The characters in Williams's "Streetcar Named Desire" all fall into victimization by fulfilling the desire of oneself or another. Blanche in the story struggles to build the magical realm around her to fulfilled the expectation of the society. The passive actions of Mitch show that he is vitimized by two women who are important to his life: his dying mother and his love-Blanche.
In order for Blanche to escape the social expectations in Laurel, she had to escape and flee to New Orleans to find protection from her sister. She is victimized by her own desire, which is to find kindness and protection in male; this explains her strange obsession in flirting and sleeping with male strangers. She has to use all her tricks to hide her imperfections to gain male attention by diming the lights and keeping her thin figure. Because of her immoral conducts, she is considered "Out-of-Bounds" and unwelcomed in her hometown. After being kicked out from Laruel, in the the new location in New Orleans, she tries her best to rebuild her perfect southern Belle identity by fulfilling the expectations of the society. She had to act properly to protray the perfect image of a high-class Southern Belle. At the same time, she has to constantly keep secret of her embarassing history of her mischievous nature. This is the reason she is constantly asking Stelle and Mitch for others opinions about her: "what have people [in town] been telling you [Stella] about me"(1571) and "has he [Stanely] talked to you [Mitch] about me?" (1577) As the result, the goal of her whole life was fulfilling the expectation of others; as the result, she is forced to live in the delusions of her mind to stay functional in the society. The way she is forced to live her life result her insanity that reveals at the end the story.
Mitch, on the other hand, is victimized by his love for his sick mother and the delusions of Blanche's image. Mitch, who is fooled by Blanche's delusions, becomes attracted to her and and even plans to ask his mother for permission to marry her. He believes Blanche's lies about her high education and innocence; therefore, when Stanely revealed the disappoining truth about Blanche, he could not handle Blache's lies and the cruel reality. Because of the disappointment, he remained sullen until the end of the story. It is obvious that Mitch is victimized by his dying mother. Not only he scarifices his life by putting off doing the things he desire, like playing poker with his friends, he scarifices his future by marrying his mom approved girl to please his mother. Because of his sympathetic emotions towards his mother, he is vitimized by his mother's control.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Stanley's character in movie
In the 1951 film, “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Elia Kazan let the actors to further define the characters in the play by making the characters their own. Once I watch the film version of this play, I sense a slightly different understanding of Stanley. According to the reading, in scene 3, William depicts Stanley as a brute beast by the his animalistic behavior: “throws back his bead like a baying hound and bellows his wife’s name” and “then they come together with low, animal moans”.(1562) Based on the reading, I only sense Stanley’s true intention of desiring Stella is merely a physical attraction and male dominance.
However in the film, Brando not only portrayed the savageness of Stanley, he also shows a more passionate side of him. With the settings and Brando’s action in the film, it is similar to the balcony scene in “Romeo and Juliet”. The slow background music and movement of Vivian Leigh emphasized the romantic emotions, that did not describe as strongly in the script. In the film, Stanley express his love to Stella passionately and softly, “Don’t ever leave me baby!”. This addition line that added in the film shows Kazan wants to portray Stanley not only as a masculine brute, but a character with a passionate personality.
However in the film, Brando not only portrayed the savageness of Stanley, he also shows a more passionate side of him. With the settings and Brando’s action in the film, it is similar to the balcony scene in “Romeo and Juliet”. The slow background music and movement of Vivian Leigh emphasized the romantic emotions, that did not describe as strongly in the script. In the film, Stanley express his love to Stella passionately and softly, “Don’t ever leave me baby!”. This addition line that added in the film shows Kazan wants to portray Stanley not only as a masculine brute, but a character with a passionate personality.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Paralyzing Epiphanies
In James Joyce’s stories, they contain epiphanies that portray protagonists’ cruel revelations once they discover the disappointing truth. In Joyce’s short stories, “Araby”, the young boy describes his innocent crush on his friend’s the sister, and his struggle to buy her a gift to express his affection.
