The Wild Duck Journal 5

The Wild Duck Journal 5

The Wild Duck is a tragedy because Hjalmar was innocently living in a lie and he was happy. Gregers came and told Hjalmar that his life was a lie and created an emotional scar that would never heal for Hjalmar. A tragedy has a main character that is just an average person, in this play  it was Hjalmar. Hjalmar was just an average guy caught up in something bigger. He couldn’t change his fate once the story started. Gregers was the intrusion into his life that made things worse for Hjalmar. Hjalmar’s family is now forever broken because of Gregers. Hedvig was the most innocent character of the play. She only wanted the best for her family and so to try and make things right, she took Gregers’ advice and killed herself. This is tragic because Hedvig was the cause of a lot of the problems but she wasn’t responsible for any of them. She took it upon herself to make things right and that’s why she died. Gregers was a curse in disguise for Hjalmar’s family.

The wild duck Journal 4

Gina is a character at fault. She should have told Hjalmar the events in her past, especially the fact that Hedvig was Werle's son. Gina isn’t the only character at fault though. Gregers is at fault because he decided to try and resolve the problem but instead he enlarged it. If he had let Hjalmar live in peace, the whole problem could have been averted. I think Gregers should carry most of the blame. Hjalmar is also to blame for turning against his family from the advice of a friend. He was not able to reconcile his differences with Gina and felt sorry for himself instead of being proactive and fixing the situation himself. The only character without blame is Hedvig. She is just an innocent child caught up in the web of hate and distrust Gregers, Gina and Hjalmar spun. She only wanted the best for her mother and father but her father left her.

The Wild Duck journal 3

The Wild Duck journal 3

1. “But don’t ruin your eyes! Hear me? I won’t take the blame; you can take the blame yourself-you hear me?” (161).

            Significance: Hjalmar is Hedvig’s dad so he should be protective over her. He instead is giving the responsibility of making a portrait onto her. Her bad eyes make painting dangerous for her. Hjalmar know this but still lets her paint. He tells her it will be her fault if her eyes get damaged. Hjalmar’s actions show how the relationship between Hedvig and himself is only one sided. Hjalmar keeps taking advantage of Hedvig’s love and exploits it to have her do things for him. He also doges responsibility by giving it to others.

2. “Daddy’s promised to tutor me, but he hasn’t found time for that yet” (162).

            Significance: Hjalmar took Hedvig out of school because he wants to preserve her vision. He was trying to do the best for her but because he is too “busy” he can’t educate his own daughter. Hjalmar fakes being busy as a cover up for not wanting to take on responsibility. He is not a hard worker. While he goes out to dinner, his family is waiting on him and working for him. This quote is significant because it shows Hjalmar’s level of dedication towards his family.

3. “Uh-huh, I own it. But Daddy and Grandpa can borrow it as much as they want” (163).

            Significance: Hedvig’s level of dedication to her family is made clear when she tells Gregers that her dad and her grandpa can borrow one of her most loved possessions “as much as they want”. I think the wild duck refers to Hedvig in this quote. We later find out that Hedvig is not Hjalmar’s. The word “borrow” means someone is using something that doesn’t belong to them. Hedvig is letting Hjalmar borrow her.

4. “And been in the depths of the sea - so long” (167).

            Significance: Gregers is getting ready to tell Hjalmar about the lies involved in Hjalmar’s life. The pause before “so long” shows how Gregers is thinking about telling Hjalmar the truth. He is reveling about how long Hjalmar has been living in lies. He looks at Hedvig because he knows she doesn’t belong to Hjalmar.

5. “Yes, Gregers, you mustn’t ask for details like that yet. It takes time you know” (168).

            Significance: Hjalmar is in denial. His inability to answer Gregers’ question shows that Hjalmar doesn’t have a very good idea of what his invention really is. He may not have an invention at all. Hjalmar thinks that he will eventually invent something great but it doesn’t sound like he is trying very hard.

The Wild Duck Journal 2

            Hjalmar perceives Gregers in a bad way. “Well, he doesn’t look any better” (141). Usually good friends don’t talk about bad things behind the other friend’s back. When Gina asks if Gregers is still ugly, instead of defend his friend, Hjalmar agrees and says Gregers’ physical appearance hasn’t improved. Hjalmar also thinks he is assertive and powerful. “One mustn’t be a doormat for every passing foot. At least, that’s not my way” (142). His confidence is a false façade that he gets from being ignorant about his economic dependence on Werle. He embraces this false façade with his ignorance. Gregers and Gina know about Hjalmar’s false conceptions about himself. Gina wants to ignore it because she doesn’t want to hurt Hjalmar but Gregers wants to tell Hjalmar the truth because he is also trying to help Hjalmar.

Hjalmar thinks his family exists only to please him. After he comes home from the dinner party, Hedvig asks if Hjalmar brought anything home from the dinner party for her. Even though his family does so much for Hjalmar, he forgets and decides to have Hedvig “read the menu aloud, I’ll describe for you just how each dish tasted” (144). Hedvig is extremely disappointed and nearly cries. Hjalmar then says “ What incredible things a family breadwinner is asked to remember; and if he forgets even the tiniest detail-immediately he’s met with sour faces” (144). This quote shows Hjalmar’s false perception that his family is only there to please him.

