Saturday, February 28, 2009

Huckleberry Finn 2: P28-46

I. Quotations
1. "You're educated, too, they say; can read and write. You think you're better'n your father, now, don't you, because he can't? I'll take it out of you." (page 28-29)
  • There was a sense of insecurity in Pap's voice. He was intimidated by the fact that his son, being civilized, is going to become a better person than he is: "I'll learn people to bring up a boy to put on airs over his own father and let on to be better'n what he is" (29). Therefore, from a historical perspective, this insecurity has a symbolic meaning - the whites' fear of losing their dominance over black people. In Pap's mind, he "was Huck Finn's boss" (33) and his son is his "property" (36). It may be strange for us to hear and hard for us to understand that why Pap would view a person as his own property; but back in the days, when slavery still exists, it is very common to own someone's freedom and make full use of it. On one hand, Huck's dad use him as a cash cow to get money for alcohol, which implicates the Old South Tradition of whites forcing slaves to work on cotton fields in order to make a fortune. On the other hand, Pap saved his brittle pride by dominating his son, which symbolizes the evil privilege of whites dominating black slaves in the old days. Therefore, Pap represents the ruthless white slaveholders and Huck represents the helpless black slaves.
2. "There was a free nigger there, from Ohio; a mulatter, most as a white as a white man [...] they said he was a p'fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything [...] And to see the road if I hadn't shoved him out o' the way. I say to the people, why ain't this nigger put up at auction and sold." (page 36-37)
  • Huck's father is the embodiment of ignorance and stubbornness. He represents the worst of whites in the Old South - illiterate, violent, ignorant, and, above all, profoundly racist. It is such an irony that Pap, the ignorant old fogy, thinks he is way better than a mixed-race college professor. The society that tolerates the cruelty of slavery gave the whites, like Pap, priority over blacks. By contrasting the knowledgeable mulatto professor and the illiterate white Pap, Mark Twain mocked the ugliness of slavery in the South indirectly.
II. Vocabulary
1. jolt - [n.]
1> a sudden impact
2> an abrupt spasmodic movement
Ex. "That is, after the first jolt, as you may say, when my breath sort of hitched - he being so unexpected." (28)

2.
nabob - [n.]
1> a a governor in India during the Mogul empire
2> a rich or important person

Ex. "He had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane - the awfulest old gray-headed nabob in the State." (21)

Huckleberry Finn 1: P9-27

I. Quotations
1. "The Widow Douglas, she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the window was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer, I lit out. I got into my old rags, and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied." (page 9)
  • The lack of discipline in Huckleberry's early education, made him an outsider of civilization. Although he was adopted as the widow's son, he was still, in nature, a free spirit: "All I [he] wanted was to go somewhere; all I [he] wanted was a change, I [he] warn't particular" (10). Unlike those well-educated children, Huckleberry wants adventures. However, little does he know, those adventures are not only exciting and playful experiences, but also developments of his personality, moral, and view of life.
2. "That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don't know nothing about it." (page 10)
  • From here we can see that Huckleberry is a skeptic of social doctrines. Although he is open to learning things he does not know, he never accept new ideas without thinking or testing them. People may view him as a ruleless rebel; however, he is, indeed, a liberal and thoughtful young boy who has the courage to question those infallible religious ideas, rituals, and manners. He is destined to make a difference.
II. Vocabulary
1. ornery - [adj.]
1> ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper
2> stubborn
3> low or vile
4> inferior or common
Ex. "I was so ignorant and so kind of low-down and ornery." (20)

2.
ambuscade
[n.] an ambush
[v.] to attack from a concealed position; ambush
Ex. "They didn't have only a guard of four hundred soldiers, and so we would lay in ambuscade, as he called it, and kill the lot and scoop the things." (21)

Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay

Lu Li
AP English – Mr. George
Feb. / 23/ 2009
The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay

Punish or Forgive

_People along the stream of history have always struggled to find the way to their salvation. Jesus suggested in The Bible that we could strengthen our weakness and alleviate our burdens of guilt through prayers: “Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!” (Matthew 26:41). So what should be the prayer of man to a most righteous God regarding sin? Some said that a man should always ask for forgiveness. Whereas others, such as the character Dorian Gray, claimed that “there was purification in punishment. Not ‘Forgive us our sins’ but ‘Smite us for our iniquities’ should be the prayer of man to a most just God” (Wilde 226). However, the prayer for redemption is a combination of both statements. Bearing the punishment with a faithful heart and receiving forgiveness are the two paddles of the boat which, not only lead one out of the whirlpool of temptation, but also to the harbor of ultimate salvation.

