More After Death (Mrs. Dalloway Explication)

Katie Lopes-Raftery
Ms. Clapp
AP Literature and Composition
7 January 2009

More After Death

In Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, the protagonist, Clarissa Dalloway, is often characterized by her actions and thoughts. But Woolf further characterizes her through on of her theories about life: that one must seek the things that complete a person in life to truly understand his/her complete being. In this case, Mrs. Dalloway is characterized through another character’s point of view, Peter Walsh’s, which allows for an external opinion of herself. In the end, Woolf’s complex sentence structure leads the readers into entering a wandering mind which later reveals the everlasting life people have through other people and places.

In the first part of the description of the theory, Peter’s dismissive tone suggests his little belief in Clarissa’s theory. Both of them were on top of an omnibus when Clarissa presented her theory: “to explain the feeling they had of dissatisfaction; not knowing people; not being known” (152). Even before this, Peter had said, “they had heaps of theories, always theories, as young people have” (152). At first thought Peter didn’t want to think about the validity of that statement, but he later had “agreed, how little one knew people” (152). Clarissa continued explaining, “she felt herself everywhere; not ‘here, here, here’” (152). Her description of “everywhere” was in other people, in other places. Clarrisa’s person was not just her in her body. Parts of her whole were found in other “people who completed them,” such as her family, and Peter Walsh (153). Not only the people, but “even the places” that tell so much of Clarissa’s life, such as Bourton (153).

In the second part of the theory, Clarissa extended it to the situation when someone dies, suggesting that part of people live forever. Peter says of Clarissa, “with her horror of death…the part of us which appears, are so momentary compared with the other, the unseen part of us, which spreads wide, the unseen might survive” (153). Clarissa implies that the parts of people that were attached to other people and other places survive, meaning that some part of the dead person also survives. In Clarissa’s fright, or even curiosity of death, she finds some comfort in knowing that parts of her will survive, in Bourton and in the people closest to her. At the end of the “theory” discussion, Peter thinks about it and relates Clarissa to a place. He says that “he saw her most often in the country, not in London” (153). In the end, even he had accepted Clarissa’s theory to some extent, identifying her with another place.

By adding in this “theory” into her book, Woolf develops the theme of life after death in her book, which is important in figuring out the meaning and purpose of Septimus’s death. Clarissa’s theory is supported by the rest of the book. Most of the novel concerns people’s innermost thoughts rather than what’s on the surface, their visible actions. The people’s thoughts (like when Clarissa informed the readers of Bourton, her past with Peter etc.) connect people and things. Woolf’s choice of adding this theory into her book gives the three main characters, Clarissa, Peter, and Septimus, comfort in leaving life.

Isolated From Society (Metamorphosis Essay)

Katie Lopes-Raftery
Ms. Clapp
AP Literature and Composition
13 November 2008

Isolated from Society

With what may be one of the most interesting opening lines in literature, Franz Kafka opens The Metamorphosis stating that the main character has turned into a gigantic insect. Gregor, the protagonist, becomes alienated from his family and society. Through the irony and the narrator’s third person limited omniscience point of view, Kafka extends the feeling of isolation to the readers where they, too, feel Gregor’s frustration of feeling useless in a society that values usefulness so much. In the end, Kafka suggests that if one isn’t useful, society will slowly but surely weave that individual out.

The narrator’s view of Gregor’s job shows the high value his family and society place on usefulness. Right after Gregor transforms into an insect, he ironically does not begin to speculate on why or how this happened. Instead, he “looked at the alarm clock ticking on the chest” (312). Even though he had just been transformed into a giant insect, he happened to be more concerned with what time it was than what had happened to him. He was planning on going to work, appearing human or not. Gregor’s family had such a dependence on him that it would take “another five or six years” for him to save enough money “to pay back [his parents’] debts” (312). After his family shows concern over Gregor in the morning, he thinks, “what’s the use of lying idle in bed” (314). He has been “conditioned” into being useful that not even going to work as an insect would stop him. Getting out of bed as a gigantic insect could hurt Gregor’s head which is why he took a while contemplating the strategies. However, “he must take the risk” as he knew the value his family put on him (315). The society in which Gregor lived put a high value on usefulness of a person’s life and he knew that.

