Blood Wedding Journal #3

Themes and Ideas

It seems to me that through Blood Wedding, Lorca is trying to express his belief that true love does not last. Even if it exists for a little while, eventually one of the people in the relationship will find someone else and move on to them. In the book, we see this idea clearly through Bride, Bridegroom, Leonardo, and Wife. Bride and Bridegroom are getting married, and Leonardo and Wife are already married; however, at her own wedding, Bride runs away with Leonardo because she still has feelings for him (as he still loves her). We see Leonardo's feelings for Bride when he says: "To keep still while we're on fire is the worst punishment we can inflict on ourselves. What good did it do me to have pride? - and not see you? - and leave you lying awake, night after night? No good at all!" (Lorca 47). In their action of running away, Bride and Leonardo break up two marriages, therefore causing Bridegroom and Wife to see that their ex lovers no longer love them. This theme is also confirmed through Lorca's own personal life that influenced the writing of this play. In 1928, Lorca became involved with Emilio Aladren, a young sculptor. A year later, Emilio left Lorca and became involved with a woman who he would eventually marry. This event caused Lorca to fall into a depression, and it makes sense that his personal life experiences would bleed into his writing, therefore portraying the same belief about temporary love that he went through himself.

Blood Wedding Journal #2

"What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out?" To what extent do you find this statement applicable in at least two plays you have studied?

This statement can only de determined true or false by looking at individual plays. In Ibsen's Wild Duck, the statement is not applicable. The play was written to involve more common aspects of life, rather than only high intenstiy scenes. Since Wild Duck is a work of drama, this statement does not hold true to it. Ibsen wrote this play during a period of time when plays were moving from romanticism to modernism, and in modernism, it was more common for the "tragic hero" to be low or middle class. Therefore, a lot of the moments in Ibsen's book just revolve around dull, ordinary parts of life. For example, in Act 2, Gina and Hedvig dicuss the dull, simple matter of finances and budgeting:
"Gina: Do you remember how much we spent for the butter today?
Hedvig: It was one sixty five.
Gina: That's right. It's awful how much butter gets used in this house" (Ibsen 138).
This scene is just one of many that showcase the ordinary aspects of life represented ni Wild Duck, proving that drama can also be life with the dull bits left in.

However, in Lorca's Blood Wedding, the statement proves to be applicable for the most part. There are not a lot of very dull scenes portraying common parts of life. Instead, the play shows life without the dull parts. There always seems to be some action going on, or if not extreme action, then at least something that would not be classified as boring or ordinary. One scene in Act 2 that represents the truth of the statement (what is drama but life with the dull bits cut out) is when the families realize that Leonardo and Bride have run off together:
"Mother: What is it? Where is your daughter?
Wife: They ran away! They ran away! She and Leonardo! On the horse! They rode off in each other's arms, like a bolt of lightning!" (Lorca 76).
This scene proves the statement true because it is definitely not dull or ordinary. It is not a common thing for a bride to run away from her wedding with her ex-boyfriend, especially without telling anyone. This moment of intensity does in fact show that Lorca's kind of drama revoloves around portraying life with the dull bits cut out.

Blood Wedding Journal #1

"Visual action can be as important on the stage as speech." How far do you agree with this claim? Refer to two or three plays.

I agree with this claim. Visual action is not always as important as speech, but it can be as important sometimes. In Oedipus The King, visual action is not as important on the stage as speech. The dialogue is very detailed and expressive, and shows the reader exactly what the characters are feeling. In this case, visual action is not necessary to understand the exact meaning of the play - the audience easily picks up on it based off of dialogue alone. It is not extremely significant to know where the actors are on the stage, the props they use, or the gestures they make, because the dialogue alone tells the story. The only stage cues in the play are when someone enters or exits a scene. Here is an example of the expressive dialogue used by Sophocles in the play, when Oedipus is upset at Creon for "scheming against him".
"You - here? You have the gall
to show your face before the palace gates?
You, plotting to kill me, kill the king -
I see it all, the marauding thief himself
scheming to steal my crown and power!" (lines 594-598).
With this dialogue, Oedipus' anger is very obvious simply by the language he uses, and visual action is not essential to understand his feelings.

However, in Blood Wedding, visual action is as important as speech, if not more. This is because the dialogue Lorca writes in is very simple. He uses short, to-the-point words that create a huge sense of ambiguity in determining characters' true feelings and meanings of their conversations.
Here is an example of the dialogue in the play:
"Bridegroom: I'll come tomorrow.
Bride: At what time?
Bridegroom: At five.
Bride: I'll be waiting for you." (Lorca, 34-35).
In this case, it would be very helpful to have visual action to aid in understanding. It is extremely difficult to tell what the bride and her groom are thinking and feeling. It seems like there is no feeling involved in their brief exchange; however, if there was visual action to refer to, there might be a hint of something, such as a certain facial expression, a wink, a hug, etc. that would give the reader more of an idea about what is going on. When speech is so plain and emotionless, it is necessary to have visual action to pick up any sort of meaning.

Wild Duck Journal #5

"Although doubt is not a pleasant condition, certainty is an absurd one." In the light of this statement, explore the impressions of doubt and/or certainty conveyed in at least two works you have studied.

I understand this statement to mean that while people do not like to be in a position of doubt, a condition of certainty is an absurd idea because it is almost impossible to obtain exact certainty. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus gets upset with Tiresias when he will not tell him directly who the murderer of Laius is. He is uncomfortable not knowing the truth, and even when Tiresias tells him he does not want to hear it, Oedipus says: "What? You know and you won't tell?/ You're bent on betraying us, destroying Thebes?" (lines 376-377). After learning the truth, Oedipus is still not in a position of certainty, because he does not actually believe Tiresias when he says that Oedipus is the murderer of Laius and at fault for the plague. While he hated not knowing Tiresias' news, Oedipus is not content knowing the news either because he sees it to be untrue and is greatly offended by it. In this case, Sophocles shows us that it is better to be in the unpleasant condition of doubt than to try to obtain the impossible condition of certainty.

In Wild Duck, Hedvig finds herself in a position of doubt. She starts to pick up on tensions around the house and wants to know why her father does not want to see her anymore. Hedvig, like any typical person, does not like being in the dark about her situation, so she tries to replace her doubt with certainty. She asks Gregers about it, thinking that she can trust him to help her find the complete truth. However, like Oedipus, she soon realizes that certainty is indeed an unrealistic condition when Gregers avoids telling her the truth by saying: "That's something you mustn't ask until you're big and grown-up" (Ibsen, 196). Ibsen uses Hedvig to show that it is somewhat better to be stuck in a condition of unpleasant doubt than it is to be constantly disappointed by trying to reach certainty and realizing it is impossible.

