Quote:
“‘Good-by—because, I love you.’ He did not know; he did not understand… She looked into the distance, and the old terror flamed up for an instant, then sank again. Edna heard her father’s voice and her sister Margaret’s” (Chopin 625).
Summary:
This is the end of The Awakening, when Edna goes back to Grand Isle and ends up swimming in the ocean at night. Finally, she never stops swimming and finally she loses or her strength and dies.
Response:
This ending is really interesting, because first she starts talking about Robert and how he said good-by to her, because he loved her. She is blaming him for not understanding her, for not being capable of understanding that Edna was free already, that she could do what she wanted, that they could be happy together. But of course, she was wrong; she didn’t understand that her relationship with Robert wasn’t going to end in a good way. It was an illusion that she could finally break the chains that tied her to the conventional world and be free. Deep down in her soul she knew this, which is why she wanted to keep on swimming, maybe at first she wanted to prove she could keep on swimming and not surrender to death, but that wasn’t possible. Perhaps her wings, or arms weren’t strong enough, and she wasn’t strong enough to go back to the harsh reality.
Also, it is interesting that her final sight is not those of freedom, but of her family. She is regressing in time, to her childhood, where once she had doubted her faith. This is probably the final meaning of her death, she finally discovered that she was once again the child who could think freely and take care of herself. She was back to the time where she didn’t know the harsh reality, where promises are broken and she can’t be happy. All this ends up killing her, but before dying, it’s like she doesn’t fear death anymore, because the terror that appeared before her the first time she swam far away, finally sank away, and she finally awoke by dying.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Journal 25: Chopin's wings
Quote:
“‘The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is sad to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth’” (Chopin 599)
Summary:
This are the exact words of Mademoiselle Reisz to Edna, when they where talking about Edna wanting to be an artist. Edna is telling this to Arobin when she is back at her house. She thinks these words are “queer”.
Response:
Mademoiselle Reisz’s words tell Edna that she needs to be ready and strong to overcome all the obstacles she will encounter if she really wants to become an artist. But this “artist” is not only about Edna’s desire to become a painter, it is about Edna as a whole and about all the awakenings she is having. Mademoiselle is telling her that discovering herself as and individual and trying to be independent in her time, will be a harsh task if not impossible. Also, she is telling her that people who usually want to be free and will often surrender and go back to the beginning, which is why if Edna has resolve enough to start her journey, she will need strong wings.
I think these words actually became true at the beginning, when Edna tries to swim far away in the ocean, but once she is overreaching her own strength, she get scared of death, and she goes back. Mademoiselle’s words reflect exactly how Edna felt when she came back from the water that day she learned how to swim. But in this case is not the ocean, it’s the sky, both are infinite and threatening, both symbolize freedom, and both can lead to death if you can’t fly or you can’t swim.
Chopin’s symbolism is really great, plus, the message she sends with these words, is the confrontation with a harsh reality that everyone knows, because humans want to believe they can overcome their problems and they can succeed, but that is not true, at least not if you don’t have the strength enough.
“‘The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is sad to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth’” (Chopin 599)
Summary:
This are the exact words of Mademoiselle Reisz to Edna, when they where talking about Edna wanting to be an artist. Edna is telling this to Arobin when she is back at her house. She thinks these words are “queer”.
Response:
Mademoiselle Reisz’s words tell Edna that she needs to be ready and strong to overcome all the obstacles she will encounter if she really wants to become an artist. But this “artist” is not only about Edna’s desire to become a painter, it is about Edna as a whole and about all the awakenings she is having. Mademoiselle is telling her that discovering herself as and individual and trying to be independent in her time, will be a harsh task if not impossible. Also, she is telling her that people who usually want to be free and will often surrender and go back to the beginning, which is why if Edna has resolve enough to start her journey, she will need strong wings.
I think these words actually became true at the beginning, when Edna tries to swim far away in the ocean, but once she is overreaching her own strength, she get scared of death, and she goes back. Mademoiselle’s words reflect exactly how Edna felt when she came back from the water that day she learned how to swim. But in this case is not the ocean, it’s the sky, both are infinite and threatening, both symbolize freedom, and both can lead to death if you can’t fly or you can’t swim.
Chopin’s symbolism is really great, plus, the message she sends with these words, is the confrontation with a harsh reality that everyone knows, because humans want to believe they can overcome their problems and they can succeed, but that is not true, at least not if you don’t have the strength enough.
Journal 24: Chopin's gender roles
Quote:
“’There were a good many.’ replied Edna, who was eating her soup with evident satisfaction. “I found them when I got home; I was out”/ “Out!” exclaimed her husband, with something like genuine consternation in his voice…” (Chopin 574)
Summary:
This quote from The Awakening of Kate Chopin, takes place after Edna returns to the city. During dinner she tells her husband that she went out when she was supposed to stay at home and attend guest, like every other Tuesday.
Response:
I think the use of language in this passage is really symbolic to understand the subtle meaning of this conversation between Edna and her husband. In the first place, I noticed that Edna is not called Mrs. Pontellier anymore, which means something has changed. Chopin calls her by her first name to show the change in Edna, since now she is aware of her individuality and she is no longer just Mr. Pontellier’s wife.
Also, Edna eats her soup with evident satisfaction, even though the soup is not good according to her husband. It is like she is enjoying the moment, she enjoying the fact that she didn’t stayed home on a Tuesday, when she is supposed to stay and attend guest. She is enjoying that her husband is surprised and “concerned” about that. In other words, she is satisfied with her act of rebellion, because it paid off like she expected to.
On the other hand, he husband reaction is “something like genuine consternation”, which means he is concerned not because of Edna being out all day, but because she was out and the guest where important people, who might think she was rude, and by means he was rude too. He is more concerned about his own relations with the guests than with Edna’s happiness, he needs her to stay at home and be like a nice lady or doll to all the guests that come by. Basically, she is one extra tool to maintain good relationships with his business partners.
