Event Analysis Three

Elizabeth Milonas

Dr. Ellis

Understanding Literature 101.16

2 October 2013

PRIDE

            In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” John Ciardi’s “Suburban,” Thomas Lynch’s “Liberty,” and the meditation class I partook in on Monday night, all involve the common theme of pride. Specifically, Poe demonstrates how Montresor’s obsession with his pride comes between his friendship with Fortunato and eventually leads to murder. Ciardi demonstrates the insignificance of proving himself correct and swallowing his pride because he does not care what his neighbor thinks of him (or his dog). Lynch doesn’t care what others think of him and will “piss on the front lawn/ as a force of freedom,” establishing a strong sense of self-pride. Dr. Davis’ Zen meditation class also lets you focus on yourself without the interference of others. This enables you to build a stronger sense of self.

            Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” explains how a person can be so obsessed with their own pride that it drives them to ghastly circumstances. Montresor’s extreme interpretation of Fortunato’s comment created a monster inside of him that caused him to murder his friend. The incredible sense of pride and superiority that he feels produced this inhumanly action. Poe writes of Montresor’s harsh thoughts: “I must not only punish, but punish with impunity.” Fortunato had insulted Montresor, and instead of taking it all in stride, or lightheartedly, it drove him to unimaginable circumstances. More interestingly, he doesn’t even feel ashamed by committing this horrific crime—even after fifty years.

            In “Suburban,” John Ciardi’s personality shines through. It is understood that his high self-assurance and pride enables him to take the blame for things that aren’t his. To take guilt for something that you can prove easily is not your fault is a major deal. This shows how comfortable he is with himself that he does not need to prove anything to anyone. Ciardi explains that “My dog, as it happened,/ was in Vermont with my son who had gone fishing.” Yet even so, “I went with a spade” over to Mrs. Friar’s home.

            Thomas Lynch’s “Liberty” explains the concept of pride as well. In this case, Lynch clarifies his strong pride and self-confidence because he doesn’t conform to society. He explains that “some nights I go out and piss on the front lawn” and he does so without any problem. He does not care what others think of him, which clarifies how relaxed he is with himself. There is no need to justify his actions to anyone and he knows that.

            The meditation class I partook in this week also required self-actualization. This week consisted of the longest time I had meditated (ever) and I also joined in on the chanting portion for the first time. In all honesty it was a bit of a struggle. I am not used to sitting still for a long period of time—if anytime at all! It caused me to look in to myself and actually instilled a large amount of self-confidence. I was determined to complete the task to the best of my ability. Even though I usually shy away from such activities, it required me to step out of my comfort zone and establish a sense of self in that new environment.

            Overall the two poems, short story and the Zen meditation class, all consisted on a central aspect of pride. Pride can cause a person to do negative things, but also grants many positive features as well.

Event Analysis October 2

Alexa Giuliani

English 101.16

Dr. Ellis

October 2, 2013

Free Yourself From Struggles

            The works of Edgar Allen Poe, Thomas Lynch, and John Ciardi all focus on the ideas of becoming free and finding liberty based on past struggles or events that have once restricted freedom. This restriction can include societal or personal pressures. Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” explores the ideas of freedom as the narrator, Montresor, proceeds with a murder after being insulted by his “acquaintance.” Lynch’s “Liberty,” as indicated by the title, focuses on the liberty to protest against societal pressures and norms through the act of peeing on his front lawn. Similarly, Ciardi’s “Suburban” emphasizes the freedom to do certain activities, like cleaning up a dog’s fecal matter, in a satirical manner. All of these literary works relate to the Zen Meditation event. The main purpose of meditation is to be able to recognize your daily struggles and free yourself from what has been causing you stress. Thus, the aspect of freedom, especially freedom from personal issues or pressures, comes into play. Therefore, it is clear that all of the literary works by Poe, Lynch, and Ciardi, as well as the Zen Meditiation event, share a common idea of freedom and finding liberty from societal or personal pressures.