The epiphany is introduced by series of paralysis. The boy struggles when he has trouble to express his affection towards his secret admirer. Whenever he encounters her, he is in awe with his lover’s beauty and starts to unconsciously speculates her attractive appearance. When he is having conversation with her, his intense feelings for her unable him to talk properly. He finds himself too nervous to convey his feelings for her: “ I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.“ (30) Consequently, he chooses to secretly follow her around. He prefers to gaze upon her through the blinds in order to hide himself secretly. The boy intentionally limits his view by lowering the "blind" until it is only an inch from the window sash. Before his encounter with her at the bazaar, the perspectives he had about this girl were always hindered by darkness and the window blind. Every observations he had about her are vague and discrete. He could only closely contemplate on the detailed fragments about her, but unable to have a thorough and complete view. In his mind, she only appeared to him as a “brown figure” and the “brown-clad figure”, and it was the small details of her that trigger his intense affection for her.
His superficial and limited perspective reach to a moment of epiphany, when he discovers that the truth is different that the expectations he had about her. In the story, he beautified her with angelic qualities: “The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the rail. It fell over one side of her dress and caught the white border of a petticoat, just visible as she stood at ease.” (32) He expected her to have innocent and saint-like personality; which results him to break into disappointment when he overheard her flirtatious conversation with the soldiers at the bazaar. After he discovered her inappropriate action, he comes to a sudden realization of his affection for this woman was foolish and innocent. The epiphany leads him to end his love with despair,“Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger” (33). He simply gives up buying her a gift, and his devotion of love for her is shattered. Once he is not blind anymore and realize her true personality, he can not bear the cruel disappointment and break into tears.
In Kafka’s Metamorphasis, Gregor Samsa experiences paralysis after he is transformed into a giant dung beetle. In my previous blog, I point out Gregor’s movement is limited when he is not used to his new body form, “Gregor find his transformed body difficult to adjust: he spends great time and effort in getting himself up and out of bed. Here is one of his attempts to leave his bed but he falls on the ground instead…” Because of his concern for his family, he decides to hide away in his bedroom to avoid frightening his family member. However, he reaches a cruel epiphany when he realizes that not only his family did not appreciate his effort but they also view him as a burden in his family. His epiphany is mostly influenced by Gregor’s sister, Grete. He used to believe that his sister is the only person that cares about him in the family; however, at the end, she turns cold and selfish, and she even propose to the family to get rid of him. The revelation leads to the huge disappointment, which finally kills him.
The epiphany of both stories are similar. Both protagonists are self-absorbed in their own realm, forming wrong expectations and faulty assumptions that ultimately leads to a huge disappointment. Because of their blind expectations, they volunteer to limit themselves and work hard to achieve their goals. However, at the end of both stories, they reach to the epiphanies and realize all their effort spent are useless and even frowned upon.
The epiphany is introduced by series of paralysis. The boy struggles when he has trouble to express his affection towards his secret admirer. Whenever he encounters her, he is in awe with his lover’s beauty and starts to unconsciously speculates her attractive appearance. When he is having conversation with her, his intense feelings for her unable him to talk properly. He finds himself too nervous to convey his feelings for her: “ I had never spoken to her, except for a few casual words, and yet her name was like a summons to all my foolish blood.“ (30) Consequently, he chooses to secretly follow her around. He prefers to gaze upon her through the blinds in order to hide himself secretly. The boy intentionally limits his view by lowering the "blind" until it is only an inch from the window sash. Before his encounter with her at the bazaar, the perspectives he had about this girl were always hindered by darkness and the window blind. Every observations he had about her are vague and discrete. He could only closely contemplate on the detailed fragments about her, but unable to have a thorough and complete view. In his mind, she only appeared to him as a “brown figure” and the “brown-clad figure”, and it was the small details of her that trigger his intense affection for her.
His superficial and limited perspective reach to a moment of epiphany, when he discovers that the truth is different that the expectations he had about her. In the story, he beautified her with angelic qualities: “The light from the lamp opposite our door caught the white curve of her neck, lit up her hair that rested there and, falling, lit up the hand upon the rail. It fell over one side of her dress and caught the white border of a petticoat, just visible as she stood at ease.” (32) He expected her to have innocent and saint-like personality; which results him to break into disappointment when he overheard her flirtatious conversation with the soldiers at the bazaar. After he discovered her inappropriate action, he comes to a sudden realization of his affection for this woman was foolish and innocent. The epiphany leads him to end his love with despair,“Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger” (33). He simply gives up buying her a gift, and his devotion of love for her is shattered. Once he is not blind anymore and realize her true personality, he can not bear the cruel disappointment and break into tears.
