2/9/14
WALKIG DEAD SPOILER ALERT: Okay, so that Walking Dead episode was insane. I just finished watching the episode, and I am not going to lie, I was yelling at the tv the whole time I was watching it. My mom and I are the only two in my house who watch the show, so my dad and sister sat in the other room annoyed with our yelling. Other than the anxiety that I received as a result of that episode, I noticed a major arc and transformation in the character names Michone.
Michone appeared in the series in the beginning of season three. She started off the show as a hard character who would not let anyone get to know her. Similar to other characters, Michone went through a tragic time where she lost all of her loved ones to the mindless zombies killing everyone in their path. This experience made her hard as stone. When she met all of the other main characters, she became part of the group, but she only slowly opened up to them over time. She protected herself from being hurt again by trying to stay as guarded as possible. Although she tried to stay guarded, she eventually let the people around her get to know her. She became close with the people she was surviving the zombie apocypse with BUT every good thing comes to an end. SO OF COURSE something awful happened in the mid season finale. The prison was attacked and the group was split up. Michone was left by herself not knowif where her friends had gone or if any of them had survived.
At the beginning of this episode, Michone reverted back to her old self. She created her own zombie group and disguised herself among them. She was angry and frustrated and killed all of the zombies surrounding her in a moment of rage. This marks as a turning point for Michone. She realized that she can not go back to her old life. She cannot pretend to be zombie-like and survive alone. She needs to go out and find people and try to live. After her moment of rage, Michone wakes up from a dream that further transforms her. She has a dream that flashes back to her life before the zombie apocalypse. She recalls the life with her boyfriend, friend, and son before the zombies appeared. The dream deteriorates and evolves to when her friend, boyfriend, and son die. It is as if her mind is telling her that she needs to move on and needs to live. From this point on, Michone travels and finds her two friends that she thought she had lost. In one episode alone, she went from angry and a hard character, to realizing that she needed to let go of her past and be open to the world and to living. AGH such an insane episode, but it was so interesting to see a character make a giant transformation.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
1/26/14
Hamlet, Hamlet, Hamlet. I have to admit, I was worried about reading another one of Shakespeare's works. I read Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade, and I read Twelfth Night in 10th grade. I remember thinking that I understood Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade, but after reading barley one act of Hamlet, I have realized that I did not understand it as well as I could have. The same goes for Twelfth Night. There are so many different meanings behind one word in Hamlet, I do not even want to think of how many different uses of a word Shakespeare used in Romeo and Juliet. If ninth grade me read Hamlet like we are reading it in class, my freshman mind would have been blown. I do not think there is another book that captures the "it is all how you interpret it" concept. If you read one word a different way than another reader, then you could have a completely different interpretation and take away something else from that passage. For example, one reader can read the King's speech to Hamlet in Act 1 Scene 2 as message from a concerned fatherly figure or a person in a political situation who wants to keep an eye on the heir to the thrown. Personally, I interpreted the King's speech as the second scenario I listed. It all depends on the reader and how they look at the character.
Reading aloud in class most definitely helps me understand Shakespeare more than I would have been able to understand it myself. Watching the videos in class also helps me further understand the play. I also find it interesting to watch how the director decided to portray the characters. For example, the version we watched in class portrayed Ophelia as already having a sexual relationship with Hamlet. Kate Winslet looks worried and nervous as her father scolds her because she has already opened her "treasure" to Hamlet. I am intrigued to see how Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship pans out in the future. Hamlet seems a little to preoccupied with his dead father to even pay any attention to Ophelia.
Okay, I have to talk about that scene that we watched in class on Friday. We had yet to read the part we watched on Friday, so I had to pay close attention to make sure that I knew what was going on. The word "interesting" does not even to begin to capture the essence of that scene. The effects were strange and everything was extremely dramatized. But hey, I guess I would be yelling and stressed out if I saw my father as a ghost and he told me that he was murdered by my uncle. That is the major element that I took out of that scene. Poor Hamlet had to see his father'a ghost only to find out that the man who is now king is a murderer. Not only is he a murderer, he is a murderer who married his mother. That is a lot to take in after Hamlet has been grieving for only two months. Hopefully positive things will happen to Hamlet. However, since his father'a ghost is most likely a bad omen, it does not look like things are going to get better any time soon. We shall see what poor Hamlet has to endure in the future!
