Othello and Desdemona as Renaissance Love

            Shakespeare’s Othello is more than an early example of interracial love, as many would perceive it to be; it incorporates the attitudes of men toward women and minorities in the case of Othello himself. Throughout the play, a sense of otherness pervades in dialogue between Othello and Desdemona, Othello and Iago, etc. implying that one point or another someone is seen as the superior whereas the other party is deemed inferior. The attitudes include jealousy, stupidity, pride, and greed; each negative characteristic is illustrated within each act.

            One must remember that the opinions formed about women came from the Renaissance era, meaning change was bound to happen sooner or later. Othello understood the reason he became the leader of the Venetian army: he has successfully fought off the Turks and sent them back home to Turkey. His followers saw him as a respected leader and a great man who happens to marry the purest woman around: Desdemona. His biggest detractor, Iago, who ironically was his closest friend, became jealous of Cassio because he received the promotion that had been so coveted. The way Iago went about his “inferior” feeling is since he could not take losing to a better qualified person, he begins by bringing up the worst excuse possible: race and the fact Othello and Desdemona are happily married. Therefore, to make himself feel better, he ran to tell her father that his daughter has been sleeping with a black man and they should both be ostracized from Venice.

            In addition, Iago attempted to portray Othello as stupid for trusting another man’s words over those of his own wife. Desdemona truly loved him, yet he is stupid for listening to another man about what his faithful wife does while he is away. As a result, Iago plays off Othello’s jealousy to perfection – only to find out he has been framed for the murder. Only after acknowledging the crime does Othello feel sorrowful and vow revenge on all parties involved.

            During male-to-female conversations, the male seemed to put on more of a father-daughter relationship as opposed to being equals. In the case of Iago and his wife Emila, he had a tendency to talk to her as if she were a child and an unfaithful whore. The “evidence” planted by Emila, Othello’s napkin from his late mother, comes up with Cassio only because she obeyed Iago’s orders. Jonathan Swetnam was once quoted for saying “Men, I say, may live without women, but women cannot live without men.” (Swetnam 1336). Perhaps his reason for the statement is archaic, but in that era, he was partially accurate for making the comment women cannot live without men. Unfortunately for Swetnam, men cannot live without women because we do not possess all of the body parts to continue into the next generation.

            Throughout Othello, pride is shown as a male characteristic as evidenced in every act and scene, particularly in who else? Iago! He stood in the way of everyone’s successes, accomplishments, etc. simply to meet the goal of destroying Othello; in the process, he gained nothing and still lost his soul, identity, and respect of the remaining soldiers.

He Who Wins, Writes the History

“History, who keeps a durable record of all our acts, and exercises her awful censure over the proceedings of all sorts of sovereigns will not forget, either in those events, or in the era of this liberal refinement in the intercourse of mankind.” – Edmund Burke

            As the statement reads, history is an extremely accurate record of all of our actions. How we read and understand history is critical of how the future is shaped, or in the cases of certain cultures and generations, if the same history would repeat itself. Burke points to the French Revolution as a turning point not only for France, but also for the majority of the world which consisted of Europe, a few countries in Asia, and a colonial America that only earned independence ten years earlier. Without a revolution of any sort, the world continues to rotate in a chaotic fashion and the original revolutionaries eventually become conservative toward any change. For instance, the children of Louis and Antoinette were forced to watch their parents beheaded by the Napoleon-led commoners.

            For us Christians in America, history indeed repeats itself as a result of what sin we have supposedly obliterated with a “we’ll never do it again” and then turn around to magnify the same misdeed ten times over. It comes in different forms of transgression, and while each is worse than the previous as a result of knowing better, the opportunity for forgiveness remains. Hence, for history to repeat itself, one must either be so complacent or ignorant of wrongdoing that there is no turning back.

Sonnet No. 1

How does it feel to keep it real within

When the enemy only wants to see us crack

Unlike Rice Krispies, instead moreso a big box of Cracker Jacks

Are we doing it without sin?

If so, then he who casts the first stone shall judge my fate.

No one is perfect, not even the one who thinks he knows

About every little flaw, defect, all interrupted blows

To the head; in my mind it is nothing more than hate.

Being one hundred percent original is like, representing the cynical

Or something like that, sarcasm reigns supreme

In the minds of those chasing the cream –

Eventually, that becomes a bit mystical.

With that in mind, I shall seek to shine,

Recline in the house with dirt-cheap bottle of wine.

Sonnet No. 2

I hope that this is not a last-minute deal.

I feel that I will be able to accomplish whatever it takes

To not only finish a quick sonnet, but also devour two milkshakes.

I feel like a prisoner eating his final meal,

Not because of how it tastes, but knowing

That cheeseburger and this catsup-drenched onion ring

Are going to be all people remember me for.

Or, will they recollect that time I kicked in the door?

Did I fall in at an angle correct enough

Not falling in or being pushed,

Nor using the childish word squooshed

To land on my rusty lotion-seeking duff?

Let this be a lesson to all.

If you slough off, then surely you shall fall.

Caught Up For the Last Time

“Tyler! What the hell?!! Cancel that. Who is this whore in our bed?”

“Chelle, I can explain everything! It doesn’t look like what you think it is!” screams Tyler. “I mean, it was supposed to be a study session for our Spanish final. One thing led to another, and next thing I knew, I woke up with her next to me. How she got here I really don’t know.”

“Well, it looks like you and that blonde bitch were screwing all night long, so forget you and your ugly mama: it’s over between us!,” Chelle declares as she slams the aging bedroom door at what was once their loving home but instead has turned into a creaking path of strewn t-shirts, worn Levi’s jeans, socks, Tyler’s good luck tye-dye boxers and a blue pair of satin bikini panties. In disbelief, Tyler looks over at Ashley and realizes, Damn, I’ve lost her for the last time. All of Daddy’s lessons on how to treat a woman have gone down the drain because I thought I could be the pimp-player of the year and bed as many females as I could. That was the fun part, anyway. Well, that’s what my frat brothers told me after I came off line. I think it was Ed told me that once I put on the blue and gold, I became hot property for all women to pursue and for a while, that included Michelle. I don’t know, but maybe she actually wanted the complete me after all and the only thing I could donate was ten inches of darkened wood.

After the early-morning disaster with Chelle, I started to pick up all of last night’s passion off the floor and toss into the washing machine; some of the best sex is caused from two students cramming before a major exam. So that was what I was told. Beneath the semen-stained sheets lay Ashley who seemed to be only temporarily fazed by the entire blowup. The short tanned woman slept like a baby, and I found that to be very attractive. Unlike what early bird Chelle would have done, Ashley stayed in the bed all morning and for a good part of the afternoon, and once she woke up, it was like a tornado erupted once again. “Oh my God, I’m late for work! What am I doing here – with Tyler? And where are my clothes? Tyler?”

“I washed them after I woke up this morning. I was about to check my email and download more of Dave Hollister’s MP3s  when my ex came in and destroyed the place. It has taken me all day to restore it to the way you saw it - or remember it, perhaps on the pristine side. As for the Spanish final, good luck tomorrow. It’s likely that I will take the zero and it’ll reduce me to like an 85 for the semester.”

“Why?”

“Because they were on the floor and I don’t like having a lot of clutter unless it is called for. Come over here and we can talk some more – after you brush your teeth. I have an unwrapped toothbrush in the bathroom; this way you have no excuse in having bad breath.”

