The Stranger #3

          The sun causes Meursault a significant amount of pain. As he walks along the beach, he feels the sun beating on him from every angle; the sun is pushing him, telling him to keep moving toward the Arab ahead on the beach.  Though the Arab is a source of evil in his world, it does not seem to be the Arab that is causing Meursault this discomfort. He even says, regarding the earlier altercation, “As far as I was concerned, the whole thing was over, and I’d gone there without even thinking about it” (58). However through his descriptions of the “cymbals of sunlight crashing” and “the dazzling spear flying up,” there is a sense that Meursault feels as if the external world is falling in on him (59). All of the forces of the external world pressure Meursault, and finally, he snaps and shoots the Arab not once but five times. Meursault describes the experience as “knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness” (59). This is one of the very few times the audience can actually see Meursault apply an emotion to himself, and even then, he is only knocking on the door, not letting happiness actually envelope him. The external forces of the world finally cause Meursault to show some semblance of feeling even if it only is a “quick” stitch of it.

"Woman Work" Paragraph

“Woman Work” Maya Angelou

Thesis:  Through the use of a shift in rhyme scheme, Angelou contrasts what the woman has to do with what she wants to do.

                Maya Angelou uses a couplet rhyme scheme to begin the poem and transitions to four-lined rhyme scheme. The poem begins by listing off all of the things that the speaker has to accomplish in a very formulaic fashion: “I’ve got the children to tend/ The clothes to mend/ The floor to mop/ The food to shop” (1-4). The woman has many chores to tend to, and by having the rhyme scheme be so quick, it emphasizes the length of the list. Every two lines rhyme, so the audience hears the beat of rhyme after rhyme, giving this impression of a never-ending list. Then at line fifteen the rhyme scheme shifts as does the content of the poem. The speaker is no longer talking about her duties but what she actually wants.  She proclaims, “Fall gently, snowflakes/ Cover me with white/ Cold icy kisses and/ Let me rest tonight” (23-26). The woman wishes for nature to just take over. She needs a break; she needs refuge. She believes that with nature she can find it. The rhyme scheme slows down by only rhyming the second and fourth lines of each stanza, showing that what she wants is much less than what she needs to do. Nature is not a laundry list; it is something to stop upon and enjoy.

The Stranger #2

                Camus writes, “I said I didn’t think anything but that it was interesting” (32). This response, however, comes after  Raymond, Meursault’s neighbor, has just outlined an elaborate story about his feelings and abuse towards a woman. All Meursault musters is an expression of indifference. He listens to the entire story and solely responds by saying that he has no opinion. Moreover, this is not a one-time occurrence for Meursault; he uses this attitude of indifference in describing pretty much everything going on in his life. He paints himself as a simple, stationary observer in a world where everything is moving. Even in a decision as pivotal as marriage, he gives a disinterested response: “it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married” (41). It didn’t really matter? His marriage has no impact on his life? Meursault has taken on a very detached persona that is immensely frustrating for a reader trying to understand him. He removes himself from every situation and becomes just another spectator. He is witnessing his life rather than living it.

"Dover Beach" Paragraph

“Dover Beach” Matthew Arnold

Thesis:  The tone being expressed in “Dover Beach” is one of longing and nostalgia, wishing for religion’s influence to be the same of the past.

                Arnold expresses sadness for the loss of faith he sees occurring around him. He feels that what once used to be a resounding entity has now been reduced to a weak being. He compares faith to a sea, and states that it “was once, too, at the full, and round earth’s shore…but now I only hear/ Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” (22-25). Arnold has realized that religion is waning. There was a time where religion was extremely prominent in society, but now that influence is fading. Moreover, Arnold believes that this regression is detrimental to society. He writes that “we are here on a darkling plain/ Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight,/ Where ignorant armies clash by night” (35-37). More or less, society has entered into a dark age. Without religion Arnold feels that the world is truly lacking. There cannot be progress and peace without faith, and so Arnold mourns for the society he once knew.

PODG #7

“There are moments, psychologists tell us, when the passion for sin…dominates a nature” (139).

