Poem: The Old Men admiring Themselves in the Water (85)
Poem:
I heard the old, old men say,
'Everything alters,
And one by one we drop away.'
They had hands like claws, and their knees
Were twisted like the old thorn-trees
By the waters.
I heard the old, old men say
'All that's beautiful drifts away
Like the waters.'
The poem is a declaration of sadness, that is emphasized by the tone which is conveyed through the word "old" that is used repeatedly throughout the poem. The speaker, however, is communicating the sadness; the speaker isn't the primary source, evident in the lines starting "I heard". This exchange in feeling between the "old, old men" and the speaker conveys the age motif, used throughout all of Yeats's poems. Because the speaker is narrating the poem, and what the old men are saying, it is metaphor for what the speaker will anticipate when he becomes old. The line "'Everything alters,'" serves many purposes, the reader first interprets the line as a symbol for the signs of aging (due to enjambment), however, in relation to the title "The Old Men admiring Themselves in the Water", it is also referring to the unsteady water that they are admiring themselves in. It is emphasized by the last two lines "'All that's beautiful drifts away Like the waters.'" The situation of the old men admiring themselves in water is a metaphor that "'all that's beautiful'", themselves, drift away, like the water they're admiring themselves in. Water has many connotations of purity, however, water is temporary; its always moving, it can freeze and evaporate. It is important to note the lines "'one by one we drop away.'They had hands like claws, and their knees Were twisted like the old thorn trees", the old men, with age, seem to be transfiguring into gnarled being, conveyed through natural imagery, "claws" like a bird (a motif in Yeats's poems), and they're becoming "old thorn-trees". As their beauty "drifts away" they are becoming more natural, and are looking toward the water, to admire themselves, however, the water is showing that their beauty is drifting away.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Poems by Yeats 3 (3/27/09)
Poem: The Stolen Child (10)
Passage:
"Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal-chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
From a world more full of weeping than he can
understand."
The title of the poem "The Stolen Child", suggests a more violent or sad poem because of the word "stolen" (diction). The reader soon discovers that the poem is more about fairies. The first line reads "Where dips the rocky highland", which suggests a break in reality, which sets the opportunity for the fantastic and ethereal elements of the poem. The age motif, in which Yeats glorifies youth and childhood, dominates the poem. The poem, ultimately, is trying to save a "human child" from reality, and bring him to their world. Yeats is communicating his negative views of the world, through the metaphor of fairies and children. Although the poem is sweet, the harsh tone of "stolen" in the title is continued throughout the poem, for example, in the first line "Away with us he's going" the fairies are declaring that the child is leaving the world with them with an authoritative tone. Then they begin to list (after the colon) all the elements of the child's life he is going to leave, however, they are all positive things, emphasized by the tone. Yeats uses words like "lowing","warm", "sing", "bob", which are subtly contradictory to the message the fairies are communicating: "for the world's more full of weeping than you can understand". Yeats' positive description of what the boy will miss is a metaphor. The boy is still young, he is still a child, which means his life, so far, is "warm" and "lowing", however, the fairies are saving him from reality, and from a world "more full of weeping than you can understand". It is important to notice the diction of the statement "than you can understand", because the fairies are addressing his understanding at this very moment, when he is a child. For example, they do not say "then you can ever understand", meaning, no matter what age or maturity, he wont understand. Because he is too young to understand it, there is still time for him to be with the fairies, unlike Yeats, who is too old, and who understands the world that is "full of weeping".
The italics that are repeated throughout the poem emphasize the lyrical tone of the fairies. The use of repetition is a metaphor for the path of the child. The fairies say three times "For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand", however, by the fourth time, and the last line of the poem, it says "from a world more full of weeping than he can understand". Syntactically, by the end of the poem, the child has left the world, and is with the fairies.
Passage:
"Away with us he's going,
The solemn-eyed:
He'll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal-chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
From a world more full of weeping than he can
understand."
