The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

    Most men go through some form of midlife crisis. They want to do and achieve things that they would normally have conquered in their younger days. As they get older, things start to become slower as the world around them goes faster and faster. They begin to realize opportunities they have missed and begin to resent this. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is describing the thoughts that go through the mind of an aging man who is disappointed in how his life has turned.
    During the first stanza of the poem, the narrator "Prufrock" comes across a woman that he is sexually attracted to. "Let us go  Let us go, through certain half-deserted street, The muttering retreats,Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels." He wants to do things "Of insidious intent" with her. Instead  of acting on these thoughts and talking to her, he decides  to not approach her at all. Each time he refuses to go up to the woman he repeats to himself "In the room the women come and go,Talking of Michelangelo." This may refer to how man women have come into his life that could have had a chance with had he pursued them, but instead he hesitated and nothing happened with them. Because of this continuation of failing to form a relationship with these women, he brings it upon himself to pretend that something did happen.
   He also goes on to imagine what would have happened if he had persuaded these women. "There will be time, there will be time, To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;". He continues to say this mantra of "there will be time, there will be time". There would be time for him to prepare himself before talking to these women and he would have had time to put together the right words and actions to use in those situations. Not only would there be enough time for him, but there would even be enough for the women as well. "Time for you and time for me,".

Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Wolfe

     In Mrs. Dalloway, each of the characters have something that has been hidden in their past. Some characters have feelings towards another character or towards an event that occurred and do not act upon them. Those characters just choose to hide their true intentions from others around them. They continue to keep appearances and hide their emotions. Virginia Wolfe's short story shows the consequences that suppressed feelings can have on people.
     Three characters in the story all are hiding some part of them selves. Peter is hiding his true feelings for Clarissa and the resentment that he holds for her rejecting his marriage proposal. He continues to think about er even after visiting her again. Instead of addressing this to Clarissa he hides these feelings of sadness and resentment and then goes on to stalk another girl in the park. He begins to form a relationship with this girl in his mind and later discovers this self induced relationship. He thinks to himself that the relationship is "made up, as one makes up the better part of life". Later on, he returns to Clarissa's house in order to attend the get together that she is throwing and is filled with joy once he sees her again.
     Clarissa herself is hiding feelings of others. She begins to become resentful over the her marriage. Her husband, Richard, cannot tell her that he loves her and this begins to trouble her. She begins to think on the day that she choose to marry Richard instead of Peter and wonders if she really did make the right decision. Not only this but she is also resentful over how her old friend Sally has changed. Sally is now a married woman with many children, much different from the Sally that Clarissa once knew. The relationship with Sally was one of complete love , the way "as men feel" for women. She thinks on this feeling after remembering a kiss that she once shared with Sally.
   

Walker Brothers Cowboy

    Sometimes children can hold grudges against the actions that a parent may choose to do. When families separate, the child for the time being cannot understand why these things are happening. they may just allow for one major even to overshadow all others. From then on out, an opinion of someone can change and nothing else from that point one mattered. In Alice Munro's Walker Brothers Cowboy, a young girl looks back on the memories that she had with her father and realizes that she did not give him enough credit for the things he did. She allowed for one significant event to change how she felt about him. In the story, Munro shows that memories one shares with another can mend any argument. 

    In Walker Brothers Cowboy, the father i said to have once raised foxes and sold their fur to others, but recently times have gotten tough and no one has been buying furs.Now he is a door to door salesmen. Her mother can be seen as more practical than her father doing day to day chores for the family and the house. During the story, the father encounters and old girlfriend by the name of Nora. The interaction that the two share makes a great impact on the father, making him increasingly happier. In one selection, the narrator says how the father never would drink whiskey, but she soon realizes that he not only drinks whiskey but "he drinks whiskey and talks of people whose names" the narrator never heard of before. After this conversation with Nora, the narrator notes that after this, the father is much happier. She gets a sense of the father's past and realizes that he wants to become the man that he wants was. This gives the narrator a new found respect for her father. 

