Sarcasm in You're Ugly, Too

"What is your perfume? a student once asked her. Room freshener, she said.

This might have been one of the funniest stories I've been forced to read. I think one of the reasons I found this story so funny was the type of humor displayed. In today's society, most stand-up comedy and box-office comedies are crude dry. The humor is no longer knock-knock jokes but it is rather roasts of celebrities or mocking social customs. Zoe displays this type of humor. Although she doesn't intend to, her humor offends the people she insults but is hilarious to the reader. But, the source of her harsh sarcasm seems to be the result of her own state. In the beginning of the story, she alludes to her losing her mind. Is she insane?

Irony and alcholism in "The Drunkard"

p. 351 "My brave little man!" she said with her eyes shining. "It was God did it you were there. You were his guardian angel."

The irony in this statement is beyond hysterical. The first irony is that everyone expects Father to be the drunk one at the funeral when in reality, his son ends up drinking the beer. But, this isn't the only irony found in this situation. Not only is he drinking beer at 10, his mother is praising her 10 year old for stealing alcohol and getting drunk. In doing this, she is encouraging he son to drink and probably one day turn in to his father. So, while saving her husband from relapsing into another alcoholic fit and not showing up for work, she instead celebrates her son for drinking his beer. I'm reminded of the McDonald's scene in Big Daddy where Adam Sandler drops some ugly words in front of his kid and is told "nice parenting" by some sarcastic customer. So, nice parenting, mom.   

Style in Popular Mechanics

"I want the baby.
Get out of here!"

Throughout this short, short story, there is an obvious disregard for quotation marks. Usually with a lose of punctuation, there is often a lose of clarity or meaning. But, with "Popular Mechanics", the story is still easy to follow and understand who is speaking. The breaking up of this couple and the ensuing battle for the baby, is intense and very emotion-filled. None of which is lost with the loss of a some small marks. What I really want to know is the reasoning for the title. Is the popular mechanics ironic in that his lack of quotation marks isn't popular at all? Or is the "popular" referring to the society's trend of the problem of divorce/ break up and custody battle found in the story's plot itself?

Foreshadowing in "The Lottery"

P. 264 "Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones...made a great pile of stones."

This interesting seemingly insignificant snippet of the story is a hint of the cruelty to come. In reading this story through I glazed past this part. My thinking being: boys will be boys and boys play with rocks and throw them at each other. Also, I saw the "smoothest and roundest stones" and figured maybe these boys are stockpiling rocks to skip across some pond or lake to come. As the story focused around the gathering in the town center, the people gathering, the history of the lottery, and the lottery itself, I soon forgot about these stupid stones these boys had gathered. But at the end of the story, these stones make up part of the spectacle that is the lottery as they are hurled at Tessie Hutchinson. In reading through the early stones paragraph again, I picked up on the fact that these stones weren't being thrown immediately; they were being saved for something. If only I had known their cruel purpose, I would have been able to understand other subtitles of the story better. For example, the fact the box was black and the importance that EVERYONE from the town be there were details that make sense with the ending.

Delusional in Miss Brill

p. 182 "Miss Brill was glad she had decided on her fur."

Throughout "Miss Brill", Miss Brill feels a false sense of self. She is out of touch with society and the people she thinks she knows. Thinking her magical fur coat will make her the life of the community, she parades around like it. In this way, she is insane in thinking this coat will elevate her status. Due to her high expectations, she is even more devastated when her fur is insulted.  Whether she is really crazy, I don't know. But, one lesson to be learned from this is to have realistic expectations for things. Miss Brill thought she was younger than she was and the fur coat let her fit in. She might not be crazy but just not realize that people get old, people aren't hip forever.

Satire and Irony in Once Upon a Time

p. 236 "Next day he pretended to be the Prince who braves the terrible thicket of thorns to enter the palace and kiss the Speeing Beauty back to life; he drageed a ladder to the wall, the shining coiled tuneel was just wide enough for his little body to creep in..."

This excerpt of the boy dying from the razor blades is one of the most satirical and ironic parts of this short story. But, the first irony occurs when the narrator says that she hates writing fairy tales, and she writes one. Another irony occurs in that the parents tried so hard to protect themselves from the dangers of the outside world, they ended up hurting themselves. Satire appears in that the narrator is trying to shy people away from fairy tales because they plant unrealistic and dangerous ideas in children. Girls wait for a Prince Charming who never comes and boys try to do the impossible, in this case, climb a fence with razor blades. The second satire is the message that the author is trying to get across that when someone shuts themselves up off from other people, they hurt themselves.

Devotion in A Worn Path

p. 227 "I bound to go to town, mister," said Phoenix. "The time come around."

The last sentence tells of Phoenix's devotion. The long trip through the woods and swamp to the city, is one she obviously takes with frequency. She knows every land form, creek, and animal on the way there. The path is long because the hunter is even surprised at how long she walked. This shows her devotion. But her devotion to what? Phoenix doesn't even remember why until she gets to the city: her grandson. Whether her grandson is alive or not, this woman was devoted to helping him with his throat problem. Him swallowing lye definitely wasn't comfortable and she shows love and care by taking this "worn path" constantly.

Simile in Eveline

p. 222 "She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal."

This simile mentioned towards the end of "Eveline" is very fitting. In my book is written, and was also brought up by Mr. Costello, was the idea that this animal could be a deer in the headlights. One of the questions answered by my group was about spiritual paralysis . But, in this instance, at the moment of truth, loading the boat, Eveline experiences a moment of physical paralysis. Frozen by fear,  she is unable to pull the trigger and move to Buenos Aires with Frank; this is very similar to a deer being unable to move when faced with the headlights of a car. But, the root of her physical paralysis is her spiritual paralysis. Her spiritual paralysis being unable to change and move. Even though she was abused at her home, she knew what she was getting, which was more than she could say about moving.

