Spring Break Work-Poetry

A comparison between "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," by T.S Eliot and "The Convergence of the Twain," by Thomas Hardy (2002 prompt).

2002 Poem “The Convergence of the Twain” (Thomas Hardy)

Prompt: Read the following poem carefully. Then, taking into consideration the title of the poem, analyze how the poetic devices convey the speaker’s attitude toward the sinking of the ship.

The title "Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is a direct contrast to the actual theme. This contributes to the meaning of the poem with the usage of literary techniques such as irony and foil. It is ironic because the title leads you to an imagery displaying a romantic sunset or maybe the day the anonymous Alfred Prufrock meets the love of his life. However, to the contrary, he watches the waves and days as they crash past him. He has given up on love and merely gives up to fade away to nothing. His optimistic character described in the title is the direct opposite of the longing man that he actually is. Similarly the title "The Convergence of the Twain" seems to provide a sense of a sort of coming together. In reality, the ending lines show cases an attitude toward a sinking ship. Both these titles relate, as they are misleading to the realism and hidden tones.

Poetry Analysis of 'Out, Out' by Robert Frost

1. Meaning- The poem tells a story of a boy working with a saw. He gets called for dinner in which, the saw rumbles and cuts his hand. When the boy is taken to the doctor he tells his family to not let him cut his hand off completely. Then the doctor places some kind of drug on the boy which kills him. His family is unaffected since it wasn't them and "turned to their affairs."
2. Antecedent Scenario- The boy had been out cutting wood with a saw that had human qualities (personification). Everything changed when his mom called out for dinner time. It seemed as if the saw corresponded dinner with the boys hand.
3. The poem can be divided into what seems as a tone that is unattached.. literally and physically. The theme that I derived was to always stay conscious. It also had an undertone that people are only out for themselves. The scenario reminded me much of The Black Box.
4. What makes the poem stand out is the absurdity of the whole situation. The boy and the saw seem to be the only two who have any emotion and their emotions are foils of each other.

Tobermory explained

If he was trying German irregular verbs on the poor beast," said Clovis, "he deserved all he got."

This story is categorized as existentialism which means that there is no true plot or theme. It is open to interpretation. The tone is almost a desert dry humor or mockery.

Materpiece

What is a masterpiece?

Huxley Interview Essay

The color black is actually quite the opposite of what it seems. By simply looking at it, one could easily point out that it is a color that is similar to all other colors. The truth is that black isn't a color at all; it's the absence of color that makes it visually look as if it is black. This principle, that what you think you're seeing is actually something else, can be used to apply Huxley's A Brave New World, to today's world.

Today's society is living in a mindset that is leading further into a Utopian society, although they think that they are not. For example, people would in general say that they are not being mind controlled. They are probably being negligent to the subconscious brain washing that occurs through commercials and advertisements. It affects your feelings towards the product, even if slightly and even if the person denies it. Media, technology, and science have all vastly grew and changed the way the world was. We think that were seeing the color black, but we actually are slightly dipping into what could be considered "A Brave New World."

Analysis-- Ch.2-3 of A Brave New World

Ch.2

• As the students are in their tour, the obvious future control is present through the "conditioning" of the citizens
• This program is an attempt to create a generation who is identical to the next, which is a form of control and order
• Human beings are being programmed to have certain qualities and to follow orders
• The importance of the individual is lost 
• Support leads directly to the World State, even off work hours

Ch.3

• The society and its sexuality is almost embraced
• Bernard seems to secretly not agree with the transformation sex has taken on
• Citizens are kept into check with criticism and a standard of how things should be and how they should work
• Adults and children are constantly monitored to detect that they are continuing to follow the conformation ideologies
• The system relies on supply and demand and keeps the focus between the citizens and the World State, which keeps them from disbanding or rebelling against the system and continuously thinking about their own life