The protagonist of the play The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare is Katherine. At the beginning when Petruchio, a gentleman of Verona, was courting Katherine, the headstrong and stubborn shrew, he was faced with a challenge. Katherine is at first an unwilling to accept their relationship but Petruchio tempers her with various psychological torments. She also realizes that if she does not marry she will either end up as a nun or an old, lonely woman. The "taming" takes place while the couple is about to marry and after the couple marries.
At the beginning of the play this character showed that she was strong, foul-tempered and sharp-tongued. She insults and degrades the men around her. For example, in Scene 1-Act 1 she retaliates towards Hortensio by saying: “I’ faith, sir, you shall never need to fear. Iwis it is not halfway to her heart. But if it were, doubt not her care should be/ To comb your noodle with a three-legged stool/ And paint your face and use you like a fool. She insults him because he states earlier that she should be gentler and milder.
In Act 2-Scene 1, Katherine and Petruchio have a fast paced conversation in which they go back and forth play fighting almost. She acts like a shrew to him and he responds the same way. Petruchio does not mind it actually seems like he likes it. That continues throughout the play until Act 4-Scene 5 when there is a point where she seems kind of changed. She agrees more with Petruchio and is as though she just does not want to oppose anything he says. The behavior she reveals suggests that Petruchio might be forcing her or taming her. He does not feed her and he does not let her sleep. At the end of the story, she is considered to be fully tamed. Although she acts as if she is fully tamed through her articulate speech in Act 5-Scene 2, I believe that she might have just put a face for the evening. Or maybe Shakespeare had to end it this way because if he did not what was going to be the resolution of his story. The title of the play is TheTaming of the Shrew and if the Shrew was not tamed, what was the point of the story? I do not think that it would have been the same ending if it would have been written in this time. Divorce was unheard of and if that was an option Katherine would have been old and lonely. That was probably the only alternative she had. Or maybe she just acted that way in public but at their home it was a different story?
Friday, December 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Joycean Absences
Due to the absent parents in the first story “The Sisters,” the young boy was raised by his aunt and uncle. Not having the first-hand father and motherly love, can create tension in the lives of the children. Although the people that cared for him were close relatives there is nothing like being cared for by the biological parents. We (the reader) can conclude that the child was also "raised"(in a way) by Father Flynn. His uncle said that Father Flynn taught the young boy a great deal. From Mr. Cotter’s point of view, he does not believe that letting him talk and spend time with the father is not healthy for a young child.
Joyce uses ellipses in every paragraph which creates a lot of questions. Specifically, the absence of the “ghost” or paralytic at the end of the story leaves the reader wondering who the ghost was or what the role of the ghost was. Also, why did he want to see this ghost? Was this ghost, Father Flynn?
The story about the chalice was also a big mystery. The sister said that it was the chalice he was the beginning of it. That affected his mind. When Father O’Rourke, the father and the clerk found him in the chapel sitting up by himself in the dark in his confession-box, wide awake and laughing-like softly to himself. At the end of the story Eliza resumed with the same phrase: “wide awake and laughing-like softly to himself….” and an ellipse followed by that made them think that there was something wrong with him…… and an ellipse at the end of the story. That left the reader with a greater question in mind. What really happened to the father?
Joyce uses ellipses in every paragraph which creates a lot of questions. Specifically, the absence of the “ghost” or paralytic at the end of the story leaves the reader wondering who the ghost was or what the role of the ghost was. Also, why did he want to see this ghost? Was this ghost, Father Flynn?
The story about the chalice was also a big mystery. The sister said that it was the chalice he was the beginning of it. That affected his mind. When Father O’Rourke, the father and the clerk found him in the chapel sitting up by himself in the dark in his confession-box, wide awake and laughing-like softly to himself. At the end of the story Eliza resumed with the same phrase: “wide awake and laughing-like softly to himself….” and an ellipse followed by that made them think that there was something wrong with him…… and an ellipse at the end of the story. That left the reader with a greater question in mind. What really happened to the father?
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Setting the Shakespearean Stage
Act 1, Scene 1
Tranio, since for the great desire I had
To see fair Padua, nursery of arts,
I am arrived for fruitful Lombardy,
The pleasant garden of great Italy,
And by my father's love and leave am armed
With his goodwill and thy good company.
My trusty servant well approved in all,
Here let us breathe and haply institute
A course of learning and ingenious studies.
Pisa, renowned for grave citizens,
Gave me my being, and my father first,
A merchant of great traffic through the world,
(Vicentio,)come of the Bentivolii.
Vicentio's son, brought up in Florence,
It shall become to serve all hopes conceived
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds.
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study
Virtue, and that part of philosophy
Will I apply that treats of happiness
By virtue specially to be achieved.
Tell me thy mind, for I have Pisa left
And am to Padua come, as he that leaves
A shall plash to plunge him in the deep
And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.
I will discuss the language that is used to set the stage in Act - Scene 1, specifically; I will like to look very closely at Lucentio's speech. Lucentio's opening speech in Act 1-Scene 1 includes descriptive details for almost every city or person named. I believe that the use of interruptions is intended to add extra detail to the text. Since we are not able to "see" the scene being played by the actors, Shakespeare portrays this scene through the extensive use of details. For example, when Lucentio mentions the fair Padua, he continues to explain that the city of Padua is a nursery of arts. He also explains the fruitful Lombardy, which is a pleasant garden of great Italy. From the text and the use of adjectives we conclude that Lombardy is a garden that is very fruitful located in great Italy. Lucentio also adds details about the people. When he mentions his trusty servant, he adds that he is well approved in all. Descriptions of the city of Pisa are also included in the text. He states that it is renowned for grave citizens. Details about his father-who was a merchant of great traffic through the world-are also included in the text. The text states that Vicentio came from the Bentivolii and Vicentio's son was brought up in Florence. All this descriptions allow us to be aware of the setting and context of the play. Although we cannot see it with our own eyes, these details add an image that our imagination can create. The language that Lucentio uses helps us set the stage for what will happen next in the play and what is happening now and where the story is located.
