Tragedy--> Macbeth

A.) Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time.
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.
Out, out, brief candle.
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more.
It is a tale Told by an idiot,
full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

Macbeth's response upon learning of Lady Macbeth's death is one of the most powerful passages of the entire play. This passage displays his dependence upon Lady Macbeth for strength and motivation and his deep love for her. He feels that life in no longer worth living now that she is gone. He relates life to a "tale told by an idiot...signifying nothing" because he feels that life is basically not worth living without his wife just as a tale told by an idiot is not worth listening to. This passage ties into the theme of masculinity vs. femininity that is present throughout the entire work. The fact that Macbeth was so reliant upon Lady Macbeth for willpower and support was a typical gender role reversal. Lady Macbeth was the one with the real control in their relationship. She was the one manipulating Macbeth by telling him he could not be a coward and making him feel he had to prove his masculinity. This is ironic because behind the scenes she is the one playing the cards. Lady Macbeth is not your traditional loving, innocent housewife; she is dominant, demanding, and absolutely insistant upon Macbeth obtaining the power of the kingship.

As soon as Lady Macbeth dies, Macbeth slowly begins to crumble because he was so reliant upon her. He basically consulted her on every move he made and looked to her to justify and assure himself that what he was doing indeed was the right thing to do. After her death, Macbeth's downfall and ultimate murder follow fairly quickly. In this passage, Macbeth pretty much says that life is just going to drag on and on with no point whatsoever now that his wife is gone. Lady Macbeth definitely would not have felt the same way if Macbeth had died. In this relationship, although both of them are fairly horrible, Macbeth is the softer and more caring while Lady Macbeth is the more canniving and guiltless. Macbeth actually struggles with himself and the person he is becoming a couple of times throughout the course of the play, while Lady Macbeth washes her hands clean of the blood and moves right on. She is certainly the more aggressive and hardened character.

B.) Macbeth is most certainly categorized as a tragedy. The character of Macbeth, through his own actions and ambition, causes his own downfall. Though once credited as a brave military leader, Macbeth lets his greed and desire for power ultimately destroy him. The definition of a tragedy is a dramatic composition dealing with a serious or somber theme typically involving a great person destined through a flaw of character to downfall or destruction. Macbeth obviously falls under this category because though he could have been great and revered for his abilities, he wants more and more and lets his ambition destroy his personality. The reader has to feel some degree of sympathy for Macbeth in this play because his greed causes him nothing but more and more misery and despair. I think Macbeth realizes the wretched person he has allowed himself to become when Lady Macbeth dies and he is left with basically nothing but to await his death, which he seems to know is inevitable as an army marches toward him.

The difference between the Macbeth that is engulfed and blinded by his own ambition and the Macbeth that could have lived happily had he not been given the witch's prophecies is so dramatic that the reader must pity the way things turned out. This drastic difference and change in personality when presented with an oppurtunity for power enforced the theme that power can be costly, even deadly, and can cause changes in people that could never have been expected.

C.) I enjoyed this play but it was probably my least favorite of the Shakespearean plays we have read this year. I thought the killing got to be a little too much and was not really necessary after a while. The theme of the desire for power being a force too powerful for Macbeth to overcome was clear and I did not really think quite that many murders were needed to accentuate the theme. I did like the gender role reversals in the beginning of the play and the character of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth was an extremely powerful character, though terribly evil, and she served as the driving force behind Macbeth's actions, assuring him all along that he was doing the right thing and manipulating him by making everything into a test of masculinity.

Lady Macbeth is not your traditional wife, especially in the time that this play was written, and I appreciate the fact that in the actual plays she is almost always depicted as fairly attractive. Generally evil people are depicted as ugly or deformed, but Lady Macbeth is deceiving because her appearance does not parallel her personality. I also found myself pitying Macbeth, even though he was a pretty horrible person, because he was so mislead and power-hungry that he basically destroyed his own life and caused his own misery.

Comedy-->A Midsummer Night's Dream

A.) My favorite parts of this play were definitely the conversations between Bottom and his idiotic friends while preparing their play. Their complete foolishness, mis-wordings, and conceit were hilarious. One of the most ridiculous exchanges is here.
STARVELING:
I believe we must leave the killing out, when all is done.
BOTTOM:
Not a whit: I have a device to make all well.
Write me a prologue; and let the prologue seem to
say, we will do no harm with our swords, and that
Pyramus is not killed indeed; and, for the more
better assurance, tell them that I, Pyramus, am not
Pyramus, but Bottom the weaver: this will put them
out of fear.
QUINCE:
Well, we will have such a prologue; and it shall be
written in eight and six.
BOTTOM:
No, make it two more; let it be written in eight and eight.
SNOUT:
Will not the ladies be afeard of the lion?
STARVELING:
I fear it, I promise you.
BOTTOM:
Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves: to
bring in--God shield us!--a lion among ladies, is a
most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful
wild-fowl than your lion living; and we ought to
look to 't.
SNOUT:
Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion.
BOTTOM:
Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must
be seen through the lion's neck: and he himself
must speak through, saying thus, or to the same
defect,--'Ladies,'--or 'Fair-ladies--I would wish
You,'--or 'I would request you,'--or 'I would
entreat you,--not to fear, not to tremble: my life
for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it
were pity of my life: no I am no such thing; I am a
man as other men are;' and there indeed let him name
his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner.


I chose this passage because it really displayed the studpidity of Bottom and his fellow actors, if we can really call them actors. Bottom is so impressed with himself that he genuinely believes his acting may confuse and frighten the audience and feels the need to add in a prologue just to assure the ladies, whom he obviously considers very fragile and easily deceived, that the lion is actually a real man and that no one will actually be harmed with their swords. Bottom is the ring-leader of the charades in the group and he is definitely the most egotistical. He pretty much declares that he should just play all the roles when Quince is naming the parts. The way he makes adding the prologue and being way overly-sensitive so as not to frighten the audience such a big and important issue proves that he really has nothing better to do with his time. The funniest part of the entire scene is the fact that Bottom does not recognize his arrogance at all. He does not filter what he says and he certainly does not try to avoid making himself seem arrogant and conceited. He does not even realize how obnoxious he sounds.

Another part of the diction that immensely contributed to the comedy was the frequent misuse, misspelling, and incorrect pronunciation by these characters. In the passage above, Snout asks whether the ladies will be "afeard" of the lion. A grown man mispronouncing this word in such a childish way evoked a really comical image in my head. I could picture the group of men prancing around like toddlers thinking up all these "clever" ideas to make their play even better than it already is. Bottom is the glory-hog, constantly fighting to be the center of attention and have everyone recognize and praise his amazing capabilities. The fact that he thinks he is so great and yet his name is Bottom is also comical and ironic. The name Bottom, to me, connotates someone low down and barely mediocre yet Bottom seems to think he is the cream of the crop.

