Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

QUOTE:

"26 April: Mother is putting my new secondhand clothes in order. She prays now, she says, that I may learn in my own life and away from home and friends what the heart is and what it feels. Amen. So be it. Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race." (275-276)

This was one of my favorite quotes in the novel. It really shows Stephen's aim in life, which is to be an artist and experience life through his own eyes and soul. He will function by what he thinks is good and right and will no longer care about the twisted views of others. The new secondhand clothes can be seen as a symbol of his rebirth. To him his life is new. It is there for him to structure and form into what he wants it to be, yet it is really secondhand, since he has already used part of his life and when he devoted himself to function under the rulings of others. He is now going to strive to be an artist who functions under his own individual voice to help the unconscious people in his race create their own voices. Stephen has finally found the importance of being an individual and finding one's inner voice. He has chosen to follow his heart and create for those around him the true meaning of life. The last sentence in this quote just seems so powerful when you read it especially because of the word forge. Forge makes it seem as though it will be hard to do what he is about to take part in. The connotation of the word forge brings to mind the image of a hot room, with a furnace and bright red light, where a person is bent over, hard at work making some type of artwork. So for Stephen, turning his experience into a conscience 'work of art' for everyone to really look at, admire, and except is going to be a difficult task. But Stephen has finally learned how to spread his wings, to be true to himself, and he is about to take flight for the first time, experiencing the freedom and knowledge that comes along with it.

SYMBOL:

Flight is a very important symbol in Joyce's Portrait. It is embedded within the story, even into the character himself, as his last name, Dedalus, is a parallel to a character in Greek mythology who tries to escape imprisonment by making wings for himself and his son and attempting to fly to safety. Throughout the book, Stephen is set on leaving Ireland, yet he must wait so that he does not overestimate his own abilities (his abilities being both living on his own and his intellectual ability). While Stephen grows and becomes intellectually stable, he spends his time at the university where he develops his theories both on aesthetics and on flight. He realizes his passion in writing and buys his time at the university, sharpening his speaking and writing skills as he prepares to flee Ireland. In the last section, chapter 5, birds appear yet again to Stephen, but this time they stay for a longer amount of time in his stream of consciousness and he is able to see them clearly. For Stephen, this is his signal to leave Ireland. He is now fully formed as an artist and writer and cannot express his full potential if he is to stay in Ireland, and so, like the birds, he takes flight. With flight comes the freedom of choice, of speech, and of action, everything that Stephen wanted. Flying is the picture of freedom, and so is one of the most important symbols in the novel.

OPINION:

This was one of my least favorite books that we have read all year. I found it very difficult to read on my own, as I was continually unable to decipher the events and happenings on my own. This is not one of the books that I would pick out to read on my own, for I believe that there was too much background knowledge needed in order to understand what was going on. Without the discussions in class, I would have been lost. The stream of consciousness that the book was written in also made it difficult for me to grasp what was going on, especially towards the end. I found that I had missed so much in my reading of the passages that I was dumbfounded when we went over them in class and discussed what actually happened in that nights reading. This is defiantly not a book that I would bring to read on the beach.

#238- Riddle, William Heyen

William Heyen's poem, Riddle, is a very hard hitting poem that focuses on the Holocaust and the various people who took part in it. Through this poem it becomes obvious that the Holocaust is not the fault of one person, but of many. I thought that there was a great realization in this poem; many people blame one person for the Holocaust, yet many people took part in it and carried out his wishes without a second thought. This can be seen in stanza five, "and some herded them in,/ and some dropped the pellets,/ and some spread the ashes,/ and some hosed the walls" (17-20). The Holocaust was not the result of one person's bidding, but of many people's blind following. In a way, the speaker is pointing his finger at everyone of us for the Holocaust because we just sat around and did nothing while these horrors continued to happen. While reading this poem, I realized that it really isn't a riddle who killed the Jews, we all did. We all contributed to the devastating events that occurred and this poem just shows that everyone is at fault. "And some planted the wheat,/ and some poured the steel,/ and some cleared the rails,/ and some raised the cattle." (21-24) even the people who grew the food and worked the rails were at fault because they supplied the Nazis with food and supplies.