Hjalmar thinks he is a hard worker but how can he be a hard worker if he is only receiving money from Werle, going to dinner parties and having his family keep track of the business and the money. “I’ll be deep in work tomorrow’ there will be no lack of that” (154). Hjalmar is a hypocrite because he was criticizing his wife’s ability to advertise their business but Hjalmar has done nothing to help the business. His self-perception of being a hard worker is distorted and he clings to that vision. Hjalmar also thinks he is strong. He says, “He has broad shoulders- powerful shoulders” (156). This may or may not be true. Hjalmar could be physically strong but he is also talking bout being strong socially. He is not socially strong. He is dependent on Werle for a living.

The Wild Duck Journal 1

One character that faces a lot of boundaries is Gregers. He is stuck in an awkward position when faced with Hjalmar talking about his father, Old Ekdal, and the events that got him arrested. Gregers cuts off Hjalmar when Hjalmar starts elaborating about his dad. “The shame and the scandal, Gregers-

(shaken). Yes, yes. Of course” (123).

By having Gregers cuts off Hjalmar, Ibsen shows that Gregers feels uncomfortable with the subject and doesn’t want Hjalmar to talk about it any more. Another mental boundary for Gregers is when he is talking to Hjalmar about his wife. Gregers thinks his dad had an affair with her and Hjalmar doesn’t know anything about it. “Was it then my father got you to-” (125). Gregers is afraid to say anything about his thoughts of his dad’s affair with Hjalmar. Gregers doesn’t want to hurt his friend so he keeps it to himself. We don’t even know if Gregers is correct about his dad having an affair. Later on in the book Gregers is hesitant to accuse his dad of being an accomplice and being guilty for Old Ekdal’s logging crimes. “Was he really the only guilty one” (131).

            Hjalmar also has some mental boundaries. When he sees his dad at Gregers’ dinner party, he turns around and pretends not to know him. When the fat guest asks if he knew who the old man was Hjalmar says, “I didn’t notice” (128). Ibsen portrays how Hjalmar is ashamed of his father by having Hjalmar avert his eyes to not see his father. Right after Hjalmar sees his father, he leaves the party. He tells Gregers “I’m going! When a man’s felt a terrible blow from fate-you understand” (129). Hjalmar’s terrible blow from fate was seeing his dad. Hjalmar describes seeing his dad “terrible” because he feels sorry and ashamed to be with him. He feels ashamed because his dad has hit rock bottom.

Antigone Bonus Journal

Bonus:  Cultural significance of the following passages

"We are of the tribe that asks questions, and we ask them to the bitter end.  Until no tiniest chance of hope remains to be strangled by our hands. We are of the tribe that hates your filthy hope, your docile, female hope, hope, your whore -" (43)

"Kings, my girl, have other things to do than to surrender themselves to their private feelings" (31).

The tribe represents the civilians of France who are questioning the actions of the puppet Vichy government. The bitter end refers to either the Holocaust or the Vichy government attacking them. The civilians will keep being critical of the government as long as the government keeps doing wrong things. Hope is the possibility of a new future for the French civilians.

Kings is referring to the Nazi’s and by not surrendering themselves to their “private feeling”, they are ignoring the French people’s society and views of life. The Nazi’s take over because they believe it is the right thing to do. They have no sympathy for any destruction or harm they cause because they feel it is a necessary cost they must pay.

Antigone Journal 4

Thomas Woodward

page 44 Antigone, line 11-16

The contrast between “life” and “death” shows the absurdities and stubbornness of Antigone. The passage is significant because it shows Antigone’s views on loyalty. Based on Antigone’s condescending tone, Anouilh suggests Antigone thinks that people should make their own decisions and follow them through to the end. When Ismene wants to die with Antigone, Antigone denies her and Ismene starts crying. Because Antigone tells Ismene to stop “blubbering” the reader discovers the lack of sympathy Antigone has for Ismene’s decision (Anouilh, line 12). When Antigone refuses Ismene, Antigone says Ismene had her chance to die. By repeating the word “chance” and the phrase “I did” Antigone is belittling Ismene’s decision to choose life and not come with her to try to bury her brother (Anouilh, line 12-15). Antigone is emphasizing how only she had enough courage to die and took the opportunity whereas Ismene did not. When Antigone describes the conditions she had to face when she buried her brother she suggests she deserves to die. She things she has earned it. Also, “creeping, hands and knees” suggests that she is hiding from authority because they have power over her. This makes her obedient to the king’s power but the fact that she wants to die transfers the power back to her. The king wants her to live. The imagery of Antigone clawing at the earth with her nails makes her sound like an animal. She is portrayed as primitive and primal, like an animal. Its as if a force of nature is forcing her to do what she’s doing. Nails describe the animal properties that she has. This animal imagery shows that wild animals (Antigone) and domesticated kings (Creon) cannot exist together at the same time because the domesticated king will see the wild beast as a threat to the domestication of his empire.  The king is afraid of the lack of control he has over Antigone’s wildness.

