Ironic, ehh?

"... If women might stop at home and look after their children themselves!"
The Drunkard, pg. 348

This story is loaded with instance after instance of irony. The father seems to blame everyone but himself for the actions that lead him to negative things. For instance, when he complains that his wife should look after the children, he forgets that the son is sent along because the mother had to go into work. The mother only had to go into work because the father refused. Also, the son is ironically sent along to watch over his father, which doesn't happen exactly. As the ending shows, though, he does end up preventing his father from getting drunk or wasting all of the family's money. In another instance of irony, his intentions weren't even to prevent his father from drinking- they were simply out of curiousity. I also found it ironic that the reason the son was able to drink his father's drink was because his father was being cocky, as he "deliberately turned his back on the pint, leaned one elbow on the counter in the attitude of a man who did not know there was a pint behind him".  I guess, as they say, what comes around goes around.

Give it Up!

"I'm not hurting the baby, he said."
Popular Mechanics

The style of the author of this story is extremely distinct; I noticed right away that no quotation marks were used, even though the story is consumed with dialogue. After reading the story once, I went back to read it again, wondering why the quotation marks were absent. I think the author used this particular style of writing to make the story flow, or be read more quickly. It helps the reader picture the actions happening quickly, hastily. I think it also shows that the words themselves aren't very important- it's the actions. The words that the mother and father speak are empty- they are really just fighting with one another- they don't want the baby. The lack of quotations helps illustrate this.
There is a story in the Bible that reminded me of this story- when two women both say that a particular baby is theirs, the king says that to be fair, he will cut the baby in half and both women can have half. However, the true mother is revealed when she obviously doesn't want her baby to die and offers to give it up to save it. If only the mother or father in this story had loved their baby enough to do the same.

Hunger Games... backwards?

"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon"
The Lottery, pg. 268

I'm sure you've heard it before, but this story reminded me incredibly of the book series The Hunger Games. Except, of course, for a few key differences. In The Hunger Games, the tradition of sending children into the wilderness to fight to the death is hated, despised by every person in the country except for those who ran it, and who lived in the central city and used it for entertainment. However, the people in The Lottery didn't seem to have a hate for the tradition. They seemed incredibly nonchalant about the practice- in fact, they supported it and criticized those who no longer performed it! One thing that bothered me about the lottery was that the purpose was never explained- why was the horrible practice continued? Was it simply superstition? In The Hunger Games, at leasts they explained the (incredibly unfair) reason that the games were performed. It was also shocking to me to see how relieved all of Mrs. Hutchinson's family members were when her name had the marking, not theirs. Didn't they care that their mother/wife was dying? In The Hunger Games, Katniss steps up to save her sister. What about in The Lottery? Where is the humanity of the villagers??

As sad as this story was, there is a bright side- the Hunger Games movie trailer is out!

Tomato Tomaato... same difference

"It was like getting her mother's pornography, that box, inheriting her drooled-upon fantasies, the endless wish and tease that had been her life."
You're Ugly, Too  pg. 357

You're Ugly, Too is a hopeless story that uses similies and metaphors to accurately get its point across. The comparisons help more deeply explain things in many different contexts. One such is when the housing magazines are compared to porn- it shows how personal the magazines are. It also shows how the magazines filled the mother with longing and fantasies, which explains why Zoe may feel as if receiving the magazines was slightly embarrasing. Later, the metaphor of comparing Zoe's fear of men with a fear of bugs explains how the fear is consuming and cannot be changed- it is rooted deep in her, even if she doesn't know exactly why. Another metaphor in which Earl compares the population situation in America to that of bugs is useful as well. It helps the reader understand that Earl sees the population as insane, performing obscure sexual actions that only bugs on horomones would otherwise perform. The metaphors and in You're Ugly, Too may seem explicit, but actually help the reader understand the characters in the story.

Role Call

"Oh, how fascinating it was! How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting here, watching it all!"
Miss Brill

Miss Brill does something that we all do occasionally- people watch. She simply does it more routinely than the average person, because she takes great pleasure in it. It is easy to see the intrigue of people watching- you get to create the story of the people from the few details you learn, rather than from their entire history. Everything is more interesting in our minds than in real life. Especially this week, Miss Brill is able to make herself a part of the stories of the people- a part of the "play". After making this incredible revelation, she is brought back down to earth. The words of a careless man calling her a "stupid old thing" ruins her fun. It is frustrating that a harmless woman had to be so hurt by the words of others, while doing something that brings her great pleasure. Just when she is about to hit the big stage, she is taken off the cast list.

Break Down the Walls

"These were hidden behind an array of different varieties of security fences."
Once upon a Time, pg. 235

This story is incredibly ironic. The things that were meant to protect the child actually ended up killing the child. I think it is the same as parents who are overprotective about immoral things like drugs, alcohol, and sex. By protecting their child to the point where the child isn't educated about those things will cause problems later in life. The child could be easily tricked into doing those negative things, and, not knowing how bad the effects will be, could become seriously injured. The parent would be at fault for not education their child, because they were trying to "protect" them. In the same way, the parents in the fairytale tried to protect their son with restraining walls that were the cause of his death. Just like Eveline, restraints ended up being the downfall.

Don't Throw Away the Key

"Escape! She mst escape! Frank would save her. He would give her life, perhaps love, too."
Eveline, pg. 221

Eveline is a heartbreaking story of the potential turning point in the life of a downtrodden girl. The theme of the story reveals that sometimes humans don't do what's best for them because they are held back by fear. Eveline knows the potential benefits of going away with Henry; however, in the end, she decides to stay at home. I believe her choice was partially because she was afraid to leave her old life and go into the unknown, and partially because she didn't want her father to have to care for himself. The way people defend those who have hurt them is astounding. Even though her father did little to make her happy in her entire life, she still feels bound to serve and protect him. I was personally upset by the ending; I was so excited for Eveline to have a better life. Her situation reminds me of a favorite quote by the Eagles- "So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key." Eveline has the key to freedom, but is unfortunately too afraid to use it.

You talk funny, Ms.

"I bound to go to town, mister. The time come around"
A Worn Path, pg 227

The dialect of Pheonix and the white man help to characterize. Pheonix uses words that are representative of lower-class people. Her language isn't proper, such as when she says "for less than what I done". When Pheonix talks to the white man, her way of speaking is especially obvious. The white man's proper speech contrasts with hers, and shows that he is of a higher class. However, his higher class status doesn't mean that he is any more honest. This was shown when he says "I'd give you a dime if I had any money with me." Obviously this statement is false, as a nickel fell out of his pocket unnoticed not minutes before. The dialect may show a difference in class status, but not in the level of honesty.

They're just a bit different

"like somebody used to never winning anything, or having anthing reserved for her."
Everyday Use, pg. 180

Maggie acts as a foil character to Dee. Everything that Dee is, Maggie is not. Dee is popular and confident- Maggie doesn't seem to have many friends, and never stands up for herself. Dee is "lighter than Maggie, with nicer hair and a fuller figure". In other words, Dee is beautiful. Maggie has scars and walks with a limp. Dee was ambitious, wanting nice things and to go places in life. Maggie appreciates little things, like a warm homemade quilt. She doesn't mind the idea of marrying and staying in her small town. The two sisters present such strong contrasts to one another, you can't help but feel differently about them. For example, I can't stand Dee, while Maggie I generally liked. Maggie and Dee act as foil characters in their actions, words, and values.

No, YOU don't understand

"What don't I understand?" I wanted to know.
"Your heritage," she said.
Everyday Use, pg. 181

In this story, irony is very prevalent. Dee, who has gone out into the world and explored all around, comes back to her family full of "history" and "heritage". In fact, she lectures her mother and sister about how they don't understand it, and acts as if they have no respect for history. The truth, though, is that Dee appreciates how the heritage makes her "cool", but doesn't understand how it is present in her own life. If she truly recognized her heritage, she would not be ashamed of her home. She would not change her name to "Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo" just to avoid the name that has been in her family for generations. She would want to use the things that her family made, rather than putting them on display. Most of all, she would not block out her mother and sister, who can teach her more about her heritage than anyone. She may have some understanding of "African" traditions, but she doesn't understand her own family at all.

If That's What You Prefer

"I would prefer not to."
Bartleby the Scrivener, pg. 659

Bartleby seemed to be disliked by most people, but I have to say, I quite liked him. He danced to the beat of his own music, without caring what everyone else thought. Therefore, I was saddened to find out how the story ended. A man like Bartleby, who didn't intentionally hurt anyone ever, in jail? More depressing yet, dead? It was a melancholy ending.
Now, I am no doctor, but I think I may be correct in diagnosing Bartleby with Asperger's Syndrome. The definition of Asperger's is an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. I think it fits Bartleby exactly- starting with the social interaction part. He didn't seem to have any measure or recognition of what was socially acceptable, and was unbothered when everyone told him what he was doing wasn't accepted. Then, his habits were very routine- he mainly only ate ginger nuts, attempted to not leave his place in the office, didn't wish to do anything but copy papers. It all seems very routine to me, and when everything was moved out of place, Bartleby didn't know how to react and therefore went into shock, leading to his death. If only he had preferred to eat.

