"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.