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.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
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.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Journal #13 -Edgar Lee Masters Epitaphs
1. What object symbolizes George Gray’s life? How is this object representative of him?
The object that symbolizes George Gray’s life is a boat. It is longing for the sea, yet is afraid of what might happen to it. He was afraid of life but he also wanted to live it. This boat “pictures his life.” Gray was offered many things, but he decided to stay away from them in fear of getting hurt. He never loved or felt sorry or ambitious.
2. How was Lucinda Matlock’s life different than George Gray’s? How do you interpret the last line of the poem?
Lucinda Matlock’s life was different than George Gray’s life because she did a lot more things. She went to dances, played snap-out, got married and lived together for seventy years, worked, raised twelve children, spun, wove, kept the house, nursed the sick, made the garden, gathered shells, flowers, and medicinal weed, shouted to the wooded hills, and sang to the green valleys. She did so much in her life that, when she died at the age of ninety-six, she had lived enough. She does not understand why people are so upset, sorrowful, angry, and weary, because life is such a special thing.
The object that symbolizes George Gray’s life is a boat. It is longing for the sea, yet is afraid of what might happen to it. He was afraid of life but he also wanted to live it. This boat “pictures his life.” Gray was offered many things, but he decided to stay away from them in fear of getting hurt. He never loved or felt sorry or ambitious.
2. How was Lucinda Matlock’s life different than George Gray’s? How do you interpret the last line of the poem?
Lucinda Matlock’s life was different than George Gray’s life because she did a lot more things. She went to dances, played snap-out, got married and lived together for seventy years, worked, raised twelve children, spun, wove, kept the house, nursed the sick, made the garden, gathered shells, flowers, and medicinal weed, shouted to the wooded hills, and sang to the green valleys. She did so much in her life that, when she died at the age of ninety-six, she had lived enough. She does not understand why people are so upset, sorrowful, angry, and weary, because life is such a special thing.
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 young man, who is trying to be an upstanding citizen. He fails at doing so because all people are somewhat bad. Brown is a common name; he represents the common man.
Faith – Young Goodman Brown’s wife, he has lost all faith in her. She represents faith in humanity.
The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – The Devil; evil; temptation. Everyone travels down this road with him.
Goody Cloyse – Religious hypocrisy, corruption
The Ceremony – The sinful nature of people; baptism or confirmation; celebrating sin.
The Pink Ribbon – Innocence; when the ribbon falls, the innocence is gone. Losing faith, he has also lost Faith, his wife, forever.
Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – A person’s moral journey; seeing beneath the surface of everyone to who they really are.
2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:
Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish
The theme of “Young Goodman Brown” is the morality, or lack thereof, that people have. Brown thinks that everyone in his town is good, but when he goes to this satanic ceremony, he realizes that all of the people he knows are not actually as good as he thought they were. The message of the theme is that all people are bad in some way. People may look, on the outside, to be perfect and good, but on the inside, they are bad. The elements used to establish this theme were the characters and the setting. The characters play a very large roll because Brown loses all of his faith in them when he finds out that they are not all the good people he made them out to be. The setting is also very important because the woods at night are a very dark place, and often described as horrifying and terrible.
In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.
1. “The deacons of many a church have drunk the communion wine with me; the selectmen of divers towns make me their chairman; and a majority of the Great and General Court are firm supporters of my interest. The governor and I, too -- But these are state secrets.''
2. ``Yea, truly is it, and in the very image of my old gossip, Goodman Brown, the grandfather of the silly fellow that now is. But -- would your worship believe it? -- my broomstick hath strangely disappeared, stolen, as I suspect, by that unhanged witch, Goody Cory, and that, too, when I was all anointed with the juice of smallage, and cinquefoil, and wolf's bane''
3. ``You will think better of this by and by,'' said his acquaintance, composedly. ``Sit here and rest yourself a while; and when you feel like moving again, there is my staff to help you along.'' Without more words, he threw his companion the maple stick, and was as speedily out of sight as if he had vanished into the deepening gloom. The young man sat a few moments by the roadside, applauding himself greatly”
Young Goodman Brown – A young man, who is trying to be an upstanding citizen. He fails at doing so because all people are somewhat bad. Brown is a common name; he represents the common man.
Faith – Young Goodman Brown’s wife, he has lost all faith in her. She represents faith in humanity.
The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – The Devil; evil; temptation. Everyone travels down this road with him.
Goody Cloyse – Religious hypocrisy, corruption
The Ceremony – The sinful nature of people; baptism or confirmation; celebrating sin.
The Pink Ribbon – Innocence; when the ribbon falls, the innocence is gone. Losing faith, he has also lost Faith, his wife, forever.
Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – A person’s moral journey; seeing beneath the surface of everyone to who they really are.
2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:
Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish
The theme of “Young Goodman Brown” is the morality, or lack thereof, that people have. Brown thinks that everyone in his town is good, but when he goes to this satanic ceremony, he realizes that all of the people he knows are not actually as good as he thought they were. The message of the theme is that all people are bad in some way. People may look, on the outside, to be perfect and good, but on the inside, they are bad. The elements used to establish this theme were the characters and the setting. The characters play a very large roll because Brown loses all of his faith in them when he finds out that they are not all the good people he made them out to be. The setting is also very important because the woods at night are a very dark place, and often described as horrifying and terrible.
In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.
1. “The deacons of many a church have drunk the communion wine with me; the selectmen of divers towns make me their chairman; and a majority of the Great and General Court are firm supporters of my interest. The governor and I, too -- But these are state secrets.''
