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October, 2012

  1. Amplifying the Truth

    October 25, 2012 by Francis Flores

    “Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.” 

    –Ella Wheeler Wilcox

    I actually saw this quote on Tumblr (I have an addiction, it’s actually quite sad) and I thought it was true, which is unfortunate.

    Praise of the Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox (November 5, 1850-October 30, 1919) was an American poet and novelist–she was most famous for Poems of Passion and her most famous poem being “Solitude,” which is where this line originates. She was born in Johnstown, Wisconsin and was the youngest of four children. Her most famous poem, “Solitude,” was published in 1883 in The New York Sun and was inspired by a grieving woman whom she encountered on a train to Madison, Wisconsin.

    Paraphrase and Explanation: Wilcox is saying that people are so willing to share the happy moments because it allows them to feel good about themselves as well, but when it comes to sharing in tears and rough times, not many people stick around because the feeling usually spreads. This is usually why people tend to feel like they are alone or like no one really wants to be around them: good feelings bring around more people and bad feelings chase them away.

    Proof: I think the most common example of this is something I experienced at school. There was always the one girl that everyone knew to be crack jokes and to smile no matter what happened. She was always followed by a posse of people and everyone knew her name, even the faculty and staff knew her because of her personality regardless of whether or not they taught her or not. There was a day, though, when she did not smile and when she refused to tell a joke–she was visibly different, but her friends deserted her. That day, instead of being surrounded by her posse as she usually was, she walked alone, head down. It was a strange sight to see, but it seemed as if no one cared or noticed the significant difference. I remember this so vividly because it was such a surprise (and to be honest, kind of a downer).

    Epilogue: I guess looking at Wilcox’s quote, this doesn’t generally have to be true, but honestly, no one wants that feeling of feeling as down as the person you are trying to console.

    Category Rhetoric and Civic Life | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  2. Margaret Atwood meets The Real Group (Week 7)

    October 25, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Hello there! So, I have decided to end my quest in searching for a passage from a play for now because I figured I should be inspired, rather than forcing myself (if that makes any sense). Anyhoozlebees (I never get to use that, so I apologize), I’m doing a poem that I came across on Tumblr and fell in love with. Oh, by the way, Tumblr will steal your soul and sanity so I don’t suggest it.

    So, this week I decided to analyze “Variation on the Word Sleep” by Margaret Atwood and “Gøta” by The Real Group.

    “Variation on the Word Sleep” was written by Margaret Atwood and included in Selected Poems II: 1976-1986, which was published in 1987.

    “Gøta” was arranged and composed by The Real Group, date unknown.

    “I would like to watch you sleeping,
    which may not happen.
    I would like to watch you,
    sleeping. I would like to sleep
    with you, to enter
    your sleep as its smooth dark wave
    slides over my head

    and walk with you through that lucent
    wavering forest of bluegreen leaves
    with its watery sun & three moons
    towards the cave where you must descend,
    towards your worst fear

    I would like to give you the silver
    branch, the small white flower, the one
    word that will protect you
    from the grief at the center
    of your dream, from the grief
    at the center I would like to follow
    you up the long stairway
    again & become
    the boat that would row you back
    carefully, a flame
    in two cupped hands
    to where your body lies
    beside me, and as you enter
    it as easily as breathing in

    I would like to be the air
    that inhabits you for a moment
    only. I would like to be that unnoticed
    & that necessary.”

    Okay, so here’s the thing, I used the recording for my basic analysis, but in my opinion, it sounds so much better when it’s live, so I’ll attach both!