I'm going to worry about me, myself, and I

"They're not going him any good," Frank said. "We might as well get some use out of them."
Hunters in the Snow, pg. 201

"You've got to be kidding me." Those were my first words as I finished the story Hunters in the Snow. I cannot begin to describe how angry reading the last few pages made me. Although the beginning of the story made me quite dislike Kenny, in the end, he was my favorite character simply due to the fact that I hated the other two. That is being a bit unfair to Kenny- he did have some redeeming characteristics, such as when he shot the dog because the dog's owner wanted him to. The other two, however, were selfish oafs. Yes, oaf is a funny word, but it's the only one I can think of to describe Tub and Frank. They were oblivious to the pain of their friend, acting as though they were the only people in the world. When they stopped for pancakes, I was literally shouting at them in my head. They did have some qualities to sympathize with, though. Tub was bullied, and just wanted to be loved- I felt like his rage at Frank, when he pushed him up against the wall, was years of built up anger being taken out at once. Frank seemed passionate and unwilling to hurt others- even though he managed to make sure Kenny's situation didn't get any better. These characters were hard to figure out, and had many layers. But what it all boils down to is that they were incredibly selfish.

Interpret my problems, please.

"Don't you realize what it means for me to tell you?"
An Interpreter of Maladies, pg 163

When Mrs. Das says these words to Mr. Kapasi, I was confused. What did she want him to say to her? He interpreted things from one language to another, and Mrs. Das had no need for that. I guess what she wanted, though, was for him to diagnose the problem, and potentially give her advice on what to do? It was definately not what Mr. Kapasi had been imagining all day, in the slightest. She was so angry at him for calling out the guilt she might be feeling, that I felt bad for Mr. Kapasi. It seemed unlucky for him to have to listen to another person's problems, listen to them vent, without being allowed to release his own feelings. If only she had listened, perhaps he could have told her about his relationship as well, which would have made them both feel better. A "you scratch my back, I'll scrath yours," kind of thing. Either way, neither truly got what they wanted, although they were both left with some matters to think about.

What's up with Watters?

"Some people change when they find that out, their whole way of looking at you and speaking to you changes, but his didn't."
How I Met My Husband, pg 135

How I Met My Husband is told from the point of view of Edie, but Chris Watters is the character I would most like to get to know. He seems to be an interesting guy; he treated Edie with respect and courtesy at the beginning, even after finding out she was the hired help. However, he fails to mention that he has a fiance, which is something any faithful man would be expected to say. Then, his attitude towards his fiance is one almost of indifference, and he kisses Edie. Leaving her with the hope of a letter may have turned out for the better for her, but seems cruel to me. So, is Chris a good guy or a bad one? I think he's not necessarily a bad guy at heart- he doesn't seem to purposefully hurt other people. It seems more so that he is too involved in himself to realize how his actions affect others. His treatment of his fiance is obviously bad, but he treats people in general with respect. I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with him, most definately, but he might not make it onto the naughty list yet.

So, Mrs. Das is like an onion?

"Again she reached into her straw bag, this time for her bairbrush, and began to run it around the edges of the translucent visor."
Interpreter of Maladies, pg 167

Mrs. Das in Interpreter of Maladies is a dynamic character. This, truthfully, shocked me. At the beginning of the story, it seems that Mrs. Das is simply a stuck up American, potentially even a "Desperate Housewife". And perhaps she is both of those things. However, there is more to her. Slowly, the reader and Mr. Kapasi both learn that Mrs. Das feels guilt, and pain that make her the way she is. She obviously feels deeply, and is unhappy with her circumstances in life. In the last paragraph though, another dimension is added to Mrs. Das- she is a caring mother. Although she may have acted in an unfeeling way for most of the trip, when Bobby was hurt, she was there for him, comforting him. She may not be a good mother, but she is a mother who exhibits love and caring towards her children. Mrs. Das had many elements to personality- she has layers, like an onion. Or, a parfait.

I should have seen that coming...

"Like when she bought the rat poison, the arsenic."
A Rose for Emily, pg. 287

Although A Rose for Emily has a bit of a twist in the ending, it also has quite a bit of foreshadowing. Looking back, I realized that it would have been easy to predict what the last page of the story tells us; Emily killed Homer, keeping ahold of him in his death. There are many clues, the first and foremost being when she bought rat poison. Next, Homer mysteriously dissapears from the town. We are also told that Homer is a homosexual, and will therefore not marry Emily. It should have been easy to predict that Emily bought the poison to kill Homer because he would not marry her. The biggest shock for me, though, was reading about how "the body had apparently once lain in the attitude of an embrace", which tells the reader that Emily was very close to the body, to put it in light terms. Her buying the "man's toilet set in silver" and "complete outfit of men's clothing" makes much more sense now; she cared about him in some way, and wanted his body to be in good condition. To say it makes sense seems like an odd way to put it, since there is nothing sensical or sane about it. Although Emily may have a rose, she didn't seem to have her full mind.

Fight for Your Life

"Rage, Rage, against the dying of the light."
Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

In this poem, the speaker discusses how different people react to dying, or "the dying of the light". The common theme, however, is that everyone fights death in one way or another. They don't want it to come, and are angered by its arrival, so fight back. The speaker, in the end, urges his own father to fight death as most men do. The speaker obviously doesn't want his father to die, and is therefore trying to get him to put it off. This reminds me of a scene from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie. In it, Tibby pleads with her friend Bailey to continue fighting cancer, to not give up but keep going. Bailey tells Tibby that it is alright, comforting her. It seems to me that that is often the case- the dying seem to lend their mental strength to the living, because those are the people who need it most. I imagine the father, in this situation, may be close to accepting his death, which is why the son feels the need to write the poem. I almost sense the same feelings conveyed as in Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead, even though they may be conveyed in completely different ways. It is very hard to lose someone you love, even though you know they will be happier in heaven.

Perfection? Psshh.... boring.

"Do more bewitch me than when art
Is too precise in every part."
Delight in Disorder

At the beginning of this poem, I was under the impression that the speaker was just very distracted. I may even have diagnosed him with ADD. It's like he is looking over an outfit, and along the way becoming enthralled and distracted by every little detail and imprefection, never able to stay focused on one thing. In a way, I guess this is what is actually happening. However, the final couplet of the poem explains why the reader notices all of these things, and why  they are being put into the poem- it is all to prove his point. Through the last couplet, I gathered that the speaker thinks that imperfection is beautiful, wonderful, and interesting, especially in art. I definately agree. Who wants to look at a perfect painting, one with no imperfections. Even in photography, which is an exact reproduction of the real thing, it is the imperfections in the image that make the photo artistic or compelling. This may be a weird connection, but I think scars on a person are the same way- the scars are an imperfection of the skin, but they are so much more. Scars come with stories, and tell about the person who has them. In the same way, the imperfections of the clothes that the speaker describes are what makes the outfit and the wearer interesting.

"And in fact, I think the more we start to worship perfection the more soul leaks out of art."
Kathy Mattea

"The imperfections of a man, his frailties, his faults, are just as important as his virtues.  You can't separate them.  They're wedded."  Henry Miller

This poem is odd, This poem is odd, This poem is odd, This poem is odd.

"Edward, Edward"
Edward

This poem has a very specific stucture that is based off of repetition. The book, in its questions, recommends reading the poem without the third and seventh line in every stanza to observe the effect of rhyming on the poem. I did this, and noticed many things. First, when I read the poem the first time, I read the first like in a normal tone, but in its repetition, it was with a condescending, accusatory tone. Also, the fifth line I read normally, but the seventh in an upset, defensive tone. The repetition allowed me to explore my options for the voices of the speakers, and gave me a sure meaning as to how they said what they did. The repetion of "Edward" and "Mother" are also there for a reason- not only does it give the poem a more flowing rhythm, but it helps create the dialogue situation that is occuring. Lastly, "O" has it's purpose as well. For me, it served as a constant vowel that's meaning could be changed according to the speaker and situation. In the last line of the poem, I thought it almost could be read as an ironic, even sarcastic "O". Was the speaker partially blaming his mother for his situation?

Don't Run Away

"For here nevermore must I be, O."
Edward

This poem has a theme that points out the tendency of humans to run away from their problems, rather than face the consequences for their wrongdoings. I believe the author is criticizing these people, proven by the fact that he brings up what will happen to "your children and wife", reminding people who run away about everything they are leaving behind. Obviously Edward is ashamed of what he did- he tries to avoid the truth in the beginning, and decides to leave because he knows it is bad. But it is proven that his problems won't be solved by leaving. In fact, this poem calls forth all of the bad things that will happen by him running away. I was, however, confused by the final stanza- I wasn't sure what Edward was saying would happen to his mother, or whether her "counsels" were good or bad.

Overall, this is an odd poem, in my opinion. I can't help but wonder if this "Anonymous" author wrote it with no greater purpose other than to watch other people struggle to decipher it. Perhaps he or she is laughing at us AP Lit students and our struggles right now.

