Poetry Packet - TPCASTT Themes

1. "Sonnet 130" by William Shakespeare
            True love cannot be reliant on superficial qualities. 

2. "The Passionate Shepherd to His Love" by Christopher Marlowe
             Love can make a person look at the world as more pleasant than it is.

3. "Death Be Not Proud" by John Donne
             Although death is often seen as the ultimate end, mortality remains a mystery.

4. "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick
             Time is fleeting.

5. "The Author to Her Book" by Anne Bradstreet
             One may never be completely content with the work they have produced. 

6. "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell
            People yearn to control the passage of the time. 

7. "Sound and Sense" by Alexander Pope
            Writing is a cultivated skill that cannot develop without being put into practice.

8. "The World is Too Much With Us" by William Wordsworth
            Although people and nature are interconnected, the relationship is forgotten at times. 

9.  "She Walks in Beauty" by George Gordon, Lord Byron
             Beauty is found in the balance of opposing forces.

10. "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley
             Nothing is invincible. 

11. "When I have Fears that I may Cease to Be" by John Keats
             Mortality remains a question in the minds of many. 

12. "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
              Children have the ability to bring out one’s own whimsicalness. 

14. "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe
              Love is powerful.

15. "O Captain, My Captain" by Walt Whitman
             Self sacrifice is a mark of great leadership.

16. "I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died" by Emily Dickinson
              Life as a whole is often ignorant to the death of an individual. 

17. "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold
              In human consciousness, pain is unavoidable. 

18. "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen
             The living often search for reasons to justify the deaths of others in order to find comfort.

19. "Mending Wall" by Robert Frost
             People can be resistive to change. 

20. "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath
              A person can never be truly unbias, as experiences often cloud their objectiveness.

