Poem Comparison - Chapter 9 - "The Lamb" and "The Tiger" by William Blake

"The Lamb" and "The Tiger" are two poems by William Blake that are able to be compared and contracted against each other. At first glance, the name ties them together, with them both being named "The" and then an animal; yet these two animals are quite different from each other. In the first poem, "The Lamb", the speaker is talking to a "Little Lamb" and asking it many questions (1). Since lamb is capitalized, the speaker is telling that he is not actually speaking to a lamb, but a person being called a Lamb. Calling the Lamb "little" emphasizes that the Lamb is innocent because it is so small. This innocence is also supported by the line "softest clothing wooly bright" to describe the softness and brightness of the person and how they are pure and innocent (6). Lambs often have white wool, so this white color adds to the purity and innocence of the person being spoken to. There Lamb is then compared to another person who "is called by thy name, / For he calls himself a Lamb" (14). This person is Jesus. At the end of the poem we learn that God is the one who made the lamb, for God blesses the lamb. By the end, one can see that this poem is a metaphor about Christianity and the lamb is a Christian who is good.

"The Tiger" is a sister-poem to "The Lamb". These two poems play off of the theme of good vs. evil. This poem also calls a person by the name of an animal, in this case "Tiger" (1). This Tiger is not a good person like the Lamb, but a person who is viewed evil. The Tiger is said to be "burning bright" like a fire with a brain forged in a "furnace" (1) (14). This association with fire reveals how a tiger is the embodiment of powerful destructive force. This could also be an association with hell. The diction in "The Tiger" is harsh, repeating words such as "dread" and speaking of "deadly terrors" (12) (16). This is quite different than the lilting sweetness of "The Lamb" who is "meek and mild" (15). With all of those evil traits and harsh words, the speaker wonders if "he who made the Lamb" made the Tiger (20). He wonders whether God made this evil person just as if he had made the good and pure person.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - PODG #5 - Reality vs. The Portrait

"If one doesn't talk about a thing, it has never happened. It is simply expression, as Harry says, that gives reality to things" (79).

Dorian Gray uses this line as a response to Basil Hallward as he brings up Sibyl Vane's death. Dorian claims that the idea is told "as Harry says" it, which expresses how Lord Henry still has influence over the naive Dorian's ideas. Dorian's statement that "if one doesn't talk about a thing, it has never happened" goes against the fact that, in the book, whatever Dorian does is marked on the portrait. While unseen by all but Dorian, the reality of Dorian's sins is as plain as day on the portrait, revealing that they did happen, that they were all real.  The idea that "it is simply expression [...] that gives reality to things" is a viewpoint that is flawed, for events always leave some sort of a mark on the lives of those around them. Even while some events can be swept under the rug of life's conversations, the events of Dorian's life cannot be concealed forever, for even Sibyl Vane's death caused the first change in the painting.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - PODG #3 - Mrs. Vane's Acting

Mrs. Vane treats the world around her as if she is an actress in a play about her own life. This is expressed through the usage of theatrical diction. Mrs. Vane is quite distant from her children. She puts on facades of love and kindness but does not actually remember how to feel them: "Mrs. Vane glanced at her, and with one of those false theatrical gestures that so often become a mode of second nature to a stage-player, clasped her in her arms" (45). The action of hugging her child is described as a "false theatrical gesture", revealing that Mrs. Vane is simply acting out the part of a loving mother and feigning the actions that she feels are needed. She has to "mentally [elevate] her son to the dignity of the audience", meaning that she views the audience of one of her plays with more respect than her own son (45). She even views her life as an ever-changing tableau, passing by like scenes in a play (45). While Sibyl does not seem to have figured out her mother's distorted views on life, her brother James is able to see through his mother's act and "[hates] his mother's affectations" (47). "Affectations" means false actions that are supposed to impress others, which is exactly what his mother does. "Affectations" also sounds like affections, only having a one syllable difference, and is most likely used as a play on the two words.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - PODG #2 - Influence in The Picture of Dorian Gray

Influence is a common theme in The Picture of Dorian Gray. The main instance where influence is taking place is between Lord Henry and Dorian Gray. Lord Henry treats his influence on Dorian like a fun study in what kind of power he has over people. Lord Henry even goes as far as to say that "there [is] something terribly enthralling in the exercise of influence" which expresses how much he likes to try and influence people around him with his ideas (26). Lord Henry's influence does get through to some people, which can be understood by how his wife mentions that she "always [hears] Harry's views from his friends" (33). The fact that Lord Henry's friends speak of his views is an example of how his influence has manifested itself in others; yet the prime example of his influence rests in Dorian Gray. Dorian freely admits that Lord Henry has "curious influence over" him (38). Dorian sees this influence, but does not try to stop it, allowing Lord Henry to continue. Dorian also tells that he is putting into practice everything that Lord Henry says (34). Dorian does not see this as a bad thing at all and admits it freely, which can lead to the understanding that, while he can see the influence taking place, he does not fully see how he himself is changing. It is either that, or that Dorian doesn't care that he is changing, for he feels that Lord Henry is telling him things that he should already understand about the world.