In Kafka’s Metamorphasis, Gregor Samsa experiences paralysis after he is transformed into a giant dung beetle. In my previous blog, I point out Gregor’s movement is limited when he is not used to his new body form, “Gregor find his transformed body difficult to adjust: he spends great time and effort in getting himself up and out of bed. Here is one of his attempts to leave his bed but he falls on the ground instead…” Because of his concern for his family, he decides to hide away in his bedroom to avoid frightening his family member. However, he reaches a cruel epiphany when he realizes that not only his family did not appreciate his effort but they also view him as a burden in his family. His epiphany is mostly influenced by Gregor’s sister, Grete. He used to believe that his sister is the only person that cares about him in the family; however, at the end, she turns cold and selfish, and she even propose to the family to get rid of him. The revelation leads to the huge disappointment, which finally kills him.
The epiphany of both stories are similar. Both protagonists are self-absorbed in their own realm, forming wrong expectations and faulty assumptions that ultimately leads to a huge disappointment. Because of their blind expectations, they volunteer to limit themselves and work hard to achieve their goals. However, at the end of both stories, they reach to the epiphanies and realize all their effort spent are useless and even frowned upon.
Reality versus Fantasy
Magical Realism is presented in Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” when the magical occurrence happens in reality. The Gregor Samza’s physical metamorphosis into a giant dung beetle is a fantastic situation. The detailed descriptions of his physical transformation from human to a bug shows that it is impossible to happen in reality: “He would have needed arms and hands to hoist himself up; instead he had only the numerous little legs which never stopped waving in all directions…” (92) Besides Gregor’s transformation, the setting, the relationship between Gregor and his family, his emotions, and motivations makes this story remain connected with reality.
I consider that Gregor morphs into a bug, but only physically not internally. In Part One of the story, Kafka spends in great detail to describe Gregor's physical struggle with his new body form. Gregor find his transformed body difficult to adjust: he spends great time and effort in getting himself up and out of bed. Here is one of his attempts to leave his bed but he falls on the ground instead: “ [he] grew almost rigid, while his little legs only jigged about all the faster…Gregor swung himself out of bed with all his strength. There was a loud thump, but it was not really a crash.” (95) The story's emphasis on Gregor’s difficulties in controlling his bug-like body makes it obvious that his body actually went through metamorphosis.
Despite Gregor’s physical transformation, his human state of mind remains. Gregory’s action still convey his human personalities and qualities. Soon after he wakes up and discovers that he had transformed into a bug-like form. However, he does not seem to be overwhelmed by the situation or surprised by the magical occurrence. Instead his mind filled with profound thoughts as he worries that he is about to miss his work. Moreover, during his whole process of getting out of his bed, his main goal is to avoid alarming his family member by making the least disturbance possible. Base on Gregor’s action, it proves that he is not a bug internally. Because Gregor, unlike a bug, he is not concern about his survival and safety, but he weights his family and his job to be more important. Gregor’s submissive personality remains shows his psyche has not change by the metamorphosis.
Metamorphasis does not only happen to Gregor. Since Gregor turned into a bug, his family go through changes. The greatest difference is happened to Gregor’s sister, Grete. Before Gregor’s transformation, she is loving and caring. In the family, she is the only one who shows affection and sympathy toward her brother. She offers to help to keep his room clean and to provide for his meal. Everyday, she would care about his appetite. She takes notice and keeps track of the amount of food Gregor’s eats every meal. However, as time goes on, not only she grows tired of taking care of Gregor, she turns hostile towards him. At the end, she reaches a breaking point and propose to get rid of her brother entirely. Since Gregor’s metamorphosis, Grete slowly treats and views Gregor like a bug, same as the way his mother and father alienated him.
Márquez critique of religion
In the short story, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings", Gabriel Garcia Marquez implicitly condemns the ideology of Catholicity for its problematic Church’s hierarchy and the teaching of wrong doctrines that lead to people to have a faulty perception of Catholic religion.