    Recording: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKBJrLeYpnU

    Live: (starts at 0:39) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN6Hyl-pRT4

    Man, oh man, where do I even begin with this? This poem is one of my favorites. It has pretty much one continual tone, but it does shift around a bit. The first stanza gives off a calm and soothing tone with phrases such as “smooth dark waves” and “sleep with you.” The very idea of sleep, which is the main topic of this poem, correlates directly with the image of the smooth dark wave that slides over the speaker’s head: this demonstrates that the calm nature of the subject soothes the speaker. The speaker wants to feel the same sensation as her subject, though, which results in the repetitive use of the phrase “I would like,” in this first stanza. It highlights the sense of the speaker’s need to please both she/he and the subject. The second stanza dwells more on this feeling as the tone shifts to be more hopeful and wishful; though the two are very similar, there is that fine line between the two that allow them to work together to create that dreamlike state that the speakers, for lack of a better word, speaks of. Words such as “wavering,” “bluegreen,” “watery sun,” and “three moons” help to establish this tone. It creates the image of the two walking together in this forest that the speaker describes. Within the last two lines of this stanza, the speaker gives the idea that walking with the subject towards fears suggests that what the speaker is more than just a need to please, but possible a feeling of love. The speaker claims that her subject “must descend” towards their “worst fear,” but the speaker is willing to accompany, displaying genuine affection.

    I didn’t want my poem analysis to be just a huge block of words, because honestly, who’s going to read that? Anyway, the third stanza is a bit longer but its tone is the amplification of the first two stanzas. With words such as “small white flower,” “protect you,” carefully,” “flame,” “two cupped hands,” and “beside me,” this stanza encompasses a tone of genuine compassion and love. The small white flower that the speaker wishes to give to the subject embodies innocence as a protection from the grief, a protection from the subject’s tears and fears. By saying that he/she wants to “follow you up the long staircase,” and wants to “become the boat that would row you back carefully,” the speaker wants to be the one to guide the subject away from their tears and fears and into happiness; not only that, but the speaker wants to be the reason for the newfound happiness. In the last four or five lines of that stanza, the revelation of the speaker’s love is proven by this need to be the reason for the subject’s happiness. With the words “flame,” “two cupped hands,” “beside me,” and “as easily as breathing in,” the speaker is referring to the spark that they feel and want to act on; the speaker just wants to be there to take care of the subject. The very last stanza is but a few lines (short and sweet) and really encompasses this feeling of love that the speaker feels towards their subject. With words such as “I would like,” “inhabits you,” “unnoticed,” and “necessary,” the speaker establishes a willing tone. The phrase “I would like” returns and this really finalizes this feeling of closeness and willingness to do whatever it takes to make the subject happy. Overall, this poem is soothing and sweet, but the feelings that the speaker has for the subject is further amplified with each stanza until it comes down to not only wanting to take away the tears and fears during sleep, but to continue to be the reason for life itself once the subject it awake again. Overall, this poem is soothing and sweet, but the feelings that the speaker has for the subject is further amplified with each stanza until it comes down to not only wanting to take away the tears and fears during sleep, but to continue to be the reason for life itself once the subject it awake again.

    This is actually my favorite part of the blog: the inclusion of the song in my analysis. I used the recorded version of this song for the analysis of the poem because I needed to divide it and align it to the different stanzas of the poem, which is not something I usually do. Well, actually, first off, I feel like I should explain what exactly this song is. There are no words, it’s all syllables, almost like a written scat. Not only that, but it’s also a capella and divided as SSATB (Soprano I, Soprano II/Alto I, Alto II, Tenor, Bass I/Bass II [the only “difference” between the basses being that they are an octave apart). The song starts off with an emphasis on the tenor singing quietly with Soprano I/II and Alto II sing in the background as well. It creates a “call and response” effect which exemplifies the speaker’s need to be there for the subject as necessary. 0:00-1:23 encompasses the first stanza as a whole because of this. Within this time frame, the entrance of the bass at the end intensifies this effect of the “smooth dark wave.” The song continues on brings Soprano I out of the background and has her singing along with the Tenor, eventually Soprano I takes over and repeats what the Tenor was singing in the time frame of the first stanza. 1:23-2:30 encompasses the second stanza as a whole because with the Soprano I taking over the Tenor and the other voices growing increasingly louder, this correlates with the feeling of the speaker wanting to protect the subject. The Soprano I taking over mainly demonstrates this because the intensity of her voice along with the crescendo of the backing voices creates the need to hopeful need to please. The third stanza goes hand in hand with the time frame of 2:30-3:36 because it is the build-up of the song and the poem. Soprano I lends her part to Soprano II, while the part sung by Soprano II and Alto II is given to Alto II. This build-up lends to the image of the speaker leading the subject up “the long stairway” to the happiness that they both yearn for. The climax of the song, when Soprano I holds out the high D, correlates with the last five lines of this stanza because it is the highest note of the song and it symbolizes the revelation of love and true happiness for the speaker. Within the time frame of 3:36-4:47, the song winds down a bit and decrescendos to just the Tenor alone, and then with Soprano I, while Soprano II and Alto II return to their original parts. This winding down and the two singing together above the background voices creates an overall feeling of closeness , the same kind of closeness that speaker feels with the subject. This allows the image of the speaker and the subject together, and even intensifies the willingness of the speaker to protect and love the subject.

