Howl

who ate fire in paint hotels or drank turpentine in

              Paradise Alley,death, or purgatoried their

              torsos night after night

who created great suicidal dramas on the apartment

              cliff-banks of the Hudson under the wartime

              blue floodlight of the moon & their heads shall

              be crowned with laurel in oblivion, 

who cut their wrists three times successively unsuccess-

              fully, gave up and were forced to open antique

              stores where they thought they were growing

              old and cried, 

who plunged themselves under meat trucks looking for

              an egg,

who were burned alive in their innocent flannel suits

              on Madison Avenue amid blasts of leaden verse

              & the tanked-up clatter of the iron regiments

              of fashion & the nitroglycerine shrieks of the

              fairies of advertising & the mustard gas of sinis-

              ter intelligent editors, or were run down by the

              drunken taxicabs of Absolute Reality, 

who jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge this actually hap-

              pened and walked away unknown and forgotten

              into the ghostly daze of Chinatown soup alley

              ways & firetrucks, not even one free beer, 

Why does Ginsberg use this motif?

With this suicidal motif, Ginsberg wants to show us that his generation is already poisoned by so many things, and not appreciate life anymore.

What is he trying to say by repeating and developing this motif?
Throughout the poem, it feels that Ginsberg first shows us the serious scene of suicide, and slowly turns the suicide scene into something silly.
It is like people throw their lives for something stupid.

« A view from the bridge

A view from the bridge

What makes loyalty so tragic in the play?

Loyalty is so tragic in the play because in the beginning, it is Eddie that mentions the importance of loyalty and the consequence of it. However, it is also Eddie that breaks the loyalty of his family by reporting Rodolpho and Marco to the Immigration Bureau.

Why do you think loyalty is so important to the blue-collar, ethnic community that Miller portrays in his play?

The community in Miller’s play is Italian community. Italian are proud of protecting illegal immigrant within their homes; they also value respect and family. They are hard-working, believe in trust and revenge when a member has been wronged.

Why do you think loyalty might have been a complicated issue to Miller in the 1950s?

The 1950s was the era of Korean War and the Cold War; America was facing communism. Arthur Miller was called to name names of communist sympathizers; however, he refused to do so because of his loyalty. Similar to Eddie, Miller was faced with the problem of choosing to name names of people who were doing unlawful acts. Unlike Eddie, however, Miller chose to be loyal.

What makes loyalty such a difficult value for Eddie?

Eddie is forced to ignore this value of loyalty because of his love for Catherine. He feels threatened by Rodolpho’s relationship to Catherine. He does not want Rodolpho to marry Catherine; therefore, he does all he can to prevent the marriage, even by betraying his family’s trust and reporting Marco and Rodolpho to the Immigration Bureau.

Has your notion of loyalty ever been tested in ways similar to Eddie’s?

Fortunately not.^^

Howl »« Hills Like White Elephants

Hills Like White Elephants

“Come on back in the shade,” he said.  “You mustn’t

feel that way.”

“I don’t feel any way,” the girl said.  “I just know things.”

“I don’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to do –”

—

He went out through the bead curtain.  She was sitting at the table and smiled at him.

“Do you feel better?” he asked.

“I feel fine,” she said.  “There’s nothing wrong with me.  I feel fine.”

—

“Hills Like White Elephants” is about a young couple and the issue of abortion. In the dialogues above, the woman insists that she feels fine. However, I do not think that she feels fine. It is just like when woman says “There’s nothing wrong”; it usually means that “There’s something wrong”. Likewise, when the woman says “I feel fine”, in fact she does NOT feel fine.

I also think that the story is similar to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”. Like the woman in “Yellow Wallpaper” that keeps saying that she is sick and the treatment does not help her, the woman in “Hills Like White Elephants” keeps giving signals that she does want to do the abortion. The husbands, both in “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Hills Like White Elephants”, do not listen to the women. In the end of both stories, both women become mad and ignorant about themselves.

A view from the bridge »« The 1913 Armory Show

The 1913 Armory Show

Quickly after I began the tour at the Armory Show, I was fascinated when I looked at Eberle’s White Slave statuette, her most famous piece. However, this piece caused a controversy because of its shocking combination of contemporary realism and the nude. It also drew an investigation by a Chicago censure committee for its open portrayal of the sex industry. The sculpture was indeed representing child prostitution, which at the time was euphemistically called white slavery. Even though the sculpture might be a good thing for a number of American organizations that were set up to eradicate prostitution, for the sculpture criticizes and causes awareness to this social problem, some felt that this model was “too realistic a portrayal of greed and lust; the seamy side of life was still deemed inappropriate for sculpture.”

And like most of the show’s visitors at that time, I would rush to Gallery I if I were attending the show. Gallery I, known as “Chamber of Horrors” and “The Cubist Room” was a gallery that exhibits French Paintings and Sculpture. In this gallery, exhibited the works ofMarcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia, whose works I really like. Both artists’ “cubist paintings” were very rich. I like Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2 as well as Picabia’s Dances at the Spring. Even though I cannot see it at the first glance, I can see the image of nude descending the staircase after staring at it a while. The Picabia’s Dances at the Spring is not that hard to see. At the first glance you can see right away the two figures like dancing.

This is as what Prof. Hanley says at the motherblog; modernists are interested in how our perception and consciousness work, rather than how the world works. This is what makes this stuff modern. And I also think that this stuff is modern because some of it also addresses today social issues, such as Eberle’s White Slave .

