Samuel Taylor Coleridge
First, what are your reactions to Coleridge's poems Frost at Midnight & Kubla Khan ? What reactions do they invoke in you? Next, what is different about the poems? If you had to do a side by side comparison or make a Venn diagram of them, what would you include in it? After posting your initial thoughts, return to the blog to respond to your classmates.
Death, a powerful theme of “A Rose for Emily,” is prominent throughout the story. Emily refuses to accept the death of her father and lover Homer. It is quite creepy to me that she would want to hold onto their bodies for as long as possible, but this gives me a sense of sympathy and pity for her. I understand why she would refuse to accept their deaths because when you lose someone close to you, it is as though a part of you is also gone. In her case, I think that she missed the controlling aspect of love since it was familiar and comforted her. Emily probably thought that if she simply did not believe they died then it could not be true. However, the reader knows that this is not the case. Additionally, she is also stuck in the cycle of the past rather than accepting change. For example, when the town started a modern postal service, Emily refused to have the metallic numbers on her house. This further shows the separation between herself and others. As the narrator describes the strand of “iron-gray hair,” I was originally confused about what it meant exactly. I believe it symbolizes the last trace of life and decay left in her house. It serves as a reminder of the love and loss Emily went through in her life, and it depicts the obscure things people do as they search for happiness.
ReplyDeleteI agree that her holding onto the bodies long after death leaves me with a sense of pity for her. While I think this is odd, I've never had to go through something like that so I cannot judge her for her way of coping with the deaths. I also agree that the idea of her being stuck in the past is what disconnects her from the people of the town. She is unable to keep up with the change the town undergoes making people dislike her. I didn't think of the grey hair the way you did; however, I see your point. I thought of it as her having an affect on everything that happened in her house because the hair was everywhere. The hair was laying next to Homer's body which I thought foreshadowed the fact that she killed him.
Delete“A Rose for Emily” uses a lot of foreshadowing. It is able to do this because of how it reflects back on Emily’s life after her death. When it talks about people complaining about a smell from her house, and they say that it is probably a dead rat or snake, it foreshadows that there is a corpse in the house causing the smell. The scene where Emily buys poison, but refuses to admit why she wants it, implies that she is going to use it for something nefarious. Plus, the line “that was the last we saw of Homer Barron” implies that something bad had happened to him, even though most just assumed that he left town (Faulkner). These foreshadow the ending where they find the body of Homer Barron in Emily’s home. I think that Emily killed Homer Barron in an attempt to hang on to what she had, as she clung to many things in her life such as her father’s body and the fact that she didn’t have to pay taxes. I feel that, after Homer Barron left Emily for a little bit to give her a chance to send away her cousins, Emily realized how easily she could lose her love. Not wanting this to happen, she killed him so that she could hold onto him forever. The detail of them finding “a long strand of iron-gray hair” next to the body suggests that she was sleeping next to the body, implying that she killed Homer Barron due to a twisted love for him, rather than out of hatred (Faulkner). I think that the story did a good job at establishing these ideas and leading into the conclusion.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that there is a lot of foreshadowing throughout the story. I believe that it helped as the author transitioned from past and present, which is another feature I enjoyed. You have a good point that Emily may have killed her former lover, Homer, in an attempt of revenge. I did not connect when she bought poison to when they found his body in her home. Emily reminds me of the grandmother of the last story in the way that they each hold onto the past rather than looking toward the future.
Delete"A Rose for Emily" is a haunting tale of demented devotion. It's apparent from the exposition that foreshadowing plays an essential role in the development of the plot, as the mysterious tone and morbid details makes the ending very clear. From the description of Emily's house, initially white and pure only to decompose with time, to the funeral-like clothing she wore, it is abundantly clear that Emily is surrounded by death. Furthermore, the scent of decay which surrounds her house is noticeable enough for several members of the town to complain about it; they attribute it to a small creature who must've died on the grounds, but the timing of the story makes it clear that she had killed the sweetheart who had attempted to leave her. As far as I can tell, there is no indication that she was to blame for her father's death, as the story of the smell on the grounds takes place "two years after her father's death and a short time after her sweetheart... had deserted her" (Faulkner). Knowing this, I'm assuming the trauma of losing her father triggered Emily's fear of losing the ones she loved. However, instead of learning how to cope with such loss, she chose to deal with loss on her own terms. By taking control of the situation, she put herself under the illusion that she had elected to lose these people and, therefore, hadn't lost anything at all. This fixation on control is showcased through her interactions with other townsfolk, including the man who sold poison, the tax collectors, and the women who called on Emily to see if she was okay. In particular, her interactions with the Sheriff illuminated her attempts to control her surroundings. By mistaking the Sheriff for the one she knew back when she was younger and her father was alive, she substituted the unfamiliar and uncomfortable context of the situation for one more pleasant. To be put simply, Emily desires control above all else, and this control extends to murder, tax-evasion, and probably abuse of her servant in the process. I found this story extremely engaging.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis about the foreshadowing. I even wrote about myself. I like the detail that you wrote about Emily being surrounded by death. I also like what you wrote about Emily desiring control. This is something that I didn't notice, but I agree whole-heartedly.
