something really nice

Crane and O’Brien are no different. Each dipicts death in his own way just as each soldier deals with death (impending or actual) in his own way. Chapters 9-10 in The Red Badge of Courage are an excellent example of Crane’s techniques. Explain his technique and what effect his has on the reader. Be sure to explain both the reader’s experiences and the experiences of the other characters.

 Many of us before beginning The Red Badge of Courage we know baseline knowledge in that it takes place during the Civil War (or at least a war very similar). So when you go to read the novel you already have your ideas and perceptions of what happened and how it those things happened during actually combat. What Stephen Crane does though is brings a sense of reality to a topic we simply hear about in textbooks. As we have already talked about Stephen Crane was one of the people responsible for having a large contribution to realism and naturalism. In The Red Badge of Courage, one of the most predominate techniques he uses is the use of realism and naturalism. These techniques bring a sense of rawness and reality to the issue. One example is the emotion evoked from the reading, both for the character and the reader. “He was continually casting sidelong glances to see if the men were contemplating the letters of guilt he felt burned into his brow.” (Crane 51). As a reader you can really feel his fellow, yet wounded, soldiers walking right along beside him, who happens to be uninjured and unharmed. He may be physically uninjured, but emotionally he felt harm. He was guilty and as readers you can feel his tremendous amount of guilt and regret because people had died, yet he choose to flee. When the reader can feel what the character is feeling, you know there has been a sense of reality brought to a given situation.  “His face had been twisted into an expression of every agony he had imagined for his friend.” (56) Again you can really gain a sense of understanding of what Henry felt when he was finally surrounding by death. His face became contorted and he reacted in the same manner I believe many people his age would have reacted.

Comrades: Yet another word we use without understanding the etymological significance. Tim has comrades; Henry has comrades. Check out the definition of “comrades” and etymology at Ditionary.com and compare that with Henry’s relationship to his comrades in the first fifteen chapters. Pay particular attention to the way the characters are revealed.

According to the definition gave by Dictionary.com the definition of a comrade is “a person who shares one’s interest or activities; and more often are fellow members of the same group.” This definition almost directly corresponds with the protagonist, Henry, within the first fifteen chapters of The Red Badge of Courage. One example of Henry’s comradery was in chapter ten when a wounded and tattered fellow soldier makes an attempt to help Henry and have him tend to his injuries for his best interest. The tattered man stated, “Ye’d better take keer of yer hurt. It don’t do t’ let sech things go. It might be inside mostly, an’ them plays thunder.” (Crane 58). In typical conversation we use the term “comrade” when referring to friendship, in reality the word means something entirely differently. The word comrade is directly exemplified in this portion of the novel. It involves two men fighting for the same purpose, and the one helping the other because it is for the better interest of their regiment. Another example of the proper definition of the word comrade being expressed was in chapter thirteen. Henry tells his fellow soldiers about how he had received his injuries and how they do in fact hurt rather badly, despite how he may come off. His comrades, or fellow soldiers, make efforts to lend a helping hand in tending to Henry’s wounds and his comfort. The loud soldier had said “Put ‘im t’ sleep in my blanket, Simpson. An’— hol’ on a minnit— here’s my canteen. It’s full ‘a coffee. Look at his head by th’ fire an’ see how it looks. Maybe it’s a pretty bad un. When I git relieved in a couple ‘a minnits, I’ll be over an’ see t’ him.” (73). The one soldier isn’t offering so much assistance because he is close or a mutual friend with Henry, but because Henry is a member of the same regiment, and it is his duty to help a comrade in times of need. Also, with Henry well again, that is another soldier to help fight for the same side in the battle; which I believe one more soldier couldn’t hurt.

Both novels attack the idea of traditional heroism. “On the Rainy River” and chapters 5-8 of The Red Badge of Courage explore the idea of the traditional hero. How do our main characters stack up against the traditional norms? What is your definition of courage and heroism? What other experiences or literary works have worked to build this definition for you? How do O’Brien and Crane achieve their goals? What literary spin are they putting on the ball of words to get us to swing? Be sure to use quotes from the text and commentary to support your ideas.

