Psychological Analysis of "Hands" by Sherwood Anderson

“Hands” is the story of a fat, old man named Wing Biddlebaum who lives isolated in the town life of Winesburg, Ohio. He remained a mystery to the people after moving there 20 years ago. Upon reading the story, we can say that the theme of the said story is isolation and loneliness. The main character of the story lives alone and does not think that of himself as in any way part of the life of the town where he lives and had lived for how many years. We know that Wing Biddlebaum is a former teacher and we learn that the main character has supposedly inappropriately touched the boys he teaches and is now suffering the consequences. This is the reason why he has moved to this town. The effective use of symbolism and imagery seems to clearly demonstrate that Wing’s actions were sinful and now he is feeling guilt for doing something wrong.

The most prevalent image in the story is his hands. It was described as little, nervous and restless. He is very expressive with his hands when talking. Because of his sin, Wing has placed himself in a situation that prevents him from socializing with other people and more importantly prevents him from continuing in the journey of life towards happiness. His hands described physically as having slender fingers gives us a feminine picture and of him and tells us what his sexual preference may be.

Wing spoke closely only to George Willard, the boy reporter of the Winesburg Eagle. George would occasionally walk to his house in the evenings and Wing looked forward to these times. Only with George would Wing become alive. These things happening in the story adds to the feeling that Wing is a sinner; that he belongs to the federationJ. Why is it that Wing always looks forward to these times? What are they doing? It gives us the idea that they are doing something every time George comes to his house.  And that something isn’t that nice to mention. The suspicion is worsened by the fact that Wing would only come alive when George is around. Hmmm isn’t that fishy?? JJ. We are told that Wing’s hands are quick and skillful; he is talented. The question is “in what way?”

If Wing is a sinner, the ravine in which he lives so close to can be seen as hell. Through his action, Wing has brought himself closer to hell, and while he hasn’t yet made the plunge down the ravine, his surrounding would indicate that he has not made any improvements by changing his thoughts and/or behavior. He lacks the courage to change. Wing’s actions support this as he is always nervous and frantic. He goes out and stands on the fence, looking down the road for George, and the hurries back to his house, frightened or coward. Because he has not truly repented and changed, he is stuck near the ravine and cannot continue on the journey of life.

As Wing looks out towards the public highway, we are shown a boy and a maiden from the berry wagon who are obviously flirting. This is to show us and Wing how things are meant to be: boy/girl and man/woman, not man/boy.

In the flashback to the time when Wing was the school teacher known as Adolf Myers, we are given multiple descriptions of how Wing would stroke the shoulders and touch the hair of the boys he was teaching. These images tell us that something inappropriate is going on which, as mentioned, caused why he transferred to Ohio. The last paragraph of the short story tells us that Wing hasn’t change. It was mentioned in the paragraph that “he still hungered for the presence of the boy, who was the medium through which he expressed his love of man”. With this sentence all suspicions are being confirmed. Wing is a sinner. He indulged and is indulging into something that a real man should not be doing. This also confirms that he has done something to his students in Pennsylvania and the accusation of the people there are all true. He used George to satisfy his needs and to express his love not towards a woman but towards a man. This last paragraph of the short story answers all questions that is formulate din the minds of the reader. 

Archetypal Analysis of Biag Ni Lam-ang

In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action, or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. So this blog will try to look at the epic poem Biag ni Lam-ang to see if this has these certain archetypes. To start with, here’s a very short background about the epic.

                Biag Ni Lam-ang (Life of Lam-ang) is a pre-Hispanic epic poem of the Ilocano people of the Philippines. The story was handed down orally for generations before it was written down around 1640 assumedly by a blind Ilocano bard named Pedro Bucaneg.

                We have various archetypes right? In the epic Biag Ni Lam-ang, we can find some of it. As said, an archetype may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a situation. For archetypes in character, we have the hero and it’s pretty obvious that Lam-ang is the hero in the epic. His father, Don Juan, can also be considered one because they both exhibit goodness and struggles against evil in order to restore harmony and justice to society. Don Juan went to the mountains in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies and Lam-ang set out on a journey to avenge his father’s death. Both of them seek for justice making them the hero of the story.