“No, Tyler, I meant the Spanish.”

“Ashley, I honestly did not plan on doing that well on the test by virtue of setting the curve all semester. And you know damn well how hard that is in Dr. Hernandez’s classes, especially this one.”

As Ashley stumbled to the bathroom, the cold bathroom floor jolts her to reality. Her short blonde hair is knotted from last night and whispers, “Ty’s got it going on. He is everything I expected in a man – except he’s black. I know I’m not supposed to look at him like that, but the way he carries that frame and his fluidity, how can I not fall for him?” She reaches for the brand new orange toothbrush and haphazardly swipes at a tube of Colgate, but she misses the toothpaste. Tyler oversees the error in brushing her teeth and creeps inside the porcelain palace to her surprise. “Thanks, but I can do it myself,” replies Ashley and thus thepotential remake of paradise has been halted.

Several long minutes pass before another mumbling word is said. Memories of Tyler and Chelle’s relationship trickle through his brain like the minute hand on a grandfather clock. Like the first time Chelle looked at Tyler, the way she walked to him. It was part of Blue and Gold Week, and since I wasn’t stepping because of my broken ankle, I had it taped with Papa Smurf’s autograph. The struggle to make it up the stairs was a mother, so she helped me up. Since then, we had been together…until this morning. I forgot she had a key to my house and even then, Ashley had a morning class; therefore, I should have been in bed by one at the latest. I just kept seeing her face over and over again as she first incessantly bawled and second began firing off trophies, plaques, CDs, and even my plates. I just hate that because of my doggish ways, I have lost someone who really cared for me. Or maybe it was the prestige of being part of what they call the "in-crowd". What shall I do? I can’t call home and talk to the folks because they disapproved interracial relations in the first place, none of the brothers are here, and my roommate Jammel went to the mall across town for honey-chasing again. So the most logical person I can talk to is Ashley.

“Ash, have you ever loved someone but failed to realize it until he was out of your life?”

“To be honest, yeah. There was this really hot guy that I gave my total devotion, but I found out he had been cheating on me with half of some sorority. I guess he was their pilot or something. To this day, I haven’t really cared for those girls nor do I respect his ass. I guess screwing around dooms people after all.”

“Yeah, I feel the same way too. Over and over my mom told me to watch myself for those chickenheads because they are everywhere, but me being the man I am, I let my guy down low do the thinking for me," pointing toward his crotch. "Soon enough, I met Chelle and I thought I was happy being tied down to one. Then, I realized it was just that: tied down. After I met you, all I wanted to do was get some, but I see now that we can move in another direction – if that’s what you want.”

“Have you told Chelle of how you felt?”

“No! She wouldn’t go for that, even on a good day. Here I am, fraternity president, double major computer science and international business, and the guy everyone looks up to for student body direction and I can’t make a fucking decision on where my life is going! It was so mapped out! I mean, what the hell? If I wasn’t graduating next semester, I would simply go ahead and withdraw from classes altogether because I cannot take the crap anymore.Perhaps I never really tried; there was that damning fear of commitment to her anyhow.”

“I’m sorry to hear of all your problems. I hope you can get them worked out, but if you ever need someone to lean on, you can call me or come to my place on Jefferson Street.” Ashley gave Tyler a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. Slowly departing the front door, she said, “Listen, I have to go, but if you want to…you know I’m not hard to find. Call me tonight after eight-thirty and we'll hang out, maybe grab some books and coffee or something. Who knows...”

Was Job A Patient Sufferer?

Tragedy strikes at each and every corner of our lives, yet not all tragedies are intended by the media as Job stories. For example, the eastern Arkansas woman who lost her entire family before Christmas in an automobile accident openly questions God, as her faith has been lost in Him to protect her family. In comparison to some of us, Job is only moderately radical when he only questions God, whereas our culture has no limits to degrading our Lord and Savior. The average person who suffers is not as patient as we would like to believe because we take for granted the basic necessities of life.

            Like so many of us, Job basically has it made; he owns thousands of cattle, employs hundreds of men to tend them, has a beautiful wife and family as well as several concubines at his will. Therefore, he has no reason to question his faith in God – yet. Likewise, we think life is all right and enter a mentality of “this is how things are supposed to go” until something negative happens because I know that has happened to me. Nine months ago, I was on top of the world with a new car, an off-campus apartment, plenty of money in my checking and savings accounts, my Wal-Mart stock increasing daily, no worries regarding food or credit card debt, and classes were going to be a breeze. To make a long story short, I moved two months after I got the first apartment as a result of my then-roommate not paying any bills and stealing clothes – after I put myself into over a thousand dollars’ debt with Visa which is now paid in full, and my GPA has gone south. Fortunately, I did not curse God; instead I believed that He intended for me to lose it all as a test of my faith in Him.

Similar to my experience, Job is eventually tested to find out whether his faith lies in God or in his possessions. One day Satan proposes a deal with God that if Job lost everything, he would curse God and the very day he was born through a series of tests: First, he would lose his children when their home fell upon them during their dinner. Second, all of his cattle would be killed meaning he would no longer be wealthy; the third challenge is giving praise when his body is covered with sores. His wife even urges Job to “curse God and die” (The Book of Job 412); and finally, his three friends ignorantly tell him that he has committed an awful sin. Initially, he takes the pain and tragedy well, but as his health worsens and his friends criticize him, saying he committed a horrible sin to deserve this condition, Job finally gives in and curses the day he was born! To wish one had never been born signifies that life is not worth living and often shows a total disregard of a higher being.

            Our confusion is similar:  once trials arise, our faith in God is out the door, sprinting almost as fast as a track athlete, causing confidence to drop enough to question God. Denying our pain allows us to delay the pain period indefinitely; no one dares to admit their suffering and it extends the pain.. This is similar to a son coming to a parent with a hurt finger and saying: “It doesn’t hurt. Think of something else and it will go away” (Baker 33). What is the child supposed to do, walk it off every time he slams his finger in the car door? It results in a mixed message from receiver (the child) to sender (the parent). Many of our messages from God go unheard in the same manner since we hardly bother to “listen” instead of letting it go from one ear and out the other and “seeing the writing on the wall”.

            In a scientific society in which everything has a reason, Job’s submission has failed to satisfy us because it accepts mystery (Birrer 1). Perhaps it is better for us to simply know His omnipresence and to be in it. According to Roland Murphy, author of the Proclamation Chronicles, our attempt to understand or approach the idea of God’s presence in scientific or human concepts constricts divinity, making it impossible to understand why things happen, good or bad. Failing to understand that faith cannot be interpreted in scientific terms, we so often miss our blessings and are restricted by our oppression.

            Sometimes it takes a personal tragedy such as the death of a family member or a close friend to test our ability not to curse God for it and not to stray from His teachings. Harold Kushner, author of When Bad Things Happen To Good People and a Boston rabbi, summarizes his son Aaron’s short life: he stopped gaining weight at ten months; aged considerably before reaching five years old; and died two days after his fourteenth birthday; and how Harold Kushner compared himself to Job. Young Aaron Kushner was afflicted with a rare disease called progenia, resulting in his father beginning to have doubts about his God, whom he had always viewed as an “all-wise, all-powerful” parent figure who praised us for good and reluctantly punished for evil (Kushner 453)! Did God present a task for his faith while he watch Aaron die patiently knowing the result of his illness is death? Cassandra Winslow, the Brinkley, Arkansas woman who lost her entire family in December when she swerved her car to avoid a dog and subsequently plunged into a creek, felt for a time that “if God was real, then He would have let my family live”(Winslow 2). Obviously, she was so distraught she openly questioned God; the only difference between her tragedy and our unpublished trials is the local newspapers and television stations published and broadcasted her story. Recently, Ms. Winslow sent her thanks to all of those who prayed for her in her “time of bereavement” and concludes that God “works in mysterious ways sometimes. I may never know the reason why He took my family from me.”