Other examples that are not as clear and straightforward as the ones mentioned above, but that help us (the reader) understand what is happing in the play are when Lucentio says, "Tranio, at once/ Uncase tee. Take my colored hat and cloak,” it is clear that they exchanged clothes. When Hortensio says, "Rise, Grumio, rise," we can conclude that at some point Grumio has fallen.
Shakespeare's use of language is very different from our language today. He places the verb before the subject. For example in Act 1-Scene 1, Hortensio says, "Sorry am I that our goodwill effects/ Bianca's grief.” Also, he sometimes he places the object before the verb. In Act 1-Scene 1, Tranio says, "Music and poesy use to quicken you." Baptista also says, "Schoolmasters will I keep." Lucentio says, "Vincentio's son.../It shall become." Petruchio says, "Crowns in my purse I have." It is also not uncommon that Shakespeare inverts the sequence of the subject-verb-object. In Act 1-Scene 1, Baptista's says "For how I firmly am resolved you know." These inversions in the language are what I have found to make it more difficult to concentrate on the reading. This type of language does not really set the stage. Shakespeare has a mix of language the first example helped set the stage and these examples do not.
Tranio, since for the great desire I had
To see fair Padua, nursery of arts,
I am arrived for fruitful Lombardy,
The pleasant garden of great Italy,
And by my father's love and leave am armed
With his goodwill and thy good company.
My trusty servant well approved in all,
Here let us breathe and haply institute
A course of learning and ingenious studies.
Pisa, renowned for grave citizens,
Gave me my being, and my father first,
A merchant of great traffic through the world,
(Vicentio,)come of the Bentivolii.
Vicentio's son, brought up in Florence,
It shall become to serve all hopes conceived
To deck his fortune with his virtuous deeds.
And therefore, Tranio, for the time I study
Virtue, and that part of philosophy
Will I apply that treats of happiness
By virtue specially to be achieved.
Tell me thy mind, for I have Pisa left
And am to Padua come, as he that leaves
A shall plash to plunge him in the deep
And with satiety seeks to quench his thirst.
I will discuss the language that is used to set the stage in Act - Scene 1, specifically; I will like to look very closely at Lucentio's speech. Lucentio's opening speech in Act 1-Scene 1 includes descriptive details for almost every city or person named. I believe that the use of interruptions is intended to add extra detail to the text. Since we are not able to "see" the scene being played by the actors, Shakespeare portrays this scene through the extensive use of details. For example, when Lucentio mentions the fair Padua, he continues to explain that the city of Padua is a nursery of arts. He also explains the fruitful Lombardy, which is a pleasant garden of great Italy. From the text and the use of adjectives we conclude that Lombardy is a garden that is very fruitful located in great Italy. Lucentio also adds details about the people. When he mentions his trusty servant, he adds that he is well approved in all. Descriptions of the city of Pisa are also included in the text. He states that it is renowned for grave citizens. Details about his father-who was a merchant of great traffic through the world-are also included in the text. The text states that Vicentio came from the Bentivolii and Vicentio's son was brought up in Florence. All this descriptions allow us to be aware of the setting and context of the play. Although we cannot see it with our own eyes, these details add an image that our imagination can create. The language that Lucentio uses helps us set the stage for what will happen next in the play and what is happening now and where the story is located.
Other examples that are not as clear and straightforward as the ones mentioned above, but that help us (the reader) understand what is happing in the play are when Lucentio says, "Tranio, at once/ Uncase tee. Take my colored hat and cloak,” it is clear that they exchanged clothes. When Hortensio says, "Rise, Grumio, rise," we can conclude that at some point Grumio has fallen.
Shakespeare's use of language is very different from our language today. He places the verb before the subject. For example in Act 1-Scene 1, Hortensio says, "Sorry am I that our goodwill effects/ Bianca's grief.” Also, he sometimes he places the object before the verb. In Act 1-Scene 1, Tranio says, "Music and poesy use to quicken you." Baptista also says, "Schoolmasters will I keep." Lucentio says, "Vincentio's son.../It shall become." Petruchio says, "Crowns in my purse I have." It is also not uncommon that Shakespeare inverts the sequence of the subject-verb-object. In Act 1-Scene 1, Baptista's says "For how I firmly am resolved you know." These inversions in the language are what I have found to make it more difficult to concentrate on the reading. This type of language does not really set the stage. Shakespeare has a mix of language the first example helped set the stage and these examples do not.
Symphathy or not?
Symphathy?
I do not believe that Kafka was trying to get the reader to sympathize with Gregor. I believe that Kafka was using the “metaphor effect” to show something greater, a greater message. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about literature is that an author has unlimited possibilities in the ways they express their ideas. It was as though the metamorphosis was an allegory or a metaphor to teach Gregor and the people around him (his family) that they needed to do something greater with their lives. Gregor soon realized this in the second part of The Metamorphosis. “Now his father was still hale enough but an old man, and he had done no work for the past five years and could not be expected to do much. Gregor’s old mother how was she to earn a living with her asthma, which troubled her even when she walked through the flat and kept her laying on a sofa every other day painting for breath beside an open window. The only thing his sister did to earn her bread was only dress herself nicely, sleep long, help in the housekeeping, go out to a few modest entertainments, and above all playing the violin.”
