B Bell- A Doll's House (Grace and Emily)

A principle of Marxist theory is that "human consciousness is a product of social conditions and that human relationships are often subverted by and through economic considerations." In essence, how do the characters in "A Doll's House,"(i.e. Nora, Ms. Linde, Krogstad, Helmer, and Dr. Rank) display that their "consciousness" is a product of their economic conditions and relationships with each other? You may focus on just one character, and please don't hesitate to use quotes freely to support your answer.

A Doll House- October 30th

"When I lived at home with Papa, he told me all his opinions, so I had the same ones too; or if they were different I hid them, since he wouldn't have cared for that. He used to call me his doll-child, and he played with me the way I played with my dolls," (Nora, 1579).

This quotation blatantly makes the connection between Nora and a doll. Please further explore the symbol of the doll, either in relation to the story or to the time period in general.

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Foiled Characters- F Bell

In A Doll House by Ibsen, Krogstad and Torvald are foiled characters.

While the tarantella is taking place, Mrs. Linde sends a note requesting Krogstad to come and see her. Readers learn of their past relationship and also of Krogstad's respective nature towards women. Mrs. Linde says, "I need to have someone to care for; and your children need a mother. We both need each other. Nils, I have faith that your good at heart- I'll risk everything together with you" (1749). In response, Krogstad says, "Kristine, thank you, thank you- Now I know I can win back a place in their eyes" (1749). By acknowledging and appreciating what Kristine is offering, Krogstad shows how he is uncommonly respectful towards women.

Provide a quote of Torvald's interactions with Nora that foils Krogstad's mentality towards women.

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B Bell- A Doll's House (Diana and Yousra) due Oct. 30

"You never loved me. You've thought it fun to be in love with me, that's all."
-Nora, A Doll's House (p. 1301)

In A Doll's House, Nora wants more from her relationship with Torvald. She is unsatisfied with her marriage, but when Dr. Rank professes his love for her later on in the novel, she denies him, stating: "...there are some people that one loves most and other people that one would almost prefer being with."

Would she really prefer being with Dr. Rank, or is this an easy way of letting him down? Could Dr. Rank ever satisfy her?

Could any man during this age truly satisfy a woman like Nora?

Please use quotes liberally, and references to other novels are welcome.

~Juice-ra and Diagnus~

A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen

"Still it was tremendous fun sitting there working and earning money. It was almost like being a man," (Ibsen).

A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen has powerful feminist undertones. Nora shows her independence by earning money and taking a more active role in the care of the family. She starts to enjoy being able to work for herself and take care of others. Nora's secret financial independence empowers her and gives her a sense of responsibility that fuels her sense of freedom. Show how this quote provides insight not only into Nora's personal mentality, but also into societal views concerning the role of women in this day. Discuss how Ibsen's play contains some examples of true feminism, while not giving the women too much credit.

Sigmund Freud's Psychic Apparatus

F Bell Ap Language

"He that has eyes to see and ears to hear may convince himself that no mortal can keep a secret. If his lips are silent, he chatters with his fingertips; betrayal oozes out of him at every pore."

Freud's psychic apparatus(a component of Freud's structural model of the psyche), for which he used to practice psychoanalysis, is composed of the instinctual id, the realistic ego, and the moralistic super-ego. The id drives our instinctual pleasures while the ego seeks out ways to realistically satisfy the id. The super-ego restrains our id from acting out its pleasures and tries to obey the moral codes of society. All three of these components are exist in our unconscious minds, but they exist at different depths. The id is buried deep within the unconscious mind, the ego is somewhere in the middle, and the super-ego peers into our conscience.

The above quotation came from Freud himself. What kind of role do the id, ego, and super-ego play in the act of lying, as described by Freud?

Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis is based on the assumption of the subconscious or superego and that humans are driven by desires, fears, needs, and conflicts of which we are unaware.

Relate one of the common core issues (listed below) to yourself or a character in literature. If you're relating a core issue to yourself, explain a dream or event that either explains or causes these issues. If you're relating to a character from literature, regard an internal monologue or an event that shows the core issues the character has. Remember: It is quite possible for someone to have more than one core issue, or one core issue that causes another.

Common Core Issues	Definition	Common Dreams Associated
Fear of Intimacy	A feeling that emotion closeness will hurt us	Being found naked in public
Fear of Abandonment	A feeling that friends and loved ones will desert you or stop caring	Images of death
Fear of Betrayal	A feeling that friends and loved ones can't be trusted
Low Self-esteem	A feeling that one is less worthy than others	Dreaming of falling
Insecure or Unstable Sense of Self	A feeling that one lacks personal identity
Oedipal Fixation	A dysfuntional bond with a parent of opposite sex

Other dreams and the feelings associated with them include:
Storms and rain - Turbulence, Feeling Overwhelmed, Restlessness
Being Chased - Suppression, a need to forget
Missing a train - A missed opportunity

"Barn Burning" by William Faulkner - B Bell, Ray Pulver

I'm not certain as to what I'm supposed to post about, but I picked this:

"Barn Burning" follows the account of Colonel Sartoris Snopes and his family as they struggle with his father's pyromania and deep hatred for people. The decision Sartoris must make between lying for his father or being honest creates a powerful inner conflict within him. His internal monologue, italicized within the text, reveals much about the character as he struggles with this decision.

What are some examples of Sartoris' internal monologue and how do they relate to the story's theme?

This quote portrays both themes through the grandmother's use of religion to try to dissuade the misfit from killing her and the flaw in her character, which is believing she is among the best and doesn't deserve to be killed. The grandmother's use of religious morals conveys the common catholic theme in O'Connor's stories, but she also shows her obvious flaw. She begs the misfit not to kill her and she offers anything to save her life, however at this point her family is dead and she hasn't even shown the slightest bit of despair for their deaths, exposing her selfishness.

This quote shows how even as the old woman is about to be killed, she believes that there is still good in The Misfit's heart. The old woman believes that eveyone has good in them and that there is still hope for those who seem to be lost.

Alyssa Grigg and Elizabeth Edens

F Bell:
Two common themes in many of Flannery O’Conner’s short stories are morals derived from the Catholic religion along with over exaggerated flaws in her characters. In A Good Man is Hard to Find, O’Conner emphasizes both of these themes through the grandmother. When she is about to be killed by The Misfit, the grandmother says, “Jesus! You’ve got good blood! I know you wouldn’t shoot a lady! I know you come from nice people! Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady. I’ll give you all the money I’ve got!” (454). Analyze this quote and how it captures the themes that O’Conner is trying to portray.

Flannery O'Connor - B Bell, David and Martin

Each of the three stories of Flannery O’Connor we have read have a distinct “villain”: the Misfit, Manley Pointer, and Mary Grace. Do these villains have any redeeming features? Do they have anything in common? Conversely, how do they differ?

Posts on Flannery O'Connor

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