"Clocks and Lovers" Essay

            In W.H. Auden’s poem, “Clocks and Lovers,” it is evident by the title that the major argument of the speaker will be whether or not his love can endure time. This is expressed to a great degree in the fact that the speaker has little dialogue, because it is conquered by his lover speaking and the clocks around him. The speaker’s lover seems to be intent on the fact that their love will last forever. She states that she will love him “until China and Africa meet…until the ocean is folded up and hung to dry.” This theme of never-ending love is common throughout romantic literature, and the diction proves that her love is the most important thing. By comparing it to oceans and mountains, it is obvious that her feelings towards her partner are incredibly high. The imagery of flowers and rabbits tend to be cliché in love poems, and is seen as innocence, which is what the lover would want.

            However, the clocks constantly interrupt the idea that he and his lover will have a perfect relationship. For instance, the clock says, “And coughs when you would kiss,” to show that there will never be a moment that time will not pass them by and make it more difficult to hold onto the relationship. The clock’s imagery includes glaciers, deserts, and lands reserved for the dead. This is obviously completely opposite to the tone of the lovers’. Glaciers and deserts are extremities that most people would not enjoy, and he commands the reader to look in the mirror and notice his own distress.

            By having two speakers in the poem, it is clear to make the distinction between the tones of the lover and the clocks. While the lover has hope for the future, the clock denies the fact completely.

"Clocks and Lovers" Essay

            In W.H. Auden’s poem, “Clocks and Lovers,” it is evident by the title that the major argument of the speaker will be whether or not his love can endure time. This is expressed to a great degree in the fact that the speaker has little dialogue, because it is conquered by his lover speaking and the clocks around him. The speaker’s lover seems to be intent on the fact that their love will last forever. She states that she will love him “until China and Africa meet…until the ocean is folded up and hung to dry.” This theme of never-ending love is common throughout romantic literature, and the diction proves that her love is the most important thing. By comparing it to oceans and mountains, it is obvious that her feelings towards her partner are incredibly high. The imagery of flowers and rabbits tend to be cliché in love poems, and is seen as innocence, which is what the lover would want.

            However, the clocks constantly interrupt the idea that he and his lover will have a perfect relationship. For instance, the clock says, “And coughs when you would kiss,” to show that there will never be a moment that time will not pass them by and make it more difficult to hold onto the relationship. The clock’s imagery includes glaciers, deserts, and lands reserved for the dead. This is obviously completely opposite to the tone of the lovers’. Glaciers and deserts are extremities that most people would not enjoy, and he commands the reader to look in the mirror and notice his own distress.

            By having two speakers in the poem, it is clear to make the distinction between the tones of the lover and the clocks. While the lover has hope for the future, the clock denies the fact completely.

"Storm Warnings" Essay

            In the poem, “Storm Warnings” by Adrienne Rich, the author successfully alludes to a literal storm that will soon captivate her house while subconsciously referring to a storm of problems in her life. The structure of the poem allows the reader to notice that the situation quickly elevates; in the first stanza, the speaker is simply aware that a storm is near. However, in the second and third stanzas, the speaker is confused and mystified as to what the storm will hold, and the fourth stanza is simply a wait for the storm.

            While speaking in the literal sense of the storm that is approaching, Rich says, “What winds are walking overhead, what zone of gray unrest is moving across the land,” and “I draw the curtains as the sky goes black, and set a match to candles sheathed in glass.” These phrases indicate that the narrator is physically doing everything that she speaks of, and this diction is chosen so the reader can obtain a sense of insecurity. However, perhaps more noticeable than the literal meaning of the poem is the psychological aspect of how the reader is unsure as to what will happen in her life. She speaks of change that time cannot even change, and it the storm of grey clouds overhead are the problems in her life.

            The speaker may feel guilty over something she has done, and now notices that her problems are catching up with her as fast and severe as a storm approaches. The effect of using a storm as a metaphor is powerful in the sense that it directly relates with the struggles of life.

Question Essay

Anthony Scalia

Question Essay

Is it inevitable that the protagonists of existential literature are placed carefully in order to show the reader that life is not as extreme as one might think? Are these authors trying to persuade others into believing that life is filled with anxiety, so it does not matter what happens? Is the character Mersault, in “The Stranger,” always a man who does not bother caring about anything, or is it his mother’s death that brings him to this point? Is Gregor in “The Metamorphosis” always a lesser being, or does he quickly realize that his existence does not matter? Does it matter if something brings the characters to this point, or is it simply their nature?