In the story, Marquez illustrates the reaction of a group of villagers when they encounter a celestial figure-an old man with enormous wings. Pelayo and Elisenda are in great stupor when they find a human with wings, and then they realize that he looks like a holy apparition- an angel that is depicted in the bible. They do not believe that he is an angel that has descended from heaven; instead, quickly they question his identity of an angel and they do not treat him with any respect. They give him the worst treatment possible and approach him with caution: “Pelayo watched over him all afternoon from the kitchen, armed with his bailiff’s club, and and before going to bed he dragged him out of the mud and locked him up with the hens in the wire chicken coop.” (452) They choose not believe the old man as an angel, but to merely base their beliefs on the final verdict decision of Father Gonzaga and the people with higher order in the Catholic church (bishop, supreme Pontuff). This shows that their beliefs of Catholism is not depenent on their faith or the Bible’s reading, but heavily based on the doctrine and practices that are set by the influential people in Catholic church.
The religion of this community sets misleading expectations of their spiritual beliefs. As Father Gonzaga comes to visit the old men, he judges the old man’s identity according to his catechism. The priest characterizes the old man’s identity by ridiculous guidelines in his doctrinal manuals: angel must speaks in the language of God (Latin) and they must know the way to greet the God’s ministers. The priest also judges him based on the superficial appearance. He thinks that the old man is “too human”. He has a bad smell of the outdoors, and moreover, his wings are infected with parasites and are torn badly. Based on the expectations of an angel the priest has learned from his catechism, the old man’s appearance does not measured up to the holiness of the dignified angels. Besides the priest, the people in the community also use radical ways to test the old man’s identity. They follow the wisdom of the wise neighbor woman to feed the old man mothballs to examine him. People trust the knowledge from the powerful people in the community, the priest and the woman, to judge their religious beliefs. As a result, it causes people to have wrong perceptions and expectations of catholism.
Emily Grierson's Facebook Page
In William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily”, the main source of information about Emily Grierson is based on the omniscient third person’s narration throughout the story. The mysterious narrator portrays the reaction of the citizens of Jefferson to Emily, and the events that happened to her in town.This is a photograph of an old woman that I imagine she would use as her profile picture. I chose this picture because this is a good representation of Emily in her 60’s. In the story, the narrator describes her appearance when the tax collector visits her: “they rose when she entered-a small, fat woman in black, with a 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.” (357) The woman in this picture fits the physical descriptions of Emily, who has a small figure with gold hair. For her outfit, she is also dressed in black old-fashioned clothing with a chain around her neck. I imagine the woman in this picture is a better representation of Emily. The old woman in the photograph looks more polished and properly dressed than the descriptions of Emily in the story.
According to information given in the story, I imagine that if Emily Grierson had internet access to own a Facebook page, she would not pay much interest and attention to add details on her page. I suspect that she is not into social networking, so her personal profile would be plain and her activity on Facebook would be kept minimal. As the result, she would not participate in any application that is available on Facebook. As her privacy setting, she would set her page restricted so only her close friends could see her on her profile. The reason I suspect her to use a strict privacy setting on her page is because of Emily's action that is described in the story. She excludes herself from the community and did not leave home for almost six months, in order to avoid socializing with people. Faulkner shows Emily's aloofness when she treates the tax collectors coldly and advises them to leave her house after a short conversation.
I suppose the only reason Emily would use Facebook would be to advertise her china-painting class in one of the downstairs rooms at her house. Since she does not connected with the people in town, she might need to create a interest group of china-painting on Facebook to promote her painting class to the people in town. This way, she would be able to sustain her living by teaching students after her father died.
For her pictures, Emily would post photographs of some of the artwork she has done: some beautiful painted china and a crayon portrait of her father on a tarnished gilt easel. Also, she would post some pictures of her with her father to show her attachment to her father. Emily’s close connection to her father is revealed when she is in denial of her father's death even after three days.
In Emily's friend list, she would only add a few friends: Tobe-her servant, Colonel Sartoris, old lady Wyatt-her great aunt, and Homer Barron-her lover. However, I suspect that she would have many friend requests. According to the story, the women in town were curious to discover Emily's secrets; in order to find out, they would add Emily as a friend to order to gain access to the information of Emily’s personal life.
