Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The Wild Duck - Journal #5

I do not really think The Wild Duck was a tragedy because Hedvig's death wrenched the heart more than it did finalize a theme. Also, compared to Antigone where we flat out knew she was going to die, Hedvig was unexpected. Hedvig was also an innocent character, whereas Antigone was guilty and knew she was.

Also, according to the elements of tragedy discussion we had today, undeserved suffering is not tragic. Hedvig did not deserve to die. Another critical thing we discussed was that tragedy required there to be beauty in truth, which was the opposite of what I saw with Hjalmar. When he knew the truth, everything in his life grew ugly and the whole play became quite a mess.

Gregers reaction to Hedvig's death breaks another rule of tragedy. He seems pleased, as if he had succeeded, while the end result of a tragedy is no one emerges victorious. Kinda like Romeo and Juliet where members of Capulet and Montague both died.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

The Wild Duck - Journal #4

Alright, characters who are at fault. There are three that I can see right now:
1. Gregers
2. Werle
3. Gina

Gregers: I was really positive that when I came through that door I'd be met by a transfigured light in both your faces. And what do I see instead but this bloomy, heavy, dismal-
(185)

I put Gregers because it is because of his hand that Hjalmar begins to question the life around him.

Werle because if he did not 'have his way' with Gina, marriage with Hjalmar may not have happened, and Hedvig would not play a factor in Hjalmar's mind.

Gina: Yes, I did the wrong thing; I really should have told you long ago.
(183)

Gina, because she kept all this hidden from Hjalmar.


I believe Werle to be the most blameworthy, as he probably impregnated Gina, and influenced Gregers childhood enough to make him consider helping the Ekdal family as a grown man.

As for a blameless character I would say Hedvig fits the role best. Her life is was a product of past events, and has done nothing to really aggravate the situation. Well, I could argue that because Hjalmar likes her so much it stressed him a whole bunch to find out she may not have been his daughter.

Well, Werle sort of takes responsibility.
Hjalmar: One hundred crowns, as long as he needs it. That means till death of course.
Gina: Well, then he's provided for, poor dear.
Hjalmar: But there's more. You didn't erad far enough, Hedvig. Afterwards this gift passes over to you.
(194)

Although Gregers argues this was a trap to see if Hjalmar could be bought out, this gesture of Werle's can be seen as possibly being an attempt to right his wrong using his resources. Giving the money to care for old Ekdal, who was his scapegoat years ago may have been done out of guilt. Hedvig because she may have been his child.

The Wild Duck - Journal #3

Gregers: Not quite that. I wouldn't say you're wounded; but you're wandering in a poisonous swamp, Hjalmar. You've got an insidious disease in your system, and so you've gone down to the bottom to die in the dark.
(170)

So Ibsen essentially shouts at us that "HEY, HJALMAR IS THE WILD DUCK" here, and Gregers mentions that Hjalmar is "wandering in a poisonous swamp", also making remarks to the fumes in his house. And then the "bottom to die in the dark" part intrigued me. Was it saying that although uninjured, Hjalmar is going to live his life happily until he dies even though his life is a life. This draws connections to the whole web of deception mess Gina caused.

Then there is the disease, which we discussed in class. Almost everyone in the play has a disease, and Gregers has a 'moralistic' one himself begging the question of who is really worse off?

Werle: But what are you going to do, then?
Gregers: Simply carry out my life's mission; nothing else.
(176)

Gregers goes on to talk about how he set aside some of his salary to support his life, but cryptically answers Werle's question of how he will live after the money is gone with: "I think it will last my time" (177)

At first glance, my opinion is that Gregers is probably talking about suicide after he helps Hjalmar. Although I find the notion rather ridiculous and wonder what Gregers intends to do with his life afterwards. I think this a quote that I will have to look back on after the play is complete.

Rellings: All right, I'll tell you, Mrs. Ekdal. He's suffering from an acute case of moralistic fever.
(178)

Rellings tells us here that even Gregers himself has a disease. Moralistic fever is referencing Gregers motivation, his desire to right the wrongs Werle inflicted upon the Ekdal's. Fever here could possibly mean that Gregers himself has grown delusional in a sense, and perhaps just as blind as the man he is trying to help.

Gregers: And actually, she's been in the depths of the sea.
Hedvig: (glances at him, suppresses a smile, and asks). Why did you say "depths of the sea"?
Gregers: What else should I say?
Hedvig: You could have said "bottom of the sea" - or "the sea's bottom"?
(164)

Gregers is referencing the Wild Duck concept again, but Hedvig blows that off and inquires to his word choice. I find this interesting as Gregers has been very cryptic when addressing Hjalmar, and never direct as to what his intentions are. He is obfuscating his words and this may have confused Hjalmar quite a bit when he decides to reveal information to him outside.

Relling: (crossing over to him). Listen, Mr. Werle junior, I've got a strong suspicion that you're still going around with the uncut version of that "Summons to the Ideal" in your back pocket.
Gregers: I've got it written in my heart.
(174)

I did some research and found out that "Summons to the Ideal" was a term used by Ibsen to describe the search for absolute truth. Although Gregers is not searching for the absolute truth here, he thinks he KNOWS the absolute truth. And in response to Relling he says that the search for absolute truth is written in his heart, or in other words ingrained in the fabric of his being. Whether or not he truly embodies this concept is debatable.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The Wild Duck - Journal #2

Gina's Perception of Hjalmar

Hedvig clearly adores Hjalmar so I figured that was little too easy...

