Timed Writing

Robert Frost employs different literary techniques to expose his point of view. In his poem "Mending Wall", he uses descriptive imagery as well as metaphors to illustrate his point.

To separate two things and prevent them from mixing together, a barrier must be used. The type of barrier that Frost describes in his poem separates two different people. A wall separates the two houses, separating the two neighbors. According to Frost: "He only says, "Good fences make good neighbors." Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder if I can put a notion in his head: Why do they make good neighbors" (lines 27-30)? The barrier being set up creates separation between these two neighbors. The wall symbolizes the separation that one of the neighbors wants from the other. One of the neighbors states the importance of a barrier to "make good neighbors". The other one questions this statement. Frost portrays these two neighbors as opposite in their personality. He juxtaposes the personalities of each character by the differences in their opinion regarding the wall.

Likewise, frost incorporates descriptive imagery to describe the differences in both houses. One of the houses "is all pine and I am apple orchard. My apple trees will never get across and eat the cones under his pines, I tell him" (lines 24-26). Frost employs the descriptive imagery of the fruits in each house. Through this he wants to make the reader picture the image described in a more precise way. The fruits mirror the characters' personality. Since there are different fruits growing in each house, there are different ideals in each neighbor. One of the neighbors wants to draw a wall and separate their ideals by employing this barrier. Frost describes this neighbor as afraid that his neighbor's ideals will "get across and eat the cones under his pines". In other words, he does not want to be close to his neighbor because he is afraid that he will change his ideals.

Robert Frost juxtaposes these two neighbors through the use of metaphors and imagery. Through imagery he conveys the differences in their houses which also show the many differences in their ideals. With these detailed descriptions he desires to portray to the reader a better idea of these differences. The metaphorical meaning of the wall and the fruits adds to these differences displayed by the two characters. In addition they show how one neighbor wants to widen the separation between them while the other desires to narrow it.

Timed Writing

Kevin Young, in his poem "The Mission", juxtaposes night and day. Through the use of imagery and metaphors he achieves this difference between day and night.

Young characterizes night and the moments in the day when night approaches as negative. According to Young: "Afternoons I'd look out the shade & think of the graveyard behind Emily Dickinson's house – how death was" (lines 3-7). An afternoon describes the point where the darkness swallows up the light, changing from day to night in a sudden moment. The afternoon symbolizes the exact moment when evil overrides the power of good. Young's use of the word death as one of his activities when the afternoon arrived adds greatly to his conception of day and night. Death manifests itself during the night. On the other hand, day symbolizes life.

Young's use of vivid imagery to describe the day differs greatly from that used to describe night. Young describes the day as, "Maybe it was the sun of the Mission, maybe just being more young, but it was less disquiet than comfort days the streets filled with cars for a wake- children played tag" (lines 11-19). The image that he wants to portray through this description reflects the happiness of the day. Children played during the day, evoking the joy in life. The sun shined bright and shined its light upon all darkness available. The "Mission" referred to religion. During the day the sun and religion shined, repelling the negative forces of evil caused by the night.

Young makes a clear distinction between night and day. He characterizes night as a time where evil roamed freely. The night and afternoon where the times during which death took action. In other words, night symbolized evil. Through Young's employ of descriptive and happy imagery he displays day as a moment of joy where all darkness was destroyed by "the sun of the Mission." By juxtaposing the two times of a day, he creates an image of two opposite times. One characterized by light, the other by evil.

Song Of Solomon: A Black Person In A Society Controlled By White People

Toni Morrison's interview with Charlie Rose exposed many ideas that the author has regarding her books. She talked specifically about her book A Mercy, but also gave many insights that aid the understanding of all her novels. In her novel Song Of Solomon, we are presented with a different society. She sets this novel in the North, especially in the free slave part. Through the actions and ideas of her characters, she conveys her opinion on different subjects of concern in that society. Discrimination characterizes the relationship between white people and black people. Racial differences, the major concern of Morrison's novel, is also one of her major points in the interview.

Free slaves going to the North created a new group which was reluctantly accepted by white people. The idea of black people being equal to white people was rather new and the differences in opinions caused aggressions between them. According to Morrison: "A young negro boy had been found stomped to death in Sunflower County, Mississippi. There were no questions about who stomped him- his murderers had boasted freely" (Morrison, 80). Violent actions against black people seemed as a victory for the white people. After a murder a person will normally be ashamed. In addition, for respect of the dead person's soul he should definitely not brag about his actions. The extreme degree of racial discrimination shown by the white people describe the society in which a black person had to live in a world controlled by whites.

