Assignment One.

T.S. ELIOT
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

J. Alfred Prufrock focuses on his insecurities which leads him to struggle with his relationships. Even though J. Alfred Prufrock is an upper-class, well educated man he subjects himself to a cycle of failing relationships. Because his insecurities get the best of him, he spends many "restless nights in one night cheap hotels" with a different woman so he is not subjected to the ridicule from the other upper class women. His unhealthy focus with what others think about his clothes, or bald spot or skinny stature send him into a repetition of one night stands. His lifestyle seems to be making a decision, doubting that decision then spiraling downhill telling himself 'that's not what i meant at all." His constant search to answer "would it have been worth the while" furthers his overwhelming struggle. In the end Alfred Prufrock will always live the life he has lead for many years, he realizes that he can act the way he wants to until one day life will "wake us, and we drown." He uses this mentality to justify his erratic lifestyle so he can tell him self it is okay, and it is worth it.


"Journey of the Magi"

The Three Kings trip to Bethlehem has been told and told again, however T.S Eliot's perspective is not one that most people think of. The truth that is spoken about their trip is often something no one thinks of. People would like to think that the Three kings traveled with pride and joy to see the birth of Jesus Christ, however traveling in this time probably wasn't all that fun. T.S Eliot looks at the real perspective of three Kings traveling across the desert, in December, with three camels, all night long to see a birth. The description of the kings arrival to this "satisfactory" place belittles their entire purpose of bringing the Christ child gifts. The three kings question "we were led all this way for birth or death?" as if they were disappointed they traveled so far to see the cycle of life. People are born, and people die, why do they travel so far to see this?


WALLACE STEVENS
"13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird."

The profound meaning of the blackbird seems to represent our own thoughts on certain emotions. By looking at abstract emotions in a concrete concept it is easier to get to the root of what you fear is, what your "blackbird" is. What scares you so much, or haunts you so much that you would mistake your own shadow for this thing following you. And no matter what "the blackbird sat" and you cannot escape the black figure that follows you. The poem seems to suggest that the blackbird is not as concrete as you'd think at first glance, "the blackbird is involved in what I know" as if the blackbird is not an outside force, but something that shares the same "brain" as you and sees what you see and knows what you know.

"Study of Two Pears"
A pear is a pear is a pear. I feel like Stevens is making a statement that not everything has to be so abstract. "the pears are not [fiddles,] nudes or bottles. They resemble nothing else." As simple as that sentence is, it is so complicated. I try to find meaning or abstraction in a poem telling me there is not complication or abstraction. Although this is coming from the same guy who wrote "13 ways of looking at a blackbird" because the simplistic style is so out of place. The vivid descriptions and details describe nothing other than a pear, but I try to force myself to think of other things it describes, but it doesn't, it just describes a pear "the pears are not seen as the observer wills."

ERNEST HEMINGWAY
"Hills Like White Elephants"
I love how the title has nothing to do with the seriousness of the dialog in this. The conversation the two are having depicts the entire mood of the story. The two are negotiating the details of an abortion they are struggling with. While the female wants to keep the child and continue on with the relationship, the man is set on the "awfully simple operation" and they'll "be fine afterward." The woman is concerned about the stance of the two's relationship, but the man is not putting this up for discussion. Also, the concept that the woman does not speak English, puts her at a disadvantage to make her own decisions, she has to rely on her boyfriend for everything. The fact that he has to help her with every conversation helps him control everything she does. Her longing to keep this child so they could "have everything," including the family, weakens her relationship with her boyfriend because he will not give her what she wants and will not let her keep their child. Things could never be the same after he took away the one thing she wanted.

WILLIAM FAULKNER
"A Rose for Emily"

This story struggles with the mental instabilities of a woman who feels forced into a corner. Her love for Homer Barton pushes her to the boundaries of a murderer. The town starts to talk about their relationship, people said that “he was not a marrying man” but the town knew that “she will persuade him yet.” Eventually everyone starts to feel bad for Emily and assumes that “she will kill herself” when she goes to town to buy poison, but she was not suicidal, her love for Homer made her a murderer . When Emily was worried that she would not be able to keep him forever she takes his decision into her own hands and kills him so she could sleep next to him forever. Her love for him took over her concept of right and wrong and drove her to do whatever she could to make sure she would not lose anything else.


ROBERT FROST
"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
Its a horse person thing. When riding through the woods, mostly on other peoples property, sometimes you wonder if they appreciate their land as much as you do, or as much as they should. The narrator of the poem describes the woods "filling up with snow" as he watches and wonders who owns such a pretty forest. The narrators horse stands wondering why they have stopped their traveling, but the narrator dedicates a minute of his trip to appreciate the snowy landscape.

"Gathering Leaves"
The narrator is comparing something as concrete as raking leaves to harvesting. He compares the leaves to spoons and the trash bags to balloons and the noise to deer. He takes the concept of raking up leaves in a natural sense. Appreciating the forest and everything involved in the raking, or harvesting process.

"In a disused Graveyard"
People go to the graveyard for funerals, and think that is what they are used for or what they're used for. However, the narrator points out the fact that the graveyard is not for use for the living, but for the dead. The only people using the graveyard are the dead, so really its never used in a proper way.

"Nothing Gold Can Stay"
This poem can be interpreted as really concrete talking about the four seasons, The leaves turning from green to gold and how they can never stay. Also, the poem can be abstract talking about man and greed, as green would represent.

"Desert Places"
Nature owns the forest. As the snow is falling, the narrator takes into account how the animals home is whats being covered in snow, not his back yard. He becomes so enthralled watching and thinking about the snow covered forest that he becomes "absent- spirited" and becomes trapped in the lonliness. When he realizes his "unawarness" he begins to understand his own fears like the animals do.