Monthly Archives: March 2019

Reflecting upon Hedda Gabler, I was able to connect the character of Hedda to a theme I’ve encountered countlessly throughout life. It’s no secret that we as humans always yearn for more, but at what point do we stop? Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, taught me that happiness does not lie when we achieve goals, but it’s the thought of it that does… If we had nothing to look forward to, then our purpose on Earth would merely be useless. I connected this to Hedda, because she finds happiness in deceiving people, but when her actions are done, she is still kept looking for more. She got married, and she got tired. She went on her honeymoon, and she was miserable. She got pregnant, and she doesn’t feel joy. She loved her husband, but she does not anymore. For Hedda it’s extremely hard to be happy, however, I think that her unhappiness gives her some type of satisfaction, because the thought of wanting to leave her husband is what keeps her there. She is very difficult to understand, and in the end, she gives up the battle to try and give her life meaning.

–What motivates Hedda to encourage Lovborg to resume drinking?
–Discuss the role of Thea in the play? What function does she serve?
–What role does class play in Hedda Gabler?
–What does Lovborg’s death mean to Hedda?
–Do you feel sympathetic to Hedda? Why or why not?

1. Why do you think Tolstoy begins his story with the announcement of Ivan Ilyich’s death, rather than organizing it chronologically?
2. “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” is full of French words. What purpose do they serve?
3. How does Ivan Ilyich’s family react to his illness? What do their reactions tell us about them?
4. On his deathbed, Ivan asks, “Why, and for what purpose, is there all this horror?” Does the text provide an answer to this weighty question?
5. Compare the attitude toward death we see in Ivan Ilyich’s family and social milieu to that of our own society. How do we treat illness and death?

Orgon was not simply competent, but actually insightful. He was the person who seemed to care less about his mother, children, brother, and wife and more about Tartuffe as he was the “holy” man Orgon adored the most. I think he is so vulnerable to Tartuffe as he wants to increase his chances of getting into heaven. He hopes to enhance the family’s image by bringing Tartuffe in. In fact, he wants Tartuffe to control the family.

Reflecting upon the reading of Frederick Douglass, I came across a realization of how different time periods are still connected.In the readings, Douglass talked about his hardships during slavery and post-slavery, in which he also shared several accounts of times he had witnessed horrifying acts upon African Americans slaves.For example, “The wife of Mr.Giles Hicks, living but a short distance from where I used to live, murdered my wife’s cousin, a young girl between fifteen and sixteen years of age-She had been set that night to mind Mrs.Hicks baby, and during the night she fell asleep ,and the baby cried. She, having lost her rest for nights previous, did not hear the crying “. From this quote, I can make a connection in today’s current issue in America such as police brutality.Although slavery had ended for quite some time, the hate still exists, even in the 21st century. For decades, several policeman/women have used their authority against many minorities to illustrate their hate, and in particular in the black community. Several Police officers have always targeted black people and in results, many black people including children, women etc., have lost their lives due to several unjust reasons. Slavery and police brutality both share a comparison because they both illustrate the abuse of power within the authority.In addition, the unlawful killings many police officers would commit, a lot of the times they wouldn’t even be prosecuted for their crime they are committing due to status and “power” they have.This reminds of how slave owners wouldn’t also wouldn’t be charged for the crimes they commit because of the power they taught they had at the time. Having compared two circumstances and how it still prevalent to this day, its kind of astonishing to me. Moreover, to see hate practices still exist a hundred years plus, shows how ignorant people are that they hate on something that can never change. America is one the most diverse country in the world, so instead of using it to its advantages to teach culture and understand it some people choose to hate what is different and that is kind of disheartening.

1. What is the significance of the information Douglass provides about the early years of his life?
2. What does he mean, on p.238, when he describes the first whipping he witnessed as, “the blood-stained gate”?
3. What have you learned from reading this narrative that you didn’t already know about slavery in America?
4. Explain the significance of literacy for Douglass?
5. How does Douglass feel about Southern Christianity? Why?

1. In Shelley’s “A Defence of Poetry,” he states that “poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the World.” What do you think he means by this?

2. Compare Shelley’s attitude toward nature with that of Wordsworth. What do these two Romantic poets seem to share and where do they differ in their relationships with the natural world?

3. “If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?,” the concluding line of “Ode to the West Wind” is one of Shelley’s most frequently quoted lines. What do you think it means?

–In what sense does “Tintern Abbey” offer readers a “religion of nature”? What are some of the specific ways in which nature works as a substitute for traditional religion?
–Why do you think Wordsworth gives “Tintern Abbey” such a precise and detailed sub-title? What is the significance of this poem’s full title?
–In the final portion of “Tintern Abbey,” the speaker turns to his “dear friend.” Who is this friend and what role does he/she play in the poem?
–“Composed upon Westminster Bridge” and “The World Is Too Much with Us” are both sonnets. Why do you think a poet might choose to work with such a highly structured form?
–Describe some of the ways in which Wordsworth’s poetry conforms to some of the features of Romanticism that we’ve discussed. What evidence can you find to illustrate this?

After carefully reading some of Wordsworth’s writing, it has become clear to me that he enjoys glorifying the common things in life and reflecting on these little things with his emotions. His lyrical ballads in “Lines Written in Early Spring” are very emphatic on the little details of nature. For example in the first stanza, he says “I heard a thousand blended notes, While in a grove I sate reclined, In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts, Bring sad thoughts to the mind.” I believe this is talking about the sound of birds and little insects chirping as he sits comfortably kicked back, thinking critically about how beautiful and natural nature. But that’s not all he feels. The “sweet mood” brought by the beautiful sounds of nature also bring contrary sad thoughts to mind. In the next stanza, it becomes clear that Wordsworth is describing mother nature to mankind. In the second stanza, I believe Wordsworth was trying to convey the message that nature has done its duty of being itself and giving humanity something beautiful to work with, but it pains Wordsworth to think about what mankind has turned itself into. The line “What man has made of man.” conveys this message. Throughout the rest of the poem, he continues to carefully take note of the other beautiful little things in nature that make it such an elegant phenomenon. but he repeats that specific line “What man has made of man.” again. I think it becomes even more clear that he emphasized this line by writing it twice because its one of the primary messages he wants the reader to take with him/her. I feel strongly about Wordsworth writing’s too. When I used to skateboard and go on little trips to places to practice this hobby, much of the time would not be spent skateboarding, but rather sitting and resting in between. But those moments where we sat and rested, I’ve thought about what Wordsworth felt. With the strong rays of the sun beaming down on me, and the insects in the grass humming and chirping, it’s truly a beautiful world. But when I think about going back to the city, where my community/society thrives, it pains me to think that much of the world is a very toxic place. I don’t mean to sound like a pessimist but human beings, even from the beginning of humanity, have really turned something so simple and beautiful to something so complex and hateful. The social and political conflicts that exist throughout the world, the ridiculous laws in place to control human beings because human beings cannot control themselves, it’s actually very sad.