The Stranger #3 Analysis

            The author of The Stranger, Albert Camus, expresses the ideals of Absurdism through Mersault’s relationship to the external world. The symbolic relationship between Mersault and the sun that shadows him is a prime example of how Camus deliberately expresses the ideals of Absurdism. Mersault associates his attitude towards the external world through the symbolic representation of the sun, where the sun’s heat

“Was pressing down on me and making it hard for me to go on. And every time I felt a blast of its hot breath strike my face, I gritted my teeth, clenched my fists in my trouser pockets, and strained every nerve in order to overcome the sun and the thick drunkenness it was spilling over me” (Camus 57).

Mersault’s attitude is clear based on the sun’s continuous glaring stare, yet his unsolvable attitude seems to be true based on why Mersault cannot compose himself. The unbearable heat causes him to battle with the external world in the sense that Mersault cannot maintain his composer while faced with external aspects in the world. He strictly emphasizes on his own one-sided beliefs rather than showing any expression to the outer world. A world exists inside Mersault’s mind in which it ultimately conflicts him to reside into an isolated state in the external world. 

We Real Cool Analysis

Thesis: Gwendolyn Brooks, the poet of “We Real Cool”, illustrates the essence of troubled adolescents who will eventually succumb to the ill-fated possibility that life renders a human being if they continue the lifestyle of the streets.

            The short poem is specifically worded and formatted to accentuate the ill-fated possibility adolescents may suffer in life. The repetition in “We” (Brooks 1) throughout the entire poem is deliberately used to demonstrate how teenagers abide to not caring about education. Furthermore, the constant usage of “We” indicates that these boys are proclaiming their arrival at the pool facility as if they have never been there before. The tone throughout the poem is very monotonous yet upbeat as well, and the last line “We / Die soon” (7-8) summarizes the total meaning Gwendolyn Brooks attempts to illustrate throughout the poem. Brooks deliberately shortens the poem into fragmented phrases in order to highlight the poem’s frank meaning, which is that the poem highlights the students who drop out of high school, live on the streets, and ultimately die. Brooks’ poem idealizes upon an impressive and profound implication: no education and living a carefree lifestyle as a dropout—compounded with street life—will most likely yield death. 

The Stranger #2 Analysis

            Albert Camus’s The Stranger actively engages the principles of Absurdism through Salamano’s interaction with Mersault. The absurd is born out of the confrontation between human need and the unreasonable silence of the world. Absurdism correlates with Existentialism, where this philosophy is marked by a set of themes about the human conditions, struggles, and freedoms that humans must endure or embrace. The interaction between Mersault and Salamano explicates an example of Absurdism and Existentialism where Mersault describes that “Every night and every morning after the dog had gotten that skin disease, Salamano rubbed him with ointment. But according to him, the dog’s real sickness was old age, and there’s no cure for old age” (Camus 45). Salamano’s belief towards his dog’s skin disease suggests that no matter how he attempts to cure his dog, Salamano will not be able to. According to Absurdism, the universe will never truly care for humanity the way we truly want it to. Salamano wishes that the dog’s deterioration is caused by the disease, but instead, Salamano overcomes this fact to accept the tragedy: “the dog’s real sickness was old age, and there’s no cure for old age”. As much as Salamano desires for a simple solution, Absurdism takes its part by confronting Salamano with the unchangeable care for humanity and its desires. 

Crossing the Bar Analysis

Death, according to individuals today, is usually interpreted as an end to one’s life, the end of one’s twisted road through life, and individuals fearfully approach such a topic. However, Lord Tennyson describes in “Crossing the Bar” the captivity of an old man’s acceptance of death through Tennyson’s clear understanding of death. “Crossing the Bar” is about an old man’s firsthand account about realizing death is near, and after further examination, the true meaning of the poem becomes visible to the readers and provokes a rather unpleasant interpretation of death.

            Tennyson’s descriptive imagery is deliberately used to illustrate the speaker’s inevitable realization of death. The important image Tennyson provokes within the poem is highlighted in “I hope to see my Pilot face to face / When I have crossed the bar” (Tennyson 16-17). The fact that the speaker ultimately realizes him to have “crossed the bar” relates to how an individual crosses to the other side when exposed to death. The “crossing” refers both to crossing over into the next world, and to the act of “crossing” oneself in the classic Catholic gesture of religious faith and devotion. The cross itself was also where Jesus died; now as the speaker approaches death, he evokes the image again. This image is valuable for the speaker to recognize the inevitable perception of death individuals perceive as they are finally exposed to death. Once at that point, and in regards to Tennyson’s poem, the poet relates how the speaker approaches death as an inevitable, non-fearful part of life as he states “And may there be no sadness of farewell / When I embark” (11-12). The speaker shows no sign of despair or sadness while being faced with death. He simply wishes to “cross” to the other side, wishing to see the other world in life.  

PODG #8 Analysis

            Throughout Oscar Wilde’s fictional novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian is characterized as a character in which Dorian experiences a drastic personality change through Lord Henry’s influence. In the beginning, Dorian is viewed as a shy character and possesses a blank slate. Lord Henry, throughout the novel, attempts to shape Dorian’s behavior and constructs an avatar in which he sees Dorian as a perfection of art. Dorian, however, is faced with confrontations of sins in which they ultimately force Dorian to slowly lose control of his conscious.

