LITERATURE ANALYSIS #2

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read according to the elements of plot you've learned in past courses (exposition, inciting incident, etc.).  Explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).
- The Awakening by Kate Chopin, begins with Edna Pontellier, her husband, Leonce, and their two children spending some time in Grand Isle. Since Mr. Pontellier is always gone with business, Edna develops a close bond with her friend, Adele Ratignolle. Through spending much of her time with Adele, Edna discovers that she no longer wants to be an ordinary "mother-woman" and strives to become the independent woman that she has always wanted to be. While in the process of discovering herself, Edna develops a relationship with Robert. As time progresses, Edna and Robert's love for one another becomes incredibly intense. Due to the fact that their love is forbidden, Robert decides to leave Grand Isle. When Edna leaves Grand Isle and returns back home, She commits adultery and participates in sexual pleasures with Alcee. Robert and Edna then confess their love for one another and Edna soon leaves Robert to go help Adele through childbirth. However, when Edna returns, Robert is gone and Edna heads back to Grand Isle, where she commits suicide. 
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.
- The theme of The Awakening is adultery. In the novel, Edna discovers that she wants to be free and realizes that she is drifting away from her husband, Leonce. While finding herself as an individual, Edna participates in sexual pleasures with Alcee and confesses her love to Robert.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).
- Kate Chopin's tone is objective.Throughout the novel, she demonstrates facts as well as the thoughts and feelings of the characters. 
"Edna liked it all. she looked Mariequita up and down, from her ugly brown toes to her pretty black eyes, and back again." (page 34)
"A feeling of oppression and drowsiness overcame Edna during the service. Her head began to ache, and the lights on the alter swayed before her eyes." (page 35)
"As Edna walked along the street she was thinking of Robert. She was still under the spell of her infatuation. She had tried to forget him, realizing the inutility of remembering." (page 54)
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)
DOVER THRIFT EDITIONS 
Point of View: The novel is told in third person. "He thought it very discouraging of his wife, who was the sole  object of his existence, evinced so little interest in things which concerned him, and valued so little his conversation." (page 5)
Symbolism: "A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before." (page 27) 
Similes: "She missed him the days when some pretext served to take him away from her, just as one misses the sun on a cloudy day without having thought much about the sun when it was shining." (page 27)
Imagery: "Mrs. Pontellier's eyes were quick and bright; they were yellowish brown, about the color of her hair. She had a way of turning then swiftly upon an object and holding them there as if lost in some inward maze of contemplation or thought." (page 3) 
Personification: "The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace." (page 13)
Foreshadowing: "Let Mrs. Pontellier alone..... She is not one of us; she is not like us. She might make the unfortunate blunder of taking you seriously." (page 19)
Foil: "-all declared that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world. Mrs. Pontellier was forced to admit that she knew of none better." "If her husband did not adore her, he was a brute, deserving of all death by slow torture. Her name was Adele Ratignolle." (page 8)
Vernacular: "I hope you feel better and happier in the morning." (page 93) "When did you come back?" (page 97)
Dialect: "Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That's all right!" (page 1) "Voila que Madame Ratignolle est jalouse!" (page 19)
Diction: "Mrs. Pontellier was by that time thoroughly awake. She began to cry a little, and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her peignoir. Blowing out the candle, which her husband had left burning, she slipped her bare feet into a pair of satin mules at the foot of the bed and went out on the porch, where she sat down in the wicker chair and began to rock gently to and fro." (page 6)

