The Good Earth is a novel by Pearl S. Buck. The time frame is in the past. Wang-Lung, the main character, is a poor farmer in China. He gets a wife, O-Lan, and she is considered a slave, hence she is a woman. A war takes place in the north, causing The Great House of Hwang to go into bankruptcy. Wang-Lung is then running into a palace, stealing some gold coins, thus making him very wealthy. O-Lan on the other hand, gets her hands on some jewels, “In the rich man’s house. It must have been a favorite’s treasure. I saw a brick loosened in the wall and I slipped there carefully so that no other soul could see and demand a share. I pulled the brick away, caught the shining, and put them into my sleeve.”[156]. Pearls were handed to her when Wang-Lung “looked for an instant into the heart of this dull and faithful creature.”[157]. Pearls symbolize the actions of O-Lan in many ways.
Wang-Lung had the sack in which O-Lan took from the rich man’s house, filled with many jewels. O-Lan had requested, “If I could have two, only two small ones – two small white pearls even…” [157]. Pearls would symbolize her from saying, “I would keep them – I would not wear them, only keep them.” She wouldn’t wear it, even if she wanted to. “I could hold them in my hand sometimes,” [157] she said to feel as if that she was rich herself, since she was called a slave. She had also wanted to give the precious pearls to her daughter, when she was ready to be wed.
“Wang-Lung, without comprehending it, looked for an instant into the heart of this dull and faithful creature, who had labored all her life at some task at which she won no reward and who in the great house had seen others wearing jewels which she never even felt in her had once.”[157]. Wang-Lung understood why she desired the two with pearls. Wang-Lung spent the rest of the jewels on land. “She took the pearls and she tore a bit of the corner of her coat away and wrapped them and hid them between her breasts and was comforted.”[158]. She kept the pearls in her bosom, since they were very precious to her. Eventually, Wang-Lung finds the pearls, and slips away from O-Lan, and maybe their own commitment.
Lotus is bought from Wang-Lung, since he is rich and desires whatever. O-Lan finds out about Lotus and argues with him. She knew that he took the pears and gave it to Lotus since she shouts, “And to that one you gave my two pearls!” Since O-Lan feels as if she had been ‘replaced’, she ignores the figure that lives in their house, and grows gravely ill. The eldest son has a wedding, but a few moments later, “her head dropped off the round pillow where it lay, and she shuddered and was dead.”[286] As for Wang-Lung, “out of his heaviness there stood out strangely but one clear thought and it was a pain to him, and it was this, that he wished he had not taken the two pearls from O-Lan that day when she was washing his clothes at the pool, and he would never bear to see Lotus put them in her ears again.”[290]
In conclusion, O-Lan had pearls that symbolize her in many ways. It showed how the pearls were near and dear to O-Lan since she never had or received anything because she was considered a slave. I think that in Wang-Lung’s perspective, he should treat other pearls with respect, since to him pearls symbolize O-Lan’s innocent life. Pearls are too powerful with just being things or actions that O-Lan has done in her life, so they should just symbolize her itself, rather than actions or things she has done.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
'Birches' and 'Nothing Gold Can Stay' by Robert Frost
Robert Frost wrote two poems called "Birches" and "Nothing Gold Can Stay" , both of which have a strong theme in both of them. That theme is the 'Coming of Age'. In "Birches", Frost talks about how swinging on the strong trees is like his childhood. In "Nothing Gold Can Stay", he compares the old times he's been in to how nothing can't just stay and never leave. These poems are strong in feeling and emotion. In my essay, I will be talking about all of the comparisons that these two pieces of literature have, and how they are both related to the theme of 'Coming of Age'.