Hamlet, Hamlet, Hamlet. I have to admit, I was worried about reading another one of Shakespeare's works. I read Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade, and I read Twelfth Night in 10th grade. I remember thinking that I understood Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade, but after reading barley one act of Hamlet, I have realized that I did not understand it as well as I could have. The same goes for Twelfth Night. There are so many different meanings behind one word in Hamlet, I do not even want to think of how many different uses of a word Shakespeare used in Romeo and Juliet. If ninth grade me read Hamlet like we are reading it in class, my freshman mind would have been blown. I do not think there is another book that captures the "it is all how you interpret it" concept. If you read one word a different way than another reader, then you could have a completely different interpretation and take away something else from that passage. For example, one reader can read the King's speech to Hamlet in Act 1 Scene 2 as message from a concerned fatherly figure or a person in a political situation who wants to keep an eye on the heir to the thrown. Personally, I interpreted the King's speech as the second scenario I listed. It all depends on the reader and how they look at the character.
Reading aloud in class most definitely helps me understand Shakespeare more than I would have been able to understand it myself. Watching the videos in class also helps me further understand the play. I also find it interesting to watch how the director decided to portray the characters. For example, the version we watched in class portrayed Ophelia as already having a sexual relationship with Hamlet. Kate Winslet looks worried and nervous as her father scolds her because she has already opened her "treasure" to Hamlet. I am intrigued to see how Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship pans out in the future. Hamlet seems a little to preoccupied with his dead father to even pay any attention to Ophelia.
Okay, I have to talk about that scene that we watched in class on Friday. We had yet to read the part we watched on Friday, so I had to pay close attention to make sure that I knew what was going on. The word "interesting" does not even to begin to capture the essence of that scene. The effects were strange and everything was extremely dramatized. But hey, I guess I would be yelling and stressed out if I saw my father as a ghost and he told me that he was murdered by my uncle. That is the major element that I took out of that scene. Poor Hamlet had to see his father'a ghost only to find out that the man who is now king is a murderer. Not only is he a murderer, he is a murderer who married his mother. That is a lot to take in after Hamlet has been grieving for only two months. Hopefully positive things will happen to Hamlet. However, since his father'a ghost is most likely a bad omen, it does not look like things are going to get better any time soon. We shall see what poor Hamlet has to endure in the future!
Sunday, January 19, 2014
1/19/14
"A Sad Child"
By Margaret Atwood
You're sad because you're sad.
It's psychic. It's the age. It's chemical.
Go see a shrink or take a pill,
or hug your sadness like an eyeless doll
you need to sleep.
Well, all children are sad
but some get over it.
Count your blessings. Better than that,
buy a hat. Buy a coat or pet.
Take up dancing to forget.
Forget what?
Your sadness, your shadow,
whatever it was that was done to you
the day of the lawn party
when you came inside flushed with the sun,
your mouth sulky with sugar,
in your new dress with the ribbon
and the ice-cream smear,
and said to yourself in the bathroom,
I am not the favorite child.
My darling, when it comes
right down to it
and the light fails and the fog rolls in
and you're trapped in your overturned body
under a blanket or burning car,
and the red flame is seeping out of you
and igniting the tarmac beside your head
or else the floor, or else the pillow,
none of us is;
or else we all are.
