Reading Entry Averno

In which time period is Louise Gluck’s Averno set?

I believe Averno takes places during WWII. There are some clues that the time period is fairly modern, such as the mentioning of subways and new drugs for depression. Furthermore, Gluck writes of things being said in a German accent or in German while she also writes of war—another clue that the poem can also be seen as a commentary on WWII. On page 63, the narrator also says that she does not want to be burned, which seems to refer to the Holocaust.

What is the tone of this book?

The tone of the book is very contemplative, but also painful and morose. Since it is writing about Persephone and her rape, it has a dark tone to it, even though some of the imagery is very beautiful.

Describe the narrator(s) and what is of value to them?

Throughout the entire poem, the narrator seems to value nature a great deal. It is a common theme throughout the book, and even though some of the nature imagery is used as a metaphor for rape or war, the narrator seems to have an intimate relationship with nature. The narrator also seems to value the innocence of childhood, since the loss of Persephone’s innocence seems to cause deep pain for the narrator. The narrator also seems to value life and love, and the idea that one must make the best of their life before they die. At times, the narrator seems to feel that she lacks love or does not want to live, but I believe she makes it clear that one must try to find the means to value their own life and those they love.

What kind of relationship does the Persephone narrator have with the earth in Gluck’s work? Cite at least one passage to back up your argument.

It seems that the Persephone narrator makes it clear that she once had an intimate and positive relationship with nature before the rape. After the rape, the relationship the narrator once had with nature is dead, and she no longer belongs to the earth. For instance, she writes, “When death confronts her, she has never seen / the meadow without the daisies. / Suddenly she is no longer / singing her maidenly songs / about her mother’s / beauty and fecundity. Where / the rift is, the break is. / Song of the earth, / song of the mythic vision of eternal life— / My soul / shattered with the strain / of trying to belong to the earth—“

To what does the final verse on page 16 refer?

The final verse on page 16 says, “returns home / stained with red juice like / a character in Hawthorne—.” This verse refers to the fact that Persephone eats the pomegranate before she is released from Hell. It also could refer to the fact that she is stained from the rape with blood.

Cite a passage in the text where the narrator second-guesses her own voice by reconsidering the way in which to describe something. Why would an author show such a thing?

One passage in which the narrator does this is: “When I was a child, I suffered from insomnia. / Summer nights, my parents permitted me to sit by the lake; / I took the dog for company. / Did I say “suffered”? That was my parents’ way of explaining / tastes that seemed to them / inexplicable: better “suffered” than “preferred to live with the dog.” Through doing this, the narrator seems to show more about her parents and what they thought about her childhood. The narrator shows that her parents influence the way that she talks and thinks about who she is, but as she gets older, she realizes that some of what they said about her had to do with their own insecurities and embarrassments.

What are some key differences between Part I and II of the book; how is Persephone the Wanderer figured differently in each?

Some of the key differences between Part I and Part II are that Part I seems to be more about life, death, and love, with an intimate relationship with nature, whereas Part I seems to show more of a loss in faith of nature, along with a commentary on war, government, and the contemporary happenings of the time. In Part I, Persephone the Wanderer seems more didactic, telling the story of the myth and debating over what really happened. It also seems to be harsher on Persephone, saying that she is having sex while we suffer the winter. In Part II, Persephone is dead and the poem is more about Demeter, Persephone’s mother. Sex does not concern us here, and the violence of the earth and war is more prominent.

How do you understand the ancient myth differently after reading Gluck’s interpretation?

Gluck’s interpretation seems to give the Persephone myth a very modern significance. The myth becomes a story of every girl who has been subjected to rape, and it allows the reader to relate to the story on a very human and personal level. I understand the myth more as a story of a terrible thing that could happen to any young woman.

Writing Assignment 8 Journal Entry

What are the implications of designing a piece which joins the imaginary (characterization) and the real (current event)?

I believe one of the main implications with constructing this kind of story is the personal bias that can accompany the piece. Although it is a piece that is trying to portray the history accurately, it is through the eyes of one person with one perspective. Although it can show the personal and human aspects of the history extremely accurately, in only shows one side, or one perspective.

Have you read any authors who do this regularly in their writing? If so, which authors?

I have not read historical fiction for a very long time. I used to read it when I was much younger, but I do not remember the names of the books or the authors who wrote them.