In "Birches", Frost talks how his childhood applies to boys swinging on his father's trees. The poem to me seems as if that memories were each of the trees that the boy was swinging on, the trees would be subdued, which on the other hand would mean that he can't hold on to the memories any longer. In his poem, it says, "I'd like to get away from earth awhile, And then come back to it and begin over." He wants to just relive his moments as a child over again, but somewhere along the way, he has to quit the childish things and grow up. Literary elements are present in the poem such as: Simile - ('And life is too much like a pathless wood'); Metaphor - ('Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells'); 5 Senses - Sight('When I see birches bend to left and right'); Touch('Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs').
In "Nothing Gold Can Stay", Frost talks about the old times he's been in to the season changing. To me, it says that a memory is like gold, a very rare kind of gold. The memory can get bigger, but only for a while. Then memories gather and then start to fade. Frost is trying to say that memories should be kept, but have to leave sometime along our lives. A literary element that is present is the poem itself. The poem is an eight line metaphor. It takes comparisons without the like or as.
In both of these wondrous poems, the strong theme of 'Coming of Age' are demonstrated. For example, they are showing of how people like him or any kind of
person can leave memories or their childhood behind. 'Birches' shows how he has to leave his childish kind of behavior behind and in 'Nothing Gold Can Stay', how he has to change from staying in old things into starting something new. 'Coming of Age' displays of how us kids grow and develop throughout our lives. It shows how we can move one with other things and not always stick with the crowd.
In conclusion, both "Birches" and "Nothing Gold Can Stay" they both respectively show the theme of 'Coming of Age'. They show of how somebody, anybody, or you evolve from being a little childish kid into a full grown adult. So what if something dramatic happened when you were 8, so what if people hurt you at 4, that doesn't matter. What matters is now and later. We make choices for now, eventually, and later in the future. People could keep memories, but must let them go at some point in their lives. They should choose other paths, open new doors, maybe even create something new. But until that part of life comes into mind and people are on their game and ready to move one, inside them, they are still the little boy or girl playing on the swings.
In "Birches", Frost talks how his childhood applies to boys swinging on his father's trees. The poem to me seems as if that memories were each of the trees that the boy was swinging on, the trees would be subdued, which on the other hand would mean that he can't hold on to the memories any longer. In his poem, it says, "I'd like to get away from earth awhile, And then come back to it and begin over." He wants to just relive his moments as a child over again, but somewhere along the way, he has to quit the childish things and grow up. Literary elements are present in the poem such as: Simile - ('And life is too much like a pathless wood'); Metaphor - ('Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells'); 5 Senses - Sight('When I see birches bend to left and right'); Touch('Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs').
In "Nothing Gold Can Stay", Frost talks about the old times he's been in to the season changing. To me, it says that a memory is like gold, a very rare kind of gold. The memory can get bigger, but only for a while. Then memories gather and then start to fade. Frost is trying to say that memories should be kept, but have to leave sometime along our lives. A literary element that is present is the poem itself. The poem is an eight line metaphor. It takes comparisons without the like or as.
In both of these wondrous poems, the strong theme of 'Coming of Age' are demonstrated. For example, they are showing of how people like him or any kind of
person can leave memories or their childhood behind. 'Birches' shows how he has to leave his childish kind of behavior behind and in 'Nothing Gold Can Stay', how he has to change from staying in old things into starting something new. 'Coming of Age' displays of how us kids grow and develop throughout our lives. It shows how we can move one with other things and not always stick with the crowd.
In conclusion, both "Birches" and "Nothing Gold Can Stay" they both respectively show the theme of 'Coming of Age'. They show of how somebody, anybody, or you evolve from being a little childish kid into a full grown adult. So what if something dramatic happened when you were 8, so what if people hurt you at 4, that doesn't matter. What matters is now and later. We make choices for now, eventually, and later in the future. People could keep memories, but must let them go at some point in their lives. They should choose other paths, open new doors, maybe even create something new. But until that part of life comes into mind and people are on their game and ready to move one, inside them, they are still the little boy or girl playing on the swings.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Venom
It's what I call my anger.
I'm relaxed and the next thing you know,
someone is cursing me out and my blood
boils until it breaks. The venom takes me
over and attacks the person. I may end up
with the person in some court juvinile center.