Therefore, I think this passage is very important to understand one of Edna’s awakenings, here she is rebelling to her husband, and tastes the ground to her independence, she is no longer a puppet or a doll he can control.
“’There were a good many.’ replied Edna, who was eating her soup with evident satisfaction. “I found them when I got home; I was out”/ “Out!” exclaimed her husband, with something like genuine consternation in his voice…” (Chopin 574)
Summary:
This quote from The Awakening of Kate Chopin, takes place after Edna returns to the city. During dinner she tells her husband that she went out when she was supposed to stay at home and attend guest, like every other Tuesday.
Response:
I think the use of language in this passage is really symbolic to understand the subtle meaning of this conversation between Edna and her husband. In the first place, I noticed that Edna is not called Mrs. Pontellier anymore, which means something has changed. Chopin calls her by her first name to show the change in Edna, since now she is aware of her individuality and she is no longer just Mr. Pontellier’s wife.
Also, Edna eats her soup with evident satisfaction, even though the soup is not good according to her husband. It is like she is enjoying the moment, she enjoying the fact that she didn’t stayed home on a Tuesday, when she is supposed to stay and attend guest. She is enjoying that her husband is surprised and “concerned” about that. In other words, she is satisfied with her act of rebellion, because it paid off like she expected to.
On the other hand, he husband reaction is “something like genuine consternation”, which means he is concerned not because of Edna being out all day, but because she was out and the guest where important people, who might think she was rude, and by means he was rude too. He is more concerned about his own relations with the guests than with Edna’s happiness, he needs her to stay at home and be like a nice lady or doll to all the guests that come by. Basically, she is one extra tool to maintain good relationships with his business partners.
Therefore, I think this passage is very important to understand one of Edna’s awakenings, here she is rebelling to her husband, and tastes the ground to her independence, she is no longer a puppet or a doll he can control.
Journal 23: Jewett's The White Heron
Quote:
“The murmur of the pine’s green branches is in her ears, she remembers how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together, and Sylvia cannot speak; she cannot tell the heron’s secret and give its life away” (Jewett 528)
Summary:
At the end of “The White Heron”, when Sylvia comes back from the forest, she doesn’t tell the stranger about the discovery she made, she chooses to remain silent and let him go, because she doesn’t want him to kill the white heron.
Response:
This ending was maybe unexpected to most readers, but I think it’s the perfect ending to the story. The way Jewett describes the strong connection between Sylvia and nature, especially with the white Heron, is amazing.
I think the Heron and the golden sky symbolize freedom for Sylvia, a freedom she could not reach, but after the perilous journey she went through to get to the top of the tree, she did taste some of it, and it was greater than the little “crush” she had for the stranger. Tasting this freedom made her understand that she couldn’t take away the life of a bird, which was able to enjoy this freedom all its life. Plus, it is very contradicting how after seen the greater world from the top of the tree, she decides not to tell the hunter about the bird, because if she had, she would probably be able to reach this bigger world, to be part of it. I think she didn’t do this because she likes to see the world, she was an observer, but she didn’t want to be part of it.
She is the bird, and she wants to keep the sight of this new world all to herself, make it her secret, so when she says “she cannot tell the heron’s secret”, she is doing it to protect the heron’s life, but also to protect herself. Telling the secret would give her own life away, because it could have been the start of a change, caused by this stranger. Furthermore, Sylvia has a deep connection to nature, and all the pain and beauty that hides in it makes here remain loyal to it, refusing the woman heart’s that had feelings for the stranger.
“The murmur of the pine’s green branches is in her ears, she remembers how the white heron came flying through the golden air and how they watched the sea and the morning together, and Sylvia cannot speak; she cannot tell the heron’s secret and give its life away” (Jewett 528)
Summary:
At the end of “The White Heron”, when Sylvia comes back from the forest, she doesn’t tell the stranger about the discovery she made, she chooses to remain silent and let him go, because she doesn’t want him to kill the white heron.
Response:
This ending was maybe unexpected to most readers, but I think it’s the perfect ending to the story. The way Jewett describes the strong connection between Sylvia and nature, especially with the white Heron, is amazing.
I think the Heron and the golden sky symbolize freedom for Sylvia, a freedom she could not reach, but after the perilous journey she went through to get to the top of the tree, she did taste some of it, and it was greater than the little “crush” she had for the stranger. Tasting this freedom made her understand that she couldn’t take away the life of a bird, which was able to enjoy this freedom all its life. Plus, it is very contradicting how after seen the greater world from the top of the tree, she decides not to tell the hunter about the bird, because if she had, she would probably be able to reach this bigger world, to be part of it. I think she didn’t do this because she likes to see the world, she was an observer, but she didn’t want to be part of it.
She is the bird, and she wants to keep the sight of this new world all to herself, make it her secret, so when she says “she cannot tell the heron’s secret”, she is doing it to protect the heron’s life, but also to protect herself. Telling the secret would give her own life away, because it could have been the start of a change, caused by this stranger. Furthermore, Sylvia has a deep connection to nature, and all the pain and beauty that hides in it makes here remain loyal to it, refusing the woman heart’s that had feelings for the stranger.
Journal 22: Jewett
Quote:
“…Mrs. Tilley gave amazed attention to all this, but Sylvia still watched the toad, not divining, as she might have done at some calmer time, that the creature wished to get to its hole under the door-step, and was much hindered by the unusual spectators at that hour of the evening” (Jewett 525)
Summary:
From the story “The White Heron”, this happens when the stranger is describing the white heron and he is proposing to give ten dollar to whoever tells him where it is. Sylvia doesn’t want to look like she knows about the bird and, then suddenly she starts staring at the toad who was trying to escape from the sight of the spectators.