During the interview, Morrison's opinion regarding the discrimination of whites and society towards blacks, agrees greatly with the ideas shown in the novel. According to Morrison: "The interesting thing to me was the laws established after because what they said was any white can kill any black for any reason" (7:13, Interview). The laws that were enforced gave the upper hand to the white people. It shocks me that the laws were supposed to enforce equality between these two races, but when a dispute of any case appeared, the laws gave the white person the advantage. I really liked this interview with Toni Morrison because it gave me a real life experience of what it was to be a black person living in the North. Through the book she attempts to accomplish this as well, by showing how the discrimination of the white people affected her characters.

Song Of Solomon: Money And Discrimination

The names that Morrison incorporates into her story are very strange. There are names from the bible like Pilate, Magdalene, and First Corinthians. These names were not given to each character in Song Of Solomon (which also includes a biblical name) by coincidence. Maybe the fact that they had once been slaves had made them very religious. Also all of the female names in the Dead family have biblical allusions. Religion must be a very important part of their lives and the biblical references will be continued throughout the novel. Macon and Milkman are the only males in the Dead family and both of their names start with the letter M. Money starts with the letter m and Macon is obsessed about it. The fact that Morrison chose that both of these names started with the letter m, suggests that they will end up in a close relationship with money. Regardless of sharing a similar name, Macon and Milkman are very different. According to Morrison: "Macon wore bow ties; Milkman wore four-in-hands. Macon didn't part his hair; Milkman had a part shaves into his. Macon hated tobacco; Milkman tried to put a cigarette in his mouth every fifteen minutes. Macon hoarded his money; Milkman gave his away" (pg.63). They differ greatly in many aspects of their lives. They even differ in the way they spend their money. Macon and Milkman represent opposite sides of using money. Macon saves and hoards his money while Milkman uses it up quickly and gives it away.

Racial discrimination presents itself all along the book because of the society it takes place in. Free slaves were able to start their new life in the north but the racial differences between the white and the black are still very marked. This is due to the fact that the idea that white people and black people are equal was pretty new. It can't be expected that in a small amount of time society's conception of equality will change. In fact many injustices and faults have to be committed in order for the laws of equality to sink into people's brains. For example, when Hagar says, "Can if the winner is Reba, the only reason they got a second was cause she was first. And the only reason they gave it to her was because of the cameras" (Morrison, 46). It shocks me greatly how there had to be a second place for a white man. In addition, this was done only to be able to take pictures of him. Witnesses were the only way for justice to play its role. What would have happened if there were no cameras to testify that Reba had won? Probably the prize wouldn't have gone to her but to the next costumer to enter the store. The racial injustices and discriminations committed were vast and it is certain that throughout this novel Morrison finds a way to expose the discriminations made.

Song Of Solomon: Material Inequality

I picked up my copy of Song Of Solomon, by Toni Morrison. Since I hadn't heard about this book before I had no expectations about this book. Upon reading the first few pages I found a theme that was clearly expressed. Morrison shows the racial conflict between white people and black people through the characters. One of these actions is described as, "The North was new to him and he had just begun to learn he could speak up to white people" (Morrison, 7). Through this sentence we can learn that the concept of black people being equal to white people was rather new. Since the rules regarding this equality are rather new, the separation between races still reigns over society. With these new laws, the separation and inequality between races will decrease greatly. The racial inequality will constantly appear throughout the development of the book, especially because the society in which the book takes place joins these two cultures.

The relationship presented between Macon Dead and everyone else in the story characterizes hatred. He doesn't seem to love his family. Money, the only thing that interests him, guides his life. According to Morrison: "[She] was the one person in the world he hated more than his wife in spite of the fact that she was his sister … Letting their bunchy solidity calm him. They were the keys to all the doors of his houses" (17). Morrison reveals Macon's materialistic beliefs since the only thing that calmed him were the keys to his houses. These keys symbolize his possession. If he posses these houses he will feel good about his life. Before this argument is shown to the reader, she shows that Macon has some problems with his sister. These problems have an unknown origin but the reader can infer that they regard money. Macon's ambitious dependence on money probably created these problems. Morrison depicts Macon as a materialistic person just after explaining his relationship with his sister, showing how money defines their relationship. Macon's dependence on money will be present throughout the book as well as his relationship with his sister.

