Stranger: #3

“The trigger gave; I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there, in that noise, sharp and deafening at the same time, is where it all started. I shook off the sweat and sun. I knew that I had shattered the harmony of the day, the exceptional silence of a beach where I’d been happy. Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a trace. And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness” (59).

            Now that we have background information on Mersault, this passage essentially makes more sense. It is clear that Mersault is a man of few words. He even tells the judge this after he is arrested. If Mersault does not know how to answer a question or does not know how to respond to someone, he simply does not say anything. Because of this, he comes off as cold and heartless. Mersault does not cry at his mother’s funeral, he does not show emotion when his girlfriend proposes marriage, and he does not show remorse when he kills a man. Mersault is a man of few emotions, and this is seen in the passage above. The fact that he pauses in between the first bullet and the next four puzzles the judge. Mersault is smart; therefore, he knew that the man was dead after the first shot, so what triggered him to shoot four more bullets? Was it his lack of emotions and remorse, or was it something else? Before the murder he says, “it occurred to me that all I had to do was turn around and that would be the end of it” (58) and after it he says “and it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness” (59). Clearly, Mersault knew that what he was doing was wrong and it would forever alter his life. There is something inside Mersault that makes him put up a wall of disinterest and detachment. It is almost as if he floats through life like a ghost because nothing significantly impacts him. He feels nothing; he just breathes.

Poetry Outline: Chapter 11

Thesis: Maya Angelou utilizes different rhyme schemes in Woman Work to express her frustration with the role of women in society.

            Maya Angelou takes on most of the responsibilities of doing work in her house. Throughout the first stanza, the first and second line rhyme, the third and fourth line rhyme, etc. The poem begins with “I’ve got the children to tend/ The clothes to mend” (1-2). This type of rhyme scheme lends itself to the flow of the poem. The last word of a line rhymes with the last word of the next line, connecting those two ideas. The continuous feel that the rhyming brings mirrors Angelou’s feelings that her responsibilities are never ending. There is a shift in tone at line 15 which is made evident by a shift in rhyme scheme. In the last four stanzas, the last word in the second line and the last word in the fourth line rhyme. The tone shifts from agonizing about her work load to Angelou pleading to nature to let her rest. Her earnest cry not only demonstrates her love and appreciation for nature’s beauty and influence, but it also demonstrates the impact of her workload on her body and mind: “Fall gently, snowflakes/ Cover me with white/ Cold icy kisses and/ Let me rest tonight” (23-26). Angelou finds relaxation and comfort from tiring and strenuous days within nature. In the first stanza, the rhyme scheme adds to the upset and tired Angelou who never stops working and caring for her family. The rhyme scheme of the second half of the poem seems to slow down the speed of the poem, as a testament to nature’s peacefulness.

Stranger: #1

            From the little information that is given so far in The Stranger, I would argue that, at the moment, Mersault is not abiding by the absurd philosophy. The absurd philosophy says that the efforts of humanity to find inherent meaning will ultimately fail and are absurd. Mersault is doing the complete opposite of this. He is not searching for meaning in his life. In fact, it is more as if he does not care at all. This is similar to Winston in the beginning of 1984. Neither Mersault nor Winston see the value in their own lives; therefore, they live a life that lacks emotion and personal connections. When Marie asks him if he loves her, he responds with, “I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so” (35). She later proposes to him and he replies, “I explained to her that it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married” (41). Marie proposes to him and Mersault brushes it off as if it were a usual comment. His distant and detached demeanor point to his lack of emotion and lack of curiosity for life. Raymond then talks to Mersault about the cop incident, which Mersault responds with, “I said I wasn’t expecting anything” (37) and “It didn’t matter to me” (37). Once again Mersault does not find an interest in any aspect of life. He does not wish to delve deeper into an issue or even skim the surface of emotion. Perhaps Mersault is depressed by his mother’s death and will later realize that death is inevitable. This recognition of fate could turn Mersault into an absurd hero because he would finally realize that there is no meaning to life; therefore, he can cheat the system that decides his fate.

Poetry Outline: Chapter 10

Thesis: Through the nostalgic and longing tone of Dover Beach, Matthew Arnold conveys the speaker’s grief over the decline of religious faith in his country.

            The speaker in Dover Beach reflects on the religious faith in France during his time. The sea off the French coast represents the “Sea of Faith” (21). The speaker describes the sea off the French coast as “glimmering,” “vast,” and “tranquil ” (5). The sea is beautiful and sweet, until one pays more attention to the tide. The coming and going of the tide “bring[s]/ The eternal note of sadness in” (13-14). Although so beautiful and attractive, the sea transports the imminent decline of faith of the French people. The speaker reflects on the fact that there once was an abundance of faith in God, but that faith somehow has washed away, just as the tide rolls back into the sea. The speaker longs to see the faith renewed, as he now only hears the sea’s “melancholy, long, withdrawing roar” (25). The last stanza of the poem digs deep into the speaker’s longing with, “Ah, love, let us be true/ To one another! for the world, which seems/ To lie before us like a land of dreams” (29-31). The nostalgic tone of Dover Beach complies with the speaker’s yearning for restored faith that is met with his pessimistic and confused view of the future.

PODG: #7

Evil is a characteristic that someone must consciously and intentionally attempt to become. There is no such thing as being born evil or inheriting the trait. I fully believe that if desired, someone will deliberately sin to achieve their goal. A sin is an act of crime or wrongdoing of the moral compass. A sin to one individual may be a thousand times worse than to another individual. It all depends on one’s own morals and beliefs. Therefore, Dorian Gray commits sins that eventually turn him evil. Wilde addresses the topic of sins with a scientific definition: “There are moments, psychologists tell us, when the passion for sin, or for what the world calls sin, so dominates a nature, that every fibre of the body, as every cell of the brain, seems to be instinct with fearful impulses. Men and women at such moments lose the freedom of their will. They move to their terrible end as automatons move” (139). Dorian started his corrupt life style upon meeting Lord Henry. Lord Henry expressed to Dorian many philosophical meanings of life, which then intrigued Dorian to evaluate his own life more cautiously. If Dorian had only continued on living his life in a naïve and juvenile manner, the possibilities of life would not have caused him to sin. Dorian’s first sin was his treatment of Sibyl Vane, with his tragic downfall following this cruel display of emotion. Dorian then progressed to a life full of sin, culminating in the worst sin of all: murder. The murder of Basil Hallward was Dorian’s final sin to push him towards evil. There is no turning back now for Dorian; he will forever be characterized as evil, combining every sin he has ever committed.

PODG: #6

            Oscar Wilde alters the path of his main character in these chapters. Throughout the novel Dorian is portrayed as a young, innocent, boy who, although he has recently become corrupt, is always seen as some hero. In these chapters Dorian can no longer play the naïve little boy he once was. He is a murderer and will do anything to avoid getting caught. However, Wilde does attempt to portray Dorian as sympathetic one last time: “Suddenly he remarked that every face that he drew seemed to have fantastic likeness to Basil Hallward” (Wilde 119). Guilt creeps into Dorian just as it did after hearing of Sibyl Vane’s death. These feelings of accountability force the reader to sympathize for Dorian, as one has from the beginning of the book, until one realizes that Dorian is a murderer. His guilty conscience is also evident as he waits for Alan Campbell: “The suspense became unbearable. Time seemed to him to be crawling with feet of lead” (Wilde 122). This scene alters the tone for the rest of the novel, from a lighthearted, youthful story to a dark, ominous disintegration of innocence.