Step 1: Choose a thematic category from your group work and organize the accompanying set of quotations into chronological order from earliest in the book to latest.
Step 2: At the top of your comment write your first name and first initial of your last name. Also write the thematic category.
Step 3: (A) Type out the first quotation in its entirety. (B) Explain the context for the quotation. (What's going on in the novel before and after the quotation? How is the context significant?) (C) Explore everything you see as significant in the quotation. (Shed some light on all the strands you see there.)
Step 4: Repeat step 3 for each of the quotations in the thematic category.
Step 5: Write a paragraph that gives offers a bold, insightful conclusion about your insights into the thematic category and the quotations.
Step 6: Post your comments in the comment box by pumpkin time on Monday, November 22.
Louisa B.
ReplyDeleteThe Diction of Physical Metaphors
“Suck was a queer word. The fellow called Simon Moonan that name because Simon Moonan used to tie the
prefect's false sleeves behind his back and the prefect used to let on to be angry. But the sound was ugly. Once
he had washed his hands in the lavatory of the Wicklow Hotel and his father pulled the stopper up by the
chain after and the dirty water went down through the hole in the basin. And when it had all gone down
slowly the hole in the basin had made a sound like that: suck. Only louder.
To remember that and the white look of the lavatory made him feel cold and then hot. There were two cocks
that you turned and water came out: cold and hot. He felt cold and then a little hot: and he could see the names
printed on the cocks. That was a very queer thing” (chapter 1).
This quote occurs in the first chapter of the book, within the first ten pages. Stephen is still very young, and curious about words and there meanings. One of the boys calls Simon Moonan a suck (which the notes says means teachers pet) because he tells Rody Kickham not to kick the ball once more because a prefect is watching. Stephen ponders the word suck in the quote, and then after talks about sums and Father Arnell. It is interesting that in the plot there was no mention of language or words, the passage above comes directly out of Stephen's head as he seems to take the reader on a tangent. It embraces the stream of consciousness style of the book, and it is clear that he is younger in this because he is more susceptible to distraction.
My group placed this passage in this thematic category because we felt that it exemplified the connection that Stephen makes between words and physical feelings. In class we talked about how our brains form metaphors which are not learned but are inherent. The article posted on the blog explains this well. There are many metaphors though which have become dead, and to me the word “suck” is one of them. We use it in day to day context to describe something that we do not like but in this passage Stephen examines the word in different light and causes me to think about the word itself. He brings up the vernacular meaning (the teachers pet) but also talks about it as a sound and then describes his physical response process (hot/cold).
“His soul sickened at the thought of a torpid snaky life feeding itself out of the tender marrow of his life and fattening upon the slime of lust.” (chapter 3).
This quote is in chapter 3, and occurs when Stephen is on his way to the chapel to confess after the long sermon. He is forcing himself to the church to confess his many sins, and brings up the image of the serpent through which we are clearly brought to a connection with Adam and Eve. After this quote Stephen does confess his sins, but not without a fair amount of nervousness.
This sentence was packed with metaphors. “sickened..torpid snaky...tender marrow...fattening...slime” are all words that bring up intense physical reactions. When we hear this sentence we cannot help but be disgusted, which was perhaps the exact reaction Joyce was going for. He wanted readers to connect with Stephen and feel the same emotions about sin and he did this through evoking metaphors that our minds would undeniably pick up on.
“His sins trickled from his lips, one by one, trickled in shameful drops from his soul, festering and oozing like a sore, a squalid stream of vice. The last sins oozed forth, sluggish, filthy.” (chapter 3)
ReplyDeleteThis quote comes up only a few pages after the previous one. It is a description of Stephens confession, and ties in directly with the physical feelings that Joyce evokes in readers in the last quotation. The priest is asking Stephen for a full recount of his sins and Stephen finally lets them out, not in a rush but in a slow trickle. The priest ultimately forgives Stephen for his sins and once Stephen is absolved his world suddenly seems brighter.
Like the last quotation, these two sentences are also filled with metaphors. Once again Joyce is urging readers to connect with Stephen on a more than intellectual level, he is drawing us in on a physical level as well.
Through this exploration of the quotes on the category we can perhaps gain a deeper look into the metaphors the Joyce laces the book with. He is looking to connect us into Stephens life, though both the style (the stream of consciousness approach gives us insight to Stephen's uncensored mind) and through physical feelings. It seems that the novel is looking to draw out all of the readers senses, and gives us the emotions that the protagonist is feeling. Because of this we are perhaps more able to understand the journey of the artist even if we are not particularly aesthetically inclined.
Kelly Benson
ReplyDeleteIdentity (race)/Ireland
“No God for Ireland. He cried. We have has too much God in Ireland. Away with god!” (pg. 39, chapter 1)
Our group found this quote to have its own battlement of emotions when we looked at it. It showed pride, disgust, ethnocentrism, fear, and definitely rebelling. When this quote was spoken by Mr. Casey there was already a high tension happening in the room because their conversation was heated and nerve-racking. He went so far as to jump across the table and yell at Dante. When this was shown in front of Stephen, he didn’t know how to react, should he take sides with the man yelling about how the government should only be run by the government and not god? Or should he side with Dante who believes that everything is under the rule of god? At such a young age Stephen didn’t know what he should do, all he could do was look up to his father to respond along with his reaction. Yet when he saw the tears in his dad’s eyes, he was lost and afraid that there was no right answer, only arguments to prove a point that doesn’t actually solve any problems, it just shows what your opinion is. And your opinion is what makes up you, the problem is, is that your opinion is formed by who surrounds you.
“Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race.” (Chapter 5)
How old is Stephen? Honestly, when people say that someone acts older than their age, they must be talking about Stephen. What this has to do with race and Ireland is probably self explanatory. Stephen has tried many things in life, becoming extremely concerned with his surroundings, rebelling in a way with a prostitute, becoming extremely religious, and then rebelling against his mother and family. For a boy that isn’t even old enough to drink yet, he sure has had a lot of experiences in his life. And just like every story we’ve ever read, the building of who a character is and what they want to be, is all dependent on what the experience are that they’ve had.
“I will tell you what I will do and what I will not do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe whether it call itself my home, my fatherland or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defense the only arms I allow myself to use—silence, exile, and cunning.” (Chapter 5)
In this quote, I really want to focus on the part where he says “whether is call itself my home, my fatherland or my church: and I will try to express myself…”. To my group and I, we saw that Stephen found that no matter what he believes in, he will never do something that bothers his character. He obviously has doubts what his religion does at this time in the book, so he doesn’t want to take part in anything that will haunt him in the future. This is where you can see Stephen taking initiative, he has finally found comfort in speaking up and out about how he feels, without feeling the embarrassment of the different ways people responds. He can now at this point confidently tell someone that he kisses his mother without feeling as if he said the wrong answer. Because when it comes to what your identity is, and what makes up your identity, then there really is no wrong answer, as long as it satisfies you.
Jacklyn L.
ReplyDelete“alone”
“He was alone. He was happy and free: but he would not be anyway proud with Father Dolan. He would be very quiet and obedient: and he wished that he could do something kind for him to show him that he was not proud.”
At this point in the book he realizes that he had been acting to proudly with the money he received from the contest. Stephen realizes that he has to get over being proud so that he can fit into the world around him. He wants to find someone that will care for him like a father should and he is hoping that Father Dolan would fill that void.One of the most prominent strands in this quote is Stephen being alone. Throughout the book as a whole Stephen has always been the outsider looking in on everyone else. This however does not bother him as Joyce suggests because it is always when he is alone that he is happy and free. This is possibly due to the fact that he does not feel tied down by human restraints any longer. He also wishes here which is a rare occurrence because usually he prayed for something, but wishing brings in a whole different element that praying does not. Also the idea of him not being proud is strange because it is a concept he deals with throughout most of the book of whether or not he should be proud of who he is and he does not discover the answer until the end.
“He felt that he was hardly of the one blood with them but stood to them rather in the mystical kinship of fosterage, fosterchild and fosterbrother.”
At this point in the story Stephen had started to meet with prostitutes. He feels as though he is unclean and that is why he does not belong in his family. It is in this chapter that Stephen will perform most of his morally wrong deeds. Joyce also tells the reader more about Stephen’s father as a teenager and the reader is able to pick up the parallels between these two characters in the story. Again the idea of being alone is prominent in this passage. Being alone in the general population is one thing, but being alone within a family adds a whole new layer to this book. Alone in a family makes the reader feel bad for Stephen and when one is a teenager they can truly connect with Stephen because at some point or another chances are they felt that way also. The idea of mystical is also interesting. This is because most of the book thus far had talked about God, but when mystical is mentioned most think of witches and wizards and other things of that nature. To bring it up now makes it seem that Stephen is not one with his family because of his views about God.
“His destiny was to be elusive of social or religious orders.... He was destined to learn his own wisdom apart from others or to learn the wisdom of others himself wandering among the snares of the world.”
This passage takes place shortly after Stephen has confessed his sins. Stephen at this time feels weightless because he no longer feels as though he has the fires of hell licking at his shoulders. On the same note though Stephen is still terribly afraid that he will fall and for that he walks a careful line between being a saint and being a sinner. Also it is during this time that Stephen will have his epiphany. Alone becomes different here for he is now to be elusive. This means that he may not truly be alone, but for most times he shall be away from the general population away from normal human contact and for that he will be alone. They also talk about destiny and wisdom which is interesting. How they word it seems to be that one can not be truly wise until one is able to know and own their destiny. The question however seems to become how can one know their own destiny if they are not wise. Joyce seems to be saying that Stephen can not be wise because he is so unsure of where he wants to go in life that he may never find his true destiny. He also wanders showing that he is lost, but possibly he is only lost within his mind.
Jacklyn L.
ReplyDelete“The snares of the world were its ways of sin. He would fall. He had not yet fallen but he would fall silently, in an instant.”
This quote is during the same time as the previous quote. At this time he knows that he is completely entangled in his sins and that he knows that there is no escaping them and that he has to learn to live with his mistakes because they are now apart of him or he will fall. He is alone in this quote because the way Joyce words it one must be alone to fall. Also snares show entrapment he is falling because he cannot free himself from the sin that he so carefully placed himself into. This shows that maybe Stephen does not have as much will as one would originally think to free himself himself from the daily sins that he commits.
“The spell of arms and voices: the white arms of roads, their promise of close embraces and the black arms of tall ships that stand against the moon, their tale of distant nations. They are held out to say: We are alone. Come. And their voices say with them: We are your kinsmen. And the air is thick with their company as they call to me, their kinsman, making ready to go, shaking the wings of their exultant and terrible youth.”
