Literature? Light of Thy Countenance

From the very beginning of the quarter, one of our goals has been to figure out what is literature.  How do we define something as being literary?  Personally, I believe that literature can be any written (or spoken) piece of work that represents a language or culture.  Therefore, based off this definition, I would definitely argue that Alan Moore’s Light of Thy Countenance is an example of literature—a truly unique form, but literature nonetheless.

What makes Light of Thy Countenance so unique is its format.  Told in the form of a comic book, it still would not be considered normal for that type of media.  Told in first person point of view, I also found the beginning horribly confusing, because I could not tell who was narrating the story.  Right from the beginning, the narrator appears to transition for being a god, to this particular woman with a troubled past, to an actress playing the role of that first woman, then back to some god?  It was not until a couple pages after that, that I realized that the narrator was actually a personified version of the television.  From that point, I started being able to understand more of what it was talking about and I could follow the points that Moore was trying to make via that television.

The points made about television in Moore’s work really portrayed American culture very well over the last few decades.  At first when television describes its first few decades, we can see that it truly played a different role in our culture back then than it does now.  Before, it acted as a way to inform people of news and what was going on in the world.  But after World War II, Moore points out that the television really became more about consumerism and gaining a profit.  Moore references Frankenstein a few times in this section to maybe suggest that the transformation of the television may have been for the worse, rather than better.  He even compares the television to the idea of religion and gods because he plays with the idea that our culture began worshiping the television more than they worshiped religion.

Because of the points and statements that Moore makes, I truly believe that it contributes to the argument of his work being literature.  While it is presented in an unusual way, its still literary to me.

Differences Between the East and the West

M Butterfly by Davis Henry Hwang really distinguishes some of the strongest differences between the nations of the east and the nations of the west.  Throughout the whole play, he uses this theme of nations and nationality to portray these significant breaches.

One of the strongest differences between the two was the difference in the way that the women were portrayed.   Even in Act One, Hwang writes that Cio-Cio-San (also known as Butterfly) was “not like American girls.  It’s true what they say about Oriental girls.  They want to be treated bad!” (Act 1, Scene 3, p.6).  There is already this description of Oriental and Eastern women being different and wanting different things than the Western women. 

Later on in Act One, Song Liling is talking with Rene Gallimard about her (his) role in Butterfly.  Gallimard was thoroughly impressed and was talking to her about his Western experience with the play.   But once he brings up that his problem was with the unattractive Western woman who played the part, Song responds by saying, “Bad makeup is not unique to the West” (Act 1, Scene 6, p.16).  Here again, Hwang casually suggests another difference between Eastern and Western women, and he continues on in that scene as he writes about their conversation.  Gallimard is simply more convinced by Song’s performance, and Song blames it all on Gallimard’s Western background.

At the end of the play, he writes, “The West think of itself as masculine—big guns, big industry, big money—so the East is feminine—weak, delicate, poor… but good at art, and full of inscrutable wisdom—the feminine mystique” (Act 3, Scene 1, p.83).  Hwang also portrays that very idea of the Western nations being more “masculine” and the Eastern nations as being more “feminine” throughout the whole play, and not just as the end.

In both Acts One and Two, Hwang uses Toulon’s character to defend that very point.  Starting in Act One, in Scene 12, Toulon says in conversation with Gallimard, “It’s embarrassing that we lost Indochina” (p.37).  Toulon’s arrogance really stands out and represents a lot of the Western mentality that felt that they were so much bigger and stronger than those in the East.  In Scene 3, Toulon also says to Gallimard, “I don’t see how the Vietnamese can stand up to American firepower” (p.46).   Here again, Toulon simply believes that Americans and the Western world should not struggle at all in taking down the Vietnamese and Eastern countries in the war they are fighting.

Internet and the Prospects of Online Social Networks

William Gibson develops the concept of the Internet and idea of the social network in a monumental way in his novel, Pattern Recognition.  Today’s culture is very dependent on these ideas, but when this novel is set and written, the role of online social network sites and the Internet in general, is much less important.  Regardless, Gibson uses his creative rights to increase the novel’s dependence on these topics, especially in Cayce’s situation.

