The house was nearly empty with only Miss Emily Grieson and a manservant. The woman was never seen in town that often and the manservant was a slave who was only seen with a market basket. Many years ago Miss Emily, was wealthy by the placement in her family. Her father and Colonel Sartoris had helped the town when it came to money. However, once her father died, she has lost everything except the house she lived in.
As the new generation came about, a new Board of Alderman had taken power while Miss Emily was still in her home alone with the exceptions her manservant.
Authorities had come to her house to collect money.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I have no taxes." Miss Emily said. She was sitting staring at the authoritites.
"But Miss Emily, have you not recieved our notices?" one of the authorities said.
"I have recieved notices. Talk to Colonel Sartoris. He knows that I have no taxes."
"But there is nothing in our books and we must go by --"
"NO! I have no taxes in Jefferson." Emily said, her face was bloody red. "Now get out of my house."
The authorities got up and left the house. As Miss Emily watched them leave, she sat back down wondering what they were talking about.
As time went on, with her father gone, she spent no time outside. Miss Emily stayed locked inside her home. She didn't want to see anyone or do anything. Yet as time went on, she met a man named Homer Barron. He was a Yankee, a big, dark, ready man with a big voice and eyes lighter than his face. Barron paved sidewalks in the summer after Miss Emily's father died. They were seen in a yellow-wheeled buggy around the town.
"I'm glad she came out of the house." One woman said.
"I think she's only doing it because he's a laborer." said another woman.
Unfortunately, the last man Miss Emily was supposed to marry ran off. People were questioning if she was serious with Homer Barron or if it was just nothing at all. As they were seen around town, people assumed they were going to get married. However, it was later discovered, Homer Barron was a gay man. Miss Emily was not so pleased with this because she wanted to marry him. Then one day, she went to see druggist about a rat problem.
"I would like some poison." Miss Emily said.
"What kind?" the druggist asked.
"I don't know, whatever is good." she said.
As the druggiest was naming several, Miss Emily cut him off.
"Arsenic." Miss Emily said.
"Is arsenic you want?" the druggiest asked.
"That's what I said."
"You need a reason for this poison. It's the law." the druggist said.
"Rats."
The druggist wrote "For Rats" on the back of the box of poison. Then he handed the box to Miss Emily. As she walked out the store, the druggist wondered if she had rats at all. Miss Emily never had a problem with rats before.
"I haven't seen Homer Barron lately." one man noted.
"Last time I heard he was seen entering Miss Emily's house one evening. He was never seen again," another man said.
"I'm not surprised, it is Miss Emily." the other man responded.
There was a smell coming from the home of Miss Emily. The neighbors started to complain. Soon, more complaints came from more neighbors. Notices has been sent to Miss Emily, but no responses and no results. The problem of the smell gotten worse, then four men entered the home of Miss Emily one night. The men sprinkled line all over the house. The smell went away along with the complaints.
Miss Emily was not seen for some time now by her window. She was reported dead in her home after many years of not being seen. The manservant let two women related to Miss Emily inside the house, and then the manservant left out the back door and was never seen again.
On the day of her funeral, everyone in town came, mostly to see the home of Miss Emily because it was not seen in many years. The squarish framed house with decorated seventies style, was an eyesore.
The locked door upstairs was a hassle. The room that had not been in 40 years was going to be open for all eyes to see. As the door was finally opened, the fling of dust flew all over the faded color of rose room. All that was seen were dust, men's toilet things, tarnished with a monogram, a set of clothes folded on a chair, and a man on a bed with a nightshirt. The man appeared to be dead witha strand of gray hair next to him in bed.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Snow Country
In Snow Country, Yasunari Kawabata displays the setting in the snowy cold mountains in the main coast island in Japan. Snow Country doesn't necessarily mean because there's a lot of snow, it's a place for health are not for "the season." It's mostly consisted with men, they may bring their wives, but they are not always with them. The men may have them with geishas for company. The hot springs need to have geishas to entertain guests and must be seen as creative and graceful instead looked down upon as a prostitute. The snow covered mountains seem cold and dark with the loud winds from the cold and the noise from the train. However, beyond the mountains contains the inn with more to expect besides the hot springs and the skiing.