Changing it Up

"He's ready. I am not"
Elegy for My Father, Who Is Not Dead

This poem makes its greatest points by using varied syntax. Some sentences are of a normal or even long length, but others are abnormally short. Why? Because those short sentences go straight to the point, making the reader realize exactly what the speaker is trying to say. It also helps the speaker make his point seem more forceful, and confident. When the speakers says "I am not," it presents a strong contrast from the also short sentence before. The reader quickly realizes that the speaker is emotional, even upset about these two conflicting ideas. "He's ready" is also repeated, which again emphasizes that the father has accepted that he will die, even "wants to go". The repetition and varying syntax combine to relay the speaker's point effectively.

He's Got a Way With Words

"Any yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare."
My mistress' eyes

William Shakespeare really knows how to charm the ladies. After spending 12 lines of a poem seemingly insulting his mistress, he turns it all around in two lines. Those two lines prove that all along he was not insulting her, because he thinks she is wonderful and unique. The first twelve lines, you discover, are not meant to degrade her; they are to create his point that other men exagerrate and make false comparisons to flatter, while he is truthful and heartfelt. I find it ironic that the man who wrote works such as Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, which contain numerous cliches about love today made fun of others for their cliche comparisons! In retrospect, though, I realize that it was because his words were so epic that they became cliches. Poems like this are what made people fall in love with Shakespeare's writing. He managed to create a loving, caring tone through a stream of "insults"; what skill.

Is this the real world?

"For the world, which seems
To lie before us like a land of dreams,
So various, so beautiful, so new,
Hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light"
Dover Beach

May I just take a blog to complain about how depressing the subject manner of my senior year has become? I think I will. From economics, where we learn all about the ridiculous debt that America is in, to human geography, where were informed that population explosion is basically going to kill us all, I cannot escape the sadness. Two consecutive poems I just read left me wanting to go jump off a cliff (not really, of course!). First, I read Dover Beach, whose diction screams of hopelessness, using phrases such as "flow of human misery" and "eternal note of sadness". Then, I turned to Getting Out, where a couple goes through a miserable year after splitting up. Although "in the yearly letter, you're sure to say you're happy now," I don't think either part of the couple is truly happy without one another: the final image of the couple crying as they separate and the entire year of trying to work out their differences point towards their caring for one another. One way or another, it seems that their situation is leaving them unhappy. It sure left me feeling sad. Is this hopelessness found in every class? I hope not... although I am getting older and it's making me wonder. Is this the real world?

This just reminded me of the first line of John Mayer's song "No Such Thing". The rest is pretty good too!

Metaphorically Speaking, Don't Be Sad

"I hope to see my Pilot face to face
   When I have crossed the bar."
Crossing the Bar

Crossing the Bar is a poem which acts as an extended metaphor in which many different things represent other things. The speaker uses "crossing the bar" as a symbol for death, and "home" as heaven. The Pilot stands for God, which can be realized most greatly by the fact that it is capitalized. This is similar to in "The Convergence of the Twain," when words such as "Immanent Will" and "Spinner of Years" were capitalized in reference to God. Overall, this extended metaphor is a creative way for the speaker to express his thoughts. The ocean scene creates a peaceful setting for his message that he doesn't wish people to mourn too much when he dies. He is excited about seeing his "Pilot" and hopes there will "be no sadness" when he is gone. The metaphor is a tool that effectively creates a peaceful environment for the speaker's peaceful message.

Me? A Princess?

"an how i can be a princess
me a princess"
Hazel Tells LaVerne

In the above poem, the author creates a light, humorous tone. However, her theme, to me, was a bit more depressing. I believe the poem discussed every person's tendency to have low confidence in themselves. Yes, expecting people to believe we are all princesses is a bit unrealistic. However, the fact that the speaker is so completely shocked by the idea of being a princess shows how she would never expect something so great to happen to her. It reflects both her low self esteem and her low expectancy for her life. The frog being flushed down the toilet creates quite a different ending than in Disney's The Princess and the Frog or even the traditional Frog Prince fairytale. With the frog, the speaker is metaphorically flushing her hopes and dreams down the toilet, writing them off as unrealistic. I think the author is telling us not to flush our dreams away, because we will never know where they could have taken us.

Deep Southern Charm

"But sohelpmegod he starts talkin"
Hazel Tells LaVerne

In this poem, Katharyn Howd Machan presents a perfect example of vernacular being used. The vernacular is that of the deep south in America, with "g"s  omitted and words strung together. It reminds me of the language used in Their Eyes Were Watching God, which took place in the deep south as well.  Occasionally the language got in the way of the readers' understanding of the novel, but it overall created a realistic world that the reader could enter. In this particular poem, I believe the particular vernacular is used not only to create a realistic poem, but to add to the humorous theme. When I read "sohelpmegod", I literally laughed out loud. The language helps the reader imagine the speaker, imagine her jumping and letting out "screams". In my mind, however, the character does fall into the stereotypical southern ma'am, which may or may not be a good thing. It is, I believe, the effect the author was trying to create.

"My Country tis of thee"

"Shall the voice of liberty be mute?"
next to of course god america i

Whoever heard of taking lovely songs about America's pride and turning them around to have the opposite effect? E. E. Cummings seems to be a master at this, though. From lines such as "land of the pilgrims'" from "My Country tis of thee" to "oh say can you see by the dawn's early" from the "Star Spangled Banner", Cummings is referencing popular American songs left and right. However, the second half of the poem tips the reader off to the fact that Cummings isn't supporting everything about America. The irony of the way songs are constructed to form the line "heroic happy dead who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter" shows that perhaps America is not all it is cracked up to be. Maybe he is pointing out how Americans sometimes pretend to be proud and strong, while truly there are cracks in the system and bad things are overlooked. The last line of the quotations seems to ask a serious, straightforward question, though. "Shall the voice of liberty be mute?" If sometimes all American pride is, is cocky people cheering just to cheer, then should we be mute in support for our country? I don't think so, not at all.

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

"But am betrothed unto your enemy"
Batter my heart, three-personed God

As implyed by the title, I believe the speaker of this poem is talking to God. He references the relationship that many humans seem to have with God; they love him, but are often drawn away. I think that when the speaker talks about being "betrothed unto your enemy," he is talking about the tendency of humans to be drawn to sin and the devil. The speaker "never shall be free" of God, because God is always there for us. Perhaps the speaker is asking for forgiveness, as when he says "make me new." Apparently all three persons are discussed in the poem; I was able to notice the Holy Spirit's presence by the words "breathe" and "blow", but the other two didn't stand out to me as much. Those words in the first quatrain also call to mind royal images, though. Is the speaker comparing God to a ruler? Rulers break and bend their subjects, seek to fix them, make them into new people. If so, I don't particularly like the comparison, because I think of God as loving and rulers as NOT. Maybe, therefore, that it not what the speaker is comparing God to at all.

What a glorious kingdom!

"Nothing beside remains."
Ozymandias

If Ozymandias could see his statue now, I don't think he would be as cocky as he was when it was built. In this poem, the diction the writer uses reveals the irony of the situation that the crumbled statue presents. The "king of kings" who is "mighty" is suddenly "lifeless". Other words such as "shattered", "wrinkled", "cold", and "sneer" seem to mock the words that are later presented in the poem, as well. My main confusion, however, is what significance the "traveler from an antique land" has. Why is he mentioned, and why is this statue sitting in the middle of the desert? I grasped the fact that because it's in the desert, it explains why there is nothing around. The kingdom that Ozymandias looks over is nonexistent- but still i wonder what the traveler has to do with this all.

Just Kidding!

"We want you to tell us everything. Everything!"
APO 96225

The theme of this poem is the same as what I believed to be a central theme of Never Let Me Go; it points out the tendency of humans to want to ignore the things they find uncomfortable in their lives. This is shown as silly and ridiculous. The mother continually says she wants to know everything, but when she does, the son is reprimanded. Sometimes, we aren't ready for the truth, as Jack Nicholson so powerfully lets us know.

During the Vietnam war, the general public seemed to not want to know the truth about what was happening; by ignoring it, it was easier to justify what was going on. Veterans who returned were often alienated, although not many understood what they had to go through. Rottmann points out how people cringed at the thought of the truth about Vietnam through the repetition of the line "Dear Mom, sure rains here a lot." Just as the society liked to forget about the unethical side of clones in Never Let Me Go, so America liked to forget about the horrors of Vietnam.

Folding a Life

"I think of folding you into my life."
Sorting Laundry

An extended metaphor comparing the speaker's lover and life to laundry characterizes Sorting Laundry.  Even though it is never specifically said, I believe the different things she folds represent her life. The towels represent trying to have tradition, and to keep pride and hope. The pillowcases represent the dreams they have strived to have come true. The pockets represent the joys of daily life, and the "strangely tailored shirt" their lives before one another. To me, these all seemed to point towards a life on a budget, as many young couples live. These glimpses into the life that the lovers share all also seem to revolve around the speaker's fear of losing her lover. At the beginning, and again at the end, the speaker talks about the idea of him being gone. Because all of the laundry "could not fill the empty side of the bed," the reader is able to understand that the lover is needed, and is irreplaceable.

