Journal 16 - Crane/London

Journal 16 – Crane’s “The Blue Hotel” and London’s “To Build A Fire”

Read the following quote and discuss how it applies to the main characters in both stories. In the course of this discussion, address how each of the characters is both similar and different:

“Determinisim governs everything … The writer must study the inherited traits of individual character and the social condition of the time. Together, these elements determine the course of any action, the outcome of any life. Free will or self-determination is mostly an illusion, although chance is granted a role in human affairs. Still, even the effects of chance are obliterated in the inevitable course determined by the interaction of inherited character traits and the social environment.“

In “The Blue Hotel,” the stranger’s ultimate downfall was his personality traits. He was very awkward and bad at socializing. Unfortunately, his situation requires him to be social which is the ultimate cause of his downfall. If the stranger would have been put into a situation that didn’t require social activity, he probably wouldn’t have been killed. His awkwardness and lack of social skills caused his death in the longrun. However, in “To Build A Fire,” the man’s social surrioundings had nothing to do with his death. There was no way that the man would have beaten nature in his situation. The weather conditions were simply too harsh for any human being to survive. The man’s personality and inherited traits didn’t have anything to do with his death. The uncontrollable weath conditions caused his ultimate downfall.

Journal 15 - Editha

Journal 15 – William Dean Howell’s “Editha”

1. Write a sentence that summarizes the story’s overall message, and provide three direct quotes from the story that best illustrate this message.

The story’s overall message was to not give into peer pressure, and to follow your own desires.

· “All the while, in her duplex emotioning, she was

aware that now at the very beginning she must put a

guard upon herself against urging him, by any word

or act, to take the part that her whole soul willed him

to take, for the completion of her ideal of him.”

· “He was very nearly perfect as he was, and he must be

allowed to perfect himself. But he was peculiar, and

he might very well be reasoned out of his peculiarit.”

· “He took half the lemonade at a gulp, and he

answered as he set the glass down: "I know you

always have the highest ideal. When I differ from

you I ought to doubt myself."

A generous sob rose in Editha's throat for the

humility of a man, so very nearly perfect, who was

willing to put himself below her.”

2. What tactics does Editha use to make George believe as she does about the war?

Editha makes herself seem pathetic and upset about the ideas of war in oder to convince George about her ideas. She tells him how great he is and how much he could help our country, right or wrong. She tricks him into beliving that the war is what is best for him. She twists his mind and almost brainwashes him.

3. Is there ever a time in which Editha truly understands what she has done? Does she ever experience an epiphany?

Yes, Editha truly understans what she has done. George is killed in the war and she feels as if it is her fault. She is full of self-pitty and sorrow throughout her life, until the end of the reading when she talks to the lady that is painting her. She then realizes that she needs to move on with her life and continue to live the way she used to, in the ideal.

Journal 14 - Robinson

Journal #14 - E. A. Robinson Poems

Realism – The theory or practice in art and literature of fidelity to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization of the most typical views, details, and surroundings of the subject.

Read the following poems and write a detailed description for each of the title characters and explain how each is an example of the “real” instead of the “ideal.”

“Richard Cory“ (497)

Richard Cory was rich and very well liked, but he wasn’t happy with his life. He presents himself in a good way and his outward appearance makes him seem admirable. However, his appearance is different than his reality. Although everyone else is happy with him, he isn’t happy with himself. He was depressed and upset, and didn’t see himself in the same way that everyone else saw him. He is a real character, not an ideal character, because he is not perfect. He would be happy, and his appearance and reality would match up if he was an ideal character.

“Miniver Cheevy” (497)

Miniver Cheevy wishes that he had a different life than he has. He wishes that he lived in the Middle Ages, and to compensate with that pain, he drinks excessively. Miniver was obsessed with romance and the mideval times, but he did not live in that time. He is trying to escape from reality with his Mideval fantasy. Miniver didn’t do anything with his life, because he is too busy being a daydreamer. He represents the “real” versus the “ideal” because his ideal would be to live in the past, which is not possible. He is real because he is unhappy with his current life, and he isn’t perfect. He feels that he was born too late, and all he does is think about how great his life would be if he was in the Middle Ages. His name is significant because it represents a minimal achiever.

“Mr. Flood’s Party” (498)

Mr. Flood is by himself, but he is pretending that he’s at a party. He is having a conversation with himself and acting like he is at a social gathering. He doesn’t have and family or friends, and he is completely alone. All his friends are gone, it doesn’t specify how or when, but he is left completely alone. He is making cheers and taking a drink for his past times. He is wrapped up in the past. Mr. Flood’s ideal is his past, but he is living in the present. He is lonely and wants to go back to the times when things were better. He is a lonely old man stuck in the present, and wants to relive his past times. His name is signifigant because “flood” usually refers to a liquid. Mr. Flood drinks to deal with his problems. The “flood” could also be a sign of a lot of tears, as he is missing his past times.