Antigone Journal 3

Thomas Woodward

Pages 20-44

Anouilh use of yes and no creates tension. Antigone and Creon’s different motives create tension. Antigone is very stubborn about dieing. She won’t agree with Creon to stay alive. She is ignorant and young. She wants to die for her cause. Antigone’s stubbornness is Anuilh’s way of showing how young people can be foolish. Antigone didn’t know the true story of her brothers. Creon said her brothers were bad men but Antigone doesn’t believe him. Ismene also is like Antigone but she is less adamant about dieing for her cause. Antigone feels that if she agrees to live, she would be giving her freedom as a human to Creon. By agreeing to him, she would succumb to his control. Antigone is trying to be a martyr for her brothers and for the old way of life society used to have. Creon was surprised that Antigone still believed in the old Greek burial system where the dead had to be buried to avoid eternal purgatory.

            Anouilh creates this struggle between the powerful (Antigone) and the powerless (Creon) because of the time period he was living in. Creon represents the French government. A greater force was controlling them both. For the French it was the Nazis and for Creon it was politics. Antigone represents the French citizens being controlled by the French puppet government. The French government and Creon were force to do things that oppressed the citizens and Antigone. This is Anouilh’s way of documenting the Nazi’s cruelty.

Antigone Journal 2

Time line of Antigone

1. Antigone slipped out of the house early in the morning.

2. She walked down a road.

3. She went into a field.

4. Antigone buries her brother Polynices.

5. She comes back and is discovered by Nanny.

6. She tells nanny to not worry about what she was up to.

7. Ismene comes in and starts talking with Antigone.

8. Antigone tells nanny to make breakfast and nanny leaves.

9. Ismene and Antigone talk about how they have thought of death and pain and how they are outmatched by the king, Creon. They say how they are afraid of death.

10. Ismene leaves to go sleep.

11. Nanny brings breakfast but Antigone says she isn’t hungry.

12. Antigone makes Nanny promise to take care of Antigone’s dog.

13. Nurse exits and Haemon enters and Antigone apologizes for a quarrel they had last night.

14. Antigone tells Haemon that she loves him but will never be able to marry him.

15. Antigone tells Ismene she buried Polynices.

Antigone Journal 1

I would stage the beginning of the play Antigone with everyone frozen until the Chorus describes their role in the play. The Chorus would consist of one person and they would walk around the stage, stopping to talk about the given character. The Chorus is one person because it is easier for the person to walk around the stage when they aren’t in a big group also the stage directions say “He points at the messenger” signifying that the Chorus is singular (Antigone, 5). I would have Antigone sitting in the middle of the stage on some concrete steps outside a house. In the top story of the house Eurydice would be seen through a window knitting. Leaning on the outside side of the house would be the Messenger thinking about the premonitions of a catastrophe. The tree red-faced card players are on the opposite side of the building as the Messenger. Haemon and Ismene are in the corner of the stage talking to each other and Creon and his page would be in the other corner.

1984 Journal 3

The Structure of Society

The book 1984 by George Orwell is about the effects of an Oligarchy in a hierarchal society. The society of Oceania is split up into three parts. The first part is the Proletariat class or Proles for short. They are the lowest of the low. The government doesn’t respect them at all. The government doesn’t even regard them as human. The Proles have no thought regulation because they don’t think about anything and their class has the most people in it (85% of the population). The second part is the Outer Party. They are the middle class of Oceania. The government regulates their thoughts closely and it requires their complete allegiance to the country. The government watches each member with telescreens, submits the people to 24 hours of propaganda everyday and makes sure that no one shows any signs of rebellion. Anyone that disagrees with the government will be vaporized or killed by the government. The government makes the Outer Party work for the government all day to prevent them from having independent thoughts and becoming dissatisfied with the government. The Outer Party is the main group of people the government focuses on. The government gives them food and shelter but it is not good quality. The last group is the Inner Party. The Inner Party are the wealthy people in our modern day society. They control the government and regulate the people. The Inner Party are allowed luxuries that the other classes are not allowed like good coffee and chocolate. The Inner Party is comprised of two percent of Oceania’s population. The Inner Party members’ goal is to keep the government in power, which is why they keep the Outer Party and the Proles ignorant. The Inner Party knows that hierarchal society would not be possible if the masses were intelligent. In order to keep the government the way it is, the masses must be ignorant and blindly acceptant to the policies of the party.

1984 Journal 2

1984 Journal 2

Pg. 52

            My passage is about Winston Smith beginning to question the way of life the party is subjecting him to. He is looking around the cafeteria and criticizing all of the poor conditions the government is forcing him to live with. He starts to realize all of the governments short comings and begins to feel cheated by the government. He wonders if life had been different.

            This passage is significant to the novel because Winston is beginning to resent the government. He is starting to think for himself and is becoming independent from the government: significant. The critical thinking he displays demonstrates shows that he is separating himself from the party. He is no longer blindly accepting the government’s propaganda. He is not completely against the government yet but some cracks of disloyalty are forming in his mind about the party. Winston’s repetition of the government’s bad conditions further emphasizes how he is not satisfied with the life the government is giving him. He is seeing the government’s cafeteria and the poor living conditions people are being subjected to: significant. Winston describes his unsatisfactory surroundings in a dejected light. This characterization of Winston lets the reader know what is going on in Winston’s mind. This passage also describes how people need different experiences to make decisions and to be independent: significant. The word choice of “ancestral memory” describes how the government has eradicated the past because the only way to know if life was different required a memory from long ago. This shows the ruthlessness of the government’s attempt to try and control how people think.

