Desire’s Influence

In A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, the concept of desire controls the lives of the characters. They are not able to think logically because they see only their desires and hope that by acting upon these desires they will reach their goals. Two characters who are particularly affected by their desires are Stanley and Blanche. Both of these characters desire to present a certain appearance, but it leads to the problems in their lives.

Stanley and Blanche are both driven by different, equally powerful desires. One desire of Stanley’s is to control the women in his life. He tries to control Stella, such as when Stella calls him “disgustingly greasy” (1585) and he retaliates by yelling, “Don’t ever talk that way to me!” (1585), then proceeds to break the silverware to show he is the boss in the house. We also see his desire for control over women when Stanley rapes Blanche. He wants to prove that he controls his household and that Blanche cannot have any power over the happenings of his life. This shows Stanley’s desire for control is ruled by violent actions which create tension between himself, Blanche, and Stella. In contrast to Stanley’s desire for control, Blanche desires to be taken care of. She wants to sit back, and enjoy life as a man makes sure she is safe and well. We see this from the beginning of the play through her attitude. She acts like a prissy, southern bell to maintain the image of a delicate woman and to present the idea that she needs to be taken care of. Also, after Mitch comes to the apartment after the birthday party, she asks him to marry her before she gets physical with him (1592). Blanche shows that she needs more than physical relations with a man to be satisfied, yet she puts so much effort into her physical appearance and tends to ignore the deeper workings of people’s hearts.

In both character’s cases, desire controls the character’s actions. Stanley’s drive for control makes him a violent, rude man. He refuses to let Stella control any of his actions, and when she tries to, he ignores her in order to reach his desires. He loses sight of other important aspects of his life, such as family and friends, when he acts upon these desires. He harms those around him, but his drive to be seen a certain way causes him to obey his desires instead of thinking of the long term effects of his actions. Also, Blanche is so desperate to be the perfect female that she tells lies. She even says, “I don’t tell truth, I tell what ought to be truth,” (1590), which shows that she does not care what she says, as long as she maintains the illusion of a perfect southern bell. The desire to be seen in a certain way by their peers dictates the way Stanley and Blanche live their lives. Every action is controlled by simple desires, and instead of thinking through situations, both Blanche and Stanley act impulsively on these desires. If they were to think about the long term effects of their actions, Stanley may have seen that mistreating Blanche would cause tension between Blanche and Stanley, but also between Stanley and Stella because Stella cares so deeply for her sister. And, if Blanche was able to see the long term affects of her lies, she may have been more open with Mitch, resulting in a flourishing relationship. But neither character can see this. Desire creates a curtain over the logic in each character’s mind. They are forced to act on their desires because both Stanley and Blanche believe that their desires will put them ahead in life and get them where they want to be. Desire controls their actions, and consequently is the cause of their problems.

Blanche and the Past

In A Street Car Named Desire, Tennessee Williams represents Blanche as a high-class, proper woman. At the beginning of the drama, Blanche arrives at her sister, Stella’s, apartment. The apartment is located in a rundown part of New Orleans, and the sight disgusts Blanche. Blanche, coming from a high class lifestyle, does not expect her sister to be living in a place Blanche considers beneath them. This makes Blanche feel as though she is superior to Stella’s friends, and she makes this apparent when she asks them to leave her alone. She later tells Stella that she does not think her friends, or her husband, have any potential. In Blanche’s mind, her sister is ruining her life by living in a society that is not good enough for her. Through her actions towards Stella’s life, Blanche shows that class and status are among the most important things to her.

Blanche continues to play the role of the prissy, proper women. This is seen when Blanche is worried about her appearance. When she first arrives, she begs Stella not to look at her because she has not had time to fix herself. Continually after this, Blanche asks Stella if she looks presentable. Blanche also shows her proper side through speech. While other characters use slang and are loose when talking to each other, Blanche never lets her guard down, and insists on maintaining her womanly image this way. These show that Blanche not only cares about the class of a person, but also how they present themselves to the public. Blanche passes judgment on people based on the way they present themselves, and thus thinks she is better than others because her presentation is of a proper woman.

