Connections between Browning's poems

The narrators of 'My Last Duchess' and 'The Bishop Orders His Tomb' both hold respectable positions in their societies - As as Duke, the narrator in '...Duchess' will have been looked at as being a nobleman, while the Bishop in '...Orders His Tomb' will have been as someone to confine in, someone that could be trusted. The similarity between them, though, is that they have characteristics that are both direct contrasts of how society will have painted them. Instead of being noble, the Duke is petty and shows signs of jealousy ("but who passed without much the same smile?"), whereas the Bishop is competitive, demanding and even possibly sexuality ("Blue as a vein o'er the Madonna's breast"). Are they abusing their positions in their societies? From a western 21st century perspective, the thought of a person committing murder seems like an obvious form of immorality, and such is the case in both 'Porphyria's Lover' and 'My Last Duchess'. Also, in both of these poems, the aspect of 'stooping' (lowering the body) crops up. this term is used in these poems, however, as a form of giving up one's power, something that the Duke refuses to do ("I choose never to stoop"). In the case of 'Porphyria's Lover' the term is used to described the action of Porphyria lowering herself in front of the narrator ("And, stooping, made my cheek lie there"). Both of these poems, along with 'The Patriot', present a shift between power. In the latter, the power shift between the narrator, a war hero returning form battle, and the public worship him ("The old walls rocked with the crowds and cries"). However, in the final three stanzas, the power is in the hands of the public, who fling "stones at me for my year's misdeeds". Similar to 'Porphyria', this transition in which this shift of power takes place all occurs in one location. In all of the selected poems, at least one character's death is mentioned - Porphyria in 'Porphyria's Lover', the Duchess in 'My Last Duchess', The narrator of 'The Patriot' (he is on his way to a death sentence), The Bishop in 'The Bishop Orders His Tomb' (he is having his sons decorate his tomb), the rats in 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin' and the narrator's mother and father in 'Fra Lippo Lippi'. The idea of preservation is present in 'Porphyria's Lover' ("The smiling rosy little head") and 'My Last Duchess' ("Looking as if she were alive") - have they have both killed their partners in order to forever portray a positive part of their relationships? Religious values are mentioned in all of the selected poems, bar 'The Pied Piper...'. In 'The Patriot' and 'Porphyria's Lover', the name of God is not mentioned in the conclusion of the poem, the mention of this name is the hope for a form of protection. The narrators of 'The Bishop...' and 'Fra Lippo Lippi' are both recognised as religious figures (a Monk and a Bishop respectively) but it can be argued that they behave in an un-religious way. The Bishop is competitive and the Monk would rather devote himself to paintings that show his interpretation of the church, rather than what the church has asked of him.

'Porphyria's Lover' reading journal

To begin with, Browning creates, a dark, vicious atmosphere through the use of the weather - "sullen wind" and "tore the elm-tops down for spite" especially suggest this, and in doing so, personification is used. It is as if the weather itself is in a bad mood. The arrival of Porphyria juxtaposes this, however, to "Blaze up, and made the cottage warm". It is as if she has the power to change the mood of the weather, and in doing so, Browning has placed complete attention on her. Porphyria herself is described as wearing "dripping cloak and shawl" and "soiled gloves" which suggests that she is dirty, and has most certainly been walking through the rain, in order to get to this cottage, and can be treated as a sign of devotion. It is Browning's attention to detail that amazes me most, particularly noting the "smooth white shoulder bare" and "yellow hair displaced", which in turn suggests that her hair is unorganised and has no specific pattern to it. He also talks of her "murmuring how she loved me" and does not mention her saying any specific words, as if he has become bored and faded out of the conversation, leaving her to mumble on. He comments that she is "too weak for her heart's endeavour, to set it's struggling passion free from pride" - it is as if she wants to tell him something deep and meaningful, but an internal force is trying to prevent her from doing so. She is struggling with the idea of commitment, and this could be why she murmurs - perhaps she is feeling nervous under his presence, and even more nervous to admit her emotions to him.

