English Literature

The ability of every reader to understand the clamor for liberty and freedom amidst the challenges in society is what makes the value of reading Dr. Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail worth appreciating and valuing. With such appeal, the development of Mia Klein, an Associate Professor of English at Bergen Community College, New Jersey, sought to investigate and recreate new perspectives in understanding Dr. Kings famous letter. By using numerous instruments associated with the use of persuasive language and application of prose standards, Klein argued that Dr. King was able to develop arguments and themes that captivate readers attention anew.

The main argument of Klein in her work focuses on rediscovering value of redefining new parameters of helping readers get a new definition and meaning to the term liberty, freedom, and self-sacrifice. All these are in response towards the abolishment of something that continues to construe individual capacity to become better. It is through the ability of Dr. Kings spontaneous and valuable insight that the author considers him as one of the most celebrated contemporary writer of his time.

In particular, she takes into consideration the application of Dr. King of numerous literary techniques and devices that helped shape appreciation and value to his work. From the usage of similes and metaphors, Dr. King was able to illustrate his viewpoints and argue towards an appropriate way to understand the situations surrounding the realities he seeks to convey. This has been supplemented by Klein by arguing that, His similes and metaphors become the (serious) playthings of imagination, and the play of the imagination the effect of emotions towards the intellectual content of figures of speech (35).

Similar to this analysis, Klein also asserts the validity of using simple and yet captivating words to illustrate his point. In particular, Dr. King highlights specific scenarios happening with the use of common words. The main idea behind this revolves approach according to Klein involves portraying reality as Dr. King sees it in simple sense. This can then justify greater capacity to induce meaning in the best way possible. In this process Klein supports the analogy made by Dr. King and pointed out how the fluidity of the language used justified his ideas accordingly.

The interplay of history and literature is also another component looked into by Klein in her analogy of Dr. Kings Letter to Birmingham Jail. It describes not only the capacity of one man to outline the changes in history as he sees it but also redefine a strategy towards providing these ideas in a unique and effective format and style. This then becomes an essential culminating process that allows Dr. King to transcend over his readers regardless of age and time.

Another important element described within Kleins article looks into the application of tone by Dr. King in the Letter to Birmingham Jail. Analyzing the text carefully, readers would be brought to the world and situation where Dr. King lives. The way he points out key issues happening during his lifetime illustrates his great skill in addressing the tone of his letter. To justify this cause, Klein stipulates that,

Kings tone is engaging because of its candor and its lack of affectation he appeals, if you will, to the life-wish rather than to the death-wise that would be implied in a tone characterized by defiance and aggression (31).  

Lastly, the article also seeks to highlight various areas that scholars have sought to understand concerning Dr. Kings letter. Under this process, each one has brought to the table different meanings all encompassing the common themes and sought to redefine the way his work continues to showcase a new sense of interpretations on common ideas. This has been supplemented by Klein as she reasons on the value of Kings application of relevant development of sentences correspond to creating a powerful meaning and convey a strong purpose or desire for change. From the use of parallels to application of alliteration and assonance, Dr. Kings letter signifies the transition towards a normal letter to a significant one.

Overall, these attempts strengthen the value that the Letter from Birmingham Jail seeks to provide among readers. Not only does it convey the important message among readers but also reconsolidate efforts for interpretation and induce the necessary values that can spark the theme for change. It is through such capacity that the value of his words and the kind of music it portrays can become the direction towards achieving change (37).

Reflecting on Kleins article, I agree with the claim of the author that there are indeed numerous ways that Dr. Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail can be interpreted. It is only a matter of how people can view the perspective and the value his writing provides to readers. In essence, the value used by the article coincides with a more lyrical and literary element. It seeks to understand the perspective and use of complex schemes to come up with something new and vibrant about his work.

In essence, I do believe that the work of Dr. King is in itself timeless. Despite the idea that it seeks to convey his personal anguish, anxiety, and essence of hope to a situation beyond his control, the ability of the text to transcend towards readers captivates not only the people during his time but also today with the thought of understanding his mindset. Seeing this, it only goes to show the capacity of using literary devices not only to expound meaning but also redefine the way the themes of freedom, liberty and equality are appreciated.

Seeing this, I did believe that the Letter from Birmingham Jail is not merely an approach towards seeking redemption for those who read it but also a continuous challenge for readers to reflect on their actions. In here, it seeks to help people realize the value of the principles that people enjoy today. Contrary to what we enjoy now, the people during Dr. Kings time had to clamor for it. Society during that period was not tolerant of these differences and more often than not subjected to various criticisms and prejudices.

These in turn becomes the necessary component to continuously remind us that we must be thankful of what we have and appreciate the value that Dr. King and his contemporaries fought in our country. With the increasing threats that are happening nowadays, one can look back and use these tenets as symbolisms for imparting change to a country that is losing sight of what truly matters. These then is the essential tool that becomes the culminating element that shapes the process for adaptability.

Overall, the Letter from Birmingham Jail continues to captivate and instill the proper values on my part. Considering this, the epitome of his writing adheres towards hoping for betterment and a new tomorrow just as long as we set our minds to it. The King Center quotes,

Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.

