The Penultimate Peril...Lemony Sniket?
Not quite
The Penultimate Peril I'm talking about is R&G's
-pirates? or the fact that they come to the realization that they were "marked men" from the beginning? Perhaps it is one that led to the other...
If they read the letter, do a double take...why do they not realize this ISN'T what they read before? How can they be a stupid to accept it? Or are they being smart...but according to them living in a box is better than not living at all. So it's fear then that makes them feel so helpless.
Speaking of helplessness...and stupidity...in class we said it is possible to feel sorry for R&G because they were really innocent. But can you forgive their idiocy? Their helplessness and naive behaviors led them to their end.They were used. They could have prevented their "dead end."
**
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
lots of different stuff
Since I haven't had the chance to blog about Memoirs of a Geisha, it's about time i do so. The novel has such an intense and detailed plot, and I think the my favorite character of all is Hatsumomo. I've just been calling her Hatsu for short. But I think her evilness is the best representation of all the politics that were common during the times of a geisha.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Where to look first
Last week when we were all in a frenzy to finish Invisible Man, we breiefly mentioned that there were SOOO many allusions throughout the novel.
So far few of the ones I've found are:
-The Great Gatsby: there were those Eyes, and the Sign that advertized optic white piant
-1984: the brotherhood is watching, the use of the name brotherhood. Did anyone look up 1984 as research?
-Brer Rabbit which they stated during the time he was at the hospital. I researched that fairy tale, and the connection is really weird but kind of interesting, but i'll save that for our seminars.
And now i've just gone kind of blank on what other connections i found in this book.
I have to say though as cool as it is that there are a bajillion connections to this one book, I really don't like that it's so vile....it all comes in a really overwhelming amount too.
So far few of the ones I've found are:
-The Great Gatsby: there were those Eyes, and the Sign that advertized optic white piant
-1984: the brotherhood is watching, the use of the name brotherhood. Did anyone look up 1984 as research?
-Brer Rabbit which they stated during the time he was at the hospital. I researched that fairy tale, and the connection is really weird but kind of interesting, but i'll save that for our seminars.
And now i've just gone kind of blank on what other connections i found in this book.
I have to say though as cool as it is that there are a bajillion connections to this one book, I really don't like that it's so vile....it all comes in a really overwhelming amount too.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Hamlet Loves Ophelia
ok I've been itching to ask this question forever!!!
If Hamlet does love Ophelia as he states, then what does the nunnery scene REALLY mean?!
We spent about 3 days rehearsing and reenacting the famous nunnery scene in three of the many ways it could be interpreted
So we had:
-He knows
-He's an oblivious fool
-He figures out half way
But this was all before we knew for sure that he loved Ophelia. So now that we know he loved Ophelia how can we interpret that scene? How would it work out?
-If he knows the whole time then he's just being kind of a bastard to HER but at the same time warning her to go to a safe place? But then the nunnery was also a brothel? That's really what's confusing me.
-If he didn't know anything, then was he just mad at her? because he obviously didn't stop loving her, so that would mean he just wanted to break her heart by calling her a whore. But this approach just sounds very un-Hamlet like. Hamlet wouldn't be this shallow as to take such a blunt jab at her. So would he blame it on his version of maddness?
-Lastly if he figures out halfway as Branagh does[this is what makes most sense to me I suppose] then he is truly mad; at first just really really really pissed off but then he is feigning his insanity as he figures out that he is being spyed upon. Then nunnery also is used both ways. Because of his anger he indirectly calls her a whore to cause her pain as he is feeling, but as he figures it out he wants to warn her and ward her off from danger. This response make the most sense to me mostly because it's not "on the surface" type of response. It's really deep and really Hamlet-like...
If Hamlet does love Ophelia as he states, then what does the nunnery scene REALLY mean?!
We spent about 3 days rehearsing and reenacting the famous nunnery scene in three of the many ways it could be interpreted
So we had:
-He knows
-He's an oblivious fool
-He figures out half way
But this was all before we knew for sure that he loved Ophelia. So now that we know he loved Ophelia how can we interpret that scene? How would it work out?
-If he knows the whole time then he's just being kind of a bastard to HER but at the same time warning her to go to a safe place? But then the nunnery was also a brothel? That's really what's confusing me.