Browning writes of love as being a very strong which on occasion simply cannot be ignored - "Nor could to-night's gay feat restrain the feeling of one so pale" suggests that they are using a dinner as an obstruction, possibly in an attempt to draw attention away from the emotion, but it is simply too strong to ignore. Porphyria has admitted that she loves him, however, in the midst of this, he admits that his "heart swell". In terms of imagery, I see the heart began to increase in size, But cannot tell if this out of nervousness, or if this has become a confidence booster for what he is about to do. He becomes latched to the idea of her and her love, which I think is represented by his use if repetition ""mine, mine, fair". His tone at this point in the poem appears as being casual, which is especially surprising when he says "And strangled her" because this to me seems like something that I would consider as a chaotic moment, and would panic. Browning uses repetition again, saying "No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain" this time, however, I think he is using it to try and assure himself and the reader that she was not in pain. He is trying to calm himself, and answer the shock of the reader. He then makes a naturistic and metaphorical comparison - "As a shut bud that holds a bee, I warily oped her lids" It is as if he is the bee, being cautious and curious around the flower (Porphyria), who appears as the shut bud who gets his attention, much like it would a bee.

He continues to sound casual in his delivery "And I untightened next the tress About her neck" implying that this is an ordinary process for him. It is part of a routine that goes through on a regular basis - maybe Porphyria wasn't the only women to experience this. He has killed her, I think, to preserve her happy state. She can be forever in a happy pose, and he can rest with her "smiling rosy little head" forever and always, and it will never change. He concludes the poem by saying, or as the exclamation mark suggests, yelling the sentence "And yet God has not said a word!". Again, I think he attempting to protest to the reader that there was nothing wrong with what he has just done to this women, and if there was, God would have given a sign. Religion is used as a symbol, and as this symbol has not flashed in any way, he thinks that he is safe. However, he could also be protesting this out of paranoia. Maybe he is waiting for something bad to happen to him that will be caused by religion, and the suspense of waiting for a sign is driving him insane. Porphyrhia, however, is the only other person mentioned in this poem. He speaks so much of her, but we never hear her speak, so she is left to be a name without a voice, and only a description.

How far can we say that 'All My Sons' is a tragedy?

At first glance, I would agree with this statement because of the events that occur in the play, and themes that surround them. Larry's disappearance and presumed death hangs over the family from the opening moments of the play, immediately creating a gloomy atmosphere. What is even worse for the Keller family is that this creates conflict. Kate refuses to believe that he is dead, and therefore seeks neighbour Jim's help in creating a horoscope, creating a sense of optimism, but false optimism. Also, the stage directions aid in creating this tragic atmosphere. The opening page described the Keller land as being a 'secluded atmosphere' which creates the impression that the land is sealed off from the wider world. Even more tragic as the land is a hot spot for conflict, as I earlier stated. Combined with the stage directions, this creates the impression the conflict is present only to this piece of land, and once you are involved in conflict, no one else can hear it, because the land is shut off from the outside world.

With this in mind, it doesn't mean that world outside is insignificant. In fact, it is the damage inflicted on the outside world which is caused by Joe Keller's fight for what he thinks is best for his family. He has good intentions, but the outcomes are tragic on those around him, much like Hamlet, who's acts of madness had a devastating effect on Ophelia, where he actually intended to take focus and suspicion away from her. However, this creates Joe's fatal flaw, and it is similar to Hamlet's. He damages those around him, but with what he thinks is a morally good aim. Compared to Greek tragedy, the minor characters in 'All My Sons', such as Jim, Sue and Lydia, are strongly reminiscent of a Chorus, who would appear on-stage to comment on the action of others and/or use storytelling to explain a little bit about the characters that appeared on/off-stage, and this is evident where Sue explains to Ann that "Men are like little boys; for the neighbours they'll always cut the grass".

At the end of Shakespearean tragedies, we are often left with a form of resolution for the future, despite the severe outcomes of the tragedy. In 'Romeo and Juliet', for example, the two families decide to resolve their differences and end the conflict between them, despite the loss of their son and daughter, respectively. A tragic outcome, but there is a glimmer of hope for the future nonetheless. At the end of 'All My Sons' Joe commits suicide, leaving his family in much distraught, but also, as a means of his own form of punishment. The world is rid of a man who commit ed a crime, which seems positive but it appears that nothing else that is positive can be drawn from this. Like 'Romeo and Juliet', the positive aspect is only a glimmer.

