Frankenstein: Slave

       In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Victor becomes a slave to his work.  This is a common theme with an underlying theme that Victor never asked "should I be doing this"?  Because Victor becomes a slave to his work, the role of creator and master is also flipped.  The creature has control of Victor's life.  Also Victor became so engrossed with his original attempts and creating let his physical and mental health decline.  This was probably a factor in him becoming ill after the monster was originally created.  Victor focuses on whether he can create life or not.  He never thinks about whether he "should" be creating life.  The creature even says, " 'Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension.  Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you.  You are my creator, but I am you master--obey'!"  (Shelley, 122).  The creature has to tell Victor that he has been engrossed in his work and that it is not always the bright side.

Frankenstein: Health

       In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Victor's health is very fragile.  He has very varying times of healthiness and sickness.  One psychological aspect of Victor's illnesses stem from seeing the creature.  When he first creates the creature he becomes sick and when he sees the creature again while creating the female he becomes sick.  Victor has a very fragile psychological side. He is easily distraught and caused to become very sick.  Once he saw the hand marks on Henry Clerval's neck he knew who the killer was and then he became ill once again.  Victor says, " 'The human frame could no longer support the agonies that I endured, and I was carried out of the room in strong convulsions'," (Shelley, 129).  This is Victor admitting his fragile health state.  This theme of mental health is carried throughout the book by Victor becoming sick at very shocking moments.

Frankenstein: Characters/Frame Stories

       In Frankenstein Mary Shelley uses the characterization of some characters to tell the story of others.  The use of Safie's background helps explain why the creature has so much hope in the possibility of the cottagers accepting him and how he became so literate and articulate.  Safie's background frame story also explains why she is at the cottage.  Because Felix saves Safie's father, her father promises Safie to Felix.  This is why Safie eventually comes to the cottage.  Because she cannot speak the language, Felix and his sister and father teach Safie how to speak French and write.  This is why the creature learned to talk.  Also since the family was accepting someone different from themselves, the creature felt hope that they might accept him too, since he is so different.  " 'My days were spent in close attention, that I might more speedily master the language; and I may boast that I improved more rapidly than the Arabian...' " (Shelley, 84).  The monster was describing his learning experiences to Victor in this scene.  He was able to learn because of Safie coming.  Shelley gives the reader this information through Safie and the DeLacey's frame story.

Frankenstein: Parallelism of Victor and Creature's Lives

       In Shelley's novel Frankenstein, Victor and the creature have very parallel lives and emotions.  When Victor became sick the first time in the late fall and winter of the first year of the creature's life, the creature was struggling to find shelter and food.  While the creature is making plans to talk to the cottagers and when he is learning a great deal, Victor is recovering from his illness and getting his life back together.  He tries to go back home but is unable to do so because of the weather.  At the same time the creature is getting ready to talk to the cottagers and then he does and his plan fails.  Both characters experience excitement  and happiness at the same time.  " '...he dashed me to the ground and struck me violently with a stick.  I could have torn him limb from limb, as the lion rends the antelope.  But my heart sunk within me as with bitter sickness, and I refrained'," (Shelley, 97).  This quote is the creature describing what happened when the cottagers started attacking.  The creature is in distress because he was rejected once again.  He feels lonely and upset.  Victor also feels lonely and upset because he cannot see his family.

Frankenstein: Knowledge

       In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, knowledge has a significant role in not only the development of characters but also thematic topics as well.  The creature learns all he knows from books and through observing the cottagers.  Through this type of learning he learns how to read, write, and speak the language.  Although the more the creature knows the more miserable he becomes.  He learns how different he is from humans and the more he then hates his life.  He eventually learns that humanity cannot love him.  " '...but I was wretched, helpless, and alone.  Many Times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me'," (Shelley, 92).  This was said by the creature when he was still observing the cottagers and learning through books.  The more he learned about the cottagers and about humanity, the more he hated himself and wanted to be human.  The knowledge the creature attains makes him very unhappy with his life.

Frankenstein: Imagery

        Mary Shelley actively uses imagery throughout her well-known novel Frankenstein.  She uses imagery to make the reader see exactly what she meant for them to imagine.  Shelley uses imagery to her advantage when describing new areas and scenes and when describing the creation of the monster.  One spot in particular where Shelley uses imagery is when Frankenstein reaches a new area on his journey.  He describes it as this, "The abrupt sides of vast mountains were before me; the icy wall of the glacier overhung me; a few shattered pines were scattered around; and the solemn silence of this glorious presence-chamber of imperial Nature was broken only by the brawling waves or the fall of some vast fragment..." (Shelley, 66).  This vivid imagery paints a distinct picture for the reader.  It helps the reader see the mountains and valleys through Frankenstein's eyes and experience what he did.

Frankenstein: Diction

       Mary Shelley uses a definite type of diction in her novel Frankenstein.  She uses a high level of vocabulary and is subtle when revealing new items of information.  She uses the language of her time, and the time the story was written.  This language is very formal, although her novel is still easily understood.  The monster especially communicates in heightened language.  He does this more so than some of the other characters.  The monster talks as if from another time.  " 'Thus I relieve thee, my creator,' he said, and placed his hated hands before my eyes, which I flung from me with violence; 'this I take from thee a sight which you abhor'," (Shelley, 70).  The creature talks in a more formal language than Frankenstein and seems to have learned this speech from reading Shakespeare or other literary works.  Shelley uses this diction to describe in detail the scenes.

Frankenstein: Text vs. Folklore

       Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has influenced many scary stories, movies, books, and ideas with her novel.  There are many myths about the creature Frankenstein created.  Probably the biggest is the thought that Frankenstein was the monster's name.  Frankenstein was actually the creator's name.  Many people believe that the monster was green, had scars and stitches, had a square head, had bolts coming out of his head, and had some human characteristics.  In reality Frankenstein described the monster as, "...yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of pearly whiteness...his shriveled complexion and straight black lips," (Shelley,35).  This excerpt describes the physical aspects of the monster.  Another folklore aspect of the monster is that he had no emotions; in the original story he had very human emotions and desires, such as companionship and acceptance.  In the movies the creator is depicted as an evil scientist who screams "It's alive!" at the creation of the monster.  In the original, Frankenstein is appalled and disgusted with his creation and fears anyone finding out.  Mary Shelley's novel influenced many different mediums.

Frankenstein: Frame Stories

       In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the use of various literary techniques is a very prominent feature throughout the novel.  One very influencing technique is the use of frame stories.  Shelley specifically uses this with three characters to separate their lives and tales.  Frankenstein tells his story to Walton creating a story within the situation of Frankenstein being on Walton's ship.  Frankenstein says, "...that he would commence his narrative the next day..." (Shelley, 13).  He thus tells Walton the stories of his misfortunes.  Later in the novel the creature tells his life story, so far, to Frankenstein.  He does this so Frankenstein may choose whether to kill the creature or to do his duty for him as his creator.  Shelley uses frame stories to further enhance her writing.

