Journal #13

Journal #13 – Edgar Lee Masters Epitaphs (p. 502)

1. What object symbolizes George Gray’s life? How is this object representative of him?

The object that reperesents him in the poem is a “boat with a furled sail at rest in the harbor.” This represents him well because with your sail furled, you cannot go anywhere because the wind will not catch the sail. This is much like the life of George Gray because just like the boat is not going anywhere, neither is he. Because his sail is furled he missed out on a whole bunch of life opportunities that he cannot get back. Now that he has lived his life like that, he is telling others to make sure that your sail is open and ready to “catch the winds of desiney” and expirence life for all it has to offer.

2. How was Lucinda Matlock’s life different than George Gray’s? How do you interepret the last line of the poem?

Lucinda life is very different from George’s life is a very different way. In George’s life, he just sat around waiting for something to happen and not ready to sieze the chance when it comes. In contrast, Lucinda lived life to the fullest and did everything that she could to love life. She was always willing to try something new and try anything to be happy. In the end of the peom it says “it takes life to love life.” I take this to mean that you have to expirence things for yourself before you can really love them. If a person just sits around hearing other people’s stories on life, they will not truly love it until they go out and try it for themselves

3. How are “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” examples of realism?

Both of these peoms are excellent examples of realism. They are so because realism is described to be more about the everyday life, and not the extrodenary events that happen. Both of these poems fall untder that category because they both describe the everyday life of two people and how those two people lived.

Journal #12

1. “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory (symbolic narrative). What do the following represent?

Young Goodman Brown – The Name Young Goodman symbolizes a person's innocence. He tries to combat the devil and not fall into temptation, but he is unable to stop it making him no longer a pure good man. The Brown part of his name could indicate that he is just an average man.

Faith – she represents religious faith, and faith in humanity.

The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – He represent evil and the devil. He may also represent temptation that the devil sends.

Goody Cloyse – She is someone who Goodman looks up too, and becomes disappointed when he sees her. She represent hypocrisy.

The Ceremony – This is supposed to be the opposite of Baptism, which is the cleansing of original sin, here they celebrate sin. Also it could be like Confirmation because they are becoming a part of the religion that celebrates the devil.

The Pink Ribbon – This could represent the lose of faith because when Goodman sees it fall from the sky, he realizes that he has lost his "Faith"

Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – It symbolizes a person's journey of growing up and losing you innocence. Also it shows how when you grow up you see the world for what it really is, it is a place with good and evil.

2. Identify The following for "Young Goodman Brown":

Theme- Sin

Message- Sin is something that can not be avoided in life no matter how hard a person tries. Also that sin is everywhere you go and in everyone that you see and no one is free from the sin in the world other than Mary and Jesus. Also the message may be that the evil in the world is brought out through people and their natural tendency to fall into temptation

Element Used to Establish- Plot is the element used.

Quotes:

``With heaven above and Faith below, I will yet stand firm against the devil!''- Goodman Brown trying to avoid sin, but turns out to be unsuccessful.

``There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given.''- A direct quote about sin in the world.

"Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness."- This is to show that evil is everywhere and in everyone because it is in human nature.

Journal #11

Where I lived and What I Lived for

About a man who goes out into the wilderness and tries to live life as simply as possible. The main point about this essay is about not worrying about the little things in life and just trying to live off the necessities.

“To drive life into a corner, and reduce it to lowest terms.”

Sounds

He sits around and listens to the sound of society and notices that most people involve themselves in activities to enjoy and pass time, but he said if they took the time, they could amuse themselves just y sitting and listening to the sounds of nature.

“I had this advantage, at least in my mode of life over those who were obligated to look abroad for amusement to society and theater.”

Neighbors

In this passage, he was talking about the life of an ant, and it is as hard as life as a human. He says that they and us both grow through the same pain and hardships, and that they fight hard just like we do. In this passage, he compares the battle of the ants to the battle on Bunker Hill in the American Revolution.

“I was myself excited somewhat even as if they had been men. The more you think of it, the less the difference.”

The Pond in Winter

He wakes up in a dream asking himself about what life is all about. When winter comes, Walden watches the fishermen and realizes that they are living simply, just like he is. When the pond freezes over in the winter, he has to chop a hole in the ice to bucket out the water. The main point of this passage is that we have to go out and experience nature for ourselves; we can’t make others do it for us.

“But there was a dawning Nature, in whom all creatures live, looking in at my broad windows with serene and satisfied dace, and no question on her lips.”

Spring

With the beginning of spring everything starts to change; the flowers bloom and birds fly. He talks about a wise man, and how he has wisdom he could never imagine, and also talks about that a person should not hold grudges.

“As every season seems best to us in its turns, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden age.”

Journal #10

Often at the end of a play, Shakespeare’s tragic heroes often have a moment of insight. What is Othello’s insight?

Shakespeare's Insight

Othello, before he ever talked to Iago, lived a good life. He beleived in being pure until marriage,and always trusting your wife, and never hurting her. This all changed when he decided to put Iago into his life. Iago fed him lie after lie, slowly destroying Othello's morals and his good conscience. Because of this, Othell evetunally kills his wife. He later relized what evil he had done, and wanted to show the world he was sorry. He decieds he will kill himself as a penance, but before he goes he gives a speech.Near the end of Othello life he gives a speech on how he wants to be remember and tells what exactly happened that caused the tragedy. During this speech, he gives a great insight on how a person should live their life. He says that he trusted someone whom should not of been trusted, and that he was manipulated. This is a great life lesson in to teaching people that they need to be weary of who they trust. Sometimes the person may seem trustworthy, but in reality, they are not. They are really trying to use that person to do something for themselves. Othello is trying to make the point that people in this world are not looking out for you, and usually, people are just trying to put others down to get on top and to get what they want, or should have had.

Journal #9

Free Will - The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.

Determinism - The philosophical doctrine that every event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedents, such as genetic and environmental influences, that are independent of the human will.

Free Will vs. Determinism

In Othello, throughout the book there was the argument of free will versus determinism to which one was why the book ended as it did. It is unsure what was the main reason why those events happened the way they did and there are very good arguments augmenting both ways. One argument is that it was all free will. This is a good argument, because just like Iago said many times in the book, Othello did not have to believe that his wife was cheating on him, but he chose too, using his free will. Also another example is that Rodrigo did not have to do everything Iago asked him to such as trying to kill Cassio, but he chose too. Iago often says to Rodrigo that the whole world is based on free will, and everyone has the choice to control their own life and their own destiny. Iago believes in free will and the power of choices.

On the other hand, determinism, or something similar to the idea of cause and effect could have also been the reason that the terrible events occurred in the book. Othello did chose to believe that that his wife was cheating on him, but that was an effect to all the evidence that Iago was showing him. Also, none of this would of had happened if Othello would have had just given Iago the job he wanted, even though he may not of been as well suited for it as Cassio. Or, it also would not have happened if Rodrigo was not as gullible as he is, and would have said no to Iago. Put these flaws that cause the character to become manipulated was not their choice, it was something they where born with that they could not change, this being the cause, and the death and destruction that Iago caused was the effect.Overall, with both of the arguments, there is no clear winner. In my opinion it is a combination of both the idea of free will and determinism that both contributed to the final outcome of the book with three people dying and one going to jail. Others may argue differently, but they will never be able to prove one way or another without any doubt.