“Several other men are carrying a small girl with only one leg. They hold her by the arms and the one leg. Tears are running down her face and she whispers faintly: ‘Sir, it hurts, it hurts…’. They throw her on the truck on top of the corpses. She will burn alive along with them.”

1. this paragraph is saying a group Canada men are throwing a young girl onto a pile of dead body, and try to burn her. alive.  2. This part of description of the working group gave me a strong impression about how these people become so ruthless and robotlike. It’s hard for me to imagine how a man can treat another live human like a corpus.   3. The significance about this part to the story is, It shows not only the camp a killing factory, also a place to transfer innocent people into horrible devil.  4.   Apprently,  in this story, The best way and easiest way to make people fall is to give them absolute power.  This rise me a question that,  are there really innocent people?

1. “There will be time to murder and create, And time for all the works and days of hands” “Do I dare Disturb the universe? In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. ” — The Main character, Prufrock,  belongs to a group of young people who are very common in contemporary society (at that time). They are sensitive; they have their own ideals and aspirations; they are dissatisfied with the increasingly indifferent industrial cities, but they do not have power to change. Thus, He live in anger and pain at the same time, therefore, he can only choose to endure the reality of cowardice.
2. “There will be time to murder and create,
   And time for all the works and days of hands”（line 28-29）  My interpretation to these lines is: The poet put “Murder” and “Create” side by side, in order to bring readers a strong impact. The poet wants use such a strong contrast to connect the early twentieth century capitalist society is full of confusion and contradictions. On the one hand, people create modern industrial civilization, on the other hand, they  stifle the rich tradition of value. From these two words the reader can clearly feel the situation of capitalist society at that time.
3.  Question 1.  Whats the connection between the opening part and the rest of the poem?  Question 2. For what purpose does the poet compose this poem?  Question 3.  Why do the women talking of Michelangelo?

To me, both of the literature writes about ” death”, one is physical and another one is spiritual.  The death of Ivan Ilyich happens in a step by step way, which Ivan knows  it from the very beginning to the eventually death.  the impact for getting close to death made Ivan Ilyich changed his personality. He used to be a very “perfect” person, however due to the fear of death, he became the type of person he used to hate.  For the main character of In the Wine Shop, Lu Wei-fu, his “death” is in a subtle way.  From “all day long we used to discuss methods of revolutionizing China until we even came to blows” to ” willing to let things slide and to compromise.”  he was suffering from decay of life.  Lu Wei-fu used to be a very radical young man, he used to like to challenge the tradition and  reform  the Chinese society. However, he failed.  Because of his “death” he abandoned his belief and accepted to live the way he used to against.  He experience a transfer from a radical young man to a loser, from one extreme to another extreme. Lu Wei-fu also became the type of person he used to fight for.

Different between the two literature, “Death of Ivan Ilyich” writes about Ivan Ilyich’s reaction’s before the death, and  “In the Wine Shop”  writes about what happen after the “death”  Similar to Lu Wei-fu fight so intensely to prevent his belief from death, Ivan Ilyich also has the same feeling against the reality.  He doesn’t want to accept the final result. Therefore, he doesn’t believe his doctor, complain to the God, spread his anger to his family and friend.  Apparently, no matter who the person is,  a man always fight against death or rotten.  The two authors of both literature are both national treasure-level master.  and they both love to have their opinions demonstrate on their literature.