Frankenstein: Knowledge(Theme)

       In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, she uses several different topics as themes to characterize the characters and help explain why they do certain things.  One significant topic she uses is that of knowledge.  The acquiring of knowledge is the main connection between the main characters in the novel.  Those characters thus far being Victor Frankenstein, the creature, and Robert Walton.  They all search and long for knowledge.  Robert Walton searches for the knowledge of the workings of the compass and a safe passage to the North Pole.  Frankenstein searched for the knowledge of the secret of life.  "A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me," (Shelley, 32).  Frankenstein confided this to Walton when telling the story of his fate.  The Creature itself is learning how to be more human-like.  It is teaching itself how to talk and behave like a human.  There is an arcing of the thirst for knowledge throughout the novel thus-far.

"APO 96225" by Larry Rottman: Irony

       In Larry Rottman's "APO 96225" he uses irony as the main literary tool in the poem.  At first the mother understands that everything is not great in her son's life and begs him to tell her the truth.  After he tells her the truth the father tells him not to tell his mother things that would upset her.  The letter that upset the man's mother said this, " 'Today I killed a man.  Yesterday, I helped drop napalm on women and children," (Rottman, 846).  The mother getting upset exemplifies the fact that sometimes ignorance is bliss.  Sometimes it is better to not know the truth than to find out how horrible it is.  This irony is used to show the man's loneliness and his lack of support.  It also shows american viewpoint on the Vietnam war.  This viewpoint was that it was unnecessary and that the troops should be brought back home.  

"Much Madness is divinest Sense" by Emily Dickinson: Paradox

       In the poem, "Much Madness is divinest Sense" by Emily Dickinson,  there is a large paradox.  This paradox is stated at the beginning of the poem, but it takes over the entirety of the poem.  The "discerning Eye" (Dickinson, 830) is the person who is intelligent and who pays close attention to details.  This type of person sees insanity as good sense.  But the speaker says that the majority believes that good sense is insane and unattainable.  Dickinson juxtaposes these two ideas to make a point and to tell the reader what she thinks.  Dickinson agrees with the first statement.  She puts emphasis on this paradox throughout the poem and especially the importance of the first statement.  Dickinson says the majority believes the latter statement.  She also juxtaposes assent and demur at the end of the poem.

"I felt a Funeral, in my Brain" by Emily Dickinson: Questions 2&3/Symbolism

       In Emily Dickinson's poem, "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain", the speaker uses symbolism to convey his or her feelings.  The speaker uses the aspects of a funeral and burial to help convey his or her emotions.  In the first stanza the people are coming or arriving at the speaker's funeral.  The second stanza symbolizes the service and the solemn tone of it.  The third stanza represents the pall bearers leading the casket out of the church or area.  In the fourth stanza the funeral procession bells ring and the casket is taken to another place.  In the last stanza the casket is lowered into the ground.  This can be deciphered by looking at the line "And I dropped down, and down-- And I hit a World, at every plunge..." (Dickinson, 776).  In the first three stanzas the speaker is most likely in a casket in a funeral home or church, imaginatively.

"Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield: Question 7/Characterization

       In Katherine Mansfield's short story "Miss Brill", the main character's, Miss Brill's, fur plays a significant role in the characterization of Miss Brill herself.  She talks to the fur and treats it as if it is human or an alive pet.  The fur seems to be her closest and dearest friend.  This causes the reader to believe that Miss Brill is actually very lonely.  She seems to have a very close connection and attachment to the fur, similar to this line, " She could have taken it off and laid it on her lap and stroked it," (Mansfield).  This intimates a very close bond between Miss Brill and the fur.  The meaning of the final sentence, "But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying," (Mansfield, 186) shows that Miss Brill truly believes that the fur is alive and has human qualities.  This makes her a very lonely person, if the only friend she really has is her fur.

"Bartleby, the Scrivener" by Herman Melville: Theme

       In Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener" the main theme is the effect of doing what is easiest.  Bartleby certainly does this by just responding, " 'I would prefer not to...' " (Melville, 650).   A number of reasons are possible for this ridiculous response.  Whether he is depressed, has O.C.D., or has autism, Bartleby certainly takes the easy way out when it comes to his work.  He simply refuses to do what he is told because that is the easier than actually doing it.  The lawyer then does the easier thing by leaving Bartleby alone and not pursuing him further.  Bartleby's preference for taking the easy way out illuminates the lawyer's silent preference for doing things the easy way.  In turn, the story is not about Bartleby, it is actually about the lawyer.  This is because the lawyer, who is also the narrator, realizes his own laziness through his experiences with Bartleby.  The theme of this story is the laziness or preference of doing things the easy way.

"Death, be not proud" by John Donne: Question 2

       In this short story by John Donne, "Death, be not proud," it is telling death to not to somewhere.  Death should not be proud because "...poppy or charms can make us sleep as well," (Donne, 972).  This insults death saying that other things help the speaker sleep just as well.  The speaker is also saying that this is better than strokes also.  His reasons are also that people do not want to die.  He also tells death not to be proud of the people that have died.  The author is consistent in his reasoning.  He is also logical and persuasive.  He states that no one likes death and that even himself cannot die.  The use of the phrase bones make the diction and organization also not favorable making death not favorable.

"Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas: Repetition

       There is definite repetition in this short story, "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas.  The rhyming order for this poem is ABA.  It repeats ABA, ABA, ABA...  Also the very last stanza ending the poem is ABAA.  Also another significant repetition is the repetition of the phrase, "Do not go gentle into that good night," and "Rage, Rage against the dying of life," (Thomas, 968).  This sequence encourages the reader to not give up and to not die easily, but to put up a fight.  He describes the emotions one may feel right before death.  For example he says that good men will be angry right before they die.  This is because their life is ending sooner than expected.  The repetition highlights important parts of the poem and gives the poem different meanings and purposes.

"That time of year" by William Shakespeare: Question 4

       In William Shakespeare's "That time of year," he is addressing his lover or someone who loves him and he also loves.  The reader can tell that he is speaking to a loved one because of mainly this line, "This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong," (Shakespeare, 967). The reader can identify that he is talking to a loved one because he says that the fact that he is dying will make he or she love him more.  In the last couplet the speaker asserts with confidence that since he is dying his loved one will love him more since he will not be around much longer.  He says this very confidently.  The speaker says this confidently because earlier in the poem he describes his dying.  Since the speaker is addressing a loved one he is not as harsh with his descriptions of death.  He uses a gentler route to describe his meaning.

"A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner: Point of View

       In William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily," the speaker is not just one person.  The point of view is actually first person plural.  The town narrates the story.  This limits the reader to only knowing what the town knows which is mainly based on gossip and a little bit on actual experiences with Emily.  She is a seriously psychotic woman, but we do not know much absolute fact about her.  There is lots of evidence that Emily murdered Homer and that she slept next to him multiple times.  Although there is no concrete evidence, such as Emily telling a character of the reader but the evidence against Emily is enough to convince the reader of her criminal behaviors.  A place where the first person plural is seen is here, "We did not say she was crazy then," (Faulkner, 285).  The first person plural greatly impacts the story.  Its use distances Emily and the community.

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson: Question 4

       "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, is the story of a town and the town's traditions.  Specifically the tradition of the lottery.  This tradition is not the regular lottery modern societies have today.  This lottery helps choose one person to be stoned.  The significance of the fact that the original box has been lost and many parts of the ritual have been forgotten is that the town is blindly following tradition without knowing why.  Also this short story is a warning against blindly following tradition.  On page 268 Old Man Warner states this old saying, " 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.' "  This strongly suggests that the reason for the lottery was a "sacrifice" so there would follow a fruitful harvest.  Most of the villagers are not even aware that this was the original reason for the lottery.  This short story strongly warns against blindly following tradition by using an extreme example such as this.