                Dorian Gray has in many ways turned into a monster. Though his face is the same, he is an unrecognizable person to those who knew him before the portrait was created. That or he killed the ones that still recognized him. However, the question is whether he has hit this point of no return where sin truly does “dominate” him. Wilde writes that when a person hits this point, “chance is taken from them, and conscience is either killed, or… lives to give rebellion its fascination, and disobedience its charm” (139).  Dorian’s conscience, however, does not truly appear to be dead. Basil’s death is still ruminating in his mind. In fact, he still carries around Sibyl Vane’s death with him as well. Dorian does horrible things, but there is definitely still a sense of guilt with him after he commits these acts. Though he tries very hard to pretend like it does not affect him, Wilde purposefully shows the thought popping up in Dorian’s mind. Dorian very much wants to be this type of person where he can just let sin take over, but it is safe to say that he is not completely succeeding.

PODG #6

          Since Dorian met Lord Henry, he has been a changed man. He has become cold, heartless, and practically emotionless. He has lived his life for solely himself and has lost most of his friends along the way. No one wants to associate with a man as corrupt as he is. However, the one man that has always been loyal to him is Basil. Even as Basil is hearing all these rumors about Dorian’s actions, he tells Dorian that “if you tell me that they are absolutely untrue from beginning to end, I shall believe you” (112).  Even knowing what Dorian has become, Basil is willing to put it all aside and remain friends with Dorian. Though some will say that this only because Basil is enamored with Dorian, Basil is still a truly amazing friend to Dorian, which makes what Dorian does so much more horrible. When Dorian kills Basil, he is killing the last person that believes in him, the last person that believes that Dorian is still a good person inside. Up until the very moment Basil is killed, he is trying to help Dorian, praying for Dorian and begging Dorian to repent. Basil’s death is truly a tragedy. Now, Dorian is truly alone, and it is solely his fault. Dorian took away the one person who had hope in him.

"The Lamb" and "The Tiger" Outline

“The Lamb” and  “The Tiger” William Blake

Thesis: In William Blake’s poems “The Lamb” and “The Tiger” he contrasts the different creations on this earth and explores the possibility of there being more than one creator.

A.      Blake utilizes questions for two very different purposes in the poems, highlighting the difference in the creation of the lamb and the tiger.

a.       “Dost thou know who made thee?” (2)

b.      “Dost thou know who….gave thee clothing of delight[?]” (2-5).

                                                               i.      In “The Lamb” Blake is using rhetorical questions, implying that the answer is evident.  There is no question that the beautiful, sweet lamb is a gift from God as Blake makes clear throughout the poem.

c.       “What immortal hand or eye/ Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” (3-4)

d.      “What dread hand forged thy dread feet?” (12)

                                                               i.      These questions from “The Tiger” are not rhetorical, for the answer is not clear. Blake leaves the answer open as to whether God could create the lamb and the tiger, animals so different, or there could be another creator.

B.      Blake’s altered forms of repetition also illustrate the disconnect he feels between the creation of the lamb and the tiger.

a.       “Little Lamb, who made thee?/ Dost thou know who made thee?” (1-2). These two lines are repeated at the beginning of the poem and then again at the end of the first stanza as opposed to repeated at the end of the poem like in “The Tiger.” This shows that there is an answer to come in the rest of the poem; God made the lamb, which Blake is going to clarify after the second repetition.

b.      “Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright/ In the forests of the night,/ What immortal hand or eye/ Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” (1-4). These lines are written at the beginning of the poem and repeated at the very end, showing that Blake has not decided on a final answer to these questions.  He believes that God is the creator, yet he is still bringing Satan into the discussion as an alternate. By ending how he begins, Blake highlights his wavering.

C.      Blake’s biblical allusions illuminate the differences between the creation of the lamb and the tiger.

a.       “For he calls himself a Lamb;/ He is meek and he is mild” (14-15). Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God in the bible, so by using this reference, Blake leaves no question as to who is the creator.

b.      “In what distant deeps or skies/ Burnt the fire of thine eyes?”  (5-6). The “distant deeps” refer to hell while the “skies” refer to heaven, leading to the feeling of uncertainty as to whether the same creator that made the lamb could actually also make the tiger; Blake wonders if it could actually be the Devil responsible for the tiger.

