Ghost Story or Comic Relief?

One of the ways in which Irving described Ichabod Crane in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” was when Ichabod was mounting the farmer’s horse, Gunpowder. The two are a sore sight for any eyes. The horse was described as, “gaunt and shagged, with a ewe neck, and a head like a hammer; his rusty many and tail were tangled and knotted with burs; one eye had lost its pupil, and was glaring and spectral, but the other had the gleam of a genuine devil in it.” Gunpowder is a very run-down, second-hand horse. Ichabod is also described as awkward and ungainly when Irving wrote, “He rode with short stirrups, which brought his knees nearly up to the pommel of the saddle; his sharp elbows stuck out like grasshopper’s; he carried his whip perpendicularly in his hand, like a scepter, and as his horse jogged on, the motion of his arms was not unlike the flapping of a pair of wings.” Later in the story, after Ichabod heads home from the party at Van Tassel’s mansion on the back of Gunpowder, he encounters the headless horseman who pursues him in a wild chase through the woods. This part of the story is intended to be fearsome, with the horrible, headless creature tearing after poor Ichabod. But all I could think about during this part of the story was the image of Ichabod on the dilapidated horse, lumbering through the forest. It’s quite an awkward and humorous scene. Humor goes hand-in-hand with terror in this part of the story.
I also noticed humor tied to scary elements in the “Christmas Banquet.” During the annual Christmas banquet there are ten guests invited to the table. They all gather around the food like civilized, mannered people. However, at the head of the table sits a skeleton, described as, “Such a fearful guest, shrouded in a black mantle […].” The skeleton is used as a horrifying image, meant to inflict fear and wariness among readers. In my opinion the image of ten civilized people sitting down to dinner with a skeleton at the head of the table is funny. I also thought that three of the mournful, depressed dinner guests were comical. I found it hilarious that one man, described as, “[…] a certain Mr. Smith, who had evidently the fat of many a rich feast within him, and the habitual twinkle of whose eye betrayed a disposition to break forth into uproarious laughter for little cause or none,” died because his heart condition wouldn’t allow him to laugh, yet he did. I also found it funny that two of the most miserable people seated at the table were married to each other, and the chief cause of each other’s grief. Often this is the common and unfortunate case with many married couples. These three guests were meant to symbolize grief, despair and unhappiness, but to me they were funny.

Story Time

I have to admit that I approached reading the short story with a lot less trepidation than when I approached the poetry we read. I usually view short stories as much easier to read and to understand. I approach them with the intent of being amused, instead of a fear that I will not comprehend what they are trying to say, as with poetry. Of course, now that we have been through the English-200 poetry unit I am a lot more confident in my skills when it comes to reading a poem. However, I still enjoy reading short stories more.
While reading the Lottery I did have to use some of my earlier-learned poetry skills. I found that I needed to re-read certain parts of the story, three or even four times, before I really understood what was going on. I also had to re-read certain paragraphs to keep all of the different characters straight. Often, during the poetry unit, I would need to go back and look at certain verses and lines more than once. I quickly learned that it is not easy, and sometimes not even possible, to grasp a poem’s meaning with just one quick skim through. The same theory applies to The Lottery as well. Also, I found myself noticing the imagery of the story, something I would not have previously thought to do. For example, I loved how Jackson set the scenery in the beginning of the story, when she writes, “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” The poetry unit taught me to better appreciate the pictures painted by the words of poetry, and short-story, authors.

"El Cisne" (The Swan)

The poem that I found to be most interesting was “Leda and the Swan.” I recognized the poem immediately because I had read a poem almost identical to it last semester in a Spanish literature class. Ruben Dario, a very famous Nicaraguan poet, wrote “El Cisne,” which translates in English to “The Swan.” “El Cisne” describes the rape of Leda, by Zeus, and the birth of her beautiful daughter, Helen, from a blue egg. What’s most interesting to me is that in “Leda and the Swan,” the significance of the poem was to depict the violence of the Irish civil war. However, the significance of the almost identical poem, “El Cisne,” is to depict the literary current ‘modernismo.’ Modernismo is a literary current which advocates art for art. Modernistos (as they are called in Spanish) desire to create beautiful art and nothing more. It is a rebellion against the industrial revolution, which demanded relevance in everything. Nothing was important if it was not useful to science or medicine. We can see that the poem is written under modernismo influence because Dario uses such symbols as a swan and the color blue, both of which are very popular in the modernismo current. It’s interesting to me to see how two different authors wrote an almost identical poem with completely different underlying themes.
I definitely feel that this poetry unit has changed my opinion about poetry over all. I’ve realized that not all poems are that hard to understand if you only do a little research on them. Some poems I’ve actually come to really like and admire, such as the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “The Lady of Shalott.” I feel more well rounded in the area of literature now that I am familiar with more than just popular novels and short stories.
Aqui esta “El Cisne,” escribo por el autor Ruben Dario:
(Here is “El Cisne” written by Ruben Dario:)
"Fué en una hora divina para el género humano.
El Cisne antes cantaba sólo para morir.
Cuando se oyó el acento del Cisne wagneriano
Fué en medio de una aurora, fué para revivir.
.
. . . .Sobre las tempestades del humano oceano
Se oye el canto del Cisne; no se cesa de oir,
Dominando el martillo del viejo Thor germano
Ó las trompas que cantan la espada de Argantir.
.
. . . .¡Oh Cisne! ¡Oh sacro pájaro! Si antes la blanca Helena
Del huevo azul de Leda brotó de gracia llena,
Siendo de la Hermosura la princesa inmortal,
.
. . . .Bajo tus blancas alas la nueva Poesía
Concibe en una gloria de luz y de harmonía
La Helena eterna y pura que encarna el ideal."