The title of the poem "The Stolen Child", suggests a more violent or sad poem because of the word "stolen" (diction). The reader soon discovers that the poem is more about fairies. The first line reads "Where dips the rocky highland", which suggests a break in reality, which sets the opportunity for the fantastic and ethereal elements of the poem. The age motif, in which Yeats glorifies youth and childhood, dominates the poem. The poem, ultimately, is trying to save a "human child" from reality, and bring him to their world. Yeats is communicating his negative views of the world, through the metaphor of fairies and children. Although the poem is sweet, the harsh tone of "stolen" in the title is continued throughout the poem, for example, in the first line "Away with us he's going" the fairies are declaring that the child is leaving the world with them with an authoritative tone. Then they begin to list (after the colon) all the elements of the child's life he is going to leave, however, they are all positive things, emphasized by the tone. Yeats uses words like "lowing","warm", "sing", "bob", which are subtly contradictory to the message the fairies are communicating: "for the world's more full of weeping than you can understand". Yeats' positive description of what the boy will miss is a metaphor. The boy is still young, he is still a child, which means his life, so far, is "warm" and "lowing", however, the fairies are saving him from reality, and from a world "more full of weeping than you can understand". It is important to notice the diction of the statement "than you can understand", because the fairies are addressing his understanding at this very moment, when he is a child. For example, they do not say "then you can ever understand", meaning, no matter what age or maturity, he wont understand. Because he is too young to understand it, there is still time for him to be with the fairies, unlike Yeats, who is too old, and who understands the world that is "full of weeping".
The italics that are repeated throughout the poem emphasize the lyrical tone of the fairies. The use of repetition is a metaphor for the path of the child. The fairies say three times "For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand", however, by the fourth time, and the last line of the poem, it says "from a world more full of weeping than he can understand". Syntactically, by the end of the poem, the child has left the world, and is with the fairies.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Poems by Yeats 2 (3/6/09)
Poem: Adam's Curse (83)
Passage:
"I had a thought for no one's but your ears:
That you were beautiful, and that I strove
To love you in the old high way of love;
That it had all seemed happy, and yet we'd grown
As weary-hearted as that hollow moon."
Evident in the title of the poem, Yeats uses the biblical allusion to the story of Adam and Eve to set the tone for the poem "Adam's Curse", a poem about love. The first line of the poem reads, "We sat together at one summer's end". Yeats incorporates the time motif, evident in most of his poems, by using the phrase "at one summer's end", it holds an ambiguous time frame. Incorporating the allusion to Adam lets the reader know it is not a warming love story, because Adam was betrayed by Eve; Adam was banished from Eden because of Eve. Much like Adam, the speaker had "thought for no one's but your ears", clearly, the speaker is in love, however, like Adam, he is crushed to find out that they had "grown as weary-hearted as the hollow moon." The tone of the poem is mild (emphasized by the repeated "mild woman"), it uses little adjectives, and there is no flashy language. The last two stanzas, however, are switched to a more saddening tone, the switch begins on line 29, "We saw the last embers of daylight die", because the daylight was "dying" (emphasized by word choice, harsh diction, the moon has risen. It is interesting to note the juxtaposition between night and say (darkness and light), and also the tone of the poem. The sun gives life, and the moon sheds some light on darkness. The "hollow moon" is important to point out because not only is the moon associated with darkness, but also, the moon receives its light from the sun.
In the above passage, the first three lines (everything before the semi-colon) is a single syllable, except for the word "beautiful". Yeats emphasizes the focus on the narrator's love for this woman (Adam's Curse), he surrounds the feminine sound "beautiful" with all masculine single syllable words.
Passage:
"I had a thought for no one's but your ears:
That you were beautiful, and that I strove
To love you in the old high way of love;
That it had all seemed happy, and yet we'd grown
As weary-hearted as that hollow moon."