From The Red Badge of Courage the protagonist, Henry, could easily be depicted as a traditional hero. In my opinion courage and heroism can be defined as actions that show strength in times of fear or disappointment, while making a stand for what you believe in, and learn from such incidents to become “a better man.” Examples of works of literature that have helped me develop that opinion of courage and heroism are The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand and To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. Our hero in The Red Badge of Courage exemplifies many of those traits. Henry, or “the youth” as he is referred to in the novel, persistently fought through the battle that he and the other soldiers thought was unmatched, on top of being under prepared and physically exhausted. “After the fever had left his veins, the youth though that at last he was going to suffocate. He became aware of the foul atmosphere in which he had been struggling. He was grimy and dripping like a laborer in a foundry.”(Crane 35-36). Henry in the time of the battle felt that suffocating to death would have felt better then the agony of anticipation of the war felt like. “The youth awakened slowly. He came gradually back to a position from which he could regard himself. For moments. . . So it was all over at last!” (Crane 37). After fighting a battle that Henry was so nervous and terrified about, he stuck through it and managed to survive to see his brigade hold the opposition off. Stephen Crane manages to make Henry appear to be a hero, because his raw emotions are convincingly real. Henry isn’t some buff, brave soldier, he is a typical and average young man risking his life to serve his country. He is petrified of his life ending, which is believable because I don’t believe there is one reader who would say they would be willing to die. The thing which keeps his persisting is his knowledge that it is for his country, and that it will make his mother proud; despite his mother’s rather negative opinion of him fighting. I believe Crane portrays Henry as an average teenage young man to be the hero, because of the believability and realness of the scenario. Especially today with the war in Iraq, there are many young men and women risking their lives in simple acts of bravery, which I think that is what makes a hero.

Crane is regarded as a Realist and a Naturalist. Explain the reasoning behind Realism and Naturalism, and discuss the major players in this literary movement. Be sure to comment with your own thoughts about the philosophy behind this literary movement.

Both Realism and Naturalism are deviations of the Romanticism artistic movement; despite not having many comparisons to the genre. Realism and Naturalism became widely popular because it gave a realistic and “fresh” perspective on everyday events, which before were depicted as romantic and overly dramatized ideals. There were several people who recognized the need for a change, and were greatly responsible for the development of the Realism and Naturalism movements.

One example of these men responsible for the development of Realism was the novelist Honoré de Balzac. His well respected literary work which exemplified Realism were his series of novels entitled La Comédie Humaine. “His attention to detail was obsessive, with long passages of description of settings being characteristic feature of his work.” Although today this would be considered “long-winded,” at the time it created vivid images unlike any other work. However, Balzac’s literary works were “still essentially Romantic creations,” but they were filled with Realistic images and scenarios.

Another man responsible for the development of Realism was Gustave Flaubert. Flaubert got himself into a bit of turmoil with his depiction of an “adulterous woman married to an unimaginative country physician. . .” His description of this real-life incident was considered overly provocative and challenged the morality of the time-period. For a novel to have that strong of an impact on peoples’ emotions, is due greatly in part to its realistic nature.

Another division of Romanticism, and is also a division of Realism, is the Naturalism movement. Émile Zola served as a leading contributor to the development of this movement. Unlike Realism, Zola managed to incorporate all of the detailed descriptions which Balzac and Flaubert were known for, but without having long-winded descriptions and were usually integrated within the narrative. Through this the novel became more than a novel, and could be something actually visualized in everyday life. One thing Zola was recognized for was his use of representative characters, rather than depicting them as the actual individual.

I believe Realistic and Naturalistic novels have become more understandable and “well liked,” on the majority, largely due to the fact that as a whole society is able to relate more to Realistic descriptions. Romanticism is enjoyable and pleasant to read, but the ability to relate to it is fare less. I know for me personally, whether I’m reading or watching television or a movie I find more realistic and naturalistic depictions instill a greater emotion, whether it’s curiosity or fear. Also I believe Realism and Naturalism have had a greater influence in our everyday lives, as oppose to the Romantic ideals.

List and explain five tangible things and five intangible things the soldiers from The Red Badge of Courage carry.

