Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Journal #13 – Edgar Lee Masters Epitaphs (p. 502)

Read “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” and answer the following questions.

1. What object symbolizes George Gray’s life? How is this object representative of him?

The object that symbolizes George Gray’s life is a sailboat. The furled sail is at rest in the harbor. The furled sail does not symbolize that his journey came to an end, yet it symbolizes how Gray spent his life in fear. “Life” offered him love, sorrow, ambition, and meaning. He shrank from the offer of love. He was afraid to answer the door when sorrow knocked. He dreaded his own chances of being successful when ambition was offered to him. He never let life lead him on a journey like the wind that was capable of carrying the the sails of his boat out of the harbor and to a destination. He realizes that now he is dead, he should have let down his sails and let their desire carry him where they wished. Life without meaning is torture. Gray should have not been afraid of his boat of life, longing for the sea.


2. How was Lucinda Matlock’s life different than George Gray’s? How do you interepret the last line of the poem?

Lucinda’s life is different from Gray’s in the sense the Gray feels regretful that he did not live his life to the fullest. Lucinda’s epitaph opens with her dancing. This symbolizes happy, celebratory life. She is not complaining because she has lived a full life. She lived to be 96, which is definitely a full life. The other voices she hears from her grave in the graveyard, like the voice of Gray’s, are sad and sorrowful. She offers her perception of life, saying you must live a little in order to love every aspect of life. It takes energy, vitality, and eagerness in order to enjoy the many blessings and activites life offers. Gray’s life is seen as lifeless, and there is a great lack of motion. He has no courage compared to Matlock, who lived a life full of nurturing, adventure, shouting and singing. Matlock knew what it was like to be in love and had other loving people around her. Gray’s life was loveless. Life is more rewarding if lived in the way that Matlock had lived.


3. How are “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” examples of realism?

George Gray is an example of realism because his story was a common thing among humanity. He is a simple tragic character that makes several mistakes and lives life in caution like many other people. He searched for the meaning of life but never did anything extraordinary because he was too afraid. Gray died knowing what he did wrong in life. He never took a chance and did not live his life to the fullest. His reality was boring and unexciting. Lucinda is an example of realism because she lived life to the fullest. She experienced happiness and sadness, like any other normal person. Her life was easy, and normal. At her death, she had no regrets because she lived a life or normality and delight. Realistically, she was happy with her normal life. Gray and Matlock’s lives were both lived realistically.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Journal #12: “Young Goodman Brown”

1. “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory (symbolic narrative). What do the following represent?

Young Goodman Brown – Young Goodman Brown represents good and evil. Faith is what he tries to follow, but evil tempts him to leave his faith. He is an innocent man, tempted with evil.


Faith – Faith is Brown’s spiritual beliefs. In the story, several people are in danger of losing their faith. Faith is like a light. The forest is like darkness. People leave the light to go to into darkness. Brown is fearful of losing his wife to the darkness.


The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – The Traveler is most likely the devil. He is the evil component of the story, tempting others and inflicting evil upon others.


Goody Cloyse – Goody Cloyse is the representation of a fake persona. It is like a fallen angel. They fake being a good person, when in reality they are evil.


The Ceremony – The Ceremony is a Baptismal ceremony. It represents going from good faith to evil. It is the renewal of faith in the devil.


The Pink Ribbon – The Pink Ribbon represents purity. When the ribbon gets left behind and he finds it, Brown loses hope in ever having his pure wife back.


Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – His journey represents the fall of man. It represents how a man of good faith is not perfect. He is tempted just like everyone else. Nobody is perfect and sometimes temptation is too hard to resist.



2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:

Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish
Sin/Fall of Man Humanity is not perfect Plot/Conflict


In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.

- “My Faith is gone!” cried he, after one stupefied moment. ‘There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is the world given’”(6).
- “The road grew wilder and drearier and more faintly traced, and vanished at length, leaving him in the heart of the dark wilderness, still rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil” (6)
- “Depending upon one another’s hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived……

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Journal #11 - Selections from Walden


Write a summary of the following selections and identify a direct quote that you feel best expresses its main idea.

“Where I Lived and What I Lived For” (232)

Thoreau has too many possessions in life. He believes that humans are advancing too fast, and advancement is taking over life. Technology corrupts us. The reason Thoreau lives in the cabin is to revert back to the simplier things in life. Railroads, like technology, are supposed to improve us, yet they ride on our backs.
This excerpt talks about the necessity of simplicity in our lives and how living a life with too many possessions is.


Quote: “Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity”
“We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us.”


“Sounds” (234)

Walden talks about all the sounds he heard while actually listening to the world. He loved to just sit out without doing working or seeing anyone and just being peaceful. He was able to stop his life for a little bit and just take a step back from his busy life. He loves life and thinks its an adventure. He doesn’t think nature is a waste of time and its wonderful to sit their and just listen to the sounds.

Quote: “it was morning, and lo, now it is evening, and nothing memorable is accomplished.”


“Brute Neighbors” (235)

A red ant was fighting a black ant that was half an inch longer. They were wrestling with each other and it look not like a duel but a war. It was between two raises of ants (red and black). The black were so big it was frequently found that two red ants equaled one black. The red ants stood for republicans and black ants stand for imperialists. Then a red ant came to the full of excitement. He could see the unfair battle but he charged ready to fight. He ripped the body parts out of the black ant that was nearly twice his size. The man witnessing it was excited to see the minority party that the red ant was representing coming back. The man never found out which party won nor the cause of the war but he was excited to witness the battle before his door.

Quote: “I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that it was not a duellium, but a bellum, a war between two races of ants, the red always pitted ones to one black” ……. “It was the only battle which I have ever witnessed, the only battlefield I ever trod while the battle was raging; internecine war; the red republicans on the one, and the black imperialists on the other.”


“The Pond in Winter” (237)

Nature, in which all creatures live and flourish, offers no questions. It only gives the answer of pure beauty. Humans do not have to ask Mother Nature to provide wonder and awe, she just shows her true colors through the earth and animals. A pond in winter is beautiful because of its ability to be peaceful, yet underneath the sheet of ice, its orginial life and beauty is still preserved through all seasons of the year. Life is beautiful through any kind of weather. Just because you cannot see something on the surface, the world is still thriving.

Quote: “Heaven is under our feet as well as over our head” pg. 237


“Spring” (238)

It is talking about the beginning of Spring, and what Walden goes through in the beginning of Spring. It looks majestic and alive and beholds a great summer ahead. The geese are circling it, and different animals are coming alive. He is saying that Walden is like the beginning of new life with great chaos in it. It’s a time of new beginnings and happiness. Each Spring is like the creation of the world. Spring is a symbol of rebirth.

Quote:
“As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is life the creaytion of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.”