Sunday, December 4, 2011

Feed: Utopia and Slumberland

Utopia:
The group is discharged from the hospital and they return home to earth, a new world full of technology. Violet and Titus become closer and begin to form a relationship. Violet tells Titus of her ideas to fight the feed. Violet is the one true individualistic character in this novel. She is the only one who fights technology. This ultimately leads to her demise. Titus is intrigued and goes along with Violet. They talk of how everyone doesn't have feeds. Feeds are expensive and Violet herself didn't get hers until she was 7.

Slumberland:
This section is about Violet dying slowly. Due to her late implantation of the feed, her body is slowly shutting down. She is put in the hospital and Titus wants to be there for her but the burden becomes too much for him. She sends him mass amounts of pictures and videos, and memories, but he doesn't open them.

Feed: The Moon, and Eden

The Moon:
We went to the moon to have fun but the moon turned out to completely suck. The group went to the moon for a spring break adventure. They stay in a swanky hotel. They order room service. You get the sense right away that these kids are wealthy. They decide to go out one night to the Ricochet Club. While there, Titus, the main character sees a pretty girl and decides to go talk to her. Her finds out that her name is Violet and they begin talking all night. Meanwhile, there is a shady character standing in the corner. He walks up to the characters and passes a metal rod over them thus hacking their feeds. They all meltdown and wakeup in the hospital.

Eden:
The gang is hospitalized for their hacked feeds. The doctors are doing everything they can to reinstate their feeds back to their normal status. While in the hospital, the group realizes just how much they miss their feeds. They are not able to m-chat each other or send each other pictures and videos. All they can think of is the song I wanna sex you in, that was playing in the club when their feeds were hacked. They have to actually speak to communicate with each other, a rare occurance for the characters in this novel. They are constantly m-chatting each other, similar to instant messaging but in their heads. It is realized that many of these characters don't have supportive parents. Titus' father comes to visit and stays maybe five minutes. Violet's father doesn't come to visit either, it is blamed on his having to work, but it is later found out that he couldn't afford for himself to travel to the moon to check on Violet.

Contemporary poem

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/elizabeth_jennings/poems/14193

This poem is called Accepted by Elizabeth Jennings. She basically is talking about a person who has gotten older. They don't stand out based on looks anymore, but they haven't withered away. They don't know all of the latest and greatest things, but they know old things. They aren't rejected, but they are accepted.

Flash Fiction

http://www.flashfictiononline.com/f20111002-in-an-old-mans-lap-dave-hoing.html

This story is called "in an old man's lap." In this story, a little girl and her grandmother go to the nursing home to visit the little girls grandfather. Her grandfather is 96 years old. He is seemingly unaware of his surroundings. Jacqueline, the little girl, runs from person to person climbing in anyone's lap who will let her. Colleen, her grandmother, sits there and remembers the time of the Ripper, a serial killer who roamed the streets of London. The nursing home is located in the same location as the insane asylum once stood that he was a patient in. If he had survived, he would be 96 today. Just then, a man named Mr. Kaminski walks up to Jacqeuline. He is covered in scars and has protrusions from his cheeks. Jacqueline is intrigued by this old man. She crawls in his lap. Colleen realizes Mr. Kaminski is 96. So the big question is, Is he the ripper? You decide.

The Red Convertible

The Red Convertible is the story of two brothers, Henry and Lyman. They are American- Indians. They both decide on a whim one day to buy a red oldsmobile convertible. They start working on it together and get it running like new. They decide to take a road trip in it and pick up a girl along the way. Her name is Susy and she lives in Alaska, so they take her home to Alaska. Her family takes right to Henry and Lyman. They love them. When Henry and Lyman return home, Henry enters the army. They joke with Henry that the army only wants him for his Indian nose. He returns from the war around three years later, a completely chagned person. He is no longer the fun loving, carefree Henry that he once was. He just sits and barely speaks. Lyman yearns for the old Henry. He wants his brother back. Lyman feels the only way to get Henry back is through the car. He goes out and ruins the car. He beats it with a bat and ruins the upholstery. Henry is furious. He then spends every waking moment working on the car to get it working like new again. When he does, he and Lyman go on a road trip just like old times. They stop at a river and henry jumps in. He floats down stream, Lyman realizes that this is due to the current not because of Henry swimming. Henry says that his boots are filling with water. Lyman knows there is nothing he can do, so he takes the car and let's it drive into the river. The car fills with water just as Henry's boots did.