            Throughout the novel Dorian has been viewed as a symbol of beauty, and an avatar of perfection. However, Lord Henry’s influence regarding perfection in beauty has caused Dorian to alter his conscious into a state of insanity. Dorian eventually realizes that Basil’s portrait is truly the basis for Dorian’s evil. In the middle of a conversation between Dorian and Lord Henry, Dorian reflects upon his beauty and how he wishes to escape the fear and guilt he has as a result of murdering Basil and states that “I have no terror of Death. It is the coming of Death that terrifies me” (Wilde 209). The fact that the word “Death” is capitalized suggests a deeper connection Dorian feels with it. He encompasses Death as an inevitable part of life, yet he fears of it because he “feel[s] as if something horrible were going to happen” (208) to him. Dorian predominantly fears of being assassinated by Sibyl Vane’s brother, James, since Dorian originally often reflects upon the death of Sibyl as an act of indirect murder. Although James is accidentally shot in the woods, Dorian feels a slight sense of satisfaction since he realizes that he is no longer hunted. Although Dorian is viewed as an avatar of beauty and perfection, he ultimately blames his conscious and his beauty for destroying his conscious. The author suggests that “It was his beauty that had ruined him, his beauty and the youth that he had prayed for” (226). Dorian, in the beginning of the novel, wishes that his beauty remained young and youthful as the portrait aged. However, the aging portrait at Dorian’s surprise caused Dorian to ultimately reflect upon his youthful status and eventually caused Dorian to conclude that the source of all his evil was simply his beauty. Given Lord Henry’s admiration and attraction for Dorian’s beauty, his influence of Dorian has in due course caused Dorian to destroy the portrait, thus being able to destroy a source of his sins along with the fact that Lord Henry manipulates Dorian with Dorian’s upmost beauty. Dorian wishes to start a new life and to throw away his own soul, which in his eyes, leads him to stab the portrait with the same knife used to murder Basil. By presumably destroying his conscious, Dorian is able to liberate himself from the grasp of evil he confronted as a result of Lord Henry’s influence over him. Dorian was basically an experimentation at Lord Henry’s free will.  

            

PODG #7 Analysis

            The sins Dorian have committed throughout the novel have created a representative façade of himself through his infamous position in society. The sole act of killing Basil Hallward established a devilish and fanatical identity, and as a result, Dorian’s corrupted soul is a direct product of the sins he has committed to both Basil and himself.

            The memory of murdering Basil evokes a fearful tangent Dorian pursues on in order to diminish the troubled, horror-stricken sins. As Dorian converses with Adrian Campbell in the outskirts of London, the memory of Basil Hallward has been continuously haunting Dorian ever since the act was committed. Oscar Wilde mentions that “Memory, like a horrible malady, was eating his soul away. From time to time he seemed to see the eyes of Basil Hallward looking at him” (193). Dorian recognizes his sins ever since he committed the murder, yet he wishes to escape these sins by the means of drugs. The fact that the “eyes of Basil Hallward” is periodically looking at Dorian symbolizes the foreshadowing of James Vane, Sibyl’s brother, and how he promised to kill the man that would destroy Sibyl.

The wish Dorian makes initially to Basil as he paints the portrait signifies the eventual degradation of Dorian. Dorian originally wishes for his youth to stay permanent while the picture altered. As a result, his wish is symbolized by what the prostitute exclaims to Dorian as he rushes out of the bar, saying “They say he has sold himself to the devil for a pretty face” (197). Dorian was originally willing to give his soul away to keep his natural, charming looks that society inevitably look up to. In reality, Dorian’s degradation altered his confidence, sanity, and more importantly, his view of what beauty is.

            Lord Henry ultimately relies on his sporadic comments in order to shed enlightenment on Dorian; instead, they cause Dorian to reflect upon his woeful sins. Lord Henry ultimately explains to Dorian that “Every effect that one produces gives one an enemy. To be popular one must be a mediocrity” (201). Henry indirectly describes Dorian’s infamous state in society by referring to it as an infamous figure in society. Dorian is well aware of his state in society due to the constant degradation he must face as the portrait dehumanizes itself in correspondence to Dorian’s sins. It must become clear to Dorian that the portrait will always dehumanize itself as long as Dorian stands true to his previously uttered wish. Unfortunately, Dorian is constantly reminded of his sins as Lord Henry and their guests are bewildered upon Dorian’s interesting charisma.

            

PODG #5 Analysis

            Lord Henry’s continuous influence over Dorian Gray clearly takes a toll on how Dorian views life; by presenting Dorian with the novel, Lord Henry is able to complete his ultimate mission of brainwashing Dorian into an avatar of misconstrued proportions. The book Lord Henry gives Dorian causes a sudden engagement into the book Dorian “never sought to free himself from it” (Wilde 130). The book had influenced him to aspire to new heights throughout the years. Dorian also mentions that he, on occasion, viewed himself through the main character of the book. Ultimately, Wilde relates that “Dorian Gray had been poisoned by a book. There were moments when he looked on evil simply as a mode through which he could realize his conception of the beautiful” (150). Through Lord Henry’s constant influence, Dorian remarks to Basil regarding Henry’s influence over Dorian, stating that “You have not realized how I have developed. I was a schoolboy when you knew me. I am a man now. I have new passions, new thoughts, new ideas” (114). Henry’s constant influence over Dorian has shaped him into a symbol of paradoxical elements. Dorian influences others by his sheer beauty, yet he hides his inner degradation by physically locking away Basil’s portrait. Previously, prior to Dorian witnessing the alteration in the portrait, Dorian was classified as a blank slate, or an individual who has not learned what life truly is. Lord Henry attempts to manipulate Dorian’s young mind into a misconstrued individual of misconstrued perfection. In other words, Dorian allows Lord Henry to cast over his dire influence while Dorian conflicts between the portrait and his physical being.   

