Jounal #21

Some Like It Hot and The Great Gatsby are similar in the fact that they both deal with the poeple of high society.  both of their themes have to do with wealth and greed. Both works describe people who like to live large and exquisitely with thier money and who et married and divorced nurmerous times. In both works, girls are attracted to weathy men, as sugar fell in love wih joe because she hought he was rich and Daisy fell in love with Tom because of his wealth. Also, the topic of illegal alcohol and the prohibition are mentioned in both books, as Gatsby was a bootlegger and the gangsters in Some like it Hot were selling liquor. They are both in the 1920's era, with flappers, smoking, and parties. Joe and Jerry play instruments for events, while atby holds elaborate parties that get out of hand most of the time. All of the characters in the stories appear to be very materialistic, as they only worry about the most unimportant things in life, money and material things. Tom is like asgood because of being born into wealth, while the gangsters in both stories, Gatsby and Spats, are killed. With these challenges, they still try to find love in both works. This leads to the main difference between the two works; In Some Like it Hot, both characters find love, but in Gatsby, they lose love is mostly all cases.

 

Journal #20

Using the imagery of the amazing parties Gatsby once had, Nick tgoes on to say how the fun and happiness will never fill the house again. Gatsby's party had come to an end and Nick heads into a new place with the shore and surroundings dissapearing and changing around him. The green light shown symbolises hope and happiness for Gatsby as it was for the Dutch sailors of long ago. Nick said that the happiness and hope was his love for Daisy and how he was blinded by her beauty as the sailers were blinded by the dramatic illusions of the new land.  Long island's discovery enthralled the pioneers and gave them hope and happiness, just as the green light gave hope and love into Gatsby's life. He connects Gatsby with the sailors because they both loved this light and were pioneers of this time. The things they hoped for and dreamed up ended up hurting them in the end, as Gatsby dies and the sailors endured many hardships. As always, the dreams of both Gatsby and the Dutch sailors remained as hopeful illusions that were always out of reach and reality caught up to them.

Journal #19

Nick Carraway Adjective __Non-Judgemental___

Nick Carraway is a young gentleman from the mid-west who decidedc to move to the west egg to work in the bond buisness. Although his physical appearance is not described, he is a tolerant man who is polite and quiet. He refrains from placing on judgement on others.

Tom Buchanan Adjective _____Self-Centered/Arrogant_____

Tom Buchanan is a very wealthy and athletic man who is rather agressive towards others. He is a bigot and racist and fully endorses this behavior. He is not a faithful man, as he has affairs with his wife, even having the nerve to go answer a phone call from his lover while they were having dinner. 

Daisy Buchanan Adjective __Charming__

Daisy, who is the beautiful cousin of Nick, lounges on a couch with her friend Jordan while both being dressed up. She apparently has a very nice laugh and is in love with wealth. She seems somewhat shallow.

Jordan Baker Adjective ___self-centered____

Jordan is a professional golfer who is very attractive, with an errect carriage.  She is overall nice, but is rather distant and distrusting. She is often very busy with golf tournaments.

Jay Gatsby Adjective ___fixated_____

Gatsby is mysterious character in the first chapter of the book, but is described as wealthy and flamboyant. He is seen staring at the light on the dock of Daisy's house. She is Gatsby ultimate goal, though most of his past is unknown.

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.

Journal #15

1. Write a sentence that summarizes the story’s overall message, and provide three direct quotes from the story that best illustrate this message.

The message of the passge is that living the life of Editha does, which is living in the ideal rather than in reality, can be a very dangerous and detrimental thing to your life.

“It isn’t this war alone; though this seems peculiarly wanton and needless; but it’s every war –so stupid; it makes me sick. Why shouldn’t this thing have been settled reasonably?”

"I shall always love you, and therefore I shall never
marry any one else. But the man I marry must love
his country first of all”

“He told me he had asked you to come if he got killed. You didn’t expect that, I suppose, when you sent him.”

