Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night

"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night"
Dylan Thomas

Honestly, I did not really understand either of the last two poems in this unit, so I chose to answer a couple of the questions from Thomas' poem which was the less confusing piece.  The poem is divided into six stanzas, the last four of which describe four different types of men.  The speaker views the wise men as knowing "dark is right" (Thomas, page 968).  I think it means that wise men really expect death and know that no one is eternal.  He claims that the good men "rage against the dying of the light," which I believe indicates that they would rather live on in life and perform other works than die and stop living how they had been.  The wild men are the ones who partied and sang their way through life, not stopping to thing on death.  The grave men also rage against the night because they thought too much of dying that they never stopped to live.
      Another question asked about paradoxical expressions which were included in several lines, such as "dark is right" and "the sad height."  These contribute to the idea that different people see death in different lights.  Some men expect death, some rage against death, some never thought about it until it was too late, and some rage against death because they waited for death their whole lives.  The poem was very interesting because it ended with a stanza begging his father "not [to] go gentle into that good night."

That time of year

"That time of year"
William Shakespeare

This was probably my favorite poem in this unit because it was so old and beautifully written.  This poem is a sonnet because it has fourteen lines and has a specific rhyme scheme.  Each line also has ten syllable and every other syllable is stressed.  The first quatrain presents the image of a tree which has lost its leaves and "shake(s) against the cold" (Shakespeare, page 966).  The second image in the poem is the twilight which has faded into the west, but the third quatrain discusses a deathbed and abandoned love.   This poem was sort of confusing because the three quatrains are squished together and are not separated into stanzas.  However, I know that it would no longer be a sonnet if its structure was different.  One of the questions asks who is the audience, and in line five, Shakespeare says "in me thou see'st the twilight of such day," and I think that he's addressing someone who has died.  In the last few lines, he talks about love, and I think that he thinks that the person who died has lost his love.  I just reread it and maybe he is the one who as lost love and has died.

Crossing the Bar

"Crossing the Bar"
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

I first noticed the rhyme scheme in this play.  The first and third and the second and fourth lines rhyme.  The poem is also divided into four stanzas, each with four lines.  The even-numbered lines are also indented and shorter than the other lines.  Another important feature of the poem was the capitalization of pilot in line 15.  It brings a religious focus to the poem as though God is his Pilot and possibly maker--"I hope to see my Pilot face to face" (Alfred, page 886).  Pilot also implies that someone had helped him through life, and he wanted to see him when he "crossed the bar."  I think Alfred also wants to proclaim that he does not wish people to be upset when he passes.  He wants a calm, peaceful transition from his current state to the meeting with his Pilot.  Alfred also utilizes exclamation points twice in this poem, which implies his confidence in his calling.  The second time, he uses it to exclaim how he expects the after life to be.

A Rose for Emily

"A Rose for Emily"
William Faulkner

This story may just have been even weirder than "The Lottery"...
      A good question in the book was number five because it asked about the narrator in the story.  The point of view by which the story is told is the whole community recalling stories and details about Miss Emily.  I thought this was very interesting because most stories are not told by more than one person.  The advantage of having the first-person plural is that many people contribute to the story, and more details can be shared.  If one person had told the story, then we would only be privy to one person's memories of her.  The one problem with this point of view is that we really don't get too many facts and cannot completely trust the rumors heard by the townspeople.  It is the most interesting point, however, because of the different insights offered.  Another major aspect of this type of narration is the chronology issue.  The story does not go in order of Miss Emily's life, which is really confusing.  I'm still a little confused as to when Emily actually poisoned Homer Barron because the time/date is not discussed when they discovered his body.  That part was super creepy but also very interesting.  I especially enjoyed the last paragraph which told us that she had lain in bed with him.  "Then we noticed that in the second pillow was the indentation of a head...We saw a long strand of iron-gray hair" (Jackson, page 289).

The Lottery

"The Lottery"
Shirley Jackson

WHOA!  This story was crazy and just so weird and disturbing!  However, it was very interesting and brought many different questions to my mind when I read it.  For the first few paragraphs, I thought this was a light-hearted story, but then I remembered that this unit had the theme of death so I lowered my standards. I first became suspicious of the nature of the lottery when the townspeople seemed distant and nervous, and it appeared that they did not want to win the lottery, which was weird.  Normally, everyone wants to win the lottery, but these people were relieved when they realized their slips of paper were clear.  The entire community was energized, though not with happiness or excitement, but their anticipation was evident in their behaviors and descriptions.  When I read this piece before class, I missed the reason for the lottery--"Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon" (Jackson, page 268).  That makes some sense, but I still couldn't believe they still practiced that particular tradition because the story seems like it's set in a modern era.  In several scenes, people claim that they don't really know why the lottery takes place, but that it's a good idea.  Like what?
      Also, a good literary technique in the story is the physical break which heightened anticipation for the name to be discovered.

The Glass Menagerie 5

"The Glass Menagerie"
Tennessee Williams

So, I really enjoyed the piece, but I will admit that the first three or four scenes were pretty boring.  Amanda's constantly nagging Tom about everything was annoying, and the jumpiness was a little difficult to follow at times.  The play was very interesting because I had never read something that was directed with memories or that interacted with the audience in the same manner.  The memories made the play non-realistic but also realistic in that it resembles real memories and the way we recall them. The non-realistic elements were probably my favorite parts of the play because they offered more insights and details to the plot.  I could further understand and visualize what was happening because of the stage directions and Tom's addressing the audience.  The 11th question in the book asks where an intermission should be, and I said that a break would make the most sense after scene five because that is the natural break.  It is after the introduction but before the main event occurs--Laura's discussion with Jim.  The last scene was really sad, but also somewhat expected because in the beginning, Tom described Jim as "the long delayed but always expected something that we live for" (Williams, page 1237).  I don't like that he led her on and was engaged to someone else, but I do love the confidence he instilled in her and the way he told her she was beautiful and a normal person, which she had not thought before his visit.

