40 Minute AP Timed Writing - Siren Comparison

Homer's Greek epic poem Odyssey and Margaret Atwood's poem Siren Song both portray the Sirens - Greek female mythological creatures who sing songs that lead passing sailors to their deaths. When compared, the two poems both portray the Sirens differently, using different forms of expression and differing songs, but both poems use the same kinds of poetic devices to portray the song itself.

The two poems express the Sirens differently. The Odyssey has the point of view of Odysseus while Siren Song is from the point of view of a Siren herself. The Sirens are never given any visual description in the Odyssey, only their "ravishing voices" are described (Homer 19). The voices of the Sirens are all that Odysseus can think about, for the sound is filling his ears and causing him to want to go to the Sirens. He is overcoming a large obstacle on a journey, and this is what the Sirens are meant to represent. Describing only the voice of the Siren focuses on their most well known feature and, in this case, the conflict currently happening in the poem. In Siren Song, the Siren describes herself as wearing a "bird suit," for it is noted that Sirens are often described as birds with the heads of women (Atwood 12). The Siren also describes herself as "picturesque and mythical," giving her the allusion of mystery and beauty that Sirens are known for (Atwood 15). She also describes her and the two other Sirens as "fatal and valuable" (Atwood 18). This again states how Sirens are known to be deadly to those who pass by.

The song of a Siren is their most fascinating aspect, for it is what pulls men to their deaths. This cause and effect poses the mysterious questions of why and how this could happen and what exactly the song says to pull the men in. The Odyssey interprets this song as a call to an individual: "Come closer, famous Odysseus - Archaea's pride and glory" (Homer 14). The Sirens try to use the fatal flaw of their targets - such as Odysseus' hubris - to lead them to their demise. By flattering Odysseus using the adjective "famous" and calling him the "pride and glory" of a place, his pride takes a hold of him and causes him to wish to go towards the sirens. The Sirens also sing that those who hear their song sail on as "wiser [men]" (Homer 18). This statement is false when taken literally, for the men all die, but metaphorically it can represent how the men's deaths make them wiser after death, knowing that they were pulled in by their fatal flaw. The Siren's in Siren Song use a more subtle approach than calling out their targets directly. They act helpless, singing out a "cry for help" to those passing by (Atwood 22). They tell their passersby that they are "unique" and that only they can help them be free, making the passerby feel needed and special (24). The Sirens state that, if the man helps them, he will learn the "secret" of the song that Sirens sing, but in fact the whole cry for help is the song, for it is stated at the beginning that "This is the one song everyone / would like to learn"   (Atwood 1-10). The Siren ends with: "Alas / is a boring song / but it works every time" (Atwood 25-27). "Alas" implies that she finds her job "boring", however the "but" acknowledges that  the satisfactory end result of the man's inevitable death keeps her singing.

The two poems do share a similarity in how the songs are visually portrayed on the page. In the Odyssey, the five lines of the Siren song flow together as one sentence is spread over a few lines. This is equivalent to how the Siren's song pulls in listeners by having them hanging on to hear the rest of what they have to say. Siren Song also does this, bringing the concept even further by continuing lines into new stanzas, visually stringing the reader along.

Pride and Prejudice - P&P #8 and 9 - Confusion About Pride

Many people take Mr. Darcy to be a man whose disposition is one of excessive pride; However, Elizabeth is starting to unravel that Mr. Darcy is not like this at all. Mr. Wickham says that Mr. Darcy "[assumes] the appearance of what is right" (198). This is the impression that has been spread about Mr. Darcy around where Elizabeth lives. When Elizabeth goes to Pemberley, she and her aunt and uncle meet the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, who only has propitious words to say about Mr. Darcy. She has known him since he was four and states that how she talks about him is "what everyone will say that knows him" (207). Mrs. Reynolds states that "some people call him proud; but I am sure I never saw anything of it" (208). This description would infer that what Mr. Wickham has spread about Mr. Darcy was being false and his good actions and kind manner was simply a pretense. Of course, people can be viewed wrong, such as is the case with Miss Darcy. She is quite shy and it is written that her shyness "would easily give to those who felt themselves inferior the belief of her being proud and reserved" (223). Mr. Darcy can also be viewed this way, for he does not really know how to handle himself in front of others sometimes and this can be viewed as being overly proud. All in all, the prejudices are starting to be put aside and the truth of the matter is coming to light.