“To take the part that her whole soul willed him to take, for the completion of her ideal of him

2. What tactics does Editha use to make George believe as she does about the war?

Edith makes it known that her opinion is correct as she attempts to argue with George, telling him that it is ordained by the providence and is a "holy war". George ultimately doubts himself when Edith sends him a letter with her engagement ring enclosed, and all the while was compelling and threatening him to go to war. She states that they must agree on everything to be together and that tere is no greater honor than serving in the army. George finally is persuaded to go to war and listens to her.

3. Is there ever a time in which Editha truly understands what she has done? Does she ever experience an epiphany?


I believe Editha does have an understanding of what a terrible thing she did when she found out that George had died. She truly mourns his loss and vistits the mother of George as he asked even though she was ultimately scorned and rebuked for sending him to war. At first she really does not understand her actions, but at the end she has an epiphany that brings her back to the ideal world. The person who Editha was talking too agreed that George's mother was wrong for saying those hurtful words to her. After that moment, Editha got out of self-pity and began her life again.

Journal #14

“Richard Cory“ (497)

In the town, the people view Richard as a perfect man. He is always looked up to by the people and is always admired. His wealth shows through his intensive schooling in everything a good gentleman should have. On the contrary, this is ironic because even though the people came to believe he had as perfect life, but he actually killed himself. Though everyone thinks it, it really isn't perfect because he kills himself and has problems that no one can see from the outside. A theme of this is that you cannot judge people from the outside and think that they are the same on the inside and that no amount of money will every make you truly "happy". His name sounds very similar to "rich core" which is totally opposite to his life, and is contrasting reality and his ideal life.

“Miniver Cheevy” (497)

He dreams of being born in a different era, is fond of knights and romantic stories and enjoys the days when people rode horses and used swords. He dreamed for an ideal life, but reality came for him and he became a drunk. He desired to have a life like a person in adventure novels, cursing his life in the process and destroying it as well. His name is similar to "minimal achiever", and his life is very empty as he lives in these "stories", not adding anything in his physical life.

“Mr. Flood’s Party” (498)

Mr. Flood is only having a party for himself, which is obviously not how a party is meant to be. He is very old, and since all of his friends are gone, he drinks alcohol so that he can have "friends" in himself. When drunk, Mr. Flood is able to have a party within himself with his "friends" and always lives in the past. Mr. Flood is attempting to live his ideal life by drinking and pretending to live in the past, but the reality is that he is just a very lonely drunk.

Journal #13

Journal #13 – Edgar Lee Masters Epitaphs (p. 502)

Read “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” and answer the following questions.


1. What object symbolizes George Gray’s life? How is this object representative of him?

In the Epitaph, the object that truly repsents him is the bat waiting to go out and sail. This is s because George is too scared to attempt things in life. It can easily be compared to a boat that has been docked and will not go back out into the water. Like a boat that doesn't want to go out due to the possibility of bad weather, he refuses to take a chance in life that would possibly that something bad will happen to him. He stays in his home repeating the same thins he has done his entire life, which is why his life is easily compared to a boat that will never sail again. The sail of his boat was not opened and his boat left the harbor, describing the fact that he did not take the chances in life that he could have. When his ship did not set sail, he lost the chance to find love, and continue to chase his ambitions in life. If George opened his sail and took many uncertain chances in life, his life would, in the end, be more exciting and meaningful.

2. How was Lucinda Matlock’s life different than George Gray’s? How do you interepret the last line of the poem?

The life of Lucinda Matlock was different than George Gray's laife in many ways. Throughout Lucinda's life, she had many years of excitment through trying new things and taking chances, which caused her to feel fulfilled, rather than the life of George, whom refused to break away from what he knew and attempt new things.
Unlike George, who would never do anything new, Lucinda would try anything she could, because she knew life was short. Lucinda led a good life, rather than George who seemed not happy with the life he lived, wishing he did things that he did not do. To me, the last line of the poem is advice to all who read it. In your life, you must live it to its true potential, or you will not love the life you lived.