Poetry is becoming more and more confusing...

"But I do say it's hard to lose either,
When you have both."
Toads

All in all, I feel as if the poem Toads is a bit of a riddle, attempting to lead you to the right answer through clues. Unfortunately, I've never been good at riddles. Is there an option where I can ask for a hint? So one thing is established- the first toad is work. Work sits ON the speaker's life, but the second toad squats IN the speaker. I believe this means in the speaker's mind. I can't, however, decide if this second toad is a good or a bad thing. One of my thoughs is that the toad is something positive, like his hopes and dreams for the future that need work in order to continue being important. Another idea is that the toad is something negative, like drinking that keeps him from getting "the fame and the girl and the money all at one sitting", but that is present BECAUSE of work. Either could work, or perhaps neither. My track record leads me to believe that latter is true.

Whatever happened to dreaming?

"Or does it explode?"
Dream Deferred

Sometimes, I think asking questions can be insightful in itself. Therefore, I believe this poem is very insightful in allowing the reader insight into what happens to a "dream deferred" by asking questions. It continuially uses similies to compare what happened to the dream deferred. These similies give many options as to what it was like. "A raisin inthe sun" implies that the dream shriveled up slowly, to nothing. "Like a sore" implies that the act of the dream being deferred was drawn out and painful. "Crust and sugar over" makes the reader think that perhaps losing the dream was actually a pleasant thing. I believe that a dream being lost or changed can be any of these things. If you wanted to accomplish the dream, but it was not possible, it would probably be one of the negative things. However, sometimes old dreams are simply put aside because our desires change, possibly to move onto bigger and better dreams. I was questioning the last line though- does the dream exploding imply something positive or negative? I believe only the author knows the answer to that question.

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." Harriet Tubman

Just dress up!

"Now look, the practical, the sensible
solution is to wear a fantasia."
Pink Dog

Irony is very prevalent in the poem; the speaker, through an apostrophe to a dog, points out the discrepancy between the appearance of Rio de Janeiro and the reality. It appears that Rio de Janeiro is a pleasant, happy place where nothing unpleasant is seen. In reality, there are many beggars and down-trodden people in the city. The reader, through his poem to the dog, points out that there are these sad, desperate people in the city, but that they are simply ignored. The irony of the people celebrating in the streets while people are starving makes their treatment of the beggars all the more horrific. The fact that the poem ryhmes also shows an attempt to make the matter light-hearted, just as the people of Rio de Janeiro do. The suggestion of putting the dog in the costume also attempts to do the same thing. The absurdity of dressing up a dog seems downplayed when compared with the idea of throwing beggars in tidal rivers. Rio de Janeiro doesn't seem like a pleasant place to be poor (are there any pleasant places to be poor? doubtful.)

No Need to Focus

"Get rid of death. Celebrate increase. Make it be spring."
February

My initial thought at the end of this poem was that the speaker is quite scatterbrained. She goes from winter, to her cat, to frustrations about too many cats, to population pressure, to random food cravings,  back to the cat and his bumhole, and then the whole poem is finished off with a straight-to-the-point final line. Overall, though, I believe it speaks of her frustrations about the month of February and winter in general. She doesn't like it, and seems to be taking out her anger on every subject that comes to mind instead. I can't help but relate lines 16-24 to what I am studying right now in AP Human Geography; population growth and the problems it causes. The speaker seems to recognize these problems, although not in as serious a manner as I've noticed geographers do. Again, it seems to just be a frustration that she randomly voices in her despair about it being February. Although I may seem to be criticizing the randomness of the poem, I don't think it's a bad thing. Rather, I think it adds to the effect of the speaker's frustration and help to convey the overall contained, frustrated tone of the poem.

Elaine Magarrell is no Irma Rombauer

"I will have my brother's heart,
which is firm and rather dry,
slow cooked."
The Joy of Cooking

While reading this poem, I couldn't help but think of the cookbook The Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer, which became a phenomenon in America during the 20th century. The poem and book don't exactly have the same tone, now do they? Anyways, I don't believe Elaine Magarrell was a sick person who cooked her sibling's body parts. Rather, I believe she cooked FOR her sibling's body parts.

The first stanza talks about the ways she must cook foods in order to please her sister's tongue. The second explains what needs to be done to win her brother's heart. Therefore, this poem uses a synecdoche, in which the feelings and whole person of the siblings are referred to as the tongue and heart. This has the effect of causing the reader to realize that the speaker cares greatly about winning over her siblings, and knows what must be done to do so. It also creates a light, amusing manner for the poem as the reader is questioning the sanity of the speaker until the true meaning is discovered.

Autumn Imagery

"Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,-"
To Autumn

Of all of the poems in the unit of imagery, To Autumn has the most vivid imagery. Not only is it the most vivid, but it paints a picture using all five senses, which none of the other poems do. "A wailful choir" serenades the sense of hearing; a "sweet kernel" appeals to the sense of taste. "The fume of poppies" tantalizes the sense of smell, "warm days" welcome the sense of touch, and "a brook" attracts the sense of sight. Not one part of the body is neglected, which creates an all-over experience while reading the poem. Because fall is my favorite season, I relate to this poem greatly, as it points out many exciting things about fall. It recognizes that spring has its positive attributes, but basically says that the sounds of spring are nothing compared to the sounds of fall. What would my sounds of fall be? The crowds at football games, the crackling of bonfires, and the rustling of trees in the apple orchard. But, I digress. What's important here is that due to Keats' employment of every sense, I can truly picture the fall day that he creates.

Dickinson is a Mystery!

"Kept beating- beating- till I thought
My Mind was going numb-"
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

This is going to be one of those question blogs. You know, the kind where I can't seem to figure out anything so I ask questions. The first being- why are all of these random words capitalized??!! I see nothing important about them. Let's try to form a poem of just the capitalized words.
Funeral Brain Mourners Sense Service Drum Mind Box Soul Boots of Lead Space Heavens Bell Being Ear I Silence Race Plank in Reason World Finished.
They still make no sense to me. Although I will notice that the words are composed mostly of nouns- perhaps each capitalized words stands for something else?

Well, I would next like to ask what everything stands for. Obviously, this poem involves a great metaphor. However, I am baffled as to what everything represents. Someone in our class discussion pointed out that Emily Dickinson had a fear of open spaces- maybe the poem is about her own death or entrapment alone in her house. Lastly, where is the speaker of the poem located? I believe that she is not below the floor or anything of that sort, but rather the speaker IS the floor. This is supported by the emphasis of sound and beathing rather than sights, as the floor feels steps and actions rather than sees them. Ohhhh, what a confusing poem.

Sweet, Sinless Spring

"long and lovely and lush"
Spring

The word for this poem is alliteration! Repeated consonant sounds, one after another, are all over the first stanza in the poem. Examples include "look little low", "when weeks, in wheels", and "hear him". This has the effect of making the descriptions of spring interconnect and flow. Due to the alliteration and imagery, spring comes off as exciting and rich. The second half of the poem, however, doesn't describe all of the different sights, noises, and touches of spring. Instead, it talks about spring's innocence and how it will most likely be ruined- "before it cloy, before it cloud." What is it that clouds spring's freshness? Is it the summer's heat, changing of the leaves, the growing of the newborn animals? I think it's a little bit of everything. However, this poem perfectly captures the sweet innocence that spring brings to the world every year.

Spring=Sorrow?

"But the grief in my heart
is stronger than they"
The Widow's Lament in Springtime

When the season of spring comes to mind, common thoughts are renewal, life, and happiness. This poem, therefore, is a paradox because spring is assocaited with grief instead. The fact that the two normally not connected words are put together stirs interest in the reader: they want to figure out how grief and sorrow connect. Soon, we are able to learn that before, spring was a wonderful, warm time for the widow. Now, however, her husband has died and spring creates "cold fire" and "forgetting". Even though the poem has a dark versus light theme, it leaves end with a hopeful note. The "white flowers" could symbolize renewal for the widow. White is a color that means fresh- perhaps all the widow needs is a fresh start with spring, to stop associating it with grief.

Titanic vs. The Iceberg

"The Immanent Will that stirs and urges everything
Prepared a sinister mate"
The Convergence of the Twain

I think the interesting thing about this poem is the form/pattern. Who ever heard of three line stanzas, with the first two lines short and the last one long? It's interesting, to say the least. I also noticed that (at least, most obviously, in the II, III, and IV stanzas) the first two lines tended to be positive- "jewels , ravish, joy" and the third line was negative- "lightless, bleared, black". The author most likely did this to show how the Titanic was thought to be such a grand ship, but was actually not indestructable and perfect.

The structure was also organized by rhyming, and repetition of rhyming sounds. Stanzas I and IX used words that rhymed with be, stanzas III and X used words that rhymed with -ent, and stanzas V and XI used words that rhymed with -ear. Do these corresponding stanzas relate in any other ways? Not that I am aware of. Which makes me wonder- did the author have a purpose in coordinating rhyming sounds, or was it random? This also brings me to a bigger question of poetry- is anything random in it?

Perrine Argues Poetry

"The poet is eager to be understood."

