September 26

What are the central conflicts in ‘The Raven’?

What are the central conflicts in ‘The Raven’? What types of conflict can you decipher? 

Conflict is a vital idea used in literature, as it can quickly alter the mood of a text. Specifically, the main purpose of using conflict in writing is to create a strong sense of tension in the story, in order to leave the reader more interesting in what will occur next, while at the same time leaving them wondering and uncertain of the characters. In Edgar Allan Poe’s, “The Raven,” there is evidence of internal intellectual and emotional conflicts within the main character:

Intellectual

  1. As if someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door./ “Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door- /Only this and nothing more.”
  2. “Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door-/ Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;-/ This it is and nothing more.”
  3. “Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;/ Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explores-/ Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explores;-/ “Tis the wind and nothing more!” 
  4. Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,/ With such name as “Nevermore.”
  5. “Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store/ Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster

At the beginning of the poem, the protagonist is reading books of lore in order to try and forget the loss of his lover Lenore. It is late into the night, and as he is nodding off, he hears a rapping at his chamber door. His first reaction is to rationalize, calm down, and understand what is happening, before telling himself that it is only a visitor. When you are home alone and someone knocks on your door, it is only normal for your mind to jump towards darker thoughts (such as there is a robber trying to break in or a monster waiting for you outside), however, after quickly thinking it over, we know better than to believe that such a thing would happen. When the tapping happens again, he nervously rationalizes that the person at his door is probably simply a late night visitor waiting for entry. When he opens his door and finds a dark hallway, his first thoughts are of a supernatural sort, as he thinks that it is his dead lover, Lenore. When he decides to open the window to find the source of the noise and the raven flies in, he thinks that it is funny- and when the bird starts speaking the word ‘nevermore’, he believes that it had been trained to do so. In all of these scenarios, the main character is attempting to rationalize, fighting against his own dark thoughts to try and produce more reasonable ones. This shows the intellectual inner conflict that he was having, as he struggled to avoid thinking sinister thoughts and to normalize the situation he was in.

Emotional

  • “Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee- by these angels he hath sent thee/ Respite- respite and nepenthe, from thy memories of Lenore;/ Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”
  • On this home by Horror haunted- tell me truly, I implore-/ is there balm in Gilead?- tell me- tell me, I implore!”
  • It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore-/ Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”

The poem relies heavily on an emotional response from the main character, especially in the last few stanzas. From the beginning, we are told that he is going through the stages of grief, as he lost his lover Lenore. As he tries to forget what happened, he is plagued by the raven who enters through his window and starts saying the word ‘nevermore’. He believes, at first, that the raven is a sort of omen to prove his misfortune, however, he quickly becomes more and more distressed. When he asks the raven if there is balm in Gilead, he is asking it if there is any way that he can relieve his pain and suffering, in order to forget all the emotions that he was feeling at the time. When the raven replies, ‘nevermore’, the main character calls him a ‘prophet’ and ‘a thing of evil’, so he can’t accept the idea that grief takes time to move on from. Finally, before his complete descent into madness, he asks the raven if in Heaven he will be able to hold Lenore again, but the raven replies, ‘Nevermore’.  Throughout the entire poem, the main character is struggling internally as he tries to cope with the fact that his love died, however, at the same time, he is trying to believe that he might see her again. He can’t seem to understand the words of the raven and gets angrier as the poem goes on. It can be said that the raven is a representation of how he feels inside, and it is a physical embodiment of his emotions. Since the raven often says ‘Nevermore’ this could be the main character struggling with himself, thus showing the readers his inner emotional conflict, as he tries (and fails) to cope with the loss of his beloved Lenore.

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September 17

Eilis’ Guilt

Eilis is an Irish girl who has lived her whole life in a small village in Ireland.  She gets a job offer working for Miss Kelly at her store, but only on Sundays, and for minimal pay.

One evening, while a priest by the name Father Flood is visiting,  he hears about Eilis’ job and pay and is shocked at how low it was. Father Flood offers Eilis a job in Brooklyn, which she is hesitant to accept as it would mean leaving her mother and sister. Eilis’ sister on the other hand got all the documents organized for Eilis.

