Yearly Archives: 2022

In the reading of “Oedipus the King”, the timeless human experiences or behaviors I found was that Oedipus didn’t know his mother and ended up marrying her. (or just incest) Or to put it in similar words, the relationship between Jocasta and Oedipus. Also, another timeless human experience is running from fate. His father Laius abandon Oedipus after hearing about a prophecy of his son killing him and marrying his wife, Jocasta. Oedipus ends up surviving and being adopted by a king and queen. Oedipus finds out about the prophecy and his arrogance takes over and the prophecy comes true. Fear took over Oedipus’ life once he heard about the prophecy, he was accusing Creon of Laius’s death and started to feel uncomfortable when things started to sound familiar to him. He was scared of not having control over his life. He pretty much spent his whole life running from his fears and that prophecy, maybe he got too cocky that it wouldn’t happen when he ran away from his adoptive parents: Polybus and Merope

One timeless human experience I found is that we as humans can bravely challenge our miserable fate and try to convert it to a consequence that we desire. Although I and everyone can’t accept the fact that Oedipus married his mother Jocasta and had children with her, I admire him for spending his life trying to get away from the prophecy said by God. When he heard he would finally murder his father and marry his mother, he didn’t surrender to this so-called destiny and wait for the prediction happen. Instead he escapes his birthplace and starts a new life in a country where he becomes a king of it. That’s what made us as human beings unique in the world. Unlike the poultry whose destiny is being killed and eaten, the reason that we stand at the top of the food chain is that we have a stronger power to question our fate. We are competent to have a battle with the predicted future. However, for Oedipus, “its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head”. In other words, our power is so small that we are not able to win over the big destiny. But I still believe that our failure in life can never use our destiny as an excuse. There are still many things we can control and change. For me, the behavior of Oedipus’s fighting against his fate prolongs the distance to reaching the tragic outcomes. Otherwise, this would have become an unremarkable story about a person who is conquered by a tragic fate. 

Here we are in this reading of the Greeks “Oedipus the King”.  Here is a man that was sent away at birth to be killed but never was. He was the child of Jocasta and Laius’s.  He was sent away because of one of these Greek prophets told his parents that he foreseen when he grew to be an adult, he would murder Laius’s and marry Jocasta.  Well as faith has it the prophecy came true.  Oedipus ends marrying Jocasta who is his mother.  Over time the truth comes out and Oedipus is driven to feeling of human shame.  Jocasta couldn’t live anymore like this, and she takes her own life. This story of incest not only hurts her but him also.  As king how can he rule his kingdom.  It seems that tragedy in his life ends up killing him years down the road.  So, we look to learn if they didn’t have this prophecy would life still happened as it did.

This can be considered timeless because the story deals with issues that today would not be viewed favorably by people. In one of these events, the play shows us about the deepest fears of patriarchal society, such as the case in which a son murders his father and marries his wife. When Jocasta, trying to calm Oedipus, tells him that many men have dreamed of killing his father and marrying his mother. This refers to and deals with the incest taboo, which is found in all cultures. It is something that today we could see as complete madness without any doubt. There has never been a taboo as powerful, as entrenched, as ancient as that of incest. Marriage between close relatives is prohibited throughout the world. In many countries, sexual relations between very close relatives are also prohibited. Many people have never even asked themselves the reason for the ban: it is seen as natural that there should be no erotic relationship between the father or the mother with the daughter or the son, or between siblings. The idea that these relatives form a sentimental and erotic couple, permanently or briefly, horrifies us, without asking ourselves the origin of that horror.

Oedipus the King has a lot of timeless human experiences. One of most, being the tragedy between family because of secrets. Another timeless experience would be the copulation of mother and son which to this day their names are remembered, Jocasta and Oedipus, as the Jocasta and Oedipus complexes. The Jocasta experience being the incestuous sexual desire of a mother towards her son and Oedipus complex being the opposite of where son has an unconscious sexual desire for the mother. Another timeless experience would be, the blatant fear and paranoia of people and what they are willing to do in order to not feel that anymore, as in Laius trying to kill Oedipus. As fate would have it, Oedipus ended up fulfilling the destiny that was prophesized in the end. Oedipus would have probably ended up fulfilling his fate either way even if Laius didn’t do what he did or didn’t hear the prophecy because of fate which in itself is a timeless human experience. Fate ends up happening even if you try to control the outcome as is with Oedipus and killing his father and all that led up to it including Jocasta’s death and Oedipus blinding himself left to wander.

Oedipus the King illustrates timeless human experiences by bringing a universal unconscious fantasy and physical relationship between mother and son to life. Human beings are compassionate and emotional irrespective of the misunderstanding among them. Jocasta illustrates the latter ideology at the end of the play when trying to soothe Oedipus against banishing Creon from the city. In addition to the latter trait,  Oedipus the King effectively reveals the deepest fears in a patriarchal society. Many societies across the globe embrace the idea of respecting one`s parents. Disrespecting parents is a taboo in many communities. The play illustrates the deepest fears of a son murdering his father and marrying his mother. Additional fear evident in the play is fear of not assuming control over one`s life. Since the creation and fall of humankind, people have been exploring their environments to gain control and learn more about them. In the attempt to control his destiny and personal condition, Oedipus embraced a personal exploration journey.

In the reading of “Oedipus the King”, timeless human experiences or behaviors I found was since birth Oedipus didn’t know about his real parents and he ended up killing his father and marrying his mother (Jocasta) who he didn’t know about it till it was revealed after. This led to Oedipus accusing Creon of Laius’s death and planning his exile or death, to Jocasta killing herself after finding out the truth that she’s Oedipus mother and wife on her own, and lastly, Oedipus dying from all the misfortune he’s had and from my take of the Chorus saying “he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain.” (1728). Oedipus’s real father Laius and Jocasta sent their kid to be killed after a prophet told them that their baby will kill him and marry his mother, even after trying to change destiny, it still happening, proceeding to show that you can’t always force a change on an incident because it’ll end up happening again. Changing the outcome also caused plenty of people to get hurt in the process.

In “Good Man Is Hard to Find” by Mary Flannery O’Connor, the writer wanted her readers to know the common element of suspense in will be transferred from its surface to its interior.  The grandmother in the story for example. In the story, the grandmother is portrayed as a person who follows moral codes, where she considers herself morally superior for being a woman. Since her thought of morality is superior, she also believes that she can justify her judgments towards others. The reason for her character is due to her past previous relationship, which both appears from her partner cheating.  

In (Oedipus the King) briefly outlines Aristotle’s philosophy on poetry as “higher from history.” Revealing the ideology of his thought on tragedy focuses on tragic heroes, which usually features Kings and other important figures as an example of a human experiencing tragedy.  An exemplification of this is Oedipus’s shame due to his delusion of a rumor that leads towards incest. In Aristotle’s given thoughts of poetry, the tragic hero suffers from his moral failing as a king (Hamartia). As the audience spectates Oedipus the King, gives ambivalence towards the protagonist. When we’re ambivalent, depending on an event that an individual is in, make us contradict if they deserve pity. Depending on how we can relate to those that are in a situation that they cannot leave, especially if problems are involved in one’s event, creates ambivalence of thoughts and feeling towards tragic heroes.

Antistrophe First I call on you, Athene, deathless daughter of Zeus, and Artemis, Earth Upholder, 190 who sits in the midst of the market place in the throne which men call Fame, and Phoebus, the Far Shooter, three averters of Fate, come to us now, if ever before, when ruin rushed upon the state, you drove destruction’s flame away out of our land. Strophe 195 Our sorrows defy number; all the ship’s timbers are rotten; taking of thought is no spear for the driving away of  the plague There are no growing children in this famous land; there are no women bearing the pangs of childbirth. 200 You may see them one with another, like birds swift on the wing, quicker than fire unmastered, speeding away to the coast of the Western God.14 Overall the chorus promotes peace in the entire play. But in this, Antistrophe is praying to three gods and calls for Zeus and Artemis and Athene and he asks them to protect him/ for protection from death. To keep death and destruction away from the land

We have sayings as if your courage will not exist if you have any fear in thee.  You have this guy Oedipus that may be nuts or be in mitts of dementia in his time.  By them saying this that he whatever he tries to do or accomplish he will fail.  Sounds familiar to the leaders of our country today.  Any way we then have another so called man Kronos that is so callous and afraid that he will be controlled by his children that he has them killed and eats them. Then all hail the so-called gods taking revenge on him and killing all.  From reading this you then have this guy Oedipus that is somehow painted as a murderer, and he is somehow responsible for stopping a mystical thing of some kind with some so-called riddles.  This reading wants you realize that is hatred and disalliance within the story creating drams.

In the ancient Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King the following line is sung by the Chorus: CHORUS: Here comes his prosecutor: led by your men the godly prophet comes 325 in whom alone of mankind truth is native. Although short, it is a beautifully written passage. It is meant to emphasize the relevance Teiresias, the prophet, holds in their society. According to the Chorus’ line “in whom alone of mankind truth is native”, he is the only one who knows the truth about anything in the world as he is omniscient. His word cannot be questionable the the weight it holds is akin to a law, therefore they refer to him as a “prosecutor”. The Chorus call him “godly”, showcasing how, in this ancient society, prophets were regarded as at least partly divine individuals.

