May 2002, b
-A story has to be told by somebodyCompare in detail your impressions of the "story tellers" in two or three novels or short stories you have studied. Was the "story teller" the same as the writer (implicitly or explicitly) or not?How does this question influence your reading?
Every story needs a narrator ( or even a few) because something needs to move the plot along. What were the effects of a few different styles of narration, and what was the effect on the reader? Did any of the narrator(s) resemble the author in any way (including ideas...) or not?
In this, I will be addressing a combination of narrative situation and style. (Ya know... Who tells it? why does the author do this this way? blah blah blah) To do this, I'll use Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, as well as Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.
May 2006, a
Work is a defining element for people. Refferring closely to two or three works in the light of this statement, show how writers in your study have made the world of work significant in their writings.
Ya can tell a lot about a person based on his/her job and what type of labour it consists of. With the help of a couple works, prove it.
THIS WILL INVOLVE THE LOOKING AT OF HOW CHARACTERIZATION METHODS ARE EMPLOYED!
In order to prove this, I'd use William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying and Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Paper I: Unseen Commentary- PASSAGE V
"The Voice" by Thomas Hardy: Is It All In Your Head? (Outline)
I. Introduction/Thesis
As human beings, we are separated from animals and more primitive life forms by our ability to experience and react to complex emotions. Often, these are influenced by our past experiences, which may translate into a longing for whatever condition, sensation, person, or experience once was reality. As a result, we may find ourselves questioning ourselves, as if in conversation, as a means of coping with our past and present, and their consequential emotions, such as love and longing. In Thomas Hardy's "The Voice", he uses question marks (punctuation) in conjunction with the answers to the questions posed, in order to emphasize the reminiscent and longing tone of the poem.
Body I: (Summary of what's going on/overview of poem)
-"The Voice" is a poem in which the speaker talks of a "woman much missed" (1) who calls to him/her, but who has also "changed from the one who was all to me"(3). This woman is moast likely a past lover, whom the speaker finds unable to forget, as seen through the recollection of past details, such as "the original air-blue gown"(8). The speaker questions himself/herself on whether or not there are unresolved feelings from the past.
-"Can it be you I hear?"(5) This is followed by an answer dismissing it as just the breeze, as if an attempt to repress feelings evoked by the memory of the woman. Finally, in the fourth stanza, we learn that while the memory of the woman continually goes remembered, it is ultimately responsible for negative feelings of the speaker, as he/she is left "faltering forward"(13), emotionally wounded by past memories.
Body II: Dominant Technique/Effect
-While this entire poem takes on a tone of questioning and longing as a result of the past, it becomes most apparent in the second and third stanzas. The speaker essentially posesa question aloud/mentally, and proceeds to answer it, as if grasping for an answer that would not have painful consequences.
Conclusion-Overall, this poem of a potential past love carries with it the effect of an emotional experience, as shown through the speaker's way of posing and answering questions in order to make sense of and cope with the past.
I. Introduction/Thesis
As human beings, we are separated from animals and more primitive life forms by our ability to experience and react to complex emotions. Often, these are influenced by our past experiences, which may translate into a longing for whatever condition, sensation, person, or experience once was reality. As a result, we may find ourselves questioning ourselves, as if in conversation, as a means of coping with our past and present, and their consequential emotions, such as love and longing. In Thomas Hardy's "The Voice", he uses question marks (punctuation) in conjunction with the answers to the questions posed, in order to emphasize the reminiscent and longing tone of the poem.
Body I: (Summary of what's going on/overview of poem)
-"The Voice" is a poem in which the speaker talks of a "woman much missed" (1) who calls to him/her, but who has also "changed from the one who was all to me"(3). This woman is moast likely a past lover, whom the speaker finds unable to forget, as seen through the recollection of past details, such as "the original air-blue gown"(8). The speaker questions himself/herself on whether or not there are unresolved feelings from the past.
-"Can it be you I hear?"(5) This is followed by an answer dismissing it as just the breeze, as if an attempt to repress feelings evoked by the memory of the woman. Finally, in the fourth stanza, we learn that while the memory of the woman continually goes remembered, it is ultimately responsible for negative feelings of the speaker, as he/she is left "faltering forward"(13), emotionally wounded by past memories.
