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

1. Magical realism was used in Aura for the characters to escape from their unwanted reality, specifically to create the character’s exceptionally marvelous and timeless perception.
2. The use of second person in Aura allows the reader to draw into two views of reality while familiarizing the scene in order to understand the situations that teach us how great it is living the way we’ve always wanted to.
3. In Aura, the magical aspects are used to go against the established order in society while stressing the typical day’s phenomena.

The chief clerk’s reaction towards Gregor’s metamorphosis showed how he did not want to have anything to deal with Gregor anymore. “The chief clerk had turned his back on Gregor the moment he had begun speaking,” (218). Even though Gregor explained how much he cares about his occupation and what’s stopping him from completing his work, the chief clerk does not take anything into account and just leaves the stage. After the chief clerk’s leave, Gregor understood that the image of the company could have been ruined due to him. On the other hand, Gregor’s father’s reaction to Gregor’s metamorphosis was more of feeling sorry towards his son. “With a pugnacious expression, as if ready to push Gregor back into his room, then looked uncertainly round the living room,” (217). His father wonders how much work Gregor had done for the company that he can end up looking in that state. The striking difference between the chief clerk and Gregor’s father’s reaction is how one is more accepting than the other. Gregor’s father feels the anger building up in him after seeing how the company treats his son. The chief clerk runs away from the situation, since he only wants a worker that is capable of doing everything without any problems after.

Each individual’s equality in the eyes of the law represents the enforcement of ethical law. In Tagore, he explores a few ethical problems in society. Specifically, the way of how a judge reacts to different genders. “The judge concluded that the brothers had confessed to the crime in order to save the younger wife from the shame of the noose,” (898). While both Chidam Rui and Dukhiram Rui tried to prove the innocence of the young wife, Chandara, the judge took it into consideration, but still placed blame onto her. After multiple times of speaking with different witnesses, it boiled down to the conclusion of Chandara being the one to blame. Before Chandara was officially arrested, Chidam already tried to take back the responsibility by confessing to the officers, but it was not taken into consideration. The exact situation happened when Chidam confessed to the lawyer, but the lawyer took it as if he just wanted to be a nice brother-in-law. This ethical point impacted the ending of the story, in which an innocent female had to face the death penalty without any further investigation.

The role of women in Saikaku’s, from Life of a Sensuous Woman, is to become the ideal woman who can capture the heart of the aristocratic levels, always have a man by her side, accept the blames of the deteriorating health of men, and to stay away from the public’s eyes when they’re told.

The tensions between value systems in “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger,” are held upon the occupation of the family. Li Jia had an aristocratic image from his family, which made him a studious scholar; on the other hand, Du Tenth had a courtesan image from her family, which made her a gold digger.

Born in a wealthy family, Hedda Gabler is insensitive towards the new family that she needs to live with. The reader’s first encounter with Hedda already shows her sarcastic tones and disrespectfulness towards her elders. “This shabby little world I’ve ended up in. That’s what makes life so contemptible, so completely ridiculous.” (806) It is clear of how she perceives on her current life status. Even though she has declined from her status of being wealthy, she doesn’t feel the need to change her mindset. The shabby little world that she ended up in is realistically not too shabby. But she tries to keep her old wealthy status up on everyone, needing the respect she used to withhold. In this new shabby world that she now lives in, she makes her life even more contemptible because she doesn’t want to change herself. It’s ridiculous, as she does not give in to drop off her past luxurious life. The people that she encounters need to change themselves to fit Hedda, but Hedda won’t do the same back.

In “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger,” Tenth is loyal towards young master Li. When she argues with the madam, “Master Li didn’t show up empty-handed. He’s spent big money,” Tenth persuades her on how much money Li had spent already for the past year. Even when she knows that he has no riches left anymore, she is still devoted to stay by his side. “I will take care of half of the three hundred, and you can take care of the other half.” By giving Li her private savings, it’s a solid confirmation that she is trying to stay by Li’s side. Only until the end of the story with Li’s betrayal, does Tenth give up on their relationship.

Similar to “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger,” Saikaku’s narrator shows loyalty as well. Even though the narrator had slept with different men consistently over the span of her lifetime, she had a few instances where she stayed with the man until he passes away due to poor health. Only then, she will move on to another man.