Literature has the mysterious power of transforming one into a more analytical and confident reader and writer. At the beginning of my senior year, I considered myself to be a reporter, who reports the fact on the things I see. Now, near the end of the year, I consider myself an analytical writer. Throughout the year, we were asked to analyze and to explicate on whatever pieces of literature we were assigned. At first, everything about the pieces seemed so simple that I felt like there is not much to write about. However, as time pass by, I am able to see more than the images on the picture or the words on the writing. I am able to see beyond what is on the piece of literature.
The most memorable moment was when I have to write an explicative essay for the first time. This was difficult, as I have never done it before. I was assigned to explicate William Carlos Williams’ The Parable of the Blind. He wrote this poem based on Pieter Brueghel’s painting. With the painting and poem, I started my journey on analyzing it. I also attempted to create meaning and relationships between the poem and the painting. In the end, I found a relationship and the purpose and main idea of William Carlos Williams’ poem. Therefore, I wrote about my findings and reported each detail with specific care.
I thought that this was the best analytical piece I’ve done. However, when I received my grade for this assignment, I was shock. I got a low grade and I was disappointed. This is because I was not doing what the assignment asked for. I was supposed to explicate the poem, not analyze it. I asked myself the question: What is the difference between explicating and analyzing? Later, I realize, with the help of fellow students and Mr. Gallagher, the difference between them. When one analyzes, he or she is trying to create meaning out of what they see. And when one explicates, he or she is attempting to tell other people how the artist conveys his idea and main idea. Once I realize their distinction, I am able to write better essays.
This assignment is also interesting because I was asked to choose two pieces of writing, written by fellow students, that I considered the most well written and that are able to explicate the poem really well. I must choose the A’s and the B’s paper. After reading everyone’s writing, I am able to choose two that I believed are the best. The good thing about this is that I was able to gather new ideas about writing from other people and that I could be exposed to various writing techniques and structures.
Another memorable moment is when I wrote a poem that is similar to the Red Shift written by Ted Berrigan. The Red Shift poem is nearly the same as my poem. The only distinction is some of the wordings. I was asked to write a poem by filling in the blanks that were in the Red Shift. Mr. Gallagher created these blanks. I used my creative ideas and simply created a poem based on my experience and thought. It was fun and it sounded nice. It was the only time when I felt proud about writing a poem.
There are other impressive moments in his class. The time we spent in acting out Hamlet is unforgettable. It was fun and entertaining. It helped us in understanding the reading better. Memorizing a twenty-four-lines poem is also a superb memory to me. I will never forget the preparation I had before entering Mr. Gallagher’s classroom at the day of the presentation. However, at the presentation, I did not do well. I stuttered and did not remember the lines, so I walked around the room and created a show-like presentation. This was awkward and was considered funny by fellow students.
I believe that literature can really impact my life. Everything about literature helps me learn and grow and to become who I am today. I take history class because it provides stories of disasters that have occurred in the past due to some mistakes of our ancestor, which will help me in not repeating their mistakes. Similar to the reason in taking history, reading a book, knowing about assorted characters, and understanding the different events can help in making us grow, to take precautions about various activities, and to learn about different writing techniques and skills. This is the basis for me in believing that I have grown plenty during this school year. As a side note, I have never thought about writing a thirteen-page paper. This year, aside from the long research paper and the long research that I did, everything seems inspirational. Writing a three-page paper is no longer a difficult assignment for me.
Showing posts with label Analysis (Formal Essays). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Analysis (Formal Essays). Show all posts
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Video Critque: 3:1 Hamlet's Soliloquy (Laurence Olivier)
Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act Three Scene One can best be portrayed through Laurence Olivier’s performance. Throughout this speech, Hamlet experiences many different sensations. I believe that Laurence Olivier is best in showing these emotions. The sound and camera effects, the setting, and the portrayal of Hamlet have significant influence in my decision.
Music is being played before the start of the speech. The music’s change in volume and speed reflects the situation Hamlet is in and the “shocks” (line 61) he experiences in knowing the truth behind his father’s death. Hamlet is working “against a sea of troubles” (line 58). He is arranging and executing a plan in order to reveal the shocking deeds King Claudius has done in order to gain his position at the throne. To him, this is a dangerous action. The reason for this is that he will be killed with “slings and arrows” (line 57) if he makes a single mistake in his plan.
The increasing volume and speed in the music that is being played demonstrates the feelings Hamlet experiences at the time. Also, the music sounds fearful and seems to push towards a sense of confusion. Hamlet is “suffer[ring from his] outrageous fortune” (line 57). His fate is outrageous because his mother marries his uncle, who is the assassinator of his father. His knowledge of this makes him feel as if he has a duty to revenge for his dead father. However, at the same time, he does not want to do so. He wants to live happily with Ophelia and pretends to know nothing. He is ignorant of the choice he should make—whether he should revenge for his father or not. He does not know if he should “be, or not to be” (line 55) the one who revenge for his father and creates a situation of dismay for all the people living in Denmark, including himself. This “is [a] question” (line 55) to him.
The camera plays a major role in creating this sense of ignorance. The camera creates both the colors of light and dark before the beginning of the play in order to show Hamlet’s reflection of his actions, whether they are right or wrong. He balances the positive and negative effects his vengeance would have on everyone in Denmark. He knows that he is able to “end” (line 59) King Claudius’ power and his “heart-ache and natural shocks” (line 61) “by opposing” (line 59) him and executing his plan. At this point in Olivier’s performance, he takes out a knife and stares at it. This action makes me feel as if Hamlet wants to suicide because he does not want to make the decision he is forced to make. Then, he closes his eyes and says a few more lines before he opens up his eyes again and concentrates them on the sky. He hopes to stop dreaming about his father’s “death” (line 65) every time he sleeps. On the other hand, he knows that “calamity [will last] so long [a] life” (line 68) if he kills King Claudius. At this point, Olivier shows fear in his eyes while he is talking. If King Claudius dies, a new king will be put on the throne. Since Hamlet is the assassinator, there will not be anyone proper to put on the throne. With this, Denmark would be in a state of confusion and will not be good to everyone in the region. People would “grunt and sweat under a weary life” (line 76) if he succeeds in killing the king. Then, Olivier looks as if he cannot believe how the future will be like. Hamlet does not want “to bear the whips and scorns of [the] time” (line 69). Next, Olivier looks around the cliff as if he is searching for the existence and appearance of law. Hamlet feels intolerable for the “law’s delay” (line 71) in finding out King Hamlet’s true death. Lastly, Olivier looks innocent and disappointed. Hamlet does not want people to despise the “love” (line 71) between Ophelia and him and to say that the reason he has a relationship with Ophelia with the purpose of overthrowing King Claudius.