_First of all, punishment is a God-given gift to us because it gives us sinners a second chance to make things right. In the book The Scarlet Letter, the main character, Hester Prynne, cried out when the governors wanted to take her baby Pearl away: “God gave me the child! […] Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin?” (Hawthorne 103). We can see the great strength of Hester's maternal instincts here. Hester, as a loving and compassionate mother, had said that Pearl is a part of her body, like the scarlet letter, which is a torture, but somehow a relief for her too. Pearl is "the scarlet letter endowed with life” (93); she is living evidence of Hester's fatal sin. On the other hand, Hester, as a sinner who committed adultery, has to bear seeing her sin growing up every single day. However, because Pearl is a living sin, she gave Hester a chance to be able to change her. She is not identical to the scarlet letter – all Hester can do is to embroider it in gold thread; she is, indeed, the hope of change and redemption for Hester. By teaching her child to be a good Christian, Hester can make her way to Heaven too. No wonder that Hester does not want to let her precious little one go. Pearl is a gift from God - a second chance for Hester to be back in God's arms. It is clear from here that punishments may change, or at least minimize the evil identity of sins.

_Bearing the burden of sins is the punishment a sinner deserves. Therefore, punishment should be the “ritual of the washing away of sins” (Miller 20). Arthur Dimmesdale realized at the end of his life that bearing one’s sin publicly is a part of the punishment God grants to sinners. God punishes those who have sinned “by bringing me [one] hither, to die this death of triumphant ignominy before the people” (Hawthorne 229). Hester was forced to wear the scarlet letter and was exiled by society; while Proctor was arrested and thrown into the dungeon; and Dimmesdale suffered from the burning sin on his heart. As counter examples, Abigail ran away from the town, leaving the chaos behind, which was caused by her sinful revenge and Dorian Gray escaped from punishment by letting his portrait bear the burden of his sins. Dorian and Abigail were never to be redeemed. We can see from here that people who escaped from their punishments, were at last, lost in the dark and somber woods where God’s lights of mercy could not shine. Therefore, it is crystal clear that of the five characters who have sinned, only the ones who have been tortured by their sin got their salvation from God.

_People who are looking for salvation should be aware of the two essential parts of punishment – the physical torture of the body and the spiritual burden of the heart. Proctor was being persecuted by the witch trails and ended up on death row. Hester was made to stand on the scaffold three hours a day to be humiliated by the public, even though she just had a baby. The stigma God marked on each sinner’s face is another kind of physical punishment:

Sin is a thing that writes itself across a man's face. It cannot be concealed. People talk sometimes of secret vices. There are no such things. If a wretched man has a vice, it shows itself in the lines of his mouth, the droop of his eyelids, the molding of his hands even (Wilde 153-154).

Because Dorian Gray traded his soul with the painting, he did not have to bear the burning stigma of sin on his face. Although Dorian had gone through some extreme spiritual tortures, the lack of physical punishment is one of the reasons why God did not redeem him. Therefore, to some extent, it was wise for Dimmesdale to beat himself because the missing physical torture he deserved had been found through his somewhat irrational actions.

_Spiritual punishments always have more profound influences on people. Sinners always suffer from the burden of their hearts. Proctor was accused by the court of witchcraft in public, while bearing the shame of committing adultery deep in his heart. Hester was banished from the community and had to bear the burden of the scarlet letter on her chest everyday. Dimmesdale was mentally tortured by his duplicity – holy as a saint in front of the community, but ignominious as a sinner deep in his corrupted heart. The scalding stigma gradually becomes a motivation for the washing away of sins.

