1. Read chapter 8 on allusions. Answer the questions following Milton's poem "On His Blindness" (135/127/140/140) and turn them in on Thursday.
2. Read "Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins" (355/295/365/369) and join in a discussion on the blog.
is the homework from Ms. Minor's blog, since ours is blank I'm assuming its supposed to be the same.
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26 comments:
poem questions??? ack. mr. puterbaugh didn't mention that yesterday. those things take so long to do.
The most obvious allusion in this poem is to Dante's inferno and the seven deadly sins (Greed, lust, gluttony, anger, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.)Each of the 'seven' are italicized to stand out as they are personified into someway or another tainted the life of the innocent Catholic girl. Trapped in a dreary, doomed, life of mortal sin she is repulsed by herself and jumps from a window, just in time to see a charming prince--Jesus. He is brilliant and shining and offers her salvation from her old way of life. She immediately takes this opportunity and "veils" marrying the church, becoming the 'bride of Christ" (biblical references to the church being the bride of Christ). This is also an allusion the prodigals son, another biblical refference, to a wayward son who after loosing all of his money and living with pigs returns to his wealthy father. He is ashamed and asks only to be hired as a servant, but his father gives him his ring and throws a feast because his lost son has returned. The woman in the poem similarly has gone wayward from her early believes and is now returning to the Lord who waits with open arms to embrace his lost child.
I thought it very ironic that snow white was used to as the victim of the seven deadly sins. Since 'snow white' by name is pretty much as pure and innocent as you can get, its ironic that she becomes so tainted and infected with sins. But, in the end her name is appropriate as she is washed 'white as snow' by the 'blood of the lamb' (new testament allusion).
One thing I didn't quite understand was the italicization of 'male' in the last stanza. Since italicization has been used throughout the poem for the sins I thought its odd that it was also used for the 'Handsome Prince' who is so 'male' since he is opposed to sin. I thought 'male' was also kind of a quirky adjective to be used in the metaphor of the Prince to the Savior. Debonair, charming and glowing, but male doesn't seem to fit. Is there something I am missing with this?
I think I do remember some mention of this poem in class last time, but I could be wrong. I don't know, I just decided to do it because if it wasn't assigned to us last class it probably would be next time..... and the assignment isn't bad, we already discussed it in class last time
the poem that is
Gee, thanks for reminding everyone about this, way to play for the team...
He didn't tell us about the questions, only the blog. I'm so confused.
I guess there's no such thing as a homework-free night...
I'll write a longer post later, but I just wanted to respond to your question about the way the word "male" was italicized in this poem. I took the italicization to mean that men/males were another additional sin: the 8th deadly sin so to say.
that's what i saw too with the male as being evil it just didn't make sense how he is supposed to be saving her...
We all know what happens when we assume.
Alright, I'll bite. Post. (Here goes another hour and a half...)
This was interesting.
Gwynn brings together the Seven Deadly Sins, other Biblical allusions, and the fairy tale of Snow White to describe the story of a young wife trapped in a troubling marriage.
All Seven represent the various uncouth and disgusting aspects of this terrible husband's behavior.
From having his wife sew false brand labels onto his clothing to physically abusing the woman who has dedicated her life to looking after his filth, this guy is god-awful.
In the end, our heroine decides she's finally had enough. Her hair's graying and her face is gaunt. Waking up from her nightmare, she realizes that "this Princess" doesn't need a poisoned apple to fall in the end, and draws "X's with her thumb," perhaps on the mirrors of Pride---X's signal the end.
As the husband comes home, we can finally see why Ms. Gray put up with this monstrosity for so long. This guy is smooth as hell. He's the typical abusive husband who promises that he'll never err again.
"Impeccably he spoke. His smile was glowing. / So debonair! So charming! And so Male."
As a male, that last bit makes me say "Ouch."
And so Snow White runs to God for refuge. In the end, she does indeed take Peter's advice: "Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it."
Sounds like she becomes a nun: ". . . she took the veil."
Allusions to "Romans / And Peter's First Epistle, chapter III" are found in the second stanza.
In the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans, Paul states that personal salvation can be found by observing the Gospel of Jesus Christ---through firm faith, without fail.
Peter, in turn, says that “. . . it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.”
Pretty much, "Don't doubt your union, young woman."
Well, so much for that. Maybe you shouldn't have married this girl to the Devil and his Sins incarnate, Father.
Hmm. One final comment. I apologize in advance.
"To succeed in literature, all you need is a thorough knowledge of the Bible and a dirty mind?" Mr. Puterbaugh quoted his college professor last class, saying something along those lines, right?
>". . . beckoned / For her to mount (What else?) his snow-white horse."