    Oh, gosh, you guys, I’m sorry if this was longer than the previous blog posts, but I just really loved this poem and this song. Like most of the passages and songs I choose, I like to think that whatever piece of literature I choose to analyze is able to be imagined with the help of the song that I choose with it; I was able to see this image, well, what ever image was actually offered, with this song, and I was even able to understand what the speaker was feeling towards the subject. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I was amazed by the talent of this group (The Real Group). I first heard this song in Jazz Choir and I even expanded my range with the help of this song (I can only hit the high F#) and it just stuck to me from then on. This poem was introduced to me by  one of my best friends (he introduces me to a lot of the things I post on here) and I was re-reading it when this song came in my head and it would not leave; that’s when I knew what I had to write about for this blog.

    Anyway, thanks for reading and sorry again if it was especially long this week. I hope you enjoy!

    Category Passion | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

  3. Paradigm Shift

    October 19, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Okay, so I decided to change my topic because I saw that my topic was similar to what Erica was already doing. After our class in the library on Wednesday, I decided to search everywhere on the website that the librarian introduced to use (which is AMAZING, by the way, but you guys already know that). I decided to analyze Hollywood’s ratings system and how it has changed over the years. There is no doubt that there has been an increase in the amount of violence, drugs, sex, etc. I know that this happens every so often so I’m going to be looking from the 1920’s to the early 2000’s.

    Category Work(s) in Progress | Tags: ,,, | 3 Comments

  4. Analyzing Rhetoric: Drive Safely.

    October 19, 2012 by Francis Flores

     

    Pathos: This ad has an extremely strong sense of pathos because it uses this damaged image of a small girl. I’m guessing that this would appeal to those who would feel sympathetic towards children (so, considering I have some faith in humanity, this should be mostly everyone, right?). She looks almost deflated, and almost as a car would if it had been hit itself, which is the message of this ad. She also seems to look sad, which is understandable. This ad uses the image of this little girl to depict what could potentially happen as a result of reckless driving.

    I also noticed that the little girl, aside from the dent on her head, is the epitome of purity, which would trigger a stronger sense of remorse for her. She is wearing white overalls, a pink shirt, and she has blonde hair and fair skin. She pretty resembles a porcelain doll which has been cracked as a result of said car accident. The color white resembles her purity, as does the color pink. The background is also a shade of pink, so these colors are contrasting to the morbid message of this advertisement.

    Category Rhetoric and Civic Life | Tags: ,,, | No Comments

  5. Vladimir Nabokov meets Elvis Presley (Week 6)

    October 18, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Hey, guys! So, I thought I would do something kind of different and choose a passage from a book that I have NOT yet read. Sounds strange, but I do want to eventually read it, and I loved the language in this passage. Just a warning, though, the passage is from an extremely controversial book, so keep that in mind.

    This week, I’m going to be analyzing a passage from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (those brilliant Russians, am I right?) and Elvis Presley’s rendition of “Fever.”

    Lolita was written by Vladimir Nabokov, published in 1955 in Paris and 1958 in New York.