Although it is not directly stated in the story, henry is going thorough a great battle with Post Trauamtic Stress Disorder. Some of the symptoms of PTSD include:
Flashbacks
Showing little interest in things you once loved
Showing less of your moods
Feeling detached
being unable to concentrate
Henry was clearly suffering from PTSD. He showed no interest in the car when he returned home. He once loved that car so much, that I think he would have done absolutely anything to keep it in perfect running order. He barely speaks to Lyman or anyone in his family. They joked with Henry that he was accepted into the army because of his clearly indian background. Indians are strong, and have little fear according to legends. The idea of strong indians are used in advertisements still . At the left, this indian was used in advertisements nationwide in the 1970's. He sheds a tear because Americans are polluting the environment so much.

Charlotte's Web

This excerpt is one of the saddest excerpts that could be taken from the story. Wilbur has just won his medal and is over joyed. He goes to talk to Charlotte, and asks her what is wrong? She seems so slow these days. Charlotte informs Wilbur that she does not have many days to live. Wilbur is overcome with sadness and determination. He is going to save Charlotte's babies. If Charlotte can't make it back to the barn, her children will. Wilbur wakes Templeton, and instructs him to go cut the egg sack from Charlotte's web. Templeton grunts and groans but he does it. Wilbur puts the egg sack in his mouth, the only safe place to keep it, and leaves Charlotte with a wink. She musters up a goodbye wave and dies alone the next day. Wilbur safely returns the children to the barn, and he is never without friends. They have children and grandchildren. Even though there are all these spiders in the barn, none ever take the place of Charlotte in Wilbur's heart.

This was one of my favorite stories growing up. Everytime I read it, I was always sad when Charlotte died. Charlotte represents a character who has a great heart. She is willing to do anything for her friends. On the outside, she is a scary spider. At first, even Wilbur is scared of her. Once he gets past his fear, he gains one of the best friends he has ever known. Charlotte is a prime example of not judging a book by it's cover. Had Wilbur not gotten past Charlotte's tough exterior, he would not have gained a friend or accomplished the things he accomplished.

Templeton, on the other hand, is an undermining rat. A rat, that is what Templeton is literally and figuratively. When Wilbur wakes him up and tells him that Charlotte is dying, he is not phased. Wilbur asks him to please cut down the egg sack because he can't climb up and get it himself. Templeton then begins with his "me, me, me" rant. He tells Wilbur all of the things that he has done lately. He doesn't think he should have to get the egg sack down. He is more concerned with all of teh things that he has done, instead of helping to save Charlotte's children. Wilbur has to resort to bribing Templeton with the first pick of food forever. Templeton glady climbs his fat belly up the wall at this offer. Selfish, that is what Templeton truly is, a selfish rat.

From Blossoms

From blossoms come peaches. The peaches were sold on a dirt path by a little boy. The peaches were succulent and sweet. That is the basic message of this short poem.

Reading this, I was reminded of my days visiting my grandparents farm. We used to run out in the fields and pick the corn from the stalks, and take the strawberries right off the vines. We would eat them right there, dirty strawberries. They always tasted the best right off the vine, unless the weren't ripe yet. I can hear my grandmother now telling me the strawberries aren't ready to eat, so I better not pick any. I did it anyway, and I always regretted it because there is nothing more bitter tasting than an unripe strawberry.

The author talks about while eating the peach, she is not only eating the peach but also the shade and the days it was grown. There is a lot of hard work that goes into growing a crop of fruit or vegetables. In North Carolina, lots of work goes into growing cotton and tobacco as well. Those hours are spent sowing the ground and planting the seeds. Even to this day, there is not a machiene to do everything. Somethings are still done by hand. My mom tells stories about when she was a little girl and she used to pick tobacco. She said there was nothing better at the end of the long hot day than a pepsi and a honey bun. She and the author of From Blossoms, know the hard work that goes into the growing of crops. My grandparents were the type of people who sold their produce out of the back of the truck on the side of the road, just like the story. They appreciated local consumers, and local consumers appreciated them. They were not interested in going to the grocery store and getting produce when they knew of a better place to get it, probably for cheaper too. When you bite into a piece of dusty fresh produce, remember that a lot of time went into growing that strawberry or that peach. Think about that next time.

The School

So this school, is consumed with death. First the students try to grow some orange trees. They all die. Then there are snakes at the school that are all killed in a strike on the school. The herb garden that the children are growing dies, possibly due to over watering. The class gerbil dies. One student finds a puppy and brings him to school; he is dead just a few weeks later. Matthew and Tony, two of the students, were killed tragically in a construction accident involving wooden beams. Many parents are killed or either kill themselves. On parent is murdered by a masked intruder. The students begin to ask their teacher, Edgar, about it. They ask if death gives meaning to life. He says that no, life is what gives meaning to life. The children are all excited at the end when a new gerbil arrives at the classroom.