Pride and Prejudice - P&P #1 - #5 - Title Application and Mr. Collins' Proposal to Elizabeth

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a novel whose title relates to its text's main topics, pride and prejudice. Pride is defined as "a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether ascherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc." (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pride). So far, many characters have spoken about the pride of other characters in the novel. At one point it is mentioned that "vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride - where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation" (Austen 51). This is to say that it is not bad to be a bit proud as long as one does not become haughty. Mary Bennet says that "pride [...] is a very common failing [...] that human nature is particularly prone to" (19). Eligible young men are supposed to be prideful of what they have, but not overly so. One should have pride in their family standing. Prejudice is defined as "an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/prejudice?s=t). The society of the novel is superficial and judgmental. Sometimes one's character is marred by supposition before one can even speak for themselves. Jane is the character who is least prejudiced. She is always one to try to think from more than one mindset as to why someone is the way they are. Elizabeth is the opposite of this for she tries to tell her sister that she is too nice to people who seem to be rude. Mr. Darcy is viewed with prejudice because Elizabeth hears only one side of their story from Mr. Wickham.

Mr. Collins' proposal to Elizabeth is anything but cordial. While he seems polite, he is thinking only of his own wants and needs. His first reason for marriage is that "[he thinks] it a right thing for every clergyman in easy circumstances (like [himself]) to set the example of matrimony in his parish" (92). This statement may make Mr. Collins seem sincere, yet he is simply trying to become a role model while also promoting his wealth. He then says marriage will "add very greatly to [his] happiness" (92). He speaks nothing at all about how Elizabeth would feel while being married. He also feels like it would be a nice offer to be able to give one of his five cousins their house again when their father dies. Yet he knows that this is a reason they should want him as a husband and uses it as a tempting part of his offer. He didn't even care which daughter he was to try and marry, for he originally wanted Jane, then mindlessly switched to Elizabeth once learning of Jane's prior affections. Mr. Collins says that he has "violence of [...] affection," yet nothing about his long, windy speech speaks at all to the idea of love (93). He only wants to believe he loves Elizabeth, yet he does not really love her at all. When she rejects him, Mr. Collins does not accept it as true. He becomes even more bothersome and only ceases to be when Elizabeth's friend says yes to his proposal of marriage a few days later. This proves that he never cared about Elizabeth like he wanted everyone to think.

25 Minute AP Timed Writing - 1973 Prompt

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel whose ending concludes the story appropriately. The ending of this novel has two main parts to it, the first being that the main character, Jay Gatsby, is shot while relaxing in his pool by a man named George Wilson, who then shoots himself. Gatsby's death is a needed part of the story.  Gatsby originally came from a farming family in the Midwest but ran away from home to try to build himself the American Dream. James Gatz turned into Jay Gatsby, an idea of a man who was brought into being from the mind of a seventeen-year-old boy, who then acquired the fortune to live out his childish dream of fortune and excess. Gatsby worked hard to get his fortune to try to win back the love of his life, Daisy, who decided to marry Tom Buchanan, a man of old money who was richer than Gatsby. Yet he is not able to win her back, for Daisy does not decide to leave Tom for Gatsby. After the altercation where Gatsby knows he will never have Daisy, everything that Gatsby owns and all the money that he has made means nothing to him. Not too long after, Gatsby is shot and killed. His death is necessary because his American Dream is shattered, for Daisy's love was a contingency for Gatsby's happiness. Without her, he did not have a purpose in life, and in the book about his life, he was simply left as a loose end that needed to be tied up. His death fulfilled that job.

The second part of the ending is that one of Gatsby's only friends and the narrator of the story, Nick Carraway, realizes that he no longer wishes to live in New York City. He decides to move back to the Midwest where he grew up, feeling that his life will be better there. Nick has seen how corrupted and materialistic the East is and wishes to once again go West. He realizes that, form his observations, people from the West have some sort of deficiency where they cannot seem to live happily in the East. While the novel began by reminiscing about how Nick decided to go to New York, it is only appropriate that it is ended with Nick speaking of returning home. Yet he is still hopeful that the American Dream is in reach, ending with a view that he will continue on in life, never forgetting Gatsby's tragic story and remembering to never become what Gatsby became.

