modernism

1. I chose to study the psychoanalysis because of its closeness to my own personal interests, I constantly analyze people's intentions based on facts of human action. I look at human behaviors and think of reasons these tendencies exist, be it evolutionary or learned. I don't think there are any baseless actions for a human being, everything someone does has, at least a small amount of reason behind it.

2. James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" is a very good story, the story wasn't as psychoanalyzing as I would have expected but I guess that is for the reader. I think Walter is a very good everyman character, he doesn't really seem to enjoy his life. He has a nagging wife, boring home life, and an average living experience overall. Most people can identify with this view of their lives as "average" by definition. most people wish they had a more exciting life but very few are willing to take the risk associated with having a life lived to such an extreme, thus comes the imagination. Walter Mitty is often struck by a daydream so real he starts to believe he becomes a part of it. for moments during his day he might imagine himself as a bomber pilot flying through a storm when he is really just driving the car to the store.
the representation of psychoanalysis is not to the degree I expected, but my idea of psychoanalysis is probably a different one than the author's. Walter Mitty's life is a boring one so he imagines himself in exciting scenarios. at first glance this is something that many people do, and fairly harmless but if you look a little deeper into the story there is a sort of dark tint to it. He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. often his nagging wife has to remind him of everyday things, perhaps a representation of Walter slowly losing his mind with his wife as a caretaker. the final scenario that plays out in Walter's mind is also a fairly dark one, "He took one last drag on his cigarette and snapped it away. Then, with that faint, fleeting smile playing about his lips, he faced the firing squad; erect and motionless, proud and disdainful, Walter Mitty the Undefeated, inscrutable to the last." this story reminds me of fight club, but in that movie the main character doesn't realize that he has invented something in his own mind instead mistaking it for reality, with his companion Tyler. the difference between the two is that in Walter Mitty he is able to snap out of it and lead a relatively normal life, but his flights of fancy
do have some impact on his life. whereas in fight club his other persona completely changes how he lives his life; first blowing up his apartment, and later by convincing him to engage in many seemingly outrageous acts that do make sense in the context of their philosophy, Later in life Walter Mitty might also be completely consumed by his imagination- this is what we call senility, but in Mitty's his case this would probably be expected because of his age.

3. I really enjoyed the poem "Richard Corey" by Edwin Arlington Robinson. The poem speaks of a man of true class, a man who is held in high regard among everyone who knows him. This is a man of humanity and wealth. then one night this man shoots himself in the head. this poem rejects the notion that people held in high regard, people with money and class, are happy because of their status. I imagine that Richard Corey was a deeply troubled individual who had been taught over the years to hone his mannerisms and gestures to exude class and politeness. people don't naturally function in this manner, I think Richard Corey realized how utterly useless all of his manner and class was in the great scheme of things and decided to end himself.

The poem "The Mending Wall" by Robert Frost is a very interesting one, one can take many approaches as to the meaning behind it. it never specifically states where the author stands on the issue of good walls making good neighbors. It is obvious that his neighbor thinks no deeper than the words of the phrase, not thinking of why. the author states that the only reason a good wall could make good neighbors is when there is something to wall in or out, which is not the case here. the author could mean that the mending of the wall is what makes the neighbors close, for it is the only time of the year that they see each other. it could also be argued that clearly defined boundaries keep people from mistaking their neighbor's land for their own, thus keeping the neighbors from needing to fight or argue over land disputes. I think that the author doesn't truly have a stance on the matter, instead just being interested in the folly of the phrase, "good walls make good neighbors"

The poem A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes is a very odd one, at first it seems like a nonsensical poem, asking what happens to a dream that has been postponed. At first my scientific nature didn't much like this poem, dreams are intangible things, much like any idea, nothing physically happens to ideas because there is hardly any physical side to an idea. but upon a second reading it becomes more intriguing, mainly because it seems to me like most of the poem is filler but there are two lines that seem to really get to the true subject of this poem, "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load." the entire beginning seems almost nonsensical, except maybe the festering one. there isn't too much of a metaphorical idea I can get for a dream crusting over or drying up. it seems to me that when someone must get off the track to their dreams they would probably be burdened by this deferral. most people never realize they have been deferred though; most people get caught up in worrying about their place in our society and their wealth and they don't think of what would truly make themselves happy, these are the people whose dreams have been deferred and they don't even know it yet, but it still weighs on them when they realize that all the work they have been doing is getting them nowhere, Richard Corey is a good example. Did Richard Corey have aspirations? if he did they probably weren't to become wealthy and well liked, they were probably something that could help future generations.

The poem "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is a fantastic piece, and I can't truly place why I like it, which is rare. It is a simple poem, without very high concepts of human action or intention. I think it rings so true to me because these rivers are what provided life for their respective civilizations, and it was the Negro who tended these rivers. the poem speaks of the resources we take for granted, like water, and speaks of the Negro who has utilized these rivers since the dawn of man. Langston Hughes recognizes the importance of these rivers, something that takes more insight than the vast majority of people have, just as a gymnast is thankful for his muscles and bones and most other people take them for granted. it takes someone to truly know his needs and how to tend for them to truly appreciate the resources themselves.

I am not completely sure what to think of Countee Cullen's "Incident" it is a very blunt piece that seems to slap it's reader in the face with it's meaning. it is obvious that this trip to Baltimore truly affected her, but I can't completely agree with the idea of this being a big injustice. children call other children names all the time, while there was a lot of weight behind the child's statement it is still something that could happen even today. I think that people invest way too much in other peoples opinions of them, I think that Countee was being a bit oversensitive in this regard, I am sure that the children of racist white people still call black people names all the time, but does this mean that it is a huge social injustice? while it is something that should be addressed it seems like the author was so taken aback by this comment that she could focus on nothing else, which is a fault of her own. I can't truly appreciate this piece of writing because it seems like the author was whining, and without using interesting metaphors like most poets.