Introduction for Synthesis Paper, Option 2: “The Man to Send Rain Clouds”, “In the Gloaming”, and “Nik’s Last Meal”–2 Literary Works and a Memoir on Death

As Americans, we tend to prize youth and view death and old age with lingering fear.  “In the Gloaming” by Alice Elliot Dark takes us to 1990’s suburbia, where Martin escapes in his work to avoid confronting his terminally ill, 33 year old son Laird.  Despite a failing immune system and an absent father, remarkably, Laird is able to find meaning in his last days by really connecting with his mother.  Martin’s outlook on death, as a man driven by work and social status, represents the typical American view, but Dark shows us that possibility still remains even though the picture may look bleak.

Native American tribes such as the Laguna Pueblo see death very differently, as playing a vital role in the preservation of life.  Leslie Marmon Silko’s “The Man to Send Rain Clouds” portrays the beautiful intricacy of the tribe’s burial rituals, where Teofilo’s passing will send rain clouds for the upcoming harvest.  His death will ensure future abundance in life, leaving his survivors not in despair but in gratitude.  My personal Memoir “Nik’s Last Meal” describes a relatable view on death, where our dog Nikolas is put down due to old age pains.  This differs from “The Man to Send Rain Cloud” and “In the Gloaming” because an animal is involved, and generally, animals are viewed as quite subordinate to human concerns.  Nevertheless, Nik’s passing teaches us that honor and grace can persist in the face of death.  These works offer readers a wide spectrum of opportunity in facing our mortality.  Looking at the messages of each, we can combat the grim reaper with caring, gratitude, and if we’re paying attention before it’s too late, redemption.

 

Methods of Analysis lecture

Here is a guide on how to utilize different methods of Analysis;

Created for Daylover’s version of English 102.

Use the following angles to analyze meaning in stories.  Refer to the examples as guides only; students are expected to write in their own style, using their own words.  Note tenses.

1) Character’s desires/motivation—outcome—meaning

Madame Loisel fantasizes about upper echelon life and can not see the good in what she has.  She suffers from a form of self-deception, denying her current life.

2) Author’s intention

Maupassant shows the consequences of vanity and pride in the final scene.

3) Question of Sympathy   (How does the author shape sympathy?)

Desiree becomes the tragic hero, as the most likable character in the story.

4) Metaphors.   (Objects/things of importance)

The overshoes represent Walter Mitty’s insecurity, as he dodges his wife’s urgings to wear them.

5) Setting: Time and Place. (Cultural forces in the story)

Women in the 19^th century were expected to become dutiful and obedient wives.

6) Author’s background.

James Thurber is known for his comic portrayals of domestic life.   Walter Mitty is…

7) Word choice/connotation  (Usually needs a quote for support)

Chopin describes the Aubigny’s falling love as “ struck by pistol shot”, which foreshadows the story’s grim conclusion.

8) Ideas/Themes.

Chopin often writes about emancipation with strong female characters.   Note Clarisse’s state of mind at the end: “And the first free breath since her marriage seemed to restore the pleasant liberty of her maiden days,” (35).

Quotes for Support add onto another method, to back up an earlier statement or observation.  Note the two previous examples.   Do not change the tense of quotes.  If they are in past tense, keep them in the past.

Your task for Exercise 4:

Use the methods to organize 3 (double spaced) pages of analysis in support of your intro/thesis from Exercise 3.   That is, use the methods as labels for how you’re analyzing the work.

You may use a few methods more than others; but remember that variety helps bring depth to a paper.  Some may cross over or go together, so label all of the methods you’re using in the section of writing to follow.   No matter how the 3 pages are organized, the point is to become conscious of the methods you are using and move toward variety.

How to Use Quotes, Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill”

When writing an analysis paper, using quotes for support is necessary.  The following shows examples related to Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill.”  Suppose I am arguing that Miss Brill’s judgement of others leads to her own separation, insecurity, and lack of importance.

(The picture is of the author, not Miss Brill.)

Quotes need to be 1) introduced; this lets readers know that a quote is coming; and 2) Cited. This includes the author and page number usually.  Refer to MLA guidelines.

Partial Quote

Miss Brill shows contempt for the fashion choices of others, the “dreadful Panama hat” worn by the Englishman (Mansfield 739).

Remember, you do not need to quote entire sentences always; sometimes you only need certain parts, usually with drawing attention to word choice.  

Note how the period comes after the citation, which includes the author and page number.

Here’s another example, this time using more of the quote and an ellipsis mark, which signifies that words are omitted.

Miss Brill, in fact, judges not only the dress of others, but their habits as well.  Mansfield writes, “…Miss Brill had often noticed–there was something funny about nearly all of them.  They were odd, silent, nearly all old…” (739).