Evident in the title of the poem, Yeats uses the biblical allusion to the story of Adam and Eve to set the tone for the poem "Adam's Curse", a poem about love. The first line of the poem reads, "We sat together at one summer's end". Yeats incorporates the time motif, evident in most of his poems, by using the phrase "at one summer's end", it holds an ambiguous time frame. Incorporating the allusion to Adam lets the reader know it is not a warming love story, because Adam was betrayed by Eve; Adam was banished from Eden because of Eve. Much like Adam, the speaker had "thought for no one's but your ears", clearly, the speaker is in love, however, like Adam, he is crushed to find out that they had "grown as weary-hearted as the hollow moon." The tone of the poem is mild (emphasized by the repeated "mild woman"), it uses little adjectives, and there is no flashy language. The last two stanzas, however, are switched to a more saddening tone, the switch begins on line 29, "We saw the last embers of daylight die", because the daylight was "dying" (emphasized by word choice, harsh diction, the moon has risen. It is interesting to note the juxtaposition between night and say (darkness and light), and also the tone of the poem. The sun gives life, and the moon sheds some light on darkness. The "hollow moon" is important to point out because not only is the moon associated with darkness, but also, the moon receives its light from the sun.
In the above passage, the first three lines (everything before the semi-colon) is a single syllable, except for the word "beautiful". Yeats emphasizes the focus on the narrator's love for this woman (Adam's Curse), he surrounds the feminine sound "beautiful" with all masculine single syllable words.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Poems by Yeats 1 (2/27/09)
Poem: The Lake Isle of Innisfree (24)
Passage:
"And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,"
The poem is Yeats' way to voice his desire to escape. The poetic connotations that are associated with the speaker's desire to escape are normally because the speaker has had an epiphany of some sort, or that the speaker has seen society to be rotten; Yeats, as he portrays with soft and subtle diction, expresses a desire to escape so he can possess "some peace". He mentions, in the first stanza, that he will "arise and go now", which means that he is not only declaring his departure, but also that he is arising from the situation, that he is arising to achieve peace. He the mentions that he will build a "small cabin" of "clay and wattles made", and "Nine bean rows". His point, essentially, is that he wishes to live by himself, but of the land. Yeats says, finally, that he will have a "a hive for the honey bee, And live alone in bee loud glade." All that he mention, the honey bee included, are ways for him to live off the land. The honey bee, however, is emphasized by the last line "live alone in bee loud glade"; Yeats is insinuating, through metaphor, like the honey bee, he wishes to make his own honey to live off of. All of the following sets up the above passage. In the above passage, Yeats mentions that peace "comes dropping slow", which is, clearly, a way to describe honey. This is relevant because of all the ways Yeats plans to live alone, the honey bee is the only living animal (earthen house, crops, etc. were all things for him that were imperative to live off). Although Yeats is alone, he makes note that he is "alone in bee-loud glade", and in doing so is achieve the peace that "drops slowly". Yeats mentions morning, noon, and midnight: all parts of the day. He starts by mentioning the peace drops "from the veils of morning", by putting morning first (syntax), Yeats emphasizes that peace, like everything else in the world, begins with morning. It then says that, "there" (Innisfree) "midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow". In the same line, Yeats notes the brightest party of the day (noon), and the darkest (mid night) (juxtaposition). Midnight, when the night is at its darkest, there is usually a "dark" connotation (for example, in many works by Joyce, he uses dusk, and darkness to set the tone, or to convey a motif), however, Yeats balks the negative connotations by characterizing darkness as "a glimmer". He then says that noon is a "purple glow". The image is softening, which is emphasized by word choice of "glow" and the color "purple". In Innisfree, Yeats has found peace, and not even the darkest of the night is something to fear.
What the reader notices first is that the first line is speaking in the future tense. The poem starts, "I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree". By using the future tense, Yeats suggests to the reader the situation or state in which the poem is written is one of sadness, because he's leaving the state he is currently in, to go to Innisfree. Yeats repeats "peace" and "dropping" in the passage above. By repeating "peace" he is bringing the attention to the reader the core of the poem, being Yeats' pursuit of peace. He then personofies "peace" with the verb "dropping". Mentioned before, the honey motif is used to characterize peace. It is a metaphor that infers that Yeats, like honey bees, will create his "peace" (as they create their honey (that drops slowing)) in Innisfree. The repetition is also used to slow the reader down, and to literally have the reader feel the "peace" that "drops slowly".