I have the ability to control it... but it
can be talking to me. It tells me what to do,
and I ignore, since I know something bad
will happen.
I'm relaxed and the next thing you know,
someone is cursing me out and my blood
boils until it breaks. The venom takes me
over and attacks the person. I may end up
with the person in some court juvinile center.
I have the ability to control it... but it
can be talking to me. It tells me what to do,
and I ignore, since I know something bad
will happen.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
"Coming of Age"
Marigolds is a short story by Eugenia Collier. There is a theme that is present here and it is called 'Coming of Age'. Within the theme, there are three parts. Those parts are conflict, characterization, and symbolism. In my essay, I will be talking about these three parts and how they work with the main character in the story, Lizabeth.
Conflict in 'Marigolds' highlight many points in the story since they are living with poverty. A conflict in the story is how Lizabeth is torn between being a young child and a woman. Another is how this story is taking place in the 1960's so they are poor. Here, she has no money, so she sleeps on a pallet on the floor. Miss Lottie, another family in the 'ditch' has a flower garden and sees that it is destroyed right in front of her own eyes.
Characterization has its own role as well in 'Marigolds'. The main character, Lizabeth, is a young black woman, fourteen-going-on-fifteen. Many things describe her such as her feelings of regrets from doing childish things such as throwing rocks at an old lady's garden and ripping the lady's flowers right out of the ground in front of her own eyes. People's actions towards Lizabeth include that they follow her like she is a leader to them.
'Marigolds' have many objects that have symbolism. Symbolism is something that represents itself and something beyond itself. One thing in the story that has symbolism is the marigolds that were planted in Miss Lottie's garden. They symbolize hope since someday, they will be able to get out of poverty. They also symbolize responsibility since Miss Lottie has to care and water the flowers for them to survive. Lastly, there is beauty since there is nothing in Maryland that is in color rather than the flowers. Another object from the story is dust. It symbolizes despair because they look dirty and ruined. They also symbolize poverty since the dust is gray and lifeless. Lastly, they symbolize barrenness since dust is very small but very quantitative.
In conclusion, the three parts of the theme of 'Coming of Age' are conflict, characterization, and symbolism. They are all formed together to create Lizabeth's growth into adulthood. She transforms from a child into a young woman. She gets to know more responsibilities and how to treat herself.
Conflict in 'Marigolds' highlight many points in the story since they are living with poverty. A conflict in the story is how Lizabeth is torn between being a young child and a woman. Another is how this story is taking place in the 1960's so they are poor. Here, she has no money, so she sleeps on a pallet on the floor. Miss Lottie, another family in the 'ditch' has a flower garden and sees that it is destroyed right in front of her own eyes.
Characterization has its own role as well in 'Marigolds'. The main character, Lizabeth, is a young black woman, fourteen-going-on-fifteen. Many things describe her such as her feelings of regrets from doing childish things such as throwing rocks at an old lady's garden and ripping the lady's flowers right out of the ground in front of her own eyes. People's actions towards Lizabeth include that they follow her like she is a leader to them.
'Marigolds' have many objects that have symbolism. Symbolism is something that represents itself and something beyond itself. One thing in the story that has symbolism is the marigolds that were planted in Miss Lottie's garden. They symbolize hope since someday, they will be able to get out of poverty. They also symbolize responsibility since Miss Lottie has to care and water the flowers for them to survive. Lastly, there is beauty since there is nothing in Maryland that is in color rather than the flowers. Another object from the story is dust. It symbolizes despair because they look dirty and ruined. They also symbolize poverty since the dust is gray and lifeless. Lastly, they symbolize barrenness since dust is very small but very quantitative.
In conclusion, the three parts of the theme of 'Coming of Age' are conflict, characterization, and symbolism. They are all formed together to create Lizabeth's growth into adulthood. She transforms from a child into a young woman. She gets to know more responsibilities and how to treat herself.
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