Tell Tale Heart

I particularly liked this poem because of its dramatic ending and the increasing tempo and rhythm of words throughout the story. One of the socratic seminar questions asked about the connection between time and heartbeats.

The narrator is frozen in his hiding spot for over an hour, and he dares not make a move without hearing the old man lie back down in bed. While he is waiting, his "over-acuteness" of the senses seems to kick in, and his ears pick up a dull, low quick sound that is very familiar to him. He mistakes the noise for the beating of the old man's heart, when it is really his own. The sound infuriates the narrator, "as the beating of a drum stimulates the soldier into courage." The heartbeat quickens and the rising action of the poem ensues when the narrator leaps and kills the old man.

After the deed is done, the narrator is politely chatting it up with the police when the sound is heard again. The sound of the dead mans heartbeat frightens the narrator and he becomes very nervous. He no longer wishes to talk to the police, it appears as if time is running out. The narrator becomes frantic and the pace of the poem increases rapidly as he starts to foam and throws a chair. The beating of the heart is deafening to the narrator to the point where he can no longer take it. He screams a confession addressing the police as "Villains!"

The ending of Poe's story was so intense, I feel as if dramatic music needed to be played along with it. It reminded me whenever there is a suspenseful or particularly dramatic part in a movie, there is a specific type of music that is always accompanied with the scene. The music is usually composed with beating drums, and woodwind instruments played "with vigor" or "accelerando."

Protective Vs. Possessive

Question 1o asks about the difference between being "protective" and being "possessive" as demonstrated in A Thousand Splendid Suns.

When I think of comparison between those words, I find that "protective" has a gentler connotation. I think of a mother bird, using a protective wing to shelter her young from a rainstorm. All parents look after their children, and do their best to guide them though life. The word "possessive" always has an aspect of control involved. Like an army general, he controls all of his troops and regiments every drill, every meal and every hour of their scheduled day. Possessive suggests ownership.

During the early months of Laila and Rasheed's marriage, Rasheed is actually civil to his wife. The fighting intensifies and Laila's husband assures her "You're safe with me, my flower, my gul. Anyone tries to harm you, I'll rip out their liver and make them eat it" So maybe he is a little more than rough around the edges, but here Rasheed demonstrates a little bit of protective behavior towards Laila. Most of the time, Rasheed expresses and possessive attitude towards his wives. He owns them, and he makes it known. Rasheed and his strict rules forbid Laila from traveling anywhere, she misses being free under the open skies of her childhood. Once while Laila is washing one of Rasheed's undershirts, she sees herself in the reflection of the soapy water. "She felt lost then, casting about, like a shipewreck survivor, no shore in sight, only miles and miles of water."

A Doll House

What questions does the drama raise about: relationships, commitment, communication, and love?

A Doll House definitely raises some interesting questions concerning the validity of the topics listed. Nora and Torvald Helmer's so-called marriage mocks and ridicules the term "relationship" and their sad excuse for "love". The lack of communication between these two is almost criminal, and it isolates their entire relationship as a facade. Nora hides everything from Torvald. From something small and insignificant as the macaroons to something as serious as the forgery. Nora finally realizes that she has lost all sense of direction in who she is as a person, and makes the decision to leave her family in hope of regaining sight. So much for commitment. Torvald didn't really have any trust or commitment issues, but he did love Nora for all the wrong reasons. Well, perhaps he just simply loved Nora for who he thought she was; his little skylark, whom which he could control, coddle, baby and scold her just like a little doll. I kinda felt bad for Torvald in a way, because this whole scene must have come as such a shock to him. Sort of like the toy he had been playing with for several years suddenly came to life!

In the beginning of the story I thought "Seriously? Squirrel and Skylark? These people need to get clue and wake up." I'm glad that at least one of them did. The drama also includes another couple Mrs. Kristine Linde and Krogstad, thank god, to prove that not everyone was as physco as the Helmers. Even though though Kristine and Krogstad have been apart for some time, when they meet up again, it is like no time has past. They clearly care for one another and are willing to put the time and effort into their relationship. Love is worth its while for this couple.

Overall, the messages in A Doll House proves that: Relationships are nothing without decent and honest communication. Be truthful, all the time, otherwise it becomes real easy to get swallowed up in lies. Commitment is important too, for that is the raw basis for a relationship to begin with. And last but not least, love is not for everyone. Love requires that the other person and all of their needs are placed before my own. In the drama, Mrs. Linde and Krogstad's relationship was patched back together because they were selfless people. Unfortunately Nora is a liar and Torvald was terrified of who she really was when she told the truth, so there was not even a stitch of hope for their case. I feel bad for their children...