The way Bottom is genuinely trying to cater to the ladies in the audience by repeatedly ensuring them that the play is not real and the characters are actually men is hilarious and ironic at the same time. Bottom obviously is under the impression that the ladies in the audience will be so weak-minded and fragile that they will be fooled by the outstanding acting in the play and think the events are actually occuring. He feels so strongly about this that he insists upon a prologue and constant reminders throughout the play's production. The irony is in the fact that Bottom seems to feel the ladies are the foolish ones yet he is the biggest fool of all. He looks down upon others yet he is the one at the bottom of the intelligence and reality scale. Shakespeare made great use of diction to develop the comedy of this play.



B.) Although I do not generally think of Shakespeare as a comedy writer, he did a great job of representing a seriuos theme in a jovial and light-hearted way. The theme of this play was that love is often misleading and does not always, or usually for that matter, go as planned. Generally Shakespeare's themes of love are created in tragedies and dramas but this play was different. I enjoyed the fact that Shakespeare used a comedy to depict love's hardships and complications rather than a tragedy and was still able to get his point across. Love is saved and order is restored only by the magic of the fairies in the play. This tie to magic symbolized that love rarely happens according to plan and it is truly magic when love does play out perfectly.

Shakespeare establishes humor throughout the play by incorporating the misspellings and mispronunciations of the Athenian craftsman and through many of the comic exchanges between Demetrius and Helena, who is basically an obsessive stalker. I found Demetrius' blunt and harsh responses to Helena's love very comical. Shakespeare utilizes irony in the scene where both Demetrius and Lysander fall in love with Helena and want nothing to do with Hermia and Helena takes it as cruel joke. By mixing up the love lives of the characters, Shakespeare effectively incorporates love's confusion and complexity.

C.) This was my favorite of the Shakespearean plays I have read because I actually found it very funny. Shakespeare uses a very dry sense of humor in this play that I happen to really enjoy. This play was a nice break from the usual tragedies and horrors that I tend to associate Shakespeare with. The character development was one of Shakespeare's best, in my opinion. He created several very different personalities and constructed the play with a couple of unique story lines that all run into one another at the conclusion. I found this play easy to follow and to understand as well. It was interesting because it switched from one story line to another so the reader did not lose interest in what was going on at any point.

I appreciated Shakespeare's ability to tie a real theme into an extremely light-hearted play. The concepts of love, magic, and nature were clearly present throughout the play even though as you were reading it you did not feel the need to get too in depth or interpretative of the words. There were no hidden meanings or obscure themes, at least that I know of. I did not find myself struggling with the plot or the overall meaning of the work at all which made it more fun and relaxing to read.

History--> Richard III

A.) "The tyrannous bloody deed is done/ The most arch of piteous massacre/ ...Their lips were four roses on a stalk,/ Which in their summer beauty kiss'd each other/ A book of prayers on their pillow lay"

This passage was particularly catching because of Shakespeare's excellent use of imagery to evoke sadness and horror within the reader. This speech was given by Tyrrel after having Edward IV's children killed. Richard wanted the children killed to secure his position as king and summoned Tyrell, a lowlife, to get the job done. The fact that Tyrell, someone detached from the family, feels such guilt over the murders of the two princes adds to the overall wretchedness of Richard, who takes in the news with joy. These contrasting reactions to the deaths really relay Richard's indifference and lack of conscience. Tyrell feels remorse yet Richard is thoroughly pleased with the news.

The imagery of the passage effectively contributed to the characterizion of Richard as a brutally heartless egotist. The contrasting images of "a bloody deed" and "piteous massace" to the images of "roses on a stalk" and "summer beauty" signify the loss of innocence, a major theme in this play. The children are described with references to nature in this passage representing the fact that they are the innocent and honest heirs to the throne and Richard is disrupting the natural flow of power in order to get what he wants. One line in the passage, "We smothered the most replenished sweet work of nature", speaks to the loss of innocence theme. Nature symbolizes purity which is being destroyed by Richard's selfish motives.

In this passage, the murder of the two children is depicted as bloody to make it all the more horrific. Although the children were smothered with a pillow, their death is portrayed as brutal to further enforce Richard's cruelty and callousness. The fact that Richard could have two innocent children murdered is a realization of Richard's unbelievable and unstoppable ego. Even Richard's most faithful followers are taken aback by his lack of compassion. When ordering Buckingham to have the princes taken care of, for the first time, Buckingham hesitates to do as he is told. He starts to understand that Richard will literally stop at nothing to gain the kingship. This passage does a terrific job of eliciting repulsion of Richard from the reader by appealing to one's emotion with the description of the poor harmless princes clutching each other in death. It is somewhat of a turning point in the play as Richard's followers get a taste of his bitterness and start to understand that absolutley no one means anything to Richard and he will let no one get in his way of the throne.

B.) Shakespeare was able to create an intiguing play from a historical genre, something difficult for any author to achieve. Generally, history fails to be extremely interesting and captivating, at least in my opinion, and I give a lot of credit to Shakespeare's ability to tie the history and the facts in while still creating an entertaining play. Shakespeare dramatizes Richard III's cruelty and personalizes his wicked deeds to draw the audience to his work. Instead of just listing the facts and dryly running through each murder, Shakespeare sets the scene by portraying both sides of the situation. He personalizes the character of Richard by tying in his insecurities over being born deformed. This helped the reader to understand the historical context of the play in full by educating the reader on what most likely were Richard's inner motivations for his extreme egotism and desire for power.

The opening scene alone lays out Richard's feeling of worthlessness. In his opening monologue sketching out his evil plans, it is clear that Richard feels disempowered and extremely bitter about his physical appearance and he is determined to shatter that image of himself by gaining power and evoking fear and respect within the people around him. By adding this personal side of Richard, Shakespeare initially creates some element of pity and sympathy for Richard, which he later destroys as he describes Richard's callous and cold-hearted murders and utter lack of remorse. Shakespeare is able to get the reader involved in the history, taking away the boring aspect of the sheer facts and contributing emotion and attachment to the characters. The people become not just names but actual beings and the reader is able to relate to Queen Elizabeth's despair at the death of her sons and the Duchess of York's grief over her divided family.

C.) I personally enjoyed this play a lot which is something I definitely did not expect. I am not usually the type of person to enjoy reading nonfiction or historical works and assumed I would dislike Richard III based on the fact that it was a history. I was surprised by Shakespeare's capabilities as a writer because he excellently drew in his audience by appealing to the emotions of the reader. I actually felt sympathy and compassion toward the characters who lost their loved ones in Richard's ruthless campaign for the throne.

Shakespeare also provoked frustration from the reader as many of the characters were very niave to Richard's callousness and alterior motives. Richard's ability to win over LadyAnne, despite the fact that Richard killed both her husband and father-in-law, was beyond aggravating to me. Shakespeare incorporated the people's initial blindness to Richard's true- self to make the reader somewhat pity their inability to see the big picture. The frustration created by the people's ignorance added to the suspense and intensity of the play because the reader could foresee the misfortune ahead. Richard's clever way with words and power as a speaker, though frustrating in some circumstances, was an excellent device that he utilized well in getting what he wanted.

