Don't complain about optimism

APO 96225 by Larry Rottmann is a somewhat depressing poem.  It tells the story of a conversation between a soldier and his mother through mail while he is in war.  There exchange is full of situational irony.  At first the soldier does not want to frighten his mother with the worries of war and says "Dear Mom, sure rains a lot here (line 3)."  However, she repeatedly asks for the truth about what is happening, and after several letters, her son tells her that he killed a man and bombed women and children.  However, this makes her too emotional, and the soldier's father has to write back telling him to be more pleasant.  The irony comes from the fact that the soldier's mother begged him to tell her the truth about the war; however, after hearing it, she did not want to hear it because it was too depressing.  The soldier's final repetition of the phrase "Dear Mom, sure rains here a lot" is humorous because he does change the response.  The phrase "a lot here" is changed to "here a lot."  However, the sentence is the same, even if the mother's knowledge of the situation is different.  I think that people tend to do this same kind of behavior quite often.  People act happy when they are actually sad, and people who know better still play along.  People who can recognize problems in government and society often feel like they are too difficult to fix, and so pretend that everything is fine.  I think the author is not only saying "Be careful what you wish for," but also pointing out the insanity of feigned naivety.  The mother's, or rather the father's final response to his son is ridiculous as his parents would know he is lying, but instead of facing the truth, they  pretend that everything is okay.  Optimism is great, but there is a point when its purpose is lost.

The fur and the old,odd people

I found Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield somewhat confusing.  At first I had no understanding of the story at all.  However, I think I am starting to understand the story after reading the questions at the end and taking notice of a few symbols.  The first thing I noticed is that the last paragraph of the story refers to another part of the story in paragraph five.  In paragraph 5, the speaker says: "They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they look like as though they'd just come from a line of sea, and beyond the blue sky with gold-veined clouds (par. 5)."  And in the last paragraph, it says she "went into the little dark room- her room like a cupboard-...(par. 18)"  Although Miss Brill doesn't admit it, she sees herself in the other people.  She sits quietly alone watching other people.  She is old, and her behavior could definitely be classified as odd (although who doesn't like to go people watching every once in a while?).  Second, I think Miss Brill's fur is also a symbol of herself.  At the beginning of the story she shakes the dust off of it and "rubbed the life back into the dim eyes (par. 1)."  Then, at the end, she quietly places it back in its box and thinks she heard something crying.  The unpacking and return of the fur from its box represent Miss Brill's trips every Sunday.  The walk and sitting in the park (I think that's where she is) give her a chance to escape from the solitude of her cupboard-like room.  Just like the moth powder-covered fur, she is old and past her prime, separated from the people she sees.  When she returns home at the end, the cries are her own, because just like the fur, she is being place back in the loneliness of her room.

Why do I always blog about foreshadowing?

In Bartleby the Scrivener by Herman Melvillle, I found Bartelby's situation of homelessness as no surprise.  There are multiple instances of foreshadowing in the story that hint at his circumstances.  First, the lawyer's description of Bartelby's appearance carries some significance.   "I can see that figure now - pallidly neat, pitiably respectable, incurably forlorn! It was Bartleby (p648)."  The diction in this passage is key.  Pallid means lifeless.  Pitiable alludes to his dire financial situation, and forlorn refers to his loneliness without family or home.  Without the knowledge of Bartelby's situation, this description seems pretty strange.  I took notice of the description when reading; however, I didn't realize the significance until later.  The less subtle hints came later when the lawyer talks about how he never saw Bartelby leave the office and how he noticed Ginger Nut bring him cookies.  At that point in the story, I found his diet and stillness really odd, and I began to wonder if he was living in the office.