Wild Duck Journal #4

Dear Diary,

How could Hedvig not be my own daughter?? I can't believe that Gina kept this big secret from me for fourteen years. I'm so upset with her! Gregers and I just discussed the ideal marriage, and he made me believe that me and Gina still had a chance to achieve it. I wonder if Gregers knew the whole time! What the worst part of this whole predicament is that Hedvig's real father, Old Werle, is going blind....so now I know for sure that poor Hedvig will too! I feel so sorry for her, especially since she doesn't know. But I can't even stand to look at her anymore, now that I know she does not belong to me. This whole house is corrupted. I have to get away frmo it all! Away from the poor girl, away from my deceitful wife, away from that stupid wild duck that came from the same old man who had an affair with my own wife. If it wasn't for Hedvig, I would have strangled that duck by now. So I must leave this house, this twisted, agonizing mess, before I do something completely crazy. I don't know where I'm going to go, or what I'm going to do there, but I know that I jsut can't stay here any longer. Perhaps I will go somewhere to finish my invention. Although, I'm only making it for the benefit of my family, and to pay off that awful old man of my debts. So I guess it's not even important anymore. Without my family and a need to complete my invention, I'm completely lost. I don't know what to do. Hopefully there is a solution to all this craziness...

- Hjalmar

Wild Duck Journal #3

A dramatist often creates a gap between what the audience knows and what the characters know. With reference to at least two plays, discuss how and to what effect dramatists have used this technique.

In Wild Duck, it seems that the characters know more information than the reader does, regarding their past and backgrounds especially. Ibsen has created a sense of ambiquity by purposefully leaving details out. For example, in Act 1, Ibsen shares little information about the scandal that Ekdal and Werle were involoved in. Hjalmar says when speaking to Gregers: "They were such very different circumstances I found myself in. But then everything else was so different, too. That immense, shattering misfortune for Father - the shame and scandal" (Ibsen 123). Here, Ibsen does not tell give away much about the scandal, leaving the reader to wonder what happened. By doing so, Ibsen forces the reader to make connections of their own to the context of the play and try to discover for themselves what the two men might be referring to. By using the characters to withhold information, Ibsen helps to build them up as characters as well. From this passage, we see Hjalmar's unwillingness to go into detail, which makes the reader wonder if he feels ashamed or embarrassed.
In Act 3 of Wild Duck, Ibsen once again uses Hjalmar to withhold information from the audience. This time the ambiguity appears when he is briefly telling Gregers about his invention, and Gregers asks: "And what does this invention consist of? What's its purpose?" (Ibsen 168). To this, Hjalmar answers: "Yes, Gregers, you musn't ask for details like that yet" (Ibsen 168). By not telling the reader (or Gregers) what his invention is, Hjalmar causes us to wonder what it is and why it is so important to his future. It seems that the other characters know what it is, like Hedvig and Gina, so that leaves the reader to wonder why the audience and Gregers cannot know. The one reason that I can think of for this is if it is an invention that Gregers will not like for some reason, or something that will hurt him or his father. but anyway, once again Ibsen has chosen to withhold certain information from the audience to inspire them to think of what it could possibly be.
Opposite to Wild Duck, in Oedipus The King, Sophocles gives the audience more knowledge about what's going on than the characters themselves. From the beginning of the play when Oedipus' prophecy is mentioned ("Revealed at last, brother and father both/ to the children he embraces, to his mother/ son and husband both - he sowed the loins/ his father sowed, he spilled his father's blood!" [Sopohocles 520-526] ), the reader can clearly see that Oedipus is the murderer of Laius, his father, and is the son of Jocasta, his wife. Since the reader goes on throughout the rest of the story knowing what the characters will soon discover, there is less suspense. Also, because the audience has been set up to know more than the characters, the technique of dramatic irony has been created. This dramatic irony makes the tragedy more enjoyable to the reader, because although they already know what is going to happen, they have to wait and see how the characters will react.

Wild Duck Journal #2

Stylistic Techniques: The use of symbolism

One of the techniques that I found in Act 2 of Wild Duck is symbolism. I think that Hedvig's wild duck acts as a symbol for who Gregers will become in the future. Before the duck was caught by Werle, it was content with its life in the wild. However, now that it has been away from nature for so long, the Ekdals assume that it is content where it is because it doesn't remember its old life anyway. Hjalmer says: "I think she's been in there so long, too, that she's forgotten her old wild life, and thats what it all comes down to" (Act 2). Like the duck, Gregers has left his old town and life to move back to the city. He is unsure of his future because he doesn't quite fit in the same way that he used to in the city, and he isn't exactly sure what his new job will be. It seems that he is not looking to permanently stay in the city. Through the symbol of the duck, Ibsen suggests that Gregers, given time, will completely adjust back to life in the city. Perhaps things will go right back to the way they were (regarding his family troubles), which is not the favorable outcome. But since the duck has been able to adjust to life out of the wild and forget his old life, I believe the same will happen to Gregers. After deciding to rent the Ekdal's spare room, Gina tries to dissaude him by telling him that it is small and nothing fancy. Gregers replies by saying: "One gets used to that soon enough. I'm hoping things will go for me the same as with the wild duck" (Act 2). It seems Gregers is already aware of and willing to accept his inevitable fate of returning to a monotonous old life.

Wild Duck Journal #1

Point of view/characters: From whose point of view is the story told? Does this change? How reliable is the narrative voice? How well does the reader get to know the characters? How credible are they? How are they presented? How does the writer persuade us to like/sympathize with some characters and dislike others?

In Wild Duck, the main narrator so far is Gregers. I know he is the narrator because he shows up fairly quickly at the beginning of the play, and is the character Ibsen focuses the most on at this point, as he follows Gregers' conversations with various people. The narrator hasn't changed yet, but at this point in the play (Act 1), it is hard to know if it will. I feel like Gregers is reliable. From his conversations, I do not get the impression that he is trying to hide anything, and in contrast to his father, during their conversation he is the one interested the most in talking about the truth. Although it is early in the play, we have gotten to know the characters fairly well, especially Gregers, Werle, Hjalmar, and Ekdal. Since Gregers is the narrator and therefore seems to be the protagonist, Ibsen has set him up to be liked by the reader. He wants to know the truth from his father about the forestry scandal, wants to take time to catch up with his childhood friend Hjalmer, and pities the poor condition that Ekdal is in. All of these are admirable qualities and present Gregers as a fine man. On the other hand, Werle was not set up to be liked by the readers. Ibsen uses the conversation between Werle and his son, Gregers, to emphasize Werle's bad qualities: his lack of guilt for going unpunished while his friend Ekdal suffered ("But the fact remains that he was convicted and I was acquited," Act 1, 131), his lack of sympathy for the poor old man's condition ("Seriously, what would you have me do for these people? When Ekdal was let out, he was a broken man, beyond any help" (Act 1, 131), and his open admittance of simply using his son ("In a relatinoship as close as ours, one can always be of use to the other" Act 1, 134). By highlighting these negative qualities in Werle, Ibsen convinces the reader to relate more to his son. Ibsen also causes us to sympathize with Ekdal, the old man, simply by his physicality and short appearance in this act. When he walks through the party dressed in dirty clothing looking extremely out of place, causing all of the guests to look down on him, the reader cannot help but feel at least a little sorry for him.

Oedipus Journal #4

"Not rounding off, but opening out." Comment upon the way the writers deal with the ending in relation to the whole.

