HOD Blog #3 (Reading #4)

There is a clear complex connection between Marlow and Kurtz throughout the development of the story which is shown in the narration as well as the descriptions of the setting at each given moment. As Marlow and the Company make their way down the river and get closer and closer to their destination, the center of Africa, their surroundings become more perilous and uncivilized: "'The current was more rapid now, the steamer seemed at her last gasp [...] Sometimes I would pick out a tree a little way ahead to measure our progress towards Kurtz by, but I lost it invariably before we got abreast. To keep the eyes so long on one thing was too much for human patience'" (Conrad 112). The closer they get to Kurtz, the more anxious and curious they become, and the stronger the current gets. The description of the current getting stronger shows the chaos and cultural turmoil that is to be found at the center. Another significant aspect is the idea of it being impossible to fix one's eyes on a single object when there are so many things around to observe and acknowledge. The idea of curiosity and enlightenment is what keeps Marlow connected to Kurtz throughout the journey.

HOD Blog #2

    The events at the Central Station appear to be happening in slow motion. As Marlow arrives, the narrative become slower: "White men with long staves in their hands appeared languidly from amongst the buildings, strolling up to take a look at me, and then retired out of sight somewhere. One of them [...] informed me with great volubility and many digressions..." (Conrad 88). The descriptions of the men moving around portrays a slow, heavy atmosphere with no rush. The people are taking their time to do their jobs as Marlow says, "I saw this station, these men strolling aimlessly about in the sunshine of the yard. I asked myself sometimes what it all meant. They wandered here and there with their absurd long staves in their hands" (Conrad 91). They walk around aimlessly just as Marlow does as he describes himself as a wanderer earlier in the novel. The difference is that this time Marlow is the observer and not the wanderer. He is beginning to question why these men stroll aimlessly and find nothing. This aspect relates to Plato's "Myth of the Cave" where Marlow is slowly coming out of the cave.

HOD Blog #1

    A notable detail in the introduction of Heart Of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is the use of imagery to describe the setting. At first, the setting in which the steamboat is sailing has a calm mood to it: "In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint, and in the luminous space the tanned sails of the barges drifting up with the tide.." (Conrad 65). The sky and the water come together seamlessly and it seems rather beautiful and calm. As the scene progresses, there is a foreboding undertone as the setting becomes dark with a "brooding gloom" (Conrad 65). The author uses these contrasting descriptions to intensify the events that will happen later on. As Marlow begins to speak of the darkest places on earth, "a change came over the waters, and the serenity became less brilliant" (Conrad 66). The change in mood  is obvious as the mood of the characters change.

Blog #8: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

       In The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula Le Guin, a perfect utopia is described. All of the citizens live happily even though they are aware that there is a child constantly suffering in isolation in order for them to live peacefully. This disturbing detail of the city causes some people to leave and never come back. If I was a citizen of Omelas, I too would walk away. The constant torture being done to an innocent child is painful to even think about. The city is trying to cover up the evil things it actually does by keeping the outside's appearance pristine.

Blog #7: The Victims

     In Sharon Olds's "The Victims," there seems to be a historical reference. The author uses the terms "Mother" and "Father" to exemplify a country, and the "divorce" is the country splitting up. The speaker of the poem is a group of people, presumably the citizens of the country. The conflict between the mother and the father caused the citizens to develop animosity towards the father: "Then you were fired, and we grinned inside, the way people grinned when Nixon's helicopter lifted off of South Lawn for the last time" (Olds). The reference to president Nixon shows that there is a historical theme to the poem. Nixon was going to be impeached and in the poem the speaker says, "We were tickled to think of your office taken away..." (Olds). The majority of the public wanted Nixon to leave office, so this aspect of the poem also has historical relevance.

Blog #6: Ingrateful Beauty Threatened

    Thomas Carew's "Ingrateful Beauty Threatened" has a correlation to William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18." In Carew's work, the speaker appears to be irritated with Celia because she has been misusing the fame he gave her: "Thou had'st in the forgotten crowd / Of common beauties lived unknown, / Had not my verse exhaled thy name, And imp'd the wings of Fame" (Carew). Celia was an ordinary face in a crowd, until the speaker chose her especially to write about. Now she is immortal and beautiful, but too proud. The correlation between Carew's poem and Shakespeare's sonnet is that both grant immortality to the beloved. In "Sonnet 18" the speaker says, "So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee" (Shakespeare). Everyone ages and eventually passes away; beauty does not last forever. These poets challenge this concept in their writing, as their works are being read centuries after being written.

Blog #5: Sonnet 30

William Shakespeare's Sonnet 30 appears to be about someone who was not able to obtain a desire. The speaker uses a depressing tone, as he uses many words with negative connotations. Verbs such as "drown", "weep", "moan", and "grieve" show that the speaker is unhappy with a certain situation. The meaning of the poem is shown when the speaker says, "I sigh the lack of many things I sought". The author incorporates these words to let the reader know what the mood is and the level of sadness that the speaker is feeling.