It took me a while to find a poem that I wanted to read and analyze this month. I used the list that Mrs. Clinch gave us in the beginning of the year and looked up the poet Margaret Atwood. I enjoy reading poems that capture my interest right away and usually have a more grim or darker tone. I found "A Sad Child" to be extremely interesting. It is not a complicated read and is not that hard to understand what the poem is saying, but it is intriguing. It makes the reader think about his or herself and his or her own happiness or sadness. "You're sad because you're sad." This statements starts off the poem with a "get over it" attitude. It is like it is saying "yeah you might be sad, but so is everyone else." The next line gives a list of reasons why a person could be sad. When I read it, I sense that the speaker is giving of a know it all attitude. It is like she is trying to say that everyone is sad and that they all try to blame it on a certain reason why. In reality, everyone is sad and some people can deal with it and some people cannot deal with it. The people who cannot deal with it try to blame there sadness on something else. The speaker lists things that children can do to get over it. They can buy things to make them happy or they can "take up dancing to forget." Personally, I think this statement is relatable. I am a dancer, and I dance to release emotion and to forget about the difficulties I might be facing or the problems that I might have. When I am dancing, I truly forget about everything going on in my life for that three minute number or improv period.
The third stanza discusses that moment when every child realizes, "I am not the favorite child." This moment is the moment when a child loses his or her innocence. There is a moment when a child realizes the world is not what it seems and that he or she can disappoint his or her parents. Usually, when a child upsets his or her parents when they are young, they become upset. The moment of realizing that "I am not the favorite child" is a moment when the sadness could begin to grow in a child.
The next two stanzas describe a rather grim accident. The speaker describes a car accident, yet it also seems that she is hinting that it could be a dream. The speaker uses the words "blanket" and "pillow" to show that the sadness can consume you while you sleep or in an actual accident. When the sadness consumes you, everything becomes chaos no matter what situation you are in. My favorite lines of the poem are, "none of us is; or else we all are." I interpret that to mean either none of us are sad, or everyone is sad. Every "child" is consumed with his or her own sadness. They are so consumed that they do not recognize the sadness around them. It is usual for a child to be somewhat narcissistic. They are self absorbed and can only see their own problems. Margaret's choice to describe a child's sadness is fitting. The speaker is scolding the child for being so self absorbed in her own sadness because either everyone is sad or no one is sad at all.
"A Sad Child"
By Margaret Atwood
You're sad because you're sad.
It's psychic. It's the age. It's chemical.
Go see a shrink or take a pill,
or hug your sadness like an eyeless doll
you need to sleep.
Well, all children are sad
but some get over it.
Count your blessings. Better than that,
buy a hat. Buy a coat or pet.
Take up dancing to forget.
Forget what?
Your sadness, your shadow,
whatever it was that was done to you
the day of the lawn party
when you came inside flushed with the sun,
your mouth sulky with sugar,
in your new dress with the ribbon
and the ice-cream smear,
and said to yourself in the bathroom,
I am not the favorite child.
My darling, when it comes
right down to it
and the light fails and the fog rolls in
and you're trapped in your overturned body
under a blanket or burning car,
and the red flame is seeping out of you
and igniting the tarmac beside your head
or else the floor, or else the pillow,
none of us is;
or else we all are.
It took me a while to find a poem that I wanted to read and analyze this month. I used the list that Mrs. Clinch gave us in the beginning of the year and looked up the poet Margaret Atwood. I enjoy reading poems that capture my interest right away and usually have a more grim or darker tone. I found "A Sad Child" to be extremely interesting. It is not a complicated read and is not that hard to understand what the poem is saying, but it is intriguing. It makes the reader think about his or herself and his or her own happiness or sadness. "You're sad because you're sad." This statements starts off the poem with a "get over it" attitude. It is like it is saying "yeah you might be sad, but so is everyone else." The next line gives a list of reasons why a person could be sad. When I read it, I sense that the speaker is giving of a know it all attitude. It is like she is trying to say that everyone is sad and that they all try to blame it on a certain reason why. In reality, everyone is sad and some people can deal with it and some people cannot deal with it. The people who cannot deal with it try to blame there sadness on something else. The speaker lists things that children can do to get over it. They can buy things to make them happy or they can "take up dancing to forget." Personally, I think this statement is relatable. I am a dancer, and I dance to release emotion and to forget about the difficulties I might be facing or the problems that I might have. When I am dancing, I truly forget about everything going on in my life for that three minute number or improv period.