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?
- The author uses both direct and indirect characterization not only for readers to learn about characters through their appearances, but through their thoughts, behaviors, and feelings as well.
DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
"Mr. Pontellier wore eye-glasses. He was a man of forty, of medium height and rather slender build; he stooped a little. His hair was brown and straight, parted on one side. His beard was neatly and closely trimmed." (page 1) Mr. Pontellier's appearance is being described.
"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels." (page 8) In this paragraph, we learn that Mrs. Pontellier is not like the other mothers. Although she does love her family, Mrs. Pontellier does not worship her husband nor idolized her children.
INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION
"Mrs. Pontellier sprang out of bed and went into the next room. She soon came back and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning her head down on the pillow. She said nothing, and refused to answer her husband when he questioned her. When his cigar was smoked out he went to bed, and in half a minute he was fast asleep." (page 6) Based on this paragraph, we can infer that something is clearly upsetting Mrs. Pontellier. We can also infer that although Mr. Pontellier loves Edna, he doesn't truly know nor care much about her feelings.
"He stood up beside her and smoothed her hair with his soft, magnetic hand. His touch conveyed to her a certain physical comfort. She could have fallen quietly asleep there if he had continued to pass his hand over her hair. He brushed the hair upward from the nape of her neck." (page 92) Based on this paragraph, we can infer that Arobin is seductive and that Mrs. Pontellier is both comfortable with and physically attracted to Arobin.
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?
- Yes, the author's diction does change when she focuses on Mrs. Pontellier's character. When Mrs. Pontellier thinks or speaks of her love for Robert, the author's diction changes which ultimately creates an entirely different atmosphere within the novel. 
"As Edna walked along the street she was thinking of Robert. She was still under the spell of her infatuation. She had tried to forget him, realizing the inutility of remembering. But the thought of him was like an obsession, ever pressing itself upon her. It was not that she dwelt upon details of their acquaintance, or recalled in any special or peculiar way his personality; it was his being, his existence, which dominated her thought, fading sometimes as if it would melt into the mist of the forgotten, reviving again with an intensity which filled her with an incomprehensible longing." (page 54)
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.
- I believe that the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is a dynamic and round character because she undergoes change from the beginning to the end of the novel. At the beginning of the novel, Mrs. Pontellier was an ordinary wife and mother, however, after discovering her identity and participating in sexual matters along the way, she transforms into the independent woman that she had always wanted to become.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction. 
- After reading the book I felt as if I'd met Edna. Throughout the novel, Edna expressed her true emotions as she confessed her feelings for Robert and demonstrated her want of independence, which made her seem like a real person and not just a character.
"The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontellier's eyes that the damp sleeve of her peignoir no longer served to dry them. She was holding the back of her chair with one hand; her loose sleeve had slipped almost to the shoulder of her uplifted arm. Turning, she thrust her face, steaming and wet, into the bend of her arm, and she went on crying there, not caring any longer to dry her face, her eyes, her arms. She could not have told why she was crying. Such experiences as the foregoing were not uncommon in her married life. They seemed never before to have weighed much against the abundance of her husband's kindness and a uniform devotion which had come to be tacit and self-understood." (page 6)
In this paragraph, I felt like I had really known Edna as an individual. She was at such a vulnerable state, which gave me the opportunity to really connect to her as she poured all of her emotions out. This paragraph helped me realize that sometimes emotions help us really learn about an individual; that when someone is at a vulnerable state in their life, their true colors show and they are themselves. 

I, JURY

Erica Marquez: Nice job Erica! I felt like you answered the prompt well. I have to agree with Kylie, you did a very good job using direct and indirect characterization to describe Bernard. Overall, your essay was very well written!

Ashley Hong: Great job on your essay Ashley! I really liked that you began your essay by discussing Edna Pontellier's character and then shifted to Bernard Marx 's character. Overall, your essay was nicely written and you had great points throughout.

Elisia Estrada: Really well written! I really liked your introduction. You answered the prompt well and had great points throughout your essay. Nicely done!

I felt like the essays I read were all very well written. They all did a nice job of addressing the prompt and providing supportive evidence. Reading these essays showed me that I need to not only work on summarizing less, but work on providing more examples and ideas as well.

BRAVE NEW ESSAY

Analyze the character of Bernard Marx. In what ways is he admirable? In what ways is he less than admirable? Overall, how would you characterize his motivations and actions? Explore the function his character plays in the novel. What purpose does he serve? (Prompt found by Eli Esparza)

In today's society, it's difficult to truly be yourself when the individuals you're surrounded by seem to share many similar characteristics. In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, Bernard Marx is characterized as different based on his motivations and actions throughout the novel. Bernard's differences are what truly make him both an admirable and less than admirable character. Bernard's ability to think differently compared to the rest of the characters, plays a major role in Brave New World. 