-If he didn't know anything, then was he just mad at her? because he obviously didn't stop loving her, so that would mean he just wanted to break her heart by calling her a whore. But this approach just sounds very un-Hamlet like. Hamlet wouldn't be this shallow as to take such a blunt jab at her. So would he blame it on his version of maddness?
-Lastly if he figures out halfway as Branagh does[this is what makes most sense to me I suppose] then he is truly mad; at first just really really really pissed off but then he is feigning his insanity as he figures out that he is being spyed upon. Then nunnery also is used both ways. Because of his anger he indirectly calls her a whore to cause her pain as he is feeling, but as he figures it out he wants to warn her and ward her off from danger. This response make the most sense to me mostly because it's not "on the surface" type of response. It's really deep and really Hamlet-like...
1 day to breathe
I think we all need one day to just sit and do nothing school related. As nerdy as this may sound I think I would end up going to Barnes and Noble and just sitting there the whole day and reading. That or I would end up spending over $50 watching movies at the theaters. Either way, as an AP lit student I would end up finding random connections with everything that we've been reading and that I've read before.
In addition to Invisible Man, I have been trying to read Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence, not that I've managed to get very far.
In addition to Invisible Man, I have been trying to read Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence, not that I've managed to get very far.
Monday, January 25, 2010
All Buried in Post-It Notes
The Secrecy, the lies, the mystery of it all...what's the reality? What's really going on? Does anyone know the truth? No wonder Hamlet's going insane!! Or is he?
I think it's interesting that Hamlet is aware how his behavior is changing since the death of his father. At first he was just in mourning solely because of the death and marriage of his mother. But now there are so many other vague factors, like the ghost and Ophelia. Personally I think that the ghost is some type of portrayal of his subconscious or his unconscious mind. And it just comes in the form of a ghost in order to inform the audience of what turmoil is going on inside Hamlet's minds. However the evidence that goes against that theory is if the ghost is Hamlet's unconscious then how does Hamlet “know” how his father was killed? If he doesn't actually know perhaps he is just making it up as an excuse to kill Claudius, because the man was a heartless ass who married his mother. In this case Hamlet is really losing his mind. And his insanity can sort of be connected to the fact that “there is something rotten in the state of Denmark.”
In class today someone mentioned that whatever it is that is rotten is the syphilis, that Hamlet supposedly has. Which means that he and Ophelia really did have a genuine relationship. But then is he half going crazy because she cuts him off? This theory makes less sense to me because the way he is shown to treat her in that scene we read today it just seems more like he is trying to find someone who he could vent some of his insanity out onto. Her lack of recent communication doesn't seem to be the cause of anything...just perhaps something that adds to his discomfort. Otherwise I fell he would have yelled or said something to her. It just doesn't seem solid enough.
But that brings me to the fact that Polonius thinks that Ophelia is the heart of Hamlet's problem. It comes back to his stupid image. If Ophelia WAS the problem and he managed to “fix” it by letting Hamlet be with Ophelia again then he would be famous or he would be awarded and would have more acknowledgment. His tone seems to change completely when Ophelia reveals that Hamlet might love her..or that is what Polonius understood from her description. So to him it's all about “seeming” as well.
I think it's interesting that Hamlet is aware how his behavior is changing since the death of his father. At first he was just in mourning solely because of the death and marriage of his mother. But now there are so many other vague factors, like the ghost and Ophelia. Personally I think that the ghost is some type of portrayal of his subconscious or his unconscious mind. And it just comes in the form of a ghost in order to inform the audience of what turmoil is going on inside Hamlet's minds. However the evidence that goes against that theory is if the ghost is Hamlet's unconscious then how does Hamlet “know” how his father was killed? If he doesn't actually know perhaps he is just making it up as an excuse to kill Claudius, because the man was a heartless ass who married his mother. In this case Hamlet is really losing his mind. And his insanity can sort of be connected to the fact that “there is something rotten in the state of Denmark.”
In class today someone mentioned that whatever it is that is rotten is the syphilis, that Hamlet supposedly has. Which means that he and Ophelia really did have a genuine relationship. But then is he half going crazy because she cuts him off? This theory makes less sense to me because the way he is shown to treat her in that scene we read today it just seems more like he is trying to find someone who he could vent some of his insanity out onto. Her lack of recent communication doesn't seem to be the cause of anything...just perhaps something that adds to his discomfort. Otherwise I fell he would have yelled or said something to her. It just doesn't seem solid enough.