This is said at the end of the book. Stephen has found himself and his place in the world. At this time Stephen has decided that he wants to become Daedalus the artificer, but then realizes that is his father so he in turn becomes Icarus who is destined to fall. He is living with his family which in turn makes him more restraint. The ending is in dairy form which is the second thing that he writes in the book and it shows the artist he is becoming. This talks about being alone, but however it is not in the singular tense this is a group of people who are alone with each other because they are separated from the world. In this quote Joyce is talking of Ireland and many people who want its independence while the rest of the world wants it to remain under the control of England. It also talks about kinship something that Stephen does not feel like he has so this quote comes to represent the opposite of who Stephen is in some cases.
The quotes talked about above are all god representations of Stephen’s feeling of aloneness. Throughout the book Stephen struggles with feelings of inadequacy. He never knows if he truly belongs with people around him or if he is better off alone remaining separate from the world. The quotes also show that Stephen is overly conscious about the world around him and this effects him greatly because it adds to why he commits sin. Joyce seems to suggest that Stephen commits sins because he is so unconnected with the world that to feel any type of love at or to just dim the aloneness he feels he must sleep around to cut of the pain even if it is for just small portions of time. By doing this however he is cutting himself off from the rest of the world and that is why he realizes that sinning is getting him no wheres and why he tries different times to reconnect with some people, such as Father Dolan. By the end of the book Stephen realizes that its ok for him to be alone because he can become the artist he always wanted to be even though in the end he knows that he is going to fall just as Icarus did. Alone is a major theme in the book because even as Stephen tries to get close to people they push him away, such as his family. However even as he tries to get friends, Joyce makes it so that the reader can see that he will never truly fit in with his friends because he is so different from them. Stephen is alone most of the time because he thinks differently from everyone else. This is seen when he has his epiphany which is so different than any way a boy would think. In the end though aloneness plays a prominent role throughout the story Stephen seems to overcome it in the end of the book which allows for Joyce to show a person’s capability to overcome adversity.
Edan L.
ReplyDeleteFather, Help me out, But understand that I don’t want your help: (father’s and the paradox between freedom and dependence)
“He was alone. He was happy and free: but he would not be anyway proud with Father Dolan. He would be very quiet and obedient: and he wished that he could do something kind for him to show him that he was not proud.” (End of Chapter 1)
Stephen delivers this quote after seeking help from the rector concerning the flogging that he received from the prefect. During this time, Stephen is still attending his very first jesuit college. He was unfairly beaten by the prefect, and his peers encourage Stephen to notify the rector. After leaving the rector’s office, Stephen feels rejuvenated, as if a great weight has been lifted off of him (kind of like how he feels after his great confession). Stephen sprints down the hall, as if he is flying. To take this a step further, he is carried in the air by his classmates in celebration(as if he is flying). Then almost instantly, he was alone. He delivers this quote, and this is one of the reader’s last pictures of Stephen at this school.
I see this quote as a centerpiece of Stephen’s confusion between freedom and security. Before I say anything else, it’s funny, freedom versus protection is a theme that came up heavily in Wide Sargasso Sea/ Jane Eyre, and Invisible Man. During the quote, Stephen uses some contradicting words: “happy”, “free”, and “quiet”, “obedient”. Stephen is always convinced that he craves freedom, especially as a young adult. Here we see Stephen posses this freedom. He is flying, “happy”, and “free”. But Stephen falls. He is now “alone”, no longer being carried by his classmates. He almost unconsciously deflates his freedom with guilt. Father Dolan is a father figure that offers protection. Stephen is willing to surrender his freedom, become “quiet” and “obedient”, and do favors for Father Dolan!
“Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead.” (End of Chapter 5)
This is the ever famous ultimate line in the novel, Stephen’s last journal entry. He is prepared to leave Ireland forever. Stephen has been frustrated by the oppression from his country, family, and religion, that only he seems to be able to identify. He is convinced that to abscond from his surroundings is the only way to achieve freedom. He is also convinced that freedom is his single desire.
First off, the paradox between freedom and dependence: this is supposed to be Stephen’s pinnacle moment. He is facing “freedom” in the eye and he asks for security and protection! The repetition of “old” makes me think of something that has been around for a very long time. It is assumed that Stephen is talking about Dedalus, the old artificer. Maybe so, for he is pleading that he don’t fall. Stephen is already ambiguous about the idea of leaving, and this final image is full of his uncertainty.
One thing to note is that both of these quotes occur at the end of their chapters. Stephen flies up to the brim of freedom and falls back several times during the story. Chapter 1 and 5 end with Stephen on the edge of freedom, reluctant to take off. When Stephen talks about “father” he means security. Father can refer to Father Dolan (or Catholicism, which he symbolizes), his literal father (or his country and family, which he symbolizes), the shelter of his many schools, or Dedalus, the old artificer. Each represent security, something that he pushes way and then embraces, over and over again. Stephen calls to Dedalus during the last line, his escape. Dedalus escaped his prison, the island that he was trapped on. The bottom line is that Stephen follows a meandering path, a result of his ambiguity in his true desires.
Michelle R.
ReplyDeleteNew beginnings /opportunities
“White pudding, eggs, and sausages and cups of tea. How simple and beautiful was life after all! And life lay all before him.
In a dream he fell asleep. In a dream he rose and saw that it was morning. In a waking dream he went through the quiet morning towards the college.
The boys were all there, kneeling in their places. He knelt among them, happy and shy. The altar was heaped with fragrant masses of white flowers: and in the morning light the pale flames of the candles among the white flowers were clear and silent as his own soul.”
With this quote we can clearly see that Stephen’s world is opening up to a new beginning and he has new opportunities in his life. This quote occurs the day after Stephen goes to a church and confesses his sin of sleeping with the prostitute to a priest, who offers him forgiveness. The fact that Stephen slept with the prostitute has bothered him ever since he did and he has felt full of remorse, guilt, and fear that his soul will go to hell. No he is begging to let go of the incident and start his life over. When Joyce says “And life lay all before him” he is referring to the fact that now that Stephen had confessed his sin his life lays all ahead of him, new opportunities are awaiting. When Stephen goes to church the next morning, it is the first time in awhile that he feels he belongs there, with all his classmates and can finally receive the sacrament without feeling guilty. Kneeling among his classmates, he now feels happy and shy, which s signifying one of the first times he has felt comfortable in church since the incident with the prostitute. “The candles among the white flowers were clear and silent as his own soul,” Joyce uses this quote to signify that because Stephen has been forgiven, his soul is cleared from its previous sin; he is now a clean blank slate.
“Life became a divine gift for every moment and sensation of which, were it even the sight of a single leaf hanging on the twig of a tree, his soul should praise and thank the Giver.”
This quote also represents a new beginning for Stephen. He begins to devote himself entirely to religion, God, and the church. He is trying to erase all feelings of uncertainty of whether or not he was truly forgiven for his sin. By saying “Life became a divine gift for every moment and sensation of which,” Stephen begins to realize that God loves him and was given his life as and expression of his love. Stephen now begins to see the world as one vast expression of God’s love, when he says his soul should praise and thank the Giver”. This realization starts a new life for Stephen. He begins to make himself purposefully uncomfortable, especially when he is sleeping because he feels he must be fully devoted to God so that he is truly forgiven. A start of a new beginning and many new opportunities lead to an epiphany that Stephen has at the end of chapter 4.
Both the quotes my group chose offer a bold insight on new beginnings and new opportunities which were a prominent theme of the end of chapter 3 and chapter 4. These quotes were both placed at the end of chapter 3 and begging of chapter 4 on purpose, by Joyce. The quotes occur right after Stephen confesses to a priest that he slept with the prostitute and is given forgiveness. He is now beginning to realize that things will be ok and is not so flustered with going to hell. The quotes mark the period of a new beginning for Stephen, which includes many new opportunities. Now that he is forgiven he begins to devote him self to God fully and strive for his love and acceptance, even if it means alienating everyone else in his life.
Mac H.
ReplyDeleteFlight
“His heart trembled; his breath came faster and a wild spirit passed over his limbs as though he were soaring sunward. His heart trembled in an ecstasy of fear and his soul was in flight. His soul was soaring in an air beyond the world and the body he knew was purified in a breath and delivered of incertitude and made radiant and commingled with the element of the spirit. An ecstasy of flight made radiant his eyes and wild his breath and tremulous and wild and radiant his windswept limbs.” (pg. 148 brown book)
At the end of Chapter four we see this statement or conclusion that Stephen has discovered. Before he concludes this idea of himself, he reflects on his similarities to Daedalus, “a hawklike man flying sunward above the sea,” and his name “the Fabulous artificer.” This idea of flight to Stephen is a way to rise above bad situations and build a new soul. This statement at the end of the chapter is declaring his artistic ambition. He wants become an artist and to create and build this new soul, to rise above his sins that have have imprisoned him, making him unable to lift off. He is creating and building this new soul as a response to his miseries and sins. Birds are mentioned throughout the novel usually representing purity as Stephen declares himself as “purified” and they are able to fly because they do not have sin weighing them down. He is clearly making a big statement about himself in response to his environment. He is showing where he wants to go, to be, from expressing his inner being by his soul and then using flight, Stephen concludes he must make art, make wings to respond to his environment, which overall explains his creation of a new soul to respond to imprisonment.
“When the soul of a man is born in this country there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight. You talk to me of nationality, language, religion. I shall try to fly by those nets.” (pg. 180 brown book)
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter five Stephen and Davin have a conversation about his country Ireland and Stephen talks about ignoring those nets while Davin responds by saying, “a man’s country comes first.” Stephen states that the soul is born slowly and separate from the body . The soul is dark and is being pulled down by nationality, religion, language and those he wants to fly past. This association of flight with Stephen’s soul stems from his affiliation with Daedalus. Daedalus created wings of feathers and wax, a "hawklike man". Stephen sees his soul flying on metaphorical wings that he as an artist created and like Daedalus, he must fly to escape what he perceives to be his prison (Ireland/sins), and the "nets" it casts to hinder his flight (nationality, language, religion). These nets and things that define him are also things that judge him and imprison him into someone he does not want to be. It is if he feels all the things he rejects in his environment are sins within his soul keeping him from taking flight. He has this force upon him that he is trying to fly by, but the nets are strong, full of acceptance from others (Davin) or full of an identity that Stephen knows is a part of him that he can still not get rid of even if he does not have faith in them anymore.
