"The Unreturning" by Wilfred Owen (Happy Halloween!)

I thought I might take the pleasure in dedicating this blog post to the fast-approaching holiday, Halloween! What better way to do so than with the discussion of a completely Halloween-appropriate, creepy, and haunting poem? Thus, in honor of the scariest night of the year, I have chosen the poem, “The Unreturning,” by Wilfred Owen. This eerie poem contains an abundance of frightening imagery and spine-chilling literary devices that render it quite suitable for Halloween.

On that note, Owen’s spooky poem begins with a strange description of the night as it “crushed out the day and hurled her remnants over cloud-peaks, thunder-walled” (1-2), clearly implying the extent to which the night seemingly viciously and violently conquers the clearly vulnerable day. Owen’s use of the words “crushed” and “hurled” evoke a sense of ferociousness and cruelty in its connotation as he personifies the night and its act of aggressiveness towards the daytime, which has a positive and cheerful connotation.  In addition to this blunt contrast between night and day, Owen goes on to say that a “stillness such as harks appalled when far-gone dead return upon the world” fell upon the dead of night (3-4). This chilling line suggests that perhaps the dead are bound to return in the dead of night, which seems to be foreshadowed by the stillness of the night.

Thus, Owen intensifies the terrifying nature of this scene as it says “there watched I for the Dead; but no ghost woke” (5), introducing us to the narrator, who seems to anticipate the rise of the Dead. The poem delves into the narrator’s perspective, in which the narrator remarks that “each one whom Life exiled I named and called. But they were all too far, or dumbed or thrilled, and never one fared back to me or spoke” (6-8).  The voiceless dead and the emptiness that fills the poet echo the desolation that the narrator internally feels as he calls out the names of the dead, but they remain unresponsive. The narrator’s seemingly despondent and longing nature exhibits the inherent desire that the narrator has in calling out to the dead. However, I can’t seem to understand why he summons the dead, and why are they uncommunicative and silent? Also, what interest does he have in those “whom Life exiled”? I can only assume that the narrator himself feels abandoned and forgotten by Life itself, thus, he seeks comfort in the Dead, who have also endured a similar sense of neglect and abandonment. However, the dead are out of reach for the narrator, they cannot answer his call of what seems to be desperation.

Nevertheless, Owen goes on to depict this thought that clouds the narrator’s mind when “then peered the indefinite unshapen dawn with vacant gloaming, sad as half-lit minds” (9-10), clearly undermining the narrator’s certainty. The hesitant and looming dawn that creeps up almost mirrors the narrator’s state of mind. The narrator seems to be conflicted with the thought of Death and eternal damnation as he questions “the weak-limned hour when sick men’s sighs are drained” and he wonders “on their being withdrawn, gagged by the smothering Wing which none unbinds, I dreaded even a heaven with doors so chained” (11-14). This last stanza is extremely powerful as it reveals Owen’s pessimistic views on life and death and what they each entail. He describes the voice of man as being “gagged” and smothered as if despair, sorrow, and misery are inevitable in darkness and even in light, which he conveys as a “heaven with doors so chained” (14).

All the King's Men: The Strange Parallels in Chapter 4

As I was reading All the King’s Men, I kept pondering Robert Penn Warren’s purpose in abruptly but purposefully including the story of Cass Mastern, who is seemingly the main character of chapter 4. I have desperately been trying to decipher Warren’s message in strangely incorporating the complex nature of Cass Mastern’s life, because I truly do believe there is a more profound purpose than what I perceive it to be.

Chapter 4 in All the King’s Men is essentially a trip to the past, as we are introduced to a Jack Warden from the past, the graduate student “working for his Ph.D. in American History” at the State University of his unnamed and unidentified home state, which frustratingly remains unspecified throughout the book. This particular chapter also incorporates some third person point of view narrative style, as Jack is temporarily no longer the chief narrator interestingly enough.