The third stanza discusses that moment when every child realizes, "I am not the favorite child." This moment is the moment when a child loses his or her innocence. There is a moment when a child realizes the world is not what it seems and that he or she can disappoint his or her parents. Usually, when a child upsets his or her parents when they are young, they become upset. The moment of realizing that "I am not the favorite child" is a moment when the sadness could begin to grow in a child.
The next two stanzas describe a rather grim accident. The speaker describes a car accident, yet it also seems that she is hinting that it could be a dream. The speaker uses the words "blanket" and "pillow" to show that the sadness can consume you while you sleep or in an actual accident. When the sadness consumes you, everything becomes chaos no matter what situation you are in. My favorite lines of the poem are, "none of us is; or else we all are." I interpret that to mean either none of us are sad, or everyone is sad. Every "child" is consumed with his or her own sadness. They are so consumed that they do not recognize the sadness around them. It is usual for a child to be somewhat narcissistic. They are self absorbed and can only see their own problems. Margaret's choice to describe a child's sadness is fitting. The speaker is scolding the child for being so self absorbed in her own sadness because either everyone is sad or no one is sad at all.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
1/12/14
I have finished reading the prologue of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Very very interesting. However, it was not as strange as I thought it would be. One of the first things I noticed is that the invisible man goes from talking about himself to then talking towards the reader. He doesn't say that HE feels a certain he says YOU feel a certain way. He generalizes the emotions to make it seem that the reader could feel these emotions as well. He says "you ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world, that you're a part of all the sound and anguish, and you strike out with your fists, you curse and you swear to make them recognize you. And, alas, it's seldom successful," (Ellison 4). Statements like these make the reader question wether or not they have experienced the same feelings the invisible man feels.
The invisible man seems to act on his emotions. He is angry and frustrated that people do not or cannot open their eyes and see him. He almost kills a man because he ran into him. He almost kills him out of pure rage but then decides against it. At the end of the prologue he sates that he was not responsible for almost killing the man. He is the one who ran into him and it was irresponsible of him not to kill him to help society.
The invisible man talks about light and dark quite a few times during the prologue. I think that this indicates that there will be a constant presence of light and dark throughout the novel. The invisible man loves light because without it, he doesn't not exist. The light gives him form and it seems to make him feel visible in the invisible life he lives. One of the issues or conflicts that might be present throughout the novel has to do with light. He is taking the light energy from the Monopolated Light and Power. I find it interesting that the it is name light AND power. This could be seen as literally light and the power that gives energy. Or it could mean that light gives way to actual power. The invisible man feels more a live and it seems more powerful when there is light around him. Because to exist is to have power and without light, he would not exist.
Time. Time is an important aspect to the invisible man that I believe will be an important aspect through the rest of the novel. He is intrigued by time and learns that everyone has their own sense of time. He uses the examples of the fighters. He states, "The yokel had simply stepped inside of his opponents sense of time," (Ellison 8). Once you figure out your own sense of time and someone else's sense of time, you can become invincible. The invisible man thinks that he is invincible, so I think it will be a good point to follow his "invincibility" throughout the novel.
I have finished reading the prologue of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Very very interesting. However, it was not as strange as I thought it would be. One of the first things I noticed is that the invisible man goes from talking about himself to then talking towards the reader. He doesn't say that HE feels a certain he says YOU feel a certain way. He generalizes the emotions to make it seem that the reader could feel these emotions as well. He says "you ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world, that you're a part of all the sound and anguish, and you strike out with your fists, you curse and you swear to make them recognize you. And, alas, it's seldom successful," (Ellison 4). Statements like these make the reader question wether or not they have experienced the same feelings the invisible man feels.
