and captivation, is that the speaker is comparing their relationship to God with a love affair through their many paradoxes.
The speaker finds it difficult to love God sometimes. God is constantly laying burdens and challenges on the speaker (the negative verbs). Life and God have broken the speaker down. Yet the speaker still yearns for God. God has captivated, and enthralled the speaker. No matter how difficult loving God can be, the speaker still indulges in the divine paradox.
Just like the Trinity, the verbs that describe the Trinity's actions come in threes. "Knock, breathe, shine", "break, blow, burn", and other combinations. The more interesting factor of these verb combinations, and all the other verbs in the poem, is that they often contradict each other. On one hand we have "batter", "knock", "break", "burn", "ravish", "untie", and "imprison". On the other hand we have "breathe", "shine", "enthrall", "defend", "rise", and "admit". My conclusion from these verbs, and the last few lines of the poetry that involved love, chastity, and captivation, is that the speaker is comparing their relationship to God with a love affair through their many paradoxes.
The speaker finds it difficult to love God sometimes. God is constantly laying burdens and challenges on the speaker (the negative verbs). Life and God have broken the speaker down. Yet the speaker still yearns for God. God has captivated, and enthralled the speaker. No matter how difficult loving God can be, the speaker still indulges in the divine paradox.
Opposite Irony
I directly linked this poem to "Barbie Doll". It aligns the gender issue directly to the race issue. They both use the same progression and irony to relate the backwardness of the stories. The "Mr. Z" of the poem was informed at a very young age that his color, the way he looked and the culture that went along with it, were unacceptable. Mr. Z spends a large amount of the poem trying to become someone he is not. Here is where the irony takes a different and unexpected turn.
Upon his deathbed, Mr. Z., was referred to as the "one of the most distinguished members of his race". After all of his 'accomplishments' and adjustments to the white lifestyle, Mr. Z. was still viewed as just one of a multitude of black faces that cannot viewed as more than anything except their color. Here the irony is the exact opposite of "Barbie Doll"'s irony, but somehow, the effect is still the same.
Upon his deathbed, Mr. Z., was referred to as the "one of the most distinguished members of his race". After all of his 'accomplishments' and adjustments to the white lifestyle, Mr. Z. was still viewed as just one of a multitude of black faces that cannot viewed as more than anything except their color. Here the irony is the exact opposite of "Barbie Doll"'s irony, but somehow, the effect is still the same.
Puzzle Pieces (Irony and Imagery)
The toys and play things the girl in this poem have a great significance to the overall theme of the poem. In "Barbie Doll" the girl grew up with all the stifling stereotypical images of womanhood around her: "stoves", "irons", "dolls", and "lipstick". She grew up, primed for the mother/wife role she was conditioned for. When she was old enough to be affected by the words of others, she began to absorb hurtful comments like "big nose and fat legs". Continuing with the imagery of the childhood toys, she was like a puzzle piece that can't seem to find her correlating spot in her puzzle.
The irony created by the imagery was revealed at the very end of the poem. The girl "cut off her nose and her legs" after trying to change her appearance with smaller measures. This drastic actions resulted in her death. At the very end of the poem, the dead girl with her nose and legs finally according with what the modern style demanded, was considered pretty. She literally had to die in order to live the life she was told she had to want. She had to changer her shape to fit into a puzzle she already had a spot in.
The irony created by the imagery was revealed at the very end of the poem. The girl "cut off her nose and her legs" after trying to change her appearance with smaller measures. This drastic actions resulted in her death. At the very end of the poem, the dead girl with her nose and legs finally according with what the modern style demanded, was considered pretty. She literally had to die in order to live the life she was told she had to want. She had to changer her shape to fit into a puzzle she already had a spot in.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Perspective (Dramatic Irony)
Dramatic irony is defined as when there is a separation between what the audience understands about a scene and what the characters understand about a scene. Most poems aren't viewed as stories, or scenes, but "APO 96225 does relate a series of events involving characters.
First of all, the poem is about Vietnam. The audience is immediately informed of this in the title: APO 96225. This is the mailing address of the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam (not common knowledge, I understand, but for this blog's purpose, it is now). Hindsight of the Vietnam War tells us a few things. The war was extremely unpopular among most Americans. The young soldiers who returned from horrific and traumatizing battles were treated with little respect, and sometimes disdain. The soldiers were indirectly blamed, or at least associated with this highly unpopular government decision. The hippies never had a real understanding of what the Vietnam War was like because they didn't want to know, because they didn't respect the decision to go to war at all. The Americans of today do understand the war. Therefore, we have a different understanding than the parents in the poem.
This misconception of the parents towards the son creates a bitter, resentful, yet resigned tone that challenges as well as offers a true perspective on the dramatic irony of the Vietnam War.
First of all, the poem is about Vietnam. The audience is immediately informed of this in the title: APO 96225. This is the mailing address of the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam (not common knowledge, I understand, but for this blog's purpose, it is now). Hindsight of the Vietnam War tells us a few things. The war was extremely unpopular among most Americans. The young soldiers who returned from horrific and traumatizing battles were treated with little respect, and sometimes disdain. The soldiers were indirectly blamed, or at least associated with this highly unpopular government decision. The hippies never had a real understanding of what the Vietnam War was like because they didn't want to know, because they didn't respect the decision to go to war at all. The Americans of today do understand the war. Therefore, we have a different understanding than the parents in the poem.
This misconception of the parents towards the son creates a bitter, resentful, yet resigned tone that challenges as well as offers a true perspective on the dramatic irony of the Vietnam War.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Drunk on Imagery
In "I taste a liquor never brewed", the line of imagery is easily followed. By this, I do not mean that I understood what the imagery was pointing to. What I mean is that, unlike some poems (cough "Pink Dog" cough) the images and comparisons made in this poem all clearly originate from the same source. All the words used to describe the way the speaker felt, the way the speaker got 'drunk' all originated from a spiritual, heavenly interpretation of nature.
Some of the nouns used in this poem that stand out (particularly because they are capitalized) are: Tankards, Rhine, Air, Dew, Molten Blue, Foxglove, Butterflies, Seraphs, Saints, and Sun. All these words have a reverent, worshipful connotation in the context of the poem. The way the speaker viewed the world around her was in almost faithfully religious love. In the second stanza, the comparison between alcohol and dew, alcohol and the molten blue of the sea, were especially effective. The unification and sweet reverence the speaker used in the imagery of her/his poem were effective in translating the intoxication message.
Some of the nouns used in this poem that stand out (particularly because they are capitalized) are: Tankards, Rhine, Air, Dew, Molten Blue, Foxglove, Butterflies, Seraphs, Saints, and Sun. All these words have a reverent, worshipful connotation in the context of the poem. The way the speaker viewed the world around her was in almost faithfully religious love. In the second stanza, the comparison between alcohol and dew, alcohol and the molten blue of the sea, were especially effective. The unification and sweet reverence the speaker used in the imagery of her/his poem were effective in translating the intoxication message.
What did I notice
Pink Dog. This is definitely one of those poems you have to read a few times to understand. So I read it twice. I still didn't get it. So I went with the ol' "what did I notice" standby. So here is a list of things that I noticed about this poem:
1)The dog thing is used in every stanza.
2)A Carnival pops up in the last three stanzas.....?
3)The dog is naked.
4) The speaker pities but also dislikes the dog at the same time.
5)The dog's life is endanger because of its nakedness...?
Okay, I'll stop there. The real list was longer, but they revolved around these items (except the Carnival, I can't fit that in anywhere). In the end, here is my take on what the poem could mean:
The naked dog is a person who wears their heart on their sleeve. Their openness makes them an embarrassment, then a target to others. Their brazenness with their feelings and emotions makes them needy and desperate for attention.
Now, here is why I thought this was the meaning of the poem. The part at the end about Lent and Ash Wednesday was what got me on this track. The Pharisees in the Bible stood on street corners, tearing their garments and proclaiming how long they have fasted that week. The naked dog is similar to these Pharisees; "Naked and pink, without a single hair... Startled, the passerby draw back and stare." The are hairless, barren, vulnerable by their own account, begging for attention; "If they do this to anyone who begs, drugged, drunk, or sober, with or without legs, what would they do to sick, four-legged dogs?". According to the speaker, pedestrians of the poem "take and throw them in the tidal rivers", the same way God will on judgement day.
Again, this interpretation may not be correct. This is simple the conclusion drawn from "what I noticed."
1)The dog thing is used in every stanza.
2)A Carnival pops up in the last three stanzas.....?
3)The dog is naked.
4) The speaker pities but also dislikes the dog at the same time.
5)The dog's life is endanger because of its nakedness...?
Okay, I'll stop there. The real list was longer, but they revolved around these items (except the Carnival, I can't fit that in anywhere). In the end, here is my take on what the poem could mean:
The naked dog is a person who wears their heart on their sleeve. Their openness makes them an embarrassment, then a target to others. Their brazenness with their feelings and emotions makes them needy and desperate for attention.