That is no wonder, master. But I’ll make him remember what he does not know. For I know, that he well knows the country of 1290 Cithaeron, how he with two flocks, I with one kept company for three years—each year half a year—from spring till autumn time and then when winter came I drove my flocks to our fold home again and he to Laius’ steadings. Well—am I right or not in what I said we did? HERDSMAN: You’re right—although it’s a long time ago. MESSENGER: Do you remember giving me a child 1296 to bring up as my foster child? HERDSMAN: What’s this? Why do you ask the question? MESSENGER: Look old man, 1300 here he is—here’s the man who was that child! HERDSMAN: Death take you! Won’t you hold your tongue? OEDIPUS: No, no, do not find fault with him, old man. Your words are more at fault than his. HERDSMAN: O best of masters, 1306 how do I give offense? This part shows that people back then would get killed for talking out of place. I also remember watching a Sparta movie that reminded me about this.

In line 319 the chorus says, “Yet if he has a share of fear at all, his courage will not stand firm, hearing your curse”. I think this line means that if Oedipus is not completely sound of mind, he will fail in his endeavors. Word like these would have probably led to him having growing doubts about his own character. It also recognizes fear as a defining force in his life, with the trauma coming from the problems with his father. Usually in stories about Greek mythology, one’s own fear leads them down the path that faith has decided. One example of this was when Kronos ate his children because he foresaw them ruling over him. His actions fully lead to the gods rebelling against him and killing all the titans. One with courage within themselves and their family would be able to change fate and lead their own lives.

The lines from the chorus that I’ve chosen to analyze from the reading “Oedipus the King” refers to the blind prophet Tiresias, who had refused to obey the king of Thebes, Oedipus, by helping him to find who killed his father. After he refuses to cooperate, Oedipus accuses the prophet as being one of the murderers of the king. Further, in a headed argument, Oedipus and Tiresias exchange feverous curses to one another.  On the lines 535-540, Tiresias says: “He shall be proved father and brother both to his own children in his own house; to her that gave him birth, a son and husband both; a fellow sower in his father’s bed with that same father that he murdered.” Hence, the prophet not only condemns the king as the murderer of his own father, as he also curses Oedipus to a life of shame and sin, by taking his father’s place in the family and  being now the father of his brothers, and also laying down in the same bed as his own mom, while performing to be her husband.  Further, the chorus performs on the lines 560-575: “He is sad and lonely, his feet that carry him far from the navel of earth; but its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head. The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus.” Here, the chorus uses from a hyperbole “flutter around his head” […]

Antistrophe First I call on you, Athene, deathless daughter of Zeus, and Artemis, Earth Upholder, 190 who sits in the midst of the market place in the throne which men call Fame, and Phoebus, the Far Shooter, three averters of Fate, come to us now, if ever before, when ruin rushed upon the state, you drove destruction’s flame away out of our land.   The scene sounds as if Oedipus is dead and has found relief in his death. The ability of the chorus to make people feel the emotions of the characters and create a magnificent and large-scale effect of tragedy is deeply noticeable from the first to the last line of the work. He’s purpose is to create an atmosphere of tension and emphasize the effects of tragedy so that the reader can understand the essence of the play. Oedipus is known for his compassion, sense of justice, quick thinking and acting, and honesty. 

“If I am a prophet and wise of heart you shall not fail, Cithaeron, 1245 by the limitless sky, you shall not!— to know at tomorrow’s full moon that Oedipus honors you, as native to him and mother and nurse at once; and that you are honored in dancing by us, as finding But I account myself a child of Fortune, beneficent Fortune, and I shall not be dishonored. She’s the mother from whom I spring; the months, my brothers, marked me, now as small favor in sight of our king. 1250 Apollo, to whom we cry, Find these things pleasing!” While reading this line from the reading I noticed a lot of great language that was being used but the main idea of it all was that Oedipus is being told by the greats that he is very lucky and that if they remain next to his side for a good amount of time their will be no time for him to be a failure and that tomorrows moon will be a honor to him from them to show him the amount of respect they have for him and to express the type of great person he is idolizing himself infront of them to be, Oedipus’s reaction to this is of him being very grateful and respectful as he continues on to say that these actions are not just for him but the people who are around him.

The section from the chorus i decided on is 540-580 ” who is the man proclaimed by Delphi’s prophetic rock as the bloody handed murderer. The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus”. Teiresias is referred as the fate teller when he is the one who is responsible for indicating what happens to Oedipus. No one can comprehend how Oedipus is involved with the suffering that happens in the future when he is the responsible ruler for stopping Sphinx with the well known riddles. Oedipus was an exemplary character due to his help for the city, which is why it was others who were shocked and fearful that they would paint him as a killer.

CHORUS: This is a terrible sight for men to see! I never found a worse! 1490 Poor wretch, what madness came upon you! What evil spirit leaped upon your life to your ill-luck—a leap beyond man’s strength! Indeed I pity you, but I cannot look at you, though there’s much I want to ask 1495 and much to learn and much to see. I shudder at the sight of you.   In this passage, the line “What evil spirit leaped upon your life to your ill-luck-a leap beyond man’s strength!” shows the literary device known as hyperbole. Following with “I shudder at the sight of you”, this line may explain the possible exasperation Chorus has. This passage explains how Chorus is feeling towards Oedipus, expressing irritation and maybe even a bit of fury towards him and his actions. To express this, Chorus begun with “Poor wretch, what madness came upon you!”. This may state that Oedipus is blindsighted by negative emotions, and Chorus clearly seeing this.

why do you sit here with your suppliant crowns?2 the town is heavy with a mingled burden of sounds and smells, of groans and hymns and incense; 5 I did not think it fit that I should hear of this from messengers but came myself,– I Oedipus whom all men call the Great. This part explains “language enhanced by varying beauties.” and is an irony because of the way Oedipus uses that sentence to describe him and his children. At first, he said “Why do you sit… crown?(not sure what that means)” then “groans and hymns and incense” it seems like his children are wearing that crown for nothing because if the town is under peace and calm why do they wear that suppliant crowns? could it be all illusion? or is it just to certify something to help people?. Second part where the irony begins because their father(Oedipus) calls himself the great(in my way of understanding he might rule this place and everyone is being themself no chaos or anything), but with the first parts adds up. It is like they are challenging the father(Oedipus), so he is pretty mad now.

The purpose of the Oedipus King’s Choir is to create an atmosphere of tension and emphasize the effects of tragedy so that the reader can understand the essence of the play. Oedipus is known for his compassion, sense of justice, quick thinking and acting, and honesty. In this early stage of the play, Oedipus expresses what the Athenian masses, or even all masses, want of their citizens or leaders. In his first speech to an old priest who himself struggles to alleviate suffering, he constantly expresses his concern for the health and well-being of his people. The chorus may not tell you about a full-fledged character with a distinctive face and mannerisms, but it sets the tone of the story and adds tension to the difficult moments. Witnessing this would be the final step and appeal to the listener’s complete despair to complete the message. Oedipus is shocked and discouraged that the investigation into the king’s murder ended too soon (145-147). When Oedipus learns of the sufferings of his people and the unsolved murder of Leo, he is quick to panic, anticipating the chorus’s preferences and expecting someone to send someone to the Oracle and call forth Tiresias.

The passage I will analyze is (161-176). Before doing so, Oedipus insisted that all his people listen to what the oracle had to say, although Creon suggested that Oedipus should listen to him in private. When Creon retells the story of Laius’s murder, Oedipus is shocked and dismayed that the investigation into the king’s murder was dropped so quickly. Oedipus quickly made plans to deal with the suffering of his people and the unsolved murder of Laius, even anticipating the choir’s suggestion to send someone to the oracle and summon Teiresias. Finally, Oedipus strongly promises severe punishment for Laius’s murderer, even if the murderer is someone close to Oedipus himself. Oedipus’s frequent references to foresight and blindness create many moments of dramatic irony, as the audience knows that it is Oedipus’s metaphorical blindness about the relationship between his past and his present situation that ruins him. When the old priest told Oedipus that Thebes had died of the plague, Oedipus said that he could not help but see it.

The aim of the chorus in Oedipus the King is to create an atmosphere of tension and emphasize the effect of tragedy which will help the reader delve into the essence of the drama. Although the chorus cannot be called a full-fledged character with a unique personality and habits, it sets the narrative’s tone and increases the degree of tension in difficult moments. The proof of this will be the final scene, where the chorus addresses its message, full of despair, to the listeners: “Count no mortal happy till he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain” (Oedipus the King, 2012, line 1727). The scene sounds as if Oedipus is dead and has found relief in his death. In fact, readers understand that Oedipus must be alive and in absolute ignorance of what to do and where to move on. The ability of the chorus to make people feel the emotions of the characters and create a magnificent and large-scale effect of tragedy is deeply noticeably from the first to the last line of the work.

Priest Lines 63-65  If you will rule this land, as now you rule it, better to rule it full of men than empty.  For neither tower nor ship is anything 65 when empty, and none live in it together.   Oedipus is warned by the Priest. This also means that the chorus never leaves the stage during the play, and so Oedipus is continually surrounded by his people, reminding us that what happens to him has consequences for the entire city. As a result, the ship of Thebes is losing its helmsman while Oedipus is realizing the nature of his connection with his mother and being a misery of man.   When Creon returns from Delphi after consulting with the Oracle, he informs Oedipus that God has ordered the city to be cleansed. Since it is murder guilt that binds our city in this destructive tempest, the “rite of purification” will be carried out “by banishing a man, or expiation of blood by blood” (Lines 14-15). The gods, or the God, appear to be plainly presenting a choice of punishments—banishment, which entails exile, or some type of bloodletting, which may or may not include death. In any case, when Oedipus goes into exile and blinds himself, he fulfills both of those penalties. 