For example, what is Cayce’s main mission throughout the majority of the novel?  She is trying to find the source of those video clips on the F:F:F blog.  For the majority of the novel, she is mildly unsuccessful, but then finally in chapter 32, Cayce is able to contact the “maker” through her e-mail address.   And while this did not include and actual online social network, Gibson definitely presents the potential of that very idea.  Cayce is finally able to talk and meet with the “maker,” Stella, and she would not have been able to do that without the creation of the Internet.  The social relationship that is created between Stella and Cayce thanks to their e-mails also shows the importance of e-mail and Internet in their relationship.

Without the social relationship on the Internet, Cayce’s job would not have even been completed, because she would not have been successful.  In fact her ability to find out Stella’s e-mail address is what set her apart from all the other people looking for the same video makers.  Cayce’s life is even threatened later in the novel because of that valuable piece of knowledge.  Through the Internet e-mails, Cayce really was able to create this relationship that Stella was able to trust.  Then Stella allowed Cayce to really understand and find out more than she could have ever imagined about her coveted video clips.

Pattern Recognition Topics

Internet and the prospects of online social networks:
In today’s culture, the Internet and concept of social networking sites are everywhere and everyone seems dependent on it—if not addicted.  However when this novel is set, the concept of social network is just introduced.  But the culture is still very dependent on the Internet.

There are also dangers with the Internet and the social networking world, and Gibson definitely discusses the in his novel.  Someone once told me that the Internet is “written in ink.”  I definitely agree with them because with the Internet and especially the social networking sites, once something is written, it cannot be taken back.  Also with the Internet, everything can be traced back to its origin, and that is an idea that Gibson focuses in on his novel.  Then as the story and plot progresses, many of the characters, Cayce in particular, become more aware of the possibility for people to read everything they write—even when it is a personal email.  

Relationships between style and culture:

The relationship between style and culture is probably significantly stronger than most people would assume.  In Pattern Recognition, Cayce is a design consultant, but she is ironically allergic to brand products and basically popular logos in general.  So while she searches for the next “cool” thing in style and culture, she herself actually stays away from most trendy items.  And while this seems unusual especially for a design consultant, Cayce still recognizes the importance of patterns in style and how that dramatically affects our culture.

Our current culture is definitely driven by style and trends.  For starters, part of every culture is characterized by their fashions: different cultures have different fashions.  From a trends perspective, our culture is also based off of what is “cool” or “trendy.”  Ranging from the “cool” restaurants, to the “trendy” coffee shop, they all characterize culture.  Even in terms of pop culture, music, and movies, the trendiest usually do the best and will define our culture and how others see us.

A Rose for Emily

Faulkner uses first person plural to narrate “A Rose for Emily.”  However the first person point of view is very limited and the people telling the story honestly know very little about the main character, Emily.  Out of all of the characters in Faulkner’s essay, only two have real interaction and create relationships with Emily: Homer Barron and her servant, Tobe.

If the point of view was shifted to be told from either Homer Barron’s or Tobe’s point of view, not only would Emily’s character be more developed, but the mystery and suspense level of the story would be alleviated.  The majority of the plot is centered on the relationship between Homer Barron and Emily, and how his “disappearance” affects her.  However in this situation, the narrators knows very little about the two of them.  The only thing mentioned is that the entire town expected them to get married—yet at other times, he writes that he was “not surprised when Homer Barron… was gone.”  If the story was told in his perspective, we, as the audience, would not only know his reasoning for “leaving,” but we would also inevitably find out Emily’s biggest secret: she murdered Homer. 

If Tobe were narrating the story, the entire tone would also be different.  In the actual version, Faulkner points out that the townspeople always tried to question Tobe to figure out what was going inside that closed house of hers.  But if Tobe were telling the story, there would be fewer secrets because he had to have known what was going on.