1984 blog comments

Thomas Woodward- P4 Amy

This is very well thought out! I don't think there is a poster on each floor, I think there is only one huge poster visible on all of the floors in the building. The poster is described as being "too large for indoor display". Which describes how the government will go to extensive measures to enforce their foul totalitarian ways. Also this shows how the government and the people are dysfunctional. The government put a huge poster that should be outside on the inside of the building.

Thomas Woodward- P4 Sara

¡I like your ideas! Do you think that the people are more interested in keeping up the poster or could it be that the government is only willing to support their own cause? I think the government is putting its ideals before the citizens. Lousy totalitarians.

Thomas Woodward P4- P3 Tristan

I like your connection with the broken lift and the unfulfilled promises. Im am confused at how the government can watch you and not tend to you at the same time. How does this result in the government waiting for you to do something? Also how is the government doing an experiment by letting the Victory Mansions become run down? I think the run down Victory Mansions demonstrate the priority levels of the government. Their main goal is to keep the poster (their unquestionable authority) in the victory mansion in top condition and to give to the people bare minimum necessities to survive. This keeps the balance of power the way the government wants it.

1984 Journal 1

"The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a colored poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. It depicted simply an enormous face, more than a meter wide: the face of an man of about forty-five, with a heavy black mustache and ruggedly handsome features. Winston made for the stairs. It was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times it was seldom working, and at present the electric current was cut off during daylight hours. It was part of the economy drive in preparation for Hate Week. The flat was seven flights up, and Winston, who was thirty-nine, and had a varicose ulcer above his right ankle, went slowly, resting several times on the way. On each landing, opposite the lift shaft, the poster with the enormous face gazed from the wall. It was one of those pictures which are so contrived that the eyes follow you about when you move. BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, the caption beneath it ran" (1)

1984 Journal 1

            In 1984, George Orwell describes the hallway of the Victory Mansions in a very decrepit manner. The poor condition of the Victory Mansions describes Orwell’s dislike of the totalitarian government he is describing. The smell of boiled cabbage and the broken elevator helps create a dismal and abused setting Orwell is trying to describe to the readers. The elevator is broken because the government cut off electricity to people during the day to prepare for Hate Week. Orwell creates a scene of total government control by giving everything names. The Victory Mansion and Hate Week both sound very controlling. The names are very one-sided. They force you to accept their meaning. The Victory Mansions force a person to believe they are being given a huge gift but really, the mansions are a significant loss of freedom. The government is forcing you to live in houses they issue to you. Hate Week is also making the people turn into frenzied beasts. The government is taking away the people’s level-headedness and replacing it with rage. The government is omnipresent in Orwell’s 1984. The big propaganda poster says “Big Brother Is Watching” this is how Orwell demonstrates how the people have no power or rights in the socialistic party. The government acchieves complete powerlessness of the people when Orwell describes how the poster’s eyes follow Winston.

The Stranger 6

1. It’s not my fault

2. I was a little bored

3. Making me drowsy

4. The sun was starting to burn my cheeks

5. It didn’t really matter

6. It really was all the same to me

7. The trigger gave

8. I was still right, I was always right. I had lived my life one way and I could have lived it another

9. The others would all be condemned one day

10. So close to death

11. Departures for a world that meant nothing to me.

The Stranger 5

Cultural Journal:

The blown up case in The Stranger shows how the laws are different in Algiers. Meursault didn’t even have a chance to defend his position and the reporters exaggerated his case, making him look bad. The reporters did that for personal gain to make their paper more interesting. In America the newspapers are only supposed to print the facts not change them depending on how a person sees fit. There is no way to know though weather some news is really true or not because we were not there. The newspapers in America are supposed to print the facts but they may not be entirely true. The difference between America and Algiers is the openness of exaggerating the case.

Journal 5

Meursault is described as confused a lot in part two, where as in part one he is not as confused. “I was feeling a little dizzy too” (83). This shows how Meursault is realizing his fate. He doesn’t want to die but he continuously thinks about dying. That is why he is dizzy. There are also a lot of descriptions of heads in part two. “His bald little head” (85). Heat is mentioned a lot but what is different from part one is that part two talks about people sweating from the heat. “I wiped the sweat covering my face”(89). The text only talks about people’s heads sweating. Meursault also shows more emotion to the reader during the trial. He wants to “cry” and “kiss” Céleste (90)(93).

The jury is a character that appears in the second part. I describe them as one character because they are never distinguished from each other. The jury is there to judge Meursault on what he did. They represent society and they are judging Meursault. Also we see the prosecutor in the courtroom. He takes everything Meursault says and turns it evil. “For the first time in years I had this stupid urge to cry” (89-90). The prosecutor accuses Meursault for not having a soul and being a monster with out morals. “The horror I feel when I look into a man’s face and all I see is a monster” (102).

Meursault’s lawyer said, “It is true I killed a man” (103). I think the lawyer is acknowledging that he is a bad lawyer and has done a poor job with the trial. The lawyer is talking about himself when he says he killed a man. That man is Meursault.