PODG #5

          At the beginning of Chapter Nine, Basil goes to find Dorian to console him but soon realizes that this is quite unnecessary, for Dorian seems to be completely unaffected. He is not in mourning or any bit sad really; he seems to be going about his life as if nothing has happened. However, in reading Dorian’s attitude towards the whole Sibyl situation, one cannot help but notice the similarity between his attitude and the attitude of the Party in 1984 by George Orwell. Dorian, addressing Basil about Sibyl’s death, says, “If one doesn’t talk about a thing, it has never happened. It is simply expression…that gives reality to things” (79). The idea that by ignoring a situation, one can make it go away is eerily similar to the policies of 1984’s Party. Big Brother rewrites history, so that events the government did not want to occur actually did not according to the books. Though the means of which Dorian and the Party go about forgetting the past are very different, the fact that they have the same goal of forgetting in mind is noteworthy. Moreover, Dorian goes on to say that “it is only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion” (79) . Again, the idea that emotions make one weak is easily relatable to the beliefs of the Party, who did not allow the citizens of Oceania to express their emotions. In Dorian’s attempt to distance himself from the death of Sibyl, he has in turn created a monster, a monster that is remarkably similar to the Party depicted by Orwell in 1984, a government organization known for its ludicrous practices and cruelty.

PODG #3

“The reason we all like to think so well of others is that we are all afraid for ourselves” (54).

                Lord Henry recites this quote after Basil tells him that he is much better than he thinks. This statement is laughable to Henry. Henry believes that people only compliment others in the hope of saving themselves in some way, which is interesting to think about. Does someone only compliment another when they want something? Do people always have their own interest at heart? Lord Henry seems to believe this though there are bound to be many others that oppose this idea. Some will say that they give compliments to others just because it is true. They see a positive attribute and comment on it. This viewpoint is completely valid. It seems that many of the sweeping statements Lord Henry makes must be taken with a grain of salt. The statements apply to many situations, but they are not relevant to every situation. Some will very much agree that they use flattery for gain, and others will strongly oppose this statement. However, it must be admitted that in the things that Lord Henry blurts out, there is always some truth to be found.

PODG #2

                Lord Henry is known for his odd yet profound statements. He seems to have very strong opinions on many facets of life and on many people. One particular example of this is when he speaks about Basil: “Basil, my dear boy, puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life but his prejudices, his principles, and his common sense” (41). This idea is actually quite remarkable. Artists put so much into their work. They are channeling all of their feelings and perspectives into their pieces in order to create something beautiful. As a result, at least according to Lord Henry, they do not have that same passion in living. That immense vigor is drained from them. However, it is pointed out that bad artists are actually very pleasurable in life. That feeling that they are unable to put into their everyday work can be expressed in their everyday life. It almost makes one wonder if this is some sort of just fate. Perhaps, someone cannot beautiful and lively in every aspect of his or her life. Someone cannot be great all around. Those who are able to create great works of art suffer in other areas of their life. Those who do not have that special talent are able to be great in other ways. Therefore, the world does not favor just one group of people; it shares the wealth.

"Siren Song" Outline

“Siren Song” Margaret Atwood

Thesis: Atwood uses an allusion to create the entire basis of the poem, revealing the trickery of the women.

A.      The Sirens are Greek mythological characters known for their charming song.

a.       “This is…the song that is irresistible” (1-3). Everyone who hears the song is drawn into the source of the song, the Sirens.

b.      “the song that forces men to leap overboard” (4-5). Ships passing by lose many of their members to their enchanting song.

B.      The allusion to the Sirens reminds the reader that the Sirens are practically inescapable, and the poem shows why that is.

a.       “I don’t enjoy it here squatting on this island” (13-14). The Sirens manipulate the men into feeling bad for the Sirens, so that the men come over.

b.      “it is a boring song but it works every time” (26-27). The poem shows that this is something that the Sirens do this often, knowing that men are able to resist the women’s pleas.

C.      The allusion shows how the women manipulate those that pass by.

a.       “I will tell the secret to you, to you, only to you” (19-20). The Siren draws in the men by appealing to their sense of curiosity.

b.      “This song is a cry for help: Help me!” (21-22). The sirens evoke the valiant side of men, calling for the men to save the Sirens.

PODG #1

          Basil Hallward is Oscar Wilde’s tool to portray his own views of the aestheticism movement. Through Hallward’s dialogue, the audience is exposed to the painting process or at least what Wilde thinks it should be. The different ideas that go into creating the picture of Dorian  and all the thought Hallward puts behind it is clearly seen. Hallward’s opinions on his painting show the true essence of the aestheticism movement. In speaking with Lord Henry about his painting, Hallward states, “You might see nothing in him. I see everything in him. He is never more present in my work than when no image of him is there” (8). Hallward touches on a very important point. Art is up to interpretation. It is the artist’s job to leave a piece with the ability to be seen in many lights, and that is what Hallward does with his painting of Dorian. Hallward goes on to say that “an artist should create beautiful things, but should put nothing of his own life into them” (8). Dorian is Hallward’s beautiful object, but he is not telling Dorian’s story. He simply creates a portrait of Dorian; what Henry or anyone else wants to interpret from that is up to them. The picture is the spark, but the fire must be created in the mind of the viewer.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Preface

