Its Universal Message…..
After reading the first three sections of “Waiting for the Barbarians,” I stopped to ponder why I am engrossed in this book. Was it the descriptive language that tirelessly describes the emotions of the characters? Was it the anguish I felt for the abused prisoners that made my want to read more to see if they were ok? Was it the Magistrate’s story and his quest to find truth? While I thought about why I loved this book so much, I realized that the answer is simpler than I thought. This book is universal: everyone can relate to something or someone. Because the language is simple, the plot is easy to follow, and there is not a lot of “guess work” that the reader has to put in while reading, the reader can essentially take ample time to just think about the meaning of the book. While Sound and the Fury was also a captivating novel, I spent a majority of my time just trying to figure out what was going on. So, after more easily reading “Waiting for the Barbarians,” – in comparison to other novels—I had more time to ponder the novel. What I realized was, as I said before, everyone can relate to it. Everyone has a story: a story that involves the quest for truth and honesty, a story that involves setbacks and the measures taken to overcome these setbacks, and a story in which morality and principles are upheld even when the “norm” says otherwise.
To me, the Magistrate's story caught my attention right away. His inquisitive nature surrounding the eye glasses; "his demand that "the prisoners be fed, that the doctor be called into do what he can, that the barracks be returned to being barracks" (24), and his hard journey out of the empire all demonstrate the positive aspects of human nature: honesty, care, concern, etc. I read his story and was captivated when he returned his love to her tribe. He cared about her, yet he knew she needed to go back. Likewise, the Magistrate’s uncomfortable account of the abused boy illustrates the cruelty, torture, and the taking away of a child’s innocence that plagues our world today. “Waiting for the Barbarians” represents stories like these. The ones that make you think, reflect, and genuinely care about both the story and the real world that is beyond the comfort of our homes.
400 words
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
"It was too dark, too dark all together...."
"It was too dark, too dark all together..."
The line, "it was too dark, too dark all together" truly caught my attention as I finished reading "Heart of Darkness." After Marlowe lies to the Intended about Kurtz's final words and justifies his lie by saying it would have been too dark to even admit, I finally realized the meaning of the novel's title. We initially see the wilderness as being an "empty stream, a great silence, an dimpenetrable forest" (59) as well as "monstorous, free, and unearthly" (62). As Marlowe is describing the beautiful aspects of the earth, the reader is almost blinded by the fact that the wilderness can also bring darkness, terror, and greed. Throughout the entire novel, events unfold to show that maybe even the most serene parts of life are not always as perfect as they may seem. People are human; therefore, human nature brings many imperfections. While Marlowe is both reliable and trusted throughout his storytelling, he tells a terrible lie to the Intended at the end of the novel. Likewise, the reader initially sees Kurtz as an idol to others: a man almost let Kurtz shoot him. However, we learn that once Kurtz saw that he could have power in the jungle, he ran with the idea. The title makes perfect sense: things that can seem so real, so true to the heart can still be plagued by darkness (as seen through the wilderness).
The line, "it was too dark, too dark all together" truly caught my attention as I finished reading "Heart of Darkness." After Marlowe lies to the Intended about Kurtz's final words and justifies his lie by saying it would have been too dark to even admit, I finally realized the meaning of the novel's title. We initially see the wilderness as being an "empty stream, a great silence, an dimpenetrable forest" (59) as well as "monstorous, free, and unearthly" (62). As Marlowe is describing the beautiful aspects of the earth, the reader is almost blinded by the fact that the wilderness can also bring darkness, terror, and greed. Throughout the entire novel, events unfold to show that maybe even the most serene parts of life are not always as perfect as they may seem. People are human; therefore, human nature brings many imperfections. While Marlowe is both reliable and trusted throughout his storytelling, he tells a terrible lie to the Intended at the end of the novel. Likewise, the reader initially sees Kurtz as an idol to others: a man almost let Kurtz shoot him. However, we learn that once Kurtz saw that he could have power in the jungle, he ran with the idea. The title makes perfect sense: things that can seem so real, so true to the heart can still be plagued by darkness (as seen through the wilderness).
Women in the "Heart of Darkness"
Women in the "Heart of Darkness”
Pages 405-414
Jeremy Hawthorn
1. Women stayed out of the man’s world:
In Heart of Darkness, the women illustrate the corrupted side of imperialism. Women, as seen through the role of the Intended, were kept closed off from knowing what their men did during their imperialistic adventures. The Intended represents sterile idealism because she is shut off from Kurtz’s role and lives a naiive life, hopeful that he will return to be with her. Likewise, when Marlowe finally meets the Intended and she asks what Kurtz’s last words were, Marlowe lies and says that his final words were her name. Marlowe’s lie demonstrates how men did not involve women in what happens in Africa. Marlowe chooses to lie to the Intended not really to protect her, but rather to just not tell her what happens because it is easier to leave her out of what happened with Kurtz.
