Pride and Prejudice: Revised

In his essay "Walking," Henry David Thoreau offers the following assessment of literature:

    “In literature it is only the wild that attracts us. Dullness is but another name for tameness. It is the uncivilized free and wild thinking in Hamlet and The Iliad, in all scriptures and mythologies, not learned inschools, that delights us.

From the works that you have studied in school, choose a novel, play, or epic poem that you may initially have thought was conventional and tame but that you now value for its "uncivilized free and wild thinking." Write an essay in which you explain what constitutes its "uncivilized free and wild thinking" and how that thinking is central to the value of the work as a whole. Support your ideas with specific references to the work you choose.

"Uncivilized" is a term that means someone who is not in sync with civilization. But as Jane Austen reveals in Pride and Prejudice, perhaps having some emotional distance from society is a good thing. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen not only paints an elaborate portrait of society but also comments on the nature and folly of it. Elizabeth Bennett, the main character, is attractive because she is not bound by “civilized” society and is the free thinker that Thoreau says so captivates readers. Elizabeth’s free thinking is what allows her to develop as a character, and in the end nullify her own social boundaries and prejudices. This breaking free of society is free thinking in the most wild manner, but because of the rigidity of the society in question, the novel is a fresh start to individualism, and all the more attractive because of it.

Elizabeth is not a character you'd want to contradict, nor is she typical of the characters in the book. Cultural and family prejudices tie Elizabeth down and attempt to force her to bend to society. Having grown up in a house full of frivolity and an overly trusting sister, Elizabeth is cynical and hesitant to trust—family prejudices of first impressions, manners, and impressions of wealth have left her tied to society.  Elizabeth's sisters and mother are for the most part more concerned with material wealth and marriage than anything else. Austen uses the mother and sisters as upholders of traditional societal values, to allow Elizabeth to stand in stark contrast to both most of her family and to society. 

Not all of Elizabeth's family is like this, however. Mr. Bennett, Elizabeth's father, likes Lizzie the best for her wit and stubbornness. Because of her father, Elizabeth is shaped into a free thinker and realizes that men can both accept and love free thinking. Mr. Bennett is the character who brings to light Elizabeth's free spirit, by praising and encouraging it. Elizabeth, unlike her mother and sisters, refuses to consider marring: as free as she believes herself, she can't fathom tying herself down.

Elizabeth eventually sees that she has been prejudiced. It is the epiphany not only for the novel but for society and for Austen's readers. Austen not only shows the charm of free thinking, but makes a statement about society. Elizabeth, confronted by a lady of high standing, refuses to take abuse. In standing up to a lady of such high social rank, Elizabeth eliminates the barrier of class. She has realized that class doesn't matter, and in this way Austen makes a statement about society, however "uncivilized" that statement may be. 

Elizabeth passes through many stages of development to reach the point where she can recognize society for what it is. Throughout the novel, Elizabeth must accept the fallibility of her own perceptions and her family’s faults. In the end, Elizabeth redefines free thinking and breaks free of the social boundaries between herself and Darcy. Through Elizabeth's growth and defiance of social expectation, Jane Austen defies her own social norms and shows that free thinking may not be so bad, after all. Pride and Prejudice may be wild for the time in which it was written, but it is all the more valuable for it.

Ceremony

Setting: Ceremony is set in and around the Laguna reservation, though flashbacks/regressions may take use elsewhere, namely to the Philippines. The reservation is in the midst of a severe drought  leaving the land desolate and reflecting the mindset of its inhabitants.

Plot: Tayo, a veteran of WWII, comes home poisoned by the witchery of the white world. Violently sick and made more so by continued association with other veterans, Tayo spends the course of the novel on a path to healing, reconciliation of self, and purity, helped along by memories of Josiah and Rocky, medicine men Ku'oosh and Betonie, and spirits like Night Swan, T'seh, and the mountain lion.

Theme: the power of transformation and tradition. Through the novel, Tayo is transformed, and transforms others around him, as he both recognizes and purges the witchery from himself, embracing tradition in order to find home for himself once again.

Quotes: He cries because they are dead and everything is dying. This is said by Tayo as he recuperates in a Veterans' Hospital. In a literal sense, "they" are the army veterans who died in the world. Tayo appears still to be stuck in the war world, unable to do anything but cry. But on another level Tayo's words appeal to the entire novel. Everything is dying: indeed, on the inside, Tayo and many other characters die as they feel the effects of witchery and its poison. This is reflected in the setting, which has gone dry and dead (Tayo believes it's his fault).
Cattle are like any living thing. If you separate them from the land for too long...they lose something. This is said by Josiah. Though he speaks of cattle, he speaks also of humans and especially of the Laguna people. After all, the cattle are like the sacred deer that help to guide Tayo to spiritual healing. The people, too, must be healed and reconnected to the land. People are not meant to be controlled, corralled, and manipulated by witchery. Look at the white people, soft and susceptible to the poison.
Witchery works to scare people, to make them fear growth. This by Betonie. He explains to Tayo that ceremonies need to change, to transform, because people themselves are always growing. Without transformation no ceremony could stand up to witchery. Though the theme of the novel is both the power of transformation and tradition, tradition itself must transform in the novel in order to provide a restorative power to Tayo.


