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english HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY first published in August of 1927 became an important piece in Ernest Hemingway’s second collect of short stories, Men without Women He wrote the story soon afte...

english HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY first published in August of 1927 became an important piece in Ernest Hemingway’s second collect of short stories, Men without Women He wrote the story soon after the publication of his 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises, while living in Paris He was embraced by the expatriate literary community in Paris and received strong reviews for his work in the United States and abroad Hills like White Elephants, is a widely anthologized and much-discussed story as it offers a glimpse at the spare prose and understated dialogue which represents Hemingway’s mastery of style. The story, told nearly in its entirety through dialogue, is a conversation between a young woman and a man waiting for a train in Spain. Through their tight, brittle conversation, much is revealed about their personalities. The story’s end is ambiguous regarding the fate of the characters. HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY english 1  1️⃣ Describe the relationship between the girl and the American. Ernest Hemingway immediately emphasizes the oppressive nature of the setting, and the couple escapes into the only shade available for temporary relief through alcohol. Significantly, their conversation begins with a discussion of what to drink, suggesting how central alcohol has come to their avoidance of real communication. The fact that the man speaks Spanish and must translate the waitress’s words to the girl further highlights the uneven power dynamic in the couple’s relationship. 2️⃣ What does the phrase white elephant mean? The relationship between the man and the girl is characterized by silence, small talk, and outbursts of irritation, along with drink after drink. This tension suggests that the two are desperately trying to avoid talking about the unnamed “white elephant” between them. The many descriptions of the landscape as both barren and fertile already hint at the idea of pregnancy, and the emphasis on the harshness of the sunlight suggests a glaring truth the couple is trying to avoid by staying in the “shade”—and by not communicating. english 2  3️⃣ What do you notice about the American’s manner in this conversation? The man’s controlling position of authority in relation to the girl dominates this scene, even as the action remains innocuous. Besides choosing to remain silent, there are very few decisions or comments the girl can make without the man’s direction or agreement. the drink they asked for is Anis del Toro 3️⃣ What do you notice about the American’s manner in this conversation? The man and girl are unable to approach any issue, however small, without their anger spilling out, yet they continue to try to maintain an appearance of normalcy, leisure, and “freedom.” However, the girl is skeptical of this performance of happiness, hinting at the serious problems in their relationship they refuse to openly discuss. "Everything tastes of licorice. Especially all the things you've waited so long for, like absinthe." — basically licorice tasting like absinthe = absinthe = illegal/banned liquor things you've waited so long for = jig talking ab the man asking for an abortion and abortion = banned is some countries so to rephrase, "Everything tastes awfully good. Especially all the things you've waited so long for, like an abortion" jig is trying to bring up the topic of abortion to her s/o, but he keeps on avoiding it (he wants an abortion, jig doesn't) english 3  4️⃣ What do you think is the operation stated in this conversation? What situation do Jig and the American face? The operation goes unnamed throughout the story, The man’s insistence that the operation is the simplest and most reasonable thing to do is at direct odds with the girl’s feelings. While the man sees the operation as a chance to return to their former easygoing, pleasure-seeking relationship, the girl’s sarcasm indicates that she is doubtful and resistant. But the man is unrelenting in his persuasive efforts to coerce her into getting the operation—and to make her feel that it’s what she wants. His domination of the girl is more subtle but also more sinister than simple bullying—he doesn’t just want her to do what he wants; he wants her to want what he wants. 