May 2004 (b): With close reference to two or three novels or short stories in your study, compare the ways in which writers have used narrative strategies and with what effect.
Closely look at two or three novels or short stories you have studied, compare the narrations and structure and how it effects the story.
You could address the structure and style of the novels as well as the narrators in the novels.
I would use "As I lay Dying" and "The Bluest Eye".
May 2008 (a): Discuss the ways in which at least two novels or short stories you have studied demonstrate that the search for identity can be a conscious process.
Talk about the ways in which at least two novels or short stories you have studied show a search for identity can be found by ones self.
With this one you could talk about characterization and narration.
I would use "As I Lay Dying" and "The Bluest Eye"
Monday, May 4, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Voice
Introduction:
In "The Voice" by Thomas Hardy, a man is missing the woman he loves. In this poem the diction suggests that he has lost this woman some how. Also the poem shows a lot of denial form the narrator. The structure of this poem shows progress and thought.
A. In the Poem "The Voice", the diction shows that the narrator has lost the woman he speaks of in this poem.
1. "woman much missed, how you call to me, call to me" Missed and call to me suggest a past and longing.
2. "you are not as you were" This shows change from a past time.
3. "When you have changed...." Changed show that they had a past together and now it isn't the same.
B. This poem also shows a lot of denial from the narrator.
1. "when you have changed from the one who was all to me" The narrator remembers her as she was to him.
2. "Can it be you that I hear?" This show a questioning of is it really her.
3. "Or is it only the breeze" The narrator says this as if she was never really there.
c. The structure of this poem shows a train of thought or progress.
1. The first stanza is when the narrator first notices that the woman has changed.
2. The second stanza is when he remembers how she was.
3. In the third stanza he denies it is really her.
4. In the fourth stanza is when he realizes it was all in his head.
Conclusion
In "The Voice" by Thomas Hardy, a man is missing the woman he loves. In this poem the diction suggests that he has lost this woman some how. Also the poem shows a lot of denial form the narrator. The structure of this poem shows progress and thought.
A. In the Poem "The Voice", the diction shows that the narrator has lost the woman he speaks of in this poem.
1. "woman much missed, how you call to me, call to me" Missed and call to me suggest a past and longing.
2. "you are not as you were" This shows change from a past time.
3. "When you have changed...." Changed show that they had a past together and now it isn't the same.
B. This poem also shows a lot of denial from the narrator.
1. "when you have changed from the one who was all to me" The narrator remembers her as she was to him.
2. "Can it be you that I hear?" This show a questioning of is it really her.
3. "Or is it only the breeze" The narrator says this as if she was never really there.
c. The structure of this poem shows a train of thought or progress.
1. The first stanza is when the narrator first notices that the woman has changed.
2. The second stanza is when he remembers how she was.
3. In the third stanza he denies it is really her.
4. In the fourth stanza is when he realizes it was all in his head.
Conclusion
Friday, March 27, 2009
Dewey Dell
Dewey Dell is a character who has many choices in front of her. Her reasoning isn't always good though. "Because I said will I or wont I when the sack was half full when we got to the woods it wont be me" Pg 27, this shows Dewey Dell's rationale in certain situations. Dewey Dell finds herself both pregnant then raped in this story.
Dewey Dell is fairly young and doesn't have the rational to choose whether or not to have sex. Her logic is if my sack is full when we get to the end of the row I will have sex with Lafe. She is letting her fate depend on a sack which Lafe manipulated by filling it. This then leads to Dewey Dell getting pregnant.
Dewey Dell later on in the story gets herself raped. She goes to MacGowan thinking he is a doctor. MacGowan tells her he is a doctor. MacGowan manipulates the situation and rapes her using her ignorance to his advantage.
Dewey Dell is very ignorant to things such as sex. She was never able to think about it properly. This is why she gets into these situations. Her mother never taught her about sex. That is why she makes the decisions she does.
Dewey Dell is fairly young and doesn't have the rational to choose whether or not to have sex. Her logic is if my sack is full when we get to the end of the row I will have sex with Lafe. She is letting her fate depend on a sack which Lafe manipulated by filling it. This then leads to Dewey Dell getting pregnant.