He is afraid of dying and getting punished for killing King Claudius. He is afraid that his “conscience [will] make [him a] coward” (line 82); he worries that his preoccupation for the people in Denmark will make him stop in his vengeance. At this point, Olivier drops his knife, thinks for a brief moment, turns around and seems like he does not want to face the audience and appears to be despising himself. Hamlet does not want to lose his “native hue of resolution and enterprises of great pitch and moment with this regard” (lines 83-6) by revenging. Hamlet is “dread [of the life] after [his] death [in the] undiscover’d country, from where no traveler returns” (lines 77-9). He does not want to be put into a place where he sees people who he “knows not of” (line 81).
The setting of Laurence Olivier’s performance highly motivates people into feeling the way Hamlet feels in his state of thought. Hamlet is experience both high points and low points. He does not know the action he should take with his knowledge of his father’s true death. Locating himself on a cliff, where he is able to see the ocean with turbulent waves, Olivier is able to demonstrate this state of confusion in Hamlet’s mind. Hamlet’s struggle in his mind is like the waves in the ocean, moving up and down at a constant rate.
Music is being played before the start of the speech. The music’s change in volume and speed reflects the situation Hamlet is in and the “shocks” (line 61) he experiences in knowing the truth behind his father’s death. Hamlet is working “against a sea of troubles” (line 58). He is arranging and executing a plan in order to reveal the shocking deeds King Claudius has done in order to gain his position at the throne. To him, this is a dangerous action. The reason for this is that he will be killed with “slings and arrows” (line 57) if he makes a single mistake in his plan.
The increasing volume and speed in the music that is being played demonstrates the feelings Hamlet experiences at the time. Also, the music sounds fearful and seems to push towards a sense of confusion. Hamlet is “suffer[ring from his] outrageous fortune” (line 57). His fate is outrageous because his mother marries his uncle, who is the assassinator of his father. His knowledge of this makes him feel as if he has a duty to revenge for his dead father. However, at the same time, he does not want to do so. He wants to live happily with Ophelia and pretends to know nothing. He is ignorant of the choice he should make—whether he should revenge for his father or not. He does not know if he should “be, or not to be” (line 55) the one who revenge for his father and creates a situation of dismay for all the people living in Denmark, including himself. This “is [a] question” (line 55) to him.
The camera plays a major role in creating this sense of ignorance. The camera creates both the colors of light and dark before the beginning of the play in order to show Hamlet’s reflection of his actions, whether they are right or wrong. He balances the positive and negative effects his vengeance would have on everyone in Denmark. He knows that he is able to “end” (line 59) King Claudius’ power and his “heart-ache and natural shocks” (line 61) “by opposing” (line 59) him and executing his plan. At this point in Olivier’s performance, he takes out a knife and stares at it. This action makes me feel as if Hamlet wants to suicide because he does not want to make the decision he is forced to make. Then, he closes his eyes and says a few more lines before he opens up his eyes again and concentrates them on the sky. He hopes to stop dreaming about his father’s “death” (line 65) every time he sleeps. On the other hand, he knows that “calamity [will last] so long [a] life” (line 68) if he kills King Claudius. At this point, Olivier shows fear in his eyes while he is talking. If King Claudius dies, a new king will be put on the throne. Since Hamlet is the assassinator, there will not be anyone proper to put on the throne. With this, Denmark would be in a state of confusion and will not be good to everyone in the region. People would “grunt and sweat under a weary life” (line 76) if he succeeds in killing the king. Then, Olivier looks as if he cannot believe how the future will be like. Hamlet does not want “to bear the whips and scorns of [the] time” (line 69). Next, Olivier looks around the cliff as if he is searching for the existence and appearance of law. Hamlet feels intolerable for the “law’s delay” (line 71) in finding out King Hamlet’s true death. Lastly, Olivier looks innocent and disappointed. Hamlet does not want people to despise the “love” (line 71) between Ophelia and him and to say that the reason he has a relationship with Ophelia with the purpose of overthrowing King Claudius.
He is afraid of dying and getting punished for killing King Claudius. He is afraid that his “conscience [will] make [him a] coward” (line 82); he worries that his preoccupation for the people in Denmark will make him stop in his vengeance. At this point, Olivier drops his knife, thinks for a brief moment, turns around and seems like he does not want to face the audience and appears to be despising himself. Hamlet does not want to lose his “native hue of resolution and enterprises of great pitch and moment with this regard” (lines 83-6) by revenging. Hamlet is “dread [of the life] after [his] death [in the] undiscover’d country, from where no traveler returns” (lines 77-9). He does not want to be put into a place where he sees people who he “knows not of” (line 81).
The setting of Laurence Olivier’s performance highly motivates people into feeling the way Hamlet feels in his state of thought. Hamlet is experience both high points and low points. He does not know the action he should take with his knowledge of his father’s true death. Locating himself on a cliff, where he is able to see the ocean with turbulent waves, Olivier is able to demonstrate this state of confusion in Hamlet’s mind. Hamlet’s struggle in his mind is like the waves in the ocean, moving up and down at a constant rate.
Tom Phillips: Explicating A Humument: Page 263
On Page 263 of Tom Phillips’ A Humument, Phillips demonstrates that adolescents are beneficial to the society. He believes that only the younger generation is going to create a better future. The older generation is not going to understand the ideas of the younger generation; they belong to a different world. This is the reason Phillips believes that our future depends only on the adolescents. Phillips intelligently enhances this belief with text from A Human Document, images with variation in color and shapes that create imagery, and symbols.