I guess the point of this story is death follows us. You can't escape death. There is one absolute certain in everyone's life, you will die one day. This story is tragic. The amount of death that these little children experience is so high. They will probably become numb to the idea of death by the time they are older, if they are not already. This story reminded me of the Final Destination franchise. In these movies, characters survive a freak accident only to be found by death later on in the movie. The idea is the same in the movies and this story. Death is everywhere. Kind of morbid. These children are still young enough that they can be mesmerized by something shiny and new.  This is seen with the gerbil at the end. The children are elated at the sight of the new gerbil. It's like they have forgotten the past deaths they have all experienced. It is said that children bounce back they quickest. They don't dwell on the past. So maybe, these children will all turn out alright despite the large amount of death they have experienced in their short lives.

A Silver Dish

This story deals with death and how to accept. The story is told through the eyes of Woody who's father is terminally ill. He speaks of the good times and bad times with his father, ultimately wanting to remember those good times. The story centers around the stealing of the silver dish. Woody attended a seminary school and he was an ok student. He was expelled for stealing a silver dish, but wait for it, he didn't steal it. It was his father who stole it. Woody was outraged when his father stole the dish; they fought over whether to return it or not. Woody thought he had convinced his father to return the dish, but he was later questioned about the missing dish and was expelled. He went to his father and his father simply told him that he had pawned it. If he wanted it back, then he would have to go buy it back. Saul Bellow then takes the reader back to present day where Woody's father is laying in his death bed. He is fighting the treatments they are giving him with everything he has. He is pulling out tubes and IV's. Woody is so concerned about his father that he lays directly on top of him to restrain him from doing these things. While Woody is holding his father, he dies in his arms.

Did anyone else think of the silver dish as a fountain pen? Death of A Salesman? In DOAS, Biff Loman was the high school football star. Everyone loved him, but he was a bit of a clepto. He was supposed to go to college and play football but was not able to go. He instead goes to interview for a job, and when the interview is not successful Biff steals an expensive fountain pen. In Silver Dish, It was not the disappointing son that stole something, but instead the disappointing father. Both of these stories are centered around the idea that we love people despite their flaws. We are only given one family in this world. Sometimes families don't get along, but they are loved despite this fact. There is a saying blood is thicker than water, meaning you have to stick with your own kind. Those who made you are those who are going to stick with you to the end, even if you steal a pen or a silver dish.

Yet do I marvel/ Heritage

Yet do I Marvel
This poem is fourteen lines long, and it is a sonnet. Cullen uses the images of Tantalus and Sisyphus. Tantalus was welcomed by Zeus to the Greek Gods' table from which he stole ambrosia and nectar. He took this back to his people, and this revealed the secrets of the gods. He was sent to Tartarus in the underworld, which was reserved for the punishment of evildoers. Sisyphus was a king found in Roman mythology. He was punished for eternity to push a bolder up a hill and watch it roll back down again. Both of these characters experienced great struggle in their personal lives, just as Countee Cullen must have. Being a black poet during the civil rights movement could not have been easy, just as pushing a bolder or living in hell must not have been easy.

Heritage
In Heritage, Cullen takes us back to his ancestors. He talkes about Africa and what it means to him. He uses vivid imagery of cats crouching in the river reeds, and bodies sleek and wet dripping of mingled rain and sweat. Although many people believe that people in olden times were not civilized, Cullen diagrees. He says that you and I are civlized, speaking of modern day and those in previous day Africa.

Harlem

What happens to a dream deferred? That is the question that Hughes attempts to answer in this short poem. He asks if it dries up like a raisin in the sun. It's like he is saying that your dream is still there, and it is still attainable, but you let it sit out for such a long time that it doesn't look the same now as it did then. Grapes are sweet and delicious. They are either green or purple. Raisins are almost black and look very funny, but they are still edible to most people. He then asks does it fester like a sore and run? Here, he is saying that if you don't go after your dreams they will become a part of you, like a sore. You will carry these unfulfilled dreams around. Does it stink like rotten meat or sugar over like a syrupy sweet? He is playing with the sense of taste again. Meat will spoil just as sweets will, but they spoil in different ways. Meat smells and that stench lingers for a long time. Sweets just wither away quietly. What will your dreams do if you don't reach them? Will they linger and will you be reminded of them everyday? Will you just quietly accept the fact that you will never attain that dream? Maybe it sags like a heavy load, or will it explode. What will one do with that dream. Will they carry it around like a load all of the time? It will be a constant reminder of what they don't have. Will they let it explode? If they do that, then it will be gone and done forever.

