- If the eyes are the window to the soul, I'll stick to wearing makeup.
- If everyone is unique, then does uniqueness actually stand out?
- People put up walls to seem invincible; ironically, putting up a wall shows that you've been hurt before.
- Change is an inevitable force. When we choose to change, others react to the force. In other cases, change is simply forced upon us.
- It appears that the best teams are the ones who win, but the best teammates appear after a loss.
- A friend will always be there to help you make the right decision. A true friend will be there after a wrong one.
- Never let anyone tell you that you cant do something, but if they do, make sure they cant tell you that twice.
- Being strong doesn't mean you can't ask for help sometimes.
- Too often do we find the best words in the worst of times.
- There is strength standing together, but it takes a strong person to stand alone.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
February Break Witticisms
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Dorian Gray Ch. 15&16
"If you want any corroborative evidence on the subject you can ask him"(186).
corroborative- to make certain, confirm
"Certainly with hideous iteration the bitten lips of Dorian Gray"(190).
iteration- the act of repeating; repetition
"She is very clever, too clever for a woman. She lacks the indefinable charm of weakness. It is the feet of clay that make the gold of image precious. Her feet are very pretty, but they are not feet of clay-- white porcelain feet, if you like. They have been through the fire, and what fire does not destroy it hardens. She has had experiences"(186).
This quote shows Lord Henry's (which also means Dorian's) view of women. Lord Henry completely dominated Dorian's mind, and here we see that Lord Henry also seeks to dominate women. He previously described his view of women to Dorian by explaining to him, "My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals"(51). Like Dorian, Lord Henry wants a mind who he can dominate. He does not want a clever woman with life experience like Lady Narborough. She is not weak enough to be molded into whatever Lord Henry wants. She has gone though hard times in life, she is still a women and considered beautiful; however, she has experienced life more than many other women. She has a guard up, and cannot be pushed around, she knows too much about life. Lord Henry does not want to be involved with minds who he cannot dominate.
"He knew in what strange heavens they were suffering, and what dull hells were teaching them the secret of some new joy. They were better off than he was. He was prisoned in thought. Memory, like a horrible malady, was eating his soul away. From time to time he seemed to see the eyes of Basil Hallward looking at him. Yet he felt he could not stay. The presence of Adrian Singleton troubled him. He wanted to be where no one would know who he was. He wanted to escape from himself"(193).
Dorian plainly cannot deal with his sinful ways. It is becoming harder and harder to continually push his evil thoughts and actions out of his mind. To numb his memory, Dorian decides to turn to opium. He feels he has no other option toward fulfilling his goal of completely eliminating his sins from his mind. Dorian feels "prisoned"(193), by his memory. The memories of the actions are truly eating away at Dorian's soul. He relies on the portrait to take responsibility for his sins; therefore, he does not try to reconcile them. He tries to run from his sins, and finds that even though the portrait bears responsibility, he cannot escape them. His sins will always be on his mind if he does not seek forgiveness. If Dorian never tries to be redeemed for his sins, he will never be able to accept them and move on. We have seen a similar correlation to this in "The Crucible" in Abigail Williams. Abigail continually sins and does not seek forgiveness. In the end she becomes a prostitute and goes to hell. You cannot escape sins without atoning for them first.
corroborative- to make certain, confirm
"Certainly with hideous iteration the bitten lips of Dorian Gray"(190).
iteration- the act of repeating; repetition
"She is very clever, too clever for a woman. She lacks the indefinable charm of weakness. It is the feet of clay that make the gold of image precious. Her feet are very pretty, but they are not feet of clay-- white porcelain feet, if you like. They have been through the fire, and what fire does not destroy it hardens. She has had experiences"(186).
This quote shows Lord Henry's (which also means Dorian's) view of women. Lord Henry completely dominated Dorian's mind, and here we see that Lord Henry also seeks to dominate women. He previously described his view of women to Dorian by explaining to him, "My dear boy, no woman is a genius. Women are a decorative sex. They never have anything to say, but they say it charmingly. Women represent the triumph of matter over mind, just as men represent the triumph of mind over morals"(51). Like Dorian, Lord Henry wants a mind who he can dominate. He does not want a clever woman with life experience like Lady Narborough. She is not weak enough to be molded into whatever Lord Henry wants. She has gone though hard times in life, she is still a women and considered beautiful; however, she has experienced life more than many other women. She has a guard up, and cannot be pushed around, she knows too much about life. Lord Henry does not want to be involved with minds who he cannot dominate.