Why does Gregor laugh when he becomes a bug, and not begin to weep? Is it because this is the final way of having it said to him that he does not matter? And why does Mersault’s drinking and smoking in front of his mother’s casket affect the priest so much? It is not his mother, and can he not see that the woman is dead anyway? Why do we continue to believe such childish ways of bringing up people in society? If this is truly existentialistic literature, it should be noticed that no one cares about what happens in everyday life with such trivial matters; should it?  If these people are supposedly “flies on the walls” and observe the attitudes of people, whether it be from a window, or from watching peoples’ reactions, does this not show that they are of possible higher thinking capabilities. For if they were not, the thought of being an observer would not cross their mind, would it? What would the world be without such observers?

Wuthering Heights Powerpoint

Wuthering Heights
By Emily Bronte

Plot 

•Opens with rich man (Mr. Lockwood) renting a room at Wuthering Heights. Similar to “Frankenstein.”

•Meets Heathcliff, discovers a book with the name “Catherine” and the maid tells the story of Healthcliff’s life

•Heathcliff was orphaned and adopted into Mr. Earnshaw’s family, with Catherine and Hindley as siblings.

•Grows close to Catherine, and she is caught by a dog while spying on the Linton family.

•She returns a different, proper woman (similar to the “water = rebirth” idea)

•Heathcliff wants revenge on Hindley

•Hindley’s wife and unborn child die and he becomes a drunk

•Catherine decides she loves one of the Linton children, Edgar, but soon changes her mind after they are married.

•She cannot marry Heathcliff because of his low status.

•Heathcliff elopes with Edgar’s sister, Isabella, and the estate is left in his name.

•After giving birth to a daughter, Catherine dies.

•The narrator then comes into the novel at this time, at full circle.

Heathcliff dies, and is buried next to Catherine after visioning her in life and death.
Connections
Putting in one hundred percent effort to obtain the love of the main female character: Bartleby.
•Catherine: Vertigo
•Beginning of the novel: Frankenstein

Arguments of the Characters

•Is only described by characters, but never describes himself. Has no identity; adopted.

•Comes full circle: orphan, well raised, even more proper, suiting himself.

•Does the character know what he wants or does he please everyone else’s wants?

Name meaning

•Heath = untended land (Wuthering Heights)

•Cliff = sloped area

•Catherine = pure (Heathcliff sees her as saint-like and angelic)

•Edgar = protector of the good (protector of Catherine; not necessarily good)

Mystery of the Caves

In the poem, “The Mystery of the Caves,” a speaker simultaneously tells the story of his home life while recalling a book he has read. It is obvious that the story the speaker has been reading has a connection to his personal life, and this is seen by using certain images and symbols throughout the poem.                       

The story he reads is about a boy who is lost in caverns and surrounded by water, so the narrator wonders if he will succeed in making it to the light, or sink deeper into the caverns. At the same time, he recalls shouting between his parents and the disarray of their room after they fight. Light is used to describe the escape, the light at the end of the tunnel, and the narrator successfully leaving his home. By sinking deeper into the darkness, the narrator will fall farther into the fights that their parents have, and he will become a part of them. He recalls his father grabbing and beating his mother, and he relates with the boy in the story because he cannot breathe.

His mother begins crying, and again the symbol of water reflects life. By crying, the mother does not feel anger anymore towards the father, but only sadness. The speaker feels as if this will depress his mother greatly and cause her to have a different personality. The narrator feels that the boy in the book is still searching underneath the ground for a small piece of light because once he obtains light; it is a sign of hope. As he calls out and screams, the speaker can hear him, feeling as if he is calling to him. This proves how each character relates to one another, because even though they are in completely different situations, their feelings are the same. Both people are lost in a world of fear, one caused by them, one caused by others. Either way, the domestic situation of the speaker reflects the predicament of the lost boy precisely.

