world lit. mid-term
felicite
"A Simple Heart" by Gustave Flaubert. Felicite's significance is that she is an extremely selfless, generous, but naive woman. When she was young, she fell in love with a man who tried to sexually assault her, apologized, then left her for an older woman. However, she continues to wear her heart on her sleeve and leaves to go work for Madame Aubain. She is a very plain girl and lives what anyone on the outside would see as a plain life. However, Felicite was very humble and did everything with grace.
pere colmiche
"A Simple Heart" by Gustave Flaubert. His significance is that he was an old man who took part in the Reign of Terror. When Felicite found him, he was old, sick, and shabby, but that did not stop her from looking after him. He was one of many people whom Felicite looked after. Even when he died, she had a mass for him and his soul.
loulou
"A Simple Heart" by Gustave Flaubert. Loulou's significance is that he is the one truly good thing in Felicite's life. She has been a relatively lonely woman, so when she is able to have Loulou as her own, it allows that loneliness to not be that present and gives a sense of comfort. Everyone else in the story treats Loulou like something to mess with or looks at it with curiosity. Felicite however treats the parrot like it's her child. Felicite has also loss a lot of people in her life. In one part of the story, she loses Loulou and becomes frantic looking for him. Luckily, she does eventually find him, which is the only time anything that she's known that was gone has come back; this furthers her attachment to the bird. Towards the end of the story, Loulou is seen in more of a spiritual and holy sense. When the parrot dies, Felicite has him stuffed and puts him with her other religious belongings. Loulou is like a symbol for Felicite that there is a God that cares about people like her.
virginie
"A Simple Heart" by Gustave Flaubert. Virginie's significance is that she is the daughter of Madame Aubain. She's a good child, but is extremely sickly. Felicite adores her and tries to give her the childhood that she herself never had. When Virginie dies, it brings Madame Aubain and Felicite together as they mourn Virginie.
throwing dirt at a bull
"A simple heart" by Gustave Flaubert. This signifies Felicity's courage and love for the people in her life. When her and the family are encountered with a bull, she is the one who handles it and protects everyone. Though Felicity comes across as a plain girl with nothing much going for her, her character speaks on a much larger scale.
aunt julie
"Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen. Aunt Julie is the woman who raised Tesman and signifies a reminder that Tesman did not come from money or from anyone of particular importance, unlike Hedda. Hedda and Aunt Julie are extremely different, though Aunt Julie does try and be kind to Hedda, Hedda isn't too keen on her.
burning the manuscript
"Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen. Hedda burning the manuscript signifies Hedda's destructive nature. The manuscript itself symbolizes the creativity of Lovborg and Mrs. Elvstead; it's what sparked their relationship. For Hedda to burn this, knowing that the two are together, shows Hedda's jealousy and distaste for Lovborg and lack of forgiveness toward him.
Mrs. Elvsted
"Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen. Her significance is that she has had a great influence on Eilert Lovborg. Mrs. Elvsted is pretty much the exact opposite of Hedda. She is extremely feminine and not that bright (doesn't pick up on manipulation or Lovborg's and Hedda's past relationship); her life has been devoted to a man
Judge Brack
"Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen. Judge Brack is a friend of Tesman and Hedda and signifies the type of guy that makes things happen. He is always aware of what is going on around town and is arguably the one character in the story that is similar to Hedda. He's intuitive and picks up on information and drives Hedda to kill herself when he has information that he can blackmail her with.
my old house slippers
"Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen. The old house slippers belong to Tesman and are given to him from Miss Tesman. The slippers could be symbol for domesticity, humbleness, and sentiment; all of these things Hedda despises.
dueling pistols
"Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen. The significance of these pistols is that they were Hedda's father's. Most people would see a gun as a weapon and not something to play with, but Hedda sees them as a toy; this goes along with her manipulation games that she likes to play. She also keeps the pistols in her writing desk, which is odd because she never uses the writing desk to actually create something, she only uses it to hide things.
but God have mercy -- people just don't act that way
"Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen. This is significant because it was what Judge Brack says after Hedda kills herself. Most people wouldn't choose to commit suicide, but Hedda isn't like most people. She's manipulative and refuses to be controlled by anyone, and by choosing to kill herself, she's essentially saying 'Yes, most people don't but I do.'
cock of the walk
"Hedda Gabler" by Henrik Ibsen. This is something that Brack says to Hedda and it signifies his desire to be with Hedda, probably sexually. Hedda is scared that there would be controversy, but Brack assures her that he would come to her.