_Dorian Gray also suffered spiritually. He was so terrified that he thought “conscience could raise such fearful phantoms, and give them visible form, and make them move before one!” (205). Due to this miserable situation, Dorian Gray tried to free himself from the spiritual torture by spending time in opium dens, “where one could buy oblivion - dens of horror, where the memory of old sins could be destroyed by the madness of sins that were new” (189). Although the painting is bearing the burden of Dorian's sins physically, the spiritual torture of the punishment is taking his breath away. Lord Henry told him “to cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul” (189). Embracing this philosophy of life, Dorian was trying to alleviate his pain by anesthetizing it through drugs. All he ever wanted to do was “to escape, to go away, to forget” (210). He did escape from the punishments he deserved; however, this wrong attitude towards redemption drove Dorian even further away from God and His mercy.

_Although punishment is a necessity on the way to redemption, forgiveness is the key for sinners to reopen the gate to the Kingdom of Heaven. God said that “though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). God was trying to tell us that no matter how sinful we are, if we tried our best to wash away our previous sins, we are still going to be the sons and daughters of our Father. Keep in mind that the soul of a man is flexible: “It can be bought, and sold, and bartered away. It can be poisoned, or made perfect” (Wilde 221). A soul can be made perfect; therefore, the hope to wash away our sins is still there.

_In order to regain an unsullied heart, the sinner must be open to his or her sins publicly: “It was his [a sinner’s] duty to confess, to suffer public shame, and to make public atonement. There was a God who called upon men to tell their sins to earth as well as to heaven. Nothing that he [a man] could do would cleanse him till he had told his own sin” (228).

_Receiving forgiveness publicly is just the first step – redemption is mainly an issue between men and God; therefore, forgiving ourselves is the second step to salvation. Dorian Gray should be seen as a bad example of the washing away of sins. He tried to be forgiven by simply forgetting the sins he committed: "I always want to forget what I have been doing" (186). However, he does not understand that forgetting is not forgiving. Forgetting is a result of forgiveness, but the reverse of it is misleading and false – it is, indeed, a denial of sins. One cannot be forgiven unless he is open to punishment for sins. We have to do penance, and truly forgive ourselves first in order to be redeemed ultimately by God.

_However, God is the final judge – He is the one who can grant us our salvation. Would He forgive people who have sinned? Sinners in the world are, at least in some ways, similar to Dorian Gray:

He had tarnished himself, filled his mind with corruption, and given horror to his fancy; that he had been evil influence to others, and had experienced a terrible joy in being so; and that of the lives that had crossed his own it had been the fairest and the most full of promise that he had brought to shame (225).

“But was it all irretrievable? Was there no hope for him” (225) and for us? The answer is positive: “God knows; and He is merciful!” (Hawthorne 229). Bearing the punishments of our sins gratefully and having the desire to be truly forgiven by God can purify a stained soul. As long as our hearts are committed to God, He will give His unconditional love to us, even those who have sinned, “for he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13-14).

_A pure soul is more valuable than anything else in the world: “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36); therefore, a lost man should do anything he can to purify his corrupted heart. Punishment is fire – it tortures the sinners mentally and physically, while it purifies their souls. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a sinner must have the courage to burn his ugly soul into ashes, in order to rise again with a purified heart. Then, our loving Father will open His arms and embrace those sinners with delight, for He cares more about atonement than sins. The closing prayer of the Penitential Rite expresses this statement perfectly: “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life” (Wikipedia).



Works Cited

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 1976.
Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Bantam reissue, 2003.
Oscar Wilde. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2003.
The Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Illinois: Wheaton, 1996.
Wikipedia. 15 January 2009. GNU Free Documentation License. 26 February 2009

Friday, February 13, 2009

Lu's Awesome Witticisims

I. Love
1. Love fades, Love vague, and Love leads to hate.
2. You date, you wait, but it is too late... 'cause he is away. After all these days, you will understand that Love is only a beautiful slay.
3. Love in deed, is just a need, regardless what it leads.