Shakespeare constructed the character of Richard in a very dynamic way. Even though I was repulsed by Richard's lack of remorse and conscience, I had to give him some credit for his slyness and way with words. He was able to turn even the worst situations in his favor and he used this to his great advantage in playing those around him to ultimately become king. Shakespeare presented a very complex character in Richard, portraying his inadequacies and feeling of worthlessness as the ultimate motives for his vengeful desire for power.

Poem 236- Dream of Fair Women

A.) "Dream of Fair Women", written by Ann Hayes, is about the difference between reality and fantasy. It is a very simple but eloquent poem that contains a message of the feminine role. The poem is written in four triplets called tercets due to their aaa-bbb-ccc rhyme scheme that make the poem very flowing and rhythmic. The poem includes some of the roles women have historically been marked with and recognizes the vast difference between the real world and the dream world and the acceptance of reality. The speaker is unidentified but I believe that it is a girl realizing that the images of the mother Mary and Eve have caused somewhat of a disillusionment of what women really are. The speaker is also coming to terms with her own fantasy world and grasping the reality that life is not perfect and no human being is without flaw. The lyrical sound of the poem makes it almost like a nursery rhyme which represents the message that, although we have been exposed to images of perfection and images of what women are supposed to be since childhood, we have to understand that these do not constitute reality. There is irony in the sound and sense of the poem being that the flowing childlike sound contradicts the underlying message that childhood fantasies are not real.

B.) The most prevalent literary device used in this poem was allusion. The poem contained allusions to Eve and the mother Mary from the bible and to sleeping beauty. These represented the images of women we have been exposed to since we were children. Eve was the foolish woman who naively fell for the devil's tricks and caused all of humankind to experience guilt and death. This reinforces the stereotype that women are always innocent, lack independence, and are in need of sheltering and protection. The allusion to sleeping beauty also contributes to the image of women as needy and reliant on the protection of men. The women are the victims that must look to the men to save them. The mother Mary represents the stereotype that women are angelic, lacking sin, and always doing good for others. Women are constantly depicted as innocent, which is something we see and imprint on from the time of our childhood. The speaker is referencing these stereotypical feminine roles to emphasize the fact that this simply is not reality. The speaker comes to terms with the fact that men are not "knights in shining armor" as is shown in the last stanza, "A sleeping beauty dreams her lover's grace,/ Opens her eyes upon a human face,/ Keeps up the human race" (Hayes 10-12) and is trying to convey the message that women are not helpless dependents either. Everyone must accept that humans are imperfect and that the image of ideal love is nothing more than a childhood fantasy. The poet also makes good use out of the repitition of "the lady gave her trust" to depict how constantly the woman is displayed as handing over her trust innocently and selflessly, as in the case with the mother Mary, to a man. Mary places her full faith in the angel Gabriel, sleeping beauty relies on the prince's kiss to save her, and Eve trusts the snake in the Garden of Eden. The repitition of this phrase emphasizes the images of women that are ingrained in our heads pretty much since we were born.

C.) I liked this poem because it was short, sweet, and to the point. It was not difficult to understand exactly what the poet was trying to say and the message was one of importance. I think alot of people have to realize that the common stereotypes our society places on the genders are foolish. Children are taught stereotypical gender roles through cartoons, music, video games, and a wealth of other things. Society tends to enforce these false images, which makes it difficult when it comes time for people to recognize and understand that relationships and people are much more complex than the Disney characters allow. I think Hayes used excellent allusions as examples of common stereotypes and they definitely helped drive home the point that women are much different than we are influenced to believe as children. I also enjoyed the contradiction between the nursery-like flow of the words and the message of breaking from childlike beliefs.

Poem 224- Desert Places

A.) This poem, by Robert Frost, describes the lonliness that is an unavoidable part of human nature and discusses the fact that lonliness is something that comes from within. The poem is a quatrain of 4 stanzas with a three-line rhyme scheme that goes AABA. The speaker is unidentified but is clearly someone who suffers from depression and feels that they are trapped with no facet for their emotions as demonstrated in the line, "With no expression, nothing to express"(Frost 12). I am going to refer to the speaker as "he" just for simplicity. The poem has a numbness that is greatly attributed to by the references to the cold and isolated aspects of nature. The poem is established in a very orderly fashion and the rhyme scheme helps it to flow smoothly. I think this contributes to the overall fact that life will go on despite the speaker's feeling of inescapable sadness. The pattern of the third line not rhyming with the rest symbolizes how pitfalls in life are a part of the human experience and we are going to hit some bumps along the way but life will continue nonetheless.

B.) Frost uses several literary devices including paradox, personification, imagery, and irony. The speaker is paralleling his emotional state of lonliness and desolation with the snow, nightfall, and infinite emptiness of space to convey the point that his lonliness is natural to him. The paradox is the fact that these vast things do not hold as much lonliness as the speaker holds within himself in his mind. The lines, "They cannot scare me with their empty spaces"(13) and "I have it in me so much nearer home/ To scare myself with my own desert places" (15-16) symbolize how the speaker feels about his lonliness. This paradox conveys the message that sometimes things seem so much bigger than they really are when we are personally experiencing them. The speaker believes he contains more lonliness and desolation, as symbolized by his "own desert places", than the entire universe. To help the reader better identify with the speaker's feelings toward his inner lonliness, Frost personifies the snow and the nightfall in the lines, "A blanker whiteness of benighted snow/ With no expression, nothing to express./ They cannot scare me with their empty spaces" (11-13). This also represents how the speaker cannot express his sadness just as the snow cannot; he is blank as well. The imagery of the poem adds to the meaning and experience of the poem also due to its ability to conjure an image within the reader's mind. The snow connotates cold, blankness, and winter, a time of death, while the nightfall conjures images of infinite darkness and lack of color and life to add to portray the speaker's utter emptiness and state of depression. Imagery also comes up in the lines, "And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,/ But a few weeds and stubble showing last"(3-4) represent how the speaker's situation is only going to get worse as the snow completely covers everything but also serves as a reminder that there is still life under the snow that will show again adding to the message that life goes on. Irony with the connotation that the stars in the line, "Between stars-on stars where no human race is"(14) brings adds to the message that things are not always as they seem, as with the speaker's feeling that his lonliness is bigger than the universe. Stars generally bring about images of inspiration, magesty, and happiness but here they are just another vast expanse of emptiness and isolation. This shows just how desperate the speaker feels toward his emotional situation.

C.) I really enjoyed the complexity of this poem that was hidden beneath the surface. Although it was definitely not an uplifting type of poem, it did represent the fact that life goes on despite anything that makes us feel like we will never be happy again. Everyone has circumstances or emotions that make them feel down and like they are just never going to feel good again but, when put in perspective, nothing is that big of a deal. Once we get past those initial feelings of loss and emptiness, we are generally able to see the bigger picture. I enjoyed the imagery of the poem as well because there are certainly times when I feel that there's just nothing I can do to pick myself out of a slump as was symbolized by the vast emptiness of the snow, night, and universe. I thought Frost did a superb job of tying in a great deal of meaning with the three-line rhyme scheme, paradox, personifcation, and irony to immensely contribute to the experience of the poem.

