Edward by Anonymous
1. What has Edward done and why? Where do the two climaxes of the poem occur?
Edward has killed his own father. He is questioned about why his sword is so bloody by his mother. Edward lies two time saying that he killed his hawk, but his mother says that his hawk's blood "...was never so red" (Anonymous). Then he tries to say that it was his old steed. Again, his mother says that that can't be it because his steed was very old and he had more. I think the mother knows the answer all along. She seems to be asking questions that she already knows the answers to because she keeps being able to easily negate every excuse. The two climaxes of the story are when I find out that Edward killed his father and that his mother told him to. They are talking about what Edward is going to do because he killed his father and he says he will leave and leave his work and his family to beg of themselves. Then, his mother asks what he will leave for her and he says, "The curse of hell from me shall ye bear, Such counsels you gave to me, O" (Anonymous). She gave him the advice to kill her husband, so now she will be cursed with a curse of hell.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Family Unit Blog 4
The Joy of Cooking by Elaine Magarrell
IRONY: a discrepancy between appearances and reality
The irony is in the name of the poem. Upon reading the title of the poem, The Joy of Cooking, I was under the impression that this story would be about actual joys of cooking. Then, you informed us that it was about siblings; ergo, I believed it to be about a bunch of brothers and sisters playfully baking in a kitchen somewhere. I was wrong, of course. The poem is a little confusing. I cannot discern whether or not there actually is cooking of tongues and hearts going on or whether it is all just a long drawn out analogy of sorts. I have a stronger attraction to the thought that it is all an analogy, being that this is a poem and can't be that straight-forward. The first stanza is about the sister, who's tongue is being cut out and cooked. I believe this may have something to do with a sister who says a lot of things that she shouldn't say. I think the sister will not learn her lesson though, when the poem says, "...it probably will grow back" (Magarrell). The second stanza, however, is about the brother. I get the feeling that he has a bad heart that is cold and unloving. He is in need of a little more somethin' somethin' to make his heart a full functioning and loving heart. A few more spices, to stick with the theme of cooking. "My brothers heart barely feeds two" (Magarrell) implies that he can hardly sustain a relationship maybe.
IRONY: a discrepancy between appearances and reality
The irony is in the name of the poem. Upon reading the title of the poem, The Joy of Cooking, I was under the impression that this story would be about actual joys of cooking. Then, you informed us that it was about siblings; ergo, I believed it to be about a bunch of brothers and sisters playfully baking in a kitchen somewhere. I was wrong, of course. The poem is a little confusing. I cannot discern whether or not there actually is cooking of tongues and hearts going on or whether it is all just a long drawn out analogy of sorts. I have a stronger attraction to the thought that it is all an analogy, being that this is a poem and can't be that straight-forward. The first stanza is about the sister, who's tongue is being cut out and cooked. I believe this may have something to do with a sister who says a lot of things that she shouldn't say. I think the sister will not learn her lesson though, when the poem says, "...it probably will grow back" (Magarrell). The second stanza, however, is about the brother. I get the feeling that he has a bad heart that is cold and unloving. He is in need of a little more somethin' somethin' to make his heart a full functioning and loving heart. A few more spices, to stick with the theme of cooking. "My brothers heart barely feeds two" (Magarrell) implies that he can hardly sustain a relationship maybe.
Family Unit Blog 3
"The Drunkard" by Frank O'Connor
5. The boy's drunkenness is seen from different perspectives. What are they, and how do they differ?
The boy's drunkenness is seen from four different point of view: from his own point of view, his father's, the women on the street, and his mother's. The way he sees his drunkenness is the way he feels. He says, "...the wonderful thing about porter was the way it made you stand aside, or rather float aloft like a cherub rolling on a cloud, and watch yourself with your legs crossed, leaning against a bar counter, not worrying about trifles but thinking deep, serious, grown-up thoughts about life and death" (O'Connor 347). This passage also invokes a little bit of humor. I imagine a little boy sitting at the bar trying to look and act as adult as he can. He feels grown up when he drinks, which is also kind of sad. Another point of view is from the father. His point of view is sort of "Oh my god, what have I done?" I think he is thinking to himself that he is the reason his son is this way and he feels terrible about it. The women on the street just kind of laugh and think it is so funny watching a little boy with two completely sober grown men carrying him down the street because he can't even walk. This also evokes a little sense of humor. The last perspective is of the mother. She too is saying, "Oh my god" but it is in a good way. She is thankful that this is going to turn her husband's behavior around and make him not such an alcoholic. It is ironic that it took his little son to become extremely sick and drunk in order to teach his father that he shouldn't drink so much and so often.
