The poem Birches by Robert Frost was absolutely fabulous in my opinion. I'm usually not a big poetry fan by any means, but for whatever reason I really appreciated this poem. It might be in part that I used to love to swing on the trees as Frost brought up in his poem. There is just a pure and unspoiled childish joy in leaping up and grabbing a tree branch. I'm not even sure what about it is so much fun. It kind of sounds ridiculous, if you haven't experienced it. However, once you've done it you just know the feeling and it is hard to explain. I really liked that I was able to relate to this poem's imagery, it made it more interesting to read.
I think that most people can relate to the part of the poem, where the speaker wanted to just escape from life to get reinvigorated. He didn't want to die, but just to somehow float away for a while and then come back more able to cope with life. It was as if he knew that life was worth living, but was so stressed out that he just needed an escape from reality. Since we know that Frost suffered from depression, that understanding of the poem seems to make contextual sense. Sometimes the world can get a little overwhelming and I can sometimes find myself wishing for a mini-escape to just take a break. I don't want to die by any stretch of the imagination. It is just that sometimes I feel like if I could just get a break from reality, I'd be more sane. I believe that life is totally worth living and "the right place for love", despite the hard and painful parts. Perhaps, even because of the hard parts? I'm not really sure.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce was a quite disturbing story. When I first read it, I got pulled into the romantic mind of the main character Peyton Farquar. The tale is set in civil war Alabama and Peyton is a well-to-do plantation owner. He thinks of himself as a respectful southerner who would do anything to serve the south, when in-fact, he refused to serve in the army feeling that it was for lesser men.
Regardless of his view of himself, the story begins with the beginning of his death. He was to be hung on the bridge, an execution of the utmost pain. The perspective that the story is told from is third person omniscient, and describes a cold and unfeeling bridge with soldiers preparing the noose and guarding the ends of the bridge. Once the noose is around his neck though, it switches into the thoughts of Peyton.
He becomes distracted by the ticking of his watch. He doesn’t know what the sound is but it overwhelms him. Then slowly his thoughts turn into a vivid escape. Somehow he manages to bring the reader with him off the bridge and into the water, escaping the eminent death a waiting him. This illusion is pretty well conveyed and his escape quite believable. When he gets close to his house though, he is almost in the arms of his wife when he is jerked back into reality.
The next line tells you that he is now dead, hanging from the bridge, as he had been throughout. It was rather difficult to read that part and not cringe at the thought of him swinging there back and forth like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. I personally had creepy images in my head after reading this story and was somewhat upset that I didn't pick up on the clues that he was indeed dead, while reading the escape. I wished that somehow he had managed to do the impossible.
However, as a reader I did just what Bierce, in his realistic writing style, wanted me to do and got caught up in the romantic ideas of Peyton: only to have them dominated by the true reality of the situation. All in all it was a very well-written piece that was definitely thought provoking and is an excellent example of realistic writing.
Regardless of his view of himself, the story begins with the beginning of his death. He was to be hung on the bridge, an execution of the utmost pain. The perspective that the story is told from is third person omniscient, and describes a cold and unfeeling bridge with soldiers preparing the noose and guarding the ends of the bridge. Once the noose is around his neck though, it switches into the thoughts of Peyton.
He becomes distracted by the ticking of his watch. He doesn’t know what the sound is but it overwhelms him. Then slowly his thoughts turn into a vivid escape. Somehow he manages to bring the reader with him off the bridge and into the water, escaping the eminent death a waiting him. This illusion is pretty well conveyed and his escape quite believable. When he gets close to his house though, he is almost in the arms of his wife when he is jerked back into reality.
The next line tells you that he is now dead, hanging from the bridge, as he had been throughout. It was rather difficult to read that part and not cringe at the thought of him swinging there back and forth like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. I personally had creepy images in my head after reading this story and was somewhat upset that I didn't pick up on the clues that he was indeed dead, while reading the escape. I wished that somehow he had managed to do the impossible.
However, as a reader I did just what Bierce, in his realistic writing style, wanted me to do and got caught up in the romantic ideas of Peyton: only to have them dominated by the true reality of the situation. All in all it was a very well-written piece that was definitely thought provoking and is an excellent example of realistic writing.
The Storm by Kate Chopin
The Storm by Kate Chopin was a very interesting piece that gave insight into the life of two couples, although, perhaps they could be considered three couples because of the affair that put them together. The plot was rather simple. The husband and son of Calixta, Bobinot and Bibi respectively, went off to the marketplace. A storm blew in and during the storm a man, Alcee, comes to the house in which Calixta is furiously sewing. When he arrives at the door she welcomes him in with an initial reluctance. That reluctance wears off after a short bit, and they have quite the romantic scene together. Then the storm calms down. Alcee rides off. Bibi and Bobinot return and Calixta quite warmly welcomes them. They had brought her favorite shrimps and taken the time to clean up before they arrived home, so as not to be a disgraceful presence. They begin about preparing for dinner. Meanwhile, Alcee goes home and writes a letter to his wife, Clarisse, who is happily visiting relatives with their children. At the end, no one is the wiser or at all unhappy with the circumstances. The storm blows over completely.