... Um.
Is this a case of Shakespearean lewdness, or is it just an innocent reference to Snow White, thus making me despicable?
Looking back, that "Ms. Gray" should be "Mrs. Gray."
Though I suppose it's kind of an assumption on my part that she's necessarily married---it doesn't look like the speaker directly implies that anywhere, in retrospect.
And "We all know what happens when we assume." -- M Cornea
[whine] Also, how the heck did my post get so long? It was supposed to be a brief one since this blog assignment's validity is questionable in the first place... and I have so much work due tomorrow... Sigh. [/whine]
I definitely won't do the questions, now. Mr. Puterbaugh thoroughly worked it with us in class, so... no thanks.
Hmm. In further retrospect, I think that my look at the Biblical allusions is all wrong. It's not that she shouldn't doubt her marriage, but that she should bear her suffering and hold her faith.
"And who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?"
She's living with an idealized philosophy where she believes that if she does good and holds her trust in God, she can't be touched. Impervious to harm. Faith brings salvation.
But then it all hits the fan in stanza in the third stanza, and she chooses a bleaker look at reality over an idealized one. Poor gal.
I guess that this fairy tale has a happy ending, at least.
In conclusion, it was interesting that this was written by R. S. Gwynn, a male.
yeah i'm really done now bye
The most obvious allusions to be found within this poem are the parallels to the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and to certain texts within the Bible. Since I’m not so familiar with the various parables and moral lessons found within the Bible, I think I’ll leave discussion of those allusions to someone else. Enlighten me, please.
The numerous allusions packed within this poem really steal the spotlight. Thus, it was hard to think beyond mere recognition of those allusions and figure out what the poem was about. The seven dwarfs within the original Snow White story have gradually metamorphized into the Seven Deadly Sins within this poem. They have traded their hammers and pickaxes for pitchforks and their hard hats for horns (10). Every day, instead of convening to the mine where they perform honest, hard labor, the dwarf, now little devils, sneak into the neighbors yards and sow their lawns “…with tares and thorns”. I googled the word tares and found that beyond meaning a weed, the word “tare” is an allusion to the Parable of the Tares, found within the gospel of Matthew. The Parable tells the story of an “enemy” who, late at night when all was still, silently sneaks into his victim’s fields and plants tares beside the wheat. The tares, a weed, are virtually undistinguishable from wheat. Thus, I believe the dwarfs represent society at large. Their gradual metamorphosis into the Seven Deadly Sins is a metaphor for society’s own decline. Initially pure, thoughtful, and kind, the dwarfs, like society, have become “…more sinful everyday”. Thus, it is up to Snow White (a sort of shining, all purpose savior) to clean, tidy up, and transform the Sins. Moreover, the word white has a connotation of being pure. “She [sets] to work,” cleaning up after Pride, Lust, Gluttony, Avarice, Envy, Sloth, and Wrath. This is where the allusions really shine.
- Pride’s “wall of looking glasses…smeared with prints of lips” is an allusion to the mirror the Queen in Snow White possesses and from which she constantly seeks reassurances of her beauty.
-Lust’s magazines: which I can only assume is an allusion to such “men’s magazines” like Playboy.
-Envy’s counterfeit Bill Blass blazer bought at Gyp’s. Bill Blass is an upscale American designer and I can only assume Gyp’s is a more of low-end clothing retailer.
I found the ending to be a bit confusing. I originally thought the italicization of “Handsome Prince” and “Male” signified that the male and handsome prince was another sin, the eighth deadly sin. I’m not so sure now. Snow white, in his debonair and charming presence, “took a step, [but] reversed and without slowing/beat it to St. Anne’s where she took the veil” (39-40). She may have been so petrified and horrified at the sight of the prince, that she beat it to the nearest church and became a nun. Yet, someone from Mrs. Minor’s class suggested that the prince represented Jesus. This could be another plausible explanation and would also explain her departure for the nunnery.
hmm... I must say Krista, I did not think of the prince as Jesus, but I guess that makes a lot of sense. One thing that stood out to me was just how much diction and allusions were related to the Church in some way. First, the poem starts out with "Good Catholic girl". The next stanza refers to her going to confession for her sins and her penance to read certain parts of the Bible. At the end, she ends up going to a convent.
I don't know if we're supposed to discuss irony, but one thing I noticed was that when the woman started to have doubts about her marriage, she went to confession and confessed HER sins, as though the abuse of her husband was her fault, not the other way around. That's all I have for now.
I just read David's post, and his interpretation of Snow White as a suffering and abused wife makes a lot sense. It was radically different from my own interpretation.