Body II: Dominant Technique/Effect
-While this entire poem takes on a tone of questioning and longing as a result of the past, it becomes most apparent in the second and third stanzas. The speaker essentially posesa question aloud/mentally, and proceeds to answer it, as if grasping for an answer that would not have painful consequences.
Conclusion-Overall, this poem of a potential past love carries with it the effect of an emotional experience, as shown through the speaker's way of posing and answering questions in order to make sense of and cope with the past.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Need Cash Now?!
Ah, Cash. First of all, let me start off by saying that there is something odd about that name in the first place. In fact, all of the characters in this book tend to have rather unusual names. Take Dewey Dell and Jewel as examples. Their names are contradictory, for Jewel, a seemingly masculine character has a feminine name, while Dewey Dell, a panicked pregnant teen, has a masculine name. I haven't been able to figure out the rest-yes-that includes Cash- I can't see how the name ties in to the character, so if someone could help me via a nice comment, I'd appreciate it. Anyway, I'd like to begin with the easiest part: the symbol. Its pretty obvious that the saw/tools serve as the symbols for Cash-he's a very calculating, precise, "measure twice, cut once" type of carpenter. I did have a little extra thought on that, though. We connect tools to the
creation of something beneficial or constructive-something solid and reliable. In a way, that is the essence of Cash-especially when building the coffin, we see how his action is constant, reliable, solid-even mechanical, and all of these terms can be associated with tools, for they are needed to construct a reliable structure. That being said, it is pretty clear from Cash's entries that he's a very precise, calculating character. We see how he doesn't go deep into thought or emotion, or even religion. I don't believe he's known for talking about God or fate at all. His entries show up in the form of numbered lists in which he explains and rationalizes his actions in the process of building the coffin. In fact, we see how he really seems to care about his mother-he makes sure that every detail of her casket is good enough-AND he explains why he's doing what he's doing in technical terms. He also fell off the church steeple, which is interesting. When we also notice that he is a carpenter, like Christ and Joseph of the Bible, an odd contrast is notable. ( I'm a bit uneasy with the word "contrast", but I just noticed this weird thing!) Look! He fell from the church-the symbol of religion YET he is a carpenter, which is attached to biblical characters. Its odd, though: he doesn't go on and on about God the way that other characters (think Cora)do. I look forward to a whole lotta comments, cause I'm still in need of reading the novel a second time for clarification,etc.
creation of something beneficial or constructive-something solid and reliable. In a way, that is the essence of Cash-especially when building the coffin, we see how his action is constant, reliable, solid-even mechanical, and all of these terms can be associated with tools, for they are needed to construct a reliable structure. That being said, it is pretty clear from Cash's entries that he's a very precise, calculating character. We see how he doesn't go deep into thought or emotion, or even religion. I don't believe he's known for talking about God or fate at all. His entries show up in the form of numbered lists in which he explains and rationalizes his actions in the process of building the coffin. In fact, we see how he really seems to care about his mother-he makes sure that every detail of her casket is good enough-AND he explains why he's doing what he's doing in technical terms. He also fell off the church steeple, which is interesting. When we also notice that he is a carpenter, like Christ and Joseph of the Bible, an odd contrast is notable. ( I'm a bit uneasy with the word "contrast", but I just noticed this weird thing!) Look! He fell from the church-the symbol of religion YET he is a carpenter, which is attached to biblical characters. Its odd, though: he doesn't go on and on about God the way that other characters (think Cora)do. I look forward to a whole lotta comments, cause I'm still in need of reading the novel a second time for clarification,etc.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Oxymoron: Not Just For Dummies
The issue of the ends, serving as a justification for any means has been the source of internal and extrenal struggles and conflict, especially when dealing with basic survival. The use of oxymorons in Margaret Atwood's "Red Fox" emphasizes the moral conflict taking place in the poem-Is survival by any means, even thievery, justified because it is a primal instinct shared by both humans and animals?