Passage:
"And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,"
The poem is Yeats' way to voice his desire to escape. The poetic connotations that are associated with the speaker's desire to escape are normally because the speaker has had an epiphany of some sort, or that the speaker has seen society to be rotten; Yeats, as he portrays with soft and subtle diction, expresses a desire to escape so he can possess "some peace". He mentions, in the first stanza, that he will "arise and go now", which means that he is not only declaring his departure, but also that he is arising from the situation, that he is arising to achieve peace. He the mentions that he will build a "small cabin" of "clay and wattles made", and "Nine bean rows". His point, essentially, is that he wishes to live by himself, but of the land. Yeats says, finally, that he will have a "a hive for the honey bee, And live alone in bee loud glade." All that he mention, the honey bee included, are ways for him to live off the land. The honey bee, however, is emphasized by the last line "live alone in bee loud glade"; Yeats is insinuating, through metaphor, like the honey bee, he wishes to make his own honey to live off of. All of the following sets up the above passage. In the above passage, Yeats mentions that peace "comes dropping slow", which is, clearly, a way to describe honey. This is relevant because of all the ways Yeats plans to live alone, the honey bee is the only living animal (earthen house, crops, etc. were all things for him that were imperative to live off). Although Yeats is alone, he makes note that he is "alone in bee-loud glade", and in doing so is achieve the peace that "drops slowly". Yeats mentions morning, noon, and midnight: all parts of the day. He starts by mentioning the peace drops "from the veils of morning", by putting morning first (syntax), Yeats emphasizes that peace, like everything else in the world, begins with morning. It then says that, "there" (Innisfree) "midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow". In the same line, Yeats notes the brightest party of the day (noon), and the darkest (mid night) (juxtaposition). Midnight, when the night is at its darkest, there is usually a "dark" connotation (for example, in many works by Joyce, he uses dusk, and darkness to set the tone, or to convey a motif), however, Yeats balks the negative connotations by characterizing darkness as "a glimmer". He then says that noon is a "purple glow". The image is softening, which is emphasized by word choice of "glow" and the color "purple". In Innisfree, Yeats has found peace, and not even the darkest of the night is something to fear.
What the reader notices first is that the first line is speaking in the future tense. The poem starts, "I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree". By using the future tense, Yeats suggests to the reader the situation or state in which the poem is written is one of sadness, because he's leaving the state he is currently in, to go to Innisfree. Yeats repeats "peace" and "dropping" in the passage above. By repeating "peace" he is bringing the attention to the reader the core of the poem, being Yeats' pursuit of peace. He then personofies "peace" with the verb "dropping". Mentioned before, the honey motif is used to characterize peace. It is a metaphor that infers that Yeats, like honey bees, will create his "peace" (as they create their honey (that drops slowing)) in Innisfree. The repetition is also used to slow the reader down, and to literally have the reader feel the "peace" that "drops slowly".
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Picture of Dorian Gray: 7
Passage: (Lord Henry to Dorian) "'You said to me that Sibyl Vane represented to you all the heroines of romance-- that she was Desdemona one night, and Ophelia the other; that if she died as Juliet she came to life as Imogen.'
...
'Mourn for Ophelia, if you like. Put ashes on your head because Cordelia was strangled. Cry out against Heaven because the daughter of Barbantio died. But don't waste your tears over Sibyl Vane. She was less real than they are.'
There was a silence. The evening darkened in the room. Noiselessly, and with silver feet, the shadows crept in from the garden. That colors faded wearily out of things. After some time Dorian Gray looked up. 'You have explained me to myself, Harry' he murmured, with something of a sigh of relief.'"
In the story, the reader observes many changes in Dorian Gray's character. The reader first observed the hedonistic influence of Lord Henry, then the completely different and positive influence of Sibyl Vane. The passage shows the transformation of Dorian not only into the picture, but also the hedonist he was foreshadowed to become. Lord Henry, the emblem of the hedonistic motif of the story, is bitterly belittling Sibyl Vane's suicide. Lord Henry touches on Sibyl Vane's acting. Wilde uses irony to portray the life of Sibyl Vane. She not only acts out Shakespearean tragedies, but also lives one. Lord Henry points out the irony through intertextual references. Henry then says, with a chiding tone, "But don't waste your tears over Sibyl Vane. She was less real than they are." Harry completely debases Sibyl, stating that theatrical characters are more human and real than she was. Directly after Henry's remark about Sibyl the passage says "There was a silence. The evening darkened in the room. Noiselessly, and with silver feet, the shadows crept in from the garden. the colors faded wearily out of things." The imagery of the setting is a response to Harry's offensive words. The diction of the passage, using words like "noiselessly", "shadow", "crept", "darkened", and "silence" bombards the reader. Directly after the dark, mysterious alteration of the scene, Dorian says "You have explained me to myself". Despite the horrific words of Harry, evident in the response from the setting, Dorian has found comfort. When he was with Sibyl, and when he planned to marry her, Dorian was rebellious against Harry, he didn't worship him. After the death of Sibyl, as illustrated in this passage, Dorian is returning to Harry.