Answer to question 1: sympathize most towards

p. 201 "Frank," Tub said after a time, "you know that farmer? He told Kenny to kill the dog." 

"You're kidding!" Frank leaned forward considering. "That Kenny. What a card." He laughed and so did Tub.

Within this short story, I believe the author sets up the story to lean towards sympathy for Tub. For this reason, I slightly lean towards sympathizing with Tub more. Tub is easy to sympathize with because of his weight, the criticism he faces, his eating problem, and his general clumsiness. Also, not to mention the fact he was threatened and shot a man. Obviously he faced guilt after figuring out about owner wanting the dog shot, one would think at least, but the quote says differently. But, my biggest problem with Tub is his and Frank's lack of urgency to help a man who got shot. They are able to stop and get pancakes, but can't take the man with a hole in his gut to the E.R.

Foreshadowing in "Hunters in the Snow"

p. 188 "I won't say at word. Like I won't say anything about a certain babysitter."

Throughout the short story, Kenny develops as an antagonist. He almost kills Tub in the opening . He mocks Tub and Frank throughout the story. In this quote, he crosses the line again. So, this quote not only foreshadows Frank revealing his mistress, but also of Kenny crossing the line one too many times. The quote hints at Frank having a problem, like everyone else in the story. Frank and Tub's problems are more personal problems with Frank and his marriage and Tub and his weight. These two draw closer again because their problems can be related to each other. Kenny's problem is a very big one, but not one met with the urgency of Frank and Tub's problem.

Simile in "Everyday Use"

p. 179 "Maggie's brain is like an elephant's."

This comment from Wangero was an anomaly in her character as a whole. Once Dee leaves and comes back, her character is truly brought out. In the beginning of the story, her and Mama aren't very close and Dee doesn't quite fit in with Mama and Maggie. Once she returns as Wangero, she drops her family past and heritage. She comes back to pick old family artifacts off her family to make great display pieces. She quickly forgets the sentimental value it has to Maggie and Mama and what it should mean to her. I'm not sure where Wangero developed the condescending tone and sense of entitlement, but it's rude and annoying. Once she leaves, she tells them to live in the present and exercise newly found freedoms, but she doesn't realize they are perfectly content living in the past.

I see Consuela in "Bartleby the Scrivener"

That was Consuela a Spanish house maid hired by the Griffin family in Family Guy. The problem is she doesn't do a great a job and gets fired, but she refuses to leave. In this way, my first connection to the strange Bartelby was to her. On page 662, a similar scene to the end of this video occurs: the narrator says, "The time has come; you must quit this place; I am sorry for you ; here is money; but you must go," to which Bartelby responds "I would prefer not." This is an odd response to a firing and it seems a rather effective one. In both cases, the people keep their jobs for an extended period of time. But, I feel sympathy for both these people. They are outcasts of society that are all there mentally and are forced out of their homes. Bartelby's story ends more tragically with his life and eventual death in prison.

Confronting the obvious in "Interpreter for Maladies"

"Is it really pain you feel, Mrs. Das, or is it guilt." p. 164

There are sometimes when we search and seek for answers to a deep problem. We ask our closest friends and family for advice and help. But, Mrs. Das doesn't have any friends and definitely can't confide in her husband with her problem, so she resorts to a stranger. In her defense, she feels this stranger is qualified for her problem. Although Mr. Kapasi normally interprets medical ailments, he points Mina's problem quickly. Mr. Kapasi is upfront with her and points out that she isn't in pain, she just feels guilty and probably always will. Mrs. Das probably already knew she felt guilty and was hoping for a magical solution to her problem and fix her life. Mr. Kapasi doesn't give her a secret potion but gives her the bitter taste of having to live with her reality.

Legends of the crazy cat ladies

The story "A Rose for Emily" is one of the strangest and most disturbing stories I've read. But, I feel like there are legends like this that have floated around countless small towns and cities throughout American history. Although there is nothing to dispute the investigations done in the story and their findings, I feel like some of this sources of the story are questionable. Mystery and unknowing leads people to fill in parts. No one a clue what happened: "We did not even know she was sick; we had long since given up trying to get any information from the Negro." Stories like these are sometimes added to or made up completely in towns today.  For example, my dad was told as a child, and believes to this day, that a woman that lived down the street from him who had 10+ cats forgot to get cat food and was eaten by her cats. Whether or not it's true or not, I don't know. But legends like this don't die off easily.

Simile in "Interpreter of Maladies"

Within this story, there is very little in the way of figurative language and rhetorical devices, as far as I saw. But, one simile I saw really contributed to the tone and set the scene of the story. On page 153 the narrator tells of Mrs. Das: "She lifted her pinkish brown sunglasses and arranged them on top of her head like a tiara." To me, this revealed some characterization of Mrs. Das. Obviously a tiara is a princess' crown. In this context, Lahiri casts the tiara and a princess in a negative light. This seems to depict a princess who is distant from her people and far too concerned about herself and only herself. This comparison comes to fruition later in the story when Mrs. Das reveals what Mr. Kapasi suspected all along. Mrs. Das was distant because her love between her husband has died and she is a worn down mother. Her reasoning for her lost love and so forth is revealed later.

Irony in How I Met my Husband

Throughout this short story, there are some points of suspense and uncertainty as to where the story will head. First, there is wondering where the relationship between Edie and Chris will head. Once it seems that there is some type of connection, Edie becomes a bit obsessed. After their kiss and his departure, she waits for his letter daily with a smiling face of anticipation before and after she receives the daily mail. The irony comes in that her husband, the mailman, thought Edie was trying to woo him by meeting him everyday at the mailbox. Edie narrates, "He always tells the children the story of how I went after him by sitting by the mailbox every day." In reality, she was waiting on a letter of a man she had become infatuated with. It's ironic that she meets her husband while waiting on a letter for another man.