The Moment before the Gun Went Off

     Racism has always been a turbulent issue in South Africa. Nadine Gordimer brings up this issue in her short story The Moment before the Gun Went Off. This tells the story of a man named Marais Van der Vyver who accidentally shoots and kills his laborer named Lucas. What the reader does not find out until the ending is that Lucas is actually Van der Vyver's son. This story's theme centers around the idea of separation and how it effects the lives of others. This also looks at how some separations connect others. 

    During this period in time, in which the story takes place, there was a policy going around called apartheid. This is a policy that thrives on racism, separating European whites and the African blacks. They were not only separated by race but also by class. This policy was designed in order to keep the Europeans on top while leaving all others at the bottom, having to tend to the needs and wants of the whites. During this time, Van der Vyver begins to form a relationship with one of the blacks and this results in the birth of a son, Luke. Van der Vyver never acknowledges that Luke is his son and continues to treat him as he would his other laborers. After Luke's death, he pays for a lavish funeral service. In one moment of the story, Luke's mother can be seen looking at the grave at the exact same time as Van der Vyver. "The dead man' mother and he stare  at the grave in communication." They never speak a word to each other, but they both are feeling the same emotion of distress and sadness over the loss of their son. Even though the two were separated by the law, this boy was their only connection into each other's world. 

Death by Landscape by Margaret Atwood

     Grief is an emotion that each person must deal with at some point in time. Grief can be triggered by anything from the separation of parents to the death of  loved one. What if this grief could haunt a person so badly that the effects are psychological? What if this grief made one question their own ability to think an their own perception their memories? In Death by Landscape by Margaret Atwood, grief is shown as an emotion that never really leaves someone, but stay with them forever. The character, Lois, deals with grief on a day to day basis after the death of a friend at summer camp.
     While on a canoe trip with a group, Lois forms  very close friendship with a young girl named Lucy. Throughout the story, the narrator, Lois, talks about the association of Lucy going missing and the water. It is not said in the story whether or not the water has anything to do with Lucy's disappearance. The pivotal moment of the story comes when Cappie, the counselor of the camp tries to place the blame of Lois for Lucy's disappearance. Cappie is worried about how the news of the missing girl will ruin the business of the camp. "Were you mad at Lucy?" Cappie asks Lois in a voice that is almost encouraging her to go along with this story. This leaves Lois even more distraught, which confirms Cappie's theory. Ever since that even, Lois now can only remember bits and pieces of her life. She cannot even remember "having her two boys in the hospital". It seems that her memories keep taking her back to that moment at the lake because of other key points throughout the story. She seems to associate herself with the water from her paintings to the house where she lives now. From that moment, she has never been able to fully trust herself.

Philip Larkin

          In Philip Larkin’s poem, “Talking in Bed” he uses the theme, failures of love, to express his concern for a couple’s inability to communicate and ultimately leads to a failing relationship. Throughout the poem, Larkin questions why the subject’s (the couple) relationship and how it failed. “Talking in bed ought to be easiest, Lying together there goes back so far, An emblem of two people being honest.”  The narrator is expressing his concern about their relationship being based of dishonesty. Instead of the bed being a place where the spouses come back as one, it is symbolized as a place of detachment and lies. . The word "lying" has a twofold meaning in this poem; on one hand it means that the couple in assuming a horizontal position together, and on the other hand, it means that there is some untruthfulness or falsehood between the couple.  "Goes back so far" also has a double meaning: first, the couple has been "lying together" in their bed for years (they have been married a long time); and second, they have been dishonest with each other for years.            The poem is filled with ups and downs of the marriage and how it is subject for turmoil. Tensions build between the couple but neither party releases in concern so the problems continue unresolved. The narrator also uses words such a “isolated” to represent the couples growing apart “At this unique distance from isolation.” He later writes about how their marriage has grown so far apart that they don’t even talk anymore or how they used to talk/love each other at one point in time earlier in their relationship. “It becomes still more difficult to find, Words at once true and kind, Or not untrue and not unkind.” This poem represents people falling into silence and how communication of change can affect a relationship for the better instead of falling into a silence and never seeing any positive outcome of a relationship.

