Summary and Analysis Sonnet 42

Only in this last sonnet concerning the youth and the poet's mistress does the poet make fully apparent
the main reason for his being so upset: "That she hath thee is of my wailing chief, / A loss in love that
touches me more nearly." The poet is grieved by his mistress' infidelity, but he laments even more the fact
that she has what he so ravenously craves: the physical and emotional attentions of the young man.

Reconciling himself to his mistress' behavior requires all the poet's powers of expression and self-
deception. He makes the torturous argument that since he and the youth share personalities, they must
share the same woman: "But here's the joy: my friend and I are one; / Sweet flattery! then she loves but
me alone." Likewise, because the poet loves the woman, and because the woman is having an affair with
the young man, then the rational conclusion — according to the poet — is that the poet and the youth are
that much closer in their relationship.

WAR
- Seems like one act play, the climax of the story, the woman with a simple question, is typical
example of a short story
- Narrated by the 3rd person, by unnamed narrator the reader realizes after reading the story that
Luigi Pirandello may be exploring the theme of patriotism

SUMMARY
A husband and wife board a small train carriage at dawn in Italy, joining the five people who have already spent the
night in it. The woman is large and in deep mourning. Some of the passengers help her in and make room for her.
The husband inquires if she’s all right, but she doesn’t answer. He explains to the others that their only son is being
sent to war in three days and they’re going to see him off.

A passenger says he has two sons and three nephews at the front, prompting the husband to stress that they’re risking
their only son. This sets off a passionate discussion about who is sacrificing the most.
The husband says a man who loses one son has another left to comfort him, but the passenger responds that such a
man has an obligation to live for his other son, and thus can’t end his misery at his own hand.
Another passenger, an old man, breaks in with a speech. He asserts that their children don’t belong to them. They have
interests of their own, including a love for their country, and they gladly fight for it. They don’t want tears because if they
die, they die happy. And dying young and happy is all anyone could want as it spares them of the boredom and
disillusionment of life. Why, he doesn’t even mourn the death of his own son.
He stops there, his lip trembling, his eyes watery.

The other passengers agree with him. The wife, inconsolable until now, finds strength in his words. She listens closely
as the old man gives the details of how his son died heroically for King and Country, without regrets. All the other
passengers congratulate the man for his stoicism and bravery.
The wife, as if waking from a dream, says to the man, “Then… is your son really dead?”

The old man looks at her, tries to answer, but can’t. He seems to realize for the first time that his son is gone forever.
He weeps uncontrollably.

THEME: patriotism, acceptance , grief, connection, fear and loss

The Candide

Character List :

 Candide A simple young man who travels the world and experiences all of its joys and horrors.
Throughout the novel, Candide acts as a test for the concept of philosophical optimism, or "all is for
the best."
 Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh A vain, pompous man, living in the castle at Westphalia. He, along
with his son, is considered a possible representation of Frederick the Great.
  Cunégonde The baron's beautiful daughter, with whom Candide is in love.
 Doctor Pangloss A learned philosopher and tutor to the baron. He espouses the philosophy of
philosophical optimism.
 Paquette A chambermaid in the baron's household; she has an affair with Pangloss and infects
him with a disfiguring disease.
 The Anabaptist A caring man who saves the lives of Candide, Pangloss, and a sailor on a ship.
 The old woman A woman working for Cunégonde who helps Candide escape from the gallows at
the auto-da-fé and nurses him to health. The daughter of Pope Urban X and the princess of
Palestrina, the old woman has suffered greatly throughout her life.
 The Grand Inquisitor A high-ranking official in the church who takes interest in Cunégonde. He
shares her with Don Issachar.
 Don Issachar A wealthy, Jewish court banker who tries to win the affection of Cunégonde. He
shares her with the Grand Inquisitor.
 Don Fernando The governor of Buenos Aires, who steals Cunégonde from Candide.
 Cacambo Candide's faithful valet, who travels with him and eventually settles at the farm with the
rest of the group.
 Mynheer Vanderdendur A ruthless ship captain who cheats Candide out of 20,000 piasters.
 Martin A long-suffering elderly scholar who travels with Candide throughout Europe. He also settles
at the farm with Candide and Cunégonde.
 Friar Giroflée Now Paquette's companion, Giroflée was forced by his parents to become a monk.
He and Paquette settle at Candide's farm.
 Senator Pococurante A man reported to have never known grief. Candide visits him as a means
of testing philosophical optimism, but Pococurante turns out to be miserable.
 The six kings Six foreigners whom Candide meets at dinner. They six were kings who were
dethroned in one way or another.
 The Turk The man who reveals to Candide the secret of his happiness: work.