Journal

On the subject of existentialism, I believe that there is no purpose to have a God because of free will. If a person truly believes that they can do whatever they want, than following God’s rules is contradictory to that belief. If you cannot curse, kill, or steal, than you do not have free will; instead you chose to follow a set of specific rules. However, I do not believe that humans are constantly in anxiety and fear everyday of their lives. It is somewhat up to them whether or not they feel this way. For instance, if you know what you have to do throughout the day, you know what you look forward to. There should not be anxiety or fear every second of everyday to the point where people are afraid to step out of their houses. People should not be preoccupied with these concerns; otherwise they will not be able to live their own lives freely. It is true that individuals must take responsibility for their own actions, and this can be from not doing homework to committing suicide. Who’s to say that someone cannot take their own lives? Nobody really knows what that person is going through besides themselves, and if they are filled with anxiety and fear constantly, maybe it is better to end their sadness instead of living for years in it. While I do agree that individuals have complete control of their decisions (without any help from a supreme being), I believe they should take that to their advantage and become successful with their own choices instead of being in fear because of it.

An Echo Sonnet

In Robert Pack’s poem, “An Echo Sonnet,” certain literary devices are used which contriute meaning to the poem; certainly the most prominent being that of an echoed voice. Throughout the play, the echos’ answers to the speaker’s questions serve as a religious meaning speaking to those who ask questions.

            The speaker begins to ask questions such as “must I master joy or grief?” and various other questions that clearly lead the reader to believe that the narrator is confused as to what his purpose in life is. However, Pack adds the literary technique of an echoed voice that leads the way. By using this device, it seems as though the narrator is representative of most people who are not sure of their reason for life, and the voice is coming from a God-like figure. The poem then becomes a piece of art which many people can relate to due to the fact that praying or speaking to another “higher” being can comfort them. However, in the last line of the poem, the narrator has faith that the God-like voice knows where happiness is, and this is when the poem turns around. The echo voice admits that he does not know where happiness is, meaning that the speaker must find the feeling on his own.

            Another device used is the “ABAB” rhyme scheme, showing repitition in the speaker’s voice, as if the questions are simply monotonous. Also by making almost every line a question, the reader may begin to wonder if the narrator can even hear the echo voice, because if he did, maybe he would state that in the poem. Pack uses these devices to create a wall barrier between the two speakers; enough that it is clear that two people are speaking, but translucent enough that they cannot see each other.

Shakespeare Sonnet 130

            In Shakespeare’s sonnet 130, “My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun,” the writer uses numerous metaphors to describe the physical features of his wife. These include coral, roses, snow, the sun, wires and perfumes. Instead of a cliché comparison, he tells the reader that his woman does not have eyes that could compare to the sun, or lips that are as red as coral. These metaphors serve as a catalyst to prove that his woman is not beautiful at all, and the speaker is not concerned with this at all.

 He even exclaims that he would rather hear music than her voice, which questions where exactly Shakespeare is trying to take the reader. I believe the speaker is using these most of these manmade objects to suggest that not only is she less beautiful than the snow or sun, but coral or wires. It seems as though Shakespeare is purposely comparing his lover to objects that are not beautiful anyway. Each metaphor is carefully placed to allow the reader to be confused as to what the author will say at the end. In this poem, they are placed in a climax and prove that even though someone may not be beautiful on the outside, the love they give is still sacred. In literature, metaphors are usually placed to describe something specific, but because these are very odd objects that the author alludes to, it adds confusion to what his fervent stance on the issue is.

Revised Essay

Anthony Scalia

            In literature, it is common that characters’ responsibilities are often shadowed by their passions and interests. One such case is the novel, “Wuthering Heights,” in which the main character, Heathcliff, searches for his true love while understanding his life. The character revisits his past for almost half the novel and reflects on his childhood love, Catherine. However, after her death the character has a hard time understanding what his responsibilities are because his passions blind him.

Similarly, Shakespeare’s main character in the play “Hamlet,” demonstrates his passions overstepping his responsibilities by making it his goal to seek revenge against his uncle, who killed Hamlet’s father. However, while Heathcliff is subdued by his love interest, Catherine, Hamlet’s girlfriend, Ophelia, has no say in any of Hamlet’s emotions. Heathcliff tries to identify his past and discover who he really is since he was orphaned, but he cannot control his emotions for the woman he loves.

The responsibility he holds understands his self-fulfillment, but is seems that he is soon overcome by other things in his life. When people uphold such responsibilities, it is bound that they will seek some form of outside entertainment in order to get their mind away from bigger problems. Heathcliff does this, but in a torturous way to Isabella. He watches her suffer and abuses her for no other purpose than to be provided with entertainment. For some reason, many literary characters, as well as those from real life hide their mistakes and responsibilities with pleasures. It is also seen in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” when the main character Victor decides to marry his fiancé instead of being concerned about the monster. However the monster kills the bride in the end, and Victor is left a widower.