Bernard Marx, an Alpha, comes across as an admirable character based on his differences in the novel. Unlike the rest of the tall, good-looking Alphas, Bernard is described as short, unattractive, and abnormal. Although he doesn't seem to look like the others, Bernard has a mind of his own. In the novel, Bernard is conservative and believes that sexual matters shouldn't be expressed around others, but only between the two individuals who are intimate with one another; something the others don't seem to believe. Bernard may be an Alpha, but he isn't small minded and brainwashed like the other Alphas are; Bernard is human. Although Bernard is an admirable character, his insecurities make him less than admirable. While attending his Solidarity Service day, Bernard puts effort into fitting in with the others and his efforts cause him to feel isolated, which isn't an admirable quality. Even though Bernard's difference in character is admirable, his efforts to cover up his insecurities and fit in make Bernard far from admirable.  

Although he may seem strange to the other characters, I would characterize Bernard's motivations and actions as normal. Bernard has the ability to think for himself, while the other characters in the novel do not have the same ability. While all the other Alphas believe themselves to be superior and believe that discussing about multiple women and sexual matters are except-able, Bernard feels uncomfortable discussing such matters and believes that women shouldn't be talked about as "pieces of meat." Bernard's human-like qualities serve to illustrate the fact that everyone else is exactly the same in the novel not only in physical structure, but in their views and beliefs. Bernard's actions ultimately demonstrate that he is the most human character in the novel.  


Being different isn't always easy, but sharing a number of characteristics with others is less than admirable. In Brave New World, Bernard is an incredibly unique character who represents a real human. Bernard serves to demonstrate that differences in character truly make a character.  

BRAVE NEW WORLD ESSAY TOPIC

PROMPT:
Select a novel, play, or epic in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from “home,” whether that home is the character’s birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. You may choose a work from the list below or one of comparable literary merit. Do not merely summarize the plot.

STRATEGY:
- I would begin by selecting a character from Brave New World that experiences a rift and becomes cut off from "home."
- I would address the character's birthplace/special place (being the factory in the novel).
- Since we are only on chapter 5 of the novel, I would try my best to analyze as well as identify examples where the character I selected had alienating/enriching experiences with exile.
- And I would address/identify how the character's experience illuminates the novel.

I AM HERE

I honestly feel like I'm not putting as much effort into the course work as I should be. I've been extremely unmotivated this semester, but I'm currently in the process of gaining my motivation back. However, I feel like I've been doing fairly well on my literary term quizzes and I believe that I've put my best effort into completing the in-class essays. I have not begun working on my senior project yet. I have an idea of what I want to do, I'm just having a difficult time deciding on what it is that I actually want to do.

LIT TERMS #6

simile: a figure of speech comparing two essentially unlike things through the use of a specific word of comparison.

soliloquy: an extended speech, usually in a drama, delivered by a character alone on stage.

spiritual: a folk song, usually on a religious theme. 

speaker: a narrator, the one speaking.

stereotype: cliché; a simplified, standardized conception with a special meaning and appeal for members of a group; a formula story. 

stream of consciousness: the style of writing that attempts to imitate the natural flow of a character's thoughts, feelings, reflections, memories, and mental images, as the character experiences them.

structure: the planned framework of a literary selection; its apparent organization. 

style: the manner of putting thoughts into words; a characteristic way of writing or speaking. 

subordination: the couching of less important ideas in less important structures of language.

surrealism: a style in literature and painting that stresses the subconscious or the irrational aspects of man's existence characterized by the juxtaposition of the bizarre and the banal.

suspension of disbelief: suspend disbelief in order to enjoy something.

symbol: something which stands for something else, yet has a meaning of its own.

synesthesia: the use of one sense to convey the experience of another sense. 

synecdoche: another form of name changing, in which a part stands for the whole.

syntax: the arrangement and grammatical relations of words in a sentence.

theme: main idea of the story; its message(s).

