I Want You Women Up North to Know ...Continued

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The "bourgeois poet" section is an odd shift in style. "Bourgeois" means middle class or relating toward mediocrity. The bourgeois poet could represent the average citizen, one who is in the middle ground having objectivity and the ability to distinguish right from wrong. This poet has a strong usage of metaphor. The first metaphor compares the sewing women's hands to the motions of gulls, then to lightening, then to a dance. Next the motions are compared to music, even her cough is put in a good light being "gay, quick, staccato", tremolo of pain.

The bourgeois poet then mimics the wage decrease for the women. Naming this as the reason for prostitution "for five cents (who said this was a rich man's world?) you can get all the lovin you want." The next line shows the desperate reasoning that the women have. "clap and syph aint much worse that sore fingers, blind eyes, and t.m." Clap is a slang term for gonorrhea and syph is short for syphilis. Therefore they are saying that s.t.d.'s aren't that much worse than the pain they put into the low wage labor of sewing so the money of prostitution seems worth the risk in their situation.

The Screwtape Letters

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The Screwtape Letters is an awesome book. I really admire how C.S. Lewis can intertwine deep meaning into a very interesting and relatable narrative. He does this most notably in The Chronicles of Narnia through the traditional prose format. However, in The Screwtape Letters his format is a very large part of the success of the work over all. The book is a collection of letters from an experienced demon to a new inexperienced demon. The elder, known as Uncle Screwtape, gives the younger advice on how to tempt a soul to join "their father's" (the Devil) side. We only get the letters from Screwtape, and none from the young demon. Therefore perspective is very important to the telling of this story. Everything seems so ironic because Screwtape is cheering for Hell's side of the spiritual battle. All his advice focuses on the perversion of natural and good things. The concept that he reiterates is that the demons cannot create anything, they can only take what is already created and change the intended purpose to cultivate ungodly characteristics in humans. He has a solid grasp of spiritual truths, however he has one concept that he cannot grasp that keeps him on Hell's side: the Enemy's (God's) love. His tragic flaw is that he believes that God must have some hidden motive; why else would give give such complete love and grace?



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Through the correspondence a few stories are told. The most prominent story is that of the soul that the young demon is in charge of tempting. His story starts with him as a young man and continues until his death. The reader sees his struggles and successes, presented as opposite. At the same time the young demon has his own struggles in becoming a good tempter. Uncle Screwtape tells little bits of his story on how he got to the high rank he's in over the years, as well as his pondering of the "Enemy's" true intentions.

The book has serious themes of life's struggles and temptations, while still often maintaining a very humorous tone. It always seemed odd to me how the elder demon signed his letters "your affectionate Uncle, Screwtape." They're demons, you'd think they are only evil and never "affectionate." Lewis personifies the demons very well while still maintaining logical motives for their work as tempters. Altogether I thought the book was genius! Lewis presents very deep theological concepts in an interesting and relatable way.

Dover Beach

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This poem is a classic example of Romanticism. It has a very detailed description of nature, in this case Dover Beach. The author seems to feel a sad longing toward the ocean. It personifies the waves and the waves saying that the "waves draw back, and fling" as if they are playing throwing and catching game and pebbles were just toys to throw around. The second stanza changes tone from that of peace and tranquility to quick activity. There are some very active images filled with drama, the "grating roar", "tremulous cadence", "turbid ebb and flow". From the end of the second stanza to the third there is another tonal change from exciting activity to melancholy thoughts. Arnold also references Sophocles description of the Aegean. This allusion contributes to the tone because Sophocles' stories of Oedipus and Antigone are characterized by their depressing tragedy. The Sea of Faith references the Mediterranean sea. Throughout the poem there is some rhyme: "tonight/ light", "fair/air", "land/strand". However there is no clear pattern.In the end there is a lesson learned from the sea: nothing is certain, therefore let us be loyal to each other. Armies are ignorant and just like the waves they crass against each other in the night.

A Valediction Forbidding Mourning

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This poem has an interesting point. The man who has lost his love forbids mourning over her, or at least in the traditional way. His point seems to puritan. He argues that crying and wailing over someone who has died is disrespecting them. This is because the physical mourning comes from physical loss. For instance a physical lover's absence is felt and missed in a physical way because that's all they were. The one who mourns misses this "eyes, lips, and hands" not their spirit. Therefore they express that loss through "tear floods". To John Donne it is better to "let us melt" as a more respectful way of mourning. The loves he speaks of is "so much refined". This kind of mourning comes from the heart, because the lost were with them in heart. Now that they are gone he imagines that their (singular) heart has grown because of the new distance, instead of a physical breach between two bodies.

