A lovely death poem.

I Died for Beauty but was Scarce
By Emily Dickenson

1 I died for beauty but was scarce
2 Adjusted in the tomb,
3 When one who died for truth was lain
4 In an adjoining room.

5 He questioned softly why I failed?
6 "For beauty," I replied.
7 "And I for truth,--the two are one;
8 We brethren are," he said.

9 And so, as kinsmen met a night,
10 We talked between the rooms,
11 Until the moss had reached our lips,
12 And covered up our names.

This poem struck a chord with me because it many different meanings all wrapped up into one poem. The poem states that beauty and truth are like brothers, but that also means that the two are different (8). If truth and beauty were the same they would be twins in the same room. Another meaning you can derive from the poem is from the line with the word "failed"(5). The word failed is very important because it indicates that there were goals that they did not achieve in life, and so in essesence they failed. You could also interpret it to mean that dying for beauty means failing, for it is a pointless way to die. The last line where the poem describes the poem covering up their names says to me that the dead are often forgotten gradually and slowly, but nevertheless they are forgotten(11/12). The moss covers them up and you can see them no more(11/12).

The poem uses the metaphor "met at night" to refer to death (9). I also believe the people in the tomb are meant to represent beauty and truth, but are presented to us as people who died for such causes. It shows us that beauty and truth can get along and can be similar, but should not be considered the same thing. Dead people are personified in this poem in a way, because in real life obviously dead people can't converse. When she mentions that she was "adjusted in the tomb" it shows us that no matter what you died for, in the end we all end up in the same place(2). No matter what ideals you had in life, or what ideals you died for, in death it doesn't matter. The speaker also doesn't seem to be concerned by her own death, she speaks straighforwardly and even bluntly; giving the effect that is somewhat indifferent or even gloomy. This poem makes an interesting statement about death, even a grim one, because it speaks to a persons fear that no matter what you died for we all end up in the same place. We all want to believe that if we die for something just we will go to a good place and the less worthy to a less worthy place. But Emily Dickenson refutes that, but it isn't a totally dire outlook. Although we all go to the same place, the two in the tomb find comfort and kinship in eachother. That is what initally attracted me to this poem.

How Things Went.

Well, for me first quarter was a major reality check. Just sliding by with a so-so paper that I didn't really have to spend all that much time on was no longer an option. I'm not gonna lie that first 5-paragraph essay was probably the most stressful and draining and most picked apart essay I've ever written, but in the end I learned alot of skills from it that benefitted me. For example learning how to write an actual thesis statement, not a topic. That was huge. I've never had much experience with thesis statements and they were a whole heck of a lot more difficult and explicit than I'd ever thought before. I Learned how much an outline can help you organize all your thoughts. I learned how to start to come up with clear, concise, debateable main ideas. I had never been much of a prewriter before now, never really thought that it was all that useful, but now that I have some of the useful ones that we did in class, I can honestly say I will swear by them(especially in the thesis statement area). I need to learn and reinforce that although a good paper can be written overnight, the paper would probably be better if I had constantly worked and tweaked it to be the best that I can possibly make it. I have to learn not to procrastinate, which is my biggest downfall in all schoolwork. I need to make sure to stay focused in class because my mind tends to wander and then I sometimes miss important information. Overall, this was a good quarter, but there are always improvements to be made.

Outside Reading #5

A main topic that has presented itself throughout the novel, but becomes especially clear at the end is forgiveness. Andrew Hopkins may have done the unthinkable by kidnapping Delia, but his reasoning made you see that he only did it out of love and the fear of Delia's alcoholic mother. Delia is horrified about not knowing who she is and even more horrified that she may no longer be able to trust her father. But Delia begins to realize that nothing about her as a person has changed, she is still Sophie's mother, and she is still the same Delia she has always been. This revelation allows Delia to slowly be able to forgive her father for the life that he took away because Delia realizes that she loved the life she gained. When Delia's father is aquitted Delia couldn't be more overjoyed, and we are able to see that her forgiveness is complete. She even says, " What if it turns out that a life isn't defined by who you belong to or where you came from, by what you wished for or whom you've lose, but instead by the moments you spend getting from each of these places to the next?"(Piccoult 418). She realizes that whether she grew up with her father or not, that isn't what is important; it was her journey to where she is now and that the journey through life is all that matters. The two drive off into the sunset and as Delia puts it, "I drive east, toward Sophie, toward home"(418). After all the things her and her father have been through, she still considers the home she grew up in to be her true home. And her most poingant sign of forgiveness is when she says, "At any moment, a person can start over. And that's not half a life, but simply a real one"(230).

We are also confronted by the question; what is bad? I think Andrew Hopkins states it perfectly, "Bad is not an absolute, but a relative term. Ask the robber who used the cash he stole to feed his infant; the rapist who was sexually abused as a child; the kidnapper who truly believed he was saving a life"(194). Small children see right and wrong in black and white. As we grow older we see an ever growing "grey" area. What Andrew Hopkins did was undeniably against the law, but was it necessarily wrong? He refers to himself as the kidnapper mentioned in the quote above and how he thought he was truly saving his daughter's life, and this makes the reader sympathize with his cause. The line is blurred to the reader because you develop an afinity and affection for Andrew. But then the reader thinks of Elise. Her chance to have a relationship with her daughter was ripped away from her with no warning. Elise loved her daughter and Delia loved her mother, and they were both forced to live without each other. How can you justify that? There were avenues that he could have taken to take Delia out of Elise's custody for the ti me being, but he chose to take the route that was probably easiest, actually I should say, cleanest break away from that old life. By the end the viewer still isn't decided about whether what Andrew did was right or wrong, but all they know is that what he has done has been forgiven.

In the end Delia and Eric break it off because they are simply too different for each other. Eric could no longer put on the face of the person that Delia wanted him to be. Eric had to be Eric, and Delia couldn't live with that. It was probably for the best that they didn't get married because it was obvious to the reader that Eric was just not right for Delia. Eric will, however, still be a big part of his daughter Sophie's life. From the very beginning the reader can see that Fitz is the correct choice for Delia, Delia just hasn't realized it yet. She does by the end. She and Fitz get together, which one would think would accept Eric, but he is surprisingly accepting. He also realizes that Fitz was the right one all along and as much as it hurts Eric he knows that he has to let Delia go. He even says, "If I can't take care of her myself, there's no one else I'd want to take my place"(413). Eric forgives Fitz for taking Delia, probably not so much because he wants to, but because he knows that it is the right decision for everyone. Fitz goes on to say, "Eric will be with us-maybe not as often, maybe not even in the same neighborhood, maybe not for a while. But we are three; none of us would have it any other way"(413). Despite everything they have all been through they realize their friendships are more important than anything else and forgive each other for everything, no matter what it is.