“...watching their flight? For an augury of good or evil? A phrase of Cornelius Agrippa flew through his mind and then there flew hither and thither shapeless thoughts from Swedenborg on the correspondence of birds to things of the intellect and of how the creatures of the air have their knowledge and know their times and seasons because they, unlike man, are in the order of their life and have not perverted that order by reason. And for ages men had gazed upward as he was gazing at birds in flight.” (pg. 199 brown book)
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter five Stephen looks up and sees birds and reflects on their meaning and existence. In this section Stephen compares birds to humans and how humans have tried to be like birds. He reflects that men have always tried to fly and have been greatly interested in the idea of flight. He goes on after this quote and refers to the Yeats plays and that the swallows represented freedom. Stephen wants to fly above evil and wants his soul to rise without anything holding him back, but he is thinking about how birds don't have to think about their freedom their environment that is creating such a heavy identity. He explains that birds just know how to fly as if their soul and body are not separated but are one. Birds can fly and will fly, it is just the “order of their life” and reason is put aside. Reason is not something they have to think about they do not have the judgement, the sins, the definitions of themselves. Birds in order to fly do not have to accept or reject their environment because they go through the order of things without questioning it, without asking for reasons. Stephen then explains how men have always looked to the sky and that he, just like all of them, want this freedom. He wants that flight above all that is his world down at ground level, he wants to fly above it all and be free.
This theme of flight is used in so many ways especially in representing Stephen and his soul and his environment. We see throughout the book this pattern of flight as Stephen moves upwards and downwards in relation to his soul, his inner self and his acceptance of his surroundings. Flight is well represented by Birds which are are mentioned throughout the novel because they represent purity and they’re ability to fly is because they do not have sin weighing them down. They represent freedom and the ability to rise above all the nets. Stephens reference to flight is so strongly tied to his affiliation with Daedalus. Stephen’s idea of flight is his soul flying on wings that he created like Daedalus, he needs to escape what he understands to be his prison (Ireland/sins), and the "nets" (nationality, language, religion) that prevent his flight.
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ReplyDeleteSean D.
ReplyDeleteFood
“Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo. . . .
His father told him that story: his father looked at him through a glass: he had a hairy face.
He was baby tuckoo. The moocow came down the road where Betty Byrne lived: she sold lemon platt.
O, the wild rose blossoms
On the little green place.
He sang that song. That was his song.
O, the green wothe botheth.
When you wet the bed, first it is warm then it gets cold. His mother put on the oilsheet. That had the queer smell.” (Joyce, 3)
This is a quote of the first lines of Joyce’s novel. Joyce introduces the reader to a young and naive Stephen, and to his family. Following this introduction, Joyce unveils one of the central problems for Stephen: religion (we have previously discussed the Vances, the Protestant family, in class). Although the only instance of food in this passage may appear to be the lemon platt, it has a much more prominent role. Joyce’s use of “moocow” and “hairy face” makes the reader consider Stephen and his father as animals. Stephen’s role can be seen as a cuckoo bird as in his status as “baby tuckoo.” His father is feeding him culture like a bird feeds its young. Joyce establishes Stephen as a young bird that is unprepared to leave the nest, while his father is compared to a moocow. Before the reader knows Stephen’s position and feelings toward his family, Joyce reveals his alienation toward them. Stephen’s rendition of the song is that both the rose and place are green. It can be assumed that the moocow eats both the rose and the grass. The rose and grass could be interpreted as symbols of English and Irish culture respectively. The moocow (his father) takes in both; unaware that he is even doing so. After this quote, Stephen states that he will marry Eileen Vance (a protestant), and is urged to apologize for saying this. He is unaware of the religious tension prevalent in Ireland, and no one believes it is necessary to explain it to a child. Instead, his aunt essentially says that his family (“the eagles”) will attack him and disown him (“pull out his eyes”); therefore instead of raising him as their own young, he will be exiled from the nest. Food in this quote is very abstract; however, the lemon platt (and later the cachou) can be seen as rewards for Stephen’s good behavior. This once again alludes to Stephen being an animal, as he is being given treats like a dog.
“He sat looking at the two prints of butter on his plate but could not eat the damp bread. The tablecloth was damp and limp. But he drank off the hot weak tea which the clumsy scullion, girt with a white apron, poured into his cup. He wondered whether the scullion’s apron was damp too or whether all white things were cold and damp.” (Joyce, 10)
ReplyDeleteBefore this quote, Stephen had been involved in a competition in sums. The children are given rewards for being the first to answer the sums correctly, and the colors of the rewards cause Stephen to remember the song about the green rose from the earlier quote. At Clongowes, the children are being educated but their education has a British influence. Joyce makes the reward for first place red, and has the other child win it to emphasize that Stephen is different from the other children and in a way acknowledges the role of nationality in his life (he could have won, but he chose not to). In a way, Stephen strives to be Irish (his desire for a green rose). Joyce foreshadows that Stephen will need to leave English dominated Ireland to obtain/retain his Irish identity (“But perhaps somewhere in the world you could [have a green rose]”). As a child Stephen does not yet have the means to escape this problem. The other children do not recognize it and are thus similar to Stephen’s father (the moocow), and absorb the dominant culture with no questions asked. After this quote, Stephen states that Nasty Roche and Saurin drink cocoa and call the tea “hogwash.” This quote establishes Stephen’s refusal to be fully assimilated into English culture, and by drinking only the tea, takes in only the necessities of English culture. The fact that Nasty Roche and Saurin have cocoa means that they are well off, and further touches upon Stephen’s alienation from the school’s society (“All the boys seemed to him very strange.”)
“His soul sickened at the thought of a torpid snaky life feeding itself out of the tender marrow of his life and fattening upon the slime of lust.”
Before this quote, Stephen had been at the religious retreat and had “wept for the innocence he had lost.” Stephen recognized that he had committed a mortal sin and realizes that he must confess to redeem himself in the eyes of God. He calls to his guardian angel to drive away “the demon that was whispering to his brain.” Joyce alludes to the Garden of Eden in this quote. Stephen does not wish to be like Adam and Eve and eat the forbidden fruit, because they were turned away from God. Stephen’s religious upbringing and the retreat cause him to fear God and so he calls to his guardian angel to banish the serpent from tempting him.
Food as a theme may be overlooked by many when they read this novel. Joyce uses it to comment and expand upon Stephen’s situation and problems. In order to view Joyce’s comments, one must look at the passage very abstractly and connect it to other themes. Examining Joyce’s usage of food will open up new views within the novel. While I was reading the passages before and after some of these quotes, I noticed that the number seven and thirteen appear near the beginning and end of the book. Is there any significance of the Vances living “in number seven” and Stephen counting thirteen birds near the library toward the end of the book? Seven is often associated with good luck. Thirteen, on the other hand, is associated with bad luck; this is due to its connection to Friday the thirteenth, when the Knights of the Templar were killed. Do these numbers serve as sorts of omens and how do they tie in to the novel?
Kara S.
ReplyDeleteLoneliness/Outsider
1. An abyss of fortune or of temperament sundered him from them. His mind seemed older than theirs: it shone coldly on their strifes and happiness and regrets like a moon upon a younger earth. No life or youth stirred in him as it had stirred in them. He had known neither the pleasure of companionship with others nor the vigour of rude male health nor filial piety. Nothing stirred within his soul but a cold and cruel and loveless lust. (Chapter 2)
This quote occurs late during the second chapter. He is in Cork with his father. They went there to sell their things. At the particular time of this quote, they are in the bar. And Mr. Dedalus is drinking with what Stephen describes as ‘two cronies’. This quote is Stephen making very drastic comparisons between himself and the older men. He acknowledges how differently he views himself and the men. It sounds as though Stephen is thinking of himself much too highly, as many teenage boys sometimes do. On the other hand, it also seems as though Stephen is not giving himself as much credit as he should. It seems as though he feels he has no life left in him. And that is certainly not true. He is still very young and has no idea what lay ahead for him.
2. The noise of children at play annoyed him and their silly voices made him feel, even more keenly than he had felt at Clongowes, that he was different from others. He did not want to play. He wanted to meet in the real world the unsubstantial image which his soul so constantly beheld. (Chapter 2)
This quote occurs very early in the second chapter. Just before this occurs, he is thinking about his time he spent with the milkman, helping him deliver his stock every evening. He came to the realization that he was not going back to school because his father was in trouble. It bothered him all the changes that he was going through at home because of this, and he sought an outlet for his soul’s unrest. He found this in wandering around Dublin in the quiet evenings. In this particular quote he is reflecting upon the feeling he gets while he is trying to rest his soul’s discourse and he is interrupted by the children who have no cares, unlike himself. Stephen harbors many strong feelings about his life and life in general that is not common for children of his age. I believe that Stephen is aware of this, and this leads to the rift he feels between himself and these other children.
3. The spell of arms and voices: the white arms of roads, their promise of close embraces and the black arms of tall ships that stand against the moon, their tale of distant nations. They are held out to say: we are alone. Come and the voices say with them: we are your kinsmen. And the air is thick with their company as they call to me, their kinsman, making ready to go, shaking the wings of their exultant and terrible youth. (Chapter 5)
This quote occurs at the very end of the book. There are two more journal entries after this before the ending. Right off the bat, what stuck out to me about this quote was the “we are your kinsmen”. I immediately thought of Daedalus and Icharus. I truly believe that this is who the “we” throughout this quote is referring too. They are alone, and so, he is alone. Maybe because they are his kinsmen, meaning that he comes from them, and so they are one in the same. When they are alone, so is he. “And the air is thick with their company as they call to me, their kinsman, making ready to go, shaking the wings of their exultant and terrible youth.” This only reinforces everything that I thought about this quote from the very first time I read it. It is a direct connection between himself, Stephen, and his creators, Daedalus and Icharus. I feel as though this is the first time in the book where Stephen feels a true connection with anyone or anything.
Quote 12: “The snares of the world were its way of sin. He would fall. He had not yet fallen but he would fall silently, in an instant.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote is clearly an allusion to Daedalus’s son from Greek mythology. In the story, Daedalus warned his son not to fly to close to the son or else the wax would melt and he would plummet to his death. We all know that this happened. Within this quote, Stephen is flying to high in the sky, his wax is melting from his wings, he is only a moment away from falling. And Stephen knows he is about to fall, just like Icarus, Daedalus’s son realized to late, that he was going to fall. Icarus flew to close to the sun, and once the feeble, not-extremely-strong wax melted away—which he took for granted—gravity did its deed. Stephen does not make a direct reference to the sun here, but he does display gravity’s powers. Sinning would lead to Stephen falling. The world was filled with sins, and any one of them could drag Stephen down from flight. Stephen is alone; nothing can save him from falling but his own ability to flap towards a lower altitude. If he could bottle his desire to touch the sun, if he could humble himself to less than what he wants out of life, then maybe he could save himself from self-destruction, from melting the wax off his back.
