Dear Abby Blog: Brett

Dear Abby,

I am 37, never married, and have never even dated much. I am quiet, shy, overweight and plain. I have been seeing a man who is 42 years old, and who has also never been married. He has proposed, but I haven’t given him an answer because I don’t think I really love him. He is very good to me and treats me like a queen, but there is absolutely no spark. (There’s also no sex. He’s impotent and has no plans to do anything about it.)

My question is: Do I marry him and “settle”, just to be married, or do I live the rest of my life alone? Is it better to take this chance and marry my best friend, or should I wait for a Prince Charming who might never arrive?

Please answer this question in the newspaper. I don’t want anyone to know I’m such an indecisive fool.

 

Dear unmarried,

Marriage is overrated. Don’t be concerned, you should neither marry nor “settle” down with this man. He is impotent. How can you be “settled” or even satisfied with an impotent man? You say he treats you like a queen, but who says that there aren’t any other fish in the see that will do the same? Listen, you don’t need a Prince Charming. A Prince Charming will enter your life, but you don’t need one. I’ll let you in on a little secret; when it comes to relationships, what’s really important is the ability to make love. Frankly, you wont have that opportunity with this man.

You will be wanted, desired, and adored in due course. You will never have to pay your own bills, and won’t have any obligations. Each day, several men will follow you. Why can I say this with such confidence you may ask? It’s quite simple really. If you can manage to project yourself as an intellectual, beautiful, and strong-willed individual, you will be able to manipulate people a fair bit.

I urge you, do not make the mistake of marrying your best friend, because you will end up being unsatisfied with him and will simply long for that Prince Charming. You will be constantly unsatisfied unless you take the initiative to change others’ perception of yourself. Darling, your image has to change. Quiet, shy, overweight, and plain? Let’s be real here, it’s no wonder you’re in this situation right now. If you make those simple changes to your image, you’re going to be finding men far younger than this 42-year-old friend of yours. Yes, dating younger men, it is a possibility and a reality for us. We can manipulate almost any man if we project the right image.

The Sun Also Rises Ch. 15 – 17

I feel that one of the strongest passages from chapters 15 to 17 in The Sun Also Rises is when Montoya introduces Jake to the bullfighting prodigy, Pedro Romero, and Jake and his friends watch Romero’s performance at a bullfight.

Jake and his friends are in complete awe while watching Pedro’s performance. Specifically Brett, who begins to view Pedro more as a partner than a performer. Romero gives the audience “real emotion”, which is ironic for Jake and his friends because they are part of the lost generation, and hence cannot experience the same emotions that most people do. Romero is young, innocent, and the complete antithesis of a member of the lost generation. His bullfighting technique is genuine and evokes “real emotion”. Hence, Romero is a foil as he carries himself with dignity and confidence at all times, unlike Jake and his friends. Furthermore, his passion for bullfighting gives his life meaning and purpose. I believe that it is this zest, this purpose, which Brett finds in Pedro to be significant. Unlike her normal group of depressed, dejected circle of friends in Paris, Pedro epitomizes the opposite of “Brett’s reality”. We know that she herself does not draw much happiness from her own independence, and her own life is rather aimless and unfulfilling. However, her encounter with this strong, handsome, masculine bullfighter makes her realize that her own untraditional feminist behavior can be a threat to others. Therefore, she decides to leave Pedro as she understands that she is a threat to both him and his career. This serves as a significant turning point in the novel, because Brett realizes her ability to manipulate and influence other people, as she has done with Cohn, Mike, and Jake throughout the novel.

Brett wants an escape from the lost generation, and seeks to do so by finding purpose in her life. Her purpose is to find a stable, worthwhile relationship, which is why she continues to wander from one relationship to the other throughout the book. She is both uncomfortable with one man, and insecure about being alone. Pedro serves as a solution in Brett’s eyes, a true masculine man free from the pitfalls of the lost generation. However, through their interaction and brief love stint, Brett is alarmed when she realizes her ability to influence and manipulate others, causing her to leave Pedro.

Interaction: Chapter 7 Blog Analysis (Partner)

I agree with my partner’s significant passage selection from chapter 7 of The Sun Also Rises. However, I believe that the purpose of the passage is to illustrate how Brett does not want to distance herself from Jake because she adores him, but forces herself to think otherwise for her own good.