The year 2004 was not as friendly to the Japanese, who offered voluntary services in Iraq for they were held captives and most were the times when they were threatened and even killed depending on the severity of the captors. For example in April, there were 5 hostages in Iraq who upon release were received with criticism when they returned home.

The Japan and U.S. troops criticized and shamed their civilians for taking the initiative to travel to a government danger declared zone.  Even though the government had a role to play in the provision of security, this was not so obvious because the abductors demands were just but a temptation to the loss of government stability and loss of responsibility.  The best thing was therefore to warn the civilians against traveling to the danger zones until it was confirmed safe to do so.  The discussion below covers how the hostages were treated by the captors, the government and the media role in solving the problems.

How the captors treated the captives
The captors mistreated the captives to a large extend in which majority of them were beheaded at Iraq while in hostage. For example, a recent case of Shosei Koda of Japan, who had been working in New Zealand and part time worker at Amman in Jordan, was taken hostage by the Al Qaeda group under the leadership of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi had threatened to be beheaded if Japan would not have withdrawn her troops from Iraq.  Kodas family living at Nogata ascertained his identity from his vedio footage shown on a television. Reports confirmed that, Koda entered Iraq through the Japanese embassy found in the country. He was only 24 years and a civilian who traveled in New Zealand under a work visa. Despite advice not to visit Iraq, he entered Iraq by bus with the intention of staying at his Iraq friends home.  However, he had no visa for Iraq. It was said that he was only a traveler but not a journalist.  His parents requested fervently that the government took charge to see to it that the boy was returned home at what ever cost.  Unfortunately he was beheaded.

Others taken hostage in the same year were a journalist and Japanese civilians in April 2004 aged 18, 32 and 36.  These were threatened to be burnt alive unless the Japan troops were evacuated from Iraq.  They were tortured, blindfolded and threatened with knife cutting edges.  The journalist managed to escape narrowly after convincing the abductors that they were just touring the country and that they were not among the Japans troop members.

However, the best that the government tried in order to rescue captives was to make calls and negotiate actively to convince the Iraq abdicators that the hostages were genuinely in Iraq for the good of Iraq. For example, the 18 year old boy from Japan was detained while he researched on the depletion of Uranium yet he was harmless to the Iraqs.  A pledge was made to release him and the rest after 24 hours although the release did not take the exact agreed time.  The release depended on the withdrawal of the troops.  

The governments negotiations on their release
The government under the leadership of the prime minister, Koizumi, a hard hearted leader, did not yield to the demands of the captors of withdrawing their war troops form Iraq. Upon receiving the news on Japanese hostage in Iraq in most instances, stakeholders in Japan would try to form a task force that would deal with the cases as soon as possible.  The rescue team found it hard to trace the trappers because they were rarely connected to the native local authorities.  However, the abductors at times issued threats on the Japan government to withdraw their armies from Iraq failure to which their captives would be killed.  In response to this kind of messages, Japan did not withdraw her troops from Iraq.

The role of the media on hostage
The media on the other hand has had a great impact on the release of the detainees.  Most important, the press assisted a great deal in the disclosure of information on the abducted people trying to obtain video clips or footing to identify the victims though the media television and announcing to the government to make the necessary steps towards their rescue. Press information did not only assist the government, but also the Japanese in identifying their relatives who were held to captivity by the bandits.  Peace keeping associations and war ships were also made aware of the danger spots in the country (Farrell, 2004).  The media was used to warn the Japanese against unsecured travel to the borders of Iraq or in to the country.

Conclusion
In conclusion, despite the Japanese residents organizing demonstrations called the Anti-war protests asking the government to push for the release of the abducted Japanese civilian, the politicians only laid a blaming hand on the hostages for their irresponsibility and troubling Japanese peace.  Negotiations showed that the government would not relent at all.

While numerous authors have attempted to stir the minds and rouse the hearts of many, no one has came closer as to awakening the spiritual and psychological aspects of ones life as Edgar Allan Poe.
A poet, critic, short story writer and book author in the mid-1800s, Edgar Allan Poe pioneered a genre which is later to be loved by many readers  (The Literature Network). A prince of macabre stories, Poe now obtained the title father of the modern detective story.

Being an orphan at young age, Edgar Allan Poe experienced the oppressive pains of broken family and death of loved ones. While attempting to rise from the tough situation, with the help of a foster family, he continuously encountered the whip of frustrations both in his career and personal life. While already engrossed in writing poems and short stories, Poe had to face the death of his wife after around 12 years of marriage, which some believed to have caused much of his alcoholism.

Poe was interested in exploring the darker recesses of the mind  the part of the consciousness that is often hidden from our view and that we are only partially or momentarily aware of. In leading the reader deep into the intricacies of the mind, Poe instills a sense of humanness, reminding us that we all have the potential for good or bad, greatness or destruction  the ability to overcome our mental tendencies or to succumb to them, and warning us of the risk of breaking away from reason, which leads many of his characters to gradually decay into madness. He leaves us better acquainted with the part of our minds more often rejected or ignored, and as a result  acutely alert and deeply humbled.
Many of his stories focus on self-destructive tendencies  and to a certain degree, theorize that we all have these propensities within us. Poe was also a master strategist. His meticulous preparation of stylistic effects shows that Poe was interested in controlling and carefully shaping the readers experience while reading his stories. Perhaps he had a slight sadistic streak but more likely, Poe was interested in imparting knowledge to his reader. One of the ways in which Poe produces his intended effects of his stories is through the use of first person confessional narrative.

