Cormac McCarthy, The Sunset Limited
Cormac McCarthy’s play The Sunset Limited is a complex conundrum of logic and faith, following the reasoning and thoughts of two very different men as they try to find a solution for the lack of meaning many people feel in their lives. The character White has become unable to see anything of worth in human society, and so resorted to attempting suicide, and so the main question of the play becomes this: Is there any part of humanity that makes the suffering of life worth fighting through, and do the ideas people usually revere truly hold value or meaning?
Early on in the play, White tells Black that he used to believe in “cultural things…books and music and art,” believing them to be “the foundations of civilization.” However, he now sees them as “fragile” and recognizes that the world, and to a certain extent himself as well, has stopped believing in them. Different cultures and the arts are valued the world over by people of all sorts of races and backgrounds; culture and heritage often bring hope to people who are suffering, and the fine arts are commonly regarded as the height of civilization and an inspiration to all who behold them. However, for White, these things which used to inspire him to keep fighting no longer hold the same attraction and value, and the pain and trouble of living in this world becomes more than he can bear. If culture and art failed White at his lowest point and couldn’t convince him that life was worth living, then who’s to say that they have much purpose in this world at all?
In contrast to White, who places more stock in logic and concrete objects, Black gets his inspiration and willpower from his faith in God and religion. He tells White that God should be “everthing you need” to support and motivate oneself. In Black’s lowest point, when he was chained to the hospital bed in the jailhouse, “[he] said [to Jesus]: Please help me. And he did.” Black’s religious beliefs are one of his strongest characteristics and a near constant throughout the play; even though he mentions “heresy” at times, his faith is unshakeable despite White’s stubborn doubt and atheistic logic. In the end of the play, though, Black’s calm immovability and emotional stability is finally shaken by White’s statements. Upset and on the verge of an emotional breakdown, he tells God, “I don't understand what you sent me down there for. I don't understand it. If you wanted me to help him how come you didn't give me the words?” It’s true that religion has done an incredible amount of good for Black, but it’s equally true that in the end, faith could not convince White to let go of his suicidal urges. Atheists around the world have made clear their opinions about a belief in something that cannot be empirically proven, and the ability of faith to save the fallen may not be just as incorporeal.
Every person on this earth has their own reasons and ideals to balance out the unpleasant and painful parts of life, but when the time comes to test these beliefs, how many could actually stand up to scrutiny or convince a depressed or suicidal person of the good in the world? Although the thought is depressing indeed, it simply may be as White says, with the Sunset Limited being the only thing in this world concrete enough to believe in.
Works Cited:
McCarthy, Cormac. The Sunset Limited: A Novel in Dramatic Form. New York: Vintage Books, 2006. Print.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Monday, November 5, 2012
Re: At the Hospital
David Ferry, At the Hospital
Ferry's poem At the Hospital clocks in at an incredibly short two lines long, an intimidating length for many to try to analyze or understand all of the meaning of. However, the theme of the fight against cancer, hidden behind the metaphor of the cancer's attempt at speech, is clear when giving the poem more than a cursory examination.
This poem is about a woman's fight against cancer, and the poem opens with the claim that this woman "was the sentence the cancer spoke at last". According to this metaphor, the cancer has been working to say something, its statement taking the form of its victim. However, until now it has only been able to speak with "blurred grammar" and hasn't yet become coherent. At this point in time, though, something has changed and its statement has "finally [been] clarified". If the cancer was stymied in its attempts until now, it is only natural to relate this battle to the fight between the cancer and the patient, and so it becomes clear that the patient was the main force preventing the cancer from speaking clearly.
Cancer is a silent disease for part of its lifetime, its presence only becoming obvious in its later, more advanced stages, so it is only fitting that its success in trying to overtake this woman is symbolized by its ability to speak loudly and clearly. In addition, many people who live with cancer attempt to keep the disease quiet by taking drugs to fight it, and going on with their lives as normally as they can. However, often times, cancer cannot be silenced forever, and eventually it forces its way through the barrier of quiet and calm the patient uses to fight back against it. Here, "At the Hospital", and on the woman's deathbed, the cancer is finally able to speak as it wishes, as it in turn silences the patient forever.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
 |
| "...the sentence the cancer spoke at last..." |
Ferry's poem At the Hospital clocks in at an incredibly short two lines long, an intimidating length for many to try to analyze or understand all of the meaning of. However, the theme of the fight against cancer, hidden behind the metaphor of the cancer's attempt at speech, is clear when giving the poem more than a cursory examination.
