Question 4- Sound and the Fury

Memory is used as an escape by Faulkner. Remembering is a way to transport ones self out of the current reality, and into anytime that they have expirienced in the past. However, memeory serves different purposes depending on the indivisual. For some characters, like Quentin, the past is the ominous and inescapeable presents that is contantly closing in. With each second that passes it reasures you of your powerlessness to effectively create any type of change. His memory housed everything of significance that happened to him to all of his life. For Quentin, memory brings with it the burden of reality. When Quentin assumes the responsibilty for Caddy's mistake, he becomes obsessed with doing everything possible to rectify her mistake. The past is both his motivation and his torment. A constant reminder of what he can no longer atain. In some ways, Quentin's memory was his life. The expiriences that his memory holds are both a representation of his past, and a forshadowing of his future. Because Quentin wells on the past so much, he is never able to truly progress. On the outside it looks as if he is bettering himself, but in reality all of his accomplishments are meaningless. Time is the enemy that stands between Caddy and her innocence, and the Compson family and their respectable names. Memories are all that are left for the family now. Memories, unlike innocence and a good reputation, cannot be taken from you if you choose to keep them alive. Benjy is the perfect example of someone who utilizes his memory. Benjy is only able to function because of his memory. His memory allows him to expirience the past in present time. The logic and rules of time do not apply to Benjy. He shows a complete disreguard for time, but values expirience over all other characters in the book. All Benjy knows how to do is expirience. While Quentin cherished the things of the past and dreaded the future, Benjy's day-to-day functionings render time powerless. Time is neither his enemy or his friend. It only affects him when it affects those around him (i.e. the loss of Caddy and her innocence). Time and memories can almost be seen as entities in and of themselves. The characters varing relationships with these entities are established to give the reader deeper insight into the motivation and meaning behind the lives that they lead.

Blog Post 5- How Much Is Too Much?

"They were dying slowly--it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now-- nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom."

it was sombre enough, too--and pitiful-- not extraordinary in any way--not very clear either. No, not very clear. And yet it seemed to throw a kind of light."


I found that one thing that the book and the movie had in common was the portrail of the natives as subhuman as well as expose the contraction between human thought and action. In both works it seemed as if the natives were devoid of some human quality, which to the Europeans made them expendable. In "Apocolyps Now" none of the native people and any speaking roles. To me that seems as if there was never an effort to create any kind of real connection with the audience and the characters. All we have to go on is the interpretation of their appearance and action by a "civilized" person. It is ironic to me that one of the central themes in both works is how the unchecked interpretation of "civilized" is just a mask behind which all kinds of brutality, racisim, and prejudgice lie, yet we are only given the story from one European's point of view. As you get deeper into the story and the book, it becomes very obvious that Marlow does not view the natives as equals in the least. While he learns of the "immense darkness" of the human heart, it seems to me as if he is taking no steps to correct the problem. I find it very hard to believe that one can have such an epiphany and be such a changed man, yet when given the oppurtunity to bring about change they simply prepetuate the problem. In the book this occurs through the lies that he tells to the Intended wife of Krutz. He is depriving her of the oppurtunity to know the truth about her love. He is basing his action on his opinon and assumptions only, and justifies by believing that he is doing her a favor by keeping the truth from her. That action was no different from the action of the "civilized Europeans" when it comes to their interaction with the natives; it was simply on a smaller scale. It still boils down to the fact that it is not okay to think for someone, simply because you believe that the decision you make on their behalf is for their benefit. That turns into a very slippery slope. When then do we draw the line and say that we no longer have the authority to decide matters for others. How could one ever be able to make a clear distinction between the acceptable and the unacceptable. Marlow does nothing more than to continue to idealize the darkness that we are surrounded by. There comes a certain satisfaction and fulfillment with knowing the truth, however it brings along with it a certain weight and responsibility. It is unacceptable to believe that it is our duty to sheild or relieve others from carryng that responsibility. If we do take it upon ourselves to be some sort of savior to others, then we belittle tose that the truth concern and place ourselves on a pedestal. What makes us any more worth than they are. Are we making our judgements based soley on their appearance or their gender or their race. None of these are sufficient reasons to deny someone the right of knowing the truth. Just as Krutz had created and became truth to the natives, Marlow distorted and created truth in the fiancee's mind when he lied about Krutz last words. It simply seems as if there is a contridiction between Marlow's revelation and his action.

Blog Post 4- Questions Anyone?