At this point, we take a particular look at his short stories and then later examine the effects that he intentionally achieved through the use of the first person confessional narrative.

The Tell-Tale Heart is a short story of an unnamed narrator who has murdered an old man for no obvious reason except that the old mans pale blue eyes has earned his ire and madness  (Book Rags). The kept identity of the narrator is an effective way of conveying that the same character can be any person. The narrator argued that he is not insane through a logical defense of his actions, but his very act gives way to his true mental state. The narrator would peep into the old mans house for seven nights, without the latters knowledge as the murderer acted normal towards the old man during the day  (SparkNotes LLC). On the eight day, the narrator killed the old man. He was prompted to do so by the fear that the sound of the old mans heartbeat awakens the neighborhood. The story was told using the first person point of view, through a monologue  (Answers Corporation). The use of this point of view has effectively heightened the tension and fear felt by the narrator revealed by his language  (Answers Corporation). This emotional waves has been perceived clearly by the readers through the use of the first person point of view. Particularly, the fluctuating emotions of calmness and logical statements versus impulsive and nonsensical outbursts  gives window to the readers on the real psychological and mental state of the narrator.

In the Imp of the Perverse, the same murderous tendency of man for unjustified reason was highlighted. Beginning with an essay instead of a work of fiction, the literary work attempted to provide an explanation and perhaps justification of the succeeding acts of the main character. The essay can be seen as a support to the story. Using the first person point of view, the narrator related how he as a self-confessed victim of the imp of the perverse planned and did the murder of a wealthy state owner. He did this by replacing the mans candle by one that emits poisonous vapor. The man was slowly killed by suffocation in his poorly-ventilated room. Having inherited the estate of the murdered man, the narrator enjoyed the pleasures brought by the wealth while reminding himself that he is safe as even the investigators concluded that the death was death by visitation of God. The first person confessional narrative gave us a vivid view of the emotional, spiritual, mental as well as physical tortures brought by guilt, so that the man was forced to confess his crime without any outside pressure to do so. This inner conflict was clearly conveyed to the readers through the use of the first person point of view.

Lastly, we had the story of the man of the crowd which incidentally focused not on the man of the crown but on the narrator who sought to investigate about the life of the man through following him relentlessly. The walk was like a journey to the characters of the man himself more than a look at the places. The author again used the first person confessional narrative to complete the story. The readers therefore had a closer look on the one who was following rather than the old ghastly man that he followed. The narrator suspected that the man committed the gravest of crimes without necessarily identifying it. It was the dagger under the mans cloak that made the narrator thought so. The narrator was previously sitting in a coffee shop in London, content with looking at the different groups of people passing by. But it was only this old traveler, who made the man rise from the needed rest of recuperation to follow him. The use of the first person narrative was used to describe how the peep into the mans life through following him has created different stories and thoughts in the narrators mind. Again, the narrator was unnamed, which may be interpreted as anyone. Indeed, anyone can create a variety of thoughts on other people depending on what he sees on others. The story ended with the narrator feeling exhausted to follow, thus returning to his home.

The person point of view is popularly known as the one that uses the I viewpoint  (Britton). This point of view is said to be effective in a thriller as is can provide the utmost empathy with the character, thus enhancing suspense  (Britton). This is the most obvious success of Poes use of the first person point of view.

The first person point of view is powerful in letting the reader be immersed in the story. When one is emotionally and mentally immersed into something, he can easily be persuaded and controlled. This is the same effect that Edgar Allan Poe achieved in the use of the first person point of view in the Tell-Tale Heart and the Imp of the Perverse. Although it is obvious that the characters are not in their proper state of mind, the narrators were able to solicit the understanding of the readers. This may be because the readers can somehow relate to how the narrators mind run.  

Deeper than empathizing with the characters, Poe was also able to uncover the hidden darkness inside of our minds, which is then translated to a better knowledge of ones self. In short, readers gain greater perception with the use of the first person point of view. The narrator somewhat attracts the readers to his own perceptions though they may have different objective point of view. What is important is that the reader give credence to the idea that the narrator believes in his own perception that what he perceives is surely more true to him than whatever objective reality the reader might think he sees, or as Poes intended underlying reality of the situation  (TermPapers-TermPapers.com). The use of the first person narrative allows the readers to look inside the main character so as to captivate the readers conscious mind and mesmerize his senses to the extent that he cannot help identifying with the narrator to some degree  (TermPapers-TermPapers.com). Most importantly, the first person point of view allows the readers to personally participate in the story  (TermPapers-TermPapers.com).