Antistrophe First I call on you, Athene, deathless daughter of Zeus, and Artemis, Earth Upholder, 190 who sits in the midst of the market place in the throne which men call Fame, and Phoebus, the Far Shooter, three averters of Fate, come to us now, if ever before, when ruin rushed upon the state, you drove destruction’s flame away out of our land.   In this passage, line 188; Antistrophe is praying to three gods: he calls upon Athene, the immortal daughter of Zeus and Artemis, her sister Earth Upholder. Who keeps her famous throne in the market ring, asking the Gods to descend, for protection against death. In a time of grief and darkness, as in the old time you stepped up and saved the land. Come again and save us.

Strophe  195 Our sorrows defy number;  all the ship’s timbers are rotten; taking of thought is no spear for the driving away of the plague  There are no growing children in this famous land;  there are no women bearing the pangs of childbirth.  200 You may see them one with another, like birds swift on the wing,  quicker than fire unmastered,  speeding away to the coast of the Western God.   The chorus sings about their experience in the plague. The plague they were referring to was one that devastated Athens during the Peloponnesian war. The illness ravaged the city when it was at its peak, leaving it in turmoil. Line 195 explains how sorrowful the people were. And they go on to sing about how the plague affected their population. People were dying at alarming rates. Lines 200-202 shows that people were dying fast, like quicks birds flying towards “the coast of the Western God”,  the Western God is seen as death since the sun sets in the west. A simile when the people were compared to a “bird swift on the wing” to give the audience an idea of how fast they were dying as a result of the plague.

The lines from the chorus that I’ve chosen to analyze from the reading “Oedipus the King” refers to the blind prophet Tiresias, who had refused to obey the king of Thebes, Oedipus, by helping him to find who killed his father. After he refuses to cooperate, Oedipus accuses the prophet as being one of the murderers of the king. Further, in a headed argument, Oedipus and Tiresias exchange feverous curses to one another.  On the lines 535-540, Tiresias says: “He shall be proved father and brother both to his own children in his own house; to her that gave him birth, a son and husband both; a fellow sower in his father’s bed with that same father that he murdered.” Hence, the prophet not only condemns the king as the murderer of his own father, as he also curses Oedipus to a life of shame and sin, by taking his father’s place in the family and  being now the father of his brothers, and also laying down in the same bed as his own mom, while performing to be her husband.  Further, the chorus performs on the lines 560-575: “He is sad and lonely, his feet that carry him far from the navel of earth; but its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head. The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus.” Here, the chorus uses from a hyperbole “flutter around his […]

“There is no clash of brazen shields, but our fight is with the War God” (Sophocles, line 211) is a metaphor to describe the people’s struggle with the blight that was due to a curse born from the past sin of a man. “a War God ringed with the cries of men, a savage God who burns us”(212) describes the pain and suffering of those who are stricken with the plague. “grant that he turn in racing course backwards out of our country’s bounds to the great palace of Amphitrite or where the waves of the Thracian sea deny the stranger safe anchorage.”(213-214) is a metaphor using beautiful imagery to describe what the people desire. They wish for a sound victory in which they drive the plague from their lands. The clever use of metaphor and imagery makes for a beautiful passage. It entertainingly describes the conflict for us and sparks our imaginations.

“Araby” by James Joyce is the reflection of a boy when he was younger, he was infatuated with the girl that lived across the street, Mangan’s sister.  His expectation was set high until reality kicked in. This young boy grew up in an environment where he wasn’t being paid enough attention in my opinion. His uncle was a drunk and he was filled with loneliness. His loneliness led him to be in lust with Mangan’s sister. The narrator describes his obsession with her, how “the girls name was like a summons to all his foolish blood and how his body was like a harp and her words and gestures are like fingers running upon wires.” With this obsession he started to believe he was in love and wanted her more and more. One day he went to her home, and she asked if he was going to attend the bazaar, named Araby. She expressed to him how much she wanted to go but couldn’t because she must attend an event for her covent. Upon him going to her doorstep his intentions were never to ask about the bazaar because he didn’t even know it existed or what it was. He only decided to go because she shared how much she really wanted to go, so he decided this was a way to get her. He told Mangan’s sister that he will go and bring her back a gift from it. His obsession with her became an obsession with getting her a gift, especially getting it from the bazaar. At this point his obsession made him forget about his schoolwork and he couldn’t wait to go to the bazaar to get her a gift. His uncle was supposed to give him money for the gift but on the day of the […]

The chorus, in “Oedipus the King” by David Grene, are an important role throughout the play. One passage by the chorus states ” One man may pass another in wisdom but I would never agree with those that find fault with king till I should see the word proved right beyond doubt. For once in visible from the Sphinx came on him and all of us saw his wisdom and in that test he saved the city. So he will not be condemned by my mind.” This passage is from lines 583-592 of the play. The meaning behind these quotes is that the chorus is confused about the accusations of Oedipus. Since the chorus is loyal to the king they stand with him unless there is evidence that proves he’s guilty. But some members of the chorus can’t help to question the King’s innocence. They are conflicted with having faith in the gods and choosing to believe in reasoning.

In the reading of Oedipus the king, translated by David Grene, the passage that I selected is “I know that what the Lord Teiresias sees, is most often what the Lord Apollo sees. If you should inquire of this from him you might find out most clearly.” (304-307). According to the chorus, Teiresias is on the level of the god of Apollo in relying on the truth, After sending his brother in law Creon to speak to the god Apollo to stop the plague, Apollo’s request was to find the killer of King Laius in order to stop the plague, the chorus then suggests Teiresias, and after Oedipus persistence, Teiresias revealed that it was Oedipus that he killed the King. The chorus suggesting Teiresias to Oedipus created a shock factor in the story and revelation where King Oedipus was the “bad guy” in the story that caused to plague, which Oedipus denied.

“Lately from snowy Parnassus clearly the voice flashed forth, bidding each Theban track him down, the unknown murderer. In the savage forests he lurks and in the caverns like the mountain bull. He is sad and lonely, his feet that carry him far from the navel of earth; but its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head” (Grene, line 553-563). The passage depicts a imagery of current situation that the murderer of Laius still alive in ongoing impunity. It uses simile that compares the murderer and “the mountain bull” to emphasize that the ugly features of the murderer will be finally found out. His reckless temper and behavior will be blown out when someone challenges him even though he lurks in the forests. The power between evil and justice in the imagery shows an enormous difference. The justice is accomplished by “bidding each Theban” while the evil is “sad and lonely”. It constantly reminds people that evil always does not oppress the righteous. Even if the murderer get aways from “the navel of earth” and no relationship with anything else, “prophecies” set by God will chain him forever. It also implies that different prophecies might have been achieved in the following scenes.

In the passage “Oedipus King Sophocles” by David Grene. Sung by the chorus, I have selected to discuss line (718-719) “His words are wise, king, if one fears to fall. Those who are quick-tempered are not safe.” The chorus warns Oedipus to be careful of Creon, who argues he didn’t kill Laius the king. Oedipus blames Creon for trying to overthrow him and blames him for the death of Lauis. Creon disliked rumors being spread about him in the murder “I heard deadly words spread about me, that the king accuses me. I cannot take that from him.” (591-595) Oedipus started blaming everyone for the death of his father to take the guilt off his mind. The chorus is the citizens of Thebes who create suspense by foreshadowing upcoming events. The chorus is foreshadowing when warning Oedipus and readers that Creon should not be trusted. The chorus refers to eyes throughout the text that symbolizes being blind to the truth “I have no eyes to see” (608-610) Oedipus covered up that he killed king Lauis, married his mother, and blamed the murder on everyone. Oedipus was blinded by his truth but the blind prophet knew he committed the murder. In the end, Oedipus removes his eyes after finding the light and seeking the truth. 

A Coming of age story “Araby” written by James Joyce,  gives a glooming dark, and dreary setting taking place in Dublin, Ireland during the early 20th Century. Revealing a stricken, poverty place by the Catholic Church. In the passage, a young boy is narrating, as if it is being told from a distance of adulthood from a child’s perspective. An example is his main focus on Megan’s sister. The young boy with his uncle and aunt, which there are no thoughts of his parents in the passage. This gives the readers thought of the narrator’s character development as despondent through his childhood. Yet, the development alternates as soon Megan’s sister appears from his view. Joyce wanted to depict this in his passage so the audience can know the rise of the fantasization from the young boy and how it is portrayed in Araby.

In the chorus lines 471-474 “We look at this man’s words and yours, my king, and we find both have spoken them in anger. We need no angry words but only thought how we may best hit the God’s meaning for us”…The meaning of this passage is to emphasize the importance of being able to speak honestly and factual without having to use negative emotion. In the second half of the chorus it is written that the words needed do not need to be angry but be right with God and on the right path. The people are hoping to hear out both parties and want to have a true and honest conversation; once over amounts of emotion and negative feelings are involved the dynamic of the truth can be shifted. When it is said “may best hit the God’s meaning for us” the usage of this language is direct and graceful, the phrase is set up this way to calm down the King and Teiresias. When words are delivered with kindness others are more likely to absorb the information and be more understanding.

