The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn enthralls readers with its style and wit. Mark Twain removes himself from the story at the beginning, seeking to convince the reader that Huck is the one telling the tale. This beginning, starting in first-person, continues throughout the book, and we can see that this adds much meaning and personality to the book.
The ability of first-person writing to have a duality of persona greatly adds to the book. Huck narrates both in the moment and as a more mature, omnipotent narrator. These two presentations add a dynamic character to the work as a whole. Huck, as the older, wiser narrator, proves to us that somehow he has learned from the happenings in his life, and grown as a result. This is exemplified in Chapter 28, when Huck is speaking with Mary Jane. There is dialogue and narration, and finally, Huck (as the knowing, older narrator right at first, and then when he thinks as the in the moment Huck),says, "Well, I says to myself at last, I'm agoing to chance it; I'll up and tell the truth this time, though it does seem most like setting down on a dag of powder and touching it off just to see where you'll go to." The wiser Huck clues us in to the trouble he goes through in making this moral decision, and the in the moment Huck tells the reader what happens. It's a very clever way of adding personality and explanation of true feeling into the story. Most of the time the book is told in the present, and the reader can clearly see Huck as he is in the story, trying to get down the Mississippi and have a few adventures along the way.
This duality adds an element of suspense which could not be replicated without the two forms of first-person. The older Huck knows what will happen, and so can narrate in a style worthy of the story, creating suspense. Then through dialogue and interaction with other characters in the present, the story fleshes out. It is not a one-dimensional story; there is the added dimension of wisdom which adds suspense and a sense of expectancy in the telling of the story.
This first-person telling also contributes to the relationship the reader develops with Huck. This method of storytelling almost makes Huck seem like he is right in the room telling the story to you. It is much like a raconteur, spinning a grand tale, and less like a dry account of Huck’s journey down the river. Twain makes it as if Huck is really telling you just what happened, without author or editor intervention. This endears Huck to the reader, and helps add Huck’s true personality to the writing. The writing itself conveys Huck’s personality since it is first-person, and this colors the book in a way millions have come to love.
Finally, this duality grants a sense of growth in light of the narrator’s former naivety. We can see how Huck has developed through his older narrations, and in juxtaposition with his dialogue and present actions, we can see that he grows. Huck’s trip down the Mississippi matures him in many ways, including helping him see himself without the domineering leadership of Tom, letting him see that Jim is much more than some slave, but a true man and father figure, and just overall growth and wisdom through interactions with the likes of the Grangerfords and the King and the Duke. He has certainly changed, and we see this more mature narrator throughout finally become the narrator at the end, though it is still the same uncivilized and rambunctious Huckleberry Finn readers have come to love.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The Almost-Mythological Level Attained by Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet could most assuredly be called one of the most famous love stories of all time. Their names have seeped into common language, those sappy-eyed lover-boys being deigned, "Romeo", and the girl he's perpetually after, "Juliet". There is no mistaking that this play has achieved the highest level of literary and cultural recognition; it is famous all over the world.
The realization that this play has become immortal begs the question: why has it become so famous? To answer this, one only need look into the universal qualities this play exemplifies. Romeo and Juliet has the whole package. It has forbidden lovers, dramatic fight scenes, comic relief, family rivalries, characters from all walks of life, poetry, passion, minute-by-minute action, and death. It has suspense, yet flagrant foreshadowing. It has arduous love, yet is centered around the hate between two families. It has the boy every girl wants: love-struck, willing to do anything for love, risky, daring, forbidden, handsome, in pursuit. It has the girl every boy wants: beautiful, young, forbidden, cautious yet willing,courageous, faithful, completely sold-out. All of these factors combine to weave an immortal story, unforgettable to the ages.
Romeo and Juliet not only contains these literary factors which enthrall audiences, it also comes in the form to awe them as well. Shakespeare wrote the whole play in blank verse, which is a remarkable feat in and of itself, but this method of writing also lends itself to a certain poetic element that draws viewers in. Without being blatantly poetic (lacking rhyme, for the most part), Romeo and Juliet oozes the language of romance and passion in a way that is conveyed subtly to the audience, not thrust upon them. Shakespeare also added rhyming couplets, telling viewers and readers alike when something of great import was happening. These couplets are mostly delivered at the end of scenes, to wrap up events and add to the coming suspense of the next scene. These elements of form and structure really add to the solidity and passion of the play, further endearing them to the whole world.
