From a distance, James Joyce's 'Araby' might appear to be a story about a teenage boy who falls into a deep chasm of love he cannot climb out of. After all, when the nameless narrator describes his passionate love towards Mangan's sister as stated in paragraph 12(What innumerable follies~monotonous child's play), it is quite evident that he considers her to be a 'holy' type of figure he worships. However, on the other hand, Joyce actually seems to be talking about something much more than just shallow, childish love; he is emphasizing that fairy tales do not exist, and that love between Snow White and the prince is all fake that is to be viewed with distrust. We often accept the norm that love is divine, but this is not necessarily true. Love can be tainted, just like that between the young lady and the two men at the bazaar; it need not be, and is not so pure as many people assume. We are often deceived by the seemingly sacred facade of love described in many romantic literary works, and this concept has placed itself in our subconsciousness for a prolonged period of time. The narrator tries to convey to the readers the sense of idealism that he has for the girl in the opening paragraphs until he goes to Araby, but this perspective gets distorted when the epiphany hits him hard, when he learns about the disparity between reality and fantasy. This sudden, intuitive perception of reality the narrator undergoes shatters his romatic view of love that primarily focused on imagination. Basically, Joyce destroys the concept of idealized love wholly using an open ending which is very realistic and modernistic, and a cynical description of the bazaar that is far from being an “exotic far east” romance of any kind. Romantics focused a lot on “exotic” themes, or images from a distant past or place unlike Joyce who gained sympathy of the readers by making his story accessible. Therefore, it is perhaps more accurate to assume that 'Araby' is a text criticizing those trapped in their own dream world: those who crave and yearn for what they cannot achieve in reality. In this sense, 'Araby' is a story that provides a pessimistic, yet alternative view of love that is not reaching towards the satisfaction of romanticism, and through vivid descriptions and a lucid characterization of the protagonists, Joyce develops a concrete plot that is very well-structured.
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
#3 ARABY
PARAGRAPH [final ver.]
From a distance, James Joyce's 'Araby' might appear to be a story about a teenage boy who falls into a deep chasm of love he cannot climb out of. After all, when the nameless narrator describes his passionate love towards Mangan's sister as stated in paragraph 12(What innumerable follies~monotonous child's play), it is quite evident that he considers her to be a 'holy' type of figure he worships. However, on the other hand, Joyce actually seems to be talking about something much more than just shallow, childish love; he is emphasizing that fairy tales do not exist, and that love between Snow White and the prince is all fake that is to be viewed with distrust. We often accept the norm that love is divine, but this is not necessarily true. Love can be tainted, just like that between the young lady and the two men at the bazaar; it need not be, and is not so pure as many people assume. We are often deceived by the seemingly sacred facade of love described in many romantic literary works, and this concept has placed itself in our subconsciousness for a prolonged period of time. The narrator tries to convey to the readers the sense of idealism that he has for the girl in the opening paragraphs until he goes to Araby, but this perspective gets distorted when the epiphany hits him hard, when he learns about the disparity between reality and fantasy. This sudden, intuitive perception of reality the narrator undergoes shatters his romatic view of love that primarily focused on imagination. Basically, Joyce destroys the concept of idealized love wholly using an open ending which is very realistic and modernistic, and a cynical description of the bazaar that is far from being an “exotic far east” romance of any kind. Romantics focused a lot on “exotic” themes, or images from a distant past or place unlike Joyce who gained sympathy of the readers by making his story accessible. Therefore, it is perhaps more accurate to assume that 'Araby' is a text criticizing those trapped in their own dream world: those who crave and yearn for what they cannot achieve in reality. In this sense, 'Araby' is a story that provides a pessimistic, yet alternative view of love that is not reaching towards the satisfaction of romanticism, and through vivid descriptions and a lucid characterization of the protagonists, Joyce develops a concrete plot that is very well-structured.
From a distance, James Joyce's 'Araby' might appear to be a story about a teenage boy who falls into a deep chasm of love he cannot climb out of. After all, when the nameless narrator describes his passionate love towards Mangan's sister as stated in paragraph 12(What innumerable follies~monotonous child's play), it is quite evident that he considers her to be a 'holy' type of figure he worships. However, on the other hand, Joyce actually seems to be talking about something much more than just shallow, childish love; he is emphasizing that fairy tales do not exist, and that love between Snow White and the prince is all fake that is to be viewed with distrust. We often accept the norm that love is divine, but this is not necessarily true. Love can be tainted, just like that between the young lady and the two men at the bazaar; it need not be, and is not so pure as many people assume. We are often deceived by the seemingly sacred facade of love described in many romantic literary works, and this concept has placed itself in our subconsciousness for a prolonged period of time. The narrator tries to convey to the readers the sense of idealism that he has for the girl in the opening paragraphs until he goes to Araby, but this perspective gets distorted when the epiphany hits him hard, when he learns about the disparity between reality and fantasy. This sudden, intuitive perception of reality the narrator undergoes shatters his romatic view of love that primarily focused on imagination. Basically, Joyce destroys the concept of idealized love wholly using an open ending which is very realistic and modernistic, and a cynical description of the bazaar that is far from being an “exotic far east” romance of any kind. Romantics focused a lot on “exotic” themes, or images from a distant past or place unlike Joyce who gained sympathy of the readers by making his story accessible. Therefore, it is perhaps more accurate to assume that 'Araby' is a text criticizing those trapped in their own dream world: those who crave and yearn for what they cannot achieve in reality. In this sense, 'Araby' is a story that provides a pessimistic, yet alternative view of love that is not reaching towards the satisfaction of romanticism, and through vivid descriptions and a lucid characterization of the protagonists, Joyce develops a concrete plot that is very well-structured.
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Well written and interesting, and unique compared to most in the class. However, it has a bit of a "radical" tone to it, and your claim might be going to far with some of the vocabulary - such as "fake" or "destroying" or even "pessimism." Joyce is very subtle in everything he puts forth in Araby, and his inexplicit agenda is open to interpretation. Your points are very relevant, but the tone could be softer and less absolute.
ReplyDeleteThis sentence could use some work:
Romantics focused a lot on “exotic” themes, or images from a distant past or place unlike Joyce who gained sympathy of the readers by making his story accessible.
Perhaps a comma, some rewording, or a clear clause. Other than that, you have some very impressive sentences that flow wonderfully. Good stuff!