1. Querulous: 1 : habitually complaining
2 : fretful, whining
-Merriam-Webster Online.
Page 404: "But he notices that his thinking sounds querulous, like the peaceful whining of a querulous woman who is not even listening to herself; then he finds that he is preparing his usual hearty breakfast, and he stops quite still, clicking his tongue as though in displeasure."
2. Byron goes to fetch Hightower and a doctor as Lena goes in to labor. However, the doctor takes too long, and by the time he arrives with Byron, Hightower has already delivered the baby. Mrs. Hines is delusional and believes Lena to be Milly and the baby to be Joe. Byron goes to find Joe Brown and bring him to Lena and Mr. Hines sneaks out while Mrs. Hines is asleep. When Mrs. Hines awakes she follows after him, leaving Lena and the child alone. Hightower comes back and Lena explains that Mrs. Hines now seems to think the baby is Joe Christmas's. She also expresses excitement over seeing Byron, whom Hightower learns has just quit his job at the planing mill. Byron, meanwhile, arranges for Joe Brown to be brought to the cabin where Lena and her newborn are staying. He then packs his belongings and leaves on a mule. Once on the road out of town, Byron sees Brown sneak out of the cabin and run away, and immediately turns around in pursuit. The story then jumps to Brown's point of view. He is shown entering the cabin and seeing Lena. Clearly shocked and confused, Brown searches for an excuse to leave, eventually climbing out a window. He sends a note to the sheriff asking for his reward money, but Byron gets to him first. Brown beats up Byron and gets on a train out of town. At the very end of the section it is revealed that Christmas has been killed.
3. I think females are portrayed interestingly throughout the novel, accumulating in this section. There seem to be a few preeminent types of females: those who are strong yet fallen and those who are docile and incompetent in their attempts to nurture those around them. Lena Grove, Reverend Hightower's wife, Bobbie, and Milly are all examples of the disgraced, independent class. Lena has become pregnant out of wedlock, clearly defining her lack of chastity. Reverend Hightower's wife is publically known to be having an affair before her suicide, which encompasses two discrepancies to traditional Southern society. Obviously her adulterous ways would have been frowned upon, but she also would have been deprecated due to her self-immolation. Bobbie, who earns her living as a prostitute, would have been seen as abonimable by the community surrounding her. Similarly to Lena, Milly became pregnant out of wedlock, but in this case with a black man. This would have been an outrage not only because of the lack of matrimony, but also because of the racial significance. To contrast these immoral characters, Faulkner included characters such as Mrs. McEachern and Mrs. Hines. Both women strive continuously to make Joe feel adored and welcome, yet each falls terribly short. Because of their domineering husbands and their submissive behavior, the women are bullied and abused frequently. The cruelty of the men does not stop with the women, however; the obedient nature of the women allows their spouses to torment those around them, often resulting in absolute chaos and harm to others. Both are treated as if they do not matter; their opinions are disregarded entirely and it's almost as if they don't have voices. On page 148, Mrs. McEachern is completely ignored by her husband and Joe Christmas. "She was watching the door when they passed it. "Pa," she said. Neither of them so much as looked at her. They might not have heard, she might not have spoken, at all." The only woman who does not fit entirely into one of these categories is Joanna Burden, who exhibits some qualities of each classification.
4. My first question is whether Faulkner truly believed that all women fit into the two categories mentioned in my analysis. Are all females in his other books like this? Or is this theme only eminent in this particular novel?
My second question is regarding the death of Joe Christmas. Was Mr. Hines finally appeased? Was Christmas lynched, or did he die another way? If the latter is true, who killed him?
My final question is regarding Byron Bunch. What will he do? He seems to be planning to leave Lena and Jefferson, but will he follow through or will he return to the woman he seems so attached to?
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
8 Light in August, Ch 15-16
1. Morganatic: : of, relating to, or being a marriage between a member of a royal or noble family and a person of inferior rank in which the rank of the inferior partner remains unchanged and the children of the marriage do not succeed to the titles, fiefs, or entailed property of the parent of higher rank. -Merriam-Webster Online
Page 364: "The gainer, the inheritor of rewards, since it will now descend upon the morganatic wife of - Shall I say that too?"
2. In chapters fifteen and sixteen we are introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Hines, an old couple who seem like another species and live in the black section of Mottstown. Mr. Hines fills his time by preaching about white superiority in black churches and the Hineses recieve their food from mysterious black visitors. When Joe Christmas is caught Mr. Hines goes crazy and tries to attack him. Mrs. Hines also acts strangely, asking a lot of questions, and it appears to the townsfolk that the couple are familiar with the fugitive. Mr. Hines is adament that Christmas should be killed immediately, no trial, and Mrs. Hines begs to see him. When Christmas leaves for Jefferson, the couple buys tickets for a 2:00 am Jefferson-bound train and sits at the station patiently waiting. Meanwhile, Byron visits Hightower, who once again chides him for his actions toward Lena. Byron then gets the Hineses and they tell of their relationship with Christmas: they are his grandparents. Their daughter, Milly, snuck around with a black circus worker. When they found out, Mr. Hines was furious and killed the worker. Refusing to get a doctor, Mr. Hines let his daughter die in childbirth. He then left Mrs. Hines with the child for a while, but later came back and took the baby. Mrs. Hines never knew what happened to Joe but always suspected that Mr. Hines had kept tabs on him. Mrs. Hines asks that Joe be released for one day prior to his punishment so that she can see him live as if he had not committed the crime. Byron, on the other hand, asks Hightower to lie and say that Joe was with him on the night of the murder.