In Oedipus The King lines “245 to me, yes, though he fears himself to take the blame on his own head; for bitter punishment he shall have none, but leave this land unharmed. or if he knows the murderer, another, a foreigner, still let him speak the truth.” The theme of this line would be guilt and shame. The death that happened no one wants to tell the truth about it and wants to keep it all a secret;however, some people arent strong enough to do that so they start to feel guilty, but they still remain quiet. in lines 250-260 I think the theme of that line would be power.

The Chorus plays a vibrant role in promoting peace in the above excerpt. The excerpt comes moments before Oedipus had passed a ruling to ban Creon from his Kingdom. In most cases, Chorus in ancient tragedies was lamenting after a terrible event.   Even though choruses did little to stop horrible things from happening, Oedipus the King illustrates a different situation because Chorus prevented King Oedipus from banishing Creon in the latter case. The Chorus achieves the latter objective by settling the differences between the two men. The rhetorical question is the most notable figurative language employed in the excerpt. The Chorus asks the King why he reacts so harshly to the queen. In addition to the rhetoric appeal, the passage illustrates the effective use of vivid descriptions of the scene. For instance, dead calm bursting into a storm of owes. The latter description creates a vivid picture of the tragedy associated with Oedipus` actions.

Antistrophe In the unnumbered death of its people the city dies; 205 those children that are born lie dead on the naked earth unpitied, spreading contagion of death; and gray-haired mothers and wives everywhere stand at the altar’s edge, suppliant, moaning; the hymn to the healing God15 rings out but with it the wailing voices are blended. From these our sufferings grant us, O golden Daughter of Zeus,16 210 glad-faced deliverance. The chorus is stating that their are many deaths in the city, including children. “Spreading contagion of death ” means a disease from a close contact of someone. This is probably what caused the numerous of deaths. There are old mothers who are begging at the alter. Their voices are heard by Apollo and they are seen as suffering people probably from all the deaths.  

“Strophe 195 Our sorrows defy number; all the ship’s timbers are rotten; taking of thought is no spear for the driving away of the plague There are no growing children in this famous land; there are no women bearing the pangs of childbirth. 200 You may see them one with another, like birds swift on the wing, quicker than fire unmastered, speeding away to the coast of the Western God.   14 Western God Since the sun sets in the west, this is the god of night, or Death.”   In this passage, the chorus is singing about the great despair that the kingdom is dealing with in response to the plague that they have had to endure. The first line “Our sorrows defy number” expresses that their sadness is immeasurable. Lines 198 – 199 explain that the children are not growing, therefore dying, and the women are not “bearing the pangs of childbirth” therefore the women are not able to conceive. Lines 200 – 202 are describing the rapid deaths of the people. Footnote numbered 14 explains that the “Western God” is considered to be the god of Death. These lines depict the people as “speeding away to the coast of the Western God” meaning they are travelling quickly towards death. Line 200 – 201 specifically express the speed with which the people are dying as “birds swift on the wing”, as in a bird flying swiftly and “quicker than fire unmastered”, meaning a fire that is spreading uncontrollably.

The portion I’ve chosen that the Chorus refers to is 564-577. “The augur has sown confusion, dreadful confusion; I neither approve nor deny what was uttered. I am at a loss for words; I have never heard of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, which I might use as evidence in undermining Oedipus’s popular popularity, seeking retribution for an unrecorded death in the Labdacus family.” They refer to the fate teller as Teiresias and are perplexed as to how someone who rescued them (Oedipus) could be depicted as the one who will eventually cause them more agony. They truly cannot grasp how Oedipus is connected to future pain because he has previously been a wonderful ruler who rescued the city from the Sphinx’s famed riddles. They are astounded at how this fate teller or augur can criticize Oedipus’ character. They are afraid of something horrible happening and are powerless to resist that worry. They are taken aback that Oedipus would be accused of assassinating the king and have developed a healthy paranoia as a result of the augur’s revelations.

The passage sung by the Chorus that I have selected to discuss is from lines 542 to 552: “who is the man proclaimed by Delphi’s prophetic rock as the bloody handed murderer, the doer of deeds that none dare name? Now is the time for him to run with a stronger foot than Pegasus for the child of Zeus leaps in arms upon him with fire and the lightning bolt, and terribly close on his heels are the Fates that never miss.” There is beauty in the image drawn by the figurative language used. Rather than saying “the murderer foretold by the Delphi’s rock,” Strophe uses words to evoke a feeling of malice. The simile about Pegasus impresses upon one the swiftness with which the murderer should take flight, and the image of the child of Zeus with fire and lightning bolt in hand really invokes a feeling of the justice and punishment to be meted. The usage of “the Fates that never miss” invokes an image of the Fates taking aim at the murderer with bow and arrow, as if he is being hunted. All of this together creates a vivid image in one’s head of an evildoer desperately trying to flee as he is being hunted down.

The passage I have selected that the Chorus mentions is 564-577 “The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus.” They call the fortune teller augur in this case Teiresias and are fairly confused to how someone who saved them (Oedipus) could be framed as the one who will eventually cause them more suffering. They truly cannot fathom how Oedipus has anything to do with future suffering when so far he has been a good ruler who had saved the city from the Sphinx with her famous riddles. They are shocked to how Oedipus’ character can be attacked by this fortune teller or augur. They are fearful of something bad happening and cannot ignore that feeling. They feel shocked that Oedipus would be accused of killing the king and are fairly paranoid now with the knowledge the augur brings.

The passage “Oedipus the King Sophocles” by David Grene. From the chorus, I have selected to analyze Oedipus. In the third section, we regain at least some of our sympathy for Oedipus, which we had lost during his ranting in the second. After Jocasta intervenes in the fight between Oedipus and Creon, Oedipus settles and remembers that he, as the ruler of Thebes, has a responsibility to answer a mystery. As a result, his questions become more focused than they were during his talks with Tiresias and Creon. In his speech at lines (848–923), Oedipus shows that he truly believes he killed Laius and is willing to accept not only the responsibility but the punishment for the act. The speech is heartbreaking because Oedipus has arrived at only half the truth. As we can see that Jocasta is careless and maternal because she tells Oedipus that the prophecies do not come true, and she uses the fact that an oracle incorrectly prophesied that Laius would be killed by his own son as evidence. The ode of the Chorus at lines (954–997), serves as a warning that neither Oedipus, Jocasta, nor the supportive audience should be at relaxed, because oracles speak to a purpose and are inspired by the gods who determine men’s fate. The Chorus had been miserable throughout the performance, wishing for the plague to end and the city to return to normal.

From the very beginning, what makes Oedipus ‘ actions in his quarrel with Teiresias and throughout the play so dramatically compelling, is the fact that the audience knows the outcome of the story. We know Oedipus ‘ fate even before he does, and there is no suspense about the outcome itself, instead, the audience anxiously awaits Oedipus to reveal his fate unto himself in his desperate quest to rid his city of the terrible plague, or maybe even more so, to simply discover his unfortunate tale. Oedipus is relentless in his pursuit of the truth, and his determination is commendable. There is nothing that compels him to act in this way, instead, he freely chooses, with much zeal, to initiate the chain of events that will ultimately lead to his downfall. The main dramatic irony in Oedipus the King contrasts Oedipus’s limited knowledge of his unfolding situation and how the audience is fully aware of it.

The passage by the chorus that I have selected to analyze was when Oedipus and the chorus shared a brief back and forth conversation regarding the best way to go about finding out who the murderer is.  In lines 319 & 320 the chorus states “Yet if he has a share of fear at all, his courage will not stand firm hearing your curse”.  Throughout the passage, I found it very troubling to debrief the lengthy and complex language used.  This passage was less difficult to comprehend than others.  It states that Oedipus should question Tieresias as even though he is a man of great power, scolding him may cause him to fold under pressure, aka, “his courage will not stand firm” especially because there is motive.  This is proven in the next few passages when Oedipus starts to question Tieresias as stated in lines 392-396 “For I would have you know I think you were complotter of the deed and doer of the deed save in so far 395 as for the actual killing. Had you had eyes I would have said alone you murdered him.”.  

Araby By James Joyce is really about growing up and learning how to love and treat others in the reading it speaks about a child from Ireland who is involve with a girl who lives across the street from him so through out the story he tries to get to know the girl as much as he can and get close to her so he tries to find any way possible to get closer to her. Later on in the story she mentions to him about attending a bazaar so he uses this moment and says to himself that he will attend the bazaar as well but he ends up going by himself and decides to bring her a small gift back to try and win her over. This reading introduces ways of respecting one another and how relationships should really be so that people in relationships do not get into bad encounters.

Araby by James Joyce comes off as speaking about several themes throughout the narrative. At first I thought it was about a child with. crush on a woman in his neighborhood. Then later on I thought the narrator was actually a dog that was in love with another neighboring dog. Being liberated and hearing the cries of his companions standing in for a human in the house letting him leave the room and the other dogs playing in the street respectfully. Finally at the end it left me with the feeling that the narrator died at the end, the carriage taking him to the after life and the two pennies he had representing the coins left on the closed eyelids of the deceased. The “brown figure cast by my imagination” comes accross as a version of death being seen in the darkness. Along with the twists and turns this story was a confusing one for myself I will admit.

“Araby” by James Joyce is a story that details how obsession can warp one’s view of reality and mindset as a whole. We can first see an example of the narrator’s obsession in the line, “Every morning I lay on the floor in the front parlour watching her door” (Joyce 1). This explains how the narrator even watches over her while she cannot notice him. Due to this occurring on a daily basis, it can be assumed that the narrator has some sort of feeling for his friend’s sister. This leads him to try and buy her something from the bazaar in order to gain her favor. His mind takes her infatuation with the bazaar and manipulates it in order to help him fixate on that one specific goal. In the end, he is disappointed when he realizes the bazaar does not meet his expectations, which allows him to come to an understanding that he wasted his own time.