Basically, the poem deals with the narrator's sighting of an emaciated mother fox in search of nourishment-no matter what. "Red Fox" essentially reflects this common moral issue: Is survival the ultimate justification for any means to achieve it?or Is thievery justified by the struggle to preserve oneself or one's children? The speaker of this poem observes the fox, thin and starving, and reflects upon the way the fox may alleviate this hunger. The moral; conflict of survival by thievery (necessary, primal)vs.poverty and hunger as the result of honesty (not stealing or killing for sustenance) is demonstrated first by the oxymoron, which is a self-conflicting phrase or set of words. In asking "Why encourage the notion/of virtuous poverty?" this is evident. Poverty, on one hand, has negative connotations, while virtue, on the other shows a sharp contrast to this. This emphasives honesty in starving versus surviving through deception as the issue at stake. Phrases such as "elegant scoundrel"also show this same type of contrast, since elegance has connotations of a lavish lifestyle and affluence as well as beauty, compared to a scoundrel-usually perceived as a lower member of society. In addition to emphasizing the moral conflict affecting us, this previously mentioned phrase also serves the purpose of describing the fox-showing how she is able to use her beauty as a tool to survive. In short, we oftensee the issue of the ends versus the means, both in history, as well as daily life. Atwood does a unique job of showing this conflict in morals through oxymorons.
Basically, the poem deals with the narrator's sighting of an emaciated mother fox in search of nourishment-no matter what. "Red Fox" essentially reflects this common moral issue: Is survival the ultimate justification for any means to achieve it?or Is thievery justified by the struggle to preserve oneself or one's children? The speaker of this poem observes the fox, thin and starving, and reflects upon the way the fox may alleviate this hunger. The moral; conflict of survival by thievery (necessary, primal)vs.poverty and hunger as the result of honesty (not stealing or killing for sustenance) is demonstrated first by the oxymoron, which is a self-conflicting phrase or set of words. In asking "Why encourage the notion/of virtuous poverty?" this is evident. Poverty, on one hand, has negative connotations, while virtue, on the other shows a sharp contrast to this. This emphasives honesty in starving versus surviving through deception as the issue at stake. Phrases such as "elegant scoundrel"also show this same type of contrast, since elegance has connotations of a lavish lifestyle and affluence as well as beauty, compared to a scoundrel-usually perceived as a lower member of society. In addition to emphasizing the moral conflict affecting us, this previously mentioned phrase also serves the purpose of describing the fox-showing how she is able to use her beauty as a tool to survive. In short, we oftensee the issue of the ends versus the means, both in history, as well as daily life. Atwood does a unique job of showing this conflict in morals through oxymorons.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Venturing Into No-man's Land
Often times, an artist, author, poet, or musician voices his/her opinions through the establishment of tone and mood of a piece. This can be done through vivid imagery appealing to every physical sense, violent and compelling diction, and the use of analogies, metaphors, or comparisons-all of which are important in adding emphasis and strengthening impact. Heaney, for example, uses detailed imagery in combination with an extended metaphor in order to emphasize the tense and fearful tone in "From the Frontier of Writing", and, in doing so, establishing his personal thoughts on the subject of writing.
The first thing one reads is the title-"From the Frontier of Writing", which, in itself, kickstarts the extended metaphor that makes up this poem. A frontier is, in this case, referring to the
warzone, implying that writing is like a battlefield- dangerous. There is thepressure to be
believable, and to compose work that is acceptable to a certain audience. This recurrence of
violent conflict is very common in Heaney's work-due to his life as a poet torm between the English and the Irish. To carry on the conflict, the first two stanzas literally describe an
inspection of a vehicle conducted by "the troops" who "inspect/its make and number, and, as one bends his face/towards your window, you catch sight of more/on a hill beyond, eyeing with intent/down cradled guns..."(2-6) This image of a warzone creates the feeling of scrutiong, which is emphasized by the constant threat of violence. The presence of more 'troops" or critics on the hill, holding guns, implies that a writer is constantly under social pressures, and constantly threatened with criticism.