    “Fever” was originally written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell and originally recorded by Little Willie John in 1956. Elvis Presley covered it and released it in 1960 on his album “Elvis is Back.”

    “Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.

    She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita.

    Did she have a precursor? She did, indeed, she did. In one point fact, there might have been no Lolita at all had I not loved, one summer, a certain initial girl-child. In a princedom by the sea. Oh when? About as many years before Lolita was born as my age was that summer. You can always count on a murderer for a fancy prose style.

    Ladies and gentleman of the jury, exhibit number one is what the seraphs, the misinformed, simple, noble-winged seraphs, envied. Look at this tangle of thorns” (Nabokov 1).

    As always, here’s the song to go along with the passage:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9Ht1q9psfY

    Just a fair warning about the premise of this book (well, passage): the narrator is a middle-aged man by the name of Humbert Humbert with an addiction to nymphets and a history of mental illness. He falls in love with a young girl, as stated in the passage, and he is actually narrating this story in a jail cell while on trial for murder. If that’s incentive enough to not want to read this, I understand, but this book has always interested me because of its controversial aspect. I mean, just with the first line alone, I was immediately intrigued. It created a seductive tone at the very start, which leaves the reader confused especially if they know who the narrator is speaking about. Such words such as “light,” “fire,” “sin,” “my arms,” “seraphs,” and “tangle of thorns,” lend an extremely strong sense of that seduction and romance that he felt when he was with her. Seraphs, in regards to the Hebrew Bible, are serpents and are often referred to as the “burning ones,” thought to be because of the burning sensation of their poison. He refers to these seraphs in comparison to the burning sensation that Lolita makes him feel, powerful enough to put the burning sensation of the seraphs’ poison to shame.

    Oh, now this song. It starts off with a simple bass and snapping of the fingers, which is already seductive. Once Elvis’ voice comes in, the deep tone of his voice, along with the deep playing of the bass, adds to the overall tone of the song. I mean, the title alone should give you an idea of how the song itself would sound. The first line of this passage is what made me put the two together. When I saw the passage, I immediately tried to look for a song in which I could say Lolita’s name as Humbert Humbert describes it, and I found that it was possible with this song. Every time the bass is plucked, or when the fingers snap, or even when the drums come in, Lolita’s name just happens to roll of your tongue. I would ask you to try it, but unless you’re alone like I am, you’ll probably sound weird. Say it fast, say it slow, but it works. The ending lyrics also correlate with the burning sensation that Humbert feels. In the end of the song, he repeats “what a lovely way to burn,” which is exactly what Humbert Humbert is trying to put across to his “jury” (the reader).

    You guys, was I the only one that thought this passage was amazing. I mean, I know the whole premise of it is just…not okay but he really does have a way with words. It just sounds sultry and all he’s talking about is a girl. Not just that, but her name. He establishes a sense of how it feels to say her name, which is intimate in itself. Oh, and this cover of the song is just so hot. I don’t know how else to put it. Elvis’ voice is just so sexy.

    Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this week’s post and I hope that no one freaked out too much over the topic of my passion blog. Oh, and if you guys ever want a song that I post on here, I have them in my music library, so I could always send them to you if you asked! Thanks again for reading!

    Category Passion | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 3 Comments

  6. Osoanon Nismuss meets Jeff Buckley (Week 5)

    October 12, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Hey, guys! So this week, I got sick and so on Tuesday, I was resting up and listening to music when I came across the most beautiful rendition of “Lilac Wine,” and my thoughts immediately strayed to a poem that I read a while ago. I actually got this poem out of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, and I fell in love with it.

    I’m not going to be doing the full poem because it’s so long, but I thought I would do the last few stanzas instead. This week I’m going to be analyzing an excerpt from “Absolutely Nothing” by Osoanon Nismuss and Jeff Buckley’s rendition of “Lilac Wine.”

    “Absolutely Nothing” was written by  Osoanon Nismuss but the publication date is unknown; it is published in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (1991).

