Read the prompt and passage (D.H. Lawrence's The Rainbow) under Question 2-see the link below. Then, discuss how you would approach writing the essay based upon the prompt. Consider format, thesis, organization of ideas, key lines, devices, analysis, etc.
You can access the passage HERE.
Here's the rough outline I came up with that I would write my essay from:
ReplyDeleteThesis:
In D. H. Lawrence’s 1915 novel, The Rainbow, Lawrence uses literary devices to capture how the woman is enticed by all the world has to offer and her desire to learn.
TS:
[the author achieves his purpose by] mentioning the physical position of the woman to allude to her mental state.
“She stood to see the far- off world of cities and governments and the active scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled.”
“ She faced outwards . . .”
Analysis: By skillfully inclining the woman's physical position in the description of the setting, Lawrence indicates how the woman is thinking about life beyond the farm.
TS:
[the author achieves his purpose by] contrasting the earthy symbols of the men with the mention of civilization when talking about the woman.
mentioning the setting differently when talking about the men vs woman.
men: “they lived full and surcharged, their senses full fed, their faces always turned to the heat of the blood, staring into the sun, dazed with looking towards the source of generation”
woman: “ Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields, looked out to the road and the village with church and Hall and the world beyond.”
analysis: The author purposefully chooses what to mention when describing the men and the woman. He talks about the earth when describing the men to [show] the audience what the men are thinking about/ desire. This contrasts with what things are mentioned when describing the woman, (civilization, knowledge).
TS:
[the author achieves his purpose by] talking about the vicar through the eyes of the woman. portraying him as she sees him.
“The vicar moved in worlds beyond where her own menfolk existed.”
“ What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast? She craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children. “
analysis: describing the vicar the way the woman sees him, highlighting the good qualities she sees and not the bad qualities she might have chosen to overlook, tells the audience more about the woman’s values and aspirations than it does about the vicar.
In this passage from the novel, The Rainbow, author D.H. Lawrence uses literary devices to emphasize the woman's feelings of discontentment on the farm, which result in her desire experience and learn about the world beyond it.
ReplyDeleteThe author first uses very detailed imagery to contrast the men and the woman in order to highlight the woman's desire to live outside of the confined life on the farm.
"It was enough for men, that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat…So much warmth and generating and pain and death did they know in their blood, earth and sky and beast and green plants…that they lived full and surcharged". The men are "full and surcharged", meaning content and fulfilled, by life on the farm. The polysyndeton used further establishes this. The woman on the other hand looks out "towards the activity of man in the world at large…to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge…how he uttered himself in his conquest…" The woman is not content with life on the farm--she wants to experience more, learn more about man and what he has to offer. The detailed imagery of both man and woman and the extreme contrast between the two descriptions are used to characterize the woman as wanting to live a life more fulfilling than she is now.
The author also uses rhetorical questions to further emphasize the woman's desire to want to know more about the world and mankind itself: "What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?" "What which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body…what was it" "What how had the vicar over Tom Brangwen". The rhetorical questions highlight more than just the woman's desire to understand the vicar himself, but also mankind and the world.
I would also highlight the sense of naiveness that comes across in the passage. The vivid description of country life in contrast with the lack of urban imagery.
Delete"She stood to see the far-off world... the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled"
"secrets made known and desires fulfilled"
she just sees fulfillment, there is no clear description of what she'd find there because she doesn't know.
"She decided it was a question of knowledge."
ironic because she has no knowledge of the actual outside world
I would also highlight the sense of naiveness that comes across in the passage. The vivid description of country life in contrast with the lack of urban imagery.
Delete"She stood to see the far-off world... the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled"
"secrets made known and desires fulfilled"
she just sees fulfillment, there is no clear description of what she'd find there because she doesn't know.
"She decided it was a question of knowledge."
ironic because she has no knowledge of the actual outside world
In the excerpt from The Rainbow, D. H. Lawrence uses rhetorical questions, imagery, and symbolism to characterize the woman desire for a different life than the simple farming life.
ReplyDeleteThe author uses vivid imagery to portray what farming life is like. Lawrence paints a picture of the life and violent nature of men then follows with a contrasting image of the nature of what the woman wants. Also, the author’s portrayal of the men symbolizes the life the woman wants to leave behind. The men represent the crude farming community. These descriptions help to illuminate the current situation the woman is in, showing what she wishes for and what she is stuck with.