                Another archetype found in the epics is the mother figure. Namongan, Lam-ang’s mother, belongs to this archetype. Ines Kannoyan, Lam-ang’s wife, can also be considered belonging to the mother figure. Both women in Lam-ang’s life guided, directed and nourished him. His mother guided him for nine months before he decided to set out on a journey to look for his father. Prior to that journey, Namongan surely has done everything to take care of Lam-ang; she surely has guided him and nourished him to grow up brave. It is her duty as a mother. Ines Kannoyan, on the other hand, shown this mother figure role when she had Marcos get Lam-ang’s bones.

                A doppelganger is also present in the epic. I’m referring to the doppelganger of Lam-ang. In the epic, though he is the hero, Lam-ang has some characteristics that are somehow not pleasant. We can observe that he is a little boastful evident when he was asked of the dowry that is to be given to the family of Ines. The parents agreed to a marriage with their daughter if lam-ang would give them a dowry valued at double their wealth and lam-ang said he has no problem in fulfilling this condition. I find this part, this side of Lam-ang, a little boastful. Another negative characteristic of Lam-ang is his love for revenge; his passion for killing. This is evident when he looked for his father; when he found the tribe that killed his father and killed all of them leaving one alive. These events showed Lam-ang’s duplicate or shadow representing the evil side of his personality.

                And the antagonists in the story: the Igorot tribe, Sumarang (one of one of Ines’ suitors), the fish Rarang and the Berkakan. They are the villains whose main function is to go to any extent to oppose the hero or whom the hero must annihilate. These are the archetypes in character that can be found in the epic poem Biag ni Lam-ang but we are not stopping there.

 We also have several archetypes in situation. We have the journey. The main character, Lam-ang, takes on a journey that is physical and emotional to understand his personality and the nature of the world and also to seek revenge. The story revolved around this journey that Lam-ang had. The clash between Lam-ang and the Igorot tribe shows the Good vs. Evil archetype. There is a clash of forces that represent goodness with those that represent evil. And the last is the fall. This happened when Lam-ang dived into that river and went directly into the mouth of the river monster Berkakan which caused his death. Here, Lam-ang has fallen from grace in consequence of his own action. These are the archetypes that I have found in the epic. For you to be able to relate with everything that I have written here, you have to read the epic yourself J J

The use of archetypal characters and situations give a literary work a universal acceptance as readers identify the character and situation in their social and cultural context. By using common archetype, the writers attempt to impart realism to their works, as the situation and the characters are drawn from the experience of the world.

Structuralist Analysis of Chuckie: Buddy Ad

Television ads that celebrate a mother’s love and sacrifice for her child are so overdone. Onthe surface, Nestle’s TV campaign for the Chuckie Buddy chocolate drink might seem like another recycled “there’s no lovelike a mother’s love” sentiment to toss onto the cliche pile. But the Chuckie Buddy TVC gives the familiar mother-and-child theme a fresh twist by slipping a heart-tugging message: Your kids are only young once. Why not join them in this fantastic experience?

 

Nestle’s Chuckie TVC takes us through evocative vignettes of mother and son engaged in all manner of active, imaginative play. First, they are knights slaying a fearsome dragon as they gallop away on their trusty steed. A chalk-drawn likeness of the fire-breathing mythical monster lie vanquished on the pavement. Next, a pint-sized scientist laughs triumphantly as the robot he’s built comes to life. The robot is a crude but creative contraption made from cardboard boxes and bicycle lights, held together by glue and masking tape. Then they are fearless aviators charting a course in the sky as they navigate a two-seater plane fashioned out of cardboard and electric-fan blade. At the park, Mommy Wizard commands a geyser to burst forth from the concrete depths while her son, the imperious king, beholds the towering column of water in awe.Together they read a book while lying on their stomachs on a picnic blanket. While hanging clothes out to dry, the adoring mother indulges her son who has put on the laundry basket as a helmet.

 

The Nestle Chuckie Buddy ad does not spare us the thankless drudgery of parenthood: the sleepless nights, the ceaseless cleaning up, and the curious glances from strangers who might question our life choices. We see the mother yawning as she puts the finishing touches on yet another set of costumes. In another scene, she is patiently washing off green coloring from her son’s body, quite possibly the aftermath of a Hulk play-acting episode. At a grocery store checkout counter, two black ninjas pay for their purchase, to the bemusement of the store cashier.