The Glass Menagerie: Internal Conflicts

     In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, there are internal conflicts in all of the characters.  Williams does this so they each have their own personal struggle.  Amanda's, specifically, cannot particularly be changed.  The parts that can still be influenced are that she wants the best for her children and she wants them to be successful.  This shows through her push of getting Laura to her typewriter class and strongly suggesting that Tom should go to night school.  What she cannot change is her failed marriage.  She cannot change the fact that her husband left her.  She tries to cope with this by recreating her courting days with Laura.  Amanda says, " 'This is the dress in which I led the cotillion.  Won the cakewalk twice at Sunset Hill, wore one spring to the Governor's Ball in Jackson!  See how I sashayed around the ballroom, Laura'?" (Williams, 1263-1264).  Amanda puts her old courting dress back on to feel young again and to pretend that her life is not over.

The Glass Menagerie: Characterization

     In Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie, the characterization of the characters is very important.  Williams characterizes each character differently.  Amanda is controlling and very dramatic.  She is upset with her failed marriage and tries to relive her life through her children's lives.  This is shown when she dresses up in her old dress from her courting days.  Williams characterizes them through their actions.  Tom has big dreams and wants adventure in his life.  He also does not like the structure of society and he wants freedom.  This is shown when he talks to Jim about wanting an adventure and when he talks about how he wants to be like his father.  Laura is crippled and very shy.  She becomes very anxious about other people and hardly comes outside.  Her fragility is shown through her fixation on her glass menagerie.  She yells, " 'My glass!' " when Tom accidently breaks a few pieces (Williams, 1248).

The Glass Menagerie: Symbolism

     In Tennessee Williams' play, The Glass Menagerie, he uses symbolism between Laura and the glass menagerie.  Laura is a very awkward person and finds comfort in her glass menagerie.  She is also very shy but feels she can be open with the glass statues.  She talks as if they are alive and personifies them as humans.  When talking to Jim she says, " 'Go on, I trust you with him!  There now-- you're holding him gently!  Hold him over the light, he loves the light!' " (Williams, 1281).  Here Laura refers to the glass unicorn as if the statue has feelings and is alive with human characteristics.  The glass in the menagerie is very fragile and breaks if the shelf is shaken a little.  Laura is like the glass menagerie because she too is very fragile and  cannot handle things that cause a little anxiety, or that "shake" her.  Therefore there is a symbolic relationship between Laura and her fixation with the glass menagerie and the glass menagerie itself.

The Glass Menagerie: Tom's Diction

     Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie uses a narrator to create a nonrealistic play and to give insight not only into Tom's life but into the entire family's as well.  His language or diction as a narrator and as a character differ throughout the play.  As a narrator Tom talks in first person but also in the past tense.  This helps him to retell the story as he remembers it.  When Tom is functioning as a character, he also talks in first person but he talks in the present; it is almost as if the audience is seeing the memory happen again.  An example of Tom talking as the narrator occurs at the beginning of the play in his opening monologue.

" 'Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve.  But I am the opposite of a stage magician.  He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth.  I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion'," (Williams,1236).

 Also as the narrator Tom speaks more eloquently and fluidly.  He also speaks directly to the audience.

" 'I haven't enjoyed one bite of this dinner because of your constant directions on how to eat it'," (Williams, 1237).

Here as himself the character, Tom speaks to the other characters and speaks more colloquially.  In this particular scene Tom is speaking to his mother Amanda.

The Glass Menagerie: Nonrealistic/Memory Play

     In Tennessee Williams' play The Glass Menagerie, Tom narrates the story and describes the play as nonrealistic and a memory play.  Being the narrator the play is from Tom's perspective; the play consists of his memories.  This being the case the reader must remember that the person remembering may forget details, or exaggerate dome events.  Tom remembers his mother as being very forceful, demanding, and controlling.  One example of the play being nonrealistic is in the opening scene.  In the stage directions Williams states, "AMANDA and LAURA are seated at a drop-leaf table.  Eating is indicated by gestures without food or utensils," (Williams, 1237).  Here Williams does not have Amanda and Laura using real food or utensils they are pretending or mimicking the motion of eating.  This is nonrealistic because when people it they actually eat food and use utensils.  In a realistic play Amanda and Laura would have been eating real food with real utensils.  This detail illuminates the memory play aspect.  Tom does not recall what they were eating, and he does not find it significant to the story or his memory.

"Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden

     "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden reflects on a man's regrets to previously have thanked his father.  The images in the poem greatly affect the way the reader interprets the poem.  The author uses the images to give the reader a clearer view of the reader's life and father.  One image is  "...blueblack cold..." and another is "...with cracked hands that ached..." (Hayden, 781).  The images give the reader a closer look on what the father did for the boy without any credit at all.  The author regrets the fact that he never thanked his father for all of the hard work he did for him.  The author communicates this through the images.  The dad has unconditional love for his son.  The father made fires and warmed the room before he woke up his son and throughout the winter worked very hard to support his son.  The poem is a way for the author to thank his father for all the things that seemed to go unthanked.

"The Joy of Cooking" by Elaine Magarrell

     The speaker in "The Joy of Cooking" by Elaine Magarrell, discusses her siblings more than her actual brother and sister.  The poem is actually not about cooking at all, at least in the domestic sense.  Magarrell uses imagery to profess her opinions about her siblings.  She believes that her sister talks too much and her brother is not generous and kind.  She disguises these beliefs in the her poem.  She describes her sister as a "tongue" and her bother's heart as, "...and needs an apple-onion stuffing to make it interesting at all," (Magarrell).  She points out what she believes to be their flaws through the images.  The image of the talking promotes a gross or disgusting view of her talking.  The firm and dry heart reference gives a negative outlook on her brother.  She may have disguised these traits in the poems to avoid telling her siblings what she really thinks about them.

"The Drunkard" by Frank O'Connor

     There is a very significant irony in the short story "The Drunkard" by Frank O'Connor.  The principal irony is that the mom is happy that her child is drunk because he prevented his father from drinking because there was no beer left to drink.  This is ironic because most parents would be mortified if there kids had been drinking let alone drunk.  But, the mother in this story says, " 'My brave little man!' she said with her eyes shining.  'It was God did it you were there.  You were his guardian angel,' " (O'Connor, 351).  The mother praises her child for drinking the alcohol she forced him to drink.  Although she stopped her husband from drinking, she forced her son to drink.  She may have also caused her son to think that it's okay to drink excessively.  Another irony in this short story is that the child has an insight to the adult world and points out a large flaw in it.  The child says that beer doesn't even taste good.  This illuminates the fact that his father drinks for the feeling not the taste.  The child pointed out this fallacy and realizes it is wrong when the adults could not.