'All My Sons' reading journal, act three

The initial stage directions for this act indicate that 'A light shows from upstairs bedroom, lower floor windows being dark' which I think has been put in place to further represent isolation in the Keller land. the house itself is in a secluded, claustrophobic location, as noted in the opening of the play, and I think Miller has added this stage direction in to remind us of these feelings. A conversation the occurs between Jim and Kate, with a sentence from Jim drenched in irony when compared to Joe - "...money-money-money. You say it long enough it doesn't mean anything". I think this because of Joe's arguments about continuing the business despite selling faulty pane parts. He wanted to keep the business alive for his son above anything else. He probably didn't even take account of the money earned from selling the faulty parts. Again, however, Jim offers us a piece of moral comment for us to ponder "every man does have a star. The star of one's honesty...He probably wanted to be alone to watch his star go out." - This creates the impression that all men, regardless of age or morals, are all the same. Everyone man has ambition or something to look up to, but in the end, it shatters. In Chris' case, it was the respect and love he had for his farther. As delusion is also a keep theme in the play, maybe the starts that Jim talks of are a symbol of these lies, that clatter the sky and provide a roof for the Kellers. As the lies are realized, one by one, the truth of the sky can be revealed again. However, focusing on my first interpretation of this, we get a small insight as to what Jim's ambitions were, and how domestic life has shattered them - "...studied a certain disease. It was beautiful...And now I live in the usual darkness", Suggesting that becoming domesticated is a form of giving up, as if it is 'the back-up plan'.

When Joe enters the scene, the stage directions note that 'his voice is husky' as if, after being exposed to the tragic reality of the situation caused by selling the faulty plane parts, he has become, like a machine, rusty on the inside. His reputation has been damaged. Kate urges him that he "better be smart now" but again, I can't help but question - is this possible for him? Once again I will refer back to the opening stage directions of the play, where he is described as being 'uneducated', creating the impression that he cannot catch-up with his family's expectations of him. However, I feel that all of these expectations are thrown at him because of what he is; a father and a businessman. H earns for his family, so therefore responsibility is automatically placed on him, which is another example of tragedy being caused by domestication - it places responsibility on those who don't know what to do with it. "whenever there's trouble you yell at me and you think that settles it" says Kate, as a means of protecting herself, but in doing so, creates a fine example of hypocrisy. This because of the conflict caused by her throughout the play, where she would often shout or speak loudly in order to control the emotions on display in front of her. Next, we see what is at first a tragic theory which soon becomes a tragic reality "I mean if you told him you were willing to play for what you did" says Kate to Joe, in the hope that Chris will realize that Chris will then think that his father is once again a decent man, However, Chris is prepared to take the theory into practice and go against his family, creating moral conflict between farther and son: Joe, thinking of what is best for the family, and Chris, thinking of what implications that actions will have on those around them.

Raising a family and earning a steady income is everything to Joe, it is his idea of an ideal life. Because of this, he is also hedonistic, and the thought of there being something more important that family life is something he cannot relate to. "I'll put a bullet in my head!" he says in anger of this idea, which, as we soon learn, is a tragically ironic statement, and an instant foreshadowing effect. Kate states that Chris was "such a killer" during the war, but at home, "he was always afraid of mice"which creates a questionable contrast in his character, as if being involved in war has taught him to how to deal with his own form of justice against the enemy. Was the enemy more recognisable at war? Or has domestic life altogether shadowed Chris in disillusionment, so that the enemy cannot be recognised? Ann the reveals to have a letter from Larry, written to her by Larry on the day he died and how this happened comes as a genuine, tragic surprise. In dong this, she sets up a dirty compromise with Kate "I want you to set him free" referring to the truth about Larry and how this will ease Chris' mind "And then I promise you, everything will end" - In order for Chris and Ann to lave together peacefully, Kate will have to learn of the horrifying truth about Larry's death. There is no winning option for her. "I didn't bring this to hurt you" she pleads - her intentions were good, an attempt to relax Kate, but the outcome of this has been tragic, and since the content of the letter was tragic anyway, there really was no room for happiness. It would have tragic for the Kellers to continue living a lie, but just as tragic to accept the truth of the situation.

