Atonement Part 3

So after reading a hundred or so pages from Robbie's perspective, we are back in the mind of Briony. It is now five years after the incident and she is training as a nurse at a hospital in London. She realizes that they are clearing out the hospital for the wounded that will soon start pouring in due to the Germans advancing. She also knows that the bombing of London will soon start. As a trainee her day is a strict schedule and her identity is nothing more than Nurse Tallis. She sent in a story inspired by the scene at the fountain changing some of the details and giving no resolution. her life changes some when the wounded begin to roll in. She sits by the deathbed of a young Frenchman and he confuses her with an English girl he was to marry. Before he dies he asks her if she loves him and she says yes, because at that moment she does. She learns from her father that Paul Marshall and Lola are going to be married. This fact confirms within her that it was Paul and not Robbie that she saw attacking Lola. She attends the wedding which is a private ceremony then proceeds to visit Cecilia. In a tense meeting between Briony and Cecilia and Robbie who is visiting on leave it is established that they won't forgive her, but they will allow her to start the legal process of changing her testimony even though it won't matter due to Paul and Lola's marriage.
The last section is written in 1999 and is written in first person from Birony's view. It reads that the previous sections are the final drafts of her "atonement" she has been working on for 59 years. She has just been diagnosed with vascular dementia and knows she is about to begin to lose her mind. She sees the Marshalls and knows that Lola at least will outlive her and her publishers say that her book can't be published until both the Marshalls are dead. It is also revealed that Briony's visit to Cecilia was completely fiction in Briony's account. Robbie died in June of 1940 due to septicemia and Cecilia died in the bombing the following September. They were never reunited. However, Briony asked what good the pointless truth would have done for her readers. Since the lowers could not be together in real life, at least Briony could allow them to be together in her novel.
This books leaves you with so many feelings. I enjoyed the their part more than I thought I would. No I didn't come to like Briony, but I don't despise her as I once did. I like how the last paragraph or two went back to questions about the "writer" and their power that hadn't been addressed since part one. That seemed to reinforce the news that it all was written by Briony. While part two definitely held the gore of war, part three was far from sunshine. The scene with Briony and her friend coming back from the park was moving. The way that Briony thinks about how Robbie will never know what she had seen was an excellent point. Now, however, after knowing that that never really happened that scene comes under a whole new light. It was strictly created to induce a certain feeling and reaction. By editing and changing it Briony was playing God. How can atonement be reached if one can alter their ending? This is where the separation of fact and fiction comes in. That is what started the entire conflict in itself. It is ironic that Briony "solves" the conflict by creating her own scene, a habit that started the entire mess. I liked the scene between Briony and and the Frenchman Luc, but after the revelation at the end I wonder, was it true, or did she present it falsely. Then I think, wait, the entire book was fiction. McEwan did an amazing job of having the reader experience some of what Briony feels, the confusion of what is true and what is make believe. I liked that it let us know that Briony had gotten married. Having Briony's play put on at the end was sweet. As I said before I have many feelings about this book. I want to say wow I love it, but then I'm like no it was depressing. McEwan is definitely a very talented author and it was amazingly written.

Atonement Part 2

Robbie was separated from his unit in their retreat out of France and is working his way toward Dunkirk. He was joined by Corporal Nettles and Corporal Mace who even though they outrank him, still follow his lead and suggestions. Robbie was in prison for six years. He and Cecilia communicated through letters during that time, yet these were censored by his psychiatrist. Cecilia severed all contact with her family and went to nursing school. When Robbie was released he and Cecilia were able to meet once in public before he had to report to basic training. The meeting was awkward until the end when they kiss and remember they live for the one purpose of being together. They were suppose to have two weeks together after his basic training but the beginnig of the war changed all that. The kept in contact and Cecilia's constant message of"I'll wait for you. Come back." is Robbie's will to live. She also said that she had contacted her family and Briony was feeling she was mistaken and might want to legally change her testimony. On their trek toward Dunkirk, Robbie sees the leg of a young boy in a tree and it haunts him. He and the corporals avoid the roads as long as possible and then join the multitudes of people on the road out of the country. They are bombed on and a woman and child Robbie tries to save are killed. When they finally arrive where the boats are leaving Robbie has a moment that he forgets why he must survive and feels he must rush back and save the boy's leg. Robbie feels it won't matter if Briony changes her testimony since war makes all guilty. However Corporal Nettles calms him down and he remembers he must live. He must "come back" to Cecilia.
This section was written much differently from the first one. It was almost boring to be limited to Robbie's perspective after moving between three in the previous section. This definitely was the "boyly" section with all the war and violence. I didn't know that Robbie and Cecilia were going to be able to communicate while he was in prison so that was a pleasant surprise. I don't know why I was assuming they weren't going to be able to contact each other. I liked how theirmeeting was awkward. That made it more realistic. Now kissing at the bus stop seemed kind of cheesy in my head, but I was picturing it at a train station which would make it more cheesy. The war setting really works. You really learn more about Robbie even after having the in depth chapter on him in section one. The reader can see a lot in Robbie's character from the way the corporals respect him. By learning about their civilian jobs you can infer a lot more about the corporals. Their lower education might account for the fact that they seem less effected than Robbie. Or it might just be that the reader isn't inside their mind like he/her is in Robbie's. Their helping the man that was being beaten up shows them as different from many of the other men. Maybe this developed from their time with Robbie. I'm getting too far off topic. The main center of this section was Robbie of course. However, you are left to contemplate about the changes that have taken place in Briony's life. By mentioning that she is willing to change her story, but not giving details builds suspense. The "war makes all guilty" is an interesting concept. When Robbie considers going staying and going back to all the death and horror he has seen, you see the torture he has gone through. You see the strength of their love by his remembering that she is the reason he must survive and escape.

