All right, boys. As Coolio once said, "Come along and ride on a fantastic voyage." (Check the video on YouTube if you don't know who he is. Coolio "Fantastic Voyage"...Thank me later.)
So as I told you before, the blog will be a place for you to post your thoughts and ideas. For other business, email will take care of that. For tomorrow, please print the story "Miriam" by Truman Capote https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WZPLVZU3dVxqMKkpRxGJCauyvNRN6p2_TUFiCK-XqrE/edit . Be sure to read it. Discussions happen in small groups tomorrow. Remember to discuss character, themes, motifs, and larger meaning of the text.
For your second task, I present to you the poem "Hollow Men" by T.S. Eliot. http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/784/ After you read it, in the comment box below, discuss the greater appeal of the poem. What is Eliot's larger reasoning for writing this poem? Do you notice any figurative language techniques he uses? What effect do they give to the poem? Blast off below for your first taste of comment madness. Remember to identify yourself at end of post. Have fun.
Mr. Gaba
By the way, my wife and baby are fine.
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ReplyDelete“Miriam” uses details and imagery to illustrate the characters and scenes in the short story very well. Capote uses the colors in the short story as a motif. One color which is seen throughout the whole story is white. The color white is seen in the snow and on Miriam’s clothes. White usually represents purity and innocence, but in “Miriam” the white could be seen as a fake innocence. I personally do not see Miriam as insane, but I feel the little Miriam is a girl made up in her head to reveal something about the old Miriam. The little girl is Miriam’s past which has come to haunt her. This could then lead to potential insanity of older Miriam. Both of the characters name being Miriam and only old Miriam can see this little girl shows how these events are being created by older Miriam. The reason being is possibly of older Miriam to overcome the burden of living alone.
ReplyDeleteThe theme of the short story is one of loneliness. This goes back to what I suggested that the older Miriam created this younger Miriam in her mind to keep her busy. The evidence which supports her loneliness is that Miriam has been a widow, and does not really interact with others. This is why she creates the younger Miriam. The younger Miriam however has a flaw. Her flaw is that it seems that she seems to provide a dark presence toward older Miriam causing the potential for older Miriam’s insanity.
I agree with Joseph in that the white used to describe the young Miriam is a representation of fake innocence. However, I do see Miriam as attaining some degree of insanity. This can be shown through the events that happened after old Miriam meets young Miriam for the fist time. Old Miriam is surprised when she finds out that it is already 11:00pm but she is usually asleep by 10:00pm. Old Miriam's daily routine is disturbed upon meeting young Miriam. She begins to venture far out of her house to go shopping and goes on a shopping spree. Young Mariam gets the bird to sing. All the usual events known in her life, drastically change with this appearance of young Miriam who is the cause of her insanity.
ReplyDeleteThe short story, “Miriam” by Truman Capote presents the story of Mrs. Miller, a widow who begins seeing images of a young girl named Miriam. One motif that stuck out to me is the presence of snow. Snow falls right before every scene with Miriam. Mrs. Miller notices that as the snow falls, the city itself darkens, and takes on a mysterious, haunting look. She notes that the once joyful sound of children playing now “seemed lonely and cheerless.” The arrival of snow brings with it an atmosphere of cold and darkness, as visibility is reduced and the city is shrouded in a blanket of white. This is a symbolic transition that occurs in Mrs. Millers mind, a separation from the sane, content Mrs. Miller to a depressed, isolated shell of a woman. The pure, white color of the snow also shows itself in the pale, sickly complexion of Miriam.
ReplyDeleteThis motif of snow points to a larger theme presented by the story. Miriam is a projection of what Mrs. Miller wants to be. Where Miller is old, reserved, and cautious, Miriam embodies the qualities of youth. She is more decisive, spontaneous, and commanding. Miller’s years alone without her husband have caused her to hallucinate about a younger version of herself, one that appears prominently during the isolation of winter and its accompanying snow. Mrs. Miller’s want of change is evidenced by the appearance of Miriam, and the subsequent change in Miller’s behavior. Once routine and predictable, her life becomes spontaneous and erratic, as evidenced by her ride downtown and her shopping spree. This is the central theme of this story.
The theme of the poem "Hollow Men" revolves around death. The "hollowed" and "stuffed men" are people who are alive therefore "stuffed" but feel as if there is no meaning in their life, therefore "stuffed". Eliot mentions three kingdoms in the poem; deaths dream kingdom, the twilight kingdom, and death's other kingdom. The twilight kingdom is described as the dead lands where the "lost violent souls" will end up in. The souls who have crossed over to death's other kingdom are described to have "direct eyes" which means that these souls have seen the evil in the world and acted against it.