His metamorphosis was a way that Kafka showed Gregor and his family that the way they were living life was not the way to live life. Although the story never mocks the transformation it does use the metaphor to teach a moral. Through the transformation Gregor was realizing that his family needed him, but it also taught him that he is not indispensable. At the end of the story, the three members of his family left the apartment and went by tram into the open country outside the town. Each member of the family found a way to survive without Gregor. His father attacked him with an apple, his mother lost faith in his recovery, and his sister became too busy to care for his father.
Gregor was always more concerned with others’ feelings and their well being other than himself. He is responsible for all the revenue of his family. In the first part of the story he says, “If the were horrified then the responsibility was no longer his.” He hopes that after the chief clerk and his family sees his conversion, they will have compassion towards him. He was hoping for encouragement when he was opening the door but instead he received nothing, no encouragement, no help, and no compassion. Through the metaphor we learn to appreciate ourselves in all forms and then appreciate others around you. We need to appreciate ourselves spiritually, physically, and mentally. You must always find the balance within yourself and then you can take care of everyone else. Since Gregor did not care for him, a phenomenon occurred and he turned into a "monstrous vermin."
I do not believe that Kafka was trying to get the reader to sympathize with Gregor. I believe that Kafka was using the “metaphor effect” to show something greater, a greater message. Perhaps the most wonderful thing about literature is that an author has unlimited possibilities in the ways they express their ideas. It was as though the metamorphosis was an allegory or a metaphor to teach Gregor and the people around him (his family) that they needed to do something greater with their lives. Gregor soon realized this in the second part of The Metamorphosis. “Now his father was still hale enough but an old man, and he had done no work for the past five years and could not be expected to do much. Gregor’s old mother how was she to earn a living with her asthma, which troubled her even when she walked through the flat and kept her laying on a sofa every other day painting for breath beside an open window. The only thing his sister did to earn her bread was only dress herself nicely, sleep long, help in the housekeeping, go out to a few modest entertainments, and above all playing the violin.”
His metamorphosis was a way that Kafka showed Gregor and his family that the way they were living life was not the way to live life. Although the story never mocks the transformation it does use the metaphor to teach a moral. Through the transformation Gregor was realizing that his family needed him, but it also taught him that he is not indispensable. At the end of the story, the three members of his family left the apartment and went by tram into the open country outside the town. Each member of the family found a way to survive without Gregor. His father attacked him with an apple, his mother lost faith in his recovery, and his sister became too busy to care for his father.
Gregor was always more concerned with others’ feelings and their well being other than himself. He is responsible for all the revenue of his family. In the first part of the story he says, “If the were horrified then the responsibility was no longer his.” He hopes that after the chief clerk and his family sees his conversion, they will have compassion towards him. He was hoping for encouragement when he was opening the door but instead he received nothing, no encouragement, no help, and no compassion. Through the metaphor we learn to appreciate ourselves in all forms and then appreciate others around you. We need to appreciate ourselves spiritually, physically, and mentally. You must always find the balance within yourself and then you can take care of everyone else. Since Gregor did not care for him, a phenomenon occurred and he turned into a "monstrous vermin."
Friday, November 21, 2008
Cit@tions
Surprisingly, Gregor’s bizarre new state is not the central transformation in the novel. Instead, Kafka uses Gregor’s surreal change as a catalyst for an almost more shocking metamorphosis: that of Gregor’s family, as they move from helplessness and sympathetic fear to emancipation and hostile rejection. A hostile rejection that was caused some five years before, old Samsa lost most of his money, whereupon his son Gregor took a job with one of his father's creditors and became a traveling salesman in cloth. His father then stopped working altogether, his sister Grete was too young to work, his mother was ill with asthma; thus young Gregor not only supported the whole family but also found for them the apartment they are now living in. This apartment, a flat in an apartment house, in Charlotte Street to be exact, is divided into segments as he will be divided himself.
It’s a telling detail that neither Gregor nor his family wonder why or how he’s turned into an insect. Upon discovering his state, Gregor’s mother sobs and later faints, while his father reacts with great anger. However, they make no attempt to change him back. Gregor does want to find a “cure”, but must give up almost from the start, when he loses his ability to speak.Also, he saw tremendous irony in the fact that our human lives are so transitory and our fortunes so subject to the whims of fate, and yet most people act as if we will live forever with ultimate control over the progress of their existence. In his story "The Metamorphosis," Kafka presents a conventional, respectable protagonist whose life is suddenly and permanently changed by a physical disability -- a "metamorphosis," or transformation -- which catapults him out of his efficacious complacency into a sudden confrontation with the greater questions of existence. This transformation, because it affects the way society looks at the protagonist, also effects a telling effect upon his self-image and spiritual identity. The ambiguities of Kafka's language do not suggest that Gregor becomes more spiritual or that Grete gets anywhere once she replaces her brother. his metamorphosis also marks Gregor's freedom as an individual. Throughout his entire life, he has let other people make his decisions for him (Greenburg 274). This is the first occurrence in his life over which no one (including he) had any control. This metamorphosis allows his hidden self to emerge, the self that had been stifled for so many years (Friedman 270). Gregor is no longer the head of the household or the working man, but a creature representing his true personality (Parry 263). Gregor was never really "alive" as the head of the house. Even if he had eventually paid off his family's debt, by that time his life would have been wasted (Friedman 272). But in actuality, Gregor's death comes not as a human but as an insect, when the family he once support and came to rely upon completely neglects him (Parry 264).In the labyrinth of exchanges that dominates the text, exchange of powers may replicate exchange of identity and exchange of gender but not imply, in the exchange of sister for brother, the spiritual transformation of either.Look at where his values were anchored: servant to the needs of an oppressive boss in order to meet the needs of an exploitative family. So, he ceases to serve. With new values opposing those of the family, the employer, and society at large, Gregor emerges as a deviant. He has entered the world of the despised.