“When the soul of a man is born in this country there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight. You talk to me of nationality, language, religion. I shall try to fly by those nets.”
Stephen sounds very antisocial here. Stephen does not wish to participate socially by communication (choosing a language), and has a hard time deciding how to choose between/find the middle ground between Irish nationalism vs. religion. Choosing one of these options over another tie him to it, as if it the option alone defines him. He cannot let himself be defined by one belief when he also has ties to another. Stephen believes he has a soul, and he was born with a pure, untainted soul. However the sins he commits tarnish his soul, while tying himself to only one idea restricts his soul’s freedom. An artist is a free spirit, a free soul, not leashed to any one defining idea. For Stephen to be a true artist, to be true to himself and his beliefs (notice the plural), he has to keep reaching for the sun and fly away from the situations that push him to choose one idea over the other. However the mental debate he has over which ties pull at him more strongly keep him from getting to close to the sun. Those matters linger over him, weighing him down, keeping him from getting to close to the sun, just barely slowing down his inescapable, inevitable plummet.
Andrew Mizzoni
ReplyDeleteF Block
“The holy encounter had then imagined at which weakness and timidity and inexperience were to fall from him.”
At this moment in the story Stephen is walking around the streets at night contemplating his sexual thoughts. Mercedes runs through his mind and his rebellious nature is beginning to emerge. Stephen then meets up with a prostitute and sleeps with her after he succumbs to his desires.
This quote is important to the theme of the story because Stephen is stuck between religion and his sexual desires. At this point of the story Stephen has not yet given up on his religious desires to succeed and be a good catholic student. During this adolescent age teens suffer from the internal struggle that nature put them in. Stephen is showing how his weakness to his desire falls through from the religion that he wishes to follow. His childhood corruption forced him into the weakness and timidity that he is experiencing at this point. Stephen knows that it is wrong to dabble in his sexuality however his weakness falls through in the prostitute. All themes of religion weakness and sexuality connect with each other in Stephen’s life. Weakness is always eminent when he sleeps with prostitutes because he knows what he is doing. He knows that he is sinning during his lust and that is what makes the story so interesting. Religion has only a small significance over his decisions during his adolescence which sets up for the themes of the ending story.
“He would fade into something impalpable under her eyes and then in a moment, he would be transfigured. Weakness and timidity and inexperience would fall from him in that magic moment.”
At this moment Stephen is riding his bike delivering milk to make a living and his mind begins to wander. He is thinking about Mercedes although he knows that it is wrong to do so. He feels that he is expressing weakness and timidity when his mind begins to wander against his morals.
The importance of this quote lies in how Mercedes is most mentioned with weakness and timidity. Mercedes is a symbol of his weakness that his knows is wrong. She represents what he knows is wrong but cannot help himself. He views her as a rebellious thought that he finds desirable despite it being wrong. At times of boredom he is most vulnerable to his sexual desires because his mind because empty. When he is in constant stress such as his father’s money problems or social acceptance Stephens mind remains on religion. It most wanders when Stephen is placed in an uncomfortable situation such as school or a job. Mercedes symbolic character to his weakness is constant throughout the book. Religion and sexuality are the greatest clash that is frequent in the story. The greatest change between the beginning of the story and the end is Stephen’s connection to his religion. Without religion people’s true identity is revealed because they are not working under anyone. Stephen understands his sins and attempts not to sin under the influence of religion however his sexual desires overcome him when he loses his religion. The turning point of the story is when Stephen loses his religion because the strongest influence throughout the hold story is religion.
ReplyDeleteJosiah B.
ReplyDeleteLoss of innocence-gain of security/experience
He would fade into something impalpable under her eyes and then in a moment, he would be transfigured. Weakness and timidity and inexperience would fall from him in that magic moment.
This excerpt, drawn from chapter two, is a part of Stephen’s many dream sequences. He is thinking about a fictional female character that he had conjured up named Mercedes, and imagining a secret meeting between them, or a “tryst” as Joyce calls it within the text. It is the basis of his sexual desire at a fairly young age. He wishes to find his fantasy, to “meet in the real world the unsubstantial image which his soul so constantly beheld.” After reading this passage and the surrounding paragraphs, it is easy to see the correlation between his dream and the eventual meeting between he and the prostitute. Two sentences preceding the quote show the setting between the two events to be quite similar. “They would meet quietly as if they had known each other and had made their tryst, perhaps at one of the gates or in some more secret place” and that they “would be alone, surrounded by darkness and silence.”
The holy encounter he had then imagined at which weakness and timidity and inexperience were to fall from him.
This quote is lifted from chapter three, and serves as a precursor to Stephen’s experience with the harlot. The narrator is describing Stephen’s thoughts and, in this specific paragraph, he is treating the loss of sexual innocence as a freeing one. In fact, as stated in the quote itself, he sees it as a “holy encounter.” We discussed this in class, but I feel it goes deeper than that. It is more about how Stephen creates a strange paradox; what the church considers a sin, Stephen treats like a sacrament. He strives to discover the meaning of life around him alone, without the aide of outside forces. In fact, he seems to reject the forces he sees as bossy or controlling (the church, his parents, his peers). Such is the rebellious side of Stephen, the artist in the making.
Both quotes seem to foreshadow his growth as an independent thinker, as exhibited by this quote in chapter four: “His destiny was to be elusive of social or religious orders…he was destined to learn his own wisdom apart from others or to learn the wisdom of others himself wandering among the snares of the world.” The use of language between the quotes is similar as well; falling, weakness, timidity, inexperience, they all words used in each quote. For Stephen, the loss of innocence leads to a gain of security and experience which he would have never found if tied down by the world around him. Such is the essence of my chosen quotes.
Megan K
ReplyDeleteThe Soul
“His childhood was dead or lost and with it his soul capable of simple joys, and he was drifting amid life like the barren shell of the moon.” P.102
This quote comes just before Stephen is confronted with his first sexual encounter with a prostitute and just after he cashes in his reward for his literary prize, the money which he was going to use to try to reunite his family. Stephen sees then that he cannot join his family with any type of common bond because they have drifted so far apart over the course of a few years. Stephen, possibly the most removed member of his family, feels the repercussions of this and takes a long look at himself. He was still just a child no matter how much he tried to become otherwise and he was sick of it. His childhood had brought him nothing but pain, exile and misery and hadn’t felt like much of a childhood at all. This instance with his family, the last time he would try to pull them together so he could feel some kind of bond at all with another person, was the last straw for Stephen. He was an empty shell and this shell symbolized his whole childhood. Once and for all he was going to become an adult so he could put his terrible past behind him and the only way he could think of doing this was to spend his hard earned money on the prostitutes and sexual fantasies.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! He would create proudly out of the freedom and power of his soul, as the great artificer whose name he bore, a living thing new and beautiful, impalpable, imperishable.” P.184
This quote comes when Stephen is waiting for his father to come to him with news on his possible emission into university. As he is waiting a group of his friends come up to him and call him ‘Stephaneforos’ his Greek name that coincides with the myth of Daedalus. Stephen reflects on this myth and remembers how Daedalus constructed wings so he could escape capture and being in the situation that he was in the story gave him much hope. At this point in time Stephen was still not exactly sure what he wanted to do with himself in life and he had gone through many different identity changes to get to that point in his life. When he remembered Daedalus’ story and recognized the common bond between himself and the mythical man he believed that he would also gain the power to figuratively gain the wings to escape his imprisonment. In that moment Stephen believed he had become a new being that would no longer listen to the nagging and prodding of the people around him and who would be able to live life the way he wanted to without worrying about every sin or troubling the people around him. He would become his own person and was now a free independent.
Megan K
ReplyDeleteThe Soul
Stephen Dedalus: Welcome, O Life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul and the uncreated conscience of my race. P.252-253
This quote comes at the very end of the novel when Stephen has finally and fully come into his own being. He is welcoming this new chapter in his life as he had welcomed the many others in the past and was saying that he was ready to start building a new story for himself. Again Stephen is making a new identity for himself because he was not satisfied with the last whether it had been childish Stephen, sinner Stephen, holy Stephen or studious Stephen. He was excited to be known by this new Stephen and is ready to start building a new conscience for himself in which his thoughts and morals would become completely different from what they were the last time in order for him to never become like the Stephens before this one.
We see through these quotes that Stephen never really changes throughout the novel except for the situations he puts himself in. His soul is always in the same place. He was always looking to be a more mature person who could either gain the respect of others or do things his own way without any trouble, but he was always frowned down upon in some way which in turn made him into the depressed teenager that he was. In time Stephen changed his identity multiple times and each time he got closer and closer to the person he wanted to be. He wanted to be someone who was independent and who could think for themselves without worrying about what others thought or preached. He wanted to make his own set of rules and I believe he knew this throughout the whole novel, it’s just that he was too scared of what others might say or of the repercussions it might bring to do so. Once he finally had his revelation with Daedalus something switched within his soul that allowed him to finally change his mind set. He would no longer linger on the thoughts of what others thought or of what ‘God wanted’. To be happy Stephen knew he only had to become the person he wanted to be and it didn’t matter what anyone else had to say about it because in the end he only had himself to worry about and he knew this all because he had finally looked deep down within his soul for all the answers to all of his troubling problems.
