Analysis of "The Old Cowboy"

 Link to Poem: http://sfrhsenglitcomp.blogspot.com/2012/01/old-cowboy.html


Dramatic Situation:
      -Speaker: an observer; not "the cowboy" himself, but someone who knows the lifestyle
      -Context: explanation of lifestyle
      -Circumstances: Modern times, around people who do not understand the cowboy lifestyle.


Structure:
      -The first three stanzas discuss the lines on his face in a symbolic sense. The fourth stanza provides an example of the strength of cowboys. Last two stanzas reveal purpose for poem.
      -The logic of the poem is inductive


Theme:
      -The theme of this poem is that cowboys are wise, strong, and should be respected.


Grammar and Meaning:
      -The author's grammar represents the grammar used by cowboys. Words such as "ain't" and phrases such as "You surely may have seen him lying face down in the dirt..." serve to provide a sounds such as that of the cowboy.


Important Images and Figures of Speech:
      -"Every line on that cowboy's face, there's a story to be told...."
      -"But, when you look into his eyes those lines just fall bare. Look at him and honor the wisdom he has to share."


Most Important Single Words:
      -"Ain't"
      -"Laugh lines"
      -"Smile lines"
      -"Praying
      -"Dirt"
      -"Honor"
      -"Wisdom"


Tone:
     -The author has respect for the subject (cowboys), and wants the audience to see why they should be honored and respected.


Literary Devices: 
      -Symbolism- The lines on the cowboy's face represent his experience and wisdom.
      - Imagery- "You surely may have seen him
                       Lying face down in the dirt
                       Why, believe me, 
                       He's just resting
                       He ain't really hurt."

      -Meter- causes the poem to flow and allows for rhyming

      -Metaphor- "Every line on that cowboy's face
                            If you could crawl inside
                            Would lead you to a story
                            Those are where
                            A million tales do hide."

Prosody- 

      -The rhyme pattern and meter help the author's thoughts flow smoother and allow for the author's thoughts to be "seen" as the poem progresses.

A Tale of Two Cities Notes (Dr. Tony Williams Lecture, Gresham College)

• Self-sacrifice was a major them based off  his friend's play inspired by the 1845 trip to find the Northwest Passage, from which all participants perished (suggestions of cannibalism).
• Dickens creates "Lucie" based off a character played by the woman whom he wants, but is not married to (ends up divorcing his wife for).
• Carton is a reflection of Dickens (Charles Darnay and Dick Carton, as which is what he named Sydney Carton instead, are a parallel representation of Dickens himself).
• May of 1858, separated from his wife, June it was publicly announced.
• 1859- Began a new Journal, first 3 chapters of A Tale of Two Cities was published.
• London provided many unsettling sights that "were to haunt him for years".
• Wretchedness and darkness but also "magic lantern". "A day in London sets me up and starts me."He made connections within London that were not previously made.
• Visited Paris for the first time in 1844 on his way to Italy. "It is the most extraordinary place in the world." "Nothing but strange and striking things came swarming before me." He found Paris to be a character in itself. He described it as an eternal book. He was completely amazed with it. Saw it as an opposite to London in that sense.
• Dickens visited Paris at least 15 times between 1844 and 1868. Often very lengthy stays. Gave public readings in the British embassy. This was over a span of multiple topographical and political changes.
• Fascinated by the darker side of the city. Drawn to visit the morgue, which was listed as a visitor attraction in the city.
• Bleakly described the location at which the Bastille had been.
• "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of foolishness, it was the age of wisdom..."
• A Tale of Two Cities- years leading up to and directly after the French Revolution. Victorians were haunted by memory and example of French Revolution. Written only 70 years after the revolution.
• Novel is a warning of revolution, one of the Victorian's great fears. Novel came out in chunks, chapter by chapter in journals and magazines (1859) 
• He felt it was the best story he had ever written. 
• Dickens build suspense and tension through imagery, setting, and plot.
• Responds to criticism with clear and decisive responses. 
• Characters become mysteries to one another, despite the tangled connections between most of the characters.
• 
  

A Tale of Two Cities- Dicken's Literary Techniques in the First 100 Pages

• Allusion- Period based; The French Revolution and The effects that the American Revolution had on England. Dickens also alludes to the Bible. The dated allusions make identification and understanding of them more difficult. You may have to do more in-depth reading or even, possibly, research to fully understand.
• Parallelism and Dichotomy- "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only." The idea of opposites is consistent throughout the novel. In the beginning, the idea of resurrection accompanies the idea of death(one would not be possible without the other). The contrast and relationship between London and Paris, and Lucie Manette and Charles Darnay.