The reporters show up in part two. They exaggerated Meursault’s case and made him look worse. This shows how people can only trust themselves because other people may lie for personal gain. “You know, we’ve blown up your case a little” (84).

The Stranger 4

Cultural Journal.

On page 63, the fact that no one at the police station cared about Meursault’s case at first tells me that murder is a common crime. The only time I have heard an Arab speak was in a prison. This shows me how society view Arabs because the only time the Arabs have courage to speak or feel power is in prison. The Arabs feel like they have power in prison because when the Arab talks to Meursalut he is laughing and feels cocky.

“Near the casket was an Arab nurse in a white smock, with a brightly colored scarf on her head” (6)

The nurse is wearing a white smock and a brightly colored headscarf. Is this describing her wearing a burqa? In Arabic culture, women are supposed to wear a burqa to be “sexually modest”.

“I brushed against her breasts” (19)

Merusault is helping Marie onto a float and brushes against her breasts. He is being sneaky at first to get intimate with Marie. As their relationship goes on he is more aggressive about sex but now he is just making sure Marie wont refuse.

Raymond Sintés. Pg 28.

He is a pimp but calls himself a warehouse guard to try to cover up what he is doing to sound moral.

-When meursault is longing for women at the prison. He dosnt care if it is Marie, he just wants a woman.

The Stranger 3

Motifs:

The movies

Swimming

Meursault wanting Marie

Raymond beating up girls

Meursault doesn’t like cops

Nothing matters to Meursault and he agrees to do things people tell him to do

Meursault likes liquor, smoking and sex

Meursault is so freaking indifferent and apathetic to everything! It's annoying!

Meursault is apathetic about marriage.

Meursault has a hard time waking up on Sunday

Marie laughing

The Arabs are only described as the Arabs and they never talk.

The Stranger is an appropriate title to this text because Meursault is so indifferent to the society around him. He feels that the world is pointless because in the end the result is the same; everybody dies. Marie and Raymond have opinions about their life and act on their opinions. Meursault only acts on impulses and his wants and what people tell him to do. Meursault doesn’t function the way other character function in the book. Meursault is very introverted and is irritable with other people when he must explain his thoughts to them. Meursault is a stranger is his society not only emotionally but socially as well. We learn that Meursault is from Paris. We can assume he is a Pied Noirs. This means he is despised from the local inhabitants of Algiers for his superior rights, but he is viewed as inferior to the people in Paris because he has fewer rights in Paris.

The fact that the cop slapped Raymonds face shows how the standards in Algiers are different from America. Also Raymond gets off with a warning for beating the girl when it is obvious that he did beat her up. He just said that the girl cheated on him and the police were ok with that. The society is obviously male dominated. What I mean by that is that the men have the majority of the power and rights in Algiers.

The Stranger 2

In chapter 3, we meet Old Salamano and his dog. The text says that Old Salamano and his dog “hate each other” but the dog and Old Salamano are described as looking the same. This could imply that the dog and Old Salamano are not as different as they seem. Old Salamono beats his dog. Maybe he does this because he feels bad about his life and is bitter about it and needs a vent for his stress. Old Salamano and his dog go on a walk at the same time everyday. Everyday the dog will lead on the walk until it makes Old Salamano trip. This shows that the dog still has some pride to it. It wants to lead even though it knows it will get beaten by Salamano. After, Old Salamano leads the dog. Because Old Salamano and his dog are so similar, maybe Old Salamano also wants to lead and improve his life but cannot. Maybe he is a pied noirs.

Another character we meet is Céleste. Céleste is the chef of his own restaurant. He seems to be very familiar with Meursault. Céleste always seems cheerful or understanding with Meursault. Céleste is Meursault’s friend. Céleste is described as being big and having a big belly. Big bellies are either related to wealth or friendly people. An example of a wealthy person with a big belly and is Jody. A well-known example of a person with a big belly is Santa Clause. Céleste has a big friendly Santa Clause belly. This makes Céleste non-discriminative and a good friend to the apathetic Meursault.

The Stranger 1

Camus talks a lot about recreational activites Meursault sees people doing. Camus talks about swimming and going to the movies. Meursault goes swimming and goes to the movies. Meursault is having a very leisurely time away from work. This is part of the steriotype that French people are lazy. Also in chapert 2 Camus talks about how “gangs of fans” are coming back from a soccer game. A gang is a violent thing. Its interesting how Camus describes this. Maybe it has to do with some cultural friction.

Color is described a lot in Camus work. He describes the color of the caretaker and the color of the scenery. He also describes the color of many other things. One reoccurring color is blood red. It is interesting how Camus only describes people with the blood red color.

Sleep. Meursault is always talking about sleep. He said he didn’t get any sleep at the funeral home but the text said he nodded off. Its weird. Why would Meursault deny sleeping?

Other ideas:

Why is Meursault so apologetic to his boss? He is always apologizing in his mind about something.

Why does Meursault not want to see his mother? Is he grieving? Why is Meursault so indecisive? Why is Meursault so bad at displaying his emotions? Why is Meursault so apologetic to his boss? He is always apologizing in his mind about something.

The bus reoccurs a lot. Public transportation is big in Meursault’s life.

Time occurs a lot.

