Fifth Business - Analysis

Meaning: Actions never go without long term consequences, but one must not allow them to dictate one’s life.

·         A snowball Boy threw as a child, led to his death.

·         Dunstable’s affair with Leola as a youth, contributed to her sickness and eventual death.

·         The idea of “Fifth Business” relies on groups of characters relying on each other.

·         Dunstan’s tone as the narrator is full of reflection on the consequences of his actions.

·         The letter being written is a consequence of one careless news story.

Narrative Voice:  The narrative voice in Fifth Business is the character of Dunstan Ramsay, because it is written in first person.  Dunstan is very reflective and aware of many facets of his life.

Quote 1: “’…get on with your own life and accept the possibility that it may be purchased at the price of hers and that this may be God’s plan for you and her…’” (Davies 165).  Blazon says that although Dunstan may have some responsibility for Mary Dempster’s condition, he must not spend his life obsessing over that failure, because it was part of God’s plan, which he cannot possibly comprehend.

Quote 2: “…the inevitable fifth, who was the keeper of his conscience and keeper of the stone” (Davies 252).  The fifth is of course Dunstan, and this describes his relationship with Boy.  It also highlights that for most of his life, Dunstan was merely an assistant.  He did not accomplish many things personally, rather he aided others.

Hamlet - Analysis

Meaning: One must balance thought with action to be a successful leader and person.

·                         Hamlet spends the entire novel thinking, and dies from his hesitance.  Laertes acts quickly upon his desire for vengeance and dies as a result.  Fortinbras however balances thought with action and gains an entire country.

Narrative Voice:  Hamlet is chalk full of darkness and fogginess symbolizing the ominous state of affairs in Denmark.  Shakespeare also uses Biblical references, such as the reference to the Garden of Eden when Old Hamlet describes his death by poison in the garden.  There is also quite a bit of focus on hearing and break down of communication.  The King is killed by poisoning his ear.  Communication failing is presented through old Hamlet’s apparent inability to respond to Horatio.  Young Hamlet struggles throughout the play with the issues in spoken language as a way to communicate.

Quote 1: “Something is rotten in the State of Denmark.”  With the massive amounts of synecdoche in Hamlet, this quote has many meanings.  One of course refers to the war with Norway.  It can also refer to the corruption in the royal court, or the corruption of Claudius, or Hamlet’s insanity.

Quote 2: “To be or not to be, that is the question.” This is one of the most obvious examples of Hamlet’s hesitance.  Instead of acting on his hatred, he talks for a couple pages.

The Death of a Salesman - Analysis

Meaning: Success is not gained by asking others to like you, rather by working toward goals that allow you to satisfy yourself.

·                         Willy constantly seeks other’s approval, but fails in his home and work life.  Only Linda likes him in the end.  Biff seeks personal fulfillment through physical labor, and the book ends with hope for success.

·                         Ben symbolizes the American Dream (making something from nothing) and he finds his success without being well liked.

Narrative Voice:  Arthur Miller is known for his descriptive stage directions.  He is very specific about the flute used in Willie’s flashbacks.  He uses it to promote peace but surrounds it with unnatural shapes.  This sharp contrast is reminiscent of Willy’s naivety and the real world.

Quote 1: “There’s nothing more inspiring or – beautiful than the sigh of a mare and a new colt” (Miller 22).  This shows the satisfaction and happiness Biff finds when he is away from human interference.

Quote 2: “I made the last payment on the house today.  Today, dear.  And there’ll be nobody home” (Miller 139).  This highlights the irony in the American Dream.  Home ownership is tied closely with the traditional American Dream (or so propaganda tells me), and the fact that the dream was accomplished only after Willy died makes it clear that Willy did not have the dream.

The American Dream - Analysis

Meaning: America has polluted its original dream and killed its current dream leading to confusion.

·         Mommy and Daddy represent Americans, and they constantly reject Grandma, the past dream, and killed their child, the new dream.

