Category: Short Essays

Introduction to Lulu Lamartine

Despite having various faults as seen from the social comments about and against her “as a flirt” with “Tongues less kind” (105), Lulu Lamartine reconnects the males in various indigenous Indian ways. She expresses it herself that “I was in love with the whole world,” (272) demonstrating the passion lying behind her supposed or real promiscuity. It has moved the tongues and stirred commentaries about her. Her feminine power, however, lies not in her promiscuity or loving nature; rather, it lies in that she has “never shed one solitary tear” and not felt “sorry” for what she has done (273). These moves reassure not only her but also others as she has demonstrated it when dealing with her different lovers and her eight sons who “were of one soul” (114) with her. She also demonstrates her sagacity in choosing her husband between Bev and Henry when they met the first time. The centrality of her role about different characters shows her multidimensional Indianness. In fact, not only does Lulu Lamartine provide necessary love medicine to different Indians by demonstrating her traditional Indian femininity and empowerment, but she also tries to reconnect the people when it comes to her relationship with Bev and Lipsha Morrisey.

Love of Lulu Lamartine

As far as love is concerned, Lulu Lamartine seems an embodiment of love who not only seeks love for herself but also showers love on others. In her narrative, Lulu asserts, “I was in love with the whole world” (272) including nature as well as men. She further adds that “I loved what I saw” (273). It means that she is hungry for love as she did it during her childhood when she could not win Nector. She demonstrates this love that attracts men, provides them comfort, reconnects them as well as heals them. When it comes to attracting men, she goes for Moses Pillager when she sees that Nector Kashpaw, her “first love” (273), has left her for another woman. She demonstrates this love again when she marries Henry, for she gets the reaction when dealing with both brothers in a card game (112). She demonstrates it again through her gestures which are “subtle magnets” (113) that Bev immediately forgets his mission of getting Henry back and enters her bedroom which is “the sacred domain of her femininity” (116). He even does not feel that he has lost his mission of dealing with her diplomatically (116) that he has come with determination. This is a specific Indian trait of loving that if you do not win one love in one way, you go after it another way. Although she becomes the talk of the town in this effort of her to find love, it does not matter to her. Therefore, it must have happened in the choice of her husband that she is pragmatically loving, for she must have seen her survival in marrying one after the other. In one way, this also shows her courage in dealing with them.

Courage of Lulu Lamartine

Where courage is concerned, it is Indian courage of femininity that Lulu Lamartine demonstrates in love as well as in providing a healing touch of love to others. For example, she has clearly provided this healing touch to Bev who almost forgets his mission when he visits her to bring his son but gets entangled in her love. He automatically enters her bedroom (113) after forgetting everything about his mission of taking his son. Again, when they talk about things and their first meeting, he is shocked when he hears that it was Lulu who decided to marry which brother and it was “bold even for Lulu” (111) herself. He again observes this femininity when he sees the boys. In the case of boys, this love mixes with respect as well as obedience and Bev sees that “the younger boys obey” her “perfectly” (114). This femininity also goes into providing a healing touch to Lipsha Morrisey who does not know his real mother but when Lulu drags him to tell this fact about who his real mother was, he says, “I’ll respect her from now on” (299). He comes to know her sincere and true motive after this. Not only is this a bold move on the part of Lulu, but also this provides real healing touch to Lipsha who has all along been entirely ignorant of his real father and mother. This entirely depends on the courage of Lulu and only Lulu could do it. It is also that Lipsha starts believing that Lulu has a “near-divine healing touch,” (299) the reason that she has provided it to him on time. This shows the courage that Lulu has due to her Indian femininity that reaches out to all others who encounter her.

Relationships of Lulu Lamartine

In both of her relationships with Bev and Lipsha, Lulu Lamartine also provides a link to them to reconnect to their families. In one way, these prove healing touches, and, in another way, both reconnect to their loved ones and their Indian roots. For example, in the case of Ben, she has waited for him for so long that when she hugs him as he enters, he feels this love. She proves this when he senses “some sweet apprehension of their kinship” (114) and when he seems to have “no plans at all” (115) for his son, Henry Juniors, though he has plans to take him with him before meeting her. This is purely her presence that reconnects Bev to his family of nephews and his son in a way that it “hardly mattered who was what” (116). For Bev, it is a reconnection as well as a healing touch. Almost the same is the case of Lipsha Morrisey who believes in her divine healing touch after he comes to know about his real father and mother. He becomes fully convinced of her divine powers like that of another lady, Germain, as he says, “If she had some kind of power, I wasn’t one to doubt” (299). Bev, too, sees that Lulu has connected all her sons into one soul as they act together. He enviously looks at them working and obeying her “bound in total loyalty” (114) like they were in their youthful period. This tradition of reconnection runs deep into the Indian femininity demonstrated by Lulu and identified as well as appreciated by Bev. He sees that they were also connected to their siblings in the same way though he does not mention the femininity that held them together – which of course is his own mother. Lipsha, too, appreciates the same when he comes to know about his family.

Conclusion

Putting it briefly, the pure Indian character of Lulu Lulu Lamartine or Nanapush proves her Indianesses when it comes to providing love, showering love, attracting men, asserting femininity, and reconnecting the Indians to their Indian roots. She has demonstrated her love for everything be it, men, or women. She has showered love on her first love, Nector, and turned to Moses when Nector flees. She, then, provides the loving comfort of a wife to her every husband even if it means a title of flirt for her with some additional comments against her. She has demonstrated this love toward her siblings, creating a sense of unity and love among them that they act like they are part of a single organism. She again demonstrates this love when she deals with Bev when he comes to take his son away. In a way, she has always shown love to attract men or patriarchy toward her feminine power. This feminine power emerges to unite the Indian males as well as inform them about their family and family roots. She reconnects both Bev and Lipsha to their families and both acknowledge it. This reconnection of people having lost family connection and consequently Indianness is in a way an Indian indigenous act of reconnecting the individuals to the organism – the Indianness. It proves a healing touch to those whom she connects. Bev feels it when he comes to meet her and sees the boy acting in unison with love as they have acted in their childhood. Lipsha feels gratitude for her when she reconnects him to his family. In short, Lulu Lamartine is a magnet around whom the entire Indian culture revolves, and she provides it necessary subtlety, resilience, and surviving power to overcome the deracination of modern US culture.

Works Cited

1. Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. 1984. New and Expanded Version. New York: Holt, 1993.

1. How does Lulu Lamartine’s Ojibwe heritage and cultural background influence her relationships with other characters in “Love Medicine,” and what role does her Indianness play in shaping her identity within the story?
2. Throughout the novel, Lulu Lamartine is depicted as a symbol of sensuality and allure. How does her Indianness contribute to the portrayal of her as a powerful, magnetic figure, and how do others in the narrative respond to her as a result?
3. Lulu Lamartine’s character navigates the complexities of preserving Ojibwe traditions while existing in a world influenced by white American culture. How does her struggle to reconcile these two worlds highlight the challenges faced by Indigenous individuals in maintaining their cultural identity in a rapidly changing society?