 

Heart Of Darkness And King Leopold’s Ghost: The Strongest Will Reign

I have always wondered how the natives reacted to the first colonizers to step on their land. I have always thought of a violent reaction since humans tend to react aggressively in hostile and uncomfortable situations. Imagine seeing many figures descend from strange vessels. These figures difference greatly from what you are accustomed to see. They dress strangely and their skin's color is different. If they come and start to invade your space without permission, they will most likely be attacked by yourself and your compatriots. The arrival of the Portuguese to the Congo is described as: "The Manikongo who was then on the throne greeted the Portuguese warmly. His enthusiasm was probably due less to the Savior his unexpected guests told him about than to the help their magical fire-spouting weapons promised in suppressing a troublesome provincial rebellion" (Hochschild, 9). I can easily imagine myself as the Manikongo and seeing these strange creatures that had the ability to kill people without touching them directly. If they promised me this power, fascination would overcome me and have welcomed them warmly.

The power of technology clearly shows itself in the colonization period. Whoever had the upper hand in technology dominated the other civilization. Conrad shows this clear idea when he expresses how the colonizers enslaved the natives and were able to exploit their ivory. The colonizers had clearly the upper hand with guns. This reminds me of a movie titled Guns, Germs, And Steel, which showed how the Europeans had a clear advantage over the civilizations they were colonizing. Through the ability to have long range kills, constructions with a stronger material, and the killing of millions through diseases that the Europeans were already immune to, they managed to eradicate these civilizations and exploit their land. I thought this barbarian act of the strongest person abusing of the weaker person and exploiting his resources had been eradicated. I came to find out the opposite in King Leopold's Ghost when it says, "Consider Mobutu again. Aside from the color of his skin, there were few ways in which he did not resemble the monarch who governed the same territory a hundred years earlier" (Hochschild, 304). Mobutu's dictatorship didn't differentiate greatly from King Leopold's monarchy. Both profited greatly from the abuse of the Congolese, extracted all the money from the land, and used all this money for their personal benefits and use. Mobutu's exploitation shocks me greatly since he is taking the money away from his own land and his own people. Yet again, money has the power to corrupt everyone, even if it means hurting your own race.

The Age Of Wonder And Heart Of Darkness: Exploit Vs Coexist

The Age Of Wonder narrates the story of an expedition sent to explore the Pacific Islands. This story, as well as Heart Of Darkness, deal with colonization. The idea of colonization is through explorations done by more powerful countries colonize or name the land they find as theirs. What the Europeans decide to do with this land differs but the concept of colonization is present in both stories. In fact, the colonization of the Congo greatly differs from the colonization of Tahiti. To get the ivory that the natives had in their land, the Europeans used force and exploited their land. They enslaved the population to increase the effectiveness of the exploitation. On the other hand, their purpose in Tahiti consisted of botanical exploration, astrological readings, and mapping of the Pacific Islands.

As a matter of fact, their relationship with the natives differed greatly. In the case of Tahiti they become friends and managed to coexist with them. The relationship of Banks with the Tahitians is an example of acceptance "Trading also brought him into regular contact with Tahitians of every class, and helped him establish a broad base of good friendships […] His journal shows him constantly enlarging his Tahitian social circle, referring to people by their names, many of them in terms of trust and affection" (The Age Of Wonder, 20). When compared to the relationship forged in the Congo, the one Tahiti seems better because they trade and have the ability to coexist. Developing good friendships replaces the exploitation of land and trading replaces slavery. Through Banks, as well as trough Kurtz, the relationship with the natives is defined. Kurtz wanted exploitation and ivory, on the other hand Banks searched for intellectual enrichment through the understanding of their culture and their flora and fauna. One of Banks observations of this culture is "It is almost beyond belief that Indians could raise so large a structure without the assistance of Iron tools to shape their stones or mortar to join them" (The Age Of Wonder, 31). Throughout his discoveries and his understanding of the Tahitian culture, Banks suffers a change. He comes to understand their culture so much that he realizes that they were doing fine without colonization. They didn't need their innovations to build vast structures, and certainly didn't need their idea of property to make them greedy.