·         Mommy, Daddy, and Mrs. Barker are constantly unaware of reality, which is constantly being twisted.  Grandma, the old dream, is most aware of reality, actually stepping out of the play and into our world.

Narrative Voice:  Being a play, The American Dream, doesn’t have a narrator until Grandma steps out at the very end.  Grandma is a strong character, and putting her in charge makes it clear that she is the superior American Dream.  She is very real, and aware that if the country follows its current course, it will just kill its dream again.

Quote 1: “People think they can get away with anything these days…and of course they can” (Albee 9).  Mommy says this in the first page of the play, and as the audience acquaints themselves with the show it seems to have little significance.  But after reading the play, it is very important.  Mommy gets away with killing her child and we leave the play before there are any consequences.

Quote 2: “I called it Uncle Henry’s Day Old Cake” (Albee 35).  Grandma mentions winning a cake contest many times.  In this quote we realize that the cake was a day old.  This means that people appreciate old dreams, but only when they don’t realize that it’s old.  But also that quality doesn’t matter if one thinks it is okay.

Ceremony - Analysis

Meaning: Balance between old customs and new while remaining connected to one’s heritage is key to a healthy existence.

·         Plot: Tayo only returns to health after undergoing a ceremony that mixes Native tradition with Western culture, during which he connects with Ts’eh, the human embodiment of earth and Tayo’s heritage.

·         Imagery: Things often come in fours in the novel.  Four is a very natural number (four seasons, four directions).  There are four mountains in the book as well as rooms having four windows.

·         Setting: Ceremony constantly switches setting between the jungle of WWII and Tayo’s home.  This constant shifting makes the audience incredibly aware of Tayo’s unbalanced mind.  As Tayo heals, the book becomes more fluid.

·         Title: The title is a reference to Betonie’s updated Ceremony that healed Tayo.

Narrative voice:  Ceremony features two distinct narrative voices: the voice in the poetry, Betonie, and the narrator of Tayo’s life.  The narrator of the prose is unremarkable.  Opinions are voiced subtly. The images focus on colors, such as the white and grey hospitals, the green jungle, and the yellow desert.

Quote 1: “He had drifted in colors of smoke, where there was no pain, only pale, pale gray of the north wall by his bed” (Silko 14).  This quote includes both the lack of color characteristic of Tayo’s experience with illness in white hospitals, and the focus on the cardinal directions.  The image of smoke promotes the emptiness inside of Tayo.

Quote 2:  “The night was getting colder; he could see the steam from his breath in the moonlight” (Silko 230).  Tayo’s body functions play a large role within the novel, with him rejecting himself through puking.  This breathing highlights that Tayo is a warm life amongst the cold of the world.  This occurs right before he witnesses Harley’s murder.

Pride and Prejudice - Analysis

Quote 1 (and narrative voice):  The very first line of Pride and Prejudice “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” reveals a lot about the entire book’s narrative voice.  The ridiculous blanket statement in the first clause highlights the satiric nature of the book.  This quote also comments on the main topics of the book, marriage and money.  It also takes the love out of marriage, a struggle so often found in Pride and Prejudice.  Austen’s satiric style is accomplished through elevated language, and directly quoting characters.  By forcing the annoying qualities of a character upon the reader, the reader becomes annoyed, making the point all the more clear. 

Quote 2:  “’In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.’”  This quote represents Mr. Darcy’s first attempt at shedding his pride.  Unfortunately, the language in this quote makes it clear that the attempt failed.  Each sentence is about Mr. Darcy, with his love as an afterthought.

Meaning: One must truly know, understand, and love their spouse to achieve a happy marriage outside the bounds of societal prejudices and personal prides.

You can see this especially with Lydia.  She married without knowing Wickham, and is doomed to be unhappy, whereas Lizzy shed her pride and prejudices in order to truly know Mr. Darcy and has a happy marriage. The satiric narrative voice highlights the ridiculous prejudices.