When Shimamura enters the snow country, the winds of snow started to pour in as a girl named, Yoko opens a window to speak with the station master. Shimamura was struck by Yoko's voice as "it was such a beautiful voice that it struck one as sad." (Page 5) As Yoko sat down, he watched her from the glass of the window beside him without her knowing. The mountains pass by as the train moves through the blizzard and Shimamura gazes into the mountains imagining Yoko's face in them. As they get off the train, Shimamura doesn't recognize the feelings of the cold; the weather is different by the feel and touch, something that he's not familiar with since it's his first trip to the snow country. The weather gives off a vibe of change and difference. Shimamura has never been in love, yet he watches this woman on the train memorized by her voice and face. The inn's atmospheres suppose to be cold since it's on the west side of the mountain range in Japan. Its temeperatures have a different feeling similar to the feelings of Shimamura with love.
Shimamura encounters a woman, in which he assumes is a geisha. As he has no desire for the woman, he leaves to the post office and notices the mountains. He has always stared at the mountain since the train ride into snow country, even when he was staring at Yoko. As he returns, the geisha named Komako, thought he was not very nice to the girl, however, Komako reminds Shimamura that he tells the geisha how long she may stay. The mountains in the snow country changed Shimamura's point of view, as if he were changing without realizing it.
Komako and Shimamura's relationship grows as they stay together. Komako seems to have great affection toward Shimamura. As she meets him, she begins to open up more and more to him, because there's no one else she can talk to. Komako wasn't an official geisha, yet she does the duties as one to Shimamura. She is suppose to be home yet she stays with him; the days pass by, Komako stops trying to go home early. Shimamura begins to ask about Yukio, which Komako is supposed to marry. The time between Komako and Shimamura pass the relationship grows more.
The weather in snow country seems to be a lonely feeling in the air. Shimamura returns to Tokyo, leaving Komako. However when Shimamura returns, she doesn't seem so pleased. Komako has been longing for Shimamura to return, yet her hopes has been hurt and disappointment overrides her. She believes Shimamura tells Komako that he came to see her, but Komako thought differently. She lost trust in Shimamura, which shows she has developed some strong feelings for him.
Another aura in the snow country is the feeling of wondering. Shimamura and Komako run into Yoko at the cemetery. It was an awkward feeling because of the news of Yukio. Yoko seems to appear, but not much was ever said. Shimamura talks to Yoko more, about the samisen. He's very interested in how she learned to play, sing, and dance. Shimamura was very interested because he is into samisen and he finds it beautiful. Before, he was interested in the Japanese dance, until he lost interest when he was asked to learn it. Shimamura appears to love things without actually seeing it. It's like loving someone without knowing them.
The snow country sends off feelings of sadness and grief. It appears that Komako and Yoko are two different women in Shimamura's life at the hot springs. They have a relationship with him in a way, because Komako spends her nights with him and Yoko appears randomly into Shimamura. Komako has more affectin toward Shimamura by how she's always with him and their relationship seems to develop. Yoko seems to be another relationship in Shimamura's life. At the end of Snow Country, Yoko is caught in a burning warehouse where Komako comes to save her. While Komako rescues her, she thinks Yoko is insane. Shimamura is on the side, watching how the two women he's been with at the hot springs are in burning warehouse.
In conclusion, the snow country sends out the vibes with the view of the mountains and the temperatures feeling differently, and the feeling of loneliness. Especially for geishas, who are trapped in the hot springs by snow country's mountains and havingto entertain for a living. Shimamura, Komako, and Yoko have all came across the feeling of sadness in the novel, where they are alone yet run into each other in the snow country.
When Shimamura enters the snow country, the winds of snow started to pour in as a girl named, Yoko opens a window to speak with the station master. Shimamura was struck by Yoko's voice as "it was such a beautiful voice that it struck one as sad." (Page 5) As Yoko sat down, he watched her from the glass of the window beside him without her knowing. The mountains pass by as the train moves through the blizzard and Shimamura gazes into the mountains imagining Yoko's face in them. As they get off the train, Shimamura doesn't recognize the feelings of the cold; the weather is different by the feel and touch, something that he's not familiar with since it's his first trip to the snow country. The weather gives off a vibe of change and difference. Shimamura has never been in love, yet he watches this woman on the train memorized by her voice and face. The inn's atmospheres suppose to be cold since it's on the west side of the mountain range in Japan. Its temeperatures have a different feeling similar to the feelings of Shimamura with love.