Heart Of Darkness: Color, Feelings, Color, Food, Color, Good, Color, Bad

Colors characterize feelings. They have reached the point where a color can describe the feeling of something. Picasso exemplifies the implementation of color to describe feelings. A painting done with different dark tones of blue shows sadness and desperation. Color is also used in real life to make people feel certain things. Fast food companies almost always use red, yellow, and orange in their logos as well as inside the restaurant because they want their customers to feel the need of their food, fast. Anxiety, hunger, and adrenaline are produced by these colors making you order more, in larger proportions than you normally do, and eat this faster than what would normally take to eat that amount of food.

Joseph Conrad, in his novel Heart Of Darkness, wants the reader to experience the journey as real as possible. Through the meticulous attention to the tones of darkness and light in his work he shows the reader the differences between these two colors. According to Conrad: "It was as though an animated image of death carved out of old ivory had been shaking its hand with menaces at a motionless crowd of men made of dark" (pg. 111). The word "ivory" refers to the tusks of the elephants which were cut off for jewelry. This white and precious material describes Kurtz. Made out of "ivory" he is a good person since he is made out of pure white. The "crowd of men made of dark" show the darkness of the scene. These men are dark and have negative intention by attacking Kurtz. Conrad uses the difference between black and white to separate what is good from what is bad. Generally he uses the white imagery to describe the colonizers and the dark imagery to describe the natives.

Conrad uses this black and white imagery throughout the novel. At one point he presents us a gray one. According to Conrad: "I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness" (pg, 131). The nothingness expressed in this sentences expands further with the color gray. Gray is not black nor white, since it is not good nor bad it is nothing. Conrad portrays to the reader that when facing death nothingness is the feeling that domains. If he loses, nothing will happen. If he wins, the same outcome will happen. Through this use of death and gray imagery he portrays the "greyness" of life. The reader feels this uncertainness of whether things are good or bad, black or white.

Heart Of Darkness: I Am There

Some days ago, in Spanish class we had to tell one anecdote to the class. One student did an exceptional one. Through describing very vividly and in much detail his story, I felt as if it was me who was standing in front of the sea instead of him. Through vivid and descriptive imagery many things can be achieved. The authors' target through this detailed description becomes to captivate the audience in the story and most importantly make them feel and see as much as possible to get them nearer to feeling what this person felt when he was in that situation.

Conrad has the ability to make the reader feel part of the story through his use of imagery. You can almost feel that you are Marlow travelling in a steamboat through the Congo River. Conrad incorporates the reader into the story when he describes Marlow's view as: "But deep within the forest, red gleams that wavered, that seemed to sink and rise from the ground amongst confused columnar shapes of intense blackness" (pg. 119). Conrad effectively communicates the darkness and the confusion created in this scene. As a reader I don't know what these red gleams are, but through this vivid description I could characterize them as mysterious and dark. By the description of the environment, feelings of confusion and fear can characterize the person in this scene. In addition, his description of colors and tones of light and darkness add to the feeling of the scene. The colors portrayed in this scene, where the natives "stamped their feet, nodded their horned heads, swayed their scarlet bodies" (Conrad, 125), describe an evil environment. The colors black and red expand the satanic imagery used to describe this native on the shore. Through the use of this imagery and colors, Conrad juxtaposes the natives on the shores to devils. The purpose of imagery is to connect the audience to the experience that the person in the scene felt as effectively as possible. Conrad definitely accomplishes this goal when he describes his scenes through which the reader can feel there, as well as understand the feelings of this person.

 

Heart Of Darkness: Kurtz The Ideal Colonizer

A person will always change in a journey. People face new challenges and adventures changing their idea about the world. The clash of cultures will also make the person accept the other culture and understand furthermore their own culture. Interactions with the people from another culture, definitely change people the most. Marlow's journey to the Congo also represents a change in him. As the book progresses some changes become more evident. Since the moment he arrived at the first station, meeting Kurtz became his only desire. In the steamboat, the idea of meeting Kurtz pushed Marlow on through the river. After a native attack he changes drastically. According to Marlow: "No; I can't forget him, though I am not prepared to affirm the fellow was exactly worth the life we lost in getting to him" (Conrad, 93). Marlow had built a relationship with this black person. Sadness overcomes him and he starts to doubt the importance of Kurtz over a dead person. Reaching Kurtz was Marlow's only reason for living, but now he has changed and starts to question his desire to reach him.