But that brings me to the fact that Polonius thinks that Ophelia is the heart of Hamlet's problem. It comes back to his stupid image. If Ophelia WAS the problem and he managed to “fix” it by letting Hamlet be with Ophelia again then he would be famous or he would be awarded and would have more acknowledgment. His tone seems to change completely when Ophelia reveals that Hamlet might love her..or that is what Polonius understood from her description. So to him it's all about “seeming” as well.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Back to Blogging!
First things first....that poem... I'm pretty sure is going to be my downfall. It was really hard to think of how everything would fit together to make sense, without just putting down words that rhymed. But somehow I managed to make my poem so long that I had trouble keeping it on one page... also having to analyze your own poem was interesting because then you're not actually guessing what the writer was thinking because you are the writer and you are ALIVE and therefore you know for a fact what you were thinking....hopefully anyways.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Trapped inside...
Has anyone heard of Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry? Or The Little Prince in English? It’s about a Little Prince, whose real name is unknown, who travels from his asteroid home and lands in the middle of a dessert on planet earth. Here he meets an aviator whose plane has crashed there as well. The Little Prince starts talking about how children are much different than adults because adults focus too much on pragmatic topics instead of the important things in life. The Prince then proceeds to tell the aviator about his home sized asteroid planet, which is threatened by Baobab trees (that represent evil). That is why he has set out on a journey to find a sheep which is the only creature that can save his planet. He recalls his visits to other planets and how he has met foolish adults. There is a: King, vain man, drunkard, business man, lamplighter, and the geographer. I won’t bore you with the rest of the details.
Basically, my teacher assigned it to my class last year just so we would get accustomed to reading in French…little did we know that she would make it waaaaaaaaaayyyy more complicated than it seemed. But she explained to us that despite that this was SUPPOSED to be a kids’ book it contained complex philosophies such as existentialism. Of course she explained most of it in French, which means no one understood half of what she was saying. So when the term first came up in our lit class, I immediately thought of that book and referred to existentialism as EVIL! Her explanation went something like this: evil is all around us, and therefore we must do all in our power to prevent the evil from trapping us, and therefore, the children of the future are the key because they are the only ones who can make the choice of preventing the spread of evil…At least I think that was explanation, I might have lost something in that translation…:P…nevertheless, that was the moral of the story.
I know…heavy right? …And this was a KIDS’ book.
But I guess this kind of works with the explanation given in class, that the universe is meaningless, and the meaning is created by individuals, and their choices which die once you die… So it just boils down to the choices that are made in general. And perhaps Le Petit Prince (sorry it’s just embedded into my mind in French) has an existentialist philosophy because of that choice of preventing evil…and NOT letting that meaning die with you by passing it on to the children of the future.
But I’m still unsure where all this evil comes into play….
I'm not going to lie...i really didn't like that book, just because adding the dark element of existentialism just killed it...
Basically, my teacher assigned it to my class last year just so we would get accustomed to reading in French…little did we know that she would make it waaaaaaaaaayyyy more complicated than it seemed. But she explained to us that despite that this was SUPPOSED to be a kids’ book it contained complex philosophies such as existentialism. Of course she explained most of it in French, which means no one understood half of what she was saying. So when the term first came up in our lit class, I immediately thought of that book and referred to existentialism as EVIL! Her explanation went something like this: evil is all around us, and therefore we must do all in our power to prevent the evil from trapping us, and therefore, the children of the future are the key because they are the only ones who can make the choice of preventing the spread of evil…At least I think that was explanation, I might have lost something in that translation…:P…nevertheless, that was the moral of the story.
I know…heavy right? …And this was a KIDS’ book.
But I guess this kind of works with the explanation given in class, that the universe is meaningless, and the meaning is created by individuals, and their choices which die once you die… So it just boils down to the choices that are made in general. And perhaps Le Petit Prince (sorry it’s just embedded into my mind in French) has an existentialist philosophy because of that choice of preventing evil…and NOT letting that meaning die with you by passing it on to the children of the future.
But I’m still unsure where all this evil comes into play….
I'm not going to lie...i really didn't like that book, just because adding the dark element of existentialism just killed it...
Monday, October 19, 2009
hmmmmmm....could it be?
Previously on AP Lit, the class was watching A Doll's House, repulsed by the old and not at all fitting actress that plays Nora in the film.
