Completely Opposite of the Last Post

In John Donne's Death, be not proud, the narrator takes a superior position over death.  He begins his verbal attack of death by saying "Death, be not proud, though some have callèd thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; for those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me," (Donne, 971).  The narrator says the death is a weak a pathetic being that has no real power.  He claims that death is not able to touch him, let alone take him.  He goes on to explain that through actions of their own, humans bring destruction upon themselves before death is able to.  Devices like poison, war, and sickness are some of the examples that humans invented that do death's job.  The author shows brashness when he says these devices can bring death upon mankind better than death himself can.  The author clearly has no fear of thoughts about death, and readily challenges it.  The poem concludes with the author claiming that after death comes eternal life, and that is where death shall die.  The author takes comfort in the idea that  the afterlife will grant him eternal life, and in so becomes overly confident in his ability to beat dearth.

Just like Survivor

In Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas, the narrator seems to be actively fighting death.  Similar to the torches in the tv show Survivor, light in this poem represents their life.  The author states death as the fading of light, which most men should struggle with all their might to avoid.  He goes through individual categories of men that would likely be alright with death, or at least not terrified of it.  Yet he finds a reason that all these men should fight death.  He constantly claims that their work is not done on earth yet, and they would be best suited to stay a while longer.  This could be from a sense of himself not being satisfied with his own deeds in life.  His regrets lead him to urge other men to stay and make sure they are leaving nothing behind.  He ends nearly all the stanzas with "Rage, rage against the dying of the light," (Thomas, 968).  The narrator is truly scared of his light going out, and attempts to find security in other people wanting the same thing.

A Sad Way to Look at Autumn

In the one and only William Shakespeare's That Time of Year, the topic of death is emphasized in the changing of the seasons.  He only focuses on the death of the season, stating that the leaves are ugly and dying.  He is not at all romanced by the beauty of the colors or the changing of seasons.  He then goes into how the nights are much more bitter in the fall and winter.  He says death consumes all after sunset, and that is where the ashes of his youth lie.  Yet he states one redeeming quality about the bitterness of autumn.  He eludes to a strengthening of emotions when he says "This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, to love that well which thou must leave ere long," (Shakespeare, 967).  This statement communicates that love that is able to weather the changing of the seasons, and the idea of death, is able to be strengthened.  It seems that the author likely was very disenchanted with the idea of death, and saw it in very unfortunate places, like autumn.  But the final passage eludes to his idea that there could be good that comes from death.

Rumor Has It by Faulkner

In William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily, the story has a very unique point of view.  It is told through basically the rumors of the other people in the town.  It is divided into five random yet important stories that have likely been pasted around the town by gossipers.  The stories paint the picture of Emily has a shut-in who may possibly be crazy.  As the gossip continues, Emily seems more and more crazy.  After her father's death, she was unwilling to give up the body until force was about to be used.  The author eludes to this being the first of many crazy events involving her, as he writes, "We did not say she was crazy then," (Faulkner, 285).  The gossip also seems to include the strange way she would interact with other people.  She repeatedly said she didn't have to pay taxes until she didn't, and she was able to get rat poison by simply starring at the druggist.  This woman seemed unable or unwilling to develop any human relationship, and the one time she did she killed the man and regularly slept next to his dead body.  Emily was unable to move past anything in her life, and she ultimately died having lived a life without very much development.

Happy Hunger Games

In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, the drawing is actually a very undesirable thing to win.  It ultimately concludes with the stoning of one of the members of the village.  It seems to originally have been a human sacrifice ritual that would bring a healthy harvest that year, but this is no longer the connotation of the ritual.  The lottery is done simply because nobody questions the tradition.  The atmosphere of the lottery seemed very similar to the drawing from The Hunger Games.  The villagers were bound by tradition to act as if they are totally comfortable with this practice, and nobody feels fit to speak out against it.  It is simply something that must be done, like going into work.  The narrator eludes to the fact that they are all hesitant to be there but still feel obligated when she says, "Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes.  They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed," (Jackson, 264).  All the villagers seem to be on edge, but they all only want a distraction, not a protest against the practice.  In the end, one person is selected to pay the ultimate price, and though everyone may feel some sorrow, nobody will attempt to change anything.  As in The Hunger Games, the population is simply subject to a tradition they may not be comfortable with, but are very unwilling to change.

