Frankenstein

"Study had before secluded me from the intercourse of my fellow-creatures, and rendered me unsocial," (page 45) The literary device of theme is used also in the work. Theme provides a meaning to the work which can be universal and allow for readers to understand or find a connection. In Frankenstein, one of the themes invovles seclucsion and isolation. Furthermore, the sense of not belonging, either to a community or to one's own sense of self. The theme is effectively portrayed in this one quote because it provides the fact that Victor had secluded himself from the rest of the world, even his advisors who lived and breathed philosophy and sciences. In my small group, we discussed why Victor told the story of his creation and the point of it being told to Robert. We came to the conclusion that Victor is implying to Robert that if studies alienate you from the world, then don't do it. It is not human to focus on only one thing, and it will negatively affect yourself. The isolation also provides a glimpse of the reoccuring characteristic of Victor. He tends to pull away from society, mostly because he feels he does not fit in at the moment. Another time he does this is when Justine dies, and he decides to go into the mountains.

Drama Blog- A Raisin in the Sun

#5
The major theme of this play presents itself in the very beginning of the play in the poem "Dreams Deffered" by Langston Hughes. This play revolves around the dreams of each of the people living in the house. This poem tells of the different ways that the dreams can fold out. The dreams of the family members are illustrated in the play, but the play still has other parts to it. It is not completely didactic, but the lessons it teaches are effective through this play. An example of one of the dreams would be Mama's dream of owning a home. Unlike most of the other dreams, hers actually comes true. It is difficult to overcome some of the difficulties and obstacles, such as the Welcoming Commitee, but in the end she is able to successfully fulfill her dream. We see this when Walter tells Lindner that they "decided to move into our house" (page 148). This shows a dream that "explodes" like the poem says since it is achieved and it is standing up against those who do not want them to move in. In contrast, the dream of Walter dries up "like a raisin in the son". He tried to invest in the liquor store, but the dream quickly was unable to happen. This play provides thematic material in each of the characters to support the them of dreams.

Othello--Themes

In Othello, there are a few themes that stood out to me. One of these themes is jealousy. Jealousy is the driving force in many of the actions the characters make. The worst part is that some of the jealousy is based off a notion or feeling, not even facts. Othello is a character who displays jealousy in Act V when he murders Desdemona. He says that "she must die, else she'll betray more men."(V.ii.6). This shows that his jealousy of Desdemona is great enough for him to find it reasonable to kill her. Also, his jealousy is based off what Iago makes him believe, which is based on no proof or facts. Iago always says "I think" or "I have heard". He never definitively says whether he knows for a fact Desdemona had an affair. Another person who has jealousy is Iago. He is the most jealous one in the play by far. Not only does he lie to every person in the play, but he even wounds Cassio in the leg (V.i.). He does everything because of his jealousy towards other people. He even says that he must have Cassio dead because if not Cassio's "daily beauty in his life that makes me ugly"(V.i.19-20). This shows how Iago is so jealous that he must try to get rid of anyone who makes him feel lacking.

Theme Blog #4

"Miss Brill"
I am very confused about this story. I have pretty much no idea where it takes place. I thought it may be a church because she said something about her "special seat" and recalls "Last Sunday" (p 183). This made me think that she would go there on Sundays, and since she is older, they usually have a seat they always sit in. I think this is wrong since the setting was outside, so maybe it is at a park? I don't know! Also, even though I did not really understand this, I did find some irony in the story. Throughout the whole story, Miss Brill sits there and judges others/people watches. She says "there was something funny about nearly all of them", so she obviously thinks about them and makes fun of them. It is like her form of entertainment. Then, at the end she hearst the kids talk about her. She gets so upset. I feel bad because I saw some little old lady being made fun of. At the same time, it was ironic because they were just like her. The only difference is that they said their thoughts outloud.