Heaney seems to love violent and rather dismal comparisons, which is why the extended metaphor comparing writing to a battlefield is no surprise. Like I've already said, Heaney has been strongly infuenced by the Irish people, as well as his English upbringing, along with the persecution of Irish. Its no wonder he compares writing to war, for one has to think: perhaps the life of a writer really was at risk in this time period. Imean, if they tarred and feathered girls for dating Englishmen, I can hardly imagine what they' d do to a writer who's work has pro-English
connotations, hence the "interrogation" portion of the third stanza and the sergeant telling everything about the writer in the fifth. This suggests, that in order for an author to be socially accepted, his/her entire life comes under the microscope-he/she must have the "desired" or "proper" characteristics in order to be acceptedby the pressures of critics and society, and even...self.
The first thing one reads is the title-"From the Frontier of Writing", which, in itself, kickstarts the extended metaphor that makes up this poem. A frontier is, in this case, referring to the
warzone, implying that writing is like a battlefield- dangerous. There is thepressure to be
believable, and to compose work that is acceptable to a certain audience. This recurrence of
violent conflict is very common in Heaney's work-due to his life as a poet torm between the English and the Irish. To carry on the conflict, the first two stanzas literally describe an
inspection of a vehicle conducted by "the troops" who "inspect/its make and number, and, as one bends his face/towards your window, you catch sight of more/on a hill beyond, eyeing with intent/down cradled guns..."(2-6) This image of a warzone creates the feeling of scrutiong, which is emphasized by the constant threat of violence. The presence of more 'troops" or critics on the hill, holding guns, implies that a writer is constantly under social pressures, and constantly threatened with criticism.
Heaney seems to love violent and rather dismal comparisons, which is why the extended metaphor comparing writing to a battlefield is no surprise. Like I've already said, Heaney has been strongly infuenced by the Irish people, as well as his English upbringing, along with the persecution of Irish. Its no wonder he compares writing to war, for one has to think: perhaps the life of a writer really was at risk in this time period. Imean, if they tarred and feathered girls for dating Englishmen, I can hardly imagine what they' d do to a writer who's work has pro-English
connotations, hence the "interrogation" portion of the third stanza and the sergeant telling everything about the writer in the fifth. This suggests, that in order for an author to be socially accepted, his/her entire life comes under the microscope-he/she must have the "desired" or "proper" characteristics in order to be acceptedby the pressures of critics and society, and even...self.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Mmmm... Rotten Berries!
Usually, when we think of imagery, we're tempted to think only of images-visual images. Man! It goes so much deeper than that! Our sense of sight is only the tip of the iceberg. In addition to it, there are a bouquet of lovely, er...senses, such as taste, smell, audio, touch/feel...
In lit and poetry, I, based on my experience usually don't see all of these clumped together so closely, but it makes sense to do so, as we often experience multiple senses simultaneously. So,
Ladies and gentlemen, gentlemen and ladies, friends, Romans, countrymen-
In Seamus Heaney's "Berry Picking", he manipulates imagery in order to emphasize the change in tone and mood between the first, more fresh and joyous stanza and the following, which evokes frustration and disappointment.
Man- this poem seems as if its entirely comprised of imagery-which is excellent for the establishment of the tone and mood because of the strong appeal to the senses,. In appealing to said human characteristics, Heaney is doing a couple of things. First of all, he's appealing to a huge crowd-the majority of us humans are strongly affectedby the images ( of all types) that we are physically experiencing or reading in black or blue ink. Second of all, he's appealing to one of the things that make us inherently human-to be affected at an emotional level through word, sense, and image. In this case, "You ate the first one and its flesh was sweet/Like thickened wine" Whoa. Take a step back. Obviously, ther's the strong presence of visual imagery and the sense of taste, as well as the simile comparing the ripened fruit to thickened wine-but what does all of this stuff do?The simile has a strong impact-when wine is thickened, it essentially means that it has not been diluted by water- its alcoholic effect is extremely strong. By comparing the fruit to thich, sweet wine, Heaney is suggesting that the fruitis not only pure and euphorically
sweet, but he's also hinting at the effect of the fruit-Like alcohol, the sweetness ogf the berrry
turns into an addiction-it causes the speaker to become drunk with joy and escitement of harvesting more berries. In my opinion, this line does a pretty good job of characterizing the first stanza- with its tone and mood having strong connotations of excitement and joy.
