"You know it's funny what a young man recollects? 'Cause I don't remember bein' born. I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic. But I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world" (Forrest Gump). As Forrest explains in the movie here, the human memory is truly an amazing thing. As people we carry memories, such as Jenny's voice, our entire lives. We can recall these memories so well, that we relive them with each story we tell about them. In my life, I hold tight to the memory of my late uncle. Because I keep this memory so close to me, I can bring stories of him to life just as Forrest has throughout the whole movie. It seems as if there is a coorelation between memory and the heart. For the memories that we can not retain, we create the idea of how we think it would have been. The heart picks up where the brain leaves off.
As Roger Ebert describes in his review, "Forrest Gump," " In a story rich in big laughs and quiet truths" (Roger Ebert). In any story, the truth is always mixed in with the fiction. If the story was nothing but the truth, the big laughs would not be quite as large. We must embellish the true to create a more captive audience. As Tim O'Brien stated in his lecture, "A good lie, if nobly told, for good reason, seems to me preferable to a very boring and pedestrian truth, which can lie, too" (O'Brien). If it makes a better story, a lie may be the better choice. In my experiences of story telling, fiction can often reveal more about the truth than the truth can. For instance, if a made up story that is completely plausible reveals more about a person than the truth does, it is evidently the better choice.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thursday, November 18, 2010
In The Catcher in the Rye b J.D. Salinger, Holden Caufield takes on the role as the universal teenager. For starters, he hates school. He is kicked out of several institutions, mainly for not applying himself. When describing why he's leaving Pencey he says, "They gave me frequent warnings to start applying myself- especially around midterms, but I didn't do it, so I got the ax" (4). Like many teenagers, Holden doesn't try in school and hates education. This is one way Holden represents the universal teenager.
Another way Holden represents the universal teen is his chronic depression and his overexaggeration. Holden is depressed about his life. Phoebe describes his situation by saying, "You don't like anything that's happening" (169). This is a slight exaggeration because no one truly dislikes anything, but Holden is very pessimistic about most things. Most teenagers can relate to this because they don't like a lot of things and feel like they know better than anyone about how things should be. He also threatens to commit suicide several times because of how depressed he is, but would never do it. He is an over-exaggerator like most teens who make everything out to be ten times worse than they are. THese are only a few examples of how Holden represents the universal teen in The Catcher in the Rye.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
McMurphy vs. Nurse Ratched
In Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, two characters are predominant in the power struggle over the hospital ward. These two characters are Nurse Ratched, overseer of the men, and Randle McMurphy, a patient in the ward unlike any they've seen in a long time. Throughout the book, each character tries to convey their dominance, or flex their muscles, to show the ward who has more control.
Before McMurphy arrives to the ward, Big Nurse has total control. McMurphy explains her control by saying, "The flock gets sight of a spot of blood on some chicken and they all go to peckin’ at it, see, till they rip the chicken to shreds, blood and bones and feathers. But usually a couple of the flock gets spotted in the fracas, then it’s their turn. And a few more gets spots and gets pecked to death, and more and more. Oh, a peckin’ party can wipe out the whole flock in a matter of a few hours, buddy, I seen it. A mighty awesome sight" (Kesey 55). Big Nurse's therapy sections aren't very therapeutic. Rather, she uses these times to emaculate the men, and that does not help them. McMurphy takes on his own form of therapy session by taking the men on a fishing trip. In doing so, he made people like George feel needed, and for Chief, "I smelt the air and felt the four cans of beer I'd drunk shorting out dozens of control leads down inside me: all aroung, the chrome sides of the swells flickered and flashed in the sun" (209). McMurhpy's tactics were much more therapeutic than anything Nurse Ratched could do for these men, because McMurphy made them feel like men.
The battle for power and authority in the ward is a constant theme throughought the book. It ends with a series of powerful plays to win total control. When McMurphy strangles Big Nurse it is though that he won, because he has scarred and changed her forever. However, she comes back swinging when she orders a labotamy on McMurphy. This appears to be the final straw. A labotamy would ruin McMurphy and give Ratched control over him, and the entire ward once more. But when Chief suffocates McMurphy in his sleep, it probes the question of who really won. I feel as though McMurphy won because in the end, he is in a better place where she can't control him, she has a constant reminder around her neck of his effect on her, and her most loyal patient, Chief, went against her by killing McMurphy so he wouldn't have to live in misery.
