Blog Assignment #5- Symbolism in Poetry

           There is great use of symbolism in the poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes.  In this poem, Hughes explains how he's known the rivers since the beginning of history.  He uses different time periods to symbolize this wisdom of the rivers he claims to have.  But is he actually talking about himself? It is obviously impossible that Hughes lived through more then a thousand years of history, so I think that when he says "I",  he actually means his people (African-Americans) as a whole.  Hughes is basically honoring black heritage and history through this poem.  Langston Hughes is really trying to emphasize his peoples widom when he says "I've known rivers anceint as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins." (Hughes 1).  This clear exaggeration means that before humans even exsisted, the black man had knowledge of the rivers.  This line is one example that is used to symbolize blacks wisdom of the rivers.  A second example, would be when he says "I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. (Hughes 1).  The pyramids were built around 5,000 years ago a little more recent, but still going pretty far back in time which again helps get his point across.  Another line to symbolize African-American wisdom is when he says "I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans." (Hughes 1). Lincoln's time period was the 1800's.  And again, Langston uses another verse to honor the legacy of his wise people.  The poem is like a timeline, with each line, we are a little closer to present day.  Time may not stay constant in the poem, but the point sure does! http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15722

                                               

Blog Assignment #4- Romanticism

       When I think of the Romantic Era, the first thing that pops up into my head is traditonal romance.  But this era was actually not about romance, but more about imagination and creativity.  Things like nature and the super natural were discussed in poetry.  The Romantic era was a period of big change and emancipation. Unlike the classical era, the Romantic era began to allow artistic freedom and emancipation.  (Thinkquest.org 1).  "Romanticism was arguably the largest artistic movement of the late 1700s" (Poets.org 1).  "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth is a great poem that reflects the meaning of this time period.  "I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills, when all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden daffodils." (Wordsworth 1).  This similie describing loneliness to a cloud has alot to do with the era.  "The waves beside them danced" (Wordsworth 1) this use of personification is also a great example. Wordsworth incorporates alot of creativity and nature into his literary devices in the text. The poem has alot to do with nature, he talks about clouds, daffodils, waves, and hills.  Wordsworth uses alot of imagination and creativity in this poem, and ufcourse nature (all elements of the Romantic Era).

Blog Assignment #3- Bartleby

    Melville tells this story through the eyes of the employer rather than from Bartleby's perspective, he does this on purpose so that we can actually learn more about the manager and gather our own thoughts in our head about the person that the story is being told about (Bartleby).  The more conversations I saw unfold between Bartleby and the employer, the more I wondered about Bartleby's peculiar attitude.  It allows the reader to think further into the story, and read between the lines.  It makes you wonder what was going on in Bartleby's head.  This is very similar to what William Faulkner does in "A Rose for Emily" when the story isn't actually told by Emily herself, but by the town.
  The manager handled the situation with his employee in very strange ways, he had an unusual amount of patience with Bartleby and tolerated much more then a manager normally would, as seen in the text.  "Every copyist is bound to help examine his copy.  Is it not so? Will you not speak? Answer!" (Melville 11) "I prefer not to" (Melville 11).  "Will you tell me, Bartleby, where you were born?"  (Melville 19)"I would prefer not to" (Melville 19) "Will you tell me anything about yourself?" (Melville 19) "I would prefer not to" (Melville 19).  He also proves once again that he can't handle the situation when he  consults with his employees on what to do in the situation.  He ends up ASKING Bartleby if he can quit, and when he 'prefers not to', the manager bizzarely leaves himself! The manager also shows signs of immaturity when he gives his employees childish name nicknames like 'Turkey' and 'Nippers'.
     The dialogue and employers descriptions begin to give you an idea of Bartleby, he was clearly a very miserable individual.  He expressed no desire to get anything done in life, or associate with anyone seemed extremely depressed.  This is later confirmed when Bartleby dies from starving himself in jail and the employer goes on to find out that Bartleby was a great clerk at an office in the past, and he was suddenly fired unexpectidly due to a change in administration.  This was my aha moment! It makes the reader understand exactly why Bartleby acted the way he did and feel really bad for him.  By this point in the story, the narrator has definitly had an experience with this person that would go on to change him for the rest of his life.  Through Bartleby, the narrator has been able to view the world and humanity the same miserable way Bartleby had and get a little taste of Bartleby's bitter life.

Blog Assignment #2- Faulkner

      In "A Rose For Emily", the predominant point of view is first person.  Some would even say that it's first person(s). But I think that the "we" and "our" in the story links the town as a whole and makes them one voice. "When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral" (Faulkner 1).  The focal character in this story is not actually Emily, but the town itself.  They always say the best way to learn about a person is to actually listen to the way they describe others.  From the text, we can assume that the town is very nosy, gossipy, and curious which leaves us wondering which parts of the story are assumptions or rumors, and what is actually true which is proven by the following passage.  "WE did not say she was crazy then.  WE believed she had to do that.  WE remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and WE knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will." (Faulkner 3).  The towns people have made many observations in this passage. Now when the town says "we knew" did they actually really know this?  Or is this actually the perfect example of an assumption? Do we know if she was actually crazy? Maybe she was just lonely.  And there must have been a reason behind every man her father drove away.  The whole story is told by the town, we never actually hear the story straight from the source (Emily) since its a narrator perspective.  In the end, it is ultimately up to us to put the pieces together and decide what we believe.

Blog Assignment #1- Ernest Hemingway

 
     Hemingway's life experiences definitely influence his perspective in his short story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place".  His drinking problem might influence the focus of this story, which is the old man who was an alcoholic that sat in the bar every night.  "Hemingway had an enduring love affair with Spain and the Spanish people" (Putman 1). He lived there for some time, which might be the reason he has a large amount of spanish dialogue at the end of "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place".  Hemingway mentions a random soldier in the beginning of the story which shows us that he is very dear to his war experience. He goes into description about the soldier's collar, which we know is very rare in Hemingway's writing style.  "The street lights shone on the brass number on his collar" (Hemingway 1).  His first hand war experiences must influence this description and choice of character.  Hemingway actually put many of his own characteristics into that older waiter.  The waiter was very selfless like the author and was willing to stay with the old man till 3a.m, similar to Hemingway who proved selfless when he carried a wounded Italian soldier to safety as he was injured, and then became injured again. (Putman 1).  The waiter talks about the cafe as if it is like The Red Cross (like in Hemingway's war experience) or a shelter of some sort.  He says, "with all those who need a light for the night" (Hemingway 2).  "Each night I am reluctant to close up because there maybe someone who needs the cafe" (Hemingway 2).  Hemingway served with the Red Cross so I believe that he is expressing is caring nature through the waiter.  The waiter never wanted to go home which is very similar to Hemingway who felt that he couldn't connect with old friends and family on the home front.  When he describes the old man he says that "he walked unsteadily but with dignity".    He uses this word again when the waiter says "nor can you stand before a bar with dignity".  This word jumps out at me and makes me see him as a war veteran right away. Hemingway's life experiences clearly influence his writing style and his choice of characteristics in "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place".