Poetry Slam - Individual Poem - The Figurehead

I taste the salted sea spray on my lips and

Feel its sting in my ever-vigilant eyes
As once again I oversee the Sun as it
Falls over the edge of the world.
I gaze upon the continuous waves on the horizon that
Dance as my ship passes through them,
Never stopping on its way to new lands.
The sounds of voices puncture through gusts of wind
Which cool my skin that's weathered by its constant touch.
My motionless face is evermore turned towards the unknown, and I
Keep one steady hand over my heart as a steadfast vow of
Protection for those who dare to brave the
Callous, ever-shifting sea.
Whether it be days, months, or years,
This body of mine, bound to this ship,
Will perform its duty, and it shall perform it well.
Until my pine has rotted away or until this ship is sunk,
I will be what I was made to be:
The figurehead positioned on the prow,
The sentinel of this ship, and
The overseer of the Sun as it
Falls over the edge of the
world.

Hamlet - Hamlet 6 - Hamlet and his Mother (Act 3, Scene 4)

In Act 3, Scene 4, Hamlet goes to his mother, Gertrude, who has asked for him to have a talk with her. When Hamlet asks what there is to discuss, his mother replies: "Hamlet, thou hast they father much offended" (III.iv.12). Hamlet replies by stating: "Mother, you have my father much offended" (III.iv.13). From Gertrude's perspective, Hamlet's "father" is Claudius, yet from Hamlet's perspective his father is still and will always be the late King Hamlet. Both of them see that the other has committed some sort of fault against these fathers. Gertrude is upset that Hamlet staged the play while Hamlet is upset that his mother married his uncle so soon after his father's death. The conversation continues with Gertrude chiding: "Come, come, you answer with an idle tongue," and Hamlet replying: "Go, go, you question with a wicked tongue" (III.iv.14-15). These sentences are structured the same way, but differ quite noticeably when it comes to the words used. This juxtaposes Gertrude and Hamlet's viewpoints. Hamlet then stabs Polonius, believing him to be Claudius, and makes the point that Gertrude has done just as worse a deed when she "[killed] a kind and [married] with his brother" (III.iv.34-35). Hamlet then speaks to the duality of pure and impure, using the example of "[taking] the rose / From the fair forehead of an innocent love / And [setting] a blister there" (III.iv.51-53). The rose represents purity and beauty, while the blister, an open wound, is impure and grotesque. After pointing out just how much better his father was than Claudius, Hamlet finally gets his mother to admit her guilt as she states: "Thou turn'st my eyes into my very soul, / And there I see such black and grained spots / As will not leave their tinct" (III.iv.100-102). Gertrude sees the impurity, the "black and grained spots," that stick on her soul. They will not fade away no matter what she does, for the sin is too far gone. Gertrude later asks Hamlet how to repent and he tells her not to go back to Claudius.

Poem - Chapter 16

I taste the salted sea spray on my lips and
Feel its sting in my ever-vigilant eyes
As once again I oversee the Sun as it
Falls over the edge of the world.
I gaze upon the continuous waves on the horizon that
Dance as my ship passes through them,
Never stopping on its way to new lands.
The sounds of voices puncture through gusts of wind
Which cool my skin that's weathered by its constant touch.
My motionless face is evermore turned towards the unknown, and I
Keep one steady hand over my heart as a steadfast vow of
Protection for those who dare to brave the
Callous, ever-shifting sea.
Whether it be days, months, or years,
This body of mine, bound to this ship,
Will perform its duty, and it shall perform it well.
Until my pine has rotted away or until this ship is sunk,
I will be what I was made to be:
The figurehead positioned on the prow,
The sentinel of this ship, and
The overseer of the Sun as it
Falls over the edge of the
world.