Through this journey in boat, Marlow discovers himself. Maybe reaching Kurtz would make him a more skilled colonizer. This Kurtz represented the idol that Marlow wanted to be. He wanted to become Kurtz and be able to exploit the natives, the land, and the ivory as well as he did. But Marlow changes in the boat, he transforms into a person that even suggests that Kurtz died. When a pilgrim says that the black man is dead Marlow responds: " 'No doubt about it,' said I, tugging like mad at the shoelaces. 'And, by the way, I suppose Mr. Kurtz is dead as well by this time' " (Conrad, 86). Marlow had to experience having a relationship with a native to be able to forget the idea of becoming Kurtz. The native died at his foot and with him so did Kurtz. Following this event, Marlow had less desire to become a native exploiter and to enslave them for the resources of their land. Conrad creates ambiguity about Kurtz. He could be a person or just an idea of the ideal colonizer who abuses the natives. By showing that Marlow suggests his death, the desire to become this colonizer has died inside him.

Heart Of Darkness: Close But Far

Throughout the first and second chapter of Heart Of Darkness, Conrad shows two opposite worlds which live together. The idea of the British colonizers living beside the poor and exploited natives shows the contrast between these two types of lives. This concept reminds me of Rio de Janeiro, where the favelas are encircled by some of the richest sectors of the city. It is ironic that so much poverty is really close to such richness. Conrad portrays the idea that the only intention of the powerful is to obtain all the money from the poor. Conrad describes the colonizer's purpose as: "To tear the treasure out of the bowels of the land was their desire, with no more moral purpose at the back of it than there is in burglars breaking into a safe" (pg. 54). Tearing the ivory out of country wouldn't be such a problem if it was done without hurting the natives. The problem with the approach taken by the English is that they enslaved the natives for them to extract the ivory. A high level of unfairness is created, creating opposite types of lives.

What makes this difference in reality worse is that the poor have the wealth in front of their faces. I imagine a kid in the favela playing with a torn car and when he sees towards the buildings, he sees a kid playing with a remote controlled car. When the wealth is not as near these extremes wouldn't affect the people. The daily work in the novel could also be part of these extremes According to Marlow: "I don't like work-no man does-but I like what is in the work,-the chance to find yourself. Your own reality" (Conrad, 51). I am sure that the colonizers as well as the slaves have a chance to find themselves in their work. The only difference is that one suffers little and uses up the resources of another man's land, and the other is exploited and has to aid foreigners to extract the resources from their own land. Even though Marlow says that no man likes to work I am sure that he would prefer any type of work than helping others destroy what is his. By placing these two opposite realities so close together Conrad manages to portray the miserable life of the natives compared to the easy life of the colonizers.

Heart Of Darkness: Luck Or Preparation

I don't know why but I found myself in a discussion with my grandfather about luck. He said that luck affected human beings in different ways but that there were certain human beings that were luckier than the others. I liked how he explained to me the concept of luck but he was not able to change my previous idea about luck. Once a tennis coach said to me that luck doesn't exist, incredible things happen when preparation meets opportunity. I really liked this explanation since it opens a controlled variable which is inexistent in luck. Preparation is one thing that can be controlled and opportunities will always come and go, therefore; if a person is prepared for everything then the opportunity will come accompanied by success.

Luck doesn't determine a person it is what he is made of or prepared to accomplish. An alternative reality is proposed by Conrad when he says, "If a lot of mysterious niggers armed with all kinds of fearful weapons suddenly took to travelling on the road between Deal and Gravesend, catching the yokels right and left to carry heavy loads for them, I fancy every farm and cottage there-abouts would get empty very soon" (Conrad, 33). I have always been intrigued with this idea. Would the most important continent today be Africa instead of Europe or USA? Would the global language be an ancient tribe dialect? Was the chosen race to dominate all others chosen by luck? I prefer to believe that it was a matter of preparation that the Europeans were able to dominate the American and African continent. The Europeans had the weapons and the resources to do this, and when the opportunity appeared they accomplished this domination.

Conrad portrays the image of an European in a very different way than a slave. He depicts a slave as "All about others were scattered in every pose of contorted collapse, as in some picture of a massacre or a pestilence. While I stood horror-struck" (Conrad, 29). These slaves were of little importance to the Europeans, they only cared about the work they did. Conrad creates some ambiguity with the use of the word horror-struck. He could be feeling bad about the slaves and being horrified at the exploitation they receive or he is horrified by these slaves and doesn't like them at all. When compared to the description of the Europeans the slaves are portrayed as less than humans. The Company's chief accountant is described as "Hair parted, brushed, oiled, under a green lined parasol held in a big white hand. He was amazing" (Conrad, 29). The admiration he feels for this European is evident. In other words, he adores the European and disgusts the slaves.