As Joe's tragic fate rapidly approaches, he continues to cloak himself in foreshadowed irony, "I'm a dead man, I'm an old dead man, nothings mine" but also, I think he is referring to the Keller business when he says this. It is as if feels that the business is no longer his and that it now belong to Chris. Everything he earned from it does not belong to him ("It's your money, that's not my money") and by doing so has infuriated Chris, but has forced hypocrisy upon himself by trying to shift the blame, something he criticized Steve for earlier in the play. He tells Chris that "Half the goddam country is gotta go if I go!" and what I interpret this as is his explanation of being part of the wider world. He is no different than any other man out there, and this is what shatters Chris, who saw him as his farther, rather than an ordinary man. It hurts so much more because it is personal. In Larry's letter, it is revealed that Larry felt just as devastated by what Joe had done by selling the faulty parts - "if I had had him there now I could kill him" and tragically, the truth is what drew him to suicide, creating the impression that tragedy surround the world, be it a truthful one, or a false one. After hearing this, the stage directions note that Joe is speaking 'almost inaudibly'. On stage, I can vision this as taking place after a long, suspending silence, and the action itself, as noted, is essential silent anyway, a representation of what the truth can do. Joe recognises the tragic impact that his actions have placed on the wider world, and takes matters of justice into his own hands - 'A shot is heard in the house'. I think that Miller has placed this action off-stage so that the audience can create their own vision of the shooting and also, as a means of taking audience attention away from what is happening on-stage. It is this death, however, that sends Chris into a state of upsetting shock, begging for forgiveness ("Mother, I didn't mean to-"). He thought he would be doing a nice thing for society by putting a guilty man behind bars, but because Joe took justice into his own hands, tragedy has been caused once more, just like Joe caused by selling the parts, which he had intended to be a good thing, but the results, however, were tragic. Like father, like son.

'All My Sons' reading journal, act two

At the beginning of the act, So much more is said about George before he actually appears on-stage, which, just as it did for Annie in act 1, fills me with desperation and curiosity to see him, in particular the comments " George is just a damn fool, Mother" and "There's blood in his eye". These suggest that George will come bringing strong conflict, but Chris thinks this will all be pointless. He thinks that his arguments will have no sense or relevance. Speaking of Chris, we learn something about him, which makes him very comparable to the Mother: He is hedonistic. This is evident the Mother says to him "You think just because you like everybody, they like you!" - he has trapped himself into thinking that everyone around him is good, and that nothing can be bad, much like the Mother's thoughts on Larry returning. Reality is against both of them. A striking phrase, however is "the sicker they get the longer they live". I sense tragedy in this sentence because it suggests that rather than dieing peacefully, a person has to keep on living with pain and suffering, and the strength of this only increases as they get more and more ill. Peaceful rest is not an option.

In my reading journal of act 1, I discussed that the writer had had included many pieces of stage direction and dialogue that provided an opportunity for irony to occur later in the story. Now, I think that I have found an example of this coming to life. Sue says to Ann "Men are like little boys; for the neighbors they'll always cut the grass." to which Ann replies with "People like to do things for the Kellers. Been that way since I can remember." It is the mention of little boys and doing things for the Kellers: When Bert appeared in act 1, although of a jokey nature, He was acting as the police officer of the street for Joe, which was doing something for the Kellers. Where Ann says that things have been like this for as long as she can remember, it is as if this cycle has been going for a long time. Theory was put to life earlier in the play. Next, once more, conflict is present. This time, it is wealth v.s. personality. Ann wants to by with Chris purely because he "relaxes", which poses a sweet, loving nature. However, Sue points out that "And he's got money. That's important" This poses the question, however: What, out of those two options, is more important? Once more, this action takes place in the Keller property: even the neighbours cannot avoid bickering in this territory. Sue does have a method of distancing herself from this, however, by making a comparison between her house and the Keller's: "...Living next door to the Holy Family. It makes me look like a bum..." - she thinks that, because of Kate's (Mother) Religious beliefs, they appear as if they are a better family than her own. However, I would disagree with this because of what I commented on in my journal of act one. Religion has cause Kate to become trapped in her own optimistic (and hedonistic, in the sense that she is pleasing herself only) bubble, away from society. Sue's family, however are aware of what is taking place around them, and they can develop with it, unlike the Kellers, who have "put their lives on hold" as Joe earlier commented.

Elements of Chris' hedonistic nature again crop up, to Ann's displeasure. He comments that Sue is a "great nurse", prompting Ann to criticise and obliterate his personal bubble: "As soon as you know somebody you find a distinction for them... She despises you!". However, is this Chris' way of dealing with loss? to create his own world, in order to escape the tragedy or the reality that surrounds him? Speaking of which, Joe then makes some interesting, yet tragic comments about the real world and how it will affect him - "everybody's gettin' so goddam educated in this country they'll be nobody to take away the garbage". Joe was earlier described as an "uneducated man", so this suggests that the world will continue to develop and progress around him; society will continue to develop and progress around him; humankind will continue to develop and progress around him, so where does that leave him? Tragedy, because of his limited knowledge, I would think that continuing with the path that society takes would be too much for him to interpret. Also, despite his lack of education, it appears that Joe always has good intentions for his family and those close to him; "I could set George up here..." is proof of this. However, tragedy occurs later when his kind gestures are shattered, even worse, not only by George, whose arrival is now upon us. the stage directions that come with his arrival suggests a shaken-up character, clinging on to emotional turbulence ('...afraid to find himself screaming', '...forced appreciation), which suggests that George's presence is one to be cautious of. When he does speak, he speaks of the tragedy that exists in the current society, in particular "outside there doesn't seem to be a law" which suggests that society has become care-free, leaving those who where meant to be dealt with, undealt with, and "On the telephone you can't have responsibility" meaning that advances in technology have lead to a decline in human decency. However, George himself, we learn, almost faced a tragic birth, as revealed by Kate: "The day you were born and the water got shut off..." Society, on that day, appeared to be collapsing, which could partially explain his uneasy presence (I say partially because of his suspicions of the Keller family and there involvement in putting his farther, Steve, in prison).