...
'Mourn for Ophelia, if you like. Put ashes on your head because Cordelia was strangled. Cry out against Heaven because the daughter of Barbantio died. But don't waste your tears over Sibyl Vane. She was less real than they are.'
There was a silence. The evening darkened in the room. Noiselessly, and with silver feet, the shadows crept in from the garden. That colors faded wearily out of things. After some time Dorian Gray looked up. 'You have explained me to myself, Harry' he murmured, with something of a sigh of relief.'"
In the story, the reader observes many changes in Dorian Gray's character. The reader first observed the hedonistic influence of Lord Henry, then the completely different and positive influence of Sibyl Vane. The passage shows the transformation of Dorian not only into the picture, but also the hedonist he was foreshadowed to become. Lord Henry, the emblem of the hedonistic motif of the story, is bitterly belittling Sibyl Vane's suicide. Lord Henry touches on Sibyl Vane's acting. Wilde uses irony to portray the life of Sibyl Vane. She not only acts out Shakespearean tragedies, but also lives one. Lord Henry points out the irony through intertextual references. Henry then says, with a chiding tone, "But don't waste your tears over Sibyl Vane. She was less real than they are." Harry completely debases Sibyl, stating that theatrical characters are more human and real than she was. Directly after Henry's remark about Sibyl the passage says "There was a silence. The evening darkened in the room. Noiselessly, and with silver feet, the shadows crept in from the garden. the colors faded wearily out of things." The imagery of the setting is a response to Harry's offensive words. The diction of the passage, using words like "noiselessly", "shadow", "crept", "darkened", and "silence" bombards the reader. Directly after the dark, mysterious alteration of the scene, Dorian says "You have explained me to myself". Despite the horrific words of Harry, evident in the response from the setting, Dorian has found comfort. When he was with Sibyl, and when he planned to marry her, Dorian was rebellious against Harry, he didn't worship him. After the death of Sibyl, as illustrated in this passage, Dorian is returning to Harry.
Friday, January 9, 2009
The Picture of Dorian Gray: 6
Passage: While Lord Henry sat dreaming on these things, a knock came to the door, and his valet entered, and reminded him it was time to dress for dinner. He got up and looked out into the street. The sunset had smitten into scarlet gold the upper windows of the houses opposite. The panes glowed like plates of heated metal. The sky above was like a faded rose. He thought of his friend's young fiery-colored life, and wondered how it was all going to end.