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes begins this poem with a student who has an assignment to go home and write. HE speaks of how the narrator has grown up in historically black neighborhoods and he must go home to Harlem which is below his college. He talks about how he is not that different from his white counterparts. He is just as much a part of them as they are a part of him. Although they may not want to be linked sometimes, they are linked because they are both Americans.

This poem was written in 1951. Hello civil rights movement. This was published right at the beginning of the civil rights movement. Seperate water fountains, eating places in restaurants, entrances to buildings, and even assigned seats on buses were all a part of every day life. It was rare for black people to be educated during this time, but Hughes was. Despite the seperation in America, he saw the truth that everyone was linked despite their color. They were all Americans. Hughes says that white people are no better than black people. Everyone is equal, although not as equal as in Harrison Bergeron.

Howl- Ginsberg

Instead of beginning with the summary, I am going to begin this blog with some background on Ginsberg himself. He wrote this poem in 1955 at the urging of his therapist. He had spent some time in a mental institution, and his therapist felt that he would benefit from writing poetry full time. He talks in great lenghts about his friend from the institution, Carl Solomon. He sympathizes with Solomon due to his mothers schizophrenia.

The poem is written in three parts, not titled.

Part 1
He begins by saying that he saw the best minds of his generation destroyed by madness. He talks vividly about homosexuality, drug use, suicide. These people are all people he encountered in treatment. In this section, Ginsberg uses the base who. Every other line begins with this word

Part 2
Moloch is definitely the base for part 2. Moloch was a God worshipped by the phoenicians who had associations with child sacrifice. In modern english, it is used to refer to a costly sacrifice. Ginsberg uses Moloch as a god for his characters in Part 1 to be sacrificed to.

Part 3
This is a personal address to his dear friend Carl Solomon. The base in this section is Rockland. Ginsberg says that he is with Solomon in Rockland, the fictional name of the mental hospital that they met each other in. Ginsberg says that he will be there with Solomon through the good and the bad.

Reading this poem, I guess because the background of mental illness, i was reminded of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. She wrote that novel in 1963, only 8 years after Ginsberg wrote Howl. Just like Ginsberg, Plath had her own battle with mental illness. Also like Ginsberg, the characters in her story had mental illnesses as well. The Bell Jar centers around Esther Greenwood. She is a nice girl who is battling depression. The Carl to her Allen is a character named Betsy. These characters did not meet in treatment, but while on an internship in New York. Betsy is Esther's only friend. Plath may have taken some of the ideas from Ginsberg and put them into the Bell Jar.

Harrison Bergeron

Harrison bergeron is set in the year 2081. By this time, the governement has mandated that everyone is equal, very equal. Those who are good looking must wear masks, those who are smart must wear earpieces that don't allow them to use their brains, those who have good vision must wear glasses, those who are athletic must wear bags of weight around their neck. George and Hazel Bergeron have a son named harriso who is taken away from them by the handicapper general. While they are watching some ballerinas perform on television, a news bulletin begins stating that Harriso Bergeron has escaped from prison. He is wearing thick glasses and a red rubber nose. They warn people not to attempt to reason with him if they see him. He breaks onto the set of the ballerinas dancing and breaks free of all of his handicapps and begins dancing with one of the ballerinas. He removes her mask to reveal her stunning beauty. They dance and he proclaims himself emperor and the ballerina empress. They dance until Diana Moon Glampers, the handicapper general, catches Harrison and kills him. Hazel is sobbing at the sight of this, but George missed it because he went to get a beer from the kitchen. When he comes back, he asks Hazel what is wrong and she can't remember, something sad. So he tells her to forget sad things.

Is this story "1984" set in 2081 instead? I think so. These are both stories about the future. While this story focuses on the equality of everyone on the planet, 1984 focuses on the technology and how it seperates society. In 1984, the characters can't hide. They have to do things according to what the "Thought police" deem appropriate. In HB, if the characters don't comply with what the handicapper general says, they get killed. Reading these stories makes me wonder what is going to come of our world. Will it even have a future. According to the Mayans, it won't. In December 2012, the world is going to end (so they say). So modern day people won't have to worry about this type of unfair future. We have different types of people today because they are good at different things. Everyone doesn't need to be the same amount of pretty or the same level of smart. That is just ridiculous. Everyone has strenghts. For the government to rob people of that is insane. Let people be individuals.