The overly depressing nature of George's past doesn't end there, however. We learn that George dismissed the idea of marrying Lydia, only now, to regret doing so ("I told you to marry that girl"). Irritatingly, Kate enhances his already tragic presence by adding insult to injury when the stage directions indicate that she is 'in pursuit of this mood' as if she doesn't just want to leave his regrets standing alone; she wants to rub them in the dirt and then on his face. All of this negativity is soon met with a slither of comedy, where Joe says "I wear the pants ans she beats me with the belt", when talking of Kate. We can tell that, is performed on stage, this line would probably trigger a comic response from an audience. However, the subtext of this is fortunately true - Kate is far more dominant and intelligent than Joe, so, tragically, he is forced to feed off of making a joke out of everything around him, which is his form of hedonism.

We have now been intrigued by two characters being talked of while they were offstage (Annie and George) and we are going to be interested even further by the Joe's upcoming comments on Steve, farther to George and Ann who is currently in jail. "he damn near blew us all up with that heater he left burning for two days without water. He wouldn't admit that was his fault, either...rather see everybody hung before they'll take blame", Suggest that he a is weak, cautious character whose actions have inflected tragedies and damage to reputations, but is Joe saying this to try and shift away George's suspicions of him? We soon learn that this was basically completely true. As well as this, it is at this point that my previous comments about opportunities for tragic irony take on another interpretation - there have been so many sayings in this fashion throughout the story, so maybe this is intentionally a philosophical play. With this aside, optimism again has it's silver lining through the cloud when Frank enters 'briskly', carrying Larry's completed horoscope. Chris asks "Can't you pick a better time than this?" but the tragic reality of the situation is that there probably isn't ever a suitable time for this, in the Keller's land of conflict and forced emotion. The horoscope has revealed that November 25th was a "favorable day" for Larry, and that "a man won't die on his favorable day" After he leaves, as expected, conflict resumes. Optimism then appears in it's most violent, turbulent form yet when the stage directions indicate that Kate 'smashes' Joe 'across the face' after yet another bicker about Larry's existence. This is the level to which false hope has dragged her; she won't accept any other viewpoint. I have previously said that the Kellers have their own world of tragedy sealed off from the rest of society. The cause of this, however, is about to be heavily expanded.

Kate states to Chris that "God does not let a son be killed by his farther" giving the clearest indications that the accusations thrown at Joe earlier are true: it was him who caused 21 pilots to be killed because of selling faulty parts, and this may-well have included Larry, despite Joe's claims that "He never flew a P-40". However, it is his reason for selling the false parts in the first place that are truly tragic - "You lay forty years into a business and they knock out in five minutes, what could I do...", choosing the smooth-flow of his business over risking innocent lives, made even worse by the fact that he did it for good and considerate intentions - (to Chris) "I did it for you, it was a chance and I took it for you" - He thought he was doing a nice thing for his family, but the results were catastrophic to the world outside of there family, and Chris interprets this intended act of kindness as being selfish and against humanity - "Don't you have a country? Don't you live in the world?". The tragic ending of this act is clear: conflict surrounds the Kellers, and it doesn't matter if you lie or not.

'All My Sons' reading journal, act one

The opening stage directions describe the location which instantly bring to mind the idea of loneliness. the 'secluded atmosphere' suggests that emotions and actions will be trapped in this location, attracting our attention. Our eyes will be fixed on this location and whatever happens, weather this be tragic or not. When Joe Keller is introduced, he is said to be an 'uneducated man' which, based on his dialogue, I would agree with. the aspect of tragedy connected with this is his relationship with others, especially his son, Chris. When they speak, it is as if the idea of the farther-son dyanmic (the son being educated by the farther) is the other way around; the son educates the farther, no matter what the complexity of the topic is ("What is that, every week a new book come out?").