2. Women represented the division of race and culture of the time:
The juxtaposition between the Intended and the African woman illustrates how race was viewed. While the Intended as seen as refined and sterile, the African woman is seen as a mystery, as part of the wilderness, and as passionate. Essentially, Hawthorn argues that women are separated into those who are devoted and pure and those who are sensual and passionate. Thus, women are dehumanized because of the separation between spirit and body and the inability for them to possess both. Likewise, the women accurately illustrate how middle-class European women acted at the time. Many, just like the Intended, only saw the good in their loved ones that traveled abroad and failed to recognize the darker sides. The culture of the time, as depicted through the women, resulted in a split between reality and idealism as well as a separation between truth and lies. This idea links back to the main idea that Hawthorne explores: women just stayed out of the man’s world.
3. Conrad uses extensive imagery related to women to demonstrate how ideas of good and bad cannot be easily nor compartmentally understood:
The black and white imagery is first used to contrast the blank spots of Africa on the map to the darkness that the place actually causes. The Intended is also first seen as pale and fair; however, she wears black at the end of the novel to mourn the loss of Kurtz. In addition, the Intended personifies life, even though she has an “odour of death” around her. Conrad’s contrasts and comparisons, that are evident through the imagery surrounding women, illustrate the complexity of the wilderness and the imperialistic lifestyle. While we first see the wilderness as being silent, open, and mysterious, we learn that the wilderness also brings a host of problems: greed and destruction, to name a few. The imagery surrounding the Intended shows that life is not just good nor bad; it is not simple.
Pages 405-414
Jeremy Hawthorn
1. Women stayed out of the man’s world:
In Heart of Darkness, the women illustrate the corrupted side of imperialism. Women, as seen through the role of the Intended, were kept closed off from knowing what their men did during their imperialistic adventures. The Intended represents sterile idealism because she is shut off from Kurtz’s role and lives a naiive life, hopeful that he will return to be with her. Likewise, when Marlowe finally meets the Intended and she asks what Kurtz’s last words were, Marlowe lies and says that his final words were her name. Marlowe’s lie demonstrates how men did not involve women in what happens in Africa. Marlowe chooses to lie to the Intended not really to protect her, but rather to just not tell her what happens because it is easier to leave her out of what happened with Kurtz.
2. Women represented the division of race and culture of the time:
The juxtaposition between the Intended and the African woman illustrates how race was viewed. While the Intended as seen as refined and sterile, the African woman is seen as a mystery, as part of the wilderness, and as passionate. Essentially, Hawthorn argues that women are separated into those who are devoted and pure and those who are sensual and passionate. Thus, women are dehumanized because of the separation between spirit and body and the inability for them to possess both. Likewise, the women accurately illustrate how middle-class European women acted at the time. Many, just like the Intended, only saw the good in their loved ones that traveled abroad and failed to recognize the darker sides. The culture of the time, as depicted through the women, resulted in a split between reality and idealism as well as a separation between truth and lies. This idea links back to the main idea that Hawthorne explores: women just stayed out of the man’s world.
3. Conrad uses extensive imagery related to women to demonstrate how ideas of good and bad cannot be easily nor compartmentally understood:
The black and white imagery is first used to contrast the blank spots of Africa on the map to the darkness that the place actually causes. The Intended is also first seen as pale and fair; however, she wears black at the end of the novel to mourn the loss of Kurtz. In addition, the Intended personifies life, even though she has an “odour of death” around her. Conrad’s contrasts and comparisons, that are evident through the imagery surrounding women, illustrate the complexity of the wilderness and the imperialistic lifestyle. While we first see the wilderness as being silent, open, and mysterious, we learn that the wilderness also brings a host of problems: greed and destruction, to name a few. The imagery surrounding the Intended shows that life is not just good nor bad; it is not simple.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The End to the Compson Family
The ending section of “The Sound and the Fury” concludes the slow destruction of the Compson family. While the reader expected either Caddy or Disley to narrate this section, it is interesting that Faulkner chose the narration to be in third person. This demonstrates that Faulkner chose to step out of the Compsons’ minds to view their family tragedy as a whole. The conclusion to the novel is seen in both the structure and the text. The third person narration represents an ending through the structure because the reader can now step back from the characters’ narration and see how the Compson family has declined from an outsider’s perspective. If Caddy had narrated the 4th section, we might have not gotten as clear an image of what has happened to the Compson family as a whole. In addition, the final scene truly symbolizes an ending to both the novel and the tiny amount of unity the family had (the unity through Dilsey and her “glue” of keeping the family running). When Luster is driving the carriage past the cemetery and veers left instead of right, we see the typical responses of each family member. We see Jason criticizing Luster, Benjy crying, Luster acting confused, and mother—mother is home weeping as usual. Little Quentin and Caddy are of course absent because they managed to escape from their brutal family life. This is the Compson family. At least for me, it took me almost the whole novel to truly understand the family dynamic and what was going on. This section represents the ending because the reader understands each character and recognizes that the Compson family cannot really be explained anymore—Jason will be mean-hearted, manipulative Jason; Benjy will, sadly, be lost without his Caddy; Dilsey will hold on to whatever ounce of energy she has left; and Mother will be overdramatic in her bedroom, bible in hand.
(317)
(317)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)