Oscar Wilde was one that was very engrossed in the aestheticism movement, which is clearly seen by the preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde eloquently writes, “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all” (vii). According to Wilde, books are not meant to sway the audience in one direction or the other just as art should not as well. It is the goal of art solely to present “beautiful things” and allow for the audience to decipher “beautiful meanings” for themselves (vii). He believes that art has many contributors from vice and virtue to thought and language, but that the art itself should portray something very basic. It is not the artist’s job to depict an image with all the intricacies spelled out. It is the audience’s job to find intricacies in what appears to be basic.

Moreover, when it comes to art, the audience plays the biggest role. It is the audience’s job to “translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things” (vii). There will be many different translations, but it should be the goal of art to create these translations: “Diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex, and vital” (vii). If audiences all agree on a piece, then the artist is not being successful. However, in delving into the meaning of an art piece, Wilde warns that it is “at their peril” (vii). There is so much under the surface of artwork that the audience must realize the task they are taking on. However, it is a task necessary to be taken.

"Barbie Doll" Outline

“Barbie Doll” Marge Piercey

Thesis:  The contrast between a person’s real image and the desired yet unattainable image is highlighted by this satire.

A.      The use of verbal irony emphasizes the idiosyncrasies of our society in the treatment of women .

a.       “in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:/ You have a great big nose and fat legs” (5-6). Every person goes through puberty, yet there are those that look different than others, and everyone looks different than a barbie doll, so the author is tapping into the fact that puberty is inevitable, yet it brings about negative views and insecurities. Therefore, puberty is not that magical at all.

b.      “Doesn’t she look pretty? everyone said...To every woman a happy ending” (23-25). Ironically, the only time the girl is told she is pretty is in death. If someone had told her this when she was alive, she probably would not be in this situation.

B.      Imagery contributes to the satire of this poem.

a.       “She was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back” (7-8). Piercey lists all of these positive characteristics of the girl, yet none of them are good enough. Because she is not pretty, she is not worthy.

b.      “on satin she lay/ with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on,/ a turned-up putty nose” (19-21).  This is the only imagery that shows the girl as beautiful, and it only comes once the girl is dead.

C.      The repetition in the ends of the stanzas illuminate the indecency being aimed at this girl.

a.       “ You have a great big nose and fat legs” (6). “Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs” (11). These are the ending lines for the first two stanzas. Both stanzas come back to the point that physically, she does not fit the perfect Barbie doll image.

b.      “So she cut off her nose and her legs/ and offered them up” (17-18). The first two stanzas ended with criticism, and so the third one ends with the reaction. Because of this bullying, she was pushed to take drastic action.

1984 #10

           “If there was hope, it lay in the proles” (220). George Orwell comes back to this point over and over again using Winston’s voice. This time Winston comes to this conclusion after observing one of the prole women in the street. What is so profound about Winston making this conclusion at this moment is that he finally realizes the unity that exists among humankind. He says, “It was curious to think that the sky was the same for everybody… the people under the sky were also very much the same – everywhere, all over the world” (220).  Winston finally sees that there is no difference between the people of Eurasia, Eastasia, and Oceania; however, there is a difference between the people and himself. This difference does not come from the idea of intelligence versus emotion solely though. This difference comes from the power of the people as a whole. Winston is more or less alone amount the Party except from the fleeting support of Julia. The proles have a whole population on their side. They have the “heart and bellies and muscles…[to] one day overturn the world” (220).  That is the envy of Winston. He knows that all the proles need is the consciousness of the situation, and they will have a revolution whereas Winston is conscious, yet his passion is stifled by his lack of support. “ The future belonged to the proles,” and Winston has come to understand this.