3. How are “George Gray” and “Lucinda Matlock” examples of realism?

"George Gray" and "Lucinda Matlock" are perfect examples of realism since both of them deal with situations in everyday life. Both of these people described are normal, average people who face the same everyday situations as us normal people. They are two people who have opposite opinions on the way to live life, how to go about it, and what occured in their lives. Both of them are exact examples of realism because that’s what life is. They are both average people, telling how they lived their lives, and what occured because of it, which is very typical of the average person.

Journal #12

Journal #12 - “Young Goodman Brown”

1. “Young Goodman Brown” is an allegory (symbolic narrative). What do the following represent?

Young Goodman Brown – He represents an innocent person with pure intentions, hence the reiteration of “goodman” He represents a young person that is naïve, has the potential to make great mistakes and has not spiritually found himself yet. Human beings being tempted.


Faith- Faith in religion and society.


The Elderly Traveller/Fellow-Traveller – Temptation, The Devil


Goody Cloyse – People who may seem Godly, but have actually fallen into temptation. Hypocrisy, Double-sided people.


The Ceremony – Represents a person’s transition from innocence to the experience after the temptation. A Baptism.

The Pink Ribbon – Represents the purity of a Person(In the story, it is Goodman)


Young Goodman Brown’s Journey – It represents a person’s journey from innocence to being tempted and then the experience afterward and how it affects others. The human’s fall into temptation, while being lured by others.



2. Identify the following for “Young Goodman Brown”:

Theme/ Message of Theme/ Element Used to Establish

Sin Humanity is Innately sinful Plot conflict

In addition, provide three direct quotes from the story that address your theme.

“There is no good on earth and sin is but a name Come, devil; for to thee is this world given”
“Still rushing onward with the instinct that guides mortal man to evil”
“Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness”

Journal #11

“Where I Lived and What I Lived For” (232)

Humans are adancing, but he believes that they should stay simple. He chose to live in a very small home by a pond surrounded by nature and away from the advances of human technology. He believes progress takes over our lives and corrupts us. Technolongy results in disconnection and takes away from who you really are. He tells us why he actually went into the woods and where he stays. He feels that the average life of a human is too complicated. He chose to live in the woods because people consume more than what you need, and he only wanted to use what he needed. He wanted to have the essential facts of life becausethere is too much excess in the human world.

Quote:”we do not ride on the railroad, the railroad rides on us”
“Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity”

“Sounds” (234) - The narrator explains the natural sounds that are able to be heard at th pond, but also the manmade sounds of a train. It shows how he wants to stay and live a simple, natural life without all of the noise. This shows that he still wished to live the simple life with the sounds of the ponds, rather than the noisy life of the modern man. As he amires how the earth changes, he realizes that he is not wasting his time, because he is living in the moment. Because he wanted to live in the moment, he sat in the woods and would listen to all of the sounds that surrounded him. He entertained himself by watching and being in the place, listening to the birds and other noises

Quote: “…my life itself was become my amusement and never ceased to be novel”

“Brute Neighbors” (235)
It is like modern day war. The ants are two certain peoples fighting, and is saying that they’ll fight over anything. Because all things are unified, you can see people in all aspect of nature share the same trait as man, fighting over non-important things. He is saying this as a negative aspect towards his “ant” neighbors which are similar to a human neighbor. This passage satirizes war, and shows the brutality and pettiness of causes of war.

Quote: “and the results of this battlr will be as important and memorable to those whom it concerns as those of the battle of Bunker Hill.”

“The Pond in Winter” (237)

Nature in which creatures live and flourish and only gives the answer of pure beauty, and mother nature shows her true nature through the natural surroundings. Nature looks at rest/peace but even still life is thriving beneath the surface, ready to awaken the next season. This time of year seems dead, but is still full of life and beauty, you just ave to look under the surface to find the beauty of nature.

Quote: “heaven is under our feet as well as over our head”
“Spring” (238)

The narrator describes spring and compares it to the creation of the world. He talks about the weather, the plants, his surroundings, the feel etc. He is describing the changes from winter to spring and how so many things blossom out of something that seems like nothing. Winter is dark, dreary and everything is dead, but then spring comes aroung and everything blossoms into life, everything is brighter, lighter and full of life. The earth was nothing before it was created, and something that was so vast turned into something full of thriving life.