Elegy in Elegy for My father, who is not dead

In strict terms, this poem isn't really an elegy. Technically, it has to be for someone who has died, but the speaker almost considers his father dead so it is close enough. Also, it isn't really a poem of mourning either but Hudgins calls it one. This speaker and his father have two opposing views on death. The father accepts that his time has come and "his reservations have been made". But, the son sees death not as a reunion with his father rather he doesn't want to die. I think his opinion is one that is driven out of youth. He is obviously relatively young, at least not old, if his father is alive and feels he has life to live and things to achieve. But, his father has done what he needs and knows his time has come. He's not as sure as his dad that he will ever see his father again, which makes him uneasy.

Edward

In reading the 1st stanza, I reasonably thought Edward was a child. The fact he had to explain to his mother why he did something was my first clue. My second thought was that he was killing animals randomly, which seemed childish. When he said he killed his dad I thought he was crazy, frustrated adolescent with some daddy issues. But, when he said he would "let them (his family) beg through life"  and cursed his mother to hell, I realized it was a grown man with real bad issues. I have some theories I want answered, because when I typed "Edward poem" into google poems about Robert Pattinson flooded my screen (ugh). When I heard the name Edward, I immediately associated it with royalty for some reason and my first thought was that this was a true historical tale about a prince killing his father and sailing away. But, usually princes kill their kingly fathers for the throne and Edward says he will sail away in this poem. Maybe this is just a poem about a random psychotic Edward. But, I can empathize with Edward in that he gets a little frustrated in explaining himself to his mother all the time. But, I don't see myself cursing my mother to Hell anytime soon.

Refrain in Lonely Hearts

Begging doesn't really work, at least when it comes to finding love. That seems to be the approach the speaker takes in "Lonely Hearts". The speaker keeps telling these descriptions of people that make me question his/her gender and sexuality. In any case, the speaker repeats two lines multiple times, which ties in with the main idea of the poem. The lines "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" and Can someone make my simple wish come true?" are repeated at the end of each stanza after the description of people. These lines are asking or begging for a companion. In the 1st phrase ("Do you live..."), the speaker asks two questions to cover all his?her bases and see if this person is it. Also, the 2nd phrase is trying to console the speaker in a sense because she calls her wish "simple". Never is finding love or companion simple. But, it seems that the speaker is trying to reassure himself/herself that he/she will find love.

Personification in Death, be not proud

Once again, the speaker in this poem harps on the sureness of death. But, this speaker gives us hope defeating death. He tells Death: "Death...some have called thee/ Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so." This is a bit of a change-up from the usual doom and gloom that usually follows a poem about death. One way he really makes Death human is by calling him a slave, "slave to fat, chance, kings, and desperate men." Death is not all-powerful it too has masters and limits. But the greatest argument the speaker gives about death is in the last stanza. Once we do die, "we wake eternally,/ And death shall be no more;death , thou shalt die." Death always wins, but, according to the speaker, its victory is short-lived when we live in eternity. Then, death meets its own end.

Simile in Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

In this poem by Dylan Thomas, the speaker reveals his own view on death. One way he uses show this is through a simile in line 14: "Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay". The paradox used in the line before, "blinding sight", explains the speaker's theory about death. Death is a fact of life that none of us can avoid. Often times older people or people with a terminal disease say they have come to grips with death and have accepted it. They know they will be home when they die and look forward to that. The speaker says these people have "blinding sight" so blinding that they have accepted death. But, even these people will fight death. We all fight death, even the wisest of the the wise; because, we are human. He uses this to help his father to have the courage to "rage, rage against the dying of the light".

Dover Beach

To try to understand this poem, I did a little bit of research. Besides looking at poetic anaylsis, I looked at the author and the setting. Arnold was an Englishman who, as evidence in this poem, saw the dwindling amount of religious in his time: "The Sea of Faith/ Was once, too at the full,...lay...furled." I also read that Arnold too had his doubts and anxieties about faith and questioned it. This brings me to the setting and such that is adresses in one of the questions in the book about setting and such. Dover Beach, from what I found, is the shortest way across the English Channel and France is visible from England and vice-versa. So, Arnold is pondering questions of religion as he stares across the English Channel on a moon-lit night. Now, I have my doubts about God like any Christian. But, wouldn't that scene seem a little too perfect and surreal to dispute some sort of supreme being?

Diction in Hazel Tells LaVerne

In reading through this poem the first time, I realized a re-read probably wouldn't be necessary. This poem was easy to follow, easy to read, and simple to understand due to the diction. Words like "cleanin", "musta",and "ta flushm" are informal and would have me sent to English hell had I used them, but they add flavor to the poem. I got the impression of an uneducated, blue-collar, country woman seeing this frog and not knowing any fairy tales or princess stories and getting rid of this talking frog. This poem is one where there is very little room for interpretation and guess work; it's pretty staightforward. But the diction is carefully crafted to be informal to give it the feel of a simple, funny story.

Tone in Getting Out

One thing I've really started to notice about poetry is that, more than any other genre of literature, it is pure emotion. Most poems we read have to do with hapiness, sadness, beauty, depression, love, and in this case, failed love. The speaker talks of difficult days when the couple was battled for a divorce. They hated each other as expressed in the first like when the woke" like inmates". They fought "heaved words like furniture". Similes like these two created a tone of hatred and frustration. But the real feelings are revealed when the tone switches in th last few lines when the speaker speaks of them crying and reaching for each other on the last day. What this revealed to me was that the woman hated this man and couldn't stand to be with him any longer and had to struggled in "getting out"; but, she still loved him.

Symbolism in Crossing the Bar

Initailly, uopn reading this poem I thought it was literal: a man out at sea. But, with a hint from the questions following the story, I quickly began to understand the real meaning. I think he compares his trip into the ocean to life, starting with Sunset and ending with Twilight. What really made me understand the meaning of this poem was the God symbol at the end. He says, "I hope to see my Pilot face to face/ When I have crossed the bar." The God reference rang a bell because we always talk about seeing God "face to face" when we enter heaven and the fact that God is the Pilot that guides us to our place in the afterlife. The speaker speaks of his death as one of peace that he hopes will not bring mourning. But, what doesn't make sense is how is crossing the sandbar like death? I don't really get the whole sea metaphor.