This play also contains scenes which have attained almost mythological proportions. The balcony scene is one of the best-known scenes in all of literature, evoking images of two forbidden lovers, conversing from two different altitudes in the dark moonlight. This scene is immortalized in the oft-quoted lines of Romeo, "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?/ It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." These lines, murmured quietly in the seclusion of Juliet's garden, entice audiences because of their poetic nature and secretive environ. Though Romeo has not known Juliet for more than a couple hours, he can compare her to the sun, and he can utter beautifully poetic lines about her, even when he is not addressing her. This scene, about the first private exchange between the two lovers, has most likely become Shakespeare's most famous scene.
Finally, one of the main reasons why Romeo and Juliet is so famous is the events at the end of the play. It is simply unforgettable when the two lovers narrowly miss each other and separately take their own lives when they think the other is dead. To love so much, so quickly, means a whole lot, and the tragedy of the final act stick in the hearts of those who read and watch it. When Romeo drinks over Juliet's seemingly dead body, uttering, "Here's to my love!", the hearts of all beholding it sink, and they know that there is no saving the unfortunate lovers from their "untimely death[s]". All the world would want so badly to aid Friar John, to speed up the awakening of Juliet, to prevent the apothecary from selling his lethal dose, but alas! they cannot. This element of preventable tragedy, unstoppable even as it is being played out, touches the hearts of those who behold it. Romeo and Juliet have gone down in history as the couple for whom everyone would save if they had the chance. An aching heart, inherent to the end of the play, is felt by all, and this has made the story virtually mythological: everyone remembers the tragic story of Romeo and his Juliet.
The realization that this play has become immortal begs the question: why has it become so famous? To answer this, one only need look into the universal qualities this play exemplifies. Romeo and Juliet has the whole package. It has forbidden lovers, dramatic fight scenes, comic relief, family rivalries, characters from all walks of life, poetry, passion, minute-by-minute action, and death. It has suspense, yet flagrant foreshadowing. It has arduous love, yet is centered around the hate between two families. It has the boy every girl wants: love-struck, willing to do anything for love, risky, daring, forbidden, handsome, in pursuit. It has the girl every boy wants: beautiful, young, forbidden, cautious yet willing,courageous, faithful, completely sold-out. All of these factors combine to weave an immortal story, unforgettable to the ages.
Romeo and Juliet not only contains these literary factors which enthrall audiences, it also comes in the form to awe them as well. Shakespeare wrote the whole play in blank verse, which is a remarkable feat in and of itself, but this method of writing also lends itself to a certain poetic element that draws viewers in. Without being blatantly poetic (lacking rhyme, for the most part), Romeo and Juliet oozes the language of romance and passion in a way that is conveyed subtly to the audience, not thrust upon them. Shakespeare also added rhyming couplets, telling viewers and readers alike when something of great import was happening. These couplets are mostly delivered at the end of scenes, to wrap up events and add to the coming suspense of the next scene. These elements of form and structure really add to the solidity and passion of the play, further endearing them to the whole world.
This play also contains scenes which have attained almost mythological proportions. The balcony scene is one of the best-known scenes in all of literature, evoking images of two forbidden lovers, conversing from two different altitudes in the dark moonlight. This scene is immortalized in the oft-quoted lines of Romeo, "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?/ It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." These lines, murmured quietly in the seclusion of Juliet's garden, entice audiences because of their poetic nature and secretive environ. Though Romeo has not known Juliet for more than a couple hours, he can compare her to the sun, and he can utter beautifully poetic lines about her, even when he is not addressing her. This scene, about the first private exchange between the two lovers, has most likely become Shakespeare's most famous scene.