Poem 258-The Victims

A.) Sharon Olds poem "The Victims" is a personal account by a child that is now an adult and is reminiscing and venting on her childhood. I am going to refer to the speaker as her though it is not stated that the speaker and the poet are one and the same. The speaker is one of a couple of children who witnessed a bad relationship between their parents and were glad when their mother finally kicked their father out. The poem begins in the past tense discussing "when Mother divorced you" and how the kids were relieved and happy. The poem then changes to present tense as the child transitions to speaking as an adult and the mood somewhat changes to one of disappointment and loss from the previous spite. There is no real order to the poem which represents how the speaker is angry and resentful and just wants to get her words out and finally reach closure on her feelings. The sentences are all run-on and the speaker somewhat rambles to get her thoughts and memories out. There are odd breaks in the sentences indicating the speaker's emotional response to having to write out these suppressed feelings that she has obviously held with her for quite some time. The father in the poem seems to have been abusive in some way though it is not clear whether it was physical, verbal, or through neglect. I interpreted that the father was neglectful of his family, always choosing work over them, and possibly had affairs judging by the line, "your secretaries taken away,"(Olds 8). As an adult, the speaker seems more matter-of-fact and cold toward her father, basically feeling that he got what he deserved and now that so much time has passed there really is not much of a chance of ever reconciling their relationship. The mood of the second half is much more somber, accepting, and final symbolizing how the speaker has come to terms with the essential loss of any chance of a relationship with her father and her acceptance of the fact that he was selfish and only punished himself in the end. The switch from past to present tense adds to the finality of the situation and the overall fact that the speaker is done with concerning herself over her father. It is clear through the partially rushed sentences and many memories that the speaker wants to move past this disappointment and just look forward now. The structure adds to the somber mood of acceptance and need to express her repressed feelings.

B.) This poem utilizes a couple of literary devices including allusion, repition, and word choice that add to its meaning. The poet references Nixon's Watergate scandal in the lines, "Then you were fired, and we/ grinned inside, the way people grinned when/ Nixon's helicopter lifted off the South/ Lawn for the las time"(3-6). The father in the poem was compared to Nixon in that the father was the head of the household and Nixon was the head of the country and both failed to meet the standards of the people who relied on them. Both the father and Nixon were let-downs and the people around them both were happy to see them leave. The repitition in the lines "She took it and/ took it, in silence, all those years...(1-2) symbolize just how strained and emotionally taxing on the children the relationship between the parents was. This is repeated again later in the poem when the speaker is discussing how she sees bums on the street and wonders "who took it and took it from them in silence until they had/ given it all away..."(23-24) reminding the reader that she does not forget just how hurt she was by her father's behavior. The speaker mentions a list of things that were taken away when her father was fired such as the secretaries and the luncheons indicating just how much joy the children got out of seeing their father lose everything. The speaker seems very pleased to see these material possessions that were chosen over her and her family taken away from her father. She clearly feels that her father truly lost 'everything' when he lost his family but he was too selfish to see that and only really felt the pain when he lost his material goods. "Would they take your/ suits back, too, those dark/ carcasses hung in your closet"(11-13). This line particularly stuck out to me because the reference to dark carcasses in the closet evoked the connotation of skeletons in the closet which adds to my feeling that the father had affairs while on the job. The comparison of the bums which she calls "slugs" to her father emphasizes the extreme feelings of dislike and lack of respect for him. Although the second part of the poem is more sad than angry, it is not sadness directed toward the father but sadness directed at the fact that things had to turn out the way they did.

C.) I really liked this poem because I found it to be one of the most powerful that I have read so far. It is easy to put oneself in the speaker's shoes because she makes it so personal and specific that you feel like you are a part of her life. It is also easy to understand her emotions especially in today's society where divorce is so common and relationships are often times very strained and lack communication. This poem displayed just how badly a child can be affected by seeing this kind of neglectful relationship throughout their childhood and how pent up emotions can cause a great deal of psychological stress. The random pauses greatly assisted in representing what an emotional trauma the speaker has carried with her since childhood. The speaker clearly has bottled up her feelings toward her father and is finally releasing these pent up emotions so as to move on and reach closure on her loss of relationship.

Poem 295-I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

A.) This poem, by William Wordsworth, appears to be very simple but when looked at closely actually contains a great deal of meaning. The poem discusses the speaker's lonliness and how, when he is feeling down, he gets joy out of thinking upon the daffodils dancing in the breeze. This small natural occurence evokes happiness and inspiration in the speaker. The message of the poem is that sometimes the small things that often times go unnoticed in life are enough to bring about great thought and cheer and that nature is something that should be admired. Though the speaker is not identified, you may be able to connect the speaker to the poet as taken from the line, "A poet could not but by gay,"(Wordsworth 15). This line, of course, does not necessarily tie the speaker to the poet but it is a possibility. It is a quatrain-couplet, having four stanzas of six lines each all of approximately equal length. The poem has an ABABCC rhyme scheme that goes along superbly with the lyrical flow of the words. The rhyme scheme and orderly nature of the poem add to the overall pleasant and peaceful tone. The speaker begins by comparing himself to a wandering cloud which depicts his desolation and even possibly depression at times and then goes into the descriptions of the swaying daffodils and the joy they arise symbolizing simplicity and the inevitable bond between humans and nature. The rhyme scheme, numerous references to nature, and set-up of the poem enhance its ability to flow off the tongue which adds to the meaning and tone of the poem. It is clear through the poet's lay-out and word-choice that the poem is one of harmony with nature and is supposed to provoke happiness and warmth.

B.) Wordsworth utilizes numerous literary devices to enhance the quality of his poem. The most prevalent device was definitely the imagery provided. The images of the daffodils "twinkling", "tossing their heads in sprightly dance" and out-doing "the sparkling waves in glee" immensely contributed to the beauty and natural feel of the poem. The pictures brought on by these words attributed to the power of the poem as a whole. The continuous personification of nature as with the daffodils, "Tossing their heads in sprightly dance"(12) and the waves with,"The waves beside them danced..."(13) and the comparison between the speaker and a wandering cloud add to the message that humans are entwined with nature. Wordsworth writes, "I gazed- and gazed- but little thought, What wealth the show to me had brought:"(17-18). This repition of the speaker "gazing" symbolizes the substantial impact this simple scene had on him. I liked the poet's word choice of 'wealth' as well because I think it makes the statement that material possessions are not the only things that make up wealth. Wealth can be a variety of things even though most people tend to look at it in terms of financial success and materialistic possessions. He did not realize just how alluring and magnificent nature could be until he realized that the scene had a great effect on him being that he later writes, "They flash upon that inward eye, Which is the bliss of solitude;" (21-22), meaning that the scene is imprinted in his memory and comforts him in his lonliness. The phrase "bliss of solitude" also stuck out to me because it seems to me that the speaker struggles somewhat with lonliness. He clearly does not completely dislike being alone as he describes solitude as 'bliss' but it seems that he only enjoys solitude in moderation. I interpreted from the poem that he gets tired of being on his own at times which is why he searches for things such as the daffodils to keep his attention and lift his spirits.

