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 characterand 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.“
Determinism is defined as anything that happens to a person throughout their life is not determined by them, but by outside causes. This means that people cannot prevent anything that is going to happen in their life. It depends on the person’s ancestors, where they grew up, where they live now, and what kind of instincts they have. Determinism is widely used in both “The Blue Hotel,” and “To Build A Fire.”
Many things in “The Blue Hotel” lead to the Swede’s death, including the horrible blizzard that made all of them stop at the hotel in the first place. At the end, Mr. Blanc and the Cowboy are talking, and Mr. Blanc says that they all had a part in the death of the Swede. Johnny Scully because he cheated at the card game in which Swede called him out and fighting with the Swede about it, Mr. Blanc for seeing Johnny cheat, but not saying anything to back up the Swede, the Cowboy for egging Johnny on in the brawl the Swede and Johnny were having, and the stranger, for stabbing the Swede. It is also somewhat the Swede’s fault because he kept talking about all of the people who died there before and how he was going to die that night. Even though he did not handle liquor well, he still drank some when he was offered. He fought with Johnny and made everyone think that he was strange and not want to be on his side. These show his lack of instincts and shows determinism at work.
Determinism is also a very large part of “To Build A Fire.” The man was surveying the land, but went too far away from camp to get back at a reasonable time. He is even warned by an older wiser man to be careful, but does not listen. He cannot keep a fire steady and burning, which is the one necessity to survival in the Alaskan wilderness. He misjudges time and his ability to survive. His fingers become frozen and he is no longer able to make a fire to keep warm. He believes that he will only lose a few fingers and toes, but, when he is unable to run very far, he comes to the conclusion that he will die out in the wilderness and his friends will find his body tomorrow. The dog that was with him knows the trail and runs back to camp so he can be warm and have a shelter. The man is unable to conquer nature and ultimately falls because of it.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 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.
The story’s overall message is that people do not know what they actually want and they make others do things without relizing the effect their descisions have on other people.
“’You shall not say that! Only, for once I happen to be right.’ She seized his hand in her two hands, and poured her soul from her eyes into his. ‘Don't you think so?’ she entreated him.”
“All the while, in her duplex emotioning, she was aware that now at the very beginning she must put a guard upon herself against urging him, by any word or act, to take the part that her whole soul willed him to take, for the completion of her ideal of him.”
“’No, you didn't expect him to get killed,’ Mrs. Gearson repeated, in a voice which was startlingly like George's again. ‘You just expected him to kill some one else, some of those foreigners, that weren't there because they had any say about it, but because they had to be there, poor wretches--conscripts, or
whatever they call 'em.’”
2. What tactics does Editha use to make George believe as she does about the war?
Editha uses ultimatums to make George believe as she does about the war. She threatens to end their engagement if he does not join the war. She badgers him so much about the war, that he eventually considers enlisting and goes to a meeting. When he comes home from the meeting he is drunk and ecstatic because the men chose him to be their captain.
3. Is there ever a time in which Editha truly understands what she has done? Does she ever experience an epiphany?
Editha only understands what she has done completely for a very short amount of time, when George’s mother is yelling at her. She doesn’t understand what she has done because, although she loved her fiancé and misses him dearly, she can still walk around her town as the widow of the soldier. She did not cry, or show any emotions, from the time she learned that her husband was dead to the moment she met his mother. Crying when she is with his mother shows that she is truly sorry for what she has done. Editha does not experience an epiphany. After she meets George’s mother, she goes right back to the way she was before; playing the part of the widow of a soldier. The story ends with Editha telling a woman about the meeting with George’s mother and talking about how rude and outspoken she was.
The story’s overall message is that people do not know what they actually want and they make others do things without relizing the effect their descisions have on other people.
“’You shall not say that! Only, for once I happen to be right.’ She seized his hand in her two hands, and poured her soul from her eyes into his. ‘Don't you think so?’ she entreated him.”
“All the while, in her duplex emotioning, she was aware that now at the very beginning she must put a guard upon herself against urging him, by any word or act, to take the part that her whole soul willed him to take, for the completion of her ideal of him.”
“’No, you didn't expect him to get killed,’ Mrs. Gearson repeated, in a voice which was startlingly like George's again. ‘You just expected him to kill some one else, some of those foreigners, that weren't there because they had any say about it, but because they had to be there, poor wretches--conscripts, or
whatever they call 'em.’”
2. What tactics does Editha use to make George believe as she does about the war?
Editha uses ultimatums to make George believe as she does about the war. She threatens to end their engagement if he does not join the war. She badgers him so much about the war, that he eventually considers enlisting and goes to a meeting. When he comes home from the meeting he is drunk and ecstatic because the men chose him to be their captain.
3. Is there ever a time in which Editha truly understands what she has done? Does she ever experience an epiphany?
Editha only understands what she has done completely for a very short amount of time, when George’s mother is yelling at her. She doesn’t understand what she has done because, although she loved her fiancé and misses him dearly, she can still walk around her town as the widow of the soldier. She did not cry, or show any emotions, from the time she learned that her husband was dead to the moment she met his mother. Crying when she is with his mother shows that she is truly sorry for what she has done. Editha does not experience an epiphany. After she meets George’s mother, she goes right back to the way she was before; playing the part of the widow of a soldier. The story ends with Editha telling a woman about the meeting with George’s mother and talking about how rude and outspoken she was.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Journal #14 - E. A. Robinson Poems
“Richard Cory“ (497)
He was a man who, on the outside seemed perfectly put together, but on the inside he was miserable. It seemed like he had everything because he was rich, but on the core, he was poor and miserable. He was a real person, and eventually killed himself because he was so troubled. Everyone admired him and thought he had such a perfect life. They idealized him because they thought he had something that they wanted, which was the perfect life.
“Miniver Cheevy” (497)
Miniver Cheevy suggests minimum achievement. He was born in the wrong time. Cheevy preferred the medieval era to when he was living, which, though there was not an exact date, was when people wore khakis and suits. He didn’t amount to much because he was constantly dreaming about living in the medieval era. He learned everthing he could about the medieval era, but did not do anything for his life. He was real because he was an average person, dreaming about being a knight. If he really had been a knight, he would have been ideal.
“Mr. Flood’s Party” (498)
Mr. Flood’s name relates to him because he is drowning in his sorrows and drinking too much. The word “party” is ironic because it is not a party at all. He is lonely and upset because everyone he knows is dead. He is also upset because he is old and will probably die soon. He is focused on the past, so he does not have much of a present or future.
He was a man who, on the outside seemed perfectly put together, but on the inside he was miserable. It seemed like he had everything because he was rich, but on the core, he was poor and miserable. He was a real person, and eventually killed himself because he was so troubled. Everyone admired him and thought he had such a perfect life. They idealized him because they thought he had something that they wanted, which was the perfect life.
“Miniver Cheevy” (497)
Miniver Cheevy suggests minimum achievement. He was born in the wrong time. Cheevy preferred the medieval era to when he was living, which, though there was not an exact date, was when people wore khakis and suits. He didn’t amount to much because he was constantly dreaming about living in the medieval era. He learned everthing he could about the medieval era, but did not do anything for his life. He was real because he was an average person, dreaming about being a knight. If he really had been a knight, he would have been ideal.
“Mr. Flood’s Party” (498)
Mr. Flood’s name relates to him because he is drowning in his sorrows and drinking too much. The word “party” is ironic because it is not a party at all. He is lonely and upset because everyone he knows is dead. He is also upset because he is old and will probably die soon. He is focused on the past, so he does not have much of a present or future.
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