Hills Like White Elephants »« Narration in Sister Carrie

Narration in Sister Carrie

1. In chapter 16, pp.158-160. Drouet asks Carrie to act on Drouet’s local Elk lodge’s amateur theatrical play. Carrie studies her part and plays it for Drouet. Her performance is surprisingly good for a beginner and amazes Drouet.
2. In this excerpt, we see the action through narrators eyes; narrator can see what Drouet and Carrie are doing and feeling. “He little knew as he went out..”. “In such feeble tendencies, be it known, such outworking…”
3. Narrator’s voice describes the character, event, and action.
4. Narrator speaks for Carrie in a sexist way, generalizing what all women should feel. It seems that he looks down on Carrie. The narrator may come from an educated, middle-class family. He is pessimistic.
5. In the excerpt, narrator is defining an event and describing Carrie’s character.
6. The narrator wants us to see Carrie’s character and her innate ability in drama.
7. The narrator relationship with the character is good. He likes Carrie in a different way than he likes Hurstwood or Drouet though.

The 1913 Armory Show »« The Yellow Wallpaper

The Yellow Wallpaper

“The Yellow Wallpaper” ends this way: “Now why should that
man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I
had to creep over him every time!”  We leave our middle-class married
couple with the narrator creeping ’round and ’round the nursery over the
prostrate body of her husband.  How does this scene represent both a
victory and a defeat for the narrator?

This scene represents a victory for the narrator because in
this scene, the narrator finally becomes aware that she herself is the woman
trapped in the wallpaper. She is at last able to identify that she is trapped
in “domestic pattern” of typical women in the marriage at that time. In the
final scene, the narrator creeping ‘round and ‘round over the prostrate body of
her husband, indicating a victory for the narrator over her husband, who always
constrain her desire to express her mind; she is finally FREE.

This scene also represents a defeat for the narrator because
in the end, the narrator becomes insane. She keeps creeping around the room;
she does not even recognize her husband, calling her husband “that man”. She
loses herself in order to be FREE.

Narration in Sister Carrie »« Tell all the Truth but tell it slant –

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant –

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant –

We have to tell all the Truth, whether it is good or bad; however, do not tell the Truth bluntly;

do not tell it into full detail.

Success in Circuit lies

“Lies” has two meanings.

“Lies” can mean not telling the truth.

“Lies” can also mean “be placed”.

When you are going moving around or engage in an activity and that’s where you find success.

When you are moving on, that’s where you find success.

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth which is told to us will be too much for us to endure.

The Truth’s superb surprise

Behind every Truth, there is a surprise.

As Lightning to the Children eased

The writer gives an analogy; we fear Truth as to children fear lightning.

With explanation kind

The fear is eased as we learn and understand the Truth, as the Truth is explained.

The Truth must dazzle gradually

The Truth must be told gradually, slowly but surely, step by step.

Or every man be blind –

So that the person that is told the Truth will not shocked.

If the Truth is told bluntly, it will bite us back suddenly and turn us to upset.

The most interesting observation that I have made about the poem is the observation on the word “lies”. Above, I say that “lies” has two meanings. However, when I think it more deeply, I believe that “lies” that is meant in the poem is “lies” which means “be placed”.

In addition, I think this poem is really interesting. So far, I have only heard about white lies and others, but never heard about tell the truth slantly. Usually, it is either tell the truth or just do not tell the truth. However, the idea of tell the truth slantly really open my mind, that there is another way to tell the truth.

The Yellow Wallpaper »« Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry

“FLOOD-TIDE below me! I watch you face to face;”

This difference between I vs. tide might symbolize the interaction between human and nature; how Whitman, the narrator, is separated from nature (place), yet integrated with it.

“Crowds of men and women attired in the usual costumes! how curious you are to me!”

Whitman might say this referring to the future generations; implying the relationship between various generations of people. The I vs. crowd poses a difference in time, generation.

These differences pose a problem for Whitman, which might be how to “cross” those gaps (generation gap); how to establish connection with people of future generations.

By the end of the poem, the problem is resolved. We, the people of today and the people of future generations, will be united by things that do not change. We will see the same thing, with the same way, and have the same feeling; thus bringing us together, “crossing” those gaps of time and space.

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant – »« Whitman Wiki Project

Whitman Wiki Project

What I liked from this assignment was that we only had to interpret a term/ phrase. Interpreting a term/ phrase was easier than interpreting the whole poem. In addition, this made me more focus on this specific term/ phrase, profoundly thought about the meaning.

What I disliked from this assignment was uploading the image. I had to resize the image before uploading it, and it took a very long time for my laptop to upload it (although it might be that my laptop had a problem). However, I enjoyed searching for the image that represented the term/ phrase that I used.

By participating in wiki, I could see what others thought about certain term/ phrase. Moreover, I could understand the term/ phrase which I previously did not understand.

If I could, I would make the layout more organized because when I looked at the Whitman page, the images were scattered everywhere and sometimes it overlapped other image and text. BTW, this assignment was so much fun.=)

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry »« Song of Myself

Song of Myself

I chose this picture because it represents my perspective on the phrase

“You shall not look through my eyes either, nor take things from me,

You shall listen to all sides and filter them from yourself.”

Through the eyes, people see and learn things and nature in this world. And what people often do is solely look at how things are done. As inspired by this phrase, I believe what people ought to do is not just following everything you see, but doing it your own way and not as if we are told what to think. Humans tend to be told of what they should do, but the phrase above is not in conformity with this. The way I interpret the phrase is that people need to learn how to sort out things, instead of taking things as it is.

In this world, we often need to make hard decisions. In choosing our assessment, often times we act like the first part of this phrase, listen only to certain advice, and ignore others. However, we should listen and take all of the opinions and then decide whichever is best for us.

Whitman Wiki Project »« The American Scholar