In the end of Oedipus the King, Jocasta has committed suicide after finding out that Oedipus is her son, Oedipus has stuck brooches in his eyes to make himself blind as a punishment for never truly seeing what was in front of him, and Creon is apparently assuming the role of King of Thebes. The way Sophocles wrote this ending does not "round off" the play because it does not really tie up all the loose ends and satisfy the reader. Instead, it "opens out", meaning that it simple opens the door for many possibilities regarding what could happen next. For example, after reading the end of the play, the reader is left not knowing what will happen to Oedipus' children (will Oedipus' prophecy move down to them?), what kind of leader Creon will be, if anything will be done about the state's plague, and even what will happen to Oedipus if he lives the rest of his life in exile. By creating an ending such as this one in which questions remain unanswered, Sophocles has left the fate of the characters fairly open-ended, leaving the reader to interpret the possibilities for themselves. In a way, this kind of ending is unsatisfactory, because as a reader I would rather leave a book once all the loose ends have been tied up, not before things have been completed.

In The Crucible, Miller also creates an unsatisfying ending. Although Proctor has agreed to confess to witchcraft - a crime he did not commit - in order to save his life, he soon changes his mind and in turn gets hanged for his decision. While Proctor does this to save his honor, it is not what the reader wants to happen. It would have been preferable if Proctor had stayed alive, then the reader could have followed his actions and seen him possibly end the accusations and chaos around him. Instead, the reader leaves the story uncertain as to when the witchcraft trials will stop (or if they will stop at all), if Abigail and the other accusers will be revealed as frauds, and the state of the town and its people in the aftermath of the event. By creating an ending that does not "round off" but "opens out", Miller forces the reader to interpret for themselves what lies in the future for the characters of the story.

Oedipus Journal #3

Setting: This includes cultural as well as geographical and historical setting. What effect does the setting have on story, character, theme?

This tragedy is set in Thebes, a state in ancient Greece. Based on the historical aspect of ancient Greece, I will be discussing importance of setting in the story. As we learned, gods and religion were a huge part of Greek life. Everyday citizens and kings alike both looked to the gods for answers to the questions they had about life, prophecies on things to come, and guidance in difficult situations. In Oedipus The King, this setting involving the importance of gods creates the whole conflict developed so far. For example, if our city today was faced with a plague like the one Thebes suffers under, we would likely tighten up health and safety procedures to see where it started and to stop it from spreading. However, in Thebes, the citizens look to the gods for answers - specifically to answer the question of what (or who) is responsible for bringing this plague upon the city. When Oedipus does get an answer from the gods, it is not something that he wants to accept. This creates a separate conflict in the story, in the form of the struggle between man and the gods. As for affecting characters, the setting of ancient Greece creates specific gender roles for men and women. As was common in Greek life, the men in the story speak of themselves with important and in general they are held in higher esteem than the women are. However, as was also common in early Greek plays, there were few women in plays, but the ones present played important roles. We learned that Greek women were sometimes known for their hidden wisdom, and we see this stereotype filled through the role of Jocasta. When she is introduced in the play, she quickly establishes herself as very knowledgeable - she is able to tell Oedipus all about Laius' murder and the prophecy regarding it. However, she seems to hold back some information, leading the reader to believe that she knows more than she lets on. This connects back to the secret knowledge held by female characters in Greek dramas.

Oedipus Journal #2

A letter from Creon to Oedipus:

Dear Oedipus,

I'm writing to you as an attempt to persuade you to think about the current situation in a more sensible way. You have strongly accused me of being involved in an intricate plot to overthrow you from your position as king. Since Tiresias hinted that you are the one responsible for Laius' murder, and I was the one who sent for Tiresias, you seem to believe that I have created a conspiracy against you by framing you as his murderer. In your assumptions, you have concluded that I have created this scheme so that I may gain more power of my own. However, I ask that you stop pointing your finger at me and listen to the truth. Why would I desire more power than what I currently possess? You and I rule the land of Thebes with equal power, so why would I need to overthrow you at all? We rule with the same amount of authority, and I do not desire the full kingship simply because of the many extra duties there are to perform. Besides, the people of Thebes adore you as their ruler, and I do not have the ability to step into such a role. Oedipus, I am your friend, and I cannot fathom why you have so suddenly turned against me. If your problem is with Tiresias' vision, then take up your argument with him. Perhaps you heard him incorrectly and jumped to unfair accusations as a means of defending your honor. This scheme of mine exists solely in your mind, and it is an insane accusation for one to make against his own friend. I ask you to reconsider what has happened; maybe after some time to think you will have come to your senses and snapped out of this moment of insanity. But for me, all I ask from you is that you let me reign peacefully alongside you, and spare me the banishment or execution reserved for a man who is truly guilty.

Sincerely, Your friend and kinsman,
Creon

Oedipus Journal #1

"Defiance becomes our duty in the face of injustice." Referring to at least two works you have studied, explore the ways in which writers have attempted to persuade us to accept or challenge this view.

In Oedipus The King, when Oedipus is accused of being the murderer of Laius by the blind prophet Tiresias, his first instinct is to defend himself, by denying that it is true. He turns against the blind prophet who he had trusted to give him accurate information, insulting him and accusing him of having lost his prophecy powers. His defiance increases as he says to Tiresias: "Come here, you pious fraud. Tell me,/ when did you ever prove yourself a prophet?" (443-444). Oedipus' cruel attitude is a major change from the well mannered, easygoing attitude we saw him possess when he was first introduced to us at the beginning of the tragedy. Because Tiresias is accusing Oedipus of something that seems completely ridiculous and completely impossible to him, Oedipus feels the need to defend himself and his honor against the unjust accusations. The author, Sophocles, uses the contrast between the two attitudes to show that defiance becomes one's duty in the face of injustice, or rather, it is instinctive for one to act out defiantly when they face unfair accusations.

Likewise, in the book 1984, author George Orwell persuades the audience to accept this view of defiance in the face of injustice. When Winston is caught and imprisoned by the Thought Police for committing thought crime and acts against the party, he clings to his own beliefs as long as he can. Even though O'Brien spends months trying to persuade him to accept the idealogy of the Party, for the longest time Winston will not forget his own values. When forced to speak in favor of the Party or be hurt by a shock machine, Winston publicly defends his own ideals even though he is hurt because of it. Winston's acts of defiance against the Party continue until he is completely brainwashed into loving the Big Brother. Orwell uses Winston's reaction to his situation (the injustice of being imprisoned for trying to live as an individual) to show the reader that when one is faced with an unfair or unjust situation, it is an instinctive reaction to show defiance.

Poetry Journal: XX Comparison

The work I will be comparing to Neruda's poem XX is the chorus from the song "Tattoo", written by Amanda Ghost and Ian Dench (performed by Jordin Sparks).

Don’t look back got a new direction
I loved you once, needed protection
You’re still a part of everything I do
You’re on my heart just like a tattoo
Just like a tattoo
I’ll always have you
I'll always have you

Neruda's poem (XX) is about a man coming to terms with the end of a relationship.  In the poem, the
speaker tries to convince himself that he has moved on from the woman he once loved, but we
can see that she is still important to him, and he actually still loves her.  One of the ways Neruda
highlights this idea is through the repetition of the line: "I no longer love her, that's certain".
Because the speaker uses this line more than once in this poem, it seems as if he does not believe
what he is saying, so he must say it multiple times to try to make himself believe it.  Although he
wants to move on and move forward with his life, the speaker cannot convince himself that he is
really over his previous girlfriend.  Another technique used by the poet to convey this idea is the use
of the terms "her" and "she" when referring to the woman.  Because the speaker dose not use the
woman's actual name when talking about her, we can see that he is doing his best to forget about her
by de-personalizing their relationship.  However, his love for her gets the best of him as we see through
the numberous amounts of times he brings her up (using "her" and "she" - 30 times).  Although the
speaker has attempted to move on from the relationship, he cannot because he still loves the woman.