The Glass Menagerie 4

"The Glass Menagerie"
Tennessee Williams

I also want to focus on the title of the play because it is so important to the plot and stands as a symbol for Laura's life and characterization.  The glass menagerie symbolizes the fragility of Laura and the manner in which everyone treats her, like a "cripple."  The glass also symbolizes her hard exterior which could shatter like glass if she were ever hurt or offended.  Specifically, the unicorn symbolizes the difference between society and her.  The breaking of the unicorn's horn off represents Jim's dissolving the negative views Laura has of herself.  The unicorn becomes a regular horse, as Laura begins to see herself as a regular member of society.  Her reaction to this break is not as harsh as when Tom broke one of the pieces because she and Jim had been dancing not walking around drunkenly, as Tom had been.  I think she gave Jim the glass figure as a souvenir because he had changed her, and maybe she still had feelings for him and wanted him to have something to remember her by.  I predict a bright future for Laura because she has gained the confidence necessary for success from Jim, and she can view her situation in a more positive light.  The play concludes with Laura blowing out candles on set, while Tom feels guilty for leaving her and Amanda.  I think that her blowing out the candles symbolizes Tom's letting go of the regrets and guilt.  "Blow out  your candles, Laura--and so goodbye..." (Williams, page 1289).

The Glass Menagerie 3

"The Glass Menagerie"
Tennessee Williams

Question three in the book is also important to the plot because Tom is the narrator and displays his own problems more explicitly than Amanda's or Laura's.  Tom's main dilemma is that he wants to leave the warehouse and have his own adventures, while he also feels familial responsibilities at home.  Amanda wants to make sure that her only son will not walk out on them like his father did because they would be left destitute financially and emotionally.  His sister is also "crippled" and needs someone to provide for and help her.  His constant desire to leave the warehouse life causes him to quarrel with his mother in nearly every memory present in the play.  On page 1237, the arguments begin with Amanda chiding Tom about his eating habits and his responding with "I haven't enjoyed one bite of this dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it" (Williams).  This seemingly insignificant detail of their dining habits actually sets the scene for later, more important arguments because Amanda further insults Tom and desires his seeking betterment.  Tom's attitude towards Laura seems to be that he does not want to her be under his care.  He would rather leave but must stay and provide for her and their mother.  Tom finally leaves after he is fired from the warehouse for writing a poem on a shoebox--the perfect opportunity to get out.  I think that the dilemma was solved when he left, but he still has some regrets for leaving his mother and sister.  The play concludes with a scene of Laura, which provides that Tom feels guilty for abandoning her and his mother.

The Glass Menagerie 2

"The Glass Menagerie"
Tennessee Williams

I think number 5 in the textbook is an important question, so I want to focus a little on that one.  I agree that Laura is the pivotal character because although Tom is the narrator, the story is hers, and he narrates her life, thoughts, and actions.  The title also contributes to her being the main character because she collects glass figures (the menagerie) and is regarded as very fragile and less akin with reality.  The symptoms of the mental condition include her talking to herself and her inability to see herself as an equal member of society.  I think that her mother and her physical deterrent cause her mental condition because Amanda constantly nags her and expects her to accomplish more than she feels she is able.  Her physical defect also contributes to her mental condition because she looks at her leg and feels separate from society, which seems better in her eyes.  The audience feels sympathetic toward Laura because she has the physical disability, often grows sick or faint, is constantly nagged by her mother, and the incident with Jim, "the climax of her secret life" (Williams, page 1273).  Her relationship with her mother is very different than the one with her brother because Amanda wants to stop Tom from leaving, as their father had left.  She basically wants to live vicariously through Laura and re-live those memories she had as a young girl.  However, their relationships are similar in the aspect that Amanda wants them both to be successful and accomplish things with their lives.  She wants Tom to better himself with night classes and wants him to get a better job in order to more fully support his family, while she wants Laura to acquire domestic skills in order to marry well.

The Glass Menagerie 1

"The Glass Menagerie"
Tennessee Williams

The discussion of non-realistic pieces versus realistic aspects of works of literature was very beneficial, and I noticed many parts of "The Glass Menagerie" that were unrealistic.  The first speaking lines were non-realistic because they were Tom's soliloquy.  This is non-realistic because people do not talk to an audience or explain themselves in real life.  On page 1238, stage directions indicate that "Tom motions for music and a spot of light on Amanda" (Williams), which is obviously non-realistic because people cannot conduct music from thin air or create light.  Many times, music plays an important role in the scene, as when Tom speaks directly to the audience about the music heard off-stage and when the plot grows more intense.  During Jim and Laura's conversation, she tells him that he sings very well, which is accompanied by a song heard off-stage.  This further serves Tom's purpose because in memories, thoughts jump around and pan back and forth between the past and present.  Fabricated lightning is also present in scene 6 when Laura is speaking with Amanda and claims she is ill.  It is non-realistic because it comes at precisely the moment she feels feint and wants to get out of dinner.  Another non-realistic feature includes the parts left out in Tom's story because in memories, sometimes we block out certain parts and exaggerate others.  Overall themes in the play which accentuate its non-realistic features include the background music heard many times and Tom's narrating of the entire play.