3. I thought the parallels between the McEacherns and the Hineses were fascinating. Both men, Mr. McEachern and Mr. Hines, are convinced that their moral and "religious" codes are the only way. Both are so worried about uptaining piousness that they come across as satanic. Mr. McEachern punished Joe severely for not memorizing his bible verses; Mr. Hines essentially let his daughter die and killed a man because of what he saw as unethical fornication. Also, when McEachern goes looking for Joe at the dance, he is guided by a force outside of himself. He does not know where Joe is or what he is doing, yet he is led there somehow. Similarly, when Hines searches for Milly and the circus worker, he finds the buggy almost magically. He had no way of knowing where they were going or even who his daughter was with, yet he had no trouble pursuing and catching them. Both women, Mrs. McEachern and Mrs. Hines, seem to be much kinder and meeker than their husbands. They both take orders without question from their domineering spouses and they both exhibit compassion. Mrs. McEachern tries extremely hard to earn Joe's favor; likewise, although Mrs. Hines is not proud of her daughter's choices, she tried to save her daughter and later wishes to raise the baby as her own. These families clearly parallel each other greatly, and I think this repitition is highly significant in the scheme of the story.
4. My first question is how Mrs. Hines gained control over her husband. Throughout the story told to Byron and Hightower about Joe's past, she seems to be completely compliant to her spouse. However, as evident at the train station and when she leads him through town, Mrs. Hines now has control over Mr. Hines. How did this come to be?
My second question is how the children at the orphanage knew Joe was part-black. It is mentioned numerous times that he appears to be white, and I at first thought that Mr. Hines might have told them, but I don't think that's right.
My final question is regarding Mr. Hines's absense immediately following Joe's birth. Where did he go? Did he go to secure a place at the orphanage? Did he simply take time off to fester in anger?
Page 364: "The gainer, the inheritor of rewards, since it will now descend upon the morganatic wife of - Shall I say that too?"
2. In chapters fifteen and sixteen we are introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Hines, an old couple who seem like another species and live in the black section of Mottstown. Mr. Hines fills his time by preaching about white superiority in black churches and the Hineses recieve their food from mysterious black visitors. When Joe Christmas is caught Mr. Hines goes crazy and tries to attack him. Mrs. Hines also acts strangely, asking a lot of questions, and it appears to the townsfolk that the couple are familiar with the fugitive. Mr. Hines is adament that Christmas should be killed immediately, no trial, and Mrs. Hines begs to see him. When Christmas leaves for Jefferson, the couple buys tickets for a 2:00 am Jefferson-bound train and sits at the station patiently waiting. Meanwhile, Byron visits Hightower, who once again chides him for his actions toward Lena. Byron then gets the Hineses and they tell of their relationship with Christmas: they are his grandparents. Their daughter, Milly, snuck around with a black circus worker. When they found out, Mr. Hines was furious and killed the worker. Refusing to get a doctor, Mr. Hines let his daughter die in childbirth. He then left Mrs. Hines with the child for a while, but later came back and took the baby. Mrs. Hines never knew what happened to Joe but always suspected that Mr. Hines had kept tabs on him. Mrs. Hines asks that Joe be released for one day prior to his punishment so that she can see him live as if he had not committed the crime. Byron, on the other hand, asks Hightower to lie and say that Joe was with him on the night of the murder.
3. I thought the parallels between the McEacherns and the Hineses were fascinating. Both men, Mr. McEachern and Mr. Hines, are convinced that their moral and "religious" codes are the only way. Both are so worried about uptaining piousness that they come across as satanic. Mr. McEachern punished Joe severely for not memorizing his bible verses; Mr. Hines essentially let his daughter die and killed a man because of what he saw as unethical fornication. Also, when McEachern goes looking for Joe at the dance, he is guided by a force outside of himself. He does not know where Joe is or what he is doing, yet he is led there somehow. Similarly, when Hines searches for Milly and the circus worker, he finds the buggy almost magically. He had no way of knowing where they were going or even who his daughter was with, yet he had no trouble pursuing and catching them. Both women, Mrs. McEachern and Mrs. Hines, seem to be much kinder and meeker than their husbands. They both take orders without question from their domineering spouses and they both exhibit compassion. Mrs. McEachern tries extremely hard to earn Joe's favor; likewise, although Mrs. Hines is not proud of her daughter's choices, she tried to save her daughter and later wishes to raise the baby as her own. These families clearly parallel each other greatly, and I think this repitition is highly significant in the scheme of the story.
4. My first question is how Mrs. Hines gained control over her husband. Throughout the story told to Byron and Hightower about Joe's past, she seems to be completely compliant to her spouse. However, as evident at the train station and when she leads him through town, Mrs. Hines now has control over Mr. Hines. How did this come to be?