Journal 7

Theme words:

Hands

Houses

Roofs

Bodies

Watching

Seeing

Water

Kill

Sun

Children

Medicine

Going crazy

Singing

Sobbing

Hurston describes children a lot because she wants to portray that all people have an earnest and pure yearning to find love.

Hurston talks about seeing things compared to doing things. This shows that experience is much more valued and coveted by people than just watching someone doing something.

Hurston talks about the sun to show that a person can always change the situation of their life. The earth is reborn by the sun every morning and a person who is unhappy with their life can also become reborn if they find a way to enjoy their life.

Honorable mentions/ideas:

Hurston contrasts the porch sitters as grotesque compared to Janie who has experience.

Life becomes scary when it loses its meaning. People give up and decide to die.

Something interesting I found: Page 177 Janie loves Tea Cake “fit to kill”

Journal 6

In the first paragraph, Hurston suggests that Janie is afraid of losing the meaning to her life. When Annie Tyler found what she was looking, she no longer knew what to do with her life. Janie is afraid because she doesn't know what she will do if Tea Cake leaves her.

• The purpose of this is to show the reader that waiting all your life for something may not be as rewarding as you think.

In the second paragraph, Hurston shows that Janie is considering her options by switching the point of view from the narrator to Janie. By going to first person, it shows Janie is becoming confident because she is in control of her thoughts and what she says.

• The purpose of this is to show the reader that Janie will not let life lose its meaning if she loses Tea Cake.

In the third paragraph, Hurston describes the sun as "sending up spies ahead of him to mark out the road through the dark". This means that Janie has options other just giving up on life. She is in a very dark place inside of her but the sun is a metaphor for her to make something out of what life gave her.

• The purpose of this is to show the reader that Janie is becoming strong. Instead of doing what the men tell her to do, she is figuring it out for herself.

Comments:

Andrew Smelter:

For your bright yellow highlight about a peaceful death, I think the answer to your question might be that the porch sitters would have talked about how they knew they were right and how Annie Taylor was wrong about going out with all those young men. I think Annie Taylor was ashamed about what happened to her and wanted to escape Eatonville.

I like your analyzation of the last line of the text. I didn't think anything of it but it makes sense that she would be worried. It also supports that she is very worried about Tea Cake

Clara Dunklee:

I never thought about how love killed Annie Tyler after it left her. I think I understand the text a bit more now! Also I never realized that she was looking into the future. I agree with your thoughts of the sun symbolizing Tea Cake. I think the sun represents the rebirth of the world after darkness and also the rebirth of Janie after two loveless marriages.

I am not quite sure how Annie's fate is predetermined when she taken to die in peace. If she was dying, being taken somewhere wouldn't have changed her situation. I think she died because she had nothing to live for. She waited for love all her life but when she finally found it, it hurt her. It took her money and left her by herself. Annie's dream was to find someone to love but after she accomplished her goal she had nothing else to live for so I think she gave up and died. Also I just realized that maybe money represents confidence in this book. Joe was very confident and now that Janie inherited Joe's money she becomes confident.

Ethan Johnson:

I like your thoughts about the words associated with death but Janie was not worried with the money aspect of Tea Cake leaving her. She was more worried with whether or not Tea Cake was hurt or if he was with another woman. Janie was also afraid of becoming like Annie Tyler who lost the meaning of her life when she was taken advantage of.

When Janie is praying, I think Janie is begging God to try to make things better. I think she is so desperate because she is afraid of becoming like Annie Tyler. She doesn't know what she will do with her life if Tea Cake never returns.

I never thought of the chair as a metaphor, but when I read what you said I think your right. I think it could mean that "her world is spinning".
Good work!

Journal 5

They put her to bed and sent for her married daughter from up around Ocala to come see about her. The daughter came as soon as she could and took Annie Tyler away to die in peace. She had waited all her life or something, and it had killed her when it found her.

The thing made itself into pictures and hung around Janie's bedside all night long. Anyhow, she wasn't going back to Eatonville to be laughed at and pitied. She had ten dollars in her pocket and twelve hundred in the bank. But oh God, don't let Tea Cake be off somewhere hurt and Ah not know nothing about it. And God, please suh, don't let him love nobody else but me. Maybe Ah'm is uh fool, Lawd, lak dey say, but Lawd, Ah been so lonesome, and Ah been waitin', Jesus. Ah done waited uh long time.

Janie dozed off to sleep but she woke up in time to see the sun sending up spies ahead of him to mark out the road through the dark. He peeped up over the door sill of the world and made a little foolishness with red. But pretty soon, he laid all that aside and went about his business dressed all in white. But it was always going to be dark to Janie if Tea Cake didn't soon come back. She got out of the bed but a chair couldn't hold her. She dwindled down on the floor her head in a rocking chair.

(Hurston, 119-120)

Figurative Language: Hurston personifies the sun in a friendly way. The way the sun is personified is similar to Tea Cake. The way the sun peeks over the “door sill of the world” sounds like something Tea Cake would do. The sun also symbolizes a new beginning and because Tea Cake was juxtaposed with the sun, Tea Cake is a new beginning for Janie.

