"Candine" by Voltaire: chapters 1-3

Voltaire’s use of crazy hyperbolic names remind me of “Gulliver’s Travels” even though “The Crying of Lot 49” also has exaggerated names, Voltaire’s names seem like completely made up words like in “Gulliver’s Travels”. The most interesting names I found in the first three chapters were, Doctor Pangloss, Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh, Wald-berghoff-trarbkdikdorff. The third is supposedly a place but when I try to read it, it’s just a bunch of random letters put together. Voltaire’s satirical writing style is evident from the very beginning, a good pun that I found was “My Lady Baroness, who weighed three hundred and fifty pounds, consequently was a person of no small consideration”. This line talks about the Baroness’ literal weight and then goes on to mention that she “was a person of no small consideration”, this is amusing because this is making fun of how big she is. This was definitely an interesting introduction to Voltaire’s writing style.

The main character in “Candide”, Candide himself and his family, is ridiculed by the author and Voltaire uses small metaphors to exaggerate the characters social position these subtleties are small but prominent. For instance, “The Baron was one of the most powerful lords in Westphalia, for his castle had not only a gate, but even windows, and his great hall was hung with tapestry. He used to hunt with his mastiffs and spaniels instead of greyhounds; his groom served him for huntsman; and the parson of the parish officiated as his grand almoner”. This quote is saying how the Baron was so powerful that his castle “had not only a gate, but even windows” this is definite ridicule because all living quarters have windows. Also, the author is exaggerating the character’s position by saying “his groom served him for huntsman; and the parson of the parish officiated his grand almoner”. This means that his stable boy is also his hunting partner which shows that he is not as wealthy as claimed or else he would have both. Finally, the author talks about how the Baron uses mastiffs and spaniels instead of greyhounds” this seems like absurdity to me because I don’t think that you could use a small playful spaniel as a hunting dog. This again refers to the inflation of the characters position, the author makes us believe that indeed Candine is a powerful nobleman’s son but is actually quite average.

“One day when Miss Cunegund went to take a walk in a little neighboring wood which was called a park, she saw, through the bushes, the sage Doctor Pangloss giving a lecture in experimental philosophy to her mother's chambermaid, a little brown wench, very pretty, and very tractable. As Miss Cunegund had a great disposition for the sciences, she observed with the utmost attention the experiments which were repeated before her eyes; she perfectly well understood the force of the doctor's reasoning upon causes and effects. She retired greatly flurried, quite pensive and filled with the desire of knowledge, imagining that she might be a sufficing reason for young Candide, and he for her.”

I find it difficult to find a category in which this quote fits into because this is playing on how naïve the character is in thinking that what her great metaphysico-theologo-cosmolonigology teacher is doing is part of his “experiments. Moreover, she is even able to relate the scene to his teachings of cause and effect. The idea of cause and effect is brought up several times in the first three chapters and this shows Candine’s way of thinking. He is brought up to believe that one event is the outcome of his actions and his is statisfied with this because it seems to give him hope even when he is captured by the Bulgarians. I didn’t quite understand how Candine ended up in Bulgaria for kissing a girl. Was he banished because of the fact that the baron caught him kissing Miss Cunegund? Overall the first few chapters were pretty straightforward but I found the first to be much more satirical than the following two.

The Crying of Lot 49`

I think that in this novel the postal service is probably that biggest and most important motif. Also, the postal service signifies strength and authority and also clearly communication. The need for communication has made the postal service so important because a country would fall apart without it. I think that Pynchon used the postal service because of its importance and prestige in any country and a postal system of some kind has been around for centuries and will be necessary forever. Though we don't really notice it as much any more because of email and other technology postal service is what keeps a country running in some aspects because it is needed to keep each part of the country connected. Also everyone knows and understands the basics of the postal service so Pynchon could keep his readers attention because they can agree with his use of the postal service so the motif is not as random as it seems. As I've mentioned before Thomas Pynchon writes very authoritatively and so the powerful postal service fits in perfectly with the authors writing style.