DeleteDeath is an overlying theme throughout the whole story. First, Emily refuses to accept the death of her father by not letting the town bury his body. While this is normal for a mourning daughter, it adds to the foreshadowing of later deaths in the story. Following the death of her father, she became depressed until she met Homer Barron. The town was convinced they were married which is why no one became suspicious when he disappeared. He went into her house and never came out. When she bought poison, this made the reader assume that she had awful motives. Additionally, the town thought the smell that came from her house in the beginning of the story was a dead rat or rodent; however, this also foreshadows the idea of a corpse in her house that is creating the stench. All of these ideas allude to the idea of death surrounding Emily and her house. Ultimately, the truth is unvaled, and the body of Homer Barron is revealed after Emily dies. This passage told a story of a depressed woman from a somber family and revealed how the sorrow affects her life.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your view on the story. Noting that Emily was driven by sorrow is important but something that I overlooked. I thought she was a psychopath, but I did not consider why or how she became that way. However, I do not believe that Emily was depressed as you suggested. I think that she was sad, but turned that sadness into crazy.
Delete“A Rose for Emily” follows the life of a withdrawn woman through the eyes of the town. The narrative is not written chronologically, which creates the majority of the foreshadowing. Events skip around from after the death of Emily to before and after the death of Emily’s father and later. The narrator speaks for the entirety of the town, using “our, we, us” to emphasise the estrangement between Emily and her neighbors; she is considered an outsider. The root cause of the estrangement could stem from a variety of events in Emily’s life. She pushed the town away upon the death of her father and, shortly after, withdrew further as she grew obsessed with a man named Homer Barron. The town simply pities Emily. Upon hearing that she bought poison, rumors about Emily wishing to commit suicide ran rampant, but the town only paused to say that it would “be the best thing.” The lack of empathy shown by the town is eerie but understandable given Emily’s past. Emily’s lover disappeared instead of Emily, and a nasty smell began to radiate from her house. The end of the story reveals that Emily killed her lover and kept the body for decades. As the town finally learns the evil secret harboured by Emily, the theme is revealed. A situation is not always as it seems.
ReplyDeleteI saw the bit about the town almost alienating her as well. Though they were somewhat caring for her, they never made an attempt to work through her hard exterior and understand her. I totally agree with the town just pitying her - if they actually cared, they would have done something about her behavior and actions.
Delete"A Rose For Emily" dives into the world of a woman who lurked in the shadows for many years. Her odd behavior and actions are often brushed off by the citizens of her town out of pity. Rather than investigating her home upon complaints of a stench -- one that appeared following the disappearance of her lover -- they simply avoided such confrontation. The narrator depicts the town as one, by referring to it as "we, us, our" and showcases the unity between each member in terms of opinion. Whether their avoidance of Emily is out of spite, fear, or a misunderstanding, they accidently alienate her. The closest the town gets to knowing and understanding poor Emily is ultimately the time of her death. Upon inspecting her now lifeless home - with the exception of her "servant" - they townspeople make a shocking and disturbing discovery: Emily made her lover disappear herself, rather than him leaving her. Her obsession with one of the few people who gave her the affection and attention she longed for lead her to ruining whatever they may have had. While her behavior may have been caused by childhood trauma and issues in her childhood home / family, it is inexcusable. The town, as previously mentioned, chose to not confront or even interact with Emily after she pushed them away. Perhaps if the slightest bit of curiosity and empathy took over each individual, Emily may have had a different fate. Her evil intentions revealed her true and honest personality / self to the people -- only upon her death.
ReplyDeleteI can see how you interpreted it that way; I thought the same myself. It also talked about how her aunt went crazy too, so I had a thought about whether mental illness or something of that sort ran through the family? it would go with the narrative that she was a bit off her rocker though.
DeleteOverall, the story centers around death and the past. From the beginning, Emily is described as a static character; she lives in the past and never seems to find her way to the present. For example, when the issue of taxes is brought to her attention by the mayors and aldermen, she refuses to pay due to a previous mayor pardoning her. She refuses to accept that times have changed and that she has to move on. A similar instance is illuminated in the way she kept and operated her household. Firstly, her family used to have a plantation before the war and like all of the other ones, it disappeared with time; even after slavery was abolished, Emily still maintained a servant in her house, showing how she wouldn't let go of the past. Second, her house is filled with faded rose color "valance curtains" and "rose-shaded light shades," all giving off an antique feeling. It seemed to me that it was a story of how you couldn't live in the past because time keeps moving regardless. Even with her murdering Homer and keeping his decaying body in the upstairs room, it seemed again that she was trying to hold onto the past through him as well. It was known that she never had an actual relationship, due to her father, so maybe after receiving that emotional release, she couldn't let it go; I was thinking that him stating to the townspeople that he wasn't the marrying type pushed her to feel the need to kill him so he wouldn't leave. I could be completely wrong, but the glowing theme to me was holding onto the past.