The invisible man seems to act on his emotions. He is angry and frustrated that people do not or cannot open their eyes and see him. He almost kills a man because he ran into him. He almost kills him out of pure rage but then decides against it. At the end of the prologue he sates that he was not responsible for almost killing the man. He is the one who ran into him and it was irresponsible of him not to kill him to help society.
The invisible man talks about light and dark quite a few times during the prologue. I think that this indicates that there will be a constant presence of light and dark throughout the novel. The invisible man loves light because without it, he doesn't not exist. The light gives him form and it seems to make him feel visible in the invisible life he lives. One of the issues or conflicts that might be present throughout the novel has to do with light. He is taking the light energy from the Monopolated Light and Power. I find it interesting that the it is name light AND power. This could be seen as literally light and the power that gives energy. Or it could mean that light gives way to actual power. The invisible man feels more a live and it seems more powerful when there is light around him. Because to exist is to have power and without light, he would not exist.
Time. Time is an important aspect to the invisible man that I believe will be an important aspect through the rest of the novel. He is intrigued by time and learns that everyone has their own sense of time. He uses the examples of the fighters. He states, "The yokel had simply stepped inside of his opponents sense of time," (Ellison 8). Once you figure out your own sense of time and someone else's sense of time, you can become invincible. The invisible man thinks that he is invincible, so I think it will be a good point to follow his "invincibility" throughout the novel.
Monday, December 16, 2013
12/16/13
"A Girl"
The tree has entered my hands,
The sap has ascended my arms,
The tree has grown in my breast -
Downward,
The branches grow out of me, like arms.
Tree you are,
Moss you are,
You are violets with wind above them.
A child - so high - you are,
And all this is folly to the world.
-Ezra Pound
The struggle of wanting to choose another Sylvia Plath poem, but knowing that I should expand my knowledge of poets and poems. Even though I was hesitant, I decided to venture out a choose a poem by a poet that I have not heard of before. I chose "A Girl" by Ezra Pound. At first glance, this poem looks quite simple and is easy to read. However, I believe there is a deeper meaning within this poem.
The first stanza of the poem uses the pronoun "me." It talks as if a tree is growing out of the girl. I am assuming it is a girl because the title of the poem is "A Girl", but the speaker could be a boy. The reason I think that the speaker could also be a boy is because the second stanza uses the pronoun "you." A boy could be talking about himself and then talking about a girl he sees, or the speaker could be a girl talking to a person or an individual. Personally, I believe that the speaker is a girl talking about herself in the first stanza and is talking toward a specific individual in the second stanza.
Trees usually represent life or growth. The first stanza sets up the imagery of a tree entering this girl and then the tree begins to grow out of the girl. The tree entered through the HANDS. It did not enter through the head or the heart. I think it is significant that the tree entered through the hands over any other part of the body. Humans work with their hands, and the hands are one of the most sensitive areas of the body. People touch other people with hands to show comfort or feeling. The tree entered through the hands, so that it could be transferred to other people and grow in other people. The tree spreads its roots and sap throughout the girls body. It takes root in her "breast" and spreads out through her "like arms." The girl is now full of life. The tree could represent life and wisdom. The girl has transformed into a tree herself.
The second stanza focuses on the "you" pronoun. "Tree YOU are. Moss YOU are." It seems that the speaker in the first stanza has realized her own potential and wants to point it out to another individual. The speaker in the first stanza realizes the life and wisdom growing within her, and she wants another individual to realize the beauty, life, and wisdom within his or herself. The speaker says "A child." So the girl speaking seems to be older and wiser and she is speaking to a child. This girl has discovered the tree inside her and wants to enlighten the child to the tree inside his or herself. "Folly" is defined as a lack of sense or foolishness. The idea that a person could be a tree or could be colors in the wind (Pocahontas similarities) is foolish to the world. Not everyone believes that a person could be a tree. Most people in the world find this idea ridiculous. This seems to relate to the idea of innocence versus enlightenment. Those who are innocent do not believe that people can posses the life and wisdom of a tree and of nature. However, a person who is enlightened knows that people can posses the wisdom of a tree and life of nature. The girl in the poem is enlightened with the idea that a person can become full of life like nature is full of life. She is trying to enlighten an innocent child with this idea and make him or her aware of his or her potential.