"Ghalib, don't press your ear on Him again and again and again your state's completely evident to Him -- without a word being said"
"I've made my home next door to you" sacred version by Ghalib. This stanza in the sacred version implies that he is comparing his love of his beloved to God, which could arguably immortalize her and be a way of showing his deepest affection towards her.
chief clerk
"Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. Chief Clerk's significance is that he is Gregor's boss. After all the time that Gregor has worked for him, the one time he doesn't show up, Chief Clerk rushes over to Gregor's house and demands an explanation.
"Mr. Samsa, the chief clerk, now called out loudly, 'what's the matter? You've barricaded yourself into your room, you give us one-word answeres, you cause your parents grave and needless anxiety and -- this just by the by -- you're neglecting your official duties in a quite unconscionable way. I am talking to you on behalf of your parents and the director, and I now ask you in all seriousness for a prompt and full explanation.'"
"Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. This quote is full of irony. Firstly, all he has to do is open the door and everyone will see that he has been turned into an insect. He is going on this huge rant, when he could simply open the door and see that his employee is now an insect and won't be able to come into work. Secondly, a boss would most likely never come barging over to an employee's house demanding an explanation to why they are not at work. Due to fast, electronic communication, it is easy for someone nowadays to get ahold of their supervisor and tell them they won't be coming in that day. However, even if Gregor had the access to technology like this, he wouldn't even be able to use it because he's an insect. It's not even that Gregor wants to neglect his duties. He wants to go to work and is so worried about work that he doesn't even fret about being a literal insect. This excerpt of the story could be a symbol for the American working class and how we constantly have to be doing something or else we are wasting our time/life.
producer
"Six Characters in Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello. The producer's significance is that he is supposed to be the conductor of the show. When the characters show up, he is annoyed at first but when he starts hearing all of the drama, he becomes interested and wants to know what happened. Being a producer, he wants to turn these characters drama into a play. However, he doesn't think that the actual characters should play the part in the play; he wants his actors to portray them.
the fountain in the garden
"Six Characters in Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello. The significance of the fountain in the garden is that the fountain is where the little girl drowns when the characters are performing their play. It symbolizes the fallen of an innocent child; how the drama led to a death in the family.
stepdaughter
"Six Characters in Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello. The stepdaughter's significance is that she is one of the main parts of the drama that happens amongst the characters. She wants to revenge herself on the father because of what happened. She is somewhat cruel and wild, which leads the reader to debate whether that's because of her character or because of what she has experienced.
"Father: wait a minute! Why do you want to spoil a miracle by being factual? Can't you see this is a miracle of reality, that is born, brought to life, lured here, reproduced, just for the sake of the scene, with more alive here than you have? Perhaps it is more truth than you have yourselves. Which actress can improve on Mme Pace there? Well? That is the real Mme. Pace. You must admit that the real that the actress who plays her will be less true than she is herself -- and there she is in person! Look!"
"Six Characters in Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello. This is what the Father says when Madame Pace arrives. She really comes out of nowhere and all of the company is confused and call it a trick. This is the Father's response to it and can symbolize the actual story. Though this story isn't possible (characters from a story don't just come to life) it still ponders the question on what is reality. If an author creates a story with characters, then the actual story exists in real life, though it is fiction.
madame pace
"Six Characters in Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello. Though madame is french for Mrs., madam is a term given to a woman who owns a brothel. Essentially, her name is a play on words since she does in fact pimp out the step-daughter. Her significance is that she is essentially the one who sets up the step-daughter and the father, so if that had never happened there would be no story.
we can still hear the manic laughter out into the foyer
"Six characters in Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello. The significance of this is that this laughter is coming from the stepdaughter right after she leaves at the end of the play. The play is a tragedy and ending the story with manic laughter adds to the tragic and horror of the story. It leaves the audience/reader with a sense of uneasiness.
molly ivers
"The Dead" by James Joyce. Her significance is that she is an Irish nationalist and essentially calls out Gabriel while they are dancing. Gabriel works for a pro-english newspaper, so she calls him a West Briton and accuses him of not paying attention to the things that are happening in the country.
lily
"The Dead" by James Joyce. Her significance is that she is the maid for the Morkans. She apparently has been acting stranger than usual, though the reader can't tell, and she most likely is having a problem with a boyfriend/lover. When Gabriel talks to her, she reacts and answers in a strange way and leaves Gabriel feeling embarrassed and regretting that he even tried to talk to her.
Michael Furey
"The Dead" by James Joyce. His significance is he was once the lover to Gretta. After the party, Gabriel and Gretta are in the hotel and Gretta is acting very strange. Eventually, she tells the story of how he died waiting outside her window.
statue of charles parnell
"The Dead" by James Joyce. His significance is that Charles Parnell was a real life Irish activist who fought to unite the people of Ireland. The statue of him in the story symbolizes Joyce's admiration for Parnell.