SUMMARY

Candide begins in the German town of Westphalia, where Candide, a young man, lives in the castle of
Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh. A noted philosopher, Doctor Pangloss, tutors the baron on philosophical
optimism, the idea that "all is for the best . . . in this best of all worlds." Candide, a simple man, first accepts
this philosophy, but as he experiences the horrors of war, poverty, the maliciousness of man, and the
hypocrisy of the church, he begins to doubt the voracity of Pangloss's theory. Thus, philosophical optimism
is the focus of Votaire's satire; anti-war and anti-church refrains also run throughout the novel.

In the first chapter, Doctor Pangloss is having an illicit affair with Paquette, a chambermaid. The baron's
beautiful daughter, Cunégonde, witnesses the affair and decides to try something similar with Candide.
When the baron catches them, Candide is kicked out of the castle.

Hungry and cold, Candide makes his way to a neighboring town, where he is aided by two soldiers. He is
pressed into service and endures beatings at the hands of his superiors. He runs away, coming across
war-torn villages in the process and witnessing the horrors of war firsthand. Candide makes his way to
Christian Holland, where he hopes to find charity but finds hardhearted people, save one, an Anabaptist,
who shows Candide kindness and generosity.

Candide then meets a beggar who is suffering from a disfiguring disease and soon discovers that the
beggar is Doctor Pangloss. Pangloss recounts his recent experiences, including the death of the baron
and his family at the hands of soldiers. In spite of Pangloss's condition and the horrors around him, the
good doctor still believes in philosophical optimism. The Anabaptist sees to it that Pangloss is cured, and
then takes him and Candide to Lisbon via ship. When a storm blows up, the Anabaptist is killed trying to
save a sailor; the ship later breaks up, leaving Candide, Pangloss, and the rescued sailor as the only
survivors. No sooner do they land on the Lisbon shore than an earthquake shakes the city; in response,
church leaders decide to show an auto-da-fé, or act of faith, which includes a sacrifice of people. Pangloss
is hanged, but Candide survives, helped by an old woman.

The old woman cleans and feeds Candide, and then takes him to Cunégonde, who survived the brutal
attack on the baron's family. She is living with two powerful men who try to share her affections, and she
was responsible for saving Candide from the killings during the auto-da-fé. Cunégonde's two men come
upon the young lovers, and Candide kills them both. Frightened, Candide, Cunégonde, and the old woman
escape to a port city, where a military vessel is loading up for a mission in Paraguay. Candide's military
training impresses the Spanish general, and Candide is made a captain with command of an infantry. With
Cunégonde and the old woman, Candide sails for South America. During the voyage, the old woman tells
her story, which is horrific — she has suffered far more than anyone else in the party. Candide begins to
seriously question Pangloss's theory of philosophical optimism.

In Buenos Aires, they meet the governor, Don Fernando, who takes an interest in Cunégonde and asks
for her hand in marriage. Candide is heartbroken, but he cannot stay and fight for Cunégonde, because
he must flee from police officers who traced Candide to the region. Aided by Cacambo, a valet, Candide
escapes and soon meets the Reverend Father Commander, leader of a Jesuit army in Paraguay. The
commander turns out to be Cunégonde's brother, who was left for dead when his mother and father were
killed in Westphalia. The two catch up until Candide reveals that he is love with Cunégonde and hopes to
someday marry her; the baron's son is so enraged by this notion that a fight ensues, and Candide kills the
man.

Again, Candide flees with Cacambo and, before long, the two face the Oreillons, who at first nearly kill
Candide but soon treat him hospitably. Upon leaving their company, Candide and Cacambo come to
Eldorado, a country filled with gold and jewels for which the citizens have no use, because everyone's
needs are met by the government. Eldorado also has no court rooms or prisons, because citizens treat
each other fairly and do not break laws. The citizens of Eldorado believe in God but never pray in
supplication — they only give thanks because they have all they need.