“But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy.”
- the description of the men shows this “blood-intimacy”
“life of creation, which poured unresolved into their veins”
- the men live to work on this farm; they do not look to make strives anywhere else, nor do they desire a different life.
Lawrence also uses rhetorical devices to emphasize the woman’s mindset. She is questioning the life she currently lives because she wants a new life.
“her house faced out… [to] the world beyond”
- while the men are content in their lives, the woman looks beyond her house, beyond the farm
- she wants structure and cities
“she craved to achieve this higher being”
“What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast? She craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being”
- these questions parallel her contrasting thoughts
- the vicar also represents the life she longs for
In the excerpt from The Rainbow, D. H. Lawrence uses rhetorical questions, imagery, and symbolism to characterize the woman desire for a different life than the simple farming life.
ReplyDeleteThe author uses vivid imagery to portray what farming life is like. Lawrence paints a picture of the life and violent nature of men then follows with a contrasting image of the nature of what the woman wants. Also, the author’s portrayal of the men symbolizes the life the woman wants to leave behind. The men represent the crude farming community. These descriptions help to illuminate the current situation the woman is in, showing what she wishes for and what she is stuck with.
“But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy.”
- the description of the men shows this “blood-intimacy”
“life of creation, which poured unresolved into their veins”
- the men live to work on this farm; they do not look to make strives anywhere else, nor do they desire a different life.
Lawrence also uses rhetorical devices to emphasize the woman’s mindset. She is questioning the life she currently lives because she wants a new life.
“her house faced out… [to] the world beyond”
- while the men are content in their lives, the woman looks beyond her house, beyond the farm
- she wants structure and cities
“she craved to achieve this higher being”
“What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast? She craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being”
- these questions parallel her contrasting thoughts
- the vicar also represents the life she longs for
Thesis : Through the use of contrasting description, repetition, and questions, D.H. Lawrence captures the woman’s desire to explore the unknown and to be “set free”.
ReplyDeleteIntro: briefly set scene and explain what’s going on
Body para 1: contrasting descriptions
Body para 2: repetition
Body para 3: questions
Contrasting descriptions
“It was enough for the men”
“they lived full and surcharged, their senses full fed, their faces always turned to the heat of the blood, staring into the sun, dazed with looking towards the source of generation, unable to turn around.”
“But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy”
“She stood to see the far- off world of cities and governments and the active scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled.”
“were set out to discover what was beyond, to enlarge their own scope and range and freedom; whereas the Brangwen men faced inwards to the teeming life of creation, which poured unresolved into their veins.”
“her deepest desire hung on the battle that she heard, far off, being waged on the edge of the unknown. She also wanted to know, and to be of the fighting host.”
“both of which she could perceive, but could never attain to.”
Repetition
“It was enough for the men”
“So much”
“Her house faced out” “She faced outwards” “Looking out”
“discover” “unknown”
Questions
“What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?”
“That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it?”
“And why — why? She decided it was a question of knowledge.”
None of these necessarily have or require and answer it’s the woman’s thinking
My rough outline:
ReplyDeleteD.H Lawrence manipulates imagery, symbolism, and rhetorical devices to illustrate the woman’s clear craving for a life different than that on the farm.
Imagery:
-Aspects of farm life
Symbolism
-Characterization of men on farm vs. characterization of the woman
-woman wants the opposite of the life and ppl. at the farm
-shows what she wants vs. what she has
-Men represent the life the woman wants to leave behind (the farm, etc)
“life of creation, which pure unresolved into their veins”
-The vicar represents everything the woman desires
Rhetorical Device:
“They lived full and surcharged…looking towards the source of generation”
Vs.
-“her house faced out from the farm-buildings…and the world beyond”
-Men are content with current life and do not crave anything else
-Woman is unhappy with where she is and desperately wants something new and different
-“But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy”
D. H. Lawrence uses the direction the women faces and vicar as symbols for what the women longs for, highlighting thirst for knowledge and an escape from her primitive life style.
ReplyDeleteFocus would be on the vicars power over man which education has and the direction the house faces showing how the women has a different mind set far beyond her husband and town.
Direction:
"She stood to see the far off world of cities and governments and the active
scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled."
-She is looking away from the farm and her primitive husband
- She wants to see a world more complicated and educated then what she is living in.