This poem is about a woman's fight against cancer, and the poem opens with the claim that this woman "was the sentence the cancer spoke at last". According to this metaphor, the cancer has been working to say something, its statement taking the form of its victim. However, until now it has only been able to speak with "blurred grammar" and hasn't yet become coherent. At this point in time, though, something has changed and its statement has "finally [been] clarified". If the cancer was stymied in its attempts until now, it is only natural to relate this battle to the fight between the cancer and the patient, and so it becomes clear that the patient was the main force preventing the cancer from speaking clearly.
Cancer is a silent disease for part of its lifetime, its presence only becoming obvious in its later, more advanced stages, so it is only fitting that its success in trying to overtake this woman is symbolized by its ability to speak loudly and clearly. In addition, many people who live with cancer attempt to keep the disease quiet by taking drugs to fight it, and going on with their lives as normally as they can. However, often times, cancer cannot be silenced forever, and eventually it forces its way through the barrier of quiet and calm the patient uses to fight back against it. Here, "At the Hospital", and on the woman's deathbed, the cancer is finally able to speak as it wishes, as it in turn silences the patient forever.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
“Cancer Cells’ Survival Mechanism Identified | TopNews.” Web. 4 Nov. 2012.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Paper Topic
For my paper, I'm going to be writing on Marge Piercy's poem "Barbie Doll." I've written a little about this poem before, and I'm going to use that preliminary piece as a springboard to create my paper. I'll mainly be analyzing the theme of the poem as a whole, as well as the specific ideas generated by each stanza and line. I'll also write about how the diction and individual concepts mentioned in the poem work together to inspire irony and empathy in the reader.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Re: Baby Villon
Philip Levine, Baby Villon
Philip Levine's poem “Baby Villon”
is the painful story of a man whose life has been torn apart and
tainted by the strife of warring countries or factions. “The war in
North Africa” caused the deaths or disappearances of his father and
brother, in the midst of the presumed chaos of “what came after”
the fighting, and this man is still constantly haunted by the war and its
after-effects on his world and his own identity. War is all-pervasive, and even after it is over, it continues to sully his perspective on the present, his memory of the past, and any hope he might have had for a brighter future.
Even if it is tentative, wars are usually followed by some kind of peace or calm after the storm. Regardless of his home's current political
situation, though, it's clear that this man cannot forget about the
war and the blood in his “flat brown eyes.” Even after the poem
has finished its direct references to the war, the man continues to
reminisce about the broken windows of a bakery – probably his
family's – and the “warm smell of rye” tainted with razor-sharp
glass dust that made his mouth bleed. The man in this poem has been drained
of passion and anger, but he continues to focus on aspects of his life
that remind him of the war.
It is somewhat strange for someone who
suffered because of the war to perpetually talk of violence and
suffering, but this also conveys how much the fighting and pain was
ingrained into his mind and soul. He even considers hair to be a sort
of soldier, protecting “the head of the fighter.” It is with
strange melancholy and resignation that he considers the narrator's
“fair” and fragile appearance, contrasted with the “black
kinks”, head, and hair of the fighter mentioned in the section just
before. This contrast – between the “fair” and “smooth” narrator
and the man who is, from the beginning of the poem, enough of a
roughened outcast that he is robbed “everywhere and at all times”
– is quite sharp indeed.
This man is still troubled by the fact
that he has changed so much, torn away from a youth where he was just
as fair and smooth as the narrator, and when the comforting smell of
rye bread was not yet tainted with memories of blood and broken
glass. He says that he is constantly being robbed, and this is true in ways both literal and symbolic:
the war robbed his youth and innocence from him long ago, a crime
which has stolen the life and passion from his eyes and reduced him
to a somber, lifeless war veteran.
Levine's poem, so orderly and neat in form
and organization, hides a broken character whose life has
been altered forever by the chaos of war and its aftermath. The idea of people hiding their damage and grief beneath the surface is truly sad to think about, and one can
only hope that not all who suffer through war come out of the
experience with this much pain in their hearts.
