The line between wealth and greed

Authors Note: This is a piece written on the obscure symbolism in the book The pearl. It demonstrates my knowledge on the symbols and my understanding of the topic. 

Objects, characters, colors, and actions used to portray and represent abstract ideas or concepts; also know as Symbolism. Whether it be the innocence and destructive symbol of a little girl dragging her baby doll across the ruff pavement or a white wedding gown depicting purity and life. Both giving text more connotation, like in the story The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck used symbols to add to text and the formation of characters.

                Within the first chapter of “The Pearl”  symbolism quickly shows through. A scorpion stings Coyotito the main character, Kino’s, son. Biblically this small perilous creature generally represents the destruction of innocence but is easily seen as evil, death, or just devastation. Kino’s son is only a small baby so this “innocence” could easily be shown as that the Gods intended for young Coyotito to die or be on the brink of death. Also, color became very popular within the pages before the scorpion. Yellow eyes, black ants, yellow spots, and yellow sun light falling upon the house. Yellow is known to symbolize violence or decay and black is death or evil. These colors could be simply foreshadowing the events to come and making the text more intricate.

                Although the Scorpion played a large part in this book the pearl is why the book developed as it did. In the beginning a pearl was seen as wealth, luck and providence. “A pearl that might be” (A perfect pearl) is the prophecy that Juana (Kino’s wife) and Kino had thought they’d fulfilled. They are overwhelmed with aspiration for Coyotito’s future and the possible life free from the shackles of poverty. Soon the pearl starts to exhibit greed not only from Kino but neighbors and friends of the family. Though the family is being hunted Kino refused to give up the pearl as his wise wife had wanted so badly to do. This gem started to be a catalyst of change within Kino and as it is simple and beautiful, however, it becomes a symbol of destruction and danger once entangled with ideas of materialistic values.

                Pearls were a very large fascination in Kino’s town, everyone wanted one but they broke more then what is seen. Kino’s canoe symbolized tradition and his link to his culture. Canoes were used for food, making a living, and in this scenario, to find the pearl. Furthermore, it’s very significant that the possession of the pearl leads directly to the raft’s destruction in chapter 5. Which symbolized Kino’s devastating decision to part with cultural heritage since he wished become acquisitive.

                So whether it be a pearl, canoe, scorpion, or a color symbolism can truly turn a story from one end of the spectrum to the other. Bringing in change of character and a life lesson worthy of understanding. 

Saudade

Authors Note: Coming from a Portuguese background I was influenced a lot by this word Saudade, used for the the nostalgic feeling in your gut when you miss something or someone. Possibly a home, like the people from Portugal when they arrived in a new country for a better life. Or wanting to feel those certain feelings again or seeing that place. It means a different thing to each person, just depends how you define your "Saudade". 

As feet lose ground, 

as memories lose focus,

a feeling high in longing. 
Saudade.

                                                                                             

As longing grows to miles 

And miles to years,

A feeling high in hope.
Saudade.

As years fly by 

and nostalgia remains,

here’s to hoping,
Saudade.

What was once

For the wind to decide,

Our feet graze earth

and pictures become reality.

Saudade.

Bored or Intrigued?

Authors Note: I analyzed two poems "Summer Grass" and "Song for a Surf-Rider" Both used figurative language to enhance their pieces. Using tone and mood to make their poems both intriguing and interesting. 

Most people start to yawn and get sleepy eyed mid way through the first chapter of a book. Maybe the plots boring or the theme is not what they prefer, or maybe figurative language should have been used more? That’s exactly what they did in both “Summer Grass” and “Song for a Surf-Rider” figurative language was used to enhance tone, mood, and interest in each poem.

In “Summer Grass” by Carl Sandburg and “Song for a Surf-Rider” Sara Van Alstyne Allen, imagery and figurative language was used immensely. Mostly to dramatize the text and add desire. For instance, in the stanza “His eyes flash with an emerald fire” it seems through this type of imagery that the author tries to replicate passion and aspiration, it also adds drama which makes the piece appealing. Also some metaphors and anaphora’s were used emplace of tiresome word choice. The anaphora in “Summer Grass” really emphasized the chronological order of the rain’s actions. It also mixed  in personification, giving it that extra significance.

The two author’s used this type of imagery to add importance of the events taking place. Also making it much more engaging and easy to read (it all flows together). In “Summer Grass” the imagery and anaphora’s made the author’s tone very calm and cool, almost effortless. Also in “Song for a Surf-Rider” the personifications made the tone seem strong and ready to overcome anyone and anything. Making both of these pieces very intriguing!