A picture paints a thousand words.  The film really helps me to better understand the play. due to the unfamiliar historical Victorian culture background and the 19-century language which caused lot difficulties for me to understand the whole play.   The author, Henrik Ibsen, loves writing female as the main character in his play.  This film directed by Alex Segal with Ingrid Bergman’s excellent performance indeed build an impression in my mind. Ingrid’s performance demonstrates complete understanding and ownership of the role of Hedda Gabler, so completely that it almost seems that Ibsen had her in mind for this role.  Before watch the film, just by reading the story, I see Hedda Gabler is like a spoiled rich family-grown young lady with a strong arrogant and affected attitude to everyone who are not as rich as she is.  However, from the film, Ingrid Bergman portrays Hedda Gabler as a sensitive, hopeless, and desperate woman. There are several changes that the film made changes to the original text. First, in the film, when Ms. Berta appears, she is burning fire at the fire place, on another side, in the text there is nothing mention about fire.  This change to me is that the film makes trying to put a foreshadowing to the audience. Fire is a very common used element in literature can represent anger, passion, love, pain or death.  Especially this fire is in the beginning of the film which will definitely catch the audience’s attention to predict the future of the play.  Another big change to me that the film made from the text is, when Hedda Gabler holds a rectangle box appears from the bedroom, she tried to walk away as soon as she sees Ms. Tesman in the living room with her husband.  This part the book has no mention too.  However, I love this change of the film, although just a movement by Hedda Gabler, it is a very detailed piece of showing Hedda’s isolation from the family.  Plus, she walks directly to her General father’s photo.

1. Slave narrative not only provide revolutionary new ideas to thousands of slaves, but also to support the white abolition with a both material and spiritual weapon. Both narrators pursue literature as eagerly as the pursuit of freedom. Douglas and Jacobs are self-taught. They knew very early of the importance of learning to read. They use literature as a weapon to fight white slavery authority. As on the way of pursuing literacy, their level of knowledge and moral values have been significantly improved, which further urge them to have the ability to come forward as a weapon and white authority to fight. From writing and deep thinking, the two authors gain control of their own. They both have deliberately avoided elaborating some of the events: To protect black and white abolitionists, Douglas refuses to disclose details of his escape; Taking into social ethics and controversies, Jacobs deliberately concealed experiences of her sexual assault.

Different from “Douglas’ Narrative”, in her writing, Harriet Jacobs uses lots words depict her pursuit of becoming a mother, family and a normal woman.  Because of her gender, she not only suffers the same torture as a male slave, but also suffer sexual abuse from her white slaveholder and the entire male dominant world. Therefore, she cherished more family members of the mutual dependence and support of female friends. Her successful escape was largely dependent on the help of her grandmother and female friends. She was taken away by a good white woman, and after seven years she was hidden in her grandmother’s house. The help of her friends and family helped her escape from the slave-owner’s pursuit and eventually fled to the north.

2.

Base on my research, according to Australian rights group “Released in October 18, 2013 the global slavery index shows that about 30 million people worldwide suffer from slavery, was sold to a brothel or forced to become a victim of his debt do toil, even born enslaved.” According to the investigation, there are phenomena of slavery of the 162 countries surveyed, but India enslaved population accounted for almost half of the world, from the mines and kilns to brothel enslaved worker commercial sexual exploitation, slavery is widespread in the country.

According to the 2013 global slavery index, there are 10 countries in the population accounted for 3/4 of the world’s population.

In addition to India, China enslaved enslave the population is 2 million 900 thousand, followed by Pakistan (2 million 100 thousand), Nigeria (701 thousand), Ethiopia (651 thousand), Russia (516 thousand), Thailand (473 thousand), Congo (gold) (462 thousand), Burma (384 thousand), Bangladesh (343 thousand).

“I LIVED in Master Hugh’s family about seven years. During this time, I succeeded in learning to read and write. In accomplishing this, I was compelled to resort to various stratagems. I had no regular teacher. My mistress, who had kindly commenced to instruct me, had, in compliance with the advice and direction of her husband, not only ceased to instruct, but had set her face against my being instructed by any one else. It is due, however, to my mistress to say of her, that she did not adopt this course of treatment immediately. She at first lacked the depravity indispensable to shutting me up in mental darkness. It was at least necessary for her to have some training in the exercise of irresponsible power, to make her equal to the task of treating me as though I were a brute.”  – 1st Para. Chapter 7

There are two exceptions meet together. The first exception is the narrator doesn’t see himself as a slave, and the other exception is a slave owner doesn’t see herself as a Slave owner.  From the first meet between these two persons, there was no any extra emotion or relationships cause them feel uncomfortable, they were just like two normal people.  And the only thing they had in common was a pure concern or interest to each other, that’s the basic human nature. This chapter mainly talks about how an innocent female was taught or brainwashed to accept an idea of slavery.