Response:
I found this passage quite interesting, because I can compare the toad to Sylvia and also to nature. Jewett describes the toad as this little weak animal who, startled by these three people talking, it wants to escape and hide from them. But Sylvia who is very connected to nature, doesn’t notice this, instead she just stares at the little toad with no further analysis of the situation. in few words, the toad is trying to get to its refuge under the door-step but since the stranger and Mrs. Tilley are sitting there, he can not pass through.
The toad is like Sylvia, both have been trapped in a situation where the stranger is involve, and in both cases, the stranger is causing a difficulty, for both the toad and Sylvia. Sylvia is paralyzed because of the stranger persistent desire of finding the white Heron, which she knows about; but she can’t say anything, because saying something at that time would mean she had to be involved with this stranger, who as the same words says, was a stranger to her and to the world around her. Even if afterwards, she is going to be fascinated by this stranger and she’s going to struggle with herself, right now, he is just an obstacle and unusual spectator in her life, just like it is to the toad.
Now, this toad has been startled because he cannot go back to his refuge, and the stranger is the obstacle, however, Sylvia doesn’t realize, she cannot connect to the situation the toad is going through because she herself has to deal with not letting the stranger know she knows about the bird. Both animal and girl are in a struggle and this is shown by Jewett, she is making this subtle comparison that contains such a huge reality about the emotions going through Sylvia at that moment.
“…Mrs. Tilley gave amazed attention to all this, but Sylvia still watched the toad, not divining, as she might have done at some calmer time, that the creature wished to get to its hole under the door-step, and was much hindered by the unusual spectators at that hour of the evening” (Jewett 525)
Summary:
From the story “The White Heron”, this happens when the stranger is describing the white heron and he is proposing to give ten dollar to whoever tells him where it is. Sylvia doesn’t want to look like she knows about the bird and, then suddenly she starts staring at the toad who was trying to escape from the sight of the spectators.
Response:
I found this passage quite interesting, because I can compare the toad to Sylvia and also to nature. Jewett describes the toad as this little weak animal who, startled by these three people talking, it wants to escape and hide from them. But Sylvia who is very connected to nature, doesn’t notice this, instead she just stares at the little toad with no further analysis of the situation. in few words, the toad is trying to get to its refuge under the door-step but since the stranger and Mrs. Tilley are sitting there, he can not pass through.
The toad is like Sylvia, both have been trapped in a situation where the stranger is involve, and in both cases, the stranger is causing a difficulty, for both the toad and Sylvia. Sylvia is paralyzed because of the stranger persistent desire of finding the white Heron, which she knows about; but she can’t say anything, because saying something at that time would mean she had to be involved with this stranger, who as the same words says, was a stranger to her and to the world around her. Even if afterwards, she is going to be fascinated by this stranger and she’s going to struggle with herself, right now, he is just an obstacle and unusual spectator in her life, just like it is to the toad.
Now, this toad has been startled because he cannot go back to his refuge, and the stranger is the obstacle, however, Sylvia doesn’t realize, she cannot connect to the situation the toad is going through because she herself has to deal with not letting the stranger know she knows about the bird. Both animal and girl are in a struggle and this is shown by Jewett, she is making this subtle comparison that contains such a huge reality about the emotions going through Sylvia at that moment.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Journal 21: Feeling reality
Quote:
“…the dinning had naturally ended by making him perfectly indifferent. He had never considered it his affair that a soldier of the Legion lay dying in Algiers, nor had it appeared to him as a matter for sorrow. It was less to him than the breaking of a pencil’s point” (Crane, 1012)
Summary:
This is the correspondent’s thoughts about a poem he read when he was in school. He starts thinking how he didn’t understand or didn’t care about the meaning of this soldier dying. However, he starts to understand how important and real that poem was.
Response:
“…the dinning had naturally ended by making him perfectly indifferent. He had never considered it his affair that a soldier of the Legion lay dying in Algiers, nor had it appeared to him as a matter for sorrow. It was less to him than the breaking of a pencil’s point” (Crane, 1012)
Summary:
This is the correspondent’s thoughts about a poem he read when he was in school. He starts thinking how he didn’t understand or didn’t care about the meaning of this soldier dying. However, he starts to understand how important and real that poem was.
Response:
Crane’s irony is reflected in this quote. In this case, the correspondent remembers a poem where a dying soldier is regretting not being able to see his homeland once more. By the time the correspondent read this poem, it had no meaning to him; he was indifferent to the soldier’s pain, because it didn’t matter to him. He couldn’t find the meaning of a poem that didn’t relate to him and that wasn’t his own situation. This is also part of our self-centered world. Crane is trying to tell us that reality is only about “us” and not about what happens to others. However, reality strikes once you are about to die and you realize that the world doesn’t revolve around you.
This quote leads the correspondent to a realization about himself, after saying that he didn’t understand this story, now he can truly understand the soldier’s feelings, because he is experiencing the same situation, and he cannot escape from it. Furthermore, this shows how this correspondent finally steps out of his own space to understand other’s situation, but this only happens when he know he might die, and he has the time to think about his life.
What I found more ironic is that even a dying soldier wouldn’t cause the minimum sorrow to him, however, now that he is the same situation he is falling in despair and he is feeling sorrow for himself, because he doesn’t want to die. I guess Crane wants to show us that we are self-centered after all, and the only way to connect with other people’s pain is to feel it ourselves.
This quote leads the correspondent to a realization about himself, after saying that he didn’t understand this story, now he can truly understand the soldier’s feelings, because he is experiencing the same situation, and he cannot escape from it. Furthermore, this shows how this correspondent finally steps out of his own space to understand other’s situation, but this only happens when he know he might die, and he has the time to think about his life.
What I found more ironic is that even a dying soldier wouldn’t cause the minimum sorrow to him, however, now that he is the same situation he is falling in despair and he is feeling sorrow for himself, because he doesn’t want to die. I guess Crane wants to show us that we are self-centered after all, and the only way to connect with other people’s pain is to feel it ourselves.