The work of art on Page 263 of Tom Phillips’ A Humument is made up mainly of three different colors—green, yellow, and white. By combining these colors, various shades of green—light green, yellow green, green-blue, dark green, jade green, and pine green appear. Green takes up about seventy-five percent of the painting, yellow takes up about fifteen percent, and white takes up about ten percent. Seeing the painting for the first time, one can immediately think about a banana. The pelt of a fresh banana is green and it is not to be eaten until the pelt turns yellow. With this, one is able to realize the significance of the colors Phillips used. Yellow is symbolic of death and maturity while green is symbolic of growth and adolescence. With green covering nearly the whole painting, Phillips shows that the world consists mostly of youngsters who helps the society grows.
Colors play a major role in helping Phillips to develop his idea. In order for yellow to remain yellow, it should not be combined with green. By mixing it with white, it appears nearly the same. By combining it with green, it becomes a different shade of green and is no longer yellow. Similarly, in order for elders to remain “yellow,” they cannot accept any hints or ideas of “green.” Phillips believes that elders can never understand the ideas of youngsters. Therefore, they do not have any roles in improving the society.
The shapes and their placement in the painting have noteworthy implication. After carefully analyzing the painting, one realizes that it looks like a tree. The base of the tree is covered with yellow grass. It is symbolic of the elders; they are the bases in families. The trunk is made up of slabs of green that do not have apparent shapes. It is symbolic of adult who have ideas of both the elders and the youngsters, but who do not have the power to move towards neither direction. The top of the tree is covered with leaves with different shades of green. About one-half up the page of the painting, the leaves move away from the squared rim of the paper. The leaves shape like youngsters who are moving without an apparent direction and without restraint. The leaves are symbolic of youngsters who have different ideas and are free to move around. The “colors” that the liberated youngsters have are able to help them to create a better world. The uncertain movement of the leaves symbolizes the state of the future. The elders positioned themselves at the bottom of the tree. There, their roots are stuck to the ground or the square rim of the paper and it is difficult for them to move up to where the adolescents are. This is the reason the members of the older generation will never understand the members of the younger generation.
Tom Phillips uses words throughout the painting in order to further expresses his principle. The phrase “people part [from] people” implies the separation of youngsters from elders. In the painting, this phrase is placed at the point where the colors—green and yellow—separates. This shows the importance of the placement of images in the painting and the use of colors. Adults move “apart from the [hold] of [the elders]” because they feel that their lives are repeating over and over again. They want to be different and to create something new, something that is not a “habit.” Their paths are “the lonelier parts of the paths” of all the people of different ages because they are alone and that there is no one there to support them. The youngsters listen to their parents and understand their history, they want to move away from who they were and create something innovative. They work “against [the] memory” of repeated labor. These youngsters are those who will help to create a better future because they are going to create something new to their history.
Phillips believes that the younger generation is the only age group who is able to create a difference in the world and that they will improve the future. To him, this belief is like “a text [that is] to [be] trust.” The reason for him to illustrate leaves with assorted shades of green that move out from the squared rim of the paper is to show the unexpected future that the younger generation creates and that it is going to expand from its border. One experiences great emotion by seeing this painting. He or she is able to feel as if he or she is one of those leaves that move around and out of the holds of his or her parents. He or she feels that he or she is able to create something that will forever furnish the world. The most appealing part about this painting is the leaves. Phillips’ illustrating of the way the leaves move out of the squared rim and are not obstructed by any means is motivating. The everlasting color of the leaves in the painting is able to fill one with feelings of anticipation for the future.
The work of art on Page 263 of Tom Phillips’ A Humument is made up mainly of three different colors—green, yellow, and white. By combining these colors, various shades of green—light green, yellow green, green-blue, dark green, jade green, and pine green appear. Green takes up about seventy-five percent of the painting, yellow takes up about fifteen percent, and white takes up about ten percent. Seeing the painting for the first time, one can immediately think about a banana. The pelt of a fresh banana is green and it is not to be eaten until the pelt turns yellow. With this, one is able to realize the significance of the colors Phillips used. Yellow is symbolic of death and maturity while green is symbolic of growth and adolescence. With green covering nearly the whole painting, Phillips shows that the world consists mostly of youngsters who helps the society grows.
Colors play a major role in helping Phillips to develop his idea. In order for yellow to remain yellow, it should not be combined with green. By mixing it with white, it appears nearly the same. By combining it with green, it becomes a different shade of green and is no longer yellow. Similarly, in order for elders to remain “yellow,” they cannot accept any hints or ideas of “green.” Phillips believes that elders can never understand the ideas of youngsters. Therefore, they do not have any roles in improving the society.
The shapes and their placement in the painting have noteworthy implication. After carefully analyzing the painting, one realizes that it looks like a tree. The base of the tree is covered with yellow grass. It is symbolic of the elders; they are the bases in families. The trunk is made up of slabs of green that do not have apparent shapes. It is symbolic of adult who have ideas of both the elders and the youngsters, but who do not have the power to move towards neither direction. The top of the tree is covered with leaves with different shades of green. About one-half up the page of the painting, the leaves move away from the squared rim of the paper. The leaves shape like youngsters who are moving without an apparent direction and without restraint. The leaves are symbolic of youngsters who have different ideas and are free to move around. The “colors” that the liberated youngsters have are able to help them to create a better world. The uncertain movement of the leaves symbolizes the state of the future. The elders positioned themselves at the bottom of the tree. There, their roots are stuck to the ground or the square rim of the paper and it is difficult for them to move up to where the adolescents are. This is the reason the members of the older generation will never understand the members of the younger generation.
