Phillip Larkin's Here uses very descriptive diction in order to let the reader know how he feels about the places he describes. Larkin uses great imagery and figurative language in order to portray what he sees as going on in this narrative poem.
Larkin is describing a fast pace town and paradoxes it to his feelings. The tone of the poem is lonely in a way. There are a lot of people around the town and everything is moving fast, yet the people in it are alone. In the first stanza, line 7, Larkin uses a personification to describe the river with "slow presence" meaning everything around it is moving so fast, no one takes the time to look at their surroundings.
Larkin's use of imagery gives the reader a sense of what's going on in the town. In the 3rd stanza, lines to 19 to 24, the diction is extremely descriptive. Smells are used, all the different shops are described and some of the people are described too. The image Larkin paints for the reader shows that all of these activities going on through out the town, making the mood very chaotic.
Here is an allegory in a way, where people represent something more than what the naked eye sees. All of these people are moving so fast, they make no time to stop to see whats really going on. The people of the town represent emptiness someone might feel when no one is taking the time to pay attention.
"Loneliness clarifies. Here silence stands" is another great use of a personification in the 4th stanza, line 25. As the people all leave the town, the emptiness a person might feel is even more present. "Facing the sun, untalkative, out of reach", the last line of the poem, shows that someones loneliness can be an outcome from others' negligence. Although there are people in the town, it's almost as if it doesn't matter because they don't have true emotions.
Larkin's narrative poem uses descriptive diction, imagery and figurative language to portray the real "emptiness" of the town. He shows the reader what the town in really like and the views someone might have from looking from the outside.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The Metamorphosis Writing Prompt
Nicole Fujita
1st hour
12/12/08
The Metamorphosis Writing Prompt
In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa is the main character who is morphed into a bug, but other characters throughout the novella go through a type of “morphing” as well. In the novella, Gregor’s sister morphs from a teenage girl to a young woman. Kafka demonstrates this with all of the changes and responsibilities Grete takes on. Gregor and Grete both morph, relating into the overall meaning of the book: Live life to the fullest by taking all opportunities and living for yourself, or consequences may occur.
Gregor spends his whole live providing for his family in order to get them out of debt, yet he doesn’t get any type of appreciation for it. He lives the same miserable, boring life everyday and never experiences anything. To his surprise, one day Gregor wakes up as a giant insect. Since Gregor cannot function as a bug, he becomes useless to his family. Although the situation is totally out of Gregor’s hands, he feels as if the circumstances are his fault and still wants to provide for his family. It is ironic that Gregor feels this way because as a bug he gets to see what his family is really like and how they really treat him poorly.
Since Gregor cannot function, his younger sister Grete decides to take care of him. Grete is a young seventeen year old girl who has never had any responsibility or a job and has never been recognized for any accomplishments. As Grete takes on the responsibility of looking after her older brother, her parents notice. Grete is favored by her parents now because they see her taking care of her brother as a sign of being responsible and growing up.
As a human, Gregor has the job of providing money for his family to live off of. His family does not even appreciate it and once he is turned into a bug, they feel he is a burden because he can no longer provide for them. Gregor lived this horrible, boring life as a human and never did anything for himself, since he did not; he is paying for it by being a bug that is useless. Gregor transformed from a human only useful for money to a bug that is completely useless. Once Gregor dies, he doesn’t matter at all anymore.
It almost seems as if Grete is reborn as Gregor dies. Grete transforms from an unaware young girl to a young responsible woman. She went from having no responsibility, to taking care of Gregor, getting a job as a salesgirl and being more mature. If it were not for Gregor’s transformation into a bug, this would have never happened. Grete decides to live for herself and make decisions to live life to the fullest.
Kafka demonstrates throughout the novella that Gregor transforms as well as Grete. Though the two characters transform in different ways, they both go through changes. Gregor’s change is physical while Grete’s change is mental. Kafka shows that in order to be happy, one must live for oneself and make decisions for oneself.