As the departure date gets closer, Eilis gets more nervous, ex: “Now, she felt that she was being singled out for something for which she was not in any way prepared, and this, despite the fear it carried with it, gave her a feeling, or more a set of feelings, she thought she might experience in the days before her wedding” (pg. 29)

Eilis, while Rose, her sister, has her trying different jewellery, realizes that her going, meant that Rose would never be able to leave, ex: “Eilis’ going, which Rose had organized so precisely, would mean that Rose would not be able to marry. Rose, she realized, in making it easy for her to go, was giving up any real prospect of leaving this house herself and having her own family” (pg. 32)

Eilis feels guilty for taking away any possibility of Rose leaving, and for Rose being the only person there to take care of their mother. Eilis also feels guilty for leaving her mother, who already had her three boys leave for England, as her mother would feel the pain of losing yet another child to a different country, but this time much further away.

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September 16

Guilt of an Immigrant

When immigrating to a new land, it can be easy to feel guilt. You are leaving behind everyone you know in order to create a better life for yourself. Eilis feels this guilt strongly as she prepares to leave for America. All three of her brothers have already left their village in Ireland to work in England, so once Eilis leaves her mother will be left with only Rose to keep her company. Eilis has seen how upset her mother was when the other children left. Additionally, her father has recently died, leaving her mother even more alone, so she knows that her departure will have a great effect. On page 30, Eilis gets her first real look at just how great that effect will be.

“Oh, it’ll kill me when she goes,” her mother said. Her face wore a dark strained look that Eilis had not seen since the months after their fathers death…. It was clear to Eilis that she was going to cry.”

From this moment the guilt hits her. Even though she knows how good this opportunity will be for her future, she can’t help but feel bad about leaving her mother alone. She also feels guilt in leaving her sister Rose behind. “Rose, she realized… was giving up any real prospect of leaving this house herself and having her own family.” Eilis and Rose both know that if Eilis leaves, Rose will have to stay and take care of her mother for the rest of their lives. Eilis can’t help but feel as though it is unfair that she will get the chance of a lifetime to live and work in America while her sister is stuck at home. These two aspects of guilt greatly effect her journey as an immigrant and as a girl coming of age.

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September 16

The Lonely Book in “Brooklyn”

5 years ago, I read a small text about a lonely book. I never thought that someone can be that lonely. Look around you… We are living in a huge planet and there are millions of people. How can someone be that “lonely”? However, in the text that I read, the author was describing himself as a colorful kids book. The book was the fortieth book in a giant shelf, there were lots of books; the green one, the red one, the black one and neither of them can understand the author. In the shelf, they never spoke. They had different stories, different words but they never spoke with each other. In the middle of the text, the books’ colors changes and one by one they fall off from the shelf.

Loneliness is one of the most powerful effects on a human being. Expats know this feeling, teenagers know this feeling. I know this feeling and, Eilis knows this feeling. Being lonely or isolated is a curse for some people. For some people, it is just an another obstacle in a marathon and they just jump over, Eilis is one of those people. The first time she came to Brooklyn, she was scared, she felt alone and isolated but the most important thing was her home was not there. She knew no one so she was no one for those people in the city. However, she makes a quick shift with help from her boyfriend, Tony. Tony is a big symbol for her. He is a part of the family for her. In the end of the text that I read, a little girl comes and reads him and other people come and read the others. The books relief and people put them back on the shelf. In the book, Tony puts Eilis on the shelf, he reminds her that she is not lonely. When Eilis understands that, she knows, the home is about the people, not about the land.

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September 16

The Castle of Otranto (1764)- Horace Walpole

Gothic Fiction

Gothic Fiction is a genre which gives the reader a sense of terror or horror. It is presented in a way that causes a state of pleasant terror/horror. Horace Walpole wrote the first Gothic Fiction novel in 1764, called ‘The Castle of Otranto’. It was such a new concept that the readers believed it was a real story. This story created the outline or specific characteristics that a Gothic story needed to have, which includes:

  1. A damsel in distress
  2. Castles or old, dark places
  3. Supernatural creatures
  4. Eerie sounds
  5. Suspense and tension…. and much more

This is an analysis of one section of the novel by Horace Walpole, in which a female protagonist is trapped in the subterranean region of a castle, trying to escape from ‘Manfred’, through a trap door which she cannot locate.