Therefore, what does this say about the responsibility/passion conflict? Do these examples insinuate that by pushing priorities aside, one cannot accomplish what is most important? Along with these ideas, I believe that these authors are trying to prove that whether or not literary characters put aside priorities, consequences will always catch up with them, as proved in the endings of all of the previous works mentioned.

           

Hamlet Essay

            Throughout history, it seems that noble beings are placed on a higher pedestal, and whatever they wonder about cannot parallel thoughts of a common man, adapting an existential view of how people view themselves in the world. If there is any play that best describes this, it would be William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The character, Hamlet, is constantly in denial of life and after his father was killed by his uncle, the prince cannot decide whether to suffer in life or end life on a sinful note, suicide. The common people of the village have great love for the prince, and while he is philosophizing about life, it is interesting to see that common people are familiar with many answers that the noble man has. 

            During Act 1, Scene 5 of the play, two gravediggers begin to bury Hamlet’s love interest, Ophelia, who has recently committed suicide. They discuss how common people who commit suicide would never be able to receive a proper Christian burial because of the suicidal sin. In defense, one of the gravediggers says, “Will you ha' the truth on't? If this had not been a gentlewoman, she should have been buried out o' Christian burial.” As this conversation progresses, readers can see that the gravediggers are not of low-intelligence, as they discuss and joke about the situation. However, they are seen as a lower class by the rich, and are even called “clowns” in the play, which in modern meaning is a jester -like fool. Shakespeare’s purpose of this scene is to show that the common man is aware of philosophies subconsciously, and they are just as intelligent as those who bear crowns and jewels. Both men exhibit the existential idea of how people view themselves in the world. They know that higher officials see them as fools, and are aware that their place in the world is that of a peasant. It is ironic however, that without these peasants, many acts such as burials would have to be accomplished by nobles, who look down at those occupations.

            Hamlet provides existential behavior, but it is presented in a distorted way. Most readers can agree that the character is not sure of what he wants from life, but in a way, he understand how he is viewed in the world. To the common people, he is of noble stature, so he will always be looked up to. However, his purpose and meaning of life is much distorted. Will he one day become a great king, or is his purpose merely to seek revenge on his uncle? As the character sits in the cemetery, he begins to look through skulls, and imagine who they belong to. He says. “Or of a courtier, which could say 'Good morrow, sweet lord!” as he imagines who it can be. This clearly shows that Hamlet is not similar to wealthy nobles during this time, and in this scene he understands that in the end, everyone is the same. He cannot tell the difference between the skull of a peasant and a king. I believe this further justifies the reason to kill his uncle, because he can now see that there may no heaven or hell, and death always ends in the same way. Many questions he asks about life could probably have been answered by the gravediggers, who are fully aware of their existence in the world.

            Larger than madness and revenge, this scene demonstrates the miscommunication between people for no reason. It is easy for one person to talk to another, but because of their society, and how others would view the situation, they do not. Perhaps if Hamlet would tell the gravediggers all of his worries and plans, they could provide him with advice. But instead, they all watch what they say and nothing is accomplished. It irks me that Hamlet has the answers right in front of his face, but nobody makes the move to obtain them. Existentialism is seen as a common element of the scene, but not in a productive way. It is because of people’s awareness of their place in the world that they are afraid to step out of the boundaries of it. Commoners and nobles have little differences, but because of these beliefs, they will never realize that.

Beowulf Revision

Anthony Scalia

            Throughout the history of literature, evil creatures are often described as mystical and inhumane, but are they simply metaphors for the evil made by real people? While the official author of the poem is unknown, it written by an Anglo-Saxon poet, who most likely lived the experiences of having incompetent kings rule over much poorer areas. In the classic poem, Beowulf, the titular character is a hero who travels to slay a monster, Grendel, who has killed thirty people. While it is never specified in the poem, the monster is often referred to a “beastly” and “inhumane,” which leads the reader to believe that he is not a human, a descendent of magical beings. While battling, Beowulf does not kill the monster, but instead takes off his shoulder and arm so the monster can suffer.

            It is quite possible that Grendel is strictly a metaphor for these kings who lived in wealth while watching others in poverty. In history, Beowulf was recited for kings for entertainment purposes, which is ironic because if the metaphor connection is true, kings would hope for the hero’s victory while not noticing that they were the monsters. In the poem, the monster slays thirty people after he is disturbed by their noise, representative of decisions that kings would make if they were disturbed by the common people. When Beowulf only takes part of the monster’s arm, it is symbolic demonstrating that you cannot destroy true evil completely. The character takes his arm as a sign of victory and hangs it up. It represents the power one has when they obtain a small victory. Yet, evil is still alive, no matter what form it is in. Even if you destroy one evil person, (Grendel) another one (his mother) comes along, and so forth.