In the story “Araby” by James Joyce some people may think it isn’t a love story but I think it may be one because of how the narrater tries to explain to the reader how the woman in the photo associated with the light is making the boy infatuated with her, He goes on saying that with all his descriptions of her she is edged in almost holy light meaning she looks like an angel. I also noticed that the narrater was asking a lot of questions which makes me think about what type of story this is. Now that I’m thinking about it I think that the narrater is of that old age and now is thinking about life and is now questioning himself. In the beginning he would tell you to keep an eye out for these things like the neighborhood and the house the nameless narrater lives in.

James Joyce’s Araby seems almost simplistic, with the story of a boy falling in love with a girl living across the street being the main plot. Describing the main character’s journey from hope to disappointment, “Araby” seems to convey the meaning of a coming of age story, namely, the process of growing up and learning to accept bitter disappointment. As a result, at the end of the novel, the fleeting sense of excitement that captures the eliding character is replaced with the experience of loss and the ultimate learning that comes with its acknowledgment. Therefore, the process of growing up and accepting disappointment lies at the core of the story.  

The story “Araby” is a short story  which is written by James Joyce. The story is about a young religious boy who falls in love with his friend Mangan’s sister. His friend’s sister and him don’t talk much but He’s obsessed with her. He would feel and do anything to make her happy. When he does daily activities he begins to think like more about the girl he loves. The boy is scared to express his true feelings to her because he barely knows or talks to her. Mangan’s sister announces she couldn’t attend the trip to Araby due to her going to a retreat at her school. The boy took this opportunity to attend the Araby for the girl he wanted to impress her with a gift. When arriving at the Araby the boy felt disappointed with what he saw and wasn’t able to buy her anything. The author uses situational irony when showing how the narrator envisioned Arabys to be this amazing place to gift the girl with an item but in reality, it was the opposite of what he expected. In the end, the message of this story is about the coming of age and becoming an adult. The boy started seeing things for what they truly are instead of what he fantasized about. He realized his mistaken belief of love was false and began rethinking his love for Mangan’s sister when being left alone in the bazaar.  

Miss Moore takes the children to the F.A.O. Schwarz toy store in Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson.” This was a high-end toy store, and she was curious to see how the kids felt about it. Sylvia and Mercedes are the two characters I’m going to compare in this narrative, which takes place in Harlem, New York. Mercedes differs from the other characters in that she appears to be mature than the other children in the narrative. Mercedes appears to have the financial means to purchase such pricey items, and she even claims that her parents would buy her anything if she asked for it. Mercedes also seems to have more comprehension than the other kids due to her social status even though she still lives in a poor neighborhood. Meanwhile, Sylvia recognizes and is irritated that individuals can buy these toys for the sheer joy of them, but her parents can do several things for the same cash. Miss More had given them a crucial lesson about social status and where they were in society in comparison to people who could buy those expensive toys, but Sylvia refused to accept it. This reading also emphasizes that miss Moore is attempting to persuade the kids too take action that will have a positive impact on society. This would necessitate they’re standing out and speaking up, to be unique.

Flyboy and Mercedes. Flyboy appears to be poor in the story where he has mentioned not having a home. In contrast, Mercedes appears to be wealthy where she has boasted about her father giving her gifts. As they arrive at the toy store, Flyboy pointed out a toy sailboat that costs over $1,100. In this scenario, Mercedes begin to boast once again about her father’s financial gift on spending things for his daughter, “might buy it for her.” Flyboy, on another hand, doesn’t have many expressions, yet is aware of how everything is expensive in the store. This gives readers a gist of Flyboy’s character as a modest character when it comes to money.

This short story “Araby” by James Joyce wasn’t really a love story because in this story it is more of a narrative talking about Araby to the audience than third person view in a way that gives the reader confusion at first. But it opens with his own information age, place, and etc… as the narrative talks us about Araby, but it also Araby himself tells us about the story. As the story goes in the narrative starts to describe to us the girl he loves, but also in a way that Araby was just looking at her and following her footsteps like a protector “We waited to see whether she would remain or go in and if she remained, we left our shadow and walked up to Mangan’s steps resignedly.” Also, he described  Mangan’s sister in a very detailed way showing the audience that he loves her. To be honest I don’t get the story.

“Araby” is a short story written by James Joyce. “Araby” is not about love story. “Araby” is really about a young boy who come from Ireland. The story opens with the narrator’s description of his home and neighborhood, in which we first see Joyce’s use of the close first-person narrator to convey the full sensory range of sensory detail like, sights, smells, colors, textures that comprise the setting. However, the action doesn’t begin in earnest until Mangan’s sister appears on the doorstep of her house, and the narrator begins to describe his obsession with her. It is an obsession with Mangan’s sister.The narrator falls in love with Mangan’s sister, a love that drives the plot of the story. Finally, we learn that the narrator lives with his uncle and aunt, despite the fact that the narrator does not go into detail about his personal life. The uncle and aunt, appear in the narrative, but the uncle plays the most important role in the storyline since he prevents the narrator from making it to the bazaar on time.

“Araby” by James Joyce is about growing up and loving. The scene is 20th century Dublin, Ireland, about a boy who lives in North Richmond Street and lives with his uncle and aunt. The author contrasts dark and light as a metaphor to show how the boy’s surroundings were full of bleakness, and this one girl he likes is the only light in his life. He thinks about her obsessively and believes himself to be in love with her. She asks if he is going to Araby, which is a bazaar. Since she can’t go due to prior commitments, he offers to buy her something from Araby if he goes to the bazaar. He also became obsessed with going to Araby to purchase a gift to win her favor. He fantasized about just how splendid a place this bazaar was and couldn’t wait to go there. Later in the story, when the day finally arrives, he asks his uncle for money to go to Araby. Still, unfortunately, his uncle was preoccupied with drinking and came home really late, so he arrived at Araby late. Unfortunately, most of it was already closed by the time he arrived, and the people at the stall that he visited were less than friendly. He also did not see anything he wanted or could afford to buy at the booth, and his disillusionment was complete. This moment is when the character grows up as he learns a painful lesson about being blinded by love and no longer believing something to be more wonderful than it is.

“Araby” by James Joyce is a coming of age story, not a love story. The narrator’s love-like obsession with one of his friends’ sister is nothing but a tool, a channel for his maturing. The love does not come to be and by the end of the story it loses its significance to the narrator, as he gains understanding of his driving force being not love but narrow-mindedness. As he is exposed to experiences that grant him insight into the real world that is often sad, unfair, lonely, dirty, unfriendly and not only mesmerizing and beautiful, he realizes how simple-minded he has been by allowing his obsession to take up so much of his life. He is disappointed in himself not for loving someone but for allowing it to take over his life and urge him to make unreasonable decisions.

“Araby” by James Joyce is a story about a young boy who finds himself in a profound and confusing adoration with his neighbor, described as “Mangan’s sister”. And how this obsessive passion became the main source for his desperate attempts to show his feelings for the so divine girl.  When they spoke for the first time, the boy promised to bring her a gift from the Araby bazaar, known as being a splendid place, since she could not go for herself due to a retreat happening on her convent at the same time. However, due to the intense nature of the boy’s feelings, he becomes obsessed with the chance to impress her somehow.  Later, already at the bazaar by himself, after the disappointment of having to wait for his drunk uncle to come home and take him to the station, the boy finds out that most of the stalls are already closed and the darkness took place in the walls of the place. That is the moment when he realizes his own vanity intentions, and let himself feel anger for it.  

In the short story “Araby” the story is really about a young boy who seems bored and lets his life become consumed with the idea of an unattainable girl. Throughout the story he speaks of the town as an empty and kind of gloomy place until he lays his eyes on his friends sister. The only time light is really mentioned is when it involves his times near her, I think this symbolizes his interest and curiosity in this beauty. Nothing else in the town has his interest, everything is dull to him except this girl. Once she speaks to him and he promises to get her a gift he is faced with realty. He tries to obtain something glamorous and impressive to show his worth but he realizes that the options left after waiting for his turn are not at all what he had in mind. All the options in the store as well as his discouraging ride there left him disappointed. In the end he is reminded and left frustrated with his environment, the girl was just a distraction for him.

“Araby”, by James Joyce, is a short story about a boy who falls in love with his friend’s sister. They don’t know each other too well, but the boy thinks about her constantly and eventually asks him if she wants to go to Araby, a bazaar, with him. She tells him that she is unable to go with him, so the boy says he’ll go to the bazaar by himself and get her something in hopes of impressing her. Determined to win her over, he heads off to the bazaar arriving there later than he expected. When he gets there, the bazaar is nothing like he expected. The place was dark, nearly all the stalls were closed and he felt out of place. By the end of the story, he fails to buy her a gift. The lovestruck boy experiences a disappointment so overwhelming that the narrator loses his innocence because of his love interest and the bazaar, which was a movement from childhood to adulthood for him.