Conversation thread from Emily’s Wall:
Emily: Its been a long time I have not seen you, how are you lately? I am looking forward to go out with you. How about we drive around town in my yellow-wheeled buggy this Sunday afternoon?
Homer: This sounds terrific! I will bring my hat and cigar.
Emily: Great! I will go and get some ingredients to prepare a special dinner especially for you.
Homer: Thanks, I will see you later.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Parody to "This is Just to Say"
This is the reason
I have killed
my wife
who flirted with
other men
and whose
smile are now
hidden
by me
Forgive me
she was beautiful
so young
and so lovely
This poem is a parody to “This is Just to Say” by Williams. I have imitated the form of this poem while using the context of the poem, “My Last Duchess” by Browning. My poem is a parody to Williams' poem by using the same tone and ideas in the original poem.
For “This is Just to Say”, it has a very unique form and structure that stands out from other conventional poems. Throughout the whole poem, none of the punctuation was used. All the words are only separated by lines and stanzas. The two sentences that contain in this poem are distinguished by the capitalization at the first word of the sentence. The whole poem is cut up in 12 lines in three stanzas, and each lines only contain less than three words. Also, the language used in this poem is simple and straightforward. In my parody to this poem, I used my most effort to preserve the original form and the usage of language by altering as few word as I can.
The idea of this poem comes from “My Last Duchess”, because the idea of the duke confessed his murder without any guilt is parodic to the Williams' poem. In the original poem, the author confessed about stealing the plums in the fridge that was intended to be another person's breakfast, however he apologized in a hardly sincere way. This is similar to the tone of “My last Duchess”, the duke was not regretful in the poem; in turns, he was justifying his murder by complaining his wife's unappropriated action while proclaim the importance of his reputation.
Picture taken from:
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://barney.gonzaga.edu/~jdavis6/duchess.jpg&imgrefurl=http://barney.gonzaga.edu/~jdavis6/poem.html&usg=__kkP7vit2wxTlSEfbjk5JPQxMMEI=&h=1080&w=795&sz=149&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=r5SelMVhpn1THM:&tbnh=150&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmy%2Blast%2Bduchess%26ndsp%3D18%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3D2Hv%26sa%3DN
Commenting Keats with Quotes
Ode to a Nightingale
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that ofttimes hath
Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.
In stanza 7, the nightingale is a universal and undying voice: the voice of nature, of imaginative sympathy and therefore of an ideal Romantic poetry. The world of Nature is a cycle of change; "the seasonable month", "the coming musk-rose", and consequently can seem fresh and immortal, like the bird whose song seems to be its spirit. The bird lacks man's self-consciousness. It is not alienated from nature, but wholly merged in nature. Such considerations suggest the sense in which the nightingale is "immortal." The bird shares in the immortality of nature. Keats makes perfectly clear the sense in which the nightingale is immortal: it is in harmony with its world; not, as man is, in competition with his.The poet experiences a heightened sense of reality, in direct contrast to a bird seemingly not of this world.
The same song (though sung by different individual nightingales) has been heard over time by all types of people — both “emperor and clown.” Its beauty thus transcends the human boundaries of time, class, and even geography. Upon hearing the same call, the Biblical Ruth (or so the speaker imagines) felt the same sense of alienation the speaker has experienced. In this sense the call is immortal because it speaks to man in a way that does not change over time. In a second sense, the nightingale itself is immortal simply because it “was not born for death. Lacking the ability to think — and thus to foresee its own destiny — it cannot conceive of its own passing as humans can. It feels no rift between itself and the natural world whose song it sings with such “full throated ease.” Free from fear, the nightingale is naturally immune to the power death has over thinking humans and is, in a way, “immortal.”
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that ofttimes hath
Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.
In stanza 7, the nightingale is a universal and undying voice: the voice of nature, of imaginative sympathy and therefore of an ideal Romantic poetry. The world of Nature is a cycle of change; "the seasonable month", "the coming musk-rose", and consequently can seem fresh and immortal, like the bird whose song seems to be its spirit. The bird lacks man's self-consciousness. It is not alienated from nature, but wholly merged in nature. Such considerations suggest the sense in which the nightingale is "immortal." The bird shares in the immortality of nature. Keats makes perfectly clear the sense in which the nightingale is immortal: it is in harmony with its world; not, as man is, in competition with his.The poet experiences a heightened sense of reality, in direct contrast to a bird seemingly not of this world.
