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

1. In short story Aura, author Carlos Fuentes uses second person in order to strengthen the theme of darkness as concealing and light as illuminating.
2. In Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” main character Gregor transforms as he becomes a bug, as he is referred to for the first time as an “it,” and as he dies, although ultimately, he does not experience a true change of character.
3. Poems 449 and 465, both by Emily Dickinson, share the common theme of death, which is developed through dialogue in the former, imagery in the latter, and metrical patterns in both.

Stanza viii, Line 7: “melts like butter”

Niyi Osundare’s choreo-poem, Hole in the Sky, is a commentary on the current ecological state of the Earth. A certain line in the poem brings about a particularly strong visual image to the reader’s mind of Arctic ice that “melts like butter,” (8.7). This line refers to the long-term melting of Arctic ice as a result of global warming. Since the 1970s, this ice has declined by about 40%. This melting can negatively affect a number of different things, including climate, weather and oil and natural gas operations.

Osundare underlines the gravity of the problem through his use of imagery in this line. Saying that the ice is melting at the rate of butter is clearly an exaggeration, as there is no way it could melt that fast. But imagining the ice as doing so enables the reader to draw a line between a issue that he or she might not completely comprehend to a commonplace occurrence. This, in turn, betters the reader’s understanding of the issue of global warming and climate change. Overall, Osundare effectively depicts a huge issue in a poetic and easy-to-understand way.

Milyza Flores

In “Punishment,” author Tagore explores the ethical problem of lying when he writes, “Chidam’s only thought was to escape from the terrible truth – he forgot that a lie can be even more terrible,” (894). Through the use of the words “even more,” this quote suggests the idea that more lies have more consequences than the truth, even when the truth is terrible. Tagore demonstrates the belief that nothing good can come out of lies, and in fact, only bad things can come from it. This foreshadows the ending of the play, when Chidam’s wife dies a horrible death as a result of the lie her own husband said. The foreshadowing stems from the use of the word “escape,” which, when paired with the phrase “only thought,” gives readers the idea that this was last-ditch effort by Chidam, rather than a solid plan. By Chidam lying, he did not make the situation better; instead, he botched it further with a weak lie. By the way Tagore frames Chidam’s attempt at mitigating his problem in a desperate light, it is implied that this lie will be the cause of great trouble throughout the rest of the story.

1. In Tartuffe, playwright Moliere uses the title character Tartuffe and his sinful actions, manipulation of his host and deceit to bring about conversation of religious hypocrisy, a controversial idea during the time the play came out.
2. In Life of a Sensuous Woman, author Saikaku depicts women as servants to men through the several men-serving roles the narrator takes on throughout the story, including that of a prostitute, a  domain lord mistress, and a women forced into a sexual relationship.

In the play, Hedda Gabler, by Henrik Ibsen, the main and title character, Hedda, is manipulative in that she sees people as her playthings. One of the first instances this was demonstrated was when Hedda reveals to Judge Brack how she messed around with and berated Aunt Julie: “I pretended I thought [Aunt Julie’s hat] was the maid’s,” (804). This excerpt stood out to me very much because when Hedda originally mistook Aunt Julie’s hat for Berta’s, I thought she was being rude enough about it. But the fact that Hedda did this on purpose, just to hurt Aunt Julie’s feelings, made her even worse in my eyes. Moreover, Aunt Julie is a kind woman who in no way ever deserved this treatment. Aunt Julie is like a saint figure, taking care of the sick and abandoned; she even took care of George, Hedda’s own husband, when his father died. If anything, Hedda should be kind to Aunt Julie, but she is actually the exact opposite. On top of all this, she brought the hat along in hopes of pleasing Hedda, who wears hats as well. She was never anything but kind to Hedda, who in turn embarrassed and shamed her. Any decent human being would at least regard her peers with resepect, regardless of whether or not she likes them, but Hedda does not adhere to this standard. Instead, she toys with people for her own amusement and enjoyment.