Read the following quote and discuss how it applies to the main characters in both stories. In the course of this discussion, address how each of the characters is both similar and different:
“Determinisim governs everything … The writer must study the inherited traits of individual character and the social condition of the time. Together, these elements determine the course of any action, the outcome of any life. Free will or self-determination is mostly an illusion, although chance is granteed a role in human affairs. Still, even the effects of chance are obliterated in the inevitable course determined by the interaction of inherited character traits and the social environment.“
It is very possible to compare this quote to “The Blue Hotel.” In the quote, it talks about how one individual character is able to effect their whole surrounding, which is exactly what happens in this story. When the three men came off the train and into the hotel, there was one who started to become very paranoid. Thinking it was the wild west, he feared that there had been murders in the hotel and that he might be next. By thinking such things and reacting in such a ridiculous ways, he began to effect the few people around him. Such as, when the hotel owner made him become drunk, the son partaking in a fight with the man, the cowboy saying to kill him during the fight, the journalist never saying that the man was right about the cheating, and finally, the man in the end who stabbed the drunken paranoid. Whether the effect is positive or negative, there is always an outcome.
Taking from the quote, you are able to compare free will to “To Build A Fire”. When the man was out looking for gold in Alaska, there were other native to the area who had told him many things, including not to go alone, in order to survive. Although he may have been told this, it was his freewill when he had chosen not to listen. All the negative things that had occurred had happened because of his negligence to listen. Such examples of this would be when he was told how cold the temperatures would reach to, but even so, he did not come prepared for it. Also, the only other “person” that he had brought with him was the dog, which at one point he was willing to kill, but was not able to even reach his knife in the end. All of these happenings started with the point on whether he was willing to listen and take the advice that given or not.
Although both of these stories may have different types of characters, or barely any characters to begin with, both of them have a negative social environment. In the end, both had a undesirable ending where they had died. Though one died from nature, and the other from, in a way, influencing his negative and disruptive behavior upon others which had him receive the undesirable outcome. When looking back at both of them, the characters could have avoided all of this. If they had just listened to the other people, they would have foreseen their outcome.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Journal 15 – William Dean Howell’s “Editha”
1. Write a sentence that summarizes the story’s overall message, and provide three direct quotes from the story that best illustrate this message.
Overall, the story’s message was that romance can be played as a hurtful and dangerous game. Some quotes to support this are “But the man I marry must love his country first of all”. Another would be, “Before it seemed as if she could have written, there came news of the first skirmish, and in the list of the killed, which was telegraphed as a trifling loss on our side, was Gearson’s name.” A final quote could be, ‘”I would rather of died myself than done it!” Editha said, with more truth in her voice than she ordinarily found in it.’
2. What tactics does Editha use to make George believe as she does about the war?
Editha tells George that she isn’t able to marry someone who doesn’t love their country before everything else. Also, she had said that she believed God meant it to be war. She had used this tactic because her fiancée and his family was religious as well.
3. Is there ever a time in which Editha truly understands what she has done? Does she ever experience an epiphany?
There is a time where Editha truly understands what she has done. Near the end of the story, when she goes to visit her deceased fiancee’s mother, the mother had basically told her that this was her fault since Editha was the one to convince George to go to war in the first place. This was the point where she had her epiphany. Although, at the end of story when Editha is talking to sketch artist and the woman calls the mother vulgar, Editha continues back to her old ways.
Overall, the story’s message was that romance can be played as a hurtful and dangerous game. Some quotes to support this are “But the man I marry must love his country first of all”. Another would be, “Before it seemed as if she could have written, there came news of the first skirmish, and in the list of the killed, which was telegraphed as a trifling loss on our side, was Gearson’s name.” A final quote could be, ‘”I would rather of died myself than done it!” Editha said, with more truth in her voice than she ordinarily found in it.’
2. What tactics does Editha use to make George believe as she does about the war?
Editha tells George that she isn’t able to marry someone who doesn’t love their country before everything else. Also, she had said that she believed God meant it to be war. She had used this tactic because her fiancée and his family was religious as well.