From the novel The Red Badge of Courage, five tangible things the soldiers carry with them include “necessary clothing,” such as their uniforms, boots and such, “blankets, haversacks, canteens, and arms and ammunition.” (Crane 20) All of these items are necessary for personal well-being and performance within combat during a war. Intangible items the soldiers carry with them include their personal memories. “He had seen a good deal of flurry and hast in her movement as she changed her attitude. He often though of it.” The soldier remembering having seen a girl watching him depart off to war. Another intangible item the soldiers carry with them is their love toward loved ones. On page seven despite the attitude of the narrator, while his mother is lecturing him and giving him a speech it is out of love. The soldiers also carry with them pride. Again, referring to the narrator’s mother’s speech, “he had, of course, been impatient under the ordeal of this speech.”(7) The narrator feels a sense of pride because he is a soldier now, that he is too “grown-up” to be accepting of affection from his mother. Another intangible item the soldiers carry with them is their feeling of longing; whether longing to be home or longing to actually fight within a battle. “They were marched from place to place with apparent aimlessness.” (25) The soldiers had joined the military to fight, not be moved from place to place. Lastly the soldiers carry with them bravery. They are in fact in a war, and bravery is certainly something that is required.

Answer this question: “What do you carry?” List and explain what you hump around life, both tangible and intangible.

As far as tangible items I hump around day-to-day are my wallet, which holds the essential drivers license. I also feel naked if I don’t carry a water bottle with me every where, I think I’m addicted to water, because it is all I ever drink and I drink a lot of it. I also carry with me the ever-convenient cell phone. Lately I have been remembering to carry my SPF 30 chapstick, because my lips get sun-burnt extremely easily (and that hurts quite badly). I also tend to carry around at least one pencil. As far as the intangible items I hump around my life with are my dreams and hopes for the future. I carry with me the memories of the past, both the good and the bad. I also carry with me frustrations or feelings of annoyance I’m not able to release; whether it is schoolwork or if I’m in a pessimistic mood; which frustrates me because I usually attempt to always stay optimistic/positive.

 Song

1. What is the occasion of the poem? What literary device does the poet employ? Describe what you know of the speaker, the listener, and the “she” referred to in the poem.

The occasion of the poem is a man confessing his love for a woman. Right? The line “Tell her that wastes her time and me,/ That now she knows,/ When I resemble her to thee…”(lines 2-4) the man is comparing the rose to the woman. Which, although it is corny, is something someone would do only if they were in love.

2. Paraphrase each of the four stanzas.

I send this rose, to tell her not to live wondering anymore, she can now know that when I compare this rose’s beauty to her beauty she will know I am the one in love with her. Tell her rose, not to hide anymore. She has hid herself from men, now she can come forward. Beauty is minor to the amount I love her; it makes me blush to talk about her. You may die roes, but the love between her an I will remain. That is what is wonderful and fair. (Something to that effect)

3. Describe the prosody, including stanza form, rhyme, meter, and notable metrical substitutions (spondees), as well as the structure of the poem. How do these choices help to reinforce the poem’s content?

The poem is structured into four stanzas, which each follow the same rhyme scheme, which is ababb. The stanza are also each constructed the same way, as far as line length. Lines the first and third lines of each stanza contains four syllables. The second, fourth and fifth lines of each stanza contain seven syllables.

Virtue

1. Consider first Herbert’s use of metaphor and personification. In each case, what two unlike things are being compared, and what do they have in common?

In the first stanza, the metaphor comparing a marriage between the ground and the sky, “The bridal of the earth and sky…” Next, in the second stanza the poet personifies the rose, “whose hue angry and brave/ Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye…” The poet is referring to the rose as though the rose were a creature, capable of becoming angry or evoking an emotion. The next metaphor is “Only a sweet and virtuous soul, like season’d timber, never gives…” (Lines 13-14) Despite the fact that I thought that would be considered a simile. Which George Hebert is comparing the soul of a man, as unforgiving and stubborn, much the same as an old and large piece of lumber.

2. How is the poem structured, and how does this structure support its meaning? Consider parallelism, order, and the turn in the poem.

The poem is structured into four stanzas, which each consist of four lines; the first three lines consisting of eight syllables, and the last line of each stanza containing merely four stanzas. Which the last lines of each stanza each consist of some form of dying or living. “For thou must die,” “And thou must die,” “And all must die,” “Then chiefly lives.”