 

The Cherry Orchard Act IV: When The Axe Falls

The word monotonous describes the final act of The Cherry Orchard. The whole act is spent in the farewell of all the characters who lived in the house. Regardless of it being monotonous it contains very important information about what happens to each of the characters after the house is sold. Monotony leads to dullness and boredom but it doesn't mean that it is not useful. In fact many monotonous activities are very important. Mathematics could be considered monotonous by the constant repetition of equations and numbers but at the end they turn out to be rather useful. This final act clarifies many events and actions that had been building intrigue and interest in the reader from previous acts.

The cherry orchard was the source of life for Andreyevna and her family. When Lopakhin announces that his recent acquisition was this property everyone acted as if they couldn't live without their cherry orchard. The question of what their life would be without their fountain of life had grown in the reader since Lopakhin bought it. Chekhov adds to the suffering of the family through the phrases, "The sound of axes chopping down trees is heard in the distance … Mama asks you not to start cutting down the cherry orchard until she's gone" (Chekhov 382). There is nothing more painful than to see the thing you love the most being destroyed in front of you. Andreyevna's pain is increased by the chopping of the trees in her presence. Varya's attempt to stop this is useless since the family has already heard the sound of the deadly axes chopping down their hopes of life.

The cathartic moment in this final act of The Cherry Orchard happens when the family makes a choice on what to do. Trofimov, the eternal student, says, "Hail to the new life" (Chekhov 392)! This marks the moment where the family accepts their fate and realizes that their life has to move on with or without the cherry orchard. Chekhov makes this an important phrase, especially because it is said by Trofimov. The fact that he honors and wants this new life shows that he, as the scholar, understands the facts and his life will not end with the chop of an axe. Since he appears is the wisest, everyone will follow his example, desiring for a new life.

The Cherry Orchard Act III: Trofimov, The Joker

Perhaps something intended to be funny turns out to not be funny at all. Maybe the joke was done in a very incorrect time or to the wrong audience. Regardless of this there exists the chance that something that had no funny intentions or planning behind it turns out to be incredibly funny. The idea if something is funny or not depends a lot on the person and not so much on the joke. One person might not like offensive jokes so any joke that contains any vulgar comment will not be funny to them. Other people may be pastusos and certainly they will not find funny jokes about them. There are some cases humor in Act III of The Cherry Orchard. Some made me laugh and others not at all, yet again jokes are rather subjective.

Trofimov seems like a scholar who studies plenty as well as concentrating a lot on his works. We are now presented with the image of a Trofimov who jokes around and mocks people. This can be seen when Trofimov says, "You know, there really is something equine about your figure" (Chekhov 363). He mocks Pishchik who says that he has descended from Caligula's horse. The use of the word equine in Trofimov's line shows to the reader his scholar side. He could have simply said horse like but Chekhov prefers to use a scientific word which would show the intellect of Trofimov. This type of comment falls into the category of planned funny jokes. Trofimov certainly planned to mock Pishchik and I thought his comment was funny. Of course Pishchik would not have laughed at this since this joke was laughing about him.

Trofimov is the funny guy in this act since he also causes laughter even without trying. According to Chekhov: "In the hall there is a sound of someone running quickly downstairs and suddenly falling with a crash. Anya and Varya scream, but a moments later laughter is heard" (Chekhov 370). Anya and Varya seem like the kind of persons that laugh at people falling. Personally I don't laugh too much when a person falls but I have to admit that there have been cases where I have laughed a great deal when a person falls. I did not laugh at this fall of Trofimov even after seeing the video of his fall. It all depends on the person, I think that the funniest fall I have seen is La Caida De Edgar, but others may have not laughed even once with it.

The Cherry Orchard Act II: Chilling In The Orchard

The school's amphitheater is a place where almost every student goes to chill there during break. Students normally chill where people from their same grade are and generally talk with their groups of friends. Today during break I experienced something similar to The Cherry Orchard. Every person was talking about a different thing. One boy was talking about FC Barcelona and their match, while another one was talking about golf, yet another one was talking about stocks. Two girls were talking about clothing and two others were talking about the party they attended during the week end. I felt as if every person there was talking of a completely different thing than the ones around, and none actually understood what they were pretending to be listening to.