Metaphors in My mistress eyes'

Oh how I hate Shakespeare. But, this is the first work of his that I've read that wasn't a play and its not too bad. Characteristic of his plays, he uses a sort of dry humor in this poem. He describes his mistress as everything but ideal in saying metaphors like "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun" and "I have seen roses dmasked, red and white,/ But no such roses see I in her cheeks." All of these are a play off the typcial love poems that talk compare a woman to the beauty of nature, like the sun and roses. His metaphor serve a purpose in that they aren't lofty and idealistic, but more realistic. He still calls her great and "rare" in the last line, but he isn't over-the-top with her beauty and his infatuation of her. This is more of a love poem than any I've heard in that he points out the flaws and still accepts her as rare that no other woman compares to.

Metaphor in Mr. Z

Mr. Z seems to be a man who struggles with who he is. Sometimes people feel that in order to get ahead, they can't embrace their heritage. I feel that Holman really places the blame on both the man and the society, but mainly the society. He says that this man had success ditching his African American heritage. The metaphor "An airborne plant, flourishing without roots," explains this perfectly. He still became great, even though he didn't have his roots. He was freed of his roots, his color and race, and was able to fly. So, within this metaphor, it seems the author is placing the blame on society.

Vietnam in APO 96225 (response to #2 in the book)

In U.S History last year, I learned quite a bit about the war in Vietnam, far more than what I had learned just from Forrest Gump. One of thing that I thought was especially interesting was that it was the first war that had national media covering live events and such. Everyone knows war is bad, but I think the American public was really shocked to actually see how mad Vietnam was. Some people wanted to know but probably regretted asking, like the soldiers mother. Stories of dropping napalm on innocent civilians and raiding civilian houses was in part what turned the country against the war, along with the devastating casualties. This war in a foreign and obscure place against an unclear enemy dragged on for too long in the public's eyes leading to many deaths of Americans. Sound familiar?

Overstatement in Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritchie

In reading this poem, I got a tone of sadness and it finally became real in the last line when the speaker mentioned "the empty side of the bed". This is the second poem we've read about a widow who is reminded of her husband through things. The trees and flower in "Spring" or "Autumn", I forget which one, reminded the widow of her husband. In this poem, a few items remind her of her husband, like the shirt from Kuwait, but she seems more overwhelmed by the clothes and her loss. In line 49, she mentions "a mountain of unsorted wash". This overstatement is a little more significant I think than just describing how much clothes she has to fold. I think the author uses it as a comparison to the emotional mountain this woman will have to get over to get on with her life.

Irony in Ozymandias

As Christians, we hear numerous times throughout the Gospel of Jesus criticizing the kings and rulers of his day. He knew that their earthly power really meant nothing, they will fade and another king will soon take over. To me, it seems like the central theme of Ozymandias is the deterioration of power and wealth. Ozymandias is the "king of kings" and his pedestal reads "look on my works, ye Mighty and despair!" The irony of this is that Ozymandias in lying a desert and nothing is around him. Power and might on Earth is temporary. Ozymandias was cruel and harsh ("frown and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,") and the people he ruled probably only remembered for that. Shelley conveys this message through his poetry through this kind of comedic irony.

Satire in Barbie Doll

I think Marge Piercy is speaking for the general American woman in "Barbie Doll". She tells of an imperfect but normal girl who can't live up to society's absurd standards. She was told my some classmate as a teenager that she had a big nose and fat legs. I'm sure most people have either been told or recognize their imperfections and some people, like this girl, hold on to them and let them define who they are. This girl is a typical American girl unfortunately compares herself to the perfect, idealistic, and flawless Barbie image that the public wants. Disgusted with herself, she has to kill herself. At then end Piercy satrizes sociey when talking about this girl in her casket: "Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said. Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending." Piercy is trying to eliminate the notion that every girl must look like Barbie through these last couple lines and the poem in general. No one can be perfect, even Barbie has chips in her paint sometimes.

The Joy of Cooking

It is an understatement to say I am appalled and freaked out by this poem. As grotesque as it is, it's really funny how the poet makes it sound appetizing. Just a bit of seasoning with any human body part and a delicious feast is waiting. This poet, like Dickinson, is either completely insane or completely genius. How this idea popped into Magarrell's head is a mystery I want answered. But, the most disturbing part is where she talks about her brother's heart only being able to feed 2 instead of 6. Why is this? My guess was that her brother is really young and has a small heart and bring back flashes of A Modest Proposal. Like Swift's essay, I hope there is some irony or some really deep buried symbolism. But, my gut tells me this is actually about preparing human body parts.

Langston Hughes goes simile crazy

Langston Hughes tries to explain or examine what happens to a dream not lived or deferred. I thought it was a little curious that Hughes chose the word "deferred" instead of "unattained" or another word that meant incapable of being reached. It gives me the impression that Hughes isn't talking about crazy dreams: but rather, he's talking about dreams we put off or defer. I think he is sort of saying that all dreams we have are attainable, but we only put them off. He ponders what happens to these dreams we leave out "does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun?" Sometimes we put dreams off to much and save them for a more stable and clear time in our life that we never get back to them. Then, they get dried up like a raisin. They are still good, but lose the fullness and sweetness that a fresh grape has. This is only one of the scenarios Hughes offers in the entire poem that is similes. Does it sit and just stink (meat)? Or get better (syrupy sweet)? Does it burden us (heavy load)? Or eat us up inside until we explode?