            In Edgar Allen Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado,” Montresor is seen as a character that not only seeks revenge, but also a sense of freedom. While he wants to “get back” at Fortunato for his rude remarks, Montresor also wants to be freed from his presence. As a result, Montresor sees it best to get rid of Fortunato completely. His plan is to take him down to the catacombs during the carnival in order to try wine, get him drunk enough, and cement him into one of the crypts. Through this very well thought out plan, it is clear that Montresor is seeking freedom from someone who has done him wrong. While the Masquerade Carnivale represents the freedom from social norms, the events happening in the catacombs just below represent Montresor’s freedom from his own personal issues. This is seen in the story when Montresor proceeds with the live entombment of Fortunato and he states, “For a brief moment I hesistated – I trembled. Unsheathing my rapier, I began to grope with it about the recess; but the thought of an instant reassured me. I placed my hand upon the solid fabric of the catacombs, and felt satisfied” (1065). This statement evidently portrays Montresor’s joyous and prideful attitude as he is killing Fortunato. The satisfaction expressed has brought him a sense of freedom as he has finally gotten his revenge. Therefore, through the pride and satisfaction that is expressed it is clear that Montresor has gained some sort of freedom from his personal issues based on the acts he committed.

            Additionally, Lynch’s poem, “Liberty” focuses on the ideas of freedom from typical societal pressures as the speaker is seen peeing on his front lawn. This is not typically something that someone does, and is often looked down upon because it essentially breaks the rules of social norms. The speaker’s ability to break these rules represents his freedom from society and conformity. This is seen when he states, “Some nights I go out and piss on the front lawn as a form of freedom – liberty from porcelain and plumbing and the Great Beyond beyond the toilet and the sewage works” (1-4). The speaker directly expresses his freedom in his actions. He associates these actions with the idea of breaking the barrier of conformity that he experiences in the suburban life style of America. Overall, the actions taken by the speaker throughout this poem effectively illustrate the search for freedom from the pressures of society.

            Similarly, Ciardi’s poem, “Suburban,” uses satire and humor in order to depict the common idea of finding freedom. While this poem doesn’t necessarily involve the speaker’s personal search for freedom, it represents the freedom that people have to do certain activities. By picking up fecal matter from a dog that is not his, he is representing the freedom that he has to do just that in an extremely satirical manner. He is depicting Mrs. Friar as the typical neighbor of the suburbs. She does not want other animals’ fecal matter on her property. He has the freedom; however, to do what he wants with the situation. This is illustrated in the poem when the speaker states, “I bore the turd across the line to my own petunias and buried it till the glorious resurrection when even these suburbs shall give up their dead” (18-21). Therefore, it is clear that even with the neighborly “restrictions” and “rules” of the suburbs, he has the freedom to do what he wants with the fecal matter that he is handling.

            Finally, all of these literary works relate to the Zen Meditation event that I went to. While the event was very similar to the first meditation session I went to, we focused on the idea of freeing yourself from the harmful, worrisome, and stressful struggles that we experience on a daily basis. This mediation allows one to free themselves of the struggles they have been facing. Just like the characters and speakers in all three works, I was able to find a way to free myself from the struggles and stresses I was experiencing at the time. Therefore, the meditation offered me with a sense of freedom from the thoughts that were restricting my progression throughout the day, just as the short story and poems had also expressed.

            Overall, the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Thomas Lynch, and John Ciardi, as well as the Zen Mediation, shared the common idea of freedom from struggles. This was clearly seen through Montresor’s freedom from Fortunato’s hurtful words, the speaker’s freedom from societal norms in “Liberty”, the speaker’s freedom from suburban neighborly lifestyle in “Suburban”, and my personal freedom from daily struggles through meditation exercises. Therefore, the common idea of freedom was effectively depicted throughout the literary works as well as my personal experiences with the meditation event. 

Analysis #3

Brianna Catania

Professor Juniper Ellis

EN.101.16

2 October 2013

                                                            The Feeling Of Freedom

            In the works written by Thomas Lynch, John Ciardi, and Edgar Allen Poe, all involve an event where a character frees themselves from a certain situation. In Lynch’s “Liberty,” the speaker frees himself from his wife, turns against social norms, and urinates on his front lawn. In Ciardi’s “Suburban” the speaker is asked to remove dog waste from his neighbors lawn. He can’t help but think the situation is comical, as he tries to collect himself in a serious manner. In Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado,” a man traps an enemy, gets him drunk, and ultimately murders him.

            In Thomas Lynch’s “Liberty,” the speaker feels he can go outside and urinate on his front lawn instead of using the restroom inside his house. He does not feel that he should follow any societal rules. The speakers ex-wife once said to him, “Why can’t you pee in concert with the most of human kind who do their business tidily indoors?” (Lynch lines 10-12). Not only is he freeing himself physically, but he is also freeing himself from the rules of society. The speaker does not want to conform to society. The speaker also states he is no longer married to the woman who told him to urinate inside. This displays that he has relieved the person from his life who tried to control him. He felt as if she was taking away his freedom.

