The Importance of Being Earnest

       In the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, the physical journeys of the main characters, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncreiff, play a central role in the plot and in character development. Both characters use their journeys and destinations to live a different life, as a different person. In these other lives, Jack and Algernon can behave in ways they usually would not behave as themselves, which shows the hypocrisy of the Victorian society.
        Jack Worthing is considered to be a respectable and responsible man. Because he has this reputation, he must act in the way a proper Victorian man acts. Jack creates a younger brother, for himself, that goes by the name of Ernest. When Jack travels to London to "visit his brother", Jack becomes Ernest and has a new persona. When Jack is Ernest he does not have responsibilities, and he can have fun. This journey is significant because it shows how although Jack is seen scolding Algernon, during the play, for his ungentlemanly qualities, Jack just leaves for London and leaves his own rules behind, which is hypocritical of Jack.
        Similarly, Algernon Moncreiff also creates a fictional friend, "Bunbury", to assist in his double life. Algernon uses Bunbury to leave the country and travel to the city. In the city Algernon can be free of the responsibilities he has in the country, such as the scheduled dinners with his aunt, Lady Bracknell. When Algernon decides that he does not want to spend time with his aunt, he tells her that he is traveling to visit his friend Bunbury.        
         These journeys are significant because they show how easy Jack and Algernon can deceive the other characters in the play. It is easy to use deception because the Victorian society focuses on the things that they think is important, which are appearances, social status, and social responsibilities.

253. "Offspring" pg 313

The poem "Offspring", by Naomi Long Madgett, utilizes metaphor and imagery as techniques that contribute to the meaning of the poem, which discusses growth and maturity. The narrator speaks from the point of view of a tree. The tree has a branch growing from it. The tree and branch are metaphors for a mother and daughter relationship. The beginning of the poem begins with the branch still growing and needing support from the tree: "This way the twig is bent. Born of my trunk and strengthened by my roots". Although the twig is bent, it is still connected to the tree. The mother also gives her daughter advice: "you must stretch newgrown branches closer to the sun than I can reach". The mother wants her daughter to grow and experience new things that the mother has not experienced. The poem ends with "But the twig broke". The daughter has grown and left her mother. She has followed her mother's advice by "walking down an unfamiliar street, feet confident". The daughter is experiencing new places, confidently. A growing tree branch is easy to bend and move without breaking. When the daughter is still attached to her mother as a tree branch,  her mother was an influence on the way she grew. Now that the daughter is on her own, her mother describes her as " very individual, unpliable own." She has grown and matured into her own person. The imagery also contributes to the meaning by creating a picture of a tree and it's branch growing and finally breaking off. The lines "face slanted upward toward a threatening sky," and "she was smiling" show the image of a confident woman walking tall and unafraid, although the sky looks threatening.

I enjoyed reading this poem because I loved the use of the tree metaphor. I thought it fit perfectly with the theme of a growing relationship between a mother and daughter.

265. "Getting Through" pg. 322

The poem "Getting Through", by Deborah Pope, uses the techniques of similes, personification, and structure to discuss the continuous struggle of love and rejection. The narrator cannot help the feeling of love, and she understands that it may not be right for her to continue to feel this way because it is hopeless. Similes are used to convey this endless feeling, such as, "a chicken too stupid to tell its head is gone" and "or a phone ringing and ringing". The images of a chicken running around and around and the telephone incessantly ringing show how the narrator believes this feeling of love is never ending. The lines "in the house they have all moved away from, through rooms where dust is a deepening skin" compares the relationship to an empty house and dust. This shows how the narrator understands how the love is hopeless. The narrator's heart and words are personified in the lines, "my heart blundering on, a muscle spilling out what is no longer wanted, and my words hurtling past". Through personifying the heart and words, it tells how the narrator will not stop feeling the love that is too strong to suppress, even if it leads to rejection. The structure of the poem also contributes to the idea of the continuous feeling of love. The poem is one long sentence, without punctuation aside from commas.The poem is continuous, just like the narrator's emotions.

I loved reading this poem. I thought it was easy to read and interpret because many people have experienced the feeling of passion and rejection, even if it does not pertain to love. The similes clearly portrayed the narrator's frustrated yet accepting feelings toward love. My favorite line is "like some last speaker of a beautiful language no one else can hear."

The Handmaid's Tale

In the novel, The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood, the roles of women have been narrowed down severely. In the city of Gilead where the main character, Offred, lives, women were once allowed to have jobs and work in legitimate positions. Now, the rights and freedom have been taken away. Offred is a handmaid, and her only role in the society is for reproduction. The restricted lives of the handmaids is juxtaposed with the lives of the women who work at Jezebel's. Although the women at Jezebel's are still used for sex, they lead better lives than the handmaids because they have more physical and intellectual freedom. Offred's old friend, Moira, works at Jezebel's and tells Offred about her life. Moira only works during the night and has the entire day to herself. Offred is confined to the house, unless she is walking to the market. But even then Offred must refrain from looking up or talking to anyone. Moira has friends that she can talk to and have relationships with. Offred cannot have a real relationship with anyone. She is not even allowed to read. Offred is also forced to wear a large red dress with a white headpiece that covers most of her face. Moira has the freedom to decide what she wears. She can wear makeup and feel desired. The sexual acts Moira is involved in is for pleasure. Offred is used strictly for reproduction, and the Commander's wife is also in the room. Offred has food and drink brought to her room, while Moira has the choice to drink alcohol and eat whatever she likes. While Offred is not even allowed to have an intellectual thought, the women at Jezebel's have the power of choice and decision.

My favorite passage is on pages 194 and 195. Offred is praying. The lines I like especially are, " I feel very unreal, talking to You like this. I feel as if I'm talking to a wall. I wish You'd answer. I feel so alone. All alone by the telephone. Except I can't use the telephone. And if I could, who could I call? Oh God. It's no joke. Oh God oh God. How can I keep on living?" (Atwood 195). These lines clearly display the entirety of Offred's emotions. She is desperate, lonely, and giving up on her fight to live. She is looking to God for answers, but cannot find the answers He is giving or is even struggling to believe that God is giving her answers. Offred has surpassed the anger and confusion about this society and is willing to die to escape it.

I enjoyed reading The Handmaid's Tale because Margaret Atwood created Offred in such a way that made it easy to connect with her. Although it was frustrating that Offred would never get to return to the life she once lived, I did not stop hoping that Offred would be reunited with her daughter and boyfriend, Luke.