"Once Upon a Time" by Nadine Gordimer

     In the short story, "Once Upon a Time" by Nadine Gordimer, syntax and diction are used to create a fairy tale atmosphere.  Gordimer tells the tale like a story.  Here she uses the fairy tale like details to tell the story.  "In a house, in a suburb, in a city, there were a man and his wife who loved each other very much and were living happily ever after," (Gordimer, 233).  She uses a child-like tone to tell the story.  Gordimer writes short, broken up sentences to emphasize the "fairy taleness" of her bed-time story.  The syntax also helps to build up the story to the climax and to lead the reader to believe that something bad was going to happen.  As they built more security measures for their home, the story became more like a fairy tale.  This finally lead to the story not sounding like a fairy tale anymore when the kid got caught in the barbed-wire.

"A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty

     The theme of "A Worn Path" by Eudora Welty is the great love one can have for another.  The grandmother, Phoenix, has an immense love for her grandson.  She never stops loving him.  There is some suspicion as to whether the grandson is still alive or not.  But, this does not matter.  Her grandson is a huge part of her life and so it is irrelevant whether he is dead or not.  Her love for him is what keeps her alive and the trips she make keep her living.  She says, " 'I bound to go on my way, mister,' " (Welty, 227).  Phoenix is determined and motivated by her love to help her grandson.  The theme of the short story is emulated through Phoenx's love for her grandson.

A Raisin in the Sun: Climax

     The climax in the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, occurred when Bobo informed Walter that Willy took all of their money and ran off.  This is when the family has hit its lowest point.  The family was very distraught at the loss of this money. Walter is so embarrassed and upset with himself he says, " 'Mama... I never... went to the bank at all...' " (Hansberry, 518).  Walter is very ashamed of his actions and that someone he thought was a close friend turned out only to be a crook.  Money is a large part of Walter's life, and when he loses so much of it he forgets what is really important.  What is really important to him to me is his family and cousins and aunts and uncles.  At this point in the play, the situations can only get better.  Nothing that happens could put the family in greater danger.  Especially if there is another child on the way and Travis is still a young boy.

A Raisin in the Sun: Diction: throughout

     Throughout the play A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry gives the reader clues as to how each character is similar to a real person.  Hansberry does this to show how educated and smart children feel is nervousness.  She does this through the diction she had her characters use.  In Act I Scene 1 Walter says, " 'That's what you mad about, ain't it?' " (Hansberry, 438).  The diction in this conversation seems to emulate qualities of African Americans.  The way Walter talks is very African-American.  All of the family members and the African-Americans in the play talked with a slight southern draw and informal speech.  This is notable by the language Hansberry used.  She uses the words ain't and man for her characters because they are not very educated and are talking informally throughout the play.  Hansberry crafts the diction to express the characteristics of the family.

A Raisin in the Sun: Q. 6: symbolism

     In A Raisin in the Sun, Mama's plant is very important to the progression to the plot.  During the entire play, Mama takes care of that plant the best she can.  The plant symbolizes the family and they have a correlating relationship throughout the play.  As the plant loses more sunlight and wilts more, the family itself struggles to keep their bond and not hate each other.  The family is growing in disgust and the disgust is what is killing the plant.  At the very end of the play, Mama takes the plant with her to the new house, "The door opens and she comes back in, grabs her plant, and goes out for the last time," (Hansberry, 535).  Here as Mama leaves the old house she brings the plant with her to the new house.  The plant is a symbol of hope.  The less hope the family has the worse the plant looks and vice-versa.  The symbolizes the family's only chance to reach their dreams and live in a better environment.

A Raisin in the Sun: Q. 4

     In Act I Scene 2 of A Raisin in the Sun, Ruth discovers that she is pregnant for the second time.  At this news she is worried for her family and strongly considers an abortion.  She would not ordinarily have gotten an abortion, but she felt pressured to because her family was falling apart and another child was not going to help the situation.  After becoming furious with Walter Mama finally tells him that, " '... do you know you wife is expecting another baby?...  I think Ruth is thinking of getting rid of that child,' " (Hansberry, 476).  Walter does not believe his mother and is astonished that Ruth would consider killing their child.
     This is part of their culture; when a woman worries for her family, she'll do anything to keep them together.  Ruth's intentions were to keep her family together and not divide them any more.  She wanted to repair her marriage and make a better life for everyone.  Her thoughts to stop the pregnancy were very uncharacteristic and this was because she felt pressure to fix all of her family's problems.  Ruth was normally a fun life-giving, and supporting woman.  When the reader discovers her plans to abort the baby, the reader and Ruth's family are shocked at this change in character.

"Toads" by Philip Larkin

     The poem "Toads" by Philip Larkin uses symbolism to express the two forces in the speaker that are contrasting.  This creates a personal conflict inside the speaker.  The two conflicting forces are the toads.  Each toad symbolizes a conflicting force in the speaker of Larkin's poem.  The first toad symbolizes the working aspect of the speaker, the part that is a hard worker and tries hard to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.  The reader can find this in the first line, "Why should I let the toad work Squat on my life?" (Larkin, 800).  The second toad is slightly harder to find and is at the end of the poem.  Larkin references that the second toad is greed and laziness.  These two toads conflict with each other because one cannot work hard to earn one's living and be lazy and just receive it.  Larkin juxtaposes the two toads throughout the poem.

"Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes

     In the poem "Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes, Hughes uses six distinct images throughout the poem to describe the dream.  He uses five similes and closes with one metaphor.  The five similes follow the same pattern of the possibilities of what a deferred dream may do.  The metaphor at the end has special emphasis.  This last image implies that this is what actually happens to deferred dreams.  Hughes' metaphor changes the attitude of the poem.  The metaphor, "Or does it explode," (Hughes) changes the attitude of the poem to a very active sense.  The italics put emphasis on the fact that the author has been festering something deep inside and feel that something needs to be done about it.  The use of the metaphor redirects the theme of the poem.  The other similes help lead up to the bomb that Hughes drops on the reader in the last line.

"Hazel Tells Laverne" by Kathryn Howd Machan

     The poem "Hazel Tells Laverne" by Kathryn Howd Machan demonstrates colloquialism throughout the entire poem.  The use of colloquialism creates an informal scene in the "Princess and the Frog" scene.  Nothing in the poem is capitalized making the speaker lower class and uneducated.  The lack of punctuation in the poem allows the reader to see where the natural pauses are and the way that the reader, Hazel, talks to her friend Laverne.  One place that the colloquialism is especially prominent is when Hazel says, "sohelpmegod," (Machan).  Here she is referring to the fact that the frog told her she could be a princess.  The slur of words exhibits the slang Hazel uses in her daily life.  At the beginning of the poem Hazel indirectly says that she is a maid of some kind.  Maids are sometimes not as educated as the rest of the general public.  In this case the use of the colloquialism, lack of punctuation, and slang contribute to the background of the speaker being uneducated.

Lawrence Perrine's Poem Interpretation

     For the most part I agreed with Perrine's view of how poetry should be interpreted.  I agree that a poem may have different interpretations and mostly all of those are correct.  They only become incorrect when the reader does not take notice of the actual text.  The reader cannot base the entire interpretation off of assumption.  If it was all assumption than the reader would have no insight into the actual poem.  I also agreed that there is no one correct interpretation of a poem.  Everyone has their own  view and insight into the poem.  The interpretation with the fewest assumptions and the one with no contradictions is most likely the closest one to the author's original thoughts.