Works Cited:
Levine, Philip. Stranger to Nothing: Selected Poems. Tarset: Bloodaxe, 2006. Print.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Re: Sex Without Love
Sharon Olds, Sex Without Love
Sharon Olds's poem speaks on casual sex, or as the title states, "sex without love", a topic very significant in today's age of clubs, prostitution, and more widespread and open sexual activity than most other eras have experienced. The form of the poem reflects the act of sex itself, beginning with long, elegant, gently flowing lines like "beautiful as dancers, gliding over each other like ice-skaters over the ice". It then moves on to bolder and fiercer lines, with phrases like "fingers hooked inside each other's bodies," and "faces red as steak". Finally, the poem nears a climax of sorts, a hitched-breath repetition of "come to the" like the strained gasps and cries of frantic lovers. Only after this does the poem seem to calm down enough to really wonder about the nature of sex, love, and those who have sex both with and without love.
As a former cross-country runner, I recognize the relationship the speaker describes between the runner and her or his environment, "alone with the road surface, the cold, the wind, the fit of their shoes, their over-all cardiovascular health". These may be "just factors", simple concrete facts about the world around them, but they do in fact build up to a total experience. After all, aren't all of the experiences we go through a compilation of tiny details we note about our environment? In this case the lovers may lack the emotional bond of love, but at least the experience can create a feeling and an emotional response in them, and that feeling may be just what these people are looking for.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
 |
| "...gliding over each other like ice-skaters over the ice..." |
Sharon Olds's poem speaks on casual sex, or as the title states, "sex without love", a topic very significant in today's age of clubs, prostitution, and more widespread and open sexual activity than most other eras have experienced. The form of the poem reflects the act of sex itself, beginning with long, elegant, gently flowing lines like "beautiful as dancers, gliding over each other like ice-skaters over the ice". It then moves on to bolder and fiercer lines, with phrases like "fingers hooked inside each other's bodies," and "faces red as steak". Finally, the poem nears a climax of sorts, a hitched-breath repetition of "come to the" like the strained gasps and cries of frantic lovers. Only after this does the poem seem to calm down enough to really wonder about the nature of sex, love, and those who have sex both with and without love.
As a former cross-country runner, I recognize the relationship the speaker describes between the runner and her or his environment, "alone with the road surface, the cold, the wind, the fit of their shoes, their over-all cardiovascular health". These may be "just factors", simple concrete facts about the world around them, but they do in fact build up to a total experience. After all, aren't all of the experiences we go through a compilation of tiny details we note about our environment? In this case the lovers may lack the emotional bond of love, but at least the experience can create a feeling and an emotional response in them, and that feeling may be just what these people are looking for.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
“Six Sensual Tips For Sensational Sex.” The100%You.com. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Re: Barbie Doll
Marge Piercy, Barbie Doll
As a sort of preface, I just want to say that I'd really rather not delve into gender politics in this little essay, and that while I recognize that men and boys are often forced to live up to certain "male" standards as well, I'll be focusing on "female" standards here.
As a young woman, I can easily attest to the veritable bombardment of body-image related propaganda and marketing schemes on women. We are almost always being exposed to some magazine, advertisement, incriminating or judgmental attitude from another person, or some other form of influence on women and girls, urging us to be thinner, prettier, more delicate, more subdued, more gentle, more graceful, more reliant, and to constantly put more effort towards reaching this bizarre, unattainable status of perfection. Now, I must say that for those with a good amount of self-respect and internal strength - speaking for myself as an example - very little of this social expectation actually makes an imprint on my self-esteem and the way I behave. However, the fact remains that there is an enormous amount of effort and social construction put into funneling girls' behavior into fitting a certain mold. Furthermore, for girls with less self-esteem and courage to be themselves even if that means going against society's idea of what a woman should be like, this influence can be incredibly harmful, and in the case of the "girlchild" in Marge Piercy's poem and many other girls in real life, deadly.
Barbie Doll is filled with a great number of "delicate" words and phrases, a few being "magic", "wee," "cherry candy," "putty," and "pink and white nightie," the last of which becoming doubly so by being associated with the traditional colors of femininity and purity, pink and white. In addition, the phrase "pee-pee" is a ridiculously childlike euphemisms for a natural bodily function, hinting at the idea that young girls are expected to disguise and dance around the gross or undesirable parts of their own bodies, even far before they are introduced to ideas like fashion and dieting. This atmosphere of girlish innocence, a world of pink and gentle laughter, sweetness and magic, becomes expected for a girl's childhood; I certainly remember all of my friends' little sisters rooms being explosions of pink, lavender, and white. These are all soft, quiet colors that don't make too loud or forceful of an impression, but simply remain in the background and complement the gentle mood.
