In the allegory, The Library of Babel, the writer, Jorge Borges metaphorically compares life to a library. Given a muse with such multifarious connotations, Borges explores a variety of themes. However, the theme I found the most obvious and most pervasive was the concept of infinity which goes alongside the concurrent theme of immeasurability. These two themes, the author, seems to see as factual.
From the introduction, one starts to see this theme take form: the writer describes the library as a composition of an infinite number of galleries. Further into the first paragraph, the imagery is becoming more vivid as the writer describes the spiral stairways as sinking immeasurably deep and in the second part of the sentence, the stairway is personified as soaring to far places. The next sentence introduces a contrasting opine regarding the Library-according to men, it is not infinite. The author is not swayed though as he states that he will rather dream that the Library is infinite. This repetition serves to reinforce the author’s view.
The second paragraph carries on this tone ...
The author uses many symbols in this novel to bring a strong feel and deep meaning to the novel. For example, when the ceiling falls in Holling’s house he states, “ But I didn’t have to flush my carnation down the toilet, because right then a series of low chords sounded from the piano in the Perfect Living Room below us, followed by a roar and crash as the entire newly plastered ceiling fell, smashing down the top of the baby grand piano, ripping the plastic cushion seats, flattening the fake tropical flowers, tearing the gleaming mirror from the wall, and spreading its glittering shards onto the floor, where they mixed with the dank, wet plaster that immediately began to settle onto the carpet to stain it forever. All four of us stood in the hall, the sickly smell of mold in our nostrils.” (131). The ceiling in the perfect house represents exposure. As all the nasty defects are happening over time, Holling is able to find the true nature of his father. It causes his father to show everyone his true nature of being malicious and not being an honest architect. Though a bit late, it exposes the false context of what the readers predict as Holling’s father and introduces his real characteristics/personality. Inferences can be made that he was in the business for money and not quality. Furthermore, after the event, Holling’s dad threatens to fire half of his office if the defect wasn’t fixed quickly. Additionally, the collapse of
In the short story “Where is Here” by Joyce Carol Oats the stranger discusses the idea of infinity. Infinity is an abstract concept that something is without a beginning or ending. The stranger gives three examples of this idea. All three can be represented of a different type of infinity.
These audiotapes represent a distinguished type of communication that requires no visual interaction, but an interface that involves understanding and empathy instead, something the narrator has not yet learned. At this point of the story the narrator believes that Robert could not have possibly fulfilled his now deceased wife’s, Beulah’s, aspirations as seen when he states, “I found myself thinking what a pitiful life this woman must have led,” (37). The narrator bases his reason solely on the fact that the man is blind, so how could he have ever interacted or contributed in their relationship. In reality, though, it is the narrator himself, who has not fully satisfied or even begun to fully appreciate his own wife. The audiotapes symbolize this absence of appreciation and reveals to the reader that the narrator has not even considered this “harmless chitchat,” (36) as he describes it, to be of importance to his own marriage. It is not until the end, when he finishes drawing the cathedral that he is capable of understanding what his wife and Robert share. The cathedral is the other major symbol in this story, since it is the pivotal turning point for when the narrator becomes a dynamic character. Without the cathedral the narrator would not have succumbed to his new acceptance of what it means to actually see someone or something. When the narrator says, “I didn’t feel like I was inside anything,” (46) this is the indication of that epiphany coming to him. Moments before, the narrator had just explained to Robert that he did not “believe in it [religion]. In anything,” (45) however, this insightful moment now contradicts that statement, supporting the notion that the narrator has advanced as a character. Furthermore, a cathedral, which is assumed to bring solace and a new light to those in pursuit of one, offered the
In conclusion, Ficciones, a collection of short stories written by Jorge Luis Borges, contains several references to fantastic themes. This especially occurs within the short work, “The South,” in which a man by the name of Juan Dahlmann experiences a whimsical death that portrays his deepest regret: not following his ancestral history to become a cultural gaucho. Borges uses characterization and the implementation of his true reality to depict the ultimate idea that nothing is eternal and one must chase their dreams in order to live a satisfying life and die without being regretful.
...l of open-mindedness. “Cathedral” concerns the change in one man’s understanding of himself and the world. From the start of the story the narrator is restricted in his understanding to accept the blind man just as his wife has. He cannot fully wrap around the idea of what makes Robert so special. Until, that is, that the narrator starts drawing the cathedral which starts off as a house almost, and expands into something grander. This short story allows us to realize that the world is greater and further detailed than what we consider it in our confined minds. And that in fact we should never assume that there is nothing more to what the eye can see. It simply states that we shouldn’t form an opinion on someone or something based only on what you see on the exterior, because usually after taking the time to explore, the person or thing will not be what you expected.