The speaker of this poem is the poet himself. He is reflecting on the events of the Holocaust and how people blindly blame one individual for the death of many, even though many people were responsible. William Heyen lived during the Holocaust, which would point to his strong feelings and opinions towards this genocide and his knowledge of the people who took part in it. He speaks of the people he knew that were affected by it saying, "My friend Fritz Nova lost his father-/ a petty official had to choose./ My friend Lou Abrahms lost his brother. Who killed the Jews?" (9-12) This just goes to show that everyone was affected by the Holocaust and that even people who were close to you could be lost to it, no one was safe. The rhyme scheme of this poem is ABCB where only the second and fourth lines rhyme. This almost gives the poem a list-like form, this and this happened, and because of these things, that happened so who is responsible? The rhyme schemes show how action was connected to the preceding event, "David Nova swallowed gas,/ Hyman Abrahms was beaten and starved./ Some men signed their papers,/ and some stood guard."(13-16) this quote really shows how because of many events, this horrible thing was able to happen. There is no steady meter in this poem. The absence of meter shows how not one thing lead to the next, but how many happenings brought about the result. There is no one person to blame, and so there is not one meter to rely on.

One of the most obvious devices in this poem in repetition. Here the repetition emphasizes the fact that it was not one person's fault, it was not one person who killed the Jews. Repetition of "not I" (lines 5-8) shows that no one wanted to take the blame for the events that occurred, while the "and some" (17-24) shows how there were groups of people involved in every step of the genocide. Another device used in this poem is understatement. Many of the events are understated in the way that he described them. Heyen took out the grim and gorey details and left just the brief outline of what really happened. "dropped the pellets" (18), "spread the ashes" (19), and "smelled the smoke"(25) are all understatements of the horrors that one would have experienced in one of those camps. Understatement leaves the reader to imagine for themselves the details that occurred, it leaves room for the imagination.

#221- Vergissmeinnicht- Kieth Douglas

Vergissmeinnicht, 'forget me not' in German, is a poem on war. For this poem it is important for the reader to understand the background of the author. Keith Douglas served in North Africa during World War 2 and was killed in action during the invasion of Normandy in 1944 at the age of 24. Douglas's most famous and moving works were written during the war and were published after his death.

Knowing this, it becomes obvious that the Speaker of this poem is the poet himself. The speaker is reflecting on the horrors of war and the needless death and fighting that comes with it. The speaker even shows a form of compassion for a dead and decaying soldier. He sees the corpse as a person rather than a statistic of war. The fallen soldier is an enemy gunner, yet he still feels compassion for him and his beloved, "the dishonored picture of his girl/ who has put: Steffi. Vergissmeinnicht/ in a copybook gothic script."( 10-12). This compassion can also be seen in the last couplet, "And death who had the soldier singled/ has done the lover mortal hurt."(23-24). This couplet can also be seen as a paradox of war. The speaker also shows a persons mortality my mocking the mocking how people hide behind their equipment during war, expecting to be saved, "and mocked at by his own equipment/ that's hard and good when he's decayed."(15-16). The speaker realizes that we are fragile and mortal creatures, "[...] on his skin the swart flies move;/ the dust upon the paper eye/ and the burst stomach like a cave." (18-20), and that not even the most expensive equipment can save us from death. The speaker seems to give us a first hand account of the follies of war.

There is no stable rhyme scheme in this poem. The rhyme constantly changes, sometimes being ABBA, AAAA, or ABAB. This unstable rhyme scheme seems to mimic the randomness of war, and the changing conditions and situations. It represents the different feelings of the soldiers, the constantly changing war plays. Without a steady rhyme scheme poems can get messy, but this poem it able to stay neat and tidy with the help of syllabic verse. Each line has either 8 or 9 syllables which give it a rhythm without the help of a steady rhyme scheme. Many of the lines also are run-on lines, making it seem like his thoughts are rushing from one thing to the next without stopping. This makes the poem almost like a stream of consciousness, but without the confusing break-offs and references to prior events.