Poem Outline - Chapter 8 - "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood

In "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood, a siren speaks in first person to a passing man, asking if he wishes to learn her song and therefore killing him in the end.


The use of a siren from Greek mythology calls to mind how a woman can lure a man to her using a seemingly helpless facade and by making him feel that he can help her.

• "I don't enjoy it here / squatting on this island" (13-14)

The siren calls out to the man saying that she does not like her island. The idea of "squatting" sounds uncomfortable, extending her dislike of the island into a physical discomfort as well as a mental one. This image can allude to how a woman may try to make a man feel as if she is uncomfortable in her current situation and that she wants a change in her life.

• "This song / is a cry for help: Help me! / Only you, only you can, / you are unique / at last" (21-25)

The siren explains to the man that she sings so that she can be helped to escape. The use for the command "Help me!" emphasizes how serious she is about this endeavor. She instructs the man to help her and then continues to make him feel that he is needed by saying that he is the only one who can save her. When the siren tells the man "you are unique" it is in response to him learning the song and telling him he is the only one who knows it and also that he is the only one who can save her. Adding "at last" makes it seem as if the man was trying to become unique and finally succeeded on his quest.


The diction in the poem points to how sirens are portrayed in mythology.

• "looking picturesque and mythical" (15)

The siren describes herself as "looking picturesque and mythical". Picturesque relates to her beauty, for sirens are described as beautiful young maidens who sing to lure in men. The idea that she describes herself as "mythical" points to the idea that she knows that she is partially fictitious and lives in the mind of those who see her.

• "fatal and valuable" (18)

The trio of sirens is described as "fatal and valuable". The part about them being fatal exposes their dark side: the fact that they kill those who are lured in by their song. It should be noted that "anyone who has heard [the song] is dead" (9). This ties in with the mention of  men leaping "overboard [...] even though they see beached skulls", for the men cannot control themselves around the song of the siren (5-6). This is shown in The Odyssey and many other Greek stories. Describing her and the other two sirens as valuable places importance on them all. It gives them the quality of needing respect.

The poem itself can be interpreted as the song that the siren sings to the man.

• "This is the one song everyone / would like to learn" (1-2)

The siren starts the poem saying this line. There are two explanations to this. The "this" could be referring to the title, as if the siren knows that the poem is titled "Siren Song" and points to this as a base for the poem. "This" could also be referring directly to the poem as if to say that the poem that she is telling to the reader is the song of the siren. This can be explained by the end of the poem.

• "Alas / it is a boring song / but it works every time" (25-27)

This ending seems to support the idea that the poem itself is the titular "Siren Song". The siren says "but it works every time", suggesting that the man who she was just speaking to was killed by her and the two other sirens just like the others. She seems genuinely full of pity towards the man she kills and those she has killed before, expressed through her use of "alas" at the start of the sentence. She finds the song "boring" because she has sung it so many times and repeated it to so many man over the years.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - PODG #1 - The Real Dorian Gray

At the end of the second chapter of The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, there is proposed idea concerning who is the real Dorian Gray: the man or the painting. After Basil asks Lord Henry to not say something in front of Dorian, Lord Henry responds with the question: "Before which Dorian? The one who is pouring out tea for us, or the one in the picture?" (21). This inquiry implies that the living, breathing Dorian and the painted Dorian are now two separate entities and should be thought of as such. This duality may have been caused by Lord Henry's talk with Dorian about fading beauty, which changed how Dorian saw himself and the world around him. Basil, when asked whether he will join Lord Henry and Dorian for a night out, walks over to his painting of Dorian and replies "sadly" that "[he] shall stay with the real Dorian" (21). Basil sees that Dorian has changed already after knowing Lord Henry for only a small amount of time. This saddens Basil because he never wanted Dorian to be tarnished in any way. Basil feels that the painting captures the Dorian he knew before Lord Henry spoke to him and therefore feels that that Dorian is the most "real" to him.