"There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt." -Act I
"Because an atmosphere of lies like that infects and poisons the whole life of a home. In a house like that, every breath that the children take is filled with the germs of evil." -Act 1
"Nora, darling, you're dancing as if your life depended on it!" -Act 2
(I'm in a t.v soap opear mood today :P)
As we have been discussing this play I am repeatedly reminded of The Glass Menagerie, written by Tennessee Williams. It is Nora's character that makes the connection to both Amanda the mother, and Laura the daughter. The costume that Nora wears to the party is not only symbollic because it shows her metamorphasis but also because it symbollically represents her life which as she feels is hanging by the thread that the letter sent by Krogstad is threatening to cut. In Amanda's case in The Glass Menagerie, that beautiful yellow dress she always talks about just shows how she is so attached to the past and is unwilling to let it go. The play certainly depicts her as a character who completely lives in the past and is unable to take a firm grasp of reality. So the dresses or the costumes in both plays are a symbolic representation of each of the women's lives respectively. Also they both live their lives in some facade.
I feel Nora relates to Laura because they are both described as children in one way or another. Nora is a child in Torvald's eyes, and as for Laura, I can't quiet recall but Amanda always thought of her as a small child who was unable to be independant.
It's interesting the way those two plays relate.
"There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt." -Act I
"Because an atmosphere of lies like that infects and poisons the whole life of a home. In a house like that, every breath that the children take is filled with the germs of evil." -Act 1
"Nora, darling, you're dancing as if your life depended on it!" -Act 2
(I'm in a t.v soap opear mood today :P)
As we have been discussing this play I am repeatedly reminded of The Glass Menagerie, written by Tennessee Williams. It is Nora's character that makes the connection to both Amanda the mother, and Laura the daughter. The costume that Nora wears to the party is not only symbollic because it shows her metamorphasis but also because it symbollically represents her life which as she feels is hanging by the thread that the letter sent by Krogstad is threatening to cut. In Amanda's case in The Glass Menagerie, that beautiful yellow dress she always talks about just shows how she is so attached to the past and is unwilling to let it go. The play certainly depicts her as a character who completely lives in the past and is unable to take a firm grasp of reality. So the dresses or the costumes in both plays are a symbolic representation of each of the women's lives respectively. Also they both live their lives in some facade.
I feel Nora relates to Laura because they are both described as children in one way or another. Nora is a child in Torvald's eyes, and as for Laura, I can't quiet recall but Amanda always thought of her as a small child who was unable to be independant.
It's interesting the way those two plays relate.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
How to paint that blank page....?
Sometimes you just forget, and sometimes you just don't know what to say...
And sometimes you realize much too late that you spelled thinking wrong while naming your blog...!!!
But I suppose I shall just keep it that way.
At least I have something to laugh at...
---
And I have to say, Ms. Clinch, as much as I appreciate that you pushed back the deadline of our paper, I can't wait until Friday comes around...
It's just that it’s been seven weeks...and we're still talking about Jack, Willie, Tess, or Alec....
And I just can’t seem to compare the two books enough, and no matter how much I write…it’s still not long enough.
And here I am once again, completely stuck on what to say. The words just don’t flow out like they should. It’s weird; there are certain things that I could talk about for pages and pages… like movies, and the actors and actresses that performed in those movies. Musicals are a good topic as well, though I am not as well educated in that as I am in movies.
But I am really excited to be reading Pride and Prejudice, and Chaucer, and that play!
I was sitting at home on Saturday absolutely craving to read something!!
I just wanted to go to Barnes and Noble and sit down with some Starbucks and keep reading for hours while it rained...
I sadly wasn't able to do so, but it's the thought that counts right?
Instead I read this book titled The Best Ghost Stories Ever or something like that. It’s actually a collection of short stories that includes, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Monkey’s Paw, and one of my favorites The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman…hmm I’m not sure I spelled that properly…
The first time I read it, or read part of it was in a practice SAT test (I shudder at that though). But we read it again last year in honors lit, and its eerie plot was captivating to say the least. The image of a woman just creeping along the walls taking of bits of wallpaper amused me. But I think the creepiest part was the designs she saw in the wallpaper…she made it all seem so grotesque…
Oooh, connection to Winesburg,Ohio!!