From this passage, I learned during the era of slavery in America, slaves were not allowed to have “knowledge”.  Because the slaveholders know knowledge will teach slaves to start questioning everything they don’t feel right.  And secondly, I see women during that time was innocent and naive.  This thought gives me a conclusion that, slaves and women have many things in common, such as human rights.

Base on reading this story, I find young Frederick Douglass was a very intelligent child.  Not only clever, but also very wisdom of life at a little of age.  A hint reveal his wisdom is he realized the importance of knowledge may change life, and he try every chance to obtain as many knowledge as he could.  Another sign of his wisdom is, he had never given up his dignity as a free man. Although he was clear the board between a free man and a slave, he always trying to be independent from accepting the thoughts of being a slave.

From the change over of the personality of  Frederick Douglass’s female master, I rises some questions for myself, that, why she was so easily change to a very opposite personality, from a angel to a devil.

The poems, The Chimney Sweeper I &II talks about the poor lives suffered by the children who work as child labor in the old days in England. I pick this picture because this is the true image of the time and the people.  Due to poverty, these children were sold to factories from their parents and start suffer a miserable life at a very young age.  They were not even given a chance to change what they’d offered.

In the picture, these four boys may just get off work, or in the middle of their work, stand in front of a camera but have no idea why the photographer taking a photo of them.  From their face I cannot see the same face that children have in 2016, instead, I see faces with numbness, fatigue, mess, and mature far beyond their age.  This picture helps me better understand when the poet wrote “Could scarcely cry ‘weep! ‘weep! ‘weep! ‘weep! So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep” and “That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack, were all of them locked up in coffins of black.”

However, in fourth stanza, there is an angel appears.  This angel is the difference between the picture and the poem. From fourth stanza to the end of the poem, the children are gone from the darkness of the hell, and follow the angel live their life with happiness.  Once they wake up from the dream, although still miserable, they will believe God will be there to help everyone to make the dream true.  On the contrary, the image I choose, shows the pale faces with hopeless.

My understanding to Oedipus the King by Sophocles

    Oedipus accidently killed his father and again accidentally married his mother.  His actions committed both crime and sin at the worst level.  However, we cannot claim he is guilty or he is evil.  On the contrary, he is such an innocent and honest man with a pure kind heart.

Once he learned his future from the God Apollo, Oedipus tries so hard to avoid his life as a tragedy, but all he had done are the steps leading to his fate.  Fate has been a forever philosophy topic flows down from generations to generations.  Is our life destined? If so, why do we even do it?  Then no one has free will at all.  If not, then why Oedipus cannot avoid his fate? Are people only a toy to Gods?

The last words in the play by Chorus, “no one can call himself    Gods’ friend until he passed his entire life peacefully” (cannot remember the exact words).  True, man cannot predict life, no one knows if life is towards a good end or bad end.  According to Oedipus’ life as a whole before he find the truth, he is seen as a hero with successful achievements and Gods’ blesses.  However, until the truth appeared, his life suddenly shifts to the opposite, and became the man with most tragedy of life.

A tragedy is not just a combination of death and tears in the end.  The real tragedy is hopeless.  The real sad thing is, you just look at it but cannot do anything to stop it.  Then, this is what hopeless does, it cause more suffer and more pain beyond death.

My reaction to the performance is not too much.  First of all, the performance is too plain with no stage setting and dressing.  And that made me cannot really get into what I was expecting.  Secondly, listening is tough.  I had a language difficulty to understand the Greek background play, with all the gods and the way of conversation.  Although I studied the play prior, I still feel lost in the here and there.  The actors did wonderful job on the stage.  They are loud and clear, moving around tried a lot to put some color on the paper.  Even with a script in hands still I can see they put a lot efforts into it to make the play as smooth as possible.