Federigo's Falcon

Themes:

-Irony

-Love

-Sacrifice

-Nobility

-Loss & Guilt

Quotations:

"Though he was very poor, Federigo, until now, had never before realized to what extent he had wasted his wealth; but this morning, the fact that he found nothing with which he could honor the lady for the love of whom he had once entertained countless men in the past gave him cause to reflect"(139)."My brothers, I am well aware of what you say, but I would rather have a man who needs money than money that needs a man.”(141).

Commentary:

-Federigo, at this point, realizes how much of his wealth and money he spent on this woman who has now come to him and given him the time of day. He realizes that he is empty handed and has nothing to offer Monna. It gives him some perspective that he made such a fool of himself, and in the end he had nothing left to impress the lady of his dreams with.

-Because of his nobility, Monna settles down with Federigo and marries him because no man has ever gone to that extent for her. She felt guilty that she had ignored him while he loved her, and then came and asked for his one and only prized possession and he gave that to her too, just not the way she wanted. This makes Federigo a notable man and someone that is worthy of her hand in marriage.

Connections:

• I think that a connection from this story could be that a lot of couples in modern times often try to offer everything they have to win over someones attention, and that someone couldn't care less. This could connect to when guys are "friendzoned" by guys. Monna friendzoned Federigo.
• Federigo shows the same type of personality as my boyfriend. They would both do anything for the person they love, and any person that would ask for a favor. They are both such generous and caring and genuine people that truly love those in their life. :o)

Images:

Canterbury Tales - Wife Of Bath

Themes:

-Femininity
-Sex
-Power
-Old Age
-Love

Quotations:

"A wys womman wol bisye hire evere in oonTo gete hire love, ye, ther as she hath noon.(215-216)"
"An housbonde I wol have, I wol nat lette,Which shal be both my dettour and my thral,And have his tribulacioun withalUpon his flessh, wyl that I am his wif. (160-163)"

Commentary:

-In this quote, you can see that the Wife of Bath is advising what a "wise" women should and shouldn't do. Her intentions is to teach and inform women of all ages that the power should reside with the woman in a relationship. She claims that its important to make a man fall in love with you first so that later in the relationship, you are able to manipulate him so that the woman will have power over him.

-This quote demonstrates the idea of old age marriages called "marriage debt". This refers to the concept that a wife and husband owe each other sex. She is casting her husband as a debtor. She is claiming that this idea refers to the perspective that her husband is her slave.  In her eyes, the debt is passed between the husband and wife, so that the power some how resides with the woman. 

Connections:

• One connection that can be made is to the world. From my perspective, love in the 20th century was based around the man. Women were supposed to sacrifice their life for one shaped around their husband. I think that modern love has twisted those ideas, making it much easier for women to feel empowered. It is much harder to prove your love for a woman, and once you do you are under her "power".
• I can connect the Wife of Baths ideals to my own in some aspects. I believe that love is truly ageless and that love cannot be based on the outer shell of human beings. I think that it is a sign of shallowness when people decide whether or not a person is worthy of their time based on their looks. 

Images:

Beowulf/Grendel

Themes:

-Identity
-Religion
-Good vs. Evil
-Isolation
-Language

Quotations:

"The man whose name was known for courage,
the Geat leader, resolute in his helmet,
answered in return: "We are retainers
from Hygelac's band. Beowulf is my name." (340-343)

"So it goes with me, age by age. (Talking, talking. Spinning a web of words, pale walls of dreams, between myself and all I see.) (8)"

Commentary

-This is the moment when Beowulf actually introduces himself, meaning he actually says his name. This is intertwined with his 'boast' that he delivers to those questioning him, proving to them that he is a worthy warrior. He is proclaiming his name and addressing the great reputation he has built up for himself in past good deeds.

-Language is one of the greatest themes in Grendel. This quote is unique because it shows how Grendel is narrating the entire story of the book to himself - probably due to the extreme isolation he is always living in. This quote shows how Grendel really truly sees the world, which is a solipsistic view of reality, meaning nothing really truly exists to him unless he can perceive it. Speaking to himself and addressing his obvious views of the world helps him cope with the rest of the world hating him.