There are many devices used in this poem to convey the author's view and stance on war. Imagery is a big component of this poem and can bee seen throughout the whole work. The use of imagery gives the feeling of restless passion and misery that is haunting the speaker. For example, "nightmare ground" (2) shows the suffering of war, as does "the soldier sprawling in the sun."(4). Imagery allows the reader to enter the mind and scene of the speaker/poet and become one with the poem. Personification is also a prominent device used in this poem. "The frowning barrel of his gun"(5) and "and mocked at by his own equipment"(15) are two examples of the personification used in this poem. Personification allows the reader to further connect to the poem and helps one picture the situation being explained. Repetition of words in the same line is also a literary device that Douglas uses in this poem. The repetition of the words gone, found, and one can be seen in lines 1, 3, and 22. When reading these lines, the repetition reminds one of the sound of a machine gun spitting out bullets, the shot and the echo or the hit. From this, the sense of war is further reinforced onto the reader.

I thought that this poem tastefully represted the short comings and horrors brought about by war. It was not over descriptive on its accounts of the gore, yet it was able to get its point across. This is now one of my favorite poems. I found it to be so touching in a way that I cannot describe. My favorite line from this poem is " For here the lover and the killer are mingled/ who had one body and one heart." (21-22). I like this line because it really just shows how the killer is connected to the lover by the deceased man, and even though they were on different sides, they both had but one body and one heart to share with others on this earth.

Warning, by Jenny Joseph, poem #246

Let me start off by saying that this was one of my favorite poems. While reading it I could just picture a little old lady, running around and being rather mischievous, i thought it was hilarious. I think that this poem really shows how up-tight people today are. Stanza 3 really shows this saying "But now we must have clothes that keep us dry/ And pay our rent and not swear in the street/ And set a good example for the children./ We must have friends to dinner and read the papers." People today conform to the standards set before them, never straying in fear of being singled out and ridiculed. Yet in old age, people tend to care less of what people think of them. It is like the saying that as you get older, the more you resort to your childhood and the things that you missed out on. Elderly people are always seen as being able to get away with more things, being more free natured than ourselves, and being able to get away with it. I also like the line "But maybe I ought to practice a little now?/ So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised/ when suddenly I am old and start to wear purple." (20-22). Here the speaker is cutting away the defining line between the expected behavior of an adult and that of an elderly person. The speaker would like to live such a care free life, and jokingly states that she should start acting care free now, that way her friends are not surprised when she suddenly goes against everything that society has taught her, 'warning' (as the title says) the people around her of the person that she is going to become. I find that this poem is telling people to live a little. You only have one life to live, do not wait until the end to stop caring about the views of others, stop caring now, that way you can live a happier free life with a free spirit.

The speaker of this poem is very important. The speaker of the poem apparently is a woman, since she talks about the Red Hat Society. In this poem, she is almost mocking the need to stay in line and function by society's rules; mocking the need to set a good example for our children who are just going to become old people who don't function by the rules, for following the ways of others and conforming so that we do not stand out, for reading the paper about things that really are of no importance to ourselves but pretending to be interested anyway. This can be seen in stanza 3 (as printed above). The speaker shows the restrictions of conforming society by showing the free spirit that she will be able to have as an elderly person, "I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired/ And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells/ And run my stick along the public railings/ and make up for the sobriety of my youth. / I shall go out in my slippers in the rain/ And pick the flowers from other people's gardens/ And learn to spit."(5-11). The speaker is telling the story of all people's lives, showing in how our early years we must conform to society's standards so as not to stand out from the norm, yet in old age, we are done with society. We no longer care what other people think of us and we do things soully on how we want to do them. I think the speaker is sending the message to all of the readers that life is too short for us to conform, we must stand out and live a little, and forget how other perceive us and our actions.

The rhyme and meter are also important in this poem, mostly because there aren't any. The lack of a rhyme scheme shows the freedom of speech, thought, and action that all people have. It shows that freedom that we all have, and shows that we are allowed to use it. There is also a lack of meter in this poem, since this poem is a free verse. This also shows the freedom that is ours to take advantage of. Each line is a stopped line, where the end of each line is like a natural speech pause. This form of writing makes it feel as though the speaker is talking to the reader. The rhyme and meter both go to show the importance of the freedom of speech, thought, and action that we all have. It is there for all of us, it is just our choice whether to take advantage of it or not.

