Mr. Ramsay

Many of the characters have similar interpretations of Mr. Ramsay which all characterize him as an unkind and callous individual. James does not respond well to Mr. Ramsay's blunt objection to their expedition by expressing hostility towards his father: "Had there been an axe handy, or a poker, any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father's breast and killed him, there and then, James would have seized it. Such were the extremes of emotion that Mr. Ramsay excited in his children's breasts" (Woolf 4). James and his siblings all have similar interpretations of Mr. Ramsay's harsh, nature. However, William Bankes has a different perception of Mr. Ramsay which allows for a different approach to Mr. Ramsay's character. William Bankes recalls a specific time spent with Mr. Ramsay which showed Bankes the softer side of Mr. Ramsay: "A hen, straddling her wings out in protection of a covey of little chicks, upon which Ramsay, stopping, pointed his stick and said 'Pretty--pretty,' an odd illumination in to his heart, Bankes thought it, which showed his simplicity" (Woolf 21). Mr. Bankes' memory gives a new insight into the character of Mr. Ramsay. Perhaps Mr. Ramsay's children are overly sensitive to his reserved demeanor, therefore their reactions to him are hyperbolic and exaggerated because they are young children. Mr. Ramsay is not a completely heartless individual that his children see him as because William Bankes recalls this memory and shows a more human side of Mr. Ramsay

Dorian Gray Outline

Thesis: Dorian Gray's selfish criminal actions and his unwillingness to confess or repent the horrible crimes he has committed characterize Gray as a completely depraved individual.

1. Dorian becomes completely enveloped in a life of selfish crimes yet he is apathetic and never deals with the consequences of his actions.
a. "Nothing that [Dorian] could do would cleanse him till he had told his own sin. His sin? He shrugged his shoulders. The death of Basil Hallward was very little to him" (Wilde 163).
    Dorian feels no remorse for the horrible murder that he is responsible for. As long as he did not have to suffer the consequences, he was okay. He will never be able to cure himself of sin because he shows no desire to repent, only to hide and avoid his problems

b. "Had it been merely vanity that had made him do his one good deed? Or the desire for a new sensation?" (Wilde 163).
     Dorian is struggling with the realization that his sudden will to do good is not genuine. It is out of sheer vanity, to make himself look good to others or to make him feel good about himself. His "good deed" (if you could call it that) was not truly a good deed and it was done out of selfishness rather than because Dorian knew that it was the right thing to do

2. After Dorian murders Basil, he continues to commit awful crimes, showing no desire to change his corrupt way of life.
a. "'I am so sorry for you, Alan,' he murmured, 'but you leave me no alternative. I have a letter written already. Here it is. You see the address. If you don't help me, I must send it. If you don't help me, I will send it'" (Wilde 125).
b. "'Good heavens! What a life that is! You have gone from corruption to corruption, and now you have culminated in crime. In doing what I am going to do, what you force me to do, it is not of your life that I am thinking" (Wilde 126).
    Dorian has turned to blackmailing in order to help dispose of Basil's body. Rather than just admitting his wrong doings, he is concerned with saving himself in the specific moment (not his soul). He looks for a way to prolong his immoral way of life by any means possible. He does not take into consideration the well being of Alan or Basil but only himself. As he says in the end of the chapter, "'You have saved me from ruin, Alan. I cannot forget that,' said Dorian simply" (Wilde 128). Even though Alan kills himself and Basil is dead, Dorian claims no responsibility or feels bad about the things that he has done

3. Dorian never reveals himself as the true cause of Sibyl, Basil or Alan's death yet he is amoral and unable to see the true horror of his corrupt soul.
a. "'Alan! Alan! if you don't come to my assistance I am ruined. Why, they will hang me, Alan! don't you understand? They will hang me for what I have done" (Wilde 124).
 Dorian never admits to his heinous crimes. He worries about what will become of him and his good name rather than actually being a morally sound individual. Dorian is completely obsessed with what will become of him he does not recognize the impact that his actions will have on Alan or the terrible fate that he bestowed upon Basil

4. Dorian's shallow solution to the remorse to the horrible crimes he has committed is to numb them through the drug use and other activities and finally to destroy the thing that haunts him the most, his own wretched painting.

Dorian does not have to deal with the guilt that comes with the horrible choices that he has made because the painting wears his sins. When he he begins to feel haunted by regret and shame he remembers what Lord Henry told him: "'to cure the soul by means of the senses and the senses by the means of the soul'" (Wilde 135). Dorian decides on visiting an opium den as a means to curing his soul through his senses. Although this may seem like a cure to the evil deeds he has done, he is only temporarily escaping from his problems. By slipping into a sedated and detached state, he is able to fill the void in his soul created by the horrendous crimes he has committed but only for so long.

When Dorian destroys the painting he is destroying himself. The horrors that the painting instilled in him were his true feelings yet because the painting was hidden away from the world, he did not have to confront them. When Dorian makes the decision to destroy his soul, he ultimately destroys himself.

The Tiger and The Lamb by William Blake

Thesis: In the poem The Lamb, the speaker approaches the question of "Dost thou know who made thee?" with a naive sense of certainty however, in the poem The Tiger the speaker humbly challenges this certainty by asking questions about life's origins but offers no definite answers to the questions that he poses.