I started reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irwing…that was a bit harder to read…and I honestly didn’t get too far but it’s turning out to be a pretty good read so far…
Wow…I had a lot more to say than I expected…but this does happen to be the end of my thoughts about anything relevant to literature…
So until next time I suppose..
And sometimes you realize much too late that you spelled thinking wrong while naming your blog...!!!
But I suppose I shall just keep it that way.
At least I have something to laugh at...
---
And I have to say, Ms. Clinch, as much as I appreciate that you pushed back the deadline of our paper, I can't wait until Friday comes around...
It's just that it’s been seven weeks...and we're still talking about Jack, Willie, Tess, or Alec....
And I just can’t seem to compare the two books enough, and no matter how much I write…it’s still not long enough.
And here I am once again, completely stuck on what to say. The words just don’t flow out like they should. It’s weird; there are certain things that I could talk about for pages and pages… like movies, and the actors and actresses that performed in those movies. Musicals are a good topic as well, though I am not as well educated in that as I am in movies.
But I am really excited to be reading Pride and Prejudice, and Chaucer, and that play!
I was sitting at home on Saturday absolutely craving to read something!!
I just wanted to go to Barnes and Noble and sit down with some Starbucks and keep reading for hours while it rained...
I sadly wasn't able to do so, but it's the thought that counts right?
Instead I read this book titled The Best Ghost Stories Ever or something like that. It’s actually a collection of short stories that includes, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Monkey’s Paw, and one of my favorites The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman…hmm I’m not sure I spelled that properly…
The first time I read it, or read part of it was in a practice SAT test (I shudder at that though). But we read it again last year in honors lit, and its eerie plot was captivating to say the least. The image of a woman just creeping along the walls taking of bits of wallpaper amused me. But I think the creepiest part was the designs she saw in the wallpaper…she made it all seem so grotesque…
Oooh, connection to Winesburg,Ohio!!
I started reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irwing…that was a bit harder to read…and I honestly didn’t get too far but it’s turning out to be a pretty good read so far…
Wow…I had a lot more to say than I expected…but this does happen to be the end of my thoughts about anything relevant to literature…
So until next time I suppose..
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Oh la la?
For starters...that quiz on Winesburg was not easy.
But I really did like the book mostly because it was an easy read, and the short stories were all really captivating.
I'm only typing this just in case i don't get to talk for our fishbowl discussion...
My two favorite stories were "Adventure," and "Tandy."
"Adventure" really had a really good element of surprise and a sort of irony. From the title of the chapter it seems as if the character is going to go somewhere and have a completely fantastical adventure...( i thought of the movie UP as I was typing that). But instead it's more of an emotional adventure, she finally lets out every thing thats been hiding inside her all at once. The first part of this chapter really sets u up for the climax, because I was sitting there expecting to read that at any moment Alice would walk out her front door and just keep walking wherever her feet took her, and that would be her adventure. So I was really surprised at what she did...or didn't do.
I'm not sure if "Tandy," captures my attention because it's short or because it still tells a whole meaningful story in about two pages, or because its so random? Random in the sense its so vague that you have absolutely no idea who this stranger is, yet he actually managed to convince a little girl of what she should grow up to be. It's a little bizarre...but so mysterious that you're still stuck on that idea of WHO?!?!?!? I have my thoughts about that...but I need something to save for the discussion...just incase I DO actually get to speak without having to completely butt in.
But I really did like the book mostly because it was an easy read, and the short stories were all really captivating.
I'm only typing this just in case i don't get to talk for our fishbowl discussion...
My two favorite stories were "Adventure," and "Tandy."
"Adventure" really had a really good element of surprise and a sort of irony. From the title of the chapter it seems as if the character is going to go somewhere and have a completely fantastical adventure...( i thought of the movie UP as I was typing that). But instead it's more of an emotional adventure, she finally lets out every thing thats been hiding inside her all at once. The first part of this chapter really sets u up for the climax, because I was sitting there expecting to read that at any moment Alice would walk out her front door and just keep walking wherever her feet took her, and that would be her adventure. So I was really surprised at what she did...or didn't do.
I'm not sure if "Tandy," captures my attention because it's short or because it still tells a whole meaningful story in about two pages, or because its so random? Random in the sense its so vague that you have absolutely no idea who this stranger is, yet he actually managed to convince a little girl of what she should grow up to be. It's a little bizarre...but so mysterious that you're still stuck on that idea of WHO?!?!?!? I have my thoughts about that...but I need something to save for the discussion...just incase I DO actually get to speak without having to completely butt in.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Searching for the bigger picture
At such a loss for words
To say I'm unsure of what I want to talk about would be an understatement.