Now, here is why I thought this was the meaning of the poem. The part at the end about Lent and Ash Wednesday was what got me on this track. The Pharisees in the Bible stood on street corners, tearing their garments and proclaiming how long they have fasted that week. The naked dog is similar to these Pharisees; "Naked and pink, without a single hair... Startled, the passerby draw back and stare." The are hairless, barren, vulnerable by their own account, begging for attention; "If they do this to anyone who begs, drugged, drunk, or sober, with or without legs, what would they do to sick, four-legged dogs?". According to the speaker, pedestrians of the poem "take and throw them in the tidal rivers", the same way God will on judgement day.
Again, this interpretation may not be correct. This is simple the conclusion drawn from "what I noticed."
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
February's Fickle Feline
I need to say a few words about cats. I don't really care for them. I have to admit that kittens are sort of adorable, but that only lasts so long. I have a cat whom I hate. I bit me all the time when I was little and used to chase me around the house. Sometimes he would rub up on my legs and purr and then sit on my foot and sink his teeth into my leg. He even used to hide under my bed, and wait until I got up in the morning to grab my feet. Cats are just fickle, frustrating little animals. You can never really tell whether they like you or not. Sometimes you think they are grateful that you feed them, water them, pay for shots and checkups and heartworm pills. Other times they pee on your stuff and mew insistently until you throw them outside. Then they stand outside and mew until you let them back in. I don't like cats. But I love this poem.
February has the sort of cynical, bitter humor that I love. It's witty, sarcastic, and altogether a very accurate portrait of the fickleness of February. February is usually the month that people start to hate winter. The cold is getting old, the snow is now all black, slushy, and forming nasty brown icicles on the back of my car. February is basically the backlash from all the fun excitement of New Years and Christmas. Sure, Valentines Day is in February, but I feel the same way about Valentines Day as I do cats. The love referred to in the poem may be an acknowledgement to Valentines Day: "But its love that does us in. Over and over again, He shoots, he scores! and famine crouches in the bedsheets, ambushing the pulsing eiderdown,". Love is paradoxically compared to a hockey game. Hockey is violent, bloody, and competitive. Love is usually considered pleasant and lovely. Again, the author is implying how fickle the month of February can be.
The comparisons between hockey, February, and cats is cleverly wound around the bitterness the speaker holds feels for the whiplash of the holiday fun and the stupid decision to buy that cute kitten.
February has the sort of cynical, bitter humor that I love. It's witty, sarcastic, and altogether a very accurate portrait of the fickleness of February. February is usually the month that people start to hate winter. The cold is getting old, the snow is now all black, slushy, and forming nasty brown icicles on the back of my car. February is basically the backlash from all the fun excitement of New Years and Christmas. Sure, Valentines Day is in February, but I feel the same way about Valentines Day as I do cats. The love referred to in the poem may be an acknowledgement to Valentines Day: "But its love that does us in. Over and over again, He shoots, he scores! and famine crouches in the bedsheets, ambushing the pulsing eiderdown,". Love is paradoxically compared to a hockey game. Hockey is violent, bloody, and competitive. Love is usually considered pleasant and lovely. Again, the author is implying how fickle the month of February can be.
The comparisons between hockey, February, and cats is cleverly wound around the bitterness the speaker holds feels for the whiplash of the holiday fun and the stupid decision to buy that cute kitten.
Looking Up (Apostrophe)
The speaker in this poem is a devout stargazer. When I first read it, I though of the movie "The Princess and the Frog" where the funny lightning bug falls in love with a star that he thinks is another lightning bug. He calls her Evangeline and sings to her. The speaker in this poem may not be in love with the star he is talking to, but he certainly admires it.
An apostrophe is when a speaker talks to an inanimate or nonhuman object. In "Bright Star" the speaker is asking for some of the star's qualities. He admires how steadfast, and unchangeable the star is. This is true, but the speaker also concedes that the "life" of a star is not perfect.
The speaker uses phrases like "sweet unrest", "eternal lids", "sleepless Eremite", "priestlike task", and "awake forever". These all have good and bad connotations. They are a mix of something desirable and something undesirable. The effect give the audience a very bittersweet taste of the "task" of a star, the lonely vigil a star holds over the world. The speaker admires the hardship, and the steadfast qualities of the star in his loving apostrophe to the heavens.
An apostrophe is when a speaker talks to an inanimate or nonhuman object. In "Bright Star" the speaker is asking for some of the star's qualities. He admires how steadfast, and unchangeable the star is. This is true, but the speaker also concedes that the "life" of a star is not perfect.
The speaker uses phrases like "sweet unrest", "eternal lids", "sleepless Eremite", "priestlike task", and "awake forever". These all have good and bad connotations. They are a mix of something desirable and something undesirable. The effect give the audience a very bittersweet taste of the "task" of a star, the lonely vigil a star holds over the world. The speaker admires the hardship, and the steadfast qualities of the star in his loving apostrophe to the heavens.
EXPLOSION (comparison language and rhetoric question)
When I wrote the blog about Perrine and his assumptions about the way poetry is interpreted, I made a few claims of my own. I said the best part of poetry is the mystery. I love the feeling that I will never truly know exactly what the author intended for his/her audience to understand or learn. This is still true; however, I might have to make a little addition. Being baffled is sometimes enjoyable, and suspenseful, but understanding a poem and feeling certain you have grasped the author's meaning is also satisfying, however more rare.
I enjoyed "Dream Deferred" because I knew what the speaker was trying to tell me*. Not only was it short and to the point, the point was clear. My first thoughts upon reading this poem was that the last line was of the greatest importance. The last line: "Or does it explode?" is a metaphor, while the preceding eight lines contain five consecutive similes. The last line sticks out because of this difference. The similes all seem to be speculation, or musings about what happens to a dream (in this case, the dream is not the sleepy kind but the goal/wish/hope kind). The metaphor, however, seems more like a rhetorical question. The speaker seems certain, although he is technically still asking a question, that this is the right answer and that the audience will agree with his assumption. The speaker is hinting that dreams cannot truly be deferred. The cannot be dried up, or grow old, or whither away. When dreams are oppressed, they EXPLODE. They push their boundaries and overcome whatever has been holding them back, or deferring them.
My thoughts seemed confirmed when I read the last question following the poem. The author was an African American. This fact has extreme relevance to my interpretation of the similes and stand-out metaphor. African American history is one, long deferred dream that eventually exploded into reality. The comparison language and rhetoric of this concise, simple poem made it not only enjoyable, but a pleasure to understand.
*DISCLAIMER: I can't actually claim that I know EXACTLY what this poem is about. But I think I'm right. I felt the need to put this because I am often wrong.
I enjoyed "Dream Deferred" because I knew what the speaker was trying to tell me*. Not only was it short and to the point, the point was clear. My first thoughts upon reading this poem was that the last line was of the greatest importance. The last line: "Or does it explode?" is a metaphor, while the preceding eight lines contain five consecutive similes. The last line sticks out because of this difference. The similes all seem to be speculation, or musings about what happens to a dream (in this case, the dream is not the sleepy kind but the goal/wish/hope kind). The metaphor, however, seems more like a rhetorical question. The speaker seems certain, although he is technically still asking a question, that this is the right answer and that the audience will agree with his assumption. The speaker is hinting that dreams cannot truly be deferred. The cannot be dried up, or grow old, or whither away. When dreams are oppressed, they EXPLODE. They push their boundaries and overcome whatever has been holding them back, or deferring them.
My thoughts seemed confirmed when I read the last question following the poem. The author was an African American. This fact has extreme relevance to my interpretation of the similes and stand-out metaphor. African American history is one, long deferred dream that eventually exploded into reality. The comparison language and rhetoric of this concise, simple poem made it not only enjoyable, but a pleasure to understand.
*DISCLAIMER: I can't actually claim that I know EXACTLY what this poem is about. But I think I'm right. I felt the need to put this because I am often wrong.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Inanimate Characters (Personification)
Emily Dickinson capitalizes A LOT of random words in this poem. At first, I thought they were just that, random. Then I started looking at which were capitalized and which were not. All the capitalized words, such as: Funeral, Brain, Bell, Drum, Box, Soul, Boots of Lead, and Space. These are all not necessarily objects, but they are all nouns that are used as events of objects that do something in or to the speaker's brain. In this sense, they are all characters, which is odd, considering none of them are people.
This is a use of personification. For example: "Service, like a Drum- kept beating-beating". The service in the brain of the speaker is beating the inside of his/her head. This is an action that a service, technically, cannot perform. Again: "Then Space- began to toll,". Space cannot 'toll'. Dickinson uses many words that are typically not subjects as subjects that commit actions that have sensory effects on the speaker. The personification lends an odd, impersonal tone to the speaker's own funeral. The fact that no people are involved in the funeral only make it more mournful.
This is a use of personification. For example: "Service, like a Drum- kept beating-beating". The service in the brain of the speaker is beating the inside of his/her head. This is an action that a service, technically, cannot perform. Again: "Then Space- began to toll,". Space cannot 'toll'. Dickinson uses many words that are typically not subjects as subjects that commit actions that have sensory effects on the speaker. The personification lends an odd, impersonal tone to the speaker's own funeral. The fact that no people are involved in the funeral only make it more mournful.
Sensory Overload
"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" is poem with a WHOLE LOT going on. The most obvious of the plethora is the overload on the sensory side.