2. ``Yea, truly is it, and in the very image of my old gossip, Goodman Brown, the grandfather of the silly fellow that now is. But -- would your worship believe it? -- my broomstick hath strangely disappeared, stolen, as I suspect, by that unhanged witch, Goody Cory, and that, too, when I was all anointed with the juice of smallage, and cinquefoil, and wolf's bane''
3. ``You will think better of this by and by,'' said his acquaintance, composedly. ``Sit here and rest yourself a while; and when you feel like moving again, there is my staff to help you along.'' Without more words, he threw his companion the maple stick, and was as speedily out of sight as if he had vanished into the deepening gloom. The young man sat a few moments by the roadside, applauding himself greatly”
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Journal #11 - Walden
“Where I Lived and What I Lived For” (232)
Live life only dealing with the essentials. It is about a man who lives in the woods. He wants to live life simply, and he finds that that is the best way to live. He finds that it is best to live on the essentials. He grew and hunted for food and lived near a pond to get water. He is a nonconformist and thinks about how he has all the time for himself. His life is not wasted on distractions.
Quote: “To drive into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms…”
“Sounds” (234)
He wants to just hear everything and he finds it very amusing. He entertains himself by listening and watching nature. Most people need other people to entertain them. He is able to live a very simple lifestyle.
Quote: “I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theatre, that my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel.”
“Brute Neighbors” (235)
The ants are just like people. They fight and celebrate like people. He exaggerated the greatness of ants to understate the greatness of people. Everything is equal. It is transcendental art. People are equal to nature. There is very little difference. All creatures are very similar. The ants act differently from one another, just like humans, but they are all very alike. Neighbors are normally thought of as good, while these ants are fighting.
Quote: “I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellum, 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” (237)
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 a 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” (238)
Everything changes so quickly. Flowers and creatures grow again. The pond thaws out. He goes fishing and cannot think of death. Spring is about “re-birth” and “re-creation.” Everything comes alive again. It is a very special time, because the world is recreated. All of a sudden everything is blooming. Life has to move on, and people have to move on.
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.”
Live life only dealing with the essentials. It is about a man who lives in the woods. He wants to live life simply, and he finds that that is the best way to live. He finds that it is best to live on the essentials. He grew and hunted for food and lived near a pond to get water. He is a nonconformist and thinks about how he has all the time for himself. His life is not wasted on distractions.
Quote: “To drive into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms…”
“Sounds” (234)
He wants to just hear everything and he finds it very amusing. He entertains himself by listening and watching nature. Most people need other people to entertain them. He is able to live a very simple lifestyle.
Quote: “I had this advantage, at least, in my mode of life, over those who were obliged to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theatre, that my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel.”
“Brute Neighbors” (235)
The ants are just like people. They fight and celebrate like people. He exaggerated the greatness of ants to understate the greatness of people. Everything is equal. It is transcendental art. People are equal to nature. There is very little difference. All creatures are very similar. The ants act differently from one another, just like humans, but they are all very alike. Neighbors are normally thought of as good, while these ants are fighting.
Quote: “I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellum, 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” (237)
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 a 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” (238)
Everything changes so quickly. Flowers and creatures grow again. The pond thaws out. He goes fishing and cannot think of death. Spring is about “re-birth” and “re-creation.” Everything comes alive again. It is a very special time, because the world is recreated. All of a sudden everything is blooming. Life has to move on, and people have to move on.
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.”
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Journal #10 - Insight
In Shakespearean tragedies, the tragic heroes have a moment of insight, where they realize what they have done. Othello’s insight at the end of the play is when he realizes that he has unjustly killed the love of his life. He decides to kill himself because that will make it better for all parties involved. Iago will go to jail, Cassio gets the job he deserves, Othello still has a high standing reputation, and he can be with Desdemona forever. Othello realizes that he has made a major mistake, but is trying to rise above it and make everyone’s lives better.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Journal #9 - Free Will
Using the above definitions, write a paragraph that argues in support of each of the terms. In your paragraphs, use specific examples from Othello to support your ideas.
Free will and determinism are very large aspects of human life and Othello. Free will is when a person chooses freely in their life and is not confined by outside forces. Determinism is that, when people make a decision, there are inevitable consequences that will affect people, not just the one who made the decision, for many years after the decision is made. Desdemona uses free will to choose to be with Othello in the beginning of the play. This has nothing to do with outside forces because not many people actually wanted them to be together to begin with. Othello choosing to marry Desdemona, a woman that he barely knew, so quickly is an example of Determinism because that decision brought on consequences for him, Desdemona, and many other people. This decision resulted in Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo’s death, Cassio being wounded, and Iago’s demise. Free will and determinism were driving points in Othello, and often in everyday life.
Free will and determinism are very large aspects of human life and Othello. Free will is when a person chooses freely in their life and is not confined by outside forces. Determinism is that, when people make a decision, there are inevitable consequences that will affect people, not just the one who made the decision, for many years after the decision is made. Desdemona uses free will to choose to be with Othello in the beginning of the play. This has nothing to do with outside forces because not many people actually wanted them to be together to begin with. Othello choosing to marry Desdemona, a woman that he barely knew, so quickly is an example of Determinism because that decision brought on consequences for him, Desdemona, and many other people. This decision resulted in Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo’s death, Cassio being wounded, and Iago’s demise. Free will and determinism were driving points in Othello, and often in everyday life.
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