I found that religious implications were very prevalent in John Donne's Death, be not proud. This was by far my favorite poem from this unit. I loved how it was so condescending towards death, almost belittling it. The speaker makes death seem like a pompous fool, not something worth fearing. He insists that death is a cheater, not a victor.
"One short sleep passed, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die" (Donne, 972). Death thinks it has won because it steals our earthly life. But it is just the opposite. Death allows us to live forever, because of Christ's sacrifice. Our Savior has already beaten death; the battle is already won. Death has no reason to be "proud" of itself. Death can not take our lives, because death unwillingly allows us to have eternal life.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
A Rose for Emily
I thought that the personification of the house in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily described Emily herself as well. The house was described as being the "only...house left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish decay above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps -- an eyesore among eyesores" (Faulkner, 281). Miss Emily was the epitome of stubbornness...and denial...and insanity. She refused to accept or believe in any change throughout the entirety of the short story. After her father died, she denied for days that he had, indeed, passed away. Even when she admitted to his death, she refused to allow his body to be removed from the house. Emily was in denial that anything could change. She knowingly insisted that she did NOT need to pay her taxes, because the man in charge of the town (who had been dead for years) informed her that she was exempt from paying them. Emily refused even the simplest of things, such as accepting a mailbox, allowing numbers to be put onto her house, or receiving any address at all! The fact that she held onto Homer's body for forty-plus years shows how unreceptive she was of any change whatsoever.
Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
I always like rhyming poems better than pros, so I can appreciate the rhyming scheme of Dylan Thomas' Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night. The entire poem, is dripping with desperation. It quickly becomes clear that the speaker is begging a loved one NOT to die, to fight and resist death. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light...Do not go gentle into that good night" (Thomas, 968). The "dying of the light" is a metaphor for the ending of a life. That "good night" stands for death itself.
It is later revealed that the poem, is being said by a child to his dying father. The speaker admits that he knows death is the best thing for his father. However, he can not bear to let him go. The speaker's relationship with his father must have been unbelievably strong. The pain of the son can be felt through the words of this poem.
It is later revealed that the poem, is being said by a child to his dying father. The speaker admits that he knows death is the best thing for his father. However, he can not bear to let him go. The speaker's relationship with his father must have been unbelievably strong. The pain of the son can be felt through the words of this poem.
Crossing the Bar
Alfred, Lord Tennyson uses related symbols throughout his entire poem Crossing the Bar. He compares everything to aspects of the ocean or sailing, and exhibits a beautiful, poetic viewpoint of death. He compares going out to sea to dying. The speaker implores his loved ones not to grieve for him after his passing. The tone of the poem is very peaceful; insisting that the speaker would be merely going home at last.
I think the "bar" is just the division between either life and death, or death and entering heaven. Is the "bar" purgatory? Tennyson uses a pilot to symbolize God. "I hope to see my Pilot face to face..." (Tennyson, 886). The fact that he capitalized "Pilot" in that line is an indication that he is indeed speaking of a higher power. The speaker is hopeful that he will meet his maker after his inevitable death.
I think the "bar" is just the division between either life and death, or death and entering heaven. Is the "bar" purgatory? Tennyson uses a pilot to symbolize God. "I hope to see my Pilot face to face..." (Tennyson, 886). The fact that he capitalized "Pilot" in that line is an indication that he is indeed speaking of a higher power. The speaker is hopeful that he will meet his maker after his inevitable death.
The Lottery
I was fairly disturbed after reading Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. When I initially saw the title, I assumed it would be in relation to money. I made a prediction early on that, due to the small size and possible poverty of the village, that whoever won the lottery would be killed for the money. It didn't take long for me to realize that this was not a normal lottery for prize money. "They grinned at one another humorlessly and nervously" (Jackson, 267). Why would everyone be so nervous if the only thing they had to lose was not winning the cash?
I was so disgusted when I discovered what the lottery really was about. Not only was it a wide-spread tradition to stone an individual to death, but members of the story's village were harshly criticizing surrounding towns for giving up on the tradition. How can such a barbaric event be a tradition for so many years? Everyone in the village was numb to what was taking place! Young boys were collecting smooth rocks for the stoning as though it were a game or competition. Neighbor murdered neighbor; everyone just wanted the process to be over with as soon as possible so regular daily life could be continued. It reminded me so much of the Hunger Games! It was as though once the victim was selected, he or she lost her human dignity; everyone saw him or her as an object that needed to be disposed of.
I was so disgusted when I discovered what the lottery really was about. Not only was it a wide-spread tradition to stone an individual to death, but members of the story's village were harshly criticizing surrounding towns for giving up on the tradition. How can such a barbaric event be a tradition for so many years? Everyone in the village was numb to what was taking place! Young boys were collecting smooth rocks for the stoning as though it were a game or competition. Neighbor murdered neighbor; everyone just wanted the process to be over with as soon as possible so regular daily life could be continued. It reminded me so much of the Hunger Games! It was as though once the victim was selected, he or she lost her human dignity; everyone saw him or her as an object that needed to be disposed of.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
characterization
Tennessee Williams does an thorough job of characterizing everyone in The Glass Menagerie. Each description of a character is dripping with information about his or her personality. I felt that Amanda's character was the most thoroughly characterized throughout the play.