Imagery/Symbolism: The symbols of deer and bear/lion-people are prominent throughout the play. All three animals are guides to Tayo on his path to complete the ceremony. They appear throughout the story and in Tayo's life in various forms: the deer as Josiah's cattle and T'seh, the bear as Shush and Betonie, and the lion as the hunter and also as itself.

Respond

I really, really, enjoyed learning about Jung. I find psychology fascinating. His ideas of a "spiritual journey" in which to complete and accept yourself kind of remind me of Tayo's journey in Ceremony. I also liked learning the different archetypes (weird how once you learn something, you see it everywhere...). It kind of forces you to reconsider your life; I look forward to seeing more in Fifth Business. I like the book so far, but it confuses me how Ramsay can seem so normal (aside from his infatuation with Mrs. Dempton) but be so messed up (seriously, a 200 page letter?). I guess that's kind of like Tayo, too, as well as Willy Loman, Hamlet, and the characters from the American Dream. It's not like you can really look at someone from the outside and just know what's going on internally. Leave that to the psychics--and I mean psychic in the noun sense, not the psychology sense!

Jungle of Life: Revised

1984. Select a line or so of poetry, or a moment or scene in a novel, epic poem, or play that you find especially memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.

In Death of A Salesman, Arthur Miller's last scene accurately sums up his characters' lives and reinforces the theme.The scene, Willy's funeral, is effective because it serves as both a testament to his life and a promise for the future. Willy Loman died the death of a salesman, having spent his life selling both himself and his own broken dreams and twisted ideology. Willy would've liked nothing better than to work with his own two hands, but is instead forced into the dreams of others. 

One theme of the play is to follow your dreams. As his son, Biff, comments in the scene, there was more of Willy in the front stoop than in anything Willy ever sold. Willy's passion is truly in carpentry. Willy lies not in material and success, but in open spaces and hard work. However, society has other plans. The dreams of others are a vault of apartments that trap the Lomans in the city. Willy's brother Ben started out like Willy: he went away chasing a dream. But unlike Willy, Ben went into the jungle and "came out rich." Here, the jungle represents the city, which is certainly as dark, wild, and dangerous as anything Ben may have faced. The beasts of Willy's industrial jungle, though, turned out even more dangerous.

In the end, it was through chasing down that elusive satisfaction that Willy met his downfall. He was unable to accept reality, so he ended it. In the funeral scene, Willy's family and friend(s) realize the devastating impact that getting caught up in others' dreams can have. Biff says, "he had the wrong dreams." In this way, Willy's family mourns not only his life but the jungle of life that everyone must walk through. 

While the scene serves tribute to Willy Loman's life, however, it is about more than that. The funeral is a kind of salute to the future, a way of saying, "you can't beat us down." After Willy dies, Biff vows to follow his dream for him--his original dream. He vows to go out west and find the opportunity Willy never did.

Like the play itself, Miller's last scene looks both at the past and the future in order to create a better present. Willy had been thrown into a jungle, and unlike Ben, he didn't make it out alive. Perhaps what Ben really meant by "came out rich" was that he survived--survived the beasts of societal standards and simply followed a dream. Willy was trapped into societal standards and forced into others' ideals and dreams, crumbling under the weight of it all. But perhaps, through this last scene and through his family, he and his dream live on.

Reflect

We've just finished our first read of Ceremony. Personally, I'm a little conflicted in my feelings toward the book. It's kind of a love-hate relationship: on the one hand, I like the little Native American tales and poems interspersed, but on the other hand, I have no idea what they mean. I also found the concept of time and narrative a little warped, but I suppose that's on purpose.

The AP test is coming up fast. We've been practicing our in-class essays. Which I'm--maybe--slightly--if I'm lucky--better at. Maybe. But I don't know. The whole "write three essays in two hours that will win over the judges" thing is a little daunting. Add that to the multiple choice, which I'm--maybe--slightly--if I'm lucky--better at, and you've found the reason why this class has started to make me a little nervous. It feels a little like we've been dumped on an accelerating train... and as the test gets nearer, we just have more and more assignments. We read Ceremony (243 pgs) in the same amount of time as we read American Dream (approx. 100 pgs). Also, we have readings, blogs, and other things due soon. Well, enough of this. Me sitting here talking about it doesn't make it closer to being done.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

Setting: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is set in Denmark, in the forest and in and around the royal palace, and on a ship traveling to England.

Plot: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have been summoned to the royal palace to find the cause of and cure Hamlet's madness. Along the way, they meet the Players. Nothing else much really happens... or so they think.

Theme: What is humanity, and what is its role in Fate? Is life controlled by Fate, or chance, and do we have control, or is it all just a script without direction? Through the play, questions of identity, defying/accepting Fate, and our role in life are prominent.