Introduction to Infanta in Le Cid

Infanta in Le Cid, a great play, is a highly important character as se serves as a catalyst for the occurrence of numerous events. It needs to be stressed that her actual name is Donna Urraque. She the aughter of an esteemed Don Ferdinand. Despite the fact that in most modern stage enactments, her character is either not highlighted or eliminated altogether, Infanta remains a pivotal character of Le Cid. In fact, an in-depth analysis of the play reveals that Infanta can be regarded as Chimene’s foil — the female protagonist of the play. Her personality attributes serve as a direct contrast to Chimene’s behavioral traits. As opposed to Chimene, Infanta is not driven by passion or impulse; rather she is pragmatic and places high value on integrity and social responsibility. In other words, Infanta endorses a collectivistic social system and hence, she makes decisions that would serve the interests of her community. Due to this emphasis on social responsibility, Infanta does not pursue or profess the immense love she feels for Don Rodrigue — the protagonist. As opposed to her emotions, she follows logic and reason. Although Infanta could have easily pursued and lured Don Rodrigue, her personal values and social conscience prevents her from doing so. Therefore, Infanta can be regarded as a prototype of all those individuals who possess foresight and social wisdom. As a devoted citizen, Infanta in Le Cid believes that retribution should be ordained in order to safeguard social or communal interest and not merely for satiating one’s desire for vengeance.

Awareness of Infanta in Le Cid

Infanta’s awareness of the overpowering appeal of love becomes evident when she acknowledges to her governess, Leonor that “Love is a tyrant who spares none, I fear / This young knight, this lover, aided here, / I love” (L e Cid Act-I Scene-I) which itself is an admission of an extraordinary determination.Nonetheless, as asserted earlier, Infanta desists herself from pursuing a love that is bound to be doomed. She is acutely conscious of her royal stature that of a princess; hence, her loyalty and her strong sense of duty towards her state compel her to renounce her quest of the young warrior, thereby willfully abandoning herself to her duties as a royal member. It is actually this sense of duty that urges her to unite the esteemed warrior, the object of her desire- Don Rodrigue — with Chimene. She says to Chimene, “Dry your tears, Chimene, and free of sadness” (Act-V Scene-VII) adding “receive him from the hands of your princess” (Act-V Scene-VII). When Chimene is consumed by the desire to avenge her father’s murder by penalizing Don Rodrigue, Infanta advises her against it. She attempts to persuade Chimene to reconsider her desire for revenge by stating that if she complies with the law, the good of the country lies in this.

Royal Character of Infanta in Le Cid

Like a devoted member of the state, Infanta in Le Cid manifests perfection in terms of both personal and royal integrity. Instead of ensuring her own happiness at the expense of the happiness of the majority, she adheres to the belief that it is far more honorable to safeguard the happiness of another. Thus, she does not use her stature and influence as a princess to perpetuate her self-interest rather she wants to “seek in the good of another” in the very first scene adding further that this “marriage means so much to all three” (Act-I Scene-I).Thus, like a devout princess or a considerate monarch, she believes in the spirit of self-sacrifice when it comes to the prosperity of her subjects.

Rationality of Infanta in Le Cid

There are numerous instances in the play where instead of resorting to manipulative tactics, Infanta in Le Cid adopts a more rational and moderate approach vis-à-vis her love for Don Rodrigue. However, being human, Infanta suffers from instances of weakness. During one of these moments of weakness, she states to her governess, Leonor “the effect of reason, / When the heart is touched by subtle poison!” (Act-II, Scene-III) is quite weak and not strong. What she means is that reason does not work. When Chimene is undergoing extreme anguish and turmoil with regard to whether she should forgive Don Rodrigue- the chivalrous hero who has saved the kingdom of Castille, she says to Chimene, “Be calm, Chimene, calm your mind’s disturbance, / Be steadfast in the face of this mischance, / You’ll find fresh peace after this brief storm”  (Act-II Scene-III).Thus, instead of exploiting Chimene’s anger and benefitting from it to form a union between herself and Don Rodrigue, Infanta advises Chimene to be patient and to postpone making any decision till her anger subsides.

Actions of Infanta in Le Cid

 Furthermore, Infanta persuades Chimene to vanquish her desire of seeking Don Rodrigue’s blood in return for her father’s slaying and also expresses her determination that “I’ll help you quench your desire” ( Act-V Scene II). Thus, Infanta plays a quintessential role in minimizing the feelings of aversion and animosity between the two lovers and insists that “Even the King agrees, the truth is plain,/ That in Rodrigue your father lives again; / If you’d have me explain it in a breath, / You pursue public ruin through his death (Act-IV Scene-II).  In fact, she has made her realize that “What was right then is not so today. / Rodrigue is now our sole support” (Act-IV Scene-II). And she Chimene demurs, she makes it clear that “But it’s a deed of a higher order / To put the public good before a father” (Act-IV Scene-II). Moreover, she tries to rip to pieces Chemine’s rigid notions about reclaiming family honor by advocating forgiveness and asserting;

“Why should this public notice so pain you?

This young Mars, they praise, once pleased you;

Possessed your soul; was subject to your law”. (Act-V Scene-II) 

It is noteworthy that although she herself does not adhere to the emotional demands her heart places upon her, Infanta urges Chimene to follow her heart’s desire stating that therein lies true honor that is in honestly acknowledging the desires of one’s heart as opposed to one’s adherence to societal and familial notions of honor. This shows that for Infanta, love can only be pursued between individuals who belong to relatively compatible social classes. 

Conclusion

In the final analysis, it can be asserted that Infanta upholds the status quo. She acts as a mediator between Le Cid, the renowned warrior and Chemine. She does not let herself get swayed by her passionate love for Don Rodrigue. Acting in a manner that would guarantee her subjects’ prosperity, she deliberately tries to extinguish her feelings of love, and instead channelizes her energy in convincing Chemine to forgive Don Rodrigue thereby preventing the loss of an integral state hero. For Infanta, the existence of a state hero- an ideal and exemplary warrior- is more significant than retribution. Therefore, she questions and redefines the entire notion and theoretical framework of preserving family honor. For Infanta, the state supersedes personal and familial interests. Her rational self persistently reminds her that as a princess, she can only cherish a long-term union with a member of another royal family. Thus, Infanta in Le Cid shows rationalism and pragmatism. This enables her to use her persuasive skills and her worldly wisdom to prevent the occurrence of unnecessary bloodshed. Therefore, she can be regarded as a central character of Le Cid, without whom the play would lose its coherence.

Works Cited

1. Corneille. “Le Cid.” 06 June 2007. Poetry In Translation. Translation by A. S. Kiln. Web. 20 March 2014 <http://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/French/LeCid.htm>.

Relevant Questions about Infanta in Le Cid

1. What is Infanta’s role in the plot of Le Cid and how does she influence the story’s events?
2. How does Infanta’s character develop or change as the play Le Cid progresses?
3. What is the nature of the relationship between Infanta and Rodrigue, and how does it impact the overall narrative of Le Cid?

Introduction to Jose Marti

Jose Marti, the father of the Cuban Revolution is one of the most popular and emphatic faces of the modernist and later romantic Latino literature face. Born in Havana, Marti soon became a powerful literary figure of the Hispanic language who has staunchly opposed Spanish imperialism and worked to bring the American rulers to join hands against the onslaught of imperialism. Termed as a Latino Whitman, Marti’s output has been tremendous both in terms of volume as well as impact. Several of his works have won him everlasting acclaim as the face of the revolutionary America, or Latino American revolutionary. However, pitted in-between the romanticism and modernism styles, Jose Marti has demonstrated versatility in writing everything under the sun depicting not only his talent but also the richness of Latino literature. He has a very keen eye for nature as well as a keen sense and intellect for pragmatism to suggest political acumen. Almost every other work of Marti shows both schools amalgamating within him somewhere here and there. True to his nature as a romantic as well as modernism, his essay “Our America” shows Marti at his best by showing a revolutionary spirit in the beginning as well as the pragmatism of collecting people on the single platform on the other hand. In the same way, he has also shown the same spirit in his poem “Coney Island” where he again talks of America both as rich in resources and materialistic greed. Marti’s writings not only show his revolutionary spirit but also his pragmatic statesman as well as a lover of nature.