With this in mind, I have noticed that throughout the first act, it seems as if there are numerous cues for tragic irony to occur later in he story. I say this because so much dialogue strikes me as being interesting, in the sense that the writer hasn't placed it there for nothing. I am hoping that these patches of text have been placed there for a reason, my personal highlights including "That beautiful? Not a cloud. Every Sunday ought to be like this." and "When you marry, never - even in your mind - never count your husband's money." It gives the idea that these kind of sentence will be significantly relevant later in the story, that they will provoke tragedy and provke irony. Although, if this idea turn out to be true, it would arguably make the story predictable. Nevertheless, the author has managed to provoke this thinking pattern, and I applaud him for that. Despite these idea of negativity, Miller also includes a sense of optimism in the story, most notably in the form of Frank's idea of compiling a horoscope for the Miller's son, Larry, who went missing during war three years ago. "if November twenty-fifth was his favorable day, then it's completely possible that he's alive somewhere" says Frank, which provides the trapped, sealed-off space filled with misery mentioned earlier with a glimmer of hope. What is important to remember, though, is that this 'glimmer of hope' is literally just a glimmer. the optimism is strongly compromised in the form of Joe and Chris supplying illusion to the Mother Keller. They themselves believe that Larry is dead and has been for a while, but still they are "dishonest with her" as Larry puts it, furthering this bluntly with "You know Larry's not coming back and I know it" which is a method of strangling any form of optimism there is.

Miller is also able to include light-hearted banter within the act, most strongly and significantly in the from of Bert, a young child who is 'about eight'. It seems that Joe relies on him to keep watch over the neighborhood and report any wrong-doing, which he is incredibly keen on doing and his innocence cannot help but provoke a light-chuckle, especially when Joe 'in unbearable embarrassment steps back' after hearing a reported 'dirty word' on the street from Bert. Yet again, I can't help but ponder if this cute imagery poses an idea of what might happen later in the story ("the whole neighborhood is depending on you") - will there be a flash-forward in time, where Bert is a real police officer? As cut and humors as this action is, we are later greeted with the idea that nothing but tragic depression belong in the Keller's property. the Mother 'is shaken' after telling Bert to leave because "There's no jail here" as well as indicating that she is a much less playful character, this statement is ironic because of ho land was described at the start of the act, as being a 'secluded atmosphere'. Jail cells themselves are secluded, and in the Keller's secluded space is the tragedy, misery and dishonesty, all confound to this space. No other emotions are welcome, enforced strongly by the Mother.

Miller is able to provoke anticipation and desperation within the reader with the character of Annie. So much is mentioned of her before she appears on-stage and delivers any dialogue ("She's a beauty", for example). We are just waiting for her to appear, to she if she lives up to the comments. But there is a strong reason as to why she is coming - Chris, Larry's brother, is going to propose to her. Although joyous on paper, I can't help but sense incestuous corruption because of the fact Annie and Larry had a relationship before he went missing. Chris even admits that he thought there would "be blood on it, I didn't wanna take any of it. And I guess that included you" and although he is initially using this phrase to explain a story of the past, he makes it relavant to proposing to Annie. He would feel guilty, taking a girl who his brother was once with, and that is what I feel the fallen tree could represent, which is referenced to multiple times in the act. Larry marks his territory, although he is not physically present. With it, he brings tragedy, in the sense that the Keller family are "like at a railroad station waiting for a train that never comes in" they have put their lives on hold because of Larry's death, remaining in melancholy.

Despite the many opportunities for irony to occur later in the story, I have noticed that the Mother bears her own form of tragic irony. She has strong religious belief that Larry will one day return and, while the news stories of other soldiers returning support her optimism, it is her faith in God that causes her to be lonely. God and religion is meant to signify that troubled individuals are not alone, that they are supported, but it is only her who preys for his support. No one else thinks the same way as she does. "But there's God, so certain things can happen...Ann, you know I'm right!" this suggests that she has force optimism onto those around her, creating conflict, emotionally and mentally because no one is in the same state of mind about Larry that she is in. Everyone around her has given up on Larry's return, which is a possible explained as to why she turned to religious support. She creates conflict by emphasising that there is no conflict to be dealt with when she says "He's no dead, so there's no argument! Now come!". It is her that forces the Keller land to be a land of misery and secluded in depressing emotion, but with all the cues for irony to occur, I am desperate to learn what will happen later in the story.

