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.