Finally, one of the main reasons why Romeo and Juliet is so famous is the events at the end of the play. It is simply unforgettable when the two lovers narrowly miss each other and separately take their own lives when they think the other is dead. To love so much, so quickly, means a whole lot, and the tragedy of the final act stick in the hearts of those who read and watch it. When Romeo drinks over Juliet's seemingly dead body, uttering, "Here's to my love!", the hearts of all beholding it sink, and they know that there is no saving the unfortunate lovers from their "untimely death[s]". All the world would want so badly to aid Friar John, to speed up the awakening of Juliet, to prevent the apothecary from selling his lethal dose, but alas! they cannot. This element of preventable tragedy, unstoppable even as it is being played out, touches the hearts of those who behold it. Romeo and Juliet have gone down in history as the couple for whom everyone would save if they had the chance. An aching heart, inherent to the end of the play, is felt by all, and this has made the story virtually mythological: everyone remembers the tragic story of Romeo and his Juliet.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Question 7 GOW re-write
Rose of Sharon’s final nursing and mysterious smile at the end of the book show the full development of her character throughout the book in a fulsome, life-altering way. As Rose of Sharon is first introduced, she is a selfish, newly married and pregnant adolescent, who is self-centered in the worst way. Seeing her start the journey, she is almost a detestable character because of her naivety and small-mindedness. This is clearly shown when the dog gets run over, and Rose of Sharon is afraid because the impact of the accident “Gave [her] a start.” She doesn’t care about the dog, or anyone else’s feelings. She is only concerned for the baby. This is warranted, but starts to seem simple-minded after her concerns are repeated time and again. Ma is always spurring Rose of Sharon on, reminding her to look after the needs of others, and Rose of Sharon starts to grow both in size and character as the Joads move further along the road.
Throughout their journey, Rose of Sharon is robbed, little by little, of what inkling of dignity she had had at the beginning. She sees the hardships of migration, but her concern is still mainly her own, only branching out to help when commanded to by her headstrong Ma. She faces tough times, but her naivety is clearly apparent when she asks, repeatedly, if the baby is going to be ok. She focuses on Connie’s future, and is obsessed with the life they plan to live away from the rest of the family. She suffers when her husband leaves her once the family reaches California, but is it just another step in the process of her maturing and learning about how the world really is. She is scared and mourning the loss of her husband, but is pressed by Ma to continue, to keep working. She learns that life cannot stop for loss or sadness when surviving day by day. In the government camp, Rose of Sharon learns to take more responsibility, and she helps out more and more with the family. She does a lot of her growing during this time, though tacit, as she reckons with the finality of Connie’s abandonment and the plight of the family in California. She is further challenged when a cruel religious lady pressures her with guilt about doing certain things. She is made to believe that it will harm the baby if she participates in the dance. Rose of Sharon has to rely on her Ma’s resilience, and grows through this increased pressure on her character, learning to cope with the threat of imposed guilt on her baby’s head.
Rose of Sharon has changed quite remarkably by the time the Joads leave the government camp. Her dynamic change is not complete, however. Once the family leaves the sanitary camp, Rose of Sharon has to deal with her huge belly, and the prospect of having her precious child out among the horrendous conditions of California migrant life. She is stretched more as she spends time with the injured Tom in the small cabin at the peach orchard. She goes ecstatic about his endangering her baby with his actions, although they were noble in reality. She calms down from her fit, and helps Tom even when she is still clearly distressed. She further learns to help even when she is almost nine months pregnant, insisting on helping the family pick cotton, and learning that being concerned about the baby though inaction at this point is worthless. She grows to know that this birth is bigger than her. Once she births the stillborn baby, she is wrenched back into the cold, flooded world as one complete person. She is a childless mother, and she has come full circle from her naïve character back in Oklahoma. She has lost a baby, and is completely destitute and without money in a winter flood. At the pinnacle of destitution, she learns the glorious give-and-take of life that is possible through the physiognomy of the human body. She nourishes another human, and her transformation through her whole migration experience explains her willingness to forgo shame to simply help others survive. This stretch of Rose of Sharon’s character, though a discreet process, warrants her eventual act of kindness at the end of the book.
Throughout their journey, Rose of Sharon is robbed, little by little, of what inkling of dignity she had had at the beginning. She sees the hardships of migration, but her concern is still mainly her own, only branching out to help when commanded to by her headstrong Ma. She faces tough times, but her naivety is clearly apparent when she asks, repeatedly, if the baby is going to be ok. She focuses on Connie’s future, and is obsessed with the life they plan to live away from the rest of the family. She suffers when her husband leaves her once the family reaches California, but is it just another step in the process of her maturing and learning about how the world really is. She is scared and mourning the loss of her husband, but is pressed by Ma to continue, to keep working. She learns that life cannot stop for loss or sadness when surviving day by day. In the government camp, Rose of Sharon learns to take more responsibility, and she helps out more and more with the family. She does a lot of her growing during this time, though tacit, as she reckons with the finality of Connie’s abandonment and the plight of the family in California. She is further challenged when a cruel religious lady pressures her with guilt about doing certain things. She is made to believe that it will harm the baby if she participates in the dance. Rose of Sharon has to rely on her Ma’s resilience, and grows through this increased pressure on her character, learning to cope with the threat of imposed guilt on her baby’s head.