In his play Chekhov tries to capture reality as a picture and he achieves this through dialogue. As in real life each character talks about whatever he or she pleases. The conversations shift quickly from one subject to another and there is no real central theme as in life. Lyubov Andreyevna says "Oh my sins…. I've always squandered money recklessly, like a mad woman", Gayev responds "That's our famous Jewish band. You remember. Four violins, a flute and a double bass", and finally Lyubov Andreyevna responds "It's still in existence? We ought to send for them some time and give a party" (Chekhov, 351). The way the theme changes from money to music to money again is quick and without depth in any of the previous subjects. This is exactly how conversations in life work, they change quickly and vary a lot in subjects. The other thing that Chekhov captures perfectly about reality is the quickness in which people forget things. In the first line Lyubov Andreyevna feels guilty for she has always "squandered money recklessly" but the next time she talks she says we have to "give a party" (Chekhov, 351). What this shows is how a real person feels bad for doing something but quickly does it again. In real life people do things even though they know it is bad. Andreyevna knows that they are losing all their money but still she wants to throw parties because what she likes is to squander money.

The King Of Norway by Amoz Oz

In this short story by Amoz Oz, the main character has an addiction for forecasting the tragedies and deaths around the world. Zvi Provizor, or the Angel of Death, is always listening to the news and telling everyone about the deaths around the world. He has little human contact except for the news about people from across the world. Oz portrays this character as a lonely human being that his only interest in life is learning about deaths and tragedies. The pessimism and the addiction to death Zvi has, shows how death and talking about it is his only purpose in life. His purpose has a drastic turn when he meets Luna Blank and starts forming a relationship with her. Even though, Zvi and Luna are both mocked with the nicknames Angel of Death and Black Widow, he at least is developing a human relationship with someone. Luna touches her breast with Zvi's hand one day, bringing this relationship to an end. Zvi continually avoids Luna and his death addicted life returns. Human contact scares Zvi as seen when he decided to avoid Luna, the only person in the kibbutz who cared for him. This problem is linked to his obsession of telling tragic events and deaths. His life is so concentrated on the news around the world that he is not able to live a life where his body is. The title refers to a place far away from where he lives but still his mind is in Norway because news came that the King of Norway had cancer. Zvi's obsession with news around the world prevents him from living his present life in the kibbutz.

The Cherry Orchard Act I: Family Business

This family's social class seems very high since they have maids and peasants. Regardless of this in the first few lines I sensed that money will be a great problem. Once a person accustoms to a life where money can be accessed easily and this person spends this money extravagantly, it becomes very difficult to change the way this person views money. This can be seen when Anya says "She had already sold her villa near Mentone, and she had nothing left, nothing. And I hadn't so much as a kopeck left, we barely managed to get there. But Mama doesn't understand" (Chekhov, 327). Her mother clearly views money in a different way. She had nothing left after selling the villa because she spent it all. The word barely, makes a big emphasis on the amount of money. Having barely made it shows the margin of money left which lessens each time because of her mother's spending. Her mother can't understand that she has to change the way she views money because all of her life she has lived with the thought that money will be an endless source of happiness for her and her family. Anya, her daughter, sees this in another way since she hasn't been showed throughout her whole life that money is unlimited. Chekhov shows, through this financial crisis in The Cherry Orchard the quickness in which money can disappear. He also shows how the source of happiness for her mother can quickly evaporate as well as the happy moments in life.

 

Chekov shows the idea of marriage for money instead of for love. This theme has been emphasized in the novel Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen. Mrs. Bennet wants to marry her daughters to a wealthy man who can provide enough money for her daughters but as well as for her when her husband dies and is forced to give the ranch to Mr. Collins. Marriage as described by Austen's novel is the climbing of the social and financial status through contracting matrimony with a wealthier man. Varya refers to these thoughts when she says to Anya "If we could marry you to a rich man I'd be at peace. I could go into hermitage, then to Kiev, to Moscow, and from one holy place to another" (Chekhov, 328). In both of these cases the interests who are being fulfilled with the marriage are the family interests. We never see Elizabeth hoping to marry a rich man, these are Mrs. Bennet's interests. The same thing happens to Anya when Varya shows how she could be benefited from the marriage to a wealthy man. Varya says that she would be at peace but she never mentions if Anya would also achieve this peace.