The Picture of Dorian Gray - Preface - Aestheticism and Wilde's View on his Audience

The preface of A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde deals with aestheticism and Wilde's attitude towards his audience. Aestheticism was a movement in British and American art that sought the acceptance of artistic beauty and taste as a fundamental standard. Oscar Wilde was a firm supporter of aestheticism and tries to explain it to his readers in the preface. He tells of the difference between being corrupt and cultivated,  the lacking of ethical sympathies in artists, and other ideas of aestheticism. Wilde uses two metaphors in the preface, the first being: "the nineteenth century dislike of Realism is the rage of Caliban seeing his own face in a glass" (vii). This metaphor utilizes the character Caliban from Shakespeare's The Tempest, a savage human, to symbolize society. This metaphor explains that society doesn't like Realism because it brings out the ugly truth in the world. The second metaphor is: "the nineteenth century dislike of Romanticism is the rage of Caliban not seeing his own face in a glass" (vii). This metaphor explains that society does not like Romanticism because it is too unlike society, too fanciful and unbelievable. In the end, many members of society may never be fully happy with art until they just try to appreciate it for what it is and not what they want it to be.

Wilde's attitude towards his audience is one of acceptance with minimal disagreement and disappointment. Wilde, having heard and read that there are diverse opinions about his book, explains that such varying opinions are normal. He says that these diverse opinions "[show] that the work is new, complex, and vital," turning a possible negative into a positive and accepting that there will be critics (viii). Wilde disagrees with what some of the opinions are claiming stating that "there is no such thing as a moral or immoral book" (vii). This statement relates to Wilde's views of aestheticism where morality does not play a role. He is telling his readers that he is writing the book with the ideas of aestheticism in mind and that he wants the readers to try and think this way as well. He is writing the book because he wants to send out a message and wishes for his readers to try to understand the message along with how the book is written.

Poem Outline - Chapter 7 - "Sorting Laundry" by Elisavietta Ritchie

In "Sorting Laundry" by Elisavietta Ritchie, a woman is folding laundry while thinking about her relationship, using each piece to talk about another aspect of the relationship.


The metaphors and similes in the poem express the relationship of the speaker and her partner and the uncertainty starts to build.

• "Folding clothes, / I think of folding you / into my life" (1-3)

The speaker compares folding clothes with starting a relationship. Folding means not only folding on top of one another like with clothes but it also means to mix gently with another ingredient. When she says "folding you / into my life" the you is her partner, and she is speaking about having to learn to mix her life with her partners.

• "Our king-sized sheets / like tablecloths / for the banquets of giants" (4-5)

The idea that the sheets are "king-sized" represents the fact that a relationship is something bigger than just one person, it needs two people. In this simile, if the sheets are tablecloths, the bed would be the table. The giants would be looking down at them, which could represent judgement. This starts a motif of using the bed as a symbol.

• "Myriad uncoupled socks / which went paired into the foam / like those creatures from the ark" (22-24)

The idea that the socks "went paired into the foam" but came out "uncoupled" represents how relationships break up when there are tough times. "Myriad" emphasizes just how many relationships have this outcome. Comparing the socks to "creatures from the ark" seems contradictory since the animals were able to stay together, but the socks became separated.



The symbolism digs into the deeper feelings of the relationship.

• "Pillowcases, despite so many / washings, seams still / holding our dreams" (7-9)

The pillowcases represent the hardiness of the relationship. They hold up "despite so many / washings" and the seams have not broken. The pillows hold "dreams", which relates to the act of dreaming and the goals of a relationship. This is another example of the bed motif.

• "Well-washed dollars, legal tender / for all debts public and private, / intact despite agitation" (34-36)

The dollars represent relationships in general. The idea that they are "legal tender" explains that they are all viable for success. Relationships are both "public and private" like money is. The idea that the money is still "intact despite agitation" even after being "well-washed" displays that relationships can get through rough patches sometimes and even after many instances of rough patches they can still be strong.

• "The strangely tailored shirt / left by a former lover" (41-42)

The shirt represents the unsure feelings that the speaker holds towards her partner. She isn't sure exactly where the shirt came from, which is unsettling. The fact that the shirt is "strangely tailored" also adds to its obscurity in the speaker's eyes.




The overstatement at the end of the poem wraps up the idea of how devastated the speaker would be if she was left by her partner.

• "If you were to leave me [...] / a mountain of unsorted wash / could not fill / the empty side of the bed" (43-51)

The poem's length, which is quite long, supports this overstatement. The speaker seems to be folding many pieces of clothing, many of them belonging to her partner, so if those were gone there would not be enough clothes. The "empty side of the bed" is not only the literal bedside being empty, but it also acts as the empty space that her partner leaving would cause in her life.