Hamlet - Hamlet 5 - The Cloud

At the end of Act 3, Scene 2, Hamlet makes some remarks about a cloud in the sky. He first states that the cloud is "almost in shape of a camel," but then that "it is like a weasel," and finally concluding it to be "like a whale" (III.ii.406-411). Polonius looks towards the cloud and after every statement of Hamlet's, he acknowledges that the cloud does looks like the animal in question even though all three of these animals are quite different from one another. The animals may have been meant as symbols. Camels are said to symbolize the "type of people who would not forgive or forget an insult or a mistake easily and he would wait for the right chance to burst and take revenge , keeping grudge & malice deep in the heart" ("What Does a Camel Symbolize?"). This description fits Hamlet well as a man who is hiding behind a mask of insanity and therefore not revealing his true intentions of revenge. Weasels are symbols of stealth, cleverness, and confidence. This also relates to Hamlet, for he is seeking out the truth of his father's murder in a clever and undercover way. He can see through all spies and therefore he is confident in his ability to find the truth. Whales are symbols of life and death. This is a prevalent topic in Hamlet, for The Ghost comes to Hamlet after death to tell of knowledge of life.


"What Does a Camel Symbolize?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_a_camel_symbolize>.

Hamlet - Hamlet 4 - Polonius' Long-Winded Style of Speech

Polonius is the chief counselor to King Claudius and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. He speaks in a slightly confusing, bumbling sort of way where he never means to speak long, yet always ends up being long-winded. An example of this is when Polonius says: "My liege, and madam, to expostulate / What majesty should be, what duty is, Why day is day, night night, and time is time / Were nothing but to waste night, day, and time" (II.ii.92-96). This sentence, which is supposed to express how short Polonius wants his speech to be, is in fact long and unnecessary. While he speaks of how "[wasting] night, day, and time" is bad, he wastes more time explaining himself elegantly than by simply saying what he means straight out. Polonius is also using this sentence to speak of "what majesty should be," therefore comparing showy speech and over exaggerated words to what it means to have stateliness. This juxtaposition displays that Polonius is not as stately as he believes himself to be. Another example of this sort of speech is when Polonius is talking to Hamlet about the troop of actors that are coming. He states that they do "tragedy, comedy  history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral , tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastorical, scene individable, or poem unlimited" (II.ii.421-424). Reciting all of these types of plays all at once takes a while and is almost like a tongue twister. Polonius goes to the extremes with his long speech, even if he does not realize it himself.

Poem - Chapter 14

Three steps forward,
two steps
back.

Charging ahead just
to fall
behind.

Getting closer then
replacing some
distance.

Just give me
a bit
longer.

I'll catch up
in due
time.

Poem - Leaving for College (Parent's Perspective)

Keep these things in mind while
you are at school:
Study hard, but not too hard.
Have fun, but don't neglect your work.
Stay strong when times get tough.
Be safe always.
You won't be too far away, so visit.
I love you.
Good luck at college.

Hamlet - Hamlet 1 - Oxymoronsin Claudius' Speech

In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the character of Claudius is Hamlet's uncle who has just usurped the throne by marrying Hamlet's mother very soon after the death of Hamlet's father, King Hamlet. There are many controversies at one time: marriage after a funeral, marrying the widow of his brother, taking the throne instead of the last king's son. Throughout all of this, Claudius speaks using oxymoronic language such as "defeated joy," "auspicious and a dropping eye," "mirth in funeral," and "dirge in marriage" (I.ii.10-21). He seems to be trying to blur the line between happy and sad, making his new subjects feel a sense of correctness and stability. These oxymorons are also trying to link together the idea of death and marriage, which is a strange and unnatural concept. There is not a cycle there like there is for life and death.

While not an oxymoron, Claudius also says that Hamlet is "unschooled," but then tells him not to go back to school and to instead stay in Denmark (I.ii.101). These opposing statements are strange and there is a hint of something fishy going on in Claudius' intentions.