Like the poem (XX), "Tattoo" is about the end of a relationship, and somebody being forced to move on.  Unlike the
speaker in the poem, the speaker in the song seems very willing to move forward.  We can see that she wants to
move on with her life through the line "Don’t look back got a new direction".  The speaker in Neruda's poem is
much more hesitant - he knows he will have to move on, but is not completely willing to let go of the
relationship yet.  Since the speaker in the song is much more accepting of the fact that she will have to move on,
she is also more willing to embrace the fact that since she used to love him, he will never be completely erased
from her life.  This point is emphasized through the use of the simile "you're on my heart just like a tattoo".  In
using this simile, the writer of the song emphasizes the permanent effects the relationship has had
(and will continue to have) on the speaker.  This idea is proved even more through the repetition of the line
"I'll always have you".  The reader leaves this song chorus knowing that the speaker is ready to move on from
a past relationship while acknowledging the fact that the person she used to love will be on her heart "just like
a tattoo" for the rest of her life.  The person leaving this relationship is much stronger and self-assured than the
speaker leaving the relationship in Neruda's poem.

Poetry Journal: XIII

This poem is about a relationship between a man and a woman. Although the man and women have had a physical relationship, they do not have a strong emotional relationship because the man has trouble fully expressing his feelings toward the woman. In addition, there is some kind of distance separating them that weakens their relationship. The man speaks of the woman possessively, as if he owns her. However, it is seen in more of a protective way than a controlling way, as he wants her to be happy and tries to cheer her up when she is sad. At the end of the poem, the man faces the consequences of his inability to share his feelings and ends up closing himself off from love.

The speaker of the poem is a man speaking to a woman from his past who he loved but lost. To me, it seems like he is speaking to her out of regret. The distant tone of the poem suggests that while the man knows it is too late to get the woman back, he still wants to attempt to tell her his feelings that he could never express before.

This poem was written to show how important communication is in a relationship. The speaker finds out that because he is unable to let the woman know how he feels about her early on, he is forced to deal with the consequences this brings - likely heartbreak. The last stanza of the poem hints that the speaker is now alone and closed off from love. Although in this poem the speaker tries to share his feelings, it is too late for him to win his love back. The poet is trying to emphasize that one must share their thoughts and feelings with the other person in a relationship soon, because if they do not, they will create distance between them and one person will eventually move on.

The poet uses the repetition of the word "something" in the fourth stanza to emphasize the speaker's inability to express himself. By using of this general word instead of naming the specific object at hand, the speaker is able to get by without fully communicating his thoughts. We see the speaker's possession of the woman through the terms he uses when addressing her: "sad and gentle doll", "my toy doll", "my sad tenderness". By calling her a doll and using the possessive pronoun "my", the speaker objectifies the woman and seems to take ownership of her. The simple yet intense verbs used at the end of the poem when the speaker has lost the woman convey a different mood than previous stanzas. In previous passages when the woman is still in his life, the speaker uses terms like "loved" and "dream" when speaking, but now that she is gone he resorts to terms like "burn" and "flee". We can see that the consequences he now faces that involve the loss of his loved one have changed him and his mindset.

1984 Journal #3: Topic C

In 1984, Orwell creates a very powerful vision of a society in which the amount of governmental control in the everyday lives of its citizens is overly exaggerated. Orwell uses this powerful exaggeration as a wake up call to demonstrate what can happen if our government obtains too much power, and if we, as citizens, allow them to maintain so much power. While the society of Oceania that Orwell has created conveys a powerful message of warning to the reader, I do not find it to be very believable. Some of the things the government does to control its citizens would be impossible in today's world. For example, one of the main ways the government abuses their complete power is through their manipulation of history. They erase events, make up new ones, and alter others, recording all changes in the history books that only they can write. In today's world, however, there are way too many places we look for historical facts for the government to shut down or destroy every last one of them. I also don't think that the people of our society today would allow for so much government control without rebelling, simply because we have experienced freedom and will never settle for living oppressive lives. The only sort of hope I was able to find in the book is what Winston discovers - that if there is any hope of overthrowing the government, it must come from the proles. In other words, it is up to the common people of a society to come together when they recognize any sort of abuse of power happening in the government and to take action against it before it is too late.

Group Essay Thesis

Possible thesis:

Throughout 1984, Orwell uses repetition of the governmental slogan "war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength". By doing so, he highlights the unquestioning belief in it by citizens of the society, ultimately expressing the the idea that humans find it easier to conform to an idea presented by others than to follow their own individual beliefs.

Please, please, please help make this better :). If it doesn't make sense, go ahead and fix it, or add any other thesis ideas you have. For this one, I was thinking that maybe places in the book where it is used are situations in which citizens of Oceania are showing some sort of agreement with it, like one time when it is used is during the Two Minutes Hate at the beginning of the book. This topic is kind of hard to analyze though. So I'll keep thinking.

1984 Journal #2: Topic B

In 1984, the protagonist Winston Smith is involved in a struggle against his society - the leader Big Brother and the Party . As the novel progresses, Winston begins to realize and accept his hatred towards the Party, and soon starts acting on his feelings by deliberately doing things that go against the beliefs and ideals of society. These illegal actions include writing his independent thoughts in a journal, starting an affair with a young Party member named Julia (sexual relations are illegal, especially between Party members), renting a small apartment above a shop in the prole district to carry on his affair, joining what he believes to be The Brotherhood (an organization against Big Brother and the Party), and reading a book written by Goldstein (the ultimate enemy of the Party). So far in the book, Winston has not been caught rebelling against the givernment. Therefore, I think Winston's resistance is successful to an extent. By doing the things mentioned above, he does not actually change the government that he disagrees with; however, he is able to live more freely and enjoyably than he had been before. Through his affair with Julia and the rented apartment, Winston gets a taste of how life used to be, before telescreens were created to monitor every action and the government started prohibiting the freedom to have relationships with whoever one chose. Even if his rebellious actions are going unnoticed by the government, just the fact that Winston is living free from complete control of the government (who does everything in its power to prevent independence) shows that his acts of resistance are successful, at least in his own life.

1984 Journal #1: Topic A

" It might well be that literally every word in the history books, even the things that one accepted without question, was pure fantasty [...] Everything faded into mist. The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth" (Orwell 66). The society in 1984 is governed by the strict regulations held by the government over written information about the past. Through the process of keeping only selective bits from the past and erasing or altering events in history that are unpleasing in the eyes of the government, the Party in 1984 is able to obtain complete control over the citizens of Oceania - therefore creating a positive identity for itself and preventing citizens from learning from history. For example, the citizens of Oceania are not taught anything that sheds a negative light on the Party and its actions - as far as they know, their government has always been perfect. By giving citizens an immediate and unquestionable liking of their perfect Party, the government prevents rebellion based on issues and wrongdoings of the past. Along these same lines, with no record of large scale rebellions, the citizens of Oceania will be less likely to rise against the government because they do not have a guideline to base their actions upon. In section one, Winston starts realizing how much he disagrees with the manipulation of history his job at the Ministry of Truth requires, and starts taking small actions against the Party. With disgust, Winston recognizes the Party's use of this method to control society, and the obliviousness the citizens posess that allows it to happen.