The same song (though sung by different individual nightingales) has been heard over time by all types of people — both “emperor and clown.” Its beauty thus transcends the human boundaries of time, class, and even geography. Upon hearing the same call, the Biblical Ruth (or so the speaker imagines) felt the same sense of alienation the speaker has experienced. In this sense the call is immortal because it speaks to man in a way that does not change over time. In a second sense, the nightingale itself is immortal simply because it “was not born for death. Lacking the ability to think — and thus to foresee its own destiny — it cannot conceive of its own passing as humans can. It feels no rift between itself and the natural world whose song it sings with such “full throated ease.” Free from fear, the nightingale is naturally immune to the power death has over thinking humans and is, in a way, “immortal.”
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
On a street in HarlemIn the poem, “Harlem”, the similes create an image of a community of minority or a group of people that is being repressed and prejudiced. The poem gives me a sense of heaviness and sadness that portrayed to me as this old photograph. This snapshot shows the everyday life a group of African American who belong to the lower working class. The similes made with the objects of a dried raisin, a rotten meat, and hardened syrup- all implies to a sense of being abandoned, and neglected for a long period of time. The people in this photo merely just gathered around and sit, but does not seem like they are celebrating or having a good time with themselves. They looks empty as if they are just in idle with no sense of purpose in their life.
Hughes instead states his view on deferred dreams, he poses questions to evoke readers to think. He uses real objects to compare the consequences of deferred dreams. He asked whether unfulfilled dream just create defects to the original form and still harmless like a wrinkly raisin or a can of crystallized syrup; or, the deferred dream will become harmful and deadly, like a stinky piece of meat, or an infected sore, and even explode. The word, “dry”, “fester”, and “stinks” all convey a feeling of decay and waste.
The emotions of a deferred dream is abstract and it has different perspective on different people. Hughes uses similes without too much explanations to allow readers to have their own interpretations to the idea of an unfulfilled dream.
She is effective in communicating her idea, she uses of the object and the experience that people would normally encounter in their everyday life in that time period, which allow her to relate to her readers easier. The visual representation of using visual objects and senses enhance the idea, for example, the sense of stinkiness of a rotten meat does a better job in conveying the idea of decay. From my experience, the smell of a dead and decaying mouse gives off the most horrifying smell that is unavoidable and should be urgently noticed. Using real life objects is better to communicate ideas because it can easily evokes ones’ past experience.
This picture is taken from: http://www.stud.u-szeged.hu/Borthaiser.Nora/harlem.jpg
Hughes instead states his view on deferred dreams, he poses questions to evoke readers to think. He uses real objects to compare the consequences of deferred dreams. He asked whether unfulfilled dream just create defects to the original form and still harmless like a wrinkly raisin or a can of crystallized syrup; or, the deferred dream will become harmful and deadly, like a stinky piece of meat, or an infected sore, and even explode. The word, “dry”, “fester”, and “stinks” all convey a feeling of decay and waste.
The emotions of a deferred dream is abstract and it has different perspective on different people. Hughes uses similes without too much explanations to allow readers to have their own interpretations to the idea of an unfulfilled dream.
She is effective in communicating her idea, she uses of the object and the experience that people would normally encounter in their everyday life in that time period, which allow her to relate to her readers easier. The visual representation of using visual objects and senses enhance the idea, for example, the sense of stinkiness of a rotten meat does a better job in conveying the idea of decay. From my experience, the smell of a dead and decaying mouse gives off the most horrifying smell that is unavoidable and should be urgently noticed. Using real life objects is better to communicate ideas because it can easily evokes ones’ past experience.
This picture is taken from: http://www.stud.u-szeged.hu/Borthaiser.Nora/harlem.jpg
The Red Wheelbarrow
This picture is taken from:http://inwhitefields.blogspot.com/2008/04/small-dose-of-william-carlos-williams.html
Figurative lanuages with Hughes and Plath
In Harlem, Hughes uses figurative language to explain the consequences of unattended dreams. A major section in this poem, the second stanza (line 2-8), uses similes of visual objects like a raisin, a sore, and syrup to describe the feelings of deferred dreams. In the second and third line, “Does it dry it like a raisin in the sun?”, the original dream is referred as a grape. A fresh grape that is at its best quality, is green, juicy, and plump; but when dream left abandoned, it turns unattractive-black, dry and wrinkly.