The observation made by Lord Henry is an important part of the novel, it's all about Dorian and his future. Harry observes the sunset he looks out of his window into the street. A window is a way to see the outside world from inside, and vice versa. After looking through the window of his room, Lord Henry sees the sunset and describes the sky as "a faded rose." Not only is Dorian (and Sibyl) always referred to as a rose, but also, syntactically, right after the mention of the faded rose, he has a thought of how Dorian's "young fiery-colored life" will end. It is ironic because the reader is introduced to Dorian (and so is Lord Henry) in Basil's studio, which is surrounded by flowers, and elegant gardens. Through an archetypal analysis, the garden represents Eden, where Dorian (and Adam) is manifested. From the garden, Dorian changes, due to the influence of Lord Henry. Lord Henry notes Dorian's change, and observes that "his nature had developed like a flower, had borne blossoms of scarlet flame". A faded rose is clearly loosing its color and probably dying; the juxtaposition of "a faded rose" and "young fiery-colored life" emphasizes the relevance and foreshadowing qualities of Lord Henry's observation. Because he is looking into the outside world, through the window, and seeing the faded sunset, it leads the reader to believe the outside world will be the end of Dorian (or rather, like Adam, he will be banished from Eden). He was found in a garden, met Lord Henry, and is progressively growing more different. After Lord Henry wonders how Dorian is going to "end", he receives a telegram from Dorian telling him that he is engaged to Sibyl. Because of the foreshadowing qualities of Lord Henry's observation, the reader infers that the engagement is a bad thing. Adam was banished from Eden when Eve ate the forbidden fruit. The similarities between Eden and Basil's studio, and Adam and Dorian, could be alluding to Sybil's similarity to Eve. Eden was where man was created (by God), and Basil's studio was where the picture of Dorian Gray was painted (by Basil). Like the snake, Lord Henry is enticing Dorian. In the beginning, Basil was hesitant to introduce Lord Henry to Dorian, which displays similarities between the enticing snake, and the enticing qualities of Lord Henry. Another note about Sibyl is that she's an actress. Wilde deliberatly puts her in tragic Shakespearean plays. She labels Dorian "Prince Charming" not only because she doesn't know his real name, but also, to make her life seem more theatrical. This sets up the relationship between Dorian and Sibyl to be more like a play, with a tragic ending.
Like the sunset, the observation is syntactically placed at the end of the chapter. When Lord Henry receives the telegram informing him of the engagement, Wilde noted that Lord Henry read the note at "about half-past twelve o'clock". The mention of time is important- he was thinking of how Dorian's life was going to end while observing the sunset (on its way to darkness), and now is reading about his plans to marry Sibyl, in complete darnkess. The setting went from a sunset, to the dark. Which provides more evidence foreshadowing that the marriage will, perhaps, bring an end to Dorian Gray (or perhaps the living Dorian Gray (as oppose to the picture). Wilde uses words like "smitten", "scarlet", "faded", and "fiery" to portray a soft tone, and listless observation, which is typical of Lord Henry. The tone is typical of Lord Henry, however, completely contrasts the profound observation Lord Henry is making.
The observation made by Lord Henry is an important part of the novel, it's all about Dorian and his future. Harry observes the sunset he looks out of his window into the street. A window is a way to see the outside world from inside, and vice versa. After looking through the window of his room, Lord Henry sees the sunset and describes the sky as "a faded rose." Not only is Dorian (and Sibyl) always referred to as a rose, but also, syntactically, right after the mention of the faded rose, he has a thought of how Dorian's "young fiery-colored life" will end. It is ironic because the reader is introduced to Dorian (and so is Lord Henry) in Basil's studio, which is surrounded by flowers, and elegant gardens. Through an archetypal analysis, the garden represents Eden, where Dorian (and Adam) is manifested. From the garden, Dorian changes, due to the influence of Lord Henry. Lord Henry notes Dorian's change, and observes that "his nature had developed like a flower, had borne blossoms of scarlet flame". A faded rose is clearly loosing its color and probably dying; the juxtaposition of "a faded rose" and "young fiery-colored life" emphasizes the relevance and foreshadowing qualities of Lord Henry's observation. Because he is looking into the outside world, through the window, and seeing the faded sunset, it leads the reader to believe the outside world will be the end of Dorian (or rather, like Adam, he will be banished from Eden). He was found in a garden, met Lord Henry, and is progressively growing more different. After Lord Henry wonders how Dorian is going to "end", he receives a telegram from Dorian telling him that he is engaged to Sibyl. Because of the foreshadowing qualities of Lord Henry's observation, the reader infers that the engagement is a bad thing. Adam was banished from Eden when Eve ate the forbidden fruit. The similarities between Eden and Basil's studio, and Adam and Dorian, could be alluding to Sybil's similarity to Eve. Eden was where man was created (by God), and Basil's studio was where the picture of Dorian Gray was painted (by Basil). Like the snake, Lord Henry is enticing Dorian. In the beginning, Basil was hesitant to introduce Lord Henry to Dorian, which displays similarities between the enticing snake, and the enticing qualities of Lord Henry. Another note about Sibyl is that she's an actress. Wilde deliberatly puts her in tragic Shakespearean plays. She labels Dorian "Prince Charming" not only because she doesn't know his real name, but also, to make her life seem more theatrical. This sets up the relationship between Dorian and Sibyl to be more like a play, with a tragic ending.