"He knew in what strange heavens they were suffering, and what dull hells were teaching them the secret of some new joy. They were better off than he was. He was prisoned in thought. Memory, like a horrible malady, was eating his soul away. From time to time he seemed to see the eyes of Basil Hallward looking at him. Yet he felt he could not stay. The presence of Adrian Singleton troubled him. He wanted to be where no one would know who he was. He wanted to escape from himself"(193).
Dorian plainly cannot deal with his sinful ways. It is becoming harder and harder to continually push his evil thoughts and actions out of his mind. To numb his memory, Dorian decides to turn to opium. He feels he has no other option toward fulfilling his goal of completely eliminating his sins from his mind. Dorian feels "prisoned"(193), by his memory. The memories of the actions are truly eating away at Dorian's soul. He relies on the portrait to take responsibility for his sins; therefore, he does not try to reconcile them. He tries to run from his sins, and finds that even though the portrait bears responsibility, he cannot escape them. His sins will always be on his mind if he does not seek forgiveness. If Dorian never tries to be redeemed for his sins, he will never be able to accept them and move on. We have seen a similar correlation to this in "The Crucible" in Abigail Williams. Abigail continually sins and does not seek forgiveness. In the end she becomes a prostitute and goes to hell. You cannot escape sins without atoning for them first.
Dorian Gray Ch. 14
"The brain had its own food on which it battened, and the imagination, made grotesque by terror"(171).
battened- to thrive and prosper, especially at another's expense
"his pallor being intensified by his coal-black hair and dark eyebrows"(171).
pallor- unusual/extreme paleness as from fear, ill health, or death
"His night had been untroubled by any images of pleasure or pain. But youth smiles without any reason. It is one of its chiefest charms"(166).
Dorian killed Basil Hallward, and simply went to bed. He had a restful night's sleep, he did not even dream, he was completely peaceful. Dorian killed a man, and barley even flinched, he has no after effects. As a matter of fact: "He was determined that he would not think about what had happened until it became absolutely necessary that he should do so"(167). He was not going to deal with the murder. He was going to set it aside and ignore it just like any other of his numerous sins. He was not going to deal with the sin. Although Dorian killed Basil over creating the portrait to his soul, it seems to me that Dorian would want to thank him. Basil created the tool that Dorian constantly used so he would not have to deal with sin.
"Whatever my life is, he had more to do wit the making or the marring of it than poor Harry has had. He may not have intended it, the result is the same"(173).
Dorian sees his life as being greatly influenced by Basil, and mildly influenced by Harry. Dorian simply cannot see how Harry's domination has completely ruined him as a person. He cannot even see it when he looks at his own soul through the portrait. Harry has been the cause of Dorian's downfall, yet Dorian would still listen and learn from him in a heartbeat. However, Dorian believes that Basil ruined his life with that portrait, and was so angry and out for revenge that he killed him. Dorian does not care about either Harry's or Basil's moral process, he only cared about the end result and since he could not recognize how Harry wronged him, he saw that Basil had effected his life more negatively. Dorian cannot simply judge their actions; he cannot even acknowledge Harry's awful actions. It is true that Basil did paint a portrait to Dorian's soul, however he did not mean to play a part in Dorian's tragic downfall. Harry never cared for Dorian, not even in the beginning. Basil always cared, and would have done anything for Dorian. Dorian carelessly tossed away contemplating who Basil and Harry are on the inside, and why they committed their actions. If Dorian had done this, there is no way that Basil Hallward would be dead.
battened- to thrive and prosper, especially at another's expense
"his pallor being intensified by his coal-black hair and dark eyebrows"(171).
pallor- unusual/extreme paleness as from fear, ill health, or death
"His night had been untroubled by any images of pleasure or pain. But youth smiles without any reason. It is one of its chiefest charms"(166).
Dorian killed Basil Hallward, and simply went to bed. He had a restful night's sleep, he did not even dream, he was completely peaceful. Dorian killed a man, and barley even flinched, he has no after effects. As a matter of fact: "He was determined that he would not think about what had happened until it became absolutely necessary that he should do so"(167). He was not going to deal with the murder. He was going to set it aside and ignore it just like any other of his numerous sins. He was not going to deal with the sin. Although Dorian killed Basil over creating the portrait to his soul, it seems to me that Dorian would want to thank him. Basil created the tool that Dorian constantly used so he would not have to deal with sin.