In the following line, “Or fester like a sore- And then run?”, the unfulfilled dreams are compared to a sore. A wound that becomes part of the body, and left untreated, it becomes infected and form pus. For line 6, “Does it stink like rotten meat?” The simile of a rotten meat and its foul smell refers to the unavoidable strong odor that gives off by a decaying dead meat. For line 8, it continues with more senses, “Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet?”, comparing unused syrups turn crusty and becomes unusable. These objects all refer a sense of decay and waste when dream become referred.
The use of tangible objects and senses helps to convey the poet’s emotions. He uses smell, taste, and objects that everyone can experience in everyday life, it would help readers to have a better understanding of the feelings that expressed by the figurative language. Hughes uses these similes because he wants to target his audience to a community of lower working class people. The use of simile with the food and the experience that those people would eat and encounter normally at that time would helps to relate the image better with the audience.
In the poem "Daddy", Plath also uses figurative language to describe her complex relationship with her dad by using images of a historical event-the Holocaust. She also uses repetitive words and similes to convey for emotions. The most prevalent image, as written in line 32 to 35, "Chuffing me off like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen. I began to talk like a Jew. I think I may well be a Jew.", she views her father as a Nazi and herself as a Jew to represent that she was in a oppressed relationship that her father is strictly controlling her. Living with her father, she feels like a prisoner that is trapped in a German concentration death camp. The usage of a unforgettable historical event exaggerates the tension and a sense of horror that she feels like the genocide of Jews. This world-known historical event reveals the hatred and victimization that she wants to communicate with her readers.
She also used tangible objects as similes, in the first stanza of this poem, "You do not do, you do not do Any more, black shoe In which I have lived like a foot For thirty years, poor and white, Barely daring to breath of Achoo". She refers herself as a foot that is stuck in a shoe, and because her life is always encased by a shoe which symbolizes her father's rule. This makes her never have a chance to experience the outside world and be exposed to the sun; moreover, she is suffocated in her father's rule. As Hughes, Plath uses simile to allow readers to form a mental image of comparison which would increase the understanding of her emotions.
In the following line, “Or fester like a sore- And then run?”, the unfulfilled dreams are compared to a sore. A wound that becomes part of the body, and left untreated, it becomes infected and form pus. For line 6, “Does it stink like rotten meat?” The simile of a rotten meat and its foul smell refers to the unavoidable strong odor that gives off by a decaying dead meat. For line 8, it continues with more senses, “Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet?”, comparing unused syrups turn crusty and becomes unusable. These objects all refer a sense of decay and waste when dream become referred.
The use of tangible objects and senses helps to convey the poet’s emotions. He uses smell, taste, and objects that everyone can experience in everyday life, it would help readers to have a better understanding of the feelings that expressed by the figurative language. Hughes uses these similes because he wants to target his audience to a community of lower working class people. The use of simile with the food and the experience that those people would eat and encounter normally at that time would helps to relate the image better with the audience.
In the poem "Daddy", Plath also uses figurative language to describe her complex relationship with her dad by using images of a historical event-the Holocaust. She also uses repetitive words and similes to convey for emotions. The most prevalent image, as written in line 32 to 35, "Chuffing me off like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen. I began to talk like a Jew. I think I may well be a Jew.", she views her father as a Nazi and herself as a Jew to represent that she was in a oppressed relationship that her father is strictly controlling her. Living with her father, she feels like a prisoner that is trapped in a German concentration death camp. The usage of a unforgettable historical event exaggerates the tension and a sense of horror that she feels like the genocide of Jews. This world-known historical event reveals the hatred and victimization that she wants to communicate with her readers.