The first person point of view highlights the irony that can be achieved in the story. This is very interesting in suspense and thriller stories as the man battles against himself rather than an outside force. In the stories of the Imp of the Perverse and the Tell-Tale Heart, the narrators have not shows remorse and have never regretted their deeds, but their fear of discovery has driven them to confess. The irony is on the deed of the same things that they are afraid of. This is ironic but the readers can relate to this type of thinking. Why the narrators were able to do the exact opposite of what they wanted to happen is clear to the readers mind. This is the effect that Edgar Allan Poe tried to create in his stories  to let the readers understand the motivations of the character so that they will understand their actions. This is a unique characteristic of a first person point of view, which Edgar Allan Poe has successfully used to create a significance in the genre that he was in.  

The unreliability of the first-person narrator, detailing a seemingly motive-less murder allows the reader to gain insight into the psyche or real dilemma of the character  (CBS Interactive Inc). There are two simultaneous perspectives seen in the stories the narrative and the authorial. In the Tell-Tale Heart, the author tried to convince the reader that he was not insane. So Poe allows the narrator to serve as rhetorician, but Poe also allows him to fall short so that the readers would be able to detect the discrepancy. It is an very exciting twist and style that makes Poe brilliant  (CBS Interactive Inc).
Lastly, Poe has been successful using the first person point of view in creating a process of identificationassociation and then separationdisassociation between the reader and the narrator. At one time he attracts the readers into the inner self of the narrator, wherein the former relates to the thoughts and feelings of the latter. This is the achievement of the identificationassociation. One the other end, through Poes own crafting of the narrative, the reader is disassociated with the narrator so where the former discovers the flaws of the latter. This is again successfully achieved with the use of the first person confessional narrative.

To what extent is Poe infusing part of himself into his main characters Some scholars suggest that Poe was afflicted with the imp of the perverse. From everything Ive read of and about Poe, I would even go so far as to speculate that he had severe OCD. Perhaps Poe wrote his stories to explorejustify his own actions of self-torment and self-destruction. In this way, perhaps Poes acute awareness in his highly strategized first person confessional narratives served an even more profound effect to achieve an understanding of his own mind and possibly even a sense of forgiveness or exoneration towards his own tendencies.

Scholars and critics have long considered Rousseaus Confessions one of the fundamental intellectual and literary inspirations of the movement known as Romanticism.  This movement, which became most manifest in the intellectual world of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was in many ways an individual critique and reaction against the classical dogmas of Medieval times and the strict constraints of the Enlightenments empiricism and strenuous focus on the use of reason.
Romanticism, generally speaking, came to represent an intellectual tradition in which subjective considerations replaced empirical objectivity and in which the feelings and aspirations of the individual competed with older traditions that stressed the primacy of certain types of authority and society.  Rousseaus contribution, in Confessions, was the publication of what was at that time a new type of literary genre known as the autobiography in which the dominant themes were reflective narratives on Rousseaus life from childhood until his early fifties.  This was a deeply personal type of narrative at the time, revealing personal secrets and individual aspirations, and it was in this way that the text came to inspire an increasing interest in and legitimacy of subjective and individualistic perspectives.  In order to illustrate how this text performed these functions, this paper will discuss how Rousseau treated childhood and adolescence as being an important formative part of adulthood in ways that empiricism could not and how an emphasis on the individual affected views of political organization particularly with respect to evolving views on democracy.

As an initial matter, Rousseau conceived as the individual personality as being the product of life experiences and personal psychological desires rather than conforming to a larger social model.  A close reading of the text, for example, seems to confirm that Rousseau actually anticipated some of the psychological theories and personality theories later attributed to Sigmund Freud.  He accomplished this by recounting a number of youthful experiences through which he believed that he was experience the evolving sexuality of adolescence.  Specifically, following a beating received for having been naughty, he recounts I had discovered in the shame and pain of the punishment an admixture of sensuality which had left me rather eager than otherwise for a repetition by the same hand.  The admission of a feeling of sensuality flowing from the beating, what he would also characterize as some degree of precocious sexuality was the type of deeply subjective and individualistic observation which permeates the text.  He is not writing about how he should feel, or how social conventions might expect him to respond, but he is instead inserting honest admissions that may very well contravene existing social standards and expectations.  He therefore frames his narrative in terms of individual experiences, subjective interpretations, and accords legitimacy to this type of intellectual orientation because, after all, he is writing about himself.  Who, to be sure, would know Rousseau better than Rousseau

In addition to contributing to the Romantic emphasis at an individual level, Rousseau also contributed in terms of projecting individuality to larger social and political considerations.  Democracy was hardly a favored form of political organization at the time of this writing, authoritarian models being the preferred form of political organization, and Rousseaus emphasis on the sanctity of the individual would significantly affect thinking about political systems Democracy, to be sure, is premised on the authority of the individual through voting and representation rather than elites or royal authorities.  It has been noted in this respect, for instance, It was not until the Reformations emphasis on individual authenticity and personal insight into the divine had been gradually secularized that conditions became congenial to the rise of modern Romanticism.  Rousseaus celebration of individualism contributed to this movement.