            During his trials, Job always seems to remain pious despite having every reason in the world to go and abandon God. Fortunately, he does not; otherwise the Bible would not have a chapter devoted to such an upstanding man. When he eventually questions God as to why, he makes the mistake of “talking to God on a man-to-man level”. After God demonstrates why He is God and Job is merely a man, Job feels less than dirt and in turn passes his test with flying colors.

Job rises from the ashes and is eventually blessed with more than he had before as a result of remaining faithful to God during his time of affliction. From enduring through losing everything to having his own friends turn against him saying he sinned, Job is renewed by his repentance, and enriched and strengthened by God’s self-revelation to him. “Not only does Job realize God is sovereign, but also he intimately knew the God who is sovereign. In that knowledge and that relationship is the resolution of life’s problems” (Zuck 456).

            The sufferer is everywhere, regardless of how he I is portrayed in our newspapers, on television, via Internet and on morning radio. However, not all of those images are intended as “Job stories.” “When you were down at your lowest and you seemed alone, it was I who carried you”(Footprints). Job shows we all have to endure for a short while during life to reap the benefits such as good health, prospering, and of course, the gift of life. Bad things do happen to good people; it is a matter of how we adjust and battle through.

Works Cited

Kushner, Harold. “When Bad Things Happen To Good People.”  Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Ed. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. New York: Longman, 2000.452-63.

Baker, Wesley C. More Than A Man Can Take. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1952.

Zuck, Roy B. Sitting With Job. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1992.

Birrer, Jessamyn. Trusting Job in a Cynical World: The Problem of Understanding the Message of The Book of Job. http://www.angelfire.com/wa/TiltingWhirlwinds/VoicingWhirlwinds.html

 Terry, Rev. Llewellyn E. Announcement from Mt. Olive Baptist, Arkadelphia, AR. 19 March 2000.

Rosemary's Baby

            Horror films are dotted with bizarre experiences during what can or could be any given day. After all, it is not everyday when a six-foot-tall man wearing a hockey mask and brandishing a machete as his toy chases teenage campers to their deaths nor does the story always have to be set in a hilly small town. To this day, we are “freaked out” by normal people who see unusual things such as the little boy in The Sixth Sense who sees dead people and is constantly abused by them, leaving him with scars and also nearly dead. Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby (1968) is labeled as a horror movie because it can be set anywhere, contains a body count, and withstands the test of time.

            Rosemary’s Baby was set in New York City to the inharmonic song patterns of Rosemary herself, sung by Mia Farrow and the views of the older Victorian apartments surrounding Central Park. As she and her husband Guy Woodhouse (John Cassevetes) search for a new apartment to call home – for the time being, they notice the signs of wear and tear to the property: chipped floor tiles, cracked walls, and unpainted plaster on the hallway wall of the seventh floor. The place they call home is one where an older lady had deceased inside a few days earlier after lying in a coma for weeks; the first thing Rosemary attempts to do is to brighten the place by placing colorful furniture and planning a nursery in hopes of an upcoming pregnancy. During the time after her death, Mrs. Gardenia may have left her ghost in the apartment to scare off the new tenants or perhaps she indulged in Satanism with her neighbors while alive because of the black curtains. The Woodhouses’ neighbors, Roman and Minnie Castavet, seem to be interested in the new couple for more than mere company: little did Rosemary know that the baby she would later conceive was that of Satan himself, not Guy.

            The movie did not really have much of a body count aside from Terry and Hutch’s deaths because it focused so much on Rosemary’s weight loss and depression during her pregnancy and Minnie Castavet intruding at all hours, giving her a concoction instead of pills to take on a daily basis. Terry’s death was ruled a suicide as a result of jumping from a seventh floor window in the Castavets’ home. She also wore that same grotesque charm that Rosemary would eventually receive from Minnie as a “good luck charm”. This “charm” was actually the Devil manifesting himself inside the root in search of the perfect woman to bear his child, which turned out to be Rosemary. Once leaving Rosemary’s apartment and suffering from a stroke, Hutch dies three weeks after  entering a coma, yet one of his final deeds was an anagram for Rosemary to realize that Roman is the son of Adrian Marcato, a famous warlock who was attacked and nearly killed from declaring he was the Devil. Upon this realization, she tries to tell Guy to sever all ties with the Castavets because they are affecting their lives negatively and the upcoming birth of her baby the Anti-Christ. In a sense she loses the child because it does not have Guy’s features, but Rosemary is still a mother to him despite her newfound knowledge.

            As scary as mothering the Devil’s child sounds and is, Rosemary’s Baby seems a bit dated with Guy’s constant references to Rosemary as a “dumb b**** who needs guidance” similar to a small child. Also, who is going to be dumb enough not to seek a second opinion regarding the life she is carrying for nine months? Guy could have not only been arrested for torture, but also for raping her! Granted, the movie could have been made anywhere and someone can even play the same waif as Rosemary, but no one would really want the role of a naïve woman. Fortunately, times have changed for the better meaning the “waif” is a major character in later horror films.

It may not have been a slasher film as of late nor a “kill or be killed” movie, but Rosemary’s Baby scares the viewer into thinking this could very well happen to anyone. Just because only two people died in the film does not make the movie less a classic; instead it symbolizes death can happen in another way than the coma or suicide because upon learning her baby was Satan’s offspring, Rosemary’s spirit dies and is forever shattered by mothering the Anti-Christ.

                                                                                                          

Works Cited

Glenn, Frederick. The Devil Turns Thirty: Rosemary’s Baby and the Manson Family Murders. Rosemary’s Baby 30 year anniversary. http://thetake.com/take/html/tendllr.html

All Movie Guide.  Rosemary’s Baby. http://allmovie.com/cg/x/dll

Dirks, Tim. Review of Rosemary’s Baby (1968). http://www.filmsite.org/

            

Cinderella: What Was the Prince Thinking?

           It is unusual to consider that the principal male character in this classic fairy tale would have feelings, especially one whom everyone adores. No one truly knows what the Prince was actually thinking except he must have the “girl in the slipper”, which is why I am attempting to give my opinion of what occurred in his head. Was it a) a foot fetish, that the woman of his dreams wore a glass slipper; b) he simply wanted some lovin’; c) did he feel he had to rescue Cinderella from servitude, or d) a combination of it all?

            Of course, the Prince is royalty and he would expect his future Princess to beautiful in every way, form and fashion possible; that is, to explain his “foot fetish” (Morrison 658). The slipper is indeed a sexual symbol; how often will a woman with horrifically rough feet glide as if she was walking on air? Of all the physical characteristics to judge, why categorize feet? Maybe feet used strictly for working actually turned him on, or simply that the Prince was intrigued by Cinderella’s movements – in a fragile glass slipper that exposed every arch, curve, and imperfection. Either way, he was dazzled by this woman who he had never seen before much less exist.

