My Number by Billy Collins and I had heard it's a fight by Edwin Denby

Thesis: In the poems My Number by Billy Collins and I had heard it’s a fight by Edwin Denby the two speakers display their contrasting views on death’s intentions.

1.      The speaker in My Number describes death as malevolent, while the speaker in I had heard it’s a fight describes death as a warning.

a.       The speaker in My Number questions the actions of Death as the speaker wonders if Death is “tampering with air brakes” or “scattering cancer cells like seeds” (6-7). The Death in the poem is analogous to the Grim Reaper. The Grim Reaper sets out with the sole intention to kill, just as Death is described by the speaker in the poem. The speaker fears death unlike the speaker in I had heard it’s a fight.

b.      The speaker in I had heard it’s a fight says that when death is encountered, “in agony you clutch / At a straw, you rattle, and that will fix you” (3-4). Unlike the speaker in My Number, this speaker does not fear death. Rather, the speaker welcomes death as a wake-up call. After the speaker comes in contact with death, the speaker “Cut out liquor, went to the gym” (11). In order to keep living, the speaker had to experience death’s warning.

2.      The speaker in My Number will continue to avoid death, while the speaker in I had heard it’s a fight will continue to live due to death’s warning.

a.       The first time the speaker in My Number encounters death, the speaker says he will “start talking my way out of this” (17). The speaker wants to evade death as long as possible, for the speaker does not trust death. The speaker believes that death’s intentions are solely malevolent, and that the first time the speaker encounters death, the speaker will die. The speaker tries to convince himself that death is very far away, but the speaker is aware that death could be very close by as well.

b.      The first time the speaker in I had heard it’s a fight encounters death, the speaker eventually describes it as “so crazy it gives me a kick” (13). The kick is what saves the speaker’s life, for the kick is the motivation for the speaker to change his life for the better. The speaker does not fear death, for the speaker knows that death is always lingering close by. Rather, the speaker trusts that his encounter with death is what was needed in order to kick bad habits and continue living. The main difference between the two speakers is that the speaker in My Number personifies death as a dark, plotting figure while the speaker in I had heard it’s a fight describes death as a necessary evil in order to keep for dying too young due to poor habits.  

PODG #4

     In chapter seven of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the portrait of Dorian, painted by Basil, goes through a subtle, yet shocking transformation. After Dorian’s argument with Sibyl, Dorian goes home to find the painting has been altered and now displays a cruel smile. Lord Henry comes to Dorian’s house and the two men discuss what Dorian should do about Sibyl. Dorian tells Lord Henry, “I want to be good. I can’t bear the idea of my soul being hideous” (71). Dorian’s narcissistic personality worsens throughout chapter seven. The only reason why Dorian feels remorse for the argument with Sibyl is because Dorian can physically see what the argument has done to his soul through the painting. Dorian even describes Sibyl as selfish because Sibyl’s love for Dorian has caused her acting to worsen. Dorian detests anything that is not beautiful, so once Sibyl’s acting is not beautiful Dorian finds that he does not love Sibyl anymore. It is only once Dorian sees how his treatment towards Sibyl has caused himself to become ‘hideous’ that Dorian feels remorse.

PODG #3

     In chapter five of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the reader is introduced to Sibyl Vane and her family. The reader learns of the engagement between Dorian and Sibyl through Sibyl’s point of view. Sibyl tells her brother, James Vane, that Dorian “is called Prince Charming” and asks “Don’t you like the name?” (49). Sibyl calls Dorian Prince Charming because she loves to have drama in her life. Sibyl treats her life as if her life is a scene from a play, and Sibyl expects Dorian to take on the role of Prince Charming. The engagement is all a fairytale to Sibyl Vane, for Sibyl is more infatuated with what Dorian outwardly appears to be than actually getting to know Dorian. Sibyl’s infatuation with Dorian is very similar to Dorian’s fixation with the characters Sibyl acts out in her plays. All in all, the engagement between Dorian and Sibyl is based on love for the characters the two people perceive to be rather than the love between Dorian and Sibyl themselves. 

PODG #2

     As The Picture of Dorian Gray progresses, the reader is introduced to Sibyl Vane. Sibyl Vane is an actress at a local theater, and Dorian Gray falls in love with her. However, Dorian is infatuated with Sibyl’s stage presence rather than Sibyl herself. While conversing with Lord Henry, Dorian explains that Sibyl Cane “has personality also; and you have often told me that it is personalities, not principles, that move the age” (40). Dorian has barely spoken to Sibyl Vane, so Dorian could not possibly have fallen in love with her personality. Dorian knows Sibyl best through the characters she plays, and Dorian’s description of Sibyl to Lord Henry only shows Lord Henry’s increasing influence on Dorian. Dorian takes Lord Henry’s words as the absolute truth, and applies that truth to the way Dorian feels when watching Sibyl perform. Hence, Dorian is not in love with Sibyl Vane, for he is only becoming increasingly influenced by Lord Henry. 

Yet Do I Marvel by Countee Cullen poetry outline

Thesis: In Yet Do I Marvel by Countee Cullen, the poet uses allusions in order to emphasize an ironic situation.

1.      The speaker juxtaposes his faith in God with acts that cause God’s intentions to appear malevolent.

a.       The speaker opens the poem with “I doubt not God is good, well-meaning, kind” (1). The speaker affirms his faith in God, but the opening line is defense in that faith. The speaker needs to defend his faith because the speaker immediately starts stating seemingly malevolent acts of God in the following lines.

b.      The speaker states “tortured Tantalus / is baited by the fickle fruit” (5). Tantalus is being tortured horrifically, but this torture does not sway the speaker’s faith in God. Tantalus’s torture should cause a person to question the kindness of God, but the speaker has a reason for his unwavering faith.