In conclusion, it can clearly be seen that Confessions functioned not only as a new type of autobiographical literary genre but also as an inspiration for the impending Romantic Movement.  This was because of the focus on the individual and how the needs and aspirations of the individual should come to influence and administer social and political forms of organization.

Do you remember the first book you read The first sentence you wrote What your first essay was about For most people, including me, reading and writing started as a task, homework. It was daunting and tiresome as it invariably ate into my play time. Why would I sit around and stare at linear black lines that formed tiny alphabetical figures and words on a page which would only give me a golden star, when I can be playing cops and robbers with my friends in the playground Most of these lessons we learn too late, some day when we are old enough to start reading fairy tales once again.

I began reading fairy tales at the age of 4. My elder sister was an avid reader and had collected many books and novels before I was born. It was safe to say that I was born into a library of knowledge. No work was needed the stories were patiently waiting to be read. My favorites were fairy tales Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel were my friends when I was little. I read their stories every night and then recited my own to them, as if they were waiting to be told a story just to tuck them into bed every night. I met my fairy tale friends every day and told them my stories, about school, home and the neighborhood. I tried to simplify this for them as they had never been to where I lived. They made it so easy for me to visit their homes each day I thought it to be most impolite not to return the favor. On one particular summer day when school was out for the holidays, I took up my fairy tale story book as I would have done by habit, but this time there was a shiny green marker lying right above it. Whose was it Why was it there, above my story book just before I was to read it The sheer boldness of that action took me by surprise and I wondered for a few minutes what to do. I picked it up to examine it. It was thicker than the normal pens used by my parents or sister, it was a new and uncharted territory. I looked around and slyly picked it up as though I was breaking the law, and slipped it into my pocket for further examination. I perched myself on the couch to read my fairy tales, but opened the book and took out my newly found possession. I popped open the cap and the pungent scent of marker ink filled my little nose as I boldly wrote my name across Snow Whites pretty frilled dress. The sanctity of my fairy tale book was lost to the ink of my marker. It only took me a few holiday hours to fill the entire book with my name as I learnt the joy of color pencils and felt tipped pens. I was now fully introduced to the world of stationery and there was no looking back.

Mine is better than yours These innocent words said by a 6 year old, are such innuendo heavy sentences only a decade later that we today are blindly searching where our innocence was lost Collections stamp collections, pebble collections, sports cards, shells, empty perfume bottles, dolls and action figures  the list is endless. That was the currency when we were kids  It still probably is, for those who live simply. We didnt care for rectangular shaped paper strips that people carried around in their pockets we were more interested in the latest action figure or sports card or the latest fuzzy stickers How can we get one of those Well, exactly how our ancestors did it - Trade. However the largest legal trade for those between the ages of 6 to 8 years was the Mr. Men and Little Miss book series. Mr. Strong, Mr. Perfect, Mr. Muddle, Mr. Rush and Mr. Topsy-Turvy joined by their Little Miss companions Little Miss Chatterbox, Little Miss Neat, Little Miss Late, Little Miss Shy, Little Miss Tiny and all their other friends were my life for almost two whole years. They humored me with their silly antics and moral filled endings. They became part of my routine, every day I met a new friend and was told their story. I did business and traded and reaped the fruit of my spoils. There were new characters to embrace, new stories to be heard, and new lives to be a part of each day.

My Home, the first essay to be ever written in my long list of future essays to come. I described my long open balcony, the space to run around in my hall, the full length mirror on my dads cupboard and every tiny detail that came to my averagely developed brain. The essay was a full twenty three lines in a bold charcoal black pencil and my running primary school handwriting. It was my first A and the first time I was rewarded with two gold stars. Life could not have been any sweeter

Primary school seemed to be the most rule-filled years of my life. The DoNot Do List was longer than any memorandum ever written. Therefore when the time came to go to middle school, it felt like freedom would come at last. After years of writing with lead and charcoal we were finally old enough to pick up ink pens and permanently put down our ideas in books. Until now, no teacher or parent, or student for that matter was confident enough to write a word in ink. What if we got it wrong The sheer weight of a possibility of a mistake or spelling error hung over our heads like a guillotine. But once we picked up the pens and confidently scribbled in our notebooks not even the shadow of a possibility of a mistake entered into our minds.

School is not complete with a teacher which changed the very fabric of her job and made it accessible to you. A teacher would impart knowledge on grounds that they would always hold more cards of knowledge than their students. But ever so often there comes one who changes those rules and throws open the battleground for everyone to play in, not battle (ironically). For me this person was my Sixth Standard English teacher. She was short and small built but with a voice that would carry on for miles. She had a very unusually divine habit of smiling every time she read out a text. She was the first one to make us question ourselves, question the language and our own beliefs on whose shaky foundations we built our English language building. Once conventionalism was out of the way we studied contemporary poetry by Unknown and writings in magazines and newspapers. She made us connect with what was around us now, not a hundred years ago written in a language from which English was derived. She made us pick up works that inspire us, thrill us and move us in way that was not normal for a Sixth grader. That year I wrote my very first poem. It was commonly titled Love but referred to the love I shared with my brand new computer. There were no rules, no limits and no conventions that year. It was the freest English had ever made me and that changed my life forever.