Oedipa on the other hand is the opposite, she is very curious and flamboyant but not arrogant. She becomes obsessed by the idea of the Tristero and the underground postal service that she will go to all measures to investigate. I think its clever how the author links Pierce Inverarity to the Tristero by having knowledgeable people working on one of the dead man's properties or by having a secret stamp collection. Also it was creative how the author brought the Tristero to the United states thanks to immigration and Oedipa's curiosity helped us learn about it. I think that this book was very creative but complicated. The quirky characters may be the author making fun of real people like Oedipa could be the author's exaggeration of the fact that people always have to have answers. Mucho could represent uninterested society, The Paranoids could be The Beatles or other well known bands of the time, they would be the ones that are oblivious because of their obsession with music, drugs and women. I think that The Paranoids are just for entertaining purposes because they don't have much of a role in the book. All of the author's characters are extremely exaggerated to give the book a humorous effect.

One thing that I still find a bit confusing is my Pierce Inverarity named Oedipa as the executor of his estate if they had broken up? This may mean that he still had feelings for her or maybe he added her into his will before they had broken up, either way this was essential to make the thicken. I also noticed that there was the Peter Pinguid Society, I didn't quite understand it's importance at the beginning but now I think that this may have been one of the ways that the Tristero spread. With a group of unhappy people ready for change they create a society and make their own rules so this is a modern day expansion of the Tristero postal service. Even the play "The Courier's Tragedy" is real and it is thanks to this play that Oedipa discovers the story of the Tristero and the Thurn and Taxis empire. I'm surprised and how many facts Pynchon incorporates in his fictional novel.

"The Crying of Lot 49" is a very long and difficult book when you want to analyze it because it written very metaphorically and the challenge for the reader is to discover what the author really wants to tell us. Thomas Pynchon is a very clever author and his book is extremely dense which makes it very challenging. There can be so many interpretations of each character the setting that it is hard to find a correct answer. I think it is genius how Pynchon writes his books so mysteriously even though it can be frustrating and I think it would be interesting to read an analytical essay on the book, that kind of writing would help me understand the book better. I don't believe that I am knowledgeable enough to fully understand Pynchon's allegories. "The Crying of Lot 49" is probably one of the most difficult books that I've read.

Review of The Crying of Lot 49

After some class discussion I realized that I missed the fact that the novel was a satire and didn't understand many of Pynchon's complex jokes. He uses the post as his main theme because it is powerful and authoritative and this puts him at a level where he can make fun of people and society. Through the complex structure and vocabulary the novel "The Crying of Lot 49" is not as heavy as one thinks while they read, the crazy characters and made up setting proves that the book hasn't been made to be taken seriously but instead to entertain while weaving and intricate and relevant novel using history and fiction.

Class dicussions have given me more insight into the story and I realized that the Thurn and Taxis empire and postal service really did exist wich opened a new point of view for me. This proved to me that with Pynchon's sarcastic and confusing writing style it is very hard to distinguish lies from the truth. On the other hand Tristero is Pynchon's invention but since he either makes his writing very believable or a complete joke I was ready to believe that it existed. This fact and fiction factor made the book more difficult for me since I'm very gullible and would take the authors knowledge for granted. I think that it is very important to destinguish fact from fiction especially in novels but Pynchon's writing style is so matter-of-factly that he assumes his readers know exactly what he is talking about. I think it is very interesting how he uses outside information and incorporates it into a completely fictional novel. I'm wondering if maybe he does this to add a more realistic factor to the novel and make his plot more believable, either way it can be entertaining but at times very confusing.

The Crying of Lot 49: Chapter 6

In the final chapter the author reveals the meaning of the Tristero. First Oedipa calls the professor Emory Bortz to discuss her curiosity and through him and their joint investigation the reader gets what they have waited for, a possible explanation. Oedipa visits Bortz and discusses the play she watched produced by Randy Driblette and the second hand book she found. Bortz shows her a book and tells her to read the eighth chapter. This tells the readers the history of Tristero, a man who goes to a kingdom to recieve his inheritance but is shunned, he gives up his claims and sets up his own postal corporation to match his cousin, this underground, revolutionary organization has been said to exist ever since. Also in this chapter Oedipa finds out about Dribelette's death and is mildly distraught. She now understands the mystery of the Tristero but is puzzeled by the dead man's use of the final lines in the play which are quoted several times, she wishes she knew why he used them.

Later Oedipa meets with Mike Fallopian again and he asks her if she is certain that she hasn't imagined some things about the Tristero. This question leaves Oedipa feeling alone since the only thing that was keeping her moving was the hope that should would uncover the mysterious Trister but now she has every single person in her life gone or turned against her. This shows how people shouldn't trade in material or unpermanent things for the human element because we will end up alone a hopeless like Oedipa. One thing that I found very interesting is the fact that all the traces of the Tristero, in Oedipa's mind, could be traced back in some way to her ex-boyfriend, Pierce Inverarity. This is more evidence that the Tristero could really be a figment of Oedipa's imaginiation and would make Pierce and the Tristero strong motifs throughout the entire novel. For example his stamp collection is covered in strange symbols or tiny alterations.