Gina: Are you glad when you have something nice to tell your father when he comes home at night?
Hedvig: Yes, for things here are pleasanter then.
Gina: Well, there's something to that.
(139)

Hedvig's line of "pleasanter then" was the major tip off that something was wrong with the family dynamics. Gina's response of "Well, there's something to that." is rather ambiguous and the tone seems rather tired if that makes any sense. I interpret it as possibly meaning that Gina is happy when Hedvig is happy.

Gina: Really? Oh Hjalmar, you know everything

This is one of the strange things Gina has done so far, ranging from this flattery to her enthusiasm in helping take off his coat. Almost as if she is trying her hardest to make Hjalmar happy.

Gina: (looking at him, becoming wary). Yes no doubt about it.

This was in response to somewhat deeper questioning on Gregers' part regarding how long Gina has been married to Hjalmar. We discussed this in class, but it is a clue regarding the state of Gina's marriage.

All in all, Gina seems to almost fear Hjalmar who behaves rather oddly throughout the act.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The Wild Duck - Journal # 1

Pardon me if I'm going the complete wrong direction here, but I believe Ibsen established a boundary concerning what characters are willing to speak about. I noticed one near the beginning:
"Oh, Gregers, let's not talk about that." (Ibsen 122)
A rather personal matter, hmm?

Another one I can see is social limitation. Smoking in particular was mentioned several times, as well as the ban that Mrs. Sorby put on it when she said "After the last dinner - when there were certain person here who let themselves exceed all limits."

Oh yeah, just noticed on page 131, more trying to shove personal matters under the carpet. "Acquittal is acquittal. Why do you rake up this ugly old story that's given me gray hair before my time?" (131)

Werle gives some detail on what happened, but does not seem to enjoy the topic being shoved on him by his son Gregers.

Antigone - Journal #4

Mini Commentary

"Yes, I am ugly! Father was ugly, too. [Creon releases her arms, turns and moves away. Stands with his back to Antigone.] But Father became beautiful. And do you know when? [She follows him to behind the table.] At the very end. When all his questions had been answered. When he could no longer doubt that he had killed his own father; that he had gone to bed with his own mother. When all hope was gone, stamped out like a beetle. When it was absolutely certain that nothing, nothing could save him." (Anouilh 43)

"Yes, I am ugly! Father was ugly, too."
Very little is given about Antigone's physical qualities, but this is not a line meant to be taken literally. Antigone is referring to the ugliness of her character, and I believe there are absurdist undertones in this passage because of:

"When it was absolutely certain that nothing, nothing could save him."
Rather bleak outlook, and it brings to mind an image of utter defeat followed by acceptance evidenced by the next line, which is not in this selection but very important, "Then he was at peace; then he could smile, almost; then he became beautiful..."

"At the very end. When all his questions had been answered."
Antigone is in a similar situation. She does not know if the unburied body really is that of Polynices, and she probably will never know, so the only solution to put herself at ease is to bury the body anyway. The original question of, 'Is that Polynices', has not been answered, but by burying the body that question ceases to be an issue.

"[Creon releases her arms, turns and moves away. Stands with his back to Antigone.]"
This stage direction here gives the sense that Creon is giving up rather exasperatedly, and by turning his back on her is symbolically beginning to give up on attempting to save her.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Antigone - Journal #3

Moral Law vs King's Law
I really enjoyed reading the dialogue between Creon and Antigone. Really nice stuff that I'm going to have to go through again to soak up.

Anyway, Antigone puts forth the argument that the burial of Polynices was for herself. She was upset at the idea that Polynices would wander forever, and it would put her at ease to help him out. That and she felt that as a sister, it would only be right to do this.

Creon argues that the burial, even if done properly, was rather pointless in the end. That and his choice to not bury Polynices was due to needing to satisfy the common people. He needed a martyr and a scapegoat, and so he picked the body that was less damaged to bury properly and left the other one to continue rotting.

The difference between moral law and the King's law is that the King's law applies the same to everyone and is enforced. In reality, moral laws don't really matter. There are no guaranteed negative consequences for having a different set of laws compared to someone else, whereas in the case of Polynices, anyone who buried his body regardless of intention would be put to death.

Morality and Law actually tie into each other very tightly. Morality is defined as "principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior". Laws take those principals and make the answers clear cut. As in 'this is absolutely wrong, or this is absolutely right'. My best guess is that Anouilh contrasted Moral and King's law to raise the question of should the law always be followed even if it conflicts with what an individual believes in?