5. The boy's drunkenness is seen from different perspectives. What are they, and how do they differ?
The boy's drunkenness is seen from four different point of view: from his own point of view, his father's, the women on the street, and his mother's. The way he sees his drunkenness is the way he feels. He says, "...the wonderful thing about porter was the way it made you stand aside, or rather float aloft like a cherub rolling on a cloud, and watch yourself with your legs crossed, leaning against a bar counter, not worrying about trifles but thinking deep, serious, grown-up thoughts about life and death" (O'Connor 347). This passage also invokes a little bit of humor. I imagine a little boy sitting at the bar trying to look and act as adult as he can. He feels grown up when he drinks, which is also kind of sad. Another point of view is from the father. His point of view is sort of "Oh my god, what have I done?" I think he is thinking to himself that he is the reason his son is this way and he feels terrible about it. The women on the street just kind of laugh and think it is so funny watching a little boy with two completely sober grown men carrying him down the street because he can't even walk. This also evokes a little sense of humor. The last perspective is of the mother. She too is saying, "Oh my god" but it is in a good way. She is thankful that this is going to turn her husband's behavior around and make him not such an alcoholic. It is ironic that it took his little son to become extremely sick and drunk in order to teach his father that he shouldn't drink so much and so often.
Family Unit Blog 2
Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer
SITUATIONAL IRONY: takes place when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen
This story is an anti-fairytale. The situational irony is that I am pretty sure everyone in the class thought it was going to be the cat that got killed because when the story says, "I hope the cat will take heed...The husband said, Don't worry, my dear, cats always look before they leap" (Gordimer 236). It totally should have been the cat! I love cats and even wish it was him. That little boy read one of the creepy grandma's books (she also had nothing to do with the death unlike I thought she would) and wanted to be like a prince and scale the walls of the castle and kiss Sleeping Beauty back to life. The grandma was foreshadowing the downfall I think. This family's hubris or, tragic flaw, was that they were way too paranoid. In trying to save their family and son, they actually pave the way of the death of their little son.
SITUATIONAL IRONY: takes place when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen
This story is an anti-fairytale. The situational irony is that I am pretty sure everyone in the class thought it was going to be the cat that got killed because when the story says, "I hope the cat will take heed...The husband said, Don't worry, my dear, cats always look before they leap" (Gordimer 236). It totally should have been the cat! I love cats and even wish it was him. That little boy read one of the creepy grandma's books (she also had nothing to do with the death unlike I thought she would) and wanted to be like a prince and scale the walls of the castle and kiss Sleeping Beauty back to life. The grandma was foreshadowing the downfall I think. This family's hubris or, tragic flaw, was that they were way too paranoid. In trying to save their family and son, they actually pave the way of the death of their little son.
Family Unit Blog 1
A Worn Path by Eudora Welty
6. In answer to a student who wrote to ask her "Is the grandson really dead?" Welty responded, "My best answer would be: Phoenix is alive." What might have led the student to ask that question? How can the author's remark be seen as an answer?
The main question of this short story, to me, is whether or not the grandson is really dead. I believe he is actually dead. A student might have been led to ask this question because of the characterization of Phoenix Jackson. She seems to be a little off. She's never really always there in the head. I think her mental state is out of whack because she lives all alone in the middle of no where and has to walk all day to get to where any kind of civilization is. Her mental state is called in to question many times during the story. One of which is when she is a little ways into her journey and she sits down to rest. She hallucinates and when a "little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him. 'That would be acceptable,' she said. But when she went to take it there was just her own hand in the air" (Welty 224). She is imagining her grandson being with her. This was the first time I wondered about him being dead. Then there was the time in the doctor's office when she forgot why she was there and told the nurse that her grandson had been sick for 2 or 3 years and hasn't gotten any better. It seems to me that he almost has to be dead if he hasn't gotten any better.
