A Selfish Desiere

In "A Streetcar Named Desire," by Tennessee Williams, two main characters in this play reveal their desires to the extent of what they want and need. Williams further explains both Blanche and Stanley's main desires through attention and physical appeal. In addition, both characters bring plenty of attention upon themselves and merge towards their gratification in order to get what they desire.

Throughout the play, Blanche happens to bring attention upon herself through flirtatiousness and high maintenance. She worries to much about her physical appearance and try's to look her best so that she can "fish for complements" ( 1552). As for Stanley, he desires attention through power. He obtains his power by being over controlling, violent and physically sexual. Stanley makes his point clear when he hits Stella and rapes Blanche. At this point, it seems that Stanley gets what he wants without anyone stopping his actions. Furthermore, when Stanley hits Stella she immediately leaves him but eventually comes back when she sees him pleading. In scene ten, Blanche is physically raped by Stanley and this also shows how he gains power. It's as if he's walking over his wife Stella and her sister Blanche and looks upon himself as a king. Moreover, from reading this play there is a manner of selfishness in which Stanley and Blanche have in common. In other words, Stanley and Blanche desires are not viewed in a well mannered way but more on the verge of a selfish desire. Meaning, they only care about themselves without having to worry about other peoples feelings. For example, Stella desires her husband while Stanley only desires sex and power. This explains what kind of man Stanley really is and what he's only interested in. In contrast, Stanley and Blanche compare with each other when it comes to cruelty as well. Stanley is seen cruel throughout the whole play, due to his violence and rudeness towards Blanche, his friends, and Stella. At a certain point, Blanche is considered cruel in this play when she tells Allan that she feels disgusted towards him after seeing him messing around with a man. When Allan Grey hears Blanche say this he ends up feeling guilty for his own actions and ends up killing himself. In this case, her cruelty leads to Allan Grey's death.

Overall, Stanley and Blanche seem to only care about themselves and the attention around them. Knowing that there both searching for desire in different ways, they still compare to a self centered person, which they indeed are. In other words, it's as if they don't think before doing it. By Blanche showing off her looks and Stanley expressing his power, simply goes to show that they only seem to care for themselves.

Stanley is no ordinary man

In "A Streetcar Named Desire" by Tennessee Williams, the author writes a story that explains how an older sister stays at her younger sisters and husband house in New Orleans because she has no where else to go. Throughout the reading we see a lot of conflicts between Stanley, Stella and Blanche. Stanley who's the husband of Stella seems to have a hard time getting along with Stella's sister Blanche.

Throughout the eight scenes I read so far, Stanley is a rude and mean man who has this physical approach where he see's himself as a king. He treats his wife and Blanche with disrespect and he has a bad temper where Blanche describes him to a "madman" (1564). In addition he has this mentality of being controlling to his wife Stella. For instance, in Scene seven Stanley informs his wife that Blanche will be out of the house by a specific day because he's tired of having her at his house. We see the scene of controlling when Stanley tells his wife "She'll go! Period. P.s. She'll go Tuesday!" (1584). At this point, Stanley is the one who gives orders by being the controlling and dominant one between him and his wife.

Referring back to the question, we do see Stanley as something other then a brute beast at the beginning of the reading when he meets Blanche for the first time. In scene one, Stanley seems very comfortable around Blanche when there both having a conversation with each other. He asks her questions about her life and things she does for living. So in this case, the readers see Stanley as a normal approachable man. But when the tables turn for Stanley he gets this bad feeling about Blanche when his wife Stella informs him about the house in the country Belle Reve ended up being lost. Stanley goes historical and assumes the house wasn't lost but sold for money and sufficient funds that Blanche bought herself. He goes against his wife Stella and Blanche on what they have to say about the house being lost.

Towards the end of reading the last eight scenes about Stanley his life in general does not seem to get any better then it already is. He does not know how to control his anger, or mood when it comes to his wife Stella and Blanche. Stanley try's to change in the manner of seconds for Stella and promises her that he's going to stop drinking and change his attitude. But overall, Stanley doesn't keep his promises that he makes and ends up breaking them just so he can get his way. For instance, he promised Stella that he would stop drinking but doesn't go through with his word and continues to drink. Stanley is no better man then he can already be which is just a over controlling man.

Araby's Epiphany and Paralysis

In "Araby" by James Joyce, the main character expresses his affection and feelings that he has towards Mangan's sister. He see's the girl very attracting and he can not help but judge her appearance and figure to someone that is divine and purity. In addition, the boy mentions "every morning I lay on the floor in the front parlour watching her door" (30). Knowing that he is watching her we are able to tell his feelings have carried to the point where stalking is now becoming an issue for him.

