212. Money by Victor Contoski

The poem Money by Victor Contoski is about the bad side of money, and what it does to a person. The major literary device used in the poem is personification. Throughout the entire poem, money takes on the acts of a human. The use of this personification helps the overall theme of the poem by stating many examples of what money will do and how it will eventually take over a person. For example, the poem begins with "At first it will seem tame" - the speaker is introduced to the money, and everything is calm. The next stanza begins "It will nest in your pocket" Contoski is now describing how the money is getting comfortable; back to the personification, money doesn't nest in a pocket, but by saying this, the reader understands that the money has settled in the speaker's life. In the third stanza, the money "will delight your friends" and "lick the legs of women" - the money is winning over the public. Of course, money cannot do this, but by saying this in the poem Contoski is showing that the money in the speaker's life is becoming more of a popular thing. By the fifth stanza, the money will "repay you with displays of affection" when you water it - saying that at the point in time, the speaker believes that by spending more money, he or she gets more out of it. In the sixth stanza, the money will "bite you gently on the hand" - representing the turning point in the money/person relationship. After a certain amount of time, the person is inferior to the money.


Other literary devices Contoski uses are similes and metaphors. Throughout the poem, he is constantly comparing the money to animals. The two similes he uses in the poem are "like a dog" and "like an amoeba" - Money is compared to a dog when it is described as licking the legs of women - an act of sucking up, and showing affection. It is compared to an amoeba when it's described as making love "in secret only to itself" - this simile is showing how the money may act as though it loves the person, but in actuality, it only loves itself; it doesn't care about the speaker. In the 7th stanza, the money is also referred to as an animal when it bites the person on the hand. An animal biting it's owner on the hand is a sign of them overpowering the owner, so in this stanza, Contoski is stating again that the money takes over and controls the owner. Finally, in the last stanza, the money is referred to as a poisonous animal. "There will be no pain but in thirty seconds the poison will reach your heart" The money, before you know it, takes control; like the venim of a snake after being bitten.


Personally, I like this poem. I agree with Contoski with his views on money. Money does take control of people, and it has become a serious problem in our society. I like how the poem is also like a story, telling the journey of how a person becomes consumed by their money. This poem is definitely one of the more interesting poems I found in the back of the book, and probably one of the more comedic ones as well.

214. A light exists in spring; Emily Dickinson

This poem by Emily Dickinson is one of her more religious poems. The poem uses different literary devices, but the main device used is Metaphor. The "light" is actually the heavens, and God.
"A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period"
The first reason we know that this light is a symbol of religion is the fact that Dickinson says it only appears in the spring. The spring season is strongly symbolic of rebirth. This religion is not present at any other time of the year because out of all the seasons, spring is the most religious. Winter represents death, and, in literature, Autumn and Summer are normally viewed as neutral seasons. Dickinson also says, in lines 7 and 8, "That science cannot overtake But human nature feels" - She is saying that this light cannot be taken over by science, and that it is human nature to feel this religious light coming from the sky.
In the third stanza, Dickinson says
"It waits upon the lawn,
It shows the furthest tree
Upon the furthest slope you know."
The fact that this light is waiting represents the Heaven - although creepy, Heaven is always waiting for you. And since this light can show you the furthest tree on the furthest slope, Dickinson is expressing how this light can be close (lawn) and extremely far away at the same time; showing the vast size of the light - referring to Heaven again.
Also, "light" often refers to God. In many religions, Jesus is known as "the Light of the World."


Another device Dickinson uses in this poem is Imagery. The scenery she creates with her language supports the religious theme she was reaching for in her poem. In the second stanza, she says "A color stands abroad On solitary fields." The reader is able to vision this light creating a bright color, shining on lonely fields. - This also helps with the religious theme of the poem because when the reader can actually picture this light, they can relate and it makes the poem more meaningful. Also, the fourth stanza creates a beautiful picture; "Then as the horizons step Or noons report away, Without the formula of sound It passes, and we stay-"
In this stanza, the reader can see the horizons and the daylight quietly and slowly move away (the religious light retreating) Also, you can see the light back away and the speaker remaining solitary, without this light.