C.) This poem struck me because of its pleasurable, magestic quality. It is definitely a feel-good type poem which holds alot of meaning. It is considerably deeper than it appears when just reading through quickly. I personally felt I could relate to this poem because there are many things in life that bring about happiness even though they are small and may seem insignificant. Sometimes the simple beauty of nature can be extremely uplifting and help you out of a slump. I found the poem to be inspirational and enjoyed the rhythmical flow of the lines. I also liked how the sound and sense of the poem went together smoothly in that both the topic and the flow of the poem were calm and relaxing.

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

A.) Theme- Break from conformity.

A crucial aspect of Stephen Dedalus' development into an artist was his necessity to break away from the conformity, both religious and idealistic, within Ireland at the time. Stephen had to come to terms with the fact that he was different from most of his peers and from his family; he preferred solitude and was intellectually deeper. Stephen did not merely want to know the hard facts and figures, he wanted to understand why and how things worked. "He saw the heads of his classmates meekly bent as they wrote in their notebooks the notes they were bidden to note, nominal definitions, essential definitions..."(Joyce 192). Stephen feels that he is on a higher level of thinking than his classmates; he is more intrigued by the thought process and the meaning behind the words. As Stephen gradually progresses in his stages as an artist, he recognizes his need to overcome the religious and national "nets" that have been inflicted upon him since he was born. He wants the chance to experience life as a human being and make his own choices and develop his own opinions based upon those experiences.

Stephen realizes that the language he speaks, the religion he has been indoctrinated with, and the expectation to fight for Irish independence are all obstacles that block his path to individuality. He has to overcome these obstacles to accomplish his goal of intellectual freedom as an artist. His progression throughout the novel involves his gradual break from the Catholic church. He also leaves the university recognizing that he was not going to find the kind of knowledge and intellectual intrigue he had hoped to find there. Stephen somewhat isolates himself from society in order to complete his transition into an artist due to his need to be free of other's beliefs and ideals. Somewhat of an awakening occurs within Stephen once he realizes his difference from others and accepts it. "Away then: it is time to go. A voice spoke softly to Stephen's lonely heart, bidding him go and telling him that his friendship was coming to an end"(267). Stephen had been semi-torn, but it seems at this point that he has come to terms with the fact that he is not similar to those his age and even his good friend Cranly is too at odds with him. Stephen decides finally that it is better off for all that he live his life very much in solitude where he can pursue what he wants to accomplish without being affected by or offending others.



B.) "My ancestors threw off their language and took another, Stephen said. They allowed a handful of foreigners to subject them. Do you fancy I am going to pay in my own life and person debts they made?"(220).

This quote is yet another example of Stephen's search for independence from the ideals of others. He resents the hypocracy of the Irish society in expecting their youth to fight for Irish independence when it was their ancestors who accepted defeat. Stephen feels that he should not be burdened with the responsibility of fighting for Irish freedom when it was not he who made the choice to give it up. Again this is a matter of Stephen's desire to be given a choice in his fate. Just because he was born in a country does not mean that he should be automatically endowed with its obligations. Stephen remains insistent upon this view despite the fact that his friends are all for Irish independence from England. He denies conformity and holds true to his beliefs throughout the entire novel. Stephen is not affected in the slightest by what his peers think about him and he is not at all reluctant to speak his mind.

This quote really struck me especially in relation to the war currently going on. Stephen does not consider it unpatriotic or disloyal to refuse to fight for Ireland. "No honourable and sincere man, said Stephen, as given up to you his life and his youth and his affections..."(220). Stephen reasons that he is not going to risk his life and sacrifice his youth when no one has ever offered an equivalent sacrifice for him. I think this quote defined Stephen's character by the end of the novel. He had started out unsure of himself and of what he believed in, imprinting upon his family's and friend's beliefs, and gradually developed into his own person throughout the course of the novel. This quote shows Stephen's strength of character and willingness to defend what he believes in.



C.) I really enjoyed the symbolism in this novel and felt that Joyce did an excellent job of thoroughly depicting the stages of Stephen's development. I liked the way the point of view switched from third to first person to represent Stephen's completion into an individual and an artist. I liked the recurring references to the Daedulus myth and birds as symbols of flight and freedom. I also admired Stephen's character in that he fought for what he believed in and genuinely was unaffected by what others thought of him. Stephen had somewhat of a "take me or leave me" type attitude in that he did not really reach out to others or depend on others. I felt Joyce did a really good job of paralleling Stephen's gradual intellectual development with the language and word choice of the novel. Although this novel, in my opinion, was definitely the most difficult to understand out of the novels we have read so far this year, it was also my favorite. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man contained alot of depth and meaning far beyond the surface words. Stephen's theory on esthetics, though very confusing, offered a very valid and thought-provoking question of what one considers beautiful and for what reason. Overall I enjoyed both Joyce's language and style and the message of the novel.

InViSiBLe MaN

A.) One of the most interesting scenes in this novel was the scene with Jim Trueblood. This scene was both disturbing and frightening but it represented the ways in which the whites are maintaining their power hold on the black race. Trueblood says himself that since the incident the whites have paid ten times more attention to him; they never cared or bothered with him before but now they are suddenly interested in assisting him and listening to his story. The white society enjoys when horrible things like these are done by the blacks because it justifies their prejudice against them. It makes it easier for them to rationalize their actions by considering the black race almost savage and being able to use such evidence as that in the case of Trueblood as backup. The whites are suddenly paying attention to Jim Trueblood because they know that he is their ticket when asked why the black race is still kept oppressed even though they were supposed to be "liberated". Instead of looking on progressive events such as the experiences of the founder or the achievements of the school, the whites are going to find the lowest denominator (Trueblood, in this case) and dwell on that as their basis for continued segregation and withholding of rights. It is situations like these that anger the narrator because he realizes that these repulsive stories are essentially what is hindering the black race from progressing. Although it is not Trueblood's fault that the whites pick out the worst to accomodate themselves, he just adds to the insult.

This same type of theme is shown with the Battle Royal scene where the black men are scrambling around like animals to get the money thrown on the electric wires. They are treated like complete fools and yet some of them continue to fight through the pain to grab the coins. This is another symbol of how the white race, through acting truly ignorant and cruel themselves, are using their power to manipulate the black race. They are having the black men fight each other for the money because they feel that they can show that the blacks still have not advanced and are basically still far behind the white race. These events help the whites to feel superior.

B.) Bledsoe's hands-
"Then he sat before me, making a cage of his fingers and nodding for me to begin" (Ellison 148).
"His hand was large and strangely limp" (150).