1984 #9

Chapter 3: War is Peace

·         War is “a warfare of limited aims between combatants who are unable to destroy one another, have no material cause for fighting, and are not divided by any genuine ideological difference” (186).- not fighting because of actual conflict between each other but rather just to instill the warlike emotions in their own people

·         Fighting for a square of land in the middle of the regions that none of the three super states completely controls and labor control. Land holds 1/5 of the population

·         “the world is more primitive today than it was fifty years ago…experiment and invention have largely stopped” (189).- new society does not allow progress because does not allow free thinking, which inhibits invention

·         One reason for keeping society so underprivileged is that when everyone is equal, it is hard to keep power in the hands of the few

·         “War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent” (191). – whole point is to not let the masses believe that everyone is equal; masses must see the need for the hierarchy

·         War makes putting power in the hands of the few a necessity

·         “in all the useful arts the world is either standing still or going backwards” (193)

·         “A peace that was truly permanent would be the same as a permanent war” (199)- since war is continuous, the war-like atmosphere is equivalent to basically being at peace

Chapter 1: Ignorance is Strength

·         There are three kinds of people:

o   “The aim of the High is to remain where they are” (201).

o   “The aim of the Middle is to change places with the High” (201).

o   “The aim of the Low…is to abolish all distinctions and create a society in which all men shall be equal” (201).

·         Middle groups would fight in the name of equality only to be tyrannical when got power

·         Ingsoc shadowed by totalitarianism

·         “in the past no government had the power to keep its citizens under constant surveillance” (205). So in the past, more conscious of what they were doing

·         The new High group (the current one) “realized that the only secure basis for oligarchy is collectivism. Wealth and privilege are most easily defended when they are possessed jointly” (206).

·         4 Ways a ruling group can fall from power:

o   “Either it is conquered from without, or it governs so inefficiently that the masses are stirred to revolt, or it allows a strong and discontented Middle Group to come into being, or it loses its own self-confidence and willingness to govern” (207).

o   The only one of these that is actually a threat to Oceania is the splitting off of a new group, “and the growth of liberalism and skepticism in their own ranks” (207).

·         “Big Brother is the guise in which the party chooses to exhibit itself to the world” (208).

·         Inner Party is 2%, then Outer Party, and Proles are 85%

·         “Its rulers are not held together by blood ties but by adherence to a common doctrine” (209).

o   Therefore, appeared to some socialists to not be permanent

·         The proles “without the power of grasping that the world could be other than it is”; “They can be granted intellectual liberty because they have no intellect” (210).

·         A Part Member “any eccentricity, however small, any change of habits, any nervous mannerism that could possibly be the symptom of an inner struggle, is certain to be detected” (211).

o   Technically, there are no laws

o   “expected to have no private emotions and no respites from enthusiasm” (211).

·         “Crimestop means the faculty of stopping short, as though by instinct, at the threshold of any dangerous thought” (212).

·         Blackwhite:

o   “applied to an opponent, it means the habit of impudently claiming that black is white, in contradiction of the plain facts” (212).

o   “applied to a Party member, it means a loyal willingness to say that black is white when Party discipline demands this” (212).

·         “Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them” (214).

o   “Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink” (214).

·         “those who have the best knowledge of what is happening are also those who are furthest from seeing the world as it is” (215).

1984 #8

                The idea of the Brotherhood is something that Winston has toiled with throughout the novel. He has wondered whether it actually exists or not. He has questioned whether people he knows might secretly be members of it. He daydreams about the consequences that might come from being a part of it. Finally, O’Brien is able to give him some answers: “The Brotherhood cannot be wiped out because it is not an organization in the ordinary sense. Nothing holds it together except an idea which is indestructible” (176). This was not what Winston was expecting at all; he had pictured a full-fledged secret society, not just a fleeting group of people with the same idea. Then again, Winston in a way was completely expecting it without even realizing, for he was the one to make the conjectures that a rebellion is practically impossible in this society. The structure of the Brotherhood exemplifies this. There is no way for the members to meet and communicate because it would risk their lives completely. Though naturally Winston is excited to finally learn about this Brotherhood, the reader can sense a bit of disappointment. All Winston has wanted is someone to share in his ideas. Someone to tell him that he is not crazy, and the puzzle he is piecing together is in fact correct. O’Brien shuts down this dream by saying, “You will get no comradeship and no encouragement” (176). Yes, Winston does now know that there are others out there that view this society as flawed, but without the ability to voice this disdain, there is not as great solace for him.

1984 #4

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows” (81).

