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 Look up the term dystopia in Wikipedia. Please explain how you would define a dystopian work of literature. What might we learn from studying a dystopian novel? Have you seen any of the movies referred to in the article? Can you add any alternate suggestions of dystopian books or movies?  

In my mind, a dystopian story is any where the government or other leading force exerts control over every aspect of a population's behaviour for its own benefit, while simultaneously claiming it is for the good of the people. From the study of such world, which are essentially exaggerated versions of the real fascist regimes throughout history, we learn the corrupting ability of power, the ability to spot it, and the need to fight totalitarianism. We can also develop an appreciation of the freedoms our own society grants us, and a respect for the struggles people living under non-democratic leaders must face. While I have never seen a dystopian movie, I have read Fahrenheit 451, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the Hunger Games trilogy. I would add The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer to the list, as well, which takes place in a mechanized city where police and lawyers have virtually unlimited power.

 “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot is an interesting title, which I think is essentially used as a gimmick. While the title is quirky and fun, the poem is quite depressing and melancholy and never refers back to the playfulness at the top of the page.

The Man:

Prufrock is the quintessential nerd, intelligent and bright but socially awkward, especially, apparently, among women. He describes himself as “an attendant lord, the Fool” who is gradually growing older (112, 119). While he continually convinces himself that there is time left to engage with the rest of society he considers himself to be worse than, he still continues to hesitate, and as time passes, he knows that he will only continue to fade.

The Women:

The narrator's low self-esteem causes him to see women as almost ethereal and unreachable, likening them to "mermaids singing" (124). He also declares that they are not going to sing to him, describing them as voices that communicate feverishly with each other yet ignore him. His impression is not negative, for he seems to blame himself, yet is nevertheless resentful of their higher place in the world, even if it is largely self-imposed.

The setting:

The city Prufrock lives in is described as filthy, polluted, and dark, in fact, as nothing less than hell. Full of "cheap hotels and sawdust restaurants" (7-8), Prufrock describes his environment as an anti-utopia, a festering world where joy comes to die. And yet this may not even be slightly accurate. One's worldview is largely determined by a state of mind, and if he was well adjusted and happy instead of lonely and depressed, who know if Prufrock would describe his city as negatively as he currently does?



A major universal theme in the story Demeter and Persephone is the expression of all forms of love, both maternally in the bond shared between the mother and daughter, and romantically with Hades' jealous possession of Persephone. Love is largely a biological creation (regardless of what romantics choose to believe) and this tale shows it to be alive and well in the Greek era.

A second universal theme is the cycle of death and rebirth, shown by Persephone's continuous revival and descension, as well as the death and restoration of the natural world it creates. The story of life and death is an eternal area of respect and wonder among the human race, due both to its inherent mysteries and its complete inevitability.

As a side note: Although this does not qualify in any way as a universal theme, I found it very interesting that the story contains a woman who's eternal downfall is caused by the consumption of a forbidden fruit. Does that not sound just a little bit like the Christian Bible? As far as I know the Bible isn't influenced by Greek mythology, as I thought it was based largely on Pagan traditions, but this is a very interesting connection, in my humble opinion. 

1.

The narrator's love of the smell of fox marks her father's position as a fox farmer to be something that she envies and admires, helping him with a sense of pride. Her mother, on the other hand, is a simple housewife, and completely subservient to her "superior" male husband. The grandmother's constant attempts to groom the narrator, and her subsequent expressions of distaste at these attempts, show her defiance of the accepted social system, and the housework that represents it. The binary here is clearly the two workplaces, and more than that, the symbolism behind the locations. Her father works out in the open air, in boundless space. Her mother, on the other hand, spends the majority of her time inside of their house, a physical representation of the restriction forced upon the women of her time. The room she shares with her brother is both a source of perceived danger and safety, binary concepts. While the darkness is thought of as a threat by the siblings, the elaborate system of rules they devise allows them to take comfort, and consider their beds to be safe.

2.

Eustacia Vye lives a sad life and dies prematurely. In hopes of a better life in glamorous cities, she throws away a passionate relationship for a strategic marriage. But her husband's crippling disability allows him to earn only minimal income, wrecking her dream of life abroad. She inadvertently causes the death of her husband's mother by ignoring her call, causing an angry separation. Before they can reconcile, her old flame returns wealthy and offers her a second chance at a glamorous life. She accepts, but from then on is shunned by society as a whore and sinner, having abandoned her husband for another man after destroying his family. It is unclear whether her premature death is caused by falling into a well, or if it was, in fact, a suicide.

Moby Dick tells the story of a sailor's experience aboard the ship of a mad captain, whose leg was taken by a sperm whale known as Moby Dick. His lust for revenge against the animal causes him to recklessly pursue it, despite the concerns and warnings of a great many men aboard his and other ships. In the end, the whale sinks his ship and causes the deaths of almost every crew member, except for the protagonist, who has been thrown far enough away to avoid the whirlpool that sucks the others down. He survives by clinging to a coffin his friend had made until another ship rescues him.

Ham Peggoty is an exceptionally kind fisherman, living in close proximity to David, the protagonist. He is seen by David as simple and somewhat unintelligent labourer, and is often treated with condescension. Still, he is protected from a certain amount of ridicule due to his kindness. His death comes from trying to rescue a man named James Steerforth, who had previously stolen Ham's fiancee for himself.

Part 1:

Although the internment of Japanese-Canadians is in itself not a major contributor to the understanding of the story, the underlying racism it created is in fact significant. The grandfather's diminished outlook on life and his country following their treatment created tension in the family: his wife and Naomi did not suffer from his inability to make amends with their situation and move on, which created a rift that separated them to a degree. This caused the grandmother to pull away and distance herself from reality, as represented by her famous silence: "Obasan . . . does not dance to the multicultural piper’s tune or respond to the racist’s slur. She remains in a silent territory, defined by her serving hands." This distant quality to the title character is the basis for much of the family dynamics in the narrator's present.

Part 2:

My first piece of advice when writing an essay: be concise. When I look back at some of my earlier essays, It makes me cringe to realize the over-the-top language I used. Don't make it too "academic," but stick to the point. It makes it easier to read and stay focused.

Also, have a healthy disregard for the word count. If you don't feel shoehorning your essay into a limited space, don't. Proof? A+ in English 12 with the English award from Claremont, and A+ last semester. Both those final essays were probably 400-500 words longer than they were allowed to be. I should put a disclaimer on that: we're emailing these in, so Brenda, you're going to be able to check exactly how many words are actually in there. Scary stuff!

This semester, I'd like to work on conforming precisely to the word count. Why? Read the section immediately above this.