2.      The speaker continues the poem with another allusion to God’s torture, and defends God once again.

a.       The speaker explains “brute caprice dooms Sisyphus” (7). If it is only caprice dooms Sisyphus, then Sisyphus should not have the sentence of pushing a boulder up a hill for eternity. The line about Sisyphus causes the reader to question if the punishments sentenced by God are fit for the crime.

b.      The speaker follows the line about Sisyphus with “Inscrutable His ways are” (9). God’s actions cannot be judged, for His reasons cannot be understood by everyday people. The people can only accept God’s actions for what they are, and must keep faith that His actions are always correct.  

3.      The speaker ends the poem with an ironic situation.

a.       The speaker ends the poem with “Yet do I marvel at this curious thing: / To make a poet black and bid him sing!” (13-14). This poem was written before the Civil Rights Movement. The last two lines display irony within the poem because it highlights the contrast between the torture of Sisyphus and Tantalus, and the ability for a ‘poet black’. The last two lines also explain the speaker’s unwavering faith in God. It is implied that the speaker is the ‘poet black’, and, therefore, God has been good to the speaker.

PODG #1

     In the opening chapters of the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, the reader witnesses the strong influence Lord Henry has over Dorian Gray. Gray is a youthful character who is deeply revered by Basil, a painter. Lord Henry talks to Gray about Gray’s youth and explains “Now, wherever you go, you charm the world. Will it always be so?” (16). Lord Henry goes on to explain that Dorian Gray’s youth and beauty will ultimately fade away, causing Gray to be troubled by the thought of losing his good looks. Lord Henry is a very pretentious character, for he speaks as if his words hold absolute truth. Gray falls for these truths, as is shown in the strong negative reaction Gray has towards Basil’s painting of Gray. Dorian Gray is jealous that the painting will stay young forever as he wishes to do. In this moment, the reader sees Gray switch from a youthful character to a superficial character who is solely concerned with preserving his good looks. Through the change in Gray’s attitude, the strong influence Lord Henry has over Dorian Gray becomes evident.

The Picture of Dorian Gray post #1: preface

            In the preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Wilde discusses aesthetic philosophy. Wilde declares that “they are the elect to whom beautiful things mean only Beauty” (vii). Aesthetic philosophy deals with the nature of art and beauty, claiming that art is beautiful for the sole sake of being beautiful. In aesthetic philosophy there is no search for a deeper meaning, for there is only an appreciation for the aesthetic appeal of a work of art. A viewer should only seek to appreciate art through his or her senses. The viewers who recognize art solely for its aesthetic appeal are considered ‘the elect’. The elect appreciates art for art’s beauty, and does not go on to search for a deeper meaning.

            In addition to discussing aesthetic philosophy in the preface, Wilde has a playful tone towards his audience. After explaining art should exist solely to appeal to the senses according to aesthetic philosophy, Wilde ends the preface with “all art is quite useless” (viii). Of course Wilde does not actually believe that art is completely useless, for Wilde believes that art exists to be beautiful. The preface gives the reader insight into Wilde’s personality, and the reader is able to see the playful attitude Wilde had towards life. Wilde’s playful attitude translates into a playful tone towards the audience. From the preface, the reader is able to anticipate the beauty and playful manner of the novel that is to come.

The History Teacher by Billy Collins poetry outline

Thesis: In The History Teacher by Billy Collins, an ironic situation emphasizes the importance of learning historical events and to make sure history does not repeat itself.

1.      In the poem, the history teacher understates events of the past, ironically emphasizing the important significance of the events to history.

a.       The history teacher teaches the Ice Age as the “Chilly Age, a period of a million years / when everyone had to wear sweaters” (3-4). The speaker emphasizes the importance of the Ice Age with this understatement. The Ice Age was much colder and significant than the ‘Chilly Age’ the teacher describes.

b.      Also, the history teacher teaches that the “Spanish Inquisition was nothing more / than an outbreak of questions” (7-8). This is concerning, so it causes the reader to question the education that the children are receiving. The Spanish Inquisition was much more than questions.

2.      Also, the speaker uses verbal irony to describe the bullies in the history teacher’s class.

a.       At recess the children would torment “the smart” (16). Since the author separates ‘and the smart’ syntactically from the rest of the stanza, it is meant to stand out. The children in the history teacher’s class are not smart since they do not learn correct information. This distinction highlights the ignorance of the children.

b.      The speaker explains the history teacher is “Trying to protect his students’ innocence” (1) by teaching incorrect historical information. This is ironic because the children are not innocent, for they bully the children on the playground who know the correct historical information. By not learning history, the children are beginning to perform acts that could later on lead to the repetition of historical events.

3.      In addition, the speaker supports the argument by overstating the naivety of the teacher.

a.       The history teacher goes home “past flower beds and white picket fences” (19). This imagery emphasizes that the teacher is completely unaware that the students are bullies. The teacher truly does believe the innocence of the children is being protected.

b.      The poet ends the poem explaining that the history teacher is going to teach “that soldiers / in the Boer War told long, rambling stories” (20-21). This is to alarm the reader because surely history will be repeated in the children if the history teacher does not start teaching historical events correctly.