Though they may seem insignificant and be easily overlooked, Bledsoe's hands definitely symbolized the type of power he held at the school and over the fate of the students. Bledsoe was not one for the progression of the race; he was for the progression of himself. Bledsoe really only cared about maintaining his own control over the school, he could care less about the actual advancement of its students. The first quote represents his power over the ultimate fate of the narrator. He makes a cage with his hands symbolizing that he has the authority, he has the capacity to make or break the narrator. He is keeping the narrator in the dark by basically sending him on a wild goose chase to find a job and a place in society. He is giving him false hope in order to keep control over him and students like him. Bledsoe does not want change, he does not want the white people to see the types of conditions the black people around the school are subject to because he only cares about keeping his position in control of the school. Mr. Norton being exposed to the harsh reality of the conditions the black people face threatens his own position in the school and he just cannot have that. He therefore wants to keep people like the narrator, who may threaten his role, in a "cage".

The second quote shows that Bledsoe really has false power. He believes that he has more power than anyone else, even the white people, in that he can manipulate them by bowing down and basically acting as a slave to them. He has a large hand but it is strangely limp means that he comes across as having a lot of power but when you really analyze his position, he is still subject to the white race. He is limp in that he does not hold the power he believes he does. I also think this represents how Bledsoe is shaking the narrator's hand but obviously does not care about his future. He is acting as though he is a generous and helpful friend to the narrator when really again he is 'limp' because he is merely filling the narrator with a false sense of hope. He is cold-hearted and does not feel any guilt or grief over sending a man out with inspiration when really his fate has already been sealed.

C.) I liked the theme of the novel and liked the way Ellison employed symbolism into his writing although I thought the symbolism may have been taken a little too far. While reading the story I found myself preoccupied with trying to find all the hidden meanings of the words and I felt that this may have taken away a little from the story itself. Some of the symbolism was really amazing like with the Liberty Paints scene, which was probably my favorite, or the Battle Royal or Clifton's death, but some of the symbolism just started cluttering up the pages. I believe Ellison could have spent more time keeping his overall message at the center of attention by incorporating less detail and hidden meanings.

Overall I really liked the story because it had so many interesting and different scenes. Most books tend to focus around one big event but this novel took us through several important scenes that all contributed to the work as a whole. The events were all extremely significant and were crucial to the novel which was interesting because it kept my attention. Ellison did an excellent job of developing scenes that would actually capture the audience and his ability to develop several was really impressive.

PLAYER PIANO

A.) The theme of class separation played a large role in this novel. The way the less intelligent group of people were separated from the "engineers and managers" led to an adversary and uneasy relationship between the two sides. Paul had to choose whether he should continue his work and prominence as a highly regarded intellectual and ignore the growing fear of a completely mechanized world or lead the rebellion to fight the machines. The class separation and use of machines had already replaced the need for the less intelligent and I think Paul could probably see a near future where the engineers and managers were unnecessary as well.

The division between the two groups also added to the lack of confidence the working class people already experienced due to a feeling of inadequacy after essentially being replaced by machines. The way the Shah of Bratpuhr continually referred to them as "slaves" was representative of how poorly they were treated. The engineers justified themselves in separating the two classes with the fact that they provided for the working class but in reality nothing can make up for the self-esteem and feeling of self-importance that was taken away for them. This is what leads to the working class' opposition to the engineers. Paul is caught in between the two because I think he recognizes that society is headed in the wrong direction if it is dividing the race by intelligence but, being one of the most intelligent, has a hard time rebelling against this because of the opportunities he has for self-achievement if he just goes with the flow. It is much easier to fight against something when you don't have it but Paul has intelligence and therefore has to make more of a moral decision on whether or not to stand up against the obvious inequalities. I think part of his decision is also made on the fact that the engineers can be as easily replaced by machines as the working class were at one point.

B.) "When you doctors figure out what you want, you'll find me
out in the barn shoveling my thesis."
I really liked this quote because Haycox was definitely the most honest person introduced in the novel. He was a real person; he was not putting on a show or trying to impress anyone and therefore I respected him alot more than most of the other self-consumed characters in the novel. Most of society was concerned only with how they appeared in comparison to others, as shown by the way many of the upcoming managers were faking drunk at the competitions in order to "fit-in" but not make a complete fool of themselves. Society is so materialistic and Haycox represents the regular guy. He is not engulfed by all of the ridiculous concerns over being the best and kissing up to those who hold high positions.

Haycox is ridiculing the way society now considers the managers and engineers "doctors". He doesn't believe they deserve this type of prestigous title and basically proves that they are not quite as good as they think they are because Haycox is the one who knows how to fix the things they cannot. Haycox is mechanically talented and he proves that he is just as necessary as the doctors who obviously do not have all the skills to run the society on their own. Haycox depicts that there is still a need for human labor and human knowledge of machines. Not everything is always going to run smoothly; things break and someone is going to have to be there to fix them when they do. There is obvious irony in this scene because Haycox, who is pretty much looked down upon in this society, is the one who has more knowledge than the doctors. This is also portrayed when the "Reeks and Wrecks" know how to fix Paul's car but he does not. I think Vonnegut put these kinds of scenes in the novel to show that the working class people who are separated and treated unequally are of the same importance in society as the managers and engineers. The 'simple' man's work and skill is still a necessary part of life.

C.) Although I got somewhat tired of reading this having read several futuristic novels already, I enjoyed the various characters and overall plot. I really like Finnerty because he was the guy who could be smart and get really far in this society but chooses not to because he just does not like the way things are done. Finnerty is obviously a pretty moral person because he sticks to what he believes in and he ends up being a large inspiration to Paul. Paul is obviously the one who is caught in the middle and the novel is essentially centered around which side of the spectrum will appeal to him most.

Anita was a very interesting character because she was solely about materialistic value and where she stood in the social ranking. Anita, though she did not have the brains to achieve her own personal advancement, was insistent upon climbing to the top through Paul. When Paul proved not to be what would get her furthest in life she automatically left him and moved on to the next potential breadwinner. Anita was both annoying and amusing. She was humorous in that she was the most materialistic character I've ever been exposed to but also annoying because she gave up true love and the things that really matter in life just to get to the highest possible social ranking possible. She cared more about what others thought of her than what she thought of herself. Overall I liked the way these characters were all introduced with very different personalities; it set up an interesting platform for the novel because there really were not two characters that were much alike.

Heart of Darkness

A) The Congo River and references to water in this novel were prevalent symbols due to their representation of rebirth. As Marlow is taken on a journey into the depths of his soul, he is faced with a choice between morality and evil. Marlow is forced to face his dark side and is given the opportunity to see the consequences of evil as represented by the character Kurtz. "The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness, bearing us down towards the sea with twice the speed of our upward progress" (Conrad 151).

This quote describes how Marlow is confronted with the evil within himself and has choosen to deny it; though he was tempted at first to succumb. With his choice, Marlow is reborn. He started out unsure of himself and not aware of his capacity to lose control, as Kurtz did. He had been niave and in search of nothing more than adventure and gratification. Marlow is met by the good vs. evil within while taking his journey and he is cleansed in that he comes out a different person; one more secure in his own personality. Marlow says he leaves the heart of darkness with twice the speed of entering it. He hurries out of the "heart of darkness" because of the frightening experiences he encountered and does not want to have to face again. Marlow chose to retain his morality and humanity and no longer wants to be anywhere near the kind of horror he has now been exposed to.