Tom Phillips uses words throughout the painting in order to further expresses his principle. The phrase “people part [from] people” implies the separation of youngsters from elders. In the painting, this phrase is placed at the point where the colors—green and yellow—separates. This shows the importance of the placement of images in the painting and the use of colors. Adults move “apart from the [hold] of [the elders]” because they feel that their lives are repeating over and over again. They want to be different and to create something new, something that is not a “habit.” Their paths are “the lonelier parts of the paths” of all the people of different ages because they are alone and that there is no one there to support them. The youngsters listen to their parents and understand their history, they want to move away from who they were and create something innovative. They work “against [the] memory” of repeated labor. These youngsters are those who will help to create a better future because they are going to create something new to their history.
Phillips believes that the younger generation is the only age group who is able to create a difference in the world and that they will improve the future. To him, this belief is like “a text [that is] to [be] trust.” The reason for him to illustrate leaves with assorted shades of green that move out from the squared rim of the paper is to show the unexpected future that the younger generation creates and that it is going to expand from its border. One experiences great emotion by seeing this painting. He or she is able to feel as if he or she is one of those leaves that move around and out of the holds of his or her parents. He or she feels that he or she is able to create something that will forever furnish the world. The most appealing part about this painting is the leaves. Phillips’ illustrating of the way the leaves move out of the squared rim and are not obstructed by any means is motivating. The everlasting color of the leaves in the painting is able to fill one with feelings of anticipation for the future.
James Joyce Passage Explication: Darkness
James Joyce uses darkness as a symbol of maturity and happiness in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. When a person is mature, he or she is able to make the right decision. When a person is happy, he or she is able to show it through his or her actions and speech. Throughout the novel, Stephen proves the relationship between darkness and maturity and happiness. James Joyce uses many different literary techniques: imagery, diction, time reference, repetition, setting, and contradiction.
Father Dolan punishes Stephen for not writing his theme during his Latin lesson. The reason Stephen does not write his theme is that he has broken his eyeglasses and so, he is not able to read and write with accuracy. He is exempted from doing the work with the permission of Father Arnall, his Latin teacher. However, he is still punished. As a result of such unfairness, he decides to go to the rector of the school to report to him about it.
In order to get to the rector’s room, he must wait until “the dinner was over” (60) and “walk fast up the staircase and [through] the low dark narrow corridor that led through the castle” (60). Dinner is when people eat at night; the time period resembles darkness because it is dark at night. The narrow corridor resembles darkness because it is dimly lit. The repeated usage of the words related to darkness creates fear in Stephen. Stephen uses triple the times to walk through the corridor than it supposed to be because he is afraid. The setting during which these events are taking place shows the relationship between darkness and these events.
Before entering the corridor, he thinks about all the positive and negative outcomes that would occur as a result of his meeting with the rector. He thinks that “the rector [might] side with the perfect of studies and think [that] it was a schoolboy trick [and that as a result] the prefect of studies would come in every day [to punish him because] he would be dreadfully waxy at any fellow going up to the rector about him” (61). The word waxy is used to describe the physically mature prefect of studies. Normally, adults do not get waxy over things as often as children do. However, the unjust perfect of studies is shown to be like a child. Stephen thinks that since “the fellows [who encourage] him to go would not go themselves, they [might have] forgotten all about it. [If this is true, it would be] best to hide out of the way because [he was] small and young [so he might be able to] escape” (61) the perfect of studies. The people who encourage him to go but do not go to the rector because they are afraid and they are only children. Stephen thinks that he might be able to escape the perfect of studies if he pretends that nothing has happened. However, by being able to think so much all at once and to able to make a right decision in the end, Stephen shows that he is mature.His decision in meeting with the rector has a positive result; the rector promises that he “will speak to Father Dolan [and that he would] excuse [Stephen] from his lessons for a few days” (61). This makes Stephen feeling happy and so he “walks faster and faster excitedly” (62). It takes three pages of reading in order for Stephen to get to the rector’s room. However, it only takes up a third of a page of reading for Stephen to come out from the rector’s room. This is significant because it shows how dreary and slow it is for Stephen to go into the rector’s room and how quick, simple, and joyful it is for him to come back out.
At Cork, Stephen “pored over a ragged translation of The Count of Monte Cristo [in the] evenings” (67) whenever he has free time. Just like any adult or a curious youth in the process of growing up, he relaxes himself by reading things he like, but not necessarily helpful. He thinks about “the figure of the dark avenger for whatever he had heard or divined in childhood of the strange and terrible” (67). Sometimes, Stephen would “build up on the parlour table an image of the wonderful island cave out of transfers and paper flowers and coloured tissue paper and strips of the silver and golden paper in which chocolate is wrapped” (67). As a child, Stephen often thinks of something strange and terrible as being a dark figure. A cave should be dark and has earthly colors. If Stephen is still immature in his thinking, he would build a cave with something else other than colorful papers he saved because he would have thought that the cave is terrible. Such contradiction between his belief as a child and his belief during the night shows that Stephen has undergone maturity. After “breaking up the scenery” (67), he would come to think about “the bright picture of Marseilles, of sunny trellises and of Mercedes” (67). The cave is symbolic of his growth. After breaking it up, it would have nothing more to think about except for Mercedes.
Frequently, when we encounter the word, darkness, we associate it with something negative. Loneliness and fear are often connected to the word, darkness. However, in James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the association is positive. James Joyce creates a new meaning to the word; darkness is a resemblance to maturity and happiness.
Father Dolan punishes Stephen for not writing his theme during his Latin lesson. The reason Stephen does not write his theme is that he has broken his eyeglasses and so, he is not able to read and write with accuracy. He is exempted from doing the work with the permission of Father Arnall, his Latin teacher. However, he is still punished. As a result of such unfairness, he decides to go to the rector of the school to report to him about it.
In order to get to the rector’s room, he must wait until “the dinner was over” (60) and “walk fast up the staircase and [through] the low dark narrow corridor that led through the castle” (60). Dinner is when people eat at night; the time period resembles darkness because it is dark at night. The narrow corridor resembles darkness because it is dimly lit. The repeated usage of the words related to darkness creates fear in Stephen. Stephen uses triple the times to walk through the corridor than it supposed to be because he is afraid. The setting during which these events are taking place shows the relationship between darkness and these events.