II. Laws & Morality
4. When the entire human race is corrupted as a whole, the standard of morality would be lowered. Therefore, ethic is not a measurement; it is just a buoy after all.
5. We are all sinners. We are just constantly looking for the ones who have sinned deeper than us, in order to find the last sense of peace in our corrupted hearts.
6. Law
is not a speaker of justice and righteousness. It is just a seeker - a seeker whom helps us to find a scapegoat for our sins.

III. Miscellaneous
7. Drugs are pleasures; pleasures are drugs.
8. A life without a soul is worse than a soul without a life.
9. History is created by men, hidden by men, remolded by men, and, in the end, forgotten by men.
10. Wisdom is sly - it can bring you up high, but it can also destroy you like killing a fly.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

The Picture of Dorian Gray : Chapter 15 & 16

I. Quotations
1. "There were opiumdens, where one could buy oblivion - dens of horror, where the memory of old sins could be destroyed by the madness of sins that were new." (page 189)
  • Although the painting is bearing the burden of Dorian's sins physically, the spiritual torture of the punishment of sins is taking his breathe away. Due to this miserable situation, Dorian Gray tried to free himself from the spiritual torture by spending time in opium dens. Lord Henry told him that "to cure the soul by means of the senses, and the senses by means of the soul" (189). Embracing this philosophy of life, Dorian is now trying to alleviate his pain of heart by anesthetize it using drugs. This revealed Dorian's negative attitude of life.
  • Dorian is not a devil on earth - devils do not feel pain committing sins - the still-human Dorian does however. Therefore we can view him as an incorrigible pathetic creature whom is trying forget his sins by committing greater sins. This is a vicious circle which can lead one to temptation and villainy.
2. "Ugliness was the one reality. The coarse brawl, the very vileness of thief and outcast, were more vivid, in their intense actuality of impression, than all the gracious shapes of Art, the dreamy shadows of Song. There were what he needed for forgetfulness." (page 191)
  • Dorian has a different understanding of morality. In his mind, moral is arts. As long as something is aesthetic enough , it could be considered as moral. Therefore, when Dorian said that "ugliness was the one reality" (191), he was basically saying that the world is immoral and sinful. By visiting London's filthiest places, Dorian can be relieved from the burden of his sins temporarily. Dorian would get a sense of feeling that his sins may not be that shameful compared to those sinners whom cannot even pretend they are moral.
  • Dorian devoted himself into arts in search of his ideal morality. He tried to be forgiven by simply forgetting the sins he committed: "You always want to know what one has been doing. I always want to forget what I have been doing" (186). However, he does not understand that forgotten is not forgiven. One cannot be forgiven unless he is open to be punished by his sins. We have to truly forgive ourselves first in order to be redeemed ultimately by God.
II. Vocabulary
1. incorrigible - [adj.]
1> incapable of being corrected or reformed
2> firmly rooted; ineradicable
3> difficult or impossible to control or manage
Ex. "'Isn't he incorrigible?' cried Dorian, leaning forward in his chair." (169)

2. silhouette

[n.]
1> an outline of a solid object (as cast by its shadow)
2> a drawing of the outline of an object filled in with some uniform color
[v.]
1> project on a background. such as a screen. like a silhouette
2> represent by a silhouette
Ex. "Most of the windows were dark, but now and then fantastic shadows were silhouetted against some lamp-lit blind." (190)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Chapter 14