Dewey Dell later on in the story gets herself raped. She goes to MacGowan thinking he is a doctor. MacGowan tells her he is a doctor. MacGowan manipulates the situation and rapes her using her ignorance to his advantage.
Dewey Dell is very ignorant to things such as sex. She was never able to think about it properly. This is why she gets into these situations. Her mother never taught her about sex. That is why she makes the decisions she does.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Siren Song
In "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood, Atwood uses an allusion to represent a female stereotype. Atwood alludes to the sirens, the characters in "The Odyssey" by Homer. Sirens are part bird part woman type creatures who lure sailors in with their beautiful song which ends us killing the men.
Atwood uses a siren in her poem to show a woman who is pleading to escape from the female stereotype. In the poem she uses "will you get me out of this bird suit?", as a metaphor of wanting to escape from the female stereotype. The speaker even refers to the other sirens as "two feathery maniacs" which shows she doesn't want to be depicted as "picturesque and mythical". She goes on showing she doesn't like the situation she is in. She states that "This song is a cry for help" which shows her unhappiness in this stereotype.
As she says "this song is a cry for help" which brings men into the picture. The siren goes on to say "only you, only you can" to show a plea for help. The male character who she is referring to is shown as some one who could save her. At the same time this taps into the male stereotype of ego and pride. It shows that the man has to go and try to save the beautiful woman.
In all I think the woman truly wants to be saved from the stereotype that men have placed down upon her. She says it is a "boring song" or a futile attempt for help. Yet "it works every time", which shows that the men will always try to come save her but they don't realize she can save herself.
Atwood uses a siren in her poem to show a woman who is pleading to escape from the female stereotype. In the poem she uses "will you get me out of this bird suit?", as a metaphor of wanting to escape from the female stereotype. The speaker even refers to the other sirens as "two feathery maniacs" which shows she doesn't want to be depicted as "picturesque and mythical". She goes on showing she doesn't like the situation she is in. She states that "This song is a cry for help" which shows her unhappiness in this stereotype.
As she says "this song is a cry for help" which brings men into the picture. The siren goes on to say "only you, only you can" to show a plea for help. The male character who she is referring to is shown as some one who could save her. At the same time this taps into the male stereotype of ego and pride. It shows that the man has to go and try to save the beautiful woman.
In all I think the woman truly wants to be saved from the stereotype that men have placed down upon her. She says it is a "boring song" or a futile attempt for help. Yet "it works every time", which shows that the men will always try to come save her but they don't realize she can save herself.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
From The Frontier Of Writing
In "From The Frontier of Writing" by Seamus Heaney, Heaney uses an extended metaphor to compare writing to getting through a military checkpoint. With in the first three stanza Heaney paints a good comparison of writing to a checkpoint. He mentions "troops inspect its make and number", this suggests they are either judging his writing or his background. It may also say that they don't see the speaker as a person, but as a number. He goes onto state "you catch sight of more on a hill beyond", this shows that no matter what there will always be someone judging you. In stanza three he mentions that "everything is pure interrogation", they seem to need to ask the speaker many questions before they let him go on.
In Stanzas four through six we see more judgement. He uses words such as "emptier", "spent", "quiver in the self" and "obedient" to show an emptiness or a trauma of being judged. In the fifth stanza he firsts mentions the "frontier of writing" and he says "where it happens again" showing that it's a cycle and he has moved on to a "Sargent" who will judge even further. Finally we see "the marksman training down out of the sun upon you like a hawk" which shows there is someone always over your shoulder ready to judge you.
In the last two stanzas he has finally made it through. He uses "the black current of a tarmac road" which gives the image of a wide open stretch of road allowing to go on freely. In the last line the Heaney uses the word "polished" and when something is polished it will reflect things. I think this image shows a writers reflection.
In Stanzas four through six we see more judgement. He uses words such as "emptier", "spent", "quiver in the self" and "obedient" to show an emptiness or a trauma of being judged. In the fifth stanza he firsts mentions the "frontier of writing" and he says "where it happens again" showing that it's a cycle and he has moved on to a "Sargent" who will judge even further. Finally we see "the marksman training down out of the sun upon you like a hawk" which shows there is someone always over your shoulder ready to judge you.