Connections

• One connection that can be made is that in high school, a lot of people feel the need to have to prove themselves to others. They're whole experience of high school is based around a reputation that they have built for 4 years, which can either make or break themselves in the end. This can be connected to how Beowulf interacts with his peers and how confident he is and the overwhelming need to prove himself to others. This primarily is a struggle with identity, which I see as a potential personal issue that could be experienced by anyone.
• Grendel often feels as if the world around him hates him (and they kind of do) but I can kind of relate to the manor that Grendel has when he's alone. He tends to overthink a lot of things and assume things are worse than they really are. He easily pushes people away that love him, his mother, which I know I can do when I'm feeling lonely or upset too. He usually has to talk his way through things, feeling the need to justify every feeling and action that he goes through. This is understandable because its very easy to feel isolated in a world that doesn't stop moving for anyone or anything.

Images

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Theme Words:

• isolation
• fear
• lies/deceit
• love
• identity
• truth

Quotes:

"I didn't speak to anyone and for the whole afternoon I sat in the corner of the Library groaning with my head pressed into the join between the two walls and this made me feel calm and safe"(178).

"Also, dogs are faithful and they do not tell lies because they cannot talk"(143).

Commentary:

-This shows the true and rough reality that Christopher faces everyday because of his condition. It ties into a lot of the themes such as isolation and fear. Many encounters with Christopher such as talking to strangers or not knowing where he is is a very fearful situation for him. And being so afraid of almost everything unknown, causes him to pt himself in isolation because its the only way he is comfortable.


-This quote ties in to the themes of truth and lies/deceit. Throughout the entire novel, Christopher is tied in the middle of numerous amounts of lies, which he doesn't permit. This causes him to feel very fearful of people that lie, for example his father. He doesn't trust very easily, so when you break his trust its extremely hard to earn back. Also, when he is lied to, it is difficult for him to accept and makes him very uncomfortable and puts himself into isolation again.

Connections:

1. I connected Christopher to myself in a way that being lied to hurts me a lot. He doesn't take explanations very well, and I usually let my emotions get in the way before someone can explain the situation. 

2. The second connection I made to was another book Different Like Me by Jennifer Elder. It is a book that was written to inform little kids of inspirational idols from the world of science, art, math and philosophy that all have autism. This relates this book in the way that Christopher has an extreme obsession with doing well in math and physics (things that are rational and can be proven, not just assumed).

Lolita

Theme Words: 

• youth

• innocence

• love

• sex 

• communication/language

Quotations:

"I knew that I had fallen in love with Lolita forever; but I also knew she would not be forever Lolita"(134).

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin my soul [. . .] She was lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line; but in my arms, she was always Lolita"(136).

Commentary:

-The first quote demonstrates the desperate but genuine love that Hubert has for Lolita. It relates to the themes of youth and language because Hubert knows at the mere age of 14, while he will always love Lolita, she is constantly changing and consistently finding herself throughout the story. The quote also has an artistic, heart wrenching play on it showing that Lolita will only love him for the time being and that it is very possible in the near future she will outgrow him (which she does).

-The second quote kind of ties back to the point made in the first. Lolita's character is constantly changing. She is a different person in every aspect of her life. It shows the obsessive nature of the love between Hubert and Lolita. 

Connections:

1. One connection that can be made is to myself. In many ways, I feel that I can relate to Lolita (not in the way where I dig older men) but she is a very indecisive and picky girl. She tends to have an attitude and expects the world to cater to her needs. She also doesn't like to be tied down or controlled. 
2. Another connection is to the world/society. There is a huge contrast in the generations that Hubert and Lolita were raised in. This is a connection that is present in reality between the children and adults of todays society. Many of them clash on ideas, morals and perspectives. It also shows that our society is constantly changing around us. The trends, rules, beliefs and opinions of todays world will change completely from 10 to 20 years from now.