ReplyDeleteYour observation about Emily keeping a slave even after slavery was abolished was something I hadn't even thought about. That's a really good catch. I agree with you in that Emily was trying to hold onto the past, but I don't think that she's a vicious killer per se. I think she's more emotionally distraught and can't cope with her emotions so she lashes out.
DeleteClosed-off and senile, Emily refuses to acknowledge the present, preferring to live in ways of the her past. This trait is indirectly referred to in multiple ways throughout the story, ultimately foreshadowing the story’s end. Chronologically, the first event linking Emily to the past occurs after the death of her father. Despite the town’s awareness of her father’s passing, Emily refuses to admit to his death or give up his body. From this point forward, abnormal behavior and ideas from Emily become routine to the town. The mayor at the time of her father’s death excludes Emily from paying taxes; consequently, she holds onto this exclusion even when a new mayor is elected. Again, refusing to recognize that time has passed and laws have changed, Emily rejects any request sent to her in regards to paying taxes once more. Collectively, these ways of denying the past heavily foreshadow the discovery of her lover’s body. Emily could not understand the changing world around her, instead choosing to live each day as she did while she was in her thirties. She would much rather hold onto what provides a sense of security rather than allow something to grow old and eventually end. The old home of hers provides solace and protection from the changing environment outside, while hiding her distressing ways from the peering eyes of the town.
ReplyDeleteI like how you provided insight to the other viewpoints developed in the story. I talked about her being stuck in the past but never elaborated and you pointed out things I missed when I read.
DeleteDeath in “A Rose for Emily” acts as a prominent theme in the short story. Another key motif throughout the plot was the failure to adapt to the changing trends of the future. Readers see her not agreeing with the present when tax collectors come and she claims she owes nothing to those in the town. She is also stuck in her Old Southern Ways. With that known, it seems like Emily’s death and reluctance to accept her loved one’s deaths shows her inability to adapt. Furthermore, I think it might represent how people struggle to let go of the charm or nostalgia of bygone eras/morals. An obvious event is the death of Emily’s father and the disappearance of her significant other, Homer; it is highly implied that Emily killed Homer especially when the county people discover that she has slept with his corpse. Since murdered people can go undiscovered, Emily could have killed Homer to keep him around her; Emily’s father was discovered and consequently buried against her will. Death creates a sense of permanence and that time waits for nothing; it is evident through Emily’s slow demise and the fact that she kept dead bodies with her to keep what human connections she made last.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea that Emily is stuck in the past. It seems like throughout her life she wanted nothing to change, hence why she kept around the corpses of her dead loved ones. I'm not sure if she doesn't pay her taxes because she claims she owes nothing to the town or if she was simply accustumed to not paying her taxes since the old days.
DeleteThe setting within "A Rose for Emily" is very developed. The realm of the small and Southern town of Jefferson is very detailed and can easily be understood and envisioned. The setting and descriptions of the area around Jefferson are the most refined descriptions within the book and help to create the sense of desolation that is shared with other stories like "To Kill a Mockingbird".
ReplyDeleteMiss Emily is an artifact of a bygone era. She is still convinced that her station is above those around her and she sits above the town of Jefferson. This is likely what contributes to her odd behaviours. Essentially a shut- in who rarely leaves her home, Emily is a fixture within the community but does not interact with those around her. This is likely either due to people's fear of her or Emily's own refusal to socialize and associate with those she perceives to be beneath her status. Miss Emily is convinced by her own father that no man is worthy of her own status and because of this when she begins a relationship with a "Yankee" and "commoner" those around her judge her harshly and further shun her already solitary life. When her father dies, her only connection to the outside world, she attaches to the new man in her life. And when her future husband looks to be leaving for the North, she lethally poisons him. The Yankee stays dead and decaying on Emily's bed without ever being found until Emily's own passing, showing how although the woman may give off a sophisticated and refined appearance, she is obviously mentally unwell.
I really like your comparison to "To Kill a Mockingbird", Emily herself reminds me of Boo Radley in a way. You make an interesting point in noting that her father really was her only connection to the outside world, and that he placed her on a sort of pedestal; I had not considered that maybe she doesn't know much else from what her father taught her.
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DeleteThe bizarre order in which the story is told reveals a great deal about Miss Emily. Instead of telling her story in chronological order, the author alternates between reflecting on Emily's life, setting the scene, and describing various important events in Emily's life, from the perspective of the townsfolk, in great detail. This confusing way of telling a story reveals Emily's timeless nature, for there is no need to consider the passage of time between events when this women stands unchanged through it all. It also reminds me of how a person or group recall events and stories in seemingly random order, showing the fact that all the information presented is really just based on rumor. Miss Emily had almost no associations or interactions with the rest of the town, so the only information the townsfolk obtained was most likely derived from the one or two people she encountered when she went out for the day. Her timeless nature and the fact that the town constantly talks about her really adds to her being described as a monument in the beginning of the story. The idea of her being a tall monument, seperate from everything else is very accurate to the story. Her pride and refusal to pay taxes placed her above the rest of the town like a skyscraper. Additionally, much like a tall tower standing alone among many smaller houses, she was completely isolated from others; the only way for her lover to stay close to her was to die and remain as a corpse.
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