Rose of Sharon has changed quite remarkably by the time the Joads leave the government camp. Her dynamic change is not complete, however. Once the family leaves the sanitary camp, Rose of Sharon has to deal with her huge belly, and the prospect of having her precious child out among the horrendous conditions of California migrant life. She is stretched more as she spends time with the injured Tom in the small cabin at the peach orchard. She goes ecstatic about his endangering her baby with his actions, although they were noble in reality. She calms down from her fit, and helps Tom even when she is still clearly distressed. She further learns to help even when she is almost nine months pregnant, insisting on helping the family pick cotton, and learning that being concerned about the baby though inaction at this point is worthless. She grows to know that this birth is bigger than her. Once she births the stillborn baby, she is wrenched back into the cold, flooded world as one complete person. She is a childless mother, and she has come full circle from her naïve character back in Oklahoma. She has lost a baby, and is completely destitute and without money in a winter flood. At the pinnacle of destitution, she learns the glorious give-and-take of life that is possible through the physiognomy of the human body. She nourishes another human, and her transformation through her whole migration experience explains her willingness to forgo shame to simply help others survive. This stretch of Rose of Sharon’s character, though a discreet process, warrants her eventual act of kindness at the end of the book.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Whose fault is it that Mercutio dies?
The only reasonable answer to the question lies within. Whose fault was it? The fact of the matter is, that it is YOUR fault. You, as the reader, are the one who makes fiction come to life. Clearly, in 1303, no Romeo and Juliet existed. Thus, as a work of fiction, it does not become reality until you, the reader, make it so. If Romeo and Juliet had lied abandoned on the shelf, no one would have died. When you read that Mercutio was stabbed under Romeo's arm, essentially you gave license to Tybalt in your very act of reading. Thus, Mercutio's blood, spilt right in front of your eyes, would not have been poured forth if you had not unleashed it through your erudition. Would not Mercutio have stayed alive if you had stopped reading in Act II scene vi? Thus, it is completely your fault that he dies, as you so selfishly continued reading. You unlocked the reality of the story as you kept perusing this blood-soaked play, and I can only warn you: if you dare to keep reading, more people will surely die.
Obituaries
Mercutio, 17 of Verona, Italy, died Monday afternoon, June 4th, 1303, after being stabbed. Funeral service will be held at 6:00pm of the same day at Verona Funeral Home Chapel.
For most of his short life, Mercutio was the friend and comrade of Romeo and Benvolio Montague. Mercutio was known for his imaginative spirit and easygoing jests, and could be often seen in the streets of Verona having a wonderful time with his friends. He was related to the Prince of Verona and the well-known Paris. This young man was thrust out of this world through the parry of a certain Tybalt Capulet, who was also deceased as of the same day. Mercutio will long be remembered for his loving and free-spirited approach to life, and his many dreams that he unfortunately had not chance to live out. May he rest in peace.
For most of his short life, Mercutio was the friend and comrade of Romeo and Benvolio Montague. Mercutio was known for his imaginative spirit and easygoing jests, and could be often seen in the streets of Verona having a wonderful time with his friends. He was related to the Prince of Verona and the well-known Paris. This young man was thrust out of this world through the parry of a certain Tybalt Capulet, who was also deceased as of the same day. Mercutio will long be remembered for his loving and free-spirited approach to life, and his many dreams that he unfortunately had not chance to live out. May he rest in peace.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Death prorogued, wanting of thy love.
ROMEO: With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls,
For stony limits cannot hold love out,
And what love can do, that dares love attempt.
Therefore they kinsmen are no stop to me.
JULIET: If they do see thee, they will murder thee.
Shakespeare’s language in act 2 scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet conveys a poignant, secretive euphoria between the two title characters. This scene, a mix of lover’s elated expressions and daunted fore-warnings of death, is made clear to the reader through Shakespeare’s use of blank verse, and his diction and metaphor. The mood is established and built upon, in the still of the night in a dark garden, between two longing lovers, from rival families.