Journal 20: Dying better than being alone
Quote:
“Presently it seemed that even the captain dozed, and the correspondent thought that he was the one man afloat on all the oceans. The wind had a voice as it came over the waves, and it was sadder than the end” (Crane, 1010)
Summary:
From the reading “The Open Boat” by Crane, these are the correspondent’s thoughts after the night comes and he is the one in charge of rowing the boat. He starts thinking that he is alone, even though his other three companions are next to him sleeping.
“Presently it seemed that even the captain dozed, and the correspondent thought that he was the one man afloat on all the oceans. The wind had a voice as it came over the waves, and it was sadder than the end” (Crane, 1010)
Summary:
From the reading “The Open Boat” by Crane, these are the correspondent’s thoughts after the night comes and he is the one in charge of rowing the boat. He starts thinking that he is alone, even though his other three companions are next to him sleeping.
Response:
Again, Crane is portraying human nature, where people are afraid to be alone. In this case, the correspondent feels that even if his friends are all sleeping together in this tiny boat, he is alone. He fears this loneliness, he fears it more than death, because he doesn’t want to be sad, and being alone is sad, and sadness is like death. This is made clear by the last line where he says the wind that that came through the waves, was sadder than the end, with which he is referring to death.
Also, I think the correspondent is scared of being alone; he is worried about having to stand alone by himself, which means there is nothing else that can distract him from looking at himself and finding his true nature. I guess this is also true about human beings, we don’t like silence, and quietness, because it feels like we are death, that there is no one out there to help us, and we have to stand on our own. This is when reality hits us hard, because we realize we are indeed alone and there is nothing we can do about it. In this case, the correspondent wishes there were somebody else with him, because he doesn’t want to confront this reality that seems to accentuate with the silence and the night. Thus, he feels like the only man in the middle of the ocean, and even if he doesn’t want to, he can connect his loneliness to the ocean, to the nature, and he reflect his loneliness to the voice of the wind, which is “sadder than the end’.
Also, I think the correspondent is scared of being alone; he is worried about having to stand alone by himself, which means there is nothing else that can distract him from looking at himself and finding his true nature. I guess this is also true about human beings, we don’t like silence, and quietness, because it feels like we are death, that there is no one out there to help us, and we have to stand on our own. This is when reality hits us hard, because we realize we are indeed alone and there is nothing we can do about it. In this case, the correspondent wishes there were somebody else with him, because he doesn’t want to confront this reality that seems to accentuate with the silence and the night. Thus, he feels like the only man in the middle of the ocean, and even if he doesn’t want to, he can connect his loneliness to the ocean, to the nature, and he reflect his loneliness to the voice of the wind, which is “sadder than the end’.
Journal 19: Drowning
Quote:
“If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, why in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees? Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese of life?" (Crane, 1006)
Summary:
This is the thought of all four men told out loud by Crane. The narrator says that that is what they must be thinking, since once they saw the shore and the possibility of being safe, they had to go back to open sea, because the boat was going to crash.
“If I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned—if I am going to be drowned, why, why in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees? Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese of life?" (Crane, 1006)
Summary:
This is the thought of all four men told out loud by Crane. The narrator says that that is what they must be thinking, since once they saw the shore and the possibility of being safe, they had to go back to open sea, because the boat was going to crash.
Response:
This quote is one maximum expression of the self-centered world we live in. In this case, these four men are asking “why?”, a question that will never be fully answered, but there they are these men, asking why do they have to be confronted with death if they tried so hard, like saying “why me?”. This quote shows the despair against the “injustice” of human life, where everyone is going to die sooner or later and the world will go on, without telling you why we died.
Also, this quote is a complain to the gods, to the supernatural being that seems to rule the world and hold everyone’s fate in their hands. It is like is determined who will live and who will die, and men who are clinging to life, refuse to accept this reality. They don’t want to die because they tried really hard to reach shore, they want to rebel against the fate that awaits them, and they want to challenge their reality. At this moment there is a psychological struggle, where these men are trying to fight against their hopeless fate and their own will to survive.
Furthermore, Crane is portraying another human characteristic, which is failure. When men try hard to do something and when they are about to reach this goal, they fail. At this moment, their first complain is against god, because they are not looking at themselves, they blame the gods for their failure, and they don’t realize yet that they need to look at themselves and understand why did they fail. I guess sometimes we want to blame it on someone else, and when is and death situation, all we have left is to cling into faith or into believing there is someone greater than ourselves that will reward us for our efforts, in this case by not letting the crew die.
This quote is one maximum expression of the self-centered world we live in. In this case, these four men are asking “why?”, a question that will never be fully answered, but there they are these men, asking why do they have to be confronted with death if they tried so hard, like saying “why me?”. This quote shows the despair against the “injustice” of human life, where everyone is going to die sooner or later and the world will go on, without telling you why we died.
Also, this quote is a complain to the gods, to the supernatural being that seems to rule the world and hold everyone’s fate in their hands. It is like is determined who will live and who will die, and men who are clinging to life, refuse to accept this reality. They don’t want to die because they tried really hard to reach shore, they want to rebel against the fate that awaits them, and they want to challenge their reality. At this moment there is a psychological struggle, where these men are trying to fight against their hopeless fate and their own will to survive.
Furthermore, Crane is portraying another human characteristic, which is failure. When men try hard to do something and when they are about to reach this goal, they fail. At this moment, their first complain is against god, because they are not looking at themselves, they blame the gods for their failure, and they don’t realize yet that they need to look at themselves and understand why did they fail. I guess sometimes we want to blame it on someone else, and when is and death situation, all we have left is to cling into faith or into believing there is someone greater than ourselves that will reward us for our efforts, in this case by not letting the crew die.