My second question is how the children at the orphanage knew Joe was part-black. It is mentioned numerous times that he appears to be white, and I at first thought that Mr. Hines might have told them, but I don't think that's right.
My final question is regarding Mr. Hines's absense immediately following Joe's birth. Where did he go? Did he go to secure a place at the orphanage? Did he simply take time off to fester in anger?
As You Like It 2
1. Sundry: miscellaneous, various. -Merriam-Webster Online.
2. Phoebe becomes enamored with Rosalind, who is still disguised as Ganymede. Rosalind chides Phoebe and rejects her quite openly, and Phoebe asks Silvius to deliver a letter to her (him). Meanwhile, Jove meets William, an admirer of Audrey's, and scares him off. Orlando shows up to his "lesson" with Rosalind (Ganymede) an hour late and after some banter they get "married." Orlando leaves and finds his brother on the ground, bloodied and about to be attacked by a lion. Orlando saves Oliver but is hurt in the process. Oliver runs to get help and meets Celia, who is disguised as Aliena, and they instantly fall in love. Oliver and Orlando make up and Oliver decides to marry Aliena and live in the woods with her, giving Orlando all of his possessions and money. Rosalind, as Ganymede, tells Orlando that she knows a magician and that she can bring Rosalind to him to be married as well. She then also tells Phoebe to marry Silvius and Jove to marry Audrey. Rosalind shows up at the wedding as Rosalind, not Ganymede, and after reuniting with her father she marries Orlando. At the wedding, Orlando and Oliver's other brother shows up and tells the party how Celia's father went mad and came to the woods. He abdicated all of his power in order to pursue a religious life, probably based on guilt of driving his daughter away, so Rosalind's father may have his power back.
3. I found the use of Deux ex Machina to be prominent throughout this play. There were so many "convenient" things that had to fall into place for the story to work, yet would never have happened in real life. For example, are we supposed to forget that the servant, who was near death when Orlando stole food for him, would not have been strong enough to frolic back to Court after the wedding? Are we supposed to accept the fact that in the entire forest, which would have been quite vast, everyone just happens to run into each other in a timely manner? Also, I was confused by Jaques, the melancholy man. After discussing it post-film I have a somewhat better grasp on his role, but I'm still not positive. I think he exists as an attempt to balance the humor and provide some weight to counteract the levity of the plot. However, I hope that this was more apparant in the actual play, because in the movie it did not come across well. I found the fool to be an interesting character because of the irony of his situation. Often he is the character who makes the most sense, but he is supposed to be the fool. This reversal of expected roles is an example of inversion and is used extremely well in my opinion. Jove, the fool, although arrogant and not very respectful toward women, is undoubtedly wise. Compared to the other characters who are supposed to be wise but are fools in the face of love, Jove provides a complex and unexpected character. A final quality in this play that I would like to explore is the pastoral element. The image of happy, bouncing peasants was prevalent in this movie especially, with the characters remaining jovial and healthy despite their banishment into the woods from Court. They do not complain of hunger or of weariness; they may bicker but it is all in good spirit. At the end of the wedding the entire crowd skips and sings their way back to Court, which is pastoral at its best.
4. My first question is regarding the commentary on women. I understand that Shakespeare was trying to make a point with Rosalind, but I cannot grasp what point this is. Is it relevant that she felt she had to dress as a man? Is it regarding her foolishness in love?
My second question is whether the lion was actually a lion or if it was simply a symbol. It seems far-fetched that a lion appeared out of nowhere to attack Oliver, and especially that Orlando was able to fight it off, but many of Shakespeare's plays deal with fantasy.
My third question is regarding when Oliver had his change of heart and decided to not kill his brother. Did this happen before or after the lion? Did it happen when Orlando saved him? Or when he saw Celia and fell in love?
2. Phoebe becomes enamored with Rosalind, who is still disguised as Ganymede. Rosalind chides Phoebe and rejects her quite openly, and Phoebe asks Silvius to deliver a letter to her (him). Meanwhile, Jove meets William, an admirer of Audrey's, and scares him off. Orlando shows up to his "lesson" with Rosalind (Ganymede) an hour late and after some banter they get "married." Orlando leaves and finds his brother on the ground, bloodied and about to be attacked by a lion. Orlando saves Oliver but is hurt in the process. Oliver runs to get help and meets Celia, who is disguised as Aliena, and they instantly fall in love. Oliver and Orlando make up and Oliver decides to marry Aliena and live in the woods with her, giving Orlando all of his possessions and money. Rosalind, as Ganymede, tells Orlando that she knows a magician and that she can bring Rosalind to him to be married as well. She then also tells Phoebe to marry Silvius and Jove to marry Audrey. Rosalind shows up at the wedding as Rosalind, not Ganymede, and after reuniting with her father she marries Orlando. At the wedding, Orlando and Oliver's other brother shows up and tells the party how Celia's father went mad and came to the woods. He abdicated all of his power in order to pursue a religious life, probably based on guilt of driving his daughter away, so Rosalind's father may have his power back.