"A Girl"
The tree has entered my hands,
The sap has ascended my arms,
The tree has grown in my breast -
Downward,
The branches grow out of me, like arms.
Tree you are,
Moss you are,
You are violets with wind above them.
A child - so high - you are,
And all this is folly to the world.
-Ezra Pound
The struggle of wanting to choose another Sylvia Plath poem, but knowing that I should expand my knowledge of poets and poems. Even though I was hesitant, I decided to venture out a choose a poem by a poet that I have not heard of before. I chose "A Girl" by Ezra Pound. At first glance, this poem looks quite simple and is easy to read. However, I believe there is a deeper meaning within this poem.
The first stanza of the poem uses the pronoun "me." It talks as if a tree is growing out of the girl. I am assuming it is a girl because the title of the poem is "A Girl", but the speaker could be a boy. The reason I think that the speaker could also be a boy is because the second stanza uses the pronoun "you." A boy could be talking about himself and then talking about a girl he sees, or the speaker could be a girl talking to a person or an individual. Personally, I believe that the speaker is a girl talking about herself in the first stanza and is talking toward a specific individual in the second stanza.
Trees usually represent life or growth. The first stanza sets up the imagery of a tree entering this girl and then the tree begins to grow out of the girl. The tree entered through the HANDS. It did not enter through the head or the heart. I think it is significant that the tree entered through the hands over any other part of the body. Humans work with their hands, and the hands are one of the most sensitive areas of the body. People touch other people with hands to show comfort or feeling. The tree entered through the hands, so that it could be transferred to other people and grow in other people. The tree spreads its roots and sap throughout the girls body. It takes root in her "breast" and spreads out through her "like arms." The girl is now full of life. The tree could represent life and wisdom. The girl has transformed into a tree herself.
The second stanza focuses on the "you" pronoun. "Tree YOU are. Moss YOU are." It seems that the speaker in the first stanza has realized her own potential and wants to point it out to another individual. The speaker in the first stanza realizes the life and wisdom growing within her, and she wants another individual to realize the beauty, life, and wisdom within his or herself. The speaker says "A child." So the girl speaking seems to be older and wiser and she is speaking to a child. This girl has discovered the tree inside her and wants to enlighten the child to the tree inside his or herself. "Folly" is defined as a lack of sense or foolishness. The idea that a person could be a tree or could be colors in the wind (Pocahontas similarities) is foolish to the world. Not everyone believes that a person could be a tree. Most people in the world find this idea ridiculous. This seems to relate to the idea of innocence versus enlightenment. Those who are innocent do not believe that people can posses the life and wisdom of a tree and of nature. However, a person who is enlightened knows that people can posses the wisdom of a tree and life of nature. The girl in the poem is enlightened with the idea that a person can become full of life like nature is full of life. She is trying to enlighten an innocent child with this idea and make him or her aware of his or her potential.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
12/15/13
Oh The Age of Innocence. I was hoping that I would like this book so much better than I actually did. It was not an awful book! However, it was not what I was expecting. I liked the basic storyline between Newland, Ellen, and May. However, I felt that the novel dragged on at times and all of the connections between the families were confusing. UGH and that ending! HE JUST LEAVES. I have mixed emotions about the ending of the novel. I was angry at first because a part of me wanted to see what Ellen would have done. On the other hand, I kinda like how he just walked away. There seems to be some satisfaction in Newland walking away from the situation. But why did he walk away? What made him decide it was time to leave? Newland says that he was waiting for a signal. Newlands signal was the closing of the shutters. The narrator states, "At length a light shone through the windows, and a moment later a man-servant came out on the balcony, drew up the awnings, and closed the shutters. At that, as if it had been the signal he waited for, Newland Archer got up slowly and walked back alone to his hotel," (Wharton 293). This ending connects to the precious signal Newland waited for. When Ellen was standing on the beach, Newland convinced himself that he would go get her if she turned around. She never turned around, so he never went and got her. Newland seems to live his life merely on signals! I believe that deep down Newland knew that he did not want to interact with Ellen, so he made up a signal that sealed the deal. It convinced him of a feeling that he already had. Did he leave to honor his wife's memory? Did he leave because he did not want to deal with the past? Or did he leave because he would find no satisfaction in seeing Ellen again? I think he left because he finds more satisfaction in fantasizing a situation than actually experiencing a situation. It all goes back to the quote at the beginning of the novel. It states, "and thinking over a pleasure to come often have him a subtler satisfaction than it's realization," (Wharton 6). Sneaking you Mary Wharton, sneaky you sneaking in quotes in the beginning that will be relevant in the end. Newland does not go in because he likes to imagine what it would we like to see Ellen again. Ellen is no longer young and beautiful. She might have changed completely. But if Newland only imagines a scenario in his head, then she cannot disappoint him.
