TTL 7

Throughout the novel, Lily goes back and forth on her opinions of Mrs. Ramsay and all that she embodies.  In some parts, Lily looks almost longingly at Mrs. Ramsay.  Mrs. Ramsay acts as a stereotypical housewife in the novel, providing endless support for both her husband and her children.  Lily, in contrast, is a working, independent, yet lonely woman.  In these instances, Lily acknowledges the work that Mrs. Ramsay puts into her life and how fulfilling and loving Mrs. Ramsay's life truly is.  At other times, Lily looks at Mrs. Ramsay with disgust.  In these instances, Lily views Mrs. Ramsay as a symbol of patriarchal society, saying that she could be considered so much more successful if she were independent, working, and helped herself instead of others.  Following Mrs. Ramsay's death, Lily initially shows no true feelings.  She cannot express herself in words, which shows her in contrast to Mrs. Ramsay's feminine side.  Finally, in chapter seven, Lily expresses her pain regarding the death of Mrs. Ramsay, especially when she realizes that after all this time, "she remained a skimpy old maid" (181).  As a fairly unfeminine character, this is a big step for Lily and her possible understanding of Mrs. Ramsay.  Similarly, the same goes for Woolf's feelings towards her mother.  Although Woolf oftentimes struggled to comprehend her mother's motives, given both that Woolf was incredibly young when she died and that Woolf was a strong, working woman compared to her stereotypical housewife of a mother.  However, in this point of the story, Woolf is finally able to accept the fact that feelings cannot be hidden, even for an unfeminine, strong, working woman.

TTL #6

In this section, Lily clearly acts as Woolf through her late exploration of the feelings she feels towards Mrs. Ramsay, who symbolizes Woolf's late mother.  Lily first expresses complete distress and confusion towards the lack of Mrs. Ramsay's presence, very similar to how Woolf must have felt as a child following her parents' deaths: "What does it mean then, what can it all mean?" (Woolf 145).  Lily then attempts to put her feelings into words and finds that she is incapable of doing so: "what did she feel...?  Nothing, nothing-nothing that she could express at all" (Woolf 145).  Words are not complex enough to explain the overcoming of emotions that one feels after a loved one dies, especially when the person himself, namely a child, is not complex enough to explain his feelings.  In this way, Lily acts as a young Virginia Woolf, where the feeling of loss and the concept of death are unable to be described by the simple mind of a child.  However, Lily's remembrance of the painting and determination to complete it is also a symbol of Woolf's relationship with her late mother.  Many years later, Lily decides to finish the painting that she had started which was inspired by Mrs. Ramsay.  This act is like Woolf writing this novel so many years after her mother had passed.  Both acts are the respective artists trying to more clearly understand a loved one after her death,

TTL 2

In this section of To the Lighthouse, Mr. Ramsay contemplates his reputation due to his abilities and mental vitality.  In his analogy, humans theoretically have the capability to start at point A and end at point Z, however, very few make it that far.  He, himself, is metaphorically stuck at R, which displeases him, even though only "one in a generation" will make it all the way to Z (35).  However, Mr. Ramsay does not seem personally distressed with his own failure, but he seems to be worried as to how he will be perceived.  He asks if he is "to be blamed then if he is not that one [who completes the alphabet] provided he has toiled honestly, given to the best of his power, and till he has no more left to give" (35).  At first, it seems as if Ramsay is personally upset at his inability, meaning that he wants to try more to live up to his fullest potential.  However, he then comments that "it is permissible even for a dying hero to think before he dies how men will speak to him hereafter... His own little light would shine, not very brightly, for a year or two" (35).  His seemingly persistent thoughts of improvement are then shown to truly be selfish acts of vanity; He only truly cares about how society perceives him.  Although this idea of extreme vanity might seem over the top, it is one that many people can relate to, especially seniors in high school.  Society sets such high standards that every person feels he must reach in order to be successful and seen as such.