Antigone - Journal #2

Events in order presented:
1. Antigone returns home in the morning and is caught by the Nurse
2. Antigone and Ismene argue on the topic of burying Polynices
3. Antigone speaks to Nurse about a few desires
4. Antigone visits Haemon to discuss the previous night
5. Antigone tells Ismene that she buried Polynices

Events in Chronological (?) Order:
1. Antigone and Ismene argue on the topic of burying Polynices
2. Antigone goes to Haemon with the intention to 'become his wife'. Fails
3. Antigone buries Polynices
4. Antigone returns home in the morning and is caught by the Nurse
5. Antigone visits Haemon to discuss the previous night
6. Antigone speaks to Nurse about a few desires
7. Antigone tells Ismene that she buried Polynices

Monday, November 14, 2011

Antigone - Journal #1

First thing I had to figure out was exactly how many members were in the Chorus. Of course, this is all opinion work, but I came to the conclusion that only one actor should play the role. I remember discussing the very first thing the Chorus says, which is: "Well, here we are." (Anouilh 3) This can be seen as indicating that there is more than one Chorus member, but I disagree as the 'we' could imply that Chorus is including the audience. He/she is addressing the audience after all. Also part of my reasoning for Chorus being singular, is the mention that Chorus is "leaning, at this point, against the left proscenium arch" (Anouilh 6)

It took a little research, but a proscenium arch is part of a proscenium theater. It can actually be rectangular, but the important point is that the arch is small. It would be hard to get fifty people leaning against an arch at once, and would actually look rather ridiculous.

Moving on to the actual construction of the stage: Nothing extravagant. This is not a movie, so onstage props such as the stairs will be rather crude and most likely constructed out of wood and painted a white color. White to contrast the darkness of the theater, and the overall 'dark' theme of the tragedy itself.

Other than that, the characters should be behaving as described in the novel.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

1984 - Journal #3

Structure of Society

Oceania is run by a group called 'The Party', and uses Ingsoc (English Socialism) as the form of government.

One of the primary goals of the Party is to remain in command. It does this through the never ending accumulation of 'power'. As stated by O'Brien, "The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. Not wealth or luxury or long life or happiness: only power, pure power" (152).

This power is gained through mind control. By controlling the mind, the Party is able to 'control matter'. This essentially means they are able to control everything. This is accomplished through torrents of propaganda, conditioning from childhood, and altering of the past.

There are four Ministries in Oceania, the Ministry of Plenty, Peace, Truth and Love. They each deal with a specific aspect of Oceanic society, but are misnomers. For example, the Ministry of Peace is in charge of the war effort, and the Ministry of Love is in charge of torture and reform. Three of the Ministries serve to deceive and pacify the general public, and one serves to deal with those who are not deceived or pacified. Lying and brute force is method by which The Party controls the minds of the people and the country itself.

The population of Oceania is divided into three groups, the Inner Party(Upper), the Outer Party(Middle), and the Proletariat(Low). According to Goldstein's book, each class has specific goals. The High aim to remain in power, the Middle hope to replace the High, and the Low is forced to live for survival. The Party knows this, so the logical conclusion would be that allowing social classes to exist symbolically represents that overthrowing the Upper class has been rendered impossible.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

1984 - Journal #2

"The mask was closing on his face. The wire brushed his cheek. And then - no, it was not relief, only hope, a tiny fragment of hope. Too late, perhaps too late. But he had suddenly understood that in the whole world there was just one person to whom he could transfer his punishment - one body that he could thrust between himself and the rats. And he was shouting frantically, over and over: 'Do it to Julia! Do it Julia! Not me! Julia! I don't care what you do to her. Tear her face off, strip her to the bones. Not me! Julia! Not me!'" (Orwell 236)

This paragraph closes Winston's stay in the Ministry of Love, and is set in 'Room 101'. A room where the victim's deepest fear is thrust upon him or her. It is the last part of Winston's re-education in the sense that the last form of rebellion he held towards the Party, his loyalty to Julia, was stamped out.

Significant: Conflict
Through his entire stay in the Ministry of Love, Winston clings to the fact that he has not betrayed Julia. Although technically untrue since he confessed to just about anything and everything about her when asked. Hanging onto this, Winston refused to acknowledge that the Party has succeeded. His capitulation scrapped the last sense of rebellion and left him with nothing left to hang onto other than what the Party wanted him to.

Significant: Imagery and Setting
Although a little bit of context is required, Winston is about to have a cage of rats affixed to his face inside of Room 101. Room 101 contains the deepest fear of the victim. The imagery created a dramatic mood that increased in intensity until Winston's final outburst.

Significant: Structure
The sentences in this selection are very short and close in word length. Orwell did this to complement the terrifying imagery present. When scared, many people begin to breath sharp and shallow breaths, and Orwell was attempting to emulate this.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Literary Terms Makeup

Symbol
"I drank the coffee, and then I wanted a cigarette. But I wasn’t sure if I should smoke, under the circumstances—in Mother’s presence. I thought it over; really, it didn’t seem to matter, so I offered the keeper a cigarette, and we both smoked." (Camus 7)

Cigarettes in The Stranger are present throughout the entire novel, although Meursault's attitude towards them changes after a stay in prison. Cigarettes represent the freedom Meursault once had and delighted in.

Caricature
"Goldstein without a painful mixture of emotions. It was a lean Jewish face, with a
great fuzzy aureole of white hair and a small goatee beard — a clever face, and
yet somehow inherently despicable, with a kind of senile silliness in the long thin
nose, near the end of which a pair of spectacles was perched. It resembled the
face of a sheep, and the voice, too, had a sheep-like quality" (Orwell 6-7)

This quote takes place during the Two-Minutes Hate where Goldstein is present on the screen. Although compared to a sheep in this quote, the image and sound of his voice changes into a literal sheep near the climax of the event. This exaggeration of Goldstein's features was used by Orwell to reveal that manipulative techniques used by the Party to control its subjects.