Cherry-Ripe by Thomas Campion

Very Funny Jim

According to the article Blackface Minstrelsy, a blackface minstrel show proposed the idea of laughing at the things black people do. White people dress up as black people and they "imitated or caricatured slaves". Since its beginnings in the nineteenth century it became a huge success and many people liked these kinds of shows. Mark Twain was also a big fan of these shows. If such kinds of shows were put on today it would be considered discriminatory and offensive. Laughing at the mistakes and ways of thinking of other cultural groups used to be normal, but currently it is considered as racism. I certainly wouldn't like to be laughed at just because of my culture and other cultures shouldn't deserve this humiliation.

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn could be considered a minstrel show since most of the humorous parts laugh at something Jim did or says. Jim's beliefs are also mocked as well as his cultural backgrounds. According to Jim: "Ef you's got hairy arms en a hairy breas', it's a sign dat you's agwyne to be rich" (Chapter 8). Then he tells us how he used to have fourteen dollars and invested them to become rich, but ended up with nothing. I thought this part was funny because he made really dumb decisions when investing, as well as believing that just for having lots of hair a person would be rich. The intention of this chapter is to laugh at Jim's cultural beliefs as well as his mistakes. I think this book portrays a recreation of a minstrel show. Mark Twain probably didn't do this book with that intention since he disagreed with slavery, but in the time he wrote it minstrel shows were a big source of entertainment as well as what he wanted his book to be.

Cultural Inspiration

Sometimes inspiration can come when a person least expects it. It can come through a dream or after a failed attempt. Artists, authors, and people in general need some inspiration to create something. Twain's inspiration for his character Huck was Jimmy, who "was himself so interested in his small marvels, and they flowed so naturally and comfortably from his lips" (A Scholar Finds Huck Finn's Voice in Twain's Writing About a Black Youth). Twain's character differs little from this description as he is portrayed as adventurous and naughty. It is not peculiar that Huck resembles Jimmy in many aspects, since probably Twain's inspiration of Huck came from Jimmy.

The story will not be changed regardless of the fact that Huck could have been black. Besides, many cultural aspects of other ethnical groups contribute to our culture and society. As said by Henry Louis Gates: "The significance is that it reveals that even for creators of high American culture, such as Mark Twain, black vernacular culture held a tremendous fascination and contained a wealth of artistic potential to be mined". Different ethnic groups and their culture make up a part of society. In this case Twain was marveled by what this culture could provide to his book and its characters, making them a source of inspiration for his book. Jim's cultural beliefs about bad luck make up a big part of the book. How could the book have changed if Twain hadn't borrowed this part about the beliefs of bad luck from that specific culture?

 

Huckleberry Finn Shouldn’t Be Modified

Before reading the article I already had an opinion. Upon reading the article's title, "New Huckleberry Finn edition censors 'n-word'", I knew that this article would try to show the points of view supporting the change and the advantages that the new edition could have. The first section of the article sought to defend this change. The change was defended strongly and it also persuaded people to think this new version as better. People should be treated equally. The excessive use of the "n-word" offends people who belong to this community, justifying the elimination of this word. People shouldn't be offended in books and if people feel offended by this they should be respected, making the change reasonable and justifiable.

Reaching the last two paragraphs, I noticed that there were people against this who also had important arguments. Any word that an author has used has been used for a specific reason, therefore the modification could change his intentions. Dr. Sarah Churchwell defends this point by stating "Twain's books are not just literary documents but historical documents, and that word is totemic because it encodes all of the violence of slavery". I completely agree with this point for not omitting these words. Literature has many uses, which includes showing society at a certain time. The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn show the southern society in the time of slavery. History can't be changed and this society can't either because slavery is a historical fact. Mark Twain in his attempt to portray the society has to refer to slavery. Twain also wanted to show other aspects of the other cultures. Jim's superstition could display the beliefs of many slaves, being part of their patrimony. Huck mocks Jim's beliefs by saying "I wish we could have some bad luck like this everyday, Jim", and Jim states "Never you mind. Don't you git too peart. It's a-comin" (pg. 48). Twain wants to display all of the beliefs and the culture of society of that time, inevitably using the "n-word". Words like these shouldn't be omitted because their intention is not to offend or cause any type of harm, their main function is to portray this society as real as possible.