So for the record I'll start by saying, I was thoroughly disappointed by my grade on the timed writing regardless of the fact that it was our first one of the year. I hadn't thought I had done as badly as I actually did. But hopefully time and those note cards will change that.
Now to go off only completely different tangent...
Picture this:
A dark Grey sky. A distant rumbling of thunder can can be heard. You're standing outside in your yard by the flowers and trees that surround it. And then the drops falling, slowly at first, then steadily getting faster and faster. It's a warm kind of rain that envelopes you in itself. And you just stand there feeling the rain on your skin, in your hair, soaking your clothes. And then after a few minutes it slowly dies away leaving a cool breeze behind. You absorb all your surroundings.
What do you see? – the trees swaying quietly with drop of rain on their leaves...
What do you smell? -Fresh yet damp air...
What do you feel? -Energized, calmed, refreshed?
Some literary analysis( what is the plural of analysis?!?!) can perhaps be applied to real life without it being completely metaphorical
They (Foster) say that rain is not only a part of a baptism but is also cleansing. Don't you feel cleansed in a way after it rains and you smell that damp air and take in exactly what the rain has brought with it?
Many people find rain dull or feel that it makes them feel sleepy or gloomy. But I like the way it patters on the roof and freshens up the air. It's really
That's all I've managed to come up with.
To say I'm unsure of what I want to talk about would be an understatement.
So for the record I'll start by saying, I was thoroughly disappointed by my grade on the timed writing regardless of the fact that it was our first one of the year. I hadn't thought I had done as badly as I actually did. But hopefully time and those note cards will change that.
Now to go off only completely different tangent...
Picture this:
A dark Grey sky. A distant rumbling of thunder can can be heard. You're standing outside in your yard by the flowers and trees that surround it. And then the drops falling, slowly at first, then steadily getting faster and faster. It's a warm kind of rain that envelopes you in itself. And you just stand there feeling the rain on your skin, in your hair, soaking your clothes. And then after a few minutes it slowly dies away leaving a cool breeze behind. You absorb all your surroundings.
What do you see? – the trees swaying quietly with drop of rain on their leaves...
What do you smell? -Fresh yet damp air...
What do you feel? -Energized, calmed, refreshed?
Some literary analysis( what is the plural of analysis?!?!) can perhaps be applied to real life without it being completely metaphorical
They (Foster) say that rain is not only a part of a baptism but is also cleansing. Don't you feel cleansed in a way after it rains and you smell that damp air and take in exactly what the rain has brought with it?
Many people find rain dull or feel that it makes them feel sleepy or gloomy. But I like the way it patters on the roof and freshens up the air. It's really
That's all I've managed to come up with.
Monday, August 24, 2009
All the King's Men & Winsburg Ohio
We were given discussion questions for All the King's Men,there were some that never ended up being discussed; most of them are about Jack and his past.
I think Jack works for Willie, because Willie has the ambition that he (Jack) lacks. And so Jack feels more comfortable being told what to do (to put it crudely). Also, working for Willie keeps him from falling back into the cycle of the Great Sleep again.
The knowledge of truth in this novel plays the infamous role of the antagonist. As it is said; “the truth hurts.” The truth in this novel has countlessly destroyed a number of people. The truth that Anne is having an affair with Willie, diminished/ destroyed that image Jack had of Anne. The truth that Judge Irwin's secret is now known by Jack ends up destroying Judge Irwin. The truth that Annabelle Trice and Cass Mastern are having an affair destroys Duncan Trice; and this indirectly destroys Cass Mastern. This leads me to say that the truth definitely does not save any of the characters. In fact it is a lie that saves one of the characters in this book much grief. It is the lie Jack tells his mother. He tells her that Judge Irwin died because of health problems and not any other reason. Jack considers this a present to his mother. When I first read this statement, I didn't really feel the essence of how the lie might have helped her. I understood that it made it so that she didn't face as much grief of having lost the love of her life. But put in the perspective of the fact that the truth had destroyed every other character in some way or another makes it a lot more symbolic and meaningful. Jack called this knowledge of the truth the “end of man” for the obvious reason that the truth really brought an end to more that one man's life. He knows that the truth will also cause the destruction of man.