I. Quotations
1. "There were sins whose fascination was more in the memory than in the doing of them, strange triumphs that gratified the pride more than the passion, and gave to the intellect a quickened sense of joy, greater than any joy they brought, or could ever bring, to the senses." (page 166)
  • Getting pleasure from sins is like getting pleasure from drugs. This is why Dorian thinks that "fascination [of committing sins] was more in the memory than in the doing of them" (166). Dorian is addicted to sins, just as those potheads are addicted to drugs. Similar to a drug user, Dorian enjoys the good feelings of committing sins, but not the actual brutal actions. Under Lord Henry's influences, Dorian thinks that the ultimate and noblest way to gratify one's pride is to commit sins: "Beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the privilege of the rich" (83). In Dorian's eyes, reality is hollow and barbaric; therefore, he chose to live in the artistic and ruleless world he created by his illusions. When "sense" becomes the only thing that matters to a man, the only thing he would care about is how to satisfy his thirst of excitement and pleasure - and to hell with morality and reputation! (sarcasm)
2. "Whatever my life is, he had more to do with the making or the marring of it than poor Harry has had. He may not have intended it, the result was the same." (page 173)
  • To Dorian, the portrait, which was painted by Basil, was a blissful ruination of his life. The picture enlightened his awareness of his own beauty and the subsequent self-esteem. With the power of his charm, Dorian Gray was able to influence, or even dominate one's mind whenever he wanted to: "Dorian seemed to be able to exercise [his indefinable attraction] whenever he wished, and indeed exercised often without being conscious of it" (170). Thus, Basil created Dorian's artistic view of life indirectly without conscious . However, when Dorian discovered that the painting was bearing the sins he committed for him, he freed his soul from the bondage of morality. Yet, he does not know that out of the sphere of morality is the endless darkness of immorality - when he is out in the darkness, he would not be able to see how ugly his soul is. From here we can see that Basil also created a scapegoat for Dorian unconsciously. For all the good things and bad things Basil have done to Dorian, it was all because of Love. Unfortunately, Dorian does not understand that: "He may not have intended it, the result was the same" (173). God cares more about the moral process which goes behind the final moral actions. Although Basil's painting made and marred Dorian's life at the same time, the intention was good. Thus in God's eyes, Basil is still a faithful and loving friend whom Dorian should have treasured.
II. Vocabulary
1. elapse - [v.] (of time) to slip or pass by
Ex. "Days would elapse before he could come back. Perhaps he might refuse to come." (169)

2.
intricacy - [n.] marked by elaborately complex detail
Ex. "There he stopped, feeling afraid to turn round, and his eyes fixed themselves on the intricacies of the pattern before him." (178)

Monday, February 9, 2009

The Picture of Dorian Gray : Chapter 12 & 13

I. Quotations
1. "I can't believe them when I see you. Sin is a thing that writes itself across a man's face. It cannot be concealed. People talk sometimes of secret vices. There are no such things. If a wretched man has a vice, it shows itself in the lines of his mouth, the droop of his eyelids, the molding of his hands even." (page 153-154)
  • Why would us fatuous human beings always have the will to repent after committing sins? Not everyone in the world is religious - they do not have a God to redeem then from their sins. So what is the impulse which motivates us all to confess? It is, indeed, the stigma of our sins which would be written on our faces afterward. We want ourselves to look good; at lease to look nice. The inner struggles before committing the sins and the burden of hearts after committing the sins will make people look sophisticated and gloomy - and these are the marks of ages. Dorian Gray, with his soul in the painting, is not bearing his sins because his spiritual sins never affect his physical appearance. When there are direct consequences which can be reflect on our own bodies to supervise us, immoral will always tip the scale of justice in its favor - and a sinner would be never be redeemed.
2. "The prayer of your pride has been answered. The prayer of your repentance will be answered also. I worshiped you too much. I am punished for it. You worshiped yourself too much. We are both punished." (page 162)
  • Basil Hallward, as one of the main character in this novel. was set up to be a contract to Dorian Gray and Lord Henry. Basil believes in art, love, and God. Compare to Dorian, whom has a corrupted heart, Basil can almost be seen as the visual stander of morality. However, like those great heroes in innumerable tragedies, Basil has his own downfall - the worshiping of beauty, illusive and artistic beauty. Basil's worship of charm gave him an illusion of a still-naive-and innocent Dorian. He refused to accept the fact that his "finest portrait of modern times" (27) has turned into a dreadful devil - in his mind, that is a blasphemy of the divinity of arts. Basil had to pay off his debt of sin by giving up his life. What about the other sinners, like Dorian Gray and Lord Henry? Will they be punished? Although Dorian and Harry are rich celebrities, "position and wealth are not everything" (153). God is the final judge - He will wait till the right moment comes and punish those pathetic people who considered them self "too late" (162) to be redeemed.
II. Vocabulary
1. blasphemy - [n.]
1> impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things
2> the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God