Couplets in Pink Dog

This poem contains many different couplets throughout the different stanzas. Not only does it have quite a few couplets, it has a few lines that have 3 rhyming lines. I never really understood the meaning or purpose of rhyming in poetry. Is it just for fun or entertainment? Or does it serve a deeper purpose? "If they do this to anyone who begs, / drugged, drunk, or sober, with or without legs," These lines don't really seem to serve a purpose to me, but they do elaborate on the habit of throwing people into rivers. The entire poem seems comical to me and maybe the practice of throwing beggars and the low members of society actually happened, in that case it isn't real funny. Maybe, the rhyming lightens the mood or possibly is used to draw emphasis to an idea or a problem.

One more on "Bright Star"...oxymoron

In reading through this poem, after my first blog, I have to come to the realization that this "star" is actually the moon. Hints like "the moving waters at their preistlike task" clued me in. But the biggest clue I realized on about my third read through was line 12: "Awake forever in a sweet unrest". The oxymoron "sweet unrest" helped me now realize that this is the moon. The moon is always out and never sleeps, even during the day, when we can't see it. The moon is never really dimmer one night to the next, unless interfered with by the night air. It never has an off night where it looks like it needs sleep. It should be "unrest" because it is "awake forever" but never really is because it still shines every night.

Personification in "Bright Star"

I think we all look at things and nature and idolize or at least long for an aspect of something. For me, I would like to be as tall as a tree, but that would be a bit inconvenient. But, I think what Keats sees in the stars is very meaningful and desirable. He longs to be as "steadfast as thou art". To be steadfast, consistent, unchangeable, and unwavering is something that all people strive for. The way in which he makes it seem like some exception to nature is through making the star alive. "And watching, with eternal lids apart...Or gazing...Awake forever" all make the star come to life. Through making it come to life, Keats is able to give it movements and effect other things throughout the poem.

Diction in London

The diction in "London", to say it midly is depressing. Everyone has "marks of weakness, marks of woe". Not one class of people he mentions from the working class, to the Church, or to the military is happy. Men and infants cry. But, I don't feel this poem's purpose is to be gloomy for the sake of being gloomy. Blake is trying to call attention to something. All the things going wrong in this city are not the fault of the people. They are the curses of society created by the Rulers: "Runs in blood down Palace walls". It is the fault of the detached Palace that causes the afflictions and the downfalls of marriages. This poem may have written to get the attention of the Palace and if nothing else to support the people of London.

Imagery in Those Winter Sundays

The father in this story seems old-fashioned by today's standards. He's tough, rugged, a man's man. But to create this effect, Robert Hayden specifically describes a harsh winter Sunday with words like "blueblack cold".  Hayden sympathized with this harsh man: "...with crakced hands that ached from labor in the weekday weather...No one ever thanked him." The image of this young boy waking up on an ice cold winter day to his father who warmed the house. What really puzzled me was the "chronic angers of that house". Is this a reference to his father abusing him? If it is, it's a little puzzling to me that he would be so grateful and sympathetic of his father. Maybe he is trying to realize why his father is beating him. Not sure, definitely a question I want answered.

Personification in The Convergence of the Twain

I'm sure Thomas Hardy wasn't the first and won't be the last poet to comment on the sinking of the Titanic. Most poems about tragedy take a somber tone, as does this one. But, what gives this poem life among the bleak tone is the personification of the items in the poem. He speaks of fish that swim the sea and "Gaze at the gilded gear And query: 'What does this vaingloriousness down here?'.  These fish wonder, as the rest of the world, how this mass got down there. He speaks of the ship and "A Shape of Ice" on a crash course for destiny that "jars both hemisphere". Although he sees the tragedy, he knows it is the will of the "Spinner of the Years" and on his command that this happened. Through making the Iceberg human, he is able to make it seem as if it was the destiny of both these behemoths to collide

Metaphor in Dickinson's Head

Making no question as to her technique, Emily Dickinson starts off her poem with "I felt a funeral, in my Brain." Since it is impossible to have a funeral in her head, she is trying to create an effect. Talking about this in my small group, we were able to decipher this curious metaphorical poem. Dickinson indicates that she, or whoever the character, is at their own funeral in their own coffin. She goes through the bell tolling and other ceremonious funeral activities, when she finally speaks on her being dropped in the ground and the "Plank of Reason, broke" and she falls farther into the world. What we discussed and decided was that Dickinson is talking about losing her sanity. She loses Reason and is falling deeper and deeper into becoming insane and crazy. This funeral metaphor is drastically better than if she was straight forward; she creates a more serious tone.

Theme of "Spring"

I think the theme of the poem spring is often the idea associated with spring. Spring is a period full of newness and life. Hopkins says in the first line, "Nothing is so beautiful as spring...". The first line is indicative of the rest of the poem that has an optimistic tone. Words like "beginning","shoot","richness", and "blooms" speak of the birth of flowers and the change in the seasons and the optimism that comes with it. What I also found interesting was his religious references. Obviously, he is a Christian and I believe his reference with Jesus is to Easter and Christ's rebirth and renewal of life that coincides with spring. His last couple of lines are centered around Christ and I think he does this for a reason. Often during holidays we miss their true meaning. Hopkins leaves us with the importance of spring, Jesus.

Different Perspective

The first aspect of this essay I would like to comment on is the thesis of this essay. Midway down the first page Perrine says his purpose: "I wish not to advance any new proposition, but only to reassert the accepted critical principle that for any given poem there are correct and incorrect readings...". These thesis is something I've probably been told before but not really believed until this essay. Teachers have told me what poems have meant and I've never really understood why or how they come to the conclusion they do. To me, my confusion and difficulty in reading poetry has been in determining if the poem is literal or symbolic in meaning. Like the Blake poem "The Sick Rose", who really knows what it means? Although I understand Perrines reasoning in determining the correctness of a read of a poem and what things are according to details lining up, I'm not sure any person, besides the poet, could tell me what the things really mean. Perrine can tell me that "The Night-March" isn't about an army, but instead stars. But, what no one can tell me is if those stars are symbolic of something or just stars. So, what I got from this article was that there is correct way in determining what the poem is about but a multitude of ways to interpret symbolism, within reason.

