A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Passage Analysis/Symbolism

“Eleven! Then he was late for that lecture too. What day of the week was it? He stopped at a newsagent’s to read the headline of a placard. Thursday. Ten to eleven, English; eleven to twelve, French; twelve to one, physics. He fancied himself the English lecture and felt, even at that distance, reckless and helpless. He saw the heads of his classmates meekly bent as they wrote in their notebooks the points they were bidden to note, nominal definitions, essential definitions and examples or dates of birth or death, chief works, a favourable and an unfavourable criticism side by side.”

            In this passage, Stephen is walking from his house after his father rudely yells, “Is your lazy bitch of a brother gone out yet?” Stephen leaves the house and contemplatively wanders around. As Stephen is thinking, he realizes that he has missed his English lecture and “is late for that lecture too,” in reference to the French lecture. This is significant because Stephen casually and nonchalantly understands that he neglected to attend his class. Not only this but he asks the question, “What day of the week was it?” Just in the last part of the novel, Stephen not only knew what day of the week it was (always), but he always knew what he would be doing on that day. His obsessive, anxious personality would never have allowed him to behave in this way. Stephen has grown to a calmer person, and isn’t upset that skipped his class, but rather goes on to say, “He saw the heads of his classmates meekly bent as they wrote in their notebooks the points they were bidden to note…” suggesting that these students are not happy and are not thinking for themselves. Joyce uses the word “meekly” to describe the college students that are actually in class taking notes suggesting that these students are not happy and are not thinking for themselves. Joyce uses the word “meekly” to describe the college students that are actually in class taking notes implying they are submissively and unhappily doing what they are told. He also says “the points they were bidden to note” hinting that the students are not thinking for themselves (completely the opposite of Stephen) and are simply regurgitating what the professor tells them. Stephen always thinks for himself. The inner workings of his mind are very artistic and unique, and cannot be confined like the college students he refers to.
          A symbol can also be found in this passage. The college students that mindlessly write down the information they are given without question symbolize the average human being. Stephen is a special, different person, and the students are not. They symbolize the product of people not pushing the limits, not questioning, not wondering why. This symbol of quiet acceptance of what is presented to them provides a great contradiction to Stephen’s personality, and highlights the positivity of his individuality. The robotic presentation of the students is not very appealing (with the use of "meekly"), and shines a delightful beam of light on Stephen's way of life.

Review

            I did not enjoy reading this novel in the slightest. The stream of consciousness style makes it a quite unpleasant read. I much prefer the structured plot line of a book; the opening, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. This is not to say I cannot appreciate a book that doesn’t follow this template exactly, but a book like “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” and “We” that rambles on in no obvious direction does not leave me anxious to read the next part. Everyone has his/her own individual mindless stream of consciousness in everyday life and we do not go about stating this out loud. There is a very good reason for that. These things are not interesting and do not need to be acknowledged or shared. Unfortunately, I gleaned no fulfillment from James Joyce’s novel, but I can recognize that the actual writing, the diction, though difficult to understand, was really eloquently put once I understood what he was trying to communicate.

"For a Lady I Know"

      "For a Lady I Know" (354) by Countee Cullen uses irony and allusion to reflect on the absurdity of rascism. The lady in the poem is not named, but stands as the "poster woman" for rascism and ignorance. The poem is very short but the silliness of what is said is enough to make a statement. The entirety of the poem is as follows, "She even thinks that up in heaven her class lies late and snores, while poor black cherubs rise at seven to do celestial chores." The first literary device used is allusion. The words, "heaven" and "cherubs" allude to the Bible. Heaven is said to be the holiest place possible, accessible to people of divinity, goodness, piety, faith, and other values. Cherubs are angels. The allusion is critical in understanding the irony. If the reader does not grasp the great significance of the meaning of cherubs and heaven, he/she will not understand the major irony displayed in this poem.
      The importance of heaven and the cherubs is that both are divine. The lady in "For a Lady I Know" honestly believes that not only are there classes in heaven, but there is separation of wealthy and poor. The insanity of this belief is topped only by the belief that there is superiority of the white race in heaven. The irony of a woman thinking she will be able to enter heaven because of her status and have African American slaves ("poor black cherubs") work for her doing "celestial chores" while she sleeps is overwhelming. Heaven is supposed to be a beautiful, perfect place, and this ignorant woman sees nothing wrong with rascism taking place there.
      I really like this poem by Countee Cullen because it is short and blunt. As soon as I read it, I understood exactly what the meaning was and appreciated the straightforward, sarcastic tone. I am amused by the Biblical way Cullen decided to portray the message, because it was very efficient and clever. I think this poem is the perfect example that poetry can be one line and can be genius.

"Guns"

     "Guns" (360-361) by W.D. Erhart is a powerful poem that uses rhetorical questions and vivid imagery to make a point that war is cruel and (according to the poet) wrong. In the poem, a young girl is asking her father questions about his experience in war. The father answers her question with an appropriate response, but this initial question spurs a plethora of rhetorical questions posed to the reader under the guise of the father's thoughts. The first question is, "How do you tell a four-year-old what steel can do to flesh?" This question spurs unpleasant reflection of the incredibly harsh reality of what steel actually can do to a person. Common knowledge is that steel can injure. Steel can maim. Steel can kill. Being forced to contemplate the question of how one could possibly disclose this awful truth to an innocent child highlights the horror of the weaponry and, more importantly, brutality of war. The contrast between the innocent little girl's pure mind and the hardened former soldier's burdened one further emphasizes Erhart's overall reflection of the atrocity of war. 
      The next rhetorical question asked proves that Erhart is against war reading, "How do you explain a world where men kill other men and call it love of country?" Even more specifically the choice of word, "call" is significant, making diction another beneficial literary device used in the poem. "Call" implies that men use "love of country" as an excuse to make their killings acceptable; that the killings are really murders as opposed to the acts of heroes.
      Imagery is portrayed through the following, "He spins across the marketplace all shattered chest, all eyes and arms." The harsh scene of a ten-year-old boy flying, bloody and broken, across a marketplace is moving. Again, Erhart confronts the reader with the severe, distressing aspects of combat in the attempt to accentuate the negativities of war. This boy acts as a symbol of war and brutality especially in the line, "The boy spins across the years till he lands in a heap in another war in another place where yet another generation is rudely about to discover what their fathers never told them." This is commenting on the repetition of war and how even though the horrific nature of war is well-known, war continues to occur again and again and again.
      My personal reflection of this poem is that it is very well-written and makes an excellent point. The poem forced me to consider my personal opinion. I found it really made me think about war and left me a little torn. Obviously, it is very upsetting that war has happened so many times and will probably continue to take place in the future. I understand this is a despairing reality, but I also have immense respect and appreciation for the soldiers brave enough to fight for the safety and security of our country. I lean more towards the side of it's a necessary evil. I wish it could be avoided, but that it not always possible.