Virginia Woolf ~* The Lady in the Looking- Glass

Virginia Woolf had many devastating loses early in her life by her mother, father, and brother. This impacted her life and works. Growing up in her time, women still could not further their education, and she focused alot of her work on "the social and political life" (1223). In The Lady in the Looking-Glass, Woolf emphasizes how society puts much impact on the image seen on the outside and not knowing about what's inside. This relates to the current modern society because everything seems to relate to how you look, and dress, and there has been an increase in cosmetic plastic surgery. Isabella is seen by the narrator in the looking glass. Not knowing anything but her physical beauty, he wonders about her. Isabella is a well off and lives a seemingly "perfect" life as seen in through the mirror. Woolf states that "Isabella did not wish to be known," and the narrarator finds it strange that "it was strange that after knowing her all these years one could not say what the truth about Isabella was" (1225). The truth lies beneath the reflection in the mirror. Money cannot buy happiness. She is completely empty when see looks at herself "naked in that pitless light. And there was nothing, Isabella was perfectly empty. She had no thougts. She had no friends. She cared for nobody" (1228). I like how she emphasizes her first phrase "People should not leave lookig-glasses hanging in their rooms, " and closes out with it (1228). Through a looking-glass you merely get a reflection.

WWI

World War I known as the Great War, started off between Britain and Germany. To keep up with the news of the war, Wyndham Lewis found the magazine Blast. His intentions of the magazine name was to"blow away tired literary and social conventions"(1080), which soon turned to the movement of "Vorticism". The things they wrote were quite random " elephants are VERY BIG. Motor cars go quickly" (1083). The lists of "blast" go on to describe pretty much everything and everyone. In relation to the war, Great Britain and Germany had naval competition and the Blast praised England's ships and ports.

Gerard Hopkins ~*Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord*~

Gerard Hopkins was a man who took his religion seriously. He was ordained a Jesuit priest. His religion had a great impact on his work. Also in his work he incorporated the beauty in nature. Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord starts off with Hopkins questioning if God will save him. He sees that the "sinners' ways prosper and why must disappointment all I endeavour end" and wonders if he will get redeemed (778). He does acknowledge God as his high authoritative being. This poem seems to be a direct conversation of Hopkins to God asking if he will get something at his request eventually.

Thomas Hardy ~*The Convergence of the Twain*~

Thomas Hardy can be placed in two categories of Victorian novelists and Modern poet. His famous poetry involves rural landscape and his personal history including his roots. Reading about Hardy's ideas on the Titanic in The Convergence of the Twain is interesting because I enjoy reading about the ship wreck. At first with the title I thought he was speaking of the author Mark Twain, yet reading more in the poem the "convergence of the twain" seems to reflect the convergence of the Titanic hitting the iceberg. .He describes everything being at the bottom like "jewels" that just "lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind"(1076). make it seem like all the money put into it is now at the bottom and no one can see the beauty of it and now a waste. Even though the Titanic had a strong "stature, grace, and hue", the iceberg would soon take the same stance and collide with the Titanic "by paths coincident" (1077).

Oscar Wilde ~*The Importance of Being Earnest*~

Oscar Wilde was highly intellectual and talented in writing plays and poetry. It was interesting to find out he was imprisoned for some of his works containing inappropriate topics like homosexuality. His life turned upside down after his prison term ended, "emerged a broken and penniless man. He spent the remainder of his life in exile outside Britain. He was never again allowed to see his young sons, and their surname was changed to protect them from scandal" and "the man who had lavished champagne on his friends was reduced to scrounging drinks from strangers who pitied him" (830).
The title speaks for itself, The Importance of Being Earnest. This comedy of this love circle that Algernon and Jack had created with the false brother and friend "Ernest" fills the play with dramatic irony. To be earnest in society, Wilde thinks there needs to be morality present. "But you don't really mean to say that you couldn't love me if my name wasn't Ernest?" seems to put a turn on things when she speaks highly of the name and he tries to compare it to his real name Jack (855). When he includes "A man should always have an occupation of some kind. There are far too many idle men in London as it is" reminds me of Carlyle's writing in Know Thy Work when he speaks to be a man a man must have work.
Keeping the identity of Jack and Bunbury a secret make it harder to get the truth out. If you start off wrong it's hard to get back to the right beginning.

Elizabeth Browning ~*Sonnets from the Portuguese*~

To be a successful women writer was quite high in Elizabeth Browning's day. Quite surprisingly, she was more famous then her husband Robert Browning. This was quite impressive to see that the women in the family could possess a higher status than the male. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She lived in solitude in her room, and "her spirits sustained only by her poetry"(528).
Sonnets from the Portuguese was written with intimacy and affectionate feelings towards her husband Robert. It is deep and you can see it as being very personal and intimate here:
"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace" (532).
At first it seems as if she doesn't want to fall for him because she thinks it all is happening so fast, "the first time that the sun rose on thine oath to love me, I looked forward to the moon to slacken all those bonds which seemed too soon and quickly tied to make a lasting troth" (531). I found it ironic they had to have a secret love and she wanted to keep her authorship secret when first publishing it.

Robert Browning ~* Porphyria's Lover*~

Robert Browning's love story between Elizabeth and himself was quite a thrill to read about. It almost seemed like it was from a romance novel. He loved her writings and later instantly fell in love with her upon their first meeting. They even had a "secret" relationship from the evil father that had forbidden marriages in the family. He tried quite hard to have his pieces known and read.
Porphyria's Lover at first was confusing because the woman was proclaiming love to the man, yet he then strangles her. She comes in from a storm to his "cottage warm"(662). He seems to be a madman. He noted as he strangled her "no pain felt she, i am quite sure she felt no pain"(663). This may have been stated because she "worshiped him" and he she had love for him so whatever he decided to do wouldn't hurt her. Browning wrote "she too weak, fro all hear heart's endeavour, to set its struggling passion free from pride," I think the narrator thought he was setting her free and this would make her happy and not feel pain from it. He seemed quite overwhelmed that she was proclaiming love and that she was there even through rough storm, because he seemed to hesitate and not know what to do, "surprise made my heart swell, and still it grew while I debated what to do"(663). It seems he felt like she was in control because at the end instead of being on her shoulder, she laid on his. It may represent a difference in social class that perhaps forbidden her to be there.