As he follows her from morning after morning there never seems to be any connection between them. The only communication that he was able to have with her were just a few words. The boy can not help but think about her and when he does we can see his affection for her is deeply expressing his divine feelings by what he calls romance. As time goes by, the boy finally has a connection with the girl. She speaks to him and asks if he's going to the Araby. Surprised as he is, the boy then decides to go but she will not be able to go with him. "She could not go, she said, because there would be a retreat that week in her convent" (32). He still decides to go because he wants to impress her and perhaps make himself look good for her. The boy then tells her he will bring her something back from the bazaar.

After making his promise to the girl, he waits the next morning and tells his uncle and aunt that he would like to go to the bazaar. With money being an issue for him, he can only afford with what he has. As the day goes by the boy is in a hurry to make it to the bazaar. It was already dark and he only had little time to waste before the place was going to close. He finds the place and notices that it's still open. With only six penny's he is limited to a certain amount of things to buy. Viewing his options on what he can not afford he realizes the vases, flowers and tea-sets are out of his affordability. He then encounters a paralysis where his inability to act is when he notices the objects in the bazaar are to expensive and he does not have enough money. As he walks out from the store he is unable to buy anything for her.

"Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger" (35). This is the boys epiphany, where a break through happens for him and realizes that he is unable to keep his word by buying something for her. He is now frustrated and mad because he has nothing to offer for her like he promised.


In "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas we see a similar epiphany to where the sons frustration is leading towards his fathers death. The son is having a break through because the son is trying to tell his dad to fight for his health and to not give up. The son is pleading and praying for his dads condition and realizes that his time to go is not yet ready for him. Furthermore, the sons paralysis is only to sit and wait for his dad to decide whether or not he gives up on himself.

Petrus's Story

As I walk up to the back door, I still notice that David is upset of how everything is going for him and his daughter. Terrible as it may seem but as long as their alright then everything should be fine for them. I can tell that David is very upset about what happened last night at my house. Seeing one of the men who caused this disaster to his daughter, must be devastating. But I do not want to get involve with this upsetting struggle for David. He's alright and so is his daughter Lucy and that is all that matters. It could of been worse but I'm glad that everything didn't turn out as bad as it could of been.

As I begin my day, just as if every other day is a working day for me, I decided to "lay PVC piping from the storage dam to the site of my new house." So I tell David and Lucy because I want them to know what I plan on doing for my new house and I want to ask to borrow some tools and for Davids help. I know this would make the job a lot easier and faster if I had the an extra hand with the help of David. With no hesitation David already starts to complain about the help I need. He thinks I'm doing plumbing but really it's only pipe fitting. I give him some information on what I have planed for my house, but he seems not interested on what I have to say. He already changes the conversation by asking me about the boy who was at my house. I try to pay no attention on what he has to say about the boy being at my house because that is my business and I do not want to start any more trouble as bad as it is for him at this point. So I don't bother answering his question and I begin to finish the work that is needed to be done.

When will David understand? He needs to know this is not Cape Town and things are different out here in the country. There is labor work that needs to be done here everyday. Whether it's fixing, cleaning, gardening or buying supplies, work has to happen. But knowing David he never seems to understand the work that I am doing. It still surprises me that he blames myself for the incident that happened on that terrible day. It's not my fault for what has happened to them, but I know if I was there maybe we wouldn't be in this situation. He still doesn't trust me when I tell him that I will protect Lucy because ever since I have been here by his daughter side nothing bad has happened. He doesn't take my word of trust into consideration because all he does his just deny what I have to say. David will never understand that I had to leave to the village, to buy supplies because he doesn't know what work consists of. Surely enough Lucy understands because she knows it's a tough time keeping up with work in the country. She knows I am a hard working man and that I have a rough story to tell about my life. But as far as David wants to think otherwise about me, he will soon find out about what it takes to work under rules and decisions being made from others. All I am saying is that I am my own boss and I do not need David giving me orders when he is in my country. Things are different around here and he needs to understand that.


Analysis

From reading Petrus's side of the story it seems that he is fed up with what David has to say about him. David only looks at the flaws when it comes to Petrus, for instance Petrus wasn't there at the time when they were attacked and David mentions that "what appeals to him in Petrus is his face and his hands" (117). Knowing this David believes that Petrus only cares about himself and nobody else. I believe this not true because Petrus does inform us that he will defend and protect Lucy. He also cares for Lucy and asks David about her condition with the attack. So at this point we know that Petrus not only cares for her but also "He is afraid you might lose your stall" (115). From what Petrus has to say we do know that he is carring enough to think about Lucy's health and work.

With evidence from Lucy she also informs us that Petrus is a hard working man and that he has a rough story about his life. But David doesn't believe anything that Petrus has to say. David only sees the minor mistakes around Petrus when really Petrus has nothing to do with any of the problems that David and Lucy encounter. Also when Petrus was gone at the time of the incident, David assumes that the attack on him and his daughter was set up by Petrus. When really we do not have any evidence that Petrus had anything to do with the attack. But what we do know is that, when Petrus does make his return we see that he is not by himself and that his young wife is with him. They brought back supplies such as "cartons, creosoted poles, sheets of galvanized iron, a roll of plastic piping, and finally, with much noise and commotion, two halfgrown sheep, with Petrus tethers to a fence post" (113). When he arrives he doesn't know anything about the attack until the day that he came back on. So sure enough there is no possible way that Petrus wanted this disaster to happen to David and Lucy. Overall, I believe that Petrus is just a hard working man. We notice that he is hard working because Lucy and Bev mention great things about Petrus and David is the only one who denies what kind of a man Petrus really is.

