August 2009 Archives
"The act of taking food into our bodies is so personal that we really only want to do it with people we're very comfortable with. As with any convention, this one can be violated." (8)
I agree. After moving into college, I really don't view dinner as an intimate affair anymore, especially since the dining hall is always so overpopulated. But, if I were to view dinner as a formal affair, perhaps with someone I care about, I could see how it would be an important scene in literature.
"'My Faith is gone!' cried he, after one stupefied moment. 'There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given.'" (8)
I enjoyed the use of Faith as his belief and love interest. It made for a delightful play on words. Is Goodman Brown saying that his good or better half, Faith, is no longer on the earth? Or, that he has actually lost his faith? I think that it is a mixture of both. The last line swayed my opinion both ways, as if saying, 'Come, devil; you may take me for I have lost the woman I love and my own beliefs.'
"And then, for a moment, all is still, and all is silent save the voice of the clock. The dreams are stiff-frozen as they stand. But the echoes of the chime die away---they have endured but an instant---and a light, half-subdued laughter floats after them as they depart."
What a powerful clock. It would be nice to possess a clock like that, one that could halt dreams and stop a whole party in its tracks. The "light, half-subdued laughter" makes me imagine one trying to pass an awkward moment. like every person was embarrassed to be afraid of the clock's musical interjection. This quote gives me a sense of the fear the people had in the duke's dwelling place. The quote, "there are some who would have thought him mad," suggests that this place was exceedingly over-the-top and frightening.
Recent Comments
Jessica Pierce on Thoughts on Wood and Life: I enjoyed it too. It would be
Jessica Pierce on Such beautiful words...: Heather, you make a good point
Sarah Durham on Such beautiful words...: Jessica I'm glad to hear I'm n
Heather Mourick on Such beautiful words...: I think it's up to each indivi
Heather Mourick on Thoughts on Wood and Life: Taking a walk eh? I really wa
Jessica Apitsch on Such beautiful words...: I took interest in two quotes
Heather Mourick on I believe I can fly, spread my wings and touch the sky: I did not even relate the free
Jennifer Prex on Violence: It's Deep: I agree. There is a purpose to
Jessica Pierce on Dead Letters: Thanks for the new insight, Je