Othello - Othello 7 - Iago's Final Presence

In the final scene of Othello, the antagonist Iago only speaks for a few critical lines. While blame is starting to form around him, he merely reverts to his original plan of trying to play it off as if he is not the villain by stating: "I told him what I thought, and told no more / Than what he found himself was apt and true" (V.ii.212-213). The one factor that Iago did not account for was Emilia's betrayal, or, even if he suspected she knew, he did not believe she would disobey his orders: "Go to! Charm your tongue" (V.ii.219). Many of Iago's last amount of lines are repetitive way of him telling his wife to be quiet, to go home, or that she is a whore. Iago's facade of bystander crumbles completely when, in his heated temper, he stabs Emilia, killing his own wife in front of everyone in the room.

Iago's last lines in the play are: "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. / From this time forth I will never speak a word" (V.ii.355-356). This greatly juxtaposes Iago's plan to bring down Othello, which consisted of luring Othello to ask questions that made it seem as if Iago was trying to hold his tongue as to not hurt anyone. Now Iago no longer wishes to be asked anything at all, for he sees how everything has turned against him. "What you know, you know" adds on the idea that Othello can now decide to see things the way he sees fit to, not to always as Iago what he thinks. The way that the play ends with a silent Iago is an odd end, for Iago speaks to the audience so often in the play, and just speaks a lot in the play in general, that it is strange for him to no longer have lines. Iago also used words to his advantage, such as how he enraged Othello with sexual innuendos and baited the hook that pulled Othello to ask questions. This speechlessness is the last straw of Iago's defeat, leaving himself without his last weapon, his words.

Othello - Othello Interlude - Othello's Soliloquy at V.ii.1-24

At the very beginning of Act 5, Scene 2, Othello has a soliloquy that expresses his views on how he is about to kill his wife, Desdemona. Othello starts by repeating to himself "it is the cause" three times, addressing this idea to "[his] soul" (1). It seems that this repetition may be to convince Othello that the act of killing the woman he once loved must be done, even when his "perfect soul" is telling him not to, for it would forever be stained I.ii.36). Othello then speaks of how he is going to kill Desdemona, saying that "[he'll] not shed her blood, / nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow, / and as smooth as monumental alabaster" (V.ii.3-5). This line foreshadows that the death of Desdemona will either be by strangulation or poison of some sort, for these methods would  be the most likely to not shed blood or hurt Desdemona's looks. The line also speaks to how Othello still finds Desdemona to be pure, for snow and alabaster are pure white objects; However, snow in literature is often used as a symbol of death and obscurity, which again foreshadows Desdemona's demise, while alabaster is known as a symbol of purity and honor.

Othello compares Desdemona to firelight, stating: "put out the light, then put out the light" (V.ii.7). The first "light" refers to the actual firelight that is in the room, for it is night time and Othello and Desdemona are supposed to go to sleep, but the second "light" refers to Desdemona. At this moment, this firelight can be viewed as not only another praise to her purity, but also as a a symbol of cleansing and purifying,  for Othello wishes to "restore [Desdemona's] former light" by first putting it out (V.ii.9). Othello does not understand how he will restore her, though, for he "[knows] not where is that Promethean heat / that can [Desdemona's] light relume" (V.ii.12-13). "Promethean heat" is an allusion to the Greek myth of Prometheus, a Titan known for intelligence who created humans and then stole fire for them to use. The heat from this first human fire is supposedly what lights Desdemona's life force, which is no longer able to be attained in Othello's time. Desdemona is simply one of a kind, unable to be replicated.

Othello then compares Desdemona to a rose that he has plucked and cannot "give it vital growth again, / It needs must wither" (V.ii.15-16). Roses, depending on the color, can symbolize romance, youth, purity, or death. This rose that Othello compares Desdemona to could be used to symbolize any of these things. All roses, however, are sweet and seemingly innocent; Yet their stems rooting them to the Earth have sharp, hurtful thorns that sometimes go unseen until it is too late. This relates to how Othello thinks Desdemona is cheating on him and so in his mind the sweet, flower-like girl has been keeping a secret hidden and that idea sticks him like a thorn, a thorn that he did not believe Desdemona would ever have. Yet Othello believes that he has found out the hard way that every rose has it's thorn, and this thorn dug deep enough as to stir him to murder.

