http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/james-joyce/dubliners/5/
http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/james-joyce/dubliners/6/
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Week 2 blog on Dubliners
The Sisters
Though the chapter is named for the sister caretakers who looked after the declining priest, much of the focus of the chapter seems to be on the narrator’s feelings about the priest and the death of the priest. I find the seeming points of conflict in this chapter to be interesting: the boy’s feeling of freedom upon learning of the priest’s death, although he liked the priest and learned many things from him. Perhaps seeing the priest in such a decrepit state in his last few years of life contributed to this feeling of freedom. Indeed, the priest probably looked more healthful dead than alive—as Eliza said, “No one would think he’d make such a beautiful corpse.” The narrator also seemed to be easily frustrated by his elders describing Old Cotter as being a “Tiresome old red nosed imbecile!,” and the narrator was easily distracted by one of the old sister’s mutterings and disheveled clothing when praying at the priest’s coffin. When the narrator said that he almost expected the corpse to be smiling, I wonder if the fact that the dead man was free from such difficult people as the narrator had described could be a reason for the dead priest’s supposed happiness and peace.
An Encounter
Frustration with or repulsion by elders is a theme that certainly carries over into the next chapter, An Encounter. The boys, skipping school, encounter an older man who at first engages them in relatively innocent conversation, talking of the weather and such, but the man gradually gets creepier and creepier, until the boys are scared away. The author seems to be of the opinion that the older members of society each have some sort of problem, and they interfere with the ambitions of the youth. For this reason, I find this to be a rather sad and somewhat bitter collection of stories (so far at least).
The Araby
The Araby is linked to The Sisters through mention that a priest had died in the house in which The Araby takes place. The Araby is also linked to both previous stories through the theme of elders being disappointing and frustrating. In The Araby, all the narrator wants to do is to be able to go the Araby so that he can bring back a trinket for his love. His uncle, however, forgets about his nephew’s desire until it is almost too late, and the narrator, upon arriving at the Araby, is so dismayed about how things turned out that he leaves the almost deserted place without buying anything at all. Even the shopkeeper there was not truly interested in selling anything to the narrator. Again, a young person’s opportunity for love and fulfillment is dashed by the mindlessness of elders. Yet another sad tale!
Though the chapter is named for the sister caretakers who looked after the declining priest, much of the focus of the chapter seems to be on the narrator’s feelings about the priest and the death of the priest. I find the seeming points of conflict in this chapter to be interesting: the boy’s feeling of freedom upon learning of the priest’s death, although he liked the priest and learned many things from him. Perhaps seeing the priest in such a decrepit state in his last few years of life contributed to this feeling of freedom. Indeed, the priest probably looked more healthful dead than alive—as Eliza said, “No one would think he’d make such a beautiful corpse.” The narrator also seemed to be easily frustrated by his elders describing Old Cotter as being a “Tiresome old red nosed imbecile!,” and the narrator was easily distracted by one of the old sister’s mutterings and disheveled clothing when praying at the priest’s coffin. When the narrator said that he almost expected the corpse to be smiling, I wonder if the fact that the dead man was free from such difficult people as the narrator had described could be a reason for the dead priest’s supposed happiness and peace.
An Encounter
Frustration with or repulsion by elders is a theme that certainly carries over into the next chapter, An Encounter. The boys, skipping school, encounter an older man who at first engages them in relatively innocent conversation, talking of the weather and such, but the man gradually gets creepier and creepier, until the boys are scared away. The author seems to be of the opinion that the older members of society each have some sort of problem, and they interfere with the ambitions of the youth. For this reason, I find this to be a rather sad and somewhat bitter collection of stories (so far at least).
The Araby
The Araby is linked to The Sisters through mention that a priest had died in the house in which The Araby takes place. The Araby is also linked to both previous stories through the theme of elders being disappointing and frustrating. In The Araby, all the narrator wants to do is to be able to go the Araby so that he can bring back a trinket for his love. His uncle, however, forgets about his nephew’s desire until it is almost too late, and the narrator, upon arriving at the Araby, is so dismayed about how things turned out that he leaves the almost deserted place without buying anything at all. Even the shopkeeper there was not truly interested in selling anything to the narrator. Again, a young person’s opportunity for love and fulfillment is dashed by the mindlessness of elders. Yet another sad tale!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Link to "The Encounter" by James Joyce
http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/james-joyce/dubliners/2/
How to Post
When you post to this blog, I ask that the first person to respond for the week create the new posting and label it Blog Week I, Blog Week 2, Blog Week 3, etc. After that, each new person to put their blog on the site for that week should reply under the heading created by the first person. That way, the website stays neat, and we do not have 50 new entries per week.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Welcome
Welcome to our blog class! Once a week, you are required to write a blog at least200 words about the readings we have covered. Every other week you are also required to respond to someone else's blog. Your response must be at least a paragraph in length. These blogs constitute 20 percent of your grade so take them seriously.
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