It’s a telling detail that neither Gregor nor his family wonder why or how he’s turned into an insect. Upon discovering his state, Gregor’s mother sobs and later faints, while his father reacts with great anger. However, they make no attempt to change him back. Gregor does want to find a “cure”, but must give up almost from the start, when he loses his ability to speak.Also, he saw tremendous irony in the fact that our human lives are so transitory and our fortunes so subject to the whims of fate, and yet most people act as if we will live forever with ultimate control over the progress of their existence. In his story "The Metamorphosis," Kafka presents a conventional, respectable protagonist whose life is suddenly and permanently changed by a physical disability -- a "metamorphosis," or transformation -- which catapults him out of his efficacious complacency into a sudden confrontation with the greater questions of existence. This transformation, because it affects the way society looks at the protagonist, also effects a telling effect upon his self-image and spiritual identity. The ambiguities of Kafka's language do not suggest that Gregor becomes more spiritual or that Grete gets anywhere once she replaces her brother. his metamorphosis also marks Gregor's freedom as an individual. Throughout his entire life, he has let other people make his decisions for him (Greenburg 274). This is the first occurrence in his life over which no one (including he) had any control. This metamorphosis allows his hidden self to emerge, the self that had been stifled for so many years (Friedman 270). Gregor is no longer the head of the household or the working man, but a creature representing his true personality (Parry 263). Gregor was never really "alive" as the head of the house. Even if he had eventually paid off his family's debt, by that time his life would have been wasted (Friedman 272). But in actuality, Gregor's death comes not as a human but as an insect, when the family he once support and came to rely upon completely neglects him (Parry 264).In the labyrinth of exchanges that dominates the text, exchange of powers may replicate exchange of identity and exchange of gender but not imply, in the exchange of sister for brother, the spiritual transformation of either.Look at where his values were anchored: servant to the needs of an oppressive boss in order to meet the needs of an exploitative family. So, he ceases to serve. With new values opposing those of the family, the employer, and society at large, Gregor emerges as a deviant. He has entered the world of the despised.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Revised
In the poem “Digging” by Seamus Heaney, the idea of culture and heritage is explored through the use of figurative language such as simile, metaphor, and alliteration.
He is exploring his ancestry and roots. This is a poetic memorial to those who came before him. It is also a new form (his generation), written tradition, replaces the old-fashioned (father and grandfathers generation), oral tradition. He “digs” up all the story of his ancestors by recalling and remembering his grandfathers and fathers responsibility. Although he is no longer able to follow the family’s tradition to be potato farmer, he is creating a new, better way to follow the family’s legacy. Heaney uses a lot of figurative language in his poem to illustrate his view. In the first stanza, Heaney uses a strong simile where he describes the pen snug as a gun. In the first stanza, Heaney uses a strong simile in where he describes the pen snug as a gun. Between my finger and my thumb/The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.” In the next stanza, “Under my window, a clean rasping sound/When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:/My father, digging. I look down,” he uses alliteration and assonance to point out the harshness of the type of work his father did. In the next stanza: “Under my window, a clean rasping sound/When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:/My father, digging. I look down” He uses alliteration and assonance to point out the harshness of the type of work his father does without actually saying he is digging. Other examples of alliteration and assonance are found when Heaney uses the words gravelly, ground, sound, and down.
The words gravelly, ground, sound, and down all contain alliteration and assonance.
I really enjoyed the syntax of my first paragraph so I left it as is. I thought that by writing “He is exploring his ancestry and roots,” instead of “He is exploring his ancestry and the roots.” This change made it more personal and specific. I also made the third sentence into two sentences. In the new sentence I integrated the idea of oral vs. written tradition and I tried to make a comparison between his new generation and that of his father and grandfather. I did not know how to work it so I put it in () brackets. I extended the fifth sentence by adding the last part of the sentence to emphasize what I meant by “dig” up the story of his ancestors. In the next few sentences I tried to delete all the extra part of the stanzas that did not relate to my statement. I also, corrected some grammar mistakes such as adding a coma to the end of the quotation, lower casing the h in he, and changing the tense at the end of the sentence from does to did. I deleted the end of that sentence because he does actually say digging at the end of the sentence. Finally, I changed the last sentence of the paragraph to make it more concise and more practical to be able to transition to the next paragraph.
He is exploring his ancestry and roots. This is a poetic memorial to those who came before him. It is also a new form (his generation), written tradition, replaces the old-fashioned (father and grandfathers generation), oral tradition. He “digs” up all the story of his ancestors by recalling and remembering his grandfathers and fathers responsibility. Although he is no longer able to follow the family’s tradition to be potato farmer, he is creating a new, better way to follow the family’s legacy. Heaney uses a lot of figurative language in his poem to illustrate his view. In the first stanza, Heaney uses a strong simile where he describes the pen snug as a gun. In the first stanza, Heaney uses a strong simile in where he describes the pen snug as a gun. Between my finger and my thumb/The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.” In the next stanza, “Under my window, a clean rasping sound/When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:/My father, digging. I look down,” he uses alliteration and assonance to point out the harshness of the type of work his father did. In the next stanza: “Under my window, a clean rasping sound/When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:/My father, digging. I look down” He uses alliteration and assonance to point out the harshness of the type of work his father does without actually saying he is digging. Other examples of alliteration and assonance are found when Heaney uses the words gravelly, ground, sound, and down.