Before entering the corridor, he thinks about all the positive and negative outcomes that would occur as a result of his meeting with the rector. He thinks that “the rector [might] side with the perfect of studies and think [that] it was a schoolboy trick [and that as a result] the prefect of studies would come in every day [to punish him because] he would be dreadfully waxy at any fellow going up to the rector about him” (61). The word waxy is used to describe the physically mature prefect of studies. Normally, adults do not get waxy over things as often as children do. However, the unjust perfect of studies is shown to be like a child. Stephen thinks that since “the fellows [who encourage] him to go would not go themselves, they [might have] forgotten all about it. [If this is true, it would be] best to hide out of the way because [he was] small and young [so he might be able to] escape” (61) the perfect of studies. The people who encourage him to go but do not go to the rector because they are afraid and they are only children. Stephen thinks that he might be able to escape the perfect of studies if he pretends that nothing has happened. However, by being able to think so much all at once and to able to make a right decision in the end, Stephen shows that he is mature.His decision in meeting with the rector has a positive result; the rector promises that he “will speak to Father Dolan [and that he would] excuse [Stephen] from his lessons for a few days” (61). This makes Stephen feeling happy and so he “walks faster and faster excitedly” (62). It takes three pages of reading in order for Stephen to get to the rector’s room. However, it only takes up a third of a page of reading for Stephen to come out from the rector’s room. This is significant because it shows how dreary and slow it is for Stephen to go into the rector’s room and how quick, simple, and joyful it is for him to come back out.
At Cork, Stephen “pored over a ragged translation of The Count of Monte Cristo [in the] evenings” (67) whenever he has free time. Just like any adult or a curious youth in the process of growing up, he relaxes himself by reading things he like, but not necessarily helpful. He thinks about “the figure of the dark avenger for whatever he had heard or divined in childhood of the strange and terrible” (67). Sometimes, Stephen would “build up on the parlour table an image of the wonderful island cave out of transfers and paper flowers and coloured tissue paper and strips of the silver and golden paper in which chocolate is wrapped” (67). As a child, Stephen often thinks of something strange and terrible as being a dark figure. A cave should be dark and has earthly colors. If Stephen is still immature in his thinking, he would build a cave with something else other than colorful papers he saved because he would have thought that the cave is terrible. Such contradiction between his belief as a child and his belief during the night shows that Stephen has undergone maturity. After “breaking up the scenery” (67), he would come to think about “the bright picture of Marseilles, of sunny trellises and of Mercedes” (67). The cave is symbolic of his growth. After breaking it up, it would have nothing more to think about except for Mercedes.
Frequently, when we encounter the word, darkness, we associate it with something negative. Loneliness and fear are often connected to the word, darkness. However, in James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, the association is positive. James Joyce creates a new meaning to the word; darkness is a resemblance to maturity and happiness.
Plum Plum Pickers: All the Same
In “The Plum Plum Pickers,” Raymond Barrio concludes that humans are built to “experience a certain sense of honor and pride” (2). He believes that a person’s propriety and wealth should not stop him or her from feeling honorable and proud; all human beings have the chance to feel this way. Barrio is able to create this idea through his variation in characters and sentence structure, symbols, and repetition. One word paragraphs are used to emphasize short periods of time. Symbols are used throughout the story; they vary from the names of different characters to the setting of the story. Repetition is used frequently in order to show the importance of his idea and the cycle of humans’ daily lives. Barrio uses many literary techniques in order to form his idea.
Manuel is a poor fruit picker who works in “an endless maze of apricot trees” (1). This “endless maze” (1) symbolizes “the jails of hell” (1); it is a place where there is no escape and where he is “trapped” (1). The setting creates the allusion that Manuel is a lowly-regarded “animal” (1) being trapped inside a cage. To Manuel, “lunch [and] midafternoon” (1) are the only times during which he can rest and that they are short periods of time. Barrio used one word paragraph to show the short periods of time lunch and midafternoon have taken up in Manuel’s daily life. Manuel “endlessly [piles up] bucket upon box upon crate upon stack upon rack upon mound upon mountain”; he works everyday, doing the same thing over and over again. Manuel is symbolic of “an automator” (1) because of his non-resting and repeated work. Manuel’s name is symbolic of a poor worker who works without stopping; Manuel sounds like the word manual.
The higher authorities are wealthy, but selfish; they “didn’t give a shit how that migratory scum lived” (2). They believe that “it was no concern of theirs. Their wives said it was no concern of theirs [and] their aldermen said it was no concern of theirs” (2). Barrio emphasizes the authorities’ lack of care for the workers through his use of repetition. Roberto Morales cheats his workers’ hard-earn money by saying that “there was a miscalculation” (2); he is not only selfish, but inhumane. Roberto Morales’ name is significant because it is symbolic of a “robber” (1) who is “moral less”. The “anglo growers and güero executives” (1) feel proud because they believe that they “cheated no one” (2) and that they are “honest” (1). Morales tries to look as if he is “firm, fair, and square” (1) all the time. Although these authorities committed faulty acts, they still want to experience the sense of honor and pride.
Humans show “defiance” (2) to something oppressive and that they disagree with. Similarly, Manuel earns “respect from his fellow slaves” (2) when he shows defiance toward Morales, who unreasonably take their money. He does this by tipping over his bucket of cots; he proves to his fellow slaves that they should be able to feel honorable and proud too. Barrio believes that “men counted for something” (2). They are built for something “more important and less trifling than the mere gathering of prunes and apricots, hour upon hour, decade upon decade” (2). Again, Barrio used repetition to show the non-stopping work of poor men. Barrio shows through his story that not only the wealthy people are able to feel proud, but also, those who are poor and who work continuously. He purposely composes a character, like Manuel, in order to show his reader the idea that even the lowest class man can feel proud. Through the use of repetition, symbols, and sentence structure, Barrio is able to portray his idea about men.
