Literature Analysis 4

LitAnal-huckfinn

The BIG Question - Opening

honorsenglish-the big question

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

This novel was named such because the story takes place in two cities: London and Paris. This was the first novel that Dickens wrote that was set in more than one area. Symbolically, the cities represent Paris before the revolution and after the revolution. When Dickens opens with,"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times," he is referring to that idea.

A Poem Worth Loving

Still I Rise
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Maya Angelou

A couple of things really stood out to me about this poem. For starters, it is from 2000 so it is pretty recent compared to most poetry that everyone knows about. I also just love what the poem is talking about. It talks about not letting your past define your future but to let it inspire you and cause you to want better for yourself.

The BIG Question- Abstract

The dictionary defines success as the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors, and failure as an act or instance of proving unsuccessful, nonperformance of something due, required, or expected. Success can also be seen as "truly living," where as "struggling to live" is not. The need of this study is to see what we can change in our culture and lifestyles to become more successful and prevent failure from an early age. By understanding what brings us down we can prevent those things from holding us back in the future. In order to be successful we may have to make changes in our life, which is often difficult. We must take risks and not let our pride get in the way of learning, growing, or collaborating. After establishing definitions of failure and success, I will start by sharing a story of a college class where in order to receive credit for the course you had to fail. From there I will discuss the downfalls of being being so driven to succeed that you lose sight of what is important to you and ultimately end up failing.

Symbol

Symbol- sym·bol
noun /ˈsimbəl/ 
symbols, plural

The AP definition:
-Something which stands for something else, yet has a meaning of its own.

The dictionary definitions:
-A thing that represents or stands for something else, esp. a material object representing something abstract
the limousine was another symbol of his wealth and authority
-A mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g., the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation
-A shape or sign used to represent something such as an organization, e.g., a red cross or a Star of David

Look down at your keyboard, and see the characters attached to corresponding numbered keys. These are symbols. They stand for something else, but have their own meaning...
# is a hashtag, and represents a number,
& represents the word 'and',
% is used as 'percent', and,
$ is a dollar sign, used to discuss money.
There are also more symbols available on a computer...
♥ is a heart, which can represent a heart or love,
≈ means 'approximately',
♀ stands for 'female', and
∞ means 'infinity'.
Symbols are also used in religion...
✡ this is the Star of David, the symbol of the Jewish religion,
✞ this is a cross, often used to represent the death of Jesus.

Symbols are a huge part of literature.
You can find examples of symbolism in nearly everything you read, if you look out for them. One of my favorite examples of symbolism is in Harry Potter. Every student at Hogwarts is sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw. Each house has different qualities that make it special, and has a symbol to match it. For example, Gryffindor's symbol is a lion, because Gryffindors are said to be courageous, and Slytherin's symbol is a snake, because although they are smart, they have a dark side to them.

Symbolism in Literature

Thinking Outside the Box

Plato's Allegory of the Cave, and Sartre's No Exit are both allegories that connect an abstract idea to a real life example through an extended metaphor. In Allegory of the Cave, Plato compares a cave to a life lacking truth, and the prisoners aren't able to leave the cave and find the sun, or the ultimate truth. It shows that we often only see a perceived reality and accept that, instead of venturing for truth and knowledge. In No Exit, three people are in a drawing room, where they must deal with each others' personalities. At first they don't want to admit their wrong doings, but eventually they do, coming to the conclusion that "hell is other people." The three characters are driving themselves crazy due to their own issues in their heads.

Sartre believed that everyone has the ability to become who they want to be, but it is up to them to make the right decisions or to act in a certain way as to reach their full potential. It can't be given to them. This idea is very similar to Plato's. In the cave, the prisoners didn't know any better, and didn't want to know any better. They were fine where they were because of their chains, whether the chain be laziness, fear, or comfort. In No Exit, the characters are fearful of the others judging them, or what is perceived of them. In both cases, they are afraid of taking responsibility of their actions and their lives, so they decide rather to live in a dull place where nothing of value can occur.