Journal #7

Name: Caleb Anderson

Journal Assignment #7

William Cullen Bryant’s “To a Waterfowl” (p.151) and Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” (p.181)

Read the selections and write a detailed response to the following:

1. Compare/contrast the different views of nature that are being presented in the poems. Refer to the list of classical and romantic characteristics and provide specific examples from the poems to support your analysis.

The different characteristics and writing styles of the poems, “To a Waterfowl” and “The Raven”, seems to make them very different, but they in fact share some similar views of nature too. In the poem “To a Waterfowl” the neo-classical style is prevalent as seen in the view and way that nature is portrayed, and “The Raven” similarly shows its romantic style in its view on nature.

The tone of the poem, “To a Waterfowl”, brings a calm and peacefulness to the poem. As characterized in the neo-classical writing style the poem is harmonious, rational, balanced, and it has a structured order about it. These adjectives that describe the writing style of the poem mirror the average state of nature. There are instances that nature is unpredictable and unbalanced, but when nature is viewed in the way it was meant to be it becomes the paradise of Eden. “While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue” (Line 2-3). These two lines illustrate the tone that is expressed throughout the rest of the poem. The setting is expressed in the second line of the poem. The author is portraying a sunset scene, which is synonymous with harmony, and perfect worldly balance.

The tone and setting the Poe uses in his “The Raven” poem is the opposite of what is used in “To a Waterfowl”. Where William Cullen Bryant’s poem is peaceful and rosy, “The Raven” is gloomy and ghastly. In the romantic style of writing emotions, spontaneity, imagination and the irrational are used. When the raven flies into the speaker house the irrational and imaginative begin to become prevalent in the poem. The speaker talks to the raven and he believe that the raven responds to him always saying “nevermore”. “Once upon a midnight dreary… it was in the bleak December” (Line 1-7). These two lines represent the overall tone of the rest of the poem. They also reveal the setting of the poem. The speaker in this poem is shut up in his house, basically shut way from nature. This is unlike the author in “To a Waterfowl” who is out and about walking and living in nature. The only connection that the speaker in “The Raven” has to nature is when the raven flies into his house.

Even though there are many obvious differences between the gloomy and negative view of nature as portrayed in “The Raven” and the peaceful positive view of nature as in the “To a Waterfowl” there are also many compatible views on nature. The massages of both poems are the opposite but they share the same purpose. In both poems the speakers equate their respective bird to have meaning in their lives. In both poem guidance is being sought after by the speakers. They are hoping to find God’s guidance to lead them to the path that they need to take in their lives. By observing the nature the speakers can find their path in life.

In both poems the authors represent their views on nature. The different writing styles lead to different views on nature, but the authors also end up conveying the same purpose in each poem.

Journal #8

9. What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered.

In this aphorism Emerson is trying to say that all things have a purpose and meaning in life. He is saying that even bad or unpleasant things could have something good inside of it. Personally I think that Emerson is right. Many famous movie and books are based on the idea of the villain turning good guy. Just like the plant the villain was just misunderstood and the good inside of them had not been discovered.

11. What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us.

Emerson is trying to say that our past action and future actions are not as important as our present behavior and feelings. This goes back to is idea of living in the moment. We all make mistake and will make mistakes in the future, but Emerson is saying that we cannot let those mistake define us; we need to move on and keep on living a virtuous life. I agree with this aphorism. I think that being happy and pleasant in the present will serve and be better for people then if they worried about what their future might hold for them.

13. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.

Emerson is saying that life would be boring if we did nothing and just let life happen. He wants us to go out and do, act, and take on life so that we can experience the most life has to offer. Basically, Emerson is saying the more you put into life the more you get out of it. Again I agree with this aphorism. Life is not a spectating sport, we have to be constantly active and a part of it to get the most out of it.

Journal#9

The ideas of free will and determinism are both evident in Othello. Iago supports the idea of free will when he talks about our bodies being gardens and our wills gardeners. This means that our will tends and controls our bodies. Another example of free will expressed in the play is when Othello chose to kill Desdemona. Even though Iago tricked Othello, Othello believed that killing Desdemona was the right thing to do. He chose to kill her.
On the other end of the argument is the idea of determinism. Othello supports the idea of determinism. He believes that everything is based on destiny, and that he could not choose anything different for himself. The entire play as a whole could be seen as deterministic. For example, why did the beautiful Desdemona marry the supposed ugly, strange and barbaric Othello? It may seem as if something out of the characters control made be together. The ideas of free will and determinism are both evident in the play Othello.

Journal #10

Othello is the tragic hero of Shakespeare’s play, Othello. The tragic hero has a character flaw that leads to his fall. The fall leaves the hero vulnerable but the hero then finds enlightenment bringing the reader a sense of closure. Othello’s character flaw was his jealousy. He let Iago use his flaw to commit a tragic act which resulted in the death of Desdemona. After learning of Iago’s treachery, Othello give a final speech that shows he has become enlightened after the tragedy. Othello asks Cassio, when describing the events that had happened, to tell what actually happened without any exaggerations. Othello asks to be remembered as a “Then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely, but too well” (5.2.360). As we can see from Othello’s insight is that Othello understood what he did and that he wants to be known as the man who committed the terrible acts but for the reason that he loved his wife too much but he was not wise and easily tricked. Othello acknowledges that he a beautiful and he just threw it away. In the end Othello sees his mistakes and he owns them as his own.