Salman Rushdie - The Prophet's Hair

      The Prophet's Hair tells the story of a string of events which occurs after a family comes into possession of a strange and powerful religious artifact, that artifact being a strand of hair from the prophet Muhammad. In Rushdie's The Prophet's Hair, the reader is allowed a glimpse into a world filled with greed and corruption. Each character has his own flaws as everyone does, but these flaws are brought out even more by this artifact.The author is conveying how valuable things can corrupt and change people. One character in particular seems to convey this message of greed more so than any of the other characters. 

       Each of the characters act on a major sin throughout the story, greed being the most prominent and most addressed sin. The character Hashim is shown as being consumed with greed after coming into possession of the strand. He was "fond of pointing out that while he was not a godly man he sat great store by living honorably in the world." This line is a sarcastic take on Hashim's true intentions and moral. In many parts of the story, he tries to justify his greed. He found that his "duty as a citizen was clear", he was going to return the hair to where it belonged. Instead of doing this keeps the hair telling himself that it is for the best. "And after all, the Prophet would have disproved of this relic worship." By saying this he believes that by him keeping the hair he is not only doing himself a favor, but others who also practice this religion. In this instance, Hashim puts himself in the place of Muhammad, thinking that he knows best for everyone else even though his intentions are solely based on his own wants and needs. We see this similar situation in the character in Porphyria's Lover. 

Journey of the Magi

     T.S. Eliot's Journey of the Magi depicts the story of a man from a country far away traveling to an undisclosed location. When he finally reaches his destination, something has occurred that has impacted his life forever. Throughout the poem, the magi feels a strong sense of loneliness. After his trip, he begins to view the world and his life through a new perspective.  He even begins to question the even that has taken place and begins to wonder what this will mean for the world. From further investigation of this poem, the reader can concur that perhaps the foreigner was headed toward the site where Jesus was being born.
      There are several clues throughout the poem that lead to the conclusion that the man was going to the nativity scene. For one, the caravan that he was with was traveling during the winter. "A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey and such a long journey: The ways deep and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter." Christmas fall in the winter, which makes the timing of this journey correspond to the nativity scene. They "arrived at evening, not a moment too soon". When they finally arrived at their destination, they arrived just in the nick of time. "Finding the place; it was (you may say) satisfactory." The location is not of the same caliber as the palaces and any other royal place that they may have visited. The stable in which Jesus was born in was not a place that many would consider a proper place for a child to be born, but for those who did not have the money, it was good enough.

The Lamb

The Lamb, by William Blake is a poem about the conversation between a little child and a lamb. The reason that the reader can interpret that the narrator is a child is because of how soft and gentle the tone of the poem is. The author does no however come out and directly say whether or not the narrator is a child. From another point of view, the reader could even speculate that the narrator could actually be some religious figure, such as a nun, priest or even the pope. The conversation could even go on further interpretation as this particular religious figure trying to convert the child into the Christian religion.
     The narrator first begins to ask, "Little Lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee? Gave thee life & bid thee feed, By the stream & o'er the meed;" They ask the young child numerous times who they believe created them and make it a point to place emphasis on whomever did so. They not only gave them life but also gave them food, "gave thee clothing of delight." It is important for this child to know who created them because the same person allowed for all of the wonderful things to also occur. The narrator even asks the questions again. "Little Lamb, who made thee?"
   The narrator then tells the child who this wonderful creator is. "Little Lamb I'll tell thee! He is called by thy name, For he calls himself a Lamb; He is meek & mild, He became a little child." One can concur from this passage that he is referring to Jesus. In the Bible, Jesus is known as the "Lamb of God" and for having a meek and mild temperament. He left his home in heaven in order to be born as a man and live among men, preaching his gospel.