However, there is reason to believe that Blanche’s perfect image is nothing more than an act. This is first seen through her constant nerves. At many points in the drama, Blanche is shaky and jumpy. She is nervous to talk about why she has come to visit Stella, and when she does she accuses Stella of thinking she has done something wrong, regardless of the fact that Stella has said nothing to suggest this. Later, Blanche asks: “Stella! What have you heard about me” (1571)? Panic takes over Blanche as she awaits the answer. Stella is confused because she has not heard anything and is unsure as to why her sister is acting this way. These instances of nervousness suggest that Blanche has something to hide. Blanche’s nerves suggest that she is not as proper or perfect as the outward image she presents.

As the drama continues, Stanley gives insight into Blanche’s nervous behavior. He talks about the stories a supply-man at his job has told him. According to the man, Blanche “moved into the Flamingo” (1581), a low-class hotel, and was asked to leave because of her immoral behavior. This statement reinforces the fact that Blanche has a past to hide because even a low class place refused to let her stay. As Stanley continues, he fills the audience in on what Blanche has done to lose her reputation. According to Stanley, Blanche has been fired from her job for having a relationship with one of her students. While Stella does not fully believe this story, it explains Blanche’s constant nerves to the audience.

While Blanche first appears to be a perfect, proper, high class woman, this seems to be little more than an act. Blanche may have been this woman at some point in her life, and clearly wants people to think she is now, but the story Stanley tells shows that this is not true. Instead of being proper, Blanche seems to have a secret life which involves immoral behavior, such as flirting with younger boys. Her encounter with the young man collecting from the newspaper reinforces this, as she acts flirtatious with him too. When the young man appears at the door, Blanche refuses to let him leave, and “without waiting for him to accept she crosses quickly to him and presses her lips to his” (1573). This strengthens the fact that Blanche has a secret, and that she is not as proper as she wants others to think she is, as she is willing to be physical with young men she does not know. Blanche’s reputation as the proper woman is tarnished because of her infatuation with younger boys. She may present herself as a high society female, but the audience can see this different, less classy side of her.

By Golly I've Got It! (Epiphanies)

In “Araby,” by James Joyce, the narrator is a young boy with a crush on his friend’s sister. The boy does not speak to the sister, but followers her obsessively. He would pull down the blinds, look for her, and follow her, but never speak to her. In the boy’s opinion, the sister is angelic, and the only bright thing in his mundane life. The boy’s heart soared when the sister finally spoke to him, asking if he was going to Araby. She spoke of how much she wanted to go, but that she would be unable to attend. The boy sees this as his opportunity to impress the sister and gain her affection. He offers to buy her a gift from the bazaar, which he believes will show her how much he cares for her. The boy is excited, and glorifies the image of the bazaar in his mind. When his uncle finally gives him the money to go, the boy arrives late, and the stalls were beginning to close down. It is not the spectacular place he had imagined, and as he hurriedly searches for a gift to buy the sister, he has an epiphany. He says: “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity (35).” In this moment, he realizes that there is no point in buying a gift for the sister. The sister only wants the material possession and it will not change her emotions towards the boy. The darkness of the bazaar helps convey this realization. It is as though everything the boy has hoped for has been turned out, like the lights in the hall. The lights represent the sister because she is this bright angle, and this idea has left the boy because he cannot gain her love, even by buying her gifts and making her his world. The boy’s paralysis is then that he cannot do anything to gain the affection of the sister, and must give up on this dream and move on.

Joyce also conveys the ideas of epiphany and paralysis in “Eveline.” In this story, a young woman is torn between staying at home with her family and leaving to start a new life with her beloved. When thinking of her deceased mother, she has an epiphany. She understands that she must leave with her lover if she wants any hope of escaping her mundane life. The two get ready to board the ship that will take them to their new life, but Eveline experiences a paralysis. While she realizes she must go will her lover, she is unable to. She thinks of her family and is unable to leave them and her former life behind. She continues to live out the reminder of her life alone in Dublin.

In both of these stories, the characters have an epiphany, realizing the truth of their situation. However, they both also experience paralysis, causing them to be unable to act upon their desires.