Note how, since I mention Mansfield when introducing the quote, I can refrain from doing so in the citation.  This way or the previous method can both work; decide what best flows with your analysis.

Full Quote

Miss Brill’s judgements actually represent her own shortcomings.  She fancies that others stumble into the park from cupboards, when she lives in one herself.  ”But today she passed the baker’s by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room–her room like a cupboard–and sat down down on the red eiderdown,” (Mansfield 741).   Miss Brill changes her routine, which shows how this Sunday has affected her.    Mansfield’s reference to the bed covering symbolizes Miss Brill’s loneliness, given that she doesn’t have a partner.

Note how analysis utilizes all parts of the quote.   Also, notice how the sentence quoted ends in period, but we change that to a comma; the period comes after the citation.   

Summary vs. Analysis examples–El Tonto del Barrio

Summary:

“El Tonto del Barrio” tells the story of Romero, a man described as “touched,” who has a special arrangement in the Golden Heights Centro.  Romero sweeps the sidewalks clean and gets handouts in exchange.  Barelas’ son Seferino feels bad for Romero and offers him a wage, which Romero accepts and soon begins requesting more.   Seferino denies him an increase, and Romero begins buying on credit and even resorts to stealing.  He flips off traffic, lifts up the women’s skirts, and becomes the barrio nuisance.  Once Seferino leaves for Harvard, Romero’s behavior goes back to normal.

Mix of Summary and Analysis (analysis is underlined):

“El Tonto del Barrio” tells the story of Romero, a man described as “touched,” who has a special arrangement in the Golden Heights Centro.  Romero sweeps the sidewalks and the barrio gives him handouts, which helps the community function in an orderly way.  Romero’s sweeping the sidewalks  gives him a sense of purpose, a role to fulfill.  The barrio tolerates his sometimes erratic behavior because he contributes a service faithfully and never causes trouble.  

Then Seferino decides to change all of that.  Seferino offers Romero a wage because he doesn’t understand that Romero’s concept of money is different than everyone else’s.  Self-worth equals a paycheck, in the eyes of Seferino.   After Seferino denies Romero a raise, Romero begins buying on credit and even resorts to stealing.  Because he wants more and doesn’t get it, Romero flips off traffic, lifts up the women’s skirts, and becomes the barrio nuisance.  With so many disturbances in Golden Heights Centro, Armas shows the negative impact of earning money and becoming a “businessman.”  Once Seferino leaves for Harvard, Romero’s behavior goes back to normal.  He begins sweeping the sidewalks and singing again.  Since everything goes back to normal when Seferino leaves, Armas makes it clear who the real “El tonto del barrio” is.

Analysis

“El Tonto del Barrio” tells the story of Romero and a once peaceful community gone awry.  Romero’s sweeping the sidewalks  gives him a sense of purpose, a role to fulfill.  The barrio recognizes his work with handouts, perhaps not an ideal situation for your ordinary person, but Romero is anything but normal.   Seferino offers Romero a wage because he doesn’t understand that Romero’s concept of money is different than everyone else’s.  Self-worth equals a paycheck, in the eyes of Seferino.   As such Romero demands a raise, a perfect example of how earning money can quickly go to your head.

Because he wants more and doesn’t get it, Romero flips off traffic, lifts up the women’s skirts, and becomes the barrio nuisance.  With so many disturbances in Golden Heights Centro, Armas shows the negative impact of earning money and becoming a “businessman.”   Since everything goes back to normal when Seferino leaves, Armas makes it clear who the real “El tonto del barrio” is.  This story illustrates how academic knowledge doesn’t exactly translate to real-world wisdom.

How to Use Research, and Citation methods

Remember that research must be 1) introduced and 2) cited.   Here’s a few examples, going off of the last post: a paper on Religion with Courting a Monk, Araby, and Young Goodman Brown.  These are examples of citing secondary sources.

In-Text Citations 

Book—

Understanding Micah’s deeper motivations with Buddhism is necessary to interpreting the story.  The Buddha’s “Middle-way” philosophy represents “the concept of a rationed life, where the body is given what it needs to function optimally, but no more,” (Smith 85).  Micah takes this notion to the extreme, that of being a monk, where Gina’s sexual powers threaten his quest for a “rationed life.”

Articles are the same thing; cite author and page number.  This also applies for Web sources, provided there is a credited author and page number.  In an absence of page numbers, include the author only; in the absences of both, cite the title of the page and give the partial URL. 