Ex. "This is blasphemy, Dorian! You might not say things like that." (157)

2.
satyr - [n.] man with strong sexual desires
Ex. "This is the face of a satyr." (161)

Saturday, February 7, 2009

The Picture of Dorian Gray : Chapter 11

I. Quotations
1. "It was remarked, however, that some of those who had been most intimate with him appeared, after a time, to shun him. Women who had wildly adored him, and for his sake had braved all social censure and set convention at defiance, were seen to grow pallid with shame or horror if Dorian Gray entered the room." (page 145)
  • Dorian's pride made him think that he is superior to others. His aloofness drove him away not only from reality (he devoted himself entirely to the pursuit of arts), but also from people. Lives and time are the only things that everyone shares. People experience the different stages of lives when time passes by - they enjoy the gifts and burdens which was granted by time - these are the life experiences they would share and echo. However, without showing any trace of age, Dorian Gray is no longer a part of the cycle of life; thus, no longer a part of the world. Everyone is jealous of him and somehow afraid of him. People think he is weird in an artistic way - like an exquisite antique in a museum which can be seen but cannot be touched.
2. “Society, civilized society at least, is never very ready to believe anything to the detriment of those who are both rich and fascinating. It feels instinctively that manners are of more importance than morals, and, in its opinion, the highest respectability is of much less value than the possession of a good chef." (page 146)
  • Despite of Dorian Gray's corruption of nature and his desecration of morality, this young celebrity was still popular merely because of his good look. This is a satire of our modern society - a society that judge people by their appearance, background, and wealth. When you judge a book by its cover, you would probably be deceived by it. Remember, you are not paying for a beautiful book cover, but the wisdom which is provided inside the book. The same thing goes to forming opinions of people. Dorian's charming appearance belied his filthy nature:"Even those who had heard the most evil things against him [...] could not believe anything to his dishonor when they saw him" (130). How pathetic the society is to be so blind to the evilness which is covered up by the illusive glow of loveliness! Dorian should be punished for his immoral behaviors for sure; but should not the society also be blamed for its neglect of sins?
II. Vocabulary
1. debonair - [adj.]
1> having a sophisticated charm
2> having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air

Ex. "In the opinion of most people his frank, debonair manner, his charming, boyish smile, and the infinite grace of that wonderful youth that seemed never to leave him." (145)

2.
saturnine - [adj.]
1> sluggish in temperament; gloomy; taciturn
2> suffering from lead poisoning, as a person
Ex. "The face was saturnine and swarthy, and the sensual lips seemed to be twisted with disdain." (147)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

The Picture of Dorian Gray : Chapter 9 & 10

I. Quotations
1. "It is only shallow people who require years to get rid of an emotion. A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them." (page 112)
  • Basil cried out the fact that "something has changed you [Dorian] completely" (112). The polar reactions Basil and Dorian had to Sibyl's death shows how Dorian have changed under Lord Henry's influences. The chasm between the painter and his ex-sitter is irresistibly widened. Dorian is no longer "simple, natural, and affectionate"; the new Dorian talks as if he had "no heart, [and] no pity" (122). The artist is still infatuated with Dorian's charm on the outside, so he naively believes that "it is all Harry's influence" - bad influence. Life is about making the right choice. If one cannot handle this well, he will come to his downfall sooner or later. Basil does not know that Dorian choose to be the kind of person he desires to be: "Basil would have helped him to resist Lord Henry's influence, and the still more poisonous influences that came from his own temperament" (122). From here we can see that the lad recognizes the kind of person he is turning into, but for some reasons, he refused to be redeemed. Dorian's own words can explain everything: "He [Basil] says things that annoy me. He gives me good advice" (60).
  • I think Dorian's lonely and painful childhood had made him a seeker of attention and pleasure - he wants to get back the things he have lost. In his early years, he was dominated by his cruel grandfather; so now he wants to be dominated by himself, physically and emotionally.
2. "It is one of the great romantic tragedies [...] she acted badly because she had known the reality of love. When she knew its unreality, she died, as Juliet might have died. She passed again into the sphere of art. There is something of the martyr about her." (page 113)
  • Why are we getting a feeling of deja vu? It is because in this discussion of Sibyl's death, Dorian used a lot of similar phases and arguments that Lord Henry have used before. From here we can see how profoundly Lord Henry have influenced Dorian in the past few month. The young lad's mind is completely dominated by Lord Henry's hedonistic and artistic theories.
  • Dorian Gray is fanatically interested about the aesthetic elements of life so much that he is gradually turning into an art himself. He sees Sibyl's death as a romantic tragedy, and he feels happy for her because he thinks the girl "lived her finest tragedy" (113). Dorian will be satisfied as long as those artistic inspirations exist, no matter they are romantic or tragic. However, little does he know that the fragrance of arts will corrupt his heart and eat him up - his soul was given to the painting, which is a marvelous work of art. Dorian said that Sibyl "passed [...] into the sphere of art" (113); ironically, it is actually Dorian Gray himself, who "passed into the sphere of art". The real Dorian is in the painting - he is more likely to be an artwork, rather than a human.
II. Vocabulary
1. ennui - [n.]
1> a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom
Ex. "He had absolutely nothing to do, almost died of ennui, and became a confirmed misanthrope." (113)