There are five senses of the human body. There are five stanzas in this poem. The senses feeling and hearing are the only ones used, however. I feel this extremely effective since, if a funeral is being held inside your brain (in the literal sense), you cannot see or taste it (in the literal sense). This is extremely effective because I can literally picture a person (with a transparent frontal lobe) sitting and listening into the attic of their cranium as a funeral is held inside. Things that can only be seen or heard are described.
The effectiveness of the sensory descriptions of the mournful actions of the objects inside the speakers head all derive from the use of sensory language.
There are five senses of the human body. There are five stanzas in this poem. The senses feeling and hearing are the only ones used, however. I feel this extremely effective since, if a funeral is being held inside your brain (in the literal sense), you cannot see or taste it (in the literal sense). This is extremely effective because I can literally picture a person (with a transparent frontal lobe) sitting and listening into the attic of their cranium as a funeral is held inside. Things that can only be seen or heard are described.
The effectiveness of the sensory descriptions of the mournful actions of the objects inside the speakers head all derive from the use of sensory language.
Those Cold Comparisons (Metaphor)
Of all the poems in this unit, "Those Winter Days" is the poem that has the most clear progression, or plot line of all the other ones we studied. Most of the poems had progression, but few had a clear line of events that led to one conclusion. I appreciated the simplicity that wasn't dumbed-down, but was still understandable.
The poem first begins, and continues, with an extended metaphor comparing cold to the relationship between the son and his father. This metaphor is instrumental and defining the relationship, and demonstrating what the son learned about the way he has treated and should treat his father. The metaphor is developed through each of the three stanzas that also each have a separate and individual purpose.
The first stanza portrays the father. The diction about his "cracked hands" and "blueback cold" and "No one ever thanked him," all contribute to his self-sacrificing, hard-working man. The cold metaphor places the father outside to face the cold by himself.
The second stanza introduces the speaker, what I assume is the son. At this point the father has already risen and started a fire. The boy most cross the cold distance between them to reach the fire. Again, the metaphor about wintry cold between the father and his son, invading the house between them and giving it "chronic angers" (creaks?), defines how the relationship stands and why it is disfunctional.
The third stanza brings the son to realization to why the way he has treated his father is wrong. The last two lines, "What did I know, what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices?" show the son has truly learned a lesson from the examination he pursued during the first two stanzas with the help of his wintry metaphor.
The poem first begins, and continues, with an extended metaphor comparing cold to the relationship between the son and his father. This metaphor is instrumental and defining the relationship, and demonstrating what the son learned about the way he has treated and should treat his father. The metaphor is developed through each of the three stanzas that also each have a separate and individual purpose.
The first stanza portrays the father. The diction about his "cracked hands" and "blueback cold" and "No one ever thanked him," all contribute to his self-sacrificing, hard-working man. The cold metaphor places the father outside to face the cold by himself.
The second stanza introduces the speaker, what I assume is the son. At this point the father has already risen and started a fire. The boy most cross the cold distance between them to reach the fire. Again, the metaphor about wintry cold between the father and his son, invading the house between them and giving it "chronic angers" (creaks?), defines how the relationship stands and why it is disfunctional.
The third stanza brings the son to realization to why the way he has treated his father is wrong. The last two lines, "What did I know, what did I know of love's austere and lonely offices?" show the son has truly learned a lesson from the examination he pursued during the first two stanzas with the help of his wintry metaphor.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Seasons of Life (Symbols)
The point made implicit in this poems was how different the same part of a year can be when experience has soured it. Viewing the bright blossoms and heavy bows of spring can be renewing and lovely one May, and oppressive and gaudy the next. The widow of "The Widows Lament in Springtime" experiences this difference bitterly in the loss of her husband. All the natural features usually used to characterize spring are used as symbols to explain the contrast the widow experiences over her loss.
First, the new grass apparently inflames the widow. But not the flame of passion. The cold flame of passion dead, love gone.
"The" plum tree is heavy with "masses with flowers". The usage of the word 'the' indicates that there is only one tree in the yard. One tree that has been through many springs, springs were around when the widows husband was. The flowers, light, bright blossoms, are heavy. Oppressively heavy.
The meadows and woods that held attractions in an earlier time are the happiness of years previous. But around every meadow is a marsh to sink into.
The copious symbols in the poem about the new widow and the new year blooms comparisons between the seasons of the year and seasons of life.
Prison City
The "mind-forged manacles" of William Blake's depict a slightly macabre city with a certainly depressing unity.
The first stanza puts London on the map, while similarly mapping the faces of its citizens with landmarks of "weakness, marks of woe."
Second stanza enslaves the citizens. Moreover, it claims they enslave themselves. This refers back the the weakness in the first stanza. They cry as a unit against the manacles that they -apparently- they have put on themselves.
Third stanza unifies three very different characters. Church people, lowly chimney sweepers, and palace soldiers all despise their lot in life. The Church blackens despite its efforts, and the soldier gives his life to protect a palace he doesn't feel loyalty to.
The fourth stanza juxtaposes the natural order of life. The harlot, the baby, and the marriage all mix around in order. They curse, and cry, and die of plague.
The omniscient character who walks the street unifies these woeful characters with the use of the sense of hearing. The unity, but separate despairs of the citizens of London serve as almost a warning to tourists. London is a prison, not a city.
The first stanza puts London on the map, while similarly mapping the faces of its citizens with landmarks of "weakness, marks of woe."
Second stanza enslaves the citizens. Moreover, it claims they enslave themselves. This refers back the the weakness in the first stanza. They cry as a unit against the manacles that they -apparently- they have put on themselves.
Third stanza unifies three very different characters. Church people, lowly chimney sweepers, and palace soldiers all despise their lot in life. The Church blackens despite its efforts, and the soldier gives his life to protect a palace he doesn't feel loyalty to.
The fourth stanza juxtaposes the natural order of life. The harlot, the baby, and the marriage all mix around in order. They curse, and cry, and die of plague.
The omniscient character who walks the street unifies these woeful characters with the use of the sense of hearing. The unity, but separate despairs of the citizens of London serve as almost a warning to tourists. London is a prison, not a city.
Metaphor+Symbol=Interpretation (With limits)
"There are no correct or incorrect readings: there are only readings which differ more or less widely from a statistical norm."- Laurence Perrine
While reading this essay on the validity of poetry's interpretation, I couldn't help thinking that Perrine would be a lot more suited to analyzing some sort experiment with chemicals and test tubes than poetry about roses and stars. The first paragraph started out with some discouraging assessments. Perrine started out with some rough news: poetry can be interpreted incorrectly. He did admit that since the chance to squeeze the true meaning out of the respected authors is rare one, and therefore there is no sure fire way to ensure one interpretation of a poem is true while another is not. However, this fact doesn't stop him from taking three different poems apart sentence by sentence to reveal their true meanings.
A point Perrine brought up in the second paragraph was perhaps the part I enjoyed the most. While quoting Yeats and Elliot about the meanings of their poetry, Perrine stated that defining a poem in fact decreases its value. I heartily agreed with this statement. The mystery of poetry is what I like most about it. I can speculate, evaluate, and contemplate poetry in effort to find its meaning, but the thought that I will never actually know the meaning is oddly titillating (sorry odd word choice).
Moving on. Perrine makes surprising and very solid points as he breaks down the four different poems included in this essay and why two simply rules satisfy his equation for interpretation. His two rules are: 1) and explanation MUST cover all of the details in a poem, or as many as possible and 2) the explanation that does this without stretching itself is the true interpretation. These two rules are extremely effective when used to analyze the Dickens poem and the two comparative poems by Whitman and Melville. I felt I had no choice but to agree with his scientific equation, a concession on my part that didn't feel to good.
Thankfully, Perrine must have been feeling my discomfort because he returned my concession with one of his own. He recognized that interpretations may vary, WITHIN LIMITS (Perrine was very adamant about this point). Using the poem about the sick rose by William Blake, Perrine explained why metaphors like in the earlier poems have one intended meaning while symbols could have several (all within similar agreement of course).
Stuffy and scientific as he may have been, Perrine made some extremely valid points about interpretation, whether I liked them or not.
While reading this essay on the validity of poetry's interpretation, I couldn't help thinking that Perrine would be a lot more suited to analyzing some sort experiment with chemicals and test tubes than poetry about roses and stars. The first paragraph started out with some discouraging assessments. Perrine started out with some rough news: poetry can be interpreted incorrectly. He did admit that since the chance to squeeze the true meaning out of the respected authors is rare one, and therefore there is no sure fire way to ensure one interpretation of a poem is true while another is not. However, this fact doesn't stop him from taking three different poems apart sentence by sentence to reveal their true meanings.
A point Perrine brought up in the second paragraph was perhaps the part I enjoyed the most. While quoting Yeats and Elliot about the meanings of their poetry, Perrine stated that defining a poem in fact decreases its value. I heartily agreed with this statement. The mystery of poetry is what I like most about it. I can speculate, evaluate, and contemplate poetry in effort to find its meaning, but the thought that I will never actually know the meaning is oddly titillating (sorry odd word choice).
Moving on. Perrine makes surprising and very solid points as he breaks down the four different poems included in this essay and why two simply rules satisfy his equation for interpretation. His two rules are: 1) and explanation MUST cover all of the details in a poem, or as many as possible and 2) the explanation that does this without stretching itself is the true interpretation. These two rules are extremely effective when used to analyze the Dickens poem and the two comparative poems by Whitman and Melville. I felt I had no choice but to agree with his scientific equation, a concession on my part that didn't feel to good.