Journal 18: row a boat
Quote:
“The correspondent wondered ingenuously how in the name of all that was sane could there be people who thought it amusing to row a boat. It was not an amusement; it was a diabolical punishment” (Crane, 1004)
Summary:
This quote for “The Open Boat” of Crane, is the beginning of the agonizing pain the correspondent suffers from rowing the boat. By that point he realizes people must be crazy to find rowing a boat amusing. In this case he sees this activity as the worst punishment in the world.
“The correspondent wondered ingenuously how in the name of all that was sane could there be people who thought it amusing to row a boat. It was not an amusement; it was a diabolical punishment” (Crane, 1004)
Summary:
This quote for “The Open Boat” of Crane, is the beginning of the agonizing pain the correspondent suffers from rowing the boat. By that point he realizes people must be crazy to find rowing a boat amusing. In this case he sees this activity as the worst punishment in the world.
Response:
This quote talks about physical punishment, it is nothing but realism what Crane is showing with this description of how painful and terrible can it be to row a boat. Even though my first impression was to think of this quote only as a way of the correspondent to complain about how hard it was to row a boat, I have understood something else. I think Crane was trying to express the mental pain and the suffering the correspondent experiences by rowing a boat with no final destination, with not real hope of reaching ashore or being safe.
Rowing a boat is a sport or can be amusing, however, for the correspondent is the worst punishment sent from hell. This punishment reflected physically in his muscles and back, is not other than the representation of the punishment being inflicted in his own spirit. Punishment to his own spirit because he is rowing in the middle of the sea, he cannot reach the shore and he is tired, just too tired that rowing the boat has become a mechanical task, which only hurts him. However, I am sure that if the boat was getting closer to the shore and he had the certainty that they would reach this shore, then he would do his best to keep rowing this boat.
Plus, the moving of the boat is like life itself, Crane is using the Naturalist philosophy to portray life as a constant movement that is painful but if you stop then you will die. This is exactly what the boat crew is doing, in different ways; they need to keep alive and keep on moving, even though is painful and up to that point hopeless.
This quote talks about physical punishment, it is nothing but realism what Crane is showing with this description of how painful and terrible can it be to row a boat. Even though my first impression was to think of this quote only as a way of the correspondent to complain about how hard it was to row a boat, I have understood something else. I think Crane was trying to express the mental pain and the suffering the correspondent experiences by rowing a boat with no final destination, with not real hope of reaching ashore or being safe.
Rowing a boat is a sport or can be amusing, however, for the correspondent is the worst punishment sent from hell. This punishment reflected physically in his muscles and back, is not other than the representation of the punishment being inflicted in his own spirit. Punishment to his own spirit because he is rowing in the middle of the sea, he cannot reach the shore and he is tired, just too tired that rowing the boat has become a mechanical task, which only hurts him. However, I am sure that if the boat was getting closer to the shore and he had the certainty that they would reach this shore, then he would do his best to keep rowing this boat.
Plus, the moving of the boat is like life itself, Crane is using the Naturalist philosophy to portray life as a constant movement that is painful but if you stop then you will die. This is exactly what the boat crew is doing, in different ways; they need to keep alive and keep on moving, even though is painful and up to that point hopeless.
Journal 17: A light-house of hope
Quote:
“Meanwhile the light-house had been growing slowly larger. It had now almost assumed color, and appeared like a little gray shadow on the sky” (Crane, 1004)
Summary:
This is the first real sight of the light-house. All the men are focused in this figure that appears as a shadow in the sky. This means they are approaching land, and that makes them hopeful.
Response:
This a very interesting quote, first because of the way Crane describes the light-house, and second because the four men put all their hopes in this “gray shadow” which is a reason to keep rowing the boat and not giving up.
Crane says “a little gray shadow on the sky” which has color, however, in the first sentence of the story, he says “None of the new the color of the sky” (1000). This shows that these men have gained hope, and they are finally looking at the sky, they are finally seen the color of freedom, of hope. Before seeing the shadow of the light house, they only knew the colors of the sea, because knowing the changes in the sea was what kept them alive and they did not care about the sky.
“Meanwhile the light-house had been growing slowly larger. It had now almost assumed color, and appeared like a little gray shadow on the sky” (Crane, 1004)
Summary:
This is the first real sight of the light-house. All the men are focused in this figure that appears as a shadow in the sky. This means they are approaching land, and that makes them hopeful.
Response:
This a very interesting quote, first because of the way Crane describes the light-house, and second because the four men put all their hopes in this “gray shadow” which is a reason to keep rowing the boat and not giving up.
Crane says “a little gray shadow on the sky” which has color, however, in the first sentence of the story, he says “None of the new the color of the sky” (1000). This shows that these men have gained hope, and they are finally looking at the sky, they are finally seen the color of freedom, of hope. Before seeing the shadow of the light house, they only knew the colors of the sea, because knowing the changes in the sea was what kept them alive and they did not care about the sky.
I think the sky represents the freedom and happiness they cannot reach, they ignore the sky because they are focusing in surviving, that is all they want, but once they see this light-house, hope fills them and makes them wonder what the sky is like. They wonder about the colors of the sky, and this means that they have become aware that freedom and happiness can be reached, because they can be safe by putting their hopes in reaching this light-house. However, this freedom and hope is only a grey shadow, it has “almost assumed color” but is not something real yet. There is something restraining them from being totally hopeful, and that is reality.
I think this quote shows human nature, and Crane is portraying one characteristic of people, which is that we are all too focused in our own lives and our own tasks. People do not want to hope for something unless they can see a clear result in front of their eyes. They do not want to believe in god or in a greater being if it is not shown in front of them, and I think that is was this Light-house symbolizes.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Journal 16: The freedom by Du Bois
Quote:
“The power of the ballot we need in sheer self-defense,-else what shall save us from a second slavery? Freedom too, the long sought, we still seek,-the freedom of life and limb, the freedom to work and think, the freedom to love and aspire” (Du Bois, 900)
Summary:
This quote from The Souls of Black Folk is Du bois message about what black people need to do in order to be free and be a strong group in society that expresses its opinion and takes part in important decisions, such as voting.