The Age of Innocence definitely had interesting aspects to the story line. I think that the ending was one of my favorite parts. It was interesting to see Newland walk away when most people would think that he would go and see Ellen again. It's also interesting that he stayed with May and the fact that May knew what was going on and his feelings for Ellen the WHOLE time. Yes the novel was slow and different than what I thought it would be. But it did have some interesting and thought provoking elements.
Oh The Age of Innocence. I was hoping that I would like this book so much better than I actually did. It was not an awful book! However, it was not what I was expecting. I liked the basic storyline between Newland, Ellen, and May. However, I felt that the novel dragged on at times and all of the connections between the families were confusing. UGH and that ending! HE JUST LEAVES. I have mixed emotions about the ending of the novel. I was angry at first because a part of me wanted to see what Ellen would have done. On the other hand, I kinda like how he just walked away. There seems to be some satisfaction in Newland walking away from the situation. But why did he walk away? What made him decide it was time to leave? Newland says that he was waiting for a signal. Newlands signal was the closing of the shutters. The narrator states, "At length a light shone through the windows, and a moment later a man-servant came out on the balcony, drew up the awnings, and closed the shutters. At that, as if it had been the signal he waited for, Newland Archer got up slowly and walked back alone to his hotel," (Wharton 293). This ending connects to the precious signal Newland waited for. When Ellen was standing on the beach, Newland convinced himself that he would go get her if she turned around. She never turned around, so he never went and got her. Newland seems to live his life merely on signals! I believe that deep down Newland knew that he did not want to interact with Ellen, so he made up a signal that sealed the deal. It convinced him of a feeling that he already had. Did he leave to honor his wife's memory? Did he leave because he did not want to deal with the past? Or did he leave because he would find no satisfaction in seeing Ellen again? I think he left because he finds more satisfaction in fantasizing a situation than actually experiencing a situation. It all goes back to the quote at the beginning of the novel. It states, "and thinking over a pleasure to come often have him a subtler satisfaction than it's realization," (Wharton 6). Sneaking you Mary Wharton, sneaky you sneaking in quotes in the beginning that will be relevant in the end. Newland does not go in because he likes to imagine what it would we like to see Ellen again. Ellen is no longer young and beautiful. She might have changed completely. But if Newland only imagines a scenario in his head, then she cannot disappoint him.
The Age of Innocence definitely had interesting aspects to the story line. I think that the ending was one of my favorite parts. It was interesting to see Newland walk away when most people would think that he would go and see Ellen again. It's also interesting that he stayed with May and the fact that May knew what was going on and his feelings for Ellen the WHOLE time. Yes the novel was slow and different than what I thought it would be. But it did have some interesting and thought provoking elements.