3. How does the prosody reinforce the poem’s meaning?

In the last portion of my response to question two I began to mention it. The last lines in each stanza play a vital role in the significance and meaning of the entire poem. The first three stanzas talk about how everyone must eventually die. The last lines of those three stanzas state, “For thou must die,” “And thou must die,” and “And all must die.” However, the last stanza speaks on how, although we die in physicality our souls will continue to live. The last line of the poem states, “Then chiefly lives.”

 Auto Wreck

1. What imagery does Shapiro use in the first three lines to evoke sound and sight? How do these images become increasingly significant in the context of the entire poem?

With the first three lines Shapiro uses the image of the human heart. The author uses lines such as “…beating, beating,” and “…dark one ruby flare” also with the obvious line “…red light like an artery” (Lines 1-3). These lines become increasingly significant with the context of the poem because the entire poem deals with an accident, which in many cases can end in fatality.

1. On a literal level, what contextual significance do the following words and phrases have: mangled (line 9), “tolls once” (line 11), “terrible cargo” (line 12), “rocking, slightly rocking” (line 13), deranged and composed (line 15 and 16)?

The word mangled in line 9 refers to the bodies of those involved in the collision, almost as though they are unimportant. “… the mangled lifted” is referring to the bodies of the victims being taken away by the ambulance, but being “lifted” is not usually associated with a human body. The line “breaking the hush, tolls once” is almost like church bells, being rung once. (at least that is how I perceive it) Another line which makes the bodies of the victims appear inhuman was line 12 with “…with its terrible cargo” takes the bodies of the humans and speaks of them as though they were products having to be shipped. “…rocking, slightly rocking” creates an image of elderly couple, rocking in rocking chairs, which is not an image usually associated with the horrific images that come with an auto collision. Finally the line the words “deranged” and “composed” is oxymoronic. The mutilated and mangled bodies of the victims, apparently at the same time can appear to be composed and eloquent.

1. Analyze the metaphors in lines 3, 18, 22, and 29-30. What pattern do they create and why is it appropriate to the poem?

The metaphor in line 3 is “red light like an artery…” which is referring to the red light of the ambulance and police, however it is subtly referring to the amount of blood that came with the collision. In line 18 the metaphor is “ponds of blood” is a hyperbole for the sheer amount of blood resulting from the collision. Line 22 states “Our throats were tight as tourniquets…” which, this metaphor is referring to the feeling you get when something makes you sick, and you feel as though your throat is closing up. With lines 29-30, which state “ But we remain, touching a wound/ That opens to our richest horror.” Is a metaphor for the feeling someone feels in this situation, pertaining to the “auto wreck.” The pattern these metaphors follow is that they each deal with an aspect of blood, which create a not so pleasing tone.

1. What is added to the theme of the poem by the metaphors in lines 20-21 and the simile in 24-27?

 Lines 20-21 state “One hangs lanterns on the wrecks that cling,/ Empty husks of locust, to iron poles.” Well, perhaps this line is referring to the attraction insects have toward light. The simile in lines 24-27 is, well, honestly I haven’t the slightest idea. Like people gradually returning to health intimate, we speak through sickly similes and warn… sure?

Complaint to His Purse

1. Describe the form called rime royal: meter, rhyme scheme, stanza form.

The form rime royal is defined as a stanza with seven lines of iambic pentameter with a rhyming scheme of ababbcc. Which the poem “Complaint to His Purse,” follows this form for the first three stanzas, but then breaks into a five-lined envoy with a rhyme scheme of aabba. However, the three seven-lined stanza follow the form of rime-royal.

2. What is the structure of the poem? How do the imagery and argument of each stanza develop and intensify the appeal?

The poem is structured into three separate stanzas each with its own idea, then an envoy which supports the theme of the entire poem. With the first stanza the speaker was say, if he were as much of a spendthrift as his wife, he would be drunk all the time, from buying beer so much. Line five states, “Me were as lief be laid upon my beere. . .” The second stanza he is speaking to his wife, saying without her his life wouldn’t be the same. Line 12 states, “Ye be my life, ye be myn hertes steere. . .” The third stanza Chaucer was asking his wife to help him leave, he stated “And saviour, as in the world down here,/ Out of this towne helpe me thurgh your might. . .” (Lines 16-17).