Question: Are people going to answer the questions for "On His Blindness"? I wasn't in class, but David said that you guys already went over the poem in depth with Mr. Peterbaugh. Also, he didn't assign it when I talked to him. It's late and I really don't want answer those questions.
dang, it's already midnight and puterbaugh didn't mention the questions.
Anyway, I appreciate all of your interpretations, I would really lsot while I was reading this. I completely agree with David's analysis that it is the husband who's committing these sins. And that this this poem is in fact a stand against men and the sins they committ against their hard working lives. So Krista, I don't think it's Ironic that they used snow white, I thinks she's meant to be pure. Also I think that fact that she "reversed" in line 39 is meant to mean that she changed her mind, and didn't go to him. Instead she "beat it to St. Anne's".
Also in Stanza #2 she refers to "Peter's first epistle, chapter 3". this allusion to the bible is obvious, but i looked it up and the first verse says: Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
so basically the whole chapter was about women obeying they're husband and being subject to them. Wich just makes it worse becasue she was being taught to sit and be quiet while her husband was a jerk. And yet I'm sure every woman can relate to being in love with someone who is so obviously horrible, they just can't help it.
Anyway, that's my two cents. I was hoping maybe somebody could explain to me like 22 when she kneels on the floor " as if a petitioner before the pope". It could just be an allusion to her faith. Any thoughts?
dang, it's already midnight and puterbaugh didn't mention the questions.
Anyway, I appreciate all of your interpretations, I would really lsot while I was reading this. I completely agree with David's analysis that it is the husband who's committing these sins. And that this this poem is in fact a stand against men and the sins they committ against their hard working lives. So Krista, I don't think it's Ironic that they used snow white, I thinks she's meant to be pure. Also I think that fact that she "reversed" in line 39 is meant to mean that she changed her mind, and didn't go to him. Instead she "beat it to St. Anne's".
Also in Stanza #2 she refers to "Peter's first epistle, chapter 3". this allusion to the bible is obvious, but i looked it up and the first verse says: Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
so basically the whole chapter was about women obeying they're husband and being subject to them. Wich just makes it worse becasue she was being taught to sit and be quiet while her husband was a jerk. And yet I'm sure every woman can relate to being in love with someone who is so obviously horrible, they just can't help it.
Anyway, that's my two cents. I was hoping maybe somebody could explain to me like 22 when she kneels on the floor " as if a petitioner before the pope". It could just be an allusion to her faith. Any thoughts?
dang, it's already midnight and puterbaugh didn't mention the questions.
Anyway, I appreciate all of your interpretations, I would really lsot while I was reading this. I completely agree with David's analysis that it is the husband who's committing these sins. And that this this poem is in fact a stand against men and the sins they committ against their hard working lives. So Krista, I don't think it's Ironic that they used snow white, I thinks she's meant to be pure. Also I think that fact that she "reversed" in line 39 is meant to mean that she changed her mind, and didn't go to him. Instead she "beat it to St. Anne's".
Also in Stanza #2 she refers to "Peter's first epistle, chapter 3". this allusion to the bible is obvious, but i looked it up and the first verse says: Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
so basically the whole chapter was about women obeying they're husband and being subject to them. Wich just makes it worse becasue she was being taught to sit and be quiet while her husband was a jerk. And yet I'm sure every woman can relate to being in love with someone who is so obviously horrible, they just can't help it.
Anyway, that's my two cents. I was hoping maybe somebody could explain to me like 22 when she kneels on the floor " as if a petitioner before the pope". It could just be an allusion to her faith. Any thoughts?
While I do agree with Krista's point that the woman of the poem found some kind of salvation in the church, I do not agree with her assertion that the girl killed herself in order to find such salvation. Rather, I felt that it came to her as an epiphany of sorts, as sudden and unexpected as the small movement of Snow White's glass coffin that dislodged the poisoned piece of apple caught in her throat, that woke her from her stupor. The woman similarly had been living without really thinking, without ever pausing to reflect upon her choices, upon the presence of those seven sins, "more sinful every day", in her life. She had not found the solace she expected to find when referred to the Bible by her minister, thus allowing "tares and thorns" to ruin her garden, to overcome her life. I didn't look at any one sin mentioned in a literal way - I saw them each as representations of her wrongdoing, as symbols of her indulgences. She seemed to see them in a similar manner, cringing as she came upon the mirror that reminded her of her pride, as she fixed the blazer that brought to mind her own envy. It is perhaps that awareness of her impurity that led her to remark, "No poisoned apple needed for this Princess", for she knew long before making that admission that her life had indeed been poisoned in some way, that she was no longer the "good Catholic schoolgirl" that she once was. Yet, despite those missteps of hers, she found hope again, she found direction, and that she should do so despite all that she has experienced suggested that the author Gwynne sees some kind of hope in religion, even though he concedes that it is not always the most effective of refuges. It made me wonder how he felt about religion in general, and it made me question how I felt about it personally.