B.) " 'You show them you have in you something that is really profitable, and then there will be no limits to the recognition of your ability,' he would say. 'Of course you must take care of the motives-right motives-always.' " (Conrad 152).
This quote was particularly ironic coming from Kurtz who clearly did not have the right motives in mind at all. This represents how even though Kurtz fully understands the cruelty and horror he committed, he believes it was worth it in order to achieve personal recognition. He does not seem to regret his actions but embraces them as the price for glory. I believe Kurtz has become mentally ill in an obsession to be recognized at all costs. Through this quote it is fairly evident that he does not believe what he did was so horrible. He does not appear to mind that he had to acheive recognition through a complete loss of morality. Kurtz let his ego take over, essentially allowing his inner evil to dictate his actions.

Conrad uses diction by writing "motives-right motives". He rephrases Kurtz's original statement in order to emphasize the absurdity of Kurtz's words. No one in their right mind would consider Kurtz's actions as taking care of the right motives; he lost complete control of himself in a mad attempt for power. His absurdity is evident in that he actually believes he made an appropriate choice in reverting to savagery.

C.) Although Heart of Darkness was difficult to comprehend and took some time to break down, I enjoyed the symbolism represented through Kurtz. When analyzed closely it is pretty safe to say that Kurtz was a figurative representation of the evil in Marlow's soul. The way Kurtz is never really referred to as a solid human being and generally mentioned as a 'voice' or a 'shadow' is indicative of Kurtz being a symbolic figure. I think Marlow is able to confront his inner evil through his figurative journey to the depths of his own soul.

I did not really like the way Conrad portrayed women in the novel. He depicted them as innocent and unaware of the presence of evil. Kurtz's girlfriend and Marlow's aunt are both representative of this viewpoint. Kurtz's girlfriend is made out to be extremely niave and ignorant of the true nature of Kurtz's personality. Marlow's aunt is portrayed in a similar way in that she has no comprehension of the Company or any of the evil associated with it. The women in the novel seem to have a rosy picture of the world. This kind of annoyed me because women can be just as evil as men and this portrayl of women as niave and innocent is biased.

Handmaid's Tale- Opinion

C.) I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale because it had so much hidden meaning. I loved Atwood's use of diction and her style of writing and found that she did an excellent job of getting her point across. I enjoyed, once I understood the history of the novel and Atwood's opinions on feminism, searching for the numerous references she made throughout the novel directly to her stance on pornography and oppression of women and to the Bible. Her allusions and historical ties were definitely a credit to the story.

The Handmaid's Tale was not like any other story I have ever read; it was definitely unique. Although some aspects were very detailed and disturbing, Atwood really forced the reader to understand just how horribly oppressive the government was. The Ceremony, the Particicution, and the Salvaging were all difficult to relate to but they served their purpose in symbolizing the brutality of the Gileadean regime. Atwood also did an excellent job of making the reader feel for the characters. I know that by the end of the book I felt like I actually knew Offred and found myself angry that I did not know her ultimate fate.

Handmaid's Tale-Quote

B.) "They look around, bright-eyed, cocking their heads to one side like robins" (Atwood 28).

This was most likely my favorite quote from The Handmaid's Tale because it was so simple but had such greater meaning. The way Atwood compares the Japanese tourists to robins is a symbol of the Japanese' freedom. The women are not tied down and forced into menial work or treated as servants; they are free to choose what they wear, who they marry, what they do..etc. There is nothing holding them down, no one has "clipped their wings", they are free to do as they please like a bird is free to take flight.

The American women, on the other hand, have had "their wings clipped". They are no longer free birds but are grounded by the government that keeps them down. The Japanese are 'bright-eyed and cocking their heads' because of how shocking and foreign the way of life is now in the United States. There is no longer equality or rights, we have progressed backwards, which must be very confusing to the completely independent Japanese.

Atwood also describes the tourists as 'twittering', another obvious symbol of the bird and free-will, whereas the American women hide their eyes in fear and shame. The stark contrast between cultures, in my opinion, was one of the most interesting scenes in the novel.

Handmaid's Tale- "There is a Balm in Gilead"

A.) Along with the numerous biblical allusions contributing to Margaret Adwood's satire The Handmaid's Tale, was her reference to the singing of "There is a Balm in Gilead". Gilead in the Bible was marked for its fertility and richness, and credited with its excess of a special healing balm, hence the song. Gilead is an allusion to the handmaids for they both are linked to reproductive capabilities and hope, although the handmaids are not in fact very fertile or hopeful at all. The purpose of Gilead and the handmaids may be the same thing, but what they actually bring to society is not. The handmaids, in reality, bring despair for they generally do not conceive a child and when they do there is a large possibility that the child will not actually survive. They also hinder bonds between husband and wife for obvious reasons, plus they are absolutely miserable for they are basically being forced into prostitution. This is quite a different scene than that of the prosperous land of Gilead.

Atwood uses a pun as Moira refers to the song as "There is a Bomb in Gilead". This is sarcasm toward the Bible as obviously 'balm' and 'bomb' connotate very different things. Balm is a positive thing while bomb blatantly represents disaster and destruction. Balm brings hope, bomb brings hopelessness. The irony of the comparison between the two was meant to symbolize how this happily depicted society is an illusion created by the government; absolutely no one living in Gilead is truly content with their life.

Anthem-a play on the stereotype

C.) Anthem was probably my favorite out of the books we have read so far this year. It was unique in that it depicted a futuristic society that has moved backward in time. Most plays on future societies involve new technology and advancements while Anthem displayed a movement back toward the stone ages. Knowledge and intelligence are no longer coveted possessions that we all aspire to achieve but a forbidden sin. Individuals no longer compete to be the best but are required to be exactly the same as every single other. This reverse from today's standards was interesting and something I had never really thought about.

When I pictured society in the future I always had a stereotypical view of culturally advanced people with new knowledge and improved technology that completely surpasses what we have today. After reading Anthem, I considered the possibility that we could in fact move in reverse and slowly approach what we were like in the beginning of time.
If wars and competition via nuclear power continue to engulf civilization, a society like this one is not too far-fetched. Anthem opened my eyes to a whole other direction that society could possibly be headed if something like a massive war were to destroy nearly everything. It's not hard to imagine the world's hunger for power and supremacy ultimately causing its demise.

Anthem-Quote

B.) "We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second Transgression of Preference, for we do not think of all our brothers, as we must, but only of one, and their name is Liberty 5-3000. We do not know why we think of them. We do not know why, when we think of them, we feel of a sudden that the earth is good and that it is not a burden to live" (Rand 41).

I found this passage to be very effective for it related Equality's lack of regret for his sin of loving one above all others. It is evidence that love wins, no matter what, in the end and love will always exist where people do. Love is overpowering and makes Equality forget all else, forget the oppressive rules of society, and be apathetic toward the punishments he knows may entail from rule-breaking. It also shows that Equality is different from the other members of society, he doesn't wonder at his new sin because he is indifferent to sinning; even when he was young and in school he sinned by preferring one career over another. Although I fail to believe that anyone actually could not be secretly hoping to be a scientist over a street-sweeper, Equality is more open and bold in his approach to knowledge.