The Stranger Thesis

Thesis Statement:

By contrasting the motif of the sun and sky in part one with the same motif in part two, Camus shows that a change of environment changes the meaning of familiar aspects of one's life. Because he uses a symbol of nature to convey this idea, Camus further expresses that even the most constant things in life, such as nature, are not immune to a change of meaning amidst new surroundings.

Stranger Journal #6

At the end of The Stranger, Meursault comes to the conclusion that nobody and nothing in life really matter, and that in general there is no meaning to the world. With the acceptance of this idea, Meursault is strangely comforted and realizes this is the philosophy that has made him the happiest all along. "I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world. Finding it so much like myself - so like a brother, really - I felt that I had been happy and that I was happy again" (Camus 123). Camus does not want the reader of the book to come to the same conclusion as Meursault. From the beginning of the story, Camus sets up Meursault as an antihero. As the reader spends time discovering Meursault, a character with no expression of emotion and a sense of apathy towards the world, they have a hard time empathizing with him and pushing for him to succeed. Because Meursault is set up as an antihero who the reader does not necessary like, it is difficult for the reader to willingly agree with his actions, traits, and philosophies. Camus takes advantage of his antihero when he uses him to illustrate the philosophy of the lack of meaning of the world and its people. By demonstrating this philosophy through Meursault, Camus deliberately steers the reader away from agreeing with the idea of a world and people with no meaning.

Journal #5

Camus creates two parts to The Stranger to showcase two distinctly different sides of Meursault. Part 1 portrays him a man lacking emotion (or the ability to express it) who wastes his life watching, not doing. Meursault's apathetic nature is seen, for example, when Marie asks him if he wants to get married and he replies that it makes no difference to him, but they could if she wanted to. In Part 1, Meursault is also not aware of (or just does not care about) the emotions of others. When describing people, he sticks to the facts of what they are wearing, doing, and saying, but rarely describes how they are feeling. Since part 1 ends before Meursault goes to jail, his traits in part 1 are all those of a free man. Part 2 opens with Meursault in jail and we can begin to see the changes in his character as a prisoner. Meursault starts to express small amounts of emotion, which is a definite change from his previous lack of feelings. In addition, now that he is imprisoned, Meursault shows signs of wanting to come out of his trial innocent, longing to be out of his cell to experience the summer nights he used to love - replacing Meursault's apathetic nature from part 1 with one that shows he wants to live. Once in jail, he also becomes more aware of the feelings of others. For example, he recognizes his lawyer is upset with him: "He left, looking angry" (Camus 65). I think by giving Meursault such contrasting character traits in the two parts of the book, Camus wants the reader to examine the effects of freedom and lack of freedom on a person, and to realize how being locked up in prison can cause a person's traits and views on life to change.

Journal #4

Meursault becomes much more aware of his feelings in part two than he was in part one. He is more open to talking about his emotions (although not extensively, but definitely more than previous chapters). "What I can say for certain is that I would rather Maman hadn't died" (Camus 65).

Meursault is also suddenly more aware of the feelings of others. In part one when describing other people, he only stated facts of what they were doing, not recognizing what they were feeling (or maybe recognizing but ignoring their feelings). Now, when interacting with people, he notices their feelings and more often shares them with the reader: "He left, looking angry" (Camus 65), or "He seemed to be very tired" (Camus 69).

A third difference I noticed in Meursault from part one to part two is that he very slowly starts to reveal things about his Maman. In part one, he seemingly avoids describing her or even mentioning her life much at all, leaving the reader with an ambiguous view of his Maman. Now, he talks about her, not just her death, for one of the first times in the whole book. "Anyway, it was one of Maman's ideas, and she often repeated it, that after a while you could get used to anything" (Camus 77).

Journal #3

Motifs:

Pleasure is repeated often in the book, demonstrating that Meursault's actions are (for the most part) only driven by what makes him happy. "Before leaving the office to go to lunch, I washed my hands. I really like doing this at lunchtime. I don't enjoy it so much in the evening" (Camus 25).

"I didn't like having to explain to them, so I just shut up, smoked a cigarette, and looked at the sea" (Camus 54). Once again, Camus uses the motif of pleasure to show that Meursault's actions are driven by his own individual pursuit of happiness, not caring about the needs of others.


Time is another element that Camus brings up over and over in the story. " She left at one o'clock and I slept awhile. Around three o'clock there was a knock on my door and Raymond came in" (Camus 37). This is just one of the many passages that mentions time. Camus may be using the motif of time to emphasize the importance of structure and schedule in a person's life.

"Of course I had read that eventually you lose wind up losing track of time in prison. But I hadn't understood how days could be both long and short at the same time: long to live through, maybe, but so drawn out that they ended up flowing into one another" (Camus 80). This passage highlights the importance of time in a human's everyday life and the feeling of being lost when there is not a schedule or routine to follow.


Meursault's lack of expression of feelings is also repeated throughout the book. "That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn't make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to" (Camus 41). Camus is likely using Meursault's lack of emotions to emphasize the importance of emotions in the day to day life of people by contrasting our normal views of feelings with this abstract view.

"I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings" (Camus 65). This particular passage suggests that Meursault is indeed capable of emotion, but is not capable of easily expressing his emotions.

Journal #2

Dianaism :)

• One God created the universe and continues to rule it. (This principle developed from my religous views and natural evidence found in the vast world around us. It is important to realize the world was not created by accident, but with purpose.)

• God has personal relationships with individuals and gives them freedom to make choices. (Developed from my religious views. Important because a relationship with God gives life meaning and shows life is bigger than an individaul person.)

• An individual's choices make them who they are. (I've seen this through experience - your actions define your character. Important because it promotes mentality of creating one's self instead of trying to "find" one's self.)

• Progress is essential to human satisfaction. (Since a young age, I've always been taught to try my best. A person cannot be happy in life if they constantly stay at the same level and never improve. Realizing this avoids later unhappiness with one's self.)

• Material things cannot bring happiness. (Developed from values taught by parents, and religous views. Counting on material possesions to bring happiness to an individual only causes emptiness as they realize their satisfaction cannot be fulfilled through these things.)

• Purpose of life can be realized through relationship with God. (Religous views. Although an individual will likely not be 100% sure of the purpose set for their life, by putting faith in God and trusting Him, their meaning will become more clear).

• Relationships with others provide happiness. (Values instilled by family. A selfish person cannot be completely happy. However, by helping other people and creating relationships with them, a person is brought satisfaction. )

• Humans are in no way machines. (I've learned this through experiences in life. Humans have emotions, feel pain, and have the ability to love. We were made with the freedom of making our own choices, unlike robots which are created fully programmed and have no sense of decision making.)
  