On the Sonnet / Sonnet Outline

Thesis: Both John Keats and Billy Collins emphasize the structure of sonnets into two similar viewpoints. Keats questions the effective sonnet form that it may lose sight of the beauty of poetry if an attempt is made to meet formal expectations whereas Collins playfully mocks the form of a sonnet, thus emphasizing the ridiculousness of it to criticize the effectiveness of sonnets. However, both poets take into account the necessity and accessibility of poetic form while incorporated in sonnets.

I.                   Keats emphasizes on analogies to effectively express the speaker’s attachment to his lover. On the contrary note, Collins merely and playfully mocks the effectiveness of sonnets to suggest a rather different and modern meaning to a traditionally formed sonnet.

A.     “If by dull rhymes our English must be chained, / And like Andromeda, the sonnet sweet / Fettered” (Keats 1-2). He starts the poem with an allusion to “Andromeda” who, according to Greek mythology, was chained to a rock so that she would be devoured by a sea monster. He uses this image to represent the fate of poetry, if it follows the unsatisfactory form of either Petrarchan or Shakespearean sonnets.

B.     “How easily it goes unless you get Elizabethan / and insist the iambic bongos must be played” (Collins 5-6). Similarly, Collins agrees with unsatisfactory form of sonnets by playfully mocking it. Sonnets are traditionally written to express one’s gratification or expression of love to a significant other, but Collins takes this sonnet to a different level by introducing a comical standpoint: he exposes the veins of a sonnet and suggests the fact that it is crucial for sonnets to be written traditionally correctly in order to express love. In Collins’ poem, the poet deliberately incorporates prose-based passages to wholeheartedly suggest that specific poetic forms yield specific emotions.

C.     “But hang on here while we make the turn / into the final six where all will be resolved, / where longing and heartache will find an end, / where Laura will tell Petrarch to put down his pen” (Collins 9-12). Both poets allude to some event or specific people as a means of support in their argument that poetic form is evident in poetic meaning. Collins’ poem alludes to the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch, who wrote a sequence of sonnets to his love, Laura. Collins deliberately and contrastingly emphasizes how these poems differ greatly in language and emotion. The first poem eradicates on how traditional sonnet form expresses love while Collins’ poem emphasizes on questionability of sonnets. However, both poems criticize the structure of sonnets and how it ultimately provokes a love-based emotion. As a whole both poets emphasize on the essential idea that poetic form is directly proportional to the emotion that comes out of poems.

PODG #4 Analysis

            Henry’s influence over Dorian is a clear representation of Dorian’s evident reaction to Sibyl’s death and continues to influence Dorian into a product of his own making. As Henry notifies Dorian about Sibyl’s suicide, he attempts to make the point that love should be appreciated for its materialistic worth and not by its hidden surface. Henry mentions that “One should absorb the color of life, but one should never remember its details” (Wilde 105) and suggests to Dorian that any element in life can only be fully appreciated by restricting your influence upon it. You digest any appreciative aspect of it without questioning it. Henry continues to convince Dorian that Sibyl is a mere false façade of reality by stating that “The girl never really lived, and so she has never really died” (107). By saying this Henry is fully aware that Sibyl took upon various roles as an actress, thus blinding her view of what reality is. Since these various roles are simply interpretations of reality, Henry explains to Dorian that Sibyl is unaware what true reality is, therefore reasoning with Dorian that she has never really lived and ultimately convincing Dorian that she never really died as well. Henry is a constant reminder of how an individual is capable of misguiding another individual through the means of farfetched reasoning. 

PODG #3 Analysis

The connection Oscar Wilde exposes between Dorian Gray and Sibyl Vane is clearly demonstrated through two contradicting foils: Henry and Sibyl. They both offer separate views of how love and goodness can be achieved. As Sibyl is discussing the matter of true love with her brother, James, she suggests that “To be in love is to surpass one’s self” (Wilde 71), whereas Henry remarks later to Dorian that “To be good is to be in harmony with one’s self” (82). Both Sibyl and Henry are discussing the importance of love and how happiness can be achieved from love, yet the two characters offer contradictory views that ultimately reflect upon Dorian’s engagement with Sibyl. Sibyl defends her love for Dorian by explaining that love can only be experienced if the individual surpasses their individualistic laws in society. Dorian’s lover is classified as a poorer citizen based on the fact that her income is solely from her nightly acting performances. Basically, Sibyl explains that love is achievable from the point one can break the barrier between one’s minds with one’s individual senses. Henry, however, suggests to Dorian that goodness is only achieved if one is at peace with their self. Even though Henry is offering advice regarding love, his opinion differs from that of Sibyl’s, thus creating a complexity of influential advice towards Dorian’s love life. Dorian views himself as a blank slate from which experience guides it, and in this case, Dorian has been enlightened to guide is conscious after viewing Basil’s masterpiece of Dorian Gray. Therefore, Henry tries to guide Dorian’s conscious like that of a pilot guiding a plane, and attempts to influence Dorian into making decisions Henry’s conscious would approve and not of Dorian’s. 

