Poem Themes

Sonnet 130: Love is never perfectly beautiful.  Much like reality, it is flawed.

The Passionate Shepherd to His Love: The limits of a passionate person seeking love are inexhaustible.

Death Be Not Proud: Death seems to hold supremacy over the whims of life.

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time:  Plans should never be tarried or procrastinated because the end of time is unknown and death is impending.

The Author to Her Book:  Even after incessantly working to achieve perfection, one will never be satisfied with the product because perfection is unattainable.

To His Coy Mistress:  No matter how much passion is invested, love will not always be mutual.

Sound and Sense: In order to properly convey an complex idea and to imply the desired emotion, all senses must be utilized.

The World Is Too Much With Us: While a person's mind may be brilliant, its feeble nature makes it impossible for it to appreciate the even more complex patterns and wonders in nature.

She Walks in Beauty: True beauty is attained when goodness and sincerity are present.

Ozymandias:  Power is an idea so no matter how much is attained, its significance will be long forgotten after death.

When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be: Death tends to appear unexpectedly despite any unfulfilled dreams.

The Children's Hour:  Happiness can be elicited from the most simple things in life.

Annabel Lee:  True love is able to prevail death.

O Captain, My Captain - Giving one's life for a worthy cause is the most respectable act a person can commit.

I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died: Death cannot be foreseen nor can its conditions.

Dover Beach:  Religions faith is draining as more people are discouraged from spreading their beliefs in public.

Dulce et Decorum Est:  Enduring suffering and facing death for a cause is the only selfless act one can commit.

Mending Wall:  Once separated from a being, the emotions felt are unattainable.

Mirror:  Destruction can be caused by the reflection of a person's own flaws.

Grapes of Wrath Action Project

Before I made my phone call to Time Warner Cable, I hoped to learn where all of the money paid each month goes and why the bill costs what it does. Also, I hoped to resolve the issue with watching different programs on demand. Every time a member of my household attempts to watch something on demand, the program skips frequently, pauses, and eventually, stops with a notice that the program is currently unavailable. In the past, we have called about this issue but are simply told to reset our box which does not resolve the problem. However, by this point, we are too frustrated with waiting and being put on hold, that we do not seek further help. Another matter I wanted to discuss with the company is when, if ever, the right time is to replace the cable box with a new one.

When I began my call, I had difficulty in deciding which option to choose because I was speaking with an automated voice and there is not option for simple curiosity. I think that this shows how the company is not very personal and that they do not necessarily care about the welfare of their customers. This relates to the novel, The Grapes of Wrath, because many of the businesses in the book are also not very personal. This makes it easy for the companies and banks to do what is necessary to make their company succeed economically, even when it hurts many people. For example, it is easy for the banks to hire people to bulldoze houses and destroy the lives of many families because they do not come in contact with the pain and destruction that they are causing. Instead, they hire somebody else to do their “dirty work,” just as Time Warner Cable and many other companies use computerized voices to deal with their customers so they do not have to. When I finally reached an actual person, I asked my first questions: Why does the bill cost what it does and where exactly does the money go? He seemed slightly taken aback by the question and was brief with the answer. He said that the company pays a portion of the money to the multiple workers in many fields including the ones who produce the boxes, those who install the boxes, and the representatives on the phone, like Greg, who I spoke to. Of course, however, Time Warner keeps a percentage of the money as profit. The exact amount was not specified, nor were any other uses of the money. This leads me to question if the company ever overcharges their customers to make an enlarged profit like in the Grapes of Wrath. This was seen with the cars salesmen in the novel. They would sell cheap cars at much higher prices just so they could make more money. Again, “the man” or the owners of the companies are blinded from how much this hurts the people they sell or serve. Those people are also having a tough time making ends meet and cannot afford for the prices to inflate.

After hanging up and calling again to speak with a different representative, I asked my second set of questions: Why doesn’t Primetime On Demand work even after the box is reset and when, if ever, is the right time to purchase a new cable box? These set of answers were answered much more successfully. When I asked my question to the representative, he was very accommodating and walked me through the solution. As done in the past, he reset the box to be sure that it would still not work. Then, when resetting it again proved unsuccessful, he offered to send a worker over to install a new box. The appointment is set for this coming week and will likely fix the problem.

I found it very curious how each set of questions yielded extremely different experiences. My first set of questions was not directly answered and was not really cared about. This could either be due to the company’s sole will to make money off of their customers, or the fact that they are not accustomed to such questions being asked, causing me to think about the way we currently live in society. People are so cautious about spending money and dependent on it, yet we rarely ask where exactly it is going. I believe that my second question was answered with such ease because it is not only a common issue, but also an issue that, if resolved, can make the company more money through their on demand programs. I think that the purpose of this assignment is to force us not to leave our questions unanswered because many unexpected questions are actually quite important. These questions prevent us, the ninety-nine percent, from being taken advantage of by “the man.”