The Stranger - Journal #1

In the beginning of the book, Meursault finds out that his mother has just died, so he takes two days off of work to travel to Marengo to the "old people's" home where she lived. He speaks with his mother's caretaker and the director of the home, then is sent to her vigil in a small room in the garden where he dozes off every now and then. The next morning, the funeral procession begins, with the hearse leading the way to the church through the countryside. It is followed by several people including the director of the home, Meursault, and Perez (Mersault's mother's very good friend). After the funeral, Meursault rides the bus back home to Algiers, where he goes swimming at the beach and finds a woman named Marie who used to work at his office. He takes her to the movies, then they sleep back at his house. Meursault stays in bed most of the next day, and after finally getting up makes lunch then sits in a chair on his porch until evening, watching people go about their Sunday activities. After making dinner it occurs to Meursault that his mother is dead, yet he feels nothing has changed.

I don't understand the character of Meursault, mostly because of the disinterest he shows to the world. He seems very quiet, professional, and unemotional, yet some of the things he does are caring gestures (such as taking a date to the movies, and visiting his mother after her death). However, for the most part Meursault acts in a way that suggests he is not sensitive towards the feelings of others, or even towards his own. In the first chapter, Meursault describes how Perez, a grieving old man, keeps falling behind in the funeral procession. He does not show any sympathy towards the man, nor does he make any attempts to help him. He simply tells the facts of what is going on. Meursault's lack of emotion makes it hard for me to like him because I cannot relate well to his story.

By creating a character like Meursault, Camus is trying to emphasize the importance of emotions in the world we live in. Through the lack of emotions seen in Meursault, it is highlighted that emotions are necessary to empathize with others. Another reason for Meursault's apathy might be so the reader can take meaning simply from Meursault's actions without feelings getting in the way. The story has a completely different mood to it when told from a straight, unattached point of view as is through Meursault than it would through another more connected point of view.

In 1942 in Algiers, France, World War II was being fought. As part of Operation Torch, Oon November 8, 1942 the allies staged an invasion of Algiers, led by the United States. The allies landed along several coasts in France, then fighting began in Algiers when French troops fired artillery to prevent another party of United States troops from landing. The french troops were surrounded, and with little resistance they surrendered to the Allies.

Journal #9

An important theme supported by the last two chapters of the book is always running away from bad things in life ultimately leads a person right back to what they were trying to escape.

One passage in which this theme is highlighted is found in chapter 19, back in the 'Glades. Tea Cake finds Ole Motor after the storm, alive and well, when Janie had figured that the hurricane must have drowned him in the house he was hiding in. " 'Heah we nelly kill our fool selves runnin' way from danger and him lay up dere and sleep and float on off!' " (Hurston 173). While Janie and Tea Cake could have stayed in the same house as Ole Motor and been just fine, they thought it necessary to run from the hurricane. In running from the hurricane, the two did not end up escaping it at all, but rather being more trapped in it than they were before.

A second part of chapter 19 that demonstrates this theme is Janie and Tea Cake's decision to move from Palm Beach back to the 'Glades. Mainly, they leave Palm Beach to escape the destruction and dead bodies all around them (that Tea Cake has been forced to help bury). " 'Janie, us got tuh git outa dis house and outa dis man's town. Ah don't mean tuh work lak dat no mo' " (Hurston 171). In trying to escape the death around them, the two are led to the 'Glades where there are still many dead bodies around. Furthermore, although they think they are leaving death behind them in Palm Beach, Tea Cake and Janie have more death and tragedy awaiting them when Tea Cake gets very sick, very fast. This event, like the previous example and many other circumstances in Janie's life, suggests that running from bad or dangerous things does not end up helping a person escape at all.

Plot Diagram:
Ava is a single woman living in a small town where everyone knows everyone. She has done some things in her past that now cause the people of the community to look down on her. Since nobody will associate with her, Ava has become very lonely and introverted. In hopes of leaving her loneliness behind, Ava moves to a new city for a fresh start, where nobody knows about her or her past. Ideally, this new location will help her make friends or even find love. However, since Ava has become so introverted, she has difficulty socializing and does not make any friends in this new town. Soon she is hiding out in her own little house feeling the same way she did before she moved. By running away from the loneliness in her old town, Ava has been led once again to the very thing tried so hard to escape.

Journal #8

Hurston uses the setting of chapter 18 to develop a theme surrounding the idea that people often do not fully appreciate what they have until they realize it could be taken away. The destructive hurricane that blows through the muck where Janie and Tea Cake live forces them to escape from their home in search of higher ground. Just before they leave their house, Tea Cake asks Janie if she wishes that she had stayed in her big house in town. She replies, " ' naw. People don't die till dey time come nohow, don't keer where you at. Ah'm wid mah husband in uh storm, dat's all' " (Hurston 159). Tea Cake then asks her, were she to die, would she be mad at him? Once again, she tells him she would not. This is such a relief to Tea Cake, who up until now did not know exactly the way Janie felt about him. " 'Well then, Janie, you meant whut you didn't say, 'cause Ah never knowed you wuz so satisfied wid me lak dat' " (Hurston 160). Because of the storm coming and the panic of getting out of the area as quickly as possible, Tea Cake and Janie take one last chance to tell each other their true feelings. In case they do not make it through the hurricane, they want to make sure the other knows they are loved. Because Hurston places this conversation in such an urgent setting, we get the sense that the storm is necessary to bring these two characters together like this. This theme follows of the idea "you don't know what you've got until it's gone". Like the common saying, Hurston is trying to make the reader understand that taking things for granted while we have them and appreciating them more when they are gone is a troubling aspect of human nature. Like Janie and Tea Cake, many of us do not take the time to convey our true feelings to one another until we realize there may never be a chance again, or the chance has already passed us by.

Journal #7

When Janie wakes up one morning about a week after marrying Tea Cake, she realizes that her secret stash of two hundred dollars is gone. Tea Cake returns home a day later and explains to Janie that when he found the money, he took it and "made up his mind to see how it felt to be a millionaire" (Hurston 122). Janie now faces the decision of whether or not to believe (and forgive) her husband. Surprisingly, Janie is very quick to forgive him for stealing her money and wasting it on a party with food for people he doesn't even know. I think that Janie makes this decision without hesitation because she is afraid to lose Tea Cake by upsetting him with her doubt. This demonstrates her dependence on her husband, but also shows her genuine love for him as she does not want to start a fight that will come between them. Another reason Janie is not mad at him for taking her money is because she honestly believes him when he says that he will win it all back for her by gambling. Janie's belief in Tea Cake highlights one of her main qualities as a character - her trust in others. Many times, Janie is not sure what is going to happen in a situation, but she trusts that by relying on the guidance of her loved ones she will not be misled.

But what if Janie decided not to forgive Tea Cake?
" ' Ah see what it is. You doubted me 'bout de money. Thought Ah had done took it and gone. Ah don't blame yuh but it wasn't lak you think ' " (Hurston 121).