The spot’s piece de resistance is the child’s ode to his mother. Set to the music of Billy Joel’s “She’s Always a Woman,” the lyrics speak of the child’s glowing pride in having a mother who happens to be his best buddy, too. The spot culminates with mother and son, caped crusading duo, flying to the top of a hillock overlooking the city. They hold each other as they admire the setting sun cast a pale orange glow on the twilight sky. Closing the uplifting scene is the tagline: “Minsan lang sila bata. Sabayan mo na.”

Nestle Chuckie Buddy TVC doesn’t feel like it’s calculated to wring maximum emotions out of easy, soft-hearted targets. Sure, it tugs at our heartstrings. It may even leave us with a twinge of guilt. But it also rewards us this little takeaway about what it takes to create happy childhood memories and raise a child with the confidence to take on the world: a touch of creativity, a dash of imagination, and a faithful companion through life’s most magical ride.

I leave you now with the lyrics to the song featured in the ad. Feel free to get all choked up as you sing it softly to yourself. 

She can slay all the dragons
She’s got lasers for eyes,
She’s my ace co-pilot
when I conquer the skies;
She can cast magic spells
with the greatest of ease,
She may be my Mom
But she’s always a buddy to me.

She’s my captain, my hero
She’s as strong as can be,
She may be my Mommy
But she’s always a buddy to me.

Watch this link before you proceed reading :)
 "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmdEQ6eW39s"

There's more to advertising's message than meet the casual eye. An effective ad, like other forms of communication, works best when it strikes a chord in the needs and desire of the receiving consumer-- a connection. Ads are messages that require critical attention.

The Chuckie commercial is about a bonding of a mom and her son. Based on the commercial, the son described that his mom used to play with him like she can do anything. She can be a soldier, a a pilot and even a magician whom every mom can really do just to make her child/children feel the happiness and love.

Structuralist view literature as a system of signs. They try to make plain the organizational codes that they believe regulate all literature. Structuralism is a way of thinking about the world. At it's simplest, structuralism claims that the very nature of every elements in any given situation has no significance by itself, and is determined by the other elements involved in that situation. The full significance of any entity cannot be perceived unless and until it is integrated into the structure of which it forms a part. Story's meaning develops from it's overall structure rather than from each individual story's isolated theme.

In the commercial the experiences of the son and of the mother is taken as one to create a meaning-- a desired meaning. They are combined to generate the desired theme/ message of the TVC. The commercial has the message appointing to parents that they must have time and effort to bond with their children. They have the tagline that says "Minsan lang sila bata, sabayan mo na" which means a child grows fast and every single moment should not  be wasted and should be treasured.

What makes the commercial really attractive is its jingle. and the thought of it. Its jingle has  a nice tune and lyrics that can be easily memorized, can be sang by anyone who could hear it. The commercial attacks the emotional aspect of people. They can get their audience by the heart because it connects to anyone's heart. The video and the song is more than enough to convey what the commercial wants to convey. It doesn't have too many words, just the lyrics. It doesn't have animations or whatsoever, just the video and the tagline. It doesn't involve famous actors or actresses, just a typical mom and son. Very simple yet very expressive. :)





Reference:
http://myteachermommy.com/2015/08/04/when-parenting-becomes-childs-play-nestle-chuckie-buddy-tvc/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmdEQ6eW39s

Fantatstic Analysis of Meet the Robinsons

MEET THE ROBINSONS

SUMMARY:

Lewis is a young inventor and orphan. While longing for a family of his own, Lewis has grown saddened over the years as all his attempts to be adopted seem to have failed. As well, each and every invention he attempts to fashion meets with disaster.

One day, Lewis' thinking turns to his Mother, and why she chose to leave him on the orphanage's doorstep all those years ago. This leads Lewis to think that maybe deep within his mind, a memory of her still exists, and maybe with it, he can find his Mom and reunite with her.

Lewis then tinkers non-stop on a machine to unearth the memory deep in his mind. Unrealized to Lewis, the constant tinkering sleep-deprives his roommate, Mike Yagoobian (also known as 'Goob'). however, Lewis is too busy with his own work to realize the effect on the other boy.

While Goob goes to play on the school baseball team, Lewis takes his invention to the science fair. During the science fair, he runs into a strange boy named Wilbur Robinson, who cautions him to stay away from 'The Bowler-Hat Guy.' Lewis ignores this, and attempts to make his invention work. Unknown to him, the 'Bowler-Hat Guy' and his hat (a mechanical creation) sabotage the item, causing it to malfunction, sending Lewis sadly running back to the orphanage.