Emily P. Birds/Flight
ReplyDeleteJames Joyce uses references to the Daedalus myth to highlight the rises and falls of Stephan’s journey of finding his identity, or becoming a man. As well as many name references to the myth Joyce draws attention to the myth in certain parts of the novel by using bird, or flight imagery. Stephan becomes a man as he loses his weakness and timidity another common theme in the book, as he loses these adolescent qualities he flies in the book. As he comes to realizations about his foolishness, or feels ashamed he falls just like Daedalus falls in the myth. At one point in the story where Stephan is rising, he first notices the adolescence of others and feels above them, “It was a pain to see them, and a sword-like pain to see the signs of adolescence…Now, as never before, his strange name seemed to him a prophecy.” Here Stephan is growing, realizing a little bit more of his identity, and accepts his name. Following this is clear imagery symbolizing Stephan’s flight, “a hawk-like man flying sunward above the sea, a prophecy of the end he had been born to serve and had
been following through the mists of childhood and boyhood, a symbol of the artist forging anew in his workshop out of the sluggish matter of the earth a new soaring impalpable imperishable being?” Here it seems that the flight metaphor shows the growth he goes as a person as he realizes something that causes him to develop into the troubled artist he becomes. He “realizes” that his role in the world, or his meaning to life possibly is to become the artist that “creates new” out of already existing matter. He was destined to become an impalpable imperishable artist, or one that cannot be reached or understood, and that is undying. From realizing something about Stephan’s place or identity in the world he “flies” like Daedalus in the myth. And another reference to the myth is in the fact that Stephan has become one who “forges” new from matter, or an inventor just like Deadalus’s dad in the myth. “His throat ached with a desire to cry aloud, the cry of a hawk or eagle on high, to cry piercingly of his deliverance to the winds. This was the call of life to his soul not the dull gross voice of the world of duties and despair, not the inhuman voice that had called him to the pale service of the altar. An instant of wild flight had delivered him and the cry of triumph which his lips withheld cleft his brain.” By knowing his identity Stephan becomes a hawk, or an eagle and flies in the wind, wanting to cry like a bird. After becoming an artist Stephan has to express himself, by becoming an inventor. I believe throughout the novel Joyce uses birds and flight imagery to show Stephan’s growth as an artist, and his search for his identity. As he finds himself he flies, and as he fails and feels ashamed he falls like Daedalus in the myth.
Mr. Cook your stupid blog said there was an error and i lost my post, needless to say i was so angry that i ripped my shirt off then i had to get another shirt, and realizing i put it on backwards i ripped that one off too....now im shirtless and postless. unless i can do all of what i just did in 50 minutes...lets see
ReplyDeleteEvan, I'm racing you.
ReplyDeleteEthan Bergeron
ReplyDeleteSex
So I only have partial notes on the quotations from my partner Molly so I apoligize if I appear vague or incomplete with my following work on this blogpost.
"He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to her, body and mind, conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting lips. They pressed upon his brain as upon his lips as though they were the vehicle of vague speech; and between them he felt an unknown and timid pressure darker than the swoon of sin softer than sound or odour."
This quote happened when Stephen had sex with a protistute. The amount of power Joyce put into the power of the description really makes this scene become one of the important thematic focal points of the book where the isuue of sex is brought up. This was the moment in which he lost his innocence and probably helped him in not becoming a priest later on in the book.
"... looking humbly up to heaven, he wept for the innoncence he lost." This is later in the book where obviously Stephen expresses remorse for his actions. This thought was brought up by the catholic priest's fiery sermon about heaven and hell.
So I think sex was the primarary reason for Stephen's fall from the grace of god. It scarrs him through out the book. Sex also seems to give him the most exciting or memorable feelings he has ever had. The whole "softer than sound or odour seemed" really sends a strong message to the reader. I think he would play the wonderful role as a husband or a lover. But alas he is nobody.
Grant Weaver
ReplyDeleteA Block
“Storytelling”
“Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo….His father told him that story: his father looked at him through a glass: he had a hairy face. He was a baby tuckoo. The moocow came down the road where Betty Byrne lived: she sold lemon platt.
O, the wild rose blossoms On the little green place.
He sang that song. That was his song.
O, the green wothe botheth.
When you wet the bed first it is warm then it gets cold. His mother put on the oilsheet. That had the queer smell.” pg. 3
This quote is composed of the very first lines of the book, so there is no previous context to draw upon. This is significant though because the reader is introduced through this add combination of phrases. The reader is ‘thrown into the fire’ and is forced to make their own assumptions. Following is the continued upward progression of Stephens youth, abruptly becoming more [not fully (is there ever?), but better] aware of his own life and the world around him, ultimately leading up to his time at Clongowes. This context is important because it allows the reader to both understand the why the quote is so…awkward (The reader then realizes it is not awkward or strange, just childish). It also gives insight into Stephens’s childhood, showing how he developed, and possibly giving some explanation to what caused Stephen to be Stephen.
There are a couple important things in this quote, a couple of strands, so to speak. Stephen’s Father, the other is of course, his art and his relation to art Stephen’s perception of his role in the world. With this simplistically worded quote, the references to his father are not hidden and do not really need to be decoded. It is his father, a kind and nice man, simplistic and caring. As with many things throughout this quote, he rapidly becomes more complicated. Stephen first starts exploring art at this young age. He (through the narrator) talks of stories and even goes so far as reciting lines of songs. He is also able to describe many things around him, in detail, something you would not expect an average child to do. The strongest thread, in my opinion, is the one about his self-centered view of the world, nay, the universe. He keeps repeating the word “he”. It is HIS father (x2), HIS baby tuckoo, HIS song, looked at HIM. Stephen is already placing himself in the center of things, but he is a baby after all, too bad nothing changes throughout the novel.
Grant W.
ReplyDeleteA Block
"Storytime"
“The figure of that dark avenger stood forth in his mind for whatever he had heard or divined in his childhood of the strange and terrible. At night he built up on the parlor table an image of the wonderful island cave out of the transfers and paper flowers and coloured tissue paper and the strips of the silver and golden paper in which chocolate is wrapped. When he had broken up this scenery, weary of its tinsel, there would com to his mind the bright picture of Marseilles, of sunny trellises and of Mercedes.” pg. 54
This quote is in the first few pages of the second chapter, isolating the quote in context that is relevant to it, Stephen is “hanging out” (willingly?) with his Uncle Charles, who while talking about politics, is teaching Stephen to run. We as readers are given the feeling that Stephen is not exactly happy about this whole situation. After recounting the tale of Mercedes and The Count Of Monte Cristo Stephen then talks of the milkman he and a friend share, talking about riding along with him and the cows. This is all-important because it contrasts what the world wants Stephen to be and what Stephen wants to be. I am not saying that he aspires to be a milkman, but he does consider it. This places the quote in the middle of this conflict, allowing Stephen to have some escape and to be truly happy.
This quote is such a meaningful one and yet I am having trouble finding meaning, I know it is there, I can feel it there, but what is it? The strands I see are ones relating too Stephens perception of the universe (his universe), nature, and paper. Again we the reader can see so many he/him’s referring to Stephen’s perception of himself, the (tone?perception?). It is interesting that his self-emphasis is so prevalent at this point in the book where he is facing an Invisible Man like scenario (what do THEY want me to “be” v. what do I want to “be”). Nature is mentioned here, most importantly, in my opinion is the cave on the island. As we discussed in class today (11/22) it is often found in stories that the hero goes into a cave/hole/darkness/at it alone. Here Stephen does not even go into the hole, and it is not even in “real life”, but in Stephens’s imagination. Flowers and sun are also in the passage, countering the “dark avenger” at the start of the quote. Paper is a mini-strand that I have noticed and one that I thought might have been an obscure one until I looked closely at this quote. I will be honest; I have no clue what it means. Covering up ones identity possibly?
“26 April: I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race.
27 April: Old father, old artificer, stand me now and ever in good stead.” pg. 225
The setting of this quote is Stephens’s journal entries, the last two (the first of which is incomplete). The context that relates directly is logically, which is not something that we usually find in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, is directly preceding journal entry. Here Stephen via the narrator hanging out in Stephen’s brain/floating above him talks about kinsmen twice, relating directly to the question of his race’s conscience (kinsmen → countrymen) and his father issues (kinsmen → family). This sets the tone and informs the reader that Stephen will be posing the issues that have plague him so often.
The two strands in this quote are race/identity and father. Stephen has throughout the book fought to find himself, fought with the issue of whether or not to identify with something (or anything!) whether it is religion, race, or language. Father here is not only (if at all) relating to Stephen’s biological father. It could be a religious father (priest) or maybe even a divine (aka God) father. This is just another example of Stephens search for himself.
Grant Weaver
ReplyDeleteA Block (aka the good block)
"Storytime"
CONCLUSION: To sum it up Stephen is a unique character who is well, messed up. From the very beginning Stephen has had a unique way of seeing the world, more observational and thoughtful than any other, yet this has seemed to only cause him harm. Stephen is forced into an imaginary world in which he is happy; he has met a girl with whom he can be happy, free of outside influence. This inner world does not define or satisfy Stephen and he continues to look outward for satisfaction. He is never (in our time “knowing” him) able to find his true identity, but it is not for lack of though. I cannot say that he tries to find is identity, for he often resists titles, but he is always informed of roles he could fulfill, and is often pushed towards them. This ambiguous definition of Stephen is not limited to just the character, but ultimately affects everyone, including the reader.
Alea C.
ReplyDeleteConnection to the soul/creation
“When the soul of a man is born in this country there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight. You talk to me of nationality, language, religion. I shall try to fly by those nets.”
This quotation is from chapter five of the novel after Steven leaves the library and engages in an argument with Cranly and Temple and other students. The young men are discussing the real icons of the Irish nationality. At that moment Steven lets it slip that he may no longer believe in Jesus. Davin joins the group and criticizes Stephen for not being true to his Irish nationality. Davin accuses Stephen of having too much pride. At that moment, Stephen begins to passionately fight back and argue about how he should not have to give up his personal identity to his country. As Davin tries to step away from the conversation, Stephen continuously tries to make his point.
This is one of the first times where we blatantly see the results of Stephen’s transformation. His entire adolescent life was haunted by opinions of his family, of the church, and of his ancestors. Stephen let those influences dictate his life for so long, and now he finally decided to let go and explore his own identity. The “nets” of which he speaks are the restraints and expectations from his country, his religion, and his family. His soul is not allowed freedom because of these restraints. Stephen also refers to the Dedalus and Icharus myth by giving his soul the ability to fly. What struck me most from this quote was the way that Stephen delivered it. What was it that Davin said that really pushed Stephen to react this way? Perhaps Stephen felt like his creative side was being attacked or repressed.
“I will tell you what I will do and what I will not do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe whether it call itself my home, my fatherland or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defense the only arms I allow myself to use, silence, exile, and cunning.”
This quote falls in the same category as the previous. Stephen and Cranly are engaged in their own conversation, and Cranly had just asked Stephen if his ambition was to “deflower a virgin.” Stephen almost laughed as if the answer was obvious. Then, all of sudden, Stephen gets worked up and delivers this quote. The mistakes that Stephen made in his past could only seem to be justified by his separation from the church. He could no longer be a part of something that would not allow him to express and connect to his soul. This is now the final transformation for Stephen. His childhood at Clongowes involved much loneliness and separation. Stephen wished for some sense of belonging and understanding growing up, but now, he wanted the opposite. Stephen could not conform to the ideals of his religion or his family. Art and creation became an escape.
“Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race.”
ReplyDeleteThis quote is written in narrative form from Stephen. It is the second to last journal entry of the novel. Stephen is proclaiming his intent to use his art to change the world. His personal identity will be used to create the art of his soul. Stephen wishes to give answers to his environment with his art. Stephen understands that he will understand his soul someday in his lifetime. It seems that Stephen looks forward to discovering all that lies within his soul, so that he can shine this light to others.
The thematic category of the creation and connection to the soul was mostly relevant in the last chapter. The pages leading up to these final realizations that Stephen harbors, are what builds his judgments and decisions. Stephen was never given choices as a child, so now he feels as if he needs to rebel to be free. This freedom allowed Stephen to connect with his inner being, instead of a holy figure or a national leader. This thread is extremely important to the development and characterization of Stephen.
Arica A.
ReplyDeleteF block
Memory
“His childhood was dead or lost and with it his soul capable of simple joys, and he was drifting amid life like the barren shell of the moon.”
This quote is from the beginning of chapter two, when Stephen is spending the summer in Blackrock. He is watching as his father and his father’s friends are reminiscing on good times that they spent in their youth. Stephen feels coldness towards their childish memories, because he feels that he has never felt the love and compassion towards another person that they have, and that this feeling is childish. Stephen feels older than these men; although really he is much, much less mature than them at this point in the novel. By feeling that his “childhood was dead,” Stephen thinks that he is much more grown up than he is and incapable of the joys of youth, when really he is just at a difficult time in his development as a person. Stephen is confused sexually and feels no joy, only “lust,” because he is in the stage right between boy and man. Memory is significant here because Stephen cannot actually remember any feelings of love or compassion towards other people, but clearly there must have been some, because we were in his mind while he was thinking about some events from his childhood. Stephen’s dramatic moods and thought processes are to blame for this irrational thinking. His vision into his childhood has become tunnel vision because of the intensity of his feelings of loneliness and uniqueness in his thoughts.
“It shocked him to find in the outer world a trace of what he had deemed till then a brutish and individual malady of his own mind. His recent monstrous reveries come thronging into his memory. They too had sprung up before him, suddenly and furiously, out of mere words.”
This quote is from chapter 2 when Stephen and his father are spending time together in Cork. It seems that Stephen is there listening physically, but not mentally. He is so focused on his memories of the past, and trying to suppress and control his desires of lust and of pride. “Mere words” cause him to think about everything that he is trying to suppress, making it obviously worse. He only knows his own thoughts and memories, but he realizes that these thoughts are actual realities, especially when he sees his father flirting, which causes Stephen’s sexual desires to be remembered. He is so deep in his own thoughts that his own surroundings seem different as well, and he must remind himself who he is and where he is, a few pages after this quote.
“Evening had fallen when he woke and the sand and arid grasses of his bed glowed no longer. He rose slowly and, recalling the rapture of his sleep, sighed at its joy.”
This quote appears at the end of chapter 4 as Stephen awakens from a spiritual and beautiful dream, only to find himself recollecting what occurred in the dream. This is an important memory for Stephen while it lasts, as he feels completely at ease, which is a very rare occurrence for Stephen. The word “fallen” is used here to describe the evening. Falling is a very fast and constant motion, so saying that the evening had “fallen” was saying that it came quickly for Stephen because he was asleep. He was asleep and at ease until it was dark outside, causing the “sand” and “grasses” of his bed to cease their “glow”. The glow, being the sunlight that he fell asleep to. Stephen, when thinking back on his dream “sighed at its joy.” Stephen has finally discovered some sort of joy in something beautiful. Yes, the dream may have been complex, but a dream is structurally a simple group of thoughts, and Stephen has finally found joy in something simple, unlike what he thought in the second quote.
“His soul was fattening and congealing into a gross grease, plunging ever deeper in its dull fear into a somber threatening disk, while the body that was his stood, listless and dishonoured, gazing out darkened eyes, helpless, perturbed, and human for a bovine god to stare upon.” (119-120)
ReplyDeleteAs Steven matures, he struggles with the idea of the soul. Through careful diction, and imagery, Joyce is able to connect the body and mind and also reinforce the “gross” aesthetic that has an underlying presence in many portions of the novel.
Through the quote, the pertinence of how Steven views his body and soul separately and as a unified presence becomes clear. Joyce finishes the sentence by describing Steven’s view of his body. It is “listless and dishonoured”, thus, I cannot help but wonder why Steven feels he has dishonored himself. Where did he lose his honor? Was it when he slept with a prostitute? Was it for his poor relationship with his father? And where was this honor to be had originally? To be honest, I never had a huge amount of respect for Steven. But is it self-respect or a matter of pride? As his body is dishonored, the remission inside of Steven is much more pressing.
In reference to the quote as a whole, there is a strong religious sentiment as well. When looking at the quote, “fattening” is the first word that catches my attention. Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, is mentioned in the quote when Steven defines his soul as “fattening” and through the use of diction, imagery takes shape and projects his soul’s grotesque state onto the reader. This also provides a graphic portrayal of what the spiritual decent into could be like. As your soul becomes more darkened and “gross” you feel a loss of purity and you need a god to look upon to make you feel more secure with your soul and fate. Do you not cling to something the most when you need it the most? But why a bovine god? Why a dull, slow god? Would he not be able to become fully aware of Stephen’s sins initially? Or does Stephen want to have his soul dissected in some manner?
I win Liz.
Memory is a very important theme in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, mostly because the entire book is based on memories and streams of thought. The first two quotes are from chapter two, where
ReplyDeleteStephen has his transition from boy to man, with his body and in the way he thinks. His many looks back into his childhood helped him to realize that he is a different kind of thinker than other people, even from a young age. It is only later on that he must look back and realize that the way he thinks is the way of an artist, and this realization is found only through memory.
Oh just you wait, Ellida; I've got a witty pun in mine.
ReplyDeletePaige S
ReplyDeleteFleeting Joy
1. “His childhood was dead or lost and with it his soul capable of simple joys, and he was drifting amid life like the barren shell of the moon.”
In this passage Stephen is with his father at a pub where Mr. Dedalus and his friends are reminiscing about the exciting things they did and accomplished in their youth. Stephen remarks that he feels separated and somehow older than them and laments over his lack of compassion for anything. “Nothing stirred within his soul but a cold and cruel and loveless lust.” This is after he has turned to the prostitutes and he feels he has destroyed his childhood and cast away his innocence and so, can no longer appreciate the joys of life fully. He feels empty because of his lack of passion, especially upon seeing his father and friends talking about he passionate ventures of their youth. He wishes he could experience the joys that typically go along with youth and innocence but it is too late.
2. “Life became a divine gift for every moment and sensation of which, were it even the sight of a single leaf hanging on the twig of a tree, his soul should praise and thank the Giver. “
This quote is said during the school holiday in which Stephen and the other boys are meant to search and purify their souls and become closer with God. The entire week is spent in the pursuit of religious revival. This holiday struck a chord with Stephen more than most others because he came to realize that by turning to the prostitutes for physical pleasures he had given up his innocence and strayed from God. He was terrified of the prospect of going to hell and became grateful of every worldly thing, even the leaves on the trees. He began to appreciate the little joys in life even more as he realized how close he could be to losing it all if he were to die and go to hell for the sins he had committed. This whole passage is all about the state of Stephen’s soul. By turning to the prostitutes and giving in to his lusts he made his soul impure and unfit for God, the giver. By repenting and asking God for foregiveness though, he could cleanse and save his corrupted soul. This is what is meant by the words, “his soul should praise and thank the Giver.” He is thanking God for all of the simple joys in life which he has taken for granted which do not exist in hell, and he is thanking Him for being forgiving, and giving him the opportunity to repent and save his soul.
3. “To discover the mode of life or of art whereby [my] spirit could express itself in unfettered freedom.”
ReplyDeleteStephen’s intellectual university friend, Cranly, says this line to Stephen. He is quoting something Stephen had apparently told him earlier about his ambitions in life. In essence Stephen is seeking to become a true artist with nothing holding him back. He takes joy in the creation of art, but there are still things in life that inhibit it. One of the more major inhibiting factors is religion. Despite his upbringing and previous devotion to religious practice, Stephen finds religion binds his mind and spirit and art. He seeks to expand his art and spirit (which are described as somewhat synonymous completely and thoroughly come in touch with himself through his art. He cannot do this without letting go of the things that restrict him; like family concerns and religion.
Joy is a temporary and fleeting thing that is different for every person. Stephen struggles throughout the novel to find joy for himself. He experiments with finding joy in many different places and finds that some joys are more wholesome and lasting than others. He takes a temporary joy in sexual pleasure and fantasy with the prostitutes, but this leads him to question the state of his soul and ultimately results in fear and melancholy. For a time he seeks joy in the excessive and unnecessary spending of money, but when the money runs out he finds there is nothing lasting about this joy. It expires with his monetary wealth. Stephen also explores the simple joys of earth and life that are often overlooked. In the section when he begins to fear damnation, he gains a new appreciation for things as simple as the leaves on the trees. Things like this are simple and unremarkable but are not present in hell and bring small joys to Stephen. These joys are associated with the hope of cleansing his soul and escaping it’s terrible fate should he fail to repent. If he is damned these joys would be lost to him forever. Stephen finds his ultimate and most lasting joy in his pursuit of art and true beauty. The last quote describes his ambitions to master his artistic abilities to the fullest, unhindered by anything that, to this point in his life, had held him and his art back. He seeks the ultimate joy in total expression of himself through his art
Chelsea M. "Perspective of Placement"
ReplyDeleteQuote One
a) "But you could not have a green rose but
perhaps somewhere in the world you could."
(Part 1, page 12 - green book)
b)The hour has come for sums and Stephen is trying to beat the other kids to get a card for either first, second, or third place for solving the sums in that order. Stephen then begins thinking about the colors of the cards and how they are very pretty colors. He then connects the colors to nature and roses, which then leads to him thinking about how you couldn't have a green rose in Ireland, but maybe there were green roses somewhere else in the world.
c) Stephen is a character created by Joyce to illustrate an artist. The title of the book gives it away, but you have to illustrate in the context to have it make sense. This quote truly helped me understanding what Joyce was getting at - an artist, of any kind, is an observer of life. The artist sits, though they may be made to participate at some point or another in the game, they observe other people and make a web of connections within their mind. this web is then portrayed in their work. Sometimes it is difficult to see what the artist is illustrating, but one must infer, discover, and connect much like the artist himself did to create this work, until you have been transformed into a type of artist yourself.