What Gregor didn’t know is that he would become alienated from his family and society once “useful” no longer described him. The narrator’s point of view limits Gregor’s character, as an insect, to the confinement of his room where point of view becomes key. Kafka doesn’t allow the readers to see what his family or anyone else is thinking. They, too, are confined to Gregor’s room. The only time when we saw out of the room was when Gregor “could see through the crack of the door” (322). Attempting to gain information on what was happening outside his room, Gregor “leaned against the inside of the family shut wing of the door,” (319). Gregor never gained information directly but “overheard a lot from the neighboring rooms” (325). The point of view is so limited to us that we can go only as far as the keyhole in his room. But to keep Gregor from being lost in bad thoughts, “he took refuge in movement and crawled up and down the room” (323). Like an energetic child in one room, Gregor moves about, up and down. The readers, too, begin to feel the frustration of the situation. They are not allowed to go wander anywhere else in the house or know what anyone else is thinking; this feeling of uselessness is extended.

When Gregor’s family slowly treats him differently is where Kafka solidifies the point about what society thinks of usefulness. In the beginning, Grete, “out of the goodness of her heart” would bring Gregor different kinds of food to see which kind he would like (324). She didn’t have to kindly feed her brother; she volunteered because she loved him. However, in the end, “even the things he had not touched, as if these were now of no use to anyone” had been thrown away (324). Over time, Grete had become annoyed with the burden of feeding her brother. He was treated differently as to when he was making money for the family. Now that he isn’t useful to the family, he’s shunned.

After Gregor dies, his family feels they are living effectively. It was as if “a burden had been lifted from them” (344). They are happy that his son, an invalid human in their family, is gone. This weight of carrying a useless “insect” is now not a part of their lives. Gregor’s sister, Grete, “had bloomed into a pretty girl with a good figure” (345). The family now had “new dreams and excellent intentions” (345). It’s as if they are living again after Gregor has gone. This shows the value his family, and society, put on “usefulness.” After Gregor was no longer able to produce money, he was shunned from his family as there was no longer a benefit of having him around. In the end, the frustration and outcome of Gregor’s situation suggests that society values a person’s ability to produce rather than the ability to live.

Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock Explication

Katie Lopes-Raftery
Ms. Clapp
AP Literature and Composition
20 November 2008

Disillusionment Explication

In the poem Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock, the author, Wallace Stevens creates a contrast between white colored ghosts and ghosts with vibrant colors. His comparison between these two “colors” of ghosts along with his bitterly truthful tone suggests the disillusionment that life without imagination is just a blank piece of white paper.

In the first seven lines of the poem, Stevens introduces the topic with the idea of a boring, imagination-less character. He describes the house as haunted by “white night-gowns” (2). There is nothing interesting about a white sheet of paper; there is nothing creative about it. None of the “ghosts” are “green,/ or purple with green rings,/ or green with yellow rings…” (3-4). Stevens describes this type of people as having no color. There’s nothing vibrant about the way they live a mundane life. He stresses the lack of color over 4 lines, emphasizing how important it really is. He ends by saying that none of these people “are strange,” or different by wearing (or thinking) something other than a white gown (an imagination-less mind).

In the second part of the poem, where the shift occurs, Stevens uses descriptively connotative words to describe the fulfillment that a life with color has. Those who are “strange” and do use their imagination, have “socks of lace/ and beaded ceintures” (8-9). When one thinks about the connotation of lace, one thinks about the intricacy of the pattern, the attention to detail, and amount of labor or imagination put into the work. The same is for the beads; beaded ceintures were intricate designs that often were portrayed as beautiful. Stevens continues about how people won’t dream of “baboons and periwinkles” (11). Again, these subjects are not merely white sheets of paper; there is a lot of life to each of them. This last part describes those interesting people found “here and there” (12). Here and there, there is a sailor who “catches tigers/ in red weather” (14-15). This small amount of people are the ones that get to dream with color. The color red suggests such passion and life, yet only those few sailors are the ones that take the opportunity to dream about it at ten o’clock; they are the ones who are not disillusioned, or disconnected, at ten o’clock.