Like the sunset, the observation is syntactically placed at the end of the chapter. When Lord Henry receives the telegram informing him of the engagement, Wilde noted that Lord Henry read the note at "about half-past twelve o'clock". The mention of time is important- he was thinking of how Dorian's life was going to end while observing the sunset (on its way to darkness), and now is reading about his plans to marry Sibyl, in complete darnkess. The setting went from a sunset, to the dark. Which provides more evidence foreshadowing that the marriage will, perhaps, bring an end to Dorian Gray (or perhaps the living Dorian Gray (as oppose to the picture). Wilde uses words like "smitten", "scarlet", "faded", and "fiery" to portray a soft tone, and listless observation, which is typical of Lord Henry. The tone is typical of Lord Henry, however, completely contrasts the profound observation Lord Henry is making.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
The Picture of Dorian Gray 5
Passage: (In response to Dorian's response when it was not Lord Henry, but his wife coming into the library.)
"'You thought it was my husband. It is only his wife. You must let me introduce myself. I know you quite well by your photographs. I think my husband has got seventeen of them.'
'Not seventeen, Lady Henry?'
'Well, eighteen, then. And I saw you with him the other night at the Opera.'"
The conversation between Lady Henry and Dorian embodies many of the ongoing motifs in the novel. When Lady Henry says "It is only his wife" it is said in a casual tone that portrays marriage as nothing serious or significant (using the word "only"). Then Lady Henry goes on to say "I know you quite well by your photographs". It is ironic because one cannot know someone "well" just based off looks (relevant to the beauty motif). She, syntactically, starts the sentence saying "I know you well", which sets the conversation toward a more personal level, however, Lady Henry then balks the personal relationship by saying she knows him through photographs. It is odd that Lady Henry brings up a specific amount of photographs that Lord Henry has of Dorian Gray, and even more odd when Dorian challenges her estimate. She then slows down the specificity of the photographs, with a flippant tone, "well, eighteen, then", when she says "then", the tone of the conversation comes off as lacking interest, and almost agitated. By going one number up from seventeen, it shows that Lady Henry is not really concerned with the specific number, which is ironic that she brought "seventeen" up at all, which emphasizes why the statement is so odd. Lady Henry then mentions that she saw Dorian "with him the other night at the Opera". The statement raises the question: why was she not at the Opera with her husband, and also, why wouldn't she say hello to her husband if she saw him? The statement echoes one made by Lady Henry later in the chapter when she says "I like Wagner's music better than anybody's. it is so loud that one can talk the whole time without other people hearing what one says." Both statements embody the hedonistic way of life; a husband and wife aren't at an Opera together (casual relationships (The Wasteland)), and when attending a classy Opera, they wish the music to be tuned so that "one can talk the whole time".
This passage, syntactically, is placed at the start of Dorian's development as a hedonist, or rather, exhibiting the influences Lord Henry has had on him (echoed later by Lady Henry, saying "Ah! that is one of Harry's views, isn't it, Mr. Gray?"). When he meets Lady Henry, she is similar, if not practically the same character as Lord Henry, which is to show that beauty leaves a person vacuous, rather than intelligence, which makes a person have personality (for example, Basil, a painter, and Lord Fermor, a well educated politician, who are all foils of Lord Henry in that they have a multitude of personality) (beauty vs. intelligence motif). When Lady Henry says "you thought it was my husband" it shows she was aware Dorian's expectations to see Lord Henry, and she took it upon herself to see Dorian (she didn't happen to stumble into Dorian). The conversation transitions into Lady Henry's invitation for Dorian to attend a party of hers. The abruptness of the introduction, and the expedience leading to an invitation exhibits the hedonistic, casual actions and views of Lady and Lord Henry.
