great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

The use of second person narrative in Carlos Fuentes’ “Aura” has you as a reader in such a trance like state, that you almost fail to recognize Señora Consuelo’s obsession with her youth.

Gregor’s transformation into a cockroach in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, at first comes across as freedom from his familial duties, but soon turns out to be a punishment, as he isn’t his family’s primary duty.

The neglect from Gregor Samsa’s own family after he turns into a cockroach in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, ultimately  leads to Gregor’s alienation and neglect of his own life.

Stanza 8 Line 14

“Once Upon A Time”

Hole in the Sky is a poem by Niyi Osundare that addresses the environmental problems that plagues the earth.  The use of the phrase “once upon a time” is one of the most eye opening lines in the poem to me (8.14).  That particular phrase is most commonly used in the opening of fairy tales and ends with the line “and they all lived happily ever after.”  With that being said, the use of such a phrase shouldn’t be connected to such a poem like Osundare’s.  All of the environmental problems that are plaguing the earth makes the earth from yester-year a thing of the past, hence his use of the phrase one upon a time.  The earth now isn’t what it use the be.  In using once upon a time, hopefulness can also be seen.  Knowing that we’re all suppose to live happily ever after, the earth now, with change, can become a thing of the past.  With change, we can correct the environmental issues and these issues can be referred to as in the future as “once upon a time”.

“Once upon a Time.” TheFreeDictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Alyshia & Brandon

Looking at Endgame alongside the philosophy called Absurdism, portrays an accurate depiction of what is being expressed in this play. Absurdism is a philosophy that states that the efforts of humanity, with purpose of finding meaning in the universe, will most likely fail. Instances of this failure are seen on a smaller, representative scale featured throughout the play. In order to understand Absurdism within the text, it is important to take note of the perspective of the characters in relation to the world. Hamm repeatedly asks Clov to look out onto the sea, and asks him what it is he sees. Hamm says, “Look at the ocean…How are the waves?” Clov answers Hamm and says, “Zero.” This is to mean that there is no life on the Earth, and if there is no life there could never be any development. It is at this point you get a perspective surrounded around the idea that life is meaningless and it holds no purpose. In another example, you also get another perspective of the world. Clov who is the servant to Hamm is able to see and it is he who likes “order.” He says, “I love order. It’s my dream.” Clov sees the world as a world of order, repetitiveness, and full of cycle. Order and repetitiveness are part of his job making it all that he knows, which is why he admires it so much. Though there is an admiration, it is not to go unnoticed that this view of the world is a negative one. The world that is being painted has a negative and purposeless meaning, therefore holding true to the philosophy of Absurdism.

On the other hand, the Endgame can be more understood through the idea of Nihilism.  Nihilism is defined as the belief that traditional morals, ideas, beliefs, etc., have no worth or value.  This is accurately seen in the Endgame.  “Then there’s no reason for change.”  “It may end.  All life long the same questions, the same answers.”  As Hamm and Clov discuss, the overwhelming sense of a routine life is coming across from that particular conversation.  Repetitiveness is seemingly making life meaningless and as a reader you can feel boredom for them.  The conversation then continues with Hamm saying that he will not give anything more to eat to Clov and Clov responds by saying, “Then we’ll die.”  Life is so meaningless and unfulfilling that its not even worth living at this point.  It’s like he’s saying if he eats he eats and if he doesn’t he might as well die.  It comes across as he’s just going through the motions and dealing with whatever is being thrown at him and going, “ok”.   Clearly that is not a way to live a life, but for a Nihilist it is.

