Journal #18

1. What is the significance of the story’s title?

The significance of the title is that an American WWII survivor who is injured is literally in another country and is subsequently alienated due to him not being Italian. These officers are located in another country because they are alienated in the Communist quarter even though they are Italian. A bond was formed between the men because all of them were alienated in some way, causing isolation.

2. Which character do you think best represents the “Hemingway hero”? Why?

In the story, the major is obviously the Hemingway hero because he is suffering from the loss of his wife and also his hand injury. His physical injury will keep him from his professional fencing, and is the character that is suffering the most. The major feels as if the machines will not make a difference and understood that you cannot avoid defeat and you need to grasp the things that are permanent. The Hemingway hero is characterized with stoicism and is a person who suffers with grace and dignity.

3. What can you infer about the photographs the doctor hangs up? What is the significance of the major’s reaction?

I can infer that the photos are fake since the soldiers are the first people to use the machines and are for motivational purposes only to give the soldiers false hope. The major ultimately refused to look at the pictures and stared out of the window, later giving up and walking out.

Journal #17

What is the significance of the poem’s epigraph? How does it relate to Prufrock?

The significance of the epigraph is that it is from Dante’s Inferno. Dante says that he is not afraid to explain his story to others because no one has ever come back alive from hell. Because of this, he believes that nobody can say that he is wrong. This relates to Prufrock since his story also contains his own thoughts. Since he is so self conscious, it is obvious that his story is not meant for a large audience. They both have a similar privacy level, since they are not meant to be judged or read by the public, since no one else was involved or had insight into their work.

Make a list of questions that Prufrock asks. Do you see a pattern/theme to these questions or are they random?

Prufrock asks multiple times: Do I dare? What is it? Should I, after tea and cakes and ices, have the strength to force the moment to its crisis? So how should I presume? Shall I part my hair behind?

All of these questions show Prufrock’s hesitation and anxieties which are not random at all. The theme of anxiety, uncertainty and fear is constantly shown through his questioning. His self–consciousness shows up in all of his questions as well and is unsure of what he should do. Even trivial things eat away at him and destroy him on the inside. His questions also have a pattern of repetition , which expresses his fears about what will occur later in his life.

3. What do you think is Prufrock’s main flaw/problem?

PruFrock's character is his main flaw since he is worrying about everything, even the unimportant and minute things, and is always uncertain about his decisions and himself as well. He truly does not want to be judged by other, and is a minor character in his world and in his opinion, does nothing of great importance. He is so preoccupied with his worries that he does nothing with his life..

4. Why do you think this is called a love song? In what way is it a love song?

The story is called a love song because of it being ironic that there isn't love in it whatsoever. It is not a love song, but a song of sadness since he is alone and he is not the star or his own life. You empathize with him because of his loveless life.

Journal #16

In the movie “The Blue Hotel”, the Swede is the best example of someone who proves the idea that social and character conditions together in a certain combination will lead to a predetermined end. The Swede, who is too influenced by the dime western novels, believes he is in a Wild West story when he enters the hotel. Because of this belief that he is in a Western novel, his mental instability shows when he says he will die in this hotel like many men have, even though no one has ever died there. In order to try to calm him down, the inn keeper gives him some alcohol, but since he could not handle alcohol well, he started acting drunk and uncontrollable. This unknown character trait by the other hotel residents is the factor that ultimately leads to his death. Disoriented by the alcohol, he fights Johnny, believing that everyone is going against him. The social environment of Swede, and where he thinks he is continues to enlarge his hysteria, and even after beating Johnny, he becomes more agitated and verbally attacks the stranger that just entered the hotel. In the end, the Swede was stabbed to death just as he and fate had predicted, which is a clear and perfect example of a self-fulfilling prophesy. The Swede was stabbed and died just as fate had predicted and is a perfect example of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

In “To Build a Fire”, the man is obviously a victim of the environment and fate. His determination and self-confidence to meet up with the boys at the lodge cloud any sense of fear, causing him to ignore all of the warnings and advice from the old timer. The old man warned and cautioned him not to travel when it is more than 50 degrees below zero outside, but the character of the man shoved all worries aside , as he was determined to get to his friends no matter what. The man does not notice the extreme danger, but the dog's instincts tell him the cold is going to be deadly. The man's ignorance to his environment and surroundings lead to his death. The man is ignorant to this environment and that leads to his death. All in all, His free will was only an illusion and while entering into that environment confident, but unprepared, his death was unavoidable. The man was unable to control any part of his destiny, because fate already determined how he was going to end.