As a reader, how can one determine how reliable the depictions are in a piece of literature which presents itself as autobiographical?

I believe that there is no real way that you can be sure that a narrator or author is being entirely accurate in their depictions. A reader can research the event that took place that the author is writing about, but even history has different biases, viewpoints, and opinions. One must take the account for what it is, and believe that it is, at the very least, an account that is very real to that person.

Are there more “reliable” forms for depicting/communicating real historical events, especially to future generations, than the personal account? If so, what might they be? If not, why not?

As mentioned before, I believe there is bias in all historical pieces. History is or is based on personal accounts, so, in reality, there is no other form for depicting or communicating historical events.

What impression did the writings on the walls of the Museo Storico della Liberazione di Roma have on you?

The writings on the walls were very disturbing and saddening in some ways, but they were also very inspirational and moving. I was blown away by the valor of what they wrote, of their ability to maintain their pride and honor in a time of such extreme dehumanization. It inspires others to have a passion and to defend it at all times.

Why did you choose to write about the event you did for this piece?

I decided to write about the Rwandan Genocide because it is a subject that I have been extremely interested in during the past few years, and I know a fair amount about its history. With the current happenings in Sudan and Bosnia, the topic also provides a historical event that can be applied to the tragedies of today. I think that, like the Holocaust and other genocides, the Rwandan genocide should be remembered so that we can stop and prevent them from happening again.

Week 9 Reading Entry: Levi

How does the poem opening the work affect how you read the main body of the text?

The poem serves as a kind of warning for the reader before entering into the main body of the text. It seems to make the reader anxious or nervous about what they are going to read, as they can already tell that they might be made uncomfortable by its content. It also seems to make the reader realize that they should not take for granted what they have, which for some readers, could make them feel guilty as they begin to read Levis account of the death camps.

Sum up what the poem is saying in one sentence.

The poem says that the people who did not experience the death camp and who continue to live comfortable lives must remember the atrocities that happened during the Holocaust and recount them to others in order to keep such an event from happening again.

What are the key characteristics of the narrator which Levi chooses to present in this work; how would you describe the narrator?

Levi describes the narrator as being young, inexperienced, naïve, unrealistic, moderately rebellious, skeptical, and lacking hope. I would describe the narrator as being intelligent and sympathetic, but fairly pessimistic and hopeless.

Does this add to or take away from your ability to sympathize with the narrator?

There is no instance in which I would not sympathize with someone who experienced living in the death camps of the Holocaust. Even if the narrator had many negative characteristics, I would still sympathize with him, because he is human, and no human should be subjected to an experience like the death camps. The characteristics of this narrator in particular did not affect how much I sympathized with him. I simply saw him as a human who had to live through the closest thing to Hell on earth.

Which moment(s) in the text stand out or make the strongest impact on you? Why?

“…and even the teachers of the little school gave lessons until the evening, as on other days. But that evening the children were given no homework.” (21)
• Everyone knows what is going to happen, and even though they carry out their lives as usual, they know that the children will be taken away the next day.

“Dawn came on us like a betrayer; it seemed as though the new sun rose as an ally of our enemies to assist in our destruction. The different emotions that overcame us, of resignation, of futile rebellion, of religious abandon, of fear, of despair, now joined together after a sleepless night in a collective, uncontrolled panic.” (22)
• Portrays the way that it seems like the whole world has turned its back on him, that there is no aspect of his life or of the day that gives him hope in that moment.

“Sooner or later in life everyone discovers that perfect happiness is unrealizable, but there are few who pause to consider the antithesis: that perfect unhappiness is equally unattainable.” (23)
• Strangely hopeful comment in which he shows that even in the worst of situations that no man should have to experience or can imagine experiencing, there is no way that one can be truly unhappy.

“Next to me, crushed against me for the whole journey, there had been a woman. We had known each other for many years, and the misfortune had struck us together, but we knew little of each other. Now, in the hour of decision, we said to each other things that are never said among the living. We said farewell and it was short; everybody said farewell to life through his neighbor. We had no more fear.” (25)
• Moment of deep human compassion between strangers in a time of despair.

“When we finish, everyone remains in his own corner and we do not dare lift our eyes to look at one another. There is nowhere to look in a mirror, but our appearance stands in front of us, reflected in a hundred livid faces, in a hundred miserable and sordid puppets. We are transformed into the phantoms glimpsed yesterday evening.” (32)
• Effectively shows how dehumanized each man feels, to the point at which they can no longer look at each other.