Atonement Part 1

So I would much rather keep reading the book, than stopping to do this assignment. Just saying...
Briony Tallis is writing a play for her cousins, Lola and the twins, Jack and Peirrot, to perform in when they come to stay with the Tallis's due to domestic issues. The play is for Briony's brother Leon who is coming home and bringing a friend, Paul Marshall. Rehearsals for the play fall through. The day Leon is to arrive Briony witnesses her sister Cecilia take off her clothes and retrieve a piece of a broken vase from a fountain in front of their housekeeper's son, Robbie. Cecilia and Robbie's relationship has been tense for years, but Robbie realizes he loves her. He writes two versions of a letter and has the wrong one sent to her by Briony. Briony reads the letter before delivering it and feels that Robbie is a "maniac." The letter, however, causes Cecilia to realize her love for Robbie. Before the dinner that night, of which Robbie was invited to, he and Cecilia make love in the library. Their time together is interrupted by Briony who believes Robbie was assaulting her sister. After a tense dinner it is discovered that the twins have run away. Everyone goes out searching. Briony comes on Lola who has just been attacked and sees a male figure leaving, making her feel certain it was Robbie. She turns him in and steals Cecilia's letter to prove he is crazy. Robbie is arrested and taken away. Cecilia and Robbie's mother are the only ones to express any doubt in his guilt.
Let me just say here that I read Vanessa's summary before I did mine so it was stuck in my head and they sound similar. However, I promise I actually read the book.
I love how McEwan writes. The way he uses the different views definitely adds suspense. I love the way he doesn't write in a straight timeline, but overlaps the time from different characters' perspectives. Briony's character is extremely interesting. The way McEwan looks at the concept of the writer hacing complete control is very interesting. I loved the part when Briony was thinking about the connection between her mind and her finger. Of course I had to put my book down and move my finger up and down at that part. I relate with Lola and Briony's relationship in that I have had older cousins that felt necessary to remind me they were older than me and therefore more mature. I have probably been guilty of it myself. I think this connection is important in seeing Briony's reasoning. At the moment she found Lola she was the mature one with all the answers. She held the upper hand and took her opportunity at responsibility. Paul Marshall is the bad guy, right? Lola's burns and scartch came fron him when he was with her in the nursery and he attacked her. That's my theory anyway. Now there is the question of Cecilia's and Robbie's "love." Is it real? Is it simply a need they share to do something different and unpredictable? When Robbie is writing the letter it does seem genuine. However maybe I am old fashion but I see love as something deeper than just wanting to have sex with each other. By writing from the different perspectives McEwan introduces all the variables that led to Briony's "crime." If only Robbie had sent the right letter. If only Briony hadn't witnessed the scene by the fountain. If Briony hadn't been sitting on the bridge Robbie coun'dt have given her the letter. If only the twins hadn't ran away. If only Briony had went into her mom instead of going to the island temple. I could go on and on. It's very frustrating.