A Good Man is Hard to Find

In this story, the family is going on a road trip to FLorida. The grandmother is very unhappy with this choice and wants to go to Tennessee instead. She complains to her son Bailey over and over again, but the family chooses to go to Florida anyway. On the way, the family stops to have a meal at a diner called the Tower. While here, the grandmother learns of a serial killer known as "the misfit." She talks to the owner Red Sammy about the killer, and they both agree that a good man is hard to find. When back on the road, the grandmother begins telling the children stories of this house she used to visit when she was a little girl that had secret passageways (shes still trying to deter the family from going to florida). She tells the family that this house is in Georgia and it's right on their way. As she directs her son to turn down a deserted path, she realizes that the house she is thinking of is in fact in Tennessee, not Georgia. Bailey gets into a wreck and his car goes into a nearby ditch. A group of men stop and get out of a truck. They all have guns. The leader of the men instructs his menions to inspect the inside of the car.  The grandmother realizes that he is the misfit and calls him on it. The menions begin murdering the family one by one. While this is happening, the grandmother pleads with misfit and tries to offer him the word of jesus christ. He believes her to be a phony Christian, and muders her (while she is wearing her sunday best, so she died like a lady)

Misfit reminded me somewhat of the character Jigsaw from the 'saw' movies. Misfit killed his own father and then went on a killing rampage to kill others. Jigsaw was diagnosed with some type of cancer and after a failed suicide attempt, he set out to make others apreciate their lives more. He set up "traps" that they had to escape out of, believing that if they did they would appreciate the value of life more. If they didn't, then they would die. The grandmother set a "trap" of her own, attempting to save Misfit. She felt that if she offered him the word of Jesus then he may see the light and not shoot her. While that does not work, he shoots her 3 times, he does remark that she would have been a good woman if there had been someone there to shoot her everyday.

The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

Well this story was an interesting read to say the least. The story begins with a rich couple that decides to go on a safari in Africa. Their safari guide, Wilson, is very experienced in his job and has done this for many other couples. Margot and Francis are struggling in their marraige and hope that this safari can revitalize what they once had. Wilson and Macomber go hunting for lions, and Macomber becomes afraid when a lion is spotted and runs away leaving Wilson to fight it. That night, MAcomber apologizes to Wilson for his running away, and Margot, embarrassed of her husbands actions runs away herself. She comes back complaing and carrying on. Macomber knows that his marraige is on the rocks with Margot, but he feels that she will not leave him because he is too rich. (We'll talk about this in a bit) In the latter part of the story, all three characters go out in the car in search of Buffalo. When one comes charging at the car, both Macomber and Wilson are out of the car ready to shoot it, but Margot comes around the back of the car shooting her husband in the back of the head and killing him in cold blood.

So first of all, Margot is a classic gold digger. She is clearly with her husband for money. She has a very affluent lifestyle and she has become accustomed to it. I don't know many couples who are able to afford an African safari when they feel that their marraige is on the rocks. I get the feeling that Margot is very dependent on her looks, and doesn't do much else, almost like she is a trophy wife of sorts. When she kisses Wilson, Macomber doesn't over react, infact he pretty much just sat there and looked out the other window as if he hadn't seen it at all. I also think that in the end when she shot him, it was not an accident. If her husband is dead, then she can have all of his money and he won't have any say over how she spends it.

While reading this, I was reminded slightly of "The Most Dangerous Game." Instead of hunting for animals like macomber and Wilson, the characters in that story are hunting each other. However in the beginning of the story, Sanger is traveling to hunt jaguars. Little does he know that General Zaroff has plans to capture and hunt him. There are some parallels between both stories.

T.S. Eliot The Wasteland

Eliot began his poem, "The Wasteland" with an epigraph that translates to: "I have seen with my own eyes the Sybil hanging in the jar, when the boys asked he what do you want, she answered 'I want to die." What an uplifting way to start your poem!! Just kidding. "The Wasteland" is divided into five sections: 'The Burial of the Dead," "A Game of Chess," "The Fire Sermon," "Death by Water," and " What the Thunder Said." So for this blog I'm just going to take it section by section.