Although the figurative language in these pieces made the tone show through they also made me, as a reader, feel certain ways. For example, the different personifications from “Summer Grass” make it seem like your wildest dreams could come true and that bad times in your life will get better. Just like it did for the grass. But in “Song for a Surf-Rider” strong word choice and personifications made it a very powerful piece, giving you the feeling of invincibility and that you could overcome any obstacle. I for one gained different moods from each piece.

In both, “Summer Grass” and “Song for a Surf-Rider” figurative language made each poem sound a lot more sophisticated and anything but boring. Also affecting the tone and mood of the reader.  So maybe, from quality figurative language, instead of a yawn or stretch you can be smothered by the book pressed in to your face.

Thrills and Chills

Authors Note:The Point of view can make or break a story, particularly in Tales of Mystery and Terror . The point of view it was in made it confusing and made you feel a bit foolish for believing it in the end. In this piece I analyzed the point of view of Sphinx.

Point of View

Thrilling Story’s and fictional objects make Edgar Allen Poe’s, Tales of Mystery And Terror, perfect for a complicated and exuberating read. At first many of these stories didn’t make sense to me; Sphinx being a prime example. It’s children’s story demeanor and “Scary Monster” cliché make this story seem far from what it is. A man seeing a monster that is bigger than an elephant but it’s actually known to be the size of an insect? Maybe he has problems that are much larger then they seem, or anxiety, or maybe he’s just plan crazy. But more importantly what is his friend thinking?

In Edgar Allen Poe’s Sphinx, the main character give the impression that there is truly an immense creature ready to attack him.  You feel the chills that run up his spine and sheer terror that envelopes him. It made me feel confused just like the main character! Only because you hear  his point of view; what he is feeling during his encounters.  He even states “As this creature first came in sight, I doubted my own sanity – or at least the evidence of my own eyes;” so he was admitting to the thought of this creature being preposterous! “and many minutes pass before I succeeded in convincing myself that I was neither mad nor in a dream.” But quite oddly I started to believe him too, this is a real thing. His confused words made me believe this distraught man.

Would I believe this man if someone else were telling the story? Of course not! My mind sways by the judgment of the narrator, thus, if the narrator was the host I would most definitely be thinking this man was crazy. Possibly delusional! If I wanted a clearer perspective on the whole situation I would want a 3^rd person point of view. Someone who is not part of the situation just an outsider telling the story, similar to myself. This way the opinions would be toned down and I would see each side. No one’s making me think things that are not quite correct or the way they play out to be. But, if it were to be a 3^rd person narration the story could have become meaningless and boring. Morals of the story would have been absent. The way it was really narrated made it intense and it made you think, although it made you think as crazy as the character did.

Although thrilling, this story is more of a delusional mans thoughts. Tricking you in to thinking this could be real. He learns to find his sanity in the end but he still made you undergo his fearful foolish puzzled mind-set. So depending on who recites the story makes a large difference on how you comprehend the tale and each character in it! 

Lives

Authors Note: I wrote a Haiku poem because of my lost interest in poems recently! I thought that writing a haiku could pull me back in to figurative language and give me some practice. 

Lives

Lives begin to fall

 Like the leaves during autumn  

Decaying with time

Just one jump ahead

 Discovering life’s assets

Success pulls me up

Illusion

Author Notes: When monsters turn to insects and life becomes confusing you feel scared and a bit crazy! But that is only when its written from the crazed point of view. What if its in a bystanders point of view? That's exactly what I showed in this piece. 

Thrilling Story’s and fictional objects make Edgar Allen Poe’s, Tales of Mystery And Terror,  perfect for a complicated and exuberating read. At first many of these stories didn’t make sense to me; Sphinx being a prime example. It’s children’s story demeanor and “Scary Monster” cliché make this story seem far from what it is. A man seeing a monster that is bigger than an elephant but it’s actually known to be the size of an insect? Maybe he has problems that are much bigger then they seem, or anxiety problems, or maybe he’s just plan crazy. But more importantly what is his friend thinking? What is this story like in a different point of view? That is what I want to demonstrate…

The friends version of Sphinx:

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Finally, I had found the opportunity to get away. Finally, I got to free myself to a cottage with my friend for the weekend. Finally, I got to sit down and read a classic book. Until I hear my friend stand from his chair and peer intensely through the glass window. Close and opening his eyes, as if trying to get rid of an image. Weird? I wait for him to turn; instead he falls to the ground. As impulse I jump to his aid! Maybe he's ill? Maybe just passed out? Maybe different air pressure in the woods? No, definitely passed out. I poke him a bit before he has awoken, dizzy and confused.

