Dover Beach- Blog 4

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold uses the descriptions of three large bodies of water to eventually give a lesson to the world to hold on to what we do have in this world- each other. Nothing else is as it seems, as we see in the images of the bodies of water. The English Channel is my personal favorite of the stanzas because of its contrast of the calm setting in sight but destructive and loud sound. The " Glimmering and vast, out in tranquil bay" (Line 5) is the opposite of the "grating roar" (line 9) of the sea. Then the second stanza describing the Aegean Sea as the "turbid ebb and flow of human misery" (line 17-18) is a way for the speaker to prove that he is not the only one who notices the misery of the sea. Sophocles, too, noticed this about the Aegean Sea. Lastly, the Sea of Faith- a figurative sea- used to be full and bright, but now there is so much less of it in the world because it is being drained. The misery still does not go away. The images of misery in all of these bodies of water were building up to the fourth stanza where the speaker maintains that they need to hold on to each other. Surrounded by a world of destructions, they have to rely on each other for a constant.

Sorting Laundry- Blog 3

"Sorting Laundry" by Elisavietta Ritchie is like an insight into the mind of a woman. She uses creative poetic style by making the poem organized like a pile of laundry and imagery and diction that gives us details of her relationship with her partner. She begins with images of larger pieces of laundry like "king-sized sheets like tablecloths" (Lines 4-5) and moves all the way "a broken necklace of good gold" that was found in a pocket. Each one reminding her of her love. The shift in the poem occurs at line 41 when she is folding a shirt belonging to a man from a previous relationship. The shift of sweet memories to serious fear is what really defines this poem. Simply being reminded of an old heartbreak gives her immediate fear of what might happen if the relationship she is in now fails. Women overthink, worry too much, and never want to be lonely. Just the thought of it is enough to have the speaker nervous about what might happen if she "were to fold only her own clothes" (Line 44-45).

I taste a liquor never brewed- Blog 2

Drunkenness on nature and life become prevalent in Emily Dickinson's "I taste a liquor never brewed". The speaker's "alcohol" is summer and nature and it is apparently intoxicating to her- "inebriate of Air" (Line 5). One of the more symbolic scenes is "When butterflies- renounce their 'drams'- I shall but drink the more!" (Lines 11-12). When others are finally having their fill, she continues to soak up the joy and happiness. Nature and the happiness of the out doors is something she can never get enough of. Also, this poem gives an unexpected attitude toward the "drunk speaker". Drunkenness is looked down on in our society for the most part. Being publicly intoxicated is even a crime; however, the speaker in this poem is respected and revered for his behavior. Both the "Seraphs" and "Saints" are running to praise the speaker for being drunk on nature. This is definitely a different take on the subject, and I think the purpose is to portray that there are things in our world that are beautiful and we should take the time to appreciate more.

Convergence of the Twain- Blog 1

A reference to the Titanic- a ship that sunk in 1912- "Convergence of the Twain" by Thomas Hardy really hits hit on the negative effects of both human vanity and riches. Using descriptive imagery like "the sea-worm crawls - grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent," (Line 9) and "Jewels in joy designed to ravish the sensuous mind" (Line 10-11), Hardy expresses that the Titanic horror occured because of human vanity and an obsession with material riches. People and their "Pride of Life" (Line 3) set into motion a "plan". That is referenced in the first stanza and later explained in the sixth and seventh stanzas. There is an "Immanent Will" or a higher power that was preparing for this tragedy to occur to try and show that this lifestyle and the things that people are caring for are not right. Then, the poem goes on to describe how the iceburg and the ship had the same path all along, so that on that fateful night, tragedy would strike, and we the people would be punished for the way we were living our lives. The higher power says "Now!" (Line 32) and just like that the ship sinks after hitting the iceburg. Then all of those riches, jewels, and the "mirrors meant to glass the opulent" (Line 7-8) that were supposed to show off wealth and class ended up at the bottom of the ocean where no one could see them. The poem in itself was written to be both a point made and a lesson learned. Material goods and human vanity are not what life is about, but if we treat life as such, we need to be warned of what might happen if we do.

To His Coy Mistress- Tone

Shifting tones is the key to understanding and appreciating Shakespeare's My mistress' eyes. Most girls enjoy being complimented and compared to things that our world has deemed as beautiful. Well, Shakespeare throws a twist at the norm, and decides to describe everything that the woman he loves is not. Even better, he is saying that no part of her is comparable to any beautiful object. Well, this could easily be taken as insulting, but a shift in tone at line 13 marks that everything he previously mentioned is all for a greater purpose. "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare," (Shakespeare 885, Line 13-14). Everything he previously mentioned was all for a greater purpose. He is able to convey that their love is rare and amazing, and he adores her because of these "imperfections". He would not be being honest if he compared her to "coral", "snow", or "roses". He just loves her for what she is, which is perfectly herself- someone he is clearly crazy about.

Barbie Doll- Cause and Effect

A girl- perfectly healthy- is told that her body doesn't fit the image of society's perfect body; she slowly lets her bodily imperfections define who she is; she believes the only way to be happy with herself is to change. So she does. Sound familiar? Marge Peircy's poem Barbie Doll portrays a character who is described as "healthy, tested intelligent, possessed a strong arm and back..." (Piercy 835). However, healthy is not what society today advertises. Perfection is the goal. People were unable to look beyond the body of a girl to see a personality and a heart that yearned for love and acceptance. Because she let society's standards define her, she died. The title of Barbie Doll makes a statement. That image of a perfect person is not even living; a doll is inanimate. People are not; people have imperfections, they enjoy eating, some strive for intelligence, some strive for strength, and everyone is unique. To try and look like an inanimate object is ridiculous, and has negative outcomes, as we see by the innocent girl's death.

Lastly, the ending really struck me as ironic. Why is it that it is when she is dead that people see her as beautiful? Her death should not be a happy ending, and that is the satire of the entire poem.

A Jury of Her Peers- Theme of Sexism?

If sexism could be a theme for a short story, then Susan Glaspell's A Jury of Her Peers would definitely exemplify that. Gender roles play a huge part in the plot- and eventually the irony- of the story. The women are seen by the men as just silly girls who couldn't possibly know a thing about solving a crime. They are just brought along to be bystanders. They even make fun of the girls when they believe that their conversation about quilts was just trivial when really it was one of the clues that lead the women to solve the mystery. "'They wonder whether she was going to quilt it or just not it!"(Glaspell 417). However, they do not do much to prove the men wrong. The mostly keep to themselves and are quiet especially around the men- they know their place. However, they are more intelligent than the men give them credit for. Putting together clues and understanding some of the feelings that Mrs. Wright must have had, they come to figure out the motive of the murder- which was the whole point of the story. Even though they have outsmarted the men, they keep their secret to themselves- protecting their friend that they know was depressed and unhappy.