1st hour
12/12/08
The Metamorphosis Writing Prompt
In Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa is the main character who is morphed into a bug, but other characters throughout the novella go through a type of “morphing” as well. In the novella, Gregor’s sister morphs from a teenage girl to a young woman. Kafka demonstrates this with all of the changes and responsibilities Grete takes on. Gregor and Grete both morph, relating into the overall meaning of the book: Live life to the fullest by taking all opportunities and living for yourself, or consequences may occur.
Gregor spends his whole live providing for his family in order to get them out of debt, yet he doesn’t get any type of appreciation for it. He lives the same miserable, boring life everyday and never experiences anything. To his surprise, one day Gregor wakes up as a giant insect. Since Gregor cannot function as a bug, he becomes useless to his family. Although the situation is totally out of Gregor’s hands, he feels as if the circumstances are his fault and still wants to provide for his family. It is ironic that Gregor feels this way because as a bug he gets to see what his family is really like and how they really treat him poorly.
Since Gregor cannot function, his younger sister Grete decides to take care of him. Grete is a young seventeen year old girl who has never had any responsibility or a job and has never been recognized for any accomplishments. As Grete takes on the responsibility of looking after her older brother, her parents notice. Grete is favored by her parents now because they see her taking care of her brother as a sign of being responsible and growing up.
As a human, Gregor has the job of providing money for his family to live off of. His family does not even appreciate it and once he is turned into a bug, they feel he is a burden because he can no longer provide for them. Gregor lived this horrible, boring life as a human and never did anything for himself, since he did not; he is paying for it by being a bug that is useless. Gregor transformed from a human only useful for money to a bug that is completely useless. Once Gregor dies, he doesn’t matter at all anymore.
It almost seems as if Grete is reborn as Gregor dies. Grete transforms from an unaware young girl to a young responsible woman. She went from having no responsibility, to taking care of Gregor, getting a job as a salesgirl and being more mature. If it were not for Gregor’s transformation into a bug, this would have never happened. Grete decides to live for herself and make decisions to live life to the fullest.
Kafka demonstrates throughout the novella that Gregor transforms as well as Grete. Though the two characters transform in different ways, they both go through changes. Gregor’s change is physical while Grete’s change is mental. Kafka shows that in order to be happy, one must live for oneself and make decisions for oneself.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
10 Questions on Ch. 3
1. When Gregor was working his parent’s debt off he was thinking about them so why did they exclude him?
Gregor’s parents did not really care about Gregor. Gregor was there to provide for the family and that was it. He really didn’t have too much of a relationship with them, so when he needed them, it didn’t really matter to them.
2. Do you think that they move the furniture in the room to kill him faster?
In a way, I do think that they moved the furniture in the room to kill Gregor faster. It might not have been the full intention in the beginning but, taking a way the furniture was taking away a part of Gregor’s past. They say the past makes people who they are, without the past, they are nothing. The sooner Gregor is gone and dead, the sooner the family can move away and be done taking care of him.
3. Why does Gregor feel depression at his family's reaction to him?
Gregor feels depressed because his family doesn’t have any sympathy for him and his current state. It is not even Gregor’s fault that he is this insect, but his family treats him as if this is a burden he has brought upon them. He feels sad and depressed because his family doesn’t want anything to do with him and they act as if it’s his fault he is this insect.
4. Does Gregor's family feel sadness at his death? Relief?
Gregor’s family feels sadness for about a minute after his death but then they feel relief. Since Gregor is gone and dead, the family can move on and focus on their future. They have the chance to move and start a family for Grete.
5. Why does Gregor want to kidnap his sister when he hears her playing the violin?
Gregor wants Grete to do something with her life. He loves hearing her play the violin and he thinks she is really good at it. He wants her to do it as her profession.
6. Why does Gregor's family stop believing that the bug Gregor is really Gregor?
The family stops believing Gregor is really himself because they do not even recognize him anymore. Gregor has changed so much that he is not even the same “person” anymore. He can’t even talk with his family and tell them how he feels. He doesn’t do anything anymore but just sit around and climb up walls. He has changed so much from what his family has known.