Eager to find Cunégonde, Candide and Cacambo leave Eldorado with a team of red sheep loaded with
gold, jewels, and other supplies. When they reach Surinam, the two traveling companions split up, with
Cacambo heading in secret to Buenos Aires to buy the release of Cunégonde, and Candide heading to
Venice, where he will not be sought by the police. Candide is victimized by a ship's captain, a ruthless
man named Mynheer Vanderdendur, and the judge from whom Candide seeks redress. Dejected,
Candide advertises a contest for the most unfortunate man he can find; an elderly scholar named Martin
wins the contest and becomes Candide's new traveling partner. The two head to France, en route to
Venice.

In Paris, Candide becomes ill and is attended by a variety of people, all of whom want a piece of his
fortune. He recovers, but is tricked by an actress into giving away much of his fortune and is eventually
arrested by the police, who are suspicious of all strangers. From there, Candide and Martin are sent to
England, where they witness more violence, and then finally reach Venice. Through various discussions
and wagers with Martin, as well as meetings with a variety of people, Candide comes to lose faith in
philosophical optimism. Soon, Candide finds Cacambo, now a slave, who informs Candide that
Cunégonde is in Constantinople, working as a servant. Candide buys Cacambo's freedom, and the three
men travel toward Constantinople. They soon meet Pangloss and the baron's son, both of whom were
presumed dead, and discover that, back in Lisbon, the noose on Pangloss's neck slipped, while the baron's
son recovered from Candide's stab wound. The five set off to find Cunégonde, who is with the old woman
and is no longer beautiful, and Candide buys their freedom, as well. When the baron's son again steps in
the bar Candide's marriage to Cunégonde (a marriage Candide no longer desires), the party kills the
baron's son.

Candide marries Cunégonde and buys a small farm with the last of his Eldorado fortune. The entire party
— Candide, Cunégonde, Cacambo, Martin, Pangloss, and the old woman — live there together, and are
soon joined by Paquette and her companion, Friar Giroflée. They discuss philosophy and are utterly
miserable until they meet a happy Turk relaxing under a tree. The Turk explains that he has only a small
farm but he is happy because he works it with his children. The farm meets his needs and saves him from
boredom and evil desires. Candide decides that this is how his little group will find happiness, and they
begin to work their farm

AUTHOR

No attempt here is made to present in detail an account of the philosophy of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz
(1646-1716), which Voltaire called "optimism," the term he used as the subtitle to Candide, but only to call
attention to the points relevant to an understanding of the philosophical tale. Pangloss referred to the
German as "the most profound metaphysician of Germany," and, in view of his constant use of Leibnitzian
terms and concepts, he has often been identified with the German philosopher. To that extent, through
the character of Pangloss, Voltaire satirized Leibnitz. But the great philosopher and mathematician, the
man who was co-discoverer with Newton, yet independently, of differential calculus, was anything but
such a ridiculous figure.
By the time he came to write Candide, Voltaire's wide reading and experiences provided him with sufficient
reason for rejecting these ideas. The phrase "all is well," a refrain in Candide, voiced again and again by
the young hero and Pangloss, his teacher, is scorned; "the best of all possible worlds" becomes a grim
joke. The belief that everything forms a chain and that each individual must keep his place in that chain is
dismissed as sheer nonsense. Voltaire also rejects the belief that personal evil only contributes to the
general good, that human events are wholly in terms of providentialism, and that harmony is pre-
established.
The Lorelei
AUTHOR

One of Heinrich Heine's famous poems, "Die Lorelei," is based on a German legend of an
enchanting, seducing mermaid who lures seamen to their death. It has been set to music by
numerous composers, such as Friedrich Silcher and Franz Liszt.

English translation (not always translated literally):

I don't know what it means

That I am so sad
A legend of bygone days
That I cannot keep out of my mind.
The air is cool and night is coming.
The calm Rhine courses its way.
The peak of the mountain dazzles
With evening's final ray.
The fairest of maidens is sitting
Up there, a beautiful delight,
Her golden jewels are shining,
She's combing her golden hair.
She holds a golden comb,
Singing along, as well
An enthralling
And spellbinding melody.
In his little boat, the boatman
Is seized by it with a savage woe.
He does not look upon the rocky ledge
But rather high up into the heavens.
I think that the waves will devour
The boatman and boat in the end
And this by her song's sheer power
Fair Loreley has done.