Thankfully, Perrine must have been feeling my discomfort because he returned my concession with one of his own. He recognized that interpretations may vary, WITHIN LIMITS (Perrine was very adamant about this point). Using the poem about the sick rose by William Blake, Perrine explained why metaphors like in the earlier poems have one intended meaning while symbols could have several (all within similar agreement of course).
Stuffy and scientific as he may have been, Perrine made some extremely valid points about interpretation, whether I liked them or not.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Talking It Out- Climax or Resolution
"We took away your art because we thought it would reveal your souls. Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all." -pg 260
Over all the blogs I have written on Never Let Me Go, I have been able to make quite a few connections between it and Brave New World. So for my very last blog, I found one more connection to wrap it all up (:D).
My penultimate blog on Brave New World was about the resolution and how it came about. In the resolution, the World Controller Mustapha Mond sat down with John the Savage and told him every little detail about the world and how it came to exist the way it did. After the riot cause by John the Savage, this was the resolution to the book. In Never Let Me Go, there is no riot. However,there is a situation where the main characters sit down with the people who orchestrated their entire lives and hash out all the detail of why things are the way they are. This all-revealing conversation was easily recognizable as the climax of the novel.
While both books used the more omniscient characters to explain to the characters and the audience exactly what the books were about, the conversations where this took place took on different roles.
Over all the blogs I have written on Never Let Me Go, I have been able to make quite a few connections between it and Brave New World. So for my very last blog, I found one more connection to wrap it all up (:D).
My penultimate blog on Brave New World was about the resolution and how it came about. In the resolution, the World Controller Mustapha Mond sat down with John the Savage and told him every little detail about the world and how it came to exist the way it did. After the riot cause by John the Savage, this was the resolution to the book. In Never Let Me Go, there is no riot. However,there is a situation where the main characters sit down with the people who orchestrated their entire lives and hash out all the detail of why things are the way they are. This all-revealing conversation was easily recognizable as the climax of the novel.
While both books used the more omniscient characters to explain to the characters and the audience exactly what the books were about, the conversations where this took place took on different roles.
Boating Symbolism
"'I wonder how it got here,' I said. I'd raised my voice to let it get to the others and had expected an echo. But the sound was surprisingly close, like I was in a carpeted room. Then I heard Tommy say behind me: 'Maybe this is what Hailsham looks like now. Do you think?" -pg 224
A boat is stranded in a marsh near Kingsfield. When Kathy becomes Ruth's carer, Ruth begs Kathy to take her to see it. This is partly because she is interested in the boat, but mostly because she is interested in seeing Tommy again in the Kingsfield center. The three unite for a car ride out to see the boat stranded in the marsh. The trek to the boat is hard for Ruth, but when they reach the boat, they all realize (along with the audience) that the journey to the boat was actually a symbolic of journey in memory back to Hailsham.
The primary characteristic of the boat is that it is stuck. Hailsham has been closed at this point and shares its uselessness trait with the boat. The characters recognize this. Something they don't mention is what else the boat symbolizes. I thought the boat could symbolize the relationships of the characters. Ruth, Tommy, and Kathy are now so close to the fate that they have been dwelling on for so long, that they cannot escape it. They are stuck with each other, stuck with their fate, and stuck with the past they shared.
A boat is stranded in a marsh near Kingsfield. When Kathy becomes Ruth's carer, Ruth begs Kathy to take her to see it. This is partly because she is interested in the boat, but mostly because she is interested in seeing Tommy again in the Kingsfield center. The three unite for a car ride out to see the boat stranded in the marsh. The trek to the boat is hard for Ruth, but when they reach the boat, they all realize (along with the audience) that the journey to the boat was actually a symbolic of journey in memory back to Hailsham.
The primary characteristic of the boat is that it is stuck. Hailsham has been closed at this point and shares its uselessness trait with the boat. The characters recognize this. Something they don't mention is what else the boat symbolizes. I thought the boat could symbolize the relationships of the characters. Ruth, Tommy, and Kathy are now so close to the fate that they have been dwelling on for so long, that they cannot escape it. They are stuck with each other, stuck with their fate, and stuck with the past they shared.
Juxtaposition
"You can always hear traffic on the big roads beyond the fencing, and there's a general feeling they never properly finished converting the place. A lot of the donors' rooms you can't get to with a wheelchair, or else they're too stuff or too draughty....Later on, after the Kingsfield became the familiar and precious place it did, I was in one of the admin buildings and came across a framed black-and-white photo of the place the way it was before it was converted, when it was still a holiday camp for ordinary families." -pg 218
The first paragraph of the nineteenth chapter of Never Let Me Go describes the relatively poor conditions at Kingsfield medical center. The place is depicted as uncomfortable, badly made, and generally unhelpful to the needs of its patients. As a carer, Kathy should despise the place. It's her job to make her patients as comfortably as possible and Kingsfield hinders her ability to do this. However, the second paragraph, quoted above, Kathy claims she grew to the love the center. Putting the unfavorable description of Kingsfield right next to Kathy's praise of it juxtaposes to images of the center. This juxtaposition is never immediately explained. Therefore, I assumed that Kathy cared for someone she loved in that center, possible Ruth. Or perhaps some important development occurs there. Maybe she will meet a long lost favorite guardian or someone of that nature. It is a mystery for now, but clearly the juxtaposition of the images of Kingsfield hint strongly at Kathy's experiences as a carer in the third part of Never Let Me Go.
The first paragraph of the nineteenth chapter of Never Let Me Go describes the relatively poor conditions at Kingsfield medical center. The place is depicted as uncomfortable, badly made, and generally unhelpful to the needs of its patients. As a carer, Kathy should despise the place. It's her job to make her patients as comfortably as possible and Kingsfield hinders her ability to do this. However, the second paragraph, quoted above, Kathy claims she grew to the love the center. Putting the unfavorable description of Kingsfield right next to Kathy's praise of it juxtaposes to images of the center. This juxtaposition is never immediately explained. Therefore, I assumed that Kathy cared for someone she loved in that center, possible Ruth. Or perhaps some important development occurs there. Maybe she will meet a long lost favorite guardian or someone of that nature. It is a mystery for now, but clearly the juxtaposition of the images of Kingsfield hint strongly at Kathy's experiences as a carer in the third part of Never Let Me Go.
Setting that Matches
"Then there's the solitude. you grow up surrounded by crowds of people, that's all you'be ever known, and suddenly your're a country, center to center, hospital to hospital, sleeping in over nights, no one to talk to about your worries no one to have a laugh with." -pg 207
On page 206 of Never Let Me Go I discovered there is third and final part to the novel. Upon encountering this final part, I immediately thought about all the observations I had made about Ishiguro's structure. However, after reading in a few pages, I began to make connections to the stages of life the characters went through and the setting of the individual parts.
Part one was set entirely at Hailsham. Hailsham was described as an isolated place, surrounded by fields and well-organized by guardians, routines, and rules. The description of Hailsham matched the way the students lived. They isolated themselves from their future and made their own rules that obeyed strictly. But they also had fun, played games, and painted. The way children lived matched the place they lived in.
Part two was all about the Cottages. The Cottages were also isolated, but less organized and less pleasant than Hailsham. The Cottages were based in a drafty, chilly farm with fewer classes and teachers than Hailsham. Kathy experience at the Cottages reminded me a lot of the way the Cottages were described. She had more personal problems, got separated a little more from her friends, but lived a freer more independent life.
Part three has no stationery setting. It is simply base on which center or part of the country Kathy happens to be in. She spends a lot of time driving in the car, contemplating her relationships and past. The plot focuses more on the people than the place, just as Kathy focuses more on her relationships than where she is.
By matching the setting with experience Kathy has there, Ishiguro gives the reader a picture of how Kathy's life is before he even writes about it.
On page 206 of Never Let Me Go I discovered there is third and final part to the novel. Upon encountering this final part, I immediately thought about all the observations I had made about Ishiguro's structure. However, after reading in a few pages, I began to make connections to the stages of life the characters went through and the setting of the individual parts.
Part one was set entirely at Hailsham. Hailsham was described as an isolated place, surrounded by fields and well-organized by guardians, routines, and rules. The description of Hailsham matched the way the students lived. They isolated themselves from their future and made their own rules that obeyed strictly. But they also had fun, played games, and painted. The way children lived matched the place they lived in.
Part two was all about the Cottages. The Cottages were also isolated, but less organized and less pleasant than Hailsham. The Cottages were based in a drafty, chilly farm with fewer classes and teachers than Hailsham. Kathy experience at the Cottages reminded me a lot of the way the Cottages were described. She had more personal problems, got separated a little more from her friends, but lived a freer more independent life.
Part three has no stationery setting. It is simply base on which center or part of the country Kathy happens to be in. She spends a lot of time driving in the car, contemplating her relationships and past. The plot focuses more on the people than the place, just as Kathy focuses more on her relationships than where she is.
By matching the setting with experience Kathy has there, Ishiguro gives the reader a picture of how Kathy's life is before he even writes about it.
