1. My own experience bears out the idea that "nothing gold can stay" is that everything in my life that is precious or good somehow changed, whether it fades away or dies. Gold symbolizes wealth and beauty and I have experienced wealth at one point in my life and it changed dramatically, now I am living pay check to pay check.
2. The lines I felt easiest to understand is "Her hardest hue to hold", "The leaf subsides to leaf", "Her early leaf's a flower". The lines most puzzling for me is "But only so an hour", "So dawn goes down to day".
3. Nature's first green "gold" is the buds on the trees before they start to blossom. The golden hue is hard to "hold" because eventually all the golden colors turn to green with the changing of seasons.
4. Dawn "goes down" to day because the leaf's fall to the ground during the changing of the seasons. The changing of the seasons is what is implied about the relationship between dawn and day.
5. The connection between the dawn day relationship and the green to gold movement is the changing of leaf colors from green to gold.
6. The last line is related to all before it because the color gold with all its beauty does not last forever. It fades away and turns to another color. That nothing can ever stay the same, things do change over time.
7. The reference to "Eden" is referred to nature. The reference to the loss the humankind suffered in the garden of Eden is relevant to the other images in the poem because all life eventually dies at some point and reincarnated into something else beautiful. It is called the circle of life.
8. Gold is so highly valued becaues it is becoming rare and so little of it. Certain human experiences are so highly valued because some of life's experiences will only happen once in a lifetime, so people take a great deal of pride and value in that experience.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Ethan Frome final analysis
In the end, Ethan and Mattie's desire to be together has turned into a tragedy. Because Ethan and Mattie know that running off together will not work, they decide that the only way to be together forever is to kill themselves. So, that final trip down the hill was meant to run right into the big Elm tree and they were to die together. However, their plan did not work. Now they are stuck in an old run down farm house with the one person they were both trying to get away from, Zeena, the sickly, ill mannered wife of Ethans'. The irony of their plan is that Zeena, whos health is suddenly better, is taking care of Ethan and Mattie after the accident. Moreover, Ethan and Mattie will be together as planned, just not as happily ever after as they has hoped, but in misery.
My response to the conclusion of this story is shocking. I truely hoped Mattie and Ethan would end up together in happiness away from Zeena. It is funny though how Zeena's health suddenly was well enough to care for Ethan and Mattie. Makes the reader wonder just how devious she really is. However, the fate of Ethan and Mattie for trying to kill themselves instead of being honest with Zeena about their feelings lays in the hands of their own devious acts.
My response to the conclusion of this story is shocking. I truely hoped Mattie and Ethan would end up together in happiness away from Zeena. It is funny though how Zeena's health suddenly was well enough to care for Ethan and Mattie. Makes the reader wonder just how devious she really is. However, the fate of Ethan and Mattie for trying to kill themselves instead of being honest with Zeena about their feelings lays in the hands of their own devious acts.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Ethan Frome analysis 1
The setting takes place in a cold wintery village in Starkfield, Massachutetts. Where Ethan lives on a farm with his wife Zeena and her cousin, Mattie. The village is a lonely, dark place during the winter months.
The plot of the Story of Ethan Frome is a complex plot, told in the first person point of view by the narrator. The narrator's interest in Ethan Frome, the protagaonist in the story, grows stronger everytime he sees Ethan. The narrator hires Ethan to give him a ride back and forth to the next town for business. The narrator, with curiousity is determined to get to know Ethan. As the plot thickens, the reader learns that Ethan and his wife are distant with each other. This is where the theme of the story comes into play. Ethan, a hard working man, grows feeling for his wifes cousin, Mattie, a major character in the story, who has come to stay with them because she has no where else to go. Mattie is to help around the house to take the load off of Zeena. Zeena, a major character in the story, is sickly appears to be distant from Ethan. Very little conversation takes place between Ethan and Zeena. Meanwhile, these feelings that Ethan has for Mattie sets into play, the conflict of the story. Mattie's feelings for Ethan seem to be growing as well. Zeena, although quiet and somewhat cold towards Ethan and Mattie, senses the feelings that are growing between Ethan and Mattie. Thus, when Zeena returns home from her visit with the doctor, she informs Ethan that she has hired another girl to come in and take over the household duties. Zeena wants to send Mattie away, her jealousy is apparent at this point. Ethan on the other hand, is unhappy about the decision that his wife has made and tries to reason with her.
My prediction of how the story is going to end is that Mattie will end up staying with Zeena and Ethan and Zeena's jealousy will progress. Along with Zeena's "sickness", the jealousy will cause her to become even more distant and eventually the stress of it all will cause her to die. Meanwhile, Ethan and Mattie will end up together.