Revolutionary Spirit of Jose Marti

Whereas his revolutionary spirit is concerned, various of his works demonstrate his skill in creating a revolutionary spirit. Armed with great mind and writing skills, he asserts in his essay “Our America” that whatever the situation is, weapons of mind should never be left behind. He adds that “Barricades of ideas are worth more than the barricades of stones” over the Spanish and European imperialism of the Latin American colonies (324). He urged all the American republics to join hands to defeat the onslaught of imperialism and attackers. However, he also stressed upon the political stability at home removing discrimination of race and color which he sees as great impediments for the people to attain heroic status for their love for freedom. He is of the view that the time for the mobilization is there when there is any attack on the motherland occurs and this is the time that all the others should join hands with everyone else to defeat the attackers. In this connection, he is not only colonialism but also expansionism as he has attacked the Americans fighting abroad and asked them to fight for their country. He is in favor of the power of the natives as he has claimed in the same essay that “Government must originate in the country” (325) by which he means that the natives are capable enough to form their own government and run their own country. His revolutionary spirit is actually the same spirit of romanticism that has traveled from Europe to America and has crept into Latino literature too. It is evident in his other essay “Coney Island” where he again praises America saying “Does this colossal nation contain ferocious and terrible elements?” (130), adding that it lacks nothing but only that it is engulfed in materialism. This also shows his socialist spirit but that is engulfed in his fervor for revolution.

Colonialism and Jose Marti

However, it is quite interesting that he is standing at the verge of modernism where pragmatism rules the roost over the writers as well as thinkers about the future as well as the freedom from colonialism. Colonialism was raging at that time when Marti rose against the Spanish occupation of Cuba due to which he went to America and traveled to New York and other cities. That is why he has given the lesson of pragmatism of modernism to the politicians of Latino American countries and states. Due to the onslaught of colonialism, he knows that the one state or country or race cannot fight the invaders and that for that “Whatever is left of that sleepy hometown in America must awaken” adding that “uncultured masses are lazy and timid in the realm of intelligence” (326) which is a pragmatic approach when analyzing the people who are to govern themselves. At the same time, he has also seen that America, too, is going to involve itself in these things to which he alludes a little and goes to the root cause of progress and justice that he calls as knowledge as he says “Knowing is what counts” but quickly adds “To know one’s country and government it with that knowledge is the only way to free it from tyranny” (327). In his essay “Coney Island” the impacts of this pragmatic approach during the romantic period could be traced at the same time when he praises the verdant beauty of the North American region and also addresses the newspapers and unions. He shows it in another place when he says that “Other peoples—ourselves among them—live in prey to a sublime inner demon that drives us to a relentless pursuit of an ideal of love or glory” (133). This could be said only by a romantic one who is living in the modern age too and knows everything about both of them.

Jose Marti as Poet of Nature

At the same time, Jose Marti is a poet and loves nature which is evident not only in his prose but also in his poems. He even goes on to say in one of his poems “I am an honest man / From where the palm tree grows” (Lines 1-2) where his love for nature is evident. It shows that he loves nature for the sake of nature and knows that love for nature makes a person pure and honest. That is why honesty is parallel to trees. In the same way, it is also clear in his essay “Our America” which starts with a villager who lives close to nature. He, at the same time, holds everything natural as close to the heart of a natural man or man living in the state of nature. In this attempt, he has also used natural metaphorical language to depict different emotional states such as the metaphor of tiger and octopus but his attention is more on the natural man, his rights, and the justice and the impact of this justice on the local people to rise up against oppression. That is why he has advised his readers in his essay “Our American” that they should shun racial discrimination for in the state of nature all men are equal and of the same color. He has stressed upon it for the Americans to rise up against Spanish colonialism as he says “There can be no racial animosity, because there are no races” (329). Although it is also a pragmatic claim that he has made in this essay, for at that time he wants to bring the United States to stop Spain and get his homeland freed, still it shows his love for nature and love for equality.

Conclusion

Briefly stating, it could be said that Jose Marti has been a middle face of Latino literature who was steeped in both the movements; romanticism as well as modernism. He has written not only in the romantic vein but also in modern strain. He has been a revolutionary spirit and political soul. He has dibbed his fingers in everything but has always shown pragmatic tendencies. His essays “Our America” and “Coney Island” have ample evidences which show that as a romantic, he has shown his love for nature, his love for freedom and his love for equality. As a modern, he has shown political acumen to make the people rise up, to join hands with other countries to free his homeland, and to end racial discrimination. It is also that he has written much and has traveled widely, he is considered as one of the most popular Latino writers to have wider impacts on the whole Latino American region. He is considered as the pioneer of revolutionary Latino literature in America.

Works Cited

1. Marti, Jose. Selected Writings. Edited and Translated by Esther Allen. New York: Penguin Books, 2001.
2. ___. “Our America.” From The Norton Anthology of Latino Literature edited by Ilan Stavans. WWNorton, 2016. 628-639.

Relevant Questions about Jose Marti A Pragmatic Romantic Latino Voice

1. How did Jose Marti’s upbringing and early life experiences shape his identity as a pragmatic romantic Latino voice?
2. In what ways did Jose Marti’s writings and activism contribute to the promotion of Latino cultural identity and unity in the late 19th century?
3. Can you explain some of the key themes and ideas in Jose Marti’s work that reflect his status as a pragmatic romantic, and how did these ideas resonate with the Latino community during his time and beyond?

Introduction to Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior

Although Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior is the real heroin, it seems written as an autobiography by Maxine Hong Kingston, it starts with the quote of her mother, Brave Orchid advising her, “You must not tell anyone, “my mother said, “what I am about to tell you” (Kingston 1). Then the book ends with a song of a talk story her mother tells her. This clearly shows that the dominating figure of this autobiography is not Maxine Hong Kingston but her mother, who not only learns different skills but also tries to impart the same to her siblings including the eldest Kingston, so that they could survive the alien land. It is true that the cultural shock initially terrifies her, but her resilient nature soon leads her to adapt to the circumstances, as she did back in China when she turned to nursing. She learns laundry and survives tough circumstances in Stockton when the very survival of the family is at stake. Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior dominates it as a caring mother, a culturally trained person adept in survival, hardworking, and preserver of the traditions but also a brave lady.

Caring Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior

Orchid Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior is perhaps aware that her siblings, specifically girls, needs more care. The reason is that back in China, girls were not given any significance that is clear from her very first sentence that her father “had as sister who killed herself” (1) because of the illegitimate child she gave birth to. As Brave Orchid has had to go through trials and tribulations, she knows that her sibling could be very successful in her culture, but not here. Therefore, she tells them different stories including those of the repressive females such as that of her husband’s sister. She takes care of her, so that she could not go away from the family — a nucleus of all family members in the Chinese culture because she is “only fourteen years old” (32) and cannot take care of her properly. She is not only caring towards her own children but also to others. She advises Moon Orchid to find her husband telling her “Make him feel bad about leaving his mother and father” (71). She then takes her to her husband to demand her right that she forgives on his appeal. Telling stories is also a part of this caring nature of her.

Adeptness of Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior

Brave Orchid is also very adept. When she feels back in China that she cannot succeed in life, she instantly gets admission and become a doctor in order to survive and becomes a very successful person with a slave to whose she treats in a better way. However, when she reaches the United States with her husband, she instantly feels that her former skill is no more useful over there. She becomes a tomato picker, and then then opens a laundry business. She knows that she has to do something to support her husband to earn for her children, as he alone would not be able to do something.  Kingston’s praise for her being a good woman like a scholar is due to this skill. She has to do much hard work in order to settle in Stockton.  It is clear from the work she does for which she is not trained but she knows that if she does not do this, she would suffer a lot with her husband whose income cannot support the family. That is why Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior dominates the scene.