Manuel is a poor fruit picker who works in “an endless maze of apricot trees” (1). This “endless maze” (1) symbolizes “the jails of hell” (1); it is a place where there is no escape and where he is “trapped” (1). The setting creates the allusion that Manuel is a lowly-regarded “animal” (1) being trapped inside a cage. To Manuel, “lunch [and] midafternoon” (1) are the only times during which he can rest and that they are short periods of time. Barrio used one word paragraph to show the short periods of time lunch and midafternoon have taken up in Manuel’s daily life. Manuel “endlessly [piles up] bucket upon box upon crate upon stack upon rack upon mound upon mountain”; he works everyday, doing the same thing over and over again. Manuel is symbolic of “an automator” (1) because of his non-resting and repeated work. Manuel’s name is symbolic of a poor worker who works without stopping; Manuel sounds like the word manual.
The higher authorities are wealthy, but selfish; they “didn’t give a shit how that migratory scum lived” (2). They believe that “it was no concern of theirs. Their wives said it was no concern of theirs [and] their aldermen said it was no concern of theirs” (2). Barrio emphasizes the authorities’ lack of care for the workers through his use of repetition. Roberto Morales cheats his workers’ hard-earn money by saying that “there was a miscalculation” (2); he is not only selfish, but inhumane. Roberto Morales’ name is significant because it is symbolic of a “robber” (1) who is “moral less”. The “anglo growers and güero executives” (1) feel proud because they believe that they “cheated no one” (2) and that they are “honest” (1). Morales tries to look as if he is “firm, fair, and square” (1) all the time. Although these authorities committed faulty acts, they still want to experience the sense of honor and pride.
Humans show “defiance” (2) to something oppressive and that they disagree with. Similarly, Manuel earns “respect from his fellow slaves” (2) when he shows defiance toward Morales, who unreasonably take their money. He does this by tipping over his bucket of cots; he proves to his fellow slaves that they should be able to feel honorable and proud too. Barrio believes that “men counted for something” (2). They are built for something “more important and less trifling than the mere gathering of prunes and apricots, hour upon hour, decade upon decade” (2). Again, Barrio used repetition to show the non-stopping work of poor men. Barrio shows through his story that not only the wealthy people are able to feel proud, but also, those who are poor and who work continuously. He purposely composes a character, like Manuel, in order to show his reader the idea that even the lowest class man can feel proud. Through the use of repetition, symbols, and sentence structure, Barrio is able to portray his idea about men.
William Carlos Williams: A Basin to Wash Away Sins
William Carlos Williams writes “The Parable of the Blind” after carefully analyzing Pieter Brueghel’s painting. Williams thinks that Brueghel’s painting is “horrible but superb” (1). He believes that Brueghel’s painting is horrible because it is composed of dark and dull color, “without a [show of] red” (3). All the color used in the painting is not attractive and the images seem to be covered with “dirt”. And, he believes that the painting has a “parable” (2), a special or hidden meaning. “The Parable of the Blind” is the last poem in Williams’ collection of poems, “Pictures From Brueghel, 1962”. There is a reason for Williams to place it last in his collection. Williams hopes to wrap up the ideas in all of his poems about Brueghel’s paintings in this last poem. He believes that the human nature is faulty and that human’s faith in God is diminishing. He establishes such believes in “The Parable of the Blind” through imagery, diction, and symbol.
The painting “shows a group/ of beggars” (4-5). The speaker believes that humans are beggars fundamentally and that they are “blind” (2). Beggars are those who are drags and who follow people around for money or other means of kindness. Williams believes that human beings do not have their own thinking or are blind to their own desires. Similarly, the beggars just go to where there is comfort and where they can attain it without effort. Without even the slightest knowledge of the comfort they will receive, the beggars just follow other people’s footsteps. These beggars are “leading/ each other diagonally downward” (5-6). They are led by the leading beggar and are blind to their own destination. The speaker believes that people are blind to their own thinking; they just follow the actions of other people without thinking about it. He believes that they are demoting themselves by doing this. These beggars move “across the canvas/ from one side/ to stumble finally into a bog” (7-9). The canvas symbolizes the world and the bog symbolizes the afterlife in hell. People across the world are following each others’ movement and they always depend on someone else to think for them. They do not act the way their minds tell them to act. God is the creator of everything; he creates people who are able to think and who will be able to have freedom to do their desired actions. By not doing what their minds tell them to do and instead following each other’s footsteps, they unintentionally disappointed God and decline his gift for them in being able to think. They eventually fall into a bog because they do not have enough faith in their God. They believe in the actions of other people to be more right than their own actions, which stands for God’s will. The “bog” (9) can also symbolize the result of the human creation of technology. The technology used by humans today and back then can be a huge problem in the future. It is a defect that will create many problems in the environment. As a result of technology, the world will “end [with]/ no…man” (12). In the end, men will be “represented… [with] the unshaven/ features of the des-/ titute with their few// pitiful possessions” (13-6). Through these lines in the poem, Williams is trying to tell his readers that the world will end with “blind” (2) men who will have only a “few// pitiful possessions” (15-6). These men are those who cannot see the defects of technology.There is “a church spire” (18) in the background of the painting, but it is small in size compare to the beggars. This shows the diminishing importance of the church. The beggars know that they are less faithful. They place “basin[s]” (16) in their house in order to “wash” (17) away their sins, to save themselves and to make up for the sins they made. The beggars want to think by themselves and to do what they want; their “faces are raised/ as toward the light” (19-20). The light is a symbol of God. They want to see God, to follow his will, and to have their own thoughts. However, “there is no detail extraneous” (21) or eyes for them to look at the God; they are blind.
The painting is read from left to right. Therefore, the left is the beginning and the right is the end. The painting “ends/ [without] seeing man” (11-2). The speaker believes that the world is filled with blind men, men who cannot think for themselves and who do not dare to stray away from their leaders. They would just “follow the others stick in/ hand” (23-4), not daring to leave for the unknown. He believes that everyone is like this and that our world will just end with blind men—men who are not able to see the defects of technology and who are blind to their own desires. These people believe that they are “triumphant” (24), but they are actually moving “to disaster” (24).