2.
panegyric - [n.]
1> a lofty oration or writing in praise of a person or thing; eulogy
2> formal or elaborate praise
Ex. "The painter's absurd fits of jealousy, his wild devotion, his extravagant panegyrics, his curious reticence - he understood them all now, and he felt sorry." (120)

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The Picture of Dorian Gray : Chapter 8

I. Quotations
1. "I felt all that you have said, but somehow I was afraid of it, and I could not express it to myself [...] It has been a marvelous experience. That is all. I wonder if life has still in store for me anything as marvelous." (page 108)
  • Lord Henry had said before that "the terror of society, which is the basis of morals" (20). We can rephrase and individualize this statement to "without fear, the morality of society would collapses". Dorian's mind was freed by Harry's pretext of living an immoral life. His ruthless and malicious side was discovered and developed immediately when he does not fear anymore. Dorian accepted the belief that doing evil is a marvelous experience to have; thus he will keep sinning in search of more excitements and pleasures, regardless what other may feel.
2. "Eternal youth, infinite passion, pleasures subtle and secret, wild joys and wilder sins - he was to have all these things. The portrait was to bear the burden of his shame; that was all." (page 109)
  • Dorian's view of life was drastically changed. Before listening to Lord Henry's eloquent persuasion, Dorian thought that "the portrait that Basil Hallward had painted of him would be a guide to him through life, would be to him what holiness is to some, and conscience to others, and the fear of God to us all" (99-100). However, convinced by Lord Henry's carpe-diem sentiment, Dorian now wants to seize the day and make pleasure while he can. In order to do that, he "must keep your [his] good looks" (108). His charm is a ticket to "infinite passion"(109), "pleasures subtle and secret" and "wild joys and wilder sins" . As Lord Henry had said before, sins are "the privilege of the rich" (83). Dorian get numerous pleasure when he gets rid of the punishments of his sins by letting his portrait "bear the burden of his shame" (109). But the price he has to pay is the desecration of soul and the losing of heart.
II. Vocabulary
1. labyrinth - [n.]
1> complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost
2> a complex system of interconnecting cavities concerned with hearing and equilibrium
Ex. "To find his way through the sanguine labyrinth of passion through which he was wandering." (100)

2.
desecrate - [v.]
1> violate the sacred character of a place or language
2> remove the consecration from a person or an object
Ex. "A feeling of pain crept over him as he thought of the desecration that was in store for the fair face on the canvas." (109)