Heart of Darkness Part 2

One night while lying on his steamboat, Marlow hears the manager and his uncle talking about "that man", being Krutz, and how they disapprove of him. Soon Marlow is able to start up the river toward a sickly Krutz, who Marlow was to pick up and return. Marlow describs how "the earth seemed unearthly" as they moved deeper in the jungle. Fifty miles into the journey they find an abandoned hut, a pile of wood, and a note reading "Wood for you. Hurry up. Approach cautiously." In the hut Marlow finds a book entitled "An Inquiry into some Points of Seamanship" and he pockets it. One day they are forced to stop due to horrific fog right after they had heard a loud cry leaving them all frightened. Marlow describes the native cannibals they had working for them and wonders at their restraint in not eating the pilgrims. Shortly after the fog lifts they are attacked from the banks. The pilgrims fire their guns, but what scares the attackers away is Marlow blowing the steam engine horn. In the attack Marlow's helmsman is shot and killed. They suspected this means Krutz is already dead, but he is not. Upon arrival at the station, Marlow meets a Russian who adores Krutz and thinks he does no wrong, despite the fact he has tried to kill the Russian before. This Russian was the owner of the abandoned cabin and the book Marlow has. The Russian informs Marlow that Krutz ordered the attack on the steamer because he doesn't want to leave. He makes Marlow promise not to ruin Krutz's reputation when he returned to civilization. Through him Marlow finds out that the natives don't want Krutz to leave. He has became apart of their culture and customs. The night before they depart Krutz tries to run away to the natives, but Marlow stops him. When they leave the next day all the natives come out, but Marlow scares them all away with the horn except for the "barbarous and superb woman." Krutz grows weaker and weaker. He sums up his life in "The horror! The horror!" and dies. Marlow kept some letters Krutz had given him for keeping from the company workers and press, but he takes it to Krutz's fiance. Marlow lies to her saying that Krutz's last words were her name.
While I was extremely relieved to finished this book I did enjoy it, in a bored way. The end was definitely better than the beginning. I had a hard time summarizing the end. There is a little more action than the beginning but it's the conversations that carry the theme of the story and it's hard to summarize them. I definitely won't have any trouble listing examples of the author's style for this major work file. My two favorite are probably his use of capitalization and repetition. I liked the echoing of the title in the last line, "seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness." While Conrad never gives the narrator a voiced opinion, the reader can get a sense of what he is feeling just from his very limited comments. When the helmsman died was really sad. Right before it was a peak of action for a very slow moving book, and then it suddenly seems to stop with his death. The Russian was highly annoying. His conversations with Marlow, however, are some of the most important in the book. I can't tell if I would have liked Krutz before he traveled to the heart of darkness. I know it was made worse be the jungle, but I believe he was arrogant even before he entered Africa. I get this from his fiance. She never saw him deep in Africa, yet she has the same adimiration for him that the Russian did. The way Marlow describes Krutz's voice is captivating. The way Conrad writes makes the reader hear Krutz's lines in that powerful and authoritative voice. Marlow's visit with Krutz's fiance at the end was enlightening. It made me believe that the heart of darkness didn't reliease anything that was not already in a man. While Krutz was driven near crazy in the jungle, his fiance describes him in a way that shows he always had the same characteristics. They were just more pronounced and crude in Africa. However, Marlow did lie to protect him and seemed to understand that something had happened to him out there. He must have felt that he hadn't been a bad man before he went. I'm not having an easy time saying what I'm trying to. I hope you are able to get the point.

Heart of Darkness Part 1

The book begins on a ship docked on the Thames river unable to sail due to the direction of the tide. The narrator briefly describes his other companions on the ship before speaking of Marlow. As they wait to sail Marlow begins to tell of an exploration from his younger days into Africa. He had always been fascinated with Africa and had to have his aunt pull some strings before getting a job as commander of a steamboat on what I assume is the Nile. Before he goes he is required to get a medical examine and the doctor measures the size of his head. He heads out on a French steamer and travels for weeks. The steamer moved a long despite the death and war surrounding it. Upon arriving at his station Marlow is surrounded by enslaved, starving, and diseased negros. It is here from the chief accountant that he learns of Mr. Kurtz, a "first-class agent." He is at that station ten days before starting on a foot journey with 60 other men. With arriving at the Central Station he learns that his ship has sunk and must be repaired before he can embark. While working on repairs he becomes acquainted with the manager of the Central Station who "inspired uneasiness." There is also another man whom Marlow realizes thinks he is well connected due to the strings his aunt pulled to get him commissioned. Marlow uses this to try to get pieces he needs for his steamer, but they don't come. Instead the very secretive Eldorado Exploring Expedition arrives with their leader being the uncle of the manager.
Dense is the best word I've come up with to describe this book. Every sentence is dripping with figurative language. I consider myself I fast reader, but it takes a while to really grasp anything in this text. I love Conrad 's use of capitalization to personify and emphasize things. I love the way "Darkness" is capitalized in some places. It adds power and authority to the word. The imagery is amazing, but sometimes I lose some of the actual meaning the first time I read something because of all the imagery. That's the reason it takes so long to read. I reread several times and when I finally see what exactly the passage is saying, especially when he was describing the condition of the Africans, it is horrifying. I love the imagery, foreshadowing, and just foreboding feeling when Marlow goes to get his commission. The ladies "guarding the door" represent the Fates. Conrad even says "She seemed uncanny and FATEFUL." The description of them is awesome for lack of a better word. They serve their purpose very well. The black wool represents the strings that the fates cut to end lives. When Marlow talks about being let into a conspiracy I thought of the Darkness. When he is talking about the unhumane acts of the previous captain of his boat, who was known as a civil man, it is foreshadowing of what the Darkness does to someone. His conversation when the doctor is also really interesting. It's easier read when there is actual dialogue and not just Marlow describing things and events. Marlow's reflections on the way a woman sees the world in her own way is really interesting. It could be considered sexist in today's society, but in Conrad's time it was just the way things were. Women didn't go out and deal in business and didn't face much of the harshness of the world, and so they viewed the world differently. Today that section of the book helps remind us of how things worked in that time. The useless work and death of the Africans represents the Darkness, the cruelty inside humans. I'm curious about Mr. Kurtz. Is he the "poor chap" Old Marlow referred to? All the figurative language is interesting and written beautifully, but I wish some action would happen.