    “Lilac Wine” was originally written by James Shelton in 1950, but Jeff Buckley covered it and included it on his “Grace” album in 1994.

    “…Once on a paper torn from his notebook

    He wrote a poem

    And he called it “Innocence: A Question”

    Because that was the question about his girl

    And that’s what it was all about

    And his professor gave him an A

    And a strange steady look

    And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door

    Because he never showed her

    That was the year Father Tracy died

    And he forgot how the end

    Of the Apostle’s Creed went

    And he caught his sister

    Making out on the back porch

    And his mother and father never kissed

    Or even talked

    And the girl around the corner

    Wore too much make-up

    That made him cough when he kissed her

    But he kissed her anyway

    Because that was the thing to do

    And at 3 a.m. he tucked himself into bed

    His father snoring soundly.

     

    That’s why on the back of a brown paper bag

    He tried another poem

    And he called it “Absolutely Nothing”

    Because that’s what it was really all about

    And he gave himself an A

    And a slash on each damned wrist

    And he hung it on the bathroom door

    Because this time he didn’t think

    He could reach the kitchen.”

    Also, as always, here’s the song!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PC68rEfF-o

    This excerpt gives off a melancholic and somber tone, especially within the last stanza. With words such as “torn,” “never,” “forgot,” “Absolutely Nothing,” “a slash on each damned wrist,” and “he didn’t think he could reach the kitchen,” the author depicts the downfall of this one person in particular. In the beginning of the poem, his life seemed perfect, but the last two stanzas (the ones I have chosen for the post) directly contrast the happiness that was felt in the first two stanzas. These last stanzas are incredibly haunting because, from what we can infer, the subject has given up on life and committed suicide. It seems that as everything around the speaker (such as the death of Father Tracy, the crumbling of his parents’ marriage, and the lost innocence of the girl around the corner) seems to reveal the true nature of life. This poem provides us with the same naïve ideas we may have felt about childhood and then crushes them as this innocent naïveté caves in on itself.

    The song starts off with just a guitar and vocals, which creates a haunting and somber tone. As horrible as this sounds, I could almost play out this scene in my head, as if it was happening in a movie. When it starts off, it’s almost hypnotic while still maintaining its melancholic sound, then it picks up a bit to add the cymbals, drums, and bass. This allows the listener to feel the growing intensity, which is also taking place in the poem. The world as the subject (of the poem) knows it is crumbling, and this desperation is noted along with the pause of instruments in the song. The song breaks, and allows the guitar and the vocalist to duet by themselves, and then it picks up again. This correlates with the poem because as the rest of the instruments break, the end of the first stanza (of the excerpt) has ended. The next part of the song builds up the final stanza and further intensifies the actions that the subject takes. The tone of the vocalist himself lends to the desperate and haunting tone of this last stanza; he sounds almost as if he is in pain, or as if he is crying. The music builds up as the vocalist dies out, thus correlating with the rash action that was just taken.

    When I first read this poem in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I cried because of how powerful it is. It holds the power of being beautiful and sad. I wasn’t sure if I could exactly relate to this, but I did feel a certain closeness to it, which confused me. I became obsessed with it, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to use it for this blog. I heard of this song on Tumblr. There was a huge uproar because Miley Cyrus covered it (her cover is beautiful, by the way) and I was curious, so I looked up Jeff Buckley’s version and I fell in love. As I obsessed over the song, this poem began to come to mind and they clicked in my head. Like I said earlier, I can picture this scene in my head to this song, and it gives me chills.

    Anyway, thanks for reading and listening! I really hope you enjoyed. Also, if you want to read the whole poem, here it is: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/absolutely-nothing-2/

    Category Best Of, Passion | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 4 Comments

  7. Analyzing Obama’s “Hope” Poster

    October 11, 2012 by Francis Flores

    To be honest, I never looked at these posters with much thought. I used to see people wearing them on their shirts, but I honestly never took the time to look at them. Looking at this poster and the insights that the writer offers, I am noticing the ambiguity of these posters. The word “Hope” offers two different meaning, like the writer said, but that jumped out at me the most. I think this ambiguity is present so that he could appeal to those that already support him and also so that he could attempt to lure in those who know nothing of his campaign; it lends a mysterious feel to his campaign. I noticed that Obama is staring off into the distance in this photo and I think that this lends to the “Hope” thing. He could mean this to be that there is hope in the distance, and he sees it.

