Edgar Allan Poe!!!!!!!

I love Edgar Allan Poe!  I really enjoy reading his works and delving into the darkness and well thought deceits of murderous beings.  I think it is interesting that the narrator in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” is so adamant on defending his sanity.  By so vigorously denying that he is mad, he further proves to the reader that he is not in his right mind.  He explains that he actually liked the “Old Man” he so carefully planned to kill. The narrator is obviously crazy; I think the question is when exactly did he become mad?  Before he killed the Old Man, due to guilt and his conscience forcing him to take responsibility for the murder of the Old Man, or was it way before he actually killed him?  I think he was mad all along; why feel the need to prove that you are not crazy, if you are not crazy.  I think the narrator’s definition of madness is a little different from that of the readers.  Killing another human being is never okay, but it becomes a lot more understandable when someone, in a fit of rage, kills someone.  No deceitful planning, no murderous intentions, but rather an action that was not intended and only performed when a person saw red and lost control.  I think that it takes a crazy person to plan the murder of someone that they care about because of something as trivial as an eye.  The narrator was so careful, he did not act rashly, he could have easily talked himself out of performing the murderous deed, but he didn’t.  He was so taken aback by an “Evil Eye,” that he had to take the Old Man’s life into his own hands. This need is obviously driven by a chemical imbalance of the brain; that is not a normal response to seeing something that makes you feel uncomfortable.  I think that it’s interesting that the narrator’s “highly acute senses” drove him to murder the Old Man, and also drove him to confess.  Which makes me wonder where exactly is the narrator telling this story.  Is he in jail or an insane asylum?  I think he is probably being treated at an asylum because he is so persistent on convincing us that he is not mad. 

The writing style for “The Cask of Amontillado” is very similar to that of “The Tell-Tale Heart.” The narrator wants to get revenge on his “friend” and he deceitfully lures Fortunato, the victim, to his own grave.  The plan was well thought out and required a lot of preparation, much in the same way the murder of the Old Man was not impulsive.  I wonder what Fortunato did that wronged the narrator so.  Poe does a good job at providing hints to the motives of the narrator, such as the description of the family crest, with the motto: “Nemo me impune lacessit,” meaning, nobody attacks me with impunity.  The narrator is often a fan of revenge, but obviously takes it way too far.  The two-faced character of the narrators in both “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” creeps me out every time.  It makes me wonder what it is people are really thinking.

Response to Young Goodman Brown

I really enjoyed Nathanial Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown,” which surprised me since I was not a huge fan of The Scarlet Letter.  I think Hawthorne does a good job at highlighting the high and fairly impossible expectations of the Puritans. Everyone sins, everyone makes mistakes; it is unreasonable to assume that people are perfect and never sin.  Most people have a desire, at some point in their lives, to break the rules a little bit, to not be practical for once, and to do something that is completely irrational.  Some people act on these desires; others do not.  Hawthorne illustrates an interesting scenario to expose the hypocrisy of Puritan society. Everyone that Goodman Brown believed would scorn the Devil, was at the meeting place deep in the woods.  The deacon, the “saintly minister,” his wife, ironically named Faith, every person that he believed was “good” and “sinless” in his society, did not live up to his expectations or to their “day-time” façade.  Every single person struggles with sin.  I guarantee that at some point in a person’s lifetime, they will succumb to peer-pressure, or give in and do the wrong thing.  The Puritan’s “pious” lifestyle is unreasonable and frankly is a farce. No one is that perfect, as Goodman Brown finds out.  It makes me wonder how well I really know the people around me.  The people whose lives from the outside may look and seem perfect,   may really just be putting on a show for the world.  I think it is extremely interesting that Goodman Brown is so appalled by the other people at the Devil’s meeting place, but fails to address the fact that he is in the fault just as much as the others. Faith tried to make him stay home, he refused. There were multiple opportunities that he could have gone home, he didn’t.  It seems even more hypocritical that Goodman Brown can return to the Puritan society and scorn and judge his neighbors, without accepting the fact that he too was tempted and succumbed to the Devil. Maybe, at the last second he tried to save his wife from the Devil and  turned away from the evil one, but he walked himself to the meeting…no one dragged him. I think that this is a huge criticism of the harsh judgments and actions associated with the Puritans.  They are quick to blame others for their sins (once other’s imperfections are exposed) but refuse to look at their own.  Maybe the reason the Puritans were so set on blaming other people and exposing their “unchristian ways”, was so that they could hide their own sins and imperfections. Now I’m rambling, but I still find the Puritan lifestyle fascinating.  

