Final Project

Link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php

A Facebook for Emily
Many people might question my group’s decision to create a facebook based on a piece of literature. Some could even right it off as taking the easy way out, or view it as not being very creative. In truth, the easiness factor came up in the first group discussion. But it wasn’t easiness in the context of work or thought, it was the easiest way to create a project that everyone could access and work on at their own convenience.
Once we chose facebook as the proverbial canvass for our project we needed a subject. We tried to think of the more interesting characters we encountered over the quarter. Personally, I was leaning towards The Cask of Amontillado, but we weren’t sure how to convey the events in that story. We eventually came to the conclusion that Emily Grierson was an interesting character and that the storyline of A Rose for Emily could be conveyed through her status updates.
It wound up being more meticulous than we had originally imagined. We decided to create the profile together in one group meeting and then change her status and respond to her according to the events that transpire in the story. As we began to fill out her information we had to really study the text for details about her life. We had to figure out her hobbies and activities, what kind of movies she would like and her employment history. Some of these we extracted from the text. For example, we realized that china painting was the only work that she did over the course of her life, a detail that I would not remember unless I had done this project.
When it came to other details that weren’t provided in the text we had to get a little more creative. So we based decisions like what her favorite movies, music and activities were on her characterization. For example, we feel that a modern teenage Emily Grierson would be a shy, insecure, “emo” girl trying to rebel against her father. She smokes pot, because it’s an escape and she can do it alone. She likes romantic comedies, and family shows because she is lonely. She watches other movies, like Borat, to seem “cool”. Her choices in music definitely mask her identity. She likes to listen to laid back bands like Bob Marley, Snoop Dogg, and Sublime when she smokes. But the emo rock and “gangsta rap” are things to make her look “cool” and “hardcore” to her peers. Her ridiculous “About Me” paragraph also reflects this insecure, superficial attitude. Basically, we felt that in modern day terms, Emily would be something of a “poser”.
Emily’s loneliness is also the reason that we decided that she would accept any friend requests, even from totally random people. This lead to an incident in which we encountered some disturbing material on a stranger’s profile, and shows that like other insecure teens, Emily would be susceptible to internet predators.
We also thought that Emily would want to seem rough on the exterior because she is rather intimidating in the story. For example, she vanquished a group of men who were authority figures in her city from her house and refused to pay taxes! Clearly, this person has a chip on her shoulder.
Our biggest challenge was definitely trying to decide what order her updates should go in. This area of the project truly brought out the issue of time in the story. Faulkner manipulates time significantly, but I didn’t notice this very much when I first read the story. We observed that it is hardest to distinguish when Emily actually began her relationship with Homer, and when she bought the poison. These were key parts of the plot, but not knowing when she had the poison leads us to the assumption that she poisoned Homer, but there is no hard evidence in the text to support this.
Overall, this project was interesting and helped me to glean many more small details from a text than usual.

Why Antigone?

It is easy to judge someone by their actions, but much more logical to analyze the motivation behind certain actions. Otherwise it is like treating the symptoms of a disease rather than what's causing the symptoms. Only by discovering the cause of something can you fully understand the effect. However, it is rather difficult to apply this philosophy to Sophocles' "Antigone." The play follows a young woman determined to give her brother a honorable Greek burial, despite the fact that the emperor has forbade the city to do so. Her actions are daring and carry great consequences. So the question is, why does she choose this for herself?

The text may be interpreted to support several theories, but two stand out for me personally. The first is that Antigone is arrogant and jaded by her families history. The second is the contradictory view that she deeply loves her brother and wishes to retain her family's dignity.

The first theory was inspired by the first scene of the play in which Antigone reveals her plan to bury her brother to her sister, Ismene. Antigone is passionate about accomplishing the deed and asks her sister to help her. Ismene responds "You are so headstrong" and proceeds to remind Antigone of the family's twisted past. She fears crossing the emperor Creon. Her sister's reaction suggests that Antigone is overreacting, as it's clear that their family does not have a good name to salvage, and that Antigone is really just trying to spite everyone.

The second theory stems from line 81-84 where Antigone says "Be as you choose to be; but for myself I myself will bury him. It will be good to die, so doing. I shall lie by his side, loving him as he loved me". These lines convey a deep love for her brother and willingness to sacrifice herself for his honor.