3. Is there ever a time in which Editha truly understands what she has done? Does she ever experience an epiphany?
There is a time where Editha truly understands what she has done. Near the end of the story, when she goes to visit her deceased fiancee’s mother, the mother had basically told her that this was her fault since Editha was the one to convince George to go to war in the first place. This was the point where she had her epiphany. Although, at the end of story when Editha is talking to sketch artist and the woman calls the mother vulgar, Editha continues back to her old ways.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Journal 14 - Robinson
Realism – The theory or practice in art and literature of fidelity to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization of the most typical views, details, and surroundings of the subject.
Read the following poems and write a detailed description for each of the title characters and explain how each is an example of the “real” instead of the “ideal.”
“Richard Cory“ (497)
The meaning of the name is that he was rich, but to the core, he was depressed. In reality, he thought he had nothing, but everyone in the town thought he had everything. People tend to idealize others based on the appearences, but the realism is that what’s really going on underneath the surface.
“Miniver Cheevy” (497)
The characters name Minimer Cheevy, suggests that it means minimum achiever. He wished that he was born into the Midevil times. You learn this from when he talks about loathing a khaki suit and missed the suits of armor. Also, he liked the idea of knights and chivalry and the romance of the Renaissance. What makes this real instead of ideal is that he wasn’t an important figure, he was more of an average joe. Cheevy just daydreams of being a knight, just like all other regular people daydream as well. That’s what seperates him from being ideal.
“Mr. Flood’s Party” (498)
The name is connected that he’s lonely and drowing from drinking so much. He’s receding into the past. Also, Flood has outlived all of his friends, which means he is probably not going to live much longer. He’s in an era of change, but is too old to keep up with that change. What Flood’s life is focused on is in the past, which leaves him to be sad, lonely, and drunk.
Read the following poems and write a detailed description for each of the title characters and explain how each is an example of the “real” instead of the “ideal.”
“Richard Cory“ (497)
The meaning of the name is that he was rich, but to the core, he was depressed. In reality, he thought he had nothing, but everyone in the town thought he had everything. People tend to idealize others based on the appearences, but the realism is that what’s really going on underneath the surface.
“Miniver Cheevy” (497)
The characters name Minimer Cheevy, suggests that it means minimum achiever. He wished that he was born into the Midevil times. You learn this from when he talks about loathing a khaki suit and missed the suits of armor. Also, he liked the idea of knights and chivalry and the romance of the Renaissance. What makes this real instead of ideal is that he wasn’t an important figure, he was more of an average joe. Cheevy just daydreams of being a knight, just like all other regular people daydream as well. That’s what seperates him from being ideal.
“Mr. Flood’s Party” (498)
The name is connected that he’s lonely and drowing from drinking so much. He’s receding into the past. Also, Flood has outlived all of his friends, which means he is probably not going to live much longer. He’s in an era of change, but is too old to keep up with that change. What Flood’s life is focused on is in the past, which leaves him to be sad, lonely, and drunk.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Journal 13 - Masters
Read “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” and answer the following questions.
1. What object symbolizes George Gray’s life? How is this object representative of him?
The object tha symbolizes George Gray’s life would be the sailboat. It represents him by saying that the when the sailboat is docked in the harbor with furled sails, it is him living his life simply and safely because he was to afraid to go out and experience life. Gray found that you should live your life and give it meaning, even if you are afraid.
2. How was Lucinda Matlock’s life different than George Gray’s? How do you interepret the last line of the poem?
Matlock’s life differs from Gray’s because she had accomplished many things in her time. She was not afraid to go out and experience the world, even if it meant sorrow. How I interpret the last line of the poem “It takes life to love life” is that everyone is given chances in their life, never knowing what is going to happen. You should use this in the future to learn to love and cherish the life that you have, since you don’t always know what’s ahead of you in the future.
3. How are “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” examples of realism?
Both of these stories relate to realism because each of them focus on the fact that you should be going through life unafraid and give meaning to your life. Live your life full of love, and most of all, take chances that you normally wouldn’t take.
1. What object symbolizes George Gray’s life? How is this object representative of him?
The object tha symbolizes George Gray’s life would be the sailboat. It represents him by saying that the when the sailboat is docked in the harbor with furled sails, it is him living his life simply and safely because he was to afraid to go out and experience life. Gray found that you should live your life and give it meaning, even if you are afraid.