3. In exploring the extended metaphor of the poem, consider how diction accounts for the humor of Chaucer’s parody.

The extended metaphor of the poem is that Chaucer is comparing his love for his wife to the money in his purse. The diction however accounts for the humor because of the hyperbole of comparison. He repeats the line “Beeth hevy again, or elles moot I die.” (Lines 7, 14, 21). The exaggeration of him dying without his wife’s love, is a bit much.

4. How does the envoy continue the tone of the poem even as it addresses a specific person?

The envoy continues the tone of the poem, despite addressing a specific person because the message is exactly the same. Henry IV was apparently a conqueror, “O conquerour of Brutus Albioun. . .” and a ruthless one at that. However the envoy was to state that Henry IV has the authority, or power rather, to “amende” any of the speakers issues. (I had to refer to the back, and I still don’t quite see it, I mean I see how you could translate that interpretation directly from the text. However, I don’t see how you can figuratively relate it to the rest of the poem.)

Spring and Fall

1. Hopkins’s short lyric shares some elements with the sonnet, but it is a nonce form, invented for this poem only. Hopkins’ idiosyncratic meter, which he dubbed “sprung rhythm,” uses accent marks over certain syllables. What is the dominate meter and line length? What is the rhyme scheme? Describe the poem’s structure.

The poem consists of primarily all rhyming couplets, except for lines 7-9 where there are three lines which rhyme with each other. Other than these three lines, each of the other lines all consists of rhyming couplets. Thus, making the rhyme scheme AABBCCDDDEEFFGG. The line length of throughout the poem remains rather consistent, ranging from either seven or eight syllables each.

2.What is the effect of the frequent use of alliteration in the poem? Combined with assonance and consonance, what mood does this device create?

The uses of these literary devices help convey the sorrowful and slightly depressing viewpoints on the life cycle. With the repetition of each of these sounds, it’s like another repetition within each of our lives. The use of assonance is clearly evident at the beginning of the poem with the very first line, “Margaret, are you. . .” with the repetition of the vowel a within both “Margaret” and “are.” Alliteration is heavily used throughout the entire poem, beginning with line three until the end; in some lines there are even two examples of alliteration being used. With the repetition of each of these words it is paralleling the repetitions of events which occur within each of our lives. (At least that’s what I think anyway)

3. Comment on the effect created by such unusual diction as Goldengrove and unleaving (line 2), fresh (line 4), wanwood and leafmeal (line 8), springs (line 11), and blight (line 14). How do the connotations of these words create the poem’s mood?

Yes, I did consider the diction unusual, but then I referred to the Background and Purpose section where I saw that the poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, lived from 1844-1889 in Great Britain, so I considered the unusual diction a late 19^th century English thing. Each of the words has a rather negative connotation, which just further supports the negative and pessimistic mood toward the perspective on life. Fresh is still a term used when someone talks back to someone, and blight isn’t exactly the most friendly of all words. Blight is something that spoils or damages something else.

4. Analyze the poet’s use of figurative language. How does it suggest the theme of the poem?

One example of the poet’s use of figurative language was in line 11 with “Sorrow’s springs. . .” in saying that we will always bounce back and forth between our happy highs, and our sorrowful lows. Another example of figurative language within this poem was line 13 with “What heart heard of, ghost guessed. . .” which the author was implying that there are some things that cannot be expressed by word of mouth, but rather are just felt either in one’s heart or in your spirit.

The Oven Bird

1. Frost’s poem, like Hopkins’s, borrows from the sonnet form. What is its meter, rhymes scheme, and structure?

The rhymes scheme of this poem is AABCBDCDEEFGFG. The structure of the poem is rather straightforward, it is all one stanza. Although at the very beginning there is a rhyming couplet, with end rhyme making it AA.

2. Paraphrase the three messages of the oven bird, then analyze the meaning of the word fall as it encapsulates the theme of the poem.