            Another suggestion of what the Prince was thinking was not thinking, instead his hormones were raging out of control similar to a teenager. The man had some drinks, possibly wine, and saw a very beautiful woman dancing erotically, meaning he had to have her by any means necessary. Believe me, I would have gone after Cinderella mainly because she presented a new challenge; there is no such thing as having too many women. Also, despite having clout and the privilege of making any of the eligible ladies at the ball his wife, it was Cinderella who captivated his heart since she departed without a slipper at the end of the night. While he may have been already in awe of this new woman, alcohol lowered his inhibitions to the point he possessed a total lack of control of his actions.

            As a servant, Cinderella was barred from associating with the bourgeouis middle class; therefore her chance to stand in front of the Prince and his royal company was slim. Not only was she a peasant, but also she had never taken a dance lesson in her life! Her days were long and painful, and her nights were sleepless and cold. On the contrary, her wicked stepmother and her wicked daughters lived extravagantly by forcing Cinderella to perform menial tasks such as cleaning the entire house with a single brush and a small pail of water, and eating from the ashes leftover lentils they did not want. Psychologically, this really scarred her in addition to the verbal abuse from the other females in town and her biological father stayed in the background, probably to avoid the wrath of his wife. The Prince did not see rescuing Cinderella from her tortuous lifestyle as why he married her; he was in love with her! Unlike modern day stories (ex. Pretty Woman and Don’t Be a Menace To Society While Drinking Your Juice In the ‘Hood), Cinderella is truly a love story without a rescue involved; heck, the only thing he knew was she could dance so well.

            Whatever the Prince was really thinking, no one knows, but one reason is definitely did not marry Cinderella with the intent of rescuing her from lifelong servitude. Maybe he fell in love with her after watching those feet move and having the opportunity to dance with her; perhaps he loved her in spite of her situation; or he was a horny man looking for quick love. On any account, the glass slipper plays a critical role in the story; if no one could fit the shoe, Cinderella the tale would have had a different ending – the Prince would still be a single man and Cinderella is oppressed by her family.

           

Ideas of Otherness - What, Why, and the Resulting Consequences

          The ideas of otherness have existed for thousands of years, ranging from the days of Cain and Abel to the present-day war on terrorism. Any one minority (or in South Africa, the majority) can be subjected to otherness for any reason ranging from the popular skin color to religious practice to even something as petty as the t-shirt’s logo! In the early American era, the newly displaced Puritans also brought their prejudiced ideas by describing the natives as “savage beasts”. Their narrow definition of “good” and “civil” has carried over through the centuries, blindly categorizing first the Indians; second the African-Americans – of whom have carried the national economy as well as performed the grunt work – to the Middle Eastern community, many of which have become productive law-abiding citizens and now are experiencing post-September 11 discrimination. Otherness, in effect serves only the oppressor by justifying the removal of a group of people.

            Otherness is defined as “different in nature or kind” (Webster 1007); none exhibit its need more than the Puritans. At first glance one would infer that the Puritans only wanted a community where it was free to practice the faith; however, their faith is the sole religion permitted. As a result, they aimed to purify the faith by eliminating tradition and trinkets in favor of God’s spoken word through ministers. They was also chastised by the Pilgrims saying that the Puritans were not strict enough, especially after Thomas Morton’s Merrymount village was established and handled by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In an even earlier time period, Shakespeare did pen an epic about the very concept of otherness:  Othello.

            Another Puritan idea of otherness pertains to their attitudes toward the Indians. Seen as savages, the Indians were actually the ones who helped the colonists survive the first tough winters at Plymouth. They taught them how to hunt for meat in addition to what crops grow well in the rocky northeast. Unfortunately, the Indians were perceived as an inhumane bunch of rogues who only wanted the women and land. While the Indians did waste very little, it was ironically the Puritans who would eat anything, as Mary White Rowlandson proved in her narrative by eating horses’ feet and guts (Rowlandson 129). Moreover, many of the new residents were extremely bigoted, particularly one Cotton Mather who thinks each and every Indian is out to get him;  his ideology is the only good Indian is a dead Indian, with few exceptions.

            However, otherness is not limited to just the Indians; the close-minded Puritan society did not sit well with change nor were residents allowed to become excessively wealthy. For example, Robert Keaine was sentenced to no jail time, yet he had to pay a $600,000 fine for the crime of making a profit. Imagine what the late Sam Walton would have to give up if he were charged with such an offense; then what would Wal-Mart possibly do today? Profiteering in those days was simply illegal; today it is now known as monopolizing one facet of the business market.

            Consequently, sexual crimes were aggressively tried and convicted; such was the case with Mary Latham and her adulterous ways. She and James Britton were hanged for the then-heinous crime of adultery; at the time of her death, over twelve other (all married) men were fingered as having relations with Latham. People had premarital sex all day long, but as long as the couple married eventually everything seemed to be all right. However, a child without a father was often placed into an orphanage and the mother sent out of town to prevent any further embarrassment to the families involved. Another fact that arises from their doctrine is those who consistently go against the grain shall lose their lives, meaning all citizens must play for the same team – no bench time exists.

            The Puritans seemed so comfortable within their private bubbles that it was generally accepted that they could go and butcher Indians, blacks, Frenchmen, etc. solely because they neither looked nor acted like the predominant Anglo society; to this very day, when a nonwhite person dies unnaturally, he or she may get a brief footnote on the local evening news while the deceased white person – especially killed by a minority – brings in the FBI, local and state police, and for not one second do people think the suspect will only receive a slap on the wrist. Within the bubbles, they could classify anyone as “other” even if the victim happened to be the governor.

            Several consequences derived from being an other, including the usual death by hanging; ostracization; endless discrimination; and of course, ignorance. To counter the Puritans’ overzealous ways, the Indians began raiding villages to kidnap child-bearing women and children in order for them to be homogenized into their culture. Many women and children physically joined them; others became Indians by spirit. This led to the newly converted Indians to start over with new lives as now second-class citizens of the European domination. Another consequence was the rising number of out-of-wedlock pregnancies. Both parties actually had to marry before the child was born, or at least the mother had to confess the father’s name during her labor. Otherwise, those stillborn babies were buried at birth, likely to cultivate the next year’s garden crops. This also made the number of children sometimes difficult to keep up with. The final consequence from otherness is that numerous Indian tribes were annihilated, justifying not only Indian crimes but also allowing excess value upon white life. For example, Hannah Dustan is labeled a hero for scalping ten Indians, while O.J. Simpson (whom we may never know the truth about) is crucified for slaying his white ex-wife and her friend. Although he was proven not guilty, Simpson still carries a certain amount of guilt with him and has been blackballed by Hollywood not to mention has lost much of his livelihood as a free man.

            The ideas of otherness have existed for thousands of years, ranging from the days of Cain and Abel to the present-day war on terrorism. Any one minority (or in South Africa, the majority) can be subjected to otherness for any reason ranging from the popular skin color to religious practice to even something as petty as the t-shirt’s logo! In the early American era, the newly displaced Puritans also brought their prejudiced ideas by describing the natives as “savage beasts”. Their narrow definition of “good” and “civil” has carried over through the centuries, blindly categorizing first the Indians; second the African-Americans – of whom have carried the national economy as well as performed the grunt work – to the Middle Eastern community, many of which have become productive law-abiding citizens and now are experiencing post-September 11 discrimination. Otherness, in effect serves only the oppressor by justifying the removal of a group of people. However, by eliminating otherness, we can all win the battle of life: Getting along with others.