Poems #5

Perfection Wasted by John Updike
From the title I thought the poem was going to be about how unappreciative or true beauty and worth most humans are. Through the poem, Updike says that when someone dies we lose their "own brand of magic" and that no one will ever be able to produce it the same again. The majority of the poem is a description of this "magic." Indirectly the poem compares those who know a person through their life with an audience watching a magic show. I gathered this from "those loved ones nearest the lip of the stage, their soft faces blanched in the footlight glow" and "their response and your performance twinned." He speaks of developing and marketing one's magic near the beginning of the poem. Memories are also referred to as something that can be stored in a "rapid-access file." He refers to everything about a person as "The whole act." Updike wants his readers to feel sorrow that in one death all those things are gone. He himself feels amazed at everything that one life holds. The title speaks of what a shame it is that so much is lost when one dies and what a shame it is that we may not have even realized what all that person possessed until they passed. The theme of the poem is that everyone is unique in their own way and that makes everyone of us perfect in some way.
This seemed like the easiest poem I have, as of yet, analyzed. I really like the metaphor between the life and the magic show. The opening line, "And another regrettable thing about death," shows that Updike feels sorrow for many reasons at someone's death. It's cool how the line gives the feel that he is starting the poem in mid-conversation. I also really enjoy the last line as well. "Imitators and descendants aren't the same." It says that no one, not even your own seed will ever be you. You are the only you.

I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman
Just reading the title, I believed the poem to be about the different voices America has. Through the poem Whitman lists different professions and says how that as the workers go about their job they each sing "what belongs to him." America is personified throughout the poem as it "sings." It represents its hardworking citizens that labor day after day. As Whitman goes through the different professions he states how they are singing what belongs with them and fits their job. This represents how each of us have a work to do and a lot to bear. It shows how all Americans are unique individuals that have unique joys and sorrows. The reader feels respect for the men and women the poet writes about. Whitman feels pride in what America is. The shift comes in line ten where it stops speaking of how each is singing their own song and says that at night there is "strong melodious songs." The title is saying how Whitman and others see each playing their role in America. The theme of the play is that if we all do our part and "sing our song" America's song won't falter.
I found this poem easier to write about than several of the previous ones. It seemed very encouraging and inspirational to me. The professions he used as examples represented everyday people well. I can tell it was written in the nineteenth century because masons, shoemakers, and wood cutter's are very rare now, at least by those names. I had a strong sense of patriotism after reading it. It aroused that within me without mentioning soldiers or flags, showing that everyone has an important role to play in this great country. Singing is usually associated with happiness and liveliness so one can infer that the Americans are happy with their lives and jobs.

Poems #4

Burying an Animal on the Way to the New York by Gerald Stern
The title made me think this poem was going to be a narrative. I was entirely wrong. The poem says to keep driving and not swerve when you see road kill in your path because you are helping to bury it. Stern gives a descriptive account of the dead animal, but not in a disgusting way. The description is subtle in such lines as "brown flesh", "crushed limbs", and "dark spot." He compares motorists that drive over road kill to mourners. His reference to the "first suffering" creates the image of the actual act of running over the animal in the mind of the reader. The shift takes place when the poem stops describing the scene and tells you to respect and learn from it. While reading the poem the reader begins to feel pity for the animal. The author's tone shows he respects the circle of life. The poem seems to remind us that death is simply part of life and we should respect it.
Stern did a good job of writing about what most of us consider a disgusting subject in a not disgusting way. I doubt there are few who can write about road kill with such grace. For some reason the poem makes me picture a squirrel. Maybe I get that from the line "crushed limbs," since squirrels do a lot with their hands. I like the first eight or so lines because they seemed to to concentrate on the awareness of a life lost. However when he talks about "shreds of spirit and little ghost fragments," in the last lines, I kept seeing little squirrels' ghosts floating through the air and it killed the mood for me.