In contrast with this first pattern, the sections of the poem that deal with the girlchild's "fat nose" and "thick legs" are harsher and more detached, influencing the audience to shy away and dislike these parts of the girl. Even the descriptions of her that would normally be considered compliments are either more clinical or slightly off-putting in diction, such as the phrases "tested intelligent," and "manual dexterity". Inserting this tone into this section of the poem reflects the lower, more chauvinist and objectifying parts of society's wish for women to simply be seen and not heard, and to be beautiful and sexy to look at and touch - nothing more, nothing less. To fit into the mold of the "ideal woman", it is necessary to remove and trim parts of yourself, both physically and mentally - a horrifying idea to imagine, but one that the girlchild eventually goes along with when she "[cuts] off her nose and her legs and [offers] them up." After she has done so, "everyone" finally thinks of her as pretty, instead of just "[seeing] a fat nose on thick legs". However, she has paid the ultimate price for her beauty, something that could never be worth it in any kind of reasoning. When thinking about how societal expectations affect people, it's incredibly important to think about people like the girlchild, who will mutilate themselves and give everything up just to feel like they "belong."
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
As a sort of preface, I just want to say that I'd really rather not delve into gender politics in this little essay, and that while I recognize that men and boys are often forced to live up to certain "male" standards as well, I'll be focusing on "female" standards here.
As a young woman, I can easily attest to the veritable bombardment of body-image related propaganda and marketing schemes on women. We are almost always being exposed to some magazine, advertisement, incriminating or judgmental attitude from another person, or some other form of influence on women and girls, urging us to be thinner, prettier, more delicate, more subdued, more gentle, more graceful, more reliant, and to constantly put more effort towards reaching this bizarre, unattainable status of perfection. Now, I must say that for those with a good amount of self-respect and internal strength - speaking for myself as an example - very little of this social expectation actually makes an imprint on my self-esteem and the way I behave. However, the fact remains that there is an enormous amount of effort and social construction put into funneling girls' behavior into fitting a certain mold. Furthermore, for girls with less self-esteem and courage to be themselves even if that means going against society's idea of what a woman should be like, this influence can be incredibly harmful, and in the case of the "girlchild" in Marge Piercy's poem and many other girls in real life, deadly.
Barbie Doll is filled with a great number of "delicate" words and phrases, a few being "magic", "wee," "cherry candy," "putty," and "pink and white nightie," the last of which becoming doubly so by being associated with the traditional colors of femininity and purity, pink and white. In addition, the phrase "pee-pee" is a ridiculously childlike euphemisms for a natural bodily function, hinting at the idea that young girls are expected to disguise and dance around the gross or undesirable parts of their own bodies, even far before they are introduced to ideas like fashion and dieting. This atmosphere of girlish innocence, a world of pink and gentle laughter, sweetness and magic, becomes expected for a girl's childhood; I certainly remember all of my friends' little sisters rooms being explosions of pink, lavender, and white. These are all soft, quiet colors that don't make too loud or forceful of an impression, but simply remain in the background and complement the gentle mood.
In contrast with this first pattern, the sections of the poem that deal with the girlchild's "fat nose" and "thick legs" are harsher and more detached, influencing the audience to shy away and dislike these parts of the girl. Even the descriptions of her that would normally be considered compliments are either more clinical or slightly off-putting in diction, such as the phrases "tested intelligent," and "manual dexterity". Inserting this tone into this section of the poem reflects the lower, more chauvinist and objectifying parts of society's wish for women to simply be seen and not heard, and to be beautiful and sexy to look at and touch - nothing more, nothing less. To fit into the mold of the "ideal woman", it is necessary to remove and trim parts of yourself, both physically and mentally - a horrifying idea to imagine, but one that the girlchild eventually goes along with when she "[cuts] off her nose and her legs and [offers] them up." After she has done so, "everyone" finally thinks of her as pretty, instead of just "[seeing] a fat nose on thick legs". However, she has paid the ultimate price for her beauty, something that could never be worth it in any kind of reasoning. When thinking about how societal expectations affect people, it's incredibly important to think about people like the girlchild, who will mutilate themselves and give everything up just to feel like they "belong."