“Araby” by James Joyce is a story about a boy whose life is dreary and void of joy and human connection. When describing the street on which the boy lives, the narrator mentions the “dark muddy lanes”, the “dark dripping gardens where odours arose from the ashpits” and the “dark odorous stables”. This paints a very bleak world for the boy and he becomes fascinated with things associated with light and color. He fantasizes about things that seem exotic, outside of the cold, dim life he knows. Mangan’s sister becomes the focus of his attention and thinks of her constantly, always picturing her in light or color. He then begins to think of Araby in this same fashion and obsesses about attending the bazaar.   We also learn that the boy lives with his aunt and uncle, which gives the impression that he may have been orphaned or abandoned.  Very few characters in the story have names, especially those closest to him, such as his aunt and uncle, the girl that he is infatuated with, and even the boy himself. This shows that he is possibly lonely and not connected to others in a close, meaningful sense.   By the end of the story, the boy has a grim realization that going to Araby was not the exciting experience for which he had been hoping. The conclusion of the story creates a very sad feeling of a young man yearning for some light, love or happiness in his life, but who is met with disappointment and regret for being hopeful.

The story “Araby” by James Joyce is about a young man who is obsessed and desperate with his neighbor, he wouldn’t speak to the young girl but when he had the chance to talk to her, he was timed, the young girl approached him and sparked a conversation about Araby bazaar and that wasn’t able to go because of a trip that week but would’ve loved to visit, the boy tells her that if he goes he will “get her something” (11) and this is where his desperation came out, it was like if he needed to get her something from the bazaar, and after going through some trouble to get there, he managed to get there and unfourtanly after getting there late, he looks at a few vases and from the workers tone of voice in how he was approached asking if he wanted to buy something, the young boy replies “no thank you” (34)  and evenually walks away disappoined from the lack of money he had, not being able to get her something, and the visit to bazaar.

When answering the question, ” “Araby” by James Joyce is not a love story. What is “Araby” really about?”, many things come to mind.  Though there are many take aways throughout the coming of age story, the main thing you begin to realize throughout the story is how his obsession with the Mangan’s sister blinds every other aspect in his life.  I believe this story is about how one’s judgement and how they can perceive things are clouded by what they may think is their first love.  However, this obsession continues to grow as he grows older and he no longer focuses on the things he used to love, like his family (being impatient and angry with his uncle) and playing with his friends in the street.  As he continues to gain progress in his goal of winning the Mangan’s sister over, he is met with a humbling experience at the bazaar.  This leads me to believe that the author is choosing to highlight the fact that the boys growing obsession blinds him from reality.  This point can be drawn when the author states “I wished to annihilate the tedious intervening days.” [12}.  Portraying that as he has the bazaar to look forward to, his days between then are a just a nuisance.

Compared to his other words, James Joyce’s “Araby” seems almost simplistic, with a touching yet fairly straightforward story of a boy falling in love with a girl living across the street being the main plot. However, while the love story is placed at the forefront and emphasized strongly, the true meaning of “Araby” remains hidden under layers of the specified storyline. Describing the main character’s journey from hope to disappointment, “Araby” seems to convey the meaning of a coming-of-age story, namely, the process of growing up and learning to accept bitter disappointment. The ability to reconcile with a specific feeling of loss, be it the failed relationship or another kind of disappointment, becomes apparent as the essential message of the story as the lot progresses. Namely, as the character realizes his futility in building relationships with Araby, he experiences a series of conflicting emotions: “Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity” (Joyce par. 37). Thus, Joyce proves the need for self-introspection as a part of entering adulthood and reconciling with loss. Despite the short story ending with the protagonist experiencing anger, Joyce leaves enough room for further character growth and the eventual acceptance of the change. Despite the love story being at the center of Joyce’s “Araby,” the core meaning of the story appears to lie in a more somber message of learning to accept disappointment as a part of becoming an adult. The specified idea is conveyed as the plot unravels, allowing the reader to follow the kaleidoscope of emotions that the protagonist experiences. As a result, at the end of the novel, the fleeting sense of excitement that captures the eliding character is replaced with the experience of loss and the ultimate learning that comes with its acknowledgment. Therefore, the process […]

This story was really beautiful. It is not a love story, it’s more of the story of a young boy infatuated with a girl. I think in order for something to be a love story, the efforts and feelings need to be reciprocated, and this young woman barely knows he exists. He’s obsessed with her, and obsessed with the idea of getting her to actually pay him any mind, hence the want to go to this bazaar. And I even think, ultimately, if he had gotten her something at the bazaar, he would’ve still had that sinking feeling in his stomach, because she probably would not have cared that much.

Araby is the story of a young boy of the catholic faith.  This young boy story takes place near Dublin, Ireland.  He is starting to mature and feels he is in love with his friend’s older sister.  He is infatuated with her and starts going to Araby market to buy her gifts to woo and entice her.  This young man finds himself thinking this is true love and giving her gifts will have her fall in love with him. throughout this story he never mentions her name. The Araby market or bazar he goes to so he can buy her a gift is nothing like he dreamed it would be.  The market was flat and nothing worth buying there for this girl.  He becomes disappointed and reality sets in the place is nothing.  There are so many aspects to this story, and they all come from the beginning of his obsession with her. His holding her to that of a holy light, being the most beautiful girl or woman, he ever seen. This story exposes his fantasy about how he realizes the are true life.

“Araby” is a story about a young boy that is in love with a little girl. Araby tries to show how much he likes this girl by impressing her in many ways. he’s literally obsessed with the girl because he is going out of his way to do things for her. Once he heard that his crush wanted to attend the bazaar, but she couldn’t because she was about to attend school. He also made it his business and tries to bring her a gift from the Dublin bazaar. which is a way of him thinking that would make the girl notice him because he wanted to get her something that she wanted. He was trying so hard to impress the girl and things just didn’t go his way, and he was very disappointed in his uncle due to the fact that he was supposed to come home early and give him some money, which didn’t happen led to the boy into disappointment.

“Araby” is not a love story, it is a story about a boy’s fantasy about being in love. The young narrator is infatuated with the idea of Mangan’s sister, but not enough to actually flesh her out as an actual person, but as a two-dimensional being to be admired. Thus, throughout the entire text, he does not refer to her by name once, instead only referring to her as her identity as Mangan’s sister. “Araby” is a coming-of-age story, through which the young narrator passes through a dark, lonely path and goes on a journey, to return changed and wiser. He becomes disillusioned, or rather, following the theme of light and dark, enlightened, as to the realities of his delusions of love and the grandeur of the bazaar. Arriving at the end, when stalls are closing and the lights go out, his childish dreams come to an end as well.

“Araby” by James Joyce is about a young boy and his wasted efforts towards his desires in expressing his love towards Mangan’s sister. He lets his imagination run wild, creating fantasies knowing reality was just one blink of an eye away. When they have one of their first conversations, they talk about the bazaar. Mangan’s sister states that she is unable to attend the bazaar Araby due to a retreat she had that week in her convent. Here, the narrator gets a very thoughtful idea; he decides to go to the bazaar and buy her something himself. Time after time again, he lets his uncle know that he wants to attend the bazaar, doing all that he possibly can to help him remember that he desires to go. The young boy is exhilarated about his plan. As the night approached, he waited for his uncle to arrive because he forgot to give him money. At last, he arrives and finally is able to give him money to go to the bazaar. Once he approached it, he was utterly disappointed. This was because it was already late, and a lot of the shops were already closed. Defeated, he gazed in anguish and anger.

“Araby” is a short story written by James Joyce. The story is about a young religious boy who falls in love with his friend Mangan’s sister. His friend’s sister and him don’t talk much but He’s obsessed with her. He would do anything to make her happy. When he does daily activities he begins to think about the girl. The boy is scared to express his true feelings to her because he barely knows. Mangan’s sister announces she couldn’t attend the trip to Araby due to her going to a retreat at her school. The boy took this opportunity to attend the Araby for the girl to impress her with a gift. When arriving at the Araby the boy felt disappointed with what he saw and wasn’t able to buy her anything. The author uses situational irony when showing how the narrator envisioned Arabys to be this amazing place to gift the girl with an item but in reality, it was the opposite of what he expected. In the end, the message of this story is about the coming of age and becoming an adult. The boy started seeing things for what they truly are instead of what he fantasized about. He realized his mistaken belief of love was false and began rethinking his love for Mangan’s sister when being left alone in the bazaar.   

“Araby” by James Joyce is about a young boy who we do not know the age of, being infatuated by his friends’ sister.  He is always on the lookout for her and watches her whenever he is able to. He watches her by the window and thinks of her very highly. I believe that he associates her with a bright light whenever seeing her. She eventually talks to him and the bazaar came up. She really wanted to go but could not because of a retreat she has to attend. He says that he will go and buy her something. Now, he feels like it is his mission to go to this beautiful bazzar and get her something. The night of, his uncle had forgotten to give him money because he was drunk but he ended up getting it and going. On his way there, he was disappointed about it being closed and dark. He was not welcomed by one of the sellers there that were still open. He was shattered because it was like the light for the girl had also gone to dark. He does not see her as highly now because of this place. I believe that this story is to show to not think highly of someone or something because something not so good may occur. It is like an expectation versus reality situation.

This story revolves around a boy and recounts his disappointment. The boy falls in love with the older sister of his friend. To get her attention, he looks for gifts for her in the Araby market. The first part of the story takes place in and around the narrator’s home on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland. At the end of the story, the action moves to a street market on the city side. The narrator of the story is a young man who attends a nearby school. Across the street lives Sister Mangan, the sister of the narrator’s friend. She is a girl. The narrator falls in love with Mangan’s sister, and this love drives the plot of the story. Finally, although the narrator does not detail his private life. his life, we know that he lives with his aunt and his uncle. You can see that one of the topics covered in the story is religion and Catholicism. As the story progresses, the narrator can be seen surrounded by Catholic characters. I have also attended a Catholic school. Catholicism played an important role in his upbringing. He also thought of Mangan’s sister in religious terms and images. He is fully associated with Catholicism. The story is about coming of age as the young man is shown to mature. However, before all these points of view come into conflict when he begins to adore Mangan’s sister and, after falling in love with this girl, he thinks that her studies of her are useless. The narrator’s infatuation and distraction with Sister Mangan suggest that his beliefs are weak. Clearly, the young man has no idea what love is since he was so blinded by adoring Magan’s sister and in the end he managed to realize it.

