Troubling Poem

I actually felt as though I understood the basic meaning of all the poems. The poem that did present the most difficulty to understand was "To his Coy Mistress". While reading it I grasped that this was in essence like a letter written to this man's mistress in which he professes his love. He starts out by explaining that they're love is everlasting and nothing can break it. Then Andre Marvell writes in his second stanza that while love is everlasting he can hear time passing and they should take advantage and not wait but I am very confused what the last stanza means and what meaning it has overall. Does anyone have any ideas? It seems like it's written in code and I don't know what he could mean by "Thus, though we cannot make our sun/Stand still, yet we will make him run "(ln 45-46)or "Now let us sport us while we may;/
And now, like am'rous birds of prey".

Respice Finem

Respice Finem translated means "look to the end" something that Ivan seldom if at all does throughout his life. Ivan is very caught up in his work and believes that his accomplishments and advancements at his job are what will define his life. He does look to the end concerning his career and the peak of what he can accomplish but he does not consider what will come at the end of his life. I believe that on his death bed is when he finally realizes what is going to happen and that the end is truly near. To me it this seems to define a certain turning point in Ivan. This is when he finally worries about what is to come and takes inventory of his life. Although medallions are awarded for accomplishments I believe that by getting this medal it is very ironic. The one thing he cannot seem to achieve is what he is awarded for.

Simple Ivan

Leo Tolstoy author of "The Death of Ivan Ilych, has written that "Ivan Ilych's life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible". He quickly categorizes Ilych's life with only one simplistic quotation although the lawyer's life was everything but simplistic. In the second part of the quotation he goes on to say that because Ivan's life was so ordinary it was most terrible. In the novel Ivan is a workaholic he focuses most of his life constantly striving for a new level in society.Much of his life passes him by because he is unable to enjoy life. He views all aspects of his life much like his job. Ivan believes everything should be done and then moved on from like tasks to be checked off. Much of his time was committed to pleasing others around him and at the end of his life he had nothing to show for it. I believe that his fear of death is rooted in the fact that he would not matter anymore and his legacy would be forgotten.

Unreliable Narrator

The narrator of Yellow Wallpaper is an unrealizable narrator because she is of deteriorating mental health. At first I felt that she was being ganged up on by her husband and sister. Then as her mental stability faltered it was apparent that her account of the story may be unreliable. Throughout the story I found it hard to tell if what was said by the narrator had any true value. Since at the beginning of the story the narrator is a reliable source to the reader and presents an honest account of the events I found that it was hard to break the habit of believing what she said later. I kept thinking that maybe I could be wrong and these people in the wallpaper were actual. It seemed plausible after reading many novels with science fictional elements. Ultimately the reader cannot rely on what they are reading to be a true account. I needed to research a bit about the purpose of the short story and what the author had in mind when writing it just as a way to draw a final conclusion as to what had truly happened in "Yellow Wallpaper". Such a narrator can many times provide the reader with more valuable information. Since the character is supposed to be of ill mental state they are not concerned with what other characters view them as. This freedom from peer pressure makes the narrator more honest.

1st Person in Yellow Wallpaper

The point of view Yellow Wallpaper is told from makes quite an impact on how it is perceived. Yellow Wallpaper is told to the reader through the wife's perspective. Although she is convinced that nothing seems to be the matter with her the people around here keep assuring her that she's mentally unstable. Throughout the story the reader is witness to a firsthand account of the mental demise of the narrator. Her fragile mental state and her family's abandonment cause her detachment from reality to snowballs and she loses all normality. Since the story is narrated in the 1st person perspective the reader becomes the only outlet for her feelings and shares a special bond with the narrator. It is possible that by feeling so connected to the narrator the reader keeps wishing that everything would work out in the end. The author deliberately does this to evoke the pathos within the reader and make the narrator's role as the protagonist definite. Throughout the story I kept waiting for a happy ending . The point of view also made this story hard for me to put down and ultimately it made the story memorable in my mind.