I really like this poem, and I believe Emily Dickinson is one of the greatest poems of all time. The thing I like about this poem is how Dickinson makes this light come and go in different stages of the poem. In the first stanza, the light is coming, in the second and third stanza, the light is there, and by the third stanza the light is leaving, in the fourth stanza the light is gone. Another thing that is really appealing about the poem is the imagery. Throughout the entire poem I could see everything that was happening, whether it was the light waiting upon the lawn, or the horizons backing away; everything is so clear.

We; Yevgeny Zamyatin

We
Yevgeny Zamyatin

I think an important aspect to analyze in We is how OneState is governed. The totalitarian society that is present in We slightly differs from the societies we read about in our other dystopian novels. For one, they have a Table of Hours. The Table of Hours lists out everything you MUST be doing and where you should be for the given time frame. Everyone wakes up at the same time, goes to work at the same time, and goes to sleep at the same time. In Anthem, we had a society that was similar to this, however they were not as strict about it - which takes us to The Benefactor. In Anthem and the Handmaid's Tale, there was no Benefactor. Instead, there were specific people who would take care of any problems brought up. The Benefactor in We represents the authoritarian society it strives in. The Benefactor accepts no law infraction, and punishes anyone and everyone who decides to break a law. Another thing we see in the OneState is the usage of numbers to represent people. We do see this system in Anthem, however the naming systems differ. In We, names were based on gender. Women had vowels, and men took the consonants. In Anthem, although the number parts were basically the same, the names themselves were based on ideals (Equality, Liberty, etc). Lastly, a major contribution to the totalitarian society were the pink ticket days. This really shows structure, and how the government took total control of everything in the citizen's life. Not only were the citizens unable to choose their jobs, house, appearance, or even what time they wanted to wake up in the morning; but the government controlled their love life as well. The society in We is a prime example of an authoritative, control-crazed government.


"And I hope we'll win. More-I'm certain we'll win. Because reason has to win."

This is definitely not my favorite quote from the story, but I feel like it is an important one to analyze. This is said by D-503 at the very end of the novel. He has had his imagination removed, and has become somewhat robotic -"It is day. Clear. Barometer at 760." To compare him now to how he was before, when he was with I-330, the difference is appalling. Earlier, he drank liquor, skipped work, traveled across the wall, and took part in a revolt; and now "reason has to win." This goes back to how the government takes complete control over it's citizens. They must govern everything in OneState, and take drastic measures to do so. Removing someone's imagination denies them not only the ability to dream, but the ability to think outside of the box, which is exactly what OneState wants. The change in D-503 is disappointing. He no longer thinks for himself and no longer has that spark that separated him from the brainwashed people he lived and worked with in OneState. D-503 was never a fan of reason; he always thought outside of what OneState told him to think. We know this by how he always left his sentences unfinished - as if he always had a point to say and was obviously thinking about it. He now has belief in reason and faith in reason, and the person he used to be is long gone.


I thought this novel was good. However, I thought it was hard to understand at times. The writing style is so unique, and I really like how the chapters were set up as journal entries written by D-503. I think Zamyatin is an extremely talented writer; he set the novel up really well, with the events that happened and the change in the characters as the story went on. Also, I believe the dystopian society was displayed perfectly, and I think Zamyatin created that with realistic imagery. Out of all of the books we've read, this wasn't the most captivating, but I feel like it's definitely a book that we'll remember for years to come.

The Handmaid's Tale; Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood

The color red in this book is used repetitively to represent a number of different things. The color red itself is a symbol of fertility, and intensity. Also, as we have read in The Scarlet Letter, red represents sins; like adultery. The women in Gilead are always dressed in the color red; which is also representing the oppressive nature of society. The women have no choice of clothing, and their outfits would make them look almost engulfed in the color red. They are almost completely covered in the color, symbolizing how these women's lives are also engulfed in their sexual sins and the society's vision of the importance of fertility and childbirth. Atwood also added in The Red Center. The Red Center is the place in Gilead where the handmaid's are trained. The red in this instance represents oppression, and even fertility. These women are being taught to do a job they don't want to do, but are forced to do (oppression) because they have the ability to bear children (fertility). The color red refers back to the Bible as well in this story. We know this because the Red Center was formally known as the Rachel and Leah Center, making a connection between the color red and the Bible. When I researched color representations in the Bible, I found that different colors of red generally represent sin, and blood. Sin in the story, as I said before, goes back to the act of adultery, and blood represents child birth.