I must admit, Laurence Perrine makes a fantastic arguement. At the beginning of his essay, I believed that every poem has 100 different interpretations, and while some may seem outlandish, they are all right. Now, however, I see why he believed that for any given poem there is a correct and incorrect reading. I don't necessarily completely agree, but I understand his arguement.

I now agree that some interpretations can be disproved, and that interpretations of symbols must fall within a certain area. I believe, however, that this all goes back to what the author wrote the poem to be about. And I myself believe that poetry is mainly worth reading BECAUSE the reader and the writer may read the poem and see different things. I guess what I'm trying to say is that yes, a poem may be about something particular. But is poetry really about finding the right meaning, or is it about finding personal meaning and emotion in different works? I believe that people read poetry to feel something, not to hear a story or learn about the past as they may with prose literature.

From a literature professor's standpoint, the arguement is solid. But if I can't interpret poety myself and therefore express my creativity in it, I personally don't see the point in reading it at all.

Hopelessness, Even Though I'm Done

"The fantasy never got beyond that- I didn't let it- and though the tears rolled down my facem I wasn't sobbing or out of control. I just waited a bit, then turned back to the car, to drive off to wherever I was supposed to be." (pg 288)

And so another AP Lit summer reading book ends in death and hopelessness. This better not be the theme for the year, Mr. Costello. I'm a happy person, alright? Stop bringing me down.

Anyways, I was also again dissapointed by the fact that nothing in the world the characters lived in changed. In both Never Let Me Go and Brave New World, there was no rebellion, no exciting climax, no change to society. Both stories ended with an outpouring of information about the way things are, but no end to those ways in sight. Maybe I'm too used to Children's and Young Adult novels in which happy endings are a staple, but I'm happy that way. Both books were engrossing the entire way through, and both had lessons. I've already discussed Brave New World's, but not yet Never Let Me Go's. I think the moral of this second book is that mankind is often selfish, and wishes to ignore the problems and injustices in the world so long as they benefit from it. Both books heed warnings to society, but leave me with a feeling of hopelessness.

do SOMETHING!

"Why should they be grateful? They came here looking for something much more. What we gave them, all the years, all the fighting we did on their behalf, what do they know of that?" (pg. 265)

At this point, if I were Kathy or Tommy, I would be angry. They have just discovered what the world thinks of them, and their one hope of living longer and happier has been bursted. They were created for one thing, and only one thing; to die for other people who don't care about them. So why are they taking it sitting down? Why don't they try to make a change? I'm not even asking for some big rebellion led by the clones of the world. But how about the two of them try to make an escape, run off to a remote island somewhere? I'm not sure if they haven't mentioned that option because the thought hasn't crossed their minds, or because there's something keeping them there, such as a tracker. Either way, I don't see a happy ending to this book, and it's starting to make me quite upset.

Artist=Soulful?

"Or to put it more finely, we did it to prove you had souls at all." (pg. 260)

Interesting. Even though previously, I questioned whether or not clones could be loved in the same way as everyone else, I never questioned whether or not they had souls. I suppose this gets into the religious aspect of things, because a clone is no longer a different, individual being thatn everyone else, as God intended. However, I think they still have a different mind that is affected by how they are brought up, and that they very much have souls. The idea of clones may make your skin crawl, but the students themselves seem normal and should be treated as every other human is.

On another topic, may I just point out how I am a little miffed that people are putting such an importance in art as a gateway to the soul? Yes, I think that art can oftentimes reveal deep and emotional things about people. But just because someone isn't very creative or artistic doesn't mean they don't have a soul. I, someone without a creative bone in my body, am offended. I would be similiar to Tommy at the beginning at the book, but I stand by the idea that we both have very nice souls!

Forgiveness Will Renew You

"I can't remember what I answered. What I do remember is the strong mix of emotions that engulfed me at that moment. I realized immediately this was Tommy's way of putting behind us everything that had happened around his drawings back at the cottages, and I felt relief, gratitude, sheer delight." (pg. 241)

After all those years of dwelling on what happened the day in the cemetary, this moment must have felt good for Kathy. In the cemetary, Kathy never really got to speak her mind. Her words had been twisted, and because of that, Tommy was hurt. Sharing his drawings with Kathy again was his was of telling her that everything was okay. If I was Kathy, I would be very thankful. By sharing these drawings, Tommy was also able to bring up another subject: defering the donations. Although Ruth wanted Tommy and Kathy to give it a try, I think that it is only a way to get their hopes up, just to have them crashing down. True, it can't hurt anything, and can really only potentially help them live longer. But as I said before, I think the idea of defering donations is a dying man's last hope, something that has no evidence.

RUTH, RUth, ruth.

"And it was then, as she stood there, her shoulders rising and faling with her breathing, that Tommy seemed to become aware for the first time just how frail she was." (pg. 222)

At this point in the story, I have come to realize that Ruth is a dynamic character. Back at Hailsham, Ruth was a leader of the pack. She was fearless and dominating, a trendsetter. When she arrived at the Cottages, Ruth changed, but not entirely. She was in new waters, and therefore desperate to fit in. She was more apprehensive, but still generally confident in herself and not afraid to bring others down to bring herself up. When Ruth became a donor, though, she changed into a much less domineering person. She is suddenly unsure of her actions, even in her ideas. She doesn't have the same fight; it is like she has given up. It is saddening to realize that the donations can even break a seemingly untouchable person like Ruth.

Carer- a Pointless Occupation

"You spend hour after hour, on your own, driving across the country, centre to centre, hospital to hospital, sleeping in overnights, no one to talk to about your worries, no one to have a laugh with." (pg. 207)

The above passage employs parallelism by repeating different words again and again while describing the life of a carer. In this passage, parallelism is important because it shows how repetitive and boring a carer's life is. At this point, I'm becoming mystified as to EXACTLY what a carer does; they seem to me to be a bit like a hospice worker. They help provide comforts and company to the dying. Couldn't that sentence be an accurate job description for a hospice worker OR a carer? Kathy seems to appreciate her job more than I would expect; it seems depressing to do nothing but comfort the dying and wait for your own moment. It also has me wondering, do carers really have any affect at all on whether a patient lives or dies? They don't seem to be doctors or have any medical training at all, for that matter. Yes, companionship can keep the dying going. But carers don't have any decisions on medical matters, so how important are they, really? I suppose we'll have to find out!

Everything Changes

"It wasn't that I thought I'd burst into tears or lose my temper or anything like that. But I decided just to turn and go. Even later that day, I realized this was a bad mistake." (pg. 195)

This scene of the book serves as the turning point. When Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are talking in the court yard, it is the moment when Ruth pushes everyone too far for things to be fixed. Kathy is nearing the age of becoming a carer already, and this conversation pushes her towards becoming one right away. I think that it is a true representation of the way their friendship has always been. Ruth is making Kathy sound bad, and making Tommy feel bad about himself. Kathy and Tommy are taking it quietly, like it always seems that they have. Now, everything will change with Kathy becoming a carer. Ruth, Tommy, and Kathy will not see each other every day, will no longer hold onto one another's friendship. I am sad that they have left one another like they did, but from Kathy's narration I know that they will come together again.

Shhh... Ruth Will Find Out!

"This air of secrecy made it easier for me to keep from telling Ruth about Tommy buying me the Judy Bridgewater tape. I didn't go as far as actually hiding the thing... but I always made sure not to leave it out or on top of a pile." (pg. 184)

All Tommy did was buy Kathy a tape that she particularly wanted. In most relationships, this would never cause jealously. I think that the reason Kathy doesn't want Ruth to see the tape is because she knows that Ruth realizes that Kathy and Tommy should be together. Ruth is playing against the universe, because Kathy and Tommy are the dream pair. Inside, I think Ruth knows this, but won't admit it to herself.

Kathy finally finding the Judy Bridgewater tape is important after all of these years because it helps remind her of the song which kept her dreaming. The song not only is significant because it relates to not being able to have children or because Madame saw her dancing to it, but because it connects Kathy to Hailsham. If she had found it any other way, it would have brought Kathy and Ruth closer, instead of creating a secret between them. It is a shame that something that should have made Kathy so joyful brought such guilt and worry.

A Crazy Hope

"The thing about being from Hailsham was that you had this special chance. And if you didn't get stuff into Madame's gallery, then you were as good as throwing that chance away." (pg. 176)

Tommy's theories about creativity and the gallery seem to make some sense, but I find them hard to believe because of what they are based on. They seem to all go back to the idea that people can defer their donations if they are truly in love. I, for one, believe this is simply a desperate wish of people who have nothing to put their hope in. Tommy's theories do, however, have me questioning some things. Do the other schools emphasize art and creativity as much as Hailsham? Where they visited by Madame as well? If the answer to these questions is no, it would really clear up why the veterans treat people from Hailsham so differently.

As a side note, I can't help but point out how much Tommy seems to trust Kathy and care for her. I'm definately on team Kammy, not team Tuth!