Response:
I think Du bois message is quite different from that of Washington. In his case, Washington said that black men were finally free; however, Du Bois clarifies that black people are still seeking freedom, because their actual condition can’t be called freedom. Du Bois is making a call for all black people to take the charge of their own lives and to fight for their right to vote and be active part of society. At the same time, he wants black people to find their own freedom, not a freedom dependent of white people, where they have to consider themselves thankful of living in a society that offers them something better than the rest of the world, but a freedom that allows them to think and to aspire for more.
At the same time his words are pretty clear, he is saying that black people need to do something about their rights and their freedom in order to avoid a “second slavery”, which means that during his time, black people were still under the control of the white society, which imposed rules and made it hard for them to fit in, because there always had to be a difference between races. Therefore, black people were considered ignorant and were represented as wild creatures in cartoons. Du Bois wants them to fight back and show white people that they are different, and that they have the right to be treated as equals and allowed to think and act by themselves.
“The power of the ballot we need in sheer self-defense,-else what shall save us from a second slavery? Freedom too, the long sought, we still seek,-the freedom of life and limb, the freedom to work and think, the freedom to love and aspire” (Du Bois, 900)
Summary:
This quote from The Souls of Black Folk is Du bois message about what black people need to do in order to be free and be a strong group in society that expresses its opinion and takes part in important decisions, such as voting.
Response:
I think Du bois message is quite different from that of Washington. In his case, Washington said that black men were finally free; however, Du Bois clarifies that black people are still seeking freedom, because their actual condition can’t be called freedom. Du Bois is making a call for all black people to take the charge of their own lives and to fight for their right to vote and be active part of society. At the same time, he wants black people to find their own freedom, not a freedom dependent of white people, where they have to consider themselves thankful of living in a society that offers them something better than the rest of the world, but a freedom that allows them to think and to aspire for more.
At the same time his words are pretty clear, he is saying that black people need to do something about their rights and their freedom in order to avoid a “second slavery”, which means that during his time, black people were still under the control of the white society, which imposed rules and made it hard for them to fit in, because there always had to be a difference between races. Therefore, black people were considered ignorant and were represented as wild creatures in cartoons. Du Bois wants them to fight back and show white people that they are different, and that they have the right to be treated as equals and allowed to think and act by themselves.
Journal 15: The responsability of Freedom
Quote:
“The great responsibility of being free, of having charge of themselves, of having to think and plan for themselves and their children, seemed to take position of them. It was more like suddenly turning a youth of ten or twelve years out into the world to provide for himself” (Washington, 673)
Summary:
This quote from Up from Slavery, is Washington’s description of what the freed slaves felt once they realized the big responsibility freedom was. He compares the Negroes to little kids that are suddenly introduced to manhood and have to manage to provide for themselves.
Response:
I think this quote is very self explanatory, because when Washington compares Negroes to small kids who had to provide for themselves, he is clearly saying that Negroes had no clue whatsoever of the great responsibility it was to be free. I think it is really interesting to see how this idea of freedom frustrates people the moment they got it. Because, Negroes expected and prayed for freedom more than anything; however, when this longing was over and they were finally free, they suddenly had to confront this question about “what do we do now?” and during that time it was a very important question that needed to be addressed immediately, since after the civil war, Negroes were set free and they were supposed to abandon the plantation or houses where they hade lived their wholes lives.
Also, I think Washington’s example of what being free means is very accurate, especially for his time. I think Negroes were like little kids because they had always depended on their patrons or masters to live, and even though they confronted lots of injustices while working in the fields and living under bad conditions, up to one point they got used to it, and I guess freedom had become like a dream for them. Therefore, once freedom came to them, they did not know what to do with it, which is why some of the old slaves talked to their masters in order to keep their jobs, because that is the only thing they knew how to do, in other words, they did not want to adjust to change after all.
“The great responsibility of being free, of having charge of themselves, of having to think and plan for themselves and their children, seemed to take position of them. It was more like suddenly turning a youth of ten or twelve years out into the world to provide for himself” (Washington, 673)
Summary:
This quote from Up from Slavery, is Washington’s description of what the freed slaves felt once they realized the big responsibility freedom was. He compares the Negroes to little kids that are suddenly introduced to manhood and have to manage to provide for themselves.
Response:
I think this quote is very self explanatory, because when Washington compares Negroes to small kids who had to provide for themselves, he is clearly saying that Negroes had no clue whatsoever of the great responsibility it was to be free. I think it is really interesting to see how this idea of freedom frustrates people the moment they got it. Because, Negroes expected and prayed for freedom more than anything; however, when this longing was over and they were finally free, they suddenly had to confront this question about “what do we do now?” and during that time it was a very important question that needed to be addressed immediately, since after the civil war, Negroes were set free and they were supposed to abandon the plantation or houses where they hade lived their wholes lives.
Also, I think Washington’s example of what being free means is very accurate, especially for his time. I think Negroes were like little kids because they had always depended on their patrons or masters to live, and even though they confronted lots of injustices while working in the fields and living under bad conditions, up to one point they got used to it, and I guess freedom had become like a dream for them. Therefore, once freedom came to them, they did not know what to do with it, which is why some of the old slaves talked to their masters in order to keep their jobs, because that is the only thing they knew how to do, in other words, they did not want to adjust to change after all.
Journal 14: Washington's speech
Quote:
“Negroes inhabiting this country, who themselves or whose ancestors went through the school of American slavery, are in a stronger and more hopeful condition, materially, intellectually, morally and religiously, than is true of an equal number of black people in any other portion of the globe” (Washington, 671).
Summary:
This quote from the Up from Slavery is what Washington thinks about the Negro population in America. He thinks Negroes living in America are in better position compared to Negroes all over the world. He is not only referring to a social status but he specifies that they are better morally, intellectually, materially and religiously.