ReplyDeleteI think it’s interesting how Capote manages to draw so much suspense and horror out of something that is supposed to be innocent and passive. One of the motifs in this short story is the color white. This is present in the snow, the girl’s hair and face, and in the roses Mrs. Miller buys. Usually this color symbolizes purity and innocence. However, in this case it is used to foreshadow the coming of Miriam.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Miriam is in fact not real, and just an illusion in the mind of Mrs. Miller. The solitude of living by herself is slowly driving Miller mad. This process is shown through the eventual loss of her once constant routines. For example, Miller complains that she stayed up until 11 o’clock, as before she would never stay up past 10 o’clock. Also, at the beginning of the story, Capote writes that Miller hardly ever ventures pat the corner grocery. However, by the end, Miller is shown taking a train far away and shopping in the mall. It is possible that Miriam is merely a symbol that Capote uses to demonstrate Miller’s madness. At first, Miller fights it off with “food and milk” as incentive, However at the end, the madness is here to stay.
"Hollow Men." For some reason this poem reminds me a lot of WW1. Maybe because it also reminds me of Hemingway for some reason. I'm only taking guesses since I didn't look up Elliots' background. For the first stanza, it seems as if the purpose is to let people know that these people who may seem violent and lost are NOT such; that they are "hollow & stuffed men." It seems almost like a reference to those who survived war (again like Hemingway). It also seems as though there are different stages of post death. The hollow mean would have to first walk through death's dream kingdom, then through death's other kingdom, and lastly the twilight kingdom, where the hollow men dream of going. Can it be that the twilight kingdom is the kingdom of heaven since the first two had fading/dying stars and that the twilight kingdom has a perpetual star? Or it can be that the first two kingdoms are still on a horrible, destroyed earth, and the twilight isn't. The first two kingdoms can be the end of the world (which was thought to happen cause of the world wars).
ReplyDeleteaha, sorry if my last post seemed somewhat incoherent. Unorganized ideas and questions being written down sometimes are incoherent to other readers
ReplyDelete"Miriam." In class, I wrote something along the lines of a chaotic break in a life of monotony. Ms. Miller has no friends and does the same routine day after day, year after year. She finally breaks her routine (in a non chalante, non emphatic manner which is a strange attribute of the break) by going to a movie theatre. I hate to bring psychology to the table, but dammit, i'm bringing psychology. It's possible that because of the isolation and routine Ms. Miller faced, going to the movie theatre could have created this sense of paranoia and non existent beings that schizophrenia brings. It's very possible since she is venturing out into an unknown world to her. Miriam proves herself not to be real when Ms. Miller's neighbor finds nothing in her house. The paranoia is proven with the supposed stalker, whom is never seen again after the encounter with him. So what's the point? I suppose the point is, one should not be afraid of the unknown. One should embrace change, no matter the presupposed outcome. Then again, that is easier said than done and easier written in a story as a lesson than actually accomplishing.
ReplyDeleteThe short story "Miriam" by Truman Capote was an interesting read altogether. Since the beginning of the story the old woman Miriam has a structure to her life. She spends all day inside and only visits the store every now and then. All of a sudden when this little girl comes into her life she starts becoming spontaneous. After her first encounter she goes outside, shops, buys sweets and actually starts to live her life after her husbands death. The young Miriam is a representation of everything the old woman aspires to be, spontaneous and living life without fear of consequences.
ReplyDelete"Miriam" by Truman Capote tells the story of an old woman who's routine life is shattered by the appearance of a little girl. Miriam lives a quiet life that is almost exactly the same day in day out. This monotony is destroyed by the arrival of a little girl who shares the old woman's name. Young Miriam represents what Old Miriam can no longer be. She is spontaneous, a trait that is expressed by her appearance at the old woman's house. She is disruptive in her behavior towards Old Miriam throwing her vase. These are characteristics that the old woman will never have again. Young Miriam turns the old lady's life upside down. They are two in the same person. This is shown by their mutual likes in candy and cake. The overall idea of the story is the clash between old and young. Old Miriam simply can't handle the little girl. She has changed so much from her youth.
ReplyDeleteOkay so i'm going for a stretch here. For coherence sake I am going to refer to older Miriam as Mrs. Miller and younger Miriam as Miriam. I do belive that Mrs. Miller is mentally unstable. However, I believe this is due to the weather. I forget the name of the condition, but i do know that there is a mental condition where people's emotions relate to the weather. I believe this is the case with Mrs. Miller. If you carefully track when Mrs. Miller sees Miriam she only sees her when it is cold and snowy outside. Therefore I bel
ReplyDeleteieve that her insanity is triggered by weather. Also,(here comes the stretch) I belive that Mrs. Miller killed her husband. Capote puts so much emphasis on the details of Mrs. Miller, her house, the weather, and so much more; however, his writing on Mr. Miller is short and lacking detail. This
ReplyDeleteAde me feel uneasy and as if there is more to Mr. Miller's death. I don't know, it's just a gut feeling. It is clear that Mrs. Miller is
crazy. I think we all agree on the mental state of Mrs. Miller, however I believe that the cause is more important than the effect. I have yet to see an explaination on why Mrs. Miller is crazy. Just my opinion, take away from this what you please.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the multiple post. Technical difficulties.