3. I found the use of Deux ex Machina to be prominent throughout this play. There were so many "convenient" things that had to fall into place for the story to work, yet would never have happened in real life. For example, are we supposed to forget that the servant, who was near death when Orlando stole food for him, would not have been strong enough to frolic back to Court after the wedding? Are we supposed to accept the fact that in the entire forest, which would have been quite vast, everyone just happens to run into each other in a timely manner? Also, I was confused by Jaques, the melancholy man. After discussing it post-film I have a somewhat better grasp on his role, but I'm still not positive. I think he exists as an attempt to balance the humor and provide some weight to counteract the levity of the plot. However, I hope that this was more apparant in the actual play, because in the movie it did not come across well. I found the fool to be an interesting character because of the irony of his situation. Often he is the character who makes the most sense, but he is supposed to be the fool. This reversal of expected roles is an example of inversion and is used extremely well in my opinion. Jove, the fool, although arrogant and not very respectful toward women, is undoubtedly wise. Compared to the other characters who are supposed to be wise but are fools in the face of love, Jove provides a complex and unexpected character. A final quality in this play that I would like to explore is the pastoral element. The image of happy, bouncing peasants was prevalent in this movie especially, with the characters remaining jovial and healthy despite their banishment into the woods from Court. They do not complain of hunger or of weariness; they may bicker but it is all in good spirit. At the end of the wedding the entire crowd skips and sings their way back to Court, which is pastoral at its best.
4. My first question is regarding the commentary on women. I understand that Shakespeare was trying to make a point with Rosalind, but I cannot grasp what point this is. Is it relevant that she felt she had to dress as a man? Is it regarding her foolishness in love?
My second question is whether the lion was actually a lion or if it was simply a symbol. It seems far-fetched that a lion appeared out of nowhere to attack Oliver, and especially that Orlando was able to fight it off, but many of Shakespeare's plays deal with fantasy.
My third question is regarding when Oliver had his change of heart and decided to not kill his brother. Did this happen before or after the lion? Did it happen when Orlando saved him? Or when he saw Celia and fell in love?
Friday, November 27, 2009
7 Light in August, Ch 13-14
1. Maculate: 1 : marked with spots : blotched
2 : impure, besmirched
-Merriam-Webster Online.
Page 318: "He hears now only the myriad and interminable insects, leaning in the window, breathing the hot still rich maculate smell of the earth, thinking of how when he was young, a youth, he had loved darkness, of walking or sitting alone among trees at night."
2. After the discovery of Miss Burden's body, the sheriff whips a black man until he confesses that Joe Christmas and Joe Brown have been living in the cabin. He sends news to Miss Burden's relatives and they respond quickly offering a $1,000 reward. Joe Brown appears at the courthouse, attempting to claim the reward by telling the authorities that Joe Christmas is guilty. Meanwhile, Hightower and Byron discuss what to do about Lena. Byron wants to let her move into the cabin, but Hightower does not agree with this plan. Byron ends up disregarding the ex-minister's advice and camps out in a tent outside the cabin in case Lena needs help in her advanced stage of pregnancy. The authorities are having difficulty finding Joe Christmas, but they have a lucky break when a man reports that he stormed into a church nearby and went on a wild rampage. The search party runs off and believes they are very tight on Joe's trail, but he evades them once again. After days of little to no food and rest, Joe is growing weary and the days begin to blur. Eventually he gets a ride to Mottstown, which is where the section leaves off.
3. I thought the part where Joe is detailed losing track of time and reverting to animal instincts was very cool. I can't even imagine so losing sense of myself that, as happens to Joe on page 333, "He could never know when eh would pass from one to the other, when he would find that he had been asleep without remembering having lain down, or find himself walking without remembering having waked." He no longer feels hunger or weariness; he is a lost wanderer with no needs and no wants, just instincts and the constant of travel. Joe Christmas seems to have a warped or possibly even completely lacking sense of identity to begin with, so it's not incredibly surprising that he loses the ability to feel himself. However, it doesn't become less interesting because of this. It's as if he's wandering through a dream. There is no time, as seen by his having to ask strangers for the day of the week. There are no rules other than to avoid being caught. He feels no remorse for his murder, which also seems strange to me. When his side of the story was explained I thought that since Miss Burden threatened him first he might feel regret and not be a completely cold-blooded murderer, but thus far he has proven me wrong.
4. My first question is whether Joe has any remorse or truly doesn't care about the fact that he committed murder.
My second question is whether Joe Brown will run when he learns about Lena living in the cottage. Although it's one of the major issues of the book, the Lena-Joe/Lucas situation hasn't been brought up recently.
My final question over this section is whether Byron will make a move on Lena. I feel like if it's within his power he will try to prevent Lena from ever seeing Joe/Lucas again, but I'm not sure if it will be possible. I hope he doesn't go to extreme measures and do something stupid in his infatuation.
2 : impure, besmirched
-Merriam-Webster Online.
Page 318: "He hears now only the myriad and interminable insects, leaning in the window, breathing the hot still rich maculate smell of the earth, thinking of how when he was young, a youth, he had loved darkness, of walking or sitting alone among trees at night."
