Monday, November 3, 2008

The Tale of Two Cities



Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities is considered by many to be one of the best novels of all times. Set in the time period of the French Revolution, it focuses on various characters and takes place primarily in Paris and London, two cities used to contrast the two very societies. Charles Darney and Sydney Carton play the major roles in the novel, both in love with Lucie Mannette, and the stage is set for a story that most likely can only end in tragety.

PART A:
Obviously, during the time of the French Revolution, the revolutionaries were not only fed up with the oppressive French monarchy, but they also were angry with the arrogant, snobby French Aristocracy, and Dickens makes this very clear in his novel. The perfect symbol for the arrogance and coldness of the aristocrats takes the form of the French Monsieur the Marquis, Darney's uncle. He is a cruel, cold man, who like most of the French aristocracy of the time period, felt nothing for the peasants and saw them as the scum of the Earth. This is absolutely clear when Marquis runs over a young child in his carriage and feels nothing for the parent's loss. Instead, he feels a few gold coins can make up for the man's loss and is disgusted when they scorn his "charity". Two lines really sum up Marquis's feelings toward those of lower social status: "Monsieur the Marquis ran his eyes over them all, as if they had been mere rats come out of their holes" (84) and "I would ride over any of you very willingly, and exterminate you from the Earth" (85). These are two very powerful statements, in that they show just how little Marquis and the rest of the aristocracy care for the poor. Later on, Dickens describes Marquis as a Gorgon. This is not what one would want to be called. A Gorgon is a mythological monster, and Medusa is the most common of them all. To first be called a monster and then be compared to Medusa does not speak highly of the character. Medusa turned everything to stone with her gaze and when Dickens describes Marquis home, the entire first paragraph of the chapter "The Gorgon's Head" describes his home as stone. The stone symbolizes how cold-hearted and, by turning everything into stone as a Gorgon, how inhuman the Marquis and the rest of the French aristocracy are.

PART B:
The following passage truly foreshadows what is to come in this novel: the French Revolution. "The time was to come, when that wine too would be spilled on the street-stones, and when the stain of it would be red upon many there" (22). This passage occurs when the peasants are drinking and fighting over the wine that has been spilled in the streets. However, upon closer examination, it is seen how the wine flows between the cracks of the street, how a man writes "BLOOD" on the wall in muddy wine, and how people are sent into a frenzy over this wine. While on the surface ridiculous that these people are all over each other to get the wine, the passage foreshadows the peasants hunger to be free, how they are hungry to be rid of the aristocracy, and how they are physically hungry in a literal sense. The frenzy that these people are in over the wine relates to the frenzy that the people of the French Revolution were sent into once blood had been spilled and was running through the cracks of the streets of Paris. People were executed left and right, people were murdered in the streets, and the Revolution became a massive free for all, with death all around and blood knee deep. This perfectly goes along with what Dickens is foreshadowing in this passage: that soon, the French people will have had enough with their monarch and the cold hearted arisocrats like Marquis, and they will rise up. Essentially, the writing was on the wall for France only it was in blood-like wine.

PART C:
Overall, this was not one of my favorite novels. The difficulty to read and decipher Dickens's style of writing made a great story one that was very hard to follow. In my opinion, there were too many characters to keep track of, and the extremely longwinded sentences were hard to understand. Many times I found myself rereading passages to try and understand the meaning of what was said. On the other side, the story underneath all the long paragraphs was great. The story of a two men who are complete foils of each other struggling through a tumultous time, and in the end one making the ultimate sacrifice to save the other, is one that would captivate me on any occasion. However, the greatness of the story was seriously lessened by the difficulty of reading. If I had to recommend this novel, I would say that unless one really does not mind the styles of writing so common to authors like Hawthorne, to try another novel that is easier to read.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

The Importance of Being Earnest


"The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde is a comical farce in which the characters from the Victorian era find themselves in various situations relating to marriage. However, the characters focus on various trivial details instead of the important things in life, making for a very humorous and at times, predictable, play.