I find this entirely impossible and impracticable. If you really loved the one that died you feel it in your heart. The pain of the heart causes the "tear-floods" and "sigh-tempests".

Donne uses a consistent AB AB rhyme scheme throughout. It is a very rhythmic poem. He employs imagery that enhances the theme of mourning and uses the extended metaphor of the compass. He also uses simile: "like gold to airy thinness beat", "as stiff twin compasses are two". Alliteration is also used in his poem: "lover's love", "men pass mildly", "melt and make".

King Lear

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"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18). In King Lear pride was the tripping stone that caused the ultimate destruction of King Lear, Regan, Goneril, and Edmund. Lear's pride first caused the chasm between he and Cordelia. Because of his pride he wanted to hear public statements of love from his daughters, despite their true feelings. Ironically the ones who didn't love him complied with his wishes (for their own gain). The one who did love him was disgusted by the who affair and spoke honestly. She proclaimed her love, but as a modest fair statement of true love rather than the showy and embellished lies that the others lied with. Lear was embarrassed by the modest truth and he valued his pride more than his daughter. In the end he suffered because he rejected her love.

Goneril and Regan displayed their pride in a few ways. They thought they could have it all. By taking advantage of their father they got more land and more power that fueled their pride. Each fueled the other to more cold, cruel, hostel behavior. They had the mentality that 'if she wasn't going to let you ____, then I won't either.' As their pride increase any trace of the gentleness of femininity was eliminated and eventually all human compassion was forsaken. This completely contrasts Edgar. As he had less and less he became more and more compassionate. The same concept was apparent in King Lear as well. As his pride act brought him to more and more desperate situations the pride of being rich royalty decreased. He found in himself some compassion for the homeless. Ironically the one that he thought was a beggar was Edgar himself! Meanwhile Edmund was prideful enough to think all his scheming and betrayal would earn him a place of leadership and honor. However this path lead to the deaths of many and heartbreak to all.

Macbeth

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Macbeth explores the mystery of the supernatural. What truths do the supernatural hold? Are they inherently right because of their superhuman nature? Should they be heeded or avoided? I think in Macbeth the witches caused more trouble by their "prophesies" than would have occurred had they not "prophesied." In fact I would argue that they prophesy was self fulfilling. If Macbeth had not been told that he would have all that power, I believe as a character he does not have the boldness to make it happen on his own. The role of the prophesy was to give Lady Macbeth an excuse that her cruel actions were justified. Also it gave her the boldness to call on the devil to "unsex" her, to take away the gentle and sensitive nature that is characterized by the female sex. Without the prophesy she may have became more sensitive rather than more cold, and she and Macbeth would not have gained the power that they did.

The supernatural played a role similar to Greek mythological gods and goddesses. They had a part in human "fate", but were not so omnipotent that they controlled exactly what happened. Also they had more interactions with humans where they held a more even role with the humans. They even had human flaws. Similar to Greek mythology the witches used humans as a source of amusement.

Because of the prophesy both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth suffered from extreme psychological ailment. Macbeth has extreme paranoia, both suffer from constant anxiety, and both have delusions. Macbeth hallucinates seeing a bloody dagger. Lady Macbeth sees blood on her hands, "Out damn spot"! It seems that both their mental problems were self caused because of their ambition. Their ambition was encouraged because of the prophesies. Without the prophesies I believe that neither characters would take action as they did. I also believe they would have been satisfied with the power they already had. Since they believed they could have more they became thirsty. In a sense the prophesy was like salt water, once they tasted it they became thirsty for more.

Gilgamesh

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I really do not like this story! The whole thing is based on the animalistic nature of man especially man's pride. Gilgamesh runs his kingdom based on his pride and passion taking all with out regarding others. He takes the lives of others on a whim and rapes the women of the nobles. He and Enkidu fight, just as dogs do to confirm their friendship. Enkidu is "tamed" by sex with a prostitute. The woman is used as a trap for him, as if he is a bear that they were luring by the waterhole with a smelly fish. They live by their pride with the carnal need to show he is "man enough", to show "I'm stronger than the strongest". Of course they can defeat Humbaba, they are the Beast of the beasts! The men although "above" the animals are animals themselves. They are constantly in nature and of nature, in reality and symbolically. After Enkidu's death even Gilgamesh, previously the more "refined" man reverts to a more animalistic nature, rejecting royal clothes for animal skins instead.