Rite of Passage by Sharon Olds

Thesis: In Rite of Passage by Sharon Olds, the speaker emphasizes the young age of the arguing children at her son’s birthday party in order to satirize warfare.

            The speaker uses alliteration in order to emphasize the young age of the children: “One says to another / How old are you? Six. I’m seven. So?” (7-8). The repetition of the letter ‘s’ in ‘six’, ‘seven’, and ‘so’ draws the reader’s attention to the small age difference between the two children. However, the seven-year-old feels superior to the six-year-old simply due to the seemingly insignificant fact that the seven-year-old is older. The argument between the two children only ends when the speaker’s son says, “We could easily kill a two-year-old” (22). The children are united under the common interest of violence towards another helpless person. Throughout the poem, the speaker is comparing the battles between leaders of the war to arguments between little children. The war leaders cooperate solely when the leaders are united under the common interest of harming a virtually defenseless country. Not only is it wrong to direct violence towards a helpless victim, but the leaders are also being childish. Therefore, the poem is a satire about war that expresses the immature and cruel nature of warfare.

The Stranger #2

            In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, the reader is introduced to Mersault. Mersault is the protagonist of the novel who appears to have no emotions. The epitome of Mersault’s indifference towards the actions occurring in the outside world is displayed when Raymond talks to Mersault about Raymond’s girlfriend. Raymond accuses his girlfriend of cheating, and when Raymond asks Mersault his opinion, Merasault answers, “I didn't think anything but that [the situation] was interesting” (32). There is no clear evidence that Raymond’s girlfriend is cheating, and furthermore there is undeniable evidence that Raymond is abusing his girlfriend. Mersault does not take Raymond’s violent actions into account, and only assesses the situation between Raymond and his girlfriend strictly from Raymond’s point of view. Raymond easily manipulates Mersault into taking Raymond’s side because Mersault is unable to step back and see the emotions in a situation. Thus, Mersault is an extremely unemotional character. 

Crossing the Bar by Lord Tennyson

Thesis: In Crossing the Bar by Lord Tennyson, the speaker metaphorically compares pulling out of a harbor which displays the speaker’s tone of acceptance towards death.

            The speaker displays a tone of acceptance towards his inevitable death within the poem Crossing the Bar. The speaker explains the he wishes “there be no sadness of farewell / When I embark” (11-12). Although there will most likely be sadness from others once the speaker passes on, the speaker wishes his death to be as emotionally painless as possible. Since the speaker already knows that his time is up, the speaker must prepare others for the death he has already accepted. The speaker does not show any remorse for the life he has lived. Rather, the speaker appears to be content and ready to move on towards death. There is no uncertainty in the speaker’s tone, for the speaker uses the word ‘when’ instead of ‘if’ to solidify the fact that his death is near. All in all, the speaker knows that he will die in the near future, so the speaker decides to accept his death and prepare those around him.

PODG #8

            In chapter nineteen of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian talks to Lord Henry about the portrait. Lord Henry asks Dorian “what does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose […] his own soul?” (158). When Dorian made the request to keep his looks while the portrait grows old, Dorian essentially sold his soul to the portrait. By stabbing the picture at the end of the novel, Dorian stabs his own soul. Therefore, Dorian kills himself. Even though Dorian gained everlasting youth by selling his soul to the portrait, the trade has not profited Dorian in any other way. Rather, the trade has been rather detrimental to Dorian. The portrait has caused Dorian to commit the murder of Basil, and drove Alan Campbell to commit suicide. The deaths of Basil and Alan, along with various lies and other sins, have not only altered the portrait of Dorian, but also Dorian himself. Dorian has become an evil character. Even when Dorian attempts to make up for his awful deeds at the end of the novel, the attempts at reconciliation are seen as hypocritical and selfish. All in all, a man does not profit by selling his own soul, even if he does gain the whole world in the process. 

PODG #7

            In chapter sixteen of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian Gray reflects on Lord Henry’s philosophy. Lord Henry believes one must “cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul” (135). Lord Henry’s philosophy is both true and untrue. A person can cure the soul be means of the senses when a person acts in a way that generates personal pleasure while keeping the soul pure; for example, donating to charity can result in personal pleasure as well as a pure soul. Conversely, the soul can be tainted be means of the senses. If a person feels pleasure when committing a murder, the soul is tainted rather than cured.  The second part of Lord Henry’s philosophy implies the true statement that senses can be cured by the soul. A person with a pure soul will perceive actions through senses that will elicit a good response from the person. However, the person must have a pure soul in order to perceive events through senses that are to cause the person to react in a good way. Thus, a person must have a pure soul in order for Lord Henry’s philosophy to be valid and universally true. 

PODG #5

            In chapter eleven of The Picture of Dorian Gray, Dorian ponders the aestheticism in life. Dorian even realizes that “the highest respectability is of much less value than the possession of a good chef” (104). In other words, the quality of the dinner party is more important than the character of the person who hosts the dinner party. The idea that a “good chef” is more valuable than “the highest respectability” relates back to the theme of aestheticism within the novel. Life should attempt to mirror art, and hosting a quality dinner party is an art form. In addition, the fact that a good chef is more important than a respectable host displays the hypocrisy within society. If a person with a poor personality hosts a stellar dinner, the poor personality will be forgotten. On the other hand, a person with a nice personality who hosts a poor dinner party will be less likely to be forgiven. All in all, Dorian Gray realizes the aesthetic appeal in life appears to be much more important than the people who surround that aestheticism.

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.