      I disagreed with Perrine in the fact that the "garden" interpretation of Emily Dickenson's poem is completely wrong.  Each reader views each work differently and the sunset theme seemed more far-fetched to me than the garden theme.  Dickenson mentions daffodils and that fact would lead a reader to think about flowers and that is still a valid interpretation.  I disagree that the sunset theory satisfies every detail of her poem.  I would like to know where Perrine came up with the idea of the poem being about a sunset because it seems made up and a huge assumption.  Although I agreed and disagreed with Perrine's statement that a poem has a set meaning.  Poems have the poet's intended meaning and any interpretation that a reader may deduce with it still making sense with the poem.  Each poem has many meanings with in the parameters of the text of the poem itself.

Gatsby Picture

Workin' hard or hardly workin'?

The Great Gatsby: As a Whole

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was a novel worth reading.  Although I became very upset at points because of the decisions the characters made, it made me realize that true happiness isn't something you can just have because you want it.  To attain true happiness you have to work hard everyday to help others in their pursuit and if you can just help one person than your life is worth something.  That is what true happiness is, helping others.  If everyone helped everyone around them, then we would all be happy.  The book made me realize that while life is one big party, you still have to be responsible and take responsibility of your actions.  True happiness can only be found if you are not only with the people you truly love, but are doing what you truly love.  Being true to yourself is the first step toward happiness.  If you can be confident in yourself then you will make it through.  I think this book was a really good way to reflect on how I want my senior year to be, along with the rest of my life.

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past," (Fitzgerald, 180).

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 9

In this final chapter of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I realized what this novel had been about the entire time.  The novel was placed in the 1920s where people lived just as the characters did in the book.  They lived in complete bliss.  Deciding that they could have whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted.  They were Americans who live in the home of the brave but more importantly to them the land of the free.  The people in the 20s took no adherence to prohibition.  This was assisted by the fact that they were not enough officials who would enforce this new amendment.  They drank a lot and lived their lives searching for happiness.

" '... Why, my God!  They used to go there by the hundreds,' " (Fitzgerald, 175).

This statement  shows how everyone lived their lives partying wherever they could.  In this novel Gatsby's life symbolizes the 1920s; they were all about the party and doing whatever one wanted and attaining happiness.  Gatsby's abrupt murder symbolizes the stock market crash.  All of a sudden the party was over and people were shocked.  People still drove up to his driveway and were sad that there was no party.  With the Depression people could not believe that the stock market had actually crashed.  With Gatsby's death came the end of a long party, and that is exactly what the Great Depression brought.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 8

In chapter 8 of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, chaos continues to ensue wherever Gatsby goes.  He meets his untimely demise when Mr. Wilson kills him thinking that he was both Myrtle's lover and murderer, of which he was neither.  Mr. Wilson then kills himself immediately.  Tom and Gatsby are very different characters.  Each has their own view of happiness and thinks that they can have whatever they want without any consequences.  Tom sleeps with Myrtle to have "true happiness" and Gatsby loves Daisy whom he sees as "true happiness."  Neither Tom and Gatsby really view Daisy as a person.  Tom only wanted her when he thought that Daisy was having an affair and Gatsby only wanted her so he could be a part of the "old-money society."  In contrast, Gatsby confronts his problems head on and Tom runs from his problems.  For the both of them its a matter of fight versus flight.  Gatsby fights, Tom flies (no compliment intended).

" 'Nothing happened,' he said wanly.  'I waited, and about four o'clock she came to the window and stood there for a minute and then turned out the light,' " (Fitzgerald, 147).

 This was said by Gatsby about how he waited for a sign from Daisy for hours and she brushed him aside.  He confronted his problem but got nothing.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 7 cont.

Continuing chapter 7 of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, chaos unfolds.  The theme of the entire novel is modernism.  Modernism is the idea of the American dream, the pursuit of happiness, and the quest to have exactly what one wants.  Gatsby is finding this to be difficult.  All he wants is Daisy, who symbolizes his ultimate happiness, but he is struggling in getting her because she is married.  In this chapter the newest obstacle is she killed a woman with Gatsby's car and stop to see if the woman was okay.  Gatsby plans to take the blame, because he believes that he will have immunity from the police like he did when he was pulled over.  I believe that in the chapters to come he is going to have a rude awakening when he is throne in jail or when Daisy is found to be the guilty one.  Throughout the novel the theme becomes progressively more important, especially in this chapter.

" 'I want to wait till Daisy goes to bed.  Goodnight, old sport,' " (Fitzgerald, 145).

Gatsby said this to Nick.  This just goes to show how much Gatsby wants the perfect life, which is found in the theme of modernism.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 7

Chapter seven of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby reveals the absolute craziness of the  characters lives.  For Gatsby, Daisy symbolizes how things should be between them, or how things should be in his life.  Because of this he will do anything to make their relationship work because then he will have succeeded in being happy and will have accomplished the american dream.  This is also the theme of the novel.  If Gatsby makes things right with Daisy then he really will have been born rich and he will be invested in legitimate businesses and he will be happy because for him Daisy is true happiness.  Gatsby will stop at nothing to get her.  This includes taking the blame for Daisy's murder of a woman.  Daisy committed a hit and run crime and instantly killed a woman.  Gatsby will be risking his pursuit of happiness if he takes the blame.  Although he doesn't see this because keeping and protecting Daisy are happiness.

" '...but of course I'll say I was,' " (Fitzgerald, 143).

 This is a quote from Gatsby and shows how much he loves Daisy, and believes that she is happiness and how his life should be.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 6 cont.

Continuing in chapter six of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Gatsby has become very desperate to win Daisy back.  After five years he still believes that he is capable of recreating what they did.  He hopes that this will show Daisy that she really never loved Tom.

" 'I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before,' he said, nodding determinedly.  'She'll see,' " (Fitzgerald, 110).

 Gatsby wants so bad for Daisy to say that she loves him.  But he might not get it.  He wants to redo the past five years.  I remember having said things or done things that I just wished I could go back and change.  I have even tried to act like they didn't happen.  Getting someone to forget a mistake you've made or feel differently about you is easier said than done.  Trying to get someone to not have hard feelings toward you can be even worse.  Like Gatsby I tried my best to recreate the good feelings we once had.  I succeeded, but I'm not sure if Gatsby will.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 6

In the sixth chapter of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is trying to recreate the moments Daisy had with him five years ago.  He invites Daisy to one of his parties and because she was not even a little drunk she did not enjoy some of the coarse talk some of the guests had to say.  She found it uncivilized and not worthy of her company.

"Tom laughed and turned to me.  'Did you notice Daisy's face when that girl asked her to put her under a cold shower?' " (Fitzgerald, 108).

 Tom found it very funny that Daisy did not enjoy her time there.  Maybe because he doesn't like Gatsby.  In the plot at this point the action continues to rise.  Considering we are already at the sixth chapter the climax should be coming soon.  This is only if I haven't missed it already.  Throughout the rest of the novel it will be interesting to see how far Gatsby will go to try to win back Daisy.  I think his actions are noble, but I don't know if it is quite possible to get her back.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 5

In chapter five of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Daisy and Gatsby finally get to meet after five years.  At first they are nervous and embarrassed about their emotions.  But when Nick leaves and comes back he finds that they must have talked everything through and are very happy.  Nick is a round character because he does not represent a stereotype or only has one view.  Nick is multi-dimensional.  He has decided not to judge people ever which I think has played a very significant role in his life.  But not judging people, he really gets to know the person and is trusted by them.