" She faced outwards to where men moved dominant and creative,having turned their back on the pulsing heat of creation, and with this behind them, were set out to discover what was beyond, to enlarge their own scope and range and freedom."
-She longs for ingenuity and the innovation.
Wishes to become more worldly and broaden her own mind.
The Vicar:
"She knew her husband. But in the vicar’s nature was that which passed beyond her knowledge. As Brangwen had power over the cattle so the vicar had power over her husband."
- Represents the power that education has over people much like a whip over animals.
-Even the Vicars minor level of education is something far beyond that of the women and she envies the power the vicar has over her primitive husband.
"She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children."
- Her longing for education is so strong that if she herself could not experience it she wishes for her children to have it. Perhaps so she may live vicariously through them/ give them what she could never have.
D. H. Lawrence uses the direction the women faces and vicar as symbols for what the women longs for, highlighting thirst for knowledge and an escape from her primitive life style.
ReplyDeleteFocus would be on the vicars power over man which education has and the direction the house faces showing how the women has a different mind set far beyond her husband and town.
Direction:
"She stood to see the far off world of cities and governments and the active
scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled."
-She is looking away from the farm and her primitive husband
- She wants to see a world more complicated and educated then what she is living in.
" She faced outwards to where men moved dominant and creative,having turned their back on the pulsing heat of creation, and with this behind them, were set out to discover what was beyond, to enlarge their own scope and range and freedom."
-She longs for ingenuity and the innovation.
Wishes to become more worldly and broaden her own mind.
The Vicar:
"She knew her husband. But in the vicar’s nature was that which passed beyond her knowledge. As Brangwen had power over the cattle so the vicar had power over her husband."
- Represents the power that education has over people much like a whip over animals.
-Even the Vicars minor level of education is something far beyond that of the women and she envies the power the vicar has over her primitive husband.
"She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children."
- Her longing for education is so strong that if she herself could not experience it she wishes for her children to have it. Perhaps so she may live vicariously through them/ give them what she could never have.
In the excerpt from The Rainbow, D.H. Lawrence utilizes the literary devices of imagery and rhetorical questions in order to illuminate the woman’s desire to escape a life of discontent, confined to a simplistic farm and experience a broader world of knowledge and substance.
ReplyDeleteImagery:
Lawrence successfully and artfully incorporates imagery in this passage in order to contrast the woman’s discontent with the man’s comfort.
Quotes:
“It was enough for the men, that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat, and set the young ears of corn wheeling freshly round about…”
The farm life is comfortable and fulfilling for the men on the farm. They are accustomed to the routine work and similar setting.
“But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy.”
“Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields, looked out to the road and the village with church and Hall and the world beyond. She stood to see the faroff world of cities and governments and the active scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled.”
However, the woman strives for something beyond the simplicity of the farm. She strives for a life of more substance and meaning. She views a life beyond her a “magic land” because it is overwhelmingly desirable.
“Looking out, as she must, from the front of her house towards the activity of man in the world at large, whilst her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land…”
This quote serves to contrast the farm man and the woman through imagery. Each seeks contentment through a different lens.
Rhetorical Questions:
The woman’s intense craving to attain knowledge about life beyond the farm is displayed through the use of rhetorical questions.
Quotes:
“She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children. That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it?”
The woman contemplates why certain people or animals are more powerful than others. She determines that it is not due to size, but she yearns to discover and learn more.
It was not money nor power nor position. What power had the vicar over Tom Brangwen— none. Yet strip them and set them on a desert island, and the vicar was the master. His soul was master of the other man’s. And why—why? She decided it was a question of knowledge.
The woman contrasts the man from the vicar and contemplates the influence that knowledge has on power. She determines that people with more knowledge are stronger and desires to be a part of a world that offers exploration of new ideas and encourages learning.
In the excerpt from "The Rainbow," D.H. Lawrence explores the woman's desire for knowledge and freedom through the use of comparison, rhetorical questions, and symbolism, ultimately contrasting the innate differences between men and women.
ReplyDeleteParagraph 1: Imagery
Quotes
- "Whilst her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land"
- "just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull"
These quotes separate men and women and highlight the inquisitive nature of the woman as opposed the the barbaric and simple nature of men.
Paragraph 2: Rhetorical Questions
Quotes
- "What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?"
- "His soul was master of the other man’s. And why—why?"