Question by May Swenson
From the title I thought that Swenson was going to ask some of life's profound questions. While she did ask questions, they were narrower than I originally imagined. Swenson ask what she is going to do when her home, horse, and hound are gone. She uses no punctuation in the poem save a question mark at the very end. That is where the title comes in. The whole poem is one big question. In the the first stanza she addresses the objects she is worried about losing. Then she changes and refers to them asking the audiences what she will do when they are gone. She gives specific details as to what each one of them gives to her life. The author wants the reader to feel the anxiety that she is going through when she considers losing these things. She herself feels very insecure. The shift comes at the very end when the true feelings of the author come out. She asks "With cloud for shift how will I hide?." She isn't just speaking about her house, horse, and hound, but of the security she has being surrounded by familiar things in life. The poem's theme is that everyone can't be certain of things in life and things can be taken away at any time.
The lack of punctuation made reading it the first time difficult because I never felt like I could pause. That in itself gave off the feeling of anxiety cause the lines seem to rattle on and on. If Body is her hound, which is what I gather from the third stanza, why does she put, "Body my house my horse my hound" at the beginning? The stanza describing what her horse and hound do for her was easy to understand. I didn't fully understand the stanza about her house. I gathered that the reference to lying in the sky was talking about being exposed without her house.

Poems #3

Dreamers by Siegfriend Sassoon
The word dreamers makes me think of optimists and encouragement. I was not expecting war. The author describes how far away a soldier's thoughts are when he is in combat. The writer uses a lot of description to portray two very different pictures. He describes the horrible conditions of war and in the same breathe creates a pleasant view of home inside the soldier's mind. The author arouses empathy from the reader and he himself is saddened by the state of the soldiers and their longing for home. After looking back at the title I realized that there isn't a more fitting subject for it. Who has more reason to dream than those surrounded by death and destruction? The author's point is that no matter their surroundings, anyone can dream.
I really didn't understand the first two lines of the poem that reference the "death's grey land" and "no dividend from time's to-morrows." Why is tomorrow written like that? I assume that the author is British due the the use of "bank holiday." I like poems that rhyme. They always seem easier to read to me. I really couldn't see a shift. There is an equal balance between descriptions of war and of home through the entire poem. The last stanza is bit more dramatic than the rest so that works as the build.

Not Waving But Drowning by Stevie Smith
The title made me believe there was going to be some sort of mistake nmotive. The poem is about a man who died because he was much farther out in life in general than anyone thought. He uses "not waving but drowning" to describe how he felt. The poem keeps changing from third to first person which keeps it interesting. I see the changes in views as mini shifts. Would "the dead on lay moaning" be personification since the dead are dead and really can't moan? The second to the last line, "I was much too far out all my life" brings out the deeper meaning and theme. The speaker was away from others in reality and no one came to his aid. They thoughts, or made themselves belief, he was waving when he was really being dragged under. The title sounds humorous to the reader at first, but as they move through the poem they feels the seriousness and truth in the accusation that we ignore those in need.
So when writing above I thought the different views were referring to the same person, but now rereading I'm not so sure. Each time I read it, it seems to make more sense (if I'm on the right track at all). The middle stanza has a rhyme scheme, but the first and last do not which made me reread to see if I missed the rhyme. I like the repetition of the title for the final line.

Poems #2

Advice to Young Ladies by A.D. Hope
This title makes me think of either an etiquette lesson from days of old or a feminist radical's views, quite contrasting I know. The poem begins with the story of Postumia, the vestal virgin, being charged of a sexual misdemeanor, but then cleared. It then speaks of the unreasonable restrictions of females throughout history and how it has effected the world. The comparison of Postumia's life after her trial and being buried alive is very true. They took away her spirit and freedom of mind which made life hardly more than being dead. The poem is full of imagery and comparisons. "Husbands...rank next to God." That was the feeling of the time and the last stanzas are filled with examples of the human's belief that the man is more important. The author wishes young ladies to be aware of their imprisonment and to fight against it and she herself feels indigination at the injustice of it. The focus of the poem shifts off from Postumia's story to young ladies in general in line twenty five. The general content of the theme wasn't too far off my original assumption from looking at the title. The theme of the poem is a timeless one. Women are no less in mind than men, but are under valued.
I really enjoyed this poem. The rhyme scheme was easy and fun to follow and the content was extremely true. The charges presented against Postumia at the beginning can be seen in similar instances through time. A boy would never be charged of being "too witty" or walking "too lively". The poems speaks of quenching the last spark of her mind. While females today do have more freedom, some places still strive for that. The line "Of being a woman made genius a crime" really speaks puts the idea behind all the accusations in simple terms. I wish I better understood the end of the poem. I'm not positive what it means by "Trusted the servile womb to breed free men?". I like the stanza before that where it talks about how crushing these female's spirits is as serious as crushing Socrates, Galileo, and Bruno.