5️⃣ How do the points of view of the personas differ from each other? This moment reveals the crucially different ways in which the man and girl view her situation. To the man the situation is something they can leave behind them, like a piece of extra baggage in their many travels. But for the girl, it holds the promise of a beautiful new type of life together, one that he cannot or refuses to see. Once again Hemingway’s descriptions of the landscape (now seen from the girl’s point of view, as she sees beauty and fertility where there was only barrenness before) are powerful signifiers of the characters’ thoughts and emotions—more powerful, seemingly, than the characters’ words themselves. The shadow of a cloud moved across the field of grain and she saw the river through the trees. english 4  5️⃣ How do the points of view of the personas differ from each other? The man continues to try to control the girl, down to where she walks and what she feels and wants. It is not enough for him that she gets the operation, which she agrees to, but she must also want to get the operation and return to their life of “freedom” and leisure. The girl probes the man’s feelings about the situation to see whether he can imagine having a family with her. But as always their views are at odds, and the man’s seemingly romantic claim to not want anyone but her is the opposite of what she wants to hear. The girl has reached her breaking point, smothered into silence and agreement by the man’s controlling nature and endless talking. Here her feelings are closest to the surface and there is the sense that there will be an emotional explosion, and then perhaps even some real communication and confrontation of the truth. Instead the waitress reappears, and once more the couple’s conversation is postponed in favor of maintaining appearances. english 5  6️⃣ Was the problem resolved? Did the girl and the American come to a decision? What does the word fine imply? As the man walks, we feel the oppressiveness of the situation from his perspective, a worry he carries with him like heavy luggage. His frustration is palpable, yet when he rejoins the girl, both once again feign normalcy, refusing to communicate honestly in favor of further avoidance and concealment. Hemingway ends his brief but powerful story on this tense and ambiguous note—the couple is preparing to board a train (a traditional symbol of choice, a “crossroads,” and some sort of transition or “middle ground” state), but they seem to have accomplished nothing by this conversation, and their impending journey will lead them nowhere new. They continue to avoid the harsh “light” of their real feelings and instead hide behind the “shade” of niceties and double-speak, drowning their emotions in alcohol and mindless travel. CHARACTER ANALYSIS CHARACTERIZATION — the way the author reveals a character through his work; a writer uses a combination of both direct and indirect characterization in his work. 1. Direct Characterization — the writer directly comments about the character and his personality and tells the readers what he or she is alike. it can be done by the narrator, another character, or the character himself — the writer tells us about the character achieve brevity and to move the story forward. 2. Indirect Characterization — the writer reveals information of a character through their words, actions, and words along with other characters’ interactions with that particular character — the writer shows us what the character is like paints more vivid images and is more likely to appeal to the reader’s imagination english 6  certain factors to know more about characters: SPEECH: what they say and how they say it THOUGHTS: private thoughts or feelings of the character EFFECT: how they affect others in the book, or how others react to them ACTIONS: how they respond to different situations LOOKS: how they look Ernest Hemingway’s Hills Like White Elephants introduces the characters mainly through indirect characterization; he gives no physical descriptors and uses rather vague (undefined) character names. This allows a greater number of readers to identify with the characters, since without identifying descriptors and more specific names, each of them could be anyone; readers must observe their behavior, the speech they use to communicate with each other, and the way they respond to their situation and to each other whether verbally, physically, or emotionally. A LEAF FALLS BY E.E. CUMMINGS EDWARD ESTLIN CUMMINGS He is an innovative poet known for his lack of stylistic and structural conformity At first, he struggled financially as his poetry was not immediately appreciated, but later in his life, the non-conformity of his poems began to be favored He was proven to be one of the first to break new ground in poetry by writing in unique styles and breaking the rules that most poets adhere to author broke free of the formal restrictions of rhyme and meter, resulting in what is known today as free verse — oscillated between minimalist (using as few words as possible) and epic (working on a massive scale). english 7  He was also a non-conformist in life and beliefs; his mind was not bound by rules, laws, and statues; he would think for himself and allow his mind to wander outside the social norms, just like his poetry A Leaf Falls l(a le af fa ll s) one l Iness ANALYSIS When the poem/text is laid horizontally, it reads as I(a leaf falls)oneliness - in other words, a leaf falls inserted within the first two letters of loneliness. The isolated letter I can initially appear to be the numeral one. The a in the first line (as indefinite article) represents singularity. The le in the second line is the French word equivalent to singularity again. The 3rd and 4th lines (af and fa), for instance reversing themselves just as a leaf would flutter, twist and tum. The fifth line has II which is means really two ones From the lines 6-9 are read downwards as soli which in Latin means only. The seventh line actually spells out the word one. english 8  This is followed by another I or 1. Then the iness which could mean the state of being one. PUNCTUATION — uses to redefine the purpose of the s which is traditionally added in the end of words to make them plural, but singular here; the only punctuation here is the parenthesis and it is used to imbed the image of a leaf falling into the word loneliness; it separates I from the a in line one = singularity STRUCTURE — goes in pairs to imitate the way a leaf falls and to emphasize the image it conveyed ❓ Why does a leaf fall? Leaves fall from the tree when they die. The loneliness outside the brackets represents the feeling of the one who is left behind. The tree is a symbol of life. The final destination of the leaf is death. The final line indicates that “we die alone”. IN A STATION OF THE METRO BY EZRA POUND ABOUT EZRA POUND Ezra Loomis Pound (1885-1972) An American poet and critic Father of Modernism He wanted to “make it new” (resulting in an early 20th century movement that had a radical, non-conformist approach to literature) A supremely discerning and energetic entrepreneur of the arts who did more than any other single figure to advance a “modern” movement in English and American literature english 9  Contribution to poetry is marked by his promotion of IMAGISM (a movement centered of clarity, brevity, and rhythm; poets should write in fear of abstractions; it had a strict convention and very frugal (simple) with words) His poems display strong lyricism and modernity and recognized that his imagism is a reaction to abstraction in writing He drew inspiration from the clarity of Chinese and Japanese verses as well as Greek classics to combat the increasing generalities in poetry IMAGISM present in England and America in the early 20th century it was a reactionary movement against Romanticism and Victorian poetry emphasized simplicity, clarity of expression, and precision through the use of exacting visual images rooted in ideas developed by English philosopher and poet T. E. Hulme, who spoke of poetry based on an absolutely accurate presentation of its subject, no excess verbiage (excessive words) he has an essay, “Romanticism and Classicism” he wrote that the language of poetry is a visual concrete one, Images in verse are not mere decoration, but very essence Modernism and Imagism aimed to replace abstractions with concrete details that could be further expounded through the use of figuration they are short, free-verse poems (concise and image-based poems of ancient Greek and Japanese Haikyuu poets paved the way for this) they moved away from fixed meters and moral reflections of poetry and just subordinating everything to what Hulme calls, “hard, dry image” he described the image as: Pound’s definition of the image was “that which presents english 10  an intellectual and emotional complex in an instant of time.” He said, “It is the presentation of such a ‘complex’ instantaneously which gives the sense of sudden liberation; that sense of freedom from time limits and space limits; that sense of sudden growth, which we experience in the presence of the greatest works of art.” TENETS OF IMAGIST POETRY a. Direct treatment of the “thing” regardless if it’s subjective of objective i. focus on the thing — a poem is imaged as an image of a thing ii. present one image in a lifetime rather produce voluminous works b. To use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation. i. emphasis on immediacy, directness, and ideal of presence ii. there is a will to override or do away with mediation, to bypass the medium; to make the word a thing, an image and the image is a thing iii. implies a kind of stripping down of rhetorical movement, truth is something that arrives through reduction iv. do not retell in mediocre verse of what has already been done in good prose c. As regarding rhythm: to compose in sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of the metronome. i. give importance to individual details over patterns or sequences ii. It is a privileging of this idea of the musical phrase over the abstract, or a kind of continuous structure, which is viewed as a kind of mechanical discipline. english 11  ☝ In a Station of the Metro The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet, black bough "In a Station of the Metro" is a great example of what modernism espoused. A two-line poem with no clear rhyme scheme or meter about the everyday experience of gazing out into a crowded metro station was unlike anything anyone had written before. it prioritizes a relatively basic set of images, relying on the images themselves (rather than an explanation of them) to do the poem's