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
Re: Welcome to Hiroshima
Mary Jo Salter, Welcome to Hiroshima
However, there is still a dark
undertone to Hiroshima, hidden beneath the electric billboards and
sunny coffee shops, and one that Salter exploses some of through this
poem. It actually plays into the theme of the bomb very nicely; after
the initial explosion and damage, there is a deceptively quiet calm
that in reality is just as dangerous. The Ohta River is no longer
coated in “blood and scum,” but the real danger of an atomic bomb
lies in the invisible, almost undetectable radiation that still
pervades the area. Such a danger can easily go unnoticed in “the
water...they pour...for your morning cup of tea.” Moreover, if we
continue with the idea of the nature of the bomb's damage reflective
society's attitudes regarding the atomic bombings, this signifies a
hidden, but still present, dislike and resentment on the part of the
Japanese towards the perpetrators of the bombings. In addition, like
the radiation that lingers after a nuclear bomb strike, this
simmering anger could theoretically still end up poisoning relations
between Japan and the United States.
Works Cited:
Salter, Mary J. Henry Purcell in Japan: Poems. New York: Knopf, 1985. Print.
Unlike many pieces of writing centered
around the city of Hiroshima in Japan, Mary Jo Salter's poem “Welcome
to Hiroshima” speaks more on the Hiroshima of today rather than the
day of the bombing. Obviously, the city is still very much haunted by
the memory of the atomic bomb, but not in the way one might expect
from seeing other countries' memorials to tragic events. The
Hiroshima of Salter's poem is a strange mix of subdued monuments,
commercialized hype, and an underlying sense of creeping, lingering
resentment.
It is a commonly known characteristic
of the Japanese, as well as citizens of other Asian countries, to
downplay or cover up signs of weakness. For example, during the
tsunami crisis a year or two ago, the Japanese seemed to be doing
fine struggling through the disaster on their own, without accepting
much or any help from foreign countries. This strategy makes sense,
as it is especially unwise to show vulnerability in a part of the
world where hard work and success are prized and where opportunistic
leaders make use of all chances to get ahead. Thus, the “plastic
dioramas” and “billboard brought to you...by Toshiba Electric”
constitute much of the current-day Hiroshima's monuments to the bomb.
Turning the event into a sort of local attraction that symbolizes the
city, while still recognizing the horror and tragedy involved with
it, allows Japan to effectively shunt the bombing into the past and
show that the country is still just as technologically advanced and
powerful as it has always striven for.
Works Cited:
Salter, Mary J. Henry Purcell in Japan: Poems. New York: Knopf, 1985. Print.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Re: Love Poem
Linda Pastan, Love Poem
Love is often described as an overwhelming rush of emotions, a feeling so strong it sweeps away everything in its path and so deep that it permeates every part of the mind and soul. It's no wonder, then, that most poetry, while able to express some of its fierceness and tenderness alike, falls short of truly putting the feeling into words. However, Linda Pastan's Love Poem comes admirably far in this task.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
“Rushing Creek In Spring Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tennessee.” WallpaperWeb. Web. 26 Sept. 2012.
 |
| "...as headlong as our creek after thaw..." |
Love is often described as an overwhelming rush of emotions, a feeling so strong it sweeps away everything in its path and so deep that it permeates every part of the mind and soul. It's no wonder, then, that most poetry, while able to express some of its fierceness and tenderness alike, falls short of truly putting the feeling into words. However, Linda Pastan's Love Poem comes admirably far in this task.
The poem itself speaks on the process of writing a love poem, highlighting the place of the creative process in this attempt to embody love in writing, as well as expressing the odd challenge in such an attempt. In addition, the structure of the poem contains frequent line breaks, constant enjambment, and a complete lack of punctuation. Therefore, the poet effectively characterizes her attempt to write a love poem as a long, flowing stream of feeling and emotion, not quite materialized into "proper writing" with correct punctuation and grammar. However, it could easily be argued that a poem of love does not necessarily need to be "correctly written," this poem, like the rushing creek in the text, is "so swollen with runoff" that it brings new life and meaning to itself, simply by virtue of the emotion it embodies.
Another characteristic commonly attributed to love is its ability to inspire emotions from ecstatic joy to unbelievable pain and distress in those under its influence. Thus, some people, often those who have had their hearts broken too many times, become cynical or frightened of love and shy away from it when they see it coming. The lovers in this poem, although they may not be true cynics, do appreciate how dangerously intense love can be, and feel the need to "step back" from the water's edge. However, they still "grab each other" for comfort and courage, showing that while they are indeed wary, they are willing to take the plunge as long as they have each other.