GOW Action Project

Throughout the past few years, the cost of college tuition has been an issue discussed prevalently in the media. According to an article from just this past Tuesday, (source: investopedia.com) student loans now exceed $1 trillion, and I have heard more than once that indebtedness is the leading cause of college dropouts. Hearing statistics like this, along with movements like Occupy Wall Street have left people declaring that the cost of education is too high in our failing economy. As seniors in high school, we know better than anyone that it can be scary going to college – not because of the workload or moving away from home, but because of the overwhelming price tag. Because of this, for my Grapes of Wrath Action Project, I decided that I would like to contact an establishment of higher education and question their price of tuition. After the considering my options, I decided to investigate the SUNY system because although their tuition is less than their private school counterparts, I will likely be attending the University at Buffalo this fall. Not sure of where to start, I began searching the SUNY and UB websites to see if my question was already answered through their information. Although I searched their websites, I could not find any information on the process of determining the price of tuition, not even under a page labeled “University-wide Policies & Procedures.” So, I looked for a way to contact the Board of Directors of the system (who I did learn was responsible for tuition through the SUNY website) and was able to find both a phone number along with an e-mail address, although both general and directed to offices rather than to people of authority. Nevertheless, I sent them an e-mail asking how the price of tuition is determined for each SUNY school and what goes into the process. I also asked who is in charge of the process and how I can get in contact with them directly. Also on the SUNY website, I found a form in which you can send a message to the general SUNY office right on their website, so I sent another e-mail through that asking for the same information. After not hearing back from these e-mails for a few days, I was not surprised. (When I previously e-mailed people within the SUNY system about other matters, it took almost two weeks for them to send me a generic, “copy and paste” response.) So, I decided I would contact the University of Buffalo – this time by phone – thinking maybe I could get to the mother through the baby. I called a number given on their website for the financial aid office, and was greeted by the infamous generic voice telling me to press 1 for so-and-so. After a few of these prompts, I was put on hold (hold count: 1) and told that a representative would be with me as soon as possible. I waited about four minutes until a lady answered, and I asked her, “I was just wondering, why is tuition the price that it is currently? Like, how is that number determined?” Her answer was, “one moment” and I was placed on hold again (hold count: 2). This time I waited for about three minutes before a different lady answered, and I asked her the same question. Her response: “one moment” and I was put on hold again (hold count: 3), this time for about 3 minutes also. When someone answered, it was yet a different lady! I guess the second lady told her my question though, because she asked me to explain what exactly what I wanted to know. After repeating my question, she told me that she could tell me the price of tuition, but that she was not sure of how it is determined. I asked who I could speak to that would know the answer, and she volunteered to go and ask her supervisor and get back to me. I was put on hold (hold count: 4) but only for a minute this time. When she came back on the line, she told me what her supervisor had told her: “Because we’re a state university, our tuition is determined by the state. We don’t have anything to do with it at all.” To me this sounded like the whole idea of a smaller section of the system blaming a larger group with in the system, reminiscent a “it’s not us, it’s them!” sort of attitude (or, should I say, a “well it’s not us, it’s the bank!” sort of attitude). She then gave me the addresses to UB’s website and the SUNY website, telling me that maybe they would help me. However, although she did not give me the information I was looking for and I already had the information she did give me, I was surprised because she seemed to genuinely care, which is hard to portray through a phone call. Through her tone of voice, she seemed authentically sorry that she could not give me an answer to my question and tried her best to give me the resources that might help me – and I appreciated that more than anything. After this failed effort, I decided to contact the SUNY system office directly and called the phone number listed on their website. I was greeted by another one of those voices telling me to press 1 for so-and-so, and put on hold (hold count: 5) for about 3 minutes until a representative answered. I asked her the same question I asked the UB office. She seemed confused at first, and told me that the price is currently $220 per credit hour. I tried to explain to her that I did not want to know the price of tuition, but the reason why it was that price. What exactly determines the cost of tuition? I received the answer: “uh… a lot of factors.” (Not so helpful.) So I questioned, “What kind of factors? Can you name a few?” She said very general answers such as location and population, with a lot of "um's" in between, and I could tell she was frustrated with my question, like she thought it was silly and a waste of her time. After questioning her some more as to who was in charge of the whole process and how I could get in contact with them (she recommended their website, which I had already tried), I started receiving a lot of “yes” and “no” answers from her. She made it clear in her tone of voice that she wanted to get me off of the phone as quickly as possible. Not getting anywhere, I said good-bye and hung up feeling frustrated and disappointed. No one was able to get me in contact with people of actual authority that could tell me why the cost of tuition is what it is. After directly talking to four people and being put on hold five times, I am still left waiting for a response to my original e-mails and not sure of where I could go from here.

I think that we were assigned this project so that we could experience the kind of frustration that the tenant farmers face in the Grapes of Wrath. When being kicked off their land, they ask the question of who is responsible – who can they shoot? But they receive no real answer. It’s not the tractor driver, it’s the bank. It’s not the bank, it’s the East. By doing this project, we could live through a similar experience and empathize with the tenant farmers in the novel. The people at UB told me that that it was not them, that it was SUNY just like how in the Grapes of Wrath it’s not the bank, but the East. Everyone tends to point their finger instead of taking responsibility. Also, in both my own experience and the experience of the farmers Grapes of Wrath, it was impossible to go straight to the top of the company to find answers. You had to start at the bottom and try to break down the layers of authority, which was exhausting and close to impossible. This shows that although the ideas presented in the Grapes of Wrath are reflective of the Dust Bowl, the same ideas and frustrations are still applicable today. I may have experienced it on a much smaller scale than the farmers, but I think the same feeling still holds true and it’s a great demonstration of how great literature is timeless.