Traditional Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior

As far as her being a preserver of the traditions is concerned, it is right that Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior tells stories to her children, specifically to Kingston who narrates several of them in this book. The stories of her husband’s sister, of her own sister, of different mythical figures such as Fa Mul Lan, and characters demonstrate how she loves her own culture. However, as she feels that they are far away from their land, she can only inculcate these stories into her children by narrating them on a daily basis. She cuts her tongue in childhood so that she could learn the language and be able to speak it fluently. She wants her children to be Chinese where she things time paces more slowly than in the United States as she nostalgically remembers China as she states. ” I would still be young if we lived in China” (92). However, this shows her love forw her motherland. She also talks about the situation back home, the onslaughts of Communists, and the situation of the people. Her concern about her daughter is to preserve her culture. Moreover, Kingston has presented her as a brave woman, who has the courage to shoulder her sister and visits her husband to talk straight to him and look into his face. She even asks Moon Orchid to leave her husband lest he may face trouble on her count. She is very intelligent who takes charge of the whole household and dictates her own commands. She even uses myths for her sister as well, a way that she makes others understand her. She then urges her to “come out of the dawn” (101) and free her husband to whom she refers as an emperor. She has cut a very good figure in terms of setting up her family in California where even the survival of a person was thought a miracle at the time they reached America.

Conclusion

In short, The Warrior Woman does not seem to be about Kingston as it is not her feat to be bred up in the United States and then reap the fruits of her mother’s struggle. Rather it seems Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior shows it as the story of her mother who gave her whole life in order to produce Maxine Hong Kingston who have paid her rich tributes in this book. Not only she is presented as a brave and intelligent but a fiercely resilient lady who has the skills to survive even in the alien land and above all preserve her traditions and skills.

Works Cited

1. Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. Vintage International. 2010. Print.

Relevant Questions about Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior

1. How does Brave Orchid in The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston embody or challenge traditional gender roles and cultural expectations for women, both in Chinese and American societies?
2. How does Brave Orchid’s storytelling in The Woman Warrior reflect the interplay between oral tradition and written narrative, and how does it impact her character development and relationships with her daughters?
3. Throughout The Woman Warrior, how do Brave Orchid’s experiences as an immigrant and her encounters with discrimination and prejudice in America shape her identity and influence her interactions with her family, particularly her daughters?

Introduction to The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot

Human beings are very strange in that either they wait for a messiah, who could remove all of their anxieties, ills and bad luck, or they fear a risky situation that may end their life or cause them irrevocable damage as in The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot. Whatever the situation of a person maybe, either he is waiting for somebody who would bless him with something he cannot achieve, or there is another body who is fearing some impending doom which could make him prominent among others. Whatever the case may be, it is in human nature to find somebody else to get rewarded or be destroyed. Both, the novella of Henry James, The Best in the Jungle, and the play of Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot, deal with the issue of waiting or futile waiting in one or the other way. Although both the writers differ not only in their language but also in philosophy, approach towards life and literature and eras in which they lived. However, the common thing between them is the sense of waiting which they have beautifully depicted in their respective works. Of both works The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot, The Beast in the Jungle, is about the wait of a supposed beast bringing devastation on Marcher, while Waiting for Godot is a wait for an unknown person who never comes though he is considered a messiah – solution to all the problems of the given characters.

Wait in The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot

As far as wait in, The Beast in the Jungle, is concerned, this wait is very neatly put into different meanings. John Marcher has assumed that he would be attacked by some beast or that some beast is in waiting to pounce upon him. It is because when both May Bartram and John Marcher meet and get interested in each other, Marcher does not marry her, because he has in mind that he is not sure about his life when it would end with the attack of that beast. Henry James states at a point that “the definite lesson from that was that a man of feeling did not cause himself to be accompanied by a lady on a tiger-hunt” (James 16). It means that he is always waiting for that beast and is creating an impression around him that he is facing some impending attack of the beast. However, what he is not clear is that there is no beast to attack him. It is only his wait, but the major issue of the novella is not just the wait, but the wait of some impending loss or devastation. This shows a difference in the wait in The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot

Wait in The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot

This devastation, according to his thinking, is that he is not sure what this beast will do to him. More than often, the idea in his mind is that it is some disaster or some accident of a grand scale that would devastate him. Even the worst about it is that he has made May Bartram to accept his theory and wait like him. Both continue waiting until one day it dawns upon him that this beast is a wait that has devastated his youthful years in the wait, leaving aside little with him to pay tribute to the beauty of May Bartram, who is going to die shortly. This is the spot where he suddenly comes to realize the stupidity of his act, for “Everything fell together, confessed, explained, overwhelmed; leaving him most of all stupefied at the blindness he had cherished” (48). This is where he comes to know the real wait and interprets it in totally different meanings which shows a difference in the waiting of wait in The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot.

Wait in The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot

However, this wait with Estragon and Vladimir of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is entirely different. They are two tramps who are to wait for Godot willy-nilly. They come every night on that platform to wait for Godot. However, he does not come and they leave. Their conversation tells that they are tied to wait for him, and if they do not wait, what might happen. But at the same time they are certain to some extent that if he comes, perhaps their fate will change somehow. It is only a question of whether he comes, but this continues to haunt them throughout their short stay at the platform. Even their own coming and going is not sure. Everything seems to be wrapped in uncertainty in the midst of which they are sure about only one thing that they say in unison, “We are waiting for Godot”, but then they forget the place as Estragon asks despairingly to Vladimir, “You are sure it was here” (Beckett 6). Although Vladimir recalls certain signs and symbols, they do not exactly remember whether the place is the same or not.

In the midst of this certainty, they are almost sure that they are waiting for Godot, and that when Godot will come, they will be saved. Whether they question Pozzo or Boy, their answer is the same as they say, “It’s Godot! At last! Gogo! It’s Godot! We are saved” (97). It is here that they think that if they meet Godot, he will save both of them. At one point, Pozzo also points to this fact when he tells both of them that Godot has your immediate future in his hand, which means that he can save both Gogo and Didi, their pet names for each other. However, it never happens but they keep on waiting for better prospects and better future. This wait is different form James’ wait in, The Beast in the Jungle, in that their wait of John Marcher is not clear. However, in the case of Beckett it is clear in, Waiting for Godot, which is that “in this immense confusion one thing is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come” that means they are still positive about the arrival of Godot and his influence over making their life positive (97).

Conclusion

In short, both the pieces have presented waiting or waiting in a very different manner. In both stories, wait in The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for GodotThe Beast in the Jungle, present wait or waiting in negative connotations which does not clarify even until the end of the story, this wait or waiting in the play, Waiting for Godot, is equally confusing, but it has some positive connotations. The negative connotations are clear from the sense of the wait. Marcher is always referring to this as some happening, some stroke of fate, some law of the heaven or some accident which would change the very course of his life. His wait is as to waiting for some beast that is ready to pounce upon its victim to finish it. However, wait of Gogo and Didi has some positive connotations. Although it is clear that they are forced to wait for him, they are certain that they are waiting for Godot and that Godot has their immediate future in his hands. Other than this, they are totally confused about everything. One thing is certain that they are going to wait for Godot tomorrow, as they are waiting now. Therefore, waiting in both the pieces is different, but it could be negative or positive, depending on the type of the characters and their expectations regarding this wait.