Quote: “The change from storm and winter to serene and mild weather, from dark and sluggish hours to bright and elastic ones, is a memorable crisis which all things proclaim. It is seemingly instantaneous atlast”

“The coming in of spring is like the creation of Cosmos out of Chaos and the realization of the Golden age.”

Journal #10 Othello's Insight

At the end of the play, Othello’s insight describes his realization to the wrongs that he had done to others, and the doings of Iago. His first speech condemns himself and the horrific actions he had enacted upon the ones he loved, especially his wife, Desdemona and comes to the realization that he wrongfully killed an honest loved one. He finally begins to genuinely blame himself for the events that had occurred because of him, and is remorseful at what he did to his wife. His passions overwhelmed himself, and caused him to kill the one he loved. He is disgusted with himself, and shows remorse at realizing the truth of Desdemona’s innocence. His conscience and mind is in torment because of her death and the fact that he killed her. Othello’s attitude and state of thinking change drastically in many ways, differing from how he acted throughout the play. A very powerful, but smart man realizes that he does not know what to do with his power in this situation. Othello is not known for giving up, but to him, this is how a noble and true man should act when mistakenly murdering your wife. Even with this, it is still obvious that he still misunderstands the whole situation, as he continues to place responsibility on fate. Even though so many hardships befall on him due to his decisions, he never had one moment of recognition of his failures at reasoning. Othello truly believes that a Turk has taken over the good Venetian within him. He still does not see that his faults are exploited by Iago and used against him. In his last soliloquy, Othello addresses the reasons behind his downfall, and decides how he wants others to see him, in terms of the story and how he takes responsibility for it, focusing on fact rather than emotion. All in All, Othello's insight in the end shows his remose for the wrongful killing of his wife, the regret of his actions, and him wanted to be seen as the man he was previously known as.

Journal #9 Free Will vs. Determinism

Free Will - The power of making free choices that are unconstrained by external circumstances or by an agency such as fate or divine will.

Iago: “'tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our
gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners” (1.3 361-3).

Determinism - The philosophical doctrine that every event, act, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedents, such as genetic and environmental influences, that are independent of the human will.

Othello: “Yet ‘tis the plague of great ones … ‘tis destiny unshunnable, like
death” (3.3 313-16).

Using the above definitions, write a paragraph that argues in support of each of the terms. In your paragraphs, use specific examples from Othello to support your ideas.

The act of Free Will, a power in which all choices are unconstrained and fate does not take a part is a viable and supportable point of view. All though many people still believe God controls many things in our lives, it is false, as God gave us free will to do as we choose, and so we do not act like “robots” in a sense. We are free to do what we please, but we have to suffer the consequences if we do wrong (depending on the choices made during a person’s life). A human being shapes their lives on where they were born, how they were raised, what choices they make in their lives. These choices can either lead to good or bad things, depending on the choice that was made. People cannot shape our lives, unless we agree with their opinion and make the decision ourselves. When we succumb to the lesser influences of delinquents per se, it is our choice to follow their bad habits, or simply decline and make better choices. Othello did not have to believe Iago’s lies, yet he made the choice to do so, which then caused him to choose to kill Desdemona. Roderigo did not have to listen to all of Iago's lies, but he chose to anyway. Iago may have been lying to the others to get his way, but people choose to believe him, not Iago. Humans have the choice to listen or not, which way they choose is their decision. Iago seems to understand Free will, when he says “'tis in ourselves that we are thus or thus. Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners” (1.3 361-3). All in all, Othello greatly shows that Free Will is plausible and true, due to that fact that many people were decieved do to their own choice, which led to the whole tragedy. Free Will can bring a man happiness or madness, depending on the choices they make throughout their lives, and by their choices, not others, their lives are shapes according to their will and what they put into it. With this evidence, I have no hesitation in saying that Free will is a reality.