Othello - Othello 5 - Othello's Change

At the beginning of Othello, the title character is a man who is quite rational. He states in the first act of the play: "My parts, my title, and my perfect soul / Shall manifest me rightly" (I.ii.36-37). He sees himself as having desirable and respected qualities, being high in power (due to his rank as a general), and also having a pure and guiltless soul. He speaks with authority and certainty that comes from a place of ethos. A man like Othello needs to keep a steady head, for he leads troops for a living. He must be strategical and organized; However, once he makes the move to Cyprus, he begins to lose his rationality. Cyprus is between Venice, which is seen as rational and logical, and where the Turks are from, which is viewed as instinctual and emotional. Being in this split place makes a change start to brew in Othello, which is stirred even more by Iago's insinuating ideas. The change manifests itself in two ways, the first being the way that Othello speech starts to become less rational as the play progresses. At one point he begins to use many dashes to break up his words: "Handkerchief - confessions - handkerchief" (IV.i.45-46). This jolted speech seems broken and irrational compared to the beautiful and skillful way Othello speaks in the beginning of the book. The other way the change in Othello is shown is when he strikes his wife Desdemona near the end of Act 4 Scene 1. Desdemona does not understand why Othello does this, and Iago explains to a bewildered Lodovico that "[Othello] is much changed" (IV.i.302-303). Othello used to love his wife with all his heart, but since getting to Cyprus, he has started to love her less and less due to Iago's penetrating lies. If Othello was in his right mind, he would never have done this to his wife who he views as pure and innocent and loving.

Othello - Othello 4 - The Foreshadowing of Bad to Come

There are a few times in Othello where Othello foreshadows the tragedy that is to consume his happiness. The first time is when Othello sees Desdemona for the first time after arriving at Cyprus: "If after every tempest come such calms, / May the winds blow till they have wakened death" (II.i.201-202). Here Othello is overjoyed at what a wonderful outcome came from a terrible storm, so joyful as to jokingly call upon one to form once more. However, this next storm is not literal, but instead the metaphorical storm of chaos that overtakes Othello through the false claims of Iago. At one other time before Iago claims Othello's ear and mind, Othello once again foreshadows the eventual unhappiness and confusion: "Perdition catch my soul / But I do love thee! And when I love thee not, / Chaos is come again" (III.iii.100-102). The "thee" in this sentence is Desdemona, and Othello is saying that he should be eternally punished unless he loves Desdemona. He then does on to state that he will love her until there is once again chaos. Again, there is no literal chaos that occurs in the nature of the world, but there is social chaos and, later in that scene, a murder plan for this same beloved woman. This turn of events is caused by chaos, which has consumed Othello's mind in jealousy and drowns the love he had for Desdemona, for he no longer sees her as the pure woman he fell in love with.

Exercise on page 233-235 - Chapter 13

1. A is the better choice. The first line is the same as B. A sounds better because the second line flows better than B's second line. A has the same amount of syllables in line one and two, while B has many more syllables in line 2.
2. B is the better choice. The first line is the same as A. "Harsh" and "crabbled" in line two sound like unlikable ideas and are what "fools suppose" so they should sound that way. "As is Appollo's" flows swiftly, the opposite of fools ideas.
3. B is the better choice. "out-cast" leads in nicely to "crows croak" with the hard "c" sound. "Crows croak" carries into "hoarsely" with the "o" sound. "Across the whiteness" repeats the "s" sound.
4. B is the better choice. "Low" leads into "voice" with the "o" and ends the line with "gold." "Voice," "bells," and "singing" all have the "s" sound. "Twilight," "silent," and "water" all have the hard "t" sound that is like the bell swinging back and forth.
5. B is the better choice. "Myriads of rivulets" is a set of words that flow nicely. "Moan" and "immemorial" have a humming "m" sound that is calming which leads into the third line words "murmuring" and "innumerable."
6. A is the better choice. A has a more discordant sound to it like the words describe. "St," "sh," and "z" are harsher sounds in the second line. Almost hissing the end of "sharps."
7. B is the better choice. The list in B is related through harsh sounds that repeat. They are then described as "hard words," which they are by the sounds they make. "Bullets" rhymes with "gullets."
8. A is the better choice. "Hands," "sisters," "incessantly," and "softly" are all words that share the "s" sound. This repetition ties in with the idea of "wash again, and ever again," a repetitive cycle. "Soiled" and "world" both end with the same sound.
9. B is the better choice. The syllable count is the same for every line. "Lowing," "wind," and "slowly" all share a long "w" sound that slows down the line. "Plowman homeward plods" is also a slow line that emphasizes how the day is coming to a slow close due to the repeated "p" and then "weary way" is another instance of repeating "w."
10. B is the better choice. "Gilded wings" repeats the "i" sound. "Stinks and stings" emphasizes the harshness of the bug by repeating the harsh "st" sound.