Thoughts on Thoreau

I really really liked Thoreau's style. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all that he had to say. I liked how he would take the normal, everyday occurrences of life and revert them in order to open our minds to the viewpoint of the world of an “awakened person.” Thoreau definitely has a point. We are all so caught up in getting through life as fast as possible, either looking to the future or regretting the past, at a certain point we fail to live it. I have been struggling a lot with this lately in my own life. I am a Biology and English major on the Pre-Med track, and I have very little time to really think about life in general. I am so caught up with getting through the next week, month, semester, that I don’t ever slow down to enjoy my college experience. If I am not studying I am either eating or sleeping. Just going through the motions, I haven’t taken the time to stop and “smell the roses” as it were. It’s interesting how Thoreau talks about the freeness of children and that they are the ones truly living. They get lost in their own curiosity and want to discover nature and the world by going out and exploring it. I miss that. I love that Thoreau speaks through irony. He takes a common statement and flips it around in a way that I was too lazy, distracted, or “asleep” to discover on my own: “I went to the wood because I wished to live deliberately” (892). In general, if someone goes to the wood, I would immediately think he/she wished to live in a life of solitude and relaxation. Thoreau takes a general belief and totally rearranges it, so I don’t know what to think anymore. He argues that by living far enough away from the hustle and bustle of village life, a person has the freedom to live a true life awakened. Someone surrounded by nature can learn to be one with nature with a little help from imagination. Imagination is the key to living; it is the factor that distinguishes children from adults. Requirements, expectations, obligations, strip a person of their ability to live. I love the fact that Thoreau doesn’t quote the bible, but rather alludes to Greek myths as well as Hinduism to make his points. By doing this, he is able to stand out from other authors and really focus not on the morality behind religion but rather on the different philosophies that help to explain the mysteries of life. Thoreau got me thinking. Hopefully one of these days I’ll eventually wake up.

Emerson's "Self Reliance"

This essay definitely shows the shift in ideals  from the Enlightenment to Romanticism. Emerson addresses the natural faults of human nature that are still prevalent today: the need to feel accepted, appreciated, and ultimately, to fit into the mold of society.  I can guarantee that every single teenager going through those awkward years, at one point or another, just wanted to be a part of the "cool crowd." When I switched schools in 6th grade, that is all that I wanted. You can't be an individual in middle school. No one has the luxury to be in "the midst of the crowd [and keep] with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." In middle school, conformity is a survival tactic. Of course, as Emerson mentions, this was not the case as a child. The ideal perspective is that of the young, who are not blinded by the desires and expectations that society forces upon us, but rather expresses thoughts and actions without hesitation.  Children are not constrained by the fears of adults.  The thought of humiliation or judgment often prevents people from expressing themselves truthfully.  Emerson advises that we be true to ourselves, that we forget about the rules and regulations of society and bide by what we determine is correct. He warns his readers not to live in the past, or look to the future, but rather to live in the present.  Oftentimes, we are so caught up in past regrets and future hopes, we miss out on life itself.  Emerson also mentions that nothing is more real than perception.  It's funny, I was literally talking about this with my roommate last night.  She told me that it is not one's intent that matters, but instead how another person perceived that particular action.  What is portrayed to the world makes up reality, not necessarily your good intentions.  I like Emerson's message. All you need to do is look to yourself. There is nothing more true than the original you that must not be swayed by the judgments and opinions of others.  Unfortunately, this is definitely easier said than done.  There is a fine line between being an individual and being an outcast.  People need to find a way to be able to express themselves truthfully without pushing others away.