Once there, he encounters Wilbur again, who tosses Lewis into a strange machine, that then appears to take them into the future. Wilbur is amazed, and attempts to use the time machine to go back in time and find his Mother. However, the two boys end up crashing the time machine, which Wilbur took from his Father's lab without permission.

While trying to figure out what to do, Wilbur takes Lewis to the Robinson mansion, where the boy is introduced to the strange yet caring family, albeit always wearing some strange form of headgear (a fruitbasket, a hat, etc)

Meanwhile, 'Bowler Hat Guy,' and his mechanical hat, take Lewis' invention, and attempt to sell it to a local company. However, 'Bowler Hat Guy' has no idea how it works, and the hat (whom he calls Doris), decides they need to find Lewis to figure it out.

Going back to the orphanage, 'Bowler Hat Guy' encounters Goob, who due to sleep deprivation, lost the game, and suffered the wrath of his teammates. Goob explains that the orphanage's supervisor said he should move on, but 'Bowler Hat Guy' states that Goob should use that experience, and never forget it...much to Goob's confusion.

After searching more of the Orphanage, Doris calculates that Lewis must have went to the future with Wilbur Robinson, and the two head into the future with a time machine of their own.

Back in the future, Lewis is introduced to more of the Robinsons' house, and how Lewis' father, Cornelius, is a great inventor, having successfully perfected time travel. However, Cornelius' most recent time iteration was stolen by the 'Bowler Hat Guy,' and this explains why Wilbur is trying desperately to set things right.

At the same time, Doris infiltrates the house, and attempts to kill Wilbur, but not before finding that 'Bowler Hat Guy' has time-travelled back and forth through time, returning to the future with a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The Robinson family and Lewis manage to take down the enormous beast, and the family is ecstatic. It is then that Wilbur lets slip that Lewis is an orphan, and the family unanimously approves...until Wilbur knocks the hat off, prompting Wilbur's mother, Franny, to declare that Lewis has to go back to his own time.

Hurt and upset that he has once again seemingly lost the chance to have a family of his own, Lewis walks away, but is then accosted by 'Bowler Hat Guy' and Doris, who promise that if he helps fix his machine, they'll take him back in time to find his Mom.

Taking Lewis to the orphanage (now an abandoned building), Lewis fixes the memory-scanning machine, but 'Bowler Hat Guy' has Doris tie Lewis up, going back on his promise.

It is then that 'Bowler Hat Guy' reveals that he is actually Mike Yagoobian. Goob explains how Lewis' tinkering kept him from sleeping properly, and resulted in him losing the baseball game at school. Goob channeled this into deep resentment towards Lewis, that ate away at him, and caused his bad mood to keep him from ever getting adopted. in that time, Lewis was adopted, and many years later, became known as Cornelius Robinson, the head of Robinson Industries.

Goob angrily tried to get revenge on Lewis, but his feeble attempts proved futile. It wasn't until meeting Doris, the robotic bowler hat (a rejected experiment of Lewis') came up with a plan of her own.

Lewis tries to get Goob to see that he (Goob) also shares some of the blame, since Goob was not able to move on from that baseball game loss, but Goob refuses to acknowledge this.

ANALYSIS:

In the cartoon film "Meet the Robinsons", we can find these what we so call supernatural events. Marvelous and Uncanny events happened with Marvelous mostly happening to the main character in the movie, Lewis, and the Uncanny to the antagonist Goob. 

In literature, Marvelous events is the case where the reader is aware that there are no rational explanation to what is happening in the work. We have two kinds of Marvelous-- the pure and the fantastic. So, in the movie, we can mostly see the pure kind of marvelous. Let's take for example the scene where Lewis invented a machine to uncertain the memory deep in his mind. At a young age, Lewis, can't certainly do that. Aside from that, there is nothing, known in history, invented that can read ones mind and review his/her memories. This thing is just impossible. Yes, maybe we have seen machines reading memories but in sci-fi movies only. Another scenario is the case of Doris, the mechanical hat of Bowler-Hat Guy, which later revealed himself to be Goob. No robot or machine can think rationally right? In the case of Doris, she is the one influencing, brainwashing Goob to do evil things and take revenge on Lewis. 