Shimamura encounters a woman, in which he assumes is a geisha. As he has no desire for the woman, he leaves to the post office and notices the mountains. He has always stared at the mountain since the train ride into snow country, even when he was staring at Yoko. As he returns, the geisha named Komako, thought he was not very nice to the girl, however, Komako reminds Shimamura that he tells the geisha how long she may stay. The mountains in the snow country changed Shimamura's point of view, as if he were changing without realizing it.
Komako and Shimamura's relationship grows as they stay together. Komako seems to have great affection toward Shimamura. As she meets him, she begins to open up more and more to him, because there's no one else she can talk to. Komako wasn't an official geisha, yet she does the duties as one to Shimamura. She is suppose to be home yet she stays with him; the days pass by, Komako stops trying to go home early. Shimamura begins to ask about Yukio, which Komako is supposed to marry. The time between Komako and Shimamura pass the relationship grows more.
The weather in snow country seems to be a lonely feeling in the air. Shimamura returns to Tokyo, leaving Komako. However when Shimamura returns, she doesn't seem so pleased. Komako has been longing for Shimamura to return, yet her hopes has been hurt and disappointment overrides her. She believes Shimamura tells Komako that he came to see her, but Komako thought differently. She lost trust in Shimamura, which shows she has developed some strong feelings for him.
Another aura in the snow country is the feeling of wondering. Shimamura and Komako run into Yoko at the cemetery. It was an awkward feeling because of the news of Yukio. Yoko seems to appear, but not much was ever said. Shimamura talks to Yoko more, about the samisen. He's very interested in how she learned to play, sing, and dance. Shimamura was very interested because he is into samisen and he finds it beautiful. Before, he was interested in the Japanese dance, until he lost interest when he was asked to learn it. Shimamura appears to love things without actually seeing it. It's like loving someone without knowing them.
The snow country sends off feelings of sadness and grief. It appears that Komako and Yoko are two different women in Shimamura's life at the hot springs. They have a relationship with him in a way, because Komako spends her nights with him and Yoko appears randomly into Shimamura. Komako has more affectin toward Shimamura by how she's always with him and their relationship seems to develop. Yoko seems to be another relationship in Shimamura's life. At the end of Snow Country, Yoko is caught in a burning warehouse where Komako comes to save her. While Komako rescues her, she thinks Yoko is insane. Shimamura is on the side, watching how the two women he's been with at the hot springs are in burning warehouse.
In conclusion, the snow country sends out the vibes with the view of the mountains and the temperatures feeling differently, and the feeling of loneliness. Especially for geishas, who are trapped in the hot springs by snow country's mountains and havingto entertain for a living. Shimamura, Komako, and Yoko have all came across the feeling of sadness in the novel, where they are alone yet run into each other in the snow country.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Hamlet - Act 3, Scene 1
In Hamlet, the characters that portray him in the videos are different from the individual text. In the text, Hamlet is alone in a room, he’s speaking of whether to commit suicide or not. He’s troubled with many problems and anger towards his family, yet no one knows the real reason why he’s gone mad. Hamlet has not been himself lately that everyone has been figuring out what is the problem with him. As Hamlet begins to talk to himself, Ophelia’s father, Polonius, and Hamlet’s uncle, King Claudius, spy on Hamlet. Polonius spoken to King Claudius telling him its love that drives him mad. He has spied on Hamlet earlier in the play. “You know sometimes he walks four hours together Here in the lobby.” (2:2;173-174) They ask Ophelia to speak with Hamlet and told her to give back the gifts that he has given her. Polonius and King Claudius wait for Ophelia to talk to Hamlet to see if it’s love that drives Hamlet into madness. In the videos, they’re similar by Hamlet speaking the same text in the book, yet they all have different expressions and emotions. Hamlet is portrayed in many ways by the views of others.In the first video, Hamlet is in front of a mirror, speaking softly and calmly to himself. He’s the only one there with a mirror and a grand staircase behind him. As he’s standing still and speaking, Polonius and King Claudius are in the background behind the staircase. Hamlet has an object in his hands which looks like a dagger, as he pulls it out, a flashback of his father appears for a second then back to Hamlet, staring at the mirror and pointing the dagger towards it. As he finishes speaking, Ophelia walks in and he turns to greet her.