2. After the discovery of Miss Burden's body, the sheriff whips a black man until he confesses that Joe Christmas and Joe Brown have been living in the cabin. He sends news to Miss Burden's relatives and they respond quickly offering a $1,000 reward. Joe Brown appears at the courthouse, attempting to claim the reward by telling the authorities that Joe Christmas is guilty. Meanwhile, Hightower and Byron discuss what to do about Lena. Byron wants to let her move into the cabin, but Hightower does not agree with this plan. Byron ends up disregarding the ex-minister's advice and camps out in a tent outside the cabin in case Lena needs help in her advanced stage of pregnancy. The authorities are having difficulty finding Joe Christmas, but they have a lucky break when a man reports that he stormed into a church nearby and went on a wild rampage. The search party runs off and believes they are very tight on Joe's trail, but he evades them once again. After days of little to no food and rest, Joe is growing weary and the days begin to blur. Eventually he gets a ride to Mottstown, which is where the section leaves off.
3. I thought the part where Joe is detailed losing track of time and reverting to animal instincts was very cool. I can't even imagine so losing sense of myself that, as happens to Joe on page 333, "He could never know when eh would pass from one to the other, when he would find that he had been asleep without remembering having lain down, or find himself walking without remembering having waked." He no longer feels hunger or weariness; he is a lost wanderer with no needs and no wants, just instincts and the constant of travel. Joe Christmas seems to have a warped or possibly even completely lacking sense of identity to begin with, so it's not incredibly surprising that he loses the ability to feel himself. However, it doesn't become less interesting because of this. It's as if he's wandering through a dream. There is no time, as seen by his having to ask strangers for the day of the week. There are no rules other than to avoid being caught. He feels no remorse for his murder, which also seems strange to me. When his side of the story was explained I thought that since Miss Burden threatened him first he might feel regret and not be a completely cold-blooded murderer, but thus far he has proven me wrong.
4. My first question is whether Joe has any remorse or truly doesn't care about the fact that he committed murder.
My second question is whether Joe Brown will run when he learns about Lena living in the cottage. Although it's one of the major issues of the book, the Lena-Joe/Lucas situation hasn't been brought up recently.
My final question over this section is whether Byron will make a move on Lena. I feel like if it's within his power he will try to prevent Lena from ever seeing Joe/Lucas again, but I'm not sure if it will be possible. I hope he doesn't go to extreme measures and do something stupid in his infatuation.
Monday, November 23, 2009
As You Like It
1. Mirth: gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter. -Merriam-Webster Online
2. As You Like It begins with Rosalind's father being attacked and led out of court. The action then switches to Orlando and his brother arguing over their father's inheritance money. Orlando's brother sees Orlando as too ambitious and confident, and when Orlando challenges Charles the wrestler to a fight and wins, his brother is unhappy. He plans to burn the place where Orlando sleeps down, intending to kill Orlando. Luckily Orlando's brother's servant tells Orlando what is planned and asks to become his servant instead. They go on the run. Rosalind and Orlando develop a love interest, but Celia's father banishes Rosalind from court. Celia refuses to let Rosalind leave without her, so the girls set off along with the fool to the Forest of Arden to find Rosalind's father. Rosalind decides to disguise herself as a man in a quest for safer travel. Celia's father is livid when he realizes his daughter is missing and sends out a search party for the "runaways." Orlando's servant becomes very ill and in an effort to get food for him he attacks Rosalind's father and his companions. Their gentleness toward him makes him feel ashamed of himself and the men let Orlando and the servant feed. Jove, the fool with the girls, talks to a shepherd about country life versus court life and later sees the girl he loved, Audrey. They then decide to get married. Meanwhile the girls find Orlando's love poems regarding Rosalind nailed to trees throughout the forest and later find Orlando himself. Rosalind, still disguised as a man, confronts Orlando, challenging him in his love. She tells him she can cure him of this horrible condition and he says it's impossible. They make a pact that Orlando will pretend to woo her, still dressed as a man, in an effort for each to prove his or her opinion.
3. I thought that the first section of the film was very interesting. It seemed to be mocking love at times. Rosalind and Orlando meet and instantaneously fall in love, yet they immediately have to leave each other. Ironically, Orlando doesn't recognize Rosalind in her poor disguise. The shepherd who pines over Phoebe was completely ridiculous in his agony, causing quite a few laughs among the class. Although this could have been for comic relief, I think it was also meant to be sarcastic. I also thought the character of Celia was very humorous. She was utterly over-the-top throughout the whole play. She is clearly a good friend to Rosalind, but her whining in the forest made me wonder if she had though about what she was getting herself into by leaving with her cousin. I'm not quite sure what the intent is with the marriage between Jove and Audrey. I cannot tell if Jove is serious in his love or if he's using her. When he called her a slut I was very confused.
4. My first question is whether Orlando will catch Rosalind in her act. I can't believe he hasn't already recognized her; she doesn't do a very good job disguising her voice and is obviously a female.
A second thing I don't understand is why Rosalind's father was banished by her uncle. Was it a quest for power? A jealous rage? Either I missed it or it was never clarified.