wahbegan by Jim Northrup
I had no idea what to think when I first saw this title. It made me think vaguely of maybe an African language. I was extrememly wrong. The poem is about all those who survived Vietnam, but were permanently affected by it. The short choppiness of the lines makes it interesting to read. The use of the word "didja" in the first line changed the way I read the entire poem. Wouldn't that be considered colloquial language? The author uses a lot of imagery to help the reader perceive some of what they went through. The lines "He died in the war but didn't fall down" and "Some can find peace only in death" are oxymorons. The author is mourning for his brother and all the others who came back, but were never the same. He wants the audience to feel sympathy and respect for those men. The theme of the poems is that some things make us welcome death.
The only reason I took the time to read this poem was the use of colloquial language in the first line. It turned out not to be what I expected at all, but I really liked it. I don't understand how the title related at all. I really thought the author should have used other words like "didja" throughout the entire thing or repeat it more than just once. It sets up a pattern at the beginning, but doesn't follow it. The content of the poem is really good. America does do so much to honor our dead and sometimes forgets about those who made it through.

Poems #1

Days by Billy Collins
Just looking at the title makes me think of repetition and consistency. Collins speaks of how each day is given to us in the morning and we use it and then stack it with all the rest. A day is compared to a gift in an extended metaphor throughout the first stanzas. In the last stanzas a day is compared to a dish like the ones entertainers stack on stage. The very first stanza has a day being placed "in your waking hand or set upon your forehead". The author wishes us to reflective on how special each day is and he feels appreciative for the days he is given. If there is a shift in this poem it occurs at line 11. Here the author switches to speaking of how new each day is to how we stack the days together. After reading the poem I can see that the title is just a reflection of the subject of the poem. The theme I get from the poem is that we should appreciate each day we are given.
This isn't one of my favorites, but I like it well enough. I like the comparison of days to the stacked dishes. We all want to be able to stack one more and we all know that one day it's all going to fall down. I wonder if there is any particular reason he used Wednesday in the poem or if it was chosen at random. The way that one sentence carries over between the third and fourth stanzas bugs me because I never could read it right.

Woman by Nikki Giovanni
The title is so broad it's hard to have any conception of what it is going to be about. In the poem a female is trying to find her place but the male refuses to be her other half. She eventually decides to be woman despite the male's lack of cooperation. Giovanni refers to the protagonist as "she" throughout the entire poem which allows her to lead up to the reference of "woman" at the end. It is an extended metaphor but you can't name just one thing Giovanni is comparing "she" to. The mood I get from the poem is probably different from 50 percent of the world's population, but as a female I feel encouraged by it. At the end when "she" decides it's alright even if he won't be her man is kind of empowering to the female. Giovanni feels satisfied at the end of the poem. The shift comes at line 19 when she realizes it's ok even if he won't be her counterpart. The theme is rather feminist in that females shouldn't feel that they have to rely on the other sex.
The name Nikki Giovanni sets off some bell in my head. Did she write a poem about drums? I really like this poem. I don't think I did a good job analyzing it. My problem with poems is that I can break them down in my head, but can't seem to get them on paper, or on screen, whichever be the case. This is definitely a girl poem. All women at some point have felt let down and that he was refusing to "be a man", but they learned to get over it and move on. While it sounds pessimistic, it is also encouraging in knowing that we can make it without them.
I'm not sure what you wanted, Mrs. Leffler, since you changed the instructions so please comment and let me know if I'm doing these right.