The fact that the Tristero was said to have seeked refuge by going to the United States made it a possible and believable underground, anti-monopoly organization but I think it is up to the reader to decide if it really exists. Also we find out the meaning of the title of the novel. The "lot 49" is Pierce's stamp collection that is up for auction and the the auctioneer "cries" the bidding. I found that this is such a small part of the story that it is a strange phrase to use as the title. I think that it is a relevant title because of the fact that the lot 49 was evidence of the Tristero, Oedipa's obsession, but either no one knew or they were trying to hide away and slowly get rid of all the pieces of the puzzel, either way Oedipa would lose everything. It is a precise but complicated title.

I liked how the author clearly explained the title and the Tristero and didn't leave the reader hanging, I felt very satisfied with the conclusion and explanations but found the book a little strange. Also, the author just left us waiting to find out who the bidder was at the auction which left me frustrated. I wonder why he left that part out? The novel is a type of detached but emotional novel, I don't think it is a serious as one may seem but may be making fun of present day society and how we have to always have answers. It is telling us to sometimes slow down or else we may lose everything of importance, a strong and simple message.

The Crying Of Lot 49: Chapter 5

In the beginning of the fifth chapter Oedipa is on the move again continuing her investigation on the Tristero. As the chapter goes on she seems to be completely obssessed and possed by the need to find out what the Tristero is. She floats around the streets on busses and sees the muted horn symbol everywhere. The way the author describes her she seems insane or delusional, she is consumed but the question of what the Tristero is. She begins to see the symbol everywhere showing that either this organization is widely known or of her wishful thinking. Oedipa will go to all measures to discover the secret that she goes to stranger's houses like John Nefastis' house to see if she is a sensitive. But, he wasn't interested in Entropy or science, Oedipa is fearless and vunerable because of her search and she gets into dangerous situations at times. An obsession takes a different toll on each individual and in this case Oedipa may be losing her mind because of a fictional idea. The author is telling the readers that it is good to be curious and inquisitive but with his character he takes a research question and turns it into a strange passion.

When Oedipa is accidentally dragged into a gay bar she meets a man wearing the muted horn as a pin on his shirt and questions him. He tells her that it is an underground society that is against love and serious relationships because they are a dangerous addiction. This explanation throws the reader off since Oedipa has been looking in Inverarity's property and has associated it with the the mail like the pony express. This is just another redherring in the book and I think that it just adds to the suspense and wants the reader to find out what this symbol really means.

Another thing that I had not really payed attention to but occured during the entire novel was the fact that time is very skewed in this book. The author may go on about a single moment for several pages and then will say that a few days passed in a line. This makes the reader confused because even though the book is chronological this does slow or speed up the plot which at times is desirable since this could bore the reader. In the second half of the chapter Oedipa returns home to look for her psychologist and her husband. Her psycologist, Dr. Hilarious has lost his mind and is now completely paranoid while her husband is taking drugs and is completely delusional. She finally sobers up out of her crazy dream and feels at a complete loss because she has lost her husband.

One thing I noticed was that Oedipa admits her infidelity to her husband and mentions his past wanderings. The way that both of them take such a serious act shows their strange personality. Most people would be distraught at the fact that their partner had been with another person but they mention it in passing. I think this shows definite instability in their relationship and also insensitivity, they don't get attached to people because Metzeger and soon enough Mucho will also drop out of the story. Oedipa leaves her husband and goes back to continues investigating since now it seems like her search for the truth of the Tristero is the only thing that she has left.

The Crying of Lot 49: Chapter 4

In the fourth chapter Oedipa does alot of travelling and investigating, in each place she meets someone with some kind of relation to the Tristero symbol which she had discovered in a bathroom stall. "The Crying of Lot 49" would be an uneventful book if it weren't for Oedipa's inquisitive mind. Some of the places she went to were Pierce's property but some were part of an extended inverstigation, Oedipa will go to all lengths and measures to find out what the Tristero means. Coincedentally when Oedipa goes to talk to the man who is looking at Pierce's stamp collection finds the Tristero symbol as a water mark on the stamp. Hopefully all these strange clues and conincedences will come together in the following chapters so we can understand its significance. Oedipa thinks that it may mean that there is a group or secret society that uses the symbol and if so it must be ancient since there is evidence of the symbol since the 9th or so century. Neither Oedipa or the reader knows if it is a legal society so Oedipa decides to keep it under wraps for now.