Petrus's Point of View

Story Re-write: From Petrus’s Point of View: Laying Pipes (Pages 136 – 139)

David had said he would help Petrus build his house. That morning, Petrus knocks on the back door, and asks David to help him lay PVC pipe, and to lend him tools so the two of them can fit the regulators. David shows no interest in helping with this task, and idiotically replies that he does not know anything about regulators. Petrus insists David will be able to complete the task, and they head toward the dam.

Petrus has a strong knowledge of pipefitting and plumbing, and hardly asks anything of David, only requiring him to hand the tools to Petrus. As Petrus works, David begins to interrogate him about the boy from the party. “Petrus,” he demands, “that young man who was at your house last night – what is his name and where is he now (137)?” Petrus frowns, caught off guard by the verbal attack. While Petrus knows David is upset over Lucy’s safety, he does not wish to engage in confrontation, so he focuses on the material possessions. “The boy is very angry you call him a thief. And you will not get your car back from this boy. He cannot give you your car. Your car is gone (137-138).” Much to Petrus’s dislike, David will not drop the subject. Continually, David cross-examines him, butchering him for information. Petrus does not like this treatment from David. People like David were always the ones putting people like Petrus down. Not anymore. What proof could he provide that Petrus was connected? Petrus may know the truth, but David was medaling in country matters; things did not concern him.

Petrus, abandoning his defenses, addresses Lucy’s situation. “Lucy is safe here. I will protect her (138-139)” Yet, David will not hear of it. It is not in David’s nature to trust, let alone to trust a colored, country man. As David continues to press the issue, demanding the boy is turned over to the police, Petrus is finished. He has done all he can to reassure David that he will protect Lucy and does not continue to answer to David. “Do you need me here any longer (139?)” snaps David. “No, now it is easy, now I must just dig the pipe in (139),” Petrus concludes the argument, satisfied that David has given in.



Analysis

From David’s point of view, Petrus is an uncaring, self-centered man. He only cares about his property and bettering himself. When David asks him to look after the farm while Lucy is away, Petrus says it would be too much work. David takes this to mean that Petrus does not care what happens to Lucy, and that land and status or the only important things to a black man in this society. However, David is used to the white superiority granted under apartheid, and has always seen himself as a greater man than a colored man. Thus, he is quick to judge Petrus, and quick to blame him for the attack on Lucy, despite the fact that he has no proof.

People who are more regularly around Petrus seem to disagree with David. One such person is Bev Shaw, who says “You can depend on [Petrus] (140).” Bev tries to reassure David that Petrus is a good person and will protect Lucy. She points out that it was Petrus who helped Lucy get started at the market, and that Lucy owes Petrus a lot because of the help he has given her by working on the land. Lucy also trusts Petrus. She is grateful of him when he offers to make her his third wife. This will grant Lucy protection, which she admits to needing because she lives alone in a dangerous place. Lucy says she is “a woman alone. I have no brothers. I have a father, but he is far away and anyhow powerless in the terms that matter here. To whom can I turn for protection (204)?” Lucy sees the proposal as a kind and protective action, which highlights the good in Petrus. By contrast, David is furious by this proposal, saying Petrus only wants to take advantage of his daughter and take away her land. He ignores how much help Petrus is offering to Lucy, and ignores the fact that Lucy will be much safer if she formally has a man to protect her. David is set on his beliefs, but those around him seem to have different, more positive views of Petrus.

The excerpt above, which is rewritten from Petrus’s point of view, helps depict David’s bias. When David confronts Petrus about the young man from the party, David thinks Petrus is playing with him because he is not giving direct answers. However, given the way other people view Petrus, it can be assumed that Petrus is defending himself. David questions Petrus as though he is of lower class. He talks down to Petrus and does not accept that Petrus is his equal. When attacked with the accusation, Petrus raises his defenses, and does not yield to David. There is a sense of black pride involved in Petrus’s behavior because he does not allow the white man to take charge. Petrus shows that times have changed, and wants to be seen as an equal. However, this does not mean that Petrus is unconcerned with the incident. Petrus even admits that the incident was bad (201) and that he would help protect Lucy. By removing David’s bias, it appears as though Petrus is a good, helpful, and caring man.