12/14/13
Our class discussion on A Doll House was quite interesting. I thought for the most part, everyone seemed to agree on many of the questions that were posed during the discussion. For example, when it came to the German ending, we all seemed to hate it. How could we not? It changed the WHOLE meaning of the poem! It completed defeated Nora's transformation as a character. In about three sentences, Ibsen changed the whole play. Nora would have gone back to the life as a doll in the doll house if she had stayed with Torvald and the children. Another question that came up when we were discussing was about Nora's decision to leave and whether or not it was selfish of her to leave her children. Personally I think Nora was being selfish, but I think she had to leave to complete her arch as a character. At first I thought Nora was making a good decision because she was breaking the cycle. The cycle that has started with her father and continued with Torvald and is now continuing with her children. However, a good point was brought up yesterday. Nora could be actually continuing the cycle. Nora grew up without a mother, so her father treated her as a doll. Since Nora left her children, Torvald could begin to treat his children as dolls and the cycle will never be broken. Could Nora be a hero if she selfishly left her children behind? I don't think so. A hero sacrifices things for other people. Nora is sacrificing her family and her children's lives for herself. Her duties are to herself. Will she ever go back to the Doll house? I don't think so. I think since she left without thinking of her family, she will learn to live without them and find something better.
Who do you feel sympathy for at the end of the play? This was a question that most people could not agree on. Some people said Torvald because he was just following the standards of society when it was Nora who lied and scammed. Some people said Nora because she is married to an awful man and is treated badly. And, some people said both! My very first reaction to this question was "neither," Yes Torvald followed the rules of society, but he treated Nora like a child and if he had opened his eyes he would have seen that Nora was playing him. Yes Nora lied and scammed to help save her husbands life, but she is blind to the "doll" life she is living and does not take charge. I believe that the fault for their situation at the end is both of their faults. That is why I have little sympathy for both of them.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading A Doll House. I liked it SO much better than The Age of Innocence. It was easier to get involved with the characters and it was easier to follow and understand. There was also a plus in hearing fellow students read each part!
Our class discussion on A Doll House was quite interesting. I thought for the most part, everyone seemed to agree on many of the questions that were posed during the discussion. For example, when it came to the German ending, we all seemed to hate it. How could we not? It changed the WHOLE meaning of the poem! It completed defeated Nora's transformation as a character. In about three sentences, Ibsen changed the whole play. Nora would have gone back to the life as a doll in the doll house if she had stayed with Torvald and the children. Another question that came up when we were discussing was about Nora's decision to leave and whether or not it was selfish of her to leave her children. Personally I think Nora was being selfish, but I think she had to leave to complete her arch as a character. At first I thought Nora was making a good decision because she was breaking the cycle. The cycle that has started with her father and continued with Torvald and is now continuing with her children. However, a good point was brought up yesterday. Nora could be actually continuing the cycle. Nora grew up without a mother, so her father treated her as a doll. Since Nora left her children, Torvald could begin to treat his children as dolls and the cycle will never be broken. Could Nora be a hero if she selfishly left her children behind? I don't think so. A hero sacrifices things for other people. Nora is sacrificing her family and her children's lives for herself. Her duties are to herself. Will she ever go back to the Doll house? I don't think so. I think since she left without thinking of her family, she will learn to live without them and find something better.
Who do you feel sympathy for at the end of the play? This was a question that most people could not agree on. Some people said Torvald because he was just following the standards of society when it was Nora who lied and scammed. Some people said Nora because she is married to an awful man and is treated badly. And, some people said both! My very first reaction to this question was "neither," Yes Torvald followed the rules of society, but he treated Nora like a child and if he had opened his eyes he would have seen that Nora was playing him. Yes Nora lied and scammed to help save her husbands life, but she is blind to the "doll" life she is living and does not take charge. I believe that the fault for their situation at the end is both of their faults. That is why I have little sympathy for both of them.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading A Doll House. I liked it SO much better than The Age of Innocence. It was easier to get involved with the characters and it was easier to follow and understand. There was also a plus in hearing fellow students read each part!
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