In the end, Stevens changed the meaning, or at least the connotation of the word “strange.” It no longer meant weird or uninteresting, but now meant that one was different in thinking about the world. He wanted the readers to identify themselves as a part of the poem, and suggests that “being a sailor” brings more color to one’s life.

Author To Her Book Essay

Katie Lopes-Raftery
Ms. Clapp
AP Literature and Composition
31 December 2008

Open Response: Bradstreet

In Anne Bradstreet’s The Author to Her Book, the speaker reflects on her internal conflicts over the effects of having published a book. This internal struggle between pride and shame is portrayed in the extended metaphor where she compares her book to her own child. Bradstreet uses this method to emphasize her dissatisfaction with the publishing of her poems, but tells how she cannot turn her back on her own creation. The parallels Bradstreet creates conveys the embarrassment she feels because of her imperfect work.

Through Bradstreet’s use of extended metaphor, she weaves an intricate web of parallels between a parent and an author and between a child and a book. This use of metaphor allows the reader to relate emotionally to Bradstreet’s situation. In line seven, the speaker says, “At thy return my blushing was not small,” expressing the depth of her embarrassment. She also uses metonymy expressing her pain more clearly, “My rambling brat should mother call” (8). The simile used in line nine stresses her uneasiness about the published work, “I cast thee by as one unfit for light.” Bradstreet links the rewarding and uneasy parts of being an author with the pain and pleasure of creating a human life.

This poem also presents a contrast between the speaker’s professional and personal life. She cast her book as one “unfit for light” (9) yet being her own, her affection for her work (son) “thy blemishes amend” (12). Once more, she tried to “wash thy face, [the] more defects [she] saw” (13). This idea reflects the complex attitude of the speaker. In trying to make her look better, she just made it worse.

Bradstreet’s poem reveals a feeling of being exposed to the world for all to view and critique, a situation which every writer can relate to. The intertwinement of a son and a book reveals the degree to which an author is like a mother in writing which allows the readers to understand not only the speaker’s nature, but our own as humans.

The Chrysanthemums (Symbol)

Katie Lopes-Raftery
Ms. Clapp
AP Literature and Composition
23 October 2008

Living in a Man’s World

In John Steinbeck’s short story, The Chrysanthemums, Elisa Allen tries to define the boundaries of her role as a woman in such a closed society. Steinbeck depicts the trials of a woman attempting to gain power in a man's world. Elisa learns but does not readily accept, that she possesses a feminine power unsuited for the time, not the masculine one she had tried so hard to achieve through its imitation. Steinbeck demonstrates that it is hard/ near impossible for women to achieve the level of power than men have in that society. The act of gardening symbolizes her female power in this man’s world.

Steinbeck creates a parallel between Elisa and the chrysanthemums/the garden to heighten the meaning at the end. Elisa’s face is described as “lean and strong” (240). She had the appearance of a strong woman. Henry commented that the crop coming in looked “strong” (240). Already, the readers can see the comparison that is made between Elisa and the flowers. In the garden, Elisa “looked blocked and heavy in her gardening costume, a man’s black hat pulled low down over her eyes, clod-hopper shoes” (240). We see that Elisa is all covered up, but underneath is a “figured print dress” (240). Underneath all of the gardener’s outfit is a pretty print dress. Similarly, the beautiful flowers are covered in dirt. Elisa also has “a gift with things” (241). She cultivated the flowers to be how she wanted them. She made them grow and shaped their outcome by her care. This shows the connection and parallel between Elisa and her hobby of cultivating these flowers.

Steinbeck describes Elisa as a masculine person while gardening to show that side of her personality. As she does her gardening, her face was “eager and mature and handsome" (240). Her use of the scissors is described as "over-eager, over-powerful" (240). These characteristics are usually associated with masculine things. But in this case they describe a woman attempting to live as a part of such a man's world. But Elisa’s power is derived from a feminine source, nature. She enjoys coming into contact with the earth as she digs and pushes the dirt around her chrysanthemums. While she wants to seem strong, it seems to violate her role of being the pretty wife. When her husband suddenly comes up behind her, she immediately pulls on her gloves again. This could be to cover her dirty hands, but it does cover them, hiding her femininity. When Henry even suggests she could use her talents in the apple orchard "her eyes sharpened" (241). Elisa shows off her power saying, "I've a gift with things, all right" (241). As he kids her about going to the prize fights later that day, she responds in a breathless tone that she would not like them, uncomprehending the joking nature of his comment. She goes back to her work, back to her orderly world of the earth and the chrysanthemums.