There are only about six chapters in the book "The Crying of Lot 49" and all that I have understood is that a woman who is at a confusing, meaningless point of her life ends up being the executer of a rich dead man's property. I have followed her through many encounters with strange people and places but still I don't know how the author will be able to explain all the loose ends in his novel. I don't understand what the Tristero has to do with Inverarity directly but I guess it is because she finds all the clues on his property. For some reason Metzeger barely appeared in the fourth chapter, it seems like he is letting Oedipa take the lead to see what she can discover. This book is very strange and the interesting message of curiosity and secrets reminds the readers of how much people hide secrets from everyone. I hope that Oedipa will figure out the purpose and meaning of the Tristero because I'm very curious too.

The Crying of Lot 49: Chapter 3

I have found that as I continue to read the chapters become more confusing with new unimportant characters and situations. For example in the third chapter we meed a man called Mike Fallopian, he is a right winger who is anti-monopoly and refuses to use the US mail. He appears for a very short time in this chapter and seems very irrellevant and unimportant. He may symbolize the era in which this book is set and he introduces us to the Peter Pinguid Society, which is a very patriotic society. What I don't understand is what the importance of the society is in association with the plot. I see the novel "The Crying of Lot 49" as an abstract detective/mystery novel and a historical and patriotic group doesn't seem to fit with the setting.

Alot of the elements of the novel are random facts or people without much significance but that add some body to the complicated novel. For example as the chapter continues Oedipa, Metzeger and The Paranoids go to lake Inverarity and they meet another lawyer called di Presso who is sueing Inverarity. He goes into a story about a massacre during World War Two and the transport of bones from Italy to the United States which are supposedly being used for cigarrettes. I think that this story is very true but the use of the bones is disgusting and rediculous. Though the character is related to the story he is another unimportant one. Also I didn't understand why he kept on running away from his clients, the fact that he did and marooned the group on an island. The way they signaled for help (using their cigarrettes) and the entire situation did add comedy to the chapter.

The description of the play that Oedipa and Metzeger went to was disturbing and rather coincidental. The reason for their attendence was the fact that the Paranoids had mentioned that the story of the massacre in Italy reminded them of the play "The Courier's Tragedy". The play was bloody and tragic and was described in such detail that I'm guessing it has a big significance in the continuing chapters. Oedipa is very intrigued and inquisitive about the play even going as far as searching for the director. I think that this story has a realistic element but overall I find the plot very far-fetched because of the outrageous things that are mentioned like bone filters. I'm interested in seeing what the significance of the play and especially of Tristero in the continuing chapters.

The Crying of Lot 49: Chapter Two

In the second chapter I found even more strange hyperbolic names like Mr. Fallopian, it is a rediculous name that adds to the complicated humor in the novel. In this chapter Oedipa has left her home for the city of San Narciso which is actually a city that Thomas Pynchon made up in "The Crying of Lot 49". Narcissus is said to be a greek mythological person who falls in love with his own reflection. This seems contrary to the city since from what the author describes the city as dull or that it doesn't stand out. I had a hard time getting through this chapter because there is alot of difficult vocabulary that disguises a not too complicated plot. In this chapter Oepdipa arrives in the city of San Narciso to meet Pierce's lawyer. We get to learn about all of his extensive property and projects that now Oedipa has to take control of. The thing that i didn't like about this chapter was the fact that Oedipa cheated on her husband this seemed very terrible and out of place. I didn't know what to make of the chapter but I'm hoping that as I read further into this book I will understand what all the random event and people like the Paranoids have to to with the story.

The Crying of Lot 49: Chapter One

One of the first things I noticed about the book "The Crying Of Lot 49" was the strange names that the author used for some of the characters. For example there is a Dr. Hilarius, I wonder if his name is contrary to his personality. From what I've read, Dr. Hilarius is a strange, dark, questionable kind of man and maybe the author made his name into an irony. Then there is the married couple, Oedipa and Wendell "Mucho" Maas which are both very strange but meaningless names, Except for the fact that their last name seems foreign. Finally there is Oedipa's ex-boyfrind Pierce Inverarity, his first name is relatively common but his last maybe a real word so i will look it up and see if it matches or clashes with his flaky, crazy and at times terrifying personality.