Works Cited

Guraluik, David B. Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language. New York City:  William Collins Publishers, Inc.1980. 2^nd ed. 1007.

Perkins, George and Barbara, ed. The American Tradition in Literature, Vol.1. Boston:  McGraw-Hill College, 1999. 9^th ed.

            

When I'm Down & Out

Life has its valleys, and it has its peaks.

Sometimes you feel like a bum left in the alleys,

            While other times you rise to the top of the world.

You may have a rocky road ahead, but hey,

            Who doesn’t?

No one said life would be Easy Street.

Otherwise, there would be no need to live on

            This cold, cold, Earth.

And through those trials and tribulations,

            Depths and depressions,

Just trust in Jesus,

            And all your troubles will be erased.

Where Is the Line Drawn?

   Sexual harassment is a form of sexual discrimination and violates federal and state law. According to Tufts University, sexual harassment is defined to include but is not limited to “submission to such conduct is made explicitly or implicitly a term and condition of an individual’s employment or academic status; or submission to, or rejection of, such conduct by an individual is used as a basis for employment or academic decisions affecting him or her; or such conduct, whether verbal or physical, has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with the individual’s work or academic performance or of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment in which to work or to learn (Barnet 598, 599).   While laws and definitions may vary regarding the treatment of harassment cases, the facts are harassment is clearly wrong remains and the difference between it and flirtation is murky at best.

            Sexual conduct itself does not create a sexually hostile environment; it can be created by a single severe incident or several incidents such as cornering a student and touching him or her in a sexual manner with the perpetrators laughing it off as if nothing had happened, name-calling, and leaving lewd telephone messages. When the environment becomes hostile, the victim feels helpless because he or she has been violated yet nothing could be done. As a result, performance in the workplace or classroom can be adversely affected. Other factors include: the nature of the conduct, how often the conduct occurred and how long it continued, the age and sex of the victim, whether or not the harasser was in a position of position of power over the victim submitted to the harassment, the number of the alleged harassers, the age of the harasser(s), and other incidents of sexual harassment involving both parties (ED/OCR 4).

            In spite of it all, some harassment cases are merely flirtation incidents gone awry while others are indeed harassment cases. For example, the six-year boy who kisses a female classmate on the playground takes the kiss as something innocent whereas our adult minds would attempt to classify it as harassment and inevitably, the boy is labeled as a harasser! The only thing that was wrong with the situation is kiss was at school, not in the neighborhood or at a family get-together. Also, most fast-food restaurant workers, male and female, consider themselves family and are apt to use colorful language, tell Chris Rock jokes, and flirt with each other on a regular basis and it is all in the name of good fun and relieving the stress level. To someone outside of the normal conversation, it would be considered sexual harassment because he or she would not understand the context the words were taken in. At the restaurant, if a new employee would complain about the behavior of the cooks and his or her coworkers, he or she would have to talk with the manager and whoever has offended her and come up with a solution to work together and not be offended.

            Sexual harassment is not always about the sex; like rape, it is more about controlling a person’s two most private possessions: the mind and soul. Once someone takes one of the two or sometimes both, the victim feels inferior and at loss of his or her livelihood, depressed, and simply destroys life as he or she knew it (O’Shea 37). The constant worry that “it’s my fault that such-and-such happens to me” is another result of victimization. Advice for victims: Do something healing for yourself such as exercise, joining support groups, tell family members, and of course, confide in God Himself (O’Shea 173).

            The line between flirtation and sexual harassment is drawn when the flirting is no longer fun and affects performance and the pursuit of happiness in life. The six-year-old boy has to wear the “harasser” label for the rest of his life as a result of one little kiss, while professional harassers such as America’s Republican senators can get away with raping the minds and souls of people everywhere and only receive a slap on the wrist. Sexual misconduct is not always sexual harassment since some are defaming to characters, but all sexual harassment cases are sexual misconduct according to our courts and laws. It is indeed a violation of state and federal laws and in some institutions, a reason for dismissal or termination from a post or university. Action should be taken immediately and stick with the case until the desired result is obtained if anyone were to be victimized; follow-up is doing healthy, positive things such as jogging and confiding in another person.

Works Cited

Tufts University. “What Is Sexual Harassment?”. Barnet 598-602. Barnet, Sylvan and

            Hugo Bedau. Current Issues and Enduring Question. 5^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St.              Martin’s, 1999.

McCarthy, Sarah J. “Cultural Fascism.” Barnet and Bedau 613-615.

Kelly, Evelyn B. Legal Basics. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa Educational

            Foundation, 1998.

Miramontes, David J. How to Deal With Sexual Harassment. Del Mar, CA:  Network

            Communications, 1984.

O’Shea, Tracy. Sexual Harassment. New York:  St. Martin’s Griffin, 1998.

Sexual Harassment:  It’s Not Academic Pamphlet. ED/OCR. 28 September 1999. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OCR/ocrshpam.html

Chaucer & 'Nem

Note: Some of the lines below are vulgar and though they are from the text, they are not recommended for the faint at heart or young children.

Here are lines 503-516 first in Middle English and second in modern English.

For if a preest be foul, on whom we truste,

No wonder is a lewed man to ruste.

And sham it is, if a preest take keep,

A shiten shephered and a clene sheep.

Wel oughte a preest ensample for to yive

By his clennesse how that his sheep sholde live.

He sette nought his benefice to hire

And leet his sheep encombred in the mire

And ran to London, unto Sainte Poules,

To seeken him a chaunterye for soules,

Or with a bretherhede to been withholde,

But dwelte at hoom and kepte wel his folde,

So that the wolf ne made it nought miscarye:

He was a shepherede and nought a mercenarye.

In Modern English:

For if a priest is foul, on whom we trust,

No wonder it is an uneducated man to rust.

And shame it is, if a priest is concerned,

A shit-covered shepherd and a clean sheep.

Well, if a priest ought to be an example of how to live

By his cleanliness is how his sheep should live. In other words,

The priest does not rent out his parish to another to earn a more profitable position saying masses for the dead at charities of St. Paul’s in London or serve as chaplain for the wealthy.

Instead, he remains at home and keeps well into his fold

So that the wolf would not enter and cause miscarriage.

Therefore, he was a shepherd, not a mercenary.

Bildungsroman

Write on the element of the Bildungsroman or “Apprenticeship Novel” in two works. Show how the main character fundamentally grows toward or away from the “norms” of society – in religion, moral conduct, sexual mores, attitude towards authority, etc.

            Bildungsroman is defined as a regulated development within the life of the individual is observed, each of its stages has its own intrinsic value and is at the same time the basis for a higher stage. The dissonances and conflicts of life appear as the necessary growth points through which the individual must pass on his way to maturity and harmony. For example, forcing a character outside of his norm breaks down his normal demeanor and as a result causes abnormal changes in him such as heightened tensions within the surrounding environs and of course, the feelings of isolation and depression. It also drives a person to act uncharacteristically away from the “norms and standards” of society by not only the tone of a character’s voice, but also his actions for and contrary to a certain movement. Holden Caulfield and Jim Dixon, from the Catcher in the Rye and Lucky Jim, respectively, symbolize how characters grow toward and/or away from maturity.