Alyshia & Brandon

The use of second person by Carlos Fuentes in his story, “Aura,” helps to strengthen the character development throughout the text. It is in fact a fascinating way of writing and it skillfully captures all of the characteristics and thoughts of the individual in a clever way. In this text, it is clear from the beginning that the person being spoken of is intelligent, yet youthful. Sometimes wisdom is associated with age, but not here. We are told of Felipe Montero’s intelligence when he is found to be reading a newspaper that is most directly speaking to him when it reads, “Wanted, young historian, conscientious, neat. Perfect knowledge colloquial French” (832). Though his attention is geared to this opportunity, he’s rather passive in his decision to take the position. When he sees the advertisement again is when he decides to act (833). This act speaks to Felipe’s lack of sureness and need for reassurance. His weak character is further exposed when in initial conversation with the woman. She persistently assures him that though the memoir’s of her late husband are unfinished, she will tell him what to write. For example, he says, “But the General himself? Wouldn’t he be able to…” (835). She then shuts him down with a quick response. She does so again when he replies with, “But.” It is in this instance his lack of confidence and control shows, proving him to be justifiably characterized as weak.

By the end of Fuentes’ short story “Aura”, the use of second person has you as a reader fully invested in his theme of magical surrealism.  This use has you in a similar trance just like Felipe because by the time you reach the end of the story, you feel as if you are Felipe at this point.  All this time you’re thinking that Aura isn’t real, she’s just a dream, but she turns out to be more than just a dream. In reality, she’s an extension of Señora Consuelo.  Just as Felipe is to General Llorente.  Ironically, it is Felipe who is the dream or who’s in a trance and has to wake up to become his true self.  “I’m going toward my youth, and my youth is coming toward me,” (851).  I believe that quote perfectly describes the situation for Señora Consuelo because reality was about to reveal itself.  Aura is her youthful past and that revelation casts Felipe out of his dreamlike world.  “You love her, you too have come back,” (852).  This is where Felipe is now his true self, General Llorente.  Without the use of the second person, I don’t think you as a reader would have been as sucked in and invested.

In reading “Metamorphosis,” by Franz Kafka both the chief clerk and Gregor’s father both had the same reaction when seeing Gregor’s metamorphosis.  That reaction was fear but they both were afraid in different ways.  The chief clerk was afraid, but he tried to escape the situation by fleeing from it.  “…He wasn’t still for a moment, but, without taking his eyes off Gregor, moved towards the door, but terribly gradually, as though in breach of some secret injunction not to leave the room.”  It’s as if he walked in on something awkward and had to flee by backing away slowly.

Gregor’s father on the other hand was afraid as well but he reacted more harshly.  He was more aggressive than the chief clerk was.  “His father was moving forward implacably, emitting hissing sounds like a savage.”  The father’s response was more like Gregor was a threat so he needed Gregor to flee as oppose to the chief who did the fleeing himself.

1- Molière’s use of satire in Tartuffe was not only a way to reveal discontent for religious hypocrisy in his play, but also provided a revelation of it in the grander scheme of society at the time.

2- Perfection in men of the cloth can be blinding, as people may not see their true nature.  Tartuffe’s true nature as a religious hypocrite is finally revealed, leaving him to deal with the consequences, which justifies the ending of Molière’s play.

The female lead’s in Feng Menglong’s, “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger,” and Saikaku’s narrative, Life of a Sensuous Woman are both similar to each other in being prostitutes, but they couldn’t be more different from one another.  I found the prostitute in Life of a Sensuous more disconnected emotionally in comparison with Du Tenth.  Even in reading it there was almost a disconnect.  She finds herself sleeping with man after man, some of whom she admits to not caring for then finding herself attached and “falling for” just as swiftly.  She teeters on the edge of love and lust in my opinion, and confuses the lather with love in most instances.  Du Tenth on the other hand is attached to one man, her supposed true love.  When he failed her financially, she sacrificed for their love.  “…This is my private savings.  My love, you may take it…”, she gives him all of her savings so they could be together.  But she doesn’t do this just once, she does it again when he squanders money on “whoring” and other trivial pursuits.  She finds herself sharing money that was given to her, to share among them together for traveling.  “My husband don’t be troubled.  The collection made by all my sisters will surely help us out.”  It’s hard not to sympathize with someone who’s doing nothing but making sacrifices for someone who who does nothing but make selfish decisions.   On the other hand it’s easy to be unsympathetic towards someone who confuses lust for love, as she has never had to make any true sacrifices because there was no real love (real or unreal) to sacrifice for. In the end Du Tenth ends up making the ultimate sacrifice, her life.  Who can’t sympathize with that?