7. How does Gregor's family get over losing Gregor so quickly?
The family gets over losing Gregor so quickly by trying to look at the bright side of the situation. The family realizes they no longer have to take care of Gregor and they can move into a better apartment. Losing Gregor is a gain for the family because they don’t have to worry about their past and debt, and they can just move on.
8. Why does the family abandon Gregor?
The family abandons Gregor because it’s easy for them. They don’t even feel like he is the same person and they don’t really want to worry about him. After abandoning him, they don’t have the burden of worrying about him in his unusual state.
9. Why does Gregor still have love and affection for his family even after they start to forget about him?
This family is all Gregor has. He has no friends, no relationships with anyone else. Although the relationship Gregor has with his family is not necessarily good, it’s all he knows. He is used to providing for his family and they are a big part of his life. His whole life is based off his family and he feels love for them.
10. Why does Grete NOW choose to get a job? Both her parents are getting them so what is the point?
Grete feels a sense of responsibility now that she is taking care of Gregor. Her parents are starting to notice her and give her attention. She likes the feeling of being responsible and getting rewarded for it.
Gregor’s parents did not really care about Gregor. Gregor was there to provide for the family and that was it. He really didn’t have too much of a relationship with them, so when he needed them, it didn’t really matter to them.
2. Do you think that they move the furniture in the room to kill him faster?
In a way, I do think that they moved the furniture in the room to kill Gregor faster. It might not have been the full intention in the beginning but, taking a way the furniture was taking away a part of Gregor’s past. They say the past makes people who they are, without the past, they are nothing. The sooner Gregor is gone and dead, the sooner the family can move away and be done taking care of him.
3. Why does Gregor feel depression at his family's reaction to him?
Gregor feels depressed because his family doesn’t have any sympathy for him and his current state. It is not even Gregor’s fault that he is this insect, but his family treats him as if this is a burden he has brought upon them. He feels sad and depressed because his family doesn’t want anything to do with him and they act as if it’s his fault he is this insect.
4. Does Gregor's family feel sadness at his death? Relief?
Gregor’s family feels sadness for about a minute after his death but then they feel relief. Since Gregor is gone and dead, the family can move on and focus on their future. They have the chance to move and start a family for Grete.
5. Why does Gregor want to kidnap his sister when he hears her playing the violin?
Gregor wants Grete to do something with her life. He loves hearing her play the violin and he thinks she is really good at it. He wants her to do it as her profession.
6. Why does Gregor's family stop believing that the bug Gregor is really Gregor?
The family stops believing Gregor is really himself because they do not even recognize him anymore. Gregor has changed so much that he is not even the same “person” anymore. He can’t even talk with his family and tell them how he feels. He doesn’t do anything anymore but just sit around and climb up walls. He has changed so much from what his family has known.
7. How does Gregor's family get over losing Gregor so quickly?
The family gets over losing Gregor so quickly by trying to look at the bright side of the situation. The family realizes they no longer have to take care of Gregor and they can move into a better apartment. Losing Gregor is a gain for the family because they don’t have to worry about their past and debt, and they can just move on.
8. Why does the family abandon Gregor?
The family abandons Gregor because it’s easy for them. They don’t even feel like he is the same person and they don’t really want to worry about him. After abandoning him, they don’t have the burden of worrying about him in his unusual state.
9. Why does Gregor still have love and affection for his family even after they start to forget about him?
This family is all Gregor has. He has no friends, no relationships with anyone else. Although the relationship Gregor has with his family is not necessarily good, it’s all he knows. He is used to providing for his family and they are a big part of his life. His whole life is based off his family and he feels love for them.