Lurie's Progress

David Lurie is a grown man with a desire for love-making. In the beginning of Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee, Lurie sleeps with one of his students. She files charges against him, and Lurie is questioned by a school council for his actions.

While being questioned by the committee, Lurie is asked his opinion on his actions. He pleads guilty, but he will not admit to being wrong. While Lurie does not read the statement the student made, he knows that she is complaining about the affairs they have had together. To this, he pleads guilty, acknowledging that the he did indeed sleep with his student. However, when asked to admit he was wrong in doing so, Lurie refuses. He claims he “became a servant of Eros (52).” Lurie does not think he was wrong in sleeping with his student because he dilutes himself into thinking he is in love with his student, and should be able to act on his desires. The male persons on the council try to help Lurie out of his situation, granting him options, such as taking up counseling, to which he replies, “I am beyond the reach of counseling (49).” This gives insight into Lurie’s mind. He believes men should be able to act on their desires. He chooses not to take this way out of his problem because he does not feel the need to admit he was wrong. By admitting he is wrong, he is admitting he is not superior to women, he should not be allowed to act on his desires, and he was not acting for love. Lurie is a stubborn man and holds strong views. He will not yield to change, and thus, accepts that he must leave the school. To Lurie, this punishment is not as great as if he had admitted he was wrong, because it makes his views wrong.

When Lurie leaves, he goes to live with his daughter, Lucy, in the country. After living there for a few days, three men appear and attack them. The house is robbed, the dogs are killed, Lurie is set on fire, and ironically, Lucy is rapped. When Lurie rapped his student he said it was an act of love, but when his daughter is rapped, he says “it was a crime (111).” Lurie is worried for his daughter and shows his fatherly side when he repeatedly asks if she has seen a doctor and “he wishes [the men] harm (107).” He wants to make sure is daughter is not hurt, physically or emotionally. During these moments, it seems as though Lurie is changing, beginning to understand that rape has permanent consequences on the woman. However, there continue to be comments which suggest Lurie still does not see his past actions as wrong. The statement “How they put [Lucy] in her place, how they showed her what a woman was for (115),” shows that Lurie still sees women as objects. The way this is stated, as a fact that women are for pleasure, depicts Lurie’s view of women. It shows that he has not changed his views and that he thinks men have reason to act on their desires. He is truly hurt that this has happened to his daughter, but he cannot bring himself to change his views, and continues to see women as pleasurable objects.

Because it is Lucy who is rapped, and not just another girl, it seems as though Lurie has potential to change his views. He may finally accept that rape is wrong and hurtful action. However, at this point in the story, his views are still clouded by his past beliefs and he is unable to change his opinion. While he has not yet changed, there is hope that he still might be able to.

This Is Just to Slay

I have taken
the sword
that was in
the stone

and which
you were probably
saving
for a king

Forgive me
it was shiny
so sharp
and so mine

Ozymandias, the Great

Ozymandias was another name for Ramesses the Great, Pharaoh of the nineteenth dynasty of ancient Egypt. The 2008 edition of the travel guide Lonely Planet's guide to Egypt says that the poem was inspired by the fallen statue of Ramesses II at the Ramesseum, a memorial temple built by Ramesses at Thebes, near Luxor in Upper Egypt. King Ramses left monuments throughout Egypt, like Ozymandias left monuments throughout Ozymandias’s kingdom. Once Ozymandias was a great king now only remembered by a broken statue in the desert. However, Ramses remains today perhaps the most famous of Egyptian pharaohs. In addition, many of the monuments erected during his rule still stand.



"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:/Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

This states Ramses II wanted to leave a set as a reminder of his great strength and wealth. Under him Egypt acquired unprecedented grandness. This is how he dominated for 67 years: Following the imperial efforts started a century earlier, Ramesses II sought to emulate and surpass the success of the reigns of Thutmose III and Amenhotep III Ramses like his father Seti I, had red hair and therefore was associated with the god Set (a god of chaos, confusion, storms, wind, the desert and foreign lands.) Set had been scorned by most Egyptians throughout their history. However, Ramses II was quiet proud to be a man of Set and made a point to uplift his name. War and expanding borders were a big part of Ramses’ rule and Set was the perfect god to have on his side.