                Out of context this statement means absolutely nothing. Two plus two does make four, and what does that have to do with freedom? That is where the complexity of this society lies. Things that people today consider to be evident, things they take for granted, are not clearly given to the people of Oceania. The government has the ability to distort even simple logic such as basic arithmetic and then completely rewrite the system. Worst of all, the people are forced to accept this skewed version of reality. Winston states, “the heresy of heresies was common sense” (80). For anyone to even suggest that two plus two must obviously be four was grounds for vaporization. Moreover, this omnipotent government does not only stifle the people’s ability to think freely; it drives them to doubt everything they once knew so positively. They start to question the idea of two plus two. Maybe it is five. What does the word “two” even mean? Such uncertainty drains the people of Oceania of their freedom. They have lost the ability to form thoughts clearly, and with that lost, what freedom can they really say they have. The body follows the mind. With no control over one’s mind, there is no control over one self. The idea of two plus two making four is trivial, but in the case of this society, it is more important than could ever be imagined.

1984 #2

                Winston struggles to define himself in this undefinable society. He goes back to this idea of his diary, wondering whether or not anyone will ever see it. He fears that it will simply disappear in the same way that he shall after death. He ponders the enormity of this idea that since the record of the past is completely controlled by the government and can easily be destroyed, he could easily be vaporized, and no one would ever know that he once walked this earth. Orwell writes of Winston, “He was a lonely ghost uttering a truth that nobody would ever hear” (27). The truth in this statement is depressing. The society they live in has created a human population but no individual identities. They are not allowed to express freely their personalities or their thoughts. Every aspect of their lives is controlled. However, as Winston goes on to say, “so long as he uttered [the truth], in some obscure way the continuity was not broken. It was not by making yourself heard but by staying sane that you carried on the human heritage” (27). In writing his cryptic diary entries, there exists hope for Winston. Maybe, just maybe, someone will read it in the future, and therefore, this risk is justified. Winston is searching for someone or even something to reinforce the feelings he is having. He is yearning for someone to tell him that he is not alone, and so he writes. This way he gets to at least share these lingering thoughts with someone even if that someone never ends up existing.

"The Road Not Taken" Paragraph

“The Road Not Taken” Robert Frost

                The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost consists of one extended symbol. The narrator of the poem is walking through the woods when “two roads diverged” (1). The narrator is here faced with a choice of which road to choose. In deciding he remarks that one path was “just as fair” as the other except that one had been much more heavily traveled (6). Thus, he decides to take the “one less traveled by” (20). Clearly, this is not just a poem about a man’s leisurely stroll through the woods on a Saturday afternoon.  These diverging roads represent the eternally present need in one’s life to make decisions. For every single person in every day, two paths are presented in some way, and one must choose one to go down, whether it is simply what to have for lunch that day or what color socks to wear to soccer practice. These two paths are constantly appearing. Now, some of the choices made are trivial, but as Frost notes, in some cases making a certain choice “[makes] all the difference” (21).  There is always that lingering thought about the other path. What if the narrator had chosen that one? Where would he be now? In this way life goes by, constantly questioning decisions and having regrets. Sometimes those decisions are the right ones, and other times they are not. These two paths symbolize more than anything this growth of a person. They show the progression of life and how each decision leads to another and another. When life is stripped down to the basics, one is doing nothing more than coming to forks in the road and deciding right or left. Frost had the amazing insight to realize it.

Heart of Darkness 5

                Throughout the story, Marlow has harped on this fundamental idea that lying is wrong. He has overtly stated that he hates nothing more than a lie. In fact, one of the reasons that he holds at least a small amount of respect for Kurtz is that he is honest. Kurtz does not hide his practices; he takes pride in them. He does what he wants, but he is open about the fact that he is doing it. Marlow considers this honorable in a twisted way. Marlow does not condone Kurtz’s practices in any sense, but he appreciates honesty; honesty comes before all. That however is where the irony lies. Kurtz, the epitome of honesty in this story, ends up being the driving force behind the one lie that Marlow tells. When asked by Kurtz’s wife-to-be what Kurtz’s last words were, Marlow responds that it was her name, which is nowhere near the truth. Immediately after, Marlow comments, “It seemed to me that the house would collapse before I could escape, that the heavens would fall upon my head” (157). The audience feels how monumental the fact that he lied truly is. The question arises: why? Why would Marlow lie for Kurtz? Truthfully, Marlow does not even seem to know. He states that “it would have been too dark – too dark altogether” (157). It appears that Marlow just did not have the heart to tell the girl the truth. However, this does not take away from the conundrum of the whole situation. The man that always tells the truth spurs the man that detests lying to lie. It is all so hypocritical.  The only sense of it that can be made is that sometimes the feelings of others trump one’s own feelings. Therefore, Marlow could not break the girl’s heart, so he chooses to spare her feelings and compromise his own.