Pride and Prejudice Ch 51-the end

Elizabeth is shocked when she receives a letter from her aunt describing how Mr. Darcy is responsible entirely for the restoration of her sister. It is soon known that Mr. Bingley will be returning to Netherfield for the hunting season. He calls not long after he arrives and is accompanied by Darcy. Darcy visits a few times with Bingley and is silent for the most part and then departs for London. Shortly after Darcy's departure Bingley proposes to Jane and she, of course, accepts. Mr. Bennet receives a congratulatory letter from Mr. Collins on not only Jane's engagement, but Lizzie's to Mr. Darcy as well. Mr. Bennet finds this highly amusing. In a few days Lady Catherine pays Lizzie a visit demanding to know if Lizzie is engaged to her nephew and, if not, to obtain a promise that such an engagement would never take place. While Lizzie admits she is not engaged she refuses to give any such promise. A few days later Mr. Darcy returns and as a group of the young people are walking Darcy and Lizzie become separated from the others and when she tries to thank him for what he did for Lydia he tells her his wishes have not changed, but if she feels the same as she did before he will never bother her again. However she says her feelings are the opposite and they become engaged. Mr. Bennet gives Darcy permission immediately, but questions Lizzie about her lack of feelings for him only to discover she really loves him. They are married in a double wedding with Jane and Bingley and live happily ever after. (Alright it doesn't say it in those words, but that's the general idea.)
I love the scene between Lizzie and Lady Catherine! It really was a surprise the first time I read it. I guess one could guess it was coming from the letter from Mr. Collins, but they would have to be a good guesser. That scene is the prime example of the strong willed, independent Lizzie. While you despise Lady Catherine, she did turn out to be essential in Darcy and Lizzie uniting. It's to be wondered if Darcy would have ever made another offer if he hadn't gained the hope he did from hearing of his aunt's discussion with Lizzie.
I wish their was more actual dialogue during the second proposal, but that's just Austen's way of writing. It does leave more up to the imagination which is nice. It's one of the few big things in the book that you know are about to happen. The first proposal, the letter about Lydia, and Lady Catherine's visit come out of nowhere (besides all the foreshadowing), but you know that something is going to go down on this walk when they leave the house.
Jane and Bingley's happiness is all you can wish for them. They getting together is one of those things that means there is goodness in the world. While Darcy and Lizzie are the exciting couple, Jane and Bingley are just as good a match for each other and their love is so sweet. They didn't care about social status and such. They just wanted to be together. Lizzie and Darcy separated themselves from each other by choice; Jane and Bingley were schemed against and forced to be apart against their will. Don't get me wrong, I'm a total Darcy fan, but you have to love Bingley for his willingness to love, even though he was look down on by society. Oh yes Darcy loved, but most unwillingly at first. Darcy is always praised for his struggle, but Bingley never even had a struggle. Shouldn't he be recommended for that?
Now I feel like a total traitor. I'm a true Darcy girl, but I thing the above is a valid point.

Pride and Prejudice Chapter 35-50

Mr. Darcy departs from Rosings the same day he delivers his letter and Elizabeth's stay doesn't last much longer. Jane returns to Longbourn around the same time as Lizzie and is the only person Lizzie tells about the proposal. Shortly after Lizzie's return she is pleased to learn that the militia is leaving so she won't have to endure Mr. Wickham's company any longer which she finds intolerable after learning the truth from Darcy. However, Lizzie is distraught to hear that Lydia has been invited to be Mrs. Forster's particular companion when the militia leaves. Mr. Bennet dismisses Lizzie's concerns and allows Lydia to go. Late in the summer Lizzie accompanies her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner on a trip to enjoy the beauties of Derbyshire. While in the county Lizzie is convinced to visit Pemberly by her aunt and uncle when assured the master is not at home. However, fate is at work and Mr. Darcy is called home a day early and stumbles upon Lizzie and her companions. The next day Darcy brings his sister and Bingley who has just arrived at Pemberly to call on Lizzie. Darcy again calls on Lizzie two days later right after she has received a letter from Jane relating how Lydia has run away with Mr. Wickham and begging them to return immediately. She relays all this to Darcy in her initial shock. Some days after they have returned and Mr. Gardiner has assisted in the search, the couple is discovered and marry after Wickham is properly bribed. The Wickhams come to Longbourn for a visit after their wedding and Lydia lets it slip that Darcy was present at their wedding, but says no more. Lizzie immediately writes to her aunt asking for the whole story.
The latter part of this is section is definitely one of my favorite parts. The meeting at Pemberly is one of my favorite scenes. It is the optimum example of an awkward situation. It was slightly uncomfortable for Lizzie even before Darcy popped in out of nowhere. I really like where she compliments Pemberly and then realizes how it might sound coming from her and blushes. That is just such a timeless happening. Girls throughout the centuries have said something, realized how it might have been taken, and in turn blushed. There is a definite difference in Darcy and this opens Lizzie's eyes to the change in her own feelings. One thing that isn't brought out in the movies and that I had forgotten about is Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner perception of the couple's feelings. These feelings become even more complicated when Darcy becomes aware of the contents of the letter. While that kind of scandal couldn't be kept a secret from society, Darcy knew the intimate details which was embarrassing for Lizzie, especially with her realizing her feelings for him.
I feel so sorry for Lizzie about the whole Lydia situation. She took over a bit of Mrs. Collin's foreshadowing. Mr. Bennet's refusal to do anything to prevent his daughter's wild habits is the reason I lose my respect for him. He is constantly talking about how silly his daughters are, but he doesn't have the backbone to do anything about it. I was glad when Wickham's character is exposed to all. Some may say that he gets off to easy, but I'm sure being married to Lydia is fairly reasonable punishment for all his past sins.
Even though she has such a small role I really like Georgiana. I think it is a pretty name too. She shows the exact opposite of Lizzie's younger sisters. She has a well established place in society, yet she is extremely shy and not at all forward. The youngest Bennet girls have little to no true standing in society, yet they are little besides forward. Georgiana 's shyness and Lizzie's boldness contrast each other well and make them good companions.
It's really sad how depressed Jane still is when she returns to Longbourn. Her sweet temper and all around goodness make seeing her suffer a hard thing for her sister and for us readers to endure. She deserves perfect happiness and it's quite frustrating to see little chance of it at present.