Time Called: 4:06

Amount of Time before being forwarded to a live person: 5 minutes

First Call Ended: 4:22

Second Time Called: 4:30

Amount of Time before being forwarded to a live person: 3 minutes

Second Call Ended: 4:41

Analysis of ,"An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness"

In the article, “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness,” Chinua Achebe describes the novella, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, as being racist. He supports this idea with examples from the text and with criticisms of the imagery used throughout the work. Achebe claims that by portraying Africa as “the other world,” Conrad is seeking to project Africa as the opposite of Europe and therefore, civilization. This point is then proven by a quotation from the novella where it is stated that, “the earth seemed unearthly.” Also in a passage from the novella, the African natives are described as being barbaric and inhuman. By doing this, Achebe believes that Conrad’s true inclination toward racism is shown. Achebe again makes an accusation of Conrad being racist in the sense of things needing to remain in their intended place. In the novella, it is stated: “Fine fellows—cannibals—in their place,” meaning that “tragedy begins when things leave their accustomed place.” As Achebe points out, the European men left their “place” to go to the heart of darkness, thus implying that people of different race should be segregated. The many examples used in this article by Chinua Achebe allow the reader to see how Joseph Conrad can be viewed as a racist. He even retaliates against the idea that Conrad intended the book to be from the narrator’s eyes. Achebe claims that “Conrad seems to me to approve of Marlow” which is supported by the similarities between the author and Marlow. Conrad’s diction throughout the novella is also used as evidence of his racism. He refuses to regard the Africans as brothers. Instead he uses vulgar language to describe them as inferior to the white men.

I think that Chinua Achebe makes many valid points. However, I do not believe that Joseph Conrad intended to make Heart of Darkness a racist work. I think that the racism found in the novella is based on the individual’s interpretation of civilization and barbarism. I think that it opens one’s eyes to the idea that it is indeed cruel to view another’s culture as uneducated or barbaric because each culture holds ideas that seem strange and impossible to another. Contrary to promoting racism, the novella promotes the essence of humanity, in that all human beings are barbaric. Therefore, I disagree with Achebe’s viewpoint and I believe that Conrad was indeed attempting to exemplify the cruelty of the European imperialists by using Marlow’s thoughts and perception of his surroundings.

Kate Chopin's Motherless Heroine

In the article "Kate Chopin's Motherless Heroine," Virginia Ross explains how the lack of a mother affected Edna Pontellier's life in the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The thesis of this essay is, "critical discussion of her conflicting needs has overlooked one crucial desire that crystallizes in Edna Pontellier during the course of the novel: the yearning for a mother." (252) This reflects the main idea of the essay, which is how the lack of a mother negatively impacted Edna throughout the entire novel, preventing her from becoming the woman that society expected her to be. According to Ross, this is even done through the imagery used in the novel. For example, by saying, "the touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace," Chopin was really expressing Edna's need for a mother. The sea is referred to many times throughout the novel because it is a symbol of comfort and the womb which is "subconsciously remembered throughout life as an archetypal image." Ross also refers to Walt Whitman's poem, "Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking." Even in Whitman's poem the voice of the sea is a maternal voice. The poem Ross referred to read, "Like some old crone rocking the cradle, swathed in sweet garments, bending aside, / The sea whisper'd to me." (253) The essay then continues on to describe the effects of Edna's lack of a mother. Often throughout the novel, Edna's methods of raising her children is criticized but according to this article she was simply incapable because, "having never received a mother's comfort, Edna has not learned to offer it herself." (253) Edna's need for mothering is also seen in her relationships with others. She seeks to have a mother figure, so she becomes close with Adele. She even becomes jealous when Adele's children intrude upon their friendship. According to the article, "Edna's feelings seem less like homosexual strivings than like the feelings of a child excluded from her parents' intimacy." (254)

I believe that Ross's intended point was very well presented. She uses multiple examples and references to prove the impact that a mother can have on a child, or the lack thereof. Consequently, I agree with this article because if Edna had had a mother, she would have had someone that she could look up to and would not have so much confusion in discovering her role in society as a woman.