Jake expresses his love for Brett directly, stating, “Couldn’t we live together Brett?? Couldn’t we just live together?” Brett ignores these expressions of love and refuses to reciprocate any kind of warm emotion towards Jake. However on the inside, Brett is longing to give Jake the answer he hopes for. She goes on to explain how their lack of a relationship is her fault, almost trying to guilt trip Jake. “It’s my fault Jake, It’s the way I’m made.”

Brett’s behavior further supports the idea of a “guilt trip” when she explains her need to get away from Jake. When asked why she cannot live with Jake, she responds, “Better for you. Better for me.” However, from Brett’s short sentence structure, we can assume that she is emotionally weak. When we feel depressed, we often speak in shorter sentences and have trouble enunciating our thoughts. Similarly, Brett is attempting to appear strong and apathetic on the outside, but her speech reveals her internal distress.

 

http://rohit617.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/chapter-7-the-sun-also-rises-passage-selection-and-analysis/

Chapter 6 The Sun Also Rises Passage Selection and Analysis

I chose this passage from Chapter 6 (pg. 51 – 52) because I felt that it illustrates how Cohn’s love for Brett is spoiling his ability to think and perform. Within the passage Jake emphasizes how Cohn is having trouble writing his book and that ‘’when he fell in love with Brett his tennis game went all to pieces’’. Similar to the beginning of the book, Jake provides his character sketch of Cohn, mentioning in the passage that ‘’I feel I have not shown Robert Cohn clearly’’. The purpose of the passage is to provide the reader with a significant insight into their relationship. Jake utilizes literary terms such as diction, imagery and tone to portray his perception of Cohn. The statement that resonated with me the most was “If he [Cohn] were in a crowd nothing he said stood out.” The passage really brings out the complexity of Cohn’s character, explaining the aspects of both his “external” and “internal” character. Specifically, the beginning of the passage suggests that Cohn is a “softie” and both easily manipulated and insulted by what Harvey says. Cohn walks out of the restaurant after Harvey jokes about how ‘’you [Cohn] don’t mean anything to me’’. Evidently Cohn is irritable and cannot seem to control his emotions. Moreover, this is the first passage where Jake explicitly states that Cohn loves Brett, which is interesting as Jake’s tone is very rough when describing Cohn. This indicates how Jake is jealous of Cohn as they both share a mutual interest: Lady Ashley.

 

“No, it wouldn’t. That’s where you make your big mistake. Because you’re not intelligent.”

‘’Cut it out about me.’’

‘’Sure,’’ said Harvey. ‘’It doesn’t make any difference to me. You don’t mean anything to me.’’

‘’Come on, Harvey,’’ I said. ‘’Have another porto.’’

‘’No,’’ he said. ‘’I’m going up the street and eat. See you later, Jake.’’

He walked out and up the street. I watched him crossing the street through the taxis, small, heavy, slowly sure of himself in the traffic.

‘’He always gets me sore,’’ Cohn said. ‘’I can’t stand him.’’

‘’I like him,’’ I said. ‘’I’m fond of him. You don’t want to get sore at him.’’

‘’I know it,’’ Cohn said. ‘’He just gets on my nerves.’’

‘’Write this afternoon?’’

‘’No. I couldn’t get it going. It’s harder to do than my first book. I’m having a hard time handling it.’’

The sort of healthy conceit that he had when he returned from America early in the spring was gone. Then he had sure of his work, only with these personal longings for adventure. Now the sureness was gone. Somehow I feel I have not shown Robert Cohn clearly. The reason is that until he fell in love with Brett, I never heard him make oner remark that would, in any way, detach him from other people. He was nice to watch on the tennis-court, he had a good body, and he kept it in shape; he handled his cards well at bridge, and he had a funny sort of undergraduate quality about him. If he were in a crowd nothing he said stood out. He wore what used to be called polo shirts at school, and may be called that still, but he was not professionally youthful. I do not believe he thought about his clothes much. Externally he had been formed at Princeton. Internally he had been molded by the two women who had trained him. He had a nice, boyish sort of cheerfulness that had never been trained out of him, and I probably have not brought it out. He loved to win at tennis. He probably loved to win as much as Lenglen, for instance. On the other hand, he was not angry at being beaten. When he fell in love with Brett his tennis game went all to pieces. People beat him who had never had a chance with him. He was very nice about it.