Amanda is portrayed as a rather over-bearing old mother. Williams constantly shows how, due to her nagging, Amanda is almost always at odds with her son. It is made obvious to the reader that Amanda is nostalgic and very proud of her past; she was popular, beautiful, and had dozens of young men rallying for her attention. The abandonment of her husband surely left her with many insecurities, so Amanda makes up for that by boasting of her past to make her feel important again. Williams shows a softer, more genuine side to Amanda as well. Once one overlooks her apparent superficiality, it becomes clear that she loves her children with all her heart. "I wished for...success and happiness for my precious children" (Williams, 1256). In reality, all of Amanda's nagging, fuss, and worry, are out of love for her children. She wants them to reach their full potentials, and to just be happy. That's all any mother can ask for her children.
Amanda is portrayed as a rather over-bearing old mother. Williams constantly shows how, due to her nagging, Amanda is almost always at odds with her son. It is made obvious to the reader that Amanda is nostalgic and very proud of her past; she was popular, beautiful, and had dozens of young men rallying for her attention. The abandonment of her husband surely left her with many insecurities, so Amanda makes up for that by boasting of her past to make her feel important again. Williams shows a softer, more genuine side to Amanda as well. Once one overlooks her apparent superficiality, it becomes clear that she loves her children with all her heart. "I wished for...success and happiness for my precious children" (Williams, 1256). In reality, all of Amanda's nagging, fuss, and worry, are out of love for her children. She wants them to reach their full potentials, and to just be happy. That's all any mother can ask for her children.
glass symbolism
In The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams makes the symbolism between Laura and her glass very clear from the very beginning. "She is like a piece of her own glass collection, too exquisitely fragile to move from the shelf" (Williams, 1234). For me, the glass figurines symbolized three things: limits, fragility, and breaking out of one's shell.
In the time of this play, women had two options if they were to survive: get married, or get a job. A woman could not usually travel and escape her life like Tom wants to. I think the glass figurines represent, in a way, Laura's limits as a female of that time. I noticed that whenever it was suggested that Laura either go back to school, get a job, find a husband, etc, she would consider the prospect initially, but then turn to her glass. It was as if the glass reminded her, WARNED her, that she shouldn't get her hopes up too high. They urged her to stay where she was, not to try and push the limits on what an acceptable woman could do.
Clearly the glass collection is symbolic of how fragile Laura is, both physically and psychologically. She shattered inside just as much as her ornaments did when Tom accidentally broke some! However, I think they also stood for breaking out of one's shell. When the horn of the unicorn broke off when Laura and Jim were dancing, she was not upset, but instead said it was a good thing. She stated that, now, that figurine felt no different from the other horses of her collection. Jim made Laura feel so comfortable, and so confident in herself for the first time, that, for a moment, she felt no different from anyone else.
In the time of this play, women had two options if they were to survive: get married, or get a job. A woman could not usually travel and escape her life like Tom wants to. I think the glass figurines represent, in a way, Laura's limits as a female of that time. I noticed that whenever it was suggested that Laura either go back to school, get a job, find a husband, etc, she would consider the prospect initially, but then turn to her glass. It was as if the glass reminded her, WARNED her, that she shouldn't get her hopes up too high. They urged her to stay where she was, not to try and push the limits on what an acceptable woman could do.
Clearly the glass collection is symbolic of how fragile Laura is, both physically and psychologically. She shattered inside just as much as her ornaments did when Tom accidentally broke some! However, I think they also stood for breaking out of one's shell. When the horn of the unicorn broke off when Laura and Jim were dancing, she was not upset, but instead said it was a good thing. She stated that, now, that figurine felt no different from the other horses of her collection. Jim made Laura feel so comfortable, and so confident in herself for the first time, that, for a moment, she felt no different from anyone else.
impact of father
While the father was never present in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, he affects nearly everyone in the play. In this blog, I will focus on his affect on Amanda and Tom.
Amanda is clearly terrified that Tom will end up like his father. The fact that Tom so desperately wants to travel scares her, because her husband was also "in love with" long distances. She not only fears that Tom will grow to emulate his father, but also that Laura will marry someone like him. The fact that their father had been a drinker clearly made Amanda paranoid about alcohol. "The last thing I want for my daughter's a boy who drinks" (Williams, 1258)! Because of her husband's abandonment, Amanda is slightly self-conscious as well. I think she is always boasting about her past popularity with men to try and reassure herself that her husband hadn't left because of something SHE lacked.
Tom seemed to have mixed feelings about his father. Bitterness is obviously one of them. His dad had not only abandoned his family, but also left Tom to have sole responsibility for providing for the family financially. Tom in also envious of his father, because he had so easily been able to escape the life that Tom was now stuck in.
