Yellow Wallpaper Reaction Post

No matter what one thinks happened at the end of Charlotte Stetson's, The Yellow Wallpaper, there is no argument needed to be made that it would indeed make for a great modern day horror film. As compelling and bizarre as this story is, the ending left nothing to be desired with the exception of many unanswered questions.
As we read and progressively watch this narrator, presumably Jane, go down a path of insanity it truly is both haunting and frightening from a reader's perspective. In my opinion as a reader, I believe that the woman, whatever her name may be, was schizophrenic. This severe mental condition leading her to what I believe was a murder of her husband and as the definition of this condition states "failing to acknowledge what is real world" from what the narrator is perceiving. As she is conceptually not in her right mind, she sees upon John entering the room in the last scene and states "Now why should that man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him
every time!"
Much of this is due to the behavior of her husband towards her, never acknowledging her mental instability when saying "He said we came here solely on my account,that I was to have perfect rest and all the air I could get."Your exercise depends on your strength, my dear," said he," and your food somewhat on your appetite; but air you can absorb all the time."So we took the nursery at the top of the house," and imprisoning her in what is basically a jail cell, barred windows included.
A lot of what I believed also contributed to the narrator's impending insanity is the time period that she is living in, the pre-women's rights movement era. In this time period, women were not looked upon to express themselves individually and were viewed as a way to have children and nothing more. This narrator especially struggles with this gender bound social class inequality throughout the novel as she is not allowed to write, leave the room or house, or see this conspicuous "baby" mentioned only twice. I believe that this combined with the actions of her husband, and of course whatever predisposition she was born with to have acquired this condition all lead to her downfall at the end of the novel.

Heart of Darkness as a Gothic Work

Struggling to classify Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness as Gothic is not a difficult task. When thinking about the conventions of a Gothic work we have learned about in AP Lit, conventions that include the presence of the sublime, a sense of misery or dread, ambiguity and ambivalence, or even the type of weather depicted, many of these conventions are incorporated heavily into the book. All of this before even mentioning that the key convention of Gothic literature, being intrinsic darkness as it relates to humanity, is used of all places in the novel's title.
The presence and use of the sublime occurs early on and often by Conrad. The sublime is defined as "an overpowering sense of greatness in nature that can be both terrifying or uplifting" (Heckmondwike Grammar). As Marlow first approaches the Outer Stations, this sublime power is depicted in Marlow's revelation of the horrid conditions of the native villages and their workers malnourishment and exhaustion when saying "It was unearthly, and the men were - No they were not inhuman. Well you know, that was the worst of it - the suspicion of their not being inhuman " (Conrad Part 2). While this plays into the concept of the sublime, it also plays into another major convention of Gothic Literature which is the darkness intrinsic to humanity.
This darkness, a moral darkness, is portrayed through the novel's main theme of the hypocrisy of imperialism. We see as readers throughout the novel this perpetual fear of Kurtz, the head man in charge throughout the Congo, and at the end of the novel learn of how he has asserted himself as a God over the African natives by means of force and aggression.
Other important conventions of Gothic Literature that are used in this novel is the dark and ominous weather. Often times, scenes are depicted as foggy or stormy. Historically, fog and rain used in novels often contribute to a darker tone that the author may be trying to convey to readers and even foreshadow events to come such as the fog in this novel foreshadowed the native Indian attack on Marlow's ship.
Conrad's writing as well gives off an ambiguous tone, one he was known for throughout the years as "he also said that he didn't like to explain what his books were about, because that would open him up to the criticism that he had failed as an artist to achieve understanding in" (Lipka 1). This writing style, combined with the Gothic nature of the text and the conventions employed certainly help to support this claim that Heart of Darkness does function as a Gothic novel.

Works Cited

Lipka, Jennifer. "The Horror! The Horror!: Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness as a Gothic Novel."Web. 4 March. 2015.

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Print.