Blog #4: Church Going

       Philip Larkin's "Church Going" is a poem which focuses on religion. The speaker seems to be bored when it comes to going to church. The author portrays this boredom through his choice of adjectives when the speaker is describing what he sees and what he thinks the church will come to. A lot of church goers would describe a church with magnificent adjectives since that location is where they practice their faith. The way the speaker describes church is almost like a monotonous routine, where you do all of the tasks by memory like a robot but you do not actually feel anything. Words such as "another", "awkward", "shapeless", "antique", "bored", "uninformed", "dispersed", "obsolete" and "dead". All of the exemplary words along with some key phrases in the poem show the reader that the speaker's stance when it comes to the topic of church is that they will soon become obsolete.

Blog #3: Antonio's Love For Bassanio

         It is a common thread throughout Shakespeare's works to have an implied homosexual relationship between two male characters. In The Merchant of Venice, it is an open ended question as to whether Antonio has romantic feelings for his best friend Bassanio. This possibility is brought to light due to Antonio's unusual disposition to help Bassanio by lending him money that he does not have. Christianity is a very important element of the play. According to this religion, homosexuality is completely immoral. For this reason, it would be impossible for Antonio to love Bassanio because of their religious beliefs which are clearly stressed throughout the events in the play. As he speaks to Antonio, Bassanio says, "To you, Antonio, I owe the most, in money and in love, And from your love I have a warranty To unburden all my plots and purposes How to get clear of all the debts I owe " (Shakespeare, I.i.129-133). Evidently, there is a dependency of Antonio's money on Bassanio's part, and Antonio gladly goes along with anything Bassanio needs. This is nothing but a very strong brotherly friendship.  If Antonio does have romantic feelings for Bassanio, he would not be interested in Bassanio's affairs with women: "Well, tell me now what lady is the same To whom you swore a secret pilgrimage That you today promised to tell me of" (Shakespeare, I.i.118-120). The idea of Antonio being a homosexual is valid based on his behavior towards Bassanio; however, based on the play's focus on religion, it can be argued that he is not a homosexual.

Blog #2: Religious Conflict

In Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, an overarching theme is the religious conflict between Christianity and Judaism. In the sixteen hundreds, Jews were nearly non-existent due to the predominance of Christians; the few that existed were discriminated against. Shylock, the antagonist, is a representation of the various stereotypes that were associated with Jews in that era. Antonio, along with the other crucial characters of the play, believes in Christianity. This ultimately leaves Shylock in isolation as he is not accepted by the other characters. In the play, the tension occurs due to different opinions regarding money-lending. Antonio hates Shylock because he practices eucery, which means he lends money and charges interest. Shylock expresses his hatred towards Antonio when he says, "I hate him for he is a Christian; But more, for that in low simplicity He lends out money gratis, and brings down The rate of usance here with us in Venice" (Shakespeare, I.iii.34-37). The animosity between these two characters sprouts from the mere fact that they believe in different religions and have different morals and values, causing them to obsess over villainizing each other.

            Another crucial aspect of religion is the interpretation of rules. Shylock deeply focuses on what is written and believes that rules should be carried out literally with no exceptions. Whereas in the Christian religion, commandments are open for interpretation in many ways. Mercy and grace are the key elements in Christianity, meaning there are exceptions. The conflict between mercy and law is shown when Shylock wants his revenge on Antonio for not being able to pay back the loan: "By my soul I swear There is no power in the tongue of man To alter me. I stay here on my bond" (Shakespeare, IV.i.236-238). Since it is written in the contract that he will take a pound of Antonio's flesh if the bond is broken, Shylock stands by what he believes and is persistent. When Portia (Balthasar) challenges Shylock's beliefs on behalf of Antonio, she says, "the quality of mercy is not strained, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes" (Shakespeare, IV.i.180-183). The reason Shylock and the other characters cannot agree is because of the way they see the situation. As Shylock sees it as an opportunity to get revenge on Antonio as well as the Christians who have made his life miserable, Portia and Antonio see it as an opportunity to grant mercy upon one's life as a valid act of faith.

Blog #1: Portia's Virtue

Portia is a very complex character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Throughout the play, she demonsrates various positive atributes which both compliment and challenge the qualities of the characters around her. Her virtue makes her unique as she does not let the royal lifestyle consume her; being a wealthy heiress grants her the power to marry anyone she wants.

She ultimately brings everything together where she uses everyone's weaknesses against them. Bassanio who is a gambler and a con-artist, ends up being conned by Portia when she is disguised and asks him for the ring which represents their love. In another instance, as she tries to protect Antonio, she uses Shylock's obsession with money against him, saying that if any terms of the contract were violated, he would lose his property and money: "Tarry a little, there is something else. This bond doth doth give thee here no jot of blood. The words expressly are 'a pound of flesh'. Take then thy bond, take thou thy pound of flesh, but in the cutting it, if thou dost shed One drop of Christian blood, thy lands and goods Are by the laws of Venice confiscate Unto the state of Venice" 4.1.301-308. Portia is willing to take great risks to help others, in this case her love's best friend. This shows a lot about her character because she has everything she needs to be well off, yet she decides to be generous and helpful.

Her character is insightful; she sees into each character thoroughly. During the casket challenge she can decipher the suitor's characteristics by analyzing which casket he wants to choose. Portia's virtue is also shown as she talks to Nerissa about her father's marriage arrangements. She says,“but this reasoning is not in the fashion to choose me a husband. O me, the word 'choose'! I may neither choose who I would, nor refuse who I dislike, so is the will of a living daughter curbed by the will of a dead father” 1.2.18-20. Although she does not agree with what her father is doing, she is respectful of his wishes and does not argue with it.