Love Never Dies... (it was not a good sequel)

Love is a dangerous thing, yet that is what makes it so amazingly beautiful.  People love others, knowing that the other must at some point die, or the people themselves will die first.  People who choose to love ensure future misery.  One cannot love another without losing him or her.  This sacrifice is what makes love so great.  The final couplet of the poem That time of year by William Shakespeare recognizes this same idea.  The initial 3 quatrains of the poem use symbols of a  bare and dying tree, fading daylight, and the glowing ashes of a fire to represent a person approaching death.  The symbol of the fire specifically portrays that death is an essential part of life.  A fire must eventually die out, and life must eventually lead to death.  Then the final couplet states: "This though perceivest; which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which though must leave ere long (lines 13,14)."  The narrator knows that the person he (or she) is addressing (his wife?...or maybe husband?) loves him, and he knows that the love is so great and powerful, because the person knows that he is approaching death and must eventually die, but is not afraid to love anyway.

Death, You Just Got Owned...

I enjoyed reading Death, be not proud, by John Donne.  This poem talks about how death is not all-powerful or scary as most people think.  The poem goes against the stereotypical perception of death.  The poem states "And soonest our best men with thee do go (line 7)."  The speaker states that the best men are not conquered by death, they approach it readily and willingly.  He says that death is controlled by "fate, chance, kings, and desperate men."  Death is not omnipotent, occurrences on earth cause it; death can't simply end people's lives.  Death is even compared to peaceful sleep.  It's not even a bad thing.  Finally, he says "One short sleep passed, we wake eternally, And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die (lines 13, 14)."  He says that death isn't even eternal.  Humans will be taken from death to live eternal life.  Death, you just got owned...

You Gotta Fight... For Your Life... (to...party??)

In Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, Dylan Thomas uses many paradoxical expressions.  "Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight (line 13)."  "Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray (line 17)."  Theses paradoxical phrases may seem confusing at first.  However, these phrases do contribute to the meaning of the poem.  I think that the paradoxical expressions help portray the poignant nature of death.  The loss of a loved one is sad, but the realization of insights and wisdom acquired over the course of one's life are priceless.  In the poem, Thomas describes the attitudes of wise men, good men, wild men, and grave men about death.  None of the men approach death happily.  They all see how things could or should have been and are unhappy that their time is over.  I think, overall, the poem is saying through these literary strategies, that the narrator hopes his father approaches death consciously, sad about what could have been or could be.  He can accept the death, but doesn't want his father to die suddenly, unaware of what is happening.  He wants his father to fight for life.

The One Without a Title... ( a.k.a foreshadowing)

In William Faulkner's A Rose For Emily, there are many events which lead up to the discovery of a dead man in the room. The discovery is foreshadowed greatly. The reader can anticipate that Emily murdered Homer Barron. In paragraph 27, the novel describes her brief period of insanity when her father dies. "She told them that her father was not dead." This serves as a foundation for the readers suspicions. Then the story talks about how she bought arsenic without saying why. Homer's homosexuality and disappearance into her house are also described. The strange smell from her house mentioned in paragraph 16 also alerts the reader that something strange happened in her house. Although the full extent of her obsession is not evident until the town people break into the room when her gifts for him and his body are discovered, her crime can be reasonably predicted.

Stoning on a Beautiful Summer Day

In The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, imagery plays a critical role. Imagery is used throughout the novel, beginning in the first paragraph. "The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green (par. 1)." The chief effect of this imagery is to show the indifference of the villagers. To a first-time reader, the lottery seems like a fun, lighthearted social event because of their attitudes. It isn't until later in the story that there are even slight signs of fear. The cheerful imagery represents the cheerful attitudes of the people contrary to the gravity of the stoning they are about to conduct. The black box and black dots on the paper along with the distance of the people from the pile of stones represent the darkness of the lottery's true nature. Ultimately, this helps contribute to the theme of the work. The villages are disconnected with the reality of what they are doing. Instead of questioning why they are murdering people, they blindly follow the tradition of the lottery.

