Dream of Fair Women by Ann Hayes (299)

The lady gave her trust, an apple fell,
And guilt began, and pain, and death as well,
In stories that we tell.

The lady gave her trust, the heavens shone
Upon a maiden mother, one alone
In ballads we have known.

O first and second Eve, O dream of men
Believing life is good or might have been
And that we live again!

A sleeping beauty dreams her lover's grave,
Opens her eyes upon a human fave,
Keeps up the human race.

The musical sound of the poem makes it very similar to a nursery rhyme, in which there is a message that although we have been exposed to ideas of excellence of women since their childhood, we have to recognize that these ideas do not represent reality. There is also irony in the sound and sense of the poem being that the almost childlike sound contradicts the underlying message that childhood fantasies are not real.

The second literary device throughout the poem is the use of an allusion. The poem alludes repeatedly to Eve and Mary and the Bible, as well as to Sleeping Beauty. These are all representations of women, well known to all. These women are depicted as angelic, innocent, and in need of men to be successful. The narrator discovers that women do not play the stereotypical feminine roles, and men also do not play the stereotypical masculine roles. 

I like this poem because it is short and sweet, and contained a message of importance that was not hard to understand. Society has ingrained the ideas of gender roles, and this poem questions it. I love the contradictions between the form and the content. 

Desert Places by Robert Frost (289)

Snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast

In a field I looked into going past,

And the ground almost covered smooth in snow,

But a few weeds and stubble showing last.

The woods around it have it--it is theirs.

All animals are smothered in their lairs.

I am too absent-spirited to count;

The loneliness includes me unawares.

And lonely as it is that loneliness

Will be more lonely ere it will be less--

A blanker whiteness of benighted snow

With no expression, nothing to express.

They cannot scare me with their empty spaces

Between stars--on stars where no human race is.

I have it in me so much nearer home

To scare myself with my own desert places.

Robert Frost

Robert Frost's Desert Places is a poem is full of imagery of loneliness, reflecting the narrators own sense of isolation. The narrator paints a picture of desolation, as slowly the barren field is enveloped by the falling snow. "I am too absent-spirited to count," supports the idea that the emotions of the narrator are represented by the bleak scenery.
A second aspect of the poem that adds meaning is the structure. The poem is in four verses, each slowly adding to the depressed mood. This structure breaks up the thoughts of the narrator, but is connected by the rhyme in the first, second, and fourth lines of each verse. 
My personal interpretation of this poem is that the narrator is suffering an episode in his life that is very depressed and empty. This loneliness prevents the narrator from appreciating the beauty and purity of fresh fallen snow. The narrator is leading a bleak life, and fails to see the beauty of nature.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Analysis of a Symbol:
     The wonderful game of Scrabble! How can such an innocent childhood game be used in such a powerful way? Awesome writing of course! The power of words in Gilead is incredible, and it is forbidden, at least for women. Margaret Atwood uses this game of Scrabble to display the hypocrisy of the Commander, and the power women have with things as small as letters. The Commander, assumed to be one of the founders of the new nation(?) of Gilead, views himself as above the law, the law forcing women to act solely as uterus's, allowing himself temptations such as dirty magazines and to have the power to allow Offred the games of Scrabble. The Commander is not satisfied with his own society, the one he created. The Commander has calls girls, his handmaid, and his wife, and yet is not satisfied. The Commander is a disgusting pig selfish man, thinking only of his sexual desires. The Scrabble scenes display the power women potentially have, and the pigheadedness of the Commander.



Favorite Quote:
     "I would like to believe this is a story I'm telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance. If it's a story I'm telling, then I have control over the ending. Then there will be an ending, to the story, and real life will come after it. I can pick up where I left off. It isn't a story I'm telling" (Atwood 39). 
     This quote is a powerful beginning to understanding the pain the Offred endures throughout the novel. This quote really brings Offred and the novel to life and evokes strong emotions that bring you closer to her. Offred is telling the horrors of Gilead from day to day, giving the readers a greater connection to her pain than if she were recounting the events from a later date. For Offred to choose to tell her story, she is taking some control over her life, acting in rebellion as best she can. However, this quote displays more than just the hope Offred has for survival. The last sentence,  "It isn't a story I'm telling", shows how Offred has decided to balance this hope. Offred expects the worst that can happen, so if it does, she is prepared.

Thoughts:
     I really enjoyed reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The connections between the novel and everyday life is remarkable. This novel instills fear into my bones of what kind of world we live in, and the world that may be in the future. Mostly though, I feel empowered as a woman in this society in which we live, where I am given the opportunities that I deserve to be fulfilled in my life. Also, I felt a connection to Offred, which really helped me understand the novel, and the deeper meanings throughout the novel. The novel has many strong messages about strength, power, and freedom.

I think this song applies to the topic, and I really just love Beyonce. Enjoy!

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Analysis of a Symbol: 
     The symbol of the √-1 in this novel represents any and all questioning there may be in the society of We. The citizens are left to question nothing, everything is under control by the Benefactor, and the society is stricken with this overpowering dictatorship that is widely approved of. However there are questions that cannot be answered, phenomena that cannot be explained. This is displayed by the phenomena √-1, the irrational root, the insolvable equation. This symbol represents the fragility of a society that fears the unknown, and how easily it can be undone.  


Favorite Quote:
     "What's going on? A soul? Did you say, a soul? What the hell! Next thing you know we'll have cholera again. What did I tell you? [He tossed the thin one on his horns.] I told you so.... We should operate on all of them, on the imagination. Extirpate the imagination. Surgery's the only answer... nothing but surgery...." (Zamyatin 88).
     This quote, in particular, displays the hilarity of the novel, and is one of the most humorous moments throughout the text. The irony is hilarious in itself. This quote displays the whole idea of the novel really well, it shows how ridiculous the idea is of a world without creativity, imagination, inspiration, and love is, and world based on facts. The idea of a soul being compared to cholera, a horrible illness, is comical. Yevgeny Zamyatin is displaying through this novel the horrors of a dystopian society using comparisons that the reader can relate to and understand. 


Thoughts:
     I found We to be less thrilling than Fahrenheit 451 and Anthem as it concerns the plot of the story in regards to the dystopian society that Yevgeny Zamyatin creates. However, while it is less thrilling, it is intriguing in its contrast to both F451 and Anthem in that the main character, D-503, is not the hero or revolutionary in the end, he is nothing but a disappointment. D-503 has no characteristics typical to those of a hero, such as fighting for what he believes, and even being courageous enough to have those beliefs. This is what I find most interesting about the novel. While reading, I felt the turmoil within me much as D-503 felt, only it was concerning my hatred/love for D-503, not I-330 as his was. This I found interesting because it was so unexpected to have this feelings while reading. This turmoil forced me to continue thinking about the novel long after I set it down, and that is why I enjoyed the novel.