    Category Rhetoric and Civic Life | Tags: ,,,,, | No Comments

  8. Paradigm Shift

    October 11, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Oh, wow. You know, there is so much I can do with this.

    1. My first thought strayed to the importance that we put on newspapers and reading in general. I know that this has changed a lot, especially with the technology revolution that has occurred. I think this would be interesting to look at since I love to read and I’ve noticed more and more a decline in children and even people my age that actually want to read.
    2. Then I was sitting in Spanish yesterday, and I thought of the music evolution, as well. Pop culture has just exploded with the likes of Wiz Khalifa and LMFAO, whose music tend to have no real meaning behind them. I’ve noticed that this affects the attitudes of the younger generation, meaning that they tend to show less respect.

    Oh, wow. I guess my paradigm shift would be analyzing the behaviors of children. I don’t know if the affect of less amount of reading or the affect of the music caused this, but I know that’s what I want to concentrate on.

    Category Work(s) in Progress | Tags: ,,,, | 2 Comments

  9. Anti-Smoking Ad: Week 4

    October 4, 2012 by Francis Flores

    So, when I initially saw this prompt, I immediately knew what I wanted to use! Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against smoking because people have that right to choose, but this ad did scare me when I first saw this, so I thought I’d share.

    This ad was created by the California Dept. of Public Health, California Tobacco Control Program and it is generally intended for a broad demographic of adults, teens, and younger children. Their most famous ad being one in which they show the effects of smoking, they intend to show the “evils” of the tobacco industry.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiVC2uhnlKk

    This ad is intended, I think, for an audience of adults, even those with families. I think the thing that appeals most to the audience is the image of the grim reaper, which displays the fact that death is lurking when tobacco is smoked or sampled. Because of its addictive nature, the tobacco industry allowed for free samples to be given out, and this ad exaggerates the effects of this addiction.

    The other thing that I think appeals to the audience is the song choice. It’s a rendition of “Lullaby,” sung by Honey-Honey, and it creates an eerie feeling. The song sounds so soothing and sweet, but what its actually emphasizing is the creepiness in the grim reaper feeling that this ad is trying to portray. The song is actually what attracted me to this ad in the first place. The reason I was so terrified of the ideas given from this ad was because of the song. Also, the women that give out the free samples are so seemingly innocent, and I think that they used a woman for this ad for that reason. Since woman generally give off a more maternal vibe, people would be more likely to take this sample from her, but they would least likely suspect that it is her who is offering the very substance that could potentially kill them.

    Category Rhetoric and Civic Life | Tags: ,,,,, | 2 Comments

  10. F. Scott Fitzgerald meets Lenka (Week 4)

    October 4, 2012 by Francis Flores

    Hello, again! I’m still having no luck finding a decent passage from a play that would actually fit with a song, so I bring to you another book passage! It’s from another one of my favorite books and I hope you guys have read it too. I’ll be looking at a passage from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Like a Song” by Lenka.

    The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scot Fitzgerald, published in 1925.

    “Like a Song” by Lenka, released in 2008 on her self-titled debut album “Lenka.”

    “Gatsby, his hands still in his pockets, was reclining against the mantelpiece in a strained counterfeit of perfect ease, even of boredom. His head leaned back so far that it rested against the face of a defunct mantelpiece clock, and from this position his distraught eyes stared down at Daisy, who was sitting, frightened but graceful, on the edge of a stiff chair.

    ‘We’ve met before,’ muttered Gatsby. His eyes glanced momentarily at me, and his lips parted with an abortive attempt at a laugh. Luckily the clock took this moment to tilt dangerously at the pressure of his head, whereupon he turned and caught it with trembling fingers, and set it back in place. Then he sat down, rigidly, his elbow on the arm of the sofa and his chin in his hand…

    ‘It’s an old clock,’ I told them idiotically.

