"Harlem"

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                   Dreams are supposed to be ideal and pleasant hopes that one thinks of. However in "Harlem", Langston Hughes describes them with words such as “fester” and “dry”. This greatly contrasts the common view. Hughes writes that dreams fall away in Harlem and are no longer at the forefront of one’s mind. This poem  depicts the results of letting one’s dreams fall to the wayside.  Hughes suggests that they may be “Like a raisin in the sun” and “fester like a sore” (3-4) or “stink like rotten meat” and “crust and sugar over- / like a syrupy sweet” (6-8). His pairing of these images, which are quite different from how dreams are typically envisioned, contrast each other greatly. Juxtaposing dried with festering and rotten with sweet shows all the ways in which a dream can die. It provides a great deal of imagery in a variety of ways.  Dreams may shrivel up and fall to the wayside as raisins do, or they may become annoying and eat away at a person.  Dreams may slowly be spoiled by reality, and one may realize that they are no longer attainable. Perhaps, one’s hopes will turn into a sweet and distant memory.  Hughes ends the poem by asking, “Or does it explode” (11). I took this to mean that all the dreams will simply disappear. However, I enjoyed the idea that they may “explode” into some sort of revolution, such as the Harlem Renaissance. As these dreams get shoved into Harlem, they created a fantastic explosion of culture and expression.

Seven

     Danticat creates a superficial relationship between the two main characters. Each time the wife is described, she is described on a purely physical basis. The husband says she is "bigger than she had been when he left her" and that she "had obviously been to a professional hairdresser" (2086). If he truly cared about her, these would not be things he would focus on right away. After seven years apart, one might want to talk with the other person before judging their appearance. Danticat also notes that the word for love and like are the same in Creole. Therefore, the man must "embellish it with phrases" (2087). The fact that he feels the need to "embellish" his love for his wife is quite odd. He then says that he "babbled" and stopped talking to keep from "saying more insipid things" (2087). She should understand his love for her without this. The author's word choice makes it clear that these two do not have anything more than a physical connection. When they got married, the woman says she "disguised herself as the bride and he as the groom" (2091). The traditional joke was to be the other way around, but if this is how she feels about their marriage, then surely it is not a true one. They are merely playing a part.
     The use of the number 7 is quite prevalent in this story. The title and the opening paragraph both contain this number. As I was reading it, I began to think of what the significance of this number might be. Perhaps, the author was alluding to the seven deadly sins. These seven sins do not focus on anything other than the superficial. Greed, pride, gluttony, they are all material-based. Maybe Danticat uses this number to parallel the two. The characters' relationship is very much a physical one. The emotional connection is lacking. As with the seven deadly sins, it is all superficial.

"Picture Bride"

     The questions posed in this poem provide a great deal of imagery to it. The author, Cathy Song, explores the idea of immigration and "picture brides" through a series of unanswered questions.
She asks about the "wings of moths migrating out of the cane stalks" (32-33). This could be a parallel to her grandmother. She is immigrating to an unknown land. Song uses the image of a moth to symbolize the grandmother traveling to another land. The narrator also asks simple things to gain insight into her ancestor's life. She questions, "What things did my grandmother / take with her?" (22-23). This is something people today may not even think of. It seems so casual, but what the narrator's grandmother took with her would be quite informative. Was she close to her family? Did she have a lot of friends? All these things could be understood by a suitcase.
     The narrator also compares her grandmother's journey to her own life. She opens the piece by saying, "She was a year younger / than I" (1-2). By comparing where she is at twenty-three to where her grandmother was, she is able to see how different their lives are. This, perhaps, also determines what questions she poses. Today, it is hard to image leaving home forever to go marry a stranger that is miles away.
     I enjoyed the inquisitive nature of the poem. I think that many people often look to literature or the past for answers when there may be none. We may never know somethings, and that is okay. Maybe the answers are best left to the imagination.

"Diving into the Wreck"

      One thing that really stuck out to me as I read this poem was Rich's use of symbolism. This piece seems to be commentary on women in literature. Rich uses the ocean to represent uncharted territory of women in literature. She writes, " the sea is not a question of power / I have to learn alone" (40-41). Not many women braved the seas. In history, very few women were considered important enough to mention in cannons. Therefore, Rich, or the narrator, must navigate through the sea alone. Rich employs another symbol that depicts this as well. The use of the ladder, or the typical path for a woman to follow, solidifies her argument. The ladder is, "always there / hanging innocently. . . We know what it is for, / we who have used it / Ohterwise / it's a pieces of maritime floss" (12-19). Women can follow the traditional path, but some can abandon that for a different route. They can forgo the ladder and jump into the unknown.
     I had to read this poem a couple times before I really understood it. I think that she has a point. So many women writers were forgotten and left out simply because of their gender. I am not a hardcore feminist, but I do not think the quality of your writing should be based on something as trivial as gender. It is sad that a lot of great works may have been lost due to this. I commend those who are willing to take a chance and who have changed the view on women in literature.