Ramesses, of all the ancient rulers, left what is perhaps the most indelible mark on the country. His legacy can be seen most clearly in the archaeological record – in the many buildings that Ramesses modified, usurped, or constructed from the ground up. His building achievements stand pre-eminent amongst the pharaohs of Egypt. On the west bank at Thebes he constructed a giant mortuary temple known as the Ramesseum.


"Nothing beside remains: Round the decay/ Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare/ The lone and level sands stretch far away."

Yet, The might and majesty of a king do not last A variety of health problems (such as arthritis and arterial issues) may have contributed to the end of the life of Ramses II. Ramses II was buried in the Valley of Kings, but had to be replaced because of looting.The condition of KV7 (Valley of the Kings: Tomb of Ramesses II) is poor, immense damage having been wrought by the seven or more distinct 'flooding events' to which the tomb has been subjected over the centuries and by moisture-induced swelling of the underlying shale. The site Ramesses II chose for his tomb was not a good one. After years or being looted and weathered, it remains destroyed.

Frustration. Aggravation. Dehumanization.

In the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, rhetorical questions are used to express the frustrations African Americans encountered while trying to be accepted by society. The first question sets up the poem, asking what happens when you cannot reach your dreams. All of the questions that follow attempt to answer the main question.

The first question asks if an unexpressed dream will dry up like a raisin. A raisin is already dried, and leaving it to dry in the sun will decrease any nutritional value it once had, suggesting the raisin has been forgotten and anyone who may have wanted to eat it has moved on. This represents the first possible answer to the main question of the poem: the dream is just forgotten, and the dreamer moves on in life. The second question asks if the dream is like an infected sore, eating you from the inside, suggesting the dreams inside being devoured by hopelessness, causing pain to the one who cannot express them. The third question asks if it stinks like rotting meat, which is an intense smell that never really goes away, and stays in the air driving the person smelling the meat insane. This is another suggested answer to the question of a “dream deferred.” It will hang there, tempting the dreamer, driving him insane because he will never be able to obtain it. The fourth question talks about a crusted over sweet, which depicts a hardened layer, making the sweet worthless and impossible to eat. This proposes the idea that the dreamer has failed in life and becomes depressed. His dreams are stuck so deep inside him that he has become nothing more than a shell, or a crusted and sugared over outer layer, of what was once a man. Each question gets progressively more intense, starting at the dream being forgotten, continuing all the way down to the dehumanization of the dreamer. With each question, Hughes builds frustration, showing that people are made of dreams and need to be able to express these dreams or else they will never truly be allowed to live.

All of these frustrations lead to the final question: “Or does it explode?” This question is the most intense and direct explanation for the main question. The difference between this question and the ones before it is that the first four questions were all similes, suggesting that something “like” the terrible things would happen, whereas the final question is a metaphor, presenting a stronger analogy because the dream is not “like” an explosion, but actually IS an explosion. This makes the feeling aggravation seem real and uncontainable. Everyone understands how destructive explosions are, and Hughes uses this common knowledge to express how drastic life will be if African Americans are not allowed to express their dreams. If the dream does explode, the dreamer will do something just as drastic as an explosion, perhaps committing suicide (which was probably not seen as an “explosion” to the white community, but surly was to the African American community) or fighting against the law by doing something drastic, such as murdering those who tried to oppress them.

Hughes is able to express the frustrations of the African American community during this time period by cleverly using similes, a metaphor, and rhetorical questions to discuses all the negative consequences associated with postponing a dream. From this poem, it is easy to tell that African Americans needed to express themselves through their dreams to be accepted into society, and to accept themselves.

From Numbers to Death, in the Metro

*

In Pound’s “In a Station of the Metro,” the speaker steps off a train and suddenly has a new, positive reception of the people around him. He sees beautiful people dying, and Pound uses a metaphor to relate the station to nature.