Blog Portfolio Q1

Below are a number of posts representing my personal thoughts on certain topics. Some of these topics have been initiated through the HL English class, while others have been posted based on my own personal interests. I encourage you to read them, and post whatever comes to mind. Whatever your opinion, feel free to share it.

The majority of the posts in this portfolio involve various interpretations of poetry and plays. We’ve read Shakespeare’s As You Like It and Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises this quarter, both independently and during class. After reading through my classmates’ blog posts, it has been interesting to see how varied our interpretations of a single play are. Furthermore, all these interpretations have been justified so succinctly, that I’ve realized that there is no “correct” answer or analysis to a play, as long as your analysis is justified through excerpts of the literary work.

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.”

William Shakespeare

Coverage: These are the required blog entries for Blog Portfolio #1.

What Is Comedy?

Character Chart

Reflect on Act 1

Film vs Text

The Use of Sarcasm

Director’s Cut

Jacques as an Antagonist

Comic Life

Jake and Cohn

TSAR Allusions Ch. 11 – 12 

Sorley’s “Route March” Outline

Depth: These are the blog posts where I felt I went far and beyond. I thought about these topics and conducted outside research while talking about the issues at hand with my peers. (Some of the posts contain their reactions)

TSAR Allusions Ch. 11 – 12

[Original Outside Research/Bibliography In Post]

The Importance of Rosalind’s Banishment

[Original Outside Research: http://www.english.cam.ac.uk/classroom/terms.htm]

The Question of Authenticity – “The Director’s Cut: Interviews with Dominic Cooke and Michael Boyd”

[Original Outside Research: http://www.bardweb.net/globe.html]

Interaction: This post was created based on a discussion between Naoise and I on the apparent lack of an antagonist in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. I decided to post on my blog not only a rebuttal, but also an analysis of the situation.

Naoise: Someone is Missing

Discussions: As expected, some of my posts incited a number of varied responses on certain issues. Debate ensued in some cases, and conclusions were made. It was rewarding to see comments on my blog; I felt that people were clear when presenting their opinions and ready to share and discuss their ideas.

Jake and Cohn: Batman and Robin or Partners in Crime?

Jacques The Antagonist?

Xenoblogging:I feel that one of my strengths as a blogger is my ability to post detailed responses and questions to peoples’ blog posts. I made sure to follow up on their responses, and contribute to the entire online class community

-Comment Primo

Rohit

Alice

Komali

Tim

James

Rahul

Georgia

Wild Card: The wildcard was a highlight for me. I wrote about 9/11 and the bombings in Bombay, comparing the Indian response to the Bombay blasts to the American response to 9/11. Although my wildcard did not incite a lot of comments, that was not its objective. The wildcard was simply a post by me, for me.

There Is No “I” In Terror: Why Does India Remain Haunted?

Sorley’s Route March Outline

1. Step 2
   1. Nature of the whole?

i.     Optimistic tone despite dreary, dark topic

1. What kind of work?

i.     Non-fiction poem

1. Type:

i.     Free verse

1. Audience:

i.     Young soldiers that are taking part in WW1

1. Purpose:

i.     To illustrate the thoughts of soldiers as they marched during war and to motivate the audience that their efforts are recognized and worthwhile.

1. Function of the poem is to illustrate how the author views war itself as a soldiers’ journey on a virtually never-ending march which will inevitably end in death; therefore, they should accept their fate.
2. Step 3
   1. Who:

i.     Charles Hamilton Sorley is the narrator

1. A soldier in WW1 (1895-1915)
2. WW1 Poet
3. To Whom:

i.     Sorley is speaking to fellow soldiers in their war

1. What:

i.     They are currently fighting in WW1.

ii.     This ties back to the central purpose of the poem, which is to illustrate the soldiers’ common predicament of being on a march towards death.

1. Where:

i.     The setting is in World War One, most likely on a battlefield between British forces and an Axis power.

1. How:

i.     Tone:

1. Illustrates the author’s attitude towards war.
2. The tone is accepting, which contrasts sharply with the content of the poem.
   1. Accepting — Dying in Battle

ii.     Diction:

1. Pleasant Diction:
   1. Gladness
   2. Joyful
   3. Blossomed
   4. Cast away regret and rue
   5. Bursting into song

iii.     Purpose:

1. Connects back to the purpose, and how soldiers should accept their grim fate.
2. What Patterns:

i.     Structure

1. Some portions of the stanzas are indented
   1. The indented portions serve as responses to the questions posed in the beginning of the stanza

i.     “When the bullet reaches you. [Indent] Wherefore, men marching On the road to death, sing!”

