The Apparition
John Donne
Donne uses foreshadowing throughout his poem, The Apparition. The word "apparition" literally translates to "a ghostlike figure." I was able to conclude that the poem was spoken from the point of view of a deceased lover. The ghost is saying that he will haunt any other man who tries to appeal to his lover when he was alive. The ghost says that he will "...come to thy bed, and thee, feigned vestal, in worse arms shall see..."(Donne, 889). This is an example of foreshadowing in showing that the ghost will appear to any possible suitors. If these men approach the ghost's lover, then the ghost will scare them off. The ghost's lover was under the impression that she would be free from her lover after he died. However, the ghost is going to ensure that she does not feel any sense of security despite his recent death. I believe that the relationship with the deceased man and the woman was not a desirable relationship. I feel as though she would not be wanting to be "free from all solicitation..."(Donne, 889) from the deceased man.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Love Me Not 3
Popular Mechanics
Raymond Carver
Carver establishes the mood of Popular Mechanics by his use of diction. Much of the diction used is diction that implies negativity and struggle. A couple is going through a separation throughout the poem. The couple appears to be fighting over who will get to keep their child. Some of the diction used shows that the fight that the couple is having will not be resolved cleanly. "The kitchen window gave no light. In the near-dark he worked on her fisted fingers with one hand and with the other hand he gripped the screaming baby up under an arm near the shoulder"(Carver). The diction that Carver uses indicates that the fighting is violent and physical. The man seems to be willing to go to any cost in order to keep his child. I was surprised that the man was violently fighting with his wife. I felt as though this would make her even more wary to allow him to spend time with their child. After this fight, I admired the mother for going to all costs in order to protect her child. The diction not only showed the violence of the fight, but it also showed that the mother was going to great lengths in order to be protective.
Raymond Carver
Carver establishes the mood of Popular Mechanics by his use of diction. Much of the diction used is diction that implies negativity and struggle. A couple is going through a separation throughout the poem. The couple appears to be fighting over who will get to keep their child. Some of the diction used shows that the fight that the couple is having will not be resolved cleanly. "The kitchen window gave no light. In the near-dark he worked on her fisted fingers with one hand and with the other hand he gripped the screaming baby up under an arm near the shoulder"(Carver). The diction that Carver uses indicates that the fighting is violent and physical. The man seems to be willing to go to any cost in order to keep his child. I was surprised that the man was violently fighting with his wife. I felt as though this would make her even more wary to allow him to spend time with their child. After this fight, I admired the mother for going to all costs in order to protect her child. The diction not only showed the violence of the fight, but it also showed that the mother was going to great lengths in order to be protective.
Love Me Not 2
The Story of an Hour
Kate Chopin
Chopin's use of imagery in The Story of an Hour allows for the reader to envision the type of pain that Mrs. Mallard is experiencing. After Mrs. Mallard is told that her husband has died, she stays seated in a chair where she observes the happenings outside of a window. As she contemplates her life after her husband has died, she begins to experience feelings of helplessness. "She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams"(Chopin). After reading this portion of the story, I was able to visualize what Mrs. Mallard looked like as she mourned her husband's death. I feel as though her feelings of motionless were more of a shock from losing her soul mate. Once someone's soul mate has passed, I feel as though a part of that person has died as well. When two people become so invested in each other, they cannot help but become one entity. Through Chopin's use of imagery, I was able to envision the way in which soul mates are connected. Mrs. Mallard and her husband would not be separated from each other for long, which is truly how soul mates live and die.
Kate Chopin
Chopin's use of imagery in The Story of an Hour allows for the reader to envision the type of pain that Mrs. Mallard is experiencing. After Mrs. Mallard is told that her husband has died, she stays seated in a chair where she observes the happenings outside of a window. As she contemplates her life after her husband has died, she begins to experience feelings of helplessness. "She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams"(Chopin). After reading this portion of the story, I was able to visualize what Mrs. Mallard looked like as she mourned her husband's death. I feel as though her feelings of motionless were more of a shock from losing her soul mate. Once someone's soul mate has passed, I feel as though a part of that person has died as well. When two people become so invested in each other, they cannot help but become one entity. Through Chopin's use of imagery, I was able to envision the way in which soul mates are connected. Mrs. Mallard and her husband would not be separated from each other for long, which is truly how soul mates live and die.