Quotes: Life in a box is better than no life at all. This is said by Rosencrantz as he debates the meaning of life and death. He decides that any life, even life under the influence of Fate, with no control or direction, is better than death. However, by the end of the play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern both have grown and no realize that this is not true. As Guildenstern says of leaving for England, "We'll be free." As in, they will escape the box (the play) and finally regain direction to their lives.

Fear! The crack that might flood your brain with light! This is said by Guildenstern after the coin-tossing game has made him question even the most solid of things, such as the law of probability. Sometimes, the things most solid are those you cannot see, such as fear, and only fear itself can prompt one toward action, and, while cracking the surface of identity, also brings knowledge and certainty--light. We see this again in the end of the play. Throughout, the plot is slow and driven by light dialogue and speculation. But when Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find out they are to be executed, they finally find their direction: continue to England, and find the light that is death.

I remember when there were no questions. This by Rosencrantz after his first encounter with Elsinore. It implies that there was once a time of certainty and direction, or, in other words, innocence. Everything was given out freely, and existence and control were givens. Now, however, everything has been clouded over and twisted around, and each question is empty air. The quote betrays the motif of questions that is recurrent throughout the play.

Imagery/Symbolism: The "box" is a constant image and symbol, referring, of course, to the play itself, which is carefully scripted beyond an individual character's control. It is inescapable, the "Fate" and the "god" of which the characters speak.

The coins, too, are both an image and symbol throughout the play. Every coin toss results in heads coming out on top. Just like in Hamlet, with its "hunter vs. hunted," we must wonder who is "heads" and who is "tails," and who will come out on top. The head typically represents the crown and state, or the king. The "artists" are at the bottom, the tails. And this is true as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are shown to be equally discardable and even interchangable, even though by the law of probability, eventually they should come out on top.

Allusions: The play frequently alludes to Hamlet. This is needless to say, since the play is set up within Hamlet--or maybe the other way around.

Death of a Dreamer: Revised

1970. Choose a character from a novel or play of recognized literary merit and write an essay in which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Willy Loman may have died the death of a salesman, but he also died the death of a dreamer. In Death of a Salesman, Willy, who originally would've liked nothing more than to work with his own two hands, is instead thrown into the dreams of others by societal standards. 

As his son, Biff, comments, there was more of Willy in the front stoop than in anything Willy ever sold. In this, Biff reveals that Willy's passion is truly in carpentry. Willy is constantly fixing the roof, the chairs, the porch, etc. He's never happier than when he's outside working, like Biff. However, society's influence comes in the form of Willy's brother Ben and in the vault of apartments that trap the Lomans in the city. Ben started out like Willy: he went away chasing a dream. But unlike Willy, Ben "came out rich." Suddenly, Ben is the New American ideal: rich and very materialistic. Willy, who regrets not having gone with Ben, attempts to follow in his footsteps by becoming rich. Through the city and the dreams or apartments that surround him, Willy conceives that social connections are the key to success rather than hard work. It's an idea reaffirmed by the old, pajama-clad salesman that stands as the symbol of Willy's ideal and society's dream. The apartments are like others' dreams; they crowd out Willy's own and overshadow the garden of opportunity, preventing it from growing. While Willy attempts to save and cultivate it, it simply will not grow. Willy, like his house, is crumbling under the weight of societal values, and has turned to materialism: the salesman. The salesman is Willy's only hope of success, and through that, recognition and the opportunity of throwing off the shadow of his brother and of society.

Willy shares his old dream with Biff, who likewise dreams of working on a farm in the West, the real garden of opportunity. But as society has shaped Willy, he has grown more and more opposed to Biff working out West. He has gone from asserting Biff's need to "find himself" to asserting Biff's need to settle, get a job, and most importantly, make money. There it is: society has changed Willy from a strong worker with a hands-on dream to a materialistic, power-hungry and money-loving prisoner of society. Perhaps Willy's opposition to Biff is simply that Biff is too old to be finding himself, as Willy points out in the novel. But maybe it's simply that Willy, who ultimately is unable to accept any form of reality, can't stand seeing Biff head down the path that Willy never got the chance to go down himself. He is afraid of Biff finding success in an area that Willy himself never could.

The society Willy Loman lives in is one of uncompromising fortitude. It kills the slightest ray of sunshine, shadows the smallest bud of green. He has been trapped into societal standards and forced into others' ideals and dreams, crumbling under the weight of it all. And unlike his son, Biff, or Biff's friend Bernard, who both in their own ways continue to chase individual happiness, Willy has relented to it. He continues to travel, reminding himself of what could have been, and what isn't. The fact is, the problem isn't that Willy isn't "well-liked." It's that Willy, like the rest of society, is too busy with the success and the material and the denied dreaming that they don't realize what's right in front of them: the opportunity to accomplish that dream, and to die not just a dreamer, but a fighter.