2. How was Lucinda Matlock’s life different than George Gray’s? How do you interepret the last line of the poem?
Matlock’s life differs from Gray’s because she had accomplished many things in her time. She was not afraid to go out and experience the world, even if it meant sorrow. How I interpret the last line of the poem “It takes life to love life” is that everyone is given chances in their life, never knowing what is going to happen. You should use this in the future to learn to love and cherish the life that you have, since you don’t always know what’s ahead of you in the future.
3. How are “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” examples of realism?
Both of these stories relate to realism because each of them focus on the fact that you should be going through life unafraid and give meaning to your life. Live your life full of love, and most of all, take chances that you normally wouldn’t take.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Journal 12 - Young Goodman Brown
1. “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory (symbolic narrative). What do the following represent?
Young Goodman Brown – a good person, innocent, but doesn’t understand the world and everybody’s true nature. He tries to remain good and resist the temptation throughout the story.
Faith – it represents not only his wife, but his religious faith as well. He talks about how Faith was holding him back, which can interpret as his religion holding him back from experiencing other things in the world.
The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – personification of the devil. Everyone travels down the road of temptation
Goody Cloyse – corruption, hypocrisy
The Ceremony – this represents how everyone has a sinful nature to them. Celebrating a sinful nature and acknoledging that everyone has a sinful nature to them
The Pink Ribbon – when the ribbon falls and Goodman sees it, it represents the loss of faith
Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – in town people act a certain way, faithful, but in the woods, he learns the true nature of everyone.
2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:
Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish
The theme for the story of Young Goodman Brown would be deception. Deception best describes it because in the story, it shows in the beginning that everyone in Salem is seen as faithful to God for the reason that they are all Puritans. When it becomes nightfall though, the main character starts to see everyone’s true nature, of which they were hiding. This true nature would be that they have become unfaithful. After learning this, the character starts to fall apart at knowing that everyone he ever knew that was at the ceremony was lie. The element that can be used to establish this story would be setting.
In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.
1. “There is no good on the earth; and sin is but a name. Come devil; for to thee is the world given.”
2. “leaving him in the heart of the dark wilderness, still rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil.”
3. But, irreverently consorting with these grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins, there were men of dissolute lives and women of spotted fame, wretches given over to all mean and filthy vice, and suspected even of horrid crimes.
Young Goodman Brown – a good person, innocent, but doesn’t understand the world and everybody’s true nature. He tries to remain good and resist the temptation throughout the story.
Faith – it represents not only his wife, but his religious faith as well. He talks about how Faith was holding him back, which can interpret as his religion holding him back from experiencing other things in the world.
The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – personification of the devil. Everyone travels down the road of temptation
Goody Cloyse – corruption, hypocrisy
The Ceremony – this represents how everyone has a sinful nature to them. Celebrating a sinful nature and acknoledging that everyone has a sinful nature to them
The Pink Ribbon – when the ribbon falls and Goodman sees it, it represents the loss of faith
Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – in town people act a certain way, faithful, but in the woods, he learns the true nature of everyone.
2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:
Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish
The theme for the story of Young Goodman Brown would be deception. Deception best describes it because in the story, it shows in the beginning that everyone in Salem is seen as faithful to God for the reason that they are all Puritans. When it becomes nightfall though, the main character starts to see everyone’s true nature, of which they were hiding. This true nature would be that they have become unfaithful. After learning this, the character starts to fall apart at knowing that everyone he ever knew that was at the ceremony was lie. The element that can be used to establish this story would be setting.
In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.
1. “There is no good on the earth; and sin is but a name. Come devil; for to thee is the world given.”
2. “leaving him in the heart of the dark wilderness, still rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil.”
3. But, irreverently consorting with these grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins, there were men of dissolute lives and women of spotted fame, wretches given over to all mean and filthy vice, and suspected even of horrid crimes.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Journal 11 - Walden
Write a summary of the following selections and identify a direct quote that you feel best expresses its main idea.