Nonetheless, Warren weaves this intricate web of what emerges to be the focus of Jack Burden’s first excursion into the past which Jack renders to be unsuccessful as he was unable to comprehend Cass Mastern’s motives and true intentions in the grand scheme of things. Then, Jack goes on to explain that the reason he ceased his research in the excursion of Cass Mastern’s history was merely because he became too immersed in trying to “discover the truth and not the facts,” that he found it almost unbearable to continue the assignment.  

The chapter initially introduces Jack’s disappointing and unsatisfactory college life. This is described in detail by the mysterious narrator who depicts Jack’s college-student self as, in a nutshell, invulnerable to everything, which is potentially “the curse of Jack Burden.” On a side note, I found the irony in this line particularly amusing considering the fact that Jack’s last name is Burden (like an inconvenience or a bother), and he is cursed with being invulnerable. After a quick introduction to the context of Jack’s fascination with Cass Mastern as a college graduate student, Warren launches into this elaborate description of Jack’s initial excursion as Jack recalls the facts that he discovered about this man in his “historical research” of what he considers simply “a job,” when it is clearly more significant than that.

Later, Cass Mastern’s character is defined to be one of the two uncles of Jack’s father, Ellis Burden, aka the Scholarly Attorney. Gradually, Cass’s life is slowly unveiled as the story reverses back to the late 1800s, when Cass was just a young man who winds up in Lexington, Kentucky, and finds that “there is an education for vice as well as for virtue.”  Soon enough, Cass greets one of his close friends, Mr. Duncan Trice, who happens to live a very wealthy and opulent lifestyle. Shortly after encountering Mr. Trice’s wife, Annabelle Trice (aka “the pursuer”), Cass is mesmerized by her beauty and her goddess-like persona. From the beginning, we see the influence that Annabelle has on Cass, as they engage in a scandalous affair that ultimately results in Duncan Trice’s suicide. The secrecy and deception behind Cass and Annabelle’s affair is very similar, and almost parallel to the private relationship between Sadie and Willie Stark in the novel. However, I keep finding contradictions that oppose this theory because Annabelle’s manipulation is disguised by her luring and seductive figure that entices Cass in his naivety. This is considerably different from Sadie’s brazen, self-assured, and assertive character that is depicted as dangerous to Willie’s morals and goodness. Overall, I am still perplexed by Annabelle’s and Cass’s role in the chapter as I’m trying to discern whether Annabelle is a symbol of appeal and temptation or not, and whether Cass is inherently good or not. In essence, a lot of the contradictions and contrasts seen in these two characters can also be seen in Jack and Willie’s innate natures.  

All The King's Men: Dynamic Between Jack Burden and Willie Starks

The novel All the King’s Men is truly baffling to me when it comes to discerning the roles of Jack Burden and Willie Stark in the grand scheme of things. I am very captivated by this complex and somewhat mutual relationship that Willie and Jack share in the novel that is very intricate and difficult to scrutinize as they both epitomize two crucial characters in regards to the developing plot, and essentially, the overall story in its political setting. Regardless, it does seem as though Robert Penn Warren establishes the dynamic between Jack and Willie as virtually indispensable in some respects. In other words, Warren justifies the nature of both characters through the experiences and challenges that they have both faced in the past, whether it is personal struggles or emotional obstacles that have ultimately shaped them to be a certain way.

The novel encompasses several contradictions in terms of the personalities of Willie and Jack and the way in which they are influenced throughout the novel. Many instances of duality occur throughout the novel such as individual vs. society, knowledge vs. ignorance, and good vs. evil, which are arguably evident in both Jack and Willie alike. For example, due to the corrupt influences of society, Willie eventually comes to realize the brutal truth about politics and what it entails.