10. Why does Grete NOW choose to get a job? Both her parents are getting them so what is the point?
Grete feels a sense of responsibility now that she is taking care of Gregor. Her parents are starting to notice her and give her attention. She likes the feeling of being responsible and getting rewarded for it.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Why the future doesn't need us
Joy's thesis is dealing with technology and how robots could eventually take over the world. She is pointing out how the world's advancement in technology is growing. The rapid growing of this technology can be a danger to society. If the world is eventually completely run by technology, then a few potential problems could occur. These machines can make decisions for us, and we will not know the outcome or we as people will have some input on these machines but potential problems could still occur with bigger decisions.
Humans can still control things of their own. Personal machines like cars and computers can ultimately be controlled by the owner. Bigger machines ran can be monitored by humans (although some think it would be a waste of time).
Institutions are ultimately contributing to this overtake of technology. Machines are becoming more and more intelligent. With this rapid growth of technology, humans are becoming less and less of a need. These machines do not need to monitored as much because of it's strong intelligence. Inevitably, institutions will feel its unnecessary to monitor machines, thus resulting in more of and overtake by technology.
I think Huxley would respond well to Joy's article. Huxley satirizes the use of technology in BNW. He foreshadows things that could happen in the future if the world keeps letting technology do things for us. Eventually people will not even need to have human contact with eachother in order to survive. What Joy and Huxley are both saying is that technology's intelligence is growing while people are just sitting back and giving into it.
Joy argues his thesis that robots could overtake the world by stating many key points. Joy states that already people are using this technology for basically anything. He even says that he found it so amazing that instead of having to question himself about information, he could just type it into the computer and it would give him the answer. People today rely heavily on techonology to make decisions for them.
I don't necessarily think that Joy is a fear monger, I just think he is trying to warn us about the future. He is not trying to make people live in fear, he just wants them to come to realization. Joy uses literary devices like imagery. For example, Joy talks about the bombing and what the world could look like in the future, if the whole world was ran by robots. These literary devices let Joy get her point across, that someday, robots could take over the future with technology. Joy's use of imagery also let's us see her perspective on the issue of the use of technology.
Joy's thesis that, technology will take over our future, relates to Brave New World. The two pieces of work both relate to the advancement of technology. They both paint a picture as to what could happen to our world with technology advancing as rapidly as it is. The two authors both question technology and its "good" purpose. They both try to talk to the readers and have them open their eyes as to what the world is coming to with technology.
Humans can still control things of their own. Personal machines like cars and computers can ultimately be controlled by the owner. Bigger machines ran can be monitored by humans (although some think it would be a waste of time).
Institutions are ultimately contributing to this overtake of technology. Machines are becoming more and more intelligent. With this rapid growth of technology, humans are becoming less and less of a need. These machines do not need to monitored as much because of it's strong intelligence. Inevitably, institutions will feel its unnecessary to monitor machines, thus resulting in more of and overtake by technology.
I think Huxley would respond well to Joy's article. Huxley satirizes the use of technology in BNW. He foreshadows things that could happen in the future if the world keeps letting technology do things for us. Eventually people will not even need to have human contact with eachother in order to survive. What Joy and Huxley are both saying is that technology's intelligence is growing while people are just sitting back and giving into it.
Joy argues his thesis that robots could overtake the world by stating many key points. Joy states that already people are using this technology for basically anything. He even says that he found it so amazing that instead of having to question himself about information, he could just type it into the computer and it would give him the answer. People today rely heavily on techonology to make decisions for them.
I don't necessarily think that Joy is a fear monger, I just think he is trying to warn us about the future. He is not trying to make people live in fear, he just wants them to come to realization. Joy uses literary devices like imagery. For example, Joy talks about the bombing and what the world could look like in the future, if the whole world was ran by robots. These literary devices let Joy get her point across, that someday, robots could take over the future with technology. Joy's use of imagery also let's us see her perspective on the issue of the use of technology.