“He has understood; he now gets up, approaches me and timidly embraces me. The adventure is over, and I feel filled with serene sadness that is almost joy. I have never seen Schlome since, but I have not forgotten his serious and gentle face of a child, which welcomed me on the threshold of the house of the dead.” (37)
• Moment of deep human compassion between strangers in a time of despair.

“We Italians had decided to meet every Sunday evening in a corner of the Lager, but we stopped it at once, because it was too sad to count our numbers and find fewer each time, and to see each other ever more deformed and more squalid. And it was so tiring to walk those few steps and then, meeting each other, to remember and to think. It was better not to think.” (43)
• Shows how any efforts to form communities and support groups within the death camps are dashed by the sadness of seeing others die or be in the process of dying.

Writing Journal: Dialogue

What is the reason you chose the option (a, b, or c) you did?

I chose option c because it was the only painting that depicted a story that I roughly knew. Since these paintings are religious, I didn’t want to make up a story that did not have at least some parallels to the religious story. I wanted my story to be somewhat accurate. I didn’t look up any extra information about the story, so I was still able to be creative, but I needed some sort of guideline to get my writing started.

What is challenging about writing dialogue, especially when you are reliant on it for character development?

The most challenging part of writing dialogue is showing rather than telling. Since I was reliant on the dialogue or thoughts of the characters to provide the character development and to push the story forward, I had to tell the story through the dialogue while trying to convey a natural conversation and natural thoughts. This was extremely difficult for me.

Do visual works add or detract from your ability to be imaginative in your writing and why?

I think visual works can add to my ability to be creative when I can relate to them. However, with this assignment, since all the paintings were of religious stories (something I know very little about) it detracted from my writing. Rather than being as imaginative as I could, I wanted to make sure that I was doing the story justice and was not being blasphemous or sacrilegious.

What are some of the most notable differences between the cities of Rome and Naples; do you think the place has an effect on how you write? If yes, how so, and if not, why do you think it is irrelevant?

Unlike Rome, Naples does not take very good care of its old churches, buildings, and monuments. It seems like their upkeep is not as constant, allowing for plants to grow out of church rooftops and such, but it adds a certain charm to the city. I also thought that the people in Naples were friendlier than the people in Rome. The food is much cheaper and just as good, if not better. Naples is just as busy as Rome, but there seems to be more activity and liveliness. I do not think Naples had an effect on how I wrote my story, mainly because I wrote my story in Rome, but also because I was not writing about Naples. Regardless, however, I think my writing is unaffected by where I am—it changes over time, but this is not because of my location.

Juvenal Reading Entry

How is the concept of wealth developed in Juvenal’s satires? How is this different or similar to that of Twain’s development of the same subject in Innocents Abroad?

Juvenal describes the concept of wealth as something that lends to hypocrisy, immorality, and crime. He writes of the uncivilized nature of rich people, their frivolity, and their complete disregard for those who suffer as a result of their indulgences. Twain, however, talks much more about the effects that wealth has on relationships between people and institutions, which you see a little bit in Juvenal’s piece. Whereas Juvenal is much more blatant about his anger at the rich, Twain satirizes the dichotomy between the wealth and power of the church and its followers, patrons and their artists, and the like. For instance, he writes of how the Medici practically let their artists, like Michelangelo, starve. Juvenal also writes of a similar theme—for instance, the dinner party with patrons and artists in which the artists are served different food and different bread as they wait foolishly for the praise that they desire and deserve.

What role does hypocrisy play in relation these concepts of wealth in both authors’ satirical works?

Juvenal writes about the hypocrisy in the dichotomy between how “civilized” rich people believe themselves to be and how they actually act. For instance, even though patrons believe themselves to be more civilized, they throw parties, are ruthless, act like children, and practically starve their clients. The clients are also hypocrites, as they foolishly hope to be treated well and practically grovel at the feet of their patrons rather than preserve their pride and honor. Twain, however, targets the Church’s hypocrisy instead, writing of their extravagant and wasteful tendencies while they let the people starve. There seems to also be something inherently hypocritical in the church’s decision to be extravagant when it preaches piety and humbleness to its followers. As mentioned before, Twain also speaks of the hypocritical nature of the relationship between patron and artist, in which the patron lets the artist starve and live an exceedingly poor life while the patron reaps all the benefits of his or her labor.