While each of these ideas were derived from my first responses and interpretations of the text, I feel as though the second one is more valid, as it comes from Antigone herself. Her direct words are more compelling than her sister's views of her actions. Therefore I feel that Antigone is driven by sincere love for her family rather than more sinister motivations.

Bartleby's Facebook

What would Bartleby the Scrivener's Facebook be like? To begin, let's think about appearance. A man that depressed would not have a picture of himself online. That would attract attention and could even allow him to be recognized and have company. Also due to his hermitage, he would not have any friends-to start with anyways. His page would be very plain indeed, except for, and this is leading into content, the various groups that he joins. I think this is what would lead him to find like minded people and possibly gain a few friends. Anyways, here is the archive of what his status update would read on his home page, but they will be listed from oldest to newest, whereas on the real facebook it would the other way around.

Bartleby joined the group "Wall Street Scriveners"

Bartleby is now friends with Turkey and Nippers.

Bartleby is tired after a long day of work.

Bartleby became a fan of Ginger Nuts.

Bartleby is now friends with Ginger Nut.

Batleby is sick of writing!

Bartleby would prefer not to.

Bartleby has removed Turkey and Nippers from his friends list.

Bartleby is annoyed at his boss.

Bartleby isn't going anywhere.

Bartleby joined the group "Jailbirds."

Bartleby isn't hungry, get off my back!

Bartleby joined the group "Down with Dead letters".

Batleby ignored friend requests from his boss.

Bartleby has been invited to the event "Dinner at my place" by Grub Man.

Bartleby will not be attending "Dinner at my place".

Bartleby is signing off.

Any searches for Bartleby will come up with no results, he terminated his facebook account shortly after his last post.

What's in a Name?

The title of Eugene O’Neill’s poem, Villanelle of Ye Young Poet’s First Villanelle to his Ladey and Ye Difficulties Thereof is an excellent indicator of the piece’s actual meaning. Some who read this title and the poem take each at face value. It is easy to conclude that it really is just a poem written nearly in villanelle form as an expression of the author’s love for his significant other. However, this is not entirely the case. If any truth dwells within the tired cliché “Do not judge book by its cover”, then O’Neill’s work serves as a contradiction. The guideline should read; “Carefully analyze this poem according to its title”. What makes this piece so ingenious is that while the author is saying one thing, he does another. On the surface he is humbly writing a poem for his love, Rosabelle. Beneath this facade O’Neill makes fun of the villanelle form and conveys his brilliance as a writer. The juxtaposition of romance to satire, along with humility to conceit makes the piece hilarious.

As previously stated, the title is a great introduction as it perfectly represents both the obvious idea in the poem and the inside joke. The writer uses old English, although the rest of the poem is in contemporary language. This choice, along with the ridiculous length, conveys a satirical tone. Also note that the word villanelle appears twice. This is indicative that one of the poem’s subjects is villanelle poetry, not just dear Rosabelle.

There are many more opportunities to understand this poem even if one accidentally takes the title seriously. For example, the two repetitive rhyming lines are “I try to write this villanelle” and “To sing the charms of Rosabelle”. Repeating the third and sixth lines is a critical characteristic of the villanelle form, and the author chooses for them to be about his affections for Rosabelle and that he is writing a villanelle. This makes it clear that Rosabelle is not the only subject, or even the most important subject.

If that isn’t enough to establish the relevance of villanelles in the poem then consider that they also appear in every stanza up to the last line. Even though O’Neill selects dramatic phrases to describe his love for Rosabelle, such as pouring his “soul out at her feet, (line 2)” he pairs theses thoughts with lamentations about the difficulty of composing a villanelle. For example, line 8 states “My love—Alas, my muse is weak!” This sentence contradicts itself, as it is clear that he is very inspired and the piece is anything but weak-it is obviously very well composed. It is especially ironic because he uses the word “muse,” a reference to ancient mythology which conveys a very sophisticated intellect. Another example can be found in line 14 “On paper I would fair repeat”. In the line before this the author describes his feelings for Rosabelle, so it appears as though he is saying that he would repeat his expression of love on paper. Yet the topic of villanelle poetry is so pervasive that this line is also a criticism of the form and the repetition that it requires. It is also funny because at this point the writer has already repeated “To sing the charms of Rosabelle”, which further proves that he is poking fun at the form.

