Underlying Religion

John Donne's poem Death, be not proud refers to one of my favorite bible quotes from John 11:26 that reads "...and whoever believes in me shall not die, but have eternal life." This quote is Jesus conquering death. Jesus is saying that even though humans die a natural death, they will continue living on in heaven. Donne alludes to this quote near the end of the poem writing, "One short sleep passed, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die" (Donne, 972). On earth, all humans eventually die. Thus, it may seem as if death is the victor over all. Both Donne and Jesus Christ believe differently, however; death brings about its own demise. Death leads one to eternal life, thus giving what it takes away. Though on earth death may be the apparent conquerer, in the end in heaven, life is victorious. With faith in Christ and through one's inability to escape death, he in turn is unable to escape the gift of life in heaven.

Seize the day!

William Shakespeare's poem That time of year is a reiteration of the saying, "You don't know what you have until it is gone." Both the poem and this quote challenge the reader not to take anything for granted, especially transitory elements of life, such as one's youth. In fact, Shakespeare challenges the reader to value more those things that are short-lived. He presents this challenge in the last two lines of the poem stating, "This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well which thou must leave ere long" (Shakespeare, 967).  Shakespeare's message is strengthened by the content of the beginning of the poem as well. He describes the fall and winter as a ceasing of the life of spring. He describes the leafless trees as "bare ruined choirs where late the sweet birds sang" (Shakespeare, 967). The beauty and pleasantry brought by spring is only short-lived. Therefore, one must take advantage of it and see the value in it while he can. Likewise, he must do so not only with his youth, but with life itself, for one day, death will come to take it all away.

For a poem about death, this is actually pretty inspirational.

The heavy symbolism utilized by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his poem Crossing the Bar, actually makes for a pleasant read. This was a nice respite after enduring the morbidity of A Rose for Emily and The Lottery. Each stanza of the poem represents a different view related to God and heaven. For instance, the line "And one clear call for me!" (Tennyson, 886) symbolizes the speaker's dedication to God and desire to live solely for His will. In the second stanza, the lines "Turns again home" and "When I embark" in the third stanza (Tennyson, 886) represent the death of the speaker, and his journey back to the Lord or to heaven.  Moreover, the line "I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crossed the bar" (Tennyson, 886) refer to the speaker's desire to face the Lord in heaven after his life is over. The symbolism is confirmed by the capitalization of "Pilot"; the reader can assume this is referring to a higher being. Though this story is also about death, it presents a different viewpoint. The poem portrays death in a positive light. Furthermore, Tennyson presents life not as something that one should fear to lose, but rather something that one should utilize to ensure a greater eternity; he presents death as a journey and death and heaven as the desitination.

Decompose for Emily

The point of view from which William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily is told affects the reader's ability to determine what realy trasnpires. The story is told from a first person plural point of view. Through analysis of the events that are recounted in the story, such as Emily's encounter with the town authorities about her payment of taxes (Jackson, 283), we can assume that the narrators are the residents of the town. The residents seem to be piecing the story together from the town gossip because the story is not told chronologically. For instance, the second section of the short story refers to a stark smell. After finishing the story, the reader can assume this was the decomposition of Homer's body; however, "the smell" is referred to before the reader even meets Homer (Jackson, 283). Thus, concluding that the story this told on the basis of gossip, the reader must be aware that his conlusions about the outcome depend on the trust he places in the validity of the events recounted. On the other hand, interesting would be reading the story from the point of view of the Negro servant. Because he was present with Emily throughout the entire story, the reader would know that the information would be factual and accurate. I am also curious to know how much he knew or was aware of the death of Homer and Emily's possible role in that. However, from the point of view of the town residents, the reader will never know.

Irony Bodes Irony

Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, epitomizes situational irony. This is proven most obviously through the irony of the outcome of this village's lottery. Instead of a positive and joyous outcome for the "winner" and in turn an improved lifestyle, he loses his life altogether (or she in this case, I suppose). In fact, in this case, the "winner" can be considered a loser.
The irony of the entire story, however, is foreshadowed through Jackson's more subtle use of situational irony earlier in the stroy. For instance, Jackson describes Mr. Summers as the "official" (Jackson, 266), implying that he should dress and act in a formal manner. However, Jackson writes, "...in his clean white shirt and blue jeans, with one hand resting carelessly on the black box" (Jackson, 266). In the same sentence, Jackson utilizes more irony as he goes on to write, "...he seemed very proper and important" (Jackson, 266). Jackson referes to Summers numerous times as an "official" and as "important", but the description of Summers implies otherwise. This irony prefaces the situational irony of the story as a whole.

Some Situational Irony

Finally, Laura opens lets loose a bit! However, this concession of her shyness was to no avail. As Jim got Laura to attempt to dance and talk and as he began to compliment her, I thought all was heading toward a blossoming love. "In all respects-believe me! Your eyes-your hair-are pretty! Your hands are pretty! ....I'm talking to you sincerely" (Williams, 1283). The man complimented her hands! At that point, I was sure the two were star-crossed lovers.