The next aspect I want to comment on is the style Perrine uses. This essay was very similar to the last essay we read about what a good reader does and is by Nabokov. Early in the essay, he says identifying with a character is terrible but later qualifies it. Perrine does a similar thing saying, "That all interpretation of a poem are equally valid is a critical heresy...". A heresy! That seems a bit harsh to me so of course later he concedes. He speaks about the theory that poetry is like abstract art or music and therefore "anything goes" and how the theory that poetry is open to interpretation, when he says the theory came about because, "...withing limits, there is truth in it." So it isn't the work of Satan to interpret poetry in my own way, within reason?

Flashback

"On this particular afternoon I'm now thinking of, we were standing up on stools and benches, crowding around the high windows." p.7

Ishiguro in this case, uses a flashback to help characterize Kathy a little bit. Within the 1st paragraph of the chapter, Ishiguro reveals the essentials of Kathy: age and job. Although her job as "carer" isn't quite clear, she explains in great length that she is good at her job and his relatively advanced in it. She gets to pick her donors and became close to Ruth and Tommy again through picking them. She tells of her connection and time at this school Hailsham she speaks fondly of. I'm not quite sure if it's the school or more the people that she has great memories of. Kathy stood by and watched Tommy get fooled so it doesn't seem to me that she is a good friend of his at least at this point of the novel. Also, I noticed that the boys knew Tommy had a short fuse and tricked him so this could come into play later.

Never Let Me Go begins- 1st person

"My name is Kathy H." p. 1

The first thing I noticed in this book, of course, was the 1st sentence. This book appears to be a story told from the point of view of a character named Kathy. A little different point of view from the last book Brave New World. I think as a reader it is a little better, yet worse. From 1st person, I only know what that character knows  which can leave me in the dark on a few things. The reader doesn't quite get to see what all the other characters are doing and see them develop as well. From 3rd person, I pretty much know what all characters are doing   But, 1st person can also give more depth due to the increased attention on the main character. It also firmly establishes this main character. In Brave New World, Bernard was the focus for the 1st part of the book then John enters and takes over the plot. 

Better late than never I guess

"'Oh, my God, my God!' He covered his eyes with his hand. p. 259

In the argument in Chapter 17, John and Mond discuss the ultimate discussion. How far do we push ourselves and science? Do we rid the world of imperfections and negativity? Or do we keep the world in it's purest form? I really think this is the question Huxley wants to leave the reader. I believe that John is right when he says that he  "claims them all." There is no true happiness without someone experiencing pain first. There is no redemption without failure first. In the final scene, John is disgusted with himself when he gives into the "brave new world" and has to kill himself. Although he isn't really a hero, it is a pretty sad and unfulfilling end.  

Let's start a riot, a riot

"'Yes,' Mustapha Mond was saying, 'that's another item in the cost of stability. It isn't only art that's incompatible with happiness; it's also science. Science is dangerous; we have to keep it most carefully chained and muzzled.'" p.225

In the riot, John again refuses to conform. He also turns to violence and lashes out, again. This pattern of violence shows that John is not an ideal and flawless protagonist, but I think still the "good guy" in this situation. After all, he is fighting a terrible establishment, probably not in the ideal way, but he is trying to do what he thinks is right. I also liked that Mond acknowledged some short comings of the utopian society. Sacrifices must be made in order to maintain a level of stability. Art, happiness, and science are the things he states. But, I think individuality and life in general is also conceded to make society perfect. Also, "science chained", really? I think genetical engineering is taking science off the leash.

A main theme....that I called

"'Disgraceful?  But what do you mean? They're being death-conditioned. And I tell you,' she warned him truculently, 'if I have any more of your interference with their conditioning, I'll send for the porters and have you thrown out.'" p.203

In one of the 1st chapters, one of the things that shocked me was the lack of respect for life. I know Mr. Costello commented on that post and said it would be a recurring theme. In this chapter, it really comes to fruition. The nurse conditions the children to see death and accept it. That is real cruel and little harsh. I know that in our society death is fairly common but I still don't think there would ever be a point to where people would accept it heartlessly and move on. Even nurses and doctors who see death daily, sometimes more than once daily, probably don't necessarily take death in stride and ignore it. I hope their never comes a point in society where people die and no one bats an eye.

John's not the only one confused

"'What is it?' she almost screamed. And as though awakened by her cry he caught her by the shoulders and shook her.'Whore!' he shouted." p.194

In the last chapter, Bernard saw his eventual fall from grace when John again refused to follow social norm. John attempts to read Shakespeare to Watson, but Watson just laughs in his face. As much as I hate Shakespeare, I understand that it supposedly "timeless literature". But, as evidence in the last chapter, Shakespeare ideas of romance and love are a mockery in this book.

Within this chapter, we see another example of John not being able to adapt. I get the feeling that because the two worlds are so radically different, he never will be able to adjust. His ideas of romance, love and having to sacrifice and go to great lengths to win a girl over, as he learned in Shakespeare, are abnormal in the "brave new world". Lenina expects a shallow and physical relationship early on and is offended and frightened when John throws her off.

Rough Adjustment

"But the Savage had suddenly broken away from his companions and was violently retching, behind a clump of laurels, as though the solid earth had been a helicopter in an air pocket." p. 160

Bernard seems to have grown fond of his newly-found fame. His arrogance is multiplied more than ever as he tries to show up Mustapha Mond. I definitely saw this power trip coming. Bernard seems to be a person of low character who would take advantage of a situation. But, his adjustment isn't the real important one. The important adjustment is the tough transition John the Savage has made from the Reservation to Ford's world. He doesn't quite know and therefore live up to social expectations and disappoints Lenina. Even worse is the reaction Linda has made to "brave new world". Her years of aging make her a social outcast and she has slipped into a soma holiday and doctors don't give her much time. That's something I really don't like about this world: people always take the easy way out. People should have to study and work to be who they are instead of just handed it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Boom Roasted

"My father! The laughter , which had shown signs of dying away, broke out again more loudly than ever. He put his hands over his ears and rushed out of the room." p. 152

As a fan of The Office, I imagine this scene as Bernard standing in the room with D.H.C and saying to the Director, "You have a savage child, boom roasted." Instead, he decides to draw the process out a little bit to make it all the more painful and embarrassing for Tomakin. I think this shows in some ways that Bernard is a flawed protagonist and is human. Throughout the book, some negative aspects of Bernard are revealed. In the society, he is short in stature and socially out cast because of it. He lacks courage, shows some arrogance, and is   bloodthirsty. After all the advances in the technology and the genetical engineering, these people are still....people. Bernard has a thirst for revenge and wants to humiliate Tomakin for attempting to isolate him.