Oxymoron
"WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" (Orwell 2)

This is the Party slogan. War is the polar opposite of peace and one cannot be a free slave. Ignorance being strength is questionable however.

Repetition
"That is the world that we are preparing, Winston. A world of victory after victory, triumph after triumph after triumph: an endless pressing, pressing, pressing upon the nerve of power." (Orwell 155)

This is O'Brien's response to Winston concerning the Party's constant accumulation of power. The repetition of victory, triumph and pressing parallels the torture methods used by the Ministry of Love. Constantly repeating something over and over to make a point or force it.

Juxtaposition
“Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman.” (Hurston 25)

Do I really need to go into this? I covered it in my IOP... Ah well, here we go. This line happened soon after Janie's marriage to Logan Killicks. Earlier in the book, it was said that the dream was the source of life for women. Janie's dream died, and so she as a person died. But came back to life when "she became a woman.", coming of age sort of connotation. Life and death are being compared here.

Hyperbole
"He was falling backwards, into enormous depths, away from the rats. He was
still strapped in the chair, but he had fallen through the floor, through the walls
of the building, through the earth, through the oceans, through the atmosphere,
into outer space, into the gulfs between the stars — always away, away, away
from the rats." (Orwell 166)

This is in the last few moments Winston spends in the Ministry of Love, where he avoids having hungry rats eat his face by begging for the punishment to be sent to Julia. The exaggeration was meant to emphasis the overwhelming sense of relief Winston felt.

Personification
"The wondrous peace of that sleeping summer flowed through me like a tide." (Camus 122)

This is one of the last lines in The Stranger, after Meursault's outburst directed towards the chaplain. A few aspects of Meursault's life can be linked to this quote. He is very soon about to enter an eternal sleep, also known as death, and feeling peaceful is something he often experienced while swimming in the ocean.

Parallel Structure
"He was abusing Big Brother, he was denouncing the dictatorship of the Party, he was demanding the immediate conclusion of peace with Eurasia, he was advocating freedom
of speech, freedom of the Press, freedom of assembly, freedom of thought, he
was crying hysterically that the revolution had been betrayed" (Orwell 7)

This was a description of the video played at the Two Minutes hate. An absolutely huge sentence that has a pattern of 'he was's.

Assonance
"I had a hard time waking up on Sunday, and Marie had to call me and shake me." (Camus 47)

This sentence is using assonance of the letter 'a' to make waking up seem so harsh and to the point. Also, the 'call me and shake me' rolls of the tongue well, and I imagine that line being said with a little bit of a 'whiny' tone.

Motif
"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU" (Orwell 1)

This line pops up all over the place, and Big Brother is referenced all over the book. In fact, he is quite central to the Party in the fact that he represents the entire Party and all the love of the people is directed at him and therefore the Party as well.

Chronology
"Maman died today." (Camus 1)

The very first sentence in The Stranger. The Stranger follows a very linear progression of events, but this is the event that set all the rest in motion.

Structure
"Despite my willingness to understand, I just couldn't accept such arrogant certainty. Because, after all, there really was something ridiculously out of proportion between the verdict such certainty was based on and the imperturbable march of events from the moment the verdict was announced." (Camus 109)

This was spoken by Meursault on the topic of the chaplain. Throughout the entire book, there are many short sentences that precede long ones, or sometimes even the other way around. One serves to summarize an idea or conclude it, and the other serves to describe said idea or present it in a detailed form.

Ambiguity
"The trigger gave; I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there, in that noise, sharp and deafening at the same time, is where it all started." (Camus 59)

This line is talking about how Meursault shot the Arab. The ambiguity comes in the fact that Meursault never reveals why he murdered the Arab.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

1984 - Journal #2

To Karl:
I like what you saw concerning the numbers in this selection. I always think back to mathematics when I see numbers, and almost everything in mathemathics has a definite yes or no answer. I'd argue you could compare that precision to the society of 1984, where everything runs like a clock. Each day is relatively the same!

To Corinne:
I have to say, this is probably the most thorough analysis I have seen so far. Then again, your work is always top notch so I don't know why I'm surprised. Anyway, I remember hearing something about how Britain's economy died at one point and they needed to turn off electricity at specific times each day to make ends meet (somewhat). I'd have to check dates, but it was around the time the sterling lost it's status as the reserve currency.

To Katey:
Nicely done, linking the color to value. Everything seems so dull compared to those Big Brother posters which really stand out. Maybe that's the point The Party is trying to drive. Big Brother is more important than where you live or what you live in. Even though he might not exist, the deeper message is what he represents: loyalty to the party.

Monday, October 24, 2011

1984 - Journal #1

"The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and rag mats. At one end of it a colored poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine, and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. Big Brother Is Watching You, the caption beneath it ran." (Orwell 1)

Well, let's go through this one line at at time.

"The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and rag mats" is not only olfactory imagery. I interpreted the hallways as possible being humid because of the word 'boiled'.

"A colored poster too large for indoor display". This line does mention the word color, but not which ones. For the most part, the entire selection is devoid of vibrant colors making the world of 1984 seem bland.