The atmosphere of intense suspicion throughout Salem during 1692 is an important factor in “Young Goodman Brown.” “During the Salem witch trials, more people were accused and executed than in all the previous witchcraft trials in New England,” (Ray).   Fear-mongering throughout the community created more accusations, and so someone like Goodman Brown wouldn’t know who to trust.  His mind begins creating images in the forest to confirm his biggest fears.

If there were no credited author, the citation would be (“Overview of the Salem Witch Trials” virginia.edu).  Here’s another example, this time paraphrasing.

James Joyce’s “Araby” was published in a short story collection titled “Dubliners”, which the author wrote as a chapter of Ireland’s moral history (“Dubliners” jamesjoyce.ie).  Given the centuries-spanning fight between Irish Catholics and British control in Ireland, Catholicism is central to the moral history Joyce implies.   Despite this, Joyce’s references to Catholicism are more subtle.  The narrator first references Catholicism in the dead Priest who used to inhabit his house.

Works Cited (remember to list alphabetically and to indent if going to a 2nd line; format here doesn’t allow for indents)

PRIMARY SOURCES

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown.” Literature for Composition, Compact Edition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet et al. New York: Longman, 2003.  213-222. Print.

Joyce, James.  “Araby.” Literature for Composition, Compact Edition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet et al. New York: Longman, 2003.  226-230. Print.

Min, Katherine.  “Courting a Monk.”  Literature for Composition, Compact Edition. Ed. Sylvan Barnet et al. New York: Longman, 2003.  293-303. Print.

BOOK SOURCE

Smith, Huston.  The World’s Religions. New York: Harper Collins, 1958. Print.

If I had accessed this text online, the citation would be,

Smith, Huston. The World’s Religions. New York: Harper Collins, 1958. Web. 22 April 2012.

See OWL at Purdue, MLA for examples of periodicals and magazines in the Works cited.

WEB

“Dubliners.” Joyce, The James Joyce Centre. Big Top Multimedia, 2012. Web. 22 April 2012.

Rey, Benjamin. “Overview of the Salem Witch Trials.”Salem Witch Trials, Documentary Archive and Transcription Project.University of Virginia, 2002.  Web. 22 April 2012.

Research Synthesis Paper, introduction–revised–“Young Goodman Brown”, “Courting a Monk”, and “Araby”–three stories and Religion

For fiction writers, treating the subject of religion involves serious risks.  Developing characters with religious beliefs can cause audience alienation; misrepresentation may also discredit the work.  The writer should present religious beliefs from many points view; this way the reader doesn’t judge the short story as propaganda.  Katherine Min’s “Courting a Monk” achieves an impressive objectivity despite the Buddhist faith taking center stage.

Nathaniel Hawthorne takes a different approach, authoring a scathing critique of Puritan New England with “Young Goodman Brown.”   Hawthorne’s allegorical adventure through the unknown forest represents mankind’s stuggle with doubt and suspicion.  In “Araby,” James Joyce’s Irish Catholic background infuses the story in subtle ways.  For Joyce’s kid-narrator and his family, their Catholicism represents a national pride and identity.  Taken together, these works reflect the many possibilities with integrating religious beliefs into the realm of fiction.  Time divides their portrayals: 1993, 1835, and 1905, which alters audience reception.  The authors’ varying treatments of religion display human nature’s unending confusion and fascination with the spiritual world.

(thesis is underlined)

Note how the few important differences and similarities are mentioned.  Other ideas relate of course, but I can elaborate on them later.  Stick to the bigger points for the Intro.  Avoid too much detail, here.  Save that for the rest of the paper.

The following sentences would be the start of my 3rd paragraph.

Audiences today generally allow the Writer more breathing room with treating religion in literature than in Hawthorne’s time.   “Courting a Monk” reflects the atmosphere of diversity surrounding college campuses in the 1990’s.  As such, the Buddhist faith takes the spotlight in a way reflective of society’s changing values.  It also make sense conflict-wise, for Min’s sexpot narrator to be confronted with the “reununciation of desire,” (Min 296).   Her sketcism of Micah’s faith plays to audiences who would also be sketical.

An Explication of Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art”

“–Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture

I love) I shan’t have lied.  It’s evident

the art of losing’s not too hard to master

though it many look like (Write it!) like disaster.”  (Bishop 129)

 

Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art” displays the complicated nature of responding to loss.  Her speaker appears showy at first, but ultimately regret and confusion trump their self proclaimed art of losing.  Lines 16-19 reflect the pain of losing a partner as the most affecting, despite the speaker’s nonchalance.