Each of the poems in Williams’ collection, “Pictures from Brueghel, 1962,” reveals the characteristics of human nature. Human are being divided up into classes. Life is a cycle; people always do the same action repeatedly. People are blind to defects in the society and their desire.
The painting “shows a group/ of beggars” (4-5). The speaker believes that humans are beggars fundamentally and that they are “blind” (2). Beggars are those who are drags and who follow people around for money or other means of kindness. Williams believes that human beings do not have their own thinking or are blind to their own desires. Similarly, the beggars just go to where there is comfort and where they can attain it without effort. Without even the slightest knowledge of the comfort they will receive, the beggars just follow other people’s footsteps. These beggars are “leading/ each other diagonally downward” (5-6). They are led by the leading beggar and are blind to their own destination. The speaker believes that people are blind to their own thinking; they just follow the actions of other people without thinking about it. He believes that they are demoting themselves by doing this. These beggars move “across the canvas/ from one side/ to stumble finally into a bog” (7-9). The canvas symbolizes the world and the bog symbolizes the afterlife in hell. People across the world are following each others’ movement and they always depend on someone else to think for them. They do not act the way their minds tell them to act. God is the creator of everything; he creates people who are able to think and who will be able to have freedom to do their desired actions. By not doing what their minds tell them to do and instead following each other’s footsteps, they unintentionally disappointed God and decline his gift for them in being able to think. They eventually fall into a bog because they do not have enough faith in their God. They believe in the actions of other people to be more right than their own actions, which stands for God’s will. The “bog” (9) can also symbolize the result of the human creation of technology. The technology used by humans today and back then can be a huge problem in the future. It is a defect that will create many problems in the environment. As a result of technology, the world will “end [with]/ no…man” (12). In the end, men will be “represented… [with] the unshaven/ features of the des-/ titute with their few// pitiful possessions” (13-6). Through these lines in the poem, Williams is trying to tell his readers that the world will end with “blind” (2) men who will have only a “few// pitiful possessions” (15-6). These men are those who cannot see the defects of technology.There is “a church spire” (18) in the background of the painting, but it is small in size compare to the beggars. This shows the diminishing importance of the church. The beggars know that they are less faithful. They place “basin[s]” (16) in their house in order to “wash” (17) away their sins, to save themselves and to make up for the sins they made. The beggars want to think by themselves and to do what they want; their “faces are raised/ as toward the light” (19-20). The light is a symbol of God. They want to see God, to follow his will, and to have their own thoughts. However, “there is no detail extraneous” (21) or eyes for them to look at the God; they are blind.
The painting is read from left to right. Therefore, the left is the beginning and the right is the end. The painting “ends/ [without] seeing man” (11-2). The speaker believes that the world is filled with blind men, men who cannot think for themselves and who do not dare to stray away from their leaders. They would just “follow the others stick in/ hand” (23-4), not daring to leave for the unknown. He believes that everyone is like this and that our world will just end with blind men—men who are not able to see the defects of technology and who are blind to their own desires. These people believe that they are “triumphant” (24), but they are actually moving “to disaster” (24).
Each of the poems in Williams’ collection, “Pictures from Brueghel, 1962,” reveals the characteristics of human nature. Human are being divided up into classes. Life is a cycle; people always do the same action repeatedly. People are blind to defects in the society and their desire.
Bruegel, Pieter: Landscape with the Fall of Icarus
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, was painted on oil canvas by Bruegel Pieter in 1558. It shows the occurrences during which Icarus falls into the sea and dies when his wings melt.
It is a normal spring day, during which workers toil. In the canvas, three men are shown to be working. They all work with animals and their job has something to do with the earth. They seem to be uninterested in the death of Icarus. The reason for this is that they do not turn their heads to look at Icarus when he was dropped into the sea from the sky. They just keep on doing their job and do not seem to care about Icarus’ death. In our society today, people are frequently indifferent to other people’s business. Most of the time, they are busy with their own work and they do not have time for other things. Different shades of color are used. The top part (sky) of it uses some light and well-mixed color. The bottom part (land) of the canvas uses some dark and dull colors. This shows that the heaven (the sky) is a relaxed and great place to be while the earth is tedious and dull.
The setting is well-described through the different images in this canvas. The sun is just beginning to dawn at the horizon. Half of the sun is on top of the horizon. It is yellow and it creates bright rays of light in parts of the sky. It creates a reflection in the water. The sky has taken up about 30 percent of the spaces in the canvas. The sunlight covers about 30 percent of the sky. The sunlight is yellowish orange, mix with a bit of pink. The sky is blue and purple, mix with a bit of black.
There are mountains on the left and right side of the canvas. They are white and peach. There are shadows lying on top of the mountains. They occupy about 2/15 of the canvas. There are houses that locate close to the center of the canvas (closer to the top and the left side of the canvas), near the mountains that locate on the left. These houses are the smallest objects that can be found in the canvas. The houses are basically make up of three colors—red, orange, and yellow. There are many ships in the canvas. The sails are tied tightly to the masts. This is true because the sails do not flow around freely even when the strong wind blows on it. There is a castle-like rock within the sea. This rock is surrounded by grass on the left side.
An island-like land is shown in the canvas. There is a farm, a herding area, and a place to fish. It looks like a village, out in the country side. However, since it is surrounded by water, I assume that it is an island. It is not a harbor, because there isn’t a dock or anything like that. There are trees all around. They occupy about 30 percent of the canvas. These trees look dead; they do not have much leaves on them. The color of the leaves and branches are blackish. There are cracks and dead-looking branches on the land.
A man dresses in a red long-sleeve shirt and shorts is plowing the land. A horse is helping him out and sharing this heavy job. The land is half-plowed. The place where it is not plowed is greenish, and the place where it is plowed is brownish. The farm, together with the cow and the man occupy about 25 percent of the canvas. It is a small farm compare to what a farm is actually like. The cow and the man are large compare to the other objects in the canvas. The man seems to be as large as the ship. The reason for this may be that the farm, cow, and man are the objects that are supposed to look like they situate the closest to us. They are at the bottom left of the canvas; the land stretches from the left side of the canvas to well-pass the center.