"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.  'Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,' he told me, 'just remember that all people in this world haven't had the advantages you've had'," (Fitzgerald, 1).

 Because of this teaching that Nick's father taught him at a young age, Nick has always tried to get to really know the person.  Also Nick goes along with society and takes things as they are.  Nick is telling the story later in time.  The reader can tell this by how Nick comments on the situation.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 4 cont.

Continuing in chapter four of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jordan Baker becomes very significant in the process of the plot.  As a minor character she becomes more enveloped in the drama of the novel.  Gatsby asks Jordan to tell Nick his former relationship with Daisy and why he is currently living in this particular area.  Gatsby wants Nick to know all of this so Nick will have Gatsby and Daisy over for tea so they can see each other again without Daisy's knowledge.  Jordan makes this possible by telling Nick.

"One October day in nineteen-seventeen--(said Jordan Baker that afternoon..." (Fitzgerald, 74).

 This excerpt is from the beginning of the story that Jordan tells to Nick about Gatsby and Daisy.  She tells Nick everything she knows and he begins to understand.  Once she tells him what Gatsby wants from him, Nick is confused why it has to be at his house.  I am still a little confused why it has to be at Nick's house.  Maybe because it would look too eager or suspicious to be at Gatsby's house.  Although I don't know what they are going to do with Tom while this tea is going on.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 4

In this chapter of F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, I was completely surprised that Daisy and Gatsby were former lovers.  This news hit me like the school bus hit Regina George in Mean Girls.  As soon as Jordan Baker started telling Nick the story of Gatsby and Daisy I began to see how all of the pieces fit together.  Although I was especially surprised at this statement from Jordan,

Regina George

"Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay," (Fitzgerald, 78).

 I did not realize that Gatsby loved Daisy so much and that he was so obsessive with this love to buy a mansion on the West Egg.  I do not know yet if its just creepy or mildly sweet.  Gatsby's love for Daisy explains why he feels awkward around her husband Tom.  I think that Daisy needs to decide if she wants to be with a man who has a mistress for the rest of her life.  I also think that Daisy will eventually need to decide if she loves Gatsby.  Jordan and Nick's relationship seems to be turning into something which would be nice for the both of them.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 3 cont.

Also in chapter 3 of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby,  Fitzgerald continues his use of similes and metaphors.  He mainly uses metaphors to describe situations that Carraway is currently in.  Carraway uses similes as a tool to describe what he sees, hears, and feels.  Here Fitzgerald has Nick using a metaphor to describe the guests at Gatsby's parties:

Joe Frisco

"Suddenly one of these gypsies, in trembling opal, seizes a cocktail out of the air..." (Fitzgerald, 41).

 Fitzgerald has Carraway using this metaphor to show how Gatsby's guests are exotic and how Gatsby's parties are exciting and very extravagant.  Fitzgerald also uses an abundance of similes.  Again he has Carraway using them to describe what he sees, hears, and feels.

"...dumps it down for courage and, moving her hands like Frisco, dances out alone on the canvas platform," (Fitzgerald, 41).

Fitzgerald uses these similes to express the evening.  In this instance he is using an allusion and a metaphor.  Frisco was an actor in the 1920s who made his debut in the 1918 Follies.  

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 3

In chapter three of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Nick finally meets Gatsby when attending one of his lavish parties.  The party goes on for hours and even includes two dinners.  At these parties everyone drinks immensely, some more than others.  Although Gatsby does not drink at all.  Fitzgerald continues to use similes and metaphors to describe the scenes of his novel.  In particular, here he uses a simile to describe the wealthiness of Gatsby and the grandeur of his parties.

"There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights.  In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars," (Fitzgerald, 39).

 Gatsby's parties remind of the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie.  This Broadway show is placed in the 1920s and is about a young woman's life moving from the country to New York City.  She encounters many racy and scandalous things while in New York and enjoys the excitement of the 20s.  One of Millie's dear friends, Muzzy Van Hossmere, throws very exciting parties similar to those of Gatsby's.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 2

F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, takes place in the New York area in 1922.  The novel is also placed in the prohibition era.  Fitzgerald, at this point in the novel, makes no special note that alcohol is illegal even though the characters drink.  The characters have no regard for the 18th amendment which helps the readers not only understand the characters but also to understand the '20s, where apparently no one followed the 18th amendment.  The novel is also set in an area in the United States where there are distinct classes of people.  The very wealthy usually live on the East Egg and usually the middle class lives on the West Egg.  The poor and those in the lower class live in the ash area between the city and the eggs.  Fitzgerald uses ash to describe the area in between the city and eggs, for example here,

"This is a valley of ashes--a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where shes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air," (Fitzgerald, 23).

 The ashes could be from a coal mine where the men of the in between area work.  The ashes could also just be dust from the dirt roads that is particularly dry and dark in the in between area.  Another area the "ashes" could be from is a dump where they burn trash and the "ashes" are actually ashes and pollution from the constant burning of the waste.  At this point in the novel I am very confused.  It seems like when the characters are in the apartment they are all so drunk they don't remember anything or have very hazy memories, especially Nick Carraway.  With him since he is so drunk, the reader doesn't get all of the details of the scenes just the ones that Carraway drifts back into.  This makes it very hard for the reader to understand what is happening.

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 1 cont.

In chapter one of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses first point of view for his novel.  The reader can deduce this by paying attention to the diction Fitzgerald uses.

"I came East, permanently, I thought, in the spring of twenty-two," (Fitzgerald, 3).

In this quote Fitzgerald defines who the narrator is.  The narrator is Nick Carraway.  He is also the main character of the novel.  The reader only knows as much as Nick knows.  Nick does not know everything so Nick and the reader will have an intimate relationship as they go through the story together, learning things at the same time.  At this point in the novel I believe that Nick may be a little naive in how his friends lead their lives.  He also seems lonely and that he does not have very many friends.  Maybe his naivety is only because of his lack of friends.  I think that if he acquires more friends and spends more time with them he will learn more about how the wealthy function. 

The Great Gatsby: Chapter 1

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses in depth imagery to create not only a setting for his novel but also the story line itself.  In this first chapter Fitzgerald introduces several characters to the reader.  He introduces the Buchanans, Jordan Baker, Gatsby, and most importantly the narrator.  Here Fitzgerald uses imagery to decribe how rich the Buchanans are,

"The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside seemed to grow a little way into the house.  A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling, and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea," (Fitzgerald, 8).

 Throughout this quote, Fitzgerald uses imagery to express the vast wealthiness of the Buchanans.  He uses phrases such as "frosted wedding-cake" and "wine-colored" to describe features of the room.  Using intricate words to describe the room helps the reader picture the room and understand how truly wealthy Tom and Daisy live.  Fitzgerald is very good at painting the picture he wants the reader to see.  It will be interesting to see how Fitzgerald uses this to describe the awkward moments of the novel.  At this point in the novel, I am really enjoying Fitzgerald's work.

The House of Mirth: Book 2 XIII-XIV

In the final chapters of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Lily pays off all her debts.  She then takes an overdose of her sleeping medicine.  Wharton does not let on whether she knew she was overdosing or not.  Seldon realizes the gravity of his love for her when he goes to her apartment and she is dead. 