The machine that Wilbur Robinson used to time travel is also an example of a pure marvelous event. Time travel isn't even proven to be true in reality. In reality, we can neither go back to the past nor go i advance to the future. Cornelius "Lewis" Robinson perfecting time travel is also another example. The events that i have mentioned are just some of the pure marvelous events that have happened in the film.

ow let's go to the Uncanny--Bizarre and weird occurrences but a natural explanation such as dream, intoxication, or madness can be given. The uncanny also has two categories-- the pure and the fantastic. Pure uncanny refers to strange, horrific/incredible events because of the deceiving mind of the the author but not supernatural. As in the case of Lewis as an inventor at a young age--- 12. Isn't it incredible?

Fantastic Uncanny are events that are given natural explanation. this applies to the antagonist in the film-- Mike Yagoobian (Goob). He is having his revenge on Lewis because he is blaming him to be the reason why he lost in his little league games causing his life to be miserable. As stated in the summary "Goob obsessed over his defeat, scaring away his chances at adoption, and stayed at the orphanage after it closed down eventually coming to blame Lewis for his misery". 

The cartoon film is more on the pure marvelous category. Though it seems to be just a mere work of the mind-- full of fantasy and supernatural events: though it's a pure fiction, we can't deny the fact that the film had taught us one great thing. As what Walt Disney has said at the end of the film: 

 "Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths".


KEEP MOVING!! :) :) :)


Reference:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396555/synopsis

Marxist Theory in Literary Criticism

This one's  our report. :)

Feminist Analysis of The Virgin by Kerima Tuvera

Feminist approach defines the revelation of a woman's real desires and struggles in the society. The word "virgin" that the author talked about in the short story refers to those who are, of course, pure and unstained. We all know that virginity, society wise, is really important. It is a woman's way to achieve respect and dignity so she really has to keep it until she gets married, like what Miss Mijares did. She wasn't able to express herself, her emotions to males to shield her virginity/dignity. The story showed the struggles of Miss Mijares of this "scoial dictate" that hindered her in finding her identity as a person and as a woman.

Finishing college,  sending her niece to school, and taking care of her mother. This is where Miss Mijares had spent her life. This role was dictated by the society and perhaps by her own family.She was shaped to to be a woman for other people and not a woman for her own self.

Moreover, the author showed the inner struggle of a woman in the story. Miss Mijares struggled to stick to the societal expectations of a woman and to hide her own self. She was lost because she cannot be her own self and has to be a woman that the society dictates her to be.

In the society, women are the  ones responsible in taking care of the people in the family. This was the case of the main character,  she did all the responsibilities that she had forgotten her self, her own life. She can be characterized as an old maid-- still haven't touched a man at an old age. Despite her being a responsible daughter, she also wished to be loved by others especially by a man. But her duties hindered her in fulfilling those dreams.

A scenario in the story that showed  Miss Mijares' romantic feelings towards the carpenter is when she felt angry after knowing that the carpenter has a son. She thought he was married, but was relieved knowing that he is not. It showed that she is affected, emotionally, by the revelations of the carpenter. The rain ad the weather can be a metaphor to the main character's feeling to prove her hidden emotions towards the man.

Elaine Showalter argued that literary subcultures all go through three major phases of development. For literature by, or about women, she labeled these stages the Feminine, the Feminist and the Female. These three stages can be found in Miss Mijares' life in the story.

The Feminine involves "imitation" of the prevailing modes of dominant traditon and internalization of it's standards. Miss Mijares ha gone through this, at the beginning where she allowed the dictates of the society to rule her life. As the story evolves, the main character also evolved from being feminine to feminist.

The Feminist stage involves protest against the standards and values and advocacy of minority rights. Miss Mijares didn't protest explicitly or politically but there is an inner protest within her-- the inner protest to go beyond what is expected to her. Now she is torn between the dictate of the society and her own self.

The last stage which is the Female stage is a phase of self-discovery, a turning inwards freed from some of the dependency of opposition, a search for identity. The last paragraph showed that she has gone through the protesting stage and is now able to express her self, her feelings, and desires. It showed that she has overcame her struggles in the dictates of the society. It showed that she is not capable of  going beyond her self as she is ready to surrender her virginity. Virginity indeed is dignity but it is a part of a woman's existence to have a man to consume that long-preserved virginity.