1. What Tension:

i.     The tension is the contrast/conflict/irony between the tone of the poem and the content.

1. So What?

i.     Primarily the tension, how, and what illustrate the central purpose of the poem, which is to convey the idea that soldiers’ should both accept and anticipate death as an inevitable aspect of being a soldier in war.

1. Step 4

i.     The dominant-effects of ironic tension, diction, and  setting illustrate the central purpose of the poem, which is to convey the idea that soldiers’ should both accept and anticipate death as an inevitable aspect of being a soldier in war.

1. Step 5
   1. I have decided that the diction, setting, and ironic tension created by the tone in the poem create an accepting approach to death in battle, thereby conveying the central purpose of the Route March.

i.     Diction:

1. The words chosen are ironic as they evoke emotions completely different than one would expect from a soldier.

ii.     Setting:

1. The setting is a grim battlefield, yet the tone of the poem is fairly accepting rather than depressed or dejected.

iii.     Ironic tension:

1. The contrast between the central purpose and both the setting and diction create the ironic tension.
2. Step 6:

Charles Hamilton Sorley’s use of diction, setting, and tone in Route March convey the central purpose that soldiers’ should both accept and anticipate death as an inevitable aspect of serving in the army.

There Is No “I” In Terror: Why Does India Remain Haunted?

On September 11th, 2001 two commercial airplanes were hijacked and later crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.  A third airplane crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth was taken over by passengers and crashed into an open field. Approximately 3,000 people died, and more than 6,000 were left injured.

The whole world watched as Manhattan, along with the rest of the United States, mourned.  The US realized that they were no longer invincible, and the thought of destruction still stands as a point of unity for true blue Americans.

Following these horrific events, the United States set up the Department of Homeland Security, which has risen to become the third largest cabinet department in the US Federal Government.  The Department’s efforts in heightening security are evident in American airports, malls, and political institutions.

Seven years later on the 26th of November, more than 10 coordinated bombings took place in heavily populated locations in Bombay, India. Media reported that over 160 people lost their lives, and around 300 were injured. Bombay mourned for around a month or so, and then managed to move on; it was just the usual charade of politicians being blamed and UN peace announcements and the situation was left as is. Bombay seemed to pick itself up.

But for yet another scare.  Three years later on July 14th, three bombs took off in the Opera House, Zaveri Bazaar, and Dadar West Localities with over 20 deaths, and around 130 injured. In a recent briefing, congress spokesman Manish Tawari talked about the security in Mumbai in relation to the relapse, stating that “the Police security needs to always be lucky with their capacity.  A Terrorist Organization only needs to be lucky once.”

Can we honestly afford to leave our lives in the hands of those who believe that Indian security is only effective due to luck?

On May 1st 2010, terrorists attempted another attack in New York City. In Times Square, terrorists planted a bomb in a car, but their attempt was foiled when the New York City Fire Department diffused the bomb after being alerted by two street vendors. Moreover, the perpetrator was caught two days later just as his flight was about to leave the airport. Quite impressive, isn’t it?

The question I would like to have answered would be why we didn’t stop it from happening again? As much as we’d like to point our fingers at corrupt politicians, shouldn’t we have known better than to put hope in this type of security? No, the fault lies within us as well.  We have been so desensitized by all the death and poverty around us that even these bombings couldn’t stop our daily lives.  When 9/11 happened the entire US stood still.  When 26/11 happened, only the people living in Indian metropolises and around Bombay were truly disturbed.

The population of a nation is what can make a government concerned and motivated enough to take action isn’t it?  We have rights as citizens to voice our opinions, so why hasn’t there been a cohesive effort from the Indian population to induce the government to start an institution like the Department of Homeland Security? If anything, our response to these situations should be immediate as we are the largest democracy in the world.

Furthermore, the difference in the media’s response to 26/11 and 14/7 is appalling. One distinction between the two bombings in Bombay is the social and economic class of those affected. On 26/11, bombs went off in affluent locations such as the Taj Hotel, and as a result, wealthy people were among the dead. However on 14/7, bazaars were blown to bits, areas which were less inhabited by the rich and famous. The tension and sensitivity in the media regarding the situation is significantly lower than three years ago, perhaps due to this economic disparity between those who perished. A life is a life, regardless of the social or economic class.