Works Cited

1. Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. Samuel-Beckett. Samuel-becket.net. n. d. Web. 07 May 2022.
2. James, Henry. The Beast in the Jungle. Beedbooks Online. n.d. Web. 07 May 2022.

Relevant Questions about Waiting for The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot

1. How does the theme of waiting in The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James relate to the central character John Marcher’s anticipation of a significant event in his life, and how does it compare to the waiting experienced by Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot?
2. In Waiting for Godot, Vladimir and Estragon wait for someone who may never arrive. How does this existential waiting differ from the anticipation of a vague future event in The Beast in the Jungle? What existential themes connect the two works?
3. Both works explore the concept of waiting as a central motif. How do the characters in The Beast in the Jungle and Waiting for Godot cope with the uncertainty and meaninglessness associated with their waiting, and what does this reveal about the human condition in each work?

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Introduction to Homecoming in The Odyssey

According to the conventions of ancient Greek myths, a legendary hero’s journey to his homeland, a la theme of homecoming in The Odyssey, after undergoing a series of adventures was replete with innumerable challenges and tribulations. Nostos, a Greek equivalent of homecoming is a significant term in this regard and aptly portrays the return journey undertaken by Odysseus in The Odyssey. It needs to be highlighted that what makes Odysseus’s journey different from the traditional homecoming journey is his longing for his loved his wife and son and thus his yearning for the land of his ancestors. The acute sense of displacement and alienation experienced by Odysseus while traveling amidst foreign lands generates a fierce in him to embark on a homeward journey. This journeying toward his native land contributes to Odysseus’s growth since it enables him to experience the physical repercussions of traveling while simultaneously undergoing an inward quest.

Voyage in Homecoming in The Odyssey

Odysseus’s voyage to his homeland lands or his homecoming in The Odyssey comes across an island occupied by the nymph Calypso. He becomes entrapped in this island since Calypso imprisons him. Her primary reason for imprisoning Odysseus is her self-professed love towards him, which compels her to tempt Odysseus by promising him an immortal existence. To ensure that Odysseus is unable to escape, Calypso keeps him entrapped at Ogygia. Once imprisoned, Odysseus becomes aware of the difficulties that will beset him before he can ultimately reunite with his beloved wife, Penelope at Ithaca and his son Telemachus. The fact that both Zeus and Ino, the queen of Thebes, ordain and sanction his journey does not minimize the trials encountered by Odyssey; his homeward quest remains equally challenging. Zeus’s unflinching support to Odysseus’s homeward journey becomes evident when he contrives a scheme in Book-V to force Calypso to let him go home as “She keeps him there / by force, and he’s unable to sail off / and get back to his native land” (Book-V lines16-19).

As asserted earlier, when Calypso tempts him with the notion of attaining immortality, Odysseus resists this temptation by stating;

My quiet Penélopê—how well I know—

would seem a shade before your majesty,

death and old age being unknown to you,

while she must die. Yet, it is true, each day

I long for home, long for the sight of home. (Book-V lines 225-229)

Hero and Homecoming in The Odyssey

However, as time progresses this resistance of Odysseus is somewhat overshadowed by his desire to attain immortality and hence, he keeps wavering between his longing for his wife and homeland and his desire to remain in Ogygia. It seemes there are more obstructions in homecoming in The Odyssey. As rightly said in Book-I, this conflict was often times experienced by a man “while he alone still hungered / for home and wife.” (Book-I 19-20). It is noteworthy that during moments of painful nostalgic recollections, Odysseus becomes engulfed by memories of his wife and his native land. Eventually, Calypso decides to set him free and assists him in building a raft- one that would enable Odysseus to leave Calypso’s island. During his sea voyage, the sea god Poseidon erects several barriers for Odysseus thereby making his sea journey excruciatingly difficult. However, once Poseidon orders the storm to cease, Odysseus is able to safely reach the island inhabited by Phaeacians- Scheria.

Seduction and Homecoming in The Odyssey

On the Phaeacians’ island, Odysseus is awakened by the princess Nausicaa during his homecoming in The Odyssey. She then introduces this legendary warrior to her father- Alcinous- and Arete- his wife. Both of them welcome the much exhausted stranger. On realizing Odysseus’s strong resolve to return to his homeland and reunite with his family, the king consults his advisors and issues orders that Odysseus be given a safe passage home. Referring to Odysseus, the king remarks, “Now he appeals to me for conveyance home” (Book-VIII 32). Odysseus’s unwavering desire to return home is evident from the fact that he halfheartedly participates in the competitions. During the competition, his mind keeps reverting to memories of his wife and in a state of intense longing he states “I sit here at your field meet, yes; but only / as one who begs your king to send him home” (Book-VIII 163-164).

After leaving the island inhabited by Polyphemus, Odysseus is confronted by the goddess of magic- Circe, another milestone in homecoming in The Odyssey. On her insistence, Odysseus goes to the dark hitherto unexplored territory- the underworld. In the underworld, he comes across his dead mother, meets his dead comrades and Tiresias. Even the pleas made by these individuals cannot prevent Odysseus from retracting his adamant decision of pursuing a homeward journey. Furthermore, the enticing luxuries and other innumerable temptations also fail to thwart Odysseus’s desire of going home.

Conclusion

Odysseus then recounts the final episode of his voyage- his encountering of the Sirens and his confrontation with the sea monster- Charybdis. Eventually, his homecoming in The Odyssey reaches its completion when he safely reaches his destination via a Phaeacians’ ship. Throughout his brief and prolonged stays at various places, Nostos remains his primary aim. All forms of dangers, tribulations and distractions pale in comparison to his objective of returning to the land of his ancestors- a land rife with memories of his loved ones.

Works Cited

Homer. Odyssey. n.d. Robert Fitzgerald. 04 March 2022. <cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/…/https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Homer-Robert-S-J-Fitzgerald/dp/009951168105_273-611_Homer%202_Aesop.pdf‎>.

Relevant Questions about Homecoming in The Odyssey

1. How does the theme of homecoming in “The Odyssey” manifest in Odysseus’ challenging journey back to Ithaca and his eventual homecoming?
2. In what ways does Penelope’s steadfast belief in Odysseus and her dedication to their marriage influence the theme of homecoming in “The Odyssey”?
3. How does the concept of homecoming symbolize not only Odysseus’ physical return but also his personal growth, transformation, and the reestablishment of order in Ithaca in “The Odyssey”?

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Introduction to Hedonism

Hedonism, a philosophical concept about good life, seems attractive despite objections and Mill’s intellectual defense of it. In fact, true to its literal meanings, hedonism is generally taken as a life of pleasure and happiness, and more of carnal pleasures than of any other type of pleasure (Shafer-Landau 24). However, pleasures does not mean only one sort of pleasures such as some enjoy sensual life, and consider fulfillment of carnal desires, or desires of their bodies as the only source of happiness. In the same way, some people like to enjoy games or playing, or hunting, or any such enjoyments. Hedonism actually means to have a good life that “is full of sustained enjoyment, containing only minimal sadness and misery” (Shafer-Landau 25).

Derivation of Hedonism

Hedonism is a Greek word derived from hedone that means “pleasure” as Russ Shafer-Landau has defined it, saying that hedonists think that life is “good to the extent that it is filled with pleasure and is free of pain” (24). This first principal seems to be same that he has defined earlier. He means that there is a pleasure in life that can be derived from two things.  The first are things which are instrumental goods that can bring good things to body of the person. Thus, these things or objects have a value, or they are valuable in this way. The others are intrinsically valuable that have “goodness self-contained” and are worth pursuing. Giving examples, he says that chocolate is an instrumental good and book reading act or book in itself is intrinsically valuable (23).  Arguing his case further, he refers to Epicurus to define it distinctly as a philosophical concept, saying although for him pleasure was the only thing to be pursued, Epicurus means to find “inner peace” and not pleasure of physical desires (25). He says that Epicurus has given two sources to achieve this inner peace that are “moderation” in physical desires and “intellectual clarity” about important things which have intrinsic value (25). However, there are many interesting points of objection raised by the critics.