Amanda is clearly terrified that Tom will end up like his father. The fact that Tom so desperately wants to travel scares her, because her husband was also "in love with" long distances. She not only fears that Tom will grow to emulate his father, but also that Laura will marry someone like him. The fact that their father had been a drinker clearly made Amanda paranoid about alcohol. "The last thing I want for my daughter's a boy who drinks" (Williams, 1258)! Because of her husband's abandonment, Amanda is slightly self-conscious as well. I think she is always boasting about her past popularity with men to try and reassure herself that her husband hadn't left because of something SHE lacked.
Tom seemed to have mixed feelings about his father. Bitterness is obviously one of them. His dad had not only abandoned his family, but also left Tom to have sole responsibility for providing for the family financially. Tom in also envious of his father, because he had so easily been able to escape the life that Tom was now stuck in.
external conflicts
Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie contains just as many external conflicts as it does internal ones. Most of the external conflicts occurred between two characters.
~ Amanda and Tom: These two ALWAYS seem to be arguing about something! Amanda thinks Tom is a selfish young man with misguided ambitions. Tom insists that his mother is a nagging, overbearing old woman with whom he will never see eye to eye. It seemed they were either not speaking, or screaming at each other.
~Amanda and Laura: Their relationship reached its peak of conflict when Amanda discovered that Laura had dropped out of school. She then comes to the conclusion that their only chance for survival would be for Laura to find a husband, because "girls that aren't cut out for business careers usually wind up married to some nice man" (Williams, 1244). Laura was under intense pressure, not only from herself and her own insecurities, but from her mother's expectations as well.
~Laura and Tom: The only noticeable external conflict between Laura and Tom was when Tom, in a fit of rage, broke several of Laura's precious glass figurines. She was devastated, and it was obvious that Tom felt great remorse for his part in the accident.
~ Amanda and Tom: These two ALWAYS seem to be arguing about something! Amanda thinks Tom is a selfish young man with misguided ambitions. Tom insists that his mother is a nagging, overbearing old woman with whom he will never see eye to eye. It seemed they were either not speaking, or screaming at each other.
~Amanda and Laura: Their relationship reached its peak of conflict when Amanda discovered that Laura had dropped out of school. She then comes to the conclusion that their only chance for survival would be for Laura to find a husband, because "girls that aren't cut out for business careers usually wind up married to some nice man" (Williams, 1244). Laura was under intense pressure, not only from herself and her own insecurities, but from her mother's expectations as well.
~Laura and Tom: The only noticeable external conflict between Laura and Tom was when Tom, in a fit of rage, broke several of Laura's precious glass figurines. She was devastated, and it was obvious that Tom felt great remorse for his part in the accident.
internal conflicts
Each of Tennessee Williams' characters in his play, The Glass Menagerie, are heavily burdened with internal conflicts.
Amanda is incurably stuck in the past. "One Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain -- your mother received -- seventeen -- gentlemen callers" (Williams, 1238)! Throughout the entire play, Amanda references her southern past. I think she is bitter/insulted by the fact that, while every man in Blue Mountain desired her affection, the man she chose to give it to ended up abandoning her. She is eaten up from the inside out that her husband so easily threw her love and their children back in her face, not wanting any of it.
Tom reminded me of Walter Younger from A Raisin in the Sun. He loathed everything about his life. He feels as though no one understands him, especially his mother. According to Tom, he'd "rather somebody picked up a crowbar and beat out [his] brains" (Williams, 1247) than continue working in the warehouse. He feels trapped between wanting to flee his current captivity, and knowing he must stay and support his mother and sister.
Laura, for me, was the most frustrating character to get to know throughout the play. She is unbelievably self-conscious. She feels inferior to every other person, and seems scared to hope that someone might someday want to be with her. She seems to have no motivation to get married or get an education/job.
Amanda is incurably stuck in the past. "One Sunday afternoon in Blue Mountain -- your mother received -- seventeen -- gentlemen callers" (Williams, 1238)! Throughout the entire play, Amanda references her southern past. I think she is bitter/insulted by the fact that, while every man in Blue Mountain desired her affection, the man she chose to give it to ended up abandoning her. She is eaten up from the inside out that her husband so easily threw her love and their children back in her face, not wanting any of it.
Tom reminded me of Walter Younger from A Raisin in the Sun. He loathed everything about his life. He feels as though no one understands him, especially his mother. According to Tom, he'd "rather somebody picked up a crowbar and beat out [his] brains" (Williams, 1247) than continue working in the warehouse. He feels trapped between wanting to flee his current captivity, and knowing he must stay and support his mother and sister.
Laura, for me, was the most frustrating character to get to know throughout the play. She is unbelievably self-conscious. She feels inferior to every other person, and seems scared to hope that someone might someday want to be with her. She seems to have no motivation to get married or get an education/job.
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