"Whatever my life is, he had more to do wit the making or the marring of it than poor Harry has had. He may not have intended it, the result is the same"(173).
Dorian sees his life as being greatly influenced by Basil, and mildly influenced by Harry. Dorian simply cannot see how Harry's domination has completely ruined him as a person. He cannot even see it when he looks at his own soul through the portrait. Harry has been the cause of Dorian's downfall, yet Dorian would still listen and learn from him in a heartbeat. However, Dorian believes that Basil ruined his life with that portrait, and was so angry and out for revenge that he killed him. Dorian does not care about either Harry's or Basil's moral process, he only cared about the end result and since he could not recognize how Harry wronged him, he saw that Basil had effected his life more negatively. Dorian cannot simply judge their actions; he cannot even acknowledge Harry's awful actions. It is true that Basil did paint a portrait to Dorian's soul, however he did not mean to play a part in Dorian's tragic downfall. Harry never cared for Dorian, not even in the beginning. Basil always cared, and would have done anything for Dorian. Dorian carelessly tossed away contemplating who Basil and Harry are on the inside, and why they committed their actions. If Dorian had done this, there is no way that Basil Hallward would be dead.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Dorian Gray Ch 12-13
"and whisper about what they call the profligacies of their betters"(155).
profligacy- shameless dissoluteness, reckless extravagance
"you should not have made his sister's name a byword"(155).
byword- an epithet, often of scorn
"The surface seemed to be quite undisturbed and as he had left it. It was from within, apparently, that the foulness and horror had come. Through some strange quickening of inner life the leprosies of sin were slowly eating the thing away. The rotting of a corpse in a watery grave was not so fearful"(161).
Basil examined the portrait of what he could not believe to be Dorian Gray. Dorian was so beautiful, and Basil's painting captured his beauty perfectly. However, as Basil examined the painting, he saw that none of the surface was changed. His signature was still at the bottom and none of the lines had been recreated, it was, in fact, the original painting. Nonetheless, the alterations were still there even though the painting was not physically changed. Basil concluded that some type of evil was coming from inside the painting. This is comparable to the actual Dorian. His surface is unchanged, although he is eaten away with evil and sin on the inside, as the painting has been. Dorian retains his beauty and sin and age does not appear on his outside, however it completely consumes him on the inside.
Dorian killed Basil. Like the situation involving Sibyl's death, Dorian feels very little emotion. Here we see his reasoning behind it is to ignore the situation. He clearly does not want to deal with his sins, he believes that is what his portrait is for. It is impossible for even Dorian to argue that murdering Basil was a good deed. He knows it is a sin he simply chooses to ignore it. Dorian believes that completely ignoring the situation and pretending that it never happened is the best way to not feel the effects of his sins. Dorian simply looks at the facts, and takes the emotions out of tragic situations that he does not want to feel. He wants his portrait to carry all of the sin so he does not have to, he ensures this by ignoring his sins instead of grappling with them.
profligacy- shameless dissoluteness, reckless extravagance
"you should not have made his sister's name a byword"(155).
byword- an epithet, often of scorn
"The surface seemed to be quite undisturbed and as he had left it. It was from within, apparently, that the foulness and horror had come. Through some strange quickening of inner life the leprosies of sin were slowly eating the thing away. The rotting of a corpse in a watery grave was not so fearful"(161).
Basil examined the portrait of what he could not believe to be Dorian Gray. Dorian was so beautiful, and Basil's painting captured his beauty perfectly. However, as Basil examined the painting, he saw that none of the surface was changed. His signature was still at the bottom and none of the lines had been recreated, it was, in fact, the original painting. Nonetheless, the alterations were still there even though the painting was not physically changed. Basil concluded that some type of evil was coming from inside the painting. This is comparable to the actual Dorian. His surface is unchanged, although he is eaten away with evil and sin on the inside, as the painting has been. Dorian retains his beauty and sin and age does not appear on his outside, however it completely consumes him on the inside.
Dorian killed Basil. Like the situation involving Sibyl's death, Dorian feels very little emotion. Here we see his reasoning behind it is to ignore the situation. He clearly does not want to deal with his sins, he believes that is what his portrait is for. It is impossible for even Dorian to argue that murdering Basil was a good deed. He knows it is a sin he simply chooses to ignore it. Dorian believes that completely ignoring the situation and pretending that it never happened is the best way to not feel the effects of his sins. Dorian simply looks at the facts, and takes the emotions out of tragic situations that he does not want to feel. He wants his portrait to carry all of the sin so he does not have to, he ensures this by ignoring his sins instead of grappling with them.