Ruth Knows Best

"We all know it. We're modeled from trash. Junkies, prostitutes, winos, tramps. Convicts, maybe, just so long as they aren't psychos. That's what we come from. We all know it, so why don't we say it? A woman like that? Come on." (pg. 166)

In this particular passage, Ishiguro uses rhetorical questions in order to make Ruth's argument stronger. She speaks them to show how completely ridiculous her friends' ideas are. It completely plays into the thought that "Ruth knows best, all the time". Her words brought ideas that I hadn't even considered before to mind. Why can't the people they are cloned from be high-class people? Why must they be prostitutes, or junkies? It seems to me that those people would not only be unhealthy, but mentally unstable and not someone you would want to replicate. It may be that those types of people would be chosen because they wouldn't have enough power or loved ones to resist something that can be considered creepy and immoral. I wonder if there was an instance with a guardian that would cause Ruth to think this way, though. Hopefully it will be explained later. I think I'm saying that a lot during this book.

Frienemies?

"Why do you have to be difficult? Now of all times! I don't get it. Why do you want to make trouble?" (pg. 148)

Although Ruth and Kathy are "apparently" the best of friends, I believe they are also the worst of enemies. In fact, I would name Ruth as the antagonist of this novel. Yes, sometimes Kathy can depend on her. But overall, she tends to put Kathy, Tommy, and Hailsham down. She is definitely doesn't have what I look for in my best friends, that I know. Overall, she also seems to block Kathy from what Kathy is destined to do, which is to be different and discover what others haven't been able to find out. Two-faced, obsessed with popularity, and disloyal are all words I would use to describe her. So why does Kathy stay all buddy-buddy with her? In some ways, I believe it is because she is too afraid to move on, too afraid of what her life will be like without Ruth. But my more reasonable, less angry side tells me that Kathy and Ruth really do care about each other like true friends do, and don't want to abandon one another in their trying times. Deep down though, I hope Kathy will toss Ruth to the side and move on to bigger and better things.

CLONES!!??

"Since each of use was copied at some point from a normal person, there must be, for each of us, somewhere out there, a model getting on with his or her life." (pg 139)

I must admit, I did not see this one coming. The students of Hailsham are clones?! No wonder they are separated from the rest of the world, to try to prevent them from stumbling upon their "possibles". I wonder, though, how they were born. Were they carried by humans, or, like in Brave New World,  raised in a test tube? It also brings me back to the question I asked in my post about My Sister's Keeper- are they loved for who they are, as their own person? Are they even their own person, or really someone else? It reminds me of the book Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix. In the book, Bethany slowly discovers that she is a clone of her sister Elizabeth who died at age 13. She has the same tendencies, like activities and favorite foods, that her sister did. Does being a clone give you your own mind and the ability to choose your destiny, or are you automatically destined to follow the life of the person you are modeled after? Because Ruth's "possible" works in an office, does that explain why Ruth wants to? This idea of the students being clones has my mind spinning.

Never Let Me Go

"Because somewhere underneath, a part of us stayed like that: fearful of the world around us, and- no matter how much we despised ourselves for it- unable quite to let each other go." (pg. 120)

The above quote captures both the theme and title of Never Let Me Go. As Kathy and the students at Hailsham grow up, they must deal with separation and change. Throughout their early moments at the Cottages, they find a comfort in each other. Kathy, especially, feels an unwillingness to let go of her Hailsham memories and friends. Going to the Cottages is most likely similar to what going to college will soon be for the Class of 2012. The idea is terrifying, exhilarating, wonderful, and depressing all at the same time. As high schoolers, we are growing up, yet we are not yet on our own or truly seen as adults. College will provide that opportunity for us. The students at Hailsham are receiving even more of a shock by moving to the cottages, as they have never been outside of Hailsham. I can see how they would want to cling to one another's friendships and their memories like some college freshman will want to cling to photographs or Roncalli friends at their college.

Let's Get to Know Each Other a Little

"Tommy's right. You're just the person to have when you're in the corner." (pg. 105)

Throughout Never Let Me Go, the author, Kazuo Ishiguro uses indirect characterization to reveal things about the characters. Never once does he simply say that Kathy is insightful, or that Ruth is popular and intimidating, or that Tommy is troubled. Instead, he uses the stories to explain these things. This form of characterization causes the reader to slowly form opinions about the characters. It also has allowed me to keep an open mind about all of them, instead of putting them in a box because of what is written in the first chapter. At this point, I'm not sure that I know enough about Kathy to predict how she is going to react to Ruth's talk. She seems like a good friend, but will her feelings for Tommy get in the way of helping Ruth out? I think Kathy will try to do what is right, but her hints about sex in the preceeding pages have me questioning.

Created for A Purpose

"Your lives are set out for you. You'll become adults, then before you're old, before you're even middle-aged, you'll start to donate your vital organs. That's what each of you was creted to do. You're not like the actors you watch on your videos, you're not even like me. You were brought into this world for a purpose, and your futures, all of them, have been decided." (pg. 81)

Wow. Tell it like it is, Miss Lucy. For the students at Hailstorm, I would imagine Miss Lucy's outburst was a slap in the face. Kathy does, in the following pages, talk about how she thinks the students already knew, but didn't want to truly face the facts. It must have been depressing knowing that dreams of future families and careers were useless. The whole idea of being made for the sole purpose of saving someone else reminds me of My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. In the book, Anna was born to her parents for the sole purpose of donating bone marrow to her sister with Leukemia, Kate. Was Anna truly loved for the person she was, or for what she could do for Kate? I think that despite the reason she was created for, she was loved greatly as her own person. I would imagine that each person at Hailsham would also have been loved for who they were, but I must wonder- who were their parents, and why aren't those parents present in the lives of the students? Miss Lucy's outburst confirmed some suspicions that were arising, but left me with more questions as well.

A Child Believes

"We both felt deep down some tug, some old wish to believe again in something that was once close to our hearts." (pg 67)

Norfolk, to me, seems to have the same concept as Santa Clause does to many children. Norfolk was a comfort, something that made the children happy and gave them something to believe in. There's no solid fact in it, but being able to believe is a good feeling. Especially once the students didn't believe in Norfolk anymore, they wanted to believe in it. I, personally, would give anything to believe in Santa once more. I find it highly ironic that when Kathy did find a copy of the tape, it was in Norfolk. It's almost like a movie, when adults don't believe in Santa Clause anymore, yet there's an unexplained gift under the tree with EXACTLY what they want. Yes, this is a fictional book like those are fictional movies. I think, however, that Kathy finding the tape in Norfolk is the author's special tribute to the imagination of every child.

"Your Honor, a lot of people believe in Mr. Kringle. Including millions of children. If you rule against him, you won't destroy anyone's belief but you will destroy the man they believe in. Mr. Kringle is not concerned for himself, if he was he wouldn't be here. He is in this regrettable positon because he is willing to sacrifice himself for children. To create in their minds a world far better than the one we've made for them. If this is, as Mr. Collins suggests, a masquerade then Mr. Kringle is eager to forfeit his freedom to preserve that masquerade. To subject himself to prosecution to protect the children's right to believe. If this court finds that Mr. Kringle is not who he says he is, that there is no Santa, I ask the court to judge which is worse: A lie that draws a smile or a truth that draws a tear." (Miracle of 34th Street)

Flash... Flash... Flash!

"I think I sensed how beyond that line, there was something harder and darker and I didn't want that. Not for me, not for any of us." (pg 55)

Never Let Me Go is a novel chock full of flashbacks. In fact, because so much of the story has taken place in the past, I almost like to think of Kathy's moments taking about the present as flash-forwards. In this format, Kathy is able to tell about her memories from a different perspective than if we were hearing about them as they happened. Some may not have seemed important at the time, like when Miss Emily caught Kathy in a place she wasn't supposed to be, but didn't punish her in the slightest. However, because Kathy has knowledge now that she didn't have as a child, she is able to realize that they are important. Therefore, the reader gets to hear about them. She is also more honest, like how she admits that the "secret gaurd" never had any true evidence, but was a fantasy game that she loved to play as a child. Hearing children's memories told from an adult has its advantages.

All of these flashbacks remind me of LOST, which as we all know, focuses on a new character with the flashbacks every episode. They mainly explained things about the characters little by little, until the flash-forwards came in, along with the side-ways flashes. Those complicated things a bit, but Never Let Me Go  will hopefully keep it simple!

Enough with the Secrets, Already!

"All I can tell you today is that it's for a good reason. A very important reason. But if I tried to explain it o you now, I don't think you'd understand. One day, I hope, it'll be explained to you." (pg. 40)

I can't decide whether or not I like Miss Lucy- she seems to want to tell me (and the students) what's going on, but may just be driving me more mad. As it is, the "gallery" is a giant mystery to both of us. When Polly asked the question, I thought I was going to get an answer, but was dissapointed by both Miss Lucy's reaction and the other students' reaction. I keep noticing that the students not only seem afraid to defy any social norms, but appear very united in their opinions. And besides the occasions of teasing Tommy at ridiculous levels, it appears the students get along quite well. As weird as this sounds, I wish my class in gradeschool had had the same chemistry.