In the last two stanzas he has finally made it through. He uses "the black current of a tarmac road" which gives the image of a wide open stretch of road allowing to go on freely. In the last line the Heaney uses the word "polished" and when something is polished it will reflect things. I think this image shows a writers reflection.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Punishment
In "Punishment" by Seamus Heaney, Heaney uses imagery to give us a brutal image of a young girl who had been tortured and killed. In the poem the speaker gives us a image of a young girl who has been murdered for adultery. The speaker shows some compassion for the young girl through the diction used in the second half of the poem.
We get the idea that the young girl has been serverely punished due to the words Heaney uses through out the poem. For example he uses words like tug, shakes. drowned, noose, and undernourished to name a few. These words show the brutality of how the woman was tortured and killed. He goes on to mention many body parts such as neck, nipples, ribs, head, face, brains, muscles, and bones. This gives us an idea that the body of the girl is extremely mutilated. This girl has been tortured to a drastically gory extent.
The speaker goes on in this poem in the second half and shows pity and compassion for this girl. He mentions love twice in this poem he also says "little adulteress". Uses it in such a way that he doesn't seem to be blaming her for adultery but, encouraging the love that she had. He also refers to her as "my poor scapegoat". I think he is saying that what had happened to her was not necessary and that she was just blamed for what she did. At the end of the poem he uses "intimate revenge", which is a more compassionate way of saying she was tortured.
So in all I think Heaney paints a very vivid picture of what had happened to this poor girl. Yet there is a lot of compassion shown with much reflection.
We get the idea that the young girl has been serverely punished due to the words Heaney uses through out the poem. For example he uses words like tug, shakes. drowned, noose, and undernourished to name a few. These words show the brutality of how the woman was tortured and killed. He goes on to mention many body parts such as neck, nipples, ribs, head, face, brains, muscles, and bones. This gives us an idea that the body of the girl is extremely mutilated. This girl has been tortured to a drastically gory extent.
The speaker goes on in this poem in the second half and shows pity and compassion for this girl. He mentions love twice in this poem he also says "little adulteress". Uses it in such a way that he doesn't seem to be blaming her for adultery but, encouraging the love that she had. He also refers to her as "my poor scapegoat". I think he is saying that what had happened to her was not necessary and that she was just blamed for what she did. At the end of the poem he uses "intimate revenge", which is a more compassionate way of saying she was tortured.
So in all I think Heaney paints a very vivid picture of what had happened to this poor girl. Yet there is a lot of compassion shown with much reflection.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
The Broken Heart
In "The Broken Heart" by John Donne, he uses metaphors and imagery to show that the once one's heart is broken it's a hard thing to heal. In the first stanza Donne uses metaphors like "ten in less space devour", "That I have had the plague a year"and, "flash of powder burn a day" to say that "he hath been in love an hour" is ridiculous because love can't last that long. The second stanza states "He is the tyrant pike, our hearts the fry", the pike is the love and the heart symbolizes the fry. It's saying that love consumes the heart and the imagery is kind of violent.
In the third stanza lines three and four show that he gave his lover his heart but she didn't give hers in return. Thus, as a result "At one first blow did shiver it as glass" this symbolizes the heart being broken into many pieces. The fourth stanza lines three and four state that till this day that those broken shards still remain. Lines five through seven show that he has hoped to love again but those "hundred lesser faces" don't measure up. The last line suggest he has found his one true love but she has already broken his heart so now one will ever be good enough.
This poem goes through progression. He starts telling us that love doesn't last that long and it is rediculus. Then he goes on to say that love devours all of our hearts. By the time we get to the third stanza he explains why he thinks this because his heart has been broken. Finally he states that he has tried to love again but it can never be the same.
In the third stanza lines three and four show that he gave his lover his heart but she didn't give hers in return. Thus, as a result "At one first blow did shiver it as glass" this symbolizes the heart being broken into many pieces. The fourth stanza lines three and four state that till this day that those broken shards still remain. Lines five through seven show that he has hoped to love again but those "hundred lesser faces" don't measure up. The last line suggest he has found his one true love but she has already broken his heart so now one will ever be good enough.