Love Me Not 1
You're Ugly, Too
Lorrie Moore
Moore does an excellent job of making the character in You're Ugly, Too, Zoe Hendricks, a very interesting character. I could easily tell within the first few pages of the story that Zoe had a biting sense of sarcasm. The use of personification is used in order to prove Zoe's sarcastic nature. As Zoe's sister, Evan, inquires about her love life, Zoe says that she is seeing her house. "I'm tending to it when it wets, when it cries, when it throws up"(Moore, 357). This reply personifies Zoe's house while still providing evidence for Zoe's sarcastic nature. It seems as though Zoe is never truly genuine with anyone throughout the course of the story. All of her comments seem to tinged with some sort of ingenuity. Through Moore's use of personification, Zoe's character is proven to be even less genuine than before. I feel as though Zoe's sarcasm is fueled by her opinion that her life is mediocre. She seems to think that the only way to prove that she is not ashamed of her life is to make jokes out of everything relating to her life.
Lorrie Moore
Moore does an excellent job of making the character in You're Ugly, Too, Zoe Hendricks, a very interesting character. I could easily tell within the first few pages of the story that Zoe had a biting sense of sarcasm. The use of personification is used in order to prove Zoe's sarcastic nature. As Zoe's sister, Evan, inquires about her love life, Zoe says that she is seeing her house. "I'm tending to it when it wets, when it cries, when it throws up"(Moore, 357). This reply personifies Zoe's house while still providing evidence for Zoe's sarcastic nature. It seems as though Zoe is never truly genuine with anyone throughout the course of the story. All of her comments seem to tinged with some sort of ingenuity. Through Moore's use of personification, Zoe's character is proven to be even less genuine than before. I feel as though Zoe's sarcasm is fueled by her opinion that her life is mediocre. She seems to think that the only way to prove that she is not ashamed of her life is to make jokes out of everything relating to her life.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Love Unit 4
Delight in Disorder
Robert Herrick
In Delight in Disorder, Herrick poses questions of how one interprets beauty. He believes that beauty is most enticing when one is not quite sure what he thinks is beautiful. Confusion becomes the most interesting aspect to beauty. This concept makes sense because with confusion comes different types of unique interpretations among everyone involved. In the poem, Herrick's usage of contradictions indicate that he is indeed confused. However, even in his conveyance of confusion, the reader is still able to tell that he is finding some beauty in what he is watching. "An erring lace, which here and there enthralls the crimson stomacher"(Herrick, 979). This quote indicates that even in his confusion, he is engrossed in the woman over which is confused. Perhaps confusion is the most interesting way of feeling in love. Herrick is showing that feeling in love can be a confusing feeling because it is unlike any other feeling. He wants to show that confusion is a promising sign that one could be falling in love.
Robert Herrick
In Delight in Disorder, Herrick poses questions of how one interprets beauty. He believes that beauty is most enticing when one is not quite sure what he thinks is beautiful. Confusion becomes the most interesting aspect to beauty. This concept makes sense because with confusion comes different types of unique interpretations among everyone involved. In the poem, Herrick's usage of contradictions indicate that he is indeed confused. However, even in his conveyance of confusion, the reader is still able to tell that he is finding some beauty in what he is watching. "An erring lace, which here and there enthralls the crimson stomacher"(Herrick, 979). This quote indicates that even in his confusion, he is engrossed in the woman over which is confused. Perhaps confusion is the most interesting way of feeling in love. Herrick is showing that feeling in love can be a confusing feeling because it is unlike any other feeling. He wants to show that confusion is a promising sign that one could be falling in love.
