Week 1 (pre-midterm)

The definition of "great literature" is clearly ambiguous. I see no reason that "This Be the Verse" could NOT be considered great literature. It deals with a universally understood and timeless concept, blaming the parents for one's own failings. However, even that seems like a poor justification, as there can be amazing stories written about personal or uncommon circumstances that few people would understand completely. Great literature can only be considered great if it is judged to be so by the majority. And as I don't have the information as to what the majority has decided, I can only give my opinion. Which is that this is definitely not great literature. Using "fuck" in a poem may be designed to shock, but in reality, who would actually be shocked by this in the modern era of HBO and South Park? Very young children and elderly prudes not counting, of course, as they hardly constitute the majority. The concept may be considered by some to be "universal," but I consider it to be cliched; an overworked and overused idea that can be found with a quick glance through the lyrics of any emo or nu-metal song ever written. And at least the song could have some other qualities to latch on to. Like a good melody. Or a turntable that goes "digga digga digga" right before the guy with the nose ring starts screaming. And that's just my opinion. Some people may love this poem. Maybe a lot do, I have no way to know that. But in my mind, this is a long way from great literature.

The example of a parent's example to impact a child's life negatively is demonstrated in "Eveline," by James Joyce. Their mother is presented as a fairly benevolent figure, but her dying wish for her daughter to hold a dysfunctional family together presents an obstacle to the protagonist's life, and in a way that ensures some of the mother's own flawed decisions will live on. This is Larkin means when he says a parent "may not mean to" cause problems for their child, but they inevitably will. The mother merely is doing what she considers her duty, but the impact on her child's life is significantly greater than she could have anticipated. The father, on the other hand, is abusive, and there is no ambiguity about the negativity he projects down his lineage.

Week 2 (pre-midterm)

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.