“Where I Lived and What I Lived For”
live life only dealing with the essentials
Quote: “To drive into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms…”
“Sounds”
He listens to the sounds of society, how they interact with other people to be amused, but he talks about how went into nature and just amused himself.
Quote: “I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, ever those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theater, that my life itself was becomemy amusement and never ceased to be novel.
“Brute Neighbors”
Exaggerated the greatness of the ants to a heroic level to show how similar people are in their behaviors. Therefore, you can find a reflection fo what we are in nature. By doing this, it shows how unheroic we are.
Quote: “I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellem, but a bellum, a war between two races of ants, the red always pitted against the black, and frequently two red ones to one black .”
“The Pond in Winter”
The first paragraph shows that the speaker of the poem wakes up to an answered dream that we can sit there and ask ourselves what life is all about or we can go out and experience it for ourselves and find a non-verbal answer. The next few paragraphs talk about how the speaker is inspired by the fishermens way of life. They do not care about the authorities and that they do not live by “the book” (Bible). They do not care about following the rules and learn through their own experiences because they are not artificial people but rather they are natural.
Quote: “But there was dawning Nature, in whom all creatures live, looking in at my broad windows with serene and satisfied face, and no question on her lips.”
“Spring”
Everything is starting to move and change in the beginning of Spring. Regret should be let go and everything be forgiven. Creation of the entire world out of nothing. When winter changes to spring, to the eye everything seems to just blossom.
Quote: “As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.”
“Where I Lived and What I Lived For”
live life only dealing with the essentials
Quote: “To drive into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms…”
“Sounds”
He listens to the sounds of society, how they interact with other people to be amused, but he talks about how went into nature and just amused himself.
Quote: “I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, ever those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theater, that my life itself was becomemy amusement and never ceased to be novel.
“Brute Neighbors”
Exaggerated the greatness of the ants to a heroic level to show how similar people are in their behaviors. Therefore, you can find a reflection fo what we are in nature. By doing this, it shows how unheroic we are.
Quote: “I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellem, but a bellum, a war between two races of ants, the red always pitted against the black, and frequently two red ones to one black .”
“The Pond in Winter”
The first paragraph shows that the speaker of the poem wakes up to an answered dream that we can sit there and ask ourselves what life is all about or we can go out and experience it for ourselves and find a non-verbal answer. The next few paragraphs talk about how the speaker is inspired by the fishermens way of life. They do not care about the authorities and that they do not live by “the book” (Bible). They do not care about following the rules and learn through their own experiences because they are not artificial people but rather they are natural.
Quote: “But there was dawning Nature, in whom all creatures live, looking in at my broad windows with serene and satisfied face, and no question on her lips.”
“Spring”
Everything is starting to move and change in the beginning of Spring. Regret should be let go and everything be forgiven. Creation of the entire world out of nothing. When winter changes to spring, to the eye everything seems to just blossom.
Quote: “As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.”
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Journal 10 - Insight
Othello’s Insight
Write a one paragraph response to the following question:
Often at the end of a play, Shakespeare’s tragic heroes often have a moment of insight. What is Othello’s insight? Look closely at Othello’s last speech before answering this question.
At the end of the play, Othello’s insight on what has happened to his life can be seen as logical. At the same time though, it is an interesting perspective on what his thought was on his whole situation. He begins to talk about how, throughout his life, he has obliged a great service to the Venetian Army. Continuing on that, Othello also describes how, basically, jealousy had overthrown all of his other emotions. By doing this, he had brought tragedy upon himself. Through this process, Othello had overall lost his identity of an honored soldier to a sort of lowlife murderer.
Write a one paragraph response to the following question:
Often at the end of a play, Shakespeare’s tragic heroes often have a moment of insight. What is Othello’s insight? Look closely at Othello’s last speech before answering this question.
At the end of the play, Othello’s insight on what has happened to his life can be seen as logical. At the same time though, it is an interesting perspective on what his thought was on his whole situation. He begins to talk about how, throughout his life, he has obliged a great service to the Venetian Army. Continuing on that, Othello also describes how, basically, jealousy had overthrown all of his other emotions. By doing this, he had brought tragedy upon himself. Through this process, Othello had overall lost his identity of an honored soldier to a sort of lowlife murderer.
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