My final question is regarding Phoebe. Will we meet her? Does she love the shepherd in return? Is he pining over her or is it a mutual attraction? Was he put in the story to emphasize the ridiciulous notions of love? Or is he simply another character for comic relief?
2. As You Like It begins with Rosalind's father being attacked and led out of court. The action then switches to Orlando and his brother arguing over their father's inheritance money. Orlando's brother sees Orlando as too ambitious and confident, and when Orlando challenges Charles the wrestler to a fight and wins, his brother is unhappy. He plans to burn the place where Orlando sleeps down, intending to kill Orlando. Luckily Orlando's brother's servant tells Orlando what is planned and asks to become his servant instead. They go on the run. Rosalind and Orlando develop a love interest, but Celia's father banishes Rosalind from court. Celia refuses to let Rosalind leave without her, so the girls set off along with the fool to the Forest of Arden to find Rosalind's father. Rosalind decides to disguise herself as a man in a quest for safer travel. Celia's father is livid when he realizes his daughter is missing and sends out a search party for the "runaways." Orlando's servant becomes very ill and in an effort to get food for him he attacks Rosalind's father and his companions. Their gentleness toward him makes him feel ashamed of himself and the men let Orlando and the servant feed. Jove, the fool with the girls, talks to a shepherd about country life versus court life and later sees the girl he loved, Audrey. They then decide to get married. Meanwhile the girls find Orlando's love poems regarding Rosalind nailed to trees throughout the forest and later find Orlando himself. Rosalind, still disguised as a man, confronts Orlando, challenging him in his love. She tells him she can cure him of this horrible condition and he says it's impossible. They make a pact that Orlando will pretend to woo her, still dressed as a man, in an effort for each to prove his or her opinion.
3. I thought that the first section of the film was very interesting. It seemed to be mocking love at times. Rosalind and Orlando meet and instantaneously fall in love, yet they immediately have to leave each other. Ironically, Orlando doesn't recognize Rosalind in her poor disguise. The shepherd who pines over Phoebe was completely ridiculous in his agony, causing quite a few laughs among the class. Although this could have been for comic relief, I think it was also meant to be sarcastic. I also thought the character of Celia was very humorous. She was utterly over-the-top throughout the whole play. She is clearly a good friend to Rosalind, but her whining in the forest made me wonder if she had though about what she was getting herself into by leaving with her cousin. I'm not quite sure what the intent is with the marriage between Jove and Audrey. I cannot tell if Jove is serious in his love or if he's using her. When he called her a slut I was very confused.
4. My first question is whether Orlando will catch Rosalind in her act. I can't believe he hasn't already recognized her; she doesn't do a very good job disguising her voice and is obviously a female.
A second thing I don't understand is why Rosalind's father was banished by her uncle. Was it a quest for power? A jealous rage? Either I missed it or it was never clarified.
My final question is regarding Phoebe. Will we meet her? Does she love the shepherd in return? Is he pining over her or is it a mutual attraction? Was he put in the story to emphasize the ridiciulous notions of love? Or is he simply another character for comic relief?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
6 Light in August, Ch 11-12
1. Vacillation: inability to take a stand; irresolution, indecision. -Merriam-Webster Online.
Page 235: "There was no feminine vacillation, no coyness of obvious desire and intention to succumb at last."
2. Chapters eleven and twelve detail Joe Christmas and Joanna Burden's strange relationship. They go through three "stages," starting with their meeting up at night but virtually ignoring each other during the day. They then move to the second phase, where Joe stops visiting her and spends all of his time either at the mill or his cabin. Miss Burden then tells Joe her entire life story in an attempt at closeness. Joe is repulsed by Joanna, though, and nothing she tells him changes this. Joanna tells Joe that she wants a child and he objects, but later she tells him she is pregnant. She then asks him to take over her business for her. The two stop seeing each other and Miss Burden turns to religion. One night when Joe visits Miss Burden, upon her request, she pulls out a gun. She fires but the gun doesn't shoot, and the action flips to a dazed Joe flagging down a car. After the terrified drivers let him out he realizes that he has been holding the gun the entire time and that there are two bullets in it, meaning that Miss Burden intended to kill both herself and Joe.
3. Miss Burden has an interesting gender role in this section of the book. Faulkner makes a point to mention how masculine she is, in her shape, her demeanor, and her independence. She lives by herself and never locks her doors. Also, she regularly converses and receives visits from blacks, which would make most women extremely uncomfortable. She is self-sufficient and dresses in an unflattering and anti-feminine way. Although she wears dresses, they are shapeless and do nothing to promote femininity. However, she is also a feminine character, especially in her "love" for Joe. She tells him her life story one night and she repeatedly makes him play games and have intercourse in unusual places, flipping back and forth from hot to cold in her actions toward Joe. These are stereotypically "female" traits. Her cold personality makes it hard to decipher whether she is meant to be a masculine or feminine character. It is mentioned many times that she is emotionless and sexless, as noted on page 268 when it is said that Joe "looked upon a face cold, remote, and fanatic." She comes off in many parts as a robot. She seems to be going through the motions but not truly living life. I have mentioned before that I see Joanna as a sort of female Joe, and I'm wondering if this is supposed to point out the way Joe lives. He has no real regret or love; he goes through the motions and puts up with what he must.
