RESPONSES
The first work I read for today's (LAST!!) blog posting was the poem, One Art, by Elizabeth Bishop. Her poem is about loss. She talks about losing different things, and as the poem progresses the magnitude of the losses increase as well. The last thing lost must have been something special because this particular loss is a disaster. She begins the poem, speaking of the loss of meaningless things. She is sarcastic in the last stanza, and I think this lends to the gravity of the last loss.
The second poem I read was by Robert Frost, Mending Wall. In the poem the speaker questions why he and his neighbor must always rebuild the dividing wall between them. It seems to me that the speaker is not fond of the wall, but helps rebuild it every year to appease his neighbor. One thing that touched me about the poem was the line: "To each the boulders that have fallen to each. And some are loaves and some so nearly balls". This line signified to me that the wall dividing the neighbors is not natural. Nature seems to destroy the wall every year, and the men build it again. I think this symbolically says that walls or barriers we create between ourselves and others are not natural. We were not created to ignore one another and be anti social. This is why nature destroys the wall. I think that Frost is trying to say the "something" that doesn't love walls is nature: human nature. True human nature needs community and relations with their neighbors to survive and thrive.
The last work I read today was the short story, "Roman Fever" by Edith Wharton. The two mothers, Mrs. Slade and Mrs. Ansley, are visiting Rome with their two daughters. Coincidentally, they met in Rome when they were younger and have been "friends" since their younger years. This story centers around them reminiscing about their younger days, and it seems to me that there is some type of animosity between the two ladies. Mrs. Slade held resentment towards Mrs. Ansley over her husband. The climax of the story is reached when Mrs. Ansley reveals that Barbara is not her husband's child but Mrs. Slade's husband. I really liked this ending, and it kept me on my toes until the end.
QUESTIONS
- What do you think happened after Mrs. Ansley revealed her secret?
- Why does the main character in Frost's poem continue to build the wall with his neighbor even though he disagrees with it?
CONNECTIONS
- The short story, "Roman Fever" seemed like a plot of a soap opera to me. Where do you think the inspiration of this story came from?
I would imagine that the two women departed from each other's company immediately, never to spend time together again. I could also see Mrs. Slade slapping Mrs. Ansley on her way out, because she seemed liked a childish enough character to do something like that. This is just an idea; I would have liked to have known what happened next as well. In our notes for the reading, it said that the author was from a wealthy family. She got to witness first hand the backstabbing that goes on in high society, where people have to always put on a good face. This was part of her inspiration for the story, but as for the specific baby drama, I do not know. She probably just came up with it on her own, or maybe she knew someone who had a similar experience.
ReplyDeleteI think the character in Frost’s poem continues to build the wall because it is the only time during the year that he and his neighbor come together. It gives him time to try to talk to and connect with his neighbor.
I think the man in Frost poems continues to build the wall even though he disagrees with it because it keeps the peace between the two and if he were to stop fixing it then he would lose that friendship time that he has with the man.
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