PART A:
A perfect character to analyze is Lady Bracknell. Lady Bracknell is Algernon's aunt and is the prime example of the stupidity of the prim and properity of the Victorian era. Bracknell stands as the personification of the etiquette of Victorian society, and by making a fool of herself on numerous occasions, continues to be a focal point in Wilde's berating of Victorian society. Throughout the farce, it is clear that Bracknell is solely focused on appearances and decorum. Everything she does or feels has no true meaing in the work and all she strives towards is upholding her appearance as a lady of the upmost respectability and properity. However, she does not uphold her appearance by focusing on important matters that truly affect her life and the society as a whole. No, instead she focuses on trivial details that have no effect on the story itself. For example, when "interviewing" Jack to see if he would be a worthy suitor for Gwendolen, she inquires about his parents. When she learns he has none, instead of saying, "I'm sorry that's really a shame" she says, "To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness" (14). Is she serious? She speaks in the manner that it is Jack's fault that he has no parents, when in reality it is the complete opposite. This statement is just one of Lady Bracknell's many aphorisms throughout the book. While an aphorism is a concise statement of principle or precept that usually can be assumed as true, Lady Bracknell's aphorisms are completely backwards. She feels that it is good that in England education produces on effect whatsoever and that while Algernon has nothing, he looks everything and that is all that matters. Do any of these make sense? How can she say that education produces on effect when England is home to one of the world's best universities, Oxford. When she implies that having an appearance is all that matters with Algernon, she is used to further make fun of the superficial nature of Victorian society and throughout the farce, Wilde uses Bracknell to make social commentary on the stupidity of society.

PART B:
One of the most humorous lines in the play comes when Cecily and Gwendolen are enjoying an afternoon tea with each other. Both are arguing in oh so proper a manner about the serious situation of both being engaged to the same man, but in reality on being engaged to the same man. When offered tea and cake, Gwendolen wants no sugar and bread and butter. However, Cecily ignores her and gives the opposite, much to the anger of Gwendolen. "You have filled my tea with lumps of sugar , and though I asked most distinctly for bread and butter, you have given me cake. I am known for the gentleness of my disposition, and the extraordinary sweetness of my nature, but I warn you, Miss Cardew, you may go too far" (38). Come on. These to ladies are so focused on decorum and their appearance they cannot even have a real argument. In an argument over something of this importance, one would expected there would be yelling, name calling, and maybe even some punches thrown. Do any of these take place in this scene? No, instead Cecily gets at Gwendolen by giving her sugar when she asked for none and cake instead of bread and butter. Gwendolen's anger over such a trivial detail just go to compound the stupidity of Victorian society and the importance it placed on appearance and silly, trivial details.

PART C:
In my opinion, Oscar Wilde's farce is a very enjoyable play to read. What truly makes the play fun is the fact that there is little importance throughout the entire play. It is ridiculous how every, little thing is focused on maintaining the appearance of properity and formality. The characters produce various enjoyable situations where one can laugh at the stupidity of the characters and the ridiculous nature of their conversations when things of great importance are going on. They talk about the cucumber sandwiches, the proper way to eat muffins, and the how it is improper to have been found in a handbag. It is obvious throughout that Wilde is making fun of Victorian society and the farce becomes more and more enjoyable as the reader follows the predictable story that these characters place themselves in. If I had to recommend this play, I would recommend it to anyone who would like a good laugh.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Cat's Cradle


Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut is an entertaining satirical novel that puts both science and religion under the spotlight. Using diction, humor, and writing style, Vonnegut gives a clear social commentary on his feelings as to the advances of science and religious beliefs.
PART A:
A predominant symbol in the novel is Dr. Hoenikker's Ice Nine. A vastly important invention, since one speck could cast an apocalyptic global freezing that would end the world, ice nine plays a vital role in Vonnegut's social commentary on science. This symbol essentially can be used to define the meaning of the work as a whole by itself: humanity must be wary of technology because for all the good that science attempts to bring about, it can result in dire consequences. Vonnegut applifies this meaning by making the way in which ice nine brings about the end of the world so ridiculous. This is the nature of a satirical piece and Vonnegut uses this ridiculous event to make his point. Papa commits death by ice nine and then a plane crashes, shaking Papa's frozen body into the sea and destroying the world. How unbelievable is this? This incident is used to show Vonnegut's meaning that even an accident in science can have terrible implications. Ice nine also shows how science needs to be more morally aware. Dr. Hoenikker made ice nine simply to prove that he could make it. However he did not consider the implications it could cause had a simple accident like tripping and dropping it into a river or if it had fallen into the wrong hands of a terrorist who wished to destroy the world. Vonnegut is saying that science should not create things that need not and should not be created just because they can be. They should be more careful of what they do and should look to the future as to what their actions could lead to, even if they had been intended to do good.
PART B:
One of best quotes from the novel that points right to Vonnegut's feelings on science is found on page 31. "A winded, defeated-looking fat woman in filthy coveralls trudged beside us, hearing what Miss Pefko said. She turned to examine Dr. Breed, looking at him with helpless reproach. She hated people who thought too much. At that moment, she struck me as an appropriate representation for almost all mankind" (31). This is a great description. This woman is so fed up with science's ideas that everything is analytical and that scientists place too much importance on discovery and research, she has become tired for fighting. She has been dragged down by the unbearable weight that she feels from science and the role that it plays in everyday life, and now she has capitulated and cannot go on. What a great sentence when Vonnegut writes that at that moment she was a perfect representation of almost all mankind. That is saying something. It could be that science plays too much of a role in everyday life and people simply do not care or do not understand it. Either way, science plays too much of a role and the constant analytical nature of it stands in contrast to the ideas that most care about.
PART C:
This novel was a good book. It was enjoyable to read since its satirical nature made it comical and a fun book to read. The constant jabs at science and religion really stood out to me and I was able to make many connections with what Vonnegut was saying. Also the superficial nature of the characters was entertaining and informative. Many of the characters were on such a one way track, either science or religion, they were unable to see the other side and unable to realize the importance that the other side plays in life. If I were to recommend this novel to another, I would tell him or her that it is a good novel, not the best, and that does take a while to get into since for the first hundred pages at least you do not see where the novel is going at all. However, on the whole I would recommend it to anyone.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Handmaid's Tale