PODG #2 Analysis

The interaction between Dorian Gray and Lord Henry resembles an uncanny relationship between Basil and masterpiece of Dorian Gray. Despite Henry’s convincing nature of explicating the meaning of art and life to Dorian, the relationship Dorian has with Henry is clearly representative through the contrast of personalities and principles.

            Oscar Wilde characterizes Lord Henry as a reflective individual in regards to identifying Dorian Gray’s true nature. Gray believes that Basil offers “good advice” (Wilde 60) in the time that both Basil and Gray have known each other, yet Lord Henry believes otherwise. Basil originally reflected upon the fact that he had put in too much of himself while painting the portrait of Dorian Gray. In response to this, Henry argues with Gray that “People are very fond of giving away what they need most themselves. It is what I called the depth of generosity” (60). Henry originally wants Basil to publish the painting of Dorian Gray, and as a result, Basil argues that he simply as put in too much of his soul into it. Henry utilizes the same reasoning with Dorian’s obsession over Sibyl, who is Dorian’s unmistakable lover. The same reasoning applies to Dorian’s love for Sibyl because it represents the parallelism within the novel. This parallel structure signifies how art is appreciated more than its true value. In this case, Dorian is appreciating the actress without truly understanding her personality, similar to how Wilde refers to “Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril” (2). As Henry is arguing with Dorian, he believes that “The senses could refine, and the intellect could degrade” (62), explaining to Gray that Wilde’s original intent is wrong; believing in senses will actually enhance your emotions while intellectual capabilities will simply dawdle it.  The fact that Henry relates to this is contradicting Basil’s belief, thus resulting in a complexity within the three protagonists. 

My Son the Man Poem Analysis

Thesis: In Sharon Olds’ poem, “My Son the Man”, the poet deliberately alludes the inevitable growing up of a son to the magician Houdini, who is renowned for freeing himself after being chained, sealed in a padlocked trunk, and dropped into deep water. By making the allusion to this magician, Olds explicates the importance of the son to grow up and be able to freely practice individualistic skills while visually enhancing the imagery she utilizes within the poem.

I.                   The allusion to Houdini contributes to the inevitable maturation of the son as Olds describes the transformation from being a son to now becoming a man.

A.    Olds takes advantage of allusions in order to communicate an intricate meaning through a simple comparison by stating “Suddenly his should get a lot wider, / the way Houdini would expand his body / while people were putting him on chains” (1-3). Houdini is known as an escape artist whose most famous stunt was freeing himself after being chained, sealed in a padlocked trunk, and dropped into deep water. This allusion signifies the development of the son in comparison to the speaker’s emotions regarding the son’s foreseeable transformation.

B.      However, Olds responds to this inevitable alteration as tentatively as possible; despite the foreseeable outcome, the poet seems to hold back the fact that the son will go through this predictable transformation into adulthood.  Olds emphasizes the sense of apprehension by noting that “I cannot imagine him / no longer a child, and I know I must get ready, / get over my fear of men now my son is going to be one” (7-10). It is clear that the speaker feels uneasy about the son’s milestone into adulthood, yet she must be accepting this fact in order to counter any amount of uneasiness she has. The allusion Olds interprets within the poem enhances how apprehensive the mother feels as “Houdini expand[ing] his body” (2) justifies the inevitable life event of reaching adulthood.

PODG #1 Analysis

Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray explicitly secures a stance of how art should be interpreted, and can be seen through the symbolic representations of both Henry and Basil. Wilde deliberately illustrates the relationship between Henry and Basil to be representative of art’s interpretation and significance. As Henry and Basil converse about the significance of the painting of Dorian Gray, Henry claims that Basil is utterly insensible in the belief that Basil will not send the picture by stating that “What odd chaps you painters are! You do anything in the world to gain a reputation. As soon as you have one, you seem to want to throw it away” (Wilde 4). Basil believes that he has put in too much of himself into the picture and originally believes that living a life of secrecy “seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvelous to us” (6). By saying this, Basil’s position of art is highly recognized by the passiveness an artist should have, whereas Henry believes that all artists aspire to gain a reputation and seem to contradict that when artists are able to possess some form of reputation. Basil holds the position that “every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not the sitter” (7) and explicates the fact that given a form of artwork, more can be seen about the artist than can be seen about the physical painting. In other words, one can look through the surface of an artwork and accurately piece together an artist’s intentions into that painting, thus being able to accurately describe the artist. Wilde fulfills the argument that art should be appreciated through its surface beauty in the preface of the novel, and this statement is confirmed as Harry appreciates the beauty of the painting as it physically is. However, Basil believes that the artist’s intentions behind a painting should be kept as undisclosed as possible, thus eliminating the possibilities of revealing an artists’ lives by simply looking deeper into an artwork. 

The Picture of Dorian Gray Preface Analysis

            The preface in The Picture of Dorian Gray serves as an instruction manual for how this novel is intended to be read. Oscar Wilde categorizes the artist and the critics to be, respectively, the author and the reader. The author is “the creator of beautiful things” (Wilde 1) while the reader is “the critic […] who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things” (1). According to Oscar Wilde, an artist’s role, or an author in this sense, is to magnify the beauty behind art and to express it towards an audience. An audience’s role is to translate the art being expressed into self-indulged impressions of beautiful things. In aesthetic philosophy, the period of aestheticism is commonly referred as a period of sensuous thoughts, emotions, and impressions of beauty itself. Oscar Wilde’s preface relates to how it is necessary for art to be communicated through beauty; a reminiscence of various art forms that solidifies the fact how art exists only to communicate beauty.  