The Dumb Waiter is such an abstract piece of literature that it almost has to be considered "art." So much is left for the reader to infer, that the reader is almost forced into participating in an interactive learning expirience. Just like abstract art work the interpretation lies in the prespective that each indivdual takes. It may hold a different meaning to everyone who reads it. The appearence of random objects in the story is a major aspect of creativity. The entire purpose of the piece is for the reader to reflect on the story, and even their own lives and try to recognize the absurdity that is shrouded by routine. The placement of the random objects in the story serves to get the reader in the right mindset. It will start to cause them to question certain things significance. We are then led to begin to fill in the blanks for ourselves. We have to make assumptions and inferences based on what we know and how we relate the story back to our own lives.
The writer does a good job exposing to the reader the complexity of the human mind. We wonder if we are justified in feeling sympathy for a man who posesses a certain innocence, but at the same time kills for a living. Did he deserve to die in the manner that he did (that is if he actually died at all)? We begin to ask ourselves if what happens between Gus and Ben is fair. Who ultimately determines what is fair or not? Does ones lifestyle ultimately act as judge in the end, or are their actions outweighed by their circumstances? The randomness and the characters relationship and the absurdity in the story all provoke thought. If at the end of the story you sit back and question the life that you are living and the effect of the decisions that you make on your future, then you have captured the essence of the story and the author has achieved his goal.

Blog Post 3- Who can prevent forest fires?

"Iago, as Harold Goddard finely remarked, is always at war; he is a moral pyromaniac setting fire to all of reality.......In Iago, what was the religion of war, when he worshiped Othello as its god, has now become the game of war, to be played everywhere except upon the battlefield." --Harold Bloom

I think that the phrase "moral pyromaniac" is a great way to describe Iago. He sets things on fire, just to sit back and watch it burn. Fire, by nature, is destructive and will consume just about everything in its path. And the fire, like Iago's evil intentions, will only cease to exist when it can no longer feed off of its suroundings. As long as it has fuel, it will continue to burn. Iago allows the characters in the play to consume themselves and eventually burn themselves out. He is reling on them to create their on fuel for the fire that he merely sparks within them. More often then not the fuel that is needed to keep the fire burning and the devestation spreading is the good virtue that lies within the characters.

At first Iago starts offseeking to implement a specific plan of action. As time progresses, he becomes more and more consumed by his own evil desires. In this way he is very similar to the other characters in the play. Just as the fire burning their realitities is feeding from within them, Iago's own evil nature is continuously drawing him futher and futher into sin and damnation. It becomes very obvious that Iago cannot stop weaving this sinister and tangled web of lies and betrail. He is always trying to take it to the next level. It is as if he is testing his ability and seeking to find out just how evil he can actually be. He figured that everything that he did was simply a means to an end. He was constantly giving twisted justifications for his actions, even though he was fully aware of just how manicacle he was being. It was exciting and auxilerating to him. Driven by his own selfishness, life in his reality became a competion to out-do himself. As long as his surroundings provided him with fuel for his moral blaze, he was determined to see to it that the fire burned.

Blog Post 2- glass half full

Reading Oedipus Rex sparked a certain curiosity in me about the amount of control that we have over our own lives and destiny. However, reading the story also helped me to walk away with a more resolute mindset when it comes to living a highly moral and ethical life. While I am not sure what the end result of my life may be, I am sure that striving to live it the best way that I can is far from foolishness. We all believe in something or someone, so we will undoubtedly submit ourselves to that thing. To me it is not a question of whether or not I have free will. The only thing that I am concerned with is who I will make the choice to submit to. What higher power will I allow to have authority over my life. Once you can answer that question, I think that you should do everything in your power to live a life pleasing to that person or thing. Personally, I do not subcribe to the idea of the gods raining down havic and disaster over the inhabitants of the earth. I am focused on my personal relationship with the God over my life. I rely on my faith and my beliefs to get me through lifes hardships. Every trial that I am brought through gives me just another reason to continue in my lifestyle. It all comes down to how you view the world and the value that you place on life. Oedipus Rex just helped me to appriciate the fact that all of my good days out-weigh my bad days. It reminded me how blessed that I really am. And while it did raise some questions in my mind about what I have missed out on as a result of my own decisions, it inspired me to do what i know to be right, so that in the future I will be able to recieve all that is in store for me.

Blog Post 1- ...by the horns

I like this quote because it just makes me think about and appriciate all the people in my life that I care about.

"Unconditional Love (no doubt)

Talking bout the stuff that don't wear off

It don't fade

It'll last for all these crazy days

These crazy nights

Whether you wrong or you right

I'm a still love you

Still feel you

Still there for you

No matter what

You will always be in my heart

With unconditional love"

--Tupac Shakur-- Unconditional Love

I think that this next quote directly relates to Othello. It struck me as something that Othello would say to Destimona if he still had the chance.

"Baby, you understand me now

If sometimes you see that I'm mad

No one can always be an angel

When everything goes wrong you see some bad

Well I'm just a soul whose intentions are good

Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood"

--Common-- Misunderstood

I really like this quote because it just speaks to me on a personal level. I find it to be very profound and motivating.

"Nobody can give you freedom

Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything.

If you're a man, you take it."
Malcolm X,

Malcolm X Speaks, 1965