Beowulf Essay

Anthony Scalia

            Throughout the history of literature, evil creatures are often described as mystical and inhumane, but are they simply metaphors for the evil made by real people? In the classic Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, the main character with the poem’s title name, is a hero who travels to slay a monster, Grendel, who killed thirty people. While it is never specified in the poem, the monster is often referred to a “beastly” and “inhumane” which leads the reader to believe that he is not a human, and a descendent of magical beings. While battling, Beowulf does not kill the monster, but instead takes off his shoulder and arm so the monster can suffer. While the official author of the poem is unknown, it written by an Anglo-Saxon poet, who most likely lived the experiences of having incompetent kings rule over much poorer areas.

            It is quite possible that Grendel is strictly a metaphor for these kings who lived in wealth while watching others in poverty. In history, Beowulf was recited for kings for entertainment purposes which is ironic because if the metaphor connection is true, kings would hope for the hero’s victory while not noticing that they were the monsters. In the poem, the monster slays thirty people after he is disturbed by their noise which could be representative of decisions that kings would make if they were disturbed by the common people. When Beowulf only takes part of the monster’s arm it is symbolic that you cannot destroy true evil completely. The character takes his arm as a sign of victory and hangs it up, which represents the power one has when they obtain a small victory. Yet, evil is still alive, no matter what form it is in. Even if you destroy one evil person, (Grendel) another one (his mother) comes along, and so forth.

            Evil cannot be destroyed, it will always exist. It can only be explained as the other half of one’s feeling because all human obtain the power to be evil; it is the person’s choice to use it.

Imperial Adam

In A.D. Hope’s poem, Imperial Adam, the poet suggests that man created woman with a portion of a rib. The poem concludes that God is a doctor, and surgically removes his rib to create the female race. The tone of this poem is affectionate, because the recently created man begins to feel for the female he has just laid eyes on. In the line, “Turning once more he found Man's counterpart in tender parody breathing at his side. He knew her at first sight, he knew by heart, her allegory of sense unsatisfied.” The male immediately feels connected to the woman, and he soon notices her breasts, which leads to sexual intercourse. By the end of the poem, a child is born, but the role of a female in this poem is easily understood. The poem hints that females are less than men because it is through a small portion of them that another gender is created. The man puts his arm around the woman and protects her, which gives a sense of women being helpless without men. It seems as though their purpose is to please men and create children, which is not seen as beautiful. They call the child a murderer, and it comes from the woman’s womb which indicates that a part of evil which is brought onto the world is part of the female.

Invisible Man Response

                        In Ralph Ellison’s 1947 novel, The Invisible Man, the nameless narrator experiences life as a struggling African American living in the South. After obtaining a scholarship to a black college, he is expelled, goes to Harlem, and become part of a political group called The Brotherhood. However, by the end of the novel, he feels no need to be with him because they are traitors, so he stays in a sewer. In the novel’s epilogue, we learn that the narrator contemplates about his life while in the sewer and has dreams with various people who have hurt him in his life. Therefore, he reaches conclusions such as not assigning himself a rank in society, and he believes that even before he has finished something, he has failed it.

            Due to the narrator’s experiences in the novel, one can understands why such conclusions have been drawn to. For social reasons, it is because the narrator has always been uncared for; boxing blindly, bringing a white man to a forbidden black community, failing at his paint job, and discovering that the Brotherhood is working against themselves. The narrator begins to feel that everything he touches turns into ash, yet he believed that his rank was going up. He believed that by being part of the Brotherhood, he was of a higher position than when he was boxing in the South. However he was still viewed the same way and became a tool for the political party. Since he failed at all of his professions mentioned above, the narrator now believes that he fails at everything, even if he has not done it yet.

            These feelings are completely justified by what the narrator has seen throughout his life. In the South, he is humiliated, blindfolded, and forced to blindly box around nine other black men. While in the Brotherhood, he is only used as a speaker to bring people into the party, and he notices that the entire idea is just a show for those willing to watch. His rank in society will be decided by someone else, regardless of what the narrator doe, thus leading to his invisibility.