Saturday, March 29, 2008

208 "If thou must love me" ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

The theme of "If thou must love me" is love someone because you are in love, not to say that you have been in love, or for superficial features that may change, or that your view of may change. The poem is written as a sonnet, a form indicating the poet's Shakespearen influence, and every other line contains end rhyme. The end rhyme is integral because it brings together the poem following the hypens which indicate pauses and interjections. The speaker is a first person narrator who is speaking to someone that appears to a past lover. The position of the speaker is important because the message presented in the poem is given more effectively than if the speaker was directing their feelings towards a general group. The reader can sense emotion that the speaker is feeling because they are putting their feelings out in the open, not censoring them for a particular audience.



The hyphens, an aspect of the punctuation, serve a purpose in this poem because they express the emotion that the speaker is feeling. For example, one can see the exasperation of the speaker when she states, " Do not say' I Love her for her smile- her look-her way,'" (3). Love is personified in this poem when the speaker states, "Love's sake...love's eternity," (13-14). Love in the literal sense is an idea or concept, there for it can not have a time frame or a possession, but it is a nice detail because love is just as important as a person or most-prized possession, and often spoke about in that manner. An interesting detail of this poem is the capitalization of Beloved when the speaker states, "For these things in themselves, Beloved, may/," (7). Beloved is capitalized like it is refering to a person, but it is really refering to features mentioned in previous lines. The repetition of the word love is ironic because the speaker is telling their audience not to overuse love; do not love everything because love is so special, that it should not be constantly thrown out about everything, yet the word is used numerous times. The overuse of love illustrates the speaker's point though because she is telling the audience not to love but for the really important things, and repeating the word illustrates how it is not just overused in conversation, but overused in general.





"If thou must love me" initially struck me because is sounded similar like Meredith's speech to Derek in Grey's Anatomy, which is one of my favorite TV shows. However, it has a good message, do not love something or someone for their superficial features, but for what is inside them because that is who someone really is. It is a good message to take away, but it is also very cliche`. We all have probably read other poems or novels or watch a movie that had a similar message, but a good message will probably never die. I also like the old English that the poem is written in.

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The warden said to me ~Etheridge Knight

"The warden said to me" is about the hierarchy of black and white in society, and the rifts that it causes. The speaker is an African American named Etheridge that is imprisoned. Etheridge is recalling a conversation that he had with the white warden. It appears that the warden's question is asked innocently out of curiosity with no malintentions, but the response from Etherdige is conditioned by poor treatment that African Americans have received since slavery. It is important that the speaker is African American because the message would likely be different if it came from a white person. In the situtation presented, if the speaker had been white, there may have been a condescending answer or one said with an unawareness of reality. The fact that this poem is presented as a conversation is also important because it shows that the warden and prisoner are on close levels; no one is being condescending or difficult.

The ideas of this poem that are conveyed through the speaker, tone, and presentation, are further enhanced by literary devices. Knight uses paranthetical thought to present the ideas that the speaker is having, but does not verbally present; for example, "(innocently, I think)," (2). Etheridge does not think the warden's question is asked with a malicious intent, but he is hesistant because of actions and ideas presented by society. Diction is also very critical in this poem. Knight presents the warden to be on a similar intellectual level as the the prisoner; for example, "'Say, etheridge,/ why come the black boys don't run off/ like the white boys do?,'" (2-4). The warden does not use proper English, just as the prisoner, Etheridge, does not; for example, "'Well, suh/I ain't for sure,"' (6-7). It is also important that the name Etheridge is not capitalized, just as suh is not capitalized. This shows that there is a minimal level of respect between the warden and prisoner. Etheridge is respectful enough to refer to the warden as suh because of what he was taught as a black boy growing up, but he does not respect the warden. The warden is not trying to be condescending or nasty to Etheridge, but the fact that he refers to the grown prisoners as boys is disrespectful.

"The Warden said to me" was interesting to me because it represents a miscommunication between races. I do not believe that either of these characters are truly racist towards one another, but because of what they are taught from a young age, they have racist tendencies. This example, which could be found in many other writings and texts, is a reflection of how family and society can influence a person's beliefs. The warden and Etheridge do not have any reason to dislike each other except for their positions in life, neither has done anything to the other. I feel that this situtation is not only found between black and white during the time period that the poem was published, but it can be found today in many forms, such as clicks. It is as if, we learn from mistakes, but can not completely rid ourselves of them because they are somehow ingrained in our nature.