The woman is curious and questions things beyond her immediate life as shown through these quotes.
Paragraph 3: Symbolism
Quotes
- "She decided it was a question of knowledge."
- "She strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge"
-"Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields,looked out to the road and the village with church and hall and the world beyond."
These symbols again highlight the woman's thirst for knowledge and understanding.
In the excerpt from "The Rainbow," D.H. Lawrence explores the woman's desire for knowledge and freedom through the use of comparison, rhetorical questions, and symbolism, ultimately contrasting the innate differences between men and women.
ReplyDeleteParagraph 1: Imagery
Quotes
- "Whilst her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land"
- "just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull"
These quotes separate men and women and highlight the inquisitive nature of the woman as opposed the the barbaric and simple nature of men.
Paragraph 2: Rhetorical Questions
Quotes
- "What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?"
- "His soul was master of the other man’s. And why—why?"
The woman is curious and questions things beyond her immediate life as shown through these quotes.
Paragraph 3: Symbolism
Quotes
- "She decided it was a question of knowledge."
- "She strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge"
-"Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields,looked out to the road and the village with church and hall and the world beyond."
These symbols again highlight the woman's thirst for knowledge and understanding.
In The Rainbow, D. H. Lawrence uses symbolism, imagery and rhetorical devices to emphasize the woman's ultimate desire for a life beyond the simple life on a farm.
ReplyDeleteimagery/symbolism- opposition between the thoughts of men and women to highlight her longing for something more/ the problems within the uncomplicated farm life
*men: "staring into the sun, dazed with looking towards the source of generation, unable to turn around. "
-so captivated in the earth and natural aspects of the world/ love the land/ don't want anything else
*"the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them"
-things happen for the men, idea that the men think that the world acts/revolves around them
-senses of superiority over basic things such as the land but can also imply superiority over women too
*women: "she strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge"
-sees differently than man, cannot understand how their desires differ from hers
*"but the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy"
-"blood" makes the men's ideas scary and dark which then contrast the woman's desires for life and pinpoints her as good intentioned and positively ambitious
rhetorical device of repetition- the author many times mentions her direction to help the reader visualize what she desires in her life.
*"She faced outwards to where men moved dominant and creative, having turned their back on the pulsing heat of creation"
-wants the more fast paced life and not the slow farm life
-wants men to be in charge and to be strong
*"where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled"
-individualism vs isolation
-she is not achieving fulfillment on the farm
*"looked out to… the world beyond"
-obvious hunt for more than the small town/isolated life
In "The Rainbow," D.H. Lawrence uses the description of the farm, the setting of the house, and symbolism of the vicar to depict the woman's desire to be more than her husband.
ReplyDeleteParagraph 1: Imagery of the farm
"It was enough for the men, that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat"
Shows lack of curiosity in man. Simplistic life with little to no knowledge.
Paragraph 2: Setting of the house
"Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields, looked out to the road and the village with church and Hall and the world beyond."
"She faced outwards to where men moved dominant and creative"
"her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land, she strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge"
Shows contrast between the man and the woman. Woman is more curious about the outside world. Wants to learn and be "dominant." Man couldn't care less, showing lack of dominance; aka inferiority.
Paragraph 3: symbolism of vicar
"The vicar moved in worlds beyond where her own menfolk existed."
"What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised
above the beast? She craved to know."
The vicar represents her desire to learn more and to be something more than she already is. She also desires to raise "above the common men." She desires to be more than her husband.
Thesis: In "The Rainbow", D.H. Lawrence employs literary devices such as symbolism, rhetorical questions, and imagery to convey the woman's yearning for an existence that is more refined and worldly than the monotonous farm life that her husband is content with.
ReplyDeleteP1: Imagery: Direction of man's house vs woman's
Man: "[Mans] faces always turned to the heat of the blood, staring into the sun, dazed with looking towards the source of generation, unable to turn around."
Woman: "But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy. Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields, looked out to the road and the village with church and Hall and the world beyond"
"Looking out, as she must, from the front of her house towards the activity of man in the world at large, whilst her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land, she strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge, she strained to hear how he uttered himself in his conquest, her deepest desire hung on the battle that she heard, far off, being waged on the edge of the unknown"
The woman is different from her husband because she looks at the world with a broader perspective. While he is more so concerned with matters that he is able to sense and hold, she is fascinated by life's intangibles. She possess an exploratory nature that contrasts her husband's complacent and simplistic qualities.