“What happened?” I questioned. With no expression he shook his head.

“Th-there was a thing,” he stuttered, “it ran over the naked part of the hills.” He gives a scarce description of the beast that I presume is just a dream. He retrieves his book, which may I say looks like one from my library, and goes to his room. I sit pondering the thought of this creature.

Within four days my friend sits in the lounging chair near the window where he first saw this creature; without notice he screams in absolute terror. Failing to use his words he rambles and points.

"What?!" I yell in annoyance.

“Right there! Its running up the hills!” I step closer to see nothing and come to the realization that my friend either- one, had too much to drink or two, has gone mentally insane. Either way he is hallucinating; I see no beast in the distance. I decide that I will ignore my insane friend, but he will not shut up about this so called "monster"  so I pull out my synopses of Natural History. As we flip through the pages we only find one animal that fits his description- thick as the body of an elephant,  immense black shaggy hair at the root of his trunk, 2 tusks, wings, metal scales. Only could be classified as the Sphinx. Although, it turns out to be a bug. My mind tries to wrap itself around this problem. The only place to go is where his screaming attacks frequently happen.

I look through the window he first discovered this monster and find an insect dangling on a web right in front of my eyes. Could this huge monster turned out to be an insect a sixteenth of an inch? It's Nowhere near the size of his description. Obviously this is only an optical illusion playing tricks with my friends mind! But does this mean much more?

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A cold heart

Authors Note: Theme is a big part in every book./novel, that's exactly why I wrote an essay providing the importance of theme in the book A Christmas Carol while comparing it to two other wonderful books. 

Complete and utter loneliness is the life Ebenezer Scrooge walks in. He can’t saunter down the icy street of Great Britain without people giving him weird looks and straying far away from him. A normal human would feel disowned by this, but Scrooge was far from normal. This rudeness made Scrooge pleased that he didn’t need to come in contact with such idiotic pedestrians. Even during the merry time of Christmas! His cold heart wouldn’t warm one degree during the cold harsh season! That was until the night three phantoms haunted him; sent from his dead pal Marley. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Changing his misery to jolliness just in time for Christmas day. Although Ebenezer Scrooge changes he still has the past of his lonely life growing up and running his business. That is why I consider Loneliness a large theme in the book “A Christmas Carol”.

Ebenezer grew up in a family that found him as a disgrace. He lived most of his childhood years in the lonesome boarding school, not even taken home for the Holiday Season. Obviously making Christmas a spiteful time of the year for old Ebenezer. Even the poorest of people had felt the warmth of Christmas, but Ebenezer felt nothing. It’s quite sad and a tragedy that Scrooge as a boy never received the unconditional love that every young child should. Making him envious of the people who did.

But that envious attitude didn’t end there, it went through his adult years as well.  Once Marley becomes desist he spends each day alone. Accompanied by his underpaid clerk, which he would not consider a friend.  Scrooge lives a solitary life keeping each door double locked, separating himself from the world outside. But once in contact with peaceful pedestrians he becomes irritated and cold. No one chooses to talk to him because of his negativity. Making him the most solitude man in town.

Having a solitary life wasn’t the result for only Scrooge in  A Christmas Carol  but, also many other books. Speak being one of those.  A adolescent girl becomes an outcast due to a huge misunderstanding. No one knows her true story and what she’s been through. Although, the kids at her school still end up giving her rude glares and ignore her completely. Just like the people on the street do to Scrooge. No one knows their stories. Along with Pictures of Hollis Woods. A lonesome orphan runs away from every family she’s been with, never feeling wanted or loved. Just like Scrooge as a boy. As you can see each book illustrates the theme of loneliness and demonstrates it quiet nicely.

Life for the lonely is bitter and cold. Only the heartless can deal with that and Ebenezer Scrooge, although it may seem otherwise, had a heart. A heart that just needed to find a purpose and thanks to the three phantoms Ebenezer found that purpose right in time for Christmas. Along with the girls from Pictures of Hollis Woods and Speak. They just needed that purpose and at the end of each book that purpose was fulfilled. Making loneliness sometimes turn in to a, cliché, but very happy ending.