Quote Two
a) "Stephen Dedalus
Class of elements
Clongowes Wood College
Sallins
County Kildare
Ireland
Europe
The World
The Universe." (Part 1, Page 15 - green book)
b) Stephen is sitting in geography class and is thinking about how many days until Christmas. This then leads to thinking about how many times the earth spins round and then about his family and Dante's brushes. He then turns his geography fly leaf and writes this on it.
c)Joyce is uses Stephen almost as a marker. He is showing how people compare themselves to their surroundings and eventually the 'universe.' Early in tho book Joyce illustrates Stephen's desire to see the world and how he compares to it, but it still revolves around his family and close family friends. Later at Christmas dinner however this connection between a desire to see the world connected to religion, via his family's close ties to the Catholic church, disintegrates after Dante, Mr. Dedalus, and Uncle Charles have a severe verbal row. This changes Stephan's perspective as he goes through the world and he tends to let himself fall and he eventually severs ties with his father, who was once his hero.
ReplyDeleteQuote Three
a) "His destiny was to be elusive of social or religious orders...He was destined to learn his own wisdom apart from others or to learn the wisdom of others himself wandering among the snares of the world." (Part 4, page 162 - green book)
b) Stephen is walking and as he walks by the jesuit house he remembers when he refused to become a priest and join the order. He says that his souls was not there to accept the offer and so he turned it down.
c) Joyce once again uses this quote to support Stephen's view of himself within the world. He is no longer simply observing his immediate surroundings, but he is moving within it and weaving through the different cultures to observe them. Joyce shows the change of Stephen's perspective of religions within the world to be changed from one of admiration to one of avoidance. Stephen no longer feels attracted to religion as he did as a child. It has grown pale and lucid, unlike the tangible world around him that beckons him to wander and see what it has to offer, without becoming involved - the goal of a true artist.
Joyce has used these three quotes throughout the book to show the mental maturation of an artist. Stephen begins as an involved observer who then detaches himself from his immediate surroundings as he grows older, until he is ultimately simply a third party watching his culture in tumultuous motion. Stephen's artistic and fluent poetry and narration within his consciousness illustrates Joyce's idea that an artist is an observer who does not hold a simple, constant place in the world. An artist, especially Stephen, moves within the world and its cultures, ultimately observing them from a different perspective than an individual within that culture compared to someone in another culture. A true artist has no culture, that will bias their observations that are eventually illustrated within their work, making the reader,viewer, etc. into an artist themselves as they interpret the work based on their own perspective on placement within the world and culture.
“He felt that he was hardly of the one blood with them but stood to them rather in the mystical kinship of fosterage, fosterchild and fosterbrother.”
ReplyDeleteThe paragraphs just before are about Stephen’s briefly-lived prodigality, in the partial attempts both to structure his life by his own rules, and to foster a relationship with those whom he later can see only as those from whom he is eternally isolated. This passage is a crucial point in that Stephen realizes he cannot create a kinship through extravagance – it is not possible to dissolve barriers by building up a world around himself; he is not, and will never be, one blood with his family. Within this brief quotation, there is not only the theme of kinship, but a suggestion of the distance between a physical (blood) connexion and a mystical one.
“Ireland is the old sow that eats her farrow.”
Stephen says this in his discussion with Davin, responding to why he will not “be one of them,” the Irish. According to Stephen, the Irish people have either betrayed, failed or abandoned all of their national heroes, who dedicated to them their lives, youth and affections. It is because of Ireland’s likeness, as Stephen sees it, to such an old, abominable sow, subjected to her enemy, that Stephen is made who he is, and that he will not be subjected to that from which he has sprung. It seems Stephen will be able to dissociate himself from Ireland when piglets fly (har har).
“Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world, a mother’s love is not.”
Cranly here is trying to persuade Stephen to take communion for his mother’s sake. It is not ideas or ambitions, as he will continue in saying, but the physical truth of one’s connection to the mother who “carried you first in her body,” that is real. All other uncertainty can fall into place around this truth.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteF block
ReplyDeleteKinship, Promise (2
“The spell of arms and voices: the white arms of roads, their promise of close embraces and the black arms of tall ships that stand against the moon, their tale of distant nations. They are held out to say: We are alone—come. And the voices say with them: We are your kinsmen. And the air is thick with their company as they call to me, their kinsman, making ready to go, shaking the wings of their exultant and terrible youth.”
These are some of the last words of the novel, surrounded by indirectly connected thoughts. After knowing the workings of Stephen’s mind so intimately by the stream-of-consciousness writing in which the novel had previously been written, it is necessary to assume certain connections from his fragmented previous thoughts, much as one can chop off the bottoms of the letters in a sentence, and read it, recognizing patterns. The entry just before this is where Stephen questions his thoughts and feelings before the present, yet confronted with the possibility of his own fallibility, decides to “sleep it off.” Either this, or Stephen is merely breaking entirely with temptation to stay, the very first words of the next entry being, “Away! Away!” Next comes this quote, wherein one sees the recurring arms tied with the theme of white and black; the white with “promise of close embraces,” and the black as intrepid and adventurous structures of power. The moon surfaces in this quote, here present in contrast to the tall ships, and distant nations (theme of nationality). I would not feel comfortable saying, however, that the moon’s “maiden luster” is in contrast to the promise that beckons in distance. Storytelling is present in the ships’ “tale of distant nations.” The themes of kinship and being alone are tied together, as though the ships calling that they are alone are now where Stephen belongs; Stephen is drawn to the idea of flight, and here joins it with the idea of youth; the wings are those “of their exultant and terrible youth.”
I found that the very thing in which Cranly grounds his certainty is something with the perversion of which Stephen associates Ireland. Stephen cannot belong somewhere where he finds he is stifled, or that there is no promise for him. He questions the things the certainty of which he was raised not to doubt, seeing them holding only the promise of the soul’s death in its security. For him, promise lies rather in the roads and on the ships (which I find interesting, given that two of his fears were open roads at night and the sea), as bonds of blood and communion to him are as much snares as they are securities.
A) “His sins trickled from his lips, one by one, trickled in shameful drops from his soul festering and oozing like a sore, a squalid stream of vice. The last sins oozed forth, sluggish, filthy.”
ReplyDeleteB) This quote was taken from chapter 3 of the novel where Stephen is confessing to the priest. Throughout this chapter and the previous one before it, we can already see that Stephen has been struggling with sin, like everyone has does throughout their lives. Sin is a major motif throughout this book and Stephen is constantly in the middle of his own, struggling to find a way out; struggling to find rest with his own being. Right after this quote was spoken it said, “There was no more to tell. He bowed his head, overcome.” Here this shows, in a way, how Stephen was defeated by his sin. He confessed it all to the point where he had nothing left to redeem himself from. This meeting of Stephen and the priest, I think is one of the many turning points in the novel. He has at last come to acceptance of his sin and wants to repent. He no longer wants to count his sins as shameful drops beading from what’s left of his soul. He wants to be free from the chains that are holding him down.
C) In this quotation, I believe it overall suggests not only how Stephen gives in to temptation yet wants to be redeemed, but also how that temptation is giving in to him and the redemption that comes with that will take a toll. (If that makes sense) It shows that Stephen, like all of us, is covered by a multitude of sins. This multitude is so great that Stephen himself is bursting and oozing every last drop of shame he has concealed by the secrecy of his lips. He feels dirty, filthy, and unclean with the feelings kept up inside of him. Yet, though all this displays how the sin has overtaken his soul, when the quote finishes in saying, “he bowed his head, overcome” this shows how Stephen gave in to the release of his sinful ways.
Leila G
ReplyDeleteFreedom and Individuality
“I will tell you what I will do and what I will not do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe whether it call itself my home, my fatherland or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can using for my defense the only arms I allow myself to use—silence, exile, and cunning.”
By this point in the book Stephen is conscientiously choosing to be an outsider. He is telling Cranly that he cannot belong to any larger group than himself. Stephen feels as though being a part of something bigger is the same as choosing someone else’s ideals over his own opinions. After going through life seeing himself and others affected by belonging to church, family, or the nation he believes that he cannot be himself, the artist, and belong. I find Stephen’s choice of words at the end of the quote interesting. I believe that he says he will allow himself these things for a reason, as he always chooses his words very carefully. Exile makes sense because he has made the decision to not belong. I think he allows himself to use cunning because it is an important part of art to him. Cunning connects to another strand throughout the book, the thread of words and description. He uses this to appropriately get the deeper meaning of what he is trying to say across as appose to the surface meaning. Silence is slightly confusing because a major part of being an artist, is
sharing your thoughts and ideas about life and meaning. But the thing that seems to connect these three together is not belonging, or freedom. Being alone allows Stephen to see clearly, uninterrupted by the views others try to impose on him.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! He would create proudly out of the freedom and power of his soul, as the great artificer whose name he bore, a living thing, new and soaring and beautiful, impalpable, imperishable.”
Since he has made the decision to be an outsider, as appose to being an ostracized unintentionally, Stephen has found that he is fully able to form his critiques and observations of the world uninterrupted. This quote connects to the thread of soaring or flying as well as individuality and freedom. I believe that this is not a coincidence, the idea of flying is often related to freedom in literature. Stephen shows here how he feels freedom to be “beautiful, impalpable, imperishable.” It is with this freedom that he is able to think for himself, unrestrained by religion, his country, or family. He is truly able to be the person he wants to be and is able to be an artist in the sense that he is forming his art around a unique view of the world.
Emily C.
ReplyDeleteReligion
"The snares of the world were its ways of sin. He would fall. He had not yet fallen but he would fall silently, in an instant.” This quote was after Stephen was asked if he had any interest in becoming part of the priesthood. Stephen says this as he is crossing a bridge, which is very symbolic, because it shows that he is crossing over into a new part of his life. Stephen is turning his back on the religious aspect of his life. By turning down the job as a priest, it made him realize that that was not the direction he wanted to go in his life. Stephen rejects the church in order to pursuit a life of individuality in which he could express himself through art.