"It was this moment of love, this fleeting victory over themselves, which had kept them from atrophy and extinction; which, in her, had reached out to him in every struggle against the influence of her surroundings, and in him, had kept alive the faith that now drew him penitent and reconciled to her side," (Wharton, 268).

Wharton only ended the book because she got tired of writing.  She should have stopped after chapter 12 that way the reader may have had a little hope that Lily would grow up and marry Seldon.  There was absolutely no point to the novel.  The only point was to try to get society to think about true happiness and be thankful of our freedoms.  But Wharton didn't even mean it for the latter because women didn't have that many freedoms.  Wharton told a sad tale about a woman who couldn't realize how in love she was and how great her life could be if she stopped being so pety.  ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!! kerjgtertgigjrhherewrkigtuqwkjhwtr8325ewrgfhdbpoirthi094thererh iuergtuonbv  erkueruherkjghlki3i2893595u6lhtgiouvu kifghkjrghoiuey0p893tyhsngkl!!!!!!!!! That's how I feel!!! And that's all I have to say about that. Boom! Reference to Forest Gump! Power Verb!

The House of Mirth: Book 2 XI-XII

In the next chapters of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton Lily is fired from her millinery job.  She now has no idea what to do with herself or her life.  She threw the blackmail letters in Seldon's fire while he watched.  She then said goodbye to him and said that they would not see each other for a long time.  Lily and Seldon contrast greatly.  Lily believes in money as a way of happiness and believes that personal freedom comes through money.  Seldon believes that the key to true happiness is personal freedom from everything.

" 'Once--twice--you gave me the chance to escape from my life, and I refused it because I was a coward,' " (Wharton, 250).

Lily finally admits that she was a coward and should have taken Seldon's offer.  What she doesn't realize is that Seldon is still offering an escape from her life.  He wants to help her so badly and she is still a coward.  Seldon doesn't care about the gossip and Lily is engrossed in it. 

The House of Mirth: Book 2 IX-X

In the next chapters of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Lily begins her job as Mrs. Hatch's secretary.  She has had to demote herself to finally getting a job.  At this point she is at the worst point in her life.  She is now having to support herself and no suitors are in sight.  Except for Seldon who is so in love with her that he doesn't know how to deal with his feelings.  Since Lily's life has flipped completely upside down, there is a lot of symbolism from when she still had money.

"The environment in which Lily found herself was as strange to her as its inhabitants."

When she still had money she was unhappy.  The money symbolizes unhappiness.  The unhappiness with her current financial situation foreshadowed a dramatic change in her lifestyle.  She was always unhappy no matter her situation and procrastinated marrying a rich man which led her to having to support herself. 

The House of Mirth: Book 2 VII-VIII

In these next chapters of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton Gerty, Mrs. Fisher, and Seldon are still intent on helping Lily through her struggles.  Again Seldon is showing his love for her but she won't accept his love.

"Every step took seemed in fact to carry her farther from the region where, once or twice, he and she had met for an illumined moment," (Wharton, 220)

Lily is straying from her social circle and isolating herself from everyone. Although she is becoming a little closer with the Gormer's.  Mrs. Fisher is similar to Ms. Fisher at Roncalli.  Both strive to help people when they are in need.  But Ms. fisher can only help people if they want to be helped.  At this point Lily seems to be running from all help.  This will not help her current financial situation or her social one.  Lily has to want to be helped.

The House of Mirth: Book 2 V-VI

Through these next sections of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton Lily is slowly escaping her troubles.  This occurs when Carry Fisher invites Lily to the Gormers' party.  The party was successful for Lily because the Gormers invited her to go to Alaska with them.  Carry suggests that Lily marry as quickly as possible to secure her financial situation.  Finally, Lily decides to marry Rosedale but when she sees him she still has moments where she isn't fond of the idea.  I am frustrated why Edith Wharton would portray Lily bart in such a way that would make the reader resent Lily and have pity for her.  In the following passage Edith Wharton evokes pity from the reader for Lily.

"She too needed friends--she had tasted the pang of lonliness; and her resentment of Berth Dorset's cruelty softened her heart to the poor wretch who was after all the chief of Bertha's victims," (Wharton, 196).

Wharton evokes pity and resent from this scene with Dorset, Lily, and Mrs. Gormer.  Pity because Lily was struggling and no one wanted to be her friend, except the one who caused the final blow in the first place, and resentment because Lily caused her troubles by herself.

The House of Mirth: Book 2 III-IV

In these sections of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Lily finds herself with virtually nowhere to go after Bertha kicks her off the yacht.  Lily spends sometime in England at Seldon's request.  This just shows more of his love for her by trying to protect her.  When she gets back to New York, she finds that she has virtually no friends and with her aunt's passing she was blamed for the family death.  Although the her aunt left Lily some money in her will the money will be delayed for a year.  She finds that her only friend is Seldon's cousin Gertrude.  The blame of her aunt's death has practically completely ruined her.

"In her stuffy hotel room at the hotel to which she had gone on landing, Lily Bart that evening reviewed her situation."

 This passage further affirms Lily's horrible financial situation and how she has no friends that are able to take her in.  I still believe that Lily should marry Seldon.  That would help fix her problems.

The House of Mirth: Book 2 I-II

Throughout this section of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.  Lily is on a mediterranean cruise with the Dorsets.  Bertha invited her on the cruise to keep her husband occupied while she had an affair with Ned.  Lily, the main character, thrives in a setting where she can find the necessary components to live her expensive style of life.  While on the cruise and in Europe she forgets her money woes because she live her upscale lifestyle.  She can flirt with rich men without worrying too much about her financial situation in the states.

" 'Lily has been a tremendous success here,' Mrs. Fisher continued..." (Wharton, 150).

This statement from Mrs. Fisher only backs up what I said previously about Lily.  She is most successful in situations where she believes there is ample money and entertainment with rich men.  I wish she would realize that Seldon is what would make her truly happy.

The Book of Mirth: Book 1 XV

In the last section of Book 1 of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth Lily tries to make amends with her aunt and finds her self stood up by Seldon and receives a marriage proposal from Rosedale.  Lily is like the main character in the play Oedipus.  She admits to her aunt about her debts.  She also tells her aunt of her gambling with cards, even on Sundays.  Her aunt only agrees to pay off her clothing debts and is still furious with her.  Like Oedipus, she admits her faults and finds herself in more trouble.  Oedipus' trouble was his own fate, suicide.

"Mrs. Peniston raised her hand warningly.  'You needn't make any promises: it's unnecessary.  When I offered you a home I didn't undertake to pay your gambling debts,' " (Wharton, 140).

 This relates to Oedipus because she continues to get herself into trouble even when she admitted her wrongs.  Hopefully Lily will be able to right her wrongs and not upset her aunt anymore.  Avoiding Oedipus' fate would be in her best interest.

The House of Mirth: Book 1 XIII-XIV

In the following section of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Lily's carelessness is causing many scandals.  This effects the plot deeply.  She becomes more and more careless and does not care about the scandals she is causing.  People think she is having affairs with just about everyone she talks to.  She also does not care very much that she is starting scandals because they mainly effect her friends.  What she does not know is that it will very soon effect her because Seldon is now starting to believe the affairs.