The first message the oven bird states is “He says that leaves are old and that for flowers/ Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten.” (Line 4-5) Which the oven bird was stating that it is toward the end of summer, and the tree’s leaves will begin to fall. Flowers are past their half life, much like one in the afternoon is much past ten in the morning. The second message the oven bird says is “He says the early petal-fall is past/ When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers/ On sunny days a moment overcast;/ And comes that other fall we name the fall.” Which means the first petals on flowers are beginning to fall, and pear and cherry blossoms are falling as well, which according to my research both cherries and pears ripen during midsummer. (Line 6-9) The third message made by the oven bird was “He says the highway dust is over all.” (Line 10) To be perfectly honest, I interpreted this to what every Northern New Yorker believes Summer is the season of construction, and “the highway dust is over all,” it’s at the peak of construction season.

3. Paraphrase the last four lines of the poem. How does the oven bird symbolize the human condition?

The oven bird would no longer spread messages and be as everyone else. There would remain one question on his mind, what are you suppose to do with things that have faded away. (Haha, that’s ridiculously horrible). The oven bird symbolizes the human condition because the oven bird acts and thinks just as any human does. They spread their opinions, then sit back and fade away, just as people today who gossip and then sit back.

 The Story We Know

1. Describe a villanelle by explicating the stanza pattern and the rhyme scheme of this poem. How many different end rhymes are in the poem? How many times is each sound repeated? Which words are repeated exactly at the ends of lines, in what pattern? How does the last stanza use the rhyming words? Why is this appropriate at the end of the poem?

A typical villanelle is a poem with a fixed form of nineteen lines, five stanzas with three lines each and one stanza with four lines. Each line can be of any length or meter, and has a set rhyme scheme, of aba. Line 1 is repeated with lines 6, 12, and 18 and line 3 is repeated in lines 9, 15, and 19. With that said, “The Story We Know,” employs this set villanelle pattern exactly. The ending word “Hello” from line 1 is repeated in lines 6, 12, and 18; just as the definition stated. The ending word of “know” from line 3 is repeated in lines 9, 15, and 19; again just as the definition stated. Also the rhyme scheme of the entire poem does follow the aba pattern, and that is only end rhyme used within this poem. In the last stanza, the rhyming words are used to state the meaning. The last two lines end with “Hello” and “know.” Which that is what we know, hello.

2. Isolating the b rhymes (middle line of each tercet) gives us this list: fine, wine, nine, line, pine, sign. What is the significance of each of these words to the whole poem?

To be honest, I don’t quite understand how those words can cumulatively amount to any kind of significance. The only significance I get out of those words, is that they tell a story when said by themselves. Fine, a response to a greeting. Wine, perhaps a response to a question regarding what someone wants. Nine, a time which one says they can meet or must leave. Line, pine, and sign, the significance, I’m not seeing it.

3. Incremental repetition tends to augment meaning and accumulate significance. What variations in meaning are present in the following groups of repetitions and what is their effect?

With the first grouping, in line 1 “same. Hello” it represents the beginning or initiation of a conversation or greeting. Line 6 “same, Hello,” again shows another form of greeting, but perhaps less respectable. Almost as though one felt obliged to stop in the middle of their statement to greet someone. Line 12 “same Hello.” this is definitely an example of someone becoming bored with monotonous and bland conversations. At the end of this group line 18 “end. Hello,” we return to a more respectable and presentable greeting.

The second grouping of repeated words we have the variations of farewells. Line 3 “Good-bye at the end.” again beings with a friendlier farewell. Line 9, is almost an inconsiderate farewell, with “Good-bye. In the end” it’s almost as though they said good-bye, now let me get back to my previous conversation. Line 15 with “Good-by is the end” is a kind of depressing farewell, like there is no more hellos and this is it. Just like line 15, line 19 is equally as depressing “Good-bye is the only.”

The last grouping with the repetition of “know,” there are variations on the story we know. We being with line 3, which “every story we know.” Where we proceed with line 9 where “this is the story we know.” and line 15 we again repeat line 3 in that “every story we know.” Finally line 19 states simply, “We know, we know.” All of these groupings, to me anyways, there effect was the ingenuity behind this entire poem and the thought and effort which had to have put into the conceiving of this poem.