The Handmaid's Tale is a very controversial novel by Margaret Atwood. Full to the brim with controversial topics such as religion, abortion, pornography, women extremists, and sex, this novel no doubt makes for a very interesting read. Taking place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the current site of Harvard University, the Republic of Gilead is a dystopian society where the rights of all, especially women are virtually non-existant. All of this is for the sake of protecting the women and to allow them to fulfill a sole purpose: the continuation of the human race.
PART A
A very good symbol that points to one of Atwood's problems addressed by the novel is found on page 57. From the break on, Offred speaks of a pillow that is in her room, a pillow with the word "Faith" on it. Now this in itself is strange since women are not allowed to read because it might give them poor ideas. However, there is a much deeper meaning to this simple pillow and it is embedded in Atwood's commentary on religion. Offred describes the pillow as, "A hard little cushion on it, with a petit pint cover: Faith, in square print, surrounded by a wreath of lilies. Faith is a faded blue, the leaves of the lilies a dingy green. This is a cushion once used somewhere else, worn but not enough to throw out. Somehow it's been overlooked" (57). Wow. These few sentences give a crystal clear image of what Atwood is saying about religion and Offred's individual religious views. Offred's faith is faded and worn. By saying how it was once used somewhere else is Atwood saying that Offred once had a use for religion in a past time before the rise of this horrible Republic of Gilead. It had once held a position of high regard of Offred, but all of the things that she has put through has seriously shaken her faith in religion. However, although shaken, Offred still holds onto her religion because her loss of faith has not gone so far that she is willing to, "throw out" (57).
PART B:
One of the most humorous lines of the novel takes place when the Commander takes Offred to Jezabelle's. " 'I thought this sort of thing was strictly forbidden,' I say. 'Well, offically,' he says. 'But everyone's human, after all' " (237). Is this not the biggest statement of hypocrisy in this entire novel. Here is the Commanders saying that even though all women's rights and many men's rights are completely non-existant, all for the good of the women to protect them and to keep inappropriate images and thoughts out of men's minds, here is a place where men are complete breaking the rules. All of these oppression of rights, and here are the Commanders and other high ranking officals having a great time and associating with prostitutes because, hey everyone is human. The nonchalant tone in which the Commander says this makes him sound like a huge hypocrite. He can escape any time he to this place where he can experience a facade of pleasure and "love" that he has been stripped of in this society. Offred on the other hand, has to live day in and day out with no rights and she has no place to escape to. Jezabelle's stands to show what a ridiculous society Gilead is because it is a place of no rights and mass discrimination, and right around the corner in one of the back alleys is a whore house, that serves the needs of the Commanders and other men because after all, everyone is human.
PART C:
Now my opinion. If I ever have to read this book again, I do not know what I will do. Every moment I read it was mental agony. I do not deny the brilliant way in which Atwood makes her stand on extremists, religionist and femanists alike, through uses of diction, tone, and social commentary. However, I hated this book. The monotanous tone in which it was written, while intended by Atwood to convey the meaninglessness and boringness of Offred's life, made reading very difficult and unenjoyable. In my opinion, there was little excitement that would keep a reader interested and after a while, reading virtually the same thing over and over loses its appeal. If I had to recommend this book to another, my suggestion would be to put this book down, never pick it up again, and read something, anything else. Yes I know this view is quite extreme but it really shows how much I disliked this book.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Anthem



Anthem, a novel by Ayn Rand, takes place in a dystopian futuristic setting. Here, all people are equal: there can be no competition, the job you are assigned is your job and you will do it with a smile on your face, people are given numbers instead of names, it is wrong to think for oneself, and men and women do not know the joys of love and companionship. However, it is in Anthem that a common streetsweeper with a "curse" questions the validity of this convoluted society.

PART A:
Light is a major symbol throughout the novel. It is seen in various places, from Equality's lightbulb to his new name later on. Light represents truth and stands in stark contrast to the dreary, monocromatic theme of this modern society. In this society, the only colors seen are grays, whites, and browns. However, this light serves to cut through these dismal colors and the dismal sociey. On a deeper level, the light enlightens Equality. It is the cummination of his illegal studies and research. It symbolizes how Equality has shown light upon the lies and deciet of this society, and his light shines as a torch to cut through the facade. It makes him stand alone from everyone, even the World Scholars who fear his light because it goes against everything they stand for, and on a deeper level is cutting through all the lies they have worked so long to establish. Another major use of light symbolism is in the name Equality takes for himself. Prometheus was a god who was the bringer of light to the humans he loved so much. He gave them the gift of fire and through it light. He was forced to suffer extremely for it, but still did it for his beloved humans. Equality is no different. He speaks of how he will bring a certain few from the city, those that silently question, and he will enlighten them and together they will build a new society. Like Prometheus, Equality was forced to suffer but in the end the rewards were great.

PART B:
I would say that one of my favorite lines in this novel takes place when Equality and Liberty are walking together in the woods.
" 'We love you.' But then they frowned and shook their head and looked at us helplessly. 'No,' they whispered, 'that is not what we wished to say' "(86).
This a major line in the novel. The Golden One wishes to say "I love you". However, one of the major themes of the novel is the lack of individuality and the lost knowledge of the word "I". Equality is driven to the knowledge of this word when he watches the martyr be burned for using the Unspeakable Word. He wonders why this man is smiling and does not seem to mind that he is being burned. He seems happy that he finally has understood and become enlightened. This martyr of the pyre has passed the torch onto Equality, and now it is his turn to accomplish where those before him had failed and died. This one sentence is a very romantic line in that Liberty wants so badly to tell Equality how she feels about him, yet she struggles to say it because she does not know the proper words. The lack of such a simple word as "I" has led to the inability of individuals to express their feelings, emotions, desires, and needs. It has stripped individuality from this people and cast them into an existance of unhappiness and in the case of some individuals, questioning and torment. This passage goes to show how vital his one word is in the life of every human on the planet.