Love Unit 3
Lonely Hearts
Wendy Cope
In Lonely Hearts, Cope uses the literary technique of mood to convey her message. The mood of this poem was impatient with the repetition of the line "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" at the end of each stanza. The mood created by the writer is somewhat humorous though. The narrator is clearly trying to diversify herself in order to appeal to anyone who may be her soul mate. However, her personality characteristics are subject to change depending on who she is communicating with. The narrator is willing to go through a number of drastic personality changes in order for someone to love her. The way in which Cope goes about showing the multiple personality characteristics contributes to the somewhat humorous mood of the poem. For example, she says in line four that she is "gay vegetarian whose friends are few"(Cope, 973). However, she contradicts herself by saying that she is "perhaps bisexual..."(Cope, 973) in line eight. Her capricious views will not allow her to find someone who is truly compatible. This message is conveyed through Cope's humorous mood of her poem.
Wendy Cope
In Lonely Hearts, Cope uses the literary technique of mood to convey her message. The mood of this poem was impatient with the repetition of the line "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" at the end of each stanza. The mood created by the writer is somewhat humorous though. The narrator is clearly trying to diversify herself in order to appeal to anyone who may be her soul mate. However, her personality characteristics are subject to change depending on who she is communicating with. The narrator is willing to go through a number of drastic personality changes in order for someone to love her. The way in which Cope goes about showing the multiple personality characteristics contributes to the somewhat humorous mood of the poem. For example, she says in line four that she is "gay vegetarian whose friends are few"(Cope, 973). However, she contradicts herself by saying that she is "perhaps bisexual..."(Cope, 973) in line eight. Her capricious views will not allow her to find someone who is truly compatible. This message is conveyed through Cope's humorous mood of her poem.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Love Unit 2
Eveline
James Joyce
In Eveline, Joyce makes note of the internal conflict that overcomes the narrator. The narrator expresses her need to leave her home. She is engaged to a man by the name of Frank. This man is going to take her with him to Buenos Aires where she will finally become free from her home. However, as the time nears for her to move with with Frank, she begins to have cold feet. "She had consented to go away, to leave her home. Was that wise? She tried to weigh each side of the question"( Joyce, 219). She had received the permission to leave her home, but she did not know if that is what she truly wanted. I feel as though the narrator's internal conflict was fueled by her being averse to change. She had become so used to the routine that she was currently a part of at home. Her internal conflict on whether to leave her home or not is deeper than just deciding on whether or not to move. She is also dealing with her indecisive nature fueled by her lack of exposure to any place besides her home.
Love Unit 1
How I Met My Husband
Alice Munro
In How I Met My Husband, Munro invokes a great deal of thought for the reader. I felt as though Munro also had a variety of characters in her work. Munro used the literary technique of a round character in How I Met My Husband. Edie was the round character in this work. At the beginning of the story, I thought that she was more of an innocent, laid-back character. However, as the story continued forward, she started to show more complex qualities and began to show more emotion for other characters such as Chris. As the story neared the ending, she also began to make a few life revelations which contributed to her being a round character. By developing a mature, in-depth thought process, she was clearly displaying characteristics of a round character. Near the end of the story, Edie realizes what kind of woman she wants to become. "If there were women all through life waiting, and women busy and not waiting, I knew which I had to be. Even though there might be things the second kind of women have to pass up and never know about, it still is better"(Munro, 147). This quote indicates that Edie knew that she needed to be the type of woman that did not let her life become consumed by hopelessness.
Alice Munro
In How I Met My Husband, Munro invokes a great deal of thought for the reader. I felt as though Munro also had a variety of characters in her work. Munro used the literary technique of a round character in How I Met My Husband. Edie was the round character in this work. At the beginning of the story, I thought that she was more of an innocent, laid-back character. However, as the story continued forward, she started to show more complex qualities and began to show more emotion for other characters such as Chris. As the story neared the ending, she also began to make a few life revelations which contributed to her being a round character. By developing a mature, in-depth thought process, she was clearly displaying characteristics of a round character. Near the end of the story, Edie realizes what kind of woman she wants to become. "If there were women all through life waiting, and women busy and not waiting, I knew which I had to be. Even though there might be things the second kind of women have to pass up and never know about, it still is better"(Munro, 147). This quote indicates that Edie knew that she needed to be the type of woman that did not let her life become consumed by hopelessness.
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