Objections Against Hedonism

There are three major objections against hedonism. Shafer-Landau has given full details of all three major arguments to state that hedonism, indeed, has some faults and weaker grounds. The very first argument is “the paradox of hedonism” that he says is in that a person tries hard to get something but then such persons who try hard to find happiness always fail (32). For example, he logically says that if happiness is the only thing to be single-mindedly pursued, it is not rational, as happiness cannot directly make our life better than before. In other words, even if happiness is supposed to make life good, it is irrational (33). The second objection is of evil pleasure that is the argument of evil pleasures. Shafer-Landau has clarified that some people enjoy doing evil deeds and become happy but this is not happiness that makes life good or better than before. It is false hedonism (34). He means that only that act can make life happy that is also morally equivalent. It means to be equally beneficial for all others (34). The third argument is of “The Two Words” that he has attributed to W. D. Ross. He clarifies this saying there could be two worlds; one all virtuous and other all bad, and both are equally good for the respective people which does not mean that they are good for their lives. He states that Ross’s objection is good, as it points out that hedonism is false when it says that “any two situations containing identical amounts of happiness and unhappiness are equally good” (35). This is quite false hedonism, and not hedonism at all, as defined by Epicurus and others. Despite having Bentham given a good philosophy of utilitarianism to defend that the happiness of a greater number of people is the ultimate aim, Mill has done a good job of defending hedonism.

Mill on Hedonism

Mill’s point about hedonism is highly interesting and balanced. Following Epicurus, Mills is perhaps the only philosopher who has defended hedonism despite claims of the critics of J. S. Mill that it is a “doctrine of swine” (26). It means that only swine feel carnal pleasure and hence all human beings seek carnal pleasure. However, Mill has argued that pleasure has a different quality for each person. However, the best pleasures are those which take a lot of hard work. He calls it the hard work of mind or “intellectual” work that gives real pleasure. However, he has given types that mean the “intellectual and artistic pleasures” are at the top of his list of different types of pleasures, and “physical pleasures” or carnal pleasures are at the bottom (26). All other pleasures are in-between these two. Shafer-Landau has given a good point about Mill that he has thought that people enjoying both types of works always “prefer the intellectual pleasures” (26). However, it could be otherwise, as some people do not always like to find or pursue intellectual pursuits. Despite this, Mill’s defense of hedonism is highly solid.

Impact of Hedonism

Despite having some very serious objections and very good defense given in detail by J. S. Mill, hedonism philosophical ideas have very positive impacts on people. In fact, it is the good life and pursuit of a good life for pleasure that gives it an edge over other such ideas explained earlier or later. Although serious argumentative objections such as of paradox, evils, and of “Two Worlds” were raised during this time, Mill has intellectually defended it after Epicurus. Hedonism is still a very attractive idea due to its having various models of happiness and good life, pursuit of the well-being of an individual, the nature of misery as an obstacle to happiness, and limitations on a happy life (26-27). Therefore, hedonism seems to have achieved a good defender in the shape of Mill who has given a new direction to this philosophical idea by listing types of different pleasures, taking the intellectual one at the top and the physical one at the bottom.

Works Cited

1. Shafer-Landau, Russ. The Fundamentals of Ethics. 3ed. New York: Oxford University Press. 2015.

Relevant Questions about Hedonism: Basic Tenants, Criticism, and Mill’s Defense

1. What are the basic tenets of hedonism, and how does it define the pursuit of pleasure as the ultimate goal in life?
2. What are some common criticisms of hedonism, particularly regarding its oversimplification of human well-being and its potential for leading to harmful behaviors?
3. How does John Stuart Mill defend a version of hedonism in his utilitarian philosophy, emphasizing the distinction between higher and lower pleasures? How does this attempt to address some of the criticisms leveled against traditional hedonism?

Introduction to Hamlet’s Misogyny

Hamlet’s misogyny shows Shakespeare of using characters having multifaceted personas and still becoming darling of the audience. If at one time, he seems a philosopher pondering over fate and luck, at another time, he is engaged in resolving metaphysical dilemmas of life and death. If at one time, he seems a politician, at other times he is a young commander, then a son, and then a royal member. In short, he has as many facets as many situations in which he is placed. Sometimes, it seems that he is merely a pondering philosopher, who cannot do any action until it is too late, but then there are clear hints within the play that he is rather delaying the action in order to show to the public that his acts are justified within the ambit of law. With it, it also is clear that at several times some of his acts do not conform to the topical social norms. In the midst of this, the debate about Hamlet’s misogyny is also prominent at some places. Hamlet seems to be misogynistic and becomes disenchanted about women because of the hasty marriage of his mother, Gertrude, with King Claudius. Also, his bitter conversation with his mother, his treatment of Ophelia, and his inclusion of the story of Gonzaga in the play show ample evidence of this.

Gertrude and Hamlet’s Misogyny

The play opens with the replacement of guards, but when Hamlet comes on the scene, he is engaged in conversation about the arrival of the ghost of his father which does not show Hamlet’s misogyny. Although the ghost guides him on what to do regarding his revenge and the role of his mother as it says in Act-I, Scene 5, “So to seduce!–won to his shameful lust / The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen” (26-27) where it is clear that Gertrude is a virtuous lady, but she has been seduced by the satanic King Claudius. However, it does not ask him to chide or rebuke the queen, as it states clearly” leave her to heaven / And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge” (42-43). That is the very reason that when he comes face to face with his mother, he plays upon words saying, “seems, madam! nay it is; I know not ‘seems.'” (Act-I, Scene-ii 12). That is the place where he speaks his first famous soliloquy in which he deduces that “Frailty thy name is a woman” (29). Here his language has become strong, as he clearly sees Gertrude marrying his uncle with such a speed that it has surprised the people as well. However, it could be interpreted in a different way as Earnest Jones has defined it in his paper where he thinks that he loves his mother too much and that he is suffering from Oedipus Complex. This mental state reflects his repression of desires that he is giving vent to in the shape of speaking against and rebuking Gertrude wherever he meets her (Jones 99). Steven Mullaney states that this “transgression is not merely against her first husband… What distracts Hamlet from his almost blunted purpose is Gertrude’s aging sexuality, conceived at times as a contradiction in terms, and at times as a violation of her own body (137). This has produced in him strong feelings against women that led to his being a disenchanted person who rebukes whoever comes his way, but surely not make him a misogynist.

Ophelia and Hamlet’s Misogyny

The other proof of Hamlet’s misogyny comes to the fore when he chides Ophelia, his beloved strongly in the Nunnery scene. Hamlet thinks that Ophelia is also a party with her father Polonius. He is of the view in his heart that Ophelia should have supported him but her complicity with the crime makes him more disenchanted with her and generally with all women. He asks her whereabouts of her father and she states he is at home but actually, he is not at home but listening to their conversation. Therefore, he lashes out at her saying, “Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” (Act-III, Scene-i 123-127). Here Earnest Jones quotes Goethe that Hamlet sees “see in Ophelia many traits of resemblance to the Queen …Ophelia as a sensual wanton (Jones 72). His disenchantment with his mother coupled with that of Ophelia’s disloyalty, makes Hamlet so bitter toward her that even she loses her state of mind. However, he, in the end, expresses his love for her more than her own brother.