The key Gothic features seen in this section are: 

Woman in distress

Throughout this passage, the protagonist, who is a woman, is shown as being in extreme concern and distress as she tries to escape ‘Manfred’. In the beginning of the passage, it is hinted that she is trying to escape someone that is pursuing her and is a symbol of female vulnerability with the idea of being a ‘damsel in distress’. Walpole used women in distress to help appeal to the reader’s emotions and to make them feel pity towards the female characters who are often left alone. Another key feature of this character is that we do not learn her name, therefore showing how insignificant she is to the author and story. The idea of being a ‘damsel in distress’ can be seen in the following examples. ‘Her dread of Manfred outweighed every other terror’ and ‘Words cannot paint the horror of the princesses situation.’ These lines show how she is powerless and in need for someone to rescue her which occurs later, when she runs into a male servant who she pleads to help her escape through the trap door.

 

Dimly lit/gloomy settings 

Present throughout this passage, there is a lingering feeling of uncertainty due to lack of light. Darkness is often associated with evil and fear, therefore it brings up rash feelings that someone is creeping around you, leaving a feeling of vulnerability and paranoia. Since lack of light prevents you from being properly aware of your surroundings, the reader (and protagonist) is left uncomfortable with the idea that someone is watching you as darkness leaves you, in a way, blind. This idea is shown through the following extracts; ‘But a sudden gust of wind that met her at the door extinguished her lamp and left her in total darkness’ and ‘some stone steps descending into a vault totally dark.’ The idea of not being able to see around and being unaware of your surroundings leaves a strong sense of terror, as you can visualize the protagonist walking in a cold, pitch darkness and not being able to to see if the person she is running from is in reality waiting before her, or if there is another danger lurking.

Sights, moans, howls, eerie sounds 

Another method of creating suspense and fear in the reader is by setting the scene in a deeper way, with unknown voices and sounds. When one cannot see where the noises are coming from, it leaves a feeling of curiosity and dread as you want to know what is happening. These sounds can set the mood of the passage, and depending on the location, can deepen or lessen the level of fear. In the text, it is said ‘she thought she heard the step of some person’ and ‘sudden noise of voices that seems approaching’. Both of these want to make the reader keep looking over their shoulders, and challenge every sound they hear as a way of self-protection, as you when hear a sound that you are not familiar with, it can make you feel tense and feel like you need to escape.

Terror or Horror?

The story ‘The Castle of Otranto’ is a terror story, as it contains certain characteristics that differentiate it from horror. Terror stories suggest what will happen, gives a sense of uncertainty, and it depends on the reader’s imagination. The story eluded explaining exactly what was happening, as the lady was trying to escape from ‘Manfred’, and through the trap door. It creates a sense of uncertainty (which is another feature of a terror story) since it leaves you unsure if the protagonist is going to escape safely or if she is going to get caught from the person or monster she is running from. Terror stories depend on the reader’s imagination, therefore it depends on how you are imagining the story, whether you find it scary or not. Different people may visualize or immerse themselves into the storyline differently, thus it is entirely up to the reader if this passage from ‘The Castle of Otranto’ can terrify them or not.

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September 16

Ellis’ guilt (in particular in relation to Rose and her mother in Brooklyn)

Ellis begins to show feelings of guilt towards leaving for the US even knowing the amazing opportunity that it is for her to explore and experience living abroad. Her feelings of guilt are associated with her mother and Rose as they are the family members that she will be leaving behind in Ireland. Ellis’ feeling of guilt is first shown in the book when she is invited into Rose’s room to choose some pieces of jewellery. This is the moment in which Ellis discovers that Rose decided to allow Ellis to leave, forcing her to stay with her mother to take care of her.  “Rose was thirty now, and it was obvious that their mother couldn’t be left to live alone…Ellis going, which Rose has organised so precisely, would mean that Rose would not be able to marry. She would have to stay with her mother, living as she was now (Page 30)”.

These thoughts going through Ellis’ head before her departure sprung a feeling of guilt within her to emerge, making her feel as if she was abandoning her family, and leaving Rose to take care of her mother alone, causing her not to be able to do some things that she would desire to do in her life, like marry, or move abroad, travel.  “Rose, she realised, in making it easy for her to go, was giving up any real prospect of leaving this house herself and having her own house, with her own family”. Ellis continued to go over all the things that Rose would have been able to pursue had she left to the US as they wont be possible due to her needing to take care of her mother. At one point the reader also witnesses Ellis wanting to ask Rose to switch places, and for her to go instead. This is a direct result of the thoughts of guilt that she had just before. Trying to take direct action once she figures something out.

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