The Burial of the Dead
To begin this section, Eliot talks about the seasons and how they change. He speaks of April and how it is the cruelest month. His speaking of lilacs and showers made me think of the saying we all know, "April Showers bring May flowers." Winter keeps us warm by blanketing the world in a thick snow. I disagree with that but then again, I'm very much a fan of warm weather. When he was talking about the Summer, there were two words that threw me for a complete loop: Starnbergersee and Hofgarten. Upon more reasearch, I found out that the first was a body of water (a sea) near Munich and the second was a court garden, Munich as well. After that, he starts talking about a fortune teller, maybe? I think she is reading tarot cards for him. Apparently, he doesn't draw great cards because he says he needs to be careful these days.

A Game of Chess
I think that Eliot may first be talking about a very rich woman because he mentions that it is a woman. Then he talks about her sparkling jewels and her ivory and coloured glass. I get the sense that this woman is the type that sits on her rumpus and shows off her riches. She seems to have it all, so why not show it off? Then I think Eliot starts talking about some type of bar or pub. The women he mentions here don't strike me as being really pretty either. One doesn't have any teeth. There's a big difference from the rich lady from the beginning of this section. The two women in the bar are talking about the possiblity of one being pregnant and having an abortion. She spent the money that her husband gave her for teeth on a abortion; that's classy. They stay at the bar until last call.

The Fire Sermon
Eliot begins this section talking about a river. The narrator of the poem basically sits thinking of how the world's situation has gone so badly. He sits and muses. Eliot continuously mentions Tiresius throughout this section of the poem. Tiresias was a blind prophet, often mentioned in Greek Mythology. He was famous for his clairvoyance and being transformed into a woman for several years. Knowing the background allows me to make sense of the "old man with wrinkled breasts" line from Eliot. The narrator sees a man and a woman basically hook up and then the man leaves right after they are done. The woman even goes so far to say that she is glad that's done.

Death by Water
This was my favorite section of the poem, because it was hands down the shortest! Eliot talks of Phlebas the phoenician. He apparently died at sea, maybe drowned? The fish and sea creatures pick at his bones and take his posessions to the sea floor. Eliot says to consider his story because he was once handsome and tall. I think Eliot is just making a point not to count your eggs before they hatch because you never know what may happen to you .

What the Thunder Said
Eliot begins this section with images of hot sweaty faces. He talks of fire and hard ground, but there is no water. He says that those who were living were now dead and those who are living are now dying. I get the impression in the first half of this section that there is some type of struggle going on, perhaps some type of battle even. That would explain the dying. He says that there are cracks and reforms in the violet air. Upside down in the air were towers. Again, this sounds like modern day depictions of war. Eliot changes his descriptions to a thunder storm and tells the reader what it is saying.

Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock

Eliot begins this poem with a quote from Dante which translates to mean: If but I thought that my response were made/ to one perhaps returning the world/ this tongue of flame would sense to flicker/ But since from these depths no one has yet/ returned alive if what I hear is true/ I answer without fear of being shamed. Prufrock, the narrator in this poem, is talking of a woman. You get the sense throughout the poem that Prufrock wants to be with this woman and possibly have a relationship, but he does not have the nerve to ask her. Instead, he sits in room where women are constantly coming and going talking about Michaelangelo. Instead of ever saying anythin, Prufrock just sits and watches. As he sits and watches, he gets older and farther away from the possibility of finding love himself. This poem was written in free verse and had a randomly scattered rhyme scheme.

Eliot used some intersting allusions throughout this poem. One of the ones used frequently was the women talking about Michaelangelo. Michaelangelo was a renaissance painter, most widely known for his painting on the ceiling of the sistine chapel. He was one of the most widely known painters of his time. Eliot mentioned him because of his status. The women are all in love with Michaelangelo, not Prufrock. Another person mentioned in this poem was Lazarus.Lazarus is a character from the bible who is first mentioned in the gospel of John. He was the brother of Mary and Martha. He is famous for being risen from the dead by Jesus Christ himself. I think that Eliot uses the story of Lazarus to tell the readers that Prufrock is the kind of character who may wait around until he dies, but he may not have the chance to be risen again. Lastly, Eliot uses the immagery of Hamlet. We all know the story of Hamlet, the prince who set out to take revenge on his uncle for the murder of his own father. Prufrock says that he is no prince Hamlet. I didn't take this literally to mean that he was going to take revenge on his uncle, but I took it to mean that he doesn't believe himself to be worthy, such as a prince may be. He doesn't hold himself to those high standards that a pince may.

Prufrock was a character who didn't have the confidence in himself to act on any of his whims. Instead, he sat, as he got older, and waited for nothing to happen.