"It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of a man of about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features."
Not exactly that massive of a poster. I don't know why, but I always thought of Stalin when I heard this description. I did some research, and it turns out Big Brother may have been based off a man name Herbert Kitchener. An Irish Earl who played an important part in World War One. He had recruitment posters that had his face on it, but said "Your Country Needs You!" written on them.

"It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week."
Hate Week? When I first started reading the book I was rather lost as to what this could mean. Winston almost expects you to understand all the terminology right away!

"The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine, and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way."
A varicose ulcer are wounds caused by increased pressure in veins due to malfunctioning venous valves. You get it because of bad circulation of blood. Reflection of Winston's hard work perhaps?

"On each landing opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. Big Brother Is Watching You, the caption beneath it ran."

The exact methods the Party uses to spy on everyone is mostly left unknown, but I think it's fair to say the posters are designed to constantly remind people that although the poster is not watching you (or maybe it is), something else probably is. At the same time, it can be interpreted a different way by characters in the novel. Maybe some of them like Big Brother and it comforts them to think someone is watching out for them all the time. Like a big brother!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

The Stranger - Journal #4

How in the world did I miss this one...

Anyway, here is what was going through my head the night before the group discussion:

“Then I felt like having a smoke. But I hesitated because I didn’t know if I could do it with Maman right there. I thought about it; it didn’t matter.” page 8

In the first part of the book, he has very few desires that he cannot achieve. Smoking, woman, sleep, food. As a result, the theory of the unconscious does not fully apply to him. Sure he can get hungry and the result would be him wanting to find food, but nothing that he wants is really barred from him in any way.

“I worked hard at the office today. The boss was nice. He asked me if I wasn’t too tired and he also wanted to know Maman’s age.” Page 25

“And, naturally, my boss thought about the fact that I’d be getting four days’ vacation that way, including Sunday, and he couldn’t have been happy about that” Page 19

Relaxed life. Plenty of vacation time and less work hours per week, but still very productive.

The Holocaust was a genocide program that killed six million european jews and millions of other people for different reasons.

“That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to” (page 41)

People could have stopped the Holocaust. Thus, indifference is a societal inhibition.

The Stranger - Cultural Journal Compiliation

I tracked Meursault's cigarettes throughout these first two chapters. They are all over the novel, but from the very beginning those cigarettes are being part of his character. Where ever he is, funeral or home, he is smoking.

"I drank the coffee,and then I wanted a cigarette. But I wasn’t sure if I should smoke, under the circumstances—in Mother’s presence. I thought it over; really, it didn’t seem to matter, so I offered the keeper a cigarette, and we both smoked." (7)

This passage develops Meursault's apathetic stance towards social norms, such as showing grief and respect at one's mother's funeral!

"I slept until ten. After that I stayed in bed until noon, smoking cigarettes."
His life seems rather boring. For two whole hours he smoked cigarettes. Either he was savoring them or chain smoking for 'entertainment'.

"The first few days were really tough. That may be the thing that was hardest for me. I would suck on chips of wood that I broke off my bed planks."

Meursault likes his cigarettes. Is it addiction or the sole fact that he is denied something he had as a free man? Probably a mixture of both.

"The policemen told me we had to wait for the judges and one of them offered me a cigarette, which I turned down"

I believe this is the last mention of cigarettes in the novel. I am probably mistaken, but another re-read will prove it. Anyway, ever after Meursault is offered a part of his free life back he rejects it. Indifference is quite the powerful little tool.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Stranger - Journal #6

1. I spend my days watching how the dwindling of color turns day into night.
2. What really counted was the possibility of escape, a leap to freedom, out of the implacable ritual, a wild run for it that would give whatever chance for hope there was.
3. But I think it was a mistake to even consider the possibility
4.It was a mistake to let myself get carried away by such imaginings.
5. But naturally, you can't always be reasonable
6. There were two other tings I was always thinking about: the dawn and my appeal.
7. And so I spent my nights waiting for that dawn.
8. All day long there was the thought of my appeal
9. I was lying down, and I could tell from the golden glow in the sky that evening was coming on.
10. I was pardoned.

The Stranger- Journal #5

There really is only one thing I noticed change upon reaching Part 2. Dialogue from characters began to grow longer.

In Part 1, Meursault would often describe what characters were saying rather then quoting them. In Part 2, he would quote very large amounts of what people said. Such as the Prosecutor and the Defense.

I see this is Meursault developing some level of interest in what people have to say (an exception being when he gets bored of listening to the prosecutor), mainly because a lot of it is directly affecting the future of his life, and much more complex in nature to summarize. Meursault likes keeping life simple, as evidenced by his acceptance of a court appointed judge, so it makes sense he would just repeat what others had to say compared to thinking about it and extracting meaning from it himself.

"and I do so with a heart at ease. For if in the course of what has been a long career I have ha occasion to call for the death penalty, never as strongly as today have I felt this painful duty made easier, lighter, clearer by the certain knowledge of a sacred imperative and by the horror I feel when I look into a man's face and all I see is a monster." (102)

Wow. Putting this through the sieve that is Meursault's mind would take away so much power and meaning from this statement.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

The Stranger - Journal #3

Defining the words is crucial in understanding them, so here we go

The Stranger:

Stranger: 1. A person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar
2. A person who does not know, or is not known in, a particular place or
community

Well, Meursault seems so open to us as readers, but how much do the characters actually know about him? I do not believe the second definition applies nearly as much, and I highly doubt he is unfamiliar with the community. He pays enough attention to know about Salamano after all. I'd say the purpose for naming this novel 'The Stranger' was to give off a sense of the unknown. This ties in with the 'absurdist' way of thinking we researched, where finding an answer to everything is impossible. If there is one, it isn't known and there might not be one. Who knows.