Reference:
http://pinoylit.blogspot.com/2005/03/virgin-by-kerima-polotan-tuvera.html

Deconstruction of the poem DESIGNS by Robert Frost

DESIGNS

Robert Frost

I found a dimpled spider, fat and white,

On a white heal-all, holding up a moth

Like a white piece of rigid satin cloth --

Assorted characters of death and blight

Mixed ready to begin the morning right,

Like the ingredients of a witches' broth --

A snow-drop spider, a flower like a froth,

And dead wings carried like a paper kite.

What had that flower to do with being white,

The wayside blue and innocent heal-all?

What brought the kindred spider to that height,

Then steered the white moth thither in the night?

What but design of darkness to appall?--

If design govern in a thing so small. 

Instead of thinking in terms of black and white, we have to consider the infinite shades of gray along with every other color in existence.

 The poet is known for his dark and modern take o universal themes such as existence of God. Designs is no exception.As a whole, the poem is about wrestling with a spiritual question: Does God really watches over us? It is a poem of finding evil in innocence.

all these obvious elements are the physical bones of the whole building, the ones we can readily see. But what about the holes in between? Let's shift our focus just a tad. What is not being  said in this poem?

At first we hear the cheerful observant walker "I found a dimpled.." but in "spider" the voice betrayed itself and in "fat" and "white" the dimpled creature appeared less charming. The first line of the poem developed a joke in tone and image that grows into a joke of another sort.

The joking developed gradually through a series of contradictory pictures. A white heal-all, being a medicinal plant, suggest purity and safety. A satin-white moth has it's charms too, a party-going creature. The "rigid satin cloth" also showed a contradictory picture.

The poem depicts a spider preying on a moth. frost uses this image as a metaphor for the World made in God's image and the evil that seems to have infiltrated it. The first stanza begins innocently enough. There is no underlying meaning to it, just the speaker happen to stumble upon a dimpled spider. The use of the word "rigid" begins to shift the tone of the poem. The poem becomes darker in the next line "assorted character of death and blight". Here, the spider is the main character with evil intentions. The comparison to a "witch's broth" furthers the evil connection.

The second stanza reveals the underlying meaning. It asked three questions: "What had that flower to do with being white,the wayside blue and the innocent heal-all? What brought the kindred spider to that height, then steered the white moth thither in the night? What but deigns of darkness tom appall? If design governs a thing so small.." These questions boil down to the meaning of the poem. How can evil exist in a world if i it's entirety is governed by by God? The spider initially described as white, the color of innocence reveals to be wicked.

This white spider on a white heal-all is a metaphor for the evil that is tarnishing the world. The white heal-all is a metaphor for the world, the moth being included in this supposedly innate innocence, while the spider represents the vicious ill will hidden within it. Frost ultimately asks whether God could really be governing the actions of this spider, a minutia in the world as a whole. If God is not governing these workings of the spider, who is to say that God governs and oversees the workings of people? The spider and the moth then both represents the people in the world, the flower representing the earth. This idea begins to counter all the notions that God is watching us, perhaps He is not really looking over our every action. People are minute in his eyes as the spider: something to be overlooked.

Frost's poetry tends to portray man as a helpless pygmy in front of the huge might and complexity of the world that surrounds him. Man can neither look far nor deep enough to understand and make sense of the incomprehensible complexity and design that pervades & permeates the world. Expecting evil at dark places alone is being naive. One may be caught unaware even at the most unexpected places. Think not that black is the lone color representing evil as white too has the power to disturb & startle you unexpectedly.

Designs is a frightening poem, one that confronts the dire possibility that the universe is not only godless, but that God is evil.

 Reference:
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/design/
http://studentacademichelp.blogspot.com/2010/10/critical-analysis-of-robert-frosts.html

Post- Colonial Analysis of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Things fall Apart is a Post-colonial novel written by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe in 1958. It is one of the first to receive global critical acclaim.

The novel follows the life of Okonkwo, an igbo leader in the fictional nigerian village of Umuofia. The work is split into three parts, the first describing the family of Okonkwo and personal history, the customs and society of the Igbo community, and the second and third sections introduce the influence of British colonialism and christian missionaries in the igbo community.

Things fall Apart is a novel that highlights the fight between colonialism and traditional culture. It showed how chabge took place in the Igbo community, how the people coped to that change and how the protagonist, Okonkwo, reacted to the change.

Okonkwo's life starts to go downhill when the white men arrived. After returning from exile, he saw in his own village how vast the influence of these white men is. These white men have already infiltrated his own tribe/village. They have already built a church and converted a number of villagers to christianity. From believing to their own God, they were converted to being christians. They had eradicated the traditional religion of Okonwo and his people.

