Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: Section 2

Brave New World is a novel about a futuristic society that is immensely controlled by the government. There is a scene in the section two where Bernard goes to receive approval from the D.H.C. to holiday on the Savage Reservation. During this meeting, the D.H.C. shares an anecdote about a time when he traveled to the Savage Reservation when he was around Bernard's age. After sharing the story, the D.H.C. states, "I actually dream about it sometimes" (Huxley, 97). This anecdote sheds a new light on the D.H.C.'s personality, and begins to show the D.H.C. as a round character. Before this moment, the D.H.C. was strict in following the rules of "everyone sharing everyone," and yet this story shows that he at one time in his life shared strong feelings for one specific girl. The D.H.C.'s anecdote and round character traits also add more emphasis on human tendency. Thus far in the novel I have observed many instances where a character goes against the grain and possesses strong feelings for one specific person of the opposite gender. The fact that now the D.H.C. is sharing an instance in his life when he broke an important rule of the society shows that humans naturally gravitate toward monogamy.

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost

Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost is a poem about a man walking in solitude down a city street. I personally struggled a great deal with this poem, and still find the meaning of the poem to be a bit of a stretch. I only noticed two literary techniques in this poem. The first was the repetition of the phrase, "I have" (line 1). The other literary technique I noticed was a juxtaposition between light and dark. I believe that these two symbols represent good and evil. Past these two details, I lack understanding of this poem. I felt like it the concepts we discussed in class were a bit of a stretch. The poem seemed like a bunch of nonsense. I thought the image of the watchmen was a exaggerated because when I think of a police officer I think of illegal activity. If the speaker had done something bad enough to avoid the police, I do not get why people would not be calling after him. Many of these poems I struggled on, but this one in particular I have a hard time wrapping my head around.

Batter my heart, three-personed God by John Donne

The poem Batter my heart, three-personed God by John Donne is a poem about the speaker's struggle in his relationship with God. He discusses how God is trying to get the speaker to follow him, but the speaker is engaged with the Devil. The speaker makes an ironic comment when says he claims, "Yet dearly I love you and would be loved fain" (line 9). The speaker is being pursued by God, and rather than accepting God, the speaker stays with the Devil. The speaker states that he wants a divorce from the Devil, yet the speaker wants God to do all of the work. This is ironic because the speaker is not trying or making an effort to follow God, and the speaker still states that they have love for God. The speaker wants to be taken by force from God, so that he does not have to put in the effort. Just like an actual relationship, I struggle to see the love the speaker has for God if the speaker is unwilling to put forth equal or more effort toward God.

Sorting Laundry by Elisavietta Ritche

Elisavietta Ritche's poem Sorting Laundry is a poem about a woman comparing her relationship to folding laundry. While going through this laundry she comes across an article of clothing from an old lover, which causes her to think of worse possible cases. Before she doubts her relationship, she thinks about how strong her relationship is and compares problems to,  "All those wrinkles | to be smoothed, or else | ignored; they're in style" (lines 19-21). She is claiming that even though her and her current lover have deputes  they are able to fix them or ignore them. The relationship they have is strong enough to move past arguments and disagreements. This metaphor helps emphasize that there is not a single overpowering issue in her relationship. By establishing this fact about her relationship, the reader is able to observe how distressed she becomes when she considers her current lover leaving her. She worries later on about this almost perfect relationship when she considers her past relationships.

The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy

The poem The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy is a poem about the fatal event of the Titanic sinking. The speaker covers a variety of topics ranging from the ship before sinking, after it has sunk, and society's view on the Titanic. According to the speaker, society believes the ship to be unsinkable, "And the Pride of Life that planned her, stilly couches she... Of her salamandrine fires" (lines 3-5). Having a negative view on society, the speaker has a tone in which he blames society for the tragic event. Society viewed the ship as unsinkable and able to survive any situation the ship faced. Furthermore, rather than worrying about the safety of the passengers, the lavishness and luxury of the ship was taken into consideration. As a result of this mindset, the ship endures an accident contrary to the accepted beliefs of society. This tone complements the meaning of the work because it shows the speaker lacks pity for the passengers of the ship. The speaker the population was foolishly focused on less important aspects of the ship. Establishing the views of society in a negative tone, the speaker was able to explain that the sinking of the Titanic was destined to occur.

My Misstress' Eyes by William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare's My Misstress' Eyes is a beautiful poem that is easy to understand. The entire poem is explaining how this man's mistress lacks perfection. The man almost completely degrades the woman, but at the end there is a twist that brings the theme of opposing gender stereotypes. Rather than being the shallow, materialistic speaker of To His Coy Mistress, this speaker states, "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare" (Shakespeare, 13). This speaker shows that even though his mistress lacks being the ideal woman, he still loves her regardless. This goes against the gender stereotypes for men because society views that men look for looks, but this speaker states otherwise. By looking past these imperfection, the speaker truly feels a rare love for this woman. I think when he says rare love he is referring to the fact that most men would not have feelings for a woman like this. This poem challenges people to observe what what truly attracts a person of the opposite gender to them.

To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell

The poem To His Coy Mistress is about a man adoring a woman for her beauty and other material reasons. He uses a few Biblical references and vivid imagery to explain this woman's beauty. The speaker the uses a metaphor when he states, "Time's winged chariot hurrying near" (Marvell, 22). At this point there is a shift in the poem and the speaker begins discussing how the woman's beauty will only last a short amount of time. The speaker is explaining that time moves swiftly, and with time her beauty will fade, too. This poem shows that the stereotype of men being focused on the appearance of women out weighs their feelings for a woman. He states that once the woman ages, her beauty will escape her. He is warning the woman to enjoy life while she still possesses her beauty. Later he states that there is no human way to freeze time, or in other words to have everlasting beauty.