In the second video, there is a room of people in a white room; one man is lying down, while another is sitting on a chair with a microphone. The man sitting on the chair is speaking the lines of Hamlet. He speaks them with hesitation after speaking the first line, “to be or not to be --- that is the question.” (3:1;64) As he’s speaking, random people are in a line watching him speak while one by one they come and kiss the man lying down. He seems to be dead, for he is very pale and laying very still with his eyes closed. Everyone in line is serious looking, and looking straight forward. He later on speaks more rapidly as everyone is kissing the man lying down. As he says, “to grunt and sweat under a weary life,” (3:1;85) the video goes close up to the man’s face, but only showing part of his face and his eye. In the end of the video, as a girl kisses the man lying down and it changes to another scene of another man lying down and a girl kissing him. However, the man’s eyes open without saying a word.
In the third video, it’s black and white and Hamlet is on a high cliff looking down at a noisy ocean. He begins to speak; the music gets loud and shows only the image of his eyes. Hamlet is leaning on a rock while looking down; he has a knife or a dagger in his hands. While he’s speaking, he’s only looking toward the ocean, and as he says, “and what makes us rather we know not of?” (3:1;90) he drops the dagger in the ocean. However in the first video, he has the dagger, but doesn’t drop it in any way and in the second video, there was no dagger. In this video, Hamlet didn’t speak the last lines in the text, “--- Soft you now, The fair Ophelia. --- Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remembered.” (3:1;96-98) He has created his own words and ended saying, “And lose the name of action.” (3:1;96) In the text, he’s in a room and Ophelia comes in and speaks with him right after his soliloquy while Polonius and King Claudius are eavesdropping. At the end of this video, he walks off into the background of fog, where he disappears.
In conclusion, the videos portrayed the text in their own versions. In the first video, it’s more similar to the text than the other videos. Hamlet is in a room, by himself, speaking his soliloquy. In the second video, the man speaking was not Hamlet, yet it was as if he were speaking for Hamlet. He wasn’t Hamlet, yet the man lying down and the man that appeared at the end of the video was him. In the third video, the scene didn’t match with the text. The man was outside on a cliff looking down at the ocean, instead of being inside because the next part of the scene wouldn’t make sense in the text. The best version was the third video, for it portrayed the test more than the other videos. It had most accurate speaking and relations with the text.
In the second video, there is a room of people in a white room; one man is lying down, while another is sitting on a chair with a microphone. The man sitting on the chair is speaking the lines of Hamlet. He speaks them with hesitation after speaking the first line, “to be or not to be --- that is the question.” (3:1;64) As he’s speaking, random people are in a line watching him speak while one by one they come and kiss the man lying down. He seems to be dead, for he is very pale and laying very still with his eyes closed. Everyone in line is serious looking, and looking straight forward. He later on speaks more rapidly as everyone is kissing the man lying down. As he says, “to grunt and sweat under a weary life,” (3:1;85) the video goes close up to the man’s face, but only showing part of his face and his eye. In the end of the video, as a girl kisses the man lying down and it changes to another scene of another man lying down and a girl kissing him. However, the man’s eyes open without saying a word.
In the third video, it’s black and white and Hamlet is on a high cliff looking down at a noisy ocean. He begins to speak; the music gets loud and shows only the image of his eyes. Hamlet is leaning on a rock while looking down; he has a knife or a dagger in his hands. While he’s speaking, he’s only looking toward the ocean, and as he says, “and what makes us rather we know not of?” (3:1;90) he drops the dagger in the ocean. However in the first video, he has the dagger, but doesn’t drop it in any way and in the second video, there was no dagger. In this video, Hamlet didn’t speak the last lines in the text, “--- Soft you now, The fair Ophelia. --- Nymph, in thy orisons Be all my sins remembered.” (3:1;96-98) He has created his own words and ended saying, “And lose the name of action.” (3:1;96) In the text, he’s in a room and Ophelia comes in and speaks with him right after his soliloquy while Polonius and King Claudius are eavesdropping. At the end of this video, he walks off into the background of fog, where he disappears.