Fences

“Some people build fences to keep people out . . .  and other people build fences to keep people in” (Wilson 1768). Troy Maxson builds fences to do both. In this play, Troy tries so hard to trap his family, namely his son Corey. His focus is to maintain control and create his version of an ideal life in those around him. However by doing this, he is merely isolating himself from everyone else.

Troy Maxson is stuck in the past. He is constantly discussing his success in the good ole days but refuses to see that he is no longer able to achieve such things. This leads him to project his goals onto Corey, which, by forcing him into this role, pushes him even further from his father. It is this mentality in Troy that also prevents him from connecting with Rose. He is not able to see her hurt and desire for freedom because he is too busy remembering how she once was-- what they once were. Troy attempts to force his family to conform to his beliefs and slowly fence them in. Bound by his routines, he allows no changes to be made. He worked, therefore his boys must work, and every Friday, he drinks with Bono. Troy restricts himself to tradition. All of this is his way of pushing forward—of, as he says, “cut[ting] it [the world] down to where I could handle it” (Wilson 1765).

The fence Troy builds not only keeps out his family and friends but his race as well. Every Friday as Bono and Troy sit on the porch conversing about life, Troy has something negative to say about the black community. He even insults Jackie Robinson, a hero, by saying, “Jackie Robinson was a nobody” (Wilson 1746). Troy talks himself up in such a way that he aligns himself with the whites. He also puts down his race by referring to everyone as “nigger”. This derogatory term would force the characters to be beneath him, again keeping him isolated. This is only further emphasized in Troy’s promotion. Lifting is beneath him, and he asks to be a driver, which he is not even qualified to do. However, he feels that if the white man can do it, he can too. After said promotion however, he feels lonely and even loses touch with Bono. Thus, another fence has been built. 

            The only way in which the characters can achieve freedom is in Troy’s death. Corey finally realizes that his father is a part of him, but he has the ability to break the cycle. As Gabe sings to heaven, the gates are opened, and Troy and his family are finally free from their confinement.

"The Story of an Hour"

I decided to go back and blog about "The Story of an Hour" because there were a lot of elements Chopin included in this short story that I enjoyed. The manner in which Chopin ended the story was fantastic; I love reading a story with an unexpected twist! I had read this story in another literature class, so sadly, the ending was no longer a surprise. This, however, did offer new insights. I think that, first and foremost, it made the story much sadder. Knowing that everything she was dreaming of would never be attained made me pity her. She was not able to enjoy the life she was given because of the societal rules that trapped her.  The reread also allowed me to focus on details I had not previously noticed. The fact that Mrs. Mallard is noticing the beauty in life through a window could suggest that she wouldn't be able to reach it. She would merely view the freedom and imagine the hope of a new life. The main character is also mainly referred to as Mrs. Mallard and not by her first name. She is still bound by her husband and identified as such.
Another characteristic of the story I admired was Chopin's ability to write so much in so little. This story is barely two pages, yet the impact of every word is evident. Because of its length, everything she includes -all the details about the market, the armchair, the sky- have a purpose. I think that too often writers (Hawthorne!!!) add mass amounts of unnecessary details to their stories, clouding the important ones.

The Hairy Ape

O’Neill uses his play “The Hairy Ape” to highlight the issues of the American social classes. He especially focuses on the poorer working class by juxtaposing this with Mildred from the American aristocracy. As she sits on deck staring up at the sky, she notes the clouds of smoke and calls them beautiful. Yank and the workers in the coal room see nothing but smoke and do not find it appealing. To them, it is toxic. Mildred’s ability to relax constantly is another contrast between her and the workers. O’Neill writes that the men “Cannot stand upright. This accentuates the natural stooping posture which shoveling coal and the resultant over-development of back and shoulder muscles have given them.” The upper class would not have this problem. Mildred even wears white to the coal room and is willing to pitch her dress.

One of the key aspects to portraying the social divide is played out in Scene II. Mildred tells her aunt how she wishes to “discover how the other half lives.” She then journeys to the coal room to watch the men work. It is this that embodies a monumental element to the plot and O’Neill’s theme. Mildred is viewing the men as if she is at a zoo and the men are the animals. She constantly expresses her desire to help bridge the social gap or at least help those less fortunate than herself; however, she contradicts this by treating them as people that are beneath her and are to be observed.

                By paralleling the workers, namely Yank, and apes, as well as incorporating binary opposition of the Mildred and the workers, O’Neill comments on class in America. He dehumanizes them. They are no longer people but animals or “Neanderthals”. Yank cannot think; he cannot speak. He, unlike Mildred, is uneducated. In the end, he is killed by the gorilla, which may symbolize some sort of redemption. Perhaps, he does not belong in the animal; therefore, elevating his previous state.