Theme Blog #3

"Once upon a Time" #1
The two causes for the sound are "a voice in the echo-chamber of the subconscious"(p 231) or an intruder, someone who could murder or harm her. She syas she felt like a "victim already"(p 232) , so she is afraid someone else is there maybe. Her fear is evident, and she was reading everything going on as a "possible threat"(p232). An intruder would be a threat, and she had just told the story of a murderer. She is being very paranoid and fearful. These feelings are what cause her the fear. Since she goes into more detail about her inner feelings, although it is caused by thinking there is an intruder, I think that the ultimate fear is in her paranoia and subconcious fear. The inner feelings reveal why she couldn't "release [herself] to sleep again"(p232). She keeps thinking about all the possiblities and convincing herself it could be something bad, which is a voice inside her head. Her own worries are what cause her the fear. This prompts the feelings of the children story because she is trying to convince herself that worrying about intruders and the outside world is not always the biggest concern. Your own worries and fear can harm you instead.

Theme Blog #2

"A Worn Path" #5

The plot/structure of this story starts out with her getting through struggles of her own,like old age, to get there. At one point she says "I wasn't as old as I thought" (p 224). She then encounters various animals or thorn bushes, which give her difficulty. Then, the man tries to persuade her to turn around. Lastly, when she is at the doctor's office, the people there keep questioning her. She is unable to answer because she forgets what she was there to do. Her internal struggle is at the end because she either cannot say why she is there on her own, or she cannot come to grips that her grandson is dead. I am not sure if he is dead or not, but she struggles at the doctors office because of some internal conflict, maybe a memory or forgetting. I am not sure though. The obstacles are her old age, which she fights through. Another obstacle is the nature, like the thorn bush. Another is the distance of the town, but she is determined. Also, the man tries to tell her to turn around and really tries to make her go back, but she refuses. He even says "wouldn't misss going to town to see Santa Claus", so her determination to get there is evident. Lastly, at the doctors office she struggles to say why she is there. She overcomes this by having the nurse help her.

Theme Blog #1

"Eveline" #2
Eveline feels trapped in her present life, and I do not think her father respects her as he should. On page 219, she says that "she would not be treated as her mohter had been". She would have "respect". Her father must not have respect for women. I think he may have physically hurt her mother and controlled what she did. Eveline says that she is afraid of "the danger of her father's violence". He was controlling and probably has anger issues. She wants to live a life of her own. He "had forbidden her to have anything to do with [Frank]"(p 220), which is what made her happy. She also said that she had a "right to happiness" (221). She must not have happiness in her current situation since she says this. Miss Gavan is very critical of Eveline, by correcting everything she did. Eveline says she "would be glad" if Eveline left, which also shows that Miss Gavan gave her more incentive to leave. Lastly, I think her father forbidding her from things made her want that life even more. Also, her memory of her mother contributed to her decision to leave. She saw how her mother was treated and did not want to be trapped. Since she remembered how life for her mother was, she knew what she did not want. Eveline wanted to escape into a life of her own, not dictated by her father.

Pattern Poems #2

7.

The central theme of this poem is that all these different people wants different things, but the same simple wish is love. This is supported through various things in the poem. One of these is the pattern. By splitting each of these up, we see each person's specific wants. The structure supports a personal ad since they are all separate and many people are involved. In addition to structure, the repetition of the lines at the end of each stanza supports the theme. Each person asks the similar question of "Do you live in North London? Is it you?" and "Can someone make my simple wish come true?". The repetition of these questions show that each person is desperate to find the same thing. The want of love is shared by all of theme. Also, I found some of their descriptions to support this other theme of desperation. They ask this straightforward question in a personal ad showing that they are purely looking for love. I found the fact of them putting out a personal ad simply supported desperation as well.

Chapter 10 Tone #1

7.

The central theme of this poem is that his lover is as beautiful as any of those women who have been compared falsely. The first eight lines are a descriptions of appearance. The descriptions all are satirical. This is because the speaker is mocking all those who shower their love with these ridiculous comparasions. An example would be "If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun" (line 3). This comparison says that her skin is not white. He uses the word gray to describe her instead. I am sure she is not really that color, but he is not going to tell her she is snow white when it is not true. He is not being mean, just realistic. The entire point of this poem is to show how he loves her without using such false statements. He is being truthful and honest because he says he has "never saw a goddess go"(line 11). Furthermore, he says that she is not any less than the woman who hear that. Rather, the women who hear these false comparisons are being lied to. He is being honest with her. Although it may seem he is saying she is inadequate, the satirical false comparisons are used only to make fun of those other people. It is his way of saying how he is honest.