Allusion: Hurston makes and allusion to Eatonville to show that Janie doesn’t want to go back to the watchers. She doesn’t want to become one of their subjects “to be laughed at and pitied”. Janie knows what she is doing is not what is expected of her. She knows the town will talk about everything they don’t agree with and turn it into something bad.

Sensory Details: Color and light are mentioned a lot in the text. Dark is contrasted with light. Hurston contrasts dark with light because the colors represent her life with and without Tea Cake. Light is associated with life. When the sun comes up, Hurston says that the sun “made a little foolishness with red. But pretty soon, he laid all that aside and went about his business dressed all in white”. The significance of this is, red and white each symbolize a part of Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship. The red is when they were first meeting and were fooling around with each other. Red is often associated with love romance or liking someone. The white is Janie and Tea Cake’s love for each other. White is associated with purity, rebirth, and among other things, eternity. This shows that Janie is happy with her life now and wants to be with Tea Cake for the rest of her life.

Mood: The mood for this passage is worrisome. We don’t know whether or not Tea Cake is going to come back to Janie. Hurston does this to show Janie’s love for Tea Cake. This proves that her love for him is real and not just something she is doing to escape her old situation with Joe and the town.

Dictation: Hurston’s dictation is simple and straightforward. She uses conversational words and sentences to deliver her meaning. Hurston does this to demonstrate how Janie is thinking. She isn’t thinking of anything other than if Tea Cake is alright, if Tea Cake is being faithful, and what she is going to do if Tea Cake never comes back.

Repetition: When Janie is praying, she repeats “Lawd and God”. Janie does this because she scared for Tea Cake and for herself. She doesn’t want to lose Tea Cake and she doesn’t want to have to live life by herself again.

Organization: Hurston changes the point of view in the text. First it is the narrator but then it switches to first person of Janie and then it goes back to being the narrator. Hurston switches to first person to show us how desperate Janie is to get Tea Cake back. The first person dialect grants the reader a look into Janie’s mind.

Syntax: When Hurston describes Janie praying, Hurston puts allot of commas in the sentences. This shows that her thoughts are all occurring at the same time. She is just spouting her feelings to God. This proves that Janie is very worried about Tea Cake.

Purpose: I think the purpose of this passage is to show the reader how Janie’s views of love and life have changed. This is a rebirth for Janie. Her life has meaning now.

Some other words that seemed interesting.

Killed, die, laughed, pitied Ah not know nothing about it, fool, dwindled.

Journal 4

So Bill stopped wondering about work. Work, that obnoxious entity with the short due dates that lurked everywhere at school. The time consuming thing that hides in lockers like a box with no light, and no hope. What need has Work for a student, and a binder to contain it? It stays in its backpack that is toted over the world. Lurks quiet and oppressive all day with it’s papers stored, waiting for the student to go home. Been assigned to kids before there was a reason or a rhyme or an understanding. He was likely to encounter an unannounced pop quiz sitting on his desk any day now. He was tired and unstudied also. Poor Townzen! She ought not to have to correct this all by herself. He sent Thomas to the classroom to suggest help, but Townzen said No. These principals were good with the discipline-needy but they couldn’t help with a problem like this. She would be more awake once the small child stopped crying for her. She was going to get sleep after all. That is what she hoped. But Thomas said no, so she understood. But if he didn’t she was going to find out, for people started congregating in the classroom and around the desks. Students that wouldn’t even think to go into IB English now peeked in but didn’t come into the classroom. Just looked thought the blinds and watched. Sleeping, that illusive state, had escaped the classroom.

third post

I was reading and I saw Sam’s name reoccur a lot. I did some research on “http://www.zelo.com/firstnames/findresults.asp?name=Sam&Submit=Find+It” and found out that the meaning of the name Sam is “listener”. I found that ironic because Sam is doing all the talking to Matt. I thought Sam doesn’t do much listening at all but then I realized that he was part of the watchers described in the beginning of the book. Maybe the irony of Sam describes the irony of the watchers. The watchers talk about everything but they know nothing. They make up what they want to hear just to please themselves. The watchers listen all day and talk until its dark. Another meaning of Sam is “God’s name” or “God’s heart”. I found this interesting because Sam is always annoying Matt. “You’se uh stinkin’ lie, Sam”. When you think of God you think of something truthful but because Sam is always teasing Matt, Sam becomes less god-like. I think Hurston does this to make Sam’s character more complex and to emphasize the irony of Sam’s name.

Random thoughts:

Another name I found was Roberts. Roberts is referring to the child that almost got trampled by the mule. Why this is ironic is because Roberts means “bright fame” but Roberts is just a small side character.

second journal

Page 47, third paragraph. “Take for instance […] flours painted on the sides” (47).

Foil: The “big house” and the rest of the community.

Analysis: The town surrounding Joe’s house looks very rundown in comparison. “The rest of the town looked like servants quarters next to the ‘big house’”(47). This shows the vast economical differences between Joe and the rest of the town. Having the house be so different from the town makes Joe and Janie very different from the town as well. Because they are wealthy and powerful, they are set apart from the poor and the powerless.