The Outsider:

Outsider: 1. A person who does not belong to a particular group.
2. A person not accepted by or isolated from society

I personally find this title to be more meaningful than the other two. I mentioned this in journal one, but Meursault is the guy who just doesn't fit in. He may take sides, but even then he's not really putting forth much of an effort to drive the principles in his mind. Meursault seems to be accepted by society, evidenced by the 'friendships' he develops in the first part of the story. The title of 'The Outsider' becomes much more significant in the second part of the novel.

The Foreigner:

Foreigner: 1. A person born in or coming from a country other than one's own.
2. A stranger or outsider

This is in interesting title, as it encompasses the other two. The first term really cannot be taken literally, but when I think of a foreigner I imagine a person with different beliefs, customs, mannerisms, languages etc. Again, someone who just doesn't fit in for one reason or another.

The Stranger - Journal #2

Minor Characters!

Thomas Perez:
This poor, old man represents what most sons would feel upon the death of their mothers. Seeing as Meursault does not feel that way, the inclusion of characters such as Thomas Perez serve as the 'grief' that Meursault should be feeling. Since he does not, the best alternative would be to describe how others felt. This also makes Meursault the guy that stands out in the group of funeral attendees. This plays a larger role later in the novel during the trial.

Meursault's Boss:
Not the nicest guy, seeing as he seemed rather upset Meursault was getting a four day holiday. But he obeys social norms such as offering condolences to the tragedy stricken party: Meursault!

Salamano:
The dog abuser! I find it interesting that Meursault believed that Salamano's treatment of the dog was not 'disgusting'. If beating, cursing at and other nasty things isn't 'disgusting', then what is 'bad' by Meursault's standards? Scary thought.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The Stranger - Journal #1

This is general than specific, but when Meursault comes across problems, usually minor, his best solution is to ignore it.

A Few Examples being:

" The rest of the flat was never used, so I didn’t trouble to look after it." (Camus 15)
Not so much a 'problem', but interesting that he would bother mentioning it. Then again, Meursault makes a habit of bringing minor details to light.

"So I fried some eggs and ate them off the pan. I did without bread as there wasn’t any left, and I couldn’t be bothered going down to buy it" (15)

Oh look, no bread left. Ah well, who needs bread when I have eggs! Not a problem anymore since I don't need bread!

"It struck me that I’d better see about some dinner. I had been leaning so long on
the back of my chair, looking down, that my neck hurt when I straightened myself
up. I went down, bought some bread and spaghetti, did my cooking, and ate my meal
standing" (17)

Yup, now I feel like having bread. Meursault just does things on a whim apparently.

I believe Camus made Meursault's personality bland as to eliminate biased thought processes. By not caring/taking sides, Meursault becomes "The Stranger", or the guy who just doesn't fit in. At times he does takes sides, such as with Raymond's situation(s) later in the novel, but even then he performs those favors without emotion. He falsely testified against someone who was beat up by Raymond!

I tracked Meursault's cigarettes throughout these first two chapters. They are all over the novel, but from the very beginning those cigarettes are being part of his character. Where ever he is, funeral or home, he is smoking.

"I drank the coffee,and then I wanted a cigarette. But I wasn’t sure if I should smoke, under the circumstances—in Mother’s presence. I thought it over; really, it didn’t seem to matter, so I offered the keeper a cigarette, and we both smoked." (7)

This passage develops Meursault's apathetic stance towards social norms, such as showing grief and respect at one's mother's funeral!

"I slept until ten. After that I stayed in bed until noon, smoking cigarettes."
His life seems rather boring. For two whole hours he smoked cigarettes. Either he was savoring them or chain smoking for 'entertainment'.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Final Journal

Themes
Love
Doubt
Intelligence


Motifs
Horizon
Trees
God
Sun
Birds
Guitar

Theme Statements
1. Intelligence is not limited to how well you can speak a language or how many facts you can regurgitate.
2. Love can mean completely different things to a person at different times in their lives.
3. Doubtful thoughts can be catalysts or obstructions in one's life.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal # 6

Outline

I. By not revealing the exact 'thing' that brought about Annie Taylor's death, Hurston is able to build upon the concept of a death brought about by waiting.

II. Janie is confident that even without Tea Cake, she is able to financially support herself and essentially continue to make the decisions that govern the direction of her life.

III. In the latter half of the second paragraph, Janie's prayer reveals that even though she is capable of forging yet another life by herself, she would very much rather keep the one she had at that moment.

IV. In the third paragraph Tea Cake embodies the sun making him the beginning, the end and the light that brightens Janie's life.

Purpose Statement:
This selection emphasizes Janie's ability to command her life. She was fully aware that starting yet another 'life' was an option she had, compared to other women in her time period who had no such luck, while at the same time was doubtful of whether or not it would be worth the effort.

"But it was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back" (Hurston 120)

This is probably one of the most critical lines in the passage. Janie doesn't see anything in her future without Tea Cake at her side. If that isn't character development then I don't know what is.