217 The Lipstick on the Mirror ~Tom Disch

"The Lipstick on the Mirror" is making a negative statement on Hollywood and advertising that have created empires off of convincing women that they should look a certain way. The speaker of the poem is an omniscient narrator that has been watching the "wicked queen", who symbolizes industry and advertising, influencing the "common" people. The tone of the speaker is very negative and disappointed, it is also condescending in the way that the speaker points out the negative actions of the queen. The speaker and their tone is effective in this poem because they are like the reader of a fairytale. The "wicked queen" is an allusion to the wicked queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which is a commonly known fairytale with a moral at the end. From the beginning of the fairytale, one can tell that the wicked queen is going to be the antagonist, so when the wicked queen is used as the main subject of the poem, the reader can sense from the beginning that industry and advertising, symbolized by the wicked queen, is going to be looked upon in a negative light. The punctuation creates a rhythm because many details are placed in lists; for example, "Hosiery and bras, as consumers, enchanted," (19). The listing nature of the details of the poem allow for more and more detail to be added; the rhythm makes it seem as though the speaker could find numerous details to support their case with little effort. It is also effective how Disch uses adjectives almost as if they are nouns; for example, "Would lap it up, gazing in their lesser/ Mirrors to see themselves in royal attire," (7-8). Lesser could mean that the women are looking at what they consider to be their lesser beauty, but lesser really goes with the word mirrors.

Disch uses personification, among other literary techniques, often such as when he writes, "Whose compact mirrors would whisper," (12). He makes it seem as if looking in the mirror is what causes the problem, but insecurities force the people to hear what the mirror whispers. Another technique used is repetition of the word her. This is important because it shows how the women in this poem are looking at someone else's features instead of looking for good in themselves. The inclusion of a list of different ethnicities affected by the queen is an important touch because it shows how the evil of the queen has spread far beyond her realm, just as ideas of marketing and Hollywood have traveled far beyond the United States. Probably the most important line of the poem is the last when the mirror replies to the queen's question, "Though, Majesty, thou," (35). This line is important because is shows that the industries do not necessarily see anything wrong with the dramatic effect they have on society.

This poem is completely relevant to our lives because Hollywood continues to take over our lives. The number of tabloids and gossip shows increase exponentially every year, and with that more stories about stars with issues come out. For example, how many days out of the year has Britney Spears been on the news? Answer: too many to count. Advertising and industry has created standards for all people, not just women, as referenced in the poem, that cause more and more people to resort to extreme behavior in order to fit in. Examples: fad diets, plastic surgery, and miracle drugs. "The Lipstick on the Mirror" was very interesting because it shows that media, society's mirror, has been a disease affecting society for a long period of time, and the disease apparently has no cure because it is even worse now.

212 "Money" ~ Victor Contoski


The theme of "Money" is that although it may seem that money can make a person happy and buy them whatever they please, it will become an unhealthy obsession that will cause problems; the money will control the person instead of the person controlling the money. The speaker of the poem is an omniscient narrator, which adds to the effectiveness of the poem because the speaker knows everything. Personally, the speaker has a feel of a grandparent trying to give you advice because they have been down that particular path and want someone to benefit from their experiences. There is a shift in the poem between the second and third stanzas. The speaker changes from telling the reader how money can be tamed and bring happiness to a more pessimistic tone, telling the reader that money will take control of you easily. This shift is effective because the poem acknowledges common beliefs that money can fix problems and buy something that will make a person happy, and then the poem acknowledges the other side of the situation. It is like giving a piece of bad news and telling the good news first to lessen the blow, but the bad news is not any easier to receive because good thoughts and hopes were just crushed from a higher level than they would have been at if someone had just given the bad news.


Contoski personifies money when he writes, "It will nest/ in your pocket/ or curl up in a corner/reciting softly to itself/ the names of the presidents," (3-7). From these lines, money is made out to be like a pet that provides pleasure to its owner. The lines are comforting when the money recites the names of the presidents to itself, like someone counting sheep to fall asleep. These lines are representative of a person becoming too comfortable with pleasure that money may be bringing them. The speaker goes on to tell the reader that money may be impressive to friends and find you love, but not true love or friendship because, as Contoski writes, "But like an amoeba/ it makes love/ in secret/ only to itself," (12-15). Contoski alludes to a microorganism that reproduces asexually to reference that money loves money; someone that becomes your friend or falls in love with you that would not have if you did not have money, is only in it for the money. The point where a person becomes obsessed with material possession and money is shown when the speaker states, "Fold it frequently/it needs exercise," (16-17). This is an allusion to someone counting or looking at their money. However, the last two stanzas are most telling of the theme of the poem, Contoski writes, "Then one day when you think/ you are its master it will turn its head/ as if for a kiss/and bite you gently on the hand./ There will be no pain/but in thirty seconds/ the poison will reach your heart," (21-29). Someone may think that they are in control of everything, but their obsession will quickly affect them, and before they no there is a problem, it may be too late; hence the poison reaching the heart with no pain felt.