Unfortunately, I was wrong; enter: irony.

One would think that the man who could make Laura feel comfortable, the one who could see beyond her crippling, the one who appreciated her for who she was, would be the one she would marry. In turn, Amanda would be satisfied, Tom could leave to pursue his dreams, and Laura would be cared for. Yet, at this point, I figure we should know better than to expect a happy ending. 

Laura: The New Amanda

Though Amanda seems genuinely concerned about the future of her children, she is actually hoping their achievements will bring her satisfaction with her own life. In other words, Amanda is living vicariously through her children, more specifically her daughter Laura. On more than one instance, Amanda extensively recounts her past successes and happiness in direct comparison with those of Laura. "My callers were gentlemen-all! Among my callers were some of the most prominent young planters of the Mississippi Delta..." (Williams, 1238). Here Amanda goes on to explain in detail all her gentleman callers and their fates. She does this in response to her own disappointment in the lack of gentleman callers for Laura. Amanda can not bear to watch Laura grow up with a poor future just as her own turned out to be. Thus, for her daughters happiness, but predominantly for her own, she goes to every extent to find her daughter a worthy husband. Amanda's vicarious nature is illustrated again when she resurrects her old courting dress for Jim O'Connor's visit. She is reliving her own youth along with Laura.

Symbolism of the Fire-Escape

Clearly, the blatancy of the fire-escape as a part of the set and the entrance to the apartment proves that the structure holds a deeper meaning. This is further supported by the stage direction sin scene one that state, "The apartment faces an alley and is entered by a fire-escape, a structure whose name is a touch of accidental poetic truth, for all of these huge buildings are always burning with the slow and implacable fires of human desperation" (Williams, 1235). Thus, because the symbolism is explicitly stated, we must discern the extent of the symbolism by paying attention to the instances when the fire-escape is used. At the end of scene four, Tom storms out of the apartment in anger and frustration at Amanda's requests:

"TOM (stamping to door). Oh, my go-osh!
 AMANDA Will you? (He opens door. Imploringly) Will you? ....
TOM (calling back). YES!" (Williams, 1254).

Just as a fire-escape is used to escape the burning and suffocating danger of a real fire, so Tom is escaping the metaphorical fire of his conflicts with Amanda. His poor relationship with his mother is what is causing his misery. Moreover, by leaving the home, he is also able to forget about his responsibility to financially care for his family, another suffocating aspect of his life.
However, permanent safety is achieved by using a fire-escape in a real fire. On the contrary, Tom can only temporarily escape the "flames of human desperation" (Williams, 1234); he subjects himself to the fire once more each time he re-enters his home. Nonetheless, the fire escape stands as a symbol of refuge for the characters in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie.

Like Father Like Son

Though the father is not present in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, he nonetheless has a tremendous impact on the story. More importantly, the absent father has a special influence on Tom. Throughout the story, Amanda continually compares Tom's actions to those of his father, stressing her utter disapproval of any that fall in line. Despite Amanda's vehemence, however, the attentive reader can pick up on hints of Tom's admiration and jealousy of his father throughout the story. For instance, Tom comes home in complete awe of a magic trick he saw one evening. He says, "...But the wonderfullest trick of all was the coffin trick....But who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail? (As if in answer, the father's grinning photograph lights up)" (Williams, 1249). Tom's complete admiration of the magic trick can translate into his complete admiration of his father's ability to escape his situation. Dealing with Amanda's controlling nature and the pressure to provide for the family, one can assume that Tom is currently in an entrapping situation similar to his father's. Thus, looking for guidance, Tom at times considers his father's decisions. Will Tom escape his responsibilities like his father did? If the conflicts continue, this is a well-founded fear.

Tom's Real Motivation

Tom clearly works hard to provide for his small family; both his mother and daughter depend on him for survival. However, as one reads Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, he sees a change in Tom's true motivation. Amanda asks Tom, "What right have you got to jeopardize your job? Jeopardize the security of all of us? How do you think we'd manage if you were-" (Williams, 1247). Clearly, Amanda assumes that it is Tom's responsibility as a member of the family to provide. However, Amanda soon realizes that Tom, though he loves his family, is not entirely devoted to working hard simply for the sake of providing for the family. Moreover, he frequently comes home intoxicated with hopeless feelings about his own future. Thus, Amanda says later on, "Oh, I can see the handwriting on the wall as plain as I see the nose in front of my face! ....I know what you're dreaming of. ....Very well, then. Then do it! But not till there's somebody to take your place" (Williams, 1253). Amanda knows that Tom will not be motivated to help find Laura a husband unless he knows that he would be granted "freedom" for his efforts. Amanda, however, does not fight this realization. Though Tom is motivated by what she deems "selfish reasons", she is nonetheless achieving her goal of attaining a gentleman caller for Laura.