            In Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield assumes that he is an authentic creature in a world “full of phonies.” With the exceptions of his younger sister Phoebe and his late brother Allie, everyone to a certain extent is held by some contempt. In addition, Holden feels betrayed by his teacher for breaking the news of his dismissal from Pency Prep school in Pennsylvania. Therefore, he did not feel that anyone could really tell him anything about life because he thought he knew everything about it. Everyone at the school looked down upon the boy because,at seventeen, he was still more concerned about “kings in the back row” as opposed to getting a date for the night and quite possibly a shot at a major university. Allie’s premature death really shook up the Caulfield family; his parents have not been able to get through a day without any problems since his funeral.

            Traveling away from the societal norms, Holden becomes more removed as he carries the baseball glove Allie once used to write poems inside of, reading aloud, and even writing Stradlater’s paper about it instead of the prerequisite walls he had specifically implied. Eventually Stradlater returns from a date with Mary Jane, the girl Holden has a crush on and becomes very upset about the paper being of the wrong topic and the tussle ensues. While the other boys continued to conform into legitimate adults, Holden attempts to avoid growing up by his childlike tendencies of not having any respect for authority and running away. Unfortunately for him, running away does nothing but cause more problems. His religion (or the lack thereof) consists of holidays and family times, both of which he absolutely detests; at Allie’s funeral, “They all came when Allie died, the whole g-d stupid bunch of them. I have this one stupid aunt with halitosis that kept saying how peaceful Allie looked there…(155)”.

            Surprisingly, this is the same boy who could not get laid after calling up a prostitute; instead, they sat up and talked for some time and she left. To Holden, sex was something to be avoided because it supposedly grossed him out. His limited sexual experience included getting felt up by Mr. Antolini, whom is the perceived homosexual in the story. After being groped, Holden decided at it was time to get on and find someone else to trust, specifically another adult.

            “Lucky Jim” Dixon earned his nickname from obviously being lucky. He accidentally stumbled into a job at one of the red-brick universities with a solid future ahead of him – only if he can keep his job through the weekend. He also was lucky for eventually getting the girl and eliminating the bad guy. His impact to the Bildungsroman was unusual in the manner of how he was the normal man stiffed in a bourgeois England society years ago. Here is Jim, preferring to hang out with common folk such as the bar lady and Margaret versus the company of Professor Welch and his “old money” traditions of giving a lecture and getting drunk with a bunch of dry people who know very little outside of their academic catalogs. He has a really high moral standard of living despite the bastards he is surrounded by daily, particularly Welch’s son Bertrand and his lovely girlfriend Christine, whom he cannot get a conversation from for anything.

Yet Christine wants an affair with the man, proving both alcohol and sex can be two good cover-ups for a long tract of dirt.

            Finding the work boring, Jim desires more of a challenge and less of an opportunity to follow the rules; as a result, he loses his job at the university and ends up writing books for his pal Gore-Urquhart. Even so, Christine is quoted as saying he is “good at this sort of thing” (133) – meaning Jim has adapted into the role of a pawn for the common good. In other words, she more or less forces him ‘to take pipe for the team.’ Respect for authority is there until Jim realizes that he is replaceable; at that point, he rebels against the grain and even punches out Betrard!

Invisible Man

                 Invisible Man follows an unnamed young black male through contemporary America – from his incredibly naïve high school days to the inevitable discovery that he is truly invisible. No matter what achievements the narrator makes, he is only perceived as what others want him to become. Ralph Ellison begins his novel by acknowledging the state of invisibility not only this character lives in, but also that of the African-American male experience. Any man, in these words, “is invisible by virtue of how others react to him;” he can only portray the clown for so long before he is thrown into the pile of old discarded toys. In turn, the invisible man eventually finds the power to flash and matter – even in his own superstar mind – in a racist society that predetermines black leaders and abandons them to be alone and confused.

            Ellison begins Invisible Man at the end because his narrator is retelling his journey from being someone with incredible gifts to just another invisible soul. As a result of accepting others’ answers of what he was looking for or to become in life, the narrator discovers being black in a very racist America, both blatant and subtle, is the condition he has to live with. For example, he obviously could not enter a “whites-only” bathroom because the large sign outside said so; however, the battle royal itself is a sort of racism in the sense that black males will pummel themselves for a small amount of change thereby allowing the animal-like stereotype to continue. To Ellison, white

America hops, skips, and takes a joyful glee through the park seeing no one but itself whereas black America feels it has to put on a dog-and-pony show just to make a whimper! Even so, “irresponsibility is part of being invisible; it exempts the narrator from being accountable for his actions (Ellison 14).

            Throughout the novel, the boy is haunted by his grandfather’s dying words:  “Son, after I’m gone I want you to keep up the good fight. I never told you, but…overcome ‘em with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction, let ‘em swoller you til they vomit or bust wide open”(Ellison 16). Originally intended as instructions for how to adapt to white America and succeed for not only himself but also the race. The reason for the grandfather’s speech is because he felt he had sold out by staying in his place, keeping his mouth shut, and bringing up his son in the same manner. Break out from the box, he advised. The wish that the narrator would create his own direction instead of following the same Uncle Tom-esque path already laid down for him was one not only from desperation, but also the way life needed to be lived.

            Dreams seem to play a significant role throughout the novel. After all, the narrator does envision himself as a second Booker T. Washington; with his naïve desires to serve as the white man’s welcome mat and simultaneous wish of leading his people to freedom in addition to a more equal playing field. More often than not, dreams just got the narrator into more trouble. A prime example is the same wonderful speech he gave at his high school graduation in Greenwood, Oklahoma. He could not give it word for word to the important white men in what is assumed to be Tulsa as he presented it to his black counterparts the day before because the men did want to hear about social equality, especially in the American South. Others’ dreams have also falsely led the narrator from the presumed top to the another level of invisibility, including Brother Jack’s comment “You were not hired to think” (Ellison 469). An explanation for his grandfather’s curse “keep the nigger-boy running” is no matter how far the narrator goes, he will still have to be twice as successful as his white counterpart to even obtain a first look. This way he would have to persevere, in so many words. Unfortunately, he has to do more running than he ever imagined.

            Black Americans experiment with left-wing politics for the very reason conservative right-wing and moderates vote and affiliate with the Democratic and Republican parties:  to get their voices heard. During the 1950s and 60s, Communism opened another way of thinking for blacks because the two major parties only paid lip service to them. For many bold citizens, including Richard Wright and Langston Hughes, any form of affiliation that promoted some sense of black nationalism and pride would suffice.

            Liberty Paint is perhaps the crappy job that actually builds the narrator’s character, who cannot really discern what is right or wrong. He is launched in a sea of facelessness left to lose his identity among the swarms of men to create “the whitest paint in America.” The paint is a symbol of ‘white is right’ and no matter what color the mixture went in, it was pure white at the end of the day. For him, being black in white America is something he tries to escape from, but his late grandfather’s stern words continue to keep him running. When the paint does explode in his face, it reminds him of his inability to conform to the dominating borders of society. Similar to the black English

major who follows the standard format and does his best all the time yet fails, the narrator finds himself ‘almost good enough’ only to find out no one can care less.