               

Heart of Darkness 4

“I seemed at one bound to have been transported into some lightless region of subtle horrors, where pure, uncomplicated savagery was a positive lief, being something that had a right to exist – obviously – in the sunshine” (133-4).

                In the narration Marlow has finally reached the station, the home of the mysterious Kurtz. However, what he is encountering has left him dumbfounded. Kurtz is a dark character, a character instilling fear on all those around him, and Marlow has realized that this is a place where he may not necessarily want to be. As he states, he has been “transported into some lightless region of subtle horrors.”  However, these things have not been kept lightless under Kurtz. These things normally kept out of view are being paraded. They are being kept “in the sunshine.” The natives follow Kurtz’s command and attack viciously under him. There are heads propped up on stakes being displayed. What most view as dark horrible actions are being celebrated. Marlow is becoming gruesomely aware that this is not simply a station for collecting ivory. Kurtz has created an alternate society here where he is allowed to do as he pleases, and all those around him worship his every action, whether out of fear or not.  Conrad perfectly depicts it as “pure, uncomplicated savagery.” Throughout the story the native people had been looked at as savages, but for the first time a white man is being associated with this savagery. That is what is so astounding to Marlow. He does not want to have anything to do with a man who is supposed to be civilized yet that can instill this kind of environment. Savagery can no longer be something solely associated with the natives. The African people cannot be the only ones associated with the darkness anymore, and Marlow is taken aback by this realization.

Heart of Darkness 3

                Whether or not Joseph Conrad was racist has long been disputed. Analysts have gone back and forth on whether or not he is being intentionally degrading to the African people or if readers are just putting too much meaning behind his words. As far as this passage goes, all signs point towards racist. Conrad is blatantly being discriminatory. He speaks with an insufferably condescending nature that is practically painful to read. He writes, “What thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity- like yours…Ugly” (105). Chinua Achebe actually brings up this point multiple times in his paper “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” because it is so ridiculous that it is almost laughable. Simply, the thought of their humanity is ugly to Conrad. He has no interest in simply acknowledging the simple scientific fact that they are indeed human. They are just as human as he is or any other white male.  Conrad’s inability to even say a nice word about these people is even more deplorable. In talking about one of the African men working diligently on the boat, he describes the event to be “as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a feather hat” (106). He goes on to say that “[the man] was useful because he had been instructed” (106-7). That little subordinating conjunction solidifies the meaning of this statement. The African man could not be simply useful; he was only useful because of the white man who had taught him. All the African people can be are subordinates. They do not have the ability to stand alone and actually accomplish anything because they are completely barbaric as far as Conrad is concerned. Of course, there is the argument that Conrad is just a repercussion of the time period. These are not his opinions but the opinions of the world. However, the world did not write this book. Conrad did, and the language he used and the descriptions he made go far beyond elementary racism.

"Introduction to Poetry" Paragraph

“Introduction to Poetry” Billy Collins

                The use of personification emphasizes the way that poetry should be and actually is read. In the first half of the poem, Collins is more idealistic in describing how he wants readers to go about looking at poetry. He writes, “I say… walk inside the poem’s room/ and feel the walls for a light switch” (5-8). Poetry has become an actual living thing as opposed to an inanimate piece of paper. In a way what Collins’ does with his writing is exactly the same idea he is trying to portray with the words themselves. Poetry is not black and white. It is complex, having many layers ready to be discovered. It is the reader’s job to unfold these mysteries and find the “light” that illuminates the true meaning of the poem. By using personification in his own writing, Collins doubly stresses that the study of poetry is intricate and requires deep thought. In the last five lines, the tone of the poem shifts, but the employment of personification remains constant. In discussing what readers actually do in trying to decipher the meaning of a poem, Collins writes that “They begin beating it with a hose/ to find out what it really means” (15-16). The normal reader does not follow the advice given at the beginning of the poem. Rather, he chooses to force a meaning out of it. He chooses to take bits and chunks of the poem and pull some trivial meaning from that. The average reader does not take the time to slowly examine the poem and find the big picture. This personification shows the hacking that regularly occurs. Collins wants the reader to realize that to truly understand a poem, a journey must be taken, not just a step in one direction or the other.

Heart of Darkness 2

“When you have to attend to things of that sort, to the mere incidents of the surface, the reality – the reality, I tell you – fades. The inner truth is hidden…But I felt it all the same” (103).