Dorian Gray Ch. 11
"especially the art of those whose minds have been troubled with the malady of reverie"(134).
reverie- a state of dreamy meditation or fanciful musing
"Of such insolences and attempted slights he, of course took no notice"(145).
insolence- contemptuously rude or impertinent behavior or speech
"For these treasures, and everything that he collected in his lovely house, were to be to him means of forgetfulness, modes by which he could escape, for a season from the fear that seemed to him at times to be almost too great to be borne"(143).
Dorian Gray was completely dominated by Harry. Harry's influence grew stronger as Dorian became obsessed with a book that Harry gave him. This book led Dorian to "search for sensations that would be at once new and delightful"(135). Dorian thought of becoming Catholic, studied perfumes, "devoted himself entirely to music"(137), and "took up the study of jewels"(138). Dorian took up different hobbies that he could completely throw himself into. He had to be occupied at all times to take the portrait and his conscience out of his mind. He had to throw himself into different projects to get away, but he found that no options worked completely, so he kept trying different activities. Nothing Dorian did allowed him to escape his sins, even if they did not appear on his face.
"On his return he would sit in front of the picture, sometimes loathing it and himself, but filled, at other times, with that pride of individualism that is half the fascination of sin, and smiling, with secret pleasure, at the misshapen shadow that had to bear the burden that should have been his own"(144).
Dorian has multiple reactions and feelings toward his portrait. He is able to see that the picture shows his true self, the sins that he has committed, and his conscience. Dorian feels bad for the way he is behaving and sees how awful he is becoming. He despises his actions and himself for committing them. However, there is another approach Dorian takes toward the portrait. He always recognizes that his sins are bad, but sometimes he feels proud that he can avoid them. He feels that he got away with sinning because it is not seen on his face. He is able to place the blame on someone, or something, other than himself, and get away from bearing his sins publicly.
reverie- a state of dreamy meditation or fanciful musing
"Of such insolences and attempted slights he, of course took no notice"(145).
insolence- contemptuously rude or impertinent behavior or speech
"For these treasures, and everything that he collected in his lovely house, were to be to him means of forgetfulness, modes by which he could escape, for a season from the fear that seemed to him at times to be almost too great to be borne"(143).
Dorian Gray was completely dominated by Harry. Harry's influence grew stronger as Dorian became obsessed with a book that Harry gave him. This book led Dorian to "search for sensations that would be at once new and delightful"(135). Dorian thought of becoming Catholic, studied perfumes, "devoted himself entirely to music"(137), and "took up the study of jewels"(138). Dorian took up different hobbies that he could completely throw himself into. He had to be occupied at all times to take the portrait and his conscience out of his mind. He had to throw himself into different projects to get away, but he found that no options worked completely, so he kept trying different activities. Nothing Dorian did allowed him to escape his sins, even if they did not appear on his face.
"On his return he would sit in front of the picture, sometimes loathing it and himself, but filled, at other times, with that pride of individualism that is half the fascination of sin, and smiling, with secret pleasure, at the misshapen shadow that had to bear the burden that should have been his own"(144).
Dorian has multiple reactions and feelings toward his portrait. He is able to see that the picture shows his true self, the sins that he has committed, and his conscience. Dorian feels bad for the way he is behaving and sees how awful he is becoming. He despises his actions and himself for committing them. However, there is another approach Dorian takes toward the portrait. He always recognizes that his sins are bad, but sometimes he feels proud that he can avoid them. He feels that he got away with sinning because it is not seen on his face. He is able to place the blame on someone, or something, other than himself, and get away from bearing his sins publicly.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Dorian Gray ch 9-10
"The lad was actually pallid with rage"(115).
pallid- pale; faint or deficient in color
"She lingered for a few moments, and was garrulous over some detail of the household"(122).
garrulous- excessively talking in a rambling manner
"I should like to have something more of her than the memory of a few kisses and some broken, pathetic words"(115).