In general, with the point of view from either of these characters, the town’s perspective of Emily would have been less obvious.  Tobe especially was a character that rarely even came out of Emily’s house, much less had real interaction with the townspeople.

All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace

Brautigan’s “All Watched over by machines of loving grace” is about a society that is surrounded by technology as well as nature.  However his opinion of this simultaneous coexistence is debatable since he appears to take both sides throughout the poem. 

The majority of the second stanza hints to me that perhaps Brautigan’s tone and message is anti-technology.  When describing the deer that are “stroll[ing]” in this “cybernetic forest,” Brautigan points out that they are not only “peacefully” walking, but they are walking “past the computers as if they were flowers with spinning blossoms.”  I recognized this as implying that perhaps these computers were unnecessary.  The deer pay no attention to the computers and Brautigan practically refers to it as simple “blossoms.”  All of these similes and metaphors seem to make me believe that this poem is pretty anti-technology.

Then in the final stanza, he refers to a time “where we are free of our labors and joined back to nature.”  Assuming that these “labors” are connected with technology, the poem’s anti-technology theme comes out yet again.  Here he also brings up his desire to be joined back into nature, to perhaps a world with less technology.

But then again, if you look at the first stanza and the opening lines, Brautigan writes, “I like to think (and the sooner the better!) of a cybernetic meadow where mammals and computer live together.”  This as an opening thought actually seems to be pretty pro-technology.  The speaker here is imagining and hoping for a world with nature and technology co-existing “harmon[iously].”  Not to mention, he believes that this world should exist as soon as possible.

Then look again at the final stanza—but this time in Brautigan’s final lines, he points out that while we may be “joined back to nature,” we are still “all watched over by machines of loving grace.”  For me, this is the reason why I think that Brautigan’s pro-technology tone and message is more convincing than the anti-technology message.  First of all, he chose to start the poem with the idea of technology and nature existing together.  And while he arguably changes his message in certain parts of the poem, he finishes with the idea that technology still is “watching over” all of society with “loving grace.”

"Casabianca" Imagery

-the burning deck

-flame that lit the battle's wreck

-a creature of heroic blood

-the flames rolled on

-booming shots

-fast the flames rolled on

-waving hair

-wreathing fires made way

-flag on high

-a burst of thunder sound

-the winds that far around

-fragments strewed the sea

Felicia Hemans’s use of imagery in her poem “Casabianca” definitely covers a wide range.  As she uses her senses, she describes seemingly everything she can in order to create such a vivid picture of the setting and evoke the necessary dramatic tone.  As the ship travels through the storm, the audience can really understand the intensity—specifically thanks to her use of auditory details (i.e. “booming shots” or “burst of thunder sound”).

However out of all the imagery that Hemans tries to include, her images of flames, fire, and burning seem by far the most prominent.  In fact, the very first image she creates for the audience is that of the boy standing on the “burning deck.”  She uses this to create a little bit of foreshadowing that also allows for us, as the readers, to ask ourselves multiple questions about what may happen to this boy, or how the deck even got to the point of burning.  She then continues on to describe the flames that are surrounding the boat and this boy, but regardless of the fact that “the flames rolled on,” he refuses to move.  As the flames continue to grow, this boy refuses to leave his position until he knows he has fulfilled his duties in its entirety.   In the end, unfortunately these flames, the storm and the battle all put up a strong enough fight and eventually defeat the young boy.  But Hemans refuses to leave the poem at that: she notes that “the noblest thing that perished there was that young, faithful heart.”

Personally, I see the importance of using imagery such as fire and flames in this poem.  The passion and dedication of the young boy can be compared to the power and blaze of the raw fire.  But on a juxtaposing note, the fire and flames could easily represent the struggles that the boy is willing to face in order to please his father and complete his tasks at hand.   Few poets choose imagery that is so versatile and can represent interpretations and meanings in so many different ways, but Hemans’ use of fire and flames successfully add to the work as a whole in a way that different imagery could not compare.