The first chapter is an introductory chapter that lets the reader meet some of the exotic characters in the novel. The structure of some of the sentences is very difficult and made it necesary for me to read over a paragraph several times. The senteces were at times long and seemed to be a list of locations or thoughts and some times were short and maybe even too simple. This added and interesting but confusing twist the the structure of the chapter and kept me attentive to every world the author wrote since they are very connected in this book. I find this reading to be dense with alot of interesting vocabulary and ideas but, I think that as I continue to read, the book will begin to make more sense.

From the very beginning we learn of all the character's quirks and unique traits. Oedipa feels trapped in her world with an over-sensitive boyfriend and a now dead and crazy ex-boyfriend. The fact that she has to go to the psychaitrist tells the reader that she is slightly unstable and Pierce is a very good explanation for this mental instablility. Pierce was a very strange and seemingly messed up man, Oedipa used to recieve crazy phone calls from him screeching in different voices and cursing her husband with "the shadow". He was very rich but didn't seem sensible and now even after his death Oedipa still has to be haunted by him since she needs to execute his will. Oedipa's husband is a weak, easily moved man. He appears to be a nice guy but is too sensitive that sometimes it frustrates Oedipa. All the characters in this novel are strange and I have yet to discover more and establish new and even more intricate relationships. I wonder how long Oedipa was with Pierce, this would explain why she was on his will even after they had ended.

Inverarity: not a word just Pierce's last name.

Codicil: Is like a foot note or an addition that explains or modifies a will or part of one.

Ambiguity: doubtfulness or confusion about a meaning or intention.

The Hollow Men

This poem struck me as very solemn and empty like the title implies. The men in the poem have lost their hope and sense of life because of their old age and they are disappearing into the land of the dead, slowly becoming less human "shape without form, shape without color..." line 12. The author refers to them as stuffed men, I wonder if this means refers to stuffing like stuffing a dead animal but in this sense having the person always alive in their memories which is why people stuff their pets. Also when he says the hollow men I imagine dead men, men without souls or men no longer in their own bodies.

In the second section Eliot seems to be describing an unworldly place "eyes I dare not meet in dreams.." sounds more like the protagonist meeting either god or the devil, he wouldn't look upon god's eyes if he is a god fearing man and he wouldn't look into the devil's eyes because of how terrifying he is. As I keep reading the section it doesn't continue with unworldly imagery but changes the subject by saying he would wear a disguise. This is what makes poetry so confusing for me, the fact that I can't identify what the author is trying to tell his readers because his thoughts seem so jumbled. I think this poem is comparing our world with the unknow worlds outside of human reach. The hollow men can be souls of deceased men or of men still living on this earth but slowly fading.

Comparision Of a Love Song and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"

ALL MY LOVING by: THE BEATLES

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you (a)
Tomorrow I'll miss you (a)
Remember I'll always be true (a)
And then while I'm away (b)
I'll write home every day (b)
And I'll send all my loving to you (a)

I'll pretend that I'm kissing (c)
The lips I am missing (c)
And hope that my dreams will come true (a)
And then while I'm away (b)
I'll write home every day (b)
And I'll send all my loving to you (a)

All my loving, I will send to you (a)
All my loving, darling I'll be true (a)

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you (a)
Tomorrow I'll miss you (a)
Remember I'll always be true (a)
And then while I'm away (b)
I'll write home every day (b)
And I'll send all my loving to you (a)

All my loving, I will send to you (a)
All my loving, darling I'll be true (a)
All my loving, All my loving
Woo, all my loving, I will send to you (a)

The reason why I chose this song is the fact that it is very obviously a love song with many references to affection. This is a sharp contrast to Eliot's poem, if the title didn't state that the poem was actually love song the reader probably couldn't have guessed. The song that I chose has a lot of repetition of the lyrics and a simple rhyme scheme of a, a, a, b, b, a. This love song was clearly written for a lover since there are many references to "you" meaning a specific person, also there are affectionate words like loving, kissing, missing that are usually linked to love songs that makes the reader aware of the fact that they are listening to a love song. "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" on the other hand only says you and I and to me that could mean any one, they don't have to be lovers, they can be friends. That is what makes the idea of this being a love song hard to grasp.