            Wilde simply characterizes art as a simple façade that can be immensely broken up into elements of symbols, complexity, and vitality. Wilde’s tone toward the audience can be depicted through the line “It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors” (2). By saying this Wilde fundamentally believes that “All art is at once surface and symbol” (2). Art is a simple façade that can be illustrated through its sheer surface, or can be analyzed through its complex styles. In doing so Wilde also recollects that “Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril” (2), and that “Those who read the symbol do so at their peril” (2) as well. Wilde suggests to his audience that art should be praised by its sheer beauty, and be taken upon as it is without any destruction of analysis. By going “beneath the surface”, Wilde offers that the audience can do so at their own risk, the risk being that an audience member will miss a possibly clear meaning behind some art form. In other words, Wilde’s tone in the preface can be described as formal and stated, meaning that the preface consists of free-standing statements that form a manifesto about the purpose of art and how appropriately this novel should be approached.  

Incident Poem Analysis

Thesis: Countee Cullen’s Incident is an apparent example of literary understatements; the title itself suggests the effectiveness of this literary device and how it revives the prominent period of racial discrimination, especially in America.

I.                   The speaker’s interaction with the Baltimorean highlights the critical racial difference that is the underlining evidence to how this poem relates to racial discrimination.

A.    “Heart-filled, head-filled with glee” (Cullen 2). The speaker is overcome by innocence since the phrase of “heart-filled, head-filled” provides a shadowy, innocent perception he has towards this Baltimorean child.

B.     “Now I was eight and very small, / And he was no whit bigger” (Cullen 5-6). Cullen introduces this line to illustrate the clear childlikeness in the black child and Baltimorean’s ages. As a result of the young ages, the black child’s perception is shrouded in his innocence since is also “heart-filled, head-filled”, and cannot grasp the underlining subject within this poem.

II.                The Baltimorean’s racial slur introduces the overall concept in this poem; by shadowing the infamous racial discrimination in the title, the author is able to utilize the power of understatements to form a consensus among the readers.

A.    “And so I smiled, but he poked out / His tongue, and called me, ‘Nigger’” (Cullen 7-8). The white child’s slur makes the speaker aware of how much larger the differences really are between them. The slur makes it possible that racial harmony now seems impossible due to the white child’s contempt and the black child’s feelings of otherness. The myth of the harmony between the Baltimorean and the speaker, presented in “glee” of the speaker, has been shattered by racism, thus offering this problematic situation to the world. By using this specific example, and by shrouding the true meaning of racism in the title, Cullen successfully utilized this understatement in order to effectively make a distinction between white and black individuals in regards to the period of racial discrimination. 

Goldstein's Book Notes 1984 #9

Chapter 1—Ignorance is Strength

·         Three kinds of people—High, Middle, Low—aims of these groups are irreconcilable

·         High—remain where they are in society

·         Middle—change places with the High

·         Low—abolish all distinctions and create equal society among men

·         Need for hierarchical society was required specifically for the High

·         Development of television ended private life

·         Collectivism à “abolition of private property” (Orwell 206).

·         Four ways a ruling group can fall from power:

o   Conquered

o   Masses are stirred to revolt

o   Allows strong Middle Group to come into being

o   Loses its own self-confidence and willingness to govern

·         Consciousness of masses needs to be influenced in a negative way

·         Big Brother is the guise in which the Party wants to world to see

·         Essence of oligarchic rule is not inheritance—persistence of certain world-view and a certain way of life

·         Proles lack education—therefore lack ability to rebel

·         Crimestop à protective stupidity—stopping short at the threshold of any dangerous thought

·         Reasons of alterations of the past:

o   Precautionary—necessary for people to believe they are better than their ancestors

o   Safeguarding— infallibly of Party

·         Doublethink à accepting two contradictory beliefs simultaneously

·         Euphemisms—contradictions are not accidental—deliberately exercises in doublethink

Chapter 3—War is Peace

·         Three super states:

o   Eurasia à consisted of northern Europe—and Portugal

o   Oceania à consisted of Americas, Atlantic islands, British isles, Australasia, and southern Africa

o   Eastasia à comprises of China and countries south of it

·         Three states are constantly in war

·         War has changed its character

·         Primary of aim of war is to use up products of the machine without raising general standard of living

·         Early 20^th century—people dreamed of a rich, leisured future—world is more primitive than it was before

·         There could not exist a society where wealth should be equally distributed while power remained in a small privileged caste—could not remain stable

·         Essential act of war is destruction of products of human labor

·         All Party (Inner) members believe in this coming conquest as an article of faith

·         Party’s goals:

o   Conquer surface of the earth

o   Extinguish the possibility of independent thought

·         Philosophies of super states:

o   Oceania—Ingsoc

o   Eurasia—Neo-Bolshevism

o   Eastasia—Obliteration of the Self (Death-worship)

·         Physical facts could not be ignored—philosophically, 2 + 2 = 5, but in designing a gun or an airplane they had to make four.