The conflicting forces of knowledge and ignorance are evident in Willie’s character in Chapter 2, when he learns that Tiny Duffy has tricked Willie into running for governor in order to split MacMurfee’s votes so that Harrison wins the election. It is only when Sadie Burke reluctantly informs Willie that he was the “sacrificial goat…the ram in the bushes” (Warren 81), that Willie must accept the ugly truth, in that he was being duped into becoming a candidate only to reap benefits for the opposing side (Harrison’s team). When Willie learns of this betrayal, he suddenly comes to realize the inherent evil in people when politics are involved, and he no longer seeks to find the good in others. Moreover, this monumental shift in Willie into the character of “The Boss,” emphasizes the striking contrast between knowledge vs. ignorance, and even good vs. evil. Jack recalls this memory of Willie’s innate transformation from good old Cousin Willie into a political figure through his recollection of a past event, which took place in the early 1920s.

The way Jack confronts this alteration in Willie’s character is very interesting, but still difficult to fully decipher. I still do not understand why Willie persists in seeking the title of “governor” when it is clear that the political world is just a web of lies and inevitable deceit that will most likely sequester his ability to acquire this title in the first place, and eventually inhibit his rise to power. Likewise, I am still perplexed by Jack’s role in Willie’s rise to power, and why he does not stop Willie from making a foolish decision to continue this political path when it is obvious that Willie intends to conform to the rules of the “political machine” by employing manipulative and conspiring tactics in order to get what he wants.

Applying Literary Theories to Disney Movies and Fairytales

What really interested me last week was the discussion about the different literary theories or lenses that various works of literature can be interpreted in. After reading Cinderella, and analyzing it through the gender, Marxist, psychoanalytical, reader response, archetypal, formalist, and historical theories, I feel like I've grasped a better understanding of what literary criticism entails. Moreover, scrutinizing the well-known fairytale Cinderella got me thinking about other Disney movies/fairytales such as Hercules and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

The Disney movie Hercules is about the son of Zeus, who is raised as a mortal, but struggles to prove himself a true hero in order to retain his title as a god. Through this, Hercules feels the need to live up to society's expectations of what a man should be: strong, attractive, muscular, and heroic. This movie could effectively be criticized through the archetypal lens, as there are many references to the hero's journey and Greek myths, which reflects the significance of mythology in the Greek culture. Under the guidance of his mentor, Philoctetes (aka Phil), Hercules battles many mythological characters, including Zeus's enemy Hades, in order to obtain his god-like strength that was bestowed upon him as birth, and to reclaim his title as Zeus's son. It is not until Hercules must sacrifice his own life for the sake of his beloved Meg, that he truly does become a hero as he learns the value of selflessness.

Likewise, the depiction of Hercules's character through the archetypal lens fulfills all the requirements of the archetype of a typical hero's journey. Furthermore, through the gender theory, it is clear that the gender roles given to men and women in this movie are typical of society's ideals. The common "damsel in distress" is represented by Meg, Hercules's true love who is rendered helpless and weak, until Hercules sweeps her off her feet. Similarly, Hercules is portrayed as a strong, tough, and powerful guy who perfectly fits society's mold of what the ideal man should be.

Additionally, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is about a charming and loving princess whose youth and beauty is envied by her evil and scheming step-mother, the queen. However, with the help of seven dwarves, Snow White is able to escape from the ravenous claws of the queen who seeks to be the fairest of all in the kingdom. In criticizing this story through the gender lens, one can find that there are many significant allusions to stereotypical gender roles that exist in society. For example, Snow White is displayed as a vulnerable, dependent, and frightened girl who seeks to be saved from the wicked queen's wicked plans to kill Snow White. Lost and scared, Snow White is discovered by seven dwarves, technically seven men, who agree to help her and protect her from the evil queen. This act displays the true nature of gender roles as Snow White is also exhibited as a "damsel in distress" desperately in need for help. In addition, through the psychoanalytical theory, one can detect the underlying malicious, egocentric, and covetous motives of the queen as she secretly yearns for eternal youth and beauty. This envious mentality demonstrates the possible insecurities that the queen may have regarding her appearance, and the desperate urge she feels to hide or disguise her inherently ugly self.  

King Solomon and His Commended Wisdom

Last week I presented my allusion project to the class, which was in fact a biblical allusion. The biblical figure that I researched and bestowed my knowledge upon to my fellow AP Lit classmates was King Solomon, better known as the great King of Israel. Prior to presenting this revered and sacred individual whose story only persists through the pages of the Old Testament, I was thoroughly engaged in my extensive research to discover the importance of this hugely popular and powerful figure in the bible.