Hanging On
"It never occurred to me that our lives, until then so closely interwoven, could unravel and separate over a think like that." -pg 197
Kathy, like so many of her friends, doesn't take her future very seriously. They don't openly contemplate or fear what lies ahead for them. I have wondered how they deal with what they know will happen to them when they grow up. At Hailsham, I assumed the artwork they students did was outlet enough. Now, at the Cottages I have begun to notice a trend, particularly in Kathy's case that could be a way she deals with her hesitancy about her future.
Kathy is extremely loyal to Hailsham and her friends from there. As the Hailsham group begins to spread out a little in their new freedom of the cottages, Kathy becomes more and more desperate to hang on to Ruth and the others. The title "Never Let Me Go" reinforces how important the relationships she has are to Kathy. Indeed, the student from Hailsham are the most important part of Kathy's life. Her need hang on to them might be the way she deals with the pressure of her hazy future.
Kathy, like so many of her friends, doesn't take her future very seriously. They don't openly contemplate or fear what lies ahead for them. I have wondered how they deal with what they know will happen to them when they grow up. At Hailsham, I assumed the artwork they students did was outlet enough. Now, at the Cottages I have begun to notice a trend, particularly in Kathy's case that could be a way she deals with her hesitancy about her future.
Kathy is extremely loyal to Hailsham and her friends from there. As the Hailsham group begins to spread out a little in their new freedom of the cottages, Kathy becomes more and more desperate to hang on to Ruth and the others. The title "Never Let Me Go" reinforces how important the relationships she has are to Kathy. Indeed, the student from Hailsham are the most important part of Kathy's life. Her need hang on to them might be the way she deals with the pressure of her hazy future.
Mood Swings
"On that journey home, with the darkness setting in over those long empty roads, it felt like the three of us were close again and I didn't want anything to come along and break the mood." -pg 183
I have mentioned before Ishiguro's impressive ability to note the small details, facial expressions, and body language of his characters. In every conversation or scene he add these details in to explain why the characters interact the way they do. These details not only create vivid and believable scenes and relationships, but the also create an effect on the reader.
Mood in most novels I have read flips back and forth between a few different feelings. In Brave New World, the mood switched from factual and blunt to desperate and despairing a few times, but there were very few other emotions set by the characters. The students at Hailsham are written with extreme detail. This details of body language and expression create many fickle moods. This may because they are youthful and emotional, but I think its the details that allow the moods swing back and forth so quickly. The characters can experience elation, sorrow, excitement, curiosity, frustration, and apathy within a few pages. These mood swings may give the audience a bit of whiplash, but they make the novel true to reality connects with the audience easily.
I have mentioned before Ishiguro's impressive ability to note the small details, facial expressions, and body language of his characters. In every conversation or scene he add these details in to explain why the characters interact the way they do. These details not only create vivid and believable scenes and relationships, but the also create an effect on the reader.
Mood in most novels I have read flips back and forth between a few different feelings. In Brave New World, the mood switched from factual and blunt to desperate and despairing a few times, but there were very few other emotions set by the characters. The students at Hailsham are written with extreme detail. This details of body language and expression create many fickle moods. This may because they are youthful and emotional, but I think its the details that allow the moods swing back and forth so quickly. The characters can experience elation, sorrow, excitement, curiosity, frustration, and apathy within a few pages. These mood swings may give the audience a bit of whiplash, but they make the novel true to reality connects with the audience easily.
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Ishiguro Method
"She had a sort of half-smile, the sort a mother might have in an ordinary family, weighting things up while the children jumped and screamed around her asking her to say, yes, they could do whatever." -pg 159
The comparison above is one of many, many examples through the novel where Ishiguro uses analogies. Something I have repeatedly begun to notice is the particular sorts of situations he uses them in.Whenever characters are experiencing an epiphany, learn something new, experience a development in emotions or relationships, or notice something new for the first time. In every scenario, the characters are experiencing some sort of growth or development in some area. Ishiguro never uses imagery or comparisons to describe the way someone looks or other arbitrary purposes. The effect produced by Ishiguro's analogies is an analysis of the characters and how they feel about the many situations they are involved in. I even wrote an equation for his method: analogy+development= character analysis. I named it the Ishiguro method.
The comparison above is one of many, many examples through the novel where Ishiguro uses analogies. Something I have repeatedly begun to notice is the particular sorts of situations he uses them in.Whenever characters are experiencing an epiphany, learn something new, experience a development in emotions or relationships, or notice something new for the first time. In every scenario, the characters are experiencing some sort of growth or development in some area. Ishiguro never uses imagery or comparisons to describe the way someone looks or other arbitrary purposes. The effect produced by Ishiguro's analogies is an analysis of the characters and how they feel about the many situations they are involved in. I even wrote an equation for his method: analogy+development= character analysis. I named it the Ishiguro method.
Fiction or Futuristic?
"Since each of us was copied at some point from a normal person, there with his or her life. This meant, at least in theory, you'd be able to find the person you were modelled from." -pg 139
This was a huge milestone in the book. Before now I had just assumed that the students were taken from their parents at a very young age without ever meeting them. Up until now I had assumed that Never Let Me Go was the normal sort of fiction: it didn't really happen, but it could in the normal modern world or history. However, the concepts involved in the passage above are not of the normal modern world of today. Cloning people is a science not yet mastered or utilized. Nevertheless, in Never Let Me Go cloning has been developed into a program with schools and guardians and everything it needs to run smoothly.
Brave New World was obviously a futuristic sort of fiction from the start. The process of "birthing" and conditioning in Brave New World was never hidden the way it is in Never Let Me Go. I suspect there are more surprises to come in the newly revealed futuristic fiction that is Never Let Me Go.
This was a huge milestone in the book. Before now I had just assumed that the students were taken from their parents at a very young age without ever meeting them. Up until now I had assumed that Never Let Me Go was the normal sort of fiction: it didn't really happen, but it could in the normal modern world or history. However, the concepts involved in the passage above are not of the normal modern world of today. Cloning people is a science not yet mastered or utilized. Nevertheless, in Never Let Me Go cloning has been developed into a program with schools and guardians and everything it needs to run smoothly.
Brave New World was obviously a futuristic sort of fiction from the start. The process of "birthing" and conditioning in Brave New World was never hidden the way it is in Never Let Me Go. I suspect there are more surprises to come in the newly revealed futuristic fiction that is Never Let Me Go.
The Bigger Picture
"We certainly didn't think much about our lives beyond the Cottages, or about who ran them, or how they fitted into the larger world. None of us thought like that in those days." -pg 116
For a while now, my feeling that this is not ordinary school and these are no ordinary students has not only been growing, but has been confirmed. Miss Lucy was one of the characters who had the greatest role in proving true my doubts. She seems to care more than anybody did or will about the future of the students. The students have a disturbing and almost idiotic lack of curiosity about what they are intended for in the future. They have a massive failure to care about the bigger picture. If I were them here are some the questions I would be asking:
Who organized Hailsham and why is so much better than other schools? Why are some students carers and others donors and who dictates when the switch is made? Who are the students modeled after and how? Are the students duplicate bodies or actual duplicate people? Do any students ever rebel or run from what they have been chosen for? How many donations can a person make without dying?
I am really interested in the bigger picture and what it looks like. For some reason, the students aren't.
For a while now, my feeling that this is not ordinary school and these are no ordinary students has not only been growing, but has been confirmed. Miss Lucy was one of the characters who had the greatest role in proving true my doubts. She seems to care more than anybody did or will about the future of the students. The students have a disturbing and almost idiotic lack of curiosity about what they are intended for in the future. They have a massive failure to care about the bigger picture. If I were them here are some the questions I would be asking:
Who organized Hailsham and why is so much better than other schools? Why are some students carers and others donors and who dictates when the switch is made? Who are the students modeled after and how? Are the students duplicate bodies or actual duplicate people? Do any students ever rebel or run from what they have been chosen for? How many donations can a person make without dying?
I am really interested in the bigger picture and what it looks like. For some reason, the students aren't.
Structure: In Parts
"Part Two" -pg 113
Ishiguro's trademark for this particular novel is definitely his clear and concise structure. He has the progression of his setting, his characters, and slowly revealed plot down to a science. The first part has an introduction of all the most important characters, and introduction to Hailsham, and a depiction of the students' childhood through a progression of long anecdotal flashbacks. The second part is much of the same, except missing the introductions and containing descriptions of the Cottages rather than Hailsham. I can only assume that the third part will follow the characters into their adulthood and lives as donors. This ridiculously and obviously designed structure helps reader fall into a pattern or reading. The pattern allows the reader to have the ability to almost predict what will happen next. When the pattern is interrupted, or there is a surprising scene woven into the pattern, the interruption or surprise becomes exaggerated and even more noticeable than it would without the rigid structure. The audience can recognize special events and milestones and their importance much easier when they are displayed across such and meticulously organized structure.
Ishiguro's trademark for this particular novel is definitely his clear and concise structure. He has the progression of his setting, his characters, and slowly revealed plot down to a science. The first part has an introduction of all the most important characters, and introduction to Hailsham, and a depiction of the students' childhood through a progression of long anecdotal flashbacks. The second part is much of the same, except missing the introductions and containing descriptions of the Cottages rather than Hailsham. I can only assume that the third part will follow the characters into their adulthood and lives as donors. This ridiculously and obviously designed structure helps reader fall into a pattern or reading. The pattern allows the reader to have the ability to almost predict what will happen next. When the pattern is interrupted, or there is a surprising scene woven into the pattern, the interruption or surprise becomes exaggerated and even more noticeable than it would without the rigid structure. The audience can recognize special events and milestones and their importance much easier when they are displayed across such and meticulously organized structure.