By using the poem’s first and only dash, Bishop distinguishes the “you” from everything else the speaker has lost.  This shows how separation from people and relationships always carries more importance.  In line 16, the poem’s first set of parentheses includes the most personal reflection so far.  We become privy to the speaker’s inner voice with “joking voice” and “gesture I love” representing pleasing memories. The parenthetical highlights the most difficult loss, what is most missed.

 

“I shan’t have lied” sounds like reassuring the audience of her point, hinting at underlying insecurity.  Similarly, “It’s evident/the art” works to make a statement with diminishing confidence.  Also, the difference in wording, “…art of losing’s not too hard to master”, is certainly less assured than the poem’s first line, which is later repeated twice.  We can understand the impact of “you” and their memory upon the speaker.  This kind of loss, then, can be quite difficult to master, despite what the speakers actually claims.

 

The subtext of the speaker’s words finalizes the change in line 19.  “Write…” in italics emphasizes the act of setting something down, of needing to make it exist.  Notice that “it!” is not italicized.  The meaning of “it!”, the message of mastering loss, is not highlighted so much as the act of writing.  We can understand this as forcing oneself to write what is felt but not really believed to be true.  The exclamation mark connects with line 10’s “And look!” the poem’s only other.  Essentially, “look” at the “act” of writing in the attempt to master loss.

 

Most of us can identify with trying to put on brave faces regarding loss; yet actually mastering losing is another matter entirely.  Bishop’s faltering speaker represents human nature’s inner struggle with making art out of our struggles.

 

 

 

 

 

How to use quotes, analyzing Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill”

When writing an analysis paper, using quotes for support is necessary.  The following shows examples related to Katherine Mansfield’s “Miss Brill.”  Suppose I am arguing that Miss Brill’s judgement of others leads to her own separation, insecurity, and lack of importance.

(The picture is of the author, not Miss Brill.)

Quotes need to be 1) introduced; this lets readers know that a quote is coming; and 2) Cited. This includes the author and page number usually.  Refer to MLA guidelines.

Partial Quote

Miss Brill shows contempt for the fashion choices of others, the “dreadful Panama hat” worn by the Englishman (Mansfield 739).

Remember, you do not need to quote entire sentences always; sometimes you only need certain parts, usually with drawing attention to word choice.  

Note how the period comes after the citation, which includes the author and page number.

Here’s another example, this time using more of the quote and an ellipsis mark, which signifies that words are omitted.

Miss Brill, in fact, judges not only the dress of others, but their habits as well.  Mansfield writes, “…Miss Brill had often noticed–there was something funny about nearly all of them.  They were odd, silent, nearly all old…” (739).

Note how, since I mention Mansfield when introducing the quote, I can refrain from doing so in the citation.  This way or the previous method can both work; decide what best flows with your analysis.

Full Quote

Miss Brill’s judgements actually represent her own shortcomings.  She fancies that others stumble into the park from cupboards, when she lives in one herself.  “But today she passed the baker’s by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room–her room like a cupboard–and sat down down on the red eiderdown,” (Mansfield 741).   Miss Brill changes her routine, which shows how this Sunday has affected her.    Mansfield’s reference to the bed covering symbolizes Miss Brill’s loneliness, given that she doesn’t have a partner.

Note how analysis utilizes all parts of the quote.   Also, notice how the sentence quoted ends in period, but we change that to a comma; the period comes after the citation.   

Summary Vs. Analysis

In Daylover’s version of English 102, we study and write about literature.  This means writing based in analyzing the meaning of stories, poems, plays, and other media.

With that in mind, let’s look at the difference between summary and analysis.

Summary:

In ” A Good Man is Hard to Find” a family heads toward Florida on vacation.  The grandmother wants to go elsewhere, so she lies about a treasure, which causes the family to get lost.  Because of this, the Misfit finds them and brutally executes them one at a time.  The Misfit says of the grandmother, “She would of been a good woman, if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life,” (O’Connor 344).

Mix of some Analysis and Summary:

In “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the family’s heading Florida shows how the Grandmother is ignored by the family.  The grandmother talks about the Misfit and other things.  She is able to convince them, however, to alter their plans, which causes them to get lost.  The grandmother’s trickery, also seen in hiding Pitty Sing, causes the accident.   As the last one executed, she pleads for her life, asking the Misfit to pray to Jesus.  The Misfit resists her attempts and shoots the grandmother.  Though the grandmother is a flawed character, she is able to  display goodness, which is supported by the Misfit’s comment, “She would a been a good woman…” (O’Connor 344)    

Analysis:

“A Good Man is Hard to Find” is a story about the consequences of deception, manipulation, and lack of faith.   The tricky Grandmother is largely ignored by the family; the fact that O’Connor doesn’t name the grandmother highlights her demeaned status.  Because she lacks importance, the grandmother must resort to deception to get her way, which carries heavy consequences.  Describing the treasure and hiding Pitty Sing cause the accident, putting her family on the road to death.  The grandmother’s pleas intensify when her life at stake, offering Jesus/prayer to the Misfit, when, really, she doesn’t care for his salvation, only her survival.  In one moment, however, “the grandmother’s head cleared for an instant,” (O’Connor 344).  Here the grandmother lets go of her manipulative ways.  Through this brutal tragedy, O’Connor warns readers of manipulation but also shows possibilities for faith and redemption.

“Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne

It helps to have historical background when readings works one might call “literature.”   Understanding Nathaniel Hawthorne without much knowledge on the Puritans, for example, would prove quite difficult.  Of course, one thinks of repression, fear-mongering, and hypocrisy along with the Puritans, but here’s where research fills the necessary gaps.

Let’s look at Hawthorne’s most anthologized short story, “Young Goodman Brown.”  Here, a well-to-do Puritan traverses a dark forest at night on Halloween with a sinister, though unexpressed, intention.  Brown meets a devilish “figure” who eventually guides him to a witch’s sabbath.  What Brown finds matches everything the Puritans had feared: witches communing in a dark forest conducting strange rituals and devil worship.  It’s well documented that, back in 1692, Reverend Parris’ servant Tituba corroborated earlier accusations of witchcraft by describing such fantastic rituals.  Her testimony gave Salem’s witch hunt the momentum it needed.  Most interpret Tituba’s confession as coerced due to psychological pressure from authorities.  In fact, many of the accused lied about being witches to avoid execution.  The Puritans believed in redemption; therefore, if an accused witch confessed, they were reprieved.  Those who insisted on their innocence were hanged.

Why were the Puritans like this?  Not only was the Massachusetts colony a haven for the Puritans, they believed that providence carried them there.  They lived under a “covenant” with God, a divine agreement where obeying God’s will offered the pathway to salvation.  Added to this, the covenant applied to all members of one’s circle/town.  So, if one person went against God’s will, the community’s entire salvation became jeopardized.  Crop failures, for example, were often explained as God’s punishment for moral degradation.  This illuminates why Reverend Parris and others around 1692 fired up their sermons with fear-based rhetoric, thereby enforcing mass suspicion and doubt amongst one another.

Salem village life around 1692 was quite unstable.  Their charter had been revoked and a struggle with English regulations/taxes hampered the Puritan mission.  Fear of Indian attacks/hostility also lingered.  Doubt had crept into the newer generations, for different Christian sects settled in the colony by the late 17th century, previewing a religious freedom that threatened the Puritan’s attempted theocracy.  Not everyone fervently supported the witch trials, even in Salem village.  So the Puritan stronghold (their perceived providence) in the new world was slipping.  A scapegoat was needed: witchcraft, which equated to devil worship for the Puritans.

In an atmosphere of intense fear and suspicion, danger becomes very real.  “Young Goodman Brown” illustrates how the Puritans’ doomsday rhetoric worked its magic, no pun intended.  Goodman Brown discovers practically everyone from Salem village in the forest on his journey, even his former teacher, Goody Cloyse.  This is a reference to Sarah Cloyse, one of the accused witches later acquitted after the Governor shut down the trials.  The devil also takes credit for his “work,” historical events such as the Puritan whipping of Ann Coleman, a Quaker, and the burning of an Indian village fort back in 1675.  Martha Cory, one of the hanged, and Martha Carrier, who claimed to be the devil’s “queen of hell,” also show up in Hawthorne’s short story.

Many interpretations of “YGB” exist, but what’s compelling is the uncertainty surrounding Brown’s journey.  He sees vague forms which all vanish at one point, pointing to either a dream or an intense hallucination.  Hawthorne leaves this question up to the reader, and appropriately so, to determine their own interpretation of this fantastic incident.  Brown is doomed to paranoia the rest of his life, which shows the effect of a society under mass suspicion/control.  Many interpret Brown’s forest adventure as a journey into his own troubled mind, which would make sense, because our minds do deceive.  Doubt constantly assaults Brown, which causes his abandonment of faith.  We see what we want to see, and in Salem 1692, widespread fear carried deadly consequences.  Hawthorne’s brilliance comes off allegorical as well as literal, in how the reader grasps in vain for a clear picture.

Sources:

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown and other tales.”  Oxford world classics (explanatory notes are helpful here).

“The Salem Witch Trials” Opposing Viewpoints series.  This is a basic text, which does provide balanced interpretations.

Morgan, Edmund S.  “The Puritan Family.”  This more scholarly book gives detailed pictures of Puritan life.