TTL 1

In the first chapter of Woolf's To the Lighthouse, the characters are introduced to the reader.  One of the most prominent characterizations that stands out is that of James Ramsay.  After his father disagrees with his mother, James feels a violent, murderous feeling towards his father: Had there been an axe handy, or a poker, any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father's breast and killed him, there and then, James would have seized it" (4).  First, this statement is alarming and makes the readers question James, though we know very little about him.  It seems as if he is mentally unstable and incapable of making logical decisions.  Although hearing disagreeable news can make someone upset, he or she should not feel violent as a result.  The readers also learn about his relationship with his father, which is clearly an unhealthy one.  James's feelings of violence are not solely a result of the news his father brings, but result from "his [father's] mere presence," which is a sign of an unhealthy relationship, very different from most father and sons (4).  The readers also gain insight on James's relationship with his mother, since he believes his mother to be "ten thousand times better in every way than [his father] was" (4).  These combined aspects that are used to characterize James in the first pages of the novel leave the reader wondering about who he truly is as a person, why he is this way, and what will happen as a result.

Traveling through the dark by William Stafford

In Traveling through the dark, the speaker addresses the grieving process in an abstract way.   Driving along a narrow, dangerous road, the speaker encounters a recently killed deer.  The driver knows that it is safer to move the carcass than it is to swerve around it and risk hitting another animal or causing a fatal accident.  As the speaker is moving the dead body of the deer, he notices that the side of her body is still warm.  He realizes that this is because the deer was pregnant, and "her fawn lay there waiting, / alive, still, never to be born" (10-11).  In this description, the speaker is showing how this encounter means more to him than just seeing a dead animal on the road.  He stops and almost grieves as he hesitates and is unsure of what to do.  However, time is passing and the speaker realizes he cannot wait there forever, which the reader can tell by his describing how the car is still running: "The car aimed ahead its lowered parking lights; / under the hood purred the steady engine" (13-14).  He then pushes the dead deer and her trapped fetus into the river.  This encounter symbolizes the grieving process of losing a loved one.  One must first face the issue, coming to a realization that the person is dead, as seen by the person stopping his car and assessing the situation.  Then, one can grieve and face his loss, as seen through the speaker hesitating and looking into the deer's condition in more detail.  In the end, however, life still continues, much like the running car waiting to move on to the next adventure.  As a result, one must let go of the past, try to put aside the death, metaphorically pushing it into the river, and continue on with his life.

Picnic, Lightning by Billy Collins

With the start of this poem, the reader first thinks that the speaker is going to talk about his fear of death given that his "mother died in a freak accident" (1).  However, the speaker goes on to discuss his accepting of the fact that death will find everyone no matter what he or she does.  The speaker gives examples of freak accidents that could happen in one's home at any time, showing how death is eminent: "It is possible to be struck by a meteor / or a single-engine plane / while reading in a chair at home" (3-5).  By giving these specific examples as opposed to preventable scenarios or events that happen outside of the house, the speaker is showing that death is not something one should avoid by not living one's life to the fullest and by living in fear.  However, the speaker also expresses that he thinks about death's inevitable nature far beyond what is healthy as he says that "This is what [he] think[s] about / when [he] shovel[s] compost" (20-21).  Although the speaker does not express extreme amounts of anxiety and fear regarding death coming for him, he does express and unnatural, unhealthy fixation on its inevitability.  But, in the end, he considers how time is forever passing, "as one hour sweeps into the next," and death is one step closer for every person (40).

My Number by Billy Collins

In this poem, the speaker personifies death in order to express his fear and nervousness regarding death's approaching him.  The speaker first personifies death in a subdued way, talking about the things that death can do, such as "tampering with air brakes, scattering cancer cells like seeds, loosening the wooden beams of roller coaster" (5-8).  Progressively, the acts in this list become more dramatic and scarier ways to die.  By having a list of scary ways to die, as opposed to common and peaceful ways, such as in one's sleep, the speaker is expressing some fear in death and how it will come to get him.  Then, the speaker personifies death in a very stereotypical, frightening manner, where he is "shaking open the familiar cloak, its hood raised like the head of a crow; and removing the scythe from the trunk" (13-15).  Here, the speaker is clearly conveying his terror of death, as death is being portrayed as a dark, violent being, that is ready to slaughter anything in its path.  Throughout the poem, the author expresses concern for death not being able to find him since he lives in a "hidden cottage," but in the end, he explains what he would do if death were to find him (9).  He would "start talking [his] way out of this," which truly shows how fearful he is for death's eminent visit (17).