The Yellow Wallpaper Reaction

“The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman exemplifies what an affect sexism can have on a person. During the story, we see the narrator’s depression transform into madness. Because of her depression, the narrator is placed in an isolated room which is also likely due to her gender. Women were looked at to be so inferior to men at that time, so when the slightest weakness is seen in her, her husband takes advantage of the opportunity and suggests that she remain in confinement until she is well again. Consequently however, this drives her even deeper into her repression. During that time period, women were expected to be content with taking care of the housework and children, but because she was unwell, she was not even allowed to do that much. What is most interesting is how well she listens to her husband. Their relationship seems to resemble more of a father-daughter relationship rather than a married couple. This is exemplified when the narrator attempts to voice her feelings but, “stopped short, for he sat up straight and looked at me with such a stern, reproachful look that I could not say a word.” This implies that if she were able to actually have a true conversation with her husband, she may have been able to retain some sanity. Instead, she is driven crazy by this significant yellow wallpaper and a woman trapped behind it. By the end of the story, it can be concluded that the woman behind the wallpaper really resembled the narrator, trapped in her own mind. She seeks freedom through her writing but it is not enough to fulfill her. Instead, the loneliness she feels overtakes her and she physically becomes the woman by creeping about. By ripping off the wallpaper, she rips off the confinement her husband, John has placed upon her and she is now able to create her own identity. While she was slightly mad before she was placed in the solitary room, the inferiority and loneliness she feels drives her even further into insanity.

Ethan Frome Literary Criticism

In Alfred Kazin's "Afterword to Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton," a brief biography of Edith Wharton is provided along with the themes of class and morality found in Ethan Frome. In the beginning the author summarizes the aspects of Edith Wharton’s life which caused the melancholy tone throughout her novella. One main point is the unhappiness she had in her marriage to Edward Wharton. Along with much infidelity, their marriage consisted of envy and “extraordinary bitterness.” (279) The author believes that this is the main cause of the actions of Ethan Frome and the cause of the idea of forbidden love being the only real type of love. This is proven in his thesis which states, “In turning her jaundiced view of love and marriage on the hidebound New England farm folk of Ethan Frome, she was able, in the most gripping way, to project her dark view of marriage onto a class and its customs that were far removed from her socially.” (279) He supports this throughout the essay with statements such as, “there is no doubt that the overwhelming, painful starkness of Ethan Frome derives in part from Edith Wharton’s extreme consciousness of class.” (280) The author of the essay then goes on to describe just how hopeless the farm life in New England was at that time. Also, he points out that how due to his lack of money, Ethan is unable to pursue his lust for Mattie and is pushed to the option of suicide. This supports the Edith Wharton’s ideas regarding class, which is that the lower classes cannot find happiness, despite her lack of happiness while being in a higher class. Alfred Kazin also believes that the book was written on the basis that “love must transgress conventional morality, but it cannot. It consequently becomes a chimera, impossibility, a cheat.” This is supported by Wharton’s statement that “life is the saddest thing, next to death.” (280) Overall, the essay is based on the idea that love is impossible, especially for those in the lower class. As Alfred Kazin stated, Wharton believed that, “for love to really be love, it must be forbidden, it must fail, it must carry the doomed lovers down with it.”

In my opinion, the argument was not presented very well. The main point that the author was trying to make seemed unclear and nearly half of the essay was simply a biography of Wharton’s life. While this allows the reader to make connections between her life and her novella, it takes away from the main point that the author is attempting to make. Also, throughout the essay, there seemed to be a few contradicting ideas such as the statement that Wharton, “despite her sympathy for the lovers, she is in an old-fashioned American way the strictest of moralists.” However, Wharton’s affair with another man, due to her dislike for her husband, is mentioned earlier in the essay proving that her morality was not as strong as she may have claimed it to be and that she was quite a hypocrite. Due to the inconsistencies found in Alfred Kazin’s essay, I do not wholly support his claims. I believe that love can indeed be found without it being “forbidden” and that one does not have to be affluent in order to obtain it. What both Alfred Kazin and Edith Wharton failed to see is that with patience and persistence, love can be found. Neither money nor the ideas of forbidden love are necessary for one to fall in love and to be happy. While I find the information and ideas that Alfred Kazin expresses in his essay, “Afterword to Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton,” to be very interesting, I disagree with the stand he takes.

Sonnet 130

Sonnet 130 is one of the “Dark Lady” sonnets and while it is initially interpreted to be very offensive, when looked into, it can actually be quite sweet. Lines that are immediately are taken offensively are the first two quatrains and the first half of the last quatrain. They all criticize everything about the poor woman’s looks with phrases such as “Coral is far more red than her lips’ red” and “in some perfumes is there more delight than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.” While these lines all seem to be so rude and demeaning for any man to say to a woman, they are simple a parody of the patriarchal sonnet, which would say the opposite of what Shakespeare said. However, at the end of the sonnet, Shakespeare says how none of those things matter. He claims that his love for her is still strong and that no woman has coral red lips or golden wires for hair so there is no need to falsely compare her. This I find to be quite romantic because he is not judging her on her looks but on her personality. Although I must admit, had this poem been read to me, I most likely would have been too insulted to read into the lovely meaning Shakespeare has provided.