Elisa's source of power is also her point of weakness. When the strange man fails for fourth time to interest Elisa in fixing her pots, only succeeding in irritating her, he asks about her flowers. Suddenly her face undergoes a noticeable change: "the irritation and resistance melted from Elisa's face" (243). She is able to talk to a man about something, show that she knows more about that subject than he does. Elisa's innocence does not allow her to understand the tricks men play to get what they want. To the reader it seems obvious that the stranger has only asked about these flowers to get on Elisa's good side, but she is oblivious to the fact. The man has taken the tactic of trying to connect with Elisa on a personal level so she will have emotions for him, ultimately buying his service. An example comes when he quickly recants his statement that the chrysanthemums smell "nasty" at first, to agreeing that they have a "good bitter smell" as Elisa replied.

Both Elisa and the man head into the man's world through the gate where she watches the man work with his anvil and hammer, men's tools. As she watches the man work on the saucepans she ponders aloud doing the same type of work and travel he does saying "You might be surprised to have a rival sometime...I could show you what a woman might do" (245). This reveals how Elisa feels about her life and the lives of woman of the time period. Although they want to break free of the fences around them, it would be socially unacceptable to do so. As the man left she whispered, "That's a bright direction. There's a glowing there" (245). She is imaging this man's freedom, having mobility in society, something that she as a married woman, does not have.

After seeing the chrysanthemums thrown onto the side of the road, Elisa fully understood that she didn’t want to gain power from a man's sphere in the world. She condemns herself to attempting to gain power through normal female attempts in a static society. Elisa cries at the end, making her look "like an old woman" (247) with the realization of this fact, that indeed, she will continue to age into the role of an old woman still enclosed by society.

To Goodman's Surprise (Theme)

In Young Goodman Brown, Nathanial Hawthorne sends the protagonist, Goodman Brown, on a journey through the woods where his literal faith is tested in what seems to be an encounter with the actual Devil. The theme develops and in the end, Goodman Brown is stuck on the idea that evil can affect even the best people, including people who he thought were good Christians, one of which was his wife. Hawthorne develops this idea by making Goodman Brown question his faith, and by using symbols.

Young Goodman Brown walked into the forest thinking that his faith was absolutely concentrated on what was good, but his encounters with different people made him question his faith. As Goodman Brown and the “Devil” continue along the path, they encounter Goody Cloyse, Goodman Brown’s old catechism teacher. It is eventually revealed that she, too is heading to the meeting in the middle of the forest. Goodman is confused and surprised at the sight of her, as he had always considered Cloyse his “moral and spiritual adviser,” (214);a guide in his life. Goody Cloyse’s appearance is the first moment where Goodman begins to question his faith. He suddenly decided to sit “himself down on the stump of a tree, and refused to go any farther” (215). Here he realizes that his faith is being tested, and tries to not give in to temptation. But as we see, he keeps on walking with the “Devil.” He then encounters his wife, Faith at the ceremony. Pleading her to look to the heavens and resist the “Wicked one,” (220) she does not. Goodman Brown says, “My Faith is gone!” (217) and meant it in both senses. Once the community around him revealed their true nature as “Satanists,” Goodman lost all faith. Having his faith be tested was the major way in which he came to the realization that good people are also affected by evil.