Parallel Progression
"And she tells me to sit down, and I end up exactly where I was the last time, you know, that time years ago. And I can tell she's remembering that time as well, because she starts talking about it like it was only the day before." -pg 107
Miss Lucy is one of the most driving characters of the plot line. She is not a main character, but the scenes with her in them typically reveal a truth about the future of the students of Hailsham. She had a conversation with Tommy once before. This conversation gave Tommy more depth and purpose and a hint as to what might come in his future. That was in his childhood. Now, Miss Lucy sits him down again in the very situation as the first time. In this conversation he learns a little bit more about what his future will hold. As far as setting and content go, these situations create a parallel in the book between his young years and his teenage years. The parallel assists the progression in the book that I have written a lot about. The parallel milestones in Tommy's life and understanding of his life help show how and when he grows into who he will be when he eventually does have to become a donor.
Miss Lucy is one of the most driving characters of the plot line. She is not a main character, but the scenes with her in them typically reveal a truth about the future of the students of Hailsham. She had a conversation with Tommy once before. This conversation gave Tommy more depth and purpose and a hint as to what might come in his future. That was in his childhood. Now, Miss Lucy sits him down again in the very situation as the first time. In this conversation he learns a little bit more about what his future will hold. As far as setting and content go, these situations create a parallel in the book between his young years and his teenage years. The parallel assists the progression in the book that I have written a lot about. The parallel milestones in Tommy's life and understanding of his life help show how and when he grows into who he will be when he eventually does have to become a donor.
Teenage Reactions
"I'd say the rule about not discussing the donations openly was still there, as strong as ever. But now it was okay, almost required, every now and then, to make some jokey allusion to these things that lay in front of us." -pg 84
I have noted in previous blogs how the progression of this novel closely follows and imitates the progression of a child as they grow to an adult. Not only does the book follow Kathy and her friends as they grow physically, but it notes how their thoughts and reactions to their predicament grow and change with them. When the kids were young, the children of Hailsham felt a strong taboo on the any topic of their future. This was most likely due to immaturity and confusion about what exactly their future would hold. As teenagers, they learn a bit more about what that future will be (mostly due to Miss Emily). Accordingly, their reaction to what they learn is a teenage reaction. They laugh about it. The even make jokes about it. They leave aside the seriousness and treat the scary topics as far away and laughable. The next step is adulthood. I can only assume the next step of the book will be more serious and intense than the other two parts.
I have noted in previous blogs how the progression of this novel closely follows and imitates the progression of a child as they grow to an adult. Not only does the book follow Kathy and her friends as they grow physically, but it notes how their thoughts and reactions to their predicament grow and change with them. When the kids were young, the children of Hailsham felt a strong taboo on the any topic of their future. This was most likely due to immaturity and confusion about what exactly their future would hold. As teenagers, they learn a bit more about what that future will be (mostly due to Miss Emily). Accordingly, their reaction to what they learn is a teenage reaction. They laugh about it. The even make jokes about it. They leave aside the seriousness and treat the scary topics as far away and laughable. The next step is adulthood. I can only assume the next step of the book will be more serious and intense than the other two parts.
Culture Connection
"What made the tape so special for me was this one particular song:track number three, 'Never Let Me Go'." pg 70
Not so long ago I was blogging my little heart out about the novel Brave New World. On my fourteenth blog, titled "Oh Brave New Ironic World" wrote about the allusion to Shakespeare that was made in the title of book. In addition, the allusion was explained in the novel; or rather the irony of the allusion was explained. Coming to page 70 of the second book, Never Let Me Go, I noticed again how the title of the novel was included in the book. Both books share that fact that the title is not arbitrarily assigned, but is a part of the book. In both cases, the allusion was made to the artsy side of culture. In Brave New World, the allusion was to literature. In Never Let Me Go, the allusion was to a recording artist, Judy Bridgewater. These cultural allusions not only became the titles, but also summarized the main themes of each work.
Not so long ago I was blogging my little heart out about the novel Brave New World. On my fourteenth blog, titled "Oh Brave New Ironic World" wrote about the allusion to Shakespeare that was made in the title of book. In addition, the allusion was explained in the novel; or rather the irony of the allusion was explained. Coming to page 70 of the second book, Never Let Me Go, I noticed again how the title of the novel was included in the book. Both books share that fact that the title is not arbitrarily assigned, but is a part of the book. In both cases, the allusion was made to the artsy side of culture. In Brave New World, the allusion was to literature. In Never Let Me Go, the allusion was to a recording artist, Judy Bridgewater. These cultural allusions not only became the titles, but also summarized the main themes of each work.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Sheltered Lives
"'You've been told about it. You're students. You're...special.'" -pg 68
Pages 66 through 69 contain the most interesting and puzzling material of the book so far. On page 66 Kathy begins to describe the little myth about Norfolk that Ruth made up and the students of Hailsham believed. The myth is yet another example of how the students of Hailsham were extremely sheltered from the outside world and were fairly clueless of places outside their isolated school. The only information they have about the outside is from what their teachers give them. Thus, they make up their own stories to fill in the holes. What's really interesting is that they consistently believe them, even after they have outgrown Hailsham.
At first I thought this sheltered lifestyle that produced the fantasies like the one about Norfolk natural for a school like Hailsham. But on the page in the quote above, I began to think maybe this sheltered was intended. The quote above came after a discussion about smoking and how it was viewed as a cardinal sin by the students at Hailsham. When one of the guardians admitted to smoking in her youth, the students were shocked. However, the guardian made a point that it was a much bigger crime if one of the students smoked rather than the guardian's old smoking habit. Why are the students at Hailsham so special? Why are the so protected from any unsavory outside influences?
Pages 66 through 69 contain the most interesting and puzzling material of the book so far. On page 66 Kathy begins to describe the little myth about Norfolk that Ruth made up and the students of Hailsham believed. The myth is yet another example of how the students of Hailsham were extremely sheltered from the outside world and were fairly clueless of places outside their isolated school. The only information they have about the outside is from what their teachers give them. Thus, they make up their own stories to fill in the holes. What's really interesting is that they consistently believe them, even after they have outgrown Hailsham.
At first I thought this sheltered lifestyle that produced the fantasies like the one about Norfolk natural for a school like Hailsham. But on the page in the quote above, I began to think maybe this sheltered was intended. The quote above came after a discussion about smoking and how it was viewed as a cardinal sin by the students at Hailsham. When one of the guardians admitted to smoking in her youth, the students were shocked. However, the guardian made a point that it was a much bigger crime if one of the students smoked rather than the guardian's old smoking habit. Why are the students at Hailsham so special? Why are the so protected from any unsavory outside influences?
Kathy's Weakness
"What I did was to slow right down so that Ruth, coming behind me, could instead pass through the door beside Miss Geraldine. I did this without any fuss, as though this were the natural and proper thing and what Miss Geraldine would like-just the way I'd have don't if, say, I'd accidentally got myself between two best friends." -pg 62
Something I have been beginning to notice about Ishiguro's writing is his meticulous attention to detail, specifically detail about facial expressions, vocal hints, and body language. He uses these little nuances and small glances to reveal the subtleties of characters and their motives. These details apply specifically to Ruth. Since Ruth is the most creative, imaginative, and sly of the cast, the details about the small expressions she uses reveal more about her than any other character. So far I have discovered her to be manipulative, creative, ambitious, and desperate for attention. This profile has been building for a while, but in the passage above the audience begins to discover a few new details about Kathy.
Kathy, as we have seen her so far, has a lot of attention to detail, is very nosy, kind, and very attentive to rules. In the incident over Ruth's pencil case, ended in the passage above, Kathy revealed to be relenting, forgiving, slightly perceptible to guilt. She owed Ruth nothing, but for some reason felt the need to placate her. These traits might be some of the factors that make Kathy such a good carer in the future. However, these traits make Kathy vulnerable to Ruth's manipulative antics.
Something I have been beginning to notice about Ishiguro's writing is his meticulous attention to detail, specifically detail about facial expressions, vocal hints, and body language. He uses these little nuances and small glances to reveal the subtleties of characters and their motives. These details apply specifically to Ruth. Since Ruth is the most creative, imaginative, and sly of the cast, the details about the small expressions she uses reveal more about her than any other character. So far I have discovered her to be manipulative, creative, ambitious, and desperate for attention. This profile has been building for a while, but in the passage above the audience begins to discover a few new details about Kathy.