·         Thought police is only efficient in Oceania

·         “Cut off from contact with the outer world, and with the past, the citizen of Oceania is like a man in interstellar space, who has no way of knowing which direction is up and which is down” (198).

·         Peace that would be of permanence would be seen as a permanent, everlasting war.

1984 #3

George Orwell continuously depicts a restricted utopist society through characters, such as Syme, to remind readers of the unorthodox world Winston lives in. As Syme and Winston are discussing the eventual influence of Newspeak within society, Syme attempts to convince Winston regarding the evolution of Newspeak by informing that “In fact there will be no thought, as we understand it now. Orthodoxy means not thinking—not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness” (Orwell 53). Orwell infers how individualism and self-thinking is considered as a crime or misdemeanor, thus illustrating the possible outcome an individual may face if he or she shows signs of orthodoxy. The contrast Orwell makes regarding orthodoxy and unorthodoxy is representative through Syme and Winston: they both are members of the Party, yet Winston is portrayed as a character that contains a nature to rebel against society’s demands. He continuously questions and challenges the Party’s regulations in hopes of ultimately understanding one’s true identity and role within society. 

1984 #1

In George Orwell’s fictional novel 1984, a text-to-text connection to Heart of Darkness is portrayed through Orwell instigating an utopist society in the recollection of Winston Smith’s experiences. As Winston identifies the “Two-Minutes Hate” (Orwell 11) as a period of momentary anger towards Goldstein, the speaker describes the reaction of the workers as

“At this moment the entire group of people broke into a deep, slow, rhythmical chant of ‘B-B!...B-B!...B-B!’ over and over again… a heavy, murmurous sound, somehow curiously savage, of which one seemed to hear the stamp of naked feet and the throbbing of tom-toms (16).

The group’s reaction correlates with Conrad’s description of the natives in Heart of Darkness. Since Conrad associates the natives as savages, a connection is made to Orwell’s 1984 since he illustrates the group’s reaction as “savage”, and “stamp of naked feet and the throbbing of tom-toms”. The dehumanizing characteristics Orwell illustrates about the group relates to how Conrad also described the natives in a dehumanizing way. 

Heart of Darkness (End)

            Conrad incorporates visual imagery through colors and denotation in hopes of contrasting Marlow's gradually changing view of imperialism through the novella. Marlow’s interaction with Kurtz’s intendant is representative of Marlow’s original belief that an individual should not lie, yet defies it by stating that “The last word he pronounced was—your name” (Conrad 124). Originally, Kurtz’s intendant is committed to the idea that Kurtz’s memory must be preserved because of his remarkable nobility, however, the Kurtz she imagines does not exist at all. Marlow converses with the intendant knowing the concrete Kurtz: all the terrible things he has heard throughout the journey, and Marlow keeps in mind Kurtz’s last few words before he died as he is talking to the intendant. Marlow goes against his original belief of lying by convincing the intendant that Kurtz’s last words were of the intendant’s name. Marlow’s confusion is brought through the section of the text where he states: “But I couldn't  I could not tell her. It would have been too dark—too dark altogether…” (124). The denotation of “dark” is representative of the negativity of emotions that are created during scene, and ultimately relates to Marlow originally believing that he hates and detests lies, as he mentions earlier in the novella. The fact that Marlow lies about Kurtz’s last words shows that the intendant believes wholeheartedly in Kurtz’s nobility and thus entirely believes and embraces the rationale for Western imperialism as compared to where Marlow’s view of imperialism is deteriorating. 

Heart of Darkness (116-142)

            Joseph Conrad deliberately links Marlow’s eventual “enlightenment” through Kurtz’s encounter to the Myth of the Cave by symbolizing Marlow’s emotions within the novella. Marlow relates to how he “had turned to the wilderness really, not to Mr. Kurtz” (Conrad 108), which ultimately contradicts his statement where he was originally desperate to contact Kurtz. Marlow further states that “for a moment it seemed to [him] as if [he] also were buried in a vast grave full of unspeakable secrets” (108), thus forcing Marlow to realize that his perception of the Company is deteriorating through the events that led up to his encounter with Kurtz. This is representative of Myth of the Cave because of the overall meaning it offers: an individual will adhere to enlightenment once he or she is aware of the placebo-like reality compared to the physical reality. In this circumstance, Marlow is aware of his original reality being a sailor who is journeying through the heart of the Congo to contact Kurtz, but his true reality is when he realizes Kurtz’s secret and realizes Kurtz’s “unspeakable secrets”. Ultimately, Marlow is forced to be aware of Kurtz’s position as he figuratively puts his feet in Kurtz’s shoes, thus creating an concoction of realities between Kurtz and Marlow.  

Heart of Darkness (103-116)

Joseph Conrad illustrates Marlow’s recollected journey through symbolic elements in Heart of Darkness, which ultimately expresses Marlow’s anticipation as he is journeying through the heart of darkness. Conrad metaphorically links the earth to a caged monster by stating that “The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there—there you could look at a thing monstrous and free” (Conrad 76). The author describes the dangers within the Congo by relating it to the fact that the European explorers, including Marlow, have no idea what they are diving into. The fact that Marlow is “accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster” signifies how Europeans are used to imperializing colonies that they knew of existence, whereas in the Congo, the Europeans do not know of this area through Conrad stating “but there—there you look at a thing monstrous and free”. The connotation of “monstrous” and “free” relates how Marlow is unfamiliar with the Congo, and how Conrad eventually utilizes symbolism to illustrate Marlow’s anticipation as he journeys through the river.