4. My first question is whether Joe actually likes Miss Burden or not. On page 272 he seems excited to see her again and go back to their old ways, thinking "how they would both laugh over it tonight, later, afterward, when the time for quiet talking and quiet laughing came: at the whole thing, at one another, at themselves." This contrasts greatly with the hatred he seems to feel toward her.
My second question is why Joanna did not tell Joe she had stopped menstruating. Clearly she initially thought she was pregnant, but upon realizing her mistakes, why did she continue to lie?
My third question is why Miss Burden decided to kill Joe. I assume that it was out of anger and humiliation, but was there more too it? A clashing of personalities? His refusal to pray with her?
Page 235: "There was no feminine vacillation, no coyness of obvious desire and intention to succumb at last."
2. Chapters eleven and twelve detail Joe Christmas and Joanna Burden's strange relationship. They go through three "stages," starting with their meeting up at night but virtually ignoring each other during the day. They then move to the second phase, where Joe stops visiting her and spends all of his time either at the mill or his cabin. Miss Burden then tells Joe her entire life story in an attempt at closeness. Joe is repulsed by Joanna, though, and nothing she tells him changes this. Joanna tells Joe that she wants a child and he objects, but later she tells him she is pregnant. She then asks him to take over her business for her. The two stop seeing each other and Miss Burden turns to religion. One night when Joe visits Miss Burden, upon her request, she pulls out a gun. She fires but the gun doesn't shoot, and the action flips to a dazed Joe flagging down a car. After the terrified drivers let him out he realizes that he has been holding the gun the entire time and that there are two bullets in it, meaning that Miss Burden intended to kill both herself and Joe.
3. Miss Burden has an interesting gender role in this section of the book. Faulkner makes a point to mention how masculine she is, in her shape, her demeanor, and her independence. She lives by herself and never locks her doors. Also, she regularly converses and receives visits from blacks, which would make most women extremely uncomfortable. She is self-sufficient and dresses in an unflattering and anti-feminine way. Although she wears dresses, they are shapeless and do nothing to promote femininity. However, she is also a feminine character, especially in her "love" for Joe. She tells him her life story one night and she repeatedly makes him play games and have intercourse in unusual places, flipping back and forth from hot to cold in her actions toward Joe. These are stereotypically "female" traits. Her cold personality makes it hard to decipher whether she is meant to be a masculine or feminine character. It is mentioned many times that she is emotionless and sexless, as noted on page 268 when it is said that Joe "looked upon a face cold, remote, and fanatic." She comes off in many parts as a robot. She seems to be going through the motions but not truly living life. I have mentioned before that I see Joanna as a sort of female Joe, and I'm wondering if this is supposed to point out the way Joe lives. He has no real regret or love; he goes through the motions and puts up with what he must.
4. My first question is whether Joe actually likes Miss Burden or not. On page 272 he seems excited to see her again and go back to their old ways, thinking "how they would both laugh over it tonight, later, afterward, when the time for quiet talking and quiet laughing came: at the whole thing, at one another, at themselves." This contrasts greatly with the hatred he seems to feel toward her.
My second question is why Joanna did not tell Joe she had stopped menstruating. Clearly she initially thought she was pregnant, but upon realizing her mistakes, why did she continue to lie?
My third question is why Miss Burden decided to kill Joe. I assume that it was out of anger and humiliation, but was there more too it? A clashing of personalities? His refusal to pray with her?
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
5 Light in August, Ch 9-10
1. Incipient: beginning to come into being or to become apparent. -Merriam-Webster Online
Page 204: "Apparently his eyes were not even momentarily at fault with the sudden light and the motion as he thrust among bodies with turned heads as, followed by a wake of astonishment and incipient pandemonium, he ran toward the youth whom he had adopted of his own free will and whom he had tried to raise as he was convinced was right."
2. At the beginning of chapter nine, Mr. McEachern finally realizes that Joe's suit has been worn, meaning he has been sneaking out. Furious, he follows Joe to a dance he goes to with Bobbie. After Mr. McEachern calls Bobbie a harlot she goes into a frenzy, contorting her face and screaming at him. Joe hits Mr. McEachern with a chair and presumably kills him. Bobbie flees in her car and Joe takes Mr. McEachern's horse back to the house. He takes the money that Mrs. McEachern has been saving and immediately goes to Bobbie's house. When he gets there he sees that she is packed, but not to leave with him. Because of the "jam" he put her in, Bobbie is heading back to Memphis and Max and Mame's prostitution business is at risk. Max and the stranger who is in Bobbie's room beat Joe thoroughly and leave him on the ground. Chapter ten begins with Joe lying on the floor, unmoving. Max and Mame dispute about what to do with Joe's money, and finally Mame leaves some money in his pockets before they all disperse. When the "wires" in his head finally reconnect, he gets up and leaves the house. The next fifteen years are a blur of travel and work, of sleeping with prostitutes and disgusting them by telling them of his black heritage. Joe lives with a black woman for awhile, but eventually he winds up in Jefferson. He comes across Miss Burden's house and after acquiring information about her living situation he sneaks in at night to steal food. When Miss Burden comes into the kitchen, Joe refuses to flee, instead just pausing in his meal of peas. Miss Burden is not surprised to see him there, remarking that he may finish his food.