“"I will tell you what I will do and what I will not do. I will not serve that in which I no longer believe whether it call itself my home, my fatherland or my church: and I will try to express myself in some mode of life or art as freely as I can and as wholly as I can, using for my defense the only arms I allow myself to use-- silence, exile, and cunning." He is talking to Cranly when he says this quote. This one ties in with the first quote in the sense that he is addressing that he does not want to serve the church (very much like Satan’s non serviam). He chooses a life where he can be an artist and express himself that way. This also relates to our discussion in class about Stephan not wanting to fit it, wanting to be “exiled” and that it is his choice in chapter 5.
"{An artist is} a priest of eternal imagination, transmuting the daily bread of experience into the radiant body of everliving life..." Stephen’s thoughts after he thinks this are not warmhearted, they are “bitter and despairing”. At this point, he is not fond of the church. He also recites a church hymn to himself. This seems to be the only way that he can process thoughts, is by carefully constructed words. Even as he describes what an artist is, he is thinking about the church. He uses the metaphor “transmuting the daily bread of experience into the radiant body of everliving life” to possibly mean that an artist takes a physical object and makes it symbolic and meaningful.
“We are a priestridden race and always were and always will be till the end of the chapter... a priestridden Godforsaken race!” This idea is from Stephen’s father when Stephen is just a little boy. In this argument, Mr. Dedalus was agains the church and all for Irish nationalism. That is different from what Stephen thinks in chapter 5. Stephen rejects both ideas. This might have something to do with the issues he has with is father and him not wanting to have the same opinion as him.
Religion is a theme that ties into a lot of other themes in the novel, such as individuality and the problems with fathers. There is definitely a development in Stephen’s feelings about religion throughout the book. He starts out thinking that religion is the most important thing and he tries to stick to it as well as he can. But then he commits a terrible sin that haunts him for many years and his religious beliefs start to diminish. He starts to realize that he wants a life of individuality and not to be bogged down by the “nets”. Then he rejects the offer to join the priesthood, which shows that he truly left behind his religious beliefs.
Tom M.
ReplyDeleteBlock F
Category: Sensuality
Subcategory: Emotion
A.Quote 2: “Suck was a queer word. The fellow called Simon Moonan that name because Simon Moonan used to tie the prefect’s false sleeves behind his back and the prefect used to let on to be angry. But the sound was ugly. Once he had washed his hands in the lavatory of the Wicklow hotel and his father pulled the stopper up by the chain after and the dirty water went down through the hole in the basin. And when it had all gone down slowly the hole in the basin made a sound like that: suck. Only louder. To remember that and the white look of the lavatory made him feel cold and then hot. There were two cocks that you turned and the water came out: cold and hot. He felt cold and then a little hot: and he could see the names printed on the cocks. That was a very queer thing.”
B. In the beginning of Chapter 1, as we are introduced to the school life of Stephen, we can see the many associations Stephen creates with his memories. Memories carry much emotion and the ones illustrated here are influential to Stephen’s storytelling abilities. Stephen believes many things in his life to be weird and does not completely understand every aspect of his life, such as why things work certain ways and how certain things are weird. For instance, his description here of the weirdness of the word “suck”, is a perfect example, associating memories with the word and how it makes him feel, as well as how those memories make him feel.
C. I believe the emotions portrayed here show how sensual the many aspects of Stephen’s life are. Stephen connects the various aspects of his life with many emotions that heavily influence his actions and character. Here we see how certain words, memories, actions, and experiences make Stephen feel. As he states “he felt cold and then a little hot”. The uncertainty in this realization is also a major factor to many of Stephen’s issues. Stephen is never truly sure of himself. He doesn’t always know exactly how he feels, he just know that he feels something. Stephen eventually will be able to grow into his uncertainty, gaining wisdom and knowledge in order to come to more precise conclusions with his associations. But for now, in his youth, it is hard for him to decipher amongst the hormones and angst. So for now, he will have to settle with that uncertainty and understand the emotions are lingering and not permanent.
Tom M.
ReplyDeleteBlock F
(This is supposed to go before my previous post)
Category: Sensuality
Subcategory: Sexuality
A. Quote 1: “He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to her, body and mind, conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting lips. They pressed upon his brain as upon his lips as though they were the vehicle of a vague speech; and between them he felt and unknown and timid pressure, darker than the swoon of sin, softer than sound or odour.”
B. This quote appears in Chapter 4, a point in the novel where Stephen is struggling greatly with his own sexual desires and struggles to maintain his composure for the sake of his supposed strong morals and values. Stephen tries to go to great lengths to fight back against his urges in many contexts, however, for him it is a difficult task. Stephen uses intense spiritual discipline to motivate his desire to pursue “holiness” and unity within his own body. This description detailing the experience of passionate love-making is exactly the type of societal pressures that Stephen experiences daily.
C. Stephen’s desires are driven mainly by not only his erratic teenage hormones, allowing him to have no control over his sudden urges, but they are also manipulated by society’s view of passion, romance, and sexuality in Stephen’s world. Outside of the religious factors, sex is a free-willed action, one that contains many of the components that have begun to drive Stephen wild with desire in a sense. I believe that the description of the loss of consciousness in the midst of the kissing as well as the mention of “sin” are large hints to the fact that while Stephen may feel he can gain pressure in succeeding in his advances, the main truth is that, as far as his religion teaches him, it is sin, the loss of consciousness is caused by the madness inducing factor of the sin, not by the carefree feelings of eternal pleasure that I think Stephen initially thought.
Subcategory: Emotion
A.Quote 1: “The director stood in the embrasure of the window, his back to the light, leaning an elbow on the brown crossblind, and, as he spoke and smiled, slowly dangling and looping the cord of the other blind. Stephen stood before him, following for a moment with his eyes the waning of the long summer daylight above the roofs of the slow deft movements of the priestly fingers. The priest’s face was in total shadow but the waning daylight from behind him touched the deeply grooved temples and the curves of the skull.”
B. This quote found in Chapter 4, reflects on Stephen’s feelings towards considering priesthood. While a journey into the life of the Church seems intriguing to Stephen at first, due to the respected qualities and several positive attributes, still, I believe a lingering sense of unworthiness floats among the crevices of Stephen’s mind. Are his many urges too much, restraining him from becoming a priest? Is he worthy? Is he capable of staying chaste? Is he capable of maintaining the silent composure of a priest? Stephen feels very indifferent towards this, many emotions are swirling continuously inside him. While he sees a well balanced side of negatives and positives towards entering priesthood, mainly he is reticent in speaking his true opinions, remaining completely unresponsive towards any set point. However, the decision has begun to influence his many other desires and sexual urges.
C. The emotion in how Stephen views the director is quite significant. I think Stephen views the director as a quiet, content, respected, and admirable leader. The life of a priest attracts Stephen due to the portrayal of the director, his demeanor, and his translation of leadership. Certainly, the director’s presence has a major influence on Stephen, after all, he is the one who has shaped his decisions into considering priesthood. However, his presence also confuses his already unsure future motives.
dang, i just realized that my blog didn't post the whole thing! here's the rest.
ReplyDeleteMoriah O.
“religion”
A) “The artist, like God of the creation, remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, paring his fingernails.…”
B) I know that this quotation is in chapter 5 of the novel however, at this particular point in the story I am not quite sure what is happening at the moment. But I will do my best as to offer my insight on the quotation itself. This quotation is obviously talking about an artist or art in a general context. I think this excerpt shows a great deal of significance of who Stephen is or is becoming; an artist himself. Not only this, but this quotation also displays a lot of thought and knowledge about God and who He is. It is evident that Stephen knows a lot about God however on a side note, I don’t think Stephen really truly came to know Him in the long run.
C) In the above quote, what I see is Stephen comparing himself to God. He names all these attributes of God: the creator, within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence and indifferent. Stephen refers to an artist as having such qualities which then also reveals God as being an artist. Still, Stephen I feel wants to be and a life exhibiting these qualities. He wants to fulfill, to the extent, his works of art and be surrounded by it and surround all of it. Like God, who is everywhere, Stephen wants to be all over his work as an artist. Though I’m sure more connections, suggestions and inferences can be made about this quote, I’m not sure what to make out of the whole “paring his fingernails” part. Maybe Stephen is mocking God? Any other ideas?
I find that the whole religion aspect of Stephen’s life, at least at the end of the novel, basically diminishes. He hits a point where, after his repentance, he wants to be upright and holy as God is. But towards the end I feel like he no longer sees a desire for such things that he strays from Christian ways and even evil ways. Stephen finds a medium where he just is. He just lives and doesn’t focus on particulars. He becomes drawn to the pleasure of art and fulfillment he gets from that. Joyce uses religion to develop Stephen in a way that, to many would consider finding himself. Not that I agree, but people often see art as an aid to finding ones self. I believe that your identity can only be found in Christ alone so Joyce began with this but ended without it leading to art, for Stephen, to be his desire.
Adrian D.
ReplyDeleteCategory: Sex and Women
Subcategory: Soul
A. Quote: “He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to her, body and mind, conscious of nothing in the world but the dark pressure of her softly parting lips. They pressed upon his brain as upon his lips as though they were the vehicle of vague speech; and between them he felt an unknown and timid pressure, darker than the swoon of sin, softer than sound or odour.”
B. Context: Directly before this quote is said (towards the end of chapter 2) Stephen is wandering the streets at night observing all the women (prostitutes) and eventually enters a whore house. Within the brothel, as he takes his first steps inside, Stephen describes his soul saying “he had awakened from a slumber of centuries”. Although, this “awakening” is also associated with a nervousness and sense of self- disgust (as exemplified in his reluctance to even kiss the prostitute that accosts him). As this quote is the last thing said before the end of chapter 2, chapter 3 picks up right away and this experience isn’t delved into any deeper than is shown here (possibly done on purpose by Joyce to show how Stephen had to explore the temptations of the human body and how he just filed away the experience in his mind).
C. Important things in quote: I believe that the fact that Stephen has to physically close his eyes in order to surrender himself to the prostitute shows exactly how conflicting this experience is going to be for him. I think that though everything Stephen has been told is telling him to deny the body and that what he’s about to do is wrong and he still goes through with it speaks volumes about Stephen as a person. This quote shows the reader that Stephen is going to push the boundaries of his environment no matter how much he questions his own actions. This particular quote is a perfect marrying of how Stephen relates sex and women to his soul, referring to her kissing him as a “dark pressure”. He views women as temptations of the body and if one gives into the body (through getting with women) then ones soul is weighted down. Joyce deals with this conflict of the body and the soul periodically throughout the book and this quote is one of many that uses women as a gateway to sin and therefore soul soiling.