Just as the imagery is capable of bringing such joy in the first stanza, it quickly stomps on it in the second. Note: the imagery emphasizes the change in mood and tone because "when the bath was filled we found fur/A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache./The juice was stinking too."
You know-the "rat-grey' description (visualimagery) stood out at me-seeing as it really has a strong impact emphasizing the frustrated tone of this stanza. Seeing as rats are pests crawling with disease, the useof the rat-like description seems fitting-It emphasizes the frustration of this stanza by saying that this fungus, this decay which spoils what we worked so hard to get-is a pest destroying both joy and excitement.
In lit and poetry, I, based on my experience usually don't see all of these clumped together so closely, but it makes sense to do so, as we often experience multiple senses simultaneously. So,
Ladies and gentlemen, gentlemen and ladies, friends, Romans, countrymen-
In Seamus Heaney's "Berry Picking", he manipulates imagery in order to emphasize the change in tone and mood between the first, more fresh and joyous stanza and the following, which evokes frustration and disappointment.
Man- this poem seems as if its entirely comprised of imagery-which is excellent for the establishment of the tone and mood because of the strong appeal to the senses,. In appealing to said human characteristics, Heaney is doing a couple of things. First of all, he's appealing to a huge crowd-the majority of us humans are strongly affectedby the images ( of all types) that we are physically experiencing or reading in black or blue ink. Second of all, he's appealing to one of the things that make us inherently human-to be affected at an emotional level through word, sense, and image. In this case, "You ate the first one and its flesh was sweet/Like thickened wine" Whoa. Take a step back. Obviously, ther's the strong presence of visual imagery and the sense of taste, as well as the simile comparing the ripened fruit to thickened wine-but what does all of this stuff do?The simile has a strong impact-when wine is thickened, it essentially means that it has not been diluted by water- its alcoholic effect is extremely strong. By comparing the fruit to thich, sweet wine, Heaney is suggesting that the fruitis not only pure and euphorically
sweet, but he's also hinting at the effect of the fruit-Like alcohol, the sweetness ogf the berrry
turns into an addiction-it causes the speaker to become drunk with joy and escitement of harvesting more berries. In my opinion, this line does a pretty good job of characterizing the first stanza- with its tone and mood having strong connotations of excitement and joy.
Just as the imagery is capable of bringing such joy in the first stanza, it quickly stomps on it in the second. Note: the imagery emphasizes the change in mood and tone because "when the bath was filled we found fur/A rat-grey fungus, glutting on our cache./The juice was stinking too."
You know-the "rat-grey' description (visualimagery) stood out at me-seeing as it really has a strong impact emphasizing the frustrated tone of this stanza. Seeing as rats are pests crawling with disease, the useof the rat-like description seems fitting-It emphasizes the frustration of this stanza by saying that this fungus, this decay which spoils what we worked so hard to get-is a pest destroying both joy and excitement.
First impressions/goodbye Johnny
Back when I was working with Donne's poems, I found myself unable to formulate a strong like or dislike for him. On one hand, its certainly impressive how he's able to maintain structure and rhyme, as was the definition of a poet in his day, while manipulating diction and imagery in order to emphasize his message. On the other hand, I was frustrated with his use of imagery-the whole metaphysical (beyond physical) style- just seemed so intangible and difficult to grasp or visualize in a normal situation. Though I don't care much for poetry, Icertainly admire the techniques of poets-this became especially evident when moving on to Heaney. I adore the way he makes his conflicting patriotism clear through his manipulation of extended metaphors and imagery appealing to all senses. On top of that, the imagery he produces is completely tangible- In other words, I'm able to feel the fermented berries or stand in the eye of the storm on the island. Anyway... On to the commentary I should have started
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