Pastiche:
"Not what Ah think, you tellin' me? Ah s'pose you never heard 'bout ol' Missis Tyler. Well, that's what Ah'm thinkin' 'bout now, and Ah can't see no difference between her gettin' robbed of her money and me gettin' robbed of mine now. Ah came here and married you thinkin' you wuz different than all de ones back in town who wanted me for mah things. You'se awful sneaky you know that? Waitin' a good long time tuh get yo' hands on mah money."

"Janie, whut you talkin' 'bout? Good Lawd, you gotta listen tuh me. Ah don't want none of yo' things, Ah jus' want you. You know that Ah love you, that's why Ah married you."

"Ah thought Ah knew that, but Ah can't be sho no mo'. Anyway whut you still doin' wid an ol' woman lak me? Ah'm almost twelve years older than you, and Ah ain't gettin' younger. You'se jus' a young boy. If Ah didn't have a big ol' bank account, you wouldn't be wid me no mo' anyway."

"Ah didn't mean no harm by takin' yo' money. Aw, Janie, Ah thought you would understand me. Ah didn't mean no harm."

"Tea Cake, Ah gotta go back home. Maybe Ah'd still love you if you didn't take mah money, but I was bound tuh find out some day. All this got me thinkin' and Ah can't do this no mo'. Ah need to talk wid Pheoby and think 'bout what to do next. Maybe that fella from Sanford is still waitin' on me. Maybe Ah don't care 'bout him one way or de other. But Don't give me no reasons, Ah shoulda followed mah first thoughts back in de town when Ah first met you at mah store and was gettin' caught in yo' mysteries. By now Ah sho had mah share of muddy relations and Ah know all Ah'm lookin' for now is clear water."

So Janie gathered her things and set off for the train. This time she did not hear the engineer's whistle. The train trudged on as every heavy teardrop stained her new blue dress.

Journal #6

"Stopped and talked a little with everyone she met, turned aside momentarily to pause at a porch or two - going straight by walking crooked" (Hurston 112).
- Oxymoron

" 'De Pastor claim Tea Cake don't 'low her tuh come tuh church only once in awhile 'cause he want dat change tuh buy gas wid' " (Hurston 111).
- Irony (of a gossiping pastor)

It is the day after Tea Cake has spent the night at Janie's for the first time, and now that Tea Cake is at work, Janie is left by herself to overthink their growing relationship. "In the cool of the afternoon the fiend from hell specially sent to lovers arrived at Janie's ear. Doubt" (Hurston 108). In this passage, Hurston personifes doubt to give the idea more power and to convey to the reader the struggle Janie is having surrounding it. Though this feeling of doubt is almost inevitable in new relationships, Janie does not easily brush it off like others might. Doubt is an unfamiliar feeling for her in realtionships. For example, when she first meets Joe, Janie is swept away by him and does not consider he may possibly have bad intentions or other sides to his personality. Now she is more careful. This shows us that Janie has developed as a character and has by now had more experiences that have caused her to mature into who she is. Because she now knows the possiblities of what can go wrong in a relationship, Janie takes this feeling of doubt very seriously to avoid repeating the mistakes of her past.

As soon as word gets out about Janie's relationship with Tea Cake, the town is abuzz with the news, and everyone starts to gossip about all the places the two are going and the things they are doing. "Tea Cake and Janie gone hunting. Tea Cake and Janie gone fishing. Tea Cake and Janie gone to Orlando to the movies. Tea Cake and Janie gone to a dance" (Hurston 110). Through her use of parallel structure in this passage, Hurston gives us a closer look at the relationship between Janie and Tea Cake and demonstrates their commitment to each other. By mentioning again and again the things Janie and Tea Cake are doing as a couple, Hurston emphasizes their togetherness and how close their relationship is. While she could have simply said "Tea Cake and Janie did everything together", Hurston chose not to because she wanted us as an audience to clearly distinguish this relationship from Janie's others. In her marriage with both Logan and Joe, Janie barely knew the men before she got married. Because she has grown in her experiences and knowledge in this type of thing, Janie is making sure she really loves Tea Cake before she marries him by testing out being a couple with him.

One day when Pheoby is in town, she and Sam Watson start discussing Janie and her new relationship, and Sam brings up Janie's hair to suggest that she must be seeing someone. " 'New dresses and her hair combed in a different way nearly every day. You got to have something to comb hair over' " (Hurston 111). This passage uses Janie's hair as a symbol of her freedom. When Joe was alive, he made Janie tie up her hair every day in rags so she would not attract attention from other men - and Janie obeyed him even until the day he died. With Joe's death, however, Janie finds her independence and decides to live her life as the person she wans to be and not as the submissive wife she has been for nearly all of her marriage. By burning up her hair rags and combing and styling her long hair whichever way she chooses, Janie shows us that she has realized it is time for her to assert herself and her independence and let others accept her as they please. This importance of letting her hair down and therefore choosing freedom follows Janie throughout the novel, and is used by Hurston to begin to develop theme.

Journal #5

"Janie starched and ironed her face and came set in the funeral behind her veil. It was like a wall of stone and steel. The funeral was going on outside. All things concerning death and burial were said and done. Finish. End. Nevermore. Darkness. Deep hole. Dissolution. Eternity. Weeping and wailing outside. Inside the expensive black holes were resurrection and life. She did not reach outside for anything, nor did the things of death reach inside to disturb her calm. She sent her face to Joe's funeral, and herself went rollicking with the springtime across the world" (Hurston 88).

The passage I chose demonstrates Hurston's very unique syntax through punctuation and sentence length. One thing from this quote that stands out to the reader very quickly is the series of single words that are each punctuated as their own sentences. "Finish. End. Nevermore. Darkness. Deep hole. Dissolution. Eternity." Hurston uses this unconventional syntax of very incomplete sentences to emphasize her point of Janie having moved on from Joe's death. Instead of telling us how Janie feels in long, flowing sentences, Hurston uses periods after every word to create an abruptness and straight-to-the point explanation. The staccato structure of these sentences does not invite lingering on each word but rather moving quickly from one to the next. This style of writing parallels Janie's feeling of being ready to move forward from Joe instead of dwelling on the past. As soon as Hurston is done talking about Janie's feelings towards Joe, the sentences begin to get longer again, further evidence that these short sentences were written for the purpose of paralleling Janie's feelings.

Hurston's word choice throughout the novel is pretty basic. This passage follows the pattern of the rest of the book by using common words that are easy to understand instead of words that require a dictionary. Hurston's intention in using easy words is to give the reader an opportunity to understand the true meaning she is trying to convey through her sentences as a whole. Even through the basic vocabulary used here, this passage does its job of conveying Janie's emotions and connecting us to what she is going through at this point in the book.

In this passage, Hurston's words first create a tone of understanding towards Janie, and then a tone of hope for her future. The first half's choppy sentence structures and short sentence lengths move the reader right along, just like Janie has moved on from Joe. By the author moving through these feelings so quickly in the passage, it can be seen that she understands her character's desire to move forward instead of dwelling on the past. Hurston also feels a lot of hope for Janie's future, as seen when she lengthens the last few sentences that regard the remaining resurrection and life inside Janie, instead of hurrying the reader through.