Kathy, as we have seen her so far, has a lot of attention to detail, is very nosy, kind, and very attentive to rules. In the incident over Ruth's pencil case, ended in the passage above, Kathy revealed to be relenting, forgiving, slightly perceptible to guilt. She owed Ruth nothing, but for some reason felt the need to placate her. These traits might be some of the factors that make Kathy such a good carer in the future. However, these traits make Kathy vulnerable to Ruth's manipulative antics.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Scoop on Ruth (Indirect Characterization)
"Ruth came a step closer. 'My best horse,' she said, 'is Thunder. I can't let you ride on him. He's much too dangerous. But you can ride Bramble, as long as you don't use your crop on him. Or if you like, you could have any of the others.'" -pg 46
At last Kathy has dropped her obsession with Tommy long enough to delve into Ruth's character. So far, she has revealed Ruth to be primarily imaginative, almost to a fault. The quote above is the first evidence, although rather innocent, of how deep Ruth can go into her imagination. However, the games keep escalating. One of the imagined scenarios later in the story involve the kidnapping of one of the guardians at Hailsham- Miss Geraldine. Ruth antics increase in severity and persuasion until all the girls in her circle of friends are irresistably drawn to Ruth's magnetic energy.
However, Kathy finds out that being a part of Ruth's inner circle isn't always fun or permanent. After the chess incident, Kathy is frustrated with Ruth and her untruthfulness. This unpleasant factor may come to be a central part of the novel when Ruth shows up to be a donor.
Learning about Ruth through all these different scenes and incidents is indirect characterization because Ishiguro never informs the reader exactly what Ruth is like, but rather shows them through her mannerisms and words.
At last Kathy has dropped her obsession with Tommy long enough to delve into Ruth's character. So far, she has revealed Ruth to be primarily imaginative, almost to a fault. The quote above is the first evidence, although rather innocent, of how deep Ruth can go into her imagination. However, the games keep escalating. One of the imagined scenarios later in the story involve the kidnapping of one of the guardians at Hailsham- Miss Geraldine. Ruth antics increase in severity and persuasion until all the girls in her circle of friends are irresistably drawn to Ruth's magnetic energy.
However, Kathy finds out that being a part of Ruth's inner circle isn't always fun or permanent. After the chess incident, Kathy is frustrated with Ruth and her untruthfulness. This unpleasant factor may come to be a central part of the novel when Ruth shows up to be a donor.
Learning about Ruth through all these different scenes and incidents is indirect characterization because Ishiguro never informs the reader exactly what Ruth is like, but rather shows them through her mannerisms and words.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Ishiguro's Imagery
"Its like walking past a mirror you've walked past every day of your life, and suddenly it shows you something else, something troubling and strange." - pg 36
At this point, Ishiguro starts using similes and analogies to convey the development of Kathy and her fellow students. In the course of two pages, Ishiguro used three different images to describe the incident with Madame. They were: comparing the students to spiders, comparing Madame's presence to a chilly shadow, and (the one above) comparing the feeling produced by the incident to walking by a mirror that can change its image.
All these imagery additions to the novel heighten the complexity of the story of Hailsham, Kathy, and her friends. It suggests that this change in perspective is significant to the future of the main character and the plot. Its not necessarily the same feeling as foreshadowing, but nevertheless the imagery effectively emphasizes the developments that will be important later on. These developments have more to do with the characters and the way their views are growing and how these views will effect the future of the plot rather than being events relevant to the future of the plot. Despite being very vivid similes, the comparisons Ishiguro make heighten the plot and set up the character base for the future.
Hogwarts Hogwarts Hoggy Warty Hogwarts (Setting)
"The afternoon Madame's car was spotted coming across the fields, it was windy and sunny, with a few strom clouds starting to gather." -pg 34
Sooo the Harry Potter count down is on about eight days now, and I'm getting a little crazy. So yes, bear with me, this blog will be about Hogwarts, sorta.
Due to the prolonged flashback, Ishiguro has not officially adopted any official setting. Hailsham is the location of most of the action at this point, but it will most likely not remain the center of attention for a whole lot longer. Hailsham was briefly described in the paragraph above the quot above on page 34. At this point, I began to make the connection between Hailsham and Hogwarts.
Both are isolated places. Kathy mentioned that a car was a rare sight, and Hogwarts is protected by magic. Both schools have a Great Hall. Both schools a boarding schools with dorms and classes based on age. Both schools have staff members and a headmaster of sorts (Madame for Hailsham). I suspect these similarities arise from similar settings (European style schools although Hogwarts is in Scotland, I think).
The quote above was the first time that the setting was every utilized by Ishiguro to portray the feeling or mood of the students. It used to subtly describe the arrival of Madame and the incident that followed.
Okay, that was stretch. Please accept my apologies and this video :D
Sooo the Harry Potter count down is on about eight days now, and I'm getting a little crazy. So yes, bear with me, this blog will be about Hogwarts, sorta.
Due to the prolonged flashback, Ishiguro has not officially adopted any official setting. Hailsham is the location of most of the action at this point, but it will most likely not remain the center of attention for a whole lot longer. Hailsham was briefly described in the paragraph above the quot above on page 34. At this point, I began to make the connection between Hailsham and Hogwarts.
Both are isolated places. Kathy mentioned that a car was a rare sight, and Hogwarts is protected by magic. Both schools have a Great Hall. Both schools a boarding schools with dorms and classes based on age. Both schools have staff members and a headmaster of sorts (Madame for Hailsham). I suspect these similarities arise from similar settings (European style schools although Hogwarts is in Scotland, I think).
The quote above was the first time that the setting was every utilized by Ishiguro to portray the feeling or mood of the students. It used to subtly describe the arrival of Madame and the incident that followed.
Okay, that was stretch. Please accept my apologies and this video :D
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Creeper Much?
"I saw a few of the incidents myself. But mostly I heard about them, and when I did, I quizzed people until I'd got a more or less full account." -pg 14
On the fourth page, Kathy quickly identifies Tommy and Ruth as important characters to the book. Not only are they the reason Kathy embarks on an extensive flashback to give the new characters a base, but they are involved in her present, her career as a carer. However, Kathy, Ishiguro really I suppose, seems to focus more on Tommy and adds details about Ruth as an after thought. In fact, Kathy goes full out sleuth on Tommy. She follows him, researches him, and interviews people about him. For her work, she is able to lay out and discover patterns in his behavior. This is a little strange to me. Why would Ishiguro emphasize Kathy and Ruth's relationship at first, but then write about Kathy's obsession with Tommy. My spider senses tell me that Tommy may become a issue of conflict between Ruth and Kathy.
 |
| Spidy man |
Dear Diary.... (Tone)
Little fyi: I am done with Brave New World starting the second book: Never Let Me Go. Yay.
"Anyway, I'm not making any big claims for myself. I know carers, working now, who are just as good and don't get half the credit. If you're one of them, I can understand how you might get resentful-about by bedsit, my car, above all, the way I get to pick and choose who I look after." -pg 3-4
Cracking open Never Let Me Go, I felt from the very beginning that I was reading something very personal and self-reflective. The fictional woman featured in the novel speaks as if the pages were indeed her diary rather than a public work. In the first page, Kathy introduces herself as a person might do when beginning a new diary. The author speaks through Kathy H., but at the same time, I feel as though Kathy really is the author. I forget that there is another person behind her and this is not her book. This feeling is helped by the first person position taken by Kathy H.- I mean the author.
The only interruption to the "diary tone" of the novel so far is located in the quote above. Kathy H. begins to address a "you". This suggests that Kathy anticipated someone reading her diary, journal, or whatever this is intended to be. Or maybe perhaps that the author anticipated an audience to his character. I don't know. It gets weirder in the section that reads: "If you're one of them". This suggests that the audience is supposed to be a singular person. Not only is the audience a singular person, but they are most likely a person from the England of the 1990s (the setting of the novel) since Kathy supposes that the singular audience member could potentially be a carer.
These are just the facts as I see them. Due to the tone of the novel, I cautiously predict that all this diary nonsense means that Kathy H. has a story that she wishes to share about herself (perhaps with one particular person) that may contain a message or moral of some sort taken from her personal reflection on this story. But then again, maybe not. :)
"Anyway, I'm not making any big claims for myself. I know carers, working now, who are just as good and don't get half the credit. If you're one of them, I can understand how you might get resentful-about by bedsit, my car, above all, the way I get to pick and choose who I look after." -pg 3-4
Cracking open Never Let Me Go, I felt from the very beginning that I was reading something very personal and self-reflective. The fictional woman featured in the novel speaks as if the pages were indeed her diary rather than a public work. In the first page, Kathy introduces herself as a person might do when beginning a new diary. The author speaks through Kathy H., but at the same time, I feel as though Kathy really is the author. I forget that there is another person behind her and this is not her book. This feeling is helped by the first person position taken by Kathy H.- I mean the author.
The only interruption to the "diary tone" of the novel so far is located in the quote above. Kathy H. begins to address a "you". This suggests that Kathy anticipated someone reading her diary, journal, or whatever this is intended to be. Or maybe perhaps that the author anticipated an audience to his character. I don't know. It gets weirder in the section that reads: "If you're one of them". This suggests that the audience is supposed to be a singular person. Not only is the audience a singular person, but they are most likely a person from the England of the 1990s (the setting of the novel) since Kathy supposes that the singular audience member could potentially be a carer.