In conclusion, the videos portrayed the text in their own versions. In the first video, it’s more similar to the text than the other videos. Hamlet is in a room, by himself, speaking his soliloquy. In the second video, the man speaking was not Hamlet, yet it was as if he were speaking for Hamlet. He wasn’t Hamlet, yet the man lying down and the man that appeared at the end of the video was him. In the third video, the scene didn’t match with the text. The man was outside on a cliff looking down at the ocean, instead of being inside because the next part of the scene wouldn’t make sense in the text. The best version was the third video, for it portrayed the test more than the other videos. It had most accurate speaking and relations with the text.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Research Paper - Part 4
http://www.renaissancesociety.org/site/Exhibitions/Images.Kara-Walker-Presenting-Negro-Scenes-Drawn-Upon-My-Passage-Through-the-South-and-Reconfigured-for-the-Benefit-of-Enlightened-Audiences-Wherever-Such-May-Be-Found-By-Myself-Missus-KEB-Walker-Colored-Ethel-Hahn-on-the-Exhibition-Fine-Prints-Old-and-New.51.670.html
http://www.renaissancesociety.org/site/Exhibitions/Images.Kara-Walker-Presenting-Negro-Scenes-Drawn-Upon-My-Passage-Through-the-South-and-Reconfigured-for-the-Benefit-of-Enlightened-Audiences-Wherever-Such-May-Be-Found-By-Myself-Missus-KEB-Walker-Colored.51.4952.html
Kara Walker displays the hardship and forced work of labor slaves had to do in order to survive. In this first silhouette, it shows a man sitting on a rock exhausted from playing with the instrument in his. He has a wind up on his back where you turn it and it’ll keep on doing an action until it stops then you repeat if you want to continue. There’s a little girl behind the man who looks like she’s sneaking up behind the tired man. She seems to want to wind up the man and play the instrument some more. I think the instrument represents the work and hard labor that slaves had to do. The wind up displays the time of how long the worker or man can play his instrument. The man’s fingers are lingering over the instrument, and he’s leaning forward if he’s going to fall or pass out. He’s like a wind up toy that you can play with at any time, yet when playing with it, it’ll break. The man is being used up many times that he’s going to breakdown as well. You can see how the man is tired by how his tongue is sticking out shows he’s out of breathe. Also you can see the outlines of his back as if his bones were sticking out of shirt. It shows how he’s weak and fragile at this point. The man is incapable to work any more, however the girl behind him does not think so. She is the controller, the boss, the commander, which is not right for she is just a child and the man is an adult. The girl is shown in well dressed clothes including a dress and a head bonnet while the man is wearing a tight shirt and pants. Although you man not see the colors or details within the silhouette, the outlines of it are well displayed. This silhouette can question many people, but the girl in the background made me wonder why she controls this grown man. The research about Kara Walker reports that she displays her works based on slavery. Then the man may be a black man controlled by a white girl. In the past, color only mattered to people and people who were different were discriminated against. It didn’t matter how old people were, only the skin color. I think Walker wanted to show how people were worked into exhaustion then into death using simple silhouettes to get her point of view out to the world. Also how people didn’t have a choice and it’s like they had a wind up on their backs so they had to do what they were commanded to do whenever and wherever. Walker has shown slavery using fantasized characters with a hidden message behind it all.