The words gravelly, ground, sound, and down all contain alliteration and assonance.
I really enjoyed the syntax of my first paragraph so I left it as is. I thought that by writing “He is exploring his ancestry and roots,” instead of “He is exploring his ancestry and the roots.” This change made it more personal and specific. I also made the third sentence into two sentences. In the new sentence I integrated the idea of oral vs. written tradition and I tried to make a comparison between his new generation and that of his father and grandfather. I did not know how to work it so I put it in () brackets. I extended the fifth sentence by adding the last part of the sentence to emphasize what I meant by “dig” up the story of his ancestors. In the next few sentences I tried to delete all the extra part of the stanzas that did not relate to my statement. I also, corrected some grammar mistakes such as adding a coma to the end of the quotation, lower casing the h in he, and changing the tense at the end of the sentence from does to did. I deleted the end of that sentence because he does actually say digging at the end of the sentence. Finally, I changed the last sentence of the paragraph to make it more concise and more practical to be able to transition to the next paragraph.
Evil in "Young Goodman Brown" "Evil is the nature of mankind."
It is definitely more complicated than the words of the guide, which I believe was the devil. Evil is absolutely the nature of mankind. I believe that evil is part of this universe whether evil has a universal, transcendent definition or if it is determined by one’s social and cultural background, evil exist. I believe that in order for there to be good there also needs to be evil. It is like anything every situation has a yin and yang. Almost all cultures believe in good and evil. Puritans believe that everyone carries the stain of original sin which is considered evil. There is always a dilemma about evil in philosophy. Evil is a complicated moral issue. I believe that Goodman Brown falls into delusion misled by the devil. He does destroy himself morally because he lives the rest of his life as an embittered and suspicious cynical man, wary of everyone around him, including his wife Faith. It is verbally ironic that he is suspicious of his own wife whose name is Faith. Also, his view of his neighbors is distorted by his memories of that night. I do believe he faced reality because evil is the nature of mankind. But almost everyone figures that out and accepts it. In this story the critics make it seem as if he was lost in uncertainty or in a dream that he thought that everything was nice and peaceful that mentality is expected from a child not an adult like Goodman Brown. The point of this story is to form an allegory about the discovery of evil, the true nature of humanity and to criticize the Puritan religion. If Hawthorne did not use an allegory, he could have been punish or reprimanded for his acts. I believe that by showing the evil in the people you will least expect it from proved a point about the purity and perfect nature of the beliefs of Puritans. I also believe that he is initiated into reality specifically when he sees all the people he knows such as his minister and deacon and the woman who taught him his catechism. It must be traumatizing if you find the people who you thought were exemplary Christians in an unspecified but obviously unholy ritual that calls to be anointed in blood to seal their alliance with wickedness. Although he does face this trial he and Faith approach the altar and, as they are about to be anointed in blood to seal their alliance with wickedness, he cries out to Faith to look to heaven and resist. So this tells us that he did not convert and he has some faith. He resisted the temptation, but he heard his wife screaming so that is why he acts the way he does when he goes back home. I do not think he lost all hope but I do believe he is truly confused and perplexed about the visit to the forest.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
First Paragraph
In the poem “Digging” by Seamus Heaney, the idea of culture and heritage is explored through the use of figurative language such as simile, metaphor, and alliteration.
He is exploring his ancestry and the roots. This is a poetic memorial to those who came before him and it is also a new form of oral tradition. He “digs” up all the story of his ancestors. Although he is no longer able to follow the family’s tradition to be potato farmer, he is creating a new, better way to follow the family’s legacy.
Heaney uses a lot of figurative language in his poem to illustrate his view.
In the first stanza Heaney’s uses a strong similie in where he describes the pen snug as a gun.
”Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.”
In the next stanza:
“Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down”
He uses alliteration and assonance to point out the harshness of the type of work his father does without actually saying he is digging. The words gravelly, ground, sound, and down all contain alliteration and assonance.
He uses personification in the second to last stanza to describe his family roots awakening in his head. Something inanimate as his families roots are awakened by his writing and remembering.
“The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them.”
He is exploring his ancestry and the roots. This is a poetic memorial to those who came before him and it is also a new form of oral tradition. He “digs” up all the story of his ancestors. Although he is no longer able to follow the family’s tradition to be potato farmer, he is creating a new, better way to follow the family’s legacy.
Heaney uses a lot of figurative language in his poem to illustrate his view.
In the first stanza Heaney’s uses a strong similie in where he describes the pen snug as a gun.
”Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.”
In the next stanza:
“Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down”
He uses alliteration and assonance to point out the harshness of the type of work his father does without actually saying he is digging. The words gravelly, ground, sound, and down all contain alliteration and assonance.
He uses personification in the second to last stanza to describe his family roots awakening in his head. Something inanimate as his families roots are awakened by his writing and remembering.
“The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them.”
Monday, October 27, 2008
My Very Short Thesis Statement/Sentence
In the poem “Digging” by Seamus Heaney, the idea of culture and heritage is explored through the use of figurative language such as simile, metaphor, and alliteration.