Creep (imagery)

"There, on a low bed, the sheet flung back, dressed in a pair of pink one-piece zippyjamas, lay Lenina, fast asleep and so beautiful in the midst of her curls, so touchingly childish with her pink toes and her grave sleeping face, so trustful in the helplessness of her limp hands and melted limbs, that the tears came to his eyes." p. 141

When describing Lenina sleeping, I think Huxley wants to portray her as an innocent child. Obviously using words like "childish" and "fast asleep" depict a young little girl sleeping. I don't really understand why Huxley would want to portray her as a child. This might be due possibly to that fact that John is preying on her in this scene. John has read a little too much Shakespeare and is a bit idealistic in thinking Lenina is his Juliet. Looking at the situation I can kind of see the comparison between Romeo and Juliet and John and Lenina. Both literally come from different worlds, but other than that, I don't really see the comparison.

Shakespeare...eww (allusion)

"'O brave new world," he repeated. 'O brave new world that has such people in it. Let's start at once.'" p.139

Knew I had heard it before but had to google it. After looking it up, I was reminded of last year and reading The Tempest. O how doth I hate Shakespearean language. John speaks in Old English after being given a book from Pope'. I think Huxley is trying to give a shoutout to, I would think, one of his idols in Shakespeare. His admiration for the fellow Brit is shown in how often he quotes him (even in the title) and how Shakespeare is one of the only aspects of our world to have stood the test of time to in this futuristic utopia. With John and Linda moving to the brave new world, new conflicts and subplots are bound to arise. It will be interesting to see how the are accepted and how they adapt to a different world. Although Linda was born there, I'm sure much has changed she has last been there.

Baby Mamma Drama (rising action)

"His name was Tomakin. (Yes, 'Thomas' was the D.H.C's first name.) He must have flown away without her-a bad, unkind, unnatural man." p. 118

Although I touched on this subject in my last entry, I would like to address development as whole in a separate post. Whenever a new character is introduced, the reader can usually tell whether he/she will be significant or just another passerby. With the news that John is son of the Director, most people would be able to easily see his significance. John could be a new wrinkle into the story or completely take over the plot. Not only was John revealed but Linda tells the real story behind her disappearance. Also, Linda tells of her great dissatisfaction with the Indians and their savage ways. She tries to shelter her son from the madness but she hardly can because he doesn't know how "civilized" people work.  With her story, we too see Thomas the Director as a heartless and harsh man.   

Comparison...again (simile)

"The mesa was like a ship becalmed in a strait of lion-coloured dust....the tall houses rose like stepped and amputated pyramids into the blue sky." p. 107

I have noticed throughout this novel that Huxley, like many great authors, draws comparisons that develop images that are extremely vivid and far from normal. In describing the Reservations, Huxley is trying to parallel the Ford World and the Reservations. Within this parallel, Huxley is able to contrast and show how far the two are apart. Calling the houses "amputated pyramids" and a "straggle of low buildings" employs a thought of a broken world in shambles. Maybe, in a way, Huxley is trying to say that, although very different, these two far-apart worlds are both in imperfect and fractured. Individuals must be sacrificed in both worlds for the better society. Later in this chapter, Huxley links the worlds in revealing the secret of John. In Bernard discovering who John and Linda are, he might be able to gain leverage on the Director to blackmail him into letting him stay.

That'll teach him (irony)

"'That'll teach him,' he said to himself. But he was mistaken. For Bernard left the room with a swagger,...elated by the intoxicating consciousness of his individual significance and importance." p. 98

I seem to feel like this is not the first time someone in authority says or does something to scare or warn someone and the person brushes it off or even, in this case, takes it as compliment. After dragging on about a personal tale  to warn Bernard about the savages and New Mexico, the Director gets to his point about Bernard. He feels that Bernard is not living up to the standards of an Alpha-plus socially and he's had enough. But, his threat to send Bernard to Iceland doesn't really hit Bernard as hard as he expects if at all. Like any revolutionary, Bernard takes ignores the threat. Many times people have said to me "One more time, and...". Some I have heeded, others I have ignored. This was definitely a threat Bernard should have taken to heart.

I've heard men called many things but....(metaphor)

"Some men are almost rhinoceroses; they don't respond properly to conditioning." p. 90

A little confused by this metaphor in that I have never tried nor heard of anyone trying to train a rhinoceros. I think this might be Huxley's attempt to avoid the ol' chiche: "Stubborn as a mule." Now that, I can relate to as I, and many men have been called mules. "Maybe we should ask for directions?" "No, I know exactly where we are." "Really? Then why has this 2 hour trip been turned into a 4 hour trip?" But, in general, I think this metaphor serves to point to an event later in the chapter hearing that he would be sent to Iceland. The metaphor explains why in that Bernard is an individual in a society that doesn't accept diversity. He thwarts normal social behavior and is considered "odd" and therefore deemed a threat to the perfect society so he must be isolated. A bit harsh, I think.