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
“Rushing Creek In Spring Great Smoky Mountains National Park Tennessee.” WallpaperWeb. Web. 26 Sept. 2012.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Re: The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper
The Yellow Wallpaper is a story of illness - the kind of illness that takes hold of the mind and shakes it about until one's sanity has been torn to pieces. Although this idea is indimidating enough, even more so is the fact that such illness can progress incredibly quickly without the victim even realizing what's happening. The narrator of this tale, a woman suffering from an unspecified kind of depression or hysteria, never becomes truly aware of her situation; as the story progresses, she appears to recover from her original symptoms, but the wallpaper of her bedroom drives her mad in an altogether more frightening and uncontrollable way.
Gilman makes use of the fact that the narrator is "writing" this story as some sort of diary, and alters the syntax to show the narrator's current state of mind. For instance, the first few pages are filled with fluid, elegantly-constructed sentences, describing the wallpaper as "dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study" and using terms like "congenial" and "romantic felicity" (316). However, by the end of the story, her writing style has degenerated into sentences like "This bedstead is fairly gnawed!" and "But I must get to work" (327). Her sentences are now short and choppy, utilizing simpler vocabulary - seeming more like random observances about her surroundings than coherent trains of thought, and clearly showing her deteriorating mental health. Taken into context with the fact that she "[bites] off a little piece at one corner" (327) of the bed and "[keeps] on creeping" (328) around and around the room despite being aware of her husband's alarm, it's obvious that a summer trip out to the country has done far more harm than good for this woman.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
Photograph of a Woman Examining Yellow Wallpaper. “Jake’s Take on ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.” Jake’s Take. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
 |
| "One of those sprawling flamboyant patterns committing every artistic sin." |
The Yellow Wallpaper is a story of illness - the kind of illness that takes hold of the mind and shakes it about until one's sanity has been torn to pieces. Although this idea is indimidating enough, even more so is the fact that such illness can progress incredibly quickly without the victim even realizing what's happening. The narrator of this tale, a woman suffering from an unspecified kind of depression or hysteria, never becomes truly aware of her situation; as the story progresses, she appears to recover from her original symptoms, but the wallpaper of her bedroom drives her mad in an altogether more frightening and uncontrollable way.
Gilman makes use of the fact that the narrator is "writing" this story as some sort of diary, and alters the syntax to show the narrator's current state of mind. For instance, the first few pages are filled with fluid, elegantly-constructed sentences, describing the wallpaper as "dull enough to confuse the eye in following, pronounced enough to constantly irritate and provoke study" and using terms like "congenial" and "romantic felicity" (316). However, by the end of the story, her writing style has degenerated into sentences like "This bedstead is fairly gnawed!" and "But I must get to work" (327). Her sentences are now short and choppy, utilizing simpler vocabulary - seeming more like random observances about her surroundings than coherent trains of thought, and clearly showing her deteriorating mental health. Taken into context with the fact that she "[bites] off a little piece at one corner" (327) of the bed and "[keeps] on creeping" (328) around and around the room despite being aware of her husband's alarm, it's obvious that a summer trip out to the country has done far more harm than good for this woman.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
Photograph of a Woman Examining Yellow Wallpaper. “Jake’s Take on ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.” Jake’s Take. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Re: Sonny's Blues
James Baldwin, Sonny's Blues
One of the most crucial aspects of any piece of writing is the syntax, or word choice, used throughout the story. In reading this tale of growing into adulthood in Harlem and the shaky, dangerous boundary between boyhood and manhood, the differences between boys and men - and where each term is used - is especially important. The narrator often speaks of the impulsive, rash, almost explosive behavior of the boys he knew when he was younger as well as the boys he now teaches. These boys, "growing up with a rush" and "filled with rage" (76), act as if their world could come crashing down at any moment, and they are well aware that their lives are full of strict boundaries and unexpected dangers. I read once that drug addicts are especially likely to be stuck in their current lifestyle if they are particularly short-sighted; looking only a short distance into the future means that one would look forward mostly to the next high, rather than planning for the more distant future and one's general well-being. Aware that they have no future, these boys see no problem with their lifestyle, full of rash choices and habits that, while dangerous, also provide a great deal of short-term pleasure.