Pride and Prejudice 1-34

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice begins with the wealthy Mr. Bingley moving into the neightborhood of Hertfordshire, an action which the annoying Mrs. Bennet reads as a wish to marry one of her five daughters, whom he has never met. Bingley and the eldest Miss Bennet, Jane, both possessing sweet and cheerful characters, do begin to fall in love to the happiness of Elizabeth Bennet, the second eldest daughter, and to the horror of Bingley's sisters and good friend, Mr. Darcy. At a ball hosted by the Bingleys, Elizabeth watches the progress of the couple's attachment and is highly embarrassed by the lack of propreity displayed by the rest of her family, including her visiting cousin Mr. Collins. However, Elizabeth is unaware of the attention she is drawing from the haughty, prideful Mr. Darcy, whom she has formed a deep-felt dislike based on his alleged ill-treatment of the handsome Mr. Wickham. Shortly after the ball Mr. Collins proposes to Lizzie, is flatly refused, but quickly recovers and marries her good friend Ms. Charlotte Lucas. The Bingleys and Darcy soon after quit the neighborhood for London. Jane goes to London with her aunt and uncle after Christmas as a change of scenery for her disappointed hopes and for the slight chance of meeting Mr. Bingley. In March Lizzie visits Mrs. Collins, becoming acquainted again with Mr. Darcy who is visiting his aunt, the patron of Mr. Collins. To her astonishment Mr. Darcy proposes. She refuses him in heated language, laying the charge of separating her sister and Bingley along with his treatment of Wickham at his feet. He responds with a letter admitting his guilt in the first charge, but giving her a true account of his dealings with Mr. Wickham.

As I'm rereading Pride and Prejudice I'm realizing that it is probably the easiest read of the Jane Austen novels. I love the witty dialogue, espcially when Lizzie and Darcy converse during his time in Hertfordshire. Everything was said so much more eloquently in that time. People thought about what they were about to say, a practice that has been almost entirely forgotten. I've noticed something about Charlotte Lucas's character. Her speeches are filled with foreshadowing. The views on marriage she expresses to Lizzie describe most accurately the state she enters into with Mr. Collins. Her remarks about Jane hiding her affection too much and of Darcy's attraction to Lizzie both prove true as well. I don't know if this has any profound meaning since she is in the novel none after Lizzie leaves Hunsford, but I found it interesting.

Austen shows different examples of the marriage state through Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Mr. and Mrs. Collins, and even in Mr. and Mrs. Hurst. None of those situations are what we as readers wish for Jane and Lizzie. Imagine how tiresome it would be if your whole existence went into looking for a husband. That is what those ladies were brought up to do. Their many "accomplishments" were usually for the sole purpose of attracting the attention of decent people of the opposite sex. Speaking of accomplishments, I positively love that scene where Darcy and Lizzie discuss the definition of the word, with the annoying interruptions of Ms. Bingley. Again, I adore the graceful dailogue that actually makes one think.

It is kind of annoying how you get a slight view into Mr. Darcy's thoughts when he is present in the scene, but it is so limited. It never actually shows you much besides his general feelings. I have to catch myself from inserting the thoughts and feelings that were expressed in the books that I read from his perspective. However, it is interesting to have that view of things especially during his "courtship" of Lizzie in Hunsford. It makes me wonder what Austen actually had in mind for him when she wrote it. His proposal is one of the most absurd things ever. To tell someone how much you "ardently admire and love them" and then to proceed directly to telling them how inferior they are is almost as laughable as it is infuriating - almost. I love the letter. While it still shows intensive pride in Darcy, it is a beginning. While I want to blame him for Jane and Bingley's present state of unhappiness, it is also good to finally find out the truth about Mr. Wickham, a character that you knew was too good to be true but had no real reason for not liking until then. (Matt just did a horrible impression of what was suppose to be an Austen heroine swooning, but what he doesn't get is that Austen's heroines are much to practical for swooning.)

If this isn't what you wanted just let me know and I'll do it right next time, Mrs Leffler.