Before McMurphy arrives to the ward, Big Nurse has total control. McMurphy explains her control by saying, "The flock gets sight of a spot of blood on some chicken and they all go to peckin’ at it, see, till they rip the chicken to shreds, blood and bones and feathers. But usually a couple of the flock gets spotted in the fracas, then it’s their turn. And a few more gets spots and gets pecked to death, and more and more. Oh, a peckin’ party can wipe out the whole flock in a matter of a few hours, buddy, I seen it. A mighty awesome sight" (Kesey 55). Big Nurse's therapy sections aren't very therapeutic. Rather, she uses these times to emaculate the men, and that does not help them. McMurphy takes on his own form of therapy session by taking the men on a fishing trip. In doing so, he made people like George feel needed, and for Chief, "I smelt the air and felt the four cans of beer I'd drunk shorting out dozens of control leads down inside me: all aroung, the chrome sides of the swells flickered and flashed in the sun" (209). McMurhpy's tactics were much more therapeutic than anything Nurse Ratched could do for these men, because McMurphy made them feel like men.
The battle for power and authority in the ward is a constant theme throughought the book. It ends with a series of powerful plays to win total control. When McMurphy strangles Big Nurse it is though that he won, because he has scarred and changed her forever. However, she comes back swinging when she orders a labotamy on McMurphy. This appears to be the final straw. A labotamy would ruin McMurphy and give Ratched control over him, and the entire ward once more. But when Chief suffocates McMurphy in his sleep, it probes the question of who really won. I feel as though McMurphy won because in the end, he is in a better place where she can't control him, she has a constant reminder around her neck of his effect on her, and her most loyal patient, Chief, went against her by killing McMurphy so he wouldn't have to live in misery.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Mad Girl's Love Song Analysis
“Mad Girl’s Love Song” Analysis
By Sylvia Plath pg.387
“Mad Girl’s Love Song” by Sylvia Plath is a poem about a girl who spent her whole life waiting for a man she gave herself to, against her beliefs, who was never to return. The most visible device the author used in this book is repetition. One phrase the narrator repeats is “(I think I made you up inside my head).” The emphasis repetition puts on this quote is that the narrator is wishing that this man is made up, and trying to convince herself of it. The quotes signify that these are thoughts to her, and not out loud, which means she is trying to convince herself it is true. The narrator also repeats the line, “I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.” This, along with the reference to God, Satan, and Seraphim, mean that getting “into bed” with the man the narrator was speaking to was a sin, and therefore they never married. When the narrator tries to sleep, “All the world drops dead,” which could represent nightmares and visions of hell because she feels guilty for her sin. Plath uses repetition to emphasize certain phrases so the reader can decipher the true meaning.
Another device the author uses is personification. In the second stanza the narrator describes “the stars go waltzing out in blue and red, And arbitrary blackness gallops in.” Clearly, stars can not waltz and blackness can’t gallop. Stars “waltzing out” and blackness galloping in are used to describe how they are leaving her without a second thought, self-assured, easily, and quickly, as the man who left her might have done. The narrator continues to say “I should have loved a Thunderbird instead; At least when spring comes they roar back again.” The narrator is giving a car, Thunderbird, the personification of being able to love and return to its lover, as she wished her man had done. The narrator is also relaying the message that the car is a better man and companion than her lover is. Personification in this poem is very meaningful and powerful to the underlying theme.
The first thing that struck me with this poem is the title, “Mad Girl’s Love Song.” The title has two underlying meanings. One, the girl is mad, or angry, about the love in her life. This is true, because the narrator is very upset that she gave herself to a man who left her. Also, that the girl is mad, or insane, over convincing herself that this lover is “made up” and does not exist. The second thing about this poem that caught my attention is the author, Sylvia Plath, who is extremely emotional and troubled. I liked the religious undertones of the poem, which represent that sex before marriage is a sin to the narrator, and she is regretting her actions. “Mad Girl’s Love Song” is cynical view on a bad relationship, and I enjoyed reading it.