I think Jack works for Willie, because Willie has the ambition that he (Jack) lacks. And so Jack feels more comfortable being told what to do (to put it crudely). Also, working for Willie keeps him from falling back into the cycle of the Great Sleep again.
The knowledge of truth in this novel plays the infamous role of the antagonist. As it is said; “the truth hurts.” The truth in this novel has countlessly destroyed a number of people. The truth that Anne is having an affair with Willie, diminished/ destroyed that image Jack had of Anne. The truth that Judge Irwin's secret is now known by Jack ends up destroying Judge Irwin. The truth that Annabelle Trice and Cass Mastern are having an affair destroys Duncan Trice; and this indirectly destroys Cass Mastern. This leads me to say that the truth definitely does not save any of the characters. In fact it is a lie that saves one of the characters in this book much grief. It is the lie Jack tells his mother. He tells her that Judge Irwin died because of health problems and not any other reason. Jack considers this a present to his mother. When I first read this statement, I didn't really feel the essence of how the lie might have helped her. I understood that it made it so that she didn't face as much grief of having lost the love of her life. But put in the perspective of the fact that the truth had destroyed every other character in some way or another makes it a lot more symbolic and meaningful. Jack called this knowledge of the truth the “end of man” for the obvious reason that the truth really brought an end to more that one man's life. He knows that the truth will also cause the destruction of man.
***
I read the chapter “Hands” today in Winsburg Ohio. There was a lot of irony in the chapter because Wing Biddlebaum is described in few different perspectives. The first he is described as someone who can't keep his hands still. They move so fast the look like the wings of a a bird (an imprisoned bird as stated in the book), hence the name Wing. The Second, he as a schoolmaster was described as white (page 32). And that proves his innocence and his purity. The thing I found most awkward about this story was that he constantly banging his fists on some piece of wood, it was always wood. Never anything else. There is a lot of vivid imagery in the story. It says that Wing was “beating like a giant woodpecker upon the top board,” you can just see what would have happened to his knuckles. This was a really sad story.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
All the King's Men
Of all the summer reading books, this was the one I most enjoyed. I found it really interesting how everything was all interconnected. The book illustrated how one single person's actions can deeply impact another's. As in Cass Mastern's impact on Jack Burden; though not in the greatest way Cass's story was the one of the biggest parallels of Jack's life. The fact that he couldn't understand the path that Cass's life took parallels how Jack couldn't understand what was really happening in his own life (or what was affecting him the most). But as the book comes to an end Jack does reflect back to Cass and how he now understands why he did what he did.
The imagery in this book embellishes on the time, the setting and Jack's overall view of his life. The fact that there would be pages and pages of this imagery got a little boring at times but it really helped you visualize and construct the characters in your head.
The flashbacks in this story are what made it so conversational. It was as if Jack had met you and decided to tell you his life story as the reason he came to be the way he is. The flashbacks made the story more interesting and gave it a wide range of emotion. The fact that this is Jacks reflection embellishes the emotions he may have felt then and the way he feels in the present time. You can sense Jack's anger at Duffy when he found out that it was Duffy who told Adam about Anne and Willie. Or sadness when he knows that Willie and Anne are having an affair. You can even his complete helplessness during the Great Sleep. Since the flashbacks consist of multiple mini stories inside the bigger story, it's really neat that these mini stories have their own climax which makes you want to keep reading so that you find out how this mini story has impacted Jack. Also the climaxes of the mini stories make the the climax of the bigger story all the more dramatic and result in a larger catharsis.
It's ironic that Jack's last name is Burden, and that he has to live with the burden of guilt of what he has done and what has happened in the past, especially concerning Anne. It's also interesting that the place is name Burden's Landing for two reasons. (1) the fact that nothing else about Burden's Landing is mentioned except for that it was named after Jack's ancestors. (2) everyone who lives there lives with some kind of burden at some point in time. Anne, perhaps the affair with Willie Stark that she keeps a secret from her brother. Jack's mother, the truth that Judge Irwin is her son's real father. And so on and so forth. All this considered, we, through the course of the book find out that Ellis Burden is indeed not Jack's real father. But this means that Jack Burden is really Jack Irwin, and I am unsure as to what to say to elaborate on that. Mainly, does this diminish the irony of the name Burden?
I also never knew that there were two movies made on this book.
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