Evidently, India has a long way to go with regards to active responses to these kinds of unwarranted, sudden terrorist attacks.

Allusions that lead to a greater understanding of Hemmingway’s Characters. TSAR, Ch. 11 – 12.

From chapters 11 to 12 in Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises, a number of allusions are made in order to give the reader a greater insight into Hemmingway’s characters.

The chapter starts off with Bill and Jake boarding a bus on their way to Burguete. Their bus is overflowing with Basques, an ethnic group which inhabits the Basque Country, a region located to the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay between Spain and France (Hizkunea, “Project Gutenburg”). The significance of Bill and Jake’s encounter with the Basques is that it highlights how Jake and his fellow expatriates share similar interests with the Basques: heavy drinking. Furthermore, one of the Basques’ central homes is the Kingdom of Pamplona, where Jake, Cohn, Mike, Brett, and Bill are about to reach on their holiday (Hizkunea, “Project Gutenburg”). The Bull Runs, “enciero”, originated in the Basque Country during Pamplona’s festivals, and it is at an “enciero” where Brett meets Pedro.

Jake and his friends are part of the “lost generation” due to their experiences in World War One. The Basques also took part in an unforgettable battle, the Battle of Ronceveaux, which resulted in the massacre of Frank forces (Bulfinch, “The Battle of Ronceveaux”). Ironically, the Basques themselves are part of their own “lost generation” due to their ancestors’ experiences in the Battle of Roncevaux (Bulfinch, “The Battle of Ronceveaux”). This is further supported by their strong passion for drinking, as illustrated on the bus ride prior to Jake and Bill’s arrival at the monastery of Ronceveaux.

Overall, these allusions tell us more about each individual character as we move deeper into Book Two of the novel, where the majority of the rising action takes place and conflict takes place.

The Fratellinis were a famous circus family that was particularly popular with Parisian intellectuals from 1900 to 1920 (Arts Du Cirque, “Academie Fratellini”). Lady Brett considers herself to be a Parisian intellectual, as she references the Fratellinis. Similar to Jake and Cohn, Lady Brett is noticeably insecure about herself as well, as she emphasizes and stresses her knowledge of the Fratellinis, pretentiously putting on an intellectual façade. We see the same insecurity with Jake and Bill in chapter twelve, with their respective references to William Jennings Bryan, Mencken, Frankie Frisch, and Bishop Manning.

Bryan was a strong liberal supporter of democracy, peace, and prohibition. Bill compares himself to Bryan, stating that they were like brothers. This suggests that Bill too is a strong democrat, strongly against ideas that went against the church such as evolution and Darwinism (PBS, “Monkey Trial – People & Events”). This is further supported by the fact that Bill went to Holy Cross, the oldest undergraduate Roman Catholic college in the US (Long, “College of the Holy Cross”).  Bill also states that Mencken was a classmate of his. Mencken was an American journalist and satirist who criticized American life and culture. Known for his controversial ideas, Mencken was sympathetic to the Germans and was strongly against British “propaganda” during World War One. More importantly, Mencken stood against Christian Fundamentalism, the existence of God, and organized religion (M, “Project Gutenburg”). Based on what we have inferred from Bill in relation to Bryan and Holy Cross, we can assume that he and Mencken did not get along as they shared very different ideals.

Jake and Bill are both expatriates and wish to be successful in Paris. Bill cites Frankie Frisch as one of his friends, one of the most successful German-American expatriate baseball players in the Major Baseball League (M, “Project Gutenburg”). Evidently, there is a motif of insecurity in The Sun Also Rises; Bill most likely because he wants to show off to Jake that he knows one of the most successful expatriates.

Similarly, Jake cites Bishop Manning as one of his acquaintances. Bishop Manning was a US Episcopal bishop of New York, and served as a volunteer chaplain during World War One (Cantebury, “William Manning”). Also an expatriate, Manning is someone Bill and Jake would aspire to be like. Bill is upset with Jake’s statement, and goes on to say that “It’s a lie. I went to Loyola with Bishop Manning myself” (pg. 127). Jake and Bill are clearly both incredibly insecure about their social status, as they both catch each other fabricating friendships with various famous, successful expatriates.