Conrad employs symbolism throughout the text to exemplify the relationship of fog to Marlow’s anticipation. The symbolism in fog can possibly refer to uncertainty or danger, and can relate to when Marlow states: “… a mystery greater—when I thought of it—than the curious, inexplicable note of desperate grief in this savage clamour that had swept by us on the river-bank, behind the blind whiteness of the fog” (83). The fog is symbolic of Marlow’s anticipation since he is desperately trying to gain contact with Kurtz, and also symbolizes the possible dangers the Eldorado Expedition could encounter during their journey. Since fog is symbolic of Marlow’s anticipation and his uncertainty, it also has a reverse symbolic denotation through Marlow stating “It developed itself, I should say, two hours after the fog lifted, and its commencement was at a spot, roughly speaking, about a mile and a half below Kurtz’s station” (85). In this example, the disappearing of the fog is symbolic of the previous uncertainty vanishing as Marlow is almost done achieving his goal of meeting Kurtz.      

Heart of Darkness (65-86)

The author of Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, utilizes his dexterity in description and imagery to suggest the portrayal of racism throughout the beginning of the novella. The surplus of colors in Conrad’s descriptions possibly correlates to the inevitable darkness of the Congo and the racism that inevitably lives in it.

As Marlow recollects his experience of exploration, the color-description that is presentable in the book stands out by Conrad indirectly correlating imperialism to the color-description. Marlow, after describing his fascination of maps, states that “There was a vast amount of red—good to see at any time, because one knows that some real work is done in there, a deuce of a lot of blue, a little green, smears of orange, and,… I was going into the yellow” (Conrad 45) to illustrate the contrasting of colors in terms of imperialism. The fact that all of these colors are highly contrastable of each other suggests Marlow’s fascination in exploring the world. The word “yellow” has a lighter color-tone than “red,” thus taking into consideration that Marlow only wants to explore this area (the Congo) to purely exploit it, where “red” connotes to the fact that the areas in red are already exploited.  Conrad also utilizes colors to illustrate the racism through the novella.

Not only does Conrad’s color-description encases a symbolized meaning regarding imperialism, but also portrays the racism that occurs as a result of imperialism. Conrad’s descriptiveness through his “colors” immensely symbolizes the racism that occurs in these imperialized areas. Marlow describes the black workers by stating: “ I've seen the devil of violence, and the devil of greed, and the devil of hot desire: but, by all the stars! these were strong, lusty, red-eyed devils, that swayed and drove men—men, I tell you” (52). Conrad repeats the phrase “ I've seen the devil” to portray that Marlow considers these workers far more dangerous than the devil. The fact that Conrad uses this comparison to suggest the overall racism throughout the book possibly relates to Marlow’s realization of the true nature of imperialism. Marlow also witnesses two black men by describing that “While I stood horror-struck, one of these creatures rose to his hands and knees, and went off on all-fours towards the river to drink” (53). Marlow’s animalistic description contributes to the racism that is portrayed throughout the book since Conrad deliberately uses these terms, such as “creatures” and “all-fours”, to prove that Marlow describes these black people as animals. The fact that he is degrading the black workers by comparing them to animal behavior predominantly portrays the overall racism throughout this portion of the novella.   

Ghost of a Chance Analysis

The title in this poem provides an understanding of Adrienne Rich’s Ghost of a Chance by metonymically linking to the deeper meaning of one’s struggle through life. The connotation in the title supports the poet’s desire to relate a different approach of thinking to the figurative language Rich uses throughout the poem. The poem starts out by Rich introducing “You see a man / trying to think” (1-2) to give an introductory statement of what the poem is truly about. The significance of this line suggests an individual’s desire to think differently in society and the figurative language throughout the poem promotes the profound meaning Rich tries to imply. The overall simile in “the old consolations / will get him at last / like a fish / half-dead from flopping / and almost crawling / across the shingle” (8-13) connotatively and metonymically suggests the enlightened individual to succumb to the “wave pull[ing] it back blind into the triumphant sea” (16-18), which shows how someone who begins to think differently, or considered a rebel as suggested by the connotation in “the old consolations / will get him at last” (8-9), will be forced back into one’s original thinking. The fact that the “wave pulls it back blind into the triumphant sea” compares to the fact that the “fish / half-dead from flopping / and almost crawling across the shingle” is representative of the struggle of one who does not fit into the norm, which is represented by “almost breathing” (15) through Rich’s use of figurative language. Overall, the poet figuratively describes one’s internal struggle by metonymically implying a deeper meaning of enlightened thinking and its effects on an individual. 

Cross Poem Analysis

Thesis: Langston Hughes reflects the continuous struggling relationship between White and Black individuals through the connotation in the poem Cross. The connotation in the title itself resembles two connected ideas that share a middle ground, which can be physically seen by the image of a cross, where Hughes reflects upon his mother and his father, and ultimately questioning where he will eventually die.

A.    Langston Hughes purposely titles this poem Cross to symbolize a connection between his mother and his father, since both were of different racial backgrounds based on the poem.