Although the subject matter is quite different, this book reminds me greatly of the book we read last summer for AP Lang, A Seperate Piece. Both books are first person, told by an adult who is looking back at their time at a boarding school with newfound knowledge. I think I like this book significantly more, though. Maybe because it's told from the point of view of a girl, or maybe because I've heard the last few chapters are mind-blowing and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully I won't be let down!

How Far Can I Push it?

"I suspect the truth was that it was like a lot of things at that age; you don't have any clear reason, you just do it. You do it because you think it might get a laugh, or because you want to see if it'll cause a stir. And when you're asked to explain it afterwards, it doesn't seem to make any sense. We've all done things like that." (pg. 19)

Never Let Me Go is told from first person point of view. This style of writing allows the narrator, Kathy, to disclose all of her opinions to the reader. I think that it also makes the novel appear more personal. One disadvantage of first person piont of view is that we only see the story from the point of view of one character, and therefore we most likely miss many details.

The above quote (narrated by Kathy) really stuck out at me, because it sounded all too familiar. I believe that many teenagers can relate to it, because we often do things that don't make sense to anyone else, but seem like a fantastic idea at the time. I will admit, this thought process has gotten me in trouble a time or two (or ten or eighty...). As children and young adults, we often feel the need to push the limit, experiment with people's reactions. Sometimes, even though it doesn't make sense, it turns out okay. Other times, like with Tommy's elephant drawing, circumstances take a turn for the worse.

I'm Puzzled already...

"Carers aren't machines. You try and do your best for every donor, but in the end, it wears you down. You don't have unlimited patience and energy. So when you get a change to choose, of course, you choose your own kind. That's natural." (pg. 4)

In the beginning of Never Let Me Go, something is immediately eminent- the reader isn't being told all the details at once, but instead will catch up little by little. One thing that made this stick out so much was that some of the dialect I didn't understand. Words such are carers and donations (it was clear that this use of the word had special meaning) have left me puzzled and dying to know more. Obviously, the narrator, Kathy H uses those words in her normal language. I think that a carer appears to be a sort of doctor, and the donations involve donating body parts. However, I'm puzzled as to why people are donating body parts, what happened in Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth's past, and what exactly Hailsham is. Is it a normal boarding school in England, or something more? I can't figure out whether is book is similiar to Brave New World in the way that it is a completely hypothetical, alternate universe, or whether it is meant to be "really able to happen". Hopefully I will understand the dialect of Kathy better as I read.

I'm done.... I'M DONNEEEEEE!!!!

"Slowly, very slowly, like two unhurried compass needles, the feet turned towards the right; north, north-eat, east, south-east, south, south-south-west; then paused, and , after a few seconds, turned as unhurriedly back towards the left. South-south-west, south, south-east, east..." (pg. 259)

And so, with an ominous, disturbing picture, Huxley ends Brave New World. I was saddened by the ending, yet saw in it the warning that Huxley was issuing all along: science can be dangerous if it is not kept in check. Also, that what may appear a minor loss of independence can escalate into an all-controlling world power. Overall, I found Brave New World unlike anything I had ever read before, and when I put the book down, the word I kept repeating to my family was: "weird". Not particularly terrible or amazing, but weird.

In other subjects, I was originally surprised that no real change was made to the "Brave New World"; no rebellion occurred, no leader arose to give the citizens their independence, no pledges to abolish soma were made.  Then, I realized that I had never expected these things to happen in the first place, I had simply wished for them. In a world with so much order, so much stability, and so much contentment over the way things are, it would be almost impossible to change anything. In the words of Mostapha Mond, "We don't want to change. Every change is a menace to stability. (pg. 225)

I Want It All

"All right then," said the Savage defiantly, "I'm claiming the right to be unhappy." (pg. 240)

In this passage, John makes a statement that follows the theme of true happiness. He decides that if it means that he will be allowed to experience God, and passion, and freedom, and beauty, he will also accept some unhappiness. He is different from any other man in society because he wants it all, and has not been conditioned to overlook poetry and other forms of beauty.
I liked how chapters 16 and 17 explained the morals of the society. Even though they became more and more apparent throughout the book, seeing both sides of the argument happening in a place other than my own mind was refreshing. It didn't however, make it much more simple. In fact, it brought more elements into the argument, such as God and hardships and simple beauties. Honestly, at this point there is still no resolution to the argument. John, however, has shown his true colors.

When will the Prodigal Son return?

"We've now got youth and prosperity right up to the end. What follows? Evidently, that we can be independent of God." (pg 233)

I find it incredibly interesting that Mustapha Mond not only knows about and somewhat understands God, but believes he exists. In my mind throughout the entire book, I have thought that the controllers of the World State must support the state and its philosophies 100%, completely deny the existence of God, and strictly follow all of the social guidelines. Yes, there was a hint at the beginning of the novel about rumors of Mond having forbidden books, but I chose to ignore it. Therefore, I was shocked by Mond's knowledge of God and by his individuality. Now, more importantly, there is the idea of the members of society not needing God.

As humans, we often decide to forget about God when things are going well, to pretend that we achieved everything without him. Then, in times of hardship or sorrow, we turn to God again. Thankfully, God is always there, always ready to forgive us. If the society in Brave New World were to actually exist, I would think it inevitable that it would someday fail, despite the stability that is always spoken of. And when it would fail, God would be there to help pick up the pieces, even though he had been forgotten about for so long. He would celebrate as if the prodigal son had returned. As it is, the society exists without God, and "everyone is happy." In my opinion, there's no way it can last without God.

Ignorance is Bliss

"People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can't get. They're well off; they're safe; they're never ill; they're not afraid of death; they're blissfully ignorant of passion and old age; they're plagued with no mothers or fathers; they've got no wives, or children, or lovers to feel strongly about; they're so conditioned that they practically can't help behaving as they ought to behave." (pg. 220)

At this point in the novel, I think it is necessary to go back to my earlier question- is there a difference between real happiness and thinking you are happy? Now, I know that there is. The happiness that the people of Brave New World live with is not true happiness; it is ignorance. I suppose, in this context, the saying "ignorance is bliss" is proven to be true. However, I believe that happiness is built around passion, around overcoming hardships, about learning to appreciate little things. The members of society don't do any of these things, because they don't feel passion or love or despair. So- do they truly feel happiness? I don't think so. Truthfully, they are most "happy" when they are able to forget about the world and go on a soma-holiday. Most happy when they aren't in their own world? What is wrong with this picture? The idea of a world of ignorant bliss may be appealing to some, but I don't think giving up love and passion is worth it.

"Where can we find happiness? Happiness is not found in a tranquil life free of storms and tempests. Real happiness is found in the struggles we undergo to realize our goals, in our efforts to move forward. "

"We each move forward secure on our own earth, not the earth of others. Happiness is something we must create for ourselves. No one else can give it to us. "

Truth or Trash?

"Ford helps those who help themselves." (pg. 213)
Throughout Brave New World, I think it can be agreed upon that where someone in our world would say God or Lord, members of the new society say Ford. Therefore, the above quote can be considered an everyday aphorism which could be heard today. In this context, the aphorism gave Helmholtz the motivation to join John in his phlight to change the world. It might have seemed hopeless or pointless, but Helmholtz joined nonetheless, in order to feel that he was standing up for individuality. This particular aphorism was used for positive change; many other "aphorisms", if you will, are spoken throughout this book for a different purpose. They are also called hypnopaedic proverbs, phrases such as "Every one belongs to every one else". In my mind, those sayings wouldn't qualify as aphorisms; aphorisms "make a wise observation about life". However, members of the World State society believe these words to be infallible truths, undeniable maxims. So many things about the "Brave New World" are the opposite of what we believe- why not one more?

Death is NOT a big deal, I promise...

"Undoing all their wholesome death-conditioning with this disgusting outcry- as though death were something terrible, as though any one mattered as much as all that! It might give them the most disastrous ideas about the subject, might upset them into reacting in the entirely wrong, the utterly anti-social way." (pg. 206)
Death is something that the human race in general has an innate fear of; whether it is dying ourselves, or the thought of a loved one dying. As humans, we believe that each person has worth, has human dignity, and should be able to live. In Brave New World, however, society is worth much more than any human life. Each child in society goes through death-conditioning, to de-sensitize them to death; this is something that John was never exposed to. Thereforefore, when John's "savage" view of death collided with the society's take on death, chaos was the only logical response. It was shocking to be in the mind of the nurse (thank the omniscient narrator for that) and hear how she was only worried about how the children would react, and didn't want them to be confused into thinking that death was something to be upset about. Shocking, also, is the idea that such great precautions are taken to avoid diseases, illnesses, and aging, when everyone dies fairly young anyways due to their modern lifestyles. Ironic, or demented. Also ways to describe the World State's logic. All of this twisted thoughts have me upset, I think I need a soma-holiday...