David Lurie: A Complicated Man

So far, in Coetzee's novel, Disgrace, David Lurie ends up taking a down fall from all the trouble he has been through. At the beginning of the reading, we find out that David Lurie is a fifty-two year old attractive man and that he is a professor of Communications and Romantics. During his teaching, Mr. Lurie becomes attracted to a young girl, who is one of his students, and starts to have a fantasy by sleeping with the twenty-year old student. During the time Mr. Lurie was sleeping with the student, Melaine Issacs, she eventually confesses to the administration office and makes a complaint towards professor Lurie of sexual harassment. He then gets a notification that arrives in a envelope concerning the complaint that was put forth towards himself. The document described that he will be meeting with the committees of inquiry on behalf of Melaine's complaint.

David was committed and charged for sexual harassment and was fired from teaching. He admitted to all charges that he was guilty and agreed to what Melaine had to say about their relationship. David Lurie told the committee that he was guilty for having an affair with Melaine and so he admits that his actions were wrong. For instance, David mentions to Ms. Issacs "It was wrong, and I regret it" (54). He regrets having an affair with Melaine and said that it was wrong for him to do it because of her young age and she was one of his students.

After committing his charges and being fired from teaching, David decides to leave Cape Town and move to the country to see his daughter Lucy. David believes that leaving Cape Town would help him escape the media and the temptations of thinking about Melaine.

During his stay, David starts to change in a way of being more of a father figure towards Lucy and she describes him as an old man. He also seemed to have aged a lot now since he's been in the country. Before David came to the country, he had this mentality of seeing himself as a young man who had all these relationships with different women. During his past relationships,when he was living in Cape Town, he was very controlling towards women. Now that he is living in the county, we begin to see a change of character for David; which made him not the person he was before. David Lurie seems to have evolved into a character that's now older than younger. Women, however, are now controlling David by having him take over their responsibilities. Even his daughter Lucy has him helping out at the clinic with Bev Shaw.

We also see a change of character for David when three men violently attacked him and his daughter Lucy gets raped. He is trying to be more of a father now after the brutality that occured to him and his daughter. He is very concerned about the men who did this and now he wants justice to be served for the men who caused this significant trauma to his daughter.

Overall, I believe David is not the person he was before. Ever since he moved to the Country, he's encountered a lot of down falls towards himself. His attractiveness has faded away due to the burns on his face and now women are being controlling towards him. From the way it looks for David, I do believe, he is a complicated man where his life is just getting worse and worse.

"This Is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams

Just so you Know

I have cleaned
the bikes
that were left in
the house

and which
you brought
mud
on my carpet

Forgive me
I sold them
to pay
off the mortgage

We Real Cool

"We Real Cool" definitely has a powerful message behind it. Gwendolyn Brooks illustrates the essence of troubled teenagers who will eventually suffer the ill-fated possibility that life renders a human being if they continue the lifestyle of the streets - death.

The content in this poem is directed African-American youth in the 1960's. Jazz was the popular music of the time in the African-American community, and slang words were used in the content of the songs and likewise in the common language of young African-American youth. Also the way the poem is written is a way to get the young black youth to read in the late 1960's. The poem is very easy to read and has a catchy almost musical flow.

The teenagers are obviously not too fond about attending school. Therefore, they skip and find solace and pleasure at a pool facility. It seems as if the teenagers really don't care about their education and go day by day living a happy-go-lucky lifestyle. The happiness that they are feeling by playing pool supports that theory.

The ‘We’ — you’re supposed to stop after the ‘We’ and think about validity; of course, there’s no way for you to tell whether it should be said softly or not, I suppose, but I say it rather softly because I want to represent their basic uncertainty, which they don’t bother to question every day, of course.” In 1976, Barbara B. Sims wrote that the lines of “We Real Cool” are short to suggest the shortness of the lives of the pool players, and that the words “lurk,” “strike,” and “sin” suggest pool players who, outside the pool hall, thieve, rape, and kill.

Even though the poem was written in 1960, it mirrors the situation of today, for many young men and even young women skip school everyday - not to mention those who dropout.

Gwendolyn Brooks does an excellent job with this piece. With its monosyllabic and eight-line stature, the poem is to the point and frank.

"We Real Cool" is impressive and has a profound implication: No education (i.e., skipping an institution of schooling that provides knowledge) and living a carefree lifestyle as a dropout leads to the likelihood of death.