Joy's thesis that, technology will take over our future, relates to Brave New World. The two pieces of work both relate to the advancement of technology. They both paint a picture as to what could happen to our world with technology advancing as rapidly as it is. The two authors both question technology and its "good" purpose. They both try to talk to the readers and have them open their eyes as to what the world is coming to with technology.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Writing Prompt #2 9/19/08
In George Orwell's 1984, Winston Smith Struggles to conquer freedom over himself. He lives in a controlled society in which he feels trapped. Under the power of Big Brother, Winston faces challenges to try and overcome this lack of freedom.
When Winston realized he can speak his voice on paper, he takes the courageous act of doing so. Winston knows what he is doing is wrong under the eyes of Big Brother, but feels writing his thoughts can make him understand himself. When Winston writes all of these things that come to his head, he starts to question Big Brother. If London was not always like this, he wonders what is was like before. This diary is a symbol for Winston and his freedom. He is not sure how all of these thoughts are relating to him, but he knows they all have to do with the big picture. By writing in this diary, Winston is gaining back a little freedom each time. He starts to thikn his own thoughts and questions the communism he is under.
Orwell's use of descriptive and meaningful words ulitmately help him influence the reader to believe the big picture. The irony Orwell uses helps the reaser understand how horrible Oceania really is and how borrible the world could be. It's ironic that Winston lives in a place called "Victory Mansions" yet it is described as a place that smells liek cabbage and has broken down things everywhere. People in society today want to live in this perfect, equal world that is not realistic, Orwell tries to show the reader this. Only under communism could everything be "equal," but really that would not be the kind of equal everyone dreams of. The descriptive irony shows the reader that there is no such thing as a "perfect world."
Orwell also shows the reaser in detail what the world would be like without freedom. If people do not stand up for themselves, they could be forced to have a job like Winston, re-writing history. In 1984 there is really no track of time in Winston's head. Since Winston does not remember the past, he doesn't really know what the future can hold. The only evidence of what has happened in teh past is the records, which are not even accurate. If people don't take a stand for themselves they may not even know where they have come from and where they are heading. The past, present and future ultimately add up to a persons freedom.
Orwell does a wonderful job of painting a picture for the reader. He uses symbolic, descriptive meaning words to show the reader the big picture. He uses power struggle in a way to talk to the reader. He tries to show the reader that freedom is precious and even through struggle it can be gained.
When Winston realized he can speak his voice on paper, he takes the courageous act of doing so. Winston knows what he is doing is wrong under the eyes of Big Brother, but feels writing his thoughts can make him understand himself. When Winston writes all of these things that come to his head, he starts to question Big Brother. If London was not always like this, he wonders what is was like before. This diary is a symbol for Winston and his freedom. He is not sure how all of these thoughts are relating to him, but he knows they all have to do with the big picture. By writing in this diary, Winston is gaining back a little freedom each time. He starts to thikn his own thoughts and questions the communism he is under.
Orwell's use of descriptive and meaningful words ulitmately help him influence the reader to believe the big picture. The irony Orwell uses helps the reaser understand how horrible Oceania really is and how borrible the world could be. It's ironic that Winston lives in a place called "Victory Mansions" yet it is described as a place that smells liek cabbage and has broken down things everywhere. People in society today want to live in this perfect, equal world that is not realistic, Orwell tries to show the reader this. Only under communism could everything be "equal," but really that would not be the kind of equal everyone dreams of. The descriptive irony shows the reader that there is no such thing as a "perfect world."
Orwell also shows the reaser in detail what the world would be like without freedom. If people do not stand up for themselves, they could be forced to have a job like Winston, re-writing history. In 1984 there is really no track of time in Winston's head. Since Winston does not remember the past, he doesn't really know what the future can hold. The only evidence of what has happened in teh past is the records, which are not even accurate. If people don't take a stand for themselves they may not even know where they have come from and where they are heading. The past, present and future ultimately add up to a persons freedom.
Orwell does a wonderful job of painting a picture for the reader. He uses symbolic, descriptive meaning words to show the reader the big picture. He uses power struggle in a way to talk to the reader. He tries to show the reader that freedom is precious and even through struggle it can be gained.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)