As for sound devices, in this passage Hurston uses alliteration to help convey her point. The repetition of D's is used to emphasize the negative feelings Janie has moved past: death, darkness, deep hole, dissolution. All of these D words have negative connotations attached to them, and the literal sound of a D is harsh and final. By putting three of these words right in a row, ("Darkness. Deep hole. Dissolution."), Hurston pulls off her intention of drawing the reader in to pay special attention to this section of the passage.

Through the aspects of syntax, word choice, tone, and sound devices found in this passage, it is clear that Hurston is very aware of the way she writes. It seems that none of her sentences happen by accident, but rather are all written the way they are for a specific purpose - to help her audience gain a greater understanding of her characters and their experiences and emotions.

Journal #4

Then, Nick started to ponder Regret. Regret, that conceited one with the ever present eyes who lived always within reach. The unwelcome being who dwelt in the hearts of men without invitation, without permission. What requires Regret to be summoned, and what force can push him out? He slithers around his internal hiding spot that is invisible to the universe. Hides vigilant and camouflaged hour after hour with his fangs ready to pierce, awaiting the call to make himself known. To wrap himself around man and remind him what could have or would have or should have been done. He was bound to find blood from its bite staining her thoughts one day soon. He was sympathetic and scared for her too. Miserable Katherine! She shouldn't have to win this fight on her own. He had Ann bring in others to offer their wisdom, but Katherine declined. These others wuz fine to console themselves, but there was nothing they could do to go back in time. She'd be just fine when the red sea in front of her parted. She wouldn't let herself drown. That was the way she saw it. However, Ann had told him the opposite, so he knew the truth. And even if he didn't, soon enough he was liable to realize, for her home filled with life had been transformed into a holding place for stale memories of a bitter past. Weeds that never would have tried to grow in the gardens before now burst through the dirt defiantly. Simply pushed aside the flowers and begged for judgement. Remorse, that motionless snake, had poisoned another life.

Journal #3

"Nanny's words made Janie's kiss across the gatepost seem like a manure pile after a rain" (Hurston 13). - Simile

" 'It must be uh recess in heben if St. Peter is lettin' his angels out lak dis' " (Hurston 68).
- Allusion

"She was a wind on the ocean. She moved men, but the helm determined the port" (Hurston 70). - Metaphor

In the new colored town, all of the townspeople seem to like their mayor, Joe Starks, when he is around - however, once he steps inside the post office, all of the people gathered on the porch have other opinions to share. " 'Speakin' of winds, he's de wind and we'se de grass. We bend which ever way he blows' " (Hurston 49). This passage is an example of a metaphor. By using the image of Joe as the wind and the townspeople as blades of grass, the author emphasizes the power Joe holds over everyone in town. By showing up at this small town and using his money to build it up, it becomes claer that Joe not only wants respect and power, but he demands it. The poor people of the town are so excited at the prospect of the growth of their town that they barely notice Joe sneaking in and taking control over everything. Now, like the townsman says, Joe has complete control over everyone and can make them do what he wants - in the same way that wind can move individual blades of grass. I also think the author included this metaphor here to reveal to us a deeper side of Joe's personality. While we first meet him as a well rounded gentleman who "rescues" Janie from her failing marriage, now we can see that there are indeed evils lurking beneath his surface, such as this need for control. It makes the reader wonder what other bad qualities he has hidden as well.

Hicks and Coker are in the middle of a discussion regarding whether their town will be allowed to set up a post office or not, and they eventually decide that like many other aspects of their life, it will be up to the white men and they will have to just wait and see. " 'Oh, Ah'm waitin' all right. Specks tuh keep on waitin' till hell freeze over' " (Hurston 39). This quote uses a hyperbole to exaggerate how long the town will have to wait for a post office. However, I think the author uses this hyperbole of exaggerated time to emphasize the idea of waiting in general. It seems that many of the characters in the story are always waiting for something to happen to them - instead of going out and making it happen. Either as colored people they don't have the power they need to get what they want, or they don't think they have the means to make it happen on their own. In the beginning of the story, Janie is waiting for her real life to begin, Nanny is waiting for Janie to get married, and Logan Killicks is waiting for Janie to accept his proposal. Once Janie marries Logan, she is waiting for her feelings of love toward him to grow, and even once she leaves Logan for Joe, Janie is waiting for her life to settle down with him in the new town she is in. I think this idea of waiting plays an important role in the story because it helps us to see and understand the motives people have for waiting so long for things to happen, and helps us identify what is most important to each character by what they choose to wait for or let pass them by.

Journal #2

"All of you colored 'oman sittin' heah for uh sermon? Ah'll give you uh sermon. All de menfolk in de town, white or colored jus' the same, dey ain't pushin' for you tuh succeed. Dey wanna hold you back, keep you as work-ox's lak dey did tuh me when Ah was a young 'oman. Or dey want you in de house, cookin' and cleanin' for dem when dey ain't givin' you nothin' in retuhn. But what dey can't do, no Lawd, is take yo' dreams and wishes 'way from you. So what you doin' sittin' 'round heah watchin' de same sun rise and set, rise and set, day afta day, day afta day? Dreams don't come chasin' afta you. You gotta go get'um for yo' own self, befo' dey gone for good. Anotha thing, don't you settle fo' any ol' breath-and-britches dat walks on by you in de street. Find a decent man who done treats you well. And if you see danger in yo' life, go on and walk de otha way, where you kin make yo'self right in de eyes of de Lawd. And if you find yo'self makin' trouble or losin' yo' dream, you best be on yo' knees to de good Lawd askin' for mercy and guidance. Now, Ah done de best Ah kin wid mah own life, but if i hadda 'nother chance to do mo' better, Lawd knows Ah'd take it. Yuh see, de world sees colored woman as de lowest dere is - we ain't got much respect. If we jus' sit heah waitin' fo' snow in de middle of summa, lak it feels we doin' so often, de only thing we're gonna see is dry ground. So Ah wanna see you makin' somethin' outta yo' lives. You're young and Ah know you got lotsa dreams out there tuh chase. So go get'um! What you waitin' on?"

Journal #1

I perceive Janie as a strong woman who is confident in who she is. She is independent and not bothered by the opinions of the women on the porch who gossip about her all the time. As a younger child and into her teenage years, Janie was quite the dreamer. As described in the book, she loved to sit under the blossoming pear tree in her backyard and contemplate the beauty and possibility she saw in the world. This is an exceptional quality about Janie. Even though her early life was such a struggle - with her growing up motherless and fatherless, without a permanent home, and under the harsh judgment of her classmates - Janie still sees beauty in the world all around her and has hope for her life. "Oh to be a pear tree - any tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world! She was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her." It seems that Janie is not quite a dreamer anymore, likely due to the experiences she has had between her childhood and now that changed the way she thinks, but the way in which she tells her story is not exactly cold and hopeless either. One last notable quality about Janie is the loyalty she has toward those she loves, as seen through her love for her grandmother and Pheoby.

I see the narrator as easygoing and relaxed. The language used by the narrator is a contrast to the dialogue of the characters. While the dialogue tends to be kind of choppy and straightforward, the narrator takes his or her time explaining what is happening, and the word choice includes plenty of imagery and metaphors. I liked seeing this imagery style demonstrated in the passage that describes Janie's afternoon under the pear tree on page 10 (also the section of the book that the above passage is from).

Hi...first post of my IB junior English blog/journal!