1.      Hughes includes the lines “My old man’s a white old man / And my old mother’s black” (1-2) to provide an introduction regarding his parents. The prime issue that immediate rises from the start of the poem is how Hughes is able to connote both “while old man” and “mother’s black” to refer to the slavery that was still present during the parents’ lifetime. This contrast provokes some sort of question that will be introduced in the end of the poem.

B.     The connotation and the structure of the poem involuntarily tells a story, yet the poet’s main goal is to engage the readers in a serious question regarding the poet’s racial status compared to his parents’, thus relating back to the connecting ideas (mother and father) that meet on a common ground (the final line in the poem).

1.      Hughes introduces the poem in a quatrain that describes both his mother’s and father’s races, and states that if he had ever “cursed” (line 3) his man, he sincerely apologizes for it. Hughes’ repeats this concept with his mother, referring to her as “my black old mother” (5). In the second stanza, Hughes connects the connotation of “hell” (6) and “evil” (7) to prove that evilness associates with hell. Hughes incorporates an antithesis between the first two stanzas to contrast the racial background between the mother and the father, yet provides a similarity between the parents by introducing a negative emotion through the connotation of “curses” and “evil”. In the last stanza, Hughes incorporates synecdoche to represent the economic status of his parents. He refers to his mother by describing that she “died in a shack” (10) while his father “died in a fine big house” (9). The “fine big house” is a synecdoche that represents security, protection, and most importantly a high status in society. The “shack” is another synecdoche that represents the mother’s poor economic status, lack of protection, and lack of security based on her color. The point Hughes makes in this poem is that he wants the readers to critically engage in his background, and more importantly come to a conclusion regarding what he technically falls under based on his last question. He states: “I wonder where I’m gonna die, / Being neither white nor black?” (11-12). The specific diction he uses could represent the education white and black people received in the era of slavery, where white individuals received a better education than black people. The denotation in “gonna” resembles a slang word for “going”, which could represent the poor education he received as a child. The denotation in “Being neither white nor black?” shows a better understanding of grammatical concepts to express his thoughts, which could represent his somewhat advanced education he could have received. In general, Hughes includes contrast, antithesis, and synecdoche to identify the different backgrounds he came from and offers a question at the end of the poem to technically stump his audience in knowing the perfect solution to his question, thus causing a sense of confusion by the end of the poem. By forming his poem to fit the symbolism of a cross, he manages to engage the audience in introducing them to the parents, which represent the two connecting points to the middle of the cross, where he ultimately ends the poem with the fairly difficult question. 

The Clod and the Pebble Analysis

Thesis: The poet in The Clod and the Pebble illustrates contrasting interpretations of love based on the two characters William Blake portrays within the poem; by carefully incorporating parallelism, more specifically antitheses, the poet is able to constitute two interpretations of love based on the selflessness in the clod of clay and the selfishness of the pebble.

A.    William Blake characterizes both the clod of clay and the pebble to be selflessness and selfish, respectively, so that he can offer two distinct interpretations of love to the readers.

1.      Blake introduces quatrains in each description of both the clod of clay and the pebble to illustrate its interpretation of love. The key lines that dictate the character of both the pebble and the clod of clay are the first and last in each quatrain with exclusion to the second stanza in the poem. As Blake is introducing the clod of clay in the poem, the fact that “Love seeketh not Itself to please,… / And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.” (lines 4, 5) expresses the character of the clod of clay: innocent to love, and fairly new to the concept due to the fact that people who are new to love tend to enter a dreamlike, overreacted prelude in life. Blake intentionally includes antithesis in the poem to exaggerate the different interpretations of love in terms of the clod of clay and the pebble. Even though the poet is able to keep the same structure and phrases, Blake deliberately incorporates specific words to contrast both the pebble and the clod of clay and offer different meanings of love.

2.      The second stanza is offers an introduction to the characterization of the pebble by beginning a contrast to the clod of clay’s perspective of love. The same two lines appear in the description of the pebble: “Love seeketh only Self to please,… / And builds a Hell in Heaven’s despite.” (lines 9-12). The stanza for the pebble completely contradicts the perspective of the clod of clay according to the poet. Blake suggests, in general, that one who is experienced in love may perceive it as selfish, and as a result, act selfishly. He also suggests that one who is new to love is selfless and further constitutes that one will continue to feel this way until the individual, in this case the pebble, is struck by the experience of love.  

      

Suicide's Note Analysis

Thesis: The poet Langston Hughes relates one’s desire of committing suicide in the briefness and structure of the poem and portrays diction, imagery, and personification all within the entirety of the poem.

A.    Personification

1.      “The calm, / Cool face of the river”. Hughes introduces the poem with two short phrases and personifies the river by illustrating a damp, smooth surface of a river. Since the poem is titled “Suicide’s Note,” it is assumable that one will commit suicide by drowning.

2.      “Asked me for a kiss.” The author relates the river of asking the individual who is committing suicide to “kiss.” This personification exemplifies the meaning of suicide in a disturbingly romantic way.

B.     Imagery

1.      “Cool face of the river / Asked me for a kiss.” The poem’s briefness completely contradicts its overall message. Even though the poem is a mere three lines, the meaning behind the author’s carefully chosen words create a maelstrom of emotions and images in the reader’s mind.

C.     Diction

1.      “Asked me for a kiss.” This last powerful line in the poem suggests a complete end to the poem, and also the complete end of the individual who is committing suicide. The river “asking” for a kiss provokes the individual in committing suicide by