Shakespeare’s use of blank verse majorly adds poetic passion to this scene. With the lovers uttering everything in iambic pentameter, the height of their passion as higher-class forbidden loves is made lucid, and we can see into their fervor for each other through this method of conveying passion. Romeo’s words flow off his tongue in gasps of five stressed syllables, and this blank verse shows the infatuation and passion of the scene. The syntax this limits Shakespeare to is not limiting to his ability to convey this passion. The fire and lust of the scene are almost accentuated even more in blank verse, because of the poetic and rhythmical nature inherent to the verse. This is a very important part of Shakespeare’s setting of the mood, and revealing the passion of the two lovers.
The Bard also uses diction to convey this secretive, fervent mood. He uses strong, universal words to portray the gravity of Romeo’s presence in the garden. He uses words like “death”, “love”, “peril”, “swords”, “hate”, and “adventure” to show the universality of the plight of the lovers. They are so infatuated with each other, and these strong words invoke feeling of life or death, love or hate, both of which are worldwide opposites. These contrasting terms, uttered between the hidden lovers, show how serious even their initial acts of love are considering who their names are. Juliet seems to be the sensible one, asking questions of Romeo, such as, “How cam’st thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?” She wants to know the practical side of things, and her words portray a young girl who is hopelessly in love, but thinking logistically. Romeo, on the other hand, seems quite nonsensical, using metaphors of the seas and sailors, and how love has wings to fly over walls which would keep others out. This juxtaposition of trepidation and thoughtless abandon to love show the two sides of Shakespeare’s mood in this scene: hidden fear and euphoric love. These elated lovers, “cloak[ed]” in “night”, are shown to be so through these narrative devices, and readers through the centuries have caught on to that mood so intimately through these methods of revealing and developing it.
For stony limits cannot hold love out,
And what love can do, that dares love attempt.
Therefore they kinsmen are no stop to me.
JULIET: If they do see thee, they will murder thee.
Shakespeare’s language in act 2 scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet conveys a poignant, secretive euphoria between the two title characters. This scene, a mix of lover’s elated expressions and daunted fore-warnings of death, is made clear to the reader through Shakespeare’s use of blank verse, and his diction and metaphor. The mood is established and built upon, in the still of the night in a dark garden, between two longing lovers, from rival families.
Shakespeare’s use of blank verse majorly adds poetic passion to this scene. With the lovers uttering everything in iambic pentameter, the height of their passion as higher-class forbidden loves is made lucid, and we can see into their fervor for each other through this method of conveying passion. Romeo’s words flow off his tongue in gasps of five stressed syllables, and this blank verse shows the infatuation and passion of the scene. The syntax this limits Shakespeare to is not limiting to his ability to convey this passion. The fire and lust of the scene are almost accentuated even more in blank verse, because of the poetic and rhythmical nature inherent to the verse. This is a very important part of Shakespeare’s setting of the mood, and revealing the passion of the two lovers.
The Bard also uses diction to convey this secretive, fervent mood. He uses strong, universal words to portray the gravity of Romeo’s presence in the garden. He uses words like “death”, “love”, “peril”, “swords”, “hate”, and “adventure” to show the universality of the plight of the lovers. They are so infatuated with each other, and these strong words invoke feeling of life or death, love or hate, both of which are worldwide opposites. These contrasting terms, uttered between the hidden lovers, show how serious even their initial acts of love are considering who their names are. Juliet seems to be the sensible one, asking questions of Romeo, such as, “How cam’st thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?” She wants to know the practical side of things, and her words portray a young girl who is hopelessly in love, but thinking logistically. Romeo, on the other hand, seems quite nonsensical, using metaphors of the seas and sailors, and how love has wings to fly over walls which would keep others out. This juxtaposition of trepidation and thoughtless abandon to love show the two sides of Shakespeare’s mood in this scene: hidden fear and euphoric love. These elated lovers, “cloak[ed]” in “night”, are shown to be so through these narrative devices, and readers through the centuries have caught on to that mood so intimately through these methods of revealing and developing it.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Needed...
5,000 workers to fill 200 spots
Extremely desperate hard workers with large hungry families willing to work for stale food.
Preferably an idealist looking for a new start, because you will never get any opportunity to fulfill it elsewhere
Give preferance to those who are wiling to work for less than they are worth
Unwilling to listen to sob stories – we don't care about your stinkin' kids
If interested, contact Despair Land & Cattle Co.
Sarabeth Flowers and Charlotte Pratt
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