These are just the facts as I see them. Due to the tone of the novel, I cautiously predict that all this diary nonsense means that Kathy H. has a story that she wishes to share about herself (perhaps with one particular person) that may contain a message or moral of some sort taken from her personal reflection on this story. But then again, maybe not. :)
Friday, June 24, 2011
Grave Examples
"The door of the lighthouse was ajar. They pushed it open and walked into a shuttered twilight. On an archway on the further side of the room they could see the bottom of the staircase that led up to the higher floors. Just under the crown of the arch dangled a pair of feet." - pg 259
When I read the first couple of pages of this book, I was immediately reminded of another. (Admit I have been saving this for the last blog). Anthem by Ayn Rand is a novel almost exactly like Brave New World. It is considerably less detailed and scientific, but it was also a futuristic novel where the inhabitants are brainwashed into a cult of collectivism where they view themselves more as one unrecognizable member of a mass of humanity. Also, people are predestined to lives as street sweepers, or controllers, or farmers, or whatever else is necessary to make society functional. Both novels are similar in the way that they are warnings against the possibilities of communist collectivism. They both are scenes from the future that have a main character that resist the society and (not exactly in John's case) find a way out of the over-organized restrictions and lack of culture that plague them.
Some differences are the bases of the different worlds. Anthem uses psychological methods such as making everything about a kid's childhood absolutely identical and never unique. Kids never know their parents and are taught that they are nobodies. They are given names like "unity", "collective", and "solidarity" with numbers following them. This makes them less human and more like a number, a statistic. They are convinced that they owe everything they are to their 'brothers and sisters' (who are everyone). One man finds an underground storage filled with paintings, art, and sculptures. He uses this storage as a retreat from the identical, monotonous lifestyle of his brothers and sisters. Later, he falls in love with a woman he sees at work everyday. They run away together and take the art with them. They create a new life the way humans are supposed to live: free, unique, and independent.
Brave New World is far more scientific and plausible as a dominant way of life. The authority in Brave New World have biologically engineered control over their subjects. They also have soma to smooth over and bumps their subjects might have. While real names are used, and preference is not a sin while it is discouraged.
There may be differences in the way the novels are developed, but in essence they are both grave examples of what could happen if humans ever lost control.
When I read the first couple of pages of this book, I was immediately reminded of another. (Admit I have been saving this for the last blog). Anthem by Ayn Rand is a novel almost exactly like Brave New World. It is considerably less detailed and scientific, but it was also a futuristic novel where the inhabitants are brainwashed into a cult of collectivism where they view themselves more as one unrecognizable member of a mass of humanity. Also, people are predestined to lives as street sweepers, or controllers, or farmers, or whatever else is necessary to make society functional. Both novels are similar in the way that they are warnings against the possibilities of communist collectivism. They both are scenes from the future that have a main character that resist the society and (not exactly in John's case) find a way out of the over-organized restrictions and lack of culture that plague them.Some differences are the bases of the different worlds. Anthem uses psychological methods such as making everything about a kid's childhood absolutely identical and never unique. Kids never know their parents and are taught that they are nobodies. They are given names like "unity", "collective", and "solidarity" with numbers following them. This makes them less human and more like a number, a statistic. They are convinced that they owe everything they are to their 'brothers and sisters' (who are everyone). One man finds an underground storage filled with paintings, art, and sculptures. He uses this storage as a retreat from the identical, monotonous lifestyle of his brothers and sisters. Later, he falls in love with a woman he sees at work everyday. They run away together and take the art with them. They create a new life the way humans are supposed to live: free, unique, and independent.
Brave New World is far more scientific and plausible as a dominant way of life. The authority in Brave New World have biologically engineered control over their subjects. They also have soma to smooth over and bumps their subjects might have. While real names are used, and preference is not a sin while it is discouraged.
There may be differences in the way the novels are developed, but in essence they are both grave examples of what could happen if humans ever lost control.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Conversation of Resolution
"'Because, finally, I preferred this,' the Controller answered. "I was given the choice to be sent to an island, where I could have got on with my pure science, or to be taken on to the Controllers' Council with the prospect of succeeding in due course to an actual Controllership. I chose this and let the science go.' After a little silence, 'Sometimes,' he added, 'I rather regret the science. Happiness is a hard master- particularly other people's happiness. A much harder master, if one isn't conditioned to accept it unquestioningly, than truth.'"-pg 227
In previous blogs, I inspected the attitude and perspective Huxley took towards displaying the information he wanted the reader to have and formulate opinions on. From complete unbiased observation of the futuristic world of his novel, through the view of a unique and irresolute character, to the negative and more familiar perspective of a new character, Huxley has lead the reader to the desired conclusion without actually ever spelling out the details of this world and how it got to be here. There are so many explanations needed to fully comprehend how the world got this way, why it got this way, and why it stays this way. Finally, Huxley lays everything out in detail through one of his minor, but informative characters.
Mustapha Mond has a lengthy conversation with John the Savage after the riot that covers several pages. During the course of this conversation, the details of how, why, and when this world rose into existence is fully explained. Huxley minimizes the use of figurative language to take on an honest and blank tone that lends to the factual air Mustapha Mond has as he fills John in on the whole story. This tone is refreshing and a nice breather from the complicated perspectives that were complex because they were viewed through different, not omniscient characters. This conversation may be part of the resolution of the novel. The conversation both lays out the necessary details of the story, but also directly follows the climax. These facts make it feel like a resolve, a statement of the way it is and the way it always will be.
In previous blogs, I inspected the attitude and perspective Huxley took towards displaying the information he wanted the reader to have and formulate opinions on. From complete unbiased observation of the futuristic world of his novel, through the view of a unique and irresolute character, to the negative and more familiar perspective of a new character, Huxley has lead the reader to the desired conclusion without actually ever spelling out the details of this world and how it got to be here. There are so many explanations needed to fully comprehend how the world got this way, why it got this way, and why it stays this way. Finally, Huxley lays everything out in detail through one of his minor, but informative characters.
Mustapha Mond has a lengthy conversation with John the Savage after the riot that covers several pages. During the course of this conversation, the details of how, why, and when this world rose into existence is fully explained. Huxley minimizes the use of figurative language to take on an honest and blank tone that lends to the factual air Mustapha Mond has as he fills John in on the whole story. This tone is refreshing and a nice breather from the complicated perspectives that were complex because they were viewed through different, not omniscient characters. This conversation may be part of the resolution of the novel. The conversation both lays out the necessary details of the story, but also directly follows the climax. These facts make it feel like a resolve, a statement of the way it is and the way it always will be.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Climax in Force
"The policemen pushed him out of the way and got on with their work. Three men with spraying machines buckled to their shoulders pumped thick clouds of soma vapour into the air. Two more were busy round the portable Synthetic Music Box. Carrying water pistols charged with a powerful anaesthetic, four others had pushed their way into the crowd and were methodically laying out, squirt by squirt, the most ferocious of the fighters." -pg 214
For a novel based mostly on philosophical turmoil, the climax is surprisingly physical. The ability demonstrated in the riot provoked by John displays several new interesting traits previously unknown about the modern society of Brave New World. Firstly, it proves that the conditioned, trained members of identical brokanovsky groups are capable of still acting in the more base ways of human kind. When they are challenged and frightened by John the Savage, they begin to riot ferociously. This action, much like that of the unconditioned, untrained humans of the past, defies the pleasant, overly happy attitude that most characters have in the novel. Science may have trained humans to behave like robots, but they are still human under all their treatments. In fact, this is sort of what happened:
Secondly, when the riot broke out, a police force swiftly and deftly moved in to take control. The capability and preparedness of policemen suggest that this was not the first riot. Apparently, there is not only a protocol for controlling uprisings, but tools such as anaesthetic squirt guns, and soma vapour to handle these types of situations. This fact implicates that if ever an individual or group of individuals were capable of breaking free of their conditioning, there would be an authoritative force waiting for them. While the only punishment previously made known to the audience was banishment to an isolated island, the actions of the policemen open up new possibilities if ever a group of people organized to collectively defy the modern way of life. However, only the audience is able to realize this since the rioters are immediately quelled by the synthetic music box and its convincing peace speeches.
Overall, the climax of the novel reveals frightening, and interesting possibilities to the characters of the new world.
For a novel based mostly on philosophical turmoil, the climax is surprisingly physical. The ability demonstrated in the riot provoked by John displays several new interesting traits previously unknown about the modern society of Brave New World. Firstly, it proves that the conditioned, trained members of identical brokanovsky groups are capable of still acting in the more base ways of human kind. When they are challenged and frightened by John the Savage, they begin to riot ferociously. This action, much like that of the unconditioned, untrained humans of the past, defies the pleasant, overly happy attitude that most characters have in the novel. Science may have trained humans to behave like robots, but they are still human under all their treatments. In fact, this is sort of what happened:
Secondly, when the riot broke out, a police force swiftly and deftly moved in to take control. The capability and preparedness of policemen suggest that this was not the first riot. Apparently, there is not only a protocol for controlling uprisings, but tools such as anaesthetic squirt guns, and soma vapour to handle these types of situations. This fact implicates that if ever an individual or group of individuals were capable of breaking free of their conditioning, there would be an authoritative force waiting for them. While the only punishment previously made known to the audience was banishment to an isolated island, the actions of the policemen open up new possibilities if ever a group of people organized to collectively defy the modern way of life. However, only the audience is able to realize this since the rioters are immediately quelled by the synthetic music box and its convincing peace speeches.
Overall, the climax of the novel reveals frightening, and interesting possibilities to the characters of the new world.
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