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ENG45C - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Chinua Achebe
        
        Things Fall Apart
        The tribes of Igbo collectively believe in Chukwu, the God of gods. Under their belief system, the tribes can follow separate gods and form their own traditions while still acting as a unified nation.
        Christian missionaries strained the unity of the tribes by presenting a their belief system. They were particularly successful in pushing their system by targeting outcasted members of their tribes, the "Osu".
        The Igbo failed to maintain power because they did not view their Osu as a threat. Missionaries utilized the experience of the Osu to find other weak points in the Igbo tribe. This gave them the knowledge necessary to infiltrate more influential members of the tribe.
        Power became easily attainable through the curation of their belief system to the individual lives of the tribes.
      - William Faulkner
        
        The Sound and the Fury
        The Compson family is representative of the complete loss of power through their beliefs. After the Civil War ended, the family, alongside the entire South, was forced to conform to the North's victory.
        Within their household, adaptation to the new belief system is seen in various forms. Mr. and Mrs. Compson are seen giving up on improving their family's condition. Caddy attempts to conform to the North's way of life by retreating from the South. Jason reluctantly forces himself to adapt to the North's customs.
        In each of these responses, power is given to those who conform to the majority belief system. Caddy's embrace of the North grants her wealth and a family. Jason's reluctance prevents him from effectively profiting off his investments. The rest of the Compson family simply gives up as result of their inability to follow the North.
    - - Herman Melville
        
        Bartleby, the Scrivener
        Bartleby's resistance to follow orders from the narrator serves as an act of protest. Yet, Bartleby can't exactly be considered an activist. That is, his refusal to work is not for a bigger cause, but for his own personal gain.
        The phrase "I prefer not to" grants Bartleby temporary power over the lawyer who cannot exert any authority over him. In doing so, he takes advantage of their system and chooses what he will and will not do.
        Although his reign of power is short lived, he continues his protest until death. In this sense, Melville could be pointing at the ineffectiveness of a protest of inaction. However, in terms of power, Bartleby continues to do exactly what he says he will, placing him in more control than any character in the story.
      - Langston Hughes
        
        Various Poems
        Hughes' poetry serves as the direct spark of the Harlem Renaissance. Poems like "The Nude Young Dancer" and "The Weary Blues" aimed to portray the reality of everyday people as opposed to romanticizing their lives.
        This proved to be a controversial method of depicting the Black community with some arguing that it was too taboo. However, in portraying the realities of living in poverty as a Black American, Hughes gave power to the marginalized.
        Beyond this, Hughes was interested in a unified identity. "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" and "Let America be America Again" depict the collective experience of African Americans. This unification was a protest in itself, bringing strength in numbers to a community under constant oppression.
- - - - Edgar Allen Poe
        
        Man of the Crowd
        The narrator in this story takes on an active voice as if he is speaking to the reader directly. This desire to connect with the audience through narration is a recurring element in Poe's short stories.
        The use of unreliable narration in this story is subtle but still present. Occasionally, the speaker addresses the reader to reaffirm his caution when following the man. Yet, there is no way to confirm these claims.
        In this story, tension is created from the lack of verifiable information from the narrator. The reader is then forced garner a relationship whether they trust him or not.
      - Henry James
        
        The Turn of the Screw
        James' authorial choice to make this novella a retelling of someone's account of a story is one that adds layers of complexity to the plot.
        For one, the governess becomes a more reliable narrator as the storyteller is a person who actually knew her. Secondly, the storyteller is hesitant to relate the events to the party, implying a sense of genuine fear from the story.
        James uses these layers of accountability to make the story as reliable as possible. Although the story is debatable in its reliability, the reader is given a deeper relationship with the narrator by being placed in the setting of the party.
      - Samuel Beckett
        
        Waiting for Godot
        In this play, Beckett uses the absurdity of his plot as a way to connect to the audience. He aims to give viewers a sense of anticipation but ultimately defers any expected outcome. This is seen in the constant reutterance of Godot who never actually appears.
        He also prevents his viewers to have a deeper understanding of Vladmir and Estragon. In giving them no background, title, or defined relationships, Beckett cuts off his audience and forces opinions to be formed solely off their interactions.
        Combining these factors, it is clear that Beckett aims to sever the relationship between reader and his characters. In this sense, he makes the audience experience what Vladmir and Estragon struggle through the entire play.
    - - Zora Neale Hurston
        