The other part of the question is that the author answers without actually answering. She says that Phoenix is alive. I think that this is one of the only thing that keeps Phoenix going. She has something to look forward to. It doesn't matter whether the grandson is alive or not. The love that Phoenix has for her grandson is so great and will never end regardless of whether or not he died.
6. In answer to a student who wrote to ask her "Is the grandson really dead?" Welty responded, "My best answer would be: Phoenix is alive." What might have led the student to ask that question? How can the author's remark be seen as an answer?
The main question of this short story, to me, is whether or not the grandson is really dead. I believe he is actually dead. A student might have been led to ask this question because of the characterization of Phoenix Jackson. She seems to be a little off. She's never really always there in the head. I think her mental state is out of whack because she lives all alone in the middle of no where and has to walk all day to get to where any kind of civilization is. Her mental state is called in to question many times during the story. One of which is when she is a little ways into her journey and she sits down to rest. She hallucinates and when a "little boy brought her a plate with a slice of marble-cake on it she spoke to him. 'That would be acceptable,' she said. But when she went to take it there was just her own hand in the air" (Welty 224). She is imagining her grandson being with her. This was the first time I wondered about him being dead. Then there was the time in the doctor's office when she forgot why she was there and told the nurse that her grandson had been sick for 2 or 3 years and hasn't gotten any better. It seems to me that he almost has to be dead if he hasn't gotten any better.
The other part of the question is that the author answers without actually answering. She says that Phoenix is alive. I think that this is one of the only thing that keeps Phoenix going. She has something to look forward to. It doesn't matter whether the grandson is alive or not. The love that Phoenix has for her grandson is so great and will never end regardless of whether or not he died.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Raisin Blog Post 5
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
12. Often, in life, a situation may reach a "point of no return"--the point after which the life of a person can never be the same. Describe such a turning point for a character in Raisin.
I think the biggest event that happened in A Raisin in the Sun is when we find out that Willy ran off with all of Bobo's and Walter's money. This is definitely a point of no return. Bobo tells Walter, "...I waited in that train station six hours...(Breaking into tears) That was all the extra money I had in the world... (Looking up at Walter with the tears running down his face) Man, Willy is gone" (Hansberry 127). I did not see that coming at all. I knew something was wrong, though, when Bobo seemed so weird about coming to talk to Walter. This is a point of no return because now the family has absolutely no money at all. They just put a down payment on the house and Mama gave the rest to Walter to put some in the bank for Beneatha and to save the rest. We find out he did not do this, though. Turns out he didn't put any of the money in the bank. And now they have nothing. It was foolish of him to try and invest it all in a sketchy guy and not save any of it. Everyone is super angry at Walter and Mama starts hitting him in the face over and over again. I think this was really a breaking point as well as a point of no return for the family. All the stress had built up and this just tipped it over the edge to the point where everyone breaks down down and doesn't know where to go from there.
Raisin Blog Post 4
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
EXTERNAL CONFLICT: conflicts existing between two people, between a person and nature or machine, or between a person and a whole society.
I believe one of the external conflicts in this play is racism. It is shown a lot through out whether it be through what someone said or they way one of the characters acted. The main time it comes out, though, is when Mama is looking to buy a house for the family. She puts a down payment on one that is in the center of Clybourne Park, which is an area where mainly white people live. They are confronted with the decision of whether to stay or be persecuted for the color of their skin in their own neighborhood. Mr. Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, pays the family a little visit. Mr. Lindner says, "It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities" (Hansberry 118). He is basically saying that, because the family is black, they should stay in their own communities because the people of Clybourne Park do not want them there. Later we find out that the Youngers do in fact move despite the racial prejudices against them.
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