The plot of the Story of Ethan Frome is a complex plot, told in the first person point of view by the narrator. The narrator's interest in Ethan Frome, the protagaonist in the story, grows stronger everytime he sees Ethan. The narrator hires Ethan to give him a ride back and forth to the next town for business. The narrator, with curiousity is determined to get to know Ethan. As the plot thickens, the reader learns that Ethan and his wife are distant with each other. This is where the theme of the story comes into play. Ethan, a hard working man, grows feeling for his wifes cousin, Mattie, a major character in the story, who has come to stay with them because she has no where else to go. Mattie is to help around the house to take the load off of Zeena. Zeena, a major character in the story, is sickly appears to be distant from Ethan. Very little conversation takes place between Ethan and Zeena. Meanwhile, these feelings that Ethan has for Mattie sets into play, the conflict of the story. Mattie's feelings for Ethan seem to be growing as well. Zeena, although quiet and somewhat cold towards Ethan and Mattie, senses the feelings that are growing between Ethan and Mattie. Thus, when Zeena returns home from her visit with the doctor, she informs Ethan that she has hired another girl to come in and take over the household duties. Zeena wants to send Mattie away, her jealousy is apparent at this point. Ethan on the other hand, is unhappy about the decision that his wife has made and tries to reason with her.
My prediction of how the story is going to end is that Mattie will end up staying with Zeena and Ethan and Zeena's jealousy will progress. Along with Zeena's "sickness", the jealousy will cause her to become even more distant and eventually the stress of it all will cause her to die. Meanwhile, Ethan and Mattie will end up together.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Ethan Frome: setting and characters
The setting for Ethan Frome takes place in a small, snow filled village in Starkfield, Massachusettes where Ethan Frome had a saw mill farm.
The characters of the story thus far are Ethan Frome; the protagonist of the story. Ethan is a poor saw mill farmer who seems to be confused about his feelings for his wife and her cousin, which lives with them. Zeena Frome; a major character is the story is Ethans wife who is very sickly and seems to have a bit of hostility towards Ethan and her cousin. Mattie Silver; is also a major character in the story. Mattie is Zeena's cousin who came to live with them to help care for Zeena. She is a young and beautiful girl in which Ethan becomes infatuated with her and it appears that Mattie might feel an attraction to Ethan as well. Denis Eady; a minor character in the story is a rich young Irish man who also seems to fancy Mattie, which causes Ethan to feel some jealousy towards Denis. Jotham Powell; also a minor character in the story is Ethan's hired man. Jotham only part in the story thus far is to help out around the farm.
My reaction to the story Ethan Frome is that I think that Ethan is a pig of a man who should not be worrying about what Mattie is doing, but worrying about his wifes well-being. As for Mattie, I think she is using her beauty to her advantage knowing how Ethan feels about her. Zeena is her family that has taken her in to her home, not to fall for her husband, but to help Zeena with the chores around the house due to Zeena's illnesses. That to me, seems selfish and disgraceful on Mattie's part. As for Zeena, her hostility towards Ethan and Mattie is well deserving. She should throw Mattie out as it seems she is not doing such good work around the house anyway.
The characters of the story thus far are Ethan Frome; the protagonist of the story. Ethan is a poor saw mill farmer who seems to be confused about his feelings for his wife and her cousin, which lives with them. Zeena Frome; a major character is the story is Ethans wife who is very sickly and seems to have a bit of hostility towards Ethan and her cousin. Mattie Silver; is also a major character in the story. Mattie is Zeena's cousin who came to live with them to help care for Zeena. She is a young and beautiful girl in which Ethan becomes infatuated with her and it appears that Mattie might feel an attraction to Ethan as well. Denis Eady; a minor character in the story is a rich young Irish man who also seems to fancy Mattie, which causes Ethan to feel some jealousy towards Denis. Jotham Powell; also a minor character in the story is Ethan's hired man. Jotham only part in the story thus far is to help out around the farm.
My reaction to the story Ethan Frome is that I think that Ethan is a pig of a man who should not be worrying about what Mattie is doing, but worrying about his wifes well-being. As for Mattie, I think she is using her beauty to her advantage knowing how Ethan feels about her. Zeena is her family that has taken her in to her home, not to fall for her husband, but to help Zeena with the chores around the house due to Zeena's illnesses. That to me, seems selfish and disgraceful on Mattie's part. As for Zeena, her hostility towards Ethan and Mattie is well deserving. She should throw Mattie out as it seems she is not doing such good work around the house anyway.
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