thesis: a proposition for consideration, especially one to be discussed and proved or disproved;the main idea.

tone: the devices used to create the mood and atmosphere of a literary work; the author's perceived point of view.

tongue in cheek: a type of humor in which the speaker feigns seriousness; also called "dry" or "dead pan" 

tragedy: in literature: any composition with a somber theme carried to a disastrous conclusion; a fatal event; protagonist usually is heroic but tragically (fatally) flawed.

understatement: opposite of hyperbole; saying less than you mean for emphasis.

vernacular: everyday speech.

voice: The textual features, such as diction and sentence structures, that convey a writer's or speaker's persona.

zeitgeist: the feeling of a particular era in history

HAFTA/WANNA

For the most part, my life after high school will be similar to my life now. However, life will be different after high school based on the fact that I will have more freedom. After high school, I will be living on my own, studying what I find interest in, and making my own decisions. I believe that people will not somehow magically transform after high school. Change is a process; therefore people will change, but their transformations will happen over time. I have an extremely difficult time balancing the things I want to do and the things I have to do. I normally only pay attention to the things that I have to do and tend to neglect the things I want to do. I am determined to change this habit and have an equal balance between the things I have and want to do in life. I have very high expectations of myself. I expect to accomplish all of my goals and not let anything stop me from accomplishing them. I expect to receive support and guidance from the world around me as I move on.  

THE NOSE

QUIZ 
1. What does Ivan Yakovlevich do for a living? 
- Ivan Yakovlevich is a barber.
2. What does Ivan find in a loaf of bread?
- He finds Collegiate Assessor Kovalev's nose.
3. How does his wife respond to Ivan's discovery? 
- Ivan's wife begins yelling at him and threatens to report him to the police.
4. What does Ivan set out to accomplish? 
- Ivan sets out to get rid of the nose.
5. When Ivan tosses the "package" in the river, for a brief moment he is happy; then he is arrested. What does this scene suggest about the role of happiness in Ivan's life/community/society? 
- This scene suggests that happiness lasts a very short period of time. It also suggests that once one finds happiness, it is taken from them shortly after.
6. Where does the title object belong, and how does it finally get there?
- The nose belongs to Major Kovalev and a police returns it to him.

LIT TERMS #5

parallelism: the principle in sentence structure that states elements of equal function should have equal form.

parody: an imitation of mimicking of a composition or of the style of a well-known artist.

  
pathos: the ability in literature to call forth feelings of pity, compassion, and/or sadness.

pedantry: a display of learning for its own sake.

personification: a figure of speech attributing human qualities to inanimate objects or abstract ideas.

plot: a plan or scheme to accomplish a purpose.

poignant: eliciting sorrow or sentiment.

point of view: the attitude unifying any oral or written argumentation; in description, the physical point from which the observer views what he is describing.

postmodernism: literature characterized by experimentation, irony, nontraditional forms, multiple  meanings, playfulness and a blurred boundary between real and imaginary

prose: the ordinary form of spoken and written language; language that does not have a regular rhyme pattern.

protagonist: the central character in a work of fiction; opposes antagonist
pun: play on words; the humorous use of a word emphasizing different meanings or applications.

purpose: the intended result wished by an author.

realism: writing about the ordinary aspects of life in a straightforward manner to reflect life as it actually is.  

refrain: a phrase or verse recurring at intervals in a poem or song; chorus.

requiem: any chant, dirge, hymn, or musical service for the dead.

resolution: point in a literary work at which the chief dramatic complication is worked out; denouement. 

restatement: idea repeated for emphasis.

rhetoric: use of language, both written and verbal in order to persuade.

rhetorical question: question suggesting its own answer or not requiring an answer; used in argument or persuasion. 

rising action: plot build up, caused by conflict and complications, advancement towards climax. 

romanticism: movement in western culture beginning in the eighteenth and peaking in the nineteenth century as a revolt against Classicism; imagination was valued over reason and fact.

satire: ridicules or condemns the weakness and wrong doings of individuals, groups, institutions, or humanity in general.

scansion: the analysis of verse in terms of meter.

setting: the time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem occur.