The influence of Christianity does not just destroy beliefs, it had also destroyed families--- including okonkwo's. His son converted to christianity so he disowned him. Other villagers who have converted end up disturbing those who did not.

the novel depicts conflicts and tensions within the Igbo community. as well as changes introduced by colonial rule and christianity.

 Refrence:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_Fall_Apart

Historical-Biographical Analysis of A Child of Sorrow by Zoilo Galang

            Zoilo Galang was born in Bacolor on 27 June 1895 and his young life was spent in that bucolic town, famed for its writers and artists. He went to school at the Bacolor Elementary School and then went to Manila to study at the Escuela de Derecho, the country’s eminent law school where he graduated in 1919. A self-starter, he learned typing and stenography in English and Spanish all by himself. Attracted to the English language, he took special courses at the University of the Philippines in 1925, then went to Columbia University for further studies in Literature.

          He was soon writing books of fiction, biography and philosophy, and his output was prodigious. His early poems saw print on the Kapampangan paper, “E Mangabiran". He authored “A Child of Sorrow”, the first English novel written by a Filipino. This was later made into a movie in 1930. Other notable works include "Nadia", "For Dreams Must Die", "Springtime", "Leaders of the Philippines", "Glimpses of the World", "Life and Success", "Master of Destiny", "Unisophy" and "Barrio Life".

          But his greatest opus undoubtedly is the Encyclopedia of the Philippines, which began as a 10 volume set when first printed. Galang himself, edited and wrote entries for the book set which covered Philippine literature, biography, commerce and industry, art, education, religion, government, science, history and builders of the new Philippines. The Encyclopedia of the Philippines came with a general information and index.

         A second edition, destroyed by fire, was published in 1948. So positive was the response to Galang’s work that the encyclopedia project was expanded to 20 volumes in a later 1949 printing. There has been no new printing since 1958.

          Here is a summary of A Child of Sorrow. It was summertime in April when Lucio and Camilo had prepared for their give way and went to Merry town, where they notice lots of joy in frank things. Lucio also erudite some traits or personalities of some mickle in Merry town. Like how a Governor Pancho Ismael can be so screw up or how an Oscar Ramirez be an intelligent yet selfish guy, that he did not have any hatred because he met a Rosa Garcia who was beautiful interior and out.

           After Lucio's meeting with Rosa, he developed a judgement for her, something he cannot describe, and something he hasn't experienced before.  After a hardly (prenominal) days, Lucio met Rosa again, confessing his feelings for her, and they've become partners afterwards Rosa said that she matte the same way. Lucio spent close of his time with Rosa when he was at Merry town but, the time came that his vacation in Merry town was over and he needed to go back to his provincial town.  It was very(prenominal) hard for Rosa and Lucio but he promised that he would not forget her and he would be back when he knows he may not be able to leave.  At first, Lucio got very blue and lifeless after his separation, but then, with some with Rosa, both Lucio and Rosa was able to accept that Lucio has to leave with the promise to not forget about her and to think about her all the time. The separation caused the two  sorrows beyond word-description. Though far away from each other, the two tried to keep in touch by sending letters to one another. Time passed and Lucio grew to be a fine, young man. He was the man looked up to in his town for alertness of mind and calmness of disposition for he was  a born leader.  

          Lucio was elected president of The Rising Generation and continued to spur to greater heights. One day, Lucio received an invitation from Rosa to attend their Garden day and it was the first time the two saw sight of each other after the summer vacation of Lucio has ended. Again, Lucio marveled at the beauty of Rosa. The governor treted hm coldly but he paid no mind to it. What is important to him is his Rosa sitting beside him. The two enjoyed the time while they are together for they know that they will again part ways. 

          Oscar confessed his love for Rosa to Governor Pancho Ismael, who is Rosa's father and wished to be married to her. The next day, it was announced that Rosa will be married to Oscar. The news reached Lucio But Rosa denied it. She is not willing to marry any man unless it is Lucio. Rosa tried her best to not be wedded to Oscar but Oscar Sexually harassed her, leaving her no choice. Dignity and purity is the most important thing for an individual especially to a lady like Rosa and that is what Oscar took away from her.  

         Lucio felt very broken and was enraged upon hearing the news but he know he can do nothing about it. " what is past is past. Let us now consider the present. That's the only way we can live happily--- by burning the bridges of the unfortunate past behind us and looking ahead with glowing hopes. 