Othello - Othello 3 - Iago's Connection to Demons and the Devil

In Shakespeare's Othello, the character of Iago is a scheming right hand man to Othello. Iago wishes to be lieutenant, yet is not chosen for the position and decides to create a plan to take the position as his own and to get Othello out of power. He is known for being two-faced: he is nice and polite to Othello and Cassio, yet is really a nefarious man who is plotting behind their backs. Iago has been said to relate with demons and the Devil. This is certainly one way to view this character, for he often does seem to hint that he is like them in some way: "When devils will the blackest sins put on, / They do suggest at first with heavenly shows, / As I do now" (II.iii.371-373). Iago compares himself to a devil who makes himself look honest but truly has the worst intentions by saying "As I do now," which confirms that he is doing exactly as a devil would. Iago is also associated with dark imagery, calling forth the notion that he could be associated with dark arts, manipulation, and trickery.

Rhythm and Meter Notes - Chapter 12

·         Rhythm – any wavelike recurrence of motion or sound (198)

·         Accented – given more prominence in pronunciation (198)

·         Rhetorical stresses – a change in the rhythmic effects of a word or sentence to change meaning (199)

·         End-stopped line – a line in which the end of the line corresponds with a natural speech pause; often end with a period or semicolon (199)

·         Run-on line – a line in which the sense of the line moves on without pause into the next line; often no punctuation, but not always (199)

·         Considered natural speech pause if it is between the subject and the predicate, but not as much if between other parts of speech (199)

·         Caesuras – pauses that occur within lines, either grammatical or rhetorical (199)

·         Free verse – a style of poetry where the poetic line is the basic rhythmic unit (199)

·         Prose poem – a sort of poetry that depends entirely on prose rhythms (200)

·         Meter – the identifying characteristic of rhythmic language where the accents of language are arranged so as to occur at apparently equal intervals of time (200)

·         Rhythm designates flow of pronounced sound vs. Meter which refers to the patterns that sounds follow when a poet has arranged them into metrical verse (201)

·         Rhythm = building, Metrical form = blueprint (201)

·         Meter = “measure”, Rhythm = “flow” (201)

·         Foot – a basic unit of meter; consists normally of one accented syllable plus one or two unaccented syllables; only compare syllables to other syllables in the foot to tell whether accented or not (201)

·         Line – other basic unit of measurement in metrical verse; may be end-stopped or run-on, and phrasing and punctuation will create caesuras (202)

·         Metrical lines are measures by naming the number of feet in them (202-203)

·         Stanza – a group of lines whose metrical pattern is repeated throughout the poem (203)

·         Metrical variations – call attention of some of the sounds because they depart from what is regular; Substitution – replacing the regular foot with another one; Extrametrical syllables – added syllables in a meter; Truncation – the omission of an unaccented syllables at either end of a line (203)

·         Scansion – the process of defining the metrical form of a poem (203)

·         (1) Identify prevailing foot; (2) name the number of feet in a line - if the length follows any pattern; (3) describe the stanzaic pattern - if there is one (203)

·         A noun usually receives more stress than an adjective that modifies it, a verb more than its adverbs, and an adjective more than its adverb (205)

·         Though normal reading of the sentences in a poem establishes its metrical pattern, the metrical pattern so established in turn influences in reading (206)

·         Scansion only classifies syllables as accented or not, only begins to reveal anything (208)

·         Divisions between feet have no meaning except to help identify the meter (209)

·         Perfect regularity of meter is not criterion of merit (209)