Evil is as Evil does...

The “Goblin Market” uses ideas based on Christianity and the Victorian age’s expectations about the role of a ‘good’ woman to depict evil.
In the beginning of the poem we learn that evil creatures known as goblin men exist. The goblins roam the earth, tempting all man-kind with their delicious, yet cursed, fruits. The goblin men are described as so gruesome that they are more alike with animals than with men. Rossetti states, “One had a cat’s face / One whisked a tail / One tramped at a rat’s pace / One crawled like a snail / One like a wombat prowled obtuse and furry / One like a ratel tumbled hurry-scurry.” All of the animals described here are considered to be lowly, at the bottom of the barrel as far as animals go. The goblin men, with their animalistic physique, can be a likened to the evil serpent who invaded the Garden of Eden. The serpent, a prime example of a lowly creature, tempted mankind with fruit as well, specifically with an evil apple. The goblin men also have evil apples.
Evil is also highlighted in the actions of Laura, contrasted with those of her sister, Lizzie. In the Victorian age women were expected to be docile, pure ‘homebodies’ who did not stray far from the house and who did not let their curiosities run amuck. The image of a good woman is portrayed by Lizzie, who is described as “White and golden,” “Like a lily in a flood,” and “Like a royal virgin town.” Lizzie is content in acting like an obedient maiden should act, unlike Laura, who cannot resist the temptation to stay out all night with the goblin men, drinking from their forbidden fruits. Evil is depicted in the actions of Laura, for which she is punished by becoming a lifeless, languid and depressed person who is only saved by the good graces of her heavenly sister.

“My Last Duchess” also depicts evil in several ways. Again we see the image of evil highlighted in the acts of a woman who does not act accordingly to society’s standards. Evil is also depicted in the jealous murder of a hard-headed Duke.
The Duchess is at first described as beautiful. But we soon learn that “she had a heart—how shall I say?—too soon made glad,” and that she was “too easily impressed: she liked whate’er She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.” From these lines we can conclude that the Duchess was a flirtatious woman. In the society she lived in being a flirt was highly unacceptable. Good women do not flirt or act promiscuously, only evil women do that.
On the other hand, the Duke can also be viewed as evil. He is described as over-bearing, egotistical, sexist, jealous and demanding. While talking to his guest the Duke states, “Sir, t’was not Her husband’s presence only, called that spot Of joy into the Duchess’ cheek.” The Duke assumes that his wife can only ever find joy from him, and when she finds it elsewhere he becomes insanely jealous. The Duke is also caught complaining that he didn’t have the words to say, “Just this Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss (the mark).” Even though the Duke was unhappy with his wife’s behavior he did not have the guts to tell her so. He is also quoted as saying, “Notice Neptune, though, Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity.” This line implies that the Duke wishes to tame his wife into complete submission. She is to act according to his wishes only. In the end of the poem we find out that the Duke has murdered his last duchess, putting an end to her ‘shameless’ smiles. Evil radiates from this man, who thinks it’s alright to demand perfection from his wife, and to kill her for the imperfections she cannot, or will not, change. It is up to the reader to decide who is the more evil of the two, the flirtatious wife or the murderous husband.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

Imagery in the Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is packed full of imagery. However, there were two in particular that really caught my eye.
The first was of the iceberg that the sailors passed on their way to the South Pole. I thought that this image was so beautiful. Coleridge wrote, “And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold: And ice, mast-high, came floating by, as green as emerald.” Later, Coleridge also wrote, “The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around: It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound!” Coleridge painted a perfect picture in my mind of the ship's surroundings in the South Pole. My favorite part was when he described the height of the iceberg as mast-high, and the color as emerald green. He could have just stated that the iceberg was really tall and green. But the way Coleridge described it makes the iceberg sound beautiful and majestic. I also enjoyed that fact that the iceberg’s sounds were included in the description. This only added to the enchantment of the picture.
The second imagery used, which I found even more fascinating than that of the iceberg, was the one that described the thirst of the cursed sailors. Coleridge described it as, “And every tongue, through utter drought, Was withered at the root; We could not speak, no more than if We had been choked with soot.” He also wrote, “With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, We could not laugh or wail; Through utter drought all dumb we stood! I bit my arm, I sucked the blood, And cried, A sail ! a sail !” After reading this I almost felt thirsty for the poor sailors. The images of the soot, the black lips baked and the drought were the most powerful to me. I also loved the part where Coleridge described how the ancient mariner had to bite his own arm and suck his own blood just to get enough moisture in his mouth to speak. I think the imagery used here really drove home the point that the sailors were cursed men. I could almost feel their anguish just by reading about it.

English 200-013-07s