            In John Ciardi’s “Suburban,” the speaker is asked to remove dog waste from his neighbors flowers. The speaker believes this situation is funny and can’t help but be a bit sarcastic. Although this task wasn’t a difficult one, since it was his own dog, he still has to free himself from a situation his dog has put him in. The speaker says, “The animal of it. I hope this hasn’t upset you, Mrs. Friar.” (Ciardi lines 16-17). It is obvious the speaker is being sarcastic about the situation in a kind, genuine way.

            In Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado,” the speaker has freed himself from his enemy by killing him. He enjoys being in control as he kills this man he deceives. The speaker gets the man drunk before killing him, maybe he felt some guilt before killing the man. “For a brief moment I hesitated--I trembled” (Poe 1065). This quote reveals that although he enjoyed having control over this drunk man, he felt guilty as well.

            I attended an event last Friday. It was one of Shakespeare's plays, The Merry Wives of Windsor. I really enjoyed this play because I felt that the actors truly enjoyed preforming for an audience. I was pleasantly surprised that there were so many people who attended this play. The actors were very funny and I really liked how they added jokes throughout the play. If it was as serious as the original, I feel that the audience, who were mostly college students, wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. It was about a man named Falstaff who is financially unstable. He decides to send a love letter to two wealthy and happily married woman, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page, hoping to win them over. I believe this play relates to freedom because these actors feel free on stage. They are comfortable being themselves as well as taking on the roles of different characters.

            In the works, “Liberty,” by Lynch “Suburban,” by Ciardi and “The Cask of Amontillado,” by Poe, an event/events take place that display a sense of freedom and the freeing of oneself. All three of these speakers face a situation where they feel the need to free themselves in order to be content.

Analysis 3

Lindsey Dzielak

October 1, 2013

Confinement in Society

In the poems by Thomas Lynch and John Ciadri and the short story by Edgar Allen Poe, we see characters that are suppressed and confined by society and their views on society. Each work varies in a slight sense. In “Liberty”, Thomas Lynch attempts to portray a man who refuses to be subjected to the suburban way of life. In “Suburban”, John Ciadri depicts a man who is subjected to the suburban way of life, making him less dominant. In Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” the  “dominant” character, Montresor lets his anger blind him, therefor revealing his weakness. All of these works represent characters who are confronted with strong feelings and who are forced to act accordingly.

Thomas Lynch in his poem “Liberty” is trying to show his distaste for the suburban way of life. He says he chooses to do what he wants because of “gentility or envy” (Line 13). He does not want to be confined to the norms of society and wants to show that he does not have to be. Peeing wherever he wants is used a representation for all constraints of society. Lynch is also indirectly speaking about rebellion and how that gives you freedom. He discusses the tale of his ancestors who created freedom and lived how they wanted in the suburban life.

In “Suburban” by John Ciadri, the speaker is tired of conforming to the suburban lifestyle. The speaker portrays the amount of “fakeness” there is in relationships between those who live in the suburbs. Ciadri is on the edge of a breaking point, but decides “why lose out on organic gold for a wise crack?” (Line, 11). The speakers response to “your dog has just deposited – forgive me – a large repulsive object in my petunias” being: “yes, Mrs. Friar, I understand” is a perfect example of the speaker letting the suburbs take advantage of him and making him weak (Line 4 and Line 12). The suburbs took away his manhood, his ability to speak up. He does not want to cause trouble or an argument when in fact, Mrs. Friar was wrong and he knows she would never loose that argument. He shows this by saying:

and buried it till the glorious resurrection

when even these suburbs shall give up their dead.

            Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado” has an ironic ending that, similar to the other two works above, has one dominant character and one non-dominant. It seems as though Montresor is the dominant character until the end when Montresor was calling out “Fortunato” twice and there was no response. He then said, “my heart grew sick”. This represents how both characters are imprisoned and how it leads to their demise or unhappiness. Fortunato is blinded by his self-trusting nature of the relationship between him and Montresso, while Montresso is blinded by his motives and his anger.

             This idea of conforming to others and losing your identity is an important quality to try to avoid when trying to become a confident, strong individual. I had the opportunity to volunteer this week at Patterson High School through the Refugee Youth Program. While there, I worked closely with two students, both whom spoke French. To them Baltimore was foreign and it was forcing them to create a new destiny or a new path. How both students took this new and safe opportunity varied. One girl was eager to learn and took advantage of what the school was forcing upon her. (By forcing I mean homework, tests, learning, etc.). She kept her own identity and showed this through her hair and her clothing and she did not let the ways of Baltimore completely overpower her like the speaker in “Suburban” let happen to him. She, like the speaker in “Liberty”, kept her identity while in another society. The second student was a boy who did not take advantage of the opportunity. He is letting his fear get in the way of his success, similar to how Montresso is letting his anger cloud his judgment.