Careful analysis of the last stanza yields even more evidence that this poem is really a spoof. Up to this point the writer has consistently spoken only of his love and how hard it is to write a villanelle. Finally he blatantly gives up in line 16 where he says: “My effort fruitless is. O H—l!” Then in line 17: “I’ll tell her all when next we meet.” Lines 16 and 17 contain the volta, or shift in the piece because within them the ideas about writing a villanelle for Rosabelle change to giving up and just using words to tell her. This is also the poem’s most humorous point because everything before has built up to it. Between the young poet’s passion and the lamentations on writing a villanelle the reader never expects him to quit and throw his pen down.

There is even a touch of comedy in the final lines, which read: “To sing the charms of Rosabelle, (18) I tried to write this villanelle (19).” O’Neill actually breaks the form by saying “tried” rather than “try”. It is funny because he has written a perfect villanelle until the time he gives up, despite his complaints of how challenging it is. A simple change in one word has morphed the perfect villanelle into a meta-villanelle, and creates a self-fulfilling prophesy.

This also reveals that his intentions were deliberate because it is so apparent that there was never anything wrong with this poem. Overall, the greatest joke in this piece is the speakers self deprecation. Through bemoaning writing villanelles he not only constructs an excellent example of one, but then proves his mastery by blemishing it for comedies sake. This also adds another layer to the work because as the speaker parades himself as a mediocre writer O’Neill elaborately displays his skill.

While Villanelle of Ye Young Poet’s First Villanelle is funny and lighthearted it also contains a serious message to consider. The simple trick illustrates that we must not only look at what something is saying, but more importantly what it is doing. In a time where many members of society use scams for material gain and advertisements permeate everything we must use careful analysis before placing trust in something. O’Neill makes it clear how easy it is to wear a mask and distract people on the surface level while doing more below, and this is just in a poem. Always remember to consider titles carefully and look beyond the surface.

What's In a Name, 1st draft

The title of Eugene O’Neill’s poem, Villanelle of Ye Young Poet’s First Villanelle to his Ladey and Ye Difficulties Thereof is an excellent indicator of the piece’s actual meaning. Some who read this title and the poem take each at face value. It is easy to conclude that it really is just a poem written nearly in villanelle form as an expression of the author’s love for his significant other. However, this is not entirely the case. If any truth dwells within the tired cliché “Do not judge book by its cover”, then the same idea is applicable in poetry. The guideline should read; “Do not judge a poem by its title”.

What makes the piece so ingenious is that while the author is saying one thing, he does another. On the surface he is humbly writing a poem for his love, Rosabelle. Beneath this facade O’Neill makes fun of the villanelle form and conveys his brilliance as a writer. The juxtaposition of romance to satire, along with humility to conceit makes the piece hilarious.

As previously stated, the title perfectly represents both the obvious idea in the poem and the inside joke. The writer uses old English, although the rest of the poem is in contemporary language. This choice, along with the ridiculous length, conveys a satirical tone. Also note that the word villanelle appears twice. This is indicative that the poem’s actual subject is villanelle poetry, rather than dear Rosabelle.

There are many more opportunities to understand this poem even if one accidentally takes the title seriously. For example, the two repetitive rhyming lines are “I try to write this villanelle” and “To sing the charms of Rosabelle”. Repeating the third and sixth lines is a critical characteristic of the villanelle form, and the author chooses for them to be about both Rosabelle and that he is writing a villanelle. This makes is clear that Rosabelle is not the only subject, or even the most important subject.

Next consider that while O’Neill selects dramatic phrases to describe his love for Rosabelle, such as pouring his “soul out at her feet, (line 2)” he also constantly laments the difficulty of composing a villanelle. For example, line 8 states “My love—Alas, my muse is weak!” This sentence contradicts itself, as it is clear that he is very inspired and the piece is anything but weak-it is obviously very well composed. Another example can be found in line 14 “On paper I would fair repeat”. In the line before this the author describes his feelings for Rosabelle, so it appears as though he is saying that he would repeat his expression of love on paper. Yet the topic of villanelle poetry is so pervasive that this line is also a criticism of the form and the repetition that is required. It is also funny because at this point the writer has already repeated “To sing the charms of Rosabelle”, which further proves that he is poking fun at poetry.