Repitition: Colors

Analysis: Colors are talked about greatly in this passage. The house is “a gloaty, sparkly white and the spittoon is said to be “gold-looking”. All of the mention about color made me thing about how colors can signify power and wealth. Back during Janie’s lifetime white people had all of the power. The fact that Joe painted his house white symbolizes that he has all the power over the town. Also the gold spittoon shows wealth. Gold has always been a symbol of wealth and power. A gold spittoon is a bit of a paradox because gold symbolizes power, but a spittoon’s only purpose is to collect old tobacco that has been spit into them. The spittoon has power but no respect. This sounds to me like the spittoon may symbolize Janie living with Joe.

Motif: People feel like Joe is superior to them.

Analysis: The town’s people feel intimidated whenever they are around Joe. They “feel funny talking to him”. They don’t have power and they know that Joe does. Joe can kick anyone he wants out of the city. He is the only one with that power. With the house he has and all the commodities that all of the towns people don’t have, it is pretty obvious to the townspeople that Joe has more power and wealth. This makes the townspeople wonder if Joe is a superior human. They see all of his things and feel bad that they don’t have what he has. “it weakened people”.

Tone: The tone is very informative.

Mood: I feel apprehensive. I feel like something big is going to happen. There is a conflict going on with the town’s people and Joe. It is a little suspenseful.

Purpose: I think the purpose of this passage is to show how Janie is isolated from everyone because of Joe. The gold spittoon shows how Janie is put up for display. The theme of people thinking that Joe is superior to them shows that Janie is isolated from everyone because of Joe’s wealth and power.

Some quick ideas or things I found interesting but haven’t thought about yet:

I god, what does it mean?

What does umph symbolize?

Why end in amen on pg 43?

Giving speeches occurs a lot in chapter 5.

There are lots of religion references.

There are lots of light references.

There are some people in the village talking about black people being hard on each other.

1st journal entry

Thomas Woodward

1^st journal entry

9/10/11

Logan Killicks is described as an “ole skullhead” on page 13. Skullhead is not something you would call your future spouse. Skullhead is quite a morbid term for describing someone you would marry. Skullhead implies that he is already dead or that he is only a plain, boring set of bones. Logan is described as being void of all fleshy, interesting, human features and being void of love. Hurston uses the term skullhead to subtly show that Janie views Logan as an unlovable thing. This shows that Janie is willing to get married only because her Nanny wants her to. Janie is being pushed into the relationship by her Nanny. Skullheads can also be intriguing. Janie is curious about marriage and decides to try it out. “Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of the unmated? Did marriage compel love like the sun of the day?” (21). Here Janie is thinking about the pros and cons to getting married. She fears that she will be stuck in a loveless relationship and waste her life with Logan. Logan is being described as a plain set of bones, people don’t like being around boring things or people. It is extremely difficult to love someone you find boring. Throughout Janie’s time with Logan, she is always commenting about how she doesn’t love him.

Why does Janie want to please her Nanny so badly? Why did Hurston associate death with marriage? Why does Janie want to get married at such a young age?

Joe Starks only thinks of Janie as a possession. When Janie meets up with Joe after her fight with Logan, Joe is in a car waiting for her. When she gets up on to the seat, Janie describes it as “With him on it, it sat like some high, ruling chair” (32). This shows that Janie feels optimistic about her future because she feels as if she is being lifted out of her old abusive life but in more subtle ways Hurston is foreshadowing how Joe will treat Janie. Hurston shows that while Joe is around, everything Janie does is on display. What I mean by that is, Joe is showing Janie off. He views her as a possession but nothing more. When you own nothing and have no money, being treated like royalty seems unimaginably good, but when possessions conflict with freedom then things begin to feel tainted. “It sat like some high, ruling chair” this tells us that Janie can have all the things she wants “Just like Joe had said. With new clothes of silk and wool” (33) but once she is in the “high, ruling chair”, Joe never wants her to come back down. Joe wants her to look pretty all day even if it means Janie loses her freedoms. Janie is being “owned” by Joe.

Why does Joe want to be married to Janie when she is only a possession to him? Wouldn’t it be more fun for Joe and Janie view each other as equals? Why does Janie want to be married so badly that she will marry a complete stranger?

Nanny is a very traditional character. She wants Janie to be married off to a successful person because it was what she was supposed to do when she was younger. Nanny feels that Janie shouldn’t marry by her heart but marry for wealth and possessions. She feels that to be successful, a person should marry someone else from a higher social class. “Whut I seen just now is plenty for me, honey, Ah don’t want no trashy nigger, no breath-and-britches, lak Johnny Taylor usin’ yo’ body to wipe his foots on” (13). Nanny is not concerned about whether or not Janie likes Johnny. Nanny is more concerned that Janie would think about having a relationship with a person of a lower social class. “Dat’s what makes me skeered. You don’t mean no harm. You don’t even know where harm is at” (13). Janie is Nanny’s most precious belonging. Nanny wants to give Janie the best future possible but the only way Nanny knows how is by prearranged marriage.

Even if it means Janie will not enjoy the relationship she is in, Nanny still wants to marry her off to a successful man. “‘Don’t think Ah don’t feel wid you, Janie, ‘cause Ah do.’”

Why didn’t Nanny tell Janie about prearranging a marriage with Logan? Why did society start having prearranged marriage? It doesn’t really accomplish anything. Why must Janie be married off right when she reaches her womanhood?