This poem goes through progression. He starts telling us that love doesn't last that long and it is rediculus. Then he goes on to say that love devours all of our hearts. By the time we get to the third stanza he explains why he thinks this because his heart has been broken. Finally he states that he has tried to love again but it can never be the same.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Good-Morrow
In "The Good-Morrow" by John Donne, repetition and diction are used to show a united love. In all three stanzas he makes love prominent using words such as love, one, and worlds. Donne also uses words that suggest unity such as hemispheres, north and west, and equally.
Donne uses quite a bit of repetition in his poem "The Good-Morrow". Love is a word he uses in every stanza of this poem. So this give us an idea that the theme of the poem has to be about love. A second word he uses is one. This word is repeated five times throughout the poem. It suggests unity and togetherness. The last word he uses is worlds especially in the second stanza. The last one is world which is different because the others are plural. Thus, the words love, one, and world together can give a over all meaning to the poem. The repetion suggests that there is only one worldand in that one world they share the love in unity.
The diction in this poem suggests togetherness and unity. Donne uses the word hemispheres in the third stanza. Hemispheres are to separate parts but relay on eachother in the world. Next he uses north and west. They are two parts of a compass that work together to show direction. The word equally is used in the third stanza and means evenly distributed which shows that the love is shared.
Over all the narrator of this poem is in love with someone and finally realizes it. They want to be as one in the world with eachother because they relay on eachothers love.
Donne uses quite a bit of repetition in his poem "The Good-Morrow". Love is a word he uses in every stanza of this poem. So this give us an idea that the theme of the poem has to be about love. A second word he uses is one. This word is repeated five times throughout the poem. It suggests unity and togetherness. The last word he uses is worlds especially in the second stanza. The last one is world which is different because the others are plural. Thus, the words love, one, and world together can give a over all meaning to the poem. The repetion suggests that there is only one worldand in that one world they share the love in unity.
The diction in this poem suggests togetherness and unity. Donne uses the word hemispheres in the third stanza. Hemispheres are to separate parts but relay on eachother in the world. Next he uses north and west. They are two parts of a compass that work together to show direction. The word equally is used in the third stanza and means evenly distributed which shows that the love is shared.
Over all the narrator of this poem is in love with someone and finally realizes it. They want to be as one in the world with eachother because they relay on eachothers love.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Act of Resistance
So this past Friday was the biggest shopping day of the year known as Black Friday or as I like to call it Epic Fail Day! So on Epic Fail Day since I was going to Mayfair anyway to pick up my contacts I thought this would be a great time to do my act of resistance. I made about twenty-five little squares of paper that had facts about the labor that goes into making the items that the consumers where buying. Also at the bottom of the little square in caps it said COMSUMERISM IS BAD!!!
So I tried to pass out some of the papers to people in the mall. That was very slow going. People didn’t care to take them and most people just ignored me completely or just gave me weird looks. I got a few people to take them but they probably just threw them away. I even tried to get my sister to help me on her break from work but she was all rawr. I don’t blame her, she did have to work on Epic Fail Day. I gave up after awhile just leaving the papers on a table.
My reason for calling it Epic Fail Day is because way do people go buy stuff just to buy it. I understand getting stuff on sale and saving money. But are you really saving money when you’re buying more things than you really need? So I think Black Friday just makes impulse buying worse and makes Americans look more like idiots.
So I tried to pass out some of the papers to people in the mall. That was very slow going. People didn’t care to take them and most people just ignored me completely or just gave me weird looks. I got a few people to take them but they probably just threw them away. I even tried to get my sister to help me on her break from work but she was all rawr. I don’t blame her, she did have to work on Epic Fail Day. I gave up after awhile just leaving the papers on a table.
My reason for calling it Epic Fail Day is because way do people go buy stuff just to buy it. I understand getting stuff on sale and saving money. But are you really saving money when you’re buying more things than you really need? So I think Black Friday just makes impulse buying worse and makes Americans look more like idiots.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Do the men have any power in this?
Really do they? I have touched on this before but are the women also losing abstaining from sex? Also the men in this play are depicted as very brawny so are they really? I mean they do come to the realisation that they need to stop the war. Is it for the right reasons? I think the men may have more power than depicted in this play. Even if this play is suppost to be focused around women why can the men be a little less depicted as idiots who only want sex?
Shallow?