         Rosa knew, by that time, who her father is and wrote a letter to Lucio saying that no matter what happens he will always be her one and only true love; that only Lucio makes her live and that she will remember always and will cherish all their memories. Lucio told himself that f he failed in love, he'll be successful in something else. That was his determination. Lucio endured all injury done against him and little by little his sorrows vanished and recovered from the shock. Time healed all wounds but the scars are still there.
  
         While Lucio is trying his best to move-on from Rosa, Rosa on the other hand does the opposite. Though married to Oscar, it is Lucio who she's thinking all the time. After several years, it is still him and will always be him. The marriage of Rosa to Oscar did not go well that caused Rosa to be sick. Time came that Rosa was dying and she summoned Lucio to come visit her.  Lucio answered to the summon and went to Rosa. Rosa then died at the arms of the man she truly loves.

          The novel ended by seeing Lucio at the grave of Rosa still lamenting and and reading a letter to her and by the people pointing to him saying " There is the child of sorrow". 



          It was mentioned that Zoilo grew up in a town of famed writers and artists, no wonder Zoilo showed such eloquence in his novel. When you read it, you will be amazed by the words used in it. Also, Zoilo grew up surrounded by artists can also be seen in the character of Lucio in the story. Zoilo was attracted to the  English language. Maybe this is the reason why he has decided to write an english novel instead of a filipino one. This liking to the said language is also very evident in the choice of words used in the novel. Zoilo also had played with the words of the English language very well making it an entertaining and an unforgettable piece of literature once read.  Upon reading it, you can really feel the passion of the writer towards his work. With this liking, he had shown excellent imagery, had conveyed undeniably bizarre emotions and had taken sentiment to the highest level.


REFERENCES:
http://viewsfromthepampang.blogspot.com/2009/08/155-zoilo-galang-kapampangan.html
http://personalessayforcollegeadmission.blogspot.com/2013/09/child-of-sorrow-book-report.html

Formalist Analysis of the Naming of parts by Henry Reed

NAMING OF PARTS

BY HENRY REED

To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,

We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,

We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,

To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica

Glistens like coral in all of the neighboring gardens,

          And to-day we have naming of parts.

This is the lower sling swivel. And this

Is the upper sling swivel, whose use you will see,

When you are given your slings. And this is the piling swivel,

Which in your case you have not got. The branches

Hold in the gardens their silent, eloquent gestures,

          Which in our case we have not got.

This is the safety-catch, which is always released

With an easy flick of the thumb. And please do not let me

See anyone using his finger. You can do it quite easy

If you have any strength in your thumb. The blossoms

Are fragile and motionless, never letting anyone see

          Any of them using their finger.

And this you can see is the bolt. The purpose of this

Is to open the breech, as you see. We can slide it

Rapidly backwards and forwards: we call this

Easing the spring. And rapidly backwards and forwards

The early bees are assaulting and fumbling the flowers:

          They call it easing the Spring.

They call it easing the Spring: it is perfectly easy

If you have any strength in your thumb: like the bolt,

And the breech, and the cocking-piece, and the point of balance,

Which in our case we have not got; and the almond-blossom

Silent in all of the gardens and the bees going backwards and forwards,

          For to-day we have naming of parts.

          

          The poem "Naming of Parts" written by Henry Reed, is a free-versed poem. Free-verse in a way that it doesn't have rhyme within its lines and it doesn't follow any rhyme scheme. Because of the word "we", i can say that the speaker in the person uses the first person point of view. the author of the the poem also incorporated similes and a metaphor in it. There are two similes that can be found in the poem. The first one can be seen in the the fifth line of the first stanza and the other one in the second line of the fifth stanza.

           A metaphor can also be found in the poem. The word "spring" in the last line of the fourth stanza may either mean or symbolize spring of an armor or spring that signifies season. Because of this metaphor,  I can say that though the character in the poem is in the military, wherein he must be as hard as a rock, he is at the same time a nature-lover, which is the total opposite of being hard. 

           An imagery is shown in the second stanza of the poem. Here the reader can come up with an image of what is being described by the author. Since each  part was described clearly and one-by-one, this enables the reader to draw a picture of what is being described. 

           

REFERENCES:

http://www.solearabiantree.net/namingofparts/namingofparts.html