Open Prompt #2 (Revision) -Apr. 21-

2009 A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents something or that creates a range of associations beyond itself. In literary works a symbol can express an idea, clarify meaning, or enlarge literal meaning. Select novel or play and, focusing on one symbol, write an essay analyzing how that symbol functions in the work and what it reveals about the characters or themes of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.

In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde writes about a boy named Dorian Gray, who starts off as an innocent boy, but is changed after being influenced by Lord Henry. Dorian, who met Lord Henry while sitting for a painting by his friend Basil, wished that the painting that Basil created would age, rather than himself. Wilde uses the actual painting of Dorian Gray as a symbol that shows Dorian Gray's loss of innocence and his underlying selfishness.

Dorian had started as an innocent boy with a good heart, according to Basil. Though, when Dorian hears Lord Henry's theories and thoughts on life, he begins to change. Henry’s theories cause Dorian to wish that the picture would be the one that ages, in fear that he would be ugly when he ages. From then on, the painting begins to change, showing how Dorian's innocence has changed. Lord Henry's teachings had exposed Dorian and Dorian was then no longer able to hide behind his innocence, and caused him to be "cursed". The painting also had changed as Dorian continuously became more corrupted. When Dorian kills his good friend just because he didn’t want him to know about the painting, it’s appearance changed. Dorian's hands in the picture were covered with blood, and his face held an evil grin. The changing of the painting highlights how Dorian is quickly losing his old, innocent, self, and is turning into a sick, ugly, person.

The picture also exposes Dorian's selfishness that he holds within. When he wished that the painting would age, he had wanted to be perfect forever, without realizing the consequences. Lord Henry has taught Dorian to live life in attempt to achieve the ultimate pleasures of it, causing Dorian to think selfishly. With this state of mind, Dorian leaves the girl he proposed to, only because he thought he loved her for her acting. He didn't care about how she felt, causing her to kill herself. His actions caused the  painting to gain an unattractive grin, which made Dorian realize his selfishness and feel guilty.

Overall, the painting reveals certain aspects of the character, Dorian Gray. By placing the painting as a symbol, Wilde shows that Dorian is a selfish man and that he loses his innocence through influence. 

Ceremony: Summary/Analysis

Author: Leslie Marmon Silko is a Native American writer from the Laguna Pueblo tribe. She is the original recipient of the MacArthur Foundation Grant. She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is of Laguna Pueblo, Anglo American, and Mexican American decent.
Setting: The Laguna Pueblo reservation and surrounding areas, such as a town called Gallup. There are a few flashbacks to Philippines.
Plot: After thinking he sees his Uncle Josiah shot while fighting WWII in the Philippine jungle, Tayo returns back home to the Laguna Pueblo reservation. Tayo, who has been "infected" by the evil that comes from the whites, must purify himself through a ceremony. He learns how to properly complete the ceremony from a medicine man named Betonie and his assistant Shush. He's constantly haunted by images of his cousin/brother Rocky's death. Along the way he meets Ts'eh, who guides him through his ceremony, whom he also falls in love with. He also must deal with fellow Native American veterans who have given in to the same evil that haunts him.
Characters:
Tayo: The main character of the book. Has been tainted by evil, and is on a mission to complete a ceremony that will cleanse him of the darkness. Is half Laguna Pueblo.
Rocky: Tayo's cousin who died while fighting in WWII. Seemed to be more interesting in western things.
Josiah: Tayo's uncle who was trampled by cattle while Tayo was fighting. Taught Tayo everything he knows, and is a very wise man. Dated Night Swan.
Night Swan: Mysterious Mexican woman who dated Josiah. Slept with Tayo to teach him about change. An old dancer that apparently can seduce men quite easily.
Ts'eh: A yellow woman that Tayo finds in the woods. Tayo falls for her, and she guides him through part of the ceremony.
Emo: Tayo's "rival" who has given into the evil of the world. Doesn't seem to flinch at all at the sight of blood and death. Full name is Geronimo.
Auntie: Tayo's aunt who is always busy worrying about gossip going around about her family as well as gossip about her.
Grandma: Tayo's blind grandmother who is quite wise, and knows more than you think.
Author's Style: The book is written with some passages in a poem like form. The book has a storytelling feel overall.
Point of View: The point of view is a third person. It feels as if it's someone telling a story, which fits with the Native American oral storytelling tradition.
Imagery: The imagery in Ceremony was vivid. The scenery was described with much detail, and seemed to focus on color, especially the colors red, white, yellow, and blue.
Symbols: 
The Colors Blue, Red, White, and Yellow: Each represents the directions North,South,East, and West, which each have their own meanings.
The Mountain Lion, Shush, and the Cattle: Each represent spirit animals that lead Tayo through the Ceremony.
The Cattle/Tayo: The Cattle represented the storm clouds in the story of the gambler, while Tayo represents sun father, who saves the clouds/cattle from the gambler.
Quotes:
"You see, in many ways, the ceremonies have always been changing"
This quote shows that in order to properly heal Tayo, they must do a ceremony that has changed, just like things have around them. This also shows that people, such as whites and Native Americans need to put aside their differences and learn to live together.
"They blame us, the ones who look different. That way they don't have to think about what has happened inside themselves"
This quote from the Night Swan explains how people are so afraid of change that they blame others that are different from themselves, yet they fail to realize that they themselves are already changing and there's nothing they can really do.
Theme: Change/New vs.Tradition. This can be seen in many parts of the book, especially when Tayo speaks to Betonie. He says that though tradition is important, it is not adapted to the new modern world, and so doesn't have the same effect that it used to. The books shows how the world is constantly changing, and for all of us to survive, we all must adapt to the changes.

Response to Course Material #8 -Apr. 14-

First things first, Ceremony. Though, very very painful to annotate, I thought it was actually a really interesting book, with a whole lot of symbolism. Reading it a second time allowed me to see more within the text that I didn't see in the initial read. Though, I personally didn't enjoy the sections where all it was, was the descriptions of the scenery, probably because it was very slow and hard to comment on while annotating. But I admit that the descriptions led to beautiful images in my mind. There seriously was a ton of symbols in the book, such as the colors red, white, yellow, and blue, all meaning certain directions, which also were a symbol. The mountain lion, deer, and bear all being spirit animals that lead Tayo on his journey was something that I missed while reading the text, though looking back, it was something that could make sense. But other than Ceremony, we have just started Fifth Business (which I admit, I'm not far in...). So far, it's an odd book, the idea of a man writing to his boss to explain something that he didn't do by telling him his life story is... sorta weird. Maybe once I get further I'll update this post. But I think that's all we've done since the last post that I can remember.