Growing up in this world means gaining the foresight that only adults seem to have, as well as the ability to understand and see beyond what the restricting darkness of the world these boys grow up in. The darkness is what the adults "[have] come from...what they endure" (83-84). Becoming an adult means having traversed the darkness, and being a boy or a man is defined less by one's age and more by one's maturity and insightfulness. For instance, Sonny's old friend that the narrator runs into near the beginning of the story is termed a "boy", even though he must be a fully-grown adult by now. In addition, Sonny himself begins to be described as a man rather than a boy when the narrator realizes that his brother has matured and is trying incredibly hard to figure out for himself how he views the world. He is still growing and has a lot to learn, but he is moving forward.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print
Photo of a City Street at Night. “The NEXT New York Conversation: Stop and Frisk.” greenespace. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
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| "But houses exactly like the houses of our past yet dominated the landscape." |
Growing up in this world means gaining the foresight that only adults seem to have, as well as the ability to understand and see beyond what the restricting darkness of the world these boys grow up in. The darkness is what the adults "[have] come from...what they endure" (83-84). Becoming an adult means having traversed the darkness, and being a boy or a man is defined less by one's age and more by one's maturity and insightfulness. For instance, Sonny's old friend that the narrator runs into near the beginning of the story is termed a "boy", even though he must be a fully-grown adult by now. In addition, Sonny himself begins to be described as a man rather than a boy when the narrator realizes that his brother has matured and is trying incredibly hard to figure out for himself how he views the world. He is still growing and has a lot to learn, but he is moving forward.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print
Photo of a City Street at Night. “The NEXT New York Conversation: Stop and Frisk.” greenespace. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Re: Cathedral
Raymond Carver, Cathedral
Cathedral is quite clearly a story about blindness, but rather than revolving around simply the physical inability to see, it speaks on other types of blindness as well. Right from the beginning of the story, with his cliche ideas about blindness and blunt, closed-minded attitude about the blind man and his wife, the narrator shows that he is very much blind, even emotionally stunted. He shows no wish to recover from his "blindness", saying that his wife's friend coming to their house is "not something [he] looked forward to" (32), and sounding very upset when he heard about his wife's out-of-the-ordinary experience with the blind man. The narrator's wife may be the person who most wants the blind man to come visit, but she is blind to the depth of her husband's unease and is trying to force two differing parts of her life together, choosing not to see the consequences that may arise from her choice.
This story also plays into the common idea that blind people are often able to "see" things that others can't, and can help guide those who are figuratively blind into a more aware or even enlightened state of being. The blind man opens the narrator's eyes to the world of a blind person, even just a bit, when he draws a cathedral with him. After they finish the drawing, the blind man asks him to "take a look" (44), and wants to know what he can see, or rather, if his perspective has changed any. The narrator was trying to show the blind man what a cathedral is like, but in the end it's the narrator who experiences a glimpse of a different life, without his judgmental blindness.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
Photo of a Blindfolded Person. “Honoring Your Literary Blind Spot.” Behler Blog. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
 |
| "...his being blind bothered me." |
Cathedral is quite clearly a story about blindness, but rather than revolving around simply the physical inability to see, it speaks on other types of blindness as well. Right from the beginning of the story, with his cliche ideas about blindness and blunt, closed-minded attitude about the blind man and his wife, the narrator shows that he is very much blind, even emotionally stunted. He shows no wish to recover from his "blindness", saying that his wife's friend coming to their house is "not something [he] looked forward to" (32), and sounding very upset when he heard about his wife's out-of-the-ordinary experience with the blind man. The narrator's wife may be the person who most wants the blind man to come visit, but she is blind to the depth of her husband's unease and is trying to force two differing parts of her life together, choosing not to see the consequences that may arise from her choice.
This story also plays into the common idea that blind people are often able to "see" things that others can't, and can help guide those who are figuratively blind into a more aware or even enlightened state of being. The blind man opens the narrator's eyes to the world of a blind person, even just a bit, when he draws a cathedral with him. After they finish the drawing, the blind man asks him to "take a look" (44), and wants to know what he can see, or rather, if his perspective has changed any. The narrator was trying to show the blind man what a cathedral is like, but in the end it's the narrator who experiences a glimpse of a different life, without his judgmental blindness.
Works Cited:
Booth, Alison, and Kelly J. Mays. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2011. Print.
Photo of a Blindfolded Person. “Honoring Your Literary Blind Spot.” Behler Blog. Web. 12 Sept. 2012.
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