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

1. In the story, Aura, by Carlos Fuentes, the use of the second person places the reader inside a dreamlike experience, which makes it easy to grasp the disconnect that Felipe has from society.
2. In the story, Aura, by Carlos Fuentes, the use of the second person places the reader inside a dreamlike experience, which makes the reader connect Consuela’s dream of being young again.
3. In the story, Aura, by Carlos Fuentes, the use of the second person places the reader inside a dreamlike experience, and through relationship between Consuela and Felipe, it is proven that one must leave themselves and enter their dreams in order to find happiness.

In Kafka’s, “Metamorphosis”, Gregor’s transition into an insect is reacted to in different ways by both his father and the chief clerk. When the chief clerk first sees that Gregor has turned into a bug, he seems disgusted, but the reader soon realizes that, rather, he is terrified. “…the chief clerk must have sensed something, because he took the last few steps at a single bound and disappeared” (219). The chief clerk ran away from Gregor because he has a fear that most people do regarding insects. The fact that the insect was Gregor obviously had added to his terror. In contrast, Gregor’s father acted in a way that was unloving, which is shocking. Towards the end of part I, Gregor’s father tries to push him back into his room using objects that are usually used to kill insects. “If only there hadn’t been those unbearable hissing sounds issuing from his father!” (220). Gregor’s father somewhat interacts with him, while the chief clerk ignores the problem and runs away. However, the actions of Gregor’s father is worse than the reaction of the chief clerk because he so unloving to his own son as he hisses and almost swats him back into his room.

In Tagore’s short story, “Punishment”, the consequence of trying to cover up a crime results in the loss of another innocent life. The ethical issue that shows most in this story is that someone’s selfishness can cause another’s suffering. People will go to extreme lengths in order to achieve a selfish form of happiness, which is shown in the beginning of the story when it is stated, “He even once or twice wondered if it would be better if she were dead: at least he would get some peace then. Human beings can hate each other more than death” (896). This hatred and greediness can cause a person to not think clearly, which is present at both the scene of the crime, as well as at the decision of the court. Dukhiram kills his wife because he thinks that this would bring him peace. Therefore, it is obvious that he is selfish. Chandara, who is not as obvious, is also trying to achieve happiness in a selfish way. She uses Chidam’s mistake as a way to take revenge. She goes to the drastic measure of allowing herself to be killed in order to teach him a lesson. It is extremely selfish to punish someone in that way because she knew he admitted his lies in order to save her, yet she still left him with a curse of lifelong regret.

Erika V, Milyza, and Kelly

The Silesian Weavers

By Heinrich Heine

1. “shroud”

– A shroud is a length of cloth or an enveloping garment in which a dead person is wrapped for burial; the Silesian weavers are exploited factory workers.

2. “threefold curse”

-The threefold curse is clarified in the verses that follow; it curses god, the king and the fatherland.

3. “mocked and jeered”

-The Silesian weavers are blaming God because despite desperate pleas, they received no assistance from him

4. “wrings”

– To wring something means to squeeze and twist it forcing some form of liquid from it. In this verse the weavers are blaming the king for supporting the rich and taking from the poor. The king does not literally wring the people

5. “dirty scheming”

– In this fourth verse, the weavers are placing blame on the fatherland, exclaiming how corrupt old Germany is

6. “we’re weaving, we’re weaving”

– Every verse in the poem ends with this phrase referring back to the first verse which says they’re weaving Germany’s burial shroud, which is not literal.

Our analysis of the poem’s keywords leads us to interpret the poem as an expression of the struggles and personal turmoil the Silesian weavers experienced from their jobs. All the key words and their analyses were very dark and depicted the despair, anger and sadness that the Silesian weavers had. Through the powerful words and imagery, the poem revolved around these negative feelings, allowing the reader to better understand the struggles of the workers, without even knowing what their working conditions were. It is easy to see how this emotional, intense poem was a prominent work of art during the Vormärz movement.

Our interpretation that these weavers experienced despair, anger, and sadness due to working conditions is very relevant today. Although physical working conditions have improved, it is common for people today to feel angry towards our government and employers for not treating hard workers fairly and humanely. It is difficult for people to survive on what they are paid, if they are even lucky enough to find a job. For example, in 2011 we experienced the Occupy Wall Street protest movement, which was against the social and economic inequality worldwide. This poem relates with movements, such as Occupy Wall Street, because it is protest for better working conditions and better treatment, whether it be physical, social, or economical. In summation, people are struggling in today’s workforce and are angry at the hardships that they have to endure, just as the Silesian weavers were in 1844.

1.) Moliere shows the issue of beliefs impacting moral judgment through the character, Orgon.

2.) The ending of the play, Tartuffe, is not justified due to the banishment of the hypocrite, Tartuffe, yet the acceptance of hypocrisy from Orgon.

In Henrik Ibsen’s play, Hedda Gabler, Eilert Lovborg is unlike all other characters because, regardless of his higher class, he has fallen from the top and is trying to redeem himself by being a scholar.  As Hedda and Lovborg casually talk about his near death, he says, “In beauty? [Smiles.] With vine leaves in my hair, as you used to imagine?” (827). He is the only character to acknowledge and agree with Hedda’s lunacy. It is insane that he smiles after imagining himself dying, with a person that also wishes him to die. I think that reason that he smiles about his death is because Hedda made it seem like it would be royal. The vine leaves in his hair would make him appear somewhat like a Greek god: heroic, intelligent, and beautiful. I think this thought made him happy because he sees himself as a fallen man who cannot seem to overcome the pressures of society. He plays two very opposite roles as one character. Lovborg can be seen as an elite scholar, who created a masterpiece of a manuscript with his innocent and devoted girlfriend, Mrs. Elvsted. Lovborg can also be seen as the town’s outcast and alcoholic who fell from the top, disgraced his family’s name, and is in between two women, Hedda and Mrs. Elvsted. It seems as though Lovborg does not care what society thinks of him and his bad decisions, considering he continues to get drunk and disrupt the town. However, he proves this untrue because he wrote his first books solely about what people want to hear and what they would agree with, not on his own thoughts, which he openly admits. Therefore, Lovborg is a coward for seeing death as his path to being elite and admired. I think the influence of alcohol, the pressures of society, and his desire for acceptance resulted in his death.

In Feng Menglong’s, “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger”, Du Tenth escapes the betrayal of her lover by committing suicide. Similar to Du Tenth, the narrator in Saikaku’s, Life of a Sensuous Woman, questions her worth in living while living under the priests control. After growing comfortable, the narrator sees her future through a woman who has undergone many hardships while under control of the priest. “With strangers, say a third of what you think; don’t throw out all your heart’s designs at once” (513). Both the narrator and Du tenth kept many things a secret, whether it was wealth, emotions, or intentions. Both women found ways to escape their troubles after being betrayed by men who they trusted. Before diving into the river, Du Tenth says, “Born in an ill-fated hour, I fell into the bonds of a shameful life” (516). Both the narrator and Du tenth were aware of the shame associated with the floating world and the pleasure district. However, the narrator only saw escape and love as a dream while Du Tenth believed these to be a reality. Ultimately, Du Tenth’s plan of escape and love turned out to be nothing more than a dream, resulting in her death.