Similar to many stories by James Joyce,’ Araby’ uses a close first-person narrator displaying the world as it pleases his senses which leaves the readers with just a suggested instead of a clear moral story, the initial part of the story occurs around the Dubin, Ireland, which is the narrators home however at the conclusion of the story moves to bazaar across town. The story’s narrator is a young man with an undetermined age though he is young enough to go to the neighborhood school. The narrator loves Mangan’s sister who lives across the street. She is the sibling to the young boy’s friend. She is also young but it is implied that she is older than the narrator because she can attend the convent. The narrator does not expand on his home life but he lives with his aunt and uncle. The uncle is the most significant in the story because he prevents the narrator from going to the bazaar on time. ‘Araby” is about an introverted young boy navigating towards adulthood with little guidance from the community or family. The young character in this story leaves the house at night when people are asleep with the approval of his guardians.  The narrator’s uncle is good-natured but has a drinking problem. “Araby” adopts the form of a mission-a journey in pursuit of a precious or sacred thing however the quest is futile. Even if the young boy finally gets to the bazaar he is too late to buy a decent gift for Manga’s sister. Therefore it would have been better if he has stayed home. The boy in this story knows that the real adventures must be sought abroad however setting his goals on something that sounds exotic such as Araby which equates to Arabia, the boy cannot reach […]

The short story “Araby” by James Joyce, is about the love that a young boy has about a girl. This short story is told by questions to lead on how the boys obsession is about the girl. In the story, the narrator asks a question “What is the significance of the extinguished light at the end of the story that leaves him burning with anguish?”. This question leads to the idea that the boy is very eager and obsessed to find out what will happen between him and the girl. The reason i believe this is because in story on page 4, it says “Notice how the only light seems to be associated with appearances of the girl with whom the boy is infatuated”, this quote shows that the boy sees the girl as the most beautiful girl by saying that the light is associated by her appearances. Furthermore, in the story it mentions “In all his descriptions of her, she is edged in an almost holy light”.

“Araby” is really about a coming of age boy who realized the distinction about the fantasies he builds up in his own head and the distinction of reality of said thing he is imagining, in this case the bazaar Mangan’s sister describes to him. He has built up such a version of Mangan’s sister and purely believes anything she recommends is good come to find out expectations versus reality are not the same. His expectations of the description of the bazaar his crush gave him were not the same of what he experienced at the bazaar, Granted, he did come at night when everything was closing up, but he still becomes disappointed with the revelation of what’s left at the bazaar and how the girl at the stand treats him when he is just trying to find something for his crush. He ends up leaving empty handed and having the bazaar basically close and not getting a good look at anything really because it’s so late.

“Araby” by James Joyce is a miserable story about a young boy coming to realize the distinction between his fantastic hope and reality in the world. At first the narrator does fall in love with Mangan’s sister. He imagines her day and night to the extent he has no idea where and how to express his love to her. One day he finally gets a chance to talk with her, and their first topic of conversion is going to a bazaar Araby. Unfortunately, the girl can’t go because “there would be a retreat that week in her convent”. Even though she can’t go and explore Araby with him together, the boy still behaves normally. At this time, his hope about the wonderful things in the world has expanded from a solely girl to a splendid bazaar. He is full of enthusiasm for Araby. Because it is a place that his admired girl recommended to him, he still wants to visit it even if on his own. However, he came to a place nothing special than a normal bazaar, which is even worse than he imagines from the indifferent treatment of the lady. He should have shared and described the beautiful scene to the girl but ends up disappointed about the reality that is far more than imagination from children. After reading the story, I am wondering about how the boy will describe Araby to the girl.

The story “The most Handsomest Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez was a story about how the discovery of Handsome drowned man changed the atmosphere of a group of people in a small community of 20 wooden houses who helped the drowned man. In the story it mentions “They noticed too that he bore his death with pride, for he did not have the lonely look of other drowned men who came out of the sea or that haggard, needy look of men who drowned in rivers. But only when they fnished cleaning him of did they become aware of the kind of man he was and it lef them breathless. Not only was he the tallest, strongest, most virile, and best built man they had ever seen, but even though they were looking at him there was no room for him in their imagination”. This quote shows that the village in where the drowned man appeared, the people were more than happy to help him but their village was not going to fit the drowned man because of his size and his appearance.

In the excerpt “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, Langston was a boy who was being put up on the mourners bench along with other kids who had sinned. This was sort of a test for Langston because while sitting on the bench, Langston is seeing every other kid leave the bench ready to see Jesus but Langston was the last one still sitting on the mourners bench. In the story it says “Let’s get up and be saved.” So he got up and was saved. Then I was left all alone on the mourners’ bench. My aunt came and knelt at my knees and cried, while prayers and song swirled all around me in the little church. The whole congregation prayed for me alone, in a mighty wail of moans and voices. And I kept waiting serenely for Jesus, waiting, waiting – but he didn’t come. I wanted to see him, but nothing happened to me”. This shows that Langston wanted to be saved by Jesus but due to the sins he committed it was taking longer than expected.

“Araby” is a short story written by James Joyce and it’s about a young boy who falls in love with his friend’s sister, who we don’t come to find out her name. He seems to have an obsession with her, as he thinks about her and tears come to his eyes when doing so, he would do anything for her. When they both finally speak, she asks if he’s going to the bazaar on Saturday which is called Araby and that she wishes she can go. The narrator decides that he will go and get a gift for her to maybe impress her or grab her attention. After some time the narrator eventually gets to the bazaar and realizes that it’s nothing like he’d expect, it was too late and most of the shops closed down. This makes the narrator feel depressed after he leaves. He is now a different person and sees the world a different way, he realizes that the world is full of self-centered people who only care about themselves. This short story is based on romantic irony and has a theme of expectations vs reality. It’s also a coming-of-age story. That’s what this story is truly about

The short story “Araby” by James Joyce is about a boy that will literally do anything to make the girl he likes happy. Mangan’s sister and the boy don’t speak much, but she is always on his mind. As mention in the story, he thinks of her when he goes grocery shopping with his aunt and when he sits alone in the rear room oh his house. The boy is so enamored with the girl that he believes that he would never have the guts to talk with her and convey his thoughts. Mangan’s sister tells the boy one morning that she would be unable to travel to Araby due to a commitment to a retreat at her school, to which the boy says that he will bring her something from Araby because he is going. This causes the boy to stop acting as he used to; he is impatient for the day to arrive and is unable to concentrate in school. On the day of the boy going to the bazaar, his uncle is taking longer than usual. His uncle arrives very late at home and later on gave the boy the money. Luckily the boy arrives at the bazaar just before 10 PM when it starting to close down. He approaches one of the remaining stalls but leaves empty-handed, feeling unwelcome by the woman in charge of the merchandise. The narrator stands furiously in the empty market as the lights go out, having failed to make a purchase for Mangan’s sister. “Araby” by James Joyce is not a love story. What is “Araby” really about? “Araby” was actually about all the obstacles one faces in order to make another person happy and valued.

The short story “Araby” by James Joyce is about a young boy who has such an infatuation with his friend Mangan’s sister, he begins to idolize her as if she was a saint. This is when the idea of love and desire comes into play. He simply can’t stop thinking about her and sees her in a godly way. As the story begins to unfold the realization that the young boy doesn’t quite understand the concept of the illusion and the reality of Mangan’s sister The young boy realizes that his love and desire go hand in hand with the illusion and reality he has for Mangan’s sister. As well as the connection the author James Joyce brings to this short story “ Araby” represents how Joyce views these same ideas of Love, Desire, Illusion, and Reality. By the end of the short story, he realizes the bareness of everyday life. The disappointment that is Araby awakens the boy to the fact that his immature dreams have blinded him.

In the story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the 2 characters that stand out the most in the story are Sylvia and Sugar. The reason Sylvia stands out the most is because she shows in the story that she does not want to be part of the wrong doings. In page 5, it says I just couldn’t go through with the plan. Which was for me to run up to the altar and do a tap dance while Sugar played the nose flute and messed around in the holy water”. This shows she acts sort of like an adult due to that she does not want to do anything wrong. The reason why Sugar is another character stands out is because in the story she is pictured as a girl who characterizes herself as someone who wants everything to herself. In the story it says “Can we steal?” Sugar asks very serious like she’s getting the ground rules squared away before she plays. “I beg your pardon,” say Miss Moore, and we fall out. So she leads us around the windows of the toy store and me and Sugar screamin, “This is mine, that’s mine, I gotta have that, that was made for me, I was born for that”.