Play Within Play and Hamlet’s Misogyny

The third evidence is his treatment of Ophelia during the play is staged within the play in Act-III where he speaks to Ophelia. Ophelia tells Hamlet that the play, “Moustrap” is brief but he bitterly replies that that is as brief as the love of a woman showing Hamlet’s misogyny. In fact, at this stage, he is comparing her to Baptista, the wife of Gonazao who betrays her and marries her assassin. His comments on Ophelia and his own mother Gertrude are generally targeting the whole women per se. It is because he loves both of them very much and instead of partying with him, both of them play their roles against Hamlet. However, it could be stated that in fact, he wants to awaken the conscience of both of them by speaking harshly to both of them. This comes at the end of the play at the grave of Ophelia when he becomes furious with the intervention of Laertes and says, “I lov’d Ophelia. / Forty thousand brothers / Could not with all their quantity of love / Make up my sum” (Act-V, Scene-I 264-265) which shows that it is actually his love, but he has become disenchanted. However, he still thinks that his mother is in complicity with the king that she should seek forgiveness from heaven in Act-III. Again this evidence becomes weak as he does not act against the queen but asks her to seek forgiveness for her acts, though the ghost intervenes to suggest him to do this. This may exonerate of Hamlet’s misogyny, yet, it is a strong evidence.

Conclusion

Therefore, it could be concluded that his treatment is based on the current situation and the role of both of these women against her that it seems Hamlet’s misogyny. Had this situation not arisen in the kingdom, and he was not set to “set it right”, Hamlet would not have been termed a misogynistic. He is actually giving vent to his frustration over love they used to shower, but they have now become a party against him. Gertrude is with the king while his own Ophelia is in complicity with her father in exposing her. His love becomes clear for both at the end of the play when he declares that he loves Ophelia and advises his mother that she should seek forgiveness from heaven.

Works Cited

1. Mullaney, Steven. “Mourning and Misogyny:  Hamlet, The Revenger’s Tragedy, and the Final Progress of Elizabeth I,1600-1607,” in Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 45, No. 2, Summer, 1994, pp. 139-62.
2. Jones, Ernest. “The Oedipus-Complex as An Explanation of Hamlet’s Mystery: A Study in Motive.” The American Journal of Psychology 21.1 (January, 1910): 72-113.
3. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Moby Lexical Tools. Moby Lexical Tools. N. d. web. 06 Aug. 2020.

Relevant Questions about Hamlet’s Misogyny

1. How does Hamlet’s misogyny manifest in his treatment of Ophelia?
2. In what ways does Gertrude’s character contribute to or challenge the theme of Hamlet’s misogyny?
3. How do other male characters in Hamlet exhibit Hamlet’s misogyny in their attitudes and actions?

Introduction to Themes in “Fences”

The most controversial themes in “Fences” shows the reason that it has raised a brouhaha in literary circles about critiquing it. It has a host of themes interwoven so beautifully in it that every sort of audiences see their own representation in it. Not only has he presented a stark reality of the situation in which the b**cks used to live, but also presented the worst sort of treatment they used to face from the elite circles, the whites. Much of the conflict in the play takes place between characters of the same family, which does not complete and stays “half” as “Everybody got different fathers and mothers” (Fences 2030), Rose says that she is baffled and “Can’t hardly tell who’s who” (2030) at home. Similarly, Troy seems to say that he should be treated as a “boss” (2021) to Cory, his son, who does not give due regard to his advice regarding his career. This conflict between father and son, then between father and mother, and then at the end between mother and son creates several fences within the play. Some themes in “Fences” comprise his African-American experience or racial discrimination, strained relations between the father and the son, and metaphorical interpretations of fences as boundaries to keep a firm hold on families.

Political Themes in Fences”

During his interview, Wilson stated, “all art is political. It serves a purpose” (Sarvron 1988) by which he means that politics and political issues are always a theme in plays and literary pieces. It means there are various themes in “Fences”. For example, his idea was that Africans living in America should give due regard to the fact that “we must know our past” (Wilson qtd. Sarvron 289) which he demonstrates through is the character of Troy when he relates the whole history of his father, how he was kicked and whipped, and did whipping to his own father in return and left home at only 14. The African American culture of that time when “Fences” was written has been amply displayed not only through the representation of the garbagemen but also through their living and their household conditions. It was the racial discrimination that they met everywhere in every field of life – be it career or games. Had Troy been white, he would have made a name in baseball. He did not see any point in Rose’s logic “Times have changed from when you was young” (Fences 2017) because he know what still Cory, as a n**ger, would have to do double effort as compared to the his white colleagues. He knows that “The white man ain’t gonna let you get nowhere with that football noway” (2015) because it was based on truth as an African American negro. He even lashed at the entities controlled by all whites such as games, garbage management, urban areas, creditors and mortgage executives, and even law. It is because it does not go out of his memory how hard struggle he waged against this system to stay at a place but that too at the price of half blown head of his brother, Gabriel. It was sheer his perseverance and sincere responsibility that he was teaching his son to get out of this past to succeed in the world (Shannon).

Themes in “Fences” about Strained Relations

However, in this background, the strained relations between father and son, Troy and Cory, are other themes in “Fences” that make it interesting in that the father, a giant man, is trying to force down his ideas into the throat of his son, Cory, who is now studying at different times. He has been offered a place in the school team, but his father knows that as a b**ck, he would not succeed. He should rather learn some skills and do something valuable that he should not be a garbage collector in his life. When Cory tries to argue with him, he is silenced with “You are a bigger fool than I thought” (Fences 2015), advising him to “You go on and learn how to put your hands to nobody take away from you” (2018), by which means him to learn some skill to become valuable, which he cannot clearly make his young son understand. Troy knows that “The colored guy got to be twice as good as he get on team” (2014) but Cory has a different idea. A fight and conflict ensued between them when Troy returned the offer of football, while Cory refused to join A&P. Both had a brawl and ultimately Cory had to leave. In fact, by protecting his son’s future, Troy ruined his whole career (Arnold). It shows how themes in “Fences” about strained relations dominate the play.

Themes in “Fences” about Discrimination

In the background of this discrimination and strained relations, Rose, unconsciously, tries to hold the family together by building a fence in front of her house. This could be a metaphorical device used by Wilson deliberately to let the audience know that it is the women who try to keep the household together. Though the strong man has left the world for good, she still keeps her calm as she has a house now. For her, the fence is the thing that has held it together. Though the strong-headed Troy could not understand the logic behind this action of hers, the family man Bono knows that “Some people build fences to keep people [like Alberta] out ….and other people build fences to keep people [like Troy] in” (Fences 2027). However, Troy could not understand till the end. As she has got built that fence, at the end she knows that it is now her house, and she advises her son to attend his father’s funeral. Even Troy at one point knows the importance of this and says during his monologue “I am gonna build me a fence around what belongs to me” (2035) but it is too late now as Rose has asked him to go “womanless” (2036).

Conclusion about Themes in “Fences”

Concluding the discussion about themes in “Fences”, it could be said that the play is not only a representation of the racial discrimination of African Americans, but also a representation of their domestic life. It shows that they and their sons had virtually no or very less opportunities at that time. Even garbage collectors have tensions, conflicts, and ups and downs in life – a situation in which they are much alike the whites, where sons and fathers experience the same strained relations as happens in “The Death of Salesman” by Miller. It also is that the play metaphorically highlights the importance of fences as representing limits and boundaries, which keep the people and families stuck to each other in a household. The points Wilson has highlighted have universal appeals – the reason that “Fences” won such high accolades in the world of theaters. Despite this, it has a host of other themes too.