·         Expected rhythm – a silent drumbeat that makes us think that the pattern will be identical to the actual sound, mental idea of rhythm (210)

·         Heard rhythm – the actual rhythm of the words, sometimes the same as the expected rhythm but sometimes not (210)

·         Grammatical pause – pause signaled by punctuation (211)

·         Rhetorical pause – pause signaled by syntax and rhetoric (211)

·         Punctuated pauses often longer duration than those by syntax or rhetoric, pause for periods longer than pauses for commas (211)

·         Meter and rhythm serve meaning (211)

·         No “happy” meters or “melancholy” meters (211)

·         In most poetry, rhythm and meter work with the other elements of the poem to create the total effect (212)

The Stranger - Essay Outline

In Albert Camus' The Stranger, Meursault’s embodies Camus’ absurdist philosophy through his indifferent attitude to life and his idea that life is just as indifferent towards him.

Absurdism rests on the idea that human beings live in a meaningless universe and yet they try to look for a purpose where there is none. This creates a conflict between a person and their society.

The repetition of Meursault’s indifferent nature emphasizes his absurdist outlook on life.

·         “I told her it didn’t mean anything but that I didn’t think so” (35)

·         “I said yes but that really it was all the same to me” (41)

·         “When I was a student, I had lots of ambitions like that. But when I had to give up my studies I learned very quickly that none of it really mattered.

·         “I said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to” (41)

·         “I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn’t mean anything but that I probably didn’t love her” (41)

All of the above quotes are examples of Meursault’s indifference. Things “don’t make a difference” to him, they are “really […] all the same to [him]” (41).

• “I went with him as far as the bungalow, and as he climbed the wooden steps, I just stood there at the bottom, my head ringing from the sun, unable to face the effort it would take to climb the wooden staircase and face the women again. […] To stay or go, It amounted to the same thing” (56-57)

This quote is an allusion to The Myth of Sisyphus, an essay that is also by Albert Camus which paints the Greek mythological figure Sisyphus as an Absurdist hero. Meursault is Sisyphus here, looking up the stairs, his mountain, and the emotional stress of the day is his boulder. Meursault has just seen Raymond climb up those steps for at least the second time that day and is starting to think he cannot go back with him. The notion that Meursault has that “to stay or go, it [amounts] to the same thing” is obviously untrue, for up the stairs there is safety, while away from the stairs a possible threat of danger (57). This image of Meursault at the stairs can also be viewed as whether or not he should take the moral “high road” or the immoral “low road”. Though Meursault himself has no viewpoint of moral or immoral, the stairs represent taking a better route in life, staying safe in the bungalow, while the low road leads to danger and eventually a murder.

The Stranger - The Stranger 5 - The Surroundings in The Stranger

In The Stranger by Albert Camus, the surroundings in the world around Meursault seem to parallel and/or influence the actions that occur as well as Meursault's feelings. The sun and heat are viewed as bad, while water and coolness are viewed as good. Water is cleansing and pure, and Meursault states that "the water was cold and [he] was glad to be swimming" (50). In contrast, the first time that Meursault encounters the Arabs he is with Masson and Raymond and the sun is said to be "unbearable" (52). It is noted that the "blazing sun [looked] red" to Meursault before the fight broke out, which can be perceived as a sign of anger rising (53). The second time there is almost a fight, and the sun is told to be "overpowering" (55). There is a little spring where the Arabs are resting, and they are blocking the peacefulness of the water. The third time, when Meursault goes back alone, the sun gets even worse, and he feels the "heat [...] pressing down on [him]" (57). The spring is viewed again as an escape from this painful sun, for it is hiding behind the "small, dark mass of rock surrounded by a blinding halo of light and sea spray" (57). The rocks and the spring are described with a "halo", placing them at some kind of angelic or holy status, which has never seemed to appeal to Meursault in the past. While Meursault thinks about turning back after seeing the Arab, he says that "the whole beach, throbbing in the sun, [is] pressing on [his] back" (58). The sun makes him uncomfortable and stops his retreat, pressuring him instead into killing the Arab in his way of the cooling spring. The word "pressing" is repeated often while talking about the sun, which emphasizes just how much the sun is affecting Meursault.