During our class discussions my question was, “What happens in part 6 of the story?” To which I got little clear response but a lot of heated discussions on the long term sustenance of such relations. I’m not married, nor have ever been, but I believe that honesty is paramount to strong and lasting relationships. I found the interactions of Alcee and Calixta quite honestly deplorable. I understand that there was a storm and at the end of it everyone seemed pretty satisfied with themselves. So there is the calm after the storm, but how will this calm last. When Clarisse comes back will she still possess her tranquil disposition about the circumstances? Will Bobinot continue to be oblivious to the fact that his wife completely betrayed him? I was simply filled with questions about the future of this calm upon finishing reading this story.
During our class discussions my question was, “What happens in part 6 of the story?” To which I got little clear response but a lot of heated discussions on the long term sustenance of such relations. I’m not married, nor have ever been, but I believe that honesty is paramount to strong and lasting relationships. I found the interactions of Alcee and Calixta quite honestly deplorable. I understand that there was a storm and at the end of it everyone seemed pretty satisfied with themselves. So there is the calm after the storm, but how will this calm last. When Clarisse comes back will she still possess her tranquil disposition about the circumstances? Will Bobinot continue to be oblivious to the fact that his wife completely betrayed him? I was simply filled with questions about the future of this calm upon finishing reading this story.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman was a very interesting story. What particularly stuck out to me were the vivid descriptions of the main character’s perceptions of what was going on around her. The descriptions that allowed the reader to see inside her head, figuratively speaking, was quite a testament to the challenging and misunderstood reality she was facing. That reality was postpartum depression, then diagnosed as simply hysteria. The common belief at the time by the distinguished professionals was that a brief rest with no mental stimulation would be the cure all for such maladies. It was rather unfortunate for the main character that her husband and brother were both physicians of high standing and were quite confident in their treatment protocols for her.
The irony in the situation is that from the very beginning she disagrees with their advice, but the knowledge of their love for her forces her into compliance. Compliance at least on the superficial level, as she is writing the very text the reader is experiencing, when she is alone in her room and can bring out her writing without being disturbed. Writing is one of her ways of escaping the circumstances, but in the end her limited mental stimulation leads her to have a strong mental preoccupation with the wallpaper: the yellow wallpaper in the room that confines her.
What is so interesting about her thoughts about the wallpaper is that she starts to go completely insane but the wallpaper is her escape from reality. It allows her something to focus on when she is supposedly supposed to be resting her mind. She starts to believe that it is almost alive and that she is the only one who truly knows it. It is the utmost irritant to her, yet, following the patterns becomes her prime pastime and insanity. In some parts she realizes that this has become a “bad habit” but as her husband continues to dote on her with his uninformed knowledge and care, it is her escape. Her inability to engage her mind on anything but the wallpaper in the room causes her some paranoia about her caregivers.
As the story progresses, her writing and descriptions become more bizarre and disjointed. Essentially, it seems as though what should be making her well is just driving her further and deeper into insanity. From a more modern psychological perspective that makes sense, because when someone is suffering from depression the very opposite is recommended.
The suggestion that someone with postpartum depression in modern times should be locked up in a room alone with no mental stimulation would be considered absurd, if not abusive. Yet, because of their understanding of the illness at the time it was considered to be an act of love and done out of deep care for the sufferer. I think it is really interesting how the different advances in psychological studies have completely turned around the approach to this condition. I am sure that the writings of Gilman were a contributing factor in the awareness and understanding of the women subjected to this treatment.
The irony in the situation is that from the very beginning she disagrees with their advice, but the knowledge of their love for her forces her into compliance. Compliance at least on the superficial level, as she is writing the very text the reader is experiencing, when she is alone in her room and can bring out her writing without being disturbed. Writing is one of her ways of escaping the circumstances, but in the end her limited mental stimulation leads her to have a strong mental preoccupation with the wallpaper: the yellow wallpaper in the room that confines her.
What is so interesting about her thoughts about the wallpaper is that she starts to go completely insane but the wallpaper is her escape from reality. It allows her something to focus on when she is supposedly supposed to be resting her mind. She starts to believe that it is almost alive and that she is the only one who truly knows it. It is the utmost irritant to her, yet, following the patterns becomes her prime pastime and insanity. In some parts she realizes that this has become a “bad habit” but as her husband continues to dote on her with his uninformed knowledge and care, it is her escape. Her inability to engage her mind on anything but the wallpaper in the room causes her some paranoia about her caregivers.
As the story progresses, her writing and descriptions become more bizarre and disjointed. Essentially, it seems as though what should be making her well is just driving her further and deeper into insanity. From a more modern psychological perspective that makes sense, because when someone is suffering from depression the very opposite is recommended.
The suggestion that someone with postpartum depression in modern times should be locked up in a room alone with no mental stimulation would be considered absurd, if not abusive. Yet, because of their understanding of the illness at the time it was considered to be an act of love and done out of deep care for the sufferer. I think it is really interesting how the different advances in psychological studies have completely turned around the approach to this condition. I am sure that the writings of Gilman were a contributing factor in the awareness and understanding of the women subjected to this treatment.
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