“Araby” is a short story about a young kid who falls in love with a girl who is Mangan’s sister. Mangan’s sister comments to the young boy one day that she wishes she could go the Araby bazaar but is unable to. The young guy informs the girl that he will attend and bring her something. He believes that by purchasing something for the girl from the bazaar, he will impress her. The small lad becomes fixated by the Araby and Mangan’s sister. On the day of the Araby, the young boy’s uncle returns late after promising to pay for the Araby. When the boy reaches in Araby, it is already too late; the majority of businesses have closed. The young kid is devastated because he was unable to purchase something for the girl. Finally, the young guy realizes that he had fantasized about Araby for so long just to be disappointed. He recognized his folly in being so consumed by his “adoration” for Mangan’s sister. The young boy has no concept of what love is. This narrative demonstrates the concept of maturation and coming of age. The youngster sees “love” and the Arabs for what they truly are, not what he imagines them to be. His time at the Araby functions as a form of education and maturation for him. As a result, “Araby” is truly a coming-of-age story.

The short story, “Araby”, is about a young boy who is in love with a girl, Mangan’s sister. One day, Mangan’s sister mentions to the young boy that she would like to attend the Araby bazaar but can’t. The young boy tells the girl that he will attend and will bring something back for her. He thinks that if he buys the girl something from the bazaar that it will impress her. The young boy develops an obsession with the Araby and Mangan’s sister. On the day of the Araby, the young boy’s uncle arrives home late after he had promised to give him money for the Araby. When the boy arrives to the Araby, it is already too late and most of the shops are closed. The young boy is extremely disappointed and wasn’t able to buy the girl something. In the end, the young boy has an epiphany, he had fantasized about Araby so much just to be disappointed. He realized he was foolish for being so focused on his “love” for Mangan’s sister. The young boy doesn’t know what love is. This story shows the theme of coming of age and also maturing. The boy sees “love” and the Araby for what they truly are, instead of just his fantasized version of them. His experience at the Araby is like a teaching moment for him and a way of maturing him. Which is why “Araby” is really a coming of age story.

In the short story “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, Sylvia and Sugar are a lot alike in ways, however, Sugar shows a little bit of character development at the end of the story much to the dismay of Sylvia. Towards the beginning, when the crew first arrives at the toy store, they are all nervous. Sylvia even explains how she was tentative about going into the store. One can assume from her words that she felt as though someone of her social status didn’t belong in a store where toys are sold for over $300. She felt out of place and even looked to her friends to enter first. Eventually, they all managed to muster enough courage to enter the store. Sylvia shows in the story a sort of resentment for upper-class citizens who can afford these types of toys and she thinks that Sugar feels the same way, however, towards the end of the story Sugar surprises Sylvia by not making fun of the rich people, but by trying to understand why the economy is the way it is and why it is so unfair. This angers Sylvia and she even says that she is “disgusted by Sugar’s treachery” demonstrating the different mindsets that Sylvia and Sugar have at the end of the trip.

In the short story “Salvation” by Langston Hughes, a twelve-year-old Langston is having a discussion with his aunt about what it is like to be rescued by Jesus. She talks to him about the innate feeling inside your body that you experience when you are saved. Hearing all of this from his aunt excited Langston and further drove his belief in the church and being saved. This strong and seemingly unwavering belief in the church made him wait patiently for his turn at being rescued by Jesus, however, after waiting a very long time and seeing all of the other children being saved, he felt ashamed that he was the only one not being saved and he eventually lost hope in his belief. This even caused him to lie to the church and to his aunt about being saved by Jesus. At the end of it all, Langston went from being extremely overjoyed and eager to be saved by Jesus, to wondering whether or not Jesus even existed and if he could ever be saved.

Sylvia and Sugar are the two characters in this story that stand out to me the most. They serve as two sides of the same coin. Sylvia even after the field trip to F.A.O. Schwartz is unfazed by the experience. Sugar on the other hand seems as if she has seen more of the world now and wants some semblance of independence. At the very least she won’t stand for Sylvia attempting to silence her opinions or thoughts about things that they don’t agree on. Though yes at first they both would rather be at the pool instead of wearing starchy clothing and being forced to behave in a certain manner on 5th avenue but as the story progresses things slightly change. While they both think deeply about this new world they were just shown. Sylvia rejects it knowing that she will most likely never make enough to afford any of those toys and Sugar comes off as thinking about what the future could hold. Only shown in how Sugar refused to be shut down by Sylvia, that in itself being something new shows the change in Sugar from her experiences of the day.

I would pick Sylvia and Sugar because they are the most appearance in the story and two and the first two out of three mentioned first. In the Schwarz toy store Sylvia(main character) was the first one who read the “Hand-crafted sailboat of fiberglass at one thousand one hundred ninety-five dollars.” From my understanding, Syliva is like a leader in this team(Sugar, Mercedes, Flyboy, Junebug, Rosie Giraffe, and etc…) because in the scene Miss Moore hands Sylvia the cash and ask her to pay the driver “five-dollar bill and tells me to calculate 10 percent tip for the driver” this tells you that Miss Moore trusted Sylvia like a child adult. Sugar is a very funny girl because her first strong appearance was in the Schwarz toy store to saying if we can steal “Can we steal?” Sugar asks very serious like she’s getting the ground rules squared away before she plays.” a very funny and unforgettable line, shows she’s still a child.

While reading The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara the two characters I chose to compare their experience by visiting the FAO Schwarz toy store were Sugar and Miss Moore. Sugars experience compared to Miss Moore was very different because once Sugar arrived to the toy store she began to create ideas on how she can be able to steal certain things from the store and get away with it meanwhile Miss Moore is the instructor and she’s trying to keep careful of what they do so that they do not get in trouble. While Sugar was going around the store screaming at the toys she wants very bad Miss Moore caught up to her trying to make sure she was not doing anything she’s not supposed to but Sugar did not want to hear any of It and hoped she would leave her sight already. The comparison I got from the two characters was that Sugar was just trying to cause trouble and Miss Moore was going around trying to stop it from happening.

In, “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, Sylvia and Sugar have two very opposite reactions to the toy store.  Sugar comes to a very astute realization about the inequalities of democracy. This can first be seen in her line, “Equal chance to pursue happiness means an equal crack at the dough, don’t it” (Bambara 6). In this line Sugar begins to understand the reality of the difference between the rich and the poor. She also shows an openness to learning that her peers do not have. Sylvia learned in a more emotional way which is seen right before they entered the shop. She begins to have a deep-seated feeling of shame and disgust while in the shop. This feeling allows her to understand the line between her and the kids who can actually shop at the store. Her inferiority also comes out as she starts to take out her feelings on her friends.

Langston Hughes’s “Salvation” begins with a twelve-year-old Langston delighted to be saved by Jesus. According to Langston’s aunt, when you were rescued, “you saw a light and something happened to you on the inside!” Langston believed his aunt and the stories he had heard from others about what happened to those who are saved. He waited peacefully in the church for Jesus to approach him. Langston waited a long time to see Jesus, and he stood there and watched as all the young people rose to their feet and were saved. He was the final person remaining who waited for Jesus to come and save him, but he eventually gave up hope. He recognized he would not be saved and was embarrassed, but he rose and lied. Langston was moved to tears by the revelation that he had lied to his aunt and misled the congregation about his salvation. Langston, twelve, went from being overjoyed to be saved by Jesus to questioning whether there was really a Jesus anymore.

In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, Sylvia and Rosie Girafee both had two different point of views upon arriving the FAO Schawrz toy store. When everyone first arrived to the doors of the toy store with Miss Moore, Sylvia was nervous about entering, waiting for sugar to lead the way. Meanwhile, Rosie Girafee shoves her way in along with Mercedes and Big Butt. Contiuing the short story, the kids are admiring the toys, knowingly they are unable to afford them. Sylvia becomes jealous over the fact that Sugar runs a finger over the boat, wanting to even strike her or anyone in general. Meanwhile, Rosie Girafee is looking at the price tags on the different items in the shop and claiming white people are crazy due to the fact that the prices were so immensely high at the toy shop. Rosie left only skimming the surface of the real issue.

In ”The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, the two characters I choose are Sylvia and Q.T. The themes are talked about wealth and puberty. Sylvia is the narrator of the story. She is strongly affected by her surroundings and has the capacity to see the truth in things, for example, in the way her family treats Aunt Gretchen. Despite her ability to see the truth in things, she also acts in a dishonest manner; she speaks of wanting to steal hair ribbons and money from the West Indian kids, she doesn’t give the cab driver a tip, preferring to keep the money for herself, and she doesn’t give the change from the cab ride back to Miss Moore. Sylvia gets very angry during the trip to F. A. O. Schwarz, even though she claims not to know why. This anger that people could spend so much money on useless items leads her to speak to Miss Moore about her feelings, which surprises even her. The second character is Q. T. He is the youngest and quietest child in the group. His major contribution to the discussion is to openly long for the expensive sailboat and declare the unspoken—that F. A. O. Schwarz is a store for rich people.

Choose two characters from “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara and compare their response to the experience of visiting the FAO Schwarz toy store. In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, there are two characters and their response of visiting the F.A.O Shwartz toy store that stuck out. Those characters are Sugar and Sylvia.  Sugar and Sylvia stood out to me because of their close friendship and separate attitudes of their experience at the toy store. Sylvia is more timid about the experience then Sugar is, Sugar was able to touch the toy boat, angering Sylvia because it is not something she can bring herself to do. She feels ashamed to be there, even when she tells herself that she has no reason to be. Sugar is more open to the experience then Sylvia is. I kind of want to say that Sylvia is more on the why thought and Sugar could be on the how? Sylvia is in her thoughts and to herself, maybe even “too big” to say anything, whereas, Sugar wants to know and can let her thoughts ne known.   ……………………………….