While trying to construct my thesis I tried to make my thesis sentence into a thesis statement but I did not accomplish it. I just could not figure out how to add another aspect to my thesis. I believe that the cause of this is the training and instruction given to us by our teachers that the thesis had to be one sentence. That is like the model set for the thesis statement.
I do agree that it should not have to be a sentence and by the thesis I just commented I can tell why it will be better to make the thesis more than one sentence. It allows more space to elaborate on your thoughts and what you are trying to say.
While trying to construct my thesis I tried to make my thesis sentence into a thesis statement but I did not accomplish it. I just could not figure out how to add another aspect to my thesis. I believe that the cause of this is the training and instruction given to us by our teachers that the thesis had to be one sentence. That is like the model set for the thesis statement.
I do agree that it should not have to be a sentence and by the thesis I just commented I can tell why it will be better to make the thesis more than one sentence. It allows more space to elaborate on your thoughts and what you are trying to say.
A Rose for Emily
In the narrative "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner introduces us to a very round, dynamic character, Emily. She is a well-developed character with varied and complex traits. Emily definitely changes during the course of story. Although the story is not told in chronological order, we conclude that at the beginning of Emily's life her father was very protective of her. By the end of her life, she is not the same person she used to be. She is not sheltered or child-like. This narrative is told in third person point-of-view. We concluded that the narrator might be a man, an older white man. From the descriptions of the narrator, the picture I can imagine of Miss Emily is from the first description of how she looks-“ a small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her waist and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head. Her skeleton was small and spare; perhaps that was why what would have been merely plumpness in another was obesity in her. She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue. Her eyes, lost in the fatty ridges of her face, looked like two small pieces of coal pressed into a lump of dough as they moved from one face to another while the visitors stated their errand.”
This will be her profile picture.
Her privacy settings will probably be set as very high. She was very secluded. She only stayed in her home all the time. She did not talk to anyone therefore she would have no friends. Her page layout would be very gothic; modeling the oppression and southern gothic theme Faulkner wanted to point out in his narrative. This profile picture would be the only picture she would have available to view only by her friends. Since she does not have any, no one will be able to view her picture.
Miss Emily’s home would look something like this:
State: Mississippi
County: Yoknapatawpka
Faulkner wanted to point out the oppression in the south by his use of language and his setting of a southern gothic town. Miss Emily’s house definitely exemplifies a typical southern gothic setting. The house surrounded by plants as a source of isolation and the color of the house inspired a gothic, dark sense. The smell that came from the house can also be inspired by the old, ancient house depicted above.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dig for the Present
Digging
Culture is an important aspect of our lives. We have to remember were we came from and who our ancestors are. Our roots tell who we are and what our strengths and characteristics are but it does not tell what we are capable of or what will become of us. For example, I am a daughter of Mexican immigrants who was born and raised in an economically challenged neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles. For most people I was not destined to succeed what they saw in me was a young Latina without a future. “She might end up pregnant at 16 with no high school diploma and no one to care for her and her baby,” that is what most people would think. That is not the case, I am here at UC Davis and I have accomplished a lot. I managed to get in a prestigious high school and graduate. I have a lot of experience under my belt and I have a lot of goals to fulfill. I come from a strong race with strong will.
In Heaney’s poem “Digging” he is exploring his ancestry and the roots from where he
was brought up. This is a poem memorial to those who came before him and it is also a new form of oral tradition. Oral tradition is a way to transmit mostly history and literature, across generations without a writing system. Nowadays, the most eminent way of communication of culture and stories is written tradition. What he wants to do is use his pen to write the stories of his ancestors. He wants to “dig” up all the stories of his ancestors. Although he is no longer able to follow the family’s tradition to be potato farmers he is creating a new, better way to follow the family’s legacy.
Heaney uses a lot of figurative language in his poem to illustrate his view. He uses figurative language such as simile, metaphor, alliteration, and he also switches verb tenses to create an appeal to our senses like sounds, sight, touch, smell and taste. We can smell the potato mould and we can hear the squelch and slap Of soggy peat.
In the first stanza Heaney’s uses a strong similie in where he describes the pen snug as a gun.
”Between my finger and my thumb
The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.”
In the next stanza:
“Under my window, a clean rasping sound
When the spade sinks into gravelly ground:
My father, digging. I look down”
He uses alliteration and assonance to point out the harshness of the type of work his father does without actually saying he is digging. The words gravelly, ground, sound, and down all contain alliteration and assonance.
He uses personification in the second to last stanza to describe his family roots awakening in his head. Something inanimate as his families roots are awakened by his writing and remembering.
“The cold smell of potato mould, the squelch and slap
Of soggy peat, the curt cuts of an edge
Through living roots awaken in my head.
But I've no spade to follow men like them.”
The last stanza, he switches tenses from present to future progressive tense which “describes an action that will occur in the future before some other action. This tense is formed by using will have with the past participle of the verb.” (http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/grammar/tenses.html)
“I’ll dig with it.”
I feel that this is a very strong quote that illustrates his will power and desire to keep on his family’s legacy.
Heaney does a magnificent job at communicating his ideas. My image is perfect and it only enhances what is he is stating in writing.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Free Write: Week Three
The set of poems we read are really different from what we have read. I could not imagine reading these poems separately and trying to combine the techniques and style such as Andrew Hudgins did in 2001. I really would not imagine anyone combine this two very unlike poems. I enjoyed them separately but together they do not make sense to me.