After Death

In the poem After Death, Christina Rossetti addresses common themes of the time period of death and tragic love. The tone of most subjects at this time where that of the male perspective but Rossetti offered a different view on the subject as a female perspective. She uses many action verbs to describe a deceased woman as a feeling human. For example, even though she is deceased, the woman feels, hears, and sees her admirer’s grief. As she writes, the narrator "heard him say, 'Poor child, poor child," "knew that he wept," and perceived his strong love for her, which did not show until after her death. Instead of portraying women as objects of desire, Rossetti, gives her a voice, feelings, and thoughts. Rossetti was making a feminist statement for the time period of which how poetry was written in a more male perspective and male dominance of their behavior on death of a loved one. She uses more forceful verbs to illustrate the male subject in the poem, creating a typical reaction of death. She then says: “He did not love me living; but once dead He pitied me; and very sweet it is To know he still is warm though I am cold.”
Creating a voice for the women and stating that the man sentiment of the man was tenderer when she passed. As if her death creates a since of power over the male subject, this creates a dominance over his character even though she is dead. It takes on a whole new way writing about death and tragic love of the time period of typical poems. Rossetti not only creates a living female perspective of the deceased subject but creates power and dominance over the male which at the time was unheard of at the time.

How do I love thee?

    Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnet 43 has one of the most recognizable and romantic openings in all of poetry. "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." The poem starts off on a light tone. She is asked the question of how much she is in love with the person that is being referred to. Then she states that she will count the ways, the reasons that she is in love with him. This in itself is a bit unorthodox considering that she is expressing her love in a list form. Whenever you are madly in love with someone, as she considers herself to be, you don't typically write it all out and give your significant other a list of reasons.
    As she goes into her "list", we see how she defines this love that they share. "I love thee to the level of everyday's Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light." Her love for him is something that she has to have in order to survive. It's like the sun and the light from a candlestick providing her warmth and light in the darkness. It could also be interpreted as what she needs in the real world in order to survive. She needs him in order to have food, shelter and to be provided for. She literally needs him in order to survive. This turns into not just some love poem, but almost a letter of gratitude thanking him for marrying her and taking on the responsibility of being her husband.
      She claims to love her husband and to feel gratitude for the things that he does for her, but this last line suggests otherwise. "I shall but love thee better after death." If she claims to love him so much, then why would she love him even more when he is dead and why would she even want him to die in the first place? After he dies she will become a widow and live a life completely alone. On the other hand, she will also receive all of his money, land and anything else that is in his name.

Porphyria's Lover

     Porphyria's Lover is the story of a man who kills the woman that he is secretly meeting with and then remains with the body. The meaning behind the killing is unknown to the audience although Browning gives a few hints as to what could possibly be going on. "When glided in Porphyria; straight She shut the cold out and the storm." From this passage, one can determine that this meeting was kept in secrecy. The were planning on meeting in an undisclosed location, during what appears to be in the later hours and during a storm. One can only speculate that the man and Porphyria were having an affair.
      During this period in time, marriage was considered a contract that bounded man and woman together in an everlasting contract. Love was not the deciding factor on whom would marry whom. Affairs were considered even more taboo than in today's day and age so for these characters to be engaging in this act proves to be scandalous. Porphyria herself proves to be an even more scandalous woman as she tries to seduce the narrator by "calling to him", "putting his arm around her waist, moving her hair to one side thereby exposing her shoulder and laying his head on her shoulder. As she tries to seduce him, the narrator begins to unravel. "Too weak, for all her heart’s endeavor,  To set its struggling passion free  From pride, and vainer ties dissever,  And give herself to me forever." He is in love with her, but she cannot love him in the same way. By killing her, he is insuring that she will remain his for all eternity. She will no longer just be the object of his affection and in a sense of the word act as her "boytoy". Browning may have very well been arguing that because this couple was indeed having an affair, disaster would surely befall on them.