In the The Lamb the speaker is asking a lamb whether or not he is aware of his creator. The speaker seems to be young and innocent, initiating a conversation between himself and an animal: "Little lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee? Little lamb, I'll tell thee". The speaker has confidence in his answer and the biblical allusion to the lamb emphasizes the speaker's faith in the christian religion. The speaker poses a simple question to the lamb and confidently answers that question at the end of the poem: "Little lamb, God bless thee, Little lamb God bless thee". The speaker's repetition of the last lines demonstrates the speaker's confidence in his answer. Although the speaker asks this profound metaphysical question his answer is simple and he appears to be quite certain of his assertion that God made the lamb. Although The Tiger and The lamb both present the same question, the speaker's relationship with his creator has seemingly changed as well as the answer to the question.

The speaker in The Tiger asks the same question but in a more sophisticated and mature manner: "What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearful symmetry?". The speaker asks the same question but he also poses more questions than who made the tiger, he questions how his creator made the tiger and what methods did he use. There is an apparent skepticism and harshness in the speaker's questions: "And what shoulder and what art, could twist the sinews of thy heart? ..... What the anvil? what dread grasp dare its deadly terrors clasp?" The speaker continuously asks questions throughout the poem yet he does not present any answers the questions that he is asking. The poem ends with the first question that he initially asked which suggests that relationship between the speaker and his creator has changed. The speaker is still questioning at the end and offers to resolution unlike the confident assertion at the end of The Lamb. The speaker is doubting his creator.

Dorian Gray 14-16

Dorian Gray has completely enveloped in a life of crime. He appears to be a charming, young aristocrat to everyone he meets in public however, within the confines of his home he murders, blackmails and lies. Dorian does not have to deal with the guilt that comes with the horrible choices that he has made because the painting wears his sins. When he he begins to feel haunted by regret and shame he remembers what Lord Henry told him: "'to cure the soul by means of the senses and the senses by the means of the soul'" (Wilde 135). Dorian decides on visiting an opium den as a means to curing his soul through his senses. Although this may seem like a cure to the evil deeds he has done, he is only temporarily escaping from his problems. By slipping into a sedated and detached state, he is able to fill the void in his soul created by the horrendous crimes he has committed... but only for so long. 

Dorian Gray 12-13

These two chapters highlight the moral degradation of Dorian Gray. Dorian is callous and detached when he meets with Basil at his apartment. There is a major contrast between Basil and Dorian and they seem to be character foils. Basil is very emotional and has immense love for Dorian yet Dorian is completely indifferent. Dorian has become completely obsessed with the portrait that reveals the dark sins and secrets of his soul. As the portrait stays hidden from the world, Dorian is able to avoid having to deal with the guilt and remorse he might feel for the evil deeds that he has comitted. When Basil sees what has become of Dorian's portrait he is absolutely terrified. Basil's reaction to the portrait gives Dorian a glimpse of the monster that he has become. Dorian has devolved into a paranoid, evil and selfish man. Dorian's paranoia and fear leads him to kill Basil. The murder further demonstrates Dorian's complete lack of compassion and malevolence.

Sound and Sense #9

The poem I Never Saw a Moor and Faith is a Fine Invention by Emily Dickinson both deal with the concept of faith. In the poem I Never Saw A Moor, the speaker claims that they have never seen the sea or had contact with a moor. It would be impossible to know whether or not these two things are actually in existence without having first hand experience. Yet, the speaker relies on faith to fill this void. The first stanza is focused on the physical and tangible realm. One can touch and smell the sea and one can see a moor. Despite never having had contact with these things, the speaker's faith could be derived from the accounts of others, photographs, etc. There is a clear shift from the physical in stanza one to the abstract in stanza two. In stanza two the speaker begins to talk about their faith in God and compares their faith in the physical to the their faith in the abstract. The speaker claims that although they have never spoken to God or witnessed heaven, they are certain that, that is their destination when they have passed. Within certainty, there is uncertainty. Therefore one must rely on faith whether it be in God or in experiences that you have not been able to witness first hand. In the poem Faith is a Fine Invention the speaker implies that faith is merely a creation of the human brain. The speaker seems to be saying that faith serves us well when we have an understanding of what is going on or feeling comfortable in a situation: "Faith is a fine invention when Gentlemen can see" (Line 2). However, when we are forced to confront difficulties such as illness or any sort of "emergency", faith does not serve us as well as we would like. By saying, "Microscopes are prudent in an emergency" the speaker suggests that it is better to rely on science to cure ailments and struggles than to turns towards God or faith. These two poems by Emily Dickinson both deal with the concept of faith but from two completely different perspectives. Because Dickinson was a religious woman one can assume that the identity portrayed in Faith is a Fine Invention is not a true reflection of her beliefs and ideals.

Dorian Gray 9-11 What Would Lord Henry Do?

Dorian is easily influenced by Lord Henry and that becomes very apparent when Basil visits Dorian in chapter nine. Dorian seems to show no emotion regarding Sibyl's death and that is shocking to Basil. All the passion that Dorian once had for Sibyl seems to have entirely vanished and left Dorian indifferent and hollow. Dorian's sentiments seem to very similar to the absurdist philosophy of life: "It is only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion. A man who is master of  himself can end sorrow as easily as he can invent pleasure. I don't was to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them and to dominate them" (Wilde 79). The philosophy of absurdism encourages people to embrace the physical realm and reject the emotional. Dorian's behavior seems to mimic this philosophy, Sibyl's death does not illicit the kind of emotion from Dorian that one might expect. The night that he found out that she has died, he is out enjoying an opera and talking to other girl's. He is taking part in fun and physically pleasing activities while disregarding his emotions. Although Dorian claims that Basil taught him to be vain, I believe that he has unconsciously become even more vain with Lord Henry's influence. Dorian's behavior is a direct result of Lord Henry's influence, he does everything to please Henry and acts with Henry in mind.