The images of the first line of “In a Station of the Metro” are common. It is easy to picture a crowded place full of many faces. Usually, when you stand in the middle of a crowded place while people hurry around you, you only see blurs passing by, not distinct people with individual lives. I think the speaker in Pound’s poem stepped off the train and paused for just a moment. In that moment he seems to have realized everyone in that station is eventually going to die. In the music video, “Savin’ Me” by Nickelback**, one man’s appreciation of life changes when he is able to see every “face” in the crowd and how much longer they will live. Numbers appear over each person’s head representing the time they have left in the world. In “In a Station of the Metro,” I feel as though the speaker is experiencing a similar phenomenon to the man in Nickelback’s video. While numbers may not be appearing above everyone’s head, there is that realization the death is unavoidable and in that moment the speaker appreciates the beauty in every person around him.

The strongest way Pound conveys this image is with his clever use of the word “apparition,” which can mean to appear or can be used to refer to a ghost. Pound uses the first definition to explain that people are appearing in his eyes. While there have always been people in the train station, the speaker has never seen them as having purpose but he does at this time. Pound also uses the second meaning, which illustrates that everyone in the station is disappearing and fading into ghosts. The speaker is hit with reality when he realizes the people around him are important individuals, constantly inching towards death with every second they live. This meaning of “apparition” also creates an image of ghostly-white against the dark train station, symbolizing the purity and integrity each person has within them, regardless of outward, darkened appearances. Because the speaker sees this good in each person, he feels saddened that death will eventually claim them all.

The image of the second line is a metaphoric representation of the speaker’s experience in the train station. Literally, this line depicts flower petals stuck to a wet, dead tree, which is an uncommon sight to the average person. Because this sight is so rare, it emphasizes how exceptional the speaker is for being able to see the people as beautiful, unique individuals. Each petal, no longer attached to the stem, represents a person who is approaching death at every moment. The petals are brightly colored, portraying the beauty within each person, and set against a blackened tree which represents both the dark train station and eternal darkness of death. As the tree begins to dry, the petals will start to fall from the tree, one by one, as the people in the station succumb to the darkness. The speaker seems to have an emotional connection to the strangers around him because he has a new understanding of how short life truly is.

*Picture from Nickleback's music video "Savin' Me"
** http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JQiEs32SqQ

Thesis: "Whatif" by Shel Silverstein

In Shel Silverstein's poem "Whatif," Silverstein is able to express the fears many children experience in their young lives by creating a speaker who is an apprehensive child questioning the endless negative possibilities in the world.

'Till Death Does its Part...

Shakespeare sees the death of his friend as a fast approaching truth he must accept. While he cares for his friend, he admits that death cannot be stopped. In Sonnet 73, death is represented by the passage of time. In the first quatrain, Shakespeare uses images of late fall or early winter, such as when he mentions “where late the sweet birds sang.” In the second quatrain, Shakespeare uses imagery to depict day turning into night. The uses of these images evoke feelings of cold and depression, which parallel the feelings one often experiences before the occurrence of a death. The first quatrain is a changing season, while the second is a changing day. This gives the feeling that time is getting shorter, but for both changes, the sun will shine bright again at a later time. The final quatrain is about a fire which is being put out by its own ashes. Fire only burns for a short amount of time, intensifying the fact that death is approaching fast. Unlike a changing season, or an ending day, once a fire is gone, it will not rise again. This last quatrain finalizes the death of his friend, making it more real than before. In Shakespeare’s heroic couplet, he notes that his friend “must leave ere long,” accepting that his friend must die, and becomes more concerned about his own well being after the friend leaves him behind.

Unlike Shakespeare, Thomas did not see the death of his father as something he had to accept, but as an obstacle his father should fight against. In “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night,” Thomas pleads with his father to “rage” against death and to not give up so easily. His method of persuasion consists of telling his father about the “wise,” “good,” “wild,” and “grave” men, all of whom have reasons to fight against death. This, Thomas hopes, will convince his father to be like these men and fight until his last moment. This poem is written in the Villanelle form, which strengthens Thomas’s plea to fight against death. Despite the fact the Thomas is facing an emotionally hard time because the father he idolizes is dying, he forces himself to follow the strict form. Following the strict form shows that even in the toughest of times people are able to force themselves to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. As Thomas forced himself to write a Villanelle, he hoped his father would fight to live.

The Magical Test Post

This is my magical test post! It is magical, becuase I told it to be.