Ozymandias and Irony

     In Percy Bysshe Shelley's "Ozymandias", a traveler comes across what use to be part of a great statue. The inscription on the statue talks about a great king by the name of Ozymandias. Ozymandias was once a great king with vast riches and power, but the only memory that remains of this are the ruins left of his kingdom. The poem is continuing to talk about the setting around the narrator and the irony that is hidden in it. The poem is discussing how pride in oneself can lead to ones' ultimate downfall.
     In the inscription, it describes the life of the king and who he was to begin with. He describes himself as a "king of kings". Normally when one describes the king of kings they are referring to Christ, but due to the supposed age of the sculpture this was created at some time before the birth of Jesus. Ho goes on to tell others to look at his works, but in reality there is nothing there. The environment may have once been rich and vast, but has now been reduced to a desert. A sense of irony can be felt in this line because if he was once truly a "king of kings" then why is it that his statues venerating him are not still remaining. The author even points out that nothing remains. In this poem, one can feel a sense of irony. This irony refers to the ruler's sense of accomplishment and hope that his greatness will continue on throughout the ages but in reality nothing left remains of his empire.

La Belle Dame sans Merci & Early Feminism

      During the 1800's, women were put under many restrictions. They were required to act a certain way and were viewed as only objects that were under man's control. In many cultures, women are not only to be dominated but through this domination they are kept from destroying man's morality. Women who were independent in any way were viewed as taboo and basically something to be avoided at all costs. In "La Belle Dame sans Merci", John Keat's independent female character reflects societies view of independent women during that time period.
    The poem is the story of a knight who falls under the bewitching spell of a mysterious woman. When the reader is first introduced to the knight, he is not the heroic knight that we think of in fairy tales. He is a broken man. He is "alone and palely loitering". Something terrible had to have happened to this man in order for him to become so distraught. The cause of his pain is a woman that he fell madly in love with.
     She seems innocent and beautiful enough, as most female characters in literature do at the time. She is know ordinary woman though, she is a "faery child". This is what sets her apart from other women. Something unusual about her made her stand out from the crowd, this being the fact that she is not human, and has caught great interest from the knight.
     The rest of the poem talks about this great love affair that the knight and faery have. The faery even professes love towards the knight. This affair can be interpreted as a physical affair. In one such line, "I set her on my pacing steed", may refer to the author placing the girl onto a horse. In many literary symbols, horses often refer to sex so it can be safe to say the Kearns was not talking about your average pony ride. This relationship is what leads to the knights downfall however.
    Eventually, the woman tricks the knight and leaves him terrified and lost. Throughout this poem, Kearns links the independent woman to his character of the faery. Because she is so different and so unique the knight takes great interest in her. Forming a relationship with this woman lead to his ultimate downfall. This poem shows that giving in to any independent woman always ends in disaster.

William Wordsworth - Lines

        After learning about his past and his history with Annette Vallon, one can come to the conclusion that perhaps this poem is not about nature, but use nature as a symbolism of his time spent with Vallon when he traveled through France. When you first read "Lines", you are given a very detailed description of a picturesque setting. In lines 22 - 29, he talks about how even though it has been a long time since he has come across this beauty and this sense of love. "Through a long absence, have not been to me As is a landscape to a blind man's eye:" This line is talking about how it has been years since he was seen her and that it's possibly been so long that maybe he is starting to forget what she looks like. "But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din Of towns and cities, I have owed to them In hours of weariness, sensations sweet Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart; And passing even in my purer mind," Even though he his in a landscape that is completely different from when they were together, in moments when he is at his weakest the feelings they once shared come again and he feels alive.
       He even goes as far to saying that these memories often make him reflect on the past and the future. "For future years, And so I dare to hope, Though changed, no doubt, from what I was when first I came among these hills; when like a roe I bounded o'er the mountains, by the sides Of the deep rivers, and the lonely streams, Wherever nature led: more like  man." He has hope for what the future brings to not only himself but to Vallon as well. He realizes that they have both changed over time. He also realizes that he is not the same as he once was. He is not the same young man who thought he knew everything he needed to know. Back then, he was reckless, young and free and unafraid of the world. Now, however he is a man fully grown and must now think differently.