How are the themes of sedition and free speech in Juvenal similar/different to those in Twain’s satire?

In Twain’s piece, he pokes fun at the fact that Italians lack free speech. In other words, they have no control over their own government and do not seem to wish to take up the reigns and govern themselves. Juvenal seems to make fun of the fact that when most people speak out, they have nothing of real importance to say, and if they do, they will be “torched.” He seems to think that free speech is a good thing as long as you have something worthwhile to say.

How are artists, poets, and patrons of the arts depicted similarly/differently by the two authors?

Both writers depict patrons and the arts in very similar ways. Twain and Juvenal seem to agree that the relationship between the patron and the artist is one of the powerful taking advantage of those who are not. Both writers satirize the extravagant lifestyles that patrons take on while they let their artists or clients starve and grovel at their feet. However, Twain seems to be a little more forgiving of the artists, whereas Juvenal takes on a much more ruthless point of view by satirizing they way that artists have lost their honor. For him, the artists are letting the patrons take advantage of them, which causes Juvenal to lose respect for the arts.

What is “noble” according to Juvenal’s narrator?

Juvenal’s narrator believes that nobility is much more than a name and a title. He believes that a noble person will not be selfish or greedy, will respect the law, will love their family, will respect the Senate, fight for what they believe in, respect God and respect freedom.

Cite a passage from each of the four satires by Juvenal which amused you and say why. What literary mechanisms or rhetorical devices did Juvenal use for each of these?

“You will get yours pretty soon, when you go and undress in your bathroom, trying to ease your gut’s distending burden of peacock.” (p 22)
hyperbole

“You get a rotten old apple, the kind that is given a monkey all rigged out with a helmet and shield, and afraid of whipping while he is being trained to toss the spear from a goat’s back.” (p 61)
parody, mock heroics

“If a man’s going to law, the first thing he has to consider is, do you have eight slaves, a littler, companions in togas walking ahead as you go?” (p 96)
hyperbole, parody

“Possibly you despise unwarlike Rhodes, perfumed Corinth. You are perfectly right, of course; what harm can be done you by young men who shave not only their shins but their armpits?” (p 105)
Sarcasm, parody

Week 6 Writing Entry: Satire

Why did you choose the character(s) you did for this assignment?

Throughout my two years in college, I have always been upset and angry with some of the things that go on in the Greek system. That is why I chose to satirize a sorority girl (and the Greek system at large). My character, or narrator, is fairly stereotypical, and I am mostly satirizing her shallowness and naïveté. I am also satirizing the nature of Greek parties, which are, in my opinion, overly crowded, disgusting, and unpleasant events to attend, with beer spilled all over the floor and some of the drunkest people you will ever encounter. As many of us know, date rape is a fairly rare, but unfortunate occurrence that can happen at Greek parties, another fact that angers me greatly. I chose to incorporate this into the story so that the satire would have a clear message or moral, and so that, in the end, you do sympathize for the narrator, even though she has been satirized for the majority of the story.

What was the most challenging part of writing a satirical piece?

The most challenging part of writing this piece was to make a transition from a satire into the serious ending. I wanted to make it clear that I was not satirizing rape, but that I was angered by the way that some men in the Greek system (and other places as well) will take advantage of naïve sorority girls who don’t know any better. I was making fun of her shallowness and naïveté, but also showing how it ultimately gets her into trouble.

Is your character “round” or “flat”?

My character is fairly flat throughout the entire story, but you know that she will no longer be a flat character after that night. She is rather one-sided throughout the entire story, but the reader is forced to sympathize with her at the end, even if they felt nothing for her until that point.

Did you return to Twain’s excerpt while developing your own satirical piece?

I did not turn to Twain’s excerpt very much while I was developing my piece. The only thing I really took inspiration from was his satirizing of the narrator himself. I decided to incorporate this into my own story, as I liked the way that the reader sees the story through the narrator’s eyes even though the narrator is ultimately being satirized.

Week 6 Reading Entry

List all the institutions and figures satirized in Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad excerpt on travels in Rome. How is each depicted by Twain? (ie. Italian clergymen: hypocritical, having penchant for violence, miserly, exploitative of public goods and Italian people).