            At the final dream, the narrator finally realizes that all the progression and regression has brought him to a figurative square one. His grandfather’s words have kept him running, the Brotherhood that once applauded him has turned its back against him, and true to form, Norton walks past him as if he were truly invisible. The modern-day figures discuss his arrival to New York, rise and fall as an orator, and share a common invisibility not only for themselves, but also for society as a whole. Hence, Brother Jack’s true colors fly out leading to the narrator’s decision to hibernate from the world. This is when he finally comes to grips with his situation and is beset by the unhappy experience. He also learns that he indeed was bourgeois proving his once-“autocratic attitude toward other Negroes, especially when he has the support of the white community” (Frazier 76).

            In conclusion, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man remains out of sight even in this era. The narrator, who could very well be any of us, endures grief that no one cares to admit and finally learns what should have been instilled in him:  the right to pick and choose his own battles, and when to run. As always, the same characters will always exist in one form or another, not necessarily by race; they could have easily been white. But would Invisible Man be more believable that way? I doubt it, but upon seeing the struggle another black man has to endure, mine is a relative cakewalk.

Sources

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York:  Vintage International. 1952.

Frazier, E. Franklin. “The Renaissance That Failed.” Images of the Negro In America.

            Lexington, MA:  D.C. Heath and Company. 68-76.

Leimotivs Associated With Catch-22

            In Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, numerous ideas and symbols exist to slant the novel one way or satirize one aspect of the book. The recurrent repetition of a word, phrase, situation or idea, such as tends to unify a work through its power to recall earlier occurrences defines the leitmotiv.  During this time, everything is a matter of life and death:  one misstep will mean certain death, and someone must pay the ultimate price with his life. Events that transpire throughout the novel will result in not only the loss of life and limb, but also the ensuing flashbacks and realizing one way or another no one really wins in this game.

            The first key motif is Snowden’s untimely death over Avignon. The main character, Captain Joseph Yossarian, witnessed Snowden’s final moments of life from a hospital bed and tries to find syringes to keep the dying man from feeling too cold. Eventually he had to amputate a leg, but by then it is too little, too late. The way Snowden dies – Dobbs went crazy in mid-air and seized the controls away from Hulpe (Heller 44) – is eerily similar to the future deaths of several men in Yossarian’s battalion, particularly his roommate. This gives rise to the French phrase “Ou sont les Neigedens d’antan?” which translates to “Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?” in reference to his fallen comrade.

Second is the phrase catch-22. After all, the book is aptly titled since no matter what the potential successes, failure always seemed to abound. Upon completing the necessary number of flights to return home, Captain Halfoat (who is also a half-wit) raises the number ten to keep Yossarian from a)going home, and b)placing a small amount of guilt upon the so-called “respectable” people. Everyone has committed a petty crime, even the chaplain, who was accused of being an atheist and stealing plum tomatoes which Coloniel Cathcoat clearly gave him. Therefore,  no one wins for losing during wartime.

            Milo proves that the nation does not value human life as much as it can make a profit with the war. He sells services, secrets, etc. to not only his countrymen but also to his enemy. His reasoning:  if the war continues, the nation will need his services by placing women and children in the workforce thereby continuing increasing his desire for more capital. Whether or not someone’s life hung by a thread mattered little to him, instead the dollar bill drove him. The government does not disagree with him, as the coloniels and generals are only concerned with promotions and fancy parades in their honor; therefore by raising the magic number they can continue what seems to be a futile effort – or otherwise, kill time in a war already won.

            Survival is of the essence; no one, sane or insane, wants to die in a foreign environment. Everyone seems apathetic in the camp and at the hospital, particular one Doc Daneeka. He intentionally misdiagnoses Yossarian with liver disease in an attempt to send him home; instead Yossarian ends up editing mail incoming and outboard. Daneeka also fails to care foe his patients. As a result, Snowden is among the casualties, as is the soldier in white (who is later revealed as Snowden). In addition, corpses mean nothing:  Daneeka’s wife proves this by collecting his death benefits and leaving to never return, proving the widow is equally insensitive as her late husband.

            The predominant motif here is catch-22 itself. More than a situation, it lends itself to a constant state of emergency which no winners are really declared. For instance, no one really knows what to do with the soldier in white, much less who he was. Was he a black man that mistakenly brought in or someone else? Another authentic aspect of Catch-22 is Yossarian’s constant flashback of Snowden’s death, of which he wishes that he could have done more to enhance survival. The Snowdens of yesteryear are frozen in time, forever crystallized by the graphic reality of war and death.

Source

Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York:  Scribner Paperback Company, 1955.

Albert Camus (Undergrad Work)

            Albert Camus is labeled by so many as an existentialist as a result of his only idea-related book The Myth of Sisyphus, which was actually directed against the so-called existentialist philosophers of the day, whom shared some common beliefs with him. In the two interviews I found, Camus attempts to explain why he is not an existentialist, and his daughter Catherine is interviewed at The First Man – Albert Camus’ posthumous novel – she included some more evidence stating why he is associated with the movement.

            Believe it or not, Camus is not an existentialist. According to him, he could never remain a neutral, for life does not allow neutrality with all issues. For example, he was extremely hostile toward the Franco regime in Spain because of his commitment against all totalitarianism (Wilkinson 6). He involved himself into the day’s world issues, particularly those in his own backyard yet remained foreign to the society in which he lives. Similar to his character Mersault from The Stranger, Albert Camus does not conform to an example of solidarity; however, he is not automatically looked at as a piece of social wreckage (Thody 336).

            Elements of being in exile persist throughout The Stranger. For instance, after being arrested, he is threatened with “things could get very nasty” by Mersault if he refuses to cooperate with the authorities. He is further exiled by the same officers by treating him as a child without hope. Catherine Camus explains in her interview that her father was not in exile “in Paris or elsewhere, but from the intellectual world, because of his origins. And that’s a complete exile” (Wilkinson 6). In short, his take of solidarity:  Regardless of what is said and/or heard, Albert Camus is a man first, idealist second.

            Another part Camus emphasizes is that everything has to be accepted before it can be improved. Everyone has a right to hope for a brighter future, a better day, a new humanity, and many turned to the idea of communism in its beginnings (Wilkinson 6). To some, a controlling communist society suffices; in theory, human criteria is viewed as a secondary condition in comparison.

Sources

Camus, Albert. The Stranger translated by Matt Ward. New York:  First Vintage

International, 1989.

Camus, Lyrical and Critical Essays, ed. Philip Thody/trans. Ellen Lowery Kennedy.

            New York:  Knopf, 1969. 336.

Wilkinson, Russell. “Solitaire et solidaire”. Interview. October 1995. http://www.spikemagazine.com

We Real Cool & Gay Chaps at the Bar

            Gwendolyn Brooks’ poems “We Real Cool” and “Gay Chaps at the Bar” are two completely different poems written by the same author. One speaks about the indifference toward obtaining an education, while the other poem describes the black experience in World War II. In addition, both works were written during a time when being female, much less a black female, was extremely difficult and were not as instantly recognized as art. However, both poems celebrate very different connotations despite romanticizing life in both.

            “We Real Cool” centers around a group of seven pool players, all of whom have given up on the middle-class value of a good education in favor of relying on street knowledge. The title itself provides a direct indication that the English language had might as well become a second language to these jive-talkers; “we real cool” in standard English should be “we’re real cool” or “we are real cool.” They are “cool because they left school; lurk late; shoot straight; sing sin (Smith 2); drink gin; and have sex with June, who seems to be the girl who hung out at the pool hall. The number seven also parallels to the seven men and their deeds that can lead to premature deaths; it can also be interpreted as they have a grasp onto their lives, including the golden shovel which symbolizes death and burial.