Response:
Washington who experienced the last days of slavery and the change between being a slave and being a free person, makes this statement to support the fact that Negroes in America have reached a good level in society and have evolved to be in a more “hopeful condition” which is not only based in moral changes but also in intellectual, material and religion. I think what he is basically saying is that Negroes’ status has changed for good and that white people have helped them to improve themselves, so they can reach this new stronger and hopeful condition. By saying that, he is stating that Negroes are living much better in America than anywhere else in the world; therefore, Negroes should be thankful and appreciate the society they live in.
I guess most black leaders at the time would consider this statement treachery to their cause, because is like Washington is trying to defend the years of slavery and is not blaming white people for all the injustice made to the Negroes during slavery. I think, black leaders would see Washington as a complacent person who wants Negroes to be happy in America forgetting the past and appreciating living in this great society that offers different opportunities to them, in comparison to the rest of the world. I personally think that Washington was doing this to gain confidence and respect from the southern white people who might see him as a threat; therefore, this kind of thankful speech could open the doors to a pacific relationship between Negroes and whites.
“Negroes inhabiting this country, who themselves or whose ancestors went through the school of American slavery, are in a stronger and more hopeful condition, materially, intellectually, morally and religiously, than is true of an equal number of black people in any other portion of the globe” (Washington, 671).
Summary:
This quote from the Up from Slavery is what Washington thinks about the Negro population in America. He thinks Negroes living in America are in better position compared to Negroes all over the world. He is not only referring to a social status but he specifies that they are better morally, intellectually, materially and religiously.
Response:
Washington who experienced the last days of slavery and the change between being a slave and being a free person, makes this statement to support the fact that Negroes in America have reached a good level in society and have evolved to be in a more “hopeful condition” which is not only based in moral changes but also in intellectual, material and religion. I think what he is basically saying is that Negroes’ status has changed for good and that white people have helped them to improve themselves, so they can reach this new stronger and hopeful condition. By saying that, he is stating that Negroes are living much better in America than anywhere else in the world; therefore, Negroes should be thankful and appreciate the society they live in.
I guess most black leaders at the time would consider this statement treachery to their cause, because is like Washington is trying to defend the years of slavery and is not blaming white people for all the injustice made to the Negroes during slavery. I think, black leaders would see Washington as a complacent person who wants Negroes to be happy in America forgetting the past and appreciating living in this great society that offers different opportunities to them, in comparison to the rest of the world. I personally think that Washington was doing this to gain confidence and respect from the southern white people who might see him as a threat; therefore, this kind of thankful speech could open the doors to a pacific relationship between Negroes and whites.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Journal 13: Ruiz de Burton
Quote:
“‘I don’t want any cattle. I ain’t no ‘vaquero’ to go ‘busquering’ around and lassoing cattle. I’ll lasso myself; what do I know about whirling a lariat? said Mathews.” (Ruiz de Burton, 98)
Summary:
This is Mathews’ answer after Don Mariano offers to divide his cattle with them in order to have enough money to grow and be able to grow fruits and vineyards, and leave aside the wheat production.
Response:
This is an example of what the Americans think about the Mexicans. Mathew is clearly stating that raising cattle is a low-life activity, which he is not interested in doing because he doesn’t know how to and because he wants to keep his stubbornness about raising wheat. Also, I think Ruiz de Burton shows him as an elitist person, who doesn’t want to get involve with activities which he makes sound kind of wild. Plus, Mathews’ argument for not having cattle is rather childish, because he is belittling the vaquero activity, since he doesn’t know how to do it. So basically, he is just a useless man who can not do anything but complain and sustain fake arguments, relying on the fact that they are Americans and therefore they have to be right.
It is quite interesting though that Don Mariano does not says anything to contradict him, rather, he says that he goes “busquering around” just for fun, and that the caring of the cattle can be done by Indians. Thus, this is like one culture undermining another, first Mathews wants to make Don Mariano seem like a savage; then, Don Mariano is practically passing the ball to the Indians, since he is a man of status enough no to get involved in the direct caring of the cattle.
Therefore, I consider Ruiz de Burton is on the side of the Mexican Culture, and she is showing her own reality, where one thing is clear, it is for granted that the Indians are the lowest group in social status.
“‘I don’t want any cattle. I ain’t no ‘vaquero’ to go ‘busquering’ around and lassoing cattle. I’ll lasso myself; what do I know about whirling a lariat? said Mathews.” (Ruiz de Burton, 98)
Summary:
This is Mathews’ answer after Don Mariano offers to divide his cattle with them in order to have enough money to grow and be able to grow fruits and vineyards, and leave aside the wheat production.
Response:
This is an example of what the Americans think about the Mexicans. Mathew is clearly stating that raising cattle is a low-life activity, which he is not interested in doing because he doesn’t know how to and because he wants to keep his stubbornness about raising wheat. Also, I think Ruiz de Burton shows him as an elitist person, who doesn’t want to get involve with activities which he makes sound kind of wild. Plus, Mathews’ argument for not having cattle is rather childish, because he is belittling the vaquero activity, since he doesn’t know how to do it. So basically, he is just a useless man who can not do anything but complain and sustain fake arguments, relying on the fact that they are Americans and therefore they have to be right.
It is quite interesting though that Don Mariano does not says anything to contradict him, rather, he says that he goes “busquering around” just for fun, and that the caring of the cattle can be done by Indians. Thus, this is like one culture undermining another, first Mathews wants to make Don Mariano seem like a savage; then, Don Mariano is practically passing the ball to the Indians, since he is a man of status enough no to get involved in the direct caring of the cattle.
Therefore, I consider Ruiz de Burton is on the side of the Mexican Culture, and she is showing her own reality, where one thing is clear, it is for granted that the Indians are the lowest group in social status.