Bartell D'Arcy
"The Dead" by James Joyce. His significance is that he is a singer at the party and is the one who plays/sings lass of aughrim.
"It had begun to snow again. He watched sleepily the flakes, silver and dark, falling obliquely against the lamplight. The time had come for him to set out on his journey westward. Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland. It was falling on every part of the dark central plain, on the treeless hills, falling softly upon the Bog of Allen and, farther westward, softly falling into the dark mutinous Shannon waves. It was falling, too, where Michael Furey lay buried. It lay thickly drifted on the crooked crosses and headstones, on the spears of the little gate, on the barren thorns. His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead."
"The Dead" by James Joyce. Quality of death; covers everything; reference to the west (where michael/grete came from); this last paragraph of the story calls on our sense of touch, sight, and hearing in order to perceive the snow. The reference to the west could be two things: a reference to where Michael and Gretta came from or a journey towards the sun as it sets, which could be a symbol for death. This makes sense because he then goes on to talk about Michael Furey and where he is buried. The ending is really sad because he is comparing the snow falling to people dying.
statue of wellington
"The Dead" by James Joyce. This is significant because the statue shows the first Duke of Wellington; part of the British Army. It's most likely mentioned due to the conflicts of Ireland and England at the time of the story and because Gabriel is accused of being a West Briton.
lass of aughrim
"The Dead" by James Joyce. This song's significance is it is what triggers Gretta's memory of Michael Furey. The song was being plaid at the party and it affects her mood for the rest of the night. Michael used to sing this song to Gretta.
West Briton
"The Dead" by James Joyce. West Briton' significance is that it is a term that Miss Ivers calls Gabriel. A West Briton is and Irish person whose loyalties are tied with England, not Ireland; it's a offensive term. Miss Ivers calls him this because she is convinced that he is not interested in the affairs of his country. She believes this because he writes for a conservative newspaper.
"It's boredom. Tears have glued its eyes together. You know it well my reader. This obscure beast chain-smokes yawning for the guillotine -- you -- hypocrite reader --my double -- my brother!
"The Flowers of Evil" by Charles Baudelaire. This stanza signifies that human beings are complex and gives and image of humanity. Also, "it's boredom" refers to the term ennui, which is essentially life weariness; sickness of being stuck in the same routine.
victor runeberg
"The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges. His significance is that he is the colleague of Dr. Tsun. When Dr. Tsun called Runeberg, Captain Madden answered the call, which means either Runeberg has been arrested or killed
Liddell Hart
"The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges. Liddell Hart is significant in this story because his book, which is not a real book though Hart did write books. This book sets the rest of the story.
"Precisely," said Albert. "The Garden of Forking Paths is an enormous riddle, or parable, whose theme is time; this is recondite cause prohibits its mention. To omit a word always, to restore to inept metaphors and obvious periphrases, is perhaps the most emphatic way of stressing it. That is the tortuous method preferred, in each of the meanderings of his indefatigable novel, by the Ts' ui Pen, I have compared hundreds of manuscripts, I have corrected the errors that the negligence of the copyists has introduced, I have guessed the plan of this chaos, I have re-established -- I believe I have re-established -- the primordial organization, I have translated the entire work: it is clear to me that not once does he employ the word 'time.' The explanation is obvious: the Garden of Forking Paths is an incomplete, but not false, 310 image of the universe as Ts' ui Pen conceived it"
"The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges." This is one of the last things Stephen Albert says before being killed by. The Garden of Forking Paths is a metaphor for a maze and the different narratives that happen in Ts'ui Pen's novel. He goes on to say that in some narratives him and Yu Tsun are friends and in another they are enemies. This is ironic and foreshadows what is about to happen: Yu Tsun is going to shoot Albert to send a message to the Chief.
"Besides, I know of a man from England -- a modest man -- who for me is no less great that Goethe. I talked with him for scarcely an hour, but during that hour he was Goethe...I did it because I sensed that the Chief somehow feared people of my race -- for the innumerable ancestors who merge within me. I wanted to prove to him that a yellow man could save his armies. Besides, I had to flee from Captain Madden"
"The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges." This quotation basically explains why Yu Tsun is doing what he is doing. He has to give the Chief the information of the secret British location because he needs to prove to his [racist] Chief that someone of his ethnicity can do something great and save the Chief's armies.