In this second silhouette, there is a girl flying away with the wind into the sky. There is also a boy with a man, most likely his father, blowing a dandelion. In the sky, along with the girl, are specks of the dandelion that the boy blew away. The girl seems hopeless and just floating away without any emotion or movement. I noticed how the girl’s legs are dangling and her head is tilted forward showing that her head is not held up high. Yet if her head were held up high then that’ll show hope. The legs that hang down display the emotionless and motionless characterization of the girl. The girl may be dead for she is not showing any sign of life. She might also be depressed and she’s floating off into a better world than the one she is now. There’s a parachute connected to the girl, which I think means so she can land safely somewhere. However, I think she is floating upwards into heaven and the parachute will help land her there. Along with specks of dandelion, it shows how she floats freely such as them. The parachute can be making her float into the air and the wind is flowing into the parachute allowing her to move upwards. It may also be a connection with the girl as she might’ve wanted to flow away from the world so she can be free. I also believe the other meaning to this silhouette by having the girl being sent free. The boy blowing into the dandelion displays how he’s sending her free along with his father by the boy’s side. It could mean a bad thing or a good thing. The bad part would be of how the girl could’ve died because of the boy and the father and they’re sending her off to heaven. The father may be encouraging the boy to set off the girl into heaven for he is the one who blew the dandelion and how the father is pushing the boy. However, the boy may not want to blow into the dandelion sending the girl to her fate. The good part would be how the girl is free because of how the boy and the father might’ve saved her and she’s going off into a better place. Also, I believe this involves with slavery and the captivity of how the girl must’ve felt during those times. There were people who would help slaves to have a better life and didn’t discriminate against them. However, there were people who were racist and worked slaves to death with no guilt afterwards. I see this silhouette has two opposite meanings to it and they contradict themselves. Yet when someone else may look at this silhouette and can see or think of more than two meanings. Each silhouette done by Walker, mostly involves a horrible a meaning behind it. The characters in the silhouettes may fool people because they are fantasized and drawn like a fairy tale. The looks of the pieces aren’t what they seem depending on how you view them. Each person’s views are different from each others, yet the true meaning are within the pieces.
http://www.renaissancesociety.org/site/Exhibitions/Images.Kara-Walker-Presenting-Negro-Scenes-Drawn-Upon-My-Passage-Through-the-South-and-Reconfigured-for-the-Benefit-of-Enlightened-Audiences-Wherever-Such-May-Be-Found-By-Myself-Missus-KEB-Walker-Colored.51.4952.html
Kara Walker displays the hardship and forced work of labor slaves had to do in order to survive. In this first silhouette, it shows a man sitting on a rock exhausted from playing with the instrument in his. He has a wind up on his back where you turn it and it’ll keep on doing an action until it stops then you repeat if you want to continue. There’s a little girl behind the man who looks like she’s sneaking up behind the tired man. She seems to want to wind up the man and play the instrument some more. I think the instrument represents the work and hard labor that slaves had to do. The wind up displays the time of how long the worker or man can play his instrument. The man’s fingers are lingering over the instrument, and he’s leaning forward if he’s going to fall or pass out. He’s like a wind up toy that you can play with at any time, yet when playing with it, it’ll break. The man is being used up many times that he’s going to breakdown as well. You can see how the man is tired by how his tongue is sticking out shows he’s out of breathe. Also you can see the outlines of his back as if his bones were sticking out of shirt. It shows how he’s weak and fragile at this point. The man is incapable to work any more, however the girl behind him does not think so. She is the controller, the boss, the commander, which is not right for she is just a child and the man is an adult. The girl is shown in well dressed clothes including a dress and a head bonnet while the man is wearing a tight shirt and pants. Although you man not see the colors or details within the silhouette, the outlines of it are well displayed. This silhouette can question many people, but the girl in the background made me wonder why she controls this grown man. The research about Kara Walker reports that she displays her works based on slavery. Then the man may be a black man controlled by a white girl. In the past, color only mattered to people and people who were different were discriminated against. It didn’t matter how old people were, only the skin color. I think Walker wanted to show how people were worked into exhaustion then into death using simple silhouettes to get her point of view out to the world. Also how people didn’t have a choice and it’s like they had a wind up on their backs so they had to do what they were commanded to do whenever and wherever. Walker has shown slavery using fantasized characters with a hidden message behind it all.