PART C:
Now for my opinion of Ayn Rand's Anthem. This novel was one of the best books I have ever read. Although relatively short in length and easy to read and understand, Anthem was able to keep me captivated from start to finish. I was a huge fan of the storyline and I was constantly trying to work out different possible reasons for this distopian society in my head. It was also the first novel I was able to see the deeper meaning to and it was great to be able to understand what the author had in mind other than giving readers a good time. If I were asked about Anthem I would recommend it to anyone, especially if one is looking for a good, quick read with a great story and an even better deeper meaning.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Fahrenheit 451


Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is an overall good book. Set in the distorted and science fiction future, Fahrenheit focuses on the "awaking" of a fireman named Guy Montag. The firemen do not put out fires, but start them, and books are not tools for learning, but tools of evil that must be burned to keep society equal and to prevent one person from gaining more knowledge than the others. The novel follows Montag as he gains knowledge and finally understands how wrong the world he lives in is.

PART A:
One of the chief characters in the novel is Officer Beatty. Beatty is the leader of the firemen, the group of men tasked with the burning of books and the homes, and sometimes even the people, that hold the books. Officer Beatty is a very strange character: he at the start, Beatty seems totally single-minded in the ways of the government and in the idea that books need to be removed. However as one moves through the novel, it becomes Beatty is not all he at first appears. At first he could symbolize the terrible society and the ideals under which it is run, seeming to be the perfect villian to take the blame. However as the novel moves on, it becomes quite clear that Beatty is a conformist. Almost every single conversation that Beatty has with Montag involves literature. He is tasked with burning the books, however it becomes apparent that he possesses a strong love of literature, constantly quoting it in every conversation and using it to manipulate and influence Montag's decisions. Beatty knows what Montag is doing with the books and warns him not to try, since he hints he knows from personal experience that down that pass lies only sadness and defeat. Beatty's final act truly speaks very loudly about the wrongs of this society. He willingly allows himself to be burned alive, with no fighting back, by Montag's flamethrower. If this does not say it all, what does? Beatty is so sick of conforming, burning the thing he loves so much, that he has come to hate himself so much that he no longer wants to live.
PART B:
"To remind people that we're allotted a little space on Earth and that we survive in that wilderness that can take back what it has given, as easily as blowing its breath on us or sending the sea to tell us we are not so big. When we forget how close the wilderness is in the night, my grandpa said, someday it will come in and get us, for we will have forgotten how terrible and real it can be" (Bradbury 157).
This is my favorite passage because of the clear allusion it paints that we are not immortal and that there is something else that is all powerful. I personally am a believer in God and Jesus Christ and this allusion says to me that if we push our luck too much, we can be punished. This allusion points right to a passage from Genesis.
Genesis 6:6-8 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at the heart. And the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls in the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them". But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
This passage, as most goes continues on to where the Lord destroys all life upon Earth with a flood, except for Noah and the members of his Arc. I really like this passage and the Bible passage it alludes to since it really reminds me to be kind, generous, a good citizen, brother, and son, and live my life to the best of my ability because there is no telling when it could end.
PART C:
Now for my opinion. Fahrenheit 451 was a very good novel, full of action, suspense, and at times fear for Montag himself. This was a novel where a readers attention could be held throughout the entire novel and it was the same for me. The novel held my attention first because I enjoyed the story, especially later on, and secondly because I was able to see and understand many of the author's allusions to Biblical themes that made the book much more interesting. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good story, and especially to someone who like science fiction or distopian novels.