Following this minor debate, Jake accuses Bill of being cock-eyed, or drunk, leading to his reference of Wayne B. Wheeler, an American attorney and prohibitionist who influenced many political groups and eventually the US government to prohibit alcohol (WARGS, “Ancestry of Wayne B Wheeler”). I feel that this reference is more of a joke than an insight, as they are simply making fun of the fact that they are both drunk and citing Wheeler to make their situation ironic.

AEW Mason, was a British politician and novelist, famous for depressing novels such as The Four Feathers (1902) (PBS, “Monkey Trial – People & Events”). AEW Mason wrote books on war, but despite that Jake reads his books. Mason’s books, especially the novel Jake is reading, is particularly depressing, which makes me wonder why Jake would want to remind himself of the dreaded war which trapped him in the “lost generation” in the first place.

Bill is a troublemaker, goading Jake to make an ironic joke about Primo de Rivera to the waiter. Rivera was a harsh Spanish dictator in power from 1923 to 1930, and famous for opening a National Assembly, an entirely new political system (Britannica, “Miguel Primo De Rivera”). When Jake responds by saying he’d rather make a joke about “what jam they think they’ve gotten”, Bill states how Jake has no pity and doesn’t understand irony. Bill is clearly looking to make trouble on their vacation.

Bill is a radical individual who speaks bluntly. Bill makes a controversial statement by stating that the “Dred Scott case was framed by the Anti-Saloon League”. The Dred Scott case ruled that black slaves were not protected by the US Constitution and could therefore not be considered citizens (Oklahoma State University, “Anti-Saloon League”). This court case was highly controversial with regards to the issue of slavery in the US, and created tension between the North and South. Moreover, we can tell that Bill is clearly against the southern mindset regarding prohibition, and is therefore most likely to be from the urban northern United States based on his reference to the Anti-Saloon League, the leading organization which promoted the ratification of the 18^th amendment, which established prohibition in the US (Oklahoma State University, “Anti-Saloon League”). Evidently, Bill is someone who speaks his mind and may even fabricate facts.

Bill concludes their conversation by alluding to President Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge was the 30^th President of the United States and was a republican; he employed conservative policies and strongly believed in government regulation of the economy (US Senate, “Calvin Coolidge”). Within the context of the passage, Bill is talking about dreaming, which is odd coming from a member of the “lost generation”. Bill is clearly looking to break free from the “lost generation”—unlike Jake illustrated by his passion for AEW Mason’s works—and to take charge of his life as an expatriate. He is looking for an outlet, or rather a permanent escape from his dreary life, just as Cohn and Lady Ashley are from their own respective lives.

 

MLA Bibliography

“18. The Battle of Roncesvalles. Vol. IV: Legends of Charlemagne. Bulfinch, Thomas. 1913. Age of Fable.” Bartleby.com: Great Books Online — Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and Hundreds More. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.bartleby.com/183/18.html&gt;.

Academie Fratellini -Dedale-Centre De Formation Aux Arts Du Cirque. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.academie-fratellini.com/&gt;.

“American Experience | Monkey Trial | People & Events.” PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/monkeytrial/peopleevents/p_bryan.html&gt;.

“Ancestry of Wayne Bidwell Wheeler.” WARGS.COM Home Page. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.wargs.com/other/wheeler.html&gt;.

“ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE.” Oklahoma State University – Library – Home. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/A/AN013.html&gt;.

“Art & History Home Calvin Coolidge, 29th Vice President (1921-1923).” U.S. Senate. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/VP_Calvin_Coolidge.htm&gt;.

“Browse By Author: M – Project Gutenberg.” Project Gutenberg – Free Ebooks. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/m&gt;.

“Content_Hizkunea.” Index.html. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.euskara.euskadi.net/r59-3693/en/contenidos/informacion/artik9_1_integrazioa_06_07/en_integraz/artik9_1_integrazioa_06_07.html&gt;.

“Dred Scott Case.” PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2933.html&gt;.

Long, James D. “College of the Holy Cross.” Grounds Maintenance | How to Care for Your Lawn, Landscape, Turf, Grass. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://grounds-mag.com/snow_ice/1998_august_college/index.html&gt;.

“Miguel Primo De Rivera (Spanish Dictator) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia.” Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/476543/Miguel-Primo-de-Rivera&gt;.