O boy o boy, more homework on my plate. I'd ask for seconds, but you know that would be rude. But hey, since we're all in a giving mood, why don't we just pile some more on? Say Thanh, are you making use of your verbal irony at the moment? Why, yes, I believe so, thank you for noticing.
Okay, now that my rant is over, I can analyze this fun and dandy poem eh? It's too bad that I haven't read the Bible (nor have a bible at home..) and such a shame that I've never watched or read Snow White (unless I go out and rent it now at 12 09 AM), I'll take a stab at this poem from what I've read thanks to Krista, David, and Michelle's interpretations of it.
The BIG FAT allusion that I noticed was with the title, which Michelle also mentioned, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves" the story of how a young girl gets left out in the woods by her evil step mother, and she finds the house of these seven dwarves where she lives happily with, cleaning for them. Then the evil step mother finds out, where she then disguises as an elderly woman and gives Snow White a poisoned apple and Snow White is dumb enough to accept and take a bite especially when the dwarves tell her not to talk to strangers. She dies? But somehow relives with the kiss of a prince? I'm sorry for this summary of Snow White, I'm just needing a visual aid.
You know what, I'm just going to put up what my allusions are:
garden/lawn = garden of eden?
wall of looking glass = snow white's step mother's looking glass (thank you Michelle)
"chains, cuffs, whips." = sex toys? It's referring to Lust, I mean, come on.
Sloth and hairy soap? Ooo, not just a hairy man, but a hairy sloth. Get it?
Okay, I don't really understand the X with the thumb, but I was thinking that she was thinking of committing suicide? Yea probably, because she's telling herself that she doesn't need a poisoned apple to kill herself. The x's are when she crosses her hands together to choke herself. Weird way of doing so, but who knows.
The "Handsome Prince" and the "Male" are sins, like Michelle said because look at the poem. She girl took a step backwards, repeating her mistakes. What David says makes a whole lot of sense as well, that she has been living with an abusive slob of a husband. She barely knew the guy, and she married him. Now she's making the same mistake and she's marrying someone before she even got a chance to know him. Men just happen to seduce women so easily in these fairy tale stories huh?
And David, the "beckoned her to mount (what else? his SNOW-WHITE horse" makes perfect sense the way you are saying it. Because what the girl is doing is she's moving too fast again. Repeating her mistakes. So the thing is, should we be pitying her, or should we be scolding her? She doesn't sound too smart in my opinion.
Or maybe she wanted to get away, and because she wanted to get away so badly that she made her second mistake. So we should be pitying her. Ionno, it's pretty complicated with this chick.
Uh. It's like 2AM and I'm just finding this out.
I'll complete the assignments later.
just wanted to say.
In "Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins", A women, (Snow White), is trapped in a terrible marriage with the seven deadly sins representing her husband. Her husband physically abuses her and treats her like a slave. While Snow White is cleaning she realizes how old and gray she looks. With the sound of her husband returning home she runs to the window only to discover a prince outside. He beckons her to come with him. Now the next part I thought mean't that she runs off with him and gets married, but after reading it again I realize that it might mean that she runs to the church alone. "She took a step, reversed and without slowing/Beat it to St. Anne's where she took the vail." The confusing part of this is what the "Beat it" means. It could be that she physically raced the prince to the church because she was so ready to be free of her husband, or it could mean that she beat him to the church and the safety that it provides, before he could save her himself. I liked David's idea that it could mean that she raced to the church and became a nun. I think this is very possible and only leads to more possible endings for Snow White.
In “Snow White and the Seven Deadly Sins”, Snow White discovers she is in a terrible marriage (it doesn’t actually say that she is married, but it seems that way). She gets her wake up call while cleaning the mirror and sees herself as though for the first time in quite awhile. In seeing herself, she realizes that her life is not the ‘fairy tale ending’ she thought she was getting. What she actually got was the opposite and that, “No poisoned apple [is] needed for this Princess” (29)- her husband was taking care of that.
At first I thought that the ‘Handsome Prince’ was a different man than her husband, but after reading it again, I think it is the same man. It is the same mask he had on when he had promised her a ‘happily ever after’. At first she almost goes to him, hoping that this is the man she had fallen in love with, but then she realizes that he is just once again pretending. When she saw him, “She took a step, reversed and without slowing / Beat it to St. Anne’s where she took the veil” (39-40). I took this to mean that she had finally had enough and fled to the church and God and became a nun.
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