The symbols in Young Goodman Brown help the readers understand the theme in a simpler way. Young Goodman Brown is obviously a “good man.” His youth and good nature are both reflected in his name. His wife’s name, Faith, suggests that Brown’s wife embodies the goodness that is found in a young wife. His marriage to her suggests that he clings to faith in good in the world. Later in the story, when Brown meets the “Devil” in the woods, he declares, “Faith kept me back awhile” (212). Here, Hawthorne uses the name of Brown’s wife as a symbol for Brown’s personal faith in goodness. It is a symbol of his faith in general goodness. And when his literal Faith, his wife, is lost, we conclude that his real faith for the good in the world is also lost. Brown’s journey through the forest is on a narrow, dark, and dreary path. The darkness and dreariness symbolize the evil that is associated with the forest. The trail being long and windy symbolizes how far Brown’s conscience must travel from innocence to realize the true evil nature in the world.

In the forest, Brown meets his companion, a character who symbolizes the “Devil.” He offers Brown his walking staff that is described as having “the likeness of a great black snake…like a living serpent” (213). The snake-like appearance of the staff symbolizes the sly and treacherous character of Brown’s companion. The snake in the Bible was the Devil himself, tempting those he came in contact with. Here, too, he is tempting Goodman Brown to sin. Brown’s rejection of the staff symbolizes his reluctance in giving in to such an evil world.

Both the testing of faith and the symbols in the story lead Young Goodman Brown to see that in public people are good, but in private, their true wickedness comes out. The testing of his faith is where he first encounters evil; that it is among people whom he thought were good. Goodman Brown discovers that even the highly thought of people in his community fall victim to the forces of evil. Brown is unable to forgive the possibility of evil in his loved ones and as a result spends the rest of his life in desperate loneliness and gloom.

Hemingway Parody

Parody Criteria
__ Terse Dialogue
__ More dialogue than description
__ Attention drawn to sections without dialogue
__ Dialogue is stilted
__ Tone: Objective, detached


They were sitting at the Fiorentine Restaurant in the North End of Boston, both 17 year-olds. Emma drove them there, and it was to “point out their differences” and see if the problem could be solved.
“I feel like we’re on the Hills,” said Emma

“Ya, I know, they do this kind of thing right? Going to lunches to discuss a problem, I feel like an adult already, jeez,” Yasmim replied.
The girls waited for the waiter to take their order because they knew that it would take a while for the Italian food to be ready, so they would have enough time to talk before it arrived.

“So, what’s going on with your life that I’m so trapped between friends?”

(Emma is close friends with Yasmim and Catrina. Catrina liked Sam, so did Yasmim. Sam, liked Yasmim, not Catrina. However, at the beginning of this love triangle, Emma was on Catrina’s side, as Yasmim had said that she didn’t like Sam in order to not hurt Catrina’s feelings and this is where they grew apart and Yasmim’s true nature revealed. Yasmim lied, to all of them, until now. Emma was there to confront her for her friend Catrina.)
“Well, you know how Sam didn’t like Catrina right? Well, that’s because he likes me.”

Mouth open.

“And I still like him.”

“A lot.”

Mouth even more open.

“So you lied to us.”

“I know it sounds really bad, but that’s because I really didn’t want to hurt her.”

“But you lied to us.”

“Ok, listen. We made out, and held hands, and like, ok I guess we’re dating. And yes, I did keep it a secret, but I really didn’t want to hurt her. You don’t know how hard this is.”
“How do you think she feels now?”

“I can’t believe this.”

“Ok, remember when we were in Jersey City where we met him? Catrina had pulled me aside and told me that she had really liked him and was considering a real future with him. What could I have said to that, ‘sorry he’s mine’? It got really difficult for me and I didn’t know what to do.”
“Please… please don’t tell her.”

“I… I won’t”

“You hesitated.”

“Well obviously, you just completely changed my mind.”

“I mean, do you know how people think of you right now? Scandalous, running away with boys. How am I supposed to vouch for you when I’m not supposed to say anything? Oh no, she was just trying to be nice by stealing Sam, I mean really, it’s not that easy.”
“I know that, just…”

Tears.

“Oh god, please don’t do this.”

“It’s really hard; we’re not friends because of a guy. That’s so stupid.”

“And it’s not like she’s going to accept me again, but I like him and he likes me, end of story.”


“Drama really does exist. There should be a camera around.”

“Shut up Emma.”

“I’m glad you told me what was really going on. But believe me; it’s tougher now for me than it is for you.”

“Italia- our code name for accepting to keep it a secret ok?”

“Italia.”