These love poems portray that love hurts. For instance, in “The Fist,” it is written “The fist clenched round my heart/ loosens a little, and I gasp/ brightness; but it tightens/ again.” This draws the image of loving someone so much but realizing that there might be something better for you. However, that faint thought offers light but is quickly gone because the feeling of love is too overbearing. The other poems we touched on showed how people in love brought about good things and there was not much of hurt. They showed examples of how love can, sometimes, be blinding but not really be “death defying.”
Author: VALSENIA MICHIE
“When You Are Old” is obviously a very romantic poem but it is also about aging.
This poem is really interesting and displays the idea of reminiscing on life before the aging occurred. There are lines that look back at the image of this person’s younger self. For instance, “[…] and dream of the soft look/ Your eyes had once,” gives an image that as time progressed the eyes grew wearier and heavier, but it used to be lighter and there was not an appearance of being older. Therefore, this can also be reflecting that with aging comes a change in how everyone views and interacts with you. It is kind of a message to appreciate things beforehand because there will be a time where it won’t be the same.
Consider Mary’s role as Rendle’s muse and its relation to this problem–a person who inspires another person’s work but may not benefit from himself/herself–more generally. What isWharton’s commentary here? To put it another way: what exactly is the muse’s tragedy in this case? What is most tragic about this story?
The muse’s tragedy is inspiring others while feeling like they are falling apart. Mary wanted to be seen as more than “Vincent Rendle’s Mrs. Anerton” (38) , she wanted to feel affection and love again. She was tired of being so helpful and considerate, but Rendle would not adhere or be attentive to her feelings. He “treated her [me] as one man treats another” (38). Rendle did not look past her as being a help to his writing and the voice behind his creative reasoning. The thing most tragic about this story is everyone thought that Mary was hiding Rendle and keeping him for herself. They also thought that she had found love once again, but that was not the case. Mary was struggling to find her true self and had to suffer in being in relations with someone who would not offer the emotional connection that he longed for. Mary was struggling, internally, but no one seemed to notice.
How does the tension in the story function? What does Wharton do to sustain it? Does it rise and fall or change or remain constant throughout? Why? What is/are the source(s) of it?
The tension in the story functions as a way to kind of keep the women from boiling over and making the setting a violent place. The readers go to the story with descriptions of Mrs. Ansley and Mrs. Slade describing their younger selves and their relationship to their daughters. However, the tension rises because Mrs. Slade is fed up that Mrs. Ansley is trying to hold the demeanor that she’s perfect and never did anything disgraceful; therefore, leading to her exposing the real reason Mrs. Ansley got so sick because she “simply can’t bear it any longer”(30). Mrs. Slade reaching her boiling point showed that she had enough of looking like the troubled one, when Mrs. Ansley had a thing for her [now] husband and betrayed the loyalty between them.
Consider the role(s) of betrayal and infidelity in the story.
In “The Gilded Six- Bits,” by Zora Neale Hurston, the idea of wealth will make people do the unimaginable. Missie May and Joe exclaimed their love for one another and Missie made it clear that she would do anything to keep Hoe happy and make him feel better about himself. By Joe being so fascinated by the appearance of Slemmons and saying “Wisht Ah had a build on me lak got […] He jes’ got a corperation”(3), made Missie willing to do anything to pick him back up. Her putting herself in the position to give up her body to Slemmons, in order to get some “gold money” for Joe displayed her having pure intentions but incorrect actions. She risked losing the love of her life to get him the materialistic thing that would make him happy. The betrayal and infidelity committed was to make the other partner happy and helped reveal the flaws that other people possessed.
How is his work a commentary on the mores, religious temperament, and society in which he lived in late eighteenth century England? What aspects of this commentary are still relevant today?
William Blake uses his poems to reflect on his perspectives on how the beliefs/ standards of religion is contradictory on how people should treat and view others. For instance, “The Gates of Paradise,” it was written, “Truly, my Satan, thou art but a Dunce […] Every Harlot was a Virgin once,/ Nor canst thou ever change Kate into Nan.” Blake is saying that Satan is not dumb and could be suffering from something bigger that the people are unable to see. In addition, he goes on to say that every prostitute was innocent and held their virgintiy before a twist in events led them down the path of prostitution; while also saying that you cannot change people. This contradicts how people should interact with others within society because religion gives people the characteristic of being judgmental and allowing them to give people the benefit of the doubt when something wrong is done. Also, it is often seen that people will try to change the behaviors of others if it doesn’t correspond with what they feel is right. This commentary is relevant today because it’s seen that the minds of many people is swayed by religion- specifically in Christianity, people often pass on their judgement by referring to the teachings on the aspects on how God created the world, which can be interpreted differently.