Luckily, I was able to come across various sources that elaborated on the story of Solomon in a concise and understandable way, which really made my research all the more intriguing. Before long, I stumbled upon several websites that were dedicated to the explication of such biblical figures and their role in history as it pertains to religion and God.

Interestingly enough, I found that King Solomon was renowned for his distinguished and exceptional wisdom and wealth, which he conveniently obtained from God in a dream. This particular element of King Solomon’s story struck me as somewhat odd and unexpected. Not only did God willingly approach Solomon, which seems contrary to other stories about encounters with God, but God was the one who voluntarily offered Solomon a wish. In discerning God’s clearly generous and unreasonably benevolent manner, I interpreted this particular occurrence almost as if God was being depicted as a genie in a way. I was curious to know more about the reasoning behind his charitable actions towards Solomon, as he was not any more worthy or honorable than anyone else in Israel, to my knowledge of course.

Regardless, another element of Solomon’s story that I found to be quite fascinating was the story of his iconic and remarkable wisdom, which is essentially his most noteworthy characteristic as he was “the wisest man of Israel.” Solomon’s wisdom was initially regarded as extraordinary when two women came to him, both claiming that they were the mother of a single baby. At an extremely young age, Solomon came up with a solution to distinguish who was the rightful mother of the baby. He proposed a solution to the two mothers. In his wisdom and shrewdness, King Solomon suggested that he chop the baby in half amongst the two women, in order to settle the matter. Solomon secretly anticipated that one of the self-proclaimed mothers of the baby would protest this act and object to killing the child, thus revealing who was the true mother of the infant. Sure enough, the mother who refused to let Solomon split the baby in half was declared the real mother of the infant, rendering Solomon a hero.

Throughout my research, I repeatedly questioned what the ultimate source of Solomon’s accomplishment in the Bible was and how this pertained to his attained wisdom from God. Thus, I found Solomon’s story to be fascinating because I was not formerly aware of his story or his significance to the Old Testament. Nevertheless, I found Solomon’s life and biblical prominence to be worthy of literary application and relevance.  

Winesburg, Ohio Lit Circles Live- "Adventure"

It’s definitely been made evident to me that Winesburg, Ohio is surely not a book that should be judged by its cover (which can actually be scrutinized as well). In other words, Anderson does not construct this novel to be interpreted with nonchalance and indifference, but rather with immense inquiry. With that said, after re-reading “Adventure” I am surprised to find so many literary elements that I failed to recognize the first time around. Anderson’s is most certainly not the simplest or most clear-cut novel that ever existed, but rather it possesses some underlying fundamental qualities that render it applicable to all aspects of human nature. Likewise, “Adventure” is one of the stories in the novel that exhibits some principal elements that inherently exist within all human beings, despite our differences.

 

Alice Hindman’s story illuminates Anderson’s theories, as exemplified by the old man in “The Book of the Grotesque,” of various life-contesting truths that occupy Alice’s mind and manifest the true grotesqueness of her character in this story. Thus, like many of Anderson’s other grotesque characters in the novel, the truths that trap Alice inside her own mind expose her grotesque soul, which is noticeably marked by ludicrous or incongruous distortion. In “Adventure,” Alice’s tendency to limit her own opportunities due to her child-like adamancy and tenacity gradually intensifies over time as she ultimately severs her ties with the world around her. In her own delusions, Alice becomes completely immersed in the absurd fantasy that she concocts of a picture-perfect life with Ned Currie, whom has left Winesburg to seek his fortune in Cleveland. Initially, Alice falls for Ned because she is so eager and restless to discover what she assumed to be love, to the point that the “outer crust of her life, all of her natural diffidence and reserve, was torn away and she gave herself over to the emotions of love” (Anderson 94). Her unnatural response to Ned’s affection indicates that she is clearly over-indulged in this ephemeral romantic affair with Ned Currie.