The End

So what's up with the end of  The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams?  I understood everything that happened up until the point that Tom started to narrate again.  Laura had finally made progress against her shyness thanks to Jim, but she still had little hope of a future husband.  Amanda frustrated and blames Tom and Laura for their failure.  Tom is still hopeful for escape from his current life.  All is good (or I guess not really).  Then Tom says "Oh Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be! I reach for a cigarette... -anything that can blow your candles out!  ...Blow out your candles, Laura - and so goodbye... (p 1289).  Then the stage notes say that Laura blows out the candles on stage and the play ends.  I'm lost.  At first I thought that Laura had died.  Now I think that the passage simply means that Tom is constantly reminded of Laura and regrets leaving her being  extinguishing almost any chance of her future marriage and success.  What really confused me was Laura blowing out the candles.  I don't think it symbolizes the end of her struggles nor do I think it symbolizes her death, but maybe it does.  It could symbolize the fact that she is no longer dependent on Tom.  I don't know.  The only thing I know for sure is that Tom never truly escaped his "coffin" in St. Louis.  His pursuit of of happiness through freedom did not truly get him what he wanted.

The Unicorn

As we stated in class, Laura's glass collection is the chief symbol in The Glass MEnagerie  by Tennessee Williams.  It represents Laura and her extreme fragility.  With this is mind, I was intrigued when the glass was presented in a very noticeable way in scene 7.  On page 1281, Laura talks about her glass unicorn ornament, which happens to be her favorite.  She says "He stays on a shelf with some horses that don't have horns and all of them seem to get along nicely together....   I haven't heard arguments among them!(p 1281)."  The unicorn represents Laura, set apart from the people around her by her disability, which resulted in her shyness.  Her shyness is also represented by the fact that she says the horses and unicorn don't argue, implying that they are quiet and don't argue, much like Laura herself.  The metaphor is further expanded when Laura and Jim are dancing.  They bump into the shelf of glass and the unicorn falls over, breaking of its horn.  The unicorn is now just like the other horses.  Similarly, Jim taught Laura that night to be confident and not ashamed of her disability.  The question remains whether or not Laura's shyness is truly cured, but regardless, her night with Jim taught her a great lesson.

A Nailed-Up Coffin

I noticed an example of symbolism in scene 4 of The Glass Menagerie of Tennessee Williams.  In this portion of the scene, Tom talks about seeing a magic show at the movie theater.  The last trick he describes involves the magician being nailed into a coffin and then escaping.  On page 1249 Tom points out the symbolism, saying: "You know it don't take much intelligence to get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura.  But who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail?"  This shows Tom's frustration toward his current situation.  He wants to escape from his current life and live a life of freedom and adventure.   However, he is stuck working his current job because his father left and he must provide for his mother and sister.  He is stuck inside his own coffin without any method of escape.  On another level, the coffin is a metaphor for his father.  In the stage directions, it says that the picture of Tom's father lights up as if to answer the question.  His father managed to escape his own imprisonment by fleeing from the family completely.  When examined under that light, Tom's symbol can be seen as foreshadowing of his own departure.

Foreshadowing Tom's departure

After reading the end of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, I realized that there were multiple occurrences of foreshadowing throughout the play.  The first example takes place when Tom walks onstage at the beginning of scene one.  "Tom enters, dressed as a merchant sailor...( p 1236)."  At first, I barely even noticed this minor detail.  However, later on in the play, Tom's dialogue explains the significance of this detail.  On page 1268, Tom reveals he has become a member of the Union of Merchant Seamen.  The nature of his uniform is then understood by the audience.  Together, both details foreshadow Tom leaving his family to be a merchant seaman.  Although he doesn't leave until after the events of the play, the reader/audience can infer that Tom will eventually leave.  Combined with his desire for adventure and his hatred of his job, Tom's departure at the end of the play is a logical fulfillment of all the earlier foreshadowing.

Tom's Narration

In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, I noticed a lot of moments where the play switches to a direct first person perspective, narrated by Tom.  At several points during the play, Tom directly addresses the audience, filling in details about the story.  In fact, the play begins with Tom speaking to the audience.  " I am the narrator of the play and also a character in it ( p. 1236)."  With this style of narration, Williams can address the audience, and he can clarify different aspects of the play.  In some parts, Tom identifies symbolism.  In other parts, he tells the reader about events that don't occur onstage.  Without Tom's narration, the play would be more realistic, but the audience might miss out on several insights on the significance of events that take place.  I liked Tom's narration because it helped me understand what I read.  I think it is a defining characteristic of The Glass Menagerie.