The author does talk about how the protagonist is always with someone else during all the stages of his life which could be a reference to a spouse. In both the love songs there is repetition in the Beatles song the repetition is an entire verse and the chorus while in the poem it is random sentences like "In the room women come and go, talking of Michelangelo" or "That is not it at all." Finally in the ninety sixth line the author mentions sex saying, "pillow by her head..." this may mean that the protagonist is sleeping with someone be it his wife or a lover.

Other than these small subtleties "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is not a typical love song. The poem is peaceful and happy which sets the correct mood for a love song. Also all the questions make me think of a shy man wondering how or when he should ask his love out, it's as though he is in love but maybe the woman doesn't know it. This is a poem that is very questionable and is not a very good love song. The Beatles song is simple and to the point telling the listening exactly what the writer is feeling unlike the poem where the protagonist seems happy but uneasy, or even at times dissatisfied. For a reader or listener I think love songs have to be straight forward so that we can understand the message or feelings of the author, I don't want to have to analyze a love song, poetry is made for analysis but I don't think love songs should be written that way. The author does mention a lover always there in the background but they should be the subject of the work, instead Eliot adds phrases that throw the reader off like talking about Michelangelo. I would have enjoyed this poem more if it had thoughtfully stated the authors feelings, it may have but there were so many distractions in the work that I didn't notice.

The Waste Land Parts 3 and 4

The third section is based around rivers and water. The author begins by saying "the river's tent is broken" and ends with a poem or a song about a river. The very final sentences are describing fire and despair why seem to oppose the idea of water being calm and harmless. This chapter seems to have many references to hopelessness and unhappiness. When a character says to the protagonist that he promised "a new start" he did not respond, implying that he did not have any faith in the speakers comment. This section is very confusing and random but the reference to rivers and water is very distinct and I've decided to expand on the idea.

Water in this first part binds all the connecting ideas because they all refer back to water. In this section water is seen as tranquil and even as an escape from reality or the boring unending circle of life. Rivers themselves are teeming with life inside and on their surface so the author makes the point that even though life is difficult and you feel as though you have lost your way you can still be guided by nature. The fourth section, on the other hand, is titled "Death By Water" which seems to me as very contradictory to the previous section. This section tells a story of a man who loses his life in the sea. Though he has passed away when i read this passage it seemed as though Phlebas had finally been satisfied and put to rest. My interpretation of this passage was that Phlebas had fallen upon misfortune and had become a wretched man and in this context he even welcomed death, as though it rescued him from his terrible state. I found the third and fourth sections very confusing and it was very difficult to identify strong allusions, I think I needed a stronger understanding of these parts of the text before I can analyze them any further.

The Waste Land Parts One and Two

At the part where refers to the sun of man and places where there is no relief or shelter this part seems very hopeless and depressing because of the suffering that lack of shelter or shade brings to one person. The First section is called "The Burial Of the Dead" and it has a very ominous and negative tone. I think it is strange how the author decides to talk about the main character in first person and also the fact that she is a young girl is unexpected since the author is a man. I wonder why he would make a shift in gender and age for this section of the poem. Later on the girl in the poem is talking to some one as "you" and I wonder who that could be, she says, "your arms full, your hair wet..." and maybe it is some one that is very important to her and guides her just like the references to time guide the reader through this poem. I don't understand why Eliot uses German and Dutch in the poem especially since there is a high chance that the reader will not understand why he is saying. It may be just a random quote but it could also be relevant to the theme of the section.

Like I stated before I find that the tarot cards are significant to this section because of the fact that they predict and try to decipher the future. This is always a sharp reminder that we are not in control of our fate and that we need to watch our actions. Throughout the poem it seems as though all the people mentioned are very restless and as I mentioned before this could be associated with the title of the poem. I find this frustrating because all the inactivity and lethargy is not expected. Most stories are made up of action so lack of it definitely adds a different idea to the poem. The only literal reference to "the Burial of the Dead" is in the last few lines:
'That corpse you planted last year in your garden,
'Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?
'Or has the sudden frost disturbed its bed?
'Oh keep the Dog far hence, that's friend to men,
'Or with his nails he'll dig it up again!
I think that this means that you should a guilt free conscience so that you will not have any skeletons in the closet that can come back and haunt you!