ReplyDelete“Miriam,” by Truman Capote, is a short story written about Mrs. Miller. She is an old woman who has been living with herself for a while ever since her husband has died, subject to the repetitive tasks of daily life and isolated from the outside world. After reading the story I came to the conclusion that Mrs. Miller and the little girl are both the same person; the little girl being Mrs. Miller when she was younger. Aside from them both sharing the same name “Miriam,” it was strange as to how both the little girl knew exactly where the old woman lived (which was secluded from society). It was also interesting that at the end of the story the man did not see him, and only Mrs. Miller was able to. The motifs seen in the story are the color white that is constantly used in both the little girl and also the roses that Miriam buys. I agree with Jordan that the overall idea of the story is a clash between old and young; the old being a lot more changed. Miriam went from once a spontaneous and outgoing girl to now a (better?) dull and secluded woman.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem "Hollow Men" by T.S. Eliot I get a certain message straight from the beginning. That all of our efforts our meaningless and will eventually be swept away by death. He says we are all hollow men "Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless." I think Elliot is trying to convey the message that eventually we all make the trip to that "kingdom" and in that sense we are all hallow men, filled up with straw, which is nothing special.
ReplyDeleteOne of the purposes of this poem is to criticize religion. In the third section Elliot states, " This is the dead land
ReplyDeleteThis is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star," and goes later on in the last section to state, " Here we go round the prickly pear
Prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o’clock in the morning." When he states that the "stone images" receive "supplications", his diction displays a cynical view of religion as nothing but a futile worship of stone idols. In the section about going around the "prickly pear" he references again the symbol of a cactus, which was used in the third section, to reinforce the theme of religion as a worship of false Gods. In conclusion, Elliot's criticism of religion represents the view of the majority of writers of the modernist era.
“The Hollow Men,” by T.S. Eliot seems most comparable to a war as evident by the quote “remember us-if at all-not as lost violent souls, but only as the hollow men.” Elliot shows his message that people who are drafted into war cannot go against it. The nationalities, shapes, and views of these people do not matter; their whispers are quiet and meaningless. The larger reasoning Eliot used to write this poem is to highlight the little resistance people show to government when going out into wars. This is best represented with the quote when the people around are dead, “this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper.” This shows that the men used to fight the war, both hollow and unwilling to speak their mind against it, destine themselves to their own demise due to their submissive nature.
ReplyDeleteThrough repetition of the color white and the ending of the story, Capote expresses the overriding theme of uncertainty about a preconceived normal world. First of all, white appears in the story through snow, the clothing and hair of the younger Miriam, and the white roses that Mrs. Miller purchases. Thus, it is clear that white is a motif, and in a symbolic sense, white is usually associated with purity. However, by associating the young Miriam, who represents the archetypal creature of nightmare, with the color white, the writer causes the reader to ponder about what is truly pure in the world. In addition, in the end of the story Capote states, "...well, what if she had never really known a girl named Miriam? That she had been foolishly frightened in the street?...but now she knew she had found again the person who lived in this room, who cooked her own meals, who owned a canary, who was someone she could trust and believe in: Mrs. H.T. Miller" and shortly after Miriam appears to Mrs. Miller again. Mrs. Miller finds comfort in her own little world which is dull, routine and lacking any spontaneity. Miriam, who in contrast is spontaneous and abnormal in appearance, acts as a foil to Mrs. Miller and causes her to question and find doubt in her comfort zone. In conclusion, Capote does not directly reveal to the reader whether Miriam is real or not because he wants the reader to experience that feeling of uncertainty which the main character experiences after her routine and preconceived normal world changes.
ReplyDeleteThe poem, “The Hollow Men”, by T.S. Eliot evokes the themes of the perils of ignorance and the insignificance of life. In the beginning of the poem, Eliot describes the “hollow men…headpiece filled with straw…dried voices…quiet and meaningless.” This description elaborates on the problems faced when dealing with ignorance, with people who simply do what they are told to do and who follow the majority like sheep. Eliot makes the point that those who do not attempt to rise above ignorance essentially have empty skulls, filled with straw, and whose voices do not matter and might as well not even speak. As the poem progresses, Eliot paints a desolate world, describing “this hollow valley, This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms.” Eliot makes the case that this world is simply a valley in which man dreams big and creates large societies which, in the end, become lost to time. The only hope for hollow men to survive in a world like this is to open your eyes and realize this hopeless situation.
ReplyDelete"Hollow Men" by T.S. Elliot is a poem about the uselessness of life, and how everything that we do will at some point be reduced to "whimper," instead of a "bang." The starting two lines: "We are the hollow men, We are the stuffed men." already sets a tone of pessimism. This tone continues throughout the rest of the poem, with Elliot throwing out lines like "We whisper together, Are quiet and meaningless" and "This is the dead land." Elliot seems to take the stance that humanity's optimism is unfounded, as the evils that permeate the world will overcome any good that comes out of it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, adding to Chandro's theme of religious criticism, Elliot writes "For Thine is the Kingdom" towards the end of the poem. This excerpt seems to be taken from the beatitudes, which says 'Blessed are the meed, for thine is the kingdom of God.' Elliot seems to be mocking the religious belief of the afterlife.