Chinua Achebe’s “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” Response

Chinua Achebe’s essay, “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” explores the underlying racism in Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness. To accomplish this, the author presents the argument that it has become a Western instinct to set up Africa as a foil to Europe. Because of this, the Western world remains ignorant of the intellect of African people and begins to look at them as a lower class of people. The author argues that this racism is displayed in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. He provides direct quotes from the novel itself, followed by an explanation of how he interprets it and the racism against Africa he believes it demonstrates.  However, Achebe states real problem of this novel is not its own racism, but the fact that many people fail to see the racism in it while it remains one of the most read books in the Western world. As Achebe states in a play of words, “Whatever Conrad’s problems were, you might say he is now safely dead. Quite true. Unfortunately his heart of darkness plagues us still.” To support this idea, the author provides specific examples and quotes from scholars who have analyzed the novel, though mentioned nothing of the racism it contained. However, although I respect the ideas that the author expressed (and agree with many of them), I do have an issue with one aspect of his essay. I found it surprising how frequently the author unfairly refers to the Western world as if it has a united mindset when repeatedly using phrases such as “Western psychology” and “Western desire.” As Achebe must surely know, Western civilization consists of countless belief systems and ideologies, as well as different perceptions of Africa. One may argue this fault on a poor word choice - and perhaps I would be more forgiving had he used milder words such as ‘the Western tendency to desire..’ or even ‘much of the Western world believes...” But I believe that it is unfair to lump the Western world into one group of people, all with the same mindset - especially when he himself is arguing against misinformation and ignorace. However, despite this flaw, I do still feel that the article was a valuable read. It offered insight into Achebe’s mindset when he wrote Things Fall Apart, as well as gave an atypical interpretation of Heart of Darkness. Because of this, I feel Achebe’s essay sparked two interesting lenses in which to read each novel.

The Awakening Critical Article Response

John Carlos Rowe’s “The Economics of the Body in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening” explores the role that Edna’s physical body plays in The Awakening. The author’s purpose for writing the essay is to establish that all of Edna’s awakenings in the novel are centered on her sense of her body. To accomplish this, the author explains the historical context of the novel and explores different theories of how physical labor relates to emotional health. The author argues that the males in Edna’s life dominate her body, beginning when she is only a child and her father will not allow her to work in the fields like she wants to. This patriarchal dominance continues in her marriage and with the men she is close with in her life. Edna’s awakening begins when she realizes that her body no longer belongs to her. When she is alone, her sense of her own body is indicated through touch. The novel frequently includes scenes of Edna physically touching her flesh, as if to remind herself that she is alive. Similarly, she swims in the ocean because she can sense of the wholeness of her body. Because she has never had an outlet for bodily expression, she attempts to reclaim her body through her painting and her romantic relationships. However, she is ultimately unsuccessful, because she never obtains the love that would be required to satisfy her desire. The author of the essay presents his argument very well. He provides direct quotes from the novel itself, followed by an explanation of how he interprets it and what he believes it demonstrates. He also incorporates outside ideas, such as the novel’s connections to Marxism and to the myth of Aphrodite. In doing so, the author gives a very unique interpretation of the novel. I agree with author of the essay that Edna’s body plays a critical role in her journey. She is very much a possession to her husband, and any lacks a physical outlet of expression. Even her painting is stiff and limited, as she paints nothing more than lifeless still lifes and portraits. However, the article was very different than I imagined it would be. When the first paragraph introduced the idea of Edna’s physical body, I imagined that the author would discuss the role of Edna’s body in her sexual awakening, and her discovery that she was sexual creature. Instead, the author centered his writing on the possession and dominance over Edna’s body. Also, although I respect the ideas that the author expressed, I was not fan of the way in which he presented them. I felt as though the article skipped around a lot between thoughts and was unnecessarily repetitive. I would not call it disorganized, because the author was always able to relate everything back to his main point, but I think it would have been easier to read had the author’s ideas been more concise and grouped differently. Lastly, I found it surprising how frequently the author referred to himself using the word ‘I’ because, as students, we have always been taught not to refer to ourselves in our writing. Although I believe he referred to himself in order to make the article more personal, instead it came off sounding unprofessional and weakened his overall argument. However, I do still feel that the article gave me insight into one interpretation of the novel. I am glad that I read it.   