Is there a shallowness to the play? I mean it is focused around sex. They focus on it so much in this play is there any more to these people's marriage than that. They seem only talk about domestic things to like cooking and cleaning. I think this play just depicts relationships between men and women on the surface and not on love. It is a sort of vain depiction.
Modern time.
Many ask would this sort of protest work in our world today. I don't think it would. We are to involved in a global sort of world. Organization would be horrible leaving it not affective. Also in just a country trying to end a war I think it would fail as well. The men are over seas. Would that really be all that affective? Also there are women in the army as well. What about them? The only thing I think that could work is for a husband and wife under one household. That is the only way I could see this protest working.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Language?
Why do the characters speak in they way they do? The Athenians seem to speak in a proper sort of way. The Spartans on the other have a "odder" way of speaking that is sometimes hard to understand. Why is that!?! Is it due to the translation? Did they have to find some sort of dialect to match with the version that was originally written? Maybe it was to show intelligence? Would it affect the play if they both talked the same? Or is it there just to distinguish? huh?
Brainy or Brawny?
This idea has a very significant part in lysistrata. The women out wit the men's brawny force full attacks. It is a very stereotypical take from a women's perspective. They women out smart the men constantly through out this play. The men constantly use force. The men maybe getting the bashing in this idea of the book. Again this play is sort of degrading. I really don't think anyone can win in this tough. You take a stand for oneside the other gets bashed. Maybe I'm being to negative?
Is this play REALLY a positive for women?
Well, is it positive? These women are abstaining from sex to get their husbands and sons to end the war. They are using their body as a tool. Is that good? Let's look at it from the male angle. Are men so attached to sex that they would end a war for it? I think this play could possibly give a negative image to both sexes. I think this play may degrade humans as a whole. Or is it just human nature? You see both sexes falter at points, so I don't think one sex is stronger than the other. Either this play is very liberating or degrading, I can't decide.
Husband in the Play?
How come we only really see one husband in the play and it's Myrrhine? Where is Lysistrata's husband? We hear about the other women's husbands in the play as well. We also hear about their sons. Why is the main character of this play and the leader of the protest so disconnected from men from the beginning of the play. When she suggests the abstinance all the women react quite harshly to Lysistrata's proposal. Why is that? I think she could care less about her male counter parts. Since we don't hear about a spouse I don't think it's hard for Lysistrata to lead the protest at all. I think if their where a male presence in Lysistrata's life in this play it would make for a much better story. This could be another reason I didn't care much for this play.
Women's Oath
Why is Kleonike the only woman to repeat after Lysistrata when making the oath? Of course all the women drink the wine but why only Kleonike? Is she Lysistrata's second in command? She seems to be the one that first comes around to the idea from abstaining from sex even thought she states her knees are shaking. So is that why she is willing to repeat after Lysistrata? Maybe I'm missing a deeper point.
The End?
At the end of the play the Athenians and Spartans declare peace. They end the war to end the abstinence. Will they really remain at peace though? If they just ended the war so they could have sex again, will the peace last? If sex was the reason they ended the war then is there REAL peace. Who is to say that they wont start another war and if they do will the women use the same protest. So in all I am asking.....was it worth it?
Reaction....
.....Yeah I'm not very impressed by Lysistrata. I feel since it is set in one location and in a twenty four hour period that it is kind of dull. I feel that if it was spaced out for a longer period of time and had more locations it could add more conflict to the plot. I think it just happened to quickly and in that it made it dull. So I think Meh is my reaction to this play.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Thea???
If Thea did write the manuscript instead of Lovborg then wouldn't she be a very smart woman?
If she is so smart why would she let Hedda control her? If she where the woman with the power and control in this play wouldn't she be smart enough to avoid Hedda's trickery? I think it was pretty obvious of what Hedda was doing. If someone was that awful to you in school why would you befriend then after a few poorly told lies? I don't know whether to think she is a genius or an idiot.
If she is so smart why would she let Hedda control her? If she where the woman with the power and control in this play wouldn't she be smart enough to avoid Hedda's trickery? I think it was pretty obvious of what Hedda was doing. If someone was that awful to you in school why would you befriend then after a few poorly told lies? I don't know whether to think she is a genius or an idiot.
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