Milton's Lucifer: Heaven as Hell?

Whether in modern literature or older works such as the Bible, a typical depiction of Lucifer by all writers consists of horns, a spiked tail, and flaming trident. Not to mention the red-hot skin. For example In Dante’s Inferno, Satan is portrayed similar as a monster preying on the souls of the dead and torturing them for all eternity. The common misconception in both these depictions is Lucifer as a fiery, mythical monster not the former archangel and power seeking figure he is.

Milton’s description of Lucifer is particularly appealing for this reason because in Paradise Lost, Milton does portray Lucifer as a power hungry and manipulative being, very similar to many we may encounter in actual everyday life. The line “Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven” (Line 263) is one of many examples that Milton uses to help portray Lucifer as a man morally and psychologically flawed rather than an ugly, physically flawed demon.

Milton’s depiction of Lucifer also puts a sense of pity into readers for Lucifer, portraying him as a man simply with a different opinion, seeking personal freedom rather than serving under God as a slave. Lucifer at his core seeks his own happiness through leading and ruling his own way and if not for being morally flawed in his judgment, ambition, and deception could form an even more compelling case as the story’s anti hero “here we may reign secure; and, in my choice, To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell” (Lines 261-262).

Milton’s Lucifer has also left a lasting impact on the literary world today in characters such as Harry Potter’s Voldemort, quintessential James Bond villain Dr. No, or Wolf of Wall Street’s Jordan Belfort Milton’s characterization draws parallels with many or these iconic characters as they have common core traits such as greed, manipulation, and abusers of power. 

Classifying Shakespeare's Tempest

Shakespeare’s deemed final work, The Tempest, has both intrigued and puzzled literary fans and critics alike for hundreds of years. From the inspiration it provided Aldus Huxley for the title of his novel Brave New World to references at the end to the play being his last hurrah, when Prospero says “This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff, Bury it certain fathoms in the earth, And deeper than did ever plummet sound

I'll drown my book” (Act V). However, the most controversial part of Shakespeare’s final work is the classification of the play itself. As it does not adhere to any of the three forms of tragedies, Classical, Medieval, or Renaissance, nor does it fit the mold of a comedy. Because of this, literary critics have long debated over how The Tempest itself should be classified.

There are many examples throughout the novel that suggest to me as a reader that this particular play most closely relates to a Renaissance tragedy due to the moral flaw that caused Prospero’s downfall as leader of Naples, magical and ghostly element that Ariel brings to the play, as well as complex subplots and occasional comedic relief.

Prospero’s reasoning behind being on this mystical island goes back to his obsession with magic. After originally being the King of Naples, and finding very little enjoyment out of these duties, Prospero became obsessed with magic and eventually passed most of the power privileges of being King onto his brother, which in turn lead to his exile.

Another big aspect of Renaissance Tragedies is the magical and ghostly elements that appear throughout the novel. The character Ariel, Prospero’s servant, is often times portrayed singing magical spells throughout the novel, “ARIEL sings Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell” (Act I Scene 2). Ariel in addition even mentions his non-mortal existence in Act V saying “Mine would, sir, were I human.” Obviously, a big time characteristic of Renaissance Tragedy is portrayed through Ariel’s character.

The Tempest also includes many subplots throughout its duration, such as Trinculo and Stefano’s encounter with Caliban. Caliban is portrayed as a native to the deserted island, and even characterized by Samuel Coleridge in his The Tempest Essay as “a brute animal, often confused like those living in the wild.” Meanwhile, while Trinculo and Stefano plan on taking the island for themselves by using Caliban and persuading him using alcohol, and Prospero planning to lure them in, Ferdinand and Miranda begin to fall in love at the same time these other events occur.

All in all, Shakespeare’s The Tempest correlates most closely with conventions of Renaissance Tragedies due to its downfall of the main protagonist, Prospero, ghostly element brought by Ariel, and multiple subplots as well as comedic relief.