Determinism, the belief that every decision and event made in this world is independent of human will shows a preference to religion, and to God. Many religions believe that every single person is predestined to do or fulfill something during their lives and that everything in our lives is already planned and out of our personal control. In Othello, it can be shown that Determinism had an effect on the characters of the play. All of the circumstances of the play lead people to wonder just how it could happen so easily for Iago. Even Othello compares fate as just as unavoidable as death, saying “Yet ‘tis the plague of great ones … ‘tis destiny unshunnable, like death” (3.3 313-16). You are unable to change or dismiss your destiny, just like death, which will happen to everyone. Since everyone dies, than it can be greatly assumed that death is predetermined, due to the fact it is unavoidable like fate. How could almost all of the characters be stupid enough to fall for Iago's scheming plans, when one would think a person would have enough sense to tell something is up, unless someone else is controlling the strings. For things to play out so easily for Iago shows that something other than Iago's scheming was at work. All in all, Determinism is very plausibe, due to the fact that plans like Iago's do not work that well by themselves, as he was a lone man, so the fates of the others must have been already decided, making Iago's job easier. With this evidence, I can say that Determinism is the way that life is lived, and is shown greatly in the play of Othello.

Journal #8 - Aphorisms

When Emerson wrote the aphorism “Everyone boils at different degrees” he is trying to explain to us that people get angry and lose their temper at different things and at different levels. The point at which one loses their temper depends on the person, and is not the same as another person. I truly agree with what he is saying, as there is no set line as to where someone's temper is lost, due to the fact that people react differently to certain things, all depending on their views, beliefs, etc. No two people will react the same way to something at the same degree, so he perfectly explains this in a small sentance. Certain subjects and comments may affect people more or less than others, depending, once again, on their views. We are all different and all have different temperatures, so it is very ignorant to think that people will react the same during the same situation. I believe he skillfully explained this concept of different "boiling points" in a way that can be understood by all, because it is so simple. It is physically impossible to say that he is "wrong" due to the fact that we have free will and are not robots, so we have varying feelings, emotions, and thoughts, which determine the differences in our "boiling points" or our time when we lose our temper.



When Emerson wrote the aphorism “Keep cool: it will all be one a hundred years hence.” He was trying to make the point of trying not to fret too much over trivial worries in life due to the fact that these petty grievances will mean nothing in 100 years, as we will most likely be already dead. He wants us not to worry about the small mistakes or negative things that we do in our lives, because in one hundred years, we will be dead and it will not matter because those things will have long been forgotten. I have to agree with this, mainly because we stress ourselves over the little things everyday, but do we ever stop and think that no one will even remember this after we die, and probably they will forget long before we die. There is no point of freting over the small things, besides no one will remember them after we are long gone. We worry so much what is happening in the moment and we fail to realize that none of this will be remembered, so just as Emerson has explain to us, don't sweat the small stuff when they will not be remembered anyway. In my opinion, Emerson explained this so perfectly and simply, that he turns a somewhat difficult concept into an easily understood phrase, which is really neat. Again, I have to agree with this aphorism, because it is so common for people today to worry about all of the small details, overlooking the fact that these"little details" will be soon forgotten.

When Emerson wrote the aphorism “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” he was trying to explain that life is basically trying new things you have never done before. The more you “experiment” and reach out to the unknown, you will have more thrilling and fruitful life. You must live your life with no regrets as you can learn from everything you do, and use those examples and learning to make better decisions in the future. Many of the worthwhile things in life require you to take some risks or make spontaneous decisions, but they will benefit your life in the end. Emerson hit the nail on the head on this aphorism, perfectly explaining what "life" is all about. Taking risks and doing things you are unfamiliar with are all apart of life, because these "experiments" will lead you to a broader mindset, open youself to new things and finally make your life better as a whole. Without these experiments, without life lessons, the life of someone will not become better, which is why he exemplifies the fact that life is basically an experiment. Emerson expressed what life truly is and what we need to do to exemplify it, which is to go out and take a change, while trying new things, rather than being conservitive and staying with what is comfortable with you. I enjoyed this aphorism very much, and this is one thing that I am striving to follow by, which is why I believe that Emerson's statement about life is correct.

