Whitman and Life

Whitman’s work is shown through poem 1-10, his pieces portray his positive attitude towards life. We can recall, “Always the procreant urge of the world” (Poem 2, line 37). His work appreciates the nature of life. How humans should see banal things as great. Not from a religious point of view but as an esthetical and artistic observation. His metaphors about life propose another view regarding stages in life. He questions people’s ordinary thoughts. Is birth a fortunate event? Is death the beginning of another life? Do people ever focus on casual things?

Wilson and Loulou

Flaubert describes Loulou in a particular manner. He does not use an extended quantity of adjectives or comparisons. He focuses on color, a simple aspect to portray her. We can recall, “He was called Loulou. His body was green, his head blue, the tips of his wings were pink and his breast was golden. But he had the tiresome tricks of biting his perch, pulling his feathers out, scattering refuse and spilling the water of his bath. Madame Aubain grew tired of him and gave him to Felicite for good.”(Chapter 4)It is vital to note the last fragment of this paragraph. Flaubert mentions how Madam Aubain’s action was definitely good for Felicite. As her name alludes to happiness, it is very ionic that her life is miserable. At this point a crucial question appears. Can self destruction be avoided through strong believe (faith) in someone, something or a Parrot? I believe Felicite is able to cope with her life finding space for hope. This type of situation reminds me of Cast Away. Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is lost in an island and he discovers faith through Wilson. Wilson is a volleyball that he uses as his “friend” and talks to him, a technique similar to Felicite’s. Both characters are able to deal with their negative circumstances by depositing hope in an external agent.

French Connection

As I read Gustave Flaubert I focused on detail, on his descriptions primarily. His style is very unique, I think detail described in few words is a skill that develops with practice. We learned about le mot juste, a concept that involves using exact words for exact descriptions. We can recall, “Eight mahogany chairs stood in a row against the white wainscoting. An old piano, standing beneath a barometer, was covered with a pyramid of old books and boxes. On either side of the yellow marble mantelpiece, in Louis XV. style, stood a tapestry armchair. The
clock represented a temple of Vesta; and the whole room smelled musty,
as it was on a lower level than the garden.”(Chapter 1) His description is very casual and yet precise. Listing objects can be a technique to emphasize detail, a method that Flaubert uses constantly in A Simple Heart. He sues numerical reference, allusion and shapes as some of the main indicators throughout his descriptions. I feel his style is similar to that of Armand Guillaumin, a french impressionist. The strokes he sues are delicate, short and yet magnify the concept in his paintings.

Quadrant

Image(B) Image(A)