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.