Journal #7

In “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe and “To a Waterfowl” by William Cullen Bryant, both poems seem to be very similar, as they both deal with a man and their experience with a bird. Due to the different views of nature and the differences of the Neo-Classical and Romanticism styles of writing, the intricate details of the poems are very different. The views of nature of the poems used by the offers differs the major points, such as tone, message, style, order, etc., but the general idea of each poem are very similar.

Both poems, “The Raven” and “To a Waterfowl” begin as both having a man interacting with a specific bird, but after that the differences begin to show. Bryant writes a poem about a man pondering what exactly the lesson is that the bird he is observing is teaching him. He writes about a waterfowl that even though is alone, is guided along in the sky. The man then wonders if “there is a power whose care teaches thy way along that pathless coast.” The poem’s setting, which is during sunset, adds to the peacefulness and serenity of nature. The man exclaims that the same power that guides the bird to its destination will “lead my steps aright”. In the poem “To a Waterfowl”, it is written in the Neo-Classical style, and focuses more on logic, rather than emotions. The tone is very opposite to “the Raven”, as it can be described as peaceful, calm, positive, and optimistic. In “To a Waterfowl”, nature in the waterfowl makes him think about how God will lead him in his life. The poem relies mostly on logic, because it only alludes to religion. The classical view is that nature is something to observe and meditate on.

The poem “The Raven” is written in the Romantic style, allowing more emotion to affect the aspects of the poem such as tone. The tone of the raven can be described as dark, gloomy, depressing, and dreary, due to the fact that the main character in the poem lost his love and believes he is being tormented by a raven. The tones relate to the view of nature in each poem, as in “The Raven” nature is evil or indifferent to the man’s suffering and does not make him feel better and is torturing him, and is also considered very hostile. As the Romantic style is very emotional, the lingering mental stability of the man provides more “instability” and darkness to the poem. This is especially true, when Poe uses rhyming of “Nevermore” and the name of his lover, “Lenore”, to exemplify an idea, as well as darken the tone. Imagery supports Poe’s view of nature, as it uses many words like, “black, demon, devil, plutonian, ghastly, dreary, and weak.” The settings of these poems allow us a glimpse on the views of nature expressed in them. The setting of “The Raven” is during the witching hour on a dark December night, but the man actually experiences the act of nature inside the house, which makes it seem unique that the bird is coming for him specifically. He stated that it took place “once upon a midnight dreary, while [he] pondered, weak and weary.” The style in which he writes develops the poem into being a perfect example of Poe’s view of nature.

In both of the poems the styles of the poems relate to the view of nature in each of them. In “The Raven” the ornate style is used to describe the intense, distress, sadness, and agony the man is going through, which in turn describes an unclear, confusing, and difficult aspect of nature. On the other hand, “To a Waterfowl” has a somewhat plainer style of writing, possibly due to the fact that less emotion is being described, since the man is reflecting on his life and God, which describes a clear, peaceful, and a sense of knowing aspect of nature. “To a Waterfowl” shows order, due to the plainness, calmness, and serenity of nature, rather than the erratic, emotional, and disorderly thoughts of the man in “The Raven”. The writing styles and view of nature truly change the major aspects of a poem.

Since “The Raven” is heavily based on emotions, a lot of irrationality is displayed, due to the loss of logic in the poem. Bryant’s poem, on the other hand is more rational, but is vaguer than the emotionally detailed poem by Poe. Even though both of the poems started off somewhat “similar”, their endings are completely different. Bryant’s poem ended with the man feeling happier and more at peace with his life, but in Poe’s poem, it ended in the man being more depressed than before. The poems both pertain to birds but because of the different right styles and views of nature, they both ended up very different. Even the birds are very different, which is due to the views of nature, as Poe's raven is viewed as a dark and evil being, but Bryan's bird is characterized as a peaceful and guiding being. In the end, both poems have started out looking very similar, but with different views in nature and different writing styles, many differences are present in the two poems.