By Sylvia Plath pg.387
“Mad Girl’s Love Song” by Sylvia Plath is a poem about a girl who spent her whole life waiting for a man she gave herself to, against her beliefs, who was never to return. The most visible device the author used in this book is repetition. One phrase the narrator repeats is “(I think I made you up inside my head).” The emphasis repetition puts on this quote is that the narrator is wishing that this man is made up, and trying to convince herself of it. The quotes signify that these are thoughts to her, and not out loud, which means she is trying to convince herself it is true. The narrator also repeats the line, “I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.” This, along with the reference to God, Satan, and Seraphim, mean that getting “into bed” with the man the narrator was speaking to was a sin, and therefore they never married. When the narrator tries to sleep, “All the world drops dead,” which could represent nightmares and visions of hell because she feels guilty for her sin. Plath uses repetition to emphasize certain phrases so the reader can decipher the true meaning.
Another device the author uses is personification. In the second stanza the narrator describes “the stars go waltzing out in blue and red, And arbitrary blackness gallops in.” Clearly, stars can not waltz and blackness can’t gallop. Stars “waltzing out” and blackness galloping in are used to describe how they are leaving her without a second thought, self-assured, easily, and quickly, as the man who left her might have done. The narrator continues to say “I should have loved a Thunderbird instead; At least when spring comes they roar back again.” The narrator is giving a car, Thunderbird, the personification of being able to love and return to its lover, as she wished her man had done. The narrator is also relaying the message that the car is a better man and companion than her lover is. Personification in this poem is very meaningful and powerful to the underlying theme.
The first thing that struck me with this poem is the title, “Mad Girl’s Love Song.” The title has two underlying meanings. One, the girl is mad, or angry, about the love in her life. This is true, because the narrator is very upset that she gave herself to a man who left her. Also, that the girl is mad, or insane, over convincing herself that this lover is “made up” and does not exist. The second thing about this poem that caught my attention is the author, Sylvia Plath, who is extremely emotional and troubled. I liked the religious undertones of the poem, which represent that sex before marriage is a sin to the narrator, and she is regretting her actions. “Mad Girl’s Love Song” is cynical view on a bad relationship, and I enjoyed reading it.
The Red Hat Analysis
“The Red Hat” Analysis
By Rachel Hadas pg. 367
“The Red Hat” is a poem about the emotions a parent goes through in letting their child go and gain more independence. The author expresses these emotions using such tools as symbolism. The narrator of the story is describing the event in which their son started walking to school on his own. However, this event is connected to the bigger event of letting their son grow up and gain independence. Hadas creates this symbolism by stating, “Parallel paths part, he goes alone from there” and “Already ties are feeling and not fact” meaning their connection and bond is no longer concrete. The author continues to use symbolism to make the red hat symbolic of the son. “Since the red hat vanished from our sight” is a symbol of the son walking on alone without his parents. Hadas continues to use symbolism when she wrote, “He now is hustled forward by the pull of something far more powerful than school.” This pull is symbolic of the son’s new independence and the emotions, excitement and fear, that come along with it, causing him to move quicker than usual to school. Hadas uses symbolism as a good tool to reveal the emotions of letting go of a child.
Another device the author uses in “The Red Hat” is imagery. In the first stanza, the narrator visibly describes how the son and his parents walk “semi-alone.” Hadas includes details of where they walk, “He walks up on the east side of West End, we on the west side,” to portray the struggle the parents are having with letting go and to explain to the author in clear detail what happens every morning. The detailed walk continues to “Straus Park…where these parallel paths part.” The narrator depicts that “Glances can extend (and do) across the street; not eye contact.” The reader can visualize the image of the mother of father peeking up occasionally to just catch a glimpse of their son walking. This also reveals that there are rules set up, “Not eye contact,” which allows the reader to assume the independence was the boy’s idea. Hadas continues to create an image with, “The watcher’s heart stretches, elastic in its love and fear.” The parents’ love continues on with the boy, and one can visualize the mother standing there stretching to catch the last glimpse of “The Red Hat” before it disappears. Hadas’ excellent use of imagery depicts the morning walk this family endures and the love the parents have for their son.
I enjoyed this poem very much because I feel it is easily related to any loving parent, or any child that has had a loving parent. It is a true sample of how a family struggles with the maturity of a child. I love how the author adds small details such as “Two weeks ago, holding a hand” to not only show how big of an independence gain it is for the son, but also how long the parents have been dealing with this situation and trying to allow their son freedom. The symbolism of the red hat is also effective because as a reader, I can see the bobbing red hat in a crowd of people, as the mom stands their heartbroken. “The Red Hat” by Rachel Hadas is an artistic, heartfelt poem that is beautifully written and perceived.