P2: Symbol
The vicar: "The vicar moved in worlds beyond where her own menfolk existed."
"Whereas the vicar, dark and dry and small beside her husband, had yet a quickness and a range of being that made Brangwen, in his large geniality,seem dull and local."
"But in the vicar’s nature was that which passed beyond her knowledge. As Brangwen had power over the cattle so the vicar had power over her husband."
"It was not money nor power nor position. What power had the vicar over Tom Brangwen— none. Yet strip them and set them on a desert island, and the vicar was the master."
The vicar is symbolic of the woman's curiosity for the realm of men that lies beyond her husband. While Brangwen is more physically able, the knowledge possessed by the vicar makes him superior and more laudable.
P3: Rhetorical Questions
"What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast? She craved to know."
"That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it?"
"His soul was master of the other man’ s. And why — why? She decided it was a question of knowledge."
The author's utilization of rhetorical questions illuminates the woman's intense curiosity of life far removed from the farm, symbolized by the vicar.
In The Rainbow, D.H Lawrence uses the literary devices of rhetorical devices and symbolism to illustrate the woman’s dissatisfaction with the tedious farm life her husband is so content with.
ReplyDeleteExamples-
"That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it?"
"What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?"
“His soul was master of the other man’s. And why—why?"
- The woman constantly asks rhetorical questions to improve her knowledge of things unrelated to the farm. She is curious.
"Whereas the vicar, dark and dry and small beside her husband, had yet a quickness and a range of being that made Brangwen, in his large geniality, seem dull and local."
"What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised
above the beast? She craved to know."
-The vicar symbolizes the woman’s need for knowledge beyond her husband. When she sees the vicar, she seems to yearn more to learn.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteD.H Lawrence uses symbolism and imagery to portray the contrasting perspectives of woman and her husbands life on the farm.
ReplyDeleteImagery:
“She strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge”
-the strain shows her inability to understand her husband’s perspective
"It was enough for the men, that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat”
-showing the earth as powerful to men in a way that is lacking for women.
“Her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land"
Symbolism:
“The woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy”
-knowledge, wanting to know more and to understand
"She decided it was a question of knowledge”
"She strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge”
-the knowledge to understand men’s (her husband’s) perspective
"She craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children. That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body”
-the craving to know represents the craving of knowledge which the woman feels she is lacking
In the except from, The Rainbow, D.H Lawrence highlights the woman’s desire for freedom and her longing to experience the outside world through imagery comparisons, and rhetorical devices.
ReplyDelete1.)
“But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy”
“Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields”
“She stood to see the far- off world of cities and governments and the active scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled.”
The imagery of the woman in the opening paragraph illustrates her wanting to escape from “the farm-building and fields”. The use of directions works to illuminate the distance that the woman wishes to create from her simplistic life on the farm.
2.)
“The vicar moved in worlds beyond where her own menfolk existed.”
“But in the vicar’s nature was that which passed beyond her knowledge. As Brangwen had power over the cattle so the vicar had power over her husband.”
The vicar is a symbol to represent the woman’s wanting to gain more knowledge be able to engage in opportunities that all men have the power to pursue.
3.)
What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?
That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and
frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it?
“And why — why? She decided it was a question of knowledge”.
These rhetorical questions elicit a larger sense of curiosity from the woman. The author is able to portray the need for the woman to escape her farmland, countryside lifestyle.
D.H. Lawrence uses repetition, thoughtful diction, and seamless shifts in narration in The Rainbow in order to express the capacity of the woman's discontentment with her situation.
ReplyDelete1) Repetition:
"whilst her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land, she strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge, she strained to hear how he uttered himself in his conquest, her deepest desire hung on the battle that she heard, far off, being waged on the edge of the unknown"
"What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast? She craved to know. She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children. "
Diction:
"Blood-intimacy" ------- shows that she does not desire the motherly experience her family has taught her to want, instead she yearns for greater opportunity
"Magic land"------- It is nearly tragic to believe that a city, a place physically feasible and ridden with opportunity for men, is seen as Eden for this country woman. Calling it such a name provokes a sympathy and understanding of the woman's sense of discontent
Shift In Narration:
"It was enough for the men… So much warmth and generating and pain and death did they know in their blood…they lived full and surcharged, their senses full fed… unable to turn around."----- shows that the men live in ignorant contentment of the other possibilities in life. This passage is meant to contrast that of the woman's
"But the woman wanted another form of life than this" ----- Said point blank she is unhappy.