A man in a blue long-sleeve a brown basket on his back.shirt is carrying He is holding onto a stick that is longer in length than he himself. He is herding his sheep. All the sheep are white with the exception of two black ones. A black dog with a white face is sitting patiently next to the man. They locate at a lower level of land than the man plowing the land with his cow. A man dresses in a white long-sleeve shirt is kneeling at the edge of the sea to fish. He locates at a lower level of land than the man herding the sheep. Everybody is busy with their own job. They are all workers. Their jobs relates to the earth and the sea. They all have something to do with animals. A boy (Icarus) has fall down into the sea, head first. And, he is sinking into the sea with his legs sticking out. He is located at the far right of the canvas.
The title of this piece of art is Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. The canvas is showing the landscape during which Icarus falls into the sea and dies. At the time the sun melts the wax on Icarus’ wings, he falls into the sea and dies. This canvas shows the occurrence at which Icarus falls. People are working on their own job and are mindless to what is happening to Icarus.
People are indifferent to occurrences unrelated to them. In today’s society, we are all so busy that we do not have any time for basically anything. Due to this, we do not even tend to care for other people’s business. Similarly, the workers on the land and at the sea do not seem to care about Icarus’ fall into the sea. They just concentrate on their work. This kind of society is not inferior. We should always care about other people.
The piece of artwork is expressive. It is able to spread its message quite strongly. Humans are inferior and selfish. They only care about themselves. Their mindlessness towards other people is, nevertheless, what makes them inferior. Also, our society is corrupted. This can be tell by the fact that the colors of the trees and the land are dull while the color of the sky is bright and colorful. This suggests that heaven is the only uncorrupted place one can find.
It is a normal spring day, during which workers toil. In the canvas, three men are shown to be working. They all work with animals and their job has something to do with the earth. They seem to be uninterested in the death of Icarus. The reason for this is that they do not turn their heads to look at Icarus when he was dropped into the sea from the sky. They just keep on doing their job and do not seem to care about Icarus’ death. In our society today, people are frequently indifferent to other people’s business. Most of the time, they are busy with their own work and they do not have time for other things. Different shades of color are used. The top part (sky) of it uses some light and well-mixed color. The bottom part (land) of the canvas uses some dark and dull colors. This shows that the heaven (the sky) is a relaxed and great place to be while the earth is tedious and dull.
The setting is well-described through the different images in this canvas. The sun is just beginning to dawn at the horizon. Half of the sun is on top of the horizon. It is yellow and it creates bright rays of light in parts of the sky. It creates a reflection in the water. The sky has taken up about 30 percent of the spaces in the canvas. The sunlight covers about 30 percent of the sky. The sunlight is yellowish orange, mix with a bit of pink. The sky is blue and purple, mix with a bit of black.
There are mountains on the left and right side of the canvas. They are white and peach. There are shadows lying on top of the mountains. They occupy about 2/15 of the canvas. There are houses that locate close to the center of the canvas (closer to the top and the left side of the canvas), near the mountains that locate on the left. These houses are the smallest objects that can be found in the canvas. The houses are basically make up of three colors—red, orange, and yellow. There are many ships in the canvas. The sails are tied tightly to the masts. This is true because the sails do not flow around freely even when the strong wind blows on it. There is a castle-like rock within the sea. This rock is surrounded by grass on the left side.
An island-like land is shown in the canvas. There is a farm, a herding area, and a place to fish. It looks like a village, out in the country side. However, since it is surrounded by water, I assume that it is an island. It is not a harbor, because there isn’t a dock or anything like that. There are trees all around. They occupy about 30 percent of the canvas. These trees look dead; they do not have much leaves on them. The color of the leaves and branches are blackish. There are cracks and dead-looking branches on the land.
A man dresses in a red long-sleeve shirt and shorts is plowing the land. A horse is helping him out and sharing this heavy job. The land is half-plowed. The place where it is not plowed is greenish, and the place where it is plowed is brownish. The farm, together with the cow and the man occupy about 25 percent of the canvas. It is a small farm compare to what a farm is actually like. The cow and the man are large compare to the other objects in the canvas. The man seems to be as large as the ship. The reason for this may be that the farm, cow, and man are the objects that are supposed to look like they situate the closest to us. They are at the bottom left of the canvas; the land stretches from the left side of the canvas to well-pass the center.
A man in a blue long-sleeve a brown basket on his back.shirt is carrying He is holding onto a stick that is longer in length than he himself. He is herding his sheep. All the sheep are white with the exception of two black ones. A black dog with a white face is sitting patiently next to the man. They locate at a lower level of land than the man plowing the land with his cow. A man dresses in a white long-sleeve shirt is kneeling at the edge of the sea to fish. He locates at a lower level of land than the man herding the sheep. Everybody is busy with their own job. They are all workers. Their jobs relates to the earth and the sea. They all have something to do with animals. A boy (Icarus) has fall down into the sea, head first. And, he is sinking into the sea with his legs sticking out. He is located at the far right of the canvas.
The title of this piece of art is Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. The canvas is showing the landscape during which Icarus falls into the sea and dies. At the time the sun melts the wax on Icarus’ wings, he falls into the sea and dies. This canvas shows the occurrence at which Icarus falls. People are working on their own job and are mindless to what is happening to Icarus.
People are indifferent to occurrences unrelated to them. In today’s society, we are all so busy that we do not have any time for basically anything. Due to this, we do not even tend to care for other people’s business. Similarly, the workers on the land and at the sea do not seem to care about Icarus’ fall into the sea. They just concentrate on their work. This kind of society is not inferior. We should always care about other people.
The piece of artwork is expressive. It is able to spread its message quite strongly. Humans are inferior and selfish. They only care about themselves. Their mindlessness towards other people is, nevertheless, what makes them inferior. Also, our society is corrupted. This can be tell by the fact that the colors of the trees and the land are dull while the color of the sky is bright and colorful. This suggests that heaven is the only uncorrupted place one can find.
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