"Gerty's first movement was one of revulsion.  She shrank back as though Lily's presence flashed a too sudden light upon her misery.  Then she heard her name in a cry, had a glimpse of her friend's face, and felt herself caught and clung to," (Wharton, 132).

This passage shows how much Lily's carelessness affected others.  Gertrude Farish felt revulsion because she was under the impression that Seldon and Lily were having an affair.  But then Gertrude realized that she needed to help Lily, because it would make Seldon happy.  Maybe Lily can reconcile with her friends.

The House of Mirth: Book 1 XI-XII

This next section in Edith Wharton's novel The House of Mirth Lily is confronted with continuing problems with Mr. Trenor because he is missing Lily.  She is also having troubles with her aunt and her cousin Grace, along with Mr. Dorset, Rosedale, and Seldon.  The setting in the novel is what causes all of Lily's problems along with he indecisiveness but mainly the time period.  In the late 1800s being rich was very important for women, and marrying rich was even more important.  Social status was all women had, considering they could not vote, and it was very rare for them to independent.  If they did live alone they were considered unmarriageable, which no woman wanted to be.

"...the idea that any scandal could attach to a young girl's name, above all that it could be lightly coupled with that of a married man, was so new to her that she was so much aghast as if she had been accused of leaving her carpets down all summer, or of violationg any of the other cardinal laws of housekeeping," (Wharton, 100).

This passage expresses Mrs. Peniston's views of Lily talking to a married man so intently.  She couples something that is so scandalous to the society with domestic duties.  This proves how much emphasis was put on women to be very domestic and if they did anything wrong in their housekeeping duties it was just as bad as having an affair.  The late 1800s society was not accepting of woman in any other aspect except for domestic affairs.

The House of Mirth: Book 1 IX-X

Edith Wharton

In these next two sections of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Lily buys love letters from Seldon's maid written between Seldon and Berth.  She initially does this to protect Seldon, but then realizes that after the disaster with Gryce, because of Bertha, she could blackmail Bertha with these scandalous letters.  I think this will just get her in more trouble later in the novel and that she is putting herself at risk to lose Seldon.  The narrator throughout the novel is Edith Wharton, and she is writing with a third person omniscient point of view.  This can be seen here,

"All her life Lily had seen money go out as quickly as it came in, and whatever theories she cultivated as to the prudence of setting aside a part of her gains, she had unhappily no saving vision of the risks of the opposite course," (Wharton, 90).

 The benefit of Wharton having a third person omniscient point of view allows the reader to know how everyone one feels even though the main character Lily does not.  Because of this the reader becomes more engaged in the novel and has more emotional attachments in wanting Lily to chose what actually will make and makes her happy.  I realized that I was partially wrong about the theme of the novel.  The actual them of the novel is finding the key to true happiness and defining personal success.  I was right in the way that society and restrictions of women in the early 1900s is a factor effecting the theme.

The House of Mirth: Book 1 VII-VIII

Lily Bart's skill of manipulating others for her own gain is clearly shown in this next section of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth.  Lily Bart also understands people very well and this helps her to manipulate others.  She not only uses her knowledge of people but also her good looks to attain what she wants most.  In this section she convinces Mr. Trenor to invest in stocks for her.  Towards the end of their conversation he realizes how much she needs his help and agrees to help her need.  Here Mr. Trenor has a change of heart in his opinion of how Lily should get her money,

"... but with the subject of discussion at his side, turning to him for sympathy, making him feel that he understood her better than her dearest friends, and confirming the assurance by the appeal of her exquisite nearness, he was ready to swear that such a marriage was a desecration, and that, as a man of honour, he was bound to do all he could to protect her from the results of her disinterestedness," (Wharton, 68).

I wish Lily would make up her mind and whether she wants to marry for happiness or money.  I also wonder whether she'll actually ever make up her mind.  Seldon and Gryce are both very nice gentlemen and they would both be good for her.  But if she isn't careful she may lose both men.

The House of Mirth: Book 1 V-VI

This next section of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth has Lily rethinking her possible marriage to Percy Gryce.  Seldon has Lily thinking about a good life without extreme amounts of money and that true happiness is personal freedom from everything.  Wharton uses imagery throughout these sections to convey the emotions of the characters.  Seldon and Lily go on a walk together and Wharton uses the imagery to describe the intensity of the feelings the two are having for each other.  Specifically Wharton does this at the beginning of section six, when describing the Sunday afternoon between Lily and Seldon.  Wharton describes the afternoon and then paints the picture of it here, 

"The afternoon was perfect.  A deeper stillness possessed the air, and theglitter of the American autumn was tempered by a haze which diffused the brightness without dulling it," (Wharton, 50).

Wharton continues the use of imagery here,

"She had risen, and he stood facing her with his eyes on hers.  The soft isolation of the falling day enveloped them: they seemed lifted into a finer air.  All the exquisite influences of the hour trembled in their veins, and drew them to each other as the loosened leaves were drawn to the earth," (Wharton, 58).

Carefully crafting her writing, Wharton uses imagery also to express Lily's desires and what she believes she has to do to have a happy or a good life.  Lily believes that to be happy she needs large amounts of money and a very wealthy husband, which she sees in Percy Gryce.  But, what Lily really wants is to have be entertained and be free to do whatever she wants.  I believe that through the rest of the novel we will see this constant inner conflict in Lily.

The House of Mirth: Book 1 III-IV

In this next section of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, Mrs. Trenor plays a significant part in encouraging Lily to try to marry Mr. Gryce and to symbolize the "perfect" woman in the early 1900s society.  Mrs. Trenor is described by Lily as "to exist only as a hostess," (Wharton, 32).  Mrs. Trenor prides herself in giving parties and makes herself the best hostess out of everyone and has become the envy of many other women for this reason.  Along with hosting as a trait for the "perfect" woman, Mrs. Trenor also knows everything about everyone and enjoys gossiping about what she can.  She also finds excitement in putting matches of men and women together to help the course of "true love."  Mrs. Trenor exemplifies the 1900s image of the "perfect" woman.  The party at the Bellomont reminds me of the parties in the PBS show Downton Abbey.  The mere drama and arrangement of all of the people and who to invite to certain events reminds me of how Cora arranges all of the parties and makes certain that each will be a success.  Also on Downton Abbey Cora and Robert have some trouble with their daughter Lady Sybil.  She would like to marry someone who is not of noble birth and Robert struggles with this deeply.  Eventually though Cora and Robert support Lady Sybil completely.

The House of Mirth: Book 1 I-II

In Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, the reader begins in the middle of a scene with Seldon.  Later Wharton introduces Miss Lily Bart and the reader quickly learns that Lily is very pretty and all of the men in New York think so.  Very quickly what may be the theme of the novel is introduced.  When Lily goes to Seldon's flat for tea, the theme is first introduced.  Lily says to Seldon, " 'How delicious to have a place like this all to one's self!  What a miserable thing it is to be a woman!' " (Wharton, 4).  Lily expresses how upset she is that because she is a woman she is not able to do the things she pleases.  She would like to live by herself, own her own flat, and do the things she wants to do when she wants to do them without being judged.  She continues throughout this scene with Seldon to talk about how awful it is to be a woman.  Later Seldon makes a comment on how women are meant to get married, this is why they are born, essentially.  This afirms the societal structure on how restricted women are on the early 1900s.