She also used tangible objects as similes, in the first stanza of this poem, "You do not do, you do not do Any more, black shoe In which I have lived like a foot For thirty years, poor and white, Barely daring to breath of Achoo". She refers herself as a foot that is stuck in a shoe, and because her life is always encased by a shoe which symbolizes her father's rule. This makes her never have a chance to experience the outside world and be exposed to the sun; moreover, she is suffocated in her father's rule. As Hughes, Plath uses simile to allow readers to form a mental image of comparison which would increase the understanding of her emotions.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Imagery of the poem "In a Station of the Metro"
"Faces in the crowd" in the Metro at La Concorde, Paris.
"Petals on a wet, black bough."
The images are taken from:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yelloo/2444110734/
and http://www.flickr.com/photos/tcnjoanne/2123941073/
"In a Station of the Metro"
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;In the poem, Ezra Pound uses vivid imagery to describe his view in the train station. He was people watching and he was in awe by the sight, according to the word “apparition”. He was shocked when he discovered the people’s faces when he stepped into the crowded metro station, probably during a rush hour. In the second line, he compares the station, which is a mechanical and industrial object, using a beautiful imagery of a living flower. He morph the scene into an image of flower petals which stands out in the background of wet, black branches. The soft and feathery flower petals contrast with heavy, black, and unattractive branches. Linking these completely different images are interesting. Comparing in terms of the view of people in a fast paced industrial environment and the soothing view of a naturally beautiful petals on a tree branch.
Petals on a wet, black bough.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Poetic form
Sonnet 73
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
Paraphase
You see the glowing of a fire
That is on the ashes that remain from the flame of my youth,
As on a death bed where youth must die
(The flame is) Consumed by that which once fed it (ashes).
The form of this poem enhances the meaning more than the prose version I provide. The prose only clarifies the hidden meaning but it loses the aesthetic value from the rhyme of the words and the form of the poem. The original version is written in iambic pentameter with ten syllables in each line. This organized form of the poem gives a very expected and structured feel.
This poem follows the form of the Shakespearean sonnet (AKA English sonnet),which uses the structure of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. The form of this quatrain (EFEF) helps to develop an expected pattern of symbols and connotations to portray Shakespeare’s depressing old age. On the other hand, this quatrain is designedto prepare for a clever, unexpected turn at the heroic couplet at the end of the sonnet. Compared to the previous three quatrains, the couplet serves as closure to the sonnet and gives a startling turn. The depressing symbolism that developed throughout the poem has an abrupt turn and ends with a positive thought of love that grew stronger as the time of Shakespeare’s life becomes limited.
For the first line in the third quatrain, “In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,” and the first line in the second quatrain, “In me thou seest the twilight of such day”, they are extremely similar. Only two words are different. This repetition gives a structured feel of the poem. Also, the location of these two lines serves as an introduction to their following lines in the quatrain.This is shown in the third quatrain, which mentions the dying of fire.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
Paraphase
You see the glowing of a fire
That is on the ashes that remain from the flame of my youth,
As on a death bed where youth must die
(The flame is) Consumed by that which once fed it (ashes).
The form of this poem enhances the meaning more than the prose version I provide. The prose only clarifies the hidden meaning but it loses the aesthetic value from the rhyme of the words and the form of the poem. The original version is written in iambic pentameter with ten syllables in each line. This organized form of the poem gives a very expected and structured feel.
This poem follows the form of the Shakespearean sonnet (AKA English sonnet),which uses the structure of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. The form of this quatrain (EFEF) helps to develop an expected pattern of symbols and connotations to portray Shakespeare’s depressing old age. On the other hand, this quatrain is designedto prepare for a clever, unexpected turn at the heroic couplet at the end of the sonnet. Compared to the previous three quatrains, the couplet serves as closure to the sonnet and gives a startling turn. The depressing symbolism that developed throughout the poem has an abrupt turn and ends with a positive thought of love that grew stronger as the time of Shakespeare’s life becomes limited.
For the first line in the third quatrain, “In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire,” and the first line in the second quatrain, “In me thou seest the twilight of such day”, they are extremely similar. Only two words are different. This repetition gives a structured feel of the poem. Also, the location of these two lines serves as an introduction to their following lines in the quatrain.This is shown in the third quatrain, which mentions the dying of fire.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Becoming a blogging blogger
This is my first official blog! I am pretty excited about it. Keep the creativity flowing!!
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