He was a small ratty-faced man with grey teeth. His eyes were dark and quick and clever, like the rats eyes, and his ears were slightly pointed at the top. He had a cloth cap on his head and he was wearing a grayish  colored jacket with enormous pockets. The grey jacket, together with the quick eyes and the pointed ears, made him look more than anything like some sort of a huge human rat.

The first entry in any book or journal is always carefully written and well thought out. It was the beginning after all and you never want to mess up the beginning. Sure, you can go off track a bit in the middle, but the beginning is always the most important. The above was the beginning to my Expressions Book. In the Eighth Grade my English teacher made us retain what she had titled an Expressions Book. This would hold all the prized expressions, phrases and words that we loved in any article, story or novel we ever read. The reason she made us maintain this book is because she believed that each and every one of her students had the ability to be a writer someday. And when that would happen we would look back at out expressions book and take from it to be inspired to write our own new expressions and phrases for future generation of students to write in their expressions books. This chain of events that she had started had been continuing for decades before us, only for us to realize that we were now unwittingly become a part of something bigger than us, greater than us, and that feeling of importance continued on till present day, only to become stronger by age.

In this final essay I would like to deal with two extremely interesting genres of literature  play and poetry. Since English Literature is my forte, I have chosen two English plays and the preface of a renowned collection of English poems as the topic for my final essay. The plays and the preface highlight three different eras and the subjects are vastly different yet somewhere they are connected because they are the true portraits of their periods they talk about the prevalent social evils but the tone of each is different. The plays I have selected are The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansbury. To explore my views on the second genre of Literature, I have selected Preface to Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth. In this particular preface, William Wordsworth has dealt very effectively with poetry and feelings with regards to the society he lived in. So, if we observe these two plays and the preface in totality, we will find that all three of them are a discourse on society, social evils and feelings of the members of different strata of society.

The Importance of Being Earnest deals with frivolities in love as displayed by the society ladies of 19th century. The two young ladies, Gwendolen and Cecily fell in love with two respectable young men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff respectively the ladies fell in love with them because they thought their fiancs to bear the name of Ernest. Each of them reveals that she does not love the real person but the name. It is apparent in the quoted lines-    

Gwendolen
We live, as I hope you know, Mr. Worthing, in an age of ideals. The fact is constantly mentioned in the more expensive monthly magazines, and has reached the provincial pulpits I am told and my ideal has always been to love some one of the name of Ernest. There is something in that name that inspires absolute confidence. The moment Algernon first mentioned to me that he had a friend called Ernest, I knew I was destined to love you.

Similarly, Cecily Cardew, the ward of Jack Worthing, falls in love with Algernon whom she thinks to be the (fictitious) jaunty brother of Jack, Ernest. She, too, has her own ideology regarding this particular name. We find her falling in love with the name even before she met the person we find ourselves questioning her sanity when she talks of writing letters to herself on behalf of Ernest. She has bought herself an engagement ring. She has done all this because she is in love with a name.

Cecily (to Algernon)
You must not laugh at me, darling, but it had always been a girlish dream of mine to love someone whose name was Ernest. There is something in that name that seems to inspire absolute confidence. I pity any poor married woman whose husband is not called Ernest. (Wilde, 1898)
Though the girls come from two different social spheres, one urban and one bred in the country, yet their dreams and aspirations regarding marriage are the same.

In Wildes drama, we get a glimpse at the affluent society whose favorite pastime is falling in love. Now we take up the other play where an African-American family strives hard to survive amidst poverty and racism. The plot is set in Chicago in the 1950s. The two plays present a sharp contrast to each other. We find the Younger family waiting eagerly for the insurance money of the demised Walter Younger, senior. Each member of the family has his or her own plans regarding that money which is yet to come. The poverty of the family is apparent from the following lines quoted from the summary by Maxine Morrin, Lorraine Hansberry-

Then Beneatha, Walters sister, gets up. Walter goads her about her plans for medical school, and it is apparent that this is a long-standing topic of debate between them. He feels she wants the family to make sacrifices for her and resents her claim on any of the insurance money for continuing her education. He feels she should stop expecting them to do anymore than they already have for her. Beneatha, however, does not like the idea of Walters investing in a liquor store.

When Walter is leaving for work, he finds he must ask his wife for carfare because he has given Travis too much money for school. (Morrin, Hansberry, 1994)

Earlier, we learnt that Walter gave his son Travis only 100 cents. Now Walter does not have enough money left with him for travelling.

We find Ruth, Walters wife is struggling hard along with her husband to make both ends meet. She works hard despite her pregnancy however she is having second thoughts about having the baby because of their abject poverty.  

It is then apparent that Ruth is tired, so Mama suggests she stay home from work. Ruth says no, however, because she feels she might lose her job if she does. (Morrin, Hansberry, 1994)

Beneatha rejects her rich suitor George Murchison and declares at home that she might remain a spinster throughout her life. What a contrast While Gwendolen and Cecily are painting rosy pictures of marriage, Beneatha aspires to be a doctor instead of sitting at home planning for marital bliss.