Comments:

To Kevin:
I like your third topic sentence, mainly because mine was relatively similar. Tea Cake does seem to be the bright and relaxed one of the two.

I do have a question about your second topic sentence though, how did you come to the conclusion that Janie dismissed her fears? I would have expected the third paragraph to not have ended with her on the floor. Perhaps you meant that it was an attempt? The relation you made between Janie and Annie's lives was nicely worded though.
Nicely done!

To Carmella:
I agree with your thesis entirely. I can relate with it after all.
I really like your fourth topic sentence, as Janie did progress through several stages before finally ending up on the floor with her head on the rocking chair. Broken down I'd say.

To Corinne:
Wow. I have to say that all of your analysis' are very well written!

The way you linked Janie's physical body to what she was thinking was an excellent connection I didn't think much of. Your second topic sentence was interesting as well. Hope and loss being experienced at the same time... strange concept but it works the way you describe it.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal # 5

Notes:
1. First sentence has assonance of the letter 'e'
2. Narrator seems a little informal. "She had waited all her life or something" even a little unsure.
3. Janie has money and controls that money herself. Interesting
4. Sudden switch from 3rd person to 1st person.
5. Mentions 'waiting' a few times
6. Personification of the sun
7. Tea Cake is Janie's motivation

Point of View:
3rd and 1st Mix

Characters:
Janie: worrying about Tea Cake
Tea Cake: not there
Annie Tyler: dead person

Passage:
Janie's begging of God makes me thing: Oh man is she worried. After all, she was thinking about someone who died due to the bad outcome of the situation Janie finds herself in. Scary almost. Tone wise, narrator seems a little bit unsure. The word 'something' implying a lack of or withholding of knowledge.

Analysis:
When I read about Janie beggin' the Lawd to have mersay, I can't help but imagine her actually speaking those words out loud, arms raised to the sky. Like a preacher of sorts. Dialect is key in letting me develop that scene in my head.

I think the switch from formal-informal-formal says something about what Janie is feeling too. One minute, she's just thinking things through. Then she goes all 'help me!', I'm broken down, then she goes formal again. Done begging, now I'm going to silently worry.

Reason for Passage:
Janie cares about Tea Cake. Genuinely. I don't think she grieved this hard when Jody died! I think the fact that she works up just because he might be in trouble is proof of her devotion to him.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal #4

So the Parson began to ruminate upon Hunger. Hunger, that insatiable beast with the deafening roars who nested in the stomach. The obnoxious one who resided at the very core of every being like the pit of a peach. What reason has Hunger to torment us, and what choice do we have but to submit? He sleeps silently in his open-ended chamber. Sleeping peacefully and passively all day with an ear raised, waiting for the mind to awaken him. Continually sleeping there from the very moment a new life begins. It could expect the tosses and turns of the awakening beast at any moment. Pitiful scavengers! They shouldn't have indulged the will of their monsters so rapidly. He commanded his right-wing avian to advise otherwise, but those scavengers disagreed. These birds perched patiently if they saw their meal was alive, but the fools didn't figure much more dangers past that. They'd be probably just fine right after they shut up the screams for attention within. They weren't gonna get sick. That was what he concluded. But his messenger saw it differently, so he understood. If they hadn't, the next dawn he was sure to know, because more of their kin would begin to flock in the trees above the world of those bound to the land. Kin who would not dare fly by in the past swooped down and stayed a distance away. Just perched on the trees and observed. Fear, that unmistakable cold, had penetrated their feathers.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal #3

The first thing I did when looking at Joe Starks was look up the meaning of his name.
Joe: He will enlarge
Starks: Strong
Right off the bat I can tell Hurston did not choose this name by mistake. Joe was responsible for the expansion of Eatonville. I will mention that the word 'stark' also means bare, but I chose the German name meaning since the funny thing is that he has very little to be strong with! Bare handed success.

At first, Joe was Janie's ticket out of the ruins of her dreams. A chance to start over with better circumstances. As time went on, he became a ball and chain that weighed her down and suppressed her personality. On a side note, in Asian countries the practice of binding trees from a young age as to force them to grow in abnormal, artistic forms is quite popular. If Janie was a tree, then Joe was forcing her to grow in what he felt was appropriate instead of letting her grow strong and tall.

I also looked into the point where the narrator began to refer to Joe as 'Jody'. It was very close to the final pages where he was alive. Apparently Jody is the feminine nickname for Joe, which comes from the name Joseph. Oh look, Joseph was in the Bible! You know what he became? The most powerful man in Egypt other than the Pharaoh himself. How convenient, a mayor is a position of power too is it not?

Hurston definitely chose each name in this story with care. The amount of connections that can be made has passed the level of 'coincidence'.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal #2

This journal is based on the last and first paragraph of page 46-47

Alliteration: "She slept with authority and so she was part of the town mind." Repetition of 's'.
Analysis: I relate the word 'authority' to almost 'royalty'. And then I think of kings and queens sitting in their thrones all rigid and blank faced. The repetitive 's' sound makes me think about how repetitive Janie's life is, being forced to sit or stand quietly.

Motif: "They murmured hotly about slavery being over, but every man filled his assignment."
Analysis: Like I mentioned in my last journal, nameless people pop up all over the book. I think it's quite interesting workers specifically popped up again. Also the word 'slavery' really makes me wonder. I thought about that relationship between the bossman and sitters earlier as possibly being slavery, but dismissed it at the time.