 

In Alice’s mind, the lines between dream and reality are blurred as she envisions a truth that plagues her mind and blinds her from the reality in front of her. Her reluctance to encounter other suitable men in Winesburg after Ned’s departure further embodies Alice’s unwillingness to accept the harsh reality of her situation. In her desperation to be with Ned and no other man, Alice is blinded by her “dreams of saving money so that the interest would support both herself and her future husband [Ned]” (Anderson 96), making her a grotesque. Essentially, she becomes so enveloped in her own little world, much like Alice in Wonderland, that she neglects to realize that she truly seeks love and revitalization from her monotonous life of misery and loneliness.

By succumbing to her unrealistic expectations of love and romance, Alice is blinded by what she perceives is the truth about life. Instead of liberating herself from these confining thoughts, she becomes adhered to the idea of living a long and fulfilling life with Ned, which further dug her into an abysmal hole of long-lasting loneliness, which could have been prevented. She becomes so caught up in this impossible truth that she does not realize that her dreams to be with Ned will never ensue, thus rendering them falsehoods and making Alice a grotesque.

Winesburg, Ohio: What is Anderson's Message?

After thoroughly analyzing the plethora of short stories or “mini”stories that join to create Winesburg, Ohio, a somewhat perplexing, yet innovative novel, I have hesitantly come to the conclusion that Sherwood Anderson has presented us with some form of unspeakable truth in the form of an almost unpromising jigsaw puzzle. Needless to say, this marvelous concoction of short stories that synthesize this enigma of a novel, if it is even that, serves to engage the reader in ultimately discovering the truths of humanity, which is initially introduced in the first story,“The Book of The Grotesque.” I think Sherwood Anderson was very clever in constructing such a collection of stories that can each individually stand on their own, but at the same time, can all be strung together in one coherent composition because of the fact that all the characters possess some connection to the town of Winesburg, Ohio.

Essentially, I think Anderson’s tactics arguably suit his purpose in carefully implying or suggesting certain ideologies about humanity and all that it entails, while still allowing room for judgments regarding each story’s basis. In effect, I think Anderson was consciously aware of the fact that this book is fairly difficult to decipher since it contains so many different symbols, images, patterns, and motifs such as the reference to the old man, hands, facial hair, youth, and light (to name a few), which represent some notion or concept.

Although Winesburg, Ohio contains an array of biblical allusions such as the old man (who may exemplify God) and the reappearing image of the garden and poisonous apples (which may signify the Garden of Eden), I think it’s very challenging to determine exactly what Anderson is getting at, much less what he’s inferring. In any case, I do believe that Anderson is somehow trying to bring to light the harsh realities of life, whether it’s isolation, love, mortality, illness, destiny, or even continued unhappiness. While I was reading this book, I came across a lot of hints that could indicate some form of epic realization or understanding of life through experience and acquired knowledge.

For instance, in “Adventure,” Anderson tells the story of a young girl of sixteen years, Alice Hindman, who falls madly in love with Ned Currie, a man who sweeps her off her feet. Despite the obvious fact that Alice is far too young and naïve to risk getting heartbroken by Ned, Alice firmly establishes her desire to remain with Ned forever, as he is her one and only true love. Almost predictably, Ned must move to Chicago for his job, leaving young and vulnerable Alice behind, where she is eventually forgotten by Ned as he creates a new life for himself. Years later when Alice turns 22, she must endure her father’s death, along with her broken heart over the fact that Ned has neglected her for so many years. However, these burdens do not thwart Alice’s determination to win Ned back, as she grows desperate to mitigate her expanding loneliness without Ned in her life. In her despair and hopelessness to find happiness and love, Alice becomes lost in this fantasy, but eventually, she reluctantly accepts the fact that she “must live and die alone, even in Winesburg” (101). I think this short story in the book clearly depicts the message that transpires throughout the whole book regarding the brutal truths of life, whether it is loneliness, the betrayal of our loved ones, or the culminating misery and sorrow that may lie within us.