3. Mr. McEachern is a very complex character. While he sees himself as a pious, hard-laboring man, he is actually cruel and detached. He pushes his beliefs on Joe throughout his entire childhood and refuses to accept anything less than perfectly holy behavior, even though he himself does not exhibit this behavior. McEachern beats Joe on numerous occasions and is never kind to his wife. He is condescending, irrational, and aggressive. I find his hypocrisy to be fascinating; he truly believes that he is living the life of Christ, while in reality he is a hard hearted man with no compassion whatsoever. I believe that his behavior models Joe into the man he becomes. The book makes several mentions of how similar the men are, whether they realize it or not, and I agree. I think it's almost a case of nature versus nurture, and in this case Joe is a victim of nurture. There is no telling how he would have turned out if he had been raised in a loving, compassionate environment, but due to his surroundings growing up, I believe Joe had little chance to become anything other than a wicked and violent man. When McEachern enters the dance and sees the face of Satan on his son, he has crossed a line. He has gone from being a self-righteous man to a lunatic obsessed with being devout. Joe is no better though, murdering the man who raised him.
4. My first question is regarding Miss Burden. Why was she not surprised to see Joe in her kitchen? Most people would have freaked out, but she was totally collected.
My second question is also about Miss Burden. Was she put in the story to be a female version of Joe? It certainly seems like she is at the end of chapter ten. If so, does he kill her out of self-loathing?
My third question is regarding Joe's actions during his fifteen years on the road. Why does he get such joy from telling people he's black? Is he having a major identity crisis? Does he hate white people?
Page 204: "Apparently his eyes were not even momentarily at fault with the sudden light and the motion as he thrust among bodies with turned heads as, followed by a wake of astonishment and incipient pandemonium, he ran toward the youth whom he had adopted of his own free will and whom he had tried to raise as he was convinced was right."
2. At the beginning of chapter nine, Mr. McEachern finally realizes that Joe's suit has been worn, meaning he has been sneaking out. Furious, he follows Joe to a dance he goes to with Bobbie. After Mr. McEachern calls Bobbie a harlot she goes into a frenzy, contorting her face and screaming at him. Joe hits Mr. McEachern with a chair and presumably kills him. Bobbie flees in her car and Joe takes Mr. McEachern's horse back to the house. He takes the money that Mrs. McEachern has been saving and immediately goes to Bobbie's house. When he gets there he sees that she is packed, but not to leave with him. Because of the "jam" he put her in, Bobbie is heading back to Memphis and Max and Mame's prostitution business is at risk. Max and the stranger who is in Bobbie's room beat Joe thoroughly and leave him on the ground. Chapter ten begins with Joe lying on the floor, unmoving. Max and Mame dispute about what to do with Joe's money, and finally Mame leaves some money in his pockets before they all disperse. When the "wires" in his head finally reconnect, he gets up and leaves the house. The next fifteen years are a blur of travel and work, of sleeping with prostitutes and disgusting them by telling them of his black heritage. Joe lives with a black woman for awhile, but eventually he winds up in Jefferson. He comes across Miss Burden's house and after acquiring information about her living situation he sneaks in at night to steal food. When Miss Burden comes into the kitchen, Joe refuses to flee, instead just pausing in his meal of peas. Miss Burden is not surprised to see him there, remarking that he may finish his food.
3. Mr. McEachern is a very complex character. While he sees himself as a pious, hard-laboring man, he is actually cruel and detached. He pushes his beliefs on Joe throughout his entire childhood and refuses to accept anything less than perfectly holy behavior, even though he himself does not exhibit this behavior. McEachern beats Joe on numerous occasions and is never kind to his wife. He is condescending, irrational, and aggressive. I find his hypocrisy to be fascinating; he truly believes that he is living the life of Christ, while in reality he is a hard hearted man with no compassion whatsoever. I believe that his behavior models Joe into the man he becomes. The book makes several mentions of how similar the men are, whether they realize it or not, and I agree. I think it's almost a case of nature versus nurture, and in this case Joe is a victim of nurture. There is no telling how he would have turned out if he had been raised in a loving, compassionate environment, but due to his surroundings growing up, I believe Joe had little chance to become anything other than a wicked and violent man. When McEachern enters the dance and sees the face of Satan on his son, he has crossed a line. He has gone from being a self-righteous man to a lunatic obsessed with being devout. Joe is no better though, murdering the man who raised him.
4. My first question is regarding Miss Burden. Why was she not surprised to see Joe in her kitchen? Most people would have freaked out, but she was totally collected.
My second question is also about Miss Burden. Was she put in the story to be a female version of Joe? It certainly seems like she is at the end of chapter ten. If so, does he kill her out of self-loathing?
My third question is regarding Joe's actions during his fifteen years on the road. Why does he get such joy from telling people he's black? Is he having a major identity crisis? Does he hate white people?
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