Through this quote we are able to inadvertently see Harry's effect on Dorian. Harry is constantly influencing Dorian about his twisted thoughts about life. Harry holds youth and beauty in the highest regard, and is convincing Dorian to have the same priorities. Dorian is highly influenced by everything that Harry says and also believes that beauty should be everyone's highest priority. As we see here, even in Sybil's death, Dorian does not choose to remember her life. He sees her as the beautifully tragic ending to the perfect play in a chapter of his life. All he wants to remember is her beauty. He does not care about the pain or remorse he felt (or should feel) and he does not care about the love that he was so sure they shared. All he cares about is remembering her beauty in a picture painted by Basil. He declares the other memories about her as worthless. This is completely Harry's influence over Dorian.
"He recalled the stainless purity of his boysih life, and it seemed horrible to him that it was here the fatal portrait was to be hidden away. How little he had thought, in those dead days, of all that was in store for him!"(125).
Dorian cannot stand to look at his portrait and the new face it is displaying. He knows that it is his conscience and his innermost feelings. He cannot face his conscience himself, and he does not want others to see his deepest secrets either. Therefore, he chooses to hide the painting in the attic of his house. To a certain extent, Dorian grew up in this room. He used to play in it as a child, and then used it as a study. Before Dorian met Harry, and as a child, he was innocent, moral, and good. He is now corrupt and sinful as we see how he really is through is portrait. This further shows how much Dorian is being overtaken and dominated by Harry and his sinful ways. Even the painting is overtaking the room where his innocent childhood memories once stood.
pallid- pale; faint or deficient in color
"She lingered for a few moments, and was garrulous over some detail of the household"(122).
garrulous- excessively talking in a rambling manner
"I should like to have something more of her than the memory of a few kisses and some broken, pathetic words"(115).
Through this quote we are able to inadvertently see Harry's effect on Dorian. Harry is constantly influencing Dorian about his twisted thoughts about life. Harry holds youth and beauty in the highest regard, and is convincing Dorian to have the same priorities. Dorian is highly influenced by everything that Harry says and also believes that beauty should be everyone's highest priority. As we see here, even in Sybil's death, Dorian does not choose to remember her life. He sees her as the beautifully tragic ending to the perfect play in a chapter of his life. All he wants to remember is her beauty. He does not care about the pain or remorse he felt (or should feel) and he does not care about the love that he was so sure they shared. All he cares about is remembering her beauty in a picture painted by Basil. He declares the other memories about her as worthless. This is completely Harry's influence over Dorian.
"He recalled the stainless purity of his boysih life, and it seemed horrible to him that it was here the fatal portrait was to be hidden away. How little he had thought, in those dead days, of all that was in store for him!"(125).
Dorian cannot stand to look at his portrait and the new face it is displaying. He knows that it is his conscience and his innermost feelings. He cannot face his conscience himself, and he does not want others to see his deepest secrets either. Therefore, he chooses to hide the painting in the attic of his house. To a certain extent, Dorian grew up in this room. He used to play in it as a child, and then used it as a study. Before Dorian met Harry, and as a child, he was innocent, moral, and good. He is now corrupt and sinful as we see how he really is through is portrait. This further shows how much Dorian is being overtaken and dominated by Harry and his sinful ways. Even the painting is overtaking the room where his innocent childhood memories once stood.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Dorain Gray Chapter 8
"to find his way through the sanguine labyrinth of passion through which he was wandering"(100).
sanguine- cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, confident
"Did it merel take cognizance of what passed within the soul?"(109).
cognizance- awareness, realization, or knowledge
"The one charm of the past is that it is in the past"(106).
"there is a fatality about good resolutions-- that they are always made too late"(104).
sanguine- cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, confident
"Did it merel take cognizance of what passed within the soul?"(109).
cognizance- awareness, realization, or knowledge
"The one charm of the past is that it is in the past"(106).
- Many people prefer that certain past actions remain in their past. What people have done, may not always be good. The past can contain bad choices, actions, and decisions, just as Dorian's did in his treatment of Sybil. There is nothing charming or positive about these past actions. Not much that we look back on is positive. However, the one positive thing about the past is that it is in the past. It already happened, and we can put it behind us, learn from it, and move on.
"there is a fatality about good resolutions-- that they are always made too late"(104).
- Very often, people do not make good choices until after they make a bad one. Even more often than that, it is too late to make up for the bad decison. We are seldom given second chances at making decisions in life. It is easy to make choices on a whim, without thinking for very long about the consequences of our actions. However, these actions sometimes bring us bad results. It is easy to make a good decision after a bad decision. The negative effects of a decision shed light on how we should have acted. Therefore, we try to make up for it by making a good resolution, after a bad one, when it comes too late.
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