The second section "A Game Of Chess" is very full of description and color but is very misleading because it does not seem to focus on any main ideas. The first part seems to play with the senses because not only is there visual description but smells and sounds too, to involve the reader in the author's world. As I had mentioned before, the game of chess in this section is not the real board game but rather the game of life where you lose and gain according to wit and that you have to be clever to survive and be successful in this world. This section tells of people that have almost experienced death which shows their strength but also tells the reader that they have to be cautious and that sometimes a win or loss is pure luck.

T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land: Part Two

The first thing that I thought when I read the title of the poem and the time it was written was World War One. The Waste Land made me think of all the destruction of the war and I falsely
assumed that the poem would be a description of the war. This was not the case since Eliot begins with a description of the month April. What I though then was, maybe The Waste Land wasn't literally the Land but the people, the poem never describes anyone doing anything productive so maybe it was the people that were wasting away.

I found several recurring symbols or motifs while I read through all six of T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land. Time was being constantly referred to but in a very subtle and figurative way. For example he used phrases like "the brown fog of dawn" and "the brown fog of noon" and "the violet hour". Also the repetition of the line "Hurry up please it's time" is telling the reader that his/her time is running out and that they have to act quickly so that they wont be "wasted" any longer. Time was very important in the poem because it made the poem flow because the references to time were in chronological order. The random quotes and references confused the reader easily so at least the reference to time orients the reader.

The color red, water and rocks were also frequently mentioned and may be motifs in the poem. When the author writes that some thing is red I see injury or bloodshed . Blood can be a symbol of misfortune and pain or anger and hate. I found that very contrary to the idea of water . It was continuously written in the form of a river or stream not just water itself but as a body "sweet Thames...". I see water as curing or replenishing, a sign of hope, tranquility. Water may also mean then end because some animals begin and end in the water. When you put red and water together I think that even though there has been misfortune or death in the past as long as there is water there is hope. Water is a sign of life or the life cycle and humans can't survive without it, so it is a very strong, powerful symbol in the poem. Rocks on the other hand are a very puzzling symbol, when i think of rocks i imagine stability and stubbornness but I couldn't appropriately associate it with either water or red. This poem is based on water and has it running through the entire poem, maybe as a sign of hope or of doom.

The author also uses repetition to keep the reader focused and active in the poem. Some of the repetitions are very subtle and you have to pay close attention to the text to recall it. Some, on the other hand, are frequently used, like "hurry up please it's time" and "the Thames" and are even shown differently than the erst of the piece by bolding or placement. I think one of the main reasons for repetition is to link previous sections of the poem together or to keep the reader attentive to a minor but significant detail. A symbol that appears and then reappears in the text is Tarot cards. I wonder if the author uses the symbol for foreshadowing purposes or even to tell the protagonist his or her fate. Divination including Tarot cards symbolize uncertainty and lies which i think is a possible metaphor for life in general, how we never know our fate and are constantly choosing and guessing our path.

I noticed that the titles of each section had little to do with the content of the section in a literal sense since no where in the text did the author tell the reader of a couple playing chess as the second section says. Chess is a very strategic and difficult game which, when looking at the pieces involves life and death. So after reading and noticing that the second section was not going to be about chess i started thinking figuratively what chess could mean in this context. In the end of the section Eliot describes a character who could lose her husband to another woman and that scenario definitely made me think of chess where one person's loss is the other's gain. Other than that, I found the title confusing and misleading.

Lastly at the bottom of my reading there were many sources listed that were quotes that Eliot had used throughout the poem and it seemed to me that the poem was a compilation of different quotes. I don't understand why he would put all kinds of quotes from different sources, time periods, languages and incorporate them into one poem because many of the subjects of the quotes were unknown to me. I found the poem very jumbled and at times incomprehensible, sometimes literally because of a different language or just because of all the different texts. I couldn't find a specific rhythm or rhyme scheme in the poem either which may have helped uncover the more significant parts. It would take me days or even weeks to discover and understand every hidden metaphor in The Waste Land.

The Waste Land Part One

The first time I read the poem I read it carelessly without noticing that the first word of the next line is placed at the end of the previous line. I read it very unsmoothly because of this mistake and it did not seem as logical as when I re-read it. I read the poem too quickly and not carefully enough unlike Eliot who articulates clearly every word. He emphasized the first word of every line or phrase and I think that is why it is on the previous line, to show the reader that there should be emphasis on that word. He enjambs some of the bigger words to make the poem flow smoother like "frightened" or "forgetful". He reads the poem very monotonously which detracts from its intricate detail and carefully selected words. His reading made me understand the way he wants it to be read and explains the structure of the poem.