Louis Napoleon: determined to make improvements and strengthen France
Italy: frivolous, decadent, owned/dominated by the church, magnificence, misery, wretched, princely, worthless
Church: dominating, rich, powerful
Jesuit Church: wretched, poor, appealing, pathetic, possesses incredibly rich and dazzling churches
Florence: blasphemous
The Medici Family: tyrannical, cursed, smugglers
Titian, Tintoretto, Paul Veronese, Raphael: idols, masters
Andrea del Sarto: glorified his “princes of pictures,” deserved to be left to die
Raphael: prostituted, desperate, groveling
Dominican friars: suffering, noble, charitable, pure, unselfish
One fat friar: extravagant, lively, entertaining
Citiavecchia (and its people): dirty, vermin, ignorant, indolent, impartial, quiet, unpretending, uncleanly, hot, without a patron saint
Papal states: poory educated people, poorly advanced, dense
America: free from church, independent, efficient, educated people, wealthy/well-off, organized, free from corruption, unfashionable, sparsely populated, equality, self-governed, ignorant, cleanly, wise, good business, retribution, lovely
Church of St. Peter: big, uniform, vast
Christians: all-loving, sacrificial, enduring pain, soothing, persuasive
Coliseum (ancient Roman Empire): reserved, royal, majestic, grandeous, decayed, entertaining, holy, theatrical, magnificent, ruthless
Marcus Marcellus Valerian: splendid, deserving merit, playful, expressing gaiety, seeking admiration, having bad taste, displaying levity, wholesome, instructive
Judge Oliver: young, sorrowful, never complaining, mildest-mannered, poet
Michelangelo: boring, ubiquitous, over-done
Museum (Vatican) guide—Frenchman: idiotic, eager to show strange things, taking delight in exciting admiration, passionate, weak, animated, impatient, fraudulent, overzealous, gullible, ingenuous, unsuspecting, long-suffering
William H. Neligan: undoubting, unquestioning simplicity, matter-of-fact

Cite six moments in the text where Twain’s word choice creates humor; identify which word(s) in each of these citations provokes amusement or “surprise” in the reader. What are the devices Twain is employing to achieve this effect? (ie. “. . . then by nipping their flesh with pincers – red-hot ones, because they are the most comfortable in cold weather; then by skinning them alive a little . . .”).

“And now—However, another beggar approaches. I will go out and destroy him and then come back and write another chapter of vituperation…Having eaten the friendless orphan—having driven away his comrades—having grown calm and reflective at length—I now feel in a kindlier mood.” (192)
Devices: writing of his own emotions as he is writing the satire, including ridiculous anecdotes of eating orphan beggars

“I suppose it will be sent up and filed away among the criminal archives of Rome, and will always be regarded as a mysterious infernal machine which would have blown up like a mine and scattered the good Pope all around but for a miraculous provincial interference.” (195)
Devices: equated a joke to something that could literally blow up, including the Pope in the explosion

“There is nothing here to see. They have not even a cathedral, with eleven tons of solid silver archbishops in the back room; and they do not show you any moldy buildings that are seven thousand years old; nor any smoke-dried old fire screens which are chef d’oeuvres of Rubens or Simpson, or Titian or Ferguson, or any of those parties; and they haven’t any bottled fragments of saints and not even a nail from the true Cross. We are going to Rome. There is nothing to see here.” (195)
Devices: making the objects of pride and joy of the Church sound completely unappealing and gross, even though people worship them, making fun of the fact that these are the things we come to see when we go to churches or cathedrals

“…there [America], if a man be rich he is greatly honored, and can become a legislator, a governor, a general, a senator, no matter how ignorant an ass he is—just as in our beloved Italy the nobles born noble idiots.” (198)
Devices: equating figures of power in America to asses and nobles in Italy to idiots

“but—but—I see by your looks that you do not believe the things I am telling you. Alas, my character is ruined, and I am a branded speaker of untruths!” (200)
Devices: employing his own emotions again, addressing the reader, showing self-consciousness

“A matinee for the little folks is promised for this afternoon, on which occasion several martyrs will be eaten by the tigers. The regular performances will continue every night till further notice. Material change of program every evening. Benefit of Valerian, Tuesday, 29th, if he lives.” (212).
Devices: making gladiatorial games and killings seem entertaining and exciting, making the loss of life seem trivial