One valuable component the author develops is the use of poetic imagery to portray this theme. In stanza seven of The Raven, Edgar Allen Poe provides two illustrative descriptions, “Perched above my bust of Pallas” and “just above my chamber door” in stanza seventeen to appeal to the reader’s visual sense. According to Greek mythology, the “bust of Pallas” represents Athena, the goddess of wisdom. This notable visual detail may signify the raven possesses wisdom. Also, being “perched...just above the chamber door” means the narrator can neither enter nor exit his bedroom without noticing or acknowledging the raven. This raven comes to signify the narrator’s loss and grief. The author uses recognizable
Poe proves in this story to be true. Each of the rooms that Poe uses in the story represents a
“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” once said Edgar Allan Poe(“Brainyquote”).This thought explains that words have no true meaning unless you expose people’s reality. In the poem The Raven Poe creates a mood of sorrow and darkness. The poems plot is about the protagonist grieving about the loss of Lenore. The exposition begins with a man hearing a tapping on the window. Once he opens the window a raven flies in. The man starts asking the raven if God is sending him a message and if he is ever going to see Lenore again, but the raven responds with the same answer, “Nevermore.” Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” strongly demonstrates the Dark Romanticism literary style. The narrative poem gives multiple
Edgar Allen Poe effectively uses repetition, sound devices, and point of view to convey meaning and effect in his famous poem, “The Raven”. First, repetition appears in many ways throughout the poem, but the reoccurrence of words such as “Lenore” and “more” create a sort of circle in the poem. For example, each stanza ends with a one-line refrain that contains the word “more.” This circle wraps the reader right up into the narrator’s world. To be sure, the idea of going in circles compares to the feelings of the narrator who seems to be spiraling downward. Also, Poe repeats the “tapping, tapping at my chamber door” in order to add suspense to the poem. Clearly, the simple tool of repeating words or actions in a poem impacts its tone and meaning.
Through metaphors, the speaker proclaims of her longing to be one with the sea. As she notices The mermaids in the basement,(3) and frigates- in the upper floor,(5) it seems as though she is associating these particular daydreams with her house. She becomes entranced with these spectacles and starts to contemplate suicide.
Jorge Luis Borges drew upon a number of philosophical and intellectual models in his writing, one of which is George Berkeley’s subjective idealism. In "Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius," Borges paints a picture of a perfect reality governed by Berkeley’s idea that matter only exists in perception, and in "The Circular Ruins," he presents a man who creates a boy who cannot exist independent of his perception. However, by employing Berkeley’s logic in these stories, Borges is in fact denying Berkeley’s ultimate purpose: the justification of the existence of God.
‘Some infinities are bigger than other infinities’ is a popular quote in this novel and the quote is stated out by Peter Van Houten when Hazel and Augustus visited him. Infinities is limitless but Georg Cantor proved it, it is still can be compared. From Hazel’s perspective, from 0 to 1, there is unlimited numbers such as 0.1, 0.11, 0.112 and so on. Thus, when we are keep on moving, we will get a smaller and smaller’s distance between the boundaries.
The key to understanding "The Raven" is to read it as a narrative poem. It is a narrative of haunting lyricality, to be sure, but its central impulse is to tell a memorable story. The hypnotic swing of the trochaic meter, the insistent chime of the internal rhymes, and its unforgettable refrain of "Nevermore" provide each stanza with a song-like intensity, but the poem's structure remains undeviatingly narrative. Stanza by stanza, "The Raven" moves sequentially through the situation it describes. Any reader familiar with short stories like "The Tell-Tale Heart" or "The Fall of the House of Usher" will recognize Poe's innovative narrative method. By imbuing a simple, linear story with brooding atmosphere of intricately arranged details, Poe perfected a style that allowed every moment to reinforce the tale's ultimate effect.
The poem consists of a mother explaining to her son how her life was not easy and it consisted of an indescribable amount of obstacles. The narrator uses a crystal staircase in order to contrast her experiences with life thus far. The purpose of the mother describing her hardships was due to the son’s lack of motivation and his feeling of wanting to give up on the test that life has thrown at him.
Imagery in poetry has the incredible capability to transform the mind into a new world of the authors making, powered by the experience and imagination of the viewer. Thought the Raven, Poe provides the material needed for the transformation of his piece into a world of