Works Cited

1. Wilson, August. “Fences.” An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. Ed. Kennedy X. J. & Dana Gioia. 3rd ed. Vol. 10. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 1966-2035. Print.

Relevant Questions about Themes in “Fences”

1. How do the themes in “Fences” illuminate the characters’ experiences and relationships, particularly regarding the theme of race and racism, and what insights does the play provide into the African American struggle for equality during the 1950s?
2. What is the significance of the themes in “Fences,” especially the theme of family, in shaping the character of Troy Maxson and his choices, and how does it reflect the complex balance between personal aspirations and familial responsibilities within the African American community?
3. How do the themes in “Fences,” including dreams and aspirations as well as limitations and barriers, intersect to portray the challenges faced by African Americans in pursuing their dreams within a racially segregated society, and what commentary does the play offer on these themes?

Introduction to Aphorisms in Francis Bacon

The use of aphorisms in Francis Bacon makes his writing pithy and pragmatic, laving lasting impression of his writing in the literary realm.. Almost all of his essays included in the textbook are related to worldly wisdom be it truth that makes a person regarded highly for marriage that makes a person coward and lazy or superstitions that clearly state his own opinion of having no “opinion of God at all than” having a bad opinion such as superstitious (1668). Even more than these little quotes of worldly wisdom, he has cited the world’s greatest philosophers, thinkers, and saints to bring home his audience about his sagacity and pragmatic approach to worldly issues. In the same essay, he has cited Plutarch as his opinion about God and atheism. In the same way, in another essay “From the Advancement of Learning,” he has referred to several past personalities such as Erasmus. These are not just a few examples, he has referred to Greeks and other philosophers of his time too. Aphorisms in Francis Bacon in these essays not only comprise worldly wisdom, but also they are interpretations of human nature and elucidation of existing morality.

Worldly Wisdom in the Aphorisms in Francis Bacon

As far as the question of worldly wisdom is concerned, almost all the topics of the essays are clearly about the worldly wisdom that the readers would benefit from and lead a good life by using these practical points. It is because Ankit Tyagi says, he is a “citizen of the world,” the result is that he would be teaching the worldly wisdom that if a thing is worth seeing, it must be seen until it gives benefit to the seer (525). What he means is that if an object has no utility for a person in this world, it means, it must be shunned as Tyagi has further stated that “Bacon Judges everything from the utilitarian point of view.” (525). Even several of Bacon’s own words testify to his worldly wisdom that makes a person successful in this world and helps him build a career. For example, he considers wives and children as “impediments to great enterprises” (1664). If seen from the pragmatic purpose, it shows that the great people have always no children or only one or two children which show the wisdom of Bacon is a right. Walter R. Davis has also supported this view saying that his ideas for examinations as they are “provisional” or what is said to be used in the existing circumstances (Davis). It means that they are in accordance with the human nature.

Human Nature in Aphorisms in Francis Bacon

Bacon has a deep understanding of human nature which he interprets to tell aphorisms that have long-lasting importance. John Miller in his essay, “Pruning by Study: Self Cultivation in Bacon’s Essay” says that his essays are products of common “anxieties, concerns or socio-economic conditions” of his own time, the reason that they seem as interpretations of human nature (339). As a human being has a private as well as a public life that gives meaning to his life, Bacon, Miller says has divided life in these two parts and has  highlighted the second one that belongs to the public in which the relationship is “necessarily competitive” (342). Moreover, it is but natural for a man to go smoothly through this transition of private and public life which Bacon has amply highlighted in his writings. Bacon says in his essay “Of Great Place” that “Even reproofs from authority need to be grave” (1667). This clearly shows Miller’s point that it is an interpretation of human nature, for if it is not grave, the subordinates will either go unruly or become revengeful. That is why it seems an elucidation of temporal morality.

Aphorisms in Francis Bacon about Temporal Morality

Temporal morality here means the morality that exists at the time that is provisional and ends when the person wins success or the time passes. Lytton Strachey, a renowned British critic has commented on the essays of Bacon regarding his worldly wisdom and temporal morality. He says that he was religious as well as practical but his “philosophy was utilitarian and his deepest interests were fixed upon workings and the welfare of human society” (03). This clearly means that Strachey thinks him showing the “spirit of the age” which is the same as temporal morality which means confirming the morality prevailing at that time and not of the universal one (03). That is why William Sessions has called his essays as “Dispersed Meditations” or visible signs of good knowledge that work at the time when it is needed the most (22) due to aphorisms in Francis Bacon.

Conclusion

In short, Bacon’s essays serve the purpose of showing a true and practical path to the reader that wins only success and nothing else. It is because these short and pithy sentences are fullyof worldly wisdom, teaching the readers of “Preserve the right of thy place” (1667). It is because these short worldly pearls of wisdom are close to human nature. Bacon understands human nature and interprets it according to the spirit of the time. That is why he is considered as elucidating the spirit of that morality of that time. Hence, to say that Bacon reflects the pragmatism of that time is not wrong.

Works Cited

1. Bacon, Francis Sir. “From Essays.” From The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Gen. ed. Stephen Greenblatt. 9th ed. Vol. F. New York: Norton, 2012. 1662-1689. Print.
2. Davis, Walter R. “Francis Bacon: Overview.” Reference Guide to English Literature, edited by D. L. Kirkpatrick, 2nd ed., St. James Press, 1991. Literature Resource Center, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GLS&sw=w&u=txshracd2512&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CH1420009027&it=r&asid=8996bf137d4b34c95c57772e2e7b6987. Accessed 28 Oct. 2022.
3. Miller, John J. “`Pruning by Study’: Self-Cultivation in Bacon’s Essays.” Papers on Language & Literature, vol. 31, no. 4, Fall95, p. 339. EBSCOhost, libaccess.hccs.edu:443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9512121382&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
4. Strachey, Lytton. “Bacon as a Man of Letters.” Literature Criticism from 1400 to 1800, edited by James E. Person, Jr., vol. 18, Gale, 1992. Literature Resource Center, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GLS&sw=w&u=txshracd2512&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CH1420009031&it=r&asid=e1b32ec0c485c59cca9c99a1516e4cb7. Accessed 28 Oct. 2017. Originally published in Spectatorial Essays, by Lytton Strachey, Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1965, pp. 82-87.
5. Sessions, William A. “The Essays: Reading Them as “Dispersed Meditacions”.” Francis Bacon Revisited, Twayne Publishers, 1996, pp. 21-56. Twayne’s English Authors Series 523. Twayne’s Authors Series, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GLS&sw=w&u=txshracd2512&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CCX1590800014&it=r&asid=254d4ab4af5b3a84bcd8e218b160934f. Accessed 28 Oct. 2022.
6. Tyagi, Ankit. “Francis Bacon’s Philosophy of Life and Morality.” International Journal of English Language, Literature and Translation Studies, vol. 2. no. 3 (2015): 524-527.

Relevant Questions about Aphorisms in Francis Bacon

1. How do Francis Bacon’s aphorisms in his works, such as “Essays,” serve as a means to distill complex philosophical ideas into concise, memorable statements, and what impact do they have on the reader’s understanding of his philosophy?
2. Can you provide examples of specific aphorisms in Francis Bacon’s writings that offer insights into his views on knowledge, science, and human nature, and how do these aphorisms contribute to our appreciation of his contributions to these fields?
3. In what ways do Francis Bacon’s aphorisms exemplify his approach to empiricism and the scientific method, and how do they function as tools for critical thinking and the advancement of human knowledge in the early modern period?