Plays, Poems, and Lyrics

"'The murkiest den, the most opportune place' (the voice of conscience thundered poetically), 'the strongest suggestion our worser genius can, shall never melt mine honour into lust. Never, never!' he resolved." (pg. 192)
As John instinctively quotes The Tempest, I was reminded of a person who has turrets; it is almost like John can't prevent his outbursts of Shakespeare. When he gets nervous, it seems second nature to John to use the words of Shakespeare to express his feelings, rather than thinking of words himself. Similiarly, Fezzik in The Princess Bride uses rhymes when he is nervous; it comforts him like Shakespeare comforts John. Even Lenina got into the mood of using poetry to display her emotions with lyrics from society's songs. Sometimes, our own words aren't enough to describe our feelings. Instead, I find that songs can comfort me and describe what I am feeling. Even when the situation isn't the same, the lyrics can capture an emotion in a way that nothing else can. Othello, The Tempest, Romeo and Juliet, King Lier, and Timon of Athens are a few, but not all of the works that John quotes. I find it interesting that he feels such a connection with the words of Shakespeare; he doesn't even understand all of the situations himself, because although his life on the reservation is closer to the situations described in Shakespeare than life in society, times have still changed immensely. I think part of his connection is due to the fact that the book of Shakespeare is all his own, nobody else's. Similiarly, I believe that John is all his own man, a lone person who will never have to conform to a society. If he can survive in the "Brave New World".

Fordisms

"...with the gesture of one who removes his pearl from before swine, locked it away in its drawer." (pg. 185)
In a book full of references to the past, Huxley has here made a subtle allusion to the Bible in order to explain that John doesn't believe Helmholtz and Bernard appreciate his book. And in truth, they do not. As much as they may try to understand the emotions and passions that course through the pages of Shakespeare, they never will because they have been raised to believe such thoughts are ludacris.
Subtle allusions, however, are not generally Huxley's style. Brave New World is a futuristic book that makes its foundation on the past, from Shakespeare to Christianity to Native Americans. Only through references to the past does the reader understand how different the "Brave New World" is, how it scorns at parenthood and marriage. One of the most common allusions is to Henry Ford, who was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and credited with the development of the assembly line. His company created the Model T automobile (hence the sign of the T) and he is credited with "Fordism" which has a philosophy along the lines of Marxism, with consumerism as the way to peace. When looking up Henry Ford, I noticed that his company and Fordism put a strong emphasis on specialized jobs within the assembly line. This sounds familiar, huh? Yes, every member of the Brave New World society is specifically conditioned to do one job, often on an assembly line like the women in the Fertilizing Room. The idea of Fordism itself doesn't seem like a terrible one, but it can easily be turned into an overbearing demon, as it has in Brave New World.


Henry Ford, The Model T Automobile

The Popping of the Balloon

"Pierced by every word that was spoken, the tight balloon of Bernard's happy self-confidence was leaking from a thousand wounds."
Huxley uses an extended metaphor comparing Bernard's confidence to a balloon during Chapters Eleven and Twelve. With Bernard feeling "light as air", the reader understands his elation at being accepted. They  later also understand his dissapointment and turmoil at his "friends'" betrayal. He comes crashing down from his temporary popularity all because of one party that John refused to go to. This makes me wonder: why exactly did John refuse to attend the party? He doesn't seem to particularly dislike Bernard; in fact, I took his attitude towards Bernard as respect. True, it would be frustrating to be frequently used as a way to become popular. I don't think that is why John wouldn't attend the party, though. I think he was simply frustrated with the "Brave New World" in general, and wanted to set himself apart from it for awhile. When he is cursing at Bernard, he doesn't aim his curses at Bernard, but instead at the Arch-Community-Songster. This represents his anger at the society, for the way it uses him, for its unfamiliar technologies, and the way it treats his mother. At this point in the story, John is left with anger and frustration, while Bernard feels betrayed and dissapointed. What a jolly duo they make.

ACCEPTED (for now)

"Bernard went off in a huff. Never, he told himself, never would he speak to Helmholtz again." (pg. 157)

In the time following Lenina and Bernard's return from the Reservation, Bernard feels new and included. It is a testament to mankind's tendancy to want to be accepted; no matter how much someone says that they want to be "different" or that they don't care if they are included, they are lying. Every human being has an urge to be accepted, and happiness can directly stem from that feeling of acceptance. Before he was in the "in crowd", Bernard felt animosity toward the World State and some of society's rules. Afterwards, however, he felt no guilt being with many women and associating himself with people who only wanted his company in order to be near the "Savage". It was shocking to me that he even alienated himself from Helmholtz, his one true friend. I believe that Helmholtz may have reminded him of what he was before he discovered John, and he didn't want to stay tied to his old, unhappy self. There is no doubt in my mind that Bernard will regret leaving Helmholtz in the dust, and that it will come back to bite him in the butt.

"Almost every man wastes part of his life in attempts to display qualities which he does not possess, and to gain applause which he cannot keep."  ~Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, 1750

Happiness or Pleasure

"To fashion, to give form, to feel his fingers gaining in skill and power- this gave him an extraordinary pleasure." (pg. 134)
The smooth connection of alliteration gives the above passage from Brave New World a feeling of rhythm, similiar to the rhythm and comfort that John feels when he works clay. As the reader takes in the words on the page, they can also feel the satisfaction that John describes in a way that wouldn't be possible in normal prose. I believe the pleasure of working with clay is Huxley's way of showing that soma isn't the only way to achieve happiness, even if the members of the civilized society don't understand those other ways. Civilized members of society have so much; pills to make them happy, endless entertainment and sexual pleasure, and a solid place in their world. However, they never experience love, committment, family, or independence. Although they are continually told "Everybody's happy now", they must often take pills to send them "on holiday", to remove them from the world they are forced to endure everyday. The members may believe they are happy, but only because they have not been given the chance to experience true happiness. Despite his hardships and sorrows, John has experienced happiness in a way that the society never does. If given the choice, I believe that most of us would pick John's life of heartache and happiness over a world of pretended pleasure.

Outlandish. Bizarre. Peculiar. Kooky... Need I go on?

"But it's all different here. It's like living with lunatics. Everything they do is mad." (pg. 121)
Linda's description of the savages is similiar to what I believe a member of our AP Literature class would say after a visit to the "Brave New World". It is impossible to think of the world Linda came from as normal; everything about it seems backwards and foreign to me. The attitude towards sex, the lack of individual thought (especially the hypnopaedia), the stunting of embryos, the lack of parents and spouses, all have me struggling to wrap my mind around such a world. In fact, I'll bring back the same word again; they have me disturbed. Linda and Lenina's reaction to the savages is close-minded and repulsed; however, it is what they have been "conditioned" to think. I want to shake them, scream at them that their world is very messed up as well. However, I understand that the Indians must seem very uncivilized to them. The Indians don't seem much more civilized than the Native Americans that settlers encountered in America in the 16th-19th centuries, which suprised me. I expected them to use electricity, to be clean and happy, but to simply have a "normal" family and government. As it is, nothing in Brave New World is what I expect, so I may as well get used to it.

Images of Savages

"The mesa was like a ship becalmed in a strait of lion-coloured dust. The channel wound between precipitous banks, and slanting from one wall to the other across the valley ran a streak of green- the river and its fields. On the prow of that stone ship in the ventre of the strait, and seemingly a part of it, a shaped and geometrical outcrop of the naked rock, stood the pueblo of Malpais." (pg 107)
When writing Brave New World, Huxley employs similies, like at the beginning of the above passage, and imagery. Together, these rhetorical devices help the readers picture the scenes in their minds more vividly. The comparisons, such as with siimiles, help the readers connect the images to things that are familiar. The use of imagery, such as in the descriptions the rancid Indians in Chapter Seven, employs multiple senses and therefore provides a more complete experience for the reader.
On a different topic, I feel that this post is an appropriate one to comment on Bernard's last name: Marx. It calls to mind a particular man/idea: Karl Marx and his close to communist ideas, Marxism. Marxism supports the idea that society will eventually become classless and stateless, which will result in maximum freedom for all and a world where the individual is not as important as society itself. I find it peculiar that BERNARD is the character that take the last name Marx, seeing as of all the members of the world Huxley paints, Bernard is the one whose ideas are farthest from Marxism. I am beinging to question that Bernard will start a rebellion; he seems too shy and the World State seems too oppressive. However, considering his last name and different ideas, I will keep my fingers crossed.

 Karl Marx. Attractive guy, eh?

A Glimpse Into the Life of the Director.

"Ford knows. Anyhow it was horrible. It upset me very much at the time. More than it ought to have done, I dare say." (pg. 97)

Before Lenina and Bernard head off to the reservation together, the Director gives Bernard a glimpse into his past with a personal anecdote about the reservation. This story gives the reader an idea of what to expect at the reservation, as far as the connection to society goes. We can infer that there is little connection to the outside world while on the reservation, and that the luxuries of life under the World State aren't present. It also helps the reader understand the fear of being seen as different or overly attached to one person that many people in society feel, due to the Director's embarrassment when he realizes what he is telling Bernard.
I found Bernard's feelings after meeting with the Director interesting. The Director's criticism and threats gave Bernard's rebelliousness fire. In some ways, I understand this; having your rebeliousness noticed makes it feel all the more daring and exciting. However, the threats (even though Bernard thought they were empty) seemed to be enough to scare many people into submission. Bernard's reaction was different than expected, but overall it seems that Bernard is simply a different person.