In this second silhouette, there is a girl flying away with the wind into the sky. There is also a boy with a man, most likely his father, blowing a dandelion. In the sky, along with the girl, are specks of the dandelion that the boy blew away. The girl seems hopeless and just floating away without any emotion or movement. I noticed how the girl’s legs are dangling and her head is tilted forward showing that her head is not held up high. Yet if her head were held up high then that’ll show hope. The legs that hang down display the emotionless and motionless characterization of the girl. The girl may be dead for she is not showing any sign of life. She might also be depressed and she’s floating off into a better world than the one she is now. There’s a parachute connected to the girl, which I think means so she can land safely somewhere. However, I think she is floating upwards into heaven and the parachute will help land her there. Along with specks of dandelion, it shows how she floats freely such as them. The parachute can be making her float into the air and the wind is flowing into the parachute allowing her to move upwards. It may also be a connection with the girl as she might’ve wanted to flow away from the world so she can be free. I also believe the other meaning to this silhouette by having the girl being sent free. The boy blowing into the dandelion displays how he’s sending her free along with his father by the boy’s side. It could mean a bad thing or a good thing. The bad part would be of how the girl could’ve died because of the boy and the father and they’re sending her off to heaven. The father may be encouraging the boy to set off the girl into heaven for he is the one who blew the dandelion and how the father is pushing the boy. However, the boy may not want to blow into the dandelion sending the girl to her fate. The good part would be how the girl is free because of how the boy and the father might’ve saved her and she’s going off into a better place. Also, I believe this involves with slavery and the captivity of how the girl must’ve felt during those times. There were people who would help slaves to have a better life and didn’t discriminate against them. However, there were people who were racist and worked slaves to death with no guilt afterwards. I see this silhouette has two opposite meanings to it and they contradict themselves. Yet when someone else may look at this silhouette and can see or think of more than two meanings. Each silhouette done by Walker, mostly involves a horrible a meaning behind it. The characters in the silhouettes may fool people because they are fantasized and drawn like a fairy tale. The looks of the pieces aren’t what they seem depending on how you view them. Each person’s views are different from each others, yet the true meaning are within the pieces.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Accident - Explication
In the poem, “The Accident,” Erica Funkhouser suggests that the woman is going through the process of betrayal from finding her husband and neighbor together. Funkhouser displays the actions of how the people in the poem act and react to each other. The simplest actions shown throughout the characters quickly give away the scene in the poem.
Funkhouser shows how the neighbor comes into a couple’s home from the hospital in the beginning of the poem. “She heard the hasty scraping of sole and heel against the clipped turf on the doormat.” The neighbor comes inside the house unexpected by a woman while she sits down at the kitchen table. As she sat down “her long legs straight in front of her like a ladder to a different world,” there was a reason why she was there with the couple. The “ladder to a different world,” is a place where the wife has never been since she did not know it had existed until her husband’s and neighbor’s interactions with each other.
The neighbor and the husband seem to have a connection the wife was realizing throughout the poem. “It was when the neighbor answered “yes” to a question to the woman’s husband had not yet asked.” The woman didn’t take long to realize what was going on between her husband and neighbor. “The neighbor knew he was going to cook for her. But how many times have they eaten together. Enough” As she was watching how her husband went cooking for their neighbor, the “still-flushed neighbor” was blushing showing embarrassment, nervousness, or guilt to the wife. While the husband was preparing food for the neighbor, the way he was cooking the food gave away the guilt the husband was feeling.
At the end of the poem, the husband’s smallest actions when cooking food for the neighbor has just gave away the message to the wife on what was going on. “She had never seen him do it like this before, two-handed. He always liked to show off by breaking eggs with one hand.” The husband was not behaving like himself, making the wife feel like the husband is up to something with their neighbor present in the room. “This evening his hands were trembling as he cracked the eggs,” while the wife was consuming all of the smallest details in the room and the connection between the neighbor and her husband.
In conclusion, Funkhouser displays “The Accident” as a poem with betrayal and realization to a character. As the wife went through the scene of having her husband and neighbor having such a strong connection by the neighbor knowing what the husband is going to ask. The neighbor has a better sense of what the husband is thinking, but as the wife sees this, she notices what the question was as the husband starts cooking. The husband has given away his feelings when he started cooking for the neighbor as he was trembling and not making the eggs like he always has. The husband’s and the neighbor’s ways of communicating has just told the wife what has been happening all along.
Friday, September 5, 2008
The Accident
My theory is that the husband was nervous and afraid when he had cracked the eggs with two hands making the wife sense something was the matter. The wife has also sensed a lot happening in the room after the neighbor had answered her without the question being said out loud. I think that something was going on between the husband and the neighbor because of how the husband was going to cook for her without asking and how the wife wondered, “How many times have they eaten together? Enough.” “The Accident” could’ve been the wife had caught their neighbor and her husband after returning from the hospital.
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