Through this poem, Contoski is making a statement that money, although it may buy you nice things, those material possessions are not what is most important; in fact the happiness those items bring may be false.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man


Flight Motif
From the opening pages of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man when the reader is introduced to the main character Stephen Dedalus, the flight motif is introduced, and will be carried on throughout the novel. Stephen’s last name comes from the Dedalus Myth in Greek mythology. Dedalus is thrown in prison because King Minos is convinced he has helped the Athenians escape, so Dedalus builds a pair of wings out of feathers and wax in order to escape. Stephen is imprisoned by his guilt and by others who try to make him conform to what they want. For example, Stephen’s father told him to make friends with the right people, like he did, but Mr. Dedalus was not always the upstanding citizen that he appears to be. Stephen is imprisoned by his homeland because it is not accepting of his plans for his future, just as Dedalus sees no escape by land, only flight.

As Stephen’s life continues, there are numerous instances where he is compared to a bird or birds are strategically included in a description; for example, “His throat ached with desire to cry aloud, the cry of a hawk or eagle on high, to cry piercingly of his deliverance to the winds,” (183-184). Flight is a symbol of Stephen finding his soul and freeing himself from the influence of others and Ireland. After Stephen realizes that his passion lies in writing, the flight motif becomes even more evident because at this point, Stephen’s relationship with his family is at its weakest, and he is realizing that the politics in Ireland are very constraining. Stephen is not living in the Ireland that he recalls from his childhood; people have to act like sheep such as the students taking notes in one of Stephen’s classes, leaving little space for thought and creativity.

Stephen needs space to contemplate his thoughts, like the birds have freedom to fly throughout the skies. His mind and soul needs to escape the heavily fortified prison cell created by guilt and constraints; symbolized by the birds and flight into the vastness of the sky, where there would seemingly be room for everything.


Quote
“Last and crowning torture of all the tortures of that awful place is the eternity of hell. Eternity! O, dread and dire word. Eternity! What mind of man can understand it? ... You have often seen the sand on the seashore. How fine are its tiny grains! And how many of those tiny little grains go to make up the small handful which a child grasps in its play. Now imagine a mountain of that sand, a million miles high, reaching from the Earth to the farthest heavens, and a million miles broad…And if that mountain rose again after it had been all carried away and if the bird came again and carried it all away again grain by grain: and if it so rose and sank as many times as there are stars in the sky, atoms in the air, drops of water in the sea, leaves on the trees, feathers upon birds, scales upon fish, hairs upon animals, at the end of all those innumerable risings and sinkings of that immeasurably vast mountain not one single instant of eternity could be said to have ended,” (142-143).

This passage is an example of Joyce’s ability to create descriptions. He takes the word eternity, which already creates thoughts of something never ending, and creates images upon images of something never-ending, something completely unfathomable. This technique is called hyperbole, exaggeration to illustrate a point. Joyce also uses repetition of the concept of immeasurable things; the atoms and drops of water are all things that are seemingly immeasurable. The exclamation marks emphasizing the emotion being put into this speech really create a sense of emotion; one can sense the dramatic feel of this speech. The rhetorical question also does a good job of setting up the reader for the description to follow because it causes the reader to question the understanding that they have of eternity, making them more vulnerable to the explanations to come.


Opinion

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was very enjoyable because of Joyce’s writing style and the difficulty of reading it. Admittedly, through the first part of the novel, I did not enjoy reading it because I felt it was boring, lacking any true plot that creates captures you as a reader. As the novel progresses, and the writing becomes more detailed and sophisticated, the novel became exponentially more enjoyable mainly because Joyce’s ability to create a picture and trigger all the senses through his descriptions was captivating such as in the descriptions of Hell. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man was a challenging novel because of Joyce’s ability as a writer; there were several instances where a passage could be read and all of the important details would not be noticed the first time, but that is not bad thing. I would rather be challenged by what I am reading versus bored because the material is too easy.