I enjoyed William Butler Yeats, “The Wild Swans at Coole" describes a young man's disappointment about love. He walks down Coole Park in Galway, Ireland. Through the introduction in the beginning of the poems we learn that Coole comes from an Irish word meaning "a niche" or "a retreat." That is exactly what he was doing retreating from his daily routine. He came to reminisce about his rejection of the lady he loved. He compares the 59 swans to himself. He says that the swans travel in pairs but the 59th swan is left without a partner just like he has. This is a strong metaphor comparing himself to the swans. This poem also illustrates what is happening around him and how he feels. In 1916 World War I was occurring. We can infer this from when he says "All's changed since I, hearing at twilight" The swans will go some place else but he stays there by himself like always. "But now they drift on the still water"...."To find they have flown away?"
The only similarity that Yeat's and Brooks's poem, "We Real Cool" have in common is the resemblance of "Coole" and "Cool." In this poem there is a different message from the first. In Brooks's poem we find a more promising idea, lets cease the day because we will die soon. Although they only play pool all day and lay back but at least they are not depressed like in Yeats's poem.
I enjoyed William Butler Yeats, “The Wild Swans at Coole" describes a young man's disappointment about love. He walks down Coole Park in Galway, Ireland. Through the introduction in the beginning of the poems we learn that Coole comes from an Irish word meaning "a niche" or "a retreat." That is exactly what he was doing retreating from his daily routine. He came to reminisce about his rejection of the lady he loved. He compares the 59 swans to himself. He says that the swans travel in pairs but the 59th swan is left without a partner just like he has. This is a strong metaphor comparing himself to the swans. This poem also illustrates what is happening around him and how he feels. In 1916 World War I was occurring. We can infer this from when he says "All's changed since I, hearing at twilight" The swans will go some place else but he stays there by himself like always. "But now they drift on the still water"...."To find they have flown away?"
The only similarity that Yeat's and Brooks's poem, "We Real Cool" have in common is the resemblance of "Coole" and "Cool." In this poem there is a different message from the first. In Brooks's poem we find a more promising idea, lets cease the day because we will die soon. Although they only play pool all day and lay back but at least they are not depressed like in Yeats's poem.
Free Write: Week One
T. S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and Robert Browning's "My Last Duchess" are dramatic monologues. While the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is composed by free verse, My Last Duchess follows iambic pentameter. When you read "My Last Duchess" it aloud it does not follow that rhyme. So although it follows the standard form, when read aloud it loses that form. Using iambic pentameter Browning reveals the horrifying story of the murder of the duke's previous wife through the duke's conversation with the agent. The conversation gets interesting when the duke loses control. For example, when he says:
“This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet
the company below, then.”
He loses control and he notices he told the truth to the agent and he sees that the agent wants to go down stairs so he says “we’ll meet the company below, then.”
The duke’s loss of control is depicted through the rhythm of the poem that is also when the iambic pentameter form of the poem is lost. The enjambment in the poem, reveal the duke’s uneasiness when he tells about his wife’s murder at the end of the poem. The duke's desire for control is made evident by the structure of the poem. He is very manipulative shown by the frequent use of caesura throughout the poem emphasize the duke's control over the conversation. Although the duke was unable to control the duchess when she was alive, he could control after she was dead. I think that that is one aspect that the duke hates and he cannot get over, his duchess was very independent, flirtatious, and prosperous. In a way I believe he hated her outgoing personality. The only way he could have her just for him was by killing her "none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I," revealing that now he is able to control who views the portrait by a curtain covering the portrait.
“This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet
the company below, then.”
He loses control and he notices he told the truth to the agent and he sees that the agent wants to go down stairs so he says “we’ll meet the company below, then.”
The duke’s loss of control is depicted through the rhythm of the poem that is also when the iambic pentameter form of the poem is lost. The enjambment in the poem, reveal the duke’s uneasiness when he tells about his wife’s murder at the end of the poem. The duke's desire for control is made evident by the structure of the poem. He is very manipulative shown by the frequent use of caesura throughout the poem emphasize the duke's control over the conversation. Although the duke was unable to control the duchess when she was alive, he could control after she was dead. I think that that is one aspect that the duke hates and he cannot get over, his duchess was very independent, flirtatious, and prosperous. In a way I believe he hated her outgoing personality. The only way he could have her just for him was by killing her "none puts by the curtain I have drawn for you, but I," revealing that now he is able to control who views the portrait by a curtain covering the portrait.
Poetic Form and more
For our assignment this week we read and discussed an array of poems that consisted of different form and style. For example, Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 is formulated by a strict form while the Love Song of Alfred Prufrock is composed by free verse. Although both have different styles of writing, both poems serve a similar purpose.
In my opinion for poems to serve a good purpose, poems should vary in form and style. For example, in My Last Duchess although Browning follows iambic pentameter, when you read it aloud it does not follow that rhyme. So although it follows the standard form, when read it loses that form.
In Shakespeare's Sonnet 73, the poem is arranged in three quatrains with a rhyming couplet at the end of the poem. The rhyme scheme for this poem is in iambic pentameter following an ab,ab,cd,cd,ef,ef,gg pattern. The rhyme scheme helps to convey the three stages in the poem: seasons, days,and fire. Shakespeare begins by describing the seasons with words such as behold, yellow leaves, boughs, cold, birds sing. In the next quatrain, he describes the days. He uses words such as day, sunset fadeth, black night, death's second self to describe the characteristics of a days progression. Finally, Shakespeare ends his sonnet with a description of fire in which he incorporates the idea of youth and the progression to death. He uses words such as fire, ashes, youth, deathbed, expire, consumed, nourish to convey this idea of the ephemerality of youth and the progression to death. In this poem he urges a young man to live his life to the fullest because the end is approaching. In poetry, word choice is the agent to figuring out the theme of the poem and also the meaning, style, and form of each stanza.