interpretive work. GRADUATION BY MAYA ANGELOU This essay talks about Maya during her 8th grade graduation day while she was at Stamps, Arkansas. It attempts to contrast the school for the blacks and whites and discussed the atrocities a black student faced because of the oppression by powerful whites english 12  ☝ Summary: Pre-Graduation Remember, Maya and all the blacks had access only to the grammar school and not the high school. Take note that the fever of graduation grips the community of Stamps every year as both the Grammar school and High School students are supposed to be graduating at the same time. Underclassmen begin to fill the vacuum left by the outgoing seniors while the seniors begin to act and be treated like adults. Few Lafayette County Training School graduates go on to one of the South's agricultural and mechanical colleges, which are the only form of higher education available to blacks at that time. Parents order new shoes and store-bought clothes for themselves and their children, but Angelou, like the other graduating eighth-grade girls, wears yellow pique dresses. The joy of the upcoming graduation lightens the author’s spirit which can be seen when she says, "I had taken to smiling more often, and my jaws hurt from the unaccustomed activity." english 13  ☝ Summary: Graduation Day When graduation day is almost upon her, she is showered by gifts from her family and friends. She received a Mickey Mouse watch from Momma, her grandmother; embroidered handkerchiefs from her friend, Louise; nickels or dimes from proud customers in the store; and a collection of Edgar Allan Poe poems from her brother, Bailey. The students gather in the auditorium on the bright graduation day and sing the national anthem and recite the pledge of allegiance. However, unlike their daily assembly, the national anthem is somehow not followed up by the "Negro National Anthem" the song "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson. This break in routine gives Angelou a sense of foreboding about the rest of the ceremony. Edward Donleavy The principal welcomes the parents, friends and students to the ceremony and invites the Baptist minister to lead a prayer. The principal returns to the podium to introduce the commencement speaker, Edward Donleavy, the white state representative from Texarkana. Donleavy details the improvements he has secured for the white high school's arts and sciences and for the Training School's sports facilities. The disparity greatly affects Angelou and her classmates, as "the white kids were going to have a chance to become Galileos... and our boys (the girls weren't even in on it) would try to be Jesse Owenses - who won four Olympic golds, and Joe Louises¬ - who successfully defended his world heavyweight boxing title 25 times.” Henry Reed The commencement speech taints much of the rest of the ceremony, until english 14  the class valedictorian, Henry Reed, a small boy with "hooded eyes, a long, broad nose and an oddly shaped head," rises to speak. His speech is based on Hamlet's "To Be or Not to Be" soliloquy which discusses how painful and miserable human life is, and how death (specifically suicide) would be preferable, would it not be for the fearful uncertainty of what comes after death. Following the speech, he turns around to face the graduating class and begins to sing "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing." The graduating class joins in, followed by the teachers and members of the audience. The song, although sung by Angelou a thousand times before, takes on new meaning for her, lifting her spirits. She ends the chapter thanking the known and unknown black poets and songwriters who have made life more bearable through their songs and tales. ANALYSIS Speaker 3 speakers: Maya, Hennery, and Mr. Edward Occasion Maya’s middle school graduation Audience Middle School students and parents Maya’s purpose is to inform the audience what it meant to Purpose graduated during segregated times Maya’s style is graphic and well expressed. Angelou’s word choice allows the reader not only to for them to visualize the Style experience of such an event, but also to give them a taste of what it meant to attend school during segregated times. At the beginning of the memoir, the tone is didactic and reflective at the same time. As different speakers give their Tone points of view or inspired opinions, the tone turns into one of suspicions and worry. MOTHER TO SON BY LANGSTON HUGHES HARLEM RENAISSANCE a vibrant artistic movement that exploded during the 1920s in Harlem, a neighborhood in Manhattan; the neighborhood was a hotbed of black english 15  intellectual and literary life, with poets, scholars, and writers from around the country although they often disagreed with each other, they had a common goal: they wanted to develop a new kind of literature that would express the full history of black culture, its triumphs and tragedies it was also used as a protest to racism of the present Jim Crow Laws — a collection of state and local statues that were meant to marginalize African Americans by denying their rights to vote, hold jobs, and get an education, and other opportunities black people were limited to live and work; they were forced to attend separate schools and neighborhoods the law did not only separate black and white people, but it also made it harder for black people to survive and thrive About Langston Hughes (1902 — 1967) he is one of the key figures of the Harlem Renaissance Mother to Son Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare. But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark english 16  Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back. Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now— For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. POEM ANALYSIS 1. the poem demonstrates the love and concern a mother has for her son by the way she imparts on him through the example of her own life—a climb up a staircase 2. the metaphor in this poem relates life to a staircase. "Well, son, I'll tell you:/ life ain't been no crystal stair." (Lines 1-2); the mother is saying that life is not just something you are able to walk through with ease—it is a long and hard journey. 3. "It's had tacks in it,/ And splinters,/ And boards torn up,/ And places with no carpet on the floor-"(Lines 3-6). The lines sort of build up a suspense similar to a stairway—one step at a time 4. (What does the diction reflect about the mother?) the poem is an example of a dramatic monologue, where the poet takes on the voices of another person. a. Dramatic Monologues don’t have any set of formal requirements, no meter or rhyme scheme, which gives the author the freedom to capture precise sound of the mother’s voice SYNTHESIS PAPER A Synthesis Paper is a written document that combines ideas from different sources about any topic, theme, or idea; it is used in english 17  investigating documents to study theories, researching documents to merge different sources, writing business papers to check varying concepts and incorporating into a consistent plan, and creating argument reports to match contrasting views and uphold a systematic claim SYNTHESIZE — creating a single whole by keeping separate points together; collects chunks of material and facts from various sources to set up a particular assertion and affirms one stand on the issue; this requires a summary of ideas and links between information TYPES OF SYNTHESIS PAPERS 1. Argument Synthesis — presents the authors’ views and opinions, arranges relevant information collected from various researches in a rational way to provide support for the thesis, provides evidence that the main claim is correct through the use of various effective persuasive methods. a. it involves many facts, statistics, in-text citations, quotes, etc to prove the specific view 2. Review Synthesis — describes the discussion that has been done on a previous topic and critically analyzes the sources; it indicates that there should be a deep research conducted and issues in the part aren’t greatly described a. mostly used in fields of medicine and social science 3. Explanatory Synthesis — aims for the reading audience understand a topic and the author breaks the whole topic into separate parts to have them a clearer representation a. made of detailed interpretations of objects, locations, events, people, or state of affairs b. reflects information in an OBJECTIVE and SOBER manner. they skip the obvious details and continue to the next STRUCTURE OF SYNTHESIS PAPERS Introduction: Thesis, Main Argument 1, Main Claim 2, Main Claim 3 english 18  Body: Main Argument 1—evidence, analysis of evidence; Main claim 2— evidence, analysis of evidence; Main claim 3—evidence, analysis of evidence Conclusion: restates the main idea and gets the view straight HOW TO WRITE SYNTHESIS PAPERS or ESSAYS The structure of a synthesis essays vary and it is determined by the writer 1. Understand the concept — their primary purpose is to make connections between small parts of the work and represent supporting evidence about the topic. do research 2. Choose a suitable topic — choose a broad topic that may put together several sources; you are free to choose a topic, just make sure to conduct research before doing so. fully understand the topic and carefully mark your observations a. an author should have a minimum of three sources for the essay, analyze and note down the important points in a paper and keep track of ideas 3. Write a thesis statement — formulate an opinion of the ideas and thoughts that should be present. it must be written either at the beginning or end of the essay 4. Revise your Material — also called the rebuttal or concession a. OUTLINE. prepare an outline that will help you follow the right path from initial to the end point; it should contain an introduction, body, and conclusion b. WRITE IN 3RD PERSON. use complete and unambiguous sentences; give enough information to display reliability and write in active voice c. USE TRANSITIONS. it helps in reading essays easier d. REVISING, PROOFEADING, and CITING SOURCES are the final stages of an essay english 19