By Rachel Hadas pg. 367
“The Red Hat” is a poem about the emotions a parent goes through in letting their child go and gain more independence. The author expresses these emotions using such tools as symbolism. The narrator of the story is describing the event in which their son started walking to school on his own. However, this event is connected to the bigger event of letting their son grow up and gain independence. Hadas creates this symbolism by stating, “Parallel paths part, he goes alone from there” and “Already ties are feeling and not fact” meaning their connection and bond is no longer concrete. The author continues to use symbolism to make the red hat symbolic of the son. “Since the red hat vanished from our sight” is a symbol of the son walking on alone without his parents. Hadas continues to use symbolism when she wrote, “He now is hustled forward by the pull of something far more powerful than school.” This pull is symbolic of the son’s new independence and the emotions, excitement and fear, that come along with it, causing him to move quicker than usual to school. Hadas uses symbolism as a good tool to reveal the emotions of letting go of a child.
Another device the author uses in “The Red Hat” is imagery. In the first stanza, the narrator visibly describes how the son and his parents walk “semi-alone.” Hadas includes details of where they walk, “He walks up on the east side of West End, we on the west side,” to portray the struggle the parents are having with letting go and to explain to the author in clear detail what happens every morning. The detailed walk continues to “Straus Park…where these parallel paths part.” The narrator depicts that “Glances can extend (and do) across the street; not eye contact.” The reader can visualize the image of the mother of father peeking up occasionally to just catch a glimpse of their son walking. This also reveals that there are rules set up, “Not eye contact,” which allows the reader to assume the independence was the boy’s idea. Hadas continues to create an image with, “The watcher’s heart stretches, elastic in its love and fear.” The parents’ love continues on with the boy, and one can visualize the mother standing there stretching to catch the last glimpse of “The Red Hat” before it disappears. Hadas’ excellent use of imagery depicts the morning walk this family endures and the love the parents have for their son.
I enjoyed this poem very much because I feel it is easily related to any loving parent, or any child that has had a loving parent. It is a true sample of how a family struggles with the maturity of a child. I love how the author adds small details such as “Two weeks ago, holding a hand” to not only show how big of an independence gain it is for the son, but also how long the parents have been dealing with this situation and trying to allow their son freedom. The symbolism of the red hat is also effective because as a reader, I can see the bobbing red hat in a crowd of people, as the mom stands their heartbroken. “The Red Hat” by Rachel Hadas is an artistic, heartfelt poem that is beautifully written and perceived.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
The Handmaid's Tale
When Offred and Oglen are discussing “the grapevine” she talks about a connection path of information between handmaids where they pass information among each other. The password they use to decipher who is a part of the grapevine is “Mayday.” This is a very specific word to use, and Atwood must have wanted there to be a meaning behind it. By definition, mayday is the international radiotelephone distress signal, used by ships and aircraft. Atwood may have chosen to use this word because mayday means “come help me.” The grapevine the handmaids created is a source of information to try and keep them connected to the society. They use this password to tell whether or not their partnered handmaid is in on it, or possibly an eye who could report them. Mayday is a plea for help, and the handmaids use this to see which among them are there to help. Ofglen adds something interesting to this meaning saying, “Don’t use it unless you have to” (202). This adds to Atwood’s opinion on how woman view each other. You don’t want to ask for help from too many handmaids, because they have created a private group, and do not want to help many others. They also know that if someone is caught, they will report on each other in a second to save themselves. Each woman is alone, and they will fend for themselves no matter what. The word “mayday” symbolizes help, but it is ironic that these women are not too willing to help.
My favorite passage of The Handmaid’s Tale and any other book we’ve read is “You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs” (211). Of course, this is what The Commander says to Offred when they begin talking about the society that has been created. He asks her what her opinion is on Gilead, and to protect herself she says she doesn’t have one. However, he can sense her opinion which is why he comes up with this metaphor, as if the murder of all of these people and the horrible lives they are forcing these people to live is mere eggs in the formation of an ommelette. This quote does prove that the officers and higher ranked men in the society do recognize how dysfunctional this society is, and they do know there are problems with it. T The quote is a mean's to show how The Commander downplays the negative activities going on in the society created, and how much he cares about the lives spent to create Gilead. The quote also provides some irony because Gilead is no ommelette.
