Journal #13

1. What object symbolizes George Gray’s life? How is this object representative of him?

The object that represents him is the boat waiting to sail. This represents him because he is so afraid to try things at life that he is like a boat that has been docked but will never go out into open waters anymore. He doesn’t want to take the chance that something bad would happen to him so he stays at home doing the same things he’s done his whole life without excitement or meaning in his life just like the boat that will never sail again.

2. How was Lucinda Matlock’s life different than George Gray’s? How do you interepret the last line of the poem?

Her life is different than George’s because she has had so many years of excitement and doing what she loved that she felt fulfilled when her time came to pass. Instead of never doing anything new she would try everything she could because she knew that life was short and she wanted to make the best of the time she had. I interpret the last line of the poem to be advice. It says that “You have to live life to love life.” This is so true because if you don’t experience life to its true potential in full how can you love the life that you have lived. Without joy and love in your life you can not be in love with the life that you have lived like George in his poem.

3. How are “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” examples of realism?

They are examples of realism because they both have to do with everyday life. They both are normal people who had normal lives just like the rest of us. The only thing that is different is that she enjoyed her life whereas he didn’t get to fully live his own. There is nothing extreme going on it’s just two people that have opposite opinions on how to live life going about their own lives. Both of them are realistic because that’s what life is.

Journal #12

1. “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory (symbolic narrative). What do the following represent?

Young Goodman Brown – man who goes from good to evil

Faith – Faith(spiritually,emotionally,physically)

The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – devil

Goody Cloyse – Corruption

The Ceremony – sinful nature of people

The Pink Ribbon – Ribbon

Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – Everybody has flaws

2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:

Theme Message of Theme Element Used to Establish

Don’t let anyone persuade you from your beliefs.

Always trust your own instincts or you will live a very unhappy life.

Brown’s life before and after his journey

In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.

``Sayest thou so?'' replied he of the serpent, smiling apart. ``Let us walk on, nevertheless,

reasoning as we go; and if I convince thee not thou shalt turn back. We are but a little way in the

forest yet.''

``But where is Faith?'' thought Goodman Brown; and, as hope came into his heart, he trembled

“But he had no power to retreat one step, nor to

resist, even in thought, when the minister and good old Deacon Gookin seized his arms and led him

to the blazing rock.”

Journal #11

“Where I Lived and What I Lived For” (232)

It’s about a man who lives in the woods and the best way to live life is the simple way. He says not to worry about the small things in life and just enjoy the ride. A simple life is a happy and fulfilling life.

Quote: “to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meaness of it, and publish its meaness to the world.”

“Sounds” (234)

He simply listens to the sounds of the day. How in society they say people need to go do stuff and be around other people but he is saying that he just needs to listen and look at nature. This is entertaining enough for him and he doesn’t need other people.

Quote: “I had this advantage, at least in my mode of life, over those who were obligated to look abroad for amusement, to society and the theater, that my life itself has become my amusement and never ceased to be novel”

“Brute Neighbors” (235)

In this passage he is telling the story of the ant’s life and how it is filled with hardship and war just like humans. He is saying that the life of an ant is just as hard to live as a human’s and that they fight as hard as we do in our battles. They also celebrate as much as the humans do when they are victorious. The balance in this is similar to the American Revolution.

Quote: “I was surprised to find that the chips were covered with such combatants, that is was not a duellum, but a bellum, a war between two races of ants, the red always pitted against the black, and frequently two red ones to one black.”(235)

“The Pond in Winter” (237)

The speaker talks about how when winter comes he sees fisherman and just watches them because they don’t follow all the rules. He goes down with the axe to chop holes so he can get his water from the pond. We go out into nature and experience it ourselves and usually it is a simple carefree life. Nature and life is still thriving in winter you just need to know where to look for it.

Quote: “But there was dawning Nature, in whom all creatures live, looking in at my broad windows with serene satisfied face, and no question on her lips.”

“Spring” (238)

He talks about how everything is changing and all the animals and plants are coming out again for the season. He compares spring to a recreation of nature and everything being reborn again. Grudges should be let go and you should forgive people and give them a second chance

Quote: “As every season seems best to us in its turn, so the coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden Age.”

Journal #10

Othello definitely comes to some conclusion about what he has done in his life and how that conclusion came to be right before he killed himself. His insight started with that he just killed his wife for reasons that were false even though they were given to him by his trusted soldier Iago. He realizes that he has destroyed his whole life because of faulty information. He had it all and in one swift blow it was all taken away from him. With his demise so close he realized that he got tricked by one of his most trusted officers. He probably learned to never trust anybody especially those closest to you. He realized at the end that he regretted not trusting his wife and that he gave up love for believing some lies about her. He saw that Cassio would now be the head of the army and that it would be in good hands when he was gone. He knew that he wanted to kill himself because he wanted to go honorably. He just wanted to be remembered for what he was not what he became at the end of his life when he was weak. He saw that he was going to be with his wife Desdemona so it wasn’t all that bad.