However, the fate sometimes plays crude jokes with us. Mrs. Younger, Walters mother, unknowingly buys a house in a white locality and the house owners of the would-be neighborhood want to purchase that house from the Younger family.

We see the irony of fate prevalent in Wildes play when Gwendolen talks of having absolute confidence in her beloved whom she thinks to be Ernest while Jack Worthing has been concealing his true identity from Gwendolen in fear of losing her love. Cecily, too, finds herself disillusioned with regards to the true name of her beloved.

The two plays are set in two distinctive moods. While the play by Wilde evokes laughter, Lorraines drama imbues in us an ominous feeling of dread. The tone of the first play is jovial and has a carefree and happy-go-lucky attitude. The second play is a true portrait of the adversities faced by a black family in its struggle for survival in a racist ambience.

Along with contrasting features, the two plays have some points of similarity. Both plays have characters that are endowed with strong personalities and they do not hesitate to express their feelings boldly to the world. The female characters display more mental strength than their male counterparts. In both plays, the male characters exhibit weak moral values. Wildes protagonists, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff lead a dual life and for this reason, they have fabricated two imaginary charactersJack Worthing makes up a story of a crafty brother, Ernest and Algernon weaves the story of an invalid friend, Mr. Bunbury. This gives them the excuse to leave their home towns as often as possible to go and enjoy in other parts. Walter Younger, the protagonist in A Raisin in the Sun is a chauffeur who wants to start his own business. He quarrels with his mother, wife and sister all because he wants to open his liquor shop. We find him cheated by a swindler and his precious money is lost.  George Murchison is a conceited man who boasts of his wealth and connections with the white men who are the so-called heads of the prevalent society. It does not take Beneatha to spurn his advances as a suitor she aims high and wants to focus her attention on that. The women exhibit strong moral characters and ultimately it is the men who realize the mistakes they have made, turning over a new leaf. So, though the circumstances are different, we find the men attain higher level of insight and understanding. They realize that life is too invaluable to be wasted away in whimsicalities and vagaries. The ladies guide them on the path of light. Both plays set on two different journeys but the ultimate destination is the sameto reach stability in relationships through hardships. Though the hardships in the two plays are of different kind, one mental and the other one is a combination of mental and physical, yet they are both sufferings that all human beings pass through at some point of their lives.

In his preface to the Lyrical Ballads, William Wordsworth has talked of the feelings that a poet has, while writing a poem and the feelings of the readers when they go through the poem. The following excerpt from the said preface will establish my claim.

THE FIRST volume of these Poems has already been submitted to general perusal. It was published, as an experiment, which, I hoped, might be of some use to ascertain, how far, by fitting to metrical arrangement a selection of the real language of men in a state of vivid sensation, that sort of pleasure and that quantity of pleasure may be imparted, which a Poet may rationally endeavour to impart.

I had formed no very inaccurate estimate of the probable effect of those Poems I flattered myself that they who should be pleased with them would read them with more than common pleasure and, on the other hand, I was well aware, that by those who should dislike them, they would be read with more than common dislike. The result has differed from my expectation in this only, that a greater number have been pleased than I ventured to hope I should please. (Wordsworth, 1880)

The whole preface stressed on two different perspectivesone of the poet and that of the reader. He talked of public taste (Wordsworth, 1800) and also his apprehensions about how far this taste is healthy or depraved which, again, could not be determined, without pointing out in what manner language and the human mind act and re-act on each other, and without retracing the revolutions, not of literature alone, but likewise of society itself. (Wordsworth, 1800) We see his consciousness regarding the society he lived in. This romantic poet was not only a mere poet but he was a visionary who expressed both the good and evil of his epoch through his different genres of poems (including odes and ballads). In his preface, he endeavored to connect with his readers very adeptly through his justifications of producing such poems as the Lyrical Ballads. The preface is a very long one however, I will contrive to give you another glimpse of the insight of this legendary poet.

The principal object, then, proposed in these poems was to choose incidents and situations from common life, and to relate or describe them, throughout, as far as was possible in a selection of language really used by men, and, at the same time, to throw over them a certain coloring of imagination, whereby ordinary things should be presented to the mind in an unusual aspect and, further, and above all, to make these incidents and situations interesting by tracing in them, truly though not ostentatiously, the primary laws of our nature chiefly, as far as regards the manner in which we associate ideas in a state of excitement. Humble and rustic life was generally chosen, because, in that condition, the essential passions of the heart find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity, are less under restraint, and speak a plainer and more emphatic language because in that condition of life our elementary feelings coexist in a state of greater simplicity, and, consequently, may be more accurately contemplated, and more forcibly communicated Wordsworth, 1800

I am not able to present the whole of the preface but I think I have achieved my purpose.

These two plays and the preface to the ballads are two dissimilar oeuvres yet they all deal with society and social evils of their times. We witness the shallow world of the upper class, the struggles of a black family of lower middle class and the emotion of the common man. The plays try to find a way to eradicate these social evils through instilling insight in the protagonists whereas, William Wordsworth takes the direct approach of reaching out to the readers and evoking consciousness in them. The messages conveyed by the playwrights and the poet are eternal. It is time for us to take a look at the man in the mirror and then change ourselves accordingly. Only then we can make the world a better place to live in.