The Handmaid’s Tale was full of symbolism and social commentary that I truly enjoyed. Atwood has several relevant points and she drives them home very clearly in her story of Offred. However, some of Atwood’s views are displayed a little too radically for me. I do agree that she needed to take such drastic measures and describe the events like the Ceremony between Offred and The Commander. I may be more of a traditional person, but I can’t try to sympathize as well as I should with Offred because I was so uncomfortable with the book. The Birth Ceremony and the constant references to tools removed so the handmaids couldn’t kill themselves were alarming, and took away from my comprehension of the novel. The parts of the novel depicting the salvaging was so foreign to me I had to keep putting the book down. I applaud Atwood’s written masterpiece and I agree with most of her opinions on society, but I had a very hard time reading and analyzing this article because it was so uncomfortable.
My favorite passage of The Handmaid’s Tale and any other book we’ve read is “You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs” (211). Of course, this is what The Commander says to Offred when they begin talking about the society that has been created. He asks her what her opinion is on Gilead, and to protect herself she says she doesn’t have one. However, he can sense her opinion which is why he comes up with this metaphor, as if the murder of all of these people and the horrible lives they are forcing these people to live is mere eggs in the formation of an ommelette. This quote does prove that the officers and higher ranked men in the society do recognize how dysfunctional this society is, and they do know there are problems with it. T The quote is a mean's to show how The Commander downplays the negative activities going on in the society created, and how much he cares about the lives spent to create Gilead. The quote also provides some irony because Gilead is no ommelette.
The Handmaid’s Tale was full of symbolism and social commentary that I truly enjoyed. Atwood has several relevant points and she drives them home very clearly in her story of Offred. However, some of Atwood’s views are displayed a little too radically for me. I do agree that she needed to take such drastic measures and describe the events like the Ceremony between Offred and The Commander. I may be more of a traditional person, but I can’t try to sympathize as well as I should with Offred because I was so uncomfortable with the book. The Birth Ceremony and the constant references to tools removed so the handmaids couldn’t kill themselves were alarming, and took away from my comprehension of the novel. The parts of the novel depicting the salvaging was so foreign to me I had to keep putting the book down. I applaud Atwood’s written masterpiece and I agree with most of her opinions on society, but I had a very hard time reading and analyzing this article because it was so uncomfortable.
Monday, November 2, 2009
We
A constant topic in We is love, and what it means to D-503. He knows nothing of love before he meets I-330. He has infatuation with O-90, but this is nothing compared to true love. When I-330 walks into his life, he starts to develop a soul. He is completely derailed with this new idea of feelings, and feels he loves I-330, even though he doesn’t truly know what love is. According to Webster, love is “affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests”. In actuality, I-330 and D-503 do not share this “love”. Instead, D-503 is in lust with I-330, for she is seducing him. I-330 has larger plans than forming a relationship; she is trying to get to the INTEGRAL, and using D-503 to do so. D-503 is not in love with I-330, but his new soul has created his love for love. Being introduced to all these new feelings a soul has brought to him, D-503 wants to use and express them. And love being the most powerful, D-503 is eager to spread his love, and ironically, I-330 is looking for just that, D-503 to love her. It is argued that D-503 is in love with I-330, but it is nothing more than desire.
My favorite passage of We occurs in the very beginning of the novel because of how riddled with irony it is. D-503 writes, “My pen, accustomed to figures, is powerless to create the music of assonance and rhyme. I shall attempt nothing more than to note down what I see, what I think- or, to be more exact, what we think (that’s right: we; and let this WE be the title of these records)” (4). This passage expresses D-503’s unemotional feelings at the beginning of the book, his plans to write down everything that happens in a mathematician’s life in
I felt a very interesting connection with D-503 in We. I felt it very interesting that not many other people thought in the same way I did. D-503 liked to think in numbers. He loved math because there was one equation, and one answer. There are no different interpretations, or different views on a situation in math. It is either right or wrong. This is why D-503 loved math so much, and in the beginning of the novel this is how he liked to think. When emotions and different outlooks on society came in the equation, he become very uneasy and compared it to √-1. He hated √-1 because of its imaginary property, and that you couldn’t solve it. In discussion, most people thought D-503’s way of thinking in mathematical terms was crazy, and they felt having no definite right or wrong answer was better than the definitive properties of math. I, however, do not think this way in the least and am always frustrated in areas such as literature, in that people have different answers to questions and they can all be right. I much prefer the definitive yes or no properties of math, and We made me realize that. We taught me something about myself, that I would not have otherwise noticed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)