Foil: Joe Starks
Analysis: The second paragraph in my selection describes Joe as not being "imposing" or "a fist fighter". Although I think one of the most important things Hurston included was "Neither was it because he was more literate than the rest." When it comes to dialect, Joe sounds like just about every single other african american in the book. Yet why was it mentioned that he was more literate? While Jody is pretty much just the same as everyone else, he isn't part of that unnamed mass of people. He stands out and commands that mass.

Mood: Inspiring
Tone: Reflective

Purpose:
I think this section was a little bit of time for Janie to organize her thoughts and the difference between her and Joe. While she is not quite as involved in the community of Eatonville, Joe is. More importantly though, is what Hurston chose to say about Jody. Going back to our discussion about dialect and literacy, I think the point Hurston was attempting to drive followed along the lines of: "You don't need to speak perfect English to use it effectively."

Look at Jody! Not intimidating, not violent, speaks just like everyone else and ends up being the Mayor! Perhaps Hurston was also trying to show that personality is just as important as brains.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Journal #1

I have to say, I really like this book. The dialect is fun to work with and the topic of this entry, figurative language, is really nice to think about.

First "Point"
I think the sitters were workers, my reasoning stemming from "Mules and brutes had occupied their skins" (Hurston 1) relating the sitters to beasts of burden. Further reinforcing my belief that those individuals were workers, is the meaning I can derive from the sentence directly proceeding the one I just mentioned. Being "tongueless, earless, eyeless" (1) can be seen as meaning that laborers do not need to say, hear or see anything unrelated to their tasks. Now that they are off work, evidenced by "the sun and the bossman were gone" (1), they become "lords of sounds and lesser things" (1) and free to speak their mind. I think this is an excellent way to categorize the many unnamed people who make judgments about Janie throughout the novel.

I wonder why Hurston chose to make these sitters/workers only 'masters' of "sounds and lesser things". Lesser things being the more peculiar of the two. Why can't they be masters of more than that? Does this have to do with a sense of low social status? Also, why use such gruesome imagery when the words 'mute, deaf and blind' would work?

Second "Point"
One of my favorite instances of figurative language is used to describe the thought process of the sitters directly before they begin chattering about Janie. Thoughts in the back of one's mind are generally there to be ignored right? You probably wouldn't want to go around telling the world about what's back there either. But at that moment in the story, those people "chewed up the back parts of their minds and swallowed with relish" (2) Well for one, thank goodness this wasn't literal. I'd puke. I see the concept of "chewing" in this context to possibly mean 'enjoy' or 'think about'. It was mentioned that "envy they stored up from other times" was the thing in the far recess of their minds. Probably should have mentioned that first, but it evokes a 'evil' sort of personality for those sitters.

Now then, why write an entire paragraph when it would be simple enough to say that those people were harboring ill thoughts and made voice of them? This is quite similar to what I ask myself when confronted with figurative language anytime in this story: "Why go the the trouble?". My belief is that perhaps Hurston is trying to turn us (readers) against those people in the background right from the start. They're apparently 'evil' after all. Also worth mentioning, is why does the author use "from other times" when we haven't actually seen those "other times" yet? That's a question about the story chronology though, and I won't go too much into that crazy deep topic. Finally, why does Hurston have a fascination with using grisly imagery to describe things? Style? Or are all those 'gross' moments supposed to be a motif of sorts?

Third "Point"
"Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman." (Hurston 25)
I thought this single sentence was powerful enough to deserve a line of its own, and italics for that matter! The death of Janie's dream (nice personification) refers to the way she saw love. The sentence directly preceding this even says "She knew now that marriage did not make love." (25). On to the second half of the sentence, "so she became a woman" obviously cannot be taken literally. Unless for some reason the author decided Janie was actually a man and... forget it, let's not go there because I think I've made my point. This takes some serious thought. Culturally, the transition between childhood and manhood/womanhood is an incredibly important ritual: also known as 'coming of age' (which happens to be used quite often in stories). I think this is what Hurston was going for. However, the only way to fully appreciate this line is by referring back to the second paragraph of the first chapter. "Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly." Oh the connections I could make with this... In a nutshell, Hurston is a genius. On a more serious note, Hurston marked a momentous change in Janie. What that is? It's up for interpretation beyond the 'oh she grew up' idea.

Why did Hurston add 'first' to the sentence? It would come across as being much more despairing without that one word, giving the idea of it being her only dream. At the same time, the word 'first' is ominous. Does this mean she will have more dreams and that those will be destroyed as well? Now that I think about it, maybe the inclusion of 'first' was a good call. The idea of being crushed over and over is rather depressing. Finally, since Janie's dream is gone, does that mean that her "truth" is gone and therefore she has lost her ability to "act and do things accordingly" e.g she is without a path in life?

Yikes, this book is amazing.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

1-18-11 Confucius

Confucius lived in ancient China when the Imperial ruling system had begun to crumble. He was of noble descent, but grew up in poverty because his family lost all their money. He taught his beliefs towards social relationships, morality and justice to disciples. Later, these beliefs became known as Confucianism. His goal was to build a "great, harmonious and humanistic society".