Careful analysis of the last stanza yields even more evidence that this poem is really a spoof. Up to this point the writer has consistently spoken of his love and how hard it is to write a villanelle. Finally he blatantly gives up in line 16 where he says: “My effort fruitless is. O H—l!” Then in line 17: “I’ll tell her all when next we meet.” Lines 16 and 17 contain the volta, or shift in the piece because within them the ideas about writing a villanelle for Rosabelle change to giving up and just using words to tell her. This is also the poem’s most humorous point because everything before has built up to it. Between the young poet’s passion and the lamentations on writing a villanelle the reader never expects him to quit and throw his pen down.

There is even a touch of comedy in the final lines, which read: “To sing the charms of Rosabelle, (18) I tried to write this villanelle (19).” O’Neill actually breaks the form by saying “tried” rather than “try”. It is funny because he has written a perfect villanelle until the time he gives up, despite his complaints of how challenging it is. A simple change in one word has morphed the perfect villanelle into a meta-villanelle, and creates a self-fulfilling prophesy.

This also reveals that his intentions were deliberate because it is so apparent that there was never anything wrong with this poem. Overall, the greatest joke in this piece is the authors self deprecation. Through bemoaning writing villanelles he not only constructs an excellent example of one, but then proves his mastery by blemishing it for comedies sake. This also adds another layer to the work because as the speaker parades himself as a mediocre writer O’Neill elaborately displays his skill.

While Villanelle of Ye Young Poet’s First Villanelle is funny and lighthearted it also contains a serious message to consider. It illustrates that we must not only look at what something is saying, but more importantly what it is doing. In a time where many members of society use scams for material gain and advertisements permeate everything we must use careful analysis before placing trust in something. O’Neill makes it clear how easy it is to wear a mask and distract people on the surface level while doing more below. Before placing trust in something, we must ask ourselves: “Is this message straightforward? What is the motivation behind it?” There will always be wolves in sheep’s clothing… but don’t take my word for it.

¬

What Else Could it Be? (Response to Pound Poem)

"The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough."
-Ezra Pound, In a Station of the Metro

After a brief google search I have learned that this poem is widely known in the literary world. It has pervaded the majority of literary anthologies and is also at the heart of a debate. Many question its relevance, meaning, and most importantly whether or not it's even a poem. Of course it's a poem, what else could it be? It does much more than a sentance. It contains several elements of poetry as well. When did we begin defining literature by length anyways?

To begin, note the way the words easily fall from the lips. The two lines are almost musical. This sound comes from the assonance in "crowd" and "bough", creating near rhyme. This is poetic in itself.

Pound amazingly does so much with so few words. Its important to remember that the title gives perspective to the poem as well as clarity to the metaphor. As I read, I imagine being at a bustleing train station. All around a sea of people rushes by. But as I look, I notice individual faces emerge, or rather, bloom into life. They are unique and beautiful, like flowers, and come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. The descripion of the "wet, black bough" gives the impression of a rainy, overcast day. The imagery not only blends two completely different scenes but makes them harmonize each other. There are so many poems of great length that fail to leave this strong of an impression.

Therefore my response to the nay-sayers is do you look for quality in literaure, or quantity? Like the faces in the crowd, it is important to see the finer details instead of judging the whole.

Thoughts on Casabianca

What is so striking about this poem is its simplicity. Hemans mostly focuses on the images of the burning deck and the young boy. Each image remains consistent; the ship continues to burn and the boy remains steadfast. The fact that one of these characteristics must change in order to give the poem a happy ending is what makes it so thrilling and powerful.



The relationship between these two images and the ending reveal much about the poems' meaning. The constant reminder that the young boy is standing alone on the burning ship makes his loyalty all the more endearing. Hemans also uses varied diction to describe the same scene which prevents the reader from becoming numb to what's happening. For example, in the first line Casabianca is referred to as "the boy", in line 8 he becomes "A proud, though childlike form", and finally the last line employs metonymy go make him a "young faithful heart". Each new word choice emphasizes the character's youth and valiance, especially when juxtaposed to the description of the fire, which grows more terrible throughout the piece.



This brings me to the interpretation that Hemans' point is that Casiabianca's sacrifice was so beautiful because of his youth. Although he was surrounded by dead crew member and flames the boy refuses to leave without his father's permission. His courage is also emphasized by the second line, "Whence all but he had fled". All in all, the piece is compelling and will not be easily forgotten.