Journal 12: Don Mariano's come back
Quote:
“‘Yes, and if our crops fail, we will be in debt to the ears, with a chain around our necks,’ Mathew growled. ‘I thought you said that if it were not for my cattle, your crops would not have failed,’ said Don Mariano, smiling.” (Ruiz de Burton, 96)
Summary:
This is the exchange of words between the settlers and Don Mariano, where Mathew is complaining about Don Mariano giving them money to fence their crops, and if the crops are not successful, they will be in debt with him. To this, Don Mariano points out that he thought the cattle was the only motive why the crops would fail, which is not true.
Response:
This conversation between the Mathew and Don Mariano is very interesting, because on one side we can see the tension between these two groups of people, who are involved in diplomatic discussions but underneath they are just sending subtle message to undermine each other. On the other hand I see how the Americans are in the end blaming the failure of the crops on Don Mariano’s cattle; however, the true reason is the lack of rain, but they will not say that because they want to find the justification for having killed the cattle and for having crops that did not really grow as expected.
I think Ruiz de Burton wanted to show this tense and ironic situation by letting us know at the end that the Americans were the ones wrong, because if they had been completely sure that their crops were going to succeed they would not have doubt in accepting Don Mariano’s proposal. Plus, the American’s position is very clear in these conversation, they always want to be in control and do not depend on others, specially the Mexicans who had just been defeated in the Mexican American war. It is ironic, because the Americans are wrong, they know that what Don Mariano is proposing is fair and possible; nevertheless, they prefer to stay stubborn and not admit that the true problem with their crops is the lack of rain.
Finally, I think Don Mariano’s come back shows that he is aware of what the Americans are thinking, so he plays the fool nice man’s role there, but he knows that he is right and the Americans are wrong, which I find quite comical, because they are the real fools in the story.
Journal 11: About the president
Quote:
“I have never seen a president in my life and I want to know whether he is made of wood or rock, for I cannot for once think that he can be a human being. No human being would do such a thing as that,-send people across a fearful mountain in midwinter” (Winnemucca, 510).
Summary:
These are Winnemucca words after she finds out that the president has commanded the soldiers to translate her people to the Yakima Preservation.
Response:
Again, here I think Winnemucca is making the statement that white people are merely savages who do not care about other but themselves. In this case, she talks about the president and his nonsense commands. In this case the command of taking the Indians to the Yakima Preservation in the middle of the winter, will not only jeopardize the Indian lives, but also the soldiers’. Thus, she dehumanizes the president, which for her would come to be the worst enemy, because up to that point she had been doing the best to protect her people. She is also saying that the president of the new world, is nothing but a tyrant and no better than a “beast”, which is a very strong statement even if she is telling a story. Definitely, she knew how to use words to her convenience, because she was able to achieve different feelings with her story, and at the same time, she was talking her mind about the president.
Also, I would say that her words show the president’s true objective in transporting the Indians at this time. He is deliberately suggesting that it does not matter whether these Indians live or die, because either way, he wants to get rid of them. This is all implied in Winnemucca’s words which clearly show what her people were going through during a time of oppression, when the Indians, who had lived long enough in peace, were threatened by a new powerful culture, which simply saw them as savages, who had no right to be called “people”.
Journal 10: true savages
Quote:
“They [Indians] gave them such as they had to eat. They did not hold out their hands and say: “You can’t have anything to eat unless you pay me.” No,-no such word was used by us savages at that time” (Winnemucca, 504)
Summary:
This extract from Chapter I of Life Among the Piutes, is Sarah Winnemucca comparison between her people and the white people that settled in America. She is basically saying that whites would ask for money before helping others, while her people would help white people freely.
Response:
In this extract Winnemucca is clearly comparing both races, and she is basically saying that her people are better in what are common sense and human values. She is basically exposing her truth and she is sort of reproaching the fact that white people’s values were so twisted, even though the Indians were the ones considered savages.
I find a clear irony in what she is saying because, she is using a narrative technique that would make people think Indians were really good “people”, which was one of her objectives. Plus, she is using the word “savages”, a word that would be common to be used by white people, and she uses it to her own convenience. She is basically saying “you whites are the real savages”, thus, she is giving these indirect messages that show she had an immense courage while standing in front of people who were mostly white; however, I think these messages passed somehow unnoticed by people who were not really paying attention to her when she was doing her speech.
Furthermore, I do think this message passed unnoticed because, any white men who is paying attention to her speech would have reacted to this statement and would have done something to her, since after all she was only an Indian. Therefore, she is getting away with insulting white men, a thing I think would be very reasonable for her to do, while trying to convince her “audience” that Indians were kind and civilized.
“They [Indians] gave them such as they had to eat. They did not hold out their hands and say: “You can’t have anything to eat unless you pay me.” No,-no such word was used by us savages at that time” (Winnemucca, 504)
Summary:
This extract from Chapter I of Life Among the Piutes, is Sarah Winnemucca comparison between her people and the white people that settled in America. She is basically saying that whites would ask for money before helping others, while her people would help white people freely.
Response:
In this extract Winnemucca is clearly comparing both races, and she is basically saying that her people are better in what are common sense and human values. She is basically exposing her truth and she is sort of reproaching the fact that white people’s values were so twisted, even though the Indians were the ones considered savages.
I find a clear irony in what she is saying because, she is using a narrative technique that would make people think Indians were really good “people”, which was one of her objectives. Plus, she is using the word “savages”, a word that would be common to be used by white people, and she uses it to her own convenience. She is basically saying “you whites are the real savages”, thus, she is giving these indirect messages that show she had an immense courage while standing in front of people who were mostly white; however, I think these messages passed somehow unnoticed by people who were not really paying attention to her when she was doing her speech.
Furthermore, I do think this message passed unnoticed because, any white men who is paying attention to her speech would have reacted to this statement and would have done something to her, since after all she was only an Indian. Therefore, she is getting away with insulting white men, a thing I think would be very reasonable for her to do, while trying to convince her “audience” that Indians were kind and civilized.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)