Ford Almighty! (allegory)

"Thank Ford! he was not the last." p. 79

Why would Bernard think to himself "Thank Henry Ford I am no the last on in Room 3210." At first, this made me think and then I made the connection: Ford is a symbolic god to these people. He is the supreme being who set the prime example of society. He was the first to come up with assembly line and mass produce cars. So, these people, who have come to mass produce and streamline people, look to Ford as the greatest. From the time, After Ford instead of Anno Domini (year of our Lord), to common expressions, Henry Ford has replaced God. Since, he started everything, he is God. Not just another god, but he IS God.

Reveal of a trait; characterization

"But queer that Alphas and Betas won;t make any more plants grow than those nasty little Gammas and Deltas and Epsilons down there." p. 74


Throughout most stories, characters physical appearances are revealed early in the stories in lengthy and detailed description. But, the true character is usually leaked through a slowly in each chapter and one is revealed right here. Lenina shows that she is real shallow and mean in a way. This quote explains that she thinks and knows she is superior (I know, I know, she really is superior). But, she isn't humble and accepting of Gammas, Deltas, and Epsilons; rather, she needs some reasoning and reminder that everyone serves a purpose. This feeling of superiority may lead to some animosity or hatred of those who aren't as great as here. In relation to society, there's definitely people who are rich and powerful who think they don't need the others and have to sometimes be brought back to earth my others.

Perfect, right?

"'What do I care about his reputation?'
'They say he doesn't like Obstacle Golf.'
'They say, they say,' mocked Lenina." p. 45

In this perfect world, people aren't really happy. The theory behind this world is that people will be content in what they are and won't know any different. Basically, the old saying, ignorance is bliss. Bernard and his friend Helmholtz Watson are at the highest level of the class system; they are Alpha Pluses. Although they are at the highest level, they are unhappy. This parallels society today because there are people who have all the fortune and fame in the world and are still unhappy. Human are humans no matter what happens to them; they all still need love and affection.

Paradox

"Outside, in the garden, it was playtime. Naked in the warm June sunshine, six or seven hundred little boys and girls were running with shrill yells over the lawns, or playing ball games, or squatting silently in twos and threes among the flowering shrubs." p. 30

The reason this picture and description is paradoxical is due to the time of the story. The setting of the story is hundred of years into the future. But, isn't that a little odd in that this is similar to the beginning of time in the Bible? Well, except for the fact with hundreds of children. Adam and Eve were naked in the garden when they had no shame that they were naked. So, maybe, the author wants me to believe that this is the beginning of a new world in a way. These children have been brainwashed or are ignorant to the fact they are naked in the same way that Adam and Eve were. In the beginning chapters, it is evident that these people believe they are God in the way they can create people. This must be another parallel to God and their belief that they are the ultimate creator. Also, maybe these people think they're greater than God in saying they can keep hundreds in the dark.

Anecdote

"There was an uneasy silence. Several of the boys blushed. They had not yet learned to draw significant but often very fine distinction between smut and pure science." p.23

The anecdote of the Polish Reuben and his parents is real interesting not just in the story itself but the confusion that ensues. The discovery of the sleep learning is astonishing and the director explains its use in the factory. But the real interesting part comes in the explanation of what a "parent" was. The director asks the question no one wanted to answer about what "parents" and the brave boy explains how life was before the factory. I think the purpose of this story and discussion that ensues is to set the attitude and "wierdness", I guess, of having parents.The story interests me in that there are something that happened in the past that we don't quite grasp today. Although not nearly as awkward as the topic in the book, I don' t really get how my parents and grandparents every lived without a cell phone or the internet. What did they do for entertainment besides reality TV and video games? Read books? That must have been terrible.

Good idea, just used the wrong way

"They'll be safe from books and botany all their lives." p. 22


The story of Reuben and the discovery of teaching someone in the their sleep sounds amazing a possibly useful in society. It could be used to teach math or chemical equations that could lead to greater things. Also, it could be used to teach love of all people and compassion to those less fortunate. But in this factory, they sleep teach terrible things. In this society they pigeon hole people which is unfair and unjustified. For economic and financial reasons, they subliminally teach the infants what to like and what not to like. To keep society in order and perfect, they keep the Gammas,Deltas and Epsilons down and tell the Alphas and Betas to aspire. This part invokes a feeling of anger for me and most people I think because not everyone that has the talent to be great is great and there are some born with lesser talent that can dream, work, and aspire to become great.

Diction hints at perscpective

"The first batch of two hundred and fifty embryonic rocket-plane engineers was just  passing the eleven hundred metre mark on Rack 3." p.17

Throughout the 1st chapter, the choice of words is clear. Business, science, and other professional terms are used in many ways to convey a purpose. The purpose of words like "batches", "corpus luteum", and "intellectual embryos" is to dehumanize. The dehumanizing dictions hints at the people's lack of respect for life and natural creation and shows arrogance in that they can now do anything, including create humans. These people are simply viewed as embryos and individuals used to do fill a role in a social structure. A word like "batch" distances the reader from the fact the factory is producing a group of people and not a bunch of cupcakes. They "condition" the people for harsh climates with immunizations as if they are engineered livestock or plants. When talking about the levels of oxygen, the director says that a difference can lead to a dwarf or an "eyeless monster" at which point they are worthless. What do they do at that point just throw them out?

Odd but possible...

"Standard men and women; in uniformed batches. The whole of a small factory staffed with the products of a single bokanovskified egg." p.7

The opening chapter can be described only mildly described as a little troubling. A factory of humans? That seems really crazy and yet, possible. As weird as it might seem, this factory could become a reality. Maybe not to this extreme, but with people being forced into specialization and ever-increasingly scary science in which we sometimes play as the Creator, this type of cloning and factory-like birth process could become reality. This kind of reminds of a movie I saw in Biology freshman year called Gattaca, where, in the movie, humans are genetically engineered. In the movie, the main character is not genetically engineered and buys the identity of an engineered human to live his dream of becoming an astronaut. Although the idea of "perfect humans equaling a perfect society" may seem like eutopiast, it can open up a Pandora's box.