The Rape Fantasies

In her story Rape Fantasies, Margaret Atwood seeks to expose erroneous but widespread ideas about
rape in the 1970s. The first of these ideas is the understanding of rape as no more than just a sexual act.
Even though popular culture throughout this decade simplified rape to a mere physical act, Atwood shows
that a rape entails much more-- it is fundamentally a power struggle in which one person abuses of
another’s physical and psychological vulnerability. The second idea Atwood criticizes is the common
notion that rape victims should remain silent. During the 1970s, most victims of a rape never reported it,
afraid of the possible reactions. It wasn’t until the late 1970s that the belief that women can always been
partially blamed for a rape started to shed from people’s mentalities. With her story, Atwood tries to make
her readers see that unless women start to deeply analyze the causes of rape and unless women who
have experienced rape share their stories to make others more aware, rape will continue to be a major
problem faced by our society.

The decade of the 1970s was an interesting period for the feminist movement.
None of the women realize that rape is much more than just a sexual encounter, it’s about power
relationships. In all of their “fantasies” the women are not actually experiencing rape because they are
always in control of the situation. With this story, Atwood criticizes modern pop culture that gives women
an erroneous perception of rape. When people are misinformed about an issue and unprepared for its
manifestations, they become much more vulnerable to it, precisely what we see happening with Estelle at
the end of the story.

A major element crucial to this story is irony. When the four women fantasize about rape, they all describe
situations in which they are in control. However, as the plot progresses it becomes more and more evident
that the entire story is being narrated by Estelle to someone else. That someone, I realized at the end of
the story, is a man she meets at a bar. At this point in the story the reader can already sense that Estelle
feels uncomfortable. She rambles on and on about her coworkers’ rape fantasies as a self defense
mechanism in a situation in which she feels she might be threatened. However, ironically, she lets the
man see her fears and her insecurities, making herself vulnerable.
In the story four women have lunch together. Three of them share their “rape fantasies” but one remains
silent. After Chrissy, Greta and Estelle have all told their stories, Estelle remarks, “Sondra was miffed too,
by the time she’d finished her celery and she wanted to tell about hers, but she hadn’t got in fast enough”
(Atwood 3). Estelle simply assumes that Sondra wanted to tell her own story but got annoyed because
she didn’t have the time to, but as readers we must also consider the possibility that maybe she did not
want to get involved in the conversation. At the beginning of the story, we see that Sondra perceives rape
as a violent attack, unlike her colleagues who see it as a sexual adventure. Sondra’s silence and
annoyance could mean that she has experienced sexual assault firsthand. However, her reluctance to tell
the group leaves the other three with their misconceptions. If Sondra had decided to narrate her own
experience, maybe Estelle would have been better informed and would not have placed herself in the
situation she did at the end of the story.

The Lottery Ticket

- In The Lottery Ticket by Anton Chekhov we have the theme of hope, aspiration, selfishness, power,
greed, control, freedom and satisfaction.
- Taken from his The Complete Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the third person by an
unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Chekhov may be exploring
the theme of hope and aspiration.

SUMMARY

This book is a story about a man whose wife believes she has won the lottery after her husband, Ivan
Dmitritch, reads her the series, which is correct, but not the number, which is incorrect. After Ivan reads
her the series, she becomes ecstatic and can't believe that she just won the lottery. Ivan tells her not to
worry about the number, which is incorrect. Ivan and his wife begin to daydream and fantasize about the
life they will have once they win the lottery money, which is 75,000 dollars. Ivan begins to suggest what
she should do with the money, such as spending money on a new estate, immediate expenses, then
putting the rest in the bank. Ivan thinks about how he could live in St. Martin's, then vacation during the
harsh fall every time it comes around. Ivan then gets angry and thinks about how his wife could abandon
him, or basically own him by making him do what she says. For some odd reason, Ivan begins to argue
with his wife about what could happen if she claims all of the lottery ticket money. After a long argument,
Ivan goes to the newspaper and reads the lottery number. The series is correct, 9499, but the number is
46, not 26. The anger at each other and the hope they had for winning the lottery disappears. To end the
story, Ivan complains about how his life is terrible now and, jokingly or not jokingly, says he is going to
hang himself on the tree outside.