Paraphrase of Sonnet 73
First quatrain:
You can find in me the best time of the year
When yellow leaves hang or none at all
On the branches that shake with the cold
Bared ruin choirs where the sweet birds sing
versus Shakespeare's Sonnet 73
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
As I mentioned before this stanza is discussing the seasons. In my "2008 edited" paraphrased prose version, I feel that it is easier to understand the main idea of the stanza. While in Shakespeare's form you get a more sophisticated word choice.
In my opinion for poems to serve a good purpose, poems should vary in form and style. For example, in My Last Duchess although Browning follows iambic pentameter, when you read it aloud it does not follow that rhyme. So although it follows the standard form, when read it loses that form.
In Shakespeare's Sonnet 73, the poem is arranged in three quatrains with a rhyming couplet at the end of the poem. The rhyme scheme for this poem is in iambic pentameter following an ab,ab,cd,cd,ef,ef,gg pattern. The rhyme scheme helps to convey the three stages in the poem: seasons, days,and fire. Shakespeare begins by describing the seasons with words such as behold, yellow leaves, boughs, cold, birds sing. In the next quatrain, he describes the days. He uses words such as day, sunset fadeth, black night, death's second self to describe the characteristics of a days progression. Finally, Shakespeare ends his sonnet with a description of fire in which he incorporates the idea of youth and the progression to death. He uses words such as fire, ashes, youth, deathbed, expire, consumed, nourish to convey this idea of the ephemerality of youth and the progression to death. In this poem he urges a young man to live his life to the fullest because the end is approaching. In poetry, word choice is the agent to figuring out the theme of the poem and also the meaning, style, and form of each stanza.
Paraphrase of Sonnet 73
First quatrain:
You can find in me the best time of the year
When yellow leaves hang or none at all
On the branches that shake with the cold
Bared ruin choirs where the sweet birds sing
versus Shakespeare's Sonnet 73
That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
As I mentioned before this stanza is discussing the seasons. In my "2008 edited" paraphrased prose version, I feel that it is easier to understand the main idea of the stanza. While in Shakespeare's form you get a more sophisticated word choice.
Final La Parodia
To say SORRY
Is not enough
but I
wanna tell you
I used
your shampoo
felt so refreshing
while the bubbles
where running
down my back,
But don't worry
I only wasted a buck
worth
Analysis:
In my parody, I tried to keep the form but it ended up having a different form. My poem has four lines in each stanza, but it does not have the same number of syllables in each line as Williams's poem: "This is Just to Say." My poem has a total of three stanzas like Williams's poem. In his poem, he had four lines each stanza and a total of twelve lines. I also tried to keep the style of his choppy sentences (incomplete sentences) that constructed each line of the stanzas. For example, the first line of his poem "I have eaten" is then followed in the next line by "the plums.” I have eaten is not a complete sentence. He completes his thought in the next line. Instead of having long lines in each stanza, he constructed his poem to have short, incomplete sentences per line.
My poem also follows this technique in a mocking manner. Some of the ways I do that is by using a similar subject matter he writers about a plum while I write about shampoo. Also, he mentioned the value of the plum which he estimated was very expensive (that is pretty funny because a fruit is not going to be very expensive). On the other hand, I mention the amount that I used of the shampoo which was a little because I only wasted a buck worth. By mentioning that I only used a buck worth is how I tried to create my parody of Williams's poem, "This is Just to Say." While Williams tried to make a big point about the expensive plum, I tried to make fun of the expensive plums by saying that I only wasted a buck worth of shampoo.
Also, I tried to incorporate some imagery and a tangible feeling like he did by writing "felt so refreshing
while the bubbles
where running
down my back,"
He wrote:
"Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold"
The word refreshing and the description of the bubbles running down my back were suppose to create a sensation.
The title also has a big emphasis on the word SORRY is suppose to create a sense of great
importance just like he did with his poem. It is suppose to be mocking his form. You do not need to apologize for something small like eating someone’s plums and using someone’s shampoo. Finally, the title of the poem serves as the first lines of both poems.
Free Write: Week Three
The set of poems we read are really different from what we have read. I could not imagine reading these poems separately and trying to combine the techniques and style such as Andrew Hudgins did in 2001. I really would not imagine anyone combine this two very unlike poems. I enjoyed them separately but together they do not make sense to me.
I enjoyed William Butler Yeats, “The Wild Swans at Coole" describes a young man's disappointment about love. He walks down Coole Park in Galway, Ireland. Through the introduction in the beginning of the poems we learn that Coole comes from an Irish word meaning "a niche" or "a retreat." That is exactly what he was doing retreating from his daily routine. He came to reminisce about his rejection of the lady he loved.
The only similarity that Hudgins and Yeat's poem, "We Real Cool" have in common is the resemblance of "Coole" and "Cool."
I enjoyed William Butler Yeats, “The Wild Swans at Coole" describes a young man's disappointment about love. He walks down Coole Park in Galway, Ireland. Through the introduction in the beginning of the poems we learn that Coole comes from an Irish word meaning "a niche" or "a retreat." That is exactly what he was doing retreating from his daily routine. He came to reminisce about his rejection of the lady he loved.
The only similarity that Hudgins and Yeat's poem, "We Real Cool" have in common is the resemblance of "Coole" and "Cool."
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