                                At the very rudimentary understanding of this passage, Marlow is steering a boat through relatively uncharted waters. He is the eyes and ears of the boat, in charge of making sure they reach their destination. In the broader scope of things, this can be looked at as one big metaphor. Marlow is so focused on the task of steering alone that he is not taking in the area they are passing as a whole. He is not appreciating the big picture. Rather, he is acutely tuned into his job alone. This is comparable to his thoughts he expressed earlier on imperialism. When it came to the treatment of these African people, Marlow feels badly about his actions towards the people only in retrospect, only as current day Marlow. Past Marlow describes their violence towards the native people as “very proper for those who tackle a darkness” (69).  As he states here, when one is in the midst of acting, the repercussions can often be left unconsidered. When he looks back on this rabid pillaging that occurred, he realizes the errors in his ways to an extent of course, but in the moment he was unable to discern right from wrong. He was simply following the formula, doing what he thought was supposed to be done. In this passage it is the same idea. The reality of the situation he is in is lost; he is only aware of the boat and getting the boat through the obstructions. He could not be bothered with what these obstructions actually are, what this foreign place he is in is showing him. It is practically intentional ignorance with Marlow not wanting to have to consider the bounds of the unknown world.

"35/10" Outline

“35/10” Sharon Olds

Thesis: Olds’ colorful language and precise syntactical choices serve to emphasize the large disparity between youth and old age.

A.      Juxtaposing the daughter’s characteristics with those of her mother illuminates the gaping difference between the two.

a.       “our daughter’s brown/silken hair … the grey gleaming on my head” (1-3). By placing these two descriptions beside each other, Olds’ creates the image of brown hair cascading next to grey hair, solidifying the change that age causes over time.

b.      “the fold in my neck/ clarifying as the fine bones of her/ hips sharpen?” (6-8). The words “clarifying” and “sharpen” directly contrast each other, evoking a sense of sympathy for the speaker as her body moves in the opposite direction of her daughter.

B.      Olds’ employment of enjambment contributes strongly to the two portraits of the women being painted.

a.       “she opens like a moist/ precise flower on the tip of a cactus” (9-10). The flower is opening, so it spills onto the next line; in the same way the daughter is growing and maturing.

b.      “my last chances to bear a child/ are falling through my body” (11-12). As her chances are falling, the sentence also falls to the following line. Age is constantly moving forward, so the lines continue without pausing.

C.      Imagery serves a vital role in illustrating the contrast between the mother and daughter.

a.       “the silver-haired servant behind her” (4). Not only is the mother old with her silver hair, but also she is behind the girl, creating the idea that the daughter is the newer version of the speaker.

b.      “her full purse of eggs, round and/ firm as hard-boiled yolks” (13-14). The daughter still has her youth; she has a “full purse” and is right on the cusp of the peak of her life. Though this description is more biological, it cements the idea of adolescence that the speaker so desperately wishes she still had.

"Mirror" Outline

“Mirror” Sylvia Plath

Thesis:  Sylvia Plath, employing intricate figurative language, explores the personas that a mirror is able to take on and shows that everyday objects are not always what they seem.  

A.      In the first stanza she personifies the mirror in its simplest form: propped up on a wall, observing everything that passes.

a.       “Whatever I see I swallow immediately/ Just as it is” (2-3). This personification explores the idea of the mirror as an impartial judge; it does not distort what it sees. Rather, a mirror just portrays what it witnesses.

b.      “But it flickers/ Faces and darkness separate us over and over” (8-9). This idea of “us” between the speaker and the mirror and the dramatization of darkness, which in reality could just be turning off a light switch, evokes a sense of sympathy for the mirror, an object normally overlooked.

B.      The second stanza, using personification, embodies the mirror as a lake and moreover as a companion.

a.       “A women bends over me,/ Searching my reaches for what she really is” (10-11). Here, the mirror becomes more than just a reflector; it is a portal to the soul, a place people go looking for themselves.

b.      “Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness” (15).  The relationship between the mirror and another person is explored again, creating the image of the mirror as a breathing, moving person.

C.      The last two lines place the mirror in the scope of time and show its constant presence though the world around it may change.

a.       “In me she has drowned a young girl” (17). This analogy illustrates how the mirror shows her a face she has not seen before; she is not the same person she was as a child.

b.      “in me an old woman/ Rises toward her day after day” (17-18). The mirror thrusts upon her the age she would like to forget. Every day, the mirror is a reminder of who she has become, which this analogy depicts.