This poem can come under the title of a satire. This is because the speaker is conforming to the expected way of life because she feels as though it is her duty, yet she hopes for and preaches about the day when she will be able to do was she pleases. She ridicules the ways of life that most people religiously follow because she wants people to step away from this way of life. Her situation could also be seen as ironic because she is preaching about leading the life you want and being free, yet she is still conforming to the laws that she is ridiculing. while this may be the case, it is obvious that a satire seems to describe this poem rather well. Another device used in this poem is tone. The tone in this poem is one of longing . Longing for the day when everything can be different, when one can do as they pleased without facing the consequences. She longs for the day when she will be able to act as she wishes and do as she pleases. The sense of longing seems to show the reader how important it is for us to be ourselves in every situation and to always be true to ourselves rather then conform to what society would like us to be. Without this sense of longing, this poem would not show people how important it is to stay true to ourselves.

To An Athlete Dying Young, A.E. Housman - poem # 249

To an Athlete Dying Young, by A. E. Housman, gives the reader an alternate view of death. Rather than death in youth being a sad and mournful time, the speaker sees it as an escape from seeing your life's work forgotten and faded. The speaker of this poem takes the form of one of the deceased's friends. This can be seen from the line, "shoulder-high, we bring you home" (6) because in a funeral, it is custom for the deceased's closest friends to carry the casket. The speaker plays an ironic part in this poem, seeing life ended early as a great and lucky thing. The speaker views an early death as an escape from seeing his accomplishments forgotten and faded. The line "And early though the laurel grows/ It whithers quicker than the rose."(11-12) is a clear description of the speakers view. A laurel is an evergreen tree that is the emblem of victory, distinction, and accomplishments. Knowing this, it becomes obvious that the speaker is saying that accomplishments happen early in life and because of this, it is better to die in the glory of youth then to rest too long on one's laurels only to see them fade, beaten out, and forgotten. To the speaker, being forgotten is the worst thing that can happen to man saying, "Now you will not swell the rout/ Of lads that wore their honors out,/ Runners whom renown outran/ And the name died before the man." (17-20). The speaker is clearly envious of the deceased, and one gets the feeling that he is reflecting on his own life in this poem, on his accomplishments and how they were overshadowed by the accomplishments of others. The speaker wishes that he could have died in his prime so that he did not have to feel the pain of becoming another nameless forgotten blob in a sea of nameless blobs.

The rhyme and meter are also very important in this poem. The rhyme scheme is in AA BB format, producing a then and now feel. This is how it once was, and now this is how it is and how it will be. The meter is also important. Each line has eight syllables and when reading this poem, it seems to set a pace, much like the footsteps of a runner. This is important not only because the poem is about the life and death of a runner, but because it also shows the pace of life and life after death. It shows that life still goes on, and that life does not stop because of a death. In fact, life can erase any evidence of a deceased person's life.

There are two prominent literary devices used in this poem, personification and apostrophe. Personification can be seen in the lines "Eyes the shady night has shut" (13) and "After earth as stopped the ears" (16). Night cannot shut, and earth obviously cannot stop one's ears, it has no hands. Yet in this poem these two lines provide the reader with the feeling that death is a natural and peaceful bliss for this man, protecting him from seeing his glory fade and his fame forgotten. Apostrophe can be seen in the opening stanza "The time you won your town the race/ We chaired you through the market-place;/ Man and boy stood cheering by,/ And home we brought you shoulder-high." The speaker here is speaking to the runner as if he is still alive. By speaking in this manner throughout the poem, it feels as if he is reminiscing on the young man's life, and then reassuring him that dying young is better then dying after one's prime. This brings the reader into the poem, and makes them feel a connection to both the speaker and the young man.

When i first read this poem, I literally got tears in my eyes. I found it to be such a sad, yet beautiful poem, focusing on the life and death of a beloved athlete. I think this is why it caught my attention. But then, upon further inspection i realized that it is about one man's jealousy over the death of another, which I thought to be a bit strange. People usually want to live long happy lives, not short ones where they are cut down in their prime. Yet in a way it made sense, who wants to live to see all their records smashed and their name forgotten? No one. From the line "Smart lad, to slip bedtimes away" (9) I got the sense that the speaker was reflecting also on his own life, and how he has lived to see his fame tarnished. He views the athlete as smart because he died before he was able to feel the pain of his hard work gone to waist. Even though I may not agree with the speaker and his view of death, I still find this poem to be extremely touching and well written, a reflection on the glory of life, and the 'luxury' (as the speaker would call it) of eternal slumber.