'The Great Gatsby' reading journal, chapter nine

Nick opens the chapter by saying 'After two years, I remember the rest of that day...' which suggests two things. One is that he has acknowledged how far into the future he is recollecting the story, and two is that he has only recalled this part of the story at that time - it was something that he either forgot or decided to blank out for this period of time. During the testimony over Myrtle's death, Nick notes that her sister, Catherine, 'didn't say a word' - this is odd to me because as a living relative, you would expect to say something, weather it be a small or large comment. Is she hiding something? Or she too emotionally scarred to say anything? Arrangements for Gatsby's funeral then begin to take place, and what is most striking about this, is that Nick was 'responsible' for everything in the arrangement. The fact no one else was willing to help out say something about Gatsby - people were only interested in his parties, and him as a person. While this sounds heartful, I can't help but wonder if Gatsby brought this upon himself - he always stayed out of the limelight during his parties, so barely anybody had to chance to get to know him. People don't feel that their presence is needed. Nick, weather he likes Gatsby or not, has obviously been affected by him in some way - he says that he could hear Gatsby's voice, telling to "get somebody for me". Nick has become obsessive about Gatsby, and, despite his constant mind changing, he is still willing to complete everything that he asks him too. Nick then searches for contact numbers (Gatsby's parents), but in his drawer, only finds 'the picture of Dan Cody' that he saw earlier in the novel. This is such a strong indication of how detached Gatsby wanted to be from his parents - he really wanted to leave everything behind that could associate him with 'James Gatz'. He hated his previous personality so much to the point that he really was lonely, even when throwing large parties, he still became a social outcast by hiding all of the time.

Nick then searches for Wolfshiem, a character introduced earlier in the novel and associated with Gatsby's bootlegging. He receives a letter from him, where he says that he will not able to attended the funeral because he is "tied up in some very important business". When we were first introduced to Wolfsheim, it took place in a seedy, smoke-filled pub, which suggested that this what his personality was like, and this quotation makes his character even more assigned to this nature because it seems as he doesn't want to be there, or associated with death. But what could be possible get tangled up in? Gatsby is dead, and he had no involvement in his death whatsoever - why won;t he come to the funeral? Instantly, we are reminded of the seediness that Gatsby was involved with on his way to wealth when Nick answers a telephone call at his house. The caller talks about figures and statistics, and goes on about this until Nick mentions forcefully that Gatsby is dead, when he hears a 'quick squawk and the connection was broken' - the caller had to flee. Was this because of shock? Or, and what I think is more likely, because it wasn't Gatsby on the phone, and the caller wanted to hide his identity as quickly as he could, maybe thinking that Nick was a member of authority. We are then introduced to Gatsby's farther, and his name and reminder again of Gatsby's past identity (Henry C. Gatz), who upon arrival 'leaked continuously with excitement'. I have chosen to highlight this comment as it appears to be odd when thinking of what is happening in the story - he has learned that his son has died, so why would he be excited by this? The only thing that I can think of is that upon seeing his son's house, he is amazed to see how 'successful' his son has been, but still, equally upset over losing him. This is furthered when he notes that his 'grief began to mix with an awed pride' - understandably, he cannot help but be upset, but at the same time, seeing the large mansion that his son went on to inhabit has fascinated him. The most questionable quotation, however, comes from Nick when Henry asks him about his relation to Gatsby - "we were close friends". During chapter 5, it had became clear that Gatsby was only using Nick in order to become closer to Daisy - after their intimate moment end the end of that chapter, Nick eves feels that Gatsby 'didn't know me at all' at this point, plus, Nick is constantly changing his mind on how he feels about Gatsby, so saying that they were 'close friends' is, to an extent untrue. I say this as where Nick is taking responsibility for many of the funeral arrangements, he obviously cares about him in some from. Henry then comments that if Gatsby had lived, he of been a "great man" but would he have? the detachment from his family is made even clearer. Had his farther known about how Gatsby inherited his money and how he sold gran alcohol over the counter at a number of drug stores, I think that he would have thought differently of him...