The Family as the Glass Menagerie

Tennessee Williams uses symbolism a large amount in The Glass Menagerie.  While the glass symbolizes Laura's paralyzing social standing, it also symbolizes the family's structure.  The family originally seemed to be an average family with normal problems, but upon further examination, it is quite the opposite.  Amanda is constantly nagging her child in an attempt to prevent them from making the same mistakes she did, but this only drives them away from her.  The atmosphere of the house is always full of tension, as Amanda and Tom seem to be ready to fight at any moment.  Laura's inability to function as an adult on a social level simply frustrates the other two, which only adds more tension.  Tom's father also proved to be a large contributor to the delicate nature of the family.  Tom tortured Amanda by going out and drinking every night  and constantly threatening to leave, like his father did.  Tom ultimately decides to leave the family, but discovered he cared for them more then he thought, "Oh, Laura, Laura, I tried to leave you behind me, but I am more faithful than I intended to be!" (Williams, 1289).  This family took a situation that was unfortunate, and instead of making it better, seemed to look for ways to make it worse.  They tore each other apart emotionally  and retrospectively could not possibly hope to exist as a functional family.

Laura is a Piece of Glass

One of the characters in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie seems to be incredibly strange.  She plays a unique role, as kind of a break for fighting but also a cause of intense frustration for both Tom and Amanda.  Through the obnoxious care given to her by her family, mainly her mother, she is unable to improve the little social skills she has.  She has become more similar to the pieces of glass that she plays with than an adult.  She is unable to have adult relationships with other people, and she often tries to find her way out of social situations.  She also shows she absolutely needs order and peace in her world in order to function.  At one point during an argument between Amanda and Tom, Tom inadvertently breaks several of her figures.  Instead of being angry, she reacts with objective sorrow, and the next more tells Tom to "Make up with her, apologize, speak to her!" (Williams, 1249).  Laura's level of function, although very low already, is greatly hindered when there is some kind of disturbance.  Her family has truly emotionally crippled her beyond repair, and it seems she will never be able to pull herself to a normal level of social acceptance.

Nearly as Dysfunctional as the Lohans... Nearly

Tennessee Williams introduces us to among the most dysfunctional families imaginable in The Glass Menagerie.  It begins with Amanda, the mother of the other two children.  She seems unable to live in the present, always eluding to her past and worrying about if her children will make the same mistakes she did, she as marrying the man she did.  She has obviously kept his picture above the fireplace either as a painful reminder of her mistakes or as a desperate hope that one day it will seem she did the right thing.  Her daughter, Laura, is completely unable to be in any kind of social situation due to the smothering care of her brother and mother.  This has left her unable to get a job, and thus car for herself.  Her family is aware of her condition, but unwilling to help her, as noted when Tom said, "Laura seems all those things to you and me because she's ours and we love her.  We don't even notice she's crippled anymore," (Williams, 1260).  Tom is simply another story.  Tom has grown bitter toward his entire situation, and feels he is entitled to a life of freedom and adventure.  This desire, coupled with the frustration his mother causes him, forces him to walk out on his family.  This action shows Tom has eroded into a cold man whose family is dead to him.

Tom's Unique Role as the Narrator

Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie is told from an extremely unique and unusual perspective.  He is an omniscient narrator, but in a mildly different respect.  Because this is a memory play, he is telling you a past event as it had happened too him, but has since past.  Because he is telling us the story, his memory has been altered and warped by certain thoughts and emotions.  He directly alludes to the fact that he is completely controlling the reader's view of the story when he said, "Yes, I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve.  But I am the opposite of a stage magician.  He gives you illusion that has the appearance of truth.  I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion." (Williams, 1236).  Oftentimes memory can be screwed, and not recalled exactly as it happened.  A situation sometimes seems more intense looking back, and as Tom says, many memories are accompanied with music.  This is likely because, and this principle is certainly applied in this story, memories are made to fit our context of them.  They may only include details that are favorable to the speaker's point, while never including the entire situation.  Some of the arguments that take place are likely exaggerated, and his sister's shyness may also be an object of strong embellishment.  Many other aspects of the story are likely also left out, in an attempt to justify this tale in Tom's mind.

What an Awful Analogy

In Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, the main character and narrator, Tom, seems to resent his situation.  He constantly is at odds with his mother, Amanda, and doesn't seem to have anyone to help him deal with his feelings and emotions.  His sister, Laura, has the emotional capacity of a small child, and his best friend is a coworker he barely knows from high school.  His father, whose portrait hangs above the fireplace, left the family to explore the world.  Instead of resentment for his father, Tom actually seems to admire that course of action, and commonly contemplates and romanticizes excepting the house.  This is shown in the line, "You know it don't take much intelligence to get yourself into a nailed-up coffin, Laura.  But who in the hell ever got himself out of one with removing one nail? (As if in answer, the father's grinning photograph lights up.)" (Williams, 1249).  His sentence makes the coffin a symbol for his situation, as the one his father had once been in to a decree.  It is rather easy to get into a situation of unhappiness and resentment, but only an intelligent man can recognize they need to get out.  As if to show that Tom idealized his father's choice to leave, the light flips on after the comment was made.  This could also act as foreshadowing, as Tom may be inclined to follow his father's path.