"The author of an atrocious undertaking ought to imagine that he has already accomplished it, ought to impose upon himself a future as irrevocable as the past"
"The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges." This quotation is in reference to Yu Tsun's journey. He says before this that he has made it this far and has been victorious, so he images that he will succeed. This quote is basically saying that if someone imagines themselves doing something, then it is set in stone and that they can do it. It cannot be changed once you set out on doing it, just like you cannot change the past. It's essentially a self fulfilling prophecy; through positivity between your belief and behavior, you can determine the outcome of something.
Stephen Albert
"The Garden of Forking Paths' by Jorge Luis Borges. His significance is that he is the man Yu Tsun goes to see. Albert is a scholar and is very knowledgable about Ts'ui Pen, Yu Tsun's great grandfather.
Grete
"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. Grete's significance is that she is the only one in her family to take care of Gregor after he turns into an insect. Though she eventually does neglect him and sees him as something disgusting, she obviously cared and treasured her brother and the fact that he was an insect didn't stop her, at least for a little bit, to stop loving him.
picture of a lady in a fur coat and stole
"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. The painting itself could signify Gregor's attachment to the human world. This was the one thing he really didn't want taken away from him, either because he liked the lady in it or wanted at least one thing to remind him of the life he once have. He also made the frame around the picture in his free time, which could be an allegory of Kafka's story that arguably doesn't necessarily contribute anything profound to society
an apple lodged in the back
"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. The significance of this identification is that the apple was thrown by Gregor's father. This is one of the turning points of the story and symbolizes the change of attitude that the family has towards Gregor. Gregor also died shortly after the apple was thrown and lodged into him, so it can be conferred that Gregor's dad is the reason he died.
"While they were talking in these terms, almost and one and the same time, Mr. and Mrs. Samsa noticed their increasingly lively daughter, the way that of late, in spite of the trouble that had made her cheeks pale, she had bloomed into an attractive and well-built girl. Falling silent, and communicating almost unconsciously through glances, they thought it about time to find a suitable husband for her"
"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. This is the last paragraph of the story and kind of ends this sad story with a comic ending. Comedies essentially end in marriage, so Mr. and Mrs. Samsa thinking about finding a husband for their daughter allows the story to end in a happier way even though their son, Gregor, just died.
studying music at the conservatory
"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka. This signifies one of Gregor's deepest desires; to send his sister Grete to the conservatory to study music. This symbolizes Gregor's love and affection towards his sister. However, it also led to a disastrous evening when Grete was playing her violin and Gregor got too close to listen and everyone perceived it as a threat. It ties with the main theme of family intentions versus outcomes.
"His vision, from the constantly passing bars, has grown so weary that it cannot hold anything else. It seems to him there are a thousand bars; and behind the bars no world"
"The Panther" by Rainer Maria Rilke. This is the first stanza and signifies that the animal is rendered, or imprisoned. He cannot see anything due to the bars that keep him locked up.
"Things fall apart. The center cannot hold"
"The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats. In this stanza of the poem, it is talking about the present condition of the world and how everything is anarchic. When things are falling apart around a center, the center will not remain in tact. The world is falling a part and this is why there needs to be a Second Coming. Though, the Second Coming in this poem is an unexpected one.
Spiritus Mundi
"The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats. The significance of this term is that it refers to a spiritual world or world-soul. The symbols in the poem are supposedly from this 'world.'
"That twenty centuries of stony sleep were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, and what rough beast, its hour come round at last, slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"
"The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats. These are the last few lines of the poem and refer to Jesus and his birth in Bethlehem. The entire poem is written to talk about a Second Coming, but not the Second Coming that Christians are expecting. This one is going to be a beast instead of Jesus; blasphemous
Telemachus
"Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Telemachus' significance is that he is Odysseus'/Ulysses' son. Ulysses basically says that he will travel while his son rules.
"It little profits an idle king, by this still hearth, among the barren crags, matched with an aged wife, I mete and dole unequal laws unto a savage race that hoard, and sleep, and feed and know not me"
"Ulysses" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. This is the first stanza in the poem and signifies Ulysses'/Odysseus' disdain for sticking around to rule. He sees no point in staying home with his wife and ruling over the people in his kingdom. He wants to live his life to the fullest and not waste it by sitting around on a throne. This is essentially what the entire poem is about, so it lets the reader right off the back that he is not happy being an idle king.
"Because the barbarians are arriving today and they are bored by eloquence and harangues"
"Waiting for the Barbarians" by Constantine Cavafy. Essentially, this poem is about how all imperial nations must come to an end. These 'barbarians' are these people that the unenthusiastic civilians are prepared for and ready for the to take over. This stanza is implying that these barbarians do not like speeches