“William Thomas Manning.” Project Canterbury. Web. 09 Oct. 2011. <http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/wtmanning/&gt;.

Jake and Cohn: Batman and Robin or Partners in Crime?

Our class discussion on Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises began with the relationship between Jake Barnes and Robert Cohn. For a significant number of pages in the first chapter, Jake recounts Cohn’s life story in a very negative light. From this behavior, we can see that Jake is very insecure about himself. From his past experiences we know that Jake was rendered impotent during WWI. Masculinity during the interwar period, and even today, is something taken very seriously and builds a man’s pride. Unfortunately, Jake’s impotency makes him insecure because he feels less masculine. Furthermore, both he and Cohn have a strong affinity towards Brett, who isn’t willing to commit to a long-term relationship with either of them. Cohn and Jake evidently have similar interests, which in addition to the context of Jake’s life, clarifies why Jake has displays a particular hostility towards Cohn in the first few pages of the novel.

While analyzing Cohn’s character, we came to the conclusion that he was an insecure, easily malleable character. However, I feel that Jake is as malleable as Cohn is for several reasons. Cohn is ridiculed by the other characters in the book—particularly Jake and Mike—about Cohn’s servile attitude towards Brett. However, Brett controls Jake in a similar manner as illustrated towards the end of Book 1. Jake is madly in love with Brett but hides these emotions unless he and Brett are alone, such as the instance in the cab. Brett complains to Jake about how miserable she is and how she leads an aimless life, similar to Jake and Cohn who are members of the “Lost Generation”, participants in WW1 who have lost their beliefs in morality, emotions, and have difficulty finding meaning in life. Rather than trying to move on, Jake runs to Brett whenever she is in need, despite the fact that she clearly has feelings for men other than Jake, and is unwillingly to commit to a relationship with him due to his impotency. In my eyes, Jake doesn’t like Cohn because they are—when one looks closely—very similar indeed. Even though Brett does not authentically reciprocate the love that Jake and Cohn display for her, they endure the pain in the hope of one day winning her over.

What separates Cohn from Jake is that Jake is able to subtly hide his insecurity in comparison to Cohn. While Cohn physically follows Brett wherever she wanders Jake stays put, although mentally he is elsewhere just as Cohn is. In addition, Jake appears to have a better understanding of his standing in life and the “Lost Generation” than his expatriate peers. In chapter II of Book 1, Jake tells Cohn that “You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to another” when Cohn suggests a trip to South America for the both of them following his completion of The Purple Land. Therefore, although we may consider Jake to be one of the stronger and independent characters in The Sun Also Rises, he is just as easily manipulated as his expatriate peers, specifically Cohn.

Interaction: No Antagonist…?

Naoise states that there is an apparent lack of an antagonist in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. He considers two potential characters as antagonists, Jacques and Touchstone. However, I disagree with the idea that either of them are antagonists.

Touchstone is a fool. As we know from our discussions in class, fools are motley individuals, and although they can be mischievous at times, have no intentions of being openly hostile or opposed to someone enough to create adversaries.

With regards to Jacques, I believe that he is not an antagonist, but rather, a foil. A foil is a character that contrasts with and therefore emphasizes and enhances the qualities of other characters in the play. Jacques, although a melancholy and cold individual, also has no intentions of creating any adversaries and is not a very combative character. He does stand out in the overall context of the play in terms of his personality, however, that does not mean he is a traditional antagonist. Evidently, he does not wish to create conflict, but merely comment on the social aspects of the depressed life that he perceives. In fact, Naoise supports my argument by saying “he [Jacques] often changes his point of view simply because another character has changed theirs”.

Evidently, neither Touchstone nor Jacques is an antagonist. Naoise states that “…think of an antagonist as a character that offers a different opinion to that of the protagonist then Jacques is the perfect example”. However, we me must understand that this is not appropriate evidence to consider Jacques as an antagonist; rather, he is a great example of a foil. Although the traditional antagonist, Oliver, becomes somewhat of a protagonist in the final Act, it happens to late and is not cited enough in order for the audience to truly empathize with Oliver’s sentiments as a supposed protagonist. We don’t necessarily need an antagonist in order for As You Like It to be considered a traditional play, as it already contains the majority of the elements of a Shakespearean pastoral comedy.

[http://naoisemcmanus.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/someone-is-missing/]