The First Three Chapters of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

     The first three chapters (15 pages) of Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities serve as an introduction not only to the story, but also into the mind of Dickens himself. The first chapter gives information on the setting of the novel. The story is based in England and France in 1775. This time of chaos in the two countries is representative of the difficult times Dickens was living in when he wrote the novel. Chapter two starts with the dangerous journey of three passengers to Dover and the arrival of a messenger with an instructional message for one of the passengers, Mr. Lorry. Lorry's response, "Recalled to life", is mysterious but leads into the next chapter, which is a depiction of Lorry's troubling dreams about his job and his life. These troubling dreams represent the thoughts that Dickens himself had been having through his dark years in the 1860's, at the end of which he wrote this novel.

Trends Study Introduction

Trends Intro

Title Explanation: A Tale of Two Cities

The title of Charles Dicken’s book A Tale of Two Cities, explains that the novel is based in two cities: London and Paris. It’s a story of what happened to Lucie Manette, Dr. Manette, Charles Darnay, Mr. Lorry, and Sydney Carton in both cities and how each city treated them. For example, Charles Darnay was considered a traitor to both countries, yet Lucie was noted for her loyalty.

Literature Analysis: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

1.   1.  This book starts off with four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March sitting around their home, discussing their current financial hardships and the fact that they won’t be receiving Christmas presents but they still want them. They decide to buy their mother a Christmas present and receive a letter from their father who is serving for the Union in the Civil War. On Christmas morning, all the girls receive books, and help a poor family. Their generosity was returned when their neighbor sends them a Christmas feast. Meg and Jo go to a New Years Eve party but have some trouble with their appearance, which troubles Meg who very much cares what other people think. Jo meets the neighbor boy, Laurie Laurence, at the party and they hit it off. When the girls go back to their usual jobs, they are not too happy. Marmee, their mother, lectures them about being grateful for what they have and not complaining. Jo finds out that Laurie is sick and goes to keep him company and help him feel better. She becomes friends with Mr. Laurence. The girls begin spending much of their time at the Laurence’s home, and Beth bonds with Mr. Laurence because she reminds him of his granddaughter that passed away. Amy gets into trouble at school and gets struck on the hand by her teacher, something her mother is not okay with. Amy begins to be home-schooled with Beth. Amy and Jo become angry with each other, because Jo wouldn’t let Amy spend time with her and Laurie, so Amy burnt Jo’s manuscript. When Amy falls through thin ice, Laurie has to come to the rescue because Jo was scared and couldn’t move. Later, when talking to Marmee about it, she discovered that Marmee also has anger issues. When Meg visits a wealthy friend, she is reminded of her economic status. Her friends dress her in frivolous clothes for a party and Laurie sees her. He was disappointed in her for not being herself. When Meg gets home, Marmee reminds the girls that appearances are not everything; they are shallow. The girls form a club with Laurie. When the girls take a break, Marmee teaches them about responsibility. When the girls and Laurie discuss their dreams, Jo tells Laurie to run away from his grandfather, who does not want Laurie to pursue his dream of becoming a famous musician. Jo pursues her dream of becoming a famous writer by submitting two stories to the local newspaper. She then finds out from Laurie that Mr. Brookes is in love with Meg. When Mr. March becomes sick, Marmee has to go to Washington, D.C. to help him. Jo contributes money to the trip by selling her “one beauty”, her hair. Beth contracts scarlet fever from the Hummel’s baby, who died from it. Amy is sent to live with her aunt so she will not become ill.  As she recovers, Marmee returns home from Washington. While at her aunt’s, Amy took up religion from the servant, and constructed a will. Marmee approves of Amy’s actions and reveals to Jo that Mr. Brookes has admitted to being interested in Meg. It is discovered that Laurie was the one who wrote the love letter supposedly from Mr. Brookes. Mr. March comes home for Christmas. Meg tries to appease her parents by telling Mr. Brookes she is too young to be married, but will marry him in a few years.

The second section of the book starts with Meg about to get married and Mr. March home from war. Meg gets married. Amy and Jo continue to pursue their passions. Jo becomes a pretty successful writer and is able to support herself and her family. Meg and Mr. Brookes have twins. Amy is very socially conscience. Amy goes to Europe with her Aunt Carrol, and runs into Laurie’s British friend Fred who wants to court her. Jo goes to New York in order for Laurie to not love her anymore, so that he can fall in love with Beth. She meets a German professor. She begins writing meaningless stories that make her a lot of money. She breaks Laurie’s heart by rejecting his marriage proposal, and he goes to Europe. Beth tells Jo that she is going to die soon. Laurie and Amy meet up in France and begin to like each other. Meg and Mr. Brookes fix their marital problems. Amy gets Laurie out of his depression and back to pursuing his passion. Beth passes away. Laurie and Amy fall in love and he proposes. They get married. They return home and decide to help people with their money. Jo and the German professor Bhaer decide to get married. The story ends at a party in which the girls and their mother discuss all they are thankful for and that they try to make the best of everything.