        On the contrary, “Gay Chaps at the Bar” is not about a bunch of homosexuals downing whisky shots at any given bar; it is instead describing the black male experience during World War II. These men were not necessarily happy to fight because the wanted to be in the midst of shooting and killing Nazis and Japanese alongside their white compatriots. The “bar” serves not only as a drinking tavern, but is sometimes symbolizes the difference between life and death in addition to the racial ramifications of the day. Any man was permitted to order drinks; however, only the white man was allowed to order other men around, including black officers and their troops. At one point, the Alabama State Troopers were sent in to patrol the black troops because of the military’s racism! Brooks takes this poem from numerous letters soldiers sent her and finishes with twelve sonnets that go into detail of their lives. She also employs in each fourteen-line poem “in pentameter, mainly iambic, with alterations of Shakespearean/Petrarchan rhyme schemes (Melhem 2). The sonnets were also cries to send the soldiers home, most of whom have just finished school; others indicate that they actually cared about being good citizens, as shown in Love Note II:  Flags. “It is a dear defiance how to carry/Fair flags of you above my indignation/Top, with a pretty glory and a merry/Softness, the scattered pound of my cold passion./I pull you down my foxhole. Do you mind” (Brooks 772)? Stereotyped as stupid and ignorant, the black soldiers were lost since they lacked proper training for battle; this perhaps is the first time any of them have had a desire to serve. They simply wanted to live quietly as good citizens.

            “We Real Cool” and “Gay Chaps at the Bar” are two of Gwendolyn Brooks’ finer poems. Ironically, both of them place an eerie stress upon death since no one knows when he will die; yet the men find a way to live life to the fullest at the present moment. Also, Brooks finds a way to sensitize the black male in “Gay Chaps” as a way for the woman to take on her partner’s burden; after all, the man is looked to as the leader not only at home, but also at work and almost everywhere in our culture.

Sources

Brooks, Gwendolyn. “Gay Chaps at the Bar.” An Anthology of Modern American

            Poetry. Cary Nelson, ed. New York:  Oxford University Press, 2000. 766-72.

Brooks, Gwendolyn. “We Real Cool.” An Anthology of Modern American

            Poetry. Cary Nelson, ed. New York:  Oxford University Press, 2000. 772.

Melhem, D.H. On “Gay Chaps at the Bar.” http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/brooks/gaychaps.htm

Smith, Gary. On “We Real Cool.” http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/a_f/brooks/werealcool.htm

Isolation of Frankenstein

            Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley created Frankenstein at the tender age of eighteen, completed it at nineteen, and anonymously published three volumes in 1818. It was an early success and has been not only a best seller, but also a major literary piece ever since as a result of exploring and exploiting the issue of human isolation. Because it was written by a woman, the story lends itself as a central text in feminist studies; although all of the women characters are passive, the Creature symbolizes the fate of the woman who refuses to conform to the norms set before her to cook, clean, and make babies by being treated as subhuman.

            Surprisingly, Frankenstein is not the name of the monster as people have learned through viewing television, purchasing Halloween costumes, or via horror stories by the campfire. Instead, he is an obsessed scientist who once was deemed a failure at poetry yet he is dying to leave his mark on the world. Victor Frankenstein attempts one of the earliest examples of human cloning – better known as playing God – to create a companion first and second to show it can be done. The “Creature” itself has no name except for “Creature” because Frankenstein never named it and with its size and looks, nothing is comparable to this sight. Keeping those facts in account, the reasons for isolation would seem fairly obvious; however, Captain Robert Walton is intrigued at this odd fellow and desires him to become a companion on his ship and learn the unknown such as the meaning of life and why some things happen.

            Frankenstein is further isolated in the text by spending “many days and nights of scientific investigation and labor in his private laboratory (in an apartment, not the castle as movies indicate), he discovers the secret of life” (Glut 14). Unlike later versions of movies, Shelley details the entire creation of “Monster life” into one paragraph since she felt it was unnecessary to use more space whereas in the movies, nearly one-half of the show is dedicated to the creation of this beast. Victor is appalled at his creature and flees from it, rejecting it in much the same fashion later existentialists believe God rejected man. He never accepts the responsibility to be a loving parent figure, leaving the Creature to wander miserably in a universe that disgraces the externally ugly, slightly different individual in favor of one who looks and behaves as an ordinary person.

 Ironically, the creature shows more human qualities than Frankenstein himself. Shelley demonstrates this belief throughout the novel by first reveling and exploring this unnatural creation innocently and totally responsive to the elements and over time, it is desensitized as a result of the fear and torment humanity caused. For example, people threw stones and shrieked in terror on sight. Of course it did not ask to be here, as the following quotation states:

“Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay

To mould me man? Did I solicit thee

From darkness to promote me?”

(Glut 20)

Shelley cites this Creature as an example of feminism in the manner that when it was searching for love, it had been flatly denied by the cold masculine Frankenstein, providing an early example of man abandoning his dependent and completely rejecting it. Like a child, it needs the basic care and affection that only the parent can provide despite its incredible stature. In this case, the creature wants to be treated equally like any other human being; the only difference is it cannot be left alone because it has already experienced too much pain and hurt from Frankenstein.

            Shelley presents Frankenstein as a created man with feelings and actions justifiable; the only difference is the otherness exhibited after its “birth”. No one knew how to deal with it; therefore isolating it was felt to be the best thing to do by society as a whole. In turn, it is not the created object created in the laboratory that is deemed ugly; instead his creator displayed both irresponsibility and immaturity all for a name and fame. If Frankenstein had allowed for the creature to reproduce, then he perhaps may have been even more hateful of the created because it came from his bare hands; this is why he destroyed the creature’s potential mate. Shelley also makes the reader realize that everyone has a role to play and to perform it in the most positive way possible.

Works Cited

Glut, Donald F. The Frankenstein Legend: a tribute to Mary Shelley and Boris Karloff. 

            Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1973. 1-27.

Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. “Frankenstein.” The Norton Anthology of English

Literature, Seventh Ed. Volume 2. London:  W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

2000. 903-1034.

            

The World Is Too Much With Us

“The world is too much with us; late and soon,/Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers: …” –William Wordsworth, “The World Is Too Much With Us”

            Wordsworth interprets the poem as stating that people as a whole are a burden on the world with our wasteful behaviors. For example, our ceremonious gift giving is acceptable, but it is inexplicable to give away the heart as if it is a gift also. In other words, he attempts to tell us to conserve some things because nothing on this planet will last forever. In addition, his use of AB meter provides its rhyme scheme, thereby allowing anyone to memorize his poetry because of its bouncy feel. As the poem is orally read, it easily becomes one of song and dance simply because everything seems to be in place.

            Collectively speaking, people do not appreciate anything until it is 1)gone, 2)endangered and permanently altered, or 3)problems beyond our control arise. Christmas is a prime example in the manner that some of us will go and spend hundreds of dollars on PlayStation2, whatever Pokemon toys, and in some cases, even expensive jewelry that will more than likely take us the full year to pay off before the rush of another holiday season approaches and simultaneously forget the true meaning of the holiday. Another example is sex; it was once beautified as the ultimate symbol of love, and now it is “just the climax of a good Friday night date” with STDs abound. At this instant, we realize, “Hey, this is no friggin’ good; I wish we could revert to the old school of free love.”