Equality blatantly does not fit into the society in which he is a part of. He is in search of "true" happiness and knows he can never have that in a society that lacks love (because all are to be seen as precisely equal) and lacks knowledge (for knowledge leads to superiority). Such a mediocre standard of living is not tolerable to Equality due to the fact that he thinks on his own. He loves the Golden One because she stands out as different to him and he ends up being right in the end for she is not the typical, obedient and conforming subject.

He does not feel guilt or even the slightest remorse for preferring the Golden One to all other women because love, although he doesn't know that this is what he is feeling, makes him carefree and happy with the world. He says he doesn't feel like it is a burden to live when he thinks of the Golden One; he would take the punishment of preference if he had too because he simply did not regret breaking the rules in the name of love.

Anthem

A.) Allusions- Equality and the Golden One free themselves of society and start out on their own, in a new world somewhat, and can therefore be compared to Adam and Eve. God placed Adam on the Earth first, as Equality entered the forbidden woods on his own at first, and then created Eve as a companion for Adam, as the Golden One comes later to start a new life with Equality. Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden as a result of seeking more than they were allowed as Equality is condemned due to his discovery of light, something forbidden in this society for it represents knowledge. Eve can be compared to Equality in that they both lead the act that causes their banishment and Adam and the Golden One are similar in that they both follow their other in the sin.

The World Council that rules over the city and decides on what they are and what they are not allowed can be an allusion to God in that both have ultimate power and both are retaining knowledge from their subjects. God does not want Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge for he does not want them to have the same power and be on the same level as himself like the World Council does not want Equality to expose light for they are keeping society in the dark. The World Council denies Equality's discovery of this hidden technology in fear of giving the people too much power, in the form of knowledge, and therefore re-creating the world of the past which they had fought to destroy. Both God and the World Council can be viewed as suppressing their subjects in order to remain on a higher ground; to continue to be superior.

Both stories present a higher power and two unruly subjects who, one led by the other, digress from society in search of something more. The word anthem can be defined as a hymn of praise or loyalty, which may be sarcasm toward the Bible for obviously the main characters in Anthem were not loyal or happy with the society in which they lived.

Farenheit 451

A.) The lack of personal attachment to anything in this novel was both shocking and sad. Love and affection were completely replaced with sheer entertainment and all problems were ignored or swept under the rug. Montag and Mildred's relationship, for example, was absolutely horrible and yet Mildred carried on totally denying that she had a problem. When she attempts suicide, which happens several times, she acts as if it never occured and will not admit how miserable she truly is. Society is candy-coated and all of its dilemmas and unhappiness are glossed over with material possessions. Mildred would much rather continue living with Montag pretending they are a happy couple and watching her television programs while deep-down she is obviously extremely unhappy.

Beatty says at one point not to face a problem, to burn it. This policy is precisely what the whole community is living by: don't waste your time trying to work things out, ignore them or simply get rid of them. This futuristic world is marked by ignorance and lack of patience. People just do not want to deal with problems, everything must be solved quickly and easily. Beatty's words come back to haunt him when he is killed by Montag because Montag had a choice: face a problem or burn it, and he took Beatty's prior advice. This represented how eventually, when push comes to shove, ignoring everything and pretending it's all ok will just intensify the problem until it explodes. Beatty ironically ends up dying in accordance with his own policy of problem-solving.

B.) When I first read the back cover of Farenheit 451 I automatically assumed that I would find it boring but I ended up really liking it because it wasn't the typical futuristic/space-craft novel I expected. It was futuristic while not incorporating a ridiculous amount of new technology and getting too much into the technological aspect.

I found it interesting how detached society was due to the people's care only for entertainment. It was depressing how far removed they were from any emotion, there was no real love present, even between the married couples. Hardly anyone actually talked to each other; everything was run by TV or radio. I couldn't even imagine how scary a world like that would be today, but with so many new inventions and a sharp decrease in the need to communicate (via email, instant messaging, texting, etc.), it is not too far off from something that could occur. I took the novel as almost a warning from Bradbury of what could occur if we continue to decrease our need to communicate; his society was like an exaggerated version of what could possibly come.

We--part c.

C.) Although I enjoyed We, I could not really get into the story. Zamyatin's use of stream of consciousness in the structure of the novel was somewhat confusing at times and I felt that a lot of what he was trying to say got lost in his style. I also felt that he incorporated too much technology into the society; he introduced too many foreign concepts and machines that were vague and generally unnecessary. I do not think the extent of technology presented was needed to convey the moral of the story: there is no, nor will there ever be, a perfect world.

All else aside, I did like the characters portrayed in the story. I-330 was the epitome of manipulation and was, in my mind, the strongest character depicted. Although I admired her strength and bravery throughout the novel, her selfishness and lack of concern while doing anything at all in order to get what she wanted bothered me somewhat. She seemingly had no remorse or even remote consideration for who she would hurt and who she needed to step on in order to execute her revolutionary plans. On the other hand, it can be argued that she was not indeed acting in a selfish manner at all because her ultimate goal was to save OneState from the oppressive Benefactor, but I still find it hard to accept the way she played D-503 and made him believe she truly loved him.

D-503 and O both represented the weakness and conformity of society. They both fell to the power of the Benefactor without question, completely in obedience. There was an obvious distinction in characters and the role they played in the novel. I also enjoyed the irony of D-503, after ditching O for I-330, ends up just being used by her.

Acrobat

I think U2 is primarily singing about the current struggles due to religion in Ireland. The Irish are becoming increasingly tired and worn-out of fighting as indicated in the line "When I first met you girl, you had fire in your soul. What happened your face of melting in snow". U2 is using snow as a symbol for the lack of passion and coldness now experienced by the Irish people; "she" is most likely meant to be the country itself. The song contrasts the ways in which the people can handle the hopelessness they are feeling by saying you can swallow or throw it up, but basically if you choose to swallow then you are succumbing to the violence and suppression. U2 says "I know you'd hit out if you only knew who to hit" probably referring to the fact that there is no real right answer to the Irish situation. The English government is being oppressive and the Catholic minority is supporting the IRA which is using sheer violence and terror to try to break from Britain. Protestants want to remain loyal to Britain. "Yeah I'd break bread and wine, if there was a church I could receive in" is an obvious allusion to the religious struggles of the country.

This song is somewhat similar to The Handmaid's Tale in that it relates greatly to and is critical of religion. The song says don't believe what you hear or see, you can feel the enemy. Those lines reminded me of the Eyes and how the people in The Handmaid's Tale are all suspicious and therefore keep their thoughts to themselves in fear of being arrested or worse. This must be similar to the situation in Ireland, in which no one knows who can be trusted. "And I'd join the movement if there was one I could believe in"-this line reminded me of the "underground" network that Offred joined and how it had taken her so long to trust Ofglen because she didn't know what her true opinions were.