Journal #11

“Where I Lived and What I Lived For” (232)

There are too many unimportant things in life. He thinks that technological advances take over our live and it takes over our true selves. He believes that technology is a burden on our lives.

Quote:

“Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity.”
“We do not ride on the railroad it rides upon us.”
“I went to the woods to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of
life…and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”


“Sounds” (234)

Thoreau says that it is important to live in the present. He would spend his time sitting outside his cabin listening to the sounds. He found that it wasn’t a waste of time doing this because nature could change at any moment.

Quote:
“… my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel”


“Brute Neighbors” (235)

Brute Neighbors satirizes modern day war. It shows how petty the thing people fight over actually are. The ants symbolize enemies, whether they are countries or people. The chips are the unimportant conflicts that spark wars. Even the smallest most insignificant creature shares that same traits as humans who are the highest creature.

Quote:
“And the results of this battle will be as important and memorable as those whom it concerns as those of the battle of Bunker Hill”

“The Pond in Winter” (237)

Nature only gives the answer of true beauty. A pond in winter has the ability to be different but underneath it is the same and alive as it is during the other seasons. Nature can look at rest and at peace during the winter but it is thriving beneath the surface.

Quote:
“Heaven is under our feet as well as over our head”


“Spring” (238)

Each spring is the creation of the world. Life come to live again and flourishes. He describes the sounds of the ice cracking, the smells of the flowers blooming, and the new explosion of colors.

Quote:
“The coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.”

Journal #12

Name: Caleb Anderson

Journal #12 - “Young Goodman Brown”

1. “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory (symbolic narrative). What do the following represent?

Young Goodman Brown –
Goodman Brown represents the Adam from the Bible. Brown starts out believing in what is good and right but after seeing that everyone is full of sin and it is inevitable that sin will conquer us he accepts this and lives the rest of his life in gloom.

Faith –
Faith represents faith and virtue. She is the light that Brown looks to. When Brown sees her in the woods with the others he begins to question her “faith” and he losses the only thing in his life that can believe in.

The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller –
The traveler is possible the devil. He represents the evil and sin in the world that he rules. He takes Brown and shows him that even the most righteous in the community are under his control because of sin.

Goody Cloyse –
She is the catechism teacher that is depicted as a witch when Brown sees her in the woods. She represents hypocrisy and sin because while she teaches young children about the Bible she also attends devil worshiping meetings in the woods.

The Ceremony –
The Ceremony is the representation of the Fall from the Bible. Both Faith and Brown succumb to the devil and sin. Just like in the Bible Eve or Faith are tempted first, and then they trick their husbands into following.

The Pink Ribbon –
The Pink Ribbon’s represent pureness. Faith wears these ribbons, further showing her purity and virtue. However, when Brown was in the woods he catches a falling pink ribbon symbolizing that even Faith failed to overcome sin.

Young Goodman Brown’s Journey –
Brown’s Journey is the representation of the journey everyone will take in life. At the beginning Brown was like a child believing that all people were good and righteous. However his journey in the woods shows how he matures and sees that people are not so good in actuality. Finally Brown reaches adulthood and realizes that sin is inevitable and even the most righteous will fall to it.


2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:

Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish

The theme of the story of “Young Goodman Brown” is sin. The message is the sin draws us away from God and that sin is an inevitable process of the human condition. The use of Symbols and Characterize is used to establish the theme.

In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.

“My Faith is gone! Cried he, after one stupefied moment. There is no good on earth: and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for thee is this world given.”
“Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, my children, to the communion of your race”
“What if a wretched old woman do choose to go to the devil when I thought she was going to heaven”

Journal #13

1. What object symbolizes George Gray’s life? How is this object representative of him?

The object that symbolizes George Gray’s life was the furled sail. He had so many opportunities but he shrunk away from all of them. He is recounting his life and wishes that he would have taken the chances that life gave to him. He is unhappy an dissatisfied with his life. The image on his tombstone of the boat in the harbor, would normally represent a life that finally has come to an end. However, in Gerorge’s life it represents how he lived his life. He was so afraid of the bad in life that he shut himself so far away that he even missed the good.

2. How was Lucinda Matlock’s life different than George Gray’s? How do you interepret the last line of the poem?

Lucinda live a full life. She experienced the good and the bad unlike Gerogre Grey. She accepted the negatives but she did not let them define her. She had a positive outlook on life. George was so afraid of messing up in his life that he never participated in it. Her last line of “It takes life to love Life” shows that you need to be an active participant in you life to experiences all the good that life can give to us. The last line bacically uses the word life with two differenet meanings. The first life is referring to energy and emotion, while the second life is referring to actually living. Another way to look at the last line is, It takes an active participation and energy to love and enjoy the time that we have on this earth.

3. How are “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” examples of realism?

Realism is the attempt to depict and show the average normal day life. It focuses on the normal, boring, average life of a person. Both of the epitaphs are example of realism. The stories of the two characters are normal. There is no idealizing there experiences, they just shared what there lives were like. In Lucinda’s life she lived a full life by accepting everything that came her way, where as in Geroge’s life he hid from life and ultimately died unhappy.