        Their Eyes Were Watching God
        Hurston utilizes Jennie's relationships as a way to convey a struggle for identity. Each relationship acts as a chapter of her growth where she learns what she truly desires out of life.
        Being married off young, she immediately recognized that Logan only sought to use her for labor. Alternatively, her second husband, Joe Starks, seemed to do the opposite and wanted to control her public image. These desires led Jennie to understand that she wanted neither lifestyles.
        In her relationship with Tea Cake, she found a balance between her individual agency and dependency on him. However, it is only after he passes away that she finds clarity in her own path. Her ultimate goal was to experience true love; having found this with Tea Cake, she becomes content with herself.
      - Virginia Woolfe
        
        Mrs. Dalloway: Septimus and Lucrezia
        The relationship between Septimus and Lucrezia is used by Woolfe as a tragic contrast to the lives of the Dalloway's. Both live in London post WWI but the pairs could not have more distinct lives.
        The start of their relationship is depicted in a warm and loving way. However, Septimus is haunted by his experience in the war and becomes increasingly incoherent as time goes on. This places a strain on Lucrezia who feels she has lost him entirely.
        Yet, contrast to the Dalloway's relationship, there is a deeper connection in their relationship. Their brief interaction before Septimus commits suicide presents an intimate and lighthearted moment. This gives insight into what their relationship could have looked like had the war taken place. Ultimately, they had a more passionate relationship than the Dalloway's but were devastated by the war.
        
        Mrs. Dalloway: Clarissa and Richard
        Clarissa and Richard Dalloway's relationship is depicted mostly through inner thoughts as opposed to actual interaction. In this portrayal, the reader is given how each partner thinks about the other rather than how they interact.
        Oftentimes, doubt is casted in Clarissa's mind by reminders of the past like Peter Walsh and Sally Seton. She reminisces on the uncertainty of their lives and the excitement behind it. However, as the day goes on, Clarissa realizes she is content with the stability she has in her marriage.
        Alternatively, Richard finds his love for Clarissa to be strong yet unconveyable. In his struggle to express his love for her, he feels regret and dissatisfaction in their marriage. Despite this, his brief interaction in giving her flowers hints towards a possible future where their relationship can grow in passion.
      - H.D.
        
        Eurydice
- - - - James Joyce
        
        The Dead
        The Dead portrays Gabriel as a character who embraces any and all change from his Irish heritage. This is seen in his adoption of British culture, including clothing, literature and arts.
        Additionally, Gabriel completely dismisses Irish culture as significant. Throughout the party, he consistently looks down on his family's tendencies and conversation.
        In addition to viewing Irish culture as subordinate to other Western cultures, he views himself as superior to his family for understanding them. Embracing a change in culture allows for Gabriel to feel empowered.
      - Imagisme
        
        William Carlos Williams
        
        Various Poems
        Williams embraces the Imagist movement in his smaller poems like "The Red Wheelbarrow" and "This is Just to say" in an almost ironic manner. Pushing the need for meaning behind poetry, he presents an obscure and pointless scene that simply aims to do just that.
        This contrasts other works like "To Elsie" and "Spring and All" which thrive off ambiguous descriptors and scenes. This shows that Williams embraces the change presented by the Imagist movement.
        
        Ezra Pound
        
        In a Station of the Metro
        As one of the main founders of the Imagist movement, Pound seeks to demonstrate the direct treatment of an object through this poem. Using minimal descriptors, he demonstrates the ability to convey a message using only the image.
        This not only embraces change, but influences change in other poets.
      - H.D.
        
        Eurydice
        In this poem, H.D. takes a previously unapproached narrative of the legend of Eurydice. After Orpheus fails to save her from underworld after directly disregarding the orders of Hades by looking back.
        H.D. avoids the perspective of Orpheus by giving a voice to Eurydice, who suffered the worse fate in this story. In her narration, she expresses her resistance towards Orpheus after he condemns her to the underworld.
        In this sense, Eurydice becomes more accepting of her new fate, so long as she never sees Orpheus again.
    - - T.S. Elliott
        
        The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
        In this poem, Prufrock's rejection of change is less of an outright refusal to change and more of a procrastination. His desire to change is shown repetitively as he maintains the notion that "indeed there will be time".
        Instead of pursuing this notion that he can grow, he becomes stuck in his fear of entering a phase of growth. Recognizing his aging features becomes another cause of his procrastination as he begins to question his lack of action in his youth.
        While Prufrock does not condemn the concept of change, he certainly fears it. This prevents him to truly embrace a change in his life, hence making him an adversary to change.
      - Yeats
        
        Various Poems
        Throughout Yeats' poems, the theme of change is a foreboding one. Like Prufrock, Yeats depicts his fears of the world post-WWI as a dark and unstable reality.
        "The Second Coming" is more directly reflective of this new phase of history which he sees as chaotic and destructive. "Sailing to Byzantium" is a more personal view of his confrontation of aging.
        Both poems resist the notion of change. However, both speakers are aware of their lack of power in the situation which prevents them from taking action.