Monday, February 2, 2009

The Picture of Dorian Gray : Chapter 7

I. Quotations
1. "I loved you because you were marvelous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art. You have thrown it all away. You are shallow and stupid." - Dorian Gray (page 91)
  • Maddened by Sibyl's failure of performance that night, Dorian Gray bitterly revealed the reason why he loved Sibyl - or, why cannot we make it clear - the impulse of his infatuation. Lord Henry said that "no woman is a genius. Women are decorative sex" (51). Dorian was madly in love with Sibyl because he saw the genius of acting under her rose-brewed pearl-white skin. He thought this girl is different - the harmony of intellect and beauty seemed to be on her. Dorian is completely in love with the charm of himself, so the beauty of Sibyl is nothing to him. When Sibyl's halo of art faded away, she was only "a third-rate actress with a pretty face" (91) to Dorian. "Without your art you are nothing" (91), said Dorian Gray. Dorian is an artwork to Lord Henry; and himself is seeking for his own collection of art too. He is grown to be a perfectionist under the curse of Lord Henry's influences. Unfortunately, the world is not perfect. When one is not satisfied by his surroundings, he may search for something more exquisite, no matter it is evil or not.
2. “It held the secret of his life, and told his story. It had taught him to love his own beauty. Would it teach him to loathe his own soul? Would he ever look at it again?" (page 95)
  • There are many symbolic meanings behind the portrait of Dorian Gray. First of all, the portrait is a mirror which made Dorian realized his beauty. Before the painting was done, Dorian was unaware of his glamor, thus there was no vainglory in his pure heart. However, when he was anointed by Lord Henry's philosophy of "the search of beauty being the real secret of life" (52), he began to treasure his youth and charm. This turned him into a pretentious and ruthless dandy. So we can also see the portrait as the origin of sins too. However, as the book indicates, "the picture, changed or unchanged, would be to him the visible emblem of conscience. He would resist temptation" (96). People are always blind to their sins. Having a portrait showing Dorian his evilness and temptation, he can actually be aware of his own flaws. This "soul keeper" gives him a chance of washing away his sins and stop doing wrong things.
II. Vocabulary
1. fiasco - [n.] a sudden and violent collapse
Ex. "Half of the audience went out, tramping in heavy boots, and laughing. The whole thing was a fiasco." (89)

2.
loiter - [v.]
1> to linger aimlessly or as if aimless in or about a place
2> to move in a slow, idle manner, making purposeless stops in the course of a trip, journey, etc.
3> to waste time or dawdle over work
Ex. "For a few moments he loitered upon the doorstep, looking round and its staring blinds." (93)

The Picture of Dorian Gray : Chapter 5 & 6

I. Quotations
1. "If you want to mar a nature, you have merely to reform it." (page 79)
  • This is exactly what Lord Henry is doing to Dorian - reforming his nature in order to mar his soul. He was satisfied by the pleasure he gained from convincing Dorian to walk the Henry's way. No wonder why Lord Henry thinks that "there was something terribly enthralling in the exercise of influence. No other activity was like it. To project one's soul into some gracious form, and let it tarry there for a moment [...] there was a real joy in that." (39). Henry wants to destroy Dorian's fine nature in search of the internal beauty in life because he thinks that "to know their properties one had to sicken of them" (61). Therefore, Lord Henry is Frankenstein in another form. In this case, he reformed and created a beautiful creature, Dorian Gray; but, in the end, the science project he made destroyed both of them.
2. “The real tragedy of the poor is that they can afford nothing but self-denial. Beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the privilege of the rich." (page 83)
  • Sitting on the top of the hierarchy of society, Lord Henry pretentiously thinks that the poor have nothing but self-denial. The philosophy of Social Darwinism influenced him thoroughly, thus he believes that there is privilege of being rich. For the aristocracy, sins are beautiful things, like a beauty mark on one's cheek. Having sins makes rich people like Lord Henry even more supreme and aloof - it shows that these rich people have the capital and ability to do wrong things - they are not infallible; but if they fall, they will still be above others. It is like nowadays rich people gamble in Las Vagas not only for excitement, but also for showing off their immense wealth. At that time, being a scoundrel or a playboy is a way of showing one's nobility and fortune.
II. Vocabulary
1. espial - [n.] the act of detecting something; catching sight of something
Ex. "Then Wisdom altered its method and spoke of espial and discovery." (65)

2.
scoundrel - [n.] an unprincipled, dishonorable person; villain
Ex. "My father was a scoundrel, then!" (75)