"world of cities and governments and the active scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled" ----- acknowledging that the men within the city have their desires fulfilled implies that her own desires are not.
In the except from, The Rainbow, D.H Lawrence uses rhetorical questions and primitive, yet distinct imagery to illuminate the woman’s desire to be "set free" and her longing to experience the world outside of the farm.
ReplyDeleteRhetorical Questions:
The woman portrays an intense desire to gain critical knowledge about life off of the farm, outside her comfort zone, through rhetorical questions that spark interest in the unknown.
Quotes:
-“She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children. That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it?”
- "What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?"
- "His soul was master of the other man’s. And why—why?"
Imagery:
Lawrence artfully crafts a world on the farm by using rich language and picture-forming thought processes. He explores the relationship between men and women, highlighting contrasting natures (barbaric vs. simplistic)
Quotes:
-“Looking out, as she must, from the front of her house towards the activity of man in the world at large, whilst her husband looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land…”
-“It was enough for the men, that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat, and set the young ears of corn wheeling freshly round about…”
-“The woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy.”
Men and women basically have different goals
In the excerpt from D.H. Lawrence's novel The Rainbow he uses literary tools such as imagery and symbolism to characterize the woman and her situation in the story.
ReplyDeleteImagery:
"that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat, and set the young ears of corn wheeling freshly round about"
"But the woman wanted another form of life than this"
The descriptive imagery in the opening of the excerpt about what the male was content with is vastly contrasted when Lawrence begins to write about what the woman wants. He starts off with a shorter sentence then he had previously done with the male. This is ironic because the woman imagines more out of her life than the male yet her description is shorter. This is done to characterize the woman right off the bat and show her differences from the male.
Symbolism:
Knowledge-Power
"That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it? It was not money nor power nor position." "And why-why? She decided it was a question of knowledge."
"She knew her husband. But in the vicar's nature was that which passed beyond her knowledge."
The woman wants to become more yet in the world she is limited by "strength" which is really a symbol for knowledge. When the author writes about a man versus a bull and the man being frail and small compared to the bull yet still being somehow stronger the author is speaking of intelligence. Although the woman wants more in life she will not have it unless she achieves this strength characterized in a male. The woman is shaped through this symbolism because she is being shown as weaker meaning less intelligent then a male therefore she is trapped without an education yet she yearns for more. In this the woman is the bull being belittled by her intelligence compared to the man.
Brainstorm/Outline thing
ReplyDeleteWorking Thesis:
Lawrence establishes how the woman naively yearns for a wider world experience through the degrees of imagery in rural and urban life, the contrast between rural and urban characters, and the irony of the woman's misconceptions (w.c.).
-(establish more clearly differences/similarities? between 1st and 2nd points)
-(slightly a mess)
Major Point 1:
The woman (perspective, blah...) indicates her desire for and urban life and the unknown through the complex imagery of her rural experiences and the lack thereof for urban ones.
---"...that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them..." (the entire paragraph has good stuff)
-vivid imagery itself implies high familiarity
-"furrow", "round about" (later lines) indicate limitation
---"something that was not blood-intimacy"
-"blood intimacy" highest level of connection
"-"something" indicates more desire of unknown than inherent appeal
---"She stood to see the far-off world... the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled"
-"far-off", "magic" vague descriptors that indicate unknown (with its inherent appeal)
-"secrets made known and desires fulfilled" reinforces fact and establishes city as vessel of vague hopes
-no true description =>
---"Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields"
-sort of transition state, "faced out" => she wants to go from in to out
Major Point 2:
The contrast she draws between her husband and the vicar as representatives of their respective home areas further highlights these differences (descriptor).
---"Whereas the vicar, dark and dry and small..., had yet a quickness and a range of being that made Brangwen [the husband], in his large geniality, seem dull and local"
-"dark" and "small" => elusive vicar ("dry"?)
-"quick" and "a range of being" => dynamic, interesting
-"dull" and "local" => more established husband, as well as with little motion
---"She knew her husband. But in the vicar’s nature was that which passed beyond her knowledge"
-explicit contrast between her states of knowing
---(should mention vicar => husband / husband => cattle, though hard to fit with contrast)
Major Point 3:
The ironic contradiction between the woman's descriptions and her notions of freedom illustrate her naivete.