*** Although the writing styles of Wilde differ greatly from Shelley, there are a lot of qualities in common between the two, since they are both during the Romance era. Throughout the Romance era, especially in England there was a desire to reinvent Greek values. In Frankenstein, other than the homoeroticism, the beauty of characters, the relationships, and how nature is portrayed are similar in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Lord Henry says, in Chapter 2, "return to the Hellenic ideal- to something finer, richer, than the Hellenic ideal." Lord Henry, the emblem of the hedonistic motif, is voicing, and contributing to the theme and Greek motif. The rampant flower references, are similar to the nature references made in Frankenstein. Also, like a flower (nature), beauty is "destined to fade" (as Lord Henry says), so as the plot progresses, Dorian will attempt to defy nature and keep his beauty forever, similar to Victor's defiance of nature- creating the creature.
"'You thought it was my husband. It is only his wife. You must let me introduce myself. I know you quite well by your photographs. I think my husband has got seventeen of them.'
'Not seventeen, Lady Henry?'
'Well, eighteen, then. And I saw you with him the other night at the Opera.'"
The conversation between Lady Henry and Dorian embodies many of the ongoing motifs in the novel. When Lady Henry says "It is only his wife" it is said in a casual tone that portrays marriage as nothing serious or significant (using the word "only"). Then Lady Henry goes on to say "I know you quite well by your photographs". It is ironic because one cannot know someone "well" just based off looks (relevant to the beauty motif). She, syntactically, starts the sentence saying "I know you well", which sets the conversation toward a more personal level, however, Lady Henry then balks the personal relationship by saying she knows him through photographs. It is odd that Lady Henry brings up a specific amount of photographs that Lord Henry has of Dorian Gray, and even more odd when Dorian challenges her estimate. She then slows down the specificity of the photographs, with a flippant tone, "well, eighteen, then", when she says "then", the tone of the conversation comes off as lacking interest, and almost agitated. By going one number up from seventeen, it shows that Lady Henry is not really concerned with the specific number, which is ironic that she brought "seventeen" up at all, which emphasizes why the statement is so odd. Lady Henry then mentions that she saw Dorian "with him the other night at the Opera". The statement raises the question: why was she not at the Opera with her husband, and also, why wouldn't she say hello to her husband if she saw him? The statement echoes one made by Lady Henry later in the chapter when she says "I like Wagner's music better than anybody's. it is so loud that one can talk the whole time without other people hearing what one says." Both statements embody the hedonistic way of life; a husband and wife aren't at an Opera together (casual relationships (The Wasteland)), and when attending a classy Opera, they wish the music to be tuned so that "one can talk the whole time".
This passage, syntactically, is placed at the start of Dorian's development as a hedonist, or rather, exhibiting the influences Lord Henry has had on him (echoed later by Lady Henry, saying "Ah! that is one of Harry's views, isn't it, Mr. Gray?"). When he meets Lady Henry, she is similar, if not practically the same character as Lord Henry, which is to show that beauty leaves a person vacuous, rather than intelligence, which makes a person have personality (for example, Basil, a painter, and Lord Fermor, a well educated politician, who are all foils of Lord Henry in that they have a multitude of personality) (beauty vs. intelligence motif). When Lady Henry says "you thought it was my husband" it shows she was aware Dorian's expectations to see Lord Henry, and she took it upon herself to see Dorian (she didn't happen to stumble into Dorian). The conversation transitions into Lady Henry's invitation for Dorian to attend a party of hers. The abruptness of the introduction, and the expedience leading to an invitation exhibits the hedonistic, casual actions and views of Lady and Lord Henry.
*** Although the writing styles of Wilde differ greatly from Shelley, there are a lot of qualities in common between the two, since they are both during the Romance era. Throughout the Romance era, especially in England there was a desire to reinvent Greek values. In Frankenstein, other than the homoeroticism, the beauty of characters, the relationships, and how nature is portrayed are similar in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Lord Henry says, in Chapter 2, "return to the Hellenic ideal- to something finer, richer, than the Hellenic ideal." Lord Henry, the emblem of the hedonistic motif, is voicing, and contributing to the theme and Greek motif. The rampant flower references, are similar to the nature references made in Frankenstein. Also, like a flower (nature), beauty is "destined to fade" (as Lord Henry says), so as the plot progresses, Dorian will attempt to defy nature and keep his beauty forever, similar to Victor's defiance of nature- creating the creature.
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