"The Yellow Wallpaper" Analysis

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” documents the first-person narrative of a woman slowly descending into madness, as a result of her obsession with the yellow wallpaper covering her bedroom walls and the woman that she sees hidden in it. The woman behind the wallpaper is essentially a reflection the narrator. The woman that the narrator sees trapped behind the pattern in the wallpaper is “all the time trying to climb through. But nobody could climb through that pattern – it strangles so.” Similarly, the narrator is trapped inside of her own thoughts. Because her husband insists that she rests and allows her no stimulation, she very seldom receives an outlet to escape from her own mind. Both women are both prisoners of their own worlds. The pattern that traps the woman in the wallpaper is like the social pattern that is trapping the narrator. She is defenseless against the will of her husband, who very much infantilizes her and scoffs at her feelings the way one might disregard the opinion of a child. This is shown in the setting, as she spends all of her days “resting” in a nursery with barred windows. Because of this isolation, she becomes obsessed with the yellow wallpaper in the room, where she sees different patterns and shapes and can offer her some source of stimulation. Soon the narrator’s constant staring of walls makes her see a woman behind the pattern, trapped very much like herself. Because she identifies so strongely the woman, she starts to think of the wallpaper and the woman as living entities that belong to her. She becomes angry and jealous when her husband or Jennie even look at the wallpaper. Because of she develops such strong feelings, the line that distinguishes her from the woman in the wallpaper begins to fade as she begins to write as if she is the woman. It is the nail in the coffin between how the narrator and the woman in the wallpaper are similar – in the end, they are the same person.

Literary Criticism Response

Helen Killoran’s “Ethan Frome – The Murder of a Masterpiece” explores the different phases of criticism and praise that the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton has received since it was first published in 1911. The author’s purpose for writing the essay is to demonstrate how the interpretation of the novel has changed over time depending on the different viewpoints from which the novel received. To accomplish this, the author explores the criticism that has accompanied each area of reception. While the earliest reviewers looked at the novel as a Greek tragedy, people have looked at it differently depending on the time period. During hard economic times such as the Great Depression, many saw it as a commentary against the viciousness of poverty. They criticized Wharton for the way she portrayed the poor and have claimed that Wharton, an upper-class woman, could not relate to the characters in the story. Throughout times when society was more concerned with religion, the critics were more concerned with the spiritual value of the novel. Some called it a sin for readers to enjoy such a painful novel while others attacked Wharton, claiming that author is responsible for the needless suffering of her characters. Others have looked at Ethan Frome as an extension of Wharton’s own life. They have seen the writing style of the novel as an expression of Edith Wharton’s relationship with Henry James and have seen the protagonist and the situations he encounters as a reflection of Wharton’s own troubles. In chronologically exploring the commentary on the novel, the author presents her argument very well. In addition to explaining each category of criticism and the viewpoint it came from, she also includes examples of how some have countered each argument. She also incorporates both positive and negative responses to the novel, as well as direct quotes from the essays she refers to and direct quotes from Edith Wharton refuting her critics. In doing so, the author of the essay gives a very wholistic view of the criticism and praise that the novel has received and how it has changed over time. I agree with author of the essay that the reception of Ethan Frome has gone through different phases of criticism. Each person who reads the novel is going to interpret it in a different way, depending on their own experiences and what they enjoy in a work of literature. Upon reading the essay, I was very surprised to learn what harsh criticism the novel has received. It was more than people just didn’t like the novel, but many were absolutely outraged by it. In the directly quoted selections that the author provided, many wrote as if they were personally offended by the novel. Today, books are mostly criticized for their sexual content and harsh language for fear of "corrupting our youth." So, it's surprising that a novel such as Ethan Frome – which I see as a cautionary tale more than anything – was criticized because, basically, it was sad. It’s amazing how words on a piece of paper can cause such uproar when put into a certain order.

Sonnet 130

Sonnet 130 reminds me very much of Billy Collin’s poem “Litany” in that they both seem to make fun of other love poems, in which a lover is compared to various objects. The first quatrain discusses what the speaker’s mistress is not. Her eyes are nothing like the sun, her lips are not as red as coral, her breats are filthy when compared to snow, and her hair is like black wires. The second quantrain continues, the colors of roses are not in her cheeks, and perfumes smell better than her breath. The third quatrain claims that music sounds better than her voice and that she treads on the ground. The couplet ends the poem with stating that despite all these things, she is as special as any woman who other poets have written about with false comparisons. Although the sonnet sounds as if the speaker is insulting his mistress, I don’t believe that that was the intention of the writer. I believe the poem should be taken sarcastically, that the speaker is more making fun of other love poems rather than declaring his own beliefs.