---"the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them" (ditto as first point)
-despite "furrow", the language implies "the earth" offered itself to them
-thus wider range of freedom
---"She decided it was a question of knowledge."
-irony in her lack of knowledge of events outside
-even knowledge of home lacking outside physical events
---(thought/expansion...)
Outline:
ReplyDeleteIn this excerpt from The Rainbow, Lawrence uses the imagery of nature as a device to characterize the men and contrast them to the woman, and the metaphors of modern life to reveal the woman's desires.
1)Nature/Farm: "
---It was enough that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat, and set the young ears of corn wheeling freshly round about"
--this imagery brings across the men's inner fascination with life, and how they had the skills to control nature to do their bidding
--though this may be considered some form of magic, it is not enough for the woman
2) Urban Life--the woman prefers " world of cities and governments and the active scope of man" which are usually considered more mundane, but which she considers "the magic land"
--"She faced outwards to where men moved dominant and creative, having turned their back on the pulsing heat of creation"
--diction here is interesting: "creative" and "creation" are written to have opposite meanings, showing how the woman is perhaps more ignorant than she believes she is
--also, man is again perceived as opposing nature, since the Brangwen men seem to be more in touch with nature, they are also less elevated in status than others in the woman's opinion
--here the aspects of urban life are shown to include seeking knowledge, being able to speak a "magic language"
3)Vicar
--"the vicar, who spoke the other, magic language, and had the other, finer bearing, both of which she could perceive, but could never attain to."
--the vicar is paralleled to the urban imagery of before
--he is contrasted to her husband in his knowledge and "range of being", despite being outwardly less interesting than her husband
--Brangwen and the other farm men are compared to beasts, over which the vicar as a man has power over
--the woman longs to understand this curiosity and gain knowledge for herself and for her children
--her desire for knowledge, to escape from the inner magic of life and to the outer magic of man overcomes her
In D. H. Lawrence’s novel, The Rainbow Lawrence uses imagery and symbolism to characterize the woman and her thirst for knowledge in the story.
ReplyDeleteDirection of the house represents the woman's desire for a life outside her agricultural lifestyle
“She strained her eyes to see what man had done in fighting outwards to knowledge”
"But the woman wanted another form of life than this, something that was not blood-intimacy." - wants more than motherhood
"Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields, looked out to the road and the village with church and Hall and the world beyond"
"She faced outwards to where men moved dominant and creative, having turned their back on the pulsing heat of creation"
She looks towards what she wants. She wants to expand her horizons and to be surrounded by innovation and creativity in the city. urban setting= knowledge, farm setting = the woman's ignorance
Vicar represents her desire to gain knowledge
“The vicar moved in worlds beyond where her own menfolk existed"
"But in the vicar’s nature was that which passed beyond her knowledge. As Brangwen had power over the cattle so the vicar had power over her husband.”
Other men are compared to beasts, what sets the vicar apart from them is his knowledge
Working Thesis:
ReplyDeleteLawrence uses such literary devices as symbolism, rhetorical questions to demonstrate a woman’s desire to escape from her dull life.
Symbolism:
Idea:
The author uses the life on a farm to symbolize the differences between men and women— the men are content with their life on the farm, where women are left unfulfilled but this life.
Quotes:
"It was enough for men, that the earth heaved and opened its furrow to them, that the wind blew to dry the wet wheat”
“they lived full and surcharged, their senses full fed, their faces always turned to the heat of the blood, staring into the sun, dazed with looking towards the source of generation, unable to turn around.”
“ Her house faced out from the farm-buildings and fields, looked out to the road and the village with church and Hall and the world beyond.”
“She stood to see the far- off world of cities and governments and the active scope of man, the magic land to her, where secrets were made known and desires fulfilled”
Rhetorical Questions:
Idea:
The author uses rhetorical questions to show that the woman questions how she can escape her miserable life and become more than just a woman living on a farm.
Quotes:
"What was it in the vicar, that raised him above the common men as man is raised above the beast?"
"His soul was master of the other man’s. And why—why?”
“She craved to achieve this higher being, if not in herself, then in her children. That which makes a man strong even if he be little and frail in body, just as any man is little and frail beside a bull, and yet stronger than the bull, what was it?”