Gaining full knowledge of artists life is impossible using a single work. Nevertheless, it is possible to characterize their way of thinking and style based on any of their writings. By analyzing their use of imagery, language, and structure, one can see how artists perceive things around them. In particular, Wordsworths poem titled, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, reveals his thoughts, which could likewise suggest romantic ways of thinking.

The poem is without a doubt, representative of Romantic poetry. Smith (2010) characterizes romanticism as an experimental project of self and social quest, a quest for connection, a quest for transcendence Based on the poems introduction, we imagine the persona wandering around a flower field, lonely yet unwilling to resolve hisher troubles. Instead of facing problems, the persona turns to nature, and tries to find connection with it. The line I wandered lonely as a cloud. (Wordsworth 1) implies his desire to do something out of the ordinary. Naturally, by taking the form of clouds, the persona suggests his self quest to find another possibility to human nature.

In the contemporary context, this desire to explore possibilities is limited to the self. People desire to be the best that they can be, to use their faculties to achieve their goals. However, as Wordsworth shows, his quest is more than just trying to find himself, thus implying a quest for transcendence. Assuming the nature of clouds, he implies the desire to be omniscient, able to see all things from above. Noting this, we may say that Wordsworth, and possibly other romantic artists strove for divinity or God-like qualities during their time. This idea of imitating God or assuming God-like qualities can be traced far back as the ancient history, as reflected in epics and myths. In those stories, the heroes possess extraordinary strengths and powers. Likewise, in the poem, Wordsworths desire to see everything below the clouds reflects his desire to divine powers.

The use of the clouds as the central symbol in the poem likewise emphasizes divinity. It is a question why the author uses the clouds, above everything to represent himself. There are many things found in nature that could emphasize solitariness and loneliness such as the peaceful ocean, the still mountains, etc. However, Wordsworth chooses the clouds because like God, clouds can take different forms. They can be heavy, light, scattered, or rolled into a ball. By taking different forms, they can easily travel, thus see everything like the Omniscient One. Having noted this, we can say that Wordsworth, during his time, entertained the desire to possess special or God-like qualities. This is not surprising during his time, for the Romantic Period (mid 18th century) follows Puritanism in the 16th-17th centuries (Miller  Johnson 2005). It is possible that remnants of the Puritan beliefs still existed during Wordsworths time.

Moreover, as the persona compares himself to the clouds, he suggests the thought of ascending himself to the heavens. This idea is very suggestive of Jesus ascension to heaven. Although there is no mention of god or his powers, the poem suggests the use of allusion with the personas transforming into clouds.  

Aside from desiring God-like qualities, Wordsworth also expresses the tendency to digress. Wandering around, the persona imagines taking cloud-forms, then seeing the valleys and hills, he turns his gaze to the golden daffodils, saying, When all at once I saw a crowdA host, of golden daffodils (3-4) Noticeably, the introduction of this relative phrase is a sign of digression, a shift in view, both physical and psychological. Moreover, while the next two stanzas describe the daffodils further, the persona digresses again, saying,

For oft, when on my couch I lieIn vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude

All of a sudden, the persona comes back to reality and takes back his human form. In doing so, he again comes back to his pensive mood, which he earlier suggests in his introduction I wandered lonely (1).

The tendency to digress is apparently seen in the poem. Thus, we see the change in moods of the persona from being lonely to gleeful, and from pensiveness to liveliness. In the introduction, he describes the clouds, saying they only float over vales and hills. (2) This suggests immobility, which later changes as he imagines the daffodils fluttering and dancing (6). Other words denoting motion follow, along with the images presented. These include the stars that shine (7) and are tossing their heads (12), and the waves beside the stars that danced, which outdid the sparkling waves (14). Such contrasting themes of immobility versus movement and loneliness versus glee strongly emphasize the tendency of the author to digress.

Also, there is the change in the physical nature as he takes the form of clouds then come back again to his human form. As he goes back to his human form, the persona still expresses the tendency to resort to digression as he says, They flash upon that inward eyeWhich is the bliss of solitude (21-22). Seated comfortably in his couch, he still remembers the daffodils and retains their memory in his mind. As the poem ends, he imparts his fulfillment in remembering the daffodils, saying, And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils. (23-24) Based on this, the persona provides a reason for his digression. Feeling lonely and alone, he needs to fill his mind with happy and beautiful memories, which he finds in the daffodils.

Interpreting the last line of the poem leads to another conclusion. As Smith (2010) notes, romantic literature reflects the quest for transcendence. In the poem, we see the personas effort to transcend from loneliness to happiness, though momentary. This goal of transcending from human to godly form, and from sadness to delightfulness is made possible through the personas digression.

The themes of divinity and digression are strongly apparent in the poem. Wishing to take the form of clouds, Wordsworth reflects the desire to be omniscient and divine. Likewise, through digression, he is able to transcend his current feelings, which leads him to a better view of life. Importantly, as these two themes emerge in the poem of the author, it can also be evident in the works of other romanticists.