Nick however, does manage to get in to contact with one the attendees of Gatsby's parties - Kilpspringer. However, Klipspringer actually cares little about Gatsby's death and tries to reason for not coming to the funeral, and is putting attention on a "pair of shoes that I left there". Again this signifies how little Gatsby actually meant to his guests, but what is even more shocking is that Klipspringer's voice suggests no sympathy whatsoever. He just doesn't care. All he did at the parties was 'sneer most bitterly...on the courage of Gatsby's liquor' - he attended the parties purely to drink and do nothing else, not even thanking Gatsby for his hospitality, as would many of his guests over the course of that summer. Gatsby was known for the parties, and not for being Gatsby. In an attempt to convince Wolfsheim to attend the funeral, Nick drives to his office, where at first, he is denied entry and told that he is absent. Here, Nick is able to demonstrate to us that, while being an unreliable narrator who goes back on his word countless times about being judgemental, he is extremely observant and has good listening skills. He hears Wolfsheim whistling 'The Rosary' and knows straight away that the receptionist is lying to him. When talking to Wolfsheim about Gatsby's life, I was surprised to discover that he could speak in so much detail about him. Maybe Wolfshiem wasn't another dodgy to dealer to Gatsby, maybe they were, as he puts it "thick like that in everything". However, this loyalty is then shattered when Wolfsheim still refuses to come to the funeral. He decides instead to "let everything alone" about Gatsby's life, suggesting that he thinks when someone is dead, you have to forget about them. They are no more. However, maybe he was a true friend of Gatsby, and maybe he says this as (if they were as close as he suggested) living with the memory of him would be too difficult, so it is easier to forget, as if he never knew him. When Nick is driving back for the funeral, he notes that the sky had 'turned dark' and that the weather was 'in a drizzle' - a dark, saddening event is being set by this imagery, as if nature is aware of the miserable occasion is taking place. Again Nick converses with Gatsby's farther. Henry reveals that Gatsby was "very generous" with him, to the extent that he actually bought him a house. I think that this was caused by Gatsby's feeling towards his parents when he was a child - maybe he was so ashamed of how poor his parents were that he wanted to make them look better, again to remove any traces of his past as James Gatz. Henry then reveals to Nick a list that Gatsby had written when he was a child. it is written in an organised and precise fashion and it details what Gatsby would do each day and what resolutions to make in order to become a more sophisticated person. He has a had a dream for a long, long time, to be better than his parents. He told his farther that he "et like a hog" on one occasion. How farther phrases this suggests a contrast in personality between the farther and son, in terms of sophistication.

When Gatsby's funeral takes place, Nick comments that 'Nobody came', which once again show how much Gatsby (as a person) meant to people - barely anything. However, the 'man with the owl-eyed glasses' who appeared drunk in the large library at one of Gatsby's parties, has turned up, but why, of all people, has he? Perhaps he some secret attachment to Gatsby that we were unaware of? Nick also notes that 'Daisy hadn't sent a message or a flower' which opens up a number of questions for me. Did she even know that he was dead? At the start of the chapter, Nick mentions that the story was featured heavily in a number of newspapers, so I would have presumed that she would of heared something about it somewhere. Maybe, she was as fickle as she was at the start at the novel and hasn't really changed - she has the man with the money (Tom), what else does she need? It shows that she has no care towards Gatsby whatsoever - he was a lover, and now he's dead. Was she ever even affected by this? Nick then takes us back to a reflective state, saying that 'This has been a story of the West' - he, Jordan, Tom and Daisy were all Westerners, and , even though much of the story takes place on the East coast, He still feels as if it was a Western story because of the people involved. Nick moved to the West seeking opportunities, to mix with a higher class and be accepted as one of them, but after all of these events, it became 'haunted' for him, and he 'decided to come back home' to the West. He mentions that before he left, he ran into Jordan Baker one more time, when she revealed to him that she was engaged. He leaves her 'Angry, and half in love with her' - which I think shows his jealousy towards her engagement -he said before this that he didn't believe that she was engaged, but maybe he did this as he felt bitter over losing her. Nick also comments upon his final encounter with Tom Buchanan, and it appears as if he always been an arrogant, selfish man. He doesn't care about the outcome of the situation, and said that Wilson "had it coming to him". I strongly disagree with this. Tom was having an affair with his wife, so surely, Wilson had a very good explanation to be furious.

Just before Nick leaves West Egg once and for all, he looks out to the water, and comments that travelers, who discovered America would have seen this land as 'a fresh, green breast of the new world' - he refers, I think, to the American dream, and how from their point of view, anything would have seemed possible. This especially applies to his final comments on Gatsby - his dream, of meeting Daisy once again 'seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it'. It was right their in front of him, nothing seemed impossible. However, Nick then ends the story by suggesting that his dream was never going to happen, that it was 'already behind him' and maybe this is how he wants us to think of the American Dream - our dream can easily delude us, but, when this happens, all we can do is move on - 'so we beat on'. Something hasn't worked out. Instead of moaning about it, we put out chins up, take deep breaths and try to forget about it...