    I think we all believed for a moment that it had smashed in pieces on the floor… After his embarrassment and his unreasoning joy he was consumed with wonder at her presence. He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end… Now, in the reaction, he was running down like an overwound clock.

    Recovering himself in a minute he opened for us two hulking patent cabinets which held his massed suits and dressing-gowns and ties, and his shirts, piled like bricks in stacks a dozen high…

    He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one, before us…While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted higher — shirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple-green and lavender and faint orange, and monograms of Indian blue. Suddenly, with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily.

    ‘They’re such beautiful shirts,” she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such — such beautiful shirts before’” (Chapter 5).

    As always, here’s the song to go with the passage! I changed it a bit this week and listened to the lyrics a bit more and so it helps to look at the lyrics, as well. I’ll just post a lyrics video for you!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkJ2rAnOLdU

    In both this passage and the song, time is a huge concept. This is reflected with the use of the xylophone in the song; it creates a melancholic and nostalgic tone. In the beginning of the passage, Gatsby and Daisy meet for the first time in a long time in Nick’s cottage and Gatsby is visibly nervous at the very presence of Daisy, so much so that he clumsily knocks over the clock on Nick’s mantelpiece. The knocking over and catching of the clock symbolizes Gatsby’s clumsiness in his attempt to hold time. With Daisy sitting right there, he just wants to recapture the past, and when Nick mentions, “I think we all believed for a moment that it smashed in pieces on the floor,” he is referring to the fact that though time has long gone, everybody refuses to acknowledge it. This extreme sense of nostalgia for Gatsby is represented in the song with the use of the haunting playing of the xylophone and the dancing keys of the piano. The piano represents his memory of his old love with Daisy while the seemingly haunting xylophone symbolizes the fact that he cannot have what he once had.

    When the three go to Gatsby’s, though, and Gatsby is run down like an “overwound clock,” this symbolizes how he has returned himself to the present, and he goes on to show off to Nick and Daisy by showering them with his shirts. Daisy cries because she is overwhelmed not only with the beauty of the shirts, but also because she is distraught. She is realizing what she could have had if she had waited for Gatsby. She and Tom are wealthy as well, but there is no love; she cannot ever have the love that she and Gatsby had ever again because she did not wait. This goes along with the nostalgia in the music and lyrics of “Like a Song” because she wants the past to come back to her as well.

    The relationship of Gatsby and Daisy is told perfectly with the lyrics of this song, especially when it says, “You left a light on inside me, my love/ I can remember the way that it felt to be.” They both refuse to admit that they truly miss each other, especially because she is married with a child now, but they do feel this pain of the nostalgia. Daisy feels not only this nostalgia, but she is torn as well. She is indecisive, as the lyric “Time, make it go faster or just decide/ To come back to my happy heart” suggests, because she wants Gatsby, and she knows that she can have him if she pleases, but she has loyalty to Tom. In the time she is living in, the Roaring 20s, she cannot just leave Tom for Gatsby. She loves them both in different ways and she does not know whether or not she’s prefer the past love she had with Gatsby or the love she is supposed to have with Tom in the present. In conclusion, it is decided that Daisy is ultimately “old money” and cannot catch up with Gatsby’s “new money” pace. She decides that she is more comfortable where she knows, back with Tom; thus leaving Gatsby with his lonesome self which, in the end, greatly intertwines with the melancholic tone that “Like A Song” sets.

    I actually came across this song first, and then decided to put a passage to the song because I loved the way it sounded. I thought of The Great Gatsby and the mantle scene because of the symbolism that would tie in with the song. This song, to me, seems haunting at first but its’fitting with the “nostalgia of a lost love” tone that just trails throughout the passage. It really is a beautiful song and represents their relationship perfectly. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!

    Category Passion | Tags: ,,,,,,, | 1 Comment

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