"I would like to believe this is a story I’m telling. I need to believe it. I must believe it. Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance. If it’s a story I’m telling, then I have control over the ending. Then there will be an ending, to the story, and real life will come after it. I can pick up where I left off" (Atwood 39).

This is my favorite quote from the story. It is said towards the end of chapter 7 by Offred. I like this quote because it shows how strongly Offred feels about her society. "I need to believe it. I must believe it." It is apparent that she wishes to believe that her life in Gilead is only a story; that it isn't the life she is actually living. The repetition here shows that she is trying to tell herself that it is just a story, when in actuality she knows that it is anything but that. "Those who can believe that such stories are only stories have a better chance" - In this part of the quote, it is saying that the people who believe that everything is just a story have a better chance. A better chance at making it through the harsh theocratic governing and oppressiveness that is the Republic of Gilead. She is also saying here that she herself may not even make it, because she knows that what she is living is reality. "If it is a story I'm telling, then I have control over the ending. Then there will be an ending, to the story, and real life will come after it. I can pick up where I left off" This is my favorite part of the quote. Offred is saying here that if she had control, she would make everything go back to how it was. She would be with Luke again, she would have her family back, a job, and an education.

All in all, I thought this book was interesting. Although it was disturbing and even hard to read at times, I think the general idea and theme of the novel was brought across strongly and I think Atwood wrote the book very well. Her use of Biblical allusions and symbols really blew me away. On almost every page you could find either a symbol or an allusion and I really respect Atwood for adding all of those little things into the book. The only thing I disliked was the ending. In some aspects, I think it's interesting how she was taken away by either the good guys or the bad guys, but I hate that we don't know.

Anthem; Ayn Rand

Anthem
Ayn Rand

Out of all of the different symbols throughout Anthem, I believe one of the most essential to recognize, and one of the more interesting symbols, is the forest. The forest in the beginning of the novella is seen as a dark place; somewhere one would not want to venture into for any reason. To the people in the society in which Equality and the Golden One live in, the forest is uncharted, frightening, and strictly off limits. To travel into the forest would make one socially shunned. However, when Equality and the Golden One break away from their society and venture into the forest, it represents the future, and the rebirth of society that is to come. The forest gives Equality and the Golden One opportunities that they could never have received living in their old society. They are brought back to the Unmentionable Times, and are able now to start a new society without the strict, authoritarian, limiting characteristics they dealt with in their old society.

"I am. I think. I will."

This quote is my favorite out of the entire story. Equality states this after he discovers the word "I", He has a whole new outlook on life, and is liberated from the society he lives in. He now knows that he is different, because he knows this word and because he may no longer refer to himself as "we". I love this quote because it's short and sweet, and gets to the point. He is - not "we are". He thinks - not "we think"; he now has his own thoughts and mind. And he will continue his life with a new vision of the individual. Also, this is one of the climactic parts of the novella. Equality has finally reached the realization that it is time to emancipate himself and change his life by using this word "I". This is where the reader can ultimately see how the story turns into an attempt to escape society.


I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was a short read, but it kept my attention from the beginning and I actually ended up reading the entire thing in a matter of hours. I think that Rand wrote it perfectly, and got her points across through many different outlets; symbolism (light, forest) , characterization (Equality, Liberty). I think Rand put a bit of a clever, sarcastic touch into the writing by the name of the characters in the story, which included Equality, Liberty, Union International, and Collective to name a few. I also loved the way the book was ended. It actually gave the reader some hope for a future society unlike the one they are living in now. Unlike the other dystopian works we have read, it almost promises the reader that Equality and the Golden One with start a society of their own with the knowledge they have of the Unmentionable Times. The only thing about this book that I didn't really like was how Rand made the personality of The Golden One. I feel like she should have been more rebellious and rowdy, like Equality. It seemed to me like she just kind of followed along, which is completely fine; I just think it would've been more interesting if she had a stronger personality. Overall however, I thought this book was really captivating and I really liked it.