Event Analysis 3

Patrick Donohue

Dr. Ellis

Understanding Literature

2 October 2013

Freeing One’s Self

            The works of Edgar Allen Poe, Thomas Lynch and John Ciardi all involve the ideology that an individual must move beyond what binds them.  In the “Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, the narrator deceives his enemy into a catacomb where he walls him in.  In Thomas Lynch’s “Liberty” the speaker frees himself from social formalities and relieves himself on his front lawn.  And in John Ciardi’s “Suburban” the speaker must remove dog excrement from a neighbors lawn but does so in a sarcastic and humorous fashion. 

            The first of these readings is Poe’s “the Cask of Amontillado,” the narrator of the story despises this man he has come to know.   The narrator states his intention at the beginning of the story in which he will enact his revenge on him.  “I must be understood, that neither by word nor deed had I given cause to doubt my good-will.  I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that me smile now was at the thought of his immolation” (Poe 1062).  His friend Fortunato does not suspect a thing. He then brings him to a catacomb and proceeds to get him intoxicated and walls him in.  The narrator’s action gives him a feeling of total enjoyment and self-control no longer can be found.  He cannot stop himself.   It was Fortunato’s own greed that did him in.   The narrator gives him many opportunities to turn back but he cannot resist the expensive and rare wine. 

            Thomas Lynch’s “Liberty” again the speaker portrays a man that no longer has intention of following the rules and regulations of society.   The poem involves a speaker urinating in his front lawn but also brings up many other aspects of how he must be free.   The speaker questions why if his forefathers before him struggled why must he live in such comfort.   The speaker state “The ex-wife used to say, “Why can’t you pee in concert with the most of humankind who do their business tidily indoors?”” (Lynch 538).  Not only in this passage does he free himself from all the rest of humanity that likes to relieve one’s self indoors but he is no longer married to the woman who judge him for that.  The speaker deliberately and the fact that he is no longer married to emphasize his freedom. 

            The last reading of John Ciardi’s “Suburban” the speaker is faced with the task of removing dog excrement from a neighbors petunias.  The speaker sees the situation as comical; he will remove what the dog has left behind in serious yet lighthearted way.  He acts as though it was a cardinal sin for his dog to, dare I say, poop in a neighbor’s flowers.  The speaker states, ““The animal of it, I hope this hasn’t upset you, Mrs. Friar”” (Ciardi 512).  The speaker’s sarcastic tone reinforces the notion that he is plainly messing with his neighbor, how awful it must be for his dog to

            The event that I recently attended was the Commitment to Justice Lecture given by the President of Loyola, Fr. Brian Linnane.  He spoke of the humanities and the Jesuit form of education that must reinforce the core values.  The Jesuit ideology behind education is about freeing an individual of one practice and sculpting them to be educated in all aspects.  A key idea that Fr. Linnane mentioned came in the form of an answer he gave during the Q/A, he was asked about how he and the Jesuit community felt since they must charge student for their education.  It was also brought up how this was not always the case; Jesuit schools were funded by the community.   He disagreed with having to charge the student as much and if times were different he wouldn’t.

            In “The Cask of Amontillado” the speaker frees himself from his enemy and gets his revenge by killing him.  On the lighter side Thomas Lynch’s “Liberty” gives a real life depiction of a man who no longer wants to follow the social norms and free himself from common formalities.  And in “Suburban” by John Ciardi takes a sarcastic approach to a common neighborly problem.  The notion of freedom can be found in many different aspects of these works.  From a man killing his enemy to a man being able to pee on his front lawn.  These authors show that freeing one’s self can be found in all aspects of life. 

Works Cited

Rubenstein, Roberta, and Charles R. Larson, eds. Words of Fiction. Upper Saddle River,  

Nj: Prentice Hall, 1993.1060-1066 Print.

Lynch, Thomas.  “Liberty.” Poetry: An Introduction.  Ed. Michael Meyer.

Boston-New York: BedFord/ St. Martins. 2013. 538. Print.

Ciardi, John. “Suburban.” .” Poetry: An Introduction.  Ed. Michael Meyer.

Boston-New York: BedFord/ St. Martins. 2013. 511-512. Print.